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Author Topic: Sterling Virginia Launch AM 2 June 2013  (Read 2502 times)

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Sterling Virginia Launch AM 2 June 2013
« on: June 02, 2013, 1646 UTC »
I tried out the new dish again this morning (still from inside aimed out the window) and had pretty good reception, all things considered. Especially since I have very tall trees directly in the path.

The dish is designed for Wifi (2450 MHz), I modified the feed dipole, lengthening it for use at 1680 MHz. It has a claimed gain of 24 dB, and from my experience is quite directional.

Here is a map of the path based on the captured GPS data:



The straight line from Muddy Branch to Rockville is due to lack of data during that time period. That was the beginning of the capture period.

Here is a plot of the altitude:



After the burst, the sound of the signal immediately changed and the signal level dropped a lot, I guess due to the sonde tumbling before the chute opened. By the time it did, the signal was already too weak to decode, although I could hear it until 1300 UTC.

When it stopped decoding (just after crossing back into Virginia) it was almost exactly 50 miles away.

My plan for this week is to set up the dish on some sort of tripod and use it outside.
Chris Smolinski
Westminster, MD
eQSLs appreciated! csmolinski@blackcatsystems.com
netSDR / AFE822x / AirSpy HF+ / KiwiSDR / 900 ft Horz skyloop / 500 ft NE beverage / 250 ft V Beam / 58 ft T2FD / 120 ft T2FD / 400 ft south beverage / 43m, 20m, 10m  dipoles / Crossed Parallel Loop / Discone in a tree