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

Store Closed
by Martha 17 May '12

17 May '12

While the AMSAT store is closed, you can place an order through the AMSAT office. The hours are 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM EDST. Our phone number is 301-589-6062. Looking forward to hearing from you! -- 73- Martha

1 0

Washington State Area AMSAT or weak signal Hams
by Joe Leikhim 17 May '12

17 May '12

If there are any hams near to the Wenatchee, WA Area (Latitude (deg): 47.55 Longitude (deg): -120.17), who have roaming capabilities (to locate interference), VHF antenna, preamp and multi-mode RX and/or spectrum analyzer, Please contact me off line. Thanks -- Joe Leikhim

1 0

Epic Journey to Dayton! (CQ Dayton)
by Bob Bruninga 17 May '12

17 May '12

Epic APRS mobile-to-Dayton journey Begins. Other than normal APRS, you can also see over the RF horizon! Maintain contact with all Dayton bound. Send your APRS message to CQSRVR and begin with CQ DAYTON ... text... Every other mobile in the country that is also participating will see your message. You can send no more often than every 30 minutes, but it is a great way to find out where others are that may be too far away from you on RF. You have to send such a message to CQSRVR at least once every 24 hours to stay logged in. When you see someone else you need to QSO, then send further one-on-one messages directly to their callsign. I've just started my login now... CQSRVR just responded, so it is UP! For details see: http://aprs.org/cqsrvr.html Thanks to Pete Lovell for this fine service! OTHER TIPS FOR the DAYTON APRS EPIC: 1) Be sure to monitor APRS Voice Alert for adjacent mobiles (CTCSS 100 on the aprs channel) 2) Be ready to QSY to 146.52 or other available channel for voice QSO 3) APRS Forum is at 11:30 Friday Room 1. WITHOUT APRS? You can still monitor 144.39 with CTCSS 100 and if you hear a squawk, then that means someone is in SIMPLEX range AND is listening with CTCSS 100 also. Call him and QSY to 52... All other packets on 144.39 do not use PL, and so you will not hear them. Only a mobile in simplex range. We call this Voice Alert. Its like a proximity detector. Bob, WB4APR

1 1

May-19 Balloon & Contest
by Amsat Argentina 17 May '12

17 May '12

We are pleased to inform next Saturday May-19 from 11hs-LU on (GMT-3), a free Balloon UV Repeater will fly from the city of General Pico (Airport), Province of La Pampa, Argentina, 571 Km west of Buenos Aires City. See details and photos http://www.amsat.org.ar/globo19.htm Given administrations requests by Amsat Argentina, launch is authorized and appropiate NOTAM (NOTification to AirMen) had been issued and granted by National Civil Aviation Administration. Contest & Prices: first 10 station making the most distance & contacts will receive special certificate, top winner will receive a UHF/VHF handy. Payload will operate as an UHF to VHF crossband repeater, with CW tlm, APRS location and SSTV emissions in local and space frequencies. According estimates Balloon could reach 100,000 feet height, traveling from 50 to 100 miles towards east. Thus allowing contacts between stations located in provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Entre Rios, Cordoba, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, La Pampa, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, Rio Negro, Neuquen, Uruguay & Chile. (Launch is from Argentina Geo-Center to permit higher participation). See coverage map on http://www.amsat.org.ar/picocubr.jpg and estimated trajectory in http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico120519.jpg . For these experiences, Amsat-LU works with and it is thankful to hams of Radio Clubs of Gral.Pico, QRM Belgrano, APRS Group and amsat-LU members development team as well as those who have actively participated and sent their reports in previous events. More information at http://www.amsat.org.ar/lu4aao/experimento_globo_y_parapente.htm. Several flown experiments have been successfully operated during 2011/12 in manned-gliders, airplanes, captive and free Balloons allowing operational & practice for hams contributing to platform validaton of LUSEX satellite (LU Satellite EXperiment) on development by Amsat Argentina. More on http://lusex.org.ar In order to monitor the payload (if you are within 400 miles of launch area) you need just an FM receiver either handy or base, in 145.950 for repeater and/or 144.930 for APRS. The repeater, that is activated via 123 Hertz subtone, operates receiving voice FM in 435.950 Khz (-112dbm, 0,56 uV) and emits with 2W the received audio live on 145.950 Khz. Simultaneously APRS data will be sent in Packet at 1200 bauds in 144.930, and also in 145.950. The DTI APRS symbol would change from a Balloon (/O) during the ascent to a glider (/g) during parachute descent. Payload would operate as voice repeater activated by 123 Hz subtone during 1 minute, a warning bip at 40 seconds will indicate telemetry is coming, which is emitted if the repeater is not in use, if in 20 seconds more voice repeater still in use a two bips will be heard signaling that short APRS packages will begin in the different frequencies, also every 5 minutes CW (telegraphy with tones of audio) with CQ + callsign (LU7AA), sequence#, ext. and int. centigrade temperatures and voltage of batteries, after which the cycle will repeat. Experiment will also emit SSTV pictures in ROBOT-36 (36 seconds) in real time, showing what glider/Balloon sees. Every 5 minutes during ascent/descent and more spaced at high altitudes. (It can be received among others with MIXW, MMSTV & RX-SSTV ). To study propagation and allow DX station to listen, balloon will also carry a 150 mW CW 7021 Khz transmitter, emiting callsign, sequence, external and internal temperatures and battery voltage. Payload would also carry on board two TV cameras (one towards earth and another towards horizon) recording video and sound during the flight. These captured videos could be recovered when payload is recovered. APRS trajectory could be seen every minute, including speed, height, external and internal temperatures and 7.2v battery voltage using UI-View (download from the UI-View official site on http://www.ui-view.org/) and/or to see/follow from Internet connecting to http://aprs.fi/?call=lu7aa-11 or locally via Packet at specified frequencies. There are georeferenced Maps for UI-View in http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico.jpg, http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico.txt. Download and place them in directory Program Files/Peak Systems/UI-View32/MAPS and rename .txt file to .inf. The experiment in 435.950 KHz besides voice, receives and accepts DTMF sequences commands on demand, I.E. sending B* (DTMF with handy keyboard on UHF) will return S5 ... ..... in 145,950 VHF CW, reporting in CW signal strength received from your station, if S9+10 will returns P10. There are also DTMF commands qualifying emission of CW tlm or APRS beacon or SSTV emission, commands that allows remote release of payload, mode changes, timers control, energy, power, etc. Frequencies for previous coordination, announcements and flights will be 7090 Khz LSB +/-10 Khz and local repeaters. During the flights will remain active wide coverage AMSAT-LU APRS Igate LU7AA-10 on 144.930 and 430.930 KHz, operating from the Constituyentes Investigation Center transferring whatever is received towards Internet. For being an experiment oriented to a next satellite, the contacts made between stations via this payload will be considered valid for the recently announced permanent, gratuitous and applicable Satellite Certificate that AMSAT-LU and RClub QRM Belgrano grants, more info on http://www.amsat.org.ar/certsat.html. During the Balloon flight, amateur groups will chase the payload, aiming to locate and recover. Trapping ventures holds on this activity, as in the case of the Pampero 15 Balloon sent from San Miguel del Monte which landed in the middle of the Magdalena's state prison ... See http://www.lu5egy.com/Proyecto_pampero/vuelo_15/n_1esk.htm All reports welcome. If you wish or can organize or want be part of control, or like to pursuit and recovery, or like operating and capturing data as an independent station, and/or wishes to join us personally in this adventure from the launching places email us to parapente at amsat.org.ar. We appreciate reading of this information and thankful if distribution possible. 73, LU7AA, Amsat-LU, aiming at the future by making the present funny. www.amsat.org.ar info at amsat.org.ar

1 0

March-19 Balloon & Contest
by Amsat Argentina 17 May '12

17 May '12

We are pleased to inform next Saturday March-19 from 11hs-LU on (GMT-3), a free Balloon UV Repeater will lift off from the city of General Pico (Airport), Province of La Pampa, Argentina, 571 Km west of Buenos Aires City. See details and photos http://www.amsat.org.ar/globo19.htm Given administrations requests made by Amsat Argentina, launch is authorized and appropiate NOTAM (NOTification to AirMen) had been issued and granted by National Civil Aviation Administration. Contest & Prices: first 10 station making the most distance & contacts will receive special certificate, top winner will receive a dual band UHF/VHF handy. Payload will operate as an UHF to VHF crossband repeater, with CW tlm, APRS location and SSTV emissions in local and space frequencies. According estimates Balloon could reach 100,000 feet height, traveling from 50 to 100 miles towards east. Thus allowing contacts between stations located in provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Entre Rios, Cordoba, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, La Pampa, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, Rio Negro, Neuquen, Uruguay & Chile. (Launch is from Argentina Geo-Center to permit higher participation). See coverage map on http://www.amsat.org.ar/picocubr.jpg and estimated trajectory in http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico120519.jpg . For these experiences, Amsat-LU works with and it is thankful to hams of Radio Clubs of Gral.Pico, QRM Belgrano, APRS Group and amsat-LU members development team as well as those who have actively participated and sent their reports in previous events. More information at http://www.amsat.org.ar/lu4aao/experimento_globo_y_parapente.htm. Several flown experiments had been successfully operated during 2011/12 in manned-gliders, airplanes, captive and free Balloons allowing operational & practice for hams contributing to platform validaton of LUSEX satellite (LU Satellite EXperiment) on development by Amsat Argentina. More on http://lusex.org.ar In order to monitor the payload (if you are within 400 miles of launch area) you need just an FM receiver either handy or base, in 145.950 for repeater and/or 144.930 for APRS. The repeater, that is activated via 123 Hertz subtone, operates receiving voice FM in 435.950 Khz (-112dbm, 0,56 uV) and emits with 2W the received audio live on 145.950 Khz. Simultaneously APRS data will be sent in Packet at 1200 bauds in 144.930, and also in 145.950. The DTI APRS symbol would change from a Balloon (/O) during the ascent to a glider (/g) during parachute descent. Payload would operate as voice repeater activated by 123 Hz subtone during 1 minute, a warning bip at 40 seconds will indicate telemetry is coming, which is emitted if the repeater is not in use, if in 20 seconds more voice repeater still in use a two bips will be heard signaling that short APRS packages will begin in the different frequencies, also every 5 minutes CW (telegraphy with tones of audio) with CQ + callsign (LU7AA), sequence#, ext. and int. centigrade temperatures and voltage of batteries, after which the cycle will repeat. Experiment will also emit SSTV pictures in ROBOT-36 (36 seconds) in real time, showing what glider/Balloon sees. Every 5 minutes during ascent/descent and more spaced at high altitudes. (It can be received among others with MIXW, MMSTV & RX-SSTV ). To study propagation and allow DX station to listen, balloon will also carry a 150 mW CW 7021 Khz transmitter, emiting callsign, sequence, external and internal temperatures and battery voltage. Payload would also carry on board two TV cameras (one towards earth and another towards horizon) recording video and sound during the flight. These captured videos could be recovered when payload is recovered. APRS trajectory could be seen every minute, including speed, height, external and internal temperatures and 7.2v battery voltage using UI-View (download from the UI-View official site on http://www.ui-view.org/) and/or to see/follow from Internet connecting to http://aprs.fi/?call=lu7aa-11 or locally via Packet at specified frequencies. There are georeferenced Maps for UI-View in http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico.jpg, http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico.txt. Download and place them in directory Program Files/Peak Systems/UI-View32/MAPS and rename .txt file to .inf. The experiment in 435.950 KHz besides voice, receives and accepts DTMF sequences commands on demand, I.E. sending B* (DTMF with handy keyboard on UHF) will return S5 ... ..... in 145,950 VHF CW, reporting in CW signal strength received from your station, if S9+10 will returns P10. There are also DTMF commands to control emission of CW tlm or APRS beacon or SSTV emission, as well as allowing remote release of payload, mode changes, timers control, energy, power, etc. Frequencies for previous coordination, announcements and flights will be 7090 Khz LSB +/-10 Khz and local repeaters. During the flights will remain active wide coverage AMSAT-LU APRS Igate LU7AA-10 on 144.930 and 430.930 KHz, operating from the Constituyentes Investigation Center transferring whatever is received towards Internet. For being an experiment oriented to a next satellite, the contacts made between stations via this payload will be considered valid for the recently announced permanent, gratuitous and applicable Satellite Certificate that AMSAT-LU and RClub QRM Belgrano grants, more info on http://www.amsat.org.ar/certsat.html. During the Balloon flight, amateur groups will chase the payload, aiming to locate and recover. Trapping ventures holds on this activity, as in the case of the Pampero 15 Balloon sent from San Miguel del Monte which landed in the middle of the Magdalena's state prison ... See http://www.lu5egy.com/Proyecto_pampero/vuelo_15/n_1esk.htm All reports welcome. If you wish or can organize or want be part of control, or like to pursuit and recovery, or like operating and capturing data as an independent station, and/or wishes to join us personally in this adventure from the launching places email us to parapente at amsat.org.ar. We appreciate reading of this information and thankful if distribution possible. 73, LU7AA, Amsat-LU, aiming at the future by making the present funny. www.amsat.org.ar info at amsat.org.ar

1 0

T100+ Vector Impedance Analyzer
by i8cvs 17 May '12

17 May '12

Hi All, To those who are seriously interested in VHF/UHF antenna measurements I recommend the VHF/UHF Vector Impedance Analyzer model T100+ made by Timestechnology.com.hk and sold as new via Ebay at US $ 249,00 ( about Euro 194,91) I hown one of this and I am very satisfied with it's VHF/UHF accuracy. The manufacturer Timestechnology.com.hk sell the T100+ only via Ebay Belove you will find the links for characteristics of the instrument,the user manual and will look at the diagrams on display but Google is full of informations only to write on it T100+Vector Impedance Analyzer. http://www.ebay.it/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140709952573 http://timestechnology.com.hk/download/T100%20plus%20Manual%202-0.pdf http://timestechnology.com.hk/ http://radcomms.net/T100_Analyser.html http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/8012 In VHF(100-170 MHz) and UHF (400-470 MHz ) the T100+ is more accurate than the model MFJ-269 Following my calibration and comparison against professional Network Analyzers the MFJ-269 accuracy is good at most up to 30 MHz. 73" de i8CVS Domenico

1 0

Re: Satellite Solar Power (indoors) and out
by WILLIAMS MICHAEL 17 May '12

17 May '12

What's funnier is the 35 million spent on solar panels at the Emmett J. Bean Federal Center in Indianapolis. It saves $475k a year so that means it will take 70 years to break even even though the the panels have a lifetime of 30 years. I think that savings is probably based on every day being sunny. Indiana is not what I would call a great place to operate solar panels. Many cloudy days and in winter, it's possible for ice to cover objects for long stretches of time. K9QHO

2 1

Endeavour in L.A.
by Clint Bradford 17 May '12

17 May '12

The California Science Center museum has received what officials describe as an “extraordinary” financial contribution to the new Air and Space Center that will house the space shuttle Endeavour. The gift, to be announced at a news conference Thursday, comes from a foundation chaired by Lynda Oschin, wife of the late Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist Samuel Oschin, whose name already graces the Griffith Observatory planetarium and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cancer institute stemming from charitable contributions there. At Oschin’s request, officials would not disclose the amount of the gift. But they called it “transformational” for the free state-run museum in South Los Angeles, adjacent to USC. Clint Bradford

1 0

Re: XE1AY in EK36
by Mark L. Hammond 16 May '12

16 May '12

Sorry, all----I fat-fingered Keith's call! It's W5IU, of course. Thanks to those of you that will be on the lookout for the AMSAT satellite demo area and W5IU! Mark N8MH (or N8HM if you fat finger it...hi). On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 11:54 AM, Bruce Paige <kk5do(a)att.net> wrote: > if they are using keith's callsign, it is w5iu. > > 73...bruce > > ________________________________ > From: Mark L. Hammond <marklhammond(a)gmail.com> > To: Omar Alvarez <xe1aom(a)yahoo.com> > Cc: "AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org" <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> > Sent: Wed, May 16, 2012 10:47:33 AM > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: XE1AY in EK36 > > Hello OMAR, > > If you are in contact with XE1AY, could you please ask him to listen > for W5UI on Friday and Saturday? That will be the callsign used at > the AMSAT demonstration area at Dayton Hamvention. We will be > especially encouraging new satellite operators and youth to be at the > microphone, and they would love to work an XE1 station on satellite! > > Thanks and 73, > > Mark N8MH > > On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 9:19 AM, Omar Alvarez <xe1aom(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> Hello >> If you need EK36, Ismael XE1AY will be from thursday to tuesday in: >> >> >> San Cristobal EK36qr >> San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan EK36ps >> and Tuxtla EK36kr >> >> >> Working QRP in FM satellites. >> >> Good luck to everyone >> >> Omar >> XE1AO >> >> >> ******************************** >> M.C. Omar Alvarez Cárdenas >> Facultad de Telematica, U de C >> 316 1075 >> xe1aom(a)ucol.mx >> omar_ac(a)hotmail.com >> ******************************** >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > > -- > Mark L. Hammond [N8MH] > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

1 0

XE1AY in EK36
by Omar Alvarez 16 May '12

16 May '12

Hello If you need EK36, Ismael XE1AY will be from thursday to tuesday in: San Cristobal EK36qr San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan EK36ps and Tuxtla EK36kr Working QRP in FM satellites. Good luck to everyone Omar XE1AO ******************************** M.C. Omar Alvarez Cárdenas Facultad de Telematica, U de C 316 1075 xe1aom(a)ucol.mx omar_ac(a)hotmail.com ********************************

2 1