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

[amsat-bb] 2nd IAA Conference on University Satellite Missions abstract submission reminder
by conference 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

Dear all,this is a reminder of the deadline of the abstract submission for the 2nd IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Workshop which will be held in Roma on February 3-9, 2013. Submissions are due by December 17th. We remember you that early registration closes on January, 15th. Those who register before this date will have a discount on the quote.The conference is organized by GAUSS Srl under the sponsorship of IAA, ESA, ASI, Italian Air Force, Sapienza University of Roma, Morehead State University (Kentucky), Von Karman Institute, FILAS, BCC Roma.Topics of the conference will focus in particular the area of University Satellites and during the conference three days are completely dedicated to Cubesat community.All the details about the conference program, accomodation and registration procedure, exhibition stands, call for papers, are available at the Conference website.For any special needs, please do not hesitate to contact us at conference(a)gaussteam.com.ESA scholarships for students who will present a work are available. For those interested, please follow the instructions on the website:ESA scholarshipsWe hope to see you in Roma in February!The 2nd IAA Conference on University Satellite Missions and Cubesat Workshop organizing committee

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9A1Z Looking for NA Skeds
by John Papay 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

Luci, 9A1Z, is looking to work North America on AO-7 Mode B on CW. If you are interested in working him, please send an email to his qrz.com address for a sked. He is in JN86. 73, John K8YSE

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WA8SME wins YASME Excellence Award
by John Papay 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

Mark Spencer, WA8SME, has just received the Excellence Award from the YASME Foundation (yasme.org). The following is an excerpt from the OPDX Bulletin 1090, December 10th, 2012: "The Yasme Excellence Award is awarded to individuals who through their own service, creativity, effort and dedication have made a significant contribution to amateur radio. The contribution may be in recognition of technical, operating or organizational achievement, as all three are necessary for amateur radio to grow and prosper. The Yasme Excellence Award is in the form of a cash grant and an individually-engraved crystal globe. The Board of Directors of The Yasme Foundation is pleased to announce the award of the Yasme Excellence Award to the following individuals: - Mark Spencer, WA8SME, for his instrumental work in the ARRL Teachers Institute and other training efforts, development of PIC microcontroller projects and books for amateurs, and work with leaders in student and scientific teams applying amateur radio to scientific projects and experiments." Mark has been instrumental in working with the Teachers Institute, introducing teachers to Amateur Radio Satellites. This has led to students getting involved in our part of amateur radio and the creation of school amateur radio clubs. Many of you have made contacts with these club stations and know how excited students are to be able to make contacts through amateur radio satellites. Mark's most recent contribution is the FT817 computer interface which allows this HF simplex radio to be used with linear satellites. If you own an FT817, you'll want to check it out. See the October 2012 issue of QST for details. Mark Hammond, N8MH, had these kits for sale at the AMSAT Symposium. Hector, CO6CBF, took one back to Cuba and is building it for use with his newly acquired FT817. Congratulations to Mark Spencer WA8SME, recipient of the YASME Foundation Excellence Award! 73, John K8YSE

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6D0LM in VO-52 and FO-29
by Omar Alvarez 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

Hello my friends, The Federacion Mexicana de Radioexperimentadores (FMRE) is celebrating their 80th Aniversary this year using the special call 6D0LM. I will be woking VO-52 and FO-29 using 6D0LM from DK89df: December 15th OPERADOR SATÉLITE HORARIO XE XE1AO FO-29 03:25 UTC, 05:05 UTC December 16th OPERADOR SATÉLITE HORARIO XE XE1AO VO-52 01:42 UTC XE1AO FO-29 04:12 UTC December 17th OPERADOR SATÉLITE HORARIO XE XE1AO VO-52 01:58 UTC XE1AO FO-29 05:00 UTC I hope contact you this weekend, QSL via XE1LM. Regards Omar XE1AO DK89df ******************************** M.C. Omar Alvarez Cárdenas Facultad de Telematica, U de C 316 1075 xe1aom(a)ucol.mx omar_ac(a)hotmail.com ********************************

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London Olympics QSLs
by Dave Webb KB1PVH 10 Dec '12

10 Dec '12

Has anyone received a QSL from the Olympics special event? According to the 2O12W QRZ page, replies to direct cards were going to be sent out in early September. Dave-KB1PVH Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid RAZR

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Astronomer Patrick Moore dead
by andy thomas 09 Dec '12

09 Dec '12

Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, who presented many British TV programmes reporting the space programmes of the 1960s and later, died today aged 89, according to reports. 73 de andy g0sfj

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New broadband preamp available through AMSAT Store!
by Mark L. Hammond 09 Dec '12

09 Dec '12

FYI--in case you missed the ANS announcement! V/U/Wx receive Amplifier available through AMSAT store AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce an inexpensive, broadband VHF/UHF/WX satellite receive-only preamplifier. Key features: Ready to operate--not a kit! Fully assembled, tested, and installed in a metal enclosure with female BNC connectors on input and output. It is based on the MAR 7 device, and covers 100 MHz to 500 MHz. This includes the137 MHz WX, 2M, and 70cm satellite bands. Operates from +9-15V DC (a fresh 9V battery works great!). Perfect for portable operations using dual band hand-held Yagis like the ARROW, Cheap Yagi, etc. Just put it inline on the correct receive band for operations in either mode U/V or V/U. You won't believe what you've been missing! Includes low power (about 5W) protection diode on the input for accidental transmissions into the input. (This preamp is not RF switched. It must be protected from inadvertent repeated or high power transmission RF using a relay or diplexer.) Full details and schematic can be found in the November/December 2012 AMSAT Journal article by Mark Spencer, WA8SME, or downloaded from the item in the Hardware section of the AMSAT Store: <http://store.amsat.org/catalog/>http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ The assembled and tested kit is priced at $50 USD plus shipping. Proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the AMSAT Fox Family of satellites! This equipment was developed as part of the ARRL Education and Technology Program. Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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LO-19 carrier
by Mark L. Hammond 09 Dec '12

09 Dec '12

Hi All, This weekend I listened again for LO-19. Years ago, when the CW beacon went silent, I could always hear a very weak continuos carrier (actually, first saw it using audio FFT software). Yesterday (12/9/12) on a high 50-ish degree elevation pass, it was there. It's right on frequency, right on time with AOS/LOS, the Doppler correction from SatPC32 is right on target. The bird was in daylight, but I expect its batteries are still good so I bet you can hear it in eclipse as well. Thanks to Mark WA8SME for confirming what I was hearing; he heard it this weekend, too. You might have fun listening for it, as a weak signal source. If you can hear LO-19's carrier, your system is pretty up to snuff. Or, use some audio spectrum software and you can "see" the carrier even if you can't hear it on your speaker. From SatPC32: LO-19,437125,145840,USB,FM,NOR,0,0 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH0-

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ISS Tracking info on your APRS Radio
by Robert Bruninga 09 Dec '12

09 Dec '12

KJ4ERJ's satserver will send you live tracking data to your APRS radio anywhere, anytime. Just send an APRS message to ISS from any APRS radio (on the national APRS channel) and if you are in range of the global APRS network (an IGate nearby), then it will respond with the time to AOS and the direction of AOS, max elevation and LOS. This also works for all satellites. For example, send a message to FO29 and get its prediciton for your location. (Of course, you have to have sent your current APRS position if it is different from when you last used that radio and callsign). You can see the types of responses as collected by APRS.FI messages page: http://aprs.fi/?c=message&limit=25&call=ISS So, if you find yourself outdoors in the mobile, with nothing to do while the wife is in the mall, just send the above message and see if anything is coming up soon. Of course, to actually work APRS via ISS, you will have to QSY to the ISS channel 145.825 and change your path to via ARISS for the pass (*instead of the usual WIDE2-2 for terrestrial APRS) For a full dscription, see: http://aprsisce.wikidot.com/doc:satsrv When I send a query, I like to use the text "pass?" this is so that others seeing the message will know what you are tyring to do. The text of the message can be anything actually... THink of APRS as your ham radio smartphone... access to data anywhere, anytime. Bob, WB4APR * Note, that the ISS will ALSO digipeat the WIDE2-2 path, but it will not insert its RS4ISS* callsign in the path for proof that you were digipeated via the ISS. So it will "work" without changing from the standard WIDE2-2 path, but you will have no proof. Also, as soon as you use that radio even a few minutes later back on the national APRS channel, the sucessfull packet via ISS will be overwritten by the next terrestrial packet in most APRS Web interfaces. SO if you want to make an APRS contact via ISS and preserve it, you should use a unique callsign SSID only for your satellite operations. Good luck. Bob Bob

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FITSAT-1 to Flash LEDs on Dec 12-13
by Trevor . 09 Dec '12

09 Dec '12

See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11815 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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ANS-344 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 09 Dec '12

09 Dec '12

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-344 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(a)amsat.org In this edition: * FITSAT-1 Flashing LED Experiment Scheduled for December 12-13 * V/U/Wx Receive Only Amplifier Available Through AMSAT Store * AMSAT Office Closed December 6 thru 11 * CO6CBF and EA4CYQ Work Transatlantic via FO-29 * VE to ES DX via AO-7 Mode B * U.S ARISS Proposal is Live Online * California K6RPT-12 144.390 FM APRS Balloon Crosses Atlantic * FreeDV Ham Radio Digital Voice Software * N0D – Special Event Station for the End of the World * AMSAT SKN ON OSCAR 2013 IN MEMORY OF W1BIH/PJ9JT * SkyCube * Space Station to reposition for science * Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning -- Mission Announcements * Jose Luis Peña Sanchez EC4TR Seeks North American Contacts * More Cubesat News SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-344.01 ANS-344 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 344.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 9, 2012 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-344.01 FITSAT-1 Flashing LED Experiment Scheduled for December 12-13 On the 26th of November the first experiment of the flashing LEDs on the FITSAT-1 satellite took place. The LEDs were successfully observed in Kurashiki, Japan and Daejeon, Korea. On December 7 Takushi Tanaka, JA6AVG updated the FITSAT-1 web page with this information, "As Christmas Eve is full moon, we [will] start flashing LEDs between 12-13 December." The FITSAT-1 web page can be found at: http://www.fit.ac.jp/~tanaka/fitsat.shtml For the USA ----------- 12 December 2012 06:14:30 - 06:16:30 UTC For Europe ---------- 13 December 2012 22:10:30 - 22:14:30 UTC Please note that the schedule is subject to change. Binoculars may be necessary to ensure success in viewing the flashing LEDs. Addi- tional prediction and tracking tools can be accessed at: http://www.satflare.com/track.php?q=fitsat#MAP [ANS thanks Takushi Tanaka, JA6AVG for the above information] V/U/Wx receive Amplifier available through AMSAT store AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce an inexpensive, broadband VHF/UHF/WX satellite receive-only preamplifier. Key features: Ready to operate--not a kit! Fully assembled, tested, and installed in a metal enclosure with female BNC connectors on input and output. It is based on the MAR 7 device, and covers 100 MHz to 500 MHz. This includes the137 MHz WX, 2M, and 70cm satellite bands. Operates from +9-15V DC (a fresh 9V battery works great!). Perfect for portable operations using dual band hand-held Yagis like the ARROW, Cheap Yagi, etc. Just put it inline on the correct receive band for operations in either mode U/V or V/U. You won't believe what you've been missing! Includes low power (about 5W) protection diode on the input for accidental transmissions into the input. (This preamp is not RF switched. It must be protected from inadvertent repeated or high power transmission RF using a relay or diplexer.) Full details and schematic can be found in the November/December 2012 AMSAT Journal article by Mark Spencer, WA8SME, or downloaded from the item in the Hardware section of the AMSAT Store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ The assembled and tested kit is priced at $50 USD plus shipping. Proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the AMSAT Fox Family of satellites! This equipment was developed as part of the ARRL Education and Technology Program. [ANS thanks Mark Hammond, N8MH for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Office Closed December 6 thru 11 Martha reports that she will be out of the office beginning Thursday, December 6th, and the office will remain closed on 7th, 10th and 11th. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CO6CBF and EA4CYQ Work Transatlantic via FO-29 On the morning of December 4, CO6CBF Hector Martinez in EL92sd, worked EA4CYQ Juan Antonio in IM78cx. Hector reported on the AMSAT-BB "I had looked for intercontinental contacts before but it had been very hard for me. Now, running my new donated satellite gear I am able to work FO-29 until 0 degree in any direction. It was my third attempt and was successful! Cubans cannot operate on AO-7 mode B due to a 432MHz restriction in our country, so we have only a few chances on FO-29 every five months when the satellite is getting close to apogee. Juan Antonio and I had a two minutes window and we had enough time to interchange reports, grids and greetings. The contact is included in John Papay's recording of the pass: http://www.papays.com/sat/FO-29_04Dec2012_140930z.mp3 Thanks very much to Juan Antonio EA4CYQ for the great contact and to John K8YSE for look for us and record the contact! Right Now, FO-29 has a big footprint in the morning passes. Please, if you are into the footprint and want to try a long contact, just drop me an email directly. I will try until have a contact with you." [ANS thanks Hector for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VE to ES DX via AO-7 Mode B Randy Morden, VE6RGU, reported on the AMSAT-BB December 6, "I was quite surprised (Tuesday) to work Neil Viskov, ES6DO in Estonia just before 18:00Z on AO-7 mode B. I was listening to that pass with the hopes of working a few UK stations I heard a few days ago, and was just about to shut the rig down at the end of the pass, when I heard a CW station calling CQ. At first I though it was an Irish station with an EI prefix, but two dits turned out to be three - ES rather than EI! With less than one minute to make the contact on that pass, it all worked out with a new grid and new DX in my log, and Neil's first VE QSO. Many thanks Neil!" [ANS thanks Randy for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S ARISS Proposal is Live Online NASA is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station contact between May 1, 2013 and November 1, 2013. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, NASA is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and inte- grate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Radio con- tacts are approximately 10 minutes in length. Proposals are due January 28, 2013. The NASA ARISS page is live! Spread the word. U.S organizations can now access the planning guide and proposal form online at: http://www.nasa.gov/education/tfs/ariss. Dates and times of the on- line information sessions are also on the website. Interested parties should visit the website to obtain complete information including how the technology works, what is expected of the host organization and how to submit the proposal form. [ANS thanks Trinesha M. Dixon, Teaching From Space Education Specialist at the NASA Johnson Space Center for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- California K6RPT-12 144.390 FM APRS Balloon Crosses Atlantic Amateur radio stations from the UK to the Azores were listening for the transatlantic balloon K6RPT-12 on 144.390 MHz FM. As of Tuesday 2230 UT no reports of the balloon had been received since it left radio range of Newfoundland at 0350 UT. The last APRS reports indicated it was starting to drift south and slow down. When it left the USA it was traveling at over 300 km an hour, however, it may well have slowed considerably since then possibly to as little as 90 kmh. The payload is designed for over 60 hours of flight. The K6RPT-12 144.390 MHz APRS balloon successfully crossed the Atllantic and landed in Morocco on Wednesday morning. After its epic journey across the Atlantic the APRS signals were picked up by Spanish stations. It was last heard at 2012-12-05 09:22:31z descending rapidly, indicating that the balloon had burst. The last recorded position was 34°25.75' N 3°58.96' W. It is believed there are less than 150 radio amateurs in Morocco and no known APRS stations, so the balloon may never be recovered. See the K6RPT-12 APRS Track at http://aprs.fi/#!call=a%2FK6RPT-12&timerange=604800 California Near Space Project http://www.californianearspaceproject.com/ Twitter http://twitter.com/k6rpt [ANS thanks Southgate, the California Near Space Project and JoAnne Maenpaa for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FreeDV Ham Radio Digital Voice Software FreeDV is an application for Windows and Linux that allows any HF SSB radio to be used for digital voice mode wita bandwidth of just 1.1 kHz. Speech is compressed down to 1400 bit/s then modulat- ed onto a 1100 Hz wide QPSK signal which is sent to the Mic input of a SSB radio. On receive, the signal is received by the SSB radio, then demodulated and decoded by FreeDV. Features: + Codec 2 voice coder and FDMDV modem + 50 baud 14 QPSK voice data + 1 Center BPSK carrier with 2x power for fast and robust synchroni- zation. + 1.125 kHz spectrum bandwidth (half SSB) with 75 Hz carrier spacing + 1400 bit/s data rate with 1375 bit/s open source Codec 2 voice coding and 25 bit/s text for call sign ID + No interleaving in time or FEC philosophy resulting in low latency, fast synchronization and quick recovery from fades. + 44.1 or 48kHz sample rate sound card compatible FreeDV, the new HF digital audio program for Radio Amateurs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfyn0NEcNHs&feature=player_embedded Watch when it's switched to analog SSB. The SSB bandwidth is about 3 times that of the digital audio. Also note the diagonal black streaks across the waterfall display. That's fading, probably from two reflections arriving out of phase. The ID on the bottom is com- ing in during the silent periods between words. This software is Open Source, and uses Codec2. This Codec was pre- sented by Bruce Robertson, VE9QRP at the 2012 AMSAT Space Symposium in Orlando, Florida. See http://freedv.org/ [ANS thanks Southgate and FreeDV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- N0D – Special Event Station for the End of the World Expands to the Final Frontier! Houston, Texas December 4, 2012: 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 Station N0D (Now Zero Days) will be activated for the period December 15, 2012 through December 20, 2012. December 21, the day of destruction, we will be on the air as long as possible. December 22nd is a little iffy right now. After all, it is the end of the world, so why not include the Final Frontier? In celebration, experienced satellite operators Allen Mattis, N5AFV, and Andy MacAllister, W5ACM, who are members of the N0D team, will be working available satellite passes beginning December 15th, 2012, through the end of the world and possibly beyond until December 22nd. The team will be using the Official Doomsday call sign, N0D. In addition, the South Texas Balloon Launch Team will launch the Doomsday Balloon, BLT-32 To the End of the World and Float, to prepare the world for its demise! The launch is scheduled for Saturday Dec 15th at 4 PM from Covey Trails Airport in Fulshear, Texas. BLT-32 is designed as a “floater” with hopes that it will reach Europe before the end of the world. APRS telemetry and beacons on the balloon will also be using the Official Doomsday call sign, N0D. Details about the Doomsday balloon are available at http://www.w5acm.net/b32.html. N0D will also be active on the HF bands throughout the event. Further information is available at www.nowzerodays.com. You may register on the website to become an official Doomsday station. Over 575 stations have already done so. QSL information for N0D is with SASE via KK5W but better wait untill after Doomsday, if we are still around. NO Backup Date – It’s all or NOTHING! [ANS thanks Allen N5AFV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SKN ON OSCAR 2013 IN MEMORY OF W1BIH/PJ9JT You are cordially invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2013, conducted by AMSAT for all radio amateurs throughout the world. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of John Thompson, W1BIH/PJ9JT, who passed away in 2012, aged 96. Although known primarily as an HF DXer and contester, John was also active on OSCAR, mostly on CW. As always, SKN on OSCAR is simple and informal. Just operate CW through one or more satellites on 1 January 2013 (0000 to 2400 UTC), using a straight hand key. There is no need to send in a log, but all participants are encouraged to nominate someone they worked for Best Fist. Your nominee need not have the best fist of anyone you heard, only of those you worked. Send your nomination to w2rs at amsat.org. A list of those nominated will appear in ANS in early February. [ANS thanks Ray Soifer for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch and Listen for the Geminid Meteor Shower This Week The Geminid Meteor Shower is the grand finale of astronomical events in 2012 and is usually the most reliable and prolific of the annual meteor showers. This year we are in for a special treat as the Moon will be absent when the Geminids are at their peak on the evening of the 12th/13th of December. This means that the sky should be at its darkest when the shower is expected, and many more of the fainter meteors will be visible. Meteor pings can be heard via internet streaming as the Air Force Space Surveillance Radar, scanning the skies above Texas, creates the "radar fence". When a meteor or satellite passes over the fac- ility--ping!--there is an echo. This live audio feed can be found at: http://spaceweatherradio.com/ [ANS thanks UniverseToday.com and SpaceWeatherRadio.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SkyCube: The Satellite http://www.southernstars.com/skycube/satellite.html SkyCube: a day in the life http://tinyurl.com/a8xro6z SkyCube uses Kickstarter for Funding http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=8955 [ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Space Station to reposition for science The International Space Station will reposition itself for a better view of the sun, the first-ever attitude change for scientific reasons alone, officials say. http://tinyurl.com/bsw4wg2 [ANS thanks Space Travel for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMATEUR RADIO HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONING -- MISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS http://arhab.org/hab_launch_list.php [ANS thanks AMATEUR RADIO HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONING for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jose Luis Peña Sanchez EC4TR Seeks North American Contacts from IN80er in Spain Luis, EC4TR, is looking for North American stations with whom to set up satellite schedules. His grid in IN80er. Email him at his qrz.com email address if you would like to contact him. FO-29 is over 1300km high during morning passes over the Atlantic now. AO-7 is always around 1450km and is in Mode B on odd days during December. [ANS thanks John Papay K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- More CubeSat News The UK Space Agency will be running a free CubeSat Community Workshop at Milton Keynes on January 22 that will include discussion of plans for UKube-2. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11782 Also on the AMSAT-UK site: Pictures released of UKube-1 CubeSat http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11786 Australian Radio Ham’s Spacecraft Missions http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11745 [ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX Please share you copy with an educator near you. 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. 73, This week's ANS Editor, E.Mike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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US and Hungarian Postal Service
by John Papay 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

I had the pleasure of working HA1SE on Monday 3Dec 2012 on AO-7B cw. The QSO was during the afternoon so I quickly prepared a QSL card to take down to the post office as Imre was very excited about the QSO (it was my first HA so me too!) Yesterday, Friday 7Dec, and to my surprise, I received an email from Imre advising me that he had received my qsl card! So in a matter of a few days, the USPS here and the Hungarian Postal Service there teamed up to deliver this card in what I would consider record time, just 4 days! Congratulations to both postal services for an amazing job! 73, John K8YSE John Papay john(a)papays.com

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Beaconing
by Kevin Deane 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

If people STOPPED BEACONING via the ISS we would still be able to use PC-SAT... Thanks for taking part in the destruction of NO-44... AND being annoying on the ISS Digipeater... Kevin KF7MYK

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PSLV-CA launch on 28 Jan 2013
by Mineo Wakita 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

SARAL, Sapphire, NEOSSat, BRITE, TugSat-1, AAUSat-3, Max Valier are planed to launch on 28 Jan 2013, 12:20UTC by PSLV-CA from Satish Dhawan Space Center (Sriharikota, India) --------------------------------------------------------------- SARAL, Ocean Observation Satellite ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), and CNES(Centre National d'tudes Spatiales, France) Ka-band radar altimeter operating at 35.75 GHz http://smsc.cnes.fr/SARAL/ http://www.isro.org/scripts/futureprogramme.aspx Sapphire, Military Satellite Department of National Defence (DND), Canada http://spaceref.ca/military-space/sapphire-canadas-first-military-satellite… NEOSSat, Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite Microsat Systems Canada Inc (MSCI) http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/neossat/default.asp BRITE (CanX-3A), 20cm NanoSatellite BRIght star Target Explorer / Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments UTIAS (University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies), Canada http://www.utias-sfl.net/nanosatellites/CanX3/ TugSat-1 (BRITE-Austria, CanX-3B), 20cm NanoSatellite Technical University of Graz (TUG), Austria VHF/UHF/S-Band, Photometric observations of bright stars http://www.tugsat.at/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL7joLxSPl4 http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/pres/stsc2012/tech-47E.pdf AAUSat-3, 1U CubeSat 437.425MHz Aalborg University, Denmark http://www.space.aau.dk/aausat3/ Max Valier, X-ray Astronomy Satellite Italian educational institutions http://sat.gobbz.net/ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Reference] http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/21208ps1.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/21208ps2.png JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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CubeSat Community Workshop Milton Keynes UK
by Trevor . 07 Dec '12

07 Dec '12

The UK Space Agency will be running a free CubeSat Community Workshop at Milton Keynes on January 22 that will include discussion of plans for UKube-2. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11782 Also on the AMSAT-UK site: Pictures released of UKube-1 CubeSat http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11786 Australian Radio Ham’s Spacecraft Missions http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=11745 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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satellite antenna photos oa4o
by Lizeth Norman 07 Dec '12

07 Dec '12

Hi all! http://www.flickr.com/photos/n3ykf/ oa4o is the Peruvian national club station. There is a fine az el antenna array for vhf, uhf and shf. They don't know what manufacturer or model the antennas are. Do you? Top 4 photos. Next time I go down the possibility of rehabbing the array exists. The club president expressed a serious interest in the satellite gear being used. 73 de Norm n3ykf

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Re: satellite antenna photos oa4o
by Mike Seguin N1JEZ 07 Dec '12

07 Dec '12

I looked at the photos one last time. I think the 70 cm antenna is a KLM based on the number of elements. Cushcraft is 38 elements and KLM is 40. 73, Mike, N1JEZ AMSAT 29649 "A closed mouth gathers no feet" ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Seguin N1JEZ" <n1jez(a)burlingtontelecom.net> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 7:54 AM Subject: Re: satellite antenna photos oa4o > Hi John, > > The 70 cm antenna could be Cushcraft, but I think the 2M is KLM because of > the configuration of driven elements. Folded dipole vs T match. > > Mike > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John / NS1Z" <ns1zjohn(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: satellite antenna photos oa4o > > >>I have a set of older Cushcraft antennas that meet that criteria: 738XB >>and 22XB. Both have polarity switching but the 435 ant has the box on the >>rear. I have manuals for both. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Bill Booth >> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: satellite antenna photos oa4o >> >>> 2M looks like a KLM 22c with polarity switcher >>> 70 cm looks like a KLM 40cx with polarity switcher >>> 1.2 G looks like a Tonna (F9FT?) http://www.f9ft.com/indexe.html >> >> I agree with Mike, N1JEZ. The KLM's were the only one with the big box >> polarity >> switcher on the end of the 440 boom. The 144 unit was not covered but an >> open >> circuit board with lots of exposed phasing wires. >> >> In fact looks exactly like mine except mine have the F9FT in the middle >> of the >> boom. If you need copies of the KLM manuals let me know ..... >

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1972-12-07: Apollo 17 Launched
by B J 07 Dec '12

07 Dec '12

I remember watching the liftoff on TV and it felt strange knowing that it was the last time that astronauts were scheduled to go to the moon. Back then, I thought that today there would be a habitation there and perhaps even people on Mars. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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PrisonSat
by Jeff Yanko 07 Dec '12

07 Dec '12

Geez, I hope this doesn't mean we have to start committing crimes to get our dreams built. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/06/15730738-san-quentin-inmates-bui… 73, Jeff WB3JFS

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UT Bevo-2 Satellite - Imgur
by Bryce Salmi 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

http://imgur.com/a/8z7fr I ran across this album posted to the internet today and thought many on this list would find it interesting. Enjoy! KB1LQC

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Re Payload
by andy thomas 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

Knowing little about design, I just wonder if rather than deploying cubesats fitted as ballast, a transponder could not be fitted to the hull of the appropriate vessel which contains the sats and ballast? It could also relay vibrations from the vessel as it tumbled in the sky and would therefore have some utility to launch provider? I think this approach was adopted by Aatis in Germany a few years ago. 73 de andy g0sfj

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Re: payload potential
by Trevor . 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

--- On Thu, 6/12/12, R Oler <orbitjet(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/12/spacex-foot-eelv-door-double-launch-… Agreed a lot of ballast. The orbit is 651 km by 642 km, 72°, isn't it ? Anyone know what the costs are to fly P-Pod payloads on this flight ? CubeSat launch costs seem to have been creeping up in recent years. One launch provider is charging $100,000 for a 1U CubeSat on a Soyuz to fly next April. Hopefully as more launchers enter the market prices will eventually fall. 73 Trevor M5AKA

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EC4TR Looking for NA
by John Papay 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

Luis, EC4TR, is looking for North American stations to set up schedules with. His grid in IN80er. Email him at his qrz.com email address if you would like to contact him. FO-29 is over 1300km high during morning passes over the Atlantic now. AO-7 is always around 1450km and is in Mode B on odd days during December. 73, John K8YSE

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AO-7 DX
by Randy Morden 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

Hello All, I was quite surprised today to work Neil, ES6DO in Estonia just before 18:00Z on AO-7 mode B. I was listening to that pass with the hopes of working a few UK stations I heard a few days ago, and was just about to shut the rig down at the end of the pass, when I heard a CW station calling CQ. At first I though it was an Irish station with an EI prefix, but two dits turned out to be three - ES rather than EI! With less than one minute to make the contact on that pass, it all worked out with a new grid and new DX in my log, and Neil's first VE QSO. Many thanks Neil!

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payload potential
by R Oler 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/12/spacex-foot-eelv-door-double-launch-… "The STP-2 mission will be launched on SpaceX’s new Falcon Heavy from SLC-40 and is targeted for mid-2015. The goals of the mission are to launch an Integrated Payload Stack (IPS) consisting of two co-prime space vehicles (SVs), up to six auxiliary payloads (APLs) (minimum of two APLs), up to eight separate Poly-PicoSatellite Orbital Deployers (P-PODs) (TBD cubesats), and LSC-provided ballast of up to 5,000kg." lots of ballast... The Falcon9D launch looks like the rebirth of Triana. Robert WB5MZO

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