[amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations (where???)

Thu Feb 18 02:20:02 UTC 2016

OK, fair enough.. In my case this was a morning (10:15 EST) ascending pass on saturday 2/13. I was located at BWI airport and AOS was slightly to the southwest. I worked the satellite when it was west of me just short of mid pass at a little over 30 degrees. The station I worked was in Vermont who commented I had a good signal into the satellite. This is all subjective and not very accurate but I also didn't plan on working the satellite, it was completely opportunistic.   
- Howie AB2S

> From: bruninga at usna.edu
> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 19:55:52 -0500
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations (where???)
> 
> Argh!...
> 
> These testimonials of when people heard the satellite and what it took to
> hit and where it was in their pass are -meaningless- unless you say where
> you are relative to the millions of square miles of the country!
> 
> Someone on the west coast will have more than 10 dB better chance with any
> satelillite RISING from over the pacific, and someone on the EAST coast
> will have more than a 10 dB better change of a SETTING satellite over the
> Atlantic.  But unless people say where they are relative to the 3D
> geometry of the pass, and the rest of the mass of users and RFI from 350
> million other people and their part-15 emissions, any such reports make no
> sense to anyone else.  The guys in the Midwest in most of a pass will have
> a hard time ALWAYS.
> 
> People need to think in terms of WHERE the satellite is with respect to
> the other 700,000 hams in the country before any comments on link quality
> can make much sense.
> 
> The satellite on one's horizon and 1500 miles away is only 500 miles above
> SOMEONE ELSE.  That's 10 dB right there...
> 
> Soap box off.
> Bob, WB4APR
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Howie
> DeFelice
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 10:42 AM
> To: Paul Stoetzer; Clayton W5PFG
> Cc: AMSAT-BB
> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations
> 
> For what it's worth, I worked AO-85 for the first time this Saturday
> morning while sitting in the car using a 19" whip and Yeasu 857. I could
> hear the satellite almost at AOS but waited to transmit until sat was
> above 30 deg elevation since the 19" whip was 3/4 wavelength at the uplink
> freq. Got in the first time and made contact with N1JEZ. I never bothered
> to check SWR on this antenna and from the radio display power is down
> considerably. I did notice fading as well.
> 
> - Howie AB2S
> 
> > Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 09:13:40 -0500
> > From: n8hm at arrl.net
> > To: w5pfg at amsat.org
> > CC: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations
> >
> > Clayton,
> >
> > I have observed the same. Over the past couple of months, on directly
> > overhead or ascending passes to the east, I could never get in until
> > about TCA using about 20 watts to an Arrow antenna. On overhead
> > descending passes or to the west, I could not get in after TCA.
> >
> > Now, over the past few days, it's been much easier to work horizon to
> > horizon, but the fading is much worse throughout the pass and I am
> > constantly twisting to try to regain the downlink. Some times, neither
> > polarity works.
> >
> > According to DK3WN's Illum program, AO-85 will be in constant sunlight
> > until 2/25. We'll see if it returns to it's previous patterns after
> > that.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Paul, N8HM
> >
> > On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:08 AM, Clayton W5PFG <w5pfg at amsat.org> wrote:
> > > For the past several days, I have observed the following:
> > >
> > > - On ascending passes, I can activate the transponder at AOS very
> easily.
> > > Either polarity V or H works.
> > >
> > > - Previously, I needed 10-15 degrees at times on ascending passes to
> > > activate the transponder.  As I approached TCA, the challenge
> > > getting in always went away and I could get into the transponder
> easily.
> > >
> > > - Descending passes have never been an issue for me. I could access
> > > the transponder at AOS and activate the transponder as low as 0.1
> > > degrees elevation.
> > >
> > > - Downlink receive polarity seems to flip almost constantly or be
> > > equal at times.  I'm running a V or H antenna configuration (not
> > > RHCP or LHCP.)
> > >
> > > - Suspected reason is the spacecraft's spin rate has changed with it
> > > now in constant sun.
> > >
> > > - As a result I'm hearing some newer stations working AO-85 with
> > > handheld transceivers.  I've worked 2 new stations in the last 2
> > > days who emailed me directly after the pass stating they were seeing
> some success with an HT.
> > >
> > > Thoughts/comments?
> > >
> > > 73
> > > Clayton
> > > W5PFG
> > >
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>  		 	   		
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> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed
> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
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