November 2014 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-327 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: * ARISS Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals * Captain Yuri, UT1FG/mm Reported Heading Back to Sea SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-327.01 ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 327.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. November 23, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-327.01 ARISS Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window October 17 – December 15, 2014 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between May 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is December 15, 2014. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA. More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks Debra, K1DMJ, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Yuri, UT1FG/mm Reported Heading Back to Sea Early reports via e-mail exchanges indicate that Captain Yuri, UT1FG/mm may be headed back to sea in December. He is reportedly slated to take over the helm of the MV Greenwing which he will meet in either Canada or the on the ports of the Great Lakes in the USA. Currently the MV Greenwing is off the coast of Sicily and appears to waiting for a load to carry back to the USA or Canada. For those who want to do so, you will be able to "track" the ship on-line using websites such as http://www.marinetraffic.com You may need to provide one of the following identifiers to track the ship: Ship Name: Greenwing Ships Call Sign: P3GG9 Ships IMO #: 9230921 Ships MMSI #: 209996000 Historically, Captain Yuri has operated on the satellites with these parameters: 1) He operates 1/2 duplex with an Icom 706MKIIg rig with an ELK antenna 2) He is VERY good operator and speaks several languages well. 3) He has NO issues with the 1/2 duplex operations. 4) He works ALL of the available satellites, FM, Linear & even AO-7a. 5) He works ALL of the passes he can, EVEN in the middle of the night! [ANS thanks Frank, K4FEG 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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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Rotor set up for SatPC32 V.12.8c
by carl creamer 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

I have been away for Sats a bit and just up graded to the latest SatPC32 V 12.8c This rotor setup worked as it should with ver, 12.8b I'm using GS-232 type rotor on a win 7 PC I have the rotor connected ok with ServerSDX at 9600 on port 9, but I Get the error message "Ungultige Gleitkommaoperation" Any idea how I can fix this and what the issue maybe. Thanks Carl WQ6C

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W7O looking for Hawaii this afternoon
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

Hi! I will have W7O on a couple of upcoming passes this afternoon that cover Hawaii, if operators out there would like to work this station via satellite. The two passes are... AO-7 @ 0020 UTC (1420 HST) FO-29 @ 0113 UTC (1513 HST) These times are when I start to be in the footprints. Hawaii would be in the footprints about 4 to 6 minutes later. These would be the best chances for me to work Hawaii, as AO-7 will be in mode A tomorrow, and the latest FO-29 pass I have tomorrow evening is very shallow and tough to work from here. I hope to hear anyone from out there on these two passes. Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: [amsat-bb] W7O update - 0300 UTC Saturday, 22 November
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 22 Nov '14

22 Nov '14

Bob, Thanks for coming up on that AO-73 pass. It was nice to work both you and Sawson KG6NUB as W7O on there. Better than just talking to myself, like I did on the earlier pass around 0415 UTC. Now, time for bed... 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 5:34 AM, Bob- W7LRD wrote: > see you at 0550Z > 73 > Bob W7LRD > >

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W7O update - 0300 UTC Saturday, 22 November
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 22 Nov '14

22 Nov '14

Hi! W7O is still going strong, on satellites and HF. I am now getting more log files, and uploading them to Logbook of the World. I just uploaded over 500 QSOs in the past few minutes - many thanks to Hector CO6CBF (KF5YXV for the moment), Yanko NX9G, and Bill W7OO. I now have 1402 W7O QSOs in LOTW and log files here at home for W7O, and 370 of those QSOs have been confirmed in LOTW. I still have several operators' logs to receive, so the QSO count will certainly go up a lot more. I plan on being on the 0415 and 0550 UTC AO-73 passes tonight as W7O, and the ISS pass at 0609 UTC if the digipeater is on. On the ISS digipeater, I will not use a full packet station with computer and TNC/software, but my Kenwood TH-D72A. I would be happy to make packet QSOs via APRS messages, which I can send and receive using the TH-D72A. I've completed one W7O packet QSO last weekend, and would like to see if I can do more. The call sign I will use on the ISS passes will be W7O - no SSID after the call, just the 3 characters. And look for the W7O beacon coming down on 145.825 MHz, if you are in the footprints. If there is interest out in Hawaii, I would be happy to try AO-7 (mode B) and/or FO-29 passes as W7O where the footprint reaches the islands Saturday afternoon or Sunday. Please e-mail me directly, if you want to try for that. We're in the home stretch, with the weekend and most of Monday remaining before the end of the special event. W7O operators continue working HF and satellites. I'll count up the number of operators later, but it will work out to be around 20 or so operators who have used the W7O call during this event, from coast to coast. Everyone who has had a chance to work as W7O has enjoyed the experience. Using a special call and not having to worry about the QSLing... not a bad deal. :-) If you would like a W7O QSL card, please include a self- addressed stamped envelope when sending your QSL request to me. I am planning on a W7O QSL card that won't work as a post card through the postal system. If you are outside the USA, a self-addressed envelope with a US$ 1 bill would be useful. An IRC will also work. For non- US stations, QSLs to W7O can be sent to me through the QSL bureau system via WD9EWK. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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LVB Tracker with different AZ/EL rotators
by Sion Chow Q. C. (9W2QC) 22 Nov '14

22 Nov '14

Dear All, I would like to know if it is possible or have anyone tried to connect a single LVB tracker to two different rotators, say for example G-1000 for Azimuth and the G-5500 (using only the elevation portion and only connecting the elevation related pins on 6 pin DIN connector) for elevation? Thank you. 73, Sion Chow Q. C., 9M2CQC, WQ2C

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Re: [amsat-bb] Does one 847 equal two 817's?
by Bill ACITO, W1PA 21 Nov '14

21 Nov '14

>>I suppose you *could*, but why would you *want* to? Portable (Minimal equipment -- no PC for doppler) 847 tracking is not trivial to set-up without a PC (which band goes in which VFO? sidebands set right? inverting? which VFO should TX? etc) Minimal set-up and complexity. Use the satellite "one true rule". Why didn't the dual-817 guys buy an 847? Bill W1PA

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Happy B-day $50sat/MO-76
by Howie DeFelice 21 Nov '14

21 Nov '14

MO-76/$50sat shares a birthday with Funcube and is the smallest operational satellite in orbit as far as we know. We are all quite amazed that the battery has survived a year of torture ! - Howie AB2S www.50dollarsat.info

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Next week W5PFG/P EL09 & DL89 area ops
by Clayton Coleman 21 Nov '14

21 Nov '14

Nov 23-25 I will operate from grid EL09, not far from the DL99 line. I will try to visit DL98/DL99 line at least once to fulfill a DM98 request. I have not operated from those grids since 2011. November 25-28, I will be operating from DL89 with occasional operations from DL79/89. I will not be making a trip to DL88 due to lack of 4x4 transportation being available locally. November 28-29, I will operate from the DM90/DM91 area. I won't have a lot of time in this area and will only notify via Twitter @w5pfg in advance of me working a pass. 73, Clayton W5PFG

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Re: [amsat-bb] FUNcube/AO-73 Mode change
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 21 Nov '14

21 Nov '14

Hi Jim and all. "Happy Birthday" - Funcube-1 now AO-73. and a very big " THANKYOU " to all that made the project possible. I include the project team, committee and to all those that gave support in many ways. The satellite was in good health on first good pass over the UK this morning ( Friday 21st ) - I wished it "Good Morning " but had no response to my CQ satellite calls sadly. I will call again on the next passes. Regards Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat-UK Amsat NA Just about to make a pass.

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