[amsat-bb] Thank you - VUCC

[Greg D]

I was first licensed in June of 1992, and spent almost exactly a year
with my Tech Plus license not making many contacts.  Local 2m contacts
were limited to a few repeaters, as my home location in the foothills
was at the bottom of a hill that blocked access to much of anything
else.  Skywave was the pits without sunspots.  So the only way "out",
was up.

First contact was with Mel KW7E, on that wonderful bird, RS-10, in June
of 1993.  Northern California to Arizona.  All the credit for the
successful contact went to Mel, as doing manual Doppler tracking was not
yet a skill that I had.  Also to Walt, WA6VNU (SK) who introduced many
of us to the mystery of working satellites, and elmered me through
getting those pesky "Keps" to work.  Equipment was a Yaesu FT-767 and
its 10 watt 2 meter module, to a copper pipe J-pole up on the roof. 
Downlink was through a Radio Shack DX-440 shortwave receiver, BFO turned
on, fed by a long wire antenna strung out to a tree in the back yard.

Second contact stretched the continent to Tom KA2WMP in New York, and I
was hooked.

Greg  KO6TH


R.T.Liddy wrote:
> P.S.  When did others have their First SAT QSO & details?