February 2019 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Unidentified call
by johnv＠frontier.com 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

This morning I worked several calls and thank you your patience and boy was AO-91 busy with multiple calls and CW into the bandwidth. But one call comes up blank in QRZ.com. N1NIA with a grid of DM43 (AZ) but the call has not information. Does anyone know of him? John N7AME

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PACSAT/Falconsat-3 telemetry decoder
by Apostolos Kefalas 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Hello, I am trying to run the new Telemetry Decoder for Falconsat-3 on Linux, but it refuses to start when run as a normal user. Only way to start it, is as super-user (root). Has anyone else this problem? Has anyone tried to compile PacSatGround under Linux? Do you have any advice? I get more than a 100 times ".... error: package com.g0kla.telem.gui does not exist" and it stops there. 73 de SV1LJJ Apostolos

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Kicksat-2 summary update
by andy thomas 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Hi guys Here is the latest on the mother cubesat Kicksat-2 and its cargo of Sprites. All information is updated at the google group Google Groups | | | | Google Groups Google Groups allows you to create and participate in online forums and email-based groups with a rich experienc... | | | The most important information this morning is from the PI, Zac Manchester: "We've now been able to decode some telemetry data from KickSat-2 and can confirm that the CubeSat is alive and working well aside from a communication issue. It seems likely that the antenna did not deploy properly. We would appreciate IQ recordings from anyone with a large high-gain antenna as we continue trying to establish communication with the satellite (even if the signal is weak and not decodable using standard methods). I'm working on some fancy signal processing tricks to try to pull some useable data out of these very noisy packets." The KickSat-2 cubesat is transmitting telemetry data on 437.505 MHz. The telemetry packets are standard AX.25, 1200 baud FSK (not AFSK). But the signal from Kicksat-2 is very weak. Here is a snippet from Mike Rupprecht DK3WN : KickSat-2 beacons – very weak and his twitter account. | | | | | | | | | | | KickSat-2 beacons – very weak | | | When deployed, the Sprites are on/will be on 437.240 with a weird MSK modulation at 10 mw when the Sprite is in sunlight (no batteries). At the British Interplanetary Society we are trying to set up for the Sprites using receivers as specified here: zacmanchester/kicksat | | | | | | | | | | | zacmanchester/kicksat A tiny open source/open hardware spacecraft project - zacmanchester/kicksat | | | I'm sure everyoine involved in Kicksat would welcome AMSAT'ers listening out for the cubesat and the Sprites, and joining in the project at the googlegroup. 73 de andy g0sfj

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Lost recording AO-91
by Bob Keating 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

I had a great pass on AO-91 this morning (2-17-2019) at 19:06 UTC, contacting W4BCX in Florida and Patrick WD9EWK on DM12/22 in addition to a couple of other stations with my HT and Arrow II handheld antenna, only to discover that I did not get it recorded on my TASCAM recorder. I went to the SATNOGS website and found the only recording by N5CNB was very noisy. I could only make out my QSO with W4BCX and barely could hear my contact with Patrick. Does anyone have a recording of that pass or is there likely to be another upload to the SATNOGS site? I know I missed some good grid squares out there. Thanks a bunch. 73, Bob N6REK

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[Video] Satellite ground station build progress videos (video 4)
by John Brier 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

I've been doing livestreams on my YouTube channel on my efforts to build a satellite ground station. This was mentioned in ANS recently but I haven't emailed to the list about it in a while if at all. I just finished livestreaming the fourth video. Links to previous videos are at the bottom of this email. Satellite ground station build - video 4 - W4CX setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Uz5XojX6M This video includes footage of a local ham, Darrell, W4CX and his satellite ground station. I learned from him so I can build my station more easily. Other topics covered: * How an M2 employee who saw my last livestream messaged me with helpful information about the LEO Pack and the cross boom I should use. * I found pics of NS3L's sat setup on his QRZ.com profile which show he is using almost all the same equipment as me except larger antennas. This is great because I can learn from how he did his setup as well. It's very clean partly because he mounted his preamps on the crossboom instead of the mast like most people. * I talk about how I decided not to use boards mounted to the joists in the attic for tripod mounting but use two-by-fours instead (like Darrell). * Finally, there is a short mention of how I'm going to use magnets to find out where to drill the holes in the roof. Corrections: At 8:25 I say "left hand and right hand cross polarization," I meant left hand and right hand *circular polarization*. At 12:20 I say the antenna with ringed elements is the helical... well they are circular so it's not. Steve told me that is a new Directive Systems 55 element super loop for 1296 he hasn't connected feedline to yet. It wasn't in the pics on his QRZ profile but because they were similar sized loops (since it's the same band) I got a little confused. There may be other issues I'll notice when I watch this again. If you see something let me know. Subscribe for livestream notifications (click bell too) http://bit.ly/YouTubeSComms video 1 - background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hz4bWVByDw video 2 - buying stuff and more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTnsQgFMIU video 3 - surveying and more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pp5WZRNb8Y video 4 - W4CX setup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Uz5XojX6M 73, John Brier KG4AKV

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PSAT2 and BRICSAT2 status...
by Robert Bruninga 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

> I remember reading somewhere that PSAT-2 and Bricsat-2, > the replacements for PSAT and Bricsat, are going up here very soon... PSAT2 and BRICSAT2 are slated for launch this spring on SpaceX's heavy lift. After 4 years with the FCC, we finally have confirmation that the FCC submitted our Notification to the ITU. This has been a long and very frustrating experience. The FCC's insistence that our student projects also be licensed as military sateliltes has essentially blocked our two previous student Amateur packet transponder payloads from ever being activated. QIKCOM1 was launched to the ISS but after sitting in storage on ISS until a year later when the FCC finally authorized its release, the HOST that was to provide the power never activated. Then, the QIKCOM2 power cord had to be cut right before launch, because again the FCC insisted that although it was an amateur satellite, it was built by students who are actually military employees and so it had to get an NTIA license. And the small NTIA office who is busy enough with BILLION dollar Defense satellites, just simply understandably cannot be bothered with a student project. So that satellite was/is being launched as a dead brick. I have not announced PSAT2 or BRICSAT2 because I simply don't trust anything anymore. The FCC has simply made it impossible for academy students to participate in small low cost amateur satellite projects. This has occupied all my time for 4 years and it is just not worth it. I have put in my papers to retire at the end of the year. Though, I do encourage anyone building a cubesat without DoD entnglements to consider using our single board APRS transponders as an excellent comms, command/control and telemetry board. See http://aprs.org/satt4.html They are basically a Byonics TinyTrack4 board hacked for satellite use... Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2019 3:18 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] NO-84 Digipeater Online _______________________________________________

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Re: [amsat-bb] Lost recording AO-91
by Roy Dean 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

Bob, it indeed looks like there is only one SatNogs capture of the pass. --Roy K3RLD > Does anyone have a recording of that pass > or is there likely to be another upload to the SATNOGS site? I know I > missed some good grid squares out there. Thanks a bunch. 73, Bob N6REK

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NO-84 Digipeater Online
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

Robert, I remember reading somewhere that PSAT-2 and Bricsat-2, the replacements for PSAT and Bricsat, are going up here very soon possibly year. Would I be correct?

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NO-84 Digipeater Online
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

The NO-84 Digipeater on 145.825 Mhz is on as of 2019-02-16 22:14:55 UTC. Enjoy it while its on. The Digipeater will be on as the power budget permits I presume. http://www1.findu.com/cgi-bin/pcsat.cgi?absolute=1 73 Nick KE8AKW

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NO-84 Digipeater Online
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

Also forget to mention don't forget about the PSK31 Transponder also. It is always on 24/7 as it is the primary mission. It is very easily worked with just a simple 10m Dipole/Vertical and a directional 70 cm satellite antenna so mostly anyone should be able to work it. It downlinks on 435.350 FM and you uplink on 28.120 USB PSK31. You then use a program like FLdigi to decode the downlink as FLdigi has the ability to decode multiple PSK31 signals. Most importantly you must download a program called DopplerPSK as this is what you will be transmitting with. It automatically corrects the doppler on your uplink signal so others are able to decode your signal, otherwise it will just be a giant slant across the waterfall unable to be decoded. Currently there is only a small hand full of people working it. I would like to see more activity on it as it is good fun to work! 73 Nick KE8AKW

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