On 10/6/2013 10:24 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Gotta run and
watch the solar satellite outage today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_outage

Sorta like watching paint dry.

On 10/6/2013 10:24 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: Gotta run and
watch the solar satellite outage today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_outage


I lost several minutes of the nascar race on ESPN and then a while
later on radio, a syndicated program (Bob Brinker) was out for 3 to 6
minutes. It all happened (approximately) between 3:45 and 4:20.
Was that the sun outage?
Mikek

On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 16:37:56 -0500, amdx wrote:

On 10/6/2013 10:24 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: Gotta run and
watch the solar satellite outage today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_outage

I lost several minutes of the nascar race on ESPN and then a while
later on radio, a syndicated program (Bob Brinker) was out for 3 to 6
minutes. It all happened (approximately) between 3:45 and 4:20.
Was that the sun outage?
Mikek

Unless the downlink was in Hawaii, it's unlikely that it was directly
caused by the sun outage. It happend on Viasat-1 (Wild Blue or Exede)
today at about 12:25PM. The earth rotates at:
24hrs * 60min/hr / 360deg = 4 min/deg
With a difference of about 3.5 hrs (210 minutes), the earth will have
rotated:
210min / 4 min/deg = 52 degree longitude or about:
122w + 52 = 174w
which is almost at the International Date Line. A more sane guess
would be that what you were watching was recorded between 12PM and 2PM
for delayed broadcast somewhere in the continental USA, during which
time there was a solar outage.

A 3 to 6 minute outage implies 1 or 2 meter receive dish.

Most stations know about the problem and usually have something
pre-recorded available to fill in the outage. I'm rather surprised
that ESPN wasn't paying attention.

Grind your own numbers:
http://www.satellite-calculations.com/Satellite/suninterference.php

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 14:42:31 -0500, John S
wrote:

On 10/6/2013 10:24 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Gotta run and
watch the solar satellite outage today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_outage

Sorta like watching paint dry.

Ummm... no, it's not like watching paint dry.

I live in a forest of 50 meter redwood and fir trees. If you want to
receive TV or digital audio from a satellite, you need to find or make
a hole in the trees. During the solar satellite outage is the perfect
time to do this. Any place where the sun is shining during the
approximately 4 minutes of the outage is a good dish location. This
is my house in 2008:
http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/DBS/
It's also a good time to check if any tree branches are blocking
reception as they cast a shadow on the dish. Note the branch shadows:
http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/DBS/slides/101d.html
At 13 and 30GHz, the Fresnel Zone is about the same diameter as the
dish, so any hole in the trees bigger than the dish will work (until
the wind blows).

This year, I was at a customer with a similar problem. During the 4
minutes, we both ran around the property, taking photos of prospective
dish locations. We also discovered that his existing Exede dish had a
few branch shadows, which explains why it needs to be moved. We found
what I think will be a good location, as soon as the concrete sets.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sunday, October 6, 2013 10:24:55 AM UTC-5, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Another potential problem with a base loaded vertical is not power,

but voltage. At 5 watts, there's not going to be much voltage across

the coil. At 150 watts, it might arc. No calcs today. Gotta run and

watch the solar satellite outage today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_outage

I haven't had any problems with 100w. Mine are center to above
center loading though. Usually not base loaded.
In the normal driving mode, it's almost exactly center loaded.
But I have a solid mast I add below the glass whip when parked,
and then it's probably 2/3 up from the base or so.
These antennas are basically plastic bugcatchers. And you
could use two back to back as a dipole that could fit in a
fairly tight area.

On Sat, 5 Oct 2013 13:27:43 -0600, "Irv Finkleman" wrote:

... and a MFJ-931 Artificial
Ground. The Windowsill/Balcony tuner also has an Artificial Ground
Tuner in it too.

The loading coil with the MFJ-1625 is pretty flimsy and I might just
consider rewinding the coil with heavier copper (the orginal coil had
a broken turn). All of the aforementioned
equipment I picked up used or broken and fixed
up (a little extra solder in the right places never
hurt MFJ stuff), the 931 had a blown meter, ...

Know what you mean. I bought an MFJ 931 a couple of months ago, and only
recently hooked it up to find it does nothing at all. No changes in noise level,
not a dickey birds worth of movement from the meter with the power cranked up to
100 watts - nothing. So, it looks like I am about to do what you commented on
that a little extra solder in the right places never hurt MFJ stuff!

Couldn't resist commenting after seeing your post.

73, Bob KB2ZGN

"Irv Finkleman" wrote in message
...

Another interesting thing is how I can feed the antenna through
the door to the balcony. I can't drill holes, but I currently have
a piece of RG-58 squeezed through the closeddoor. Every day I
check to see if anything has happened to it such as migration of
the center conductor to the point where it shorts to the sheild.

You might benefit from something like this:

http://www.cometantenna.com/pdfs/CTC..._and_instr.pdf

Alternatively, leave the door open a crack while passing coax through
the opening but seal the opening with a full-height strip of masking
tape to keep out the wintery winds.

I'm not desperate, but nearly so, and anxious to get on the
air again.

Have you considered single band whips? The names "Hustler"
and "Hamstick" come to mind but there are others. They
need a counterpoise to work but the following anecdotes
will provide some insight, I hope:

I assembled and successfully demonstrated (for Field
Day this year) a quick-and-dirty portable HF rig.
I used the following crap:

a pair of steel chassis slides bolted together at the ends
and laid on the ground at a right angle. Their weight
and orientation will keep them where they are placed.
They are magnetic;

a very thin single-use aluminum pan with two 20m
radials (about 15 feet) bolted firmly to opposite
sides of the baking dish; It laid on a flat part of
the chassis slides;

an MFJ magmount base (from a 1724B I think,
whatever one has the 3/8 threaded socket), with
the whip removed. It was placed onto the pan in
such a location as to stay magnetically "stuck."
the magmount base is capacitively coupled to
the pan with the radials; (Would direct wiring
from the shield to the radials be better? Dunno.)

A Hustler 20m element screwed into the above
magmount base.

This foregoing electrified junkpile worked multiple
stations in the Midwest from San Diego on 20m
for Field Day. I used it on 20 and 40 (different
whips and different baking pan radials, of
course) while on a trip earlier this month with
considerable success.

The radials might prefer to be stretched out
but this, too, can be worked-around. I've
used them with the ends drooping off the
corners of a balcony and had no trouble
getting a match with a $5 swap meet manual
tuner.

More radials would likely be better but
unwinding and re-winding radials around
the baking pan is already a pain with just
two.

Irv, does any of this resonate with you
and your balcony?

Aside: Maybe I can improve the described
radial scheme, like something that involves
retractable metal tape rules. Then I'd just
need one pan and I can set my radial lengths
at will.

New thought: If I bolted the free ends
of some retractable metal tape rules directly
to the steel chassis slides i would eliminate
the baking pan, altogether. It offers a
certain bizarre appeal.

"Sal"

Hey Sal -- thanks! I didn't know they made anything like
that. I had considered using a piece of 300 ohm TV Twinlead
in a similar manner. For the short distance, and not worrying
about the impedance bump and any losses, I think I'll make one
up and give it a shot. The CTC-50M is not far different,
and for what it does I consider it a little pricey.

It will be a quick and easy project -- two UHF females
and RTV compound to seal up the ends. What's a guy
got to lose? If it works to any degree, then great! If it doesn't,
then back to the drawing board.

So far, the test piece of RG-58 that has been placed in
the closed door has not deformed too badly, nor
has it shorted. The temperatures here lately range
from just below freezing at night to about 20 degrees
on the balcony in direct sunlight (the balcony faces
South).

Your other suggestions have already been discounted.
What I really want is something cheap and simple where
I don't have to do too much moving about to change bands,

Thanks again,

de VE6BP, Irv



"Sal" salmonella@food poisoning.org wrote in message
...

"Irv Finkleman" wrote in message
...

Another interesting thing is how I can feed the antenna through
the door to the balcony. I can't drill holes, but I currently have
a piece of RG-58 squeezed through the closeddoor. Every day I
check to see if anything has happened to it such as migration of
the center conductor to the point where it shorts to the sheild.

You might benefit from something like this:

http://www.cometantenna.com/pdfs/CTC..._and_instr.pdf

Alternatively, leave the door open a crack while passing coax through
the opening but seal the opening with a full-height strip of masking
tape to keep out the wintery winds.

I'm not desperate, but nearly so, and anxious to get on the
air again.

Have you considered single band whips? The names "Hustler"
and "Hamstick" come to mind but there are others. They
need a counterpoise to work but the following anecdotes
will provide some insight, I hope:

I assembled and successfully demonstrated (for Field
Day this year) a quick-and-dirty portable HF rig.
I used the following crap:

a pair of steel chassis slides bolted together at the ends
and laid on the ground at a right angle. Their weight
and orientation will keep them where they are placed.
They are magnetic;

a very thin single-use aluminum pan with two 20m
radials (about 15 feet) bolted firmly to opposite
sides of the baking dish; It laid on a flat part of
the chassis slides;

an MFJ magmount base (from a 1724B I think,
whatever one has the 3/8 threaded socket), with
the whip removed. It was placed onto the pan in
such a location as to stay magnetically "stuck."
the magmount base is capacitively coupled to
the pan with the radials; (Would direct wiring
from the shield to the radials be better? Dunno.)

A Hustler 20m element screwed into the above
magmount base.

This foregoing electrified junkpile worked multiple
stations in the Midwest from San Diego on 20m
for Field Day. I used it on 20 and 40 (different
whips and different baking pan radials, of
course) while on a trip earlier this month with
considerable success.

The radials might prefer to be stretched out
but this, too, can be worked-around. I've
used them with the ends drooping off the
corners of a balcony and had no trouble
getting a match with a $5 swap meet manual
tuner.

More radials would likely be better but
unwinding and re-winding radials around
the baking pan is already a pain with just
two.

Irv, does any of this resonate with you
and your balcony?

Aside: Maybe I can improve the described
radial scheme, like something that involves
retractable metal tape rules. Then I'd just
need one pan and I can set my radial lengths
at will.

New thought: If I bolted the free ends
of some retractable metal tape rules directly
to the steel chassis slides i would eliminate
the baking pan, altogether. It offers a
certain bizarre appeal.

"Sal"