Re: The Ham Radio Bucket List
Hi Bob:
I use a Yaesu FT-60r with a homebrew handheld 3 element loop yagi. I only work half duplex. For full duplex I use a Baofeng UV3R (cheap but does work). The Kenwood TH-F6A is great. Make sure the HT will do cross band. Also use a good duplexer. There are many other great radios out there and a lot more operators on here that has more insight than I. I been on the birds since 2000. Licensed since 1979. I work the birds as much as my work sked will allow. 73 Joe...AC4NY EM73dp
(My neighbors thinks I lost it; running around the yard with a handheld
antenna)!
----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Garceau" rgarceau@snet.net To: "'ac4ny_1'" ac4ny_1@juno.com Sent: Monday, April 15, 2013 7:09 AM Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Re: The Ham Radio Bucket List
Hi Joe:
I have been following this thread and have a few questions. I have been in ham radio for 50 years. And, yep, satellite radio has been on my "I got to do this" list.
Can you suggest a good HT? I have my antenna picked out and that's the arrow.
Any help is most appreciated.
Bob Garceau, W1EQ DXCC Honor Roll Triple Play Award #5 DXCC Challenge 2149 band/countries Ex. K1YRP, USA-CA All Counties #342
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of ac4ny_1 Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2013 3:17 PM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: The Ham Radio Bucket List
Welcome to the birds and keep up the good work! Working satellites is addictive. Hi Hi 73 Joe..AC4NY EM73dp
(My neighbors thinks I lost it; running around the yard with a handheld antenna)!
----- Original Message ----- From: "Les Rayburn" les@highnoonfilm.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2013 1:11 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] The Ham Radio Bucket List
I've been a ham well over 40 years, since my childhood. Back then, I could
barely afford the Heathkit transmitter, Halicrafters receiver, knife switch, and longwire antenna that made up my shack.
My elmer used to let me borrow his copy of QST and I'd dream about all the
great adventures that I'd have "someday" in ham radio. Being a child of the Space Age, key among them were anything related to the New Frontier.
EME (Moonbounce), Meteor Scatter, and satellites all seemed like the stuff
of science fiction---and I longed to experience them all. But they were exotic, and required equipment far beyond my reach. I resolved to accomplish them all someday and added them to a sort of ham radio "bucket list" that I hoped to accomplish before my ham career was over.
Five years ago, shortly after getting started in weak signal VHF work, I checked off the first item on that list. Working meteor scatter contacts with the aid of WSJT software, and during a Perseid shower, even using SSB. What a thrill to make contacts off the ionized gasses of those tiny rocks. Thanks Joe Taylor!
Tonight, I managed to check off a second. I worked Art, K4YYL on FO-29, a Japanese amateur satellite!
My journey to the "birds" started about a month ago when I joined AMSAT, determined that 2013 was going to be "the year" when I finally got active on satellites. I purchased a copy of SATPC32 software, because I knew that
it could control my IC-910H--hopefully making it easier to get active.
After listening to a few passes on both the FM and the SSB/CW birds, I decided to try my luck on the less-crowded FO-29. A brief CQ was quickly answered by Art. I adjusted the tuning knob just a bit to correct for the Doppler effect, and voila! there he was clear as a bell.
We had a brief QSO of perhaps ten minutes or so, and then we signed. I was
quickly called by K4FEG near Memphis in EM55---who just wanted to welcome me to the birds!
Man, what a thrill! And it wasn't tough at all.
I'm using a 7 element 432 antenna tilted up to 15 degrees (fixed) and a 6 element 2 Meter beam tilted up to about 10 degrees (fixed) both inside my crowded attic. The SSB Electronics pre-amp helps a ton on 432, and the 1/2" hardline makes sure that I don't lose too much signal. So far, I've been able to copy the birds down to about 2 degrees above the horizon using this setup.
Now to attempt that EME contact! I've got a 12 element Yagi just waiting to deploy in the driveway once the weather warms a bit. Hoping to use WSJT
to work one of the monster stations on EME. All this in a deed-restricted HOA neighborhood.
I wasted 35+ years on HF----man, all the fun really is in the World Above 50 MHz! Thanks for helping to make a boys dreams come true at age 51!
-- 73,
Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf
6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484
Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light
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Unusual Sleep Trick Scientists in Boston have revealed a natural sleep formula that would have everyone talking. Try it tonight. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/516b00a9bfd38a53171st01duc _______________________________________________ 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
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