OM/OE/HU/NZ5N Tuesday on AO-7 from the former Iron Curtain
I'm going to make a portable AO-7 satellite attempt this Tuesday July 10 from JN88na, at the spot where Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria touch each other. Prior to 1989, this was part of the Iron Curtain, where the Communist regimes in Czechoslovakia and Hungary tried to keep their people from going to Austria. Now, it is just a field with a border marker.
My AOS will be at 0933Z and North America will be in the window for several minutes. Hope to work several of you, look for me at the high end of the passband.
73, Bill NZ5N/OM3BD
All systems go for the trip to the border tomorrow, Tuesday. Set up my mobile station today for a dry run at a nearby field, nice strong signals on VO-52 down to the horizon.
I hope a few USA and Canadian hams from Wisconsin to North Carolina will wake up early and give me a call on AO-7 tomorrow July 12 starting around 0933Z. This will probably be my only pass from the border. I will look for Europeans before the footprint reaches North America.
73, Bill
On Jul 10, 2011, at 22:49, Bill Dzurilla i[email protected] wrote:
I'm going to make a portable AO-7 satellite attempt this Tuesday July 10 from JN88na, at the spot where Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria touch each other. Prior to 1989, this was part of the Iron Curtain, where the Communist regimes in Czechoslovakia and Hungary tried to keep their people from going to Austria. Now, it is just a field with a border marker.
My AOS will be at 0933Z and North America will be in the window for several minutes. Hope to work several of you, look for me at the high end of the passband.
73, Bill NZ5N/OM3BD
Thanks to all who worked me or tried to work me today from the Slovakia/Hungary/Austria joint border. It was fun, but a lot of work for just seven contacts.
I had wanted to work from this spot for several years. I used to work in Bratislava, Slovakia, live in Rajka, Hungary, and have dinner in Kittsee, Austria. Three different languages, three different cultures, all within a few miles. It always surprised me how little notice was paid to this site, no plaque with the history of the site, no markings, not even a paved road, just some abstract sculptures (put there in 1992) and a triangle shaped border marker with an O on one side, M on another, and S on the third.
O = Osterreich = Austria S = Slovensko = Slovakia M = Magyarorsag = Hungary
The site is a preserve for the protected Great Bustard bird. A few bird watchers were the only ones who came to the site for the entire 3 hours I was there.
This spot has been the border only since the end of World War II. Although both Slovakia and Hungary had pro-Nazi governments during the war, Slovakia was regarded as a "victor" because the Allies regarded the Czechoslovak government in exile in London as the true leadership of the country. Thus, the Czechoslovaks were able to take the towns of Cunovo, Rusovce, and Jarovce from Hungary in the post-war negotiations.
I had hoped to arrive early and work a couple of other sats before the 0930Z AO-7 pass with the North America window. But with a late start and an accident on the highway that caused a traffic jam, I got set up just barely in time for AO-7 AOS. ON5NY was my first contact, followed by K8YSE and KB1RVT. Another North American station was heard but I could not pull him out.
My original plan was to leave after the AO-7 pass, but I decided to stay longer. There were SO-67 and VO-52 passes shortly thereafter, both where I had maximum elevation of 2 degrees, but I could not pull anyone out. There was an AO-27 pass with a maximum elevation of 16 degrees that I should have heard well, but there was nothing at all. Maybe I pushed a wrong button or something (it was sunny and hard to read the computer screen), as the bird was scheduled to be on. Then AO-7 came around again. It was loud despite a maximum elevation of 6 degrees, and I worked four more stations, RW3XL, F1DOI, DG0ER and OZ1MY. Could have worked many more but many of my CQs went unaswered.
I have uploaded a few photos to my website at: http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border1.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border2.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border3.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border4.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border5.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border6.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border7.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border8.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border9.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border9a.jpg http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border9b.jpg
The piece of barb wire fence you see in the photos was put there recently. Contrary to popular belief, the entirety of the pre-1989 communist bloc was not sealed in by fences and walls, there were many areas where there was no barrier at all, just guard patrols. Makes me wonder why so many people flew gliders across the Danube and the Morava to escape.
There is a short video of the area at: http://www.youtube.com/exploreslovakia#p/c/4BBA8D4B8A33631C/5/h2Wr2Mp1jCU
Recording of the second AO-7 pass at: http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/HRD 2011-07-12 071514.mp3
Height definitely matters for low elevation contacts. From my hilltop location in Bratislava, I can hear AO-7 well even at 0.1 degrees elevation, but from the border, even with an unobstructed view and 20 miles of uninhabited fields in front of me, I lost the bird totally at about 1.1 degrees. Of course, it is that critical last degree where we make the trans-continental and other DX contacts. Even before LOS, signals seemed much weaker than at home.
If you missed me and just want the grid (JN88), try again on early Thursday, when I'll be on from my home (same 4-digit grid as the border). If you want all 3 countries, I don't think I'll go back to the same place this summer, but there's a nice peak in Austria not far from me that you can drive to, maybe I'll go there one morning. Hungary will be trickier, as it is totally flat here in the Danube basin. Maybe a bigger and/or higher antenna would make a difference.
73, Bill NZ5N/OM3BD
Anyone in N. America up early for AO-7 Mode B try? On the next pass starting about 0925Z, my footprint will extend deep into N. America, Minnesota to the west and Georgia to the south. Look for me on the top portion of the passband, 145.959 or so. Signals were very strong on the last pass, and I copied the bird from my hilltop QTH to -0.5 degrees.
Has the AO-7 orbit shifted higher? I don't recall such big windows to N. America last year.
73, Bill OM3BD/NZ5N
I am monitoring the K4FK repeater via Echolink, node 581415, if anyone wants to talk prior to the AO-7 pass, which will be 20 minutes from now.
73, Bill
--- On Thu, 7/14/11, Bill Dzurilla [email protected] wrote:
From: Bill Dzurilla [email protected] Subject: OM3BD QRV AO-7 next pass 0925Z July 14 To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011, 3:58 AM Anyone in N. America up early for AO-7 Mode B try? On the next pass starting about 0925Z, my footprint will extend deep into N. America, Minnesota to the west and Georgia to the south. Look for me on the top portion of the passband, 145.959 or so. Signals were very strong on the last pass, and I copied the bird from my hilltop QTH to -0.5 degrees.
Has the AO-7 orbit shifted higher? I don't recall such big windows to N. America last year.
73, Bill OM3BD/NZ5N
Only worked KB1RVT on this pass, recording of the pass at: www.qsl.net/nz5n/HRD 2011-07-14 052505.mp3
There was some construction nearby and you can hear distortion every time the jackhammer was going.
I'll try again Saturday.
73, Bill
--- On Thu, 7/14/11, Bill Dzurilla [email protected] wrote:
From: Bill Dzurilla [email protected] Subject: Re: OM3BD QRV AO-7 next pass 0925Z July 14 To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011, 4:59 AM I am monitoring the K4FK repeater via Echolink, node 581415, if anyone wants to talk prior to the AO-7 pass, which will be 20 minutes from now.
73, Bill
--- On Thu, 7/14/11, Bill Dzurilla [email protected] wrote:
From: Bill Dzurilla [email protected] Subject: OM3BD QRV AO-7 next pass 0925Z July 14 To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011, 3:58 AM Anyone in N. America up early for AO-7 Mode B try? On the next pass starting about 0925Z, my footprint will extend deep into N. America, Minnesota to the west and Georgia to the south.
Look
for me on the top portion of the passband, 145.959 or so. Signals were very strong on the last pass, and
I
copied the bird from my hilltop QTH to -0.5 degrees.
Has the AO-7 orbit shifted higher? I don't recall such big windows to N. America last year.
73, Bill OM3BD/NZ5N
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