October 2007 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: Sputnik-1
by G0MRF＠aol.com 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Hi. Nice compromise here in Europe too. Rebroadcast of Sputnik with message of congratulation, interspersed with QSOs with GB5OSO on mode UV. Good job and thank you everyone. David G0MRF ======================================================= In a message dated 04/10/2007 20:37:08 GMT Standard Time, db(a)db.net writes: Hi, So midway into our OARC (http://www.oarc.net) club executive meeting, we all took a break out to the street to have a listen to the rebroadcast of Sputnik-1 with an arrow and HT. Mike VE3FFK got this recording. http://www.db.net/~db/SPUTNIK%2050%20ANNIVERSARY%20expanded.mp3 Present were Dave, VE3TLY, Janice VA3PAX, Mike VE3FFK, Alan VE3ZTU, Ian VE3IGJ and yours truly, Diane VA3DB. - 73 Diane VA3DB (Amsat coordinator)

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AO-51/Sputnik event
by D. Craig Fox 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Thanks to the AO-51 crew for sending out a very nostalgic and historic message on the 8.25 PST or so pass I just listened to in SoCal- DM13. Very cool. I was 5 yrs old when that sound was first heard and the significance of Russia's accomplishment became significant only later in my life. Thanks again. Craig N6RSX AMSAT No. 36607 NOTICE: This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient of this communication, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this communication to the intended recipient, please advise the sender by reply email and immediately delete the message and any attachments without copying or disclosing the contents. Thank you.

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Sputnik-1
by Diane Bruce 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Hi, So midway into our OARC (http://www.oarc.net) club executive meeting, we all took a break out to the street to have a listen to the rebroadcast of Sputnik-1 with an arrow and HT. Mike VE3FFK got this recording. http://www.db.net/~db/SPUTNIK%2050%20ANNIVERSARY%20expanded.mp3 Present were Dave, VE3TLY, Janice VA3PAX, Mike VE3FFK, Alan VE3ZTU, Ian VE3IGJ and yours truly, Diane VA3DB. - 73 Diane VA3DB (Amsat coordinator) -- - db(a)FreeBSD.org db(a)db.net http://www.db.net/~db

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DDESat32, Wisp, and TS-2000X--1.2GHz
by Mark L. Hammond 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Does anyone on the list use successfully a TS-2000X with DDESat32 and Wisp to drive their uplink frequency control at 1268MHz? While a 144 or 435 MHz uplink via CAT control works fine (have used it for years), I'm having difficulty when trying to use 1.2GHz on the uplink. (It's like the decimal is in the wrong place...) SatPC32 drives the 1.2GHz uplink just fine... Thanks for any pointers from those who are doing this! 73, -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Office Closed
by Martha 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, October 8th in observance of Columbus Day -- 73- Martha

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Sputnik celebrations at G0SFJ
by andy thomas 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Many thanks to all who have contributed to the Sputnik-1 celebrations today. My PC (active while I was at work) will submit a SWL report across the pond for a certificate of the AO-51 "expression" this morning - although my .wav fie was running fast for some strange reason. This is a timeshifted swl report. Thanks. Thanks also to Rob G8ATE for the contact on GB5OSO just now. Despite the best efforts of Midland Mainline, who cancelled my train and delayed the one half an hour later by 10 mins (how do you explain the prpblem to customer service?) I made a breathless contact with GB5OSO on SO50 at my TCA. Breathless because of the hill on the way home as well as the excitement. G0SFJ will support the National Space Centre ARS GB2NSC on Saturday and Sunday with operation on the birds /QRP/P with an Arrow, and with a private exhibition of Sputnik 1 memorabilia, largely radio oriented, as you might expect. I'll also have a unique CD of recordings from various sputniks and vostoks made by Roy Rippin 50 years ago, he is an SWL in our local Radio club, Welland Valley ARS. And of course I'll demo my Sputnik-1 TLE's **LIVE**(less 50 years). Many thanks to all. And Happy 50th Birthday, Sputnik-1. 73 de andy G0SFJ __________________________________________________________ Are you a hoarder? Then you'll love Yahoo! Mail with unlimited storage. http://uk.mail.yahoo.com

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Re: Keep It Simple, MM
by Juan Rivera 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

All, I plan to give two presentations at the AMSAT Symposium and one will focus almost exclusively on zero defect surface mount technology (SMT.) As Frank points out, SMT has been used extensively in space for many years. Unfortunately, many people believe they can transfer their previous thru-hole PCB experience to surface mount. This is a recipe for disaster. The two technologies are totally different. SMT requires a completely new way of thinking. The margin between high reliability and disaster is very thin. A firm understanding of the unique issues associated with SMT coupled with attention to small details is essential if you want to avoid early failure. The other huge issue that is often not fully appreciated is the impact of radiation on modern components. As I'll show at the Symposium, the old familiar 14 and 16-pin plastic DIP devices were quite robust and could tolerate fairly high doses of radiation. This is not necessarily true anymore. This is why commercial and military payloads use rad-hardened, space-rated, and screened components. Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) devices are manufactured for use in a benign environment where failures can be corrected by replacement or repair. They are not designed for space. They are not tested for space, and you must accept a higher degree of risk it you use them. 73, Juan - WA6HTP On 10/3/07, Jim Sanford <wb4gcs(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > Frank: > Have you seen Juan Rivera's work on the UHF RX? He's learned and > published a bunch about surface mount for our purposes. Your validation > and/or commentary would be very valuable and appreciated. > > Thanks & 73, > Jim > wb4gcs(a)amsat.org > > > Frank H. Bauer wrote: > > I feel compelled to comment on one specific item that Dave questions in this > thread---surface mounted components in space. > > I have worked at NASA for 32+years and have led or guided avionics teams > throughout NASA for a large part of that time (15+ years). For many years > we have used surface mount technology in our avionics products. I was quite > proud of our (Goddard) surface mount capabilities. One of our techs was an > expert on the installation, removal and replacement of surface mountcomponents.an expertise that is highly sought after. This technology is a > mainstream capability within the space community. > > So I need to say that this myth is "busted" > > 73, Frank, KA3HDO > > > > Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:20:55 -0400 > From: "David B. Toth" <ve3gyq(a)amsat.org> <ve3gyq(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Keep It Simple, MM > To: MM <ka1rrw(a)yahoo.com> <ka1rrw(a)yahoo.com>, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20071001220931.03f3beb0(a)pop3.wcoil.com> <6.2.3.4.2.20071001220931.03f3beb0(a)pop3.wcoil.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > At 08:06 AM 10/1/2007, MM wrote: > > > Keep It Simple Silly KISS > By Miles WF1F > > The direction of this tread is caution. I am not suggesting that we do > not use digital technology for satellites, just that we need to be > careful of the technology. The Space environment is not kind to > digital circuits. Digital circuits are easily corrupted by solar > radiation and thermal stresses. A digital circuit designed for use on > Earth many not survive the rigors of outer space. This is partially > because of the Size of a transistor inside a modern CPU. > > In 1978 a computer transistor was made up of wires 3 microns in size. > Today's CPU Itanium, uses wires 0.18 microns in size. The new DSP > chips used on Digital radio will be some where in-between. With the > wire sizes in the 0.20-micron range, it's much easier for solar > radiation to cause temporary shorts, which can cause system crashes. > > > The SDX is a software-defined radio ... it does not necessarily, and > probably does not, use a DSP chip. > > > > > Keep It simple. A small satellite that does one or > two features is better than one big satellite that > does 10 big features. > > > At the cost of launches and satellites, i think this point is easily > disputable. > I am sure that the engineers are looking at an overall systems approach, AND > they've done this before. The difference is the addition of a > software-defined approach, which WILL be space-tested in SuitSat2 anyway > > > > > > Axle lead Resistor and through-hole mounting of > components are much more resilient in space than > surface mount components. > > > Miles, do you have any data to support this statement because right > off-hand, I can't see why this would be true. > > > > > Hardware is not your only problem; you also need to > Extensively Test the software that runs the satellite > project. > > > This is not the first satellite these guys have built - I think they > had this somewhere on their "To-Do List" ... > > > > > > The Analog satellites AO-7 (launched Nov 1974) and > AO-10 (June 1983) are still there when the sun is > shining. > > > Well, that is actually a bug, not a feature. We need to have a way > that we can guarantee that when a satellite dies, it STAYS dead. That > was a real sticking point with Larry Kayser when he was still alive. > These things pop up, un-controlled, and if we had enough of them, > they'd be an interference problem. > > > Dave > > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > >

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Thanks for Sputnik Event
by Pughkeithd＠cs.com 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

I would like to add my thanks for a superb event. I copied most of the last two passes over NA on my IC R-20 and recorded the audio. This will be used along with Visual Sightings of the ISS and construction of 1/4 scale models of Sputnik (6" Styrofoam Ball and Wood Dowels) for a Sputnik 50th Birthday Party with 39 Elementary School Kids at an after school program this Friday, 5 Oct. Hopefully, we will capture the Kid's interpretation of this event in a request for one of the certificates. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the Kid's together to do it live. Thanks again! 73 - Keith, W5IU

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Re: THANKS TO ALL FOR THE SPUTNIK EVENT
by Reicher, James 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

It was great! My 8 year-old and 5 year-old boys listened with awe in their eyes as the bird came into view. I've been trying to spark their interest for years, and this may have done the trick! Thanks to all who put this together. 73 de N8AU, Jim in Raymore, MO Light travels faster than sound... This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 22:55:08 -0400 From: "John Marranca, Jr" <jmarranca(a)bnsystems.com> Subject: [amsat-bb] THANKS TO ALL FOR THE SPUTNIK EVENT To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Message-ID: <8edcdb130710031955r7ecda932o1dbd5bbe1d77b8be(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Tonight was truly fantastic and historic. My thanks to all for the hard work they undoubtedly put into this night. Fifty years ago today, that same sound was certainly met with fear and trepidation, as well as amazment and curiosity. The idea of a transmitter orbiting the earth...and at a time when the Cold War and countless "space-themed" B-Movies....it must have been incredible. Great event! Can't wait fot the certificate to come! John KB2HSH

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ao51/sputnic1
by Robert Turlington 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Hi All looks as if AO51 is in v/u mode at the moment dave G1OCN has been sending Sputnic1 audio over the bird but also had a short contact with him form GB5OSORegards Robert G8ATE _________________________________________________________________ The next generation of MSN Hotmail has arrived - Windows Live Hotmail http://www.newhotmail.co.uk

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