Marcel – W1ARY Visits Solaris WoodLand – Transylvania

A special day at Solaris WoodLand – Transylvania, together with our friend Marcel – W1ARY, filled with memories, amateur radio, QSOs, hobbies and the friendship that brings radio amateurs together.

Some days simply stay with you.

Recently, we had the great pleasure of welcoming our friend Marcel – W1ARY – to Solaris WoodLand – Transylvania, together with his wife.

For us, visits like this are always special because amateur radio is not only about radios, antennas, callsigns and QSOs. Above all, it is about the people behind the callsigns.

A day of memories and conversations

We spent a wonderful day reminiscing and talking about our shared passion for amateur radio, as well as our many other hobbies and interests.

And, of course, when you have a radio amateur visiting, sooner or later you end up in front of the radio!

Marcel made a few DMR QSOs during his visit, including contacts through the Parâng repeater. So, naturally, there had to be a little radio activity at Solaris as well. 📡

While we were busy talking about radio and our other interests, my wife Felis – YO2MGI – showed Marcel’s wife our ZEN garden, one of the quiet and beautiful places we enjoy here at Solaris.

Gifts with a story

The visit also included a very special exchange of gifts.

Marcel brought me a bottle of wine from 1997, a wonderful and thoughtful gift that can be seen on the table in the photographs. It will certainly remain a special reminder of this day.

In return, I gave Marcel a personalized callsign stand with his W1ARY callsign, which he can display at his radio station back home in the United States.

Simple things, perhaps, but these are exactly the kind of objects that preserve the memories of special encounters and friendships.

The YO2BTW Radio Studio

During their visit, Marcel and his wife also had the opportunity to discover a little more of our world at Solaris WoodLand, including the YO2BTW radio studio.

For me, the radio station is much more than a collection of equipment. It is a place where my passion for radio, technology, experimentation and communication all come together – and where many friendships that started over the air have eventually become real-life friendships.

As evening approached, Marcel and his wife headed home, pleasantly impressed by the location and the atmosphere here at Solaris WoodLand.

Beyond QSOs and callsigns

Marcel promised that he will gladly return next year, and perhaps this time he will be able to stay a little longer.

We would be absolutely delighted to welcome them back!

For me, this is one of the most beautiful aspects of amateur radio.

You can first meet someone through a QSO. You hear their voice, see their callsign in your log, exchange a few words over the air – and then, perhaps years later, you find yourself sitting at the same table, sharing memories and discovering that you have much more in common than simply a passion for radio.

Amateur radio is about connections. Some are made through radio waves; others grow into real friendships.

73 from Solaris WoodLand – Transylvania!

Hadrian – YO2BTW & Felis – YO2MGI