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

Receiving PSAT PSK31 FM downlink
by Robert Bruninga 21 May '15

21 May '15

Receiving the PSAT (and BRICsat) 435.350 MHz FM downlink is as simple as placing your PSK31 laptop microphone next to the speaker on your FM satellite UHF receiver and just watching the waterfall. What you see is exactly what everyone else sees (its FM). There is no Doppler added to the tones due to your station's position relative to the satellite. But you DO have to retune your FM radio at least 3 times during the pass (+5 KHz, 0, -5 KHz) to stay in the FM passband. User uplinks, however, will shift in the waterfall according to each user's position relative to the satellite. The shift can be as low as 1 Hz per second to as high as 6 Hz per second. This is because the uplink is on 10 meters where the Doppler rate is only 1/15th of what it would be on UHF. The TELEMETRY channel at 315 Hz (PSAT) or 375 Hz (BRICsat) is FIXED with no Doppler since it is generated onboard into the FM downlink WHAT TO DO: 1) We will need PSK31 authors to open the PSK31 frequency tracking to accommodate more than 1 Hz per second Doppler tracking. Current implementations can do 1 Hz/s but completely fail at 3 Hz/s. 2 Hz/s might work a little... 2) Until then, ANY uplink user that is in line with a direct overhead pass will have minimum Doppler at the start and end of his pass (1 Hz/sec) when the satellite is going right at him and directly away from him. (Though it will be MAX (6Hz/sec) when it passes over his station). 3) Just turn on MULTI CHANNEL window and let the PSK31 decode everyone. The ones with the least Doppler at any instant may be decoded for a while! USERS can transmit later when BRNO University says it has completed its tests. Brno provided the transponders for use in the PSAT and BRICsat satellites. So start preparing your station to TX PSK31 on 10 meters SSB and to receive the audio from an FM UHF rig on 435.350 +/- 5 KHz steps of Doppler. DOWNLINK Limitations: The UHF downlink signal is only 300 mW and so a UHF beam is needed on the downlink. UPLINK RESTRICTIONS: *NOTHING MORE THAN* a Vertical 1/4 wave or Dipole is authorized on the 10m uplink and no more than 25 Watts (for now). Remember a 1/4 wave vertical is the ideal antenna because it maximizes the signal at lower angles and tapers the signal as the satellite gets closer. This keeps user uplinks about the same during a pass. Strong stations just drive down the AGC and ruin it for everyone. Use minimum power!! Remember, this is crossband FULL DUPLEX so you can see yourself in the downlink just like everyone else can see you. Act accordingly. And of course DO NOT TRANSMIT if you cannot see the waterfall ... Duh! Enjoy! Bob, WB4APR

1 0

Office Closed
by Martha 21 May '15

21 May '15

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Friday, May 22nd through Monday, May 25th. I will be back on Tuesday, May 23rd. Time to recover from Dayton! -- 73- Martha (AMSAT's only employee)

1 0

Star Comm Awards
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 21 May '15

21 May '15

For the new satellite operators please checkout our free awards goto www.starcommgroup.org we are an Amsat support group Grid Master for working and confirming all 488 us grids Got grids for making one contact in the 10 grid blocks in the US. 5 in em55 for working 5 stations in em55 or working 5 ops with the award Thanks and enjoy the birds WA4HFN em55 Damon

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Any Need for FN22?
by Sean K. 21 May '15

21 May '15

OK then. I'll be QRV from some passes. This is a vacation weekend and ham radio is secondary. I'll email the reflector when I know the passes I'll be on (I won't be on every pass every day), and post activity to Twitter as well. Sean Kutzko Amateur Radio KX9X From: Glenn Miller - AA5PK <aa5pk(a)suddenlink.net> To: Sean K. <kx9x(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 10:32 AM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Any Need for FN22? Yes! -----Original Message----- From: Sean K. via AMSAT-BB Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 9:14 AM To: AMSAT BB Subject: [amsat-bb] Any Need for FN22? Hi all- I'll be in Cooperstown, NY for the long weekend. Does anybody need FN22? If so, I'll bring an HT/Arrow for SO-50. Sean Kutzko Amateur Radio KX9X _______________________________________________ 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

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] BRICsat now heard too!
by Gregory Beat 21 May '15

21 May '15

These spacecraft (and CubeSats) were onboard the Atlas V launch, yesterday: • X-37B OTV-4 (USA 261) • GEARRSAT 2 (GEARRS 2) • LightSail A • OptiCube 1 (O/C 1) • OptiCube 2 (O/C 2) • OptiCube 3 (O/C 3) • USS Langley • AeroCube 8A (IMPACT A) • AeroCube 8B (IMPACT B) • BRICSat-P • PSat A (ParkinsonSat A) http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_chr/lau2015.htm Scroll down the AMSAT-UK web site http://amsat-uk.org/2015/05/20/lightsail-1-launch/ for a very good picture of the Dispenser, that was attached to the Centaur second stage. After OTV-4, X-37B was released, the Centaur stage performed a orbital maneuver for release of these small satellites. -- BTW, Centaur has now been used for 51-1/2 years by USA on Atlas (and retired Titan boosters). w9gb Sent from iPad Air

1 0

W5PFG/VE2 - FN35 & FN26 Update
by Clayton Coleman 21 May '15

21 May '15

I'm planning to operate the following passes from FN26 near Val-David, QC, Canada on Thursday, 21 May: SO-50 @ 17:55Z FO-29 @ 19:40Z FO-29 @ 21:27Z 73 Clayton W5PFG (/VE2 starting Wednesday evening) On Mon, May 4, 2015 at 7:27 AM, Clayton Coleman <kayakfishtx(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I'll be visiting Montreal, QC, Canada again in a couple of weeks. > Several individuals have asked me about operating satellites from grid > FN26. With those requests in mind, I will travel to FN26 for two > orbits of FO-29. I do not know the specific passes at this time. > > There are a few others who are looking to have FN35 confirmed. I will > post about those operations on Twitter @w5pfg shortly before and > during the US Memorial Day Weekend Holiday. > > Please email me off-BB if you are interested in the FN26 operation. > > Thank you, > > 73 > Clayton > W5PFG

1 1

USS Langley - nil
by Ken Swaggart 21 May '15

21 May '15

Specifically listened for USS Langley during the 1627Z pass, max el 32 deg, but nothing heard. 73, Ken, W7KKE CN75xa

2 1

Fwd: LightSail tracking
by Bob- W7LRD 21 May '15

21 May '15

I received this from the Planetary Society which I have been talking to awhile ago. Forwarding to the bb for anyone's interest. 73 Bob W7LRD ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Tom Kemp" <tom.kemp(a)planetary.org> To: "Bob- W7LRD" <w7lrd(a)comcast.net> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 8:13:38 PM Subject: LightSail tracking Hi Bob - Are you or anyone else at AMSAT involved in tracking the LightSail? You probably know all this but the amateur radio tracking information is here. Scroll to the bottom of the page. http://sail.planetary.org/missioncontrol Successful launch this morning. Now it's a matter of tests and collecting data to see how well it works. Tom -- Tom Kemp Global Volunteer Coordinator The Planetary Society http://planetary.org tom.kemp(a)planetary.org

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] USNA Sat Status (needs)
by Robert Bruninga 21 May '15

21 May '15

The next things we are looking for are: 1) The first PSAT-1 packet heard via the ISS digipeater 2) The first PSAT-1 S#..... abcabcabcabcabcabc packet showing us spin rate 3) Any data from USS Langley Thanks Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 9:54 AM To: 'AMSAT BB' Subject: USNA Sat Status US Naval Academy Satellite Status Three of four transmitters on 3 separate spacecraft have been heard. PSAT has good voltages and nice temperatures. BRICsat has now been heerd. Awaiting permission from BRNO University to authorize HF user uplinks on PSK31. Also we have turned on Whole Orbit Data (WOD) and so each miniute PSAT will include a packet (145.825) with alphapbet soup on the end. Those will be triplets of XYZ sun data for the last minute. So we will be looking for a rotation pattern in those values. 145.825 1.5U cubesat PSAT 1200 baud 435.350 same cubesat PSAT PSK31 Brno University transponder 437.975 1.5U cubesat BRICsat 9600 baud 437.975 3.0U cubesat USS Langley <yet to be heard from> Bob, WB4APR > ULTRASat3 > 1 99993U 15140.67013889 .00040043 00000-0 10235-2 0 00009 > 2 99993 055.0004 339.9238 0251027 182.3314 074.3075 15.12517086000014

1 0

Any Need for FN22?
by Sean K. 21 May '15

21 May '15

Hi all- I'll be in Cooperstown, NY for the long weekend. Does anybody need FN22? If so, I'll bring an HT/Arrow for SO-50. Sean Kutzko Amateur Radio KX9X

1 0