[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Lizeth Norman]

Happens many times. Across three pc's all good hardware.
Makes me want to cry..
I've got better things to do than spend more time troubleshooting software
problems.
On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 12:12 AM, Jim Jerzycke  wrote:

> Same here.
>
> I've had it running on XP and Win 7 64-bit for WEEKS at a time and _never_
> had a crash.
>
> Jim  KQ6EA
>
>
> On 05/18/2013 04:26 AM, George Henry wrote:
>
>> Interesting.  I have NEVER had a SatPC32 crash, under XP or Win7, and I
>> have left it running continuously for several days at a time.
>>
>>
>> George, KA3HSW
>>
>>
>> - Original Message - From: "Lizeth Norman" <
>> normanliz...@gmail.com>
>> To: "Philip Jenkins" 
>> Cc: 
>> Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 10:55 PM
>> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
>>
>>
>>  None. Pick you poison. Satpc32 crashes using all operating systems. Good
>>> for an hour or so. Then you get an OLE FEHER error. Tried this over all
>>> operating systems (xp, win7, win8)
>>> Grab a pc from the kerb and load up xp. cheap and simple.
>>> As many problems as satpc32 has, it's far and away better than the
>>> competition.
>>>
>>>
>> __**_
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[gordonjcp]

On Fri, May 17, 2013 at 04:37:13PM -0400, Philip Jenkins wrote:
> I'm in the process of buying a very low-end refurbished PC for use at Field
> Day and at a 10 day local fair this Fall to demonstrate satellite operating.
> 
> All that this PC will be used for is running packet software and SatPC32 in
> the field. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the PC to control the
> antenna. (I may use this PC as for  packet/APRS at home; I have another Win
> XP shack desktop already dedicated to ham radio/SatPC32/rig control/antenna
> steering.)

Windows 7 won't run on anything that most people would call "low end".  You 
might manage to install it on a fastsh Core2 machine with perhaps as little as 
4GB of RAM.

If you want something lightweight and reliable, use Linux.  The packet radio 
stack is about as modern as any amateur radio software ever gets, and you can 
use gpredict for your satellite passes.  Depending on which distribution you 
pick, you can make it as lightweight as you want.

-- 
Gordonjcp MM0YEQ

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[amsat-bb] UO-11 ( Uosat-2)

[GW1FKY]

Hi all,
I have been checking on the status of UO-11  ( Uosat-2 )   for our weekly 
Amsat -UK  80 metre Net report.
Noticed that it is no longer listed on the OSCAR satellite status page run  
by KD5UGR.
Ken Eaton
GW1FKY
Amsat-UK
Amsat NA
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[amsat-bb] Re: UO-11 ( Uosat-2)

[Ib Christoffersen]

Hi Ken,
According to my counting it should start again tonight - May 18 at
approximately 21 UTC.
Greetings to all on the net.
73 OZ1MY/Ib

-Oprindelig meddelelse-
Fra: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] På vegne
af gw1...@aol.com
Sendt: 18 May 2013 09:13
Til: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Emne: [amsat-bb] UO-11 ( Uosat-2)

Hi all,
I have been checking on the status of UO-11  ( Uosat-2 )   for our weekly 
Amsat -UK  80 metre Net report.
Noticed that it is no longer listed on the OSCAR satellite status page run  
by KD5UGR.
Ken Eaton
GW1FKY
Amsat-UK
Amsat NA
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Philip Jenkins]

Thanks for the replies. I do have a Win 7-64 machine with 4GB RAM as my
main PC; I've just never used the 32 bit version and wanted to see if I
needed to avoid it.

I should have added that these refurbed machines (which are ITX/small form
factor) already have the OS (Win 7-32 or Win 7-64) installed. They are
listed as off-lease, so I'm guessing that they were networked to a server
since they only have 1-2 GB RAM.

As for the Linux suggestion, that did cross my mind and am still
considering it. I do have an older ATX tall-tower with Ubuntu installed,
but haven't played with it much; it's a bit bigger than I would want to
carry to a Field Day/demo site. I haven't played with Xastir at all.

The refurbs are pretty cheap, so I may get two and install XP on one and
some flavor of Linux on the other (I'm the most familiar with Ubuntu (but
that isn't saying much), but open to suggestions.) Does Linux still support
serial ports?

Philip N4HF


On Fri, May 17, 2013 at 4:37 PM, Philip Jenkins wrote:

> I'm in the process of buying a very low-end refurbished PC for use at
> Field Day and at a 10 day local fair this Fall to demonstrate satellite
> operating.
>
> All that this PC will be used for is running packet software and SatPC32
> in the field. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the PC to control
> the antenna. (I may use this PC as for  packet/APRS at home; I have another
> Win XP shack desktop already dedicated to ham radio/SatPC32/rig
> control/antenna steering.)
>
> Which is a better OS for this, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit (which most of
> the PCs that I'm looking at) or Win 7 Home Premium (64-bit)?  I had heard
> there were some compatibility problems (not necessarily with any ham radio
> software) with the 32-bit version when Win 7 first came out.
>
> Most of the machines with either version come with 1 GB RAM - should I
> choose one with 2GB or more (or install more RAM myself), or will 1 GB be
> sufficient for the light use I'm intending for this machine? (I noticed in
> the WIN 7 specifications that 1 GB is the minimum.)
>
> Most of the PCs I'm looking at with have a serial port as well (which is
> one of my criterion for considering these units) - that will make my life
> much easier with the old TNCs I have :-)
>
> To sum up, which OS should I choose, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit, or Home
> Premium (64-bit)?
>
> Tnx es 73
>
> Philip N4HF
>
>
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Philip Jenkins]

Oops, I meant to say gpredict, not xastir.

On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 10:33 AM, Philip Jenkins wrote:

> Thanks for the replies. I do have a Win 7-64 machine with 4GB RAM as my
> main PC; I've just never used the 32 bit version and wanted to see if I
> needed to avoid it.
>
> I should have added that these refurbed machines (which are ITX/small form
> factor) already have the OS (Win 7-32 or Win 7-64) installed. They are
> listed as off-lease, so I'm guessing that they were networked to a server
> since they only have 1-2 GB RAM.
>
> As for the Linux suggestion, that did cross my mind and am still
> considering it. I do have an older ATX tall-tower with Ubuntu installed,
> but haven't played with it much; it's a bit bigger than I would want to
> carry to a Field Day/demo site. I haven't played with Xastir at all.
>
> The refurbs are pretty cheap, so I may get two and install XP on one and
> some flavor of Linux on the other (I'm the most familiar with Ubuntu (but
> that isn't saying much), but open to suggestions.) Does Linux still
> support serial ports?
>
> Philip N4HF
>
>
> On Fri, May 17, 2013 at 4:37 PM, Philip Jenkins wrote:
>
>> I'm in the process of buying a very low-end refurbished PC for use at
>> Field Day and at a 10 day local fair this Fall to demonstrate satellite
>> operating.
>>
>> All that this PC will be used for is running packet software and SatPC32
>> in the field. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the PC to control
>> the antenna. (I may use this PC as for  packet/APRS at home; I have another
>> Win XP shack desktop already dedicated to ham radio/SatPC32/rig
>> control/antenna steering.)
>>
>> Which is a better OS for this, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit (which most of
>> the PCs that I'm looking at) or Win 7 Home Premium (64-bit)?  I had heard
>> there were some compatibility problems (not necessarily with any ham radio
>> software) with the 32-bit version when Win 7 first came out.
>>
>> Most of the machines with either version come with 1 GB RAM - should I
>> choose one with 2GB or more (or install more RAM myself), or will 1 GB be
>> sufficient for the light use I'm intending for this machine? (I noticed in
>> the WIN 7 specifications that 1 GB is the minimum.)
>>
>> Most of the PCs I'm looking at with have a serial port as well (which is
>> one of my criterion for considering these units) - that will make my life
>> much easier with the old TNCs I have :-)
>>
>> To sum up, which OS should I choose, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit, or Home
>> Premium (64-bit)?
>>
>> Tnx es 73
>>
>> Philip N4HF
>>
>>
>>
>
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[amsat-bb] Satellite telemetry decoding

[Mike Sprenger]

Hi,

So I've got satpc32 running rotors and radios automatically. Radio is ic-910h. 

I have Interest to record and decode CW satellite telemetry to text and then 
use the DK3WN tools to decode. 

Any suggestion for two things:

1.  what to use to record the audio from the radio automatically ?
2.  what software to decode the CW to text from the CW beacons ?

Thanks
Mike
W4UOO




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[amsat-bb] Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Werner, HB9BNK]

I use SatPC32 since many years - now, since about 3 months on 
Windows 8 (both 32bit and 64 bit) and no complaints !


I have however learned to run the program as Administrator (set 
the corresponding flag (properties / compatibilty / )) , so that 
SatPC32 can control my rotor interface (Winrotor) which is a 
separate program


73, Werner, HB9BNK

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[amsat-bb] Re: Satellite telemetry decoding

[Dave WØDHB]

Mike

You might take a look at MixW , AWGPE or Packet Engine Pro for decoding
packet.
These are software modems so you won't need a TNC.

 If you are decoding 9600 Baud packets, make sure you get your audio output
from pin 4 of the 910H main or sub band data sockets, use pin 5 for 1200
baud.

Programs like Fldigi, DM780 or CWskimmer could be used to decode CW .

Dave

-Original Message-
From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Mike Sprenger
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 7:33 AM
To: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Satellite telemetry decoding

Hi,

So I've got satpc32 running rotors and radios automatically. Radio is
ic-910h. 

I have Interest to record and decode CW satellite telemetry to text and then
use the DK3WN tools to decode. 

Any suggestion for two things:

1.  what to use to record the audio from the radio automatically ?
2.  what software to decode the CW to text from the CW beacons ?

Thanks
Mike
W4UOO




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[amsat-bb] Re: Satellite telemetry decoding

[Mike Nettles]

Have a look at Scanner Recorder. It maybe what you need to record the audio 
from the radio and its free.

73
Mike kb5wbh

- Original Message - 
From: "Mike Sprenger" 

To: 
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 8:32 AM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Satellite telemetry decoding



Hi,

So I've got satpc32 running rotors and radios automatically. Radio is 
ic-910h.


I have Interest to record and decode CW satellite telemetry to text and 
then use the DK3WN tools to decode.


Any suggestion for two things:

1.  what to use to record the audio from the radio automatically ?
2.  what software to decode the CW to text from the CW beacons ?

Thanks
Mike
W4UOO




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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[gordonjcp]

On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 10:33:18AM -0400, Philip Jenkins wrote:
> The refurbs are pretty cheap, so I may get two and install XP on one and
> some flavor of Linux on the other (I'm the most familiar with Ubuntu (but
> that isn't saying much), but open to suggestions.) Does Linux still support
> serial ports?

Yes, of course!  There's the added advantage that you don't need additional 
drivers for USB-to-serial converters, too, which takes a bit more uncertainty 
out of things.

If it ever was supported, it should be supported now.  Okay, the kernel-mode 
soundmodem stuff has gone, but that was a stupid idea ;-)  Remember those old 
floppy connector tape drives?  They're still supported - if you can get a real 
genuine FDC to play with...

-- 
Gordonjcp MM0YEQ
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Hector, CO6CBF]

Hello to all!

I have an old desktop PC dedicated to ham radio ( 1 GHz Pentium CPU, 256 MB
of RAM and Win XP). I have had SatPC32 running  24x7 since December and I
have never had a SatPC32 crash. 

73!

Hector, CO6CBF

-Mensaje original-
De: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] En nombre
de Jim Jerzycke
Enviado el: sábado, 18 de mayo de 2013 1:13
Para: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Asunto: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

Same here.

I've had it running on XP and Win 7 64-bit for WEEKS at a time and 
_never_ had a crash.

Jim  KQ6EA

On 05/18/2013 04:26 AM, George Henry wrote:
> Interesting.  I have NEVER had a SatPC32 crash, under XP or Win7, and 
> I have left it running continuously for several days at a time.
>
>
> George, KA3HSW
>
>
> - Original Message - From: "Lizeth Norman" 
> 
> To: "Philip Jenkins" 
> Cc: 
> Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 10:55 PM
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
>
>
>> None. Pick you poison. Satpc32 crashes using all operating systems. Good
>> for an hour or so. Then you get an OLE FEHER error. Tried this over all
>> operating systems (xp, win7, win8)
>> Grab a pc from the kerb and load up xp. cheap and simple.
>> As many problems as satpc32 has, it's far and away better than the
>> competition.
>>
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Pat McGrath]

Philip

Where do you obtain the refurbed machines?

Pat
Ka6tya


-Original Message-
From: Philip Jenkins [mailto:n4hf.phi...@gmail.com] 
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 7:33 AM
To: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

Thanks for the replies. I do have a Win 7-64 machine with 4GB RAM as my main
PC; I've just never used the 32 bit version and wanted to see if I needed to
avoid it.

I should have added that these refurbed machines (which are ITX/small form
factor) already have the OS (Win 7-32 or Win 7-64) installed. They are
listed as off-lease, so I'm guessing that they were networked to a server
since they only have 1-2 GB RAM.

As for the Linux suggestion, that did cross my mind and am still considering
it. I do have an older ATX tall-tower with Ubuntu installed, but haven't
played with it much; it's a bit bigger than I would want to carry to a Field
Day/demo site. I haven't played with Xastir at all.

The refurbs are pretty cheap, so I may get two and install XP on one and
some flavor of Linux on the other (I'm the most familiar with Ubuntu (but
that isn't saying much), but open to suggestions.) Does Linux still support
serial ports?

Philip N4HF


On Fri, May 17, 2013 at 4:37 PM, Philip Jenkins
wrote:

> I'm in the process of buying a very low-end refurbished PC for use at 
> Field Day and at a 10 day local fair this Fall to demonstrate 
> satellite operating.
>
> All that this PC will be used for is running packet software and 
> SatPC32 in the field. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the PC 
> to control the antenna. (I may use this PC as for  packet/APRS at 
> home; I have another Win XP shack desktop already dedicated to ham 
> radio/SatPC32/rig control/antenna steering.)
>
> Which is a better OS for this, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit (which most 
> of the PCs that I'm looking at) or Win 7 Home Premium (64-bit)?  I had 
> heard there were some compatibility problems (not necessarily with any 
> ham radio
> software) with the 32-bit version when Win 7 first came out.
>
> Most of the machines with either version come with 1 GB RAM - should I 
> choose one with 2GB or more (or install more RAM myself), or will 1 GB 
> be sufficient for the light use I'm intending for this machine? (I 
> noticed in the WIN 7 specifications that 1 GB is the minimum.)
>
> Most of the PCs I'm looking at with have a serial port as well (which 
> is one of my criterion for considering these units) - that will make 
> my life much easier with the old TNCs I have :-)
>
> To sum up, which OS should I choose, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit, or 
> Home Premium (64-bit)?
>
> Tnx es 73
>
> Philip N4HF
>
>
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Art McBride]

To ALL,
I have used Sat PC for several years on XP, and Vista. It crashes on me if I
disconnect the USB serial connection to the radio, otherwise it is a well
behaved program. How the bios handles the USB ports is computer specific and
could be the cause of the crashing. 

Art,
KC6UQH

-Original Message-
From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Hector, CO6CBF
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 9:56 AM
To: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

Hello to all!

I have an old desktop PC dedicated to ham radio ( 1 GHz Pentium CPU, 256 MB
of RAM and Win XP). I have had SatPC32 running  24x7 since December and I
have never had a SatPC32 crash. 

73!

Hector, CO6CBF

-Mensaje original-
De: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] En nombre
de Jim Jerzycke
Enviado el: sábado, 18 de mayo de 2013 1:13
Para: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Asunto: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

Same here.

I've had it running on XP and Win 7 64-bit for WEEKS at a time and 
_never_ had a crash.

Jim  KQ6EA

On 05/18/2013 04:26 AM, George Henry wrote:
> Interesting.  I have NEVER had a SatPC32 crash, under XP or Win7, and 
> I have left it running continuously for several days at a time.
>
>
> George, KA3HSW
>
>
> - Original Message - From: "Lizeth Norman" 
> 
> To: "Philip Jenkins" 
> Cc: 
> Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 10:55 PM
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?
>
>
>> None. Pick you poison. Satpc32 crashes using all operating systems. Good
>> for an hour or so. Then you get an OLE FEHER error. Tried this over all
>> operating systems (xp, win7, win8)
>> Grab a pc from the kerb and load up xp. cheap and simple.
>> As many problems as satpc32 has, it's far and away better than the
>> competition.
>>
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Greg D]

And it's free. And that includes not having to pay for anti-virus 
software on top of paying for the O/S (though in this case apparently 
Win 7 is already there), or reboot for the ever-coming patches. And even 
if you use the free AV software, it still takes up valuable CPU and 
memory resources, which on a smaller machine can be a killer.


Uptime on this PC, by the way, is currently 224 days. OpenSuSE 12.1, on 
an old 2 ghz AMD Sempron. I think I have 3gb of RAM installed, but it 
used to have a lot less 224 days ago (under a gig, if I recall). My PC 
at work is running OpenSusE 11.4, and it's been up for well over 200 
days as well. I also run VMPlayer with Windows 7 inside, but it's up and 
down like a yo-yo with the corporate-driven patches that get applied.


APRSIS/32, if you want to run APRS, works excellently in Wine on Linux, 
much better in my opinion than XASTIR. I have also run several of the 
Windows-based satellite tracking programs in Wine, if you need 
compatibility, though I prefer gpredict.


Ubuntu is a very popular Linux distro, but I prefer OpenSuSE. The user 
experience is more main-stream (but without being too Windows-like), and 
all of the system configuration utilities are bundled into a single 
setup tool, so they're easy to find and have the same look & feel.


Greg KO6TH


gordon...@gjcp.net wrote:

On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 10:33:18AM -0400, Philip Jenkins wrote:

The refurbs are pretty cheap, so I may get two and install XP on one and
some flavor of Linux on the other (I'm the most familiar with Ubuntu (but
that isn't saying much), but open to suggestions.) Does Linux still support
serial ports?

Yes, of course!  There's the added advantage that you don't need additional 
drivers for USB-to-serial converters, too, which takes a bit more uncertainty 
out of things.

If it ever was supported, it should be supported now.  Okay, the kernel-mode 
soundmodem stuff has gone, but that was a stupid idea ;-)  Remember those old 
floppy connector tape drives?  They're still supported - if you can get a real 
genuine FDC to play with...


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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Erich Eichmann]

Hello Art,
The USB port of the IC-9100 is a built in USB-to-Serial adapter. If you 
disconnect the USB cable from the PC the COM port to/from which the 
program sends/receives data is no longer available. The link is 
interrupted. The same happens when you switch off the radio while the 
program is running. Therefore first close  the program. I have described 
that in the FAQs file (fig. 5o). Also, there is a patch file on my 
website (page Downloads) that traps the error.


The traditional CI-V jacket  of the IC-9100 for CAT control doesn't 
cause such problems but works
absolutely reliable. It must be connected to a physical COM port or an 
external USB-to-Serial adatper. Therefore switching  of the radio 
doesn't close the COM port and  interrupt  the serial connection.


73s, Erich, DK1TB




Am 18.05.2013 07:39, schrieb Art McBride:

To ALL,
I have used Sat PC for several years on XP, and Vista. It crashes on me if I
disconnect the USB serial connection to the radio, otherwise it is a well
behaved program. How the bios handles the USB ports is computer specific and
could be the cause of the crashing.

Art,
KC6UQH

-Original Message-
From:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org  [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Hector, CO6CBF
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 9:56 AM
To:amsat-bb@amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

Hello to all!

I have an old desktop PC dedicated to ham radio ( 1 GHz Pentium CPU, 256 MB
of RAM and Win XP). I have had SatPC32 running  24x7 since December and I
have never had a SatPC32 crash.

73!

Hector, CO6CBF

-Mensaje original-
De:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org  [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] En nombre
de Jim Jerzycke
Enviado el: sábado, 18 de mayo de 2013 1:13
Para:amsat-bb@amsat.org
Asunto: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

Same here.

I've had it running on XP and Win 7 64-bit for WEEKS at a time and
_never_ had a crash.

Jim  KQ6EA

On 05/18/2013 04:26 AM, George Henry wrote:

Interesting.  I have NEVER had a SatPC32 crash, under XP or Win7, and
I have left it running continuously for several days at a time.


George, KA3HSW


- Original Message - From: "Lizeth Norman"

To: "Philip Jenkins"
Cc:
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 10:55 PM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?



None. Pick you poison. Satpc32 crashes using all operating systems. Good
for an hour or so. Then you get an OLE FEHER error. Tried this over all
operating systems (xp, win7, win8)
Grab a pc from the kerb and load up xp. cheap and simple.
As many problems as satpc32 has, it's far and away better than the
competition.


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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[James Luhn]

I had numerous crashes with satPC32 until I followed the suggestion of several 
here on this list. What solved my crash issues was the replacement of the 
internal serial to USB adapter with a serial IC and then use an external USB to 
serial adapter. Since I have made this simple mod I have not had one problem.  
Before I made the change, my computer would lock up in less than an hour.  This 
is probably a driver issue.  Since everything works now, I probably will not 
pursue this issue.

73,
James
W5AOO

Sent from my iPad

On May 18, 2013, at 1:30 PM, amsat-bb-requ...@amsat.org wrote:

> Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Jim Jerzycke]

The entire time I've been running SatPC32, I've been using a Keyspan 
4-port USB-to-serial converter.


I run my FT-847, my Fox Delta rotor interface, and my HP Z3801 
Timebase/GPS clock without ANY crashes.


People may complain that these adapters "cost too much", and then they 
buy multiple cheap adapters, with rotten drivers that don't "steer" the 
USB ports correctly, and blame the program they're trying  to run when 
things crash.


You pays your money and you takes your chances.

I'd rather pay more, and have solid equipment.

Jim  KQ6EA

On 05/18/2013 10:48 PM, James Luhn wrote:

I had numerous crashes with satPC32 until I followed the suggestion of several 
here on this list. What solved my crash issues was the replacement of the 
internal serial to USB adapter with a serial IC and then use an external USB to 
serial adapter. Since I have made this simple mod I have not had one problem.  
Before I made the change, my computer would lock up in less than an hour.  This 
is probably a driver issue.  Since everything works now, I probably will not 
pursue this issue.

73,
James
W5AOO

Sent from my iPad

On May 18, 2013, at 1:30 PM, amsat-bb-requ...@amsat.org wrote:


Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[Tony Langdon]

On 19/05/13 12:33 AM, Philip Jenkins wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I do have a Win 7-64 machine with 4GB RAM as my
main PC; I've just never used the 32 bit version and wanted to see if I
needed to avoid it.
I'd only use the 32 bit version on a machine with < 4GB RAM.  The amount 
of RAM you have would normally be the main factor determining whether 
you use 32 or 64 bit.  Less than about 3GB (exact value varies from 
system to system), and 32 bit may result in slightly less RAM usage.  At 
worst, you're no worse off, and you do have compatibility with 
applications and hardware that uses only 32 bit driver (or other kernel 
mode) code.  Once you start getting over that 3 GB RAM, then the extra 
addressing capability of the 64 bit OSs comes into play, and you need 
the 64 bit version to fully utilise your available RAM (there are 
exceptions, mainly 32 bit Windows Server and Linux PAE kernels, but for 
end user Windows versions, the previous applies).


I've run 64 bit Windows Vista and 7 with no issues, except the obvious 
ones, such as:


Software or hardware that only comes with 32 bit drivers (64 bit OS 
needs 64 bit drivers).
Unsigned drivers - 64 bit Windows is normally anal retentive about 
driver signing, but there is a workaround.
Old 16 bit software or installers - 16 bit software does not run under 
64 bit Windows.  Workaround here is to use a virtual machine - VMware, 
VirtualBox, etc.


Linux is definitely a viable alternative.  A lot of ham software these 
days has Linux equivalents, packet is built right into the network 
stack, and a lot of Windows software will happily run under 
WINE/Crossover .


--
73 de Tony VK3JED
http://vkradio.com

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[amsat-bb] Help call for a Yeasu GS-232B

[Robert C. Campbell]

Today while working the sats with Satpc32 the G-5500 would rotate east to
west but not return with a call from PSTrotator.
It seemed to get progressively worse and I would have to return the rotator
to east manualy using the manual box. I checked for broken wires from the
rotator to the manual box and everything wrings out fine. The rotator works
fine in manual mode...push the switches for az/el and the rotator turns and
returns the proper position indication on the needles. By the end of the
day the GS-232 is not communicating with the G-5500 at all and will not
command or return a rotator position to the computer via satPC32. My
thoughts are...the serial board in the dell laptop, bad serial cable, or
bad GS-232. Baud rates, com. ports and general set up for SatPC32
remain unchanged and have worked for the last 3 plus years. I can afford
and new serial cable. Thoughts welcome here or contact me off page at
kb3...@gmail.com

Thanks
Bob
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[amsat-bb] Re: Better/best operating system for SatPC32?

[David Giles]

Hello Philip,

I use SatPC32 using VMWARE.  The XP OS is running as a guest on my Linux PC.
Serial ports for radio/antenna work but there is no driver for a 
parallel port.
It might take a bit of effort to set up but I can run just about 
anything using

Windows as just another process under Linux.

73 de David VK5DG

On 18/05/13 06:07, Philip Jenkins wrote:

I'm in the process of buying a very low-end refurbished PC for use at Field
Day and at a 10 day local fair this Fall to demonstrate satellite operating.

All that this PC will be used for is running packet software and SatPC32 in
the field. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the PC to control the
antenna. (I may use this PC as for  packet/APRS at home; I have another Win
XP shack desktop already dedicated to ham radio/SatPC32/rig control/antenna
steering.)

Which is a better OS for this, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit (which most of the
PCs that I'm looking at) or Win 7 Home Premium (64-bit)?  I had heard there
were some compatibility problems (not necessarily with any ham radio
software) with the 32-bit version when Win 7 first came out.

Most of the machines with either version come with 1 GB RAM - should I
choose one with 2GB or more (or install more RAM myself), or will 1 GB be
sufficient for the light use I'm intending for this machine? (I noticed in
the WIN 7 specifications that 1 GB is the minimum.)

Most of the PCs I'm looking at with have a serial port as well (which is
one of my criterion for considering these units) - that will make my life
much easier with the old TNCs I have :-)

To sum up, which OS should I choose, Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit, or Home
Premium (64-bit)?

Tnx es 73

Philip N4HF
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[amsat-bb] ANS-139 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

[Lee McLamb]

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-139

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite
Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space
including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur
Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building,
launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio
satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.

In this edition:

* AMSAT Fox-1 Launch Date Announced
* AMSAT At The Dayton Hamvention
* DARC and UBA Support Amateur Radio in Tunisia
* Frequencies announced for HamTV from the International Space Station
* AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium News
* Merritt Island High School StangSat Progress and Launch Date



SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-139.01
ANS-139 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 139.01
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 19, 2013
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-139.01


AMSAT Fox-1 Launch Date Announced

NASA announced on May 13, 2013 that AMSAT’s Fox-1 spacecraft has been assigned
for launch in 2014 on the ELaNa XII mission. The expected orbit is 470 x 780 km
at 64 degrees inclination. This orbit has a lifetime of about 11 years.

AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, reported that the
software development team successfully brought up the Fox-1 system software on
the Internal Housekeeping Unit (IHU). The IHU is the brains of the Fox-1
satellite and it has a 32-bit, STM32L 
microprocessor. The operating IHU card was

shown in the AMSAT Engineering booth at the Dayton Hamvention.

The Fox-1 Engineering Team will deliver the satellite for integration with the
launch vehicle during May, 2014 with the launch scheduled for November, 2014.
Tony commented, “While this is later than we had hoped, it is well within the
normal variance of ELaNa launch dates and the extra time will be most welcome
for additional satellite testing. This is very 
exciting news and really puts the

focus on finishing the satellite and ground station software development.”

President Barry Baines says, “AMSAT’s focus on 
STEM education and development of

a cubesat platform capable of flying a science mission with a reliable
communications link resulted in the selection of Fox-1 in the third round and
RadFxSat (Fox-1B) in the fourth round of NASA’s Cubesat Launch Initiative.”

All Fox cubesats are designed to host advanced science payloads to support
future science missions that help us to continue qualify for NASA ELaNa (free)
launches. The Phase 1 Fox satellites are 1-Unit CubeSats. They each include an
analog FM repeater that will allow simple ground stations using an HT and an
“arrow” type antenna to make contacts using the satellite. This was the mode
made so popular by AO-51. The Phase 1 CubeSats also have the capability of
operating in a high-speed digital mode for data communications. Phase 2 Fox
satellites will include software-defined-transponders (SDX) like the one tested
on ARISSat-1. These will be able to operate in a wide variety of analog and
digital communications modes including linear transponders. Since this requires
more power for reliable operation, these will probably all be 3-Unit CubeSats.
Watch the AMSAT Journal and the AMSAT web (http://www.amsat.org) page for more
news and details.


[ANS thanks the AMSAT Fox Team for the above information ]


-


AMSAT At The Dayton Hamvention


This is past week the really big show in Amateur Radio was the 2013 Hamvention
near Dayton, Ohio.

AMSAT's theme this year at Dayton was "AMSAT - A View to the Future."

Thursday, 16 May, featured the third Annual AMSAT 
"Dinner at Tickets" party held

at Tickets Pub & Eatery in Fairborn, OH.

Friday, 17 May, concluded with the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet.  The banquet is one of
the main AMSAT activities during the Hamvention 
at Dayton. The speaker this year

was Bruce Perens, K6BP, sharing the humorous history of technology evangelism:
"The Evangelist's Dilemma: Driving New Ideas With Nothing But Words."

Saturday, 18 May, included the opportuity to get the latest information about
what is going on with AMSAT and its projects at the AMSAT Forum including the
exciting news of the launch date announced by NASA for the Fox-1 Satellite.

Along with each day's featured activities every day included outside demos on
all available satellite passes.  Meanwhile, 
inside at the AMSAT booth, the Fox-1

Internal Housekeeping Unit (IHU.), the brains of the Fox-1 satellite, and paper
models of the FOX-1 satellite where available for 
everyone to stop by and have a

look.

Other hardware was also available for purchase.  AMSAT had a supply of the
popular V/U/WX receive preamplifiers at Dayton for di