- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Help on ISS Packet Needed
by Richard Lawn 28 Feb '15

28 Feb '15

Years ago I used to understand packet and actually used to work the store and forward orbiting BBS satellites we had access to. Things have changed radically in my station setup and I'm baffled as to how to get things to work together. I'm sure I could re-learn this if I knew what to read that would walk me through things and refresh my memory. Here is my software/hardware setup: Flex5000A V/U I use virtual serial and audio ports and the computer's sound card. I have installed: UISS, AGWPE, Packet Engine Pro, UZ7HO Term and SoundModem Using AGWPE and UISS I am receiving packet station son 144.390 no problem. Past that I'm stumped on how to get the transmit side going and what protocols are used for connecting to anything let along ISS. Any help would be appreciated and for that matter just point me to something I can read and come away understanding this. It's days like this that I long for hardware TNC's and radios with knobs! :) Although I'd still probably have trouble as I was a lot younger when I got all this to work years ago. 73 Rick, W2JAZ

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I give up
by Kevin Schuchmann 28 Feb '15

28 Feb '15

When I was on sbcglobal.net I had bounces all the time and got dropped, all the blame was placed on sbcgobal. So now I'm on comcast.net and... Your membership in the mailing list AMSAT-BB has been disabled due to excessive bounces The last bounce received from you was dated 27-Feb-2015. Ya I know it's not amsats problem it's all my isp fault. So I'm dropping off, good thing is if people keep leaving or keep getting dropped off by the mailer then one day amsat can look forward to zero bounces... 73 Kevin wa6fwf

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Thank You!
by Doug - k4gkj 28 Feb '15

28 Feb '15

Just wanting to give a big 'Thank You' to this group.... I was approached by a local elementary school to host an ARISS Contact about 16 months ago. For more than a year I have been pestering many of you (mostly off the reflector) for information to get a good grip on this facet of the hobby. Yesterday I (with the assistance of a few from my radio club) conducted a great contact. As grateful as I am to the folks in the club for helping with the contact, many of you here deserve just as much recognition. Thank You! ..... Many of you dealt with '20 questions' about the smallest of details sometimes, and those little things made for a great one. As a result I have a grandson that's 'on top of the world' and several club members with permanent smiles..... And a very happy school full of kids & staff. Thank You! Doug K4GKJ Doug Bennight 850-528-5772 850-926-2052

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K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03
by John Papay 28 Feb '15

28 Feb '15

The Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club is operating from Santa Catalina Island, DM03rk through Sunday. They have been worked on SO-50 but have about a 10-12 degree horizon. DM03 is not on that often although some of it is on the mainland. Callsign is the club call, K6PV/p. 73, John K8YSE

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Re: [amsat-bb] Help on ISS Packet Needed
by Clint Bradford 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

Here is a great start ... http://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-work-the-iss-on-aprs-packet-radio/ Clint K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03
by Andrew Glasbrenner 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

For those of us trying to work all the grids in the lower 48 (similar to the Fred Fish award on 6m) it's one of the more difficult. ND9M/MM worked from there when his ship passed through, and that's the only operation I know of in recent times. The other tough ones have had some activity, like EL84 (K4T expedition) and EL58 (UT1FG/MM), but I think DM02 is the toughest. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Jim Jerzycke <kq6ea(a)verizon.net> >Sent: Feb 27, 2015 3:47 PM >To: Andrew Glasbrenner <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com>, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03 > >Hah! > >Had to look that one up, Drew. > >I've cruised past it many times on the Sea Launch Commander when I >worked for Sea Launch. > >Jim > > > >On 02/27/2015 08:34 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner wrote: >> >> Figure out a way to operate from DM02 and you'd be a hero! >> >> 73, Drew KO4MA >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Jim Jerzycke <kq6ea(a)verizon.net> >>> Sent: Feb 27, 2015 3:17 PM >>> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >>> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03 >>> >>> Is DM03 really that "rare"? >>> >>> If it is, I'll get on the birds more often. >>> >>> Jim KQ6EA >>> >>> >>> On 02/27/2015 07:50 PM, John Papay wrote: >>>> The Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club is operating >>>> from Santa Catalina Island, DM03rk through Sunday. >>>> They have been worked on SO-50 but have about a 10-12 >>>> degree horizon. DM03 is not on that often although >>>> some of it is on the mainland. Callsign is the club >>>> call, K6PV/p. >>>> 73, >>>> John K8YSE >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >

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Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03
by AJ9N＠aol.com 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

The nearest land in DM02 is a navy base on San Clemente Island. Apparently there are times where one can be in the waters around the island but you need to check the training and bombing schedule for the exact locations where you can go. https://www.scisland.org/index.php 73, Charlie AJ9N Huntington Beach, CA DM03xr In a message dated 2/27/2015 12:40:13 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com writes: Figure out a way to operate from DM02 and you'd be a hero! 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Jim Jerzycke <kq6ea(a)verizon.net> >Sent: Feb 27, 2015 3:17 PM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03 > >Is DM03 really that "rare"? > >If it is, I'll get on the birds more often. > >Jim KQ6EA > > >On 02/27/2015 07:50 PM, John Papay wrote: >> The Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club is operating >> from Santa Catalina Island, DM03rk through Sunday. >> They have been worked on SO-50 but have about a 10-12 >> degree horizon. DM03 is not on that often although >> some of it is on the mainland. Callsign is the club >> call, K6PV/p. >> 73, >> John K8YSE >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> > >_______________________________________________ >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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03
by Andrew Glasbrenner 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

Figure out a way to operate from DM02 and you'd be a hero! 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Jim Jerzycke <kq6ea(a)verizon.net> >Sent: Feb 27, 2015 3:17 PM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] K6PV/p Santa Catalina Is. DM03 > >Is DM03 really that "rare"? > >If it is, I'll get on the birds more often. > >Jim KQ6EA > > >On 02/27/2015 07:50 PM, John Papay wrote: >> The Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club is operating >> from Santa Catalina Island, DM03rk through Sunday. >> They have been worked on SO-50 but have about a 10-12 >> degree horizon. DM03 is not on that often although >> some of it is on the mainland. Callsign is the club >> call, K6PV/p. >> 73, >> John K8YSE >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> > >_______________________________________________ >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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Leonard Nimoy, RIP
by Alan 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

Just announced that Leonard Nimoy has passed away at age 83. http://preview.tinyurl.com/qjarnyc Not strictly satellite material, but I doubt if there are many here who were not influenced to some degree by Star Trek and his iconic Mr. Spock. 73s, Alan WA4SCA ----------------------------------- Live Long and Prosper

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OT: Leonard Nimoy, RIP
by B J 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/02/27/leonard-nimoy-passes-83/ Farewell, Mr. Spock, and we thank you.

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PI4DHV JO22
by John Papay 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

I received the following from Henk, ON4AUC: The following 2 weeks I will be QRV again from PI4DHV Will spend some more time on AO7 now Activity will be after work from 1600z on Skeds are always possible between 0000z and 0400z From monday up to friday If anyone still needs Jo22JW ON4AUC Henk All the best Henk is a new satellite operator and has been very successful in making contacts with North America. The club station at PI4DHV has good satellite equipment for making DX contacts. You can contact Henk via email at his email address on qrz.com. Good Luck. 73, John K8YSE

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Re: [amsat-bb] Test
by Skyler F 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

Thanks,73 Skyler On Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 8:41 PM, Dino Papas <kl0s(a)cox.net> wrote: > Looks like it’s working FB. > > 73 - Dino KL0S > > On Feb262015, at 2233 PM, Skyler F <electricity440(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > I signed up for the email list and it is RXing messages I just don't know > > if my messages are getting out. Reply if you get this > > > > 73 > > Skyler KDØWHB > > > > -- > > Skyler Fennell > > amsatnet.info > > KDØWHB > > electricity440(a)gmail.com > > _______________________________________________ > > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > -- Skyler Fennell amsatnet.info KDØWHB electricity440(a)gmail.com

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Test
by Skyler F 27 Feb '15

27 Feb '15

I signed up for the email list and it is RXing messages I just don't know if my messages are getting out. Reply if you get this 73 Skyler KDØWHB -- Skyler Fennell amsatnet.info KDØWHB electricity440(a)gmail.com

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Mi6 calling on FO29
by Pete H 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

Would the Mi6 station calling CQ on FO29 this evening (approx 17.50 UTC) please contact me by email. Thanks 73 Pete Mi0VAX

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K1N satellite picture
by Andrew Glasbrenner 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

There is a new picture of the satellite ops at http://69.89.25.185/~trexsoft/t-rexsoftware.com/k1n/photos-qrv.htm 73, Drew KO4MA

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KV4NF Satellite Demo for Boy Scout group on February 28.
by William Skriba 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

Bob Desgrange KV4NF will be putting on a satellite demonstration for a group of Boy Scouts in Melbourne, FL (EL98) on Sat. 2/28. Bob plans on working the 1630z pass of SO-50, and welcomes contacts with other hams on that pass.

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Re: [amsat-bb] Software order question
by Jacob Tennant 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

I am glad I took your guys advice as Martha was a joy to chat with that I almost forgot to ask about my software code. Jacob Tennant WF8S On Feb 24, 2015 4:27 PM, "John Becker" <w0jab(a)big-river.net> wrote: > I ordered my copy from AMSAT and it came with the code. > but that has been 20 years ago. > > John > > > On 2/24/2015 2:24 PM, Jacob Tennant wrote: > >> Please do not take this as a complaint of the AMSAT staff in any way! >> >> I ordered my registration for the download copy of SatPC32 yesterday and >> was just wondering what is the usual turn around time to receiving the >> registration code? >> >> I understand that software creator is in Germany and there is about a 7 to >> 9 hours time difference as I was stationed in Germany with the USArmy. >> >> I am not complaining, just wondering... >> >> Jacob Tennant WF8S >> _______________________________________________ >> 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >> >

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Software order question
by Jacob Tennant 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Please do not take this as a complaint of the AMSAT staff in any way! I ordered my registration for the download copy of SatPC32 yesterday and was just wondering what is the usual turn around time to receiving the registration code? I understand that software creator is in Germany and there is about a 7 to 9 hours time difference as I was stationed in Germany with the USArmy. I am not complaining, just wondering... Jacob Tennant WF8S

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ISS SSTV in a Brazilian School
by M5AKA 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

ISS SSTV in a Brazilian Schoolhttp://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/24/iss-sstv-in-a-brazilian-school/ Sarah Brightman to hold London press conference March 10 about her space mission planned for September 1 https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk/posts/844325928943791 Space Station SSTV and Packet Radio via SUWS WebSDR http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/24/iss-sstv-and-packet-websdr/ IARU-R1 VHF-UHF-uW Newsletter Releasedhttp://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/22/iaru-r1-vhf-newsletter/ Amateur Satellite Tutorial Videoshttp://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/22/amateur-satellite-tutorial-videos/ SatNOGS give $196,418 prize money to Libre Space Foundationhttp://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/19/satnogs-prize-money-lsf/ TV Advert Features Ham Radio and ISShttp://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/16/advert-ham-radio-iss/ Women, STEM and Amateur Radiohttp://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/15/women-and-ham-radio/ ----Trevor M5AKAAMSAT-UKWebsite http://amsat-uk.org/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amsatukTwitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK----

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ISS SSTV PIX
by ingejack＠cox.net 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

ISS still transmitting SSTV pix as of the last pass at 1836 UTC time Great quality JACK/KC7MG

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ISS SSTV @ 17:01 Utc 24Feb
by KO6TZ BOB 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

!00% copy of picture 1/12. SSTV is still operational at 17:01 UTC 24 Feb 15 KO6TZ BOB

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ISS packet
by Steve Kristoff 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

OK. Is there actually any way for an old man who only sort of knows computers to actually do packet on the ISS? I have tried MixW, UISS, AGWPE, UZ7?? soundmodem, and they all have me baffled. I have MixW set up to do PSK31 and MMSSTV does a good job on the SSTV from ISS, so I'm not completely computer ignorant. Is there a user friendly packet program, that only requires one download and has an easy set-up? Steve AI9IN

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Fwd: new live weekly ham radio webcast
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Tom" <wa5kub(a)gmail.com> To: "Tom" <wa5kub(a)gmail.com> Sent: Monday, February 23, 2015 4:11:00 PM Subject: new live weekly ham radio webcast We would love to have you on our new weekly amateur radio show. Live webcast of Amateur Radio Roundtable on w5kub.com every Tuesday night at 8:00 PM central. (0200 UTC Wednesdays) This show covers many aspects of ham radio and we have special guests attend. We are also looking for some hams locally that would like to be on the webcast and do a show and tell. During the last half of the show, we will provide a link that the viewers can click on and actually be on the webcast if they have a camera. We call that part the roundtable and it is very informal. Drop in to say hello or stay awhile and talk to the others that are attending via remote. Again, the time is every Tues at 8:00 PM central on W5KUB.COM <http://w5kub.com/> they dont have to have a password to join. Just enter your calls in the user name and click join. Thanks, Tom W5KUB -- Please check out our ham radio video broadcast page at http://w5kub.com and please join our W5KUB video broadcast group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/279273778772594/ Senior Member of the I.E.E.E

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Re: [amsat-bb] Inexpensive tablet for SDR + CAT control to portable rig
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Hi Clayton,Patrick, Something that I have also been thinking about for my portable set up - I do have an "Android" tablet but was thinking along the lines of a "Windows" system so that I could also use the "Funcube" dongle. Sadly those tablets that you mention ( WINBOOK for example) are not available over here in the UK. At such a give away price that you are able to purchase them now in the USA, you can't go wrong especially with USB2, micro USB and HDMI ports. -Blue Tooth. "WOW" Good Luck. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Ps. Perhaps even use one as stand alone system like the "Tracker Board " that used to exist - and just upload "keps" direct via Wi -fi ,Blue Tooth or a USB memory stick.

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Yuma Hamfest wrapup
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Hi! Now that I've been home a day, and back to work today, I can sit down and write a little more about the two-day Yuma Hamfest that I attended with an AMSAT booth. This hamfest has become (I think) the largest in Arizona, and I heard that over 1000 hams attended. It draws hams from all over Arizona, California, Nevada, and the "snowbirds" from other parts of the US and Canada. And a few hams came up from northern Mexico to join in the fun. There was steady traffic past the AMSAT booth on both days. I had Rick K7TEJ helping me for much of the weekend, and his help was appreciated very much. He left his homebrew dual-band Yagi (2 elements on 2m, 5 on 70cm) on a telescope mount and tripod at the AMSAT booth during the two days, along with my Elk 2m/70cm log periodic. Between the two of us, we had demonstrations on two AO-73 passes, two SO-50 passes, and one pass each on 3 other satellites (AO-7, FO-29, NO-44), with a total of 34 QSOs. Lots of flyers and the Getting Started with Amateur Satellites books were flying off the table, and we had good crowds for the demonstrations outside the main building on the Yuma County Fairgrounds. I posted pictures from the hamfest over the two days on my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. You are welcome to look through my feed and see those photos and other comments at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK if you are not a Twitter user. The SO-50 passes, as expected, were the busiest of the passes worked from Yuma. Much of the time, those passes were great illustrations of what can be heard on an FM satellite. Even some of the not-so-good operating examples made for excellent teaching moments. I don't have any videos of the demonstrations this year, but have some videos of the aircraft flying into or out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, the airfield across the street from the hamfest site (the runways at that airfield are shared with Yuma International Airport, with both civilian and military aircraft coming and going throughout the day). Those videos, and others I have uploaded over the years, can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/va7ewk Thanks to everyone who worked WD9EWK during the hamfest. And a special thank-you for those who were standing by to work me, as I tried to complete QSOs with other stations that may have been closer to their LOS times than you. I have uploaded those QSOs to Logbook of the World. Please e-mail me directly (with QSO details) if you'd like to receive a WD9EWK QSL card to confirm those QSOs. You don't have to send me a card or SASE first. The hamfest was in grid DM22. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: [amsat-bb] Yuma Hamfest wrapup
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Hector, Thanks for the compliments. I can't take full credit for how well the AMSAT presence was in Yuma, with Rick K7TEJ spending a lot of the weekend helping at the booth and his demonstration of NO-44 on Saturday morning. With over 1000 attendees from all over, the AMSAT message was definitely being received out there. This is the sort of thing I enjoy doing, as part of my support for AMSAT. I'm not a "rocket scientist", so I don't help in building the satellites. I've attended an average of around 10 events a year representing AMSAT since becoming an Area Coordinator in late 2006. There are a bunch of us who are in the field representing AMSAT at all sorts of events, and (putting my Director of Field Operations cap on now) I can always use more. :-) 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ On Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 4:15 AM, Hector W5CBF/CO6CBF <kf5yxv(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Good job Patrick! I do know that it is a huge help to AMSAT and all the > satellite community. There are a lot of ham interested in the satellite > operation and some of them for any reason never have started. They just need > one more motivation and you are giving it to them.

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Inexpensive tablet for SDR + CAT control to portable rig
by Clayton Coleman 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Inspired by some Twitter traffic from WD9EWK & others discussing the success of inexpensive Windows 8.1 tablets used for SDR, I decided to purchase one last week. Now that these tablets are running full Windows and not the RT version, I felt it was time to do a little experimentation. I opted for an 8" tablet with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage at an amazing price of $79. The tablet has two USB ports and Bluetooth. HDSDR seems to be running fine on my tablet in parallel with SatPC32. At the moment I have not noticed any performance issues monitoring signals with HDSDR on the tablet paired with the FUNcube Dongle Pro+. I've installed Virtual Serial Ports so that I can allow the two applications to communicate via CAT commands. My next goal is to add a Bluetooth adapter to my Yaesu FT-817's CAT port. Through the Bluetooth adapter, the tablet will see the radio as a new serial port. I will then configure it as the second transceiver in SatPC32. This not only eliminates a cable between the radio and the tablet, it also keeps one of my USB ports available while using less battery. I've already tested SatPC32+HSDR with this combination of FT-817+FUNcube Dongle Pro+ for many months on a several "standard" PC environments with great success. The end goal will be a fully computer controlled, very portable, SDR-capable satellite station. I'm always looking for other ideas how I might improve or do things differently. Anyone else trying this configuration? 73 Clayton W5PFG

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QIKcom Satellite Modes?
by Robert Bruninga 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

APRS Satellite operators: We are delivering our next APRS satellite (QIKcom-1) next week and it will have a mission life of maybe 6 months. It is a very quick reaction short fuse opportunity so we are simply going to fly an APRS digipeater (TinyTrack4) supporting the three digipeater aliases of ARISS, APRSAT and WIDEn-N but it will operate at 4 Watts RF power and be easily heard on any HT.. It has no other CPU on board and so it flies with only the fixed settings set before launch. But we do have an A/B switch which can be used to switch between two bank settings. I just cannot think of any neat must-do ideas for how to use the other bank settings. The host spacecraft has plenty of power, so there is no need for low power options… (they can simply turn us off if needed). Telemetry is a boring Volts, current, and two internal temps. The settings in bank 0 are now: DIGIPEATER: ON ALIASES: ARISS, APRSAT, WIDEn-N BTEXT: USNA-W3ADO APRS Satellite every 2 minutes TELEMETRY: every 1 minute. I just cannot think of any use for a separate bank settings? If you have ideas of how to use the A/B settings let me know. Bob, WB4aPR

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ISS SSTV
by Steve Kristoff 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Pictures are still coming in on most recent pass at EM 79 (southeast Indiana). Steve AI9IN

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Re: [amsat-bb] Yuma Hamfest wrapup
by Richard Tejera 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Glad to have helped out, Patrick. I was a bit surprised at the interest my antenna and mount drew. Had several folks take pictures of it got lots of questions about the mount. It served well to show a simple satellite antenna can be built for less than $20.00. A lot of folks expressed interest. But said the lack of usable birds was keeping them from jumping in. This was the perfect opening to talk up the Upcoming Fox launches. Most perked up at that, so it's all good. 73 Rick K7TEJ On February 23, 2015, at 15:13, "Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" <amsat-bb(a)wd9ewk.net> wrote: Hi! Now that I've been home a day, and back to work today, I can sit down and write a little more about the two-day Yuma Hamfest that I attended with an AMSAT booth. This hamfest has become (I think) the largest in Arizona, and I heard that over 1000 hams attended. It draws hams from all over Arizona, California, Nevada, and the "snowbirds" from other parts of the US and Canada. And a few hams came up from northern Mexico to join in the fun. There was steady traffic past the AMSAT booth on both days. I had Rick K7TEJ helping me for much of the weekend, and his help was appreciated very much. He left his homebrew dual-band Yagi (2 elements on 2m, 5 on 70cm) on a telescope mount and tripod at the AMSAT booth during the two days, along with my Elk 2m/70cm log periodic. Between the two of us, we had demonstrations on two AO-73 passes, two SO-50 passes, and one pass each on 3 other satellites (AO-7, FO-29, NO-44), with a total of 34 QSOs. Lots of flyers and the Getting Started with Amateur Satellites books were flying off the table, and we had good crowds for the demonstrations outside the main building on the Yuma County Fairgrounds. I posted pictures from the hamfest over the two days on my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. You are welcome to look through my feed and see those photos and other comments at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK if you are not a Twitter user. The SO-50 passes, as expected, were the busiest of the passes worked from Yuma. Much of the time, those passes were great illustrations of what can be heard on an FM satellite. Even some of the not-so-good operating examples made for excellent teaching moments. I don't have any videos of the demonstrations this year, but have some videos of the aircraft flying into or out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, the airfield across the street from the hamfest site (the runways at that airfield are shared with Yuma International Airport, with both civilian and military aircraft coming and going throughout the day). Those videos, and others I have uploaded over the years, can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/va7ewk Thanks to everyone who worked WD9EWK during the hamfest. And a special thank-you for those who were standing by to work me, as I tried to complete QSOs with other stations that may have been closer to their LOS times than you. I have uploaded those QSOs to Logbook of the World. Please e-mail me directly (with QSO details) if you'd like to receive a WD9EWK QSL card to confirm those QSOs. You don't have to send me a card or SASE first. The hamfest was in grid DM22. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ _______________________________________________ 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: [amsat-bb] ISS packet
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

At 05:30 PM 2/23/2015 -0500, Steve Kristoff <skristof(a)etczone.com> wrote: >OK. Is there actually any way for an old man who only sort of knows >computers to actually do packet on the ISS? >I have tried MixW, UISS, AGWPE, UZ7?? soundmodem, and they all have me >baffled. > >I have MixW set up to do PSK31 and MMSSTV does a good job on the SSTV from >ISS, so I'm not completely computer ignorant. >Is there a user friendly packet program, that only requires one download >and has an easy set-up? > >Steve AI9IN Hi Steve, I use two MFJ-1278 multimode TNC's. One for the local network, and one dedicated to satellite. I use an old ms-dos terminal program called cross-talk to handle communications with the controller. This really is the simplest was to do packet, IMO. Used packet TNC's are a dime a dozen. Pick one up, it doesn't have to be a multimode. Use the sound card for the other modes, PSK, SSTV, etc. 73, KB7ADL

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Re: [amsat-bb] FUNcube/AO73 mode switch (Special)
by Andrew Glasbrenner 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

Thank you Jim! A few days ago I was able to complete a QSO with Yuri with AO-73 at just half a degree of elevation, out over the Atlantic. I'm upgrading my 2m antenna soon to circular to help alleviate some of the polarity fading, but it's hard to argue with results like that. I'm very much looking forward to using the new FunCube payloads as they become available. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Jim Heck <jimlist(a)zoho.com> >Sent: Feb 23, 2015 3:39 PM >To: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Subject: [amsat-bb] FUNcube/AO73 mode switch (Special) > >Hi Folks, > >Following a special request, I have just switched (approx 2035 UTC) >FUNcube/AO73 into full time transponder mode. This is to facilitate >qso's with Yuri UT1FG/mm currently in the Caribbean. > > Please do not reply to this email address, pls use jim(a)milnet.uk.net. Tks > >73s Jim G3WGM and the FUNcube team. > > > >_______________________________________________ >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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Portable in CM94
by Jerry Buxton 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

I'll try SO-50 from either Santa Maria or Guadalupe CA CM94 on the ~2100 UTC pass if anyone is interested. Jerry N0JY

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ISS SSTV @19:30utc
by KO6TZ BOB 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

100% copy of picture 10/12 and clear copy of 11/12 until LOS. PD-180 is worth the long send time. Quality is better than the higher quantity from Robot-36 used in the past. KO6TZ BOB

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ISS SSTV @ 1800 UTC 23-Feb
by Clayton Coleman 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

It appears the ISS transmission of SSTV has resumed. I received a near perfect copy of Image 8/12 during the ISS pass today at 1800 UTC. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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TH-F6A
by Lee Ernstrom 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

GA satellite goo-roos. Today I was scanning the HRO catalogue looking for an inexpensive solution to full duplex contacts for the linear birds and I ran across the Kenwood TH-F6A hand held 144, 222, and 450 MHZ FM with SSB option on receive only. That sounds to me like a great fairly inexpensive solution. Has anyone tried one of these yet for satellite work? And I'm wondering if there would be a de-sense problem if used on receive with a 20 watt transmitter on a different band close to it? WA7HQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Syracuse, Ut DN-31xb Sent from my iPad

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UISS and AWG Packet Engine
by Steve Kristoff 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

I am trying to setup UISS to do packet on ISS. I can get UISS to come up, but it says that AWG Packet Engine isn't running or at least UISS can't find it. I have the Packet Engine downloaded, but nothing I do seems to "activate" it to the point that UISS recognizes it. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you!! Steve AI9IN

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No joy
by Steve Kristoff 23 Feb '15

23 Feb '15

No SSTV on this pass, as best I could tell. Steve Kristoff AI9IN skristof(a)etczone.com

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ISS SSTV
by Steve Kristoff 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

Just got a nice download of picture 12/12 Series 1 from ISS. Received 22 February 2015, 1717 UTC in grid EM79. Have a 5/8 wave vertical on the roof going to an old Yaesu 2 m multi-mode. Sent it through my Signalink USB, but I suspect that wasn't necessary. Used MMSSTV. Haven't figured out how to save it as jpg or gif yet, but I have it copied on a doc file. My first SSTV from the ISS! Steve Kristoff AI9IN skristof(a)etczone.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] SSTV from the ISS - Wow ...
by Clint Bradford 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

iOS SSTV App - Black Cat Systems https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sstv/id387910013 Clint

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Re: [amsat-bb] ISS SSTV now active
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

Hi, Also received very strong and clear pictures using my Kenwood THD-7 on a pass 1416 hrs plus, at my QTH in Wales UK. This was despite very heavy rain and severe flooding in the area Ken Eaton GW1FKY

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SSTV from the ISS - Wow ...
by Clint Bradford 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

Receiving SSTV from the ISS really CAN be simple: For my first time ever, I simply fired up a $3 iOS app, and held my iPod touch near my Yaesu FT-60R's speaker, and downloaded one of the images from the ISS. I didn't think there was too much left in the hobby to excite me - but I was WRONG!!! Clint K6LCS

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K1N sat QSO info
by kb2m＠arrl.net 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

Our SJDXA club president and QSL manager for K1N sent this to me to post to the group.. 73 Jeff kb2m From: Bob Schenck N2OO [mailto:[email protected]: Saturday, February 21, 2015 7:45 PM To: kb2m(a)arrl.net Subject: revision-reworded important A special K1N Satellite QSL will be made for our satellite QSO's. To order one, go to ClubLog and process a QSL under K1N/SAT log. We are only charging $1 for these QSL's but additional contributions can be made if you wish. You will need to change the call in your log "temporarily" to K1N/SAT in order for this to work. https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/K1N/SAT Cards ordered in this way cannot be combined with your regular K1N QSL. Regular K1N QSLs (OQRS) is found at https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/K1N Or, you can send in the old fashioned way, but I suggest including a special separate card clearly marked as SATELLITE QSO (it can be in the same envelope as your regular K1N QSL) if you use the direct mail method with an SASE. Any questions? Drop me an email n2oo(a)comcast.net See ya' in the Pileups! Bob Schenck, N2OO Chief Pilot & QSL Manager, K1N - Navassa DXpedition http://www.navassadx.com <http://www.navassadx.com/>

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ISS SSTV now active
by M5AKA 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

ISS SSTV was received at 1107 UT the UK on 145.800 MHz FM. Hopefully operation will continue as previously announced until 2130 UT Monday, February 23. You can receive the pictures using just a Baofeng HT. Further info at http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/11/more-iss-slow-scan-tv/ ---- Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK Website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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ISS SSTV
by Roland Zurmely 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

Picture received in Brazil at 12:23 UTC 22 feb 2015: <http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/satelite/Hist33.jpg> 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ GH70un

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ISS SSTV active at 11:06 UTC
by Fer 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

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Re: [amsat-bb] L Band antenna recommendations?
by David G0MRF 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

Hi Joe and Jerry. Thanks, it sounds like Wimo are worth a closer look with both the Helix and SHF designs going into the satellite allocation. Is the helix reasonably robust? Unfortunately Jerry, my mechanical abilities are 'limited' but thanks for the idea and HB design that works. Joe said " Does this mean I may have a use for my L Band equipment soon?" 'Soon' is always a relative term when it comes to satellite construction and launches, but don't sell it and when it's time to dust it off, check it works on 1263.5MHz FM 73 David G0MRF -----Original Message----- From: Gary Mayfield <kk0sd(a)tnics.com> To: 'David G0MRF' <g0mrf(a)aol.com>; amsat-bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Sent: Sat, 21 Feb 2015 14:33 Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] L Band antenna recommendations? David, The WIMO Helix 23 worked great for me down into the satellite frequencies. Does this mean I may have a use for my L Band equipment soon? 73, Joe kk0sd -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David G0MRF Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2015 5:52 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] L Band antenna recommendations? Hi I'm looking for a recommendation for an L band antenna suitable as a groundstation uplink to a satellite in LEO. Does anyone have anything they could check for SWR on 1264 MHz please? Linear polarisation is fine as the receive antenna will have circular polarisation. Most of the published data I've seen assumes the user will be on 1296. Any thoughts much appreciated Many thanks David G0MRF _______________________________________________ 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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ANS-053 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-053 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * ARISS School Proposal Window for the United States is now Open * Amateur Radios on ISS to be off in support of upcoming spacewalks * SSTV Activity from the ISS is scheduled February 22-23 - Update * Astronaut Ham Renews License, Plus Four New Astronaut Hams * John Grunsfeld, KC5ZTF, named to Astronaut Hall of Fame * JPL Plans 2401 MHz Lunar Ranging Experiment March 3 * New Educational Materials Available at NASA.gov * Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-053.01 ANS-053 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 053.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 22, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-053.01 ARISS School Proposal Window for the United States is now Open February 17, 2015 - ARISS is now accepting proposals for U.S. schools wishing to schedule contacts between their students and the International Space Station for the next cycle. Details on submitting proposals can be found below in the attached ARRL News Release. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 - April 15, 2015 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, 2016 and June 30, 2016*. 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, 2015. 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 and educators 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 contact dates and times. 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. 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 www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur radios on ISS to be off in support of upcoming spacewalks Astronauts Wilmore, Virts and Cristoforetti will be performing three spacewalks over the next few weeks and will impact some of the amateur radio operations on the International Space Station (ISS). Spacewalks have been scheduled for February 21, 24 and March 1 and will have the amateur radios turned off to assure the safety of the crewmembers working outside of the ISS. The first spacewalk is now set to begin Saturday at 7:10 a.m. EST with NASA TV live coverage starting at 6 a.m. The second and third spacewalks are planned for Feb. 25 and March 1, both beginning at 7:10 a.m. The announcement can be reviewed: http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-EVA-Schedule The series of spacewalks will prepare cables and communications gear for new docking ports that will allow future crews launched from Florida on U.S. commercial spacecraft to dock to the space station. The spacewalks will be the 185th, 186th and 187th in support of space station assembly and maintenance. There is always a possibility that the schedule for the EVAs could change. The amateur radios will be turned off to accommodate any adjustments to the EVA schedule. [ANS thanks NASA, Kenneth - N5VHO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SSTV Activity from the ISS is scheduled February 22-23 - Update Continuous SSTV transmission was planned from Saturday 21 February at about 10.00 UTC till Monday 23 February 21.30 UTC. Due to onboard activities, the transmission is differed. It will *possibly* take place beginning Sunday February 22 after 10:00 UTC and end Monday February 23 at the crew's sleep time. It is expected that 12 different photos will be sent on 145.800 MHz FM, using the SSTV mode PD180, with 3 minutes off periods between transmissions. One of the photos will show the commemorative diploma created by PZK, the national Polish Amateur Radio society, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of first cosmonaut J.A.Gagarine. More about this diploma in due time. The equipment used will be the Kenwood D710 transceiver located in the Russian Service Module. The pictures to be downlinked will be Series 1 images allowing the world-wide community of hams and schools to receive previously sent pictures, but replacing one with new additional image added specially for this event. The transmit frequency will be 145.800 MHz. Received images can be uploaded to the ARISS Image gallery found at http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php The ARISS team is developing plans for transmitting new images to space enthusiasts around the world in upcoming months. *Editor's note: Adjustments to the the proposed EVAs mentioned in the previous story could have an impact on the above schedule. [ANS thanks Gaston, ON4WF, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Astronaut Ham Renews License, Plus Four New Astronaut Hams Michael Fincke, KE5AIT recently renewed his Amateur Radio license through February 18, 2025. Fincke served on Expedition 9 (April 18 to October 23, 2004), Expedition 18 (October 12, 2008 to April 8, 2009), and STS-134 (May 16 to June 1, 2011). He currently holds the American record for the most time in space, 381.6 days. Fincke's biography can be viewed at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fincke.html Four astronauts recently passed their Technician Class license exams. Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG Jack Fischer, KG5FYH David Saint-Jacques, KG5FYI Kathleen Rubins, PHD., KG5FYJ Pesquet was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. He joined ESA in September 2009 and completed basic training in November 2010. He will be leaving our planet for six months November 2016 as a flight engineer for Expeditions 50 and 51, returning in May 2017. Pesquet's biography can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Thomas-Pesquet-Bio Fischer was selected in July 2009 as a member of the 20th NASA astronaut class. He completed astronaut candidate training in July 2011. Fischer's biography can be viewed at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fischer-jack.html Saint-Jacques was selected in May 2009 by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and has moved to Houston to be one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. Saint-Jacques' biography can be viewed at: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/biosaintjacques.asp Dr. Rubins was selected in July 2009 as 1 of 14 members of NASA Astronaut Group 20. She has been selected as flight engineer-2 for ISS Expedition 48/49 launching on Soyuz TMA-20M in May 2016 Dr. Rubins' biography can be viewed at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/rubins-k.html [ANS thanks Kenneth N5VHO, NASA, ESA and CSA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- John Grunsfeld, KC5ZTF, named to Astronaut Hall of Fame Astronaut and Amateur Radio operator John Grunsfeld, KC5ZTF, will be installed into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in May of 2015, along with Rhea Seddon, Steven Lindsey, and Kent Rominger. They join the likes of previous inductees including Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong, and John Young in a ceremony on May 30 at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex (KSCVC). Each year the selection process is managed by the Foundation, and inductees are selected from a pool of nominations, with the finalists selected by a panel of Hall of Fame astronauts, NASA leaders, flight directors, historians and journalists. According to Collect Space, "To be eligible, astronauts must be U.S citizens and have made their first spaceflight at least 17 years prior to their induction year. In addition, nominees need to be a NASA-trained commander, pilot or mission specialist who orbited the Earth at least once." The 2015 inductees are the 14th class, and combined the group has flown a total of 18 shuttle missions over 26 years. With the addition of this year's inductees, the total number of astronauts admitted to the Hall of Fame will be 91. John Grunsfeld, KC5ZTF, current NASA associate administrator for science, is a veteran of five spaceflights, and logged over 58 days in space with 60 hours of EVA time spread over eight different spacewalks. First flying in 1995 as part of STS-67, a dedicated astronomy mission, Grunsfeld served as a mission specialist. Launching from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-67 was the second on three flights for the Astro 2 observatory -- an ultraviolet telescope. During this record-setting 16-day mission, the crew conducted 'round the clock observations of faint astronomical objects as well as the polarization of UV light from distant galaxies. His second flight, STS-81 was the fifth shuttle flight to dock with the Mir space station. Launching aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Grunsfeld served as a flight engineer during this ten day mission. His next three flights, STS-103, STS-109, STS-125 would be servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Over the course of these three mission, and several spacewalks, Grunsfeld helped upgrade and install new cameras, such as the wide-field camera on the telescope, ensuring it would be functional for years to come. His final flight was also the final flight to Hubble. During his last spacewalk, Grunsfeld said this about the mission, "We've been on a tremendous adventure, and been a part of a challenging mission. Hubble isn't just another satellite, it's humanity's quest for knowledge." When asked about his experience as an astronaut and what it felt like to be nominated, Grunsfeld said, "The biggest honor is to be an astronaut. It is such a tremendous privilege to be able to represent humankind in our efforts to explore space." [ANS thanks Spaceflight Insider for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JPL Plans 2401 MHz Lunar Ranging Experiment March 3 NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) will transmit a narrow band signal at about 2041 MHz illuminating a spot on the moon (probably centered on Tycho) about 1000km in diameter early in the morning of 3 March between about 0630 to 0900 UTC. JPL will be transmitting about 20kW from a 34 m aperture. They are planning to have three distinct transmission modes, two will be a CW carrier, and a third mode including a PN ranging code on the signal, probably changing every 45 minutes. The signal should be easy to detect with even a small receive antenna (at least the narrow band signal). If you have a wideband recorder, the ranging code should be easy to recover with post processing. Standard ranging code as defined in 810- 005 http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsndocs/810-005/214/214-1.pdf As with all PN ranging done by the Deep Space Network, the PN code rate is coherent to the transmit carrier, probably 1.9931640625 MHz (or half that) in this case. The current status of the NASA Deep Space Network is displayed online at: http://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html [ANS thanks Jim Lux via amateur-DSN(a)yahoogroups.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Educational Materials Available at NASA.gov Are you looking for a lesson plan that combines mathematics and space science? Do you need a set of images of objects in our solar system? Or maybe you're hunting for hands-on engineering projects to challenge your students. NASA Education has you covered! The following items are now available for downloading. NASA Education Brochure -- All Educators NASA Education has a vision to advance science, technology, engineering and mathematics education using NASA's unique capabilities. This brochure explains the four initiatives for achieving that vision. Learn how you can get involved. http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-NASA-Education-Brochure Space Math VIII Educator Guide - Grades 5-12 Students apply problem-solving, algebra, geometry or trigonometry skills to a selection of 49 real-world problems involving Earth and space science. Each word problem includes background information. One- page teachers' answer keys accompany the one-page assignments. http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Space-Math Space Math IX Educator Guide -- Grades 5-12 This collection of activities is intended for students looking for additional challenges in the mathematics and physical science curriculum. The subjects of the problems include spacecraft, rovers and meteorites. Mathematical topics include algebra, geometry and calculus. Each word problem has background information. One-page teachers' answer keys accompany the one-page assignments. http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Space-Math-IX Our Solar System Lithograph Set -- All Grade Levels This lithograph set features images of the planets, sun, asteroids, comets, meteors and meteorites, the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud, and moons of the solar system. General information, significant dates, interesting facts and brief descriptions of the images are included. http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Solar-System-Lithograph NASA's BEST Next Generation Activity Guide - Technology Demonstration Missions - Grades 5-8 This activity guide includes nine hands-on engineering projects focusing on the engineering design process and real-world science, technology and mathematics. http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Tech-Demo Year of the Solar System -- Real World Math -- Grades 6-12 This collection of activities allows students to use mathematical concepts from fractions to calculus as they learn about asteroids, comets, planets, craters, planetary rings and many more space science topics. http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Real-World-Math Looking for more? NASA's new Educational Resource Search Tool can help you find lesson plans, posters, educator guides and other materials to supplement your science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum. Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keywords. To check out the new search tool and begin your educational resource hunt, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education/materials/ [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Feb. 19, 2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! At the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium AMSAT Vice President - Engineering Jerry Buxton announced the plan for the next generation of AMSAT satellites. "The door is open for everyone, to submit their ideas. AMSAT Engineering has a long term strategy and this is the first step." The Engineering long term strategy includes the following goals * Advancement of amateur radio satellite technical and communications skills * Enhance international goodwill * Grow and sustain a skilled pool of amateur radio satellite engineers * Establish and maintain partnerships with educational institutions * Develop a means to use hardware common to all opportunities With respect to the last goal Jerry said "Within the bounds of the type of satellite it takes to achieve any of the various orbit opportunities, let's consider in those plans the possibility of developing a platform that can suit any and all orbits. Perhaps a modular CubeSat, using a common bus as we did in Fox-1, which gives great flexibility in building and flying different sizes and configurations of CubeSats with simple common-design hardware changes." Submissions should be thorough and contain the following information. The purpose of the proposal is not just in suggesting an idea; being an all-volunteer team AMSAT needs your help in carrying out the idea. Design Implementation - CubeSat platform Estimated timeline Cost - volunteer resources, commercial (COTS) units Launch - how does it get to orbit Strategy - how it fits into AMSAT's Engineering long term strategy As mentioned above the idea should be based on the CubeSat platform. This is the standard through which we will look for launches in the foreseeable future. In considering your proposal, Jerry encourages you to contact him, (n0jy(a)amsat.org using Subject: Design the Next AMSAT Satelleite), for more details on the criteria. A guidebook to the criteria is now available for download at http://tinyurl.com/ANS032-SatelliteGuide. In particular, if you plan to include a university as a partner to provide experiments or other support and you are not representing that university, please contact Jerry for assistance in working with our existing partners or establishing a new partnership. "Being amateur radio operators, it is easy for us to fall into a particular trap because of our history of communicating with other amateurs throughout the world" says Jerry. "Specifically, most people who are not already involved in the world of satellite technology are unaware of or simply overlook the provisions of the current ITAR and soon to be EAR export rules particularly with regard to deemed exports which requires governmental permission to discuss satellite projects with foreign nationals." While all amateurs are invited to submit ideas, U.S. amateurs must take particular care of they choose to become involved in a collaboration which includes individuals from other countries. It is permissible to receive ideas and proposals from outside the U.S., but it is not permitted for U.S. Persons to export or share design ideas with other countries unless they have taken the proper steps to insure compliance with ITAR and deemed export rules. Additionally, those wishing to work on proposals should use care in presenting themselves in their contacts. While the goal is for AMSAT to build and launch the satellite, it is not an AMSAT project until it is accepted by the AMSAT Board of Directors. It is acceptable to represent yourself as members of a project team that plans to submit a proposal to AMSAT for a future satellite project, as the AMSAT name is well known. "It is not our intention that ideas be submitted to AMSAT-NA which would be more appropriately handled by an AMSAT organization in a country where AMSAT is established. AMSAT-NA is seeking ideas from amateurs in North America and will certainly consider ideas from amateurs in countries which do not have an established AMSAT organization or relationships with an existing AMSAT organization." The deadline for submissions is May 30, 2015. After the submission date the ideas will be screened for completeness and then reviewed by a board consisting of the AMSAT Engineering Team, AMSAT Senior Officer and Board of Directors representatives, and aerospace industry members. The review board may modify or consolidate ideas and will consider which meet the criteria to become a project based on feasibility, cost, and the ability to bring value to the amateur satellite community. The review process is expected to be completed in September 2015. For those ideas selected to become a project which satisfy the requirements for an ELaNa launch, the idea authors will be asked to work with the AMSAT Engineering Team on an ELaNa proposal. The Engineering Team will then work on the details of execution for the selected project(s) and present a proposal to the AMSAT Board of Directors in October 2015 for final approval to begin work. Once approved, any ELaNa proposals will be submitted in November 2015 and the project(s) will move forward. Now is the time for YOU to begin working on the next AMSAT satellite! [ANS thanks AMSAT Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Scuola Secondaria di Primo Grado "Bachelet", Cernusco sul naviglio, Italy and Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2015-02- 05 10:37 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was IZ2GOJ. + A Successful contact was made between Scuola Media Locatelli- Oriani, Milano, Italy and Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2015-02-05 10:37 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was IZ2GOJ. + A Successful contact was made between W.T. Sampson (DoD school), Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF using callsign IR0ISS. The contact began 2015-02-11 15:58 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was AA4KN. + A Successful contact was made between Council Rock High School- South, Holland, PA and Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2015-02-19 18:18:27 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via K3DN. ARISS Mentor was KB9UPS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule An ARISS contact is planned with Riversink Elementary School, Crawfordville, FL. The contact will be direct via K4WAK The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF Contact is scheduled for: Wed 2015-02-25 16:09:15 UTC The contact should be audible over the eastern U.S and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Riversink Elementary School is a K-5 public school operating within the Wakulla County School District. It is a Title I school located in rural Crawfordville, Florida. Riversink first opened its doors in August of 2008. Teachers at Riversink believe that every student will reach his or her highest potential in a positive learning environment that encourages students to be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. Students at Riversink are highly successful due, in part, to the collaborative efforts of the faculty and staff, along with strong parental support. The student body is made up of 470 students. The school has 37 teachers. Riversink's mission is to facilitate the development of all students to their fullest potential by providing research-based instructional strategies and promoting a love of learning and community pride in a safe, positive environment. A team of science and technology students and their teachers from Council Rock South High School, Richboro, PA will be speaking directly with astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) as it flies over the Philadelphia area. A group of experienced operators from the Warminster Amateur Radio Club will be at the school to assist the teachers and students as they use Ham Radio technology to make the contact. The school will be using a recently donated radio system and antennas to participate in the ARISS program (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) in which students talk directly with the astronauts and ask questions about living in space while the astronauts are actually there. Science teachers Jerry Fetter and Jeff Warmkessel have been with NASA's NEAT program (Network of Educator-Astronaut Teachers) since 2004 and got the idea of applying to the ARISS program when Fetter's Astronomy classes were talking about living in space. "They kept asking questions which only astronauts would know how to answers", said Fetter. "I remember thinking how great it would be if we could just ask them directly. To be able to ask the astronauts while they fly overhead is beyond my wildest plans!" Students in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs at Council Rock South High School have spent time considering which questions are important enough to ask an astronaut in the short amount of time available (approximately 12 minutes) as the ISS's flight path crosses over the area. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Dominic (5): When you come back to Earth after being on the ISS, are you able to walk or does it take time to get used to it? 2. Kyle (4): Are there laws in space? 3. Amelia (3): Other than floating, how is living in space different than living on the earth? 4. Brooks (2): How far have you traveled around the earth? 5. Makayla (1): How do you get to be an astronaut? 6. Jabari (K): What can you do in your free time on the space station? 7. Addison (K): How do you sleep in space? 8. Hannah (1): How long does it take to get to the ISS? 9. Chace (2): How do you power the ISS? 10. Payton (3): Has the space station ever been hit or almost hit by anything? 11. Jasmine (4): What happens if you get sick in space? 12. Harley (5): When you sweat on the space station, does it stick to your body or does it float away? 13. Dominic (5): What has been the most memorable moment you've had as an astronaut? 14. Kyle (4): What time zone do you use in space? 15. Amelia (3): What kind of work are you doing on the space station? 16. Brooks (2): What is it like to exercise on the space station? 17. Makayla (1): How do you eat in space? 18. Jabari (K) How does the space station move? 19. Addison (K): What do you miss the most about being on Earth? 20. Hannah (1): What belongings can you take with you to the space station? 21. Chace (2): What kinds of experiments are you working on? 22. Payton (3): When you grow plants in space, how do you water them? 23. Jasmine (4): How do you communicate with your family? 24. Harley (5): How does it feel to be the first Italian woman in space? [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Hams in Space Since the earliest days of the Space Shuttle, many astronauts have become licensed radio amateurs to communicate to stations on earth while traveling in space and on the International Space Station. For a list of astronauts who hold or have held an amateur radio license visit http://www.ariss.org/hams-in-space.html + The January/February 2015 AMSAT Journal has been mailed. Look for your copy if you haven't already received it. + Dayton will host the 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium October 16-18 at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Dayton. More information will be posted on the AMSAT website www.amsat.org as it becomes available. + A great Russian 435-438 MHz WebSDR with labels for satellite frequencies is now available on line at: http://websdr.r4uab.ru/ + Need a 2015 calendar? How about one with out-of-this-world images? Download the ?#?ISS calendar here: http://tinyurl.com/ANS053-Calendar --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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Re: [amsat-bb] No SSTV/Packet Heard from ISS - Yet ...
by Doug - k4gkj 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

You may not hear anything at all till Wed or Thurs at the very earliest.... Next weekend is more realistic based on what I hear... Nobody knows when at this point (or they aren't sharing with us if they do). I noticed it as being turned off yesterday about 18:00 utc..... Doug K4GKJ Doug Bennight K4GKJ 850-528-5772 850-926-2052 -------- Original message -------- From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> Date: To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> Subject: [amsat-bb] No SSTV/Packet Heard from ISS - Yet ... No packet nor SSTV heard in Southern California at 11:30Am PDT - but the first EVA just completed a few minutes ago ... Clint K6LCS _______________________________________________ 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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XE1SIX/P EL10 - Veracruz
by Clayton Coleman 21 Feb '15

21 Feb '15

I worked XE1SIX operating on SO-50 this afternoon at 20:15Z. They are part of the South American Lighthouse activation. They are at El Faro de Naulta. Several stations repeatedly called them as XE1SVT but my recording clearly has them identifying as XE1SIX. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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No SSTV/Packet Heard from ISS - Yet ...
by Clint Bradford 21 Feb '15

21 Feb '15

No packet nor SSTV heard in Southern California at 11:30Am PDT - but the first EVA just completed a few minutes ago ... Clint K6LCS

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L Band antenna recommendations?
by David G0MRF 21 Feb '15

21 Feb '15

Hi I'm looking for a recommendation for an L band antenna suitable as a groundstation uplink to a satellite in LEO. Does anyone have anything they could check for SWR on 1264 MHz please? Linear polarisation is fine as the receive antenna will have circular polarisation. Most of the published data I've seen assumes the user will be on 1296. Any thoughts much appreciated Many thanks David G0MRF

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Yuma Hamfest - so far...
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 21 Feb '15

21 Feb '15

Hi! The first day (actually, a half-day) of the Yuma Hamfest was a good one for AMSAT. I can't cite statistics, but it appeared that more people stopped by the booth on Friday than on the past couple of Fridays. The hamfest opened for business at noon (1900 UTC) yesterday. Today should be busier, but there was a good crowd in the hall all afternoon, and still more people walking around the Yuma County Fairgrounds to visit the tailgaters parked all over. During the day, WD9EWK worked 4 different passes to demonstrate satellite operating - one AO-73 pass in the morning, along with one AO-7 and two SO-50 passes in the afternoon. Thanks to everyone who worked WD9EWK, or at least tried to work WD9EWK, during those demonstrations. I'm hoping for more today, including an FO-29 pass this afternoon. Rick K7TEJ, a satellite operator and AMSAT member from the Phoenix area, helped with the AMSAT booth yesterday. He brought his TH-D72A HT and homebrew 2m/70cm Yagi, which sat on display at the booth. With his help, I was able to go outside for the demonstrations during the afternoon. He will be back here today. If you do not follow me on Twitter, I have been posting photos from the hamfest and some of the aircraft flying around the airfield south of the hamfest site. You are welcome to look at my @WD9EWK Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/WD9EWK if you don't already use Twitter (no login required, it is open for public viewing). Across the street from the hamfest is Yuma International Airport and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The two facilities share the runways, and this makes for some interesting sights. I have some video clips from the air operations I saw yesterday morning, and will upload them to my YouTube channel after I return home. The hamfest opens in about a half-hour, running from 8am to 5pm (1500 to 0000 UTC) today. If you hear WD9EWK on satellite passes during the day, please call and join in the demonstrations. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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MixW software and ISS
by Steve Kristoff 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

Has anyone used MixW software to receive the SSTV transmissions from the Space Station? How about using MixW to send and receive packet from the Space Station? If the answer is yes to either question, can you please send info on setting up the MixW to do these things, or send a link to the instructions for setting up MixW to do these things? Thank you!! Steve AI9IN

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TH-F6A
by Lee Ernstrom 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

I guess I didn't make myself clear. I'm thinking that I could use the FT-897 to transmit SSB to FO-29 and use the TH-F6A to receive SSB signals so that I would then have full duplex. Does that sound logical? Then I was wondering if de-sense would be an issue? Has anyone used the TH-F6A? Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Syracuse, Utah DN31 Sent from my iPad

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ARISS News Special
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

Astronauts Wilmore, Virts and Cristoforetti will be performing three spacewalks over the next few weeks and will impact some of the amateur radio operations on the International Space Station (ISS). Spacewalks have been scheduled for February 20, 24 and March 1 and will have the amateur radios turned off to assure the safety of the crewmembers working outside of the ISS. The series of spacewalks will prepare cables and communications gear for new docking ports that will allow future crews launched from Florida on U.S. commercial spacecraft to dock to the space station. The spacewalks will be the 185th, 186th and 187th in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] TH-F6A
by george abbott 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

Will the new Yeasu FT1-DR work?It has 2 receivers.George,W1GMA > Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2015 09:53:54 -0500 > From: n8hm(a)arrl.net > To: lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com > CC: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] TH-F6A > > Lee, > > If you are looking for an inexpensive solution for full-duplex > satellite operations, a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ (about $200 shipped) and > an inexpensive Windows 8.1 tablet (which can be had for as little as > $59) will provide better performance, though you do need a bit of > computer savvy to get it working properly. > > The TH-F6A receiver is OK, but the filtering is nonexistent (about 12 kHz wide). > > The best option may be to find a used FT-817. > > 73, > > Paul, N8HM > > On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 3:11 PM, Lee Ernstrom <lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com> wrote: > > GA satellite goo-roos. Today I was scanning the HRO catalogue looking for an inexpensive solution to full duplex contacts for the linear birds and I ran across the Kenwood TH-F6A hand held 144, 222, and 450 MHZ FM with SSB option on receive only. That sounds to me like a great fairly inexpensive solution. > > > > Has anyone tried one of these yet for satellite work? > > > > And I'm wondering if there would be a de-sense problem if used on receive with a 20 watt transmitter on a different band close to it? > > > > WA7HQD > > Lee (Doc) Ernstrom > > Syracuse, Ut DN-31xb > > > > > > > > > > Sent from my iPad > > _______________________________________________ > > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

2 1

Proper ADIF Band for Satellite QSOs
by Paul Stoetzer 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

Good morning, I have received a ton of eQSLs with the incorrect band listed for satellite QSOs. I am not sure if this is the result of uploading from a logging program or directly entering into eQSL, but please remember that the ADIF "BAND" field should always be populated with your transmit band, not your receive band. There is a separate field for receive band (BAND_RX). Please see these instructions for properly formatting ADIF files for satellite QSOs. http://www.arrl.org/files/file/LoTW%20Instructions/N5JB.pdf 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 10, Issue 67
by Tom Schuessler 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org Sent: Friday, February 20, 2015 6:00 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 10, Issue 67 Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to amsat-bb(a)amsat.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org You can reach the person managing the list at amsat-bb-owner(a)amsat.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of AMSAT-BB digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Software ? (Howie DeFelice) 2. Re: Software ? (Pedro Converso) 3. SSTV Images from ISS This Weekend (Clint Bradford) 4. Heads up East Coast: Thursday at 1818 UTC ARISS School Contact on 145.800 (JoAnne Maenpaa) 5. AMSAT-NA Fundraising (Clint Bradford) 6. AMSAT Journal (Frank Bauer) 7. TH-F6A (Lee Ernstrom) 8. Re: TH-F6A (Ronald Nutter) 9. Re: Software ? (PA3GUO) 10. Re: Software ? (PA3GUO) 11. Re: SSTV Images from ISS This Weekend (Kenneth Ransom) 12. Re: TH-F6A (Joseph Armbruster) 13. Kenwood TH-F6a (Clint Bradford) 14. Re: Kenwood TH-F6a (John Geiger) 15. Re: Kenwood TH-F6a (Clint Bradford) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:09:19 -0500 From: Howie DeFelice <howied231(a)hotmail.com> To: PA3GUO <pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl>, "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Software ? Message-ID: <BLU169-W127A358500BEA2CD385AEACE72C0(a)phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi Henk, The "easy" answer is to buy an LVB tracker board but I completely understand wanting to use the hardware you put so much time and effort into building from scratch. I have done a little work with Python, which is completely cross platform, and think it would be a natural for doing the translation you need. One possibility would to have SatPC send the pointing info in "easycom" format to a virtual serial port that the Python program reads and translates then sends it out a "real" serial port to the rotor interface. As a non-programmer, that would "'my" path of least resistance. - Howie, AB2S ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2015 21:59:58 -0300 From: Pedro Converso <pconver(a)gmail.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Software ? Message-ID: <CANTZqKmC1B-HPF9OF9Yaq40Nns__RO4SGdziPPu_Gis=AoOPLg(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hello Henk, I program in Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, although not an expert on it. I have VB installed and run on an old Window-XP, it works and compiles flawlesly. I have made a satellite tracking application that doesn't use DDE, it speaks directly to com ports either legacy or also on bluetooth com ports. I am trying to learn android to port this to an app usable on cellphones/tablets. This aplication can be downloaded and/or executed from http://amsat.org.ar/Satrack.htm . For your needs, perhaps you can use as guidance the CX6DD development sources in visual basic 2005 of WISPDDE available at http://www.mederoscnc.com/CX6DD/wispdde/wispdde.htm . If you care to tell me the protocol of your rotor controller, I can add a selection to Satrack to support it. If I can be of any help please tell me. Best 73 from Buenos Aires, lu7abf, Pedro Converso pconver(a)gmail.com lu7abf(a)amsat.org.ar ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 07:41:59 -0800 From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> Subject: [amsat-bb] SSTV Images from ISS This Weekend Message-ID: <9D637C68-53A7-4899-BAAB-7EC764732FE6(a)mac.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii A reminder - this exciting project is expected to begin at 1000 UT on Saturday, February 21 until 2130 UT on Monday, February 23. Details at the site below ... You CAN download these graphic files with equipment as simple as a handheld radio with antenna improvement, and an iOS app/device! http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/11/more-iss-slow-scan-tv/ Clint K6LCS ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 10:08:31 -0600 From: "JoAnne Maenpaa" <k9jkm(a)comcast.net> To: "'AMSAT-BB'" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Heads up East Coast: Thursday at 1818 UTC ARISS School Contact on 145.800 Message-ID: <003501d04c5e$4e26b220$ea741660$@net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Council Rock High School-South, Holland, PA on 19 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:18 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K3DN. The contact should be audible over the eastern U.S and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org AMSAT VP User Services ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 08:37:54 -0800 From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> Subject: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-NA Fundraising Message-ID: <F18E622B-CBA3-46C0-BD18-24185821F500(a)mac.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I still have two plate blocks of Apollo-Soyuz commemorative stamps from last year's fundraising effort. Photos of them are here: http://www.work-sat.com/Work-Sat/FUNDRAISING.html The next two folks who contribute $20 OR MORE to AMSAT-NA, and have AMSAT-NA notify me via email with their names and mailing address, will receive this gift! Offer expires midnight PST on Monday, February 23. Clint K6LCS ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:57:28 -0500 From: "Frank Bauer" <ka3hdo(a)verizon.net> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] AMSAT Journal Message-ID: <004801d04c7e$4d8b4ef0$e8a1ecd0$(a)verizon.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" All, I received my AMSAT Journal today. Those who are not AMSAT members, you are missing out on a treasure trove of information and outstanding pictures. This month's Journal alone is worth a year's membership. And I know she has more outstanding journals coming. Thanks to JoAnne and the team on a phenomenal journal!! 73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 13:11:36 -0700 From: Lee Ernstrom <lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com> To: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] TH-F6A Message-ID: <A3F7E59A-1305-4FD7-82B7-88495822797E(a)rcwilley.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii GA satellite goo-roos. Today I was scanning the HRO catalogue looking for an inexpensive solution to full duplex contacts for the linear birds and I ran across the Kenwood TH-F6A hand held 144, 222, and 450 MHZ FM with SSB option on receive only. That sounds to me like a great fairly inexpensive solution. Has anyone tried one of these yet for satellite work? And I'm wondering if there would be a de-sense problem if used on receive with a 20 watt transmitter on a different band close to it? WA7HQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Syracuse, Ut DN-31xb Sent from my iPad ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:27:27 -0600 From: Ronald Nutter <ron.nutter(a)networkref.com> To: Lee Ernstrom <lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com> Cc: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] TH-F6A Message-ID: <CAEptLKrgALs0iFqZSDUO10OGxmVdXJhSa8GQB+exkxhfxEy7mQ(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 I have used this one for many years. As long as there is some antenna separation, I wouldnt expect much if any desense. Ron On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:11 PM, Lee Ernstrom <lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com> wrote: > GA satellite goo-roos. Today I was scanning the HRO catalogue looking for > an inexpensive solution to full duplex contacts for the linear birds and I > ran across the Kenwood TH-F6A hand held 144, 222, and 450 MHZ FM with SSB > option on receive only. That sounds to me like a great fairly inexpensive > solution. > > Has anyone tried one of these yet for satellite work? > > And I'm wondering if there would be a de-sense problem if used on receive > with a 20 watt transmitter on a different band close to it? > > WA7HQD > Lee (Doc) Ernstrom > Syracuse, Ut DN-31xb > > > > > Sent from my iPad > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:28:57 +0100 From: "PA3GUO" <pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl> To: "'Dan Cross'" <crossd(a)gmail.com> Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org, PA3GUO <pa3guo(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Software ? Message-ID: <000601d04c82$b0400730$10c01590$(a)upcmail.nl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Hi Dan, Thanks, I didn?t know about freepascal yet ? good to learn each day ! Henk Van: Dan Cross [mailto:[email protected]] Verzonden: donderdag 19 februari 2015 03:39 Aan: PA3GUO CC: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Onderwerp: Re: [amsat-bb] Software ? Step 1: Install Linux. Just kidding! (Kinda.) I'm only (half) joking. But seriously...I do think there's a solution to your problem: you said there was example code using Delphi? I agree that that's more or less on the wane (to put it mildly), but there does exist a free Pascal compiler that implements most of the functionality, without tying you to a specific vendor. Check out http://www.freepascal.org; it may just do what you need it to do. On Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 2:49 PM, PA3GUO <pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl> wrote: Last December I got myself a new PC, with the ambition to upgrade all old HW & SW to the latest standards. Currently the OS is Windows 8.1, and I am planning to switch (for free) to Windows 10 by the end of this year. Almost all software is migrated from the old PCs to the new computer - it all went smooth (and runs faster now). Almost all: I still have on an old Windows2000 PC the software running that controls my antennas. This software is all Pascal, and under Windows2000 you could still directly write to serial ports. That changed as of Windows XP. In the new setup SATPC32 is the central software for satellite tracking (position & doppler). Kenwood TS2000 as well as eg SDR# are connected just fine. So? the only thing to be done is hooking up SATPC32 to my rotor controller (http://pa3guo.com/zb_rtr_ctrl.html). Of course my rotor controller doesnt talk any of the standard interface protocols, so I cannot use the default set of outputs of SATPC32. Basically I just need to read from the SATPC32 DDE the string that includes the azimuth & etc, do a minor edit to it and send it to a USB COM port. Fortunately SATPC32 comes with example code for this (Delfi and VB). Unfortunately, Delfi (replaces Pascal) is an outdated standard, and so I opted for the VB example. Now, the Visual Basic IDE doesn't really exist anymore. Microsoft has now Visual Studio Express, which is impressive btw. Issue though is, the included SATPC32 VB examples use DDE constructs that were supported in the VB IDE , but are not in Visual Studio anymore. So what I *could* do is hack the VB example to make it work in Visual Studio, but it seems not that straightforward. To add to this: SDR# is C# and talks to SATPC32's DDE. So C# must be DDE capable, but I haven?t seen simple example code for that either. In short: I just need to read from the DDE , do a minor processing on the string (kind of convert degrees into integer + offset) and send the result to a com port. How would you do this ? Do you program in C# or Visual Basic ? In case of Visual Basic, do you use Visual Studio Express ? Thanks, Henk - PA3GUO _______________________________________________ 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:35:24 +0100 From: "PA3GUO" <pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl> To: "'Howie DeFelice'" <howied231(a)hotmail.com>, <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Cc: PA3GUO <pa3guo(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Software ? Message-ID: <000d01d04c83$971002a0$c53007e0$(a)upcmail.nl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hi Howie, That may indeed be the simplest (and therefore best) solution (redirecting & modifying the the easycom format). And yes, either Visual Basic or C# or Python could do that. Like you I have positive experiences with Python (using scripts for RAX, MCUBED and now GRIFEX from MXL). Certainly a very useful suggestion! Thanks! Henk Van: Howie DeFelice [mailto:[email protected]] Verzonden: woensdag 18 februari 2015 23:09 Aan: PA3GUO; amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Onderwerp: RE: [amsat-bb] Software ? Hi Henk, The "easy" answer is to buy an LVB tracker board but I completely understand wanting to use the hardware you put so much time and effort into building from scratch. I have done a little work with Python, which is completely cross platform, and think it would be a natural for doing the translation you need. One possibility would to have SatPC send the pointing info in "easycom" format to a virtual serial port that the Python program reads and translates then sends it out a "real" serial port to the rotor interface. As a non-programmer, that would "'my" path of least resistance. - Howie, AB2S ------------------------------ Message: 11 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:19:59 -0600 From: Kenneth Ransom <n5vho.ken(a)gmail.com> To: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SSTV Images from ISS This Weekend Message-ID: <CAB5cSv=j3gC+QDeh65HKvcm652QYWL1Qi0hekdMttSo6TOaP7g(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Looks like the SSTV activity will have to wait a bit. The planned EVA has been delayed one day and the amateur radios are required to be powered down during EVA activity. More info on the EVA at https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2015/02/19/first-of-three-spacewalks-now -set-for-saturday/ On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 9:41 AM, Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> wrote: > A reminder - this exciting project is expected to begin at 1000 UT on > Saturday, > February 21 until 2130 UT on Monday, February 23. > > Details at the site below ... You CAN download these graphic files with > equipment > as simple as a handheld radio with antenna improvement, and an iOS > app/device! > > http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/11/more-iss-slow-scan-tv/ > > Clint K6LCS > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > -- Kenneth - N5VHO ------------------------------ Message: 12 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:15:43 -0500 From: Joseph Armbruster <josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> To: Lee Ernstrom <lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com> Cc: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] TH-F6A Message-ID: <CADkz4c9c0UH_=DxEfxAGfhpTGutbV+4pg1-RQt6AkM9qWDOe1Q(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Lee, I have one and use it almost daily. It is a great little handheld, however it is not full duplex, meaning you can not simultaneously transmit and receive. When you key up and transmit, the receiver cuts out. To simultaneously transmit and receive you will need an additional rig. Joe On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 3:11 PM, Lee Ernstrom <lee.ernstrom(a)rcwilley.com> wrote: > GA satellite goo-roos. Today I was scanning the HRO catalogue looking for an inexpensive solution to full duplex contacts for the linear birds and I ran across the Kenwood TH-F6A hand held 144, 222, and 450 MHZ FM with SSB option on receive only. That sounds to me like a great fairly inexpensive solution. > > Has anyone tried one of these yet for satellite work? > > And I'm wondering if there would be a de-sense problem if used on receive with a 20 watt transmitter on a different band close to it? > > WA7HQD > Lee (Doc) Ernstrom > Syracuse, Ut DN-31xb > > > > > Sent from my iPad > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb ------------------------------ Message: 13 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:09:37 -0800 From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Kenwood TH-F6a Message-ID: <1D38E1F4-34EA-4DC8-9177-195C3C393843(a)mac.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii The TH-F6a is *not* a true full-duplex radio. You can not hear anything on the other band when you key the mic ... The only currently available HT that does U/V and V/U sat modes well is the Kenwood TH-D72a, at about $450. SO ... Many are simply purchasing two "traditional" HTs to accomplish true, full-duplex satellite work. I like the Yaesu FT-60R. Two of them plus an Arrow 146/437-10WBP antenna cost the same amount as that Kenwood 'D72a! Clint K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com ------------------------------ Message: 14 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 23:38:32 -0600 From: John Geiger <af5cc(a)fidmail.com> To: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Kenwood TH-F6a Message-ID: <CAHZ3kP8yhYENyyxnv+_0Ai+U5fqi0tpvhTMx5pWrtwY40r7N-g(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 I got the impression from the original posting that he wanted to use the F6A on receive only, and would be using a different radio for the transmit side. 73 John AF5CC On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:09 PM, Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> wrote: > The TH-F6a is *not* a true full-duplex radio. You can not hear anything on > the other band when > you key the mic ... > > The only currently available HT that does U/V and V/U sat modes well is > the Kenwood TH-D72a, > at about $450. > > SO ... Many are simply purchasing two "traditional" HTs to accomplish > true, full-duplex satellite work. > > I like the Yaesu FT-60R. Two of them plus an Arrow 146/437-10WBP antenna > cost the same > amount as that Kenwood 'D72a! > > Clint K6LCS > http://www.work-sat.com > > > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > ------------------------------ Message: 15 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:39:49 -0800 From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> To: John Geiger <af5cc(a)fidmail.com> Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Kenwood TH-F6a Message-ID: <F8C98152-8E91-4114-8226-70A7A52A266F(a)mac.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Ooops - if so, I mis-read the original post ... Clint On Feb 19, 2015, at 9:38 PM, John Geiger wrote: I got the impression from the original posting that he wanted to use the F6A on receive only ... ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ 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 member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 10, Issue 67 ****************************************

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Kenwood TH-F6a
by Clint Bradford 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

The TH-F6a is *not* a true full-duplex radio. You can not hear anything on the other band when you key the mic ... The only currently available HT that does U/V and V/U sat modes well is the Kenwood TH-D72a, at about $450. SO ... Many are simply purchasing two "traditional" HTs to accomplish true, full-duplex satellite work. I like the Yaesu FT-60R. Two of them plus an Arrow 146/437-10WBP antenna cost the same amount as that Kenwood 'D72a! Clint K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com

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SSTV Images from ISS This Weekend
by Clint Bradford 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

A reminder - this exciting project is expected to begin at 1000 UT on Saturday, February 21 until 2130 UT on Monday, February 23. Details at the site below ... You CAN download these graphic files with equipment as simple as a handheld radio with antenna improvement, and an iOS app/device! http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/11/more-iss-slow-scan-tv/ Clint K6LCS

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Software ?
by PA3GUO 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

Last December I got myself a new PC, with the ambition to upgrade all old HW & SW to the latest standards. Currently the OS is Windows 8.1, and I am planning to switch (for free) to Windows 10 by the end of this year. Almost all software is migrated from the old PCs to the new computer - it all went smooth (and runs faster now). Almost all: I still have on an old Windows2000 PC the software running that controls my antennas. This software is all Pascal, and under Windows2000 you could still directly write to serial ports. That changed as of Windows XP. In the new setup SATPC32 is the central software for satellite tracking (position & doppler). Kenwood TS2000 as well as eg SDR# are connected just fine. So… the only thing to be done is hooking up SATPC32 to my rotor controller (http://pa3guo.com/zb_rtr_ctrl.html). Of course my rotor controller doesnt talk any of the standard interface protocols, so I cannot use the default set of outputs of SATPC32. Basically I just need to read from the SATPC32 DDE the string that includes the azimuth & etc, do a minor edit to it and send it to a USB COM port. Fortunately SATPC32 comes with example code for this (Delfi and VB). Unfortunately, Delfi (replaces Pascal) is an outdated standard, and so I opted for the VB example. Now, the Visual Basic IDE doesn't really exist anymore. Microsoft has now Visual Studio Express, which is impressive btw. Issue though is, the included SATPC32 VB examples use DDE constructs that were supported in the VB IDE , but are not in Visual Studio anymore. So what I *could* do is hack the VB example to make it work in Visual Studio, but it seems not that straightforward. To add to this: SDR# is C# and talks to SATPC32's DDE. So C# must be DDE capable, but I haven’t seen simple example code for that either. In short: I just need to read from the DDE , do a minor processing on the string (kind of convert degrees into integer + offset) and send the result to a com port. How would you do this ? Do you program in C# or Visual Basic ? In case of Visual Basic, do you use Visual Studio Express ? Thanks, Henk - PA3GUO

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AMSAT Journal
by Frank Bauer 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

All, I received my AMSAT Journal today. Those who are not AMSAT members, you are missing out on a treasure trove of information and outstanding pictures. This month's Journal alone is worth a year's membership. And I know she has more outstanding journals coming. Thanks to JoAnne and the team on a phenomenal journal!! 73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

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AMSAT-NA Fundraising
by Clint Bradford 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

I still have two plate blocks of Apollo-Soyuz commemorative stamps from last year's fundraising effort. Photos of them are here: http://www.work-sat.com/Work-Sat/FUNDRAISING.html The next two folks who contribute $20 OR MORE to AMSAT-NA, and have AMSAT-NA notify me via email with their names and mailing address, will receive this gift! Offer expires midnight PST on Monday, February 23. Clint K6LCS

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Heads up East Coast: Thursday at 1818 UTC ARISS School Contact on 145.800
by JoAnne Maenpaa 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Council Rock High School-South, Holland, PA on 19 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:18 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K3DN. The contact should be audible over the eastern U.S and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org AMSAT VP User Services

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N2S 2005 info
by John Geiger 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

I am trying to get caught up on outstanding grids I need confirmed, and for FN22 I worked N2S (I believe) on Feb. 6, 2005 on AO51. I cannot find any info for N2S from that time period on the 1 x 1 callsign database. Does anyone have any information on this station from that time period on AO51? 73 John AF5CC

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Re: [amsat-bb] Software ?
by Pedro Converso 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

Hello Henk, I program in Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, although not an expert on it. I have VB installed and run on an old Window-XP, it works and compiles flawlesly. I have made a satellite tracking application that doesn't use DDE, it speaks directly to com ports either legacy or also on bluetooth com ports. I am trying to learn android to port this to an app usable on cellphones/tablets. This aplication can be downloaded and/or executed from http://amsat.org.ar/Satrack.htm . For your needs, perhaps you can use as guidance the CX6DD development sources in visual basic 2005 of WISPDDE available at http://www.mederoscnc.com/CX6DD/wispdde/wispdde.htm . If you care to tell me the protocol of your rotor controller, I can add a selection to Satrack to support it. If I can be of any help please tell me. Best 73 from Buenos Aires, lu7abf, Pedro Converso pconver(a)gmail.com lu7abf(a)amsat.org.ar

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Recording your QSOs
by Tom Deeble - KA6SIP 17 Feb '15

17 Feb '15

Greetings, One low-tech thing I have been trying to do before a pass, say about two minutes before AOS, is talk into the recorder with details of the pass. It helps later to have some extra info about the pass such as max elevation, Sat name, date, time, weather - esp if it's raining, foggy, snowing or windy, equipment, details of your location for portable ops, etc. I know the date/time is redundant to what the recorder uses as part of the file name, but it only takes a few seconds to record it. I've been using Sony digital recorders and have had good luck with them. I just need to remember to turn the thing ON just before the pass. That's another reason I like to record the Sat info and then leave the recorder running with the radio then connected to the line in. Like Patrick says, storage is abundant & cheap. 73 - Tom Tom Deeble - KA6SIP, ka6sip(a)aol.com Mt. Diablo Amateur Radio Club Membership Chairman MDARC, PO Box 23222, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523-0222 PACIFICON - Oct 16-18, 2015, San Ramon

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Re: [amsat-bb] Recording your QSOs
by Douglas Tabor, N6UA 17 Feb '15

17 Feb '15

Actually, I really like Patricks' "No patch cord" record strategy ... like a VOX on a recorder. If you didn't "talk to them" then you didn't talk with them. Makes perfect sense ... unless you WANT to hear about "the one that got away". Next time, for sure. Douglas Tabor, N6UA President(a)evarc.org Estes Valley ARC - N0FH repeaters IRLP - 7268 Echolink 625757 http://evarc.org

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2014 AMSAT Technical Symposium photos available.
by Arthur Feller 17 Feb '15

17 Feb '15

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rabi7h03xgxhwrv/AAASR33upRt1naHmWrX3CMc_a?dl=0 <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rabi7h03xgxhwrv/AAASR33upRt1naHmWrX3CMc_a?dl=0> Hope you’ll enjoy! 73, art….. W4ART Arlington VA http://afeller.us <http://afeller.us/>

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K1N Logs and QSL Procedures for Satellites
by John Papay 17 Feb '15

17 Feb '15

Bob, N2OO, has advised that Clublog is not very compatible with satellites so they will be removing the satellite log from Clublog. In a day or two they will determine the qsl request procedures that will be available for confirming satellite qso's. I will post that information here. 73, John K8YSE

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ISS Thanks
by Kevin Deane 17 Feb '15

17 Feb '15

Thanks for all the input guys. I remember now about the US antenna didnt know about the handheld. Probably had a horible SWR is why that mobile blew the finals. Oh well, I just miss all the digi contacts was so easy back then. Really not worth my time now I have tried 30 times and made it through once. I have had better luck with NO-44 for cryin out loud. Anyway thanks again! Kevin KF7MYK

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ISS
by Kevin Deane 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Is it just me or is the ISS APRS extremely weak? The SSTV signals were the strongest I has ever received from space. Of course they were 25 watts... Any help I am using UISS and works perfect off the local digipeater... :(> Kevin KF7MYK

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WD9EWK @ DM32 - between 19 and 22 February 2015
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Hi! While I am at the Yuma (Arizona) Hamfest, I will be near the rarely-heard grid DM32. I will drive through it on Thursday (19 February) evening, and drive home through it either on Saturday (21 February) evening or Sunday (22 February) morning. There is also a chance I can go out there Friday (20 February) evening, since the western edge of DM32 isn't too far from Yuma - only 35 miles/56km east. I will try to post here on AMSAT-BB my plans to operate from this grid, as well as on my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. If you do not use Twitter, my @WD9EWK feed is accessible with a web browser at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK I don't know for sure what passes I can work from there, but I will have a listing of available passes. If the opportunity arises to work passes while driving through DM32, I will try to do that. While on the road, APRS should show my location using WD9EWK-9 as my call sign. This should be visible online at: http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 among other sites. As with my other trips, I will upload my log to Logbook of the World after the weekend. If you would like a QSL card to confirm a QSO with me from DM32, please e-mail me directly with the QSO details. If you're in the log, I will send you a QSL card. No need to first send me a QSL card. I don't normally collect cards for QSOs I make away from the Phoenix area, or outside my 200km limit per the VUCC rules. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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WD9EWK at Yuma (Arizona) Hamfest, 20-21 February 2015
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Hi! I will have an AMSAT booth at the Yuma Hamfest in Arizona this Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015. The hamfest will be at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, along 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue and Avenue 3E, across the street from Yuma International Airport and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma (they share runways and the control tower, but have separate facilities on each side of the runways). This is the 7th consecutive year AMSAT has had a booth at the Yuma Hamfest - thanks to Roger Hunt K7MEX and the Yuma Hamfest committee for providing AMSAT with a booth! More information about the hamfest is available at: http://www.yumahamfest.org/ I plan on some on-air demonstrations of satellite operating from outside the main hall at the hamfest. If you hear WD9EWK on the air Friday afternoon (hamfest starts at 12 noon/1900 UTC Friday) or during the day Saturday, please call and be a part of the demonstrations. The hamfest site is in grid DM22qq. All QSOs logged by WD9EWK during the Yuma Hamfest will be uploaded to Logbook of the World. Please e-mail me directly with QSO details if you would like a QSL card to confirm a QSO during any of the demonstrations. You don't have to first send me your QSL card or SASE to get my QSL card. During the hamfest, I will try to tweet photos and updates - especially when I will be on the air - using my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. If you do not use Twitter, you can still view my tweets at this link: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: [amsat-bb] Recording your QSOs
by Doug - k4gkj 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

I have several digital recorders, Olympus, Sony, and Zoom. The Zoom recorder is a very nice unit.... It records surprisingly great for a handheld unit..... The target audience was musicians, to be able to record on the fly, not forgetting a cord, phrase, etc. It isn't the least expensive at $100 + (depending on where you buy it), but has replaceable / upgradeable memory, records in mp3 or wave, user adjustable sample rate, & much more..... It's also in stereo if you want to use it for other projects.....and has a line input too. I like some types of sushi..... Not all... But I'll save that conversation for the next pass (grin)........ Some of yall are too much, bickering over pleasantries that are part of our hobby from day one..... Both funny and sad..... Stuff like this will certainly chase more folks off! Doug Bennight K4GKJ 850-528-5772 850-926-2052 -------- Original message -------- From: "Mike Jones, W6GYC" <w6gyc(a)w6gyc.com> Date: To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Recording your QSOs Steve A good quality digital recorder will (should) allow you to do this. If you get one that has both a mic in and audio out, you just put this in-line between the speaker or audio jack and your headphones, it should record what you hear. Thus: 1) Plug your audio out from your radio to the digital recorder mic jack 2) plug your headphones or earpiece into the audio out of the digital recorder 3) When you hit record, you should hear the audio from the radio. This will, of course take a couple of 1/8" to 1/8" audio cables to hook up, well actually just one. At least that is how my set up works for me. I have a digital recorder I picked up at Fry's for about $60. Make sure you get one that you can download in a compatible format to your PC. The other method mentioned (Y-adapter) is less expensive, and does not require you to be recording as you listen. Hope this helps. 73 de Mike, W6GYC On Sun, 2015-02-15 at 13:52 -0500, Steve Kristoff wrote: > As a newbie, I appreciate the reminders, Clint! I've just started working > SO-50 over the last couple of weeks. I don't call "CQ satellite" since I > read up a little on protocol before I started. I do hope that I have not > stepped on anybody as I learn the techniques. I very much hope that someone > will, politely and discreetly, let me know if I screw up! > Your post does bring up a question I've been pondering for a while. You > mention using an earpiece to monitor the downlink and also mention recording > the satellite pass. I have been recording the satellite passes and that > works pretty well for sorting out my contacts, but I'm not sure how to > record the pass AND use an earpiece at the same time. Using headphones or an > earpiece cuts out the speaker, so how do you record and use an earpiece at > the same time? > I'd really appreciate some help with this. Thank you! > > Steve Kristoff AI9IN > skristof(a)etczone.com > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Clint Bradford" <clintbradford(a)mac.com> > To: "AMSAT BB" <amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> > Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2015 1:01 PM > Subject: [amsat-bb] CQ SATELLITE! CQ SATELLITE! > > > This post does NOT apply to about 99.4% of the members here ... So if you > are a seasoned FM bird operator, just skip reading. BUT if you are new to > the FM satellites ... > > I have heard a couple hams trying to work SO-50 the past week. They have > their sat prediction software all set up properly ... have improved their > antennas ... and have the proper set of frequencies programmed ... > > But they are not working full duplex (where you can monitor the downlink as > you key your mic) and are stepping on other transmissions. AND they are > simply declaring, "CQ satellite ... " over and over and over. > > That is not how we should be working the FM birds. > > Ideally, we should be working the FM voice satellites in full duplex mode, > where we can simultaneously listen to the downlink as we are transmitting. > This might mean a second radio with an earpiece (to avoid feedback) to make > sure you are "making it" and are not stepping on others' contacts. Carefully > monitor the downlink, and wait for a break in the conversations to announce > yourself. You might find it helpful to record your sessions for later > review. Even if you don’t make a contact during a pass, a recording can help > you recognize the callsigns and voices of other operators. Pocket recorders > or smartphone apps are great for this. > > Knowing your grid square - and having a grid square map - is a quick way of > identifying locations of what you will hear. There are also fellow satellite > operators who are working towards awards based on the number of unique grid > squares they contact: that is why you should know yours as you work the > birds. The ARRL and Icom have grid square maps: Icom’s is free and available > at better ham radio stores. > > When you clearly hear others, listen for a break in the action, and use the > ITU-approved phonetics to announce your callsign, grid square, and operating > mode. I am K6LCS in grid square DM-13, so it becomes ... > > "KILO-SIX-LIMA-CHARLIE-SIERRA, DELTA-MIKE - ONE-THREE, handheld." > > There's a little "debate" on the necessity of the "operating mode" > declaration. If you state, "handheld," it used to tell seasoned satellite > operators to let you in and get your contact made - knowing you were working > low power. Some might use "demo" as their op mode - as they operate in front > of a club or hamfest. It is not "improper" to include an op mode - many do > not. > > SO ... simply keying up and declaring "CQ satellite" over and over again is > simply not the proper protocol to be using. It does not identify neither you > nor your location. > > More information on working the "easy birds" always at ... > http://www.work-sat.com > > Clint Bradford K6LCS > 909-241-7666 - cell, Pacific coast time > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > _______________________________________________ > 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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CQ SATELLITE! CQ SATELLITE!
by Clint Bradford 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

This post does NOT apply to about 99.4% of the members here ... So if you are a seasoned FM bird operator, just skip reading. BUT if you are new to the FM satellites ... I have heard a couple hams trying to work SO-50 the past week. They have their sat prediction software all set up properly ... have improved their antennas ... and have the proper set of frequencies programmed ... But they are not working full duplex (where you can monitor the downlink as you key your mic) and are stepping on other transmissions. AND they are simply declaring, "CQ satellite ... " over and over and over. That is not how we should be working the FM birds. Ideally, we should be working the FM voice satellites in full duplex mode, where we can simultaneously listen to the downlink as we are transmitting. This might mean a second radio with an earpiece (to avoid feedback) to make sure you are "making it" and are not stepping on others' contacts. Carefully monitor the downlink, and wait for a break in the conversations to announce yourself. You might find it helpful to record your sessions for later review. Even if you don’t make a contact during a pass, a recording can help you recognize the callsigns and voices of other operators. Pocket recorders or smartphone apps are great for this. Knowing your grid square - and having a grid square map - is a quick way of identifying locations of what you will hear. There are also fellow satellite operators who are working towards awards based on the number of unique grid squares they contact: that is why you should know yours as you work the birds. The ARRL and Icom have grid square maps: Icom’s is free and available at better ham radio stores. When you clearly hear others, listen for a break in the action, and use the ITU-approved phonetics to announce your callsign, grid square, and operating mode. I am K6LCS in grid square DM-13, so it becomes ... "KILO-SIX-LIMA-CHARLIE-SIERRA, DELTA-MIKE - ONE-THREE, handheld." There's a little "debate" on the necessity of the "operating mode" declaration. If you state, "handheld," it used to tell seasoned satellite operators to let you in and get your contact made - knowing you were working low power. Some might use "demo" as their op mode - as they operate in front of a club or hamfest. It is not "improper" to include an op mode - many do not. SO ... simply keying up and declaring "CQ satellite" over and over again is simply not the proper protocol to be using. It does not identify neither you nor your location. More information on working the "easy birds" always at ... http://www.work-sat.com Clint Bradford K6LCS 909-241-7666 - cell, Pacific coast time

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Re: [amsat-bb] Recording Contacts
by Clint Bradford 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

>> ... can anyone recommend a Software or Reg one with a Time and Date Stamp on it Check out Olympus' units ... http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/audio/digital-recorders.html For iOS devices, I have heard of this one, but have not personally tried it ... https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voice-activated-recorder/id598268211?mt=8 I do use HT Recorder Pro ... and it has that capability ... http://www.appliedvoices.com/avllc/products/ht-recorder/index.html Clint K6LCS

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help
by Mike Jones, W6GYC 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

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Recording Contacts
by Clint Bradford 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

>> ... As a newbie, I appreciate the reminders, Clint! >> ... how do you record and use an earpiece at the same time? It can be as simple as a "Y" audio adapter cable - the type that MONOPRICE.COM sells for less than a dollar ... On their site, search for Product Number 667. You would feed one lead to your earpiece, and the other to your recorder. Others here will certainly have other suggestions, too, for you. Clint K6LCS 909-241-7666 - cell

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WD9EWK DM03 activity on 14 February - report
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Hi! Thanks to all the stations that worked WD9EWK on Saturday (14 February) afternoon, while I was in Los Angeles. I had driven to California on Friday night before giving a presentation on Saturday morning, then spent the afternoon operating from Dockweiler State Beach in grid DM03sw for a few passes in the afternoon before driving home in the evening. This was a very quick road trip for me, driving 822 miles/1323km in the span of 30 hours. The beach is west of the LAX airport and the end of the I-105 freeway and Imperial Highway along the Los Angeles/El Segundo city limits. The beach, being lower than the road running parallel to the beach (Vista del Mar), gave me a buffer from the airport QRM I observed when I tried to operate from a parking garage north of LAX earlier in the afternoon. This was the first time I worked satellites from DM03, making it the 76th different grid I have worked from. I worked two SO-50 passes, two ISS passes, and one pass each on AO-7 and FO-29. I logged a total of 27 QSOs - 4 on AO-7, 3 on FO-29, and the other 20 on SO-50. The 2202 UTC pass, which has been discussed on here and in other forums lately, saw 13 QSOs go in my log. I was able to work Dale KL7XJ in Alaska early in this SO-50 pass, something I haven't done on SO-50 from home due to obstructions in that direction. Seven more QSOs were logged on the later pass at 2344 UTC, which was much more orderly than the earlier pass. Unfortunately, I did not log any QSOs on the two ISS passes - one of those passing directly overhead. If you'd like to hear what those SO-50 passes sounded like from my location on the beach, I posted them as YouTube videos. First, the pass at 2202 UTC Saturday afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9KrUH6pDCQ And the later pass at 2344 UTC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvI2Dowf2kA Audio was recorded by my Sony digital audio recorder, connected to my IC-2820H through a splitter cable. The other side of the splitter went to an earpiece, so I could hear the downlink without any audio feedback into my microphone. I uploaded my DM03 log to Logbook of the World yesterday. If you worked me on Saturday and want a QSL card to confirm the contact, please e-mail me with the QSO details. There's no need to send me your QSL card or an SASE first. If you're in my log, I will be happy to send you my QSL card. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Scouting Museum on SO-50 2/14 2205Z
by Tom Schuessler 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

K2BSA/5 on SO-50 for the 2205Z pass at the National Scouting Museum In Irving, Texas, EM12. Give the Scouts a shout. 73, Tom, N5HYP

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Fwd: Tues night Roundtable
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Tom" <wa5kub(a)gmail.com> To: "Tom" <wa5kub(a)gmail.com> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2015 10:12:24 AM Subject: Tues night Roundtable Don't forget Amateur Radio Roundtable, a new series of W5KUB.com <http://w5kub.com/> live weekly webcasts airs every *Tuesday night at 8:00 PM Central Time* (0200 UTC Wednesdays) at W5KUB.COM <http://w5kub.com/> Amateur Radio Roundtable is an informal discussion of all aspects of ham radio with the intent of allowing viewers to watch this live webcast or be a guest via Skype or Google Hangout. A question and answer session with viewers will follow each topic. The show covers all aspects of ham radio; such as, balloon launches, Satellite, go-kits,emergency comm, SDR, digital modes, DXing, home brewing, and much more. This weeks guests include Arnie Shatz, N6HC who has been a team member of many of the great DXpecitions, Eric William showing the prototype of a Cubesat that he is building, and a special guest from Sweeden, SM4VPZ. · During the last half of the roundtable, every viewer is invited to make a virtual appearance on the show. Guests will need a Google+ account, microphone, and camera. Viewers will be provided a link allowing you to join. This part of the show is very informal. Just pop in to say hello, or stay a while and join in on a wide range of topics. We can have up to 10 people in the roundtable at all times. We need your help with programming. If you have a specific subject that you would like to present in a future show, send an email to tom(a)W5KUB.com. Thanks, Tom W5KUB -- Please check out our ham radio video broadcast page at http://w5kub.com and please join our W5KUB video broadcast group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/279273778772594/ Senior Member of the I.E.E.E

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Test Message
by Mike Jones 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Please disregard

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help
by Mike Jones, W6GYC 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

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Re: [amsat-bb] CQ SATELLITE!
by Kevin M 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Gus, I have no wish to debate with you. You are taking my message out of context and trying to turn it into a HEO versus LEO debate. You are discussing having a QSO and I am talking about folks who DON'T. They simply keep announcing their callsigns over and over and over again, announcing that they are using a handheld and all other sorts of details that they have repeated ad nauseum that have NOTHING to do with initiating a QSO whether it's to exchange grid info or have a pleasant chat. I would PREFER it if they WOULD talk about their dog, or their recipes, or their favorite beer, but that doesn't really matter because you were just being sarcastic to make a point that has nothing to do with what I was actually saying. So good luck with that. 73

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CQ SATELLITE! CQ SATELLITE!
by Juan Antonio Fernandez 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

It is always the same . . . In SSB mode we can send CQ. In FM mode the first rule is "if you can't listen NO TX". The problema is that SO-50 no TX if no listen to somebody, so people when can`t listen they think that they can't be received by the sat. SO-50 is a specepial case that we will see more frequently on the space. It is the subtone system colateral damage. But if most of us know that the sat is usually collapsed or at least with moderate trafic, it is a reasonable way no call CQ. So my advice: - First of all listen, if there is some station that fit your log, call him. - If you decide to call, the best way is only your call EA4CYQ/P or EA4CYQ handheld. I think your locator it is not neccesary until you Exchange data. When you made a contact, you send your locator and the rest oh hams will listen it. It is a pity listening to Yuri (/mm) calling on a FM Sat from wet grids and other station, which clearly can´t listen him, calling CQ killing the chance of any QSO. To wrap up: - If no listen no TX - CQ only in SSB sats - In FM SATs, your callsign is enough to advertise of your presence. Juan Antonio EA4CYQ

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Re: [amsat-bb] CQ SATELLITE!
by Kevin M 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

Clint said: "JOHN - Regarding "handheld" or "demo" designations - It take about a half of one second of air time, and handheld." So the "Iit ties up the satellite" argument is silly." NO. It's NOT a silly argument because of the encouragement of the entire concept and what it gives way to. I have heard things to the effect of: Whiskey Alpha One X-ray Yankee Zulu, Alpha Zebra zero zero, handheld 5 watts in Acmeville (repeatedly, to no one in particular, just taking up airtime) Whiskey Alpha One X-ray Yankee Zulu... on a handheld running five watts... the temperature is below freezing... somebody gimme a QSO! (this was a busy pass, but he called no one and apparently no one wanted to call him) It's USELESS information that wastes PRECIOUS pass time leads to the attitude of not being aware. It is COUNTERPRODUCTIVE to their goals, because instead of giving them a quick QSO, none of the experienced ops wants to call them for the umpteenth time and go through a long drawn out exchange. If they called me briefly, just call letters, I'd call them back just as quickly with a report and done. Then on to the next one, or back to listening for the new grid/DX station that's expected to show up. And so MANY people are running five watts or less using a handheld it doesn't make any sense ANYWAY! Oh, yeah, I actually heard one QSO that went like this: WA1XYZ this is KZ9ABC on a handheld in Alpha Zebra zero zero. KZ9ABC this is WA1XYZ also on a handheld! I'm outside with an Arrow in Zebra Alpha niner niner. You're on a handheld, too... good job! Why is this amazing? The satellite is doing the work and it's only 250 milliwatts! I get that it's new to THEM, but I've worked stations in South America and the Caribbean with TWO watts to a handheld. And I was able to do it without revealing my secret identity as a low power handheld yagi waver during the QSO! Yes, there are times when jokes or frivolous comments are made that may take up pass time, but by and large they are the exception and the people making them are usually situation-ally aware. But you are TEACHING people to basically claim some imagined RF handicap and beg to be given special treatment and do it as a MATTER OF ROUTINE. Look, somebody saying, it's my first QSO is one thing... but to encourage the 'extraneous information' comments as a matter of course is not helping anyone. Please, have enough sense not to do it. And so it goes... on and on and on. 73, de N4UFO/Sushi (I enjoy sushi... and telling you that is about as useful as me telling you I'm using a handheld.)

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Re: [amsat-bb] CQ SATELLITE!
by Clint Bradford 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

STEVE: You can use a simple audio "splitter" cable - MonoPrice.com has them for as little as $0.67 - search for Product Number 667. JOHN - Regarding "handheld" or "demo" designations - It take about a half of one second of air time, and handheld." So the "Iit ties up the satellite" argument is silly. Yes, there's a little "debate" on the necessity of the "operating mode" declaration. If you state, "handheld," it used to tell seasoned satellite operators to let you in and get your contact made - knowing you were working low power. Some might use "demo" as their op mode - as they operate in front of a club or hamfest. It is not "improper" to include an op mode - many do not. Clint K6LCS

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W5PFG/P EM01
by Clayton Coleman 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

I'll operate from EM01 at 16:33Z today, 15-Feb, on AO-73. If you need this grid, here's a good chance for you to get it confirmed. It's really nice having AO-73 available during the day! I made many great contacts yesterday. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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ANS-046 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-046 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Help Wanted: AMSAT Engineering Kicking Off Ground Station Development * More ISS Slow Scan TV Activity * Fox-1 Continues Preparation for Launch * Navassa K1N Dxpedition Active on FO-29 * AMSAT Orlando Hamcation Report SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-046.01 ANS-046 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 046.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. February 15, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-046.01 Help Wanted: AMSAT Engineering Kicking Off Ground Station Development AMSAT Engineering is looking for hams interested in developing ground station equipment for future satellites. An inexpensive L-Band uplink converter is something that is of interest right now for LEO satellites as part of the recently approved technology funding. If you are interested in helping, please contact AMSAT Engineering by completing the form on the website to tell Jerry Buxton, N0JY, the Vice President of Engineering, how you can volunteer your time and skills to help AMSAT engineering build satellites and other required hardware/software. To volunteer please visit: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1121 [ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- More ISS Slow Scan TV Activity The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has announced another round of amateur radio Slow Scan Television (SSTV) activity from the International Space Station (ISS) will take place later this month. Continuous operation, using the call sign RS0ISS, is expected from 1000 UT on Saturday, February 21 until 2130 UT on Monday, February 23. Twelve different images depicting space pioneer Yuri Gagarin — the first human to orbit Earth — will be sent on 145.800 MHz FM using the SSTV mode PD180, with a 3-minute off time between transmissions. The equipment used will be the Kenwood D710 transceiver located in the Russian Service Module. It is thought the equipment may be producing about 25 watts output which should provide a very strong signal. Plans are being discussed for transmitting new images from space enthusiasts around the world in the coming months. Additional details will be released. The images received by amateurs world-wide during previous transmissions can be seen at http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/ and you are invited to upload any pictures you receive during the upcoming transmissions. All you need to do to receive SSTV pictures direct from the space station is to connect the audio output of a scanner or amateur radio transceiver via a simple interface to the soundcard on a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device, and tune in to 145.800 MHz FM. You can even receive pictures by holding an iPhone next to the radio loudspeaker. On Windows PC’s the free application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal, on Apple iOS devices you can use the SSTV app for compatible modes. The ISS puts out a strong signal on 145.800 MHz FM and a 2m handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it. The FM transmission uses the 5 kHz deviation which is standard in much of the world. Paul Turner G4IJE, co-developer of the SSTV PD modes, says regarding the MMSSTV PD180 mode: “Don’t forget to either enable “Always show RX viewer” or use the “Picture viewer” (magnifying glass icon) to show the picture at its real resolution of 640 x 496. If you just view as normal you will only see 320 x 248 resolution, which kind of defeats the object of using a high resolution mode.” Many more tips and links for various receiving options are available at http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/11/more-iss-slow-scan-tv/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1 Continues Preparation for Launch Following the successful conclusion of vibration and thermal/vacuum testing Fox-1 now is stored in a clean environment waiting for launch. However, there is still work going on behind the scenes. AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY says several required reports are being reviewed by the launch provider. We continue to make necessary updates if they request further information in order to be sure that all of the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. The paperwork is an ongoing full workload in itself, both during the design and construction and even after Fox-1 was finished. For the remaining schedule, Fox-1 will have its Mission Readiness Review (MRR) at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo CA on February 24 by a review board of Cal Poly and NASA representatives. Next, Fox-1 will be delivered and integrated into the P-POD at Cal Poly during the week of March 16. Then the countdown begins. [ANS thanks AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Navassa K1N Dxpedition Active on FO-29 Thanks to AMSAT, the Navassa Island K1N DXpedition was equipped to work stations via the FO-29 Amateur Radio satellite. Vice President-Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, said that AMSAT had provided the DXpedition with a Yaesu FT-817 transceiver and associated equipment to support operation on FO-29’s linear passband. AMSAT also gave the group pass predictions, an operational plan, and training. Several reports of successful contacts have been reported via messages on amsat-bb. In a message relayed by Mark, K0MDJ, from Glenn, W0GJ, the primary voice on FO-29 from Navassa reported, ""We have it down now ... takes four people: one antenna guy, one radio guy, one microphone guy, one logger ... plus a couple photographers. Glen also says they hope to be on every pass from now until they leave, so at least through Saturday." The Navassa team logs their contacts using Clublog: http://www.clublog.org/charts/?c=K1N If you can make a donation you can find the link on the DXpedition's web page: http://www.navassadx.com/ Mike, W4UOO, observed, "A tip of the Hat to Drew ... for delivering the gear and the How-To to some of the K1N team back in January and whatever else he did. There's a big thanks in here! What Great Marketing for Satellite operations. What great fun is being had ... all when it seems nearly impossible, suddenly you're talking to someone. It's great to see K1N/Satellite spots going by also! Love it." [ANS thanks the dozens of posts via amsat-bb for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Orlando Hamcation Report The 2015 Orlando Hamcation - Orlando, FL took place over the weekend of 13-15 Feb at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. AMSAT was represented all three days with a two booth are in the main commercial building. At the booth the ARISSat-1 working demo satellite and Fox-1 Engineering model were on display. The booth also provided a great location for people stop by and get information from VP of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and Dave Jordan, AA4KN. John Papay, K8YSE, was operating the sats via his remote and rover stations along with other satellite demos. An AMSAT forum was held on Saturday with Board of Directors member Lou McFadin, K5DID, providing an update on all the on-going AMSAT activities including upcoming ARISS activities and the Fox-1 series of cubesats. A special treat for those attending the forum was a special prize drawing. M2 donated one of their new 2m/70cm "Leo-Pack" antenna systems which made its debut at Hamcation. [ANS thanks Dave, AA4KN and the AMSAT Hamcation Team for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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Using Nova tracker in Windows 8.1
by Graham Shirville 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

Hi All, As a user of the Nova programme for many years I have hit a problem when it is running on a W8.1 machine. Although, when you have selected XP compatibility mode it installs and works ok, after some time it refuses to read the map files and says that they are not present. It still runs the predictions and antenna drivers fine but no map! All suggestions about how to fix this annoyance will be gratefully received. thanks and 73 Graham G3VZV

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Re: [amsat-bb] Ham Radio Deluxe, Satellite QSOs, and ARRL LotW
by Bryan Green 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

David, I've managed to make that work pretty well. Another question: in HRD, how do you set the grid locator when there are multiple grids? HRD as it is now doesn't have enough room in the Locator field to store an entry like "CM79,CM89,CN70,CN80". How do you handle that? Thanks in advance! -- bag On Feb 13, 2015, at 15:16, David W0DHB <dave(a)w0dhb.net> wrote: Hey Bryan For LoTW to recognize a SAT qso from any logger In HRD Logger SAT tab fill in satellite name <image001.png> In Propagation Tab set to Satellit <image002.png> Band should be set to Uplink Band <image003.png> This will also work for eqsl Make sure this box on Ant/Sat tab is unchecked or SAT name and propagation mode are reset after enter Is clicked <image004.png> -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bryan Green Sent: Friday, February 13, 2015 2:41 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Ham Radio Deluxe, Satellite QSOs, and ARRL LotW Question: Who here uses Ham Radio Deluxe to log Satellite QSOs and then uploads them to ARRL LotW? I'm not having the best success at making it work. Any pointers are much appreciated. -- bag KL7CN/W6 _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org <mailto:[email protected]>. 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb <http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb>

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Re: [amsat-bb] Scouting Museum on SO-50 2/14 2205Z
by Clint Bradford 14 Feb '15

14 Feb '15

Great work this afternoon, Tom, with your Scouts! Clint K6LCS

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FJ/N2IEN
by Paul Stoetzer 14 Feb '15

14 Feb '15

Good morning, Early this morning, I worked FJ/N2IEN on Saint Barthélemy on SO-50. This is a relatively new DXCC, only existing since 2007 (it was part of FS prior). This may be the first satellite operation from that DXCC entity. The group will be there until Tuesday. See: http://www.dx-world.net/fj-n2ien-fj-ww2dx-fj-w2rest-barts/ 73, Paul, N8HM

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USA to Propose Additional Sharing of 10 GHz band
by M5AKA 14 Feb '15

14 Feb '15

USA to Propose Additional Sharing Amateur and Amateur Satellite allocations in 9.9-10.5 GHz http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/14/usa-10-ghz-ham-radio/ Radio Astronomy and SDR Dongles http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/12/radio-astronomy-and-sdr-dongles/ Colloquium – First Call for Papers http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/06/colloquium-first-call-for-papers/ More ISS Slow Scan TV Activity http://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/11/more-iss-slow-scan-tv/ Chipsat, SatNOGS, TRSI PocketQube and OzQube1 feature on HackaDay http://hackaday.com/2015/02/13/hacklet-34-satellite-projects/ Speakers at Australian CubeSat event include Stuart McAndrew of OzQube1 http://www.acser.unsw.edu.au/events/cubesat2015.html ---- Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK Website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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Test message
by Mark Johns 14 Feb '15

14 Feb '15

Test message. I apologize for the spam. --Mark D. Johns, KØMDJ Decorah, Iowa USA ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain

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Re: [amsat-bb] Ham Radio Deluxe, Satellite QSOs, and ARRL LotW
by Bryan Green 13 Feb '15

13 Feb '15

Thanks a bunch, David! Great QSO on SO-50 just now, too. Still would like HRD to have both transmit and receive frequency, but this will get me going. 73! -- bag On Feb 13, 2015, at 15:16, David W0DHB <dave(a)w0dhb.net> wrote: Hey Bryan For LoTW to recognize a SAT qso from any logger In HRD Logger SAT tab fill in satellite name <image001.png> In Propagation Tab set to Satellit <image002.png> Band should be set to Uplink Band <image003.png> This will also work for eqsl Make sure this box on Ant/Sat tab is unchecked or SAT name and propagation mode are reset after enter Is clicked <image004.png> -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bryan Green Sent: Friday, February 13, 2015 2:41 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Ham Radio Deluxe, Satellite QSOs, and ARRL LotW Question: Who here uses Ham Radio Deluxe to log Satellite QSOs and then uploads them to ARRL LotW? I'm not having the best success at making it work. Any pointers are much appreciated. -- bag KL7CN/W6 _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org <mailto:[email protected]>. 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://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb <http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb>

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Ham Radio Deluxe, Satellite QSOs, and ARRL LotW
by Bryan Green 13 Feb '15

13 Feb '15

Question: Who here uses Ham Radio Deluxe to log Satellite QSOs and then uploads them to ARRL LotW? I'm not having the best success at making it work. Any pointers are much appreciated. -- bag KL7CN/W6

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Re: [amsat-bb] Fwd: [CDXC] Very latest from K1N
by RSoifer1＠aol.com 13 Feb '15

13 Feb '15

Sorry, here it is again Subj: [CDXC] Very latest from K1N Date: 2/13/2015 4:13:40 PM GMT Standard Time From: CDXC(a)yahoogroups.com To: CDXC(a)yahoogroups.com, GMDX(a)yahoogroups.co.uk Sent from the Internet (Details) A storm is brewing within the next two-three days. Everything that needed re-loading onto “Electra” has been finished. Mike NM6Z, Tomi KT4TTT & George AA7JV are safely on “Electra” and will be leaving Lulu Bay within the next few hours to get out of the way of the storm. High seas are expected, but this will not affect helicopter off-loading, except for maybe a passing squall. The 6M station and antenna are now packed. There will be one helicopter flight today to carry back camp construction supplies and unneeded items. Two people will be on that flight, leaving ten men on Navassa. We expect full radio operation to continue until daybreak Saturday, when the SteppIRs will be taken down and all stations packed except for the three that will remain on the air until daybreak Sunday. Saturday we expect three helicopter flights out by the end of the day. Left behind will be Craig K9CT, Jerry WB9Z & Glenn WØGJ to man the stations. Their personal gear will already be off the island. The only thing to do Sunday morning is to pack the radios and take down the dipoles, as the helicopter will arrive early Sunday morning for the last flight. Maybe some of this is a repeat, but the “evacuation plan” is looking good. We’ve had so much fun and wish we could stay….but we all want some REAL showers and a REAL bed….and to see our families!!! Even with 125,000+ QSOs it is amazing that the pileups yesterday were almost as fierce as the very first couple of days. 73, Glenn WØGJ [Col MM0NDX, EU Pilot, K1Navassa] __._,_.___ Posted by: Col MM0NDX <dxer59(a)gmail.com> Reply via web post • Reply to sender • Reply to group • Start a New Topic • Messages in this topic (1) Visit Your Group New Members 3 • Privacy • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___

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