A couple notes surrounding my AMSAT presentation in Torrance, CA this evening.
1. THANK YOU to whichever AO-51 commander flipped AO-51 to V/U today. It was scheduled to go to V/U at 00:00GMT on the 20th - which was 4:00PM on the 19th my local time. And the pass I wanted to work was just 42 minutes later. And it was ON!
2. Don't know exactly how to explain it, but the pass today at 4:42PM Pacific Standard Time didn't exhibit the "normal" silencing, then faint voices, then stronger voices. It plainly BLASTED into discernible conversations, and we we were able to work it much sooner than "normal." We were not hidden behind foothills. It was a pretty clear shot South to AOS. It really floored me - in a most positive way. It was dramatic.
3. Thanks to KI6VBY Tim for showing up for the pass. He isn't a member of the club I was speaking to. But he follows AMSAT-BB, and has cruised my sat Web site, and wanted to meet me and work the bird together. Glad he got to meet Carl Gardenias, too. Tim's no "newbie amateur" - he has built several portable HF antennas for events, and has a great, analytical mind. He's also served our country in the military, and is working on advanced degrees in college. He had to leave right after the pass today, in order to get some school study time completed. When he has time, he'll be a valuable asset to whichever club he joins.
4. Another thanks to ARRL Orange Section guru Carl Gardenias, who helped me carry my bags to/from the meeting room. "I wanted to see your show in person," Carl advised. He said he only cringed once at my humor during the presentation ...
That's it for in-person presentations this year. I still have two Internet shows lined up (EchoLink) in December. And a date in January already made. Thanks for a great year, AMSAT-BB folks!
Clint Bradford, K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com
Clint Bradford wrote:
- THANK YOU to whichever AO-51 commander flipped AO-51 to V/U today.
It was scheduled to go to V/U at 00:00GMT on the 20th - which was 4:00PM on the 19th my local time. And the pass I wanted to work was just 42 minutes later. And it was ON!
You are welcome. With AO-51's pass times creeping earlier and earlier, we may have to move the mode changes to the morning passes. A 5:45PM pass is not easy to make when one has to be at work until after 5:00PM and has a 45 minute commute.
- Don't know exactly how to explain it, but the pass today at 4:42PM
Pacific Standard Time didn't exhibit the "normal" silencing, then faint voices, then stronger voices. It plainly BLASTED into discernible conversations, and we we were able to work it much sooner than "normal." We were not hidden behind foothills. It was a pretty clear shot South to AOS. It really floored me - in a most positive way. It was dramatic.
The power on the repeater downlink is a bit higher than normal at 760 mw. It shouldn't be a dramatic difference from our recent 500-600mw, but noticeable to a observant operator. The spin rate is also slowing dramatically, up to ~13 min per rev, so any fades should be nice and slow, although long.
73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations
Thanks for the kind words Clint, it was a pleasure to meet you too. For all you out there looking to get people in your club into amsat activities, I would highly recommend Clint's presentation. While I had to leave before I saw it, judging by his enthusiasm while working the AO-51 pass together, I'm sure his presentation can't be beat!
I don't want to speak for Clint, but perhaps he may even be willing to take his show on the road if the club picks up his airfare, especially if the club is located in Hawaii :-)
Tim KI6VBY
-----Original Message----- From: Clint Bradford [mailto:clintbradford@mac.com] Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:56 PM To: AMSAT BB Subject: [amsat-bb] Tonight's Presentation
A couple notes surrounding my AMSAT presentation in Torrance, CA this evening.
1. THANK YOU to whichever AO-51 commander flipped AO-51 to V/U today. It was scheduled to go to V/U at 00:00GMT on the 20th - which was 4:00PM on the 19th my local time. And the pass I wanted to work was just 42 minutes later. And it was ON!
2. Don't know exactly how to explain it, but the pass today at 4:42PM Pacific Standard Time didn't exhibit the "normal" silencing, then faint voices, then stronger voices. It plainly BLASTED into discernible conversations, and we we were able to work it much sooner than "normal." We were not hidden behind foothills. It was a pretty clear shot South to AOS. It really floored me - in a most positive way. It was dramatic.
3. Thanks to KI6VBY Tim for showing up for the pass. He isn't a member of the club I was speaking to. But he follows AMSAT-BB, and has cruised my sat Web site, and wanted to meet me and work the bird together. Glad he got to meet Carl Gardenias, too. Tim's no "newbie amateur" - he has built several portable HF antennas for events, and has a great, analytical mind. He's also served our country in the military, and is working on advanced degrees in college. He had to leave right after the pass today, in order to get some school study time completed. When he has time, he'll be a valuable asset to whichever club he joins.
4. Another thanks to ARRL Orange Section guru Carl Gardenias, who helped me carry my bags to/from the meeting room. "I wanted to see your show in person," Carl advised. He said he only cringed once at my humor during the presentation ...
That's it for in-person presentations this year. I still have two Internet shows lined up (EchoLink) in December. And a date in January already made. Thanks for a great year, AMSAT-BB folks!
Clint Bradford, K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com
participants (3)
-
Andrew Glasbrenner -
Clint Bradford -
Tim Goodrich