As a relatively new Amsat Op I just wanted to share quickly my experience. I got my Technician License in early May of this year and just some weeks later I learned about Amsat and was hooked. I got a Arrow antenna and use 2 Yaesu HT's which I already had. So, how did it go? Well, it went surprisingly well. My first satellite was SO-50 and I got my first contact at the first try. Was it difficult? Not really. Since then I worked several sats at several times and days. There only was one time when it went a little bit hectic and that was a pass with AO-91. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon.....and half of North America and South America tried to work that pass. But I still managed to make 4 contacts on AO-91...... Just today, I worked the ISS at the 1608z pass and I was surprised how quiet it actually was. There were stations calling each other but it was very orderly. My experience in general on the satellites so far is very positive. This also extends to the Amsat community. Would I like to work linear satellites? Yes, I sure would. Can I afford it right now? No. So, here we are.
Just the $0.02 from somebody that just recently entered in to the Amsat World.
Peter KC3UEP
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------- Original Message ------- On Monday, August 8th, 2022 at 15:35, Clint Bradford via AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org wrote:
“ … there’s too many people on the satellites … “
Wow … what a wonderful “problem” to have to address. “Too many” are using the “easy" satellites.
Categories of users that has been repeatedly mentioned that are causing chaos and mayhem are grid chasers … rovers … hams making contacts for various prestigious awards.
How about changing the Awards’ rules for rovers and grid chasers - to eliminate “prime time” contacts in their logs? No Saturday and Sunday contacts allowed for pure roving and grid chasing for awards.
This will not alter the accomplishments of those who have already received and earned their awards in the slightest.
But if theirs is a category that is frustrating those new to this aspect of the hobby, and we still want to promote getting involved with the “easy birds,” well …
Make it easy for new folks to access. Make it only slightly more effort to graduate to working towards awards. Those award/certificate seekers should welcome the “challenge” of such “time restrictions” remembering that they, too, all began with working an “easy” bird - and that THOSE contacts got them hooked on satellites.
There. Chaos and mayhem dramatically reduced. Long live the “easy” FM satellites!
Clint Bradford K6LCS
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