Happy Birthday UO-11

OSCAR-11 Celebrates 20 years in Space

I have reached a milestone which I think is impressive as my first QSL card (or eQSL) that I have received on my own. (Special thanks again to Maurice, David and Matthew at the Whitton ARG for first QSL card with assistance).

I had read on the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain web site a news item called “UO-11 Satellite Celebrates its 20th Anniversary in Space“.

Interested by the headline I headed over to the AMSAT web page link on the news page. After a bit of reading I found out a QSL card was on offer to anyone who heard the UoSAT-Oscar-11, (also known as UOSAT-2 and UO-11) in March 2004 to celebrate it’s birthday and it could be picked up on a Handheld radio.

Intrigued I was up early on 1st March and used a Satellite Tracking program which said would be overhead at just before 5am. At 4:58 on the specified frequency, I heard it. Was just some beeps to me, but after was out of range I heard nothing else on that channel.

I filled in the UO-11 page in the hope I had heard it and today I received a link to collect my QSL card. You may notice on the card I am referred to as SWL1. An SWL is a Short Wave Listener. They are people who listen to Amateur, Air-band, etc. but don’t transmit either because they enjoy listening only or are unlicensed as in my case. What I loved was I am SWL1 so was the first person without a callsign to hear the Satellite.