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SL2 and VU visa with a DXpedition
by R Oler 24 May '13

24 May '13

I will be starting an assignment with soverign groups in both India and Bangladesh concerning flight operations...this is a commute contract but I will have a substantial presence in both countries...and both countries have granted me an E Visa and my family residency visas and SL2 has informed me that upon arrival in country I will have a amateur radio ticket. It will take me sometime to spool up as the work on both contracts is pretty extensive...but at somepoint I will have a presence on the bands in both countries. Not that it matters with LEO's to hams in the states, but amateur satellite equipment will be included in my operation Robert WB5MZO

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Sat for emergency use
by Robert C. Campbell 23 May '13

23 May '13

I am not sure that I would count any Satellite out when it comes to emergency use... especially if I lived in some remote part of India. Or any where else that was remote. I think Gilligan and the Skipper would agree with me. That this resource may not have been used for this purpose at this point does not mean that it won"t in the future. Me, I will sleep better tonight knowing I have the option. kb3pmr

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Office Closed
by Martha 23 May '13

23 May '13

The AMSAT office will be closed on Friday, May 24th and Monday, May 27th. I will be going to the Jersey shore with my family. I'll see the damage from Sandy that hit Long Beach Island where my nephew has a house. -- 73- Martha

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Re: HRD 6.0 and Satellite Tracker
by Wayne Estes 23 May '13

23 May '13

N1LF wrote: New to the birds, and using SATPC32 to control my Icom IC-910H. Also use Nova to help me better visualize the path that satellites will take. W9AE replies: How is Nova's ground track display better than the one in SatPC32, which displays the ground track of the next orbit? Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA,CN83ik

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storm emergencies
by jerry keeton 23 May '13

23 May '13

Actually I can see where a store and forward mailbox could benefit storm related messaging from a satellite . My 2 cents . Jerry WB5LHD

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HamTV
by Fabio A. IZ5XRC 23 May '13

23 May '13

Hello everybody, HamTV countdown counter is available on Amsat-Italia web site: www.amsat.it More info related to HTV-4 on: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2013/05/20130521_h2bf4_e.html HamTV has got also a Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject 73s Fabio iz5xrc ------------------------------------ https://twitter.com/iz5xrc

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Re: AO7 2013 Eclipse Cycle
by Bill W1PA 23 May '13

23 May '13

>>> I hope I am not boring everyone with these AO7 reports. As someone who hopes to work AO7 for the first time at FD, it’s all good. Bill W1PA (FD: W1BIM)

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AO7 2013 Eclipse Cycle
by K4FEG 23 May '13

23 May '13

Good Day everyone; hopefully by now everyone is aware that AO7 is going into an eclipse as it passes over Antarctica and with the loss of sunlight on the solar panels the satellite is going into a Zero Voltage System Reset, and when the satellite comes back into the sun it is starting up in Mode B every time. Information from others have said that that is by design, but some of the reading I have been doing, suggests that the mode is random. The observations made so far indicate that it appears to be by design and NOT random. I have noticed a slight variation in the Doppler adjustment from my previous program settings and there have been some reports of slight audio distortion. I am currently leaning towards the frequency variations and audio to being caused by temperature variations due to the lack of solar heating as the satellite passes over Antarctica, once again these are just my opinions. Software predictions indicate that the eclipse periods will get up to about a maximum of a 3 minute period at the longest and it will be interesting to watch for any variations in satellite behavior at that time. /*For now we have Mode B repeating, enjoy it Mode B users and Mode A will be back in a few weeks if everything stays like it is.*//* */ I hope I am not boring everyone with these AO7 reports. Thanks to Alan; ZL2BX and Ib, OZ1MY for their updates and observations. 73 ALL FRM K4FEG STAR-COM bb EM55aj84ta

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BBC News: NEE-01 Pegasus CubeSat - Soviet debris fear
by M5AKA 23 May '13

23 May '13

BBC News reports on fears that the 910 MHz NEE-01 Pegasus 1U CubeSat may have hit Soviet space debris. BBC News Report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22635671 NEE-01 Pegasus 910 MHz TV Camera in Action http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/20/nee-01-pegasus-910-mhz-tv-camera-in-action/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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Programming a Pic 16f876a ?
by sfritchie＠cox.net 23 May '13

23 May '13

I understand that if you have a serial port on the ST-2 you can program the Pic 16f876a directly. I have an ST-2 with usb. Can I program Pic 16f876a through the usb port ? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks and 73 Spencer KC2TX

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Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas
by i8cvs 23 May '13

23 May '13

Hi All, I am interested to know if someone in BB has used or is using the actual Amateur Satellites during the emergency occurred in Oklahoma and Texas because of the actual tornado's. We know from TV that almost 50 peoples died and if the Amateur Satellites were used with success that will be a useful opportunity to demonstrate worldwide to the autorities that our satellites are useful and necessary during the emergency. The call letters of the Amateurs partecipating as well the FM and linear Amateur Satellites used to help into the emergency will be appreciated. Thanks for any info. 73" de i8CVS Domenico

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Doppler correction on RT-SDR dongle
by Roland Zurmely 22 May '13

22 May '13

Please see here a video about automatic Doppler correction on RTL-SDR dongle with Orbitron as server and SDR# as client with Sattelite Tracking Plugin. QSOs on SO-50 on orbit #56000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0iw7kpv0Zo About Doppler and SDR#, see here: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/rtldop.htm 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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Fw: Amateur Satellites and the emergency
by i8cvs 22 May '13

22 May '13

----- Original Message ----- From: "Raydel Abreu Espinet" <cm2esp(a)frcuba.co.cu> To: "Jeff Griffin" <kb2m(a)comcast.net> Cc: "'i8cvs'" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it>; "'AMSAT-BB'" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>; "'M5AKA'" <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 4:17 PM Subject: Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency > Hello, > > About the topic of satellites and emergencies I think satellites are an option very important to consider when there is no more available. In case of HF propagation blackouts or poor conditions and when local VHF and UHF repeaters fails, satellites can bring help, specially from light weight battery run portable stations. > > Here in Cuba we do every year an emergency rehearsal exercise named "Meteoro" which is organized by Cuba's Civil Defense to simulate catastrophes and other actions relevant to the upcoming hurricane season. > > This weekend (May 18th and 19th) was held the 2013 Exercise, like always Cuban Ham Radio Operators are invited to participate as an important asset during emergencies. But by first time ever on the Civil Defense National Headquarters were is installed amateur station CO9DCN we do a short and simple satellite demonstration to the Civil Defense authorities. > > The short demo was just a simple "hello" exchanged between CO6CBF (Hector) in Cienfuegos Province and CM2ESP/Portable (Raydel) in the Headquarter's backyard. Hector had done previous years demos for his province's civil defense authorities, but this was the first time a demo was done at the National Civil Defense Headquarters. As HF propagation was terribly bad that day due to the recent solar flares the Civil Defense Authorities were very pleased with our short demo proving that satellites can be an alternative when ground and ionospheric propagation are disrupted. > > The Press publish a short report about the amateur radio importance on emergencies and there is also a short mention in paragraph three of the very first satellite contact. > > The news report can be found here: > http://www.ain.cu/2013/mayo/19ya-meteoro_reduccion_desastres.htm > > It is in spanish only, but google translator works fine: > http://translate.google.com.cu/translate?hl=es&sl=es&tl=en&u=www.ain.cu%2F20 13%2Fmayo%2F19ya-meteoro_reduccion_desastres.htm > > On the picture featured on the news report from the Cuban News Agency you can see CO9DCN Club Station (Defensa Civil Nacional - National Civil Defense) being operated by CO2OT in digital modes and CO2JC in voice communications. The satellite demo was done portable on the backyard on Sunday at 14:10 UTC during a SO-50 pass, the press arrived one hour after the satellite pass so unfortunately there is no photo available. > > 73, > > Raydel, CM2ESP > GROS Coordinator > > --- > PS: GROS is the Cuban Satellite Group. > > ----- Mensaje original ----- > De: Jeff Griffin <kb2m(a)comcast.net> > Para: 'i8cvs' <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it>, 'AMSAT-BB' <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>, 'M5AKA' <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> > Enviado: Wed, 22 May 2013 08:36:36 -0400 (CDT) > Asunto: [amsat-bb] Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas > > I remember at least two times the LEO's were used for emergencies, on one > occasion, I actually transferred some health and welfare traffic. The one I > participated in was during the bad ice storms along the northeast coast > during the winter of (1998 ?). I personally forwarded health and welfare > traffic from two Canadian satellite stations who were in an area where there > was no electricity for over a month. As poor HF propagation and marginal > portable antennas weren't getting out the only way to communicate was via > the LEO FM birds. I remember passing information via AO-27 at least twice. I > also remember the difficulty of getting out the information that the > satellite was being used for an emergency :-) . The second occasion(as > noted, in another post) was during the Pacific Tsunami disaster (around > 2004?) it was proposed that the store and forward digital PACSAT's were to > be used to pass health and welfare traffic out of some islands in the > Pacific Ocean that were devastated by the Tsunami. If one was to search the > AMSAT archives there were threads started both times. > > 73 Jeff kb2m > > -----Original Message----- > From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of i8cvs > Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:02 PM > To: AMSAT-BB; M5AKA > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in > Oklahoma and Texas > > Hi Trevor, M5AKA > > I agree with you. > > I remember that only the HEO satellites OSCAR-10,OSCAR-13 and AO40 were used > during the emergency when necessary. > > My opinion is that we satellite operators we are not actually organized to > use the LEO Amateur Satellites during the emergencies so that we only > collect grids and QSL's with them as well we receive only telemetry. > > I'm also not aware of any LEO amateur satellite having ever been used for > Emergency Communications but read please the following address of AMSAT and > you will surprised to read that even the LEO Amateur Satellites are built by > AMSAT to provide communications during emergencies and calamities. > > http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/hamsat.php > > VO-52 is India's contribution to the international community of Amateur > Radio Operators. > This satellite will play a valuable role in the national and international > scenario by providing a low cost readily accessible and reliable means of > communications during emergencies and calamities like floods , earthquakes > etc. > > 73" de > > i8CVS Domenico > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "M5AKA" <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> > To: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> > Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:14 AM > Subject: Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and > Texas > > > Hi Dominic, > > An interesting question. I'm not aware of any amateur satellite having ever > been used for Emergency Communications, do you know of any ? > > Yes announcements were made that amateur satellites were available for > emergency communications in both the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2011 > Japanese Tsunami but as far as I'm aware they were never actually used. > > I think the problem is two fold: > 1) The lack of satellite operators, only one to two thousand world-wide > 2) The initial complexity of satellite operating e.g. Doppler, Tracking, > which means those without satellite experience cannot rapidly pick it up > when an emergency strikes. > > A 100 watt HF station with a dipole on 40m is far easier to set up in an > emergency and will give you a range comparable with satellites and freedom > from the restriction of a 15 minute pass time. > > 73 Trevor M5AKA > > --- On Tue, 21/5/13, i8cvs <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> wrote: > > Date: Tuesday, 21 May, 2013, 4:35 > > Hi All, > > > > I am interested to know if someone in BB has used or is using the > > actual Amateur Satellites during the emergency occurred in Oklahoma > > and Texas because of the actual tornado's. > > > > We know from TV that almost 50 peoples died and if the Amateur > > Satellites were used with success that will be a useful opportunity to > > demonstrate worldwide to the autorities that our satellites are useful > > and necessary during the emergency. > > > > The call letters of the Amateurs partecipating as well the FM and > > linear Amateur Satellites used to help into the emergency will be > > appreciated. > > > > Thanks for any info. > > > > 73" de > > > > i8CVS Domenico > > _______________________________________________ > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. > > Opinions expressed are those of the author. > > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite > > program! > > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 >

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A viable FD satellite operation
by Bill W1PA 22 May '13

22 May '13

I may set up a Field Day satellite station for our local club. I haven't done this in a while.... my last experience with a non-FM bird was AO-40. I'd like to avoid the futility of the FM LEO's on FD, and look to the working passband birds, which I understand are AO-7, FO-29, and VO-52. I have at my disposal a FT-847, an Arrow satellite antenna (V/U), and if needed, various preamps and poweramps for 2m and 432, as well as antennas with more elements. I also have a Ten Tec 2510 satellite unit that does not have the "extra crystal board", which I understand makes it a non-starter for the 3 birds I mentioned. For those of you experienced with the bandpass birds, assuming an outdoor, clear sky access location, what should I bring? (i.e. will the FT-847 stock amp be sufficient? How many elements do I need for uplink? pre-amp for downlink? etc) I also may only be able to work overnight (in darkness) -- that rules out AO-7, correct? Bill W1PA

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LVB 5400 rotor control problem
by John Price 22 May '13

22 May '13

Well after working for a very long time without issues my LVB and Yaesu control box have stop talking. The rotor box works perfect with the rotor but the LVB display does not indicate any movement. It just sets at 179 "Az" and "0" El. The switches on the LVB will move the rotor but no display movement on the LVB. Anyone got any idea what might be going on here? Thank << John -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator Email N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 OSCAR-11 20th birthday #1 WAS HF #57,114 51 on AO-51 #13 LON -79.256 LAT 37.459 Grid FM07il >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

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Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas
by i8cvs 22 May '13

22 May '13

Hi Trevor, M5AKA I agree with you. I remember that only the HEO satellites OSCAR-10,OSCAR-13 and AO40 were used during the emergency when necessary. My opinion is that we satellite operators we are not actually organized to use the LEO Amateur Satellites during the emergencies so that we only collect grids and QSL's with them as well we receive only telemetry. I'm also not aware of any LEO amateur satellite having ever been used for Emergency Communications but read please the following address of AMSAT and you will surprised to read that even the LEO Amateur Satellites are built by AMSAT to provide communications during emergencies and calamities. http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/hamsat.php VO-52 is India's contribution to the international community of Amateur Radio Operators. This satellite will play a valuable role in the national and international scenario by providing a low cost readily accessible and reliable means of communications during emergencies and calamities like floods , earthquakes etc. 73" de i8CVS Domenico ----- Original Message ----- From: "M5AKA" <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:14 AM Subject: Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas Hi Dominic, An interesting question. I'm not aware of any amateur satellite having ever been used for Emergency Communications, do you know of any ? Yes announcements were made that amateur satellites were available for emergency communications in both the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2011 Japanese Tsunami but as far as I'm aware they were never actually used. I think the problem is two fold: 1) The lack of satellite operators, only one to two thousand world-wide 2) The initial complexity of satellite operating e.g. Doppler, Tracking, which means those without satellite experience cannot rapidly pick it up when an emergency strikes. A 100 watt HF station with a dipole on 40m is far easier to set up in an emergency and will give you a range comparable with satellites and freedom from the restriction of a 15 minute pass time. 73 Trevor M5AKA --- On Tue, 21/5/13, i8cvs <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> wrote: > Date: Tuesday, 21 May, 2013, 4:35 > Hi All, > > I am interested to know if someone in BB has used > or is using the actual Amateur Satellites during the > emergency occurred in Oklahoma and Texas because > of the actual tornado's. > > We know from TV that almost 50 peoples died and if > the Amateur Satellites were used with success that will > be a useful opportunity to demonstrate worldwide to > the autorities that our satellites are useful and necessary > during the emergency. > > The call letters of the Amateurs partecipating as well > the FM and linear Amateur Satellites used to help > into > the emergency will be appreciated. > > Thanks for any info. > > 73" de > > i8CVS Domenico > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. > Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur > satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >

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AO7 Eclipse Cycle
by K4FEG 22 May '13

22 May '13

AO7 is in Mode B and is giving every indication, from reports around the globe, to being in the Eclipse Cycle while over Antarctica. The software being used by those predicting the eclipse periods are Nova and SatPC32, both seem to be very accurate and predicted the start of the eclipse cycle very closely. If the predictions are correct, we will have daily eclipses while the satellite passes over Antarctica and based on other information that I have received, the satellite will, by default, power up in Mode B after the "Zero Voltage State" occurs during the eclipse. I plan to continue to monitor the Mode status daily and look for any variables that might happen with the satellite. Last year we seemed to have had distortion issues for a period during the time when we were in the Eclipse Cycle. I have no idea if, or even if it is possible, that the Eclipse Cycle was causing any of the audio distortions that were noticed last year during the Eclipse Cycle. I hope with closer observation, this year we can follow any changes in the satellite functions and see how they relate to the total loss of power on the satellite as it travels through the eclipse periods. If anyone has any suggestions for things to watch for, or if there are other things to monitor, that might give us a better understanding of how the satellite is functioning, please feel free to comment. I think we have actually caught the beginning of the Eclipse Cycle this year and I think we will be able to see how long it will last and if it is having any effect on the "health" of the satellite. 73 ALL FRM K4FEG STARCOM BB/STAR-COM.NET QTH: EM55aj84ta

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SatPC & Icom
by Al Ozias 22 May '13

22 May '13

I want to control my IC-821 with SatPC32. Is a USB CI-V CAT Interface cable for Icom CT-17 the correct way to do this? What is the difference (if any) between a programing and interface cable? Thanks - Al

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Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas
by i8cvs 22 May '13

22 May '13

Hi Ben, N1WBV I disagree with you because the LEO satellites are built by AMSAT to serve also into the emergency. Read please the following address: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/hamsat.php VO-52 is India's contribution to the international community of Amateur Radio Operators. This satellite will play a valuable role in the national and international scenario by providing a low cost readily accessible and reliable means of communications during emergencies and calamities like floods , earthquakes etc. 73" de i8CVS Domenico ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ben Jackson" <bbj(a)innismir.net> To: "i8cvs" <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 6:11 AM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas > On 5/20/2013 11:35 PM, i8cvs wrote: > > Hi All, > > > > I am interested to know if someone in BB has used > > or is using the actual Amateur Satellites during the > > emergency occurred in Oklahoma and Texas because > > of the actual tornado's. > > Why? It's a local/regional event and the fact that you have such > information is showing that it's flowing in and out of the affected > area. Let's not push a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. > > > We know from TV that almost 50 peoples died and if > > the Amateur Satellites were used with success that will > > be a useful opportunity to demonstrate worldwide to > > the autorities that our satellites are useful and necessary > > during the emergency. > > I would wager that they are, indeed, neither during this event. > > Donations, thoughts, and prayers are probably the things that are most > needed right now. Not attempts to grandstand our aspect of the hobby in > order to garner some public relations. > > -- > Ben Jackson - N1WBV - New Bedford, MA > bbj <at> innismir.net - http://www.innismir.net/ > >

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Re: Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas
by i8cvs 22 May '13

22 May '13

Hi Tom, W9KE In responce to your sentence.........."Add the chaotic single channel nature of the FM sats and you have an even harder sales job on your hands." Read please the following address: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/hamsat.php VO-52 is India's contribution to the international community of Amateur Radio Operators. This satellite will play a valuable role in the national and international scenario by providing a low cost readily accessible and reliable means of communications during emergencies and calamities like floods , earthquakes etc. 73" de i8CVS Domenico ----- Original Message ----- From: Thomas Doyle To: i8cvs Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 9:28 PM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Amateur Satellites and the emergency on tornado in Oklahoma and Texas Dominico, One of the really sad things about tragedies is how politicians and others line up to make some cheap publicity over the suffering and death of others. I thought 'Uncle Bob' might do something insensitive like that but was very surprised to see you stoop so low. Anyone trying to promote a a communications systems that works for at best 10 or 15 minutes every 90 minutes as a viable emergency system is grasping at straws. Add the chaotic single channel nature of the FM sats and you have an even harder sales job on your hands. 73 W9KE tom... On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 10:35 PM, i8cvs <domenico.i8cvs(a)tin.it> wrote: Hi All, I am interested to know if someone in BB has used or is using the actual Amateur Satellites during the emergency occurred in Oklahoma and Texas because of the actual tornado's. We know from TV that almost 50 peoples died and if the Amateur Satellites were used with success that will be a useful opportunity to demonstrate worldwide to the autorities that our satellites are useful and necessary during the emergency. The call letters of the Amateurs partecipating as well the FM and linear Amateur Satellites used to help into the emergency will be appreciated. Thanks for any info. 73" de i8CVS Domenico _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb -- Sent from my computer. tom ...

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Experience with M2 436CP42UG
by PE0SAT | Amateur Radio 21 May '13

21 May '13

Hi, Are there people using the M2 436CP42UG for satellite operation? If so, could you share some experience whit this Antenna? I have bought a used one but am unable to get it aligned in the right way so that SWR is expectable. From the manual I get the length of the dipole at 4.375 inch thats 11.1cm but it isn't working in my setup and changing it in steps of 1mm doesn't bring me to the right SWR. In some places the impedance is so bad that the radio disables power output. Thanks in advance 73 Jan PE0SAT -- With regards PE0SAT Internet web-page http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/

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WTB: U110 TV Style Rotors Computer Control
by Les Rayburn 21 May '13

21 May '13

I'm in the process of acquiring a pair of U110 TV style rotors that have been configured for use as an AZ-EL system. Currently, the rotors have two control boxes, which would work fine, but I'd like to improve on the setup. I've found several projects online for controlling these with a computer, including some using a BASIC stamp, etc. My homebrew days are limited these days, so I'd like to see if anyone has a suitable controller for sale? I'm running SATPC32, and would prefer to control the rotors using that software if possible. If anyone has something suitable that is surplus to your needs, please contact me directly. Thanks! -- -- 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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Observations Which Helped Save Skylab
by B J 20 May '13

20 May '13

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2299/1 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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AO7 Eclipse Period
by K4FEG 20 May '13

20 May '13

Are there any of the New Zealand satellite operators that could listen to /*AO7 on May 21, 2013 during the 13:45:50UTC pass?*/ If I am correct this will be the beginning of the satellite eclipse period that will run until August 2, 2013. I am not using any fancy software to track the eclipse periods so I cannot determine if the times are accurate or not, nor if the satellite tracking software is taking full account of all variables involved in tracking an eclipse period on AO7. My understanding from others is that the design of the satellite is such that it will come up as the "first state on start-up" in Mode B. I do not know these things to be true but the information comes from what I consider to be reliable sources. I am just interested in any type of satellite report from the operators that will first access to AO7 after it has been in an eclipse period no matter how brief. Any information will be of interest to me. /The current mode switches on AO7 are occurring at approximately 1047UTC everyday, I suspect that if we get any type of a total voltage loss on the satellite that this time will change(just my opinion)./ From the projections I have been running the eclipse periods will quickly increase in duration and they will vary during the day with respect to the time of day over the Southern Hemisphere. One of my goals is to try and determine, with the software available to me, what duration of eclipse is needed to cause a "Zero Voltage Reset", which should result in the satellite reverting to Mode B. Any help is appreciated! Happy "Bird" watching! 73 Frank K4FEG EM55aj84ta

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wish to source (used) TNC for amsat ops
by Samudra Haque 20 May '13

20 May '13

I am seeking to buy TNC hardware for the new K3GWU station (Foggy Bottom Campus - George Washington University). I'm limited to a small budget at this moment, and do appreciate those kind hams that have donated racks, radios, antennas, cables, and so forth. But now, I need a packet radio modem/TNC for digital communication needs! We have an Icom 706 (original) and a FT-857 (original) in working condition now, and a few midland commercial radios reprogrammed for ham radio fixed frequencies. I've read about Signalink USB and also see the various Kamtronics and Timewave products. Any tips for for AMSAT packet use? for ISS packet use? TNC-X ? //Samudra N3RDX

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Trouble found, help no longer required
by Robert C. Campbell 20 May '13

20 May '13

I spent the morning replacing the cable from the G-5500 up the mast and that was probably a good thing but it did not solve the problem. After pulling the G-5500 and GS-232b out of the computer rack I found the blue wire that is in the AZ connector, a part of the factory harness that goes to the G-5500 had never been crimped to the pin insert. Only the wire insulation was crimped where it should have been and finally gave way. Pulled the connector out of the connector body and installed it properly and then reinstalled it. The system is working better then ever and no more intermittent rotor to SatPC32 communications problems. I am now working on my celebratory bean and spinach soup that my wife made for lunch that was ready 2 hours ago. Long story short, I have read some of the threads recently posted regarding SatPc......and recommend not counting it out until all options are checked. I would not speak to this if I had not experienced this myself. Bob KB3PMR .

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UK Astronaut to fly in 2015
by M5AKA 19 May '13

19 May '13

On the 22nd anniversary of the first space flight by a UK astronaut, Helen Sharman GB1MIR, the Guardian newspaper reported that Major Tim Peake has been selected to fly on a five-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015, see http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/19/uk-astronaut-to-fly-to-iss/ Also on the AMSAT-UK site: 2013 UK Space Conference Glasgow July 16-17 http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/18/2013-uk-space-conference-glasgow-july-16-17/ MAREA: Ham Radio Robotics http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/15/marea-ham-radio-robotics/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

1 0

Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
by Philip Jenkins 18 May '13

18 May '13

I'm in the process of buying a very low-end refurbished PC for use at Field Day and at a 10 day local fair this Fall to demonstrate satellite operating. All that this PC will be used for is running packet software and SatPC32 in the field. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the PC to control the antenna. (I may use this PC as for packet/APRS at home; I have another Win XP shack desktop already dedicated to ham radio/SatPC32/rig control/antenna steering.) Which is a better OS for this, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit (which most of the PCs that I'm looking at) or Win 7 Home Premium (64-bit)? I had heard there were some compatibility problems (not necessarily with any ham radio software) with the 32-bit version when Win 7 first came out. Most of the machines with either version come with 1 GB RAM - should I choose one with 2GB or more (or install more RAM myself), or will 1 GB be sufficient for the light use I'm intending for this machine? (I noticed in the WIN 7 specifications that 1 GB is the minimum.) Most of the PCs I'm looking at with have a serial port as well (which is one of my criterion for considering these units) - that will make my life much easier with the old TNCs I have :-) To sum up, which OS should I choose, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit, or Home Premium (64-bit)? Tnx es 73 Philip N4HF

9 12

Help call for a Yeasu GS-232B
by Robert C. Campbell 18 May '13

18 May '13

Today while working the sats with Satpc32 the G-5500 would rotate east to west but not return with a call from PSTrotator. It seemed to get progressively worse and I would have to return the rotator to east manualy using the manual box. I checked for broken wires from the rotator to the manual box and everything wrings out fine. The rotator works fine in manual mode...push the switches for az/el and the rotator turns and returns the proper position indication on the needles. By the end of the day the GS-232 is not communicating with the G-5500 at all and will not command or return a rotator position to the computer via satPC32. My thoughts are...the serial board in the dell laptop, bad serial cable, or bad GS-232. Baud rates, com. ports and general set up for SatPC32 remain unchanged and have worked for the last 3 plus years. I can afford and new serial cable. Thoughts welcome here or contact me off page at kb3pmr(a)gmail.com Thanks Bob

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Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
by James Luhn 18 May '13

18 May '13

I had numerous crashes with satPC32 until I followed the suggestion of several here on this list. What solved my crash issues was the replacement of the internal serial to USB adapter with a serial IC and then use an external USB to serial adapter. Since I have made this simple mod I have not had one problem. Before I made the change, my computer would lock up in less than an hour. This is probably a driver issue. Since everything works now, I probably will not pursue this issue. 73, James W5AOO Sent from my iPad On May 18, 2013, at 1:30 PM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

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Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
by Hector, CO6CBF 18 May '13

18 May '13

Hello to all! I have an old desktop PC dedicated to ham radio ( 1 GHz Pentium CPU, 256 MB of RAM and Win XP). I have had SatPC32 running 24x7 since December and I have never had a SatPC32 crash. 73! Hector, CO6CBF -----Mensaje original----- De: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] En nombre de Jim Jerzycke Enviado el: sábado, 18 de mayo de 2013 1:13 Para: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Asunto: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32? Same here. I've had it running on XP and Win 7 64-bit for WEEKS at a time and _never_ had a crash. Jim KQ6EA On 05/18/2013 04:26 AM, George Henry wrote: > Interesting. I have NEVER had a SatPC32 crash, under XP or Win7, and > I have left it running continuously for several days at a time. > > > George, KA3HSW > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lizeth Norman" > <normanlizeth(a)gmail.com> > To: "Philip Jenkins" <n4hf.philip(a)gmail.com> > Cc: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 10:55 PM > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32? > > >> None. Pick you poison. Satpc32 crashes using all operating systems. Good >> for an hour or so. Then you get an OLE FEHER error. Tried this over all >> operating systems (xp, win7, win8) >> Grab a pc from the kerb and load up xp. cheap and simple. >> As many problems as satpc32 has, it's far and away better than the >> competition. >> > > _______________________________________________ > 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

3 2

Satellite telemetry decoding
by Mike Sprenger 18 May '13

18 May '13

Hi, So I've got satpc32 running rotors and radios automatically. Radio is ic-910h. I have Interest to record and decode CW satellite telemetry to text and then use the DK3WN tools to decode. Any suggestion for two things: 1. what to use to record the audio from the radio automatically ? 2. what software to decode the CW to text from the CW beacons ? Thanks Mike W4UOO

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Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
by Werner, HB9BNK 18 May '13

18 May '13

I use SatPC32 since many years - now, since about 3 months on Windows 8 (both 32bit and 64 bit) and no complaints ! I have however learned to run the program as Administrator (set the corresponding flag (properties / compatibilty / )) , so that SatPC32 can control my rotor interface (Winrotor) which is a separate program 73, Werner, HB9BNK

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UO-11 ( Uosat-2)
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 18 May '13

18 May '13

Hi all, I have been checking on the status of UO-11 ( Uosat-2 ) for our weekly Amsat -UK 80 metre Net report. Noticed that it is no longer listed on the OSCAR satellite status page run by KD5UGR. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat-UK Amsat NA

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Re: Help Regarding working of RCI SE
by Nitin Muttin 17 May '13

17 May '13

Aayush, Are you using this with the centronics port on your PC. 73 Nitin [VU3TYG]

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1963-05-15/16: Last Mercury Flight
by B J 17 May '13

17 May '13

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=19291 http://www.americaspace.com/?p=19294 73s Bernhard VA6BMj @ DO33FL

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Dream Chaser At Dryden For Tests
by B J 17 May '13

17 May '13

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/snc-arrive-dryden.html http://spacecoalition.com/blog/winged-dream-chaser-prepares-for-first-fligh… http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/may/HQ_13-143_Dream_Chaser_NASA_Testin… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Kepler Reaction Wheel Problems
by B J 17 May '13

17 May '13

http://spacecoalition.com/blog/nasa/keplers-planet-search-encounters-problem http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350445/description/Kepler_missio… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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(no subject)
by Frank Staffa Jr. 16 May '13

16 May '13

Wow Patrick, Thanks for all the great advise! I will surely check out your youtube videos. For the years I have been a ham, I only did HF and of course VHF/UHF FM. I never ventured beyond that level. I just recently got active on 6 meters and purchased a used IC706 and a Diamond 2 elem yagi for 6. My mistake, I should have got a IC706 MKII, so I would have had 440 capability also.. Live and learn! But really appreciate the advise and I am really looking forward to venture out with this!Best 73KB2CWNFlorida

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(no subject)
by Frank Staffa Jr. 16 May '13

16 May '13

Thanks Tom, you described it correct. Just like an HF DX pileup, but fun nonetheless. I will one day get an all mode VHF/UHF transceiver to get on the other satellites, but also need a different antenna setup unless I run QRP. Any input on running a Yaesu FT 817nd or an 857d on the SSB satellites? I can use the Arrow only with low power because of the duplexer unless I get a different duplexer that can handle more power or do without it completely. Really don't want to put up an extravagant satellite antenna system on the property right now. Maybe in a few years after retirement.

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(no subject)
by Frank Staffa Jr. 16 May '13

16 May '13

Wow, you guys have been great, and thanks for all the replies! Although I have had my ticket for over 27 years, satellites are new to me, and your advise and help is greatly appreciated! Sorry to hear AO-27 isn't working, and that SO-50 is the only FM satellite that's operational at the moment. Looks like I decided to get into this aspect of the hobby a little late, and missed out on the other decayed satellites, and all the great contacts to Col. Wheelock back when he was on the ISS. I hope the near future will bring back into space some new FM satellites, and I will look into the SSB Satellites soon. At the moment, I don't have a all mode VHF/UHF rig, but maybe in the near future I'll be able to obtain one so I can expand my horizons even further with out hobby.Best 73 to all and again, thanks for being so inviting and helpful!FrankKB2CWNEL88QLFlorida

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current keps satpc32
by Bob- W7LRD 16 May '13

16 May '13

Hello..how often are new keps added to the download list in Satpc32? I assume the ones of interest would be in the amateur.txt file. Perhaps Eric can make it such that when new keps are downloaded the the ones that were manually put in are not deleted. Or can the manually inserted keps be put in a file that is not affected by downloaded process? Thanks from the digitally challenged. 73 Bob W7LRD

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(no subject)
by Frank Staffa Jr. 16 May '13

16 May '13

Hello everyone. I am very new at this and I am trying to find as much info as I can. Does anyone know the status of AO-27? I can not find anywhere whether its operating as an FM satellite? I just received my new Arrow II antenna, and hope to meet you guys on the FM sats! Best 73KB2CWN

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Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies (range gain)
by Robert Bruninga 16 May '13

16 May '13

One needs to also realize duration. The time say above 70 degree elevation (where rates are highest) are less than 2% of the total pass times. Not worth worrying about. Similarly, a LEO satellite spends 70% of its time below about 22 degrees. (but it is far away and needs max gain). So simply design for the best operation for most of the time when the link will work. Remember, the satellite is 3000 km away on the horizon and very weak, but as it gets into say 1500 km it is twice as close and 4 times (6 dB) stonger which is a heck of a lot of gain. When it goes directly overhead it is another 6 dB closer which is more than *ten* times the signal on the horizon, so don't worry about the 2% of the time it is going to be above 70 degrees. The signa is 10 times stronger and easy to deal with. Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Art McBride Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 12:44 AM To: 'Roger'; amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies Roger, A SWAG, (Wild Guess) 1 degree per second at a Zenith of 90 degrees. Anything less than 90 degrees will be slower with several minutes spent near the horizon. You can use an orbital program to get exact numbers. With a wide beam width antenna, the lag overhead may never require the antenna to move with the object, as there will be time for the antenna system to catch up after passing overhead. Art, KC6UQH -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Roger Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2013 2:34 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies Anybody off the top of their heads know how many degrees a second swing are (is?) required for direct aim at the ISS? I know there are beam width tolerances, altitude variations and degree above horizon variations but I'm looking at Bob B's fixed antenna aiming of 15-20 degrees above horizon to evaluate swinging a dish without torque eating up the drive train... Roger WA1KAT On 5/12/2013 5:01 PM, M5AKA wrote: > The AMSAT-UK page at > http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/12/hamtv-from-the-iss/ provides the links, they are: > > Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject > > More information at > http://www.amsat.it/Amsat-Italia_HamTV_brochure.pdf > and http://www.amsat.it/Amsat-Italia_HamTV.pdf > > The HamTV.pdf gives the link budget, looks like there's 7dB of coax/connector losses to overcome between the ISS transmitter and the antenna. That document indicates a 90cm dish should be sufficient. > > I believe that it's going up on ATV 4 which is currently slated for > June 5. > > 73 Trevor M5AKA > > _______________________________________________ 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

2 1

TurkSAT
by K4FEG 16 May '13

16 May '13

Hello everyone! 2 questions: 1) is anyone hearing the beacon on TURKSAT? 2) if so, what TLE's are you using? I did not have things set up right after the launch so I missed out on the initial beacon that was heard by many around the world. thanks, K4FEG

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Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies
by I0ELE 16 May '13

16 May '13

Certainly! You can find the nominal link budget on http://www.amsat.it/HAMTV_Link-budget-IARU.pdf and all the relevant information http://www.amsat.it/Amsat-Italia_HamTV_brochure.pdf. However * Recommended Antenna gain > 25 dB * RHCP * Low noise down converter i.e. Kuhne LNC 25 or LNC 25 TM NF 0.7 dB * Any DVB-S Decoder which can decode a 1.3 MSym/s TV signal 73, Emanuele, I0ELE President AMSAT Italia

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Fox and ISS Ham-TV
by Les Rayburn 16 May '13

16 May '13

First of all congratulations to the entire Fox team. I know that everyone is excited about the possibility of another FM bird in the near future. As for Ham-TV, I agree that more information about the ground station requirements would be most welcome. I just managed to win a TechnoTrend S2-1600 HDTV satellite PCI Card on ebay ($60 bucks with shipping) so I hope this is a good start on a complete station. The next hurdle for me will be assembling a workable antenna and I assume an AZ/EL rotor with automatic tracking? It does seem like information is incomplete considering how close to the go live date we are. I know that this type of digital TV is in wide use in Europe, so maybe some of these folks can lend the yanks a hand? -- -- 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

4 4

Office Closed
by Martha 15 May '13

15 May '13

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Thursday, May 16th, Friday, May 17th and Monday, May 20th. Hope to see you in Dayton. -- 73- Martha

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ANS-134 ANS Special Bulletin - NASA Announces Fox-1 Launch Date
by JoAnne Maenpaa 15 May '13

15 May '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-134 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-134.01 ANS-134 ANS Special Bulletin - NASA Announces Fox-1 Launch Date AMSAT News Service Bulletin 134.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 14, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-134.01 NASA announced Monday that AMSAT's Fox-1 spacecraft has been assigned for launch in 2014. For details on the launch vehicle, targeted launch date, orbit specifics, and more, please attend the AMSAT Forum or visit the AMSAT booth at the Dayton Hamven- tion this weekend. Watch http://www.amsat.org and the AMSAT News Service for more details to follow. [ANS thanks AMSAT Vioe President Engineeing Tony Monteiro, AA2TX for the above information] /EX

3 2

Help regarding working of RCI SE
by Aayush Yadav 15 May '13

15 May '13

Hi, We are facing problems in automating the antenna in our ground station. The RCI SE board is not being detected by the computer. So we are not able to give any command through it. We are using RCI SE board ( by EA4TX) with yaesu g5500 rotor. Please can anyone help us. Regards, Aayush Yadav, Pratham, student satellite project, IIT Bombay.

1 0

1973-05-14: Launch of Skylab 1
by B J 15 May '13

15 May '13

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/history/skylab/skylab-1.htm 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ CO96NG

1 0

ISS ham TV
by Robert C. Campbell 15 May '13

15 May '13

I am so confused. Is anyone going to make up a paper, ISS HamTV for dummies? I would like to work on this project but there does not at this time seem to be an easy shopping list, with connect tab a to slot a. I would hope there is something more clear in time to get a build done and ready by July. A mobile tv manager that runs the sports circuits for US tv networks says we will be waiting for our European hams on this one. Even the Tutionne web site confuses me.

2 1

adjusting for Doppler
by Rolf Krogstad 14 May '13

14 May '13

I am sure this has been hashed over in the past but as a novice to the birds I am not sure how to proceed when operating one of the linear transpondesr. I looked at the latest editions of two ARRL publications: ARRL Operators Manual, edition 9, copyright 1007-2011 ARRL Satellite Handbook, copyright 2010 Both are very clear about how one should allow for Doppler shift on the linear transponders. One clearly says find your spot and then use the downlink VFO to adjust for Doppler shift, don't touch the uplink VFO after the initial setting of the frequency. The other clearly says find your spot and then use the uplink VFO to adjust for Doppler shift, don't touch the downlink VFO after the initial setting of the frequency. Color me confused... Rolf NR0T Amsat #38889 EN34

3 2

Helical Antenna on 70 cm
by Rolf Krogstad 14 May '13

14 May '13

I am new to satellites and new to the design requirements for UHF and am looking for advice. I am looking to build a Helical antenna for the 70cm Band. I am considering the plans for such an antenna from the 2010 edition of the ARRL Satellite Handbook. The plans call for a 235 cm (7' 8") long, 2.5 cm (1") diameter center support made of either a wooden dowel which has been treated or a fiberglass tube. It also requires multiple 7.6 cm (3") spacers for the helical element. My question is would fiberglass rods made of "Isophthlic Polyester Resin" be a good choice of material at UHF frequencies? I hesitate to use treated wood because I plan to mount this on the top of a 15 meter high tower and it isn't very accessible. Thanks Rolf NR0T [EN34]

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Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies
by Matty Cunningham 14 May '13

14 May '13

This looks very interesting, wondering if it would be possible to tweak the tuners in DVB-S reveivers so no conversion would be needed? >From http://amsat-uk.org/ :- It is planned to transmit DVB-S signals on 2.4GHz at either 1.3Msps or 2.3Msps with 10 watts of RF from the ISS Columbus module. The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have announced frequencies of 2422.0 MHz and 2437.0 MHz. Most of these receivers use 'L-Band' and can do 950Mhz to around 2Ghz - would be great if we could tweak this, or perhaps inject the 2.4ghz signal after the internal tuning stage, with a bit of buffering /amplification ?? :) Looking at this:- http://www.tbsdtv.com/products/tbs8920-dvb-s2-tv-tuner-pci-card.html or this:- http://www.proftuners.com/review_prof_7301.html - Just as a quick search - it looks like we could use these type of devices for 'decoding' the DVB stream, rather than going for the physical 'lump' and extra expense of a set-top box. Matty MD0MAN Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 21:33:13 +0100 (BST) From: M5AKA <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: Daniel Schultz <n8fgv(a)usa.net>, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org, Greg Dolkas <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies Message-ID: <1368477193.60216.YahooMailClassic(a)web172303.mail.ir2.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 --- On Mon, 13/5/13, Greg Dolkas <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Is there something about the DVB-S modulation that makes it > astoundingly better for this application?? For > something that is intended to be widely received, they sure > are making it difficult... DVB-S receivers are in use in hundreds of millions of homes around the world. Apart from DVB-S2, which is not yet so widespread, I'm not aware of any other standard that would deliver better performance in a 2 MHz bandwidth. 73 Trevor M5AKA

1 0

Up-tilted beams (15 degree optimum)
by Robert Bruninga 14 May '13

14 May '13

Did you look at the antenna plot on that web page?: http://aprs.org/rotator1.html At the proper 15 degree tilt of a fixed beam, the gain is down only 1 dB at the horizon. At your proposed 35 degree tilt, the gain is down 4 dB on the horizon where you need it most (70% of all pass times are below 22 degrees). To me, it makes no sense to sacrifice 4 dB in the area where the satellites spend most of their time. The only benefit to the high tilt angle is improved performance during the 3% of the time the satellite is above 60 degrees. And is that worth giving up gain for the 70% of all other pass times? Further, when the satellite is that high the signal is already 6 to 10 dB stronger than it was on the horizon anyway. How much better does one need to hear an already excellent signal? (so as to sacrifice the other 70%)? But again, if the antenna is in a hole and cannot see anywhere close to the horizon anyway, then of course, tilt the main beam up to point right at the lowest available horizon where the gain is needed most. Bob, WB4aPR > Bob, depending on the antenna pattern and the ground, as you say, > 15 degrees might be too low for any additional help toward the horizon. > 30 to 35 degrees will give you a little better results for stuff that isn't just > right at the horizon, I feel. As with all things in this hobby, experimentation > with your equipment will allow you to find the best combination. Also why sacrifice 3 dB for all terrestrial operations too which are also on the horizon? On 5/13/2013 11:29 AM, Robert Bruninga wrote: >> As has been said many times, most satellite passes are never >> "directly overhead", but rather on some inclination across the sky. >> A 5 element yagi antenna, at a 35 degree angle from the horizon, >> with only an asmuth rotator, will let you work far more satellites >> for > the money spent. > > Except that the correct angle is 15 degrees not 30 or 35. At 15 > degrees, the main gain lobe of the antenna still has excellent gain on > the horizon where you need it most and an equal gain all the way up to 30 > degrees or so. Below 30 degrees is where satellites spend 80+% of their > in-view times. This is where you need the gain most. But when the > satellite is above 30 degrees, the satellite is at least 6 to 10 dB > closer and so it makes no sense to sacrifice gain on the horizon > (where you need it most) by placing it at 30 degrees where you need it least. > > See http://aprs.org/rotator1.html > > Ignore the topic of the page but look very carefullyl at the SCALE > drawing (Yes, that is drawn to scale) of a LEO satellite pass Notice > how 95% of all satellite access times are below 50 degrees and 70% of > the time they are below 22 degrees. That is where you need the gain. > Do not waste it by tilting the antenna up more than 15 degrees. > > The only exception is that if your beam antenna cannot see the horizon > anyway, then, yes, tilt it up a little more since you wont hear the > low stuff anyway... > > Bob, WB4aPR > > > > Gregg Wonderly > > On 5/12/2013 12:48 PM, Jeff Moore wrote: >> I wouldn't recommend a J-pole for satellite work unless you expect to >> only work sats on the horizon. The J-Pole antenna has a low take-off >> angle and almost NO radiation overhead, an plain 1/4 wave ground >> plane antenna would work better for the sats. >> >> >> >> J-poles are great terrestrial communications antennas, not so much >> for working overhead satellite passes. An Eggbeater or quadrifiliar >> antenna would be a better choice. >> >> 7 3 >> >> Jeff Moore -- KE7ACY >> >> On 5/12/2013 8:00 AM, Werner, HB9BNK wrote >>> Thank you all for your valuable hints and advices ! >>> >>> I will now build such an antenna and then supply here the results. >>> >>> 73 Werner, HB9BNK >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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

Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies
by Daniel Schultz 14 May '13

14 May '13

I would research the matter carefully before buying any equipment, does anyone in the ISS HamTV group have any data on which DVB-S receivers will work? This is pretty much beyond what the gear was designed for! Dan Schultz N8FGV ------ Original Message ------ Received: Mon, 13 May 2013 10:52:22 PM EDT From: Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> To: M5AKA <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk>Cc: Daniel Schultz <n8fgv(a)usa.net>, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies > 2 mhz? Yeah, that would be tough... Ok, DVB-S it is. > > Thanks all for the education. There's a swap meet coming up in a couple > of weeks... Sounds like I have a now have a mission. :-) > > Greg KO6TH

4 3

ISS - HAMTV - Tutionne Software for DATV
by I0ELE 14 May '13

14 May '13

Daniel the software I mentioned can be downloaded here: http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=63 Emanuele I0ELE

1 0

Re: Satellite Demonstration Passes for Dayton 2013
by Rolf Krogstad 14 May '13

14 May '13

What callsign will be used - W5IU? de Rolf NR0T >>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >>> From: "Keith Pugh" <w5iu(a)swbell.net> >>> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >>> Cc: >>> Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 00:03:08 -0500 >>> Subject: [amsat-bb] Satellite Demonstration Passes for Dayton 2013 >>> Here are the Satellite Demonstration Passes for Dayton 2013, 17-19 May. >>> Times are in UTC. We will work as many of these passes as possible - >>> weather and equipment permitting. The days are Friday, 17 May, through >>> Sunday, 19 May. The original plain text file is attached with the original >>> formatting. See you on the "Birds" at Dayton 2013 this weekend. >>> >>> 73 - Keith, W5IU

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Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies
by Daniel Schultz 14 May '13

14 May '13

------------- Original Message ------------- >> Right. But what is that in terms of what normally gets described? >> For example, I have a Digital TV card for my computer (Pinnacle PCTV >> HD). It says it does "ATSC digital TV (HDTV up to 1080i, and SDTV)" >> and "Clear QAM (unencrypted digital cable)". >> >> Am I even close? >> >> Greg KO6TH No, you are not even close. ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) is the proprietary over-the-air television broadcast standard used in North America. It is fundamentally incompatible with the open source "DVB-T" broadcast standard that the rest of the world uses for domestic TV. (The fact that it was designed by a committee should tell you all that you need to know about that particular political sausage.) The "Cheap and Easy SDR" article in January QST requires using a DVB-T USB dongle which you need to purchase from a supplier that knows that you want to use it for SDR. The ATSC USB devices sold at Best Buy or other retail stores in the USA cannot be used for this purpose. QAM is used only by cable TV and is never broadcast over the air. (Most cable systems use encrypted QAM so you will still need to rent the decoder box from the cable company). DVB-S is the digital satellite TV standard that the "free to air" (FTA) satellite receivers use. We are not talking about Direct TV or Dish TV, but the C band services. If you watch NASA TV or the foreign language TV broadcasts directly from your C band dish, you are using DVB-S. This standard has been used for terrestrial ham ATV in some US cities. It would be best to contact the ATV experts directly to see what receivers they are using. I don't know which FTA receivers will work with the ISS ham TV. Bottom line is: ATSC and QAM decoders are not useful for receiving the ISS ham TV signals, and DVB-S is not widely used in the USA except by dedicated "free to air" hobbyists. If you bought your receiver card or dongle from any US consumer retail store, it almost certainly is not what you need for ISS ham TV. Dan Schultz N8FGV

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J-Pole Antenna
by Werner, HB9BNK 13 May '13

13 May '13

Thank you all for your valuable hints and advices ! I will now build such an antenna and then supply here the results. 73 Werner, HB9BNK -- Werner, HB9BNK http://www.hb9bnk.ch http://www.hb9bs.ch

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Isle of Mull Grid IO76 on Satellites
by M5AKA 13 May '13

13 May '13

The Camb-Hams group GS3PYE/P are active until May 16 from the Isle of Mull, Grid IO76, in Scotland. Listen out for them on VO-52 and FO-29. GS3PYE/P http://www.southgatearc.org/news/may2013/gs3pye.htm 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Elk antenna review in QST
by Alan 13 May '13

13 May '13

Hi, There is an interesting, positive short review of the Elk 2M/440L5 in the June issue of QST, page 56. He covers both satellite and terrestrial VHF contest use. If you are a League member and don't have the paper issue, the article by Steve Ford, WB8IMY is available for download or on line reading at www.arrl.org/qst. These antennas, as well as a case, will be available at the AMSAT booth at Dayton, and are easily transported home when disassembled. 73s, Alan WA4SCA

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J-Pole Antenna
by Werner, HB9BNK 13 May '13

13 May '13

The antenna, that I want to build, is described in a paper (probably 20 years old) by Dick, WD4FAB, titled 'Antennas for microsat ground stations', and the paper describes the large time, a LEO remains at low elevations - about 76 % below 20 degrees - and then concludes, that this is fine for a J-Pole. I am aware of the fact, that the microsats (AO-16 et.al.) had a mean altitude of 800 km, while my 'targets' fly (sometimes) at higher altitudes. So, some problems are to be expected. (In fact, I was working with a small yagi with fixed elevation of about 15° for several years but my rotor has problems and the access to it is complicated and the repair also, so that I decided to try something simpler until the rotor is fixed - or replaced. Living in a tight environment, I cannot put up a nice antenna system, but to compromise is part of our hobby.) So, I keep you informed about my results. 73 Werner, HB9BNK

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Re: Satellite Demonstration Passes for Dayton 2013
by Rodney Waln 13 May '13

13 May '13

hi forgive me if i am wrong but is HO-68 operational again for SSB,FM ...ect during your demo, i thought that they were still haveing problems with it, or is it back to normal? i am going so i will stop by, Rodney kc0zhf

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Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies
by I0ELE 13 May '13

13 May '13

Farrell, HAMTV equipment will be delivered to the ISS in August (TBC) by the Japanese HTV-4 cargo. You can check on the web the exact date. Then we will start the commissioning soon and we will start the transmissions soon after. Information on the transmission plan will be delivered on this BB. Emanuele, I0ELE Rome, Italy Il 13/05/2013 2.03, Farrell Winder ha scritto: > Dear Emanuele, > Thanks for the detailed information on the HAMTV stream. Is the > DTV-S equipment aboard the ISS now complete and ready to start > transmissions? > Is there a target date as to when 2.4 GHz transmissions might begin? > Thanks for any information. > > Farrell Winder, W8ZCF > Cincinnati, Ohio, USA > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "I0ELE" <emanuele.dandria(a)amsat.it> > Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2013 6:32 PM > To: "Greg D" <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> > Cc: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies > >> HAMTV stream will be transmitted at 1.3 MSym/s or at 2.0 MSym/s. >> Technical specs of the set-top box indicate the range of the decoded >> stream. Generally this range is from 2 to 45 MSym/s, therefore if you >> need to buy it, you should select one that can guarantee a range from >> 1 to 45 MSym/s. >> >> Emanuele I0ELE >> >> >> Il 13/05/2013 0.15, Greg D ha scritto: >>> For the digital TV challenged, what means "Any DVB-S Decoder which >>> can decode a 1.3 MSym/s TV signal"? How would I know if I have such >>> a thing, or what I would need to get if I don't. >>> >>> Greg KO6TH >>> >>> >>> I0ELE wrote: >>>> Certainly! >>>> You can find the nominal link budget on >>>> http://www.amsat.it/HAMTV_Link-budget-IARU.pdf and all the relevant >>>> information http://www.amsat.it/Amsat-Italia_HamTV_brochure.pdf. >>>> However >>>> >>>> * Recommended Antenna gain > 25 dB >>>> * RHCP >>>> * Low noise down converter i.e. Kuhne LNC 25 or LNC 25 TM NF 0.7 dB >>>> * Any DVB-S Decoder which can decode a 1.3 MSym/s TV signal >>>> >>>> 73, Emanuele, I0ELE >>>> President AMSAT Italia >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> 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 >

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Satellite Demonstration Passes for Dayton 2013
by Keith Pugh 13 May '13

13 May '13

Here are the Satellite Demonstration Passes for Dayton 2013, 17-19 May. Times are in UTC. We will work as many of these passes as possible - weather and equipment permitting. The days are Friday, 17 May, through Sunday, 19 May. The original plain text file is attached with the original formatting. See you on the "Birds" at Dayton 2013 this weekend. 73 - Keith, W5IU AMSAT DAYTON HAMVENTION DEMOS - 2013 TZ = UTC N 39.820328 W 84.255224 ELEV. 296 M MIN ELEV. = 10 DEG GRID = EM79ut WinAos QTH: -84.3/39.8 T#: 12920 Sat.: 6 [Standard] ---------------------------------------------------------- Day Object AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl AZ ---------------------------------------------------------- 17.05.2013 AO-07 13:19 13:26 07 15 341 - 279 17.05.2013 ISS 13:50 13:53 03 12 347 - 043 17.05.2013 VO-52 14:07 14:10 03 13 319 - 267 17.05.2013 HO-68 14:19 14:31 12 32 036 - 159 17.05.2013 FO-29 14:39 14:51 12 33 032 - 160 17.05.2013 SO-50 15:00 15:08 08 70 202 - 036 17.05.2013 ISS 15:26 15:32 06 28 327 - 094 17.05.2013 HO-68 16:07 16:20 13 48 003 - 220 17.05.2013 FO-29 16:24 16:36 12 43 001 - 224 17.05.2013 SO-50 16:42 16:49 07 17 276 - 006 17.05.2013 ISS 17:03 17:09 06 34 290 - 154 17.05.2013 AO-07 20:30 20:44 14 35 121 - 357 18.05.2013 ISS 13:01 13:02 01 11 347 - 020 18.05.2013 FO-29 13:48 13:51 03 11 068 - 101 18.05.2013 SO-50 13:48 13:55 07 20 158 - 063 18.05.2013 HO-68 14:03 14:13 10 24 043 - 146 18.05.2013 ISS 14:37 14:42 05 20 332 - 079 18.05.2013 SO-50 15:28 15:36 08 45 234 - 022 18.05.2013 FO-29 15:29 15:42 13 77 015 - 191 18.05.2013 HO-68 15:50 16:03 13 62 008 - 212 18.05.2013 ISS 16:13 16:20 07 60 302 - 137 18.05.2013 FO-29 17:15 17:24 09 19 344 - 256 18.05.2013 HO-68 17:41 17:45 04 12 326 - 287 18.05.2013 AO-07 19:34 19:42 08 16 081 - 012 19.05.2013 VO-52 13:02 13:09 07 60 004 - 205 19.05.2013 AO-07 13:11 13:20 09 16 345 - 273 19.05.2013 HO-68 13:47 13:55 08 18 052 - 134 19.05.2013 ISS 13:48 13:52 04 16 342 - 066 19.05.2013 SO-50 14:15 14:23 08 53 193 - 041 19.05.2013 FO-29 14:35 14:46 11 31 034 - 157 19.05.2013 ISS 15:24 15:30 06 66 313 - 120 19.05.2013 HO-68 15:33 15:46 13 79 013 - 203 19.05.2013 SO-50 15:57 16:03 06 21 267 - 008 19.05.2013 FO-29 16:19 16:31 12 44 001 - 222

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Re: ISS HamTV Frequencies
by M5AKA 13 May '13

13 May '13

The AMSAT-UK page at http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/12/hamtv-from-the-iss/ provides the links, they are: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject More information at http://www.amsat.it/Amsat-Italia_HamTV_brochure.pdf and http://www.amsat.it/Amsat-Italia_HamTV.pdf The HamTV.pdf gives the link budget, looks like there's 7dB of coax/connector losses to overcome between the ISS transmitter and the antenna. That document indicates a 90cm dish should be sufficient. I believe that it's going up on ATV 4 which is currently slated for June 5. 73 Trevor M5AKA --- On Sun, 12/5/13, R Oler <orbitjet(a)hotmail.com> wrote: From: R Oler <orbitjet(a)hotmail.com> Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] ISS HamTV Frequencies To: "M5AKA" <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> Date: Sunday, 12 May, 2013, 17:46 Trevor...I have been so busy with our family moving to our new farm and ferrying a bunch of airplanes to Bangladesh and India...that I have not read a lot on this. Do you have a link on the topic? I am about to get both a VU and SL2 license and will put both active on at least AO7 and VU 52... thanks in advance. Robert G. Oler WB5MZO > Date: Sun, 12 May 2013 17:01:46 +0100 > From: m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] ISS HamTV Frequencies > > The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have announced frequencies of 2422.0 MHz and 2437.0 MHz. > > See http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/12/hamtv-from-the-iss/ > > ---- > 73 Trevor M5AKA > AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ > Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 > Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK > ---- > > _______________________________________________ > 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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FS: Eggbeaters at Dayton
by R.T.Liddy 13 May '13

13 May '13

FOR SALE: M2 Eggbeater EB-144/RK-2M 2 Meter Eggbeater w/reflector kit M2 Eggbeater EB-432/RK-70CM 432 Eggbeater w/reflector kit These will be sold as a pair at the Dayton Hamvention this week in FleaMarket Space 1540 for less than half the catalog price! They were never mounted outside in the weather and are virtually brand new. Stop and check them out or come by just to say Hi. Maybe we worked on the Birds on one of my Satellite Expeditions. See them on my QRZ(dot)com page. 73, Bob K8BL

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ISS HamTV Frequencies
by M5AKA 12 May '13

12 May '13

The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have announced frequencies of 2422.0 MHz and 2437.0 MHz. See http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/12/hamtv-from-the-iss/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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Amsat contact info
by Mike Rupprecht 12 May '13

12 May '13

fyi ------ Hi All, I didn't really know who to contact, so I emailed you all, sorry for the spam. I'd like to officially inform the Amsat and IARU communities (though you surely know this already), that we are now sure CubeBug-1 is object 13018D / 39153. In the last days NORAD has officially assigned the name "CUBEBUG 1" to object 39153. Doppler shift analysis made by many members of the amateur community (via private communications) agree with this too. For example see http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=33101. Finally, our own analysis, and that of the launch services broker (ISIS/ISL), based on insertion forces, masses and other physical characteristics, agrees with this assignment. So we wanted to inform the community that we now officially assume the CubeBug-1 is object 13018D/39153 and that the frequency of the radio has shifted, for some yet unknown reason. We now assume the satellite transmits (and receives) at 437438300Hz. This again is mainly based in the experience of the members of the amateur radio enthusiasts. And finally, but most important, we also wanted to thank the whole radio amateur community, so please forward them our most warm thank you. I tried to put what I feel in words a few days ago: http://1.cubebug.org/post/49490931912/we-love-the-amateur-radio-enthusiasts thank you very much all for being there, gera for the CubeBug-1 team. PS: Please, forward this email to who you think may be interested, thank you!

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ESTCUBE-1 & TURKSAT-3USAT
by Red Willoughby 12 May '13

12 May '13

Any word on when their transponders will be activated?I listened for their CW beacons this morningon high passes, but did not hear them. Red, KC4LE

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vy1rm Yukon Territory
by John Papay 12 May '13

12 May '13

VY1RM was on FO-29 at 0300utc 12May calling CO6CBF. He said he would be on the next pass. The Yukon is pretty rare so try to work him if you can. 73, John K8YSE

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President of the British Interplanetary Society at AMSAT-UK Colloquium
by M5AKA 12 May '13

12 May '13

The 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will start late afternoon on Friday, July 19 and will run through until the afternoon on Sunday, July 21 at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, UK. It will be preceded by an exciting “Hands-on” CubeSat Workshop which will take place at the nearby University of Surrey on the Friday and this will be followed, at the hotel, by the usual Colloquium “Beginners Session” in the late afternoon. A number of keynote presentations have already been arranged for the Colloquium. These include Alistair Scott, the President of the British Interplanetary Society. The BIS has, over many decades, developed ideas and concepts about the future of space travel and both Patrick Moore and Arthur C Clarke were members. Alistair has had many years experience working in the space industry and will be reviewing the future possibilities for ventures into space both small and large. The BIS is presently developing one of the Sprites for the Kicksat mission and Andrew Vaudin will be presenting a paper about this and also providing a demonstration. It is anticipated that both the FUNcube-1 and FUNcube-2 missions will be launched later this year and the FUNcube team will be on hand to talk about the missions and the planned educational outreach. A full demonstration of the Engineering Model, which has been performing flawlessly for almost a year, will also be provided. On the Sunday, the General Manager of the RSGB, Graham Coomber, G0NBI will be talking about the Society’s vision of the future of amateur radio and how amateur satellites can play a major part in helping to secure that future. We will also have updates on a number of the other current amateur satellite projects including HAMtv from the ISS, spectrum matters, operating methods, new products etc. Additionally there will be a satellite demonstration station operating over the weekend and visits to the new technical facilities at the University are planned. There are still a few slots available for additional speakers, so if you would like to make a presentation, please contact Dave Johnson e-mail: dave at g4dpz dot me dot uk as soon as possible. The AMSAT-UK organising committee looks forward to welcoming both regular attendees and newcomers – you can be assured of a warm welcome and an exciting weekend. Full details of the accommodation, travel and booking arrangements can be found here: http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2013/ and details of the “Hands On” CubeSat Workshop are available here http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/cubesat-workshop-2013/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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VY1RM
by K4FEG 12 May '13

12 May '13

Ron, VY1RM was just on the FO29 pass with a 57 signal into the satellite, he made a contact with CO6CBF, for another great QSO for Hector to Ron, very short window for Ron and Hector but a good contact for them. Ron is back on the air and has mentioned that he plans to be active on the satellites. He is in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada CP20lq. Look for Ron on the satellite or drop him an email if you want to make a schedule with him. Congratulations Hector and Ron for a great FO29 contact! 73; K4FEG EM55aj84ta

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ANS-132 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne Maenpaa 12 May '13

12 May '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-132 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: * AMSAT is Going to the Dayton Hamvention This Week * AMSAT Engineering Will Show Fox-1 System Software Running on IHU * AMSAT V/U/WX Receive Preamps at Dayton for Display and Sales * New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to Debut at Hamvention 2013 * Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton * "Dayton Only" Special Deals * Signals Received From Estonia's ESTCube-1 CubeSat * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Solicited * ARISS School Contacts * Museum Ships Weekend Special Event Station KK5W Satellite Ops * Additional 2M Downlink Allocation Proposed for Amateur Satellites? * HAMSAT VO-52 Celebrates 8th Year On Orbit * SA AMSAT Space Symposium Coming to Pretoria on May 18 * 1000th Session of the Houston AMSAT Net Invites You to Check In * NASA TV to Cover Soyuz Landing May 13 * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-132.01 ANS-132 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 111.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 12, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-132.01 ************************************************************** * Volunteers are still needed to help at the AMSAT booth at * * Dayton. We have about 20 people who have stepped forward, * * but we could use a few more. If you are willing to spend a * * couple of hours on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to help at * * the Hamvention, please send an e-mail NOW to Steve Belter, * * n9ip(a)amsat.org. If you've volunteered, but not heard back * * from Steve, please send him another note. Thank you! * * * * Monitor the 'AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2013' link on the * * new AMSAT Web Site http://www.amsat.org for the latest * * AMSAT at Dayton news and developments. * ************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT is Going to the Dayton Hamvention This Week This is the week - May 16 through May 19 - for the really big show near Dayton, Ohio at the 2013 Hamvention. AMSAT Hamvention activities and displays are planned to take place at the new booth location (444-446 and 433-435) in the Ball Arena, and outside in the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside the Ball Arena entrance. 2013 theme for AMSAT at Dayton is "AMSAT - A View to the Future." If you have not yet made your reservations for the AMSAT/TAPR Ban- quet, please make them by Tuesday, May 14, 1800 EDT. Because of the requirement that the caterer have a final count, no more reserva- tions will be accepted afterwards, either on the AMSAT Store or at Dayton. This is a great opportunity to mingle with your fellow techies, as well as hear a fascinating speaker! Here are the daily AMSAT activities for on-site and off-site events at the 2013 Hamvention! Thursday 16 May 2013 -------------------- + 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM AMSAT Booth Setup at Ball Arena (contact Steve Belter, N9IP, n9ip at amsat.org if you can help during this time). + 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM The third Annual AMSAT "Dinner at Tickets" party will be held at Tickets Pub & Eatery in Fairborn, OH. Check out the 'AMSAT at Day- ton Hamvention 2013' link to the page 'AMSAT Dayton Social Events' on the new Web Site: http://www.amsat.org. Friday 17 May 2013 ------------------ + 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM at the AMSAT Booth AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and information. You may pick up your tickets at the AMSAT boot for the Friday Night AMSAT/TAPR Banquet during this time. + 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at Dayton 2013 AMSAT/TAPR Banquet on Friday night, May 17 is one of the main AMSAT activities during the 2013 Hamvention at Dayton. The speaker this year will be Bruce Perens, K6BP, with a humorous history of tech- nology evangelism: "The Evangelist's Dilemma: Driving New Ideas With Nothing But Words." Saturday 18 May 2013 -------------------- + 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the AMSAT Booth AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and information. Note the bulletin below for the AMSAT Store Dayton Deals! + 11:15 AM - 1:30 PM The AMSAT Forum Get the latest information about what is going on with AMSAT and its projects. The AMSAT Forum will be held in Forum Room 5. See the bulletin below for details! Sunday 19 May 2013 ------------------ + 9:00 AM - 1:00PM at the AMSAT Booth AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and information. + 1:00PM - 3:00PM at the AMSAT Booth Take down and storage of the AMSAT Booth. (contact Steve Belter, N9IP, n9ip at amsat.org if you can help during this time). Demos Daily on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for All Available Passes -------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT is encouraging everyone attending the 2013 Dayton Hamvention to come by the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside of the Ball Arena entrance and make a contact using the amateur satellites. There will be AMSAT volunteers to explain how to make the contacts and dur- ing actual satellite passes will complete as many actual contacts as possible. Satellite pass times will be posted in the satellite demon- stration area and at the AMSAT booth. [ANS thanks AMSAT's 2013 Dayton Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Engineering Will Show Fox-1 System Software Running on IHU AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX reported that the software development team successfully brought up the Fox-1 system software on the Internal Housekeeping Unit (IHU.) The IHU is the brains of the Fox-1 satellite and it has a 32-bit, STM32L microprocessor. Tony says the operating IHU card will be shown at the Dayton Ham- vention next week in the AMSAT booth. The engineering team welcomes everyone to stop by and have a look. ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT V/U/WX Receive Preamps at Dayton for Display and Sales AMSAT will have a supply of the popular V/U/WX receive preamplifiers at Dayton for display and sales. Ready to operate--not a kit! Fully assembled, tested, and installed in a metal enclosure with female BNC connectors on input and output. It is based on the MAR 7 device, and covers 100 MHz to 500 MHz. This includes the137 MHz WX, 2M, and 70cm satellite bands. Operates from +9-15V DC (a fresh 9V battery works great!). Perfect for portable operations using dual band hand-held Yagis like the ARROW, Cheap Yagi, etc. Just put it inline on the correct receive band for operations in either mode U/V or V/U. You won't believe what you've been missing! Includes low power (about 5W) protection diode on the input for acci- dental transmissions into the input. This preamp is not RF switched. It must be protected from inadvertent repeated or high power trans- mission RF using a relay or diplexer. Full details and schematic can be found in the November/December 2012 AMSAT Journal article by Mark Spencer, WA8SME, or downloaded from the item in the Hardware section of the AMSAT Store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ The assembled and tested kit is priced at $50 USD. Proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the AMSAT Fox Family of satellites! This equipment was developed as part of the ARRL Education and Tech- nology Program. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to Debut at Hamvention 2013 Through the dedicated work of Stefan Wagener, VE4NSA, AMSAT-NA will debut its new 1:1 scale cardboard model of the Fox-1 CubeSat at Ham- vention 2013. We will have a complete display at the AMSAT booth. It is life size, and based on the latest Fox-1 engineering drawings for highest fid- elity in design and appearance. The model is printed in color on heavy stock paper, including all components. The instructions are carefully prepared to allow for easy assembly requiring scissors, glue etc. Depending on experience, assembly will take approximately 10+ hours. The complete model will be a perfect addition to any satellite oper- ator's shack, and a chance to show visitors what is being done by AMSAT today. We will have finished models at the AMSAT booth for a recommended donation of $25. All proceeds will go to supporting the Fox Project. See http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=503 for a photo of the model. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton AMSAT has sold the popular G6LVB Tracker for several years. This year we will have a new version which replaces the amber LCD display with an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The new display offers a high visibility contrast with a wide angle of view. It will be available in blue, green and amber. LVB Trackers will be available with the recommended serial (RS-232) I/O. The recommended minimum donation will remain $200. An FTDI USB/ Serial module is available as an option for an additional $25. A pic- ture showing the old and new displays may be found at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=484 Current LVB Tracker owners may update their own units. The OLED dis- plays used are manufactured by Newhaven, NHD-0216KZW series, and are available from Mouser and other online parts suppliers. The OLED dis- plays have less depth so the PEM fasteners need to be shortened for correct fit and viewing thru the front of the case. The LVB Tracker firmware will also require updating. Current owners may send their LVB Tracker to WB8CXO for retrofit if they don't wish to do the mod- ifications themselves. Upgrading existing trackers will be $50 + ship- ping. Contact WB8CXO(a)AMSAT.ORG for details. AMSAT would like to acknowledge the many contributors to this effort. Mike Young, WB8CXO who has supported the Tracker and whose initiative was essential to this development. John Drago, W8FAA modified the LVB Tracker firmware to support the OLED display. Ken Baker from Ridge Machine manufactured the PEM fastener cutting jig. Steve Belter, N9IP, Mark Hammond, N8MH and John Papay, K8YSE did beta testing. And finally Gould Smith, WA4SXM, LVB Tracker project manager for his continuous guidance and support. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Dayton Only" Special Deals As usual, during the Hamvention AMSAT will have a number of special items and packages available at the booth. These will range from new design shirts and hats, to tracking hardware and software, to Elk antennas. Many of the shirts and trinkets are only available at Dayton. When they are gone, they are gone! Be sure to stop by the booth early while we have a full range of sizes. Here are some of the bargains announced for Dayton Hamvention 2013: + SATPC32 - $40 (normally $45 for members) + AMSAT TOTE BAG - $5.00 (Free for new and renewing members and for those who buy a LVB Tracker Box.) + AMSAT LICENSE PLATE HOLDER - $5.00 (Free for new and renewing members) These items are only available at Dayton: + LVB TRACKER BOX - $200 + ELK ANTENNA - $125 The full shopping list, including publications, software, hardware, apparel, and sustaining memberships are posted on the AMSAT On-Line Store at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=296 Please do not contact the AMSAT office requesting Dayton-only spe- cials. Our regular offerings remain available at the AMSAT Store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Signals Received From Estonia's ESTCube-1 CubeSat Estonia's first CubeSat ESTCube-1, amateur radio callsign ES5E/S, was successfully launched from the ESA Spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana on May 7, 2013 aboard an ESA VEGA rocket. Built by students at the University of Tartu ESTCube-1 the main mission of the satellite is to test electric solar wind sail tech- nology, a novel space propulsion technology that could revolution- alize transportation within the solar system. It will deploy a 10 meter conductive electrodynamic tether and the force interacting with the tether will be measured. Information about the satellite is posted at: http://www.estcube.eu/en/ The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have pub- lished these frequencies for ESTCube-1: + 437.250 MHz - CW beacon, callsign ES5E/S + 437.505 MHz - 9600 bps AX.25 telemetry, callsign ES5E-11 + See http://www.estcube.eu/en/radio-details for additional news. + A beacon decoder can also be found on a link from this page. The AMSAT-UK web shows additional photos and a description of the mission for ESTCube-1 at: http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/06/estcube-1-estonias-first-cubesat-2/ The ESTCube-1 Team has begun posting updates on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/estcube Here is a google maps page that tracks ESTCube-1: http://tinyurl.com/ESTCube-Tracker (lizard-tail.com) ESTCube-1 keplerian elements are included in the AMSAT.ORG elements set sent out this week via the keps(a)amsat.org e-mail list. After deployment from the VEGA upper stage reception reports of ESTCube-1 reception reports from amateur radio stations worldwide were posted: + Ib, OZ1MY received the signal, noting, "Using the preliminary TLEs I heard ESTCube-1 beacon at 0908 UTC May 7. The received frequency is approximately 2 KHz higher than published." + Nader, ST2NH reported, "EstCube-1 Beacon heard over Africa strong and clear." + Ken, GW1FKY reported, "Monday 7th May 2013 - Time here in Wales, UK 1235hrs UTC. Hearing ESTcube-1 very well with just my Elk antenna and a Kenwood TS-2000. + Jean-Pierre, F5YG wrote, "On orbit number 4, good signal but only small pieces of text as there is a lot of time between CW frames. + Hector, CO6CBF said, "ESTCube-1 was heard in EL92sd with a great signal. I was running a FUNcube Dongle with SDR-Radio V2.0 and ELK antenna with a homebrew preamplifier. Approximately 12 hours after launch the ESTCube-1 team posted a status that received telemetry packets indicate the satellite had charged its batteries completely. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the University of Tartu ESTCube-1 Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Solicited It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming open seats on the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. A nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member for the position. Four director's terms expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Drew Glasbrenner, K04MA, and Tony Monteiro, AA2TX. In addition to traditional submission of written nominations, which remains unchanged and is the preferred method, nominations may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, FAX, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA at AMSAT.ORG or faxed to 301-608-3410. Written nominations, consisting of names, calls and individual sig- natures should be mailed to: AMSAT-NA 850 Sligo Ave #600 Silver Spring, MD, 20910 No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS School Contacts Gary, Indiana ------------- An International Space Station school contact was susscessful with participants at The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc, Gary, IN on May 8. This was a direct contact between NA1SS and KC9JQN. The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc. serves as the primary literacy collaborative in the City of Gary and neighboring communities. GLC supports, promotes, enhances, and coordinates the accessibility of literacy opportunities, thus making Gary, "A Reading City." GLC has maintained a close partnership with the Gary Community School Corporation (GCSC). The GLC/GCSC partnership allows the operation of the "Learning Partner" Mentoring Project. This mentoring initiative is a motivational endeavor offering an arm of support to 4th, 5th and 6th grade students enrolled in the GCSC gender academies; Dr. Bernard C. Watson Academy for Boys and Frankie Woods-McCullough Academy for Girls. The GCSC is an urban public school district challenged to ex- pand and enhance educational experiences for the approximately 10,000 students that it serves. A large percentage of these students reside in single-parent homes and/or low -income families. Royal Canadian Mounted Police HQ, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada ---------------------------------------------------------- The contact with the Yellowknife R.C.M.P. Headquarters, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada, via a telebridge connection with K6DUE that had been scheduled for Saturday, May 11 was postponed due to an unplanned EVA to investigate an ammonia leak. At press time this contact has been rescheduled for a telebridge via K6DUE on Sunday, May 12. ARISS is requesting listener reports for the above contacts. Due to issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at pre- sent, the Ericsson radio is going to be used for these contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. [ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Museum Ships Weekend Special Event Station KK5W Satellite Ops The Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club (BVARC) will be participating in the Museum Ships Weekend Event on June 1-2, 2013 from Pelican Island (IOTA NA-143) near Galveston, Texas. It is expected that amateur radio operators will activate amateur radio stations on over 80 ships worldwide during the event. The BVARC operation from Seawolf Park will activate both the submarine USS Cavalla and the destroyer escort USS Stewart. BVARC plans a full 2-day operation on the HF bands. Operation on OSCAR satellites is planned for daytime passes on Saturday, June 1. The BVARC satellite team will consist of AMSAT members Andy Mac- Allister, W5ACM, Allen Mattis, N5AFV, Charlie Keng, K5ENG, and Carl Hacker, WC5WM. During MSWE 2012 a number of museum ships operated on OSCAR satel- lites and the KK5W satellite team worked the USS Nautilus, the USS New Jersey, and the Lightship Overfalls. We encourage any interest- ed satellite operators to volunteer to operate on the OSCAR satel- lites if you live near a participating museum ship. Join in and be part of this worldwide event. If you hear KK5W on during MSWE 2013 give us a call. QSL with SASE to KK5W, Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club, PO BOX 2997, Sugar Land, TX 77487-2997. Additional information is posted on these web pages: + http://www.nj2bb.org/museum/index + http://www.bvarcmswe.org [ANS thanks Allen Mattis, N5AFV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional 2M Downlink Allocation Proposed for Amateur Satellites? AMSAT-UK reports that an increased allocation for amateur satellite downlink on the 2 meter band has been proposed. In the minutes from the IARU Region 1 Interim meeting held in Vienna, April 20-21, the papers related to the Amateur Satellite Service included: + VIE13_C5_03 Increased Amateur-Satellite Service 144MHz Usage + VIE13_C5_05 Recommendations for DATV Transmission + VIE13_C5_24 Region 1 Satellite Coordinator Report + VIE13_C5_27 New Narrow-Band working frequencies in the 2300-2450 MHz band + VIE13_C5_32 2400MHz Amateur Satellites The VIE13_C5_03 which proposed the use of 144.000-144.035 MHz for satellite SSB/CW downlinks was modified to accommodate some CW con- tests, the proposal was reduced from 35 to 25kHz (i.e. 144.000-144.025 MHz). The minutes record that Graham Shirville, G3VZV presented the paper on the increasing use of 2m by satellites and the desire to use the under-utilized bottom of the 2m band 144.000-144.035, which had originally been harmonized for EME activity. "EME has subsequently moved to frequencies further up the band," Shirville said. An IARU Region 1 representative noted that if the other IARU Region 2 and Region 3 are also willing to go for 144.000 and 144.025, then IARU Region 1 will support this proposal. IARU Region 2 Conference is in Cancun, Mexico in September 2013. Additional details of the proposal and links to the Vienna C5 meet- ing minutes and papers are posted on the AMSAT-UK web at: http://tinyurl.com/FrequencyProposal (www.amsat-uk.org) In the show "Amateur Radio Today" for May 5, 2013 Murray Niman G6JYB was interviewed about the IARU Region 1 Vienna conference and dis- cussed the proposal to permit amateur radio satellite linear trans- ponders operate in the very bottom section of the 144 MHz band. The show, hosted by Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, provides a pre- view of the Dayton Hamvention, Murray Niman who represented the SARL (and RSGB) at the IARU Vienna Conference. The interview with Murray Niman G6JYB starts 34 minutes into the show. Listen to Amateur Radio Today May 5, 2013 at: http://www.amateurradio.org.za/ARTODAY5MAY2013pod.MP3 (lo-res) http://www.amateurradio.org.za/ARTODAY5MAY2013.MP3 (hi-res) AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW notes that the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors is studying the IARU Region 1 proposal but has as yet not reached a decision on whether to support it or not. He further noted that EME operators and other weak signal people need to be canvassed before the Board is willing to reach a decision. Barry observed, "The inclusion of this news item in ANS is meant to encourage conversation/discussion and is not meant to suggest impli- cit endorsement by AMSAT-NA. AMSAT members and others who wish to comment on the proposal are encouraged to send their feedback to the AMSAT Board of Directors' mailbox at BOD at AMSAT.org." [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- HAMSAT VO-52 Celebrates 8th Year On Orbit Mani, VU2WMY, Secretary & Station-In-Charge Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC at India's ISRO Satellite Centre noted this week: "It gives us great and immense pleasure to say that 'HAMSAT VO-52' completes eight fruitful years in orbit contributing to the wonder- ful cause of 'Amateur Radio Satellite Communication'. The overall health parameters are excellent and we do hope that transponder(s) on-board 'HAMSAT VO-52' would continue to render good services for many more years to come. On this joyous occasion, on behalf of everyone here in ISRO/India and on my personal behalf, I thank each and every user, contribu- tors and well wishers for this great achievement. Special thanks to Guru VU2GUR, Nitin VU3TYG, Partha VU2GPS, Sunil VU2UKR, Bob W7LRD, Trevor M5AKA and others for sending in their reports and suggestions for the possible HAMSAT 2." [ANS thanks Mani, VU2WMY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SA AMSAT Space Symposium Coming to Pretoria on May 18 The 2013 SA AMSAT Space Symposium will be held at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria on Saturday 18 May. Full details can be found on-line at: http://www.amsatsa.org.za. Some of the program topics announced this week include: + Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, will take delegates on a historical journey in his presentation "living the dreams of our space pioneers", speaking of OSCAR-7, the oldest amateur satellite still operating. + Deon Coetzee, ZR1DE, will share his experiences developing a 14 MHz receiver to receive signals from the soon to be launched ZACube satellite. + Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ will have a presentation on antenna control. SA AMSAT says, "The programme is packed with interesting papers to cater for all levels of interest and experiences. All attendees will receive a CD with all the presentations and other interesting material. [ANS thanks SA AMSAT and the SARL News for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1000th Session of the Houston AMSAT Net Invites You to Check In The Houston AMSAT net is on the air live on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM (Wednesday 0100 UTC) on the 145.47 W5RPT FM Repeater PL 123.0. The net can also be heard on Echolink on the AMSAT confer- ence. All interested satellite operators are invited to tune in on Tuesday, May 21 for 1000th consecutive session of the net. A special feature of the 1000th net will include AMSAT officers and other guests call- ing into the net. If you are on the Echolink AMSAT conference you also count as being checked into the net. [ANS thanks Andy W5ACM, Net Control of the Houston AMSAT Net for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA TV to Cover Soyuz Landing May 13 NASA Television will provide live coverage May 12-14 as three crew members aboard the International Space Station end five months in orbit and return to Earth for a scheduled landing May 13. Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, Tom Marshburn of NASA and Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will undock their Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft from the station at 7:08 p.m. EDT (UTC-4) May 13, heading for a land- ing on the steppe of Kazakhstan southeast of Dzhezkazgan at 10:31 p.m. EDT. NASA TV's full coverage schedule is as follows (all times EDT): Sunday, May 12: 3:40 p.m. -- Expedition 35/36 change of command ceremony Monday, May 13: 3:30 p.m. -- Farewells and hatch closure (hatch closure scheduled at 3:50 p.m.) 6:45 p.m. -- Undocking (undocking scheduled at 7:08 p.m.) 9:15 p.m. -- Deorbit burn and landing (deorbit burn scheduled at 9:37 p.m., landing scheduled at 10:31 p.m.) Midnight -- Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities Tuesday, May 14: Noon -- Video file of post-landing activities and interviews For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + We receive occasional inquiries about the error message shown when attempting to access the prior AMSAT.ORG web pages. These prior web pages are down and are being replaced with a new AMSAT web presence. You need to delete any old bookmarks pointing to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new. The URL http://www.amsat.org should be manually entered into your browser. This will bring you to the new AMSAT web page currently under development. There is only basic information posted on this site at present but will expand in the future. + Members of the Camb-Hams are now active from the Isle of Mull (IOSA NH15, SCOTIA CN10, WLOTA 2485), Inner Hebrides, as GS3PYE/p until May 16. Look for 13 operators to be active on all bands and many modes from 160-2 meters as well as 472 kHz. The HF bands will be covered by 5 simultaneous stations, while 6m, 4m and 2m sta- tions will have a great take-off towards the UK and Europe. They will have an antenna elevation system for 2m EME activity and will also be on many of the VHF/UHF satellite passes. + Singing in Space: Russia's space agency Roscosmos said this week it has reached an agreement with US-based Space Adventures Ltd. company to proceed with the plans to put British singer Sarah Brightman on a space flight to the International Space Station in October 2015. A final decision on Brightman's journey to the ISS has not been made as it has to be coordinated between Roscosmos and NASA, fitting the demanding schedule of visiting flights to the orbital station. (SpaceDaily.com) + The 2013 Central States VHF Society Conference will be held near Chicago at the Elk Grove Village, IL, Holiday Inn from Thursday July 25 until Sunday July 28. Refer to the conference web at: http://www.csvhfs.org/2013conference/agenda.html for additional information on the technical program, family activities, and a tour of FermiLab. + If you can't make it to the Hamvention you can watch the event on the W5KUB.com world wide webcast. The live broadcast begins on Wednesday May 15 at 8:00 AM Central time for the 550 Mile drive from Memphis to Dayton live. The broadcast will be up on Thursday to show various vendors setting up. Then the show will feature Hamvention coverage Friday through Sunday. As in the past, W5KUB will be giving out thousands of dollars of ham prizes to their viewers. Join in on the fun at W5KUB.Com. When you login to the web chat room you are registered for the prize drawings. + In this video Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield explains how to steer the ISS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IZHw4UKFiHQ + In case you wondered why there was never a station broadcasting on UHF TV channel 37 find out why in the Universe Today story, "The Curious Channel 37 - Must-see TV For Radio Astronomy". http://tinyurl.com/channel37 (UniverseToday.com) [ANS thanks everyone 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. And with that please keep in mind to never trust an atom ... they make up everything! 73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org

1 0

J-Pole Antenna
by Werner, HB9BNK 11 May '13

11 May '13

Looking for a simple omnidirectional antenna for AO-7 (B), FO-29 and VO-52, I came across a description of a J-Pole - dual band, single mast antenna, done by Dick Jansson, WD4FAB several years ago. This looks like the solution for my situation. Before I start building, I would like to know, if somebody here has experience with this antenna. Thanks and 73 -- Werner, HB9BNK http://www.hb9bnk.ch http://www.hb9bs.ch

4 3

AO7 Eclipse's
by K4FEG 11 May '13

11 May '13

Hello Everyone, I have taken the information from Ib, OZ1MY and plugged it into SatPC32 and starting on May 21, 2013 at approximately 1346UTC, AO7 will start going into brief eclipse periods as it approaches the coast of Antarctica. Based on my observations these eclipses will increase in duration until they reach a peak around the Summer equinox and then they will start to taper off until the last eclipse occurs at approximately 0245UTC on August 2, 2013. If the past is any indication of future events, this could mean erratic behavior from AO7. Last year for an extended period of time, AO7 was coming up in Mode B every day. I do not know of any rhyme or reason to which mode it may come up in but I plan to monitor AO7 close this year to see if we have another extended "Mode B" period. I will try to keep the StarCom BB up to date on the status of AO7 during this time. I would suppose the worst case scenario would be if we had an extended "Mode A" condition. The dates are 05/21/2013 until 08/02/2013 the eclipse's start at 15 to 20 second periods up to about 3 minutes in duration at their peak. I am not sure how much total loss of sunlight is required cause the satellite to start acting differently, I know the batteries are totally gone but I do not know if there is any type capacitive storage that may retain a voltage in critical systems on the satellite. If anyone has any information on that I would be interested. That is my AO7 status report for now! Stay Tuned! 73 All FRM; K4FEG EM55aj84ta

2 1

AO-07 in mode-B now
by Ib Christoffersen 11 May '13

11 May '13

Hi all, With AOS at 1124 UTC here in Copenhagen I found it in mode-B. Looking at NOVA predictions it will have regular eclipses at the 21 May and onwards. Have a nice weekend all. 73 OZ1MY Ib

1 0

2m1eub/p io97cm qsl cards
by paul robinson 11 May '13

11 May '13

hi all just posted all qsl cards for opps in io97cm dirrect...73 paul 2e1eub

1 0

AO7
by K4FEG 11 May '13

11 May '13

Hello AO7 operators! As of 1005UTC over the USA, AO7 is still in Mode A, the next 45 minutes is the normal time frame for AO7 to switch so the next pass over Asia, The Middle East and Western Europe should be switched to Mode B. The satellite will be over Antarctica when the switch should occur so I expect there will be no one to actually "hear" the switch. I am betting that the switch goes off on schedule and Mode B will up on our next orbit of AO7. I'll be on the next pass as well to see what mode/mood the "Grand Old Lady" is in! 73 all FRM Frank E. G. K4FEG EM55aj84ta

1 0

AO7 Mode
by K4FEG 10 May '13

10 May '13

TO ALL AO7 USERS: AT 2152UTC, THE AO7 PASS OVER THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE IS STILL IN MODE A. I will check to see if the 1047UTC time is still the "switch" time for the satellite in the morning my first pass that is "close" to the switch time is at 0950UTC, the satellite will be over Antarctica when it hits the "time" at which it has been switching. Hopefully we will see that it has switched modes over to B and all we had was an anomaly today on the switching. 73 everyone! K4FEG; Em55aj84ta

1 0

New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to debut at Hamvention 2013
by Alan 10 May '13

10 May '13

Through the dedicated work of Stefan Wagener, VE4NSA, AMSAT-NA will debut its new 1:1 scale cardboard model of the Fox-1 CubeSat at Hamvention 2013. We will have a complete display at the AMSAT booth. It is life size, and based on the latest Fox-1 engineering drawings for highest fidelity in design and appearance. The model is printed in color on heavy stock paper, includes all components and the instructions are carefully prepared to allow for easy assembly requiring scissors, glue etc. Depending on experience, assembly will take approximately 10+ hours. The complete model will be a perfect addition to any satellite operator's shack, and a chance to show visitors what is being done by AMSAT today. We will have finished models at the AMSAT booth for display and printed models for sale. They will be available at the AMSAT booth for a recommended donation of $25. All proceeds will go to supporting the Fox Project. 73s, Alan WA4SCA

1 0

Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton (Revised)
by Alan 10 May '13

10 May '13

Due to a hurried edit, an important contributor was inadvertently left off the credits list. My apologies to Mike, WD8CXO! Alan WA4SCA Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton AMSAT has sold the popular G6LVB Tracker for several years. This year we will have a new version which replaces the amber LCD display with an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The new display offers a high visibility contrast with a wide angle of view. It will be available in blue, green and amber. LVB Trackers will be available with the recommended serial (RS-232) I/O. The recommended minimum donation will remain $200. An FTDI USB/Serial module is available as an option for an additional $25. A picture showing the old and new displays may be found on amsat.org. Current LVB Tracker owners may update their own units. The OLED displays used are manufactured by Newhaven, NHD-0216KZW series, and are available from Mouser and other online parts suppliers. The OLED displays have less depth so the PEM fasteners need to be shortened for correct fit and viewing thru the front of the case. The LVB Tracker firmware will also require updating. Current owners may send their LVB Tracker to WB8CXO for retrofit if they don't wish to do the modifications themselves. Upgrading existing trackers will be $50 + shipping. Contact WB8CXO(a)AMSAT.ORG for details. AMSAT would like to acknowledge the many contributors to this effort. Mike Young, WB8CXO who has supported the Tracker and whose initiative was essential to this development. John Drago, W8FAA modified the LVB Tracker firmware to support the OLED display. Ken Baker from Ridge Machine manufactured the PEM fastener cutting jig. Steve Belter, N9IP, Mark Hammond, N8MH and John Papay, K8YSE did beta testing. And finally Gould Smith, WA4SXM, LVB Tracker project manager for his continuous guidance and support.

1 0

AO-07 changes or what
by Ib Christoffersen 10 May '13

10 May '13

Hi all, This morning a little before 1040 UTC I found AO-07 in mode-B to my big surprise. I can also see another report at 1046 UTC to the effect that it was in mode-B Now at 1240 UTC it is not in mode-B as far as I can hear. I do not have the possibility to monitor mode-A. Can someone please do that ? 73 OZ1MY Ib

3 2

AO7 MODE
by K4FEG 10 May '13

10 May '13

To all AO7 Users: AO7 is in Mode A this morning, the normal switch should have occurred around 10:50UTC, I believe that it was about this time last year when AO7 was "stuck" in Mode B for about 3 weeks or more. If the satellite is going into a brief eclipse periods, there is no telling when the satellite will change modes, I was able to use SatPC32 in the preview mode last year, to actually see the eclipse on AO7 and predict when they would end, I will run some simulations and see if brief eclipses are occurring. Please feel free to post any findings on AO7 on /*Starcom-bb(a)Star-com.net*/, that is my BB that I run for satellite users. Be sure and check both modes when the satellite is over your location! /*You can always give Mode A a try!! it's quiet over there!*/ 73 All; K4FEG, Em55aj84ta (look these coordinates up on /*APRS.FI _satellite mode_*/_,_ and it will zoom in on my antennas on my back deck!)

1 0

Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton
by Alan 10 May '13

10 May '13

Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton AMSAT has sold the popular G6LVB Tracker for several years. This year we will have a new version which replaces the amber LCD display with an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The new display offers a high visibility contrast with a wide angle of view. It will be available in blue, green and amber. LVB Trackers will be available with the recommended serial (RS-232) I/O. The recommended minimum donation will remain $200. An FTDI USB/Serial module is available as an option for an additional $25. A picture showing the old and new displays may be found on amsat.org. Current LVB Tracker owners may update their own units. The OLED displays used are manufactured by Newhaven, NHD-0216KZW series, and are available from Mouser and other online parts suppliers. The OLED displays have less depth so the PEM fasteners need to be shortened for correct fit and viewing thru the front of the case. The LVB Tracker firmware will also require updating. Current owners may send their LVB Tracker to WB8CXO for retrofit if they don't wish to do the modifications themselves. Upgrading existing trackers will be $50 + shipping. Contact WB8CXO(a)AMSAT.ORG for details. AMSAT would like to acknowledge the many contributors to this effort. John Drago, W8FAA modified the LVB Tracker firmware to support the OLED display. Ken Baker from Ridge Machine manufactured the PEM fastener cutting jig. Steve Belter, N9IP, Mark Hammond, N8MH and John Papay, K8YSE did beta testing. And finally Gould Smith, WA4SXM, LVB Tracker project manager for his continuous guidance and support.

1 0

F1 and Bell decayed
by Nico Janssen 10 May '13

10 May '13

Cubesat F1 (38855, 1998-067CR) decayed on Thursday May 9, around 19:58 UTC. PhoneSat Bell (39145, 2013-016D) now finally also decayed on Friday May 10, around 00:58 UTC. Cubesat FITSAT 1 may be expected to decay by the middle of June. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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WiMo X-Quad Antennas with phasing cables
by Les Rayburn 10 May '13

10 May '13

I'd really like to upgrade my attic mounted antennas for satellite work. (Completely hooked on the birds at this point!) I have a tripod rotor system that I can dedicate to nothing but a 2 Meter and 432 antenna, preamps, and AZ/EL rotor. Among the antennas that I've been looking at are the Wimo X-Quad antennas with phasing harnesses. www.wimo.com Just wondering if other satellite operators have used these antennas, and what your experience has been like? Is there another antenna system that I should consider instead? Outside mounting is impossible due to HOA, and antenna length is a factor too. -- -- 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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Ofcom 2400 MHz Consultation
by M5AKA 09 May '13

09 May '13

The UK communications regulator Ofcom has published a call for inputs relating to spectrum use by licence exempt devices in the 2.4 GHz band. http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/09/ofcom-2400-mhz-consultation/ Also on the AMSAT-UK site: OSCAR-11 still transmitting after 29 years in orbit http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/08/oscar-11-still-transmitting-after-29-years/ ICSEDS 434 MHz High Altitude Balloon and Rocket Launch http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/07/icseds-high-altitude-balloon-and-rocket-laun… 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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satpc32 doppler ??
by Bob- W7LRD 08 May '13

08 May '13

While using Satpc32 for doppler correction (IC-910H) often I have to "tweek" the calibration using the CAT function. The amount of "tweeking" can vary between satellites and orbits. At times I will simply turn off the auto function and just go manual. Is there a method I can depend more on the computer or am I just getting lazy? 73 Bob W7LRD

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Re: ESTCube-1 Frequencies
by Clint Bradford 08 May '13

08 May '13

ESTCube-1 437.250 MHz CW beacon, callsign ES5E/S 437.505 MHz 9600 bps AX.25 telemetry, callsign ES5E-11 Clint

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Re: ESTCube-1 Heard in Wales -UK
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 08 May '13

08 May '13

Hi again, I must apologise and correct my report on ESTcube-1. ( No one made any comment ) The date is correct ( 7th ) - but the day should be "Tuesday" - my brain wasn't functioning . We had a public holiday on Monday here in the UK making it a long weekend - it did not register from my normal routine. Sincere apologies - pleased to learn of the success of others in hearing the satellite. Ken Eaton GW1FKY

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Nova For Windows Customer Service Brag
by Les Rayburn 08 May '13

08 May '13

Second e-mail to Northern Lights Software Associates netted an immediate response from owner, Michael Owen, W9IP. The response included my customer registration number (that I had misplaced) from over ten years ago! Not many companies would do that. He also apologized for the amount of time it had taken for the response (completely unnecessary but thoughtful) and his hopes that I would continue to use and enjoy the software. Like many, I use SATPC32 as my "day to day" software, but find that Nova allows me to visualize orbits and upcoming passes much better. very important for a newcomer like myself. Just wanted to brag on Mr. Owen, and the kind of vendors that the satellite community seems to enjoy. -- -- 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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Question
by Dave Marthouse 07 May '13

07 May '13

What is the frequency of the Estonian Satellite that was launched today and where can the keps be found? Dave Marthouse N2AAM dmarthouse(a)gmail.com

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AMSAT/TAPR Dayton Banquet Reservations to Close Tuesday, May 14th
by Alan 07 May '13

07 May '13

All, If you have not yet made your reservations for the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet, please make them by Tuesday, May 14th, 1800 EDT. Because of the requirement that the caterer have a final count, no more reservations will be accepted afterwards, either on the AMSAT Store or at Dayton. This is a great opportunity to mingle with your fellow techies, enjoy an excellent meal and the beverage of your choice, as well as hear a fascinating speaker! Information on this and other AMSAT social activities at Dayton can be found at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=190

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ESTCube-1 heard in Cienfuegos, Cuba
by Hector Luis HLMS. Martinez Sis 07 May '13

07 May '13

Hello to all! On 7th May 2013 1556z pass ESTCube-1 was heard in EL92sd with a great signal. I was running a FUNcube Dongle with SDR-Radio V2.0 and ELK antenna with a homebrew preamplifier. The ESTCube-1 beacon has a great signal. Congratulations to all involved with the project!!! 73! Hector, CO6CBF EL92sd --- Consulte la Enciclopedia Colaborativa Cubana http://www.ecured.cu/

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Biomass 432-438 MHz Radar Satellite
by M5AKA 07 May '13

07 May '13

I believe that the Biomass satellite, just approved by ESA and slated for a 2020 launch, is a Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite that will operate 432-438 MHz. As I recall 432-438 MHz was allocated to these broadband radar satellites about a decade ago. BBC News - Esa approves Biomass satellite to monitor Earth's forests http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22435656 73 Trevor M5AKA

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ESCube-1 also heard over Copenhagen
by Ib Christoffersen 07 May '13

07 May '13

Hi, Using the preliminary TLEs I heard ESTCube-1 beacon. Pass AOS 0908 UTC. Elevation 20 degrees max. Adjusted frequency approximately 2 kHz up when listening in USB. I did not note the time between beacons - but something like 2 min. Congratulations to Estonian team. 73 OZ1MY Ib

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ESTCube-1 Heard in Wales -UK
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 07 May '13

07 May '13

Hi all, Monday 7th May 2013 - Time here in Wales -UK 1235hrs UTC. Hearing ESTcube -1 very well with just my Elk antenna and a Kenwood TS-2000. Congratulations to all involved with the project and launch. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat-UK Amsat NA

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