[amsat-bb] Re: International Space Station-Bounce on 1296 MHz
--- On Tue, 28/5/13, i8cvs domenico.i8...@tin.it wrote: Do you know the EIRP used at 1296 MHz by DJ5AR or by PA3FXB Hi Domenico, DJ5AR was using a 3m dish (29 dB gain) and 200 watts, PA3FXB also had a 3m dish but I don't know the power output. They each have a report on the QSO in the 432 and Above EME Newsletter http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/NLD/eme0713.pdf 73 Trevor M5AKA ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: Help in Hearing ISS (Les Rayburn)
Hi Les, As others have posted - 145.825 seems to be the frequency ISS has 'settled on' for packet operations. www.issfanclub.com is a great source of information for up-todate operations with ISS, including frequency info. If you have an audio interface between your rig and PC, it would be worth looking at the likes of AGWPE:- http://www.sv2agw.com/ham/agwpe.htm This creates a 'virtual' TNC with your soundcard / audio interface and when the audio levels are set correctly, it is possible to send and receive packet via ISS. UISS is a nice 'bolt-on' that can be used with AGWPE, http://users.belgacom.net/hamradio/uiss.htm This allows you to enter your grid square , or lat long (there's also a GPS plug-in if you operate mobile) and send postion/beacon/messages via the APRS protocol. Best regards Matty MD0MAN ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: International Space Station-Bounce on 1296 MHz
WOW ! From my modest EIRP calculation via the handbook that will be about 129130 W (129KW) (some error included...) That's a huge power... 73 El 28/05/13 04:13, M5AKA escribió: --- On Tue, 28/5/13, i8cvs domenico.i8...@tin.it wrote: Do you know the EIRP used at 1296 MHz by DJ5AR or by PA3FXB Hi Domenico, DJ5AR was using a 3m dish (29 dB gain) and 200 watts, PA3FXB also had a 3m dish but I don't know the power output. They each have a report on the QSO in the 432 and Above EME Newsletter http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/NLD/eme0713.pdf 73 Trevor M5AKA ___ 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
[amsat-bb] New version of HamSatDroid
Hi, I'm just in the process of release version 0.9 of HSD. You will have to uninstall version 0.8 and re-install 0.9 because it has a new signing certificate. (I have taken over ownership) New features in this version; Support for phones and 4/7/10 inch tablets Landscape map for ground-track IARU (Maidenhead) location input The many other enhancements that people have suggested are coming out in version 1.0. - Dave ___ 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
[amsat-bb] (no subject)
Hello everyone. Just a quick note to anyone operating SO-50. I am extending my apologies in advance for my operating practices. I realize after listening to my videos that sometimes I May be talking over people unintentionally. I am new at this, and hopefully learning from my mistakes. SO-50 is so busy that sometimes I am not sure when a QSO has begun or ended, and working with my HT and Arrow antenna sometimes get confusing at times. Again, my apologies to everyone and hope to catch you on the satellite. Best 73...Frank KB2CWN EL88qL Sent from my HTC EVO 4G LTE exclusively from Sprint ___ 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
[amsat-bb] a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Again, thinking to FD... - My FT-847 predates bi-directional CAT i.e. no computer assisted Doppler - I may be the only one at the station i.e. no helper to man the antenna (Arrow), so I may need to do everything. - assume the transponder LEO birds Has anyone tried this?: 1) mount a standard TV antenna horizontal 2) align the horizontal rotor axis 90 deg to the orbit tilt (inclination?) of the intended bird (so if the bird went directly overhead, a beam mounted on the mast would track) 3) but, mount the antenna on the horizontal mast such that it can be set tilted off the mast 0 to 90 degs to the mast axis (from horizon to zenith, and in practice set it to the maximum elevation of the intended pass) 4) operation: set the rotator (in 2) and aim the beam to the AOS point of the pass (in 3), pan the orbit remotely from the operator position. 5) the rotator axis and angle of the beam to mast would have to be set for each pass. Do-able? Bill W1PA ___ 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
[amsat-bb] May/June 2013 AMSAT Journal is Ready
The May/June 2013 AMSAT Journal is complete and at the print shop. See http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=651 for more details. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9...@amsat.org Editor, AMSAT Journal ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Bill, You are mistaken. The FT-847 will work fine with SatPC. I had one and it worked great. I used a G5400 AZ/EL Rotor from Yaesu with the Easy Rotor Tracker module from Germany. I also used the 12v voltage on the coax to power my mast mounted Preamps. I know this doesn't answer your question but trying to do an automated work around to the G5400 or G5500 is going to be a real pain.. 73, Craig W1MSG -Original Message- From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill (W1PA) Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 10:54 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] a cheap LEO tracker for single op Again, thinking to FD... - My FT-847 predates bi-directional CAT i.e. no computer assisted Doppler - I may be the only one at the station i.e. no helper to man the antenna (Arrow), so I may need to do everything. - assume the transponder LEO birds Has anyone tried this?: 1) mount a standard TV antenna horizontal 2) align the horizontal rotor axis 90 deg to the orbit tilt (inclination?) of the intended bird (so if the bird went directly overhead, a beam mounted on the mast would track) 3) but, mount the antenna on the horizontal mast such that it can be set tilted off the mast 0 to 90 degs to the mast axis (from horizon to zenith, and in practice set it to the maximum elevation of the intended pass) 4) operation: set the rotator (in 2) and aim the beam to the AOS point of the pass (in 3), pan the orbit remotely from the operator position. 5) the rotator axis and angle of the beam to mast would have to be set for each pass. Do-able? Bill W1PA ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Bill, YES Dave-KB1PVH Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid RAZR On May 28, 2013 1:14 PM, Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
With practice, yes. Broad beamwidth antennas tilted up just a bit, and point just in azimuth. 73, Drew KO4MA Sent from my iPhone On May 28, 2013, at 12:57 PM, Bill \(W1PA\) w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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
[amsat-bb] AMSAT table @ Show Low AZ hamfest on Saturday (1 June)
Hi! I will have an AMSAT table at the annual White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low, Arizona, this Saturday 1 June 2013. The hamfest will be at the Show Low City Hall, and is scheduled to run from 8am until 12 noon (1500-1900 UTC). More information about the hamfest is available at: http://www.kachina-arc.org/Page/Hamfest.html http://www.kachina-arc.org/forms/2013%20hamfest%20revised.pdf WD9EWK will be on the air during the morning, working whatever satellites are available from approximately 1300 UTC until the hamfest wraps up for on-air demonstrations. If you hear WD9EWK on a pass, please feel free to call and be a part of the demonstration. The hamfest site is in grid DM44. All QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World after the hamfest, and QSL cards will be available (just e-mail me QSO details, and I'll send you a card). 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ ___ 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
[amsat-bb] HamSatDroid 0.9
Hi, FYI, the app has been temporarily removed from the Google Play Store while I reload it with the new signing key. Should be back tomorrow. Will post another message when it's back. The info site is still up: https://sites.google.com/site/hamsatdroid/ 73 - Dave, G4DPZ ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Bill, You should find something in the reflector archives from 3 or 4 weeks ago where there was a discussion of what percentage of passes were overhead. It is an extremely low percentage. If I recall, most are at a an elevation of 33 degrees or less. Because of the wide beam width of my antenna, tilting the antenna at an angle of 20 to 25 degrees works well for me. I can copy the satellite beacons down to the horizon. And only on the high angle passes do I have a any drop out And because of the beam width of the antenna I don't need to keep a hand on the rotor control all the time. But it takes some practice to remember to look at the azimuth reading on the computer and to adjust the rotor accordingly every couple of minutes. The problem comes on the more overhead passes. Because the bird is closest to my location at that time it seems to accelerate as it gets overhead. On those, though, it doesn't seem to be as critical that the rotor be adjusted anywhere close to the indicated azimuth. I can hear the signal starting to fade and it is a reminder to check the azimuth. I would definitely run a number of passes with the setup before Field Day to make sure that everything works and that you can remember to do all the things that your three hands need to do during a pass! 73 from another newbie, Rolf NR0T On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
I found my old web page with graphics that shows the exact geometry of passes and elevations. See http://aprs.org/LEO-tracking.html 70% of all pass times are below 22 degrees. After the discussion a few weeks ago, I sat down today to begin building a web page on the topic and when I went to save it, there was a page already there that I had made years ago! So there it is. Bob, Wb4aPR -Original Message- From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Rolf Krogstad Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 4:17 PM To: Bill (W1PA) Cc: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op Bill, You should find something in the reflector archives from 3 or 4 weeks ago where there was a discussion of what percentage of passes were overhead. It is an extremely low percentage. If I recall, most are at a an elevation of 33 degrees or less. Because of the wide beam width of my antenna, tilting the antenna at an angle of 20 to 25 degrees works well for me. I can copy the satellite beacons down to the horizon. And only on the high angle passes do I have a any drop out And because of the beam width of the antenna I don't need to keep a hand on the rotor control all the time. But it takes some practice to remember to look at the azimuth reading on the computer and to adjust the rotor accordingly every couple of minutes. The problem comes on the more overhead passes. Because the bird is closest to my location at that time it seems to accelerate as it gets overhead. On those, though, it doesn't seem to be as critical that the rotor be adjusted anywhere close to the indicated azimuth. I can hear the signal starting to fade and it is a reminder to check the azimuth. I would definitely run a number of passes with the setup before Field Day to make sure that everything works and that you can remember to do all the things that your three hands need to do during a pass! 73 from another newbie, Rolf NR0T On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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 ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Field ISS contacts, any interest?
Greetings, I am making preparations for the K9MOT Motorola Solutions Amateur Radio Club Field Day setup. I plan to operate the satellite station once again and give demos as I have done in the past few years. Hopefully, I can get the gremlins out that have popped up during the past few FD's. I am interested in demoing packet through the ISS, assuming it will be in packet mode this year. I know all stations are limited to one ISS contact. I am curious how many other FD stations are planning to make a packet contact and would it be worth the trouble? See you on the birds at Field Day! Please give K9MOT a shout should you hear us. Have fun! 73, Adrian AA5UK ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Good reading material Bob! Everyone should bookmark this page. Back when I had a sat station I had my antennas fixed at 45 degrees. The reason why is first I didn't know any better and second I built my mast out of PVC and 2 45 degree elbows were all I could find locally. It worked well enough for me to make contacts. Then I had to move my antennas and never got around to putting everything back up again. If I ever do it again, I will cut off the 45 degree elbows and do it right. 73 Matt W5LL EM23 On 5/28/2013 3:48 PM, Robert Bruninga wrote: I found my old web page with graphics that shows the exact geometry of passes and elevations. See http://aprs.org/LEO-tracking.html 70% of all pass times are below 22 degrees. After the discussion a few weeks ago, I sat down today to begin building a web page on the topic and when I went to save it, there was a page already there that I had made years ago! So there it is. Bob, Wb4aPR -Original Message- From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Rolf Krogstad Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 4:17 PM To: Bill (W1PA) Cc: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op Bill, You should find something in the reflector archives from 3 or 4 weeks ago where there was a discussion of what percentage of passes were overhead. It is an extremely low percentage. If I recall, most are at a an elevation of 33 degrees or less. Because of the wide beam width of my antenna, tilting the antenna at an angle of 20 to 25 degrees works well for me. I can copy the satellite beacons down to the horizon. And only on the high angle passes do I have a any drop out And because of the beam width of the antenna I don't need to keep a hand on the rotor control all the time. But it takes some practice to remember to look at the azimuth reading on the computer and to adjust the rotor accordingly every couple of minutes. The problem comes on the more overhead passes. Because the bird is closest to my location at that time it seems to accelerate as it gets overhead. On those, though, it doesn't seem to be as critical that the rotor be adjusted anywhere close to the indicated azimuth. I can hear the signal starting to fade and it is a reminder to check the azimuth. I would definitely run a number of passes with the setup before Field Day to make sure that everything works and that you can remember to do all the things that your three hands need to do during a pass! 73 from another newbie, Rolf NR0T On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Bill (W1PA)w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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 ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
FT 847 no computer assisted doppler ? Why ? My FT 847 happily gets its doppler correction from SatPC32 - all you need is a cable. Add a cheap tv rotor and a bit of homebrew software and you are all set ! ( http://evolution2enterprises.com/sat/sat.html ) This system works well for me for about 2 years now. Have since upgraded to higher gain antennas, though. Cheers, Andreas - VK4TH From: Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, 29 May 2013 12:54 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] a cheap LEO tracker for single op Again, thinking to FD... - My FT-847 predates bi-directional CAT i.e. no computer assisted Doppler - I may be the only one at the station i.e. no helper to man the antenna (Arrow), so I may need to do everything. - assume the transponder LEO birds Has anyone tried this?: 1) mount a standard TV antenna horizontal 2) align the horizontal rotor axis 90 deg to the orbit tilt (inclination?) of the intended bird (so if the bird went directly overhead, a beam mounted on the mast would track) 3) but, mount the antenna on the horizontal mast such that it can be set tilted off the mast 0 to 90 degs to the mast axis (from horizon to zenith, and in practice set it to the maximum elevation of the intended pass) 4) operation: set the rotator (in 2) and aim the beam to the AOS point of the pass (in 3), pan the orbit remotely from the operator position. 5) the rotator axis and angle of the beam to mast would have to be set for each pass. Do-able? Bill W1PA ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
I'm not sure why a rotor or PC is needed. I have made many contacts in the past two years with an Arrow antenna (hand driven) and an IC-910 (manual Doppler correction.) With a little practice, it's really not difficult. The trick is to practice, practice, practice.Y Over the weekend I made contacts on all the active satellites with no PC, no rotor, and no big arrays. Sure, Field Day will be a little more difficult. Be prepared. Pick your passes wisely. If you're on the East Coast don't pick a pass centered over North America. Choose one out over the Atlantic so that less stations will be in the footprint. Last year, I snuck onto SO-50 in the middle of the night with nothing but an Arrow and ten watts. I'm not sure it'll be so easy this year considering that the recently published QST article will draw some fresh blood. I'm glad this is getting discussed now. Maybe more stations will decide to dust off the gear and try contacts now rather than wing it for their 100 bonus points. I am a firm believer in the KISS principle and also Train for how you will operate; operate how you train. 73 Clayton W5PFG On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
OK, must have missed his first post where he mentions the fact. But why does the report back mechanism has to work in order for doppler correction to work ? SatPC32 just calculates the correct frequencies based on satellite data and current position / relative movement. It then sends the set frequency command to the radio, regardless what it's current frequency is. It does that in adjustable intervals. So IMHO it wouldn't be necessary to read the current frequency back from the FT 847. In fact I am not sure if SatPC32 even does read the frequency from the radio, even if it can. Andreas - VK4TH From: kq...@verizon.net kq...@verizon.net To: haw...@yahoo.com; w...@hotmail.com; amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, 29 May 2013 9:51 AM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op Guys, in his FIRST post he mentioned he had a very early FT-847. The early FT-847's did NOT support two-way CAT communication for frequency and mode. You could command the radio, but it lacked the capability to report the frequency back to the control software. Yaesu modified the radios, but that was a long time agao, and if the radio didn't get modified then, you're out of luck as there are no more parts. The change over point is somewhere in the 8G05 range. 73, Jim KQ6EA On 05/28/13, Andy Kellnerhaw...@yahoo.com wrote: FT 847 no computer assisted doppler ? Why ? My FT 847 happily gets its doppler correction from SatPC32 - all you need is a cable. Add a cheap tv rotor and a bit of homebrew software and you are all set ! ( http://evolution2enterprises.com/sat/sat.html ) This system works well for me for about 2 years now. Have since upgraded to higher gain antennas, though. Cheers, Andreas - VK4TH From: Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, 29 May 2013 12:54 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] a cheap LEO tracker for single op Again, thinking to FD... - My FT-847 predates bi-directional CAT i.e. no computer assisted Doppler - I may be the only one at the station i.e. no helper to man the antenna (Arrow), so I may need to do everything. - assume the transponder LEO birds Has anyone tried this?: 1) mount a standard TV antenna horizontal 2) align the horizontal rotor axis 90 deg to the orbit tilt (inclination?) of the intended bird (so if the bird went directly overhead, a beam mounted on the mast would track) 3) but, mount the antenna on the horizontal mast such that it can be set tilted off the mast 0 to 90 degs to the mast axis (from horizon to zenith, and in practice set it to the maximum elevation of the intended pass) 4) operation: set the rotator (in 2) and aim the beam to the AOS point of the pass (in 3), pan the orbit remotely from the operator position. 5) the rotator axis and angle of the beam to mast would have to be set for each pass. Do-able? Bill W1PA ___ 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 ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Clayton, good stuff. You are certainly right, a rotor, PC and computer based doppler correction are all optional. There is a certain thrill in working SO 50 with a 10 W HT and a hand held arrow antenna, and pretty rewarding to. But honestly, when you work AO-7 on SSB with your fully automated ground station - happily correcting your RX/TX frequencies in 10 Hz. intervals controlled from one laptop, and your fully automated homebrew tracking AZ / EL rotors clicking away controlled from another laptop, your full duplex 'Earth Station' FT 847 producing a crystal clear signal from a 40 year old bird limping along on ancient solar panels and all you have to do is press the PTT button - that puts a smile on your face, too :) Anderas - VK4TH From: Clayton Coleman kayakfis...@gmail.com To: Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com Cc: AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, 29 May 2013 9:33 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op I'm not sure why a rotor or PC is needed. I have made many contacts in the past two years with an Arrow antenna (hand driven) and an IC-910 (manual Doppler correction.) With a little practice, it's really not difficult. The trick is to practice, practice, practice. Y Over the weekend I made contacts on all the active satellites with no PC, no rotor, and no big arrays. Sure, Field Day will be a little more difficult. Be prepared. Pick your passes wisely. If you're on the East Coast don't pick a pass centered over North America. Choose one out over the Atlantic so that less stations will be in the footprint. Last year, I snuck onto SO-50 in the middle of the night with nothing but an Arrow and ten watts. I'm not sure it'll be so easy this year considering that the recently published QST article will draw some fresh blood. I'm glad this is getting discussed now. Maybe more stations will decide to dust off the gear and try contacts now rather than wing it for their 100 bonus points. I am a firm believer in the KISS principle and also Train for how you will operate; operate how you train. 73 Clayton W5PFG On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com wrote: Let me ask this another way... Assuming minimal setup prior to each pass, can I track a LEO with a single rotor well enough for QSO’s? (single rotor control in one hand, VFO/Doppler on my other) ___ 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 ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
It does, and it makes it very easy to tune across a pass band with the VFO. However, the workaround is to tune with the up down buttons in Satpc32. . In fact I am not sure if SatPC32 even does read the frequency from the radio, even if it can. ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Yeah, mine is a 8F unit --- just missed it. I actually have the replacement uProcessor for it (bought years ago), but I won't get it soldered in in time. Anyone know if running the rig from the computer is non-functional or just a bit crippled if I don't have the bi-directional CAT link? When AO-40 was up, I ran 2002 FD with an 847, a primestar dish sitting on the ground, and a 432 11-element beam on a camera tripod... no computer, not even logging. Took a bit to get a system down, but it worked fine. Obviously, the doppler dynamics from a HEO 8 hour pass is a different animal than the doppler from a 8 minute LEO pass. The rotor control, even just single axis, will give me control in one sitting position -- the rotor control, VFO, RIT/XIT, mic and pen all in front of me; especially since it may be only me. That's all the real automation I need. As someone stated, I have certainly done enough hand-held FM LEO work with the Arrow and a FT530 to know it's a matter of practice and getting a system down. Bob, thank you for reposting. I had saved some of the articles as pdfs for my own reference years ago; good to see them back on line. Bill W1PA Date: Tue, 28 May 2013 18:51:39 -0500 From: kq...@verizon.net To: haw...@yahoo.com; w...@hotmail.com; amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op Guys, in his FIRST post he mentioned he had a very early FT-847. The early FT-847's did NOT support two-way CAT communication for frequency and mode. You could command the radio, but it lacked the capability to report the frequency back to the control software. Yaesu modified the radios, but that was a long time agao, and if the radio didn't get modified then, you're out of luck as there are no more parts. The change over point is somewhere in the 8G05 range. 73, Jim KQ6EA ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Lost CAT Data on SATPC32
Taking some advice from the group today, I closed SATPC32 and opened SATPCISS in an attempt to monitor a morning pass. When I reopened SATPC32, I noticed that I had no satellites listed in my group, the countdown program did not launch, etc. Further examination revealed that all frequency data was missing in the CAT window too. I tried restarting the computer, downloading new KEP data, etc. Nothing seemed to work. Any ideas? -- -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf 6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484 Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz Light ___ 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
[amsat-bb] Re: a cheap LEO tracker for single op
Bill, the older FT-847 (I don't know up to which serial number) didn't allow to poll the VFO frequency. As I understand your mail (predated bi-directional CAT) you have such older model. CAT control with FM sats should work, because SatPC32 doesn't poll the VFO but only sets the frequency. With SSB sats it will also work, but you can tune the radio around the passband only with the 5 up/down controls or the keyboard. If you tune it with the VFO knob the program will restore the previous frequencies with the next Doppler correction.bcause it can't read the frequency change you made with the knob. 73s, Erich, DK1TB - Original Message - From: Bill (W1PA) w...@hotmail.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 4:54 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] a cheap LEO tracker for single op Again, thinking to FD... - My FT-847 predates bi-directional CAT i.e. no computer assisted Doppler - I may be the only one at the station i.e. no helper to man the antenna (Arrow), so I may need to do everything. - assume the transponder LEO birds Has anyone tried this?: 1) mount a standard TV antenna horizontal 2) align the horizontal rotor axis 90 deg to the orbit tilt (inclination?) of the intended bird (so if the bird went directly overhead, a beam mounted on the mast would track) 3) but, mount the antenna on the horizontal mast such that it can be set tilted off the mast 0 to 90 degs to the mast axis (from horizon to zenith, and in practice set it to the maximum elevation of the intended pass) 4) operation: set the rotator (in 2) and aim the beam to the AOS point of the pass (in 3), pan the orbit remotely from the operator position. 5) the rotator axis and angle of the beam to mast would have to be set for each pass. Do-able? Bill W1PA ___ 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