[amsat-bb] Amsat - SOTA

[Dmitry Mizin]

HI Oscar,

It is really great to hear of someone trying to work satellites from SOTA.
Myself, and quite a few others have done it successfully, and plan to do
again. But I believe, all of those who succeeded were using either Arrow or
Elk - which both are directional antennas. Since doing SOTA we can only
take as much as our back will hold, most would be using a couple of HT's,
or Kenwood D-72. And with 5 watts - you do need to be spot on with the
bird. Anything that is not a directional antenna - you will be wasting a
lot of RF and will have a hard time time making into the satellite. Not
impossible, as there are a few people who have been successful with just a
couple of HT's and rubber ducky antennas, but those passes will need to be
high above you and you will be lucky to make a few contacts. I have done it
once, and it was not pretty. But a few here have done it on quite a few
occasions.

When I take my Arrow antenna to the summit - it adds a few pounds, but not
much space. My usual antenna is vertical for HF. I just roll Arrow into the
same pouch bag. So, it is about managing the weight of your backpack.

Just my 2 cents here. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any
other questions.

Dmitry N6DNM

On Sat, Jul 18, 2020 at 4:39 PM Oscar Acton via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am new to satellite operations. I tried to access Lilacsat2 from a SOTA
> summit today and failed. I did manage to call into AO-92 yesterday and I
> was heard by four stations (but I couldn't receive the downlink).
>
> I was using a 2m dipole to transmit (I am fairly confident I was getting
> into the satellite today) and a 2 element 70cm yagi. Now, I think two
> things went wrong. Firstly, I had no way of directing the antenna
> accurately (I had to guess on the angle and azimuth), and secondly, the
> antenna isn't very powerful, is small and isn't tuned brilliantly (it's a
> 70cm yagi but I get SWR of 2.2 on 70cm).
>
> Firstly, I'm wondering how precise you need to be in directing the beam?
> Can I just hold it in the vague direction that the satellite is approaching
> from, or do I need to work out the headings?
>
> Secondly, I am wondering if my equipment is likely to cut it. As I said,
> yesterday I was told that my signal was getting in - quiet but fully
> readable using my Diamond x30. I don't want to transmit if I can't receive
> in case I talk over someone or cause some interference. I won't be able to
> buy an arrow or a powerful beam antenna for around a year, but I am really
> desperate to work the satellites. Wondering if there are any ways that I
> can use my current equipment in order to work it (whether that be from my
> Home QTH or from a SOTA summit).
>
> I have:
> Yaesu FT-2980 (2m only, limited to 10 watts)
> Anytone 868 (8 watts max)
> Baofeng GT-3TP (8 watts max)
> 2 ele 70cm yagi
> 2m dipole
> diamond x50 collinear at the Home QTH
>
> Hoping for some advice.. I would love to hear stories of you working
> satellites during a Summits On The Air activation, and I would be
> interested to hear of your station setup (and whether you have had success
> with a minimal setup like mine).
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Oscar M7OJA (IO94HT)
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