How does such a connection go?
After exchanging basic call signals, they send out an audibility report. A chatterbox might also specify what kind of equipment he is using, and, if he is really a big talker, he may even mention the weather. When Marek was starting out, Morse code was the basic means of communication. Nowadays, a majority of young radio amateurs use either voice or digital modes.
What does the SP9DGO mean?
Every radio amateur has an individual callsign, which is granted after passing an exam and receiving a licence. It's a sign that is unique on a global scale, and it is assigned according to a specific pattern.
Your project consists of photographs that depicts fragments of the radio, as well as intriguing postcards.
Every amateur radio connection ends with the number 73, which represents a heartfelt greeting. Later, confirmation of the connection takes place in the form of a paper card exchanged between the radio amateurs by mail. Marek owns more than 2000 cards, and he has made over 8000 connections. Sometimes one waits for the paper card as long as a year, or even two years, and some cards never arrive. The cards often have photos of the correspondents, images of their radios, or places and things that they want to share with us. But there are other things, too.
You won the competition of a prestigious photographic festival. What are your plans now?
Two months ago, I finished working on my photo book called Pestka winogron (The Grape Kernel), devoted to the time I had spent in the boy scouts section, the 73 Kolib. This work consists of archive photographs, as well as contemporary images. It aims to mentally travel back in time to the 1970s. The cover of the book is made out of the same canvas as the tents that we used to sleep in. Since time has passed, the canvas has aged and changed, and thus each copy of the book is slightly different. I am also constantly working on organising my private archives. I am thinking about future projects.
Kraków, 31.05.2014
Translated by Paulina Schlosser, 23/06/2014