March 2011 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Is it 100% impossible to work a satellite below the horizon?
by Bill Dzurilla 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

I was giving a presentation at our club meeting called Working DX on the Satellites and afterwards someone had a good question: is it at all possible that tropo, skip, or other form of enhanced propagation can enable a contact via a satellite below the horizon? It has never happened to me. Has it ever happened? 73, Bill NZ5N

8 7

2M1EUB/P QRV SCOTLAND 20/3/11
by paul robinson 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Hi group opperations from scotland will begin this year 20/march ,depending on WX as there is plenty of snow about there!...ill be qrv for one week. Ill be opperating from the van, so could be interesting as ive spent all winter seting it up ,hope to be able to be on the mountains rather than below them...fun starts from io87rj E.Scotland and arround that area...more info qrz.com . Ill also be posting later in the year other interesting opperations from western islands of scotland,including sky,Harris and Lewis ...some rare islands to sat opps! dates will follow later in the year .73 de paul 2E1EUB /2M1EUB/P

1 0

Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 6, Issue 151
by Louis House, KD5GM 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

----- Original Message ----- From: <amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2011 10:56 PM Subject: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 6, Issue 151 LOUIS, KD5GM in EL29kq Bill, I have on several occasions, while I am listening to my own signals (in CW) on the SAT's AO-07, FO-29 and VO-52, when they are LOS to the North of the US and have copied the signals down to -6 degrees on nights that there have Aurora alerts posted from several reflectors that I subscribe to. Most of the time my Northern LOS for these birds is 1 to 2 degrees when there are no alerts. Certainly no expert on this phenomenon, but I believe that the signals are enhanced beyond the normal range during the enhancement conditions. 73, Louis CW, The original digital mode AMSAT #37061: FIST #3606 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bill Dzurilla" <billdz.geo(a)yahoo.com> > To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2011 12:25 AM > Subject: [amsat-bb] Is it 100% impossible to work a satellite below > thehorizon? > > >>I was giving a presentation at our club meeting called Working DX on the >>Satellites and afterwards someone had a good question: is it at all >>possible that tropo, skip, or other form of enhanced propagation can >>enable >>a contact via a satellite below the horizon? >> >> It has never happened to me. Has it ever happened? >> >> 73, Bill NZ5N >> >>

1 0

Anyone using PacsatTools for Linux?
by Eric Christensen 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Anyone using PacsatTools for Linux? I just installed the software but can't quite figure out what's going on with it. Thanks. 73, Eric W4OTN

2 1

Re: Is it 100% impossible to work a satellite below thehorizon?
by K5OE 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Drew, I believe your reference was to N4ZC. There are some old (2002) posts on amsat-bb about his exploits: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200203/msg00005.html http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200202/msg00708.html http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200202/msg00712.html 73, Jerry, K5OE On 3/12/2011 7:25 PM, Bill Dzurilla wrote: > I was giving a presentation at our club meeting called Working DX on the >Satellites and afterwards someone had a good question: is it at all possible >that tropo, skip, or other form of enhanced propagation can enable a contact >via a satellite below the horizon? > > It has never happened to me. Has it ever happened? > > It was relatively commonplace with RS-12 on Mode K, 15m up, 10m down. There was one guy in North Carolina I think that worked dxcc on RS-12/13. He was my first satellite QSO in 1992 or so, and was always on. I can't remember the call, but it was a 1x2 I think. I imagine it would be at least possible on other birds and higher bands with strong tropo. Jerry, KK5YY told me about doing that on AO-27 or UO-14 from Alaska over the ocean. I've not experienced it though. 73, Drew KO4MA

1 0

emailing Amsat
by zach hillerson 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Does anyone know the email address to send correspondence to Amsat? When I try using the form on their site it tells me their is an error......?

2 1

Scottsdale AZ hamfest - report
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Hi! Thanks to all the stations across the USA and Mexico for the 18 contacts during 6 different passes while I was at the Scottsdale (Arizona) Spring Hamfest. Two passes each, on 3 different satellites (AO-7, SO-50, VO-52), during the half-day hamfest. Lots of people stopped by my AMSAT table, and - as I've seen at other hamfests - larger crowds showing up for the SSB satellite demonstrations. Weather was perfect, and I was able to stand outside without a jacket from about 0600 local (1300 UTC), before sunrise. Toward the end of the morning, I was answering lots of questions about my two FT-817NDs and SSB satellite operating. Many have seen demonstrations of FM satellite operating, or seen the many videos online, but not too many see SSB satellite operating. Several commented that they could put together a station with a larger multiband all-mode transceiver like an FT-857 or IC-706 with an FT-817 as a receiver. The hamfest wrapped up around 1900 UTC, but I was standing and talking with people for at least a full hour past the official end of the hamfest. A good thing! Also, thanks to the Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club for a great event at a new location, and for providing AMSAT with a space at the hamfest. This new location, at a church, had lots of covered parking used for vendors and others representing clubs or organizations. I was directed to a couple of spaces in the covered parking area, which was ideal for everyone except me. Pointing my log periodic through the cover was not going to be a good thing, and I was able to get a couple of uncovered parking spaces for my truck and table before the hamfest got under way. The past couple of days have been very busy, with my quick road trip to the San Diego area followed by this hamfest closer to home. Other than trying to work ND9M tomorrow :-) I don't plan on doing too much. One relatively quiet day out of a 4-day weekend is a good thing. The next hamfest I will attend with an AMSAT table will be in Tucson two weeks from now, on Saturday 26 March. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

2 1

ND9M/MM Op Sked: DM02 - 13 March
by Clary, James T, Civilian 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

We're apparently going to depart the Oceanside, CA area a bit later than originally planned, so we'll likely be in DM02 from about 1730-2130Z. That would swing a second AO27 pass into the spotlight for that grid. I'll try to be on during VO52's pass starting at 13/1712Z, but we'll probably still be in DM13 or possibly DM03. 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC

1 0

1 Year on the birds
by Michael Elliott 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Hello everyone on the board, Yesterday was celebration of my first year on the birds. I will never forget that first QSO with K4T on SO-50 last year. I couldn't believe someone actually heard me and came back. That was a real thrill. During this first year I even made a couple of contacts with the Space Station which again really surprised me. I have learned so much from you guys and I am not going try to name specific operators because I am afraid I will leave someone out - thank you all. I appreciate the patience you guys have shown and continue to show me as I still make mistakes and continue to learn. My wife still says I am strange for walking around in the yard with a antenna and will ask from time to time if I contacted any aliens. If there is any comfort in that, it is at least starting to get warm here in NC. Along the same lines, I have co-workers who ask if I have found the tagged wildlife yet. Luckily I have friends who understand... I am hopeful that this second year will allow me to get on the transponders and learn even more about this fascinating part of amateur radio. I don't want to bore anyone with details, but I have confirmed 44 states and worked a few more. As for total contacts which does include multiple contacts from the same operators is a little over 700. Anyway I just wanted to post a quick thank you to all of those who have offered me such great advice and shown patience. 73's and thanks again, Michael, K4MOA

2 1

Re: 1 Year on the birds
by Mark L. Hammond 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Hi Michael, Happy Anniversary :) Grabbing K4T as your first is pretty awesome. Hey, why don't you come to RARSFest and help me with the AMSAT table? Or do a demo ;) 73! Mark N8MH At 08:17 PM 3/12/2011 -0500, Michael Elliott wrote: >Hello everyone on the board, > >Yesterday was celebration of my first year on the birds. I will never >forget that first QSO with K4T on SO-50 last year. I couldn't believe >someone actually heard me and came back. That was a real thrill. During >this first year I even made a couple of contacts with the Space Station >which again really surprised me. I have learned so much from you guys and I >am not going try to name specific operators because I am afraid I will leave >someone out - thank you all. I appreciate the patience you guys have shown >and continue to show me as I still make mistakes and continue to learn. > >My wife still says I am strange for walking around in the yard with a >antenna and will ask from time to time if I contacted any aliens. If there >is any comfort in that, it is at least starting to get warm here in NC. >Along the same lines, I have co-workers who ask if I have found the tagged >wildlife yet. Luckily I have friends who understand... > >I am hopeful that this second year will allow me to get on the transponders >and learn even more about this fascinating part of amateur radio. > >I don't want to bore anyone with details, but I have confirmed 44 states and >worked a few more. As for total contacts which does include multiple >contacts from the same operators is a little over 700. > >Anyway I just wanted to post a quick thank you to all of those who have >offered me such great advice and shown patience. > >73's and thanks again, > >Michael, K4MOA >_______________________________________________ >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

1 0