2015-06-30
Typical SO-50 amateur satellite exchange
I thought I heard short exchanges with locators and callsigns when I made the last recording of an SO-50 pass. But since this is all NATO spelling and without any indication which part was what it wasn't completely clear to me what I was hearing. So I asked on the Amsat-bb mailing list about the typical SO-50 exchange and got an elaborate explanation:So I would answer with: callsign de Pappa Delta Four Kilo Hotel, Five Nine in Juliet Oscar Two Two November Charlie, QSL? With: Pappa Delta Four Kilo Hotel PD4KH my callsign, Five Nine the signal report (audio quality 5 and signal level 9), Juliet Oscar Two Two November Charlie the Maidenhead Locator for where I usually operate and QSL? the Q code for Can you acknowledge receipt?.
- Europe: callsign / signal report (normally 59) / 6-character grid locator.
- In other parts of the world like North America and Australia, signal reports are not normally given.
- The 6-character grid locator is useful in Europe, where we in North America usually just go with 4-character grid locators.
- In Australia, call signs and general descriptions of your signals (loud/clear, for example) are all that they exchanged. No 59, no grid locator.