parnass@ihuxf.UUCP (Robert S. Parnass, AJ9S) (12/01/83)
x
At the Indian Hill (BTL) Amateur Radio Club, some of us
tried listening on 2 meters for W5LFL during the 11:10 -
11:25 AM pass this morning (November 30).
Neither we, nor anyone else here in northern Illinois seemed
to hear W5LFL. The biggest problem was the hoards of sta-
tions transmitting on the downlink frequency. Many didn't
know the correct procedure, others just acted as "kilocycle
cops," compounding the QRM.
If W5LFL was in there, he was deep underneath a pileup of
others trying to call him!
--
============================================================================
Robert S. Parnass, AT&T Bell Laboratories, ihnp4!ihuxf!parnass (312)979-5760 karn@allegra.UUCP (12/01/83)
The same phenomenon is happening in the New York area (QRM on 145.55mhz). It has bordered on becoming a real zoo. Unfortunately this is precisely what many people were afraid of; there are probably more scanners among the general public out there listening than have ever been tuned to the 2 meter band, and look at the impression that is being made. There were just as many people saying "Keep the frequency clear, you $%#@@$#@!!" as were calling W5LFL on 145.55 mhz, even though the shuttle was over Australia!! On the other hand, judging by how quickly the channels from 144.91 to 145.09 filled up precisely on the odd minutes with calls during the actual passes, I believe that the turkeys were in the minority; there were many more people who did know proper procedure. I also found when I broke in (during times that I knew STS-9 to be below the horizon, of course) and announced the exact rise and set times, along with the fact that Owen will not listen to his downlink frequency, and was probably not even on at the time, people appreciated the information and the garbage seemed to subside quite a bit. Once everybody knew when the actual rise and set times were, there was very little QRM on 145.55 during actual passes. If you have patience, access to up-to-date orbital information and an authoratative-sounding voice, you may be able to do the same in your local area. Phil