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CX2SA > SATDIG 08.08.11 04:39l 837 Lines 29035 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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To : SATDIG@WW
Today's Topics:
1. Rotator repair pictures (Joe Leikhim)
2. Re: Rotator repair pictures (AL4S - Rich)
3. FUNcube Dongle firmware update (Howard Long)
4. MacBook running MacDoppler interface to radio (James Luhn)
5. Re: MacBook running MacDoppler interface to radio (Dave Taylor)
6. Telemetry over Brazil orbit#55 (Roland Zurmely)
7. Re: Life Expectancy ARISat-1 (Phil Karn)
8. Mirage kpc1 problems (Richard Lawn)
9. Re: Rotator repair pictures (George and Cheryl Abbott)
10. Re: WORK-AROUND FOUND! RE: ARISSat TLM soundcard selection
(Mark L. Hammond)
11. Activating EM04, DM94 and EL39 this week (Clayton W5PFG)
12. Re: Transponder 1412Z (Rsoifer@xxx.xxxx
13. KB5WIA IN CM79, 89, CN70, 80 (iamsavedbygrace@x.xxxx
14. Re: KB5WIA IN CM79, 89, CN70, 80
(Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK))
15. Re: A rose is a rose... is a rose (Daniel Schultz)
16. Re: KB5WIA IN CM79, 89, CN70, 80 (Glenn AA5PK)
17. Re: MacBook running MacDoppler interface to radio (Dave-K7DAA)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:04:53 -0400
From: Joe Leikhim <rhyolite@xxxxxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Rotator repair pictures
To: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID: <4E3EB7A5.9060807@xxxxxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Thanks for the excellent website. I not the motor run capacitor is
viable in the pictures. Probably best to change that when you have gone
to the trouble to disassemble.
--
Joe Leikhim
Leikhim and Associates
Communications Consultants
Oviedo, Florida
www.Leikhim.com
JLeikhim@xxxxxxx.xxx
407-982-0446
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 08:21:25 -0800
From: AL4S - Rich <riotqontrol@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Rotator repair pictures
To: PA3GUO <pa3guo@xxxxx.xxx>
Cc: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID:
<CAJS77c4TitjXgukXAr9DTTmgXAOuqgV8ypKfJVHiRDo6gbcuhg@xxxx.xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Thanks for the link, KL7AA will be installing its tower on the roof in
September. This photo record will be helpful for preventative maintenance
before permanent installation.
On Sun, Aug 7, 2011 at 2:09 AM, PA3GUO <pa3guo@xxxxx.xxx> wrote:
> Since the topic of stuck rotators appears each month in this group;
>
>
>
> Ivo, PA1IVO, fixed his G-5500 rotator and has uploaded very clear pictures
> of the repair process to his website.
>
> When you need to start fixing & disassembling your own rotor this helps a
> lot !
>
> http://ivok.home.xs4all.nl/pa1ivo/G-5500.html
>
>
>
> Henk, PA3GUO
>
> <http://www.pa3guo.com> http://www.pa3guo.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>
--
Rich Gillin - *AL4S*
907.884.1404
skype: rich.gillin
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 17:42:38 +0100
From: "Howard Long" <howard@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] FUNcube Dongle firmware update
To: <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID: <015501cc5521$0687da30$13978e90$@xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Folks
For those of you who use the FUNcube Dongle to receive ARISSat-1, I have
released a new firmware version to correct a bug in the USB streaming code
which produced clicking every few seconds for some users, and also makes
data decoding less reliable.
The firmware image is here:
http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/export18i.pro.bin
It is currently in test status, so any feedback is welcome.
Many thanks, Howard
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:43:36 -0500
From: James Luhn <luhn@xx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] MacBook running MacDoppler interface to radio
To: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID: <4E3EEAE8.7030100@xx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
I have both PC and Mac computers. I enjoy using both and have each
computer doing things that they seem to do the best. I am looking for
some suggestions on what interface I should be using to have MacDoppler
running on a MacBook Pro control an IC-910. I have the CT-17 level
converter for the IC-910. When running from a PC(for this and mobile I
use a Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook. It has a serial port!) I simply
connect the serial port to the CT-17 and all works fine. I do have a
USB to Serial converter (U232-P9) that has Mac drivers. I cannot seem
to make the Macbook, usb-serial adapter, and CT-17 work. For those
running MacDoppler, how are you interfacing to the IC-910 or other
radios using a serial port?
Thanks,
73,
James
W5AOO
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:27:54 -0400
From: Dave Taylor <dave.w8aas@xxxxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: MacBook running MacDoppler interface to radio
To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID: <EB4C0FC3-E6B4-45F3-B428-32202D5F695B@xxxxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
I've found the Keyspan products to be very reliable. I've haven't
used it on a CT-17, but it's done everything else I've tried.
-- Dave, W8AAS
On Aug 7, 2011, at 3:43 PM, James Luhn wrote:
> I have both PC and Mac computers. I enjoy using both and have each
> computer doing things that they seem to do the best. I am looking for
> some suggestions on what interface I should be using to have
> MacDoppler
> running on a MacBook Pro control an IC-910. I have the CT-17 level
> converter for the IC-910. When running from a PC(for this and
> mobile I
> use a Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook. It has a serial port!) I simply
> connect the serial port to the CT-17 and all works fine. I do have a
> USB to Serial converter (U232-P9) that has Mac drivers. I cannot seem
> to make the Macbook, usb-serial adapter, and CT-17 work. For those
> running MacDoppler, how are you interfacing to the IC-910 or other
> radios using a serial port?
>
> Thanks,
> 73,
> James
> W5AOO
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the
> author.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
> program!
> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 14:50:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Roland Zurmely <py4zbz@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Telemetry over Brazil orbit#55
To: AMSAT <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID:
<1312753820.18538.YahooMailNeo@xxxxxxxx.xxxx.xxx.xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Copied and forwarded live to telemetry.arissattlm.org
46 good frames (24 telemetry and 22 KURSK).
Orbit #55 over Brazil.
Please see here:
http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#c
73 de Roland PY4ZBZ
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:05:52 -0700
From: Phil Karn <karn@xxxxxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Life Expectancy ARISat-1
To: Nico Janssen <hamsat@xxxxxx.xx>
Cc: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID: <4E3F0C40.2040203@xxxxxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
On 8/7/11 3:40 AM, Nico Janssen wrote:
> Actually the TLEs give you the values for the drag (First Time
> Derivative of the Mean Motion) and for the ballistic coefficient
> (BSTAR drag term). Note that in the TLEs the definition of the
> ballistic coefficient is the inverse of Phil's definition, i.e.
> the higher the BSTAR value, the higher the drag.
I did know that, but I didn't mention it because I thought the satellite
is probably too new for these values to be especially accurate, and in
the past they've always seemed rather noisy. But if they do settle down
to meaningful average values then they should be useful in predicting
lifetime, yes.
> When comparing the latest TLE sets for the ISS and for ARISSat-1,
> it appears that the drag for the satellite is roughly twice as
> high as for the ISS. But since the values for the drag vary a lot
> from one TLE set to the next, it helps to use average values over
> a number of TLE sets.
Twice as high - now that's a very interesting data point. What are those
average values?
I know that the ISS performs some drag-avoidance maneuvers with its
solar arrays, such as a "night glider" mode where they're turned
parallel with the velocity vector at night to reduce drag when they're
not doing anything anyway. I've also noticed that rarely do they all
track the sun even in the daytime. Perhaps they're off-pointed to reduce
drag when maximum power is not needed.
I've always thought the ISS should do something more with all its trash
than stuffing it into cargo ships and sending them back into the
atmosphere. Imagine a big electrically powered slingshot that fires the
trash against the velocity vector, giving a forward impulse to the ISS
while simultaneously deorbiting the trash...
Phil, KA9Q
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 18:13:46 -0400
From: Richard Lawn <rjlawn@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Mirage kpc1 problems
To: Amsat BB <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID:
<CADQmrTEc_xApJbC50Vgsus5+Vne=CZt+XxXL9SL9yT9J9KgjVw@xxxx.xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I suspect that one primary reason I'm not hearing the birds as I try several
home brew stationary antennas is the used 440 preamp I bought on eBay. It
seems like the internal TS-2000 internal is better and that shouldn't be.
And just when I'm getting results with these home brewed antennas! Is there
any way I can verify failure in the mirage kpc1/440? I too got tired of
mistakenly putting too much rf in an old ARR preamp I had and fried it,
suggesting that I switch to the mirage amps like those I use at the home qth
with good results.
Rick
W2JAZ
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 18:22:59 -0400
From: "George and Cheryl Abbott" <ka1ajf@xxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Rotator repair pictures
To: "PA3GUO" <pa3guo@xxxxx.xxx>, <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID: <84731629CE654B1680DB64A348C598CC@xxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
Dear Ivo:Thanks for sharing these pictures.
-----Original Message-----
From: PA3GUO
Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2011 6:09 AM
To: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Subject: [amsat-bb] Rotator repair pictures
Since the topic of stuck rotators appears each month in this group;
Ivo, PA1IVO, fixed his G-5500 rotator and has uploaded very clear pictures
of the repair process to his website.
When you need to start fixing & disassembling your own rotor this helps a
lot !
http://ivok.home.xs4all.nl/pa1ivo/G-5500.html
Henk, PA3GUO
<http://www.pa3guo.com> http://www.pa3guo.com
_______________________________________________
Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:30:38 -0400
From: "Mark L. Hammond" <marklhammond@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: WORK-AROUND FOUND! RE: ARISSat TLM soundcard
selection
To: "PA3GUO" <pa3guo@xxxxx.xxx>, "'Sion Chow Q. C. \(9W2QC\)'"
<9w2qc@xxxxx.xxx>
Cc: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID: <HaWs1h00F56cfur05aWsZ6@xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
ARISSatTLM will use the "deafault" sound card, so that can be changed just
with a few clicks; I have lots of audio devices, and as long as I set the
Recording default to the device I want to use, it's easy...
73,
Mark N8MH
At 08:27 PM 8/7/2011 +0200, PA3GUO wrote:
>OK !
>
>So there is no way to select between either the soundcard (read output from
>HDSDR)
>or the FCD (which is in the system also a soundcard.
>
>BUT: here is the work around;
>step 1: disconnect the FCD
>step 2: start ARISSatTLM (only th normal sound card is present, which it
>selects)
>(not: in the Tuning indicator no signal is seen)
>step 3: plug in the FCD (into the USB port of the PC)
>step 4: start HDSDR
> >>> and now ARISSatTLM shows the output of HDSDR
>
>Voila (the French would say)
>
>Henk
>
>-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>Van: Sion Chow Q. C. (9W2QC) [mailto:9w2qc@xxxxx.xxxx
>Verzonden: zondag 7 augustus 2011 18:50
>Aan: PA3GUO
>CC: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
>Onderwerp: RE: [amsat-bb] ARISSat TLM soundcard selection (and submission
>listings)
>
>Hi Henk,
>
>I totally agree with your suggestion, and to make it easy student is the key
>to get the younger generation interested in all these. I also understand
>that the ARISSat-1 team is already working on a page to show the submission
>of telemetry, so we shall wait a while and see.
>
>73, Sion, 9M2CQC
>
>
>Quoting PA3GUO <pa3guo@xxxxx.xxx>:
>
>> Hi Sion,
>> Great suggestion.
>>
>> Another suggestion:
>> Not for us experimenters, but for schools / teachers / others / .. :
>>
>> ARISSatTLM setup under Win7 worked fine, the assumed directory for the
>> TLM storage was indeed used.
>>
>> For Win XP this did not work: I got an error message when starting
>> ARISSatTLM, it looked for the directory on the wrong place (it was
>> created somewhere else). So I moved that directory to the place it was
>> looking for it, and it works.
>>
>> I know there is a heads up on this issue during the install process,
>> but still.
>> For those many new people we try to interest (those 1+ million AMSAT
>> reached with the press release), it would be good to fix this.
>>
>> Just my 2 cents.
>>
>> Henk
>>
>> (btw: the SW overall looks good & quite appealing (also important in
>> this case), it seems to incorporate the best ideas of recent other
>> space programs, including Delfi-C3, RAX, ..)
>>
>> Another idea (maybe this is already in place and I missed it) It would
>> be nice to have on the ARISSat telemtry website (latest values) an
>> overview of which stations submitted the data (they entered their
>> callsign under 'tools').
>> That would highly motivate new people to contribute. Imagine you are a
>> student, and build a receive set-up, and can show your teacher your
>> name/call is listed on the official ARISSat website ! Projects like
>> RAX and FASTRAC do this already:
>> http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/for_radio_operators/users/phpBB3/topuploa
>> ds.php
>>
>>
>> Henk
>>
>> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>> Van: Sion Chow Q. C. [mailto:9w2qc@xxxxx.xxxx
>> Verzonden: zondag 7 augustus 2011 18:00
>> Aan: PA3GUO
>> CC: <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
>> Onderwerp: Re: [amsat-bb] ARISSat TLM soundcard selection ?
>>
>> Hi Henk,
>>
>> I seem to have the same problem as you do, and how I overcame it is to
>> ensure that the sound card that you want ARISSatTLM to use is the
>> default system sound card.
>>
>> Perhaps the developer of ARISSatTLM can place an option in the
>> software to allow us to select the desired sound card to use with it?
>>
>> 73, Sion, 9M2CQC
>>
>>
>>
>> On 7 Aug 2011, at 11:23 PM, "PA3GUO" <pa3guo@xxxxx.xxx> wrote:
>>
>>> Case: Using ARISSatTLM with the output of HDSDR (connected to FCD SDR).
>>>
>>> - using Win XP (by luck ?) ARISSatTLM selects the decoded output of
>>> HDSDR (volume of HDSDR varies the input level of the ARISSTLM window)
>>>
>>> - using Win7 64bit ARISSatTLM seems to select another input (unclear
>>> which)
>>>
>>> How can I select which sound card ARISSatTLM should use ?
>>>
>>> Henk, PA3GUO
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
>>> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
>program!
>>> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>>
>>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
>Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
>Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 18:17:28 -0500
From: Clayton W5PFG <kayakfishtx@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Activating EM04, DM94 and EL39 this week
To: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID:
<CAPovOwfYw4ELnP-j3vy0AKUK76y8mhDXN1f7bva+e78psHpH1A@xxxx.xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On Monday 8-Aug and Tuesday 9-Aug, I will be traveling the EM03-04/DM94
corridor between Dallas and Amarillo,Texas and plan to make at least one
AO-51 pass.
On Thursday 11-Aug, I will be operating late afternoon passes of AO-51 from
EL39, just a few miles south of EM30. I may work passes of SO-50 or AO-27
depending on my schedule but I'll focus on AO-51.
I'll be running APRS as W5PFG-9. Through past experience I have discovered
the coverage of "Smart" Digipeaters in the EM04-DM94 area is "limited."
Please reply privately to this email if these are grids you need so that I
might accommodate the passes in my business travel.
73,
Clayton
W5PFG
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 20:08:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rsoifer@xxx.xxx
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Transponder 1412Z
To: k5oe@xxxxx.xxxx amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID: <19f7b.56c426ac.3b708305@xxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Tnx, Jerry.
Glad somebody heard me. I'll be on tomorrow morning.
73 Ray]
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 21:45:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: iamsavedbygrace@x.xxx
Subject: [amsat-bb] KB5WIA IN CM79, 89, CN70, 80
To: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID:
<2119162010.21666.1312767923408.JavaMail.root@xxxx.xxxxxx.xxxxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Dave's very narrow window of opportunity in the grid corners allowed only a
handful of successful QSOs on the two AO-51 passes this evening. The
pile-ups were overwhelming! Dave did a fabulous job despite the bedlam.
Thanks Dave!
WA7HQD
Lee Ernstrom, DN31xa
Syracuse, Utah
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 19:07:43 -0700
From: "Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)" <amsat-bb@xxxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: KB5WIA IN CM79, 89, CN70, 80
To: amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx
Message-ID:
<CAN6TEUeD4rN+JyGBLffF6g2dHMm_qE5LRNtLuk=KFu5ncBTy=A@xxxx.xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Hi!
> Dave's very narrow window of opportunity in the grid corners
> allowed only a handful of successful QSOs on the two AO-51
> passes this evening. The pile-ups were overwhelming! Dave
> did a fabulous job despite the bedlam. Thanks Dave!
And a thanks from here as well! I worked him this morning on a
western VO-52 pass, and he was saying at that point it was
difficult. Thanks for making the trip up there.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/
------------------------------
Message: 15
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:07:47 -0400
From: "Daniel Schultz" <n8fgv@xxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: A rose is a rose... is a rose
To: <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID: <413PHHcgv0832S04.1312769267@xxxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Let's consider what we got from the Russians: they gave us a FREE 26 kilogram
launch to low Earth orbit, with 20 times the mass and 75 times the volume of a
1U Cubesat, which is currently the only type of satellite that Amsat can hope
to pay full market price for launching. NASA donated the six solar arrays and
gave us a ton of help with export paperwork which would have been a bear if we
had to export the satellite to Russia by ourselves. For this fact alone, we
should be grateful to both agencies, because nobody else has offered us a 26
kilogram launch in the past decade.
In spite of this, we still need to conduct an Anomaly Review Board to examine
the reasons why the satellite was launched in a state of less than 100 percent
readiness. This is not to assign blame but to see how we and our launch
partners can improve the procedure for the next launch.
The fundamental difference between educational satellites and amateur
satellites is that educational satellites can be considered successful if they
deliver a working satellite to the launch pad, it does not need to work on
orbit and the students who built it have probably graduated by the time it
gets launched. Amateur satellites are supposed to perform a useful
communications function for some amount of years in a hostile environment. The
best thing that Amsat can contribute to the student built satellites is to
teach them to think about designing for reliability and long life, not to
consider the mission successful if they collect a few weeks of telemetry from
their beep-sat once it is in orbit.
I agree with Phil Karn on most of his points, but the hams who are out there
collecting countries and grid squares are also testing our communications
infrastructure under real life conditions, without them we would only be doing
a laboratory experiment. Hopefully some hams are bringing the kids along on
their grid square expeditions to show them how we communicate under adverse
conditions. I have often compared Amateur Radio to fishing: if you just want
to eat fish it is certainly more cost effective to buy your fish at the market
instead of wasting all that time trying to catch your own fish. Yet many
people still enjoy fishing just for the challenge of testing their abilities
under sometimes adverse conditions. In my case I still plant little tomato
seedlings in the ground in spring time, waste lots of time watering and
weeding them, waste lots of money on fertilizer and bug spray, and hope I can
get a few tomatoes before the deer and rabbits get them, it certainly would be
cheaper and easier to buy tomatoes at the supermarket. That is why we do
Amateur Radio, we want to communicate in the least cost-effective way possible
because we seek the challenge of doing it ourselves instead of using equipment
that any dummy with a credit card can buy at the mall.
As for why Amsat did not receive credit for building the satellite by either
NASA or the Russians, journalists are a lazy bunch who like to copy from press
releases and from each other. Universities and Government agencies have full
time public affairs offices with people who know how to get their stories into
print and on the air in a way that best serves the interests of their
organizations. We at Amsat don't know how to play this game and don't have the
connections to do so. Students building little satellites in school is a cute
story that practically writes itself, but journalists don't know how to
explain amateurs building satellites in their garages and using them to
collect QSL cards and grid squares.
In the aerospace industry, "Educational Satellites" are good, they are
training students who the industry can hire cheap (while getting rid of the
older engineers who earn too much money), but "Amateur Satellites" are bad,
because if a bunch of amateurs can build long lived, useful satellites in a
garage, then why is industry charging 100's of millions of bucks for a
satellite? Jan King gave a talk at a professional meeting years ago and
reported that certain business officials and military officers walked out of
the room because they did not want to hear any more of his talk about our
"garage satellites". It is too much of a threat to their established way of
doing business.
Anyone who has tried to find an engineering job recently knows that there is
no shortage of engineers, but lazy journalists keep reporting about a crisis
in STEM education and how we need to inspire the next generation to study
science and engineering. The universities who need a steady stream of incoming
freshmen, the industry which needs a steady stream of fresh inexpensive young
blood, and government agencies who need to justify their existence love to
play the STEM education card, even though most of it is not true. It seems
that every university in the world is building satellites but I doubt that
even five percent of those students will find jobs in that field, and those
that do will find that they have much less design authority and freedom when
they are working for the big boys.
However I am willing to let Amsat play along with that game, if we can get our
satellites launched along the way. I will leave it for others to debate the
ethics of that action. We live in a hostile world where most organizations do
not have our interests at heart. As in any business deal, we need to use them
to get what we want in exchange for giving them some of what they want. Use
the educational aspects to get our payloads into space, but recognize that our
goals are sometimes different from theirs.
So let's celebrate what has been accomplished, learn the lessons from the
mistakes that were made in final assembly, preflight inspection and
deployment, and start planning ARISSat-2. If the Russians want to claim credit
for building it all by themselves, so long as they put it into orbit first,
I'm OK with that.
Dan Schultz N8FGV
------------------------------
Message: 16
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 21:21:00 -0500
From: "Glenn AA5PK" <aa5pk@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: KB5WIA IN CM79, 89, CN70, 80
To: <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID: <DEAC7EF30667439C9A437C0EA1A56D3E@xxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
>> Dave's very narrow window of opportunity in the grid corners
>> allowed only a handful of successful QSOs on the two AO-51
>> passes this evening. The pile-ups were overwhelming! Dave
>> did a fabulous job despite the bedlam. Thanks Dave!
>
> And a thanks from here as well! I worked him this morning on a
> western VO-52 pass, and he was saying at that point it was
> difficult. Thanks for making the trip up there.
I worked Dave this morning @ 1552Z on an AO-7 pass. Weak, but readable.
Looking at his tracker now, it appears he's heading back down to his vehicle.
Thanks also from me, Dave, for backpacking to that grid intersection.
73
Glenn AA5PK
------------------------------
Message: 17
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 19:29:48 -0700
From: Dave-K7DAA <dave@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: MacBook running MacDoppler interface to radio
To: amsat <amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx>
Message-ID: <02EC3C31-F22D-4F84-AC7B-8588F08F6A51@xxxxx.xxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Same here. Keyspan USA-19HS and USA-19HW both work great for me, but have
not tried it with the CT-17. I'm plugging directly in to an FT-847, and
using MacDoppler to also control it as well as my LVB Tracker on my Yaesu
5500. Good, solid combo. If you're into some experimentation, you can buy
a little FTDI FT-232 breakout board from Sparkfun electronics and wire up
your own USB to TTL converter. Cheap and very reliable as well, and I've
used these for a number of ham control projects. If memory serves right,
the FT-232 chip is what's used in the USB interface for the LVB Tracker:
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/718
73,
Dave - K7DAA
On Aug 7, 2011, at 1:27 PM, Dave Taylor wrote:
> I've found the Keyspan products to be very reliable. I've haven't
> used it on a CT-17, but it's done everything else I've tried.
>
> -- Dave, W8AAS
>
>
> On Aug 7, 2011, at 3:43 PM, James Luhn wrote:
>
>> I have both PC and Mac computers. I enjoy using both and have each
>> computer doing things that they seem to do the best. I am looking for
>> some suggestions on what interface I should be using to have
>> MacDoppler
>> running on a MacBook Pro control an IC-910. I have the CT-17 level
>> converter for the IC-910. When running from a PC(for this and
>> mobile I
>> use a Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook. It has a serial port!) I simply
>> connect the serial port to the CT-17 and all works fine. I do have a
>> USB to Serial converter (U232-P9) that has Mac drivers. I cannot seem
>> to make the Macbook, usb-serial adapter, and CT-17 work. For those
>> running MacDoppler, how are you interfacing to the IC-910 or other
>> radios using a serial port?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> 73,
>> James
>> W5AOO
>> _______________________________________________
>> Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the
>> author.
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>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
------------------------------
_______________________________________________
Sent via amsat-bb@xxxxx.xxx. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
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End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 6, Issue 444
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