[amsat-bb] Quads on the satellites

[Ron VE8RT]

Hi John,

   I use an eight element Cubex quad on the 2M side, fixed elevation
roughly 15 to 20 degrees, up 10M at tree top height (its the mid
arctic, thats a good sized tree here).  The azimuth tracking is manual
(usually ahead or behind the satellite).  For the most part I'm picking
up the FM satellites beacons between 3 and 1/2 degree from the horizon
just after updating the Keps and using Gpredict.  The drop off as the
satellite rises above the antenna beam, but decreases in range, hasn't
been a problem.  I can tell you from using the set up to bet a bearing
on a stuck mike on an APRS WX transmitter that the beamwidth is pretty
sharp, I can get the bearing to the stuck mike station  consistently
(its happened a couple of times) to within +/- 5 degrees using the S
meter or better yet the scope display on WSJTX on MSK144.

   On the 70cm side I'm using an old helix antenna I picked up used
over 20 years ago, so my antenna is NOT dual band.

   As an aside, with the antenna, with or without a preamp on the FM
satellites I've had Q5 copy on a pair of stations that couldn't hear
well enough to make an exchange to complete the QSO.

   I have not affiliation with Cubex or any other antenna company.  On
my QSL I have a photo of my place with the antenna in the back and
everything in site covered in a couple of centimetres of hoar frost.

   Ron VE8RT in DP22

On Mon, 17 Jun 2019 14:05:56 -0500
John Geiger via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:

> Has anyone tried the Cubix dualband quad on the satellites?  I am wondering
> (hoping) that it might have a better elevation pattern than my Cushcraft
> A270-10S dualband yagi does.  On Mode B passes, the satellite has to get to
> a 25 degree elevation or more before I really have a good chance at getting
> into the FM satellites.  It would be nice to have something that allowed
> for better success at the lower elevations also.
> 
> 73 John W5TD (ex AF5CC)
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-- 
Ron VE8RT <ve8rt at yknwt.ca>