Guy, I have an FT-857D in my car and an old Kenwood TM-G707A in the shack. While neither will do full duplex either, both do a nice job on cross band. The TH-F6A won't do cross band, but it still works just fine as I described the method I use.
Good luck 73 ...
Jim Bob Buckeye AKA **** Jim Leder**** K8CXM since 1961 IBM retiree since 1999
There are 10 types of people in this world -- those who understand binary and those who don't.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Guy Brauning" guyjeanbraun@comcast.net To: "'Jim Leder'" k8cxm@fuse.net Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 2:16 PM Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Kenwood TH-F6A for AO-51 / SO-50??
Jim, Thanks very much for the detailed information about the TH-F6A. It sounds like, based on your experience, it will work very well for my intended use. I have programmed my FT-817 in a very similar manner to that which you described for the TH-F6A except that the 817 allows for split band memory storage so you don't have to manually switch VFOs while switching from TX to RX to compensate for Doppler, you just step through the preprogrammed memories which are set up for Doppler on both TX and RX frequencies. I think I could get used to working the TH-F6A the way you have described. (SO-50 is a lot tougher to work than AO-51.)Thanks a million!
CUL, Guy
-----Original Message----- From: Jim Leder [mailto:k8cxm@fuse.net] Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 1:42 PM To: Amsat; Guy Brauning Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Kenwood TH-F6A for AO-51 / SO-50??
I have used my Kenwood TH-F6A along with an Arrow antenna, and IMHO it works
just fine. You do need to get it programmed right and you need to get used to switching between VFOs as you track the satellite and the Doppler effect on frequency. It is NOT a full duplex radio like the W32A, and you will not be able to hear yourself, but I have never felt that's been a problem.. I programmed mine to transmit on one VFO (uplink) and be able to receive on several different frequencies (downlink) on the other VFO. On the transmit VFO, the squelch is closed all the way, while on the receive VFO, it's open all the way. So, VFO A is set for uplink of 145.920 on memory channel 150 and on memory channels 152-153 I have them programmed for 435.290 and 435.295 (downlink which is in VFO B). 154 is center frequency of 435.300 and
of course 155 and 156 are set to 435.305 and 435.310. By switching between VFOs I can change downlink channels/frequencies to fit the Doppler shift. A little cumbersome, but that little radio works very well. You can follow a similar scheme on the QRP channel of AO51 (mine is 160-166) and SO50 (mine is 170-176-get the picture). I have made several contacts with it on the QRP
channels but have had no luck on SO50, which is a lot more difficult satellite to hear. I'm using it because it's what I had, and I'm happy to say with a little use and practice you quickly get the hang of it. Of course, either the W32A or the Kenwood TH-D7A do FULL duplex, but both are no longer in production. Hearing yourself is nice, but not necessary.
Jim Bob Buckeye AKA**** Jim Leder**** K8CXM since 1961 IBM retiree since 1999
There are 10 types of people in this world -- those who understand binary and those who don't.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Guy Brauning" guyjeanbraun@comcast.net To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 12:06 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Kenwood TH-F6A for AO-51 / SO-50??
Thanks for reading this. I am considering buying an HT for AO-51 and SO-50 as well as AO-27 (hopefully!). I have been using a Yaesu FT-817 and either an Arrow or Elk antenna and this has worked very well; however, an HT would be easier to carry around. I am looking for recommendations / warnings / etc. specific to the Kenwood TH-F6A. I would like some advice from those who have used the radio for satellite work before I shell out $320.00. I seriously considered a used IC-W32A on e-bay but it went for over $150.00 and I couldn't see paying that much for something that may or may not work properly. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Guy
N3SCR
Finksburg, MD
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Jim Leder