Re: [amsat-bb] GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG

[Tim N9PUZ <n9puz@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:33:05 -0500, Timothy A. Holmes (W8TAH) wrote:

> I am experiencing extreme frustration trying to hear AO-51
 
> I have been trying off and on to hear AO51 -- even just a gradual
> slight silencing of the static would make me happy just to know I
> can hear it. I mean guys are working the thing with HT's and Rubber
> duckies without any trouble, and I used to use the same antenna to
> listen to UO 14 on my vx5R.

> Please throw some suggestions out here, I know I really dont have a
> prayer of making it into the spacecraft without el-az antennas and
> true full duplex, but I would think that I should be able to at
> least here some of the downlink from it.

Tim --

I am far from an expert having not made a satellite contact yet but on 
several different attempts I find that I can hear AO-51 quite well 
outdoors with the stock VX-7R rubber duck antenna but cannot hear it 
at all when I hook the radio to my Arrow VHF/UHF ground plane on 
passes with similar elevations. I just don't think the pattern of the 
ground plane works well with the sats.

I did throw together a makeshift 1/2 wave 440 dipole and clamped it to 
a table outside at about a 45 degree angle. This receives better than 
the "duck".

Tim,  N9PUZ
EM59ft
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