Yesterday, as a matter of course, I had to direct the antenna to the moon after installing the software for controlling the rotator by my computer. I was lucky to hear the first signals off the moon: LX1DB was active and could be heard with 419 in CW. Today I tried again and heard HB9Q with S3 in JT65. Later DJ9YW was heard also with S2.
After being qrt by family and business reasons for nearly twenty years, I started in July 2011 in activating my irish call sign EI8HH on 50 MHz. Since January 2012 I am qrv again as DJ5AR from my QTH in Mainz.
The way working on the microwave bands has changed. No more CQs for hours and hours, but a fine chat at ON4KSTs server to make skeds on the bands wich provides much more efficiency than the way, we tried to make QSOs twenty years ago. A SDR makes it possible to display a spectrum of the band on the screen in a waterfall diagram. What a huge comfort compared to the old times. So it is no problem anymore to find somebody for a sked on 23 or 13 cm. Soon after setting up the old equipment for 1296 MHz I managed to work a couple of new squares and had my first QSO ever over the alps to Italy. It was amazing to hear the strong signal of IK3GHY with my 1.2 m dish.