October 2010 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Successful Glide Test For Spacecraft
by B J 11 Oct '10

11 Oct '10

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/10ss2/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

1 0

I'd like your shack ideas
by David Giles 11 Oct '10

11 Oct '10

Hello All, The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter as I complete my shack renovations. Soon I will be at the all important stage of figuring out the best way to locate radios, computers, logbooks etc. This brings to mind a couple of questions. 1) Apart from the extra rotator controllers, the computer running a tracking program and the pre-dominance of VHF and UHF radios, are there any other accessories etc that distinguish a satellite operator from a 'normal' operator? 2) Given that you really find out how good you are when the PC crashes halfway during a QSO and you then have to manually operate two radios for Doppler shift and two rotator controllers as well as mic/key, what controls do you operate with each hand? Would a footswitch for PTT be worthwhile? 3) My planned layout is (from left to right): 19" rack holding various bits of equipment that I don't generally need to touch, TS-811 for 70cm, K3 for 2m, rotator control box, and computer. Eventually I will build a switchbox to use one headset between the two radios and place this between them. Though I have a TNC, I rarely do any digital work. Does this seem a logical layout for a right handed person? I will have the luxury of using a larger desk than before and the layout will be more horizontal than vertical. Contesters spend some effort on the ergonomics of their station. Any advice on how I could get mine right would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. 73 de David VK5DG (who is looking forward to getting back on the air).

4 4

WD9EWK @ EN40/EN41 in 25 min
by Patrick STODDARD 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Hi! WD9EWK will work 3 upcoming passes from the EN40/EN41 boundary north of Galesburg IL this evening. The passes.... 2358-0007 AO51 (very low to my west) 0004-0026 AO7 (if in mode B) 0013-0029 FO29 (I will switch over when I stop working anyone on AO7, or the whole pass if AO7 is not on) I should also be on AO51 tomorrow morning from either this boundary or in EN40, before moving back toward Chicago. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

1 0

EN51/EN52/EN61/EN62 @ 1501 UTC today, SO50
by Patrick STODDARD 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Hi. One more from the 4-grid intersection in a few minutes, before heading up to Wisconsin. SO50, a nice high pass here. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

1 0

HO-68 video from yesterday now posted on YouTube
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Hi! I'm still here at the AMSAT Symposium, and posted another video of working a satellite. Thanks to Adrian AA5UK, I just put a short video of me working the last half of an HO-68 pass from yesterday morning (approximately 1750-1756 UTC) on my YouTube channel. The video should be available shortly at: http://youtube.com/va7ewk Adrian and I were outside the hotel for this pass, and we were both listening to it and I was working stations. Then Adrian decided to whip out his camera and run video of me. The video is not of the entire pass, and I apologize that I did not recruit Adrian or someone else to film the full pass. Almost time for breakfast... 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

1 0

Ideas, challenges (for a world wide network)
by PA3GUO 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Hi Carlos ! Thank you very much for your report. Listening to the recordings at your site, I hear they have the same slight variation in volume as on one of my own PC's. I do not know yet what is causing this, but useful to get confirmed form your audio playback - thanks ! Honestly, we do not know what we want to do with this exactly. We need to develop new ideas and applications over time and from others around the world. Ideas: - remote monitor cubesat telemetry (scientific application) - world-wide broadcast of FM satellites (fun, demo) - live audio feedback of AO7 CW: stretch the footprint tests via internet - follow satellites while they travel around the world (multiple upstream stations needed) ... more ? Challenges: - fixed antenna vs beams (beams cannot aim at 2 at the same time) - fixed antenna give lower SNR - TS2000 (now) or SDR (only a receiver is needed, no full trx) - HW: it would be nice to have 1 SDR, with eg AO51+HO68+ISS all 3 frequencies monitored AND doppler compensated simultanious (PA3FWM like but then for sats - http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/) ... suggestions ? Today universities that launch a sat need to wait a few hours after launch before they can hear their own satellite. We often do this for them (ANDE-2 over Netherlands, Delfi-C3 over US first). Would be nice to have a system in place that solves this. Kind of like the GENSO http://www.genso.org/ project, but that by HAMs. Henk, PA3GUO http://www.pa3guo.com ---- Carlos Paoli <crpaoli(a)yahoo.com.br> schreef: > Hi Mike DK3WN, Henk PA3GUO and guys, Mike, unfortunately can not monitor your audio stream, the next time I'll be there, your site is very cool. Henk, I recorded orbits 3903 and 3916 and put on our website at http://www.sar.satfm.org/ also put a ISS record by the CT1EAT. I hope it is useful and that everyone will enjoy. 73, Carlos Paoli - PY2FFZ -- Henk, PA3GUO

1 0

WD9EWK mini IL/WI/IA (maybe) road trip, Sunday/Monday
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Hi! With the AMSAT Symposium wrapping up Sunday morning, and I don't fly back home until Monday afternoon, I am going to make use of the unlimited mileage on my little rental car for a day or so of sightseeing. And, yes, some satellite operating. After working from the 4-grid intersection with John K8YSE the past couple of mornings (EN51/EN52/EN61/EN62) and from outside the Symposium hotel (EN62aa) at other times, I will do some sightseeing in the area where I used to live north of Chicago. I plan on being up to the Wisconsin state line for at least one pass around midday (still in grid EN62, and possibly on the Illinois/Wisconsin state line), before making a hard drive toward grid EN40 in western Illinois. If all goes well, I hope to be on some passes in the late afternoon and early evening from out there. On Monday morning, I plan on working some passes from out that way - grids EN40 and/or EN41, in Illinois or *possibly* a very quick detour into Iowa to work a pass or two - before returning to O'Hare airport for the flight home. So far, around the Symposium site, I have not been able to get an APRS packet heard by the local digipeater network. I will have my VX-8GR squawking away once I start driving away from here, and that should be visible at http://aprs.fi/wd9ewk-7 if all goes well. As with my other trips where I work the satellites around the USA, there will be no need to send me QSL cards for contacts made with WD9EWK while I have been in Chicagoland. Please e-mail me with the QSO details, and I will be happy to send out cards. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK - Elk Grove Village, Illinois http://www.wd9ewk.net/

1 0

Re: HO-68 audio stream
by Nader Omer 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Gentlemen Mike DK3WN and Henks PA3GUO Thanks you very much Very very enjoyable to listen to the (HO-68) satellite after LOS. I heard myself with a delay of 5 or 6 seconds . If more stations from deferent location streaming the same Satellite we could follow the sat through the globe. This is a very practical teaching method to exchange the technique and skill among satellite fan community. Thanks again gentlemen 73 de Nader www.st2nh.com

3 3

Re: HO-68 FM live audiostream on (Oct 9th)
by PA3GUO 09 Oct '10

09 Oct '10

It is still running, and we have a 10 degrees pass coming that bridges acros the Atlantic (Europe & North America). http://www.pa3guo.com/webradio.html Henk ---- PA3GUO <pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl> schreef: > HO-68 FM live audio stream will be running again the rest of today (Oct 8th): > http://www.pa3guo.com/webradio.html > > You will hear noise when the satellite is not overhead my station > (JO21RJ, Netherlands, Europe). > > Let me know if there would be interest to switch to AO51 or the 70cm > beacon of a Cubesat, for example tomorrow, Saturday Oct 9th. > > -- > Henk, PA3GUO -- Henk, PA3GUO

1 0

Hayabusa Probe May Have Returned With Asteroid Material
by B J 09 Oct '10

09 Oct '10

http://spacecoalition.com/blog/japan%e2%80%99s-hayabusa-probe-tiny-asteroid… Results of further investigations are pending. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @DO33FL

1 0