Good afternoon all -
As I am officially hooked after my first week of operating the satellites, I am trying to gain a bit better operating setup. I love the arrow and tripod that I am using and find the Yaesu FT60 to be perfectly suitable. I am thinking that operating duplex would be a big help so that I will know if I am making it into the hectic afternoon passes of AO51. I'm not thrilled with having extra stuff to lug in and out, front yard and back etc... but I want to do what's best for making contacts.
Is there a group consensus of whether 1 HT that is true duplex or running two HT's is a better formula? I's love to hear your thoughts,
Zach
Zach, there are a lot of VUCC's out there that use exactly what you have...
Most here will argue that you HAVE to be duplex....a lot get by without it
The way AO51 has been lately, I don't think it would matter if you were sitting on top of it trying to get in !!
Good luck in the contest
73, Ted K7TRK
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of zach hillerson Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 12:20 PM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Good afternoon all -
As I am officially hooked after my first week of operating the satellites, I am trying to gain a bit better operating setup. I love the arrow and tripod that I am using and find the Yaesu FT60 to be perfectly suitable. I am thinking that operating duplex would be a big help so that I will know if I am making it into the hectic afternoon passes of AO51. I'm not thrilled with having extra stuff to lug in and out, front yard and back etc... but I want to do what's best for making contacts.
Is there a group consensus of whether 1 HT that is true duplex or running two HT's is a better formula? I's love to hear your thoughts,
Zach
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
On 1/26/2011 4:00 PM, Ted wrote:
Zach, there are a lot of VUCC's out there that use exactly what you have...
Most here will argue that you HAVE to be duplex....a lot get by without it
No, just that it is a more productive and considerate way of operating. A lot of the congestion you hear on AO-51 is due to stations either not knowing, or not caring, that they are in competition for the uplink. Full duplex takes care of half of that. Things are also MUCH different when AO-51 is over the west coast with it's considerably lower density of hams.
To answer your question Zach, it's all about your personal budget and needs. Adding a 2nd HT is probably the cheapest route, but adds more complication than a single full duplex HT. Maybe you could try borrowing an HT to try it with two? If you want to go with a single full duplex HT, there are lots of older ones out there in good condition used. I saw an FT-530 the other day with a ton of accessories going for less than a new single band. That is one of the finest full duplex radios ever made for satellites.
Another trick is to take the Arrow off the tripod and hold it by hand where you can rapidly twist it to peak the signal due to polarity differences. With full duplex you can even do this while transmitting to clear up a ratty uplink. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTqjQ9xIQQE for an example of how much polarity plays in signal strength on AO-51 with an Arrow (or Elk, or any linear antenna).
73, and good luck on the air, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Operations
I will second Drew on the FT-530. I picked one up for under $200 that was in awesome condition and it is the best HT I have ever owned (and I have been through a bunch). If you are even luckier, you might find one with the MH-29 speaker mic that has a LCD display on it. You can adjust the downlink frequency with this mic and even see the frequency on it. I also found some massive batteries from W&W manufacturing that make this radio run forever.
For some other full duplex options, you might consider a Kenwood TH-D72. I haven't tried one, but I have seen good reviews on it as a full duplex handheld. It's a little pricey ($500) and unless you want the APRS in it, I would seriously consider an FT-530 or the predecessor to the D72 which is the Kenwood TH-D7A which can be picked up on eBay or elsewhere for a decent price.
I would not recommend the Alinco DJ-G7 for full duplex. They are priced good and will do full duplex, but the receiver has a densense problem when you transmit on 2m. It's a good radio otherwise, but the full duplex performance is very poor unless signals are extremely strong (as in local repeater strong).
I first started using two FT-60s in the beginning and I understand Zach's problem with lugging everything in and out of the house. Two HTs work just fine, but if you are really serious about satellites, I would highly recommend a full duplex HT.
Good luck, Tyler Nicholas K5TDN
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 26, 2011, at 3:26 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner glasbrenner@mindspring.com wrote:
On 1/26/2011 4:00 PM, Ted wrote:
Zach, there are a lot of VUCC's out there that use exactly what you have...
Most here will argue that you HAVE to be duplex....a lot get by without it
No, just that it is a more productive and considerate way of operating. A lot of the congestion you hear on AO-51 is due to stations either not knowing, or not caring, that they are in competition for the uplink. Full duplex takes care of half of that. Things are also MUCH different when AO-51 is over the west coast with it's considerably lower density of hams.
To answer your question Zach, it's all about your personal budget and needs. Adding a 2nd HT is probably the cheapest route, but adds more complication than a single full duplex HT. Maybe you could try borrowing an HT to try it with two? If you want to go with a single full duplex HT, there are lots of older ones out there in good condition used. I saw an FT-530 the other day with a ton of accessories going for less than a new single band. That is one of the finest full duplex radios ever made for satellites.
Another trick is to take the Arrow off the tripod and hold it by hand where you can rapidly twist it to peak the signal due to polarity differences. With full duplex you can even do this while transmitting to clear up a ratty uplink. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTqjQ9xIQQE for an example of how much polarity plays in signal strength on AO-51 with an Arrow (or Elk, or any linear antenna).
73, and good luck on the air, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Operations _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
I have the D7A (full duplex), but I don’t like the receiver sensitivity. I went back to using one THG71 for the down and the D7 for the up. The other thing I don't like about the D7 is you have to switch between back and forth between band A and B to adjust doppler. I would probably not recommend the D7 for satellite work. I have heard things about the D72.
Zack KD8KSN
-----Original Message----- From: Tyler Nicholas Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 6:16 PM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
I will second Drew on the FT-530. I picked one up for under $200 that was in awesome condition and it is the best HT I have ever owned (and I have been through a bunch). If you are even luckier, you might find one with the MH-29 speaker mic that has a LCD display on it. You can adjust the downlink frequency with this mic and even see the frequency on it. I also found some massive batteries from W&W manufacturing that make this radio run forever.
For some other full duplex options, you might consider a Kenwood TH-D72. I haven't tried one, but I have seen good reviews on it as a full duplex handheld. It's a little pricey ($500) and unless you want the APRS in it, I would seriously consider an FT-530 or the predecessor to the D72 which is the Kenwood TH-D7A which can be picked up on eBay or elsewhere for a decent price.
I would not recommend the Alinco DJ-G7 for full duplex. They are priced good and will do full duplex, but the receiver has a densense problem when you transmit on 2m. It's a good radio otherwise, but the full duplex performance is very poor unless signals are extremely strong (as in local repeater strong).
I first started using two FT-60s in the beginning and I understand Zach's problem with lugging everything in and out of the house. Two HTs work just fine, but if you are really serious about satellites, I would highly recommend a full duplex HT.
Good luck, Tyler Nicholas K5TDN
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 26, 2011, at 3:26 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner glasbrenner@mindspring.com wrote:
On 1/26/2011 4:00 PM, Ted wrote:
Zach, there are a lot of VUCC's out there that use exactly what you have...
Most here will argue that you HAVE to be duplex....a lot get by without it
No, just that it is a more productive and considerate way of operating. A lot of the congestion you hear on AO-51 is due to stations either not knowing, or not caring, that they are in competition for the uplink. Full duplex takes care of half of that. Things are also MUCH different when AO-51 is over the west coast with it's considerably lower density of hams.
To answer your question Zach, it's all about your personal budget and needs. Adding a 2nd HT is probably the cheapest route, but adds more complication than a single full duplex HT. Maybe you could try borrowing an HT to try it with two? If you want to go with a single full duplex HT, there are lots of older ones out there in good condition used. I saw an FT-530 the other day with a ton of accessories going for less than a new single band. That is one of the finest full duplex radios ever made for satellites.
Another trick is to take the Arrow off the tripod and hold it by hand where you can rapidly twist it to peak the signal due to polarity differences. With full duplex you can even do this while transmitting to clear up a ratty uplink. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTqjQ9xIQQE for an example of how much polarity plays in signal strength on AO-51 with an Arrow (or Elk, or any linear antenna).
73, and good luck on the air, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Operations _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Zack,
I have the D7A (full duplex), but I don’t like the receiver sensitivity. I went back to using one THG71 for the down and the D7 for the up. The other thing I don't like about the D7 is you have to switch between back and forth between band A and B to adjust doppler. I would probably not recommend the D7 for satellite work. I have heard things about the D72.
If someone is looking for a single HT for full-duplex satellite work, I would recommend the D7 despite having to switch VFOs for Doppler adjustments. I have the TH-D72A, which works the same way as the TH-D7 regarding the need to jump between the two VFOs to adjust the receiver. It's a small nuisance, but a small price to pay for not having to deal with two radios when working full-duplex on FM satellites. I've picked up a couple of old D7s (one appears to be a TH-D7A(G), and the other may be an original TH-D7A), that I hope to get new battery packs for and make a couple of FM satellite stations when combined with Elk antennas.
Your TH-G71A is a good dual-band HT. Not capable of full-duplex operation, but worked well for me using groups of memory channels for FM satellites. The receiver was pretty good, and some would notice that I changed to a different radio from my normal radios when I used that HT.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
Hi Patrick,
You are the go-to guy for any Kenwood HT questions - have you owned/used all of them??? ;-)
The toggling between VFOs was not as big of an issue for me (like you say, small price for a full duplex HT), but the receiver seemed weak. I know I commented a few weeks ago about the 8800 having a weak receiver, but I think after using the G71As for so long, I got spoiled with the receiver in it.
The s-meter is also practically useless on the D7. You have to toggle back and forth between bands to see it, and it also never goes above approx. s3-s5, on a good pass. It makes it difficult, especially when a bird is quiet, to tell if you are on it or not. You need to have keen ears to tell whether you are listening to the carrier or noise.
I didn’t use the D7 for much satellite work before I went back to the G71A for receive, so I probably need to try the full duplex again and give a more accurate observation.
73!
Zack KD8KSN
-----Original Message----- From: Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 10:24 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Zack,
I have the D7A (full duplex), but I don’t like the receiver sensitivity. I went back to using one THG71 for the down and the D7 for the up. The other thing I don't like about the D7 is you have to switch between back and forth between band A and B to adjust doppler. I would probably not recommend the D7 for satellite work. I have heard things about the D72.
If someone is looking for a single HT for full-duplex satellite work, I would recommend the D7 despite having to switch VFOs for Doppler adjustments. I have the TH-D72A, which works the same way as the TH-D7 regarding the need to jump between the two VFOs to adjust the receiver. It's a small nuisance, but a small price to pay for not having to deal with two radios when working full-duplex on FM satellites. I've picked up a couple of old D7s (one appears to be a TH-D7A(G), and the other may be an original TH-D7A), that I hope to get new battery packs for and make a couple of FM satellite stations when combined with Elk antennas.
Your TH-G71A is a good dual-band HT. Not capable of full-duplex operation, but worked well for me using groups of memory channels for FM satellites. The receiver was pretty good, and some would notice that I changed to a different radio from my normal radios when I used that HT.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Hi Zack!
You are the go-to guy for any Kenwood HT questions - have you owned/used all of them??? ;-)
Not exactly Until the past 3 months, I have not owned any Kenwood gear since the mid-90s. The G71 was my ex-wife's HT, and I used it for some satellite work a few years back. A nice radio. I've bought two new Kenwood HTs since November, a TH-F6A I use for my SSB work and the TH-D72A I've written about here. Good radios.
The toggling between VFOs was not as big of an issue for me (like you say, small price for a full duplex HT), but the receiver seemed weak. I know I commented a few weeks ago about the 8800 having a weak receiver, but I think after using the G71As for so long, I got spoiled with the receiver in it.
I haven't tried out the D7's I picked up recently. I need to get new battery packs for them, and then I can try to work the satellites with them. Pair the D7's up with an Elk antenna, and I'll have two stations ready to go for FM satellites. And ready to be left somewhere, for someone else to use...
The s-meter is also practically useless on the D7. You have to toggle back and forth between bands to see it, and it also never goes above approx. s3-s5, on a good pass. It makes it difficult, especially when a bird is quiet, to tell if you are on it or not. You need to have keen ears to tell whether you are listening to the carrier or noise.
For most FM satellite work, the S-meter is an amusement at most. You're working based on what you hear, since the downlinks are generally weak. If you hear the ISS, the S-meter may be pegged due to that downlink's strength.
I didn’t use the D7 for much satellite work before I went back to the G71A for receive, so I probably need to try the full duplex again and give a more accurate observation.
Give it another try, and don't worry about S-meter readings. Most of the time on any of my radios, I see no movement on the FM passes. On SSB, that can be very different.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
Hi Patrick!
For most FM satellite work, the S-meter is an amusement at
most. You're working based on what you hear, since the downlinks are generally weak. If you hear the ISS, the S-meter may be pegged due to that downlink's strength.
Again, this is an area in which I was spoiled by the G71A. On a typical AO27, HO68 and SO50 pass the s-meter generally peaks S5-S7, and on an AO51 pass (with it running over a watt), it is almost always S7-S9. With the ISS it is obviously S9.
Time to pull the D7 out and give it another try.
73!
Zack KD8KSN
-----Original Message----- From: Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 12:51 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Hi Zack!
You are the go-to guy for any Kenwood HT questions - have you owned/used all of them??? ;-)
Not exactly Until the past 3 months, I have not owned any Kenwood gear since the mid-90s. The G71 was my ex-wife's HT, and I used it for some satellite work a few years back. A nice radio. I've bought two new Kenwood HTs since November, a TH-F6A I use for my SSB work and the TH-D72A I've written about here. Good radios.
The toggling between VFOs was not as big of an issue for me (like you say, small price for a full duplex HT), but the receiver seemed weak. I know I commented a few weeks ago about the 8800 having a weak receiver, but I think after using the G71As for so long, I got spoiled with the receiver in it.
I haven't tried out the D7's I picked up recently. I need to get new battery packs for them, and then I can try to work the satellites with them. Pair the D7's up with an Elk antenna, and I'll have two stations ready to go for FM satellites. And ready to be left somewhere, for someone else to use...
The s-meter is also practically useless on the D7. You have to toggle back and forth between bands to see it, and it also never goes above approx. s3-s5, on a good pass. It makes it difficult, especially when a bird is quiet, to tell if you are on it or not. You need to have keen ears to tell whether you are listening to the carrier or noise.
For most FM satellite work, the S-meter is an amusement at most. You're working based on what you hear, since the downlinks are generally weak. If you hear the ISS, the S-meter may be pegged due to that downlink's strength.
I didn’t use the D7 for much satellite work before I went back to the G71A for receive, so I probably need to try the full duplex again and give a more accurate observation.
Give it another try, and don't worry about S-meter readings. Most of the time on any of my radios, I see no movement on the FM passes. On SSB, that can be very different.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Zack,
In the discussion of two vs one - I found a new way of screwing things up today. I was trying to operate via AO-51 this afternoon and was never making it into the bird even though I was receiving fine. Turns out I still had the 440 side of the IC-W32A selected as the "main" radio which makes it the xmit as well. Each time I tried to xmit the radio displayed out of range (found out at the end of the pass) So, now I have one more thing to check before the sat comes around! Other than that the W32A with a 440 preamp has been working well for me.
Another time, when I was running late, I wasn't making it into HO-68. That time it ended up being a disconnected BNC to the 440 side of the Arrow antenna.
So it seems that with each new hobby I can find very creative ways of messing things up. Hope you have better luck.
73's Tom - KA6SIP
-----Original Message----- From: Zachary Beougher zack.kd8ksn@hotmail.com To: amsat-bb amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net; amsat-bb amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Thu, Jan 27, 2011 6:02 pm Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Hi Patrick, You are the go-to guy for any Kenwood HT questions - have you owned/used all f them??? ;-) The toggling between VFOs was not as big of an issue for me (like you say, mall price for a full duplex HT), but the receiver seemed weak. I know I ommented a few weeks ago about the 8800 having a weak receiver, but I think fter using the G71As for so long, I got spoiled with the receiver in it. The s-meter is also practically useless on the D7. You have to toggle back nd forth between bands to see it, and it also never goes above approx. 3-s5, on a good pass. It makes it difficult, especially when a bird is uiet, to tell if you are on it or not. You need to have keen ears to tell hether you are listening to the carrier or noise. I didn’t use the D7 for much satellite work before I went back to the G71A or receive, so I probably need to try the full duplex again and give a more ccurate observation. 73! Zack D8KSN -----Original Message----- rom: Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) ent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 10:24 AM o: amsat-bb@amsat.org ubject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht Zack,
I have the D7A (full duplex), but I don’t like the receiver sensitivity.
I went back to using one THG71 for the down and the D7 for the up. The other thing I don't like about the D7 is you have to switch between back and forth between band A and B to adjust doppler. I would probably not recommend the D7 for satellite work. I have heard things about the D72. If someone is looking for a single HT for full-duplex satellite work, I ould ecommend the D7 despite having to switch VFOs for Doppler adjustments. have the TH-D72A, which works the same way as the TH-D7 regarding he need to jump between the two VFOs to adjust the receiver. It's a small uisance, but a small price to pay for not having to deal with two radios hen working full-duplex on FM satellites. I've picked up a couple of old 7s (one appears to be a TH-D7A(G), and the other may be an original H-D7A), that I hope to get new battery packs for and make a couple of M satellite stations when combined with Elk antennas. Your TH-G71A is a good dual-band HT. Not capable of full-duplex operation, ut worked well for me using groups of memory channels for FM satellites. he receiver was pretty good, and some would notice that I changed to a ifferent radio from my normal radios when I used that HT. 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK ttp://www.wd9ewk.net/ _______________________________________________ ent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. ot an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! ubscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ ent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. ot an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! ubscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Hi Tom,
Don’t feel bad – you’re not the only one. I have just about done every combination of mistakes – leaving a cable disconnected, confusing the cables and trying to listen on 2m and transmit on 440, etc. I did I good one last night.... I was about 2 minutes from flipping the switch and seeing if the digi I just put up worked. I got everything hooked up (supposedly), powered everything up, my adrenaline is pumping, and ............... its not receiving anything. I thought a good test would be to beacon with the D7 and see if it would get digipeated, and it did. I watched the S-meter on the digi radio peak, TNC receive and transmit lights come on, and all appeared fine, except for the fact that it wasn’t receiving anything other than my packets. I stuck my head around the backside of the radio (and it was dark), and I realized I hadn’t connected the antenna coax to the radio. Needless to say I quickly powered everything down. The radio is fine, just gave me a good scare.
I would love to put together a blooper reel of all of the dumb things I get into... Trying to contact Europe and the dog starts doing laps around me, trying to listen to a low audio station and a Harley Davidson flies by, stabbing my face with one of the Arrow elements, slipping in the snow and mud, and the list goes on and on.
Operating outside with the Arrow – you can’t beat it. ;-)
73!
Zack KD8KSN
From: Tom Deeble Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 12:32 AM To: zack.kd8ksn@hotmail.com ; amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net ; amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Zack,
In the discussion of two vs one - I found a new way of screwing things up today. I was trying to operate via AO-51 this afternoon and was never making it into the bird even though I was receiving fine. Turns out I still had the 440 side of the IC-W32A selected as the "main" radio which makes it the xmit as well. Each time I tried to xmit the radio displayed out of range (found out at the end of the pass) So, now I have one more thing to check before the sat comes around! Other than that the W32A with a 440 preamp has been working well for me.
Another time, when I was running late, I wasn't making it into HO-68. That time it ended up being a disconnected BNC to the 440 side of the Arrow antenna.
So it seems that with each new hobby I can find very creative ways of messing things up. Hope you have better luck.
73's Tom - KA6SIP
-----Original Message----- From: Zachary Beougher zack.kd8ksn@hotmail.com To: amsat-bb amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net; amsat-bb amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Thu, Jan 27, 2011 6:02 pm Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Hi Patrick,
You are the go-to guy for any Kenwood HT questions - have you owned/used all of them??? ;-)
The toggling between VFOs was not as big of an issue for me (like you say, small price for a full duplex HT), but the receiver seemed weak. I know I commented a few weeks ago about the 8800 having a weak receiver, but I think after using the G71As for so long, I got spoiled with the receiver in it.
The s-meter is also practically useless on the D7. You have to toggle back and forth between bands to see it, and it also never goes above approx. s3-s5, on a good pass. It makes it difficult, especially when a bird is quiet, to tell if you are on it or not. You need to have keen ears to tell whether you are listening to the carrier or noise.
I didn’t use the D7 for much satellite work before I went back to the G71A for receive, so I probably need to try the full duplex again and give a more accurate observation.
73!
Zack KD8KSN
-----Original Message----- From: Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 10:24 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: 2 ht vs. 1-duplex ht
Zack,
I have the D7A (full duplex), but I don’t like the receiver sensitivity. I went back to using one THG71 for the down and the D7 for the up. The other thing I don't like about the D7 is you have to switch between back and forth between band A and B to adjust doppler. I would probably not recommend the D7 for satellite work. I have heard things about the D72.
If someone is looking for a single HT for full-duplex satellite work, I would recommend the D7 despite having to switch VFOs for Doppler adjustments. I have the TH-D72A, which works the same way as the TH-D7 regarding the need to jump between the two VFOs to adjust the receiver. It's a small nuisance, but a small price to pay for not having to deal with two radios when working full-duplex on FM satellites. I've picked up a couple of old D7s (one appears to be a TH-D7A(G), and the other may be an original TH-D7A), that I hope to get new battery packs for and make a couple of FM satellite stations when combined with Elk antennas.
Your TH-G71A is a good dual-band HT. Not capable of full-duplex operation, but worked well for me using groups of memory channels for FM satellites. The receiver was pretty good, and some would notice that I changed to a different radio from my normal radios when I used that HT.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (7)
-
Andrew Glasbrenner -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) -
Ted -
Tom Deeble -
Tyler Nicholas -
zach hillerson -
Zachary Beougher