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

Visual sightings of satellites
by David G Lewis 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

Hi, You would look for the sunlight reflection from the satellite.The satellite itself would be too small to see from earth. 73,David

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Re: Viewing AO-51
by Clint Bradford 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

> I believe it is impossible to get a visual sighting of something > that small at that height. There are thousands of objects in orbit > around our earth. A bag of groceries at 300 miles up would take more > seeing ability than a human set of eyes can provide. Pssst, Jim: You saw the ISS just the same way I saw AO-51. Neither of us saw the bird without it being illuminated by another source for us. Clint Bradford

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GO-32 APRS uplink frequencies
by Douglas Quagliana 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

For everyone who has been asking about GO-32 and APRS recently: I copied the following packets, among others, from GO-32 during the evening pass on 05-Nov-2008. 4XTECH-12>BEACON : :BLN1 GO32:cu APRS!!Use pth via 4XTECH 4XTECH-12>BEACON : :BLN2 GO32:APRS msgs use 145.85 Upl 4XTECH-12>BEACON : :BLN3 GO32:D7* posits use 145.93 Douglas KA2UPW/5

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CJ7EWK from CN89/CO80 (7-10 November 2008)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

Hi! I leave for Vancouver tomorrow, and will spend the next few days up there. While I am there, I hope to be able to work some satellite passes on the FM birds and maybe AO-16 from CN89 and possibly from Whistler in CO80. This trip will not be primarily a radio trip, so I do not know how active I will be over the next few days. I will use the callsign CJ7EWK for any satellite operating. My Canadian call is VA7EWK, but I will use the CJ prefix instead of VA for any satellite operating I do. CJ is one of the special prefixes authorized for Canadian amateur operators by Industry Canada during October and November 2008 to commemorate the 150th aniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. I will send QSL cards to any stations that make contacts with CJ7EWK during this trip. If you wish to send a QSL card for CJ7EWK, please send them via WD9EWK. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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visual sighting of amateur satellites
by Jim Danehy 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

I have often seen the ISS in the evening sky. Its elevation is about 200 miles up. It is a fairly large object measuring more than 310 feet wide and 225 feet long. It is about 150 feet in height. It is too big to fit into a football field at 310' x 225'. It is quite the sight. A couple of weeks ago after I worked Richard I saw the ISS by stepping outside. It was a great dark morning and the ISS probably had the brightness on the solar scale of 1. The sun is -27 and the brightest object for us on earth. The -27 being the bright side ; as you go to a more positive number the object is dimmer. AO 51 is about 25 cm on a side. That is about the size of a sack of groceries. I do not know the exact height of AO 51 but I know it is higher than the ISS (200 miles). I think AO 51 is about 250 to 300 miles up. I believe it is impossible to get a visual sighting of something that small at that height. There are thousands of objects in orbit around our earth. A bag of groceries at 300 miles up would take more seeing ability than a human set of eyes can provide. Jim W9VNE

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Re: AO-51 Contact...
by mlunday＠nc.rr.com 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

Very cool, Clint (the AO-51 sighting and the proper prioritization of the relationship!) Under what conditions can I expect to see satellites? Evening after sunset but with sun still shining on the LEO objects? Mark, WD4ELG

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AO-51 Contact...
by Clint Bradford 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

My wife had an intensive day out of the house, so we decided to take a walk when she arrived home. Mild Santa Ana wind conditions here in Riverside, CA - but not bad enough to start blowing dirt around. A very clean, crystal-clear evening. I knew I had a pass of AO-51 comin' at 6:05 ... but the relationship took precedence...(grin). Just for the heck of it, I stopped walking at 6:10PM Pacific and gazed upwards. "By the way, we have a great pass of... WOW! DAMNATION!" There it was. AO-51 streaking across the sky South-to-North - right where it was supposed to be. Don't know how to log a VISUAL contact - but it sure was exciting! Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Portable EM-46 this weekend
by Rick - WA4NVM 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

Anyone who needs grid square EM46 in Arkansas, I will be operating portable this weekend with the handheld setup. Nov. 8 - 9, maybe Monday morning also. FM birds only. 73, Rick - WA4NVM, LM1339

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Re: PacCom Spirit-1 TNC
by Ronald G. Parsons 05 Nov '08

05 Nov '08

I have a copy of the PacComm SPIRIT-2 manual, 3rd Rev. Ed., Copr. 1995. Do you need specific information or a copy of the manual? Ron W5RKN ----- Original Message ----- > Message: 7 > Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 11:02:58 -0000 > From: "El Bachir Zantou" <zantou(a)crers.gov.ma> > Subject: [amsat-bb] PacCom Spirit-1 TNC > To: <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: <02e801c93f36$103d3380$1101a8c0@TOTO> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Hi all, > could anybody point me to where I can find a manual for the PacCom > SPIRIT-1 or 2 TNC . > > Thanks in advance > > E.B Zantou > CN8ZE

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Material for strip lines
by Glen Zook 05 Nov '08

05 Nov '08

I just drove up to my local hobby (actually model airplane, boat, railroad) shop and it is no longer in business! It was there less than a month ago but has since disappeared. The reason I went to the shop was to purchase some brass strip 3/16ths inches wide for making the strip line tuned circuits for a 432 MHz preamplifier. But, since the store is no longer in business I had to look elsewhere for some material. On a "hunch", I stopped by a Michael's store (this is a chain of hobby shops in the south) and "discovered" copper sheets that are several "mils" thick and can be cut with common scissors. The sheets are 9.25 inches by 12 inches and the cost was $5.99. Considering that the brass strips were usually $1.29 and were about 9 inches long the copper sheet was definitely a bargain. The copper is sold for embossing projects and is 100 percent copper (and is a "product of the U.S.A.). The thickness is sufficient for receiving strip lines and for lower powered transmitting strip lines (I would guess up to 100 watts, maybe even more). What I bought was the AMACO brand part number 50066R and, again, the price was $5.99 for the sheet. It comes in a plastic tube about 2 inches in diameter. Although I did not go across the street to the Hobby Lobby store, I would think that they would handle either the exact product or a similar product. Since metal embossing is fairly popular I expect that most general hobby stores would have similar copper sheets. Glen, K9STH Website: http://k9sth.com

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