Hi!

It has been fun working satellites with the W1AW/7 call over the past few days. Especially this weekend, between the Scottsdale AZ hamfest yesterday and getting up early this morning to start on the satellites at 6am (1300 UTC). Add in other passes John K8YSE worked from his Arizona station, and I think W1AW/7 was on most passes workable from Arizona starting very early this morning into this evening. If I didn't need to get some more sleep tonight before going back to work, I would have tried for one or two more passes tonight before calling it a night.

I logged 36 QSOs as W1AW/7 today, working 12 different passes between 1300 and 0400 UTC. As of now, I have logged 102 satellite QSOs as W1AW/7. John K8YSE told me yesterday afternoon how many QSOs he had logged as W1AW/7 at that point; I forget the exact number, but it was already over 100 at that time. With almost two days left before the W1AW/x calls move to two other states, the W1AW/7 Arizona effort has at least 200 satellite QSOs in the log. Thanks to everyone who has called John and me on so many passes over the past 5 days. I will come back and post an update with some statistics from our logs in a few days, once we have completed our week as W1AW/7.

For Monday, John and I will go back to what we did before the weekend. K8YSE/7 will try to work passes during the daytime as W1AW/7, then I will work as W1AW/7 into the evening. I will plan on being on AO-73 at 0416 & 0552 UTC, as this will be the last evening we will have the W1AW/7 call. Then K8YSE/7 will be on during the daytime Tuesday as W1AW/7 until 2359 UTC. Even if you have already worked us, please feel free to give us a call if you hear us on a pass.

All of the W1AW/x activity may be an ARRL event, but it is nice to see the interest in having those calls show up on the satellites along with the HF and other bands. If your state does not have a plan for satellite operating during its week with a W1AW/x call, please contact the coordinator for your state in the listing at:

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/On%20the%20Air/W1AW_2014_sked.pdf

Chances are good that you will be allowed to use the W1AW/x call for your state. If you're not careful, you may be asked (or drafted) to coordinate satellite activity for your state's week with the W1AW/x call. :-)

73!

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