Hi Tom!

FalconSat-3 takes a little more to set up on a D72, but it is currently our only orbiting digipeater on 24/7. NO-84 is occasionally on, and maybe we can hope for its batteries to be charged enough so a command station can turn the digipeater on for Field Day weekend.

If you have some experience with exchanging messages through a digipeater, packet may actually be the easiest way to get a satellite QSO and the 100-point bonus under the ARRL rules. For Field Day, I will put both my Field Day exchange (normally 1B AZ) and my grid in the messages. I have worked stations on Field Day weekend who are only interested in grids, and I am usually not in my home grid DM43 for Field Day.

Once you get your radio set up, go ahead and try it on some passes before Field Day - the sooner, the better. :-) There have been some stations on from California like AI6DO and KB6LTY regularly, and KB6IGK is occasionally on from Texas. I was on over the last weekend, from a hamfest on Friday and at home Sunday. We can help get you going with some QSOs in advance of Field Day.

73!

Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 4:00 AM, Tom Schuessler tjschuessler@verizon.net wrote:

Thank you Patrick and also to Rick for your responses. I am looking forward to giving this a try and have a successful cure sellable before field day. A lot of different concepts and procedures to absorb.

73