I'm pleased to report that my ARRL Satellite VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) certificate #223 has arrived.
My VUCC application with 60 LoTW contacts was submitted on September 6th. My 74 QSL cards were checked by Patti, AF9H, a volunteer VHF Awards Manager in Illinois on September 9th. My award was printed on October 5th. My thanks to Patti and to Sharon at ARRL Headquarters for their help in getting the paperwork processed.
I also want to thank all of the stations who helped me with my contacts, especially the stations who confirmed our contact with a QSL card or LoTW entry.
If you haven't used Logbook of the World (LoTW) or if you haven't used it recently, I encourage you to try it. Getting confirmation of a contact within a few hours of the QSO is great! (The ARRL accepts LoTW contacts for VUCC and WAS; it does not accept eQSL or qrz.com logbook entries.)
Special thanks go to these stations who have gone portable to give all of us the opportunity to work additional grids. (I'm now at 249 grids worked and 182 confirmed.) Here is my list of stations that I've worked from multiple grid locations:
13 - W5PFG Clayton 10 - ND9M Jim 10 - WD9EWK Patrick 7 - N0JE Gerry 6 - N3YKF Norm 6 - W5JYM Jim 6 - WC7V Kerry 5 - AC0RA Wyatt 5 - K5OE Jerry 5 - KB0RZD Gail 5 - KC0YBM Chris 5 - VA3OR Kevin 4 - K0BAM Jim 4 - KD0BJT Dan 4 - WA4NVM Damon 4 - WA5DA Wadhah 4 - WA5KBH George 3 - AA5CK Ted 3 - KD8CAO Doug 3 - KG6NUB Sawson 3 - NX9B Jeff 3 - XE1AY Ismael 2 - CO6CBF Hector 2 - K3NXH Chuck 2 - K8BL Bob 2 - K8YSE John 2 - KA6SIP Tom 2 - KB1RVT Nick 2 - KB2M Jeff 2 - KB5WIA Dave 2 - KD0JWY Rich 2 - KF7MYK Kevin 2 - KI6YAA Larry 2 - KL7R Dale 2 - KO4MA Drew 2 - VA3CIB Stephan 2 - W5MPC Mike 2 - W9EN John 2 - XE1AO Omar
My point with this list is not only to thank these friends for their effort, but to also illustrate that there are a lot of people going the extra mile to improve their skills by operating away from their home QTH.
73 and I hope to work you on the birds!
Steve N9IP --
Steve,
I'm pleased to report that my ARRL Satellite VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) certificate #223 has arrived.
Congratulations!
Special thanks go to these stations who have gone portable to give all of us the opportunity to work additional grids. (I'm now at 249 grids worked and 182 confirmed.)
<list omitted>
Thanks for the mention in the list you posted, along with the other stations. I enjoy working the radio, if I'm in a park, parking lot, or (recently) in the back yard at home. I'm happy that I could contribute to your grid counts in the relatively short time you've been working the satellites.
My point with this list is not only to thank these friends for their effort, but to also illustrate that there are a lot of people going the extra mile to improve their skills by operating away from their home QTH.
Yes!
There are challenges in operating from different locations. Assembling the equipment, trying it out, being able to travel with the equipment.... there is a bit of technical skill that is needed to do this. There's Dave KB5WIA, who had to hike in and out of the spot he operated from and being in 4 grids simultaneously. I am looking forward to his presentation at the upcoming AMSAT Symposium, to see what he did in preparing to go up there. Or guys like Jim ND9M and Yuri UT1FG working all sorts of satellites from ships. K8YSE's road trip through northwestern Ontario with a complete satellite station in his pickup truck - TS-2000, antennas with az/el rotator, and computer. I pack a complete station in a laptop bag I carry on aircraft, and add an Elk log periodic in a checked suitcase - which have seen activity from all over the USA as well as from Canada and Australia.
Stuff like this may not be the same technical challenge as operating through a satellite at 35000 miles up, but there is still a technical challenge in successfully working the current crop of satellites we have from different locations. It's something that can be done today - if you're willing to give it a try. It's fun, and can be addictive.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
participants (2)
-
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) -
Stephen E. Belter