Re: [amsat-bb] Re: ao27

["Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" <amsat-bb@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi John!

> I did hear SO-50 today, working a couple of stations on the 17:34Z pass.
> A couple of times, though, in the last week, i either didn't hear it
> when i expected to, and once, on a low elevation Pacific pass, i went
> from hearing my own downlink well at 140mW to not hearing anything at
> all.  I'm not sure what that means...

I was tied up earning my paycheck this morning during the SO-50 passes,
so I couldn't step outside the office to try that out.  I will give it
a try tomorrow
morning to see what's happening.  It has been nice to work it, even if there
aren't many on there.

> According to 'predict' with the current KEPS, AO-27 should recieve 100%
> illumination starting in the end of September, i think through the first
> week in November if i remember correctly.  Of the FM birds i've used,
> this has been the best for me.  It receives well; because it's a little
> harder to hear, it doesn't get as crowded as UO-14 or AO-51; and it's in
> a good orbit (so one can work further than either AO-51 or SO-50). Alas,
> its batteries are a bit tired, but the other factors make up for the
> shorter working time on a given pass.  I sure hope it's back soon!

I've made my furthest contacts via FM satellite on AO-27, with its higher
orbit than the others.  It does hear well - sometimes too well, without a
PL on the uplink receiver like SO-50 and AO-51 have.  From my limited
experience on AO-27 earlier this year, I found it to be the busiest of the
3 current FM satellites.  So many try to get through in the short periods
of time it is available (earlier this year, 6 minutes per pass).  I had made
407 QSOs on AO-27 between late December 2005 and early May, almost
46% of my QSOs up to that point, so there were lots of stations to work
on those passes.  Some who I had only heard on AO-27 passes, and
not on the other FM satellites or the ISS cross-band repeater.

By the way, thanks for the CM89 contacts last weekend.  It's nice to have
KD6PAG in my log from several different grids.  I need to get back to some
day-tripping from Phoenix and working some of the unusual Arizona grids,
and also down into northern Mexico (something I did a lot of with portable
HF gear in the last few years, and can also do now with satellite stuff).

73!


Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/
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