[Elecraft] Transverter & Satellite work questions?

[Lyle Johnson]

> If it is only a matter of having them track at the same rate say both
> moving in tandem up or down in the band on inverse of each other.

For satellite work, it is a little more complicated than that.

1) You need to track the Doppler on the uplink and downlink frequencies.
These are usually not in the same band, so the rates are different.

The goal is to make your uplink signal be in the same spot *as received at
the satellite* and to keep your receiver tuned tot he same spot in the
satellite passband downlink *as seen at the satellite."

It's not hard, but it does take some computation between the tuning knob and
the radio(s).

2) The receive and transmit mode are often different.  If the transponder is
inverting (most are) then you transmit LSB and receive USB, for example.

3) You must be able to tune the transmitter *while it is transmitting*.

4) While it is not imperative that you listen to your own downlink (full
duplex) it is desirable.  Still, there is enough delay due to the slowness
of the speed of light (no warp radio propagation...yet) that you could use a
full break-in CW system (like a K2) and get by with uplink and downlink
converters/transverters.

73,

Lyle KK7P