Transit of Venus Special Event, 6 June 2012:
For the 7th time in Human history and last time this century, Venus will pass in front of the sun on 6 June 2012. We are encouraging hams to join up with astronomers and observers in public places to share in this event. It is observable worldwide except the center of the Atlantic (eastern S.America and western Africa) Everywhere else can see parts of it. It lasts 5+ hours and is fully visible around the Pacific Rim.
All previous centuries were before the discovery of radio and so sailing ships were dispatched around the globe to time the event. From these times, the size of the Solar System could be calculated. It took months if not years to get the data back. Now we can do it in 0.05 seconds with Ham radio.
See if you can contact hams at other Transit of Venus sites from your public observing site. Here are the suggested calling frequencies. We don't want contest-style pileups nor home stations. We just want a place where similar public setups can contact like minded other public viewing sites via ham radio and make their reports.
See the web page: http://aprs.org/VenusTransit2012.html
We are suggesting these calling frequencies:
40 Meters - 7180 KHz 20 Meters - 14240 KHz 17 Meters - 18140 KHz 15 Meters - 21240 KHz 12 Meters - 24940 KHz 10 Meters - 28340 KHz
VHF - APRS on the local national calling channel. Send APRS messages as noted on the web page.
*** TAKE ALL IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN VIEWING THE SUN!!! *** Google for Techniques.
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (will be observing in Japan with a Japanese (TBD) callsign)
Transit of Venus Special Event, 5/6 June 2012:
For the 7th time in Human history and last time this century, Venus will pass in front of the sun on 6 June 2012. We are encouraging hams to join up with astronomers and observers in public places to share in this event. It is observable worldwide except the center of the Atlantic (eastern S.America and western Africa) Everywhere else can see parts of it. It lasts 5+ hours and is fully visible around the Pacific Rim. In the Usa it is late afternoon on the 5th towards sunset.
All previous centuries were before the discovery of radio and so sailing ships were dispatched around the globe to time the event. From these times, the size of the Solar System could be calculated. It took months if not years to get the data back. Now we can do it in 0.05 seconds with Ham radio.
See if you can contact hams at other Transit of Venus sites from your public observing site. Here are the suggested calling frequencies. We don't want contest-style pileups nor home stations. We just want a place where similar public setups can contact like minded other public viewing sites via ham radio and make their reports.
See the web page: http://aprs.org/VenusTransit2012.html
We are suggesting these calling frequencies:
40 Meters - 7180 KHz 20 Meters - 14240 KHz 17 Meters - 18140 KHz 15 Meters - 21240 KHz 12 Meters - 24940 KHz 10 Meters - 28340 KHz
VHF - Join the global APRS message reflector "CQ VENUS" to exchange live APRS messages with all other participants. To do this, send APRS msg to CQSRVR with the first words of your message CQ VENUS ... and your text. You can send up to one messae each 30 minutes. For details, see the web page.
*** TAKE ALL IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN VIEWING THE SUN!!! *** Google for Techniques.
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (will be observing in Japan with a Japanese callsign JH1IBN-7 from Kyoto.
FOr the Transit of Venus Event:
Event stations may join on DSTAR use reflector 1 CHARLIE. CHeck in and tell us how it is going. SOmeone please keep a written log of contacts?
Bob, WB4APR
---- Original message ----
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2012 19:10:51 -0400 (EDT) From: bruninga@usna.edu Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Transit of Venus event 5/6 June To: "Bob Bruninga" bruninga@usna.edu,amsat-bb@amsat.org Cc: "'TAPR APRS Mailing List'" aprssig@tapr.org
Transit of Venus Special Event, 5/6 June 2012:
For the 7th time in Human history and last time this century, Venus will pass in front of the sun on 6 June 2012. We are encouraging hams to join up with astronomers and observers in public places to share in this event. It is observable worldwide except the center of the Atlantic (eastern S.America and western Africa) Everywhere else can see parts of it. It lasts 5+ hours and is fully visible around the Pacific Rim. In the Usa it is late afternoon on the 5th towards sunset.
All previous centuries were before the discovery of radio and so sailing ships were dispatched around the globe to time the event. From these times, the size of the Solar System could be calculated. It took months if not years to get the data back. Now we can do it in 0.05 seconds with Ham radio.
See if you can contact hams at other Transit of Venus sites from your public observing site. Here are the suggested calling frequencies. We don't want contest-style pileups nor home stations. We just want a place where similar public setups can contact like minded other public viewing sites via ham radio and make their reports.
See the web page: http://aprs.org/VenusTransit2012.html
We are suggesting these calling frequencies:
40 Meters - 7180 KHz 20 Meters - 14240 KHz 17 Meters - 18140 KHz 15 Meters - 21240 KHz 12 Meters - 24940 KHz 10 Meters - 28340 KHz
VHF - Join the global APRS message reflector "CQ VENUS" to exchange live APRS messages with all other participants. To do this, send APRS msg to CQSRVR with the first words of your message CQ VENUS ... and your text. You can send up to one messae each 30 minutes. For details, see the web page.
*** TAKE ALL IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN VIEWING THE SUN!!! *** Google for Techniques.
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (will be observing in Japan with a Japanese callsign JH1IBN-7 from Kyoto.
Transit of Venus Special Event, 6 June 2012: For the 7th time in Human history and last time this century, Venus will pass in front of the sun on 6 June 2012. See web page: http://aprs.org/VenusTransit2012.html
Preliminary APRS Report:
There were 9 overall observation sites that checked in on APRS via the CQ VENUS (CQSRVR). These were identified:
Kyoto Japan - JH1IBN-7 (WB4APR) Kyoto U. Observatory, sunny! Canberra, AU - VK1NUT-8 - Mt Stromolo - cold,windy Australia - VK2AGC-2 Canada - VE6DSF Arizona, USA - K7TEJ-7 Italy - LA1TPA-7 Honolulu, HI - NH7WN Lexington, KY - W5IEM cloudy Arizona? - KD7ZWV Unknown? - KA2DDO
No one mentioned any HF contacts. We made one local contact on 10 meters, but were only running 5 W PEP.
The fact that both our Japan and Australian stations got good photos throughout, we should be able to reduce the data and repeat the original measurement of the size of the solar system! Though we expect the students might stretch out the data reduction over the next semester rather than zipping it out now over summer break!
Thanks to EVERYONE who participated. It shows the worldwide APRS connectivity potential. THough apparently our IGate in Japan was only 1 way, and we did not realize we were getting out until we got to the internet later and saw the traffic on the APRS-IS.
Lets get those Igates 2-way where legal!!
Bob, WB4APR
2012-06-03 08:54:13 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: cq venus testing from Canberra AU vk1nut-8 2012-06-03 14:16:21 UTC: CQSRVR>VE6DSF: Active group: VENUS with 2 members 2012-06-04 22:15:04 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan 2012-06-05 10:35:16 UTC: VK1NUT>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS TESTING 2012-06-05 16:46:55 UTC: K7TEJ-7>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS Rick K7TEJ test from Arizona 2012-06-05 19:14:40 UTC: LA1TPA-7>CQSRVR: cq venus 2012-06-05 19:30:54 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS; de NH7WN Preparing for 2309Z AOS 2012-06-05 20:51:40 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: cq venus my IGate may be 1 way? Seeing no SRVR resp 2012-06-05 21:27:37 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS _ON SITE GETTING SET UP_MT STROMLO CANBERRA AU 2012-06-05 21:58:52 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: cq venus testing Canberra AU, any acks? 2012-06-05 22:19:01 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan 1st at 2211z 2012-06-05 22:26:49 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: cq venus Canberra 2012-06-05 22:41:09 UTC: W5IEM-5>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS Intermittent cloud coverage over Lexington, KY 2012-06-05 22:44:49 UTC: K7TEJ-7>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS de K7TEJ DM33vq 1st ctc 2208UT, 2nd 2012-06-05 22:51:10 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS; Vesus visible HNL. Very clear. 222730UTC; PHOTO 2012-06-05 23:29:32 UTC: W5IEM-5>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS Still too many clouds in Lexington,KY to see much. 2012-06-05 23:36:36 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan 2nd at 2230z 2012-06-05 23:37:37 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS: Honolulu-Venus very distinct- No moons? 2330Z PHOTO 2012-06-05 23:46:36 UTC: KD7ZWV-7>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS 2012-06-05 23:48:57 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS ALL GOOD HERE IN cANBERRA,VERY WINDY 2012-06-05 23:54:34 UTC: K7TEJ-9>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS DE Rick K7TEJ DM33vq 1st cntc 2208ut 2nd cntc 2223ut 73 2012-06-06 00:32:00 UTC: KA2DDO>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS 2012-06-06 00:44:47 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS: Aloha- Home photo avail. fm dukenuke@pixi.com 2012-06-06 01:24:37 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan excellent wx! at 0125z 2012-06-06 01:30:45 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS: About 1/2 way thru; Some clouds in Hono 2012-06-06 01:41:16 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS: Revelation- Venus has no moons hihi; Thinking Jupiter. 2012-06-06 02:00:25 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan blue sky! at 0201z 2012-06-06 02:51:29 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: cq venus test from cbr 2012-06-06 03:06:39 UTC: NH7WN>CQSRVR: CQ VENUS: QRT/ Last photo 0255Z: Sun going behind ridge 2012-06-06 04:31:12 UTC: VK1NUT-8>CQSRVR: cq venus site is packing up. cheers Glenn 2012-06-06 04:33:28 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan 3rd contact 0430z 2012-06-06 05:13:32 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan 4th contact 0446z! 2012-06-06 06:21:31 UTC: JH1IBN-7>CQSRVR: CQ venus bob in japan event over sk 0620z! 2012-06-06 07:14:55 UTC: CQSRVR>LA1TPA-7: Removed fromVENUS 2012-06-06 10:35:58 UTC: CQSRVR>VK2AGC-2: Removed fromVENUS 2012-06-06 11:29:58 UTC: CQSRVR>W5IEM-5: Removed fromVENUS 2012-06-06 11:46:58 UTC: CQSRVR>KD7ZWV-7: Removed fromVENUS 2012-06-06 13:01:07 UTC: CQSRVR>DF8LS-10: Active group: VENUS with 2 members 2012-06-06 18:21:33 UTC: CQSRVR>JH1IBN-7: VENUSClosed
40 Meters - 7180 KHz 20 Meters - 14240 KHz 17 Meters - 18140 KHz 15 Meters - 21240 KHz 12 Meters - 24940 KHz 10 Meters - 28340 KHz
participants (1)
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Bob Bruninga