[amsat-bb] Mobile satellite operation

[Jim.Walls@xxxxxxx]

Hi all you grid square hunters,
      Starting next Wednesday I will again be operating as the
communication co-ordinator for a 5 day bicycle ride from Big Bear to
Mammoth.  As I did last year, I am expecting to operate quite a bit of
mobile satellite during the trip.  Because of the un-favorable operation of
AO-40, I am not planning on bring any S-Band capability, and with AO-10
being off the air for most of this year, I am not bringing the long yagis
required for that old bird.  I will be on the LEO birds as much as my
schedule allows.  Remember that I am there to support the riders, and
satellite operating is secondary.  I will get on as much as I can however.
Because I strongly favor the linear satellite over the FM birds, I will
concentrate on FO-20, FO-29 and if I can get on during the day AO-7.
Because I am enough of a realist, I know that most grid square hunting is
on the FM birds, I will get on many of the FM passes too.  Here is the
schedule for the ride and the overnight stops (and a few other places I'll
explain).  All locations are in California.
Tue. 8 Oct. overnight before ride -  Big Bear - DM14ng
Wed. 9 Oct - Barstow - DM14lv
Thu. 9 Oct. overnight stop - Ridgecrest - DM15eo
Fri. 10 Oct. late morning - Near Coso Junction - DM15ax / DM16aa border
Fri. 10 Oct. overnight stop - Lake Diaz - DM06xn
Fri. 10 Oct. alternate operating location - North of Owens Lake - DM06xn /
DM16an border
Sat. 11 Oct. overnight stop - Bishop - DM07ti
Sat. 11 Oct. alternate operating location - East of Bishop - DM07xi /
DM17ai border

OK, to explain these a bit.  Tuesday evening I may operate from Big Bear,
but don't hold your breath.  It's not a rare grid (there is another guy in
Big Bear on the FM birds, and I live in the other end of that grid and am
fairly active).  Wednesday evening I'm usually pretty busy and again it's
the ame grid that I live in.  Thursday evening is expected to be my first
major operating location on most of the evening passes.  Friday morning I
will attempt (depending on the constraints of the bike ride) to activate
from the DM15 / DM16 border when I cross it.  Friday evening I will be
camped at Lake Diaz (just south of Lone Pine), but last year I drove a
couple miles so I could be on the DM06 / DM16 border.  That's the only
fairly sure bet for DM16 so I expect to go to the same place I did last
year.  Saturday evening overnight is in Bishop, but I expect to drive east
to the DM07 / DM17 border for a couple of passes as I did last year.
Sunday morning I was able to operate some on the drive up to Mammoth, but
which passes is quite un-predictable.  Sunday evening in Mammoth I will be
tied up in the after-ride activities and will not operate.

I will QSL any request, but my wife asks that you send an SASE (she says I
spend too much postage for QSLing).  There is a possibility that I will
have E-Mail access while on the road at a couple places (not to be counted
on).  Last year I had a pilot station that was able to feed updates to both
AMSAT-BB and the AMSAT IRC.  I will attempt to repeat that again.

I look forward to working lots of you during my trip.

73
-----------------------
Jim Walls - K6CCC
k6ccc@amsat.org
Mobile Radio Operations
Southern California Edison Co.
Ofc:   626-302-8515   -   PAX   28-515
FAX:   626-302-7501   -   PAX   27-501



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