Jan 19,
2009 (an archived page, this may contain outdated or
broken links)
I still get requests for this .. This
first appeared on my website in 2001.
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I
will use my radios . . . I
will update my website . . . I will
use my radios . . . I will update my
website . . . I
will use my radios . . . I will
update my website .
. .
| | Back
in the day, we really enjoyed Oscar13 ... Once upon a time, in
a
not-so-distant memory, I had built the satellite array of my
dreams . . . -
and was using it regularly to QSO around the world using the AO-13
satellite.
I had started
accumulating the pieces before leaving Denver in 1990, and had it
together as shown above in 1994. Shortly after this I added the ARR
RF-sensing/switching preamps, installed just under the rotor in the
pointy part of the tower. This was perched upon 30 feet of Rohn 25G,
and was fed with a 9913-style air-dialectric coax made by International
Wire & Cable (IWC-9086).
I had found a very rigid (1/4" wall) piece of fiberglass
round tube that fit inside the Yaesu/Kenpro
rotor, and painted it white to help fend off the UV it was sure to
receive. Apparently Google
never forgets some things, as I once had a diagram and description of
these phasing cables on this website - and every now and then I get an
email from someone asking if it is still available. Here is my original
description to go with the diagram posted above.
There
are better places
than
this, that explain how this works . . . So I won't.
With my array, I had
two KLM-14C for 145 MHz & two KLM-18C for 435 MHz.
The Yaesu/Kenpro
rotator allowed a long boom, with one of each on either side.
I used
RG-11 (75 Ohm) coax for the matching sections. With a
velocity factor
of .66, the 2m sections were 2.25 wavelengths (9/4) or 360.6 cm (~11.8
ft) long. The .7m sections were 3.25 wavelengths (13/4) or
174.8
cm (~5.7 ft) long. This allowed for a little slack in
adjusting the
physical spacing between each side of the pairs. I compared
the 2m
beam spacing at 1.05, 1.25, and 1.39 wavelength - and found lowest SWR
at 1.25 wavelength (101 in). The SWR for the 435 band was
influenced
by the 2m antennae spacing, but was generally lower and broader, the
further
apart they could go. I settled for 2 wavelengths (54 in).
Then bringing each pair
together with a standard coax "tee" connector, I used 50 Ohm cable
(9913)
to make the rotor loops, and deliver to the tower mounted
preamps.
For these relatively short pieces, I used multiples of half-wavelength,
to ensure 50 Ohm. For the 2m side, this was 1 wavelength
(2/2) -
172.6 cm or about 5.6 ft. The .7m piece was 3.5 wavelength
(7/2)
- 202.7 cm or about 6.6 ft. I have since moved a few
times, and sold/traded-off/given away most of that system. Hopefully
someday soon, we will again have such a wonderful satellite as was
AO-13. - Just might have to build up another such
antenna system when that comes about.
73 for now ...
/;^)
AO-13
(Phase3C) was an International project of AMSAT-DL and was
launched in 1988. |
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|
The local
ARES/RACES
organizations are consolidating some of the overhead associated with
registration and training of the membership. Join us on the 2nd
Thursday evening of each month for a good meeting at the HMC EMA EOC
(go to their new
website and learn more about this). Remember,
the severe weather
season is available year-round. Check for current SKYWARN
Spotter Classes.
The Huntsville
Hamfest
is coming in August. Never too early to start planning.
| Recent discoveries, rants and raves,
and experiments : + Be sure to check www.somenet.net
for interesting articles inbetween updates to this page. +
An amazing
software defined radio
!!! http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ +
UISS = really neat
digital radio program by ON6MU, see his website to download. +
Orbitron
= very sophisticated satellite tracking program by Sebastian, see his website to download. + NBEMS
= Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System - this works !!! (new Yahoo
group) + VHF
Propagation Map = using APRS beacons to visualize
current
propagation conditions. + APRS.FI =
another view of
the APRS-IS database, from OH7LZB in Finland. +
CWOP
= My weather instruments are still active and logging.
although
I'm not yet satisfied with the radiation shield I made for the external
thermometer.
+ eQSL.cc
= I am actually getting some more of my old
logs
entered . . . Previous pages from the archives
: +
2008 . . .+ 2007 . . . + 2006 . . . +
2005 . . .
| Additional
organizations, projects and web sites
that I continue to support and
promote : |
| This
generated image shows the
current orbital position of the
International Space Station . . .
Thanks
to www.heavens-above.com
for
excellent tracking and visual observation schedules.
I
really enjoy stepping outside to watch this beautiful machine fly over.
Thanks to Chris Peat's excellent web site, we can know exactly when and
where to watch for this and many other satellites.
| | Recently put in a real desk for my 'office'.
| |
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is where the
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