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

AMSAT Solar Talk
by Bob Bruninga 22 May '11

22 May '11

The AMSAT/TAPR banquet talk at Dayton was about Solar and emergency power for Ham radio. In preparation, here are three ideas that amazed me that might amaze you: 1) This week by googling solar panels, I found PRIME home solar (UL approved) 220 Watt panels going for $1.39 per watt! (compare that to $6/w contractor installed systems 2 years ago...) 2) Even if you want to use bargain panels and bargain micro-grid-tie inverters, one way, is to pay a contractor to install the smallest fully approved and electrical-permitted solar system you can buy. This gets you fully legal, connected, grid-tied etc. Then add as many panels and additional plug-in micro-grid inverters at your own DIY cost! Just remember, to connect + to + in parallel, and + to - in series... and just plug in the DIY microinverters to the wall outlet. (Note, the UL approved microinverters should be connected to a standard 20 amp breaker in your breaker box by a master electrician). 3) Amazing angles! No-longer does SOUTH matter!!! I hope everyone here has had the fun of playing with the on-line PVWATTS for computing annual solar ouput over any conceivable arrangement of azimuth and elevation angles. I just compared a pure EAST/WEST facing roof to the optimum South facing, just to see how bad it would be. AMAZING! Here is the PVWATTS page: http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/ DRUM ROLL: A DUE EAST facing roof (with a 20 degree tilt) will produce 85% of the annual power as the ideal tilted southern array. Amazing... BUT!!! SO does the WEST side of the same house! So, unlike the southern home that can only use HALF his roof for power*, the EAST/WEST facing homeowner can generate 170% more power than the sourthern facing owner because he has twice the room to put the panels!!! (Roof size and shade are the #1 limits to homeowner 100% production of their annual electrical needs). *But wait, there's more! Next for grins, I used PVWATTS to tell the power output from the NORTH FACING side of the South Facing house. Who would ever even think of doing this? But if the ROOF tilt is the typical low profile 20 degrees, guess what? The NORTH side of the roof can produce 60% (annual) of the south side! So the homeowner with his low-profile southern roof maxed out with solar, can now increase his total annual output by 60% (with a double sized array (on a low tilt roof)). He produces nearly zero in the middle of winter from that side, but makes up the full 60% of his total capacity for that array in the summer! Many hams who know that SOUTH IS BEST find it hard to accept this. But do the PVWATTS calculations yourself. Remember, the SUN comes up in the NE and sets in the NW during the summer when the days are 14 to 16 hours long. This means that for the 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening, the IDEAL Southern array is not even seeing the sun. Sure, an east facing array will produce little in the winter, but for GRID-TIE, the ONLY thing that matters is ANNUAL total power. and all these other directions make up for their poor winter performance by making MORE power in the other months. Even laying flat on the ground will produce 80% of the annual power (but be a maintenance issue... Any panel should be at at least 10 degrees to assure rain-cleaning). Back to the EAST/WEST facing house... Doubling the array to get the added 160% may not have been cost effective in the past, but with DIY panels at $1/watt and DIY plug-in micro-grid inverters at about $0.30/W, it's so cheap to expand your array into less productive angles, why not! DIY panels and added plug-in DIY microinverters can double the size of your "approved" array for probably 1/4 the original cost of your contractor installed system. Putting panels on EVERYTHING until you get to 100% of your annual electrical load is the goal. You can do it! Look outside the "southern" box. (But shade remains the #1 killer of even the greatest solar ambitions. But as costs are so low, look again...) Don't forget, the economics of homeowner solar is all due to GRID-TIE. There is not a single battery in the system. Off-grid battery systems can only deliver about 33% of annual energy for the same $ investment plus the added burden of lifetime maintanance. GRID-TIE is the only way to go (if you are on the grid)... Please see: www.aprs.org/off-grid-maybe.html Oh, and the BIGGEST FACTOR by far is the almost 50% Government Credits, Rebates and Grants that come right off the top of your installation costs. I would bet these are going to be gone in a year or two (my state has already reduced theirs by 1/3rd), beacuse the cost of home-solar produced power is now LESS than utility power (with the 50% incentives) and so EVERYONE is jumping into solar. With tight budgets at all governmnet levels, do not expect these incentives to last. Next week, I'll post slides from the AMSAT/TAPR solar talk. Oh, and please come join the SolarDIY(a)yahoogroups.com discussion group made up mostly of HAMS going solar. Bob, WB4APR

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WB2OQQ
by Peter Portanova 22 May '11

22 May '11

Hello, I want to thank the stations that called W2GSB/APM, airports are not the most ideal location for transmitting with all the metal around us, attached is a video of the GSBARC event, thank you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXHvYWaasg 73's Pete WB2OQQ

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New Bird Op
by claryco＠aol.com 22 May '11

22 May '11

I'm very happy to report that my XYL (and grid-pedition driver) Cori passed her Tech license exam at the Dayton Hamvention today. Now comes the long wait (or so it will seem) for her callsign to appear in the FCC database before she can get on the air. But she'll be ready and packin' when we head out to AZ in July. And yes, her family AMSAT membership is already on the books! 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Dayton OH / EM79

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Re: Shuttle Flight Photo
by Clint Bradford 22 May '11

22 May '11

>> ... And what was her iPhone doing turned on during approach? Still a no-no on all commercial carriers, AFAIK ... If you are telling us that if you had that view outside your flight's window and would NOT take that photograph ... then you are fibbing to us all (grin). Clint Bradford, K6LCS ---------------------------------- Clint Bradford, K6LCS http://www.clintbradford.com

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In-flight iPhone snaps Space Shuttle launch
by Clint Bradford 22 May '11

22 May '11

The story behind the photo taken of the Space Shuttle from an in-flight passenger jet. Stefanie Gordon shot the image of Endeavour's launch with her iPhone as her plane descended for a landing. http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/17/in-flight-iphone-snaps-space-shuttle-launch/ Clint Bradford clintbradford(a)mac.com

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Carrier?
by Robert Smith 22 May '11

22 May '11

Aloha I just returned from over a month on the mainland where unfortunately I was not too engaged in SatComms. Also, I've deleted a lot of accumulated email without paying too much attention however I thought I noticed carrier? problems with AO-51. Being home now, I have tried on several occasions to work 51 only to find the uplink frequency totaled out with some type of carrier. The same occurred this evening on the Hawaii easterly pass. Essentially 145.910 - 145.925 MHz is totally "S-metered" out. Is this the same phenomena I think I noticed posted on this BBS? Any predictions where it is coming from? robert NH7WN Honolulu, HI

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Fw: Re: Actual Eagle and P3E Status/Update
by i8cvs 22 May '11

22 May '11

Hi Reid, W4UPD My message with file for P3E bounced back to me.Please indicate to me another email address or ask the same file to Ben Napper at ben.napper(a)gmail.com because he has received the file from me just few minutes ago. 73" de i8CVS Domenico ----- Original Message ----- From: "w4upd" <updwrb(a)bristor-assoc.com> To: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2011 1:17 AM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Actual Eagle and P3E Status/Update > I would appreciate a copy of this file as well. > > Reid, W4UPD > Amsat #17002 > > > On 5/21/2011 7:05 PM, i8cvs wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ben Napper"<ben.napper(a)gmail.com> > > To:<amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > > Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:48 PM > > Subject: [amsat-bb] Actual Eagle and P3E Status/Update > > > >> The most recent stuff on the P3E website is from 2005 and what I'm > >> guessing is the most recent thing posted on Eagle's website isn't dated > >> and says that updates will be provided when progress is made. > >> > >> I'm just curious as to what the real status/in-progress milestone/really > >> really rough guess as to when completion becomes a possibility is. I know > >> these are not quick and easy projects, but published updates every 6 > >> months(at least) would be awesome. > >> > > Hi Ben , > > > > The most recent stuff on P3E comes from the AMSAT-DL Symposium and > > AGM on May 14 2011 in Bochum and in a separate email I will send to you > > a pdf file 4.27 MB long describing the P3E status / update with pictures and > > diagrams. > > > > In addition I can send the above file to everyone requesting it to me. > > > > About Eagle's I don't have any information. > > > > 73" de > > > > i8CVS Domenico > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > >

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Actual Eagle and P3E Status/Update
by Ben Napper 21 May '11

21 May '11

The most recent stuff on the P3E website is from 2005 and what I'm guessing is the most recent thing posted on Eagle's website isn't dated and says that updates will be provided when progress is made. I'm just curious as to what the real status/in-progress milestone/really really rough guess as to when completion becomes a possibility is. I know these are not quick and easy projects, but published updates every 6 months(at least) would be awesome.

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Picture
by Kevin Deane 21 May '11

21 May '11

>> ... And what was her iPhone doing turned on during approach? Still a no-no on all commercial carriers, AFAIK ... >>If you are telling us that if you had that view outside your flight's window and would NOT take that photograph ... then you are fibbing >>to us all (grin). >>Clint Bradford, K6LCS YEAH! Kevin KF7MYK

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Fwd: [The Weekly DX] 70cm is SAFE!!!
by Rsoifer＠aol.com 21 May '11

21 May '11

____________________________________ From: bernie(a)dailydx.com To: dailydx(a)kkn.net, weeklydx(a)kkn.net Sent: 5/21/2011 3:16:20 P.M. GMT Standard Time Subj: [The Weekly DX] 70cm is SAFE!!! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 19, 2011, Massapequa Park, NY - A delegation of Amateur Radio operators from the Long Island / New York City area met this morning with Congressman Peter T. King (R-NY) to discuss his recent proposed legislation, HR 607, and its impact on Amateur Radio. Congressman King said that he fully understands and appreciates the importance of Amateur Radio and the service it provides to the community, and that he would see to the modification of the bill so that the 420 - 440 MHz band would be excluded from the spectrum to be auctioned. The delegation included Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, ARRL Section Manager for New York City / Long Island (NLI), Peter Portanova, WB2OQQ, NLI Local Government Liaison (LGL), George Tranos, N2GA, NLI State Government Liaison (SGL), and Jim Mezey, W2KFV, NLI ARES Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC). "The Congressman went on to explain that it was never his intention to remove the 70 centimeter band from Amateur use. He further asked us to `get the word out' and inform the Amateur Radio community that 70 centimeters is not in jeopardy," said Lisenco. Lisenco, Mezey and Tranos spoke about the importance of Amateur Radio emergency communications while Portanova, who is also the local AMSAT representative, addressed satellite and other amateur use of the 70 centimeter band. The Congressman was very receptive to the group, who also extended an invitation to attend Field Day locations in his District. _______________________________________________ WeeklyDX mailing list WeeklyDX(a)kkn.net http://www.kkn.net/mailman/listinfo/weeklydx

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