EME Operations at OVRO


We have now operated in two EME contests at OVRO as W6IFE. First was the 2005 ARRL International EME Competition. Our claimed score was 316,000 points.

We also operated during the K2UYH-sponsored 1296 SSB EME contest. Results were not as good, as we were forced to stow the antenna due to high winds.

One of the more interesting aspects of operating with the large dish is experimenting with 10 GHz EME.

We have completed a preliminary mapping of the Moon on 10 GHz and have identified several "sweet spots" that will return significant echoes!

We have seen echoes with S/N ratios of over 50 dB, and have received excellent returns on SSB tests.

The antenna has a very narrow beam width, roughly 200 miles at the Moon's surface, and this greatly reduces the amount of dispersion normally encountered on 10 GHz EME.

Bottom line: Size does matter!