The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a discussion of the current state of affairs with the satellites that are still working. After reading about how the activity on the linear birds was down, I had to wonder a bit. It has not been my experience.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
I started using the ssb birds in late November 2007. There wasn't much activity on AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52 at that time. But over the last two years, activity on the linear birds has steadily increased. Much of the increase can be attributed to the newer people who started on the FM birds and quickly decided to get involved with the linear birds. I think the availability of satellite capable radios has really helped. If you have a TS2000 you can be on a linear bird without much effort. They are easier to hear than an FM bird. Some are using a pair of radios to achieve full duplex with great success. And I highly recommend SatPC32 which I have used now since 2006. It runs 24x7 on a Vista Quad machine and doesn't crash. The recordings on my website were made possible using the auto multi-satellite tracking feature of this program. Recordings are made without any outside intervention.
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
A good ham radio operator is one that looks at a problem as a challenge rather than a show stopper. Ham radio ingenuity over the years has been amazing. So if you are having trouble and are frustrated, develop an action plan to move forward. The resources available to us today are unprecedented. And there are mentors out there that are willing to help. Above all, stay positive and have some fun!
73, John K8YSE
Q
Well said!
73, Bob KIØG
On Aug 28, 2012, at 11:10 AM, John Papay john@papays.com wrote:
The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a
Nicely put John and thanks for putting the time into composing and posting it.
Regards...Bill - N6GHz
On 8/28/2012 10:10 AM, John Papay wrote:
The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a discussion of the current state of affairs with the satellites that are still working. After reading about how the activity on the linear birds was down, I had to wonder a bit. It has not been my experience.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
I started using the ssb birds in late November 2007. There wasn't much activity on AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52 at that time. But over the last two years, activity on the linear birds has steadily increased. Much of the increase can be attributed to the newer people who started on the FM birds and quickly decided to get involved with the linear birds. I think the availability of satellite capable radios has really helped. If you have a TS2000 you can be on a linear bird without much effort. They are easier to hear than an FM bird. Some are using a pair of radios to achieve full duplex with great success. And I highly recommend SatPC32 which I have used now since 2006. It runs 24x7 on a Vista Quad machine and doesn't crash. The recordings on my website were made possible using the auto multi-satellite tracking feature of this program. Recordings are made without any outside intervention.
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
A good ham radio operator is one that looks at a problem as a challenge rather than a show stopper. Ham radio ingenuity over the years has been amazing. So if you are having trouble and are frustrated, develop an action plan to move forward. The resources available to us today are unprecedented. And there are mentors out there that are willing to help. Above all, stay positive and have some fun!
73, John K8YSE
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
Hi List,
If I may add to the conversation about linear birds, that Delfi-C3 (an Cube
On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 8:01 PM, Bill Ress bill@hsmicrowave.com wrote:
Nicely put John and thanks for putting the time into composing and posting it.
Regards...Bill - N6GHz
On 8/28/2012 10:10 AM, John Papay wrote:
The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a discussion of the current state of affairs with the satellites that are still working. After reading about how the activity on the linear birds was down, I had to wonder a bit. It has not been my experience.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
I started using the ssb birds in late November 2007. There wasn't much activity on AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52 at that time. But over the last two years, activity on the linear birds has steadily increased. Much of the increase can be attributed to the newer people who started on the FM birds and quickly decided to get involved with the linear birds. I think the availability of satellite capable radios has really helped. If you have a TS2000 you can be on a linear bird without much effort. They are easier to hear than an FM bird. Some are using a pair of radios to achieve full duplex with great success. And I highly recommend SatPC32 which I have used now since 2006. It runs 24x7 on a Vista Quad machine and doesn't crash. The recordings on my website were made possible using the auto multi-satellite tracking feature of this program. Recordings are made without any outside intervention.
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
A good ham radio operator is one that looks at a problem as a challenge rather than a show stopper. Ham radio ingenuity over the years has been amazing. So if you are having trouble and are frustrated, develop an action plan to move forward. The resources available to us today are unprecedented. And there are mentors out there that are willing to help. Above all, stay positive and have some fun!
73, John K8YSE
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
-- Regards...Bill Ress High Sierra Microwave
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
Hi List,
If I may add to the conversation about linear birds, that Delfi-C3 (an CubeSat!) has had a linear transponder which was used quite a lot. Unfortunately, it was a short lived service, but it proves the point.
I'm not sure why people also keep saying that CubeSats are no good, since linear transponders are perfectly possible and 6U and 12U platforms are seen as the way forward there.
If we can not launch a fully fledged MicroSat or bigger, why not launch some useful cubes in the mean time?
Typing this while working on FUNcube...
Wouter PA3WEG
On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 8:01 PM, Bill Ress bill@hsmicrowave.com wrote:
Nicely put John and thanks for putting the time into composing and posting it.
Regards...Bill - N6GHz
On 8/28/2012 10:10 AM, John Papay wrote:
The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a discussion of the current state of affairs with the satellites that are still working. After reading about how the activity on the linear birds was down, I had to wonder a bit. It has not been my experience.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
I started using the ssb birds in late November 2007. There wasn't much activity on AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52 at that time. But over the last two years, activity on the linear birds has steadily increased. Much of the increase can be attributed to the newer people who started on the FM birds and quickly decided to get involved with the linear birds. I think the availability of satellite capable radios has really helped. If you have a TS2000 you can be on a linear bird without much effort. They are easier to hear than an FM bird. Some are using a pair of radios to achieve full duplex with great success. And I highly recommend SatPC32 which I have used now since 2006. It runs 24x7 on a Vista Quad machine and doesn't crash. The recordings on my website were made possible using the auto multi-satellite tracking feature of this program. Recordings are made without any outside intervention.
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
A good ham radio operator is one that looks at a problem as a challenge rather than a show stopper. Ham radio ingenuity over the years has been amazing. So if you are having trouble and are frustrated, develop an action plan to move forward. The resources available to us today are unprecedented. And there are mentors out there that are willing to help. Above all, stay positive and have some fun!
73, John K8YSE
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
-- Regards...Bill Ress High Sierra Microwave
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
Hello, Wouter
I think most American hams associate "cube sat" with "easy sat", which equals an FM satellite, like AO-51.
While these have their place, most of us are hoping for an HEO satellite.
73, Jim KQ6EA
On 08/28/2012 06:53 PM, Wouter Weggelaar wrote:
Hi List,
If I may add to the conversation about linear birds, that Delfi-C3 (an CubeSat!) has had a linear transponder which was used quite a lot. Unfortunately, it was a short lived service, but it proves the point.
I'm not sure why people also keep saying that CubeSats are no good, since linear transponders are perfectly possible and 6U and 12U platforms are seen as the way forward there.
If we can not launch a fully fledged MicroSat or bigger, why not launch some useful cubes in the mean time?
Typing this while working on FUNcube...
Wouter PA3WEG
On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 8:01 PM, Bill Ress bill@hsmicrowave.com wrote:
Nicely put John and thanks for putting the time into composing and posting it.
Regards...Bill - N6GHz
On 8/28/2012 10:10 AM, John Papay wrote:
The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a discussion of the current state of affairs with the satellites that are still working. After reading about how the activity on the linear birds was down, I had to wonder a bit. It has not been my experience.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
I started using the ssb birds in late November 2007. There wasn't much activity on AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52 at that time. But over the last two years, activity on the linear birds has steadily increased. Much of the increase can be attributed to the newer people who started on the FM birds and quickly decided to get involved with the linear birds. I think the availability of satellite capable radios has really helped. If you have a TS2000 you can be on a linear bird without much effort. They are easier to hear than an FM bird. Some are using a pair of radios to achieve full duplex with great success. And I highly recommend SatPC32 which I have used now since 2006. It runs 24x7 on a Vista Quad machine and doesn't crash. The recordings on my website were made possible using the auto multi-satellite tracking feature of this program. Recordings are made without any outside intervention.
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
A good ham radio operator is one that looks at a problem as a challenge rather than a show stopper. Ham radio ingenuity over the years has been amazing. So if you are having trouble and are frustrated, develop an action plan to move forward. The resources available to us today are unprecedented. And there are mentors out there that are willing to help. Above all, stay positive and have some fun!
73, John K8YSE
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
-- Regards...Bill Ress High Sierra Microwave
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
--- On Tue, 28/8/12, Jim Jerzycke kq6ea@verizon.net wrote:
I think most American hams associate "cube sat" with "easy sat", which equals an FM satellite, like AO-51.
To me CubeSat equals Linear Transponder satellite. Not only have we had Delfi-C3 but in the coming months four CubeSats carrying linear transponders will be launched:
- Delfi-n3Xt - FunCube-1 - TurkSat-3USat - UKube-1
There is no technical reason why future CubeSats should be confined to the low 500-800 km orbits that are in the price range of the amateur community. A number of CubeSat missions planned for 2013 will test propulsion systems to raise the orbit.
With fold-out solar panels to boost power and propulsion we could in the coming years see linear transponder CubeSats in orbits high enough (1500-2500 km) to permit Intercontinental DX working.
If you want higher bands like 2.4 GHz just have a look at what Aeneas is doing. http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=9277
73 Trevor M5AKA
And I thought CubeSat was just a platform. Why condemn it to one mode/variety?
We have all kinds of CubeSats -- Beep Beeps, FM repeaters, Photo bugs, Linear transponders, AX.25 beep-beepers, science fair projects. Sounds a lot like the ham community -- diverse.
73 Clayton W5PFG
On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 2:59 PM, Jim Jerzycke kq6ea@verizon.net wrote:
I think most American hams associate "cube sat" with "easy sat", which equals an FM satellite, like AO-51.
Looks like I stirred up a hornet's nest here, and I apologize for that. I do not mean to condemn Cubesats.. as someone else said I tend to generalize and say Cubesat when I mean EasySat. I guess I miss the days of the Molniya orbit birds when you didn't have to do much for antenna pointing for quite a while and could enjoy unhurried, casual QSOs night after night...
I support AMSAT and will continue to do so no matter what..
VY 73 de W1ICW
On 8/28/2012 6:25 PM, Clayton Coleman W5PFG wrote:
And I thought CubeSat was just a platform. Why condemn it to one mode/variety?
We have all kinds of CubeSats -- Beep Beeps, FM repeaters, Photo bugs, Linear transponders, AX.25 beep-beepers, science fair projects. Sounds a lot like the ham community -- diverse.
73 Clayton W5PFG
On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 2:59 PM, Jim Jerzycke kq6ea@verizon.net wrote:
I think most American hams associate "cube sat" with "easy sat", which equals an FM satellite, like AO-51.
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
to dove-tail on John's post...this is not a "plug and play" hobby. We must remember, "if this were easy, everyone would be doing it". Satellite op's are a very small percentage of a small hobby. I recall when AO-40 finally became available, we became S band experts almost overnight. Short of HEO we can "tweek" our efforts by maybe having a Suitsat type sat thrown out the door every time there's a EVA, maybe one with L/S transponder, how about a MEO like RS-15. Then there's on board experimental propulsion for these little birds. We can go on and on you know the drill...Yes we can and do make it "easy" to get started with satellites, however once the bug bites, at least for this old curmudgeon I believe, "the difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer". It is essential we support all efforts of AMSAT not just that little niche we "approve" of. Still rebuilding antenna systems....... WAS VUCC WAC 73 Bob W7LRD
----- Original Message ----- From: "John Papay" john@papays.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2012 10:10:49 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Satellite Usage - 2012
The Funcube Dongle postings veered off into a discussion of the current state of affairs with the satellites that are still working. After reading about how the activity on the linear birds was down, I had to wonder a bit. It has not been my experience.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
I started using the ssb birds in late November 2007. There wasn't much activity on AO-7, FO-29 and VO-52 at that time. But over the last two years, activity on the linear birds has steadily increased. Much of the increase can be attributed to the newer people who started on the FM birds and quickly decided to get involved with the linear birds. I think the availability of satellite capable radios has really helped. If you have a TS2000 you can be on a linear bird without much effort. They are easier to hear than an FM bird. Some are using a pair of radios to achieve full duplex with great success. And I highly recommend SatPC32 which I have used now since 2006. It runs 24x7 on a Vista Quad machine and doesn't crash. The recordings on my website were made possible using the auto multi-satellite tracking feature of this program. Recordings are made without any outside intervention.
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
A good ham radio operator is one that looks at a problem as a challenge rather than a show stopper. Ham radio ingenuity over the years has been amazing. So if you are having trouble and are frustrated, develop an action plan to move forward. The resources available to us today are unprecedented. And there are mentors out there that are willing to help. Above all, stay positive and have some fun!
73, John K8YSE
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Hi John!
Thanks for taking the time to post your message.
I really expected the activity on the FM birds to diminish when AO-51 died. We only get 7 minutes of AO-27 and that doesn't make up for the much longer passes on AO-51. SO-50 has never been off the air since I started in 2006 but it is the most difficult to hear throughout the pass. For that reason, activity on SO-50 was fairly low. If you can't hear it, you can't work it. But to my surprise, SO-50 activity dramatically increased when AO-51 went silent. Those who work the FM birds became determined to work through this satellite despite the difficulties in hearing it. Of course, if you are not full duplex, you don't know when you are hearing the bird and that sometimes results in those who call but cannot hear the responses. They might assume that there is no activity on the bird when in fact there are many stations trying to make qso's.
When AO-51 failed late last November, I figured that usage of the other two satellites would increase. That has certainly happened. Crowds are up, and more new stations are showing up to try them out. Many who saw AMSAT's demonstration station at Dayton took the time and effort to try making their first satellite QSOs, and it has been fun to work some of those who I talked with at Dayton. :-)
One of the things that powers DX on the HF bands are dxpeditions. Groups spend large amounts of money to travel to destinations all over the world so that others can put that country in the worked/confirmed column. With satellites today it's the VUCC award that drives the activity. When someone shows up from a rare grid, the birds are sometimes overwhelmed. ND9M has worked from hundreds of USA grids and has also worked from his ship on the linear birds. UT1FG/mm has been very active over the past three years and has created pileups on the ssb birds not unlike those on HF. To say the activity is down on the linear birds in recent years is simply incorrect. And more hams are operating satellites away from home than ever before. You work with what you have and make the best of it, fm or linear.
As much as some speak ill about grid expeditions and stations trying to make a very short QSO, that does help kick up the levels of activity. These days, you'll hear this activity on SSB as well as FM. Not a bad thing. I haven't done a lot of road trips in the past few months, but I am looking to do more of that as the summer comes to an end here in Arizona.
The future of AMSAT and the satellite phase of our hobby is all about the new people. When you hear someone new on the bird and it's a noisy signal with an incomplete callsign, maybe without phonetics, call that station. Giving out that first contact with a newbie far outweighs 100 contacts with those that you have worked many times before. Sometimes the effort doesn't result in a qso, but maybe there is a possibility to follow up with an email or postcard with an offer of help. Just remember we all started out at some point with no experience. Most everyone can remember their first contact and how important it was in terms of encouraging future operating.
Agreed! The new stations are making their ways onto the satellites, as that MP3 file KK5DO made and referenced in another post this evening with N5AFV's comments.
So if you're reading the AMSAT-bb and are discouraged by the fact that there are no High Earth Orbit Satellites, don't be. Times change, technology changes but we continue by using what we have to the max and working towards improving our situation where we can. AMSAT works very hard to explore every possibility for building and launching new satellites. It's a tremendous effort that most of us don't realize is happening day after day. We all need to support this effort. FOX I and II will be here before we know it. These birds should give us some room for more qso's and new operators.
In the meantime, AO-7 continues to work at an altitude of 1450KM. FO-29 is at 1200 or 1300 KM some of the time. These birds provide an opportunity to work DX if you can see down to the horizon. If you can't, you can always go to a location that is better and use your FT817 with an Arrow antenna and work down to the horizon. There is nothing wrong with using an Arrow or ELK antenna to work DX. WD9EWK has proven that point time after time.
And you can see examples of my operating from home and some other locations in a few videos at: http://www.youtube.com/va7ewk
I have never had a home satellite station. For most of the time I have been working the satellites, I have either lived in an apartment that was not a good place to set up antennas inside or out, or a house in an area covered by strict deed restrictions and a rental agreement that don't let me set up antennas. Initially with the FM birds, and now in SSB and occasionally CW.
I am now giving some thought to setting up a temporary antenna array in the back yard. Last year, I went to San Diego to give a presentation to a radio club out there on satellite operating. I saw the station John W9EN uses at his house. His 2m and 70cm antennas, along with an az-el rotator, can be quickly set up in his yard, then the cables connect to the outside of his house to go to his station inside. When he's done, he can take the antenna array down. Very impressive!
If we had HEO satellites now, I would make changes to my station. The FT-817s could still work, but I would consider a radio with more transmit power for the uplink. An FT-817 could still do well as a receiver, or with possibly a preamp connected to it. My handheld Elk log-periodic antenna would be swapped out for larger antennas with more gain. Until then, I'm having fun with the satellites we currently have - whether I'm at home, or on the road.
My satellite log has over 11,000 QSOs in almost 7 years' time, with all but a couple dozen of those made with portable equipment set up wherever I happened to be - in 14 different US states and 3 other countries. With hamfests coming up in the fall, along with the AMSAT Symposium in late October, I'm looking forward to being on the satellites from more different locations. And some new ones (I've never operated from Florida, and haven't been to that state other than to change planes in Miami since the mid- 70s).
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
participants (10)
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Bill Ress -
Bob Cutter -
Bob DeVarney W1ICW -
Bob- W7LRD -
Clayton Coleman W5PFG -
Jim Jerzycke -
John Papay -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) -
Trevor . -
Wouter Weggelaar