Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-17 Thread David Woolley
315w exceeds the total power budget for the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which 
is currently 254.6 watts.


The only reference to the transmitter power I can find suggests that it 
is 20 watts.  The 315 is probably EIRP, but that is not what was being 
quoted for the Pluto probe.  They both seem to have the same actual PA 
output power.


So at over 36 hours round trip light travel time  (0.002 light years 
range), Voyager 1 scores a lot more points compared with less than 9 
hours for the Pluto probe which has the same power, but with 12dB less 
free space path loss.


--
David Woolley
Owner K2 06123

On 16/07/15 20:46, Brian D wrote:

Voyager is still going strong many times further away than Pluto, 315w to a
3.7m dish. from over 19 billion KM.


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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-17 Thread Matthew Cook
Lets not forget to include Madrid (Spain) and Canberra (Australia) in the
above story, without them Goldstone cant do it on it's own.  One station
may start the transmission, but every 8-12hrs each station seamlessly hands
over to the next to provide continuous coverage at the earth rotates.  It's
even more important for Voyager with a transmission path of 18 hours, now
that is mind blowing stuff.

73

Matthew
VK5ZM

On 17 July 2015 at 04:28, Fred Townsend fptowns...@earthlink.net wrote:

 Mike You can do the math for path loss. The formulas are well known.
 Perhaps less known is the rest of the story. The probe is using its high
 gain (dish) antenna, perhaps 20 db. Since it is a dish antenna it must be
 aimed! The probe is programmed to aim its antennas periodically since it
 can not be commanded to turn its antenna.
 Back at this end, the Goldstone antennas have about 60db gain with
 cryogenically cooled noise figures of 1. I'm guessing the receiver
 sensitivity at around ---150 to -170 dbm using a very narrow bandwidth and
 correlation techniques similar to what is used on GPS receivers.
 Transmission flight of path is  six hours.
 73
 Fred, AE6QL


SNIP
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Edward R Cole

Uhuh - and how many of you have worked such DX?smile

The signal level seen on earth is 4E-19 or -196 dBw (subtract 30-dB 
to yield -166 dBm).  The path loss at Pluto (31.9AU) is without 
including antenna gain 303.5 dB.  Interesting that I read they plan 
to run 600bps at 36AU.


Other numbers of interest is downlink f=8.438 GHz, downlink antenna 
(2.1m dish) gain is +42 dB and Tx power is 12-15w (say +41 dBm); 
spacecraft EIRP = 42+41 = +83 dBm.  -303.5+83 = -220.5 dBm.  Add gain 
of ground antenna +73 dBi (70m dish): -220.5+73 = -146.5 dBm


Your K3 MDS is -145 dBm at B=500 Hz

Just for grins I substituted my dish (4.9m) with gain 49.7 dBi and 
signal to my Rx would be -220.5+49.7 = -170.8 dBm
If I use a really narrow bandwidth I might see a signal trace using 
something like spectravue sw.


A ham has received Pioneer's signal in such a manner when it was 
beyond Pluto's orbit.  It was not easy!


73, Ed - KL7UW
---

From: brian als...@nc.rr.com
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)
Message-ID: 55a80893.4040...@nc.rr.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed

It would seem that the DX record is held by the Voygers which long ago
left the solar system.
I don't know their power but they still check in from way beyond
Pluto.   So NewHorizons is DX but not real DX YET.

73 de Brian/K3KO
On 7/16/2015 18:31 PM, Scott Simpson wrote:
 some discussion including calculation of losses around 147db here:

 
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/3d93en/the_radio_signal_from_the_new_horizons_spacecraft/



73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
Kits made by KL7UW
Dubus Mag business:
dubus...@gmail.com

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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Jeff Stai
I decided to spend a minute googling, here's a paper with a lot of cool
tech details:

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.466.3341rep=rep1type=pdf

73 jeff wk6i

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 11:31 AM, Jeff Stai wk6i.j...@gmail.com wrote:

 Well, at least they have big antennas. ;) I read the other day on the NOVA
 website that New Horizons will be downloading the data acquired in the
 flyby at a data rate of only 1 kb/s - think 1200 baud modem for those of
 you old enough to remember them. And there was another fascinating article
 there about how they use Reed-Solomon error correcting codes to compensate
 for the inevitable bit errors and reduce the need for retransmission (and
 now using the same RS code for DNA data storage, very cool stuff.)

 Nothing about the path loss, but knowing the data rate is so low, and that
 the RS code is probably good for a considerable error burst of several
 bits, that should at least give you a sense of what the loss might be!

 73 jeff wk6i

 On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 11:10 AM, a...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

 Heard last night on  Nova program that the transmitter on the Pathfinder
 Pluto probe was 10 watts.  Anyone have a clue as to the signal path loss at
 3 billion miles and what levels the deep space dish receiving networks are
 dealing with?   Incredible that the data stream can be extracted from the
 noise.
 Mike  AC5P
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 Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/twistedoak




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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Jeff Stai
Well, at least they have big antennas. ;) I read the other day on the NOVA
website that New Horizons will be downloading the data acquired in the
flyby at a data rate of only 1 kb/s - think 1200 baud modem for those of
you old enough to remember them. And there was another fascinating article
there about how they use Reed-Solomon error correcting codes to compensate
for the inevitable bit errors and reduce the need for retransmission (and
now using the same RS code for DNA data storage, very cool stuff.)

Nothing about the path loss, but knowing the data rate is so low, and that
the RS code is probably good for a considerable error burst of several
bits, that should at least give you a sense of what the loss might be!

73 jeff wk6i

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 11:10 AM, a...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

 Heard last night on  Nova program that the transmitter on the Pathfinder
 Pluto probe was 10 watts.  Anyone have a clue as to the signal path loss at
 3 billion miles and what levels the deep space dish receiving networks are
 dealing with?   Incredible that the data stream can be extracted from the
 noise.
 Mike  AC5P
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Brian Moran via Elecraft
Here's another paper that details the RF side of things. They needed an 
Ultra-Stable Oscillator, as well :-)
http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~tcase/NH%20RF%20Telecom%20Sys%20ID1369%20FINAL_Deboy.pdf
-Brian N9ADG
   
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread brian
It would seem that the DX record is held by the Voygers which long ago 
left the solar system.
I don't know their power but they still check in from way beyond 
Pluto.   So NewHorizons is DX but not real DX YET.


73 de Brian/K3KO
On 7/16/2015 18:31 PM, Scott Simpson wrote:

some discussion including calculation of losses around 147db here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/3d93en/the_radio_signal_from_the_new_horizons_spacecraft/




scott
sasimp...@gmail.com

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 1:10 PM, a...@sbcglobal.net wrote:


Heard last night on  Nova program that the transmitter on the Pathfinder
Pluto probe was 10 watts.  Anyone have a clue as to the signal path loss at
3 billion miles and what levels the deep space dish receiving networks are
dealing with?   Incredible that the data stream can be extracted from the
noise.
Mike  AC5P
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Brian D
Voyager is still going strong many times further away than Pluto, 315w to a
3.7m dish. from over 19 billion KM.


a...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

 Heard last night on  Nova program that the transmitter on the Pathfinder
 Pluto probe was 10 watts.  Anyone have a clue as to the signal path loss
 at 3 billion miles and what levels the deep space dish receiving networks
 are dealing with?   Incredible that the data stream can be extracted from
 the noise. Mike  AC5P
 __ Elecraft
 mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help:
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 list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to
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-- 
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  YarmEngland
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Fred Townsend
Mike You can do the math for path loss. The formulas are well known. Perhaps 
less known is the rest of the story. The probe is using its high gain (dish) 
antenna, perhaps 20 db. Since it is a dish antenna it must be aimed! The probe 
is programmed to aim its antennas periodically since it can not be commanded to 
turn its antenna.
Back at this end, the Goldstone antennas have about 60db gain with 
cryogenically cooled noise figures of 1. I'm guessing the receiver sensitivity 
at around ---150 to -170 dbm using a very narrow bandwidth and correlation 
techniques similar to what is used on GPS receivers. Transmission flight of 
path is  six hours.
73
Fred, AE6QL

-Original Message-
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of 
a...@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2015 11:10 AM
To: Elecraft Reflector
Subject: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

Heard last night on  Nova program that the transmitter on the Pathfinder Pluto 
probe was 10 watts.  Anyone have a clue as to the signal path loss at 3 billion 
miles and what levels the deep space dish receiving networks are dealing with?  
 Incredible that the data stream can be extracted from the noise. Mike  AC5P 

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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Scott Simpson
some discussion including calculation of losses around 147db here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/3d93en/the_radio_signal_from_the_new_horizons_spacecraft/




scott
sasimp...@gmail.com

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 1:10 PM, a...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

 Heard last night on  Nova program that the transmitter on the Pathfinder
 Pluto probe was 10 watts.  Anyone have a clue as to the signal path loss at
 3 billion miles and what levels the deep space dish receiving networks are
 dealing with?   Incredible that the data stream can be extracted from the
 noise.
 Mike  AC5P
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Don Wilhelm
Certainly, with a proper transverter (or down converter) and adequate 
receive antennas, the K3 could serve as a suitable IF.  The decode of 
the received data is quite another matter.
Will anyone do that with their K3, I don't know, but the K3 is capable 
enough given an adequate down converter.  One would likely need a stable 
frequency reference, and the K3 has the option for an external reference.


73,
Don W3FPR

On 7/16/2015 7:16 PM, Mel Farrer via Elecraft wrote:

OK, with the Path loss considered, and the comm link budget in the mix, with 
proper freq stabilization, could the K series integrate any possible down 
converted channel to a discernible signal?



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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Tony Estep
On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 4:33 PM, Edward R Cole kl...@acsalaska.net wrote:

  = -146.5 dBm
 =

Very good, Ed, thanks. I'm sure they use some sort of FEC encoding like
that of the JT software. If I understand that correctly, such a signal can
be decoded if it's a couple of s-units, say 10 db, below the noise level.
So with their ultra-low-noise gadgetry they should be able to hear it for
several million more miles.?

Tony KT0NY
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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread rick.ag...@gmail.com
Here is details on spacecraft design and on the RF comms subsystem. 
Interesting reading

http://www.boulder.swri.edu/pkb/ssr/ssr-fountain.pdf
The New Horizons Spacecraft - Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~tcase/NH%20RF%20Telecom%20Sys%20ID1369%20FINAL_Deboy.pdf
The RF Telecommunications System for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto -
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

73
Rick AG6AY



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Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)

2015-07-16 Thread Mel Farrer via Elecraft
OK, with the Path loss considered, and the comm link budget in the mix, with 
proper freq stabilization, could the K series integrate any possible down 
converted channel to a discernible signal?
If not, then the topic is mute, Sorry, better things to consider..IMHO
Mel, K6KBE

  From: rick.ag...@gmail.com rick.ag...@gmail.com
 To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
 Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2015 3:35 PM
 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] QRP signals from Pathfinder probe (off topic)
   
Here is details on spacecraft design and on the RF comms subsystem. 
Interesting reading

http://www.boulder.swri.edu/pkb/ssr/ssr-fountain.pdf
The New Horizons Spacecraft - Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~tcase/NH%20RF%20Telecom%20Sys%20ID1369%20FINAL_Deboy.pdf
The RF Telecommunications System for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto -
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

73
Rick AG6AY



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