Satgen275 Satellite Profile No.4 RS14 FM Oscar 21 by GM4IHJ 2nd July 94 BID of this msg is SGEN275 Please use this BID if you retransmit this msg RS14 has two modes of operation, both mode B. At present its SSB/CW transponder 435 up and 145 down is off. The mode in use is Mode B FM single channel repeater 435.06 MHz up and 145.987 MHz downlink. This mode can be accessed by simple hand talkie portables on rubber duck antennas when the sat is near overhead, but for DX use when RS14 is near the horizon GM4IHJ uses a 12 element 70cm antenna for uplink and a 5 element 2m antenna for downlink, with 8 watts of TX power. RS14's orbit is similar to that of RS10 and RS12, with roughly 103 to 110 minutes between orbit pass acquisitions. Presently in June 94 , it is in range of this station at 56N on 9 or 10 consecutive orbits with the first around 1300 local sun time ( not summer time) and the last of the sequence around 0500 local sun time. Stations nearer the Equator lose 3 or 4 orbit passes in the middle of this sequence around 2000 local . RS14 is the ultimate in portable hand talkie satellite operating. Recent orbit passes to the west of UK in the evening have produced full quieting copy into Scotland from W1,W2,VE1,VE2 and TF1. Doppler has to be taken into account , with a full pass shift of 145.992 to 145.986 being typical . Most of this doppler shift occurs near the middle of the pass. You can handle this by starting on 145.990 FM and changing to 145.985 FM in the second half of the pass. But if you have centre tuning indication and 1KHz tuning steps life is much easier. Operation on this single channel FM repeater can be difficult, unless all users pay strict attention to operator discipline. To the west W and VE stations are usually very good but one VE2 waffled away recently as if it was his private channel, thereby denying it to anyone else including the stations calling him. To the east and south discipline is less good. Most German stations are fine with crisp sharp overs, but the rest seem to spend a great deal of time QRMing one another. using redundant repeats . EG CQ de GOLF MIKE FOUR ITALY HOTEL JULIET GM4IHJ is quite enough. Do not send CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ de blurp bleep YOU know your call but the other man does not. Equally silly most operators can recognise CQ in an artillery bombardment. So do not overdo it. What he needs is your callsign. Do not give information you have not been asked for and do not repeat information unless asked to do so. Most important of all do no ramble on for more than 10 seconds a call. In a trans Atlantic DX situation you can work 5 to 10 Ws if you are crisp and clear. If someone hogs the channel no one gets DX. EG the European who sent "One Two" repeatedly over several orbit passes recently. Please note that roughly every 6 minutes RS14 sends a brief burst of digital packet for identity . Used efficiently these FM repeater sats ( also AMRAD to be described in next satgen) could become very popular indeed. Take your hand talkies anywhere, Spanish beaches, Mountains in the Canary Islands , Ski Cabins in Vermont, or on the Vatnajokul Icecap in TF. AS yet very few ordinary none satellite regulars have caught on to the presence of these easy entry birds. Get your DX QSOs before they all join in. 73 de GM4IHJ @ GB7SAN