[amsat-bb] Re: Arecibo, Sun & Moon

[Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL]

At 01:26 PM 4/15/2010 -0800, Edward Cole <kl7uw at acsalaska.net> wrote:
>At 01:49 PM 4/15/2010, you wrote:
>
>>I noticed the moon is fairly close to the sun in the sky.  There may be
>>some solar noise, but I don't know how much noise the sun generates at 432.
>>
>>KB7ADL
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
>>Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
>>Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>
>Vince,
>
>The Sun is approx. 20-degrees away from the Moon (today), so it may cause 
>some degradation of receiver sensitivity, depending on how narrow your 
>antenna beam is.  I will be using a 16-foot dish with 9.9 degree 
>HPBW.  Hopefully, the sun will be down -15 dB or more when I point at the 
>Moon.  But if you are using a 15-dBi yagi yoru beamwidth is about 
>33-degrees and the sun will be seen by your system.
>
>I don't have time to research what to expect in degradation, busy working 
>on getting the antenna ready ;-)
>
>
>73, Ed - KL7UW,


Your beamwidth will be a lot more narrower than mine.  If I get a chance to 
give it a listen I'll be using an auto-tracked eight element RHCP yagi with 
a Landwehr preamp.  There was an OM in the area that was an avid EME'er at 
one time. He has since passed away, I asked him once when is the best time 
to listen for stations doing EME,  Full moon, New Moon, Quarter moon, and 
he said new moon was worst because of solar noise and also when the sun is 
within your beamwidth around new moon.


KB7ADL