Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will have
to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

Andy

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On 20/09/2021 13:39, andyW wrote:

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will have
to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

I've never used it.

As it's a geostationary satellite, once you have built/assembled your
ground station then you are limited to qsos with stations in the same footprint. There's no variation in coverage like there would be with
LEOs or regular qsos with ionospheric propagation.

But it's another aspect of the hobby so don't let me put you off.

--
Mouse.
Where Morse meets House.

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"andyW" wrote in message news:li%1J.386308$2Ht3.379635@fx01.ams4...

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will have
to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

You may want to listen to it before lashing out on some kit

https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/

About as exciting as watching paint dry.

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"andyW" <andrew@nojunqmail.com> wrote in message news:li%1J.386308$2Ht3.379635@fx01.ams4...

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I found
out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will have to
operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

Andy

I found this, it might help

https://m0lte.uk/index.php/2019/07/17/qo-100-eshail-2-probably-your-best-ever-dx/


S

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On 20/09/2021 15:59, David wrote:

"andyW"  wrote in message news:li%1J.386308$2Ht3.379635@fx01.ams4...

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will
have to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

You may want to listen to it before lashing out on some kit

https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/

About as exciting as watching paint dry.

Thanks for the link.
My interest in radio is building my own kit, I don't really enjoy QSOs
except to confirm the functionality/quality of the kit.

I realise that it is basically talking on a repeater which holds little interest for me (especially after listening in to some of my local
repeaters) but it's the making of the kit and getting things to work
that interests me most.

Thanks

Andy

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On 20/09/2021 15:11, A. non Eyemouse wrote:

On 20/09/2021 13:39, andyW wrote:

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will
have to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

I've never used it.

As it's a geostationary satellite, once you have built/assembled your
ground station then you are limited to qsos with stations in the same footprint. There's no variation in coverage like there would be with
LEOs or regular qsos with ionospheric propagation.

The footprint is the whole of Africa, Europe. the middle East, a lot of
Asia, some of South America and a bit of SE Asia so the potential number
of QSOs is large

But it's another aspect of the hobby so don't let me put you off.

That's what is interesting me, it's something else to try.

Thanks

Andy

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On 20/09/2021 16:49, Spud wrote:

"andyW" <andrew@nojunqmail.com> wrote in message news:li%1J.386308$2Ht3.379635@fx01.ams4...

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will
have to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

Andy

I found this, it might help

https://m0lte.uk/index.php/2019/07/17/qo-100-eshail-2-probably-your-best-ever-dx/

Thanks, that is interesting. I didn't realise it carried ATV signals too.

Andy

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In message <li%1J.386308$2Ht3.379635@fx01.ams4>, andyW
<andrew@nojunqmail.com> writes

Is anyone here into satellite communication?
I have made satellite QSOs on VHF/UHF, it's a bit hit or miss due to
doppler shifts are keeping the antenna pointed correctly but then I
found out about Es'hail. The fact that it is a geostationary satellite
means I don't have all the faffing with antenna tracking but I will
have to operate on much higher frequencies.

Anyone here used Es'Hail?
Thoughts? Pitfalls?

Andy

I tried receive only. I got a couple of PLL LNBs, one I modified to take
a 25MHz GPS locked reference. You can use an unmodified one and leave it
to settle in frequency

https://wiki.batc.org.uk/Es%27hail-2_LNBs_and_Antennaes

I made up a bias Tee to feed the 12V in and used a Funcube dongle with
an IF at about 600MHz. A cheap DV TV dongle will work as well.

I set up a 60cm dish on a pole and used the sun to get the right
azimuth and elevated the dish to get the signal. First of all I got the
strong ASTRA satellite , which is nearly on the same azimuth. I had to
move the dish as a house was getting in the way, in order to get Es
Hail. No problem and strong signals. It works with an old 35cm BSB dish
and also the LNB on its own.

I didn't try an uplink,.but a simple helical dish feed is all that's
needed beside or on top of the LNB ( the LNB looks through the helix)

I've a SG labs 13cm transverter which can be programmed to work at the
2.4GHz uplink rather than the usual 2.32GHz . This only gives 2W which
is enough, but SG labs do a 25W amplifier specifically for Es hail.

I might get round to doing the uplink sometime.

Brian GM4DIJ
--
Brian Howie

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On 22/09/2021 07:38, brian wrote:

It works with an old 35cm BSB dish and also the LNB on its own.

That's handy as I am just into my second month switching to virgin so I
have a dish on the front of my house waiting to be repurposed.

Andy

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