Instinctive thought:
Pick up a little 13cm handheld.
Subsequent thought - I’m not sure these even exist, and the mode will be SSB/CW anyway.
Next thought:
Pick up a suitable transverter for the 817.
Evil thought:
That’s the TX sorted … just use the webSDR linked above on my smartphone for RX… 
I would wait for a few months as I predict there will be plenty of only-slightly-used Es’Hail-ready equipment on the second-hand market.
Good thinking.
The first FT-8 has just been spotted on Es’Hail.
Now you’re talking!
I’m thinking about ordering the 13 cm transverter from Hristiyan. I am very satisfied with the 23cm version, as well as the recently released 20W PA.
There was loads of FT-8 testing yesterday. People were pushing up with one computer TXing through their 13cms gear and decoding with another computer from the SDR downlink.
The ability of several proven web SDR downlinks is wonderful in enabling you test your uplink. Regular 23/13cms SOTA activator Andrew G4VFL was copying himself using his SG Labs 2W transverter and 12 ele Yagi.
It won’t be long before an Es’hail transverter appears I think. 2m=>13cm TX and LNB IF freq => 2m RX. I expect SG Labs will produce one.
Not a 70cms IF Richard? They have that for TX already.
Which I believe was the reasoning behind setting up the WebSDR at Goonhilly, so that people could concentrate on the TXVertor plus antenna.
I wonder how long before we see a firmware upgrade to a 2.4GHz WiFi router so that it can produce a few milliwatts of SSB or CW (created and driven from a PC) DD-WRT-HAM ?? Add amp and antenna and away you go …
(the PC software generating the SSB/CW/Digital modes, also acting as an WebSDR client for receive).
73 Ed.
Don’t DB6NT - Kuhne electronics already have one … Yes here we are:
Upconvertor from 2m to 2.4 GHz plus down convertor LNB from 10GHz:
https://shop.kuhne-electronic.de/kuhne/de/onlineshop/EsHail-2/
Its in the wrong place…
Yes or 70cm.
No. That’s really not what I’m talking about.That’s just what it says - an up converter and an LNB. You still have to get the LNB IF down-converted if you want to receive on the same radio that you are using to up-convert.
Left hand side of advert - up-convertor, right hand side of advert - down convertor.
The down-convertor injects a 9GHz signal in, it seems - what IF is that going to be; 10,490-10,500MHz minus 9360MHz = 1130-1140MHz - a little below 23cm. I wonder why that is?
The LNB/Down convertor is already sold out, I can’t find the up-convertor in the price list. So all very new of course.
And you do have to supply your own dish(s).
73 Ed.
Or VK is in the wrong place. Can’t you sail VK around Cape Horn and position it in the South Atlantic? 
It’s not in the wrong place, it’s a second payload on a satellite that will provide TV and data services to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. AMSAT-DL were lucky to get the opportunity.
The whole of North America (and a lot of South America) are not in the footprint as well. Once AMSAT-NA get their geostationary Satellite up (when, I don’t know) they will no doubt add NA coverage but I wonder if the future geo-stationary amateur satellites will ever be linked via an earth station to give half the globe coverage? Actually I hope not as it’ll just be like using a cell phone then to make DX contacts.
73 Ed.
So FT-8 then?
Someone has just posted a video showing reception of the downlink with just an LNB - no dish!
Smartphone, OTG, DVB-T Stick, Octagon LNB.
…this is getting seriously portable.
Hi Richard,
Can you give the link to the video please.
73 Ed.
