May 2020 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

AISat1?
by Steve Kristoff 05 Jun '21

05 Jun '21

What happened to AISat? We have no more functioning APRS satellites? Steve AI9IN

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cube sat model
by Bob- W7LRD 07 May '21

07 May '21

Hi All-Is there a cube sat model, mock up etc, available anywhere 73 Bob W7LRD

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Re: [amsat-bb] ERC-m g5500 pcsat32
by Pete (vk2pet) 20 Jul '20

20 Jul '20

Hi everyone, Does anyone have the setup details for PCSAT32, integrating with USB ERC-M with G 5500 rotator? I'm after a step by step setup instructions for it please. Running an IC9100 via usb. 73 Pete vk2pet

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AMSAT: RFI from LED bulbs?
by Robert Bruninga 19 Jul '20

19 Jul '20

I am hearing reports of RFI from these LED bulbs. Not just HF, but also VHF. If you can make any quantitative assessments of such RFI, please let me know. And the amazing thing is that at VHF you will never notice it because RFI is noise power and it is noise power that keeps a squelch CLOSED. Manuallly open the squelch and sometimes RFI will show full scale on the S meter yet not open the squelch. And on my radios, when the squelch is closed, the S meter is inactive and shows 0. Bob Bruninga, WB4APR

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Satellites with 2.4GHZ
by Pete vk2pet 23 Jun '20

23 Jun '20

Good morning everyone, Does anyone know of known good satellites with either telemetry or beacon between 2.400GHZ & 2450GHZ? Been looking on Satnogs without luck yet. 73's Pete VK2PET

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Hack-a-Sat Call for Participation
by Michelle Thompson 02 Jun '20

02 Jun '20

Greetings all! I've put out the call for participation for the Hack-a-Sat competition in the past, and would like to bring you all up to date on the developments and opportunities that have developed since. The website is here: https://www.hackasat.com/ Hack-a-Sat is an activity that was scheduled to happen at the in-person DEFCON event. As of today, yes, it's true. DEFCON has been cancelled. Those of you that have volunteered at Ham Radio Village in the past are familiar with the event. For those of you that are not, it's a long-running hacking and cybersecurity event that has enthusiastically adopted everything RF and amateur radio. The United States Air Force, in conjunction with the Defense Digital Service, organized this year’s Space Security Challenge, called Hack-A-Sat. This challenge asks hackers from around the world to focus their skills and creativity on solving cybersecurity challenges on space systems. This competition is going to be held! It's now a virtual event. Security in the amateur radio sense of the word is fundamentally different from commercial and military applications. We have an advantage here, mainly due to the enormous leverage we have due to our context being completely different from what the Air Force and commercial interests assume. This is, essentially, a diversity advantage. If you want to participate on an experienced Capture The Flag (CTF) team, then I am here to extend an invitation. Anyone that reads through the rules and can afford to spend some time during the event is invited to apply to join Vaporsec. This is a team that has a majority of information security professionals. There are some satellite industry people, some amateur involvement, and I'd like to make sure that anyone interested in competing from AMSAT-BB gets a chance to join a competitive team. The benefits to amateur radio are primarily technical, with policy and security a close second. The Air Force has some agendas here in terms of improving satellite security. Exposure to the challenges alone is a an excellent opportunity to learn more about modern satellite technology... and what a significant player in space wants to find out more about. Don't assume that that the challenges in the competition are going to be "too hard". What is trivial for one viewpoint is unsolvable for another. I'll be writing about the event and what we learned when it is over, so this sort of knowledge will not be secret. However, there is no replacement for participation, and you could very well have the practical knowledge, gained from operating real satellites, that wins the competition. As you can see from the website, there is some real money involved and opportunities for technical writing. Let me know at w5nyv(a)arrl.net if you would like to talk more about joining a CTF team for this really neat and unique event. Know someone that you think should participate? Please forward to them. -Michelle W5NYV

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2019 Back Issues of The AMSAT Journal on launch.amsat.org
by Robert Bankston 01 Jun '20

01 Jun '20

AMSAT's new online member portal, launch.amsat.org, is up and running. All AMSAT members must log in and update their contact information to ensure continued, uniterrupted service. Full instructions for getting logged in are in the March/April issue of The AMSAT Journal, available for free download on amsat.org and launch.amsat.org. There is also separate instructions on each site. Those interested in joining AMSAT can create an account, using the Join link on launch.amsat.org IMPORTANT UPDATE: AMSAT's Member Portal not only puts you in charge of your member account but gives you exclusive access to member-only content. Want to read back issues of The AMSAT Journal, in full color? We just posted all 2019 issues, plus the first two issues of 2020. We will continue to work on uploading prior years, so check back often. Log in today! Robert, KE4AL AMSAT Member Services Because YOU deserve the best!

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G5500 control box issue
by David Worboys 01 Jun '20

01 Jun '20

Good morning, Although I will be talking to Yaesu tomorrow, I wondered if anyone had experienced this (and possibly now has a reason/solution to the problem) I have a brand new G5500 and most of yesterday was spent putting up the mast, rotators and antennas etc. The control box worked perfectly for a while but then decided to not indicate where the antennas are pointing to AT ALL! The rotators are working perfectly but the needles are stuck at zero. The only action they have seen is in the set up and calibration process, there is not even a radio attached to the system at this point - I didn't get that far before the box stopped working. As I said, I will of course be getting this resolved as quickly as possible with Yaesu and the place I ordered it from but I would be interested if anyone had had the same thing happen. Many thanks David KG4ZLB

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Best trx for SATs
by ec3dr＠yahoo.es 01 Jun '20

01 Jun '20

Hello everyone Probably asked this question several times, but I am thinking of improving the equipment for satellites, I currently use an IC910 but I was not convinced by its handling, ago I used an IC820 and I was happier than with the IC910. I am considering change with a TS2000 or looking for the old TS711 & 811, I discard the new 7600 for their high cost ... Which one can work better in terms of benefits? Thanks!!! 73 de EC3DR

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SHF-Elektronik Mini-70 problem
by Hans BX2ABT 31 May '20

31 May '20

My SHF-Elektronik Mini-70 is not switching on with 12 Volts applied. Took it apart, but can't see anything wrong. Before I dive into my pile of documentation to find the schematics (if I still have it), has anyone had a similar problem and how did you resolve it. Cheers, Hans BX2ABT.com

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