The first AO91 pass after start time on saturday, I just listened to N5AT (op KG5CCI) doing an awesome job as what you have called the "net control" station. I have a feeling half the people on the pass wouldn't have made a qso at all if it hadn't been for Dave calling them amid all the "CQ field day" and callsign-dropping, keying down, and aprs packets (why? Who knows lol). And Dave was operating the same as I did this weekend, a handheld antenna and manually tuned rig.
I have mixed feelings about the one-Q FM sat rule - it makes sense in a way, but in my experience one competent, experienced op (keyword there is competent..) on the FM sats can make a lot of FM-only HT ops very very happy, scoring them their 100 point bonus they promised for their clubs! I guess the rule does (hopefully) prevent the uber-stations from tying up the pass working each other to pad scores, but it doesn't do anything about the massive QRM that always seems to happen on FM. I'm glad to hear a few guys on there who are worried less about their own scores, and more about handing out contacts to those that really need them on Field Day.
I pretty much just hung out on linears this year, operating for about an hour and a half total on sats while waiting for 6m to open.It was a lot of fun, and by and large I thought most everyone I heard was doing a great job. There was only a few stations that never seemed to hear when they were called. Overall, good job to all the amsat ops, and I'm looking forward to next year!
73,
- Matthew nj4y
On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 1:05 PM, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net wrote:
Hi Bruce!
Based on the passes I heard and worked, if there was a station strong enough to get through and complete QSOs, others hoped that station would stick around and make more QSOs. Otherwise, why would anyone call a station just after that station completed a QSO? That was the case for me on the two passes I mentioned - I complete one QSO, then others called me. I could have gone silent and not answered any of them, but I decided to make the non-scoring QSOs, and one of those non-scoring QSOs was the bonus-scoring QSO one club was hoping to make. What I did on the SO-50 and AO-91 passes was, in effect, the "net control" station you mentioned. When I get my Field Day report to you, you will see those non-scoring contacts noted - just as I have done for most of the past few years.
I'm not saying the scoring should change for FM satellites. Short of declaring FM satellites off-limits like ARRL does with the WARC bands and 60m for its Field Day, it seems like the situation won't change. Or have AO-92 in L-band all weekend. :-)
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK
On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 4:53 PM, Bruce kk5do@amsat.org wrote:
In the AMSAT rules we do state, because someone asked about it, you can be a net control type station and work every station you want. You would only be able to score one contact yourself but had given many out to those trying to make the 100 point satellite bonus.
We still feel by limiting to one FM contact that if you worked someone and both of you leave the bird, two more stations can work each other thereby maximazing the number of possible contacts on the satellite during a single pass.
73...bruce
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb