Equipment that can receive a downlink at 2300 MHz?

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lazyfortress

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Hello, I just got back into SATCOM reception.
My current scanner, a PRO-649, can only reach 800.000 MHz. I have a yagi that is configured for the 120 MHz - 137 MHz range. I'm trying to get a downlink from a decommissioned satellite at about 2300 MHz. What type of receiver can reach up to 2300 MHz / 2.3 GHz? Anything under $300-ish? What type of antenna would be suitable for this task?

Any help is appreciated!
 

prcguy

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Some of the higher end communications receivers like the AOR AR-8200 and 8600 or the Icom R-8600 and a few others will cover your frequency range. Unless there is an SDR dongle that goes to 2.3GHz most receivers will run a bit more than $300. A lot of Wi-Fi antennas will cover 2.3GHz but you will need a large one with some gain and satellite downlinks are usually Right Hand Circular Polarization.

What satellite are you trying to get? I have a big flat panel military antenna from some satellite program that covers a 2.2 to 2.3GHz with RHCP and a receiver that covers that range.
prcguy

Hello, I just got back into SATCOM reception.
My current scanner, a PRO-649, can only reach 800.000 MHz. I have a yagi that is configured for the 120 MHz - 137 MHz range. I'm trying to get a downlink from a decommissioned satellite at about 2300 MHz. What type of receiver can reach up to 2300 MHz / 2.3 GHz? Anything under $300-ish? What type of antenna would be suitable for this task?

Any help is appreciated!
 

lazyfortress

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I'm trying to get a Nimbus 7 downlink at about 2300 MHz. But now I think it's useless. I need to find out whether Nimbus 7 works or not. I guess right now I want to get a GOES image downlink somewhere at 1600 MHz, along with a few older satellite downlinks at 136-137 MHz.
 

Grayline

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Just a Question? What Are you guys listening to? Is it just Data?
What kind of Satcom Equipment is needed to monitor Satellites?
I have a Data Receiver and a satellite I pulled out of a bank years ago but dont know what it was used for
 

VK3RX

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I have a Data Receiver and a satellite I pulled out of a bank years ago but dont know what it was used for
Post a few pix - someone might recognise the equipment.

The pix of the satellite will be interesting :)
 

lazyfortress

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I'm trying to just get raw data from Nimbus 5/6/7 and one of the SOLRAD satellites that's still transmitting. I'm not sure if any of the Nimbus satellites still work. Who would I contact to see if they work, and if I can transmit to them? Would I need a license to transmit to a satellite?

Downlinks of Nimbus satellites are: 136.5 and 136.95 MHz, 1702.5 MHz, 1707.5 MHz, and 2273.5 MHz for Nimbus 7. I dunno how I can receive these downlinks. How would a downconverter work with my 120 MHz-137 MHz configured yagi?
 

prcguy

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You would need a license to transmit to a satellite and the uplinks are probably in a frequency range that you don't have equipment for. What would you want to transmit?

You might be able to find a downconverter that will work with your 120-137Mhz frequency range but your antenna will be useless on the 1700-2300MHz range.

On a similar topic, not sure where you are in MD but I've done some work at the Intelsat Mountainside Teleport near Hagerstown, MD. Look that up if you want to see a lot of satellite antennas.
prcguy

I'm trying to just get raw data from Nimbus 5/6/7 and one of the SOLRAD satellites that's still transmitting. I'm not sure if any of the Nimbus satellites still work. Who would I contact to see if they work, and if I can transmit to them? Would I need a license to transmit to a satellite?

Downlinks of Nimbus satellites are: 136.5 and 136.95 MHz, 1702.5 MHz, 1707.5 MHz, and 2273.5 MHz for Nimbus 7. I dunno how I can receive these downlinks. How would a downconverter work with my 120 MHz-137 MHz configured yagi?
 
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lazyfortress

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I remember reading in a forum here that you could use old decommissioned satellites for your own use with permission from the owner. What could I do with a decommissioned satellite with fairly simple equipment that is legal? Any ideas? And also, what license would I have to get? A ham license?
 

prcguy

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An amateur will never get any permission to light up a commercial satellite, even if its decommissioned. I have a long carrier in the satellite broadcast industry and have mooched a lot of free satellite time but I or my company was fully licensed for what I uplinked.

One notable time was when I needed a satellite for a little research project and contacted a friend who was in charge of selling time on HSG-1 (later renamed PAS-22), which had failed to reach orbit and was slingshot around the moon and put into a geostationary but severely inclined orbit. I was allowed to uplink to a specific transponder for some research for several days at no cost. This satellite was otherwise operational and its owners were seeking customers with little luck from what I saw.

If anyone were allowed to use a decommissioned satellite, there would be literally thousands of people eager to take advantage of that. It just aint gonna happen.
prcguy

I remember reading in a forum here that you could use old decommissioned satellites for your own use with permission from the owner. What could I do with a decommissioned satellite with fairly simple equipment that is legal? Any ideas? And also, what license would I have to get? A ham license?
 

zz0468

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What could I do with a decommissioned satellite with fairly simple equipment that is legal? Any ideas? And also, what license would I have to get? A ham license?

Get your ham license, and you'll be able to use purpose-built amateur radio satellites you are allowed to actually talk through.
 

lazyfortress

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Well, darn. I guess I'll stick to regular satellite downlink reception. How can I get the downlink of a satellite with a relatively weak signal, such as SOLRAD 7 I believe? I'm considering getting a BCT15X.

By the way, for all the advice and information everyone!
 

SteveSimpkin

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I'm trying to get a Nimbus 7 downlink at about 2300 MHz. But now I think it's useless. I need to find out whether Nimbus 7 works or not. I guess right now I want to get a GOES image downlink somewhere at 1600 MHz, along with a few older satellite downlinks at 136-137 MHz.
For reference, more information about Nimbus 7, including some frequencies. It mentions the satellite was turned off in 1995.
https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/n/nimbus-7
 

lazyfortress

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I still don't get "turned off in 1995". The satellite still has to be transmitting something, especially telemetry. I personally never tried to get a downlink from any of the Nimbus satellites, as my scanner (a PRO-649) is a bit too weak. Hopefully this new BCT15X that I'm considering getting is going to be more "powerful". I have an antenna that is tuned specifically for 137 MHz - 145 MHz, but still works excellent from 120 MHz to 136 MHz.

And I should have no problem getting the downlinks from MILSATs with that frequency list link for the Atlantic.
 
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