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

Re: OT: Universal Text Messaging and Pagers (WASRe:Re:dream)
by Roger Kolakowski 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

Listen to the MANY years of experience here on the forum and approach the FCC with nothing except an appeal for a previous decision you don't agree with. We have been told to, and allowed the privilege to "police" ourselves...a privilege extended to very few "services." Asking the FCC for the "Right Way" only forces them to choose a "Right Way" even though the differences between alternatives may be miniscule. FCC rules were established to protect "commercial interests" thus no broadcasting, no music, no advertisements and before phone calls were so cheap, no inter LATA phone patch on repeaters. Phone patch was self regulated, and it solved itself...paging can be self regulated, and, now that paging companies have been killed (except in the Medical sector) the problem will solve itself. We have been self regulated for 75+ years...lets leave it that way. Roger WA1KAT ----- Original Message ----- From: <kd8bxp(a)aol.com> To: "W4ART Arthur Feller" <afeller(a)ieee.org> Cc: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Sent: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 12:28 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: OT: Universal Text Messaging and Pagers (WASRe:Re:dream) > Wow I am honestly surprised by this attiude. This is the 2nd email that I have seen saying don't ask the FCC anything > > I the rules are vauge at best - why else would so many people disagree about what can and can not be done >

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Re: FT-746T won't send CW
by Allen Vinegar 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

I am following all the steps in the manual. The problem seems to be beyond that. Al W8KHP

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FT-736R won't send CW
by Allen Vinegar 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

I posted this to the 736R forum but have not received any good answers. I know I must be missing something obvious but I can't get my FT-736R to work in CW mode. I plug in the same key I use with my FT-767GX, press the CW button, turn on the VOX, press down the key and nothing happens. Rig works fine on SSB and FM. Before I open up the case and dig in, what am I missing?? Thanks! Al W8KHP

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Fw: Re: Re: ILN... Is this our future ride to the
by Armando Mercado 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

One landing site will be on the western limb of moon near the equator, the 2nd will be in the NE highlands. Both locations will exprience 2 weeks of day and 2 weeks of night. 73, Armando, N8IGJ >Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 14:20:31 CDT >From: k0vty <k0vty(a)juno.com> >Subject: [amsat-bb] Fw: Re: Re: ILN... Is this our future ride to the >moon? MM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Message-ID: <20090706.122112.11225.13892(a)mailpop04.vgs.untd.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 >I agree with John on the need for more data: >Also the attached below suggests we might need to know more about any >location >selected on the moon. >How deep the dust >How rocky >How illuminated and when. >The differences between the poles and non poles areas.

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From The Twisted Pair (!).
by John Hackett 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

For those who don't read 'OBSERVATIONS' ... (you should !!!, it's FREE). 73 John. <la2qaa(a)amsat.org> Joint Observations 07 July 2009 GM1SXX & LA2QAA The problem with Space Stations... and a possible Opportunity. When the International Space Station is scrapped.... probably in the 2015-2018 time frame, a valuable space asset will be lost. It needn't have been that way, and the Russians have wakened up to a new possibility, one that was sadly missed on the ISS. ISS is built around MIR-2 hardware. The core, the Zvezda module, is essentially unchanged from the old MIR design, a tubular cylindrical living area with solar arrays attached to a docking 'ball' with five docking ports available. Once Zveda becomes life-expired, the whole assembly is useless. A more practical approach would have been to fly a 'passive' six-port docking ball, to which active modules can be docked. In this way, station elements could be detached and discarded as they reached the end of their design lives while the docking ball remains a 'permanent fixture' in space. Enter 'Orbitalniy Pilotiruemyi Eksperimentalniy Kompleks', OPSEK, or the 'Orbital Manned Assembly and Experiment Complex' This is a plan for a future space station unveiled by the Russians in 2007, and documented by Anatoly Zak on his web-pages. It centres around the use of a passive 4 ton 'docking ball' with six ports, to which additional modules can be attached. Such a docking ball in LEO would have the primary purpose of 'tying a space station together', by providing passive docking ports, but it could equally well serve as a long-lived platform for a 'parasite radio package' in the same way that the old RS10/11 and RS12/13 'satellites' worked. For those not old enough to know, these were 'parasite' transponder packages attached to spacecraft that were powered from the main craft. So long as the packages antenna(s) could be mounted on the ball's -Z axis, it could serve as a useful radio relay (transponder) in LEO. Such a package would have a fairly small physical footprint and would require very little driving power from the 'mother-ship' or solar panels (if fitted). It would obviously be desirable to derive power from the mother-ship in the interests of simplicity and longevity. With launches becoming increasingly difficult to find on cost grounds, this would be one possible way to provide a future new transponder in LEO. If the package was small and light enough, it could possibly be carried to the (new) space station by a progress cargo vehicle as freight, and attached to the docking ball structure during a space walk. What is more, it could function for a long time, limited only by the overall life of the space complex. Several people in the UK already have a track record in building space-rated hardware in addition to another amateur in Holland, who has built space qualified hardware including the backup transponder for HM-1 AKA VUSAT, as well as a new linear 'Pico-Transponder'. They know who they are... you don't need to know, at least not right now :-) The expertise already exists to supply space rated hardware to fly on such a mission. and we do feel that the possibility of flying such a mission should not be passed over. I'm sure there are people in Russia (from the old RS satellite team) who would be just as keen to see this idea fly. 73 AL & John GM1SXX & LA2QAA

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FT-530 Wanted
by Hal Lund ZS6WB 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

I'm looking for a Yaesu FT-530 in working condition to be used with an Arrow as a loan AO-51 station by DXpeditions in Southern Africa. Dies anyone have one that isn't being used at a reasonable cost? I can make arrangements for it to be hand-carried down to me in about ten days. 73 - Hal ZS6WB

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for sale
by w3vvp 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

I have for sale a Ft 736R w/220 & 1.2 modules. 1K plus shipping. W3VVP Phone after 1pm and before 11 pm.410-364-5650. George

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Re: dream .. Universal TextMessaging
by Bob Bruninga 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

Replying to BB. > I was really kind of surprised to find people > in MI using pagers [for APRS messages], up until > then I wasn't sure if they were premitted via Part 97. Since pagers are available for peanuts as the cell phone industry steamrolls over them, it is frustrating to me that we hams have not jumped on these truck loads of text-messaging devices that can be converted over to a frequency in our bands and used for this kind of amateur radio text messaging capability. > Pagers are very easy to understand - > the only thing is you need a radio > that is capable of sending the page Yes, and the Kantronics 9612 TNC's for the last many years can generate the POCSAG Pager formats, so it is easy to do. I'm sure it could also just be done in soundcard software too if we just found someone motivated to do it. > A database could be made simular to dstar that > holds your "personal" capcode - that would equal > your call sign - so sending a page to one pager > should be fairly easy to do > > But the great thing is most pagers can have > 4 5 or 6 or more cap codes - if the cap codes > are the same then all of the pagers that "hear" > the paging signal will display the same > information at the same time Yes group codes can be very versatile. > Anyways, I would welcome you to take a look > at my site, and or my blog.... > http://www.box.net/shared/f20sjvtxyf Using paging devices on Amateur Radio is perfectly legal like any other radio. It all boils down to use. If you use it for setting up a one-way systemm for a pizza delivery service, it is clearly illegal. If you use it as part of your overall local communications network of amateur radio volunters it is just one more tool in the tool box. You just have to ignore the curmudgeons who have nothing better to do than nit-picking ways to prevent other hams from developing useful applications of technology. A pager is simply the text-to-user device integrated into the normal local 2-way amateur radio communications system. My Universal Text Messaging Web page (www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html) has a link to a web page that highlights the conversion of these pagers to amateur use. UNFORTUNATELY, the pager site activity appears to have dried up since nothing new has been posted in a year or so. Just too many people buying blackberry's I guess. But I'd sure like to see a revival. These devices are out there by the millions. An amateur satellite would make a great downlink to these pagers. Again, the goal should simply be, any message, any time, anywhere using any device to any user by callsign alone. Bob, WB4APR >-----Original Message----- >From: "Bob Bruninga " <bruninga(a)usna.edu> > >Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2009 19:15:19 >To: <kd8bxp(a)aol.com>; <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org>; John B. Stephensen<kd6ozh(a)comcast.net>; <kc6uqh(a)cox.net>; 'rupert red'<rupert.red(a)live.it>; <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: dream .. Universal Text > Messaging > > >> I had an idea of setting up a pager network. >> That could be used for national or local >> emegrancy.... There is a man in MI doing this >> with his APRS group and emegancy coms now. >> I like the idea of being able to text any call >> sign by just knowing the call sign - > >Yes, that is the goal of the Universal Text Messaging Initiative. www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html > >> doesn't DStar offer a way to do this? > >Yes via client software called D-Rats. It cross connects messages from D-Rats laptops to the APRS system, where for years text messages are delivered to the front panel of any APRS mobile or hand held radio, cellphones, pagers or anything via any callsign @ARRL.net or @AMSAT.org etc > >> It would or shouldn't be too hard to setup >> a way for someone to know the call and have it >> routed to a pager. > >Yes, that is the goal, any message to any call, using any device for sending or receiving. > >> It is still an idea but at this point it >> is just an idea. > >No it is more than that, it is an Initiative that we hope more authors and systems will get on board. We have been trying to get an article into QST on this subject since last November, and it will finally appear in the Septermber EMCOM issue of QST. (initiall they rejected it because it was not "broad enough to appeal to a majority of readers" or something like that. > >But with over two dozen text messaging systems in Amateur Radio already, we have just got to start linking them otogether seamlessly! > >> LeRoy, KD8BXP >> http://www.HamOhio.com >> Sent on the Now Network? >> from my Sprint® BlackBerry > >Yes! That's the idea! > >Bob, WB4APR > >>-----Original Message----- >>From: "Bob Bruninga " <bruninga(a)usna.edu> >> >>Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2009 18:01:25 >>To: John B. Stephensen<kd6ozh(a)comcast.net>; <kc6uqh(a)cox.net>; 'rupert red'<rupert.red(a)live.it>; <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >>Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: dream your own sat >> >> >>> Any interest by the Red Cross would not be in the >>> satellite but in human volunteers that might come >>> with it. Unfortunately, the LEO satellites that >>> hams can afford generate little interest in this forum. >> >>I wish we could some how better influence the dozens of cubesat satellites being built with AX.25 packet comm systems to at least consider a backup digipeater comm system. If just six of these allowed for a possibility of user digipeating, we would have a constellation that would provide worldwide text messaging capability from mobiles and handhelds with delays no more than 30 minutes. >> >>What a fantastic emergency comm system we could have. If ten of them were available, then the coverage would be nearly continuous. >> >>Amateur Radio needs to recognize its trememdous legacy of over a century of wireless text messaging and our ability to bring that connectivity to the field any time anywhere. We simply need to link them together to meet our overall "Universal Amateur Radio Text Messaging Initiative", that is, any ham, any where, any time, able to text message any other ham anywhere using any hardware device, commercial or amateur by callsign alone. >> >>Please see www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html >> >>I count over 2 dozen existing amateur radio text messaging systems few of which are currently crossconnected. Most talk only within their own constituents. APRS and some others are already cross connected at the email level which then connects to cellphones and other wireless devices. So crossconnecting at the APRS internetwork or at the email level is easy to do. We just need all authors to consider transparent cross connection as a goal as per the above web page. >> >>This has already been done for all APRS satellites and even the ARISS system when it came over the the Satellite APRS channel 145.825. When ARISS is in packet mode, it enables text messaging and Email to and from the front panel of any APRS radio in the world via our existing network of APRS ground stations. See the downlinks on www.ariss.net >> >>We have tried to get other packet satellites on that channel, SUNSAT, PCSAT1, PCSAT2, ANDE, RAFT and ISS all of which supported this universal text messaging. We need more, and longer lived satelites. And most any AX.25 cubesat could do it as a secondary mission. We need to look for opportunities there. >> >>We had GO32 also for a year or so until its recent demise, though it's frequency was different. >> >>Bob, WB4APR >> >>_______________________________________________ >>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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WD9EWK @ Williams AZ hamfest (17-18 July) and 19-22 July road trip
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

Hi! I will be at the ARRL Arizona State Convention and Hamfest in Williams, Arizona, on 17-18 July 2009 - a Friday and Saturday. I'll have an AMSAT table in the main hall, and will give a satellite-related presentation at 1100 local time on 17 July. During these two days, WD9EWK will be on FM satellites and also VO-52 for demonstrations (hamfest site is in grid DM35vg). More information on the hamfest is available at: http://www.arca-az.org/arca/main/convention.asp After the hamfest, I will hit the road for a few days. Similar to what I did last year after the Williams hamfest, except I will venture further north into Utah. I'll make a loop through that state, then head back toward Arizona so I'm home by the evening of 22 July. I have not finalized my route through Utah yet, but I have some idea of how I will make that drive. I'll post more about my travel plans in a week or so, and then post updates while I am on the road. As with last year's road trip and several other trips I've done where I've been on the birds, I will be happy to send QSLs for those working WD9EWK from wherever I operated from. I'll also send QSLs to anyone who works me during the demonstrations from Williams. Just drop me an e-mail after the trip with the QSO(s) listed in there, and - if you're in the log - I'll send the cards out. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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GJTRACKER Version 1.06, July 7, 2009
by Lance Collister, W7GJ 07 Jul '09

07 Jul '09

Hello! Thanks to the thoughtful feedback from Codrut, YO3DMU, I have learned that the GJAZEL.dat file generated by previous versions of GJTRACKER have shown the azimuth for the DX station instead of the HOME station. This of course is only noticed by somebody who is using an automatic tracking program to obtain aiming data from this file, which is updated every minute when GJTRACKER is run in REAL TIME mode. Codrut wrote such an automatic antenna tracking program, and I am grateful to him for bringing this error to my attention. The corrected version 1.06 of GJTRACKER does now correctly transfer the HOME STATION azimuth and elevation to the GJAZEL.dat file: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/GJTRACKER.zip GL and DX to all! VY 73, Lance -- Lance Collister, W7GJ (ex: WN3GPL, WA3GPL, WA1JXN, WA1JXN/C6A, ZF2OC/ZF8, E51SIX) P.O. Box 73 Frenchtown, MT 59834 USA QTH: DN27UB TEL: (406) 626-5728 URL: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj 2m DXCC #11/6m DXCC #815 Interested in 6m EME? Ask me about subscribing to the MAGIC BAND EME email reflector!

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