[amsat-bb] Re: SO-50 Not Heard at

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi Eric!

> Just took the arrow and the HT out to the driveway to work SO-50 and
> didn't hear anything.  I attempted to activate the bird numerous times
> but still nothing.  Did anyone hear/work the bird on this pass?

Worked OK for a pass @ 0120 UTC this evening.  A low pass here, yet
a few contacts despite it being a western pass going to the north.
Assuming you are somewhere in the eastern USA, it's possible the
unlicensed types to the south were using the uplink frequency for their
radios or long-range cordless phones and kept you - and maybe others -
from turning on SO-50.

I heard a lot of that Thursday afternoon on a pass around 2310 UTC.
For the first half or so of the pass, where SO-50 came from the south
(over central Mexico) and was going toward the northeast at the end
of the pass, we had problems getting through.  When we could, then
we could hear other signals for an instant before the satellite blocked
them for not having the PL.  Unfortunately, on SO-50 and especially
(when operational) AO-27 with the 145.850 MHz uplink, this is not
unusual.  :-(

73!



Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK - Phoenix, Arizona USA
http://www.wd9ewk.net/