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

BP Solar Panel Liquadation
by Bob Bruninga 05 Mar '12

05 Mar '12

If you live in San Bernadino, Calif and need some solar power for your shack (house) I have heard that BP solar is liquidating over 210,000 panels and an unknown number of string inverters, sunnboy, fronius, etc BUT all of them are out near SanBernadio, Ca (except for a few in europe and Australia). I have not investigated at all, since I am too far away. Heard about it on the SolarDIY(a)yahoogroups.com which is a group of mostly hams interested in Solar and renewables. Bob, Wb4APR

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Net
by Vince Waelti 05 Mar '12

05 Mar '12

Thanks all who checked into the *AMSAT* server on Echolink on Saturdays at 7Pm central time to 8:30pm Central time. THANKS AGAIN! This will be a weekly thing! Connect your -L and -R nodes if you can! Vince Waelti, K9TSU *Net Controller for the Sat-Chat *Green County ARES/SKYWARN *Winnebago County ARES/SKYWARN * Web -> www.k9tsu.tk <-Web *608-312-0138

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Re: Motor for Yaesu G5500 Azimuth Rotator?
by David Palmer KB5WIA 05 Mar '12

05 Mar '12

Hi Clive, I haven't heard of failures of the controller or software directly, but this could happen. A more common problem might be mis-calibration, in that if your elevation rotor reads only 175 degrees and your software and controller is trying to send it to 180 degrees, the thing will keep going until it shuts off at the limit switches in the rotor itself (G5500). I've seen this before, no problem since the limit switches are fairly robust, but something to keep an eye on. I plan to use the thermal cut-outs for the extra protection as soon as I get a repaired / replacement motor to work with. Yesterday I built a jig for bench testing the rotor. Cables and connectors are still on the mast, so I needed a way to connect the 7-pin connector to the controller manually, also to a scope to verify alignment of the 500-ohm pot sensor. Made jig from 6 individual connectors through clear plexiglass, broken out to six terminals on side. That will help with alignment during reassembly. Also spent some time figuring out how the brake goes together - seems I didn't manage to get photos of it as I took it off of the motor before shipping it out, and just yesterday noticed the spring in there and puzzled over how the heck it works. Think I have it figured out, though. Dave KB5WIA On Feb 26, 2012 4:24 AM, "Clive Wallis" <list1(a)g3cwv.co.uk> wrote:

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Re: G5500 az rotor repair
by David Palmer KB5WIA 04 Mar '12

04 Mar '12

Hi Ken, Yes, that green to black value of 2.5 sounds suspicious - the two winding halves should have pretty similar resistances. If the brake is okay, likely the motor is shorted, unfortunately. Dave On Mar 4, 2012 3:52 PM, "Ken Swaggart" <k.swaggart(a)charter.net> wrote: > > Dave, > Thanks for the info! I still need to check that brake. Suspect I put it back together wrong. > > My resistance readings are: > Red to black = 3.7 Ohms > Green to black = 2.5 Ohms > Total series = 6 Ohms > > Guess those values are “close enough”? Worried about that green to black value. > > Tnx, > Ken

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RAMPART CubeSat to use propulsion + Articles Needed
by Trevor . 04 Mar '12

04 Mar '12

Students at Morehead State University are building a 2U Cubesat with a propulsion system that will raise the apogee of its orbit from 500 km to 1200 km. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/5364 We invite you to write an article for the AMSAT-UK publication OSCAR NEWS http://www.uk.amsat.org/5362 73 Trevor M5AKA ----

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Round the world APRS balloon
by Bob Bruninga 04 Mar '12

04 Mar '12

An around the world balloon attempt will be made sometime next week. The payload is about the size of two 9v batteries (50 grams) and will be carried by 10 underinflated party balloons above 40,000 feet in the Jet Stream. The balloon will only have CW battery, Inside and Outside temp data. All tracking will be done by DFing on 28.223 MHz. Ideallly, everyone with APRS will enter DF reports using the built-in DF functions in most clients so that the track can be plotted. Those without APRS can email DF headings to the indicated address. The web page is in work but will simply be APRS.ORG to keep the CW short. We are busy finishing it. Anything new will be posted on the web page when we know it. Bob, WB4APR

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AMSAT-BB from K9TSU
by Vince Waelti 04 Mar '12

04 Mar '12

Hello fellow ham-ers, I am proud to say that I will start a Saturday Night Sat-Chat on the *AMSAT* Echolink server. This will be Saturday Nights, every Saturday Night, from 7PM central time to 8:30pm central time. That's 0100 Sunday (UTC) to 0230 Sunday (UTC). I will be 'net manager,' but this is an open net. Every satellite operator is welcome to jump in. This will basically be a large round-table, and after every rotation people are welcome to jump in. I will not be "net control." There won't be a "net control." Just a place/time for an open net of satellite operators or hams wanting to be satellite operators to ask questions or talk about that rare satellite DX. Feel free to connect your -L or -R nodes, or just yourself. Please keep the participants to hams that are interested in becoming satellite ops or are already satellite ops, or ones that are curious what this is about. Thanks, K9TSU, Vince, en52, Wisconsin. Vince R. Waelti, K9TSU Green County ARES/RACES Winnebago County ARES/SKYWARN www.k9tsu.tk 608.312.0138

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2MIEUB/P N.E SCOTLAND 24/3/12 QRV SATS
by paul robinson 04 Mar '12

04 Mar '12

Hi group 2m1eub operations start this year 24/3/12 for 7 days from scotland east coast.opperating from the van. Ill post more info via the bb . main opp will be AO7 B/A mode other sats poss. qrz.com/2m1eub for more info. paul 2E1EUB/2M1EUB

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Echolink Net
by Vince Waelti 03 Mar '12

03 Mar '12

Hello all, I will run the new "open" net called the "Sat-Chat" on the *AMSAT* server on EchoLink. Feel free to connect your -L or -R (or your self [user]) to that server at 7PM Central time tonight until 8:30PM Central time tonight. (As well as every Saturday) If you plan on having your -L or -R connected to the server for the net, please email me back at k9tsu(at)hotmail(dot)com . This will be a great oppertunity for all to meet the others in the satellite world you may have exchanged with! THANKS! Vince Waelti, K9TSU *Green County ARES/SKYWARN *Winnebago County ARES/SKYWARN * Web -> www.k9tsu.tk <-Web *608-312-0138

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COMPASS-1 - End of mission
by Mike Rupprecht 03 Mar '12

03 Mar '12

Dear supporters and friends of our COMPASS-1 mission, first, let me thank you very much for your support in trying to save the life of our COMPASS-1 satellite during the last days, but also during the last years of "routine" operations. It seems that our mission now comes to an end. The projected lifetime of COMPASS-1 was half a year. The tiny guy has outperformed this value by a factor of more than seven. April 28th would have been it's 4th birthday and if it was a human, it would now be about 500 years old (Cubesat-years are short). So, if you have more important things to do (and I guess so), we can not expect you to continue your efforts in saving its live. With your support, you have made things possible that we would never have been able to achieve with our own resources and I appreciate your support very much. So, COMPASS-1, rest in peace. (Nevertheless, if you still want to try to awake it from the dead, feel free to do so.) I hope that we will soon be able to build and launch COMPASS-2 and that you will be still available, all over the world, as a ground station to command and fly our new bird. We will keep you informed. Cheers and thanks for all, Bernd _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Prof. Dr. Bernd Dachwald Faculty of Aerospace Engineering FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences

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