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

Re: old satellites
by G0MRF＠aol.com 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

In a message dated 17/03/2009 17:29:47 GMT Standard Time, kg4zlb(a)googlemail.com writes: >I was reading about the newly launched GOCE satellite and the fact that >its mission will end when its 40kg tank empties - that of course may be >a long time coming but as it has an S band transmitter, could this not >be tweaked for us once the mission is complete? Hi. ESA will use the usual 2G / 2.2G ish space communications band for GOCE. The modulation format and data rate will be very different from anything that we are familiar with. The uplink will send commands to the spacecraft and the downlink will send back science data but It's highly unlikely that signals can pass through or that the TX and RX can be moved to 2.4 GHz. >And thinking further, for these satellites could amateur radio gear be >carried so that it could be activated once the main mission is complete? >Doing this over a number of years would provide a ready made supply of >new birds over a period of time. This however is a very practical idea. Right now AMSAT members are building / designing a communications system that will be launched on the ESA educational satellite ESEO. When the science mission is over it will switch to amateur use and hopefully provide a good service for many years (touching wood for good luck as I write this) ESEO is planned to be 75kg going to LEO. 73 David

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Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 4, Issue 129
by Louis McFadin 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

There is no DCI filter in line with the ISS amateur radio system. On Mar 17, 2009, at 11:51 AM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > Lou McFadin W5DID ARISS US Hardware manager

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iss packet invalid callsign nnnnnn
by Mr Jeffrey L Ross 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

hi folks, just looking at the iss mheard callsign list I see one called nnnnnnn. Does anyone know what or who this is? maybe just a silly error, or maybe someone is using the iss without a call. we hams police our own if I'm not mistaken. anyway why its here to observe and go over hows about some explaining to us why there are serveral calls for the iss. I see in the list, ISS, ISS-10,ISS-5, RSOISS-4, -4 I Think is the heard digi, but always wondering what the other iss calls are. If anyone knows please post, thank you much, kc8gkf-5 UISS User. attached is the isscallsign heard list

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Re: "Mobile" Operation
by Alan Sieg WB5RMG 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

So . . . As I really only have a hand-held radio when I'm in the car, that might be considered porta-mobile. But since I often have to stop and hang the antenna out the window, would that be considered psuedo-mobile ? Which raises another age-old question - "If I forget to key the mic while talking, but my wife isn't around, - am I still wrong ?" (Your mileage may vary) /;^) -- <- 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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Re: Did ISS perform maneuver burn?
by Greg Beat 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

Jeff - When I was listening to the Shuttle STS-119 audio feed last night - March 16 (just before Midnight - Chicago time). The Shuttle performed a burn to "catch up" with the ISS. The shuttle appeared to be about 20 minutes behind the ISS on the visible pass here last night -- before the burn. w9gb ==== Message: 11 Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:34:07 -0700 From: "Jeff Yanko" <wb3jfs(a)cox.net> Subject: [amsat-bb] Did ISS perform maneuver burn? To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Message-ID: <D48CA16E64E44DD186DE36455EFF8ECE@QUECREEK> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Hi all! Did the ISS perform a maneuver burn to avoid a possible collision with space junk? The reason I ask is during the 0841z to 0850z pass I started to receive the downlink about 08:39:30. About 1.5 minutes before the AOS was to occur. I'm using 1 week old keps and the previous night pass was right on schedule. 73, Jeff WB3JFS DM26

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Re: "Mobile" Operation
by Nigel Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

If you're not operating from your station address, and your entire station is not capable of being fully operated whilst moving, then you are portable. If your station is completely operable whilst you move your "shack" at the vehicle's (or your feet if walking) normal speed, you are probably mobile. John Heaton wrote: > On Tue, 2009-03-17 at 16:20 +0000, Nigel Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF wrote: >> Sitting still isn't mobile if you're parked. > > I understood that if you aren't operating from your station address then > you are 'mobile'.. > > John > -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Nigel A. Gunn. G8IFF W8IFF (was KC8NHF) 1865 El Camino Drive, Xenia, OH 45385-1115, USA 937 825 5032 e-mail nigel(a)ngunn.net www http://www.ngunn.net Member of ARRL, GQRP #11396, QRPARCI #11644, SOC #548, Flying Pig #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA LM-1691, AMSAT-UK, MKARS, ALC <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

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N3TL/portable South Carolina
by n3tl＠bellsouth.net 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

Hey everyone, What a hoot that was! If any of you are thinking about making a drive to activate a not-so-active grid or a not-so-active state ... go for it! You will have a blast. I did. >From here in northeast Georgia, South Carolina is closer than Ham Radio Outlet's Atlanta store. Last night, I drove up U.S. 441 to I-85 and headed north to the state line. I found a couple of really good locations very close to the border and just off the interstate. I chose the South Carolina Welcome Center at I-85 mile marker 1 last night because (1) the pass would be after dark and the center is very well lit, and (2) it was rainy and foggy. I figured the light and security of the center would be nice to have. They were. My home grid, to six characters, is EM84ha. On this pass, I operated from EM84ll. This was a busy pass of AO-51, and there were multiple Mexican stations operating portable from different grids. In spite of that, I made a personal high of 11 contacts on the pass, with: AA5PK K8YSE - EL98 N5AFV K8YSE - EN91 KB0RZD WA5KBH N1RCN N9AMW WA2S K5KNT K8NWD Thanks to everyone on the pass. It was great hearing all of you and working so many of you. This location is a good one for working passes to the west, and I'll be using it again to activate South Carolina. QSL cards will be on the way in the next day or two. No return card is necessary. 73 to all, Tim - N3TL EM84ha

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Did ISS perform maneuver burn?
by Jeff Yanko 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

Hi all! Did the ISS perform a maneuver burn to avoid a possible collision with space junk? The reason I ask is during the 0841z to 0850z pass I started to receive the downlink about 08:39:30. About 1.5 minutes before the AOS was to occur. I'm using 1 week old keps and the previous night pass was right on schedule. 73, Jeff WB3JFS DM26

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How much Precision for QTH?
by Kent Frazier 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

Hi all, I was wondering how much precision is needed when indicating my QTH on a QSL card. Since my station is currently my mobile rig, mounted in my car, I sometimes operate from different locations. Mostly I operate from the driveway of my home, but I have also operated from my daughter's elementary school and my work parking lots. Both of these locations are within a 2 mile radius of my home. I know if I were in a different grid square I would need to indicate that, but when operating within the same grid and even the same subgrid how precise do I need to be? 73, Kent K5KNT AMSAT #36765 ARRL

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AMSAT INDIA March-09 Newsletter
by Nitin Muttin 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

All, AMSAT India March 2009 Newsletter is uploaded and available at http://www.amsatindia.org/Newsletter/AmsatIndia-News-March.pdf www.amsatindia.org/Newsletter 73's Nitin [VU3TYG] AMSAT India www.amsatindia.org ________________________________________________

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