I have to admit that I’ve had more opportunities than most to make a satellite contact. I have spent plenty of time at Fred, AB1OC’s QTH with his great satellite system and I’ve been to plenty of events with the satellite system up and running.
I first found an interest in satellites back in 2016 at Field Day when the club’s Portable Satellite Station 1.0 got its first use. I already had an Elk Antenna which I used for fox hunting and SOTA. Abby, AB1BY, Connor, KC1GGX and myself went out a few times and we had great luck in hearing the satellites, but no luck in making a contact. I was determined to make a contact on an HT and my Elk antenna, but satellites became a little bit of an afterthought. Every time I would try to make a contact it was last minute or I wasn’t in an ideal location or it was not a good pass to try.
Well, this past Saturday I finally had luck in making contact via the satellites… with a little help from Fred, AB1OC, and Anita, AB1QB. We staked out the flight path in their backyard and I used my antenna, but with a headset – which helped as well! I made two contacts on AO-91 on a 42-degree pass!
There’s more to making contacts with the satellites than just pointing your antenna at them and throwing out your callsign. I’m definitely not an expert, but I’ve come to realize that you don’t have to be super precise with the aiming of the antenna, although I think the closer you are to being right on it the better your chances of being heard. Also, I would recommend finding a way to free up your hands as much as possible. A headset helps and a tripod really makes things easier – that antenna gets heavy pretty quickly! And most importantly, use your phone or some type of device to record your QSOs. I have a hard time remembering the callsign, especially when things are going quickly, let alone grid squares and names.
Of course, after accomplishing my goal of making contact with my HT and handheld antenna, we went inside and I made three more contacts on Fred’s satellite station on AO-07. I still plan on chasing the satellites on my HT, but I have a feeling Fred and Anita are going to see more of me on their satellite station!
Jamey, AC1DC
Congratulations, Jamie! You are eligible for the “Satellite Communicators Award” from AMSAT (at least one contact) if you care.
Also cool to make some contacts on AO-7. I get goosebumps every time I even hear someone or even myself on that bird–it’s been up since I was a newly-minted adult! (Some would say that I was not yet an adult 🙂 )
Inspiring article Jamie! Satellite contacts have been one of the things I’ve continually been interested in since getting my Technician last March. Nice job!
73,
Mike, W1LOC