November 2012 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

G5400B Rotor Problem
by tokens＠myranch.com 28 Nov '12

28 Nov '12

Hi All, Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like I’ll be measuring some voltages this weekend and will hopefully solve the problem. 73 Al W8KHP

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AO-27 reportedly heard this afternoon in California
by Paul Stoetzer 28 Nov '12

28 Nov '12

K6CMG reported on the HAM-SATs reflector that he heard people talking on AO-27 during a west coast pass around 2130Z today. I checked and AO-27 was the only amateur satellite over his location at the time. Has it been reactivated? There has been no update on the AO-27 website since October 21st. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Washington, DC

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Video – ARISSAT-1 Operational Survey Results
by Trevor . 26 Nov '12

26 Nov '12

The presentation given by Steve Bible N7HPR at the ARRL/TAPR DCC in Atlanta. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11690 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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CaNoSat - Canadian-Norwegian Sub-Orbital CubeSats
by Trevor . 26 Nov '12

26 Nov '12

See the video at http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11684 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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SpinSat and Phonesat v2 both plan Summer 2013 launches
by Trevor . 26 Nov '12

26 Nov '12

SpinSat Packet Radio Satellite To Launch Next Summer http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11674 Nexus S PhoneSat v2 Plans Summer 2013 Launch http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11670 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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OSSI CubeSat on Swedish Radio Show 12:10 CET
by Trevor . 26 Nov '12

26 Nov '12

Today Monday, November 26 at 12:10 CET Swedish Radio will broadcast a show about the Maker Movement that will include an item on Hojun Song DS1SBO and the OSSI CubeSat that is planned to launch in April 2013. See http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/120914?programid=412 Text in English at http://bit.ly/TlA6Bq Previous shows have been available after broadcast from the website as MP3's 73 Trevor M5AKA

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G5400B Rotor Problem
by Joe Leikhim 25 Nov '12

25 Nov '12

Al; The rotor turns a bit beyond the 180 degree clockwise mark, so when setting it, you have to observe the position of the AZ rotor bell. This is hard to do if the rotor is on the tower. You may need a helper and some walkie talkies. Start with checking the voltages from the controller box. The regulator Q2 (UA7806C) provides about 6 volts through 15 ohm resistors to screw terminals A1 and E1 on the rear panel. (A2 and E2 return a variable voltage from the rotor pots, while A3 and E3) are ground returns). I measured about +5.9 volts at A1 and E1 on mine. Last month I was discussing a stability problem with Tom K4TB who advised me that he found the regulator Q2 would oscillate and the output capacitor C9 (0.01) ineffective, so he added a capacitor directly to the output and fixed his. The original Thompson datasheet for that device claims no output capacitor is required, though a National Semiconductor version of that regulator recommends a .22 uf cap at the input and a 0.1 uf cap at the output to "help transient response". Common wisdom has been that these devices may oscillate. I have seen some fluctuation in meter reading on mine at low end of scale. I am in process of system testing my rotor and a TAPR TrakBox on the bench, so I recently set the voltages up to correctly display the azimuth and elevation. There are two pots on the corners of the rear panel which set the meter full scale accuracy these are VR1 and VR2. After adjusting these per the manual, page 4; Pre-Installation Adjustments. After confirming the meters track the rotor position faithfully, there are a second inner pair of pots VR3 and VR4 which set the full scale (AZ and EL needle to full right mark 180 degrees)voltage at the DIN connector which is normally used to feed an ADC inside an external tracking interface like the TracBox or Kansas City Tracker, etc. I set mine to accomodate the ADC voltage range of the TAPR TrakBox, normally 5.0 volts at full scale. Set to this voltage even if you don't have automation, so if you automate later, you save from the headache if the voltage is way too high or low. These outputs should track 0-5V as you go from left to right on the meters. If you are going to adjust these 4 pots, you might want to splash some volume control cleaner at them so they track smoothly. Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:31:29 -0500 From:<tokens(a)myranch.com> To:<amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] G5400B Rotor Problem Message-ID: <4C58B102B2AC45A7AD70C87ED4F77C10@AlPC> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Hi all, Trying to get a G5400B rotor going but having some calibration problems with the azimuth settings. With power off and the rotor set at the left hand position, I adjust the needle to read 180. When the power is turned on the reading goes to about 182. I then let the rotor go all the way to the right 180 mark and adjust the full scale pot to read 180. The problem is when the rotor is half way around and should be reading 360 it actually reads 345. Any ideas on what I should be looking at? Also there is nothing in the manual to suggest what the ?out voltage adjust? pot is supposed to do. What is its function? Thank you for any advice. 73 Al W8KHP -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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Video of Elon Musk lecture + 29 MHz Rx Project
by Trevor . 25 Nov '12

25 Nov '12

The presentation that Elon Musk gave in London on November 16 http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11645 G0MRF 29.45 MHz Receiver Project http://www.uk.amsat.org/?page_id=11615 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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G5400B Rotor Problem
by tokens＠myranch.com 25 Nov '12

25 Nov '12

Hi all, Trying to get a G5400B rotor going but having some calibration problems with the azimuth settings. With power off and the rotor set at the left hand position, I adjust the needle to read 180. When the power is turned on the reading goes to about 182. I then let the rotor go all the way to the right 180 mark and adjust the full scale pot to read 180. The problem is when the rotor is half way around and should be reading 360 it actually reads 345. Any ideas on what I should be looking at? Also there is nothing in the manual to suggest what the “out voltage adjust” pot is supposed to do. What is its function? Thank you for any advice. 73 Al W8KHP

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ANS-330 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne Maenpaa 25 Nov '12

25 Nov '12

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-330 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org In this edition: * Fox-1 CubeSat Design Published in Proceedings and Web * 2012 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Available in the AMSAT Store * PhoneSat CubeSat to Launch from Wallops in December * N0D Special Event Station Celebrating The End of the World * Successful ARISS School Contacts This Week * Three Astronaut Hams Return Safely From ISS * Call for Papers for IAA Conference: University Satellite Missions * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-330.01 ANS-330 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 330.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 25, 2012 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-330.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1 CubeSat Design Published in Proceedings and Web During the 2012 Symposium AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX and the Fox Engineering team presented the latest status on the design, development, and construction of the Fox-1A satellite project. This is the 1U cubesat which is slated as the FM repeater transponder to replace AO-51. The Proceedings of the AMSAT-NA 30th Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting, October 26-28 in Orlando, Florida have been put in the on- line AMSAT Store. Please visit the store at: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ The proceedings contains over 30 articles on subjects ranging from current satellite operations to detailed updates on the Fox Project. AMSAT's Fox web page at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fox/ now has been refreshed with the latest information from the Symposium: + Fox-1 Mechanical design and component integration diagrams + Fox-1 Thermal Design + Fox-1 Radiation Environment + Preliminary screenshot view of Fox-1 Telemetry Program Fox-1A's design goals include: + Fox-1 is designed to operate in sunlight without batteries once the battery system fails. This applies lessons learned from AO-51 and ARISSat-1 operations. + In case of IHU computer failure Fox-1 will continue to operate its FM repeater in a basic, 'zombie sat' mode, so that the repeater remains on-the-air. + Fox-1 is designed as the immediate replacement for AO-51. Its U/V (Mode B) transponder will make it even easier to work with modest equipment. + From the ground user's perspective, the same FM amateur radio equipment used for AO-51 may be used for Fox-1. AMSAT's Fox-1 project timeline is based on targeting a launch in the second half of 2013. NASA will determine on which flight each of the Project ELaNa CubeSats fly. Watch for news in the AMSAT Journal for details of AMSAT's partner- ship with universities, the National Science Foundation, and NASA in seeking grants for getting the first and future Fox generation sat- ellites into orbit. [ANS thanks the Fox Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2012 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Available in the AMSAT Store The Proceedings of the AMSAT-NA 30th Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting, October 26-28 in Orlando, Florida have been put in the on- line AMSAT Store. Please visit the store at: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ The proceedings contains over 30 articles on subjects ranging from current satellite operations to updates on the Fox Project. If you could not make the meeting, this is a great source of the latest information. Price is $25 + $12 Shipping for USA. See the details on the store web page and order your copy today! [ANS thanks Martha at the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- PhoneSat CubeSat to Launch from Wallops in December The PhoneSat cubesat is planned for launch aboard a new commercial rocket from Orbital Sciences Corp. Orbital's initial flight of the Antares-110 vehicle will carry PhoneSat into low earth orbit around December 17. The vehicle will be launched from a new launch pad LA-0A at Wallops Island, where the former Conestoga launch pad was located. Phonesat carries an amateur radio payload on 437.425 MHz, has been chosen as one of the winners in the Aerospace category for the Pop- ular Science magazine "Best of What's New 2012" awards. PhoneSat is a technology demonstration mission consisting of three 1U CubeSats intended to prove that a smartphone can be used to per- form many of the functions required of a spacecraft bus. The satellite is built around the Nexus smartphone which will be run- ning the Android operating system and will be enclosed in a standard 1U cubesat structure. The main function of the phone is to act as the Onboard Computer, but the mission will also utilize the phone's SD card for data storage, 5MP camera for Earth Observation, and 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer for attitude determination. One of the nanosatellites, powered by the HTC Nexus One smartphone, will send back pictures of Earth. The other two, running on the Sam- sung Nexus S, will have two-way S-band radio allowing them to be controlled from Earth. With a short lifetime of only about one week, the satellites have no solar cells and operate on battery only. More information about the Antares vehcicle can be found at: http://www.orbital.com/Antares/ A video of the Popular Science award for PhoneSat in the "Best of What's New 2012" awards can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/PhoneSatNews (YouTube) NASA Ames web page of the PhoneSat project can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/PhoneSat-NASA (nasa.gov) AMSAT-UK posted news of PhoneSat at: http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11544 [ANS thanks NASA, Gunter's Space Page, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- N0D Special Event Station Celebrating The End of the World That's right, the end is finally near. According to one of the three Mayan Calendars, the End of the world will occur on Dec 21, 2012. To celebrate this literally once in a lifetime event, Special Event Sta- tion N0D (Now Zero Days) will be activated for three days during and after(?) the end of the world. December 20 is a celebration of the end of the world. December 21, the day of destruction, we will be on the air as long as possible. December 22nd, that is a little iffy right now. N0D will be activated on the satellites by Allen Mattis, N5AFV, on December 20, 2012, on December 21, 2012 unless the day of destruc- tion makes that impossible, and on December 22, 2012 if the world survives. More information is available on the Official N0D website: http://www.nowzerodays.com You can also e-mail the N0D team at N0D.Doomsday(a)gmail.com Amateur radio stations around the crumbling globe are invited to con- tact N0D, who will be operating from a secret undisclosed location. QSL with SASE to the address in QRZ. If Doomsday actually does happen, we regret that a QSL will not be possible so hold on to your SASE un- til the 22nd at least. Check out the website for a preview of the N0D QSL card. You can celebrate Doomsday by contacting N0D directly on the air. Amateurs can also become an official Doomsday station by register- ing on the website. You will be given a registration number and the authority to identify yourself as "Official Doomsday Station" fol- lowed by your Doomsday number. Official N0D Doomsday apparel will be available soon; T-shirts, Caps and buttons. Official Doomsday stations will receive the Doomsday Station Certifi- cate. Stations contacting at least 10 Official Doomsday Stations dur- ing the event will be recognized on the web site. It is not entirely clear exactly how it will happen. Will it be a cataclysmic shift in the earth's magnetic field, Global Warming on steroids, earthquakes, volcanoes floods, global thermonuclear war, Meteor collision, the 10 plagues of Egypt, UFO invasion. who knows? There are scientists, soothsayers and philosophers on both sides of the question. Either way it will be an event worth remembering ... or maybe there will be no one left to remember it? Check the website for the latest updates: http://www.nowzerodays.com [ANS thanks Allen Mattis, N5AFV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Successful ARISS School Contacts This Week Italy ----- An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held with Liceo scientifico Giacinto De Sivo - Fondazione Villag- gio dei Ragazzi in Maddaloni, Italy on Tuesday, November 20. Amateur Radio station IK1SLD in Italy provided the radio link. The contact is incorporated into lessons focused on the developments in astronomy from a scientific, philosophical, and literary point of view. India ----- An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Sunita Williams, KD5PLB on the ISS and students vis- iting the GujaratScience City (GSC) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India on Wednesday, November 14 via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. The children got in 15 questions about daily life on the ISS before losing the radio connection. GSC has high-tech exhibitions covering space exploration and communications; the contact was part of a spe- cial outreach program of the GSC, organized to provide students with hands-on activities related to the ISS. The displays and activities provide children with the motivation and inspiration for a career and future in space science and research. The Times of India covered the event. See: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Excited-kids-go- on-space-talk-with-Sunita/articleshow/17250710.cms Video of this event can be viewed on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/ARISS-Contact-India (Southgate) Florida ------- On November 16, Florida's Flagler Palm Coast Amateur Radio Club (FPCARC) connected with Astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Indian Trails Middle School hosted the event, but students from other area schools also participated. Former NASA astronaut Winston Scott gave a presentation to the stu- dents. All schools in the district were able to participate in the event through live internet streaming. Media representatives were present and articles have been posted. FlaglerLive.com has a story: http://flaglerlive.com/46845/ham-radio-iss/ For the Palm Coast Observer article, see: http://www.palmcoastobserver.com/news/palm-coast/Neighborhood/11172012 5718/ Students-get-visit-from-astronaut-talk-to-space-st Indiana ------- Cumberland Elementary School participated in an ARISS contact on Oct- ober 30. Students had the opportunity to question Indiana native Kevin Ford, KF5GPP about ISS life. The contact video is now available. See: http://cumberland-iss.weebly.com [ANS thanks Carol Jackson, KB3LKI and the 2012-11-19 ARISS Status Report for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Three Astronaut Hams Return Safely From ISS Expedition 33 Commander Sunita Williams, KD5PLB of NASA and Flight Engineers Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP of Roscosmos rode their Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft to a safe landingin a remote area near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan on November. 19, 2012. Williams, Hoshide and Malenchenko returned from four months onboard the International Space Station. NASA ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO summariz- ed Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) succes- ses for Williams, Malenchenko and Hashide noting 39 contacts with schools. Of these contacts 14 were via telebridge, while 25 took place directly between the school and the ISS via Amateur Radio. During Expedition 32 Sunita added 22 to her previous record of 33 school events which puts her on top for the most career schools talk- ed to from orbit. Malenchenko made two contacts, one with the Ukraine and another with Russia, while Hashide completed 15, including four with his native Japan, as well as with the US, Germany, Australia, Poland and Italy. Photos and additional news of the Soyuz landing are on-line at: http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=42645 http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=42643 http://tinyurl.com/NovSoyuzLanding (Space-Travel.com) Expedition 34 is crewed by NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, KF5GPP, and Russian cosmonauts Evgeny Tarelkin and Oleg Novitskiy. Sunita Williams recorded an extensive tour of the orbital laboratory including scenes of each of the station's modules and research facil- ities with a running narrative of the work that has taken place and which is ongoing aboard the orbital outpost. Get your ISS tour at: http://tinyurl.com/ISS-Guided-Tour (YouTube) [ANS thanks, ARISS, ARRL, SpaceRef.com and Space-Travel.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Call for Papers for IAA Conference: University Satellite Missions The 2nd IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Winter Workshop will be held in Rome, Italy from February 3-9, 2013 under the main sponsorship of IAA, GAUSS Srl, ESA, ASI, Italian Air Force, Sapienza University of Roma, Morehead State University (Ken- tucky), Von Karman Institute, FILAS, BCC Roma. The Conference has the goal to provide the international space comm- unity with a forum for presentations and discussions in the area of University Satellites. Particular emphasis will be given to the theme, "Innovative aspects related to science and engineering for university satellites". Three days will be completely dedicated to the Cubesat community. Some of the proposed topics are: Space Environment, Remote sensing and Earth observation, Innovative solutions for university satellite subsystems, Launch opportunities, Space Debris, Ground Segment and Stations Network, New Perspectives for Cubesats, Cubesats Future Payloads and Experiments, Satellite Or- bit and Attitude Determination and Control, Micro-propulsion Subsys- tems, University Platform for biomedical research in Space, Formation Flying, Cubesat In-Orbit Experience, Cubesats Scientific Missions and applications" activities. The preliminary program, logistics, and registration information, exhibition stand information may be found on the symposium website at http://www.gaussteam.com in the events section. Abstract Submission Deadline: December 17, 2012 Acceptance Notification*: December 22, 2012 Paper Submission Deadline*: January 25, 2013 [ANS thanks Filippo Graziani, G.A.U.S.S. President and IAA member, Conference Chair for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Video of ARISS contact from the National Scouting Museum Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) event in Irving, Texas on October 20 with Sunita Williams, KD5PLB on the ISS can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/53281390 + NASA's Pete Worden presentation at the Canadian Space Summit on the topic of Small Satellites for Science and Other Uses and as an example: Earth Observation, promises and challenges has been posted by SpaceRef.com at: http://tinyurl.com/SpaceRefSmallSatellites + Andy Foad, G0FTD has made a collection of RF calculations avail- able in a spreadsheet. This can be downloaded from: https://sites.google.com/site/g0ftdradio/home/rf-spreadsheets + How about the concept of private/commercial CubeSat missions to Mars? See the exploremars.org posting at: http://tinyurl.com/CubeSatsToMars + The Van Allen Probes Mission, part of NASA's Living With a Star program, studies the physical dynamics of Earth's radiation belts and space weather. A video of this mission, including classroom activities about space weather is posted by Johns Hopkins Univers- ity Applied Physics Laboratory: http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/ (Bill, W3XO) [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. And with that, please keep in mind the ham who's son pestered his parents for a trip to the zoo. Finally his mother talk- ed his reluctant father into taking him. "So how was it?" his mother asked when they returned home. "Great," the son replied. "Did you and your father have a good time?" asked his mother. "Yeah, Daddy really liked it," exclaimed the son excitedly, "especially when one of the animals came home at 30 to 1!" 73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org

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