Hi Mark; Might have to keep that old dish I was planning to trash come spring. It came with the house and isn't being used. Richard ----- Original Message ----- From: "Senk, Mark J. (CDC/NIOSH/NPPTL)" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:40 PM Subject: Re: digital tv and ict90 What frequencies will be used by the next generation of Oscar satellites? I've heard that the goal is to have an antenna similar to a TV dish. Mark =20 -----Original Message----- From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Colin McDonald Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:28 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: digital tv and ict90 well, apart from a fairly small group of dedicated hams, there aren't a whole lot of guys using anything above 2.4GHZ in the amateur allocations. So, if we do lose some of those microwave bands, it won't be any great loss to the amateur service. I have difficulty imagining who is going to use 240GHZ anytime soon for amateur purposes? Not to mention all the other crazy microwave bands we have right now. I think some more practical frequencies that allow for dx propigation are a better alternative to bands that are nearly impossible to use for the average ham right now. Unless you can build your own microwave transmitter and receiver, and your own test equipment, and your own antennas, then bands above 3GHZ are useless. However, 30 to 70MHZ are quite easy to get onto with surplus commercial gear and some ham gear. Speaking of speratic E and F2 propigation on 30and 40MHZ, I used to have a blast listening to sheriff's departments and other public safety organizations from the states on my scanner during the sun spot peaks of the past couple cycles. I remember during the peak of the second last cycle, I had one of those preprogrammed uniden scanners where you just put it into scan and it scanned through all of its preprogrammed frequencies. Well I nearly fell over when I started to pickup US public safety traffic like it was down the street. I had no idea I could get dx on my scanner like that. Everyday for months I listened to the DC police or something similar...I never figured out exactly who since their radio codes were completely foreign, and I didn't have internet access at the time to go look them up... I am impatiently awaiting the peak of this coming cycle to play around on those frequencies again. During the same cycle, I could talk around the world on a radio shack maggy mount and 5 watts while mobile as well. 73 Colin, V A6BKX ----- Original Message ----- From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 11:00 AM Subject: Re: digital tv and ict90 > Colin McDonald writes: > >well if no one wants 54 to 88MHZ, I guess it can always be given to the > >amateur allocations? > > I really wonder if we might not get expanded allocations > for 10 and 6 meters but I also wonder if we had better get used > to the fact that if we get something like that, we also may > loose some of the UHF and microwave spectrum we presently have > because it is such hot property these days. > > The frequency range between 26 and roughly 70 MHZ or so > is not nearly as desireable for commercial users as it once was > and many services that were between 30 and 50 MHZ have been more > than glad to leave for higher frequencies that do not have the > Sporadic E and F2 propagation we hams love, but commercial users > hate. > > Martin McCormick > > > > --=20 > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.518 / Virus Database: 269.21.7/1325 - Release Date: 3/11/2008 1:41 PM > >