Somewhere I still have an "OSCAR locator". That is why several locals came up with a computer program to run on a mainframe to calculate the elevation and compile a set of tables. MUCH easier!
Glen, K9STH
Website: http://k9sth.com
--- On Tue, 4/12/11, i8cvs domenico.i8cvs@tin.it wrote:
From: i8cvs domenico.i8cvs@tin.it Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: satellite average elevation To: "Glen Zook" gzook@yahoo.com, "Amsat - BBs" amsat-bb@amsat.org, "Bob Bruninga" bruninga@usna.edu Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 10:32 PM ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glen Zook" gzook@yahoo.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org; "Bob Bruninga" bruninga@usna.edu Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 10:39 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: satellite average elevation
Again, back in "those dayes" we did not have the luxury of computer simulation and from trial and error the majority of people found that about 30 degrees above the horizontal worked the best. That is why the "olde tymers" recommend 30 degrees. It worked very well and we made many contacts using the LEO satellites.
Glen, K9STH
Hi Glen, K9STH
In those days of OSCAR-6 we did not have the luxury of a PC but we used the OSCARLOCATOR.By the way for best performance on OSCAR-6 ,OSCAR-7 and OSCAR-8 an elevation motor was required and the most popular for elevation was a KR-500 allowing manual elevation traking and flipping when necessary.
A 30 degrees elevation for the antennas was seldom used with OSCAR-6 ,7 and 8 resulting in marginal performance.
With the actual LEO satellites like VO-52 , AO-51 and FO-29 the altitude is much lower and according to Bob Bruniga demonstration a fixed elevation of 15 to 20 degrees seems to be a good compromise but obviously using an elevation motor is much better.
73" de
i8CVS Domenico