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

KPC-9612+ with TS-2000
by Nathaniel S. Parsons 30 Apr '10

30 Apr '10

Hi everyone, Thanks for the help with our 4800 bps issue. We haven't found a solution yet, but we're working on it, and I'll let you know when we have something figured out. Just now, I found a Kantronics KPC-9612+ lying around the lab, and would like to fire it up with our TS-2000 to see if it's still in working order. Can someone check to see if I've figured out the pinout correctly? I'll put the KPC pins on the left, and the TS-2000 pins on the right. 1 (Audio out) - 11 (Mic in) 2 (Carrier detect) - 5,7 (Main/sub squelch) 3 (PTT) - 9 (PTT) 4 (CTRLB) - Not connected 5 (RXA) - 1,3 (Main/sub out) 6 (GND) - Any of 4,8,12 (GND) 7 (Ext-In) - Not connected 8 (CTRLA) - Not connected 9 (GND) - Any of 4,8,12 (GND) TS-2000 pins not connected: 2,6,10,13 Thanks, Nate KC2SVI

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Re: Space Debris:
by Stephen Melachrinos 29 Apr '10

29 Apr '10

Greg - I didn't see anyone else reply, so I'll try. No, it's not coincidence. After the Iridium collision last year, the US Air Force decided it was in everyone's best interest for them to run conjunction analyses against many more space objects than they had previously analyzed, and report their predictions to system owners. Previously, their concern was primarily the US government's spacecraft, so we (in the amateur community) and many commercial operators never knew what was happening to our birds unless we did (or paid for) the work ourselves. But the collision (as well as the Chinese ASAT demonstration) showed that the resulting debris fields were a major hazard to everyone, themselves included. So they must have allocated more resources to the problem, as this is a massive undertaking. (Note that some reports say that the US has about 20,000 objects that are tracked and cataloged. In theory, this means propagating the ephemeris of all of these for some number of days and comparing all possible combinations across the time period of the analysis.) Unfortunately, many (if not most) of the objects no longer have maneuvering capability. If a vehicle can maneuver, these warnings give them time to try and increase the separation prior to the predicted close approach. (You might have heard of some times when a space shuttle does one of these maneuvers.) But if you can't maneuver (as is the case with AO-51), all we can do is watch and wait. Steve W3HF Apr 13, 2010 01:45:32 AM, ko6th_greg(a)hotmail.com wrote: > Is it just a coincidence that these warnings seem to be coming pretty often recently, or did NORAD change their reporting procedures, or is > all the junk up there getting to critical mass where nothing is safe? It seems like we're heading into a situation like nuclear fission, where > you get enough stuff interacting, and it sets up a chain reaction of collisions. > > Greg KO6TH

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Re: Galaxis Space Scanner ACU
by Joe Leikhim 29 Apr '10

29 Apr '10

I did find this in archives and the website for Gary (Gary Gonnella W6RYO http://www.w6ryo.com) is no good and Google no help in finding a mirrored site. On 4/28/2010 12:09 AM, kq6ea(a)verizon.net wrote: > Search the archives. > http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200409/msg00443.html > 73, Jim KQ6EA > > > > On Apr 28, 2010, *Joe Leikhim* <rhyolite(a)nettally.com> wrote: > > I have found a number of the model Galaxis Space Scanner ACU > Labeled as > being made by FutureTrak Intl, and having Lockheed-Martin > manufacturer > labels. These were apparently made for tracking DBS satellites from > yachts and RV's. > > I saw a post a while back about a website on using these for Ham > Sats. > Does such information still exist? > > -- > Joe Leikhim > > Leikhim and Associates > Communications Consultants > Oviedo, Florida > > www.Leikhim.com > > JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com > > 407-982-0446 > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida www.Leikhim.com JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446

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AO-51 Telemetry Software - TLmEcho
by Bruce Semple 29 Apr '10

29 Apr '10

Looks like Mike Kingery (KE4AZN) wrote TLmEcho back in July 2004 -- But for those of us getting back into the hobby .. it's new to us! It does a nice job visualizing the various measurements collected in the telemetry stream Great job Mike! http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/tlm_decode.php

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KiwiSat video
by Trevor . 29 Apr '10

29 Apr '10

New KiwiSat video http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2010/kiwisat_video.htm Violet Amateur Radio satellite http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2010/violet.htm FUNcube FlatSat Meeting http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2010/funcube_flatsat_meeting.htm AMSAT-UK International Colloquium July 31 - Aug 1 http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium/ 73 Trevor M5AKA Daily Amateur Radio Email/RSS News: http://www.southgatearc.org/ Email Your News To: editor at southgatearc.org Or Upload Using Form At: http://www.southgatearc.org/news/your_news_1.htm ----

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Re: Rooftop Antenna Labs?
by Edward R Cole 29 Apr '10

29 Apr '10

At 04:49 PM 4/28/2010, Franklin Antonio wrote: >At 05:25 PM 4/28/2010, Robert Bruninga wrote: > >I may have an opportunity to begin planning for a major building > >upgrade at my school and want to propose a modern root-top > >antenna lab. > >Most antenna test labs now use anechoic chambers rather than rooftops. >. >_______________________________________________ >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 In 1966 I started my career as an R&D technician (took a leave from school for a couple years). We built asw weapons (i.e. sonobuoys) in an old brick three story factory with a flat roof. They test dropped the buoys over the side of the building 30-feet into a large vat of water, but the roof was the antenna test range. There I ran tests on VHF antennas. Not a very sophisticated range but definitely "hands on", real RF, real measurements. An engineers calculator was a slide rule, no computers then; fancy computer simulation was unknown. Mostly, I did troubleshooting of the engineering prototypes and finding fixes. Those went back to the engineers to fine tune their design. I quit that and returned to college in summer 1968 and landed a job with Hughes Aircraft in CA. 1971 found me working at Goldstone at the Microwave Test Facility also known as the "antenna range". The rest they say is history. 73, Ed

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Rooftop Antenna Labs?
by Robert Bruninga 29 Apr '10

29 Apr '10

Anyone at a University with an excellent Antenna Lab? When I went through PG school 39 years ago, I was IMPRESSED with the Antenna lab on the roof of Spanagel Hall at NPS in Monterey California and have envied it ever since. I may have an opportunity to begin planning for a major building upgrade at my school and want to propose a modern root-top antenna lab. But my experience is 39 years old, and even then there was a hint (in 1971) that the end of HF was around the corner and so that antenna lab was already in decline... Maybe all antennas labs have atrophed to the internet and have completely abandoned real-live-RF antennas, and so using them as an examples might be a negative example instead of a positive one. But in either case, I need to get some infor for planning a dream antenna lab... Even though Ill probably be 6' under by the time it comes to pass. Hummh... A ham license lasts 10 years... I wonder if one could design a a 10 year micro-beacon for one's headstone that would last exactly 10 years from the time of one's last renewal... Keep the range to 100 feet within the cemetery and not many bodies around you would complain.. Though I guess if there is another ham planted nearby, he would find something to complain about the issue of timely control..Probably best to use a key chain license free XMTR I guess... Bob, WB4APR

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Tracking Unitec-1 (was Japanese Launch May 18)
by G0MRF＠aol.com 28 Apr '10

28 Apr '10

In a message dated 28/04/2010 23:13:34 GMT Daylight Time, ei7m-wkt(a)asahi-net.or.jp writes: UNITEC-1, Negai*", WASEDA-SAT2, KSAT information http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/unitec-1.htm JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita Hi all. / Mineo. Very good to hear Unitec -1 is on schedule. I have built a downconverter for 5840 MHz to 1284 or 145MHz and would like to track the satellite on the early part of it voyage to Venus. - Probably only the very early part of the trip with a 1m dish. However, having read the available information there are still a list of problems that need to be resolved. I wonder if the Unitec team, or the group may have an opinion on the following. 1) What polarisation is transmitted from the patches. Linear? Circular? etc. I need to select a dish feed. 2) How long will Unitec -1 spend commissioning in LEO ? 3) Is there a tracking utility that can show doppler or even direction for a specific geographic location. Doppler is 'interesting' given that you have the probe travelling away from Earth, the Earth orbiting the sun and you also have the movement due to the rotation of the Earth? 4) Given the transmissions on 5840 are 30 mins in a 2 hour period, will there be an on-line counter predicting when the spacecraft should be in transmission mode. (Or a reference time so we can count ourselves?) 5) At what point in the mission will the transmitter be changed from 145 to 5840MHz. 6) Is there a method of sending telemetry to the team at Tokyo? I like a challenge..... Many thanks David G0MRF

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Re: Japanese Launch May 18
by Mineo Wakita 28 Apr '10

28 Apr '10

UNITEC-1, Negai*", WASEDA-SAT2, KSAT information http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/unitec-1.htm JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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For sale - Icom W32A
by na2x＠yahoo.com 28 Apr '10

28 Apr '10

I know the Icom W32A HT is popular for working the FM LEO satellites, so I thought I'd give people on the AMSAT BB first shot to buy this radio. I have for sale an Icom W32A 2 mtr/440 handheld. Very good working condition, The HT comes with the Icom BP-173 battery the Icom B110A battery charger , original antenna, original manual. original box Price is $215 shipped to CONUS. USPS MO preferred but will accept PayPal plus 3%.. If this radio sells here on the BB, $25 will be donated toward "Getting AMSAT Back into Space" and the Dayton $5000 Challenge Contact me off list via E-mail at [MYCALL] at yahoo.com. E-mails will be answered in order received. Thanks - Bob NA2X AMSAT LM #51

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