[amsat-bb] AO-27: Rare and/or unusual grid(s) this weekend!

[Tovar <tvr@xxxxxxxxx>]

    but myself on AO-27. The advantage is less QRM, but I really like working
    new grids.

    73 Jeff W4JEF

OK, then i'll hopefully have one or maybe two new grids for nearly all of 
you this weekend.

Well, i'm not yet sure where i'm going to end up; it'll depend a lot on the
weather.  The forecast doesn't look good on Saturday for the best grid 
square, but i'm willing to bet ($10 limit) that almost everyone (besides 
N7SFI) doesn't have the backup grid square if i manage to activate anything
at all.  The relevant passes (in UTC) are:

	        AOS     MEL      LOS				EL
    23Jan99  17:43:28 17:50:44 17:58:00  00:14:31   24  98 170  32.8  AO-27
      Sat    19:23:15 19:30:14 19:37:22  00:14:07    0 292 223  28.5  AO-27
    24Jan99  17:17:01 17:23:36 17:30:19  00:13:19   32  94 155  18.3  AO-27
      Sun    18:56:07 19:03:31 19:11:02  00:14:56    6 286 209  50.0* AO-27

with the last pass listed being only a 'maybe' depending on conditions and
demand.  If conditions are bad one day, and good the other, you might end 
up with two such grid squares. I'll be using a GPS unit to make sure i am 
where i say i am.

To maximize opportunities for all:

   1)  Please try to operate QRP for the first pass listed above for each
       day (or otherwise, the lowest power you know will get you into AO-27 
       on a weekday) and minimize the chit-chat this weekend.

   2)  Folks west of the Great Plains, please wait until after my MEL on 
       the early passes before calling (or when XE2YVW shows up, as he 
       usually show up about that time on trancontinental passes).  I want 
       the East Coast to work me while they still can.

   3)  Quick exchanges, your call, and your grid (if i know you, and/or 
       your name and state if i don't.  I'll acknowledge you (at the time, 
       and then on paper). You don't need to QSL my QSL on the air, but 
       if i don't acknowledge you, please try again after i've worked 
       another station (or you're above to lose the bird).  That way if 
       one station has trouble hearing me, i'll still be able to work 
       other stations in the meanwhile.   [BTW, is this a modification of
       what's called a 3-way exchange??]

   4)  If a station calls CQ and one station answers, please DON'T make a
       second attempt to answer, as 95% of the time, they can't hear a
       thing.  I'll make a point of answering CQs myself this weekend, so 
       if i have a decent signal, please don't answer them again yourself
       as well!! You'll just be causing QRM 'cause they can't hear you.

I will be logging to cassette; it would be ridiculous to attempt this with
a handheld antenna, logging to paper.  So, if a good station (especially
an Arrow user in Pacific or Mountain Time) can also save their tapes from 
this weekend as a backup, please send me e-mail.  I'll try to make paper 
notes from memory after each pass, just in case, but having a backup on 
this one will be appreciated.  

I hope to send out ALOT of QSL calls in the following week or two.  You 
need only to send me one if i've marked 'PLS QSL' on your card (and/or i 
have already told you it's a new grid or state for me).

Let's see if AO-27 can be made to work well on a weekend if people can co-
operate in the face of an unsual opportunity.  (Assuming, of course, that
i'm able to operate at all.)

    				-- KD6PAG  (Half way to WAS and VUCC)

P.S.  IMPORTANT: Make sure you can at least copy callsigns before transmitting.
		 Don't answer CQs if someone has already.
----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org