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

Actívate EK27
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 05 Apr '17

05 Apr '17

Hi guys. Tomorrow I will activate EK27 back home, if someone needs another grid like EK37 I can activate in my step, they can write to my email. There is no work plan for EK27 en route I will be able to notify Twitter when possible .. -- Saludos David Maciel XE3DX Enviado desde mi IPHONE

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RESOLVED: Help needed with UISS and APRS
by Mark Lunday 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Got the CAT working on AGWPE, and I am able to send packets. 1. Packet Engine has two radioports and uses RTS for first and DTR for second radioport. Check which goes where and will work. 2. Go to AGWPE Edit Radio Port, click on TNC COMMANDS tab, pick "LET ME CONTROL" and adjust TX DELAY to 50 and TX TAIL to 25 Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972

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K6G in DM02
by Mike Diehl 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Grid chasers, It is a pleasure to announce a real activation of the much sought after Delta Mike Zero Two. There seems to have been only two passes worked from here in the last 11 years, that is about to change. Activations of rare grids should be done with enough preparation to avoid missed passes. That said, I've invited two other ops to help assure our success and maximize linear transponder passes. Our special guests will be none other than Wyatt AC0RA and Gabe NJ7H. I am more than confident in their rover skill levels and ability to maintain a functional station. They have also proven to be capable of working through unforeseen equipment troubles. Typical precautions apply. If you have linear capabilities please work us on the transponders. Our FM only friends deserve a chance at scoring a rare grid and tying up the bird helps nobody. On linear please be cognizant of your power level. I know at least two of us will be using our regular portable stations that are 5 watts max, QRO stations on the transponder will make us difficult to hear. Also, please be aware of the footprint for other ops. Nothing good comes from a left coast station getting in the middle of us trying to work the right coast. All QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW as promptly as possible and paper will be sent to shore via torpedo. Last but not least, when is it going to happen? Due to various environmental aspects, firm departure and arrival times are not set in stone. However, we can say that it will be the weekend of April 28th. When you hear K6G you will know that 02 will be on. We will have plenty of time to work many passes and none of us are afraid to work any pass no matter how shallow it may be. I may continue normal ops leading up to departure to ensure my station performs as expected. 73 and good luck, Mike Diehl AI6GS

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Problems with my Arrow - Thank You!
by Ken Alexander 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Hi folks, The grid expedition to FO00 is over, and it was a success despite the technical problems I was experiencing. Many months ago, in my satellite infancy, I removed the stock diplexer from my Arrow antenna and replaced it with a Comet (or Diamond?) diplexer. The commercial diplexer was built in a heavy cast cabinet and used SO-239 connectors. It was big and heavy, so I took it apart and installed it in a small Hammond diecast aluminum cabinet with BNC connectors. Much smaller and lighter. I attached it to the Arrow's boom it worked like a charm up until last weekend. Late Saturday night, while struggling in the dark to connect a cable to the diplexer I noticed that one of the female BNCs on the cabinet kept spinning as I attempted to lock the cable into place. Eureka! I opened up the diplexer cabinet later that night and found that while the center conductor connection was still solid, the ground/shield connection was shaky at best. I tightened it as best as I could and the problem went away! I want to thank you all for the many helpful responses. I read all of them carefully and followed all of the suggestions, to the extent that I could...800 km from home and with only a Swiss Army knife and needlenose pliers with me. 73 and thank you again! Ken Alexander VE3HLS -------------------------------------------- On Fri, 3/31/17, Ken Alexander <k.alexander(a)rogers.com> wrote: Subject: [amsat-bb] Problems with my Arrow To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Date: Friday, March 31, 2017, 8:24 PM I just checked the SWR using my FT-817ND's built in meter. I connected directly from the 817 to the appropriate connector on the Arrow. At 435 MHz the SWR meter shows 5 bars, which doesn't sound good to me. At 145 MHz I get a very brief indication of 6(?) bars and then the the bars immediately disappear. This sounds to me like a protection circuit engaging, and subsequent presses of the mic button produces no output. It also explains why I practically never get into SO-50. The FT-817 manual is silent on the meaning of the bars on the SWR meter. Does anybody have an knowledge of the 817's SWR meter that they could pass along to me? Any assistance would be very gratefully received! Many thanks in advance, Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ 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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Last Day EK28.Available for SKED
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Hi guys, last day at EK28, I'm only going to work stations that need this grid, work for many, last few seasons. You can send me a message for SKED on my twitter or my email david.xe3dx(a)gmail.com David Maciel XE3DX *http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/ <http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/>* *david.xe3dx(a)gmail.com <david.xe3dx(a)gmail.com>*

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Trackbox - do not miss out
by Bruce 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

There is a limited supply of LVB Trackboxes on the shelf at the AMSAT online store. Hurry, Hurry, Get'em while they last. 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards AMSAT Board Member 2016-2018 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

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Using AR Preamps with Icom IC-9100 in Satellite mode
by hdskullfire2 . 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

I have two Advance Research Pre-amps on order. Both a MSP144VDG-160 & MSP432VDG-160 which are going to be installed local in the shack. The reason being is that I have 2 switchable array's. One is my M2 2M/70cm satellite array and the other is my 2M/70cm LFA array. I generally only use one array or the other. My coax runs are short and I want to keep the pre-amp inside out of the weather. Here is my question. I can either feed 12V to each preamp and have a on-off switch to manually select the one I want, or I can feed power to them via coax that the 9100 supplies by turning on the 144 and 432 pre-amp On-Off selections in the 9100 menu. I would rather go with the 9100 supplying the pre-amp relay power instead manually supplying separate power. Here is what I need to know, in single band operation I know that each pre-amp relay would activate when on a particular band either 144 or 432. But what happens in satellite mode? Are they both active at the same time? I'm concerned about relay activations. I keep hearing about sequencers, is this required? Let me know. Steve NS3L Nazareth, Pa.

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Re: [amsat-bb] Using AR Preamps with Icom IC-9100 in Satellite mode
by Andrew Glasbrenner 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Those preamps have RF switching. If they have the RF choke in them to feed DC up the coax (see last paragraph at http://www.advancedreceiver.com/page10.html), turn the preamp power on for both bands in the 9100 and forget about them. When you transmit, the corresponding preamp will bypass as designed. If they don't have the coax power option, feed 12v to the power connector and carry on. No need for sequencers. You will need to be careful of anything that introduces a short in the feedline between preamp and transceiver, like grounded coax switches. If you short the coax, the 9100 will sense an overload and shut off preamp power. I'm not sure how many times this will work, so I try to not let it happen with mine. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that they will work -much- better mounted at the antenna instead of inside, especially on UHF. Put them in a 2nd enclosure of some sort, like a plastic NEMA box, if you worry about weatherproofing. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: "hdskullfire2 ." <hdskullfire2(a)gmail.com> >Sent: Apr 4, 2017 10:22 AM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: [amsat-bb] Using AR Preamps with Icom IC-9100 in Satellite mode > >I have two Advance Research Pre-amps on order. Both a MSP144VDG-160 & >MSP432VDG-160 which are going to be installed local in the shack. The >reason being is that I have 2 switchable array's. One is my M2 2M/70cm >satellite array and the other is my 2M/70cm LFA array. I generally only use >one array or the other. > >My coax runs are short and I want to keep the pre-amp inside out of the >weather. > >Here is my question. I can either feed 12V to each preamp and have a on-off >switch to manually select the one I want, or I can feed power to them via >coax that the 9100 supplies by turning on the 144 and 432 pre-amp On-Off >selections in the 9100 menu. I would rather go with the 9100 supplying the >pre-amp relay power instead manually supplying separate power. > >Here is what I need to know, in single band operation I know that each >pre-amp relay would activate when on a particular band either 144 or 432. >But what happens in satellite mode? Are they both active at the same time? >I'm concerned about relay activations. I keep hearing about sequencers, is >this required? > >Let me know. > >Steve NS3L >Nazareth, Pa. >_______________________________________________ >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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Kanas City Tracker Data Request
by Jack Strother 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Hello all, I have recently purchased a satellite station, form a fella. The station included a pc and a Kansas City tracker. I am looking for documentation, on this board, of any and all kinds. Thanks for your help in advance, and please reply to: strotherbj(a)comcast.net<mailto:[email protected]> Best Regards !! Jack KD9ERA ________________________________________________________________________ If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliver this message to anyone. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply e-mail. Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of Ascensia Diabetes Care shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it. Neither this information block, the typed name of the sender, nor anything else in this message is intended to constitute an electronic signature unless a specific statement to the contrary is included in this message. ________________________________________________________________________

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-04-04 06:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 04 Apr '17

04 Apr '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-04-04 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Gagarin from space, Tolyatti, Russia School, direct via R4HDR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronauts are Sergey Ryzhikov Contact was successful for 2017-04-01 17:09 UTC (***) Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contract was unsuccessful: Mon 2017-04-03 08:19:38 UTC 53 deg (***) ARISS is rescheduling the contact. (***) College Roger Martin Du Gard, Bellême, France, direct via F6KCO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-04-14 15:20:44 UTC 48 deg **************************************************************************** ** 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 2017-04-04 06:00 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 1129. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1090. (***) 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 2017-04-04 06:00 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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