[amsat-bb] SO-50 Yesterday at 1738Z

[Jim Walls]

Gus said (in part):
 > And IIRC, contacts made on SKED don't count either, for contests or 
awards.
  
 You have clearly never operated a microwave contest.  For all practical 
purposes, all contacts are made using a lower frequency co-ordination 
frequency or network.  When you are operating in a mode where the dishes at 
both ends of the path need to be pointed within a half degree of peak, and 
are often at best able to get signals that are only a dB or two above ESP 
level - and of course you need to be on the same frequency, it would be 
almost impossible for two stations to make any contacts with co-ordination 
via some means.  The contacts are legitmately made on the microwave 
frequencies, but getting the dishes pointed is done at lower frequencies.  
BTW, I point out that the dishes are often not pointed at each other, but 
rather something to bounce off of (such as a mountain, clouds or 
airplanes).
  
 Here is the Southwest US, a normally private linked UHF radio system that 
covers most of the southwest opens the system for the microwave contest 
operators for both weekends of the 10GHz and up contests.  It's really 
quite amazing to hear what they do, but there is no way they could make the 
contacts that they do without co-ordinating them.
  
  
 Jim - K6CCC