[amsat-bb] LituanicaSAT-1 FM Transponder Report 04-Jun-2014 UTC

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi Paul!

I was on the pass that started out here at 0202 UTC, and
worked W0DHB in Colorado followed by N5ZNL in Mississippi
before the satellite went behind the mountains to the east
of the Phoenix area.  I was in my back yard, using an Icom
IC-2820H at 15W into an Elk log periodic, using narrow FM
on the uplink.  I did not hear you or KK4VAU come on the
transponder.  This was a pass from the south to the east,
with maximum elevation for my location (DM43bn) of 13
degrees.

This satellite seems like a cross between SO-67 and what
the ISS cross-band repeater was like, the few times it
was in a V/U configuration instead of the more common
U/V configuration.  I had to wait for the repeater's
squelch tail to drop before I could hear myself through
the transponder, and - with the lower orbit - adjusting
for Doppler is very important.  Narrow FM is a must, and
I was able to deal with the 5 kHz tuning steps on the
IC-2820H when trying to talk through the transponder.

I plan on trying the next pass, which should start around
0336-0337 UTC.  This will come up from my west and wrap
around to the north, going up to a maximum elevation of
29 degrees.  Meanwhile, time to make a request (or make
another request) of the ARRL to add this satellite to the
LOTW system.

73!





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




On Wed, Jun 4, 2014 at 2:41 AM, Paul Stoetzer <n8hm at arrl.net> wrote:

> Good evening,
>
> I was on two passes of LituanicaSAT-1 over North America this evening.
> Signals sounded good, though I noted that the uplink sensitivity makes
> it difficult to work with just five watts of power output to a
> handheld antenna, except at higher elevations. My signal was in and
> out except at the middle of both passes. I neglected to make fine
> tuning adjustments on the uplink for Doppler as I had on previous
> passes. That might have made a difference had I done that.
>
> On the first pass, around 0031 UTC, KC9ELU in Indiana was the only
> station heard and worked.
>
> On the second pass, around 0207 UTC, KC9ELU was worked again as was
> KB1PVH in Massachusetts. Also heard were W0DHB in Colorado and KK4VAU
> in Tennessee.
>
> 73,
>
> Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
> Washington, DC (FM18lv)
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