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Ferry van Eeuwen
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VHF and UHF radio station
The Condor-16 2 meter VHF shown here is rather popular in Holland. Lots of these sets were dumped on the market and are easy to program. Programming tools to generate a .BIN or .INT file for the specific amateur frequencies are widely available. There is also a Condor-64 in my shack which covers the 70 cm band. Condor are very suitable for packet operation due to their transmitter keying system.
The IC-910H 2 meter and 70 cm transceiver is very suitable for satellite communication. When the 'Satellite' button is pushed the upper and lower displays are coupled, so when the upper frequency is changed also the lower, other frequency is changed with the same amount. The maximum power output is 100 Watt on 2 meter and 75 Watt on 70 cm. I use the IC-910H transceiver in combination with antennae mounted on a G-5400 azimuth and elevation rotor. The rotor - apart from manual operation - can also be manipulated by my AMSAT-DL rotor interface board fitted in a ISA-slot in the computer. This board in its turn is controlled by the WISP-software. I can choose one of the many satellites which will be tracked automatically by WISP and all necessary steering information is sent to the rotor interface. The latter sends the appropriate signals to the G-5400 rotor. In this way the antennae will automatically be locked to the chosen satellite. So that's all pretty neat. Manually tracking one of the low orbiting and thus fast moving amateur satellites is, I think, quite impossible anyway. Specifications IC-910H: 100 W of stable output power on VHF (75 W on UHF) High performance receiver Additional 1200 MHz band unit (UX-910) - Optional 9600 bps packet operation Two data sockets for simultaneous two band packet communications. Satellite communications Simultaneous display of uplink and downlink frequencies Satellite memory channels Normal/reverse tracking Easy Doppler compensation All receiver functions work on main and sub bands IF shift Attenuator Noise blanker Sweep function observes conditions around the displayed frequency Four types of scanning Memory pad temporarily stores the operating frequencies and modes Electronic keyer with a dot/dash ratio control FM-narrow mode (FM-N) (except 1200 MHz band) CI-V capability for PC control 50 tone CTCSS encoder One touch repeater function ------ Beware: This in only true for the US versions, the IC-910D. In Europe only the IC-910H version is available and the 'one touch' This in only true for the US versions, the IC-910D. In Europe only the IC-910H version is available and the 'one touch' function is not included in the European firmware version! I have been in touch many months, complaining about this fact, with the importer, until I got a sore throat and trembling hands, but to no avail. The Japanese manufacturer is not inclined to think of the European market as an import one and that seems to be the only reason for them not to correct this problem.http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/satellite/
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