[Amps] VHF all-mode and DC-to-daylight rigs
Catherine James
catherine.james at att.net
Thu Jan 5 14:19:34 EST 2017
Manfred Mornhinweg <manfred at ludens.cl> wrote:
Cathy wrote:
>> I have seen many, many online posts asking for an all-mode VHF/UHF
>> rig that doesn't include HF. These used to be available, but have disappeared.
> Such rigs appeared on the market at a time when there was a growing
> swarm of active ham satellites in orbit.
This is a good point. I don't do satellites; I use these radios for weak-signal VHF
terrestrial via tropo propagation. Everyone I know who is active on VHF/UHF
non-FM is either doing tropo or meteor scatter.
My IC-821H was clearly designed for satellite work, but that's not why I bought it.
For weak-signal usage, you want low noise figure and high sensitivity, but you really
don't care about dynamic range. You are unlikely to have a strong signal
next door to desense your rig. There is plenty of bandwidth and few signals.
> being pushed aside by private and institutional Cubesats posing as ham sats.
I am very unhappy about this.
I do hope that with the launch of Phase 4 and geostationary communication
on 5/10 GHz, we'll see a new era of ham satellite usage. I know several local
hams who are interested in building the 5/10 GHz ground station.
> Since there are no really usable sats, there is no demand for VHF/UHF SSB operation
Your club doesn't do weak-signal tropo VHF? That's too bad.
73,
Cathy
N5WVR
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