[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 - FT-817

[David Palmer]

Hi Clint and James,

I've got a full write-up on my 2 x FT-817ND system with SatPC32 on my page at:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2010/10/satellite-portable-station.html

It includes details configuation, screenshot, cables, setup, etc.
Same config will apply to an 817+857 install.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88

On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 9:45 AM, Clint Bradford  wrote:
> James Brown (no, not THAT "James Brown") needs assistance with SatPC32 - 
> Would a SatPC32 guru please answer him directly at ...
>
> jimki...@sbcglobal.net
>
> JAMES:  Wondering if you have instructions to make ft817 and ft857 connect to 
> sat32pc and how that works. I have the 857 working as primary. Thanks, Jim 
> KI6WJ
>
> Many thanks - I just am not that familiar with SatPC32 ...
>
> Clint K6LCS
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[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 - FT-817

[David Palmer]

Sure can, I've done it before switching to the twin radios.  If you
only configure one radio with SatPC32, it uses the "SPLIT" fuction of
the FT8x7 to automatically set both the RX and TX frequencies for
doppler on VFOs A & B.

Remember that a critical factor for operating on the linear birds is
calibrating your particular radio for the uplink / downlink offset.
This is really easy with two radios (since you can hear your own
downlink) but with a single radio it's much more difficult.  Out of
the box, my twin FT-817's were about 2 kHz off with the default
frequency offsets in SatPC32.  Before ARISSat, try practicing on VO-52
or AO-7 with their 70cm uplinks and 2m downlinks -- they're often not
crowded at all, and it will be good to get your rig close in
calibration with the help of some others on the air there.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88

On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 11:33 AM, Ron Overdrive
 wrote:
> Question I have is, is it possible to use SatPC32 to control 1 FT-817 either
> in split frequency or in each VFO (ie switching between VFO A & B) with the
> Doppler shift corrections? At this time my FT-817 is my only 2m/70cm rig
> that supports SSB and I would like to be able to operate on the linear birds
> especial ARISSat-1 when its launched. I'm fully aware I would not be able to
> hear myself in the preferred full duplex operation, but something is better
> then nothing until I can acquire another SSB rig either in 2m or 70cm.
>
> ~73, AC2RF Ron
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[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 - FT-817

[David Palmer]

Hi Ed,

Sure -- SatPC32 runs both tracking and tuning just fine.  I don't list
it in my article (referenced earlier) but other sections of my blog
show how I've connected up a G5500 rotator.  Having SatPC32 controll
both the dopper tuning and the tracking is awesome -- it's a great
program, well worth it.

Some Yaesu's need the CAT convertor -- specifically the FT817, FT857,
and FT897.  You can either do a USB --> Serial convertor, then a
Serial --> CAT convertor, or you can use one of the all-in-one cables
that go right from USB to CAT.  I've used both (one of each for
portable) and they work fine.

SatPC32 and Unitrac?  Not sure, maybe someone else knows...

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88



> Nice article.  A couple questions:
> 1- Can one run both tracking (B5400) and tuning with SATPC32?
> 2- I didn't know that Yaesu needed a CAT converter to RS232.
> The K3 has a RS232 port so easy to connect.  But I will have to get
> into SATPC32 to see if it will support control of the K3.
> 3. Does SATPC32 interface with the Unitrac2000.
>
> I am running winXP with a computer that has a com port and USB.
>
>
>
> 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45

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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA Portable in CM89 on 2/21/2011

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

If anyone needs grid square CM89, I'll be in Colusa, California next
Monday (February 21, President's Day) with my portable satellite gear.
 Back in December a number of hams mentioned that CM89 hasn't been on
the air in a few years, so this will be a good opportunity to take a
little road trip and get on the sats from there.

I'll try to get on SO-50, AO-27, FO-29, and AO-51 from around 1930 UTC
to around 2330 UTC.  Exact pass times are in the schedule below, if
all goes well I'll be there for most of the passes in the table.  I'll
have my SPOT tracker with me, so if you want to check my location then
just look me up on QRZ (there's a link to the location map right below
my bio).

73 de Dave KB5WIA


 WinAos   QTH: -122.0/39.2   T#: 12104   Sat.: 7 [Standard]
 --
 Day Object   AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl   AZ
 --

 21.02.2011  SO-5019:44 19:5612   25  179 - 043
 21.02.2011  AO-2720:38 20:5113   32  138 - 357
 21.02.2011  SO-5021:24 21:3713   33  234 - 026
 21.02.2011  AO-2722:18 22:3113   29  194 - 337
 21.02.2011  FO-2922:33 22:4209   06  045 - 122
 21.02.2011  AO-5123:14 23:2713   31  140 - 357
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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA Portable in CM89 on 2/21/2011

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

If anyone needs grid square CM89, I'll be in Colusa, California next
Monday (February 21, President's Day) with my portable satellite gear.
 Back in December a number of hams mentioned that CM89 hasn't been on
the air in a few years, so this will be a good opportunity to take a
little road trip and get on the sats from there.

I'll try to get on SO-50, AO-27, FO-29, and AO-51 from around 1930 UTC
to around 2330 UTC.  Exact pass times are in the schedule below, if
all goes well I'll be there for most of the passes in the table.  I'll
have my SPOT tracker with me, so if you want to check my location then
just look me up on QRZ (there's a link to the location map right below
my bio).

73 de Dave KB5WIA


 WinAos   QTH: -122.0/39.2   T#: 12104   Sat.: 7 [Standard]
 --
    Day     Object       AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl   AZ
 --

 21.02.2011  SO-50        19:44 19:56    12   25  179 - 043
 21.02.2011  AO-27        20:38 20:51    13   32  138 - 357
 21.02.2011  SO-50        21:24 21:37    13   33  234 - 026
 21.02.2011  AO-27        22:18 22:31    13   29  194 - 337
 21.02.2011  FO-29        22:33 22:42    09   06  045 - 122
 21.02.2011  AO-51        23:14 23:27    13   31  140 - 357

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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA/P Mini Grid-Expedition Report (CM89)

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday's mini grid-expedition to grid square CM89 was a lot of fun.
 I live in grid CM88 (between San Francisco and Sacramento), so CM89
was only an hour north of me and easy to get to.   We drove up to
Colusa in the morning, and I was able to get my QRP-portable equipment
(twin FT-817ND's and an Elk antenna) set up at around 11:30am local
time, just before the first of six passes.

Satellite SO-50 came by first at 19:44z, it was a nice easterly
ascending pass and I made around 5 QSO's with good sigs.  I then had
time for lunch, and the next pass was AO-27 at 20:38z with good
signals as well; I made 8 QSO's on that bird.  At 21:24z SO-50 came
around again, this time to the west, and I was able to get a few more
QSO's in.  Next it was time for AO-27 to come around again at 22:18z,
also to the west, and I made a couple of contacts there.

At 22:33z FO-29 came by on a low easterly pass, and I had a super
difficult time hearing my downlink on this one!  One big problem was a
huge "POP" a few times a second, which kept resetting the AGC in both
the radio and the one in my ears!  I only figured out after the pass
that the noise blanker (NB) on the '817 did an awesome job at removing
this popping noise.  Another issue was my location, next to a local
casino, turned out to have a huge amount of RF noise -- guess
thousands of "gaming machines" tends to generate some interference!
All in all, I made no contacts on FO-29, but heard a number of
stations coming back to me faintly ... I just didn't have enough
receive sensitivity between the pops and the slot machines to pull
them out.

Finally at 23:14z AO-51 came by, and I was able to make around 10 nice
QSO's on that bird.  Yes, AO-51 was crowded, but like others have said
recently, no more crowded than many days on HF.  With just a bit of
patience, it wasn't a problem at all to make contacts yesterday on
'51, even on a mid-day easterly pass.

Overall, the day went well. It was fun to work the six passes in
rather quick succession (about 3.5 hours from beginning to end).   The
weather was beautiful (sorry Patrick, no earthquakes, power failures,
or lightning strikes), and it was a nice day to be sitting in the back
of the pickup truck playing with the sats!

Lessons learned:
1)  Remember to double-check that tracking software is set for new grid square!
2)  The noise blanker on the FT-817ND works wonders.
3)  Plan to choose a radio-quiet location next time!

For anyone that worked me and wants QSL cards, just send me one and
I'll send you one right back.  I'll head back out that way in another
few months in case anyone missed me.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: SO-67 1 mar 0419 UT pass

[David Palmer]

Nothing heard here from SO-67 in CM88 at 0430z on 3/1/2011.  Saw some
other reports of nothing heard for that same pass off-list as well.

73 de Dave KB5WIA

On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 4:39 AM,   wrote:
> All did anyone hear SO-67 on this pass? Nothing heard from DM33.
>
> 73 de
> Rick
> K7TEJ
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[amsat-bb] Re: PCSAT32 Question

[David Palmer]

> I have been trying to get familiar with PCSAT32. I was a bit confused today.
> I tried switching from EST to UTC on my computer and I assumed everything
> would remain the same as far as satellite positions on the map etc. When I
> did change the time everything changed why is this? Where should I leave the
> time for correct satellite positions etc?

Hi Mike,

Also be sure you restart the software and/or computer when making
changes like this -- I have found with a number of programs that a
simple restart is all that's required to get things acting normally
again.

Personally, on my home PC,  I use SATPC32 set in UTC, with the PC set
to local time (currently GMT-7 in California here with daylight
savings time).

However, on my netbook computer that I use for portable ops, I use
SATPC32 (also set to UTC) with the computer itself set to UTC also.

Both setups work equally well.  I actually find it easier to have the
software and the computer in UTC time zone (on my netbook), but since
my XYL shares the home PC, I have to be accomodating and leave
everything in local time (except for SATPC32!).

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88

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[amsat-bb] AO-51 - Idaho Repeater QRM on uplink?

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

I just thought I'd relay a bit of QRM I observed on AO-51 on this
morning's 3/16/2011 1322z pass.   The bird was totally quiet (just a
nice carrier) for the first 5 minutes of the pass, but then it sounded
like a repeater was getting into the sat uplink:

3/16  1327z:  "Connected, KD7QAF repeater."
3/16  1328z:  "KD7QAF repeater disconnected."
3/16  1328z:  "hey Stacy did I see you at the corner there by Wendys?"
3/16  1330z:  "...repeater in Middleton, Idaho."

Pretty minor as far as QRM goes, but I just wanted to flag it up in
case anyone knows of a KD7QAF repeater (call might have been KD7QAN?)
that's got an output near 145.920.  Might be worth letting them know
they're getting into a sat.

Also had a nice chat with Kerry WC7V on the same pass -- I'd forgotten
how nice it is to work AO-51 on the early morning passes, it's a
fantastic satellite!!!  The morning passes aren't crowded at all, and
'51 has such beautiful clear audio and great coverage.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
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[amsat-bb] Re: AO-51 - Idaho Repeater QRM on uplink?

[David Palmer]

Hi Zack,

Yeah, noticed the same, KD7QAF likely wasn't the correct call.  My
ears hadn't fully woken up yet this morning, darn it!

Maybe it was KD7QAS I heard ... that's an IRLP node in Middleton, ID,
and the robot voice definitely announced Middleton.  And "F" and "S"
do sound kinda alike.

Dave


On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 9:17 AM, Zachary Beougher
 wrote:
> Hi Dave,
>
> KD7QAF is an ex call sign (now AC7VA - Washington) and KD7QAN is a op in
> Yuma, AZ.  From the looks of his QRZ page he has not been very active, so I
> would doubt if he has a repeater.
>
> 73!
>
> Zack
> KD8KSN
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Andrew Glasbrenner
> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 11:58 AM
> To: David Palmer
> Cc: AMSAT BB
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AO-51 - Idaho Repeater QRM on uplink?
>
> Thanks for the heads up. It's likely an echolink or irlp node. Does anyone
> have a recording? If we can nail the call down I'll follow up with them.
>
> 73, Drew KO4MA
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 16, 2011, at 11:18 AM, David Palmer  wrote:
>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> I just thought I'd relay a bit of QRM I observed on AO-51 on this
>> morning's 3/16/2011 1322z pass.   The bird was totally quiet (just a
>> nice carrier) for the first 5 minutes of the pass, but then it sounded
>> like a repeater was getting into the sat uplink:
>>
>> 3/16  1327z:  "Connected, KD7QAF repeater."
>> 3/16  1328z:  "KD7QAF repeater disconnected."
>> 3/16  1328z:  "hey Stacy did I see you at the corner there by Wendys?"
>> 3/16  1330z:  "...repeater in Middleton, Idaho."
>>
>> Pretty minor as far as QRM goes, but I just wanted to flag it up in
>> case anyone knows of a KD7QAF repeater (call might have been KD7QAN?)
>> that's got an output near 145.920.  Might be worth letting them know
>> they're getting into a sat.
>>
>> Also had a nice chat with Kerry WC7V on the same pass -- I'd forgotten
>> how nice it is to work AO-51 on the early morning passes, it's a
>> fantastic satellite!!!  The morning passes aren't crowded at all, and
>> '51 has such beautiful clear audio and great coverage.
>>
>> 73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
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[amsat-bb] Re: more antenna discussions....

[David Palmer]

Like Drew, I've had great results with linear antennas.  I use either
a linearly-polarized Elk antenna (for portable ops), or a home az/el
setup using a 2M7 (vertical) VHF yagi and a 15-el Diamond (horizontal)
UHF yagi.  Both systems work just fine for me on the FM and SSB sats.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88


On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 1:42 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner
 wrote:
>
>
> On Mar 18, 2011, at 4:13 PM, Jeff Moore  wrote:
>
>> Horizontally polarized beams will not work very well for satellite use
>
> I disagree, at least for 2m. For several years I've used a 2m7 or cushcraft 
> 10 element horizontal yagi on 2m with fine results. Being horizontal allows 
> me to play on terrestrial as well as meteor scatter where the extra gain from 
> polarity makes a huge difference. Sat links are generally good enough that it 
> doesn't matter much at least on 2m. Obviously there is some compromise in 
> this setup, but it hasn't been a problem yet.
>
> 73, Drew KO4MA

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[amsat-bb] Re: ND9M/MM Panama Canal Transit - 23 March - Photos from Webcam

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

There were good views from the Miraflores webcam as Jim ND9M passed on
his ship by this morning!  If anyone's interested, here are some
photos I grabbed:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2011/03/photos-of-nd9mmms-panama-canal-transit.html

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88


On Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 2:43 PM, Clary, James T, Civilian
 wrote:
> We should be crossing into FJ07 shortly, around 22/2300Z. I’ll be on the AO7
> pass that rises locally at 22/2302Z, assuming AO7 is still in Mode B. We
> will be in FJ07 for three or four hours, so the VO52 pass at 23/0149Z should
> be good for that grid as well.
>
>
>
> I expect to be on from FJ08:
>
>
>
> FO29 – 23/0813Z
>
> AO51 – 23/0853Z
>
> FO29 – 23/0958Z (possibly)
>
> AO51 – 23/1032Z (possibly)
>
>
>
> My ship received our transit schedule for tomorrow. Traffic has to move
> slowly through the canal, so it will be an all-day transit. Barring high
> winds or bad weather, I’ll set up the step ladder satellite station on the
> flight deck and leave it in place all day.
>
>
>
> 1345Z / 0845 LT – Arrive Miraflores Locks (east side, right hand)
>
> 1450Z / 0950 LT – Depart Miraflores Locks
>
>
>
> 1535Z / 1035 LT – Arrive Pedro Miguel Locks (west side, left hand)
>
> 1620Z / 1135 LT – Depart Pedro Miguel Locks
>
>
>
> 1950Z / 1450 LT – Arrive Gatun Locks (east side, right hand)
>
> 2145Z / 1645 LT – Depart Gatun Locks
>
>
>
> Evidently there are three sets of locks; I was only aware of two! I don’t
> know if the Pedro Miguel Locks has a web cam; probably not since these locks
> are immediately after the Miraflores Locks.
>
>
>
> Looking at SatPC32, there’s a VO52 pass occurring shortly after we enter the
> Miraflores Locks and an FO29 pass as we hit the Gatun Locks. I should be
> able to make both passes; it would be fun operating on camera!
>
>
>
> Also, we’ll cross into FJ09 at the Miraflores Locks, possibly during the
> VO52 pass at 23/1355Z.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
>
>
> Jim, HP/ND9M / VQ9JC
>
> Grid EJ97
>
>
>
>

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[amsat-bb] A few more ND9M/MM Panama Canal Pics

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

For anyone interested, I posted a few more of the photos of Jim
ND9M/MM's ship in the Panama Canal at:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com

Managed to get photos of the ship in Miraflores, going under the
Centennial Bridge, and leaving the canal at Gatun.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
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[amsat-bb] Re: -={Echo Madness}=-

[David Palmer]

>> Several others have written in support, and
>> I only wish more would have done so publicly.

I'll just say that I was one of the several others that wrote Drew in
support.  I think there's sometimes a fine balance between satellite
ease-of-use and avoiding congestion.  Drew took action to shift the
balance away from congestion, and I appreciate his efforts in this
regard.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA / P in Death Valley Next Week (DM17, etc)

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

Early next week (April 25th) I'll be taking my brother on a tour of
the remote backroads of Death Valley National Park, and I'll bring my
portable satellite station along.  This will primarily be a camping
and sightseeing trip, but I'll try to be on a number of
morning/evening passes of the linear and FM sats.  My tentative plan
for now is the following locations and grids:

Sun pm / Mon am:  Bodie ghost town or Mono Lake in DM08 on Sunday,
Bishop area DM07 Monday.
Mon pm / Tue am:  Eureka Dunes in DM17
Tue pm / Wed am:  Racetrack Playa in DM16
Wed pm / Thu am:  Furnace Creek in DM16

My actual real-time location will be updated with the SPOT tracker,
you can find the link on my QRZ page.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: KB5WIA / P in Death Valley Next Week (DM17, etc)

[David Palmer]

>> Wow, Dave, did you know that they close down DVNP after Easter for
>> the rest of the summer?  It can reach +125F or higher at Easter so be
>> prepared with lots of water.  I loved to visit Bodie and Scottie's
>> Castle.  I lived in Barstow 1971-1976.  The desert was my playground
>> with my old 66 GMC suburban V6.

Awesome!  Yeah, I'm hoping the weather won't turn extreme on us.  As
it is now, forecast for mid next week at Furnace Creek is 100F, not
too bad by comparison!  With the elevation and nighttime temperatures,
I'm expecting lows to get down to the high 30's near the Racetrack
Playa.  Talk about extremes!!

My brother's coming from Ontario Canada, so the desert will be a new
experience for him.  Will take him on a repeat of routes I've done in
recent years.  The Eureka Dunes are beautiful (plus there are the free
airshows from the low-flying jets there!), and if all goes well we'll
take a side-trip south of the dunes to see Steele Pass, the Marble
Bath, and the petroglyphs along the canyon walls there.  After the
Dunes, we'll head to the Racetrack Playa so he can see the "moving"
rocks, not sure if we'll take the route from Death Valley proper and
in by Teakettle Junction, or if we'll continue Steele Pass to Saline
Valley and go up Lippencott.  Either way we'll likely stop at Ubehebe
Crater to see just how dramatic the results of a steam explosion can
be.   After Racetrack, we'll head to Furnce Creek to enjoy the heat!

We'll be travelling in the Tacoma 4x4 that I've used previously down
there -- can't be too cautious being so far away from immediate help,
so we'll be taking it slow and easy, with plenty of water, also
provisions, repair supplies, etc.  Will also have comm via truck's HF
radio (I'll probably listen on 17m during day, 40m at night) and the
SPOT for signalling if needed.

> I didn't know they close down DVNP after Easter.  I do know that the Furnace
> Creek Golf Course is open year 'round and you can have a round of golf in
> July on one of the cool 127 degree days.  I believe proof of a will and
> testament is required before starting the round. :-)
>
> As for Mono Lake.  If I recall correctly, that's where the Clint Eastwood
> movie High Plains Drifter was filmed as the "fictious" town of Lago.

Ha!   Yes, the closer to summer the more the will is needed!  And
interesting trivia about Mono!

73 de Dave KB5WIA

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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA/P Death Valley Trip Report

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

The trip to Death Valley went well!  We travelled from home (grid CM88
west of Sacramento) east by Lake Tahoe and then south down the east
side of the Sierras.  First day camping was at Eureka Dunes in
northern Death Valley National Park, where I was able to make a number
of satellite contacts (grid DM17).  Next day we took 4-wheel-drive
roads from the Eureka Valley over Steele Pass to Saline Valley, and
then up the Lippincott road to Racetrack Valley.  We camped out near
the moving rocks of the Racetrack, and I was able to make a few more
satellite contacts from there (DM16).  Especially nice was a morning
round-table QSO on Oscar 7 while out in the desert, we had five
stations on the bird and a nice conversation!

The equipment worked well -- I brought my usual satellite portable
station, consisting of the pair of Yaesu FT-817ND radios, an Elk
antenna, and a 7-Ah SLA battery for power.  Something new that I've
been doing is running the radios entirely off solar power -- I have a
set of PowerFilm solar panels (20 watts total) that I use exclusively
for recharging the SLA battery.  I set up the solar array whenever
it's convenient to top off the battery, it provides more than enough
power for my intermittent satellite operation.

A map of the route along with some photos of the scenery and radio
equipment is at:
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA California Lost Coast (CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80) August 6-9 2011

[David Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

Just FYI, plans are coming together for a satellite mini
grid-expedition in early August this year.  The idea is to camp out
near Shelter Cove on the remote northern California Lost Coast area.
As much as possible, I'll hike with the portable satellite gear (Twin
FT817ND's, Elk antenna, solar panels and battery) and work from the
grid intersection of CM79, CM89, CN70, and CN80.  This is the same
location that was activated on 6m last year for the completion of the
FFMA award -- CM79 is a pretty rare grid, and the adjacent ones aren't
terribly common in the sat community either.  As usual, I'll try for
as many linear and FM passes as I can manage.

Operation (and the trip itself!) is still dependant on weather and
other factors, but I just wanted to give the group a heads up on this
one.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: Arrow yagis

[David Palmer]

Hi George,

Arrows are great antennas -- when I first put up my az/el system in
the backyard I used an Arrow 4-element 2-meter yagi for the uplink,
and it worked just fine.  One thing I noticed was that after a month
in the elements / rain, the studs connecting the aluminum elements
together had corroded pretty severely -- I think the aluminum didn't
like all the rain, and I could barely get the elements apart.  I've
seen some reports of other hams using arrows fixed on rotors in dry
environments (Arizona), but if you're going to leave them outside in
the rain, you might need to take precautions to prevent corrosion of
the element connectors.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com

On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 10:12 AM, George Henry  wrote:
> Anybody have any experience with the solid-element single-band yagis from
> Arrow?  I can't put up my big Gulf Alphas at home (deed restrictions) and I'm
> tired of struggling with stealth omnis...
>
>
> I might be able to get away with putting up a pair of the Arrow yagis on a 
> rotor
> on the back side of the roof & trying to pass them off as TV antennas.  A lot
> less expensive than any of the dual-band cross-polarized yagis out there.
>
>
> Just wondering if anyone has used them & can vouch for their durability.
>
>
> George, KA3HSW
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: AO-51

[David Palmer]

Hi Mike,

What downlink were you using?  I recall seeing that for this week
AO-51 is in mode V/S and not the previous V/U.  So if you're listening
to the normal UHF downlink this week, won't hear it because it's not
transmitting there.

73 de Dave KB5WIA CM88

On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 3:09 PM, Merle Olmsted  wrote:
> Is AO-51 still having computer problems and is it operational or am I
> having receiver problems?
> I was unable to access it on the 2153 UTC pass directly overhead.
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[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 Help Needed

[David Palmer]

Hi Guy and Amsat-List!

I'd like to know the answer to this too!  I just recently started
using twin FT-817ND's and SatPC32 as well, and notice the exact same
thing -- audio drifts slightly thorughout the pass, even though I have
the dopper correction set pretty close.  For me, it only drifts a few
hundred Hz at most, but it's still enough that I have to tweak the
offset on the uplink.  I'm new to SSB sats so not sure as well if
there's something I'm doing wrong.  I've got the time on the PC clock
set within 1 second, and my lat/long within 0.01 degrees.

I'm measuring the drift just roughly based on my own audio coming back
over the downlink -- unfortunately as I've called CQ on FO-29 and
VO-52 the last few evening's passes (0100-0500 UTC), no one else has
been on the sats for a direct QSO!  My own audio comes back nice and
clear (even out to 5 degrees elevation) so it's not a reception
problem, as far as I know.

Any help for those of us new to the satellites would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave KB5WIA CM88 Northern California
2xFT817-ND, Elk Log-Periodic, MH-72 Duplexer, Samsung Netbook running SatPC32.

> Is anyone else using two Yaesu FT-817
> / 857 / 897 rigs with SatPC32?  If so, what do you think I am doing wrong
> and what are your DOPPLER.SQF data lines for AO-7, VO-52, and FO-29 (as well
> as any other critical settings)?

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[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 Help Needed

[David Palmer]

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the fast response!  Yeah, both the original poster (Guy)
and myself are using computer tuning of both radios.  I know for sure
my SatPC32 is set up for adjusting both the uplink and the downlink,
and I see the readout on the radio changing accordingly, so it seems
to be working ... what puzzles me is why the computer tuning seems to
be so poor, since even though it's complex math, it's just math and
the computer should be able to keep up!

Of course, since there are many on the list here using SatPC32 and
twin radios successfully, I'm almost certain it's operator error
that's causing this slight drift (or lack of complete correction), but
I just can't figure out what it is yet.  :-)

One thing I *did* notice with the Twin FT-817's, is that those radios
(817,857, 897) do not update the TX frequency by CAT while they're
transmitting ... so as I call CQ, I definitely hear my voice drop in
pitch because the SatPC32 is busy updating the downlink frequency but
the radio is busy so is not updating the uplink frequency.  I accept
that as normal (and just unkey to let the computer reset the radio for
proper shift) but ...

... what's confusing me is that the amount of correction seems to
change from pass to pass and even during the pass ... at first (out of
the box) SatPC32 was about 2400 Hz low on the uplink based on the
values in the doppler.sqf file.  I just figured it could be due to
radio calibration, etc, so I applied the calibration factor, and now
it's much closer ... but still I seem to have to adjust +/- 100 to 200
Hz at the start of the pass, and periodically during the pass, to keep
my return pitch constant.

Thanks everyone!

Dave KB5WIA CM88 Northern California.

> When one gets up to modes like LS, it gets more challenging because both
> Doppler and rate of Doppler change are greater.  Probably should consider
> computer tuning of the radio at this point.

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[amsat-bb] Re: Most Wanted Grid Map - KB5WIA in DM17 next week

[David Palmer]

Speaking of rare grids, I'll be heading out to one of the
"orange/reddish" ones in Death Valley early next week.  Will try to
work DM17dc and maybe even the DM16ex/DM17ea junction on Monday /
Tuesday (Nov 22/23).  Look for me on all FM / SSB sats, I don't know
my exact schedule but I'll try to hit as many as I can.

73 de Dave KB5WIA


On Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 7:05 AM, Zachary Beougher
 wrote:
> Hi Michael!
>
> The gridmaps on K8YSE's website are a good indicator of what grids are
> rare/not so rare on the birds.  I would obviously not go based upon my
> gridmaps on there, but someone like K8YSE, KO4MA, WD9EWK and N5AFV who have
> been around awhile, if you see a common grid that has not been worked on
> their gridmaps, you can bet it is a rare grid on the birds.  Here is the
> link just in case you don't have it:
> http://www.papays.com/sat/gridmaps/gridmaps.html
>
> 73!
>
> Zack
> KD8KSN

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[amsat-bb] Re: UHF antenna help

[David Palmer]

Hi Larry,

Lots of excellent advice so far!  I'll throw in one more thing to check:

> I am trying to receive SO-50 D/L, and VO-52 U/L, but both are
> just not working like I remember it being before the move.

You didn't mention it, but be sure you're tuning up and down a little
for SO-50 just in case the frequency settings in your PC software
aren't matching the satellite anymore.  I was having fits trying to
receive SO-50 for a while, turned out that for some reason I need to
program in my SatPC32 (doppler.sqf file) a downlink frequency 5 kHz
lower than published (even though there are reports of some stations
observing SO-50 with a downlink frequency 5 kHz higher than
published).   I just use multiple SO-50 entries in my software, one at
published frequency, one +5, one -5, and one -10, and choose whichever
one works best on a given pass.  Haven't noticed this with the other
birds, and this wont' explain your problems with VO-52 (assuming
youv'e calibrated for default uplink/downlink offset already of
course).

Anyway, that was my experience, just wanted to share in case it helps!

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
ARRL / AMSAT
Elk + 2xFT817ND + SatPC32
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[amsat-bb] Re: Dual Yaesu Rigs on SatPC32

[David Palmer]

Hi Howard,

I use twin FT-817ND's and haven't seen what you describe:

> I adjust the receive cat till I hear my voice proper aprox  -1.3 kHz on FO29
> I reset it to 0 then adjust the cat for transmitter to +1.3kHz
> I click change/store data file button,then click uplink cal button
> I restart SatPC32 and try again on FO29 now I am out aprox -2.6khz

There are two things I can think of that could be causing this.  One,
I never actually adjust the receive calibration, I do all the
corrections with the uplink calibration box (the right-hand of the
two) in the CAT sub-menu.  Once audio sounds correct, I then store the
new settings.

The other is that since the Yaesu FT-8x7 rigs don't update the TX
frequency during transmit, be sure you unkey between test
transmissions to let the new CAT settings get into the TX radio.  I'll
do something like "KB5WIA aligning", then unkey, set uplink cal up or
down accordingly, then retransmit and try again.  I also use the 5X
data rate so that the frequency update is a bit quicker.

Only other thing I can think of is to make sure your keps are updated,
and your PC clock is updated to the second.  Even a few seconds
difference can make the bird appear to drift > 1kHz in a few minutes
(the time it takes to calibrate).

Good luck!

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
FT-817ND x 2, Elk Antenna

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[amsat-bb] Re: Elk dualband antenna experiences

[David Palmer]

I'll add my two cents.

I've used the Elk exclusively for the last few months operating
"portable" in my backyard (and while camping, etc).  The Elk sits on a
photoraphic tripod, and I use a little netbook computer to display the
satellite plot and aim the Elk accordingly.  I absolutely love the
antenna, it assembles/disassembles quick, doesn't take up much space,
and has more than enough gain to work all the FM and SSB sats in this
configuration.

What I *have* noticed is that I do have to aim the Elk where the sat
is.  If I lower the antenna to horizontal, I notice a significant
fading.  That much is to be expected, so if you are in a situation
where you can't elevate the antenna, just aim it up a certain number
of degrees (maybe 15-30 depending on your horizon) so that it's close
enough for low passes, and the high passes (where sat is much closer)
should also work.

As for polarization, I've noticed that I get much better performance
out of the Elk by rotating the antenna to match the polarization of
the satellite at any given instant.  I have the PVC mount swivels
fairly loose, so it doesn't take much to flip the antenna back and
forth a little to find the best match.  When polarization is matching,
I can have better than S8 sigs, and rotating the polarization 90
degrees will often decrease my sigs to S2 or below.  So ... for a
fixed installation, with fixed polarization, you'll likely encounter
some deep fades in the passes, no matter which you choose.  So far
I've found that I typically use "almost vertical" polarization
compared to less frequently using "horizontal" polarization, so if I
had to choose between the two, I'd go vertical ... but it may not make
much difference!

One thing I've seen on the lists has been the recommendation to add a
pre-amp to the antenna.  Typically people will do this with an Arrow,
since it has separate VHF / UHF outputs so it's easier to config for
preamp.  Those that use this method report great results, since the
preamp overcomes much of the signal loss on the UHF downlink.  Since
the Elk has a single dual-band output, you may have to look into
duplexers to split out the UHF signal for the preamp.

Hope that helps!  That all being said, I've been putting together an
outdoor antenna system over the last few weeks (it's hard to sit in
the rain with the Elk and the twin FT-817's!) ... new system is a 4-el
VHF yagi and 15-el UHF yagi with preamps, on an az-el rotator.
Initial testing seems to indicate that it works pretty well -- so I'm
looking forward to staying dry during satellite contacts for a while!

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88

> -Original Message-
> From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On
> Behalf Of John Geiger
> Sent: Monday, December 20, 2010 7:43 PM
> To: amsat...@amsat. Org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Elk dualband antenna experiences
>
> How does the Elk Dualband yagi work as a satellite antenna in a base setup
> when you are not elevating it? Is it better to mount it for vertical or
> horizontal polarization to get maximum coverage of satellite passes?  Still
> trying to figure out the best FM sat setup here after some station redesign.
>
> 73s John AA5JG
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[amsat-bb] Quick AO-51 QSO Report (2011/1/6 1420z)

[David Palmer]

Hi Mark and Amsat,

Just wanted to report that I heard AO51 come over nicely this morning
(2011-01-06 at around 1420z).  I put out a quick call, nice audio on
downlink, and heard Loren K7CWQ come back.  On my return to him, the
bird suddenly disappeared about 10 seconds in  Loren replied, it
cut off on him after about 5 seconds ... and on my repeat reply, it
cut off after about 3 seconds.  Didn't hear it again on that pass.
Sounded just like someone trying to transmit with an HT on low
batteries!  :-)

A quick check showed AO51 was barely in eclipse (screenshot from my
SatPC32 below):

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JEsfS-puDmk/TSXUKQFKhEI/ATc/bsapXtrj1cM/s1600/AO51-20110106.jpg

So this sounds exactly like the behavior Mark was describing AO51
would do.  Even though the bird was heard at first, I flagged it as
"not heard" on the oscar.dcarr.org page just to note that it dropped
off early during the QSO.

73 all!

Dave KB5WIA / CM88
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[amsat-bb] Re: HO-68 Not Heard

[David Palmer]

Just a reminder to everyone, the OSCAR Satellite Status page by KD5QGR
is a great resource for determining up-to-the-minute statellite
status:

http://oscar.dcarr.org/

Often times, if you don't hear a satellite, you can check the page and
instantly see reports from one or two other hams who have observed the
same thing (or not!).

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88

>> I did not hear HO-68 on 12Jan on the afternoon
>> North America passes.  This morning 13Jan it was not heard
>> at 1408 UTC either.  The beacon appears to be off as
>> well.  Let's hope this is not a serious problem.
>>
>> Anyone else have the same experience?

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[amsat-bb] Re: Tone interference

[David Palmer]

Hi Louis,

I have seen a few (rare) postings about the LM7806 voltage regulator
in the G-5500 not having enough bypass output filtration, and thus
becoming unstable.

Reportedly the '7806 regulator needs a 0.1 uF output capacitor for
stability, and the G-5500 uses a 0.01 uF cap instead.  An unstable
regulator can either generate RF noise (as you describe) or the
voltage output can become inaccurate as the system warms up, leading
to subtle (less than 10 degree) positioning errors.   For example:

http://www.mail-archive.com/amsat-bb@amsat.org/msg01702.html

I was noticing a slight drift in my display readings as my '5500
warmed up, so I checked the ouput of the 7806 in mine with a scope and
saw it was oscillating (about 200 mV at 5 MHz).  I simply soldered a
0.1 uF tantalum capacitor, in parallel, to the leads of the exisiting
(0.01 uF) cap ... and that removed the oscillation entirely.  Meters
then had nice stable readings after that too.  I never noticed RF
noise, but the fix should be the same for both.

Hope this helps,

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
AMSAT #38466


> I have discovered a pulsating tone (about 600 HZ) in my 910H receiver when I 
> am
> tuned to 145.900 MHz (working the Linear birds VO-52 etc).  The tone stops 
> when
> I power off the G-5500/LVB tracker.  All equipment is grounded and ferrite 
> core
> filters are on all of the cables to solve this problem.  Aside from moving all
> equipment across the room from each other, what might I be missing?
> Any help will be  appreciated
> Thanks,
> LOUIS, KD5GM in EL29kq

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[amsat-bb] Re: FO-29 (USA Evening Passes)

[David Palmer]

I live on the USA west coast, and often work the evening passes (0200z
- 0600z) of the FM and Linear sats.   Sometimes it's just me on there,
sometimes there are others, but it's definitely a lot quieter than the
daytime passes!

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
2xFT817ND

> I was wondering if anyone has been/going to be making any latenight
> contacts on the FO-29?
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[amsat-bb] Re: SO-50 PAVE/PAWS Interference

[David Palmer]

Hi Jake,

Oh, so THAT explains it!  I heard you on SO-50 last night, called you
back a few times but it didn't seem like you ever heard me.   No one
else was on the bird at the time -- my duplex downlink was full
quieting at the time so I knew I was making it in as well.   I was
intrigued by your CM88 grid (same as mine) and wanted to know where
you were -- after the pass I looked you up, saw you were just south of
me, but couldn't find an email with which to contact you.

Anyway, you were solid into SO-50.  I didn't hear any noise whatsoever
on the sat during the pass, but occasionally I hear a "popping" noise
about S3-S4 on the UHF bands either locally (Fairfield) or even as far
away as Mt Lassen when I go QRP-portable.

Best regards,

Dave KB5WIA / CM88

On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 1:13 PM, Giacobbe Lauser <23ta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is anyone else in Northern California having interference on the SATS
> from PAVE/PAWS, particularly on the downlink for SO-50?
>
> I notice some S3+ modulated noise blocking all weak signals. If I'm
> lucky, I hear the Sats at S3, so the noise is really squashing at
> least that Sat and others on passes to the north.
>
> - Jake, K3UAZ
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[amsat-bb] Re: ARISSat-1 transponder question

[David Palmer]

Hi Thu,

Happy New Year to you as well!

I don't have a TS-2000 myself, but that rig should be fully capable of
working the ARISSat-1 transponder, many hams use the rig for AO-07 and
VO-52 which work essentially the same way as ARISSat.

The challenges (above copying the downlinks as you're doing now) are
that you'll need to have the uplink (70cm) antenna working, as well as
have the computer control of doppler for up/down on your rig.  SatPC32
works well for this.  Also, signals through the transponder are very
weak, so you'll need to have some gain in the antennas and/or power on
the uplink.

On a related note, I had a nice (short!) QSO with N6EV tonight through
the transponder -- 01/01/2012 0124z.  It's super-exciting to hear
another station coming through the passband!!!  ARISSat-1 may not have
much time left, but it's still working great.

73 and Happy New Year all,

Dave KB5WIA

On Sun, Jan 1, 2012 at 4:43 AM, Vu Trong Thu  wrote:
> Happy New Year!
>
> This morning I kicked off the new year with 2 passes of ARISSat-1, copied
> both CW beacon, BPSK telemetry and FM voice/SSTV simultaneously on Kenwood
> TS-2000. I would also like to try the transponder but don't know if my
> transceiver allow it? This TS-2000 has all modes on its main transceiver but
> its sub receiver only supports AM or FM. Could anybody help?
>
> Thanks,
> Thu XV9AA
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Yaesu G-5500 Azimuth Motor Replacement

[David Palmer]

> In conclusion, I guess I will have to either (1) Replace the azimuth portion 
> with a G-800
> using a seperate control box for azimuth and elevation or (2) try to replace 
> the azimuth
> portion with a G-450 rotor.

Or:

(3)  Purchase a replacement G5500 Az motor from Yaesu (they should be
back in stock now?)

(4) Send the problem motor to a motor repair / rewind company (maybe a
few hundred $)

(5)  Rewind the motor yourself (doable, but it takes a while)


Good luck, and 73!   -Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] FS: M2 149T-CP14 Circular Polarized Antenna

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

I was contacted by a local ham recently who'd like to find a good home
for a sat antenna currently located at their emergency comms site.
The antenna appears to be a M-Squared 149T-CP14 circular polarized
antenna.  It has the following measured specs:  Boom 118” (9’ 10”),
Driven elements (2): about 37.5”, Reflectors (2): about 39”, Other
Elements – range about 35 to 34”.  The spec sheet for this antenna
indicates it has 10.3 dBi gain and a frequency range of 148-150 MHz
(yes, this is outside the 2m ham band).

http://m2inc.com/products/commercial/136r149tcp14.html

It's been at a fixed az/el position on an office bldg roof for a while
but is reportedly in great shape.  They don't use the antenna anymore,
so he'd like to know whether anyone in the satellite community would
be interested in this one.  Contact me off-list if you're interested
and I'll put you in touch!

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88 Northern California

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[amsat-bb] Re: AO-51 coming out of eclipse over Hawaii

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

AO-51 was in great shape as it passed south above the Pacific Ocean
this morning (6/3/2011 1410z).  No one else was on, but I had a nice
S9+ full quieting downlink on my uplink for the entire pass.

The birds footprint was still in daylight when it went LOS, so even
though it was 1000mi west of the sun line when it dipped below my
horizon, it was still in sunlight at that point.

73 de Dave KB5WIA

On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 2:14 AM, Mark L. Hammond  wrote:
> It's still on at 0912utc too!  Wow...this is neat.
>
> Robert, could you tell if the trasmitter on was ON during eclipse, or did it 
> come on when it entered sunlight?
>
> Mark N8MH
>
> At 04:15 PM 6/2/2011 -1000, Robert Smith wrote:
>>Aloha
>>
>>Unless  someone has set up a strange repeater there is absolutely
>>no doubt AO51 was alive and well as she came out of eclipse moments ago.
>>I was able to hear myself perfectly on the downlink (145.880 up and
>>435.150 down). Unfortunately, the footprint from here only touched the
>>west coast. Had an Alaska station been on, I am sure there would have
>>been a QSO. The signal was strong the entire pass.
>>(Could I be missing something?).
>>
>>robert, NH7WN
>>Honolulu, HI
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[amsat-bb] Re: SSB Operation on the Satellites

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Jerry's correct.  If you only adjust your transmit frequency, such
that your receive frequency appears to stay the same -- then you're
automatically correcting for your own downlink doppler, but not for
anyone elses.  Other hams in the footprint will still have to chase
you.  The only way to stick with the "one true rule" is to adjust
*both* uplink and downlink during the pass.

That being said, adjusting the higher (UHF) transmit frequency on
VO-52 and AO-07 only (ie. manual control) will get you pretty close,
and you won't drift a whole lot.  I hear plenty of hams doing this, as
long as there are just one or a two QSO's going on, they don't drift
into each other very often.

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88
SatPC32 with 2xFT817ND

On Thu, Jun 9, 2011 at 7:35 AM,   wrote:
> OK my brain may be playing tricks, but if you vary only your transmit
> frequency such that you always hear yourself on the same downlink
> frequency, isn't it true that the other station may not necessarily be
> hearing you on the same downlink frequency and is chasing you anyway?
> Your doppler is +5kHz (for example) on the receive, the bird is just about
> to pass overhead of me though so my receive ferquency goes rapidly from
> +2kHz to -5kHz, your transmit tuning has no relation at all to what
> frequency I am listening on.  Then the bird goes past you and you suddenly
> switch down 5kHz, so I have to follow you on my receive.
>
> Or am I nuts?  (Quite possible, come see where I work and you will
> understand!)
>
> Jerry
> NØJY
>
>> I always varied the transmit.
>>
>> This way the person I'm talking to as well as any other listeners are
>> all on the same freq listening.
>>

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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA California Lost Coast (CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80) August 7-8, 2011

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

I'm about a month away from my planned grid-expedition to the rare
grid squares in California's Lost Coast.  If all goes well, I'll be
QRV from the grid intersection of CM79, CM89, CN70, and CN80 on Sunday
August 7th and Monday August 8th.   As usual, I'll try for as many
linear and FM bird passes as I can manage.  I'll be using the twin
Yaesu FT-817ND radios, along with the Elk antenna on a tripod.  Power
will come from a lightweight LiFePO4 battery and as much sunlight as
my solar panels can harvest.  I haven't been to this location before,
but based on the terrain, I should have fairly good views towards the
horizons, so hopefully anyone in North America who needs these grids
can get them!

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2011/07/california-lost-coast-cm79cm89cn70cn80.html

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: KB5WIA California Lost Coast (CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80) August 7-8, 2011

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

> Here where exactly are you going?  I from Garberville and hung around
> Shelter Cove often.  have a lot of fun.
> 73
> Jeremy Widner
> K0PDX

Yep, will be just south of Shelter Cove on Chemise Mountain.  I'm
looking forward to it - this area will be a new one for me!

73 de Dave KB5WIA

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[amsat-bb] Re: : Arrow yagis

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi George,

Arrows are great antennas -- when I first put up my az/el system in
the backyard I used an Arrow 4-element 2-meter yagi for the uplink,
and it worked just fine.  One thing I noticed was that after a month
in the elements / rain, the studs connecting the aluminum elements
together had corroded pretty severely -- I think the aluminum didn't
like all the rain, and I could barely get the elements apart.  I've
seen some reports of other hams using arrows fixed on rotors in dry
environments (Arizona), but if you're going to leave them outside in
the rain, you might need to take precautions to prevent corrosion of
the element connectors.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com

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[amsat-bb] Trip Report - CN90 Portable Northern California

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

This weekend I was able to sneak in some satellite operating during a
camping trip with my XYL.  We went up to Eagle Lake in Lassen National
Forest, which is in Northern California and grid CN90.  I had no idea
if satellite operation would even be possible from that location
(time-wise or terrain-wise) but it turned out it was pretty good!  The
lake had low mountains around it, not more than a few degrees above
the horizon in all directions.  I was able to work quite a few
satellite passes there, and it was a lot of fun talking to friends in
the sat community from that somewhat remote location!

The equipment worked well, and I learned the importance of verifying
the computer has updated keps before leaving home!  My netbook
computer had keps that were several months old, which made
computer-aided tuning of the linear birds almost impossible!  Ugh,
lesson learned, and another opportunity to practice manual tuning.
Patrick's suggestion of headset and voice recorder really worked well
though!

I've put some pictures on the website at:
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2011/07/camping-and-satellites-grid-cn90.html

Anyone who worked me and wants a QSL card, just send me an email.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA California Lost Coast Expedition (CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80) August 7-8, 2011

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder (and before the flood of ARISSat emails in the list
tomorrow!), this weekend I'll be heading out to the California Lost
Coast to work the satellites from that rare grid CM79.  CM79 has no
roads, no power, no houses, nothing but lots and lots of ocean and a
small triangle of mountainous forest.  Plans are to operate right from
the northeast tip of CM79 so if all goes well I'll be providing four
grids at once:  CM79, CM89, CN70, and CN80.

Weather looks reasonable (cloudy mornings, sunny afternoons) for
portable solar-powered operation.  I'll operate on Sunday August 7th
and Monday August 8th, and I've posted a list of potential passes on
my blog.  Operation will be during local daylight only, due to the
remoteness of the area I don't want to be hiking down off that
mountain after dark!

I'll aim to work all available satellites -- AO-51 (if it keeps going
strong like it has been), SO-50, and AO-27 for FM.  VO-52, FO-29, and
AO-07 (primarily mode B) for SSB.  If ARISSat is up and running I'll
try to get on that too, depending on congestion and satellite
performance.

I'll have my SPOT Locator beacon with me, so my exact location should
be available from the link on my QRZ web page.  If the current beacon
position shows that I'm right at the intersection of -124 and 40
degrees, likely I'll be available on the sats as they go by.

More details on my website at http://kb5wia.blogspot.com


73!  de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: KB5WIA California Lost Coast Expedition (CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80) August 7-8, 2011

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Indeed!

I'll be sure to ask!  I've just been in touch with ARRL HQ regarding
VUCC rules.  We all want to be absolutely sure that the configuration
of the operation position (4 grids at once!) complies with the
requirements.I'll be sure to ask them about the QSL cards while
I'm at it!

Dave


On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 2:13 PM, Ted  wrote:
> Wonder if the VUCC rules will allow 4 grids to be put on 1 card ? Might be a
> tough sell to a card checker !
>
> TK, K7TRK
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Quad Grid Documentation

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Thanks Zack and Jim!

Yes indeed, so far my Garmin Vista HCx hasn't had trouble finding a
signal in tree cover, so I'm pretty hopefull it will show the exact
boundary plus error for my photographs and site video.

I'm also finalizing plans for the operation with ARRL HQ VUCC group --
I want to be absolutely sure all the I's are dotted and the T's are
crossed prior to heading out.  It's not going to be an easy
expedition, so it will be good to have everything possible cleared
beforehand so there are no questions later!

73 de Dave KB5WIA / CM88



On Wed, Aug 3, 2011 at 8:34 AM, Zachary Beougher
 wrote:
> Just one more point:
>
> Your GPS map datum should be set to WGS84 (which should be the default), and
> if the unit is equipped with it, WAAS should be enabled. This will ensure
> you will get the lowest possible accuracy reading.  This accuracy figure,
> along with the lat/lon coordinates, must be pictured in your video or camera
> footage along with your station on the boundary.
>
> I use the Garmin etrex Legend HCx and I have never had any issues with
> finding grid boundaries.  Just make sure you have the GPS on while en route
> to the boundary.
>
> The VUCC rules spell all of this out in a very simple format on the ARRL's
> website:
>
> 4(e)&(f)
>
> http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/VUCC%20Rules%202011_Rev%2020110512.pdf
>
> 73!
>
> Zack
> KD8KSN
>
> -Original Message- From: clar...@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2011 10:59 AM
> To: kb5...@amsat.org
> Cc: amsat-bb@amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Quad Grid Documentation
>
>
> Hi Dave,
>
> Like many others, I'm looking forward to working you from the quad point.
> I'll finally be home to take advantage of your operation and hopefully get
> four new ones into my own log.
>
> Adding one point to WD9EWK's info, the GPS display needs to show an accuracy
> of 20 feet or less. Lower is better for stability of course, but 20 is the
> magic number.
>
>> From your description of the quad point, the forest may not be friendly to
>> your GPS. Just like when you're working through the birds, GPS sigs are
>> impaired by the population density of nearby trees.
>
> Have fun!
>
> 73,
>
> Jim, ND9M / VQ9JC
> Ardmore, OK / EM14
>
>
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2011 12:42:53 -0700
> From: David Palmer KB5WIA 
> Subject: [amsat-bb] KB5WIA California Lost Coast Expedition
> (CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80) August 7-8, 2011
> To: AMSAT BB 
> Message-ID:
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Just a reminder (and before the flood of ARISSat emails in the list
> tomorrow!), this weekend I'll be heading out to the California Lost
> Coast to work the satellites from that rare grid CM79.  CM79 has no
> roads, no power, no houses, nothing but lots and lots of ocean and a
> small triangle of mountainous forest.  Plans are to operate right from
> the northeast tip of CM79 so if all goes well I'll be providing four
> grids at once:  CM79, CM89, CN70, and CN80.
>
> Weather looks reasonable (cloudy mornings, sunny afternoons) for
> portable solar-powered operation.  I'll operate on Sunday August 7th
> and Monday August 8th, and I've posted a list of potential passes on
> my blog.  Operation will be during local daylight only, due to the
> remoteness of the area I don't want to be hiking down off that
> mountain after dark!
>
> I'll aim to work all available satellites -- AO-51 (if it keeps going
> strong like it has been), SO-50, and AO-27 for FM.  VO-52, FO-29, and
> AO-07 (primarily mode B) for SSB.  If ARISSat is up and running I'll
> try to get on that too, depending on congestion and satellite
> performance.
>
> I'll have my SPOT Locator beacon with me, so my exact location should
> be available from the link on my QRZ web page.  If the current beacon
> position shows that I'm right at the intersection of -124 and 40
> degrees, likely I'll be available on the sats as they go by.
>
> More details on my website at http://kb5wia.blogspot.com
>
>
> 73!  de Dave KB5WIA
>
>
> --
>
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[amsat-bb] KB5WIA Update - CM79+

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

Here's an update on the CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80 plans.

CM79 is not an easy grid to work from.  Aside from being physically
remote, and being a strenuous hike (800' climbing) from the nearest
road, the actual topography of the grid is difficult for radio
operations.  The actual grid corner is in the middle of a thick
manzanita and poison-oak forest, 70 feet down the western slope of a
steep ridge.  In other words, from anywhere you are in CM79, there's a
steep hillside blocking the radio path to the east!  The best location
is actually the convergence of the four grids at the northeast tip of
CM79, where it's close enough to the ridge top that a remote antenna
can be used to get the signal over the ridge.   The problem then
becomes how to have the station itself on the grid convergence (down
the hill) and still be able to get signals "out".   Following
discussion with (and approval from!) ARRL HQ, here's the plan for
operation from CM79:


Station Setup for Overhead and Westerly satellite passes:
Full station set up directly over grid square intersection.
Specifically, I'll use the standard setup that I have used before,
consisting of two Yaesu FT-817ND radios hanging from a photographic
tripod, with the 6.4Ah LiFeP04 battery right next to the tripod. The
antenna is an Elk antenna on top of the tripod. The area of the grid
intersection will be marked with a ground tarp, and will be determined
with better than 20' accuracy with WAAS-GPS. Photo and video will be
used to document the station, GPS receiver, and surroundings.


Station Setup for Easterly satellite passes:
Since the view to the east is blocked by a ridge, 70' uphill, for
easterly passes I will use the exact same station as above, except
that the Elk antenna will be relocated to a second photographic tripod
perched on the ridge. The Elk will be connected via 100 feet of
LMR-400 coax, and I will use a preamp at the antenna to help overcome
the signal loss on the 70cm downlink. As above, all station operation
will be from directly over the grid intersection, including tuning,
transceivers, and power source. The Elk can be re-aimed once or twice
through the satellite pass to more or less keep up with the sat as it
moves.



What this means:

1)  Lower signals.
Expect my signal to be weaker than it is during my normal portable
operations (ie Death Valley, etc).  Since overhead and westerly passes
will have tree cover, and the easterly passes will have to use the
100-foot coax, my uplink signal to the birds won't be as strong as it
has been.

2)  Fading on eastern passes.
Anyone who has operated portable knows a big advantage of handheld
ops, that helps overcome the reduced gain of the smaller antennas, is
that you can rotate the antenna to exactly match the current
polarization of the satellite.  By necessity, I'll lose this advantage
on easterly passes with the remote antenna, since there's no way I can
be both at the operating location (to hear the return signals) and the
antenna (to flip it back and forth).  So, expect my signal to fade in
and out as the polarity changes.

3)  Time lag to hear sat on my RX end.
Since I'll be using a 100' run of LMR400 to carry both the uplink AND
downlink signals for the eastern passes, this necessarily means that
the antenna-mounted preamp is going to switch off during transmit.
The SP432VDG takes about 1-2 seconds to come back "on-line" after I
unkey, so on V/U birds if you come back to me immediately I may not
hear you.  Rapid exchanges on eastern passes probably won't work for
this reason, I'll have to take it slow.

4)  I'll be going QRT mid-pass once or twice to re-aim the antenna.
The Elk antenna has a fairly wide beamwidth, but certianly not enough
to cover a whole pass.  On eastern passes, I'll have to leave my
operating position and hike up to the ridge to point the antenna, then
will have to get back down to the operating location.  I won't have to
do this on overhead or western passes.

5)  For specific birds:

AO-51 if active:  This one has good strong signals.  Should be OK for
both eastern passes with the remote antenna and western passes with
the normal configuration.  My 1-2 second time lag on RX might be
problematic if the sat is congested.

SO-50:  This one's pretty weak to begin with.  I'll be lucky if I can
hear anything even with the preamp on the remote antenna, so don't
expect too much on eastern passes. Hopefully will be OK on overhead or
western passes.

AO-27:  Probably the same as AO-51.

FO-29:  Normal for overhead and western passes.  For eastern passes,
my preamp will cut out during transmit with the remote antenna, so I'm
pretty sure I won't be able to find my uplink.  I'll therefore be
effectively running half-duplex.  If you hear my call, come back to me
slowly, so I can use your downlink to zero my tuning.

AO-07:  Normal for overhead and western passes.  I'll likely have a
very weak uplink on the eastern passes using the remote antenna to get
over the hilltop -- input 

[amsat-bb] KB5WIA CM79+ Expedition Trip Report

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

Well, I'm back from the CM79/CM89/CN70/CN80 grid expedition.  It was
quite an adventure!  Operating ham radio from the CM79 corner
certianly is difficult -- but it was really rewarding to actually make
contacts from up there.  I made a total of four trips up and down the
mountain, hiking over 20 miles with almost 5000 feet of climbing.
Thanks to everyone who was trying to contact me, and for your patience
dealing with my weak signals!!

I've put a full writeup with photos and video on my website at:
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com

And if you want the short version and just want to see the operating
conditions, you can watch the video tour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef5_cYzwIZo

Briefly:  I was able to stick fully to the plan -- and operate
exclusivley from the actual intersection of the four grids down the
hill from the ridge, using the remote antenna for the low eastern
passes.  The weather on the trip was great -- good temperatures,
little wind, and sunny.  The actual area of the grid intersection is
heavily forested, and that really soaked up the UHF downlink signals
from the sats!  I didn't see any ticks, rattlesnakes, bears, nor
mountain lions -- but did see plenty of mosquitoes so I was glad to
have a full can of DEET.  Solar power worked well.  Operating from the
exact grid intersection wasn't easy, at first I thought it might be
impossible, but over time I figured out ways to make it work.  I was
very fortunate not to have any equipment failures or other disasters!
Thanks also to everyone who provided advice before the trip,
especially Bill Moore at ARRL HQ and Russ KB8U for tips about the
area. See my full writeup for all the details and pictures.

As usual, no need to send me a QSL card if you've already sent me one
before -- just send me an email with the contact details and if you're
in the logs I'll send you a card back.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] CM79 - Another chance Saturday August 13th with SCRA/N6T

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

In case you missed me at CM79 this last weekend, the Sonoma County
Radio Amateurs are going to be there this coming weekend August
12-14th.  Charlie KZ6T reports that they'll be active on HF, 2m, 6m,
but also will try for a few satelllite passes on Saturday August 13th
signing as call N6T.  This is the list from Charlie, all times local:

AO-27 11:54(L) 65 degree pass
AO-27 1336(L) 14 degree pass
SO-50 15:42 (L) 57 degree pass
AO-51 16:51 (L) 10 degree pass
AO-51 18:25 (L) 75 degree pass (occurs after break down time)

http://scranews.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/scra-sponsoring-mini-dxpedition-to-cm79/

I certainly wish them luck Maybe I'll get to put CM79 in my own
logs this time!

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: CM79 - Another chance Saturday August 13th with SCRA/N6T

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

Quick update -- the previous post about this coming Saturday's trip to
CM79 by the SCRA had incorrect predictions (sorry guys, I didn't
double-check them before forwarding the notice on, but thanks to Rick
WA4NVM for catching this).  See below for the updated ones.  Looks
like they'll be using an Elk antenna and an HT, and they plan to try
two AO27 and AO51 passes.  I'll be listening out for them!

73!  Dave KB5WIA

-- Forwarded message --
From: charlie sikes 
Date: Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 6:30 AM
Subject: Fwd:
To: David Palmer KB5WIA , Rick - WA4NVM 


Dave and Rick
Maybe I was using outdated TLE before (I had just Orbitron  on a new computer.)
I re-ran with Orbitron with current TLE's and came up with this.
Does it match your results for Saturday?
They match up with Satellite Tracker Plus which I have on my Iphone.

Charlie ...
KZ6T


Begin forwarded message:

Satellite passes / Orbitron 3.71 / www.stoff.pl
Location  : CM79 (124.∞ W, 40.∞ N)
Time zone : UTC -7:00
Search period : 2011-08-10 23:05:02 - 4 days
   2011-08-14 23:05:02
Conditions    : Maximum sun elevation = None
   Minimum sat elevation = 10 deg
   Illumination NOT required


Time Satellite         Azm               Elv              Mag
 Range           S.Azm             S.Elv
8/13/11 13:07:38 EYESAT-1 (AO-27) 96.9 10 12.6 2364 172.6 64.4
8/13/11 13:10:38 EYESAT-1 (AO-27) 61.5 15.6 11.7 1994 174.3 64.5
8/13/11 13:13:38 EYESAT-1 (AO-27) 26.1 10 11.6 2367 175.9 64.5
8/13/11 14:44:25 EYESAT-1 (AO-27) 174.8 10 13 2360 221.6 58.7
8/13/11 14:49:36 EYESAT-1 (AO-27) 257.6 67.8 10.2 852 223.6 58
8/13/11 14:54:49 EYESAT-1 (AO-27) 341.4 10 11.6 2368 225.6 57.3
8/13/11 16:10:28 ECHO (AO-51) 143.7 10.1 12.9 2357 247.8 45.2
8/13/11 16:15:28 ECHO (AO-51) 71.1 47.2 11.2 1057 248.9 44.3
8/13/11 16:20:35 ECHO (AO-51) 359.1 10 12.8 2418 250.1 43.4
8/13/11 17:50:36 ECHO (AO-51) 219.2 10 12.9 2362 267 26.5
8/13/11 17:54:30 ECHO (AO-51) 267.6 21 12.3 1739 267.7 25.7
8/13/11 17:58:30 ECHO (AO-51) 316.3 10 12.9 2411 268.3 25

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[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 via USB2Serial not working (Error reading comm device.)

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Jan,

Be sure the baudrate is set correctly in your SatPC32.  It's under
Setup > Radio Setup then in the dropdown list next to your radio,
change "Model" to "Baudrate" and make sure it matches what your radio
is using.  It's not always obvious that the little drop-down there has
a second menu setting.

Also double-check your USB-serial converter settings (Windows Device
Manager, right-click each port and choose properties) to be sure the
baud rate and  stop/start bits are all OK just to be safe.

73 de Dave KB5WIA

On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 1:03 PM, PE0SAT  wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Thanks for reading this message.
>
> Because I do not have enough serial ports in my computer, I bought a USB
> to serial converter from StarTech. It is a 4-port version. (ICUSB2324X)
>
> I switched my FT-847 from a buildin serial com1 to com3 (the USB to
> Serial one.)
>
> Everything seemed okay, until I wanted to use SatPC32. When I start
> SatPC32 the CAT option lighstup in my FT-847 display and then I get the
> error message: "Error reading comm device."
>
> I have looked around to see if there is a setup option that can solve this,
> but I am unable to find one.
>
> Is there anybody out there who knows of a way to solve this? Other programs
> work fine, for example HRD 5.
>
> Here some hardware information:
>
> - Using a HP Compaq 3GHz P4 HT with 2G memory running Windows XP - EN SP3.
> - Yaesu FT-847
> - SatPC32 V.12.8a (2009)
>
>
> 73 Jan PE0SAT
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Sunday US ARISSAT Pass

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 12:32 PM, Jeff Welsh  wrote:
> Did anyone notice the apparent reset of ARISSAT yesterday during it's
> mid-afternoon US pass?
>
> I was in the process of setting up for telemetry reception when the bird
> seemed to drop out completely and come back online about 1-2 minutes later.
>
> Just curious if it is a schedule rest period for the transmitters.
>
> --jeff
> N3QO

I noticed the same thing calling CQ on the transponder.  ARISSAT has a
low-power mode (also called a low duty cycle mode) where it shuts off
for 2 minutes and then comes on for 40 seconds, then off again.  This
might be the cause.

73!  Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: AO-27/SO-50

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Richard,

>. I am using a yeasu g-5500 rotator with the AMSAT controller and ham radio 
>deluxe. Kenwood ts-2000 for the rig and a 8 element 440 and a 4 element 2 
>meter antenna. The antennas are currently linear polarized since my phasing 
>cables still have not arrived from the manufacturer.

Good setup!

>
> My questions are, is AO-27 difficult to work? Is it on a schedule? Any ideas 
> why I could not raise or hear it?

Yes, it's on a schedule -- check the status page on www.amsat.org to
see when it comes on and off. It comes on at mid-latitudes by a timer,
so for an overhead pass in your area you *should* have heard it 
other things to check would be that the keps are current, and that
there weren't any glitches during that particular pass (ie. maybe
radios briefly stopped tuning).  Try again, it's a nice loud sat.

>
> As for SO-50: Should I be listening 5khz down? Ham radio deluxe is 
> controlling the radio frequencies and I made a custom entry for 5khz down and 
> corrected for Doppler. This still did not seem to help.

I've found SO-50 about 5kHz-8kHz down, so listen down a little.
Remember the tone on the uplink too.  Also, I've seen quite a few
posts that the TS-2000 has a birdie right at the high end of SO-50's
downlink, so you may have a better chance hearing it later in the pass
as doppler moves the downlink away from the birdie.

>
>
> Richard
> K7LWV

Good luck on the sats

73 de Dave KB5WIA

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[amsat-bb] Re: Some Elmering requested for uplinking to ARISSAT-1

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Burns,

My 2 cents -- sounds like things are mostly okay (your recieving setup
is obviously good if you can hear others in the transponder passband).
 The big factor that I can see is lack of gain on the uplink.  I've
successfully gotten into ARISSAT with my 5W QRP radio, but that's
using a 13 dBd gain yagi.  In theory the ERP of your 25W uplink isn't
too far below that, so it would be worthwhile trying the 50W to see if
that helps.  That or switch to an antenna outside with some gain...

Other factors to consider are sometimes the sats transponder is off
(so even if everything at your end is okay you won't hear your own
signal, nor anyone elses).  And the return signal varies greatly from
pass to pass, depending (I think) on the relative orientation of the
antenna stub.

Also be sure to try finding yourself on CW first  SSB is often
very difficult to copy on ARISSAT, much easier to start with CW and
once you've found yourself switch over.

73! de Dave KB5WIA

> Can someone comment on my method, both in terms of technical goodness and
> good operating practice?  A couple specific questions:  1) Xmitting in the
> middle of the passband and just scanning, I should be able to at least
> briefly find myself without messing with doppler, right?  I was planning to
> lock the receive and transmit frequencies (constant sum) once I found
> myself and follow the doppler by hand, but I never got to that step.  2)
> I'm right that the sidebands are inverted from receive to xmit, right?  I
> think I would hear something even if that was wrong.  3) Finally, what
> about power?  How much have you required for success on ARRISAT?   I was
> running around 25W.  I could boost up to as high as 50, but I can only
> diddle so many knobs in 5 or 10 minutes :-)  3) I know a beam would be
> better, but trying to reduce variables, and pointing is one of them.
> Besides, I'm inside in my shack!  But has anyone successfully uplinked with
> an omni/circular?  I can always remove the parasitic elements and end up
> with a center-fed dipole to remove the circularity.  (Not sure how that
> would affect the impedance match...)
>
> Thanks!
>
> Burns, W2BFJ

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[amsat-bb] Re: LVB Tracker/G5500 help

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Myles,

I use the LVB + G5500 and it works well.  I have mine set up with the
G5500 as a North stopping rotator, and have it set for 360 degrees max
az.  I also just used the front buttons on the LVB to program it,
found it much easier following the on-screen menu prompts than
entering FEN/FEE/FW commands via PC prompt.

73 de Dave KB5WIA

On Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 3:33 AM, myles landstein
 wrote:
>
>
> Would greatly appreciate   some help trying to set up my LVB and Yaesu  G5500
> Had  just a few    questions as to  the set up types  I should  use
> for the LVB settings:
>
>
>>>   is  this rotor considered
>>>
>>>  a  360 degree max az rotor  or 450   South CCW = FEN
>>>
>>> or
>>>
>>> 450North CCW = FEE
>>>
>>> second question:
>>>
>>> is this  considered
>>>
>>>   a South CCW stopping rotator,   ‘F’, ‘S’,  .
> or
>
>>> For a North CCW stopping rotator (default),   ‘F’, ‘N’,  .
>>>
>
>
>
>>> thanks
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> cc      amsat-bb@amsat.org
> date    Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 9:18 PM
> subject Re: [amsat-bb] Re: quick LVB cal question
> mailed-by       gmail.com
>        Important mainly because of the people in the conversati
>
> thanks  very much  for   trying to help  unfortunately  it  really wasn't 
> what  I asked.
>
> hope someone out there might be able  to help a  newbie out
>
>
>
> thanks
>
> N2EHG
> Myles
> - Show quoted text -
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[amsat-bb] Re: Articles on Getting Started on SSB Sats

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Trevor,

Just FYI, I've posted a detailed description of how to set up a
station for working the SSB (and also FM) sats on my web page at:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2010/10/satellite-portable-station.html

The station consists of twin Yaesu FT-817ND radios and an Elk antenna,
and a number of us in the community are using such systems for
portable and home ops on SSB sats with very good success.

This article is also in the AMSAT Journal:  [David A Palmer, KB5WIA.
"Twins!  A Backpack-Portable Full Duples Satellite Station with Dual
FT-817ND's".  AMSAT Journal 2011 34:14-16. ], for anyone that's
interested.

Best 73 de Dave KB5WIA


On Sun, Dec 4, 2011 at 1:22 PM, Trevor .  wrote:
> The AMSAT new starters page at
> http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/faqs/
>
> is a valuable resource but it seems to be all about FM sats, there's little 
> showing newcomers how to use the Linear Transponder SSB/CW sats.
>
> Why is this, well clearly because no-one, myself included, can be bothered to 
> write something that can be made available on the AMSAT site.
>
> There is of course some infromation scattered around the web that show what 
> can be done with simple equipment on the Linear Transponder satellites such 
> as:
>
> AO7 from Indoors on 2Watts and Arrow antenna.
> http://observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/Observations_04_01_2009.htm
>
> The LA2QAA portable AO-7 Station
> http://observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/observations_14_06_2008.htm
>
> POWER. How much is enough?
> http://www.observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/howmuchpowerisenough.htm
>
> 73 Trevor M5AKA
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[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 off screen window

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Here's what I do, it works for me for any off-screen windows:

*  Click on the taskbar to make sure your off-screen window is selected.
*  HIt Alt-Space to bring up the window minimize/maximize/close/move dialog.
*  Choose Move.
*  Hit any arrow key (important - this starts the move process).
*  You can now (left-click-and) drag the window back onto your main screen
using your mouse.

Hope it helps!!!

73 de Dave KB5WIA
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com

On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 10:59 PM, Jeff KB2M  wrote:
> Has anyone had a SatPC32 problem where the program opens in a window off
> screen. I'm stuck here and none of the standard window fixes to bring the
> window back onscreen I goggled up work. I need to know where SatPC32 stores
> it's startup window information, somehow it must of got clobbered. I'm
> running XP...
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[amsat-bb] Hand-Drawn "Radar" Plots

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

I've finally had time to write up a short article about a technique I
use when operating the satellites portable -- hand-drawn "radar"
plots.

Normally I use a netbook computer running HRD software to show the
position of the satellite in the sky in real-time, but there have been
occasions when I haven't been able to have the netbook with me.  These
hand-drawn plots are just the ticket -- it converts a line in the
table of numbers from sat prediction software (ie. a print-out of a
week's worth of passes from SatPC32, or a print-out from the
http://amsat.org satellite tracking module) to a crude radar plot good
enough to track the sat pass.  Before leaving on a sat-portable road
trip, I'll always bring a long printout of passes just in case the
computer goes dead, so I'm not stuck without any ability to track.

(Yes, I know there are smartphone apps that will do the same thing,
but I don't have a smartphone!)

(And yes, many of you probably already do the same, but up until now I
haven't seen any references for how to do this...)

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2011/12/manual-radar-plots.html


73 and Happy Holidays!

Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: ARISSat-1 transponder question

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Thu,

Happy New Year to you as well!

I don't have a TS-2000 myself, but that rig should be fully capable of
working the ARISSat-1 transponder, many hams use the rig for AO-07 and
VO-52 which work essentially the same way as ARISSat.

The challenges (above copying the downlinks as you're doing now) are
that you'll need to have the uplink (70cm) antenna working, as well as
have the computer control of doppler for up/down on your rig.  SatPC32
works well for this.  Also, signals through the transponder are very
weak, so you'll need to have some gain in the antennas and/or power on
the uplink.

On a related note, I had a nice (short!) QSO with N6EV tonight through
the transponder -- 01/01/2012 0124z.  It's super-exciting to hear
another station coming through the passband!!!  ARISSat-1 may not have
much time left, but it's still working great.

73 and Happy New Year all,

Dave KB5WIA

On Sun, Jan 1, 2012 at 4:43 AM, Vu Trong Thu  wrote:
> Happy New Year!
>
> This morning I kicked off the new year with 2 passes of ARISSat-1, copied
> both CW beacon, BPSK telemetry and FM voice/SSTV simultaneously on Kenwood
> TS-2000. I would also like to try the transponder but don't know if my
> transceiver allow it? This TS-2000 has all modes on its main transceiver but
> its sub receiver only supports AM or FM. Could anybody help?
>
> Thanks,
> Thu XV9AA
>
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[amsat-bb] Motor for Yaesu G5500 Azimuth Rotator?

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

Well I'll be QRT from the sats for a little while!!  After replacing
my UHF antenna on the backyard satellite array, I managed to catch the
(slightly longer) new antenna on the house roof and jammed the Yaesu
G-5500 rotator, ugh!   Even though I had replaced the normal 2-amp
fuses in the controller with 1-amp fuses, the azimuth motor still
managed to overheat and burn out.

I disassembled the azimuth rotator, and although the gears, bearings,
switches, and capacitor are all OK, the motor has quite a burnt smell.
 Bench-testing the unit with motor removed from the assembly shows the
motor doesn't spin at all in one direction, and spins slowly but draws
high current in the other.  Coil windings are in series for
left/right, should be 3.5 + 3.5 = 7.0 ohms, and the right coil is
showing only 1.0 ohms resistance.  The azimuth motor is definitely
toast.Fortunately, the controller is OK (both the Az and El sides
of the controller successfully control the elevation rotator).

I just got off the phone with Yaesu parts, and unfortunately the
replacement motor has been backordered from Japan since December.  No
estimate yet of when more might come in.

Question to the list:  does anyone have a G5500 azimuth rotator with a
working motor available for parts?  Or any other ideas for
replacement?

73!  Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: Motor for Yaesu G5500 Azimuth Rotator?

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Thanks Drew, Dee, and Kevin!

Yes, I definitely plan to add a thermal switch to the replacement
motor on the rebuild -- hopefully to prevent such a thing from
happening again, ugh!

Mike WA6ARA suggested a company down in LA that rewinds motors -- I
sent them a description, and they wrote back at 11pm last night (!)
saying that there would be no problem with this one, but to send it
down so they could take a look and give a quote.  So .. the defective
motor is on its way down there now.

I'd still like to get a replacement of some sort, whether or not the
rewind is successful -- can anyone confirm if the G5400 azimuth
rotator motor will physically fit in the G5500 gear assembly?  I know
the capacitor is inboard in the '5500 and at the controller on the
'5400, but are the two motors physically similar?

Thanks everyone!

Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: Motor for Yaesu G5500 Azimuth Rotator?

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Just a quick update -- Yaesu Parts just emailed me and advised that
they don't think any of the motors from other rotators are directly
compatible with the G5500 azimuth motor -- the estimate on arrival
time of more stock is uncertain, possibly 4-6 weeks or longer.

I haven't sourced a direct replacement motor yet; the original motor
was sent down to Eurton Electric yesterday for rewinding, hopefully
I'll have a quote and time estimate for that soon.

73!

Dave KB5WIA

On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 4:26 PM, Phil Karn  wrote:
> On 2/23/12 2:51 PM, Tim Cunningham wrote:
>> I have rewound a few of these motor coils and a #24 to #26 gauge enamel
>> wire should work. A #22 gauge enamel wire would be too large and you
>> would not be able to wind the same number of turns.
>>
>> It is the breakdown of the enamel due to wire heating that makes them
>> fail by creating a short circuit in the windings.
>
> I don't remember the wire size I used (it's been over 20 years) but
> you're right about the short circuit. Just one shorted turn will form
> the shorted secondary of a transformer, and the I^2R losses in that turn
> will create quite a bit of heat that will further damage the insulation
> on the nearby windings until the whole thing is toast.
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Motor for Yaesu G5500 Azimuth Rotator?

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Clive,

I haven't heard of failures of the controller or software directly, but
this could happen.  A more common problem might be mis-calibration, in that
if your elevation rotor reads only 175 degrees and your software and
controller is trying to send it to 180 degrees, the thing will keep going
until it shuts off at the limit switches in the rotor itself (G5500).  I've
seen this before, no problem since the limit switches are fairly robust,
but something to keep an eye on.

I plan to use the thermal cut-outs for the extra protection as soon as I
get a repaired / replacement motor to work with.

Yesterday I built a jig for bench testing the rotor.  Cables and connectors
are still on the mast, so I needed a way to connect the 7-pin connector to
the controller manually, also to a scope to verify alignment of the 500-ohm
pot sensor.  Made jig from 6 individual connectors through clear
plexiglass, broken out to six terminals on side.  That will help with
alignment during reassembly.

Also spent some time figuring out how the brake goes together - seems I
didn't manage to get photos of it as I took it off of the motor before
shipping it out, and just yesterday noticed the spring in there and puzzled
over how the heck it works.  Think I have it figured out, though.

Dave KB5WIA
On Feb 26, 2012 4:24 AM, "Clive Wallis"  wrote:
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[amsat-bb] Re: Re Cushcraft A430-11S

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Mike,

13.2 dBd sounds a little optimistic for a 4.7-foot UHF yagi.  My older
9-foot Diamond A430-S15 yagi was rated at 12.7 dBd, and the 9-foot
highly optimized M2 432-12EME antenna is rated at 14.3 dBd.

I'd ballpark a 5-foot yagi at around 10 dBd or so myself ... maybe
they misprinted "dBi" ad "dBd"

Dave KB5WIA

On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 12:46 AM, MIKE HOOLES  wrote:
> Hi guys,
>  I'm looking at putting an unused Cushcraft A430-11s antenna into service.
> The clained gain is 13.2dBd and a front to back ratio of 20dB.
> This seems good for a 4.7 ft long 11 element antenna.
> Has anybody any knowledge of how good it really is?
> Regards
> Mike G3LGR

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[amsat-bb] Re: G5500 az rotor repair

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Ken,

A couple of things to check.  The resistance of the motor should be same
for both directions, ie between red and black should be around 3.5 ohms as
well as green and black.  Total series resistance of motor should be around
7 ohms.  When mine stalled, the motor overheated and one winding was only 1
ohm, definitely a short.

Other thing to check is that you put the brake back together in right
orientations.  Theres a circular spring inside a nylon cylinder that holds
the metal driver from motor and the white nylon gear with tab.  If the
prongs on the spring are at 10 and 2 oclock, the white tab from gear should
go at 12 oclock and the motor driver wings at 9 and 3 oclock.  Thats how it
is in mine, if orientation like that motor drives gear freely, and gear
cannot drive motor.

I sent my motor down to LA a week and a half ago for rewinding - so far
seems USPS has yet to deliver it, ugh.  Running with elevation control only
right now, with antennas fixed at 270 degrees.  Flipping backwards gives me
a few degrees at 90 azimuth as well, but beamwidth of the yagis isnt great
so not best solution!  Yaesu parts says maybe 4-6 weeks for motors to come
from Japan.

73!  Dave KB5WIA
 On Mar 4, 2012 9:00 AM, "Ken Swaggart"  wrote:

> After a 3 month wait I finally received the replacement for a damaged gear
> in my G5500 azimuth rotor. Replaced the damaged gear, and the gear assembly
> smoothly turns both directions. However, when using the motor the rotor
> rotates to left at normal speed but right at about half speed. It also
> occasionally momentarily stalls when turning right.
>
> If the motor is damaged wouldn't it affect both directions?  There is a
> slight aroma of a electrical wiring left over from the failure three months
> ago.  Suspect I need a motor replacement, but would like to confirm this
> with the group.  Seems strange only one direction would be affected since
> I'd think the same windings are used in both directions.  A few years ago
> when the motor failed it didn't move in any direction.
>
> Incidentally, the gear that failed was the plastic gear that the motor
> drives (Yaesu part number PE-8601-010-A). The coax caught on a exposed bolt.
>
> Tnx,
> Ken, W7KKE
>
>
>
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: G5500 az rotor repair

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Ken,

Yes, that green to black value of 2.5 sounds suspicious - the two winding
halves should have pretty similar resistances.  If the brake is okay,
likely the motor is shorted, unfortunately.

Dave

On Mar 4, 2012 3:52 PM, "Ken Swaggart"  wrote:
>
> Dave,
> Thanks for the info!  I still need to check that brake. Suspect I put it
back together wrong.
>
> My resistance readings are:
> Red to black = 3.7 Ohms
> Green to black = 2.5 Ohms
> Total series = 6 Ohms
>
> Guess those values are “close enough”? Worried about that green to black
value.
>
> Tnx,
> Ken
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[amsat-bb] G5500 Azimuth Rotator Update

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Everyone,

Here's a quick update on my G5500 Azimuth rotator story.  (Recall that
three weeks ago I stalled the rotator after switching antennas.)
Yaesu Parts USA is still backordered on the replacement motors,
possibly some will arrive from Japan in a few more weeks (or possibly
not).  The company that I sent the motor to in LA (Eurton Electric)
just gave me a quote today for the rewinding cost:  $365.  That's
close to $3X what the motors go for new (if you can find one!), so at
least with them it's not cost-effective to repair the motor.  I'm
having the motor shipped back, and I'll either try to rewind it
myself, maybe someone else who can rewind it, or buy a replacement
sometime in the future.

To get the antennas back on the air, I decided last week that it would
be good to have a spare -- so I ended up purchasing a replacement
G5500 system and installing the azimuth rotator this last weekend.
Everything's working great so far!  I also added a thermal cut-out
switch to the motor to prevent a similar stall-induced-motor-burnout
in the future.  If anyone is interested in how I installed the switch
(or what a G5500 azimuth rotator looks like inside), I've added
pictures to my blog at:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/az-el-antenna-system-new-70cm-yagi-and.html

73!

Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: G5500 Azimuth Rotator Update

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Greg,

Hey, thanks!

Good question about how long it takes the windings to degrade.
Haven't tested this myself, but I'd seen a post a while back where
someone measured current draw on the motor, and found that it's
actually almost the same between normal operation and a full stall.
That also could be the reason why the 1-Amp fuse I installed in the
controller (which was barely enough to run the motors without blowing
- a 0.75-Amp fuse I tried blew) never blew throughout my motor stall.
 So  with similar current and voltage in a stall as compared to
normal use,  that should mean the power consumed (and heat generated)
would be similar whether the motor is running or stalled.

When I was bench testing the rotator, after maybe 5 full trips to 450
degrees and back (perhaps 10-15 minutes of continuous motor operation)
the thermal switch rated at 75C tripped open.  So that means the
switch is sensing the motor heat, and that it seems in normal
operation the motor can go from ambient to 75C (or more) in 10+
minutes. Hard to tell what the failure temp of the enamel wire in that
motor is, but let's guess 120 degrees to be conservative.  That would
give a very rough ballpark of 20 mins stall (or 20mins continuous
back-and-forth with no stops) to raise the temp by 100C to cook the
motor.

You're right about thermal mass and winding temps -- certainly the
windings will be hotter than the motor chassis.  Will cutting power to
the motor when the chassis gets to 75C protect it?  Don't know for
certain, but after my last experience, I'm adding this insurance,
since it's better than no protection!  :-)

(doesn't beat common sense tho -- if I had more of that, I would have
checked antenna clearance before letting the computer run the sat
array automatically!)

73 de Dave KB5WIA!



On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 2:41 AM, Greg D  wrote:
> Hi Dave,
>
> How long does one have to stall the motor before the windings' insulation
> starts to degrade? I seem to recall it's not very long (less than minutes).
>
> With all that thermal mass, and the insulation from the heat shrink tubing,
> is the thermal switch really going to be effective mounted that way? I would
> have thought it needed to be buried in the windings themselves somehow
> (though I can't imagine getting good thermal contact there either).
>
> Great pictures, by the way.
>
> Greg KO6TH
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Dutch Transponder on-baord HAMSAT VO-52 'Turned On'

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

> If the uplink power is in the order of 10 to 20 watt into a 10 dBi RHCP
> antenna than the Dutch transponder is not overloaded.

Yes, it's important not to run too much power to prevent overloading.  I
have found that just 300 mW into a 16 dBi vertically polarized antenna
works beautifully through most of the pass, during the last few days.  Not
much power is needed at all.

73 de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: VO-52 Frequency Drift

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Nice observations there, John.  I too have noticed frequency drift of
a similar magnitude to what you describe below.  Just about every time
I work a VO-52 pass I need to reset the frequency calibration on
SatPC32 up or down a few hundred Hz.

One thing I thought was interesting from last night's overhead pass
(3/27/2012 around 0320z) was that close to mid-pass, there seemed to
suddenly be a very large amount of noise (almost sounding like hash
from a microwave oven) coming through the passband.  At the time, I
was the only station on the sat, calling CQ with my 0.5 watts, and a
very nice quiet clean downlink.   When the noise came, it virtually
drowned out my input signal, even going up to 5 watts.  The noise
lasted about 30 seconds and then faded out -- it seemed to occupy most
of the passband.  After the noise dissipated, I was surprised that I
had to reset my SatPC32 calibration by about 200 Hz.  I found this
really interesting, the seeming coincidence between the noise and the
frequency offset changing rather suddenly during a pass.  The
graphical plot of the sat path showed it starting the pass just barely
touching the sun line, and ending with the footprint a good ways in --
maybe as the satellite entered more sun exposure its temp increased,
causing the freq shift and possibly a bit of oscillation causing the
noise??   Could just have been me, of course, but it would be
interesting if anyone else has noticed these things.

Dave KB5WIA

On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 8:41 AM, John Papay  wrote:
> There were three passes of VO-52 here this morning, 27March2012.
> I was able to copy the beacon on all three passes.  Here are the
> results:
> 1200utc 145862.6
> 1335utc 145861.7
> 1510utc 145861.9
>
> The frequencies are not exact. My CW offset is 850Hz.  There is
> significant frequency drift and temperature is probably the cause.
> It would be interesting to hear from the control team regarding
> this.
>
> HO-68 provides an excellent check of your doppler compensation in
> your tracking program.  I find that the beacon is always very strong
> and the frequency is rock solid.  You can save the frequency in your
> program and a month later find that it is right where it was the month
> before.  If you can listen to the beacon with your CW filter on throughout
> the entire pass, you have everything set right, keps, computer clock etc.
> The doppler gets quite severe on a high pass and is a great way to make
> sure you have everything set right.  Since HO-68 is on UHF, everything
> becomes more critical.
>
> 73,
> John K8YSE

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[amsat-bb] G-5500 Rotator Repair

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi everyone,

If anyone is interested in step-by-step photos from my recent repair of the
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth rotator motor, here is the link:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/yaesu-g5500-rotator-motor-repair.html

The reason I rewound the motor was twofold - Yaesu parts is out of stock,
and the motor repair company wanted $360ish for the job.  It was pretty
straightforward, but it took about two weeks off and on.

73! de Dave KB5WIA
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[amsat-bb] Re: array rebuild

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Bob,

See my web page at http://kb5wia.blogspot.com for details on a
complete teardown and rebuild of a G5500 azimuth rotator; the G5400
azimuth will be similar but won't have the limit switches.  There's
also a link in there for two websites that have info on rebuilds of
the elevation rotator assembly.

73!  Dave KB5WIA


On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 11:46 AM, Bob- W7LRD  wrote:
>
>
> My whole satellite UVL&S stuff is down in the shop (sobsob).  Has anyone done 
> a rebuild or refurbish of the G5400 az/el rotors?  I am looking for some 
> information before I "crack" them open, like what to do etc.  I doubt if I'll 
> ever be using my L&S stuff again (sobsob).  I'll save it just in case I live 
> long enough!
>
> 73 Bob W7LRD

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[amsat-bb] Re: Yaesu 5400B "guts"

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi George,

I had a lot of difficulty finding this information as well -- in my
case, as to whether a G-5500 could directly use G-5400 parts.  Yaesu
says "no", and it was hard to find those with direct experience in
parts swap.

It may be possible to overhaul the rotor yourself, depending on what's
damaged.  I've regreased mine, repaired the motor, cleaned the brake,
realigned the sensors, etc.  Photos in the links below (for the 5500
but 5400 is similar).  The process is rather involved, but if you have
lots of patience, it might be possible get the thing running again.

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/yaesu-g5500-rotator-motor-repair.html
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/az-el-antenna-system-new-70cm-yagi-and.html

Best regards,

Dave KB5WIA


On Sun, Jun 24, 2012 at 9:28 PM, George Henry  wrote:
> Does anyone know offhand whether the "guts" of any particular past or
> present Yaesu rotor are a direct replacement for those of a G-5400B azimuth
> rotor?  I sent mine to Yaesu for an overhaul, and they returned it saying
> parts were no longer available...
>
> George, KA3HSW
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[amsat-bb] Re: Having trouble getting on the SSB birds...

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Red,

A couple of things come to mind.  Foremost, try using VO-52 to get
your station up and running instead of AO-07.  There have been a
couple of posts recently that indicate AO-07 is getting a bit
intermittent and hard to get into (esp. SSB).   I do VO-52 passes most
evenings and it's working well, so it will take one variable out of
your equation.

As for the SatPC32 setup, I have some screenshots on my webpage that
show the settings I'm using.  I use 2 x FT-817, but the setup should
be similar to FT-817 + FT-897 systems.

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2010/10/satellite-portable-station.html

One thing I'll also do is to quickly spin the tuning dial as I
transmit, just in case the PC control isn't working properly.  If you
don't hear any downlilnk when spinning the dial up or down a few kHz,
then you're likely not making it into the sat and something else needs
to be checked.

Hope this helps!

73 de Dave KB5WIA


On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 5:50 AM, W M Willoughby  wrote:
> I have made a few QSOs on the SSB birds while running half-duplex. Now, I am
> trying to implement full duplex using an FT-817, an FT-897 and an Arrow
> antenna on an az-el rotator. Separate coax cables connect the FT-897 to the
> 70 cm part of the Arrow and the FT-817 to the 2m part. I have a diagram of
> this setup that I could post.
>
>
>
> On the 1215Z pass of AO-07 just now, I was able to hear my CW signal while
> sending a string of dits. I set the FT-817 to 145950 CW mode with no Doppler
> correction and listened via headphones. On the FT-897, I started
> transmitting at 432150 CW with no Doppler correction. Eventually my transmit
> frequency reached 432146.1 and I heard my dits on the FT-817. Then I entered
> 3900 as the Upl Calibr in the CAT menu of SatPC32. I switched the FT-817 to
> USB mode and the FT-897 to LSB and clicked on the Doppler correction (the
> C+) in SatPC32. Using a handheld mic on the FT-897, I called a short CQ, but
> did not hear my voice. I have the FT-817 as the top radio in the Radio Setup
> menu of SatPC32 and the FT-897 as the bottom radio.
>
>
>
> With all of these settings, there is ample opportunity for error! Can anyone
> offer any suggestions to get me straightened out here? Thanks in advance for
> any assistance.
>
>
>
> Red, KC4LE
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[amsat-bb] Re: Yaesu 5500 rotor question

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi Floyd,

Domenico's advice is quite good.  I also wrote a section on aligning a
g5500 az rotator from scratch, its at the bottom of this post:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/az-el-antenna-system-new-70cm-yagi-and.html

73 de Dave KB5WIA
 On Aug 3, 2012 6:18 PM, "i8cvs"  wrote:

> Hi Floyd, KC5QBC
>
> With the upper assembly separated from the lover part of the rotor
> rotate the azimuth motor until the position of the slider of the 500
> ohm potentiometer comes mid way i.e. 250 + 250 ohm i.e. until it
> will show the same voltage of about 3 volt betwen terminals 1 and
> 2 and terminals 2 and 3
>
> Terminal 2 is the slider of the potentiometer i.e. is the cursor.
>
> Now mechanically mount again the upper part of the motor hood
> midway betwen both limit switches.
>
> It's all you have to do to get again the calibration between the
> potentiometer and the upper part of the assembly.
>
> 73" de
>
> i8CVS Domenico
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "Floyd Rodgers" 
> Cc: "Amsat Buleitin Board" 
> Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2012 3:10 AM
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu 5500 rotor question
>
>
> > I had a 5500 azmith rotator lockup over winter. I finally had time to
> > take it down and find the problem. Now a different problem. I forgot to
> > mark the housing position before separating the upper/lower azmith
> > assemblies. I think I know where it was pointed, but how can I tell
> > where it should be aligned? Is this really a non issue?
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[amsat-bb] Re: VO-52

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Hi John,

Last night's VO-52 pass (around 0315z??) was normal signal levels.
Only unusual thing was about half way through the pass (as sat was
over northern US) it seemed to be picking up some sort of interference
... I was watching the entire downlink passband on the SDR waterfall
and there was a 10kHz wide swath of "static" type noise that migrated
through the passband.  As the noise moved through the center of the
passband, it greatly reduced my downlink signals.   I don't have any
solid evidence, but my gut feeling is that the noise had nothing to do
with VO-52 itself, but was instead something below that was
transmitting hash on the uplink.

Overall, VO-52 works great for me, I use it every day or two on
evening passes over northern California.

73!

Dave KB5WIA

On Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 5:47 AM, John  / NS1Z  wrote:
> Just got off the 1235z (approx) pass and think the levels are quite low. It 
> is me?
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[amsat-bb] Re: G5500 Rotor motor Question

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Oh, I didn't measure the rotation speed of the motor during my rebuild,
unfortunately.  In all the research I did prior to the rebuild (=scrambling
to find an equivalent motor) I didn't see any published specs on the unit
either.  I'd think Domenico's calculations would probably be the closest,
since it is a simple 2-pole AC motor.

73! Dave KB5WIA

On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 2:31 PM, Gregory Beat wrote:

> You could ask Dave Palmer, KB5WIA if he noted that spec.,
>  when he rebuilt his Yaesu motor last year (March 2012)
> http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2012/03/yaesu-g5500-rotator-motor-repair.html
>
> w9gb
> ==
> From: "Mike Hoblinski"
> To: 
> Subject: [amsat-bb] G5500 Rotor motor Question
>
> Anybody know what the rpm of the AC motors are. I know from the Yaesu
> specs that after all of the gear reduction they list EL as 67 seconds for
> EL
> and 58 Seconds for AZ.
>
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[amsat-bb] Re: Antenna direction calibration

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

I actually use the sun for aligning the antennas.  SatPC32 comes with
a program called SuM, which can point the antennas directly at the sun
(or moon!).  To align the antennas, I look at the shadow of the
antennas on the ground, and adjust until the shadow is minimum size.
It's really easy, (and you don't need to look at the sun to do this
type of alignment).

73!

Dave KB5WIA
http://kb5wia.blogspot.com


On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 8:29 PM, Rodney Waln  wrote:
> hi, well i will through my $0.2 in, for my home station to get as accurate as 
> i can,
> i listen for a satellite beacon on one of the SSB's set the radio to track 
> and satpc32 to track,
> have a radio or wireless mic and take an ht to the roof with me,when i hear 
> the cw tone that sounds
> ok i am set. then fine tune things from there, mind you i am at a 10* 
> handicap do to thre hills around me,
> so it takes a few tries,
> i also do it almost the same way for or portable, but you get the idea, the 
> FM sat's are point and shoot,
> Rodney
> kc0zhf
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[amsat-bb] Re: The USA Lower 48 Worked all 488 Grids non-Award

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Congratulations on a spectacular achievement, John!!!  Outstanding!

Dave KB5WIA

On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 11:08 PM, John Papay  wrote:
> Some of the active grid chasers on the birds are aware
> that KA6SIP just gave me my last USA grid when he operated
> from CN72 in Oregon.  And I thought it might be interesting
> to look at the stats and how one manages to work and confirm
> all 488 USA lower 48 States grids.
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[amsat-bb] Re: Keps for funcube, is N2YO App Correct?

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Real quick also -- can someone verify that the N2YO applet showing on
the warehouse.funcube.org.uk site is reporting accurate positions?

I've been running the downloaded keps and my home station has been
tracking / decoding just fine, along with nice S9+ audio with AOS and
LOS matching expected as per the published keps ... but the N2YO app
seems to show the FUNcube in a totally different location.  It's been
looking to me like the keps used on the app might not be correct.

73!

Dave KB5WIA / CM88


On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 8:20 AM, James Luhn  wrote:
> I have just about lost my mind trying to get SatPC32 to track FUNcube-1.  I
> just put in the follow keps off of the n2yo page:
>
>
> *Two Line Element Set (TLE):*
>
> 1 1U 0   13325.30964218  .  0-0  1-4 0 7
> 2 1  97.7992  38.2578 0062122 196.7894 338.6768 14.77349691 03
>
>
> N2YO shows funcube over UK and I show it down by South America.  What in the
> hell am I doing wrong?  I set up a separate group to experiment with getting
> the program to work properly with FUNcube.  Initially
> I used the preliminary keps and everything worked terrific.  I copied
> FUNcube with a terrific signal.  I put the new keps in and it all went to
> hell.  When I put the prelim keps back in, it is still not correct.
> I double checked to see if my location is correct.  I am tracking FO-29 just
> fine.  Everything seems to work EXCEPT Funcube.
>
> Geesh a pete, I am as confused as the little boy who lost his bubble gum in
> a chicken yard.
>
> 73,
> -james
> W5AOO
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Re: [amsat-bb] SO-50 Frequency Drift

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

I also can confirm that SO-50's actual downlink is lower than
published, by about -5 to -10kHz.

Dave KB5WIA


On Sun, Jun 8, 2014 at 6:19 PM, Tom Schuessler  wrote:
> I will say that the fact that the actuality of the 5KHz lower than published
> frequency (Known for years) is the reason that often times you here a newby
> on the bird, throwing out his call, getting responded to but never answering
> back.  I had a good QSO on HF a bit back, mentioned "I do AMSAT" and he said
> something to the effect, "I tried listening and calling but never heard
> anything".  I told him about the "Actual vs. published"  frequencies.  He
> says "Well that probably explains it then".  Even K6LCS's great pages at
> http://www.work-sat.com/Sat_Skeds.html do not refer to the offset.  I am
> convinced that this disparity is the cause for at least some of the QRM on
> that bird, not all but some.
>
> Tom Schuessler
> N5HYP
> n5...@arrl.net
>
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Re: [amsat-bb] CN70

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Thanks Rick!

I'm still scratching the mosquito bites from that trip, ha!!  Just
kidding -- that grid expedition was a fun adventure!

73 de Dave KB5WIA

On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 8:26 PM, Richard Tejera  wrote:
> Last time I recall that grid being activated was 7 Aug 2011, when Dave Palmer 
> KB5WIA worked the corner of CN70,CN80,CM79 & CM89.
>
> He put a lot of effort to work that corner, and really appreciated it. Those 
> four grids gave me my VUCC (#227).
>
> 73
> Rick
> K7TEJ
>
> On June 11, 2014, at 19:51, Glenn Miller - AA5PK wrote:
>
> I worked Joe/NU6O in Eureka, CA, (CN70) on the 0250Z FO-29 pass.  Fairly 
> rare, mostly water grid.
>
> 73
> Glenn AA5PK
>
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Re: [amsat-bb] Recordings of FO29 Field Day passband...?

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

Excellent point, Drew -- SDR's can visualize and record the entire
passband.  I posted screenshots of the AO-07 and VO-52 passbands
during field day last year, they're on my blog at:

http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/06/arrl-field-day-2013-satellite-fun.html

Have fun!

Dave KB5WIA

On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 8:28 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner
 wrote:
> I've recorded and posted SDR recordings and screenshots before. Might be
> more accessible for folks as a simple youtube video tuning from one end to
> anotherof course, most of the time everyone is piled up in the middle
> 20khz.
>
> 73, Drew KO4MA
>
> -Original Message-
> From: amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-boun...@amsat.org] On
> Behalf Of Robert Bruninga
> Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 11:25 PM
> To: amsat bb
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Recordings of FO29 Field Day passband...?
>
>> I have been asked by ICOM to webcast field day this year.
>
> Unrelated, but it would be great if someone with a good satcom station
> recorded the passband of FO29.  Not so much to get individual QSO's but to
> grasp what a full wideband transponder can carry.
>
> IE, tune the passband from one end to the other at a constant rate.
>
> Then again, and again, and again at the same rate.  Maybe separate files for
> each scan so we can tell when a complete scan begins and ends.
>
> This would give those who are unfamiliar with wideband linear transponder
> operation what the capability really is under FD loading...
>
> Just a thought.
>
> Bob, Wb4APR
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Re: [amsat-bb] AO-73 Telemetry Question

[David Palmer KB5WIA]

>>  It appears the signal is making it to the Dashboard but nothing
>> seems to happen.

Hi Tom -- just checking real quick, from your pic, it shows that the
actual data stream from the sat is being picked up in the FCD
dashboard, but the signals are right up against the zero line on the
left, and looks like some of the signal might have been clipped off to
the left.  To confirm, you also tried with the main signal somewhere
in the middle of the FCD Dashboard's "passband"?

(sorry, I run my FCDPP direct to the FCD Dashboard, so I'm just used
to seeing the sat signal display around 55,000 on a scale of 0-96,000
Hz, so not entirely familiar with running the sigs through HDSDR
recording first)

73!  Dave KB5WIA

On Tue, Aug 12, 2014 at 2:18 PM, Thomas Doyle  wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Recorded an AO-73 telemetry pass (RF recording)  this morning with HDSDR.
> Later fed it from HDSDR into the sound card and then to the FCD Dashboard
> (see pic). It appears the signal is making it to the Dashboard but nothing
> seems to happen. I tired (Auto Tune) on/off, and narrowing the bandwidth of
> the HDSDR filter to better match the bw of the signal but still nothing. It
> does seem to lock on to the (Detected Frequency 2262 Hz) but that's about
> all it does. The Dashboard is brilliant and I would like to get it working.
>
> Due to deed restrictions no outside antennas are allowed so the signal is
> not that strong here (about 5dB above the noise) and it might never work
> from here. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Any suggestions that we
> move to a new neighborhood that allows outside antennas will be forwarded
> to my wife :-)
>
> http://www.tomdoyle.org/dashboard1sm.png
>
> Tnx W9KE Tom Doyle
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