Re: [sarex] WHat Minimum Equipment is needed?

["Bruce Paige" <kk5do@xxxxxxxxx>]

Date sent:      	Sun, 25 Jul 1999 20:04:52 -0500
From:           	Jamie Hutches <jmhutches@harding.edu>
Subject:        	[sarex] WHat Minimum Equipment is needed?
To:             	sarex@AMSAT.Org

> I have not heard anything from SAREX transmitters and I have listened for
> every pass close to Arkansas. Last night I listen like crazy and heard
> nothing even though It passed 17 degrees above the horizon! I am using a
> dual-band J-Pole anntenna on a 60 ft tower with 50 watts output, is this
> enough?

the problem you are experiencing is not with your equipment. do not adjust 
the horizontal, do not adjust the vertical. 5 watts is all that is needed to 
make a contact. the height of your tower is not important unless you can 
make it higher in 5 mile increments. after all, what is 10, 20, or 30 feet when 
trying to reach something that is 800km away. 

the only problem you are experiencing is that the shuttle crew has not turned 
on the radio for any of the passes over the u.s.

they have been successful in turning off the radio when they awaken so we 
don't have the chance to work the packet robot. but they can't seem to turn it 
on again to make a voice contact. i am sure there are going to be some 
press releases as to what exactly has happened. 

it could simply be that at $1 million per minute (or something like that) to fly 
the shuttle, they have more important things to do than talk on the radio. 
experiments must be completed and i am sure they have been very busy 
doing that.

hopefully, they will be on tonight but i am not going to chase each pass as i 
have for the past two nights. if they get on at 2:30am and 4am, they are 
going to be lonely.

73...bruce



============================================================================
Bruce Paige, KK5DO                         Internet: kk5do@amsat.org
Houston, Texas                                   or: kk5do@hal-pc.org
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