Palm Springs Hamfest, Exploding Eggs, and SO-50
I should have known that the exploding egg was an omen for how the rest of the day would proceed. I guess an explanation is in order ...
I arrived at the Palm Springs HamFest yesterday morning in plenty of time to set up my table, display my "modified" Arrow Antenna, establish WiFi and get online, and get ready. The event started in a few minutes, so I had time to grab one of the breakfast sandwiches that the Palm Springs Desert RATS club was preparing - ham and egg and fresh tomato on a soft bun.
The p.a. announcer started making opening remarks to the hams assembled at the doors. I was eating my sandwich just as he unexpectedly announced, "And we have Clint Bradford here working the satellites for you ... "
Just as he pointed to where I was, I completed a bite of the sandwich - and the egg yolk exploded out the back of the bun. I mean, all over my name badge and chin. It seemed like a gallon of egg yolk - although, of course, it was probably way less that a quart ... (grin)
How can you do anything but laugh? I found a sink, and cleaned up. What else could go wrong today?
Patrick showed up, after driving straight through from Arizona. Well, not really - he actually stopped at least one time to work a pass from the road. He is amazing - indeed, the hardest workin' satellite promoted I know. Other friends came by. Folks walked up to us and appreciatively "blamed" us for getting them started working and enjoying the sats ...
Then it came time to work the first of two passes of AO-27 for the day. Patrick and I re-checked the AO-27 schedule, and re-re-checked our pass data. All was well. The sat was there - but never came ON for us. Lovely ... that probably means it won't be up for the next pass ... nothing like disappointing crowds who show up at the times published all over event handouts to watch you work a bird for them ... (grin)
No - '27 wasn't ON for the second pass, either. But the attendees were inquisitive and we shared a bunch of information.
SO-50 "bailed me out" for the day with two wonderful passes to close the show. The last one was actually about a half-hour after the 'fest officially ended - but there were plenty of stragglers and vendors left to come over and watch working SO-50. We worked Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Ontario (CA), and even worked Patrick - who had left earlier, but stopped alongside the road to work us. Did I mention earlier that he's the hardest workin' satellite promoter I know?
THANKS to all who dropped by. MANY knew of our upcoming ARISS contact with the Flabob Airport Academy the week of April 16 - and wanted to know how that was progressing. (Our Web site is http://www.iss-flabob.com.) The 'fest's attendance was UP for the third year in a row - and the Desert RATS folks are to be commended for pulling of another successful event, providing attendees with just about everything an annual hamfest "should" provide: history of the hobby was on display, a couple seminars, a couple of "the big" equipment vendors right alongside smaller vendors, a swap meet, honest pricing for good food for breakfast and lunch, FREE coffee refills (grin) - all for a measly two bucks for admission - FREE parking. Many RVs were there - from folks who arrived a day or two early - with many staying overnight Saturday, too . The weather was spectacular - which I sure was also the doing of the Desert RATS club ...
Clint Bradford, K6LCS http://www.clintbradford.com 909-241-7666
Hi Clint!
Good to see you at Palm Springs yesterday. Weather was great, and it was nice to see a few other satellite operators (WA6DIR, KO6TZ, KB5WIA, WA6ARA) out there. Made the 624-mile day-trip worth it.
Patrick showed up, after driving straight through from Arizona. Well, not really - he actually stopped at least one time to work a pass from the road.
I actually stopped twice on the way to Palm Springs. I left home at 3am Pacific time (1100 UTC), and made a fuel/food stop at Quartzsite in western Arizona about two hours later. I had printed out all the pass times for the day, so I knew AO-7 was in mode B and passing by at 1315 UTC. I worked that pass, making two QSOs in the glow of the large McDonalds sign next to me and the I-10 freeway. I got back on the freeway, then drove about 90 minutes more to a point about 20 miles east of Indio. No fuel or food stop, or much of anything at that freeway exit, but an opportunity to work another AO-7 pass followed a few minutes later by a VO-52 pass. This exit was about 35 miles east of the hamfest, and I drove the remaining distance and went to the hamfest.
Then it came time to work the first of two passes of AO-27 for the day. Patrick and I re-checked the AO-27 schedule, and re-re- checked our pass data. All was well. The sat was there - but never came ON for us.
K8YSE"s web site now has a recording from yesterday's 2005 UTC AO-27 pass.
No - '27 wasn't ON for the second pass, either. But the attendees were inquisitive and we shared a bunch of information.
The later pass wasn't in range of K8YSE to record, but AA5PK posted on the KD5QGR status page that it was on.
After the second AO-27 pass, I tried working FO-29 from the parking lot. This was around 2211 UTC, and the satellite was up to a maximum elevation of 39 degrees to the east. Even with the mountains in that direction and around the southern end of the hamfest site, I should have heard this satellite. I never heard a thing during that pass.
I saw a couple of guys doing an ATV demonstration walking around the hamfest - someone with a camera, and another person with a portable LCD TV watching the video. Since there was no converter being used with that TV, I figured it was using one of the 70cm ATV channels that can be picked up with a cable-ready analog cable tuner. If that ATV transmitter was on 434 MHz and close to the demonstration, could that have wiped out the 435-438 MHz satellite subband? ("Close" as in no more than 10 to 20 yards away) I'm not saying this was intentional, but seeing what happened has had me thinking about it for the past day or so.
SO-50 "bailed me out" for the day with two wonderful passes to close the show. The last one was actually about a half-hour after the 'fest officially ended - but there were plenty of stragglers and vendors left to come over and watch working SO-50. We worked Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Ontario (CA), and even worked Patrick - who had left earlier, but stopped alongside the road to work us.
I've heard from a couple of people that there has been a KD5WEK working SO-50 passes this weekend from Texas. His name is not Patrick.
It pays to listen carefully when you hear certain calls.... did you work WD9EWK or KD5WEK? These two calls should be a little easier to separate than some other pairs of calls. For example, KO4MA or K4MOA? N8MS or N8MH? NX9B or NX9G? All of these calls are of satellite operators, who have been on at least occasionally in recent times. (Thanks to Clayton W5PFG for pointing this out to me)
After I left Palm Springs, I didn't stop until I made it to a spot 25 miles north of Quartzsite AZ on the DM23/DM24 grid boundary in time for a VO-52 pass at 0225 UTC. I was hurrying to make that 2 1/2-hour drive without trying to set new land speed records in my truck. :-) After that pass, I still had almost 3 more hours before I made it back home, including another fuel/food stop back in Quartzsite.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
participants (2)
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Clint Bradford -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)