Famous personalities behind the radio: EA0JC

There are a lot of celebrities, or if you want a celebrity, which hold the same hobby as us – amateur radio. Probably the most famous monarch among radio amateurs was Hussein I., His Majesty the King of Jordan – YOU1, followed by the names of George Pataki, Sonia Ghandi, Anton of Habsburg, Marlon Brando, Priscilla Presley…

It will be held at the end of this month “His Majest King of Spain Contest” thus, first of all I would like to introduce you to His Majesty the King of Spain, Juana Carlos I. – EA0JC. The beloved sixty-five-year-old king is an avid yachtsman, aviator and radio amateur, even February 23 1981 this hobby saved his life.
His life began to be written in Rome 1938, where Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor Maria Borbón y Borbón was born to the Count and Countess of Barcelona. The couple had two more daughters, Pilar and Margarita, and a younger son, Alfonso.

On Maundy Thursday of the year 1956 there was a tragedy, when by accident Juan Carlos shot his brother. That day, the brothers were visiting Estoril, Portugal. Juan Carlos accidentally got his hands on a pistol, which fired… Fourteen-year-old Alfonso died in his father's arms a few minutes later.

At that time, he also thought about going to the monastery, where he would spend the rest of his life, but finally they talked him out of it. He married Princess Sofia of Greece four decades ago, with whom they have three children and five grandchildren.

He did not earn the people's sympathy just by overcoming the regime, but also modesty. His Zarzuela Palace on the outskirts of Madrid resembles a larger villa. That's also his QTH. Royal expenditure is controlled, which is not common.

When he was ten years old, they sent him out alone without his parents, against an uncertain fate at the request of the dictator Franco to Spain. Franco blackmailed his father – if you don't send the boy to me, your family will never sit on the throne again. He decided to raise the boy in his image, declared him his rightful successor. In year 1975 Juan Carlos became king after Franco's death.

However, he did not become the unlimited ruler that Franco dreamed of, he showed ambition and dedicated his life to building democracy. In the mentioned year 1981 there was a coup attempt, who organized former loyalists of Franco. Gunmen stormed the parliament and took the deputies hostage, but the king was not among them. He managed to contact the head of the soldiers via radio and the rebellion was suppressed.

In year 1995 the Basque terrorist organization ETA tried to assassinate the king. However, her intentions were revealed. Even today, the Spanish political scene is not less tense.

The brand EA0JC is most likely to be found on 20 m. In his collection so far there are more than 3 800 QSL tickets from all over the world. Conditions “His Majest King of Spain Contest” can be found at http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/kingofsp.htm.