[rdret1]

I don't know that it was SF engineering so much as pure luck, but we went to Nashua, NH once for EMS Climbing School. Bill Wheelehan was our new Team Leader. Phil Shea was my junior. We were supposed to make daily SATCOM. Lo and behold, both Phil and I forgot a compass. When it came time for our first contact, we set up, I looked around and the sun was alomost setting, so I drew a compass on the ground with west toward the sun. I put the antenna on an approximate azimuth, Phil guessed an approximate elevation and we made the call. First time contact 5X !

Cpt. Wheelehan came over and said "I was watching you. No way you made contact!" We gave him the handset and he called and got confirmation. He asked how we did it. We told him "See that pinetree over there sir? The satellite is just over the top of it." He bought it. The next day Phil and I were on the mountain come contact time so Cpt. Wheelehan and Chuck Abram made the contact. When we got back Cpt. Wheelehan came up to us, all excited, and said, "Sgt. Winters, Sgt. Shea, I did like you said and aimed the antenna at the pinetree and made good contact!" For the rest of the trip we could do no wrong.