Re: [amsat-bb] AO-40 Reception Question

[Margaret Leber <maggie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gerald Payton wrote:


> I haven't read any reports of individuals using the Millicom and their
> success/failures.  Am I the only one to buy one of these?

Good heavens, no! I logged several contacts (including five on the first 
day) with a Millicombought from Mark, barefoot on a 16-turn helix, using 
my FT-847.

Since then it's seemed to work not quite as well...signals have seemed 
weaker here since those first few days. I may have some deterioration in 
my antenna. But when I can hear the beacon clearly, I can almost always 
hear my CW signal, and often my sideband. Reports of my signal show that 
this set up is not the best ears in the world. Unfortunately my sky to 
the east is blocked with my antenna system in it's current location. I 
want to have it working *well* before sticking it up at the peak of my 
steeply-sloped roof. A pre-amp would clearly be a *big* help.

I'd say the results you're seeing are about typical; at this point I'm 
thinking that BBQ and helix users may be pretty close in performance, 
trading pointing error for gain. A quiet, high-gain front end seems to 
be key working the S2. The 27dB gain/3dB NF provided by the Millicom 
seems to be kinda marginal for the current situation.


73 de Maggie K3XS

-- 
-----/___.   _)   Margaret Stephanie Leber    / "The art of progress  /
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---/   / | / |  _   _   _    `  _AOPA 925383/ order amid change and /
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-/ (_/   '  K3XS  .-/ .-/    ARRL 39280   /___ --A.N.Whitehead ___/
/____ICQ 7161096_(_/_(_/__AMSAT 32844____/ <maggie@voicenet.com>


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