- Amsat-dc (INACTIVE) - mailman.amsat.org

live video stream link for Cubesat Summer Workshop 2012
by Samudra Haque 12 Aug '12

12 Aug '12

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubesat-summer-workshop-2012 Hi, from USU. Samudra N3RDX (202) 812-3325

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Does anyone have an LVB tracker locally?
by Stephan Greene 24 Jun '12

24 Jun '12

As in a reasonable distance from Northern Virginia/DC area. I am going to add automated tracking to my station (G5400B az/el rotors), probably one of the LVB Trackers AMSAT-NA sells. When I tried a rotor controller back in the AO-13/40 days, (I do not recall which controller - may have had a serial or parallel port dongle), I recall there was a problem with the signal from one of the rotors (azimuth?) causing the controller to go into a reset mode and traverse to pointing south - possible an intermittent in the position sensor. The analog meters on the Yaesu controller do not show any problems, and the rotors have been working well over the past several weeks and the just-concluded Field Day. If possible, I'd like to verify my rotors and an LVB will get along well together before making the purchase, by testing the controller with my system. I can bring the rotor and a PC to your QTH, so you don't even have to let yours out of your sight. Replies to ks1g(a)amsat.org. 73 Steve KS1G -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Greene ks1g04(a)gmail.com <kay ess one gee zero four>@gmail.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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AMSAT-DC RE: IC-821 and SatPC32 weirdness solved
by Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) 18 Jun '12

18 Jun '12

Hi Steve, Thanks for the follow up. Very helpful! Good luck in the contest! Cheers, Pat N8PK -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 3:00 PM To: amsat-dc(a)amsat.org RE: IC-821 and SatPC32 weirdness solved (Stephan Greene) From: Stephan Greene <ks1g04(a)gmail.com> Re: my message from the other day....problem was in the radio. Somehow the satellite mode had become set such that the repeater offsets (+600 kHz or -5 MHz depending on band) activated on my uplink whenever SatPC32 sent a doppler frequency change during transmitting. Made it hard to find my signal, let alone make QSOs with computer control of frequency. Manual control of the radio worked fine. Go figure. Full reset of the radio has solved the problem. Easily found my downlinks and made QSOs on AO-7 Mode B and VO-52 Mode B earlier this evening with computer control of my radio. Boy - do I wish I took the time to figure out how to do that! Lesson: Problems with computer control of a radio are not always the fault of the computer or software. For those who have seen my old garden-cart backyard portable AO-13 system, I'm reusing pieces of it. Same Yaesu G5400, but on a sawhorse this time, bottom section of the 70cm HyGain satellite antenna, and a 4 element KLM yagi I had for 2M. Landwher and ARR preamps, although I don't really need it on 2M and using it results in a S5-6 noise level on 2M when the antennas are pointing at my house or the neighbors. Now if I could just do something about all the trees my everyone (including me!) planted over the past 10+ years. Nice to be back on the birds! 73, Steve KS1G ks1g(a)amsat.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Greene ks1g04(a)gmail.com <kay ess one gee zero four>@gmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Equipment Racks Available
by A.J. Farmer 07 Jun '12

07 Jun '12

All, I have several 42U equipment cabinets which are suitable for rack mount radio equipment or desktop type equipment on a shelf; perfect for a repeater site or for organizing your radios or test equipment. They are also good for server and networking equipment (their original intent). Dimensions are 24" wide x 40" deep, by 78" tall. I have them for sale on eBay, Craiglist, and local classifieds, but I am more than happy to donate to a club or individual that needs one. Let me know if you have any interest as they are going fast. Available for pickup in Hollywood, MD A.J. Farmer, AJ3U

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IC-821 and SatPC32 weirdness solved
by Stephan Greene 06 Jun '12

06 Jun '12

Re: my message from the other day....problem was in the radio. Somehow the satellite mode had become set such that the repeater offsets (+600 kHz or -5 MHz depending on band) activated on my uplink whenever SatPC32 sent a doppler frequency change during transmitting. Made it hard to find my signal, let alone make QSOs with computer control of frequency. Manual control of the radio worked fine. Go figure. Full reset of the radio has solved the problem. Easily found my downlinks and made QSOs on AO-7 Mode B and VO-52 Mode B earlier this evening with computer control of my radio. Boy - do I wish I took the time to figure out how to do that! Lesson: Problems with computer control of a radio are not always the fault of the computer or software. For those who have seen my old garden-cart backyard portable AO-13 system, I'm reusing pieces of it. Same Yaesu G5400, but on a sawhorse this time, bottom section of the 70cm HyGain satellite antenna, and a 4 element KLM yagi I had for 2M. Landwher and ARR preamps, although I don't really need it on 2M and using it results in a S5-6 noise level on 2M when the antennas are pointing at my house or the neighbors. Now if I could just do something about all the trees my everyone (including me!) planted over the past 10+ years. Nice to be back on the birds! 73 Steve KS1G ks1g(a)amsat.org -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Greene ks1g04(a)gmail.com <kay ess one gee zero four>@gmail.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Need SatPC32 troubleshooting help
by Stephan Greene 04 Jun '12

04 Jun '12

Getting back onto the satellites in prep for Field Day (and I've had my 1st QSOs on AO-7, SO-50, and this evening, VO-52 - yay!). Running into weirdness now with SatPC32 controlling the transmit frequency on my Icom 821. This is one of those, "well' I think it WAS working correctly" situations (and no I don't know what I did, if anything, to bugger it up). Or it may have always been there and I didn't notice it until I started trying more passes and closer to max elevation/max rate of doppler shift. While transmitting, when the program sends the radio a frequency correction (due to any combination of doppler and uplink tuning via the screen controls), the transmit frequency shifts 5 MHz down on 70cm (at least on AO-7, down from 435.x to 430.x) and up 1MHz (145.x to 146.x) when the uplink is on 2M. Goes back to normal after I stop transmitting and wait for the next correction, or toggle CAT control off and back on. So far, I've seen this on at least AO-7 and VO-52, and confirmed it on the FO-29 settings. Frustrating - I now have to switch off the radio control and find my d/l the old fashioned-way. Radio is otherwise responding to CAT commands normally. The RX frequency is unchanged throughout. Radio is configured in satellite-R mode, main band as d/l and sub-band as u/l. I've tried different settings of baud rate and CAT command delay without effect. I also tried a 100% uninstalling and reinstalling SatPC32 (pretty sure everything cleared because I had to reconfig the program from scratch) without stopping this behavior. Version is latest (SatPC32 12.8b), registered (AMSAT-NA of course), running on Windows7 64 (run it as administrator from my user account). CAT control of the radio is otherwise fine, addresses for main & sub bands appear correct, CAT baud rate is 19k2, and CAT delay is 70, "use sattelite mode" box is checked. Slower baud rates and longer delays did not clear the problem. RF feedback into the control cable (USB with built in serial converter) is plausible (I get some pickup on the PC speakers on 2M, full power), not sure I have a good way to test for that. Assuming I don't find and fix the problem 5 seconds after I hit "send", any suggestions to fix? The problem is very repeatable and very frustrating. Thanks & 73 Steve KS1G -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Greene ks1g04(a)gmail.com <kay ess one gee zero four>@gmail.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Who is driving out to the Dayton Hamvention? Space Day is May 5 at Udvar-Hazy Center
by Perry Klein 29 Apr '12

29 Apr '12

Dave Sumner just delivered ARRL's operating OSCAR 1 and CubeSat models to me to demonstrate on Space Day next Saturday, May 5 from 10 - 3 at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center. We are supposed to return them to ARRL at the Dayton Hamvention. Is anyone driving to Dayton with room to carry these precious packages? Everyone is invited to Space Day. It's a good chance to see the Shuttle Discovery which will be featured. Parking is $15, but if you're willing to help with the AMSAT display, we should be able to arrange free parking. 73, Perry, W3PK w3pk(a)amsat.org

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Dee Interdonato, NB2F
by Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) 16 Apr '12

16 Apr '12

The notice below came as a shock to me. Dee was a good friend to many fellow AMSAT members in the greater Maryland-DC area. You may leave a message to his wife Ginny at the guestbook noted below or just offer good thoughts. Dee will be surely missed by me and many. -Pat ---------------------------------------------- SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-106.01 ANS-099 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 106.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 15, 2012 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-106.01 [snip] Silent Key: Dee Interdonato, NB2F AMSAT has received the sad news of the passing of Dee Interdonato, NB2F on April 8, 2012. Dee was one of the editors of the AMSAT News Service and an AMSAT New Jersey Area Coordinator. He was the main point of contact for many amateurs as he covered most of the New Jersey hamfests on behalf of AMSAT. Dee was one of the mainstay vol- unteers for AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention for years. He also gave satellite presentations for the clubs in New Jersey. Dee helped where ever he could, often behind the scenes. He worked on QSL duties for SAREX, ARISS, and ARISSat-1 missions so many of you have likely received a card from him. Dee was a well known and respected mentor for amateur satellite oper- tors, helping them understand the technical details and make success- ful radio contacts via satellites. Dee's other amateur radio activities in Northern New Jersey included the Bergen Amateur Radio Association, Bergen County CERT, AMSAT, and he was the treasurer of the Bergen County FM Association. Dee, and his wife Ginny, N2EYN always participated in the Dayton Hamvention and AMSAT Symposiums. Dee was the principal trumpet player for the Rutherford Community Band and a member of the Waldwick and Westwood Community Bands. He was also an avid hunter and a member of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs. Before retiring he was the supervisor of the Radio Shop of the Port Authority of NY/NJ. The funeral was held on Friday, April 13 in his hometown of Lodi, New Jersey. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Vietnam Veterans of America, 8719 Colesville Rd., Suite 100, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 or AMSAT, 850 Sligo Road, Suite 600, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Dee Interdonato, NB2F obituary: http://tinyurl.com/NB2F-Obituary (santangelofuneralhome.com) Guestbook for Dee Interdonato, NB2F http://tinyurl.com/NB2F-Guestbook (santangelofuneralhome.com) [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- [snip] /EX [snip] Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. And with that please keep in mind the memory of ANS Editor Dee Interdonato, NB2F who became a Silent Key this week. This was Dee's week for the bulletins. Take a moment and wish him 73 and offer thanks for all Dee did for AMSAT. 73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org _______________________________________________ Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

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FW: Space Shuttle Discovery to Fly Over Goddard, Land in Virginia
by Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

FYI, more details on Space Shuttle Discovery fly over. You DON'T want to miss it! -n8pk From: GSFC-Communications Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 2:37 PM To: GSFC-DL-ALL Subject: Space Shuttle Discovery to Fly Over Goddard, Land in Virginia Space Shuttle Discovery to Fly Over Goddard En Route to Virginia On Tuesday, April 17, bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets to the Goddard Mall (grass area in front of Building 8) at 10:00 a.m. for a celebration of human spaceflight as we watch Space Shuttle Discovery fly over Goddard's Greenbelt campus. The flight is contingent upon weather, so check the Center-wide e-mail that will be disseminated the morning of Tuesday, April 17 for confirmation of the event and additional event details. The flyover is expected to occur by 11:00 a.m. Share Your Images of Space Shuttle Discovery Bring your camera to the viewing of Space Shuttle Discovery's flyover on the Goddard Mall and then share your images with the Office of Communications. We will publish a photo slideshow on the Goddard homepage<http://www.nasa.gov/goddard> and Goddard's Flickr<http://www.flickr.com/groups/discoverygoddard/>(r) page following the event. Selected images will also be featured in Goddard View. You can upload your images to the Goddard Flickr<http://www.flickr.com/groups/discoverygoddard/>(r) Group or you can Webdrive<https://webdrive.gsfc.nasa.gov/trader.html> your images using the GSFC file transfer system. Or, you can e-mail your pictures to earthsciencephoto(a)gmail.com Details of Space Shuttle Discovery's Flight NASA's acclaimed Space Shuttle Discovery will take its final flight aboard a modified Boeing 747 en route to its new home at the National Air and Space Museum's Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. As Discovery approaches, the National Air and Space Museum will update its Web site<http://discovery.si.edu/> with Discovery's current location and will provide that information to local radio stations. Smithsonian Activities at the Udvar-Hazy Center, April 17-22 The Space Shuttle Discovery activities do not end with the fly over on Tuesday, April 17. In celebration of Discovery's arrival, the Smithsonian Institute, in collaboration with NASA, plans to host a series of inspirational and educational events, exhibits, and activities through Sunday, April 22 at the Udvar-Hazy Center. After the week's activities, Discovery, NASA's longest-serving orbiter that has flown more missions than any other shuttle, will continue to be on permanent display at the Udvar-Hazy Center. For information on the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center, check out: http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy. Additional Information The primary resource for Discovery arrival activity information is at the National Air and Space Museum's special Web site: http://discovery.si.edu. For information on Space Shuttle Discovery, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/orbitersdis.…. Questions can be directed to Amy Pruett<mailto:Amy.E.Pruett@nasa.gov>, the Office of Communications.

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Thank You in Timonium & Followup
by Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

Announcing AMSAT results of the GBHC.org Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest: THE HAMFEST IN TIMONIUM, Maryland, a week or two ago (forgive me, I just got back from a family vacation) was fantastic, in fact, much better than I imagined it would be! I offer a big THANK YOU to KEN PERKO, WA3WHE (recently retired from NASA HQ and the longtime Goddard microwave branch head, Code 567), and DAVE TAYLOR, W8AAS (longtime ARISS school contact coordinator and ground station K6DUE operator), who helped me run the huge AMSAT booth and displays. What a team! We had a really good turn out for the new one-day-only event this year. I personally had a great time. Ken and Dave claimed the same! We got to see a lot of old friends who stopped by, made some new friends, took a few photos, received a lot of donations and AMSAT membership renewals, chatted with many and showed off demos, including one of the FUNcube Dongle Pro in action on a big screen. A big hit! I expect to submit a photo or two to the editors of the AMSAT Journal in case they wish to share it widely. Let's do it again next year. Tentative date: Saturday, April 6, 2013 Don't miss it! Respectfully submitted, Pat Kilroy, N8PK AMSAT Area Coordinator Maryland-DC Area -----Original Message----- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:15:58 -0500 From: patrick.l.kilroy(a)nasa.gov To: amsat-dc(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-dc] Enjoy the Hamfest ... The AMSAT booth will be in the Cow Palace. We will have Dave Taylor, W8AAS, and Ken Perko, WA3WHE, staffing the booth with me! Do drop in! See details below. And see Bob WB4APR's message way below too. 73 de Pat Kilroy, N8PK AMSAT Area Coordinator (one of 'em) -------------------------------------------- Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest Saturday, March 31, 2012 (Now one day only!) Location: Maryland State Fairgrounds 2200 York Road Timonium, Maryland 21093 Served by MD 45 (York Rd), Interstate 83 (I-83), and the Timonium Light Rail stop. Admission $9 per person. The Baltimore Amateur Radio Club (BARC), sponsor of The GBH&C, targets Amateur Radio and electronics enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds. The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic Region and adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay attracting civilian, government, and military attendees from Maine to Florida every year. The show has one building with Commercial and Flea Market style vendors. It is Saturday ONLY from 7am to 3pm for attendees. No need to worry about rain or inclement weather, the entire show will be indoors, the building will also be heated if necessary. Food will be available for purchase. There is free parking available in the Midway of the Fairgrounds and limited handicapped parking. HANDICAPPED PARKING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED! No additional spaces will be reserved. Door prizes will be given throughout the day and you must be present to win. DXCC, WAS and VUCC card checking will be available from 9 am to 12 pm and VE Exams will be held at the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel. Talk-in on 146.670 MHz- (PL 107.2) The show will be held rain or shine and is one of the largest shows on the East Coast. Even more info at: http://www.gbhc.org Do not miss this event. -------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 2012 Baltimore Amateur Radio Club -------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: ARRL Members Only Web site [mailto:memberlist@www.arrl.org] Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 10:33 AM To: Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) Subject: Timonium Hamfest Tomorrow and Info on a Balloon Launch * Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest * Trackers needed for balloon launch ===> Tomorrow from 7am to 3pm is the Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest. Card checking will be available for DXCC, WAS, and VUCC from 9am - 12pm. There will a Laurel Amateur Radio Club VE Test Session at the Crowne Plaza Hotel 2004 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, Md beginning at 9am. Saturday, March 31, 2012 Greater Baltimore Hamboree & Computerfest Location: Maryland State Fairgrounds 2200 York Road Timonium, MD Website: www.gbhc.org Sponsor: Baltimore Amateur Radio Club Type: ARRL Hamfest Talk-In: 146.67 (Pl 107.2) Public Contact: Bill Dobson, N3WD PO Box 120 Reisterstown, MD 21136 Phone: 443-590-1444 Email: w3ft67(a)yahoo.com Note: The Maryland Emergency Phone Net, MEPN, will hold it's meeting at this hamfest. The precise location and time is to be announced. Listen at 6:00 PM EST daily on 3820 kHz for details. ******************************* ===> Here's a request from TC Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for folks to track a balloon launch . . . We are launching a balloon from US Naval Academy tonight Thursday 29 March about 6:30 PM which will have only a CW beacon on 28.223 MHz (Dial USB). We will depend on DF bearings and signal strength to track it. It will only be at about 16,000 feet, no where near the normal height of balloons. But it could last 10 days. See details on http://aprs.org/balloons.html WB4APR, Bob -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Maryland-DC Section Section Manager: James E Cross III, WI3N wi3n(a)arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------

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