SPECIAL OPS

[TAC4]

Not really, just listening to our favorite Brazilian pirates on the SATCOM band 250-270 Mhz in the backyard with this newly homemade X-Wing Antenna. All parts were bought at Home Depot minus the tripod.

This project was a 10 on the fun meter to build. I built it exact to the plans and its works outstanding for listening to pirates. A shout out goes to (pcrguy) for posting this antenna build way back in 2010, wow have you been on this forum for a long time 👍. This SATCOM antenna was also published in the Monitoring Times magazine back in the day.

Even know this antenna is omini directional and was designed to be pointed straight up, I found it worked best pointing it low to the south horizon, maybe because I live in Canada 🇨🇦 I don't know. I will post the pdf plans in this thread when I get time.

 

[TAC4]

Here are the plans to build this cool and fun to build SATCOM
antenna.MT magazine UHF Satcom antenna project
Thanks prcguy

 

[prcguy]

Wow, that brings back some memories! Great job on yours and I'm happy there is still interest in this thing. I remember the X-wing had an upward look angle around 40deg and was effective from about 20 to 60 degrees off the horizon when pointing straight up. Being a little north of CONUS you may have to tilt it slightly south to place the omni doughnut shaped beam back in the satellite arc.

Can't believe it's been 14yrs since we came up with the design. Sadly, my partner in this project Bart WB6HQK passed away not long after the X-wing article was published. Bart was a mentor of mine across many topics, especially antenna design and was also a Senior Staff Scientist at his company.

 

[reconrider8]

If you decide to build another ill buy it off ya. Always wanted to build one but with work I never have the time lol

 

[Marcy57]

Not really, just listening to our favorite Brazilian pirates on the SATCOM band 250-270 Mhz in the backyard with this newly homemade X-Wing Antenna. All parts were bought at Home Depot minus the tripod.

This project was a 10 on the fun meter to build. I built it exact to the plans and its works outstanding for listening to pirates. A shout out goes to (pcrguy) for posting this antenna build way back in 2010, wow have you been on this forum for a long time 👍. This SATCOM antenna was also published in the Monitoring Times magazine back in the day.

Even know this antenna is omini directional and was designed to be pointed straight up, I found it worked best pointing it low to the south horizon, maybe because I live in Canada 🇨🇦 I don't know. I will post the pdf plans in this thread when I get time.

Those guys are all up and down 250-270 I did a real fast! band scan got 14 on my discone and Brazilian music on 260.430 ....just now seems most are around 260...area, and one on 269.850...that is a cool antenna that you built gud luck with it...73,s Marcy

 

[TAC4]

Those guys are all up and down 250-270 I did a real fast! band scan got 14 on my discone and Brazilian music on 260.430 ....just now seems most are around 260...area, and one on 269.850...that is a cool antenna that you built gud luck with it...73,s Marcy

Thanks Marcy yep I am getting them right around 260 Mhz
also. Also I am going to use the real time Microsoft translate app
to find out what all the Portuguese chatter is about.

 

[prcguy]

Thanks Marcy yep I am getting them right around 260 Mhz
also. Also I am going to use the real time Microsoft translate app
to find out what all the Portuguese chatter is about.

I was driving with a Brazilian ham friend near São Paulo and he listens to the pirates on the way to work most days on his ham radio. The Icom radio receives out of band just fine and his Comet mobile ham antenna picks up the satcom signals really well in Brazil. Here is a video of him driving us to a lunch location while receiving pirates. It was very cool hearing them while I was in Brazil and my friend translated much of the conversations. They seem to be talking about basic stuff similar to what we do here on CB radios including getting a lot of radio checks. Many of the pirates are also truckers and operating from their trucks and most of their accents are from the São Paulo area.

The X-wing antenna project would not work well in Brazil because being near the equator some of the satellites are directly overhead and my X-wing has a null straight up.

 

[Marcy57]

Thanks Marcy yep I am getting them right around 260 Mhz
also. Also I am going to use the real time Microsoft translate app
to find out what all the Portuguese chatte

You did a very good job building it I might say looking at your pics and I like the tripod with it! what are you using to copy them (250-270) just curious looking at ur listed equip. the Bearcat 895?...tnx...Marcy

 

[Marcy57]

You are somewhat right pointing south might sound crazy but when I point my Sirio 400mhz yagi due south I really get them more than the discone not sure why? ...Marcy

 

[TAC4]

Hi Marcy

Yep using a Bearcat 895 for that band.