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Experimental Webradio - Update
by Mike Rupprecht 23 Oct '10

23 Oct '10

All, there are now four of us :-) You can now also listen to the audio stream of Tetsu san JA0CAW. Go to my SatBlog and follow the link Webradio www.dk3wn.info/p or click here http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?page_id=17689. Would be great to listen to the sats from other parts of the world. The setup is very easy. Any takers? Have a great weekend. 73, Mike DK3WN

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Sat Demo Yesterday
by Zachary Beougher 23 Oct '10

23 Oct '10

Hi all, I just wanted to say thanks for the QSOs on SO50 yesterday morning while as was at the CBF Amateur Radio Club. At the time we only had one member and a Sony video camera, but they both really enjoyed it. I tried the 1805z AO27 pass along with my foxhunt teammate, K8QY (I wanted him to get his first satellite QSO), but do to the large amount of stations on he was not able to be successful. The only station worked on that pass was WA4HFN/p with 20 seconds left on the timer. Videos of the SO50 pass and foxhunt will be on YouTube and my QRZ page in a few weeks. 73! Zack KD8KSN

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New User-New Station-Antennas-ADVICE?
by Dean Maluski 23 Oct '10

23 Oct '10

Realizing I need to crawl before I can walk but need to have a goal. I've grown a strong interest in working SATS, have a few bucks and am rebuilding my station for SATS from the ground up. Been reading the G Gould Smith "Getting Started..." book I picked up in Boxboro, MA at a fest a couple months ago. I replaced my Kenwood 440 with a TS-2000 without the 1.2 GHz option, thinking I may add 1.2 GHz next spring. Added a 4 inch conduit to my tower with a 7/8 hard line and a run of Jetstream LMR 400+ tagged RG-8U on jacket but specs are better than LMR 400 figure I'll use the Jetstream for 2 meter, or transmit side of things. Took down my 20 meter monoband beam, Purchased and mounted a Yaesu G-5500 (Separated). Ordered a Gulf-Alpha Gen purpose 2 meter H/V 440 V yagi, yes I also want to work land locked stuff too. LINUX!! Linux!! LINUX if possible ONLY-Seem good to go now with GPREDICT 1.1 and 1.2, 1.2 seems to not update rotor correctly but just got it going this morning. Running 1.1 on another machine over LAN and seems to work better. I have a 40 foot 1943 steel tower for what it's worth, it's a thing of beauty!! My vision is to eventually move the Gulf Alpha antenna to the center mast. Here is where my questions come to play....???? What do I want for bird anteena's? My biggest interest is packet and flying mailboxes/HEO/Eventually EME possibly. Thinking my next antenna purchase would be the Gulf Alpha 440 and 2 meter circular polarity antennas and the phasing assy to switch polarity???? I have ample 4 port switches that can be used to switch at tower but of course less is more as I don't want to go switch crazy and add more attenuation to system than absolutely necessary. I see SSB has some nice pre-amps, NEED I suspect eventually.. I'm getting stir crazy waiting for arrival of Yagi, one more day on tower and I should be complete except for arrival of Gulf Alpha Yagi that he is building. Not really sure what my question is. Reading and reading, trying not to buy too ,many unnecessary components while I impatiently wait for antenna to arrive but forward thinking as I finalize tower today, need to re-mount my WX station and security camera. Also adding a camera behind garage to look up at top of tower so I can see what the heck is going on with rotors-COOL! In mounting WX station, need to stay high as possible but of course can't interefere with back end of Yagi's Antenna advice, any advise if someone has the time? Hope to QSO soon with ya'll on the birds. Been listening on a vertical but question the doppler accuracy so have not attempted to transmit yet.

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DM30 active on Saturday
by Larry Teran 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

Members of the Mexican Radio Club XE2DNN will be activating DM30 from Caborca, SON Mexico this Saturday Oct 23 as they attend the club's annual meeting in Rancho Las Carmelas Sonora. There will be three stations operating XE2VAS Uriel, XE2DAK David and XE2BSS Alex, plans are to be operating all satellite passes of the FM birds. 73 Larry KI6YAA

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ND9M Road Trip Update #13
by claryco＠aol.com 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

The crystal ball says that I'll be QRV from either DN88 or DN98 during Sunday's (23 Oct) HO68 pass that rises locally at 23/1721Z and probably DN88 during the AO27 pass that comes up here at 23/1948Z and in DN98 for AO51 at 23/2201Z and 13/1228Z. I should be on from grids EN08 and EN18 on Sunday (24 Oct). 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Minot ND / Ward Co. / DN98

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Watch NASA build the next Rover
by Clint Bradford 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

NASA is providing a live feed of the Curiosity Mars rover being built in a high-tech clean room. http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/JCJtn084oV4/ Clint, K6LCS

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FS: Yaesu FT7800 dualband rig
by John Geiger 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

If anyone is looking for a 2m and 70cm radio to get on the satellites with, I have a nice Yaesu FT7800 available. It does 50 watts on 2m and 40 watts on 70cm, CTCSS tones, DCS tones, and come with the mic, power cord, and original box. It doesn't have the manual, but you can find that on line. It is perfect for the Mode J satellites-AO27, SO50, AO51, and HO68 It doesn't do dual receive, but you can program it to transmit on one band and receive on the other which makes it fine for satellite use. I am asking $160 for it plus $10 shipping and can take paypal/check/MO. I will even program the satellite frequencies into memory for you. 73s John AA5JG

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LightSail-1 back-up satellite announced
by G. Beat 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

Louis Friedman, program director for LightSail-1, has announced that a back-up craft to LightSail-1 will be built, instead of an investment in insurance for an estimated cost of $ 200,000. As previously announced in July 2010 by AMSAT News Service (SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-206.08) LightSail-1 is planned to be launched in early 2011. LightSail-1 is a three Cubesat spacecraft (size of shoebox and proposed AMSAT Fox). It will use UHF frequencies for tracking and command control stations. California Polytechnic University is supplying the Cubesat bus, avionics and launch vehicle P-POD interface;. Georgia Tech University is leading the mission operations, Dave Spencer serving as mission manager; Stellar Exploration, Inc. led by Tomas Svitek is building LightSail-1; Jim Cantrell of Strategic Space Systems is project manager; and Louis D. Friedman is the LightSail-1 program director. The LightSail-1 program will be featured this weekend in Washington D.C. The USA Science & Engineering Festival National Mall in Washington, D.C. October 23 & 24, 1010 10am to 5:50pm http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/space_information/usa_science_fe… For further information on this Planetary Society program: http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/innovative_technologies/solar_sa… greg w9gb

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quick run to DM32 on Saturday (23 October) morning
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

Hi! At the request of a few satellite grid hunters, I will make a quick run down to the northeast end of grid DM32 south of Phoenix for a couple of passes on Saturday (23 October) morning: VO-52 at 1551-1604 UTC HO-68 at 1725-1740 UTC If possible, and if the weather cooperates, I will park on the DM32/DM42 boundary. I doubt I can drag myself down there earlier in the morning, and can't stay down there all day. These two passes will cover most (or, for HO-68, all) of the continental USA in both SSB and FM. For VO-52, I will probably be up around 145.910 MHz +/- on the downlink, where I usually hang out on this satellite. I'll be happy to send QSL cards for these QSOs with an e-mail request. If I have not worked you before, I will send my QSL with SASE. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: muTek Limited FT-736 boards
by G. Beat 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

Bob - Sadly, this is another example of an individual getting over his head in acquiring (or starting) a business product or enterprise for the amateur radio industry/hobby. A loss for the weak-signal, EME, microwave, and satellite segment of the hobby. The specific product you are asking about is the RPCB 736ub http://www.mutekrf.com/rpcb736ub.htm Chas Mackinnon, GM8LMA has not updated his web site since February 2004 (moved muTek inventory and records to Scotland) http://www.mutekrf.com/index.html • The physical move took much longer to complete than we thought. Loading and unloading the 7 tonne lorry was quite straightforward but resulted in 5 man months just to classify, catalog, index, sort and identify all the stores. • The development facilities have been finished, together with test and maintenance areas, leaving just production to be completed over the next few weeks. • Our admin area still looks a little "green field" - and the computer room does not exist but is scheduled to be completed over the next three months. • Production evaluation of the RPCB144ub and the SLNA290 is currently in progress. These two products were selected to be done first from the very high number of enquiries. I am not aware of a replacement board set, liek that offered by muTek Limited (UK). At this point in technology, many would advocate to forget about upgrades to this classic VHF/UHF platform due to its age (~20 years). The automotive industry went through an identical "attitude period" -- but ironically the classic automotive segment supports a number of after-market firms. Yes, Software Defined Radios (SDR) are the current state-of-the-art .. but they have issues .. as with any emerging technology. A "new" design using currently available components, micro-processing/controller capabilities, and surface mount production could significantly upgrade the capabilities of this platform. Jim, W6PQL shows you what is possible (and the talent in the hoby) -- using an FT-736R (and other radios) as an IF platform for microwaves http://www.w6pql.com/ http://www.w6pql.com/parts_i_can_provide.htm WA7TZY adapted the W6PQL relay seqeuncer to the FT-736R http://web.mac.com/sdt49/WA7TZY/Other_Components.html http://web.mac.com/sdt49/WA7TZY/Other_Components_files/sequencer_1.jpg Greg w9gb ----- Original Message ----- Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:43:51 -0500 From: "Bob Schmidt" <bschmidt(a)ecdentalspecialists.com> Subject: [amsat-bb] muTek 736 boards To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Does anyone have a source for the Mutek RPCB 736 boards. I don't think they are being made anymore. If not, are there other options that are similar to these boards? TNX Bob, WA9JDR ------------------------------

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Satellite WAS #321
by Bob Herrell 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

Hi all, Received my ARRL Satellite WAS #321 in the mail today. A big thanks to all the stations that made this possible. Look forward to working you again on the "birds". 73, Bob Herrell AJ5C EM36 Arkansas

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k8yse qsl cards
by mlolmsted＠fuse.net 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

John, Got your cards today. Thanks they are really appreciated. Merle, AA4QE

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K8YSE QSL cards
by w4upd 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

John, Received your cards in the mail today. Thanks a lot. They look great and I suspect you had a good time. I assume you didn't try doing the entire drive around with the antennas in their present position in the back!!!! Reid, W4UPD

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Ebay item sold
by John Price 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

The IC-1200 Icom 1.2 ghz rig is sold on eBay. Thanks -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator AO-7,AO-27,FO-29,SO-50,AO-51,VO-52,ISS Email N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ Amsat Member #27845 DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 51 on AO-51 #13 LON -79.256 LAT 37.459 Grid FM07il >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

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IC-1200 1.2 ghz rig on eBay
by John Price 21 Oct '10

21 Oct '10

If interested please view this link. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270652661518 thanks << John -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator AO-7,AO-27,FO-29,SO-50,AO-51,VO-52,ISS Email N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ Amsat Member #27845 DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 51 on AO-51 #13 LON -79.256 LAT 37.459 Grid FM07il >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

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Mutek 736 boards
by Bob Schmidt 21 Oct '10

21 Oct '10

Does anyone have a source for the Mutek RPCB 736 boards. I don't think they are being made anymore. If not, are there other options that are similar to these boards? TNX Bob, WA9JDR

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HO68 live monitor on
by PA3GUO 21 Oct '10

21 Oct '10

http://www.pa3guo.com/webtv.html live audio PLUS now also video streaming of HRD (freq) pass in 5 minutes -- Henk, PA3GUO

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HO-68 pass recording needed.
by Tom Schuessler 21 Oct '10

21 Oct '10

Hello all, Did anyone manage to get a pass recording of the 16 October 2010 1740 something pass over North America this past Saturday. I was doing demos as K2BSA/5 at the National Scouting Museum in Irving, TX and with all the explaining I was doing for onlookers, did not start my recorder. Want to QSL those we worked. Thanks much. Tom Schuessler 2713 Lake Gardens Irving, TX 75060 <mailto:[email protected]> N5HYP(a)arrl.net <mailto:[email protected]> tjschuessler(a)verizon.net <mailto:[email protected]> tschuessler(a)nbfirving.net

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AMSAT Table/Demo @ Great Lakeshore Super Swap - Oct 16th
by Doug Papay 21 Oct '10

21 Oct '10

All, There will be an AMSAT table at Holland Amateur Radio Club's Great Lakeshore Super Swap in Holland, MI tomorrow, Saturday Oct 16th. My father (John K8YSE) and I (Doug KD8CAO) will be available to discuss AMSAT and demonstrate satellite operation. We will be active on all satellites FM & SSB during the hamfest which runs from 1200z to 1600z (8AM to 12PM local time). In addition to the V/U and U/V satellites, we will be on AO-7 in Mode A. We would appreciate your call, especially if you have the ability to work us on Mode A. For those in West Michigan that would like more information about the swap, see URL: http://www.hollandarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2010-Swap-Flyer.pdf. **Don't forget to check the AMSAT Area Coordinator Calendar of Events page at URL: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fieldops/events.php for a calendar of additional events staffed by AMSAT area coordinators. 73, Doug KD8CAO

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vacation/grid trip
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

Again thanks to all who made contact with me, I am home and if you need a card for any of the grids, please email your contact info to wa4hfn(a)comcast.net WA4HFN Damon

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Polarization Issues
by Clint Bradford 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

>From my in box ... I will forward all replies to him! Thank you. -Clint A note on my activity and my station. I started working SAT the same way I did CW: 3QSOs, 2SATs in a month, a couple of months in a year... Then the wind suggested to me to reduce (2x2x11VHF, 4x2x20UHF) the antenna system and I am actually putting up: - VHF, 2x11 at 45/135deg, lambda spaced, hybrid ring power divider, 0.25lambda delay section (for CP) added on one of the two identical length cables; - UHF (will be mounted "next week"), 2x20 at 45/135deg, 2xlambda spaced, 2x0.25lambda air dielectric (vf=1) power divider, delay section (for CP) not yet determined; - SHF, 20" dish, offset, 4 turns helical feeder, rirectly connected to low noise (German) converter; only rx and I am looking to sell it; The tower atop the roof is 3m high, 1' triangular, with rotor mast offsetted aside for easy mounting: that is the reason my spacing on 435MHz is so wide, I need the antennas to be far from the tower as the tower is wide. Single h/mast on el rotor to support 1xV 1xU each side, dish at center. Power is 10W (Microwave modules xverter). My sat are SSB ones, maybe FM too. Here comes the question. Circular polarization is hard to achieve; you have to put a delay line exactly (exactly???) 0.25*Vf, that is 13" on 2M and 4.5" on 435Mhz, in-line with one coax line of one of the antennas (after the splitter); if you use a couple of coax connectors 1" error seems easy to achieve. Circular polarization switching is worst, as 1. if you have an asymmetrical - as depicted above - inline delay line (on one side only), how long is to be computed the switching system? and 2. if you choose a symmetrical - either included in the divider or inline on both antenna cables - solution, how can you compute correctly the lenghts / difference of lenghts of the needed (coax, connector, T, relay) items? So the question is: how have you done your polarization switch (I have seen SM and PA hams solutions, but no one consider the problem I oulined here)? And the second part of the question is: do we really need a switching or do we have a recognized standard - LHCP I think - for our sats? Thank you for suggestions, If not clear enough I'll clarify on demand, 73s from Marco, I4MFA - W4MFA

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AO-51 pass 10/20/2010 1640z-1649z should be 2040-2049z
by Jay Kendall 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

And of course, the technical joys just keep coming... I meant 2040-2049z. Maybe I should take up stamp collecting. 73, Jay Kendall N2JK -- > I had a recorder failure on this pass, and got nothing. (OK, I forgot to push the button.) > If anybody has a recording from this time period, please let me know...I'd really appreciate it!

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AO-51 pass 10/20/2010 1640z-1649z
by Jay Kendall 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

I had a recorder failure on this pass, and got nothing. (OK, I forgot to push the button.) If anybody has a recording from this time period, please let me know...I'd really appreciate it! 73, Jay Kendall, N2JK jaykendall(a)comcast.net

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AO-27 Operation Behavior Question
by Bruce Semple 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

Is there some sort of IDLE / switch over / recovery time after AO-27 does it's telemetry dump before you can get back into the FM repeater? I have strong signals S9+30+ going into the telemetry dump -- and then it appears to be dead after it finishes. 73, Bruce WA3SWJ

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SVHFS 2011 Conference Call For Papers
by Robin Midgett 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '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 deadline for the submission of papers and presentations is March 11, 2011. All submissions for the proceedings should be in Microsoft Word (.doc). Submissions for presentation at the conference should be in PowerPoint (.ppt) format, and delivered on either a USB memory stick or CDROM or posted for download on a web site of your choice. 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). Please indicate when you submit your paper or presentation if you plan to attend the conference and present your paper in person, or if you are submitting solely for publication. The techncal program is being handled jointly by Robin Midgett K4IDC and Steve Kostro, N2CEI. Send all questions & comments to Robin Midgett K4IDC via K4IDC AT comcast dot net. Send all presentations to Steve Kostro N2CEI via SVHFS2011 AT downeastmicrowave DOT com. For further information about the conference please go to <http://www.svhfs.org>www.svhfs.org Thank you, Robin Midgett K4IDC 2011 Conference Program Co-Chair, SVHFS

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iss packet program
by Carlos Poinho 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

hello again i like to thank's to everone that send a good information about this subject best 73's

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ND9M Road Trip Update #12
by claryco＠aol.com 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

We're forced to detour a bit. I should be in EN06 and EN16 today. I'll be in the northern grids over the next few days. 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Bismarck ND / Burleigh Co. / DN86

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2M1EUB/P UPDATE
by paul robinson 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

Great to work some stations yesterday on a07.very difficult as mountains are every where and so high....and bad wx ..opperating hand held as well! qth was io67vj north part of the island of skye west scotland...ill try again thrusday afternoon make it quick its not easy! 73 2m1eub/p in the snow w.scotland....via mobile 3g where i find it !!!

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light bulb g5400
by Bob- W7LRD 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

What is PERMANENT bulb replacement for the g5400 control unit? Tired of constant replacing, what are you using? 73 Bob W7LRD

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HO-68 Schedule 18-24 Oct 2010
by Alan Kung 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

UTC: 18 Oct 2010 ================================ 16:35...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India, Africa, Middle East, Europe,NA 17:20...Turn Off 18:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,East Asia,Oceania 19:10...Turn Off 22:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,North Asia,East Asia, Oceania 23:10...Turn Off 19 Oct 2010 ================================ 02:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia, East Asia,South Asia 02:20...Turn Off 10:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Oceania,Asia,Europe 11:10...Turn Off 13:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA, South America 13:50...Turn Off 16:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Middle East,Europe,NA 17:00...Turn Off 18:10...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Middle East,Europe,NA 18:55...Turn Off 19:30...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 20:15...Turn Off 20 Oct 2010 ================================= 00:40...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia Oceania 01:25...Turn Off 01:53...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 02:08...Turn Off 12:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 13:30...Turn Off 16:00...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India, Africa,Europe,NA South America 16:45...Turn Off 17:50...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 18:35...Turn Off 19:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Middle East,Europe,NA 20:00...Turn Off 21 Oct 2010 ================================= 23:40...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,North Asia,East Asia,Oceania 00:25...Turn Off 01:36...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Asia,Oceania 01:52...Turn Off 14:20...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 15:05...Turn Off 17:30...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,India,Middle East Europe,NA 18:15...Turn Off 17:55...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 18:40...Turn Off 19:20...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 20:05...Turn Off 20:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 21:30...Turn Off 22 Oct 2010 ================================ 23:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Oceania,Asia,Europe,NA 00:10...Turn Off 03:10...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 03:25...Turn Off 12:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe, NA,South America 13:00...Turn Off 17:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 18:00...Turn Off 19:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 19:50...Turn Off 20:30...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 21:15...Turn Off 23:05...Turn On--FM/PACSAT NA,North Asia, Oceania 23:50...Turn Off 23 Oct 2010 ================================ 02:53...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia 03:09...Turn Off 13:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe, NA,South America 14:30...Turn Off 16:55...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 17:40...Turn Off 18:45...Turn On--FM/PACSAT India,Africa,Europe,NA 19:30...Turn Off 20:15...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Africa,Europe,NA 21:00...Turn Off 22:50...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia, South Asia,Oceania 23:35...Turn Off 24 Oct 2010 ================================ 02:33...Turn On--FM/PACSAT North Asia,East Asia,South Asia Oceania 02:49...Turn Off 13:25...Turn On--FM/PACSAT Europe,NA,South America 14:10...Turn Off 73 Alan Kung, BA1DU HO-68(XW-1) Project Manager www.camsat.cn

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PREDICT for 64-bit Winderz?
by Mark L. Hammond 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

Hi All, Yesterday I tried without success to run the DOS version of PREDICT under 64-bit Windows. I must admit while I'm not surprised, I was greatly disappointed, since the program is so useful. Does anybody have a fix or maybe a recompiled .exe ? (And telling me to run it under Linux isn't a "fix" ;) ) Thanks, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Re: PREDICT for 64-bit Winderz?
by Fabio Azzarello 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

Hello, I would suggest to use DOSBOX, it works fine on many OS. Don't know if it works properly also on 64bit WIN, but it is worth a try at least. RGs Fabio Azzarello IW8QKU

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WA4HFN EM85/EM86 AO51 today
by John Papay 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

(Info from WA4NVN) Damon, WA4HFN, will be on the Grid Line EM85/EM86 on the afternoon AO-51 passes today, October 19th. Damon has had a difficult time gettng through on the birds during his trip because of the congestion on the channels. Those that make the effort to operate from grids away from home are making a sacrifice so that we can pick up needed grids. Please give them some airtime to work as many stations as possible. When you travel, consider taking your satellite equipment along and operating as much as you can. You will get an appreciation of what is involved and you will also be giving out grids to those working on their VUCC and other awards. Being on the other end can be both exciting and rewarding. 73, John k8YSE

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AO-7 footprint stretching (again)
by Bob- W7LRD 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

Last pass I coppied LA4FPA jus t at his LOS. Next pass at 1910Z, I will have a good window into N. Europe. Look for me. 73 Bob W7LRD CN87

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Sumbandila (SO-67) schedule until 2010-10-24
by Johann Lochner 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

Hi folks, Please find below planned Sumbandila (SO-67) ham payload activations for the next few days (times in UTC; active for 15 minutes). Visit http://www.amsatsa.org.za for operating hints. 73 de ZR1CBC, Johann. ----- Central Asia 2010-10-20 02:57 2010-10-20 14:54 2010-10-21 04:12 2010-10-21 14:36 2010-10-22 03:53 2010-10-22 15:50 2010-10-23 03:34 2010-10-23 15:31 2010-10-24 03:15 2010-10-24 15:12 Africa 2010-10-20 07:49 2010-10-20 21:00 2010-10-21 20:42 2010-10-22 20:26 2010-10-23 08:24 2010-10-24 08:06

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FO-29 illumination
by Mineo Wakita 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

I posted an article for 'FO-29 illumination' as follows. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/fo29ilum.htm The status of FO-29 transponder OFF continues now. JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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2M1EUB/P SKED 2DAY AND THRISDAY ISLAND OF SKYE SCOTLAND
by paul robinson 19 Oct '10

19 Oct '10

Hi guys woke up this moring to snow on mountains...heading for the island of skye w.scotland. will hope to be qrv 2day ao7 mode b pass after lunch 2day and thrisday this week only ...this is your chance to work this island.....im opperating hand held ...so be quick and im lookig to work as many of you as poss...i should have a good view usa... ive no internet.... qrv ao7 mode b 2day and thrisday afternoons loc time . 73 de paul 2M1EUB/P

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iss packet program
by Carlos Poinho 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

hello again i like to know a good program to work iss via packet that work's with SO win XP best 73's

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iss packet
by Carlos Poinho 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

hello programs that you use to acess the bbs onboard of iss

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With Sadness
by Martha 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

I just learned that Dr. David Clark, G6XYA from Manchester UK died last night. He was member number 23557. I remember lovely conversations with him when he phoned to renew his membership or just to chat. -- 73- Martha

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Another go at Antennas!
by Chris Bloy 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

Hi All, I know this has been properly discussed a 1000 times in the past, but I am going to ask it anyway :- Currently I have a crossed 2 (9 ele) / 70 (19 ele) yagi that appears to work quite well on 2m up 70 down, but does suffer de-sense on 70/2 ops. So my question is twofold, first I am thinking about having two antennas mounted on the rotator which will stop the de-sense? I am looking at getting a WiMO X-Quad for 70cms but the website doesn't appear to be to helpful in the polarization side of things! The X-quad is fed by two times N-Types and they sell a phasing harness. Which brings me to my question.. What is better L/RHCP as they don't appear to sell a switcher for 70cms to changer the polarization manually? I think this is why I couldn't work the linear satellites with a 70cms uplink? I would like to try and make contacts on AO7,HO68 and VO52! FM is no problem when people listen! Thanks in advance, Chris - M0DQO

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grid trip/vacation
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

Thanks to all who worked me in EM86,85 FM06,05 13, 14 If anyone needs QSL please make sure you put the grid I was in at the time of contact on your card or just email me at wa4hfn(a)comcast.net with all the contact info. We will be heading back to TN tomorrow the 19th and might be spending the night in em85 or 86 and will be on AO51 in the afternoon I will work some on the birds today from FM06 .I hope I was of help to some WA4HFN Damon

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2M1EUB/P UPDATE
by paul robinson 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

Hi guys.... bad news from W Scotland no sat opps at mo,as the qth is not suitable,i hope to may manage some mobile opps from isle of syke w.scot lat in the week and only ao7 -B- may be 2 passes just after lunch local time....if the wx lets me as its none stop wind,rain and low cloud...ill post more lat...ive no phone/internet cov either ....in the sticks...de paul 2E1EUB....2M1EUB/P

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PACIFICON in the Books!
by Clint Bradford 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

The Mount Diablo ARC's PACIFICON conference just wrapped up. Beautiful weather, great hotel, plenty of vendors, info galore! Fifty-four attendees were there at my satellite session Saturday morning. About 35 for Friday afternoon's demo/pass of AO-51. And about 25 for Saturday afternoon's AO-51 pass. And fellow AMSATters were there with an AMSAT table for new members to sign up and to sell some AMSAT wares. Their table was in a great location: as folks left the registration desk, BAM! - the AMSAT table was the first one to be seen right in front of them in the secondary hallway! Clint, K6LCS

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Guess Who Showed Up?
by Clint Bradford 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

If y'all heard the distant sound of slapping one's forehead in astonishment from the West Coast of the U.S. this weekend, well, it was your AMSAT reps at the annual PACIFICON ham conference in Sam Ramon, California. Why the surprise? Because an AMSAT area coordinator was there giving an AMSAT presentation ... and bumped into a fellow AMSAT devotee in the hallway who had a Martha Kit of AMSAT gear to sell. Uh, why didn't "we" know each was going to be there??? (grin) Area coordinators have their Web page to post our presentations and demos. Is there another site where AMSAT volunteers post when they are working events as an "AMSAT vendor?" And if so, maybe it should all be combined into one? If I knew an AMSAT vendor table was going to be there, I could have blocked off some hours to work it - to relieve the main crew. ANYWAY, I bought a great goldenrod-colored ARISSat-1 t-shirt. But please be forewarned - they are sized on the "small" side - so order your own a size larger than you normally wear! Clint, K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com 909-241-7666

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AO-51 new ops/best QSO practice
by Andrew Glasbrenner 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

All, I heard quite a few new ops on the 435.300 repeater tonight. Many seemed to be getting the hang of things quickly, and I even heard some coaching in the background as contacts were made. That's great! I've noticed that the new ops who do the best are those that follow a simple practice. When trying to initiate a contact, they pick out a station they can hear, and call them directly, as in "KO4MA, this is KJ4XYZ EL78". When someone hears that, they know that op can hear the satellite, and they can answer quickly and give them the QSO. This is a good thing. On the other hand, there are those that merely state their call and grid, without calling someone, over and over. Tonight, sometimes even over top of ongoing QSOs. Over and over. This type of procedure often indicates someone who cannot hear the satellite and calls to them often go unanswered, a waste of everyone's time. Do this enough and people start ignoring you. Make a habit of it, and people might describe you as a synonym for a container top or cover. This word used to have more meaning among our ranks than it does today, and I don't use it here for the sake of the ladies amongst us. So far we have not tested the orbital Rettysnitch on AO-51, and I'd prefer to keep it that way (Google it if you don't know what it is, or for what it is used.) Seriously tongue-in-cheek, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Ops

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Re: FP/KV1J 26 Oct 2010 - 2 Nov 2010 FM Sats
by Ian - K8MM 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

Eric, Have fun operating from Miquelon, I was on the birds from there in 2005. FP is an awesome place to operate from because of the windows to both EU and W/VE. You'll be amazed how close to the ocean's horizon you can work either the analog or FM birds, I could hear them even before the would reach one degree of elevation. The European passes on FM or SSB can be hectic and some stations will keep calling no matter who you come back too...there was an IV3 that never made it in my log because all he did was QRM the entire pass. I would start out by calling CQ on CW and then work that pile up down to nothing in a couple minutes then switch to SSB. If you stay at the Maxhotel you may find my Texas potato masher II antennas are still stored in a storage room with a bunch of other antenna hardware. They were made of PVC and brass rod and I taped them all together in a bundle. Feel free to you them, they worked really well and I only had to reposition them twice a pass. I would point them where the bird would rise then once it reached its zenith I would run outside and point them to where the bird would set. They were only four feet off the ground and I didn't bother to elevate them at all, I didn't need too. Each antenna was on a separate mast and spaced about 20 ft apart to keep from de-sense problems. There is the big hill to the west that sometimes gets in the way of the path to the western US and the hills to the north don't really get in the way of much at all since there's never anyone on from Siberia...lol. Operating from GN16 was way more difficult than GN17 because my setup was surrounded by buildings and the mountain to the west of town. We lucked out on the WX when we were there, it only blew and rained one day but when it did, it didn't mess around. I have some cool pics of my HF2V antenna bending in a 70 MPH wind! 73, Ian - K8MM John Papay wrote: > (Relayed from KV1J who is having trouble posting) > > I will be operating from the island of Miquelon (Grid GN17) > from October 26 through November 2 as FP/KV1J. The dates > may shift a bit depending on the weather and available > transportation. This is a French territory (Collective) off > the coast of Newfoundland. > > I will be mostly on the low bands but plan to take > breaks and work as many of the FM satellite passes > that I can. I have AO-51, AO-27, SO-50, SO-67, and > HO-68 programmed with Doppler shifts in an FT-817. > I will be doing this outside with an Arrow 146/437-10 > antenna. > > The weather can get rough where I am and the winds > are high so I will do my best under the conditions. > I have a digital audio recorder tied to both the TX and > RX audio so I will do the final logging when I return inside. > > I was on during from this spot in November 2009 using > the AO-51 bird with good results. This trip, I hope to try > other satellites when they are available. > > Once I am on the island it gets busy with setup and the > low bands so it is not practical to do scheds but I will > favor the daylight passes since they are easier to operate > outdoors. > > I have a web page at - > <http://www.kv1j.com/fp/october10.html>http://www.kv1j.com/fp/october10.html > > for more information and I will try to put some status > information there when I can. I do have internet access > but it is not always available. > > I will be traveling via the island of Saint Pierre. If I get on > from there, I will be grid GN16. Still operating as FP/KV1J. > > 73, Eric KV1J FP/KV1J > > > _______________________________________________ > 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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FP/KV1J 26 Oct 2010 - 2 Nov 2010 FM Sats
by John Papay 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

(Relayed from KV1J who is having trouble posting) I will be operating from the island of Miquelon (Grid GN17) from October 26 through November 2 as FP/KV1J. The dates may shift a bit depending on the weather and available transportation. This is a French territory (Collective) off the coast of Newfoundland. I will be mostly on the low bands but plan to take breaks and work as many of the FM satellite passes that I can. I have AO-51, AO-27, SO-50, SO-67, and HO-68 programmed with Doppler shifts in an FT-817. I will be doing this outside with an Arrow 146/437-10 antenna. The weather can get rough where I am and the winds are high so I will do my best under the conditions. I have a digital audio recorder tied to both the TX and RX audio so I will do the final logging when I return inside. I was on during from this spot in November 2009 using the AO-51 bird with good results. This trip, I hope to try other satellites when they are available. Once I am on the island it gets busy with setup and the low bands so it is not practical to do scheds but I will favor the daylight passes since they are easier to operate outdoors. I have a web page at - <http://www.kv1j.com/fp/october10.html>http://www.kv1j.com/fp/october10.html for more information and I will try to put some status information there when I can. I do have internet access but it is not always available. I will be traveling via the island of Saint Pierre. If I get on from there, I will be grid GN16. Still operating as FP/KV1J. 73, Eric KV1J FP/KV1J

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Great article!
by Dave Guimont 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

Hi Keith, Great article in the jul/aug issue of the JOURNAL.... Brings back thirty one years of operating on the amateur satellites... One of my first contacts on AO7 with WA5ZIB, Andy in 1979, and then again with him in 2004 when it came back to life, with Andy now W5ACM in 2004. I'm sure we are both looking forward to operating our next HEO, and am certainly behind Peter, and ESA, in their efforts to accomplish that... I get on the LEO's once in a while, a few of the OT's still around.... Leanore says hello, and if the convention ever gets to the left coast that we will meet again.... Again, congrats on the article 73, Dave, WB6LLO dguimon1(a)san.rr.com Disagree: I learn.... Pulling for P3E...

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Re: Rig debate time...
by G. Beat 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

Tom - After I sold my VHF/UHF/sat equipment in late 1990s, I debated for 10 years about purchasing the IC-910H (never did). I had the IC-756Pro and now the Elecraft K3 for HF and 6 meters .. so the Kenwood TS-2000 was never on my list. I thought the IC-910H it came up a bit short, of what it could be, when I saw it in 2000. Icom never corrected or updated the model (e.g. IC-820 vs IC-821) ... and the IC-9100 is not exactly what I desire, at this point. I even had the TAPR HPSDR for awhile -- which I sold to an Australian radio amateur in 2009. I am sure a few will proclaim that the FlexRadio should be on your list (my long time Elmer has one). IF you decide to sell your Icom IC-821, drop me an e-mail. Greg Beat w9gb BTW, congrats on winning the IC-7000 at the AMSAT-NA Symposium ! == Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:01:38 -0400 From: K8TB < k8tb(a)bosscher.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] Rig debate time... To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org So I have an Icom IC-821 that I am using for the birds, SSB and FM. I don't know what to say, but that rig isn't quite there. So I am trying to decide between a TS-2000 and an IC-910H. I've had a 2000 in the past, and it is a pretty good rig. But I've heard that the 910H is "better", more or less. I have mast mounted SSB preamps to equalize everything out. Anyone on the list own both an IC-910H and a TS-2000, and do you have any thoughts on the use of them for sat use? (I don't really need the low band part of the TS-2000, I have a K3 there). tom bosscher K8TB

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ND9M Road Trip Update #11
by claryco＠aol.com 17 Oct '10

17 Oct '10

I'm back to running counties on HF CW and SSB. With 53 counties in North Dakota to put out, it's difficult to predict when I'll be in a particular grid square. You can check a county hunting website (http://ch.w6rk.com) for spots on my HF ops and see where I'm at. For the time being, it's the best thing I've got for tracking since I'm not on APRS yet. We should be in DN86 and DN96 for much of today (17 Oct). But since we're just a few miles from the ND / SD state line, we're going to swing across into SD to hit the DN85 / DN95 line for the AO27 pass which rises locally at 17/1919Z. At this latitude, I'll miss the first minute or two of voice operation, but I'll do my best with the limited time. After this pass, we'll return to ND to focus on the grids and counties there. 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Bowman ND / Bowman Co. / DN86

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Sumbandila (SO-67) schedule until 2010-10-17
by Johann Lochner 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Hi folks, SO-67 is again executing its schedule and the following passes should go ahead as initially planned: 2010-10-16 19:47 2010-10-16 20:36 2010-10-16 21:20 2010-10-16 22:38 2010-10-16 22:54 2010-10-16 23:55 We hope to upload the rest of the weekend schedule tomorrow morning around 06:00 UTC (see below). 73 de ZR1CBC, Johann. ----- 2010-10-17 06:35 2010-10-17 06:52 2010-10-17 10:00 2010-10-17 10:20 2010-10-17 11:53 2010-10-17 13:15 2010-10-17 13:32 2010-10-17 14:50 2010-10-17 16:23 2010-10-17 17:37 2010-10-17 17:56 2010-10-17 19:09 2010-10-17 19:29 2010-10-17 20:18 2010-10-17 21:01 2010-10-17 22:35

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FP/KV1J 26 Oct 2010 - 2 Nov 2010 FM Sats
by KV1J 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

I will be operating from the island of Miquelon (Grid GN17) from October 26 through November 2 as FP/KV1J. The dates may shift a bit depending on the weather and available transportation. This is a French territory (Collective) off the coast of Newfoundland. I will be mostly on the low bands but plan to take breaks and work as many of the FM satellite passes that I can. I have AO-51, AO-27, SO-50, SO-67, and HO-68 programmed with Doppler shifts in an FT-817. I will be doing this outside with an Arrow 146/437-10 antenna. The weather can get rough where I am and the winds are high so I will do my best under the conditions. I have a digital audio recorder tied to both the TX and RX audio so I will do the final logging when I return inside. I was on during from this spot in November 2009 using the AO-51 bird with good results. This trip, I hope to try other satellites when they are available. Once I am on the island it gets busy with setup and the low bands so it is not practical to do scheds but I will favor the daylight passes since they are easier to operate outdoors. I have a web page at - http://www.kv1j.com/fp/october10.html for more information and I will try to put some status information there when I can. I do have internet access but it is not always available. I will be traveling via the island of Saint Pierre. If I get on from there, I will be grid GN16. Still operating as FP/KV1J. 73, Eric KV1J FP/KV1J

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George Observatory ARISS contact today
by Bruce 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Allen, N5AFV, and I had a great time at the George Observatory today for their ARISS contact. We had 4-5 other hams there with us from the Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club. I'd like to thank everyone on the AO-27 pass that we worked mid afternoon. Unfortunately it was the first pass after the ARISS contact and was 2.5 hours after the contact so all the kids were gone. But Allen and I were up on the roof of the observatory (an observation deck) and had a bunch of adults waiting for the satellite aos and when they heard it start up they were thrilled. It was more fun when we started making contacts. Allen was about 20 feet away from me and we both had people listening in. Allen made about 5 contacts and I made 3 or 4 (keep in mind, I have not worked a satellite in over a year but it is like riding a bicycle, you never forget). 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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Trip to NC EM 96
by KK4AK 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

I will be in the mountains of NC at EM96 for the first few days of next week. If interested look for me on the FM birds. 73 KK4AK Allen

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Tucson AZ hamfest this morning
by Patrick STODDARD 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Hi! Thanks for the QSOs during my demonstrations this morning at the Old Pueblo Radio Club's annual hamfest in Tucson. I logged 22 QSOs on 6 passes, using 4 different satellites (AO51, HO68, SO50, VO52). Really nice to hear the other hamfest and JOTA stations on the air this morning, and to show off both FM and SSB satellite operating. I will be happy to confirm any QSOs made with WD9EWK this morning. No need to first send me a card or SASE; just e-mail me with the QSO details. If you're in the log, you will get a card. After the hamfest, I drove out to the DM51bx/DM52ba boundary in southeastern Arizona. I was on AO27 @ 2129 UTC at that line, and want to work both eastern and western passes on AO51 (145.920/435.300), AO7, and FO29 before the drive home (just over 3 hours from here). Just like with QSOs at the hamfest, please e-mail me with QSO details if you worked me and want a QSL card. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK - north of Sunsites, Arizona http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: FO-29??
by Mineo Wakita 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

JARL says: We failed to turn on a transmitter at 20:00 UTC, 16th Oct. We inform it of the future use after 0:30 UTC on 17th. JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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ND9M/p update DN86/96
by John Papay 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Jim advises that he just left Miles City and should be in North Dakota, DN86 for the AO-27 pass that comes up around 2128z. He will also be on the following AO-51 pass at 2141z. Later today, travel conditions permitting, he could be all the way to DN96 and/or the DN86/96 line. Jim reports they are having a great trip and the weather is extremely nice. 73, John K8YSE/p John Papay john(a)papays.com

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Off to DM51/DM52
by Patrick STODDARD 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Hello from Tucson! Thanks for the QSOs during my demonstrations at the hamfest. I just got my lunch, and will head to the DM51/DM52 line for some passes. Hopefully starting on AO27 @ 2129 UTC, and others if the weather stays good. I do not plan on venturing on the 145.880/435.150 side of AO51 later. APRS should track me out there, watch at http://aprs.fi/wd9ewk-7 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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FM05
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

I will be portable in FM05 on AO27 around the 18:00 utc pass.10/16/10 I will be in FM13/14 Sunday 17 Oct on AO27 for 2 passes I m not sure of the exact time but I will contact WA4NVM to post for me . WA4HFN Damon

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Icom IC-1200 forsale
by John Price 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

I am offering my IC-1200 mobile rig forsale. It is in very fine condition. I has never been mounted in a vehicle. I have all the orginal items that came with it and the box. I also have a English translation of the manual which is printed in hard copy. Anyone interested in this 1200 mhz Icom mobile rig or for answers to questions please contact me off list. I will be asking $295.00 including shipping to lower 48 states. Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii would be extra. -- N4QWF Amateur Radio Operator AO-7,AO-27,FO-29,SO-50,AO-51,VO-52,ISS Email N4QWF(a)AMSAT.ORG Formerly KC4AHW VK3FEZ Amsat Member #27845 DXCC #33,478 VUCC SAT #135 WAS SAT #296 51 on AO-51 #13 LON -79.256 LAT 37.459 Grid FM07il >From the Foothills of the Blueridge *Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride!"

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Re: Contact on AO-51
by Chris Bloy 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Perfect! That's it! Very busy pass on AO51 here in Europe so good to work him!! Sent from my iPhone On 16 Oct 2010, at 16:47, "Glenn AA5PK" <aa5pk(a)suddenlink.net> wrote: > Probably UT1FG/MM. Yuri is pretty active on the satellites. > 73 > Glenn AA5PK > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Bloy" <chris(a)photofuture.co.uk> > To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2010 10:34 AM > Subject: [amsat-bb] Contact on AO-51 > > >> BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px; }Hi >> All, >> I wonder if someone can confirm the details of the /MM station I >> worked on AO-51 today at about 16:15? >> Details were :- >> UK1FG/MM with a grid locator of KA07UT however thats just south of >> Cape town, I am sure I have seen a message on this list with the >> correct grid.,. >> Thanks and look forward to a reply >> Chris - M0DQO >> on behalf of GB0BWS - Jota Station for the weekend.. >> _______________________________________________ >> 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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Contact on AO-51
by Chris Bloy 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px; }Hi All, I wonder if someone can confirm the details of the /MM station I worked on AO-51 today at about 16:15? Details were :- UK1FG/MM with a grid locator of KA07UT however thats just south of Cape town, I am sure I have seen a message on this list with the correct grid.,. Thanks and look forward to a reply Chris - M0DQO on behalf of GB0BWS - Jota Station for the weekend..

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Re: FO-29??
by Mineo Wakita 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

JARL says: It seems that the power budget of FO-29 is low. We turned off the analog transmitter(JTA) to confirm it on 8:19 UTC, 14 Oct 2010. We are going to perform the next use as follows. 16 Oct, 20:00 UTC ON, and 18 Oct, 19:55 UTC OFF It does not limit the use of the analog system transponder, but please do uplink with the reasonable power. We may cancel the use depending on the status of the examination use. Please use as low power as necessary on the uplink to complete your communications. JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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Sumbandila (SO-67) in safe mode
by Johann Lochner 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Hi folks, Sumbandila (SO-67) entered a safe mode between our morning passes in South Africa and will only continue executing its schedule once an alarm is cleared. This implies that the V/U repeater will be off today until 18:00 UTC and probably for longer. 73 de ZR1CBC, Johann.

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FUNcube Dongle
by Howard Long 16 Oct '10

16 Oct '10

Folks I've been enormously gratified by the large volume of interest I've had in the FUNcube Dongle over the past few weeks, and as the pace of enquiries has stepped up I've decided to come clean about the development progress. In case -bb subscribers are unaware, the FUNcube Dongle was originally designed to be an accessible way to be able to receive amateur satellites, most noteably AMSAT-UK's forthcoming FUNcube cubesat (http://www.funcube.org.uk). What does accessible mean? Essentially we mean both low cost and easy to setup. The original target market is, and remains, what I call the unconverted, those, particularly in education, who need a means of being able to practically introduce and demonstrate real space technology in a hands-on way. When the work on FUNcube was distributed, I was given the task of coming up with the ground segment, and the result is the FUNcube Dongle. As it's tuned out, the FUNcube Dongle has the added bonus that it's a VHF/UHF and low microwave equivalent to the well-known Softrock in an integrated plug and play package. We intend to have two models, an entry-level frequency-restricted version targeted at the educational market, and a full blown Pro version that seems to piqued the interest of many radio amateurs, radio astronomers and short wave listeners. In précis, it includes an integrated front end filter, LNA, quatrature LO, zero-IF quadrature downconverter, dual 16 bit ADC and USB soundcard. In it's simplest of forms, it's SMA in, USB out. It's also compatible with pretty much any software that works for the Softrock, for example LinRad, Spectravue, M0KGK and Rocky. The passband is 96kHz, tuneable from 64MHz to 1,700MHz. The tuning is via a USB HID interface meaning that as well as your favourite soundcard SDR program, you'll need a little app supplied with the FUNcube Dongle to control the centre frequency or you'll end up only listening to my favourite FM broadcast station ;-) It's also compatible with XP, Vista , Windows 7 in 32 bit and Vista and Windows 7 in 64 bit. Initial testing on the Mac and Ubuntu 32 and 64 bit shows compatibility too, however I haven't written the frequency control application for those platforms yet. So, no USB drivers are required! To keep people informed going forward, I have set up a blog here: http://www.funcubedongle.com/. A few of us on the -BB may be aware of an rather prolific internal blog I've been writing for the FUNcube technical team that covers 100 posts or so over the past three months. The choice cuts of the internal blog will also appear in the http://www.funcubedongle.com/ blog. Also there's a video here of the first pre-production unit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqzTBPLqal0 Projected availability of the first production batch of the Pro version is December 2010. Pricing is subject to assembly costs, but to give you indicative pricing we are working on an initial price of the Pro version to be circa USD150/GBP100. 73, Howard G6LVB

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Clint's World - And an Apology to ND9M
by Clint Bradford 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

So I am up here in San Ramon, California, after driving 400 pleasant miles to demo AO-51 and SO-50 and give my "Work the Birds" presentation tomorrow morning. As I arrive, posted all over the place are 2x3-foot signs of my little Word doc showing the three passes' times I intend to work. Wow - PACIFICON put my little easel and 11x14-inch blurb to shame ... their posters are ALL OVER the place! So we meet outside and discuss AMSAT and the FM birds, and then work the 4:56PM PDT pass of AO-51. With 2W TX output, we start working stations. Las Vegas. Portland, Oregon. Our own CM97 grid square. A couple other units. Then in comes a BOOMING-ing clear Jim, ND9M from Montana. I pride myself in being able to "read" my audiences. I truly have \never given the exact same presentation twice - and I've given 34 presentations the past 12 months - plus additional "just demos." So this group of 30+ hams are out in the parking lot with me, and I can tell that (a) few knew that this could be accomplished with just what I was holding in one hand, and (b) fewer realized the potential range of the pass. I mean, the footprints shown in almost all the software programs I have used are darned near ALWAYS quite conservative with what they indicate. I had told the group beforehand that we might work as far East as Arizona ... So when Vegas came in, they were impressed When Portland, Oregon was worked, they were MORE impressed. And when Montana's Jim came booming in I stated on the air, eyeing the crowd: "Wow, this cannot possibly work THAT far! You sound GREAT!" Welcome to Clint's world. Wasn't a frenzy. Wasn't manipulation of my crowd. (Well, yes it was, in a manner of speaking.) Just a pleasing "first-time" experience for most in attendance. Jim emailed me privately immediately after the pass, wondering (VERY politely) what the he** I was doing, stating on the air that what we accomplished in our communications was anything particularly extraordinary. And Jim is entirely correct: Much further distance comms are accomplished all the time with similar passes. ANYWAY, I apologize to Jim via a quickly-written-while-in-the-hotel's-restaurant email. I am writing this because Jim deserves a better explanation. If he were here and saw what was occurring with this group, I sincerely believe he'd be smiling and be appreciative of the attentive audience and how I "worked the crowd" as we hit not-so-close stations with minimal equipment. I can certainly see how someone might misinterpret my intentions. I *thought* there was enough "fake surprise" in my voice to make it clear that even after working so many passes, this can be an extremely exciting aspect of our hobby. Thank you, Jim, for your polite letter. Thanks to the rest of you for your support these past five or six years. Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-241-7666 - cell

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FO-29
by Bob Herrell 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

What's wrong with FO-29? Not a peep during this pass. No beacon either. 73, Bob Herrell AJ5C

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Re: ND9M Road Trip Update #10A
by Andrew Glasbrenner 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

Sorry Jim, when I suggested FO-29 I hadn't looked at the live status page or seen Patrick's e-mail about it. Thanks for the effort, and I'm sure we'll pick up many more new ones another day. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- >From: claryco(a)aol.com >Sent: Oct 15, 2010 6:29 PM >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Subject: [amsat-bb] ND9M Road Trip Update #10A > > >I'll be on both FO29 at 15/2310Z and AO51 at 15/2358Z from the DN75 / DN76 line. > >73, > >Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC > >_______________________________________________ >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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FO-29??
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

Hi! I was looking on http://oscar.dcarr.org/ and noticed that FO-29 has not been reported as active since early (UTC) Thursday. Did something happen to it? If FO-29 is not available tomorrow, that will only have an effect on one pass at the hamfest I'll attend in Tucson AZ. I was hoping to work one pass around 1300 UTC at the hamfest site, to see if a different antenna could overcome the military QRM I encountered trying to work FO-29 at that location a couple of years ago. Later in the day, AO-7 should be back in mode B - and its passes were coming by very close to the predicted times for FO-29. I still don't know exactly where I'll drive tomorrow after that hamfest, and may leave it to the APRS track to show where I'm at in southeastern Arizona (heading to DM51/DM52 if I'm south of I-10, DM52/DM53 if I am north of I-10, or the at Arizona/New Mexico state line in DM52 if I am parked along I-10) at http://aprs.fi/wd9ewk-7 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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FO-29
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

Hi! Thanks to Mika OH8MBN, he pointed me to JA0CAW's web page: http://ja0caw-je0mzi.mo-blog.jp/ Running that through the Google translator, and just looking at the section of the page regarding FO-29 that was not in Japanese, it looks like FO-29 may be on from 2000 UTC on Saturday (16 October) through 1955 UTC Monday (18 October). Here's hoping I read it right... 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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ND9M Road Trip Update #10A
by claryco＠aol.com 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

I'll be on both FO29 at 15/2310Z and AO51 at 15/2358Z from the DN75 / DN76 line. 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC

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ND9M Road Trip Update #10
by claryco＠aol.com 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

I'll be making a side trip to the DN75 / DN76 line for the late afternoon AO51 pass that rises locally at 15/2358Z. Other passes today and tomorrow morning will be from DN76 only. Cori won't be with me, so hopefully I won't get lost! 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Miles City MT / Custer Co. / DN76

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Garmin GPS For Sale
by Zachary Beougher 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

Hi all, I wanted to let everyone know that my Garmin etrex Venture HC GPS is for sale. I just upgraded to another unit with a larger memory capacity, and I have no need for this one anymore. This unit is only about 4 months old (bought new), in pristine condition (no scratches, dings, etc.) and in perfect working order. You can read details and see pictures here - http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=267919 Due to how new it is, I would like to sell it for $120 (or best offer) shipped to the lower 48, $130 shipped outside of the lower 48. 73! Zack KD8KSN

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ND9M Road Trip Update #9
by claryco＠aol.com 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

Not surprisingly, a lot of ops jumped on DN68, DN76, DN77, and DN78 that we operated from today. During the 14/1905Z AO27 pass alone, 18 ops got into the log. Not only is that a for a seven-minute pass, but the bird didn't rise at my QTH for nearly two minutes after it switched to voice, so those 18 contacts were crammed into five minutes! Cori and I are going to spend an extra day in DN76 taking care of travel-related chores that we've been ignoring. I'll be on from this grid during various passes tomorrow and may sneak away to make a quick run down the road to put out DN75 again for a single pass; not sure yet. We'll head back out on the road on Saturday and cross into North Dakota. There are 16 grids in the state (aside from some slivers), and we'll get to them all. DN86 will be the first grid. 73, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Miles City, MT / Custer Co. / DN76

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Out of Office
by Martha 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

I will be out of the office tomorrow. Back on Monday. -- 73- Martha

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SO67 parrot ?
by PA3GUO 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

Was a good pass of SO67. Those who listened in via our webradio could confirm. Heared various stations, including non-HAM. Quite a few QSO's got made between eg ON5NY, EA1BYC, SP8CGR, 2M1EUB/P ... Myself I had turbo-short QSO's with ON5NY and 2E1EUB/P. Funny: I noticed my own voice being repeated a few seconds later, guess that was the parrot. I did use the PL tone all the time. Henk, PA3GUO

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SO67 FM live now
by PA3GUO 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

Streaming the 22:10utc Oct 14 pass over Europe of SO67 http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?page_id=17689 look in the chat box for details -- Henk, PA3GUO

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Re: Experimental Web Radio from New Zealand and Europe
by Nader Omer 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

Great work . Kudos to everyone who share in Satellite webradio net. ZL2BX, PA3GUO and DK3WN. FB OMs. 73 de Nader st2nh

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Missed AO-51 contact
by Jeremy Kiehner 14 Oct '10

14 Oct '10

Today 10/13/10 while mobile on my way home from work I saw AO-51 making a high pass. Curiously I loaded up the memories in my Alinco DJ-G5 (mobile rig went kaput) and heard the bird and a QSO. Waiting for a break, I sent my call and location of York, Pennsylvania. An operator came back with my call and location each time I attempted to transmit. Unfortunately I was unable to hear the bird well on my mag mount dual band 1/4wave. This occurred around 0615 eastern. I apologize to, and thank the operator who was trying to contact me in return. It was my FIRST attempt at contact via a satellite (had been listening for a few weeks now while at home on my 3element 2 meter beam and the same Alinco HT. Successful to a point, made contact, I was heard i just could not hear the bird well. All in all, I'm now hooked. If I can hit this bird (and SO-51 earlier in the night tho it was dead and timer needed reset but I heard myself on it!) via mobile dual band mag mount on high passes, I can not wait to try on the 2 meter beam. 73, Jeremy KB3DLP

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SatPC32 & Windows 7
by Bob Herrell 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hi all, Anyone running and IC-910H with SatPC32 and Windows 7 64-bit? Everything seems to work except for the CAT function. I have the proper port selected for the radio, but cannot get CAT to do any controlling. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks & 73 Bob Herrell AJ5C

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ND9M Road Trip Update #8
by claryco＠aol.com 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Here's our tentative sked for grids tomorrow (14 Oct): DN68 - SO50 - 1513Z (Earlier AO51 and SO50 passes are possible, but it's COLD outside here at those times!) DN68 / DN78 - AO27 - 1906Z DN68 / DN78 - AO27 - 2045Z DN68 / DN78 - AO51 - 2123Z DN77 - AO51 - 2259Z (possibly on the line with DN76) DN76 / DN77 - AO51 - 0039Z (15 Oct) We may stick around the local area an extra day on Friday before heading into North Dakota; we won't know for sure until tomorrow night. 73 for now, Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC Glasgow MT / Valley Co. / DN68

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Thanks for the Symposium
by Doug Kuitula 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hi all, I just wanted to add my thanks to the folks who put on this years AMSAT Symposium in Chicago. I had a wonderful time and absolutely enjoyed all of the speakers. Unfortunately, I had to leave to leave on Saturday, and was not able to be there Sunday for the tour of the Fermi Lab. I'm not sure where next years Symposium will be. But if it is anywhere near you, try to attend. Once again, Thanks! 73 de Doug KA8QCU

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Re: N. Europe AO-7
by Bato, Andras 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hi Bob W7LRD, I just would like to let you know that I often call CQ WVE but on CW ! I use CW because it is much more reliable for DX activity. PLEASE USE CW ON AO-7 and on HO-68 as well. Canada and even KL7 can be reached using these birds not only from Northern Europe but from Central Europe as well. For God's sake use CW please! gl de ha6nn Andras

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Experimental Web Radio from New Zealand and Europe
by Mike Rupprecht 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

All, You can now listen to 3 stations via internet - ZL2BX, PA3GUO and DK3WN. Go to my SatBlog and follow the link to Web Radio or simply click here http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?page_id=17689 Alan (ZL2BX) in New Zealand is streaming some hours per day and you can listen to the satellites at the other end of the world ;-) Henk (PA3GUO) is mostly following AO-51 or HO-68 in FM. I provide what I hear. If you follow my audio stream you can listen what I receive momentarily. It could be any satellite from AO-7 up to the NOAA's. We are open for any ideas. Let us know what you want to hear. Any suggestions are very appreciated. New stations are welcome, hihi. Let's share our receiver to the other ones. 73, Mike DK3WN

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Symposium Audio
by Clint Bradford 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Are any of the sessions from the Symposium posted online? And I am sorry if this was already published info - I missed it. Clint, K6LCS

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N. Europe AO-7
by Bob- W7LRD 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hello Northern European sat ops. At 1929Z we will have a mutual footprint very near your LOS. 73 Bob W7LRD Seattle, Wa. CN87

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Hamfest @ Tucson AZ, Saturday (16 October)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hi! On Saturday (16 October) morning, AMSAT will have a table at the annual Old Pueblo Radio Club hamfest in Tucson, Arizona. This is a half-day hamfest, located at the Kino Community Center on Ajo Way, east of I-10 and the Tucson Electric Park baseball stadium. The hamfest starts early in the morning, and will probably wrap up by midday. Along with the AMSAT table, WD9EWK will be on various satellites for demonstrations - both in SSB and FM. I am obviously aware that Saturday is also the Jamboree on the Air, and will try to do my part to help that activity while at the hamfest. If there are Scouts at the hamfest, I will offer them the opportunity to work passes. I did this in 2008, allowing a Boy Scout from Tucson a chance to work AO-51 and make his first satellite contacts as I managed the radio and antenna for him. If I have a chance to repeat that, I will. If the Scout is a licensed ham, the Scout's call may be heard on the satellites instead of mine. Otherwise, as in the last couple of years, I will try to work stations with Scouts and also listen in on their QSOs with others. After the hamfest, I haven't decided on the route I will take for the drive home. I may take a longer route to visit some other grids, or possibly the Arizona/New Mexico state line, or I may linger around Tucson before taking the direct route home. I will post more about my post-hamfest plans on Friday or Saturday. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Proceedings of the 2010 Symposium at AMSAT Online Store
by Bruce 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

I have just added the 2010 Symposium Proceedings to the AMSAT Online Store. I will have an actual copy in a few days and make necessary adjustments if the topics are not exactly correct. Will also add the number of pages and post a cover picture. Please be aware that it is heavy and shipping overseas will be expensive. Martha will add the shipping charges at time of mailing and notify you of the exact amount for postage. http://www.amsat.org click on Online Store in the left margin 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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NC trip
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hitting the road today heading east to N.C. I will be traveling on I-40 EM 85 should be my 1st stop for AO51.I will be staying in FM06 I will post later grids as time allows www.aprs.if and Im using wa4hfn no extra numbers WA4HFN Damon

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SO-67 operating practice
by Ib Christoffersen 13 Oct '10

13 Oct '10

Hi all, I have been told that a lot of operators use too high deviation on SO-67. Here is a repetition of my experience from last time SO-67 was active over Europe. 1. Used FMN and the CTCSS tone. LF level OK but the transponder lets the tone through. That does not sound nice. 2. Used normal "old" FM deviation and NO CTCSS tone. Sounds better to me. 3. Used "old" deviation and the CTCSS tone. That sound really horrible. Try to listen to your own modulation and adjust the deviation (mike gain) down until it sounds good. 73 OZ1MY Ib

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Fwd: [Gpredict-discussion] Gpredict 1.2 released
by Charles Suprin 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Alexandru Csete <oz9aec(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 8:06 AM Subject: [Gpredict-discussion] Gpredict 1.2 released To: gpredict-discussion(a)lists.sourceforge.net Greetings, After one year of development, bug fixing and testing we have decided that it was time to make a new release of Gpredict. This release features several new features such as the rewritten layout engine as well as lots of bug fixes. The new layout engine allows any combination of views to be created in a NxM grid, see an example screenshot: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eF3tizT-Xj-az6VcykUzaA The sky at a glance widget has been improved to look nicer and to be more interactive. Moving the mouse over a pass pops up an info widget showing infor about the pass. Clicking on the pass brungs up the pass details dialog. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/anU9WhY4_40Gk-WVCP7ZWw The info pop-ups have also been added to the map view and the polar video. Moving the mouse over a satellite will show the current position of the sattelite as well as time until next AOS or LOS. You can see a demo video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJC4A6onbBg Complete list of changes: - New layout engine that allows any combination of views to be created in a NxM grid. Closes feature request 2821408. - Sky at a glance is now more interactive. Show pass summary when mouse hovers over pass and click on pass shows the details. - Added satellite tooltips in polar view showing current Az, El and time to LOS. - Added satellite tooltips in map view showing current SSP Lat, Lon, Az, El and time to AOS/LOS. - Fixed bug 2877974: Incorrect uplink Doppler. - Fixed bug 2918672: Trailing whitespace and newline in satellite names. - Fixed bug 2914679: Unable to save Future passes. - Fixed bug 2674626: Process 100% CPU load with one kepler element. - Fixed bug 2792349: Segfault on certain satellites (Geo). - Fixed bug 3050068: Unable to update TLE from local files. - Fixed bugs 3057771 and 3058753: Crash if module file is empty. - Fixed bug 3074990: Crash if directory does not exist - Fixed bug 3080019: Corrupted hw file cause crash. - Applied patch 2876485: Fix a memory leak in the rotator controller (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2877878: Change Flag to Lock in tle-update (thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2877918: Fixes segfault in TLE updater (thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2881367: Updated Flags to Locks (thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2893617: Patches for fixing Windows build (thanks to Valentin Yakovenkov). - Applied patch 2916646: Minor fixes to documentation (thanks to Paul Schulz). - Applied patch 2929816: Fixes Bound Checking in gtk-rot-knob.c (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2930342: Improved robustness of pass prediction (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2933879: Check for AOS before burning computational resources (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2943018: Potential Double Free in qth-data.c (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2942658: Ground Tracks with Narrow Windows (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2943024: Eliminate Segfault in gtk-sat-map.c (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2943448: Remove Segfault from corrupted module (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2945525: Sort list of modules in open module dialog (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2947459: Make Module List Scrollable (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 2951724: Allow TX Doppler correction for FT-817, 857 and 897 (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3002344: Remove Uninitialized Jump (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3002345: Free catfilename (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3002348: Option context never freed (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3005548: Cut and Paste Error In print_pass.h (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3009725: Delete Explicit Call to gtk_set_locale (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3009727: Free satellite hash references (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Applied patch 3050047: Improve sat search and prediction of upcoming passes (Thanks to Patrick Strasser OE6PSE) - Applied patch 3059022: Fix gpredict crashed with NULL pointer exception (Thanks to Charles Suprin AA1VS). - Slightly improved UI for the single-satellite view. - Command line options for cleaning user's TLE and transponder data, see --help for list. - Satellite Map: Added shadow to satellite marker and label to enhance visual appearance over light background map regions. - Fixed incorrect uplink and downlink frequencies for HO-68, mode V/U packet. - Modules that are docked in the main window can be reordered by dragging the tabs. - Updated translations for CS, DE, EN_GB, EN_US, FI, FR, IT, LT, RU and TH The new release can be downloaded from https://sourceforge.net/projects/gpredict/files//Gpredict/1.2/ Currently only the source package is available. Binary packages for Windows, Mac and various Linux distributions should become available shortly. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this release! Happy satellite tracking Alex OZ9AEC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beautiful is writing same markup. Internet Explorer 9 supports standards for HTML5, CSS3, SVG 1.1, ECMAScript5, and DOM L2 & L3. Spend less time writing and rewriting code and more time creating great experiences on the web. Be a part of the beta today. http://p.sf.net/sfu/beautyoftheweb _______________________________________________ Gpredict-discussion mailing list Gpredict-discussion(a)lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gpredict-discussion

3 2

Chile - EchoLink
by Clint Bradford 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Listening to EchoLink CE1RXF and another station very close to the rescue ... THIS is "reality TV" and ham radio shining. What an evening. Clint, K6LCS

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Correction - ND9M schedule for Wednesday, Oct. 13
by Rick - WA4NVM 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

It was a test and John, K8YSE passed. The last pass on AO-51 should be 2337Z, not 2237Z. Thanks again John..... I would hate to have everyone off an hour. CU on the birds, Rick WA4NVM > Hi again, > > Jim asked me to post his plans for tomorrow, Oct. 13. > > He plans to spend the night in DN56. Not in concrete, but may be on the > morning pass of AO-51 at 1223Z from DN56. > > A chance he may be on SO-50 at 1445Z. I tried to talk him into this pass. > > Look for him on the HO-68 SSB pass at 1635Z from the DN56/DN57 grid lines. > > Then next up for Wednesday afternooon is AO-51 at 2200Z from DN66/DN67 > grids. Followed with a FO-29 pass at 2316Z (same grids) > > And finally another AO-51 pass at 2237Z from those same grids. > > I sure hope I didn't miss any passes he told me over the phone. If so, > I'm very sorry. If a bird flies..... I listen for Jim! > > 73 all, > Rick WA4NVM > _______________________________________________ > 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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Scout Jamboree on the Air -- Please let the Scouts have the birds.
by Tom Schuessler 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Greetings satellite enthusiests, With the notice earlier today from the SO-67 ground crew opening up worldwide passes for this coming Jamboree on the Air weekend, there are now multiple opportunities for Amateur Satellite communications for the many JOTA stations globally. As an AMSAT member and as a organizer for a JOTA operation at the National Scouting Museum in Irving, TX (K2BSA/5), I am very excited for the possibility to have now many good passes for satellite demonstrations during our operating day. I am very invested in developing a great experience for the many Scouts who I expect to come through our event and also the many thousands worldwide who will experience Ham Radio and satellites, some for the first time. My request of the many regular satellite operators around the globe is this; please let Scout stations have preference on the birds this weekend. Like our effort, so many of these JOTA satellite demos will be low power and handheld. If they have to compete with big fixed guns, they can find themselves with little chance of making meaningful contacts with other Scout JOTA groups. My experience of being unable to bust through the din of an AO-27 pass at a Scout demo several weeks ago is still fresh. Our hope on JOTA weekend is to provide a meaningful introduction to Ham Radio to the Scouting community. Please let Scout JOTA demos have first chance at a pass. Please inhibit Packet activity on HO-68 as the satellite will be in "FM" only mode. Observe the "QRP" request for the AO-51 second repeater. And let's all slow down on AO-27 despite the short windows. Many Ham Radio operators got their first exposure during Scout events like JOTA. Let's hope this year we pick up some more. 73 de N5HYP Tom Schuessler 2713 Lake Gardens Drive Irving, Texas 75060 972-986-7456 214-403-1464 (Cell) n5hyp(a)arrl.net

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ND9M schedule for Wednesday, Oct. 13
by Rick - WA4NVM 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Hi again, Jim asked me to post his plans for tomorrow, Oct. 13. He plans to spend the night in DN56. Not in concrete, but may be on the morning pass of AO-51 at 1223Z from DN56. A chance he may be on SO-50 at 1445Z. I tried to talk him into this pass. Look for him on the HO-68 SSB pass at 1635Z from the DN56/DN57 grid lines. Then next up for Wednesday afternooon is AO-51 at 2200Z from DN66/DN67 grids. Followed with a FO-29 pass at 2316Z (same grids) And finally another AO-51 pass at 2237Z from those same grids. I sure hope I didn't miss any passes he told me over the phone. If so, I'm very sorry. If a bird flies..... I listen for Jim! 73 all, Rick WA4NVM

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ND9M Update
by Rick - WA4NVM 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Hi All, The plan right now is AO-51 tonight. First pass at 2239Z from grid DN58 and the 0018Z (10/13) from DN57. I will update tomorrows sked later. 73 all, Rick WA4NVM

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Fwd: Counterfeit ICOM Alert
by Bruce 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Be on the lookout. 73...bruce -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [CLARC] Counterfeit ICOM Alert Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:35:03 -0500 From: Alfred Perez <perez.alfred(a)gmail.com> To: N5VEV(a)ymail.com FYI to all, http://www.icom.co.jp/world/notice/index.html Alfred Perez Emergency Radio Communications N5VEV (832) 380-5867 24/7 Emergency Contact This also number accepts SMS - Text Messages (713) 927-7080 Backup Cell / / / Member:/ // <http://www.arrl.org/>/Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) <http://www.arrl.org/>/ /ARES STX DIST 14 South East (Harris County) <http://www.harriscountyares.org/>/ /ARES STX DIST 1 (Galveston County) <http://www.arrlstx.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=bl…>/ /Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club <http://www.clarc.org/>/ /Galveston County Emergency Communications Group <http://www.gcecg.org/>/ /Houston Amateur Mobile Society (H.A.M.S.) <http://www.2meterhams.org/>/

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Re: LVB Tracker Problem
by WILLIAMS MICHAEL 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Bob, I built the LVB tracker up from one of Howard's early bare boards. I had these problems interfacing to an old Wilson 550 rotor. I added relay circuits inside the old rotor box. The relay coils had supression diodes. The relays were switching 120 VAC which I think was the root cause. I started this project with the LVB tracker's power supplied from the rotor. I eventually gave the LVB tracker its own supply. Then I added supression circuirtry inside the LVB Tracker cabinet. I finally solved the problem and ran for years until the rotor just gave out mechanically. The spikes would stop the tracker in a pass when there was relay activity. Sometimes I could just power down/up and the LVB tracker everything would be OK. Sometimes reload SATPC32, and occassionally it would corrupt the calibration constants so I had to reload. One thing is certain, the LVB Tracker is a tough one. When the rotor gave out, I purchased a 5500. No problems using the 5500. Food for thought, and I don't want to send you down the wrong path. Listen to Howard. Good luck with your problem. Mike K9QHO

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Reports on SO-67 over Europe please
by Ib Christoffersen 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

Hi all, Due to renovation of our house I do not have the possibility to monitor SO-67 and the rest of our satellites at the moment - and for the next couple of month. I would very much like to follow what is happening so please report on: http://oscar.dcarr.org/ This week SO-67 is scheduled to be active over Europe as seen in the e-mail from Andrew. Also the schedule is on: http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ As always we are secondary "passengers" so all the planned active passes may not be on. Thanks in advance. 73 OZ1MY Ib

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