It is nice to know that I am not alone in my way of thinking. While we all want to encourage new people to come into the ranks of Amateur radio, we most of all want the to do it successfully and to enjoy their experiences.
I will offer one last Southern Folk Wisdom on the subject with regards as to what is essential for a successful and pleasant satellite operation, YOU NEED A PREAMP! IF YOU CAN'T HEAR YOURSELF ON THE SATELLITE YOU ARE PROBABLY CAUSING QRM! Now for the Southern Folk Wisdom: /"Even a blind hog finds a hickory nut every once in a while....."/ In other words, you may occasionally hear the satellite under ideal conditions WITHOUT a preamp, but WITH a preamp you will have a much more pleasant experience on the satellite and so will all the others that are on that pass with you! Yah'll all have a nice day! I have a schedule on FO29 with Ireland! I will be using a preamp! 73's Frank K4FEG