I would like to say "Thank You" to all who manage AO-51 and all of the other Amateur Radio Satellites. I am new to satellites but not new to Amateur Radio. I recently celebrated 50 years as a Ham and my first contact via a satellite. My first contact via AO-51 brought back so many memories of my first contact as a Novice at 11 years old. When I mentioned that I was making my first contact via satellite, the users that afternoon welcomed me with open arms and I soon had stations calling me as a #2, a #3, and even a #4 contact. Everyone was so forgiving of my excitement with getting calls mixed up, unbelievable phonetics, and probably poor operating etiquette. There is nothing more exciting than to hear your call coming through the satellite after you get enough nerve to transmit. I listened for at least 100 passes before I dared hit the transmit switch. After all the listening, I still probably got it all mixed up. To me this was the ultimate stage fright! Thank you again to all involved. You gave me an opportunity to add another day in my life that I will never forget. What a great hobby we have!!!!
73's and 88's to all! James WA5AOO EL29 _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
