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FO-29 turns 10
by dave 17 Aug '06

17 Aug '06

G'day all, Came across my qsl card from the JARL and saw that FO-29 was launched 0153 on 17 August 1996 UTC - 10 years ago tomorrow and still goinf strong. I hope it's around for another 10 years. 73 de David VK5DG

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Re: Problems with my 9600 baud stuff
by James Cottle 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Hi Tom, Tnx for your advice. I have now diagnosed several problems successfully. 1) I am using RHCP, which makes signals from AO-51 weak, complicated by the fact that I have a 15KHz offset which is further complicated by doppler and 2) turns out that, when one puts the 910H in "satellite mode" the data port receive gets switched as well. This morning I was able to copy strong TECHSAT beacons throughout its pass and strong voice on ECHO (The passes conflict right now). THanks for your guidance. SOmone needs to document this stuff for others!!!! maybe on a web page somewhere (in my spare time). Once again you pointed me in the right direction. Thanks for the hints. The offset on the 910H is well known...what is NOT well known is that, when you get down and dirty in there, you cannot adjust it out with the standard XTAL PLL oscillator. I have some pretty good test gear here....all of the tools but none of the talent (hi hi). 73 Jim N6FO Thomas McDaniel wrote: > Hi Jim, > > AO-51 is RHCP for voice and LHCP for digital -- I'm using the KLM > 435-40CX with the switching relay. I also find that GO-32 works > pretty well using LHCP so I leave my system set for LHCP when I'm > working digital. > > I too use a SYMEK (TNC3S) TNC but I don't know about the IC910 hook > ups as I use an old modified FT-736. If you have access to an > oscilloscope, you might want to look at the data out of the radio to > make sure that it is where it should be. It seems like I heard that > there are separate data ports for each side of the IC-910 -- does sat > mode combine them or do you need to use somekind of a "Y" cable for > digital sats? Hook-ups can be tricky. > > I am surprised to hear about the frequency problems, while I haven't > used the IC-910, I have had good luck with other Icom equipment. > Being 15 KHz off on the UHF band will certainly be a problem tuning > the receive -- the data would be outside the passband! I think I > would call Icom service and ask them about this. If you are using > computer control (like SatPC32) you might be able to set an off-set to > compensate, but it still shouldn't be that far off -- its hard enough > to tune to compensate for doppler shift without an inaccurate receiver! > > 73 Tom n0ntx > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Cottle" > <jim_cott(a)earthlink.net> > To: "Thomas McDaniel" <tmcdanielsprint(a)earthlink.net> > Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:10 AM > Subject: Problems with my 9600 baud stuff > > >> Hi Tom, >> Thank you for your generous offer. I am using an ICOM IC910h and >> interfacing it thru its mini DIN data port to a SYMEK 9600 TNC3. I >> was able to get a couple of passes of TECHSAT beacons thru and then >> something changed. Now I get no joy on any pass. I believe that I may >> have problems with the data port on the 910. I seem to be tracking >> the satellites fine, I can hear the downlink voice channels on ECHO >> with no problems. >> Also, I am running a RHCP M2 432CP30. Is it true that ECHO wants to >> see LHCP? I may be seeing a serious degradation in signal strength >> due to the mismatch. I have never been able to get a good DCD from >> AO-51. I did get a couple of beacons from TECHSAT until something >> that I cannot identify changed. I may have switched to the MINI DIN >> port thinking it was a more elegant solution. >> The frequency accuracy on the 910H is very poor. I tried, in vain >> to adjust the PLL and could not bring it in line. So i have ordered >> the CR-293 high stability XTAL option, hoping that this will pull the >> rig closer to its indicated frequency. It is typically 15 Khz off on >> U band and about 40KhZ off on L band. This makes tuning a real >> challenge on these short LEO passes. There is not a lot of >> documentation available that I have found on problems such as I am >> having, so I appreciate your help very much. >> Jim N6FO >> > > >

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Re: Cheap LEO antennas
by Joe Kononchik 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Does anyone know if PVC (Schedule 40) can be used as a substitute for wood?

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Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 1
by Robin Midgett 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Schedule 40 & schedule 80 are simply different wall thicknesses for pressure ratings. I believe the gray PVC is intended for electrical conduit purposes, and it is more resistant to UV, but the color has nothing to do with the schedule grade. > > >The white stuff can tend to get brittle out in the sun. Painting it >will help with this somewhat. My 70cm antenna was modeled after the >cheap yagi design and had a white PVC boom that had been painted >gray. When lowering the mast to do some rotator maintenance the >antenna brushed a nearby dogwood tree that the XYL refuses to let me >cut down. The boom snapped right at one of the elements. This could >have been brittleness or just the fact of where it struck. I can't >comment on the tan (CPVC) pipe as I haven't used it. My >replacement antenna will be using schedule 80 which is gray in color >and much more rigid for the boom. >73, >Michael, W4HIJ > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 7 >Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 18:56:47 -0700 >From: James Cottle <jim_cott(a)earthlink.net> >Subject: [amsat-bb] Any 9600 orbital sources up? >To: amsat bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Message-ID: <44E27B5F.9080702(a)earthlink.net> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > >Hello there, > I am having some difficulty. Are there any amateurs consistently >receiving 9600 beacons or TLM from either POSAT, ECHO or TECHSAT? It has >been some time since I heard anything from these. Thanks. >Jim >N6FO >San Francisco > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 8 >Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 21:20:22 -0700 >From: "Zachary Schrempp" <zach.km7i(a)gmail.com> >Subject: [amsat-bb] Some rare Washington grids >To: amsat-bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Message-ID: > <eab046d0608152120y48e042c8nd19b2e1f4e837e82(a)mail.gmail.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > >Hey guys, > >I am going over to CN77 on Thursday and Friday. I'll see if I can get >into CN76, which is one of those grids where just a sliver of it skims >the coast. Maybe CN86 too. I'll take the Arrow and run on AO-51 and >SO-50. > >73, Zach > >-- >Zachary Schrempp, KM7I >Age 15 >AMSAT #36023 > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 9 >Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:33:27 -0700 >From: "kc6uqh" <kc6uqh(a)cox.net> >Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Cheap LEO antennas >To: "Michael Tondee" <mat_62(a)netcommander.com>, "Joe Kononchik" > <kononchik(a)sbcglobal.net> >Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Message-ID: <000801c6c0e4$bcabf3e0$72b7b546@kc6uqh> >Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > >Mike, > >From an electrical point yes, but mechanical strength is poor especilly in >warm weather. > >Art, KC6UQH >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Michael Tondee" <mat_62(a)netcommander.com> >To: "Joe Kononchik" <kononchik(a)sbcglobal.net> >Cc: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 7:01 PM >Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Cheap LEO antennas > > > > Joe Kononchik wrote: > >> Does anyone know if PVC (Schedule 40) can be used as a substitute for > >> wood? > >> _______________________________________________ > >> 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! > >> http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > >> > >> > >> > >> > > The white stuff can tend to get brittle out in the sun. Painting it will > > help with this somewhat. My 70cm antenna was modeled after the cheap > > yagi design and had a white PVC boom that had been painted gray. When > > lowering the mast to do some rotator maintenance the antenna brushed a > > nearby dogwood tree that the XYL refuses to let me cut down. The boom > > snapped right at one of the elements. This could have been brittleness > > or just the fact of where it struck. > > I can't comment on the tan (CPVC) pipe as I haven't used it. My > > replacement antenna will be using schedule 80 which is gray in color and > > much more rigid for the boom. > > 73, > > Michael, W4HIJ > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 10 >Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 21:21:31 -0700 >From: Emily Clarke <emily(a)planetemily.com> >Subject: [amsat-bb] ISS Commander Bill McArthur is AMSAT's Keynote > Speaker >To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20060815211951.05575a50(a)planetemily.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > >ISS Commander McArthur to Keynote at AMSAT Symposium > >AMSAT is excited to announce that ISS Expedition 12 Commander William >(Bill) S. McArthur, KC5ACR, will be the keynote speaker at the 2006 >AMSAT Space Symposium to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster >City, California, October 6-8, 2006. Commander McArthur is well >known to ham radio operators - during his six months aboard the ISS >he became the most active radio amateur ever to serve in space. >Commander McArthur logged more than 1800 QSOs, and earned the ARRL >Worked All States Award. His impressive track record also included a >record 37 school contacts, Worked All Continents (including >Antartica) and 130 DXCC entities. > >Astronaut McArthur is a veteran of four space flights that include: > * STS-58 - October 1993 (Spacelab Life Sciences Mission 2) > * STS-74 - November 1995 (Shuttle-Mir Docking Missing 2) > * STS-92 - October 2000 (ISS Assembly Mission 3A) > * Expedition 12 - October 2005 >In addition Bill has made four spacewalks (two each aboard STS-92 and >Expedition 12) and was on backup crews of Expeditions 8, 9 and >10. He will be featured during the Annual Banquet on Saturday >evening, October 7, 2006. > >The 2006 Space Symposium will be a joint meeting with the ARISS >International Delegates and will also include the IARU Satellite >Advisory Panel annual meeting, and a meeting of AMSAT International >Delegates. For additional information please visit the AMSAT >website at http://www.amsat.org. Click on the 2006 Space Symposium >link in the left side menu. > >This year you can register for the Space Symposium online. Online >Registration can be found at http://www.amsat-na.com/symposium > > >73, > >Emily Clarke, N1DID >Symposium Chair > > > >------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via amsat-bb(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > >End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 1 >************************************** Thanks, Robin Midgett K4IDC 615-322-5836 office - rolls to pager 615-835-7699 pager 615-301-1642 home K4IDC(a)comcast.net http://www.people.vanderbilt.edu/~robin.midgett/index.htm

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Recording off-air
by John Wright 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

I recently purchased, for a completely non-amateur purpose, a Gemini i-key USB recording device. It now occurs to me how useful this could be for recording your satellite activity Basically it is an audio interface that digitizes at 44khz, and stores the digital audio as an MP3 or more importantly, as a WAV file, onto more or less any USB pen drive. With a set of 2100mAh NiMh cells, it will record about 4 hours of audio, onto your pen drive, so you can just plug it into your PC, and there ya go!, your last 4 hours of activity. Plenty on Ebay, specs at >> http://www.ikey-audio.com/ Comments welcome

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IMPORTANT!!!
by MARTHA SARAGOVITZ 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

If you have not mailed your AMSAT ballot , now is the time to do so! The ballot has to arrive at the office by September 15th. Look over the bios on our website and VOTE!!! VOICE YOUR CHOICE. 73- Martha

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HF Amp..
by Frank A Cahoy 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

I know that this is totally off subject but lets face it, there isn't much to discuss satellite wise especially if you're a DXer! I'm wondering if someone out there has a small 500/600 watt HF amp that's just gathering dust, like my AO-40 station? Perhaps someone got hot and heavy into HF and their attention is now UHF or satellite.. If you fit into this catagory and have such a "critter" sitting unused I'd like to hear from you. Just hit the reply button so we don't take any more of the BB bandwidth. Thanks in advance and 73 to all. Frank, K0BLT 100 w. just is too much work for a tired old DXer!!

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PO-28 or POSAT1
by Vincenzo Mone 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Hi to the list, is there anybody which has heard the PO-28 or POSAT1 in the last days? It is a while I don not hear it any more on the 429 MHz. Is it sill alive? Anybody can tell me about its health? Thanks in advance 73 de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 *************************************** ***** GSM +39 338 9749786 ***** ***** SMS +39 338 9749786 ***** ***** FAX +39 328 7244294 ***** *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** ***************************************

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Instantrac Problem
by Mike Hooles 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Hi, often when trying to come out of Instantrac to revert to XP my display goes blank and I have to restart the machine to regain control. Has anybody else had this and is there a foolproof method of overcoming this minor nuisance? Regards Mike G3LGR

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Any 9600 orbital sources up?
by James Cottle 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Hello there, I am having some difficulty. Are there any amateurs consistently receiving 9600 beacons or TLM from either POSAT, ECHO or TECHSAT? It has been some time since I heard anything from these. Thanks. Jim N6FO San Francisco

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ISS Commander Bill McArthur is AMSAT's Keynote Speaker
by Emily Clarke 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

ISS Commander McArthur to Keynote at AMSAT Symposium AMSAT is excited to announce that ISS Expedition 12 Commander William (Bill) S. McArthur, KC5ACR, will be the keynote speaker at the 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City, California, October 6-8, 2006. Commander McArthur is well known to ham radio operators - during his six months aboard the ISS he became the most active radio amateur ever to serve in space. Commander McArthur logged more than 1800 QSOs, and earned the ARRL Worked All States Award. His impressive track record also included a record 37 school contacts, Worked All Continents (including Antartica) and 130 DXCC entities. Astronaut McArthur is a veteran of four space flights that include: * STS-58 - October 1993 (Spacelab Life Sciences Mission 2) * STS-74 - November 1995 (Shuttle-Mir Docking Missing 2) * STS-92 - October 2000 (ISS Assembly Mission 3A) * Expedition 12 - October 2005 In addition Bill has made four spacewalks (two each aboard STS-92 and Expedition 12) and was on backup crews of Expeditions 8, 9 and 10. He will be featured during the Annual Banquet on Saturday evening, October 7, 2006. The 2006 Space Symposium will be a joint meeting with the ARISS International Delegates and will also include the IARU Satellite Advisory Panel annual meeting, and a meeting of AMSAT International Delegates. For additional information please visit the AMSAT website at http://www.amsat.org. Click on the 2006 Space Symposium link in the left side menu. This year you can register for the Space Symposium online. Online Registration can be found at http://www.amsat-na.com/symposium 73, Emily Clarke, N1DID Symposium Chair

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New Mailing List Software
by Paul Williamson 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

The mailing lists at amsat.org have been converted over to a new program. Instead of Majordomo, we are now using GNU Mailman. Everybody's subscription was transferred over automatically, so you don't have to take any action to continue to receive your current mailing lists. The big difference is that subscribing and unsubscribing is now done on the web instead of by sending email. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change any of a number of new options for email delivery, start on http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo and select the mailing list of interest. From there, the forms are intended to be self-explanatory. You can also get to the forms using the web link at the bottom of every message from the mailing list. One thing has not changed: if you need help from a human, send email to listmaint(a)amsat.org. Don't send any requests for help, subscribe/unsubscribe requests, or test messages to the mailing lists. Daily digests are handled a bit differently in Mailman. Instead of separate mailing lists (for example, amsat-bb for individual messages and amsat-bb-digest for the digest), there is a single mailing list (amsat-bb) and each user can set various options, including digest mode. Subscribers to digest mailing lists were transferred to the single mailing list, with the digest option enabled. If you're one of the few subscribers who were getting both individual messages and the digest for the same list, that is no longer possible. More on AMSAT's mailing list services at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/maillist.php or click on Mail Services on AMSAT's main web page. I hope the transition will be smooth for everybody. If you notice any problems or have any questions, send mail to listmaint(a)amsat.org. 73 -Paul kb5mu(a)amsat.org Director, Electronic Communications

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Dead satellites
by Stargate 15 Aug '06

15 Aug '06

Just out of curiosity, how often are "supposedly dead" satellites listened for? I was wondering if any effort is applied to checking if past dead satellites have "come back from the dead" like AO-7 did a few years ago. Thanks, RoD KD0XX

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