Now that our 2m EME Antenna Array is fully installed, we have turned our attention to the set up the EME Station Hardware in our Shack. Our plan is to do a mix of JT65 Digital and CW operation with our 2m EME…
AB1OC-AB1QB 2m EME Station Block Diagram – Phase 1
We’ve created a Phase I Architecture that uses an SDR Dongle and manual selection of Receive Polarity via a switch. We also added a receive splitter and a Transmit/Receive relay in front of an Icom IC-9700 Transceiver which is dedicated to our EME setup to enable both the MAP65 and WSJT10 Software Decoders to operate simultaneously.
This approach has some significant advantages when conditions are poor as one of either MAP65 or WSJT10 will often decode a marginal signal when the other will not.
Special Transmit/Receive hardware was created and added to the sequencing system in our EME station to permit the simultaneous operation of two separate receivers and software decoders for JT65.
The article also covers the installation of a Reference Locking Board in the IC-9700 which allows the IC-9700 to be frequency locked to a clock derived from GPS Satellites.
You can read all about the setup of our EME Station Hardware via the link above.
After a year’s worth of planning and 10 months of construction, we have our new 2m EME Antenna System installed on our EME Tower and working! This stage of our project took about a week…
We’re making good progress on a new 2m EME Antenna System here at AB1OC-AB1QB. Our Antenanns system is up on our EME Tower and we are working through the setup and integration of the equipment and software for our EME Station.
EME Antenna Installation Using A 50 Ft Boom Lift
We rented a boom lift and worked with Matt and Andrew from XX Towers to get our Antenna System up. Our antenna installation took a week to complete and it turned out quite well.
You can read all about this step in our project via the link above. We should have the work needed to bring the rest of our EME Station together sometime during the next few weeks. We can already receive signals that other Hams are reflecting off the moon!
Thanks to some great work by the ARISS Team, a new Voice Repeater system is operating on the International Space Station (ISS)! Here is the access information…
Thanks to some great work by the ARISS Team, a new FM Voice Repeater system is operating on the International Space Station!
ISS Voice Repeater Hardware
The link above provides the details and the information needed to access the ISS Voice Repeater.
I was able to work several stations using the new Voice Repeater this morning. It is very sensitive and uses 5 watts of downlink power with a good antenna on the ISS. I was able to make solid contacts using the Ground Station here using only 1.5 watts uplink power when the ISS was at 10 degrees above the horizon. At least one of my contacts was with a station using an HT with a whip antenna!
The voice repeater is sensitive enough and uses a power level that will enable folks with an HT and a whip antenna to make contacts using the ISS when its close to the horizon. It should also be easy to make contacts using mobile rigs that can support cross-band operation as well. Program your radios!
I’m looking forward to working you through the ISS!
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