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

ARISSatTLM
by N0JY 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

How about a checkbox setting in the application, or a command argument/switch, to have ARISSatTLM automatically START the sound card when the application is started? I run it all the time but if the system shuts down and restarts for a Microsoft Update or whatever, I can only restart ARISSatTLM automatically (startup folder) and have to (later) tell it to start the sound card. An "automatic" setting would let it run all the time without missing anything if the system restarts when I'm not around. Or perhaps one exists, I just don't know it? Thanks and 73, Jerry N0JY __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6361 (20110808) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com

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ARISSat TLM test WAV file pointer
by PA3GUO 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

David https://svn.sarpeidon.net/viewvc/suitsat2/ground_station_software/ARISSatTLM /install-staging/Sample_ARISSat_Recording1.WAV?revision=3003 this is a test WAV file, and my install of ARISSatTLM is able to decode this. 9.6MB, 1:45 minutes. would be useful to place this on www.arissattlm.org Henk, PA3GUO Hi Henk. I've had some issues with decoding BPSK too. Worked fine on the first day, then unable to decode anything. Eventually I reloaded the software and played a wav file through the system. Finally it began decoding again. I don't really know what the problem was. It still will not send tlm via the internet and I can't get sound out...Hence the wav files. Problem is the wav file I have is large so I cant send it to you to try. Perhaps some one has 30 seconds worth that does decode, then we can use that as a standard to check our systems. I've been tracking doppler by hand. Seems to work OK but it's very important to keep the CW in the 'blue' window. I would think jumps would not be good. Perhaps frequent doppler updates. - So very small jumps. I also heard HB9 last night on the transponder, but in low power mode (45 sec)that is difficult. - I'll wait for some daylight passes. Good luck David G0MRF -----Original Message----- From: PA3GUO <pa3guo(a)amsat.org> To: amsat-bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Sent: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 10:41 Subject: [amsat-bb] ARISSat TLM decoding using FCD Just sharing the results of my recordings of last night: (using the FCD + HDSDR) - FM voice works fine - Xponder works fine (HB9AOB was very clear) - CW decoding works fine (the Tuning indicator locks on the CW bump) - BPSK decoding did not work (I hear & see the signal, but no decode) Is the BPSK decoding very sensitive to doppler / freq hops ? Henk, PA3GUO _______________________________________________ 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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Re: A rose is a rose... is a rose
by Daniel Schultz 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Let's consider what we got from the Russians: they gave us a FREE 26 kilogram launch to low Earth orbit, with 20 times the mass and 75 times the volume of a 1U Cubesat, which is currently the only type of satellite that Amsat can hope to pay full market price for launching. NASA donated the six solar arrays and gave us a ton of help with export paperwork which would have been a bear if we had to export the satellite to Russia by ourselves. For this fact alone, we should be grateful to both agencies, because nobody else has offered us a 26 kilogram launch in the past decade. In spite of this, we still need to conduct an Anomaly Review Board to examine the reasons why the satellite was launched in a state of less than 100 percent readiness. This is not to assign blame but to see how we and our launch partners can improve the procedure for the next launch. The fundamental difference between educational satellites and amateur satellites is that educational satellites can be considered successful if they deliver a working satellite to the launch pad, it does not need to work on orbit and the students who built it have probably graduated by the time it gets launched. Amateur satellites are supposed to perform a useful communications function for some amount of years in a hostile environment. The best thing that Amsat can contribute to the student built satellites is to teach them to think about designing for reliability and long life, not to consider the mission successful if they collect a few weeks of telemetry from their beep-sat once it is in orbit. I agree with Phil Karn on most of his points, but the hams who are out there collecting countries and grid squares are also testing our communications infrastructure under real life conditions, without them we would only be doing a laboratory experiment. Hopefully some hams are bringing the kids along on their grid square expeditions to show them how we communicate under adverse conditions. I have often compared Amateur Radio to fishing: if you just want to eat fish it is certainly more cost effective to buy your fish at the market instead of wasting all that time trying to catch your own fish. Yet many people still enjoy fishing just for the challenge of testing their abilities under sometimes adverse conditions. In my case I still plant little tomato seedlings in the ground in spring time, waste lots of time watering and weeding them, waste lots of money on fertilizer and bug spray, and hope I can get a few tomatoes before the deer and rabbits get them, it certainly would be cheaper and easier to buy tomatoes at the supermarket. That is why we do Amateur Radio, we want to communicate in the least cost-effective way possible because we seek the challenge of doing it ourselves instead of using equipment that any dummy with a credit card can buy at the mall. As for why Amsat did not receive credit for building the satellite by either NASA or the Russians, journalists are a lazy bunch who like to copy from press releases and from each other. Universities and Government agencies have full time public affairs offices with people who know how to get their stories into print and on the air in a way that best serves the interests of their organizations. We at Amsat don't know how to play this game and don't have the connections to do so. Students building little satellites in school is a cute story that practically writes itself, but journalists don't know how to explain amateurs building satellites in their garages and using them to collect QSL cards and grid squares. In the aerospace industry, "Educational Satellites" are good, they are training students who the industry can hire cheap (while getting rid of the older engineers who earn too much money), but "Amateur Satellites" are bad, because if a bunch of amateurs can build long lived, useful satellites in a garage, then why is industry charging 100's of millions of bucks for a satellite? Jan King gave a talk at a professional meeting years ago and reported that certain business officials and military officers walked out of the room because they did not want to hear any more of his talk about our "garage satellites". It is too much of a threat to their established way of doing business. Anyone who has tried to find an engineering job recently knows that there is no shortage of engineers, but lazy journalists keep reporting about a crisis in STEM education and how we need to inspire the next generation to study science and engineering. The universities who need a steady stream of incoming freshmen, the industry which needs a steady stream of fresh inexpensive young blood, and government agencies who need to justify their existence love to play the STEM education card, even though most of it is not true. It seems that every university in the world is building satellites but I doubt that even five percent of those students will find jobs in that field, and those that do will find that they have much less design authority and freedom when they are working for the big boys. However I am willing to let Amsat play along with that game, if we can get our satellites launched along the way. I will leave it for others to debate the ethics of that action. We live in a hostile world where most organizations do not have our interests at heart. As in any business deal, we need to use them to get what we want in exchange for giving them some of what they want. Use the educational aspects to get our payloads into space, but recognize that our goals are sometimes different from theirs. So let's celebrate what has been accomplished, learn the lessons from the mistakes that were made in final assembly, preflight inspection and deployment, and start planning ARISSat-2. If the Russians want to claim credit for building it all by themselves, so long as they put it into orbit first, I'm OK with that. Dan Schultz N8FGV

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Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 6, Issue 446
by Burns Fisher 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Hi, Zarya is a small but important part of the international space station. It is one of the first segments built and launched by the Russians, and contains the airlock they the Russians often use (and did use last week) for their spacewalks. ISS is how we generally refer to the International Space Station as a whole, while we might say Zarya (or Kvant, or ...) if we are talking about a specific part of it. ARISS is "Amateur Radio aboard the ISS". And (you did not ask but) ARISSat-1 is the amateur radio satellite built by US amateurs with hardware supplied by a number of US and Russian companies and universities, launched to the ISS by a Russian vehicle, and recently released from the ISS (from a location on Zarya) by Russian Cosmonauts. The ISS has a ham station aboard which is separate from ARISSat-1. The ISS station has more power and is easily readable by a small handheld 2M radio with a 'rubber ducky' antenna. However, it usually is sending digital data, so without the decoding software etc it is not too interesting. ARISSat-1 has a fairly low power transmitter (1/2 watt I believe) which is more difficult to read. Some have picked it up with pretty small rigs. You would probably do better with a pre-amp. It has FM voice modulation as well as CW, SSB data, and an SSB mode u/v transponder. Look at www.amsat.org to find pointers to more about this stuff, frequencies, orbit calculators, etc. Hope this helps, Burns, W2BFJ > Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 17:01:27 +0430 > From: "N. Mahdinejad" <n.mahdinejad(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [amsat-bb] iss beacon receive and vhf preamp > To: Amsat-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: > <CAH27MAO80sW1JD09EnRwZfU8=805r+C=WCM_dJ5BA9yzhGSVPQ(a)mail.gmail.com > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > Dear amsat members. > > I have some question about receiving beacon signal from ISS. > > Could you please help me? > > 1. What is the difference between ISS, ARISS and ZARYA? Is these > different satellites or 1 satellite with 3 name? > 2. Which of them is easier to receive beacon from them? > 3. Frequency of beacon signal of ISS is in VHF band. Is it available > without preamp? I use 2 preamp. One for VHF and 1 for UHF band. But the > preamp in vhf band isn?t on. I mean that icom receiver could not supply > it. > I activate preamp in vhf band in set menu of icom radio. The uhf band > preamp on and I use it. But for vhf when I push the preamp button in > front > panel of icom the preamp writing is visible for 2 seconds and then > turned off and isn?t visible. > > Any help would be gratefully appreciated. > > Beat Regards. > > N.Mahdinejad > > >

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nasa.all file
by Bato, Andras 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

At http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/keps/current/nasa.all the file does not contain orbital data of ARISSat-1 at any name. On http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=136&retURL=/sat… <http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=136&retURL=/sat…> there can be found three different names:RadioSkaf-V, KEDR and ARISSat-1. Beside these on http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/amateur.txt you can find RADIOSCAF-B at the very end. (Wrtten with capital C, not small k or capital K...) Can anyone or any organization agree in a common name, please? As for me I would prefer AO n+1 or anything you like but for God's sake give it a common name asap! Time passes and ARISSat-1 slowly approaches the Karman border and it will dissolve finally! gl de ha6nn Andras

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Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 6, Issue 447
by Giacobbe Lauser 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Dave - KB1PVH: "Sounding good" as in the systems are back up and running or "good" as in the QRP transponder is still limping along but will die at any minute? ;) - Jake, KK6L On Mon, Aug 8, 2011 at 12:00 PM, <amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > amsat-bb-owner(a)amsat.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of AMSAT-BB digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: receive beacon in l band and s-band (PA3GUO) > 2. keps (Nigel A. Gunn, W8IFF/G8IFF) > 3. Re: Beam Elevation (Dee) > 4. AO-51 alive and kicking (Dave Webb KB1PVH) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 19:38:07 +0200 > From: "PA3GUO" <pa3guo(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: receive beacon in l band and s-band > To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: <000001cc55f1$efd75e10$cf861a30$(a)amsat.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Dear N.Mahdinejad, > > What is your callsign and location/country ? > > Henk, PA3GUO > > >>Dear Amsat members. > . > I am lloking forward to hearing from you. > Best Regards. > N.Mahdinejad. > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:53:23 +0000 > From: "Nigel A. Gunn, W8IFF/G8IFF" <nigel(a)ngunn.net> > Subject: [amsat-bb] keps > To: "<amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: <4E402293.6040206(a)ngunn.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > RADIOSCAF-B > 1 37772U 98067CK 11220.42483692 .00030017 00000-0 35800-3 0 126 > 2 37772 051.6389 257.8070 0013414 059.0345 071.6267 15.60697248 645 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:26:25 -0400 > From: Dee <morsesat(a)optonline.net> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Beam Elevation > To: "'Bob Bruninga'" <bruninga(a)usna.edu>, "'Lowell White'" > <whiteld(a)usa.net> > Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Message-ID: <000f01cc55f8$af46b9c0$0dd42d40$(a)optonline.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Don't forget to use a preamp!!! > Dee, NB2F > > -----Original Message----- > From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Bob Bruninga > Sent: Monday, August 08, 2011 1:23 PM > To: Lowell White > Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Beam Elevation > >>> I have a dual band beam in my loft space >>> on a standard East West rotator . >>> Can hear and work the Sat's on it but >>> receive is quite poor... what sort of elevation >>> should I erect the antenna.. > > It depends! > > If your antenna can see down to the horizon (where you need max gain) > then the answer is 15 deg. > See Analysis: http://aprs.org/rotator1.html > > But if you cannot hear down there anyway, because you are working > through trees and 10 dB of structural wood, tar and asphault (roof) > then you should give up on the low elevations and improve your higher > angle performance. > > But just remember that almost 70% of all satellite access times are > BELOW 20 degrees! But if your site cannot see them or work them down > there, then give up on horizon gain and plan on having a better signal > but only able to work 1/3rd of the pass well. > > Bob, WB4APR > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 14:35:51 -0400 > From: Dave Webb KB1PVH <kb1pvh(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-51 alive and kicking > To: AMSAT -BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: > <CAEMY9FfyJcPSNuDjttxSX-MX2ge16DdndZdbHYe9ruwyh-bXmA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Just worked EI3GYB in Ireland on this recent pass. The bird was sounding > good! > > Dave - KB1PVH > > Sent from my Verizon Wireless DROID X > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via amsat-bb(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 6, Issue 447 > **************************************** >

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AO-51 alive and kicking
by Dave Webb KB1PVH 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Just worked EI3GYB in Ireland on this recent pass. The bird was sounding good! Dave - KB1PVH Sent from my Verizon Wireless DROID X

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Re: Beam Elevation
by Lowell White 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Hi Kev, The most likely responses you get will be for a fixed elevation of 15 to 30 degrees. It's a frequent topic:-). Good luck! Lowell K9LDW ------ Original Message ------ Received: Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:11:52 AM CDT From: mm0kjg <mm0kjg(a)googlemail.com> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Beam Elevation > Hello there. > I have a dual band beam in my loft space on a standard East West rotator . > Can hear and work the Sat's on it but receive is quite poor. Cant put > antenna outside so can someone please advice what sort of elevation I should > erect the antenna at for limited space etc. At moment it sits horizontal. > > > Cheers Kev > MM0KJG >

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Re: gps accuracy
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Hi John! > What is it only need to have the GPS at *one* location, which will be > the intersection of the 4 grids (40 degrees North, 124 degrees West) > > -OR- > > in all 4 girds around the intersection. > > If I'm standing there looking at the darn thing within feet > of it would that do? Only if you had your station, or parts of it, on the boundary or intersection. Again, the complete VUCC rules can be found at the following link: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/VUCC%20Rules%202011_Rev%2020110512.pdf Please read through sections 4(e) regarding stations located at grid boundaries and intersections and 4(f) regarding GPS receivers and their requirements. That should answer questions about locating the stations *on* the line/intersection and not just *near* those spots. If you have more questions about these rules, ARRL now has a new e-mail address for VUCC-related matters: VUCCaward @ arrl.org If the VUCC rules were as liberal as you mentioned about county hunting, I'm sure many more grid boundaries and intersections could be on the air. It would be so much easier, and that may have been some of the motivation in the rule changes a couple of years ago. I know of several different places I could put on the air where I could see the intersection of 4 grids, but can't actually put my station on the spot due to property ownership (DM32/DM33/DM42/DM43 is in a farmer's field south of Phoenix - I usually work from DM32/DM42 just south of this spot along a road) or safety (DM35/DM36/DM45/DM46 is just inside the Grand Canyon, north of its South Rim and east of Grand Canyon Village) - among other places. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: W1AW/5 Taos, NM
by Ollie Eisman 08 Aug '11

08 Aug '11

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the satellite contacts during the ARRL Rocky Mtn. Convention in Taos. We had hundreds of people stop by during the event with tons of interest in AMSAT and satellite operating. Special thanks to Rodney, KC0ZHF, for his help during the passes. Early on we had rotor control problems due to a bad USB<>serial interface driver. Having Rodney there to make the contacts while I adjusted the AZ/EL was a lifesaver. He also helped answer many of the questions coming our way about working the birds. I put some pictures online of the station setup on my QRZ page. 73, Ollie AJ1O > > > Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 20:10:44 -0700 (PDT) > From: Rodney Waln <kc0zhf(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: [amsat-bb] W1AW/5 Taos, NM > To: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Message-ID: > <1312600244.45256.YahooMailNeo(a)web46105.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > http://www.2011convention.org/w1aw.html > ? > aj1o?and kc0zhf will be operating and demoing from the 1973 pinzgauer > and tripod trailer as w1aw/5 on numerous satellite passes from dm76 please follow instructions > for qsl on the above link, Fri, sat and Sunday morning from the convention, > hope to work you, > >

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