| Satellite antenna installation (2026/01/10) |
The satellite communications radio is an ICOM IC-820H and two Kenpro rotors, the Az (KR-400) and El (KR-500).
The controller that controls it is Fox Delta's ST2-USB
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The coaxial cables are LMR400 (equivalent to 7D-FB) for UHF and 5D-FB for VHF.
However, the LMR400 has an N-Type conversion connector for the SMA connector.
When I tried to connect the UHF coaxial cable LMR400 to the radio, the
base of the SMA-N type conversion connector broke.
Truly Chinese quality.
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The thick cable has an SMA connector, so I wasn't sure it could withstand bending force, so I ordered a conversion cable online from Shopee.
The satellite launch is about 10 days away.
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The antenna installation was scheduled for Sunday, January 11th,
but was suddenly started by a family member on the evening of January 9th.
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The two rotators and the glass fiber pipes were quite heavy, but we managed to pull them up with ropes and set them up.
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The compass is aligned to the north.
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This work was done by two people, Ronel and Rosmar.
I paid them 500 pesos (USD 8.5) each for their work.
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By the time I installed the VHF cross yagi, it was already sunset.
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When I checked it this morning, I noticed that the U-bolt on the VHF cross Yagi antenna had not been tightened properly, so the antenna was pointing downwards.
I asked Lobmar to come over on Sunday to fix it.
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I pushed the antenna from below with a pipe and it easily changed
direction.
It turns out the U-bolt wasn't tightened properly.
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| January 8, 2026. January 16, 2026. |