[amsat-bb] Mode K (fact and fiction?)

[Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE]

Gents (et.al)
I used to love those RS birds!  "Easy-Sats" was an understatement.  I think
RS-15 is still up there but only the beacon is active.  My favorites were
RS-12/13 which I think were on the same rocket.  I don't know how many
grids/cards I got on CW and SSB with those two.  If I remember right there
was Mode K which was 2 Up and 10 Down and Mode T which was 15 Up and 2 Down.
I could hit those using 10 watts and a J-Pole on 2M and a dipole for 10M.  I
believe that 12/13 was somewhere around 250 miles up and RS-15 was around
1200 miles but I might be mistaken about RS-15.

I did find these: 
http://www.issfanclub.com/node/2463 
http://www.qsl.net/kd4cga/howtos.htm
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/rs15.php


Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE
EL09uf
http://www.eaglecreekobservatory.org
I was going to take over the world but then I saw something shiny!




-----Original Message-----
From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Robert
Bruninga
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2016 8:16 AM
To: AMSAT-BB
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Mode K (fact and fiction?)

> The late John Branegan, GM4IHJ (CDR, Royal Navy) did a lot of good 
> research on Mode K using the RS birds.
> ... an effective way of... satellite DX despite today's low orbits.

Thanks!  Ill research it.  The over the horizon DX aspect is what everyone
remembers.

And that is what I want to study.  My theory is that with the variability of
the ionosphere, that just as much as there is enhanced beyond-the-horizon
relay some times, there is also times of no-path because the ionosphere at
low elevations is bending the path away from the bird.

My theory is that hams like DX and remember the GOOD DX, but then
conveniently forget all the times when the link was dead.  So  I think what
I hear from "the good ole days" has to be taken with a grain of salt since
the dead band days are not as memorable as that rare double bounce hop to
timbuktoo.

So far, no one has described how often they could not even hear the bird or
get into it even though it was in range.  I think that is the data that is
missing?

Bob, WB4APR
HFSAT in 2018?
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