| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
AE6QG
41 Posts |
 Posted - 08/11/2005 : 3:49:22 PM
|
It looks like I've recently exceeded 20 states and Canadian provinces, and am just waiting on the QSL cards to roll in. So far I have QSL cards for 3 unique states.
I got confirmation yesterday for my "Satellite Communicator Award" (first satellite contact) from AMSAT and should be receiving the certificate in the mail soon.
Something new I learned today: Heavy thunderstorms can completely block a weaker satellite like SO-50. I was trying to work an SO-50 pass today at 1:23pm and heard absolutely nothing, while there was a big thunderstorm cell sitting off over the Magdalena Mountains (no, the thunderstorm wasn't anywhere near me, I'm not that stupid or desperate for satellite contacts, hihi), and the pass was to get to 29 degrees elevation, so I know it should have cleared "M" Mountain just fine.
SO-50 is hard enough to get even on higher passes (due to the 250 mW output, and rapidly-changing polarization due to it tumbling in orbit) that any obstruction (buildings, trees, mountains, clouds) will cut the signal to nothingness. AO-27 (500-600 mW) and AO-51 (1-6 Watts) are more resilient in this regard. I haven't verified receiving AO-27 through clouds, but last weekend when I was forced to stay indoors during an AO-51 pass during a fierce thunderstorm, I was able to hear AO-51 on the Arrow antenna indoors for a couple of minutes of the highest point of the pass, which is a fairly amazing feat considering being indoors (no contacts were possible, I'm afraid... I think the downlink signal was being bounced off a nearby apartment wall through the bedroom window, so I couldn't transmit to it directly through two stories of ceilings).
I made a recording of an AO-27 pass. I want to make a couple of more recordings prior to the Sunday night Net so I can pick the best one. This week has been challenging for me to get a clear, unobstructed pass from horizon to horizon due to the athletic field being utilized by UTEP's football team. My first recording has a lot of wind noise (my only recording device available is a portable MP3 player that only has built-in microphone, no microphone input jack) and also the sound of a football team and coach whistles. Fun fun. I think I can filter most of it out using the Audacity sound-editing software, though.
More later...
--Wadhah, AE6QG |
Edited by - AE6QG on 08/11/2005 3:50:42 PM |
|
|
AE6QG
41 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2005 : 9:39:01 PM
|
Current Tally:
Worked U.S. States: 19 (4 confirmed w/ QSL cards)
Arizona, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
Worked Canadian Territories: 3
Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta. |
 |
|
|
AE6QG
41 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2005 : 5:39:33 PM
|
Latest Tally As Of August 23, 2005:
Total number of contacts: 129
States worked: 26 (AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, IA, LA, MI, MN, MS, ND, TX, VA, WI, AL, ID, KS, MD, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, UT, WA)
States confirmed w/ QSL: 14 (AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, IA, LA, MI, MN, MS, ND, TX, VA, WI)
Other countries: 3 Canadian territories (1 Confirmed), and 2 Mexican states.
Special event stations: K8E - International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend
Contacts on AO-51 (to qualify for 51 on 51 Award): 52 (qualified!)
--Wadhah, AE6QG |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
More Contacts (sequel to "First Contact!")
