[amsat-bb] Re: Anyone on VO-52 around 00:15Z 2/18?

[i8cvs]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Burns Fisher" <burns at fisher.cc>
To: "AMSAT BB" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2012 1:37 AM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Anyone on VO-52 around 00:15Z 2/18?

> I'm sort of excited, sort of disappointed...I believe I FINALLY heard
> myself on a satellite!  I have gotten my 70cm uplink antenna working and
> I'm pretty sure I could hear myself on VO-52 as it passed high over New
> England at about 7:15PM 2/17 EST, 00:15 2/18 UTC.  But I'm a bit unsure.
>  First, my voice seemed very distorted in the headphones.  Of course it is
> hard to tell when you are talking!  Second, I could not get any CW signal
> bounce.  And finally there was NO ONE else that I could hear in the
> passband.
>
> So I'm just wondering if anyone else was hitting VO-52 about that time, or
> if anyone might have heard me (W2BFJ).  Trying to clarify whether VO-52 is
> just not very busy or if I was not really hearing it after all!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Burns, W2BFJ

Hi Burns, W2BFJ

First of all see if you are able to receive the beacon of VO-52 that is a
steady  unmodulated carrier at nominally 145.936 MHz +/- doppler.

If you are using circular polarization receiving in 2 meters please note
that for good reception it must be LHCP i.e. left hand circular
polarization !

If you are not able to receive the beacon at 145.936 MHz going down
slowly in frequency because of doppler it means that there is someting
wrong in your receiving system because the downlink of VO-52 has
very strong signals.

Have fun and 73" de

i8CVS Domenico