The European contacts are similar to my experience in the U.S. Are you certain that the contacts outside Europe weren't cross-band -- one end UV and the other US or LS? These would also have been completed on UV.
My biggest concern about the S downlink is that it is becoming increasingly harder to use in many parts of the world so that it becomes less and less useful over the life of the Eagle satellites (2010-2030). When AO-13 was in orbit I could use the S downlink all the time, but by the time AO-40 was in orbit, I had S9 WiFi interference for hours at a time -- even with 3-foot dish and feed. The dish was fairly deep (0.33 f/d) and the feed shielded so sidelobes were low.
Some in the U.K. say that we'd be better off flyng an S2 downlink (3400-3410MHz).
73,
John KD6OZH
----- Original Message ----- From: "i8cvs" domenico.i8cvs@tin.it To: "John B. Stephensen" kd6ozh@comcast.net; "george abbott" ka1ajf@cox.net; "'Bill Ress'" bill@hsmicrowave.com; "G0MRF David Bowman" g0mrf@aol.com; brobertson@mta.ca; "AMSAT-BB" amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 01:13 UTC Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: The Mode B tradition
----- Original Message ----- From: "John B. Stephensen" kd6ozh@comcast.net To: "george abbott" ka1ajf@cox.net; "'Bill Ress'" bill@hsmicrowave.com; G0MRF@aol.com; brobertson@mta.ca; amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 1:19 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: The Mode B tradition
You're right. P3E and Eagle will operate similarly to AO-10 and AO-13 on mode B and P3E is similar to AO-13 on mode S. I don't remember making a single S-band contact outside the U.S. on AO-13.
clipped
73,
John KD6OZH
Hi John, KD6OZH
Just for record i have included belowe a list of OSCAR-13 operators with their call letters and antennas used for downlink Mode-S from 2400.711 to 2400.747 MHz during the lifetime of this glourious U/S transponder
The power of OSCAR-13 mode-S was only 1,5 W pep and the satellite antenna was an helix with G=10 dBi and so EIRP=15 W pep
In comparison the power of the S1 TX on AO40 was 50 W pep and the antenna was an helix with G=10 dBi and so EIRP=500 W pep The power of the next P3E will be 38 watt pep with a similar antenna.
The mode-S transponder of OSCAR-13 was "hard limited",in other words no AGC was in it and so the 1,5 W pep available for all users was proportional to the uplink power.
At epoch time of this list,uptodate by W4FJ on 14 jan 1994 it was very difficult if not impossible to find ready to operate preamplifiers/converters antennas/antenna feeds for 2.4 GHz and the most part of the equipments where necessarily hombrew by amateurs.
In addition,at that time about 12 years ago,the best GaAsFET available at amateur price showed a noise figure not less than 1 dB at 2400 MHz
Even though the list of users is very long.
Please read it
73 de i8CVS Domenico
AMSAT OSCAR 13 mode "S" STATION LIST Originated by W4FJ last uptodate 14 Jan,' 94
Sources: K0RZ, DB2OS, JR8XPV, JA6AUX, ON6UG, W6ABN, W4FJ
CALL NAME DOWNLINK ANTENNA 2400.7 MHz
DA1AF Bob 4 x 45 loop yagi DL1BEM Andy 1,2 m dish DL1FCU Hardy 1,0 m dish DJ1KM Rene ? DK1KQ Uwe 67 loop yagi DD1US Mat 19 loop yagi DF2BX Theo 3,0 m dish DK2UT Archim 0,6 m dish DK3AX Gerd 4 x 16 el yagi DG4IAF Archim 1,6 m dish DF4TA Armin ? DL4YCC Klaus 1,5 m dish DF5DP Bert 2 x 39 el yagi DL5EH Wilhelm ? DJ7FJ Joseph 1,2 m dish DC7KY Klaus 2,0 m dish DL8NL Hardy 2,7 m dish DC8UG Harold 1,5 m dish DL9GU Ed 1,5 m dish DL9GZ Egon 4 x 39 ele yagi DC9HR Hatman 1,2 m dish DJ9PC Peter 1,5 m dish
EA4LE Toni 0,6 m dish helix fed
F6CBC Jean 1,0 m dish F8HLG Georges 18 turn helix FM5AB Jean 1,2 m dish
G1IRG Simon 1,5 m dish G2BFO David 1,2 m dish G3CDK Rod 1,2 m dish G3RUH James 66 cm dish helix fed G4EEO Phil 1,5 m dish GW3XYW Stuart 6,0 m dish
HB9AQZ Hans 26 turn helix HB9MGI Ernst 1,5 m dish helix fed
i1CDB Peter 67 loop yagi i2BEM Elio 1,2 m dish i3EEL Lodovico 1,2 m dish iN3HER Raimund 1,5 m dish iK3VZS Vinicio 1,0 m dish iN3WZF Joseph 1,5 m dish iW5ABE Alex 4 x 18 turn Helix i5MPK Peter 4,0 m dish i6CGE Alfio 1,2 m dish i6DRZ Mario 1,0 m dish helix fed i6PNN Amato 1,2 m dish i7LIT Rino 1,2 m dish i7UGO Ugo 1,0 m dish i8CVS Domenico 1,2 m dish helix fed
JA1ANG Harry 16 turn helix JA1ANP Aky 12 turn helix JA1AOY Masaji 2.0 m dis JR1BDG Oishi 1.5 m dish helix fed JA1BLC Fumie 17 loop yag JL1CHX Toshido 3.0 m dish JA1GYT Tad 2 x 37 loop yagi JK1HIX Tom 2.0 m dish JH1LVN Masa 2 x 45 loop yagi JH1PEF Mak 2.4 m dish JA1QQN Kazu 36 loop yagi JA1SYK Hiro 1.2 m dish JA1UHY Hisa 3.0 m dish JR1WZI Ken 1.5 m dish JA2ORW Jin 24 turn helix 7N2RWX Tada 29 turn helix JH3EAD Takao ? JA3THL Taka 56 loop yagi JA3GCI ? 2 x 23 turn helix JA4AEP Ken 1.5 m dish JA4BLC Row 6.0 m dish JR4BRS Toshi 4.0 m dish JA4CMZ Iwata 3.0 m dish JA4GVA Shin 0.7 m dish JA4HZN Mata 2.0 m dish JA5LG Kiyo 2 x 50 loop yagi JA6AUX Masa 36 loop yagi JR6BLW Mori 4 x 55 loop yagi JA6CZH Yamada 1.2 m dish JE6DBI Yuu 1.6 m dish JA6ELW Sou 4 x 55 loop yagi JA6FTL ? 1.0 m dish JA7EC Shoji 2.0 m dish JH7JKW Nikio 4.0 m dish JA8ERE Terui 3.0 m dish JA8KCM Hiro 1.2 m dish JA8PL Masa 3.6 m dish JA8UJR Masa 2 x 37 loop yagi JR8XPV Tango 2 x 40 loop yagi
OE3JIS Josef 45 loop yagi OE5BKL Al ? loop yagi OE9DGV Guntran 68 loop yagi ON4DY Bob 1.0 m dish ON6UG Freddy 2.0 m dish
OZ8QI Freddy ?
PE1MGS Juan ? PT9FH Tony 2.0 m dish helix fed
SM7BCL Lars 2 x 45 loop yagi SM0SFV Stig 1.2 m dish
SV3KH Nik 2.0 m dish SV5QR Panos 1.0 m dish helix fed
VE1CKE Norm 1.2 m dish helix fed VE2LI George 1.2 m dish helix fed VE3GTF George 2 x 45 loop yagi VE3NPC Clare 1.2 m dish helix fed VE3VC Ken 1.0 m dish VE7BGG Cor 6.0 m dish VE7CLD Gunter 4.8 m dish VE7VHF Bill 2.4 m dish helix fed VE7VL Val 0.8 m dish helix fed VK4KZR Rod ? VK4ZQ Roy 2.8 m dish VK6BMD Bruce 1.0 m dish VK6ZAY Al ? VK6ZWF Allen ?
N1AXB Larry 4 x 45 loop yagi W1NU Vic 2 x 45 loop yagi W1PEA Judd 2 x 45 loop yagi W1QJR Ken 0.6 m dish helix fed WA1QXR Ken 1.0 m dish helix fed W1YN Ed 0.6 m dish helix fed W1SNN Stirling 4 x 16 turn helices N1IQU Mack 8.0 m dish helix fed K2IYQ Steve 0.6 m dish helix fed N2MB Barry 2.4 m dish helix fed NQ2O Walt 2 x 45 loop yagi W2UHI Frank 1.0 m dish N3CEV Mike ? dish N3FLY Paul 45 loop yagi KA3HPQ Phil ? KK3K Jim 1.2 m dish helix fed W3PM Gene 1.2 m dish helix fed W3PRB Jonny 1.2 m dish W3QBK Stan 1.2 m dish helix fed W3TMZ Jack 0.6 m dish helix fed K3VDB Charlie 0.6 m dish helix fed KJ4BF Grady Conifer dish KC4CQR Jerry 3.0 m dish N4DTB Lee 4 x 45 loop yagi W4FJ Ted 1.5 m dish helix fed W4KSB Larry 2 x 45 loop yagi AB4NJ Dale 3.0 m dish N4NR Dennis ? N4LC Ken 4 x 45 loop yagi WD4O Bernice 4 x 45 loop yagi W4ODW Gene 3.0 m dish helix fed K4RZB Jim 4 x 45 loop yagi WA4VHF Chip 1.2 m dish helix fed N5BF Courtney 45 loop yagi W5GEL Bob 1.2 m dish helix fed WB5GQM Fred 0.6 m dish helix fed W5IU Keith 1.0 m dish helix fed K5RHR Dick 0.6 m dish helix fed WA5RTL "BW" ? W6ABN Stan 1.2 m dish helix fed W6CCY John 0.6 m dish helix fed AB6DT Bob ? loop yagi WB6GYD Eric 1.5 m dish NK6K Harold 4 x 45 loop yagi W6KAG Butch 3.0 m dish helix fed WB6LLO Dave 1.0 m dish helix fed N6OVP Dave ? W6YVO Dick ? AA7A Ed 0.6 m dish helix fed WA7ABP Lynn 1.2 m dish helix fed KB7CNN Bill 2 x 45 loop yagi W7IUV Larry 3.0 m dish helix fed KE7NR Don 2 x 45 loop yagi N7RYW Bill 2.0 m dish K7ZTM Pete 2 x 45 loop yagi N8AJD Steve 45 loop yagi K8TL Tom 1.2 m dish helix fed WA8WBP Ralph 1.2 m dish helix fed K8YAH Ron 2 x 45 loop yagi WJ9F Russ 2 x 45 loop yagi W9FMW John 2 x 45 loop yagi KA9LNV Ed 0.6 m dish helix fed WA9MTO Jack 2 x 45 loop yagi AB9V Mike 45 loop yagi W0DQY Smitty 4 x 45 loop yagi WD0E Jim 0.6 m dish helix fed W0HHE Al 2.0 m dish K0KE Eric 2.0 m dish N0LEF Stu 2 x 45 loop yagi KA0OOQ Jerry 4 x 45 loop yagi K0RR Lew 2 x 45 loop yagi K0RZ Bill 1.2 m dish helix fed K0VTY Joe 1.2 m dish helix fed N0WX Charlie 2 x 45 loop yagi
ZL2ALP Paul 45 loop yagi
ZS6JT Peter 0.6 m dish helix fed
NOTE: This list of OSCAR-13 Mode-S operators was uptodated by Ted W4FJ on 14 january 1994
73" de
i8CVS Domenico