Recently, tens of #amsat ops made their 1st #moonbounce QSO. The thrill of #EME with a biggun creates an illusion of similarity to other modes. EME is different. How small a station you can hear? This thread elaborates on accurate predictions. No magic, only Physics! #hamradio 2/10 #EME is the only field in #hamradio that allows reliable predictions of station sizes that one can work. No smaller station beyond this prediction can be contacted under any conditions! You cannot bend the theory. The link budget can be expressed in Signal-to-Noise ratio-SNR

This is a simplified guide describing a bare minimum (!) for #EME operation of WSJT-X in Q65-60B on 432 MHz. A few settings are TRX-specific. Consult to your rig's manual for those

Step 1: Download stable version of WSJT-X at pulsar.princeton.edu/wsjtx.html

#amsat #moonbounce #hamradio Step 2: Install WSJT-X and open Settings
1) Fill in "My Call" and "My Grid"
2) Tick "Enable VHF and Microwave submodes"
3) Tick "Decode after EME Delay"

Bernd DL7APV asked me to QSP to the #AMSAT community that he will QRV this coming Thu, Sat, Sun and listen especially for #satellite setups. Use your chance to make your first ever #EME QSO - biggest challenge in #AmateurRadio 🌗

See how this can be done⬇️

#hamradio #moonbounce @AMSAT @amsat_sm @AmsatUK @amsatdl @planet4589 @ISS_Research @amsatf

https://twitter.com/M0SKN_SA5IKN/status/1619420624853803008

If you work via #GreenCube, try #EME with big guns. I promise, you will be amazed! As a proof of concept, I made a quick #moonbounce QSO with DL7APV with just a Yaesu FT-818, 40W, 1dB NF LNA and 15 el Diamond antenna held by hand! Easy QSO. Read on🧵
#amsat #io117 #hamradio #hamr 2/9 There are a number of extremely capable #EME stations on 70cm: DL7APV, HB9Q, NC1I. If you are enjoying decode rates above 80% on #GreenCube, don't wait and try #EME. You will likely complete your first QSO over the Moon faster than on the congested #IO117
#amsat #hamradio

LNA / preamp is an unpopular topic of the portable SAT discourse. Noise figure (NF) is assumed to be low due to absence of long cables. But what if NF of the system inherently is not top tier? Any benefit in using LNA with FT-817 & FT-818? 🧵
#hamradio #amsat #amateurradio #hamr NF & MDS are determined by the quality of the signal chain and the venerable FT-818 is not a star in that department. Under exact same conditions (antenna, cable etc) a very weak signal readable from IC9700 would not be copyable from FT-818. 2/7
#hamradio #amsat #hamr

When operating SAT-portable, the automatic Doppler correction of 2xFT-818 can be conveniently performed by a #RaspberryPi Zero W running #Gpredict and #Hamlib. Proven solid and reliable in DXing over the last 2 years. Read on for details 🧵

#amsat #hamradio #amateurradio #hamr Doppler adjustment can be made manually but beyond calling CQ things get cumbersome. An automated tracking allows to quickly hop between different stations in the very limited time of the pass. For DX skeds this setup brings you spot on on the transponder frequency. 2/8 #amsat

How portable can a #QO100 station be? Ultraportable, when running #FT8. No dish, <100 mW out (note the 3dB attenuator) and a 5000 mAh battery can power it for the whole day. 486 FT8 QSOs using this setup from JO89🇸🇪 so far. Few notes and thoughts
#amsat #hamradio #GHz_bands #hamr



This is neither the most light-weight nor elegant setup, yet it takes less backpack space than my LEO gear (2xFT-818 & Arrow). The size can be further cut down if an SDR is used. I don't do #SOTA or #POTA but have not heard of anyone adopting similar approach in their activations