Five Steps to OSCAR Tracking

Article 2. OSCAR/VU2TQC/02/300710

Five Steps to receiving Satellite Signals (HAMSAT; VO-52)

Step 1. Note down the pass timings of VO-52 for the day , and focus on the passes having maximum elevation above 30 degrees (you may refer this blog or download satscape a free software from http://www.amsat.org), ensure that your are prepare and keep yourself ready atleast 15 minutes before the start of the satellite pass.

Step 2. Store the following frequencies in your VHF Rig (read your respective operating manuals)

145.890 MHZ
145.895 MHZ
145.900 MHZ
145.905 MHZ
145.910 MHZ
145.915 MHZ

You are storing these frequencies at a gap of 5khz to adjust the Doppler effect ( shall discuss this subject separately in another posting, but this will not hamper your current goal of satellite tracking)
Note: The downlink frequency band for VO-52 is ( 145.870 MHZ to 145.930 MHZ)

Step 3. Trigger your rig to check if your antenna (any fixed antenna which you have installed for regular VHF QSO) is triggering the repeater in your area, just to ensure your antenna feed-line is connected to your rig (at times due to excitement in the entire process we may miss out the connection).

Step 4. Start your monitoring of frequencies as mentioned in step 2 from 145.915 MHZ, and keep coming down by 5khz to 145.900 MHZ (be patient here you may not copy anything till the 2 to 3 minutes from the start timing of the satellite pass).

Step 5. Note down the call signs you hear ( you will hear the QSOs as clearly as your regular line of sight VHF QSOs ; the only difference is you may not see any pixels on the bar graph of your rig).
Note: Please make sure do not transmit (uplink) on these frequencies as it would not reach any where and jam the satellite band.