October 2015 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

West Michigan Aviation Academy, Grand Rapids, Michigan postponed
by Kenneth Ransom 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

The event with West Michigan Aviation Academy, Grand Rapids, Michigan for today has been postponed due to the EVA suit fit check activity running long. The event has been rescheduled for Fri 2015-10-23 17:58 UTC and a change of crew member to Yui. -- Kenneth - N5VHO

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Comet CF-416A
by W3MAT . 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

Just ordered a Comet CF-416A 2M/440 duplexer for use with my Elk antenna. Does anyone else use this duplexer? Reviews? Loon W3MAT

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Sats at IARU-R3 + Astro Pi Launch + DeLorean
by M5AKA 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

IARU Region 3 Conference report and CRSA/CRAC Amateur Satellite Guide paper http://amsat-uk.org/2015/10/21/iaru-region-3-conference/ New version of Fox-1A Telemetry Decoder http://amsat-uk.org/2015/10/21/new-version-of-fox-1a-telemetry-decoder/ Astro Pi launch changed http://amsat-uk.org/2015/10/20/astro-pi-launch-changed/ Amateur radio high altitude balloon enthusiast N6ARA helped restore BTTF DeLorean time machine http://amsat-uk.org/2015/10/22/amateur-radio-balloon-enthusiast-restored-bt… 73 Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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AO-85
by Red Willoughby 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

I am listening to the AO-85 passes during this important week of testing (LISTENING, not transmitting as requested by the engineering team) and clearly hear Veronica announce "Fox-1 Safe Mode." Even on low elevation, the signal has been full quieting - strong and clear. I hope the operational mode sounds this good after testing is completed.

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LilacSat-2
by W3MAT . 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

FM wide or FM Narrow?

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Thursday's ARISS contact
by Steve Kristoff 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

Anyone know why the upcoming ARISS contact in Michigan is not listed on the ARISS.org website? I was trying to tell a friend about and I suggested he check out the website. The website is not up-to-date. Kind of embarrassing, I would think. Is the contact going to be streamed live on any websites? Steve Kristoff AI9IN EM79ji Oldenburg, IN skristof(a)etczone.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] Monday evening & Tuesday, trip wrap-up...
by Rick Tejera 21 Oct '15

21 Oct '15

When I activate Summits for SOTA, I have a small plaque about a foot square that I put near my operating position near where passersby will be. It says: What is this nut doing? Hello My name is Rick and I am an amateur radio operator or as most know us; a ham radio operator. My Call sign is K7TEJ. I am operating in a program hams call SOTA: Summits on the Air. the idea is to hike up to the Summit of certified peaks, set up a portable station and try to contact as many other hams as we can. My Station is capable of making contacts around the world. Please feel free to watch and ask question during breaks in the action. Just beware, hams like to talk about our hobby! I find this helps alleve any concerns passersby may have about me being in league with the forces of evil. Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Radio Club www.w7tbc.org 623-572-0713 623-203-4121 (cell) SaguaroaAstro(a)cox.net -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of J. Boyd (JR2TTS) Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2015 4:21 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Monday evening & Tuesday, trip wrap-up... On Wed, 21 Oct 2015 22:54:12 +0000, "Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" <amsat-bb(a)wd9ewk.net> wrote: > In between these two passes, I had an interesting - and quick - meeting > with a pair of Port Huron police officers. As soon as I explained what I > was doing, they mentioned that I was not on the Wendy's property, that it > would close in a few minutes, and I was OK to be out there. They also said > the Wendy's manager made the call to the police, seeing me outside with my > gear and "waving an antenna around". I wonder if it would be a good idea to do what some contest rovers here in Japan do when they set up at a scenic overlook or a park with huge stacked yagis on top of their vans, to avoid misunderstandings -- they put up little flags next to their vehicles that read "Amateur Radio In Progress". -- J. Boyd, JR2TTS/NI3B the2belo(a)msd.biglobe.ne.jp http://www.flickr.com/photos/the2belo/ http://www.qrz.com/db/JR2TTS Twitter: @Minus2_C _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: [amsat-bb] Possible ISS School Contact Experiment idea? (Thurs)
by Robert Bruninga 21 Oct '15

21 Oct '15

> An ISS school contact… in Michigan on 22 Oct. > … to begin at approximately 17:14 UTC. This is a great time for those skilled portable "arrow" operators to get data on using fixed vertical arrow beam antennas for ISS voice at or near the horizon. The test will show if well placed fixed tripod "arrow class" antennas at AOS and LOS and a central turnstyle could possibly make it easier than a full AZ/EL Oscar class antenna at the school. Testers, Please read the concept paper at http://aprs.org/aos-los-test.html If your QTH is west of Michigan, then you should test your LOS horizon. If your QTH is east of Michigan, then you should test your AOS horizon. This is because we want to make sure we are getting voice quality data AT the horizon while the ISS crew is actually speaking. The desired data is a minute-by-minute log throughout the pass of ISS signal quality (noting nulls or fades) without moving or adjusting the antenna. Your receiver must be right near the antenna (no coax loss). Just orient the beam vertically with an up tilt of 15 degrees. Then aim it at a fixed Azimuth that is half way between AOS (or LOS) and when the ISS rises above (or drops below) 30 degrees elevation to cover the first (or last) portions of the pass. Leave your antenna fixed throughout the pass. We need to know how well the squelch on your radio eliminates the weak signal when the ISS is outside your particular fixed beam too. In a real scenario of this full technique, above 30 degrees the ISS is 3 times closer and 10 dB stronger and would be heard fine on a central omni antenna. But that is not part of your horizon performance test. So be sure to choose a good low horizon *and* the horizon you share with the School contact in Michigan so that there is ISS audio during your particular horizon crossing (AOS or LOS). An audio recording would make it easier to prepare the log after the pass or you can just make checks or X's every 5 seconds on a piece of paper and summarize it later. Do NOT run open squelch. Set the squelch for normal ham radio operation to silence the radio when the signal would be unintelligible anyway, since we would not want unintelligible noise from one receiver to distract from good audio from the possible others.. If this concept works, then the idea would be to bring in all three receiver speakers (left-to-right) into the auditorium operating position to give equal weight to each receiver but also give a sense of the passage of the ISS. If this test shows any promise, it could not only eliminate all the complexities of long crossed yagis, AZ/EL rotators, big masts and active tracking, but also completely eliminate the problem of long runs of coax from the school gymnasium to the antennas. The coax is eliminated by placing 50W mobile rigs (capable of cross band repeat) at each of the possible three antennas and operating them remotely via 3 UHF HT's indoors on-stage (coupled into the sound system). So, if you are in range of this Michigan ISS school contact, and you have an arrow on a tripod at your QTH, you could collect data on a horizon transition to see if this idea is a possibility. Again, YOU ARE RECEIVE ONLY. Your test is *independent* of the actual school contact, you are just taking your own receive data wherever you are of how well a FIXED arrow on a tripod can hear the ISS at low elevations. Be sure to find a place with a good horizon at AOS(or LOS) to set your antenna. If we learn that there will be any significant fades or loss of signal, then this idea fails... But if it works, then the two arrows, tripods, three crossband-repeating mobile rigs and three UHF HT's could be made into a suitcase GOKIT to standardize some school contacts with a lot less work. Just an idea Bob, WB4APR US Naval Academy

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Monday evening & Tuesday, trip wrap-up...
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 21 Oct '15

21 Oct '15

Hi! I'm relaxing on my flight back to Arizona, after a week of all things AMSAT and satellite operating. The Symposium was great, and I mixed in a lot of operating from many different locations in 9 different grids (EM79, EN's: 70-71, 82-83, 92-94) in 3 states (IN, MI, OH) and the province of Ontario. My rental car had 1395 miles from my driving, when I returned it at the Indianapolis airport earlier this afternoon - including a 6-hour, 400-mile drive to get back to that airport, which came after a similar drive from Dayton to Port Huron Monday afternoon/evening. I had written about my earlier radio operating, so I'll focus on Monday evening after the end of the Symposium and Tuesday in Ontario, along with a wrap-up for the trip. Before crossing the border Tuesday morning, I worked two passes Monday evening from a parking lot near my motel in Port Huron, which was a new grid locator for my rover log (EN83). A handful of QSOs on two passes, one each on AO-73 and SO-50 - and a ton of noise when working the SO-50 pass. AO-73 worked well with the FT-817ND/SDRplay combination, once again. Since I was planning to be up early for the 2-hour drive from Port Huron to the EN93/EN94 grid boundary, I did not stay out to work later passes. In between these two passes, I had an interesting - and quick - meeting with a pair of Port Huron police officers. As soon as I explained what I was doing, they mentioned that I was not on the Wendy's property, that it would close in a few minutes, and I was OK to be out there. They also said the Wendy's manager made the call to the police, seeing me outside with my gear and "waving an antenna around". After a short night's sleep, I got up early Tuesday morning and prepared for my day-trip across the border. My motel was 2 minutes away from the crossing, at the Blue Water Bridge. After a 20-minute delay at the Canadian border checkpoint in Sarnia, I made some quick stops before starting the 2- hour drive. Among other quick stops, I saw the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport, and took some pictures. I met Chris at a book signing event in Phoenix a few months ago, and knew Sarnia was his hometown. I saw some snow on the ground as I drove north, left over from a storm that passed through a couple of days earlier. The drive was uneventful, and I was able to line up on the grid boundary for the obligatory photos of my gear and GPS receiver. After that, an SO-50 pass for a few QSOs. There were a total of 3 FO-29 passes and 4 SO-50 passes during Tuesday afternoon. If I stayed later, I could have had a few more SO-50 passes, where I could have worked all polar bears, seeing how the passes looked on my tracking app. With AO-7 in mode A, I wanted to work a bunch of passes in FM and SSB from there on SO-50 and FO-29. I think someone else was up in this area not too long ago, but I still had lots of callers on most passes. A couple of passes saw only one other operator on, but at least I worked someone on each of the 7 passes I worked from the grid boundary. I worked a total of 42 QSOs from the EN93/EN94 grid boundary. When I was done at EN93/EN94, I thought about where else I could work from, before crossing back into the USA at Port Huron. Four grids come together at a point east of Sarnia, near the 402 freeway - EN82, EN83, EN92, EN93. I covered EN93 earlier in the day, worked briefly from EN83 the night before, and looked at maps to see where I could go to operate. The four-grid intersection was off-limits, but I could easily park somewhere to be in any two of those four grids. I decided to go with the EN82/EN92 boundary, which was close to an interchange for the 402 freeway, and the road had a large dirt shoulder where I could safely park and use my radios. I parked, found the right spot for the photos of my radios and GPS receiver on the grid boundary, and worked two passes - one each, on XW-2E and XW-2F, with a gap of a few minutes between these passes. Eight QSOs on the XW-2E pass, and 7 more on the XW-2F pass. Not too bad, for only mentioning this on Twitter due to time constraints on making additional posts in places like this mailing list. I had originally pulled out my two FT-817NDs, seeing that it had been raining during much of the afternoon. The rain did not start up while I was at EN82/EN92, so I swapped out one FT-817ND for my SDRplay SDR receiver and 8-inch tablet. I did not make one long RF recording, but stopped it when XW-2E went away, and started a new recording as XW-2F came up. Many of the same stations I worked up at EN93/EN94 were calling me at EN82/EN92, and I logged a total of 15 QSOs - 8 on XW-2E, 7 on XW-2F. After a dinner in Sarnia, I crossed the border, went back to my motel room, and had another short night's sleep before today's drive from Port Huron to Indianapolis for my flight home. Even with a stop at a post office in northern Indiana to ship books home, I made the drive in about 6 hours. Especially with the Symposium Proceedings book, my suitcase would have gone over the 50-pound free allowance, and Priority Mail was cheaper than the excess-weight fee I would have paid in Indianapolis. The books will be home on Friday, so that is not a problem. This was the first time I had to ship anything home after an event like this. I had additional radio gear in my radio bag and computer backpack (more room with tablets instead of a laptop in the backpack), since I had planned on making the run up to EN93/EN94, so I didn't have room to carry the books with me. I heard a lot of noise when I worked SO-50 from Port Huron on Monday evening. I chalked that up to the power lines and all the lighting in the area. I heard the same noise on SO-50 at EN93/EN94 Tuesday, and there were only the power lines. When I'm in Arizona, I have never heard so much noise from power lines. I was able to deal with it by using an HT as my downlink receiver for the SO-50 passes, still transmitting with the IC-2820H. I was concerned that the IC-2820H's receiver may have been going out on me, but it seems like it is working OK - other than being very sensitive to that noise. I'll check it out further at home, to confirm it is still in good working order. All of my QSOs from the past week in 3 states (Indiana, Ohio, Michigan) and Ontario, covering 8 grids - EM79; EN's 70, 71, 82, 83, 92, 93, 94 - are now in Logbook of the World. I operated from many different locations, including the Indiana/Michigan/Ohio border tripoint last Thursday (15 October) and the Indiana/Ohio border west of Dayton on Friday (16 October) evening, along with the EN82/EN92 and EN93/EN94 grid boundaries in Ontario. This also included AO-85 passes late last week, which was a nice bonus, along with the uploads of data from the telemetry in the AO-85 downlink. If you would like to receive a QSL card for any of your QSOs with WD9EWK or VA7EWK/3, please e-mail me with the QSO details. If you are in the log, I will be happy to send a card - or cards - as confirmation. Except for the XW-2E and XW-2F passes I worked from EN82/EN92 Tuesday evening, I have posted all of the RF recordings I made from various passes in my Dropbox space accessible at http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ (refresh your browser or press F5 if the folder/file listing doesn't pop up immediately). All were made using the SDRplay receiver, my 8-inch HP tablet, and HDSDR. Telemetry uploads were done after the passes, using the RF recording and playing that from HDSDR into the FoxTelem program. I hope to have the RF recordings from the Tuesday evening XW-2E and XW-2F passes posted in a couple of days. I'm not going to tempt fate and my Internet access by trying to do a Dropbox upload on inflight WiFi. :-) Thanks for all the QSOs! It was fun to work so many passes, from many different locations. I also had the pleasure to meet some of the voices I regularly hear on the different birds in Dayton over last weekend - always a good thing... 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK (at 38000 feet above New Mexico, on the way to Phoenix)

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LOTW reminder for WD9EWK & VA7EWK/3 over the past week...
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 21 Oct '15

21 Oct '15

Hi! Some reminders about my call signs, and Logbook of the World... 1. If you worked WD9EWK at the Indiana/Michigan/Ohio border tripoint last Thursday (15 October), you would need to upload 3 QSO records to Logbook of the World, to represent this QSO in each of the states I stood in at that point. Each QSO record will need its QSO time to be at least 1 minute different than each of the others. Otherwise, QSO records with time differences of less than 1 minute will overwrite an existing QSO record you previously uploaded. Logbook of the World can handle contacts with one QSO record for a location in 2 or 4 grids, but cannot handle a similar situation with a single QSO record for QSOs on other boundaries (states, provinces, counties, or even countries). 2. Just like with point 1, an upload of 2 QSO records is needed to get confirmation with WD9EWK in both Indiana and Ohio last Saturday evening, again with the QSO times differing by at least one minute. As long as these QSO times are different, and are within 30 minutes +/- of the times I had in my QSO records for these locations, you should see QSLs appearing in LOTW. 3. Although I was slipping a little in the evening, I tried to correct myself on the air, and keep with using VA7EWK/3 as my call sign yesterday from Ontario. I used VA7EWK/3 on the air, and the Logbook of the World uploads I just did for those QSOs will show VA7EWK/3. Please do not ask me to make another QSO upload if you are looking for a confirmation with VA7EWK without the "/3". The only time I may use VA7EWK without any additional indicators in Canada outside of British Columbia may be on packet/APRS. For APRS on Tuesday, I used WD9EWK-9 on both sides of the border as I drove around, but included both of my calls in the text sent with each of my position packets. This is what I did for my trip east of Windsor last year, and I put VK/WD9EWK in that text when I ran APRS in Australia a few years ago to ensured my station identified in accordance with Australian regulations. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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