AMSAT-BB September 2010

139 participants
210 discussions

LVB Tracker USB serial port driver for Windows 7 x64?

by Bill Bordy, NJ1H

Has anyone located a driver for the LVB Tracker internal USB to serial port adapter on Windows 7 x64? If not, has anyone reverted to the serial port connection on LVB Tracker and used an external USB to serial port adapter successfully with SatPC32 on Windows 7 x64? I have an Edgeport multiple USB to serial port that has drivers for Windows 7 x64 that I will use if I have to. I would prefer using the LVB Tracker with its USB to serial adapter if someone has another solution. 73, Bill NJ1H

5 years, 11 months

Call for Papers--2007 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference

by Ford, Steve, WB8IMY

Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 26th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September 28-30, 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut. These papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings (you do NOT need to attend the conference to have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is July 31, 2007. Please send papers to: Maty Weinberg ARRL 225 Main St Newington, CT 06111 or you can make your submission via e-mail to: maty(a)arrl.org Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights. 73 . . . Steve, WB8IMY ARRL

10 years, 4 months

Re: EggBeater

by Bill Dzurilla

Steve, I have both a commercial and a homebrew Eggbeater and am disappointed with both, especially in light of its rather high price. Connected to my IC-7000 via an ARR mast-mounted preamp, performance is far less than with an HT and an Arrow. Guess an omni can't cut it, at least not from my QTH. Maybe if I could get it up higher, clear of all roofs, it would do better. I can make contacts at relatively high sat elevations, but can do just as well with a $10 dual band ground plane. My friend has an Eggbeater and the same preamp at a clearer QTH, and he hears substantially better, down to 10 degrees elevation in some directions. Good luck and 73, Bill NZ5N > > Hi Steve, > > > > It is surprising to read that you are not hearing > anything. I have > > repeatedly used a 2m and 70cm Eggbeater for the sats > and have had no > > problem hearing things. No pre-amp. > > > > I was using a short cable (e.g. less than 10 meters). > The rigs I > > used were a FT-736r (deaf) and a FT-847 (so-so). > > > > 73, > > > > Dave

10 years, 6 months

FW: Re: The Moon is our Future

by Dave

We have met the enemy and they are us. WE need to do something. Yes, $15m is outta reach, but isn't there a cash prize for the first on-commercial moon landing? Dave DM78qd // KA0SWT If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners.-- Johnny Carson +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jeff Davis Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 9:35 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: The Moon is our Future On Thu, Jul 02, 2009 at 06:48:51AM -0600, Jack K. wrote: > communications anyway) and move forward... We can put up all the leos > we want, but until someone makes something like B. Bruninga's cell > concept work, we are only going to have more of the same, We don't > need more of the same! I couldn't agree more - we don't need more of the same. If I want to sit back and have a two hour rag-chew with someone on the other side of the planet I will use Skype or my cell phone! Dreaming about what *might* be in space is a fun exercise. Actually doing something about it requires sending things to LEO because reality has dictated that's as far as we can afford to go. How's about we use some of that frustrated *imagineering* to come up with interesting new concepts at LEO? We don't need any more FM repeaters buzzing overhead, but what about more cameras downloading HD images, scientific payloads that monitor the ongoing climate change, payloads to study the Earth's magnetic field, etc. etc. Our own 'Twitter' messaging network from space...? The Apollo 13 creed of "failure is not an option" has completely infected the brains at AMSAT and this list. You want something at HEO or on the moon, cut a check for $15 million dollars and let's get on with it. Been waiting since 1996 for another AO-13 and I am getting too old to keep waiting. AMSAT is becoming completely irrelevant as it strives without success for the impossible mission and exhibits a shocking amount of leadership malfesance as it stubbornly refuses to recognize and adapt to realities in the launch business. I know, I know maybe NEXT year someone rich will die and leave us a boatload of cash. Or the bankrupt US government will suddenly cough up a billion dollars for some orbiting emergency communication system. In the meantime we have to stifle the truth because it might blow yet another *secret* deal that's in the works and *almost* a done deal, so let's not complain publicly and ruin it. Heard the stories, heard the lies, got all the t-shirts and ball caps. Whatever. -- Jeff, KE9V AMSAT-NA member since 1994, Skeptic that we will ever go back to HEO since 2002 _______________________________________________ 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

11 years, 8 months

FM Birds

by Arlon Nelson

Hi All Been away awhile, I'm wondering what FM satellites are being used now. Thanks, Nels W0TUP North Dakota DN98if

12 years

Hawaii AO27 low pass

by Robert Smith

Aloha All Short notice, I realize. However I thought I'd give the next pass in Hawaii's footprint a try at less than 3.0 deg. at about 2226Z (an hour from now) AO-27 will be at 2.7 deg max. el. I will be at Sandy Beach Park aiming east with Arrow and VX7R. robert, NH7WN BL11, Hawaii

12 years, 1 month

Chicago-to-Europe satellite QSOs during AMSAT Symposium?

by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)

Hi! I will attend next week's AMSAT Symposium in Chicago, and will have my portable satellite station (IC-2820H for FM, two FT-817NDs for SSB, Elk Antennas 2m/70cm log periodic) along for the trip. As I did on my trip to Dayton earlier this year, I am hoping to have an opportunity to work stations in western Europe while I am in the Chicago area. I have made some preliminary pass predictions for those days, using the Symposium site as my starting point (grid EN62aa), and there appear to be some passes on AO-7, FO-29, and even HO-68 that cover both the Chicago area and parts of western Europe. I am prepared to get up a little early, or make time in the late afternoons or early evenings, for this effort. I arrive in Chicago on Thursday (7 October) afternoon, and will be there through Sunday (10 October) for the Symposium. After the Symposium concludes on that Sunday morning, I will go sightseeing around Chicago and possibly drive into Wisconsin and/or Indiana. My rental car has no mileage limit, so I hope to take full advantage of that. Sorry, no road trip to Delaware this year. There will be satellite operating from wherever I end up, although I do not know what grids besides EN62 I will operate from. I will have APRS capabilities as I drive around that area, so my location will be visible for anyone to see online. I will return to Chicago by Monday (11 October) in the late afternoon, so I can catch my flight home that evening. If anyone across the pond is interested in making an attempt at a satellite QSO with WD9EWK while I am in the Chicago area, please e-mail me directly. We can start identifying passes that would support this effort. Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

12 years, 1 month

Voice bits in with packet

by Andrew Glasbrenner

Am I crazy, or am I hearing bits of Russian, like one to three syllables, mixed in with the ISS packet today? 73, Drew KO4MA

12 years, 1 month

Apologies to Dee, N2BF

by Clint Bradford

Gawd, am I embarrassed. I know three people named "Dee." Two of them I interact with here in CA, and speak with occasionally. But I have never (obviously) spoken with our "AMSAT Dee." I apologize for the gender error misidentifying N2BF last night. Geeze ... we have been interacting for years via email messages. A case of how the 'Net can make one anonymous, I guess ... That, and my ASSumption ... Clint, K6LCS

12 years, 1 month

Why We Do What We Do ...

by Clint Bradford

Dear Dee asked her team of "ARISS Area Coordinators" last week for a brief explanation of "what we were doing on behalf of AMSAT and ARISS. I immediately replied to her, citing the number of presentations I have made ... and the number of demos accomplished - numbers that could have been interpreted as "self-promotional" numbers. But they were submitted to her as not to promote "K6LCS," but to try and show what was happening in Southern California on behalf of ARISS and AMSAT. But today I received two email messages that made me feel great for what all of us who regularly promote ARISS and AMSAT. The first is from a gentleman who walked up to me before my presentation at the ARRL Southwestern Convention in San Diego - to state that he was attending the convention primarily to see my talk. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hi Clint, It was nice seeing you again at Hamcon on Saturday. I am glad to see that you had such a great turnout for your informative presentation. I have a success story to share with you. As you know, I bought an Arrow antenna and duplexer at Hamcon and have been dying to get it on the air. I assembled it the other night and checked for the next few available passes (using the HamSat ap for my Droid X phone). On my commute home from work yesterday evening, I detoured off the freeway and found the nearest, large empty parking lot to try my luck with the next AO-51 pass at 1751 hrs (a 13 minute long, 37 deg pass). I worked one California ham, but cannot honestly call that a completed QSO as I am not entirely certain of his call sign due to the loud traffic noise I had to contend with from a busy highway (probably not the best choice of locations for my first attempt). I did hear him tell me that I was “making it just fine,” so that was very encouraging. My next contact was with a station in Edmonton (Alberta), Canada. That contact I can confidently call my FIRST two-way Oscar contact! Wow, it really can be done using a 5 watt HT and a Tinker Toy looking antenna. I am very excited! Now I get start work my way up the learning curve where it comes to better antenna manipulation, better use of the pre-programmed channel steps in my radio (following your suggestions), and learning the tricks that will enhance my future success. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper after work yesterday! Thanks for reminding me that there is always something new and fun to do in ham radio! 73's, Chris Storey KA6WNK crstorey(a)socal.rr.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And THAT is why I do what I do. My accountant thinks I am nuts to travel hundreds of miles and spend hours of prep time to make a one-hour presentation (but she's not a ham ... I am working on her, though). The second email today is an excerpt from the October, 2010 edition of the Palm Springs' club Desert RATS' (WD6RAT) newsletter. I have presented out there a couple of times, and they have been supporting the ARRL since 1998 as an Affiliate Member. From the "President's Message" this issue ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ... I attended a few workshops (at the ARRL SW Division Convention in San Diego) ... and was also pleased to see a number of our members attend. Notably, one of our members giving a presentation there as well ... Clint Bradford K6LCS, our ‘Satellite Guy’, was there giving his presentation on handheld satellite contacts and representing AMSAT. He’ll be there at Palm Springs Hamfest 2011 again too. His live demonstration alone is worth the trip ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SO ... although I feel guilty for not being directly involved in an ARISS/AMSAT contact with the ISS, we measly "AMSAT area coordinators" are making a "mark" on individuals and groups as we make our presentations and demonstrations in our respective regions. Clint Bradford, K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com

12 years, 1 month

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AMSAT-BB September 2010