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

Delphi
by jerry keeton 15 Mar '12

15 Mar '12

Thanks for the replies , My suspicions confirmed . Thought it sounded a little off frequency . 73's WB5LHD

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VO52
by PY5LF 15 Mar '12

15 Mar '12

Hi VO52 working very well , few minutes ago over SA. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x95Nhaj6ax8> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x95Nhaj6ax8 Many thanks to Mani and all other people involved. 73 PY5LF Luciano Fabricio www.qrz.com/db/py5lf Curitiba-PR-Brazil GG54jm

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Space@VT
by Robert McGwier 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

Our new Space at Virginia Tech building is really going up fast and should be open by June. I have really been taken aback (pleasantly surprised) by how much investment Virginia and Virginia Tech is putting into Space engineering and science. This facility is 20,000 square feet /1800 sq. meter, clean rooms, and my student Zach Leffke (KJ4QLP) has constructed a functional ground station, built GnuRadio apps to demodulate telemetry, runs the facility remotely, send video, audio, and telemetry decodings to remote locations. He demonstrated this capability at the Wireless Innovation Forum last fall to our sponsor who was wowed. The new facility ground station will be built out starting this summer after the building opens (again, work done by Zach and other students). http://www.space.vt.edu/ shows the building (for now) and the following link shows the current faculty affiliates and their interests http://www.space.vt.edu/people/index.html Troy Henderson and I have a dynamics and constellation modeling student we share. Bailey, Henderson, Fish, Earle, and I have funded satellite construction on the same launcher with AMSAT Fox and others proposed. We are having fun down here in the Appalachian mountains! Bob -- Bob McGwier Facebook: N4HYBob ARS: N4HY

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Disposable satellites
by Trevor . 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

A BBC article on the proposed use of what are described as "disposable satellites" by the Pentagon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17370150 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Isabel Island, Grid DL71 March 16-21 on Satellites
by JoAnne Maenpaa 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

Hello Everyone, I noticed that this DXpedition would be halfway over if we waited for the weekend ANS news cycle: + A team of 10 operators, from the Aguas-Calientes Amateur Radio Club will activate Isabel Island, grid DL71, using the callsign XF1AA. The planned dates are March 16-21. Ismael, XE1AY, is one of the operators and is active on the satellites. If you should hear Ismael on the birds, please give him the air time to work as many as he can. (OPDX Bulletin 1050 & K8YSE) -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT News Service

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Interfacing Signal Link to FT726
by Steven O'Neal 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

All, I have a FT726 that I would like to interface to a Signal Link external Sound card. I'd rather avoid the mic jack/stereo out connectors and wire direct into the radio. Does anyone have a link to where someone has done the deed and or can email me instructions off list. Thanks Steve N6CRR

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VO52 work great
by Eugenio Piluso 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

Hi All, during the last orbit (37097) over the Europe I have QSO with i8CVS and iZ7HZR. The signal in downlink are very strong S6-8. As RX front end I use an SSB electronic transverter LT2S and 4+4 RHCP yagi (home made). For the uplink 6+6 LHCP yagi (home made) and 50W. I completely agree with the comments of the i8cvs about the Amsat-India and ISRO lesson. Thank you again to the Indian dear friend 73 de iz8jhd Eugenio

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VO-52 loud and clear on orbit Nr 37097 over Europe
by i8cvs 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

Hi All, The VO-52 Dutch transponder was working very well on the ascending orbit Nr 37097 with max elevation of about 30° from my JN70ES Recorded the whole orbit on magnetic tape with recorder REVOX-A77 Worked only IW6OVD and IZ8JHD and made a long chat with those Ham friends. My uplink power was 30 watt on a 10 turns Helix antenna RHCP No other SSB stations were available on the passband because probably they were not informed about the recovery of VO-52 At the end of the orbit at 2° elevation only two stations were active from Russia. The transponder modulation is OK and very linear even if a comparative report with the Indian transponder can be available only in the next few days. Signal strength: CW Beacon is very clear without chirps and signals linearity on the passband seems to be comparable with that of the Indian Transponder The best polarization in 2 meters downlink is LHCP as with experienced with the Indian Transponder.(same antennas) The lession learned (in my opinion) from AMSAT-India and ISRO is the following one: "If you want a satellite to communicate it should be simple and have only one mode of operation and redundant trasponders". Critical report: ISRO and AMSAT-India should have more than only one control station. Congratulations to ISRO, to AMSAT-India and to William PE1RAH 73" de i8CVS Domenico

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Heard VO-52 on 17:27 pass form UK using FUNcube Dongle
by David A. B. Johnson 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

Hi, Great to see the passband in the SDR-RADIO. Great work guys! 73 Dave, G4DPZ

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AMSAT Table - Stuart FL Hamfest 3/17
by John Papay 14 Mar '12

14 Mar '12

N3YKF and K8YSE will have an AMSAT table at the Stuart Florida Hamfest on 3/17. Now that we have VO-52 back we will have more opportunities to demo satellites. Norm will be operating his portable station and I will likely have my Remote Station operating via a 3G Hotspot. Weather predictions are good so we should have a good turnout. Please give us a call if you hear us on the birds! 73, John K8YSE

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