EA4LE Story

A very brief story of EA4LE radio enthusiasm
(please note this is a draft page) The early years from crystal sets to short wave listening I have been always fascinated by radio and space. I made my first radio, a germanium diode crystal receiver, when I was about ten years old. At twelve I received one of the most beautiful toys I had in my life, it was called the Phillip's Radio Engineer and with it I was able to assemble my first serious single conversion AM receiver. Later I became a Short Wave Listener and spent my college years listening to "exotic" broadcasts and repairing and modifying five-tube radio sets in an attempt to receive ham radio transmissions in the intriguing single side band. EC1BTN, Cantabria, Spain. 1984 (left) and at NASA Goddard in Maryland, USA next to a "very LEO" MicroSat Time to Go "On The Air" After graduation I decided it was time to move into transmission and became an Amateur Radio Operator in 1983. My first callsign was EC1BTN. I acquired my first transceiver a Yaesu Tempo One with the money I made in my first job. The station was at my family's house in the beautiful village of Suances, Cantabria, Spain and I used to operate portable from Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. As soon as I was eligible for an A type license I took the test and became EA1DKB in 1984. I spent the first years experimenting in the HF bands. This gave me the opportunity to made some direct conversion receivers and a complete QRP rig for the 20-meter band. QSL Cards of first AO-13 QSO and first Mode S QSO on AO-13 Mode S on AO-13 In 1988 we moved to Madrid and in 1991 I became EA4LE. I spent most of the early 90's in the "microsats revolution" and working AO-13. On September 26, 1993 I made my first S band QSO (2.4 GHz downlink) with Ludwig DC9NM. For me this was a real record as I was the first station from Spain to make a QSO using a S-band transponder. Later I made also the first S-band QSO between EA and the US West Coast with Stanly, W6ABN. In the 90's I had the opportunity to participate in some fund raising campaigns for Phase 3D and I also volunteered as the equivalent of an Area Coordinator in the Madrid Section of URE (AMSAT-URE) and later AMSAT-EA. In 2000 we moved with my family to the US and earned a General license with the call KC2HAX. QSL Card of first mode S QSO between Spain and the US West Coast on mode S (left). The antennas used for this QSO (right) AO-40, a dream comes true On November 16, 2000 at 0107 UTC Phase 3D was launched in Ariane Flight 135. I was traveling in Belgium and followed the launch on the Net from my hotel room. I went to bed in the early morning extremely happy and with tears in my eyes after I received the news, Phase 3D was now AMSAT-OSCAR 40 and was safely orbiting around earth. On May 5, 2001 the first day of transponder operations trough AO-40 I was able to hear my own downlink signal from AO-40 and made my first AO-40 QSO with AMSAT-NA President, Robin, VE3FRH on May 12, 2001. Copyright � 2001 Antonio Fern�ndez
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A very brief story of EA4LE radio enthusiasm

(please note this is a draft page)

The early years from crystal sets to short wave listening

I have been always fascinated by radio and space. I made my first radio, a germanium diode crystal receiver, when I was about ten years old. At twelve I received one of the most beautiful toys I had in my life, it was called the Phillip's Radio Engineer and with it I was able to assemble my first serious single conversion AM receiver. Later I became a Short Wave Listener and spent my college years listening to "exotic" broadcasts and repairing and modifying five-tube radio sets in an attempt to receive ham radio transmissions in the intriguing single side band.

EC1BTN, Cantabria, Spain. 1984 (left) and at NASA Goddard in Maryland, USA next to a "very LEO" MicroSat

Time to Go "On The Air"

After graduation I decided it was time to move into transmission and became an Amateur Radio Operator in 1983. My first callsign was EC1BTN. I acquired my first transceiver a Yaesu Tempo One with the money I made in my first job. The station was at my family's house in the beautiful village of Suances, Cantabria, Spain and I used to operate portable from Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. As soon as I was eligible for an A type license I took the test and became EA1DKB in 1984. I spent the first years experimenting in the HF bands. This gave me the opportunity to made some direct conversion receivers and a complete QRP rig for the 20-meter band.

QSL Cards of first AO-13 QSO and first Mode S QSO on AO-13

Mode S on AO-13

In 1988 we moved to Madrid and in 1991 I became EA4LE. I spent most of the early 90's in the "microsats revolution" and working AO-13. On September 26, 1993 I made my first S band QSO (2.4 GHz downlink) with Ludwig DC9NM. For me this was a real record as I was the first station from Spain to make a QSO using a S-band transponder. Later I made also the first S-band QSO between EA and the US West Coast with Stanly, W6ABN. In the 90's I had the opportunity to participate in some fund raising campaigns for Phase 3D and I also volunteered as the equivalent of an Area Coordinator in the Madrid Section of URE (AMSAT-URE) and later AMSAT-EA. In 2000 we moved with my family to the US and earned a General license with the call KC2HAX.

QSL Card of first mode S QSO between Spain and the US West Coast on mode S (left). The antennas used for this QSO (right)

AO-40, a dream comes true

On November 16, 2000 at 0107 UTC Phase 3D was launched in Ariane Flight 135. I was traveling in Belgium and followed the launch on the Net from my hotel room. I went to bed in the early morning extremely happy and with tears in my eyes after I received the news, Phase 3D was now AMSAT-OSCAR 40 and was safely orbiting around earth. On May 5, 2001 the first day of transponder operations trough AO-40 I was able to hear my own downlink signal from AO-40 and made my first AO-40 QSO with AMSAT-NA President, Robin, VE3FRH on May 12, 2001.

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