i thought i would let this run a bit and see what transpired. i get really annoyed when i hear someone in a rare grid (let's just take CY9C for example) and people go back and forth with call and grid several times.

when i did a bit of traveling, my trick in maximizing my contacts was to listen for a bit when i first heard the satellite and write down all the calls i hear. if i wrote it down, i heard it, right? then i get on the air and announce myself giving my call and grid and ask for people to call me once. i put a check mark next to their call when they call back (now, they heard my call or they would not have come back to me and i am verifying their call again with my check mark).

then when there is a pause, i get back on the air and say xx1xx, xx2xx, xx3xx, xx4xx, i have you any others? i write down the list i hear and go back and say yy1yy, yy2yy, yy3yy, i have you. i only had to give my grid once at the beginning and i really could care less what grid you are in, i am not going to write it down nor repeat it back to you. i have no interest in trying to earn vucc from a grid i work from once or twice. if i recognize your voice, i even had your call down before i heard you give it.

we made a two way contact because i copied your call, you copied mine and we are all good. with this method, i can log about 10-20 stations in a very short time. everyone gets in that wants to. with short satellite passes, it is virtually impossible to do back and forth and back and forth and then there is always the 'thanks for the contact, have fun'. i know it is polite and you would like to do it but on satellite passes, it is just not possible unless only a few get in and that is what i saw on several of the CY9C passes on SO-50.

maybe it is not the best plan but it worked good for me and there were many more sat operators on the air back in the ao-10/13 and ao-40 days than now.

73...bruce