Hi!
Uriel XE2VAS (also N2IY), who lives in Nogales in northern Mexico (grid DM41), was on a couple of satellite passes from the rarely- heard grid DM40 today. He will try to be on other FM satellite passes through Thursday (31 December). Anyone working XE2VAS and wanting a QSL card can send the QSL request with SASE to my PO box. Please do NOT use the mailing address for XE2VAS or N2IY on QRZ.com.
Thanks to John K8YSE, I was able to hear the audio from the AO-27 pass at 2032 UTC this afternoon with XE2VAS. I will send this to Uriel, so he can hear how he sounded through the satellite. Although Uriel has a 2m FM mobile radio and an IC-706, it sounded like he was using an HT with his Elk log periodic antenna on that pass.
Please remember that Uriel's first language is *not* English. If you want a better chance for a QSO, please use standard international phonetics for your callsign and grid locator. An even better option is to use Spanish-language digits with phonetics for your callsign and grid locator in a call to XE2VAS. K8YSE and N5AFV both did this, and quickly completed their QSOs. Since hams in the USA and Canada are only required to ID in English at the end of a QSO (English or French, for Canadians), making the initial call to a station like XE2VAS in Spanish *is* legal - as long as you make your legal station ID at the end of the QSO.
Good luck and 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/