February 2018 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Just bit the bullet and joined AMSAT with the QRO 80 membership. Silly question...
by Nick Hart 05 Feb '18

05 Feb '18

Good afternoon! I just bit the bullet and joined AMSAT with the QRO 80 membership. I'm delighted to be able to download the Getting Started...guide. It looks like a really tremendous resource. One of the reasons I chose the membership at that level was the copy of SATPC32 that comes with it. I'm not quite clear on how the software is delivered with the membership. Can anyone tell me whether it's the downloadable version, or if I'll be receiving CD? I'm not seeing how I'm supposed to receive it. Thank you! 73! Nick KK6ZLF

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Ham Radio Deluxe Satellite app
by Michael Carper, Ph.D. 05 Feb '18

05 Feb '18

Greetings all... I'm glad to accept the invitation to participate in this email reflector. I want to say a few words about our intentions regarding the Satellite tracking app in Ham Radio Deluxe. To recap, in brief, for those who haven't followed the path of Ham Radio Deluxe... Ham Radio Deluxe was developed by Simon Brown in the early 2000's... pretty much as an experiment or hobby. By 2010, there were over 100,000 registered users using the software for free... but Simon wanted to move on to other interests. By the end of 2011, Internet posts were full of "R.I.P" postings and no real development had been done for more than a year. I was looking to move off of an old logging program (Log Windows) and Ham Radio Deluxe looked interesting, but it lacked serious capabilities that DXers need. After contacting Simon and much convincing, I talked him into selling me the source code and the rights to Ham Radio Deluxe (past, present, and future). But I'm not a developer... and I needed one. I partnered with two other people (Rick and Randy). Rick and Erik did the development through the end of 2016. And while Randy and I continued with our "day jobs", Rick was appointed "managing partner" and ran the company until 1/1/2017 when he left and Randy and I assumed full and equal control of the company. The reason I point this out is this: Since Randy and I took control of the company on 1/1/2017, we brought in a fantastic developer who whipped through 150 items in the product backlog and we had 10 releases in 2017. Much progress was made. However, this developer decided to move on to other things. At the end of last fall, we added a new developer and he's doing a fine job (though he's not a ham). To the present... It's clear that Ham Radio Deluxe has become too large for a single developer. It's not fair to expect a single developer to tend five applications. And while Rig Control, Logbook, and DM-780 account for about 80% of the requested fixes and features... it tends to "drown-out" the other applications - Satellite Tracking, Rotor Control, and Mapper. Make no mistake - I'm committed to ALL the applications in the Ham Radio Deluxe suite. In the past few weeks, I have begun on-boarding two additional developers. It's my intention to on-board one or two more over the next few weeks. My plan is to have a primary developer for each of the applications. Given that there's no better time to focus on satellite work than during a sunspot low (me included)... we will absolutely give the Satellite app the time it deserves. I'm actually feeling pretty good about the progress we made in 2017. But there's a whole lot more to do. If there's a developer among you who would like to jump in (and get paid) to work on the Satellite app... by all means, contact me directly and I'll give you the keys. I absolutely want this app to be the very best satellite app available for hams. (Significant and demonstrated experience with Visual Studio, C++, MFC is required. Able to work and make progress independently - because I've got a day-job that still requires 60 hrs a week.) But yes - I'm aware that we've got work to do here and I'm absolutely committed to getting it done. We'll be at the Orlando Hamcation this weekend... come see us if you're in the area! Mike, WA9PIE

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SatPC32 Issues
by Les Rayburn 05 Feb '18

05 Feb '18

In no way are my remarks meant to disparage Erich DK1TB for his efforts. We’re all grateful for his work, and that he donates the proceeds to AMSAT to support our hobby. And yes, I can see the advantage of tweaking the Doppler files for individual radios, and their quirks. However, it should be a simple matter to update Kep files, and add new satellites. That process should be automated, and easy to do. It’s possible to have both—and considering that we literally have rocket scientists working on this phase of the hobby, it’s almost inconceivable that we don’t have better software for this critical task. 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA. Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR2, SDRPlay RSP-2 Pro, Sony XDR-F1HD, Dennon TU-1500RD, Sangean HDT-1, Ray Dees RDS Decoders, Korner 9.2 Antenna, FM-6 Antenna, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. “Nothing but blues and Elvis, and somebody else’s favorite song…”

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Re: [amsat-bb] CP antennas VS non CP antennas
by Joe Werth 05 Feb '18

05 Feb '18

Jim, Scott, KA9P has done some linear vs circular comparisons. You might email him and get his perspective. 73, Joe KE9AJ Sent from my iPhone > On Feb 4, 2018, at 5:08 PM, jim(a)beeson.cc wrote: > > > > > > > > I have been licensed since 1966. I have fond memories of working LEO satellites like RS12/13, RS15, etc. but have not done any satellite work since the failure of AO40. The number of new LEO sats has > encouraged me to get back in the game so I pulled out some equipment & checked it out and am ready for the antenna. Sorry for being so long-winded but I thought a little history was in order so you would understand what I am about to ask. I know what circular polarization is and why it is used. > My question is, has there been any study or article or some real life actual experiences comparing CP antennas VS non CP antennas on the birds we currently have available? I have small antennas that have 70 cm & 144 Mhz in the same plane on one boom. Do you think it is necessary to go to the > time and expense to get a CP antenna (70 CM/144 Mhz) of either on the same boom or even more expense of a separate 70 CM CP antenna and a 144 Mhz CP separated on a longer boom? Thanks in advance…. > Jim > WA5QAP > _______________________________________________ > 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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SatPC32 Auxiliary Files
by Les Rayburn 05 Feb '18

05 Feb '18

Actually Paul, I have to disagree with your comments. It would be best if either SatPC32 was reprogrammed to allow for seamless and automatic updates when new satellites are launch, or if someone would write a completely new piece of software with this capability. SatPC32 may be the best available (I think it is after trying them all) but it’s hardly a user-friendly piece of software. Amateur satellite communications offers one of the most cutting edge areas of our hobby, but the premiere software package available doesn’t begin to compare to things like WSJT, CWSkimmer, or other software tools that we have available. I’d rather have AMSAT fund one less satellite and instead funnel those resources towards the development of a satellite tracking and rig control software that performs better. Maybe we should start a crowd-sourcing project. 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA. Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR2, SDRPlay RSP-2 Pro, Sony XDR-F1HD, Dennon TU-1500RD, Sangean HDT-1, Ray Dees RDS Decoders, Korner 9.2 Antenna, FM-6 Antenna, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. “Nothing but blues and Elvis, and somebody else’s favorite song…”

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Frequently Asked Questions about Satellite Tracking
by E.Mike McCardel 04 Feb '18

04 Feb '18

I thought some here would enjoy this information. This is from the SeeSat-L mailing list. It is one of those groups that has a lot in common with us. The author is Scott Tilley, Amateur visual and radio astronomer, radio amateur VE7TIL. https://skyriddles.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/frequently-asked-questions-abou… EMike McCardel, AA8EM Rotating Editor AMSAT News Service Sent from my iPhone

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L band egg beater
by Jim White 04 Feb '18

04 Feb '18

Can anyone suggest a source for an L band eggbeater antenna? I want to try one stuck on a short pole and 40W to it for the 92 uplink. I'm not having much luck finding one to purchase. Jim, WD0E

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AO-92 L Band
by Mike Seguin 04 Feb '18

04 Feb '18

I'm wondering what other ops are seeing for Doppler settings on their L-Band uplink. Here in VT - last pass - It was pretty consistently +10 kHz on my FT-736R. I plan to change SATPC32 to use 1267.360 and give that a try. I was using manual VFO mode on the rig, so I had full range tuning - not steps - and could adjust for best quieting. L band system here: FT-736R - 1.2 GHz module DL2AM 60 watt amp (power is fully adjustable) D/S 55 el 1269 loop yagi G5400 rotors -- 73, Mike, N1JEZ "A closed mouth gathers no feet"

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AO-92 L Band
by PA3GUO 04 Feb '18

04 Feb '18

19:30 UTC pass over Europe.... to say it in a positive way: Wow - impressive amount of people trying to get over the satellite at the same time ! Ollah :-( PA3GUO

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Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 Uplink Question
by Mark L. Hammond 04 Feb '18

04 Feb '18

Hi Brian, We try to get the word out, best we can. Hopefully Drew KO4MA and the Operations Team will be able to set a weekly schedule that can be followed as frequently as possible. Some exceptions will occur, but a routine schedule will help all users (and the command team). I posted an email this morning to this list right after commanding into L-band mode. The subject of my email eluded to being in L-band for 24 hours. I didn't make clear it would be back in U/v after that...but that's likely to be the default Also, The Amsat New Service had the information about the schedule, in advance. You should subscribe, if you don't already. Check our webpage on how to do that. Also, the schedule is on the webpage as well, posted in advance. So the info is there, just have to keep your eyes open and look a bit. It'll get easier as we go...and we'll continue to try to make it known. Mark N8MH At 12:42 PM 2/4/2018 -0500, Brian wrote: >I was able to hear the past 2 passes of AO-92 this morning. > >Per the the past couple of posts, it looks like AO-92 is using the 1.2 >uplink freq. > >How can I find out when it will be using the 435 uplink freq ? > >Thank you > > >Brian, KG8CO >_______________________________________________ >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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