SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ham-satellite-uplink-power-beacon

How can you tell your uplink power into a linear transponder satellite is about right?

Your downlink signal is about as strong as the beacon.

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  1. Always transmit at the maximum legal power
  2. Ignore your downlink signal strength
  3. Your downlink signal is about as strong as the beacon ✔

Why: The beacon is a handy yardstick. If your signal on the downlink matches it, you are loud enough without hogging the transponder.

Huh, didn't know that: A linear transponder relays a whole slice of a band at once, so many contacts share it.

The dad joke
How loud should you be on a satellite? Beacon loud, not rock concert loud.
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References

Answer: Your downlink signal is about as strong as the beacon. The beacon is a handy yardstick. If your signal on the downlink matches it, you are loud enough without hogging the transponder.

  1. NCVEC 2026-2030 Technician Question Pool (Feb 19, 2026 errata) ncvec.org/downloads/2026-2030%20Technician%20Pool%20and%20Syllabus%20Public%20Release%20Feb%2019%202026.pdf
    T8B12 (C) C. Your signal strength on the downlink should be about the same as the beacon
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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