Well-known DXpeditioner Baldur Drobnica DJ6SI arrested in Greece for "espionage"

http://sv2dcd.blogspot.de/2012/05/what-shame-for-greek-authorities.html
http://sv8cs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/sv5dj6si-arrested-as-spy-incredible.html
http://sv5byr.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/that-can-happened-only-at-greece.html

Three Greek hams are announcing on their blogs that well-known DXpeditioner Baldur Drobnica DJ6SI has been arrested in Greece allegedly for espionage, while in holiday on the island of Kos. He was “producing strange noises” with his computer (CW and RTTY). His activity was spotted on DX clusters. The first blog is featuring a video with explanations in Greek language presented by Baldur’s lawyer. Baldur says in German that he is going to complain to Amnesty International and he answers a question of the lawyer saying that he never experienced such a treatment from authorities of the 70 countries he visited as a DXpeditioner. But he almost lost his life when trying to activate Spratly Island in 1983. Two of his colleagues died. See details on
http://www.dokufunk.org/amateur_radio/dxcc_entities/index.php?CID=7925&lang=EN&ID=8919&PHPSESSID=3697ec7175f5295eff2a578ce3c25e79
The current story was covered on my website too in Romanian. Google translation is available on the main page. I am sure the YO hams will keep their fingers crossed for Baldur, who made so many DXers happy with his tremendous activity on the amateur radio bands since 1962. Maybe letters to the Greek authorities would help? …
http://yo4px.blogspot.com
Francisc, YO4PX

 

This is weird. Let's wait and see the evidence.

73,
Chip W1YW

 

Greece is very picky about foreign nationals doing unusual things; witness the 2001 plane spotters incident.

 

A large sum of money will make the matter go away!!! After all it is Greece!

n5dpk

 

wonder if he was scouting out a Mt Athos DXpedition? That would sure have been nice! Yes, just THROW MONEY at them. They will go ravenous over greenbacks and let him out for sure!

 

He's been there. Monk Apollo should do an affidavit for him.

It probably doesn't help that Baldur has operated in "Turkish Cyprus".

73
Chip W1YW

 

This guy is from Germany....maybe they want to ransom him for the national debt!

 

Unbelievable!

The Greek people were particularly warm and friendly on my visits.

This must start with cops and lawyers looking for bribes in a collapsing economy.

b.

 

Yikes! I'm booked for Cyprus in September - the Greek zone. Wonder how much legal costs insurance might be?

MM5PSL
Shetland. EU-012

 

No kidding. A ham from my DX club goes to Crete all the time and he says whenever he goes there the military goes through his gear with a fine tooth comb. Luckily for him he is well organized with all his gear clearly identified.

 

Baldur is a nice old guy that gets joy out of going to far off places and playing a radio game. Frankly, the information content of the messages is next to zero and essentially says:' hear ya! hear ya!'

If Baldur is a spy then I am an extraterrestrial...

73,
Chip W1YW

 

This is kind of scary.. I was going to take my radio on vacation next month , maybe I should rethink it. After all, we self proclaim "rights" as Americans but overseas, the only right we have is to keep our mouths shut.. I don't know much about his case, but obviously or perhaps not so obvious to greek authorities, this is a ham, operating his equipment.. Then again, I could understand, after all last year, just sitting in a park in near my home, while on the radio and my computer, generated a visit from the FBI Joint Antiterrorism unit.. (no joke, this is true...) Never mind the fact that I work for the government, produced all the IDs, drivers license vehicle registration and insurance and the Federal Parks police still generated a report, and along came the FBI visiting my home.. After a brief interview, producing more IDs, including my ham radio license (which they had no clue to what Ham radio was).. they went away.

George
N2ZNC

 

Some more info....

Blog update about SV5/DJ6SI story here:

http://sv5byr.blogspot.gr/

 

This is spooky! I can't afford to go on vacation out of country, and now it gives me second thoughts if I could. But, it seems like an isolated incident. None-the-less, it isn't a ticket for littering...espionage is an extremely serious charge. Difficult to have the benefit of the doubt. We like to go to the Smoky Mountains, and I would really like to TX from Newfound Gap and Clingman's Dome. If I do, I certainly hope the rangers have a bit better attitude. Maybe the location makes a difference. Hopefully, they aren't too concerned about nature locations. If the fellow in the park was near national monuments, that might have made them a bit more suspicious. It makes me very upset to read of things like this. Articles and books praise hams for our spirit, community service and as ambassadors of good will, and then somebody gets charged with spying.

 

Greece is a great place to vacation. If I had time, i'd go there now in a second. People are friendly! Value is excellent.

This is obviously a minor event which local hams are going out of there way to help on.

Too bad Baldur destroyed his rig. I didn't see him spotted on the cluster...was he on the air yet?

73
Chip W1YW