[amsat-bb] Re: The Ham Radio Bucket List

Mon Apr 15 07:52:59 PDT 2013

Hi Bob:

I use a Yaesu FT-60r  with a homebrew handheld 3 element loop yagi.  I only 
work half duplex. For full duplex I use a Baofeng UV3R (cheap but does 
work). The Kenwood TH-F6A is great. Make sure the HT will do cross band. 
Also use a good duplexer.
There are many other great radios out there and a lot more operators on here 
that has more insight than I.
I been on the birds since 2000. Licensed since 1979.
I work the birds as much as my work sked will allow.
73
Joe...AC4NY
EM73dp

(My neighbors thinks I lost it; running around the yard with a handheld
> antenna)!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Garceau" <rgarceau at snet.net>
To: "'ac4ny_1'" <ac4ny_1 at juno.com>
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2013 7:09 AM
Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Re: The Ham Radio Bucket List

> Hi Joe:
>
> I have been following this thread and have a few questions.
> I have been in ham radio for 50 years. And, yep, satellite radio has been 
> on
> my "I got to do this" list.
>
> Can you suggest a good HT?
> I have my antenna picked out and that's the arrow.
>
> Any help is most appreciated.
>
> Bob Garceau, W1EQ
> DXCC Honor Roll
> Triple Play Award #5
> DXCC Challenge 2149 band/countries
> Ex. K1YRP, USA-CA All Counties #342
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
> Behalf Of ac4ny_1
> Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2013 3:17 PM
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: The Ham Radio Bucket List
>
> Welcome to the birds and keep up the good work!
> Working satellites is addictive. Hi Hi
> 73
> Joe..AC4NY
> EM73dp
>
>
> (My neighbors thinks I lost it; running around the yard with a handheld
> antenna)!
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Les Rayburn" <les at highnoonfilm.com>
> To: <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
> Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2013 1:11 AM
> Subject: [amsat-bb] The Ham Radio Bucket List
>
>
>> I've been a ham well over 40 years, since my childhood. Back then, I 
>> could
>
>> barely afford the Heathkit transmitter, Halicrafters receiver, knife
>> switch, and longwire antenna that made up my shack.
>>
>> My elmer used to let me borrow his copy of QST and I'd dream about all 
>> the
>
>> great adventures that I'd have "someday" in ham radio. Being a child of
>> the Space Age, key among them were anything related to the New Frontier.
>>
>> EME (Moonbounce), Meteor Scatter, and satellites all seemed like the 
>> stuff
>
>> of science fiction---and I longed to experience them all. But they were
>> exotic, and required equipment far beyond my reach. I resolved to
>> accomplish them all someday and added them to a sort of ham radio "bucket
>> list" that I hoped to accomplish before my ham career was over.
>>
>> Five years ago, shortly after getting started in weak signal VHF work, I
>> checked off the first item on that list. Working meteor scatter contacts
>> with the aid of WSJT software, and during a Perseid shower, even using
>> SSB. What a thrill to make contacts off the ionized gasses of those tiny
>> rocks. Thanks Joe Taylor!
>>
>> Tonight, I managed to check off a second. I worked Art, K4YYL on FO-29, a
>> Japanese amateur satellite!
>>
>> My journey to the "birds" started about a month ago when I joined AMSAT,
>> determined that 2013 was going to be "the year" when I finally got active
>> on satellites. I purchased a copy of SATPC32 software, because I knew 
>> that
>
>> it could control my IC-910H--hopefully making it easier to get active.
>>
>> After listening to a few passes on both the FM and the SSB/CW birds, I
>> decided to try my luck on the less-crowded FO-29. A brief CQ was quickly
>> answered by Art. I adjusted the tuning knob just a bit to correct for the
>> Doppler effect, and voila! there he was clear as a bell.
>>
>> We had a brief QSO of perhaps ten minutes or so, and then we signed. I 
>> was
>
>> quickly called by K4FEG near Memphis in EM55---who just wanted to welcome
>> me to the birds!
>>
>> Man, what a thrill! And it wasn't tough at all.
>>
>> I'm using a 7 element 432 antenna tilted up to 15 degrees (fixed) and a 6
>> element 2 Meter beam tilted up to about 10 degrees (fixed) both inside my
>> crowded attic. The SSB Electronics pre-amp helps a ton on 432, and the
>> 1/2" hardline makes sure that I don't lose too much signal. So far, I've
>> been able to copy the birds down to about 2 degrees above the horizon
>> using this setup.
>>
>> Now to attempt that EME contact! I've got a 12 element Yagi just waiting
>> to deploy in the driveway once the weather warms a bit. Hoping to use 
>> WSJT
>
>> to work one of the monster stations on EME. All this in a deed-restricted
>> HOA neighborhood.
>>
>> I wasted 35+ years on HF----man, all the fun really is in the World Above
>> 50 MHz! Thanks for helping to make
>> a boys dreams come true at age 51!
>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> 73,
>>
>> Les Rayburn, N1LF
>> 121 Mayfair Park
>> Maylene, AL 35114
>> EM63nf
>>
>> 6M VUCC #1712
>> AMSAT #38965
>> Grid Bandits #222
>> Southeastern VHF Society
>> Central States VHF Society Life Member
>> Six Club #2484
>>
>> Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
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