View Full Version : Lunar DXCC: Why the Moon should be added.
KE7HQY
04-20-2008, 08:04 AM
There's news now of NASA seriously considering long stays on moon bases (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080418/sc_afp/usspacemoon_080418205445) in the upcoming decades. Of course the ISS isn't a DXCC entity because it is a spaceship, the lunar surface though is a natural place where people go to, a rock to build upon just as a country or a rock in the middle of the ocean. Only in this case, it is a very large rock in the black ocean of space.
It seems a natural argument to me to propose the Moon as a new DXCC entity. If people are going to stay there for long periods of time, and not just astronauts but eventually commercial space colonists, what's to say it shouldn't be?
Who knows, maybe in 30 years we'll have the first Lunar DXpedition with amateur operators flown to the moon via commercial space companies. If we can go from biplanes in 1915 to jet powered craft in 1945, I'm sure we can't imagine what will be possible in terms of local space travel in 2038.
N4AUD
04-20-2008, 08:17 AM
A contact with someone on the moon would be VERY, VERY cool. That's the kind of stuff that makes a lot of us want to be hams.
Speaking of the ISS, I hear astronauts talking to students all the time on 2 meters, but I've never made a contact myself. I can't quite figure out how I would do it. I could use a satellite tracking program and call CQ whenever it's in range, but that could go on for a long time with no success since they don't leave the 2m rig on all the time, or so I've been told. So, hams that have worked the ISS, how did you do it? I've got the right frequencies programmed into my radio.
WA9SVD
04-20-2008, 03:18 PM
So petition the ARRL to add it to the DXCC list.:rolleyes:
But what prefix would be used?
...Moon...dxcc...hmmm.
I have a bad feeling about what might be on the QSL cards!:eek:
K8MHZ
04-20-2008, 04:27 PM
...Moon...dxcc...hmmm.
I have a bad feeling about what might be on the QSL cards!:eek:
If they remembered to bring them! I know if I got one I would want it to be filled out on the moon and not by some earthbound misfit QSL manager!
At least they could put up towers and not have to worry about them getting struck by lightning.
:D
G8ADD
04-20-2008, 05:14 PM
At least they could put up towers and not have to worry about them getting struck by lightning.
:D
No, they would have to worry about them being struck by meteors instead!
73
Brian G8ADD
WA6MHZ
04-20-2008, 05:25 PM
Lets see, what would the callsign be? If UK had a base there, it could be M0ON. All contacts probably would have to be on UHF or Microwave, don't think they can do it on 20 meters. That would bum out the folks wanting all bands/modes. Maybe they could use the ISS as a Digipeater!
Another DXCC candidate will be the Mars colony, Virgle (http://www.google.com/virgle/), that will be populated in 2018. It's a joint venture between Virgin and Google that was announced back on April 1.
KB3LIX
04-20-2008, 05:43 PM
If they remembered to bring them! I know if I got one I would want it to be filled out on the moon and not by some earthbound misfit QSL manager!
At least they could put up towers and not have to worry about them getting struck by lightning.
:D
No neighborhood associations or covenants to prohibit construction.......
At least until the first politicians get there.
w4nti
04-20-2008, 05:57 PM
There's news now of NASA seriously considering long stays on moon bases (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080418/sc_afp/usspacemoon_080418205445) in the upcoming decades. Of course the ISS isn't a DXCC entity because it is a spaceship, the lunar surface though is a natural place where people go to, a rock to build upon just as a country or a rock in the middle of the ocean. Only in this case, it is a very large rock in the black ocean of space.
It seems a natural argument to me to propose the Moon as a new DXCC entity. If people are going to stay there for long periods of time, and not just astronauts but eventually commercial space colonists, what's to say it shouldn't be?
Who knows, maybe in 30 years we'll have the first Lunar DXpedition with amateur operators flown to the moon via commercial space companies. If we can go from biplanes in 1915 to jet powered craft in 1945, I'm sure we can't imagine what will be possible in terms of local space travel in 2038.
Again I was out of the country when Apollo landed on the moon. That was 1969. I watched it at a friends house in Bangkok Thailand.
So I don't remember the exact date or mission, but on one of the last scheduled missions a amateur repeater was to be placed on the moon. Unfortunatly they were cancelled. Perhaps someone can fill this in. I'm sure many folks would like to hear about it.
Dan/W4NTI
KF4ICL
04-20-2008, 06:41 PM
Dan, it was called Project Moonray.
http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/nick.html
ka0gkt
04-20-2008, 06:51 PM
The Argentinian folks could use the call LU1NAR
The Belgians could use OR8IT
The Sudanese outpost on the sea of Storms could use STØRMS
Those from Benin could use the call TYØC
And the US Amateurs could use Wa1LY (For Wally Schirra, one of the Apollo Astronauts who never set foot on the Moon)
<snip >
It seems a natural argument to me to propose the Moon as a new DXCC entity. If people are going to stay there for long periods of time, and not just astronauts but eventually commercial space colonists, what's to say it shouldn't be?
< snip >
Sure. Only problem is, it won't go on the list (if it qualifies, which I'm sure it will) until someone actually ACTIVATES it.
Don't sweat the small stuff!
WA9SVD
04-21-2008, 06:38 AM
If they remembered to bring them! I know if I got one I would want it to be filled out on the moon and not by some earthbound misfit QSL manager!
At least they could put up towers and not have to worry about them getting struck by lightning.
:D
Hopefully, no HOA restrictions, either! Maybe not even FAA registration for that 500' tower.:D
Of course, it's a LONG way to find a ground.:rolleyes:
N5RLR
04-21-2008, 07:53 AM
...All contacts probably would have to be on UHF or Microwave, don't think they can do it on 20 meters...
I've often wondered how HF would propagate through space.
Perhaps someone should mount a Bugcatcher, Outbacker, or 102" whip with SGC Smartuner on one of the shuttles, and find out. :D
KE7HQY
04-21-2008, 05:32 PM
N5RLR - the amateur radio satellite AO-51 uses a 10m uplink frequency for PSK: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/frequencies.php
There was also the 7mhz moonbounce that HAARP did back in January. Granted, they had at least 20db of antenna gain and 3.6megawatts to piledrive their signal through space. :)
kl7aj
04-21-2008, 06:15 PM
There's news now of NASA seriously considering long stays on moon bases (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080418/sc_afp/usspacemoon_080418205445) in the upcoming decades. Of course the ISS isn't a DXCC entity because it is a spaceship, the lunar surface though is a natural place where people go to, a rock to build upon just as a country or a rock in the middle of the ocean. Only in this case, it is a very large rock in the black ocean of space.
It seems a natural argument to me to propose the Moon as a new DXCC entity. If people are going to stay there for long periods of time, and not just astronauts but eventually commercial space colonists, what's to say it shouldn't be?
Who knows, maybe in 30 years we'll have the first Lunar DXpedition with amateur operators flown to the moon via commercial space companies. If we can go from biplanes in 1915 to jet powered craft in 1945, I'm sure we can't imagine what will be possible in terms of local space travel in 2038.
I don't see why it wouldn't be. Probably wouldn't take too much petitioning to make it so.
eric
N8CPA
04-21-2008, 06:24 PM
I've often wondered how HF would propagate through space.
Perhaps someone should mount a Bugcatcher, Outbacker, or 102" whip with SGC Smartuner on one of the shuttles, and find out. :D
One of the RS birds (RS-10? 12?) had a Mode-KA transponder. Uplink was on 15M; downlink to either 10M or 2M. Either CW or SSB could be used. It also had a CW robot. If you sent your call sign, it would send it back to you with an RST from orbit.
The Argentinian folks could use the call LU1NAR
The Belgians could use OR8IT
The Sudanese outpost on the sea of Storms could use STØRMS
Those from Benin could use the call TYØC
And the US Amateurs could use Wa1LY (For Wally Schirra, one of the Apollo Astronauts who never set foot on the Moon)
Don't forget the brits can use M0ON
ks4du
04-21-2008, 10:25 PM
One of the RS birds (RS-10? 12?) had a Mode-KA transponder. Uplink was on 15M; downlink to either 10M or 2M. Either CW or SSB could be used. It also had a CW robot. If you sent your call sign, it would send it back to you with an RST from orbit.
RS-10/12 and RS-15. Fond memories! They don't make em' like that anymore!!
kf6rdn
04-22-2008, 12:42 AM
Hopefully, no HOA restrictions, either! Maybe not even FAA registration for that 500' tower.:D
Of course, it's a LONG way to find a ground.:rolleyes:
Considering the English call grounding "earthing", would they then call it "mooning"?
:p