[amsat-bb] ME to HI for WAS--Possible at present?

[Don KB2YSI]

Ah yes, the dreaded WAS from the NE. While I have a substantially better
chance of being able to make the QSO to HI, AO-7 and I do not get along. I
am a bit better on RS-44 but have not attempted low angle passes on it.

There is needing the perfect pass, which seemed to be spaced quite a bit
apart, and someone there that is willing and able to work said pass. Even
then, it is a tiny window of mutual footprint.

HEO would make it more possible. GEO might feel like cheating!

On Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 14:54 Wes Baden via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
wrote:

> Any ideas about the following? My QTH is in Maine, FN54, 120 feet ASL.  I'm
> closing in on WAS, but the problem is going to be Hawaii.  From my rough
> calculations, I need a SAT that has a 4500+ mile footprint, meaning an
> apogee of 1200+ miles, and even then any operating window will be pretty
> short.  Current MEO satellites do not seem to offer a window quite that
> big, or am I missing something?  In theory, I guess, I could go to Mt.
> Washington, NH (fortunately only 90 miles away) and a KH6 could go up on a
> volcanic peak there, to try to make use of over-the-horizon signal
> bending.  But I'm not sure if even that would work at the present time, and
> in any case I can wait if a better MEO or an HEO bird is in the offing in
> the next few years.  Does anyone know if ME-HI will be possible in the
> future, and if so when?  WAS SAT is on my bucket list.  Of course I envy
> all of you to the west of me, who can contact HI, but on the other hand it
> is nice to be only 3200 or so from London, 3800 miles from Berlin.  We are
> all prisoners of our locations, at least until another HEO satellite is in
> orbit again.  Thanks for feedback.  And by the way, I'm always happy to
> sked with anyone needing FN54, not the rarest grid in ME but a challenge
> for many stations, especially out west or so they tell me.
>
> 73, Wes NA1ME
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