> > I am thrilled with the news that AMSAT is moving forward with plans to build > and launch a 1U cub sat with a U/V (Mode B) transponder. However, > consistently hitting the uplink with HTs that tune no finer than 5 kHz will > be a challenge. I learned that last winter when the ISS repeater was active > in Mode B. When I used my FT-817 as a transmit radio and could use the main > tuning dial to infinitely fine-tune the uplink, I had much better - and more > consistent - success hitting the uplink than with my HT, which will only tune > in 5 kHz steps. > It's all in the receiver design. The ISS D-700 isn't designed as a satellite receiver, and has a narrow front end.
Think of it this way. With 5 khz steps you are always within 2.5 khz of being "on frequency", right? We operate the V/U FM satellites all the time without tuning the uplink, and that means we are up to 3 khz off, and everything works fine! So 2.5 khz will be a piece of cake too, plus folks will hear the 2m downlink much easier. 73, Drew KO4MA _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
