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

Keps and frequencies for Iran's Omid satellite?
by Gordon JC Pearce MM3YEQ 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7866357.stm Congratulations to them for joining the select few that have flown a satellite. Now, where are we looking, and what are we listening for? Gordon

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Plans for UK Satellite Launcher
by Clint Bradford 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

From the BBC ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7862827.stm Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666

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Re 70cms satellite polarity?
by Angus 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

Hi all, sorry if this question has been asked lots of times, but I cannot find a reference for it, but are all the current satellites using RHCP for 70cms, be it Uplink or Downlink? regards Gus M0IKB -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 5.9 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 8225 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message

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FT-736 tuning dial
by Alan Sieg WB5RMG 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

Thanks for all the encouraging words of advice and consolation. I've heard from concerned friends all around the world in less than 24 hr. No less than a dozen by direct email, as well as some via the AMSAT-BB. This is an amazing team we have, isn't it. Honestly - Thank You All. So, while not fully recovered - the prognosis is good for my trusty radio. Still in intensive care (with covers off), the major surgery went well. I first carefully pried off the shiny knob face, then gradually slipped a tiny screwdriver in under the knob rubber, moving around the dial - working it steadily off of the knob without stretching it. This revealed two holes, one of which gives access to the one set screw. Not the old-fashioned hex-hole requiring an Allen wrench, but a hex spline - my tool says "T-8". Once the knob was off, I went ahead and removed the top and bottom covers so as to allow the front panel to hinge down revealing the inside of the encoder. I really didn't want to remove this, but needed to see that there was nothing inside that would be readily helpful. With the radio standing on it's back-side heat sink fins, face-up - I applied a few tiny tiny drops of WD40 with a tiny screwdriver, to the shaft where it enters the panel mount bushing (with the screw threads and big nut)... I turned the knob 360 degrees and applied a few more drops - and left it to penetrate for a while. Then came back and turned it and gave a few more tiny drops. I don't want WD40 inside the encoder if at all possible. If I don't take the shaft out of the bushing, I'll have to depend upon the WD40 and my incessant turning to eventually break down the dust or crud that had apparently gotten bolluxed into the juncture. I'll look at it as helping my friend thru a theraputic recovery process. Learning to tune again. I repeated the process several times, and it got a little bit better each time. I had to go to work today, and there was no one home to do this every so often - so it may take a bit longer. It may be that by removing the encoder from the panel, I would see a better way, but I'll hope that my patience and persistence will pay off. It may never be as silky smooth as it was for the last 20 years, but I'm certain that it is on the road to recovery. While I wait for the WD40 to penetrate, I've been cleaning the face and knobs and buttons on my ol'buddy. It is truly amazing how nasty-dirty that stuff can get. Especially the buttons you DON'T push... Just a hint of WD40 on a Q-Tip can work wonders down in those grooves. Such a long way from the first radio dial I ever re-strung. Can you believe that we used to do this with a spring-loaded string wrapped around a shaft, fed around pulleys, and tied to a wheel on the end of the shaft thru an air-variable capacitor ..?.. Uggh, and before that we had "crystals"... I guess the WD40 is more of a rite-of-passage. Merely a mild stroke if you would. At least this time I didn't have to get out the duct-tape. Thanks again everyone who sat up late awaiting word from the recovery room. I think we're out of the woods as they say. At least I can see a clearing from here. Thanks again and 73 for now /;^) -- <- Licensed in 1976, WB5RMG = Alan Sieg * AMSAT#20554 -> <- http://www.somenet.net * http://wb5rmg.somenet.net -> <- http://www.linkedin.com/in/alansieg * My 'Day Job' ->

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ARRISS contact on As It Happens (CBC) today
by Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

I had to cope with the world while trying to listen, so don't know details. You too can listen to the radio show here: http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20090202.shtml 73, doug

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AO-51, 2 Feb 09, 2215z
by Darin Cowan 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

Thanks to everyone for being patient. I was working the satellite from a vertical antenna and learning a lot about where it is effective, and where it is not effective and receiving satellite signals. I managed one QSO, and I hope I wasn't spamming the bird too much. Learned a lot, so if I try it again, I should be easier to work. I think I know where every skinny, useless side-lobe is on my antenna now. 73 de CG3OIJ / VE3OIJ -Darin

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Re: ISS APRS
by Robert Bruninga 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

>> Thanks for all your help in my attempts >> to hit ISS! It looks like they >> changed the path from RS0ISS-3 to >> RS0ISS-4 since Friday evening. How are >> we to know that they do this? Just monitor the downlink. Otherwise the best thing is to ignore the callsign and use the generic Alias of ARISS which will work independent of which callsign they are using. >> Should I have more in the path than >> either RS0ISS-3 or -4? I see there >> are some WIDE1-1 statements in a few >> of the raw packet data. That only applies when PCSAT-1 is operational. But she no longer can support either the ARISS or WIDEn-N paths. So to use PCSAT-1 y ou have to use its exact call of W3ADO-1. And that will only work during a mid-day pass. Good luck. Bob, WB4APR > >

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PRISM Beacon
by nader omer 02 Feb '09

02 Feb '09

PRISM Beacon Orbit # 160 22:51 - 23:04 UTC TLE de http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt prc//www.space.t.u-tokyoac.jp prd-make steps-hand-in hand pr0000325a5a420a5a4 pr1100a51db2b600110 pr2t090003000688442 pr3........................... pr4........................... pr50059000086878c74 pr6006d6d6d6d656700 pr7007d7d7b7c662000 pr8000100708007099860 pr93f3f403f4040403f3f403f403f3f3f pra00001ca653 prb065042504250420000 prc//www.space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp prdn will-meet-ag -some-sunnyday Nader - st2nh www.st2nh.com

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KKS-1 beacon
by nader omer 02 Feb '09

02 Feb '09

KKS-1 Beacon Orbit # 156 21:22 - 21:33 UTC TLE de http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt 09/01/24 03:17 06 09/01/24 03:17:006 09/01/24 03 :06 09/01/24 03:17:0 09/01/24 03:17:06 09/01/04 3:17:0 09/01/24 03:17 09 01/24 03:17:006 09/01/24 03 7:006 09/01/ 17:006 09/01/24 0 09/01/24 03:17:006 09/01/24 03:17:006 09/01/24 03: h:006 09/01/24 03:17:60 09/01/24 03:17:06 09/01/ 03:17: 09/01/24 03:17: 09/01/24 3:17 73 Nader , st2nh www.st2nh.com

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Re: Optimum HT for FM satellite use?
by Clint Bradford 02 Feb '09

02 Feb '09

Instead of purchasing old equipment (very few will come with new battery pack...repairs either expensive or not available), you could always use two radios - one for RX and one for TX. Or use a scanner on RX! And on the FM birds, it is not mandatory to operate at full duplex. Preferable, but not mandatory. I use the Yaesu FT-60R for all my AO-51 demonstrations. The underlying "theme" to my presentations is the fact that most hams probably already have the necessary equipment to work the FM birds, and, if not, it doesn't take a lot of money for equipment. FT-60R are great dual-band rigs: bulletproof construction, strongest belt clip of ANY amateur HT chassis on the market, 1,000 memories, RX 108 to a gig, great RX volume. Add to this a great battery system where, with the optional AA battery case, you have FULL TX POWER available if needed. For comparison, use an optional AA case with the Kenwood TH-F6a, and you're running one-half of one Watt TX. The FT-60R can be programmed for "split freqs" (page 28 of the owners manual) - where you can set it up to TX on one band and RX on another in a single memory location. (Several other current HTs do this, too.) All for under $200. Improve its -2dB stock antenna, and you have a portable satellite station! For AO-51, I have mine programmed like this ... (nothing extraordinary here) ... Ch 100, RX 435.310, TX 145.920 Ch 101, RX 435.305, TX 145.920 Ch 102, RX 435.300, TX 145.920 Ch 103, RX 435,295, TX 145.920 Ch 104, RX 435.290, TX 145.920 Channel 102 is the "center" frequency. As you ACQUIRE the signal, listen slightly ABOVE (ACQUIRE - ABOVE: my mnemonic device) the center frequency to compensate for the doppler effect. Preachin' to the choir here ... sorry ... (grin) Clint Bradford http://www.clintbradford.com

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