RE: [amsat-bb] Fw: Field Day Satellite rules

["Reicher, James" <JReicher@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

It's not that hard to track a LEO linear bird.  I run AO7 and FO29
without the automatic tracking all the time.  I turn the beams when the
signal starts to drop off, usually 3 to 4 times per pass.  The first
year I ran the Field Day satellite station at K0GQ, we tried to do just
the FM birds but couldn't get through, so I made 2 contacts from our
VHF/UHF station on FO29 using a Ringo for the uplink and an un-elevated
5 element yagi for the downlink.  Please don't tell me these birds are
hard to work.  Too many people try to make a mountain out of a mole
hill.  Automation is nice, but not necessary.

73 de N8AU, Jim in Raymore, MO

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-AMSAT-BB@amsat.org [mailto:owner-AMSAT-BB@amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Jim Jerzycke
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 10:02 AM
To: Robert Bruninga; amsat-bb@amsat.org; ka3hsw@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Fw: Field Day Satellite rules

Unfortunately, I think Field Day has lost a lot of its
original meaning and purpose. For all intents, it's
just another contest. Fun, yes, but just another
contest. The satellite station I've been running for
K6AA always draws a lot of interest, but when people
want to hear an "Easy Sat", and I find an FM bird
going over, they're usually horrified to hear it. And
when they see what's involved in tracking a LEO linear
bird, they get kind of turned off. FM birds are fine
for demos at other times, but Field Day is a joke.
----
Sent via amsat-bb@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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