Yaesu FT-897D Operating Manual

Also see for FT-897: Manual Brochure & specs Technical supplement Service manual Operating manual

Contents

Page 68 FT-897D OPERATING MANUALAPPENDIXSETUP OF MEMORIES FOR L OW E ARTH O RBIT (LEO) FM S ATELLITE O PERATIONAlthough the FT-897D is not capable of “full duplex” op-eration (simultaneous transmission and reception), its flex-ible memory system is ideal for configuring a set of memo-ries for LEO satellite work.The example below is designed around the popular satelliteUO-14, but the same principles apply to operation usingAO-27, SO-35, and other such satellites.First, set up a table of the required operating frequencies.For UO-14, a typical setup table is shown below:Channel # Rx Freq. Tx Freq. Notes1 435.080 145.970.0 AOS2 435.075 145.972.53 435.070 145.975.0 Mid Pass4 435.065 145.977.55 435.060 145.980.0 LOSAOS = Acquisition of Signal (Beginning of Pass)LOS = Loss of Signal (End of Pass)The above frequencies are nominal, and the changing fre-quencies reflects the Doppler Shift which occurs on suchsatellites, which display rapid apparent motion relative toan earth-based observer. But if we can accommodate a setof several frequency pairs in our memory system, frequen-cies that reflect the frequency relationships encounteredduring a typical pass, we will have a good chance of havingour frequencies properly aligned when it is time for makinga QSO.So we need to store the above frequency matrix into memo-ries. Note that the receiving frequency and transmitting fre-quency are on different bands. Therefore, we will use the“Split Frequency Memory” storage technique described onpage 42.First, press the [F] key momentarily, then rotate the MEM/VFO CH knob to select Multi Function Row “a” [A/B, A=B,SPL]. Press the [A](A/B) key, if necessary, to select VFOa.Now press the BAND(DWN) or BAND(UP) key to selectthe 70 cm band. Check the setting of Menu Mode No-004[AM&FM DIAL]. and set this to “ENABLE” to allow smallerfrequency increments to be accommodated.Set the VFOa operating frequency to 435.0800.00 MHz.Now press the [A](A/B) key in Multi Function Row “a” toselect VFOb, and set VFOb to 145.970.00 MHz. Again pressthe [A](A/B) key to return to VFOa. Be sure that both VFOsare set to the FM mode, as well.Press the [F] key momentarily, and rotate the MEM/VFOCH knob one click clockwise to select Multi Function Row“b” [MW, SKIP, TAG].Press the [A](MW) key momentarily, then rotate the MEM/VFO CH knob while the memory channel number is blink-ing; select memory channel M-001, then press and hold inthe [A](MW) key until you hear the double beep. We havejust stored the first downlink (earth station receiving) fre-quency into memory.Press the [F] key momentarily, then rotate the MEM/VFOCH knob one click counter-clockwise to re-select MultiFunction Row “a” [A/B, A=B, SPL]. Press the [A](A/B) keyto select VFOb (145.970 MHz).Again press the [F] key momentarily, and rotate the MEM/VFO CH knob one click clockwise to re-select Multi Func-tion Row “b” [MW, SKIP, TAG]. Press the [A](MW) keymomentarily; the “M-001” indicator will flash; press andhold in the microphone’s PTT key, and while holding it inpress the [A](MW) key until you hear the double beep. Youhave now stored the uplink (earth station transmitting) fre-quency into the same memory register as we did previouslyfor the downlink frequency.It’s now time to store the other frequencies in the matrix.Return to Multi Function Row “a” [A/B, A=B, SPL], andpress the [A](A/B) key to return to VFOa on 435.080.00MHz. Now rotate the DIAL knob to set the frequency to435.075.00 MHz. Press the [A](A/B) key again to selectVFOb (145.970 MHz), and rotate the DIAL knob to set thefrequency to 145.972.50 MHz. Press the [A](A/B) key toreturn to VFOa on 435.075.00 MHz.Return to Multi Function “b” [MW, SKIP, TAG], and repeatthe Split Memory storage process, selecting memory chan-nel M-002 this time when initially storing the 435.075 MHzreceiving frequency.Now repeat this entire process three more times, fillingmemory channels M-003, M-004, and M-005 with the fre-quencies shown in the chart above.When it’s time to operate, press the [V/M] key, if necessary,to recall the Memory mode, and rotate the MEM/VFO CHknob to select channel M-001. This will be the first fre-quency pair to be utilized during the UO-14 window ofworkability when it rises above your local horizon. TheDoppler effect will cause the nominal 435.070 MHz down-link frequency to appear higher to you, so utilize memorychannel M-001 when the satellite first rises. A few minuteslater, switch to M-002, and at mid-pass switch to M-003.As the satellite recedes, switch to M-004 and then M-005toward the end of the pass.The MEM/VFO CH knob recall of these five channels makesDoppler tracking simple; just choose the memory channelproducing the best signal! You have already programmedan uplink frequency corresponding to the optimum down-link frequency, so you will not need to try to make difficultVFO adjustments during the brief satellite passes.The FM passbands used on LEO satellites are sufficientlybroad that more precise frequency adjustment is not needed.To aid in channel identification, remember that you can useMenu Mode No-056 [MEM TAG] to label each satellitememory (for example, “UO-14a” ~ “UO-14e” for the abovefive channels).A complete set of frequencies may be stored for each LEOsatellite you wish to utilize, and once configured, the FT-897D provides a flexible and easy-to-use earth station ca-pability for these popular satellites.