Hi!
Last Saturday's Scottsdale (Arizona) Amateur Radio Club hamfest was a very successful event. After 2 decades, this hamfest moved to a new location at a casino on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Indian reservation east of Scottsdale. While the hamfest was taking place, a local FM radio station was holding its annual "yard sale" swap meet in another part of the parking lot. These two events were advertised on TV, radio, and in print in the weeks leading up to last Saturday. Thousands of people showed up for both events, including a nice crowd of hams who found their way to the new location. As part of the hamfest, my AMSAT table was busy throughout the morning and into the early afternoon.
Officially, the hamfest started at 7am (1400 UTC). I arrived two hours early, and I'm glad I did. By the time the hamfest officially started, I would not have had the chance to get a good space to set up. They filled up by the starting time - something that never happened at the old location. By getting set up early, I was able to start working passes from just before 1300 UTC throughout the morning, and I did just that.
For the AO-51 pass that started around 1252 UTC, I initially went on the main 145.920/435.300 MHz repeater. Even though K4T was on the 145.880/435.150 MHz repeater with lots of stations calling, I wanted to start out and make some QSOs for the small crowd that was already roaming around the hamfest. At this hour, just before 6am local time, there was at least 30 minutes to go before daylight started appearing in the eastern sky. I was able to work 9 stations before 1300 UTC, when I switched over to the 145.880/435.150 MHz repeater. I wanted to see if I could get K4T from the hamfest, and Mark N8MH at K4T was aware I would be trying to work the DXpedition from the hamfest. I was unsuccessful on AO-51, but on an AO-7 pass that was starting just after 1300 UTC I was able to work K4T. So far, so good.
FO-29 made its first appearance for the hamfest about 30 minutes later. Another pass to the east, and I got on there to work whoever was on there. I heard Doug KD8CAO getting set up on there, we chatted for a moment, and then K4T called on our frequency. We each worked K4T right there, and then I moved off to see who else I could work on that pass. I was able to get two more contacts during that pass.
After an hour, AO-51 made an appearance to the west. I was able to make 2 QSOs on the 145.920/435.300 MHz repeater with the only two stations I could hear on there, so that was not a bad showing. About 20 minutes after that AO-51 pass, AO-7 came by with a very high pass slightly to my west. The AO-7 footprint is large enough that most of the continental USA is within reach. I did not hear K4T on this pass, but I did not try to find them on this AO-7 pass after working them on the early AO-7 pass. I was able to work 6 stations spread out all over the USA, with a nice crowd listening and watching closely. SSB satellite demonstrations continue to draw in the crowds, and especially when I use my all-mode satellite station (two FT-817NDs, Elk 2m/70cm log periodic, no computer control).
Once AO-7 went away, I had most of the 1500-1600 UTC hour to chat with people walking by the table. I wanted to try SO-50 just before 1600 UTC, and then VO-52 shortly after SO-50 went by. SO-50 had a nice and disciplined crowd, waiting for K4T to be in the footprint later in the pass. :-) I was able to work 5 stations, and K4T was the last of those. After working K4T, I changed over to the all- mode FT-817NDs to get on the VO-52 pass. I only made 2 QSOs on this pass - one with K4T, the fourth (and last) K4T QSO I would make at the hamfest, and another with Bernardo XE2HWB. Bernardo is very active on VHF/UHF and microwave contests from up and down Baja California, has been active on the FM satellites in the past couple of years (including working from many of the grids he visits for those VHF/UHF and microwave contests), and is now trying to get on the SSB satellites from his home near the southern tip of Baja California (DL44).
I had almost 90 minutes before the next pass I could work, the VO-52 pass to my west. Another nice pass, and this time only one QSO with Mark WA8SME for most of it. One ham asked if I knew the details of Mark's satellite station. I didn't, so I asked Mark on the air. He gave a clear description of his station, running the same power as I was (5W) but with different antennas and a different radio than I had.
With people still milling around the hamfest into the early afternoon, I missed the only HO-68 pass I could have worked a bit after 1900 UTC. I didn't feel too bad about that, being on many other passes using 2 FM satellites and 3 non-FM satellites from the hamfest.
Stats... I worked a total of 8 passes on 5 satellites - 2 each on AO-7, AO-51, and VO-52; and one each on FO-29 and SO-50 - and a total of 30 contacts were made from the hamfest in grid DM43dn. I used the station I described previously on the SSB birds, and substituted an IC-2820H 2m/70cm FM mobile radio on AO-51 and SO-50. All were powered by batteries, either the internal rechargeable packs in the FT-817NDs or a 12V/20Ah jumpstart battery for the IC-2820H.
Thank-yous... Many thanks to Mark N8MH and the K4T team for 4 QSOs on 4 different satellites during the hamfest. I mentioned to Mark I would be at this hamfest, and he wanted to work the hamfest. Along with a QSO I had with Mark on AO-7 Thursday evening, I can't complain about their operation. K4T was a serious DXpedition for us on the satellites, two complete stations and experienced operators for us to work. Also thanks to everyone who made QSOs with WD9EWK at the hamfest. Having stations work me and mentioning where they were located (the grid locator, as well as their city and state) always makes a good impression on the audience for the demonstrations. As always, thanks to the Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club for allowing AMSAT a space to be at this hamfest.
QSLs... please e-mail me with the QSO details if you want a QSL card from WD9EWK at this hamfest. If you are in the log, I will send a card. I'm working on a lot of cards, including those from my trip last month to the Yuma hamfest and to Mexico, and all of these should be in the mail before the next hamfest I attend (in Tucson AZ, on Saturday, 27 March).
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/