It can be done...

[W5PFG]

Interested in an early morning schedule on AO-51? It's usually very uncrowded then.

73, Drew

My dad keeps pushing me to get on one of the early morning passes. I tell him that it is a sign of being old -- trying to schedule contacts before the sun comes up.

[KO4MA]

My dad keeps pushing me to get on one of the early morning passes. I tell him that it is a sign of being old -- trying to schedule contacts before the sun comes up.

Believe me, I'd rather sleep in, but I get up to make sure it stayed on overnight and to reboot it if needed.

Anyways, I'm only 36, and going on 24 years as a ham. That makes me a whippersnapper still!

[W5PFG]

I finally got around to making a 6 am pass.. And it was fantastic. I watched the ISS go overhead at the same time.

[AC2GK]

Close but no cigar...

Just heard a great pass go 70 degrees overhead to my south west, sounded fantastic on the rubber duck. I heard a few of the big names come in very clear (KO4MA, K8YSE, etc) and tried calling them back with no luck, pass got quiet for a bit as it went between the east coast and west coast and then it got busy again. Perhaps another day... (I wish my family wasn't dragging their feet on mailing me up my antennas, they are too busy bickering about the best way to mail them )

Oh well, there are always other days,
Tim - AC2GK/VE5

[KD8DVR]

I've worked K8YSE at least 3 times now, got 3 QSL cards anyhow. All from an HT. I think from AO27. HT sat stuff is great. I'd have to look at the back of my "wallpaper" to see what the farthest contact was.

Good stuff!

73

[AC2GK]

Yeah, I've had a lot of fun, I think my furthest was about 1100 miles on AO-51 back in Feb.

It's just this lack of gain getting to me 0_o and is hurting my ability to activate some rare grids (was up in DO73 last weekend, heard the sats, no chance of a rubber duck being heard on a weekend though)

From the sounds of the stations I hear you should be quite workable from here (1300 miles as the crow flies) perhaps once I've got antennas...

Tim - AC2GK/VE5

[KD8DVR]

Yeah, I've had a lot of fun, I think my furthest was about 1100 miles on AO-51 back in Feb.

It's just this lack of gain getting to me 0_o and is hurting my ability to activate some rare grids (was up in DO73 last weekend, heard the sats, no chance of a rubber duck being heard on a weekend though)

From the sounds of the stations I hear you should be quite workable from here (1300 miles as the crow flies) perhaps once I've got antennas...

Tim - AC2GK/VE5

I like a good challenge! I keep my power low, my antennas low-tech, and my will to get things done high

This also helps newcomers to the hobby KNOW they can do stuff with a VERY modest setup Of course, building up as experiences and finances grow if great too

The sat tracking programs are usually good on their coverage areas. I use Orbitron (free)