We're wrapping up our assignment in the San Diego area. Thankfully, the tsunami that resulted from the earthquake in Japan was pretty much a non-event for us, but it was interesting to witness all the different types of alerts (government, military, and civil) that went out in the local area.

We are scheduled to depart our local anchorage this coming Sunday, 13 March, at 1500Z and head for the Panama Canal. We're due to arrive there and transit the Canal on the 23rd and then finish up the trip at Jacksonville on the 29th.

I asked the ship's captain to detour the ship a few miles once we get underway so that we would sail southbound through DM02, and he agreed to the request. This is one of the rarest grids to get for those trying to work all 488 grids in the Continental USA. San Clemente Island is located partially in DM02, but the island is controlled by the Navy, which only allows military personnel and contractors to come to the island. Also, quite a bit of the grid square is covered by areas used for testing things that go boom.

(The ARRL offers the "Fred Fish Memorial Award" for working all 488 grid squares on 6 meters only. There's currently no award for working all 488 grids by satellite, but efforts are being made to get one going.)

That's the good part of the detour. The bad part is that the four hours or so that we'll be in DM02, there will be only two satellite passes available to work the grid. One is AO27 which will favor the eastern states and provinces but will only be 6 degrees for me. Since I set up my gear on the ship's flight deck which is a bit more than 100 feet above the water line, I can usually hear AO27 throughout its entire 7-minute window when it's available to me even at low satellite elevations like this pass will be.

The other pass that I'll be on from DM02 will be either VO52 starting at 13/1712Z or the second AO27 pass that turns on at about 13/2111Z. Neither of those two passes hits the eastern areas.

We'll cross into DM01 after that and turn southeast to follow the Baja coastline toward DM11 and DM10 and on down towards Panama.

Our general direction of travel will be southeast which will typically take us through three different grids each day and probably a fourth and sometimes a fifth. I'll be on from as many grids as I can, including in the middle of the night when it's necessary.

Here is the planned sked:

VO52 - 13/1712Z - DM13 or DM03 or DM02

AO27 - 13/1930Z - Approx turn on time - DM02

AO27 - 13/2111Z - Approx turn on time - either DM02 or DM01

AO7 - 14/0040Z - if in Mode B - DM01 or DM11

VO52 - 14/0229Z - Probably DM00 or DM10

AO7 - 14/0236Z - if in Mode B - Probably DM00 or DM10

FO29 - 14/0938Z - Looks like DL09 or DL19

AO7 - 14/1440Z - DL18 ?

Will try to hit these:

AO27 - 13/2251Z - Approx turn on time - DM01 or DM11

AO51 - 13/2314Z - DM01 or DM11

FO29 - 13/2331Z - DM01 or DM11

Maybe:

VO52 - 14/0402Z

My work sked is from 0800-1700 ship's time every day, including weekends. Starting Sunday when Daylight Savings Time begins, those hours translate to 1500-0200Z. Other than my lunch period which is very flexible, I'll hit passes during my work hours if possible. As we approached the States last month, I was able to get in quite a few passes during that time frame; hopefully I'll be as lucky as we head towards the East Coast.

73,

Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC

Grid DM13