Kent:
Do you have the squelch open? The satellite will not break squelch like a repeater does.
On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 06:43:30 -0800 (PST) Bill Dzurilla billdz.geo@yahoo.com wrote:
Hi Kent,
Sorry to hear you are still having trouble.
Since I am able to transmit and receive on our local repeaters, I'm guessing that the issue is with my antenna.
If you are hearing repeaters good and strong but are hearing absolutely nothing from AO-51, I'm guessing that the problem is not the antenna or the radio. Although not nearly as strong as a nearby repeater, the downlink signal from AO-51 is quite loud, and high elevation passes (35 degrees or more) can easily be copied on an HT with just a rubber duck antenna. I have made many contacts with just a 6 1/2" ground plane on the downlink.
So my guess is that you are listening at the wrong time or on the wrong frequency, or there's some other problem.
That being said, a better antenna is always nice. The Arrow is very popular and effective, if you don't mind holding it in your hand for 15 minutes during a pass. It can be mounted on a camera tripod if you don't want to hold it.
Good luck, Bill NZ5N
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