Hello!
After driving almost 500 miles/800km today, I went from the hamfest in Williams AZ up to Monticello in eastern Utah. A lot of ground covered, and lots of contacts from 4 different grids (DM46, DM47, DM57, DM58).
This morning, I made it to the Arizona/Utah border near Monument Valley after leaving Williams at 0430 local (1130 UTC). The DM46vx/DM47va grid boundary runs just north of the signs marking the state line, and I parked in a parking lot at the intersection of US-163 and Monument Valley Road (the road leading to the entrance for Monument Valley Park). SO-50 went by at 1642-1655 UTC, and I was able to log QSOs with 14 stations in the US and Mexico during that pass. A good start for the day.
Since I had not planned to leave that early, I figured I might still be in Arizona for that SO-50 pass. Instead, I was able to move about 15 miles/24km northeast of my location for the first SO-50 pass. I worked a later SO-50 pass at 1823 UTC that went down the Pacific coast, and then worked two AO-27 passes, from the DM47xb/DM57ab grid boundary just south of US-163. Six stations went into the log for the western SO-50 pass, followed by 17 on the first AO-27 pass I had at 2015 UTC. The second AO-27 pass at 2155 UTC put 10 more in the log. A total of 33 QSOs through the 3 passes at the DM47/DM57 line.
In between these passes, I drove between Monument Valley and the small town of Mexican Hat, along the San Juan River in that part of Utah. Lots of beautiful scenery, even without going into the Monument Valley park (a park operated by the Navajo tribe, complete with admission fee).
After the last AO-27 pass, I started driving north. I planned to operate at the DM57/DM58 boundary on the AO-51 passes at 0038 and 0219 UTC passes, but ended up getting on an earlier AO-51 pass as a bonus. I stopped about halfway between the DM56/DM57 and DM57/DM58 boundaries in grid DM57ck along US-191 for the pass at 2303 UTC. Out here in Utah, that was a pass with maximum elevation of 4 or 5 degrees. I found a nice spot that had no obstructions, and was able to work that pass.
The 2303 UTC AO-51 pass was the only pass of the 7 I worked today where I was not on a grid boundary. Even though that was the case, I was able to log 8 QSOs. I was able to hear the 435.300 MHz downlink on that pass when the satellite had an elevation of at least .5 degree! It was easier to hear at that low elevation than on other passes at similar elevations when AO-51 had a much higher maximum elevation.
As I had hoped, I was able to get to the DM57/DM58 grid boundary for the 0038 and 0219 UTC AO-51 passes. I had hoped to park along US-191, to make it easy on me. Unfortunately, the highway descended a few hundred feet where there were rocks on both east and west sides of the road. I went east of US-191 on a dirt road, and found a spot on the grid boundary (DM57ix/DM58ia), and that worked very well. I logged 15 contacts on the 0038 UTC pass, then 6 more on the 0219 UTC pass.
Tomorrow (Monday, 20 July) will be a lighter day in terms of operating and driving. With AO-51 being used for the special Apollo 11 transmission in the evening, I will confine my efforts to the SO-50 and AO-27 passes. There is an SO-50 pass around 1530 UTC that I may work from the DM57/DM58 boundary again, and then move northward and work the following SO-50 pass (around 1711 UTC) somewhere else in grid DM58. For AO-27 passes, I may try to get to the DM58/DM59 line for the passes at 1946 and 2127 UTC. If I can get to a spot with a very good view of the western sky, the shallow (around 5 degrees maximum elevation) AO-27 pass at 2307 UTC might be a possibility. I *may* try VO-52 around 1654 UTC, depending on where I am at that time (probably somewhere in DM58). Then I will try to hear the special transmission on AO-51 like everyone else.
Good night, and 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK - Monticello, Utah http://www.wd9ewk.net/