Advice for a portable ground station
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail
On 1/16/15, [email protected] [email protected] wrote:
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
<snip>
I use an FT-817 and a hand-held Arrow dual-band yagi for the FM birds. The only connectors I use are what came with the radio and the antenna.
That combination allowed me to reach AO-27, SO-50, AO-51, SO-67, HO-68 and the ISS. I made lots of good contacts with that, the furthest was a station in Finland, around 6400 km from my QTH.
73s
Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL
Hi Tom and others,
Maybe this link will answer your question.
http://ivok.home.xs4all.nl/pa1ivo/portable_satellite_setup.html
73 Jan PE0SAT
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
I am not a fan of using RG-58 for satellite portable. I've worked with too many people trying to use 5-10' runs of RG-58 only to see them become very frustrated at their inability to work SO-50. Keep your feedline as short as possible if you are using RG-58. Remember, not all RG-58 is created equal.
My preferred feedline is LMR-240uf (UltraFlex) for portable use. It's a little more expensive but I can easily get away with a 10' length between the Arrow and my transceiver. Use quality connectors installed on quality feedline. Try to avoid gender-changing adapters if possible.
A lot of published material on the Internet and in print specifically talks about FM satellites like AO-27 and AO-51. They had great downlink signals compared to SO-50. With SO-50 being our only FM bird, we need to set realistic expectations that extended whips and RG-58 coax are not going to perform as well as they did on the former FM satellites.
Fox-1 series satellites, on the other hand, should be a game-changer and open the door again for more modest portable stations.
73 Clayton W5PFG
On Fri, Jan 16, 2015 at 1:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Tom,
Glad to see someone joining us portable & Grid Expeditioner folks. It's a blast!
My advice after several years of Gridding from 60+ locations across US & Canada is to start out simple. Put together something that works easily and successfully to begin with and make improvements one-at-a-time from there. Having too many complicated things when just starting out can be very frustrating.
You can see my setup on my QRZ.com page. It is very simple. - Dual-band XCVR (no need for duplexer) - Arrow antenna (Tripod added since pic was taken) - 10 ft runs of RG8X (tie-wrapped together) - No preamps, no chokes
With this setup I work stations right down to LOS.
Good Luck and never hesitate to ask this group whatever question comes to mind - people here will fall over themselves to offer great advice at all times!
73/GL, Bob K8BL/5 (Lumberton, TX)
________________________________ From: "[email protected]" [email protected] To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:06 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Advice for a portable ground station
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Tom,
Glad to see someone joining us portable & Grid Expeditioner folks. It's a blast!
My advice after several years of Gridding from 60+ locations across US & Canada is to start out simple. Put together something that works easily and successfully to begin with and make improvements one-at-a-time from there. Having too many complicated things when just starting out can be very frustrating.
You can see my setup on my QRZ.com page. It is very simple. - Dual-band XCVR (no need for duplexer) - Arrow antenna (Tripod added since pic was taken) - 10 ft runs of RG8X (tie-wrapped together) - No preamps, no chokes
With this setup I work stations right down to LOS.
Good Luck and never hesitate to ask this group whatever question comes to mind - people here will fall over themselves to offer great advice at all times!
73/GL, Bob K8BL/5 (Lumberton, TX)
________________________________ From: "[email protected]" [email protected] To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:06 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Advice for a portable ground station
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Tom,
Glad to see someone joining us portable & Grid Expeditioner folks. It's a blast!
My advice after several years of Gridding from 60+ locations across US & Canada is to start out simple. Put together something that works easily and successfully to begin with and make improvements one-at-a-time from there. Having too many complicated things when just starting out can be very frustrating.
You can see my setup on my QRZ.com page. It is very simple. - Dual-band XCVR (no need for duplexer) - Arrow antenna (Tripod added since pic was taken) - 10 ft runs of RG8X (tie-wrapped together) - No preamps, no chokes
With this setup I work stations right down to LOS.
Good Luck and never hesitate to ask this group whatever question comes to mind - people here will fall over themselves to offer great advice at all times!
73/GL, Bob K8BL/5 (Lumberton, TX)
________________________________ From: "[email protected]" [email protected] To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:06 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Advice for a portable ground station
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Tom,
Glad to see someone joining us portable & Grid Expeditioner folks. It's a blast!
My advice after several years of Gridding from 60+ locations across US & Canada is to start out simple. Put together something that works easily and successfully to begin with and make improvements one-at-a-time from there. Having too many complicated things when just starting out can be very frustrating.
You can see my setup on my QRZ.com page. It is very simple. - Dual-band XCVR (no need for duplexer) - Arrow antenna (Tripod added since pic was taken) - 10 ft runs of RG8X (tie-wrapped together) - No preamps, no chokes
With this setup I work stations right down to LOS.
Good Luck and never hesitate to ask this group whatever question comes to mind - people here will fall over themselves to offer great advice at all times!
73/GL, Bob K8BL/5 (Lumberton, TX)
________________________________ From: "[email protected]" [email protected] To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:06 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Advice for a portable ground station
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Tom,
Glad to see someone joining us portable & Grid Expeditioner folks. It's a blast!
My advice after several years of Gridding from 60+ locations across US & Canada is to start out simple. Put together something that works easily and successfully to begin with and make improvements one-at-a-time from there. Having too many complicated things when just starting out can be very frustrating.
You can see my setup on my QRZ.com page. It is very simple. - Dual-band XCVR (no need for duplexer) - Arrow antenna (Tripod added since pic was taken) - 10 ft runs of RG8X (tie-wrapped together) - No preamps, no chokes
With this setup I work stations right down to LOS.
Good Luck and never hesitate to ask this group whatever question comes to mind - people here will fall over themselves to offer great advice at all times!
73/GL, Bob K8BL/5 (Lumberton, TX)
________________________________ From: "[email protected]" [email protected] To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:06 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Advice for a portable ground station
The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this post necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM satellites, primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
Dual-band HT
Diplexer
2m amplifier
70cm preamplifier
Arrow II antenna
In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max. Is there a better choice that also works in that application? Considering the lengths involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, but gives no detail about its material or construction. It looks to me like a few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core. I’ve spent hours Googling for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly empty-handed. All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
A final question concerns the various connectors involved. The illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s using BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where required. I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from the coax and all those adapters.
My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from various parks and forest preserves nearby.
Can anyone clarify my understanding here?
Tom WZ9U
Sent from Windows Mail _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (5)
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B J -
Clayton Coleman -
PE0SAT | Amateur Radio -
R.T.Liddy -
tom.wz9u＠gmail.com