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

Call for Papers--2007 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
by Ford, Steve, WB8IMY 16 Jul '12

16 Jul '12

Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 26th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September 28-30, 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut. These papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings (you do NOT need to attend the conference to have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is July 31, 2007. Please send papers to: Maty Weinberg ARRL 225 Main St Newington, CT 06111 or you can make your submission via e-mail to: maty(a)arrl.org Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights. 73 . . . Steve, WB8IMY ARRL

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Santa docks at the ISS
by Ed Tump 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

Happy holidays! I got a kick out of this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_Di8mZLu0VE <http://youtube.com/watch?v=_Di8mZLu0VE&feature=PlayList&p=26B9B2ACB4AAC849& index=7> &feature=PlayList&p=26B9B2ACB4AAC849&index=7 Maybe he dropped off some more amateur radio gifts. 73, Ed KC9GWK Grid EN52 AmSat Member

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Re: OLPC ... Neat!
by Bob Bruninga 19 Apr '08

19 Apr '08

> I think the XO is a... ground breaking device. > Did I get one? No, I realized that it is does > not meet my needs and would end up in the > closet or given away to a child... Mine have done just that since Xmas, until today. ... I couldn't find my shoulder bag big laptop and so on my way out the door, I grabbed one of the kids XO's so I could try it out for the 5 hours I would be sitting at the kids swim meet. Sitting in the stands, I fired it up, and to my amazement wireless! bingo up came my favorite web pages, and then email. After reading email I went to edit some of my web pages. Flipped the screen around to tablet/book style so that the pages were long and I could read like a book. Holding the device in one hand with the nice finger holes provided. Wow, what a neat way to access wireless, email, web pages, and live mobile APRS. Less than 1/2 the bulk of my big laptop, and only $200 at risk instead of the $1200 labtop. I can't wait for the ham software to start working with it. Talk about portability... The ease of use, will assure that I will now probbly have the ham radio laptop apps with me more often than before since I will be more apt to carry the small XO at low risk then lug the big laptop. I'm sold! And now that my kids see how easy the itnernet access was, I now have to buy my own XO, since now their inteerest has been re kindled and they do want to take them both back to school... Bob, WB4APR

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Satellite Simulated Emergency Test 2
by Robert Bruninga 16 Feb '08

16 Feb '08

Next Satellite Simulated Emergency Test (SSET), 9-18 Feb? PCSAT-1 will enter full sun on 9 Feb and will join ISS on 145.825 as a relay for 1200 baud SSET Emails. GO-32 is also available for 9600 baud Email (if we have sufficient Satgates). See the web page on how to use ANY TNC, and no special software to send an Email: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html That should work well for Packet. Now, for voice... Now that we have AO-16, combined with SO-50 and AO-51 and others for voice, these plus the digital birds give us a total of 36 passes per day opportuntiy for getting a simulated emergency message out via amateur satellite. I think we need to exercise our EmComm capabilities and demonstrate them. I'd like to suggest that we come up with a plan for how best to use our voice birds for this kind of test too. I'd suggest that we come up with NET Control operators who will take checkin's. Check-ins will report these items: TX power, Gain, portable or not, emergency power or not, location. Anyone want to take charge and move out? Bob, WB4APR > -----Original Message----- > From: aprssig-bounces(a)lists.tapr.org > [mailto:aprssig-bounces@lists.tapr.org] On Behalf Of Robert Bruninga > Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 9:56 PM > To: 'TAPR APRS Mailing List' > Subject: [aprssig] Simulated Emergency Test via Satellite 50% > status report. > > This weekend should be good for getting your Satellite - > Simulated Emergecny Test message through. See > http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html. PCSAT is half way > through its 2 week long Fall full-ops period. > > Last weekend, we saw over 75 users per 24 hour period who > exchanged about 250 messages a day plus 23 SSET emails. Then > during the week, this tapered to about 50 a day with 15 more > SSET emails and 3 via ISS. PCSAT is coming up in the late > afternoon now in the Northern Hemisphere. See live user downlink > on http://pcsat.aprs.org . > > It is easy to send a Satelite Emergenncy Email without any > special hardware or software other than a TNC (or soundcard > software). Just set your outoing Email in your Btext and set > BEACON to once a minute. Enable it in the afternoon between > about 1400 to 1800 local standard time in the USA (or 5 to 9 > AM). Set on 145.825 using a digi path of UNPROTO APRS VIA > WIDE2-2 at 1200 baud. > > Or just set your Kenwood D7 or D700 to send the message > automatically from the front panel. > > Check your email after that time period and see if you got the > message. The format is in the above SSET web page. If you've > done it via PCSAT, and or ISS, then try it via GO-32 at 9600 > baud. Though you can do that at your leisure after PCSAT dies > again and GO32 then is the only reliable bird. See > http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/GO32-ops.html > > Bob, WB4APR > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Bob Bruninga [mailto:bruninga@usna.edu] > > Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2007 10:50 PM > > To: bruninga(a)usna.edu; 'Amsat-BB' > > Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Simulated Emergency Test via Satellite > > > > Simulated Satellite Emergency Test: > > > > I now see 74 PCSAT-1 users in the last 24 hours on > > http://pcsat.aprs.org > > > > I cannot count up the SSET emails till I get to work on > > Monday, but of those 74 users, 50 of them have sent about > > 822 messages via PCSAT-1 or ANDE or GO32 or maybe even ARISS > > over the weekend (2-4 Nov). > > > > By the way, this is NOT just APRS hardware and software. > > Anyone with a TNC and a radio can send their SSET checkin > > email. Just set your TNC BTEXT as follows: > > > > BT :EMAIL....:YOUR_EMAIL@WHATEVER.COM checking in for SSET!... > > > > Oh, replace the 4 dots after the word EMAIL with four spaces. > > The above format is an APRS message that will get ingested > > into the global APRS system and will get emailed to > > your_EMAIL (or any other email address you specify). > > > > Also set UNPROTO APRS VIA ARISS > > > > Set beacon to once every minute if attended until you see > > success. If unattended, set to once every 5 minutes. > > > > If successful, you will receive that message via your EMAIL. > > This demonstrates your ability to enter a EMAIL and or > > position and or status from anywhere on the planet in case of > > emergency TO any email address.. > > > > Join the SSET (Satellite Simulated Emergency Test)! > > > > WB4APR, Bob > > > > > Having heard no objections to the proposed Satellite > > > Simulated Emergency Test, we are proceeding with > > > the APRS satellite part of the test: > > > http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > What is needed for this new opportunity is encouraging > > > a mind set... Towards... emeregency preparedness. > > > > > > I am thinking AMSAT (we) need to do more emergency > > > service preparations and tests with our satellites. > > > Not only will that test our capabilities, but we > > > will also need to demonstrate our emergency response > > > capabilities as a group to help sell the new > > > P4 concept to the supporters of this new Geo initiative. > > > > > > Can we work up a SSET, Satellite Simulated Emergency > > > Test? Something AMSAT can do to get this bandwagon > > > rolling. Here's a web page on what I am thinking: > > > > > > http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html > > > > > > SATELLITE SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST: > > > > > > For the APRS satellites, everyone with an APRS station, > > > or D7 or D700 mobile would try to send an EMAIL > > > reporting location and status via satellite from the > > > field. > > > > > > For the PACSAT message birds, similarly send a message > > > reporting status from the field. > > > > > > For the Voice birds, have a net control take check-in > > > status from as many field stations as possible. > > > > > > I hope I'm not not re-inventing someone's wheel. SET > > > was in October and I am not a routine satellite > > > operator, but I do think we need field preparedness. > > > This is not another Field day contest. But this is > > > different. We will have good powerful net controls > > > taking as many low-power check-ins as possible to > > > demonstrate our capability to handle emergency traffic > > > from anywhere. By my count, there is a LEO satellite > > > pass on average at least once an hour most of the day > > > long. Plenty of time during a 2 day test for eveyone > > > to checkin. > > > > > > With PCSAT-1 returning to service for the next two > > > weeks, I would propose to do this during the 2nd week > > > in November. And to schedule it monthly from then on. > > > Sign up net controls for the FM birds, etc... > > > > > > Field Operations IS part of this new P4 opportunity. > > > Lets start exercising... > > > > > > And you can do this all from your mobile without a PC! > > > > > > See my draft web page... > > > http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html > > > > > > Bob, WB4APR > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > aprssig mailing list > aprssig(a)lists.tapr.org > https://lists.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig >

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Explorer I - recordings
by Roy 05 Feb '08

05 Feb '08

I have been asked if any of the Explorer I recordings were still available in WAV, etc format. There is one posted at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php. Select the "Select a Topic" drop down menu and scroll down to "Sounds from the first satellites." There are a few recordings there with the info about the recordings. One of them is the Explorer I telemetry. You will hear several constant audio tones with one of them shifting between two tones. There was a geiger counter on board that counted cosmic ray particles according to the info I have read. After a certain number had been counted the tone shifted and after another quantity had been counted it shifted back again. The 108 mHz antenna was a six element colinear arrangement consisting of six half waves (wire elements) suspended over a 13x13 ft wooden frame covered with chicken wire laying on the roof of my house. This oriented it up about 75-80 degrees above the southern horizon. No tracking. The satellites had to fly through the main lobe of the antenna pattern. The receiving arrangement was a modified TeCraft (I think) converter with a 6BQ7 TV RF amplifier front end feeding an National NC-300 Amateur band receiver. Not very good as noise figures go today but pretty good for 1958. I still have all of the original reel to reel tapes, some of their contents transferred to cassette tape. -- Roy

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Re: A considerate operating practice on FM (one channel) satellites, Europe take 2
by OZ1MY 05 Feb '08

05 Feb '08

Hi all, Thanks for the many positive replies. More than one says that it would be a good idea to have the article translated for the different national magazines in Europe. Tonight I will update the article and hope that at least one radio amateur in each European country will volunteer to translate from my English to the necessary language - and try to get it in the national magazine. Just send me an e-mail direct and you will get the article. The offer is not limited to Europe :-) By the way I like the FM satellites and use them. 73 OZ1MY Ib

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Explorer I
by Roy 01 Feb '08

01 Feb '08

If I'm not mistaken this is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Explorer I, the USA's first satellite put in orbit. I listened to the telemetry broadcast on 108 mHz and recorded it. The JPL had asked for the loan of any recordings made so I sent them out for their analysis. I received my original tapes back along with a supply of new reels of tape for use in making further recordings. JPL sent copies on to the Air Force Research Center at Cambridge. I later received letters from JPL and the Air Force Research Center describing the data they had recovered from the recordings relative to micrometeorite impacts and other items. It was a really exciting period for Amateur Radio. -- Roy -- W0SL

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Re: Satellite tracking programming ideas
by phillor＠telstra.com 01 Feb '08

01 Feb '08

> SatPC32 works similar as Instant Tune (see Anthony Monteiro's detailed > answer): Thank you Anthony and Erich for your replies. I'm always impressed by the generosity of this list's members. During the past week I've spent hours debugging my code because it was originally supposed to work the way that you have both described. Actually it did, or at least I thought it did, but that was before I bought a laptop computer and a USB to serial converter. The code has been updated many times during the past eight years and during one of those updates I changed the user interface so that the user had to stop the tracking during manual tuning; effective but clumsy. Reading the FT-847's receiver frequency originally caused me some frustration. I had included a delay after each read and write command because the FT-847 doesn't return a command acknowledgement. While writing this reply I realised that instead of a delay I shroud be waiting for the serial port to receive five bytes from the radio. This has turned out to be more reliable but I still get occasional read errors and I feel that it's due to the USB to serial converter. When an incorrect frequency value is read, at one second intervals, the same value is reread from the serial port buffer each second until the tuning knob is moved again. Maybe the read command is working correctly and instead it's the write command that instructs the radio to output it's frequency that's not working reliably. I remember reading about some sort of delay that the FT-847 requires but I cannot remember what it was all about. It could be important. A lecturer once told a class that I attended that explaining a problem to anyone, even your dog if no one else will listen, often leads to an answer. It's helping in this instance, but not enough to lead me to the final answer. To add to my frustration, my ISP has made changes to their mail server which now prevents me replying to any e-mails that are outside of their domain. I have a workaround but it's a real pain. Thank you Wayne for your thoughts on frequency drift. I spent many hours listening to AO40's beacon and did manage, eventually, to get the drift under control. -- Regards, Phil.

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RFI source found - sort of
by Tony 31 Jan '08

31 Jan '08

All, I was able to track down the general location of an RFI problem I've been hearing since December. It's in the vicinity of 3 new homes on a cul-de-sac not far from my QTH. I'm told the pulse noise sounds like the RFI from an invisible electric fence. At this point, it's hard to tell which home it's coming from with the HF mobile because the signal strength is overwhelming at the location. I'll have to get up close with a portable AM radio; I'll probably need some shielding around it. Wish I knew exactly what the noise was; I'd hate to 'accuse' a neighbor of causing RFI and have it turn out to be the power company. I have a recording if anyone is interested. The question is, what to do in the worse case scenerio if the home owner decides not to take action to remedy the problem? Anyone on the reflector been through this before? Apologies for the off-topic note -Please reply direct... Tony -K2MO

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Explorer 1
by Daniel Schultz 31 Jan '08

31 Jan '08

I was just a baby when Explorer 1 was launched, but I well remember the 25th anniversary when I was at the University of Iowa and James Van Allen was still the department chairman. Where has the time gone.... http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/explorer/captions/briefing.php Dan Schultz N8FGV

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