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VE8RAC on for WARD 12z-24z
by Ron VE8RT 18 Apr '20

18 Apr '20

with some breaks for meals and shopping I hope to be active on satellites for World Amateur Radio Day using the call sign VE8RAC. This will be on U/v satellites, linear and FM (making an effort to use best practices to reduce QRM), but not AO7 which is too fragile. QSLing will be through the Radio Amateurs of Canada www.rac.ca as this is there call sign not my own. A note about QSLing, for my own call sign, please keep in mind that US stamps on a SASE will not work here. If sending me a QSL through the mail a self addressed envelope is appreciated, and unless the demand gets too high I don't mind covering return postage. Otherwise unless I forget I'll return the SASE when I mail out my QSL card so that it may be used within the US. 73 Ron VE8RT, and for a few hours today only VE8RAC -- Ron VE8RT <ve8rt(a)yknwt.ca>

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Interesting news about on-orbit geostationary satellite maintenance
by Zach Metzinger 18 Apr '20

18 Apr '20

"For the first time ever, a robotic spacecraft caught an old satellite and extended its life" https://tinyurl.com/y7ta8qzr --- Zach N0ZGO

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Re: [amsat-bb] PO-101 did not seem to hear me
by Roy Dean 18 Apr '20

18 Apr '20

> > I just tried to make some QSOs on the PO-101 pass starting around 22:04Z > just a little bit ago. However, even though I could clearly hear the > satellite for nearly it's entire pass, I could not seem to make it in. I'm > not sure what wasn't configured right. This is my very first attempt with > this satellite PO-101 is very stubborn when it comes to uplink power. I've never tried below 10 watts, and even when I'm using 20 watts (which is now my standard with it), it sometimes "cuts out" in the middle of a qso. It may be even more difficult with just an HT and an Elk, which isn't all that great on 70cm to start with. YMMV. --Roy K3RLD

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PO-101 did not seem to hear me
by Loren M. Lang 18 Apr '20

18 Apr '20

I just tried to make some QSOs on the PO-101 pass starting around 22:04Z just a little bit ago. However, even though I could clearly hear the satellite for nearly it's entire pass, I could not seem to make it in. I'm not sure what wasn't configured right. This is my very first attempt with this satellite. I am using a Yaesu FT-3DR with an Elk Antenna. I had very clear audio for much of the pass which is usually the more difficult part from experience. On that pass, I heard: DN17 N6AJ DM05 KA7FVV K8YSE/7 DM43 WJ7WJ CN85 I'm not looking for LoTW confirmations, just if any of them heard me at all. I have five presets, all receive on 145.900 and transmit on 437.490, 437.495, 437.500, 437.505, and 437.510 MHz in that order. When pressing PTT, my radio showed the corresponding TX frequency and also TN 141.3 along with FM in the corner so I can't figure out what I was doing wrong especially during the peak when it should be close to being on frequency. I've been very successful with my set up on AO-91, AO-92, and SO-50 so it leaves me completely befuddled what I did wrong. Confused, Loren K7IW

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Telemetry on 145.96 MHz
by wizardofzid 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

I've heard a CW telemetry signal on 145.96 (AO-91 downlink frequency) 5-10 min. before the FM pass. It's a bit hard to copy CW on a FM receiver but I've heard it 3 times in the last 2 days. Seems to fade out prior to the AO-91 pass. I expect it is an analog bird but so far I haven't figured out which. Any guesses?Rusty, WA8ZIDSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

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Wanted: Icom AG25 preamp
by Kyle Y 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

Hello all, Anybody have an Icom AG25 preamp that they'd like to sell? Please contact me directly if so. Thanks. 73 Kyle K0KN k0kn(a)amsat.org

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SATpc32 -- Limit satellites to active ones?
by Thomas Schaefer 14 Apr '20

14 Apr '20

A related question…Is there some reason we need to carry old, no longer in-use, satellites in these files? This is not about the DOPPLER.SQL file but more about the lists in general as the elements files are full of objects one can never use for communications. For example, when I open the Satellite dialog, I see 200 available satellites. I have my filters setup but there is a big list of essentially no communication use—unless it comes back from the dead and the AMSAT News will tell me that I have no doubt. I was asking if one could filter the “Available” list but that looks to be just a representation of the files underneath (amateur.txt, cubesat.txt, etc). Just as we have editors for Doppler.SQL, I think one answer might be to create a new file with the active satellites in it (derived from the AMSAT satellites page). I can then use that my “Active sats” Keps file as my input. I can programmatically build the active sats file from the downloaded elements files. That seems like an easy Perl script I can put on a website. As far as a feature request (and this is purely for usability), I would summarize it thusly, add a feature where one can list the name of the satellites one wants to see in the Available file. This would be an Active filter. You can enable that with a checkbox to see active sats or all for historical reference. Then even though the program downloads the latest elements, it would only show the satellites in the active file or all if Active is not checked. Thanks, Tom Schaefer, NY4I Blog: www.ny4i.com Madeira Beach, FL (Grid: EL87ot)

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Cheap 10W solar panels
by GEO Badger 13 Apr '20

13 Apr '20

The link is to ML Solar, local to me in Cali. https://tinyurl.com/txyw2bj --- Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side. GEO http://www.w3ab.org You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".

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SATpc32 -- doppler.sqf Editor
by Michael Walker 13 Apr '20

13 Apr '20

Hi All For the new operators, you may like this nice piece of code by W9KE Doppler.SQF Edit http://www.tomdoyle.org/dopplersqfeditor/DopplerSqfEditor.html Mike va3mw

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Good Contact???
by Brad Smith 13 Apr '20

13 Apr '20

<2 - A station calls me with My Call and Their Call.3 - I respond to them with Their Call & My Call/Grid> Since I am always operating handheld or portable, whether at my QTH, or roving, I cannot write the call down as it is being said, as both of my hands happen to be employed at the moment. Since a rover usually gives his grid, at least every few calls, I may say "Grid CM94, My Call" for example and the rover usually comes back at me and I appreciate that and I will then give my call and grid. Sometimes that is the best that can be done. I get his call when he comes back to me. I also record every pass on my iPhone. My memory isn't geed enough to remember 5 calls (or more, if I am roving) that I just worked, along with the activities of pointing an antenna and manually adjusting Doppler, so I rely on my recording. I know it is difficult to understand, but working portable is a lot different than sitting in front of an SDR computer screen in one's shack, with a 9700 with a speaker system and elevating and rotating, computer controlled yagi antennas. Some of us are doing this under not-so-ideal conditions. I have worked with my Arrow in the rain and in a snowstorm, several times without gloves, with noisy trucks going by and people asking me what I am doing,while trying to work. I have been asked if I am tracking animals and once as I was setting up, someone threatened to call the police. (I offered to let him use my phone, and I have Amateur Radio plates on my vehicles.) So, please cut some of us a little slack, if we are not operating exactly by "the book." Also, getting stepped on by the rude, big guns will eradicate part of the call. (Big guns are certainly more important than little portables.) If it is his/her call that gets stepped on, I can pick it up as he/she makes more contacts. If it is my call, I will email him/her to verify what my call is and make sure the contact is correct. Many times the person will thank me because he was missing one letter. Brad KC9UQR

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