Amateur Radio · VHF/UHF · Summits On The Air · Colorado Mountains · Adventure
I do a lot of SOTA activating using 2m FM and have developed a few operating habits that can really make a difference. These may seem obvious but might be overlooked by operators new to the game. To get an overview of using VHF for SOTA, look at this article: How to Do A VHF … Read more
Congratulations to AMSAT for the successful launch and initial deployment of the Fox-1A amateur radio satellite.This bird has been designated AO-85 and has an FM transponder on board (435.180 MHz uplink, 145.980 MHz downlink). I have not heard or worked this satellite yet but early reports indicate that it has a strong signal on the … Read more
Just catching up on a few things spewing forth from the internetz. From the Great Minds Think Alike Department, Jeff KE9V suggests that the world needs a really good transceiver focused on 50 MHz and higher. I’ve always had this irrational attraction to VHF and higher and would love to have a solid radio in … Read more
It was time to upgrade my Verizon Wireless phone, so I decided to move to a smartphone. After pondering whether to go with Android or Apple, I finally settled on the iPhone 4. I still miss the The Real Keyboard on my old LG EnV3, as it is nearly impossible to type on a shrunken … Read more
There was an interesting exchange on the AMSAT-BB email list last week. Dave KB5WIA noted a strange signal on the AO-51 satellite: I just thought I’d relay a bit of QRM I observed on AO-51 on this morning’s 3/16/2011 1322z pass. The bird was totally quiet (just a nice carrier) for the first 5 minutes … Read more
STS-133 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Feb24th. This is the 35th shuttle mission to the International Space Station and the last <sob> flight for Discovery. A few people were fortunate enough to see the launch from a passing commercial airliner. How lucky is that! – 73, Bob K0NR