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

Practice tracking ES'hail 2
by Nico Janssen 11 Jun '16

11 Jun '16

The new geostationary satellite ES'hail 2 will be placed over the equator at 26 degrees East. Those who would like to practice tracking that new geosat can do so by tracking its predecessor ES'hail 1, which is in almost the same location over the equator at 25.5 degrees East. TLEs for ES'hail 1, also known as Eutelsat 25B, object 39233, 2013-044A, are available through the usual sources, i.e. Space-Track.org, Celestrak, etc. Any tracking program should do. It will give you a feeling for what to expect and for the small variations of the satellite position over the day. And from the distance to the satellite you can calculate the delay times of the signals relayed by the satellite. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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AZ EL Rotator
by Ed Cunningham 11 Jun '16

11 Jun '16

Hi All, Being out in the summer sun in Phoenix AZ is not fun, I, like others, am looking for an inexpensive way to set up an AZ EL rotator. Being retired I have time to work on it, but being retired, the funds are limited. I have found several articles using servos, cnc motors, U110 rotators etc. Has anyone used successfully used a security rotator like a Pelco Pan Tilt head? I found one article on it and am looking for more information. It seems like a simple way to go if it can be done. Any information for or against would be appreciated. Thanks, Ed, N7EC edc2491(a)cox.net

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Today's op from Ham-com: June 11, 2016
by Clayton W5PFG 11 Jun '16

11 Jun '16

Today we plan to operate the following passes as demonstrations at Ham-Com 2016:* AO-73 at 15:28 UTC FO-29 at 16:51 UTC AO-85 at 17:19 UTC * Potentially more passes but these are scheduled with our team. Our grid is EM12 in Irving, Texas. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Briargreen Public School, Nepean, ON, Canada
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Briargreen Public School, Nepean, ON, Canada on 13 June. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:19 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and VK4KHZ. The contact should be audible over portions of Australia and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Briargreen is an amazing K-6 open-concept school nestled in a suburban community, of west Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. It is a caring community of diverse students, teachers and parents, who love to share both our in-class and out-of-class experiences with each other. Some of our noteworthy special events include our Kindergarten Chinese New Year parade, Terry Fox Run activities and junior community games days. Our learning community has some of the most wonderful students in the world! https://briargreenps.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What types of things do you miss when you've been on the ISS for a long time? 2. The rocket launch stage is one of the most dangerous moments. What did you think about at that period? Are you scared? 3. What was the hardest part of your training experience that you had to go through before you went to space? 4. How do you handle being away from your family and friends for such a long time? 5. When you were a little kid, did you dream of being an astronaut, or did you decide when you were older? 6. How does it feel to be without gravity in space? 7. Do you feel like your sleep is affected in space? Are you more tired or awake while in space? 8. We'd like to know what happens if you are sick or get injured while in space or in a spaceship? 9. What is it like being in a micro-gravity environment and then coming back to earth? 10. What do you do in your spare time? 11. How much electricity does the space station use? 12. How do you communicate and how often do you communicate with your family down on earth? 13. How many hours do you have out of the station in outer space with your suit on? Is there an overall time limit for being out in space? 14. What was the most dangerous situation you have ever experienced in the ISS? 15. What made you want to go to the space station and stay in space for 6 months at a time instead of a shorter mission? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. TBD ABOUT ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Question wrt Arduino and Satellite tracking
by Albert van Deursen 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

Hi, Just a quick question on Arduino and Satellite tracking. Was looking for an easy setup to demonstrate Amateur Satellite tracking using HRD (EasycommII for driving the rotator) ) via an Arduino Board for our HAM Club I came across an interesting program written by K9VUG (https://sites.google.com/site/k6vugdiary/home/satellite-tracking-system) and demonstrated on YouTube https://youtu.be/00SW1ExS2es. Unable to contact the author or other kind of feedback from the net I was wondering if any of you out there ever tried this setup. Any advice would be welcomed. 73 Albert PD0OXW

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Some earl;y Photos of PCSAT (NO44)
by Robert Bruninga 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

Finally after 15 years, I found some old photos of PCSAT and added them to the web page: http://aprs.org/pcsat.html KH6WZ asked about them so once I found them, there they are in the second paragraph. Amazing they are still on my current PC drive after 15 years. (though I had never found them before)… In the best-closeup one, you can see the difference between the space panels on the top and the plastic coated panels around the sides… hence the continuing operation only when the sun is shining on the best panels on top. (the other end is the NORTH seeking pole). Bob, WB4APR

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SSTV from ISS
by Roland Zurmely 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

SSTV pictures from ISS 10 june 2016, 13:49 and 15:28 UTC: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/satelite/PY4ZBZ_Hist93.jpg http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/satelite/PY4ZBZ_Hist95.jpg 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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AO-73/FUNcube mode change
by Jim Heck 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

Hi Folks, I have just set AO-73/FUNcube into permanent transponder mode. Plan, as usual, is to switch it back to education mode on Sunday PM UTC. Enjoy the transponder and have a FUN weekend. 73s Jim G3WGM

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SSTV on 145.800- 17:40 UTC
by Nitin Muttin 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

Hearing SSTV transmission on 145.800 at 17.40 UTC. I was late to get the PC to boot and run MMSSTV. 73 Nitin [VU3TYG]

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ISS?
by skristof＠etczone.com 10 Jun '16

10 Jun '16

Did anybody hear any packet action on the last ISS pass (about 2109 UTC here)? I heard nothing and always wonder if it's me or them. Steve AI9IN

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