Hector Martinez CO6CBF

Hector, CO6CBF is looking for stations in the West of the UK on the amateur radio satellite FO-29.

Currently FO-29 is in apogee and has a big footprint which allow mutual visibility during a couple of minutes between Cuba and UK. I can work the satellite until LOS and sometimes below the horizon towards the UK.

Cubans cannot operate on AO-7 mode B due to a 432 MHz restriction in our country, so FO-29 is our only chance to try intercontinental contacts on satellites.

Please, I will appreciate any information about any station who is there and wants to try.

Thanks in advance!

Hector, CO6CBF EL92sd
Email: co6cbf at frcuba.co.cu

FO-29 information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/fuji-oscar-29-jas-2/

Amateur Radio Satellite FO-29

In this video Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK shows that high power isn’t needed to work the satellites.

On Saturday, March 9. 2013, at 1636 UT at the Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Tempe, Arizona (grid DM43al)  he showed you can work F)-29 using just 5 watts from a FT-817ND to a handheld Elk 2m/70cm antenna. In fact he used two FT-817ND’s, one for transmit on 2m the other for receive on 70cm.

FO-29 was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on August 17, 1996 into a 1,330 by 808 km orbit.

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Hector Martinez CO6CBF

After many attempts, Hector Martinez CO6CBF in Cuba and Dale Pelzer KL7R in Alaska have achieved a contact between Grid Squares EL92sd and BP54xt using the amateur radio satellite FO-29.

Hector CO6CBF posted this report on the AMSAT Bulletin Board

Cubans cannot operate on AO-7 mode B, So FO-29 is our only opportunity for long contacts.

I cannot say how much time we tried but I am sure that it was more than 10 attempts. Dale did all the hard work, he drove around 4 miles from his home to a nearby hill. Majority of times he drove very late in the night.

All the SSB attempts failed. Today [Sunday, July 8] at 1920z was our first attempt on CW and it was successful!

Dale’s working conditions are a Yaesu FT-817 (only 5W semi-duplex) and ARROW antenna with  preamplifier. My working conditions are a majority homebrew setup, 10 elements Yagi on 2m and 18 elements Yagi for 70cm with a homebrew preamplifier.

Thanks very much to Dale for his constancy and effort!

PS: I continue looking for new grids and long contacts on satellite, if you are into any footprint with EL92sd and wan to try, please drop me an email [address at qrz.com]

73!
Hector, CO6CBF
EL92sd

New Cuban Amateur Radio Satellite Group formed http://www.uk.amsat.org/5454

FO-29 Information http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=5

Download the article ‘Getting started on amateur radio satellites’ by John Heath G7HIA at https://amsat-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/satellites_radcom_mar07.pdf
Copyright 2007 Radio Society of Great Britain. For personal use only – no copying, reprinting or distribution without written permission from the RSGB.