Wondering if AO-51 is operating? Just listened for the 2357z pass and nothing received. The last time I checked the status of the bird it shows that the 435.300 downlink was active. I also listened for the 435.150 to no avail.
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
It just passed over me a couple of hours ago. The signal is very weak compared to last Saturday. I could tell the satellite was there, but couldn't make out what anyone was saying.
Warren - KC0U
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jeff Yanko Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 7:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-51
Wondering if AO-51 is operating? Just listened for the 2357z pass and nothing received. The last time I checked the status of the bird it shows that the 435.300 downlink was active. I also listened for the 435.150 to no
avail.
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
_______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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
It's on, but the power on 435.300 is less than a third of what it was last Saturday, since we are running two repeaters for Field Day. We are also in the really inefficient part of the transmitter power curve. AO-51 is five years old this month, and her age is beginning to show. Power levels will start to go back up soon, as we reenter continuous illumination before the end of July.
73, Drew KO4MA
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dacia & Warren Brandt" [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:23 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AO-51
It just passed over me a couple of hours ago. The signal is very weak compared to last Saturday. I could tell the satellite was there, but couldn't make out what anyone was saying.
Warren - KC0U
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jeff Yanko Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 7:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-51
Wondering if AO-51 is operating? Just listened for the 2357z pass and nothing received. The last time I checked the status of the bird it shows that the 435.300 downlink was active. I also listened for the 435.150 to no
avail.
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
Sent via [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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
If I recall correctly from a post last week, the U/V pair is operating at roughly 290 milliwatts RF out on transmit, and the L/U pair is at roughly 260 mW. In other words, each transmitter is operating on slightly more than SO-50 (250 mW) power levels.
I have had passes this week where the satellite was armchair copy on one pass, and about like has been described this evening on another. I suspect the lower power levels (half or less of what has been nominal for most of the past year) and the inevitable mismatch (depending on the angle between the satellite and a given ground station) of its circular-polarized antennas to many ground stations' linear-polarized antennas are contributing to the reception differences.
Drew (KO4MA) or Gould (WA4SXM) can comment - and I hope they will if this is incorrect - but I suspect that AO-51 continues to operate as it has recently. I appreciate very much their efforts to maintain the satellite. That being said, it will definitely prove to be a challenge to work for many Field Day stations.
I hope I can get the one contact on it that I can count for the club FD effort I'll be a part of. And I hope that other stations will make their one allowed contact and give other stations the same chance to get theirs.
Best of Field Day luck and 73 to all,
Tim - N3TL -------------- Original message from "Jeff Yanko" [email protected]: --------------
Wondering if AO-51 is operating? Just listened for the 2357z pass and nothing received. The last time I checked the status of the bird it shows that the 435.300 downlink was active. I also listened for the 435.150 to no avail.
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
Sent via [email protected]. 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 am still trying to tweak the power levels to get through all the eclipes during the day.
Tonight I changed TXA (L/U) to 210 mW and TXB (V/U) to 290 (as low as I can get it without turning it off). The eclipse I measured on one pass tonight was 16:05 minutes +- 5 sec. The eclipse time should start to decrease over the next few days.
73, Gould, WA4SXM ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: "Jeff Yanko" [email protected]; [email protected] Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:45 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AO-51
If I recall correctly from a post last week, the U/V pair is operating at roughly 290 milliwatts RF out on transmit, and the L/U pair is at roughly 260 mW. In other words, each transmitter is operating on slightly more than SO-50 (250 mW) power levels.
I have had passes this week where the satellite was armchair copy on one pass, and about like has been described this evening on another. I suspect the lower power levels (half or less of what has been nominal for most of the past year) and the inevitable mismatch (depending on the angle between the satellite and a given ground station) of its circular-polarized antennas to many ground stations' linear-polarized antennas are contributing to the reception differences.
Drew (KO4MA) or Gould (WA4SXM) can comment - and I hope they will if this is incorrect - but I suspect that AO-51 continues to operate as it has recently. I appreciate very much their efforts to maintain the satellite. That being said, it will definitely prove to be a challenge to work for many Field Day stations.
I hope I can get the one contact on it that I can count for the club FD effort I'll be a part of. And I hope that other stations will make their one allowed contact and give other stations the same chance to get theirs.
Best of Field Day luck and 73 to all,
Tim - N3TL -------------- Original message from "Jeff Yanko" [email protected]: --------------
Wondering if AO-51 is operating? Just listened for the 2357z pass and nothing received. The last time I checked the status of the bird it shows that the 435.300 downlink was active. I also listened for the 435.150 to no avail.
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
Sent via [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 Gould!
Thanks for the update. I recalled seeing that the power has been dropped because of the 2 transmitter setup for Field Day.
Apparently, what I am seeing is that if the bird is a low pass I have a hard time receiving it because of the distance. A fairly high pass, 63 degrees turned out alright though I did notice a number of station having poor audio into the receiver. If the uplink was strong the downlink was strong. AA5PK and myself were a good example tonight. We had the bird practically to ourselves for the first 3 to 4 minutes of the pass. We could hear others trying to get in but their audio was pretty bad and hard to understand.
The good news is once Field Day is over then the eclipses begin to get shorter, though no connection between the two. :)
Again, thanks to you and Drew for keeping the bird healthy and the operators happy. :)
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
----- Original Message ----- From: "Gould Smith" [email protected] To: [email protected]; "Jeff Yanko" [email protected]; [email protected] Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 7:25 PM Subject: AO-51 power levels
I am still trying to tweak the power levels to get through all the eclipes during the day.
Tonight I changed TXA (L/U) to 210 mW and TXB (V/U) to 290 (as low as I can get it without turning it off). The eclipse I measured on one pass tonight was 16:05 minutes +- 5 sec. The eclipse time should start to decrease over the next few days.
73, Gould, WA4SXM ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: "Jeff Yanko" [email protected]; [email protected] Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:45 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AO-51
If I recall correctly from a post last week, the U/V pair is operating at roughly 290 milliwatts RF out on transmit, and the L/U pair is at roughly 260 mW. In other words, each transmitter is operating on slightly more than SO-50 (250 mW) power levels.
I have had passes this week where the satellite was armchair copy on one pass, and about like has been described this evening on another. I suspect the lower power levels (half or less of what has been nominal for most of the past year) and the inevitable mismatch (depending on the angle between the satellite and a given ground station) of its circular-polarized antennas to many ground stations' linear-polarized antennas are contributing to the reception differences.
Drew (KO4MA) or Gould (WA4SXM) can comment - and I hope they will if this is incorrect - but I suspect that AO-51 continues to operate as it has recently. I appreciate very much their efforts to maintain the satellite. That being said, it will definitely prove to be a challenge to work for many Field Day stations.
I hope I can get the one contact on it that I can count for the club FD effort I'll be a part of. And I hope that other stations will make their one allowed contact and give other stations the same chance to get theirs.
Best of Field Day luck and 73 to all,
Tim - N3TL -------------- Original message from "Jeff Yanko" [email protected]: --------------
Wondering if AO-51 is operating? Just listened for the 2357z pass and nothing received. The last time I checked the status of the bird it shows that the 435.300 downlink was active. I also listened for the 435.150 to no avail.
73,
Jeff WB3JFS Las Vegas, NV DM26
Sent via [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 (5)
-
Andrew Glasbrenner -
Dacia & Warren Brandt -
Gould Smith -
Jeff Yanko -
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