RE: [amsat-bb] A few sat questions

["MarkG" <markg@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark (and Dave),
   Sorry, I saw my call...  :-)  RS-15 is an old satellite and it's
telemetry (or the lack thereof) is a sign of it's age. The transponder tends
to follow the beacon. That is, the "long dash" you describe is the solid
carrier beacon switching on and off. The transponder follows, also switching
on and off at the same rate, making the satellite unusable for most intents
and purposes. When the beacon is on constantly, off constantly or sending CQ
constantly, the transponder is most likely also on. When the beacon is
switching a solid carrier or CW telemetry, the transponder is probably
following it. It sometimes switches off in eclipse, too, as it's had battery
problems for a while.

   Last I checked, the telemetry indicated that RS-15's transmitter was
putting out 1/2 watt. That's not much and I'm assuming that's for the entire
passband. Thus, as Dave mentioned, you need to pump some power into it to
get something out the other side. I use 50 watts and a 22 element circular
2m beam to reach it and a 10m "L" shaped dipole to receive and that does a
fairly good job with most available passes.

   I'd imagine that when you put all this together, RS-15 probably falls
into the "More Trouble Than It's Worth" category for most people explaining
the lack of activity.

73...Mark - KB3CWS


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org [mailto:owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org]On
Behalf Of Dave Barrows
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2000 10:42 PM
To: Mark_Dittmar@Maxtor.com
Cc: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] A few sat questions


Mark,

I too have put up a homemade "eggbeater" antenna.  I also notice the fading
you mention.  I also notice the fading when using my Arrow beam when
operating portable.  I don't know the explanation. It could be polarization
or it could be other propagation problems.  However, the beam is much better
than the "eggbeater". The satelite is readable for a larger portion of the
pass.

When you get ready to try transmitting through UO-14, I recommend you try
during the daytime on a weekday when the contention is not so great.

As for RS-15, it is still alive.  It is often hard to hear and it takes a
powerful signal to get through it.  KB3CWS will probably respond with more
detail about RS-15.

Enjoy the birds!

73,
Dave W8IJ
Camp Hill, PA
--

On Tue, 11 Jul 2000 16:06:35   Dittmar, Mark wrote:
>
>
>	Hello all-
>
>	I am new to satellite operation,  having worked a few CW QSOs on
>RS13 and listening in on UO14 passes.  I have a few questions for the
>experts:
>
>	1)  With respect to receiving antennas on 435 Mhz,  I put up a
>homebrew "eggbeater" type omni antenna,  using about 40' of 9913 to the
>rcvr.  It is wired for RHCP.  Though the antenna works OK on various passes
>of UO14,  ocassionally bringing the rcvr to "full quieting" , a lot of the
>time during the pass,  the signal just drops out.  Perhaps weakly related
to
>the elevation angle,  it is hard for me to tell.  Is this due more to the
>fact that the polarazation from the sat is changing?  I thought that an
>eggbeater would have worked better,  though I realize that an omni ant is a
>compromise.  Do most ops work UO14 with handheld beams ?
>
>	2)  RS15 ?  I've been tuning in on this bird just to listen;  some
>times,  I hear the beacon sending CW telemetry,  other times,  I just hear
a
>series of long chirpy dashes.  Is the sat switched in and out of sending CW
>telemetry?  Or is this some kind of power saving mode?  Does the
transponder
>function when in the "long dash" mode?  Also,  I have yet to hear any
>activity on this sat,  even when the CW telemetry beacon is coming in
>strong.
>
>	Thanks for your consideration,
>
>	73, Mark, AB0CW
>
>
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