October 2009 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

AO-51: Rest of October schedule posted
by Mark L. Hammond 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

FYI from : http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php October 12 - October 16 FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM FM Repeater, L/U Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM October 17 - October 18 FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM JOTA Only FM Repeater, V/U Please give way to JOTA stations or QSOs with JOTA stations Uplink: 145.880 MHz FM Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM October 19 - October 25 FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 BBS, L/U Uplink: 1268.700 MHz 9k6 FM Downlink: 435.150 MHz 9k6 FM October 26 - November 1 FM Repeater, V/US Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM Downlink: 435.300 and 2401.200 MHz FM On behalf of the AO-51 Command Team, -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Re: Can we get them to fix AO-40 first then?
by G0MRF＠aol.com 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

In a message dated 14/10/2009 23:17:11 GMT Standard Time, n1miw(a)cox.net writes: My final thought on this is - if you can't get the receiver to decode commands, it's a loss, end of story. If it will receive, make it open the panels to get more power to the bird. Once the satellite is fully illuminated by the sun during its rotation, then try to work on stabilizing the satellite. Until that is tried, I personally feel that not every last attempt at reviving AO-40 has been attempted, Hi. The first time I read the post, I thought simply, no power = no receiver so no command to the satellite. But then, I thought of something else. When AO-40 was built, it would be launched with all systems off. When released into space some hardware would have switched on the receivers and a transmitter for telemetry. Now, it's sitting there with a shorted battery.....or is it? If the battery were to open circuit, then the satellite may think it's being switched on for the first time. But with AO-40 I seem to remember that telemetry was on 2m. The significance of your idea and my memory....is that the 2m transmitter does not work. So we would need to send a command to turn the S band transmitter on. It is virtually impossible for S band to just appear, like AO-7 did if it is not the default mode at switch on. But it completely justifies your idea of sending a command at it every now and again. Thanks for the thought Regards David

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Why is AO-27 not available in the Southern Hemisphere ?
by Allan Saul 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Hi, Is there someone out there that can explain to me why AO-27 cannot be made available to Radio Amateurs south of the equator ? There are a bunch of operators in South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand amongst others who would dearly like an opportunity to operate on this satellite. Is there some valid technical reason it cannot be made available to us for a few days per month ? Allan ZS1LS South Africa

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Re: What others are doing.
by WILLIAMS MICHAEL 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Joel. For the 847, try this method to hear your down-link without using the CAT menu. With good reception of the satellite, pick a clear receive spot on the transponder, i.e. 148.885 MHz on VO-52. Put 847 in CW mode with SatPC32(select C+). Press "VFO/M" button ( this will switch your up-link (transmit)VFO to the center tuning dial. Hold the CW key down and start tuning the Transmit VFO (Large dial) usually downward. You should hear your up-link signal cross the downlink frequency. When you find it note the frequencies of both VFOs. When you zero beat your downlink, usually the VFOs are synced by the software at this point and your up-link and down-link will stay together for the remainder of the pass. Press "HOME" button on the 847. this will move your receiver to the large dial. Send a test "V." If you can hear your signal you are good for the entire pass. You can now tune your receiver anywhere in the pass band and the software will sync your receive/transmit with Doppler correction. This method can be used manually (without SatPC32) to find your down-link. However, you will have to manually tune your up-link VFO (with the Sub-Tune) to maintain a constant down-link frequency. But in the end, the proper way is to use the CAT menu to sync your up-link/down-link together. See the instructions how to do this, once this is done, you are set up permanently no matter how many times your computer is booted or the 847 is turned off. For SatPC32 to work properly, make sure your computer clock is accurate to the exact time and your Keps are kept up to date. If I can be of any help, please email. Mike K9QHO AMSAT 33589 ------------------------- Message: 8 Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:15:03 -0500 From: Joel Black <jbblack(a)charter.net> Subject: [amsat-bb] What Are Others Using To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Message-ID: <4AD7ACF7.6020806(a)charter.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Years ago, when I first started operating the satellites, I used an IC-821. I "graduated" up to an FT-847. I don't ever remember using software to tune the rig (the IC-821 or FT-847) only software to steer the antennas. For the life of me, I cannot seem to find my downlink using the FT-847 and *any* tuning software with the linear birds (AO-7 and VO-52). It works fine with the "fixed" freq FM birds which, understandably, is easier for it to track. I am just wondering, does *anyone* use tuning software with the linear birds or do you just tune it manually? 73, Joel, W4JBB

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2M1EUB/P UPDATE important DXwindow
by paul robinson 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Hi guys as you know im /p in NE Scotland (io87mc) and thanks to all that have already worked me,this qth is difficult for low angle ,so ill be making the trip to a large hill @ 2700' to hope to give every one a bite at me....this is a one off ! please be quick on the mark as im trying to work as many stations as poss ..and give everyone a go...of course it will depend on wx coditions as well...action starts this sunday 18th mid morning to late afternoon (gmt) all birds i can hit and ao7 !!! around .950usb on ao7 and if the qrp repeater is on on ao51 then 435.150 fm more info on qrz.com 73 de paul

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Let's Go!
by Jeff Davis 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

I want to offer 'hearty congratulations' to the BOD for the courageous decisions made at the recent Space Symposium. I can think of no headline more appropriate and welcome for this organization than the declaration, "We're going back to space". Perhaps this decision to move forward with what we can do will also be what was needed to get the manufacturers to quit sitting on their hands and INNOVATE! How many threads have been spawned on this BB by someone asking the question "what handheld should I buy to use AO-51"..? The fact that the pat answer is that there aren't any - you need to check eBay for a 20 year-old model speaks pitifully of the ham radio marketplace in the 21st century. Given the nature of LEO, portable operations are very common and going forward, will be even more so. Who among us wouldn't love a mobile sized transceiver that sported true simultaneous dual-band (VHF/UHF) operation and a continuously tunable VFO on FM in a 'satellite operation mode'? What would it be worth if that radio also could record all pass data - and had a USB port that supported a memory stick so that everything received during a pass could stored on it for offline extraction and study later when you're back in the shack. It wouldn't even require an internal TNC to download telemetry data - the audio file could simply be played back (offline) on a PC and the telemetry decoded there. There are bound to be hundreds of similar ideas and dreams of new gear, antennas, and interesting things to do at LEO - let's populate the BB with these sorts of things and look forward, not back. I'm more than ready to turn to a new chapter and get back to shaping the future of ham radio in space. Aren't you? 73 de Jeff, KE9V AMSAT-NA 28350

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off topic
by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

This is a little off topic but in the long interest of AMSAT At the University of Louisiana we have a Masters in EE with a telecom option. He specialty is working with FET published in the IEEE seeking employment. If you know any one hireling please respond to me off list Thanks Nick k5qxj

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AMSAT Symposium News Posted to the Web
by JoAnne Maenpaa 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Hello everyone, News from the 2009 AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore has been posted on our web site: http://www.amsat.org (the link to ARISSat-1 should be back in service soon.) -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT News Service Copy Editor, AMSAT Journal

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Re: PIC rotator control
by John Mock KD6PAG 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

> I am re-visting a rotator controller. > > I am curious, should I push the processing of the "compare and make a decision" > onto the PIC, or pull that function back into the PC ? > > PC is LINUX > > I/O is serial I built a homebrew rotator controller, inspired by WB4APR 'Radio Shack' rotor controller. But given that both convention serial and parallel ports are no longer available on most laptops, and alot less common elsewhere, i decided to use a USB PIC. Initially, that was a EPROM-based PIC16C475 but later migrated to the flash-programmable PIC18F2550. It also includes a serial port, so that a laptop could talk to a TTL-level serial port radio. My intent was to put the pointing smarts into the PIC, but i never got that far. Currently, it reads the rotor position inside the PIC, but moving the rotor in software (for both LINUX and Windows). That much works, but i bogged on the PIC side trying to adapt Microchip's composite USB driver code to work properly with multiple devices. There were reliability issues, whose details i have forgotten, that put the whole project, which included a distributable version, onto the back burner. I'm sorry i can't be more helpful than that. Eventually, i'll get back to this project, and amateur satellites in general. -- KD6PAG (Networking Old-Timer, Satellite QRPer)

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AO40
by rwmcgwier＠gmail.com 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

For the panels to be deployed, useful, etc. the spacecraft needs to be despun. For the despun spacecraft to work, the thermal control system must work. For the thermal control system to be trusted we would need to know that after the incidents the heat pipes were intact enough to function. No one could make these determinations too a certainty and there would be an argument that would likely end with a decisio this is unacceptable risk. Why is it so difficult for people to realize these are complex systems with huge numbers of interactions and dependencies and further, almost surely all such questions have been fully examined? Bob N4hy Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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