JUNE 15, 2018 OVARC PRESENTATION Planning is the key to successfully - PDF document

JUNE 15, 2018 OVARC PRESENTATION Planning is the key to successfully working a satellite. Knowing in advance what will be needed is critical. Below are the planned requirements for my Field Day satellite station. Preparation for working a satellite • What radio(s) are you going to use? • What antenna(s) are you going to use? What computer and software are you going to use? • • What satellites are you going to work? • Prepare work sheets for each satellite pass you plan to work that include az, el, time, frequencies up/down/beacon and a polar plot • What kind of AC/DC power are you going to need? RADIO LIST: _ Elecraft KX3 w/2M module for VHF _ Yaesu FT857 and/or Kenwood TS2000 for UHF ANTENNA LIST : _ Arrow dual-band satellite antenna with az-el manual rotor time permitting _ Vertical magnet mount for SDR monitor COMPUTER AND SOFTWARE: _ Laptop with Linux Mint 18.3 (no WiFi required during passes) _ Gpredict for real-time tracking and preparation _ GQRX for SDR monitor _ FLDIGI for radio control presets and signal monitoring. This includes presets for each satellite for point and click operation. FM SATELLITE LIST: _ AO91 _ AO92 _ AO85 SSB SATELLITE LIST: _ AO73 _ EO88 _ XW2A _ XW2B _ XW2C _ XW2D _ XW2F POWER REQUIREMENTS: _ 12VDC 85a/h battery with PowerPole connectors and powergate for power supply and battery _ 12VDC 25A power supply operating from 120VAC for backup

MISCELLANEOUS: _ Battery powered lamp _ Digital voice recorder for logging contacts _ 100' extension cord for power supply _ 2 EA 25ft coax _ Power distribution box (PowerPole) _ Hitch mount for swing-up operation of antenna support pole _ Operating table _ Folding chair _ Umbrella and/or pop-up canopy Pass prediction sheets should contain the polar plot, the az-el listing, the transponder frequencies and modes, and at least 5 lines for each contact, similar to this: DATE/TIME UTC CALL LOCATOR SATELLITE NOTES ------------- -------- ------- --------- ------------------- 18/06/23/0001 K4WBR DM42kh AO-92 Very strong signal Tom's FIELD DAY 2018 QTH Latitude: 32.402783 / 32° 24' 07" N Longitude: -111.065428 / 111° 3' 55" W Grid: DM42lj Altitude: 2494 ft. Satellite station setup for Field Day 2018 A ) KX3 w/2M module A ) FT857D A ) Arrow dual-band antenna with truck mount and 4 ea 5' poles A ) 25' coax for 2M and 25' coax for 432 with BNC-female to BNC-female adapters for feed and BNC to SMA MALE for KX3 connection A) Laptop to control KX3 and FT857D (can we do this on one PC?) A) Digital voice recorder for capturing contacts A ) Pass prediction sheets for each satellite for each "good" pass in a binder with space for contact date/time, call, locator, notes A ) Battery-powered lamp A) Power breakout box with 10' #12 wire to battery connection A) Power supply for recharging battery, if needed, with 100' extension cord A) IF it can be done in time an az-el rotor controlled by Arduino or Pi3 The pass prediction sheets are screen shots from Gpredict showing the list of pass times, polar plot, frequencies, and an area for manual logging. Basically it contains everything you need to work that satellite at that time. Usually these are prepared a few days in advance, since the orbits tend to wander a bit so the closer to the actual time you make the sheet, the more accuracy you will have.

SAMPLE PASS PREDICTION SHEET All times are AZ/MST DATE TIME CALL LOCATOR COMMENTS ______ ______ ______ _______ __________________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ _______ __________________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ _______ __________________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ _______ __________________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ _______ __________________________________________________