Thanks.
PS: Mailing will be the best.
Summer
Summer is here at last in sunny Southern California. What does summer mean to me, well it's that time to clean out the garage, empty the gutters, and to clean out the ham shack. All the little notes with QSL information on them while I wait to get them in the mail and most of all, to get ready for Field day. That means getting up on the roof and pulling down the antenna structure and cleaning off the corrosion, bird ?????ing's and all that smog acid infested muck that collects on that used to be clean shiny aluminum. Cleaning out all the duplicate files in the computer, greasing all the copper contacts on the power supply's and batteries and that's just the beginning wait for fall. It starts over again....Satellite info for the Beginner
This new section from issue to issue will be updated with Satellite information gathered from the internet services.Modes:
The combination of uplink frequency, downlink frequency, and transmission mode are all lumped together into standardized satellite MODES. Here is a list of common satellite modes used by satellites covered by this article:
A - This mode requires a 2 meter SSB/CW transmitter and a 10 meter SSB/CW receiver and supports CW and voice.
B - This mode requires a 70 cm SSB/CW transmitter and a 2 meter SSB/CW receiver and supports CW and voice. Some satellites also support RTTY and SSTV in this mode.
K - This mode requires a 15 meter SSB/CW transmitter and a 10 meter SSB/CW receiver and supports CW and voice. This mode is unique in that it can be done with a simple HF rig.
JA - This mode stands for J Analog and requires a 2 meter SSB/CW transmitter and a 70 cm SSB/CW receiver and supports CW and voice.
JD - This mode stands for J Digital and requires a 2 meter FM transmitter and a 70 cm SSB/CW receiver and supports packet.
S - This mode requires a 70 cm SSB/CW transmitter and a 2.4 GHz SSB/CW receiver and supports CW and voice. Many people use a 2.4 GHz to 2 meter converter with a 2 meter SSB/CW receiver instead of buying a 2.4 GHz SSB/CW receiver.
T - This mode requires a 15 meter SSB/CW transmitter and a 2 meter SSB/CW receiver and supports CW and voice.
Some satellites have dual modes that operate simultaneously. For example, AO-13 can operate in mode BS which means that it can do both mode B and mode S simultaneously. Other common dual modes are KT and KA.
Also, satellites have 3 basic types of retransmissions: beacon, transponder, and repeater.
Beacon - Most satellites have a fixed Morse beacon at the lower end of the satellites band-pass transponder. This is useful to detect when the satellite has crossed the horizon and is in range for operation. It can also be used to determine Doppler shifts.
Transponder - A transponder is a band-pass repeater. It accepts a range of frequencies on the input and retransmits the entire range on the output. All offsets within that range are preserved. NOTE: since the satellite is transmitting many signals at the same time, it is dividing its output power amongst all of these signals. If someone transmits a very powerful signal into the satellite, it will spend most of its power retransmitting that signal and all of the other signals will drop in power. This is NOT a way to earn friends and people who overpower the satellites input are called "alligators" and are not very popular.
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