[amsat-bb] Re: Two Questions

[Michael Schulz]

Ted,

As far as working the linear birds goes, you already seem to have the right gear. I'm working mostly
linear birds with my TS-2000. First question is, can you hear the beacon? The next question is how 
do you use HRD's tracker. If you just select the sat and the transponder and then expect it to work just
like it does on the FM sats, then we already found your problem. 
First set either the uplink or downlink and then try to find your signal changing either one of them. 
Once you have that established you can then adjust your tracking software to match that and it should
work fine. 

I'm not using HRD because I found it not the best solution out there. The tuning is cumbersome with 
those sliders and it had too many times it's own will and was even changing that during a pass. 
I prefer Gpredict which runs on Linux (also Windows but currently no rig control) and besides it being
open source which allows me to contribute it seems to be a much better solution. I especially like the
tuning implementation much better.

As for the original post: yes, it can be quite lonely on the linear birds. I spent this morning 18 minutes on
AO-7 calling CQ with no takers, but then again on other passes there are several QSOs across. It really
depends. I'd say it's certainly a result of it being much easier and less resource intensive to work the FM
birds as well as the result of most talking being done about those vs. the linear ones. The work done by
many folks here on the list who go out and give presentations about working satellite is great, but if the
talks and websites are only about FM birds (or mostly) then that's the result. But then again, a linear sat
capable radio can be had for $400 - $500 (FT-736R) if one was really looking for it.

Just my $0.02

73 Mike K5TRI (who will be on the 1:20UTC  pass of VO-52 of course :) ).





On Sep 22, 2011, at 6:43 PM, Ted wrote:

> A statement/opinion like that is worthless without some solid data. You
> can't just malign the guy. Simon says he used David Taylor's open source
> satellite-tracking library to get started and wrote his own library, shipped
> as a dll with HRD and based on NORAD SGP4/SDP4 implementations by Michael F.
> Henry. I don't have a clue what all that means but it sounds like Simon's
> program was not just cobbled together.
> 
> 
> 
> SATPC32 looks to me like an 80's dos program. Very unattractive.
> 
> 
> 
> It is not logical to state that 'Everybody' in the entire sat community has
> problems with HRD's Doppler. 
> 
> 
> 
> I want more proof
> 
> 
> 
> K7TRK
> 
> 
> 
>  _____  
> 
> From: kq6ea at verizon.net [mailto:kq6ea at verizon.net] 
> Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 4:23 PM
> To: k7trkradio at charter.net; tomdoyle1948 at gmail.com; AMSAT-BB at amsat.org
> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Two Questions
> 
> 
> 
> try SatPC32.
> *Everybody* I know who uses HRD has problems with the Doppler correction.
> 
> Jim  KQ6EA 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 09/22/11, Ted<k7trkradio at charter.net> wrote:
> 
> "Are the linear sats too complicated? Do people not have SSB and CW
> equipment or are they just not interested anymore."
> 
> Tom, speaking only for me, I have tried several times to work a linear. I
> have a TS 2000 with the sat function and HRD sat program which allegedly
> adjust the Doppler, 2m/440 SSB and a Elk on a rotor w/fixed el.. Try as I
> might, I cannot get the tx and rx to match so I can duplex. 
> 
> There just does not seem to be single primer that one can follow on how to
> accomplish the process. There are multiple opinions from individuals, but
> not much of a consensus on a good standard process. Admittedly, I have
> problem not given a fair amount of time on my technique as I was
> concentrating on VUCC. Now that that will go to the card checker tomorrow, I
> need to spend some time on the linear. I just wish there was a 'manual'
> 
> 73, Ted
> K7TRK
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
> Behalf Of Thomas Doyle
> Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 12:02 PM
> To: AMSAT-BB at amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Two Questions
> 
> I have two questions that I have wondered about for quite a while.
> 
> There was a gap in my satellite activity of 20 years or so. AO-10 was the
> last satellite I used a lot.
> Not sure what sparked my interest again but I have been having a great time
> on the satellites.
> Right from the beginning I noticed that things have changed a lot. I have
> made about 70 contacts
> on CW, SSB and FM. Most of the contacts have been on FM.
> 
> Question 1 relates to activity levels. I have 270 something countries on HF
> so I have been in my
> share of DX pileups. What I find really strange is how there will be the
> usual horrific pile up on AO-51
> and then when an FO-29 pass comes a short time later there will usually be
> no one on. I realize the
> emphasis is all on "keeping it simple" but wonder how this change occurred.
> Did it happen all at
> once - did it happen when the last HEO satellite died. Are the linear sats
> too complicated. Do people
> not have SSB and CW equipment or are they just not interested anymore.
> 
> Question 2 relates to the rest of the world. I notice that FO-29, which
> seems to be the best linear
> satellite, came from Japan. What is activity like in Japan/Europe and the
> rest of the world outside
> the US. Is it mostly just FM on V/U sats. I believe the current US effort is
> an FM only Fox with a
> linear sat in the "2015 time frame". Since the FO-29 activity is almost zero
> it would see strange to
> put up another US linear sat at any time. As old as I am the "2015 time
> frame" might be beyond
> my chicken little date so I wonder if there are there any LEO linear sats in
> the works in other parts
> of the world.
> 
> I am not complaining I just wonder what happened and what the future holds.
> Feel free to reply
> directly.
> 
> 73 W9KE tom ... AMSAT LM 0875
> 
> 
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