[HoustonHam] Fw: 7P8 DXpedition and 3DA call issued

[frosty]

> 
>  
>  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
>  
>          The July 18-25 Lesotho 7P8 DXpedition sponsor by the Lone Star
> DX
>  Association and the Texas DX Society has added amateur satellite mode
> to
>  its planned operations, DXpedition Leader Charles Frost, K5LBU/7P8CF
> has
>  announced.
>  
>          The operation will be on the AO-40 satellite.  The uplink will
> be
>  U--band (70cm) uplink on U-band 435.550 to 435.800 MHz CW/LSB and S2
>  (2.4GHz) downlink 2401.225 - 2401.475 MHz CW/USB, Frost said.  The
> AO-40
>  satellite was launched Nov, 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from
>  Kourou, French Guiana.
>  
>          Equipment including antennas and a down converter were donated
> by Wayne
>  Estes, W9AE and a spare
>  down converter donated by Bruce Paige, KK5DO. Paige, qsl manager for
> the
>  recent P5/4L4FN operation from North Korea is also providing
>  pre-Dxpedition satellite training in Houston. Paige is AMSAT VP of User
> Services & ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC). For additional 7P8
>  satellite information and news click on http://www.amsatnet.com
>  
>          "We're glad to offer such a needed mode from Lesotho," Frost
> said,
>  adding that those wanting to  make a contact with the DXpedition "take
>  it easy on us because none of us are satellite operators, but we are
>  willing to try our best at giving everyone who wants one a 7P8 QSO."
>  
>          Besides Frost, the operators include: Igor Zdorov of
>   Minneapolis MN, W0IZ/7P8IZ; Dave Anderson of Ashville NC K4SV/7P8DA;
> Madison Jones
>  of Houston TX, W5MJ/7P8MJ; Neil King of Port Coquitlam, British
> Columbia
>  Canada VA7DX/7P8NK; and Tom Anderson of Colleyville TX, WW5L/7P8TA, on
>  the all modes, all band team July 18-25 from Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho.  
> 
> K4SV and VA7DX will also be operating from 3DA after 7P8.  Callsigns
> will be 3DA0SV for Dave Anderson K4SV and 3DA0WC for Neil King, VA7DX. 
> QSL via home calls.
>  
>          The 7P8 operation will be an all mode, all band operation. "We
>    hope to have at least one station on the air 24 hours a day," said
>   Frost, of Missouri City TX, vice-president of the Texas DX Society
>   http://www.tdxs.net/, which is coordinating the DXpedition along with
>  the Lone Star DX Association
>   http://www.dxer.org/lsdxa. "Two of our operators are excellent SSB
>  operators and the other four
>    are specialists in CW and the digital modes," he added. Jones is
>   president of the TDXS, while Tom Anderson is vice-president and
>  information
>    director of the Lone Star DX Association.
>  
>            Operations will be will be at the Hotel Mount Maluti
>    http://www.seelesotho.com/mountmaluti.htm near Mohale's Hoek (30.16 S
>   and 27.48 E).  Equipment includes Tribanders for 10-15-20, a 2 element
>   WARC Band antenna, a log periodic, a 40-80-160 vertical, and Alpha
>  Delta
>   40/80/160 dipoles. Kenwood TS850S, ICOM 706MKIIg and 756 PRO, plus 600
>   and 1 KW amps. Most of the equipment is already in country.
>  
>          QSLs will be handled by each operator separately via their
>    home calls as each will have their own 7P8 call.
>  
>          QSL routes are: 7P8CF--K5LBU--Frosty; 7P8TA--WW5L--Tom;
>  7P8MJ--W5MJ--Madison; 7P8NK--VA7DX--Neil; 7P9DA--K4SV--Dave; and 
> 7P8IZ--W0IZ--Igor.
>  
>           Andre van Wyck, ZS6WPX, is the on-scene coordinator of the
>    DXpedition.
>  
>          Commerical equipment donors include Tennadyne Antennas, Array
>  Solutions, and AY-Technologies.
>  
>          For additional information contact Frost at frosty1@pdq.net or
>   Tom Anderson at WW5L@gte.net.
>