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

TLM Data captured EN50LM 3:14UTC on 8-15-2011
by Josh Golladay 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Received in Normal, IL Grid square EN50LM at 03:14 UTC 8-15-2011 MET = 69 MINUTES IHU Temp = +45 Control Panel Temp = +50 Battery Voltage = 35.77V Battery Current is -4ma

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Telemetry data - Battery Voltage
by Mike Schaffer 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Monday, August 15, 0002 UTC ARISSat-1 heard on a high power mode on 145.950 FM with voice telemetry indicating battery voltage 35.93 volts. 73's Mike Schaffer KA3JAW Tampa, Florida EL87

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5 IN EM55
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Congrats to Matt N8MS award #23 for 5 in EM55 WA4HFN em55

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Voice Telemetry just at going eclipse
by fohuchi＠jcom.home.ne.jp 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Dear Sir, Attached are telemetry on FM voice for your study. During telemetry announcement, FM signal sttoped, maybe due to battery voltage down. August 14, 2011 at 1049 UTC, Telemetry on FM voice, just after AOS MET is ?? minutes (I could not copy with QSB/Noise) IHU Temp is plus ?? degrees C (I could not copy with QSB/Noise) Control Panel Temp is plus 61 degrees C Battery Voltage is 36.014 Battery Current is minus 4 milliAmps August 14, 2011 at 1051 UTC, Telemetry on FM voice MET is 69 minutes IHU Temp is plus 48 degrees C Control Panel Temp is plus 61 degrees C Battery Voltage is 36.014 Battery Current is minus 8 milliAmps August 14, 2011 at 1053 UTC, Telemetry on FM voice MET is 72 minutes IHU Temp is plus 48 degrees C Control Panel Temp is plus 6? degrees C Battery Voltage is 31. FM carrier stopped just at this point, after announcement of battery voltage drop down to 31 V. It is not LOS yet. Not calculated, but orbit prediction of this pass is VVN. Satellite goes into eclipse during this pass. I think ARISSAT1 lost solar panel power and stopped soon. I wish this data helps you. Thank you, Fujio JO1XWH

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Thinking about ARISSat-2
by Burns Fisher 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

I know the ARISSat team is busy with bird #1, but I'm just thinking about lessons we might learn for version 2. I think it is great that we are getting so much data about the battery. Assuming that there might be another satellite launched from the ISS, we will still have the same man-rating issues, and thus the battery might need to be the same Russian space suit battery. If that were true, what might we take away from #1 to help with #2? It was hoped that many shallow charge cycles might keep the battery running longer than the few deeps cycles that it is spec'ed for. Sounds like we got maybe 10 days out of it before it started to deteriorate. What about another strategy? Suppose we did exactly what the battery was spec'ed for: Deep cycles. Let's say 333ma current draw and let's say that the battery is rated at 24Ah. So what if we only charged the battery every 3 days; maybe even turn off the transmitter while it charges. 5 cycles is 15 days. A bit better than this time. Maybe (also) we extend that 3 days between charges by only using the batteries in eclipse. This obviously requires additional electronics; in particular the battery can't be on the main power bus; we want to be able to isolate it to prevent it charging on every orbit. But that might be good anyway...the ability to isolate the battery might be desirable when the battery does die for good. Just thinking... Burns, W2BFJ

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2317utc Pass over VK
by Colin Hurst 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

The 2317UTC 14th August 2011 pass over VK, was Continuous for the whole pass on High Power Last frame shows Battery Voltage at 35.977 73 Colin VK5HI

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ET - Email Home
by Bob Bruninga 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

> As far as SATs go, what's presently flying or > near term planned for launch that will serve > as a message relay for nts type messages? Since all of the packet digipeating satellties can also transparently carry email, it was interesting the other day when Nick Pugh K5QXJ suggested that not only can APRS satellites EMAIL their telemetry directly to their makers, the controllers can also send commands directly back to the satellites via conventional APRS mail as well! For a satellite to email its telemetry directly to a callsign (for delivery by any worldwide email device) all it has to do is format its telemetry like any other APRS one-line email. Here is the format: PCSAT>APRS::EMAIL :[email protected] I'm OK: V=12, I=140, T=30C In this case PCSAT sends an email to WB4APR via his ARRL address with the words "I'm OK"... and then whatever other telemetry the satellite wants to include. This works this way because the global APRS system will take any packet anywhere that is addressed to "EMAIL" and then wrap it up into standard EMAIL and send it via the internet. Since all IGates on the planet including the ones that are monitioring the satellites automatically do this, then the system is in place. For the satellite operator to send back a command to the satellite this too is aoutamitcally handled in all existing IGate software. If an APRS message is seen anywhere on the planet addressed to any callsign, in this case, the callsign of a small satellite, then any IGate that is IN RANGE of the satellite at any instant (and has heard it) will attempt to transmit that packet onto the satellite uplink in real time. No one has done this yet I dont think, because most Satellite IGates have mostly just been used for downlink, and no one has tried this uplink before. The one thing that would have to change is the TIME-OUT time in the "has-been-heard" list of the IGates. As it is, an IGate will try to return a message to another callsign if it has been heard in the last 30 minutes or so. For satellites, we would want this to time out after only 10 minutes, since a LEO will be out of range by then. But it is possible. Might be fun. Bob, Wb4APR

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what's flying that does packet
by Eric Fort 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

I may be going on an extended adventure which will take me far from the usual communications facilities of phone, internet, or even regular postal mail. This pretty much leaves HF and SAT as my options for messaging and communication with the outside world. As far as SATs go, what's presently flying or near term planned for launch that will serve as a message relay for nts type messages? Thanks, Eric AF6EP

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Re: Yaesu 5500 rotator
by Mike Schaffer 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Mike: My Cushcraft Oscar 2M/70cm elevation rotator had a aluminum crossboom at 50 inches in length x 1 5/16 inch in diameter. I would recommend a fiberglass crossboom vice aluminum to keep detuning of both antennas to a minimum. Mike Schaffer KA3JAW

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Re: Secret Word question (Mike Schaffer)
by James Luhn 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Mike& Alan, Thank you so much for your reply to my question about the "Secret Word" contest. I sure do not want my post about the contest to imply that I am in a hurry to receive a certificate. I am so appreciative of those who volunteer and make programs like ARISSAT-1 so interesting, exciting, informative, and even habit forming. I have been an active ham for 50 years but relatively new to the satellite area. I have come to realize just how habit forming this facet of Amateur Radio is. I plan my life around the acquisition and loss of signals, having the radio prepared with the appropriate software running, antenna positions, and on and on. I sincerely thank everyone who contributes to the many pieces that make the satellite puzzles complete. OMG, now a contest to guess (you smart folks probably know!) when ARISSAT-1 will reenter. This will be like losing a family member! Mine will only be a guess...discussing death is hard to do! Thank you to all involved! 73, James W5AOO Message: 7 Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2011 10:32:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Mike Schaffer<daetsort(a)yahoo.com> To:"amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Secret Word question Message-ID: <1313343168.11149.YahooMailNeo(a)web113816.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 James: ? ARISSat1.org are getting hundreds of reception reports flooding into the organization.? ? I?reported my secret word to them four days ago with?no pdf certificate received to date. ? With the Aug 11 delay in high power mode while entering sunlight and then the Aug 12 battery failing has caused a shift in priorities, less time devoted to generating pdf certificates is my guess. ? We all need to be extra patient on this one. 73's ? Mike Schaffer KA3JAW EL87 Tampa, Florida Message: 9 Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:09:44 -0500 From: "Alan P. Biddle" To: "'James Luhn'"<luhn(a)wt.net>,<amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Secret Word question Message-ID:<846D30D9E0094D3097F49793FB34EB70@WA4SCA> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" James, This is handled by a small team of real humans, or at least real hams. Emphasis on the word "small." The confirmation process is active, but it will take a little time to get things up to full speed. 73s, Alan WA4SCA

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