[amsat-bb] Mode S on AO-40

[Frank A Cahoy]

Sorry Keith, but I must add a bit more gasoline to the fire.  Count me
absolutely as one of the "operators".  My experiences on AO-40 were the
most gratifying as a true blue DXer like nothing I've ever encountered on
HF.  (My alltime HF DXCC total is 364 worked/confirmed.)  I worked 93
entities and nearly a 1000 unique callsigns via this bird.  My first real
time using an HEO.  I'd been on AO-10 (Mode B) but it was, toward the end
of its life, a hit and miss situation.  My favorite DX QSO via AO-40 was
with VK9CD.  We both had no more than three degrees of elevation and I
had to find a "hole" in my neighbor's trees accross the street to do it. 
The point is I have a QSL card to prove it.  I live in a "rural" area, I
suppose.  Our town is small (1700 pop.) but crap and corruption on the
downlink was NEVER a concern for me.  Speaking from a purely operators
point of view put Mode S back into the game plan.  I hope and pray that
P3E will soon be up so that this old DXer doesn't go completely stir
crazy.

73 to all.  Frank, K0BLT