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CN71
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 17 Aug '14

17 Aug '14

John W6ZKH is en route up the Pacific coast. He's currently in CN71 and will attempt to work the SO-50 pass tomorrow (17 August) starting at 1511Z (his AOS). 73 Glenn AA5PK

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TrakBox/PCSAT32
by Tom Lubbers K8TL 17 Aug '14

17 Aug '14

I thought I used to run the trakbox in host mode while using PCSAT. Couldn't find trackbox in the menues!! AM I getting senile or how do I do it?? Tom K8TL

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CO6CBF/P - FL12
by Clayton Coleman 16 Aug '14

16 Aug '14

Hector, CO6CBF will be working SO-50 and FO-29 passes from FL12 in eastern Cuba the morning of 16-August. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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France (IN94) on sat
by Michel F6GLJ 16 Aug '14

16 Aug '14

Hello everybody. I'll be on AO-07 between 18:44 and 18:51, good pass for qso France/Americas 73 qro de Michel F6GLJ

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Mystery Signal
by Thomas Doyle 16 Aug '14

16 Aug '14

During the FO-29 pass this morning I ran across this signal on 435.821 MHz. There was no Doppler so it is probably land based. It is amazing what you stumble across when using an SDR rather than a conventional receiver. It sounds like rtty or some other digimode. Any opinions on it. http://www.tomdoyle.org/435821.mp3 tnx W9KE Tom Doyle

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satpc32 driving SDR radio version 2.2 with Omnirig and the funcube dongle
by Lizeth Norman 16 Aug '14

16 Aug '14

Hi all! Haven't had this much fun crashing software since the bad old days of Windows 95! SDR console somehow managed to attempt to divide by zero, at least that's what the bug report said. Armageddon hasn't happened. It also has a bad habit reminiscent of the old days: memory doesn't get released when the program terminates. Makes a restart necessary. Within the limits of my laptop, the combination of satpc32 driving SDR radio version 2.2/omnirig software with the FCD is mostly working. I've taken a page from Tom, W9KE's book and convinced both pieces of software that they are or are talking to a Kenwood ts-2000, by linking them with Virtual Serial Port Manager (free for hams from K5FR). A few bugs/features: When the cat function of satpc32 is engaged, the frequency that is selected and sent to radio (the funcube dongle) is the tx freq of the satellite, not the rx freq. I did read the help file. Fiddling with the setting 4 in the DivOptions.sqf doesn't help. Another one is that SDR radio will only reproduce the correct audio all the time on vfo "b". I suspect that one or both can be worked around. Any ideas for a fix? I did play with adding /editing the cat file function from the front panel of satpc32. Didn't help. Tried selecting the automatic tx/rx change. Even tried to fake out satpc32 with a fake radio 2. No success. Manually edited the doppler.sqf for one satellite. That works. I'd like to use this with my other radios. Any ideas how to maintain compatibility without making too much of a mess changing between one configuration and another? I'd like to drive one more layer, a data/cw demodulation software package via virtual audio cable. Thought Simon was joking when he stated the pc requirements. I've got a 2.2 GHz core 2 duo with 2 gig of memory. This program sucks in the sides on the pc, then gets it to stumble and mumble at maximum sample rate. I doubt adding memory would help. Norm n3ykf

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Chasqui-1 deployment from ISS + Galileo GPS launches
by M5AKA 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

Chasqui-1 CubeSat deployment from ISS on August 18 after 1400 GMT - live TV coverage http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/chasqui-1-deployment-from-iss/ Galileo GPS system enters system deployment phase - downlink 1260-1300 MHz Galileo SATs 5-6 are scheduled to lift off at 12:31 GMT (14:31 CEST, 09:31 local time) on 21 August from Kourou on top of a Soyuz rocket. They are expected to become operational, after initial in-orbit testing, in autumn. The two satellites will join the four Galileo 'in-orbit validation' satellites already in space. Launched in pairs in October 2011 and October 2012, these four satellites - the minimum required to obtain a position fix - served to demonstrate and validate the space and ground segments of the system. Galileo SATs 7-8 are scheduled to follow end of year 2014. Then the constellation will be gradually deployed with six to eight satellites launched per year using a series of Soyuz and Ariane launches from Kourou, along with remaining elements of the ground network. http://www.esa.int/For_Media/Press_Releases/Call_for_Media_Press_briefing_o… Galileo - 23cm band and WRC-18 http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/13/23-cm-band-and-wrc-2018/ Dnepr Launch Planned for October http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/14/dnepr-launch-planned-for-october/ ---- 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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LUSAT-1 alive at night!
by Amsat Argentina 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

We knew that our LUSAT start transmitting again a couple of years ago, but only when illuminated by sun, and was not heard during the night. On the occasion of testing the application http://amsat.org.ar/sat.htm saw there was a nightly pass, which was tried to listen. Without much hope tuned 437.125 MHz, surprised to hear the usual strong 900mW continuous carrier +/- Doppler, but this time after 22 minutes of being LUSAT in the dark. Commenting locally, several other hams also tried and received LUSAT. It's almost a miracle that after almost 25 years, LUSAT vintage Ni-Cd batteries can receive and hold charge. It seems LUSAT is willing to greet hams on his 'Silver Jubilee' due next Jan-22 thru continuing talking with us from space after its more than 128,000 orbits. The LO-19, next to Oscar-7 and UO-11 is one of the most long-lived active amateur satellites. We have included short report and audio on http://amsat.org.ar/?f=z , Amsat-LU logs. More information on LUSAT (although in Spanish) on http://lusat.org.ar Reports welcomed at info at amsat.org.ar 73, lu7abf, Pedro http://amsat.org.ar https://www.facebook.com/Amsat.LU

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Round-world APRS balloons still flying!
by Robert Bruninga 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

As of today those 3 APRS balloons launched in the UK are still flying after more than 3 weeks! Amazing.. One of them over alaska has gone round the world more than 1.5 times, the other two are over Japan and approaching 1.5 orbits. http://aprs.fi/#!mt=roadmap&z=2&call=a%2FM0XER-3%2Ca%2FM0XER-4%2Ca%2FM0XER-… Bob, WB4APR

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144-146 and 435-438 MHz WebSDR + Webstream of UKHAS Conference
by M5AKA 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

The SUWS VHF/UHF/Microwave WebSDR is now operational from it's new site http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/ A presentation by Phil Crump M0DNY on the SUWS WebSDR will be streamed live to the web from the UKHAS Conference on Saturday, August 16, see http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/14/ukhas-2014-conference-live-video-stream/ There will also be a presentation on the $50SAT PocketQube by Stuart Robinson GW7HPW. ---- 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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W5KUB live web cast for Huntsville ham fest
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

http://tmedlin.com/mainpage.htm Prizes will be given to some WA4HFN em55 Damon www.starcommgroup.org

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Re: [amsat-bb] Honeymoon trip and tentative grid operation
by Rick Tejera 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

Just remember these 4 words Hector: Happy Wife, Happy Life! Congratulation and may you have a long and happy life together. Rick Tejera Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur radio Club (K7TEJ) www.w7tbc.org -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Hector, CO6CBF Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 11:46 To: kb2m(a)comcast.net Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Honeymoon trip and tentative grid operation Guys, Thanks very much for the THIRTY SEVEN congratulations messages in just 4 hours. Thanks very much for the good wishes. I really appreciate it! I am so grateful I found a woman who accepts amateur radio and satellite addiction. We almost spent six years of courtship; she already well knows my addiction :-) Thanks again! 73! Hector, CO6CBF / KF5YXV -----Mensaje original----- De: kb2m(a)comcast.net [mailto:[email protected]] Enviado el: Thursday, August 14, 2014 11:02 Para: CO6CBF Hector CC: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Asunto: Re: [amsat-bb] Honeymoon trip and tentative grid operation Oh Oh, Hector is getting married. We won't see him on the birds much anymore. You know the dreaded 'Honey Do' list. I will be at my shore home on Saturday where my sat station is located, and will try and work you. That is if I'm good and my Wife let's me :-) Seriously Hector, congratulations on your marriage.... 73 Jeff KB2M ----- Original Message ----- From: CO6CBF Hector <co6cbf(a)frcuba.co.cu> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Sent: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 14:16:19 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [amsat-bb] Honeymoon trip and tentative grid operation Hello to all My wife and I will travel to the Eastern of Cuba for our Honeymoon. We will travel thorough FL01, FL02, FL10, FL11 and we will spend two days very close to FL12. We plan to go to FL12 for a few passes on Saturday and will try to reach the FL00/FL10 boundary on Sunday. I will try to operate as much as time permits and more important my wife allows :-) I will be able to send some updates during the trip. Catch you on the birds! 73! Hector, CO6CBF _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Berlenga Is.
by Fabiano Moser 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

Hi, Just to inform we are triping to Berlenga Is IM59fj IOTA-040. I will try to make so manny QSO as possible till sunday. More info at: http://www.qrz.com/db/cq7lw CT7ABD Fabiano Moser. Enviado do meu iPhone

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Special Event Station W7M Saturday, August 16 2014
by wa7eth＠frontier.com 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

The Snohomish County HAMS Club and the Cascade Radio Club of Everett will be activating the Mukilteo Washington Lighthouse for the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend on Saturday, August 16th. The special event call sign will be W7M. I will be putting W7M out on FO-29, AO-7 and SO-50 in grid CN87. This is not a particularly rare grid, but it will be fun and an opportunity to demonstrate satellite operations. The following is a list of the passes I plan to try: FO-29 1532Z and 1719Z (1719Z is extremely low elevation and may not work) SO-50 1626Z , 1809Z, 1951Z (1809Z is extremely low elevation and may not work) AO-7 2042Z (this one also low elevation – will try CW only on this pass) For FO-29, look for W7M around 435.830 +/- Doppler 73’…Ed WA7ETH

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Honeymoon trip and tentative grid operation
by Hector, CO6CBF 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

Hello to all My wife and I will travel to the Eastern of Cuba for our Honeymoon. We will travel thorough FL01, FL02, FL10, FL11 and we will spend two days very close to FL12. We plan to go to FL12 for a few passes on Saturday and will try to reach the FL00/FL10 boundary on Sunday. I will try to operate as much as time permits and more important my wife allows :-) I will be able to send some updates during the trip. Catch you on the birds! 73! Hector, CO6CBF

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Re: [amsat-bb] IC-910H Receiver Repair
by Dino Papas 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

Les - two recommendations: Icom Service Center Michigan (www.sarts1.com) - had my 910H repaired there recently and Matt did a great job. or a tried and true long time Icom fixer at MTS (http://mts-icom.wix.com/hamradiorepair) - been a long time since I had my IC-211 repaired there but have only heard good things from others ever since. Dino KL0S On Aug142014, at 1127 AM, Les Rayburn <les(a)highnoonfilm.com> wrote: > Can someone recommend a repair service that has experience with the unique needs of VHF/UHF weak signal operation? My IC-910H is "ailing" and I don't want to be without it for long. > > I noticed that signals on 2M satellites sounded a bit weaker than normal, but I attributed that to random phasing. Then during the Perseid meteor showers, all my QSO's turned into marathon events, many lasting well over an hour. Even at distances that should have been easy, and with stations running high power. I investigated further by monitoring two local beacons, and noticed that one was much weaker than normal, and the other could not be copied at all. Using WSJT, I couldn't even see the faint trace of the carrier. > > Also checked local NOAA weather stations...and I can normally copy at least one station on each frequency. Now, I can only seem to manage to hear stations on the two of them. Something is amiss. I swapped out cables, checked connections, etc. Nothing improves the situation. Transmit output power is normal on all bands. > > The problem appears to be isolated to 2 Meter receive, but it's difficult to check other frequencies here. > > Any recommendation on where to send my baby? > > > -- > -- > 73, > > Les Rayburn, N1LF > 121 Mayfair Park > Maylene, AL 35114 > EM63nf > > 6M VUCC #1712 > AMSAT #38965 > Grid Bandits #222 > Southeastern VHF Society > Central States VHF Society Life Member > Six Club #2484 > > Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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IC-910H Receiver Repair
by Les Rayburn 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

Can someone recommend a repair service that has experience with the unique needs of VHF/UHF weak signal operation? My IC-910H is "ailing" and I don't want to be without it for long. I noticed that signals on 2M satellites sounded a bit weaker than normal, but I attributed that to random phasing. Then during the Perseid meteor showers, all my QSO's turned into marathon events, many lasting well over an hour. Even at distances that should have been easy, and with stations running high power. I investigated further by monitoring two local beacons, and noticed that one was much weaker than normal, and the other could not be copied at all. Using WSJT, I couldn't even see the faint trace of the carrier. Also checked local NOAA weather stations...and I can normally copy at least one station on each frequency. Now, I can only seem to manage to hear stations on the two of them. Something is amiss. I swapped out cables, checked connections, etc. Nothing improves the situation. Transmit output power is normal on all bands. The problem appears to be isolated to 2 Meter receive, but it's difficult to check other frequencies here. Any recommendation on where to send my baby? -- -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf 6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484 Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light

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Decoding FunCube with HDSDR - Problem Solved
by Thomas Doyle 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

Huge thanks to N8MH Mark Hammond for pointing out that the signal is USB not FM. The only defense I can offer for making that error is the fact that I am an old geezer. 73 W9KE Tom Doyle

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23 cm band and WRC-2018
by M5AKA 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

The Chair of the IARU R1 VHF/UHF/Microwave Committee, Michael Kastelic OE1MCU says: "it seems that radio amateurs will lose the 23 cm band in the near future" See http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/13/23-cm-band-and-wrc-2018/ Galileo article http://www.southgatearc.org/articles/galileo.htm Also on the AMSAT-UK website: RAGazine now available for download http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/12/ragazine-now-available-for-download-2/ ---- 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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AO-73 Telemetry Question
by Thomas Doyle 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

Hi, Recorded an AO-73 telemetry pass (RF recording) this morning with HDSDR. Later fed it from HDSDR into the sound card and then to the FCD Dashboard (see pic). It appears the signal is making it to the Dashboard but nothing seems to happen. I tired (Auto Tune) on/off, and narrowing the bandwidth of the HDSDR filter to better match the bw of the signal but still nothing. It does seem to lock on to the (Detected Frequency 2262 Hz) but that's about all it does. The Dashboard is brilliant and I would like to get it working. Due to deed restrictions no outside antennas are allowed so the signal is not that strong here (about 5dB above the noise) and it might never work from here. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Any suggestions that we move to a new neighborhood that allows outside antennas will be forwarded to my wife :-) http://www.tomdoyle.org/dashboard1sm.png Tnx W9KE Tom Doyle

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N8RO Portable Operations
by Ronald Oldham 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

We will start a vacation road trip on Saturday August 16, 2014 and will return home around September 20, 2014. I will operate only on SO-50 & FO-29. I will attempt to be on one morning and one evening pass of the satellites, but it’s a vacation and nothing is set in stone. The trip will be divided into three phases. The first phase will carry us through TX, NM, AZ and CA. The first stop will be in DM62 ending up in CM87 on August 26, 2014. The second phase of the trip will start in AK, BP52, on August 27, 2014 and will end in CN89 on September 6, 2014. A major portion of this part of the trip will be aboard a cruise ship and if I am permitted to operate as N8RO/MM I will only be on SO-50 with a HT and a whip antenna, so contacts may be difficult. The final portion of the trip will start on September 8, 2014 and will carry us through CA, NV, UT, CO, NM & TX starting again in CN89 and ending in EM00. I hope that I can make contacts with many of you. 73, Ron Oldham – N8RO

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Re: [amsat-bb] AO-73 Telemetry Question
by Rick Tejera 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

It may not be as simple as that, My current residence, (and the antenna restrictions that come with it) predates any interest in Amatuer Radio. Rick Tejera Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur radio Club (K7TEJ) www.w7tbc.org -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John Becker Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 15:26 Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-73 Telemetry Question it was not a "answer" but rather a "question." Plain and very simple. On 8/12/2014 5:02 PM, Thomas Doyle wrote: > John, > > Thanks so much for that answer. It was a big help. > > 73 W9KE > > > On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, John Becker <w0jab(a)big-river.net > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > I will not suggest that you move. But did you check the > restrictions before moving there? > Seems a no brainier for any ham. > > W0JAB > On 8/12/2014 4:18 PM, Thomas Doyle wrote: IN PART > > Due to deed restrictions no outside antennas are allowed > > _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Gustavo, PT9BM in GH40
by Hector, CO6CBF 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

Hello to all! I just worked a new South American station and new grid on FO-29. Gustavo, PT9BM was sounding very good from GH40. He was very excited when He got my call sign. He could be in range with some US stations. 73! Hector, CO6CBF / KF5YXV

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9Z4FZ Updates
by Hector, CO6CBF 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

Hello to all! Julien, 9Z4FZ is having some issues to connect his TS-2000 to the PC. If any TS-2000 user can help, please feel free to email him at his address in qrz.com. I am sure, he will appreciate any hint. 73! Hector, CO6CBF / KF5YXV ------------------------------------------------------------ Since Hector CO6CBF invoke my satellite spirit back ,I have been putting back all the gears together ,over the past few days, I have been focusing on building a computer for the birds not one but three ,so far I have put together a dell optiplex SX-280 but running a SX-620 board . I am more a Linux guy ,I install Gpredict and tried to connect the radio for the software to control the radio, three day now I feel like i am going mad so simple and the ts-2000 is not being control ,hamlib rigctld and libhamlib2 install and Gpredict is not controlling the radio when in satellite mode the ts-2000 not function properly . After reaching i found hams with the same problems i am having ,Problems with the Kenwood TS-2000 for satellite work http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200412/msg00335.html http://ccdblog.azurewebsites.net/?tag=gpredict-ts-2000-how-to-best-practice I have a registered copy of Nova for windows I tried running it under wine in Linux but not performing so good, well i have set back up a windows machine to see if i can get my radios to be control for the Doppler shift ,I am getting out my receive is the problem and it is centered around the Doppler as to move frequencies as the bird move . I will run Nova ,I have TRX Manager that can run with Nova to get the Doppler to work ,also I have Asatlogger that need Nova for Doppler operation it will work the ts-2000,d700a,d710 and the th-d7 kenwood radios, also I have RADCOM 5.2 TX/RX it have satellite operation in it as well , I have some option ,once I can get the software to control the radio for Doppler operation FK90IP will work every bird he can from voice to digital 1.2Ghz and above they bring it and I will work it . Other hams will be coming on board too, many of them have ft-857, ft--897 and can be work in half duplex mode with gpredict as they can be control by the software by later today I will be back on Apr’s and Packet via the ISS have have the necessary hardware and software for this resources is not a problem the problem is just the receive to fix.

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Fwd:
by quadpugh＠bellsouth.net 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

Hello! http://nicotekhawaii.com/_photo2.jpeg?yrumonap223178

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ISS QSL Cards for FD Contacts
by Clint Bradford 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

> ISS QSL cards from Field Day contacts are in the mail!!! My contact's backstory at ... > > > http://tinyurl.com/ISS-K6LCS

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amsat test
by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

Please ignore Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School

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test888888888
by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

Please ignore Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School

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"The Space Review" Article On Small Boosters
by B J 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

http://thespacereview.com/article/2577/1 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Berlenga Is.
by Fabiano Moser 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

Hi, This weekend we gonna try to be active portable at FO-29 and other birds from Berlenga Is. IOTA EU-040 locator IM59JK during the "International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend Contest" together the HF as well http://dxing.at-communication.com/en/cs5rco_berlenga/ Not lookef for the passes yet, but we arrive at the Island around 11:00 UTC and departure at sunday. I hope to make few QSO from there. 73 Fabiano Moser. CT7ABD Enviado do meu iPhone

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W5PFG/P DM84/85, DM94/95
by Clayton Coleman 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

I plan to operate on several satellite passes tomorrow evening from the Amarillo, TX area on this schedule: Date & Time UTC 12.08.2014 FO-29 22:23 DM94/95 12.08.2014 SO-50 23:14 DM84/85 13.08.2014 FO-29 00:05 DM84/85 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Ham radio goes around the Moon
by M5AKA 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

The lunar flyby with a ham radio payload transmitting JT65B on 145.990 MHz should take place towards the end of the year. http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/11/ham-radio-goes-around-the-moon/ ---- 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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Satellite Launch kickstarted
by Stefan Wagener 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

$1500 will get a university a free launch $5000 will get you a 1kg payload launch Interested? Go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2108374921/open-space

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AmsatDroidFree Update
by David Johnson 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

Hi, I have just released a new version 1.0.7 of the application which fixes a problem whereby viewing the SkyMap was causing the it to crash (on a very small number of occasions). Please note that I have moved the base SDK version to 4.0.3 (ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH) rather than 2.3.3 (GINGERBREAD) this is in preparation of a paid version with more features. This was a hard choice to make but there are only 8% of the users on 2.3.3 but the support of backward compatibility precludes some of the richer features in the later versions. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.me.g4dpz.HamSatDroid&hl=en… 73 - Dave, G4DPZ

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NO EJECTION MASS Propulsion
by Robert McGwier 10 Aug '14

10 Aug '14

I hope they aren't wrong because they clearly don't understand how it works!!! http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140006052 Bob N4HY -- Bob McGwier Co-Owner and Technical Director, Federated Wireless, LLC Professor Virginia Tech Senior Member IEEE, Facebook: N4HYBob, ARS: N4HY Faculty Advisor Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Assn. (K4KDJ)

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D-STAR Parrot Repeater test on TabletSAT-Aurora
by M5AKA 10 Aug '14

10 Aug '14

A test of the D-STAR Parrot Repeater on the TabletSAT-Aurora satellite is expected to take place during Monday, August 11 on 437.050 MHz (+/- Doppler shift), use Chrome to translate this page which is in Russian http://r4uab.ru/?p=7160 Some further info on the satellite is at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/06/18/dnepr-launch-for-d-star-satellite/ ---- Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK Website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK Flickr https://www.flickr.com/groups/amsatuk/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK ----

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ANS-222 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 10 Aug '14

10 Aug '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-222 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: * Crowdfunding for Fox-1C Launch * 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers Deadline Approaching * ARISS Contact Success * France WIll Now Allow Students Third Party Communication With The ISS * CubeSat Launch Initiative: 50 CubeSats from 50 States in 5 years * An Amateur Radio Village at EMF 2014 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-222.01 ANS-222 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 222.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. Auguat 10, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-222.01 Crowdfunding for Fox-1C Launch AMSAT has set up a campaign page with FundRazr to help launch Fox-1C next year. In order to maximize our success in raising the required funds, please visit the following link and use the buttons to share the campaign with your friends and contacts on social media and via email. The more it is shared, the more people will see it, and the more support we will receive. http://fnd.us/c/6pz92/sh/561Zd We will continue to explore other fundraising venues between now and launch, so please follow us on Twitter (AMSAT), Facebook (The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)), and at www.amsat.org for updates. [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers Deadline Approaching This is the first call for papers for the 2014 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 10-12, 2014, at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. The final copy must be submitted by September 15 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv at amsat.org [ANS thanks the 2014 Baltimore Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Contact Success A direct contact via 8J3AK with students at Amino Kita Elementary School, Kyotango, Japan on Wed 2014-08-06 10:25:43 UTC 68 deg was successful. Students conducted the interview in English with astronaut Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT and received answers to 23 questions. [ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- France Will Now Allow Students Third Party Communication With The ISS On July 16, 2014 the French State Secretary for Digital Affairs, Axelle Lemaire, responded to a request by the Deputy of Haute-Vienne Province, Daniel Boiserrie, authorizing French students to participate directly in ARISS educational school contacts under the supervision of a licensed operator. Until now, the French administration was very restrictive. For direct school contacts, the operator read the questions prepared by the students. Even this is "third party", but was tolerated by the French regulatory authority. Most European countries allow students to participate directly in ARISS school contacts under the supervision of a licensed operator. Permission to do so requires varying procedures from country to country, but the issue of enabling "third party" communications can generally be solved. Until now, the only exception was France. Notwithstanding years and years of efforts, French schoolchildren had no access to the mike for direct amateur radio communications with the ISS. The letter from the Secretary of State in charge of telecommunications now changes the game. On behalf of the European ARISS partners, Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe Chairman, extends thanks to Sylvain Valat, F1UJT, who led this successful effort. [ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CubeSat Launch Initiative: 50 CubeSats from 50 States in 5 years As part of the White House Maker Initiative, NASA is seeking to leverage the growing community of space-enthusiasts to contribute to NASA's space exploration goals. NASA is broadening the CubeSat Launch Initiative to promote a spacecraft nation and develop innovative technology partnerships among NASA, U.S. industry and educational institutions to build upon an existing successful initiative and expand it to include launching 50 small satellites from 50 states within five years. The initiative will enable the acceleration of flight-qualified technology that will increase our understanding of Earth and assist in bridging current strategic knowledge gaps needed to extend human exploration of space beyond low-Earth orbit, potentially reducing our nation's cost for future exploration efforts. A new announcement of launch opportunity for CubeSat developers has been released. It is the first step to broaden its reach to all 50 states by targeting the 21 "rookie states" that have not previously been selected by the CubeSat Launch Initiative, and will leverage the Space Grant network of colleges and universities. Those states include: Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico. CubeSats provide the opportunity for Makers to build small satellites to demonstrate new innovative technologies and conduct scientific research in a space environment. Applicants must submit proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 25. NASA will select the payloads by Feb. 6, 2015, but selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. NASA will not provide funding for the development of the small satellites. CubeSat Launch Initiative satellites selected to date come from 29 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin More information about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, including previously- selected Respondents, is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------- An Amateur Radio Village at EMF 2014 There will be an amateur radio village and special event station GB2EMF at the Electromagnetic Field EMF 2014 event taking place August 29-31 at Bletchley near Milton Keynes. EMF 2014 is a festival for anyone interested in radio, electronics, space, homebrewing, robots, UAVs, 3D printing, DIYBio, Internet culture or pretty much anything else you can think of. It is a volunteer effort by a non-profit group, inspired by European and US hacker camps like Chaos Communication Camp, HAR, and toorcamp. Imagine a camping festival with a power grid and high-speed internet access; a temporary village of geeks, crafters, and technology enthusiasts that's lit up by night, and buzzing with activity during the day. Over a thousand curious people will descend on the friendly open space to learn, share, and talk about what they love. Over a long weekend, you can expect to see a huge variety of talks across three stages, a slew of workshops, as well as music, games, and installations dotted around the site. Attendees are invited to set up their own villages --- camps within the camp --- where like-minded people can camp together and put on their own activities. The hard-working EMF team of volunteers will supply you with power and internet to your tent. The special event station GB2EMF will be run from the Amateur Radio Village, it had been hoped to have a 70cm/2m crossband FM repeater operational during the event but it looks as though Ofcom licensing issues may preclude this. At each EMF event the organisers try and give the attendees a great camp badge. Not just a 'Hello my name is" sticker but a nice fun piece of technology that they can take away and use after the event. EMF 2014 takes place August 29-31 near Newton Longville, just South of Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK17 0BU. EMF 2014 https://www.emfcamp.org/ Twitter @emfcamp Facebook https://www.facebook.com/emfcamp Report on the EMF 2012 event http://amsat-uk.org/2012/09/01/emf-2012-milton-keynes/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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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Grid Map Updates - CQ Europe/South America
by John Papay 09 Aug '14

09 Aug '14

Thanks to the following operators who sent updates and/or provided data for a new gridmap on my satellite website. W0DHB N8HM KB1PVH WA7ETH AC0RA W5PFG WD9EWK KO4MA PD4KH F6GLJ These maps show that there continues to be activity on the birds despite there being fewer to work through. I'm especially happy that we now have two gridmaps from Europe. Grid maps from European operators are always welcome. We could use some from Op's in South America as well. If you are looking for a rare grid to operate from, these maps will help you make a selection. It can be fun to operate on the other end of a pileup. Please continue to update your maps. If you haven't created a map yet please consider doing so. If you want me to create it for you just send two .txt files, one with your confirmed grids and one with the grids you have WORKED BUT NOT CONFIRMED, one 4 character grid per line. No amount of grids worked is too small. Every grid list started with the first grid confirmed! Website: http://www.papays.com/sat 73, John K8YSE

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CAPE-2 #4032 over Brazil
by Roland Zurmely 09 Aug '14

09 Aug '14

4 successful commands: 13:18 W5UL>W5UL-15>UI,C,F0: *forcebeac# 13:18 W5UL-15>W5UL>UI,C,F0: +W5UL,CAPE-2,6,GR,201301281916CST,5550mV,010-1,6,6C,1C,ulcape.org# 13:19 W5UL>W5UL-15>UI,C,F0: *clock201408091019CST# 13:19 W5UL-15>W5UL>UI,C,F0: *ACK# 13:19 W5UL>W5UL-15>UI,C,F0: *forcebeac# 13:19 W5UL-15>W5UL>UI,C,F0: +W5UL,CAPE-2,7,GR,201408091019CST,5381mV,01000,7,8C,3C,ulcape.org# 13:19 W5UL>W5UL-15>UI,C,F0: *dump# 13:19 W5UL-15>W5UL>UI,C,F0: W5UL,5360,816,5354,0,5352,44,5352,GR,001,9,3,ulcape.org# 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ GH70un

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France (IN94) on sat
by Michel F6GLJ 09 Aug '14

09 Aug '14

Hello. I'll be on AO-07 between 18 :07 and 18:21, good pass for qso France NA. Hope meet you. 73 qro de Michel F6GLJ

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Ukube-1/FC-2 Warehouse Upload Problems
by David Johnson 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

Hi, The team are aware that dashboard data is not being uploaded. We will be working on this over the weekend. Please keep in touch via forum.funcube.org.uk 73 Dave, G4DPZ

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Re: [amsat-bb] Clock TrakBox
by Alan 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

Enzo, Years ago when I built mine, I used a metal box, and used chokes on all the leads. This included the power supply, CAT, and the DIN connector which when to my rotator. I could hear a few very weak signals, but nothing which caused any problem on either voice or digital. 73s, Alan WA4SCA <-----Original Message----- <From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Vincenzo Mone <Sent: Friday, August 08, 2014 4:36 PM <To: Amsat - BBs <Subject: [amsat-bb] Clock Trakbox < <Hi Folks, <i have a problem while i try to listen the satellites on 2 meters <like UKUBE, AO-73 and others. <I am using as tracker hardware the trakbox and when I switch it on I can < hear the IC clock into the 2 meters band of my radio giving me problems to <hear the bird. <I need to switch it off and track the bird manually. <Anybody can suggest me how to eliminate the disturb? <Any help will be really appreciated. < <73's de Enzo IK8OZV <EasyLog 5 BetaTester <EasyLog PDA BetaTester <WinBollet BetaTester <D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania <Skype: ik8ozv8520 < < < < < ********************************** < ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* < ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ****** < *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** < ********************************* < < <_______________________________________________ <Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. <Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! <Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

1 0

Clock Trakbox
by Vincenzo Mone 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

Hi Folks, i have a problem while i try to listen the satellites on 2 meters like UKUBE, AO-73 and others. I am using as tracker hardware the trakbox and when I switch it on I can hear the IC clock into the 2 meters band of my radio giving me problems to hear the bird. I need to switch it off and track the bird manually. Anybody can suggest me how to eliminate the disturb? Any help will be really appreciated. 73's de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ********************************** ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ****** *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** *********************************

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Cross Country Sentry 10 Info
by Les Rayburn 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

First of all, I should state that I have no financial interest in the Cross Country Sentry 10 SDR, nor any ax to grind against competitors. But I have gotten some additional information from it's developer that I think will be of interest to VHF operators. Overall, this product sounds like a real winner for both weak signal and satellite operators. The ability to have output on all VHF bands from 6 Meters thru 1.2 GHz would be perfect for rovers, and really simplify station design for the rest of us. Here are the comments I've received from Chris, G4HYG. =============================================================== I'm also a VHF/UHF weak signal enthusiast so I appreciate your kind comments. We are in the final development phase of the transceiver and are planning to start a KickStarter project in about a month to put the transceiver into production. To give you an idea of the technology used in the transceiver the RF front end device is a PGA-103+ low noise amplifier with a LTC5584 as a mixer. The PA stage uses the new BLP10H610 device from NXP. This NXP device is due to be released this month so it should be available when we are ready to start production. The transceiver will work at 222 and 902/903 MHz for U.S. customers. Our intention is to supply different firmware and filter options depending on the customers location. For example the E.U., U.S, and Japan have different frequency specifications for imported amateur radio equipment. For in-house testing and any potential military customers we do have wideband firmware but I wouldn't like to release that firmware for general use for obvious reasons. The approach we have taken with our existing SDR receivers is to try to design them so that they can use as many SDR programs as possible. The Sentry transceiver is somewhat different in that it doesn't divide the LO frequency by 4 to generate the 90 degree phase shift for the IQ LO injection. Programs will have to use the direct LO frequency without division. So far HDSDR and Quisk are the only programs I know of so far that will operate directly with the Sentry transceiver on both transmit and receive. SDR Radio and SDR Sharp work OK on receive. I'm in regular contact with most of the SDR software authors as I try to help them to add support for our products so I'll be in contact with them before launch to ask if they can add support for the Sentry transceiver. Regarding the question about bandwidth the internal sound card has a 48 kHz sampling rate so the span bandwidth is limited to 48 kHz, The transceiver will have a IQ output to drive external sound cards up to 192 kHz. The transceiver is designed as a near zero IF (typically 100 Hz to avoid the AM and FM carrier appearing at DC). This helps prevent hams unintentionally transmitting out of band. The transmitter IQ chain is filtered with a 8.5 kHz filter to reduce the wideband noise that can be transmitted along with the wanted signal. We realize that many users will want to drive external high power amplifiers and transverters. Recently I've been testing one of the the prototype transceivers during the weekly Tuesday night 4, 6, 2 and 70cm contests run by the RSGB. My local club (Bolton Wireless Club) have around 25 members who take part in the contest and as they are line of sight with my station it's a tough test of any receiver or transmitter during the contest. The latest tests have even included using unmatched antennas such as a HF dipole as a VHF antenna to see how the RF filtering worked in extreme mismatch conditions. A lot of the development time over the last two years has been dedicated to ensuring that the receiver is as good as we can make it and that the transmitter is clean with regard to wideband noise. All these on-air tests confirmed what had already been proved in the lab tests and proved that the design is good and now ready for production. The original YouTube video and the photographs on the web page show an early prototype. The production version will have a different case more suited to fitting underneath a laptop PC. We are planning to add a new video showing a working prototype in action in a week or two. Thanks for your kind comments about the plan for a KickStarter project. I'll update the web page and the CCW Yahoo group forum with regular progress reports. Regards, Chris, G4HYG ========================================================================== -- -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf 6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484 Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light

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EL02 work at night
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

Rain this morning, I could not work EL02. Tonight will try to activate EL02 in the pass of 00: 53Z 8/8/2014 is also a great pass. David Maciel Sent From Iphone

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FOR SALE YAESU FT736-R FULLY LOADED
by Dave Marthouse 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

I am selling a Yaesu FT-736R. The radio is in great shape and includes the standard hand mic, speech synthesizer module, ctcss module, 50MHZ module, and the rare 220MHZ module. The rig's internal power supply works great. The equipment was operated in a non-smoking environment. As the radio is in mint condition I am asking $1200 and I'll pay the UPS shipping. It will be sent in it's original packing box. I'm selling it because my new QTH unfortunately won't be practical for a tower and weak signal satellite array. If anyone is interested and has any questions please feel free to E-Mail me at the address below. Dave Marthouse N2AAM dmarthouse(a)gmail.com

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AO-73 at 03:20Z
by Paul Stoetzer 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

Good evening, I will be on the 03:20Z AO-73 pass that covers much of North America this evening. Last night was fun! Hope to hear a few people on the satellite. I will call CQ at around 145.965 MHz. The satellite will enter sunlight at 03:27:45 and the transponder will shut off. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Washington, DC

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LEO Flight Opportunity NOW?
by Robert Bruninga 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

If you can make a flight ready amateur payload with some kind of educational association in the next 3 months, there is a ride. You get a temperature controlled 0-60C flat plate about 4" by 7" and 28v power on the outside of a large free-flyer. The bad news is that the mission is low LEO so maybe only a life time of 3 or 4 months. Riding back from the smallsat conference to the airport in the shuttle one of the passengers asked If I wanted to fly an APRS payload. I said sure. THen he said "do you know anyone else too?" Need to involve "students" is important... I apologize that I dont have any of your prior emails (Im transiting airports for the next 14 hours and wont have access to old emails for 2 more days, but didnt want to wast any time. I hate to spin people up like this, and it may take a week for me to get official details, and it may only be a pipe dream, but thought I would share it. Your box will be attached to their plate, and your other side is exposed to space. They will provide another 28v to burn any release mechanisims for your antennas. Assume one edge of your box can be close to a spacecraft edge so your antenna can come out and hang over an edge. Or your box can be a few inches high and can deploy its antenna "up" from the plate and then you have more mounting options. Whether you are on the top, bottom, or side of the mother ship is still open. Spacecraft is well powered and 3 axis stabilized. Serious builders with space experience ONLY. I gotta not only build mine, but also finish two others and should not be wasting time with emails. AND you have to have your IARU frequency coordination and FCC paperwork done too. But power, a platform, an attitude, some temperature control, quick attachment, and a ride are hard to pass up. Bob, WB4APR

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Working Today EL01
by david.xe3dx＠gmail.com 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

Today I will be working EL01. 2:07 And 00:27 UTC SO-50 Happy to work and listen. EL02 work tomorrow and end my trip. David Maciel XE3DX Enviando desde mi Iphone

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QB50p1 and QB50p2 identified
by Nico Janssen 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

All, Using detailed doppler measurements I find that QB50p1 is object 40025, 2014-033R, and QB50p2 is object 40032, 2014-033Y. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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France (IN94) on sat
by Michel F6GLJ 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

Hello. I'll be on AO-07B between 18:14 and 18:28 and on FO-29 between 19:56 and 22:08 UTC, and I hope meet you. 73 qro from Michel F6GLJ

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Working AO73
by Richard Lawn 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

Thanks for the operating tips Paul as I have not been very successful in the past with this bird. Perhaps I'll try again tonight from my lakeside qth in FN21. I've noticed that sigs are very strong but I've always had trouble finding myself. I'll try your approach. 73 Rick W2JAZ

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Cross Country SDR Sentry 10
by Les Rayburn 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

http://www.crosscountrywireless.net/sentry.html If true, this would provide the first SDR with output on 6 Meters, 2 Meters, 222, 432, and 1.2 GHz. This would be a real game-changer for VHF weak signal operators, and provide enough drive for most amps. Can't wait to learn more about this product. -- -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf 6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484 Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light --

2 3

AO-73 tonight at 02:58Z
by Paul Stoetzer 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

Good evening, I will be on AO-73 tonight at around 02:58Z, calling CQ at around 145.965 MHz. These passes usually don't have much, if any, activity and I'd like to drum up a bit more. The satellite will enter sunlight at 03:05:45, giving about 7 minutes of transponder time here in Washington, DC. I will be operating off a south facing balcony, so I will probably lose the satellite about 30 seconds before the transponder shuts off. Tips for working AO-73: -Do not use computer control, the transponder frequencies are not stable and this will only result in frustration. Besides, manual Doppler control is much more fun than letting the computer do all the work! -I usually start a pass by trying to find myself come into the top edge of the passband (145.970 MHz). To do this, I usually start transmitting around 435.130 MHz and tuning up slowly until I can hear myself enter the passband. Then I can move around the transponder easily. Remember to tune your uplink to maintain an constant downlink frequency (the opposite of FO-29). -Keep power output down. The transponder has a very sensitive receiver and a very active AGC circuit. Excessive uplink power will not make your signal louder - it will only reduce that available for others on the transponder. With a clear view of the horizon, 5 watts to an Arrow or Elk is plenty for horizon to horizon coverage. Very slightly more might be necessary if you are beaming through trees or other obstructions, but try to keep power to 25-40 watts ERP. Hope to hear you on this evening! 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Washington, DC

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Reception of UKube-1 FUNcube-2 Beacon
by M5AKA 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

Many stations, who have their FUNcube Dongle SDR setup to automatically receive telemetry signals from FUNcube-1, will have noticed that they are now also seeing the telemetry from the FUNcube-2 sub-system which is flying on-board the UKube-1 CubeSat. This is part of the commissioning program for UKube-1 which is presently underway. http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/06/reception-of-ukube-1-funcube-2-beacon-on-fun… Also on the AMSAT-UK website AMSAT to use FundRazr Crowdfunding http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/05/amsat-to-use-fundrazr-crowdfunding/ UKHAS Conference Greenwich, London on Saturday, August 16 There is an impressive line-up of radio amateurs giving presentations at this event. Amateur Radio Exams are also being held at the event http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/05/amateur-radio-exams-at-ukhas-conference-gree… Amateur Radio Village at EMF 2014 http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/05/amateur-radio-village-at-emf-2014/ NASA Announces Next Opportunity for CubeSat Space Missions http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/05/nasa-announces-next-opportunity-for-cubesat-… Online Amateur Radio Satellite Predictor http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/05/online-amateur-radio-satellite-predictor/ ISEE-3 Presentation Video Now Available http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/03/isee-3-presentation-video-now-available/ RF Design Stand at AMSAT-UK Colloquium http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/02/rf-design-stand-at-amsat-uk-colloquium/ G3YJO becomes Chair of Surrey Space Centre http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/01/g3yjo-becomes-chair-of-surrey-space-centre/ ---- Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK Website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK Flickr https://www.flickr.com/groups/amsatuk/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK ----

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Perseid Pings on the Internet
by JoAnne Maenpaa 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

The Perseid meteor shower peak is predicted to occur between August 11 to 13. There are a few pre-peak pings already audible. The activity should increase over the next several days. Web streaming of the Perseid is on-line at: http://spaceweatherradio.com/ Quoting from their web page here is how they do it now: The US Air Force Space Surveillance Radar has been shut down, but we're still recording meteor echoes. How do we do it? Radio engineer Stan Nelson uses a Yagi antenna in New Mexico to detect 54 MHz TV signals reflected from meteor trails. When a meteor passes over his observatory--ping!--there is an echo. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT Journal

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Rosetta probe has rendezvoused with comet
by Mike Lemons 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2715387/Rosettas-best-view-E… The space probe has passed within 1,000 kilometers of the comet and is maneuvering to match velocity. The space probe took an amazing photo. (Ugliest looking comet that I have ever seen!) The space probe will send a lander to the comet's surface. (Next year, maybe?) Unfortunately, the European Space Agency is not as open with their data as the American space agency is. They let their people study the photos first before they release them to the public.

2 1

Running dual IC706MKII-G radios
by Tom Warren 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

As a follow-up to this thread, I would like to thank all who replied to my questions and helped me along the way. By following the instructions given, I now have both Icom’s running together with SatPC32…..how sweet !!!! Sure beats using the ‘ol overlay plotter…wasn’t it an Oscarlator ? Thanks again and it’s time to finish my Satellite station with some antennas (cp) and get on the air ;0) I’ve already completed the WRAPS-II az/el rotator system. 73 Tom W4TMW

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NO EJECTION MASS Propulsion
by Mike Lemons 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

It doesn't violate any laws of physics if you are expending power from photovoltaics to propel your spacecraft. For example, you could push against the Earth's magnetic field to get a satellite into a higher orbit. This article seems to confirm this model, although they don't know what they are pushing against: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-07/31/nasa-validates-impossible-sp… I agree that this is probably nonsense, but maybe it isn't.

2 1

test
by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

This is a test message Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School

1 0

Problem with original AMSAT Satellite RX preamp
by Ronald G. Parsons 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

I have one of the Original AMSAT Broadband Satellite RX Preamps which has quit functioning. I have checked most of the components and everything looks normal except there is a large loss of signal instead gain. I suspect the Mini-Circuits MAR-07 has failed. Both Mouser and Digikey list the part as discontinued and zero stock. Is there a source for quantity 1-2 each of the part, or does the AMSAT group that builds it have the part available? Or is a substitute available? Ron W5RKN

1 0

Telemetry Data FUNcube-2
by Peter Kaminski 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

Hello, a question to the FUNcube-2 experts: are the transmitted data of the FUNcube-2 correct? In one of the last orbits I notice a raising of the PA reverse power in the dashboard software (248 mW forward, 453 mW reverse). Also in the Data Collection section Antenna Bus 1 and EPS for example said failed. Compared to the FUNcube-1 the signal strength of the FUNcube-2 beacon is less. 73 DL9DAK Peter

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Crowdfunding for Fox-1C launch
by Andrew Glasbrenner 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

AMSAT has set up a campaign page with FundRazr to help launch Fox-1C next year. In order to maximize our success in raising the required funds, please visit the following link and use the buttons to share the campaign with your friends and contacts on social media and via email. The more it is shared, the more people will see it, and the more support we will receive. http://fnd.us/c/6pz92/sh/561Zd We will continue to explore other fundraising venues between now and launch, so please follow us on Twitter (AMSAT), Facebook (The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)), and at www.amsat.org for updates. 73, Drew KO4MA

2 1

DL90 SKED
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

@AMSAT <https://twitter.com/AMSAT/> if someone is interested in DL90 I can activate it in coming days,not in my plans but I can work for many. SKED. xe3dx(a)amsat.org Sent for Iphone David Maciel XE3DX

1 0

Cubesat H2 - radar calibration
by Philip Jenkins 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

In the July/August 2014 issue of "Potentials" (which is the magazine for student members of IEEE), three professors from the University of Hawaii present a general overview of CubeSats. The authors then describe their and their students' designs (and success) in building a CubeSat designated H2 (Hooponopono) to replace the RADCAL satellite (used for radar calibration) which ceased communication in May 2013, 17 years after its predicted life time of three years. Among other things, I find it interesting that the team members are using Ham Radio Deluxe and a Yaesu GS-232 rotor controller for tracking at their ground station. The ELaNA program also gets a prominent mention. The satellite transmits and receives on 437.22 Mhz, so the frequency coordination and licensing were handled through the IARU and FCC. Philip N4HF

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Re: [amsat-bb] NO EJECTION MASS Propulsion
by Franklin Antonio 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

At 03:54 PM 8/4/2014, Robert McGwier wrote: >I hope they aren't wrong because they clearly don't understand how it >works!!! http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140006052 The result is surely wrong. When measuring MICROnewtons, from a device that's going to be getting very hot (because the microwave energy is dissipated in the walls of the cavity) you may need to do the experiment in a vacuum, to avoid air convection confusing the experiment. In any case, they say they worked on the experiment for 8 days, which is not enough time to figure out all the engineering aspects of the experiment. They did the test in a vacuum chamber (which means they must have been thinking along the lines of my statement above about convection, but they did the test with "the door closed but at ambient atmospheric pressure". Maybe they didn't have enough time to do the tests at vacuum. If they have resources to do more work, clearly pulling a vacuum on that chamber is the next thing to do. I predict that the thrust will disappear as the air is pumped out of the chamber. However, of course I'm not absolutely sure its wrong. I'll be very happy if it turns out to be correct. My bet, however, is firmly on the no side.

2 1

Online Sat Predictions
by Amsat Argentina 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

Try http://amsat.org.ar/sat.htm just finished. Quickly provides on single screen most data required for ham sats & active maps & graphics. Allows select Location & Sat showing in local time actual & future precalculated passes. Comments, suggestions, welcome. 73, lu7abf, Pedro lu7abf(a)amsat.org.ar

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Re: [amsat-bb] NO EJECTION MASS Propulsion
by Andrew Glasbrenner 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

This part made me perk up: "therefore is potentially demonstrating an interaction with the quantum vacuum virtual plasma" I clearly have some reading to do. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Robert McGwier <rwmcgwier(a)gmail.com> >Sent: Aug 4, 2014 6:54 PM >To: amsat bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Subject: [amsat-bb] NO EJECTION MASS Propulsion > >I hope they aren't wrong because they clearly don't understand how it >works!!! > >http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140006052 > >Bob >N4HY > > > >-- >Bob McGwier >Co-Owner and Technical Director, Federated Wireless, LLC >Professor Virginia Tech >Senior Member IEEE, Facebook: N4HYBob, ARS: N4HY >Faculty Advisor Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Assn. (K4KDJ) >_______________________________________________ >Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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dx on fo-29
by Lizeth Norman 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

Checked qrz and others. Nothing on the new station I heard today: 9z4f. Call comes back as Tridindad/Tobago. Anyone know anything? I was playing with my dongle and wasn't able to get the station reconfigured to come back to him. Strong 5/9 into the bird, 73 de Norm n3ykf

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Calpoly kepler host down
by PE0SAT | Amateur Radio 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

Hi, Thanks for reading this. A question is the following host temporary down or is it moved to another location, if so could you please tell me/us the new location. http://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~ops/keps/kepler.txt 73 Jan PE0SAT -- With regards PE0SAT Internet web-page http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/ DK3WN SatBlog http://www.dk3wn.info/p/

2 1

SO-50 QSO's
by John Belstner 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

I heard lots of new calls on SO-50 today and I really wanted to give them a shout back and say welcome. Unfortunately, that's about all I heard was a bunch of folks throwing their call sign out. Is there some "transmit only" mode that I'm not aware of? ;-) On a more serious note, try to hear the downlink first before transmitting. It reduces QRM and greatly increases your chances of making a QSO! Thanks and 73, John W9EN

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AO-73 at 03:30Z
by Paul Stoetzer 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

Good evening, I have been on a few evening passes of AO-73 lately and have found little to no activity. With the loss of VO-52, AO-73 now carries our easiest to hear linear transponder. I will be on the 03:30Z pass over the United States that covers much of the United States if anyone cares to join me. I will be calling CQ at around 145.965 MHz. The transponder will shut off just after 03:37:15 when it enters sunlight. 73, Paul, N8HM

1 1

satellite grid map reqeust
by John Papay 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

Several years ago I started posting grid maps on my website so that grid chasers and grid expeditioners could get an idea of what was needed by active satellite operators. However, some of these maps have not been updated in quite a while. And there are many new grid chasers that have not submitted their maps for posting. If you have a map that is currently posted and has not been updated recently please send me an updated map(s) or just send me a text file of the grids you have confirmed, one 4 character grid square per line And another text file of grids you have worked but are not yet confirmed using the same format of one grid per line. I will generate the maps from these files and you can download and print the resulting map that will be posted. If you have never submitted a map, please consider doing so. Knowing who has what is very helpful to potential grid expeditioners and it is a nice way to keep track of what you need and where that grid is located with respect to grids you already have. It's a lot easier for someone in a grid adjacent to one you need to go there compared to someone who might live hundreds of miles away doing the same. If you send me your grid lists as specified above, I will generate the maps for you. Here's a list maps on my website and the date they were updated: AA4QE 5/11/2012 AC0RA 8/26/2013 CO6CBF 11/22/2011 K6YK 4/26/2011 KB1PVH UNKNOWN KB1RVT 9/6/2013 KB9RID 1/8/2011 KC0YBM 12/31/2011 KD8CAO 10/8/2011 KD8KSN 8/2/2011 KI6YAA 11/30/2010 KK5DO 4/21/2012 KO4MA 10/28/2013 N5AFV 2/25/2012 VA3OR 3/22/2012 W5PFG 9/16/2012 WA4NVM 2/27/2012 WD9EWK 3/4/2012 Info on how to make the maps is on the grid map page: http://www.papays.com/sat/gridmaps/gridmaps.html 73, John K8YSE

1 0

Who is Midori ?
by Keith O'Brien 03 Aug '14

03 Aug '14

Caught a bit of FunCube-2 CW beacon on 145.840 Sunday AM local and it sent: 'UKUBE 1 CALLING MIDORI' Who is Midori ?? Keith N4ZQ

3 2

Telemetry freq for Ukcube-1/Funcube-2?
by Mark L. Hammond 02 Aug '14

02 Aug '14

Hello Funcube-2 Telemetry Chasers, What are you using as the "real" frequency as compared to the published frequency of 145.915 MHz? I've gotten some frames from using the Funcube Dongle Pro+, but want to use my IC-910 and I haven't been around for a pass with telemetry xmissions active to try and tune in the actual downlink. Thanks--- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

3 2

FUNcube-2 Telemetry Beacon
by Peter Kaminski 02 Aug '14

02 Aug '14

Hello, a question. Is there a schedule for the telemetry TLM beacon activity available or are there any special days there the beacon is on? If so there can I get this information? regards Peter DL9DAK

2 1

Round-the-world M0XER-4
by Robert Bruninga 02 Aug '14

02 Aug '14

That is why I want so much to continue the 145.825 digipeater on as many satellites as we can*. But we can’t seem to inspire any of the other HUNDREDS of satellite building groups to consider it. I think there were over 100 cubesats launched last year. None with 145.825 APRS… *(and convince the leave-it-on-24/7/365-not-moving user satellite stations to stop beaconing unattended!) Bob, WB4APR *From:* aprsisce(a)yahoogroups.com *Subject:* RE: [aprsisce] North America M0XER-4 Too bad we can't get the balloon to switch to the ISS frequency and use the digi off of it when over the oceans and arctic! -------- Original message -------- On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 12:23 PM, 'Steve' wrote: > Seems the balloon enjoyed itself so much it’s going round again. > Congratulations are in order to Leo M0XER > AFAIK this has never been done before. > Be interesting to see if it makes it twice We're a tough crowd to please... First circumnavigation of the globe by an amateur radio carrying balloon, and as it passes the milestone... "So, can you get another lap out of it?" What about poor old M0XER-3? It's still out there! Sure it got waylaid in Nunavut for a while, and let M0XER-4 slip on by... It needs some encouragement too! [ see present track: http://aprs.fi/M0XER* (and click for 7 day tail)] If the winds are playing nice, and the fates allow, it should be coming into range fairly soon. James, VE6SRV

4 6

Current Launch Costs From Spaceflight
by Bill Ress 02 Aug '14

02 Aug '14

Spaceflight has released it's latest pricing for launching various satellite sizes and orbit. Read it and weep. Pricing continues to rise. http://spaceflightservices.com/pricing-plans/ Regards...Bill - N6GHz

8 17

Re: [amsat-bb] Equatorial Crossing Data (EQX) (easy predictions)
by Robert Bruninga 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

Actually, using simple pass-times, it is possible to predict with a simple pencil, all future pass times for several weeks. Every satelite REPEATs their daily ground track every few days or so. AO51 repeated every 5 days, and GO32 every 9. These were sun synchronous and so not only the ground track repeated but the time of the passes repeated as well. See the examples on: http://aprs.org/MobileLEOtracking.html The ISS is not sun synchronous, but these three rules will predict future ISS passes without any stinkin-confusor: 1) If you hear one pass, 5 out of 7 times, the next one is about 90 minutes later. 2) The ISS REPEATS the same ground track every other day but 51 minutes earlier. 3) For a given day, the same pass the next day is 23 minutes later. This makes portable APRS operations in the wilderness easy. All you need is ONE PASS time, and you can infer all the others for weeks using the simple rules, and just keepin notes on pass TIMES when heard. You don't need no-stinkin-computer. Satellites are in "orbit" and completely predictable. Just take your favorite satellite, print out a week of passes, and then look for the "RULE" that will predict future passes. Then all you need to remember, is the RULE. Bob, WB4aPR -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of EMike McCardel Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 1:40 PM To: Glen Gardner Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Equatorial Crossing Data (EQX) Glen, Paul and Joseph, Thank you for your replies. I am learning a lot here. My imagination has been captured by learning to use the Satellabe and OscarLocator prepping for my presentation on tracking satellites at the AMSAT Training Day during the ARRL Centennial. I also discovered a construct involving a globe offering a 3D rendition of of a pass. This is an interesting way to demonstrate how the earth moves independent of the orbit. I can't help but think that some of the analogue tools of the day still have relevancy. EMike EMike McCardel, KC8YLD VP for Educational Relations AMSAT-NA Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 1, 2014, at 11:53 AM, Glen Gardner <glen.gardner(a)verizon.net> wrote: > > > > You can easily find the times for equatorial crossing for ascending passes from the element set. > > > Consider Oscar 7 > > > Satellite: AO-07 > Catalog number: 07530 > Epoch time: 14211.80120610 > Element set: 27 > Inclination: 101.4754 deg > RA of node: 192.2023 deg > Eccentricity: 0.0011666 > Arg of perigee: 207.8798 deg > Mean anomaly: 270.9717 deg > Mean motion: 12.53605918 rev/day > Decay rate: -2.2e-07 rev/day^2 > Epoch rev: 81698 > Checksum: 281 > > The epoch time is the reference time for that element set. It also happens to be the time for the ascending node (equatorial crossing North-to-South). > In this case it is "14211.80120610" which comes out to the year 2014, day 211 and the hour comes out to 19.22 hours.. or approximately 19 hours, 13 minutes, 44 seconds. > > Ignoring the decay rate, the next ascending node will be in one orbital period. You can get this by dividing the number of minutes in a day by the mean motion: 1440/12.53605918=114.869 minutes after the epoch time. > > Getting the descending node is more problematic if the orbit is highly eccentric. In the case of Oscar 7, the eccentricity is small, and it is close enough to a circular orbit that it is reasonable to assert that the descending crossing of the equator is very close to 1/2 orbital period after the ascending node (unless your TLE's are more than a few days old). > > Glen > AA8C > > > >> On 08/01/2014 03:07 AM, Paul Stoetzer wrote: >> i8CVS posted the directions to calculate EQX and everything else >> needed to use an OSCARLATOR from Keplerian elements back in 2003. >> >> http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200203/msg00749.html >> >> I haven't done any programming in forever, but maybe I'll try to >> write a short program to automate those calculations at some point >> (unless someone already has). >> >> 73, >> >> Paul, N8HM >> >>> On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 10:51 PM, EMike McCardel <mccardelm(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> Does anyone know of a tracking application or program or some other software or existing source that will still produces or publishes equatorial crossing data for current satellites? >>> >>> EMike >>> >>> EMike McCardel, KC8YLD >>> VP for Educational Relations AMSAT-NA >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >>> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >>> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

1 0

SatPC32 with dual radios
by Larry Ryan 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

I am trying to set up SatPC32 ver 12.8c "unregistered" with two FT-817s. My problem is that there is no CAT control on radio 1. Radio 2 works perfectly. Here is the setup: Radio 1, com port 2, delay 70 (tried 110 also) Radio 2, com port 5 Checked Atom. RX/TX change only (no other boxes checked but tried the others) As I change from sat to sat, Radio 2 will change freq and be steered but there is no response from Radio 1 If I remove Radio 2 (unplug the USB cable) and configure only a radio 1, there is no CAT control of radio 1. Computer is an HP Mini running Win7 Watching Device Manager, I can unplug either USB cable and see port 2 or port 5 come and go as I plug and unplug. I have switched radios then switched the CAT USB cables (they are FTDI). Still radio 1 does not change. Leaving the radios plugged in to the same computer, I exited SatPC32 and started HRD and tested for CAT operation on each radio one at a time and they both work. My question: Why no CAT for radio 1? Why no error message? Are there any other troubleshooting steps I can take? I have searched just about everywhere on-line and see no one else having this problem. I have found that many have success with the dual non-duplex transceivers configuration. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Larry W7DGP

2 1

Today on DL83 and DK99
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

July 29th-12th,August 2014 working on my trip the following grids: Only Work on SO-50 SAT (FT-60R 5 watts & Arrow Antenna) ( EL00, DL90,DL91,DL92,DL81,DL82,DL83,DK99 AND DK89 ) All my QSO `s are uploaded to LoTW all notices from my twitter account @ xe3dx David Maciel XE3DX *http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/ <http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/>* *xe3dx(a)amsat.org <http://mc/[email protected]>*

1 0

Equatorial Crossing Data (EQX)
by EMike McCardel 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

Does anyone know of a tracking application or program or some other software or existing source that will still produces or publishes equatorial crossing data for current satellites? EMike EMike McCardel, KC8YLD VP for Educational Relations AMSAT-NA Sent from my iPhone

4 4

More On Rocket Lab's Launcher
by B J 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/07/30/rocket-lab-funding-sources/ http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/08/01/rocket-labs-history/ I'm reminded of that line from the movie "Jerry Maguire": "show me the money". It would be nice if what was advertised is actually what the company delivers, as it could provide a means by which amateur radio satellites could be easily and cheaply put into orbit. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

1 0

Dual IC706 MKII-G operation
by Tom Warren 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Hello to the group…….. Does anyone have the specifics on how to setup two IC706 MKII-G’s for satellite ssb/cw operation (duplex). I’ve done a bit of browsing and read the manual but remain confused on the hardware needed when using my Compaq laptop (no serial port), only USB’s. Any advise would be appreciated. 73 Tom W4TMW

5 5

Wouxun KG-UV8D
by Craig Gagner 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Has anyone tried one of these for portable use ? It has cross band repeater and also functions in Full Duplex. I just ordered one but need to get another hand held antenna, when I do I'll post my findings. 73, Craig W1MSG

3 2

AO-7 CW Telemetry
by John Papay 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

It is very rare to hear clear CW from the AO-7B telemetry beacon around 145.972. Most of the time there is no beacon at all. Sometimes there is jibberish. Usually the signal is very weak. With AO-7 going through eclipse on every orbit, the satellite can come out of eclipse in different modes/ options. Recently there have been times where the beacon has transmitted clear CW over North America, something I have not heard over the years. According to the DK3WN website, there was some cw telemetry back in 2002 when the satellite was discovered to be working again. And there was some discussion about what is valid data based on the last 3 digits sent in the 24 group block of data. If the value is 649, 650, or 651, the data is likely valid. I first heard the image of the cw signal around 958. It was so loud I thought it was a valid user at first. But since the cw was all numbers I tuned up to the beacon frequency and there the signal was louder than anything I have ever heard on AO-7. It took a while for me to get the recorder running but I managed to capture some data. After playing it back I found that there was only one block of data where the last group was valid, a 649. Other later transmissions were loud but the data was much different and the last group was not correct. I couldn't locate a telemetry calculator at first so I decided to build one on Excel using the formulae provided by DK3WN. The data follows: AO-7B Telemetry 24July2014 2318UTC POS Parameter Range Raw Real 1A Total Solar Array Current 0-3000ma 171 2094.5ma 1B +X Solar Panel Current 0-2000ma 193 110ma 1C -X Solar Panel Current 0-2000ma 157 830ma 1D +Y Solar Panel Current 0-2000ma 108 1810ma 2A -Y Solar Panel Current 0-2000ma 286 250ma 2B RF Power Out 70/2 0-8watts 204 7.3728W 2C 24 Hour Clock Time 0-1440min 201 15.16min 2D Batt Ch/Discharge Current-2000/+2000 207 -1720ma 3A Batt Voltage 6.5-16.4 361 12.7V 3B Half Batt Voltage 0-10v 397 9.7V 3C Batt Charge Reg #1 0-15v 340 6V 3D Batt Temperature -30 to +50C 300 95.8C 4A Baseplate Temperature -30 to +50C 446 27.72C 4B PA Temperature 2/10 -30 to +50C 401 94.32C 4C +X Face Temperature -30 to +50C 430 51.4C 4D +Z Face Temperature -30 to +50C 498 -49.24C 5A PA Temp 70/2 -30 to +50C 545 29.2C 5B PA Emitter Current 2/10 0-1167ma 502 92.84MA 5C Module Temp 70/2 -30 to +50C 543 32.16C 5D Inst. SW Regulator 0-93ma 527 33.14MA 6A RF Power Out 2/10 0-10,000mw 606 23.076MW 6B RF Power Out 435 0-1000mw 643 219.9MW 6C RF Power Out 2304 0-100mw 679 255.881MW 6D Midrange Telemetry Cal 0-.5v 649 0.49 There are some values which are obviously not correct. Some sensors might not be working properly since some values are out of range. However, the solar panel numbers might be somewhat correct. I wouldn't doubt it if the transmitter was putting out 7 watts at the time. Perhaps there are those who are familiar with the AO-7 telemetry that can make some sense out of the data. Unfortunately we don't have multiple blocks of good data to compare readings. Maybe some have recorded recent CW data and can find some good blocks that can be shared here. The data was copied on my Arizona remote and Skype was being used to listen. But I am fairly confident that the cw copied is correct. 73, John K8YSE

2 1

AMSAT-NA Election Reminder
by Alan 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

All AMSAT-NA Members, The annual election packet was mailed prior to 15 July, and should have been received by now. Many members have already returned their ballots. If you have not, please take a few minutes to review the position statements of the various candidates, make your selections, and then mail them. This is especially important if you are in a non-North American QTH. In that case, it is strongly recommended that you use air mail or other expedited means. This is your opportunity to select the AMSAT-NA leadership and help chose the future direction of our organization. Due to unusual circumstances, we are electing 4 full Board members, in addition to the usual 2 Alternates, so you may vote for up to 4 candidates. 73s, Alan Biddle WA4SCA AMSAT Corporate Secretary

1 0

UKube-1/FC2 Data warehouse
by David Johnson 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Hi, We had a problem with decoding data for FC2 in the data warehouse this morning (31st Nov). This has been fixed and if you have any bin files which you recorded between 0:00 and 14:00 utc, please replay them into the warehouse. Many thanks Dave, G4DPZ

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SO-50 EN62 portable 2014-Jul-31 0146Z
by KC9WPR 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Greetings, I will be operating portable and activating EN62 on SO-50. My pass starts at 0146Z (2046hrs CDT). If you need the grid this is your chance. I will confirm on LOTW, eQSL, or direct. 73s de KC9WPR Sent via the Samsung GALAXY S®4, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

1 0

AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Videos
by M5AKA 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

Thanks to the work of volunteers from the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) videos of the presentations given at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Guildford are now online. http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/presentation-videos/ Also on the AMSAT-UK site: 434 MHz balloon goes around the world http://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/30/434-mhz-balloon-goes-around-the-world/ ---- Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK Website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

1 0

Delfi-n3Xt CubeSat engineer died on MH-17
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2014/july/cubesat_engineer_died_on_mh17.ht… WA4HFN

1 0

New Low-cost Launcher For Satellites
by B J 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/07/29/rocket-lab-announces-small-satellite… http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/60372738/kiwi-rocket-company-read… http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/07/29/kiwi-launches-world-first-che… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

3 4

How to switch from Radio & Dongle
by Vincenzo Mone 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

Hi to the list, i hope somebody can help me to solve the problem. I on a Kenwood TS-790E Radio, the UHF and the VHF Antennas Connected to the radio. I have bought a dongle USB that I use to receive the AO-73 and the UKUBE. The problem I have is when I have the antennas connected to the radio And want to listen on the Dongle, I have to disconnect the antenna from the Radio an connect it to the dongle and vice versa if I want to listen from the radio. I would like to know if there is a way like a switch that I can commutate the antenna on the Utilizer I need at the moment. Any help will be really appreciated. Thanks in advance 73's de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ********************************** ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ****** *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** *********************************

2 1

FM birds
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

I hope someone can launch a 100 of them, single channel ,pileup ,total chaos ,someone keying down on the entire pass what more would you want. All we need to bust a crazy pile up is a 300 watt mfj amp right? Lets all work to the good of the satellite part of the hobby. SSB/CW birds are the only way to go and if you build it they will come . Now if someone can build a multi channel FM bird then do it. Lets face it guys ,everyone got mad trying to work AO51 and AO27. Was it fun making a call to a grid you wanted only to have someone key down on him coming back to you, Is this what you want , Then go to 20 meters DX. Single channel FM birds are obsolete, Damon

7 7

WB5H?? on AO-73
by Paul Stoetzer 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

Good evening, I heard a station calling CQ on CW at the upper end of the passband on AO-73 at around 0318Z. He drifted up and out of the passband before I could get the full call, but I'm reasonably certain it was WB5H??. No other activity but the sound of my voice was heard for the six usable minutes before the satellite entered sunlight. Was it anyone here? Or does anyone know who that might have been. Admittedly, my CW is not very good. 73, Paul, N8HM

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Eggbeater Tuning
by Dino Papas 29 Jul '14

29 Jul '14

Rick - this may be totally unrelated but just in case… I had a very similar problem with my Icom IC-910H and the M2 430 MHz double yagi I use here. I found that the power output at several of the MHz increments between 430 and 440 MHz was down from the 75W it should have been, usually down to ~50W. Straight into a dummy load I get full output regardless of the operating frequency. At first I thought it must be the antenna, coax, cross polarization switch, preamp etc…never thought it was the rig…UNTIL I was talking to the Icom service guy who had just repaired the 432MHz driver on the rig. I asked about the issue and he told me that the 910H on 432 was (1) particularly sensitive to SWR bumps and that (2) there wasn’t any way to fix it! He actually didn’t like working on them (the 432 part) because even on the test bench any impedance bump along the way would in some cases cause the SWR power fold-back circuit to reduce the output. He went so far as to say that he would only connect them directly to his service monitor without any other gear in the line like a Bird wattmeter so that he could work on them and not have that happen. Again, don’t know if this applies, but now that you’ve mentioned it I’m going to have to hook up my recently acquired (and not tested except on the bench) FT-847 to see if I get similar results with my antenna system. BTW, my M2 eggbeaters (both 2m and 432) both look absolutely flat and we used it for our ARISS school contact as our backup antenna back in January. If you’re using a M2 eggbeater check the SO-239 connection at the base; my original base actually had the coax center conductor break off internally after tightening the PL-259. M2 sent me a new base although I was able to repair it myself just prior to our ARISS event and we actually ended up making the QSO on the eggbeater after problems with the primary setup. Anyway, just a thought. 73 - Dino KL0S On Jul292014, at 1754 PM, Richard Lawn <rjlawn(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I was just attempting to work a station on AO-7 using my lake house setup - > FT-847, eggbeaters, and Ubuntu with Wine running SatPC32, I noticed power > was quite low on the 70cm output. I learned by tuning around the band and > running output checks that apparently the rig doesn't like the SWR at > around 432-433 mhz. I don't recall that there is any way to make tuning > adjustments on the eggbeaters, but please tell me if I'm wrong. > > Rick > W2JAZ

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Eggbeater Tuning
by Richard Lawn 29 Jul '14

29 Jul '14

I was just attempting to work a station on AO-7 using my lake house setup - FT-847, eggbeaters, and Ubuntu with Wine running SatPC32, I noticed power was quite low on the 70cm output. I learned by tuning around the band and running output checks that apparently the rig doesn't like the SWR at around 432-433 mhz. I don't recall that there is any way to make tuning adjustments on the eggbeaters, but please tell me if I'm wrong. Rick W2JAZ

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC32 question
by Alan 29 Jul '14

29 Jul '14

Hi Jim, You are correct that you need to get the Keps in the same group to display them at the same time. They will eventually migrate, and you can request that from Tim Kelso on his web site to speed the process up. As for seeing them simultaneously, use Multitrack. First go to Satellites. On the Selected list, use the Show On/Off button to select the ones you want to see simultaneously. There will be an asterisk in front of the name. Exit back to the main page, and click the "M" in the upper left option panel. That will turn on Multitrack. 73s, Alan WA4SCA <-----Original Message----- <From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Heck <Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2014 11:54 AM <To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <Subject: [amsat-bb] SAT PC 32 question < <Hi Folks, < < I wish to track two satellites (actually FUNcube and UKube) at the same <time. The TLM for one is in cubesats.txt and the other is in tle-new.txt. < < Is there a way of displaying them both in the main window at the same <time? When I select one, the other is automatically removed from the list. < < I have tired copying the tles for one into the other's file, and this <works OK, but it rather tedious! < < The problem might be resolved when the elements for Ukube are included in <the cubesats.txt file, but they will appear as A and B on the main display <(bottom right hand corner), whereas I would like to display them both on the <map simultaneously. Is there a way of doing this? < <Thanks for any help <73s Jim G3WM < < <_______________________________________________ <Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. <Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! <Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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activation of Grids
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 29 Jul '14

29 Jul '14

Good day, all week I will work on SO-50 will work on DL90 DL80 DL91 EL00 DL92 DL81 DL82 DL83 DK99 DK89 grids, I have exact days, I can only say it will be all week, greetings and hope to hear .... David Maciel Enviado desde mi IPHONE

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XE3DX trip through central Mexico, this week on SO-50
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 29 Jul '14

29 Jul '14

Hi! Omar XE1AO sent me a brief message, saying that David XE3DX will be on a family trip through central Mexico, and plans to work SO-50 passes from several grids during the trip this week. The tentative list of grids David plans to visit are: EL00 DL90 DL80 DL91 DL92 DL81 DL82 DL83 DK99 DK89 Omar did not have a schedule showing when David would be on from those grids. As this is a family trip, David may not be able to work all possible SO-50 passes during this time. Omar just worked David earlier this morning from grid EK27, so he hasn't reached the area of those grids listed above yet. Good luck, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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