So I am up here in San Ramon, California, after driving 400 pleasant miles to demo AO-51 and SO-50 and give my "Work the Birds" presentation tomorrow morning. As I arrive, posted all over the place are 2x3-foot signs of my little Word doc showing the three passes' times I intend to work. Wow - PACIFICON put my little easel and 11x14-inch blurb to shame ... their posters are ALL OVER the place!

So we meet outside and discuss AMSAT and the FM birds, and then work the 4:56PM PDT pass of AO-51.

With 2W TX output, we start working stations. Las Vegas. Portland, Oregon. Our own CM97 grid square. A couple other units. Then in comes a BOOMING-ing clear Jim, ND9M from Montana.

I pride myself in being able to "read" my audiences. I truly have \never given the exact same presentation twice - and I've given 34 presentations the past 12 months - plus additional "just demos." So this group of 30+ hams are out in the parking lot with me, and I can tell that (a) few knew that this could be accomplished with just what I was holding in one hand, and (b) fewer realized the potential range of the pass. I mean, the footprints shown in almost all the software programs I have used are darned near ALWAYS quite conservative with what they indicate. I had told the group beforehand that we might work as far East as Arizona ... So when Vegas came in, they were impressed When Portland, Oregon was worked, they were MORE impressed. And when Montana's Jim came booming in I stated on the air, eyeing the crowd: "Wow, this cannot possibly work THAT far! You sound GREAT!"

Welcome to Clint's world. Wasn't a frenzy. Wasn't manipulation of my crowd. (Well, yes it was, in a manner of speaking.) Just a pleasing "first-time" experience for most in attendance.

Jim emailed me privately immediately after the pass, wondering (VERY politely) what the he** I was doing, stating on the air that what we accomplished in our communications was anything particularly extraordinary. And Jim is entirely correct: Much further distance comms are accomplished all the time with similar passes.

ANYWAY, I apologize to Jim via a quickly-written-while-in-the-hotel's-restaurant email. I am writing this because Jim deserves a better explanation. If he were here and saw what was occurring with this group, I sincerely believe he'd be smiling and be appreciative of the attentive audience and how I "worked the crowd" as we hit not-so-close stations with minimal equipment.

I can certainly see how someone might misinterpret my intentions. I *thought* there was enough "fake surprise" in my voice to make it clear that even after working so many passes, this can be an extremely exciting aspect of our hobby.

Thank you, Jim, for your polite letter. Thanks to the rest of you for your support these past five or six years.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-241-7666 - cell