Hi I agree about the spin rate , but the RX sensibility still are the same for me , I mean , only wit more than 20W to get a good return. The sat has just passed over here and the spin rate is about 5-7 seconds more or less. 73
2016-02-17 12:13 GMT-02:00 Paul Stoetzer [email protected]:
Clayton,
I have observed the same. Over the past couple of months, on directly overhead or ascending passes to the east, I could never get in until about TCA using about 20 watts to an Arrow antenna. On overhead descending passes or to the west, I could not get in after TCA.
Now, over the past few days, it's been much easier to work horizon to horizon, but the fading is much worse throughout the pass and I am constantly twisting to try to regain the downlink. Some times, neither polarity works.
According to DK3WN's Illum program, AO-85 will be in constant sunlight until 2/25. We'll see if it returns to it's previous patterns after that.
73,
Paul, N8HM
On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:08 AM, Clayton W5PFG [email protected] wrote:
For the past several days, I have observed the following:
- On ascending passes, I can activate the transponder at AOS very easily.
Either polarity V or H works.
- Previously, I needed 10-15 degrees at times on ascending passes to
activate the transponder. As I approached TCA, the challenge getting in always went away and I could get into the transponder easily.
- Descending passes have never been an issue for me. I could access the
transponder at AOS and activate the transponder as low as 0.1 degrees elevation.
- Downlink receive polarity seems to flip almost constantly or be equal
at
times. I'm running a V or H antenna configuration (not RHCP or LHCP.)
- Suspected reason is the spacecraft's spin rate has changed with it now
in
constant sun.
- As a result I'm hearing some newer stations working AO-85 with handheld
transceivers. I've worked 2 new stations in the last 2 days who emailed
me
directly after the pass stating they were seeing some success with an HT.
Thoughts/comments?
73 Clayton W5PFG
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