[amsat-bb] Can Radio Amateur Stations support scientific space missions ?

[PA3GUO]

Dear all,

After I installed a new 70cm antenna this week I wanted to 'measure' how 
good my (modest) station is and how it would perform as a Ground Station 
for supporting missions as the new RAX, O/OREOS, FASTRAC etc.

This new antenna is a simple, 12 elements, vertical polarized beam.
No circular polarization. How would it work with tumbling satellites ?

Two experiments done:

RAX: 
RAX transmits (only) every 20 seconds a 9600bd beacon. I did a 24 hour 
fully automated tracking and analyzed all the results: when did I decode, 
when did I miss. Here is the report with the details and positive results:
http://www.pa3guo.com/RAX_Telemetry_Analysis_PA3GUO.pdf


O/OREOS:
O/OREOS transmits every 5 seconds, 1200 bd, but is weaker as RAX.
Also here I analyzed a couple of passes and compared the results:
http://www.pa3guo.com/OOREOS_Telemetry_Experiment_PA3GUO.pdf

One of the conclusions in the reports: a 12 element antenna works just fine !
Did anyone do a similar experiment and has interesting feedback to share ?

--
Henk, PA3GUO