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

AO-51's Birthday!
by Clint Bradford 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

I missed it - June 28 - AO-51's sixth birthday! Darn .... Another date to ponder ... RIngo is 70, and is within five years of the Dalai Lama, who turned 75 this week. Looking for my Grecian Formula ... Clint, K6LCS

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VA7EWK @ CN88, 1926-2000 UTC today
by Patrick STODDARD 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Hi! I will work the upcoming AO27 and SO50 passes at the Mile 0 monument, the west end of the Trans-Canada Highway, here in Victoria BC (CN88hj). After that, it is off to the ferry and over to Vancouver. 73! Patrick VA7EWK/WD9EWK - Victoria, British Columbia http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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TI-2 Space Operations
by Mark Spencer 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Hi All, The Dayton Amateur Radio Association sponsored ARRL TI-2 Space will be conducted next week in Dayton from July 12 through 15. The purpose of this teachers institute is to instruct teachers on how to access satellites for use in their classrooms. The four day institute will involve a lot of on-the-air activity on the birds. I hope that you will listen up for the teachers who will be working the birds for the first time and help participate in the TI by making contacts with them. They will be novice satellite operators so I hope you will forgive mistakes as they learn the ropes. It will be interesting to see how 8 ground stations operate from one location! (The stations consist of FT817s, ARROWS and computer controlled G5500 rotors.) If anyone needs a contact with W1AW/8, I will be using that call sign periodically while doing some demonstrations during the TI. If you have a specific request, let me know via e-mail and I'll listen for your call specifically. CU on the birds and I appreciate your patience during this TI. Mark Mark Spencer, WA8SME Education and Technology Program Coordinator ARRL, the national association for Amateur RadioT mspencer(a)arrl.org www.arrl.org/education-technology-program www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology 530-495-9150

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Gunnplexer Transceivers
by Robert Bruninga 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Does anyone know where we can get some 10 GHz Gunnplexer transceivers? Wired-and-tested. Like the ones ARR used to make. They say they don't make them anymore. Referred me to MDT.CORP.COM, but that deadends into a scalper who owns the CORP.COM domain. Bob, Wb4APR

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G-5400B
by Liz & Tony Buckland 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Hi All, I bought a secondhand G5400B and promptly dismantled both rotators to overhaul them and also completely repaint inside and out, and they now look like new :-). My question is I set the azimuth rotator as per the instructions and all seems good apart from the CCW direction does not indicate 180 (far left), more like 165-170, is this normal? Mechanically it rotates more than 360 but the resistance of the pot is 14 ohms CCW and 8 ohms CW. I would have thought it should read 0 CCW then setting the adjust pot on the controller to 180 with the rotator exactly 360 round CW. Hope I haven't lost anyone with this description :-). Any guidance would be most welcome, thanks. 73 de Tony ZL3HAM

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VA7EWK activity today
by Patrick STODDARD 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Hi! Thanks to everyone for the fun afternoon on the radio from the Pacific side of Vancouver Island. I operated from a high spot next to sports fields in Ucluelet, British Columbia, in grid CN78fw. VA7EWK logged 55 QSOs on 5 different satellites. I could not stay out there well into the evening, despite the late sunset, since the road off the coast was going to be shut down overnight for construction work. Earlier on Tuesday, VA7EWK operated from 2 other locations - one AO7 pass at Campbell River where I had operated from on Sunday (CN79jx/CO70ja - 8 QSOs), then an HO68 pass from Port Alberni on the highway over to the Pacific coast (CN79og - 16 QSOs) later in the morning. Wednesday will be a light radio day. I will head down to the provincial capital Victoria on thr south end of the island, then take the ferry over to Vancouver. I may get on a pass or two from Victoria, since I have never worked from grid CN88 previously. Thursday may also be a light radio day. I am still planning on attending the North Shore Amateur Radio Club meeting in North Vancouver. Any operating would probably be from somewhere in Metro Vancouver (CN89). Then on one of the two remaining full days in Canada (Friday or Saturday) will be my day-trip up to Whistler and grid CO80. Good night, and 73! Patrick VA7EWK/WD9EWK - Port Alberni, British Columbia http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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VA7EWK @ CN78 now
by Patrick STODDARD 06 Jul '10

06 Jul '10

Hi! I will work passes from CN78fw in Ucluelet, British Columbia, this afternoon. I was just on AO27 around 2000 UTC, and will be on other passes starting with SO50 @ 2058-2108 UTC. I will try AO7 @ 2213 UTC if it is still in mode B, and FO29 @ 0029 and maybe @ 0213 UTC. AO27 @ 2135 and 2316 UTC. AO51 passes as well, starting @ 2247 UTC. No grid boundary activity today, just CN78 before leaving this side of Vancouver Island. 73! Patrick VA7EWK/WD9EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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AO-51 schedule for July 2010
by Mark L. Hammond 06 Jul '10

06 Jul '10

Hello All, From: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php ________ Command Team and Operations Group AO-51 News July 2010 AO-51 Schedule Due to poor battery condition, AO-51 will be off during eclipses. Until further notice the schedule will remain: FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 Mhz FM, PL 67Hz Downlink: 435.300 Mhz FM The 67Hz PL tone is required to activate the repeater, which will run unsquelched for two minutes after hearing a valid tone. Within that two minute period, no tone is required. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Operations AO-51 Echo Mode Suggestion Email Address mailto:[email protected]?subject=AO51%20web%20page%20request The AO-51 Operations Group is made up of Amsat Members who are also AO-51 users. The Operations Group works with the Command Team to create the monthly schedule for the satellite. The AO-51 Operations Group is OZ1MY, VK5HI, N8BBQ, KD8CAO. The Command Stations are KO4MA, WA4SXM, WA6FWF, and N8MH. __________ 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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AMSAT office closed the rest of the day
by Gould Smith 06 Jul '10

06 Jul '10

4:22 pm EDT, 6 July 2010 Martha reports that the power has been off in the building that hosts the AMSAT office for over 45 minutes. It is unknown when will return and the building owner must come to the building and manually turn on the air conditioning system. Due to the over 100 degree temperatures in Silver Spring, she has left for the day. 73, Gould, WA4SXM

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VA7EWK heading to CN78 later today (6 July)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Jul '10

06 Jul '10

Hi! My plan for today is to head to grid CN78 on the Pacific (west) side of Vancouver Island. It is at least 2 to 3 hours' driving to get there, and I cannot leave my current QTH Campbell River until sometime after 1500 UTC. Because of that, I will work the 1448-1510 UTC AO-7 pass from CN79/CO70 here. After that pass, and after checking out of the motel here, I will drive to CN78. Depending on the surroundings, I will try to work passes on my way out there, which would be in different parts of CN79, until I reach CN78. I may be able to park on the CN78/CN79 line, which is just north of the Pacific coast down there, but the goal today will definitely be CN78. I apologize to anyone who tried to work me last night on FO-29 after 0300 UTC. I ended up talking about ham radio and my portable satellite station to a few people who were walking along the waterfront up there in Port Hardy. Thanks to WC7V and W6ZKH for CW QSOs on the AO-7 pass just before 0300 UTC. What you guys heard was left-handed CW, and I'm not left-handed. I drove over 570km according to the car's trip odometer yesterday (over 353 miles), including about 90km/55 miles on a dirt track for my aborted attempt to work from CO50 before I started operating at Port Hardy (CO60gr). I know the mileage (do I say that in a metric country?) will be substantial when the car returns to Vancouver airport on Sunday - a benefit of unlimited kilometers (mileage) on the car rental. The fuel prices on Vancouver Island are around C$ 1.11 or so a liter, about US$ 4/gallon at current exchange rates - about as much as I paid during my 2008 summer road trip when fuel prices skyrocketed in the States. A little more expensive, but I'm having fun seeing a lot of this island - and, yes, I'm enjoying the radio operating. Looking ahead... I won't be on the radio much Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday will be a travel day - first down to Victoria on the southern tip of the island, then the ferry crossing back to Vancouver. I may work some passes in the afternoon from Victoria (CN88) and *maybe* even on the ferry ride up to the Tsawassen terminal south of Vancouver going through CN88 and CN89. Thursday... maybe some radio in the afternoon, but I will be doing stuff in metro Vancouver, and either Friday or Saturday (exact date yet to be determined) will be my day-trip up to Whistler and grid CO80. My flight home is Sunday afternoon, and I don't plan on any radio that day. Have to get back to Vancouver airport to return the car, do the flight check-in, and the US Customs/Immigration formalities before the flight. 73! Patrick VA7EWK/WD9EWK - Campbell River, British Columbia http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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