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

DO-64 observations
by WILLIAMS MICHAEL 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

These is my personal observations about DO-64. The descending (morning) passes seem to be LHCP. My down link antenna is fixed LCHP only, and I hear the descending passes really well and can access DO-64 easily even at low elevations. Above 45 degrees, DO-64 is loud and I can back off power < 5 watts CW. Up link antenna is a 11 turn helix RHCP. The ascending (evening) passes are very weak. Probably RHCP as I am fixed LHCP. At this time, DO-64 is not in sunlight on the ascending (evening) passes over the central U.S. The beacon at 145.870 is easily heard. When you hear the beacon, you can put a signal through the transponder. 435.556 MHz up puts you real close to the center of the 40KHz wide transponder and 145.900 MHz down. DO-64 does not have the booming signal as VO-52. I think I remember from the video that the transponder output is 200 mW. On the first half of the pass, the signals seem to be much stronger than the second half. It is a challenge and fun to work through this sat . This no battery satellite is a good idea. Many thanks, Mike Williams K9QHO AMSAT 33589

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FW: [PNWVHFS] FOR SALE IC820H
by w7lrd＠comcast.net 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

I am just fowarding this on the AMSAT-bb, just in case. If interested contact the gent below. 73 Bob W7LRD -- "if this were easy, everyone would be doing it" -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: "Merle Cox" <w7yoz(a)easystreet.net> To: PNWVHFS(a)googlegroups.com Subject: [PNWVHFS] FOR SALE IC820H Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:19:19 +0000 I have for sale a 9.5 of 10 IC820H 144 & 432 MHz (plus out of band rcv & xmt) multimode transceiver. $575 OBO plus shipping (if required). Merle W7YOZ Phone 360 432 0701. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ ~The Voice of the Pacific NorthWest VHF Society~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PNWVHFS" group. To post to this group, send email to PNWVHFS(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to PNWVHFS-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/PNWVHFS -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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AO-51 V/S Mode Ops, Some Observations
by Robert Felt 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

Thanks AMSAT for placing the AO-51 is V/S mode last week. It was the first time I have operated any S-band downlink. The AO-51 was really quiet on S-band downlink, not a lot of people yelling on top of each other and background noise was nil. I made some good QSOs including - N8BBQ, WB8OTH, N5UXT, N5AFV, KD8CAO, N8TLV, N5ZNL... and heard a lot more, but was too focused with the doppler to make contact. My station : On the receive side I am using a home brew antenna based on a 36" "BBQ" grill with a 5 turn helix feed, connected directly to a model UEK-3000 down converter (by SSB) , into my AOR AR-5000A3 receiver. The transmit side was with my Icom-910 into a 11 element yagi. Antenna: My old Kenpro 5400 rotator was controlled through the LVB interface using NOVA software on my laptop. I used the frequency utility in the NOVA s/w to calculate and display the doppler on the down link, which varied from +50 to -35 KHz on most passes!! The doppler really keeps you busy on S-band, as there is no CAT output (just display) on the NOVA software, and you have to crank in the doppler manually. NOVA tracking software is very powerful and user friendly, but lacks radio CAT output. I would like to someday find a software program with the same or comparable look and feel as NOVA, but with CAT rig control interface in addition to the standard rotator interface. (SATPC is ok but has the look and feel (GUI) of an old 1980s DOS program). Is there a good CAT program rig control that I can run in the background while running NOVA for ant control and display? Anyway, Thanks AMSAT. Lets do this again some day. 73' de KB5YZG Bob Felt 1403 5th Ave West (EM85) Hendersonville, NC 28739 email - kb5yzg(a)amsat.org

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Re: Compass over ZL
by Alan Cresswell 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

Hi Mike and Robert, All commands sent and accepted at 2102 UT. A test beacon was received 5min and 40 seconds after the test beacon command. A normal beacon began 3min and 40 seconds later but unfortunately Compass was at zero deg elevation when the beacon began. I have a -1 deg horizon in this direction so managed to get part of the frame as follows: FF18090011710020........(LOS). The 11 in the middle was very noisy but almost certain they are OK (Definitely 1 or 0) and just managed to confirm that the heater was off before it went into the noise! At least the system is up and running - good signal strength from the test beacon. Alan ZL2BX -----Original Message----- From: Robert Smith [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, 21 August 2008 20:14 To: Alan Cresswell Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Compass over ZL Aloha Alan Compass will be over Hawaii within the hour. I will send the heater off command ****14#200# and more importantly, listen for any beacon. As she leaves me she will be over u. With sunlight and all, between the two of us you would think we could catch a beacon. Keeping my fingers crossed for around 2048Z. 73 robert NH7WN in Honolulu

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Florida AMSAT Net
by David J 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

Good Day Everyone, For those of you that usually check into the Florida AMSAT Net at 19:30 ET on Thursdays through the N4HHA repeater in Orlando, the repeater has a new controller installed and appears to be working fine. I haven't had a chance to speak with Mike about it, but I believe it is capable of linking to the NI4CE repeater system as usual, so tonight's net should go off without a hitch. I won't be net control tonight due to water in my coax from Fay and a very high SWR. I be present using a weak indoor antenna just to check in. K4ACB has agreed to handle it tonight. See you on the net, Dave, AA4KN

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Compass sounding better
by Bob DeVarney W1ICW 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

Mike, on the 14:10 pass over the eastern US, I was able to upload the heater off and test beacon commands several times successfully. I also heard confirmation tones several other times during the pass, so others are also able to get into the satellite. I commanded the test beacon several times and got confirmation, but never did hear the beacon come on during the pass. Perhaps because so many people were sending commands at the same time, it just kept resetting a timer. I believe Compass is getting healthier; it certainly seems a LOT more responsive today than it was, say 4 days ago. I think this is encouraging. Hopefully someone can get a beacon out of it this pass. I wlll be listening up for the 15:43 pass and hope to hear a beacon then. 73 de Bob W1ICW

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Re: DO-64 observation
by Jimcknwire＠aol.com 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

I cannot find the "keps" for this bird on the Amsat website. What am I doing incorrectly? **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)

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re polarity control (woops!)
by Angus 21 Aug '08

21 Aug '08

Hi, think I finally found out why there was not as great a difference on the LHCP compared to RHCP or so I thought and yes it was operator error (you guys already knew that I think hi). Problem was I was using NOAA satellites as my signal source for a RHCP and when I switched to LHCP could still hear them well. Truth of the matter is the signal here on RHCP is massive around 59+40db on a normal pass, when I switched to LHCP the signal was still BIG (59). So the truth of the matter is, there is a huge difference to my RHCP and LHCP but I should not have used such a large signal as a reference source. I realized what might be the error and checked it by sending my 14 year old son Cameron (2E0BAU) out on a 10 mile bicycle ride with a Yaseu VX2r handheld and a small yagi (similar to arrow). having got to a nice high spot, he pointed the yagi in my direction, he then spun the yagi slowly in a RHCP everything was fine (around 0.1watt output from VX2r) but when he spun the yagi in the wrong sense he was a very poor signal. So now I have got that sorted, I am happy but sadly Cameron is not, very heavy downpour on his way back home on the bicycle, got very wet! Still its all in the name of science! regards Gus M0IKB -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 1941 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len

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Re: LMR400 or 400UF? (Thanks and further comments)
by Michael Tondee 20 Aug '08

20 Aug '08

I think I sent this to Sebastian when I in fact meant to send it to the whole BBS. My aplogies if it's a duplicate post. Michael ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Tondee" <mat_62(a)netcommander.com> To: "Sebastian" <w4as(a)bellsouth.net> Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 5:10 PM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: LMR400 or 400UF? (Thanks and further comments) > First of all, thanks to everyone who responded to my query about coax. I > know sometimes we may get in disagreements on this BBS but when I have a > technical question I'm not sure of, I count on advice from here and I'm > not ever dissapointed. > The existing coax feeding the antenna is 9913 and as we all know, it has > problems. It was all I had though at the time I was constructing my > station. I am more than certain now though that it has moisture in it and > is causing Rx and TX problems. > I would say that the run from the preamp to the antenna is 6 to 8 feet of > coax and right now that's RG8U. I was thinking that loss was negligible > but I guess every little bit of signal I can squeeze out there is > important. There is also about a 5 foot run of RG8U in the shack that goes > between the back of the rig and a "disconnect" point I have that I can > easily reach. I'm thinking that this piece won't cause much of a problem. > So what I'm getting from everyone is to go with a section of 400UF between > the antenna and the preamp and the just the regular 400 down into the > shack. > I think that should certainly be better than what I have now anyway. Any > further comments? > Tnx and 73, > Michael > > >

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Re: WG: COMPASS-1 beacon
by Alan Cresswell 20 Aug '08

20 Aug '08

Hi again Mike, A replay of the previous pass! All commands sent and acknowledged at 2219 UT. Test beacon command again at 2221 was acknowledged but no test beacon or beacon for the remainder of the pass. Alan ZL2BX

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