January 2008 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Sat Panel version 2
by Andrew Rich 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

I have for some time wanted to make an indicator panel style of display to tell me what the status of several satellites was. I have now completed this task. A perl script watches over the world wide satellite data and sets some flags in mysql. A cgi web page then displays the status. Enjoy http://vk4tec.no-ip.org/cgi-bin/sat_panel_v2.cgi Andrew Rich VK4TEC

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ANS-013 New Feature -ANS Bulletins Via AMSAT-BB
by JoAnne Maenpaa 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

As of the first of the year the weekly AMSAT News Service Bulletins will also be sent via the amsat-bb list to ensure maximum news coverage. (-editor) AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-013 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * AO-51 Report * Florida AMSAT Net Will Host W2GPS This Thursday * SW Conference * AMSAT Engineering Team Meets * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARISS Status - 07 January 2008 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.01 AO-51 Report AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.01 The period of no eclipse for AO-51 is about a week old. The no eclipse period has proven to exhibit many short periods when the bad sun angle has caused the solar cells not to supply sufficient power, this has been supplemented by the batteries. We have increased the power output significantly over the last week, TXA (L/U digital BB) is now running 630 mW and TXB (analog V/U repeater) is running 820 mW. We plan on experimenting with the S-Band trans- mitter and a U-Band transmitter during the next couple of weeks. We do not have a published schedule as we are adapting the outputs to optimize the satellite operation and decrease the temperatures. Updated Note:1/13/2007-- AO-51 stopped transmitting and is going to be re-booted ASAP. Keep an "ear" on it. [ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM and the AO-51 Command team for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.02 Florida AMSAT Net Will Host W2GPS This Thursday AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.02 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.02 AMSAT President, Rick Hambly, W2GPS will join the Florida AMSAT Net, Thursday Jan 17, 2008 from 7:30 - 8:30 pm EST to give a short status report and field questions. This net links repeaters all over Florida and via EchoLink so there is ample opportunity for those that want to listen or ask questions. The EchoLink nodes to connect through are: KG4YZY-R or N4HHA-R. Please try to connect to KG4YZY-R first via Echolink. If you are connecting via another repeater, please make certain that none of your repeater's IDs, squelch tails, etc are sent over the link, otherwise it gets real messy. The net's purpose is to provide a platform for hams with amateur satellite interest to meet and discuss topics of interest. All amateurs are invited to check in. Expect other AMSAT Officers and Board members to participate over the next few months. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.03 SW Conference AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.03 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.03 A conference on global shortwave coordination will be held February in Kuala Lumpur. This, to try to resolve potential interference problems likely to affect shortwave transmissions. According to the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the February meeting will be hosted by VT Communications on behalf of the High Frequency Coordination Conference, the Arab States Broadcasting Union and the Asian Broadcasting Union. Using mutual coordination, delegates will try to resolve many of the potential interference problems that are likely to affect shortwave transmissions in the 2008 joint global broadcasting schedule. At present, a single global seasonal database of seasonal frequency requirements, compiled by the High Frequency Coordination Conference secretariat, assists in the coordination process. A new database of frequency requirements for the shortwave radio broadcasting season from March 30th to October 26th will be on the agenda of the conference. Hams will want to keep an eye on the outcome of this gathering because whatever is decided could impact on Amateur Radio operations in spectrum that shared with international shortwave. (Southgate) [ANS thanks ARNS for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.04 AMSAT Engineering Team Meets AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.04 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.04 With the holiday season behind and everyone settling back into winter in the northern hemisphere, the AMSAT Engineering Team kicked off the new year with the first meeting of 2008 on Tuesday, January 8. Thirty-two radio amateurs met via a VoIP teleconference call to get down to work on AMSAT's main missions which include the Eagle Satellite, the geosynchronous Phase IV Lite rideshare opportunity with Intelsat, and educational support for university projects. Engineering project manager Barry Baines, WD4ASW moderated the meeting along with AMSAT's Vice President of Engineering, Bob McGwier, N4HY. AMSAT's volunteer engineers provided status and planning information for the projects listed below. Barry, Bob and engineering team members will provide members with detailed project information in future columns of the AMSAT Journal. Rick Hambly, W2GPS, AMSAT President, reported that negotiations are continuing with Intelsat and are now going to focus on size, weight, and cost of the geosynchronous rideshare arrangement. Rick reminded everyone that our mission must excite potential grant funding sources via our unique emergency communication and educational capabilities. Watch the Journal for future details! Matt Ettus, N2MJI has taken on the design of the Advanced Communication Payload. The first steps toward specification of the high speed digital channels, power requirements, uplink and downlink protocols, and class of stations supported have begun. Watch the Journal for future details! Howard Long, G6LVB continues work on the linear transponders based on Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. Development and testing are underway. High altitude balloon, SuitSat2 and SSETI missions are planning to utilize this transponder technology to provide early experience prior to P3E and Eagle utilization. Watch the Journal for future details! Marc Franco, N2UO has started work on the VHF amplifier driver stage using the silicon carbide technology enabling the 86% efficiency of the main PA. Space rated components are under study. The 2 meter band HELAPS amplifier will be the initial design and possible scaling upward to the 70cm band is under consideration. Watch the Journal for future details! Lou McFadin, W5DID leads the team developing SuitSat-2. The internal housekeeping unit (IHU) and AMSAT's software defined transponder technology are the main items under development. Solar cells have been donated by NASA. A new antenna system on top of the helmet has been completed. Watch the Journal for future details! Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Lab Manager reported on several good projects that have arisen out of the cooperative efforts of AMSAT and the HAWK Institute of Space Sciences at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. Construction of the AMSAT lab in the 8500 square foot facility continues. The clean room and machine shop will be coming on line to begin the development of the Eagle satellite space frame. University students will utilize the facilities to develop and launch a high altitude balloon project and a university cubesat both carrying research-related and AMSAT-related payloads. Watch the Journal for future details! If you want to help with the AMSAT Engineering Team, send an e-mail to Bob N4HY via n4hy(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks, Bob, N4HY, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.05 Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.05 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.05 + Clint Bradford, K6LCS reports success from his Wednesday, January 9 AO-51 club demonstration. "AO-51 performed tremendously! We worked Mexico and a couple California stations", said Clint. + Ed Long, WA4SWJ, Editor, The AMSAT Journal reminds authors that the dead-line is approaching for article submissions for the Jan/Feb 08 Journal. If you have an article to submit Ed would love to have it as soon as possible. + AMSAT Store Manager, Bruce, KK5DO suggests you check out the new 2GB USB Flash Drive in an aluminum finish with the AMSAT logo in the store. Bruce says, "This has to be one of the best items we have carried. Something that all of us can use." + The current launch date for the PSLV-C9, carrying the NLS-4 set of nanosatellites (CanX-2, Delfi-C3, AAUSat-II, COMPASS-1,Cute-1.7+APDII, SEEDS) is February 14. + Reserve your seat! For his next big plan for the private space industry, Richard Branson is thinking up new ways to excite affluent space tourists: flying them into the biggest lightshow on Earth, the Aurora Borealis. Although the New Mexico Virgin Galactic Spaceport isn't scheduled for completion until 2010, the British entrepreneur is already planning his next project intended for cruises into the spectacular space phenomenon from an Arctic launchpad. (Universe Today) + Amateur radio to the moon? Possible rideshare arrangements to the moon via ESA and NASA student projects are discussed in the November/ December 2007 AMSAT Journal. Not a member? Didn't get the Journal? Sign up for membership today at http://www.amsat.org! [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.05 ARISS Status - 07 January 2008 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.06 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.06 1. ARISS School Contacts Status Due to ISS crew schedules, no Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts are planned at this time. The ARISS team expects contacts to resume once STS-122 launches in late January. 2. Astronaut Training Status Timothy Creamer, KC5WKI, is scheduled for a training session in basic radio operations and school contacts on Tuesday, January 8. Creamer is a backup crew member for the Expedition 18 mission. 3. ARISS Annual Report The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) FY2007 annual report has been written and is being finalized. It will soon be posted on the ARISS section of the AMSAT Web site. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org

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Rich Hambly to talk with AMSAT members on FL AMSAT net
by Gould Smith 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

AMSAT President, Rick Hambly, W2GPS will join the Florida AMSAT Net, Thursday Jan 17, 2008 from 7:30 - 8:30 pm EST to give a short status report and field questions. This net links repeaters all over Florida and via EchoLink so there is ample opportunity for those that want to listen or ask questions. The EchoLink nodes to connect through are: KG4YZY-R or N4HHA-R. The net's purpose is to provide a platform for hams with amateur satellite interest to meet and discuss topics of interest. All amateurs are invited to check in. Expect other AMSAT Officers and Board members to participate over the next few months. 73, Gould, WA4SXM

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Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 3, Issue 20
by Kevin Forbes 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

Hello folks, there is a new website online. Mainly amateur radio, some free software is also available. Again, mostly related to amateur radio. Calculators and spacecraft imaging software. http://www.vk3ukf.com/ All the best, Kevin, VK3UKF. _________________________________________________________________ Your Future Starts Here. Dream it? Then be it! Find it at www.seek.com.au http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fninemsn%2Eseek%2Ecom%2Eau%2…

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Florida AMSAT Net Will Host W2GPS This Thursday
by JoAnne Maenpaa 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

AMSAT President, Rick Hambly, W2GPS will join the Florida AMSAT Net, Thursday Jan 17, 2008 from 7:30 - 8:30 pm EST to give a short status report and field questions. This net links repeaters all over Florida and via EchoLink so there is ample opportunity for those that want to listen or ask questions. The EchoLink nodes to connect through are: KG4YZY-R or N4HHA-R. The net's purpose is to provide a platform for hams with amateur satellite interest to meet and discuss topics of interest. All amateurs are invited to check in. Expect other AMSAT Officers and Board members to participate over the next few months. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org

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[ans] ANS-013 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins
by Dee 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-013 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * AO-51 Report * SW Conference * AMSAT Engineering Team Meets * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARISS Status - 07 January 2008 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.01 AO-51 Report AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.01 Correction to the previously sent news item. AO-51 update The period of no eclipse for AO-51 is about a week old. The no eclipse period has proven to exhibit many short periods when the bad sun angle has caused the solar cells not to supply sufficient power, this has been supplemented by the batteries. We have increased the power output significantly over the last week, TXA (L/U digital BB) is now running 630 mW and TXB (analog V/U repeater) is running 820 mW. We plan on experimenting with the S-Band trans- mitter and a U-Band transmitter during the next couple of weeks. We do not have a published schedule as we are adapting the outputs to optimize the satellite operation and decrease the temperatures. Updated Note:1/13/2007-- AO-51 stopped transmitting and is going to be re-booted ASAP. Keep an "ear" on it. [ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM and the AO-51 Command team for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.02 SW Conference AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.02 A conference on global shortwave coordination will be held February in Kuala Lumpur. This, to try to resolve potential interference problems likely to affect shortwave transmissions. According to the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the February meeting will be hosted by VT Communications on behalf of the High Frequency Coordination Conference, the Arab States Broadcasting Union and the Asian Broadcasting Union. Using mutual coordination, delegates will try to resolve many of the potential interference problems that are likely to affect shortwave transmissions in the 2008 joint global broadcasting schedule. At present, a single global seasonal database of seasonal frequency requirements, compiled by the High Frequency Coordination Conference secretariat, assists in the coordination process. A new database of frequency requirements for the shortwave radio broadcasting season from March 30th to October 26th will be on the agenda of the conference. Hams will want to keep an eye on the outcome of this gathering because whatever is decided could impact on Amateur Radio operations in spectrum that shared with international shortwave. (Southgate) [ANS thanks ARNS for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.03 AMSAT Engineering Team Meets AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.03 With the holiday season behind and everyone settling back into winter in the northern hemisphere, the AMSAT Engineering Team kicked off the new year with the first meeting of 2008 on Tuesday, January 8. Thirty-two radio amateurs met via a VoIP teleconference call to get down to work on AMSAT's main missions which include the Eagle Satellite, the geosynchronous Phase IV Lite rideshare opportunity with Intelsat, and educational support for university projects. Engineering project manager Barry Baines, WD4ASW moderated the meeting along with AMSAT's Vice President of Engineering, Bob McGwier, N4HY. AMSAT's volunteer engineers provided status and planning information for the projects listed below. Barry, Bob and engineering team members will provide members with detailed project information in future columns of the AMSAT Journal. Rick Hambly, W2GPS, AMSAT President, reported that negotiations are continuing with Intelsat and are now going to focus on size, weight, and cost of the geosynchronous rideshare arrangement. Rick reminded everyone that our mission must excite potential grant funding sources via our unique emergency communication and educational capabilities. Watch the Journal for future details! Matt Ettus, N2MJI has taken on the design of the Advanced Communication Payload. The first steps toward specification of the high speed digital channels, power requirements, uplink and downlink protocols, and class of stations supported have begun. Watch the Journal for future details! Howard Long, G6LVB continues work on the linear transponders based on Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. Development and testing are underway. High altitude balloon, SuitSat2 and SSETI missions are planning to utilize this transponder technology to provide early experience prior to P3E and Eagle utilization. Watch the Journal for future details! Marc Franco, N2UO has started work on the VHF amplifier driver stage using the silicon carbide technology enabling the 86% efficiency of the main PA. Space rated components are under study. The 2 meter band HELAPS amplifier will be the initial design and possible scaling upward to the 70cm band is under consideration. Watch the Journal for future details! Lou McFadin, W5DID leads the team developing SuitSat-2. The internal housekeeping unit (IHU) and AMSAT's software defined transponder technology are the main items under development. Solar cells have been donated by NASA. A new antenna system on top of the helmet has been completed. Watch the Journal for future details! Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Lab Manager reported on several good projects that have arisen out of the cooperative efforts of AMSAT and the HAWK Institute of Space Sciences at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. Construction of the AMSAT lab in the 8500 square foot facility continues. The clean room and machine shop will be coming on line to begin the development of the Eagle satellite space frame. University students will utilize the facilities to develop and launch a high altitude balloon project and a university cubesat both carrying research-related and AMSAT-related payloads. Watch the Journal for future details! If you want to help with the AMSAT Engineering Team, send an e-mail to Bob N4HY via n4hy(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks, Bob, N4HY, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over + Clint Bradford, K6LCS reports success from his Wednesday, January 9 AO-51 club demonstration. "AO-51 performed tremendously! We worked Mexico and a couple California stations", said Clint. + Drew, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA VP Operations, says, "The satellite is now in full sun, with no eclipses, for the next several months. The downlink power has been increased substantially, to 630mw on the data side, and 820mw on the repeater side. Temperatures aboard the satellite have increased, but are within expectations". + Ed Long, WA4SWJ, Editor, The AMSAT Journal reminds authors that the dead-line is approaching for article submissions for the Jan/Feb 08 Journal. If you have an article to submit Ed would love to have it as soon as possible. + AMSAT Store Manager, Bruce, KK5DO suggests you check out the new 2GB USB Flash Drive in an aluminum finish with the AMSAT logo in the store. Bruce says, "This has to be one of the best items we have carried. Something that all of us can use." + The current launch date for the PSLV-C9, carrying the NLS-4 set of nanosatellites (CanX-2, Delfi-C3, AAUSat-II, COMPASS-1, Cute-1.7+APDII, SEEDS) is February 14. + Reserve your seat! For his next big plan for the private space industry, Richard Branson is thinking up new ways to excite affluent space tourists: flying them into the biggest lightshow on Earth, the Aurora Borealis. Although the New Mexico Virgin Galactic Spaceport isn't scheduled for com-pletion until 2010, the British entrepreneur is already planning his next project intended for cruises into the spectacular space phenomenon from an Arctic launchpad. (Universe Today) + Amateur radio to the moon? Possible rideshare arrangements to the moon via ESA and NASA student projects are discussed in the November/ December 2007 AMSAT Journal. Not a member? Didn't get the Journal? Sign up for membership today at http://www.amsat.org! [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-013.05 ARISS Status - 07 January 2008 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 013.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 13, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-013.05 ARISS STATUS 07 January 2008 1. ARISS School Contacts Status Due to ISS crew schedules, no Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts are planned at this time. The ARISS team expects contacts to resume once STS-122 launches in late January. 2. Astronaut Training Status Timothy Creamer, KC5WKI, is scheduled for a training session in basic radio operations and school contacts on Tuesday, January 8. Creamer is a backup crew member for the Expedition 18 mission. 3. ARISS Annual Report The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) FY2007 annual report has been written and is being finalized. It will soon be posted on the ARISS section of the AMSAT Web site. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org

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geloso 3-pin jack
by Scott Smith 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

hi, maybe some of the older chaps might remember this kind of jack. I would like to know where i could buy one and if someone could send me a diagram how to make a cord to go from the geloso (3pin out-put plug) to a 1/4 mono jack. Hope all had a very good new year. 73 de ve6itv Scott

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AO-51 operation off
by Gould Smith 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

AO-51 stopped transmitting and went into Boot Loader mode. The command team has reset the satellite and have the digital downlink up and running. We will reload the satellite as quickly as possible. 73, Gould, WA4SXM AO-51 Command Team

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Moonbounce/Early Spy Satellites
by Trevor 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

The use of moonbounce and Early Spy Satellites get a mention in this 56 minute Google Tech Talk presentation which deals with the largely unrecognised work of Fred Terman whose favourite hobby as a boy was Amateur Radio. See YouTube - The Secret History of Silicon Valley http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2008/silicon_valley.htm 73 Trevor M5AKA --------------- Daily Amateur Radio RSS News: http://www.southgatearc.org/ Email your news items to: editor at southgatearc.org News On Your Website: http://www.southgatearc.org/rss/index.htm News On Your PC: http://www.southgatearc.org/rss/newsreader.htm Upload Your News: http://www.southgatearc.org/news/your_news.htm --------------- __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! Mail - a smarter inbox http://uk.mail.yahoo.com

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OH8MBN
by k3szh＠netzero.net 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Hi Mika Time flies CONGRATULATION on your 1000 plus qso's on AO7,Your signal is always great on this side of the pond. 73 Joe K3SZH Amsat 3788 _____________________________________________________________ Click now to save big on brand name luggage. http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2221/fc/Ioyw6i4tn9Y1A6Hjc8dfwSSqODXN…

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FW: [psk31] New Film With Amateur Radio Theme......
by John R. Klim II 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Nice trailer, if you have time watch it. 73 ES CUL =========================================== Mr. John R. Klim II N3KHK ARRL LM-0008416263, AMSAT LM-2187, QRPARCI #10392, FISTS # 5015, MQFD #115, 10-X Life Member # 68135, Springbok Chapter # 1874, Chesapeake Bay Chapter # 549 -----Original Message----- From: psk31(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:psk31@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Tom Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 8:34 PM To: psk31(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [psk31] New Film With Amateur Radio Theme...... I though this might be of interest to some of you..... link to YouTube trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L81DqSpkz7M Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psk31/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psk31/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:psk31-digest@yahoogroups.com mailto:psk31-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: psk31-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

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Re: Trasatlantic QSO on AO-51
by Luc Leblanc 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

The grid JO station has been indentified it is Ib OZ1MY from Denmark missed the QSO be half a degree it is a very near edge horizon scraping last second type of contact... > Transatlantic QSO is actually possible on AO-51 from my grid FN36 i copy a > station in grid JO and make a QSO with EA8CEI Alberto on Canary Island when the > satellite was at 3 degrees of elevation (4 deg max on that early morning > pass). Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE

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Coax cable
by John Wright 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

I have some 15mtr long off-cuts of coaxial cable, I'm having trouble identifying. It is marked " WESTERN WIRE 9119 WTV 01105 SUPER 3 SHIELDED CATV LV" Anyone any ideas? can't seen to find any data on it. I assume it is 75 ohm, being CATV cable

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wisp help
by Andrew Rich 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Hello Wondering if someone can help I am trying to get WISP to track the ISS. I have updated the keps and wisp says "ISS - added to database" But any attempt to get it to track says "ISS is not in the database" Ideas ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Rich VK4TEC vk4tec(a)people.net.au http://www.tech-software.net

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AMSAT Web Update
by JoAnne Maenpaa 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Hello everyone, The http://www.amsat.org web page has been updated with an executive summary of the EAGLE engineering team meeting which was held on Tuesday, January 8. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org

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Trasatlantic QSO on AO-51
by Luc Leblanc 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Transatlantic QSO is actually possible on AO-51 from my grid FN36 i copy a station in grid JO and make a QSO with EA8CEI Alberto on Canary Island when the satellite was at 3 degrees of elevation (4 deg max on that early morning pass). Feel quite alone on this over the Atlantic pass no one show up in North America? "-" Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Nice video http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3wrzo_fabrication-dune-lampe-triode_tech WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE

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1 watt pa
by Nick Pugh 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Hi All The cubesat team at UL is looking for a power amp design 144 and 435 MHz 1 watt amplifier that has about 30 db gain and works on 3 volts with > 70% efficiency. Any ideas. thanks nick

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RS-22 telemetry Jan 12, 2008
by Mike Rupprecht 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Date: Jan 12, 2008 0918 UTC UBS 139 IBS 20 USUN 147 ISUN 65 ITXA 0 ITXB 0 TTXA 110 TTXB 108 TNAP 108 TCTR 109 TSBA 108 TSBB 105 MODB 129 MODC 6 MTX 35 MRX 32 OnBoard Voltage: 13,9 V OnBoard Current: 0,2 mA Charge Voltage from Solar Batterie: 14,7 V Charge current from solar battery 0,65 mA D.C. current of the 435 MHz TX: 0 mA D.C. current of the 145 MHz TX: 0 mA Temperature of the 435 MHz TX: 10 °C Temperature of the 145 MHz TX: 8 °C Temperature of the Navigation Unit: 8 °C Temperature of the Controller: 9 °C Temperature of the inner case: 8 °C Temperature of the outer case: 5 °C Housekeeping info: 129 Housekeeping info: 6 Housekeeping info: 35 Housekeeping info: 32 73, Mike DK3WN

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Re: [eu-amsat] "Top" of AO-7's LOG
by John Hackett 12 Jan '08

12 Jan '08

Note also JH3XCU/1 still climbing up the list ... with no QSO's whatsoever. 10th most active operator on AO-7 ??? ... err, I don't think so. 73 John. <la2qaa(a)amsat.org> To: eu-amsat(a)yahoogroups.com From: sv1bsx(a)yahoo.gr Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:03:56 +0200 Subject: [eu-amsat] "Top" of AO-7's LOG Congrat's to Mika, OH8MBN ! He is the 5th European station above 1000 points in to Emily's OnLine LogBook for AO-7 . Good one Mika ! I wish you good luck for the next step, at... 2000 points ! 73, Mak SV1BSX Email: sv1bsx "AT" yahoo .gr URL : http://sv1bsx.50webs.com avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 080110-0, 01/10/2008 Tested on: 1/11/2008 19:20:13 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar MARKETPLACE Earn your degree in as few as 2 years - Advance your career with an AS, BS, MS degree - College-Finder.net. Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity 2 New Members 1 New Files Visit Your Group Moderator Central Yahoo! Groups Join and receive produce updates. Sell Online Start selling with our award-winning e-commerce tools. Cat Groups on Yahoo! Groups discuss everything related to cats. . __,_._,___

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Demos at Fort Worth Hamfest 11-12 Jan 2008
by Pughkeithd＠cs.com 11 Jan '08

11 Jan '08

Satellite Operators, It looks like a busy weekend for Hamfest Demos. We also plan to be on the Birds from the Fort Worth Hamfest. We will try for the following passes (UTC): 01/11/08 2357 AO-07 01/12/08 0017 AO-51 0154 AO-51 1406 AO-51 1546 AO-51 1554 VO-52 1730 VO-52 2003 SO-50 2100 AO-27 2144 SO-50 We plan to use the Lockheed Martin Amateur Radio Club call - W5SJZ; however, the individuals staffing the operation may elect to use their own calls: W5IU, WA5QGD, KA2UPW, and WA0D. The SSB/CW Birds are a little "iffy" at the moment, but we should be on the FM Birds for sure. See you then! 73 - Keith, W5IU

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Recollections of OSCAR-9 & Salyut Decay Competitions
by Clive Wallis 11 Jan '08

11 Jan '08

Hi, Here is some information about the OSCAR-9 & Salyut-7 decay competitions. I've compiled this from OSCAR News (the magazine of AMSAT-UK), and from my own records and memory. I would be most interested in any additional information about these activities, which may have been remembered or published. The decay competition was first suggested by Craig Underwood, G1WTW of the University of Surrey (UoS), in February 1989. In a text bulletin broadcast on OSCAR-11, he anounced the rules of the competition which was to predict the day on which UoSat-1 will decay completely. the entry to be sent at least one month before the prediction. The prize for the winning entry was a UoSAT sweatshirt. Craig also posted a table of satellite height and mean motion, showing the orbital decay between mid 1988 and end of January 1989. The task of running the competition was then passed to AMSAT-UK, who added additional prizes, any item of AMSAT software and two AMSAT-UK T shirts. Five entries were allowed per person, to be precicted one month before the event. OSCAR-9 decayed at 07:51:49 UTC on Friday 13 October 1989. The results of the competition were anounced by Ron G3AAJ on the AMSAT-UK eighty metre net the following Sunday. The winner was Geoff Roberts G3ENY (15 October). My entry was second or second equals (October 11), Unfortunately I can't remember the other runners up. In his monthly news bulletin, broadcast at the end of October, Richard G3RWL reported - "Max White at the Royal Greenwich Observatory reports that UoSAT-OSCAR-9 (UoSAT-1) decayed on Friday 13th October at 0751.49 GMT on Rev 44761. Two possible locations for the final decay are given by different agencies: 49.2S 220.9E and 46.4S 220.0E These locations are over the South Pacific and were probably out of range of any receiving stations. The last report of telemetry we have so far is from K9CIS at the Richmond Community College in the USA. They heard the satellite between 03:43 and 03:49 on 13th October, and reported good signal strength and nominal telemetry. Any telemetry or reports from the last 6 hours of UO-9's life would be appreciated by the UoS." The following announcement appeared in the news bulletin on OSCAR-11 - "UoSAT-1 decayed on 131089 at 0751.49 GMT on Rev 44761 around 49.2S 220.9E and 46.4S 220.0E. Any telemetry or reports from the last 6 hours of UO-9's life would be appreciated by UoS - thanks to all those who have already submitted reports." The winner of the competition was also mentioned in the next OSCAR News, December 1989, but no mention of the runners up! I never received a prize, (I didn't like to ask!). Interestingly, there was also an item in the same issue of Oscar News from 'The Westlink Report' saying that UO-9 was last heard on 435.025 MHz. by ZS6CCD at 12:00 UTC. I last heard OSCAR-9 on 12 October at 20:31 UTC (TCA) transmitting telemetry & WOD. Here is one of the last frames I received - UOSAT-1 8910120203424 COMPUTER GENERATED TELEMETRY 00100101020302645503000304000405591806275607397A08450909557E 10100011010112000313000214024315832D163545176303184508195418 20150621020122615223000124009F25412026425727334128450B295608 30000331020032666733244234011735306336354737392C38457D39541A 40110441080D42743643000744140545001046003147447448463D494898 50110551080C52272053156454463055361456444757447558461E59471E Examination of this telemetry, shows that the 435 MHz. beacon is OFF. There had been some interest in the decay of OSCAT-9's orbit well before the competition was suggested. At the 1987 AMSAT-UK Colloquium, Peter Cleal G8AFN presented a paper describing factors affecting the decay of the satellite. He queried why the satellite was still in orbit when the expected orbital life was five years from 1981, and why the orbital calendars for UO-9 were often incorrect. Peter precicted that the satellite would decay in March 1990, plus or minus three months. Excellent for such a long term prediction. This paper was published in OSCAR News April 1988. There were no Colloquium proceedings in those days. At the 1989 AMSAT-UK Data Space Collloquium, Peter presented another paper detailing how he related the decay of the satellite to variations in solar activity and other factors. Geoff G3ENY was a worthy winner of the competition, as his entry dated 30 June was published in August's OSCAR News. It showed graph of height against time. His predictions (all guesses he said) varied from 06 August to 10 November, with the winning entry 15 October nicely in the middle of the range. Geoff also wrote two articles in OSCAR News about solar activity, and mentioned that a burst of solar activity in March had doubled the rate of UO-9's decay. Regarding my own predictions, after some initial unsuccessful attempts at curve fitting, I decided a scientific approach was needed. The density of the exosphere appeared to be the most likely factor determining the rate of decay, which could be integrated to give change in height. The density is a function of height and exospheric temperature, and was determined by using a simple look-up table. The temperature was determined by solar radiation, and some periodic time related factors. The method I used was to statistically analyse the historic data. This produced results which were then used with solar predictions, to do a day by day calculation of decay rate & height until the critical re-entry height was reached. I used a floppy disk based BBC-B Micro computer programmed in BASIC, for all the calculations. My source of the daily 10.7GHz. solar information was the weekly printed bulletins from the U.S Solar Observation Centre at Boulder, Colorado. The values of 3-monthly flux were obtained from tables published in the Wireless Engineer magazine. Those were the days before the Internet! The method only yielded partial success, and I tended to get different results every time the software was run. My five predictions dated between 27 August and 10 September, were October 11, 17, 20. 24 & 31 One problem in 1989 was getting Keplerian elements. AMSAT-UK usually downloaded them from a bulletin board in North America via an expensive transalantic telephone call. These were then read out on the AMSAT-UK 80 metre net. Often there was a burst of interference just as the vital mean motion was being read out! Keplers were also available on the packet radio system and on OSCAR-11. Peter G8AFN and I often used to meet at Stevenage railway station, where we changed trains on our way to work, in the mornings. We exchanged the latest Keplers, and details of our observations. To obtain updated values of mean motion I developed a method of using the observed values of the time of closest approach (TCA), ie zero Doppler. The error between actual TCA and predicted TCA could then be used to correct the mean motion. Thus daily values of mean motion and decay rate were calculated. One interesting outcome of this study was that I found that the measured decay rate was usually twice the 'Drag' value in the Keplerian elements. The units of drag are often wrongly described as revs/day/day. They should be double-revs/day/day. This may have accounted for errors in the orbital calandar for OSCAR-9. The Salyut-7 decay competition was organised by Pat Gowen G3IOR and AMSAT-UK. Details were published in OSCAR News December 1990. The time and date of re-entry was required, which had to be received at least one week before the event. Three entries were allowed. The prize was a handsome set of commemorative Soviet space stamps. Salyut-7 crashed to earth in Chile at 03:44 UTC on 07 February 1991. Details were published on the amateur packet/satellite network and in OSCAR News April 1991. There were over 100 entries, from all over the world. The winner of the competition was Mike Billow N1BEE, who predicted 03:30, just 17 minutes early. Second was Hazel, XYL of G3FMQ at 04:19. I came third at 08:24. Other close contenders included LA4XC, G4ODC, G4BDW, W3/G3ZCZ, G3LDI, G3FMQ, G4CUO, G4FKC, PA0DLO, G0BAF, G4ULS, VE3EFX and WB6LLO, who all came up with predictions superior to the estimates produced by the professional agencies. I received a magnificient certificate, designed and hand painted by Norma, G3IOR's XYL. Duplicates of the space stamps were also included. A similar method was used for the calculations, which used files of mean motion, solar flux, and historic three month solar flux data. Trust this is of interest, and looking forward to any comments. 73 Clive G3CWV Hitchin, North Hertfordshire, UK.

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moonbounce on 40 meters
by Daniel Schultz 11 Jan '08

11 Jan '08

Scientists Detect Lowest Frequency Radar Echo From The Moon Washington DC (SPX) Jan 09, 2008 A team of scientists from the Naval Research Laboratory, the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL's) Research Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., and the University of New Mexico (UNM) has detected the lowest frequency radar echo from the moon ever seen with earth-based receivers. In the lunar echo experiment (more properly called a lunar bistatic radar experiment), the Air Force/Navy High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) high power transmitter, located near Gakona, Alaska, launched high power radio waves toward the moon. The reflected signal, weakened because of the long distance to the moon and back, was detected by receiving antennas in New Mexico. NRL consultant scientist Dr. Paul Rodriguez, of NRL's Information Technology Division, who conceived and proposed the experiment explains, "Analysis of the echo gives information on the properties of the lunar sub-surface topography, because the low frequency radar waves propagate to varying depths below the visible surface of the moon. It is somewhat like sonar, except that we are using electromagnetic waves rather than sound waves. The experiment also allows us to study the interaction of the echo signal with the earth's ionosphere along its return path, because the ionosphere is only partially transparent at low frequencies." During the experiment, which was carried out on Oct. 28 and 29, 2007, the radar signals from HAARP were at 7.4075 MHz and 9.4075 MHz. Both the transmitted signal and the echo from the moon were detected by NRL Remote Sensing Division scientist, Dr. Kenneth Stewart, and NRL engineer Brian Hicks with antennas built for the Long Wavelength Array (LWA). LWA is a radio interferometer being built in the desert west of Socorro, N.M., by UNM, NRL, the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin, Virginia Tech, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, for studies of space physics and astrophysics. The LWA is intended to work below the 88 MHz edge of the FM band, but to get down to the HAARP signal frequencies, the antennas were equipped with digital receivers and specially designed matching networks developed by Stewart, Hicks, and engineer Nagini Paravastu at NRL. "Detecting the very weak radio signals after their round trip to the moon and back was challenging and required careful modification of the LWA antennas to improve their performance at these frequencies," says Stewart. NRL LWA Project Scientist Dr. Namir Kassim notes, "One of the successful goals of this experiment was to demonstrate that the LWA can work with instruments like HAARP at lower frequencies than its nominal design." The HAARP radar antenna array was "phased" to point about 45 degrees away from the zenith, in order to track and directly illuminate the moon. Its full total power capability, about 3.6 MW, was used to transmit pulses two seconds in length every five seconds over a period of two hours each day, one hour at each frequency. Using such a pulse pattern makes the echo, which arrives back from the moon 2.4 seconds later, immediately recognizable, allowing the scientists to distinguish the moon's echo signal from the HAARP signal. The HAARP signal reached the receiving antennas in New Mexico by reflecting off the underside of the ionosphere, the region of the Earth's atmosphere from 50 to 400 km in altitude that is partially ionized by solar radiation. The lunar echo measurements at 7.4075 MHZ are believed to be the lowest frequency (longest wavelength) at which bistatic radar measurements have been conducted. "Even though lunar echoes have been detected before at higher frequencies, it was really exciting to see them arrive in real time out under the full moon in the New Mexico desert," says NRL's Hicks. http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Scientists_Detect_Lowest_Frequency_Radar_E…

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MacWorld San Francisco
by Clint Bradford 11 Jan '08

11 Jan '08

Who else will be attending MacWorld next week in San Francisco? May I suggest 442.050+ CTCSS 127.3 as a local repeater, and, say, 146.550 as local simplex for monitoring??? Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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1000, congatulations ao-7 contact's.
by TERRY BROMLEY 11 Jan '08

11 Jan '08

mika OH8MBN well done Mika. I'm glad to be in your 1000 contacts. 73 Terry G1WPR.

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Sat station coverage map
by Andrew Rich 11 Jan '08

11 Jan '08

I had an idea 1. When ISS is heard direct 2. Ask predict for the lat and lon and alt of ISS 3. Ask the radio for signal strength 4. Place the data into a mysql table 5. Plot on google earth positions where ISS is heard 6. Draw lines from my qth to where ISS was heard in 3D 3D coverage maps ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Rich VK4TEC vk4tec(a)people.net.au http://www.tech-software.net

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