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

SK
by Jerry 18 Apr '09

18 Apr '09

SK We just lost another satellite operator. SK His name is Telmer G. Olson W0ypt In Monona IA Telmer worked the first Oscar,s and the one,s operating today. He Elmered me and helped me get into the Sats in 1996 I knew him as a great friend that I called on for advice all the time. I used to visit him at his QTH and went to hamfests with him too. He was 91 years old and he passed away April 15th 2009 I and all the people who ever had contact with will always Remember the many QSO,s and contacts we had with him. Jerry w0sat

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Re: PBH-9 floating ARHAB flight with HF telemetry
by Roger Kolakowski 18 Apr '09

18 Apr '09

What is the TWITTER name to look for? The weather forecast is for a cold/cold front to drop from the North over New England... This is NOT typical weather as we usually get our weather from the WEST. In looking at it last night, there is a possibility that the front may force the ARHAB flight to cross the Atlantic Coastline farther South than New England... Roger WA1KAT (Halfway between Boston and Portsmouth New Hampshire) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ralph Wallio, W0RPK" <W0RPK(a)netINS.net> To: <rogerkola(a)aol.com> Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 8:02 AM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] PBH-9 floating ARHAB flight with HF telemetry > Roger -- > > It is possible PBH-9 will be launched tonight, 24-hours earlier than announced. Watch TWITTER for > updates. > > TNX es 73 de Ralph Wallio, WØRPK > W0RPK(a)netINS.net W0RPK(a)arrl.net W0RPK(a)amsat.org > http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ > Hubbert's Peak - The Mother of all Perfect Storms > >

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Homebrew Elk-style 14/435 mhz log periodic for sats?
by Bill Dzurilla 18 Apr '09

18 Apr '09

Are there plans anywhere for a homebrew version of the Elk duo bander? After reading through the prior thread about the poor performance of Eggbeaters and other omnis, I'm ready to risk the wrath of my Homeowners Association and put up a small beam. Or, anybody have an Elk for sale? 73, Bill NZ5N

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Congrats
by Greg D. 18 Apr '09

18 Apr '09

Hi folks, Just a quick Congrats to NX5O, Craig, on his first mode LU contact, via AO-51! I'm glad I could be on the receiving end for the event. Nice signal into the bird. 73s, Greg KO6TH _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™: Life without walls. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1b_explore_042009

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Re: Homebrew Elk-style 14/435 mhz log periodic for sats?
by Edward Cole 18 Apr '09

18 Apr '09

Just to add some observations that support yours. I started 12 years ago with a 2m yagi supported on 15-foot mast in the yard with 45-foot forest surrounding my property. Working 2m SSB stations 60-70 miles away was a hit and miss, sometimes event (running 150w). I built a 40-foot tower and mounted two 10-element yagis made from parts of a Cushcraft 20T satellite antenna and signal came up 3 s-units. Then I put up my antennas ten feet higher and gained another 15-dB. Of course the antennas were then above the tree line. On the other hand, my father wanted a low impact TV antenna at his home in Michigan, so I suggested putting it up in the rafters of his ranch-style single story home. I had just spent a summer in bush Alaska putting up TV translator systems with antennas mounted inside plywood shelters (on hill tops). My dad's antenna was set up in the rafters of the garage. It did better than I would have expected getting a good signal on VHF and UHF from TV stations 35-50 miles away. 19-years later the antenna is still there working. They do have Direct-TV dish so have more choices, now. Point is there is more than one way to make things work...if you understand the principles and limitations. Short coax and hand-held antennas work pretty well, but not very convenient in some weather. Longer coax runs and permanent antenna need a preamp to work best. Getting the antenna clear of obstructions always is helpful, but if you are satisfied with working only at higher elevation angles then simple low antennas still work. A full az-el CP yagi with preamp and auto-tracking is superb. A simple short yagi fixed at 15 to 30 degrees and rotated in azimuth only works too. Can you guess how well my L-band uplink will work with a 16-foot dish and 300w? He he, well only for Oscar-zero. 73, Ed - KL7UW At 07:52 PM 4/17/2009, n3tl(a)bellsouth.net wrote: >Hey Bill, > >Your comments about construction, location, etc., are right one, >based on my experiences here. I actually move from one side of the >house to the other depending on whether passes are to my east or west. > >A couple of other things affect the performance I'm getting, too. >One of the most important is that my decision to continue using a >handheld antenna means I have less than six feet of coax from the >radio to the antenna. I'm still getting some loss, but not nearly as >much as I'd get by putting antennas in the attic and running much >longer feed lines to them. Another is a little trick K4DLG in >Florida passed along to me a while back. > >He has a log periodic for HF, and the coax runs from the antenna >feedpoint along the main boom to the back of the antenna before >heading down to the shack. Taking that lead, he did the same thing >with the Elk he bought. Doing so mitigated any significant changes >in SWR due to moving the antenna around while hand-holding it during >a pass. I tried it here and have observed the same thing. For me, at >this location (inside or out), 8 degrees of elevation was the best I >could hope for with the Arrow I had. In all the months I used that >antenna, I made only a few contacts when a given satellite was below >8 degrees here. When I started using the Elk, that "bottom line" >immediately dropped to 4 degrees. And when I tried K4DLG's >suggestion of running the feedline parallel to the boom, the 4 >degrees dropped to 3. > >And, as you point out, depending on the location and relative path >of a given pass, I can work even lower and make contacts, as I have >with some stations in Europe on AO-7. > >All of that being said, I also still lose the satellites due to >obstruction, as you have observed with your Arrow. When it comes to >the FM LEO satellites, only the ISS transmits back to us using more >than milliwatt power levels. I know that AO-51 is capable of 1 watt >or more, but it generally is not configured to transmit at those >levels. Drew or someone, please correct me if that statement is >inaccurate. The published stats on AO-27 report a nominal output of >500 mW, and SO-50 is reported to operate with a nominal 250 mW >output. I believe both of them also use quarter-wave vertical >antennas, which are 0-gain. > >Given those power levels, it doesn't take much to begin affecting >reception, especially for handheld stations. From here at my home, >that quarter of azimuth from 90 degrees to 180 degrees is my worst. >For really consistent reception in that part of the sky, I need >upwards of 30 degrees elevation when I'm standing outside at ground >level. On the second floor of the house, I get reception good enough >to facilitate contacts with about 15 degrees of elevation at >azimuths from 90 degrees to about 130. I still need close to 30 from >azimuth 130 to 180 no matter where I try to operate from - in the >yard or upstairs. > >I hope you're able to come up with a solution for your location that >works even better than you expect! > >73 to all, > >Tim - N3TL > > >-------------- Original message from Bill Dzurilla ><billdz.geo(a)yahoo.com>: -------------- > > > > > > Tim, > > Yes, your QSO with F2IL is becoming famous, congrats. I think the > performance of indoor antennas must be heavily dependent on the > location of the shack and the construction materials used on the > house. I moved my Eggbeater and ground plane to the attic from > outside and noticed a sharp drop in performance. Also tried the > Arrow here inside the shack and it did not do too well. And noticed > that, even outside in the yard with the Arrow, I lose the sats at > low elevation, when they drop below the level of nearby roof lines. > On my DXpeditions to Swan Island and Jamaica, where there was > unobstructed view over the ocean, I could easily make contacts with > less than 1 degree of elevation with the same HT and > > Arrow. > > > > 73, Bill NZ5N > > > > > > --- On Fri, 4/17/09, n3tl(a)bellsouth.net wrote: > > > > > From: n3tl(a)bellsouth.net > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Homebrew > Elk-style 14/435 mhz log periodic for > > sats? > > > To: "Joe" , billdz.geo(a)yahoo.com > > > Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > > > Date: Friday, April 17, 2009, 10:19 PM > > > Bill and all, > > > > > > Joe is right. F2IL gave me a 569 report on AO-7 Mode B > > > Thursday evening - and I was hand-holding my Elk on the > > > second floor of my house, pointing it to the northeast at a > > > spot on a windowless wall. When we worked, AO-7 was at > > > roughly 3.5 degrees elevation here. > > > > > > I wish I had decided to try these low-angle passes months > > > ago! > > > > > > 73 to all, > > > > > > Tim - N3TL > > > -------------- Original message from Joe > > > : -------------- > > > > > > > > > > You'd be amazed at what you can do with an indoor > > > yagi also.. > > > > > > > > My first 2 meter ant was a 3 ele quad on a photo > > > tripod that sat right > > > > next to me on the floor in the shack, > > > > > > > > Joe WB9SBD > > > > > > > > Bill Dzurilla wrote: > > > > >Are there plans anywhere for a homebrew version of > > > the Elk duo bander? After reading through the prior thread > > > about the poor performance of Eggbeaters and other omnis, > > > I'm ready to risk the wrath of my Homeowners Association > > > and put up > > > > a small beam. > > > > > > > > > >Or, anybody have an Elk for sale? > > > > > > > > > >73, Bill NZ5N > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > > > > >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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > 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 > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 >_______________________________________________ >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

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L/U AO51
by Dale Hershberger 18 Apr '09

18 Apr '09

Another L/U contact..Alaska - Seattle. Thanks Bob, W7LRD. Dale - KL7XJ

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Re: Automobile Noise
by Gordon JC Pearce MM3YEQ 17 Apr '09

17 Apr '09

On Wed, 2009-04-15 at 19:17 -0800, Edward Cole wrote: > >S-9 noise when we put the radio in it. My F150 > >with a V6 gas engine has no noise, but it was > >S-9 noise when just parked next to the diesel. Just as a further aside to this, while driving back down today I noticed that some buses seem to produce a lot of noise. In particular, the Citylink service buses which use Volvo B10M chassis and VanHool bodies produced a little burst of S9 noise as I went past. Other similar buses didn't even make the S-meter flicker, let alone open the squelch. Gordon

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Delfi-C3 / DO-64 featured in the Dutch "Klokhuis" TV programme
by Wouter Jan Ubbels 17 Apr '09

17 Apr '09

Hi all, Delfi-C3 / DO-64 was featured yesterday in the Dutch popular children's science TV show "Klokhuis" (Dutch for "apple core"). Footage was taken during the final integration and vibration testing of the satellite. As usual in every episode of this TV show, they have put short comedy scenes in the beginning and in between. Oh, and it is good to practice your Dutch skills hi. see http://player.omroep.nl/?aflID=9308737 73 on behalf of the Delfi-C3 / DO-64 team, Wouter Jan Ubbels PE4WJ

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Satscape-WiSP DDE
by wcp2＠mchsi.com 17 Apr '09

17 Apr '09

OK so my WIN98 machine took a dump.....It was running Scatscape v1.88 with WiSp DDE to control rotor and all was fine. (using LVB via USB Fdti driver) Now after setting up WIN98 with new HD and reinstalling Satscape 1.88 and USB driver for LVB tracker when I use DDE link and send info to WiSP DDE Sat info goes ok however even if Sat is not in range it shows AZ with - deg Elev. and of course drives the LVB down!!! Before when Sat was not in range WiSP would show not in range then when in range all was fine. Any Help ? KA9ERV PS: I know get XP..............

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Any SSPI members on the AMSAT list?
by h05ram-k9ldw＠usa.net 17 Apr '09

17 Apr '09

Pardon the bandwidth, but are there any members of the SSPI (Society of Satellite Professionals International... www.sspi.org) on this list? I am considering joining them if feedback indicates it is worthwhile. Thanks, Lowell ..yes, an AMSAT member! :)

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