(resent to the list, rather than original author. Oops.)

DeYoung James wrote:

Greetings,

I finally decided to try L/U on AO-51 using my IC-910H, SATPC32, 70-cm arrow on a camera tripod, and a 10-elem. "cheap yagi" for the 1.267-GHz uplink. Very good signals for all on the downlink most of the pass, however my uplink on 1.267-GHz is heavily affected by trees, the fact I operate from inside my home from the 2nd floor, and I was arm-stronging the cheap yagi whilst twisting for polarization!. Great to hear Angelo, Carmen, Clare, and Mike. Thanks for calling me back in the group. A very cool mode that works very well.

73, JIm (N8OQ ex KG4QWC)

What are you using for the uplink transmitter? I haven't tried L or S yet, mostly due to lack of equipment. It's on my list though...

I had pretty good results with 2m/70cm using two "cheap yagis" made up on a bit of inch-by-three-quarter, with a 5-ele 70cm "half" with elements made of brazing rod, and a 3-ele 2m "half" with the reflector and director made of ally tubing and the driven element made of kunifer hydraulic pipe! It took about an hour to build. On the 2m side I was using my Kenwood TH-F7 and a Jingtong JT-308 for receiving. "But Gordon", the more experienced amsatters all cry, "the Kenwood is a dual-bander, you only need that!" - Yes, and that's what I bought it for. I just haven't built the diplexer yet ;-) For a 15 quid cheapy Chinese radio from eBay the Jingtong is incredibly sensitive - so much so that it's practically useless in my back garden in town with all the SCADA and such tromping up and down the band. Up north where it's quiet I could hear AO-51 right down to the horizon on 70cm with a K5OE 3-element yagi.

I'm amazed how easy it's been to get started. With a couple of cheap transceivers (Jingtong do an equally cheap 2m version, which I bet would work just as well) and a simple homebrew antenna, you can talk to satellites.

So there you are - I've had my licence a week and a half, and I've already notched up two contacts on SO-50, one on AO-51 and I've heard AO-7 (which just seems incredible to me, nearly as old as I am and still flying). Not bad I think.

Gordon MM3YEQ, in glorious sunny Glasgow.

(and it *is* sunny just now, I'm off to play with aerials)