[amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations (where???)
Howie DeFelice
howied231 at hotmail.com
Thu Feb 18 02:49:09 UTC 2016
LOL ... I KNOW Bob is very aware of where BWI is otherwise I would not have used that as a reference :)
Howie AB2S(airport: IAD)
> From: k7trkradio at charter.net
> To: howied231 at hotmail.com; bruninga at usna.edu; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations (where???)
> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 18:23:53 -0800
>
> Yikes...now we have to look up airport codes ! (Bob will not be happy)
> 73, Ted
> K7TRK
> (airport: KMFR)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Howie
> DeFelice
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 6:20 PM
> To: Robert Bruninga; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations (where???)
>
> 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
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > 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!
> > > > Subscription settings:
> > > > http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > 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!
> > > Subscription settings:
> > > http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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!
> > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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!
> > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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!
> Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>
More information about the AMSAT-BB
mailing list