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

Re: Satellite choices on Field Day
by Mark L. Hammond 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

Hi Philip, Happy to hear you are getting active again! Great. One small precaution, based on personal experience during Field Day---be careful about creating expectations that can't be delivered...in other words, using the handheld system to listen to an FM bird is pretty easy, but on Field Day, it might be impossible to get a signal into the bird for a real contact. When I've done demos on Field Day, I warn my observers that it's going to be quite busy, and while we certainly will hear the bird, it's unlikely with 5 watts that I'll make a contact *today*. But letting them hear the busy bird gets them interested, and has led to invitations to give a presentation/demo at a local club meeting---which CAN more easily lead to making some contacts (especially if you announce the event here on the BBS. People will look for you specifically, in order to make your event successful). If you're going to have both the TS-2000x and the little radio, you could have somebody else waving it around to listen, while you operate the transmitter. It's fun to have audience participation! Not sure I'll be on the air on Field Day, due to work---but best wishes for a great day. Mark N8MH At 11:03 PM 6/21/2012 -0400, Philip Jenkins wrote: >Thanks, Drew. I didn't realize AO-27's status, and I wasn't really looking >forward to getting up in the middle of the night anyway :-) (although SO-50 >has an excellent pass around 330 am :-) ) > >I did play around with AO-27 and SO-50 most of the day Wednesday, but yeah, >I haven't really been active on the sats since a 1993 AO-13 DXpedition to >VP2M. > >The reason I'm planning on using the HT and Arrow is to show them the >(nearly) minimum equipment that can be used to work a sat - that they don't >have to have a fancy radio (IC 910, IC-9100, TS-2000) and a big antenna >array to work the birds. (I do have switchable CP yagis on 2M and 440 at >home, with an az/el rotor, but transporting all that would be too much >logistically AND I thought it would be overkill and too intimidating for an >audience whom you're trying to attract into ham radio.) But yeah, I'd much >rather have full-duplex like I did on AO-13. > >Philip > >On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 10:36 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner < >glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> wrote: > >> >> >> >> - >> >I'm leaning towards AO-27 for listen only, as I know the bird will be jam >> >packed with ops that weekend (although I do have a decent pass at 230 am >> >local Sunday, and an even better one at 4 am) and actually trying to make >> a >> >contact on SO-50, although I'm sure it will be busy too. >> >> Let me save you some sleep. AO-27 is only on for the ascending passes in >> the afternoon, and only for 7 minutes starting at about 30 degrees >> latitude. This means the first several minutes of the afternoon pass will >> be silent from your QTH, and all of the overnight passes. >> >> > Definitely AO-7 for my linear choice, as I know the linear birds won't >> be >> >as busy as the FM ones. FO-29 is my next choice. >> >> FO-29 and VO-52 will work better on FD, as AO-7 tends to get overloaded >> easily. >> >> > >> >I'm planning on using the Arrow antenna with my VX5-R for the FM birds, >> and >> >I have an M-Squared 2M/440 (same boom, but offset 90 degrees) with an >> >"armstrong" az/el control for the linear ones with my TS-2000X. >> >> Why give up full duplex and the TS-2000 to use the VX5 on FM? Half-duplex >> is a poor choice for satellite on normal days, let alone Field Day. If it's >> because of the birdie, use the TS2000 as the transmitter and the VX5 for >> receive only. >> >> Good luck. If you aren't a regular satellite user, try some passes outside >> of Field Day to improve your chances of success. >> >> 73, Drew KO4MA >> >> >> >_______________________________________________ >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

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Results of HORYU-2 telemetry Receiving Competition
by Trevor . 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=8609 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Field Day
by K4FEG 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

For Field Day, I will be looking to help out with contacts, Especially late at night, I chase grids so I am used to being up late at night on the "lonely" passes. I plan to concentrate on the linear satellites but SO50 is flying over the US late at night so I will try it as well. those that are planning to try a satellite contact for the points drop me a private email and I will listen for you in the wee hours, I have already had several requests from some of the other night owls like myself, so let me know so I can be listening. Just give me a general idea of which passes you are looking at I am sure I can work a few stations! Good Luck everyone, have fun but most of all, BE SAFE LET'S NOT HAVE ANY ACCIDENTS THIS YEAR! 73 to All, Frank; K4FEG em55

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Lunar Mission ?
by Trevor . 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

The company Excalibur Almaz based in the Isle of Man, British Isles, has announced an aim to fly a lunar mission. The Lunar and Deep Space Mission Capability press release is at http://www.excaliburalmaz.com/0401_Press.html Financial Times newspaper article http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5af9e2a-ba21-11e1-aa8d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1yW… 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Re: Satellite choices on Field Day
by K5OE 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

Phillip, You have already gotten really good advice from others on FD operation, but I will offer one nugget from my experience: if you feel the pressure to make that one satellite contact for the club, here is my recommendation for the highest probability for success: - pick an ascending pass of FO-29, preferably to your East (at AOS it will be mostly over the Atlantic Ocean) - pick a frequency at least 5 kHz above the center's downlink with Doppler (at AOS this will be about 8 + 5 = 435.863 MHz) - assuming you are not using PC-control, set your trasnmit 5 kHz below the uplink center and call CQ - be ready for the pile-up from the dozen 4-call stations in FL who will all call you at the same time You have about 60 seconds before the NE and mid-west get into the window... after that, just play the downlink audio for the audience. 73 es GL, Jerry, K5OE

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Re: Satellite choices on Field Day
by Andrew Glasbrenner 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

- >I'm leaning towards AO-27 for listen only, as I know the bird will be jam >packed with ops that weekend (although I do have a decent pass at 230 am >local Sunday, and an even better one at 4 am) and actually trying to make a >contact on SO-50, although I'm sure it will be busy too. Let me save you some sleep. AO-27 is only on for the ascending passes in the afternoon, and only for 7 minutes starting at about 30 degrees latitude. This means the first several minutes of the afternoon pass will be silent from your QTH, and all of the overnight passes. > Definitely AO-7 for my linear choice, as I know the linear birds won't be >as busy as the FM ones. FO-29 is my next choice. FO-29 and VO-52 will work better on FD, as AO-7 tends to get overloaded easily. > >I'm planning on using the Arrow antenna with my VX5-R for the FM birds, and >I have an M-Squared 2M/440 (same boom, but offset 90 degrees) with an >"armstrong" az/el control for the linear ones with my TS-2000X. Why give up full duplex and the TS-2000 to use the VX5 on FM? Half-duplex is a poor choice for satellite on normal days, let alone Field Day. If it's because of the birdie, use the TS2000 as the transmitter and the VX5 for receive only. Good luck. If you aren't a regular satellite user, try some passes outside of Field Day to improve your chances of success. 73, Drew KO4MA

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Future Possibilities For Automated Transfer Vehicle Technologies
by B J 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/120621-astrium-study-evolution-atv.html http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1206/21atvfuture/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Satellite choices on Field Day
by Philip Jenkins 22 Jun '12

22 Jun '12

Hi all I'm doing satellite demos for Field Day for my club, and I'm trying to narrow down which ones to try. I'd like to demo two of each type, even if all the audience is able to do it listen. So please let me know which FM and which linear ones you would recommend. For FM: SO-50, AO-27, and ISS (assuming that it will be on at all, either in repeater mode or even better, a real live operator :-) ) For linear: VO-52, FO-29, and AO-7 I'm leaning towards AO-27 for listen only, as I know the bird will be jam packed with ops that weekend (although I do have a decent pass at 230 am local Sunday, and an even better one at 4 am) and actually trying to make a contact on SO-50, although I'm sure it will be busy too. Definitely AO-7 for my linear choice, as I know the linear birds won't be as busy as the FM ones. FO-29 is my next choice. I'm planning on using the Arrow antenna with my VX5-R for the FM birds, and I have an M-Squared 2M/440 (same boom, but offset 90 degrees) with an "armstrong" az/el control for the linear ones with my TS-2000X. (I'll also have a longwire on the off chance that AO-7 pops up in Mode A, as I may be working 20 M phone/CW when not busy with the sats.) Any advice will be appreciated Thanks! Philip N4HF (operating as WA4TRS (EM85il) from the Cherokee Indian Reservation in NC for FD)

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Video of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-56 mission
by Trevor . 21 Jun '12

21 Jun '12

STS-56 achieved the first contact between a Space Shuttle and the Mir Space Sation using amateur radio equipment. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=8589 73 Trevor M5AKA

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HudsonValleySatcomGrouoNetTonightJune21@8pmEastern
by cotejaune2＠aol.com 21 Jun '12

21 Jun '12

Hello all and it is time again for the HVSG Net@8PM Eastern time on Echolink N2EYH-L or on the Mt.Beacon Repeater @146.970 PL 100. We have been having difficulty with the Echolink computer for the last few nets Hopefully it will be working for us tonight. so that's tonight June 21.Hope to hear you there.

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