Philip, when I first got back on the birds in 2013, SO-50 was my first attempt ever on an FM bird. I used a HT for receive with a small directional antenna mounted on it and a mere 10 watts to a 2m Squalo. For all intents and purposes, an eggbeater is likely better than my Squalo on transmit gain and my 10 watts was more than enough. Using 50 watts of transmit power is bordering on obscene... using 150 watts by comparison seems downright criminal.

Put it to the OM this way... he's hearing a 1/4 watt transmitter using a 1/4 wave whip from space... some people have talked back to it with 5 watts or less to a rubber duck. Why in the world would it take 50 watts to talk to it, regardless of the antenna?!!! Sometimes it just takes some common sense and the right point of view to get these things, I guess. =^)

73, Kevin N4UFO

----------------------------My question is two-fold (I still need to follow-up with him). 1) For those of you successfully using eggbeaters for the uplink (and he is adamant about not using a yagi, despite my advice that the performance will suffer quite a bit with eggbeaters), what output power do you typically use? I think 50 watts into an eggbeater is probably still too much power, considering 5 watts into an Arrow is usually enough for successful communications.

2) I know that various power levels are suggested for various gain antennas, but I'm wondering what the suggested EIRP is for successful - not ones which would hog the satellite - uplinks.

Philip N4HF