[amsat-bb] Saturday @ Mesa AZ hamfest

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi!

Thanks for all the QSOs during demonstrations I gave at the 
Superstition Amateur Radio Club's annual hamfest in Mesa, 
Arizona, yesterday.  I worked 2 passes each on AO-7, VO-52,
and HO-68, along with one SO-50 pass.  I apologize if you 
were trying for me on the SO-50 pass around 1719 UTC, as I 
was chatting with Leo W7JPI and Larry WA6DIR, who both made 
the trip to Phoenix for the hamfest during that pass.  

During the VO-52 passes, instead of using my normal SSB satellite
setup (two FT-817NDs), I used only one of the 817s with the all-
mode receiver in the Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band HT.  I bought this 
radio a few weeks ago, using the $100 Kenwood voucher I won at the
AMSAT Symposium a couple of months ago (thanks to Kenwood and the
Symposium organizers in the Chicago area for that, and all of the 
prizes they had on offer), mainly to make use of the all-mode 
receiver to shrink the size of my SSB satellite station this way.  
The 817's SSB receiver at 2m and 70cm is better than the all-mode 
receiver in the TH-F6A, but the little HT works OK.  The HT makes
a huge impression on the audience, seeing an FT-817 and an HT as 
the station I'm using for SSB satellite work.  It will go in my 
carry-on bag with the other stuff I take on trips where I work 
satellites. 

The crowds - buyers and sellers - were larger yesterday than in the
past several years.  At 0615 local (1315 UTC, about an hour before 
sunrise), there was a line almost a half-mile (almost a km) long to
get into the hamfest.  Traffic was backed out onto a street and 
almost all the way to a freeway interchange, just to get into the 
hamfest in the dark!  It's been a long time since I've seen that at
a Phoenix-area hamfest.  Along with W7JPI and WA6DIR, a couple of 
other satellite regulars stopped by my AMSAT table - John N7JK, and
Rick K7TEJ.  Thanks to the Superstation Amateur Radio Club for 
providing AMSAT a space at their hamfest!

If anyone who worked WD9EWK during the hamfest wants a QSL card,
please e-mail me with the QSO details.  I'll get a card out to you,
if you're in the log.  Thanks again to all, and 73!





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