Re: AO-73/FUNcube-1 videos, observations
Hi Patrick,
Great sharing of your experiences---thanks! Nice to have AO-73 operations futher characterized.
Regarding the Funcube Dongle Pro Plus (FCDP+)---you should enjoy the experience of learning how to use it! It's such a neat receiver.
Some quick thoughts/pointers/questions:
Are you planning to capture telemetry and work the transponder simultaneously during evening passes? It might work, depending on your antenna system, especially if you can get buy with only 500mW uplink. I'll be interested in your experiences with this...
There is one thing to remember--you'll need two audio streams decoding at the same time. SDR-Radio V2.1 will do this, with "VFO A" and "VFO B". They each have separate audio out selections, so you can pipe the telemetry to something like VB Audio Virtual Cable into the Dashboard, and the other VFO and audio stream to your laptop speakers or headphone jack. SDR-Radio V2.1 also has built in satellite tracking for doppler correction, and you can record the pass at the same time!
On the other hand----if you don't want to try to do telemetry and the transponder simultaneously, you have some more options...
SatPC32 has great DDE support, and you can use that with either HDSDR or SDRSharp to tune your FCDP+ as a separate receiver. It works great, and it's pretty easy to do, if you want your receiver following the Doppler/frequency from SatPC32.
Now, if you want to use your FCDP+ as a receiver AND be able to click on a frequency and have the transmit match it---that's another trickier setup involving HDSDR, SatPC32, and virtual comports. It works and is slick, but it's not for the faint of heart. You can read about that setup here: http://www.tomdoyle.org/FUNcube-SatPC32/FUNcube-SatPC32.html I did similar to that writeup by Tom, but found I could do 56k serial port speeds just fine.
Have fun!
73,
So, lots of options..
At 12:46 AM 12/1/2013 -0800, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote:
Hi!
Over the past few nights, I've been working the new AO-73 satellite from my back yard. Most of the time, I have been using my normal portable all-mode satellite station - two Yaesu FT-817NDs, Elk handheld 2m/70cm log periodic antenna. Last night, I replaced one of the FT-817NDs with a Kenwood TH-F6A - using its all-mode receiver to copy the downlink. Tonight, I used an Icom IC-R20 receiver for the downlink. I have used these radios in the past on other satellites, and for some hamfest demonstrations on VO-52 I have used the FT-817ND/TH-F6A combination. I have made a series of videos (satellite audio combined with slideshows) from several AO-73 passes I've worked this week, and those are available at:
One of the AO-73 videos I recorded contains audio from two passes, and is about twice as long as the others which have audio from a single pass.
After working these passes, I am convinced that this new satellite performs as well as VO-52, for both its uplink and downlink. This is a very good thing! AO-73 hears very well, as long as I'm careful to match the polarization of the satellite's antennas. The downlink is strong enough to allow me to use any of these radios as the receiver on higher passes. For lower passes, I would probably use my second FT-817ND for the downlink receiver. It is good to know that, at least on the higher passes, there are lots of options for a downlink receiver. On the same higher passes, I know that I can cut my power down from 5W to 1W and even 500mW. High power is not necessary to be heard through the transponder.
Next project for me with this satellite: using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ that I have had for a few months as the downlink receiver, for both the transponder and telemetry, while working the transponder with an FT-817ND as my transmit radio. I reinstalled HDSDR and its ExtIO DLL for the Pro+ dongle on my 64-bit Windows 7 laptop, and it is working well. I have downloaded the FUNcube-1 dashboard software, and need to get that installed. I also have an old netbook with Linux on it, and am curious to see how the dongle works with that operating system. I am hoping to be able to use the dongle and a laptop as the downlink receiver, without being wiped out by the 5W signals from an FT-817ND.
If this is successful, I may have a new combination for my all- mode satellite station I can use for upcoming demonstrations. Using the dongle and dashboard software during daytime AO-73 passes at hamfests would be something different, and a great thing to show off to the hamfest crowds.
Thanks, again, to all who worked on getting this satellite built and launched. Even with the transponder on only for the nighttime passes, it has been fun to be on a new satellite so soon after its launch. Time for bed... 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
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
Hello Patrick and Mark
I already have experimented with SDR - Radio Console V2.1 and the FCD Pro+ to capture telemetry and work the transponder simultaneously. Despite, the low power of telemetry signal during evening passes, it works wonderful!
My ThinkPad laptop `s CPU is not able to run both VFOs in the SDR - Radio Console, plus the Dashboard simultaneously. So, I record the raw IQ data while I am operating on the transponder and after the pass, I playback the recording and pipe the telemetry audio to Virtual Cable into the Dashboard.
I have made some tests with different operating systems (Linux and Windows), and it looks like the SDR - Radio Console needs a least a 2.2 GHz Pentium CPU to run the basic functions with the FUNcube Dongles.
Patrick, as for my experience, telemetry reception is a very interesting thing for the crowds. During the first AO-73 orbit over my country, I made an AO-73 demo at my University and everybody was fascinated. It is really amazing get live measurements from the satellite and notice the variations depending the live satellite environment.
I am very confident that you will have a great success in your AO-73 demos.
73! Hector, CO6CBF
-----Mensaje original----- De: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] En nombre de Mark L. Hammond Enviado el: domingo, 01 de diciembre de 2013 9:13 Para: [email protected]; [email protected] Asunto: [amsat-bb] Re: AO-73/FUNcube-1 videos, observations
Hi Patrick,
Great sharing of your experiences---thanks! Nice to have AO-73 operations futher characterized.
Regarding the Funcube Dongle Pro Plus (FCDP+)---you should enjoy the experience of learning how to use it! It's such a neat receiver.
Some quick thoughts/pointers/questions:
Are you planning to capture telemetry and work the transponder simultaneously during evening passes? It might work, depending on your antenna system, especially if you can get buy with only 500mW uplink. I'll be interested in your experiences with this...
There is one thing to remember--you'll need two audio streams decoding at the same time. SDR-Radio V2.1 will do this, with "VFO A" and "VFO B". They each have separate audio out selections, so you can pipe the telemetry to something like VB Audio Virtual Cable into the Dashboard, and the other VFO and audio stream to your laptop speakers or headphone jack. SDR-Radio V2.1 also has built in satellite tracking for doppler correction, and you can record the pass at the same time!
On the other hand----if you don't want to try to do telemetry and the transponder simultaneously, you have some more options...
SatPC32 has great DDE support, and you can use that with either HDSDR or SDRSharp to tune your FCDP+ as a separate receiver. It works great, and it's pretty easy to do, if you want your receiver following the Doppler/frequency from SatPC32.
Now, if you want to use your FCDP+ as a receiver AND be able to click on a frequency and have the transmit match it---that's another trickier setup involving HDSDR, SatPC32, and virtual comports. It works and is slick, but it's not for the faint of heart. You can read about that setup here: http://www.tomdoyle.org/FUNcube-SatPC32/FUNcube-SatPC32.html I did similar to that writeup by Tom, but found I could do 56k serial port speeds just fine.
Have fun!
73,
So, lots of options..
At 12:46 AM 12/1/2013 -0800, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote:
Hi!
Over the past few nights, I've been working the new AO-73 satellite from my back yard. Most of the time, I have been using my normal portable all-mode satellite station - two Yaesu FT-817NDs, Elk handheld 2m/70cm log periodic antenna. Last night, I replaced one of the FT-817NDs with a Kenwood TH-F6A - using its all-mode receiver to copy the downlink. Tonight, I used an Icom IC-R20 receiver for the downlink. I have used these radios in the past on other satellites, and for some hamfest demonstrations on VO-52 I have used the FT-817ND/TH-F6A combination. I have made a series of videos (satellite audio combined with slideshows) from several AO-73 passes I've worked this week, and those are available at:
One of the AO-73 videos I recorded contains audio from two passes, and is about twice as long as the others which have audio from a single pass.
After working these passes, I am convinced that this new satellite performs as well as VO-52, for both its uplink and downlink. This is a very good thing! AO-73 hears very well, as long as I'm careful to match the polarization of the satellite's antennas. The downlink is strong enough to allow me to use any of these radios as the receiver on higher passes. For lower passes, I would probably use my second FT-817ND for the downlink receiver. It is good to know that, at least on the higher passes, there are lots of options for a downlink receiver. On the same higher passes, I know that I can cut my power down from 5W to 1W and even 500mW. High power is not necessary to be heard through the transponder.
Next project for me with this satellite: using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ that I have had for a few months as the downlink receiver, for both the transponder and telemetry, while working the transponder with an FT-817ND as my transmit radio. I reinstalled HDSDR and its ExtIO DLL for the Pro+ dongle on my 64-bit Windows 7 laptop, and it is working well. I have downloaded the FUNcube-1 dashboard software, and need to get that installed. I also have an old netbook with Linux on it, and am curious to see how the dongle works with that operating system. I am hoping to be able to use the dongle and a laptop as the downlink receiver, without being wiped out by the 5W signals from an FT-817ND.
If this is successful, I may have a new combination for my all- mode satellite station I can use for upcoming demonstrations. Using the dongle and dashboard software during daytime AO-73 passes at hamfests would be something different, and a great thing to show off to the hamfest crowds.
Thanks, again, to all who worked on getting this satellite built and launched. Even with the transponder on only for the nighttime passes, it has been fun to be on a new satellite so soon after its launch. Time for bed... 73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
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
Hi Mark!
Thanks for your e-mail. Since I do lots of satellite demonstrations and get the questions about what it takes to work satellites like the new AO-73, I figured I'd put together some information in those videos and my -BB posts. I'll use your message as the one I reply to, but acknowledge the others who replied to my late- night post on the -BB and in direct e-mails today. No radio tonight, since I have to be in the office early tomorrow, but I will probably be outside tomorrow night for at least one of the AO-73 passes.
AC0RA mentioned last night on the western AO-73 pass that he could receive the transponder and use the dashboard to receive telemetry at the same time. Wyatt didn't go into detail on what he had to do on the laptop on the air, but he mentioned he used HDSDR with the dashboard software. I may follow Hector's (CO6CBF) suggestion of working the transponder and recording everything during a pass, then run that through the dashboard using whatever configuration I need so that the playback can be piped into the dashboard and decoded. I may be able to work SSB/CW satellites without a computer from almost anywhere I go, but the SDR stuff is something I am trying to (quickly) learn. Especially when the dongle's namesake is now in orbit and operational. :-)
Since I will be at a hamfest on Saturday morning, I may work on just using the dashboard by itself to copy the telemetry, to have something else to show off at the hamfest on AO-73's morning passes (if the transponder is not turned on), then "worry" about trying to hear the transponder and receive telemetry with the dashboard later.
You mentioned that I could work the transponder and receive telemetry at the same time if I transmit at 500mW. This would be possible on higher passes based on my tests in the past week, but is there a reason why 5W would be too much with the Pro+ dongle and its filtering along with a diplexer between the radios and the Elk antenna? I'm not looking to run more power than 5W, since I'm not planning to add an amplifier or replace one of my FT-817NDs with something like an FT-857 at this point.
To those who suggested I modify one of my FT-817NDs to have a panadapter interface and then use both the 817 and dongle on the downlink, what advantages would I have in doing that, instead of just using the dongle as the downlink receiver? I apologize if this is a silly question, but I'm wanting to learn more about what I can do with this dongle, by itself or alongside my existing gear. I'm looking forward to seeing N1JEZ's article in an upcoming AMSAT Journal, and will look at the link Mike suggested to learn more about this option.
I haven't even started thinking about getting SatPC32 mixed in with all of this SDR stuff, but know that I could do that. I still need to get it working my two FT-817NDs, something that remains on my satellite "to do" list.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
On Sun, Dec 1, 2013 at 2:12 PM, Mark L. Hammond [email protected]wrote:
Hi Patrick,
Great sharing of your experiences---thanks! Nice to have AO-73 operations futher characterized.
Regarding the Funcube Dongle Pro Plus (FCDP+)---you should enjoy the experience of learning how to use it! It's such a neat receiver.
Some quick thoughts/pointers/questions:
Are you planning to capture telemetry and work the transponder simultaneously during evening passes? It might work, depending on your antenna system, especially if you can get buy with only 500mW uplink. I'll be interested in your experiences with this...
There is one thing to remember--you'll need two audio streams decoding at the same time. SDR-Radio V2.1 will do this, with "VFO A" and "VFO B". They each have separate audio out selections, so you can pipe the telemetry to something like VB Audio Virtual Cable into the Dashboard, and the other VFO and audio stream to your laptop speakers or headphone jack. SDR-Radio V2.1 also has built in satellite tracking for doppler correction, and you can record the pass at the same time!
On the other hand----if you don't want to try to do telemetry and the transponder simultaneously, you have some more options...
SatPC32 has great DDE support, and you can use that with either HDSDR or SDRSharp to tune your FCDP+ as a separate receiver. It works great, and it's pretty easy to do, if you want your receiver following the Doppler/frequency from SatPC32.
Now, if you want to use your FCDP+ as a receiver AND be able to click on a frequency and have the transmit match it---that's another trickier setup involving HDSDR, SatPC32, and virtual comports. It works and is slick, but it's not for the faint of heart. You can read about that setup here: http://www.tomdoyle.org/FUNcube-SatPC32/FUNcube-SatPC32.html I did similar to that writeup by Tom, but found I could do 56k serial port speeds just fine.
Have fun!
73,
So, lots of options..
participants (3)
-
Hector, CO6CBF -
Mark L. Hammond -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)