Yes, FD is always a mess. Usually a good mess of food, friends, bugs, and all. We made a satellite contact through AO-51 running 5-10 watts with an Arrow antenna. We had quite the audience as everyone wanted to see a satellite contact made and the audience was also curious why it took 4 of us to make the contact. We had one to hold the radio, one to operate the microphone and chase the frequency, one to hold and direct the antenna, and one to hold a 50lb battery. Did we need 4? of course not! The excitement of working a satellite simply had everyone focused on making the contact and not on the fact that the equipment did not need to be held. Heck, we even had a tripod for the antenna. I'm sure someone had it in hand too! Through the hard work of those keeping poor old AO-51 together and operating, we were able to add a whole bunch of excitement to our FD mess. A big THANK YOU to all involved. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated. We had a great time at FD. 73, James W5AOO _______________________________________________ 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
