December 2006 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Wallops Launch!
by Bob Bruninga 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

Iian, The Wallops launch was beautiful. I would say it got to a good 30 degrees above the horizon from up here in Baltimore, 115 miles away. A very impressive sight. I was on my roof with groggy wife, but it turned out to be well worth getting up for. This means that in the future we can see it from 30 feet lower just as well sitting leisurely on the deck. I'm sure my 30 degree estimation is prbably more like 20 degrees because they say that the human eye over estimates elevation angles, but still it was so high, it was well above the trees here in Baltimore, 115 miles from the launch pad. Thanks for the alert! WB4APR, Bob

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Genesat TLM
by Lee McLamb 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

Just copied the 1514Z pass here in Cocoa, FL (EL98oj). The TLE from the Genesat website seems on target. However the frequency appears to be 8-9 kHz below the published 437.075 MHz KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org04BB317000F0007600B2010000A4019F0000000000F300000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org04BB317000F0007600B2010000A4019F0000000000F300000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org09BB3109000000E300480025006900010000000000F400000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org09BB3109000000E300480025006900010000000000F400000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org0EBB317000F1007A00B2010000A401100000000000F500000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org0EBB317000F1007A00B2010000A401100000000000F500000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org13BB310000DA0100000100260000009E0000000000F600000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org13BB310000DA0100000100260000009E0000000000F600000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org2CBB317000F2007A00B1010000A401100000000000FB00000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org2CBB317000F2007A00B1010000A401100000000000FB00000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org40BB31D700DE010000000026006900010000000000FF00000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org40BB31D700DE010000000026006900010000000000FF00000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org45BB318500F3007A00B1010100A4011000000000006500000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org45BB318500F3007A00B1010100A4011000000000006500000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org54BB3100000000CD010100260069001000000000006800000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org54BB3100000000CD010100260069001000000000006800000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org59BB318300F4007800B1010100A4019F00000000006900000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org59BB318300F4007800B1010100A4019F00000000006900000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org86BB31010000009F011800260069009F00000000007200000000 KE7EGC/TELEM>UNDEF>UI,C,F0: GeneSat1.org86BB31010000009F011800260069009F00000000007200000000 73, Lee-KU4OS

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Re: Pre amp question
by Bruce Robertson 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

Quoting i8cvs <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it>: > Hi Steve, N2JDQ > > If your receiver has the capability to switch OFF the AGC than the > following > simple test will tell you if your preamplifier connected to the actual > antenna is working or not for you: > > 1) Switch OFF the AGC, power OFF the preamplifier and tune the receiver > in a free frequency to receive only the white noise > > 2) Connect an AC voltmeter (5 volt f.s) to the high impedance output of > your RX audio hadphone jack > > 3) Switch the mode to CW or SSB wich uses the product detector wich is > linear. > > 4) Reduce the RF gain to minimum > > 5) Increase the Audio gain to maximum > > 6) Aim your antenna at 90° elevation to the cold sky and adjust the RF > gain > until you read 1 volt due to the white noise and call this voltage > V1 > > 7) Without changing anything aim your antenna to the horizon at 0° > elevation > where half of the antenna lobe should now pick up more ground noise > and > read the new voltage and call this voltage V2 > > 8) Make the ratio V2/V1 wich is your (S+N)/N with preamplifier OFF > > Repeat the above steps with the preamplifier ON > > If the ratio V2/V1 with preamplifirer ON is a little bit greater than > the > ratio with the preamplifier OFF than that preamplifier is usefull > othervise > if the ratio is unchanged it is not usefull because or the noise figure > of > the preamplifier is too high or your antenna temperature is too high > because the antenna pick up too much thermal noise due to side lobes or > pick up man made noise particularly in urban or suburban areas > particularly > if the frequency is 144 MHz or belove. > > If you live in an area with high density of FM and TV transmitters > located > in top of a hill (my situation) you can get the phase noise of the > above > transmitters as a reference signal because the phase noise of their > oscillators extends well in to the amateur band in form of a withe > noise > ( moving the S meter to me in 70 cm at 10 km distance from the top hill > ) > > If you measure V2 with the antenna aimed toward the source of phase > noise > (the hill) and than V1 with the antenna aimed to the cold sky 90° > elevation > than you can better evaluate the ratio V2/V1 with preamplifier ON and > preamplifier OFF > > I don't mention the possibility to use the sun for the above evaluation > because using small gain antennas for satellite communications in to 2 > meters and 70 cm the sun noise is not well detectable over the noise of > a > receiving system. > > Greatest is the ratio V2/V1 with preamplifier ON and lower is the > overall > noise figure of your receiving system or lower is your antenna > temperature > or both togheter. > > For the evaluation of a receiver when is antenna connected is the ratio > V2/V1 i.e. the swing between V2 and V1 that count. > > 73" de > > i8CVS Domenico > Thanks, Dom. This is excellent helpful advice for those of us with elevation rotors. The V2/V1 ratio with preamp on would provide a relative benchmark to turn to when something seems 'not quite right'. For instance, I know that ice buildup on my yagis due to freezing rain will degrade their performance. I could get some idea of how badly the performance degrades by comparing this ratio in icy conditions to the benchmark taken in ideal conditions. (This would assume that the S component of the S+N was constant over time. Assuming I'm using ground noise, does anyone know if this value changes significantly with ground temperature? Transmitter phase noise as discussed above would, of course, be beyond one's control.) I'm wondering if anyone knows of a reliable piece of software that might do the voltage measurements through a computer and sound card. I've noticed recent projects in QST that appear to entail this sort of measurement, but I don't think any of them had software that performed this basic function. 73, Bruce VE9QRP -- Bruce Robertson, Dept. of Classics, Mount Allison University http://heml.mta.ca

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Post launch GeneSat-1 TLE (no S-band contact on first pass)
by Ralph Wallio, W0RPK 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

POST LAUNCH GENESAT-1 TLE 1 99999U 06888001 06350.50694444 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 10 2 99999 40.0093 77.6931 0005129 219.0419 271.9548 15.50782129 16 GeneSat-1 command station has -not- yet had S-band TT&C contact. TNX es 73 de Ralph Wallio, WØRPK W0RPK(a)netINS.net http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ Hubbert's Peak - The Mother of all Perfect Storms

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Post launch GeneSat-1 TLE
by Ralph Wallio, W0RPK 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

POST LAUNCH GENESAT-1 TLE 1 99999U 06888001 06350.50694444 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 10 2 99999 40.0093 77.6931 0005129 219.0419 271.9548 15.50782129 16 GeneSat-1 command station reports S-band TT&C AOK. TNX es 73 de Ralph Wallio, WØRPK W0RPK(a)netINS.net http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ Hubbert's Peak - The Mother of all Perfect Storms

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Re: Genesat
by Andrew Glasbrenner 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

BTW, this was on the 437.075 frequency. I had seen information giving the beacon as 437.100, which I can now say is wrong ;-) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Glasbrenner" <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> To: <amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 8:52 AM Subject: Genesat > Beacon heard 3 times between 1342-1345Z, 12/16, no packets decoded though. > I used the Dec11 keps adjusted for todays date, seemed they gave a late > AOS. > > 73, Drew KO4MA

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Genesat
by Andrew Glasbrenner 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

Beacon heard 3 times between 1342-1345Z, 12/16, no packets decoded though. I used the Dec11 keps adjusted for todays date, seemed they gave a late AOS. 73, Drew KO4MA

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GeneSat Only Heard
by Keith N4ZQ 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

AOS of GeneSat at 13:38:23 UTC on 437.084. Only heard packets at this location. No decode of any telemetry noted. Signal pretty weak this time around. GL Keith N4ZQ in Florida EL88pa

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GeneSat-1 telemetry 16Dec06 ~13:35UT
by Ralph Wallio, W0RPK 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

GeneSat-1 telemetry from first pass this morning in Iowa: cmd:KE7EGC*>TELEM>UNDEF [UI]: GeneSat1.orgB3A231870200006300000026006900010000000000EE00000000 KE7EGC*>TELEM>UNDEF [UI]: GeneSat1.orgF4A2310000FA0000008C010000A401100000000000FB00000000 KE7EGC*>TELEM>UNDEF [UI]: GeneSat1.org08A33180004C001E00010024006900010000000000FF00000000 KE7EGC*>TELEM>UNDEF [UI]: GeneSat1.org0DA3310000FA0000008B010100A3011000000000006500000000 KE7EGC*>TELEM>UNDEF [UI]: GeneSat1.org12A331FF010200F5000000260069009F00000000006600000000 TNX es 73 de Ralph Wallio, WØRPK W0RPK(a)netINS.net http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ Hubbert's Peak - The Mother of all Perfect Storms

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GO-32 beacon Dec.16
by Mineo Wakita 16 Dec '06

16 Dec '06

435.225MHz, 9600bps, FSK, KISS [2006-12-16 19:34:27] TechRam1V9.86 [2006-12-16 19:34:57] TechRam1V9.86 --------------------------------------------- Name: Mineo Wakita / JE9PEL, JAMSAT member Mail: ei7m-wkt(a)asahi-net.or.jp URL : http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ QTH : Yokohama Japan, GL:pm95tj Date: Dec 16, 2006 ---------------------------------------------

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