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

Re: ICOM IC910
by andy thomas 04 Jan '08

04 Jan '08

I'm just setting up my ICOM IC910H for 9k6 and although I'm not yet there, I offer some observations which might be useful. 1. Both the main and sub band data sockets appear to be the the same - ie the manual does not distinguish between them. 2. I have set up a 9k6 connection using a (second hand) SYMEK TNC2H 9k6 tnc. This uses a 180 degree 5 pin DIN at the TNC end and the 8 pin mini DIN at the TRX end. I have used an old connector from a Mouse but had to cut into the plug to hard wire to the earth connector. I've also used an ex-keyboard plug (see below), the advantage is that most of the leads are already soldered. 3. Under Win 2k I use AGWPE and either UISS or AGWPE Term to drive it - need to specify the SYMEK when setting up and leave the default PC-to-TNC speed as 9k6. 4. Setting up the SYMEK was a pig. It has 8 dip switches and according to the manual the 9k6 Pc-to-tnc setting was UP-DOWN-UP. In fact it's DOWN-UP-DOWN while the rest of the dip switches are correctly described - as in the picture on the front of the SYMEK manual (that took me 3 months!!). 5. When set up a quick tx click will see the ptt light up on the tnc and key the radio. Tracking doppler with HR Deluxe - an excellent program BTW -, I can currently rx AO51 and GO32 9k6 data. 6. However I can't find a way to get raw hex. Normally I would use Packcom in DOS but Win 2K doesn't do DOS, I have tried DOSBOX but Packcom doesn't connect to the tnc while in the Box. Anybody know a freeware windows terminal program that can put the tnc into KISS? 7. Current objective is to use UISS to digipeat through GO-32. This will need two leads from the TNC 5 pin DIN, one to the main band to rx and one to the sub band to tx. I have built this but the earth connection pin 2 isn't connected on my ex-keyboard DIN connector lead so will cut into the plug again (using the casing doesn't work). Hope that helps /is of interest 73 de andy G0SFJ ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it now. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/

5 4

FW: 6m meteor Scatter project (radios&ants)
by Robert Bruninga 04 Jan '08

04 Jan '08

The APRS Meteor Scatter web page has been updated to add the new EmComm Email concept using 6m Meteor Scatter. http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/meteors.html We simply add RX's to each APRS Igate, and the rest of the infrastructure exists. We get not just point A->B MS reliability, but point A=>BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB potential reliability. Meteor paths are very spot to spot specific, but if we multiply the receive sites by dozens, then we improve the throughput potential by dozens. Done. Using surplus 6m 100W ratios all we need is fixed gain antennas. And using just 120 feet of a piece of long wire can give 12 dBi gain in a given direction. Perfect for this application. So dust off that old 6m clunker, connect it to an Igate and lets see what comes in. Notice that since anything received by ANY IGate is not only tagged by that IGate but also shared live to the entire APRS network, we have a built-in performance monitoring system too. The entire infrastructure exists. It's plug-n-play... I know this is not directly satellite related, but it is SPACE and it is EmComm which is just another small slice of the AMSAT pie... Bob, WB4APR > -----Original Message----- > From: tacos-bounces+bruninga=nadn.navy.mil(a)amrad.org > [mailto:tacos-bounces+bruninga=nadn.navy.mil@amrad.org] On > Behalf Of Bob Bruninga > Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2007 3:03 PM > To: Paul Rinaldo; tacos AMRAD > Subject: 6m meteor Scatter project. > > The #1 advantage of this current 6m MS proposal is that it > does not attempt 2-way exchange. It takes unique advantage > of these primary issues: > > 1) APRS Email Mission is delivery of SINGLE Email packets. > > 2) A single successful packet results in real-world value, > sender-to ANY human recepient on the planet > > 3) Space-diversity: Receivers at IGates all over the country > all linked in real time via the internet. THis improves > reliability by an order of magnitude. Not just one area of > the sky, between point A and B, but ALL areas of the sky > beteeen A and B-thru-ZZ are potential meteor reflectors. > > 4) Only one packet to one receiver is needed for 100% success. > > 5) Individual testing is one-handed. All IGate receivers are > automomous and listening 24/7. SO any tester only needs to > TRANSMIT his email, and then watch his PC for success. > > It is this unique "emergeny outgoing email" mission, > unique-existing APRS infrastrcutre and existing email engines > that make this new project quite viable and not necessarily > dependent on a critical mass. > > Lets get some on the air listening... > > Bob, Wb4APR > _______________________________________________ > Tacos mailing list > Tacos(a)amrad.org > http://www.amrad.org/mailman/listinfo/tacos >

1 0

A2710S Antenna's problem
by SV1BSX 03 Jan '08

03 Jan '08

Hi to all & HAPPY NEW YEAR, sorry for "off topic", just I wonder if somebody here has any experience with Cuscraft A2710S (5+5 El. V-U antenna). A friend of mine (newcomer on SATs), he used only the VHF part of this antenna as VHF Yagi on a Satellite antenna system, but unfortunately the antenna appears SWR 3:1 ! Because he removed the "Harness" which splits the common Coaxial from TX-RX into the two separate antennas (V & U) in order to use the antenna with independent Coaxial - just for VHF band (the UHF-part is non-connected), I wonder if this "Harness" has to do with antenna matching - even if this coaxial is a simple-usual 50 Ohms cable. Thanks in advance. 73 de Mak, SV1BSX Email: sv1bsx "AT" yahoo .gr URL : http://sv1bsx.50webs.com --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 080103-0, 01/03/2008 Tested on: 1/4/2008 03:17:04 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com

2 1

UTARC balloon Launch 10:00 PM tonight (1/3/08)
by jkelly＠home 03 Jan '08

03 Jan '08

Some may be interested in this: The Amateur Radio Club of the University of Tennessee will be launching a balloon tonight to attempt their goal of sending a balloon across the Atlantic ocean. The launch time is 10:00 EST Jan. 3 (tonight) The balloon will be sending data on 2 meters and will transmit RTTY/CW on 10 mhz once it goes out over the ocean. Freq = 10.1257 Live Information on mission status and updates to any info can be found on the Live Mission Status button and to download a RTTY/CW client that will forward any received data on 10 mhz to their server go to: http://www.spiritofknoxville.com/index.html Jeff KT2K

1 0

ISS
by Andrew Rich 03 Jan '08

03 Jan '08

I have put togther a little page that shows the last hour of ISS traffic on a map and some recent data http://vk4tec.no-ip.org/cgi-bin/iss_track3.cgi refresh is 60 seconds ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Rich VK4TEC

4 4

Re: Satellite mode on IC-821H
by ka8syx2003＠aol.com 03 Jan '08

03 Jan '08

Hi, John -- Yes, fellow AMSAT members have been very helpful since I joined; this is by far the longest thread I've initiated or continued as generally I've been able to learn lots of stuff by just reading the mail that arrives in the inbox. I also wanted to take a line to thank the several other ops who have weighed in to offer advice. Everyone seems to prefer SATPC32 over other applications - I have Scott Hather's Satscape installed on both desktop and laptop and like its presentation. Like SATPC32, it also has the ability to interface with a handful of transceivers and rotors with a Wisp DDE link to adjust Doppler and antennas, so I would like to try it first. I also used WinOrbit 3.6, but that was before I saw a demo of Satscape. I still use WinOrbit when I want a hard copy ephemeris to take outside with me (so far I've only operated on satellites portable) I still will look at SATPC32 and likely will try it out too. John, I certainly didn't mean to imply anything negative regarding our conversation about adjusting for doppler; When I used separate transceivers I always tuned the rig on the higher frequency and left the lower one alone, but like you experienced the problem of greater divergence between up and downlink as a QSO progressed. Every time I think about doppler correction I think of the "one true rule" paper and still cannot wrap my brain around it completely. It may be because I have never watched another op do it all during a pass -- I've never enjoyed or even listened to a live QSO on a HEO bird, only .wav/MP3 files listened to on the internet. So, thanks, everyone. I have a week left before my family returns home -- keep your fingers crossed, maybe I'll be able to pull it all together and see what happens by then. V/r and 73, Ray KA8SYX Jacksonville, FL, EM90ee -----Original Message----- From: John Henderson <jah(a)ec.rr.com> To: Ka8syx2003(a)aol.com Sent: Tue, 1 Jan 2008 7:29 pm Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Satellite mode on IC-821H Hey Ray, Glad to help…that’s what AMSAT’s about! Surprised you were able to dope anything out of that but I’m glad you did. The reason some of us don’t track but one freq is that the freq in the Doppler.sqf files are the actual xmit/rec freq from the sat. Even tho we put in lat/lon in SATPC32 ( BTW it’s the best) the Doppler correction algorithms do not correct them sufficiently to always be right for your QTH. You will usually find they are off by 2 or 3 khz and you adjust them in the .sqf file til you get it right for your QTH. I choose just to make the xmit zero and work on the receive. You might post a question to the BB and get a better answer or find that I am not doing it the best way. It works for me and I have about all the sats corrected for my location. When you get it up and running turn on the C+ and see how close you are to being on freq. Turn the C+ off and turn by hand and not the difference between the radio and SATPC32 freq tracking. Subtract those and you’ve got the delta for correction. I live on the coast of NC and our locations are similar for the south to north or viv coastal passes that are long and the doppler rate is high in the middle of the pass; that’s where they really are off the most. I am retired and the kids are gone and I really enjoy the sats and computers, etc. I have been a ham since late 50’s in high school and I can say this is the most enjoyable part of ham radio I have found and all the folks on the board are really helpful and most of them ( with some exceptions including yours truly) are pretty knowledgeable. Let me know if have any more ?? about the 821H. It’s a good solid rig. I’ll be listening for you John John Henderson N4NAB 212 Bayside Drive Cape Carteret, NC 28584 252-725-2744 n4nab(a)amsat.org http://www.amsat.org/ ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com

1 0

Re: AO=51 and Yagi Polarization
by clintbrad4d＠earthlink.net 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

Don't know what I'm doin' wrong...I regularly hit 30 degree elevation and higher passes alone and for demos in front of clubs - and cannot discern with my ears any benefit when rotating the Arrow. And I still get excited about this...What a wonderful aspect of this marvelous hobby! Clint, K6LCS http;//www.clintbradford.com 909-241-7666 -----Original Message----- From: "Zachary Schrempp" <zach.km7i(a)gmail.com> Subj: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: AO=51 and Yagi Polarization Date: Wed Jan 2, 2008 5:32 pm Size: 1K To: "Garie Halstead K8KFJ" <khyberpass65(a)yahoo.com> cc: "Clint Bradford" <clintbrad4d(a)earthlink.net>, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org I have to agree with Gary. Being able to switch polarization of a linear-polarized Yagi will help, especially at lower elevation angles. At higher elevation angles the signal will be strong enough that it will be discernible on the Arrow regardless of the polarization. However, when the satellite is at lower elevation angles, the ability to switch the polarity so that it matches the signal coming from the satellite will provide a few extra dB of gain, which may be the difference between solid copy and noise. This has been my experience. 73, Zach KM7I On Jan 2, 2008 4:39 PM, Garie Halstead K8KFJ <khyberpass65(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Clint Bradford <clintbrad4d(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > > > You are talking about the two satellites I regularly access using a > > handheld radio at about 2.5W and either an Arrow dual-band antenna > > or simply a longer duck. > > > > In my experiences, orienting the Arrow 90 degrees in either direction > > gives no discernable improvement on the RX signal: It's clear and > > wonderful no matter how I twist the Arrow. > > My experience has been quite different Clint. There have been times when I've noticed a drop in signal strength, rotated my Arrow antenna 90 degrees, to find the signal strength back up. I had been told earlier by an experienced sat op of the FM birds that there would be shifts in polarization during passes that I would have to correct for. It appeared to me his advice was correct. > > 73, Gary -K8KFJ- > AMSAT #32574 > Sat VUCC #125 > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > --- message truncated ---

1 0

Re: AO=51 and Yagi Polarization
by Clint Bradford 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

You are talking about the two satellites I regularly access using a handheld radio at about 2.5W and either an Arrow dual-band antenna or simply a longer duck. In my experiences, orienting the Arrow 90 degrees in either direction gives no discernable improvement on the RX signal: It's clear and wonderful no matter how I twist the Arrow. Do the concepts os LHCP and RHCP come into play when you are trying to access lower elevation passes? AO-51 and SO-50 are so darned easy to hit with minimal equipment...and there is certainly NO "large difference between using RHCP and LHCP when listening to the downlink" as mentioned. Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-2421-7666 On Jan 2, 2008, at 11:14 AM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > ...there can be a large difference between using RHCP and LHCP > when listening to the downlink. That is one of the resons for at > lot of > us to have the possibility to switch between RHCP and LHCP...

4 3

Sat Mode on IC-821
by Al Ozias 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

I have used my IC-821 in the Satellite mode with no problems but mostly use the normal mode with Uni_Trac controlling the transceiver Doppler. Contact me at alozias(a)att.net if someone with more routine experience using the Satellite mode fails to assist you. Al Ozias - N7EQF

1 0

ISS power output ?
by Andrew Rich 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

Does anyone know what power the ISS is running on 145.825 ? I see it is a D700, perhaps on 5 watts ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Rich VK4TEC vk4tec(a)people.net.au http://www.tech-software.net

6 6