Hi!
So far, so good. Lots of operators have been helping out by operating as W7O, on the satellites and the HF bands. There's one week left on the special call, and I'm still getting operators to help put W7O on the HF bands for the next week. I have a few great helpers for W7O on the satellites. In particular, Ron W5RKN has put in a lot of time over the past few days. Dave KB1PVH and Nick KB1RVT in New England have been most helpful in putting W7O on the AO-7 and FO-29 passes covering Europe, so hams over there have been able to work W7O via satellite. And a few others in locations across the USA have made their contributions to the effort.
I made the first Logbook of the World upload for W7O tonight. I had logs from 5 other operators, plus my W7O log from Friday evening and Saturday. Those 6 logs had a total of 635 QSOs. Thanks to Wyatt AC0RA, Frank K6FW, Christy KB6LTY, George W1GIV, and Peter W2JV for those logs. Other W7O operators will forward me their logs next week, after the end of the W7O operation. Since there appears to be a 5-hour backlog for processing files uploaded to LOTW, those QSOs I just uploaded should be showing up during the overnight hours.
I still think I will end up with a 4-digit number for W7O QSOs. I don't know how far past 1000 the QSO count will go, but wherever the final count ends up will be a good thing. I've seen lots of spots for W7O on the DX Summit web site, many mentioning the 40th anniversary of OSCAR 7. Nice to see so many talking up our 40-year-old satellite. And the fun continues for another week...
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
On 11/17/2014 11:38 PM, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote:
So far, so good. Lots of operators have been helping out by operating as W7O, on the satellites and the HF bands.
How does that happen? Is there not a statutory requirement that theoperators in question use their own callsigns? I understand using a club call at a club station, but surely operators all over the place can't simply decide to use whatever call they feel like, all at once, whenever they like?
Our FCC will issue a "Special Event" callsign for these uses.
100% legal.
73, Jim KQ6EA
On 11/18/2014 05:40 AM, Gus wrote:
On 11/17/2014 11:38 PM, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote:
So far, so good. Lots of operators have been helping out by operating as W7O, on the satellites and the HF bands.
How does that happen? Is there not a statutory requirement that theoperators in question use their own callsigns? I understand using a club call at a club station, but surely operators all over the place can't simply decide to use whatever call they feel like, all at once, whenever they like?
On 11/18/2014 02:01 AM, Jim Jerzycke wrote:
Our FCC will issue a "Special Event" callsign for these uses.
To be used by anyone and everyone at large? Simultaneously, all over the country? How very accommodating of them.
Hi Gus!
The short answers to your questions are what KQ6EA answered, and yes - the FCC is rather accomodating in terms of who can be the operator of an amateur station, compared to how it is done in many other countries. Not being a telecommunications lawyer, I read through the Part 97 rules a lot, and asked ARRL some questions, before I decided to allow other operators to use the W7O call.
For W7O, I am the trustee or "owner" of this call between the 14th and 24th of this month. My name and contact information are stored in the http://www.1x1callsigns.org/ web site for these short calls. If FCC or an ARRL Official Observer have any issue with the operation of W7O, I would expect to receive the call/e-mail/letter. Since W7O is essentially "my" call for this time, I have told various amateurs they are permitted to use the call - either in one-hour increments for those on HF, or on specific satellite passes. Specifically for the 1x1 calls, FCC rules state that the operator of the 1x1 call must give his/her own call once per hour (this is not a requirement for those operating under normal club call signs). I have asked those using W7O on the satellites to ensure their personal call is given once per pass, ideally around the midpoint of the pass for the operator in question. And the operators have been telling stations who they are, if asked.
ARRL has done a similar thing with the W1AW/x activities this year. ARRL has permitted its club call W1AW to be used by operators all over the USA and its territories for specific periods of time. Coordinators in each state/territory have permitted other operators to use W1AW/x calls at specific times on specific band/mode combinations and on the satellites. ARRL has directed these operators to use the call with an appropriate portable identifier (i.e., I operated on the satellites as W1AW/7 from here in Arizona earlier this year), even though the use of portable identifiers by US stations within US territory is not required. The W1AW license trustee is on the hook for activity under the W1AW call, wherever it is being used. I'm doing the same thing with W7O, except that I have asked W7O operators not to put anything else before or after the call.
I haven't seen any 8P calls in the logs I have already received. Maybe one of these operators will be able to work you, on HF or satellites. :-)
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 10:40 PM, Gus gus@8p6sm.net wrote:
How does that happen? Is there not a statutory requirement that theoperators in question use their own callsigns? I understand using a club call at a club station, but surely operators all over the place can't simply decide to use whatever call they feel like, all at once, whenever they like?
-- Gus 8P6SM
On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 10:55 AM, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net wrote:
I haven't seen any 8P calls in the logs I have already received. Maybe one of these operators will be able to work you, on HF or satellites. :-)
73!
I, and many others, would love to see an 8P call on the satellites!
73,
Paul, N8HM
participants (4)
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Gus -
Jim Jerzycke -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) -
Paul Stoetzer