Sights and sounds of their best pursuits

As appeared in Hobbies
The Brunei Times – April 4, 2008

THE radio set crackles with static, then a voice says: "To all Tangos, this is Tango One. YL on the left, wearing a pink shirt and white skirt." As the 11 cars which follow in the wake of the lead vehicle passes the spot, everyone looks at the YL; "young lady" in amateur radio speak.

Ostensibly to offer directions and ensure the convoy is going in the right direction – anyone who does not see the YL is bound to be lost – the tone of the chatter among the 12 cars linked by radio is light rather than serious, humorous more than not and a great uplifter for those with flagging spirits.

There have been endless hours on the road in the expedition across north Sabah organised by the Tutong-based Gemilang Association. The participants are exhausted powering their 4x4 Toyota offroaders around corners and up and down hills and keeping eyes trained on the road because of the uneven and at times dangerous terrain.

The radio conversation keeps the drivers entertained, and more importantly, informed. "Broken down lorry on the left taking up half the road. Be aware of oncoming vehicles," reports the lead Land Cruiser, call sign T1 (for Toyota) and pronounced Tango One.

"Landslide on the right, keep to your left." Such information is invaluable as the mountainous roads from Sipitang to Sandakan prove full of pitfalls for the unwary, especially in the dark.

As I sit in the back of Tango Three listening to updates on road conditions and discussions about stopping to answer nature's call, I am reminded of my childhood in Malaysia. Travelling in convoy with aunts and uncles from Kuala Lumpur back to the kampung in Terengganu, the only way we could communicate between cars was to pull over by the roadside and hope to be noticed by the following vehicles. If we got separated, there was no way of knowing where the other cars were, or if anything had happened to them.

Loud and Clear
This is progress, and an extension of the hobby cultivated by Gemilang Radio members, who made up the participants on last month's expedition along with 4x4 enthusiasts and avid photographers. And when they're not on the road looking out for potholes, the amateur radio hobbyists also called "hams" from "ham radio" keep in touch with friends found on the airwaves.

Gemilang Radio member Siti Hasibah Yasmoon Hj Kamaluddin, who has been involved with amateur radio since 2000, says she was attracted to the hobby because it gave her the opportunity to get to know more people. And this came in handy when she travelled, as she had the opportunity to "eyeball" (meet) her contacts.

"When I was in Bangkok, I met several local hams. It was great because they could help me with info about the area where to stay, where to get halal food, where to get bargains," Siti Hasibah says. "It's information you can't really get otherwise."

And during the Sabah expedition, it was not only information that was gleaned from the contacts of Gemilang Radio secretary Hj Ayub Hj Suhaili and committee member Yakub Hj Abdul Rahman. Through their involvement with Sabah hams, some of whom use a repeater on Mount Kinabalu to re-transmit their signals as far as Kuala Belait, they managed to procure assistance when one of the cars in the convoy broke down and had to pit for repairs.

Hj Ayub, whose call sign is V8AQM (pronounced Victor 8 Alpha Quebec Mike), and Yakub (Victor 8 Alpha Yankee November) both have an advanced licence, allowing them to use shortwave bands with worldwide reach. (Victor 8 is the code for Brunei while the last three digits are individual identifiers, with the A signifying an advanced licence. The Tango call signs were temporary identifiers for the trip.)

Gemilang also runs classes for those interested in taking up the hobby, towards the end of passing the examination held by Brunei's Authority for Info-Communication Technology Industry.

Chasing the Dawn
Those who didn't need licences to operate – just a trigger-happy finger – were members of Gemilang Foto, who took every opportunity during the four-day expedition to Sandakan, Kudat and Kota Kinabalu to get everything in their cross-hairs and digitally documented. Hanging out windows and sunroofs, taking random shots of the scenery rushing past, the lensmen were the most active of the lot, jumping out of the cars at every stop to immortalise the journey in print. Though the long hours on the road and scant breaks meant less photo ops, their spirits were never daunted.

Romeo Edung, who was driving Tango Six, a 1985 Land Cruiser, says even though keeping his hands on the wheel meant less time with his two Nikon cameras, the journey afforded him the chance to have a look at Sabah's sights for a future snap-happy trip.

"I found Ranau and Keningau very interesting places with unique things to photograph, like the locals manning their fruit stalls. Now that I know where to go and how to get there, I'm planning a trip focusing on photography," he says.

And during the layover in Kudat, the photographers didn't let a 5am start dampen their enthusiasm for a stab at shooting the sunrise over the Tip of Borneo. Taking the gravelly roads at a quick trot, the participants could not help but look over their shoulders during the 40-minute ride to ensure the sun hadn't crept up on them unawares.

And it didn't. There was time for the setting up of tripods, fiddling with camera controls to pick the best aperture and speed, elbowing away others for the best vantage point. Even those who had woken late managed to arrive before the sun breached the horizon, although the driver of Tango Seven did perform a rally special stage, causing his passenger to exit the car a bit green.
It was worth it, though, as the sunrise was spectacular, and not something you could see everyday.

And so it was throughout the Gemilang expedition. Something new, something interesting, and something for every one of the amateur radio, 4x4 and photography hobbyists who took four days out of their lives for that something special.

Part 3 in a series on a 4x4 adventure from Brunei to Sabah. Thanks to Gemilang for inviting the Little Devil, known on the trip as "YL Tango 3", along for the ride.