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

GO-32 still down
by Andrew Glasbrenner 03 Dec '08

03 Dec '08

GO-32 is still just transmitting periodic beacons that look like they might be from the bootloader. Anyone have contact with the command stations? 73, Drew KO4MA

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AMSAT at Mesa AZ hamfest, Saturday (6 December)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 03 Dec '08

03 Dec '08

Hi! I, along with Larry W7LB and Gerry VE4GTB/KD7MDB, will have an AMSAT table at the Superstition Amateur Radio Club hamfest in Mesa, Arizona, this Saturday (6 December 2008). The hamfest is at Mesa Community College, in the parking lot facing Dobson Road between Southern Avenue and the US-60 freeway (exit 177). Officially, the hamfest runs from 6am until 2pm (1300-2100 UTC). More information about the hamfest is available at: http://wb7tjd.org/hamfest/ During the hamfest, we will do on-air demonstrations on AO-51 (1421 and 1602 UTC passes), VO-52 (1724 UTC pass - look for me around 145.910-145.915 MHz on the downlink), and SO-50 (1843 UTC pass) using my call WD9EWK. Please give us a call, if you are on any of these passes. I will send QSL cards to all stations making a contact with WD9EWK during these demonstrations. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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CO-66 in digital mode
by Andrew Glasbrenner 03 Dec '08

03 Dec '08

Just copied a pass of SEEDS II in 1200 baud telemetry mode. Wow was it strong! I was using MixW, so I caught a wav file if anyone is interested. I haven't quite figured out how to read the telemetry yet. Packets were addressed JQ1YGU>JQ1YGV>UI,?,F0: 73, Drew KO4MA

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Pico transponder
by RFI-EMI-GUY 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

William; This is wonderful! Can you share complete specs with the AMSAT-BB? How do you think the multi carrier IMD performance will be? W Will kits or assembled boards be available? Cost? I can see a lot of applications! Imagine if we could convince all the hams who are private pilots to have one of these installed onboard their private planes? Can it accept a coherent reference oscillator from GPS? Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 00:52:18 +0100 From: William Leijenaar <pe1rah(a)hotmail.com> Subject: [amsat-bb] Pico transponder To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>, <pe1rah(a)hotmail.com> Message-ID: <BAY116-W163B84CEB7C852D2CB85DC90010(a)phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi AMSATs, Just got one of my latest transponder designs out of the prototype status and into final status. I made a small presentation in video format. I'm new to the video world so I'm sorry for the shacky picture and low resolution... I'm trying to get that better next time. Its a small video clip for an even smaller radio... Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcaXRFC914 73 de PE1RAH, William Leijenaar -- Joe Leikhim K4SAT "The RFI-EMI-GUY"© "Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason." "Follow The Money" ;-P

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Orbit magazines 1-16 now online
by Phil Karn 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

Thanks to Ralph Wallio, AMSAT Orbit magazine issues 1-16 are now all online at http://www.ka9q.net/newsletters.html 73, Phil

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Pico transponder
by William Leijenaar 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

Hi AMSATs, Just got one of my latest transponder designs out of the prototype status and into final status. I made a small presentation in video format. I'm new to the video world so I'm sorry for the shacky picture and low resolution... I'm trying to get that better next time. Its a small video clip for an even smaller radio... Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcaXRFC914 73 de PE1RAH, William Leijenaar _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/

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Landwehr 2m preamp GaAsFET?
by Dave hartzell 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

Does anyone know what the Landwehr pre-amps used for the GaAsFET? I don't see any markings on the device, and one of the former resellers (Radio Dan) doesn't know either... Thanks and 73, Dave AF6KD

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Re: MMIC for LEO preamp?
by Rod Adkins 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

I have built a number of DEM pre-amp kits I am fortunate enough to have the loan of a Noise measuring set - & have found that the tuning for lowest noise & highest gain are often WAY apart My input would be - if you have no way to measure noise performance, buy the ready-built preamp - I have also gone this route, & been very satisfied (usual disclaimer) Re MMICs - I have built a large number of these for various freqs & purpose, using DEM PCBs Besides the poor NF, these amps are VERY broadband, totally unsuitable for head-end preamp (IMHO <g>) Rod Adkins WI6M nr San Diego 17917 Lyons Valley Road Jamul, CA 91935 > [Original Message] > From: Curt Nixon <cptcurt(a)flash.net> > Cc: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Date: 11/26/2008 7:19:46 AM > Subject: [amsat-bb] MMIC for LEO preamp? > > SO...now I have made a few contacts on AO-51 and SO-50. Now I need to > get better ears. > > I have a very simple mode J setup using a couple of old mobil rigs--the > rx unit is an IC 2350H. 10 el cheap yagi through 60ft of LMR400. > > I'm considering options for a mast preamp for rx only. I'll be using a > diplexer for desense ahead of it, and eventually add coaxial switching > so I can use TX. > > I'll feed with power through extra wire in rotor cable. > > Looking at the Hamtonics, DEMI kit and a hombrew from scratch. > > 1. Any experiences with the DEMI units as kits? > > 2. with there relatively high NF, are the MMIC devices like the ERA > series, at all appropriate for simple mast preamps for entry level > application? > > Thanks to all. > > Curt > KU8L > _______________________________________________ > 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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getting predict compiled (under osx 10.4)
by Eric Fort 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

KD6BD n KB5MU de AF6EP, First of All I'd like to thank you for contributing your time, effort, and resources to the creation and support of predict for satellite tracking and vocalizer for osx respectively Presently I see http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html mentions it working under osx but I see no link to source that will compile under osx. Maybe the following hints could be included in the readme of a future release, or even better have ./install figure out which unix you are compiling for and get the necessary stuff (bearing in mind the remaining questions below) I downloaded the linux tarball from http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.htmlfor use on my mac powerbook G4, running OS X 10.4.11. As stated no source file is directly available there for OSX. When I first attempted ./configure it couldn't find the c compiler. once I hard coded the osx location of gcc (/usr/bin/cc) into ./configure it attempted to compile only to fail looking for soundcard.h (not quite sure why predict needs a sound card)....ok the voice anouncements could be nice on my mac and I did find vocalizer for mac at http://www.mustbeart.com/software/MacVocalizer.html and replaced vocalizer with that but ./install still had the define for soundcard.h so it bombed again. It FINALLY compiled, though complained of not finding a soundcard after completely removing the include for soundcard.h from install.c. 2 questions at this point: How do I get it to not complain about not having a soundcard? How do I get it to use the verson of vocalizer for the mac referenced above? Is there a means to easily call another external program instead of vocalizer when an event happens? (ultimately I'll be building a sat gateway based around predict and asterisk under linux and it would be nice to have predict trigger voice synthesis or playback within asterisk) Please reply all, or at least to the amsat-bb (Whom, I cc'd) so all may benifet. Thanks, Eric AF6EP

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Third week as a satellite newbie
by Bryan Green 02 Dec '08

02 Dec '08

Greetings, all: Bryan KL7CN/W6 here in CM98fn. Two weeks ago, I posted here my first week's experience as a satellite newbie. After three weeks, it's still fun. I know this because it's 6:00 in the morning in California, and I just came back inside after standing out on the sidewalk in the bitter 40-degree cold -- and yes, I can hear the chuckles from the Midwest but that's very cold for here. I was out there the foggy dark dregs of night talking into my now- beloved IC-W32A VHF/UHF handheld radio and even more beloved tripod- mounted Arrow antenna. I met with WB9YIG, K8CXM, my co-conspirator WA4NVM, and WB9L for an early-morning club -- the FM satellite enthusiast's club! I scribbled down their callsigns and the callsigns of the others I heard into my little Moleskine notebook, all by the light of my cell phone -- an ironic choice of illumination. I waved at the couple of early-morning commuters who drove by with wide eyes and dropped jaws. They must think I am as crazy as the fellow down the street who shovels dirt around his grassless yard. What else could explain a grown man pointing a TV-antenna-looking-thing at at the sky while listening intently into a pair of iPod headphones attached to it, and all while carefully taking notes and occasionally talking into a microphone -- in the middle of the night? I suppose the craziness of it appeals to me most. It's the frontier! It used to be unusual to have conversations with people from other countries; now it's common -- the Internet changed that. And it used to be unusual to carry around a small radio for the purpose of communicating with your friends; now it's also common -- cell phones changed that. And, as well, it used to be unusual to send short computer-based messages by wireless to your posse; now it's popular with young people the world over -- texting changed that. But talking to your friends using low-earth-orbiting satellites tracked by hand -- who does that? Crazy people, that's who: amateur radio operators! -- bag

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