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

FUNcube-1
by Graham Shirville 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

FUNcube-1 has now been set to full time amateur mode for the weekend! Enjoy and have fun 73 Graham G3VZV

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Exciting Fox-1C, Fox-1D, and Fox-1E News
by KO6TZ BOB 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

Paul, That is great news. The ability to have an FM quality conversation, not just make contacts, on a satellite will be welcome. L-Band is the way to go. We all miss AO-51.... KO6TZ

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Mini Expedition to FM-17 for SO-50 pass at 14:02 EDT today.
by James Lea - WX4TV 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

Eight year old Hope, KM4IPF, has figured out that FM17 is probably a rare grid square and has asked me to take her to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to work the SO-50 pass in the next hour from that location. The will be on the south island of the north tunnel, which is in FM17. Look for her if you need FM17. DE, Daddy (WX4TV)

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Exciting Fox-1C, Fox-1D, and Fox-1E News
by Paul Stoetzer 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

Break out that L band gear and get ready for a much needed new Mode J linear transponder! http://www.amsat.org/?p=4000 73, Paul, N8HM

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Ic-910 and SO-50
by Arthur Payne 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

Tom I am trying to get my lc-910 to work with satPc32 to work SO-50 an ideas I have it tracking (I lengthened the delay) but I don't seem to be able to access the bird. Art VE3GNF adpayne@sympaticoca

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ISS & supply
by Bob- W7LRD 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

The first time I ever watched the ISS with the supply craft about three fingers behind zipping over Seattle (there are cloudless nights). The latter was just a small dot. The actual distance, I have no idea. Always glad to help! 73 Bob W7LRD

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Reception report of AO-73
by David 16 Apr '15

16 Apr '15

Hi from David EA4SG. I send this short AO-73 SWL report hoping it could be useful to the AO-73 Command Team. In the lasts two orbits (#7434 and #7435) over my QTH located in Colmenar Viejo (Madrid) locator IN80CP, the bird reached AOS with the transponder ON as expected, downlink signal was slightly weaker than usual, modulation was quite distorted (similar to the one we get from AO-7) and transponder switched off exactly at the expected "ilumination time" (20:31UTC and 22:08UTC). I was also listening to the telemetry and it was affected by the above mentioned distorsion too. I didnt try, but I am sure that this distortion will make telemetry harder to be decoded. Best 73s de David EA4SG

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VY1RM
by Paul Stoetzer 16 Apr '15

16 Apr '15

Good evening, Ron, VY1RM, has been active recently on FO-29, AO-7, and SO-50 from Whitehorse, Yukon in grid CP20. This is a rare grid and a rare Canadian territory/call area for those working on the AMSAT OSCAR awards or the RAC Canadaward. Over the past week or so, he has worked several stations throughout the United States, as far as Florida, plus Finland and Germany, so he is in range for lots of stations. He also has good footprints with much of northern and eastern Russia as well as Japan from his location and is certainly looking to work some more stations. Check your mutual visibility with CP20lq and tune around for him when he's in range. 73, Paul, N8HM

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The trial of NX9B - Part 1
by nx9b＠comcast.net 16 Apr '15

16 Apr '15

Ugh. I tried to post this response yesterday only to be informed that my posting was greater than 40kb and I needed to resubmit. So, now, in two parts, my original posting: Well, this response could have taken many different directions. Anything from thermonuclear (which would have happened on Monday) to completely shying away with my tail tucked between my legs to what I hope is the most adult response that I could give about this topic. I have sent personal emails to some of the commenters explaining the WHOLE story but that was taking too long. I have spent enough energy on this over the past three days (now four days). For those of you who would have liked an explanation, it's coming in a moment. Like Drew apparently is, I'm a busy man with many more important things in my life to do than defend myself over a perceived harassment or threat. I will freely admit that I wrote that email to Drew on Monday, April 13. It's been out there for all to see. Am I proud of it? No, but trying to employ the same tactics with no response from this man was not getting any results. I was TRYING to get an answer about my QSL cards, their status. As some saw it, I was either threatening to 'out a non-QSL'er' or the most hurtful, and there was only one other comment that was even in the same area code, not only in the terms but who it was from was the 'shakedown' and 'bringing this out in the light' comments by Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK. I will try to confine my reply two only two individuals, Drew and Patrick, the two who have a DIRECT association with AMSAT. First, I want to stress that I did not receive ONE email asking me what this was about. Each person that commented on the bb chose to do so in a knee jerk reaction. It says as much about you as it did about me. Those of you who did comment on this I hope will learn that it is much better to get ALL of the information and make an INFORMED decision before you post things that you know nothing about. I will start with Patrick and get that out of the way. Patrick, I have always been friendly to you, treated you with respect and even talked to you on the phone one night on your way home from Dayton three or four years ago. You were in Louisville and since I had spent the first 43 years of my life in that area, I gave you some advice on where you might eat and what parts of town to avoid. As recently as this past weekend, I wrote you a personal email thanking you for standing by while I was trying to work Yuri for a new grid on a pass that was EXTREMELY shallow for me. You and I both called him at the same time, you heard someone else was calling also and stood by while I made my contact. I was at 1.8 degrees when the QSO began and 0.6 at the finish. I commended you for being a gentleman and letting someone else get their contact. That was unlike most other operators where Yuri is involved. You told me that you knew that you had a LOT more time on that pass to work him, and I'm paraphrasing, it was no big deal. Then to see your comments about a shake down to get QSL's from Drew was about as DISRESPECTFUL as I have ever been talked about in a public forum. You did not ask me a single question by any method about what had transpired to get to this point, you only blasted me while defending your associate. I purposely did NOT send you a personal email about your comments because you are know for taking clips from previous correspondences during your replies and I wanted to make sure that there was no way that my message could be misconstrued or taken out of context to bolster a case against me. You have shown where your alliance is and that speaks volumes about you as well. And now, on with the trial: Drew, what you have accused me of is harassment and threatening you to which I will only admit that I DID send you that email Monday morning April 13, 2015. While you were taking the stand to accuse me of these charges, you would have had to take an oath 'to tell the truth, THE WHOLE TRUTH and nothing but the truth' and this is where you have failed, EPICLY! As I will show by providing proof from the first time I emailed you about getting QSL cards from you in December of 2014, I was nice, courteous and I even gave you commendations for your efforts to get a satellite station on from Navassa. The evidence will also show that YOU requested QSL cards from me so that you could use them for your REVERSE VUCC. And this where I will state to those of you who commented that I was not 'owed' any cards; yes, I kind of was. I mailed you my cards on January 17th, 2015. I waited for over two months before my first inquiry about the status of my cards. This, per your initial posting on the AMSATbb, 'generally it takes me a month or two'. Your words, not mine. So after the two month timeframe that you had my cards in hand, I asked you what was up with my cards. NO RESPONSE. I emailed the following day. NO RESPONSE. I waited another three weeks and then the email that you presented into evidence, my Final Email. Oh, now you have a response. You have no idea how disrespectful you are that you ignored my emails without so much as a 'Hey, Jeff, I'm super busy here. I'll get them out to you as soon as I can.' OR 'You know, Jeff, I really don't like some of the guys that are associated with so I chose not uphold my end of our deal, live with it.' NOTHING. And then to play victim on an international stage where you KNEW you could garner the most support is deserving of an academy award. In basketball terms it's called 'flopping' and is usually met with a technical foul. But here, at the AMSATbb where you are well known and have many 'blind' followers, that's OK because you felt you were wronged and imposed upon. Do you think that your time is more important than mine and that answering emails is beneath you? I, too, serve the satellite community but you would NEVER know that because I choose not to publicize it. There are only a handful of people that know to what extent I volunteer my time and effort for the benefit of everyone on the satellites. Continued in the posting 'The trial of NX9B - Part 2'

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Reception report of AO-73
by David 16 Apr '15

16 Apr '15

Hi from David EA4SG. I send this short AO-73 SWL report hoping it could be useful to the AO-73 Command Team. In the lasts two orbits (#7434 and #7435) over my QTH located in Colmenar Viejo (Madrid) locator IN80CP, the bird reached AOS with the transponder ON as expected, downlink signal was slightly weaker than usual, modulation was quite distorted (similar to the one we get from AO-7) and transponder switched off exactly at the expected "ilumination time" (20:31UTC and 22:08UTC). I was also listening to the telemetry and it was affected by the above mentioned distorsion too. I didnt try, but I am sure that this distortion will make telemetry harder to be decoded. Best 73s de David EA4SG

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