Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 112
Kevin: glad to see your working yourself on the S downlink of AO-51....havent used my DEM down converter (2400 to 144) in a long time but have heard nothing while listing this week.....l dont guess there are hundreds of people with L band up links......am using BBQ grill, DEM down-converter and PCR 1000 receiver.....need to get a signal source for 2.4 ghz to further test the S downlink as there are no other mode S satellites that l know of.......73 Rob ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 2:00 PM Subject: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 112
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Today's Topics:
- Re: Astron SS-30M schematic needed (G. Beat)
- Symposium Pre-Registration Extended (Emily Clarke)
- Re: Astron SS-30M schematic needed (Joe KS1I)
- HITSAT official HP (Mineo Wakita)
- HITSAT official HP #2 (Mineo Wakita)
- 9-17-06 14:50 UTC pass of AO-51 (Kevin J. Smith)
Message: 1 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:15:28 -0500 From: "G. Beat" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Astron SS-30M schematic needed To: [email protected], [email protected] Message-ID: [email protected] Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252"; reply-type=original
Joe -
That schematic is available in the Astron schematic index of the Repeaters Builder web site, thanks to K4XL. (BTW, a schematic was not shipped with my SS-30M) http://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/astron-index.html
Astron SS-30M schematic (Adobe Acrobat) http://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/astron-ss-30.pdf
Cheers
Greg w9gb
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:44:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Joe Kononchik Subject: [amsat-bb] Astron SS-30M schematic needed To: amsat-bb
I was wondering if anyone had a schematic for the Astron SS-30M switching power supply.
73 - Joe, KS1I [email protected]
Message: 2 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:33:02 -0700 From: Emily Clarke [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Symposium Pre-Registration Extended To: [email protected] Message-ID: [email protected] Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Since most (about 90%) of Symposium Registrations have been through the website we have made a decision to extend pre-registration through the 24th of September. We were able to do this because the production cycle for badges, etc. is now automated and requires very little human intervention except some minor paper handling!
So if you haven't signed up now is your chance to get in at the last minute without having to pay the additional fee!
73,
Emily Symposium Chair
N1DID formerly W0EEC - CM87tm
Support Project OSCAR - http://www.projectoscar.net
Message: 3 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:09:14 -0400 From: "Joe KS1I" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Astron SS-30M schematic needed To: "'G. Beat'" [email protected], [email protected] Message-ID: 001501c6d9dc$bf6026e0$210110ac@SELF99E34E7E2F Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi Greg W9GB,
Thanks for the information! Greatly appreciate it.
73 - Joe, KS1I
-----Original Message----- From: G. Beat [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2006 3:15 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Astron SS-30M schematic needed
Joe -
That schematic is available in the Astron schematic index of the Repeaters Builder web site, thanks to K4XL. (BTW, a schematic was not shipped with my
SS-30M) http://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/astron-index.html
Astron SS-30M schematic (Adobe Acrobat) http://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/astron-ss-30.pdf
Cheers
Greg w9gb
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:44:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Joe Kononchik Subject: [amsat-bb] Astron SS-30M schematic needed To: amsat-bb
I was wondering if anyone had a schematic for the Astron SS-30M switching power supply.
73 - Joe, KS1I [email protected]
Message: 4 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:05:27 +0900 From: "Mineo Wakita" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] HITSAT official HP To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000301c6da51$917073f0$92aefea9@yourdesomzjynu Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-2022-jp"; reply-type=original
http://www.hit.ac.jp/%7Esatori/hitsat/index-e.htm
Name: Mineo Wakita / JE9PEL, JAMSAT member Mail: [email protected] URL : http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ QTH : Yokohama Japan, GL:pm95tj Date: Sep 17, 2006
Message: 5 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:10:18 +0900 From: "Mineo Wakita" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] HITSAT official HP #2 To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000f01c6da52$3dd2b3b0$92aefea9@yourdesomzjynu Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-2022-jp"; reply-type=original
http://www.hit.ac.jp/~satori/hitsat/index-e.htm
Name: Mineo Wakita / JE9PEL, JAMSAT member Mail: [email protected] URL : http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ QTH : Yokohama Japan, GL:pm95tj Date: Sep 17, 2006
Message: 6 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:33:38 -0400 From: "Kevin J. Smith" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] 9-17-06 14:50 UTC pass of AO-51 To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000601c6da6e$a61d17a0$2900a8c0@N3HKQ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In FN00 I seemed to have the entire pass to myself. I did hear myself on a few occasions as I was sending out my call. I do have quite a few trees to contend with around my property so it is possible I could not hear others. I will be on the 9-18-06 00:25 UTC pass this evening. I hope to contact others as this will be my last opportunity to make an L/S contact before AO-51 switches to V/U. Thanks for the bandwidth.
Kevin Smith N3HKQ FN00be
Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 112
I have tried all week to be able to hear the S-band downlink with a BBQ grill dish and AIDC 3731 converter. I checked aim of my antennas and can receive a signal when a signal source is hanging off the dish but no joy as far as hearing the bird itself. I don't have an antenna for L band yet so I can't transmit. I'm very discouraged and about ready to yank the dish/downconverter off the mast and give up. 73, Michael, W4HIJ
Robert Roy wrote:
Kevin: glad to see your working yourself on the S downlink of AO-51....havent used my DEM down converter (2400 to 144) in a long time but have heard nothing while listing this week.....l dont guess there are hundreds of people with L band up links......am using BBQ grill, DEM down-converter and PCR 1000 receiver.....need to get a signal source for 2.4 ghz to further test the S downlink as there are no other mode S satellites that l know of.......73 Rob
Message: 6 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:33:38 -0400 From: "Kevin J. Smith" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] 9-17-06 14:50 UTC pass of AO-51 To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000601c6da6e$a61d17a0$2900a8c0@N3HKQ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In FN00 I seemed to have the entire pass to myself. I did hear myself on a few occasions as I was sending out my call. I do have quite a few trees to contend with around my property so it is possible I could not hear others. I will be on the 9-18-06 00:25 UTC pass this evening. I hope to contact others as this will be my last opportunity to make an L/S contact before AO-51 switches to V/U. Thanks for the bandwidth.
Kevin Smith N3HKQ FN00be
Mike Don't give up yet save that S-Band equip!!!! Yes it can be discouraging at times, I had good S-band D/L & had success in my 1st L-band U/L contact this week. Today I couldn't hear the S-band D/L at all during 2 passes, go figure. They'll be more opportunities for AO51 S-band D/L & P3E. Are you using a down converter? Do you have trees & such in the way? Anyway keep the faith!!
73 Bruce KG4YEV
----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Tondee" [email protected] To: "Robert Roy" [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 7:02 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 112
I have tried all week to be able to hear the S-band downlink with a BBQ grill dish and AIDC 3731 converter. I checked aim of my antennas and can receive a signal when a signal source is hanging off the dish but no joy as far as hearing the bird itself. I don't have an antenna for L band yet so I can't transmit. I'm very discouraged and about ready to yank the dish/downconverter off the mast and give up. 73, Michael, W4HIJ
Robert Roy wrote:
Kevin: glad to see your working yourself on the S downlink of AO-51....havent used my DEM down converter (2400 to 144) in a long time but have heard nothing while listing this week.....l dont guess there are hundreds of people with L band up links......am using BBQ grill, DEM down-converter and PCR 1000 receiver.....need to get a signal source for 2.4 ghz to further test the S downlink as there are no other mode S satellites that l know of.......73 Rob
Message: 6 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:33:38 -0400 From: "Kevin J. Smith" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] 9-17-06 14:50 UTC pass of AO-51 To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000601c6da6e$a61d17a0$2900a8c0@N3HKQ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In FN00 I seemed to have the entire pass to myself. I did hear myself on a few occasions as I was sending out my call. I do have quite a few trees to contend with around my property so it is possible I could not hear others. I will be on the 9-18-06 00:25 UTC pass this evening. I hope to contact others as this will be my last opportunity to make an L/S contact before AO-51 switches to V/U. Thanks for the bandwidth.
Kevin Smith N3HKQ FN00be
Sent via [email protected]. 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
I heard Mode S signals on AO-51 last evening (A VE6??? calling a W5??) and I heard my own d/l at times but they apparently did not hear me. During this morning's (9-17-06) east coast US pass all I heard was myself. During the just concluded east coast US pass 00:25 UTC 9-18-06 I heard nothing, not even my own d/l signal. I guess people are just tired. I can't wait until AO-51's next L/S period.
Kevin N3HKQ
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bruce Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 8:16 PM To: Michael Tondee Cc: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 112
Mike Don't give up yet save that S-Band equip!!!! Yes it can be discouraging at times, I had good S-band D/L & had success in my 1st L-band U/L contact this week. Today I couldn't hear the S-band D/L at all during 2 passes, go figure. They'll be more opportunities for AO51 S-band D/L & P3E. Are you using a down converter? Do you have trees & such in the way? Anyway keep the faith!!
73 Bruce KG4YEV
----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Tondee" [email protected] To: "Robert Roy" [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 7:02 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 1, Issue 112
I have tried all week to be able to hear the S-band downlink with a BBQ grill dish and AIDC 3731 converter. I checked aim of my antennas and can receive a signal when a signal source is hanging off the dish but no joy as far as hearing the bird itself. I don't have an antenna for L band yet so I can't transmit. I'm very discouraged and about ready to yank the dish/downconverter off the mast and give up. 73, Michael, W4HIJ
Robert Roy wrote:
Kevin: glad to see your working yourself on the S downlink of AO-51....havent used my DEM down converter (2400 to 144) in a long time but have heard nothing while listing this week.....l dont guess there are hundreds of people with L band up links......am using BBQ grill, DEM down-converter and PCR 1000 receiver.....need to get a signal source for 2.4 ghz to further test the S downlink as there are no other mode S satellites that l know of.......73 Rob
Message: 6 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:33:38 -0400 From: "Kevin J. Smith" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] 9-17-06 14:50 UTC pass of AO-51 To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000601c6da6e$a61d17a0$2900a8c0@N3HKQ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In FN00 I seemed to have the entire pass to myself. I did hear myself on a few occasions as I was sending out my call. I do have quite a few trees to contend with around my property so it is possible I could not hear others. I will be on the 9-18-06 00:25 UTC pass this evening. I hope to contact others as this will be my last opportunity to make an L/S contact before AO-51 switches to V/U. Thanks for the bandwidth.
Kevin Smith N3HKQ FN00be
Sent via [email protected]. 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
_______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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
Remember that the AIDC's are usually stable in frequency, but not accurate. My AIDC is about 40 KHz off of where it "should" be, so make sure you're searching further than just a few or 10 KHz off where you think it should be.
Ryan, KB0JQO
Michael Tondee wrote:
I have tried all week to be able to hear the S-band downlink with a BBQ grill dish and AIDC 3731 converter. I checked aim of my antennas and can receive a signal when a signal source is hanging off the dish but no joy as far as hearing the bird itself. I don't have an antenna for L band yet so I can't transmit. I'm very discouraged and about ready to yank the dish/downconverter off the mast and give up. 73, Michael, W4HIJ
Robert Roy wrote:
Kevin: glad to see your working yourself on the S downlink of AO-51....havent used my DEM down converter (2400 to 144) in a long time but have heard nothing while listing this week.....l dont guess there are hundreds of people with L band up links......am using BBQ grill, DEM down-converter and PCR 1000 receiver.....need to get a signal source for 2.4 ghz to further test the S downlink as there are no other mode S satellites that l know of.......73 Rob
Message: 6 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:33:38 -0400 From: "Kevin J. Smith" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] 9-17-06 14:50 UTC pass of AO-51 To: [email protected] Message-ID: 000601c6da6e$a61d17a0$2900a8c0@N3HKQ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In FN00 I seemed to have the entire pass to myself. I did hear myself on a few occasions as I was sending out my call. I do have quite a few trees to contend with around my property so it is possible I could not hear others. I will be on the 9-18-06 00:25 UTC pass this evening. I hope to contact others as this will be my last opportunity to make an L/S contact before AO-51 switches to V/U. Thanks for the bandwidth.
Kevin Smith N3HKQ FN00be
Sent via [email protected]. 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
Quoting Michael Tondee [email protected]:
I have tried all week to be able to hear the S-band downlink with a BBQ
grill dish and AIDC 3731 converter. I checked aim of my antennas and can
receive a signal when a signal source is hanging off the dish but no joy
as far as hearing the bird itself. I don't have an antenna for L band yet so I can't transmit. I'm very discouraged and about ready to yank the dish/downconverter off
the mast and give up. 73, Michael, W4HIJ
I would yank them off the mast, but not give up. Others have suggested that the beam width of the setup you describe is quite narrow and might be requiring better pointing than you have right now. Here's a procedure to see what's what.
I have one of the self-modified CalAmp $6 units It works much better hand-held than on the mast, and I have just a 8 dBi gain patch antenna on it. On future S-band opportunities, I would try pointing the d/c by hand with its feed alone, no dish, and see if that works. If you can hear something, then I'd say there's a pointing issue. (For the sake of comparison, I can hear part of a 20-30 deg. max el. pass through a window. Not good copy, but enough to prove things are tickety-boo while the snow is flying.)
If you can't hear anything at all by this means, I wonder if your d/c is sensitive enough. It worries me that your rf source has to be 'hanging off the dish'. I have an rf source like the one described in the latest Amsat Journal, but with no antenna to speak of. I can still hear it as a weak signal indoors through a window about 15' from the antenna when the rotor is vaguely pointing my way. When I first was working on the d/c and hadn't peaked the filter, the source had to be no more than an inch or two from the d/c. At this point, the d/c wouldn't receive Echo.
Steve, WI2W, gave me some excellent advice, which I think should be shared with others. Noting that our CalAmp $6 d/c's were a bit marginal, he recommended that instead of building a more narrow beamwidth antenna, I should get a mast-installed preamp for 2.4 gig. The plan is to keep my broad-beam antenna (which is better for the LEO situation) and improve my gain and noise floor with the preamp. SSB USA has them for $125ish. His is the sensible plan if one's goal is a easy-to-use LEO s band setup. I'm interested in building antennas and such, so I'm working on a 15 turn helix and adding elevation control to my rotor. But by the time P3E and ESEO fly, I think the preamp will be necessary.
Maybe the next time Echo is transmitting on S band, we'll both have working systems!
73, Bruce VE9QRP
Hi Bruce, My "rf source" is actually the mode V/S adapter described by Tony, AA2TX in the Sept./Oct. 2005 AMSAT journal. It's actual purpose is to convert the 123Mhz IF of the downconverter to 6 meters thereby freeing up my two meter antenna jack for mode V/S. On a suggestion from Tony, I hooked the downconverter up to my HT and then powered up the V/S adapter seperately and listened for a 2415 Ghz. harmonic from it. I found it at about 137.025 Mhz. on the HT as Tony said I would. I have no idea as to the signal strength of this harmonic. There was no antenna attached to the V/S adapter. Of course you said there was no antenna to speak of on your signal source either so it's puzzling. One thing is certain, I've got a bum right arm right now and I'm tired of raising and lowering the dang mast! Everything sits atop a 30 ft. mast. I t gives my antennas a better "view" above the tree line and also gets them above a dogwood tree that my XYL refuses to let me cut down. They won't rotate otherwise. 73, Michael, W4HIJ Bruce Robertson wrote:
Quoting Michael Tondee [email protected]:
I have tried all week to be able to hear the S-band downlink with a BBQ
grill dish and AIDC 3731 converter. I checked aim of my antennas and can
receive a signal when a signal source is hanging off the dish but no joy
as far as hearing the bird itself. I don't have an antenna for L band yet so I can't transmit. I'm very discouraged and about ready to yank the dish/downconverter off
the mast and give up. 73, Michael, W4HIJ
I would yank them off the mast, but not give up. Others have suggested that the beam width of the setup you describe is quite narrow and might be requiring better pointing than you have right now. Here's a procedure to see what's what.
I have one of the self-modified CalAmp $6 units It works much better hand-held than on the mast, and I have just a 8 dBi gain patch antenna on it. On future S-band opportunities, I would try pointing the d/c by hand with its feed alone, no dish, and see if that works. If you can hear something, then I'd say there's a pointing issue. (For the sake of comparison, I can hear part of a 20-30 deg. max el. pass through a window. Not good copy, but enough to prove things are tickety-boo while the snow is flying.)
If you can't hear anything at all by this means, I wonder if your d/c is sensitive enough. It worries me that your rf source has to be 'hanging off the dish'. I have an rf source like the one described in the latest Amsat Journal, but with no antenna to speak of. I can still hear it as a weak signal indoors through a window about 15' from the antenna when the rotor is vaguely pointing my way. When I first was working on the d/c and hadn't peaked the filter, the source had to be no more than an inch or two from the d/c. At this point, the d/c wouldn't receive Echo.
Steve, WI2W, gave me some excellent advice, which I think should be shared with others. Noting that our CalAmp $6 d/c's were a bit marginal, he recommended that instead of building a more narrow beamwidth antenna, I should get a mast-installed preamp for 2.4 gig. The plan is to keep my broad-beam antenna (which is better for the LEO situation) and improve my gain and noise floor with the preamp. SSB USA has them for $125ish. His is the sensible plan if one's goal is a easy-to-use LEO s band setup. I'm interested in building antennas and such, so I'm working on a 15 turn helix and adding elevation control to my rotor. But by the time P3E and ESEO fly, I think the preamp will be necessary.
Maybe the next time Echo is transmitting on S band, we'll both have working systems!
73, Bruce VE9QRP
participants (6)
-
Bruce -
Bruce Robertson -
Kevin J. Smith -
Michael Tondee -
Robert Roy -
Ryan Butler