Evening passes for AO-51

January 21, 2008 | Amateur Radio | By: Mark VandeWettering

Couldn’t work the bird at all, it was a low 20 degree pass, and I simply can’t get in when the satellite is crowded like this. Still heard many stations, including N2BX from FN20. I tried to cut in, but I simply got doubled. It would have been a nice DX to West Orange, NJ.

CM87 -> FN20: bearing  70.2° distance: 4139.9 km

Eastern pass of AO-51, I didn’t get in at all. Skip the first minute or two: lots of QRM from something that appears to be active when its cold out.

For the western pass, I got K6RJ Rick DM13 handheld, N6PAA Ron from CM98, some random DTMF codes, WD8PFS from DM12, W5OK came through, I originally said WW5OK, and he never came back (it’s hard to remember what you are saying when operating handheld). I was juggling the Doppler by that time too. Got KF6FNT CM98 also operating portable. Got KE7NLQ DN85, and realized I was off on the Doppler again, but then lost the satellite behind the hills to the north (they fade really quick because of the 25+ degree horizon). That was it for the day.

MP3 of the western, more civilized pass…