[amsat-bb] Antenna Question

[Brad Smith]

I have two Arrow 2 antennas and have been using them since 2013 on FM satellites. I use a Kenwood TH-D72 radio which is full duplex, so I can hear myself very well when I get into the bird. I am wondering about a phenomenon that I experience and why it happens.

It is much easier for me to hit the bird (and I have a much louder signal) when the bird is just about on the horizon than when it is directly overhead, or at a very high altitude. This should not be the case, as overhead it is only 400 miles away, but on the horizon, it is 2,000 miles away. But I am so much louder at the horizon. I "boom" into the bird. Does anyone have any answer to why this is?
Brad KC9UQR