Hey Mike you're on a roll! What I have done with the 2.4 side is the following. I picked up a fairly cheap 2 meter xcvr, a TS-700A ($200) I disabled the transmitter, it is now the designated S band Rx. The reason- In the heat of battle (stupidity) I realized I could easily transmit into my downconverter. I could probably do it more that once! Call it cheap insurance. There are several 2.4 downconverters out there, I have a couple from K5GNA, very reasonable at $120. He recrystals and "tweeks" them. I do not know if he is still selling them. With no HEO there is little demand. Commercial ones are available, SSB, KEPS, downeast, and maybe more ($$). I use a three foot primestar dish with 5 turn helix feed for rx. When AO40 (sobsob) was up, I used a 4 foot primestar. . Overkill for AO51- I'm thinking next HEO. A 18 inch direct tv dish would work on 2.4. On 1.2ghz. tx I use a 16 turn helix. I do not have computer control (yet) so I really can't address that issue
This is the way I do it. Others may differ and maybe be better, that's what makes this so fascinating.
73 Bob W7LRD
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike" sar911@bellsouth.net To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, May 6, 2009 8:50:11 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [amsat-bb] Equipment/Software
Okay, I am starting to build my station after playing around with the portable. So far I have acquired an IC-910 with 1.2G, power supply, G-5500 AZ/EL rotor, M2 2MCP14 and 436CP30 antennas. To finish I have the following questions.
1. What radio, rotor and tracking software are you using and why? (I am using Orbitron right now)
2. What interface are you using for an IC-910H and why?
3. What interface are you using for your G-5500 rotor and why?
4. What are you using for the radio side for 2.4G?
5. What antenna are you using for 1.2G?
6. What antenna are you using for 2.4G?
Thank you in advance for your time and help. 73 Mike
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