12.01
2008-10-19 05:30:09 UTC
hello,
I have a beginner question. I am in the process of setting up my first
satellite station. My initial investment is minimal and I have chosen
to start out with a pair of 2m and 70cm omni antennas on the roof. To
help out a bit I am also adding a mast mount preamp on each antenna. To
protect the preamps they will be switched out of line by a RF sense
switch (one for each amp). For reference the two preamps and the pair
of RF switches are all made by Ramsey (I know there are better preamps,
but not available in my current budget). I am keeping this initial
adventure limited to the LEOs (and ISS, etc.).
_The question: _ When I assemble the RF switches I must choose a RF
range for the switch to work within. The range is determined by the
choice of a specific resistor. The default three ranges suggested are
0-10 watts, 10-30 watts, and 30-100 watts. I would be able to change
the range later but it would require removing the unit from the mast.
So... not having any experience (yet),_ what uplink power range is
recommend for non-gain antennas?_ Is there one range that should cover
the LEOs? If not, how much should I expect the required uplink power
needs to vary across various satellites? Is it different for each band?
I have read that it is always best to never be louder than the beacon
and that's fine. I'm just needing to know where to start off my
hardware choices.
Thanks in advance for any help from you folks with the know-how. I look
forward to a qso with you.
.paul ac0z
I have a beginner question. I am in the process of setting up my first
satellite station. My initial investment is minimal and I have chosen
to start out with a pair of 2m and 70cm omni antennas on the roof. To
help out a bit I am also adding a mast mount preamp on each antenna. To
protect the preamps they will be switched out of line by a RF sense
switch (one for each amp). For reference the two preamps and the pair
of RF switches are all made by Ramsey (I know there are better preamps,
but not available in my current budget). I am keeping this initial
adventure limited to the LEOs (and ISS, etc.).
_The question: _ When I assemble the RF switches I must choose a RF
range for the switch to work within. The range is determined by the
choice of a specific resistor. The default three ranges suggested are
0-10 watts, 10-30 watts, and 30-100 watts. I would be able to change
the range later but it would require removing the unit from the mast.
So... not having any experience (yet),_ what uplink power range is
recommend for non-gain antennas?_ Is there one range that should cover
the LEOs? If not, how much should I expect the required uplink power
needs to vary across various satellites? Is it different for each band?
I have read that it is always best to never be louder than the beacon
and that's fine. I'm just needing to know where to start off my
hardware choices.
Thanks in advance for any help from you folks with the know-how. I look
forward to a qso with you.
.paul ac0z