Haifa located at Mount Carmel is indeed one of the prettiest cities on the Mediterranean coast. I was invited here by Ben, 4X4IL, and his XYL Devora 4X4NW. I met them in London, about 7 years ago, when Ben was studying at The Imperial College and was active as G5AIY.

They live up on Mount Carmel not far from the sea, so their location for antennas is excellent. While I was visiting Ben and Devora, they were talking on 2 meter FM with amateurs in Tel Aviv, about 60 miles (95 km) away.

A couple of days later, Ben 4X4IL, and Devora 4X4NW, took us to Kibbutz Sasa, a collective settlement not far from the Lebanese border. Laurie Margolis G3UML wrote up Sasa in the last month's CQ.

On our way there, we were in touch on 2 meters with Naftali 4X4JW, who came from Jerusalem to help the Sasa group in a contest.

They were operating the phone portion of the CQ WW DX Contest and the club 4Z4HF had 2 rigs working. Ricky 4X4NJ and Yossele 4Z4LF manned one, Laurie G3UML and Emanuel 4X4GV operated the other one.

Standby operators were Keith 4Z4IX, and Yossi 4Z4MD. Yossi is studying at Technion in Haifa, where he operates 4X4HF; the school's club station. And of course Ben 4X4IL and Devora 4X4NW were there.

The Haifa Amateur Group for Digital Communications (HAGDC) has begun publication of their bulletin. The Facketman, edited by Ben Sha'al, 4X4IL. In the first issue, dated July 1986, Ben reports that the group expects to have a mailbox operating. soon.