Day 23 February QSO Challenge

As the QSO challenge continues into the final week I decided I would try and make some QSO's up on the VHF bands. I opened up my Satscape software to see if any satellites were in range and powered up my FT-847 Earth Station just in time to work into VO-52. I found myself coming in well on the satellites downlink frequency 145.900MHz as I transmitted my signal via uplink on 435.250MHz. At 19.43 utc I called "CQ SAT" and was soon making QSO with OH5LK - Jussi from Finland, grid locator square KP30ON. OH5LK was putting a nice signal into the "bird" and coming back to my station at 5/9. I also received the same report back from OH5LK - Jussi.

VO-52 is in orbit at an altitude of 391 miles above the earth and puts out a very good footprint. I went on to work OM5CM - Palo in JN98DF Slovakia, also on the same pass which lasted around 10 minutes before heading beyond my horizon and out of range of my satellite array.

My FT-847 is a very pleasing rig to operate the satellites with and it is a shame that YAESU stopped making them. I was enjoying using the FT-847 so much this evening that I decided to scan through 2m ssb to see if the band was up to anything. I heard Dick - GM4PPT(Day 7 QSO challenge) in QSO with Chris - 2E0EEY at around 20.00 utc. I called in and had a nice rag chew with both stations. 73