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Board vote results
by Dave Guimont 16 Sep '06

16 Sep '06

Thank you, Martha, for posting the results of this years election... Our membership totals when I first joined AMSAT years ago were published, and I hope I made a miniscule contribution to its growth at that time... Membership totals were proudly published, and for the life of me I cannot locate any now. Can anyone reading this missile point to them?? 73, Dave wb6llo(a)amsat.org Disagree: I learn.... Pulling for P3E... -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.4/449 - Release Date: 9/15/2006

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S Band UP
by sco＠sco-inc.com 16 Sep '06

16 Sep '06

I now have 2m, 70cm and 2.4ghz antennas for satellites. The radio is a Ft-847 with receive SSB preamps on V and U bands. I have a BBQ dish with a SSB 2.4 ghz downconverter. That will work fine with P3E (it did with AO-40). Could I still use the same dish for S Band uplink on Eagle? I would need some form of a upconverter (from 70cm to 2.4 ghz) plus a amp, to make that work? If I am using the S band for the uplink which band am I using for the downlink? 2m or 70cm? Les W4SCO

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AO-40 RIP
by w7lrd＠comcast.net 16 Sep '06

16 Sep '06

Greetings It was sad today to see AMSAT has dropped the weekly KEPS update for AO-40 (sk). Still wishing for an AO-7 situation. 73 Bob W7LRD Seattle

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[Fwd: ELMER NEEDED for LEO Telemetry]
by N6FO - Jim Cottle 16 Sep '06

16 Sep '06

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: ELMER NEEDED for LEO Telemetry Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:10:01 -0700 From: N6FO - Jim Cottle <n6fo(a)earthlink.net> To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Hi There, I would appreciate direct contact with someone here for extended questions regarding using WISP, etc for the TLM in the LEOs. I have no problem tracking GO-32 and AO-51, getting a good solid DCD during the pass but, try as I might, I cannot seem to get WISP to work. I get far more (albiet unrecognizable ASCII) when I simply connect to my TNC with hyperterminal. When I use WISP, I get nothing but files stuffed in the satellite directory. Anyone who wouldn't mind helping me with some stupid questions and linking up with me directly would be greatly appreciated. I am needless to say, not a fan of LEOs so far and would just like to use the digital capabilities at 9600 and 36K. My station is well equipped, but I have all of the tools and none of the talent. I am a fast learner, and have requested Martha send me a copy of the AMSAT guide (should be here any day now). I am tired of simply seeing my array track a 10 or 15 minute pass with nothing intelligible to show for it. I would like to read some telemetry? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!! I will return the favor once I am tutored. Jim, PhD N6FO San Francisco

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ELMER NEEDED for LEO Telemetry
by N6FO - Jim Cottle 16 Sep '06

16 Sep '06

Hi There, I would appreciate direct contact with someone here for extended questions regarding using WISP, etc for the TLM in the LEOs. I have no problem tracking GO-32 and AO-51, getting a good solid DCD during the pass but, try as I might, I cannot seem to get WISP to work. I get far more (albiet unrecognizable ASCII) when I simply connect to my TNC with hyperterminal. When I use WISP, I get nothing but files stuffed in the satellite directory. Anyone who wouldn't mind helping me with some stupid questions and linking up with me directly would be greatly appreciated. I am needless to say, not a fan of LEOs so far and would just like to use the digital capabilities at 9600 and 36K. My station is well equipped, but I have all of the tools and none of the talent. I am a fast learner, and have requested Martha send me a copy of the AMSAT guide (should be here any day now). I am tired of simply seeing my array track a 10 or 15 minute pass with nothing intelligible to show for it. I would like to read some telemetry? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!! I will return the favor once I am tutored. Jim, PhD N6FO San Francisco

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Re: The Mode B tradition
by John Champa 16 Sep '06

16 Sep '06

What is the matter with everyone? If the guy next door is running WiFi on Channel 1, it is a very simple matter to ask him to switch to another channel, isn't it? It's just a simple software toggle. Any channel above 3 should be OK, and above 7 is out of the band! Laptops auto associate and find the channel, so only the channel in the AP needs changing. We're only talking about 100 mW sources (maximum!) here folks. Break out your wireless laptop, load up NetStumbler (free software) and go visit a couple neighbors. It's rather like solving a TVI problem in reverse, that's all. You can handle it! (HI) >From: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> >To: "John B. Stephensen" <kd6ozh(a)comcast.net>, "george abbott" ><ka1ajf(a)cox.net>, "'Bill Ress'" <bill(a)hsmicrowave.com>, "G0MRF David >Bowman" <g0mrf(a)aol.com>, <brobertson(a)mta.ca>, "AMSAT-BB" ><amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: The Mode B tradition >Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:20:41 +0200 > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "John B. Stephensen" <kd6ozh(a)comcast.net> >To: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it>; "george abbott" <ka1ajf(a)cox.net>; >"'Bill Ress'" <bill(a)hsmicrowave.com>; "G0MRF David Bowman" <g0mrf(a)aol.com>; ><brobertson(a)mta.ca>; "AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 3:51 AM >Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: The Mode B tradition > > > The European contacts are similar to my experience in the U.S. Are you > > certain that the contacts outside Europe weren't cross-band -- one end >UV > > and the other US or LS? These would also have been completed on UV. > > >Hi John KD6OZH > >The US mode of OSCAR-13 was available only for short periods of time at >low squint angle while all the other modes where OFF >In addition there was not S downlink with L uplink on OSCAR-13 > >Uplink 435.603 to 435.639 MHz >Downlink 2400.711 to 2400.747 MHz >G.Beacon 2400.664 MHz was ON > > > My biggest concern about the S downlink is that it is becoming >increasingly > > harder to use in many parts of the world so that it becomes less and >less > > useful over the life of the Eagle satellites (2010-2030). > >Only God know 20 to 25 years from now......... I am 74 years old ! > >When AO-13 was >in > > orbit I could use the S downlink all the time, but by the time AO-40 was >in > > orbit, I had S9 WiFi interference for hours at a time -- even with >3-foot > > dish and feed. The dish was fairly deep (0.33 f/d) and the feed shielded >so > > sidelobes were low. > >I also experienced an increase of noise floor beginning from OSCAR-13 >and going to AO40 but here for the moment the S-band is still viable but >this is like to randomly fire a shot to my head with a revolver with only >one shot i.e. just in case a WiFi channel 1 will operate from the next door >no way ! > > > > Some in the U.K. say that we'd be better off flyng an S2 downlink > > (3400-3410MHz). > > >The downlink of EAGLE in the S2 would be a great choise if we >Europeans in Region-1 could get ITU to allow operation in S2 but who >know if receiving only in a well protected and scarcely used band not >allowed to us or to unlicenced services should be good even without a >rules changes ? ? > >Unfortunately for the moment I don't own a 3400-3410 MHz converter >with a feed for my dish to scan the band but just for curiosity I will try >using my spectrum analyser. > > > 73, > > > > John > > KD6OZH > > >73" de > >i8CVS Domenico > > > > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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A emergency use for Eagle's digital side
by Bruce Robertson 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

> > P.S. As the power lines are the first to go down in a natural disaster > is it not logiic to believe > that all the S band interference will be down as well? Considerring the > AMSAT-NA vissonnaires why > they not put this in their calculus? thay have already all the ready to > go installations for AO-40 > up and running! Is it not what we are looking for in case of an > emergency "easy ready to use > stuff"? Luc: I hear what you're saying, but the case could be put the other way. I've learned a great deal on this list by discussing these things with you and others; I hope you won't mind if I present an opposing view below. Although the vision statement and User Classes don't specify this idea, I think we have to imagine that one important use of Eagle's high bandwidth data channel during a crisis would be to provide an Internet link to emergency service providers. I've outlined this in a previous letter to this list, but I can't find it on the web, so I'll describe it again. I believe that the best thing you can do for emergency services is to allow them to use the communication tools with which they are most familiar: email, chat, even web forms and the like. Yes, people are trained in other means, but in our day-to-day interactions, TCP/IP rules. Putting this in Luc's terms above, the 'easy to use stuff' should be easy for the emergency folks, first and foremost; and today, easy means Internet. If that's the case, Eagle's data link could provide a pool of Internet connectivity within a striken area, allowing workers to do their thing as naturally as possible. I believe 256 kbps was the max mentioned in the recent article. A ground station with a sufficient Internet connection (perhaps one associated with an educational institution), would provide one end of the connection with a solid link to Eagle. The small dish station envisaged by the Design team, connected to a wireless laptop would provide the other end. Indeed, using a Knoppix-like boot disk, any laptop with remotely appropriate hardware could do the job. This laptop's wireless would act as a managed mode 802.11 hub. Then, our emergency workers just boot up their hardware, and they're there: emailing, using online chat, uploading photos and videos, whatever. 256 kbps could be split pretty far. Note, however, that with this use, the station is right in the middle of the 802.11 activity. If it were unable to hear well under such circumstances, this use would not be possible. (QRM'ing the emergency 802.11 traffic isn't a problem: the link laptop would be configured to make its connections on an unaffected 802.11b/g channel.) The world and the ham community has the right to ask us to justify our dedicated bandwidth. I think the picture above has the virtues of being both compelling and honest: I think Eagle could not only give us all a great deal of fun, but also improve some peoples' lives in hard times. For this reason, I think we should lash up an Internet link of this sort as soon as the digital side starts to come together, put it at either end of the Dayton Hamvention, show it off at other events, play with it across town as part of the QRO 802.11 links that hams are already exploring. Our message should be this: "Eagle's mode UV will be cleaner and more fun than any P3 bird; and Eagle's emergency capabilities will be out of this world." In saying this, I do not mean to reject the well-thought out caveats and concerns expressed on this list, but I do want to register my enthusiasm for the digital vision of the Eagle series, especially as tweaked above. Respectfully, 73, Bruce VE9QRP

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Preamp protection
by Angel Peláez, EA4DUT 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

Hi everybody: I'm looking for the schematic diagram of a preamp protector against TX. I know the impressive quarter wave design with square brass stock and clamping diodes for 432 EME which Domenico, I8CVS, described I don't remember where. Rather I'm looking for something much compact as I would like to use from VHF to above. I mean one of these small boxes (RF diode clippers???) I see sometimes on commercial pages which promises withstand 25W for a short period I'll appreciate any comment about the issue. Thanks in advance. EA4DUT, Angel IN80FF ______________________________________________ LLama Gratis a cualquier PC del Mundo. Llamadas a fijos y móviles desde 1 céntimo por minuto. http://es.voice.yahoo.com

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C Band Downconverter
by sco＠sco-inc.com 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

I have a SSB downconverter for S band. Does anyone know if there are any downconverters for 5830-5850 ghz for downlink via Eagle C band? Looks like i would want a 70cm IF in that? Les W4SCO

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Re: The Mode B tradition, was Re: The Eagle has died.
by G0MRF＠aol.com 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

In a message dated 14/09/2006 15:56:15 GMT Standard Time, broberts(a)mta.ca writes: > 73" de > > i8CVS Domenico Happily, two of the three birds you mention above, AO-7 and VO-52, are in exactly the mode that analog Eagle users will be using, U/V. As I understand it, the plan is to have this link working 24/7. (Yes it will primarily use a software-driven transponder, but that will be transparent to the analog user.) In this regard, I can't see how the design team can be accused of unnecessarily innovating. 73, Bruce VE9QRP Hello Bruce / Dom. I agree, the UV on Eagle will be apparently analog (ue) to the casual user. But be aware Bruce that it's not "primarily" a software driven transponder. It is in fact TOTALLY software driven. There is no linear IF, just DSP in the core. Or from another viewpoint 100,000 single point failures just waiting to happen. 73 David G0MRF

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