[amsat-bb] Re: Enhance your Easy Sat Experience!

[John Geiger]

There was a FT530 going for $50 today on QRZ.COM.  That is one of the best 
full duplex HTs made. . You can usually find a W32A for $150 or so also.  I 
have also seen lots of Alinco DJ-580s recently for good prices as well.

73s John AA5JG

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary "Joe" Mayfield" <gary_mayfield at hotmail.com>
To: "'AMSAT'" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 5:28 AM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Enhance your Easy Sat Experience!


> There used to be a list of full duplex radios at
> http://thathamkid.com/fd_radios.html
>
> But that web seems to be dead.  Many of the full duplex handhelds can be 
> had
> for little more than a song on eBay.
>
> 73,
> Joe kk0sd
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
> Behalf Of Clayton Coleman W5PFG
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 9:43 PM
> To: AMSAT
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Enhance your Easy Sat Experience!
>
> Have you thought about upgrading your station to full-duplex capability?
>
> I realize that many amateurs jump into the satellite fray by utilizing
> an existing handheld radio and an antenna like the Arrow, Elk, or
> tape-measure beam. It's a great way to get your feet wet and make
> that "first" contact via the birds.
>
> Now, let's look at how we can do BETTER.
>
> Full-duplex has a very important purpose in the satellite world. It
> allows you, the ground station, to know that your signal is being
> received and retransmitted by the satellite. I'm not saying it is a
> mandatory but once you see its benefit, you may never want to go
> "semi" again.
>
> How do you really know you are being heard by the bird if you can't
> hear yourself? Answer: You don't.
>
> How do you know another station wasn't already being captured by the
> bird and in the middle of a QSO when you transmit? Answer: You don't.
>
> Let's talk about HOW to do full-duplex. First of all, you don't need
> base-station radios like the Icom IC-9100, IC-910, Kenwood TS-2000, or
> Yaesu FT-847. If you own two handhelds, chances are you have what you
> need!
>
> What you need is at least one radio capable of transmitting on the
> uplink and one radio capable of receiving on the downlink. For
> example using AO-27:
>
> 1. A 2m-only HT, set to the satellite's uplink, ~145.85 MHz.
> 2. A 70cm-only HT, set to the satellite's downlink, ~436.795 MHz.
>
> One added benefit is that while hearing the downlink, you can twist
> your handheld
> antennas (like the Arrow) to match polarity and peak your uplink.
>
> Technically you do not even need a radio capable of transmitting to
> hear yourself on the downlink. A scanner or pocket receiver works
> dandy!
>
> To get into full-duplex inexpensively, there are numerous options.
> You can buy a NEW Baeofeng UV-3R for about $50-60 USD, shipped. This
> radio could serve as an uplink or downlink radio, depending on your
> need. I'm not peddling these radios but using them as an example.
>
> If you have the Arrow with the built-in diplexer, simply bypass it by
> running a patch cord from each radio to the respective UHF and VHF
> beams. If you are running an Elk or tape-measure 2m beam, you will
> need an inexpensive diplexer to give you both 2m and 70cm feed points.
> One can be constructed easily or purchased from numerous vendors for
> $30-80.
>
> Give full-duplex a try. You will not only help the satellite
> community by eliminating unnecessary hetero-dyning tug-of-war, it will
> generally make you sound better on the birds! Oh, and use a pair of
> earphones or a headset when you give it a try to avoid feedback.
>
> 73,
> Clayton
> W5PFG
>
> Here are some more example full-duplex combinations:
>
> Wouxon HT - Downlink
> 2m only-HT - Uplink
>
> FT-60R - Uplink
> Baofeng - Downlink
>
> Handheld scanner - Downlink
> Dual-band HT - Uplink
>
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