[amsat-bb] Re: SO-67 on Flea Power!!!!

[Peter Scheller]

Hi Tim KI6VBY and Tim N3TL,

 

Congratulations to your accomplishments with "Flee Power".

Yes, it demonstrates what can be done with extreme little RF,

but it does not mean that you "own" the frequency, and all

others have to vacate. I have nothing against QRP, but under

the circumstances of a "chaos" as you describe it, you are as guilty

as everyone else to contribute to the "chaos", even so by using QRP.

Good operating practices require you to listen for a clear frequency

BEFORE transmitting. Thus, if the frequency is clear and you transmit,

some not so considerate operator stomps all over you, is shameful, 

REGARDLESS of power level. Sadly, it is all to apparent that the practice 

of listening first has been abandoned by yelling first, and if that does not 

help, poor on the coals. If you can identify inconsiderate operators, it

might be helpful to bring the same to his or her attention, in a nice way,

for it might have happened un intentional. QRP or "Monster Stations" are

governed by the same rules. "Communications shall be conducted with the

lowest power level necessary". That does not necessarily mean QRP. 

However who wants to use a shotgun to kill a fly? Think about it.

 

Best 73, 

Peter, NH6VB

 

 
> From: tim at timgoodrich.net
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:30:40 -0800
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: SO-67 on Flea Power!!!!
> 
> Maybe this should be a lesson for all those monster stations that like to
> stomp all over everyone- satellite and HF included......
> 
> Tim
> KI6VBY (exclusively QRP)
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim - N3TL [mailto:n3tl at bellsouth.net] 
> Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 8:22 AM
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] SO-67 on Flea Power!!!!
> 
> My profound thanks to John. K8YSE, for posting the recordings he's made of
> SO-67 passes over North America. His most recent recording, which he began
> at 15:00:38 UTC, provides proof that - even amid the chaos of a pass like
> that one - very low power levels can work our amateur satellites. Anyone who
> listens to the recording will hear the weak-signal call of N3TL at 8:51 into
> the recording. I'm faint, but I'm in there ... on 50mW (.05 watt) from my
> Yaesu VX-7R HT and Elk dual-band log periodic antenna. 
> 
> KI0G surprised the heck out of me when I heard him call me several seconds
> later. When he did, I thought, "He must be calling me blind. There's no way
> I made it through on 50 milliwatts." No matter - I spent the rest of the
> pass transmitting QSLs for our contact, but K8YSE's recording shows that I
> didn't make it back into the satellite before he (K8YSE) left the footprint.
> If someone farther south has a recording that includes me QSLing Bob, KI0G,
> by all means please email me a copy.
> 
> My signal made it into SO-67 beginning at 15:09:29 UTC and ending at
> 15:09:30 UTC. According to Orbitron, SO-67 was pretty much right at the
> intersection of 30 degrees north x 90 degrees west, or right on top of the
> 4-grid boundary of EM40, EM50, EL49, EL59. She was at a range of 882.050
> kilometers (548.0805 miles) to my handheld station in EM84 at 15:09:30
> UTC. Based on those distances, my power level translates to 17,641
> kilometers (10,961.61 miles) per watt. Given how busy SO-67 has been over
> North America the past two weekends, I'll take that!
> 
> During that pass, I tried to time my transmissions based on Mr. Cresswell's
> posts to the BB on 14 November about the two passes he worked and observed
> that day over New Zealand. Specifically, I listened for people to
> immediately return calls, then have their signal drop out when the
> satellite's tail dropped out. When that happened, I transmitted - and on at
> least one occasion that K8YSE captured in his recording, flea power found
> its way to our newest amateur satellite.
> 
> Thank you, everyone at AMSAT-SA, for building, launching and orbiting SO-67.
> She is a wonderful addition to the fleet, and one I'm proud to have worked
> on .05-watt.
> 
> 73 to all,
> 
> Tim - N3TL
> 
> 
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