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

Shoot Sat - add
by Clint Bradford 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

The Pentagon's statement... http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11691 Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Shoot Sat - add
by Clint Bradford 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

The Navy will use a Standard Missile 3 in an attempt to intercept the satellite just prior to it re-entering Earth's atmosphere. It would be "next to impossible" to hit the satellite after that because of atmospheric disturbances. A second goal is to directly hit the fuel tank in order to minimize the amount of fuel that returns to Earth. Joint Chief of Staff chairman Cartwright also said that if an initial shootdown attempt fails, a decision will be made whether to take a second shot. Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Re: [aprssig] More than one PCSAT?
by Robert Bruninga 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

> More than one PCSAT? Yes, PCSAT contains two identical redundant transponders. The W3ADO-1 side has uplink and downlink on 145.825. Side B (PCSAT-11) has secret uplink, but a downlink on 144.39 over North America (the continent wide APRS channel). The secret uplink is available for special applications if anyone can think of one. If you see both downlinks on 145.825, then it means the CPU has crashed an has cross connected the transmitters for "redundancy". We must send the command to isolate the two sides or we are wasting DOUBLE power each time it transmits on either side. Actually, PCSAT has a total of FOUR callsigns and FOUR uplink receivers. And FOUR transponders, but the two UHF uplinks at 9600 baud are kept turned off to save power. In fact it is the default ON of these extra two 9600 baud systems that cause PCSAT to be power negative and therefore only be useable twice a year in Full sun. We wont make that mistake again... Bob, WB4APR > -----Original Message----- > From: aprssig-bounces(a)lists.tapr.org > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Francisco Rogerio Fontenele Aragão > Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 5:50 PM > To: aprssig(a)lists.tapr.org > Subject: [aprssig] More than one PCSAT? > > Today PCSAT had a pass over Brasilia from 2207 UTC to 2223 > UTC but Findu showed the following log during the pass: > > > 20080213222151 : > LW5DGM]CQ,W3ADO-1*,qAo,LW4DEM-4:=3801.42S/05734.03W`73' Via > Satelite {UISS50} > 20080213222107 : > W3ADO-1]BEACON,SGATE,qAo,LW4DEM-4:T#128,155,156,065,208,214,00 > 111111,0011,1 > 20080213222022 : LW5DGM]CQ,W3ADO-1*,qAo,LW4DEM-4::EMAIL > :[email protected] > 20080213221938 : LW5DGM]CQ,W3ADO-1*,qAo,LW4DEM-4::LW4DEM > :Hola Jorge Saludos..... > 20080213221908 : W3ADO-1]APRS4,qAo,LW4DEM-4:Default LT4 > 20080213221907 : > W3ADO-1]BEACON,SGATE,qAo,LW4DEM-4:T#126,132,140,143,134,214,00 > 111111,0001,1 > 20080213221900 : > N9FLX]APRX46,N9AMN-2*,WIDE3-2,qAo,WB9TLH-12:;PCSAT-11 > *131309z0000.00N/00000.00W/ > 20080213221847 : W3ADO-1]APRS3,qAo,LW4DEM-4:Default LT3 > 20080213221742 : N9FLX]APRX46,TCPIP*,qAO,WB8NUT:;PCSAT-11 > *131309z0000.00N/00000.00W/ > 20080213221734 : > LW5DGM]CQ,W3ADO-1*,qAo,LW4DEM-4::BLNQSL1/1:W3ADO-1{UISS50} > 20080213221707 : > W3ADO-1]BEACON,SGATE,qAo,LW4DEM-4:T#124,156,157,073,209,214,00 > 111111,0011,1 > 20080213221704 : > LW5DGM]CQ,W3ADO-1*,qAo,LW4DEM-4:=3801.42S/05734.03W`73' Via > Satelite {UISS50} > 20080213221413 : > PCSAT-11]BEACON,SGATE,qAR,KC8OBZ-2:T#587,135,134,096,128,214,0 > 0111111,1110,1 > 20080213221113 : > N9FLX]APRX46,N9AMN-2*,WIDE3-2,qAo,WB9TLH-12:;PCSAT-11 > *131309z0000.00N/00000.00W/ > 20080213221111 : > PCSAT-11]BEACON,SGATE,qAR,KC8OBZ-2:T#586,137,139,138,123,214,0 > 0111111,1101,1 > 20080213220946 : > PCSAT-11]BEACON,SGATE,qAo,9Z4GFB-7:T#594,137,139,138,123,214,0 > 0111111,1101,1 > 20080213220855 : > PCSAT-11]BEACON,SGATE,qAR,KC8OBZ-2:T#585,142,052,095,063,214,0 > 0111111,1100,1 > 20080213220840 : PCSAT-11]APRS4,qAR,KC8OBZ-2::BLN4PCSAT:In > View now. QSY 145.825 for QSO. > 20080213220758 : PCSAT-11]BEACON,SGATE,qAo,WP4YF:]131456z reset wb4apr > > How can one understand the beacons of PCSAT-11 digipeated > by KC8OBZ-2 station? How about the beacons of N9FLX? > > 73, Francisco > PT2TD > Loc GH64bf (Lat 15.76020 S, Lon 47.83656 W) > -- > Francisco Rogerio F. Aragão > >

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(no subject)
by Clint Bradford 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Is everyone satisfied with this exam question? E2A08 What is the primary reason for satellite users to limit their transmit ERP? A. For RF exposure safety B. Because the satellite transmitter output power is limited C. To avoid limiting the signal of the other users D. To avoid interfering with terrestrial QSOs I just find its Answer B "incomplete" ... Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Looking forward to a British astronaut
by andy thomas 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

story at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7244028.stm Not our first cosmonaut or asronaut for that matter. Who was it who said that if we Brits had invented the Walkman it would have been a polished mahogony box with a pair of war surplus headphones from a Lancaster bomber? I look forward to our polished wooden space vehicle with glass portholes and a leather Chesterfield. 73 de andy G0SFJ ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it now. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/

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Libertad-1
by John Hackett 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Hello folks, Does anyone happen to know the current status of Libertad-1 for APRS?. Yesterday the Amsat status page said ??? ... (unknown). 73 John. <la2qaa(a)amsat.org>

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Re: FCAL & Quakesat
by Mineo Wakita 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

We can decode QuakeSat signals as "KISS ON + RESTART" on TNC. But the sigal strength is very weak, so it's difficult to decode. (436.675MHz, 9600bps FSK, KISS) de JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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Re: Ham Shacks ?
by Edward Cole 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

When I setup my shack in our new home (one of the spare bedrooms), I built new shelves from 3/4-inch plywood to provide enough support. The radios are on a two level shelf while the computers on single level 6-foot long shelf about 8-inches high. I currently have three towers side by side and that is causing a little sag (one of the computers is headed for recycle after I pull the HD and install it in the other old tower (P3-1GHz). The two remaining towers sit either side of a riser support which takes the load. In the old house I used pressboard shelving boards and they did a real "wow"! The old CRT is gone and a 20-inch LCD display replaces it (shared by the two computers using a keyboard/mouse/monitor switch). Having a nice layout makes operating easier. Ed At 04:03 PM 2/13/2008, Dave Guimont wrote: > >The pressboard that most of the less expensive computer "desks/cabinets" use > >will not even hold a monitor on a shelf without warping...I use a computer > >desk for some of my ham stuff and the larger lowband transceivers can't go > >in the middle of the unsupported top shelf without creating a tendency for > >it to bow downward. > > > >If you have real wood...go for it! > >Exactly, Roger, I built my shelves from 3/4 plywood over 20 years >ago, sitting on a 4 X 8 cut out sheet of marine ply, sitting on a >fabricated light weight angle iron steel frame, and it would take >more than any computer or ham radio gear to bow it!! > >And I've used computers sitting alongside the gear for over twenty >years, and have had little interference except for the first two >years or so of computers. > >But I also use the best co-ax available, carefully installed premium >N connectors on everything, and I don't "bundle" the coax to the >outside...I use separate holes for every cable, 3/4 and 1 1/2 PVC, >angled to keep out the rain, and plugged with rags, even tho San >Diego is pretty temperate year around... > >Colder climes may wish to use foam insulation.... > >But I guess HT users wouldn't have to bother like that!! > > > > > > 73, Dave, WB6LLO > dguimon1(a)san.rr.com > > Disagree: I learn.... > > Pulling for P3E... > >_______________________________________________ >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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Ham Shacks ?
by John W Lee 14 Feb '08

14 Feb '08

Hello out there! Anybody ever set up a satellite station or any type ham station in a computer armoire? Seems like it would be swell for limited space areas, etc. What with all the mini-radios, amps, power supplies, etc. these days, it would be pretty feasible and make a nice setup complete with computer, etc. I've been thinking of it but have not taken the plunge yet. (I have LARGE tube type amps, etc), they would not fit and if they did the shelves wouldn't hold them. 73 John K6YK

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Re: Ham Shacks
by Clint Bradford 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

>>...ham setup in an amoire... I mis-interpreted this the first time I read it, and my mind screamed out, "Your wife won't like ham equipment in her boudoir!!!" Oh, never mind. Immediate concerns - interference to/from computer and ham radio equipment in such a close proximity. The routing of wires - and tight turns of coax - may be problematic. A ham setup OR a computer setupm individually, GREAT. But use both at the same time in the same cabinet, and you may receive less-than-perfect signal reports. Monitors can be horrible sources of noise.... Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-241-7666 -------------------------------------- Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666 - cell

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Extra Class Question Pool
by Clint Bradford 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

Thank you for your help with that proposed Extra Class exam pool question. It will be edited/amended/deleted for the new exam. There's one more I might need to submit to you...more later. Clint Bradford, K6LCS -------------------------------------- Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666 - cell

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Houston AMSAT Net
by Bruce 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

The Houston AMSAT Net has once again gone through some morphing. After being on the W0KIE Satellite Radio Network from our 121st net using SBS-6 on June 18, 1996 we had to move. The W0KIE Satellite Radio Network was a wonderful long term spot for us. Our 726th net on February 5, 2008 began on our new home, Galaxy-25 and the SkyScanner Satellite Radio Network (SSRN). If you would like to hear us on K-band satellite, you can set your dish and receiver as follows: The Houston AMSAT Net is on the SkyScanner Satellite Radio Network on Galaxy-25 @97° West, Transponder 23 (12115 Vert), Symbol Rate: 22425, APID: 1794 (DVB Free To Air) Our internet audio can now be heard at: RFD1 16k (dialup speed) at http://www.cband.info/rfd1.m3u RFD2 (broadband speed) at http://www.cband.info/rfd2.m3u If you would like to join us on the IRC either during the net or at any other time. The IRC is: irc.dishnuts.net Then join the channel #amsat 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on SkyScanner Satellite Radio Network - Galaxy-25 at 97° West, Transponder 23 (12115 Vert), Symbol Rate: 22425, APID: 1794 (DVB Free To Air) Also streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org

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AO-51 L-band antenna
by Jeff Mock 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

What is a good choice for an L-band uplink antenna for AO-51? Is it possible to use an omni antenna or do you need to be able to point at the satellite? thanks, jeff AD6EO

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Gearing Up For World's Largest Rocket Contest
by Eric Rosenberg 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

>From Space Daily Express ======================== The students are vying for a total of $60,000 in scholarships and prizes. by Staff Writers Arlington VA (SPX) Feb 13, 2008 Students around the country are testing altimeters and trimming tail fins in anticipation of qualifying for the final round of the Sixth Annual Team America Rocketry Challenge in May. A total of 643 middle and high school teams from 43 states and the District of Columbia have registered for the world's largest rocket contest and are designing and building their vehicles by hand. The contest, aimed at increasing interest in math and science and promoting aerospace careers among young people, will involve approximately 7,000 students from start to finish. The 3- to 15-member teams registered for the contest in November and have until April 7 to successfully launch their model rockets and achieve a score qualifying them for the final competition. This year's challenge is to build and fly a model rocket that reaches 750 feet while remaining aloft for 45 seconds, returning the payload of two raw eggs to the ground unbroken. The students are vying for a total of $60,000 in scholarships and prizes. Lockheed Martin provides $5,000 scholarships to each of the top three teams, and Raytheon sponsors the winning team's trip to the Farnborough International Airshow in July. NASA invites some the top teams to participate in their Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program. The top 100 teams will convene Saturday, May 17, for the national finals at the Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. The public is invited to watch the competition.

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UO-11 switched ON again
by Edward Chuang 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

Hi, UO-11 was heard during 11:39 ~ 11:50 UTC (Feb.13,2008), max elev.= 33 deg. QTH = GL:PL04vq The following is a decoded frame: UOSAT-2 0711234070757 000000010001020002030003040004050005060006070007080008090009 100001110000120003130002140005150004160007170006180009190008 20000221000322000023000124000625000726000427000528000A29000B 30000331000232000133000034000735000636000537080438000B39000A 40000441000542000603000744000045000146000247000348000C49000D 50000%51000452000753000654000155000056000357000258000D59000C 60800E615FC1620004633305644402651E0C6627EB67000168000E69000F 73 de Edward / BX1AD -----

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way off topic
by don 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

Hello to the list, My thanks to all the respondents to my "last hope" request for info on the MC1460 regulator IC. I have had several "off list " replies all of which were extremely helpful so I would like to thank the folk who have responded and to all the other folk who offered helpful and kind information. The Amsat bb must be the most friendly and helpful BB I belong to, as well as the most technically interesting. I have tried to reply to all the respondents to my original post on an individual basis, if You did not get a reply please accept this message as personal thanks for your help. Don, zl1tho

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AO-51
by Vincenzo Mone 12 Feb '08

12 Feb '08

Hi to the list, I have read in an latest Amsat bulletin that in this week or at the most next week AO-51 will be switched in 430/1200 MHz Phone None PL, Unfortunately I've lost the bulletin. Please anybody can resend me the bulletin or the part of that bulletin when it talks about it? Thanks in advance. 73 de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 *************************************** ***** GSM +39 338 9749786 ***** ***** SMS +39 338 9749786 ***** ***** FAX +39 328 7244294 ***** *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** ***************************************

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EZ-Lindenblad
by Mike Miller 12 Feb '08

12 Feb '08

I built the EZ-Lindenblad from the QST article. I have it mounted about 20 feet above the ground. The elevation radiation patten in the article is for 6 feet above the ground. From looking at similar designs at cebik.com it would appear that at 20 feet the elevation pattern breaks up badly. Is there a practical way create an artificial ground to restore the pattern to what it is a 1 wavelength above ground? Mike KC9DOA

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RHCP for P3-E & Eagle?
by Peter Sils 12 Feb '08

12 Feb '08

Hello to the Group, I am considering buying a set of RHCP yagi's (2M and 70CM) and wonder if RHCP will be preferred for TX/RX for P3-E and Eagle. (Due to the cost of the switching arrangement (more than the cost of the antenna) I am forced financially to think just RHCP). Any insight would be appreciated! TNX in advance! 73 Peter KD0AA --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Yaesu NC-88 Charger
by Clint Bradford 12 Feb '08

12 Feb '08

Anyone have a spare Yaesu NC-88 120VAC-US wall wart charger for the FT-60R that I can send, say, twenty bucks for via PayPal or money order? Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Doppler tuning for linux?
by Bruce Robertson 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Gang: Linux has several tracking programs, including the venerable predict, and it has the hamlib library that abstracts out the control of radios. However, as far as I can tell, there is no doppler tuning glue that does all the heavy lifting done by, e.g., instantune or the SatPC32 code or other DDE-based programs. Is this true? If it is, it seems to me, with the increasing proliferation of embedded linux, that something along these lines could be pretty handy.

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Re: Automatic doppler tracking of DSB
by James Whitfield 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Many thanks to each of you who have replied to my inquiry. VE7LDH: I am curious what got you to thinking about Doppler frequency tracking on the BPSK signals. Did you consider a specific approach on how? Had it occurred to you that it might have application beyond BPSK or AO-16? If you would rather not post the reply, you may contact me directly. KD6OZH: Your reference to pilot carrier technique allowed me to find some interesting web reading, mostly IEEE and patent stuff. QEX had nothing of interest and the AMSAT journal does not seem to be available prior to 1995. Pilot carriers seem to have been proven to be workable, but not advantageous in the long run. I do not have the expertise to demonstrate, but I suspect that a pilot carrier required a minimum power to acquire and maintain lock on the signal and that the more modulation power being sent, the more pilot carrier power needed to maintain the lock. I will comment more below, but with a Costas Loop, the more power in the modulation information, the easier it is to acquire and maintain lock. As a result, a pilot carrier consumes power without benefit, while at the same time, as you suggest, accurate satellite data allows the shift to be predicted. Tuning the radio becomes something that can be learned by the "handy" or built into the radio. From my limited experience it seems intimidating and more than a touch expensive. Nothing suggests that DSB will work, or that it might become popular if it did work. If DSB had ever been considered, it seems to have been cast aside pretty quickly. That may have been due to the double bandwidth of DSB. I was somewhat puzzled that AO-16 had used DSB downlink. I can only assume that the weight penalty for an SSB transmitter was traded for what was intended to be single channel BPSK. If the downlink design had been multiple BPSK, it would have required a more powerful transmitter and DSB bandwidth would have been a bigger problem. KD6BD and ZL1TYF: I am glad that I sparked an exchange of ideas. My first thought concerning CTCSS is that it shouldn't be necessary. The time for the Costas Loop to lock should be no worse than the time for a VOX circuit to key a transmitter. That is an opinion based on faith in the concept and the building skills of someone much better than I. But I suggest that it would do no harm. At least no more harm to the equipment than someone using very long AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHs! between words. The Costas loop would be able to maintain lock. It fact it seems to me that the level of CTCSS should be specifically set low, to barely maintain lock. The engergy to acquire the signal should come from speech, particularly intelligent speech rather than someone whistling into the mike. As for a standardized tone, and again this comes from my personal bias that a tone should not be required to make the system work, I fail to see the purpose of standardizing the tone. The Costas Loop will not care what tone is used. It could even be a BPSK8 signal at 50 Hz with your callsign ID and latitude / longitude co-ordinates. I would not suggest using a 1KHz tone unless you expect everyone listening to have a sharp filter, or just listen to it. Adjust the tone for "minimum lock maintenance signal strength with no audio" to reduce the annoyance. You asked about multiple overlaping uplinks. I am not sure that I understand. If we are talking about AO-16 with an FM uplink, is this really a problem? If this was a translating repeater ( sorry if I used the wrong term, I go back before OSCAR, but I am pretty new to this stuff. It took me several hours to find a clear reference to TCA. Once I did it was obvious that is the point that has zero doppler shift and maximum doppler rate... ) then two signals in the uplink passband would result in two signals in the downlink. With an FM receiver providing audio to a DSB transmitter, you are going to hear what the FM receiver locks onto. If that is one strong signal, or the interference between two weak signals that cannot maintain lock, you are going to get one signal to downlink. Here is a slightly ficticious example: I live in Kansas and tune my FM radio to a frequency unused in the local area, but that is used in both Denver and Dallas. Most of the time, I don't hear any music from the radio. If a meteor streaks over Cheyenne, I hear Denver until the meteor trail fades. If a meteor comes in over Austin, I hear Dallas. If the meteor comes overhead, I hear the overlap of Denver and Dallas which is probably unintelligible. Using the measured downlink Doppler shift to derive the proper uplink shift. By theory, the shift is proportional to frequency. So multiply the downlink shift by the ratio of the uplink frequency to the downlink frequency. For AO-16, it is a waste of effort since the uplink is FM. If on the other hand you had a DSB uplink that you were monitoring to correct your shift through a translating repeater, you would a much more complex situation that would depend not only on the uplink and downlink frequencies, but the inverting or non-inverting type of repeater... The control function math is getting me confused so I think you would need to break the loop somewhere to prevent instability or oscillation. What my years of flight control development tell me is to design the system from the ground up with each transmitter fixed and just compensate at each receiver. If AO-16 is manifesting a residual "pilot carrier" it may be an indication of an imbalance in what I can only presume is a double balanced mixer. On the other hand if the uplink FM receiver does not have the functionality of a squelch, there may be a "real" DSB downlink of the audio received by the uplink. The difference would be obvious to a synchronous detector. Thank you again for your input. James n5gui

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Service Manual
by David Barber 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Anyone have a service manual in pdf or other format for a Marconi Instruments (IFR) 6960B power meter please?

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SAT contacts and eQSL (And LOTW)
by John W Lee 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Hello Jay, I dread getting into this discussion because it will cause an avalanche of e-mail! First of all, E-QSL's don't count for any meaningful awards. Too bad. It would be nice if they did. I still upload my logs every month faithfully year after year. LOTW confirmations DO count for DXCC and WAS. I spent a lot of time figuring out what it took to get satellite QSO's uploaded that actually were correct. I don't know how many log programs actually export all the correct required info for satellite contacts. My program does not, so what I've been doing is this: Exporting the non-satellite contacts and satellite contacts separately. This way I can massage the ADIF file to make the satellite contacts correct for LOTW and E-QSL. Satellite contacts need to have some additional information: 1. The "band" or "freq" should be the UPLINK frequency (your transmit). 2. Then you need "band_rx" <band_rx:4>70CM, for instance. 3. Then you need "sat_name" <sat_name:5>AO-51 for instance. 4. Then you need "prop_mode" <prop_mode:3>SAT for instance Any contacts that match all the correct info will be confirmed as satellite QSO's. These changes in the ADIF file are not hard to do unless you operate on a lot of different satellites then you have to do them in bunches. Recently all of my Sat QSO's are on mode J "V/U" so I just have to do a wholesale "add in" of the "band_rx" and "prop_mode" part on every QSO. When I log the QSO's in the computer I put the sat name in the "comment" field. So when editing I do a wholesale change (search & replace) "comment" to "sat_name". Not a big job, and it makes things work. I've got a few countries confirmed on LOTW for satellite QSO's but I have a feeling there are a lot of folks that uploaded their stuff without the required info, so the confirmations don't happen. And I get a ton of "70CM" and "2M" FM E-QSL's which I know are not right. Also, I went and exported all the AO-40 QSO's, fixed the file up, sent it in to LOTW and don't think I got a single confirmation on any of it. Too bad again! Does this help ? 73, John, K6YK

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Re: AO-51 Fail ????
by gouldsmi＠bellsouth.net 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

AO-51 is fine. The repeater was off due to an automatic shut down of the satellite from not receiving a command for a number of days. This was my fault for not increasing the shut down time while I was out of town. Drew, KO4MA turned the transmitters back on and set the power levels and frequencies tonight - Thanks Drew. 73, Gould, WA4SXM -------------- Original message from Dale-KL7XJ <daleh(a)alaska.net>: -------------- > Andrew Glasbrenner wrote: > > The 145.920/435.300 FM repeater is back on as of about 0025Z. I'll get > > S-band restarted next pass. > > > > 73, Drew KO4MA > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "CE3SOC Raul Romero" > > To: "Amsat-Bb(a)Amsat.Org" > > Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 7:14 PM > > Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-51 Fail ???? > > > > > Drew, > Thanks for all you do. Hope it is not a serious event. You folks have > done some great > work with this Satellite. > > 73, Dale KL7XJ > _______________________________________________ > 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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Re: Linear transponder without duplex?
by Anthony Monteiro 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Hi Bill, A more modern version would be SATPC32 available from AMSAT but it will not run on my old 20 mhz 386 laptop! 73, Tony AA2TX At 09:33 PM 2/10/2008, Bill Dzurilla wrote: >Thanks again Tony. These programs look interesting, >even though rather old. I'll check them out, would >like to try VO-52. >73, Bill >--- Anthony Monteiro <aa2tx(a)comcast.net> wrote: > > > At 02:30 PM 2/10/2008, Bill Dzurilla wrote: > > >I know full duplex is the best, but is there a > > >practical way to work VO-52 and other linear > > >transponder birds w/o duplex? > > > > > >73, Bill NZ5N > > > > Hi Bill, > > > > Yes. It is not really all that difficult either. > > I have made contacts on VO-52 and other satellites > > using just an FT-817 and omni antennas and also > > mobile while driving to and from work using an > > FT-100 with an ATAS vertical. > > > > I used an old 386 laptop running InstantTrack and > > InstantTune software to set the radio VFOs. Using > > this software, it is not much different than > > doing regular HF contacts. You just tune with the > > radio dial to find a station or a clear spot and > > then you PTT. The software does all the work of > > setting the VFOs and doppler tracking. > > > > Please feel free to email me if you would like > > more info. > > > > 73, > > Tony AA2TX > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >____________________________________________________________________________________ >Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. >http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Re: LVB
by gouldsmi＠bellsouth.net 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Hello Ron, I have two of them running on two computers using XP and Win98. THE FTDI drivers are specific to the operating system you are using. I did have to install/uninstall/install the FTDI drivers a couple of times. Others have gotten it the first time. Check out the documents with the FTDI drivers, they are helpful. 73, Gould, WA4SXM -------------- Original message from "Ronald A. Stunden" <ve7yc(a)shaw.ca>: -------------- > Anyone running the Tracker with Satpc32 under USB? or dies anyone > have what the proper TIDI drive is?? Tks ron > > _______________________________________________ > 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

1 0

wasamata wit MODE A AO-7
by w7lrd＠comcast.net 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Hello Just finished AOS to LOS CQ'ing on AO-7. Yes it is in mode A with excellent downlink signals. Not as strong as mode B, but very useable. No one to chat with. 73 Bob W7LRD Seattle -- "if this were easy, everyone would be doing it"

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FT-847 Serial Port Communications
by Gary Schuchardt 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

I have a problem involving the 9 pin serial port on the back of my FT-847 Yaesu transceiver. When I try to use a null modem cable between the rig and my PC on either COM 1 or 2, the rig will not respond to compatible rig controller (CAT) nor a memory management program. The COM ports have been tested as well as the use of two different PCs. Neither null modem cable works. I have tried to use the Menu feature on the FT-847 to match baud rate between radio and PC COM port. Has anyone had a problem like this with the Yaesu FT-847? I would appreciate knowing. Thank you. Gary N0EZH

4 4

AO-51 Fail ????
by CE3SOC Raul Romero 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Orbit 19009 not heard bird fail ???? 00:10 UTC 435.300 and 435.150 not copy 73 Raul

4 4

Ground plane vs. Eggbeater vs. best omnidirectional antenna?
by Bill Dzurilla 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Hi, Homebrewed a K5OE Eggbeater II and tried it out today, but did not notice much, if any, improvement over the 1/4 wave ground plane I had been using. Both were 30' high, 50' of 9913, no mast-mounted preamp. Can hear AO-51 OK but can barely hear AO-27 with both antennas. Is this as good as it gets with an omnidirectional antenna? Can AO-27 be heard well with the M2 eggbeater? With a mast-mounted pre-amp? Is there a better omni than the eggbeater? I hear AO-27 much better with an HT and an Arrow. 73, Bill NZ5N ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

2 1

Linear transponder without duplex?
by Bill Dzurilla 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

I know full duplex is the best, but is there a practical way to work VO-52 and other linear transponder birds w/o duplex? 73, Bill NZ5N ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

2 1

LVB
by Ronald A. Stunden 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Anyone running the Tracker with Satpc32 under USB? or dies anyone have what the proper TIDI drive is?? Tks ron

1 0

Re; Listening for AO-51
by Rev. Carl Cook 11 Feb '08

11 Feb '08

Well as the bird went over on its last pass I didn't hear it either. So I am also wondering about that. Thanks and God Bless Rev. Carl Cook N4ERO EM96DV

1 0

Kansas City Tracker Tuner FS at Orlando Hamfest
by RFI-EMI-GUY 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Since this item did not sell on Sunday, I am open to offers from board members before I put it on e-bay. -- 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

1 0

NO-44/PCSAT Crash?
by John Marranca, Jr 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

It appears as though for the past 3 orbits, PCSAT has crashed...as evidenced by its PCSAT-11 on the downlink. Hopefully she'll be brought back to full health soon. Good Luck Bob! John KB2HSH -- _______________________________ John Marranca, Jr PBX Technician/Shop Steward CWA Local 1122 BN Systems, Inc Orchard Park, NY (716)972-2006

1 0

Listening for AO-51
by Rm2642＠aol.com 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Hi to the Group: Haven't heard AO-51 for the past several passes. The control team news web page is posted with a extract warning "first argument should be an array in /var/www/docs/amsat-new/lib/amsat_sql.php on line 115". Satellite problem? Thanks, Ron n6paa **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp0030000… 48)

5 5

Re: "BlueMarble" maps on SatPC32
by Wayne Estes 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

The best way to add "Blue Marble" maps to SatPC32 is to download and install the latest version, 12.7. With a single mouse click you can switch between the old political map (showing country boundaries) and the new Physical Map (satellite composite image from NASA's earth observatory). http://www.dk1tb.de/indexeng.htm On the web page you can see screen captures of the Political and Physical maps, for comparison. Be sure to REGISTER your downloaded copy of SatPC32 with AMSAT. All the money goes to support AMSAT programs. Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik

1 0

way off topic
by don 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Hi to the list , Does any one have a data sheet or a link to one, for an MC1460 voltage regulator? The voltage regulator board in my krautkramer USIP11 ultrasonic test set has failed and I suspect the above IC but I have no info at all on this IC, an extensive google search has revealed no info. Maybe some one has this info. My motorola data books only go back to 1979, and I think this IC is circa 1970.... The unit was made in 1976 ( and has been extremely reliable...) most of the components in it are from the early '70's. shades of AO7! Any replies off list if you prefer, Thanks Don, ZL1THO

3 2

Ground plane vs. Eggbeater vs. best omnidirectionalantenna?
by Alan Sieg WB5RMG 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Bill said : > Homebrewed a K5OE Eggbeater II and tried it out today, > Is this as good as it gets with an omnidirectional . . . ? I have also recently built EB IIs for 144 and 435. (I actually built them for the recent VHF contest, hoping to also use them for satellite...)(there are not many choices for horizontally polarized, omni-directional antennas - these worked great in contest !! ) My tower has not erected itself after most recent cross-country move, so I have limited choices. Currently these two EB IIs are in the attic. Each one has an ARR 20dB preamp. Last weekend was the first chance I have had to try any satellite, and somehow managed one contact each via ISS cross-band, then AO-16, then AO-51, then on VO-52. I was pleased .!. This with a barefoot FT-736, 60 feet 9913 on each antenna, in the attic. I will be back on VO-52, as I really miss linear transponder/SSB combo. In the early 90's I was fairly active on AO-13, and the Microsats. I had multiple antennae on the Az/El rotor, but without all that now, the EB IIs are a great improvement over 1/4 wave, for me at least. Thanks /;^) -- <- WB5RMG is Alan Sieg * http://wb5rmg.somenet.net ->

1 0

Re: trip east
by Bob Bruninga 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

> I will again make my annual migration from > the SJV in California to... Minnesota. > The 24th of March... other's can make > requests for needed grids or States. Will your mobile be on APRS? If so, everyone could see where you are all along the way using this link : http://map.findu.com/w6gmt A great tool for rovers... You can even use APRS to post waypoints and times. This way others can see in advance when you will be where... Just a tip... Bob, Wb4APR

1 0

again wanted 1 data sat, with pics nice
by Mr Jeffrey L Ross 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Folks,ref: Now that the D700 has been tested for 5+ days in Cross >> Band repater, its time to find a laptop and start >> running some Slow Scan TV from ISS again. >> this is what we need, really send us some pics via iss,data format, get it with it amsat. 1 data sat please. :-) kc8gkf p.s. wish list lets see its year 2008!

2 1

SAT contacts and eQSL
by Dr. Jay Garlitz 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Question for discussion. Many SAT users use eQSL for confirming their contacts. LOTW does a better job as it tracks both transmit and receive for SAT contacts. Unless I am missing something with eQSL only one band is listed even though that does not accurately explain SAT contacts. Some users list their receive band as the contact band. If you are going to choose one should it not be the transmit band? Perhaps this is like the universal perplexing argument about which way is correct in setting up the toilet paper roll.at least in eQSL's case for SAT contacts. Jay, AA4FL, reply to jgarlitz(a)ufl.edu

1 0

GO-32
by Andrew Rich 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

GO32 just went over and it was tx continuously Normally it has a breather in between

1 0

Fw: [Mw] STS-122 S-Band signal heard
by w8iss＠wideopenwest.com 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Just of interest. James W8ISS ===== ---------- Forwarded Message ----------- From: "Loren Moline WA7SKT" <lmoline(a)hotmail.com> To: <microwave(a)echo.valinet.com> Sent: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 21:33:55 -0800 Subject: [Mw] STS-122 S-Band signal heard Tonight I ran my tracking program and showed Atlantis was going to make a direct overhead pass. I noted the time and went out to shack and listened. Just as predicted I heard the fast doppler on the main carrier at 2217.5MHz and followed it lower in frequency as it passed away from my location. I am only using a so so preamp at antenna with 10db gain and a 3 1/2 turn helix. Coax comes to shack to a mixer and mixer to receiver with no post mixer amp. LO is a 2GHz generated from a 1GHz PLO locked to a 10MHz standard and a doubler. I am not yet setup for serious spectrum display but saw the signal drift thru the display for my 10.7MHz SoftRock hooked to my IC-R7000 receiver. This is the first time I have ever heard any signals from the shuttle. Loren WA7SKT _______________________________________________ Microwave mailing list microwave(a)lists.valinet.com http://www.valinet.com/mailman/listinfo/microwave ------- End of Forwarded Message -------

3 2

Kansas City Tracker Tuner FS at Orlando Hamfest
by RFI-EMI-GUY 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Sorry for this late post: Last weekend I had to replace the mother board in my PC due to the leaky capacitor manifestation and WIN98 instability. Since a WIN XP upgrade was received for Christmas, I had to move to a stable platform for an upgrade. As a result, I no longer have an ISA slot in my primary computer. So I will soon be looking at a serial/USB means of rotor control. I am offering the KCT/T (with SW/Docs) on the AMSAT-BB. To make the board obsolescence proof for the next ham, I am including my old EPOX PCI/ISA MOBO (which needs two capacitors replaced), ATHLON 2100XP processor and 512MB RAM and additionally I am providing an ABIT PCI/ISA MOBO with a DURON 1005 MHz processor (+ perhaps some memory?). The ABIT board was personally recapped by me with good parts, but remains untested. I am looking for about $165 (what I paid) for the KCT/T the rest is free. *If you are at the hamfest and want to inspect, give me a call at 407-982-0446 or try to call me on 446.000 simplex.* -- 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

1 0

Hamsat (vo-52)
by Thomas McGrane 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Greetings from n2oeq Hope to see more people using the indian hamsat satellite. It is very easy to hear with 2 meter all-mode and no preamp. It would be good practice for future HEO's. Over the past 3 years I have purchased used all mode gear and built antennas for VHF and UHF anticipating use on P3E and eagle. Total use seems to be limited to very few people. Hope to talk to you on VO-52 soon. Lots of room for a qso beyond grid squares. 73, pat

1 0

LunarX
by truckwiz 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

As the president of PropelX (lunar x prize team) we have made a decision to make sure that our Lander can be used for ham's after we are done with it. I am taking my ham tech test next weekend. We need help trying to find a cheap rad hard controller or a way to protect the controller we take. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks' Brian Beckius XXXXX (id soon)

1 0

1.2 upconverter?
by K & R Yoksh 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

Hi, I'd like to know if anyone can point me in the direction of an upconverter for 1.2 GHz? I'd like to start putting together an uplink for L band. Thanks for any help. 73, Kyle K0KN

4 3

ANS-041 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne Maenpaa 10 Feb '08

10 Feb '08

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-041 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: * ARISS-Europe Amateur Radio Antennas Reach Orbit * AO-51 February Schedule * ARISS Observes SuitSat-1 Anniversary * AO-51 Satellite Cardboard Model Prototype Assistance Requested * AMSAT Presence at Orlando Hamcation This Weekend * FO-29 Status * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARISS Status Report For The Week of February 4, 2008 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.01 ARISS-Europe Amateur Radio Antennas Reach Orbit AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.01 When the Shuttle Atlantis launched on Thursday, February 8 the European Space Agency's Columbus module was on its way for delivery at the International Space Station. The amateur radio antennas mounted on the exterior open a new phase of amateur radio in space. While it will take several months to complete the ham shack aboard the Columbus module the first step has been taken. Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chairman, and AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs was quite pleased at this milestone and told the team, "I would like to extend my congrat- ulations to the ARISS-Europe team on today's successful launch of our newest on-orbit hardware delivery, the additional ARISS antennas!" The ARISS-Europe team have been working hard and diligently for over 5 years to realize this outstanding milestone. The team faced numerous challenges, including some very severe environmental testing to get approval to fly these antenna systems. Noting the international effort for this success, Frank continued, "I would like to thank Gaston Bertels, ON4WF for his outstanding leadership on this project and Dr. Pawel Kabacik at the Wroclaw University of Technology in Poland for his efforts in the antenna design and testing. And I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to this project through their volunteer efforts, financial contributions and/or in-kind contributions. YOU helped us develop, test and fly these antennas." For more information on the ARISS antennas, see: http://www.ariss-eu.org/ [ANS thanks Frank, KA3HDO and ARISS for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.02 AO-51 February Schedule AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.02 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.02 Drew KO4MA, AMSAT-NA VP Operations noted this week, "The AO-51 committee has completed a schedule for February. We will continue the V/US repeater mode that began on January 25th for all of February, except on Tuesdays through Thursdays when we will switch to L/US. This pattern will repeat every week in February except that the mode switch from V/US to L/US on Tuesday the 12th will be delayed until Wednesday the 13th to accommodate a School Roundup event at Two Rivers School in North Bend, Washington. The S-band downlink may be temporarily suspended for WOD telemetry download without notice. Generally this will only be for one pass per day. Regarding the graphic schedule on the main AMSAT web page, the soft- ware that does the schedule will not allow for the proper display of the current modes. Please refer to: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php February 2008 AO-51 (AMSAT Echo) Schedule February 1 until February 29, subject to modification February 8 - February 12 FM Repeater, V/US Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM February 13 - February 14 FM Repeater, L/US Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM February 15 - February 18 FM Repeater, V/US Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM February 19 - February 21 FM Repeater, L/US Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM February 22 - February 25 FM Repeater, V/US Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM February 26 - February 28 FM Repeater, L/US Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM February 29 - TBD FM Repeater, V/US Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlinks: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM [ANS thanks the AO-51 Operations Committee for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.03 ARISS Observes SuitSat-1 Anniversary AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.03 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.03 In marking the 2nd anniversary of the deployment of SuitSat-1 /Radioskaf/AO-54 from the ISS this week, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chairman, and AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Space- flight Programs said, "I want to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers around the world that supported the SuitSat-1 development, deployment, public outreach and ground station reception." Frank said the SuitSat certificates have been mailed as of this past week. 2008 brings new opportunities to you, the hams interested in ARISS, which includes: + Plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of human spaceflight ham radio operation---the flight of Owen Garriott, W5LFL on the space shuttle Columbia, STS-9 in 1983. + A team of dedicated amateur radio operators is working to bring SuitSat-2 to reality. At this point in time, it is not clear when it will be deployed, but we are working feverishly to have it ready for deployment before the end of the year. + We expect to have significant ARISS crew amateur radio partici- pation starting in the October 2008 timeframe with the launch of the Expedition 18 crew and Soyuz taxi flight. Frank wraps up with, "I thank all of you for your interest in ARISS. This program is truly inspirational for students, the ham radio community, and the communities surrounding the schools that have been touched by the 334 (to date) school contacts conducted since December 2001." [ANS thanks Frank, KA3HDO and ARISS for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.04 AO-51 Satellite Cardboard Model Prototype Assistance Requested AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.04 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.04 Stefan, VE4NSA has finished the 1st prototype of an AO-51 cardboard model design and would like to give a few dedicated individuals the opportunity to actually build the model and help him with the final design and the necessary instructions. Stefan notes, "At this stage I will need individuals that have built cardboard models (ships, airplanes, rockets etc.) before and don't need detailed instructions but know the tools that are required to assemble such a model." Pictures of the current prototype can be seen at: http://www.msig.ca/model.html It is still a work in progress and hopefully will end up as a product that AMSAT can offer for a donation. I designed the model in a 1:1 scale but for the purpose of this project it has been reduced to 75% size. This will allow builders to print it on regular size photo paper and still have a beautiful model for display in the shack, school projects, or amateur radio presentations. Building the model will require time, patience and a color printer since the model is distributed as pdf files. This form of distribution will save paper and will allow you to print it as many times as you need. As mentioned above, Stefan is looking for up to five test builders (with experience) that are willing and able to finish the model in four to five weeks. It is not a two hour project and dedication to detail and exact cutting and gluing is required. Those that help and provide him with updates on their progress and final feedback will get the final distribution files as well as the model files in a 1:1 scale. Send Stefan an email <callsign>@amsat.org if you are interested! [ANS thanks Stefan, VE4NSA for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.05 AMSAT Presence at Orlando Hamcation This Weekend AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.05 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.05 This weekend AMSAT will have a large presence at the Orlando Hamcation. It will remind some people of Dayton. The Orlando Hamcation has grown in size and prominence in the U.S. After all, it is in a "horrible place" for Winter in the U.S.! See: http://www.hamcation.com/ The following AMSAT board members and officers will be there: AMSAT President Rick Hambly, W2GPS AMSAT President Emeritus, Tom Clark, K3IO (ex-W3IWI) AMSAT Executive V.P. Lee McLamb, KU4OS AMSAT V.P. Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA AMSAT V.P. Field Ops, Gould Smith, WA4SXM AMSAT V.P. Engineering Bob McGwier, N4HY Some of the above are board members. Additionally, board members Lou McFadin, W5DID and Barry Baines, WD4ASW will be in attendance. Barry Baines is our new Eagle/Intelsat project manager. AMSAT has been granted prominent times and rooms for presentations. AMSAT is bringing the operational SDX and will soon thereafter put an SDX based linear transponder on the air covering much of the state of Florida and in a prominent place in Maryland. Additionally, one of the SDX will be in use in Europe thanks to a generous offer and help from Viktor Kudielka. Taking advantage of the occasion, AMSAT will hold engineering planning meetings in Orlando this weekend for engineering management. This was decided because so many of these people were going to be in attendance anyway. [ANS thanks Bob, N4HY AMSAT-NA VP Engineering for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.06 FO-29 Status AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.06 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.06 Toyo Komatsu, JA0CQP provided an update on behalf of JARL in regards to the status of the FO-29 satellite. JARL is the agency responsible for FO-29 operation. While command and control and some transponder operation has been recovered over Japan, JARL notes at this time FO-29 is not in condition to offer worldwide service with control stations around the world. The satellites power budget is a key issue. Although power from the solar cells is just adequate for operation, the inner impedance of the Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries is increasing. They cannot support operation of the transmitter approximately 10 minutes after entering eclipse. The PCU (Power Control Unit) has failed and the satellite's trans- mitter does not automatically recover, requiring intervention by the ground control station in Tokyo. JARL will continue to monitor the situation aboard FO-29 and preserve its functionality for as many as users around the world as possible. This situation may continue for up to 2 years until FO-29 enters a no-eclipse period in 2010. [ANS thanks Toyo Komatsu, JA0CQP for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.07 Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.07 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.07 + AMSAT Engineering needs experienced help programming the MPS-430. This processor will be in a Cubesat. The preference is to use FreeRTOS on it but adequate reasons for not following this path can be discussed. Email to n4hy(a)amsat.org directly. + JAMSAT (Japan-AMSAT) announced that QSL cards for QSOs via ISS Cross Band Repeater are valid for the "JAMSAT 5 Stars Award". + The 2008 Microwave Update is being planned for the weekend of October 17-18-19 in the Minneapolis area. + The dates for the AMSAT-UK Colloquium are July 25,26,27, 2008. + The University of Louisiana is asking for a volunteers to help mentor a senior design capstone project to design and test to destruction with high dose of radiation a communication control and data handling processor. This processor is planed to fly on the CAPE II satellite on 2009. It is anticipated that this will involve two one hour session a month via WEB X. We are seeking those have skill in designing fault tolerant microprocessors and have knowledge of how high energy particles effect memory chips. Contact k5qxj(a)amsat.org. + W5ACM, W5GFP, WA5TWT, WA5WOD, N5RPQ and WB5RMA finished up a cruise to the western Caribbean. Over 90 QSOs were made using call W5ACM/MM from the Carnival Conquest. Some AO-16 passes with excellent results. Most of the contacts were via AO-51 but they were amazed at the signal strength of the AO-16 downlink. It was REALLY EXCELLENT!! + The launch of the NLS-4 cluster including Delfi-C3 has been delayed again, for now, it is scheduled for mid-April. Updates will be post- ed on the Delfi mission status page. + PB and PG for Linux are programs used for download from and upload to digital satellites (Pacsats) supporting the FTL0 protocol. This software allows you to directly communicate with the Microsat series of satellites. Release 2.2.1 of PB/PG for Linux is now available from ftp.amsat.org /amsat/software/Linux/pbpg-2.2.1.tar.gz (via oz6bl (at) amsat (dot) org) + Would you like to name the next great space telescope? Here's your chance: NASA is inviting members of the general public to suggest a new name for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope before it launches in mid-2008. See: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/08feb_namethattelescope.htm?list9589 01 Anyone who drops a name into the "Name That Satellite!" suggestion box on the Web page can choose to receive a "Certificate of Partici- pation" via return e-mail. Participants also may choose to receive the NASA press release announcing the new mission name. The announce- ment is expected approximately 60 days after launch of the telescope. + Clint Bradford, K6LCS has secured an AMSAT member deal from HRO on the Arrow satellite antenna with duplexer: Model 146/437-10WBP for $125.95. That's about $10-15 off suggested retail. Offer good through February. Contact k6lcs(a)amsat.org. + AMSAT needs volunteers to "man" the AMSAT booth at Timonium, one of the largest amateur radio shows on The East Coast. The dates are March 29 and March 30 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md. See: http://www.gbhc.org/ Contact Martha at AMSAT HQ if you can help! 301-589-6062, or e-mail martha(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041.08 ARISS Status Report For The Week of February 4, 2008 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041.08 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 10, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041.08 1. ARISS School Contacts - Status Due to crew schedules onboard the ISS, no ARISS contacts are planned at this time. The ARISS team expects contacts to resume once STS-122 launches in early February. 2. Glenden State School Receives Award for ARISS Contact An ARISS contact took place between Glenden State School in Queensland, Australia and Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, on April 4, 2007. On January 26, 2008 the school was presented with an Australia Day Award in recognition of the contact. The mayor who bestowed the award noted that the contact was a very unique educational outreach activity in which the community became involved. ARISS member Shane Lynd, VK4KHZ, submitted an article covering this news to the Wireless Institute of Australia. The story and photos have been posted under News on the ARISS Website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm 3. Astronaut Training Status On Tuesday, January 29, Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ, participated in an ARISS training session at JSC. Basic radio operations and school contacts were covered during the class. Barratt is a backup crewmember for Expedition 18, and the prime Flight Engineer for Expedition 19A. ARISS conducted an amateur radio school contact simulation utilizing a local school. Students at Bay Area Charter Elementary near JSC took part in 2 sessions on Friday, February 8 at approx- imately 9:45 am and 10:10 am CT via the JSC W5RRR repeater. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, participated in the first contact and Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, participated in the second simulated contact. These two contacts were retransmitted on the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) and the W5RRR repeater. This is the first time a school contact simulation training session has been conducted live with students at the other end of the session. If successful, it might be possible to conduct a handful of these sessions each year. 4. ARISS Radio Configured in Crossband Repeater Mode On Thursday, January 31, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, configured the ARISS Kenwood radio to crossband repeater mode. The frequencies are 437.800 MHz uplink and 145.800 MHz downlink. 5. ARRL Article on ARISS Chairman The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an article on ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer in its ARRL Letter. To view the story, "ARISS International Chairman Moves into New Position at NASA," see: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/08/0201/ 6. SuitSat-1 Certificates The ARISS team has begun to distribute certificates for partici- pation in the SuitSat-1 project. Additional certificates will be mailed as participant lists are received. SuitSat-1, an amateur radio satellite housed in a Russian Orlan spacesuit, was deployed on February 3, 2006 and received extensive media coverage and over 9.5 million hits on the SuitSat 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, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org

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