Does anyone do sats much anymore?? It seems that most of the birds are inop, never hear anything on the one or two left, even ISS has been inop for a long while. Most of the sat websites are out of date, some LONG out of date. Even AMSAT seems to be pretty much inactive. Has the thrill worn off?? Just curious. I picked up a Yaesu 847 and have tried varies antennas etc to no avail to even HEAR any one.?????? Lots of tracking programs, but like I said...most of the birds on FM are kaput??? How about digi???
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Activity???
- Thread starter w8fax
- Start date
For FM birds
SO-50 and ISS packet (schedule varies)
SSB/CW birds
VO-52, FO-29, AO-7 (switches between mode A and B)
You can check out OSCAR Satellite Status page by KD5QGR for up to date status reports.
Dave-KB1PVH
SO-50 and ISS packet (schedule varies)
SSB/CW birds
VO-52, FO-29, AO-7 (switches between mode A and B)
You can check out OSCAR Satellite Status page by KD5QGR for up to date status reports.
Dave-KB1PVH
I guess that times just change. Internet and so forth. Compared to years back, I still say there is little activity. AMSAT pages have not been updated for over a year (main page) Almost all of the sat pages around that I have looked at are years out of date. Most of the sats on the list are inop or semi operational, and I think a lot of them on the list are totally dead/gone. I dont even know for sure if AMSAT is still a viable organization. They had so much in-fighting and power struggle problems that I think they are not what they once were either. I see a few are endeavoring to raise funds to launch a couple more birds, but I dont see that happening. I guess sat communications have become like repeater SSTV, FM and CW......the thrill is gone???
Regarding Satellite Activity
I used to be very involved in satellite communications back in the early 80's, working some AO-10, but mostly the Mode A satellites ... RS-10/11, etc. In short all of the satellites that didn't cost an arm and a leg to get involved in. Now i have a station that will work AO-7, FO-29, and VO-52 ... all analog ... V/UHF SSB. I really don't make many contacts at all as there are not very many hams that want to invest in a bunch of equipment that will give them a contact that lasts maybe 15 minutes what with compensating for doppler shift, extremely weak signals, etc. I did work one ham a few months ago that was letting is computer compensate for the doppler and he was sliding up and down the band as he had something set wrong. He couldn't understand that you set the receive frequency and leave it alone, just slowly move the transmitter VFO to stay on your receive frequency. Oh well.
Anyway, over the years i watched as Amsat, cheered on by the ARRL boosters, design more and more sophisticated and expensive equipment to get up into the microwave bands saying that that was the way of the future. Wrong, it just meant that the poor hams had to outlay more and more money to follow along. And then the satellite stopped working or only worked half assed. I subsequently quit Amsat and the ARRL as i figured they were no longer supporting something that i was interested in. Then they came up with the flying FM repeaters so anybdy with an HT could get on. What a joke.
Maybe, just maybe, some country will come up with a rugged Mode A satellite again that will allow a ham with a modest budget enjoy simple satellite communications.
Hey, just my $ 0.02.
Cheers and 73
N6MYA
I used to be very involved in satellite communications back in the early 80's, working some AO-10, but mostly the Mode A satellites ... RS-10/11, etc. In short all of the satellites that didn't cost an arm and a leg to get involved in. Now i have a station that will work AO-7, FO-29, and VO-52 ... all analog ... V/UHF SSB. I really don't make many contacts at all as there are not very many hams that want to invest in a bunch of equipment that will give them a contact that lasts maybe 15 minutes what with compensating for doppler shift, extremely weak signals, etc. I did work one ham a few months ago that was letting is computer compensate for the doppler and he was sliding up and down the band as he had something set wrong. He couldn't understand that you set the receive frequency and leave it alone, just slowly move the transmitter VFO to stay on your receive frequency. Oh well.
Anyway, over the years i watched as Amsat, cheered on by the ARRL boosters, design more and more sophisticated and expensive equipment to get up into the microwave bands saying that that was the way of the future. Wrong, it just meant that the poor hams had to outlay more and more money to follow along. And then the satellite stopped working or only worked half assed. I subsequently quit Amsat and the ARRL as i figured they were no longer supporting something that i was interested in. Then they came up with the flying FM repeaters so anybdy with an HT could get on. What a joke.
Maybe, just maybe, some country will come up with a rugged Mode A satellite again that will allow a ham with a modest budget enjoy simple satellite communications.
Hey, just my $ 0.02.
Cheers and 73
N6MYA
Well this is really disappointing for me to hear. I have just gotten in to ham radio and satellite ops, but it looks like the crowd is already mostly gone 
. I really really wanted to make a contact with a satellite, but I'm not so sure anymore. I would at least like to try to hear some sort of telemetry/beacon. I haven't heard anything yet.
. I really really wanted to make a contact with a satellite, but I'm not so sure anymore. I would at least like to try to hear some sort of telemetry/beacon. I haven't heard anything yet.
Hang in there, there are a few still working the mode. It took some time before I made my first QSO and it was worth it. That QSL card from KA6SIP for a QSO from Salem, OR to the Bay Area with a VX-5 and an Arrow antenna while standing in my back yard was a kick and netted a prized card. Until the weather becomes a shade nicer here in the Pacific NW I'm content listening since my gear on the roof isn't satellite friendly. So using HRD and its Sat module along with the tracker app on my iPhone I know when to head into my office to flip the switches on. Heard some activity last weekend from one of them but didn't go outside since it was half way through it pass when I tuned it. Don't toss the towel in maybe its just the weather.
Never cared much for the FM birds. Sort of like a cross between a rare DX pile up and channel 19 during a high sun spot period.
Now the ssb sats are a different story. I miss the HEO sats like 10 and 13. Also realy miss the old RS birds. Man those were the days.
I still work AO-7 when I get the chance.
Now the ssb sats are a different story. I miss the HEO sats like 10 and 13. Also realy miss the old RS birds. Man those were the days.
I still work AO-7 when I get the chance.
Well this is really disappointing for me to hear. I have just gotten in to ham radio and satellite ops, but it looks like the crowd is already mostly gone
Do not give up hope just yet. while there is not nearly the traffic there once was, we still have a few ops in the neighborhood. When you do make your first contact it will be that much more exciting/deserving.
Well we'll just have to see how it works out. I've tried about 5 times to hear some satellites but nothing has worked so far. It doesn't help a lot that the amsat website is broken haha. I've got an app on my phone that can help me out, but I guess I just need to keep trying.
There is a link at the top of every page here on the forum....
WorldwideDX Amateur Radio Forums - Satellite Tracking
WorldwideDX Amateur Radio Forums - Satellite Tracking
Well the software gives me lots of very useful information, like a list of the next visible passes in chronological order, a map of the world showing where each satellite is, doppler shift, ground tracking, list of frequencies for each satellite etc. Before I was just using an app on my phone but I kept getting the frequencies mixed up. Now that's not a problem lol.
Quite surprisingly, whenever I try to talk on SO-50, there are SO MANY PEOPLE on it trying to talk at once that I can hardly get a word in edgewise. Even when people are talking on it, I can tell that more than one person is transmitting at once because of that tell-tale wobbling sound that FM makes. I used to think that ham sat ops were dead but it's actually anything but. You just need to make sure that you're listening to an active satellite. The past 4 passes that I've attempted, I actually have failed to make a QSO because there are so many freaking people all trying to talk at once lol. I suppose it's a good problem to have though. I'm just waiting for Amsat to get some more satellites out to spread the activity elsewhere.