2014-08-14
Listening to an SSB satellite
I listened to a satellite pass today of the AO-7 satellite. This is the first time I tried listening to a single side band (SSB) satellite transponder.This adds a whole new set of problems to 'trying to hear callsigns and other information in the noise' : the very nature of single side band (there is no carrier for the receiver to lock to, it just works from the frequency the operator sets) combined with doppler shift makes it hard for me to hear anything. And there is a 100 kHz wide passband on the transponder in which multiple QSOs can be active in different fitting modes. I did hear some morse (which I can't decode) and something which sounded like a conversation but I could not make out callsigns or anything. Better luck next time, I will keep trying!
This adds a whole new set of problems to 'trying to hear callsigns and
other information in the noise' : the very nature of single side band
(there is no carrier for the receiver to lock to, it just works from the
frequency the operator sets) combined with doppler shift makes it hard for
me to hear anything. And there is a 100 kHz wide passband on the transponder
in which multiple QSOs can be active in different fitting modes. I did
hear some morse (which I can't decode) and something which sounded
like a conversation but I could not make out callsigns or anything.
Better luck next time, I will keep trying!