Drew KO4MA, VP of Operations of AMSAT gave a really good presentation on Amateur Radio satellites at this month’s SPARC club meeting. He even brought everybody outside and made a couple contacts during a pass of XW-2B.
I built my own antenna for working satellites but it’s not working very well. I can hear the satellites but my transmissions don’t make it. I’m in the market for a D72 full duplex radio and then I’l buy the Arrow antenna. Drew said FM satellites are like a gateway drug though. Then I’ll need another radio to work the linear (SSB) satellites. This ham radio rabbit hole is deep.