Wyatt did all the heavy lifting for this unique, perhaps record-setting QSO. He woke up at 3am, drove to a portable hilltop location, and set up his station. All I had to do was sip my coffee and give him a signal report. The QSO was remarkably easy, we talked to each other for over a minute with strong sigs. I was expecting maybe 15 seconds of a signal way down in the noise, but this was no sweat at all, and it was just our first attempt. This suggests that significantly longer distances are possible. The AO-7 orbit seems a bit different this summer, my North America windows are longer and extend deeper into the USA, not sure why.
Thanks again, Wyatt.
73, Bill OM3BD/NZ5N
From: Wyatt Dirks [email protected] To: [email protected]; [email protected] Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 7:23 AM Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] OM3BD qrv for North America via AO-7
Thanks for the qso Bill. This early morning I worked Bill(OM3BD) on AO-7 at a distance of over 7800kms. Don't miss the chance to get Slovakia in the logbook if your in the U.S.
GOOD DX!
73 Wyatt AC0RA
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:59:33 -0700 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] OM3BD qrv for North America via AO-7
I am back in Slovakia, grid locator JN88mf this summer and qrv AO-7. Any North American stations in range who did not catch me last year, please try again, email me for skeds. It seems that the orbits have somehow shifted and my windows to North America are a bit longer this year, and from my hill I can hear the bird to -2 degrees.
Unfortunately, they are building houses below me on the west side of the hill, so this will probably be my last year with a clear view to the horizon.
73, Bill OM3BD/NZ5N
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