when I was young

@moonbus said
Of course, it was wonderful having an 18-yr old body then. On the other hand, there are things I can do now which I couldn’t when I was 18, and I would not swap now even if I could.

If I could keep the experience I've gained over the years. I'd swap in a heart beat if I could! 😉

-VR

@drewnogal
Won't be for a while, am upgrading a Collins 30L1 amplifier, maybe puts out a kilowatt on a good day, I'll be happy with 600 watts🙂
Then I have to get a proper UHF antenna, I think they monitor the 450 megahertz band, and maybe the 2 meter band, 146 odd Megahertz.
If you get the antenna aimed right you don't even need that much power, since it would be 240 odd miles up so aiming at it when it just about disappears over the horizon, maybe 500 miles away, which is not that big a deal since it would be a straight shot, no mountains in the way, line of sight.

I'll let you know if I succeed.
It really compliments my work on Apollo 50 years ago at Goddard Space Flight center.
Apollo Tracking and timing was my job back in those ancient days🙂

@sonhouse said
@drewnogal
Won't be for a while, am upgrading a Collins 30L1 amplifier, maybe puts out a kilowatt on a good day, I'll be happy with 600 watts🙂
Then I have to get a proper UHF antenna, I think they monitor the 450 megahertz band, and maybe the 2 meter band, 146 odd Megahertz.
If you get the antenna aimed right you don't even need that much power, since it would be 240 od ...[text shortened]... at Goddard Space Flight center.
Apollo Tracking and timing was my job back in those ancient days🙂

You may know this already, but if you mount a directional antenna on a tripod with an equatorial mount (they have an electric motor which tracks a target), you could probably get by with very little power.

@sonhouse said
@drewnogal
Won't be for a while, am upgrading a Collins 30L1 amplifier, maybe puts out a kilowatt on a good day, I'll be happy with 600 watts🙂
Then I have to get a proper UHF antenna, I think they monitor the 450 megahertz band, and maybe the 2 meter band, 146 odd Megahertz.
If you get the antenna aimed right you don't even need that much power, since it would be 240 od ...[text shortened]... at Goddard Space Flight center.
Apollo Tracking and timing was my job back in those ancient days🙂

Any succes by now?

@divegeester said
When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful
A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily
Oh joyfully, playfully watching me
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh responsible, practical
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Oh clinical, ...[text shortened]... please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
Please tell me who I am

Roger Hodgson

crap then still crap now soft rock

@sonhouse said
@drewnogal
Won't be for a while, am upgrading a Collins 30L1 amplifier, maybe puts out a kilowatt on a good day, I'll be happy with 600 watts🙂
Then I have to get a proper UHF antenna, I think they monitor the 450 megahertz band, and maybe the 2 meter band, 146 odd Megahertz.
If you get the antenna aimed right you don't even need that much power, since it would be 240 od ...[text shortened]... at Goddard Space Flight center.
Apollo Tracking and timing was my job back in those ancient days🙂

You probably would want the extra distance you'd get with a skip. The good news is that AM can do this easily. Buildings suck up the AM signal though, so out in the country is better for LD skip.

@moonbus said
You may know this already, but if you mount a directional antenna on a tripod with an equatorial mount (they have an electric motor which tracks a target), you could probably get by with very little power.

You'd have to be exact, though, even a bit off and you'd miss your target. Better to use an omni and rely on the skip.

@lemondrop said
😢

There, there, come on ..... lets go pick some strawberries to eat with ice cream 😺