July 2013 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

US Towers TMM-433HD for sale
by David Reinhart 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

On the ground, heavy duty 33 ft. crank up tower with fold-over fixture. Ten ft. mast, four coax arms, inverted vee arm. Everything except anchor bolts. Pick up only in Holden, MA. Originally $2,500. Make offer. Contact Dave at wa6ilt(a)amsat.org.

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Personalized CubeSats
by B J 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space-all-small-cheap-satellites-may-one-day… http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/07/15/cubesats-personalized-eyed-for-inter… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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AMSAT-UK Colloquium Programme
by David Johnson 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

Hi, I'm pleased to let you know that programme is now complete. However, If you are bursting to share some info with us, I might be able to squeeze in two more 20 minute presentations, one each on Saturday & Sunday afternoons. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq4J8y0gGRnkdG9uVks0Y3JJOGx4OD… 73 Dave, G4DPZ

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antenna direction calibration
by Bob- W7LRD 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

You'd think I would have this figured out by now. I never paid very close attention to exact antenna direction until now. I mean the satellite was always within the beam pattern. I tried the SuM part of Satpc32. I am thinking of trying some EME, and I looked up the boom of the yagi' and I was about 8* high and maybe 10* to the right of the moon, still probably within the half power point of the beams. This is where the obsessive part comes along, should I use the moon as the "grand phooba" of calibration? Or compass true/mag. I mean the moon is "pretty" consistent. As always the collective thoughts of this bb are never wrong. 73 Bob W7LRD Seattle

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Re: Antenna direction calibration
by John Fickes 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

Bob What I do ( and I'm not sure I'm right,but seems to work ) is to use the North star to calibrate. I live at 41.2* latitude, so if I crank my antennas to 41* elevation and point north 0* azimuth I should be pretty close. I also live at 1* magnetic declination, not much so I don't worry much about that. Now I don't do much EME as I don't have any power, but I've monitored EME and this seems to get me pretty close. I will also be glad to see what others do to calibrate. 73 John KC0BMF

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Ac0ra trip
by wyattdirks 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

Well just another four hours of driving till we get home. Well I am riding now but will drive the last stretch through Iowa. By the time we get home we will have been on the road for about 22.5 hours. Any way I just did the tally and I have 238 contacts in the log from 25 different grids and from 6 different states. A few of the high lights of the trips as far as sat ops go was working vo52 from two grids while mobile. For the First three minutes of the pass I was in dn91 then passed into dn90 and worked three station from each grid. Also at the last minute I decided to take and hour detour north off of i80 to the en01/00 gridline just north of grand island to work quite a few stations. And to all those who worked me on fo29 while I was mobile I am sorry for the weak signals. My half wave mobile whip got damaged early trip by a big bird at 80mph and it never worked right after that. For a while it didn't work at all but with some roadside repairs i got it working to get us through the trip. Also if you working me you might have noticed sometimes I signed mobile and sometimes I signed portable. Well this was for a reason that is quite obvious. When I signed my I was using my ft857 with halfwave mobile antenna for 2m and three el arrow for 70cm. Mostly was semi duplex while mobile but sometimes used the ft817 for rx. When I signed portable I was using the ft897/817 pair with an arrow antenna which performed flawlessly. Well all but my battery charger for the ft897 batteries stopped working which wasn't an issue because I had a back up 35amphr gelcel along. Charged everything while driving through inverter and once in the hotel room. If you want qsls for grids which I assume some will of you could send a sase with the contacts you want with the grid I was In writen on the card that would be good. It might take a little bit for cards to get back out as I might need to get some made. But it shouldn't take more then a month or two. Thanks to all who followed me along the trip! 73 Wyatt AC0RA

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D Star Amsat users net
by damon runion 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

I will start a net on D Star on 1 August(Thursday evenings) for Amsat users. It will be at 8:pm local Memphis,TN on REF 60 B in Nashville, TN. through the W4LET repeater in the Memphis area. If you have a D Star radio or a DV Dongle , please join in and share any info on grid trips you may be planning or info on someone that maybe planning one. If you have equipment for sale or if you are looking for something you may list it.Let's keep the rocket science off this net. I wish to support the use of the satellites. If anyone would like to be an alternate net controller , please contact me. I will be on each Thursday evening at 8:pm local time in an informal mode and on 1 August the net will be formal. Thanks WA4HFN EM55ab Damon Runion

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5 in em55 update
by damon runion 14 Jul '13

14 Jul '13

*In an effort to help increase interest in satellites, we have created a new award for working five (5) different hams in the EM55 grid or collect 5 5 in EM55 certificate holder numbers or a combination of numbers and em55 operators totaling 5* Thanks Damon WA4HFN EM55

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5 in EM55 update
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 14 Jul '13

14 Jul '13

In an effort to help increase interest in satellites, we have created a new award for working five (5) different hams in the EM55 grid or collect 5 5 in EM55 certificate holder numbers or a combination of numbers and em55 operators totaling 5

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Re: Satellite at 1.2 GHZ
by Andrew Glasbrenner 14 Jul '13

14 Jul '13

1.2 GHz is never a downlink band, only uplink. Right now I think CO-56 is the only satellite with a user-accessible 1.2 GHz uplink. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Vincenzo Mone <vimone(a)alice.it> >Sent: Jul 14, 2013 10:24 AM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: [amsat-bb] Satellite at 1.2 GHZ > >Hi to the list, >I would like to know if there is any active bird with a DL at 1.2GHz. >Thanks in advace > >Inviato da iPhone >_______________________________________________ >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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