Hello All,
It's been a very long time since I've posted to the BB. All the recent discussion about Satellite WAS has given me a chance to do some bragging. My first ever satellite QSO was on RS-12, Mode K, Jan. 29th, 1994. It was on CW with WA6OWM and one of the greatest thrills of my ham radio adventures. It took me about nine more months to complete my WAS. Believe it or not my last state worked/confirmed was KY! I had both AK and HI long before the elusive KY QSO. My RS-12 Elmer was Roger, N4ZC, who to my knowledge is the only station to ever achieve DXCC on a LEO bird. When the conditions were really good we could "cheat" a bit on RS-12. It was quite easy to work that bird when it was well below the horizon. I have DXCC entities such as SM, OK and JW (Actually in the footprint but for only about 3 or 4 minits.) confirmed on RS-12. I often heard this bird when it was well below the horizon and have received emails from several Europeans that tell me I was being heard but not hearing those that were calling me. My Satellite WAS no. 211 is dated Oct. 17, 1994. All 50 were worked via RS-12. I have been licensed since June, 1960 but the Satellite WAS Award is the only WAS I've ever applied for.
Now I cannot even work the LEO birds. I've taken my AO-40 earth station completely down and put a 4 element 6 m. Yagi up in its place. As stated several times on this BB in the past, I am a DXer (115 DXCC via satellite and 368 DXCC alltime via HF.) and trying to work any DX at all on the LEO birds is more of a challenge than this OM has left. It would appear that there is no hope of getting an HEO up anytime in the near future so hence the move to 6 m. All of my station is safely stored away and I don't plan on selling any of it just in case we do actually experience a miracle launch. Most painful is seeing the ICOM 910 sit and gather dust and used to work, very occasionally, the local 2 m. repeater.
73 to all. Frank, KØBLT ____________________________________________________________ See the difference a digital projector can make. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTMWJBShejJ9vXsnmVagzoXxomi...
Congratulations, Frank! I was off the air totally from 1992 until 2007, although I kept my license current. I didn't discover the satellites until about 15 months ago, and it's the most fun operating I've ever done. My approach is different than many, but the old QRPer in me likes it this way very much.
It's not the best solution, but with AO-7 still providing us with a decent footprint and other satellites to work, there's no real reason that 910 has to collect dust. I hope to hear you on one of the satellites sometime. Again, congratulations. Thanks a bunch for this post.
73,
Tim - N3TL Athens, Ga. - EM84ha
________________________________ From: Frank A Cahoy k0blt@juno.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:46:38 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Satellite WAS
Hello All,
It's been a very long time since I've posted to the BB. All the recent discussion about Satellite WAS has given me a chance to do some bragging. My first ever satellite QSO was on RS-12, Mode K, Jan. 29th, 1994. It was on CW with WA6OWM and one of the greatest thrills of my ham radio adventures. It took me about nine more months to complete my WAS. Believe it or not my last state worked/confirmed was KY! I had both AK and HI long before the elusive KY QSO. My RS-12 Elmer was Roger, N4ZC, who to my knowledge is the only station to ever achieve DXCC on a LEO bird. When the conditions were really good we could "cheat" a bit on RS-12. It was quite easy to work that bird when it was well below the horizon. I have DXCC entities such as SM, OK and JW (Actually in the footprint but for only about 3 or 4 minits.) confirmed on RS-12. I often heard this bird when it was well below the horizon and have received emails from several Europeans that tell me I was being heard but not hearing those that were calling me. My Satellite WAS no. 211 is dated Oct. 17, 1994. All 50 were worked via RS-12. I have been licensed since June, 1960 but the Satellite WAS Award is the only WAS I've ever applied for.
Now I cannot even work the LEO birds. I've taken my AO-40 earth station completely down and put a 4 element 6 m. Yagi up in its place. As stated several times on this BB in the past, I am a DXer (115 DXCC via satellite and 368 DXCC alltime via HF.) and trying to work any DX at all on the LEO birds is more of a challenge than this OM has left. It would appear that there is no hope of getting an HEO up anytime in the near future so hence the move to 6 m. All of my station is safely stored away and I don't plan on selling any of it just in case we do actually experience a miracle launch. Most painful is seeing the ICOM 910 sit and gather dust and used to work, very occasionally, the local 2 m. repeater.
73 to all. Frank, KØBLT ____________________________________________________________ See the difference a digital projector can make. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTMWJBShejJ9vXsnmVagzoXxomi... _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (2)
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Frank A Cahoy -
Tim Lilley