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

SO-67
by Helmuth Kump 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

I think this is new information...at least I haven't seen it yet. http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ under the heading of "Breaking News", says: SO67 SAFE BUT PROBLEMATIC The Ground Control Station Engineers at SunSpace in Stellenbosch are still working to restore SO67. SumbandilaSat developed a problem with the Power Distribution Unit, similar to what happened some time back. The other sub-systems are in a healthy state and SO67 is in no immediate danger . 73 Doc KT3L

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VUCC RULES
by Kevin Deane 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

(e) Stations who claim to operate from more than one grid locator simultaneously (i.e., from the boundary between two grid locators or from the intersection of four grid locators) must be physically present in all locators to give multiple locator credit with a single contact. These stations should be prepared to validate their claim. For a mobile station, this means parking the vehicle exactly on the line or corner. For a portable station, this means that the total area occupied by the station's physical setup, including operating position(s), power source(s), and antenna(s), must occupy some portion of each of the two/four grid squares simultaneously. Operators of boundary/corner stations should be prepared to provide evidence of meeting the simultaneous occupation test if called upon to do so. Two photographs -- one showing the placement of the GPS receiver in the station setup, and a close-up legibly showing the GPS reading – are typically needed as evidence of compliance. Video footage showing an overview of the operating site and then, uncut and in real time, zooming in on the GPS display coordinates is even better (f) Grid boundary lines and grid corners must be established using a GPS receiver whose map datum is set to WGS84, the global default for current GPS receivers. The GPS receiver should be set to use WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) if so equipped, since this improves the error figure to as little as 5 feet. In no case may the GPS receiver show an error figure in excess of 20 feet. Any modern GPS receiver equipped with WAAS will easily meet this requirement, as will most older units without WAAS. 6. For VUCC awards on 50 through 1296 MHz and Satellite, all contacts must be made from locations no more than 200 km apart. For SHF awards, contacts must be made from a single location, defined as within a 300-meter diameter circle. SOOO I still dont see where it says I cannot OBTAIN a grid from down the street or whatever. The above says I can basicly make contacts 124 miles from my QTH. Right? Kevin KF7MYK

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Astronaut autographs
by John Heath 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

Hi, Buzz Aldrin, Scott Carpenter, Ed Michel and Bruce Candless will be at the Autographica Event Radisson Edwardian Hotel Heathrow London 14-16th October 2011. When Buzz visted the National Space Centre in Leicester England a year or two ago he gave a lecture but did not sign autographs, as far as I know he rarely does. This is a good oportunity if you like that sort of thing. There is an admission charge and you have to pay Buzz and the others for their autographs. The small print on the advertisement says, guests apprance is subject to work commitments, guests may not be signing on both days, check the web site for details. See www.autographica.co.uk I have no personal or business connection with this event but I was very grateful to them bringing for creating the opportunity a few years ago to meet and get the autograhs of several Russian cosmonauts including Alexi Leonov and Valentina Tereshkova. Those are treasured memories. 73 John G7HIA

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DN 00,10,11,20
by Rodney Waln 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

i would not fret you can put them towards the rVUCC award?? that is my next goal, and be helping alot of people in the long run, Rodney kc0zhf

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thank you for the grids
by Rodney Waln 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

hi, all just checked the mailbox today and there was the Vucc endorsements for the the grids covering 100-250, i could not have done it without all of the people that give out grids and do grid expadetions in this country and others, again many thanks. Rodney kc0zhf WY Amsat area Coordinator

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DN 00,10,11,20
by Kevin Deane 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

So much for that idea, I dont mind making myself look stupid. Oh well, at least somebody will get some new grids. :( Kevin KF7MYK

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Fast 2
by jerry keeton 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

(P 22:40 FAST2>BEACON>UI,?,F0 (1200 baud): F21001633 38263.461363903952.94 -3773326.54 +4430538.23 +0.00000 +0.00000 +0.00000+1372283286 017 017 014 018 027 09/07/2011 2240Z Jerry WB5LHD

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Elko
by Kevin Deane 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

Looks like I will be passing though: DN00 DN10 DN11 DN20 I think someone was interested in DN10 there is a spot on I-80 where 10 & 11 meet. Now I want these Grids myself so I guess I have to work my brother 10 feet away to get them. Seems pretty lame to me but I suppose Rules are Rules. Kevin KF7MYK

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WD9EWK back on the satellites - soon...
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

Hi! Due to a series of events over the past 3 weeks, I have had no time to work on the satellites. I've moved to a new QTH, one with a yard where I can work the satellites from. I won't have to go out to a park or parking lot to get on the satellites, unless I want to. I still plan on making occasional trips to the DM33/DM43 grid boundary in Phoenix, if there isn't much activity from the DM33 side of metro Phoenix. Since my mail goes to a PO box, that's one thing that will not change as a result of this move. I still have some packing to do at my apartment, and pulling things out of storage (including some items that have been packed away since my last move a few years back), so the moving process probably won't be finished until later this month. Once things settle down, I will start operating from the back yard. I'm not able to install antennas on the house, but I can look at using tripods for antennas in the yard. I will also have time to do more with the computer and my radios, and possibly get my FT-817NDs working with SatPC32. I'm looking forward to spending more weeknights on the radio, since I won't have to drive somewhere to do that. Going out to hamfests and other parts of Arizona will also return to my schedule, starting with the first hamfest of the upcoming Arizona hamfest "season" in Tucson next month. One observation... it has been neat to see all the posts about ARISSat-1. It may not be in a high orbit, and its 70cm antenna is not what it should have been, but it has been fun to see the posts and look at the ARISSat-1 telemetry web page from time to time. I'm hoping to get things going at home to try the transponder again, something I was not successful at last month. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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NASA to Broadcast Soyuz Landing 09/15
by Clint Bradford 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

Sep. 07, 2011 MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-188 NASA TV WILL BROADCAST SOYUZ LANDING ON SEPT. 15 HOUSTON -- NASA Television will broadcast the return to Earth of three crew members who have called the International Space Station (ISS) home for more than five months. On Sept. 15, Expedition 28 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev, NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan and off-going station Commander Andrey Borisenko will undock from the station's Poisk module to return to Earth in their Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft. They are set to land on the southern region steppe of Kazakhstan near the town of Dzhezkazgan at 11:01 p.m. CDT on Sept. 15 (10:01 a.m. local time, Sept. 16). Their return was delayed a week due to the Aug. 24 loss of the unmanned ISS Progress 44 cargo craft. Expedition 29 station Commander Mike Fossum of NASA, Russian Flight Engineer Sergei Volkov and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa will remain aboard the complex to conduct research until their planned return to Earth in mid-November. The schedule to launch three new Expedition 29 crew members, NASA Flight Engineer Dan Burbank, Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Russian Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin, is under review as NASA and its international partners assess the readiness to resume Soyuz launches. The full schedule of the Expedition 28 Soyuz TMA-21 hatch closure, undocking and landing coverage is below. All times are CDT. Wednesday, Sept. 14 4:40 p.m. - Expedition 28-29 change of command ceremony (Borisenko hands over station command to Fossum) Thursday, Sept. 15 4 p.m. -¬ Soyuz TMA-21 crew farewells and hatch closure (hatch closure scheduled at 4:35 p.m.) 7:15 p.m. - Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled at 7:37 p.m.) 9:30 p.m. - Deorbit burn and landing coverage (Deorbit burn scheduled at 10:06 p.m., landing in Kazakhstan scheduled at 11:01 p.m.) Friday, Sept. 16 2 a.m. - Video File of the landing and post-landing activities (repeated at 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.) 11 a.m. - Video File of the landing and post-landing activities that includes post-landing interview with Garan and the cosmonauts' return to Chkalovsky Airfield near Star City, Russia For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the International Space Station and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Clint Bradford clintbradford(a)mac.com

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