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

OSCAR-11 Report
by Clive Wallis 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

OSCAR-11 REPORT 27 April 2011 This report covers the period from 02 March to 27 April 2011 . During this time the satellite has been heard from 03 to 13 March, 24 March to 03 April, 13 April to 23 April 2011. It is expected to switch-on again 04 May until 14 May. Excellent signals have been reported from stations located around the world, and good copy obtained from decoded telemetry frames. Transmissions are controlled by the watchdog timer, which has a 20.7 day cycle time, 10.35 days on, 10,35 days off. Solar eclipses occur during every orbit, when signals are weaker. This indicates that there is still some capacity remaining in the battery. The on-board clock is now very stable. It gained 12 seconds during during the current reporting period. This is comparable with its accuracy when the satellite was fully operational, when it gained approximately one minute per year. However, there is still an accumulated loss of 309 days, which has occurred during eclipses of the last few years. The VHF beacon frequency is 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry Reception reports have been received from Horatio CX8AF, Jerry WB5LHD and Stefano IZ1GRJ. Many thanks. At the present time, while OSCAR-11 is operating in a predictable way, I no longer need direct reports or files by e-mail. However, could all listeners continue to enter their reports on the general satellite status website http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php. This is a very convenient and easy to use facility, which shows the current status of all the amateur satellites, and is of use to everyone. Reports around the expected times of switch-on and switch-off are of special interest, especially for times 12:00 - 17:00 and 22:00 - 07:00 UTC, to when the satellite is out-of-range in the UK. A longer version of this report report is available on my website, and new listeners to OSCAR-11 should read this for further information. The URL is www.g3cwv.co.uk/oscar11.htm . This page contains a links to the longer report, a short audio clip to help you identify the satellite and a file of the last telemetry received. The website also contains an archive of news & telemetry data which is updated from time to time, and details about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture. There is also software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. If you place this bulletin on a terrestrial packet network, please use the bulletin identifier $BID:U2RPT155.CWV, to prevent duplication. 73 Clive G3CWV xxxxx(a)amsat.org (please replace the x's by g3cwv)

4 3

HudsonValleySatcomGroupNet Tonight At 8 PM EDT-EcholinkN2EYH-L April28
by Cotejaune2＠aol.com 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

Hope to hear you all on the Net tonight .Please join us. On Echolink N2EYH-L or the MT Beacon Repeater 146.970 pl 100. 73 Gary WA2AQH

1 0

UT1FG/MM Photo Album
by John Papay 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Yuri, UT1FG/MM, is currently in port at San Juan Puerto Rico. Walt WP4T and his family drove over to San Juan yesterday to attempt to see him. They were successful and were treated to a red carpet tour of his ship the Mottler. They took pictures and they are available for viewing on my website: http://www.papays.com/sat The Mottler is very modern and was just built in 2009. Yuri has logged many miles on it since last October when I first heard him on the satellites. He will fly home to the Ukraine later this week. I never did get the feedback from Yuri on the qsl procedure but I will post what I think would work the best. Enjoy the photos and thanks to Walt WP4T and his ham radio family for making the trip! 73, John K8YSE

1 0

VX-3 on FM Sats
by Clint Bradford 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Even the VX-3E for the European market transmits 144-146 / 430-440 and receives everything. Clint

2 2

Re: Hector CO6CBF EL92 an off-line reply
by Gkcarr 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

John, I worked Hector on 3/3 and 21/4. I am sitting her wondering......I don't know anything about being a qsl manager but wonder if I can help him out. Particularly if it helps him achieve VUCC. I could receive e-mail logs and check and respond to mail requests. I keep up with my own cards, though the volume has dropped as more get EM30 and now abother station is in this grid. And you know I am serious about the hamsats. I'd even pay for his batch of qsl cards. That would not break me. Hi! >From your post, it seems you have a relationship with Hector. What do you think? 73 George WA5KBH -----Original message----- From: saguaroastro(a)cox.net Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:47:37 -0500 To: John Papay john(a)papays.com, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Hector CO6CBF EL92 > John, > > The timing of your post was fortuitous. I'm just catching up on QSL's and I had worked Hector on 2 Apr. I was about to send him an email asking how to handle the QSL request. I'll keep my eyes on the mailbox. > > Did you happen to note the calls he QSL'd? Might help someone who worked him but doesn't get a card for whatever reason figure out the details. > > It was nice to get Cuba in the books. > > 73 > Rick K7TEJ > > ---- John Papay <john(a)papays.com> wrote: > > Hector, CO6CBF, made his first satellite QSO back on > > January 27th, 2011 on the AO-51 satellite. He didn't > > have much help getting started but he read and built an > > antenna and made that contact after he could successfully > > hear others on the satellite. > > > > I've only worked 3 Cuban stations, CO8TW in FL20, CO5LU in EL93 > > and Hector CO6CBF in EL92. EL92 is rare. I did not have it and > > neither did KO4MA, K6YK or NI7P/exN7SFI. I sent the card to > > Hector before I did any research on the mail issues. It turns > > out that mail from Cuba to the USA has been suspended by the > > Cuban government due to delays with our TSA screening incoming > > mail. Cuba feels that this delay is unacceptable. You would > > think that mail from the USA to Cuba would be refused also but > > that is not the case. Hector reported being very surprised to > > receive a card from me with an IRC in tact. The mail from the > > USA to Cuba works. Sending IRC's is acceptable. Green stamps > > would not be acceptable. > > > > Now the problem was how to return cards from Cuba to the USA. > > Hector has friends that live in the US but visit Cuba from time > > to time. He was finally able to send a number of cards back with > > his friend and they in turn mailed them to me for distribution. > > > > There are 75 QSL cards in the mail now from Hector, CO6CBF. Just > > two of them are in envelopes received by Hector, however, he reports > > that since that time, he has received several envelopes from the US. > > > > There were a few cards with incorrect callsigns. I did my best to > > determine the intended recipient but there may be some errors on my > > part. If you get a card addressed to you for a contact you made with > > Hector but your callsign is wrong, simply send a card to him and he > > will send one back via the above mentioned process. Be patient. > > > > Please remember that Hector's first language is not English. If he gets > > your callsign wrong, it is likely due to your not using phonetics. There > > is no need to discuss phonetics; just use them when making a QSO with Hector. > > > > The QSL cards are smaller than the standard QSL, 3-1/2" x 5-1/2". That is > > because the only printer that Hector has right now will not print that > > size. He is trying to fix another printer that will allow the full size > > card to be printed. > > > > Hector has shared his plans for future satellite grid operations. He > > will be trying to activate every grid in Cuba and may do some water grids > > as well. His biggest problem right now is a portable UHF radio. He has > > 2 meter portables but nothing to take on the road for UHF. It is unfortunate > > that we cannot send him a radio due to restrictions, however, other countries > > like Canada and Mexico could. If there is anyone outside the US that has > > a UHF portable that would cover the satellite band and would like to help > > Hector, please consider sending it to him. He is trying to > > build a uhf to 2meter downconverter that could be used with a 2m HT but the > > outcome is unknown. Anything you build for UHF receive has to be very > > sensitive as satellites run very low power. An HT would be the best > > solution. > > > > So if you are one of the lucky 73 who gets a QSL card from Hector, unsolicited, > > please take the time to make one out and return it to him. He is trying to > > get his VUCC and it's a lot more difficult for him than it is for us. An > > IRC always helps. Please do not send cards to me. > > > > Thank you Hector for getting on the birds from Cuba. You have given many of > > us a new grid as well as a new DXCC entity! > > > > 73, > > John K8YSE > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > _______________________________________________ > 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

searching advice on low pass filter for 146 MHz
by Werner Kullmann, HB9BNK 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

What an amazing responsetime on this list ! (post the question, go shopping, find valuable advice !) thank you all very much ! It will be a few days, until I can get at the antenna. I will report my findings here Thanks and 73 Werner, HB9BNK

4 3

Re: Hector CO6CBF EL92
by Dave Webb KB1PVH 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

I have a Yaesu FT-51R that I would be happy to give to Hector. Is there a Canadian ham that I can ship it to and have them reship to Hector? Anyone willing to do it can contact me direct. Dave - KB1PVH Sent from my Verizon Wireless DROID X On Apr 27, 2011 2:10 PM, "John Papay" <john(a)papays.com> wrote:

2 1

PayPal Embed Code
by Clint Bradford 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

>> ... PayPal widget won;t show up ... You have the "visitor globe" there - was that an "insert html" or an "insert source code" task? Does your blog admin panel have a "insert widget" choice? Clint

2 1

AO-51 reported down 27 April 2011 1200utc
by Nick Lewis 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Hi All, You know, I feel so guilty... After goodness knows how many years, I decided to try satellite work again. I read around, I took advice, and I purchased a nice new Kenwood TH-D72. It arrived a couple of weeks ago, so I took it with me on vacation, programmed the memories for Doppler and persuaded my XYL that what she really wanted to do each afternoon of her holiday was listen to AO-51 passes... That was fine. Using just the rubber duck, I copied every pass without trouble and no divorce proceedings ensued. She's very tolerant after all these years... We then returned home to find the shiny new Elk that I'd ordered from AMSAT-UK waiting for me. Eagerly, I screwed my courage to the sticking point and attempted to work the bird. (Without a great deal of success, I have to admit, hopefully because the only two chances I've had so far have been Sunday afternoons, when every amateur in Europe seems to be on..) But, horror of horrors! As soon as I pointed my Elk at AO-51, this BBS started filling up with messages about how the bird was going down all the while! I'm sorry, folks. I know it was my fault. I really meant to take my Evil Genius' Prototype Satellite Killing Death Ray out of circuit before transmitting. It was a honest mistake that could have happened to anybody.... I promise not to do it again... :-) 73 Nick MW0JGE P.S. Seriously, many thanks to all those who labour long and hard to make satellites available to the likes of me. It is much appreciated. ----------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:11:19 -0400 From: "Mark L. Hammond" <marklhammond(a)gmail.com> Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-51 reported down 27 April 2011 1200utc To: Amsat - BBs <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Message-ID: <BANLkTikhdW4-Emx_e9wsUhhcUzC52YCwog(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hello AO-51 Users, We are receiving reports that AO-51 is down. It will be several hours until a command station is in the footprint. We'll do try and get it active as soon as possible. 73, -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH] ------------------------------

1 0

VX-3R on FM Sats
by Clint Bradford 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Radio transmits at 435 ... receives everything (grin) - (throw a long wire on it, and sit out back one evening ... you'll hear tone o' stuff on the pre-programmed shortwave freqs - an amazing little receiver!). Oh - and page 43-ish of the manual covers "split freq" operations - just like other modern Yaesu HTs, it CAN be programmed to listen on 440 and TX on 2M in one memory channel. The use of the popular software programs to program the unit make that much less painful to accomplish. Clint, K6LCS

1 0