Beginners Guide to LEO Satellites

This page will cover topics such as satellite hardware, orbits, frequencies, doppler, operating techniques, satellite tracking.

As with any specialized or technical endeavor, the language of amateur satellites is filled with terms, abbreviations, shorthands, and acronyms that become second nature to those who use them daily, but can be obscure to newcomers -- or even to old hands who begin to explore new aspects of satellite construction or operation. When confused by an unfamiliar batch of "alphabet soup," consult the wiki at: http://sats.wikidot.com/acronyms

The easiest satellites to work, from a technical standpoint, are the FM satellites. They are essentially single-channel repeaters in space.