Good to hear FO29 back operating over the US!
Lets not forget that our flying friends are fragile and we need to keep looking to the future and the need for replacements.
We may get another miracle and have one of the crippled birds come back to life in the future, but do we really want to depend on chance?
This is a hobby and we will always be considered "second banana" when it comes to getting help to fund a launch. Write someone, call someone, offer to help or heaven forbid try and find an extra dollar or two to donate.
I don't know where best to use anyone's talents or their monies but I do know this, if we do nothing there won't be someone come along and say, " we need an amateur satellite, lets launch one!" We need to take the initiative and get another satellite on the launch pad and then beg, borrow or steal a ride into space.
A very Happy New Year to everyone and lets get behind some of these satellites and find a way to get them launched!
73's Frank K4FEG
Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it! Has anyone tried using a Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB? I would be hooking it to an external antenna. Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear the satellite? The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF and 6m SSB.
73s John AA5JG
----- Original Message ----- From: "K4FEG" K4FEG@k4feg.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 11:52 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] FO29
Good to hear FO29 back operating over the US!
Lets not forget that our flying friends are fragile and we need to keep looking to the future and the need for replacements.
We may get another miracle and have one of the crippled birds come back to life in the future, but do we really want to depend on chance?
This is a hobby and we will always be considered "second banana" when it comes to getting help to fund a launch. Write someone, call someone, offer to help or heaven forbid try and find an extra dollar or two to donate.
I don't know where best to use anyone's talents or their monies but I do know this, if we do nothing there won't be someone come along and say, " we need an amateur satellite, lets launch one!" We need to take the initiative and get another satellite on the launch pad and then beg, borrow or steal a ride into space.
A very Happy New Year to everyone and lets get behind some of these satellites and find a way to get them launched!
73's Frank K4FEG _______________________________________________ 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
Hi John!
Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it! Has anyone tried using a Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB? I would be hooking it to an external antenna. Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear the satellite? The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF and 6m SSB.
I also have a TH-F6A. For higher FO-29 passes, this HT is OK. Not great, but it works. You are correct about its sensitivity being down in SSB. Especially when compared to its performance in FM. An FT-817 has a more sensitive receiver for 70cm SSB than this HT. Also, you'll probably want to set the SSB tuning step at the smallest setting (33 Hz). That's not as small as other radios, but small enough to get signals lined up in the receiver.
If you can transmit CW or SSB on 70cm, why not try that HT on the 2m downlinks for AO-7 (mode B) and VO-52. Just like with FO-29, you'll probably want to only look at the higher AO-7 passes when using this HT. For VO-52, I do OK when the satellite is above 7 or 8 degrees elevation when using my Elk log periodic. VO-52's stronger downlink makes it a lot easier to hear on the TH-F6A compared to AO-7 and FO-29. I have not tried the TH-F6A on AO-7 mode A. It might be a tougher challenge, in that AO-7 mode A can be tough to hear without a good antenna setup for the upper end of 10m.
Good luck, and 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
Thanks to everyone for their comments on the F6A, and it is good to know that it will work, although maybe an in-shack preamp might help some.
I would love a FT817 but it is a little out of the budget right now. A F6A would be nice because I want to keep an HT and it could replace the Wouxun I have now, as well as the Kenwood TM251A I am using for the FM satellites. Selling both of those could come close to the price for a used F6A. I would be hooking it to an outside antenna.
I don't currently have a way to transmit on UHF, though, except with the Wouxun. I dont' have an adaptor to hook up its reverse SMA connector to the outside antenna. I do have an Icom 706 original I can use to transmit on 2m SSB/CW with, so FO29 would work if I have the F6A for receive. Maybe I could even "key" the F6A's PTT button to send CW on UHF to get on VO52 with it.
Hope everyone has a nice 2012 and catches lots of satellite passes. See everyone tomorrow on AO27 and SO50. It will be weird having tomorrow be New Years Day but everyone celebrating it on Monday!
73s John AA5JG ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 12:29 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: FO29 and Kenwood TH-F6A
Hi John!
Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it! Has anyone tried using a Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB? I would be hooking it to an external antenna. Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear the satellite? The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF and 6m SSB.
I also have a TH-F6A. For higher FO-29 passes, this HT is OK. Not great, but it works. You are correct about its sensitivity being down in SSB. Especially when compared to its performance in FM. An FT-817 has a more sensitive receiver for 70cm SSB than this HT. Also, you'll probably want to set the SSB tuning step at the smallest setting (33 Hz). That's not as small as other radios, but small enough to get signals lined up in the receiver.
If you can transmit CW or SSB on 70cm, why not try that HT on the 2m downlinks for AO-7 (mode B) and VO-52. Just like with FO-29, you'll probably want to only look at the higher AO-7 passes when using this HT. For VO-52, I do OK when the satellite is above 7 or 8 degrees elevation when using my Elk log periodic. VO-52's stronger downlink makes it a lot easier to hear on the TH-F6A compared to AO-7 and FO-29. I have not tried the TH-F6A on AO-7 mode A. It might be a tougher challenge, in that AO-7 mode A can be tough to hear without a good antenna setup for the upper end of 10m.
Good luck, and 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
_______________________________________________ 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
On Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:09:46 -0000 "John Geiger" aa5jg@fidmail.com wrote:
Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it! Has anyone tried using a Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB? I would be hooking it to an external antenna. Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear the satellite? The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF and 6m SSB.
Easily.
Get a decent hand-portable Yagi and have at it.
It's a shame that AO-51 is no longer with us, that was my favourite "portable" sat for using with my TH-F7E and a homebrew crossed dual-band Yagi.
I've heard FO-29 with my F6, though kind of barely. You definitely need an external antenna (more than just an extended whip), and another radio for the uplink since the F6 is FM-only on transmit (and it's not full duplex).
Greg KO6TH
From: aa5jg@fidmail.com To: K4FEG@k4feg.com; amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:09:46 +0000 Subject: [amsat-bb] FO29 and Kenwood TH-F6A
Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it! Has anyone tried using a Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB? I would be hooking it to an external antenna. Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear the satellite? The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF and 6m SSB.
73s John AA5JG
Sure!
I´ve worked very low passes (5º and less) using a TH-F7E and a CJU antenna (even a dual band whip). Lots of transatlantic QSOs from mobile. My F7E is quite sensitive, but the bandwith is somewhat wide for SSB:
http://eb4dka.laserenadigital.com/Videos%20AMSAT/VIDEO_EB4DKA%20via%20FO29%2...
http://eb4dka.laserenadigital.com/Amateur%20Satellite%20Articles/FO29_MOBILE...
http://eb4dka.laserenadigital.com/Imagenes/EB4DKA_FO-29_MOBILE1.jpg
I even used it for the AO-40 downlink in my mobile setup (glory days!!!): http://eb4dka.laserenadigital.com/Videos%20AMSAT/VIDEO_Kenwood%20THF7%20reci...
73 and happy new year!
Pedro EB4DKA http://eb4dka.laserenadigital.com
----- Original Message ----- From: "John Geiger" aa5jg@fidmail.com To: "K4FEG" K4FEG@k4feg.com; amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 1:09 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] FO29 and Kenwood TH-F6A
Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it! Has anyone tried using a Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB? I would be hooking it to an external antenna. Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear the satellite? The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF and 6m SSB.
73s John AA5JG
----- Original Message ----- From: "K4FEG" K4FEG@k4feg.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 11:52 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] FO29
Good to hear FO29 back operating over the US!
Lets not forget that our flying friends are fragile and we need to keep looking to the future and the need for replacements.
We may get another miracle and have one of the crippled birds come back to life in the future, but do we really want to depend on chance?
This is a hobby and we will always be considered "second banana" when it comes to getting help to fund a launch. Write someone, call someone, offer to help or heaven forbid try and find an extra dollar or two to donate.
I don't know where best to use anyone's talents or their monies but I do know this, if we do nothing there won't be someone come along and say, " we need an amateur satellite, lets launch one!" We need to take the initiative and get another satellite on the launch pad and then beg, borrow or steal a ride into space.
A very Happy New Year to everyone and lets get behind some of these satellites and find a way to get them launched!
73's Frank K4FEG _______________________________________________ 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
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
participants (6)
-
Gordon JC Pearce -
Greg D. -
John Geiger -
K4FEG -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) -
Pedro A. Perez