I think the Arrow-II is a great satellite antenna for HT's. Even if you move on to some other antenna, it's a good one to keep around. I recently took it on vacation with an Icom W32A and had a great time sitting on the beach with it.
As far as getting started with the first couple of contacts, I agree with Bill that you might be picking the wrong time or direction. I suggest getting a second opinion on the next AO-51 pass, maybe use a site like heavens-above.com to predict the next pass and make sure it matches your local software. (heavens-above calls AO-51 AO-ECHO)
The transmit power of AO-51 seems to be increased on 70cm lately, it's putting out a really strong signal you should receive easily once you get things sorted out. Make sure you tune +10kHz (435.310) at the beginning of the pass, +0 kHz in the middle of the pass and -10kHz (435.290) towards the end of the pass.
Bill Dzurilla wrote:
Hi Kent,
Sorry to hear you are still having trouble.
Since I am able to transmit and receive on our local repeaters, I'm guessing that the issue is with my antenna.
If you are hearing repeaters good and strong but are hearing absolutely nothing from AO-51, I'm guessing that the problem is not the antenna or the radio. Although not nearly as strong as a nearby repeater, the downlink signal from AO-51 is quite loud, and high elevation passes (35 degrees or more) can easily be copied on an HT with just a rubber duck antenna. I have made many contacts with just a 6 1/2" ground plane on the downlink.
So my guess is that you are listening at the wrong time or on the wrong frequency, or there's some other problem.
That being said, a better antenna is always nice. The Arrow is very popular and effective, if you don't mind holding it in your hand for 15 minutes during a pass. It can be mounted on a camera tripod if you don't want to hold it.
Good luck, Bill NZ5N
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