[amsat-bb] Re: FO29 and Kenwood TH-F6A

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi John!

> Glad to hear that FO29 is back-now to get on it!  Has anyone tried using a
> Kenwood TH-F6A HT to receive FO29, since it does receive SSB?  I would be
> hooking it to an external antenna.  Is it sensitive enough on SSB to hear
> the satellite?  The QST review shows its sensitivity is a little down on HF
> and 6m SSB.

I also have a TH-F6A.  For higher FO-29 passes, this HT is OK.  Not
great, but it works.  You are correct about its sensitivity being down
in SSB.  Especially when compared to its performance in FM.  An
FT-817 has a more sensitive receiver for 70cm SSB than this HT.
Also, you'll probably want to set the SSB tuning step at the smallest
setting (33 Hz).  That's not as small as other radios, but small
enough to get signals lined up in the receiver.

If you can transmit CW or SSB on 70cm, why not try that HT on the 2m
downlinks for AO-7 (mode B) and VO-52.  Just like with FO-29, you'll
probably want to only look at the higher AO-7 passes when using this
HT.  For VO-52, I do OK when the satellite is above 7 or 8 degrees
elevation when using my Elk log periodic.  VO-52's stronger downlink
makes it a lot easier to hear on the TH-F6A compared to AO-7 and
FO-29. I have not tried the TH-F6A on AO-7 mode A.  It might be a
tougher challenge, in that AO-7 mode A can be tough to hear without
a good antenna setup for the upper end of 10m.

Good luck, and 73!





Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/