March 2017 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Your third harmonic
by jeffory broughton 26 Mar '17

26 Mar '17

A mobil diplexer will give you 60 dB of isolation between uhf and vhf.should be more than enough even at 100 w.I have used them with both the Ft847 and IC 910 with zero desense even when using gaasfet preamps at the antennas on both bands. jeff broughton

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EO-79 SAT
by ingejack＠cox.net 25 Mar '17

25 Mar '17

Was on the 18:55 UTC pass of EO-79. Signals very strong however there were no other stations heard during the complete pass. Was wondering why other people are not utilizing this satellite ?? Are they afraid of manual tuning of the Doppler or is it just too difficult for them to keep up with the Bird ?? even though it is hard to track and maintain Doppler it is still a great satellite to work, Nice footprint and strong signals. Was on the satellite many times in the past with same results.. Nobody heard !! JACK-KC7MG DM42

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Path loss Calculations
by Joe 25 Mar '17

25 Mar '17

Can anyone help me with some path loss calculations? Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

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AO73 weekend operations
by Graham Shirville 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

Hi folks, FUNcube/AO73 is now in full time amateur mode with the transponder ON. The plan is for it to switch back to auto mode on Sunday pm UTC as usual. Please see below for other FUNcube transponder info Have FUN with the transponder. 73s Graham G3VZV and the FUNcube team. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FUNcube frequencies and other details ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AO-73 FUNcube-1 The transponder is normally operational only when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. During weekends (from pm Fridays UTC to PM Sundays UTC) the transponder is operational 24/7. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. During holidays, eg Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc, the transponder maybe activated for extended periods. Watch AMSAT-BB for announcements which are usually made on Friday evenings (UTC) The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.935 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 15kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Lower temperatures give higher freqs!) FUNcube-2 (aka FUNcube on UKube) The FUNcube-2 sub-system continues to operate autonomously and, almost continuously, in amateur mode. The transponder is operational and the telemetry downlink is functioning with about 70mW output. The FUNcube-1 Dashboard does not correctly display the telemetry but it does correctly decode the data and uploads it to the FUNcube Data Warehouse from where it can be examined. Most of the real time data channels are operational and these include battery voltages, temperatures and ADCS data coming via the main On Board Computer (OBC). The transponder is interrupted for a few seconds every 2 minutes when the other transmitter sends its CW beacon and, occasionally, for a few seconds when the main OBC reboots (approx seven times each orbit). The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.080 - 435.060 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.930 - 145.950 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.915 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 10kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) EO79 FUNcube-3 Due to power budget constraints the transponder cannot be operational 24/7 and an orbit specific schedule has been developed. The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes. This schedule may be modified in the future as a result of experience. The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.0723-435.0473 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.946-145.971 MHz USB Further detailed info on EO79 transponder frequencies is at: https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/10/eo79-funcube-3-transponder-commences-regula… EO88/Nayif-1/FUNcube-5 EO88 is presently operating in autonomous mode. The transponder is operational when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. The transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.045 – 435.015 MHz LSB (inverting) Downlink: 145.960-145.990 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.940MHz All FUNcube transponders are sponsored by AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL. We are very grateful for the assistance given by Innovative Solution In Space Bv, The Netherlands.

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YN2/Nicaragua grid EK71 on sats
by Clayton Coleman 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

On AO-85 at 12:55 UTC today I managed to contact three members of the Texas DXpedition team in YN2/Nicaragua. They are in country for the upcoming CQWPX Phone contest. The bird was very high on them before they were able to get into the satellite but I managed to work three team members: YN2KW, YN2MG, and YN2MF. They were weak so you will need to have good ears to pick them out on AO-85. I believe they have an HT and Arrow. GL & 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Re: [amsat-bb] Best HT for satellite operation?
by Edward R Cole 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

Clayton, An ICOM-910H is a HT .... Really (ha ha)? I suppose a few of you know that is a 100w desktop/mobile radio and hardly "portable". But it is a pretty good satellite radio for multi-mode use. A nearby friend uses one (actually has two) with az-el mounted yagis and full auto-track. A few months ago I was looking at adding a dual-band FM mobile to my hamshack and kinda groaning at the the $350+ cost for a new mobile, I decided spending just a little more would get me a nice used multi-mode VHF/UHF satellite desktop/mobile radio. Used prices on the Icom-910H and the FT-847 both ran $900-1200 which I could not justify. Then Looked for used FT-736R and bought one for $550 (including ctcss encoder board option) with basic 2m/70cm (no 220 or 1.2G options). I'm quite pleased with the "old" radio and a bit surprised in its Rx sensitivity without preamps, running 144 and 432 SSB with a vertical for contacts out to 70-miles. I have not yet restored use of my satellite antennas as yet (probably be next summer as I want to move the short sat tower which requires new concrete base). You can look on my website for some info: http://www.kl7uw.com/sat.htm Two Baefong with appropriate filters should make an inexpensive portable sat setup with full duplex (not computer controlled). A single Baefong plus a Funcube Rx would also work pretty good though you would need a notepad or equivalent. I did some simplex FM-sat ops with a FT-817 in early 2000's with an Arrow but missed having duplex. I also had a 1998 FT-847 but sold both in 2012. Now have K3 and KX3, a Baefong UV5-RA, plus the venerable FT-736R. 73, Ed - KL7UW Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2017 12:15:31 -0600 From: Clayton Coleman <kayakfishtx(a)gmail.com> To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Best HT for satellite operation? Message-ID: <CAPovOwfU3hBafuauUyykDMmh49xdeTS1VjV_DK5iwf1yBED16Q(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 I've seen a lot of great recommendations for satellite HT's. I really prefer the Icom IC-910h. Since it is a little heavy for neck straps, and the belt clip is made of 3/8" steel plate, I'd probably recommend the BABYBJ?RN carrier approach. You can buy a 15 year old one at a bargain price of $1000-1500 at most hamfests. TGIF Clayton W5PFG 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubususa(a)gmail.com

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Weekend Roving
by Gabriel Zeifman 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

Hello fellow bird talkers, As is usual, I will be venturing on a roving trip this weekend departing tomorrow (hooray for a random three day weekend). The plan is to head to the Detroit/Windsor area. Because I can't resist crossing international borders, expect to hear NJ7H/VE3 at some point, hopefully with a terminus of EN92 or EN83 this trip. I'll try to hit as many new /r grids in MO, IL, IN, MI as time allows, but as usual I'll expect to be in a good time crunch on the way home. Skeds available, hit me up on Twitter or email for whatever you need. I'll try to be on general good passes (AO-7, FO-29, FM, good full continent stuff). Feel free to watch my every movement on APRS NJ7H-9, or when that doesn't work I can still be watched and harassed via iridium share.garmin.com/gz. Have fun, and keep the power down. 73, Gabe NJ7H/V31NJ/C6AGZ/CRAZY

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 04:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 04:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Thu 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg (***) Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-29 18:03:38 UTC 21 deg Russia School TBD, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronauts are Andrei Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov, Oleg Novitskiy (***) Contact is a go for 2017-04-01 21:10 UTC (***) Special contact with the Earhart Research Vessel, direct via NYØV (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronauts are Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD and Sergey Ryzhikov (***) Contact was successful 2017-03-17 20:07 UTC (***) **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** *** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. **************************************************************************** *** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. **************************************************************************** *** All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. **************************************************************************** *** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2017-03-24 04:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1127. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1088. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2017-03-24 04:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Question about separate antennas
by CT2IWW . 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Hello everyone, I just got a couple crossed dipoles, one VHF, the other UHF, for some satellite work. How far apart should they be for proper operation and minimal influence on each other? I remember reading somewhere that it should be one wavelength of the lowest band, in this case, two meters. Thoughts? Thanks Paulo, CT2IWW

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Sat APP
by JHBRTOO＠aol.com 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Someone suggested I share- SOOOOO----- http://LU7ABF.com.ar/pass.htm Works on my Windows7 and more importantly on my Kindle (when I get it back up or replace it)

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