Partly Successful 10GHz Reception Test With Small Dish. Updated.

Today I tested terrestrial beacon reception with a small dish antenna and an unmodified PLL LNB.
The test was done in my garden with obstructions all the way round.

I have done reception tests before, but this had two limitations:
- Polarization was vertical, while the beacons transmit with horizontal polarization.
- The 60cm dish is fixed, pointing to the satellite.

The limitation of today's test was that the dish is smaller (35cm) and mounted even lower than the dish for OSCAR100. Just a tripod.
Antenna polarization for this test is horizontal, which should be a significant advantage.

As before, I hear no sign of OZ7IGY at 26km distance, with a heavily obstructed path, both by trees at the edge of the garden, and the landscape rising about 20-30m within a few km. OZ7IGY has not yet been heard without the aid of rain scatter.

OZ9GHZ at 36km, but in a different direction with much less obstruction. The worst part is probably a bit of forest about 100m away but no landscape obstructions I can think of, and the middle of the path there are some km of sea. This should prove much better, and indeed it does.

With the correct polarization and the dish pointing closer to the horizon I found a gap between two houses (the neighbour's and mine), and got the dish aligned, and voilà !
The signal is always audible in spite of the lack of line-of-sight, and it is the strongest signal I have heard on 10GHz yet. Stronger than the OSCAR100 beacon, indeed!

A test with the LNB without the dish still provides a clearly readable signal. I am wondering if I am experiencing some "local tropo" propagation. Time and more tests will show.

The experiment is a qualified success, and gives me hope that I can work some 10GHz from home when a corresponding transmitter, suited to be mounted outdoors, becomes available.

At the moment I can not use this setup permanently, it uses the setup for the OSCAR100, and the cable comes in through an open window. I should test if the LNB behind a window will work. More experiments to do.

Update: The LNB behind the window is not that good. Probably coating in the windows

I am thinking of mounting a horn antenna as high as possible, hopefully looking above (most of) the local obstructions, and a dish in a lower position. This is in order to reduce visibility and wind load, and is for a later consideration.

A fixed box with a few LNBs pointing in different directions, and mounted as high as possible is also under consideration.

One thing is sure, I need some modification of the LNBs, so I can connect an external reference, the drift I have with the unmodified LNB is too high for weak signal work.