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ESTCUBE Beacon Heard Over Africa
by Nader Omer 07 May '13

07 May '13

EstCube-1 Beacon heard over africa strong and clear congratulation to team member Nader Omer / st2nh

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Vega rocket Launch success
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 07 May '13

07 May '13

On Monday, May 6, 2013 at 11:06 pm local time in French Guiana, Arianespace successfully launched the second Vega rocket from the Guiana space Center (CSG), orbiting the Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 satellites. Ken Eaton GW1FKY- AMSAT-UK, AMSAT NA

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Prelim TLE Data for ESTCube-1
by Clint Bradford 07 May '13

07 May '13

Preliminary ESTCube-1 orbit TLE: ESTCube-1 1 00000U 00000 13127.17175387 .00000000 00000-0 10000-3 0 00000 2 00000 098.1350 205.7643 0167000 224.2340 211.6964 14.71982716000001

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More On Cygnus's Next Flight
by B J 07 May '13

07 May '13

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/05/cygnus-mission-iss-moving-september/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Cygnus Flight To ISS Delayed
by B J 06 May '13

06 May '13

http://spaceflightnow.com/antares/cots1/130506schedule/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Another launch attempt for ESTCube-1 tonight
by M5AKA 06 May '13

06 May '13

ESTCube-1, VNREDSat-1 and Proba-V plan to launch tonight from Kourou on a VEGA rocket. Live Webcast starts at 0146 GMT May 7 Launch at 02:06:31 GMT http://www.arianespace.tv/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

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ao-7 mode b today
by Lizeth Norman 06 May '13

06 May '13

Hi all, Will attempt the AO-7 mode b pass this afternoon. The cavity I brought really makes operating fun. See here for some pictures of the RF hell I operate in. http://www.flickr.com/photos/n3ykf/ The elevated structure in the pics is a an electric railway. The good news is that I'll be operating from the Morrow Solar. It's got a view to the horizon. There are a few pics of that location on flickr too.. 73 de Norm n3ykf/oa4

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Amateur Satellites in IARU-R1 Vienna Interview
by M5AKA 06 May '13

06 May '13

Interview discusses the IARU-R1 proposal to use the very lower part of 144 MHz for Amateur Radio linear transponder satellites, see http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/06/amateur-radio-today-iaru-r1-vienna-interview/ The use of this part of 144 MHz by satellites depends on agreement by IARU Regions 2 and 3. The IARU Region 2 Conference takes place in Cancun, Mexico in September 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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Re: [isrohams] HAMSAT VO-52 comples Eight Years
by B S Jagadesh Babu 06 May '13

06 May '13

Links: ------ [1] mailto:wmy%40isac.gov.in [2] mailto:vu2wmy_mani%40yahoo.com [3] mailto:isrohams%40yahoo.com [4] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/isrohams/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxY2ticTRsBF9TAzk3Mz… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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TechEdSat decay
by Nico Janssen 05 May '13

05 May '13

All, Cubesat TechEdSat (38854, 1998-067CQ) may be expected to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere around April 25. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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ANS-125 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 05 May '13

05 May '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-125 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 SPACE SYMPOSIUM - Save the Date November 1 - 3 * First Call for PApers - AMSAT Space Symposium * AMSAT Booth is Moving at Dayton, but not very far! * Call for Papers: 2013 Digital Communications Conference * Help Wanted: AMSAT News Service Rotating Editor Positions Available * NASA and Amateur Radio operators piece together the PhoneSat picture * Conferences and Events related to Space Sceduled in May * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-125.01 ANS-125 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 125.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. DATE May 5, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-125.01 **************************************************************** * 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 SPACE SYMPOSIUM - Save the Date - November 1 - 3 Houston, Texas Place: The Beautiful Marriott Hobby Airport Hotel Phone: 713-943-7979 Ask For The AMSAT Block or Use the Code: AMSAMSA The Space Symposium features a full array of talks by knowledgeable AMSAT members and others regarding satellite construction and operation, plus other space-related subjects. The AMSAT Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with the Space Symposium, provides you the opportunity to hear about AMSAT's plans for the future and voice your own thoughts and opinions to AMSAT Board of Director members and other AMSAT officials. For the AMSAT Space Symposium, the Marriott offers: FREE parking (unusual for a large city hotel) $94.00 per night room rate FREE breakfasts, 2 per room per day FREE WiFi throughout the hotel FREE Airport Transportation Watch for more information in the AMSAT Journal, future ANS Bulletins and the on AMSAT.org. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- First Call for AMSAT Space Symposium Papers This is the first call for papers for the 2013 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of November 1 - 3, 2013, at the Marriott Hobby Airport Hotel, Houston, Texas. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy to be submitted by October 1 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Booth is Moving at Dayton, but not very far! This year there will be some changes in the Ball Arena, and the AMSAT exhibit will be part of that change. For the past several years, we have been is a single line, directly across from the ARRL exhibit. Beginning this year, we will have a 3 X 3 booth arrangement, with the engineering and software display on one side of the aisle, and the donation and display area on the opposite side. The booth numbers are now 444-446 and 433-435. We will be very near the old exhibit area, within sight of the ARRL exhibit. The new Ball Arena layout should make access to all the exhibits easier. [ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Call for Papers: 2013 Digital Communications Conference Amateurs are invited to submit papers for publication in the conference proceedings of the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference that is taking place September 20-22 in Seattle, WA. You do not have to attend the conference to submit a paper for consideration. Send papers by July 31 to: Maty Weinberg ARRL 225 Main St Newington, CT 06111 . . . or by e-mail to maty at arrl.org Submissions will not be edited and authors will retain all rights. [ANS thanks Steve Ford, WB8IMY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Help Wanted: AMSAT News Service Rotating Editor Positions Available The AMSAT News Service (ANS) is responsible for researching, writing, editing, and publishing the weekly amateur satellite news bulletins. With the addition of a couple of volunteers this would generally involve taking a turn about every 3 to 4 weeks. At present we a looking for interested satellite enthusiasts to join the ANS editorial team. Professional writing/editing experience is NOT a requirement. Your interest and enthusiasm in following and reporting on amateur radio in space will get you started! The ANS Editor team helps each other by rounding up items of interest. Plus we receive submitted items for publication ... so you won't be left all alone! If you can commit to working on the bulletins for a week on a rotat- ing basis please reply via e-mail to AMSAT News Service Editor Lee McLamb, KU4OS via ku4os at amsat.org. [ANS thanks AMSAT Vice-President User Services, Gould Smith, WA4SXM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA and Amateur Radio operators piece together the PhoneSat picture For about one week, engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., and amateur radio operators around the world collaborated to reconstruct an image of Earth sent to them from three smartphones in orbit. The joint effort was part of NASA's nanosatellite mission, called PhoneSat, which launched on Sunday, April 21, 2013 aboard the Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia. Although the ultimate goal of the PhoneSat mission was to determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be used as the main flight avionics for a satellite in space, the three miniature satellites used their smartphone cameras to take pictures of Earth and transmitted these "image-data packets" to multiple ground stations. Every packet held a small piece of "the big picture." As the data became available, the PhoneSat Team and multiple amateur ham radio operators, who call themselves "hams," pieced together a high-resolution photograph from the tiny data packets. "During the short time the spacecraft were in orbit, we were able to demonstrate the smartphones' ability to act as satellites in the space environment," said Bruce Yost, the program manager for NASA's Small Satellite Technology Program. "The PhoneSat project also provided an opportunity for NASA to collaborate with its space enthusiasts. Amateur radio operators from every continent but Antarctica contributed in capturing the data packets we needed to piece together the smartphones' image of Earth from space.” As part of their preparation for space, the smartphones were outfitted with a low-powered transmitter operating in the amateur radio band. They sent the image information to awaiting hams who worked with the Ames engineers to stitch together multiple, tiny images to restore the complete Earth view. Piecing together the photo was a very successful collaboration between NASA's PhoneSat team and volunteer amateur ham radio operators around the world. NASA researchers and hams working together was an excellent example of Citizen Science, or crowd-sourced science, which is scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur or non-professional scientists. On the second day of the mission, the Ames team had received over 200 packets from amateur radio operators. "Three days into the mission we already had received more than 300 data packets," said Alberto Guillen Salas, an engineer at Ames and a member of the PhoneSat team. "About 200 of the data packets were contributed by the global community and the remaining packets were received from members of our team with the help of the Ames Amateur Radio Club station, NA6MF.” The mission successfully ended Saturday, April 27, 2013, after predicted atmospheric drag caused the PhoneSats to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up. “The NASA PhoneSat Team would like to acknowledge how grateful we are to the amateur radio community for contributing to the success of this mission,” said Oriol Tintore, an engineer and a member of the PhoneSat Team at Ames who participated in the picture data processing. The PhoneSat project is a technology demonstration mission funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and the Engineering Directorate at NASA Ames Research Center. The project started in summer 2009 as a student-led collaborative project between Ames and the International Space University, Strasbourg. These results will encourage further research into applying low-cost terrestrial technologies to space applications and also may open space to a whole new generation of commercial, academic and citizen-space users, according to Yost. For more information about the PhoneSat mission and the participation of the radio amateur: http://www.phonesat.org For more about information about NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology Program and the PhoneSat mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/smallsats NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use in future science and exploration missions. NASA's technology investments provide cutting-edge solutions for our nation's future. For more information about NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Conferences and Events related to Space Scheduled in May May 5-8 The Planetary and Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium Toronto, Canada http://sqm.me/YtaMk7 May 6-8 Humans to Mars Summit Washington, D.C. http://sqm.me/WryTcP May 7-8 Global Space & Satellite Forum Abu Dhabi, UAE http://sqm.me/WZgtzy May 13-17 Reinventing Space Conference 2013 Los Angeles, California http://sqm.me/UqVKHS May 15-17 7th Argentine Congress on Space Technology Mendoza, Argentina http://sqm.me/XBNfqp May 15-17 ASTRA 2013-12th Symposium on Advanced Space Technologies in Robotics and Automation Noordwijk, Netherlands http://sqm.me/Y4EU1a May 21-23 Space Technology Expo Long Beach, California http://sqm.me/yVlvwu May 23-27 2013 International Space Development Conference San Diego, California http://sqm.me/14jg69a May 28 iCubeSat 2013 Ithaca, New York http://sqm.me/10X0Mkt [ANS thanks SPACE QUARTERLY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Sucsessful Contacts + Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, ME, telebridge via IK1SLD A succesfull International Space Station school contact has been completed with participants at Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, ME on 23 Apr. The event began at 14:38:47 UTC and lasted approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a telebridge between OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The contact should be audible over Italy and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. In an arrangement proposed by the Bates College Museum of Art in conjunction with our 2012 exhibition Starstruck: The Fine Art of Astrophotography, local 8th Grade students comp,leted a talk with astronauts on the International Space Station, through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program (ARISS). Students from the Auburn and Lewiston middle schools took part in the live radio communication. Members of ARISS were excited by how our project brought the world of art and creativity into a program aimed at science, technology, engineering and math classrooms. To prepare for the contact, students visited the exhibition as part of their space science unit, researched comets and geomagnetic storms, modeled the solar system, explored citizen-science projects like Galaxy Zoo, and, using NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day as a model, researched Starstruck images and wrote paragraphs explaining their significance. It is gratifying to see an art exhibition ignite so much interest in such a wide variety of subjects, and especially to see a reunification of art and science achieved through this exhibition and the ARISS program. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins and Congressman Michael Michaud were invited to attend the event. + Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik (MUI), Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada A successful International Space Station school contact was completed with participants at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik (MUI), Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada and Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG on station OR4ISS on 25 Apr. The event began at 14:34 UTC, and lasted approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a telebridge between OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The contact was audible over Italy and adjacent areas and was conducted in English. Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik (MUI) is located in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut (Population Approximately 3000) on the North west side of Hudson Bay. It is one of three schools in the Rankin Inlet system and hosts grades 7 - 12. The current Maani Ulujuk building is approximately 32 years old and is the second of two buildings with the same name; the first being destroyed by fire. MUI was named after an Elder (Maani Ulujuk), who at the time of its naming, was the oldest elder in the community. There are 353 students, 24 teachers, 6 Student Support Assistants, 1 Secretary, 1 School Community Counsellor and 2 caretakers. Even though we don't have a space club, we do have a vibrant Science program which hosts a science fair annually and students have been exposed to the space program in the curriculum. Students and staff were excited last year when we were slated to do a space hookup in April; however, it did get cancelled and we are pleased that it is on again for this year. Students at MUI are great young leaders and they love to participate in novel events such as contacting the astronauts on the Space Station. This will be an awesome event and we look forward to participating. + Istituto d'Istruzione Superiore Euclide, Bari, Italy A successful International Space Station school contact has been completed with participants at Istituto d'Istruzione Superiore Euclide, Bari, Italy and Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC, on station OR4ISS on 27 Apr. The event began at 11:17:19 UTC. The duration of the contact was approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was direct between OR4ISS and IZ7RTN, and was audible over Italy. The contact is expected was conducted in English. Euclide School is a high school. It is an aeronautical school in Bari. There are boys and girls, aged 14-18. Bari is located in the South-east of the APULIA region, South-east of Italy. In its Curriculum the school focus on: aeronautical studies, Media Communication, Space Communication, the Environment, Science activities in lab. In this school there are the following laboratories: a chemistry; a physics; CAD; Topography and Photogrammetry; Aerotechnics; Radio and Radar Systems; Informatics (2 labs); Air Navigation; Meteorology; Air Traffic; There are also: an outdoor multigame Basketball/Volleyball court; a library with several PC; a staff room with a PC; a press office; HDSL Internet connection; an auditorium; 30 classrooms. + Polyvalente de Black Lake, Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada A successfule International Space Station school contact has been completed with participants at Polyvalente de Black Lake, Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada and Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG on station NA1SS on 29 Apr. The event began at 17:25:29 UTC and continued approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was direct between NA1SS and VA2VDL, and was audible over portions of eastern Canada. The contact was conducted in English. Black Lake has an elementary school with only grades 5 and 6, secondary school and professional centre for students who want to do a D.E.P in esthetics, all in the same building. The esthetics have the top floor, the secondary has the 2 middle floors and grade 5 and 6 has the first floor. They have an intensified English program for the grades 5, 6 and this continues all through secondary. This program is only available for the top students who passed a test. + Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC A successful International Space Station school contact has been completed with participants at Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC and Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC, on station NA1SS on 02 May. The event began at 14:52:47 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and W4GSO and was audible over portions of the eastern US and Canada. The contact was conducted in English. Ronald E. McNair Elementary is a K-5 public school located in Browns Summit, N.C. McNair Elementary is a part of Guilford County Schools, North Carolina's third largest school district, which serves more than 72,000 students. The school is in its first year and recently moved into a brand new facility. The 88,900 square-foot school building features sustainable materials, natural lighting in hallways, solar panels for water heating, light sensors, a light- colored roof to reduce heat gain, an integrated fresh-air system, sun shades for large windows and low-flow plumbing fixtures. All classrooms have access to outdoor learning environments. Vegetation has been planted to grow up green screens that will provide shade over outdoor patio areas. Additionally, the art and science labs are equipped with movable exterior wall systems, allowing the classrooms to literally open up to the outdoors when weather permits and facilitate an indoor/outdoor classroom space. Students attended their first day in the new school on Feb.4, 2013. The school is named for astronaut and physicist Dr. Ronald E. McNair, who received his bachelor's degree from nearby North Carolina A&T State University. He was one of seven crew members killed on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Currently, about 488 students are enrolled. + Hay River, NWT, Canada, A successful International Space Station school contact has been completed with participants at Hay River, NWT, Canada and Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG on station NA1SS on 03 May. The event began at 19:55:32 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a telebridge telebridge between NA1SS and VK4KHZ and was audible over central Australia. The contact was conducted in English. No further information was available at press time. Upcoming Scheduled ARISS Contacts The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc, Gary, IN, direct via KC9JQN Contact is a go for: Wed 2013-05-08 19:35:44 UTC 63 deg Contact should be audible over parts of the Midwestern USA and Canada Yellowknife R.C.M.P. Headquarters, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada, telebridge via K6DUE Contact is a go for: Sat 2013-05-11 18:46:05 UTC 48 deg Contact should be audible over parts of the Eastern USA ARISS is requesting listener reports for the above contacts. Due to issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at present, the Ericsson radio is going to be used for these contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA invites public to send names and messages to Mars NASA is inviting members of the public to submit their names and a personal message online for a DVD to be carried aboard a spacecraft that will study the Martian upper atmosphere. http://tinyurl.com/can8ojv + Ham radio balloon on KFDM TV Radio amateurs in Beaumont released a ham radio near space balloon, to bring attention to the club's communication abilities The balloon reached an altitude of 93,000 ft and featured on a KFDM TV news broadcast. Watch Ham radio operators release a high flying balloon Beaumont Amateur Radio Club http://www.qsl.net/w5rin/ [ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information] + Small meteoroid causes 'bullet hole' in ISS solar panel Making his photographic rounds of the Earth and the space around the International Space Station today, Commander Chris Hadfield captured one picture that inspires a bit more alarm than awe. Just down and left from the centre of the image, there's a bright spot on one of the solar panels, that was caused by a small object, probably a meteoroid, flying through the panel. http://tinyurl.com/ckstjns [ANS thanks Kevin Fetter and seesat-l for the above information] + New price for flights to the ISS will be $71 million per person from 2017. Current price paid by NASA is $55.8 million per person and that is due to rise to $62.75 million next year, a year or so ago they were paying $51 million, see http://tinyurl.com/d9yr98s [ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA for the above information] + The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) CASIS Academy is an interactive learning website created to educate middle school students about the ISS and to pique their interest through multimedia videos and features. The website incorporates multiple sections, including breakthroughs resulting from ISS research, a tour of the station and interactive definitions of key terminology. Statistically, U.S. students are most likely to lose interest in science fields while in the middle grades. CASIS Academy targets students at this critical age, using the excitement of space as a tool to maintain and improve interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. "The unveiling of CASIS Academy highlights a core function of our organization: advocating the ISS National Lab as a STEM-learning platform," said CASIS Interim Executive Director Jim Royston. "Educating students on the innovative advances that have come from ISS exploration and the opportunities that exist in microgravity will inspire today's students to pursue careers in science and engineering tomorrow." CASIS decided to unveil CASIS Academy at the National Science Teachers Association conference in San Antonio, Texas, due to the abundance of science educators in attendance. For more information, please visit www.casisacademy.org. Educator resources complementing CASIS Academy, aligned to support national education standards, can be found at www.iss-casis.org/educators. [ANS thanks SatMagazine for the above information] + The May issue of SatMagazine is now online http://www.satmagazine.com/2013/SM_May2013.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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Re: [amsatindia] HAMSAT VO-52 comples Eight Years
by Nitin Muttin 05 May '13

05 May '13

Thanks Mani for posting this and to ISRO for their support to ensure VO-52 is active for the amateur radio fraternity. Wishing HAMSAT (VO-52) many more years of service and as Mani mentioned I would like to thank all those who have provided the reports for VO-52 and suggestions for HAMSAT -2. 73 Nitin [VU3TYG] Secretary, AMSAT INDIA. ________________________________ From: Mani VU2WMY <wmy(a)isac.gov.in> To: "BB, AMSAT" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>; AMSAT-INDIA <amsatindia(a)yahoogroups.com>; VUHAMS <vuhams(a)yahoogroups.com>; "HAMS, ISRO" <isrohams(a)yahoogroups.com> Cc: RANGAN <tprangan(a)istrac.org> Sent: Sunday, 5 May 2013 7:18 AM Subject: [amsatindia] HAMSAT VO-52 comples Eight Years Dear Friends, It gives us great and immense pleasure to say that 'HAMSAT VO-52' completes eight fruitful years in orbit contributing to the wonderful 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, contributors 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. 73 es good wishes de Mani, VU2WMY Secretary & Station-In-Charge Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC ISRO Satellite Centre HAL Airport Road, Bangalore-560 017. Phone:(O)91-80-25082054/2598/2192 Mobile: 91-80-98803 41456 E-mail ID: mailto:wmy%40isac.gov.in mailto:vu2wmy_mani%40yahoo.com mailto:isrohams%40yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------- Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ---------------------------------------------------------- __._,_.___ Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: * New Members 1 Visit Your Group MARKETPLACE ________________________________ ________________________________ Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use • Send us Feedback . __,_._,___

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CubeBug-1, ESTCube-1 TLEs
by Mineo Wakita 05 May '13

05 May '13

CUBEBUG-1 1 39151U 13018B 13125.16727031 .00001584 00000-0 23538-3 0 332 2 39151 098.0758 200.9163 0017296 217.8892 142.1116 14.76319533 1325 ESTCube-1 1 99999U 00000 13124.08785880 0.00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 0003 2 99999 98.1026 199.8360 0000000 0.0000 0.0712 15.47644853000006 http://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~ops/keps/kepler.txt http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/cubebugb.htm http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/estcube1.htm JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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Happy Birthday VO-52
by R Oler 05 May '13

05 May '13

and many many more...sure wish we had at least two more of you! Robert WB5MZO /SL2 and /VU

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HAMSAT VO-52 comples Eight Years
by Mani VU2WMY 05 May '13

05 May '13

Dear Friends, It gives us great and immense pleasure to say that 'HAMSAT VO-52' completes eight fruitful years in orbit contributing to the wonderful 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, contributors 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. 73 es good wishes de Mani, VU2WMY Secretary & Station-In-Charge Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC ISRO Satellite Centre HAL Airport Road, Bangalore-560 017. Phone:(O)91-80-25082054/2598/2192 Mobile: 91-80-98803 41456 E-mail ID: wmy(a)isac.gov.in vu2wmy_mani(a)yahoo.com isrohams(a)yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Nova For Windows Issues
by Les Rayburn 04 May '13

04 May '13

I purchased Nova for Windows software years ago, planning to become active in satellite operations. Years passed before I finally made my first QSO just weeks ago. I've been using SATPC32 but also wanted to have Nova on my computer to help me better visualize upcoming passes. I sent an e-mail to the software maker, seeking to have my registration updated and offering to to pay for new registration. No response was received. Then I decided to simply order a new copy of the software from the ARRL Store. I ordered the software along with some books. The books were received last week but the software was listed as being "on back order". The web site contains no shopping cart or provision for registering the software through online payment such as PayPal. Does anyone know what's going on? Would love to purchase or pay for an upgrade to my original license, but they're not making it easy. :-) -- -- 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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Vega Rocket Launch -Delayed
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 04 May '13

04 May '13

The launch Saturday of Europe's lightweight rocket, Vega, from Kourou in French Guiana was put off until an unspecified date because of poor weather conditions at the space base, the European Space Agency said. Ken Eaton GW1FKY

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6 Meter Amps (Small) for Sale
by Les Rayburn 03 May '13

03 May '13

The TE Systems 2 Meter amp has sold, thank you all for the inquires. Both of the 6 Meter amps are still available. Perfect for rovers and QRP SDR rigs who want more power for the upcoming e-skip and contest seasons. If you're not happy we'll make it right. Relax, it's just a hobby. Prefer Paypal payment or USPS Money Order. Shipping via UPS Ground is included in the price. TE Systems Model 0510G 50-54 MHz (6 Meter) Linear Amplifier (SSB/CW/FM) Serial #A7173 10 Watts input-150 Watts Output. The amp is rated for 170 Watts Output, but I never drove it that hard. This amp was modified by TE Systems to provide an RCA rear panel input jack for PTT keying. You simply connect a footswitch, handheld PTT, or amp keying line to this jack, close to ground, and the amp keys. Saves wear and tear on the relay. $225 Mirage A1015 50-52 MHz Linear Amplifier (SSB/CW/FM) Serial #93-234 10 Watts Input-150 Watts Output This amp includes heavy duty power connector with Anderson Power-Poles. This is the non-G model, with the older brown face. Does not include RF sensing switching, so you HAVE to use the RCA plug on the rear to key the amp using a footswitch, handswitch, or amp key line. But then again, who does weak signal work and doesn't do that anyway. Great workhorse amp at a good price. Used mine with a Flex 1500. 5 watts input pushes about 80 watts output. $225 -- -- 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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Re: Path to HEO
by M5AKA 03 May '13

03 May '13

Can't remember if the links on the work of N1BCD were posted earlier: Video of presentation at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22959312/highlight/267762 Slides http://icubesat.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/icubesat-org-2012-c-1-1-_presen… IARU Coordination http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=305 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Virgin Galactic To Raise Prices
by B J 03 May '13

03 May '13

http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/05/03/virgin-confirms-plans-to-raise-ti… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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SATPC32 plays nicely now
by James Luhn 03 May '13

03 May '13

As suggested by several here on the AMSAT mailing list, I removed the USB adapter in my LVB Tracker and inserted a MAX232 chip into the appropriate socket. I am using a Utek UT-880 USB to serial adapter with a Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 running XP Professional. It appears that everything is working now with no lockup failures. Before these changes, I simply could not track a complete satellite pass without the program stopping. I have been tracking the moon for hours with no problems noted. Now to test this arrangement with my Mac! Before making this change, MacDoppler worked perfectly. I hope it will continue. My next step is to fine tune the control of my IC-910 using SATPC32. As they say, "I was all dressed up with no place to go" late last night on FO-29. My LVB Tracker was working great with SATPC32, I had my IC-910 running about 20 watts, I could hear myself 59 on the downlink, there simply was no one on. Oh well, there will be many more orbits in which to play. 73, -james W5AOO ......getting more and more excited about Dayton!!!!

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ESTcube-1 launch 0206 GMT May 4
by M5AKA 03 May '13

03 May '13

Tonight, Saturday, May 4 at 02:06 GMT Vega's second flight, Vega VV02, will launch from Kourou carrying ESA's Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1. Live streaming of the launch starts at 01:45 GMT. http://spaceinvideos.esa.int/esalive 437.250 MHz – CW beacon, callsign ES5E/S 437.505 MHz – 9600 bps AX.25 telemetry, callsign ES5E-11 ESTcube-1 http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/20/estcube-1-estonias-first-cubesat/ 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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satellite metallic cross boom
by Lizeth Norman 03 May '13

03 May '13

Hi all, Am down in Peru working on the club station. The antennas are mounted on a metallic cross boom. The antennas are carbon copies of each other in terms of position. I read on the internet that one should be rotated 45 degrees. Is this an old wives tale? I can fix the problem as one of the antennas will partially down to rehab it. Thanks, Norm n3ykf

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Rising Price of Flights to the ISS
by M5AKA 02 May '13

02 May '13

New price for flights to the ISS will be $71 million per person from 2017. Current price paid by NASA is $55.8 million per person and that is due to rise to $62.75 million next year, a year or so ago they were paying $51 million, see http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/asd_05_01_2013_p01… 73 Trevor M5AKA ----

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Re: [Forum] S-Band Downlink auf HEO/GEO noch sinnvoll?
by i8cvs 02 May '13

02 May '13

Hi Peter, DB2OS I am still using a 120 cm (4 foot) parabolic dish for 2400 MHz and I noted that when the elevation is about 10 degres above the horizon here in the bay of Napoli there are not heavy interference from WiFi tuning between 2400 to 2402 MHz so that actually the old OSCAR-40 (P3-D) S band is still usable here. We need not a new S band but a new P3E satellite. Best 73" de i8CVS Domenico > Hi there, > > many of us will certainly remember the Mode S downlink of AMSAT > OSCAR-40 (P3-D) remember. > > After initial skepticism, especially after the 2m transmitter > failed, Mode-S was indeed an amazing encouragement and was > bad out of "Easy Mode". > I myself can not in experiments with different antennas and > Feeds remember, through the bathroom window in the direction of AO-40 ... > The signals were glaskar and the tape clean, even weak stations > were easy to understand .. > > 10 years later, each more than a 2.4 GHz WiFi wireless router, > Laptop and smartphone in the house, the neighbors and office buildings > around a > around all ... > In the country there are also many "citizen networks" with Wi-Fi to all > Villages to provide them with inexpensive internet ... > > Probably the noise level is now very high, and even > when working with parabolic antennas to heaven, you will be on the > Sidelobes surely still a mess from all of WLANs > Receive directions ... remains of the actual desired > Useful signal probably little left .. > > Under these conditions would have an S-band downlink like you would with > AO-40 > still have a chance? > > Has anyone had any experience in this regard and perhaps collected with > a connected spectral antennas in all the times > Rotated directions? > > Under https://www.facebook.com/amsat.deutschland there is a small > To vote .. > > > 73s Peter DB2OS > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Peter Guelzow" <peter.guelzow(a)kourou.de> > To: "AMSAT - Forum" <Forum(a)amsat-dl.org> > Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2013 8:33 PM > Subject: [Forum] S-Band Downlink auf HEO/GEO noch sinnvoll? > > > Hallo zusammen, > > viele von uns werden sich bestimmt noch an die Mode-S Downlink von AMSAT > OSCAR-40 (P3-D) erinnern. > > Nach anfänglicher Skepsis, insbesondere nachdem der 2m-Sender > ausgefallen war, fand Mode-S ja einen erstaunlichen Zuspruch und war > schlecht hin der "Easy Mode". > Ich selbst kann mich noch an Versuche mit verschiedenen Antennen und > Feeds erinnern, durch das Badezimmer-Fenster in Richtung AO-40... > Die Signale waren glaskar und das Band sauber, selbst schwache Stationen > waren problemlos zu verstehen.. > > 10 Jahre später hat jeder mehr als einen 2,4 GHz WiFi WLAN-Router, > Laptop und Smartphone im Hause, die Nachbarn und Bürogebäude um einen > herum auch alle... > Auf dem Lande gibt es ja auch viele "Bürgernetze" mit WLAN um ganze > Dörfer preiswert mit Internet zu versorgen... > > Wahrscheinlich ist der Grundrauschpegel inzwischen sehr hoch und selbst > wenn man mit Parabolantennen gegen Himmel arbeitet, wird man über die > Nebenzipfel sicher noch ein Durcheinander von WLAN's aus allen > Richtungen empfangen... dann bleibt von dem eigentlich gewünschten > Nutzsignal wohl wenig übrig.. > > Hätte unter diesen Bedingungen eine S-Band Downlink wie eben bei AO-40 > noch eine Chance? > > Hat jemand diesbezüglich schon Erfahrungen gesammelt und vielleicht mit > einem angeschlossenen Spektralanalyse mal die Antennen in alle > Richtungen gedreht? > > Unter https://www.facebook.com/amsat.deutschland gibt es eine kleine > Abstimmung dazu.. > > > 73s Peter DB2OS

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VHF Amps (Smaller) for Sale
by Les Rayburn 02 May '13

02 May '13

Cleaning out extra & backup items from the shack in an attempt to stave off bankruptcy and the poor-house while paying for my daughter's wedding. :-) Selling off a few small amplifiers that may be of use to other VHF Weak Signal fans. All amps are in good working condition. Cosmetically, they are "USED", meaning that they have the usual scratches, etc. No major dents, paint loss, etc. Perfectly acceptable and XYL approved , but not mint from the factory. If you're not happy we'll make it right. Relax, it's just a hobby. Prefer Paypal payment or USPS Money Order. Shipping via UPS Ground is included in the price. TE Systems Model 0510G 50-54 MHz (6 Meter) Linear Amplifier (SSB/CW/FM) Serial #A7173 10 Watts input-150 Watts Output. The amp is rated for 170 Watts Output, but I never drove it that hard. This amp was modified by TE Systems to provide an RCA rear panel input jack for PTT keying. You simply connect a footswitch, handheld PTT, or amp keying line to this jack, close to ground, and the amp keys. Saves wear and tear on the relay. $225 TE Systems Model 1412G 144-148 MHz (2 Meter) Linear Amplifier (SSB/CW/FM) Serial #38482 10 Watts input-190 Watts Output This amp includes heavy duty power connector with Anderson Power-Poles. TE Systems plug including RCA female PTT keying circuit. Simply attach a footswitch, handswitch or amp keying line to this connector, close to ground and amp keys. Saves wear and tear on the relay. $250 Mirage A1015 50-52 MHz Linear Amplifier (SSB/CW/FM) Serial #93-234 10 Watts Input-150 Watts Output This amp includes heavy duty power connector with Anderson Power-Poles. This is the non-G model, with the older brown face. Does not include RF sensing switching, so you HAVE to use the RCA plug on the rear to key the amp using a footswitch, handswitch, or amp key line. But then again, who does weak signal work and doesn't do that anyway. Great workhorse amp at a good price. Used mine with a Flex 1500. 5 watts input pushes about 80 watts output. $225 Advice to OM's with daughters. Start saving now!!! :-) -- -- 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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Fermi Avoids Near Miss In Orbit
by B J 02 May '13

02 May '13

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/bullet-dodge.html 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Re: Path to HEO
by Patrick Strasser 02 May '13

02 May '13

schrieb Ken Ernandes on 2013-04-30 09:49: > I note the disclaimer at the bottom, so I'll help with the incorrect assumptions. > > 1. g = 9.81 m/sec only applies to one Earth radius (i.e., the Earth's surface). Gravitational acceleration drops of as an inverse square of the radius. > 2. GEO altitude is close to 36000 km, but GEO radius is approximately 42164 km (you must add the Earth's radius to altitude to get orbital radius) Gotcha! > Gravity can be simplified by using a constant MU = 398600.4418 km^3/sec^2 > > For any radius you can compute g by: > > g = MU / r^2 > > But make sure you use radius and not altitude. Mean Earth radius at mid-latitudes is approximately 6371 km and is 6378 at the equator. > > The speed (v) for an elliptical orbit can be computed from the current radius (r) and semi-major axis (a): > > v = sqrt(MU*(2/r - 1/a)) > > This can be simplified for a circular orbit (r = a): > > v = sqrt(MU/a) These are the formulas they did not tell us at school, thank you! > The more important thing is what Dan Schultz pointed out. At 300 km altitude, atmospheric drag is a significant factor in a continuous drain of orbital energy. This is less at 500 km and almost insignificant starting around 800 km. The drop off is because drag is: > > 1. proportional to atmospheric density which drops off quickly with increased altitude. > 2. also proportional to the square of the speed relative to the atmosphere. > > If you can get above 800 km without using up a lot of your fuel, you have a chance to make something workable. >From the last few cubesat rides I reckon that going there instead of only to 300 km is not that impossible. Regards Patrick -- Engineers motto: cheap, good, fast: choose any two Patrick Strasser <patrick at wirklich priv at>

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AMSAT table at Cochise ARA hamfest (Sierra Vista AZ) on Saturday morning
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 02 May '13

02 May '13

Hi! I will have an AMSAT table at the Cochise Amateur Radio Association's Larry Warren Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ this Saturday (4 May). The hamfest starts at 0700 local time (1400 UTC), running until the prize drawing at noon (1900 UTC). The hamfest is at the club's Green Acres Field, east of Sierra Vista and the Fort Huachuca base on Moson Road, south of AZ-90 in grid DM41. More information about the hamfest is available at: http://www.k7rdg.org/ During the hamfest, WD9EWK will be on various satellite passes for demonstrations to the hamfest crowd. Please call if you hear WD9EWK on the pass. For the SSB satellites, I tend to start out about 10 kHz above the center of the transponder. All QSOs will be uploaded to the Logbook of the World after the hamfest. If you would like to receive a WD9EWK QSL card, please e-mail me directly with the QSO details. No card or SASE is required. After the hamfest, I will drive to some of the rarely-heard grids near the Arizona/New Mexico border. If traffic and weather cooperate, I hope to operate from the DM51/DM52 and/or the DM52/DM53 boundaries. A good way to see where I am located is APRS, looking for WD9EWK-9: http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 In addition to APRS, I will try to post updates to my Twitter feed (@WD9EWK) during Saturday from the hamfest and wherever else I operate from. For those not on Twitter, this is also available at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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NASA's First Mission Control Centre
by B J 02 May '13

02 May '13

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/MCC-History.html 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Re: Path to HEO
by Burns Fisher 02 May '13

02 May '13

One thing that would seem to be a concern to me is how to keep the attitude steady while the ion engine is firing. Yes, not much thrust, but to make the most of it, you want it pointing in as close to the ideal direction as possible. I don't know how the various probes like Hayabusa and Dawn do it.. Cold gas? Gyro? I would not think a bar magnet would be good enough (certainly not for deep space probes, but even for earth orbit). Starting to get more complicated. Another thought about the really cool energy analysis done by KK6MC: Besides the duty cycle imposed by wanting to be out of eclipse, there is another duty cycle imposed by the starting orbit and the desired eccentricity. For example if you were starting from a highly elliptical GTO and you want to get to high circular, you need to thrust mainly at the apogee in order to raise the perigee. If you are circular and you want to be elliptical with perigee equal to the starting height, you thrust at what will be the perigee to raise the apogee. (Of course you probably want to raise both ends some, and you may want to change the plane too but that's the general idea.) Thanks for bringing this up...great thought experiments, and that's how real projects begin! Burns, W2BFJ

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Re: Path to HEO
by Joe Leikhim 01 May '13

01 May '13

Thinking way outside the box, what about some sort of phased array using dipoles, which has the boresight synthesized to point at earth. In other words, don't use fuel to reorient the bird, electronically steer the phase of the antennas so that earth is in focus. -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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Re: Imagine RIT Festival May 4th - AMSAT Fox-2 Maximum PowerPoint Tracker Senior Design Project Exhibit
by Bill W1PA 01 May '13

01 May '13

Nice job, Bryce. Regards, Bill W1PA (RIT '87)

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Re: Path to HEO
by M5AKA 01 May '13

01 May '13

--- On Tue, 30/4/13, Nick Pugh <quadpugh(a)bellsouth.net> wrote: > Both Pumpkin and ISSIS say they have flight heritage on > 50 watt panels. EaLanta has rides to 600 KM 50 watts on a CubeSat ? That surprises me, I don't know of any that have flown so far that have generated more than about 6 watts of Solar Power. When you say "flight heritage" which CubeSat is being referred to ? A free ELaNa CubeSat launch would mean partnering with an educational institution so part of the 3U and some of the solar power would have to be reserved for their payload. > and we will have to deal with MR Van Allen when we get there. Hopefully deal with it by design on the ground first ;-) RS-15 (beacon 29.325 MHz) has been in the lower part (2,158 by 1,900 km orbit) of the radiation belt for over 18 years. 73 Trevor M5AKA --- On Wed, 1/5/13, M5AKA <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > Date: Wednesday, 1 May, 2013, 7:53 > --- On Tue, 30/4/13, g0mrf(a)aol.com <g0mrf(a)aol.com> > wrote: > > A compromise could be 4 Watts (ish) from MEO. > > Here's an oldie but goodie..... http://www.g0mrf.com/MEOSAT.htm > > Yes MEO would be good. It should be possible to improve the > signal levels while keeping omni-directional antennas on the > satellite by using lower frequencies bands. > > A 144 to 50 MHz (if we can get an allocation there) > transponder or 144 to 28 MHz would have a significantly > reduced path loss on the downlink (8 dB ?) compared to > 435/145. > > 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Imagine RIT Festival May 4th - AMSAT Fox-2 Maximum Power Point Tracker Senior Design Project Exhibit
by Bryce Salmi 01 May '13

01 May '13

Hello everyone, I am a senior studying Electrical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and I am a member of a senior design group that was sponsored by AMSAT to produce an engineering prototype *Maximum Power Point Tracker* (MPPT) for the Fox-2 satellite. Most members of our team are licensed radio amateurs and active members of the RIT Amateur Radio Club K2GXT and have had quite the experience with this project! We've worked extremely hard over the past 20 weeks to design and build a working MPPT. We'd enjoy sharing this experience with anyone interested. * Everyone who is in the Rochester, NY area or are willing to drive to the area is invited to come to the RIT campus this Saturday May 4th for the Imagine RIT Innovation & Creativity Festival <http://www.rit.edu/imagine/>. This is a completely free event on the RIT campus*.The previous link will have all the information to get here and find exhibits of interest. Also, here's a pretty concise video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsQoh-_xOmY> on what the event is about. The AMSAT Maximum Power Point Project is exhibit #491<https://www.rit.edu/imagine/planyourday13/exhibit.php?id=491>and will be located in what is known as the "infinity quad" outside the engineering building (There's a big Mobius strip in the middle). We're pretty much in the center of outside activity which is very nice for showing people our project. - Google StreetView of the Infinity quad/loop<https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Rochester+Institute+of+Technology,+One+Lomb+…> - 2013 Imagine RIT Festival Map<http://www.rit.edu/imagine/planyourday13/images/2013_map.jpg>(We will be between the orange GLE and red LBR, you'll see a star, mobius strip, and question mark on the map where I am referring too, sorry if it's not clear) Our project is part of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering senior design program and we proposed this project as a group last Summer. Tony Monteiro has been our "customer" for the project and has been great to work with. You can find out more information on our P13271 RIT EDGE wiki<http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/Home>which is pretty up-to-date pending a few updates (since PCB bring-up) but largely a great resource for those interested for a more in-depth look into our project. We have not completed our project but will be displaying the working prototype MPPT during the festival and be more than happy to explain/show it to anyone interested. There are some final tests and reports that are left to finish before our project is complete. Some links to high-interest items on our EDGE Server: - 1 Page Project Summary<http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/FinalDocuments/Planning_Execution/1_…> - Project Poster<http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/MSD_Poster/MSD_Poster_r1.pdf> - MPPT Block Diagram<http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/FinalDocuments/Systems_Design/High-L…> - MPPT Schematics<http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/KiCad/MPPT/trunk/AMSAT_7W_MPPT_Schem…>(slightly out of date, some final values will be updated soon, largely up-to-date) - MSP430 firmware information<http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/Health%20%26%20Status%20Firmware> Well, I think I've thoroughly linked to areas people might have interest in. Feel free to poke around the project documentation and learn more or ask questions. If you have any questions about Imagine RIT or anything related to the festival please ask as well. I look forward to potentially seeing some of you at the festival! Sincerely, Bryce Salmi KB1LQC Project Manager P13271

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First Call for Papers for 2013 Symposium
by Daniel Schultz 01 May '13

01 May '13

This is the first call for papers for the 2013 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of November 1 - 3, 2013, at the Marriott Hobby Airport Hotel, Houston, Texas. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy to be submitted by October 1 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(a)amsat.org

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OPUSAT Lithium-Ion Capacitor CubeSat and Flying Laptop satellite
by M5AKA 30 Apr '13

30 Apr '13

The OPUSAT CubeSat, slated for launch in the Japanese Financial Year 2013, is planning to use a Lithium-Ion Capacitor. I think this will be the first time such a device has been flown in space. If successful the greater power density offered could be useful for future CubeSat missions. OPUSAT CubeSat http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/30/opusat-cubesat/ Flying Laptop – 130 kg Satellite http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/30/flying-laptop-130-kg-satellite/ 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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IARU Region 1 - Addition 2m Satellite Allocation
by M5AKA 30 Apr '13

30 Apr '13

IARU Region 1 has agreed an addition 2m allocation for the Amateur Satellite Service subject to IARU Regions 2 (the Americas) and 3 (Asia/Pacific) also agreeing it. The IARU Region 2 Conference is in Cancun, Mexico in September 2013 hopefully satellite users in Region 2 will let their National Society know their views on this matter. See http://amsat-uk.org/?p=16797 73 Trevor M5AKA ----

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OA4 qrv satellite
by Lizeth Norman 30 Apr '13

30 Apr '13

Hi all, Will be in the country of Peru, active on FO-29 and AO-7 if at all possible. Other sats by request. Not sure when the first pass will be. Grid for Lima is FH17. Will be going north in two weeks. Not sure which grid squares I'll be activating. Will keep everyone appraised. 73 de Norm n3ykf

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SatPC32 more info on problems and THANKS!
by James Luhn 30 Apr '13

30 Apr '13

I sincerely appreciate all of the feedback on my SatPC32 issues. I figured out the Ghost tracking' issue or at least corrected the problem. Somehow my location became corrupted. I noticed that the little white dot (QTH) was missing from its normal location. By some means my latitude/longitude data changed. I have put in the correct numbers now and I expect the ghost will leave the area. As was mentioned, the issue in which all control stops is probably an interface problem. It may even be the notebooks having older firmware. I will continue to tinker in that area. The Panasonic Toughbook is a nice computer for ham work as it has both USB ports and a true serial port. The fact that the LVB Tracker works flawlessly with my Macbook through the same USB cable, more than likely this problem is Panasonic Toughbook related. I did try both USB ports on the Toughbook and had the same results. I will keep everyone informed as to how I resolve my problem. Thank you again for all of the responses. I feel sure I am on the correct path to making all of the components play nicely together. Of course progress is slow when there is a satellite above the horizon :) 73, -james W5AOO

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Path to HEO
by Nick Pugh 30 Apr '13

30 Apr '13

I have just returned from a satellite conference and I think new technology will now give us a path to HEO. Challenging of course but for the clever doable. Please take a look at a ~ 2 minute video that tells how http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpGnxlZC8Hs Thanks nick ARS K5QXJ EM30xa 30.1N 92.1W Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School

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Re: Dayton
by Mike Farkas 30 Apr '13

30 Apr '13

Hi Jim! I'm also starting to get my things together for the Dayton Fest. I think hands down AMSAT has the best demo there. You can see and hear guys actually work the birds, see the setup and ask questions. Hope to see you there! Mike/N8GBU.

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Re: Path to HEO
by Joe Leikhim 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

Even if the technique required 5 years to advance to HEO it would be a positive step since the amateur launch opportunities directly to HEO are measured in decades and the cost in 10's millions of dollars. This reminds me of a commercial payload that failed to make GEO. The folks at AGI (STK Satellite Toolkit) devised a path circling the moon which used the lunar gravity to accelerate and return the satellite to its intended GEO position without depleting much of its limited station keeping fuel. -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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Dayton, Satellites, Fun !!!!!
by James Luhn 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

I am gathering up my clothes for my trip to Dayton. I hope to see and meet as many satellite folks as possible! I have my name in the hat to work at the AMSAT booth. I worked last year and had the best time! I keep seeing many emails about what satellites are operating. It seems many think that none are working. Well I can tell you that I am having a blast working FO-29, SO-50 , VO-52, and grandpa AO-7. I do admit that AO-7 has a bit of a stutter step when too many get on or someone cranks their power up too much. Take a look at the link Bob, W7LRD, posted regarding active satellites: http://aar29.free.fr/sat/indexlogin.php Each contact is so exciting. OMG, I worked Brazil last night too! FO-29 sounded just like 20 meters last night! It is so nice to hear those making their first contact and so nice to renew old friendships. Hope to meet you or at least work you! 73, -james W5AOO ...still excited about amateur radio after being active for 50+ years!

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Sat32PC
by James Luhn 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

I need some advice. I have been trying to run Sat32PC to track satellites with my G5500 rotor and LVB Tracker. It seems I am running into one problem after another. Many times the program stops working when I get towards a lower elevation while tracking the satellite. I get most of the pass and then everything stops. I cannot park the rotor and must reboot the computer as restarting the program gives com errors. This afternoon Sat32PC was tracking a ghost. It clearly thought something was flying above. The only satellite I had selected was FO-29 and it definitely was well past a fly over. In fact, I could not find an amateur satellite that was anywhere that the program should be tracking. I would really like to get the bugs out as I plan to use my Panasonic Toughbook in a portable operation. I am using the XP Professional operating system with the USB communicating with the LVB Tracker. I also have a Macbook and MacDoppler has operated flawlessly. It does what it is suppose to do and does it well. Please no flame wars over Mac vs PC. I use both and basically am happy with both. On Sat32PC, the Keps are updated so I am not feeding the controller wrong info. On the screen, the satellite position is visibly correct. On the bottom of the screen the Azimuth / Elevation were wrong when it was tracking the ghost. I have two Toughbooks and both exhibit the same problem. Has anyone had the same or similar problems? 73, -james W5AOO

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EL94
by Andrew Glasbrenner 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

Looks like I'll be on Marathon in the Keys Weds night to Friday early morning. If you need EL94 on satellite let me know and we'll make a schedule. 73, Drew KO4MA

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Re: Path to HEO
by M5AKA 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

--- On Mon, 29/4/13, Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks Bob, > That's why it is important to read the complete conversation. > This is NOT about Cubesats, staying in orbit, etc. It is about getting > into an HEO beyond 20000km. It's the same thing, what gets you from 310 to 700 km can also get you to 7200 or 20000 km. But first the technology needs to be proved in Space CubeSats like Romit-1 will do that if they can get launches. Bob, on the topic of extending orbit lifetime there's a UK company, a University of Southampton spin-off, who are doing some interesting work in this area. Mars-Space Ltd have developed a Pulse Plasma Thruster for a 1U CubeSat designed to extend orbit lifetime which was shown at a recent CubeSat Workshop, details at http://www.mars-space.co.uk/Pages/MicroPPTforCubesats.aspx They are also working on Ion Motors. 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Re: G5500 Rotor motor Question
by Gregory Beat 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

You could ask Dave Palmer, KB5WIA if he noted that spec., when he rebuilt his Yaesu motor last year (March 2012) http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/yaesu-g5500-rotator-motor-repair.html w9gb == From: "Mike Hoblinski" To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] G5500 Rotor motor Question Anybody know what the rpm of the AC motors are. I know from the Yaesu specs that after all of the gear reduction they list EL as 67 seconds for EL and 58 Seconds for AZ. I would like to experiment with an AZ and EL system but like to see what RPM the motor starts out with and how much torque to get the final results. They show Elevation at 101 FT-LBS and AZ at 44 FT-lbs. I have looked around to see if somewhere the specs are available for the motor but have had no luck. I have seen quite a few pictures of rebuilds of that rotor with part number and have a manual that shows parts. Mike Hoblinski N6IMF ==

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What birds
by anelson＠min.midco.net 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

Thanks to everyone that answered. Hope to work you on one of them one of these days. Thanks again Nels W0TUP North Dakota

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More On SpaceShipTwo's Flight
by B J 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/29/pictures-of-spaceshiptwos-first-powe… http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/29/spaceshiptwo-completes-first-powered… http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/virgin-galactic-breaks-speed-of-sou… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Observations From ESA's Herschel Observatory End
by B J 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=51550 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Successful Powered Flight For SpaceShipTwo
by B J 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/04/29/spaceshiptwos-first-powered-fligh… http://spacecoalition.com/blog/spaceshiptwo-en-route-for-projected-first-po… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Re: Path to HEO
by M5AKA 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

--- On Mon, 29/4/13, Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com> wrote: > maybe I didn't make myself clear: > LEO (low earth orbit) from 400 to 2000km or something like that > HEO (high earth orbit) >20000km > Going from 310 to 700km in a year is not doing us anything. Romit-1 and the other CubeSats testing ion engines will definitely give us something - proof that it works in practice or an opportunity to learn from any problems / design issues that arise. Given that Space is a demanding environment I'm sure not all the ion motor CubeSats currently being developed will work as planned when deployed, it'll be a learning experience. Going from a 310 to a 700 km orbit in a year using the limited solar power generated from a standard 2U CubeSat will be a major step forward. It follows that to get up to 7200 km or even better 20000 km will take years but could be speeded up by having CubeSats with large fold-out solar panels and more powerful motor. I say CubeSats rather than Microsats because of cost, a 35 kg microsat could cost $1 million just to get into LEO. I hope the various groups that have developed ion motor CubeSats are eventually successful is getting launches to LEO to test them out. 73 Trevor M5AKA ----

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Re: Path to HEO
by Daniel Schultz 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

>In addition, doesn't the process getting from GTO to HEO require some form >of rapid acceleration? If yes, ion engines and solar sails are out. The main requirement for escaping from LEO is that the engine thrust must exceed the atmospheric drag force. The time required to reach a HEO orbit mainly depends on how much electrical power you can generate, more power means more thrust and a faster ride to the desired orbit. A Cubesat power budget will be somewhat limited, deployable solar panels might help somewhat. Most Cubesat launches are deliberately sent to low orbits to insure rapid reentry and burn-up to meet orbital debris requirements, that is why Cubesat launches to GTO are rare. A higher orbit will require a disposal plan, but electric propulsion can help with that too. Please see my paper in the 2012 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings. Dan Schultz N8FGV

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Orbits Questions And Satellite Safety
by Dave Marthouse 29 Apr '13

29 Apr '13

I know that the earth is surrounded by radiation belts that have the potential of damaging satellites. How dense are they and around what altitudes do they have their most harmful affects? I am going to hazard a guess that this is why higher leo satellites (let's say over 1500 miles high) haven't been launched over the years. Any information would be appreciated. Dave Marthouse N2AAM dmarthouse(a)gmail.com

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Re: Shack cleaning sale
by Glenn AA5PK 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Icom AG-25 mast mount 2 meter preamp Mirage KP-1/440 70 cm GaAsFET preamp G-5500 control box and elevation rotor (no az rotor) Alinco ELH-730D 70 cm linear amp (3W in for 30W out) w/preamp Radio Shack 2 meter amp (Cat. # 19-1122) Pix available. If interested, please contact me off list. Glenn AA5PK

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nee-01 pegaso
by Lizeth Norman 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

See here for the latest news: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF… 73 de Norm n3ykf (Off to oa4 in the am)

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Re: What birds
by Adrian Engele 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Try this site. http://oscar.dcarr.org/ 73, Adrian AA5UK from Yahoo! Mail on Android

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Shack cleaning sale
by Glenn A. Miller 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Icom AG-25 mast mount 2 meter preamp Mirage KP-1/440 70 cm GaAsFET preamp G-5500 control box and elevation rotor (no az rotor) Alinco ELH-730D 70 cm linear amp (3W in for 30W out) w/preamp Radio Shack 2 meter amp (Cat. # 19-1122) Pix available. If interested, please contact me off list. Glenn AA5PK

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TURKSAT-3USAT in US
by Dave WØDHB 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

TURKSAT-3USAT was not heard on 19:38 UTC pass today Beacon or Transponder :-( CUBEBUG was not heard either. Dave W0DHB

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What birds
by anelson＠min.midco.net 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

I have spent all day getting my Icom 910h,,SatPC32, and my Yaesu 5400B all back working again and tracking. But now what birds are there up there that are still active? In the past I worked AO-27, AO-51, FO-29, VO-52, AO-7, and SO-50. Which of these are still operational and any new ones? Thanks Nels W0TUP North Dakota

5 4

G5500 Rotor motor Question
by Mike Hoblinski 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Anybody know what the rpm of the AC motors are. I know from the Yaesu specs that after all of the gear reduction they list EL as 67 seconds for EL and 58 Seconds for AZ. I would like to experiment with an AZ and EL system but like to see what RPM the motor starts out with and how much torque to get the final results. They show Elevation at 101 FT-LBS and AZ at 44 FT-lbs. I have looked around to see if somewhere the specs are available for the motor but have had no luck. I have seen quite a few pictures of rebuilds of that rotor with part number and have a manual that shows parts. Mike Hoblinski N6IMF

2 2

Re: Path to HEO
by Joe Leikhim 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Ditto; here, sounds like an promising direction. -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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satpc32 etc
by Bob- W7LRD 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Thanks to many and Dave KB1PVH I can now input keps in my computer all by myself. I read this in the weekly AMSAT bulletins The Castor 30 second stage motor, built by ATK, ignited for a burn lasting two-and-a-half minutes, accelerating the rocket to more than 17,000 mph. Engineers declared the rocket reached orbit, and the upper stage deployed a 8,377-pound block of aluminum designed to mimic the mass characteristics of the Cygnus spacecraft, which will take the dummy payload's place on the next Antares launch. Why does this want me to pull out what little hair I have left?? 8,377Lbs! I'm sure I am missing something, what did AO-40 weigh? 73 Bob W7LRD

3 3

Help! What does this mean?
by Lizeth Norman 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Got this tweet from Exa. What is a 160Db station? You need VIDEO transceiver on 910 with 25Mhz BW to hear and see it and at least 160dB gain, please confirm I expect this means total amplification including the radio. Still nothing heard

2 1

Turksat not heard
by paul robinson 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Turksat ,this morning pass over Europe nothing heard UK ...becon or transponder.paul 2E1EUB

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TURKSAT-3USAT Have anyone heard today Saturday
by Ib Christoffersen 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

Hi all, I listen for two passes this morning but did no hear anything. QTH Copenhagen Denmark. Listened to the beacon frequency and the transponder downlink. 73 OZ1MY Ib

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Pegasus Nee-01? anyone else listening?
by Lizeth Norman 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

Nothing heard on two passes. Not sure as I all I can hear are what I think are timing sigs from cell towers. They had a direct pass over HC on orbit 7.

6 10

Re: [keps] New Satellites In This Weeks KEP Distribution
by Nico Janssen 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

Ray, An update on the identifications of the new satellites: 39131 2013-015B OSSI 1 39132 2013-015C DOVE 2 39133 2013-015D AIST 2 39134 2013-015E BEESAT 3 39135 2013-015F SOMP 39136 2013-015G BEESAT 2 NEE-01 (Pegaso), Cubebug 1 (Capitán Beto) and Turksat-3USAT are in the group 39151 2013-018B, 39152 2013-018C, and 39153 2013-018D. Which satellite is which object is still to be confirmed. Two-line elements are available for all these satellites. The three PhoneSats from the Antares launch have now decayed or are about to decay. 73, Nico PA0DLO On 2013-04-26 04:35, Ray Hoad wrote: > A lot of activity in the last week! > > The week we have added the following cubesat satellites: > OSSI-1 Cat# 39130 Beacon on 145.980 MHz CW and 437.525 MHz 1k2 > also has LED optical beacon in morse code > BEESAT2/3 Cat# 39131 435.950 MHz 4k8 GMSK (two separate satellites > real close together for now) > SOMP Cat# 39135 Downlink 437.485 MHz including CW, 1k2, 9k6 BPSK, > AX25 FSK and AO40 type standard 400bit/s BPSK > GRAHAM Cat# 39142 Phonesat 437.425 MHz using smartphone computer, > using batteries only only good for about a week > BELL Cat# 39143 Phonesat 437.425 MHz using smartphone computer, > using batteries only only good for about a week > ALEXANDER Cat# 39146 Phonesat 437.425 MHz using smartphone computer, > using batteries only only good for about a week > > Go to http://ww2.amsat.org and click on "AMSAT NEWS SERVICE WEEKLY > BULLETIN" to get details on these new cubesats. >

1 0

910 MHZ AMTV Reception
by Les Rayburn 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

Just realized that my Icom R-7000 with the NTSC TV Adapter should be able to receive these signals. I've got a nice loop Yagi for 900 MHz as well sitting in the attic. Just sold the receiver on Ebay, but not shipping it until Monday morning--so may have to try to receive a pass over the weekend. Sounds like fun! I sold the R-7000 thinking that I'd simply replace it with a FunCube Dongle Pro at some point. Never dreamed that I'd have a nearly immediate use for my old standby. Ah, well. -- 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

1 0

new keps
by paul robinson 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

New keps- hi Bob im using instrack on the base computer here at home so its easy to mod keps,but dont get excited Turksat becon isnt that stong,and the foot print is about ao51 or a bit less,so it wont be even a fo29 ,....shame i was hoping for abetter foot print,still will wait and see what comes of all tamsats hard work.and at least its got a transponder. paul 2E1EUB

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Fwd: HAMSAT Transponder Performance - Reg.
by Mani VU2WMY 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

Dear HAMSAT VO-52 users, As you all are aware that HAMSAT VO-52 is completing 8 years of fruitful services in orbit on 5th May 2013. As usual, an 'Annual Performance Report' needs to be prepared and submitted to the HAMSAT Mission Management Board at the earliest. In this connection, I'm herewith forwarding the mail received from HAMSAT Operations Director requesting for the 'User Reports' on the performance of the transponder. Hence, on behalf of HAMSAT Operations Director, I request HAMSAT VO-52 users to kindly send us your valuable feed back/comments/suggestions on the performance of the transponder and the same shall be mailed directly to: tprangan(a)istrac.org and copied to: wmy(a)isac.gov.in NOTE: We also look forward for suggestions and proposal for future transponders and orbit preferred for possible next HAMSAT from India. 73 de Mani, VU2WMY Secretary & Station-In-Charge Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC ISRO Satellite Centre HAL Airport Road, Bangalore-560 017. Phone:(O)91-80-25082054/2598/2192 Mobile: 91-80-98803 41456 E-mail ID: wmy(a)isac.gov.in vu2wmy_mani(a)yahoo.com isrohams(a)yahoo.com ----- Forwarded message from tprangan(a)istrac.gov.in ----- Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:46:19 +0000 From: tprangan <tprangan(a)istrac.gov.in> Subject: HAMSAT Transponder Performance - Reg. To: "wmy(a)isac.gov.in" <wmy(a)isac.gov.in> Cc: tprangan <tprangan(a)istrac.gov.in> Dear Mani, 1 We are in the process of compiling the 8-year performance report of HAMSAT. 2 Kinldy arrange to get the feedback from the HAMSAT user community on the: Performance of the on-board transponder, both qualitative and quantitative. Also, their comments on the existing transponder and the orbit And their suggestions / proposals for the future transponder / orbit preferred. Feedback to my mail id (tprangan(a)istrac.org) by 1 May 2013 would be highly appreciated, as we would like to distribute the report on 5.5.2013, the B-day for HAMSAT. With Best Regards, T PARIMALARANGAN HAMSAT Operations Director ISTRAC/ISRO Ph: 080 - 2202 9011 (O) 080 - 2535 0132 (R) 0 - 9480333563 (M) ------------------------- Disclaimer: This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and legally privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies and the original message. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any action taken in reliance on this e-mail is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. The recipient acknowledges that any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and no binding nature of the message shall be implied or assumed unless the sender does so expressly with due authority of ISTRAC Management. Before opening any attachments please check them for viruses and defects as all liability for viruses is excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law. ------------------------- ----- End forwarded message ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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new keps
by Bob- W7LRD 27 Apr '13

27 Apr '13

For the digitally challenged-what is the easiest way to input new keps? Use monosyllabic words..keep it simple for simple people. Been messing around for a couple of hours & ready to heave the computer out the window. 73 Bob W7LRD

3 2

Turksat keps
by Andrew Glasbrenner 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

I grabbed these off their website a few minutes ago...have had a few folks ask about them, so thought I'd send to the list. http://www.tamsat.org.tr/tr/tle.txt TURKSAT 1 12345U 12345A 13116.18500615 .00000000 00000-0 10000-4 0 6 2 12345 98.0372 191.7767 0017397 251.4298 279.4470 14.76467545 04 73, Drew KO4MA

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SATPC32 and New Sat KEPS
by Les Rayburn 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Like many, I'm eager to track the new satellites launched over the past few days. If everyone will pardon more newbie questions, here goes: 1.) How do I input the published KEPS data for the new satellites into SATPC32? 2.) How long before the standard files (amateur.txt, etc) will be updated to include the new birds? -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf 6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484 Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light

2 1

Turksat heard
by paul robinson 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Turksat head last pass ,just.. over UK weak becon but easy to copy,transponder off . paul 2E1EUB

1 0

Virginia Tech and Nasa SCAN Testbed
by Robert McGwier 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

My team at Virginia Tech was selected to conduct experiments on the SCAN Testbed on the ISS. Details will follow. Bob N4HY

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keps senior moment
by Bob- W7LRD 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Hello..having a senior moment here...I forget... how does one input keps manually into satpc32? 73 Bob W7LRD

1 0

nee pegaso 01
by Lizeth Norman 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Nothing heard.

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TurkSat and CubeBug heard
by Wouter Weggelaar 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Hi All, Just received The TurkSat CW beacon and some TX that looks like 9k6 from CubeBug-1.My TNC was set to 1200bd, and I did not have recording on the second RX. I did record TurkSat and will be posting the MP3 soon. CW Message as decoded by Wouter Jan PE4WJ: TURKSAT 3U SAT HAAAAAA YM2RTU 0 0 (the last zeroes are ??) Wouter PA3WEG

3 6

Chinese LM-2D TLE
by Wouter Weggelaar 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Hi All, I have used the following TLEs provided by ISL, the launch broker for the cubes. LM-2D 1 12345U 12345A 13116.18500615 .00000000 00000-0 10000-4 0 6 2 12345 98.0463 191.7751 0017453 249.8818 280.9944 14.76362581 07 These are for the upper stage. The ISIPODS were all successfully deployed. http://www.pa3weg.nl/?id=news 73, Wouter PA3WEG

1 1

CubeSats Successfully Launched from Jiuquan Space Center
by M5AKA 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

TURKSAT-3USAT has a Mode J (145/435 MHz) linear transponder for SSB/CW communications and CubeBug-1 a packet radio digipeater, see http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/26/ham-radio-cubesats-successfully-launched/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

3 2

1st Pass Turksat Beacon
by Nader Omer 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

At the 1st pass I detect the beacon too at the I&Q audio record file ! RTL-SDR confused me with it low resolution . again congratulation Nader Omer

1 0

Turksat cw beacob
by Nader Omer 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

a week turksat ! beacon copied - low pass elevation Xponder not heard - !!! Cubebug-1 beacon not heard !!! congratulation for all cubesats team for the successful launch .

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TURKSAT-3USAT article + CubeBug-1 April 26 launch
by M5AKA 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

TURKSAT-3USAT should launch Friday 0413 UT, an article has been published by the Turkish TAMSAT / AMSAT-TR group http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/25/article-on-turksat-3usat-cubesat/ CubeBug-1 with Digipeater also launching Friday http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/cubebug-1/ NEE-01 Pegasus is a CubeSat on the same launch in operates on 910 MHz either HD TV or a FM SSTV/CW/Voice beacon. The 1U CubeSat has an impressive fold-out solar array http://amsat-uk.org/2013/03/14/ecuadorian-tv-cubesats-pass-qualification-te… 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 ----

2 1

Re: PhoneSat Request From NPR
by Daniel Schultz 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

------------ Original Message ------------ >I'm a reporter with NPR who's working on a little story about some cell-phone >satellites that were recently launched into space (Curmudgeon mode on!) 1. I tried to get NPR interested in doing a story about the launch of AMSAT-Phase 3D back in 2000. They did not think that a 600 kilogram satellite with a hypergolic propulsion system, built by volunteer labor from a dozen different countries, financed by a multimillion dollar budget contributed in $50 or $100 increments from hams around the world, was worth doing a story about, but let someone put a cell phone in a cubesat and they think that is a big deal. 2. Cell phones are consumer devices, exquisitely engineered for mass production with reasonably high reliability at minimum per unit cost. Consumer electronics is a highly specialized area of engineering, but so is space flight hardware. Using consumer electronic devices in a space flight environment is a misapplication of engineering principles and is destined to be a technological dead-end. The excuse that the satellite is only intended to last for a short time is rather lame, as is the waste of valuable launch vehicle capacity that could be better used by more serious missions. AMSAT has a dedicated team of highly competent engineers who can supply inexpensive computers and radios that are specifically engineered for space flight, yet we still have cubesat groups buying off the shelf HT's and removing them from the plastic case for installation on their cubesat because they just don't know any better. Apparently neither does NASA. 3. AMSAT-UK had two news items in the last bulletin: "PhoneSat CubeSats with Ham Radio Payloads Launched" and "CubeSats with Ham Radio Payloads Deployed" referring to the BeeSat and SOMP CubeSats. None of these satellites carry a ham radio transponder. None of them support ham radio communications. The mere fact that a satellite transmits telemetry on ham radio frequencies does not make it a "Ham Radio satellite". That term should be reserved for satellites that support the purpose of amateur radio, which is two-way communications between radio amateurs. NASA's own PhoneSat press release says that "These satellites were built by NASA civil servants and contractor employees from USRA and SGT." They weren't built by hams, and they don't serve ham radio. The 435 MHz band does belong to the government as the primary user, and we hams will have access to the band only as long as the government remains as the primary user. If Congress orders the band to be auctioned to commercial interests we will lose the use of it for sure. If NASA needs to use it for telemetry downlink because of the ease of licensing, availability of low cost equipment from the ham radio market, and worldwide availability of hams who may be interested in receiving and forwarding their telemetry, then go ahead and use the amateur satellite band. Just don't call it a "Ham Radio satellite". (/Curmudgeon mode off) Dan Schultz, N8FGV

2 1

Decoding picture packets from PhoneSAT
by Dave WØDHB 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

Has anyone been able to view the .webp files created when decoding PhoneSAT picture packets ? The webp viewer and decoder program both report the file to be corrupted. I must be missing something !? Thanks Dave W0DHB

1 0

phonesat status
by John Papay 25 Apr '13

25 Apr '13

I only heard KJ6KRW-1 on this morning's pass 25April over Ohio. Nothing heard from KJ6KRW and KJ6KRW-2. 73, John K8YSE

3 2

APRS/Packet on IC-910H
by Les Rayburn 25 Apr '13

25 Apr '13

I'd also like to add digital capabilities to the IC-910H to allow some digital contacts through ISS, or just to download telemetry on other birds. Never worked packet before, and have only limited experience with APRS. The IC-910H is equipped with a Signa-Link interface for soundcard modes, and I've worked quite a bit of WSJT FSK and JT65A. I know that there is a software "solution" for APRS using AGWPE but I haven't tried it. What would be the recommendations of the group for equipping my station for digital operation on the satellites? AGWPE and the soundcard interface or a TNC? If so, what TNC would be recommended? Did I say "Thanks" yet? Also appreciate the bandwidth on this reflector--I know newbie questions can be annoying. -- 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 3

aprs data stamped with date and time
by Abdeslam Salah 25 Apr '13

25 Apr '13

Hi All, In the page 15 of the book “KENWOOD Listen to the future – TH-D72A/E”. It is written: Step 1: Built in Clock APRS data will be stamped with date and time. Therefore, the built-in clock must be set. Since the time acquired via the GPS receiver is UTC, Time Zone must be configured. Can anybody tell me how the APRS data is stamped with date and time in the TH-D72 APRS Packet? Is there a new APRS Mic-Encoder Format that’s include time and date. If not how can I add time and date of the position measurement in the APRS packet? This is very important for me because I try to save the positions of a mobile periodically, and send them when the satellite is in visibility. The simple way is to use the field packet path. Since the communication is via satellite and we don’t need relay or wide… Have you any advise or elegant way to do this? I think it would be a good thing if the APRS Mic-Encoder Format take care of the date and time of position measurement. 73's CN8XS

1 0

AO7 Mode A
by K4FEG 25 Apr '13

25 Apr '13

Hello Linear Satellite lovers! do any of the die-hard satellite operators want to work Mode A on AO7? If you want and un-congested satellite pass that will give you good distance and plenty of time on the "Bird", then Mode A is the mode/bird to try. Almost any type of an antenna will work, I am personally using a 3 element HyGain 10m monobander for my receive, it is not perfect but it will do the trick, I have managed a contact into the UK with Paul, 2E1EUB on AO7-a and I have also worked a few South American stations as well, Cuba which as frequency restrictions on 432Mhz cannot use AO7-b but they can work Mode A. If anyone is up for a try, I am willing to make a schedule or two. 73 Frank; K4FEG; EM55aj

1 0

ISS pass in minutes...
by Ing. Pavel Milanes Costa 25 Apr '13

25 Apr '13

Anyone want to make a APRS packet? CO7WT will be QRV in 8 minutes on the ISS... 73

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PhoneSat Request From NPR
by JoAnne Maenpaa 24 Apr '13

24 Apr '13

This arrived via the ANS-Editor mailbox. Perhaps members on amsat-bb can be of assistance to NPR in regards to the Phonesats. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT Journal From: ans-editor-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of gormil(a)aol.com Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 17:02 To: ans-editor(a)amsat.org Subject: [ans-editor] Fwd: Listening for phonesat Hi, Can someone in AMSAT help Goeff? See below. 73, Gordon, NQ4K -----Original Message----- From: Geoffrey Brumfiel <GBrumfiel(a)npr.org> To: nq4k <nq4k(a)arrl.net> Sent: Tue, Apr 23, 2013 1:04 pm Subject: Listening for phonesat Hi Gordon, I’m a reporter with NPR who’s working on a little story about some cell-phone satellites that were recently launched into space (Bud, one of the engineers here, sent me your way). Apparently, they’re transmitting to Ham radio operators around the world (see http://phonesat.org/). I’m trying to track down some people who’ve detected the satellites and received some data from them. Ideally, I’d like to talk to them on the phone or even by shortwave radio, if that could be arranged. There are callsigns on the phonesat.org website. Any idea how I’d find some of these people? Or are members of the sterling park amateur radio club involved? Any help appreciated, Geoff Geoff Brumfiel | Science Correspondent, National Public Radio | gbrumfiel(a)npr.org | desk: (202) 513-2446 | cell: (202) 495-8614

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Live Video Now from Spring CubeSat Workshop
by M5AKA 24 Apr '13

24 Apr '13

Live video of the Spring CubeSat Workshop taking place April 24-26 is available at http://mediasite01.ceng.calpoly.edu/Mediasite/Catalog/pages/catalog.aspx?ca… Details of the 10th Annual Spring CubeSat Workshop are at http://www.cubesat.org/ 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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Fwd: [CubeSat] 10th Annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop Live Streaming and Useful Links
by Samudra Haque 24 Apr '13

24 Apr '13

FYI, might be of interest to some in the satellite / amateur satellite communities. //Samudra N3RDX ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Cal Poly CubeSat <cubesat.workshop(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 2:06 AM Subject: [CubeSat] 10th Annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop Live Streaming and Useful Links To: "CubeSat @ CubeSat.org" <cubesat(a)cubesat.org> Hi All, Similar to past years, we will have live streaming of the workshop available for viewing. You may access the stream using the link below. *Live Stream:* http://mediasite01.ceng.calpoly.edu/Mediasite/Catalog/pages/catalog.aspx?ca… Below are also a few more useful links for your convenience: *Directions, Parking, and Registration Location:* http://cubesat.org/index.php/workshops/upcoming-workshops/2013-spring-works… *Directions to Madonna Inn Expo Center:* Link<https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=California+Polytechnic+State+University,…> *Note:* Expo Center is located past Madonna Inn Hotel. Drive past hotels and go through gates. Please visit the CubeSat Workshop webpage for any further information at: http://www.cubesat.org/index.php/workshops/upcoming-workshops/2013-spring-w… We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning! Regards, Derek Nelson -- CubeSat Program Workshop Coordinator Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo cubesat.workshop(a)gmail.com Lab: (805) 756-5087 _______________________________________________ CubeSat mailing list CubeSat(a)cubesat.org http://lists.cubesat.org/mailman/listinfo/cubesat

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SATPC32 and IC-910H
by Les Rayburn 24 Apr '13

24 Apr '13

I'm very new to satellite operation but have been having a blast for the past couple of weeks. Using an IC-910H with attic antennas that include a 7 element 432 Arrow antenna with an SSB Electronics pre-amp mounted at the antenna. 1/2" hardline makes the 70' run from the attic to the shack in the garage. 2 Meters shows a 6 element K1FO Yagi with an SSB Electronics pre-amp and 1/2" hardline. Rig is controlled by SATPC32 via the CI-V interface at 9600 baud. On SO-50, I have no problems with doppler correction as you would suspect. With the other birds, doppler is sometimes an issue. Sometimes I hear stations strongly but when I call them, I don't hear my own uplink and the other station obviously doesn't hear me either. On other passes, the difference is not so great, and I'll hear my own uplink, though usually slightly off frequency. I know its possible to adjust the uplink frequency in the software, and I've tried it during passes without much success. The translated help file from German isn't much assistance to me so far. Can someone on the list point me towards a better explanation on the web, or offer suggestions on how to correct the situation? Any help is greatly appreciated! -- 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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Field Day Question
by Les Rayburn 24 Apr '13

24 Apr '13

Please tolerate another newbie question. I know that during the upcoming Field Day, participants are being encouraged to limit themselves to one contact on SO-50 or to use the linear birds when possible. I'm chasing grid squares towards Satellite VUCC and other awards. Is it acceptable and good operating practice for my station to make multiple contacts during FD on the linear birds? Seems like a great chance to pick up grids that would otherwise not be active on the birds, but I don't want to be a LID. What would be the best practice for an operator like myself during FD? I won't otherwise be participating in the contest. Again, my thanks for the advice and counsel of more experienced operators. Everyone on the birds has been great and helpful so far, especially K4FEG! -- 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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Re: APRS/Packet on IC-910H
by Andrew Glasbrenner 23 Apr '13

23 Apr '13

I use MixW and a rigblaster for 1200 baud AFSK and BPSK, and a hardware TNC for 9600 baud. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Les Rayburn <les(a)highnoonfilm.com> >Sent: Apr 23, 2013 3:53 PM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: [amsat-bb] APRS/Packet on IC-910H > >I'd also like to add digital capabilities to the IC-910H to allow some >digital contacts through ISS, or just to download telemetry on other >birds. Never worked packet before, and have only limited experience with >APRS. > >The IC-910H is equipped with a Signa-Link interface for soundcard modes, >and I've worked quite a bit of WSJT FSK and JT65A. I know that there is >a software >"solution" for APRS using AGWPE but I haven't tried it. > >What would be the recommendations of the group for equipping my station >for digital operation on the satellites? AGWPE and the soundcard >interface or a TNC? If so, >what TNC would be recommended? > >Did I say "Thanks" yet? Also appreciate the bandwidth on this >reflector--I know newbie questions can be annoying. >-- >73, > >Les Rayburn, N1LF >121 Mayfair Park >Maylene, AL 35114 >EM63nf > >6M VUCC #1712 >AMSAT #38965 >Grid Bandits #222 >Southeastern VHF Society >Central States VHF Society Life Member >Six Club #2484 > >Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: Field Day Question
by Andrew Glasbrenner 23 Apr '13

23 Apr '13

>I'm chasing grid squares towards Satellite VUCC and other awards. Is it >acceptable and good operating practice for my station to make multiple >contacts during >FD on the linear birds? Make all you want on the linear birds! You'll no doubt hear stations and grids you normally won't, but I'll warn you, FD is chaos on the sats. FD stations can also be very difficult to get a QSL out of as well. 73, Drew KO4MA

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Re: SATPC32 and IC-910H
by Andrew Glasbrenner 23 Apr '13

23 Apr '13

Sometimes the offset in the transponder changes slightly. This is especially true with VO-52 and AO-7. On these sats, I use the RIT to touch up and make sure I can hear my self plainly at the beginning of a pass. This is a little easier than the offset feature in the software. I hope that makes sense. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: Les Rayburn <les(a)highnoonfilm.com> >Sent: Apr 23, 2013 3:40 PM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: [amsat-bb] SATPC32 and IC-910H > >I'm very new to satellite operation but have been having a blast for the >past couple of weeks. Using an IC-910H with attic antennas that include >a 7 element 432 Arrow >antenna with an SSB Electronics pre-amp mounted at the antenna. 1/2" >hardline makes the 70' run from the attic to the shack in the garage. 2 >Meters shows a 6 element K1FO Yagi with an SSB Electronics pre-amp and >1/2" hardline. > >Rig is controlled by SATPC32 via the CI-V interface at 9600 baud. > >On SO-50, I have no problems with doppler correction as you would >suspect. With the other birds, doppler is sometimes an issue. Sometimes >I hear stations strongly but when I call them, I don't hear my own >uplink and the other station obviously doesn't hear me either. > >On other passes, the difference is not so great, and I'll hear my own >uplink, though usually slightly off frequency. > >I know its possible to adjust the uplink frequency in the software, and >I've tried it during passes without much success. The translated help >file from German isn't much >assistance to me so far. > >Can someone on the list point me towards a better explanation on the >web, or offer suggestions on how to correct the situation? Any help is >greatly >appreciated! > > >-- >73, > >Les Rayburn, N1LF >121 Mayfair Park >Maylene, AL 35114 >EM63nf > >6M VUCC #1712 >AMSAT #38965 >Grid Bandits #222 >Southeastern VHF Society >Central States VHF Society Life Member >Six Club #2484 > >Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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