[amsat-bb] Frustration

[Michael Tondee]

I've been trying to get my receive setup going the last few days but I'm 
having horrible results. I have my 11 element 70cm "cheap yagi" back up 
on the mast and my homebrew SaebrTrack and OR-360  AZ/EL TV rotator 
system interfaced to SatPC32.
  I have an ARR preamp mounted at the mast fed with a seperate 12VDC 
feed and about a 40 foot run of  JEFA  brand LMR 400. Once I get into 
the shack there is a bit of patchwork to the cables. I'm using a Yaesu 
VX3 to receive and due to the SMA connector on the HT and not wanting to 
strain it I have a 4 foot adapter cable  of  LMR 100 that goes from an 
SMA to a SO-239. I then have to use a short length of coax with a PL-259 
to N male to mate up with a N barrel connector connected to my LMR 400 
coming from outside. Now obviously, I know this isn't optimum and eats 
up valuable RF and I intend to change it ASAP  but I'm hearing 
absolutely nothing on AO-51 passes. Not even the hint of signals.
I'm thinking with that preamp in the line I should at lest hear 
something discernible besides noise regardless of the patchwork of 
cables. Am I off base in thinking this? I did catch just a bit of 
discernible signal off  SO-50 last night but it was almost overhead.
 I'm not a beginner at this but I'm frustrated. Perhaps I'm putting too 
much faith in the preamp to push the signals through my hodgepodge of 
adapters and cables? Any thoughts are appreciated.
73,
Michael, W4HIJ