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

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by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 12 Dec '14

12 Dec '14

Testemail Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School Disagree I Learn

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Re: [amsat-bb] Design The Next AMSAT Satellite
by Tom Schuessler 12 Dec '14

12 Dec '14

Bob, Even if this PSK/FM design was only in LEO it would be very heavily used I believe but I think there would be limitations to the volume of traffic that it would get at a higher orbit and higher frequencies. The disadvantage of the L/S in the higher orbit is it will take away the advantage I mentioned about a ready pool of HF PSK operators to immediately use the thing. That would put it back into the realm of a niche hobby for the few. To help us get to our goal of higher and more sophisticated satellites, we need to create excitement in other facets of the hobby that can overlap to our niche and thus increase the pool of AMSAT supporters. 73 de N5HYP Tom Schuessler _____________________________________________________ Message: 5 Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 18:45:59 +0000 (UTC) From: Bob- W7LRD <w7lrd(a)comcast.net> To: Tom Schuessler <tjschuessler(a)verizon.net> Cc: AmsatBB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Design The Next AMSAT Satellite Message-ID: <202739126.1160172.1418323559913.JavaMail.zimbra(a)comcast.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Add to the aforementioned - all in a sat that is in a Molniya type orbit with L & S band capability like AO-40 (sobsob) 73 Bob W7LRD

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fo-29 pileup
by jeff griffin 11 Dec '14

11 Dec '14

I was amazed to work Brad kc9uqr in em87in a pileup a few minutes ago on fo-29. It was kinda cool to work a pileup on a satellite again, last time I did that was on AO-40. I'm very glad I got my sat station back online, and a big thanks to Brad.. 73 Jeff kb2m

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FUNcube-1 Launch: Date and time confirmed
by M5AKA 11 Dec '14

11 Dec '14

The latest news about the launch date and time has just been confirmed by Kosmotras. The launch date of RS-20B rocket (Dnepr) with a group of satellites (DubaiSat-2 cluster mission) from Dombarovsky missile area (Yasny Launch Base) has been established for November 21, 2013 at 07:10:11 UT. The back-up launch date is November 22, 2013 at 07:10:11 UT. We will shortly be providing prelaunch TLEs and, in about 7/10 days, the Dashboard software that is needed to demodulate and display the telemetry information. More information about the Dashboard can found here http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/ FUNcube Yahoo Group http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/ ---- 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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Design The Next AMSAT Satellite
by Tom Schuessler 11 Dec '14

11 Dec '14

Hello all, This is relating to the brainstorming activity that AMSAT-NA is promoting to design the next AMSAT satellite. I know there is lots of talk about using 10Ghz for HEO birds doing yet to be developed digital communications modes that can carry multitudinous amounts of digital communications on a transponder, but I would like to reinvigorate a thread that Bob Brunnings, WB4APR tossed out over a year ago on this forum and have heard nothing about it since. Bob suggested a satellite that would have a linear to FM transponder specifically to run PSK31. This "Analigital" mode is very efficient in spectrum usage as anyone has seen during a contest like Field Day, where 30 or more signals can coexist in a 3KHz chunk of 20 meters around 14.070. As I remember his idea was to allow for uplink to the satellite on 2 meters into a linear transponder with a downlink on FM 435Mhz. The BFO audio output would be decoded and re-applied to an FM (Always on) transmitter. Because the output would be FM, the only hard Doppler correction would need to be on the uplink side and decode could be on nothing more than an HT connected to a computer sound card with the only need to do the 2.5 or 5 Khz step tuning we all use with our HTs for SO-50 passes to keep signals coming in clear. Perhaps, and somebody could speak to this area, perhaps the uplink could be on the 10 meter satellite sub-band or an arranged portion of the higher side of the 10 meter phone band, away from other terrestrial PSK activity. 10 meter Doppler to the satellite would be quite small and would minimize the amount of AFC that the PSK RX software would have to negotiate. Even a non-full-length receive whip on the satellite should be able to pick up the uplink signals transmitted at normal PSK levels below 30 watts. listening to the audio output of the FM radio, would make it easy to keep ones drifting signal in place for decode. The normal 3Khz bandwidth pass band for FM will work just wonderfully for PSK 31. For this up/down configuration In full duplex, you would be able to hear your own PSK signal and keep in place relatively easy with just a bit of practice. Oh yeah, there would be signals floating across the band but that is how it is now on SSB and CW when operators cannot use full computer aided correction. Here is the real plus to this idea; We would open up the world of Amateur radio satellites to a whole new collection of operators around the world who love these digital modes and would relish a challenge of learning how to do PSK in a different way. It would be much more efficient than a pure FM voice transponder yet it still will be VERY accessible to the vast majority of Hams like me who are under significant budgetary constraints on equipment purchases. Also bringing satellite accessibility to a new segment of the Ham community could increase the support level for AMSAT projects and that would bring more dollars to build more elaborate ideas. I wonder if since Fox 1D is still uncommitted for launch if it could not be reconfigured to a 2 up SSB/70 down FM configuration to give this a try? Might be interesting. I really think Bob was on to something here and I have been surprised that nobody else has picked up on it or that I heard nothing about this coming out of the AMSAT Symposium that last October. Here's hoping that the discussion will continue and that we can see something like this get flown. Just a few thoughts from a little guy. 73 de Tom, N5HYP

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by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 11 Dec '14

11 Dec '14

This is a test Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School Disagree I Learn

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Re: [amsat-bb] satpc32 not DL new KEPS
by WILLIAMS MICHAEL 11 Dec '14

11 Dec '14

I have this same problem when needing Keps for a sats not on the list. 1. Go to the AMSAT website and bring up the Keps screen. 2. Press "Ctrl" and "A" key at the same time. This high lights the entire Keps listing. 3. Select "file" from the top menu then select "Save as." 4. A screen comes up where to save it, what name you want, and the file type. 5. Pick a place to save it where you can find it. 6. I usually give it a name like NASA_12Dec2014. 7. I always save it as a text file. 8. Click "save." 8. You should be able to find this file using SatPC32. Choose "Sat" from the SatPC32 menu, Instead of doing the download, find the file you just created at same sat screen location. I'm away from the QTH and the XP system so I'm doing this from memory. This computer is Windows 8. Also SatPC32 isn't on this computer. If needed, I can download SatPC32 onto this computer. GL, Mike (K9QHO) ------------------------------------------------- Subject: [amsat-bb] satpc32 not DL new KEPS I have two older XP computers each with Satpc32 one downloads the KEPS from the list, the other with the same list does not. The not working one works fine online. The non working one is the one I use for my 910 and rotor control. The last down load was three days ago and worked fine. Ideas, for the digitally challenged? 73 Bob W7LRD _______________________________________________

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LVB Tracker Display Header Pin
by Philip Berkowitz 10 Dec '14

10 Dec '14

I am working on replacing the display in my LVB Tracker. I have the display but need some help regarding the part number for the 16 pin header that goes into the display board. Thanks for your help! 73 Phil WX1CT

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PreAmp
by Craig 10 Dec '14

10 Dec '14

Is anyone using the Mirage KP 2/440 Mast Mounted Preamp ? I just ordered one to give it a try as I have been having issues with AR2.. Yes Clayton, I should have listened to you haha. So now the quest is on for a less expensive alternative that will give good results. On Paper it looks really good, so if anyone has any input let me know, and if not I¹ll post my findings after it gets here on Saturday 73 Craig W1MSG

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W1AW/9 - IL - Thank you!
by Grant Zehr 10 Dec '14

10 Dec '14

Thanks to everyone who took time to call in to W1AW/9 over the past week while we were operating from Illinois. I had a great time and got to chat with a lot of the 'regulars' and some new folks as well. Contacts were made on AO-7 (mode B only), FO-29, SO-50, AO-73 and the ISS packet repeater. A total of 225 contacts are in the log, with some stations working W1AW/9 - IL several times on different satellites, passes, and modes (which is great!). Somewhere around 100 unique call signs were logged, final count is not yet done. QSL's will be handled by the ARRL, with Logbook of the World being the preferred method of submitting requests. Here is the link to ARRL Centennial QSO party QSL information: http://www.arrl.org/centennial-qso-party Be sure that you log the contact information in the correct format. Satellite QSO's require additional information which is not required for terrestrial QSO's. N5JB wrote up the instructions for using LOTW to confirm satellite QSO's. I have followed his advice and it does work with LOTW. Here's the link http://www.arrl.org/files/file/LoTW%20Instructions/N5JB.pdf ISS keyboard contacts with W1AW-9 should be logged with: QSO mode = Pkt * Tx band = 2 meters * Propagation mode = Satellite * Satellite name = ARISS * Satellite mode = <blank> The fields with (*) MUST match or you will not get credit for the QSO. Satellite mode is not a required field, I leave it blank because it's redundant. Thanks again! Grant Zehr AA9LC (ex-W1AW/9 - IL)

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