[amsat-bb] Advice for a portable ground station

[PE0SAT | Amateur Radio]

Hi Tom and others,

Maybe this link will answer your question.

http://ivok.home.xs4all.nl/pa1ivo/portable_satellite_setup.html

73 Jan PE0SAT


>> The lack of a fully searchable archive for this list has made this 
>> post
>> necessary, my apologies for a noob-style query.
>> 
>> 
>> I’m gradually assembling a portable ground station for the FM 
>> satellites,
>> primarily using John Heath’s (G7HIA) article “Down-to-Earth Satellite
>> Communications” (PDF), focusing on his “Awesome” configuration:
>> 
>> 
>> Dual-band HT
>> 
>> 
>> Diplexer
>> 
>> 
>> 2m amplifier
>> 
>> 
>> 70cm preamplifier
>> 
>> 
>> Arrow II antenna
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> In that article he uses RG58 coax, perhaps 15-20 feet max.  Is there 
>> a
>> better choice that also works in that application?  Considering the 
>> lengths
>> involved, price per foot is not really an issue.
>> 
>> 
>> He also calls out an RF choke at the feed point of the 70cm antenna, 
>> but
>> gives no detail about its material or construction.  It looks to me 
>> like a
>> few turns of RG58 on some type of ferrite core.  I’ve spent hours 
>> Googling
>> for information (commercial or DIY) and have come up mostly 
>> empty-handed.
>> All the “meaty” stuff is for HF only.
>> 
>> 
>> A final question concerns the various connectors involved.  The
>> illustrations in that article aren’t the best, but it seems that he’s 
>> using
>> BNC terminators on all the cables, and BNC-to-UHF adapters where 
>> required.
>> I’m concerned (perhaps too much) about cumulative losses, both from 
>> the coax
>> and all those adapters.
>> 
>> 
>> My goal is a tripod-mounted antenna, operating on battery power from 
>> various
>> parks and forest preserves nearby.



-- 
With regards PE0SAT
Internet web-page http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/
DK3WN SatBlog http://www.dk3wn.info/p/