On 9 Jan 2010 at 19:09, Randy wrote:
Date sent: Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:09:35 -0500 From: Randy RSwart1@twcny.rr.com Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Azimuth question To: 'Pete Rowe' ptrowe@yahoo.com, amsat-bb@amsat.org, 'Ken Ernandes' n2wwd@mindspring.com Send reply to: RSwart1@twcny.rr.com
Thanks everyone for the help .. I'm all sighted in on the North Star .. Actually, I went to wikipedia and read up on magnetic declination. It says that if you are east of the 0 degree line ( which I am in New York ) Then true north is east of magnetic north by that number of degrees as Shown on the declination map .. I'll listen to VO-52 and see how that goes.
Randy - N2CUA
Hi Randy
The north pointing was also an issue here. I try the north start, the sun shadow on my tower at noon, GPS, magnetic compass corrected for the true north but i was still off.
When my rotor control box lost his north setting i decided from an approximate north pointing to fine tune it while pointing on a satellite. I try first with AO-51. It take's me a couple of pass to be able to set my north alignment using this method. You will have to move you antenna back and forth writing the calculated azimuth and your maximum signal direction. When you get an whole list you just have to make the average of the differences and you just have to correct your north pointing with this difference. I was at an 19 degrees error and when i reset my control box to the north taking in account this corrected factor all the other satellite pointing became right on the spot.
The dramatic effect come at AOS and LOS when prior to this adjustment i was nearly unable to work anything below 5 degrees of elevation but after i often hear my downlink near 1 degrees and sometimes at half a degree.
It was easy here to readjust my north setting as my Alpha Spid rotor can be adjusted to the north without having to mechanically move the mast on the rotor probably not the best season to make this king of setting actually here.
I wrote "here" as i'm happy that some in Florida can actually feel what we can feel here when playing with the antennas and rotor outside in winter... Even in Europe they also have this great opportunity to make this new exciting experiment...
P.S. To our Canadian snow birds there is no need to go to Florida to get sub freezing point temperature you just have them just out of your home door here...but let say you will answer me back that you prefer minus 4C instead of my actual minus 20C... "-"
Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe DSTAR urcall VE2DWE WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE