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

Re: SO50
by Wayne Estes 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

David M0ZLB/KG4ZLB wrote: Bit of a "performance" reconfiguring for the switch on tone and then switching back for the shortish pass! Guess that's why it seems unused over here, no-one can be bothered! Wayne replies: Switching between the two tones can be done with a single mouse click if you control your radio with SatPC32 (version 12.3 or newer). Yes, it can be a nuisance if you have to push a bunch of buttons on your radio to switch tones. But the transponder stays active for 10 minutes, plenty of time to fumble with buttons AND make a few contacts. Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik

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PO-28 SK
by Kyle Yoksh 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

Thanks for the link, Pat. I have been asking for quite some time for an update, ANY update on this bird. Here is the post for those who may have missed it: AMSAT-UK -- POSAT Written by G3YJO Monday, 18 September 2006 Following the recent kind agreement of Consórcio SAT, the owners of PoSAT (PO28 or 1993-061D) which was launched on the Ariane V59 from Kourou on the 26th September 1993, work has been progressing at SSTL and the Surrey Space Centre to switch transponder frequencies to the amateur satellite service to serve as a voice FM transponder for use by all radio amateurs worldwide. Unfortunately, recent investigations now indicate that the PoSAT onboard NiCd batteries are showing the effects of 12 years in orbit and the approx 100,000 charge /discharge cycles to which they have subjected and are no longer holding sufficient charge to operate the downlinks. This may mean that, sadly after all, it will not be possible for the satellite to be made available for amateur use. We fully understand the benefits that PO28 would offer radio amateurs and work is continuing at Surrey to see if there is any way to revive this 'old lady'. Watch this space for further updates. Martin Sweeting G3YJO --- Original Message --- Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:29:29 -0400 (EDT) From: McGrane Subject: [amsat-bb] POSAT, PO-28 To: Amsat BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Greetings To G3YJO, Martin Regarding PO-28 and the NICAD batteries; Could the satellite operate independant of the batteries in sunlight? reference: http://www.uk.amsat.org/ thanks, pat n2oeq

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JOTA weekend and AO-51 Schedule Update
by Andrew Glasbrenner 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

I just posted the new AO-51 Schedule that runs to November 6th. Please note that AMSAT is again supporting the Jamboree on the Air event (JOTA) on the weekend of October 21st and 22nd by running dual repeaters on AO-51, with the 435.150 QRP repeater reserved for JOTA contacts on the weekend. Please yield the 435.150 repeater to JOTA contacts, especially between two JOTA stations, for the weekend passes. Otherwise, the normal AO-51 QRP rules apply, 10 watts to omni or handheld antennas only. Visit the schedule at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/ControlTeam.php 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT LM2332 For the AO-51 Operations Group

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Re: Why do the amsats get more and more complex?
by Jason White 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

Thanks to everyone who replied, and to those who may still reply. I suppose what I needed was a subtle shift in point of view and several people provided clear and relevant information which allowed it... I also was under-informed.. time to update my copy of the Satellite Experimenter's Handbook :) What I was misinterpreting is the balance between "what we know works" and "new and experimental". I was under the impression that too much emphasis was being placed on the later, however with a bit of research spurred by the conversation it seems a bit more like ensuring operation by modest stations was a design characteristic of some of the newer sats. I'm still a little skeptical of the SDR transponder, and I probably fall under the category of those who feel that maybe there should be an analog backup, but if it will help with "Alligatoring" I'm all for it (speaking as a small low-budget station..hihi) There is a sort of paradigm shift when you stop thinking of a bird as a "repeater in the sky" and more as, for example, "a martian mission test bed (that also has some parts you get to play with)". I think there is room for both "bleeding edge" and "old stand-by" technology in the amateur satellites, but perhaps my own personal bias tends to lean a bit more conservative in terms of how much of each the final mix should be. As someone said, a model T may be reliable but would you want to drive one to work? Well, maybe not.. but I wouldn't want to commute in an F-16 either! There's a good middle ground somewhere. Thanks again for the good responses, they answered a lot of my questions. 73, Jason - N1XBP

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Re: Why do the amsats get more and more complex?
by Wayne Estes 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

This discussion seems to have lost track of some essential facts: 1. Both P3E and Eagle *ARE* smaller and simpler than AO-40. 2. Both P3E and Eagle plan to have a U/V (Mode B) transponder. 3. Eagle plans to have a backup analog transponder path in case the software-defined transponder fails. I'm not happy about the announcement that Eagle won't have a S-band downlink. But the next HEO satellite, P3E, will have a S-band downlink. The Eagle team might reconsider their decision *IF* the P3E S-band downlink proves to be useful and popular. After all, at this point Eagle is just an idea - no satellite has been built yet. Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik Financial contributor to P3D, P3E, Eagle, and AO51 projects

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AO-51 Fund Raising...24 hr update
by mike honer 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

WOW! Already ten responses, most of them positive, and three of them definitely not. FUND-RAISING 101: from my good wife Anne, who does this for a living...(Fundraising Counsel for non-profits) Success comes from asking: The Right person At the Right time In the Right way For the Right gift And in this situation: The Right person is one who hasn't yet considered joining or making a contribution The Right time is now, while (s)he is excited by the new possibilities The Right way is straightforward, friendly, non-threatening, and encourages participation. The Right gift, which for this kind of solicitation might vary from $10 to a full membership. The idea is to identify those folks and reach out to them. And I can't for the life of me think of how this could demean, threaten, or alienate anyone. And the Ham Spirit will not be trampled upon,spindled, folded, or mutilated. And one of the things that I have learned by osmosis is that It's OK to ask for the money (gift), especially if your case is well made. We will need 10 to 20 widely spaced listeners to record all the calls heard over 3 days, one or two passes per day, during V/U operation of the satellite. Weekends can be very crowded but yield lots of calls. Those lists of calls are forwarded to Martha, and she has agreed to run them against membership and identify those we should reach out to. Maybe we should have custom "AMSAT Outreach" QSLs made up as post cards for this effort. Maybe a contribution of $15 gets a complimentary copy of the Journal. I can't help thinking of the dozen or so newbies I have heard calling on '51 who never heard an answer. What a great way to let them know they are on the right track. Maybe this convinces some more of you that I am on the right track......? Mike, W1BFN

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AO-51.....Fund-Raising Opportunity?
by mike honer 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

I called Martha with this idea today, and she suggested I put it on the b-b, so here it is: AO-51 has been a real "hoot" for a bunch of hams, including me. judging from their technique and their QSLs, many of these ops are doing the sats for the first time. And probably most of that group do not belong to Amsat. (And they should, you know) Since FM05 is not easy to find on '51, I've been getting more than a few QSL cards, and have started to ask the question on my return: "How about $ending Amsat a thank-you note?" Yes, $, not S. So, my idea is that we should try to get those whom we hear on '51 and who are not members to join Amsat, or at least send a few bucks in. Works either way for me. For those who would like to try this: Martha has said that she will run calls against the members list and tell us who is NOT a member, if we send her lists of all those we hear on '51. No need to try to talk to all these folks, it's crowded enough. For my part, I will supply the first 500 39 or 24 cent stamps to put on the the QSLs you would send to those identified as non-members. We should know how or if this will work by the response to the first 500 First goal would be to generate 100 new members or contributors. I am not a subscriber to the list, so please contact me at amhoner(a)rtmc.net with comments, criticisms, or offers to help. Thanks for the bandwidth. Mike Honer, W1BFN LM 2252

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POSAT, PO-28
by McGrane 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

Greetings To G3YJO, Martin Regarding PO-28 and the NICAD batteries; Could the satellite operate independant of the batteries in sunlight? reference: http://www.uk.amsat.org/ thanks, pat n2oeq

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Re: S Band UP
by G. Beat 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

Greg - Many early satellite TVRO systems (cable head ends and early home users) - that used that used 10 foot BUD (Big Ugly Dish) used an IF of 70 MHz -- so reception of "S" band was fairly straight forward. Problem with current commercial satellite transmit systems at your local gasoline station or car dealership (on their roof) -- is that these systems are largely at C or KU ----- and not S band. (I was hoping for an L/S transponder on Eagle -- sounds like that is not happening -- left with P3E system). I have not recently looked at the DEM or SSB Electronics offerings - but 2 m and 70 cm were their preferred rig frequencies. Greg w9gb >> Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:42:35 -0700 >> "Greg D.", KO6TH >> [amsat-bb] Re: S Band UP >> To: amsat-bb >> >> Are there any upconverters from 6 meters to 13cm? Or, from 6m to 23cm? >> >> My equipment for that band gets very little use (10w and a dipole is all >> I >> have, and there's not much Es out here in the west). That also solves >> the >> problem with the downlink IFs, with 6m being neither of the popular ones. >> >> I did some browsing and Googling, and didn't find anything. >> >> Greg KO6TH >>

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HEO QRP [was: A emergency use for Eagle's digital side]
by John Mock KD6PAG 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

> P.S. QRP is not very well suitable for HEO work. You know you can change your call letter anytime > you wants here. But you can choose otherwise and remain on LEO or cubes, for me i prefer HEO with > enough ERP could be VE9ERP will be a good choice too. (JOKE) only a letter to change but this one >makes our hobby sharp. I've worked AO-40 near apogee QRP using a phased pair of homebrew quagis. You just need to work out your power budget and see how much antenna you need to get enough ERP. I also routinely work the FM birds at 1W. (And for passes west of the Great Plains, 140mW if there's not too much terrestrial QRM and i've got a good horizon.) I'll run up to 5W while roaming, as i often don't get a second chance. -- KD6PAG (Networking Old-Timer, Satellite QRPer) [Note: If i'm in your address book, please replace 'qsl.net' with 'amsat.org'.]

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