Text 1902, 397 rader
Skriven 2007-09-24 16:48:00 av Holger Granholm (2:20/228)
Ärende: Amsat news service nr.266
=================================
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-266

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North
America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the
activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an
active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating
through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org

******************* AMSAT 2007 Space Symposium *************************

The Wireless Association of South Hills Amateur Radio Club announces the
2007 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held at the Pittsburgh Airport
Marriott Hotel on Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28, 2007.
The AMSAT web team has posted informational pages on the AMSAT web site.
You can find the announcement with many links at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2007/index.php

**************************************************************************

In this edition:
* AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results
* New AMSAT VP of User Services
* GO-32 enabled for experimental APRS access
* AO-51 Sputnik 50th Anniversary Special Event
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status - 17 September 2007


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-266.01
AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 266.01
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 23, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-266.01


The following candidates were elected to the AMSAT Board of Directors:

Barry Baines , WD4ASW
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Rick Hambly, W2GPS
Gunther Meisse, W8GSM

Lee Mclamb, KU4OS is the alternate

A total of 871 votes were cast.

[ANS thanks Martha for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-266.02
New AMSAT VP of User Services

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 266.02
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 23, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-266.02

It was with great enthusiasm that AMSAT President Rick Hambly, W2GPS,
announced the appointment of Gould Smith, WA4SXM, to the position of
AMSAT Vice President of User Services. In this position Gould will serve
on the Executive Team and will be responsible for the leadership of a
team that will include the management of the AMSAT Journal, the AMSAT
New Service (ANS), AMSAT HF radio nets, Field Operations, Awards and
Contests, the Dayton Hamvention and other duties as may be assigned by
the President or the Board.

[ANS thanks Rick, W2GPS, for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-266.03
GO-32 enabled for experimental APRS access

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 266.03
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 23, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-266.03

The GO-32 Satellite TECHSAT-1B team has announced experimental 9600 baud
APRS access for mobile and tactical APRS on a not-to-interfere basis
with the existing PACSAT BBS.   

The uplink is possible with 5 Watts on 2 meters, but the downlink is 9
dB worse to an omni antenna on UHF and requires tuning 10 to 20 KHz for
Doppler.  Currently there are no permanent IGates to bring the downlink
into the global APRS system, but it is hoped volunteers will surface
with permanent satgates.  So initally, do NOT expect to see yourself on
FINDU.COM.  Enjoy ham radio,  Make a contact instead!

Experimental testing shows that an APRS HT with a 19.5" whip can get a
lucky shot into this satellite (but not when there is congestion on the
uplink).  With a handheld beam, it should be no problem for an HT, and
the beam is needed on reception anyway.  Fifty Watt mobiles should have
no problem using a stock mobile whip.  Due to the absence of APRS
signals to date, we do not have good statistics on reception in a mobile
yet...

Operating on a 9600 baud FULL DUPLEX APRS satellite is MUCH different
than ARISS, or any of the other 1200 baud APRS PCSATS. Because the
turn-around is so fast, you cannot see your own digipeated packets on
the same radio (usually)...  Please read and understand this entire
bulletin before attempting to operate.

The easiest way to get on GO-32 with 9600 baud APRS is to use a Kenwood
D7, D700 or D710 radio.  These radios since 1998 have been satellite
9600 baud ready, just waiting on a satellite!.

Read these notes on how to operate GO-32 with a D7 or D700:

Set APRS Baudrate to 9600 baud.  
Set A band to uplink on 145.93
Set B band to receive 435.225 +/- 10 KHz
Set Path to be via 4XTECH
Set MYCALL to a unique SSID
Set TX method to AUTO
Set TX RATE 1 min for HT. 2 min for D700
Put something useful in your STATUS text maybe describing your setup:
"50W mobile, 1/4 wave, 2m rate" or "5W HT, long whip, 1m rate"

Save in a PM for use anytime you are outside of the terrestrial APRS
network.

SATELLITE OPERATING NOTES:

The GO32 uplinks and downlinks are for the PACSAT store and forward
system and users.  APRS use is on a secondary basis and should not be
operated unattended.  If you see that the BBS PBLIST is full of other
users, do not enable your APRS since the uplink will be busy.  Currently
the PBLIST is not in APRS format so you cannot see it unless you are
running normal packet mode.

On the D700 you can press PMON on the front panel and see these
packets... but they FLY by...

ACCESS TIMES:  GO-32 is sun synchronous and so it comes over everywhere
three times between about 8 AM to Noon and again between 8 PM to
midnight local sun time.  During these two windows at least one pass
each will be an overhead pass which might also work for an HT.  The
other passes will be lower to the East or West and will work fine for a
50W mobile.

WHAT YOU HEAR:  9600 baud sounds almost exactly like open squelch,
though the tuned ear can soon distinguish the difference.  Before the
pass, set your squelch normally to quiet the speaker.  When you hear the
satellite, the squelch will open and you may see up to 3 bars on your S
meter.  Tune to the "best sounding" noise.

DOPPLER:  Depending on how low to the horizon you can see, the satelite
approaches 10 KHz high at 435.235 MHz... But it is maybe 3000 km away.
As it gets higher, and 6 dB closer, it will be on 435.230 MHz, passing
through 435.225 published center frequency at the middle point, and then
drop down through 435.220 and ending at 435.215.

But since it is 6 to 10 dB closer (and stronger) towards the center of
the pass (800 km overhead), the mobile antenna is probably only going to
hear the middle 435.230, .225, .220 portion easily.  So I would start my
receiption at 435.230...

UPLINK CHANNELS:  GO-32 allows two APRS uplinks.  One is exclusive to
D7/D700 tactical position reporting and the other exclusive to
messaging.  This is in hardware, not policy...

1) All APRS messaging (or fixed station non-Mic-E positions) must use
the 145.85 uplink where GO32 only digipeats APRS packets with TOCALLs
that begin with the usual "APxxxx".  (Even the D7 and D700 use "APKxxx"
for messages.)
 
2) All APRS Mic-E position uplinks (D7, D700 and D710s) must be on
145.93 MHz and they must have the position comment set to "Committed,
Special or PRIORITY"...  With those comment settings then the TOCALL
first LATITUDE digit will be 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and only these will be
accepted by GO32 for digipeating from 145.93.

DATA CARRIER DETECT: The D700 and non(g) model D7's will NOT TX if they
are hearing the downlink at the same time due to CARRIER DETECT.  The
D7(g) model has DCD IGNORE that *will* let it TX anyway.  So use
separate rigs for TX and for RX if you want to see yourself.

Otherwise stick to the receommended TX rates and know that you are
getting in if you stick to the protocol.  Sticking to the recommended
rates also keeps channel loading low, so that everyone gets in with less
congestion.

PERMANENT SATGATES:  Here is a great place to use your D7 HT when you
are not using it otherwise.  Simply connect it to a 19" whip over a
ground plane and to your APRS IGate system.  The antenna does not even
need to be high, since it cannot hear, nor will it be on frequency for
low packets near the horizon 3000 km away.  Set it to 9600 baud RX and
tune to 435.230 (which is 5 KHz high).  This Doppler setting will match
the stronger signals.

This 19.5" whip (3/4 wave on 435) does not need to see below 25 degrees,
since its max gain (almost 7 dB) is between 30 to 70 degrees anwyay.
This also protects your HT from lightning, since it can be low, below
all of your other antnenas.  Yes, your station will only see about 30%
of all possible packets and only on the best two passes per day, but
combined with dozens of other such unattended SATgates, all packets
should be heard somewhere by someone and injected into the APRS Internet
system.

Bob Bruinga, WB4APR, reports that he hopes to have an APRS-via-GO32 web
page up in a few weeks.

Additional information about GO-32 can be found on the AMSAT web site
at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=14&retURL=/satellites/status.php


Good luck!

[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR, for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-266.04
AO-51 Sputnik 50th Anniversary Special Event

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 266.04
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 23, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-266.04

AMSAT-NA will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik with a
special event on AO-51. AO-51 will rebroadcast original Sputnik
telemetry and a congratulatory message to mark the event during passes
over North America on the evening of Wednesday, October 3rd in North
America, which is early October 4th UTC. At this time, only the passes
over North America will be able to carry the special event. Please watch
ANS and the amsat-bb mailing list for further information as the date
approaches.

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-266.05
Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 266.05
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 23, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-266.05


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Make your room reservations for the 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium
  in Pittsburgh as soon as possible. Any rooms that have not been 
  reserved by October 8th will be released to the hotel.  For the 
  reservation code, go to the AMSAT website and click on the left 
  hand side - AMSAT Symposium. If you have any problems making a 
  reservation, please call Martha in the ASMAST office at 
  (301-589-6062).

+ AMSAT congratulates Ramon Santoyo, XE1KK, who was just elected 
  to the new position of the Secretary for the IARU---Region 2.
  For those who don't know, Ramon is an active satellite op, goes 
  on many dxpeditions taking satellite gear, and is an all around 
  friend of AMSAT.

+ This is a reminder that the 26th Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communi-
  cations Conference will be held September 28-30, 2007 in Hartford, 
  CT.  See http://www.tapr.org/dcc for additional information.  The
  Sunday Seminar will feature AMSAT VP-Engineering and Director, Bob 
  McGwier, N4HY presenting "A Stroll Through Software Radio, Informa-
  tion Theory, and Some Applications".

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-266.06
ARISS Status - 17 September 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 266.06
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 23, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-266.06

1. ARISS Contact with M. L. King Academy Successful

On Wednesday, September 12, students attending M. L. King Academy
(formerly Alexander Macomb Academy) in Mount Clemens, Michigan
experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact. Clay Anderson, KD5PLA answered 25 questions put to him by ten
students. A crowd of approximately 350 gathered to watch the contact
with several television stations and newspapers in attendance to report
on the event. The school board director was also present and is now
encouraging other schools to submit applications to ARISS. The audio
from this contact was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW
(277 208) servers. It received 33 connections, including 6 repeater
nodes, from 9 countries. Among those listening were China, Trinidad
Tobago, Uruguay and Thailand.  To view the Macomb Daily article covering
the event, see:
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/091307/loc_students001.shtml


2. Successful ARISS Contact with Westbrook Intermediate

Students from Westbrook Intermediate School in Clear Creek, Texas took
part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact on Friday, September 14. The contact was made possible with the
assistance of telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. Twenty-four students
asked one question each of Clay Anderson, KD5PLA.  The audio from this
event was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208)
servers, receiving 28 connections from the U.S., Australia, Thailand and
England, including 4 repeater nodes. 


3. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has
been planned for Art and Pat Goforth Elementary School in League City,
Texas on Friday, September 28 at 16:04 UTC via the telebridge station
WH6PN in Hawaii. The school has a student body of which 25% of the
children come from economically disadvantaged families and 12% receive
special education. This event is a crew pick of Clay Anderson, KD5PLA.  

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. has
been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) contact on Saturday, September 29 as part of its Family Day,
“Commemorating 50 Years in Space.� It will take place at 16:28 UTC via
the telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii The overall theme of the day will
be to celebrate at least one major event and object in the Museumâ€Ös
collection for each decade of the space age.  This event will focus on
the ISS and the Shuttle program, and will acknowledge its sponsor,
Charles Simonyi, who also participated in ARISS contacts with students
while on the ISS.   Visitors will be encouraged to participate in hands
on activities during their time at the museum.  Approximately 15,000 -
20,000 visitors are expected to attend throughout the day.  The event
will be promoted on the National Air and Space Museumâ€Ös website,
(http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=664) advertised
by e-flyer to a variety of lists, and have newspaper ads in the Express
(a daily tabloid of the Washington Post with a daily circulation of
286,000) and The City Paper, an alternate newsweekly, with a weekly
subscription of 85,000.)  The audio for this event will be fed into the
EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) Conference Room servers
and into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.  


4. Scouts Participate in SuitSat-2 Project

On Saturday, September 15, approximately 58 boys, ages 6-18, from cub
scout packs 983, 977, 778, 997, troop 993 and ham radio explorer post
599 in Maricopa, Arizona met to assemble two non-flight safety boxes for
SuitSat-2. The scouts also drew pictures to be included on the SuitSat-2
DVD. Afterwards, the older boys were taught how to solder and lace
cables. Photos from the explorer scouts may be found on this site:
http://www.briansnapped.com/content/pics/SuitSat_2007/


5. ISS Radio Running Packet Operations

On Tuesday, September 11, the Kenwood radio was turned on and configured
to run Packet operations. The Amateur Radio community world wide has
been very pleased to have this capability restored.


6. Astronaut Training Status

On Wednesday, September 12, astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA,
participated in a simulated amateur radio school contact. Wakata is
slated to fly on the shuttle STS-126 mission.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]


In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors
to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.
Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.

73, 
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org

_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
_______________________________________________

73 de Sam, OH0NC

---
 þ MR/2 2.30 þ Aland Islands / 60 degrees North / 20 degrees East

 * Origin: Coming to you from the Sunny Aland Islands. (2:20/228)