AMSAT-BB June 2016

157 participants
218 discussions

by Peter Laws N5UWY

How often is that mode enabled? Just passed over EM15 and I could hear occasional AX.25 on 145.825 but no answer from a DTMF burst ... -- Peter Laws | N5UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!

6 years, 2 months

Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT @ White Mountain Hamfest (Show Low AZ), this Saturday

by Richard Tejera

Stupid auto correct, ISS passes. Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On June 1, 2016, at 15:51, Richard Tejera <Saguaroastro(a)cox.net> wrote: Are there any good SURpasses during the hamfest? I thought the favorable passes are still in the evening? It's a busy day for me but I may be able to work an early pass. Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On June 1, 2016, at 12:14, "Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" <amsat-bb(a)wd9ewk.net> wrote: Hi! I will have an AMSAT table at the White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low, Arizona, this Saturday, 4 June 2016. The hamfest will be at the Show Low City Hall parking lot, south of US-60 and west of AZ-260 in the center of Show Low. This is a half-day hamfest, scheduled to end "noonish" (around 1900 UTC). During the hamfest, WD9EWK will be on various satellite passes for on-air demonstrations of satellite operating. Please call WD9EWK if you hear me, and be a part of the demonstrations. The hamfest site is in grid DM44. All QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World after the hamfest, and I am happy to send QSL cards to anyone who wishes to receive a card. Please e-mail me the QSO details to get a card. If you're in the log, I will send a card. No need to first mail a card and/or SASE to get my card in return. I should be able to post pictures and other updates during the morning to my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. This is an open feed, which can be viewed in a web browser at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK if you don't use Twitter. Also, my location should be visible via APRS. I use WD9EWK-9 as my call sign for APRS, and - among other sites - it should be visible at: http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 during my drive to Show Low on Friday evening, as well as at the hamfest Saturday morning. Other than on ISS passes, I won't leave my APRS radio squawking once I have parked at the hamfest. Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK _______________________________________________ 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

6 years, 2 months

WA4SXM

by Mike Miller

Does anyone know how Gould Smith, WA4SXM is doing? Mike Miller KA5SMA --

6 years, 2 months

Re: [amsat-bb] Polarization (attitude mostly)

by Robert Bruninga

Actually, I would tend to suggest the majority of polarization shift is simply due to the always changing attitude of the spacecraft with respect to the user. The fact that all TVRO Satellite dishes worked perfectly well when switching back and forth from horizontal to vertical polarization when changing channels and once the dish was initially aligned then those vertical and horizontal polarizations remained accurate across the entire sky and across the many dozens of satellites, then would suggest th contribution due to faraday rotation was small (at C band anyway)... Yes, there is some faraday rotations at HF and at extremely low elevations, but I think for one using an ARROW antenna, all of the polarity issues are simply due to the instantaneous orientation of the satellite. Not the ionosphere... But, just my humble opinion... Bob WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bob Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 1:52 PM To: Doug Andrews Cc: AMSAT-BB Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Polarization "The antennas I see in the photos of satellites we work are whips. Is the polarization becoming "circularized" as it re-enters earth's atmosphere or something?" Yep, that is exactly what is happening. It is called Faraday Rotation, and as the signal from the satellite passes through the ionosphere, all sorts of polarity changes can and do happen. A linear polarized satellite antenna (horizontal or vertical) can appear to be the opposite or somewhere in between. That's why folks rotate their Arrow or Elk antennas -- trying to match the polarity. Using a circular polarized antenna helps a bunch -- it doesn't matter what the polarity of the linear satellite antenna happens to be at any moment in time. But there is no free lunch -- Even a circular polarized antenna might need to be switched from Right Hand Circular Polarization (the default) to LHCP from time to time depending on what nasty thing the ionosphere is doing at any given moment. Changing the polarity switch might bring a S0 signal up to S5, a 30 dB improvement. I had that happen to me during a recent ARISS contact. 73, Bob, WB4SON On Mon, May 30, 2016 at 8:25 PM, Doug Andrews <dougg27(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > > > I too have wondered about this. > I have not had much trouble hitting SO-50 and some success on AO-85 > with a > 5 watt handheld and arrow antenna without turning it. Worth a try. > DougKG7UNU > > > > Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy® Note 4. > > -------- Original message -------- > From: Ken Alexander <k.alexander(a)rogers.com> > Date: 5/30/16 4:41 PM (GMT-08:00) > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] Polarization > > I clipped this from another message because I didn't want to drag the > discussion off course. It's a question I've been wondering about > since getting into this a few short weeks ago. > > I've also read (but haven't tried yet) about the trick of rotating the > antenna 90 degrees on transmit, once you've established the best > receive orientation. > > 73 de Bill, KG5FQX > > So far, with SO-20 I have rotated my Arrow antenna for best reception > of the downlink and don't think I've had too much trouble being heard. > At the same time I have wondered whether I should twist the antenna > when transmitting to orient the 2m elements to give the same > polarization as in receive. I don't know if this is a good idea or > not, and frankly I have enough trouble remembering calls and grids, > tracking the satellite, adjusting frequency and switching back to the > correct VFO to worry about one more thing. > > I've seen that some commercial OSCAR antennas use circular polarization. > The antennas I see in the photos of satellites we work are whips. Is > the polarization becoming "circularized" as it re-enters earth's > atmosphere or something? > > Comments and observations would be most welcome! > > 73, > > Ken Alexander > VE3HLS, FN03 > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________________ 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

6 years, 2 months

New Items in Store

by Bruce

Martha is back from vacation and Dayton. The store has been updated. There are very limited quantities of the new Golf Shirt, T-Shirt and Hats. There are 18 LVB Trackers available. If you were looking for one, this is your opportunity. We also put 30 copies of the newest 2016 Getting Started in Satellites on the shelf ready for you to order. This new edition has more pages, printed in color and spiral bound for easier reading and leaving a page open while you do something. 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards AMSAT Board Alternate 2015-2016 ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

6 years, 2 months

WD9EWK road trip, Saturday (4 June) PM & Sunday (5 June)...

by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)

Hi! After the White Mountain Hamfest wraps up on Saturday in Show Low, Arizona, I plan on making a long drive around northern Arizona before returning home on Sunday afternoon or evening. I have some of the trip planned out, and had asked for some suggestions or comments from those who follow my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. Looking for more suggestions/comments, I'm also posting here. In the early afternoon, I am planning to drive from Show Low to Petrified Forest National Park, along the I-40 freeway in eastern Arizona. This is in grid DM55. I hope to make contacts from here with at least 10 different stations to have this visit considered an official activation for the ARRL's National Parks on the Air activity. Depending on how long I spend at Petrified Forest, I might drive through the park to the south end of the park in grid DM54, or possibly try to park on the DM54/DM55 grid boundary inside the park. After Petrified Forest, if there is still daylight, I hope to make a stop at a different point on the DM54/DM55 grid boundary, a few miles/km west of Petrified Forest along I-40 and old US-66. Then to Flagstaff for the night. Again, depending on the time and available satellite passes, I may try to get on from Flagstaff, which is in grid DM45. Sunday morning and early afternoon is, so far, open. I have a few options for that time... 1. Drive west of Flagstaff approximately 25 miles/40km to the DM35/DM45 grid boundary. This would be along old US-66, north of I-40 in the Kaibab National Forest. Keep in mind that national forests are not part of the National Parks on the Air activity, but this could be a chance for these two grids to be put on the air. 2. Work from various NPOTA sites around Flagstaff. These sites are in grid DM45, and include the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument north of Flagstaff, and the Walnut Canyon National Monument east of Flagstaff. The two sites north of Flagstaff are close enough where I could operate from both of them, and possibly make enough QSOs to have two official NPOTA activations. 3. Work from Grand Canyon National Park, about 90 minutes northwest of Flagstaff. The main park entrance from the south straddles the DM35/DM36 grid boundary, but is not a good place to park and operate. I could park at different locations to put DM36 and DM46 on the air, but probably not from the DM36/DM46 grid boundary which starts just inside the canyon - not a safe place to go at that point. Between locations in DM36 and DM46, I think I would be able to make enough QSOs with different stations to make this an official NPOTA activation, as well as hand out QSOs with each of these two grids. I have not operated from the Grand Canyon in many years, but I know KL7R operated from the Grand Canyon earlier this year. Depending on the time spent in northern Arizona on Sunday, I could also stop at the Montezuma Castle National Monument, along the I-17 freeway between Phoenix and Flagstaff. This site is in grid DM44, the same grid I will operate from during the White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low on Saturday morning, except I will be on the western edge of DM44 compared to Show Low being on the eastern edge of the same grid. Since I will be at a hamfest in Prescott AZ on 11 June, located in grid DM34, I'm not worrying about trying to operate from that grid this weekend. I will have a whole day for that coming up. I'll post more about that hamfest next week. Comments? I suppose this can be discussed here on the AMSAT-BB, or feel free to e-mail me directly with any thoughts on these plans for Sunday. You could also tweet at my @WD9EWK Twitter handle, if you use Twitter. I will use Twitter to post updates on Saturday afternoon and Sunday while I am on the road. If you don't use Twitter, you can follow my postings at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK I will also use my TH-D72A on APRS as I drive around, with the call sign WD9EWK-9. This should be visible at (among other sites): http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 Other than possibly parts of I-40 between Flagstaff and Petrified Forest National Park on the high desert of northern Arizona, APRS coverage is generally pretty good. In the absence of APRS coverage, I may periodically tweet photos of a GPS receiver's display to show my location. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

6 years, 2 months

Gould Smith

by Mike Miller

Anyone know how Gould Smith WA4SXM is doing? Mike Miller KA5SMA --

6 years, 2 months

AMSAT @ White Mountain Hamfest (Show Low AZ), this Saturday

by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)

Hi! I will have an AMSAT table at the White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low, Arizona, this Saturday, 4 June 2016. The hamfest will be at the Show Low City Hall parking lot, south of US-60 and west of AZ-260 in the center of Show Low. This is a half-day hamfest, scheduled to end "noonish" (around 1900 UTC). During the hamfest, WD9EWK will be on various satellite passes for on-air demonstrations of satellite operating. Please call WD9EWK if you hear me, and be a part of the demonstrations. The hamfest site is in grid DM44. All QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World after the hamfest, and I am happy to send QSL cards to anyone who wishes to receive a card. Please e-mail me the QSO details to get a card. If you're in the log, I will send a card. No need to first mail a card and/or SASE to get my card in return. I should be able to post pictures and other updates during the morning to my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. This is an open feed, which can be viewed in a web browser at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK if you don't use Twitter. Also, my location should be visible via APRS. I use WD9EWK-9 as my call sign for APRS, and - among other sites - it should be visible at: http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 during my drive to Show Low on Friday evening, as well as at the hamfest Saturday morning. Other than on ISS passes, I won't leave my APRS radio squawking once I have parked at the hamfest. Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

6 years, 2 months

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AMSAT-BB June 2016