Hi Thomas, Mak, Don't worry about it ... (I'm not) ... it doesn't matter which program one uses to calculate the distance ... Frei Island to Japan is still the longest LEO contact to the best of my knowledge ... though that one was on FO-20.
7800 or "merely" 6500Km on AO-7 ... it's still better than a kick up the arse.
At least I do have the QSL's for the regular contacts from Frei Island to Eagle River, Alaska.
http://www.observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/how_much_power_is_enough_pt2.htm
However, the distance is not so important but it is interesting to be able to illustrate what can be done with low power and home brew gear.
NB.
It's refreshing to see more and more American stations rediscovering CW and SSB on AO-7 but PLEASE !!!! watch the power. The gentleman "crowing" about your amplifier ... SWITCH IT OFF !!!.
The *ONLY* time you need an amplifier is when you're using a 50 ohm resistor for an aerial.
(Tongue-in-cheek of course but it is permissible to use common sense). The newcomer often uses far more power than is necessary ... and I can assure you, anadequate receiving system *DOES* help.
Remember ... near the horizon AO-7 is 300Km away, at TCA (time of closest approach) it's only 1000Km above you and you need *A LOT* less power to communicate.
Please read this ...
http://www.observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/howmuchpowerisenough.htm
73 John. [email protected]