“Taking Amateur Radio to new heights” Nick G0HIK and myself G4VFL made a S2S QSO via the Oscar 100 satellite. We were on G/LD-051 and G/LD-049 so had an easy talk back on 2m to coordinate our effort. It worked quite well despite the low power. We then went on to qualify the summits with further QSOs. G4VFL’s kit Tx > FT-817 → SG-Labs → Patch Ant → 50cm dish Rx 50cm Dish Octagon LNB → G0MRF converter → FT-817. Nick was similar with 2 FT-817 to separate Tx/Rx. We didn’t work any regular chasers but Douggie G7CDA had a grandstand seat watching the WEB SDR QO-100 / Es'hail-2 Narrowband WebSDR There were no visitors during the activation, which was surprising on Holme Fell in the centre of the Lakes.
But if not, please email me this photo (address is good on QRZ.com), plus photos of the ops, and I can knock up a press release for some super publicity for SOTA.
80cm SATV dish on a Gorilla stand.
TCXO modified LNB
SG-labs 13cms transvertor for the up link
A QO-100 Downconvertor.
Two FT-817’s to enable me to hear my downlink.
This is my 2nd QO-100 portable station and I hope to keep refining it.
One of them is exactly as you have been thinking a portable dish.Maybe a central hub with spokes stressed with a cord around the circumference to produce the correct shape.
Perhaps a good thing considering the comments lots of folk receive about the fishing poles used by many. What would they have made of a satellite dish and no TV
Anyway, very well done and another first for the SOTA community
This is a good idea!
Would be a big challenge to build a portable dish which works satisfactorily and can be built with our amateur resources (tools, money, time …).
Also the military balloons Andy showed look realy nice. Are there more details about their inner structure available?
If you have big bucks you can buy a used Inmarsat TTI 7000. Normally you get the Inmarsat terminal with the antenna… you just want the antenna. Folds up like an umbrella. Don’t ask how much!
