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

Re: Kickstarter CubeSat Plasma Thruster
by Lowell White 09 Jul '13

09 Jul '13

Thanks for that, Trevor! I'll be glad to contribute. I just shared it on LinkedIn. Maybe if others will also share via their favorite social media we can get enough contributors to make it happen. 73 (all), Lowell K9LDW ------ Original Message ------ Received: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 05:07:20 PM CDT From: M5AKA <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Kickstarter CubeSat Plasma Thruster > Radio amateurs at the University of Michigan plan to raise $200,000 on > Kickstarter to fund a Plasma Thruster CubeSat capable of propelling a 3U CubeSat into deep space at 1/1000th the cost of previous missions. > > See http://amsat-uk.org/2013/07/09/radio-hams-kickstarter-cubesat-plasma-thrust… > > ---- > 73 Trevor M5AKA > AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ > Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 > Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK > ---- > _______________________________________________ > 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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Kickstarter CubeSat Plasma Thruster
by M5AKA 09 Jul '13

09 Jul '13

Radio amateurs at the University of Michigan plan to raise $200,000 on Kickstarter to fund a Plasma Thruster CubeSat capable of propelling a 3U CubeSat into deep space at 1/1000th the cost of previous missions. See http://amsat-uk.org/2013/07/09/radio-hams-kickstarter-cubesat-plasma-thrust… ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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Re: Yaesu G-5500 Azimuth Motor Replacement
by Andrew Glasbrenner 09 Jul '13

09 Jul '13

I put a G-450 motor into a 5500 case, but it's been a long time ago. It worked, and wasn't that difficult, but I can't offer anything more specific. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: "Sion Chow Q. C. (9W2QC)" <9w2qc(a)9w2qc.net> >Sent: Jul 9, 2013 12:41 PM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu G-5500 Azimuth Motor Replacement > >Dear All, > >Greetings from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. > >I have a Yaesu G-5500 rotator that has a spoilt azimuth motor while >the elevation motor works fine. Looking at the specifications >published by Yaesu, the G-800 rotator seems to be very similar with >the azimuth motor of the G-5500. > >Instead of purchasing a whole new set of G-5500 just to replace the >spoilt azimuth motor (the control box is working and this has been >verified with another working azimuth motor), I wonder if anyone has >tried replacing the azimuth motor the G-800 instead? > >Will the G-5500 control box work with the G-800 motor, are there some >modifications needed, or is this simply not possible? Any pointers >will be greatly appreciated. > >Thank you. > >73, >Sion Chow Q. C., >9M2CQC, WQ2C > > >_______________________________________________ >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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Re: Satellite at 9600 and more Baud
by Mark L. Hammond 09 Jul '13

09 Jul '13

Hi Enzo, Welcome back :) You can check satellite status and operational modes at DK3WN's website: http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?page_id=29535 There are a few at 9600, but not many strong and continuous ones. Let us know your results! 73, Mark N8MH At 12:40 PM 7/8/2013 +0200, Vincenzo Mone wrote: >Hi to the list, >As I have re mounted my antennas after a long stop, >I cannot find anymore birds at 9600 or more baud. >Please anybody can tell me if there is at least 1 still alive that I can >test my equipment's >That are been stopped for a long time? >Thanks in advance. > > >73's de Enzo IK8OZV >EasyLog 5 BetaTester >EasyLog PDA BetaTester >WinBollet BetaTester >D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania >Skype: ik8ozv8520 > > > > > ********************************** > ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* > ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ****** > *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** > ********************************* > > >_______________________________________________ >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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Satellite at 9600 and more Baud
by Vincenzo Mone 08 Jul '13

08 Jul '13

Hi to the list, As I have re mounted my antennas after a long stop, I cannot find anymore birds at 9600 or more baud. Please anybody can tell me if there is at least 1 still alive that I can test my equipment's That are been stopped for a long time? Thanks in advance. 73's de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ********************************** ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ****** *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** *********************************

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AMSAT Droid on Kindle Fire.
by Tom Schuessler 07 Jul '13

07 Jul '13

I just discovered today that the AMSAT Droid App had been placed on the Amazon App store. I have used an installation of the earlier version HAMSAT Droid app and was not sure if the author would get the free version beyond Google Play. I gave it only the second review on the Amazon store, a 5. It works as advertised and the improvements that the author made, in preparation for the paid version are well received. The Map view now gives a big view to match the orientation of your device. A big improvement for me is the ability to use grid squares to set location on a device like the Kindle which is not natively location aware. The older version would not recognize the period used in Lon/Lat decimal notation. In the past, I had to go to another application to enter numbers with the . and then copy/Paste into Hamsat Droid. Glad to not have to do this anymore. Still the basic operation is pretty much the same but I am hoping that when he gets the paid version going on Google Play, it will ultimately migrate it's way onto other App stores like Amazon. I am very willing to pay the bucks to support a good programming effort. AMSAT Droid is a great app for basic satellite pass location. I use it often when working with Scout groups on Radio Merit Badge classes where we do a satellite contact. Keep up the good work. Tom Schuessler, N5HYP n5hyp(a)arrl.net

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ANS-188 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 07 Jul '13

07 Jul '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-188 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Last Reminder for AMSAT Field Day Summary results * FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) Decays * ISS Ham Radio Slow Scan TV active * Sending Your Own Spacecraft to the Moon * 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium starts July 19 * OPS-SAT opportunity for Radio Amateurs * Dutch Amateur Radio Satellite User Meeting September 28th 2013 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-188.01 ANS-188 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 188.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. DATE July 7, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-188.01 Last Reminder for AMSAT Field Day Summary results Just a quick reminder that you must have your AMSAT Field Day results received by me no later than Monday, July 8, 2013 at 23:59 PM Central Time. If I do not receive them, your group will not be listed in the AMSAT Field Day story in the journal and they will be mad at you. We have had 14 submissions so far, last year we had 19. I hope we beat that number. Even if your group made one contact, turn it in. That shows you participated in AMSAT Field Day and succeeded in the feat of getting through the mess to complete your contact. A lot of groups were unable to accomplish one. [ANS thanks Bruce KK5DO, kk5do at arrl dot net, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) Decays FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) decayed on 4th July 2013. The last signal was received by JA0CAW at 03:07(UT). I appreciate all hams who joined our experiments, helped our operations, and sent me many reports. I could make many friends in the world and enjoyed through FITSAT-1. Though FITSAT-1 became a shooting star, I am very happy now. Thank you very much again all Ham friends. Very Best 73, de Takushi -- Takushi Tanaka, JA6AVG FITSAT-project Fukuoka Institute of Technology [ANS thanks Takushi Tanaka, JA6AVG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Ham Radio Slow Scan TV active The Slow Scan TV (SSTV) experiment on the International Space Station (ISS) was active on July 2-3, on 145.800 MHz FM The MAI-75 experiment worked very well producing some stunning images. All you need to do to receive the SSTV pictures from the space station is to connected the audio output of a scanner or amateur rig via a simple interface to the soundcard on a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device, and tune in to 145.800 MHz FM. You can even receive pictures by holding an iPhone next to the radio's loudspeaker. On Windows PC's the free application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal, on Apple iOS devices you can use the SSTV app. The ISS Fan Club website will show you when the space station is in range. MMSSTV http://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php iOS SSTV App https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sstv/id387910013 For more on Slow Scan Television SSTV, see this article SSTV - The Basics http://www.essexham.co.uk/sstv-the-basics How to be successful with the ISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV) imaging system http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/howtoisssstv.html Information on the MAI-75 SSTV experiment http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/education-26.html IZ8BLY Vox Recoder, enables you to record the signals from the ISS on 145.800 MHz while you're away at work http://antoninoporcino.xoom.it/VoxRecorder/ For the latest status of amateur radio activity on the ISS and real time tracking see http://www.issfanclub.com/ [ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sending Your Own Spacecraft to the Moon A new project to give thousands of people the opportunity to design, build and launch personalised spacecraft and send them to the moon has begun. Now anyone can become a citizen space explorer and take part in a mission to send their own Pocket Spacecraft to the moon. At a cost of just GBP 99 (~EUR119/JPY15499/USD159), explorers who back the project will be able to personalise their own spacecraft by adding a picture or message direct from their favourite social media or game profile or create their own unique design. They can do this from their smartphone or web browser and will be able to monitor progress throughout their mission with their own Pocket Mission Control app. Users will be able to track the progress of their spacecraft as it is designed, built in the lab and travels through space. More technical explorers will be able to write software and even customise the on-board hardware enabling them to conduct their own unique experiments whether mapping the solar wind or playing laser tag - in space! Pocket Spacecraft are disks with flexible electronics, smaller than a CD and as thin as a piece of paper, that will be loaded into an Interplanetary CubeSat mothership to hitch a ride into space on a commercial rocket. The mothership will then set off to the moon and when it arrives many months later, the fleet of Pocket Spacecraft will be photographed as they are released to land on the moon to complete their mission. Anyone can take part in the mission via the crowd-funding site Kickstarter (search for ‘Pocket Spacecraft‘ or visit PocketSpacecraft.com ). Since launch in 2009, Kickstarter has raised more than $500 million for various projects from over 3 million individuals. Pocket Spacecraft only needs support from 2000 or more people to allow the mission to go ahead. The global team of scientists, engineers and designers behind Pocket Spacecraft have already created two dozen open space projects for the mission since 2009, supported by more than a hundred volunteers from twenty countries (and counting) led by co-ordinators in Europe (Bristol, UK) and America (Pasadena, CA, USA). Michael Johnson, founder of Pocket Spacecraft, co-created the first space mission funded on KickStarter (KickSat - due to be launched by NASA later this year), and influential workshops such as the Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop at MIT, and the Keck Institute for Space Studies Small Satellites: A Revolution in Space Science workshop at Caltech. “By backing this mission people will revolutionise space exploration and space science” enthuses Michael. “By democratising interplanetary space exploration we will create a generation of young explorers who can use the same affordable methods to explore Mars, Venus and beyond. We’re building tools so that one day every child will be able to send their own spacecraft on a robotic field trip in space”. The campaign will run for 60 days and end on August 26, 2013. Detailed information regarding the campaign is available on the KickStarter website: http://tinyurl.com/q8nbj6j MEDIA RELATIONS: media(a)PocketSpacecraft.com | PHONE +44 117 230 2060 / +1 626 768 2050 Helen White (Media Relations) helen(a)PocketSpacecraft.com Michael Johnson (Founder) michael(a)PocketSpacecraft.com Seth Jackson (Partnership enquiries) seth(a)PocketSpacecraft.com [ANS thanks Helen White for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium starts July 19 The 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will start late afternoon on Friday, July 19 and will run through until the afternoon on Sunday, July 21 at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, UK. It will be preceded by a "Hands-on" CubeSat Workshop. This free workshop will take place at the nearby University of Surrey on Friday, July 19 and this will be followed, at the hotel, by the usual Colloquium "Beginners Session" in the late afternoon. The Holiday Inn, Guildford It is anticipated that both the FUNcube-1 and FUNcube-2 missions will be launched later this year and the FUNcube team will be on hand to talk about the missions and the planned educational outreach. A full demonstration of the Engineering Model, which has been performing flawlessly for almost a year, will also be provided. Further details and booking information at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2013/ [ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- OPS-SAT opportunity for Radio Amateurs The ESA OPS-SAT CubeSat provides a rare opportunity for testing new amateur radio software for use on a CubeSat actually in space. The 3U CubeSat has deployable solar arrays and plans to launch in 2016 into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Although the formal closing dates for expressions of interest from potential experimenters for this project has now closed, contact has been made with Dave Evans at ESA-ESOC who has confirmed that they would be very interested to receive proposals from an AMSAT team to develop a novel use of this spacecraft for amateur radio purposes. In addition to an X Band downlink and S Band uplinks and downlinks, the spacecraft will carry a simplex transceiver operating with 4k8/9k6 telemetry using GMSK on the 435 MHz band. It s understood that experimenters will have access to an onboard processor running Linux/Java at 500 to 800 MHz. The project is open to teams led by a group from any ESA member country (this includes Canada) and initial info is shown here although the detailed design is being rapidly iterated.. It is emphasised that this is a very open project which will require lots of interaction between the contributing groups. Bright ideas are needed from our software experts and If there is sufficient interest it may be possible to host a Skype conference about this opportunity during the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium over the weekend of July 20-21. It is not proposed that this should be an AMSAT-UK led project, but Graham Shirville G3VZV is happy to provide some initial coordination! OPS-SAT Evolving Software Technology for Spacecraft Operations http://tinyurl.com/nrlzsbg [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dutch Amateur Radio Satellite User Meeting September 28th 2013 On September 28th, 2013 there will be an amateur radio meeting (in Dutch: "Interessedag Amateursatellieten") held for everyone who is interested in amateur radio satellites. It will be held in Paasloo, in the Northern part of The Netherlands. We are very pleased to join this day with the annual VHF day held by the Dutch amateur radio society VERON. There will be a series of presentations concerning amateur radio satellites. Amongst others, the following topics will be included: a portable radio setup, the support radio amateurs provide give to the scientific community, beginners sessions, and last but not least, the latest news about two new satellites to be launched soon: the FUNcube- 1 and the Delfi-N3xT satellites (by their project representatives)! Besides these presentations, it is of course a great opportunity to meet other amateurs who are interested in satellites, and make plans for future meetings! While the main language will be Dutch (including the presentations), non-Dutch guests are of course welcome to join as well. If you need assistance with signing up, do not hesitate to ask either PA1IVO or PA3GUO (both callsign AT amsat.org) for help. The latest information about this event can be found on this webpage: http://ivok.home.xs4all.nl/other/SatDay2013.html (Dutch language with a summary in English) Ivo Klinkert, PA1IVO and Henk Hamoen, PA3GUO Dutch Amateur Radio Satellite User Meeting 2013 [ANS thanks Henk PA3GUO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful ARISS Contacts + A Successful contact was made between Ruder Boskovic Technical School, Zagreb, Croatia and Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP using callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 17:31 UTC 2013-06-26 and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via 9A1A. Ruder Boskovic Technical School in Zagreb is a secondary school with more than a sixty year tradition. Even since it was founded in 1948, it has been one of the highest rated schools in northwestern part of Croatia,on the present county of Grad Zagreb. It was named in honour to famous Croatian 18th century mathematician, astronomer, physicist, philosopher and theologian Ruder Boskovic who was born in Dubrovnik. There are 44 classes divided in 4 grades and 4 school educational programs : IT technician, electronics technician, mechatronics technician and optician. There are approximately 1.100 students aged 15 to 19, and more then 110 professors. + A Successful contact was made between Scuola Secondaria 1° grado "Arturo Toscanini", Capiago Intimiano, Italy and Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP using callsign IRØISS. The contact began 11:50:23 UTC 2013-06-29 and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was both dirct and telebridged because of the mountainous terrain around with the contact, starting with IK1SLD, then proceeding to IZ2WLC and finished back with IK1SLD. This school contact was in made in conjunction with the one from Scuola Media Massimiliano Kolbe. Scuola Secondaria 1° grado "Arturo Toscanini", Capiago Intimiano, Italy The school is located in Capiago Intimiano, a small town in the north part of Italy, 7 km far from Como. Como and the surrounding area can be clearly seen from space due to the unique shape of Lario lake (like a Y upside down). It takes the name from "Arturo Toscanini", a famous musician and conductor lived across the end of 19th century and early 20th. There are 10 classes and the students are from 11 years old to 14. + A Successful contact was made between Scuola Media Massimiliano Kolbe, Vercurago, Lecco, Italy and Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP using callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 11:50:23 UTC 2013-06-29 and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was both dirct and telebridged because of the mountainous terrain around with the contact, starting with IK1SLD, then proceeding to IZ2WLC and finished back with IK1SLD. This school contact was in made in conjunction with the one from Scuola Secondaria 1° grado "Arturo Toscanini" Scuola Media Massimiliano Kolbe, Vercurago, Lecco, Italy is a Local secondary school with students aged from 10 to 14. It's located in a building, built in 1950 by the government, originally used as a sanatorium converted into school in late 1970. Vercurago is a small town not far from Lecco, built on the shores of Garlate's lake (as it comes out of Lario lake and become Adda river). + A Successful contact was made between Association Intercultura Onlus, Frascati, Italy, and Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 17:02:30 UTC 2013-07-06 and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via W6SRJ. Intercultura is the Italian representative of AFS Intercultural Programs (New York), an international, no profit, voluntary based organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities and cultural exchange programs throughout more than 60 different countries in the world, involving every year 13,000 students and an equivalent number of families and schools. In Italy, Intercultura is a no profit organization (ONLUS) recognized by the Italian government, under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The professional staff of Intercultura is made by 40 people who work in the headquarters of Colle Val d’Elsa (Siena) or in the PR offices based in Milan and Rome. The 4,000 affiliated volunteers are organized in 140 local chapters and offer they voluntary work to promote international school based exchange programs. Upcoming ARISS Contacts + Scout Canada Jamboree, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada, telebridge via VK5ZAI Contact is a go for: Mon 2013-07-08 16:31:11 UTC 36 deg + Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu’, Rome, State of Vatican City, direct via HV2VO Contact is a go for: Wed 2013-07-10 12:36:28 UTC 66 deg ARISS is requesting listener reports for the above contacts. Due to issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at present, the Ericsson radio is going to be used for these contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + 432 and Above EME Newsletter The July issue of the free amateur radio 432 MHz and Above EME Newsletter is now available The newsletter can be downloaded in Word or PDF formats from http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/em70cm.html Previous newsletters are at http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/em70cm_arc.html [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] + G4HYG RELEASES NEW APRS MESSENGER ANDROID APP Chris Moulding, G4HYG, says that he has just released a new APRS app for Android phones and tablets. This so that radio amateurs can send APRS position beacons and messages from an Android equipped phone or tablet over a 3G or Wi-Fi link to the APRS-IS internet system. It can also link by Bluetooth to the new Bluetooth version of the APRS TNC Digi Tracker. G4HYG notes that there is a small charge for the app to help pay for the development tool licensing fee. More information on the web at tinyurl.com/aprs-android-app. (G4HYG) [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline™ for the above information] + Google Project Loon Interference Concerns It has been reported that concerns have been raised with Google about the interference their 2400 MHz and 5800 MHz Project Loon balloons could cause, see http://tinyurl.com/m23fjqp [ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA and AMSAT-UK for the above information] + This Week in Space History July 7 1998 First Satellite Launched from Submarine 2003 Mars Rover Opportunity Launched June 8 1994 STS-65 Columbia Launched 2011 STS-135 Atlantis Launched - Final Shuttle Mission June 9 1945 White Sands Missle Range opened 1979 Voyager 2 flies past Jupiter June 10 1962 Telstar Launched allowing transatlantic TV Transmission 1992 Biotto spave craft flies past Comet Grigg-Skjellerup June 11 1962 NASA picks lunar orbit rendezvous method for lunar landings 1979 Skylab Re-enters Atmosphere June 12 2000 Zvezda Service Module Launched to ISS 2001 STS-104 Atlantis Launched June 13 1995 STS 70 Discovery Launched [ANS thanks The Planetary Society for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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RAIKO re-entry prediction
by Mineo Wakita 07 Jul '13

07 Jul '13

I try to calculate the altitude from the earth and Atmospheric re-entry prediction of RAIKO. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/raikopre.htm Thank you. JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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Re: AO-7 Antenna Polarization
by edroth2006 07 Jul '13

07 Jul '13

I want to thank everyone who responded to my question both here on the BB and to me directly. They are: K8YSE, KQ6EA, W7LRD, WB2OQQ, KO4MA, and K9STH. It was interesting; there was consensus on the 70cm uplink being rhcp but really no consensus on what the 2m downlink polarization should be. I recently picked up some used crossed yagis and a rotator that I can use for elevation control so we'll see what I can put together that might perform better than my current "cheap yagis" at a fixed 15 degree elevation. Thanks again for the help. 73, Ed, K0NW From: Andrew Glasbrenner <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> To: edroth2006 <edroth2006(a)sbcglobal.net>, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AO-7 Antenna Polarization Message-ID: <18497234.1372814703462.JavaMail.root(a)elwamui-rubis.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 I dug out some old books including OSCAR: The Ham Radio Satellites by Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, and OSCAR Amateur Radio Satellites by Stratis Caramanolis, and the AMSAT Journal from December 1974. All three agree that in the Northern Hemisphere, AO-7 polarizations are as follows: Mode B uplink and downlink RHCP Mode A uplink LHCP Mode A downlink linear 435.1 beacon LHCP The turnstile is shared on both 2m and 70cm. I hope this clears things up some. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations -----Original Message----- > From: edroth2006<edroth2006(a)sbcglobal.net> > Sent: Jul 2, 2013 12:38 AM > To:[email protected] > Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-7 Antenna Polarization > > Can someone tell me what type and polarization the antennas are that are > currently in use on the AO-7 satellite? > I've done many searches and cannot find this information anywhere I have > looked. > Thanks and 73, > Ed, K0NW

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Solar Impulse flying up Jersey Coast NOW
by Robert Bruninga 06 Jul '13

06 Jul '13

Solar Impulse flying up Jersey Coast NOW (9 AM Saturday). Need an APRS operator to watch position on http://live.solarimpulse.com/ and then maintain an active object on APRS RF so that all mobiles can see the aircraft on their mobile radios and be able to lookup and see it. Its the size of a 747 wingspan but the mass of a volkswagon and completely solar powered. Use the OBJECT NAME of SOLAR1. Thanks, Bob, WB4APR

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Last Reminder for AMSAT Field Day Summary results
by Bruce 06 Jul '13

06 Jul '13

Just a quick reminder that you must have your AMSAT Field Day results received by me no later than Monday, July 8, 2013 at 23:59 PM Central Time. If I do not receive them, your group will not be listed in the AMSAT Field Day story in the journal and they will be mad at you. We have had 14 submissions so far, last year we had 19. I hope we beat that number. Even if your group made one contact, turn it in. That shows you participated in AMSAT Field Day and succeeded in the feat of getting through the mess to complete your contact. A lot of groups were unable to accomplish one. 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

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K2I DE sat trip
by Jeff KB2M 05 Jul '13

05 Jul '13

I'm sorry I didn't get to work everyone on SO-50 who called me this morning when I was in DE but I just wasn't hearing the bird as well as I would of liked to. I did work 3 of you, so I guess the trip was worth it. I was thinking of making the early morning passes tomorrow, but it is just too early for me to realistically think I could get there in time. I will be on at my summer home (with the good antennas in SNJ :-) ) for the rest of the event. I hope to work everyone from NJ as K2I..... 73 Jeff kb2m

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Re: Golden Packet 20 July gaps: Killington, VT and, Smokie Mountain!
by Wayne Estes 05 Jul '13

05 Jul '13

WB4APR wrote: Only two Mountains remaining to be covered for this historic event. Killington, Vermont and Clingman?s dome in the Great Smokies National Park. On Saturday, 20 July, Just drive up to the parking lots, set up a small mast to clear the cars with an Omni dual band vertical and play APRS (and other) Radios for 4 hours starting at noon. W9AE replies: If you put up a fixed mast in a popular parking lot in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it would likely take much less than 4 hours for a park ranger to tell you that you can't do that without a permit. In general, U.S. National Parks have a uniform policy of NEVER issuing permits for temporary radio stations. You could use antennas mounted on your vehicle, but the National Park Service does not tolerate ground-mounted "radio stations" in public places. Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik

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Golden Packet 20 July gaps: Killington, VT and Smokie Mountain!
by Robert Bruninga 05 Jul '13

05 Jul '13

Only two Mountains remaining to be covered for this historic event. Killington, Vermont and Clingman’s dome in the Great Smokies National Park. On Saturday, 20 July, Just drive up to the parking lots, set up a small mast to clear the cars with an Omni dual band vertical and play APRS (and other) Radios for 4 hours starting at noon. Ideally you have a D700, D710 or D72 APRS radio that can digipeate the special event packets. To understand the entire event, getting a live APRS packet from Georgia/Alabama to Maine/Canada see the main web page: http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html Sorry, Im having FTP problems so that page has not yet been fully updated to 2013 participants but you can see them here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiYno6C9YkfGdHlkNHlVYUNyZEJ4S3… We must have all 14 mountain tops manned to complete the DX link. Thanks, WB4APR *From:* Robert Bruninga [mailto:[email protected]] *Sent:* Tuesday, July 02, 2013 11:32 PM *To:* amsat-bb(a)amsat.org; aprssig(a)tapr.org; aprs(a)yahoogroups.com *Cc:* bruninga(a)usna.edu *Subject:* Golden Packet 20 July gaps: NH, MA, NY, NC/TN We have an urgent need for Ham Packet Ops on mountain tops in New Hampshire, Mount Greylock, MA, Sams Point, NY, Clingmans Dome in the Smokie Mountains and Roan Mountain NC. This is a 4 hour event making our annual attempt at the Golden Packet, an APRS packet message from Maine to Georgia along the Appalachian Mountain Chain on Saturday 20 July. All you need is an APRS radio that can digipeat (D72, D700, D710) and a power source and antenna. (and Know how to operate it!) All of these sites are “drive up” except Sam’s point in New York. The attempt is from noon to 4 PM. Remember, Tim, KA1YBS has to begin in the dark to climb a full MILE straight up to get to the top of Mt Katahdin in Main and then get back down before sunset. Hence, the 4 hour window. This is our 4th annual attempt and last year we were successful except for only one broken link in NH. Will you be available to help make history? The Golden Packet was proposed back in the early 80’s. It has never been claimed since the rise of the Internet that has eclipsed all DX packet attempts. We will do this every year even beyond success. It is a good test of emergency long distance packet techniques. If you can activate one of the above 5 sites, please see detail links on this page for each site and learn all you can: http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html Think of this as Packet Radio FIELD DAY! These 14 sites have been well surveyed and we know the links will work, if everyone can get in place and KNOW how to operate their radio. Other secondary sites are also invited on Stone Mountain, GA, Lookout Mountain TN, and Huntsville Mountain Bob, WB4aPR

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Dutch Amateur Radio Satellite User Meeting September 28th 2013
by PA3GUO 05 Jul '13

05 Jul '13

Dutch Amateur Radio Satellite User Meeting September 28th 2013 On September 28th, 2013 there will be an amateur radio meeting (in Dutch: "Interessedag Amateursatellieten") held for everyone who is interested in amateur radio satellites. It will be held in Paasloo, in the Northern part of The Netherlands. We are very pleased to join this day with the annual VHF day held by the Dutch amateur radio society VERON. There will be a series of presentations concerning amateur radio satellites. Amongst others, the following topics will be included: a portable radio setup, the support radio amateurs provide give to the scientific community, beginners sessions, and last but not least, the latest news about two new satellites to be launched soon: the FUNcube-1 and the Delfi-N3xT satellites (by their project representatives)! Besides these presentations, it is of course a great opportunity to meet other amateurs who are interested in satellites, and make plans for future meetings! While the main language will be Dutch (including the presentations), non-Dutch guests are of course welcome to join as well. If you need assistance with signing up, do not hesitate to ask either PA1IVO or PA3GUO (both callsign AT amsat.org) for help. The latest information about this event can be found on this webpage: http://ivok.home.xs4all.nl/other/SatDay2013.html (Dutch language with a summary in English) Ivo Klinkert, PA1IVO and Henk Hamoen, PA3GUO Dutch Amateur Radio Satellite User Meeting 2013

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Satellite LookDown Software
by Jerry 05 Jul '13

05 Jul '13

I was fooling around today and tried to download the v1.25 version of Satellite Lookdown (I had use the v1.0 before just fine). When I unzipped the files and clicked on the .exe file all I get....now don't laugh....is a sound of someone knocking! I just can't find what I'm doing wrong. The author has no email address that I can find, so I'm hoping someone here can provide some assistance. Tnx & 73 Jerry France K7LY Lake Havasu City, AZ

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Google Project Loon Interference Concerns
by M5AKA 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

It has been reported that concerns have been raised with Google about the interference their 2400 MHz and 5800 MHz Project Loon balloons could cause, see http://amsat-uk.org/2013/07/04/google-project-loon-interference-concerns/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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Mailing list commands
by James Luhn 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

Can someone tell me how to access the amsat-bb command list. I am in digest mode at the moment. There are times when I would like to turn off digest mode. Thanks, 73, -james W5AOO

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Re: FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) became a shooting star
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

Hi, I would also like add my congratulations to all concerned with the project - Fitsat-1 will be greatly missed it gave me great pleasure to follow its progress and the experiments that were part of a new experience with light. Thank you also for the way in which the information related its progress has been so very passed on by you and the teams. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat-UK Amsat NA

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FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA)
by tanaka＠fit.ac.jp 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

Dear Ham friends, FITSAT-1(NIWAKA) will soon decay. I appreciate if I could receive the last signal report. The beacon signal is 437.250MHz (CW). The last one will be useful to decide the decay position in the world. 73 de Takushi -- Takushi Tanaka, JA6AVG FITSAT-project Fukuoka Institute of Technology

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Fitsat-1: not heard 07:20 UTC (over Netherlands/Europe)
by PA3GUO 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

Did not copy Fitsat-1 during the 7:20 UTC pass (max 10 degrees elevation for me) over Europe. Orbit 4277 Henk, PA3GUO The Netherlands JO21RJ

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AC0RA/m
by wyattdirks 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

Good morning This saturday the 6th I will be leaving on a trip to Yellowstone national park at 6utc. I will be head north to i90 then pretty much west over to the park. Hopefully by saturday evening about 3 utc sunday will be in Cody Wyoming for the night. Then for the whole week I will be going around the park and putting on grids as I have time. Ill try to do as many grids as I can but this isn't a grid trip so no promises. For the return trip I live leave out of the park to the south and catch i80 east. While mobile I will be able to operate fo29 vo52 and so50. I can try ao7 but I have never had luck getting in to ao7 from the mobile. When stationary I will be able to work ao7 with out a problem along with the other three sats. If you want more info on which grids I will be in and when just reply to this email and let me know. I can send updates on my progress of the trip but won't annoy the bb with such info. Also if there are any specific requests for grids I might be close to or going through I can try to activate those as well. Again just send me an email. I will be traveling through plenty of grids that I am sure some of you grid chasers need so keep an ear open throughout the week and I hope to give out some new grids. 73 Wyatt AC0RA

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Re: Call sign change
by Rodney Waln 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

congrats, did you get the upgrade in estes park colorado?? hihi, i was looking for you but we did not cross paths, Rodney kc0zhf DN71 ________________________________ Message: 10 Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2013 23:04:42 -0600 From: Jim Adams <jim9251(a)gmail.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Call sign change Message-ID: <CAD6RR8imMdgA_8VnWVadrEqbiyLwvTHt7E1BFoRGsCu7R3=yZw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Miraculously I passed my Extra Class exam and my call sign is changed from K0BAM to AA0CW. Still in DM68 Ouray County Colorado. So if yall hear this new call on the sats er sat don't go crazy, it's just me. Jim Adams - AA0CW ------------------------------

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Re: amsat droid
by WCP 03 Jul '13

03 Jul '13

Thanks very much Dave! works just fine on my Pipo.... ----- Original Message ----- From: David Johnson To: WCP Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2013 12:32 PM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] amsat droid HI, Please find a attached a working copy of the APK, let me know if it's ok and then we can try to do a bit more investigation about why you are not seeing in on Google Play. 73 Dave On 30/06/2013 19:02, WCP wrote: No it is 4.1.1 Arm. If I search for "AMSATDroidfree" it does not see it in the play store. If I can find just the apk file I think I can install it. I had the same trouble with Echo link but was able to find the apk file and it works just fine on my PIPO tablet. My wife's Nexus 7 is no problem.

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FITsat-1 over California
by Pete Rowe 03 Jul '13

03 Jul '13

The satellite was loud here in San Jose, California and right on time with the latest keps from Space Track. I started to copy at 22:51z on 3 July 13. 73, Pete WA6WOA

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