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

Using PowerSDR to copy AO-85 DUV telemetry
by Alan 25 Nov '15

25 Nov '15

All, There are several users on this list who use Flex rigs, pre-6k series, for satellite operations. There is a problem with the Flex PowerSDR FM implementation because it lacks a way to bypass the audio filtering. (Fixed in SmartSDR.) The low frequency attenuation is good enough to prevent using the normal audio to decode DUV, but poor enough you can hear the DUV rumble, or the PL tones on a normal repeater. However, there is a way, suggested by Dave, W0DHB to make this work for DUV telemetry. Fortunately the PowerSDR I/Q output bypasses the filtering, and FoxTelem can accept I/Q inputs. (According to the Flex people, the convention for I/Q is reversed in PowerSDR, but I have had no problem interfacing it to FoxTelem.) If your only interest is telemetry, there are alternate approaches which are probably better. I wanted to be able to copy telemetry, but also be able to communicate at the same time. I will assume users have already installed Virtual Audio Cables, know how to hook software programs together, and are familiar with FoxTelem. All have good documentation. Additionally, different choices for sampling and buffers may well work, as well as different procedures for tuning, but these are what I am using successfully. In PowerSDR, go to VAC 1 and select 48k sampling, 1024 buffers. (Under Primary Audio, I use my normal 192k sampling, 1024 buffers.) Check both boxes in the Direct I/Q box. The VAC audio level control does not have any effect on I/Q signal levels. Enable VAC 1. In FoxTelem, select the correct cable to get the audio from PowerSDR, 48k sampling, and tick I/Q and low speed. I use SatPC32 to drive the Flex VU-5K. Tweak the downlink to center up the display, as you do for ordinary voice. Start FoxTelem. You will see the characteristic AO-85 display in the lower FFT pane. Do NOT use the Find Signal or Track Doppler, yet. Instead, click on the FFT display to tune FoxTelem. You should be rewarded with a nice eye pattern, and SNR of 5-10. If you have a strong signal, select the Track Doppler. It will hunt briefly, and then settle down to something close to optimum. Generally leaving Doppler Track checked is the most flexible since it will adapt to the slight changes in the downlink frequency. You may miss a few packets around AOS however. If you uncheck it, the "sweet spot" will not change since SatPC32 will keep it tracking, so long as you adjust for the current downlink frequency. I normally leave my checked. This technique gives nearly 100% copy without compromising voice operations. In principle it should work for high speed telemetry, but to date I have not been successful. Probably a sample rate/buffer issue. 73s, Alan WA4SCA ----------------------------------- Keep Calm and Carry On

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W5PFG/P EL16, EL15, EL06 - November 2015
by Clayton Coleman 25 Nov '15

25 Nov '15

November 22-26 I will operate portable from South Padre Island, Texas in EL16. I plan to operate several passes a day from EL15, covering the southernmost tip of Texas. An operation from EL06 is possible sometime in the beginning of that week. You can follow my operation on Twitter @w5pfg starting November 21. It's possible I will operate once or twice while en route. I will try to work as many different satellites as possible. I tend to favor FO-29, typically 15-20 kHz above the center of the transponder. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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AMSAT Office Closed
by Martha 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

The AMSAT Office will be closed from Wednesday, November 25th through Monday, November 30th. -- 73- Martha

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Outernet good on Raspberry Pi 2B
by Thane Richard 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

We recently released a new image for our ORxPi software that lets a Raspberry Pi function as an Outernet receiver when plugged into a DVB-S tuner. You can download the image here: https://archive.outernet.is/images/ORxPi2/0.2.9/ You can read instructions on how to build the receiver on our wiki here: https://wiki.outernet.is/wiki/ORxPi -- Thane Richard <https://twitter.com/thanerichard> Content and Business Development Lead Outernet <http://outernet.is/> *Outernet in the press:* WIRED <http://www.wired.com/2015/07/plan-beam-web-3-billion-unconnected-humans/>, Inc.com <http://www.inc.com/dev-aujla/a-library-for-all.html>, TechCrunch <http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/13/outernet-joins-the-space-race-for-internet…> , Gizmodo <http://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-outernet-and-is-it-the-future-of-the-intern-…> , BBC <http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29593734>, CNN <http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/tech/internet-for-everyone/>, Fast Company <http://www.fastcolabs.com/3027663/all-about-google-loons-low-cost-space-bas…> , LA Times <http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-g-outernet-explained-20140…> , Motherboard <http://motherboard.vice.com/read/how-the-outernet-plans-to-broadcast-free-i…> Our receiver, Lighthouse, is now available! To show how revolutionary Lighthouse is, we installed one in a remote school in Uganda. Watch the video here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlQFoGK1aWQ>.

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New Shepard Flies
by B J 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

https://www.blueorigin.com/news/blog/historic-rocket-landing http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/11/24/blue-origins-shepard-vehicle-suborbi… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Testing my e-mail
by Farrell Winder 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

Farrell Winder, W8ZCF

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Help needed please
by Aayush Yadav 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

Hello all, As a part of a student satellite project from India, I have a few questions regarding how can i improve my reception of data on the ground station. We have a TS2000 and have designed a few yagi antennas for uhf and vhf band. I would like to know some satellites on which we can practice receiving any signal. We are totally new to this system and have practiced some failed attempts of the same. Further, we would really appreciate If anyone could help on how we can increase our reception power. Any other help or advice would also be appreciated. Thank you. Aayush Yadav, Team Pratham, IIT Bombay.

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AO-85 Not Included in Keps?
by Clint Bradford 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

Did I read somewhere that a particular set of commonly used Keplerian data sets did NOT include AO-85 - due to the fact that that mission's primary payload was "military" in nature? If so - which set does NOT include AO-85? Clint K6LCS

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AO-85 & Wouxun KG-UV9D - more testing (long)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

Hi! Starting just after the launch of AO-85 last month, I have been using different radios to work this satellite. Some of my experiments have been with HTs, along with my Icom IC-2820H mobile radio at different power levels. During the first weekend we had AO-85 in orbit, I had used my Wouxun KG-UV9D to work the satellite, and found that it was usable to work AO-85 when it was above 20 degrees elevation. The KG-UV9D can also work U/V FM satellites like AO-85 full-duplex, although the reverse is not true (there is too much desense when trying to work SO-50 or LilacSat-2, two V/U FM satellites, full-duplex). After working AO-85 over the past 6 weeks or so, I wanted to see if I could refine my suggestions from posts I made here on the AMSAT-BB and on the QRZ satellite forum last month. Here goes... When I did my tests last month, I set the tuning step for the uplink VFO to 5 kHz, and the downlink VFO at 2.5 kHz. Most Chinese-made HTs have sharper receive filters than the HTs from the traditional ham equipment manufacturers, so I have used the smaller tuning step for the downlink frequencies when working FM satellites. For this weekend, I went with the 2.5 kHz tuning steps for both VFOs. This means still more adjustments when working these passes compared to other radios that have 5 kHz as their smallest tuning step in FM, but I think being able to make smaller adjustments on the uplink VFO helps get through. I started with the uplink VFO at 435.165 MHz, and then prepare to tune this VFO higher throughout the pass. The downlink VFO is usually set to 145.9825 MHz initially, but it does not take long for me to tune it down to 145.980 MHz, on its way down to 145.975 MHz near LOS. At the time I did my tests last month, I had set the KG-UV9D to "wide" FM in both VFOs. Since then, there have been suggestions on working AO-85 in narrow FM. Transmitting to AO-85 in narrow FM ensures the uplink signals aren't overdeviated, and for the downlink it filters out most of the noise that comes with the data being transmitted with the FM voice downlink. With the KG-UV9D, it seems that its "wide" FM setting doesn't transmit a signal with deviation that matches what comes from radios made by the traditional ham manufacturers. The "wide" FM setting for the transmit VFO made a big difference for me getting through and making more QSOs during the passes I worked last weekend. As with my tests last month, I did not program any memories. The KG-UV9D's VFOs are ideal for this type of operating. Since operators can transmit from one VFO and receive with the other VFO, memory channels aren't really needed. An earpiece plugged into the speaker jack ensures no receive audio feeds back into the microphone. There are moments where I have to switch VFOs, so I can tune the downlink VFO down to the next tuning step, and then switch back to the uplink VFO. This is not a huge issue, as I have had to do this with my Kenwood TH-D72A. Here are some key menu settings I have used with my KG-UV9D, for each VFO: Uplink VFO: STEP (03): 2.5 W/N (04): WIDE SQL-LE (08): 9 Tx-CTC (17): 67.0 Downlink VFO: STEP (03): 2.5 W/N (04): NARROW SQL-LE (08): 0 I normally put the uplink frequency in the upper VFO, and the downlink frequency in the lower VFO. This is my preference; it does not appear that I have to use the VFOs in a particular way for full-duplex operation. I set the squelch as tight as possible on the uplink VFO, and wide open on the downlink VFO, to ensure I am hearing only the static from the downlink VFO. Since many Chinese-made HTs use menus that are similar to what I have in the KG-UV9D, I plan on using these settings in the other Chinese-made dual- band HTs I plan on trying with AO-85 (Wouxun KG-UV8D, AnyTone TERMN-8R, Puxing PX-UV973). I already had a successful test of full-duplex operation on AO-85 with the KG-UV8D, and hope to try the other two HTs soon and see how they handle full-duplex operation on this satellite. I have a couple of other HTs that I'll try on AO-85 from "traditional" ham manufacturers (Icom IC-W32A, Alinco DJ-G7T). I will also try my Kenwood TH-D72A, a radio that should have no issues working AO-85 full-duplex, as it can be used with SO-50 full-duplex. Now, the AO-85 passes I worked with the KG-UV9D... I worked three AO-85 passes from my back yard this weekend with the KG-UV9D and my Elk log periodic antenna - a Saturday afternoon pass to my west with maximum elevation of 61 degrees, a western pass Sunday morning with maximum elevation of 70 degrees, and an eastern pass Sunday afternoon with maximum elevation of 37 degrees. All 3 passes had several minutes where AO-85's elevation was at least 20 degrees. I plugged an audio splitter into the KG-UV9D's speaker jack, and split the receive audio between an earpiece and my Sony digital audio recorder. This allowed me to have MP3 recordings of the audio received by the HT while I heard the downlink, safe from having receive audio feeding back into the HT's mic. For the two passes on Sunday, I made an RF recording from my SDR receive setup - SDRplay SDR receiver, 8-inch Windows 10 tablet, HDSDR software, and the AMSAT-UK VHF crossed dipole on an 8-foot mast and tripod. I forgot to make an RF recording of the pass I worked on Saturday afternoon, or I would have had 3 RF recordings to go with the 3 MP3 recordings from the HT. Oops. The SDR receive setup allowed me to hear myself through AO-85 from an independent receiver, as well as upload telemetry to the AMSAT server. I logged 3 QSOs on the Saturday afternoon AO-85 pass, 6 QSOs on the Sunday morning pass, and 3 more QSOs on the Sunday afternoon pass. The KG-UV9D did a great job, even at 5 watts. The last QSO I completed on the pass Sunday afternoon, with Drew KO4MA in Florida, was made with AO-85's elevation down to 21 degrees. Shortly after this QSO, I was not able to hear myself through the satellite. My audio from the satellite sounded OK on the HT and my SDR receive setup, although not as loud and strong as other stations. I had to twist my Elk antenna around, which helped to improve the downlink signal and (when transmitting) improve my chances of AO-85 hearing me. I was also able to upload telemetry to the AMSAT server from the two Sunday passes I worked with the HT from the SDR receive setup out in the yard. If you want to see pictures of my setup for these passes, or hear the audio and/or RF recordings I made from these passes, you can visit my public Dropbox space at http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ and look for the folder named "20151122-AO85_Fox1A-DM43". If the folder listing doesn't appear when going to that link, press F5 or Refresh to force your web browser to make another try at accessing the link. I'll post more to the -BB, and upload more files to my Dropbox space, as I test other HTs for their ability to work AO-85 full-duplex. I plan on trying the KG-UV8D again, with the same settings as I used on the KG-UV9D, to see if it does any better than it performed last month. The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend should allow for many passes that are usable with 5-watt radios. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-11-24 01:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-11-24 01:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Scuola Media Statale “G. Marconi”, Soleto, Lecce, Italy, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact was successful: Mon 2015-11-23 09:21:53 UTC 87 deg (***) Watch for live stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkFhGc2nes4 Dragonskolan, Umeå, Sweden, telebridge via VE4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Wed 2015-11-25 09:44:25 UTC 78 deg Nanasawa Kibounooka Elementary School, Atsugi, Japan, direct via 8N1NKSG (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Wed 2015-12-02 09:33:51 UTC 61 deg (***) Yayoi Elementary School, Yatomi, Japan, direct via 8N2YAYOI (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Fri 2015-12-04 09:25:46 UTC 57 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. **************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 115 (***) Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 112 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2015-11-24 01:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1010. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 975. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2015-11-24 01:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 44 on orbit Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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