[amsat-bb] HO-68 - first FM pass over Australia

[vk5alx@amsat.org]

Six stations, plus myself, accessed Hope-1 (HO-68) on its
first FM pass over Australia starting at 11:00 UTC (27 Dec)

- VK2ZAZ, VK2TJU, VK2CMP. VK7HRX, VK4ZQ, VK2WEL

Downlink signal at my location reached  -98dBm but I did
experience several very deep fades which took the signal
from full quieting to full noise.  The fades were very sudden
and lasted from just a few seconds to up to half a minute each
time.  Some signal dropouts were experienced.
However, maximum elevation here was just 15 degrees.
Antennas here were RHC for 70cm receive and LHC on 2 mtr TX.

Some  distortion in the received audio was evident indicating that the
satellite's   receiver   might   be  a little off frequency or that it
prefers narrow deviation.

Hopefully  we  will  have  more opportunities to test the bird further
before it is commissioned for normal use.

73 and best wishes for 2010
Alex VK5ALX