Re: [amsat-bb] AO-51 heard

["Greg Wycoff" <GREGWYCOFF@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I see the reason for the pl tone, so the PTT on TXB is not always on over
areas of the world where there is no stations to operate it, and to save the
BATT.

It seems it would be of more use if it just required a pl tone to turn on
the TXB say for 15-20 minutes and then turned off in till it heard another
pl tone, but not require the pl tone to access TX through the satellite.
That would save the dead air time that we hear now (wasted time for such a
short pass). the fact is on a FM satellite you are going to have others
walking on top of each other no matter what, its going to happen even under
the best of operating conditions.

The idea of a controled net via a FM satellite is a bad one, you want a net
then get on your local repeater. or better yet help build/launch the next
AMSAT-NA HEO satellite EAGLE and have a AMSAT net were you have the band
width and the time for one.

73 Greg

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Edward R. Cole" <al7eb@acsalaska.net>
To: "Greg Wycoff" <GREGWYCOFF@havilandtelco.com>; <amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org>
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 3:13 AM
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-51 heard


| Greg and all:
|
| I have tried to address this in my other submissions but maybe they got
| submerged in my other comments.  I believe (Echo controllers/designers fee
| free to correct me if I am wrong) that the big problem for AO-51 users is
| learning how to operate with the 67-Hz access tone.  The old methods that
| worked on AO-27/UO-14 and other open (no tone squlech) birds will result
in
| lots of jammed signals on AO-51.
|
| First, it is even more important to have full-duplex and monitor the
| downlink when you transmit.  If someone else is transmitting you "must"
| wait your turn.  If you try "breaking in" while another station is
| transmitting you just end up jamming his and your own access tone and the
| satellite receiver squelches the uplink audio path OFF!  In other words
| there is no audio, just quiet carrier.  The difference from tone squelch
on
| normal repeaters and on Echo is its very long hang time of ten seconds
that
| keeps the transmitter activated.
|
| The solution is that operators must immediately quit transmitting if a
| quiet carrier occurs.  It will take more discipline to wait your turn.  It
| would have helped to have courtesy beep so that operators would know when
a
| station stopped uplinking.  That would signal the uplink was available to
| the next user.  Because the carrier hangs ten seconds you have no
| indication when the other station has quit.  Of course running huge uplink
| power will overcome this by brute force...a very unsatisfactory trend.
|
| Its not a problem for the command team.  It is we operators that must
| "learn" how to operate effectively with Echo...it is a different kind of
| bird.   Please don't suggest the tone be turned off; it is in there for
| very good reasons.
|
| Right now the overload due to the novelty of the new bird just makes
| porblems all that worse.
|
| 73's Ed - AL7EB
|
| At 10:01 PM 7/31/2004 -0500, Greg Wycoff wrote:
| >02:45:utc 08/01/04 heard AO-51 just fine on the ht and arrow, but still
very
| >few making it through. AO-27 was never like that you could always hear
| >someone in there at all times even if someone got walked on by a big dog.
| >Hope the command team gets it worked out soon.
| >Greg Wycoff
| >NØZHE
| >Conway Springs, Kansas
| >EM17ej
| >
| >AMSAT member 27994
| >AMSAT Area Coordinator
| >
| >If you supported ECHO/AO-51 please support EAGLE
| >
| >Worked the following satellites
| >AO-13, AO-10, AO-40, AO-27, FO-20, FO-29
| >RS-10, RS15, RS-12/13,  SO-35, UO-14, SO-41
| >SO-50, KO-23, KO25, TO-31, UO-22,GO-32
| >MIR/MIR-R, STS-67, ISS
| >
| >Home web page:
| >http://www.havilandtelco.com/~gregwycoff
| >
| >South Central Kansas Satellite Group:
| >http://www.havilandtelco.com/~gregwycoff/chat.htm
| >
| >email: n0zhe@amsat.org
| >also email me at: GREGWYCOFF@havilandtelco.com
| >----
| >Sent via amsat-bb@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
| >Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
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| ----
| Sent via amsat-bb@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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|
----
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