Hi Rich!

Congratulations Patrick, that's a bunch of heavenly looking, Arrow pointing, remote Satellite time, you have logged with this award............. and I appreciate you being out there!

Thanks for the nice words. Yes, 5000 satellite contacts took me a little more than 3 years, and a lot of that time only on weekends. As I mention in many posts, I am still having fun working the satellites we have. After this trip I am currently on, I hope to be on AO-7 (at least mode B).

During Wednesday afternoon, I worked one SO-50 pass and one AO-51 pass from two locations in grid DM32 in Arizona. I stopped along Interstate 8 for SO-50, about 15 miles/25km west of Gila Bend. For the AO-51 pass a little later, I was at the town of Dateland about 35 miles/55km further west along that freeway. I'm now in Calexico, California - DM22 - where I will be staying for a few days, other than when I am at the Yuma AZ hamfest an hour east of here.

For tomorrow and the next few days, I should be able to work passes from here in DM22-land. Things are going to plan, other than leaving Phoenix an hour or so later than I had hoped this afternoon. Again, I hope to be on many passes and hope to work lots of stations during the time I am out here.

Good night, and 73!

Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/