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

1,2g ts2000 Module
by Perry Yantis 29 May '08

29 May '08

The 1.2 module must be installed by Kenwood. I purchased my TS 2000 with the module installed and I have had no problems. Perry WB8OTH pyantis(a)earthlink.net

1 0

70cm Mast mounted preamp for sale
by Bill Bruno 29 May '08

29 May '08

Both Items are sold. Thanks for your responses Bill KB2RC

1 0

Sorry for confusion
by John Price 29 May '08

29 May '08

My post concerning the second transponder was meant to refer to AO-51 and not RS-30. Sorry for the confussion. << John -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator AO-7,AO-16,AO-27,SO-50,AO-51,VO-52 Internet N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ Amsat Member #27845 DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 51 on 51 #13 LON -79.25 LAT 37.45 Grid FM07 >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

1 0

RS-30 second transponder
by John Price 29 May '08

29 May '08

I worked the pass over FM07 around 22:57 5/28. Very easy to access and hear on my D700 mobile and duel band vertical on the roof. Myself and 3 others had it to ourselves. That is nice for a change. Thanks to the command for this mode. 73's << John -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator AO-7,AO-16,AO-27,SO-50,AO-51,VO-52 Internet N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ Amsat Member #27845 DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 51 on 51 #13 LON -79.25 LAT 37.45 Grid FM07 >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

1 1

Grumbles about RS-30 [was: JUBILEE and other frustrations]
by John Mock KD6PAG 29 May '08

29 May '08

Hey, folks, whether RS-30 has some kind of transponder is just rumor and speculation at this point. I feel (and only represent myself) that it's very bad form to condemn or harshly criticize the builders of this satellite, at the very least, until we know what it's capable of. Maybe it won't do voice, but even a digipeater at that altitude would be a very nice thing to have. -- KD6PAG (Networking Old-Timer, Satellite QRPer)

1 0

Re: newbie question Icom 910H & LEO antennas
by John Kopala 29 May '08

29 May '08

Jim: Ron writes about how he uses the AFC. I tried that. It's pretty cool, but you still have to tune to uplink for doppler. The downlink track perfectly. I used to have the memory channels set up, actually still do, but now never use them. But, with SATPC32, the whole process is automated and works for the SSB birds too. I only have to touch the IC-910H radio for a four things: 1. Change the PL tone to turn on the SO-50 satellite transmitter. Then change back to the normal PL. 2. Tune across the bandwidth of the linear transponder SSB / CW satellites to locate other hams scattered across the transponder passband. 3. Track other SSB operators who are not using doppler control. 4. Turn on or off my preamps when needed or not needed. Automation is great. It controls my rotors Ken Pro KR-500 and HAM-IV (with custom home made enhancements to the rotor controllers), my G-5400B AZ-EL rotors I am using to build a portable setup, tunes for doppler, and can be set up to automatically switch to selected active satellites, so all you have to do is talk and log your contacts. A voice recorder helps there in case you miss something. I still haven't found a way for it to send out the QSL cards automatically, YET! Oh yes, I looked at some of the reviews in eHam. There were complaints about not being able to set separate RX and TX PL tones - The reviewer needs to read the manual. You do have to be careful. For example, with SO-50, if you want to turn on the satellite transmitter with a 74.0 PL tone, you have to know what you are doing. There are 4 different PL tones that can be set. If you change the wrong one, the satellite won't turn on. You choosing between Main and Sub band and between RX and TX PL for each of those. I noticed another reported problem which I do not recall, but that was also a case of reading the manual. Whatever you decide to do, have fun. Don't settle for just doing the FM birds. They are easy. They are a great place to start. Try this progression: AO-51 (Easiest FM bird), AO-27 (downlink is higher than published by about 3.5 KHz and it is only on for 7 minutes over North American Lattitude), SO-50 (need PL), VO-52 (Great SSB bird, LSB Uplink, USB Downlink), AO-16 (FM Uplink, DSB downlink - Off lately), and AO-07 (SSB, In daylight only, moderate elevation helps). Circular polarized yagi antennas with automated elevation and azimuth control and some preamps pretty much complete that station and will let you work just about anything as long as you don't have any mountains or other obstruction in the way. John N7JK >I have used the IC910H for several years on the birds and have found it very friendly to the FM birds. I use two non satellite memories for each FM bird. One for the VHF uplink and one for the UHF downlink. One the UHF memory, I store it with AFC enabled so the radio automatically tunes for the doppler shift on its own. >Please check my web site at www.ka4kyi.com for more info on how I operate the birds using the IC910H and other radios. Contact me directly if you would like with any other questions you might have. Thanks, Ron KA4KYI Jim Danehy wrote: > Although licensed for 55 years + , I am just now an SWL on the birds. I > did Oscar 6 in ~ 1975. Having worked and confirmed all of the DXCC > countries and just recently retired, the birds have my interest. I have > plenty of 1/2 inch and 7/8 inch hardline and connectors as well as a > Kenpro G 500 elevation rotor. I have an Elecraft K2 with their transverter > and a Microwave Module with satellite capability for 435. Just need some > antennas. I am also thinking of getting a more modern rig and the Icom 910 > caught my eye. A friend of mine has a Yaseu 736 which he will sell me with > 2 and 440 modules. No price discussed yet but I thought $700 would be my > top. As an alternative I thought about the Icom 910H. The only concern was > a comment I read on EHam that it was not user friendly on the FM birds > being more friendly to the JA birds. Is the 910 capable of doing AO 51 OK > or is it a pain ? Often information can be misleading. This is my first > post here on the BB. If there is any bird op er! > ator close to Cincinnati, Ohio , I would love to visit your station. I do > have the old style Mirage bricks for 2 and 432 too. I thought of Egg > beaters from M Square but now leaning more toward the 10 foot long > circular yagis for 2 and 432. > > Any info or comments would be greatly appreciated. Hope to QSO many of you > soon. > > 73 Jim W9VNE > _______________________________________________ > 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

Re: AO-51 2nd repeater operational
by Dennis Griffin 29 May '08

29 May '08

435.300 downlink? I thought it was 435.150. Thanks for the reply. I've heard ISS just fine with the same setup, but I see that AO-51 is a bit over twice as high. I'll try open squelch next time and Doppler tuning on rx. I don't understand, however, why I didn't hear myself on the nominal 435.150 at peak of pass, unless rx is actually 435.300. I have the W-32 set for Full Duplex, so receive mute wasn't active. 73 de Dennis KD7CAC On May 28, 2008, at 9:23 AM, Andrew Glasbrenner wrote: > You should try to listen with the squelch off, the satellite signal > is usually not strong enough to crack it. It also might be that > there was no one on during that pass. Could you hear anything on > the 435.300 downlink? > > 73, Drew > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dennis Griffin" > <eagleeyedennis(a)yahoo.com> > To: "Andrew Glasbrenner" <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> > Cc: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:42 AM > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-51 2nd repeater operational > > >> Thanks, Drew. I tried it on a straight overhead pass with my IC- >> W32 on high power, thru an Arrow II Satellite handheld antenna, >> but no joy. The squelch did open for a few minutes during the >> peak of the pass, but I was unable to discern any audio. >> >> 73 de Dennis KD7CAC >> Scottsdale, AZ >> >> >> On May 28, 2008, at 7:51 AM, Andrew Glasbrenner wrote: >> >>> 145.86 is the old 2m digital uplink. 145.88 is the 2nd repeater >>> voice uplink. >>> >>> 73, Drew >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dennis Griffin" >>> <eagleeyedennis(a)yahoo.com> >>> To: "Andrew Glasbrenner" <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> >>> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:48 AM >>> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-51 2nd repeater operational >>> >>> >>>> MacDoppler Pro has the tx as 145.860. Can you confirm which it >>>> is? A good pass coming up here in my area. >>>> >>>> 73 de Dennis KD7CAC >>>> Scottsdale, AZ >>>> >>>> >>>> On May 28, 2008, at 6:47 AM, Andrew Glasbrenner wrote: >>>> >>>>> Just a reminder that the 2nd repeater is active on AO-51, >>>>> 145.880 uplink and >>>>> 435.150 downlink. It is not restricted to QRP this time, but >>>>> we do ask that >>>>> only FM voice be used. Those that have been reluctant to use >>>>> the FM >>>>> satellites should give it a try, there is no contention. Last >>>>> night on the >>>>> first east coast pass, there were only 3 stations the entire pass. >>>>> >>>>> 73, Drew KO4MA >>>>> AMSAT VP Operations >>> >

2 2

Re: SatPC32 12.8 released
by Ronald G. Parsons 29 May '08

29 May '08

The version of 12.8 for ISS (SatPC32ISS) does not start with the QTH/Registration dialog. I can find no way to enter my Lat/Long. I did follow the instructions for upgrading from 12.7. Also there is no Setup menu. Is there something I am missing? Ron W5RKN > Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 08:30:07 -0500 > From: "Alan P. Biddle" <APBIDDLE(a)UNITED.NET> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 12.8 released > To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: <DC0F8D0D76ED4BE99254D9C2BE9F9083@WA4SCA> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > NB, this is one of those upgrades which can NOT be simply installed over > the > previous version. > > ============================================================================ > === > SatPC32 V. 12.8 contains significant changes regarding the storage of data > files. > Previous program versions stored program data in the SatPC32 program > folder > and > its sub folders. Beginning with version 12.8 SatPC32 stores program > application > data in a sub folder 'SatPC32' of the Windows system folder for > application > data > (the path of that folder is displayed in the foot line of the menu > 'Satellites'). > > Therefore don't install V. 12.8 over a previous installation! That would > leave > all previous data files in the SatPC32 program folder and its sub folders. > If you want to keep an old installation make a backup copy of the entire > SatPC32 program folder before you uninstall the previous version. Rename > the > copy 'SatPC32_127' or similar. In this folder you can run the old programs > and look for your previous program configuration if necessary. > > Then uninstall the previous version. The Windows uninstaller will possibly > leave some files and sub folders in the SatPC32 program folder. Remove > these > files > and sub folders with Windows Explorer or another file manager. > > Then start the new setup program and follow the instructions. > ============================================================================ > === > > > Alan > WA4SCA > >

2 1

RS-30 receive
by John Price 29 May '08

29 May '08

Just copied the last pass of the satellite RS-30. The CW signal was very strong here in FM07. Copied LOS right down to 5 degrees. The doppler was about 5 kc higher than expected. Looked to be about 435.317 center. Sure wish that thing could talk. 73's << John -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator AO-7,AO-16,AO-27,SO-50,AO-51,VO-52 Internet N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ Amsat Member #27845 DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 51 on 51 #13 LON -79.25 LAT 37.45 Grid FM07 >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

1 0

70cm mast mounted preamp for sale
by Bill Bruno 29 May '08

29 May '08

SSB SP-7000 Mast mounted preamp for sale, with manual $190, and Bias T DCC-12, with DC cable $45. Specs can be found on ssbusa.com website. If interested please contact me off list. Bill KB2RC

1 0