Well, I certainly wouldn't recommend that!
I did work a guy in New Brunswick doing just that. I think he said he was using the hood of his car as a bit of a reflector too, but that's certainly not going to be adequate for SO-50 in any but the most ideal circumstances.
An FT-817 is a great radio to get started with satellites as you then have lots of options for getting a second radio to use as a receiver. I started out trying a TH-F6A as my receiver, then moved to an Icom IC-R10 that I made several hundred QSOs with as my downlink receiver, and finally the second FT-817 that I use today. Others have gotten used UHF or VHF multimode radios, the FUNcube Dongle, or others.
As far as HTs...WD9EWK has probably tested just about every cheap Chinese HT on the market for use as a receiver on SO-50. He'll probably kick in his advice here.
73,
Paul, N8HM
On Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 8:22 PM, B J va6bmj@gmail.com wrote:
On 1/20/15, Steve Kristoff skristof@etczone.com wrote:
I'm new to the list and have been listening to some satellites. I'd like
to
move on to QSOs. Can folks recommend a handheld that will get me on the
most
commonly used satellites? I'd be grateful for multiple suggestions and reviews. Thanks!
<snip>
When I was first on the birds, I used my FT-817 with its stock rubber duck. I held the radio in one hand and my microphone with the other. That technique had its limits as I had to keep twisting my hand in order to get a decent signal.
That eventually led me to replace that antenna with an Arrow Yagi, but it was no longer a hand-held rig after that.
73s
Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb