A statement/opinion like that is worthless without some solid data. You can't just malign the guy. Simon says he used David Taylor's open source satellite-tracking library to get started and wrote his own library, shipped as a dll with HRD and based on NORAD SGP4/SDP4 implementations by Michael F. Henry. I don't have a clue what all that means but it sounds like Simon's program was not just cobbled together.
SATPC32 looks to me like an 80's dos program. Very unattractive.
It is not logical to state that 'Everybody' in the entire sat community has problems with HRD's Doppler.
I want more proof
K7TRK
_____
From: kq6ea@verizon.net [mailto:kq6ea@verizon.net] Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 4:23 PM To: k7trkradio@charter.net; tomdoyle1948@gmail.com; AMSAT-BB@amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Two Questions
try SatPC32. *Everybody* I know who uses HRD has problems with the Doppler correction.
Jim KQ6EA
On 09/22/11, Tedk7trkradio@charter.net wrote:
"Are the linear sats too complicated? Do people not have SSB and CW equipment or are they just not interested anymore."
Tom, speaking only for me, I have tried several times to work a linear. I have a TS 2000 with the sat function and HRD sat program which allegedly adjust the Doppler, 2m/440 SSB and a Elk on a rotor w/fixed el.. Try as I might, I cannot get the tx and rx to match so I can duplex.
There just does not seem to be single primer that one can follow on how to accomplish the process. There are multiple opinions from individuals, but not much of a consensus on a good standard process. Admittedly, I have problem not given a fair amount of time on my technique as I was concentrating on VUCC. Now that that will go to the card checker tomorrow, I need to spend some time on the linear. I just wish there was a 'manual'
73, Ted K7TRK
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Doyle Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 12:02 PM To: AMSAT-BB@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Two Questions
I have two questions that I have wondered about for quite a while.
There was a gap in my satellite activity of 20 years or so. AO-10 was the last satellite I used a lot. Not sure what sparked my interest again but I have been having a great time on the satellites. Right from the beginning I noticed that things have changed a lot. I have made about 70 contacts on CW, SSB and FM. Most of the contacts have been on FM.
Question 1 relates to activity levels. I have 270 something countries on HF so I have been in my share of DX pileups. What I find really strange is how there will be the usual horrific pile up on AO-51 and then when an FO-29 pass comes a short time later there will usually be no one on. I realize the emphasis is all on "keeping it simple" but wonder how this change occurred. Did it happen all at once - did it happen when the last HEO satellite died. Are the linear sats too complicated. Do people not have SSB and CW equipment or are they just not interested anymore.
Question 2 relates to the rest of the world. I notice that FO-29, which seems to be the best linear satellite, came from Japan. What is activity like in Japan/Europe and the rest of the world outside the US. Is it mostly just FM on V/U sats. I believe the current US effort is an FM only Fox with a linear sat in the "2015 time frame". Since the FO-29 activity is almost zero it would see strange to put up another US linear sat at any time. As old as I am the "2015 time frame" might be beyond my chicken little date so I wonder if there are there any LEO linear sats in the works in other parts of the world.
I am not complaining I just wonder what happened and what the future holds. Feel free to reply directly.
73 W9KE tom ... AMSAT LM 0875
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. 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
Ted,
As far as working the linear birds goes, you already seem to have the right gear. I'm working mostly linear birds with my TS-2000. First question is, can you hear the beacon? The next question is how do you use HRD's tracker. If you just select the sat and the transponder and then expect it to work just like it does on the FM sats, then we already found your problem. First set either the uplink or downlink and then try to find your signal changing either one of them. Once you have that established you can then adjust your tracking software to match that and it should work fine.
I'm not using HRD because I found it not the best solution out there. The tuning is cumbersome with those sliders and it had too many times it's own will and was even changing that during a pass. I prefer Gpredict which runs on Linux (also Windows but currently no rig control) and besides it being open source which allows me to contribute it seems to be a much better solution. I especially like the tuning implementation much better.
As for the original post: yes, it can be quite lonely on the linear birds. I spent this morning 18 minutes on AO-7 calling CQ with no takers, but then again on other passes there are several QSOs across. It really depends. I'd say it's certainly a result of it being much easier and less resource intensive to work the FM birds as well as the result of most talking being done about those vs. the linear ones. The work done by many folks here on the list who go out and give presentations about working satellite is great, but if the talks and websites are only about FM birds (or mostly) then that's the result. But then again, a linear sat capable radio can be had for $400 - $500 (FT-736R) if one was really looking for it.
Just my $0.02
73 Mike K5TRI (who will be on the 1:20UTC pass of VO-52 of course :) ).
On Sep 22, 2011, at 6:43 PM, Ted wrote:
A statement/opinion like that is worthless without some solid data. You can't just malign the guy. Simon says he used David Taylor's open source satellite-tracking library to get started and wrote his own library, shipped as a dll with HRD and based on NORAD SGP4/SDP4 implementations by Michael F. Henry. I don't have a clue what all that means but it sounds like Simon's program was not just cobbled together.
SATPC32 looks to me like an 80's dos program. Very unattractive.
It is not logical to state that 'Everybody' in the entire sat community has problems with HRD's Doppler.
I want more proof
K7TRK
From: kq6ea@verizon.net [mailto:kq6ea@verizon.net] Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 4:23 PM To: k7trkradio@charter.net; tomdoyle1948@gmail.com; AMSAT-BB@amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Two Questions
try SatPC32. *Everybody* I know who uses HRD has problems with the Doppler correction.
Jim KQ6EA
On 09/22/11, Tedk7trkradio@charter.net wrote:
"Are the linear sats too complicated? Do people not have SSB and CW equipment or are they just not interested anymore."
Tom, speaking only for me, I have tried several times to work a linear. I have a TS 2000 with the sat function and HRD sat program which allegedly adjust the Doppler, 2m/440 SSB and a Elk on a rotor w/fixed el.. Try as I might, I cannot get the tx and rx to match so I can duplex.
There just does not seem to be single primer that one can follow on how to accomplish the process. There are multiple opinions from individuals, but not much of a consensus on a good standard process. Admittedly, I have problem not given a fair amount of time on my technique as I was concentrating on VUCC. Now that that will go to the card checker tomorrow, I need to spend some time on the linear. I just wish there was a 'manual'
73, Ted K7TRK
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Doyle Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 12:02 PM To: AMSAT-BB@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Two Questions
I have two questions that I have wondered about for quite a while.
There was a gap in my satellite activity of 20 years or so. AO-10 was the last satellite I used a lot. Not sure what sparked my interest again but I have been having a great time on the satellites. Right from the beginning I noticed that things have changed a lot. I have made about 70 contacts on CW, SSB and FM. Most of the contacts have been on FM.
Question 1 relates to activity levels. I have 270 something countries on HF so I have been in my share of DX pileups. What I find really strange is how there will be the usual horrific pile up on AO-51 and then when an FO-29 pass comes a short time later there will usually be no one on. I realize the emphasis is all on "keeping it simple" but wonder how this change occurred. Did it happen all at once - did it happen when the last HEO satellite died. Are the linear sats too complicated. Do people not have SSB and CW equipment or are they just not interested anymore.
Question 2 relates to the rest of the world. I notice that FO-29, which seems to be the best linear satellite, came from Japan. What is activity like in Japan/Europe and the rest of the world outside the US. Is it mostly just FM on V/U sats. I believe the current US effort is an FM only Fox with a linear sat in the "2015 time frame". Since the FO-29 activity is almost zero it would see strange to put up another US linear sat at any time. As old as I am the "2015 time frame" might be beyond my chicken little date so I wonder if there are there any LEO linear sats in the works in other parts of the world.
I am not complaining I just wonder what happened and what the future holds. Feel free to reply directly.
73 W9KE tom ... AMSAT LM 0875
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. 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 AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. 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
SATPC32 looks to me like an 80's dos program. Very unattractive.
// K7TRK
SatPC32 might not have the spiffiest graphics (there is a non-cartoon mode, btw), but its function is phenomenal.
If you want frequency and rotor control, it's hard to beat. One radio, two radios, transverters, tones, odd splits, good adjustments for tx/rx matching on transponders, automatic switching between satellites---it pretty much does it all. It's for satellite operators, written (and maintained) by a satellite operator. That's hard to beat :)
It takes time with the program to really get the hang of it, and to see exactly how much it will do, and how well it will do it. It isn't a program you fire up the very first time and have running exactly like you want it in 2 minutes. It's one you keep tweaking and adjusting to what YOU want it to do. THEN it's click and go, every time.
Here's a statement--it's the only program current command stations trust and use :)
73!
Mark N8MH
participants (3)
-
Mark L. Hammond -
Michael Schulz -
Ted