[amsat-bb] Re: Fw: 2/22/2009 AO-51 609PM Local Pass

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi!

Except for a couple of minutes on the west-coast AO-51 pass around
0312 UTC tonight, I have not even tried the 145.880/435.150 MHz
repeater while I have been operating from different locations in grid
DM22 over the past few days.  I have been following the comments
on the -BB and from others in private e-mail about how the K5D
satellite effort has been going.  I saw this message from KO4MA
earlier today:

><snip>
>>
>> We heard lots of others but people were looking for 2nd and 3rd
>> confirmations
>> and cost other a Q. That too bad. We are having fun.
>
> I'm still trying to digest the extreme poor operating I heard on the last
> pass. If it continues we may switch the 2nd repeater off before the end of
> the DXpedition rather than to allow the behavior to continue.

If AMSAT is going to make an effort to solicit equipment for use on
DXpeditions like K5D, coach at least one of the DXpedition crew
on how to use the gear, and then schedule AO-51 to be available
for that purpose, there should not be any threats to shut down the
repeater like the one KO4MA posted above.  Especially if whoever
sent that e-mail to Drew says they are having fun.  Let it work like
on any other band - if K5D is fed up with whatever has been happening
on AO-51 while they are trying to work stations, they can go back to
working other bands or doing other stuff.  Let them decide, and don't
prematurely pull the plug on their satellite effort if they are still trying
to work stations on the birds.

For what it's worth, I have only run into one really bad time trying to
get into a satellite while I have been on my current trip - Thursday
evening (Friday UTC) on an eastern AO-51 pass using the normal
145.920/435.300 repeater.  I've kept slugging away to get through
at times, even on an AO-51 pass tonight where I had a maximum
elevation of 6 degrees!  More on that pass to come in a separate
e-mail.  As for working the DXpedition over and over, those working
on AO-51 should realize that is not a good thing.  Call out those
who insist on working them repeatedly, but let the DXpedition
control things on the air as best they can - including shutting down
the satellite station, if necessary.

Here's hoping for better times for K5D in the remaining time they are
on the island.  Sounds like they are still making lots of QSOs overall.
73!





Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK - back in Calexico, California, for tonight
http://www.wd9ewk.net/