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

GO-32 Status -- does not sound healthy
by Bruce Semple 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

Did anybody hear the 06/06/2008 - 0155z pass -- It does not sound good ..

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Re: Yaesu VX-8R
by Clint Bradford 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

> What do you mean by not true full duplex? It is a dual-RECEIVE unit. Not a true, full-duplex unit like the Icom IC-W32a was (where you can TX on one band and simultaneoulsly monitor the other band). Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-241-7666

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Re: Yaesu VX-8R
by Clint Bradford 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

A reading of the preliminary owners manual, and conversations with Vertex Standard. I have been involved in the amateur and commercial radio industries for several years. I wouldn't publish misinformation anywhere. Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666 >> The VX-8R is *not* true full-duplex. >> > Forgive me for not taking you at your word, but can you tell us how > you know that?

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To the Moon, Alice...
by Clint Bradford 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

If you want to make it to the moon but don't have the chops to be an astronaut, the deadline is approaching to at least send your name around Earth's orbiting rock. June 27 marks the last day to enter your information on the Web to send your name to the moon with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Your name will be incorporated in a database and loaded onto a microchip built into the LRO spacecraft. The service is free and comes with a printable certificate assuring you that you are indeed a part of the LRO experience. http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/index.php Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Yaesu VX-8R
by Clint Bradford 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

...I live in vague hope for the Yaesu VX-8... The VX-8R is *not* true full-duplex. Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Re: Kenwood THD7AG availability
by John Mock KD6PAG 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

> At dayton, here is what I heard... they can no longer get about > a handful of parts. The radio has been in production for 10 > years! Of the handful of parts, they have come up with some > substitutes for all but one of them. There is still one tiny > chip transistor that has no substitutes and impossible to find. > Unless they can solve that problem, they are stuck... That is MOST unfortunate! It is important to operate in full-duplex in Mode J-FM, and with the demise of the Icom IC-W32A, the Kenwood TH-D7AG was the only HT available which had that capability. Every other multi-band HT available commercially tries to be a scanner from DC-to-daylight, and that is inherently incompatable with full- duplex operation. I believe that the number of people who can't hear their own downlink has alot to do with the amount of chaos on the FM satellites. Please, please, PLEASE!! AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-*, lobby the amateur radio manufacturers to make another satellite-friendly HT! This is important to the future of amateur radio. -- KD6PAG (Networking Old-Timer, Satellite QRPer)

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Question about SEEDS telemetry...
by Mark VandeWettering 05 Jun '08

05 Jun '08

So, I've been having a mild amount of fun using my Python code to track the various recently launched cubesats, and especially SEEDS II, which I find to be really easy to receive. My script drives the frequency control on my FT-817, and allows me to get easy recordings that by just aiming my Arrow at the spot it tells me to. I record these onto my laptop, and then process them into spectrograms for fun. For instance, a couple of days ago, I got the following: http://brainwagon.com/images/seeds2-tlm2.jpg Each horizontal pixel is 1/50th of a second, making the width of each row 20 seconds, and the full set of SEEDS II housekeeping telemetry is about 100 seconds. If you work through the picture, you can confirm that I didn't make any mistakes when I copied the telemetry as: JQ1YGU SEEDS G4 01DF37DF CF1 FFE 007 00A 000 000 009 007 ABE AAC A94 AEA 11 0000 0001 0001 0001 55DD B1 40 30 Using the documentation for SEEDS that is available online, I decoded this as: Satellite Callsign: JQ1YGU Satellite ID: SEEDS Satellite Mode: G4 Satellite Time: 15703023 sec Li-ion Battery Voltage: 4.04 v Bus Voltage: 5.00 v Solar Cell 1 current: 0.78 ma Solar Cell 2 current: 1.11 ma Solar Cell 3 current: 0.00 ma Solar Cell 4 current: 0.00 ma Solar Cell 5 current: 1.00 ma Solar Cell 6 current: 0.78 ma Temperature Li-ion Battery 1: -1.41 degC Temperature Li-ion Battery 2: -0.53 degC Temperature Transmitter: -2.27 degC Temperature Receiver: -4.48 degC So, here's the question. This was a nighttime pass over CM87, and we see that the satellite must have been in eclipse, as its solar panels are generating almost now power, and the temperatures are pretty low. Is this common for the cubesat during eclipse passes. It dawns on me that my inability to get it transmitting in SSTV or digitalker mode might be that I have been catching almost exclusively night time passes (curse my day job). Looking back through the list, I've seen housekeeping telemetry where the temperatures are 40 degC or even higher. Is the variation in temperature really that great? Is it just that the thermal mass being low causes relatively deep cycling? Just thinking... Mark KF6KYI

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Re: beyond telemetry
by andy thomas 05 Jun '08

05 Jun '08

Friend, AS far as I know, the only satellite sending SSTV at the moment is SEEDS. You will need to doppler track the saetllite and use a downloaded program like MMSSTV. Receive in FM, good luck! You will see some historic images from Mir on my website http://www.andythomas.eu and the system is not set up yet on the ISS. Weather satellites are outside the Amateur bands, on 136 MHZ or near, and need a wide IF bandwidth receiver and a different progra-rm -this is not sstv. best wishes andy G0SFJ __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Email http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

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Re: Possible SWR problems with 70cm antenna
by i8cvs 05 Jun '08

05 Jun '08

----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Heisler -K3VDB-" <ceheisler(a)comcast.net> To: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008 1:41 AM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Possible SWR problems with 70cm antenna > At 01:56 PM 6/4/2008, you wrote: > > >To measure the VSWR with accuracy you can build by your self a set of > >inexpensive directional couplers ranging from 100 MHz to 10 GHz using > >semirigid coax cables as described into the RSGB Microwave Handbook Volume 2 > >pages 10.13 to 10.18 > > > >73" de > > > >i8CVS Domenico > > Hello Domenico > > I am interested in building the directional coupler that you > mentioned above > > Thanks for any help > Charlie > K3VDB > FM19qv > Hi Charlie K3VDB Unfortunately all messages sent to you and to other people via @comcast.net are bouncing back because apparently there is not compatibility between @comcast.net and @tin.it Please send me another email address. 73" de i8CVS Domenico

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PO-28
by Vincenzo Mone 05 Jun '08

05 Jun '08

Hi to the list, I would like to know if the PO-28 is still alive and if it can be heard. I just had a pass with an elevation of 90 degreese but could not heard nothing on 429.950 Mhz. Anybody can give me more information abt 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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