[amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 2, Issue 679

[Reicher, James]

Hi Jerry, 

Let me break this down for you a little bit.

The only advantage to having an Arrow-type antenna is that you can more
easily hold and point the antenna, bypassing the need for a rotor.  I
wouldn't recommend this method if you're going to use your 857 with
out-put of more than 5 watts.

The FM birds will require more than 5 watts to get thru all the QRM.

If you have two rigs to work with, why not try out AO7, FO29, or VO52?
You'll find them easy to get into; I've worked AO7 with my 817, on mode
A, using CW and 5 watts into a Ringo Ranger.  I couldn't do it on SSB
though, AO7 wants a little more gain than that.  

My antennas now are 11 elements on both 2M and 70cm and I can always hit
the birds.  I turn them with an HD73 rotor. 

73 de N8AU, Jim in Raymore, MO
 
Light travels faster than sound...  This is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak.

Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 12:05:22 -0600
From: "nr5a" <nr5a at rap.midco.net>
Subject: [amsat-bb]  New to this!
To: <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Message-ID: <017301c81cb1$c631ca00$6400a8c0 at PC270429458147>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

I use to work the RS birds and just loved it, now of course there is
nothing 
like that. I swore I"d never do the FM birds cause I don't even do the
FM 
Repeaters. I've lived near Rapid City, SD for 21 years and can count the

number of times I've been on the reapeaters here on one hand. Sorry they

just don't do anything for me.

I've broke down and decieded I want to get on the FM birds. The radio
will 
be mostly my FT-817 or I can go FT-857D if I get the urge.

I see antennas like the Arrows where 2 beams are on the same boom, is
there 
a real advantage to this?? My antenna will be mounted outdoors and I'm
going 
in the direction of 2 antennas on a cross boom. I'm not that interested
in 
parading around in a parking lot carring a antenna and looking silly.

How much antenna do I really need?  I have tried listening on the
FT-817's 
rubber duck antenna with no results. I thru together a hastly built one 
element egg beater type. (a site to see, held together by duct tape.)
The 
other nite I almost heard AO-51.

My next step is tearing off the eggbeater and duct taping a 3 el yagi to
the 
yardstick. I want to see the difference and maybe learn something while 
playing.

I'll go now cause I'm probably wasiting your time thanks for reading
this.

Jerry - NR5A - South Dakota