Hey Jim (and all),
Sign me up on the list for those interested in working OX from orbit! As you and some others know, my approach to this whole game is "old school" to say the least. I continue to enjoy the challenge - and, yes, to endure the frustration a times - of doing everything manually. AO-7 is proving to be the biggest challenge in that regard, but FO-29 has been quite the opposite - as you know because we've worked on FO-29.
AO-16 is just a hoot, and very historic because of a bent pipe mode of operation that also includes the FM-to-DSB conversion.
I preferred to work CW, too, when I was active on the HF bands in the 1980s and early 1990s. I wish now that I'd never given away my Bencher when I donated all my ham gear to an ARES group 4 years ago. I never expected paddles to be as pricey as they are now, but I have to bite the bullet and do something because the two used radios I picked up for the CW/SSB satellites both have keyers built in. I'll be answering your CQs in CW soon!
73 to all,
Tim - N3TL AMSAT Member No. 36820 Athens, Ga. - EM84ha -------------- Original message from "Jim Danehy" jdanehy@cinci.rr.com: --------------
Congratulations to Jay AA4FL on his DX accomplishment. I am a relative newcomer to the satellite game. I have been lucky to have worked just about every DX entity that has come along for the last 50 years. I find that there is little interest in CW on the satellites. That is not surprising since there is little interest in CW in the HF spectrum. I enjoy both DXing and ragchewing. I have watched many FO 29 passes over Europe where my signal is good copy but no activity. Not surprising since it is 3 AM in Europe. If anyone in Europe would like to try a schedule with me on FO 29 I would be interested. I am primarily a
CW operator too (my preference). Every year I see many DXpeditions to various spots in the Caribbean for contest activity. It would be great if these groups would get on the satellites and spice up the birds. I have thought about going to OX (Greenland) next Summer where I could access both Europe and a lot of North America on both the FM satellites as well as those with SSB/CW. Is there any real interest in working DX (rhetorical question) ?
I have heard a couple of Central American stations get ignored on the FM satellites while stations swap reports for the umpteenth time between themselves.
FO 29 gives plenty of DX capability but rarely have I heard it utilized. I work Europe on AO 7 but FO 29 appears to be better in my opinion.
Anyone interested in a sked from NA to EU ? Any interest in working OX (Greenland) ?
73 Jim W9VNE EM79tb
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