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A test question!
by Graham Shirville 03 Jul '19

03 Jul '19

Hi All, I am preparing for a satellite talk and QO100 demo this Monday 8th July at the Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society! I have a slide that shows Oscar 7 as having been launched in 1974 and I am tempted to state that it is the oldest satellite in earth orbit that is still functioning! (not just the oldest Oscar) Would I be correct? I will, of course, explain about how it was "out of service" for some years in the intervening 45. many thanks Graham G3VZV

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PSAT2 status DIGI and Voice are on
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 03 Jul '19

03 Jul '19

Hi Bob! Managed to copy my first SSTV image on 17 degree pas @01:45 UTC today. Looks like its a image from the ROM of your desk. Also managed to copy a PSK31 telemetry frame on 375hz: PSAT-2 A bDmk bBaalfvdpqjEar aaaa A bCph bBamlkujpqjFak . No luck this pass in trying to bring up the PSK31 transponder and seeing my downlink, but this was my first attempt. I will keep trying on 29.481.50. My SSTV image can be seen on my twitter here: https://twitter.com/KE8AKW/status/1146238059698110465 . Also looks like two stations were digipeated in the US on that pass according to FINDU http://www1.findu.com/cgi-bin/pcsat.cgi?absolute=1 . Thanks for enabling the digipeater. We cannot wait here in the higher latitudes to finally hear and work PSAT-2! 73 - Nick KE8AKW

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Good SSTV picture from PSAT-2
by Roland Zurmely 03 Jul '19

03 Jul '19

Near perigee, good picture from 03 july <https://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/psat2.htm#a> 73 de Roland

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Re: [amsat-bb] PSAT2 status DIGI and Voice are on
by Robert Bruninga 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

PSAT2 has been enabled for Digipeating on 145.825 up/down. Also the APRS-to-Voice feature is enabled if you send a packet in APRS message format TO PSAT2-SAY and begin the message with CCCCCC sez speak this… Where CCCCCC is your callsign padded to 6 bytes with spaces and you must spell “sez” which is the key word. What will be spoken is “CCCCCC sez speak this …” But DON’T EVEN THINK about it if you are not tracking Doppler on the uplink. You wont get in and will only jam others. If you radio can only do 5 KHz steps, then the only time for you to transmit is a few seconds at max elevation when the Doppler passes through 0 offset (And you are strongest then anyway). DO NOT ATTEMPT any DTMF modes. They are disabled. They take longer uplink times and will be quite jamming to others. ALSO, because of all the APRS calls in space, FINDU.com and I are cleaning up the links. PCSAT.APRS.ORG will now only capture USER packets and will not be cluttered with satellite telemetry. Find telemetry from each satellite on this top-down page: http://aprs.org/sats.html Object number we now think is 44355 or 44354 that are too close to tell. Bob, WB4aPR *From:* Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> *Sent:* Monday, July 1, 2019 9:02 PM *To:* amsat bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> *Cc:* Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> *Subject:* PSAT2 status (GREAT NEWS!) PSAT2 is doing great! PSK31 and SSTV transponder have been on since launch. SSTV downlinks are looking good. See Gallery: http://www.urel.feec.vutbr.cz/esl/psat2/sstv/ Still waiting for first report of user PSK31 contacts. But I have not said much about the VHF modes… because we have had difficulty commanding. This is because the PSAT2 VHF uplink uses an inexpensive narrowband XCVR module which is intolerant of overdeviated signals, exactly what you get with +/- 3 kHz of Doppler. ANYWAY, we can now consistently command if we set the Kenwood to narrowband NFM and do it right in the middle of the pass. Plus, we can extend that a bit (1.25 KHz after center) by then changing the radio step size to 6.25 Khz where the channel raster ups the channel by 1.25 KHz). So, we now have command again! You may have seen that we have turned on Sun vector S#... telemetry and can easily see by plotting the 1 minute xyz xyz xyz vector triplets that it is smoothly tumbling at about 1.3 RPM for nice battery charging and good thermal management. The downlink is live on FINDU: http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/raw.cgi?call=psat2-1&time=1 Background: This last 6 days of crisis was complicated by the fact that I am operating in a temporary dungeon while the building is being renovated and all my 27 years of lab stuff is in 200 boxes surrounding me. I installed a temporary ground station on the top floor and modest antennas and a TV rotator and the contractor let me drill a hole through the wall that they can seal up later. But the big problem is the 8 flights of stairs from my PC and internet connectivity in the dungeon up to the radio 6 times a day for passes with only a few hours sleep and all kinds of what-if-dead-ends. And with passes from 10 PM to 2 AM. But we are back in the saddle again! And this good news reprieve is only an hour old, so it will take a while to decide what we want to do next. In any case, the Brno University PSK31 and SSTV transponder has all the power for now, so enjoy. Uplink USB on 29.4815 and downlink on 435.350 +/- Doppler. The transponder only comes up if there is a user in the uplink with PSK31. Bob, WB4APR

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13 Colonies Special Event
by Dave 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

I will be operating K2A this week as a representative of NY for the event and hope to work some of the satellites during the week from FN03. I'm still a newbie but I have a pair of eggbeaters up and can work the linear or FM sats when everything cooperates. I will post on the AMSAT-NA Facebook group and will use twitter @AMSAT when I know I'll be on. Dave N2OA

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K2J on 2019-07-02 - 2230 UTC - SO-50 pass
by John Brier 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

Hi folks, I will be operating with the K2J callsign from FM05 on the 2019-07-02 - 2230 UTC - SO-50 pass. This is a nice pass over the center of North America. K2J is the North Carolina callsign for the 13 Colonies Special Event: http://www.13colonies.net/ https://www.qrz.com/db/k2j 73, John Brier KG4AKV

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EN75/76/85/86/87 rove
by aa8ch 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

Heading back up north MI July 6th. Staying in EN85, will also hit EN86 if any requests. May try to do EN75/76/85/86 corner /MM one of the days. July 13 going to stay in EN76/VE3, with activation of EN86/EN87 planned. Let me know if you need one of 'em. 73/Chris AA8CH

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IC-9700 and SATPC32 linear tuning
by Bill Acito 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

I run SATPC32 on a Win10 tablet portable with my ICOM 820H. Make sure your clock and keps are current (sync immediately before the pass) On FO-29, you shouldn't have to move the TX offset more than +/- 1Khz to find yourself. On my current tablet, it was +800Hz, on a previous laptop, -600. You're adjusting for PC clock tolerance, temperature, location accuracy, and VFO accuracy. Once you do, you can set that as a permanent offset so you don't have to do that again: https://amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2006-December/001991.html AO-7 is much tougher, as some of the published doppler.sqf files are 3 to 4Khz off from reality (your mileage may vary) The XW's seem to be spot on, with little or no adjustment. Bill W1PA

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IC-9700 and SATPC32 linear tuning
by Dave J 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

Hello folks: I just upgraded my tired FT-847 for a new IC-9700. FM birds are not a problem but I'm wondering if someone has a good method of finding your signal on the linear birds while using SATPC-32 revision 12.8d. The only way I can vary the TX frequency is under the CAT Tuning menu Upl Calib field. It seems to work but it's a bit clunky and not very quick. If I try to change the transmit frequency on the radio it only gives me a few seconds then reverts back to what is on the main screen of the PC. If I try changing the receive frequency, the transmit frequency changes as well. Probably new radio operator error but I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks//Dave WB9YIG

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Santa Barbara Public Library, Santa Barbara, CA
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Santa Barbara Public Library, Santa Barbara, CA on 03 July. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:54 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K6TZ. The contact should be audible over the state of California and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The Santa Barbara Public Library's mission is to provide information services, reading materials, and educational resources to the greater Santa Barbara community. The Library provides STEM programs and a wide range of maker programs year round. The Library enriches lives by creating equitable opportunities for learning both at our libraries and outside our walls in locations throughout the community. All of the Library's services are free of charge. Every summer, the Santa Barbara Public Library holds a Summer Reading and Learning Program for readers of all ages, which especially targets school age children to help prevent summer learning loss. This year, the theme of the program space exploration, and includes a series of STEAM programs related to astronomy, physics, radio communication, and other space related topics, in preparation for an ARISS (Amateur Radio International Space Station) contact taking place the first week of July. STEAM programs this summer include the following: Cook up a Comet - What are comets, and how do they form? Kids can learn about these astrological phenomenon and create their own. What is Amateur Radio? - Learn more about how our radio Space Station contact works by connecting with Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club (SBARC), the group that is making contact with the ISS possible. Little Bits ISS and Mars Rover - Learn about radio communication on the International Space Station or satellite communication with the Mars Rover by building your own model with Little Bits circuits. Robotics Camp - Build and code your own space rover using Hummingbird Robotics in this week long camp. Summer Space Camp - This will be a week-long camp where we'll focus on engineering, space, aeronautics, and the space station. Activities will include Wonderbots retrieving space samples, building and launching rockets, and astronaut boot camp. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What's the most interesting thing that you have seen while you were on the space station? 2. Are there any planets that you've found that we could live on? 3. How do you take a shower? 4. Are pets and/or animals allowed on the ISS? 5. How do you survive and eat on the space station? 6. What does it feel like to be in space or the ISS? 7. What is it like to be weightless and float in space? 8. Has the ISS been hit by space debris? 9. What does Earth look like from very far up? 10. What do you do in your life on Earth that you cannot do in space? 11. At your current orbit, do you have sunrise and sunset and how many hours of daylight do you have? 12. If the ISS was rebuilt what would you do differently and should another be built? 13. Living in space or anywhere else other than on earth is very dangerous. Why not just send robots? 14. Can you get sick while in space? 15. Do radio waves travel slower in space? 16. How do Astronauts use the restroom at the space station or when traveling to the space station? 17. How do you repair the space station? 18. Why do you eat Jello on Mondays? 19. What experiments do you do? Are you doing any research in space that was your idea? 20. What do you do with your waste? Is there compost? 21. How many "pounds of thrust" are required to launch the rocket that boosts the space station into space and what does it feel like? 22. How many years does it take and what tests do you have to pass to become an astronaut? 23. Do you see space vehicles from other countries during your observations? 24. What was it like when you found out you actually get to go to the space station? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): TBD About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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