AMSAT

• 2026-06-28 — New ham’s first satellite contact at N4MZ Summer Field Day (2A AL EM60), Camp Silvercreek, Silverhill, AL: W5LFL (Margaret) made her first-ever satellite contact, logging Huntsville Amateur Radio Club’s K4BFT (296 mi away) via AO-7. A Field Day highlight, not Matthew’s own first — dad N4WBF and brother were there too, CW practice happening alongside.
• 2026-06-20 — Satellite QSO via AO-73 , worked N2FYA_John through the AO-73 linear transponder while activating Blakeley State Park (US-11292) for POTA.
• 2026-06-19 — YOTA Camp 2026 ISS Contact • Local RX in EM60 + Full Pass Livestream . See Milestones — this one’s a real highlight, not just a routine update.
• 2026-06-19 — ISS ARISS pass, received live from South Alabama (EM60): receive-only reception of the YOTA Camp 2026 ARISS contact with astronaut Chris Williams, KJ5GEW, followed by a full-pass livestream. Not a two-way QSO — a successful RX catch of a rare scheduled school contact.
• 2026-01-23 — First load-out of mostly AMSAT satellite gear for Winter Field Day 2026 — multiple antennas and radios dedicated to portable satellite operating.
• 2025-07-05 — 8 down, 5 to go on the 13 Colonies Special Event, enjoying the holiday — with more AMSAT passes (JO-97) planned to chase the rest.
• 2025-07-04 — Planning to work more 13 Colonies Special Event stations via AMSAT (a JO-97 pass in the works), while the neighbors set off fireworks.
• 2025-07-02 — Worked the first two 13 Colonies stations via RS-44 AMSAT: K2E (Delaware) and K2L (South Carolina), during the 13 Colonies Special Event. Committed to chasing the rest after the early success.
• 2024-06-23 — The N4MZ crew stayed after most had packed up to cheer on Joel (W2BJN) making his first-ever satellite QSO via CW on RS-44 — a few hiccups along the way, but it came together. One of the most enjoyable moments of Field Day, even though it didn’t count for score. Not Matthew’s own contact.
• 2024-03-25 — Referenced using the Arrow antenna and IC-9700 to make contact through FUNcube-1 (AO-73) during a prior Winter Field Day — local news was on site.
• 2023-09-08 — Beginnings of AMSAT for Matthew, linear satellites : after figuring out RIT on the IC-9700, a contact through RS-44 at the end of a pass, with a SAT device — thanks to WM3O for the QSO. Earliest linear-satellite success found in the X archive search (2026-07); not explicitly logged as a “first” at the time, so treated as the earliest on record rather than a confirmed first.
• 2023-02-05 — Beginnings of AMSAT for Matthew, FM satellites : a QSO through the ISS FM repeater, 2/5/2023 UTC 15:34-15:45, copying WA0D (EM12) and KL4PDI (EL99) — logged at the time as his first successful AMSAT QSO. Earliest FM-satellite success found in the X archive search (2026-07); not independently confirmed as the literal first, but nothing earlier turned up.