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

WD9EWK from DM31, Saturday (5 September) afternoon/evening
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 03 Sep '09

03 Sep '09

Hi! After watching the weather reports for the past few days, it appears that Hurricane Jimena - or its remnants - will make a western turn out to the Pacific instead of continuing on its northern march toward Arizona. With this in mind, and the fact that the upcoming weekend is a holiday weekend here in the US, I'm going to make a road trip to grid DM31 in southern Arizona for Saturday (5 September) afternoon and evening. This is the only grid that covers Arizona that I have yet to operate from via satellite. If I have to go to the office in the morning, I should still be on the AO-51 passes in the late afternoon and early evening passes to the east and west. If I don't have to work, I'll be on for AO-27 passes earlier in the afternoon. If I can leave Phoenix early enough, there are SO-50 passes in the late morning and around midday I could work from there. As I do with my other road trips and hamfest demonstrations from various parts of Arizona, I can get on VO-52 if I am in a good stopping place during those late-morning passes. I will not stick around for the VO-52 passes in the evening, as that area is not a friendly place to be after dark. John K8YSE was out here last fall, putting this grid into the logs of many satellite operators (including my log - thanks!). For those who missed him then, here's another chance to get this rare grid logged. Most of the grid stretches into northern Mexico, with the Arizona portion covering parts of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (where I will operate from, a few miles/km north of the USA/Mexico border) and a wildlife refuge. This does not leave many choices for stopping and operate from down there. I'll stay on the Arizona side of the border fence, and hope to work as many as I can for those passes. As with many of my trips, anyone working WD9EWK from DM31 who is interested in a QSL card only needs to e-mail me with the details of the QSO(s) made with me. If you're in the log, I will send you a card - even if you are in Canada, Mexico, or somewhere else that falls in any of those footprints. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: W6ZQ on AO-51 from BL02 tonight, BL01 Friday night
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 03 Sep '09

03 Sep '09

Hi Bob! > got him! Yes, you did! Nice to hear you cross over from L/U to V/U to pick up that contact. I heard Ron work you and me, along with 7 others on that pass. I heard one other station that called but Ron didn't pick up, but that station only made one call in the pass. I'm looking forward to Friday evening, which will be a better pass out on Kauai compared to tonight's pass. Not so good for me (4 degrees max. elevation on that western pass from here in Phoenix), but I'll try it. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: W6ZQ on AO-51 from BL02 tonight, BL01 Friday night
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hi Bob! > Patrick-I assume that is mode V/U not the current L/U which I have been > kplaying with. Correct. Ron will only be on the V/U side of AO-51 tonight and Friday night, not on the L/U side. Sorry for not mentioning that originally. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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VO52
by Dale Hershberger 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

I was on VO 52 on the last pass. Excellent downlink signal. This is another satellite that is under utilized. I heard my downlink great. To bad I was the only one on. Dale - KL7XJ

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W6ZQ on AO-51 from BL02 tonight, BL01 Friday night
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hi! Ron W6ZQ phoned me a little while ago, and mentioned he would be on a couple of AO-51 passes that cover the western US over the next couple of days. Later today, Ron plans to be on the AO-51 pass at approximately 0230 UTC from grid BL02 on Kauai. He only has 4 degrees maximum elevation, so he will only have a few minutes during this pass to work with. On Friday evening (early Saturday UTC), he will move south and be in BL01 around 0246 UTC. The Friday evening pass is better for him than tonight's pass, but may not be as good for those of us on the US mainland. Good luck and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Symposium---hotel reservation tip o' the day
by Mark L. Hammond 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hello All, I called today and made a hotel reservation for the Symposium. Here's a friendly tip/reminder: Let the operator know that you're with the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation--she didn't have AMSAT listed anywhere :) A link to the hotel website with 800 phone number is here: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2009/Hotel.php 73, -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Re: Trolls on the -bb / Being positive
by PE0SAT 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

@All Lets think in solutions and not in problems. If you see a problem, then be the first to come with a possible solution. As an example the AMSAT website: Outdated information: Make a wiki, and let fellow amateurs update the information. This could also solve to problem of language, I also experience the fact that amateurs where english is there native language use a sentence structure that is difficult to understand. (I use for example http://translate.google.com/ to try and find out was is being said. But it would be nice that people that write these sentences keep this in mind. I hope that amsat is not just for the native english speaking amateurs.) It can also ensure that this website supports multiple languages, because this can be done by all fellow amateurs world wide. Come on! lets hear those solutions and not the problems. Lets make it a better place and not worse. 73's Jan - PE0SAT -- With regards PE0SAT Internet web-page http://www.ham.vgnet.nl/

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Re: AMSAT Symposium Breaking News: Low Cost Airfares
by Nitin Muttin [VU3TYG] 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hello Frank, Thanks for the information. Any plans to enable live webcast of the symposium. 73's Nitin [VU3TYG] Secretary, AMSAT INDIA --------- Original Message -------- From: Frank H. Bauer <ka3hdo(a)comcast.net> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] AMSAT Symposium Breaking News: Low Cost Airfares Date: 09/01/09 07:40 PM" > All, > > The 2009 AMSAT Symposium is rapidly approaching! And we hope you can join > us..especially given that there are some low-cost airfares out there for > those of us in the US. > > We have an outstanding venue this year at the Four Points Sheraton at the > BWI Airport. Your symposium committee recently did a walkthrough of this > facility. The accommodations and meeting rooms are superb. I do a lot of > traveling and I must say that the rooms are absolutely beautiful. You will > definitely get a substantial bang for your buck (or Euro, etc) at this > symposium. And planned 40th Anniversary celebratory events will be truly > memorable. > > And to make things even better, Southwest Airlines has a phenomenal > Nationwide (US) fall sale. $59-109 one-way airfares are available to BWI > until Sept 3. And remember, with Southwest, there are no baggage fees. > > So we'd love to see you in "Charm City"-Baltimore Maryland..for the > symposium presentations, 40th anniversary celebrations, poster sessions, and > BoD meeting. > > And don't forget to submit a symposium paper to Dan Schultz, N8FGV, ASAP!! > > Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and Janet Bauer > 2009 Symposium Co-Chairs > > > _______________________________________________ > 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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Re: G5500 Rotor Mounting
by Ron Miles 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hi Randy: Just to pass on an idea for putting together a satellite tracking antenna tower, you can see how I've mounted my G5500 if you check qrz.com for my call. The G5500 az rotor sits on a shelf plate below the top plate that is fitted with a "thrust bearing". This is all assembled to a Rohn 10 foot top section tower bolted to a tilt-over base plate. The boom is 10 foot by 1/4 inch thick. The 2.4GHz dish and 23cm Yagi are mounted inboard from 2m and 440 Yagi's. Also notice the ring installed around the top plate. This is to prevent cables from snagging corners of the tower during 360 degree rotation of the antenna. Other antenna and rotor mounts will vary. Hope that helps. 73, Ron n6paa

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Re: Another G5500 Question
by Lowell White 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hi Randy, I'm glad to see you doing this. Here are a couple tips: -Yes, a mounting plate allows the rotor to sit inside the tower and torque against the legs of the tower. Usually they're a flat, triangular plate with U-bolts to connect to the tower legs. A cut-out on the bottom allows for cable passage and holes for bolting the rotor to the plate. -A thrust bearing can be used at the top of the tower segment. It attaches both to the mast (coming up through the top from the rotor to the antenna boom / elevation rotor) and to the tower. The bearing frees the rotor from directly supporting the weight of the antennas / boom / elevation rotor while allowing the (azimuth) rotor to turn the asembly with ease. -For a simple assembly of shorter 2M / 432 antennas the thrust bearing is optional but using one can indeed extend the life of the azimuth rotor (it's bearings, in particular, and lesser so, it's motor). -I'll let someone else address the controller interfaces... am learning more about them myself. :-) -If you are using only an azimuth rotor you can, for the most part, get by with your antennas "fixed" at a 15 degree elevation for most uses. 73 Lowell K9LDW ------ Original Message ------ Received: Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:36 AM CDT From: "Randy" <RSwart1(a)twcny.rr.com> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Another G5500 Question > Question.. Rotor is on order along with the FT-897D I know I should mount > the rotor in a tower with a thrust plate I think its called. But don't have > one . > I only have a 2 meter and 440mhz yagi to mount ooon it .. > Will that be a problem .. Or is it mostly when its loaded Up to near the > max? or one of those faster wear and tear Things no matter what? Oh .. And > 3rd party controllers to interface to the computer.?? > Are they all so darn expensive? > > Randy - N2CUA > > > _______________________________________________ > 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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