June 2016 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Field day power from BEV?
by Greg D 16 Jun '16

16 Jun '16

Hi folks, Every year there's always someone with an off-the-wall question about the Field Day rules. Not hearing one yet, it might as well be my turn... There are different station classifications based on your power source. What class is a station that gets its power from a Battery Electric Vehicle (one with battery only, no gas engine), for example, if I run my rig from the car's 12v Accessory outlet? Class-C covers a currently-traditional (ICE) car, one with a combustion engine driven generator (alternator) backing up the car's battery. My car has no such generator, just a really big battery (57kw). If I park the car and run a 12v cable to the operating position at a nearby picnic bench, and keep to 5 watts or less, am I Class A Battery? What if higher than 5 watts? Puzzled, Greg KO6TH

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SatPC32
by Brad Hyde 16 Jun '16

16 Jun '16

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone else has tried to download SatPC32 under Windows 10? I have been trying for 2 days now. Windows 10 says I don't have permission. So, I activate the administrator account and try it that way. Same issue. So, I go into Windows security and give the administrator all privileges. Still won't work. Keeps telling me I don't have permission to install software for other users. I am not impressed with W10 at this point.. Thanks for any advice. Brad W5BK

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Is anyone using a phased array antenna to receive low earth orbit satellites?
by Douglas Quagliana 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

All, Is anyone using a phased array of antennas to receive low earth orbit satellites (for example, the LA2QAA 435-jpole phased array that appeared in the AMSAT Journal a few years ago). In particular I would like to know - what antenna elements you used for the array (j-pole, vertical, or something else) - the number of antenna elements in your phased array - what coax relays/coax switches you used for phasing (brand/model/signal losses?) - details of the computer controlled steering (or did you manually steer)? - what band(s) (2m, 70cm, other)? - which satellite(s) you were trying to receive and -your overall experience with how well the phased array worked (or didn't work) for receiving low earth orbit satellites. If there is enough interest and/or enough replies then I'll write it up for an AMSAT Journal article. 73, Douglas KA2UPW/5

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Re: [amsat-bb] Largest cross-yagi ever? on 10 meter or CB
by Robert Bruninga 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

Based on N2OTO's photos, and assuming the Gondola is 6 feet high, the elements of the beam appear to me to be 8 feet on a side. That makes it a big 10 meter or CB antenna! OOPS, I see now he already figured that out. Nevermind... Bob > Forward from -Rupert, n2oto > > I photographed it about a month ago. You can see some great pictures > if you are interested at: > > http://www.qsl.net/n2oto > > I believe it is used for US NAVY MARS ops. > > Some countries use 27 MHz for maritime coms.

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Largest cross-yagi ever?
by Scott 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

So today I’m driving through rural Virginia near my home and as I come around a corner, the sky is FULL of a very low-flying white blimp. In years past the Goodyear blimp as well as the one from Met-Life have flown over, so while it was neat to see a blimp, it wasn’t the first time. Anyway, I pulled over to take a closer look because this one was different. You could clearly see U.S. Navy markings but what really stuck out was that on top of the blimp, running its full length, was what appeared to be a cross-yagi antenna approximately equal to the inflated size of the blimp itself. This thing was HUGE! Obviously it could have been anything, but it sure looked like an antenna to me. My iPhone would not have taken a picture with enough zoom to show any detail, but I got a good look through binoculars. By chance has anyone seen this type of structure on a blimp or have any insight on its use? If you can imagine the inflated diameter of a full-size blimp, that was the length of the radials. As for length, as I mentioned it ran the full length of the spine of the blimp itself. Quite a site! -Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA

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SatPC32- Auto Sat Change?
by Allen Burrell 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

I have successfully implemented control of my Yaesu G-450/G-550 rotors via ERC using SatPC32. I can now track satellites across the sky as I await arrival of transverters to work with my Flex-3000/1500 combo. I have not been able to get the Auto Sat Change feature to work, however. I have set up prior.SQF with a list of prioritized satellites, and set Auto Sat Change to “A+”. When a satellite becomes available, the lettered box highlights, but no changing of satellite to the active one occurs on the screen. Only after I click on the highlighted letter box does it activate the available satellite, allowing rotor control, and later, I hope, frequency tracking. What am I overlooking? Thanks for any help. Al, KI7RM

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Practice tracking ES'hail 2
by Remco 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

?? There is nothing to 'track'? Just point your dish towards the appropriate geostationary slot, like millions of broadcast viewers do. To fine tune check the 25.5 - 26 degr beacon entries at: http://frequencyplansatellites.altervista.org/Beacon-Telemetry_Europe-Afric… MiddleEast.html

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC32- Auto Sat Change?
by PE0SAT | Amateur Radio 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

Hi Allen, Check and double check the prior.sqf. I use it with success but have run into problems where for example there is a dash number in the Satellite name and the priority number. So first start with just a couple and not more then nine. Maybe share you prior.sqf file to see if there is an error in it. 73 Jan PE0SAT On 15-06-2016 08:33, Allen Burrell wrote: > I have successfully implemented control of my Yaesu G-450/G-550 > rotors via ERC using SatPC32. I can now track satellites across the > sky as I await arrival of transverters to work with my Flex-3000/1500 > combo. I have not been able to get the Auto Sat Change feature to > work, however. I have set up prior.SQF with a list of prioritized > satellites, and set Auto Sat Change to “A+”. When a satellite becomes > available, the lettered box highlights, but no changing of satellite > to the active one occurs on the screen. Only after I click on the > highlighted letter box does it activate the available satellite, > allowing rotor control, and later, I hope, frequency tracking. What am > I overlooking? Thanks for any help. Al, KI7RM > _______________________________________________ > 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 -- With regards PE0SAT Internet web-page http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/ DK3WN SatBlog http://www.dk3wn.info/p/ irc://chat.freenode.net #Cubesat

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W5PFG/p EL18 & EL19
by Clayton Coleman 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

I have had a few requests for EL18 and EL19 gridsquares. Tonight, I will work three passes from the gridline near Edna, Texas: XW-2A 00:02 SO-50 00:20 SO-50 02:02 (All times UTC, 6/16/2016) 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Re: [amsat-bb] Nova for Windows
by Pedro Converso 15 Jun '16

15 Jun '16

Hello Jim, I don't used Nova for windows, but if what is required is updated Keps in Amsat Format, you can get them in http://amsat.org.ar/sat.htm , just click on the satellite you want keps and click on Keps, you can copy/paste necessary keps. Other alternative is http://amsat.org.ar/pass.htm , where you have updated keps and predictions in real time for useful amateur satellites. 73, lu7abf, Pedro Converso On Mon, Jun 13, 2016 at 10:08 PM, <jim(a)beeson.cc> wrote: > > > > Thanks all for the reply. I used it several years ago - AO-40 era - and I have been dormant since then. I want to use it now for predictions for the two new FM birds, AO-85 & SO-50. I have version 2.2C which I believe is the latest. I know you can make > "extra" sats but I don't appear to be savvy enough to convert the 2-line code to what Nova needs. And then I will want to pull in the latest K-elements as well. Help please!! > > > ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- > > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Nova for Windows > > From: "Ken Swaggart" <k.swaggart(a)charter.net> > > Date: Sun, June 12, 2016 10:26 pm > > To: jim(a)beeson.cc > > "amsat-bb" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >> I've used it for a number of years and am very happy with it. I do not use > >> it for controlling the rotor or radio, just for visualizing and predicting > >> the passes, so can't comment on those features. Currently using it with > >> Windows 10. > >> > >> 73, > >> Ken, W7KKE > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> > > From: jim(a)beeson.cc > >> Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2016 6:56 PM > >> To: amsat-bb > >> Subject: [amsat-bb] Nova for Windows > >> > >> Does anyone use Nova for Windows (by Northern Lights Software Associates) > >> for satellite tracking? > >> _______________________________________________ > >> 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 > >> > >> > > _______________________________________________ > 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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