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

ARISS Clarification--Please Read
by Frank H. Bauer 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

All, In the past 24 hours, two e-mail "Press Releases" were sent out by Miles Mann, WF1F, about ARISS related activities. Please ignore these e-mails as they are not totally accurate and Miles was given direction to not release this information. What was accurate is that the ARISS team has been working very closely with Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, his father Owen Garriott, W5LFL, the International Space agencies and Space Adventures on ARISS related activities for Richard's flight which is planned for mid-October. This includes several educational outreach contacts with the USA-based Challenger Centers, several other internationally based schools, some opportunities for general QSOs and, if the hardware is flown, an opportunity to receive some SSTV downlinks from Richard. However, the ARISS team is still working out the specifics on this initiative. We have not totally vetted these specifics through the ARISS international team. We have not completed coordination of our efforts with the requisite space agencies---RSA/Energia in Russia and NASA in the USA. And we have not completed coordination of our efforts with Space Adventures, who is working with the Russians to fly Richard on the Soyuz to ISS. I hope you can be patient with the ARISS team as we work this coordination out. We should be able to provide additional details in the next 14 days. And I hope you all get prepared for a lot of excitement this fall. Richard Garriott will fly almost 25 years after his father, Owen, W5LFL, made history as the first ham radio operator to communicate from a vehicle in space. And Mike Finke, who flies up with Richard, will take the helm as the ISS Expedition 18 Commander. Mike is a true ham radio enthusiast who plans to keep the ARISS microphone hot with lots of QSO excitement. On behalf of the ARISS international team I appreciate your patience on this and thank you all for your interest in the ARISS program. 73, Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs ARISS International Chairman

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AO-51 L/S MODE
by Luc Leblanc 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Using the same S band converter that i was using with AO-40 i succeed to have some QSO on AO-51 VE2NPC and another station but i am not 100% sure of his callsign. First i think Squidly Diddly will be the type of operator best equipped to handle my station in L/S mode on a LEO sat. I am using my PCR- 1000 to have a graphical display of my up converter output on the scope display. Since my first attempt on L/S mode i found very hard to be on the right uplink frequency. This morning pass i heard Clare VE3NPC transmitting a couple of time to find the right uplink frequency on my side even adjusting as per the Orbitron doppler corrected uplink i was always out of the satellite L band receiver until i start to adjust my TX frequency lower and higher than the program displayed frequency. I ended up with a 15KC higher than the "supposed" doppler corrected frequency on Orbitron? Could be my upconverter is not properly aligned or the scope display on the PCR-1000 software is not too exact at 1.268GHZ? At the end i will have to set the satellite RX frequency 15KC up to be able to get in the RX pass band. Next step is to have my uplink frequency controlled by my PC as i need 2 additional arm here in the shack! Bottom line L/S is feasable and with some tweeking it can probably matched the V/S mode +- the obstacles and foliage blocking in the path. "-" Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE

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COMPASS recovery attempt #1
by Mike Rupprecht 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Hi all, ******************************************************** Please do NOT send any commands to COMPASS until further notice ******************************************************** We will try to switch the satellite from emergency mode into powersafe mode. Thank you very much for your patience. Any beacon reports are very appreciated. 73, Mike DK3WN

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AMSAT Group on LinkedIn
by David Johnson 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Hi Folks, For those of you who are members of LinkedIn, the professional networking web site, I would like to invite you to join the AMSAT group which I've recently created. 73 Dave, G4DPZ -- Black Pepper Software Limited The Mews, Trinity House, Trinity Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. CV32 5Yo Registered in England, No. 3763392 VAT No. 747 8497 68 Tel: 01926 886467 Mob: 07733 106990 Skype: davidajohnson1

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Compass-1 happy this morning
by Bob DeVarney W1ICW 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Mike, sent the new command list, and got confirmations right at AOS. Good news to start a Monday morning off. Copied the following telemetry: 00DP0COM/ COMPASS 1/ 012345/ COMPASS/ 1 COMPASS 53090030980500202916D200FF 00DP0COM/ COMPASS 1/ 012345/ COMPASS /1 And the decoded telemetry shows: 08.09.2008 13:30UTC 53090030980500202916d200ff --------------------------------------------------- Solar Cell Voltage 1.63 V Solar Panel 6 Cur 56.47 mA Solar Panel 2 Cur 31.37 mA Solar Panel 3 Cur 953.73 mA Solar Panel 4 Cur 301.18 mA Solar Panel 5 Cur 0.00 mA EPS Reset Counter 0 Power Level Critical Battery Capacity Heater Active Battery Heater OFF Power Safe Counter 41 Emergency Mode Counter 22 Battery Voltage 4.12 V Battery Current 0.00 mA Battery Temperature -1 °C vy 73 de Bob W1ICW

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Re: COMPASS commands
by Mike Rupprecht 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Hi Doug, all this beacon looks good. COMPASS made no hard reset and all settings are valid. Yesterday evening I heard the beacon and the temperature was 0° . So I commanded the satellite to switch off the heater at 0 degr. It seems that has worked. After this command I sent the treshold value to -50 degr. Now we can see that the heater is still off (also at low temperatures). This evening I will try to change the voltage treshold - maybe I can switch COMPASS into powersafe mode. That means we can hear the beacon every 3 minutes. Please stay tuned and listen to the beacon. Thank's a lot for all your efforts. 73, MIke DK3WN Betreff: Re: [amsat-bb] COMPASS commands Gesendet: Mo, 08. Sep 2008 Von: Douglas C. Papay<dpapay(a)chartermi.net> > COMPASS-1 beacon heard (while eclipsed). > > 08.09.2008 03:12UTC 29000000000000201800BB2903 > --------------------------------------------------- > Solar Cell Voltage 0.80 V > Solar Panel 6 Cur 0.00 mA > Solar Panel 2 Cur 0.00 mA > Solar Panel 3 Cur 0.00 mA > Solar Panel 4 Cur 0.00 mA > Solar Panel 5 Cur 0.00 mA > EPS Reset Counter 0 > Power Level Critical Battery Capacity > Heater Active Battery Heater OFF > Power Safe Counter 24 > Emergency Mode Counter 0 > Battery Voltage 3.67 V > Battery Current 257.25 mA > Battery Temperature 3 °C > > Doug KD8CAO > Zeeland, MI USA EN62xt > > > At 01:04 PM 9/7/2008, you wrote: > >Hi all, > > > > > > > >I got a lot beacons and we can see that COMPASS survives all the eclipses. > >The battery voltage is increased to 3.67 volts. > > > >Please keep on trying to listen the beacon and send the following > commands: > > > > > > > >****13#200# threshold heater off to -55 degr > > > >****14#200# threshold heater on to -55 degr > > > >****15#255# low batt threshold to max -> charge batteries > > > >****16#255# critical batt threshold to max -> emergency mode (to > > > >save power) > > > > > > > >If COMPASS receive this sequence successfully you can hear a short > >confirmation beep. > > > > > > > >Uplink: 145.980 MHz FM > > > >Downlink: 437.275 MHz > > > > > > > >Thanks for your time and your efforts! > > > > > > > >73, Mike > > > >DK3WN > > > > > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >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 > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > >Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > >Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.6.17/1657 > >- Release Date: 9/6/2008 8:07 PM > > --- original Nachricht Ende ----

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FWD:Space Weather Euro News Vol. 12 Issue 6
by AB2VY 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Space Weather Euro News Vol. 12 Issue 6 (01-09-08) Table of Contents: ********************************************************************** European Space Weather Week #5, 17-21st November, Brussels 2008. News: Abstract Deadline 1st September and Business Meeting Schedule Now AvailableProceedings from the ESA Space Environments and Effects Section Final Presentation Days now onlineESA Postdoctoral Fellowships in Space ScienceMeeting: Modern Challenges in Nonlinear Plasma PhysicsSome ESA Tender Actions from ESA-EMITS ********************************************************************** HTML version: http://esa-spaceweather.net/spweather/SWEN/swen.html ====================================================================== \"/ * _ SPACE WEATHER = + = ( >Q<-)-_ - _ ) EURO NEWS / \ " * * S*W*E*N ====================================================================== Send all contributions to: swen(a)esa.int ====================================================================== ********************************************************************** 1. European Space Weather Week #5, 17-21st November, Brussels 2008. News: Abstract Deadline 1st September and Business meeting Schedule now Available ********************************************************************** From: Alexi Glover, Jean Lilensten and Ronald Van der Linden ***Reminder: Abstract submission deadline 1st September *** For full details see: http://sidc.oma.be/esww5 The next European Space Weather Week will take place at the Royal Library of Brussels, Belgium, from Monday 17th November to Friday 21st November 2008. This meeting is being jointly organised by the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB), ESA, the SWWT, the COST 724 and COST 296 communities. The local organisation is done by the SIDC of the ROB. This event will build on the advances made during previous European Space Weather Weeks and preceding ESA Space Weather Applications Workshops. The ESWW will again adopt the central aim of bringing together diverse communities working on all elements of space weather with a strong focus on user involvement. This year’s meeting will discuss recent advances in both scientific and applications based domains and how these advances relate to user needs. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss the Space Weather community’s contribution to possible future ESA action in the area of Space Situational Awareness. New data, tools and techniques will also be discussed and demonstrated during the workshop with a view to aiding the transition between new scientific results and user-oriented space weather services. This year’s event will include a space weather fair, where users and service providers will have the opportunity to interact in an informal working environment. The meeting will also include a number of hands-on splinter sessions and will explore community development through several dedicated business meetings. Organisation: The meeting will centre on 6 open sessions that address a number of topical themes: Session 1: Space Weather and the European Approach to Space Situational Awareness Session 2: Global Navigation Satellite Systems : Science, user needs and applications Session 3: Offshore Drilling, Magnetic Surveying and Geomagnetism : Science, user needs and applications Session 4: Space Weather Models: from Research to Operations Session 5: New and Existing Data Resources, Tools and Services Session 6: Solar Weather: New results, analysis techniques, forecast tools and the outlook for users Each session will be divided into oral and poster session with plenty of time devoted to discussion. Contributed papers are welcome to each of the 6 sessions. The oral presentations will cover a range of scientific and applications related themes and will consist of both invited and contributed papers. User contributions are expected to feature strongly in sessions 2 and 3 in particular. It is also envisaged that the meeting will conclude with a wrap-up of the key issues arising during the week long event in the form of a round table discussion on future European directions in space weather. Business meetings: A key part of the European Space Weather Weeks are the business meetings. These meetings provide the opportunity for interested participants to meet in smaller groups and address key issues in a style that compliments the open format of the plenary sessions. These meetings take the form of working meetings with reports produced and actions taken by the participants. This year, time during the ESWW5 schedule will be set aside for all splinter meeting convenors to report the main conclusions of the meetings to the full workshop. Topics that will be covered by splinter meetings during this year's ESWW include: Science Consortium for SWAP and LYRA payloads onboard PROBA2COST 295 "Mitigation of Ionospheric Effects on Radio Systems (MIERS)SOTERIA (SOlar TERrestrial Investigations and ArchivesSpace Weather Measurements with the Vega Maiden Flight CubeSatsSpace Weather and Health IssuesSWENET Developers ForumSpace Weather IndicesSWWT Plenary Meeting #24SWWT Topical Group on Atmospheric EffectsSWWT Topical Group on Ionospheric EffectsSWWT Topical Group on Spacecraft, Launcher and Aircraft EnvironmentsData and Application Services: Current Status and Future NeedsSpace Weather Impacts on Materials For further information and business meeting abstracts, see the online agenda. Abstract Submission: Online abstract submission is now possible via the conference website: http://sidc.oma.be/esww5 Deadline for submission: 1st September 2008. Authors will be informed of the acceptance of their abstract by 1st October. Registration: Registration is now possible via the conference website. The deadline for early registration is 17th October 2008. Early Bird Registration Fee: 110Euro Full Registration Fee (later than 17th Oct): 130Euro Students and young (<30yrs) scientists/engineers will be eligible for a reduced fee of 50 €. To be eligible, candidates must provide a valid student card and/or a CV (including date of birth) and they must be a presenting author. A small number of student scholarships are available for studets presenting a paper and unable to come otherwise. Applications for those scholarships should include the above information plus a motivation letter and are handled through the ESA Conference Bureau. Requests should be sent to esa.conference.bureau(a)esa.int. Social Programme: A social programme including a welcome reception and conference dinner will be included in the registration fee. More information will be available by 2nd June. Publication: Presentation material from the invited talks will be made available on the ESWW5 website following the event. In addition, it is envisaged that scientific and technical papers presented at this event will form a special issue of a refereed journal. More information about this publication will be made available during the meeting. Programme Committee: A. Glover (Co-Chair, ESA)A Belehaki (Co-chair, NOA, COST 724)J Lilensten (LPG-CNRS, COST 724)M. Hapgood (RAL/STFC, SWWT Chairman)J.-P. Luntama (FMI) R. Van der Linden (SIDC-STCE)P. Van Lommel (SIDC-STCE)J.-J. Valette (CLS)A. Thomson (BGS, COST 724) T. Dudok de Wit (CNRS)P. Gille (LPCE-CNRS)B. Zolesi (INGV, COST 296) Local Organising Committee: R. Van der LindenA. Van der SyppeS. RaynalP. Van Lommelthe SIDC-team This meeting is supported by the European Space Agency, The Royal Observatory of Belgium and Solar Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (STCE), The EC COST Office, The Belgian Science Policy Office, the International Space Environment Service, The Royal Library of Belgium and the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Conference web site: http://sidc.oma.be/esww5 See Also: http://www.esa-spaceweather.net/spweather/workshops/esww5/index.html ********************************************************************** 2. Proceedings from the ESA Space Environments and Effects Section Final Presentation Days now online ********************************************************************** From: Alexi Glover The proceedings of the Space Environments and Effects Final Presentation Days held at ESTEC on 18-19th June are now available via the following website: http://www.congrex.nl/08M25 ********************************************************************** 3. ESA Postdoctoral Fellowships in Space Science ********************************************************************** From: Guido De Marchi The European Space Agency awards several postdoctoral fellowships each year. The aim of these fellowships is to provide young scientists, holding a PhD or the equivalent degree, with the means of performing space science research in fields related to the ESA Science Programme. Areas of research include planetary science, astronomy and astrophysics, solar and solar-terrestrial science, plasma physics and fundamental physics. The fellowships are tenable at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands, or at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villafranca del Castillo, near Madrid, Spain. Applications are now solicited for fellowships in space science to begin in the summer or fall of 2009. Preference will be given to applications submitted by candidates within five years of receiving their PhD. Candidates not holding a PhD yet are encouraged to apply, but they must provide evidence of receiving their degree before starting the fellowship. The deadline for applications is 1 October 2008. More information on the ESA Research Fellowship programme in Space Science, on the conditions and eligibility, as well as the application form can be found on the world-wide web at this address: http://www.rssd.esa.int/fellowship Questions on the scientific aspects of the ESA Fellowship Programme in Space Science not answered in the above pages can be sent by e-mail to the fellowship coordinator, Guido De Marchi, at the address fellowship(a)rssd.esa.int ********************************************************************** 4. Meeting: Modern Challenges in Nonlinear Plasma Physics ********************************************************************** From: Dimitris Vassiliadis MEETING: "Modern Challenges in Nonlinear Plasma Physics: A conference honoring the career of K. Papadopoulos" June 15-19, 2009, Sani Resort, Halkidiki, Greece First Announcement In the last three decades theoretical and experimental progress has led to a substantial integration of nonlinear effects in modeling and understanding of plasma dynamics. Particle acceleration mechanisms, collisionless shocks, magnetic reconnection, and flow and wave turbulence are only a few of the facets of complex dynamics in space or laboratory plasmas. Moreover, the realistic behavior of plasmas in geospace, solar, and fusion environments is modulated by strong interactions with adjacent plasmas or boundaries. Large-scale coherence emerges even in weakly-coupled, multi-scale plasmas. Accurate modeling and prediction of nonlinear plasma systems has demanded development of new theoretical and numerical methods. The meeting will review recent key developments in these areas and help chart the exciting future of nonlinear plasma science. Conference web site: http://www.astro.auth.gr/~vlahos/kp Advisory committee: R.C. Davidson (Princeton University), M. L. Goldstein (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center), A.V. Gurevich (Lebedev Physical Institute), K. Hizanidis (University of Athens), C.F. Kennel (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), C.S. Liu (University of Maryland), R. Sagdeev (University of Maryland), P. Sprangle (Naval Research Laboratory), A.S. Sharma (University of Maryland) Executive committee: K. Akimoto (Teikyo University), P. Cargill (Imperial College), I.A. Daglis (National Observatory, Athens), S.F. Fung (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center), J.D. Huba (Naval Research Laboratory), X. Shao (University of Maryland), D. Vassiliadis (Co-chair; West Virginia University), L. Vlahos (Co-chair; University of Thessaloniki) Local organizing committee: Athens: A. Anastasiadis, I.A. Daglis Thessaloniki: Y. Chatziantonaki, H. Isliker, T. Pisokas, C. Tsironis, L. Vlahos (Chair) Themes: The building blocks of nonlinear plasmas (Topics under consideration : particle acceleration; beam-plasma interactions; collisionless nonlinear waves; plasma radiation)Meso- and macroscale structures: formation and stability (Nonlinear evolution of instabilities; magnetic reconnection; turbulence and intermittency; maser mechanisms; hysteresis and storage-release processes in space and lab plasmas; large-scale coherence in plasma systems)Dynamic and interacting plasmas (Multiscale coupling in space and lab plasmas; bursty flows and their transitions to turbulence; plasma interaction with solid and magnetic barriers; cascades and power-law regimes)Revealing plasma structure via active experiments (Sheath electrodynamics; dusty plasmas; ionospheric modification; wave excitation and transmission) Abstract submission deadline: January 16, 2009 Pre-registration deadline: February 20, 2009 Venue: The conference will be held at the renowned Sani Resort (www.saniresort.gr) in the Halkidiki peninsula of northern Greece. This tourist complex is in a sun-drenched pineforest one hour away from Thessaloniki and close to several archaeological and tourist destinations. Contact information: Dimitris Vassiliadis Loukas Vlahos ********************************************************************** 5. Some ESA Tender Actions from ESA-EMITS ********************************************************************** AO5849 DEVELOPMENT OF A PREDICTIVE DISCHARGE NUMERICAL MODEL ON SOLAR PANELS (From 06/08/2008 to 01/10/2008, Act.Ref.: 07.1EE.11) AO5803 RADIATION TESTING OF CANDIDATE MICROELECTRONIC COMPONENTS FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS (From 08/07/2008 to 15/09/2008, Act.Ref.: 06.1QC.03) AO5786 ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD PREDICTION TOOL FOR SOLAR PANELS (From 03/06/2008 to 30/09/2008, Act.Ref.: 08.1EE.19) AO5819 CALL FOR OUTLINE PROPOSALS UNDER THE GREECE INDUSTRY INCENTIVE SCHEME (From 30/06/2008 to 30/09/2008, Act.Ref.: 08.135.03) AO5797 EUROPEAN STUDENTS EARTH ORBITER SATELLITE (PHASE B/C/D) (From 03/07/2008 to 12/09/2008, Act.Ref.: 08.174.03) AO5805 ARIADNA - CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS - CFP2008-01 (From 02/07/2008 to 12/09/2008, Act.Ref.: 08.197.13) AO5720 ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY: FOR MARKET-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES (PERMANENTLY OPEN AO UNDER GSTP) (From 21/04/2008 to 31/12/2009, Act.Ref.: 08.136.03) AO5658 ESA TELECOM NEWCOMERS' INITIATIVE - CALL FOR PROPOSALS (From 28/01/2008 to 31/12/2009, Act.Ref.: 08.153.52) AO4780 ARTES 4 - ESA-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME: CALL FOR PROPOSALS (From 24/11/2004 to 31/12/2009, Act.Ref.: 04.153.85) ********************************************************************** For a complete list of ESA Tender Actions, see: http://emits.esa.int ********************************************************************** Note: This newsletter is an initiative of the ESA Space Environments and Effects Analysis Section ( http://space-env.esa.int) and is a prototype mailing list intended to provide a forum for information posting news of interest to the Space Weather community in Europe. SWEN contact group (keeping SWEN informed of news from other channels) is currently: Wolfgang Baumjohann, IWF Graz, AustriaVolker Bothmer, EGU-Solar Physics SecretaryJinbin Cao, Chinese Space Weather Activity RepresentativeAlain Bourdillon, COST Action 296Eamonn Daly, ESA (excluding science programme)Maurizio Candidi, CNRPaul Cannon, URSI-Commission GMike Hapgood, Space Weather Workinig Team ChairmanFrancois Lefeuvre, LPCE/CNRSJean Lilensten, COST Action 724W. William Liu, Space Science Program, Canadian Space AgencyHenrik Lundstedt, Lund space weather centerRichard Marsden, ESA science programmeGoetz Paschmann, ISSITerry Onsager, NOAA Space Environment CentreJean-Yves Prado, CNES Programme DirectorateMichael Rycroft, ISU ********************************************************************** Giulio AB2VY (ex KC2OTB) c/o Toms River NJ AMSAT-NA member 36417 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Poco spazio e tanto spam? Yahoo! Mail ti protegge dallo spam e ti da tanto spazio gratuito per i tuoi file e i messaggi http://mail.yahoo.it

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COMPASS commands
by Mike Rupprecht 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Hi all, I got a lot beacons and we can see that COMPASS survives all the eclipses. The battery voltage is increased to 3.67 volts. Please keep on trying to listen the beacon and send the following commands: ****13#200# threshold heater off to -55 degr ****14#200# threshold heater on to -55 degr ****15#255# low batt threshold to max -> charge batteries ****16#255# critical batt threshold to max -> emergency mode (to save power) If COMPASS receive this sequence successfully you can hear a short confirmation beep. Uplink: 145.980 MHz FM Downlink: 437.275 MHz Thanks for your time and your efforts! 73, Mike DK3WN

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Activate Grid EM35
by Rick - WA4NVM 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Hi All, I am going to Mt. Nebo, AR this weekend for the Sept. VHF contest. I plan to work all passes starting Thursday evening Sept. 11 thru Monday morning Sept. 15. I will be on A0-51, S0-50, A0-27 and A0-16. Also if the contest gets slow, I will commandeer the contest station to work A0-7B, V0-52 and FO-29. I will use the call NE5BO (our contest call) EM35. QSL to QRZ.com address. Also, I will work A0-51 (1305utc) mobile from EM45 Thursday morning while in transit. One more thing, look for us during the contest. We will operate 6M, 2M, 220, 432, 902 1296 and the microwave oven! Thanks and 73, Rick - WA4NVM

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mode S - results - first attempt
by Michael Heim 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

First attempt at hearing mode S. pass wasnt the best, max elevation about 15 degrees. receiving using a California Amplifier model 130099. This is the MMTS unit with the integral yagi with the washer shaped elements. Yagi boom length about 2 feet, supposedly 16 dBi gain on 2500 MHz. Modified with the tape over the hairpin tuning, etc.... original crystal, received on 123.2 MHz. Used an FT-50R for the IF. Here is what I found: Unit is linear polarized. Heard the bird far better using vertical polarization. There may have been some tropo, as the time of the pass was about an hour after sunset. Temperature cooled off about 15 degrees in the 2 hours preceeding the pass. Signal strength ranged from full quieting to "in the noise". with a slow fade to it. Heard the bird 3 degrees above the northern horizon when there was a peak in propagation. Beasmwidth is workable, but it is tight enough that I'll need an elevation rotator. I'm not using one on V/U. I do not have L band capability (yet), this was just a receiving test, but I do hope to be able to work U/S or V/S if the bird is capable. Wonder if this is typical for this mode. Now some quirks regarding my own gear: The LO is about 150 KHz off frequency, but thats not really a big deal. I just discovered I had the receiver set to AM. Here I was slope detecting the thing! The HT is capable of FM, I was set to AM because I had a brain lapse when I was pre-checking things before the pass. Then I forgot to change it back for the actual pass. Trees REALLY kill the signal! I kinda expected that though. Looking forward to tersting tomorrow during higher and earlier passes, and of course...using FM to receive! I have another converter yet to be tried. The other one has an N connector for connecting to an external antenna. I see many ops use helicals. How many turns is considered good for this bird ? Michael Heim ARS KD0AR (EN90rw)

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