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Re: more about the TH-D72A for satellites
by Bob Herrell 10 Dec '10

10 Dec '10

Thanks, Patrick I, too, have been considering "retiring" my TH-D7A(G), and you just sold me on the new Kenwood after our contact on AO-51. Sounded great. Ordered mine from HRO a few minutes ago. Also got the drop in charger. Since they changed battery to a Li-ion, the D7A charger (NiCad) will not work. Hope these new batteries last longer than the old NiCad's. 73, Bob Herrell, AJ5C

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Re: digital voice recorder
by Ron Miles 09 Dec '10

09 Dec '10

Another suggestion: http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H2-Portable-Stereo-Recorder/dp/B000VBH2IG Ron n6paa I am looking for an inexpensive digital voice recorder. I recall a past post recommending a specific one. Hope fully some one has a better memory than I do. Thanks,Buff WB2SIH FN31DD

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DM93
by ted 09 Dec '10

09 Dec '10

The plan for the day is to work the 1906Z, the 2045Z AO-27 passes, and the 2222Z AO-51 pass from DM93. 73....ted....aa5ck

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Linear Transponder for Orbitron
by Roland Zurmely 09 Dec '10

09 Dec '10

I made this little program to help using linear transponders on AO-7 B, HO-68, FO-27 and VO-52. http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arq.htm 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ.

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UT1FG/MM
by Roland Zurmely 09 Dec '10

09 Dec '10

In the last 10 days, I made several QSOs with Yuri on SO-50, FO-29 and HO68, in the squares: GG85, GG54, GE06, FD37, FD29, FE82, FE81, FE20 and FE21, from Rio de Janeiro to Chili via Strait of Magellan !!!. 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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Hudson valley Satcom Group Net Dec.9@8pm EST On Echolink N2EYH-L
by Cotejaune2＠aol.com 09 Dec '10

09 Dec '10

We are back tonight for the net on Echolink N2EYH-L and the MtBeacon Repeater 146.970 pl100 at 8 PM EST. I hope you join us for the Net. 73 Gary wa2aqh

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Congrats to SpaceX
by Robert McGwier 09 Dec '10

09 Dec '10

They have launched, orbited a spacecraft, and fired the spacecraft retros and have rentered, landed right on target. Bob N4HY

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Extended audio interview with astronaut Nicole Stott
by Tom Schuessler 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

Satellite Today Magazine electronic edition had an extended audio interview with Astronaut Nicole Stott in a just released issue as part of their 2010 year in review. Nicole shares some nteresting comments about her views on the future of the manned space program, space and education and space business. Thought some of you might be interested in hearing what she has to say. http://accessintelligence.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vvs10/i9/p24 Tom Schuessler, N5HYP Irving, Texas 75060 n5hyp(a)arrl.net

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Visit to US
by Michael Chen 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

Hi, Everyone, I am going to visit U.S. in December and stay there for a month or two. I will be visiting cities in both west and east coasts and hope to meet with some amateur satellite enthusiasts and have a few beers together. Drop me a message if you are interested. Michael Chen, BD5RV/4 AMSAT-China: http://www.camsat.cn ----------------------------------- Twitter: http://twitter.com/bd5rv Email: michael.bd5rv(a)gmail.com MSN: bd5rv(a)jsdxc.org Skype: michael-bd5rv

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Re: [ARISS-ops] Re: The Night before Christmas
by Clint Bradford 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

Sorry if I'm being too sentimental ... but it's been a sh**ty last 72 hours for me, personally: But this is a wonderful three-and-a-half minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ailFghtEKsc Thanks to Keith W5IU, for re-bringing it to our attention this time of the year! Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-241-7666

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CAESAR keps
by Mark L. Hammond 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

I saw these F9_cubesat 1 99999U 99999 10342.68664352 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 14 2 99999 34.5382 180.5256 0019992 245.8787 334.0535 15.92118320 16 here: http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=275335 -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Re: CAERUS TLM copied
by P.H. 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

TLE from USC: F9_cubesat 1 99999U 99999 10342.68664352 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 14 2 99999 34.5382 180.5256 0019992 245.8787 334.0535 15.92118320 16 Unfortunately due to the orbit the footprint will never cover my QTH - according to the TLE anyway. Pete On Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 9:02 PM, Joe <nss(a)mwt.net> wrote: > > Umm, An Amateur Call on 476 MHz? > > Joe WB9SBD > > The Original Rolling Ball Clock > Idle Tyme > Idle-Tyme.com > http://www.idle-tyme.com > > On 12/8/2010 2:29 PM, Ken Swaggart wrote: > > At 2915 Z copied a few frames of CAERUS telemetry. It's transmitting a 1200 > > baud packet about every 10 seconds on 476.0. No keps yet, just had the > > antenna pointed to the SSW. > > > > KJ6FIX-1>CQ,TCPIP/1:<UI>: > > 4341455255533B000200000C080A020D1B0A560000001000402EE20400D0F5230008A2F054902682 > > 1CC7C6D022F9F80104100A041003242080A5C07FBF8B80BDC0B98094F3 > > > > 73, > > Ken > > Lincoln City, OR > > CN75xa > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >

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SMDC-One nanosatellite
by Mike Rupprecht 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

. this was the second payload of the Falcon-9 flight. http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/12/08/49115-army-nanosatellite-on-first-fligh t/ 73, Mike DK3WN

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Dragon Has Landed
by B J 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/002/status.html http://twitter.com/@spacexer http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/ It's a good start to a new era in spaceflight. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Akatsuki Failed To Achieve Orbit Around Venus
by B J 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/12/20101208_akatsuki_e.html http://spacecoalition.com/blog/japans-venus-orbiter-not-injected-into-plann… The spacecraft is now in solar orbit and still operating. The next opportunity for orbital insertion is in 6 years. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Icom W32A for sale
by Bruce 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

I am offering this to my AMSAT friends before I put it up on eBay. All items sold together for $250 including FEDEX 2-day shipping in the Continental U.S. only. Icom W32A (first version, opened up to receive 800 MHz, programmable with included software) Original battery Icom BP-173 (questionable on holding a charge) Batteries America BP-173x 1450mAh battery (works fine) Pryme Speaker Mic Original Rubber Duck antenna Original AC Adapter (Icom BC-110A) Icom Car DC power Adapter (Icom CP-12) Icom Cloning Software for IC-T2A, IC-T7A, IC-W32, IC-T8A includes 3.5" floppy disk (software) instructions 9-pin serial adapter cable (computer to radio) Original Box and manual (even the original warranty card...doubt they will accept it now) Payment via Paypal, from a non-smoking home. I have placed some pictures on my web page for those interested. http://www.amsatnet.com/w32a.html 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

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Dragon Now In Orbit
by B J 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

The Dragon spacecraft successfully separated from the Falcon 9 second stage and is go for at least 2 orbits. The first launch attempt this morning was scrubbed shortly before ignition but the second one was good. Re-entry and landing still need to be demonstrated. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Re: KCT cable info
by kb2m＠comcast.net 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

Well silly me. There is a complete original manual set right on the AMSAT website. This contains all the information I need to construct another cable.To show my support for this kind of service I'm using this opportunity to mention my donating $100 to AMSAT. As this money is from my recent sale of my IC-910 to Rune Johansen LA8GKA I'm making this donation in both Rune and my name... 73 Jeff kb2m

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Launch of 'KJ6FIX' Beacon aboard USC CAERUS CubeSat Subsystem
by Omair Rahman 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

Hello Respected Amateur Radio Community, I would like to announce the expected launch of University of Southern California's (USC) CAERUS aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, on the 8th of Dec 2010, with a launch window of 1400-1722 GMT. CAERUS is USC's 1st CubeSat subsystem delivered in May 2010, and was named after the greek word for "opportunity". It was developed from authorization to proceed (ATP) to delivery in 14 weeks. CAERUS is part of the "MAYFLOWER" Next Generation Technology CubeSat that is a joint effort with Northrop Grumman NOVAWORKS group. The satellite would be transmitting beacon data in the Amateur Band, with the following specifications. Call Sign: KJ6FIX Downlink Frequency: 437.600 MHz Beacon Output Power: 900mW Modulation Type: AFSK, 1200 baud TLE: Updated on website, right after launch. It would be greatly appreciated, if you can please collect the beacon data and email the raw text file to caerus(a)astronautics.usc.edu. The collection of the data would help USC in tabulating the performance of our first student driven endeavour into space. For further information and TLE updates, please go to the website http://www2.isi.edu/research/prj-serc/prj-serc_projects/prj-serc_projects-9…. The beacon data can also be translated with the jar applet provided on our website. Thanks for all your help, Regards, Omair A. Rahman. ## P.S. ## - If it's raw beacon data file, please have your email subject: Beacon Data and your info. - If you have the capability of hooking up a Spectrum Analyzer to the antenna feed, and can measure the 'Actual' frequency of the downlink, please send that too, with the Subject: Beacon Frequency. This is very important to us, for a tracking experiment we are conducting.

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THD72 and VX8GR demo NewHaven CT
by Robert Bruninga 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

New Haven CT, Saturday. Demo of APRS radios D72, D710, VX8Gr, VX8DR, FMT350. I'll be in New Haven on Saturday with a few hours of free time and can play radio if there is anyone nearby that wants some hands-on time with these radios. Time and Place TBD. Morning, noon or afternoon? Bob, WB4APR [PS, W1GXT are you here?]

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Falcon 9 Scheduled For 2010-12-08 Launch
by B J 07 Dec '10

07 Dec '10

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/dec/HQ_M10-170_Falcon_9_Launch.html http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/002/101207preview/ http://twitter.com/@spacexer 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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SVHFS 2011 Conference Call For Papers
by Robin Midgett 07 Dec '10

07 Dec '10

Call for Papers: 15th Annual Southeastern VHF Society Conference, Huntsville, Alabama The Southeastern VHF Society is calling for the submission of papers and presentations for the upcoming 15th annual Southeastern VHF Society Conference to be held in Huntsville, Alabama on April 29th and 30th, 2011. Papers and presentations are solicited on both the technical and operational aspects of VHF, UHF and Microwave weak signal amateur radio. Some suggested areas of interest are: Transmitters Receivers Transverters RF Power Amplifiers RF Low Noise Pre Amplifiers Antennas Construction Projects Test Equipment And Station Accessories Station Design And Construction Contesting Roving DXpeditions EME Propagation (Sporadic E, Meteor Scatter, Troposphere Ducting, etc.) Digital Modes (WSJT, etc.) Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Software Defined Radio (SDR) Amateur Satellites Amateur Television In general papers and presentations on non weak signal related topics such as FM repeaters and packet will not be accepted but exceptions may be made if the topic is related to weak signal. For example, a paper or presentation on the use of APRS to track rovers during contests would be considered. The Technical committee this year is K4IDC ,Robin Midgett and N2CEI, Steve Kostro. Contact Steve Kostro, SVHFS2011 AT downeastmicrowave DOT com by Jan 8th, 2010 if you wish to make a presentation and submit your paper for publication to the same adress. Deadline for the submission of papers is March 11, 2011. All submissions for the proceedings should be in Microsoft Word (.doc).Pages are 8 and 1/2 by 11 inches with a 1 inch margin on the bottom and ¾ inch margin on the other three sides. All text, drawings, photos, etc. should be black and white only (no color). Submissions for presentation at the conference should be in PowerPoint (.ppt) format, and delivered in person at the conference to Robin Midgett on either a USB memory stick or CDROM or posted for download on a web site of your choice. Notify or adress Robin with any other AVA questions at K4IDC AT Comcast DOT net. For further information and updates about the conference please go to www.svhfs.org Thank you, Robin E. Midgett K4IDC Thank you, Robin Midgett K4IDC 2011 Conference Program Co-Chair, SVHFS

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Columnist Wanted
by Keith Baker KB1SF/VA3KSF 07 Dec '10

07 Dec '10

Greetings All! As many of you know, I write a quarterly column in Monitoring Times (MT) magazine about amateur radio satellites. Right now, the good folks at Monitoring Times are looking for a columnist to write a technical column on antennas for VHF/UHF and above, including satellite reception. The column appears quarterly, beginning with the March, 2011 issue. Also, MT is always looking for short articles on technical projects for thir freelance On the Bench column. For more information on requirements and payment, please email Rachel Baughn at editor(a)monitoringtimes.com or rachel.baughn(a)gmail.com. Thanks and 73, Keith Baker KB1SF / VA3KSF

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Re: Kenwood TH-D72a
by Clint Bradford 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

BOB>> ... I would tend to rephrase the above sentence ... What an excellent post, Bob! YES - The new Kenwood HT with all its capabilities is a value at US$500. And YES, APRS is much more than spitting out my coordinates every five minutes while driving around town. But from where I am coming from - advising audiences who have never worked a satellite before that they probably already own the equipment necessary to work them AND showing them how to accomplish it - I'll have trouble getting behind the 'D72a for that specific crowd as a "must-have" device. I'd like Kenwood to do what Yaesu did with their VX-8R: Offer a separate HT without some of the major (expensive) features, and get true dual-band capability to "us" at a lower price point. But I'm not running the world ... (grin) Clint, K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com

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Log Book of the World and HO-68
by KERRY LA*DUKE 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

All, Logging HO-68 on LOTW works but requires updating the configuration file. Here are instructions sent me from Kathy at ARRL LOTW. The current version of TrustedQSL is 1.13. With the configuration file updated, HO-68 shows up in the satellites list. 73 WC7V Kerry To have the TrustedQSL program accept the HO-68 satellite, please do the following to update your TrustedQSL program in your computer. 1. Log into your LoTW account 2. Click on YOUR ACCOUNT 3. Click on Your Certificates 4. Click on Download current TQSL configuration file

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Re: more about the TH-D72A for satellites
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Hi Ed! > I'm sure there a lot of us interested in what you find out using the new > radio. Thanks for the encouragement. So far, nobody has told me to keep quiet. ;-) I'm getting more packet and APRS questions in private e-mail, and can't really answer many of them other than the D72 works to transmit my location to an APRS digi network. I'm still a novice with APRS, and haven't done much with packet except to send some data through the ISS digipeater in almost 15 years! > My last ham HT was a TH-D7A, which I reluctantly sold back to the > person I bought it from (he was donating it to "doctors without borders"). > I used it a little on AO27 and UO18, though I used my FT-817 more. I liked > the fact it was packet ready and satellite ready. The TH-D72 with embedded > GPS looks like a real winner. I have two FT-817NDs, and those will definitely continue to be used as a big part of my portable satellite station. A TH-F6A is another recent addition, which can serve as a backup all-mode receiver and an FM (plus maybe CW) transmitter. I wish I would have had a true full-duplex HT for some of the stops I made on my Canada trip a few months ago, where an HT was the only way to get on the birds at certain locations. > BTW for those having cost-phobia the original TH-D7 cost $395. I do not > have a HT, now.....maybe? > It would be nice for air-travel w/ headset and mag-mount whip. Thanks for the reminder about that price. I knew it was relatively expensive in its day as a new radio, which was probably why I did not have one way back when. I know that a $500 radio in 2010 pesos is still not cheap, despite all the extra bells and whistles, so I don't fault anyone for citing cost as a reason to not get one. Maybe more D7s in good condition will hit the used market that can be put on the satellites, as more move up to the D72. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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PacComm Spirit-2
by Richard Lawn 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Just to let everyone know that I sold this item. Thanks for all the interest and it went to the highest bidder who met my price. Still have the Mirage D1010 70cm amp for sale. TNX Rick W2JAZ

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Antenna resurrection
by John 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

I recently picked up the Cushcraft Satellite pair: the 738XB and 22XB. These are circular antennas with a switch unit to change polarity. Well, they turned out to not be quite what was described. The switches on both antennas appear to be bad. I managed to remove the 2 meter unit and seperated the relay. The coil is burnt out. The PC board seems to be intact with little if any damage. Haven't had the courage to attack the 70cm on yet. Any source for the relay for this pair? Maybe original parts source for relays and the phasing harnesses. I would like to get some use out of this if it is possible. Thanks for your insight. NS1Z / EL99bf John Wilcox Silver Springs, FL

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more about the TH-D72A for satellites
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Hi! I wavered on whether I was going to get this radio straight away, after the fiasco (related to FM satellite operation) the Alinco DJ-G7T was last year. I didn't want to get bitten by a radio that was supposed to be capable of full-duplex operation, but fall short like with the DJ-G7T. After some thought, and after yesterday's hamfest, I drove over to the local HRO store to see if they had any in stock. At mid-afternoon, HRO still had 3 on the shelf at this store. I decided that, if the TH-D72 is the true successor to the TH-D7 including the cross-band full-duplex capability for FM voice satellite operation, I'd take the plunge. I bought the radio and the only option they had for it in the store (cigarette-lighter cable, compatible with several other Kenwood HTs including the TH-F6A I purchased a few weeks ago). I charged the battery last night, and cleared some time this afternoon to go out to my favorite city park to try it out. Not having used a Kenwood HT on the satellites except for the TH-F6A as a receiver, I read through the manual to make sure I had it set up for FM satellite work. I looked at a few parameters I felt would be useful: 1. Transmit with VFO B, receive with VFO A. VFO A has better sensitivity than VFO B, so why not go with that? There is no restriction on which VFO can be the transmitter for this radio. 2. Audio balance. I set that all the way to VFO A, since I wasn't interested in hearing VFO B. I could see with the S-meter if anyone else was transmitting on the satellite uplink, and then rebalance the audio if necessary to hear it. 3. Squelch. Open all the way on VFO A, tight on VFO B. 4. "DUP". This was a new one for me, not being familiar with the TH-D7 in the past. Once I figured this out, turning it on for my transmit VFO (VFO B), I was able to hear audio from VFO A whether or not I was transmitting on VFO B. I had to get a plug adapter to use my normal audio cable/splitter setup for an earpiece and my audio recorder with a Kenwood HT and its smaller speaker jack. I already had one for my TH-F6A, and it worked fine with the TH-D72A. I made sure tuning steps on both bands for both VFOs were at the smallest step (5 kHz), and that I had VFO B set for high power (5W). I started with the AO-27 pass at 2102 UTC. A very high pass here, with maximum elevation of 80 degrees. I worked 7 stations in 7 minutes, and received good reports on my audio through the satellite with the new radio. The only issue I had in hearing the downlink wasn't due to the radio - I had to move the antenna around as it passed over my head, and there was a moment or two where the downlink audio was less than ideal. I had to switch VFOs when tuning the receive VFO, something I don't have to deal with on my IC-2820H mobile radio or when I use memory channels in a non-full-duplex radio, but that was not a problem. The second pass I attempted with the TH-D72A was on AO-51 around 2322 UTC. This was also a high pass, with maximum elevation of 63 degrees out here. I had a little bit of difficulty hearing the satellite in the first minute or so of the pass while transmitting, which could have been related to how I was holding the antenna (Elk log periodic). I found during this pass that I had to twist the antenna to clear up any receive issues while transmitting. I think I might have heard the slightest desensing during a couple of my transmissions, but that could have been related to how my antenna was oriented toward the satellite. I logged 10 QSOs on the AO-51 pass, which wasn't bad for all the activity on there. As I posted earlier and said on the air, the TH-D72A is the real deal as a dual-band HT for full-duplex FM satellite operation. It does what the DJ-G7T could not do, and I didn't even have to use the expanded manual on the CD that came with the radio to get it set up for satellite work. I also set it up to work on APRS, which took little time to do. I have not tried it with a computer, to see if it will work as N8MH asked earlier. Packet is actually something I was not very interested in for this radio - FM satellites first, APRS next. The radio's GPS took only a few minutes to pick up signals when I first activated it. I do not have test equipment to quantify how well the TH-D72A's receiver is and how it compares to other radios. From playing with it last night and today, I know the receiver is on par with the IC-2820H I usually run on FM birds. Excluding transmitter power, the only thing the 2820 has over the TH-D72A is its separate knobs for each VFO. It also compares favorably with the sensitivity of my IC-T7H HT - the radio I've used on satellites from outside Hara Arena in Dayton (my other radios' receivers get swamped with intermod there, but not the IC-T7H). I will have to test it in a high-RF area like that at Dayton, to see if intermod plays havoc with the weak satellite downlinks. I'll work with this radio more, to get more familiar with it and possibly work it into my demonstrations. I will eventually get around to hooking it up to a computer, and seeing what I can do with packet and APRS. If I'm not careful, I might even go as far as having an all-Kenwood HT station for the OSCAR Straight Key Night in a few weeks (TH-D72A as CW transmitter, TH-F6A as receiver). 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: more about the TH-D72A for satellites
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Hi Alan! > Great preliminary report. One question. I haven't been able to locate the > size of the stock battery. The accessory is an 1800 MaH battery. Is that > the typical larger battery, or just a spare the same size? A friend who is > more interested in the APRS side asked me. There is - so far - only one rechargeable battery pack for this radio: the PB-45L, 7.4V/1800 mAh. The accessory pack is the same model and capacity as what came with the radio. I give credit to Kenwood for not saddling the radio with a smaller battery pack like Yaesu has done with the VX-8 series, and then offering the higher-capacity battery as an accessory. It might be up to someone like Maha or Batteries America to come out with an after-market battery pack with still larger capacity. Or maybe Kenwood will do that in the future. Kenwood has done that with the TH-F6A; originally it came with a 7.4V/1550 mAh pack, but the new one I just picked up last month came with a Kenwood 7.4V/2000 mAh pack. > As for myself, I would like one, but I have a full up Flex-VU5K and a new > HDTV on order, so enough expensive toys, at least until Dayton. Do you have the VHF/UHF module for your Flex radio? ;-) 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Updates On Nanosail And Falcon 9
by B J 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Nanosail spacecraft ejected from FASTSAT: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/fastsat/10-162.html Falcon 9 launch delayed for at least 2 days: http://twitter.com/@spacexer http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/002/status.html 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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TH-D72A brochure
by vtnn43e＠comcast.net 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Strangly there is no brochure for the TH-D72A available on the Kenwood USA site. Was finally able to locate one for anyone interested. http://www.strictlyham.com.au/images/stories/kenwood/handheld/pdf/TH-D72A.p… Zack N8FNR

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2 WEEKS LEFT - 1st IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference in Roma abstract deadline submission
by Group of Astrodynamics 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Dear all, this is a reminder of the deadline of the abstract submission for the 1st IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference which will be held in Roma on January 24-29, 2011. Submissions are due by December 18th. We remember you that early registration closes on January, 10th. Those who register before this date will have a discount on the quote. The conference is organized by GAUSS (Gruppo di Astrodinamica dell'Università degli Studi Sapienza - Group of Astrodynamics of Sapienza University), a team of professors, students and researchers from the School of Aerospace Engineering of Sapienza University of Roma. The Conference is supported by several authorities (the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the European Space Agency (ESA)), companies (Kosmotras), research centres (the Von Karman Institute (VKI), the Centro Ricerche Progetto San Marco) and universities (Sapienza Università di Roma, Morehead State University). Two days of the Conference will be entirely dedicated to the Winter Session of the Cubesat Workshop, for the first time in Europe. ESA scholarships for students who will present a work are available. For those interested, please follow the instructions on the website: ESA scholarships<http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111&I…> We have reached an agreement with two hotels for the accommodation of the participants at very low prices. You can find all the information at the following link: Accommodation<http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&I…> Programme and further information can be found at www.gaussteam.com under the section 'events'. We hope to see you in Roma in January! -- Gruppo di Astrodinamica Università degli Studi Sapienza Via Salaria, 851 00138 Roma website: www.gaussteam.com tel. 0039 06 88346436

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The AO-7 log.
by John Hackett 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

To whom it may concern. The AO-7 Resource Page Log is no longer being administered.. 73 John. <la2qaa(a)amsat.org>

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Saturday @ Mesa AZ hamfest
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

Hi! Thanks for all the QSOs during demonstrations I gave at the Superstition Amateur Radio Club's annual hamfest in Mesa, Arizona, yesterday. I worked 2 passes each on AO-7, VO-52, and HO-68, along with one SO-50 pass. I apologize if you were trying for me on the SO-50 pass around 1719 UTC, as I was chatting with Leo W7JPI and Larry WA6DIR, who both made the trip to Phoenix for the hamfest during that pass. During the VO-52 passes, instead of using my normal SSB satellite setup (two FT-817NDs), I used only one of the 817s with the all- mode receiver in the Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band HT. I bought this radio a few weeks ago, using the $100 Kenwood voucher I won at the AMSAT Symposium a couple of months ago (thanks to Kenwood and the Symposium organizers in the Chicago area for that, and all of the prizes they had on offer), mainly to make use of the all-mode receiver to shrink the size of my SSB satellite station this way. The 817's SSB receiver at 2m and 70cm is better than the all-mode receiver in the TH-F6A, but the little HT works OK. The HT makes a huge impression on the audience, seeing an FT-817 and an HT as the station I'm using for SSB satellite work. It will go in my carry-on bag with the other stuff I take on trips where I work satellites. The crowds - buyers and sellers - were larger yesterday than in the past several years. At 0615 local (1315 UTC, about an hour before sunrise), there was a line almost a half-mile (almost a km) long to get into the hamfest. Traffic was backed out onto a street and almost all the way to a freeway interchange, just to get into the hamfest in the dark! It's been a long time since I've seen that at a Phoenix-area hamfest. Along with W7JPI and WA6DIR, a couple of other satellite regulars stopped by my AMSAT table - John N7JK, and Rick K7TEJ. Thanks to the Superstation Amateur Radio Club for providing AMSAT a space at their hamfest! If anyone who worked WD9EWK during the hamfest wants a QSL card, please e-mail me with the QSO details. I'll get a card out to you, if you're in the log. Thanks again to all, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: TH-D72 HT ...
by Clint Bradford 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

It looks promising for true, full-duplex V/U FM satellite ops. And, of course, an awful lot more (GPS, APRS, et al). But five hundred dollars? Heck, a person wanting to work full duplex with the FM birds could purchase, for example, a Yaesu FT-270 and FT-277R brand new for a total of $280 - and have enough money left over to purchase an Arrow Sat Antenna with diplexer, a spare battery pack, and a modest dinner for the family - in comparison to the $500 for the 'D72a. Tentatively, the secondary band RX "de-sense" is not as dramatic as it is with the Alinco. More test results by Tuesday. Blog on the new Kenwood at ... http://blog.worksatellites.com/ Clint, K6LCS 909-241-7666

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Re: TH-D72 HT ...
by Mark L. Hammond 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

Neat! Not sure if that was what you were on when I contacted you this afternoon--if so, sounded good. To anybody in the know---Here's a question I have about the TH-D72---once the TNC is put into KISS mode--can you use the micr0-USB port to a communicate with terminal program on your PC? Having read the manual, I see that full duplex 9600/dual band is possible, and I see that KISS is possible. It claimes the micro-USB can be used to connect to a PC. But I wonder about talking to the TNC while in KISS mode... If that works--(access to TNC in KISS mode, full duplex/9600)--it would make one nice little portable packet satellite radio package! 73, Mark N8MH At 02:28 PM 12/5/2010 -0700, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote: >Hi! > >The TH-D72A is the real deal as a cross-band full-duplex HT for >FM satellite work. And, unlike with the DJ-G7T and some >versions of the IC-W32A, no RX >desense while >transmitting. :-) > >I used VFO B for TX, VFO A for RX (it has better >sensitivity), balanced audio all the way to VFO A, >open squelch for >VFO A, 5W transmit, and juat worked >AO-27. Nice! > >I will try it on a later AO51 pass today, not the next >one around 2147 UTC, for another test. As for APRS, >it took little time to set it up and get it picked up >online. I have not hooked it up to a computer yet, but >that is not a high priority yet. > >73! > > > > > >Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK >http://www.wd9ewk.net/ >_______________________________________________ >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 Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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FW: ANS-339 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins
by Dee 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-339 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * ARISSat Status * UO-11 Report * STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR 2011 * Satellite Shorts * ARISS Status - 29 November 2010 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.01 ARISSat Status AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 3rd, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.01 ARISSat and the backup unit are in Germany, they are schedulted for delivery to Moscow on Saturday. We will know Tuesday if there were any problems getting them through customs. Lou McFadin, W5DID and Mark Steiner, K3MS will be heading to Moscow on the 10th of December to assist with integration and testing of the Kursk experiment and battery. The schedule still has ARISSat going to the ISS via a Progress vehicle in late January 2011 and release from the ISS in late February 2011. [ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.02 UO-11 Report AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-332.02 This report covers the period from 29 October to 30 November 2010. During this time the satellite has been heard from 30 October to 09 November and 19 to 29 November . At the time of writing it is is expected to switch-on 10 December. Excellent signals have been reported from stations located around the world, and good copy obtained from decoded telemetry frames. The satellite is now transmitting during eclipses, although signals are weaker at those times. This indicates that there is still some capacity remaining in the battery. The on-board clock is now very stable. It gained eight seconds during November. This is comparable with its accuracy when the satellite was fully operational, when it gained approximately one minute per year. However, there is still an accumulated loss of 309 days, which has occurred during eclipses of the last few years. Operation during eclipses and stability of the on-board clock suggest that some part of the system may have recently failed 'open circuit' thus reducing the overall power drain of the system, and allowing more power to be available during eclipses. When analogue telemetry was last transmitted, an unexplained current drain was observed. This fault may have cleared. The Beacon frequencies are - VHF 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry UHF 435.025 MHz. OFF S-band 2401.5 MHz. OFF Reception reports have been received from Gene WA4UKX, Horatio CX8AF, David G8OQW and Michael M0MPM/PA3BHE . Many thanks for those and to everyone who posted reports on the satellite status website. At the present time, while OSCAR-11 is operating in a predictable way, I no longer need direct reports by e-mail. However, could you continue to enter reports on the general satellite status website. This is a very convenient and easy to use facility, which shows the current status of all the amateur satellites, and is of use to everyone. Reports around the expected times of switch-on and switch-off are of special interest. The URL is http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php OSCAR-11 transmits on 145.826 MHz., set receiver to NBFM. The satellite has a characteristic sound, rather like raspy slow morse code, sending "di di dah dah dah dah dah dah dah" sent over a period of five seconds. If you are receiving a very weak signal, switch the receiver to CW or SSB. You should hear several sidebands around the carrier frequency and should be able to hear the characteristic 'morse code like' sound on at least one sideband. Please note that you need a clean noise-free signal to decode the signals, and your receiver must be set to NBFM mode, for a decoder to work. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 sounds like, there is an audio clip on my website www.g3cwv.co.uk/ which may be useful for identification and as a test signal for decoding. The current status of the satellite, is that all the analogue telemetry channels, 0 to 59 are zero, ie they have failed. The status channels 60 to 67 are still working. The real time clock is showing a large accumulated error, but is now incrementing accurately to within a few seconds per month. The day of the month has a bit stuck at 'one' so the day of the month may show an error of +40 days for some dates. The time display has switched into 12 hour mode. Unfortunately, there is no AM/PM indicator, since the time display format was designed for 24 hour mode. The spacecraft computer and active attitude control system have switched OFF, ie. the satellite' attitude is controlled only by the passive gravity boom gradient, and the satellite is free to spin at any speed. The watchdog timer operates on a 20 day cycle. The ON/OFF times have tended to be very consistent. The average of many observations have shown this to be 20.7 days, ie. 10.35 days ON followed by 10.35 days OFF. Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my website. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 should sound like, there is a short audio clip for you to hear. The last telemetry received from the satellite is available for download. The website contains an archive of news & telemetry data which is updated from time to time. It also contains details about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture. There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. The URL is www.g3cwv.co.uk . 73 Clive G3CWV [ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.03 STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR 2011 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.03 STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR 2011 You are cordially invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2011, conducted by AMSAT for radio amateurs throughout the world. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Dick Peacock, W2GFF, who died in 2010 aged 91. Dick was an active satellite operator in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly on CW and usually with a straight key. He was also active on 50 MHz and the HF bands, and could always be counted on for a kind word and a friendly QSO. There are no rules, no scoring and no logs required. Just operate CW on any OSCAR satellite, using a straight hand key, from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC on 1 January 2011, working as many SKN stations as you can.. In keeping with the friendly nature of this event, each participant is asked to nominate one of the operators worked for "Best Fist." It is not necessary that your nominee have the best fist of anyone you heard, just of those you worked. Please send your nomination to W2RS via email at w2rs(a)amsat.org, Those nominated will be recognized in an ANS bulletin to be published in early February, and in The AMSAT Journal. [ANS thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over + Look for Drew, KO4MA operating on the satellites from the area around NASA Stennis and Slidell, Louisiana. This is a work trip so operating time will be limited to free time in the evenings. Drew said he favors transponder satellite operating over FM so look for him on SSB 20 KHz or more above the center of the pass- band. He will return QSL 100% with SASE. He will be enroute to Stennis from Tampa on December 6. + The Zooniverse started the Zooniverse Advent Calendar, similar to the one-a-day-chocolate-treat calendars we all love, but this calendar includes a surprise each day such as special images, downloads and even a couple of very big pieces of space news: http://www.zooniverse.org/advent The Boston Globe's Big Picture has their third annual Advent Calendar of Hubble Pictures: http://tinyurl.com/232ssyj If you'd like to send an e-card specifically to the astronauts on board the International Space Station, NASA has a website just for you: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/postcard/ You can send Chandra X-Ray Observatory E-Cards with a holiday theme from: http://tinyurl.com/27lf8s2 The Space Science Institute invites you to investigate their selection of e-cards at: http://www.spaceweathercenter.org/ecard/01/gallery.php If you love Hubble, and want to send space-themed holiday cards the folks from the Hubble Space Telescope have a great collection of beautiful cards you can download, and send. The cards are des- igned to be printed out at photo stores or online photo labs, though you can also use a home printer. See: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/holiday/ + The next Hudson Valley Satcom Net is Thursday December 9 at 8PM EST (UTC - 5) on the 146.970 MHz Mt. Beacon ARC Repeater. The Echolink node N2EYH-L will also be carrying the net. More information is on-line at: http://www.hvsatcom.org or E-Mail wa2aqh(a)amsat.org The date for next year's Mt. Beacon ARC "Beaconfeste" is Sunday April 10, 2011 at Tymor Park in Central Dutchess County, NY. More information is available on-line at: http://www.wr2abb.org/home/ (Stu, WA2BSS) + NASA Television will provide live coverage of the prelaunch news conference for the COTS 1 Falcon 9 launch Monday, Decemeber 6, at 1:30 p.m. The first SpaceX Falcon 9 demonstration launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program is targeted for liftoff on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Liftoff will occur from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 9:03 a.m. to 12:22 p.m. EST. If necessary, launch opportunities also are available on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 with the same window. (SpaceDaily.com) + Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV reminds users that the SO67 sched- ule is posted at http://www.amsatsa.org.za . It changes weekly with the Americas the first week of the month, Europe the second week, Middle East/India the third week and Australia and Japan fourth week. Special requests with time in UTC should be sent to: saamsat(a)intekom.co.za [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.05 ARISS Status - 29 November 2010 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.05 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 29, 2010 1. Italian Students Question Astronaut via ARISS On Wednesday, November 24, on-orbit astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with students attending the Istituto Leopardi - Liceo classico e scientifico in Lecco, Lecco, Italy. The activity was the high point of the school's curriculum which included astronautics, astronomy, radio and English. Approximately 200 students, teachers and guests were present for the event and listened as Wheelock answered 13 questions posed by the youth. Video streamed on the Web received over 100 connections. ESA covered the contact in an article posted to its Web site. See: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMSPVFMTGG_Italy_0.html 2. Video of Wheelock Working Ground Stations Doug Wheelock had a video made while on-orbit in which he gives a tour of the ISS as well as of the amateur radio station. He demonstrates what it is like for an astronaut to handle general contacts with multiple ground stations calling at the same time. AMSAT included this news in its November 28 ANS report: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2010/000464.html The video has been posted to YouTube. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h73EYcyszf8 [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org

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SO67 Euopean Schedule
by Hans van de Groenendaal 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

Hi all There are still a few passes left for the USA today (Sunday 5 Dec). The European schedule is now on www.amsatsa.org.za 73 Hans ZS6AKV

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Gear 4-Sale
by Richard Lawn 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

Time to clean out! I have a PacCOMM Spirit-2 and Mirage D-1010 amplifier with 10W in for 100W taking up sapce and would like to sell. I haven't used either in years but as far as I know they both work well. Please email offline if you are interested in either unit. TNX Rick W2JAZ

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Decode FASTRAC TLM w/ VX8R?
by Tom Williams 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

Before I go fiddle with my Yaesu VX8R, does anyone know if it'll decode and display FASTRAC TLM? Thanks, Tom Williams KJ4EAW

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Update On Falcon 9 Test
by B J 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

According to: http://twitter.com/SpaceXer data is being examined but it looks like the test firing was successful. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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This Morning's Falcon 9 Test
by B J 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

The engines ignited and ran for about 4 seconds. No comment so far on the results. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Re: gmsk software
by Mineo Wakita 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

Hi Nick, ... try UISS by ON6MU. JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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gmsk software
by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 04 Dec '10

04 Dec '10

Hi Amsaters I am looking for software modem that can copy gmsk at 9.6 kbs. Does anybody have a suggestion? Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School

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X-37B Post-landing Pictures And Video
by B J 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/03x37landing/ http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/03x37gallery/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Update On Falcon 9 Test Firing
by B J 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

http://www.spacex.com/updates.php Apparently the test was cut short and another attempt will be made tomorrow. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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KI6YAA/P IN DM23
by Larry Teran 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

I will be portable for AO-51 pass @ 2302z from DM23 if anyone need this grid I will try to activate this grid more often these days as it is so close to me! 73's Larry KI6YAA

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TH-D72 HT's arrive now in Atlanta HRO!
by Robert Bruninga 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

See ya'll in Atlanta at the HRO store For their Grand Re-opening, Saturday 4 Dec. Refreshments, and the release of the first batch of TH-D72 HT's. 10 AM to 4? PM Lots of MFR specials too. See ya there. Bob, WB4APR

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Falcon 9 Test Firing
by B J 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

The engines were fired a few minutes ago and the test appears to have gone well. Launch is still scheduled for 2010-12-07. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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X-37B
by David Barber 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11911335

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HO-68 Schedule 05-12 Dec 2010
by Alan Kung 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

UTC: 05 Dec 2010 ================================ 17:15...Turn On--CW/SSB India, Africa, Middle East, Europe,NA 18:00...Turn Off 19:20...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,Middle East,NA 20:05...Turn Off 20:40...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,Middle East,NA 21:25...Turn Off 23:20...Turn On--CW/SSB South America,NA,North Asia 24:05...Turn Off 06 Dec 2010 ================================ 01:20...Turn On--CW/SSB North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 01:34...Turn Off 13:55...Turn On--CW/SSB NA,South America 14:40...Turn Off 17:00...Turn On--CW/SSB India, Africa, Middle East, Europe,NA 17:45...Turn Off 19:00...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 19:45...Turn Off 23:00...Turn On--CW/SSB NA,North Asia,East Asia, Oceania 23:45...Turn Off 07 Dec 2010 ================================ 02:50...Turn On--CW/SSB North Asia, East Asia,South Asia 03:05...Turn Off 11:00...Turn On--CW/SSB Oceania,Asia,Europe 11:45...Turn Off 13:40...Turn On--CW/SSB NA, South America 14:25...Turn Off 16:50...Turn On--CW/SSB India,Middle East,Europe,NA 17:35...Turn Off 18:35...Turn On--CW/SSB India,Middle East,Europe,NA 19:20...Turn Off 20:05...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 20:50...Turn Off 22:45...Turn On--CW/SSB North Asia,East Asia,South Asia Oceania 23:30...Turn Off 08 Dec 2010 ================================= 02:28...Turn On--CW/SSB North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 02:44...Turn Off 13:25...Turn On--CW/SSB Europe,NA,South America 14:10...Turn Off 16:35...Turn On--CW/SSB India, Africa,Europe,NA South America 17:20...Turn Off 18:15...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 19:00...Turn Off 19:50...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 20:35...Turn Off 22:30...Turn On--CW/SSB NA,North Asia,East Asia,Oceania 23:15...Turn Off 09 Dec 2010 ================================= 02:11...Turn On--CW/SSB Asia,Oceania 02:27...Turn Off 13:10...Turn On--CW/SSB Europe,NA,South America 13:55...Turn Off 16:15...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,India,Middle East Europe,NA 17:00...Turn Off 18:00...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 18:45...Turn Off 19:55...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 20:40...Turn Off 22:10...Turn On--CW/SSB Oceania,Asia,Europe,NA 22:55...Turn Off 10 Dec 2010 ================================ 01:55...Turn On--CW/SSB North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 02:10...Turn Off 12:50...Turn On--CW/SSB Europe, NA,South America 13:35...Turn Off 16:00...Turn On--CW/SSB India,Africa,Europe,NA 16:45...Turn Off 17:40...Turn On--CW/SSB India,Africa,Europe,NA 18:25...Turn Off 19:15...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 20:00...Turn Off 11 Dec 2010 ================================ 23:45...Turn On--CW/SSB South America,NA,North Asia 00:30...Turn Off 01:38...Turn On--FM North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 01:52...Turn Off 12:30...Turn On--CW/SSB Europe, NA,South America 13:15...Turn Off 17:35...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 18:20...Turn Off 19:20...Turn On--CW/SSB India,Africa,Europe,NA 20:05...Turn Off 20:45...Turn On--CW/SSB Africa,Europe,NA 21:30...Turn Off 12 Dec 2010 ================================ 23:25...Turn On--CW/SSB North Asia,East Asia, South Asia,Oceania 00:10...Turn Off 14:05...Turn On--CW/SSB Europe,NA,South America 14:50...Turn Off 73 Alan Kung, BA1DU HO-68(XW-1) Project Manager www.camsat.cn

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NORAD Ready ...
by Clint Bradford 03 Dec '10

03 Dec '10

A tradition started with a wrong number in a Sears ad 55 years ago continues, as thousands of people from all over the world will call or e-mail NORAD to find out Santa’s Christmas Eve whereabouts. http://tinyurl.com/2ccoy6q Clint

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SO67 040oUT
by Rick Tejera 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

Anyone planning on working the SO-67 pass at 0400UT tonight? Clear Skies Rick Tejera Editor SACnews, Public Outreach Coordinator Saguaro Astronomy Club Phoenix, Arizona www.saguaroastro.org <http://www.saguaroastro.org/> saguaroastro(a)cox.net K7TEJ, AMSAT 38452

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AO-51 pass 1230UTC 12/2
by n0jy＠lavabit.com 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

Hello all, I was attempting to make some contacts on the 1230UTC pass of AO-51 this morning, from the mobile on my way to work. We have a bit of a commuter roundtable on 2m in the morning and I invited some of the others to tune in to see what we could hear. The downlink was weak enough that the pass was at best barely workable, but right at the beginning I did have a good enough signal to copy that a station came back to my call. I didn't copy the call though, so it was not a contact but it appears that I was heard well enough on the uplink... so I would appreciate it if the station(s) who heard me would let me know what my uplink signal quality was, that I can determine whether it's worth it to try to work the bird again during a "commute" pass. If so maybe I'll consider a preamp in the mobile... ;-) And if the uplink was OK then perhaps on some future closer passes I'll have the opportunity to get some of my fellow commuters on the bird! Thanks and 73, Jerry N0JY

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New TLEs for UT's FASTRAC Available
by Andrew.MacAllister＠emerson.com 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

New FASTRAC TLEs today: http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/for_radio_operators/users/phpBB3/predictedorbi… Andy W5ACM

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KO4MA/P headed to MS and LA
by Andrew Glasbrenner 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

Gentlemen, I have some business next week at NASA Stennis and will be staying just over the river in Slidell. I expect to have some free time in the evenings, and may be able to put some not rare, but not common, grids on the air. I return QSLs with SASE 100%. Let me know what you need in the area, although I expect EL49 and EL59 will be near the top of the list. Monday 12/6 I'll be in transit and might be on from somewhere between EL88 and EM40 through the day. I'm more likely to be on a transponder satellite than FM, on SSB 20khz or more above the center of the passband. 73, Drew KO4MA

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Re: Highest data rate achieved in the Amateur Satellite Service
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

Hi Jim, You are quite correct 48K data rates have been used on amateur satellites. I trust that it is OK with Mark Hammond but here is a copy of a recent posing on the BBS regarding experiments to be carried out on AO -51. James Miller was I recall very involved in the use of higher data rate exchange and you might find some information posted on this. Another good source are the listings of the operational frequencies and modes of operation that are posted on a number of well known web sites including Japan. The main problem and concern of course is the need to modify equipment to be able cope with these higher rates. As you state modems are available but the inclusion in the equipment can be quite costly and i am not sure about the validity of warranty if you do make these additions. Another concern is that with the LEO's tracking and the doppler shift are a very significant factor , however with such short pass times of course the higher rate of date exchange is a very valuable asset especially with pictures Cheers Ken de GW1FKY Hello All, Just a reminder that we'll be running a few days of 38k4 packet beginning Sunday afternoon/evening until Thursday afternoon/evening, as per the schedule below. Note the voice repeater will be OFF. Please keep in mind that receiving packet at 38k4 requires more than your "stock" FM receiver and TNC. Generally speaking, folks are using a Symek board installed in their satellite radio to tap the IF which is then fed to a high speed TNC. Other options for a receiver include a PCR-1000/1500/2500 in FM mode with filters set to 50 kHz (NOT Wide-FM) (I think that's the right filter width). Please remember Douglas Quagliana's KA2UPW soundcard decoder (as presented in the AMSAT Journal a few issues back) that can be downloaded here: http://www.quagliana.com/ Look for Willow and Sabins. I suggest you get the software and test it out at 9600 before you attempt 38,400, so to become familiar with how it works with your receiver. It does work at 38k4--but remember you must have an appropriate receiver! It is possible to use some of the SDR stuff I'm sure, if you record with your SDR software and play back through KA2UPW's Willow program. I have a few options in my shack, as I've been running 38k4 since the good old UoSat days: Receivers capable of 38k4 (up to 76k, actually): TS-2000x with Symek IF board TS-790A with Symek IF board Icom PCR-1500 For decoding: Paccomm Spirit/Sprint-2 Satellite TNC models with 38k4 filters installed Willow My preferred combination is the TS-2000x with Symek IF board feeding a Pacomm Sprint-2 satellite model. I seem to get the best performance out of this combo. Here's a reminder of the schedule: November 14 (late UTC) 38k4 Baud PBBS Operations, L/U Uplink: 1268.705 MHz FM at 9600 baud Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM at 38,400 baud November 18 (late UTC) FM Repeater, L/SU Uplink: 1268.705 MHz FM (no PL tone) Downlinks: 2401.200 MHz FM *and* 435.300 MHz FM (at low power!) 73! -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH] _______________________________________________ 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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WD9EWK @ Mesa AZ hamfest, Saturday (4 December)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 02 Dec '10

02 Dec '10

Hi! I will have an AMSAT table at the Superstition Amateur Radio Club's hamfest in Mesa, Arizona, on Saturday, 4 December 2010. The hamfest will be in the southwest parking lot of Mesa Community College, along Dobson Road between Southern Avenue and the US-60 freeway. This is a half-day hamfest, starting early in the morning and wrapping up by noon. During the hamfest, WD9EWK will be on several satellites for on-air demonstrations, FM and SSB. If you hear me on the air Saturday morning, please feel free to give me a call. If you work WD9EWK and would like a QSL card, please e-mail me with the QSO details to check against my log. If you're in the log, I'll send a card. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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utility/educational electronic kits for sale cheap - source located (Kensington, MD)
by Samudra Haque 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Hi Amrad, Amsat folks. Some of you may appreciate picking up a few of these utility electronic kits, for yourself, or your younger generation SWL/DX and ham radio friends: they are all useful for your radio shack. I am planning to pick up a few myself if I have the time. Perhaps we could pool together a purchase lot? Please contact the original seller, Robert Lavoie for purchase: sale-r3rbj-2087904408(a)craigslist.org Huge assortment of Velleman/CanaKit audio kits, factory fresh in sealed original boxes, unopened. original buyer, perfect for audio hobbyists or electronics minded. There are literally over 80 kits in this assortment, everything from power supply kits to audio amplifiers, led displays, etc. Retail value of these items today exceeds $2000.00. Liquidation. Could make excellent XMAS gift(s). Individual kits are available. Also available are numerous Radio Shack black ABS project boxes, Calrad VU meters, potentiometers, Plitron low voltage toroidal transformers, many values, lots and lots of stuff. All negotiable Might be good for a school or laboratory for electronics. All prices negotiable . Velleman K2637 Super Mini 2.5 watt audio amplifier (quantity 21) current retail $12.50 Velleman MK 138 Thermostat (quantity 1) Velleman K4001 7 watt audio amplifier (quantity 2) current retail 14.69 Velleman MK 105 signal generator (quantity 7) current retail $5.23 Velleman K2570 universal pwr supply 5-14 volts (quantity 6) current retail $16.15 Velleman K2573 Stereo RIAA correction kit (quantity 3) current retail $14.73 Velleman KK4102 guitar preamplifier/headphone amp (quantity 7) current retail $32.77 Velleman K2032 3 digit panle meter (quantity 3) current retail $55.90 Velleman K4900 telephone amplifier (quantity 4) current retail $14.15 Velleman K1823 1 amp pwr supply (quantity 1) current reail $12.31 Velleman K4003 2 by 30 watt stereo amplifier (quantity 2) current retail $28.00 Velleman K2579 stop/start timer (quantity 1) current retail $ 13.38 Velleman K6001 temperature sensor kit (quantity 1) current retail $22.92 Velleman K7203 3-30 volt/ 3 ampere pwr supply (quantity 3) current retail $43.54 Cana Kit UK 193 20 watt bridged audio amplifier ( quantity 2) current retail $35.90 Cana Kit UK 205 mini sine wave generator (quantity 2) current retail $17.95 Cana Kit R 290 2 by 35 watt RMS audio amplifier (quantity 9) current retail $70.00 Cana Kit CK 161 10 watt amplifer w.microphone preamplifer (quantity 1) current retail $22.95 Cana Kit UK 3405 + -- 5 volts/300 and 100 ma pwr supply (qunatity 2) current retail $10.00 Cana Kit CK008 dynamic microphone amplifier (quantity 2) current retail $13.95 Cana Kit R146 advanced stereo tone control (bass/treble.volume/pan) (quantity 1) current retail $26.45 Cana Kit CK 104 SQ 5 led VU display (quantity 1) current retail $12.95 Cana Kit CK 151 2.5 watt microphone preamplifier (quantity 3) current retail $17.95 73 de N3RDX

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EM04/DM94
by ted 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Thanks to everyone who added to the enjoyment of my short stay on the 100th Meridian today! Great to talk to everyone and icing on the cake to provide new grids for several. I'll try to get cards made up and sent out before too long. No SASEs or return cards are necessary. 73....ted....aa5ck

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Re: Ragchewing AO-51
by Bob- W7LRD 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Modes L and or S on AO51 enable us to do the same thing. Just a few of us left over AO-40 (sobsob) ops. 73 Bob W7LRD ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Papay" <john(a)papays.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 10:20:02 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Ragchewing AO-51 The recent time change from daylight savings to standard time, coupled with the shifting of AO-51 passes over North America to much earlier morning times, makes it possible to actually have a QSO on AO-51 that lasts longer than a few seconds. All three morning AO-51 passes had only a few stations calling in today. It is possible to have a 10 minute qso or roundtable that is normally only appropriate on a linear bird. Most of the morning AO-51 passes for the last few days have been just noise. I look at the recordings and not seeing much voice audio, I don't put them on the website. This morning's passes are on the website and you can tell it's very early. Even KJ4CBC, who is a morning regular, seemed a bit drousy. http://www.papays.com/sat/general.html Of course, morning is really the middle of the night for most of us. The passes today were at 0950z, 1129z and 1311z. There was an Atlantic pass at 0814z where there were no stations heard. Daytime passes, of course, are a different story with 20 plus stations trying to make contacts. But you can take advantage of those early morning passes and have some good conversation on FM. Activity could pick up to the point where longer qso's are not appropriate, but considering these early pass times, that shouldn't be a problem anytime soon. Set your alarm and the coffee pot timer. Let's use AO-51 while we still have her. 73, John K8YSE _______________________________________________ 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: HO-68 Beacon?
by Peter Ng 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Hi Peter, Yes, I've heard the beacon regardless of modes... 73's Peter VE7NGP -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peter Moscatt Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 3:14 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] HO-68 Beacon? Hi All, As this satellite has been placed on an initial schedule with regards to the On Times for both the Transponder and Repeater, does the Beacon operate regardless of the status of the bird? Pete VK4CCV _______________________________________________ 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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KiwiSAT aupplies help
by Fred Kennedy 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Hi Guys, Can anyone point me to a small quantity supply source of a space quality thermally conductive epoxy for KiwiSAT please? We will need probably less than 10 gms total over the next - and last - few months of her construction but it has to be usable in 'small mixes' on an 'as required basis'. ("Two tube" technology!) Tra-Con 2151 is ideal ( and samples have been used ) but MOQ's of 100 x 3gm "one mix" packets is not an option. We look after every cent/penny of your very generous donations and throwing out 90% of the mix every time we need a few mg. is not seen as financially responsible! (Unfortunately, absolutely no potential for aerospace "lunch box Cadillacs" down here in NZ!) Thanks, Fred Kennedy (ZL1BYP) KiwiSAT Project.

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Re: Ragchewing on AO-51
by Patrick Farcon 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

I agree with you John. My schedule at work often only makes the dreadfully early morning passes before 6am possible for me. I have often spoken with Craig W1MED and Carm WO3T roundtable style in the early mornings. Now if I could only figure how to stay warm at those hours since I am still using a portable setup. Lol! 73, Pat N2VYT Sent from my iPad

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Ragchewing AO-51
by John Papay 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

The recent time change from daylight savings to standard time, coupled with the shifting of AO-51 passes over North America to much earlier morning times, makes it possible to actually have a QSO on AO-51 that lasts longer than a few seconds. All three morning AO-51 passes had only a few stations calling in today. It is possible to have a 10 minute qso or roundtable that is normally only appropriate on a linear bird. Most of the morning AO-51 passes for the last few days have been just noise. I look at the recordings and not seeing much voice audio, I don't put them on the website. This morning's passes are on the website and you can tell it's very early. Even KJ4CBC, who is a morning regular, seemed a bit drousy. http://www.papays.com/sat/general.html Of course, morning is really the middle of the night for most of us. The passes today were at 0950z, 1129z and 1311z. There was an Atlantic pass at 0814z where there were no stations heard. Daytime passes, of course, are a different story with 20 plus stations trying to make contacts. But you can take advantage of those early morning passes and have some good conversation on FM. Activity could pick up to the point where longer qso's are not appropriate, but considering these early pass times, that shouldn't be a problem anytime soon. Set your alarm and the coffee pot timer. Let's use AO-51 while we still have her. 73, John K8YSE

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Is there any frequency error on the AO-7 Mode A transponder?
by Scott Armstrong 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Hi all, I am new again to satellites after a 30 year absence. I recently began operating on AO-7 ,Mode A, since that is the only bands I currently have equipment for. Over the past few weeks while trying to find my downlink signal, it seems to be farther off in frequency than I would expect it. Even after taking the doppler into consideration. I know there is some error on my transmit side but the receive side is fairly accurate. Is there any frequency error associated with the Mode A transponders? If so how much error? Ideally, ignoring doppler associated with the uplink and downlink signals and any frequency error associated with my transmitter and receiver, an uplink signal of 145.9000MHz should result in a downlink signal at 29.45000 MHz. Thanks in advance, Scott AA5AM

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OSCAR-11 Report
by Clive Wallis 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

OSCAR-11 REPORT 30 November 2010 This report covers the period from 29 October to 30 November 2010. During this time the satellite has been heard from 30 October to 09 November and 19 to 29 November . At the time of writing it is is expected to switch-on 10 December. Excellent signals have been reported from stations located around the world, and good copy obtained from decoded telemetry frames. The satellite is now transmitting during eclipses, although signals are weaker at those times. This indicates that there is still some capacity remaining in the battery. The on-board clock is now very stable. It gained eight seconds during November. This is comparable with its accuracy when the satellite was fully operational, when it gained approximately one minute per year. However, there is still an accumulated loss of 309 days, which has occurred during eclipses of the last few years. Operation during eclipses and stability of the on-board clock suggest that some part of the system may have recently failed 'open circuit' thus reducing the overall power drain of the system, and allowing more power to be available during eclipses. When analogue telemetry was last transmitted, an unexplained current drain was observed. This fault may have cleared. The Beacon frequencies are - VHF 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry UHF 435.025 MHz. OFF S-band 2401.5 MHz. OFF Reception reports have been received from Gene WA4UKX, Horatio CX8AF, David G8OQW and Michael M0MPM/PA3BHE . Many thanks for those and to everyone who posted reports on the satellite status website. At the present time, while OSCAR-11 is operating in a predictable way, I no longer need direct reports by e-mail. However, could you continue to enter reports on the general satellite status website. This is a very convenient and easy to use facility, which shows the current status of all the amateur satellites, and is of use to everyone. Reports around the expected times of switch-on and switch-off are of special interest. The URL is http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php OSCAR-11 transmits on 145.826 MHz., set receiver to NBFM. The satellite has a characteristic sound, rather like raspy slow morse code, sending "di di dah dah dah dah dah dah dah" sent over a period of five seconds. If you are receiving a very weak signal, switch the receiver to CW or SSB. You should hear several sidebands around the carrier frequency and should be able to hear the characteristic 'morse code like' sound on at least one sideband. Please note that you need a clean noise-free signal to decode the signals, and your receiver must be set to NBFM mode, for a decoder to work. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 sounds like, there is an audio clip on my website www.g3cwv.co.uk/ which may be useful for identification and as a test signal for decoding. The current status of the satellite, is that all the analogue telemetry channels, 0 to 59 are zero, ie they have failed. The status channels 60 to 67 are still working. The real time clock is showing a large accumulated error, but is now incrementing accurately to within a few seconds per month. The day of the month has a bit stuck at 'one' so the day of the month may show an error of +40 days for some dates. The time display has switched into 12 hour mode. Unfortunately, there is no AM/PM indicator, since the time display format was designed for 24 hour mode. The spacecraft computer and active attitude control system have switched OFF, ie. the satellite' attitude is controlled only by the passive gravity boom gradient, and the satellite is free to spin at any speed. The watchdog timer operates on a 20 day cycle. The ON/OFF times have tended to be very consistent. The average of many observations have shown this to be 20.7 days, ie. 10.35 days ON followed by 10.35 days OFF. Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my website. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 should sound like, there is a short audio clip for you to hear. The last telemetry received from the satellite is available for download. The website contains an archive of news & telemetry data which is updated from time to time. It also contains details about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture. There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. The URL is www.g3cwv.co.uk . If you place this bulletin on a terrestrial packet network, please use the bulletin identifier $BID:U2RPT151 .CWV, to prevent duplication. 73 Clive G3CWV xxxxx(a)amsat.org (please replace xxxxx by g3cwv)

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DM94
by ted 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

The weatherman promised that the wind was going to lay, the sun shine, and the temps up to 55 so the plan is to take advantage and work a few passes from DM94. At least the 1713Z HO-68 and AO-27 at 1933Z. 73...ted...aa5ck

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HO-68 Beacon?
by Peter Moscatt 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Hi All, As this satellite has been placed on an initial schedule with regards to the On Times for both the Transponder and Repeater, does the Beacon operate regardless of the status of the bird? Pete VK4CCV

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College Satellite Night
by Dr. Jay Garlitz 01 Dec '10

01 Dec '10

Expect quite a few college stations to be on the birds Thursday night Dec. 2nd. It is near the end of the semester so attendance may be lighter than usual. Thank you offering contacts and for your encouragement to these fine young amateur operators. 73, Dr. Jay Garlitz, AA4FL, Faculty Advisor Gator Amateur Radio Club at the University of Florida www.GatorRadio.org

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LVB Tracker Help
by Mark n Kathy Rowland 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

Have been using LVB Tracker with G-5500 and HRD Sat tracker for a while now with no problems. Now when I begin new session everything seems normal (can still track Sats)except the screen on LVB Tracker is Garbled. Unable to put LVB into calibrate mode, no response. Can I reset LVB Tracker? Thanks KC7EQL/Mark

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Re: UHF antenna help
by Gary "Joe" Mayfield 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

Larry, Congrats on the move! What follows is personal experience and may not be the same for everyone. I have had very poor luck looping the coax out the back of the antenna. I believe it is because I wound up with a conductor "flapping" around in the breeze close to the antenna yielding unpredictable results. What has worked best for me is to run the coax back down the boom of the antenna and then away from the antenna (at a right angle) at the crossboom. This only seems to work with the antenna in the "X" patern and fails miserably in the "+" pattern. There are also places along the boom to avoid when doing this (multiples of 1/2 wavelength). Usually when I have had a problem like you are describing it has been a feedline/connector issue. It never hurts to make a complete check of that. I am also assuming you are rotating the "flexible" version of LMR-400. The 436CP30 is a great antenna (nicer than any I've ever had), you hear lots of them on the birds and it should be more than enough for horizon to horizon coverage. 73 and Let us know what you find! Joe kk0sd -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of larry Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 7:14 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] UHF antenna help Good evening, Name here is Larry, N1MIW. I recently moved to a better (higher) QTH and finally got around to setting up the satellite station "almost" like it used to be, but am experiencing some reception difficulties on UHF. I'm hoping someone out here can help me diagnose what I'm doing wrong, or what the problem is. I am using a Yaesu FT-847 which is computer controlled, as well as the Yaesu G-5400 rotator. The antennas are mounted on a solid fiberglass mast only ~17 feet off the ground, and fed with LMR-400. The frequencies are correct for the satellite I want to use. My problem is with the 436CP30 antenna. I cannot seem to find good results with it since my move - terrestrial or sat related. My SWR is around 1.5:1 at 435MHz, and the polarity switch is working. I tried changing feedlines and removing the pre-amp, but I still cannot seem to make it work correctly. I am trying to receive SO-50 D/L, and VO-52 U/L, but both are just not working like I remember it being before the move. I don't have any broken or mis-aligned elements (that I noticed - I'll look again). The only thing I was looking into was instead of having it placed on the boom in a "+" pattern was making it an "x" pattern - would that make a difference? I don't remember hearing or reading about that anywhere, so I was looking for your opinion. On a side note, what's your opinion of this antenna? Like I said, I used to have good luck with it, but I'm not sure what's different, except the new home. Should I get "horizon" to "horizon" coverage (plus or minus a few degrees)? Oh, I also looped the coax off the back like the manual states, but the improvement is very minimal. I checked the "jumpers" at the tuning box, and they seem OK too. I'm running out of ideas, and any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks & looking forward to working the birds again! 73's... Larry N1MIW _______________________________________________ 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: Network of MEO sats at 8000km
by G0MRF＠aol.com 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

Very good point. We think that there are no rides to orbit because all the current launch vehicles are 'mature technology' that do not need testing and therefore do not need passengers that pay a reduced fee while accepting more risk. However, just 2 weeks ago we had the launch from Kodiak Alaska dropping off a number of satellites at 650 km. Then carrying out a test of a modified upper stage booster which went on to 1200km where it deposited 2 items of "Ballast" Enough to make you cry ! David G0MRF In a message dated 30/11/2010 18:20:49 GMT Standard Time, sparkycivic(a)shaw.ca writes: This has me wondering if there are opportunities for co-launch, tethered power supply sharing or upper-stage rocket-body piggybacking of Ham and educational communication payloads....... our price per Kg could be REALLY attractive given that they're launching four 700Kg birds PER launch! How much fun could we have with a triple cube at these heights? Passes would be visible for over an hour at a time... Cali could work the Gold Coast and JA's at the same time!

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Re: O/OREOS TLE errors ?
by PA3GUO 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

Btw THAT was indeed the fix (changing the 6/5 into 2/3) ! Henk ---- Ryan Caron <rcaron(a)gmail.com> schreef: > The O/OREOS TLEs consistently do not have valid checksums (last digit of > each line). I submitted a comment about this on their website but I have > not heard back. The correct checksums are 2 & 3, and not the 6 & 5 that > is listed. > > If, by the time you read this, the posted TLEs are not 6 & 5, then the > TLEs have been updated and you'll have to generate new checksums. The > formula is a sum of all numerical characters on the line, including the > line number, treating minus signs as a one and everything else (letters, > +, spaces) as a 0. Then take modulus 10 of the sum (i.e. last digit of > the sum). Look it up on wikipedia for more details. > > I've made a spreadsheet to fix this, but it is still a manual operation > for me (got to write a script at some point). Some programs disregard > the the checksum, which is why HRD & the website still work and your > tracking tool doesn't. Predict/GPredict, my tools of choice, require > valid checksums, making proper TLEs a pet peeve of mine. I don't know > what NOVA's up to. > > In terms of "swarm spread" (i.e. how small delta-V between spacecraft > that shared the same ride, which in this case is just done by compressed > springs, translates into spatial differences), 35 minutes of separation > is pretty high for just 10 days after launch. With all the latest TLEs > from the three websites, I show O/OREOS being 3.5 minutes ahead of RAX, > and RAX being a 1.33 minutes ahead of FAST1/2. > > Ryan, KB1LKI > > On 11/30/10 4:54 AM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > > ------------------------------ > > > > Message: 4 > > Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:55:16 +0100 > > From: PA3GUO<pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl> > > Subject: [amsat-bb] O/OREOS TLE errors ? > > To:[email protected] > > Message-ID:<19767175.1291067716437.JavaMail.root(a)viefep21.chello.at> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > > > Dear all, > > > > I keep on having troubles with the O/OREOS kepler sets. > > RAX and the others are fine. > > > > With todays version (as from the O/OREOS dashboard on the web) > > - NOVA gives O/OREOS just a bit behind RAX > > - HamRadioDeluxe give O/OREOS 35 minutes behind RAX > > - The O/OREOS web (dashboard graphic) shows O/OREOS 35 minutes behind RAX > > - My private antenna tracking tool does not recognize the keplerset of O/OREOS > > > > Anyone else has experienced this (and maybe even a solution) ? > > Henk > > -- > > Henk, PA3GUO > > -- Henk, PA3GUO

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SATELLITE DEMO FOR SCOUTS TONIGHT
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

I'll be presenting to a scout group tonight. The only satellite pass available during my time slot is SO-50 at 19:04 ET (00:04 UTC) for 11 minutes. Its only 10 deg. off horizon, but I'm going to try. I'd appreciate anyone who can to listen out for my calls. Thanks, Dave, AA4KN

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Re: Tracking Software
by Bob- W7LRD 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

Satpc32 from AMSAT, has excellent after purchase support, AMSAT gets all the money (rocket science ain't) cheap, the learning curve is easy, runs my LVB tracker perfectly. The only problem I have is entering new keps that aren't already in the downloadable database. 73 Bob W7LRD Seattle ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael" <mikef1234(a)buckeye-express.com> To: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 5:36:29 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Tracking Software I was wondering if someone could give me the pros and cons of the tracking software. I have orbitron, the one from amsat ( can't think of the name ) then I see ARRL has a software. What are the pro's and cons on these three and are there more ? Mike N8GBU _______________________________________________ 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: O/OREOS TLE errors ?
by Ryan Caron 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

The O/OREOS TLEs consistently do not have valid checksums (last digit of each line). I submitted a comment about this on their website but I have not heard back. The correct checksums are 2 & 3, and not the 6 & 5 that is listed. If, by the time you read this, the posted TLEs are not 6 & 5, then the TLEs have been updated and you'll have to generate new checksums. The formula is a sum of all numerical characters on the line, including the line number, treating minus signs as a one and everything else (letters, +, spaces) as a 0. Then take modulus 10 of the sum (i.e. last digit of the sum). Look it up on wikipedia for more details. I've made a spreadsheet to fix this, but it is still a manual operation for me (got to write a script at some point). Some programs disregard the the checksum, which is why HRD & the website still work and your tracking tool doesn't. Predict/GPredict, my tools of choice, require valid checksums, making proper TLEs a pet peeve of mine. I don't know what NOVA's up to. In terms of "swarm spread" (i.e. how small delta-V between spacecraft that shared the same ride, which in this case is just done by compressed springs, translates into spatial differences), 35 minutes of separation is pretty high for just 10 days after launch. With all the latest TLEs from the three websites, I show O/OREOS being 3.5 minutes ahead of RAX, and RAX being a 1.33 minutes ahead of FAST1/2. Ryan, KB1LKI On 11/30/10 4:54 AM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:55:16 +0100 > From: PA3GUO<pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl> > Subject: [amsat-bb] O/OREOS TLE errors ? > To:[email protected] > Message-ID:<19767175.1291067716437.JavaMail.root(a)viefep21.chello.at> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > Dear all, > > I keep on having troubles with the O/OREOS kepler sets. > RAX and the others are fine. > > With todays version (as from the O/OREOS dashboard on the web) > - NOVA gives O/OREOS just a bit behind RAX > - HamRadioDeluxe give O/OREOS 35 minutes behind RAX > - The O/OREOS web (dashboard graphic) shows O/OREOS 35 minutes behind RAX > - My private antenna tracking tool does not recognize the keplerset of O/OREOS > > Anyone else has experienced this (and maybe even a solution) ? > Henk > -- > Henk, PA3GUO >

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unitrack 2004
by Dale Hershberger 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

I need some help. I recently acquired a new HP 64 bit computer that has win 7 home OS. I tried to load the unitrack software and it would not permit me to do it. I have ordered a LVB tracker from AMSAT and not received it yet. I have tried to download the latest upgrades from Unitrack but can not install on the 64 bit machine. Any help would be appreciated. 73, Dale/KL7XJ

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Network of MEO sats at 8000km
by Trevor . 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

03B networks is planning to launch a network of 20-24 satellites into a 8000km equitorial orbit on Soyuz rockets from Kourou in the Caribbean. http://www.o3bnetworks.com/Media_Centre/press_release_details.aspx?id=60 http://www.o3bnetworks.com/Media_Centre/press_release_details.aspx?id=67 Trevor

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] Re: unitrack 2004
by Tom Schuessler 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

On the comment on using the Virtual PC for Windows 7 to run an XP emulation, This add on will not work with any version of Windows 7 Home, either 32 or 64 but will need to be at least Windows 7 Professional. This unless anybody has a hack to make the download think it is running on the Business platform instead of Home. Tom Schuessler 2713 Lake Gardens Drive Irving, Texas 75060 972-986-7456 214-403-1464 (Cell) n5hyp(a)arrl.net _____________________________________________________ At 05:34 PM 11/29/2010 -0900, Dale Hershberger wrote: >I need some help. I recently acquired a new HP 64 bit computer that has >win 7 home >OS. I tried to load the unitrack software and it would not permit me to >do it. I have ordered > >a LVB tracker from AMSAT and not received it yet. I have tried to >download the latest >upgrades from Unitrack but can not install on the 64 bit machine. Any >help would be >appreciated. > >73, >Dale/KL7XJ

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UHF antenna help
by larry 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

Good evening, Name here is Larry, N1MIW. I recently moved to a better (higher) QTH and finally got around to setting up the satellite station "almost" like it used to be, but am experiencing some reception difficulties on UHF. I'm hoping someone out here can help me diagnose what I'm doing wrong, or what the problem is. I am using a Yaesu FT-847 which is computer controlled, as well as the Yaesu G-5400 rotator. The antennas are mounted on a solid fiberglass mast only ~17 feet off the ground, and fed with LMR-400. The frequencies are correct for the satellite I want to use. My problem is with the 436CP30 antenna. I cannot seem to find good results with it since my move - terrestrial or sat related. My SWR is around 1.5:1 at 435MHz, and the polarity switch is working. I tried changing feedlines and removing the pre-amp, but I still cannot seem to make it work correctly. I am trying to receive SO-50 D/L, and VO-52 U/L, but both are just not working like I remember it being before the move. I don't have any broken or mis-aligned elements (that I noticed - I'll look again). The only thing I was looking into was instead of having it placed on the boom in a "+" pattern was making it an "x" pattern - would that make a difference? I don't remember hearing or reading about that anywhere, so I was looking for your opinion. On a side note, what's your opinion of this antenna? Like I said, I used to have good luck with it, but I'm not sure what's different, except the new home. Should I get "horizon" to "horizon" coverage (plus or minus a few degrees)? Oh, I also looped the coax off the back like the manual states, but the improvement is very minimal. I checked the "jumpers" at the tuning box, and they seem OK too. I'm running out of ideas, and any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks & looking forward to working the birds again! 73's... Larry N1MIW

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Tracking Software
by Michael 30 Nov '10

30 Nov '10

I was wondering if someone could give me the pros and cons of the tracking software. I have orbitron, the one from amsat ( can't think of the name ) then I see ARRL has a software. What are the pro's and cons on these three and are there more ? Mike N8GBU

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Naive
by Robert Smith 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Aloha All Success stories do not always tell the whole story. While I have been very successful with 1200 baud packet on my Kenwood D700 I have done very little with the 9600 baud. The new Satellite RAX is 9600 GMSK. In tracking the bird, the 20 second interval packets sound like fuzzy static. It seems to me that other 96k signals I have heard sounded much like APRS at 1200 except significantly speeded up. Is GMSK different and will the D700 interpret the signal??? I haven't found a whole lot on this topic on the web. Mahalo and a great week to all. 73 robert, NH7WN Honolulu

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FAST 2 Help
by Joe Barkley 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

I have been unable , so far, to get anything from FAST 2 on 145.825 with satpc tracking for doppler. I get a quick carrier keyed up but no packet data. And that is on some pretty good 35+ degree passes. Any help would be appreciated. I am able to hear and get data from FAST 1 fine. Thank es 73 Joe KI4TZ

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KD8KSN/8 EN70 Monday
by Zachary Beougher 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Hi All, I will be operating portable from EN70 tomorrow on the 1639z SO50, 1713z AO27 and 1745z HO68 passes. We are due in Troy, Ohio at 1630z, so as long as traffic moves okay, the SO50 pass should work fine. According to Google Earth the location should be a good place for working the lower elevation passes – the only issue might be power line noise. I will be traveling with the Arrow and (2) THG71A HTs. If this is a new grid for you, send me an email with the QSO details and I will send you a card. No need for a return card. 73! Zack KD8KSN

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O/OREOS TLE errors ?
by PA3GUO 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Dear all, I keep on having troubles with the O/OREOS kepler sets. RAX and the others are fine. With todays version (as from the O/OREOS dashboard on the web) - NOVA gives O/OREOS just a bit behind RAX - HamRadioDeluxe give O/OREOS 35 minutes behind RAX - The O/OREOS web (dashboard graphic) shows O/OREOS 35 minutes behind RAX - My private antenna tracking tool does not recognize the keplerset of O/OREOS Anyone else has experienced this (and maybe even a solution) ? Henk -- Henk, PA3GUO

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Re: WinAOS error message
by Erich Eichmann 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Hello John, I will answer your mail off the list. 73s, Erich, DK1TB > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Neeley" <w6zkh(a)att.net> > To: "amsat-bb" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 4:35 AM > Subject: [amsat-bb] WinAOS error message > > >> Hope Erich is able to answer this question. When clicked onto WinAOS, I >> get an >> error message: "listenidex uberschreilet das Maximum (-1)". What does >> that >> mean? It worked fine earlier this afternoon. >> >> John W6ZKH >> _______________________________________________ >> 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: Yaesu VX-7R
by Peter Ng 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Hi Mike, I use a VX-6R, but you can do the same to program your VX-7R for odd splits (your manual pg. 46). 1. in VFO mode, store your receive frequency into a memory channel (AO-51 V/U mode 435.300 MHz) 2. in VFO mode, turn to your transmit frequency (AO-51 V/U mode 145.920 MHz) 3. press and hold the MON/F key for a 1/2 second and release 4. withing 5 sec of performing step 3. dial to the memory channel number stored in step 1. 5. press and hold the PTT switch and then press the MON/F key to store the odd split frequency 6. your memory channel will show a +/- repeater shift indicating independently stored transmit/receive frequencies. I've programmed several memory channels to compensate for doppler at 5 kHz intervals (AO-51 V/U mode 425.310, 425.305, 425.300, 425.295, 425.290) I hope this helps. 73's Peter VE7NGP -----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 7:06 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu VX-7R I was wondering if anybody has used a Yaesu VX-7R for Satellite use? I'm having troubles programming it and was wonder if it was worth the investment in a USB cable and software ? Thanks in advance ! Mike N8GBU _______________________________________________ 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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CO-65 digipeater success, sort of
by Andrew Glasbrenner 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Tonight I was successful in getting the L/U digipeater on CO-65 to respond to me, but was not able to decode it despite 10 over S9 signals at TCA. Uplink was UISS to AGW Engine to my KPC9612, IC910, KJ6KO amp, with about 30w at the antenna, a M2 35 element yagi. I'm interested if anyone outside of JA has had any luck with this, and what was being used to decode it? 73, Drew KO4MA

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Yaesu VX-7R
by Michael 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

I was wondering if anybody has used a Yaesu VX-7R for Satellite use? I'm having troubles programming it and was wonder if it was worth the investment in a USB cable and software ? Thanks in advance ! Mike N8GBU

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Re: AO-7 Mode A Antenna (update)
by John Neeley 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

In reference to the change I made building the vertical dipole for AO-7 Mode A, I now have a better option that is working out great......the Moxon beam. I found a calculator for working out the dimensions at: http://www.moxonantennaproject.com This website has all sorts of ideas in making this simple antenna. I just building one to see how well it would work in my situation here, I made my version using 1/2" PVC for a light weight frame and for the elements, #12 stranded electrical wire, which I zipped tied to the pvc frame. As shown in the picture, I just mounted it below my Arrow dualband yagi, at an elevation of only 8 ft. Even at this low mounting, and surrounded by homes, I am quite impressed with this antennas results. I would recommend this antenna to anyone wanting to try and work Mode A with a low price RX antenna. http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab199/W6ZKHJOHN/DSCN0478.jpg John W6ZKH DM06

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Satpc32 messages
by mlolmsted＠fuse.net 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

I use Sat Pc as my main sat. program and think it is does a great job. However, not speaking or reading German, I have a hard time understanding the error messages. Has anyone written an updated or translated version with the messages written in English? Merle, AA4QE

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WinAOS error message
by John Neeley 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

Hope Erich is able to answer this question. When clicked onto WinAOS, I get an error message: "listenidex uberschreilet das Maximum (-1)". What does that mean? It worked fine earlier this afternoon. John W6ZKH

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HO-68 Schedule 28-05 Dec 2010
by Alan Kung 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

UTC: 28 Nov 2010 ================================ 17:35...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India, Africa, Middle East, Europe,NA 18:20...Turn Off 19:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,East Asia,Oceania 20:10...Turn Off 20:50...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 21:35...Turn Off 23:30...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,North Asia,East Asia, Oceania 24:15...Turn Off 29 Nov 2010 ================================ 03:12...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia, East Asia,South Asia 03:28...Turn Off 14:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA, South America 14:50...Turn Off 17:20...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Middle East,Europe,NA 18:05...Turn Off 19:10...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Middle East,Europe,NA 19:55...Turn Off 23:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,East Asia,Oceania 24:00...Turn Off 30 Nov 2010 ================================= 02:55...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 03:11...Turn Off 11:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,East Asia,Oceania 11:50...Turn Off 13:50...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 14:35...Turn Off 17:00...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India, Africa,Europe,NA South America 17:45...Turn Off 18:55...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 19:40...Turn Off 20:20...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 21:05...Turn Off 01 Dec 2010 ================================= 00:59...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 01:09...Turn Off 02:39...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 02:54...Turn Off 13:35...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 14:20...Turn Off 16:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,India,Middle East Europe,NA 17:30...Turn Off 18:35...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 19:20...Turn Off 20:00...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 20:45...Turn Off 02 Dec 2010 ================================ 00:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Oceania,Asia,Europe,NA 01:10...Turn Off 02:22...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 02:37...Turn Off 15:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe, NA,South America 15:50...Turn Off 16:30...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 17:15...Turn Off 18:20...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 19:05...Turn Off 19:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 20:30...Turn Off 03 Dec 2010 ================================ 00:10...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,North Asia, Oceania 00:55...Turn Off 02:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 02:20...Turn Off 13:00...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe, NA,South America 13:45...Turn Off 16:10...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 16:55...Turn Off 18:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 18:45...Turn Off 19:30...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 20:15...Turn Off 04 Dec 2010 ================================ 23:55...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia, South Asia,Oceania 00:40...Turn Off 01:48...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia Oceania 02:03...Turn Off 14:35...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 15:20...Turn Off 16:00...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 16:45...Turn Off 17:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 18:30...Turn Off 19:10...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 19:55...Turn Off 23:35...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia, South Asia,Oceania 24:20...Turn Off 05 Dec 2010 ================================ 01:36...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia Oceania 01:51...Turn Off 14:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 15:00...Turn Off 73 Alan Kung, BA1DU HO-68(XW-1) Project Manager www.camsat.cn

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Keplers Satpc32
by Howard Kowall 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

Hello to all Where are the keps stored in Satpc32?? I would like to add some but cant find them. Anyone know how to do this Thanks to all in advance Howard VE4ISP

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O/OREOS Youtube video from launch to data upload
by PA3GUO 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

Dear all, We have now a YouTube video (HD) available that features the O/OREOS satellite from launch to telemetry reception and decode, including DK3WN's SW + Mission control upload: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh6lH5vqw-Y Also there is a video of the 'bare' telemetry stream itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Ka-RVpEHU Both videos are best watched in 720p (HD) setting. -- Henk, PA3GUO

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Re: CO-65 digipeater success, sort of
by Mineo Wakita 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

Congratulations to CO-65 L/U digipeater success over USA! CO-65 L/U 9600bps digipeater is now scheduled every weekend over the world wide, Up 1267.602MHz / Down 437.475MHz. Please see the following URL about Digipeater Format. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ct17gmsk.htm http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ct17gms2.htm http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/aprsform.htm JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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Re: Can Radio Amateur Stations support scientific space missions ?
by G0MRF＠aol.com 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

In a message dated 28/11/2010 08:11:17 GMT Standard Time, pa3guo(a)upcmail.nl writes: One of the conclusions in the reports: a 12 element antenna works just fine ! Did anyone do a similar experiment and has interesting feedback to share ? -- Henk, PA3GUO Hello Henk. You are doing a great job with tracking these new birds and relaying audio on the internet. The one that looks really interesting is the NASA solar sail cubesat. From what I read, nanosail-d will be ejected from a pod within its host spacecraft anytime now. The telemetry from that experiment will only last 12 days as it is powered by batteries. The rate of decay due to the sail will be huge. 70 -120 days from 650km. However, the problem for all of these new sats is a lack of TLEs on spacetrack. We stand virtually no chance of tracking nanosail D with its large decay rate if keps are not updated on a very regular basis. For whatever reason NORAD (or whoever) have decided not to make them publically available and going to 5 or so individual sites to download keps isn't really viable. It's a shame because the students are not going to receive anywhere near as much data as they normally would. Pity their professors could not lobby to release the keps as normal. - Probably just one individual needs a 'kick' in the right place. Perhaps AMSAT needs to begin developing a method of generating its own keps from AOS / LOS TCA times or perhaps if the satellite has a transponder, from info from ranging experiments. Now, there's a nice project. Imagine a box attached to your radio that has a display in km ! How cool would that be. 73 David

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Can Radio Amateur Stations support scientific space missions ?
by PA3GUO 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

Dear all, After I installed a new 70cm antenna this week I wanted to 'measure' how good my (modest) station is and how it would perform as a Ground Station for supporting missions as the new RAX, O/OREOS, FASTRAC etc. This new antenna is a simple, 12 elements, vertical polarized beam. No circular polarization. How would it work with tumbling satellites ? Two experiments done: RAX: RAX transmits (only) every 20 seconds a 9600bd beacon. I did a 24 hour fully automated tracking and analyzed all the results: when did I decode, when did I miss. Here is the report with the details and positive results: http://www.pa3guo.com/RAX_Telemetry_Analysis_PA3GUO.pdf O/OREOS: O/OREOS transmits every 5 seconds, 1200 bd, but is weaker as RAX. Also here I analyzed a couple of passes and compared the results: http://www.pa3guo.com/OOREOS_Telemetry_Experiment_PA3GUO.pdf One of the conclusions in the reports: a 12 element antenna works just fine ! Did anyone do a similar experiment and has interesting feedback to share ? -- Henk, PA3GUO

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