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Author Topic: Digital activity?  (Read 262 times)

KO6FE

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Digital activity?
« on: June 03, 2021, 11:39:26 AM »

Is the enough digital activity to make satellites useful to those who don’t do voice work? I’m mostly interested in grid hunting and operating from rare grids. I really don’t enjoy FM or SSB.

Thanks
Dwight
KO6FE
CN71
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WD9EWK

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Re: Digital activity?
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2021, 12:17:41 PM »

Is the enough digital activity to make satellites useful to those who don’t do voice work? I’m mostly interested in grid hunting and operating from rare grids. I really don’t enjoy FM or SSB.

In general, probably not. If you want to get those rare grids in your log, you'll need to break out the microphone and try FM and SSB. You can put rare grids on the satellites using digital modes, but you won't get many contacts. Again, break out the mic, and you will get more contacts if you are on from rare grids.

Most digital activity is 1200bps packet (APRS) through orbiting digipeaters like those on the ISS and NO-84. Both are currently unavailable, but the ISS digipeater should be coming back on around the middle of this month. There is 9600bps packet available through FalconSat-3, and its digipeater is operational. I have links to some articles on how to use these digipeaters on my QRZ page.

Some have been using FT4 through the linear transponders. But you usually won't hear the numbers of stations using these modes, compared to the numbers to stations that you hear in FM or SSB. On the linear transponders, you'll probably hear more CW activity than other digital modes.

73!


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Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/ - Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

N4UFO

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Re: Digital activity?
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2021, 02:34:43 PM »

I am not big on the 'talk modes' either... but most contacts on the sats are so short, it's not that bad. I got quite addicted and ended up not only working all 488 CONUS grids (plus nearly 250 more elsewhere), but took several cross country rover trips. Where most communicating is done is on twitter arranging the contacts, so that... is essentially digital, socially speaking. - Trust me, if you are a grid hunter, satellites will be very addictive. You KNOW when the propagation will be there! (Which means giving out grids can be hit & run on a schedule, relatively fast paced compared to other types of grid roving.)

It's one of the few reasons I have a mic hooked up. I say, give it a shot. That and DAMN, I need your grid on 6 meters! I am at a new QTH and having to start over, CN71 would be a good one to bag. Trust me, you would be very popular on the birds.  :D

73, Kevin N4UFO

(check out my N4UFO/P QRZ page for fun on roving sats) https://www.qrz.com/db/N4UFO/P
« Last Edit: June 03, 2021, 02:39:33 PM by N4UFO »
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