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

AMSAT Awards
by Bruce 23 Jun '09

23 Jun '09

We would like to welcome the following to the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite contact. Nick Kucij, KB1RVT Dave Glow, AA1VX The following have earned the South Africa AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award. Peter Carr, WW3O #US133 Chris Lemon, KB9CL #US134 Thomas Lepley, KX3TL #US135 George Carr, WA5KBH #US136 The following have earned the AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award. Ham Operator, Your Call #500 Who will receive #500? Stay tuned, possibly coming in a week, two weeks, could be soon. If you have not sent in for your award yet, don't miss out on this opportunity. To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org

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Phase shift keying question
by n8bbq＠roadrunner.com 23 Jun '09

23 Jun '09

Andy, Grants explanation of I/Q modulation is excellent. Perhaps your conversation involved using complex sampling (I/Q) to double the bandwidth compared to simple sampling. The usable bandwidth is limited to about one half the sampling frequency (google NYQUIST). When looking at faster convertors you reach a point where doubling the conversion rate more than doubles the cost, or a convertor that fast may not exist. By using two simultaneous convertors, sampling the I and Q signals, the usable bandwidth is doubled. If two channels are available, there is a way to double the data rate without involving the I/Q signals. Of course I am speculating about the nature of your conversation, so I may be way off. Hope this helps. '73 de Ed N8BBQ

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AO-51 adjustments
by Gould Smith 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

I am working with the satellite to get the Field Day configuration operational long term.. I turned TXB back on during the 1300Z pass. During this pass I adjusted the TX levels to TXA 240 mW and TXB 290 mW. These are lower power levels than I have ever used before, but necessary to get the satellite through the 16+ minute eclipses each orbit. The SQRX receiver uses about 110 mA that must be subtracted from the total TX power used. I think I am close and expect to get the correct settings over the next 24 hours. It is also necessary to change the L/U analog operation to digital over the eastern US in order to download the telemetry to see how the satellite is performing over multiple orbits. 73, Gould, WA4SXM AO-51 Command Station

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WTB: Bird 4410-15 dlement
by Joe W2KJ 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

Still looking for a Bird 4410-15 element for the Bird 4410A wattmeter. This is a 100W element covering 1.0 to 1.8 ghz. 73, Joe W2KJ

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AMSAT on Twitter
by Andrew Glasbrenner 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

AMSAT now has a Twitter account, and can be found at http://twitter.com/AMSAT . I'll try to tweet things too small for ANS or email, but of interest to the general AMSAT community. To begin with they may be mostly about AO-51 and AO-7. All are welcome to follow us. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Ops

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AO-7 over Brasil
by Roland Zurmely 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

During the last week, all the AO-7 morning passes over Brasil are not good: very weak and distorted signal. But all the evening passes are OK: very good signal. What´s hapening ? 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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AO-51 Off U/S
by Luc Leblanc 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

On the 1300Z pass over FN36 there was no signal on 435.300mhz but the data channel 435.150mhz was on! "-" Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE

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Phase shift keying question
by Grant Hodgson 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

Andy I/Q modulators don't work that way, no free lunch and all that. In newbie terms, an I/Q modulator can be thought of as a special mixer that can modulate a carrier signal with an arbitrary modulation format - i.e. any type of modulation you want - literally. An I/Q modulator has a Local Oscillator input (carrier), an I input and a Q input, and an RF output. The modulation signal (FM, CW, AM, SSB, FSK, PSK or whatever) is applied to both the I and Q inputs, which in turn modulate the LO signal to produce the output signal. The type of modulation is determined by the phase relationship between the I and Q inputs. Couple of simple examples - lets say the modulation signal is a 1kHz sine wave, and we have an LO signal of 144.100MHz. If both I and Q inputs are fed with this signal - in phase - then the output of the I/Q modulator will be AM, at 144.100MHz, modulated at 1kHz - you will hear a 1kHz tone on an AM receiver. If the I and Q inputs are fed 90 degrees out of phase with the same 1kHz tone, then the output of the modulator will be either LSB or USB depending on whether the I signal leads or lags the Q signal. If the receiver is set to 144.100 kHz you will hear a 1kHz tone when set to the appropriate sideband. With slightly more complex phase relationships between the I and Q signals it is possible to generate any type of modulation you want, and from a receiver's point of view you will not know how the modulation was generated. But you can't feed different modulation channels into the I and Q inputs - the output would be a complex mixture of the two which would be un- decipharable. You could try Googling 'IQ modulation' for more information, although some of the explanations are aimed at professional engineers with good maths skills. HTH Grant G8UBN Could anyone please explain, in newbie terms, if it is possible to split a telemetry data stream from a satellite OBC into two data streams, sent simultaneously on two nbfm channels, each PSK with the phase difference between them? I have in mind a conversation which I don't fully understand, about these being the I and Q components, and this offering a doubling of the data rate compared with using one nbfm channel. Grateful for any pointers on or off the -bb many thanks andy G0SFJ

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Fwd: [PNWVHFS] LRO
by w7lrd＠comcast.net 21 Jun '09

21 Jun '09

Hello I am fowarding this to the AMSAT-BB. I am sure it will be of interest to some of us. I asked Loren what down converter he is using, DSP software etc. If any of you have any information as to how to do this I would like to know. I do not think the transystem 3731aa DC will work down to 2271. 73 Bob W7LRD ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Loren Moline WA7SKT" <lmoline(a)hotmail.com> To: pnwvhfs(a)googlegroups.com Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2009 6:29:10 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [PNWVHFS] LRO Hello. For those who have S-Band receive capability the Lunar Recon. Orbiter can be heard at 2271.190Mhz+/- doppler. It is a carrier and best found with a DSP audio spectrum program or an SDR. I found the signal to be in excess of 10db over the noise with a 80cm offset feed dish and LNA. I found it slightly below and behind the path of the sun today. It is about 1/2 way to the moon. Loren WA7SKT Member: ARRL and Pacific Northwest VHF Society Member: Hearsat Satellite Monitoring Group Location: CN86cx --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ ~The Voice of the Pacific NorthWest VHF Society~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PNWVHFS" group. To post to this group, send email to PNWVHFS(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to PNWVHFS-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/PNWVHFS -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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FW: ANS-172 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins
by Dee 21 Jun '09

21 Jun '09

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-172 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * BOD Nominations * Field Day Rules and SAT status * More AO-7 DX Reported * Rooms Filling Up for AMSAT-UK Colloquium * ARISS Schedule SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-172.1 BOD Nominations AMSAT News Service Bulletin 172.1 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 21, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-172.1 Per the AMSAT bylaws, those individuals nominated to serve a 2 year term for the AMSAT Board of Directors are: Barry Baines, WD4ASW Alan Biddle, WA4SCA Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Tony Monteiro, AA2TX Bill Ress, N6GHZ -- Ballots should be in the mail by July 15th. ------------ ALSO...To All: Please remember that AMSAT has one paid employee. So, if your order is not filled immediately, please be patient. 73- Martha [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-172.2 Field Day Rules and SAT status AMSAT News Service Bulletin 172.2 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 21, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-172.2 AMSAT's Satellite Field Day is held concurrently with the annual ARRL Field Day emergency preparedness exercise. This year the event will take place between 1800 UTC on Saturday June 27, 2009 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 28, 2009. AMSAT encourages stations to prepare for operations on all of the satellite modes - analog, FM, and digital. The congestion on FM LEO satellites has become so intense based on experience in prior years that we request to limit your use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. The ARRL rules only allow one contact per FM satellite to count. AMSAT Field Day rules allow one contact per FM repeater to count. This includes the International Space Station, if operational. AO-51 will be configured to support Field Day operations. The Field Day configuration on AO-51 begins on June 21 to allow stations to test their equipment and antennas at home prior to the event. The satellite will remain in this mode through June 28. AO-51 June 21 - June 28 Field Day Configuration FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 Mhz FM Downlink: 435.300 Mhz FM FM Repeater, L/U (Subject to interuption for telemetry collection) Uplink: 1268.700 Mhz FM Downlink: 435.150 Mhz FM The full text of the AMSAT Satellite Field Day Rules can be found on-line at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/awards/amsatfd.php The Satellite Summary Sheet can be found on this web page also. This format should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (email or postal mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 13, 2009. The preferred method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. You may also use the postal service but give plenty of time for your results to arrive by the submission date. Add photographs or other interesting information so that can be used an article for the Journal. If mailing your submission, the address is: Bruce Paige, KK5DO Director of Awards and Contests PO Box 310 Alief, TX 77411-0310. Certificates will be awarded to the first-place, second, and third place emergency power/portable stations at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in October, 2009. [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-172.3 More AO-7 DX Reported AMSAT News Service Bulletin 172.3 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 21, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-172.3 Piraja, PS8RF is pleased to report additional DX via AO-7 following on to his successful Brazil-to-Belgium contact with Jean-Jacques, ON7EQ as reported in ANS-165. This week Piraja was able to copy the CW signals of Andre, ZS2BK showing that a Brazil to South Africa contact is possible. This contact is also close to the operational limits of AO-7. The distance between the two stations is 4805 miles (7904 KM). Piraja says he can also copy F2IL on many AO-7 passes. He has posted two videos on the web recording these contacts: PS8RF copy ZS2BK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JUyIIi0s4I PS8RF - ON7EQ contact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggNmQqxARWY [ANS thanks Piraja, PS8RF for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-172.4 Rooms Filling Up for AMSAT-UK Colloquium AMSAT News Service Bulletin 172.4 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 21, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-172.4 Rooms Filling Up for AMSAT-UK Colloquium AMSAT-UK Hon Sec Jim Heck, G3WGM posted a reminder to all plan- ning to the attend the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, "If you are considering attending the AMSAT-UK Colloquium at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, UK on 25/26 July, you should be booking soon. The hotel will only hold rooms for us until Fri 3 July, after that date, you may find that there are no more rooms available." Also please note that so far more than 50% of people attending have booked in for the Friday Night before the Colloquium, and the hotel tells me that they are now getting quite full on this night. So PLEASE BOOK EARLY to avoid disappointment." Full booking details, including prices are at: http://www.uk.amsat.org/content/view/25/49/ The phone number of the hotel is +44 (0) 1483 784444 and their email address is meetings-guildford(a)ihg.com. Please quote reference R0F (That's R zero F) when booking. [ANS thanks Jim Heck, G3WGM for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-172.5 ARISS Schedule AMSAT News Service Bulletin 172.5 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 15, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-172.5 1. ARISS Contact with Tongfu Primary School, China Youth attending Tongfu Road No. 1 Primary School in Guangzhou, Quangdong, P.R. China experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, June 11. Astronaut Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ answered 19 questions put to him by the students as an audience of approximately 465 people looked on. Extensive media coverage included seven television stations, three radio stations and ten newspapers. 2. Successful ARISS Contact with Italian School On Friday, June 12, children from several schools in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Approximately 200 students and guests, including European Space Agency (ESA) and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) representatives, attended the event. ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti gave presentations on ISS missions and ESA/ASI activities. Astronaut Frank DeWinne, ON1DWN answered 13 questions on the first pass and another 7 questions on the following pass. Many television stations, including CANALE 5 and SKY, radio stations and newspapers provided media coverage. Internet video streaming had more than 6,500 connections. 3. Belgian Students Spoke with Frank De Winne An Amateur Radio operator on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place on Friday, June 12 between Vrije Basisschool Terbank-Egenhoven in Heverlee, Belgium and Frank DeWinne ON1DWN on the ISS. Telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium assisted with the contact. Twenty-two questions were answered during the nine minute pass, delighting the audience of 400 children, parents and guests. Four television stations and two radio broadcast stations with national and regional audiences covered the event. During the main evening news, a detailed report on telebridge ground station ON4ISS was broadcast by the national television service. 4. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Doug Wheelock passed his amateur radio licensing exam and was issued the callsign KF5BOC. He is scheduled to be part of Expedition 24 along with Shannon Walker, KD5DXB and Aleksandr Skvortsov. On June 9, Wheelock also received Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) training on basic radio operations. 5. Australia Journalist Takes Interest in ARISS A local journalist in Kingston, Australia has taken an interest in Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) and given great publicity to the program over the past three years. To view her latest article, see: http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2009/20090603-2/index.php 6. ARISS on Twitter The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently promoting their Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contacts on their Twitter site. See: http://twitter.com/esa_oasiss. A U.S. ARISS member has also been posting ISS amateur radio related items to a Twitter site. See: http://twitter.com/RF2Space. 7. ESA Press Release on Frank De Winne's ARISS Contacts The European Space Agency (ESA) put out a press release on Frank De Winne's Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts. See: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/OasISS_Mission/SEM6SOQORVF_0.html 8. ARISS International Meeting The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Face to Face Meeting will be held on Thursday and Friday, June 18 -19 at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. The team will come together to give regional reports as well as status reports from the program's other committees including education, publicity, operations and hardware. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information] /EX 73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org

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