TNC-Pi kit built by Nick Bown 2E0CGW
The TNC-Pi is a £22 ($40) KISS TNC board which is designed to connect to the GPIO port of the £25 ($35) Raspberry Pi computer board.
It provides a low cost means of using amateur radio AX.25 Packet Radio and APRS.
Nick Bown 2E0CGW has written a well illustrated review of the board. You can download the PDF from TNC-Pi by Nick Bown 2E0CGW
The TNC-Pi kit is available from http://tnc-x.com/TNCPi.htm
A Dnepr launch
50DollarSat (A.K.A. $50SAT or Eagle-2) is a PocketQube micro satellite made from commercial electronic components and designed to fit in a 50 mm cube.
The primary purpose of the project was to create a cost effective platform for engineering and science students to use for developing real world skills. The PocketQube form factor has no precision mechanical parts and can be built from locally obtained sheet metal.
50DollarSat is comprised of two 40 mm x 40 mm circuit boards. The first is the processor/radio board which contains the PICaxe 40X2 processor programmed in PICaxe basic, the Hope RFM22B single chip radio and some peripheral devices. The PICaxe 40X2 is an easy to use micro controller popular in the education sector.
The second board is the power control and monitor board. This board contains four maximum power point controllers, one for each solar array on each side of the spacecraft as well as current monitors for the battery and summed solar power. The battery is a common 3.7V lithium ion camera battery.
The satellite will transmit data telemetry about the satellites operation, a sequence of call signs in slow FM Morse and some key data as fast FM Morse (120 WPM). The main data payload will also be transmitted as FSK RTTY which should be readily heard on the ground with basic amateur radio equipment.
50DollarSat (Eagle-2) has been a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, Morehead State University and three other radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW.
50DollarSat will be one of PocketQubes and CubeSats which will be carried by the UniSat-5 microsatellite. It is due to launch in November from a Russian Dnepr silo launched rocket at Dombarovsky near Yasny. UniSat-5 will be released into a sun synchronous 700km orbit. After deployment UniSat-5 will then release its CubeSats and PocketQubes.
50DollarSat http://www.50dollarsat.info/
HOPE RFM22B FSK transceiver http://www.hoperf.com/rf/module/fsk/RFM22B.htm
PICAXE-40X2 microcontroller http://www.picaxe.com/Hardware/PICAXE-Chips/PICAXE-40X2-microcontroller/
Italian Microsat to Deploy Amateur Radio Satellites
https://amsat-uk.org/2012/05/25/italian-microsat-to-deploy-six-amateur-radio-satellites/
CAMSAT CAS-2 at Friedrichshafen Ham Radio 2012 Event
CAMSAT developed the linear transponder amateur radio payload on the CAS-1 (aka XW-1, HO-68) satellite which proved very popular with radio amateurs world-wide. Since then they have been working with students at the Qian Youth Space Academy on the next satellites CAS-2 A1 and A2.
Operators BA1EO, BA1DU, BA4TA, BA4TB, BA4RN, BA4WI, BA4ALC, BH4RQU, BH4REQ, BD5RV, BA7CK, BA9GA, BA9TX, BD9GQ, and BG0GE will operate in the contest of the CAMSAT DX Party from the 19th to the 28th as BJ9TA (VHF, including the ARRL EME Contest (Oct. 26/27)) and as BY9GA/9 (HF, CQ WW DX SSB Contest).
Fan Shaomin BA1EO with CAS-2 A1
QTH is Dunhuang, in the north-west (CQ zone 23).
QRV on 160m-70cm with 4 stations.
QSLs via Gong Wancong BA1DU
Gong Wancong BA1DU led the CAMSAT delegation to Ham Radio 2012 in Friedrichshafen.
A group picture taken at the CAMSAT and AMSAT-DL stands and a picture of the engraved glass plaque that CAMSAT presented to AMSAT-DL can be seen on the AMSAT Deutschland Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.420116544697800.90571.168177559891701&type=3
CAS-2A1 and CAS-2A2 Linear Transponder Amateur Radio Satellites
https://amsat-uk.org/2012/10/18/cas-2a1-and-cas-2a2-linear-transponder-amateur-radio-satellites/
Randy Hall K7AGE visited Beijing in March 2008. Among the people he met was Fan Shaomin BA1EO.
Watch Randy’s video which provides an insight into amateur radio in Beijing. BA1EO visit is at 12:55
Read more about Ham Radio in that part of the world from Larry’s, KH6ITY, article at ARRL – http://www.arrl.org/news/cq-china
The British Amateur Television Club (BATC) convention takes place on the weekend of October 26-27 at the Finningley Amateur Radio Club facilities near Robin Hood airport in Yorkshire.
On the Saturday at 16:00 BST if the weather is suitable Philip Crump M0DNY will be giving a live demonstration of a High Altitude Balloon launch. There should be 3G Streaming Video at up to 1000 metres and possibly Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) images on 434 MHz above that altitude if the hardware is available in time.
Other highlights of the program include:
• 10 GHz ATV equipment and operation.
• Ku band LNB developments and the use of PLL LNBs on 10 GHz.
• How to get going on 437 MHz and 3.4 GHz DATV and experiences to date.
• HAMTV on ISS – introduction and how to receive it.
• Digital update – including the latest from the Digilite and DATV express teams.
• Narrow band modes below 432 MHz – presentation and discussion.
• Talk and demo of DTX1 transmitter system.
As well as the talks program, there will be plenty of time for meeting other ATVers from across the country and visit the other activities on site including:
• SMD soldering workshop where you can buy, build and test equipment – we will be selling kits for the G4DDK PGA103 amplifier (see CQ-TV 241).
• Demonstration area – featuring member’s demo including M0DTS showing his integrated MK808 Digilite system.
• Comprehensive RF test and measurement equipment up to 10 GHz.
• Selected RF and video suppliers.
• Members bring and buy area.
• Antenna test range (Sunday only & weather permitting).
• BATC shop with stock of all items currently on sale
The talks program and agenda for the weekend has now been published see http://www.batc.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=3178
If you are coming to CAT13, please register on the Finningley Radio Club site see http://www.batc.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=3292
There will be a group dinner on Saturday night but you do need to book ahead with the hotel – so far no-one has emailed a menu request so the hotel are asking if they should cancel the booking!
See http://www.batc.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=3293 for details and also details on nearby hotels.
We look forward to seeing you all in 2 weeks time
Regards
Noel G8GTZ
On behalf of the BATC committee
Ash Gohil and Paul Jarvis G8RMM at 2013 RSGB Convention
One of the highlights of the RSGB Convention, October 12-13, was a talk by Ofcom’s Paul Jarvis G8RMM and Ash Gohil about the upcoming Amateur Radio Licence Review.
Read the Essex Ham report at
http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/ofcom-amateur-radio-licence-review.html
The RSGB are planning to offer three further Litmus Tests shortly on:
– Licence Progression
– /AM usage for unattended airborne usage (balloons, etc)
– Remote Operation.
The new Discussion Forums will be available at http://rsgbdata.net/litmus/viewforum.php?f=9
Other issues that people may want to discuss that came from Ofcom’s presentation on Sunday, or at the National Hamfest, should be posted to the “Suggestions for New Topics” Litmus Test, see
http://rsgbdata.net/litmus/viewforum.php?f=14
The first CubeSats of the planned QB50 satellite constellation have applied to the IARU for frequency coordination.
QB50 has the scientific objective to study in situ the temporal and spatial variations of a number of key constituents and parameters in the lower thermosphere (90-320 km) with a network of about 40 double and 10 triple CubeSats. These, university built, CubeSats will be launched into a 320 km circular orbit, will be separated by a few hundred kilometres and carry identical science sensors.
The sensors will monitor parameters that will greatly increase our knowledge and understanding of this little explored region of the E and F layers of the Ionosphere. QB50 will also study the re-entry process by measuring a number of key parameters during re-entry and by comparing predicted and actual CubeSat trajectories and orbital lifetimes.
Some of the first CubeSats to apply for frequency coordination are SUSat, Hoopoe/IL01, SAT-IP2, ExAlta-1, OGMS-SA, InflateSail, XCubesat, SpaceCube, UNSA-SAT1, EntrySat, PHOENIX and Dragsat-CubeSat, see http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal.php
QB50: Amateur Radio transponder payloads to launch 2014
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/07/20/qb50-amateur-radio-transponder-payloads-to-launch-2014/
More information about the QB50 project can be found at http://www.qb50.eu/
AMSAT-UK 
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