[amsat-bb] Re: First week as a satellite newbie

[Bryan Green]

On Nov 19, 2008, at 7:19 AM, Gordon JC Pearce MM3YEQ wrote:

> Heh.  I think handheld operation is the best, especially if you get a
> couple of good clear passes and AO-51 in QRP mode.  While I'd like to
> have a whole load of steerable aerials and all the goodies, standing
> there with a handheld and a homebrew cross dipole just seems more
> hardcore ;-)

Thanks, Gordon!

I have discovered quite a bit in the past week. This morning was  
particularly fun, since I got up very early and made the far-eastern  
AO-51 pass at 1330Z (05:30 local), and made contact with 8 stations  
including a VE2 in FN36. I also learned a very valuable lesson: always  
take your keys with you when you go outside -- I managed to lock  
myself and my wife out of the house. She had actually gotten up with  
me to hear me talk to space aliens as she calls it, and was bemused at  
my mishap. I took her to breakfast later to make up for it.

The best part so far has been being on the other end of a  
demonstration for a ham radio class conducted by KL4E in Anchorage --  
second best has been explaining to the neighborhood kids exactly what  
I'm doing.

So, there you go. See you on the satellites!

-- bag