Post pictures of your satellite setup/antenna

[WD9EWK]

Thanks for posting WD9EWK and K0BAM, your portable setups seem sweet and simple for lack of better words. What does the elevation need to be before the portable setups start hearing the birds?

It all depends on the local surroundings. Here in the Phoenix area, I'm surrounded by hills/mountains, and need 3 to 6 degrees elevation depending on the direction I'm pointing the antenna. If I'm out on a dry lake bed with no hills/mountains for 50-100 miles as I had in one direction in 2010 in Mexico (see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXc5iYA3voM) I have worked satellites down to the horizon.

73!

[W5PFG]

Last week I worked UT1FG/MM on SSB on FO-29 from my work truck on a 2 degree pass. I was parked on about the only "hill" in Tampa, using the back half of an Arrow with 4 elements for receive to a FT-817. Uplink was a FT-857 to a 5/8 wave magmount. The key was the low surrounding terrain, which gave me an unobstructed horizon.

Like Drew above, I have also made portable VO-52 and FO-29 contacts pretty close to the horizon. A few weeks back I actually worked someone on FO-29 just at -0.5 degrees using just an Elk antenna and a Yaesu FT-100.

[K2NCC]

mine looks as most do... although a tripod to hold that antenna would be nice, as it does get heavy after a while!

My satellite setup:

Arrow 2, antenna
VX5R, radio
Kindle, tracking software (HRD)

ready4thebirds2012.jpg

[N9SOX]

I'm a little late to post but here you go....

Digital Recorder and Kenwood TH-D7A attached to my armband. I sold the Kenwood D7A and have recently picked up a D72A but have had no time to get everything going again. I wear headphones as well (not in the pic).

Pass predictions are handled on my ipod touch using the PocketSat3 or ProSat App.

No tripod, I found it to be a PITA.

RadioAvatar.jpg

Arrow-Armband.jpg

[KE6CRK]

The portable setups are all looking great. I should have the last of my needed pics in the next week or two.

Kelvin

[KB2FCV]

Here is mine. Homebrew WA5VJB design. I first built the 440 side to listen to the AO-51 sputnik event, then a year or so later added 2 meters to try working the satellites. It wound up becoming a club project due to it being so simple and cheap to build. It works well.

satellite_antenna2.jpg

[KJ6DKK]

For portable op's (only kind i run) I use the standard arrow on a tripod with a Yeasu FT270 and FT60 on a custom mount but considering replacing with a D72. Also have an 817ND on the way for my first soiree into HF QRP But will use for SSB birds also.
(Photo shows my old TF6 that i do not use anymore)
IMG_0023.jpg

[KQ6EA]

This is from a couple of years ago, but the setup is still pretty much the same.
The tower is a 4-1/2' Glen Martin that I extended the legs on to go to 9'. The trailer is a 4'x4' Harbor Freight unit. Antennas are an M2 2M7, and an M2 420-450-11, with SSB preamps on both, and a Comet diplexer used for a 70cm bandpass filter.
And the rig pic should be self-explanatory.
Jimtt_1.JPGDSC_0118.JPG