Hello Larry, Any terrestrial beacons on 432 MHz to listen to ?
The + vs. X configuration, no real advantages in satellite comms except rain will wash off better with the X config. X pol is X pol, no matter how you rotate the boom. If you are planning terrestrial comms, consider the The + config since most terrestrial comms are H polarization. Have you got your pointing accuracy correct to true north ? Any way to verify pointing accuracy, like with a terrestrial beacon ? Have a friend go out with his TX and verify pointing accuracy. On a rare occasion coax wears out intermittently, center pins can get pulled back making poor contact. Listening to a /B, wiggle the antenna and look for intermittent signals. Are all coaxial connectors sealed from the weather ? The VSWR at 1.5:1 is good, but not spectacular. What did you get before ? Does the VSWR change as you wiggle the antenna ? Should be steady, no matter where you look. Does the az/el positioner work ? does it move ? Stan, W1LE Cape Cod FN41sr On 11/29/2010 8:14 PM, larry wrote: > Good evening, > > Name here is Larry, N1MIW. I recently moved to a better (higher) QTH and > finally got around to setting up the satellite station "almost" like it used > to be, but am experiencing some reception difficulties on UHF. I'm hoping > someone out here can help me diagnose what I'm doing wrong, or what the > problem is. I am using a Yaesu FT-847 which is computer controlled, as well > as the Yaesu G-5400 rotator. The antennas are mounted on a solid fiberglass > mast only ~17 feet off the ground, and fed with LMR-400. The frequencies are > correct for the satellite I want to use. > > My problem is with the 436CP30 antenna. I cannot seem to find good > results with it since my move - terrestrial or sat related. My SWR is around > 1.5:1 at 435MHz, and the polarity switch is working. I tried changing > feedlines and removing the pre-amp, but I still cannot seem to make it work > correctly. I am trying to receive SO-50 D/L, and VO-52 U/L, but both are > just not working like I remember it being before the move. I don't have any > broken or mis-aligned elements (that I noticed - I'll look again). The only > thing I was looking into was instead of having it placed on the boom in a > "+" pattern was making it an "x" pattern - would that make a difference? I > don't remember hearing or reading about that anywhere, so I was looking for > your opinion. > > On a side note, what's your opinion of this antenna? Like I said, I used > to have good luck with it, but I'm not sure what's different, except the new > home. Should I get "horizon" to "horizon" coverage (plus or minus a few > degrees)? Oh, I also looped the coax off the back like the manual states, > but the improvement is very minimal. I checked the "jumpers" at the tuning > box, and they seem OK too. > > I'm running out of ideas, and any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks& > looking forward to working the birds again! > > 73's... Larry N1MIW > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________________ 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
