[amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?

[Mark L. Hammond]

Rotor/coax snags, then burned out motor.  Or just a burned out motor.
That's been the most common problem for me.    Stops turning...

Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]
AMSAT Director and Command Station



On Tue, Oct 6, 2020 at 6:28 PM Gary via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:

> I am curious do they stop turning or do they quit indicating?
>
> The Alpha Spid looks cool and reliable, but at a completely different
> price point.
>
> Thanks and 73,
> Gary "Joe" kk0sd
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org> On Behalf Of Bob Hammond via
> AMSAT-BB
> Sent: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 4:00 PM
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
>
> So, can I just park my LEO antennas south just a bit above the horizon for
> dedicated telemetry collection when not using them for sat ops?
>
> Bob W7OTJ
>
> On Tue, Oct 6, 2020 at 1:49 PM Stephen E. Belter via AMSAT-BB <
> amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:
>
> > Kevin,
> >
> > I'm in West Lafayette, Indiana, so no salt water.  My antennas are
> > M-squared medium size antennas, 2MCP14 and 436CP30 with polarity
> > switches, so not overloaded.
> >
> > Mark N8MH, has had similar experience with his Yaesu's.  Since he is a
> > dedicated telemetry collector like you, and since he is a control
> > operator for the Fox satellites, he replaces his rotors when they
> > fail.  He had a volunteer to repair his broken rotors, so I
> > transported 6-8 rotors from his garage in North Carolina (not near
> > salt water either) to Indiana.  Half were elevation rotors, half were
> > azimuth rotors.  I thought I was just having bad luck until Mark shared
> his experience.
> >
> > The last time mine failed, it was the azimuth rotor.  Pointing the
> > Yagis south just above the horizon worked a little better (long term)
> > than an omnidirectional antenna.  Since it failed while I was on a 3
> > month trip, I couldn't replace the rotor.
> >
> > I still recommend the G5500 rotors for normal operators, but they may
> > not be the best choice for 24x7x365 telemetry collection.  (I'm glad
> > they work for you in that mode.)  I've since switched to an AlphaSpid
> > rotor with a Green Heron controller.  You can buy the AlphaSpid rotors
> > without the controller (my recommendation for heavy duty use) and use
> > a Green Heron instead.
> >
> > Still:  YMMV
> >
> > 73, Steve N9IP
> > --
> > Steve Belter, seb at wintek.com
> >
> >
> > On 10/6/20, 3:53 PM, "AMSAT-BB on behalf of Kevin via AMSAT-BB" <
> > amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org on behalf of amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:
> >
> >     Steve,
> >         What are you doing that is wearing it out in 4-8 months?
> > overloaded?
> >     near the ocean with salt? something has to be wrong as mine go for
> > years.
> >
> >     73 Kevin WA7FWF
> >
> >     On 10/6/2020 10:21 AM, Stephen E. Belter via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> >     > Roy,
> >     >
> >     > In my experience, using the CP antennas with the G5500 will help
> > you collect and decode about 4-6 times more packets than an
> > omnidirectional antenna.
> >     >
> >     > But tracking the Fox satellites using the Yaesu rotors will wear
> > out the rotors in 4-8 months. Replacement rotors are about $250 each
> > (you won’t need to replace the controller).
> >     >
> >     > YMMV
> >     >
> >     > 73, Steve N9IP
> >     > --
> >     > Steve Belter, seb at wintek.com
> >     >
> >     >
> >     >
> >
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> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to
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> _______________________________________________
> 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!
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