Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: HF Satelite Repeaters ?  (Read 16951 times)

KF5BBB

  • Member
  • Posts: 9
HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« on: August 03, 2011, 06:43:26 AM »

Do any of the stationary satellites provide HF repeater service? I have a .98 m satellite dish on top of my motor home that I no longer use for Hughes internet connection any longer. I am wondering if I could aim it at a particular satellite (they are all numbered) & connect the dish to my transceiver for receiving signals from distant transmissions.
73, Julius KF5BBB
Logged

K8GU

  • Member
  • Posts: 719
    • homeURL
RE: HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2011, 08:35:00 AM »

In a word, no.  In the most general of terms, "HF" refers to a portion of the spectrum that is refracted back toward Earth by the ionosphere.  Because geostationary satellites are located far above the ionosphere, most HF signals never reach them.  If you are interested in commercial satellite transponders, you need equipment designed especially to use them and it is all microwave.  There were a few amateur satellites that used the 10- and 15-meter bands, but you are better off just building a dipole for those bands than trying to shoehorn/Red Green something together from a commercial satellite dish (and attendant feed/LNA/downconverter)...
Logged

AA4PB

  • Member
  • Posts: 15504
RE: HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2011, 01:06:10 PM »

Not only that, but to scale a 1M satellite dish to function in the 15 Meter band probably puts it in the vicinity of 200 feet in diameter!
Logged
Bob  AA4PB
Garrisonville, VA

ONAIR

  • Member
  • Posts: 3823
RE: HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2011, 09:52:26 PM »

Do any of the stationary satellites provide HF repeater service? I have a .98 m satellite dish on top of my motor home that I no longer use for Hughes internet connection any longer. I am wondering if I could aim it at a particular satellite (they are all numbered) & connect the dish to my transceiver for receiving signals from distant transmissions.
73, Julius KF5BBB
   Heard some hams talking about putting a HF repeater on a helium or weather balloon.  Not sure what ever came of it.
Logged

KG4NEL

  • Member
  • Posts: 543
RE: HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2011, 11:29:30 AM »

Do any of the stationary satellites provide HF repeater service? I have a .98 m satellite dish on top of my motor home that I no longer use for Hughes internet connection any longer. I am wondering if I could aim it at a particular satellite (they are all numbered) & connect the dish to my transceiver for receiving signals from distant transmissions.
73, Julius KF5BBB

In addition to what else was mentioned, because ham satellites aren't geostationary like most commercial ones are, you can't really "aim" the antenna at a fixed point, it has to be moved through the pass.

Phase-3 satellites were placed in higher orbits that were designed to maximize the time spent at apogee (so it "hovers" relative to the Earth like a geostationary one would), but all of those have stopped working.

Would be cool to have another Mode A sat up there, though (2 meters up/10 meters down).
Logged

ONAIR

  • Member
  • Posts: 3823
RE: HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2011, 02:33:18 PM »

Do any of the stationary satellites provide HF repeater service? I have a .98 m satellite dish on top of my motor home that I no longer use for Hughes internet connection any longer. I am wondering if I could aim it at a particular satellite (they are all numbered) & connect the dish to my transceiver for receiving signals from distant transmissions.
73, Julius KF5BBB

In addition to what else was mentioned, because ham satellites aren't geostationary like most commercial ones are, you can't really "aim" the antenna at a fixed point, it has to be moved through the pass.

Phase-3 satellites were placed in higher orbits that were designed to maximize the time spent at apogee (so it "hovers" relative to the Earth like a geostationary one would), but all of those have stopped working.

Would be cool to have another Mode A sat up there, though (2 meters up/10 meters down).

   Maybe a lot of us could chip in to put a balloon or a small aircraft up with all types of repeater equipment on board, for just a few hours a day?  Could be a really fun experiment! :)
Logged

WB6BYU

  • Member
  • Posts: 20896
    • Practical Antennas
RE: HF Satelite Repeaters ?
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2011, 01:18:40 PM »

Besides Mode A (2m up, 10m down) at least one of the Russian satellites ran 15m up, 10m down.

But none of those are geostationary, so you have to tack them and/or wait for them to pass
within view of your location.  The HF uplinks didn't tend to work very well, however, because
they would get jammed during contests by stations that weren't aware of the operating schedule
and band plan.
Pages: [1]   Go Up