Congrats Bob. I'm actually jealous. I have yet to hear Europe on AO-7 but that's only because I've been very QRV on HF. I'm sure it can be done from DN81. It's a feather in your hat no matter how you look at it.

I think I'll throw my hat into the ring for footprint stretching. I have to go back to AO-40 for my bragging rights. On 20 Oct. 2003 I worked VK9CD in NH87 and that figures to about 10073 miles to DN81. I was hearing the fellows on the West Coast work VK9CD and again, I was very jealous because I figured I had but only 8 to 10 minute window under the best of conditions. To make matters worse the window was totally below 10 degrees of elevation. Then rubbing salt into the wound was a very tall line of Chinese Elm trees between my sat antennas the horizon. When I saw that I had a slight chance I began calling them. The West Coast guys told me that VK9CD was hearing me! I could not hear them or my own downlink. Determination was also the key for me. I finally heard them ever so faintly just as LOS was almost on us. All of the sudden I heard my call clearly and distinctly and the exchange happened in literally, the last few seconds of the footprint. I stepped out on my front steps to try and figure how such a piece of great good luck could have happened. Looking up at that row of trees I saw a "hole" through the leaves about the size of a bushel basket. My prize piece of AO-40 DX was worked in the few seconds that the bird was actually "line of sight". BTW, all of this on CW!!

This may be off subject a bit but I've been a DXer for 47+ years and that was by far one of my most memorable QSOs satellite, HF or otherwise. I was never tempted to post the above story until Bob's good fortune on AO-7. See what great fun we could have with an AO-10 type bird up in an HEO!! That's it. I'm climbing down off my soapbox.

73 to all. Frank, KØBLT