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

Hqm Video
by Gaston Bertels 07 Apr '14

07 Apr '14

HamTV Bulletin #11 April 7, 2014 Ham Video BlankTransmissions Presently, Ham Video is transmitting permanently a "blank" image and no audio in configuration 5: * ARISS antenna 43 * Frequency 2369 MHz * Symbol rate 1.3 Ms/s Reports on reception of blank transmissions are very welcome. Reports can be filed via this webpage: <http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_FSTV/submit.php>http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_FSTV/submit.php Participants using the Tutioune receiving software can record as well as stream detailed parameters of the received signal. Please see: <http://www.vivadatv.org/>http://www.vivadatv.org/ Reports are available at <http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=294&p=785#p785>http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=294&p=785#p785 Thank you for your participation to the Ham Video testing campaign. 73, Gaston Bertels, ON4WF ARISS Europe chairman

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Balloon lost near Shrewsbury, PA
by Robert Bruninga 07 Apr '14

07 Apr '14

Short Story. The balloon is lost near Shrewsbury, PA. But we are sure (now after post processing) that we know where it is within about an acre. See: http://aprs.org/balloons.html Premature burst (or separation) caused the payload to descend at over 5000 feet per minute slowing to 4000'/min (nearly 50 MPH straight down)at last posit. We did not know this at the time, and wasted our time searching the track 1/2 mile beyond the last data point assuming the much slower parachute design rate of 600'/min. When we got home, post processing revealed the high descent rate and the more likely spot much closer to the last known position. Also the high impact is why it probably ceased transmitting. Also we were looking for a balloon and parachute in the trees, not (as it turns out) for the football sized Styrofoam box (mostly covered in black duct tape!) somewhere on the ground in the underburush. We would not have noticed that between other occasional trash in the area. Contact info is on the balloon. Bob, WB4APR 410-293-6417

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OFCOM Update on 2.3GHz & 3.4GHz
by David Barber 07 Apr '14

07 Apr '14

OFCOM Update on 2.3GHz & 3.4GHz bands. http://tinyurl.com/ofhvh2z David Barber G8OQW ********

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FS:146/437-10WBP With bag
by Rodney Waln 07 Apr '14

07 Apr '14

Amsat'r special hi, i have up for sale a 146/437-10wbp satellite with purple roll up bag. origianal price for antenna $149.00 and bag $48.00. i must be crazy but it i an going to let both go for $70 with free shipping it is not needed any more and is in good working condition. i will accept paypal or usps money order only, us residence only! please e-mail me off list if intersted kc0zhf-----yahoo.com

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AO-73 Doppler
by Chris Thompson 06 Apr '14

06 Apr '14

I notice that the frequency calculated by MacDoppler is slightly off from the frequency that I hear the telemetry at. It's off by up to half a kHz. It's not a fixed offset (as I would expect if my Radio was not calibrated on the right frequency), so I can't just offset the frequency slightly in the software. Is this expected (within experimental error), or is likely that I have something wrong with my setup? It's hard to tell if I have the same offset for other satellites, because a CW beacon is present even if the tuning is off just slightly. When using a radio to receive AO-73 (vs the dongle) the tuning needs to be quite accurate. 73 Chris ac2cz -- Chris E. Thompson chrisethompson(a)gmail.com g0kla(a)arrl.net

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CO6CBF/p EL93, 82, 81, 72 and 71
by Hector, CO6CBF 06 Apr '14

06 Apr '14

Hello guys! I will be in a quick grid trip vacation to the Western part of my country. I plan to operate from some rare grids, as last year. All my efforts will be focused in EL81. Last year, I was not able to reach the coast to operate from EL81ax. It is the only portion of that grid which is on the big island. We have a tentative plan but it is not sure, everything depends of transportation. If everything is OK, We will be leaving Cienfuegos (EL92) very early on April 3rd ; we hope to be in EL93 for the evening passes. On Friday 4th , we will continue trip to EL82, 81, 72 and 71. We plan to be on that area until Monday morning. It is our plan but it may change. We won't have email capabilities during the trip. I will try to do some updates on the air. Operation will be on all Sat except AO-7. See you on the birds! 73! Hector, CO6CBF / KF5YXV

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ANS-096 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 06 Apr '14

06 Apr '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-096 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: * Memorial Service for Anthony "Tony" J. Monteiro, AA2TX (SK) Scheduled * W1AW/4 VA Young Operator Award * Dayton Hotel Reservations * Jerry Buxton, N0JY selected as AMSAT's VP-Engineering * Steve Coy, K8UD joins the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors * ARTSAT Project INVADER satellite Receives an OSCAR Number * AMSAT Awards SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-096.01 ANS-082 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 096.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 6, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-096.01 Memorial Service for Anthony "Tony" J. Monteiro, AA2TX (SK) Scheduled AMSAT has been received word from the family of Tony Monteiro, AA2TX that a service for Tony will be held on Saturday, April 26th at 4:00 PM at the North Parish of North Andover Unitarian Universalist Church, 190 Academy Road, North Andover, MA 01845. During the service there will be an opportunities for people to share their "Tony stories". For individuals wishing to share their stories via e-mail, they should be sent to remembertony2014(a)gmail.com They will be read at the service. AMSAT VP-Engineering and BoD member Tony Monteiro of North Andover, MA passed away on March 26, 2014 at age 55 from cancer. A special ANS Bulletin was released on March 28th which alerted amateurs around the world of Tony's passing. [ANS thanks Martha at the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W1AW/4 VA Young Operator Award When the W1AW/4 VA operates the birds on April 8, 10. and 11, K4AMG will offer a special certificate four young ham radio operators 19 and under. This certificate will be free. To qualify for this certificate just send your QSL card to: W1AW/4 VA / K4AMG Memorial Amateur Radio Club 721 Wood Duck Lane Chesapeake, VA 23323 Contact info will be W1AW/4 VA K4AMG. If you want you may email your picture operating your SAT station for the K4AMG.org home page This is a free bonus for young hams. We will be honored to send you this free certificate prepared by our WEB MASTER WA9KFB. To receive your W1AW/4 VA credit in the ARRL 100th Celebration follow the standard ARRL procedures. [ANS thanks Rich, W4BUE, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dayton Hotel Reservations This year, AMSAT has reserved a block of rooms for the Dayton Hamvention at the Fairborn Country Inns and Suites at a special group rate. These rooms will be handled through the AMSAT office, rather then directly with the hotel. Preference will be given to those volunteering for a significant time for the AMSAT Booth operations. While the cutoff date for group rate reservations is April 24th, 2014, most of the rooms in our block have already been taken. If you want a room at the special AMSAT rate, call Martha ASAP (As Soon As Possible)! The hotel is conveniently located, with a good light breakfast. Many of the AMSAT officers and others who are active in AMSAT will be staying there. You can catch up on old friendships, and bend people's ear. It is also a great place to catch a ride to and from the Hara Arena and other venues from those who have driven or rented vehicles. Please CALL the office to give Martha your name and credit card number. From the US call toll free at (888) 322-6728. From all other locations call (301) 589-6062. [ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry Buxton, N0JY selected as AMSAT's VP-Engineering In a special AMSAT Board of Directors meeting held via GoToMeeting on Tuesday, April 1st, the board unanimously approved the selection of Jerry Buxton, N0JY of Granbury, TX as AMSAT VP-Engineering. Jerry replaces Tony Monteiro, AA2TX who passed away on March 26th. Given the significance of completing Fox-1 for delivery on time later this year, the Board recognized that the Fox Program must continue under leadership that is focused on completing AMSAT's latest satellite. Selecting a new VP-Engineering is an important step towards maintaining the momentum that was developed under Tony's leadership and to avoid creating an engineering leadership vacuum as work continues on the satellite. The Engineering Team deserves to have the new leadership identified in order to be in position to make the appropriate engineering decisions. AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW notes, "Jerry is well qualified to become our new VP-Engineering. His overall knowledge of the Fox-1 program as Systems Engineer under Tony Monteiro coupled with his professional experience in managing complex technical projects will put AMSAT's engineering programs in good hands. Just as important, his management experience and ability to lead engineering teams is critical as our volunteers work hard to deliver the satellite to Cal Poly later this year." Jerry has been involved with the AMSAT Fox-1 Project as Systems Engineer since September 2011. Recently retired following a 39 year career with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, he spent the last 13 years of his career working with the railroad's train dispatching systems. These systems are used to control train traffic over approximately 32,000 miles of track, in a manner similar to air traffic control. Jerry served as project manager as well as participating in the design and development of safety-critical train routing and movement instruction systems, and positive train separation technology. He successfully implemented several mission critical systems in his role as Senior Manager, Network Control Systems and was awarded "Employee of the Year" along with others involved in the Train Management and Dispatch System Project, in 2006. Jerry became involved in amateur radio satellites with AO-7 and joined AMSAT in April 1983. He currently holds an Extra Class License and is also licensed in Colombia, S.A. as HK5JY. An active amateur, Jerry was number 3 in the world for the number of telemetry frames copied from ARISSat-1. He is also active on terrestrial HF through 1.2 GHz. "My promotion to Vice President, Engineering is both a humbling honor and a great challenge", notes Jerry. "Tony did much of the work and built an excellent Team of hard working volunteers to design and build AMSAT-NA's first CubeSat. I have every confidence that the Fox-1 Team will complete and deliver a reliable satellite that will reflect well on Tony's legacy." The March/April issue of AMSAT JOURNAL will have more information concerning AMSAT's new VP-Engineering. [ANS thanks AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Coy, K8UD joins the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Steve Coy, K8UD of Beavercreek, OH has assumed the seat on the AMSAT Board of Directors formerly held by Tony Monteiro, AA2TX. Steve was originally elected by the AMSAT membership as a Board 'alternate' in the 2013 BoD election and will hold a voting seat through the next BoD election that takes place later this summer. [ANS thanks Martha at the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARTSAT Project INVADER satellite Receives an OSCAR Number The following was received from Bill Tynan, W3XO, AMSAT-NA OSCAR Number Administrator. The ARTSAT Project, INVADER satellite meets all of the qualifications necessary to receive an OSCAR number. I therefore designate the ARTSAT Project INVADER satellite, Cubesat OSCAR-77 or CO-77. Thus CO-77 joins the earlier Japanese cubesats such as XI-IX(CO-57), XI-V(CO-58), Cute-I(CO-55), SEEDS-II(CO-66). Congratulations to you and the entire ARTSAT team for the launch and operation of Amateur Radio satellite, CO-77. May its mission be a successful one. [ANS thanks Bill, W3XO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO. Alan Ehrenberg, N9EDV Benjamin Gaston, KV4RH Scott Medbury, KD5FBA Doug Birky, KB8M Richard Manderski, W2SKI Eric Stapleton, VA7TU The following have earned the AMSAT Communications Achievement Award. Richard Manderski, W2SKI, #562 The following have earned the South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award. Richard Manderski, W2SKI, #US190 To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, 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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Balloon launch SUnday Southern PA
by Robert Bruninga 05 Apr '14

05 Apr '14

Balloon chase Sunday morning, Southern PA: Should hear it over all Midatantic states! Our balloon will be launched near Chambersburg, PA 9 AM? and will fly across southern PA landing somehwehre near Newark, DE. It will fly faster than the launch team, so we hope other hams will get to the recovery site before we do and catch it on the way down. But when you find it, leave it be, so our students can recvover it. Balloon is W3ADO-11 and will switch to CRASH symbol when near the ground and using WIDE1-1 path. Will use no path at higher altitudes. Will be on 144.39 Our repeater list is as follows: 100 Chambersburg 443.700+ tone 131 101 Haggerstown 442.650+ tone 79 102 Gettysburg 443.100+ tone 103 103 Frederick 442.800+ tone 97 104 Lancaster 449.275- tone 114 105 449.575- tone 114 106 York 447.275- tone 123 107 Parksburg 442.000+ tone 94 108 Newark DE 449.025- tone 131 109 simplex 446.000 110 Annapolis 444.400+ tone 107 APRS 144.39 (on left side of radio) Bob, WB4APR

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AMSAT pass prediction page.
by Tom Schuessler 05 Apr '14

05 Apr '14

I asked this question maybe a year ago at a point after the rehab of the hacked AMSAT web site but now that sufficient time has elapsed I feel as one who wants to promote AMSAT and Amateur Radio Satellite activities, I have to bring up again. There are still, this far down the path issues with the AMSAT Pass prediction page that need to be addressed. First one should be easy. The pass prediction page was resurrected by reusing old code and linking to it from the new WordPress main page all well and good. Problem is that all the links on the pass prediction page that should link back other parts of the site, including clicking on the banner picture at the top are broken and should be restored. Another concern is the actual satellite drop down list. The contents of which have not bee updated in a while save for the inclusion of AO-73 at the top. Ray Hoad, WA5QGD does a yeoman's job of keeping up with the orbital elements from various sources each week and sending out a great composit listing. Since I believe this distribution is the source for the data that does the predictions for web users, it should be fairly easy to parse the list of two line elements and regenerate the drop down list on a weekly basis. As a newbie back in 2010 to the world of Amateur Radio satellites, I used the on-line prediction tool quite often and think that it needs to be considered as an important part of our promotion efforts. Thus it needs to be current. Lest you all think I am just ragging at our AMSAT NA web guys for not being current. I found it interesting to find that on the AMSAT-UK web site, they have a page that is a listing of dopler.SQF values for use in SatPC32. Cool I thought, guidance from the source on FunCube frequencies for use in this wonderful tracking program. Go to http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/doppler-sqf-2/ and see if I am mistaken but I bet you will not find either AO-73 or FunCube-1 listed in the file. 73 to all Tom Schuessler 2713 Lake Gardens Drive Irving, Texas 75060 972-986-7456 214-403-1464 (Cell) n5hyp(a)arrl.net

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VUCC Satellite #248
by Paul Stoetzer 05 Apr '14

05 Apr '14

Good afternoon, Today I received VUCC Satellite certificate #248, dated March 26, 2014. Thanks to all for the QSOs and QSLs. Special thanks to those I've worked in multiple grid squares. Although I had made a handful of QSOs previously, my serious satellite operating started on August 21st of last year. On January 23rd, I received the QSL card for my 100th grid and my cards were checked on February 24th. All of my satellite operating is done portable in the courtyard and parking lot area of my apartment building about a mile southwest of the U. S. Capitol. My uplink transmitter is a FT-817ND and I've used a Kenwood TH-F6A HT, a Icom IC-R10 handheld receiver, and now use a FT-817 with blown finals as the downlink receiver. I've used both Arrow and Elk antennas and have now settled on the Elk. Operating portable through this brutal winter has been fun! I've been outside early in the morning to work OH2FQV on FO-29 with negative wind chills and I remember going out for a 3:30am pass of AO-7 to work UT1FG/MM out in the Atlantic where it was 25 degrees with 25 mph winds. I look forward to continuing the chase and increasing my totals. As of this morning, I am at 233 grids worked and 128 confirmed. Thanks again, 73, and see you on the birds! Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Washington, DC (FM18lv)

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