SSTV - though a Satellite?

Well,

Been playing some more with my Es'Hail-2 setup.

I noticed yesterday some SSTV signals on the band from Mauritius; I've not used SSTV before so I installed MMSSTV and have since had some QSOs.

I've annotated some images and created some templates in the software to enable reports and the like to be exchanged:

It's really quite fun!

ADSB Receiver - Really?

Well,

For some time I've run an ADSB receiver here called PiAware - It's by flightaware, runs on a Raspberry Pi and uses an RTL dongle and a short bit of wire wedged in the shack window as an antenna - not the best.

Today I've been making a better antenna, a masthead amplifier and checking for improved reception. I recorded my musings as a video:

Fun, egh?

es'hail-2 dish feed

Well,

Very much inspired by the fun back here, I figured it would be great to try and make a better single feed for the dish for both bands.

This seemed to be just the ticket.

Not this needs to be plumbing, not electronics!

I paid a visit to fellow ham and insane constructor Ian, G4EVK; who has some amazing model making equipment and a good plumbers blowtorch!

Here's some photos of the build:

I'm waiting for a "rocket" LNB that I hope will fit on the end of the waveguide (read 22mm pipe) using a compression fitting, I have also used the trick from here to check the 2.4GHz return loss - after a little bit of bending it's now looking spot on.

Yesterday I very nearly mowed the lawns, today we woke up to this:

Let it snow.....

** UPDATE **

I have used the lens from a "rocket" LNB on the front of the feed and removed the feedhorn from an Octagon LNB (with a hacksaw) and connected it all together with a 22mm compression pipe connector and some waterproofing with some silicone. I have also modified the LNB to take an external 25MHz signal (as above):

I've used the same trick I used back here to measure the return loss on 2.4 GHz and its around 20dB; I have also lashed up the receiver on the 10GHz downlink and that is working just fine.

Now, how on earth can I weather proof this?

Miss Maggie and Miss Pepper Cat seem to be economising by using the same bed? Bonkers.

Local conditions....