December 2008 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

ISS Repeater
by Ron Miles 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

Heard nothing on the ~16:47UTC pass today. Elevation 47 degrees. Could not key up the L band repeater at any power level. Yaesu FT 736R set for 67Hz PL tone and using SATPC32 doppler steering frequency pairs: ISS,145800,1269650,FM,FM,NOR,0,0. Is uplink tone necessary when operating either ISS L/V or V/U?? Thanks, Ron n6paa

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I hear WA4SCA calling CQ via ISS
by Alan Sieg WB5RMG 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

WA4SCA via ISS is loud and clear . . . - no one else heard /;^) -- <- Licensed in 1976, WB5RMG = Alan Sieg * AMSAT#20554 -> <- http://www.somenet.net * http://wb5rmg.somenet.net -> <- http://www.linkedin.com/in/alansieg * My 'Day Job' ->

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ISS Repeater
by Scott Schmautz 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

Just heard WA4SCA calling CQ on what I assume is still L/V. Not much else heard, one other station heard prior to that. Scott/WB2UZR --

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NA1SS - calling CQ
by Bruce Semple 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

NA1SS was calling CQ (several times) this morning on the 13:50 Z pass over east coast Nice loud signal on the 2M downlink -- Apparently he was not hearing anybody on the L-band uplink -- It was killing me not to be able to give him a call (no 1.2 Ghz capabilities).

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ISS L / V Active 07.30utc UK / Europe Pass
by David Barber 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

Active again this pass. 07.30utc UK / Europe. Managed to access the repeater briefly for the second time at an elevation of approx 45dg. No other stations heard. Good luck to all who try. Regards David G8OQW

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Re: Elk vs Arrow
by Clint Bradford 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

Trey - I have an extra, new Elk you may borrow. Send me private email. Clint Bradford On Dec 28, 2008, at 7:25 PM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > I think will probably end up purchasing both > and using them on a couple passes Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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ISS L / V Active 05.58utc UK / Europe Pass
by David Barber 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

The L / V repeater was active during the 05.58utc pass over UK / Europe this morning. Heard and recorded my own signals as it passed overhead. No one else on. Icom IC-910 via 3m of RG58U (don't laugh!) to a 19 element horizontal yagi mounted on az/el rotator on my patio. Manual control of rotator and Doppler. All a bit crude I know but it worked! Good luck to all. Regards David G8OQW

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give the newbie the full story on ELK and ARROW please
by Jim Danehy 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

Yes folks can make contacts with Arrow and Elk antennas because it is done every day of the week . . . . that is not the argument here . . . my comments have been made to give full disclosure of the several issues which seemed to be ignored by advocats of one over the other . . . Arrow and Elk are LINEARLY polarized antennas . . . . the 17,000 mph moving satellite is throwing off CIRCULAR polarized RF energy . . . please SUBTRACT 3 db or more of gain from your Elk or Arrow when receiving the satellite's signal . . . some still do not understand this concept and never will . . . ignorance is bliss . . . . For years I grinned ; like I am doing now whenever I saw an 18 wheel trucker with a pair of 3 foot high verticals and a big coil of aluminum tubing at the bottom . . . . probably a good analogy . . . . yes they can make contacts for a little distance just like users of the Arrow and Elk can make contacts . . . . yes "field tests" ( anecdotal evidence ) give you some sense of satisfaction . . . . some CB ers enjoy CB operating too . . . ignorance is bliss . . . . .working a buddy across town from his house to yours on 2 mtrs or 435 mhz is one thing because your antennas are not moving . . . . once one of them starts moving quickly ( 17,000 mph ) it all changes . . . I realize that this requires some further reading, studying and understanding . . . .you need to understand the entire story . . . . ignorance is still bliss for far too many . . . up until about 1952 folks used monoband beams . . . . then the triband beams with traps appeared . . . degradation occurs one small step at a time . . . it is progressive too . . . now we have folks doing CW with their computers during contests and they think that they are CW ops . . . . . . note I did not say sending . . . a couple of locals were all in a lather a few years ago when the local DX packet cluster went down . . . what are we going to do . . . I told them it really made no difference to me as I will continue to TUNE the bands for the DX . . . because that is what a DXer does . . . the DUMMYING DOWN of hams is sad . . . of course it depends upon your base of experience . . . . if you do not know any better . . . well ignorance is bliss . . . we do need fuller disclosure to the newbie who asks a question . . . . If somebody says : yes I know all of that but this is my compromise; that is fine . . . but folks are preaching to folks who ask questions : what should I buy ? . . . . there is another option which is being ignored . . . thus my questioning to let the newbie know that these antennas work but there should be a caveat of the compromise . . . without that caveat or understanding they think they are on the Gold Standard . . . ignorance is still bliss . . . in other areas we call it : 1) doing due diligence or 2) informed consent . . . . some folks hand over all their money to somebody else to manage . . .oh yes . .. ignorance turns from being bliss . . .to catastrophic . . . but it goes on and will continue . . . Some folks are selling these antennas like some sell religion . . . with certainty that theirs is the one true one . . .give the newbie the FULL STORY please. . . that has been my goal for several weeks now . . . I have received many nice personal emails thanking me for my comments . . . I am not bashing ARROW or ELK just trying to give a FULL DISCLOSURE which is what should be going on not just blind advocacy for one of these over the other . . . . which is mostly what I have seen with anecdotal comments . . . Jim W9VNE

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Re: Elk Antenna vs Arrow Antenna
by Edward Cole 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

One last comment that may help your decision: The Arrow comes as a portable take-apart version. All the elements unscrew and the square tubing boom comes apart to fit in 24-inch long package. I bought a 25-inch by 2-inch diameter PVC tube with end caps (sewer pipe to most) to carry my Arrow on board airlines back before 911. Handy way to travel with a dual-band HT and enjoy operating Leos. I believe one of the ham accessory mfrs sell a fabric tote sack for the Arrow. 73, Ed - KL7UW At 01:06 PM 12/28/2008, Trey Brown wrote: >Thanks for everyone's comments. I think will probably end up purchasing both >and using them on a couple passes and then deciding which one would be >better for me and returning the other. Both companies offer refunds, so that >may be the best route for me. I just can't get over the fact that I've >talked to and read what quite a few hams have had to say regarding the >arrow, and I can't see why they would use one for multiple years if it was >so horrible, so that leads me to think I may like it better, but we'll see! > >On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 8:00 PM, Trey Brown <palintheus(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I'm looking to get started in FM satellites and am considering > > purchasing one of these antennas. Wanting to get some thoughts and > > opinions from people that have been doing this longer than I have > > been. > > > > http://www.elkantennas.com/2m4405element.htm > > http://arrowantennas.com/146-437.html > > > > -- > > Trey -- N5THX > > > > They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary > > safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. > > - Benjamin Franklin > > > > > >-- >Trey > >They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, >deserve neither liberty nor safety. >- Benjamin Franklin >_______________________________________________ >Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Egg beater, ELK, yagi, arrow, Lindenblad
by Dave Guimont 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

And probably a few others!! But if you have a modicum of constructional skills try a quadrifilar..It outperforms all of them... My site is under construction, but as soon as I get it organized, I will post it here... 73, Dave, WB6LLO dguimon1(a)san.rr.com Disagree: I learn.... Pulling for P3E...

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