On 3 Oct 2008 at 5:01, i8cvs wrote:
Hi Joe, K3SZH
I am very happy for the succesful short QSO with you this night on FO-29 orbit 59884 !
At the beginning of the opening window for you at 01:59 UTC I was hearing your carrier going up and down searching for your return signal.
Only at the end of my window I was receiving your voice very clear saying to me "very strong signal 5/6 " but my elevation was only about 0.5 degrees around 02:01 UTC after that I was continuing to receive you even if my elevation was negative down to about -1 degree
My horizon is free of obstructions in that azimuth over the Mediterranean see.
I was using 250 watt into a KLM 2M-14C a 7+7 elements crossed yagi in LHCP that was the best polarization for the uplink for me at that time.
I was receiving you with a 10 turn homebrewed helix RHCP and a homebrewed low noise 70 cm cavity preamplifier with NF= 0.45 dB and G= 20 dB antenna mounted.
The distance from your FN10OG and my JN70ES is 7332.5 km Hi...Hi ! !
Do you now what is the maximum DX distance ever covered via FO-29 ?
The apogee of FO-29 is 1322.1 km so that the maximum foot print for DX contacts between EU and USA is around MA = 128 when actually the latitude of the satellite subpoint fall at about 61 degrees North during the southbound orbits but unfortunately during night hours at an unsocial time for us in EU
73" de
i8CVS Domenico
Hi Domenico
There is a couple of openings at 0149Z every evening "NIghts" in Europe. Italy unfortunately is at the lowest part of the path but manageable as we used to have one in the past. Here all the North eastern part of the continent is in the path too.
As you said it is the night in Europe that's explain why there is very few stations available but it take's only a reminder to have some folks awake and on Friday and Saturday night it could be the best day to have some Europeans friends on the air!
I will give a try tonight.
On a different subject i have the same VHF antenna here "KLM 2M-14C" and the polarisation relay became open did you ever have to replace it on your antenna? Seems to be not an easy task!. And finding a suitable relay even more difficult.
P.S. I am usually in the middle of the downlink pass band on FO-29
"-"
Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE