With the recent "End Of Mission" of AO-51 (read that as its early death due to battery failure), I thought it would be nice to remember just how flexible that satellite really was....
[Tonight, during the 2330z pass over North America, a pass that was ALMOST 90 degrees elevation for me, I can say with certainty that I FINALLY made the trip into the satellite using Robot 36 mode.
Shortly after the pass, Manuel YV5MM in Venezuela (of all places!) sent me a very nice e-mail, along with two of my images that he received via AO-51. Not only did I hit the satellite, but it was captured in South America! This actually is better than I have done with HF SSTV!
These two images were what Manuel captured:
Shortly after receiving Manuel's e-mail, I received yet another from Dave KB1PVH with another image:
Finally, Allen W8KHP sent me two more:
...and this one:
Now I have to admit...on one of my attempts, the image is in black and white, because I switched to B/W 8 mode...or Black and White, 8 second transmission. The satellite was RAPIDLY descending, and I had only a few seconds more to hit it solidly. Therefore, although it is against the recommended protocol, I used a simpler and faster mode. Sorry Drew!
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Afterword:
After posting a query on the AMSAT-BB asking our fellow Satellite ops if they had captured my images, Luc VE2DWE sent me a link to his website. And...sure enough...there in the middle of the page, from Wednesday night, 2318z...my first captured image.
I present, Uncle Sam and my sister-in-law, Jennifer:]
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