[amsat-bb] XW-1 report over Europe

[i8cvs]

Hi All,

To day December 15 signals from the satellite XW-1 CW beacon during
Rev 9 changing into Rev 10 over Europe were very strong and clear with
only a beacon power of 65 mW into a satellite TX antenna RHCP with gain
of 3.0 dBic

The satellite from AOS at 20:12 UTC and LOS at 20:34 UTC was into
the eclipse (ECL) all the time.

My receiving condition was a 12 dBic RHCP 10 turns Helix  antenna
with a low noise preamplifier antenna mounted NF=0.45 dB and Gain
G = 20 dB

I was using a 434-436 / 28-30 MHz  downconverter in the shack connected
to a HF Drake receiver R4-C tuned to the 10 meters IF interposing in
between a 20 dB attenuator with 1 dB steps

The XW-1 beacon was very constant in signal strenght fading very slowly
changing between 20 dB to 15 dB over the noise floor in about 30 seconds
as measured with the 1 dB step attenuator connected into the 28-30 MHz IF
of my receiving system.

The same was experienced during the following Rev 10 changing into Rev 11
over Europe with AOS at 22:06 UTC and LOS at 22:18 UTC with the satellite
in Eclipse (ECL) all the time.

During the above orbit the Elevation from my QTH in JN70ES was only 8
degrees maximum over the free horizon with no obstructions in direction of
the see.

The following keplerian elements as given by Nigel G8IFF for object A are
extremely correct because I losted the signal over the free horizon just at
elevation of - 0.2 degrees as computed by InstantTrack

XW-1
1 36121U 09072A   09349.53641119 -.00000045  00000-0  00000+0 0    31
2 36121 100.5050 046.6267 0007989 035.4736 324.6735 13.16391085    50

That's all for now

I hope that very soon the linear transponder will be open for general use
and stay in SSB/CW as long as possible for the benefit of many users at the
same time.

73" de

i8CVS Domenico