Amateur Radio

VHF/UHF Comms WTSHTF.

I was involved in the 60's with a group at Dapto in NSW, that used the Moon as a passive reflector and transmitted at 432 Mhz, bouncing signals back to Earth. Called EME, it was at the very edge of what valve technology was capable of then. We were supported by the Wollongong University and used their 4 meter radio telescope dish at Dapto.

We tried Venus bounce, but the gear just wasn't good enough then, but hams have been successfully using Venus as a passive reflector as well for some years now.

When the EMP takes out all the repeaters, and HF comms are screwed due to QRM, maybe EME might work.

We needed quite high power, 1 kw at 432 megs was it, under permit of course, and now equipment is much more sensitive, so it should be easier, and a 3 meter dish isn't too big for a backyard.

Anyone game ?





I'm not schizophrenic. Its the guy beside me.

Then there's OSCAR....Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio, yes, Hams have their own satellites in orbit. Most offer free access to licensed hams, some are 'store and forward' types, some act as repeaters. Frequencies in use range from 2 meters, 70 cm up to 10 gigs.

Most were launched by NASA, or Space X as ballast for free. These satellites can be used free of charge by licensed amateur radio operators for voice (FM, SSB) and data (AX. 25, packet radio, APRS) communications. Currently, over 18 fully operational amateur radio satellites are in orbit. Over 120 have been launched to date.

www.amsat.org/what-is-asmat/

www.amsat.org/orbiting-satellites-carrying-amateur-radio/

And they are quite sophisticated as well. Relatively simple gear is required to access them, dishes aren't necessarily needed, a turnstile type aerial and reasonably high power with a good low noise GASFET preamp will do it and mostly SSB or FM is used. Obviously, a tunable transmitter is needed to follow the Doppler effect.

Don't want to use Echolink and still want noise free comms on VHF/UHF ? Try Amsats.






If it happens at all it must be possible.