am..Brew

in the back yard using camera tripods for
antenna mounts, the DX Handy' s telescoping
antenna. an AEA half-wave portable antenna
for 2m. and of course the LNW-28 preamp.
The entire setup worked bener than I anticipated.
RS I I 's beacon was strong , tuning
the passband was not too d ifficult. and
my upli nk was coming through loud and
clear. I only made one contact on this occasion-
KA0SHC in Kansas. His signal was
S-9, very strong and easy to copy. He returned
an S-5 signal repon for the signal
coming from the FT290R.
" The heart of this
system is AEA 's new
10m Handy, and the
older Yaesu FT290R."
Since then I've used the ponable many
times in some rather unusual circumstances. I
made contact with KA4BLN in Alabama
while on a tour at Griffith Observatory in
Hollywood CA. talked to WA 7NQQ in Oregon
from the south rim ofthe Grand Canyon,
and worked WW6J from the Disneyland Hotel
while attending Hamcon '88. I've also
mad e two brief contacts with WB6LLO in
San Diego through FO-12, with the addition
o f the CA435- 2 downconverter and a small
432 yagi, still using just the
FT290R and its telescoping vertical
with 2 Watts of uplink
power.
The "Black Bag Pon able "
is proof that amateur satellite
ground stat ions need not be
complicated or expensive . Ope
rating portable does have its
limitations. of course, bUI I've
fou nd a cou ple oftricks 10 make
it work. Hold ing the FT290R
in one hand while transmitting
and rotating it in the air for
strongest downlink keeps fading
at a minimum. As the satellite
passes , il slowing spins on
its axis so rotating the 2 meier
antenna keeps the polarity sense
the same between satellite and
ground. Mount ing the 10 meter
antenna at a 30 degree tilt from
vertical and rotating it in a 360
d egree c ircle has the same
effect.
One precaution: I've also discovered
that lay ing the to meier
preamp along side the Handy
can produce RF feedback and
cause the receiver to go into oscillation.
Always keep il at the
top end of the radio!
For those who are interested
in going portable. good luck.
You're in for some real fun! Ell
Photo C. A little FO-12 operation anyone? The author
worked WB6UO on Mode-J in two passes with three
Warts on the 2m uplink.
,
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