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All, I just finish making (with the help of my freind Jimmy, KZ7QCW) a Dual beam yagi accoring to plans from Kent britain (WA5VJB). I Listened in on the AO-51 pass at 004UT. I'm using my Kenwood TH-7D in duplex mode.

Heard a good signal and a few pile ups. I was able to tune for the doppler pretty easy and kept a good signal. I tried to break twice, but couldn;t get through, not sure it was me or the antenna (my guess would be me).

Even though i didn;t make a contact, I had fun listening and learned a bit about how the communication process goes, so hopefully my next attempt will be more sucessful.

I will be on AO-51 again for the pass at 0001UT 15 Jul. I'd appreciate anyone listening for me (K7TEJ) from DM33.

Any advice & elmering is appreciated and welcomed.

73's and thanks in advance.

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Welcome to satellites!

I remember making my first contact during a quiet pass. There was only one station calling, so I had a good chance of my signal getting through. Had I tried during a pileup, I might not have been heard.

My radio's an FT-817ND and, at first, I used the stock rubber duck antenna. I soon found that it had limitations, so I got myself an Arrow dual-band yagi. That made a lot of difference.

I've found that the greatest skills one needs for operating over satellites is patience and a bit of luck, and I've done more listening than talking. I also tried different birds and different passes and made some interesting contacts that way.

Listen for me on the FM satellites, especially AO-51 and AO-27.

73s

Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL