Re: [sarex] ISS for Field Day

[Tim J Bosma <tim@xxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:09 AM 6/27/2004 -0700, K. G. Ransom wrote:
>Any other reports or actual contacts?

Three consecutive passes on Field Day!   I don't think I've had so much fun 
since
Susan Helms did over 200 Field Day contacts a few years back.

Mike did a great.  I helped several hams from our club make their first ISS 
voice contact.  What fun!

John, KG6PEP sat up with me for the two early morning  passes at 02:30 & 
4:17 AM (Pacific
Daylight Time), but all we heard was packet.   We had a scout troop camping 
with us at field day, and two of the scouts were up early for the 04:17 am 
pass.   One of them noted that the antennas were tracking a very dim yellow 
light in the sky.   He asked me if that was the ISS, and I first told him, 
I didn't think so, but then it suddenly became very bright as it approached 
LOS.  It was the ISS, it just hadn't come into full sunlight at the 
beginning of the pass.  The scouts thought that was just way cool.   They 
also enjoyed the packet beacon message announcing the birth of Mike's 
daughter.

John and I crashed, got some sleep and missed the next passes.  I managed 
to make voice contact on the next two passes.  Once with the club callsign 
and once with my own callsign.  Since we were on a 900 foot hill 
overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I took a chance and called NA1SS while the 
ISS was approaching way out over the Pacific, about 20 seconds before 
AOS.   It was great to hear Mike come back to me as the ISS came over the 
horizon!

After two consecutive passes with Mike on voice, I really didn't believe he 
would be on again, but it was a 61 degree pass, and that was just too good 
to pass up.   John, KG6PEP who had spent the wee hours of the night with 
me, was handed the microphone as Mike Fincke called QRZ?
The look on John's face when Mike came right back to him was 
priceless!    We now have a new convert to the AMSAT community!

My only regret is that I overlooked listening on the 70cm downlink 
frequency.   Not enough sleep I guess...

Kudos to everyone who worked hard behind the scenes to make this happen!!!

And a HUGE thanks to Mike Fincke!   He impressed a lot of scouts and hams 
here at our Field  Day site and made a very positive impression for ARISS 
and AMSAT.

73
Tim  W6MU








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