Hi!

The hamfest season out here in Arizona is about to start. I will be at the Old Pueblo Radio Club's annual hamfest in Tucson AZ a week from Saturday, on 22 October 2011. This is a week later than usual, since this hamfest has normally taken place the same weekend as the Scouting Jamboree on the Air event. The hamfest will be at the usual location in Tucson, at the Kino Sports Complex along the north side of Ajo Way at Forgeus Avenue, east of the I-10 freeway and the baseball stadium (grid DM42me). The hamfest officially runs from 7am-noon (1400-1900 UTC), although people start showing up before sunrise and many leave before noon.

During the hamfest, WD9EWK will be on whatever FM and SSB satellites are available doing on-air demonstrations. On the SSB birds, I try to park about 5-10 kHz above the center of the transponders, depending on other activity and QRM/QRN. Please feel free to call WD9EWK during those demonstrations and say "hello" to the crowds.

After the hamfest, I plan on driving either to the DM51bx/DM52ba or DM52ax/DM53aa grid boundaries in southeastern Arizona to work some passes on my way home. I have operated from both of these grid boundaries earlier this year - DM51bx/DM52ba in early May, and DM52ax/DM53aa in late March - and try to visit these locations when I attend hamfests in southern Arizona. If you have a preference on which boundary I should try to work from after the hamfest, please e-mail me directly. I can't guarantee I will go to the spot you would prefer, but it helps to know what people are interested in hearing on the birds. As with the hamfest demonstrations, I am prepared to work both FM and SSB from wherever I go out there.

As with my other trips away from the Phoenix area, there is no need to send me a QSL request to get a WD9EWK QSL card for a hamfest QSO or a QSO from one of those grid boundaries. Just e-mail me the QSO details - if you're in the log, you'll get a card. QSOs will also be uploaded to the Logbook of the World system as WD9EWK, including the grid(s) and county for each QSO.

73!

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