OBSERVATIONS GM1SXX 17th NOV 2009
An interesting comparison.
In view of the fact that FM satellite operators are so frequently badly behaved when birds are over Europe, I wondered if the many reports I hear about the situation not being like this elsewhere in the World were really true. It didn't take long to confirm my suspicions, Europe really does suck, as far as FM satellite operating practices are concerned. A quick look on the AMSAT BB revealed this posting, from Tim N3TL confirming what I've been reading about European satellite operating practices for a considerable time. Tim managed a contact over a 548 mile path while running only 0.050 Watts into an modest (ELK) antenna. As Tim himself says, that's 10,961 miles per watt. Well done mate! You can argue that 548 miles is not a great distance, but of course 50 milliwatts is not much power either :-)
So FM can indeed work, where good operating discipline prevails. I just can't imagine it will ever work in Europe though. See my other article 'The satellite Zoo'.
73,
Al. GM1SXX
-----Original Message----- From: Tim - N3TL [mailto:n3tl@bellsouth.net] Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 8:22 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] SO-67 on Flea Power!!!! My profound thanks to John. K8YSE, for posting the recordings he's made of SO-67 passes over North America. His most recent recording, which he began at 15:00:38 UTC, provides proof that - even amid the chaos of a pass like that one - very low power levels can work our amateur satellites. Anyone who listens to the recording will hear the weak-signal call of N3TL at 8:51 into the recording. I'm faint, but I'm in there ... on 50mW (.05 watt) from my Yaesu VX-7R HT and Elk dual-band log periodic antenna. KI0G surprised the heck out of me when I heard him call me several seconds later. When he did, I thought, "He must be calling me blind. There's no way I made it through on 50 milliwatts." No matter - I spent the rest of the pass transmitting QSLs for our contact, but K8YSE's recording shows that I didn't make it back into the satellite before he (K8YSE) left the footprint. If someone farther south has a recording that?includes me QSLing Bob, KI0G, by all means please email me a copy. My signal made it into SO-67 beginning at 15:09:29 UTC and ending at 15:09:30 UTC. According to Orbitron, SO-67 was pretty much right at the intersection of 30 degrees north x 90 degrees west, or right on top of the 4-grid boundary of EM40, EM50, EL49, EL59. She was at a range of 882.050 kilometers (548.0805 miles) to my handheld station in EM84 at 15:09:30 UTC.?Based on?those distances, my power level translates to 17,641 kilometers (10,961.61 miles) per watt. Given how busy SO-67 has been over North America the past two weekends, I'll take that! During that pass, I tried to time my transmissions based on Mr. Cresswell's posts to the BB on 14 November about the two passes he worked and observed that day over New Zealand. Specifically, I listened for people to immediately return calls, then have their signal drop out when the satellite's tail dropped out. When that happened, I transmitted - and on at least one occasion that K8YSE captured in his recording, flea power found its way to our newest amateur satellite. Thank you, everyone at AMSAT-SA, for building, launching and orbiting SO-67. She is a wonderful addition to the fleet, and one I'm proud to have worked on .05-watt. 73 to all, Tim - N3TL
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