Hey everyone,

As I type this (1304 UTC), the Special Event has begun! My thanks to all of the operators who've volunteered to help activate colonies on the satellites.

Thanks, too, to everyone at AMSAT for the support it is providing, including a presence on the AMSAT-NA home page. That simply is wonderful, and very, very much appreciated.

One last update - we've added Maryland! Bruce, WA3SWJ, will be activating that colony during the event with the special call sign WA3SWJ/K2F.

That means we have 11 of the 13 original colonies active on the satellites from now through midnight EDT Saturday (0359 UTC on July 5). That is outstanding!

Here, I intend to work CW quite a bit on the linear satellites (AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52), so listen for N3TL/K2G below the middle of those satellites' passbands. I'll try to work at least one pass of each satellite in SSB, but I hope we can get some CW ops on the air and in orbit!

73 to all from the Georgia Colony!

Tim - N3TL/K2G