Hi! Do we want to hold an AMSAT-DC meeting
this spring?
At the meeting last year, I announced that
perhaps the time is ripe to hold a workshop.
Are we still game for this? What fun!
My suggestion is that we use the workshop to
host three simultaneous groups (or three types
of individuals working solo, if prefered,
picking any one of the three to emphasize).
GROUP ONE
One group or set of individuals will build a
PICetSat II flight module from a kit of
electronic parts on a small printed circuit
board (hopefully under $100 each kit). We
would need a soldering iron and "optics" at
each station even though no tiny SMT parts
are planned to be used.
See an example of the original PICetSat module
at http://patkilroy.com/simsat/3/
GROUP TWO and GROUP THREE
Others would set up a simple ground station
each, with a choice to work with the radio
hardware (bring in radio, antenna and feedline)
OR work on setting up the software (bring in a
PC or laptop running Windows XPP) to decode
the telemetry and to analyze it according to
a set of instructions.
Frequency: 433.920 MHz SSB.
All instructions will be provided in
advance to enhance preparation. The event
would be either one full day or two half
days.
At the end, we "launch" a module and copy
the telemetry. Perfect for beginners and
advanced satellite users alike, all ultimately
working together.
The donation per individual will be the cost
of kit (if desired) plus expenses (divided
among participants) plus no more than $10 to
the AMSAT-DC "sustenance" fund.
I will be very busy finalizing the PICetSat II
design and fabricating the PCBs over the next
two months. So, I will need more help than
ever before in organizing such an event.
o Can you help, as a worker? In preparation
of the workshop or during the workshop?
o Would you attend, as an experimenter?
Which group, one, two or three? (Group One:
Fabricating/testing/calibrating a flight unit;
Two: setting up Ground station hardware; or
Three: Ground station software.)
Please RSVP e-mail to me if you would like to
participate in a telecon one evening to ask
questions and start planning for our meeting/
workshop!
Until the more productive telecon, I will
entertain basic discussion and basic QnA on
this e-mail list.
Thoughts?
Thank you,
Pat
N8PK
AMSAT Area Coordinator
Maryland-DC Area
-----------------------------------------
Mr. Patrick L. Kilroy
Flight Systems Integration and Test (I&T)
Building 5, Mail Code 568
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
Phone: 301-286-1984
E-mail: Patrick.L.Kilroy(a)nasa.gov
-------------------------------------------
LRO Project http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov
"Your writing skills are evidence
of your ability to think clearly."
- Constance Newman, Director, OPM
Outreach:
http://patkilroy.com/simsat/
