Satgen58 Cheap routes to 9600 bps 8th May 90 by GM4IHJ One worrying aspect of terrestrial and satellite packet radio, has been the high cost of equipment. Now that Uosat3 is giving us a super 9600 bps test bed , that may all change. Indeed as GM0MJW says " even on a simple 3 ele and a modified Pye pocketphone I get the odd packet ". Following this general trend I have begun looking at several " junk box routes to UO3 ". Present experiments here started with aerials when I found Uosat3 can be copied using a simple 5 element horizontal Yagi. So I then began looking for a reception outfit , other than my very competent but valuable ICOM 451. Tests to date have features both a Microwave modules 432/28 converter and a transverter also from MM. Both have xtal switching for 434/28 and they produce good signal to a beat up old FRG7 modified for FM , tuning 29.070. However , I also want to transmit terrestrialy, so I am modifying the transverter - present xtals 101 x4 , and 101.5 x 4 local osc ( for 432/28 and 434/28 respectively), to 101.25 and 101.85 , so that I can try to Tx and Rx terrestrial 70 packet on 432.625, and, listen to Uosat 3, on 435.07, on a CB tuned 27.625 , or 27.670 MHz. Of course there will be problems. I expect the xtal frequencies may need to be pulled a bit to get good tuning, I think the CB 2nd IF filter may need opening out for 9600, and I may need a mod to change the CB from its coarse 10 KHz steps, in order to keep up with UO3's doppler shift, but hopefully something will work and save me the cost of a second 70 cm rig. Please note that old UK CBs cover 27.601 to 27.991 in 40 channels . By contrast CEPT European continental approved CBs cover 26.965 to 27.405 MHz, so different xtals will be needed in the transverter ( or the converter ,if you just want to listen ). I got the 8 year old CB free from GM4NUU's junk box , and there should be lots of these models around. One caution - please make sure the CB you pick for driver has genuine frequency modulation. Phase modulated CBs will not do for tx. In addition you must modify the CB for reception from its discriminator direct to your G3RUH modem, and if you want to transmit you must modify its input so that Tx Audio goes onto the varactor. Plus , most important of all , please remember you can perhaps use the transverter for sending on terrestrial packet at 70 cms , BUT UOSAT UPLINK is 145.975 so somehow you would need to get to 2m if you want this route to both Tx and Rx to/from Uosat3. As yet the Auto frequency Control problem looks insuperable , in respect of trying this trick on an old multimode CB, for BPSK reception. I hope however the above will inspire some SWLs to try to make a Uosat3 9600 Rx, build the G3RUH 9600 modem, and modify their terrestrial TNC. This week FO20 has sent odd 5 second bursts of transmission every minute on JD, but in the past 24 hours it has got back to BBS. Lusat and Pacsat are still loading software, and have binary telemetry which puts rubbish on your screen. Weber is on WOD with picture taking temporarily suspended and Uosat3 has been on slow speed with little or no 9600 bps these last few days. Dove is not yet fully operational. 73 de John GM4IHJ@GB7MAC