[HQRP] Our AMSAT Field Day 2004 Entry Info

[MacAllister, Andrew [EPM/HOU]]

AMSAT Satellite Summary Sheet - 2004 

Satellite and number of Voice QSO's 
AO-7  - 5 
FO-29 - 3 
SO-50 - 1 
ISS   - 1
 
Satellite and number of CW/RTTY/PSK31 etc QSO's 
FO-29 - 2 

Score Calculation 
Total Voice QSO's         x 1 = 10 
Total CW/RTTY/PSK31 QSO's x 3 =  6
Total Up/Downloads        x 3 =  0
Grand Total                   = 16 

Callsign - W5ACM 
Your Group Name - Houston QRP Club 
ARRL Field Day Classification - 2A Battery
ARRL Section - STEX
Power Source - Emergency 

Your name, home call and address:
 
Andy MacAllister W5ACM 
14714 Knights Way Drive 
Houston, TX 77083-5640 

Any Comments:

Although the WX forecast looked like a flood-stage 
outing, we had to give Field Day a try. Thanks to
the hospitality of Ron Sparks, AG5RS, we had a
site, and Ron assured us that it was on high
ground, relatively speaking - for the rice fields
west of Houston.  I spent the three evenings prior
to Field Day 2004 dodging raindrops and mosquitos
getting my surplus 25-year-old satellite antennas
rebuilt and retuned.   With some almost-new Yaesu
rotators from George, W5GFP, and a hamstick
dipole for 10 meters, purchased at the Arlington,
Texas Hamcom during the previous weekend, we had
a somewhat compact, yet effective array for the
event.  For two meters, we used a Cushcraft
20-element crossed Yagi, and 16 elements on 70
cm.  Simple antennas wouldn't do since we were
running class 2A battery with 5 Watts output as
the Houston QRP Club.  It barely rained, stayed
reasonably cool for South Texas in June, the
bugs were too waterlogged to bother us, and we
had a great time!  The contact with Mike Finke
as NA1SS on the International Space Station was
the highlight of operations at the hamsat
station.  We'll be back again next year with
even larger antennas and a few more operators.
Participants this year included W5ACM, W5EET,
KD5ELH, KA5HZV, WA5LHM, KK5NU, AG5RS, WA5TWT,
WA5WOD and Q0ZMO (Cosmo) the guard Pug.