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Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

At 02:51 AM 10/7/2020 +0000, you wrote: >A local told me the ISS repeater was on the air. Is that possible in >conjunction with the SSTV? > >73, >Gary "Joe" kk0sd I haven't been doing any sstv decoding, but on a number of passes I've heard voice conversations under the sstv. KB7ADL

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Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by John Brier 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Two active. SSTV is in Russian service module. New radio doing crossband is in Columbus module. On Tue, Oct 6, 2020, 23:26 Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Possibly, but the interference isn't at the audio level; it sounds more > like an FM double to me. > > How many ham stations do they have up there? > > Greg KO6TH > > > John Brier wrote: > > Reports suggest two SSTV transmissions at same time. > > https://twitter.com/bobbylittle/status/1313665745734324225?s=19 > > Crossband is totally diff setup in diff ISS modules. > > 73, John Brier KG4AKV > > On Tue, Oct 6, 2020, 23:04 Greg D via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > >> That was my first thought, but I'm presuming they're running from >> separate power sources, and using separate antennas, in different >> modules of the Station. If anything, the interference would be the >> reverse, with the SSTV desensing the x-band repeater's uplink. >> >> Also, my audio sounds rather different from Loren's, so perhaps >> different (or degrading) situations? >> >> Greg KO6TH >> >> >> Gary wrote: >> > A local told me the ISS repeater was on the air. Is that possible in >> conjunction with the SSTV? >> > >> > 73, >> > Gary "Joe" kk0sd >> > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Greg D via >> AMSAT-BB >> > Sent: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 9:38 PM >> > To: Loren M. Lang <penguin359(a)gmail.com>; AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal >> > >> > I just heard something even weirder here during the just-completed >> 02:04z pass here in CM98. 3 images during the pass, the first two totally >> wiped out. The third started off just fine, then the interference started >> in. >> > >> > I captured the screen and audio for the second and 3rd images here: >> > >> > >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzlp9jzs4k29sy1/ISS%20SSTV%20Pass3-2020-10-06_19.… >> > >> > I'm no where near where Loren is, so it's unlikely to be local. This >> is with the same equipment and setup as two passes yesterday, which were >> totally clean. The 8pm (PDT) pass yesterday was recorded for our local >> club, and can be viewed here: >> > >> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SkJ8_mtA4 >> > >> > Thoughts? >> > >> > Greg KO6TH >> > >> > >> > Loren M. Lang via AMSAT-BB wrote: >> >> During one of the SSTV transmissions today, I heard an unusual signal >> >> overlaid on top of the regular SSTV signal. It started just after the >> >> original SSTV signal, and was initially quite strong, but eventually >> >> lost out to the regular SSTV signal. It sounds similar to SSTV, but >> >> not quite the same. This started at 2020-10-06 02:54:32Z. You can hear >> it here: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/abcizkoly8rn1ij/funny-sstv-signal.mp3?dl=0 >> >> >> >> You can see the waterfall during the initial decode here: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxmy4rhruiit84v/funny-sstv-signal.png?dl=0 >> >> >> >> It does look like a separate signal on top of the original SSTV signal >> >> and it looks more centered on 145.800 MHz than the Doppler shifted ISS >> >> transmission which makes me thing it might be terrestrial, but I have >> >> no idea where it would be coming from. It definitely looks like it was >> >> targeting 145.8 and it sounds SSTV-like. The signal poped in several >> >> more times as can be seen in this waterfall: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwh4h4b1d8qtnbv/funny-sstv-signal2.png?dl=0 >> >> >> >> Any ideas what this came from? >> >> >> >> Here's the image I received during that pass: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/j11wj6yo9s2ceg9/sstv-202010060311.png?dl=0 >> >> >> >> I do have the raw baseband signal if anyone's interested. >> >> >> >> -Loren >> >> K7IW >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >> >> Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect >> the official views of AMSAT-NA. >> >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite >> program! >> >> Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions >> expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official >> views of AMSAT-NA. >> > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite >> program! >> > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >> Opinions expressed >> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of >> AMSAT-NA. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> > >

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Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Loren M. Lang 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

During one of the SSTV transmissions today, I heard an unusual signal overlaid on top of the regular SSTV signal. It started just after the original SSTV signal, and was initially quite strong, but eventually lost out to the regular SSTV signal. It sounds similar to SSTV, but not quite the same. This started at 2020-10-06 02:54:32Z. You can hear it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/abcizkoly8rn1ij/funny-sstv-signal.mp3?dl=0 You can see the waterfall during the initial decode here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxmy4rhruiit84v/funny-sstv-signal.png?dl=0 It does look like a separate signal on top of the original SSTV signal and it looks more centered on 145.800 MHz than the Doppler shifted ISS transmission which makes me thing it might be terrestrial, but I have no idea where it would be coming from. It definitely looks like it was targeting 145.8 and it sounds SSTV-like. The signal poped in several more times as can be seen in this waterfall: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwh4h4b1d8qtnbv/funny-sstv-signal2.png?dl=0 Any ideas what this came from? Here's the image I received during that pass: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j11wj6yo9s2ceg9/sstv-202010060311.png?dl=0 I do have the raw baseband signal if anyone's interested. -Loren K7IW

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Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Kevin 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Steve, I run the same antennas here, maybe something I do to my rotors make a difference. I clean and grease them with a marine grease, the old wire on the slider style pots have been replaced with the newer style closed back ones, I added thermal switches to the inside of the motors so if something snags they shutoff rather than burn up, an interesting note is that it looks like Yaesu had planned for a cutout as the pc board inside the motor has a spot where you move one wire and then there are two holes that line up perfectly with a spot to slip the cutout into the motor and solder to the board, I also Loctite the drive screws. For me when they do finally fail it is the pot that gets erratic, a new pot and re-grease and away they go. If yours were dying every 4-8 months I can see where spending the bucks for the Spid makes perfect sense, It's also possible you guys track way more sats than I do, with AO-92 going dark I only track 4 sats on a daily basis now. 73, Kevin WA7FWF On 10/6/2020 1:29 PM, Stephen E. Belter wrote: > Kevin, > > I'm in West Lafayette, Indiana, so no salt water. My antennas are M-squared medium size antennas, 2MCP14 and 436CP30 with polarity switches, so not overloaded. > > Mark N8MH, has had similar experience with his Yaesu's. Since he is a dedicated telemetry collector like you, and since he is a control operator for the Fox satellites, he replaces his rotors when they fail. He had a volunteer to repair his broken rotors, so I transported 6-8 rotors from his garage in North Carolina (not near salt water either) to Indiana. Half were elevation rotors, half were azimuth rotors. I thought I was just having bad luck until Mark shared his experience. > > The last time mine failed, it was the azimuth rotor. Pointing the Yagis south just above the horizon worked a little better (long term) than an omnidirectional antenna. Since it failed while I was on a 3 month trip, I couldn't replace the rotor. > > I still recommend the G5500 rotors for normal operators, but they may not be the best choice for 24x7x365 telemetry collection. (I'm glad they work for you in that mode.) I've since switched to an AlphaSpid rotor with a Green Heron controller. You can buy the AlphaSpid rotors without the controller (my recommendation for heavy duty use) and use a Green Heron instead. > > Still: YMMV > > 73, Steve N9IP

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Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Bob Hammond 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

I'm going to get set up to monitor Fox telemetry. For those of you who already do so, what antenna are you using? I'm set up with 2M, 70cm, and 23cm CP antennas on a G5500 rotator but I understand I can also use a fixed antenna such as a Lindenblad or quadrifilar. Suggestions? Bob W7OTJ

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Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Stephen DeVience 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

During my time in Chicago, I collected telemetry with a QFH (no preamp) that was actually designed for the NOAA satellites. It did an OK job but wasn't going to put me on top of the leaderboard. A Lindenblad would probably be better for the lower passes. You could probably make a phased array of either type if you wanted. -Stephen N8URE

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Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Kevin 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Steve, What are you doing that is wearing it out in 4-8 months? overloaded? near the ocean with salt? something has to be wrong as mine go for years. 73 Kevin WA7FWF On 10/6/2020 10:21 AM, Stephen E. Belter via AMSAT-BB wrote: > Roy, > > In my experience, using the CP antennas with the G5500 will help you collect and decode about 4-6 times more packets than an omnidirectional antenna. > > But tracking the Fox satellites using the Yaesu rotors will wear out the rotors in 4-8 months. Replacement rotors are about $250 each (you won’t need to replace the controller). > > YMMV > > 73, Steve N9IP > -- > Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com > > >

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Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Roy Dean 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

I've been using a 3/4 wavelength ground plane (vertical with 4 equal length radials) in my attic for the last couple of years, and have usually been in the top 60 on the leaderboard for the fox satellites. Lately I've been having FoxTelem stability issues, though (pretty regularly getting a usb access error). --Roy K3RLD > I'm set up with 2M, 70cm, and 23cm CP antennas on a G5500 rotator but I > understand I can also use a fixed antenna such as a Lindenblad or > quadrifilar. Suggestions? > >

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AO-27 this morning
by Stephen DeVience 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

I also noticed a lot of fading. I heard you and KB2M but not very clearly. I made a QSO with KI5DVX near the end of the pass, but it was rough going. Maybe the satellite antenna was just in a bad orientation this morning. -Stephen N8URE

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ARISS News Release No. 20-19
by David Jordan 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-19 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled with McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA October06, 2020—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is thegroup that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students aroundthe globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio between the ISS and students fromMcConnell Middle School in Loganville, Georgia. Students will take turns askingtheir questions of ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call sign KF5KDR,during the ARISS radio contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 437.525 MHz. ARISS team member Jan Poppeliers, using call signON4ISS (from an AMSAT amateur radio clubstation in Aartselaar, Belgium), will serve as therelay amateur radio station. Each student asking a question of Cassidy on the ARISS radiowill be teleconferenced in from home or social-distancedat school. Youth and faculty and the publiccan watch the livestreamed action from home. TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 7, 2020 at 10:18 am EDT (Georgia) (14:18UTC, 9:18 am CDT, 8:18 am MDT, 07:18 am PDT). McConnellMiddle School (about 2,300students ages 11 to 15) is a Gwinnett County public school near Atlanta.The district’s career-planningcurriculum group integrated lessons into established science, math and languagearts classes before the contact in order to increase student interest andawareness related to space science, expand student experience with researchmethodologies, and inspire them to pursue studies and careers inscience-related fields. The school’s McConnell Radio Club, in its 6th year,is mentored by members of the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society who provide radioclasses and equipment for student use, and guided the ARISS project, a part of thefaculty’s efforts toward becoming a STEM-certified school. ARISS invites the public to view thelivestream of the upcoming ARISS radio contact at: https://youtu.be/pHOM15BLRSo. _______________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. Are there specialactivities designed for you to help relieve the stress of living and working inspace? 2. Describe whatsurprised you about earth when you got to the ISS. 3. Do you seeevidence of the recent West Coast wildfires or other environmental situations? 4. As a middle schoolstudent what can we do to prepare ourselves for the job you do today as anastronaut? 5. In the movie TheMartian, Mark was trained as a botanist. What is your area of interest and whatexperiments are you doing in your field? 6. How long is yourmission and how do you expect it might impact your body? 7. What was thehardest part of training prior to going to space? 8. How often do youneed to do repairs on the outside of the ISS? 9. Describe yourmedical training that would help if an astronaut becomes ill or seriouslyinjured while on the space station. 10. Standard airpressure on earth is 1 atmosphere. What air pressure do they try to maintain onthe ISS? 11. Whatqualifications do you have that enable you to be assigned to more than onemission or similar? 12. Have you evertried growing carrots or root vegetables in space? 13. Are there anytimes where any shipments of food or drinks are running late, or have spaceflight troubles, and you run out of food or water for the time? 14. How does foodtaste when you don't get to smell it? 15. How is the ISSdesigned in case of a collision with space junk or a meteoroid? 16. What is theprocedure if spills, liquid or solid, occur during experiments? 17. How do youmaintain clean hygiene while in space? 18. What is yournormal schedule on the ISS? ARISS– Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsorsare the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s SpaceCommunications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promoteexploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematicstopics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew membersaboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students,educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org . MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Likeus on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and@ARISS_status.

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