144-MHz band opening

The band remained open to the northeast during the day with a lot of stations in Maine received directly* by my APRS digi station. The best DX was VE1PKT in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, over a 509-mile 61° path.

* Directly meaning station-to-station and not via any repeaters

144-MHz DX

What a night!* The band opened up in all directions. To the northeast, he best DX received directly** by my APRS digi station was VE1AAQ in Springfield, Nova Scotia, Canada, over a 457-mile 60° path; to the northwest, N2HLT in Branchport, NY, over a 225-mile 289° path; and to the south-southwest, WA4KXV in  Virginia Beach, VA, over a 376-mile 207° path;

* That's what she said.

** Directly meaning station-to-station and not via any repeaters

144-MHz DX

My earlier report speculating the reception of DX via meteor scatter propagation turned out to be false. Instead, it was the beginning of an excellent band opening to the northeast. The best DX received directly* by my APRS digi station was VE9WRC in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, over a 511-mile 49° path.

* Directly meaning station-to-station and not via any repeaters

144-MHz band opening

My APRS digi station received KQ1L-7 directly* on Sugarloaf Mountain in Kingfield, ME, over a 270-mile 28° path. This was a short opening with only one distant station received; I wonder if this might have been meteor scatter propagation.

* Directly meaning station-to-station and not via any repeaters

remembering Sputnik

Sputnik 1 was launched 50 years ago this Thursday.

It was a big deal around our home back then. My sister, Jeanette, and I were the original space cadets and my mother was our leader.

Mom found out when Sputnik would be visible and I remember standing out on the lawn with my parents and my sister watching that pinpoint of light that was Sputnik cross the sky over our house.

One day after work, Dad brought us home our very own Sputniks: a simple toy that some entrepreneur hastily put together to take advantage of the moment.

The toy Sputnik was a simple kit consisting of a white round balloon and a handful of white soda straws. After you inflated the balloon you attached the soda straws to the balloon to emulate Sputnik's antennas. We were on our own with regards to a launch vehicle.