Aug 13 2015

SUWS WebSDR supports Meteor Scatter enthusiasts

Meteor pings received on SUWS WebSDR

The SUWS WebSDR, a popular resource for the Amateur Satellite and 434 MHz High Altitude Balloon communities, has recently been upgraded to support VLF and 49.990 MHz for Meteor Scatter observations.

The SUWS team hope that these new bands will further enhance the capabilities of the WEB SDR, which already covers a large proportion of the 2m, 70cm and 3cm Amateur bands.

The bands were added in order to try and replicate some of the work already undertaken by Dr David Morgan 2W0CXV and to make the SDR available as an on-line resource for others who are interested in observing such phenomena.

https://amsat-uk.org/2015/06/09/the-generation-of-vlf-emissions-by-meteors/

Antenna’s at SUWS WebSDR site in Farnham

Performance on the VLF bands is now quite good, but it still suffers slightly from some electrical noise from other equipment in the site and Sferic noise (Lightning discharges) from about 4 kHz upwards.

50 MHz is currently operating on a temporary antenna, but it is possible to hear the local beacons and repeaters, plus more distant Amateur stations during Sporadic E openings. So it is a good indicator of band conditions, but is probably not quite sensitive enough at the moment to allow detection of some of the weaker meteor pings emanating from the BRAMS CW radar on 49.97 MHz and IEPR CW radar on 49.99 MHz

However 143 MHz is working well and Pings from Graves on 143.05 MHz can be heard quite frequently.

Here is an example of how the WEB SDR can be used to detect meteors.

It is possible by looping a PC sound card input and output whilst running a web browser, to use Spectrum Lab to display a waterfall of the audio from the PC. Then by opening multiple instances of the WEB SDR in the browser, selecting USB and setting each SDR instance to a slightly different centre frequency and adjusting the filter pass-bands. It is possible to concurrently capture plots from VLF signals, IEPR, BRAMS and GRAVES and display them side by side on one screen (see attached). Because the same PC, Browser and internet connection is being used for all the signals, the plots should be almost time synchronous.

The SUWS team hope that these new enhancements will be enjoyed by their users, and expect that further improvements will continue to be made over the coming months.

Use the SUWS WebSDR at http://websdr.suws.org.uk/

Radio Astronomy Group Meteor Scatter Workshop takes place in Northampton on October 31
https://amsat-uk.org/2015/08/11/rag-meteor-scatter-workshop/

Getting started in Amateur Radio Meteor Scatter (MS)
http://www.geekshed.co.uk/getting-started-in-meteor-scatter-ms/

AMSAT-UK https://amsat-uk.org/
Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK
Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK
YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK

AMSAT-UK publishes a newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information. A sample issue of OSCAR News can be downloaded here.
Join AMSAT-UK via the online shop at http://shop.amsat.org.uk/

What is Amateur Radio ? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio

Aug 12 2015

Small satellites: Possible future WRC agenda item

The CEPT CPG-PTA-8 meeting in Catania, Sicily, July 21-24, discussed a number of issues related to WRC-15 among them a paper submitted by The Netherlands – Small satellites: further aspects for the development of a future agenda item.

The paper’s summary says:

Following proposals from 12 CEPT members, WRC12 decided to place the subject of nanosatellites and picosatellites on the WRC19 agenda for adoption at WRC15.

Since then a growing number of small satellites, launched year on year has been recorded, and a growing number of diverse applications has been implemented ranging from technology demonstration and research to Earth observation. The applications of these small satellites vary widely, but all of these satellites have one common need which is Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C). Providing for proper TT&C will allow positive satellite control at all times, and, when combined with ranging capability, may provide for orbit determination as well which in turn can aid in the tracking of space objects.

At this moment, the study work under the related agenda item 9, issue 9.1.8 which deals with regulatory aspects for nanosatellites and picosatellites is finished. The studies have indicated a number of difficulties in the application of the Radio Regulations. These difficulties, however, do not justify a change of Articles 9 and 11.

Considering that most bands currently used for satellite telemetry and command such as the 2200-2290MHz SRS/SOS/EESS allocation are heavily crowded, the growth in numbers of small satellites launched offers new challenges which were not faced before. Therefore, the proposal for AI 10 is to invite ITU-R in the forthcoming study period to identify additional allocations to the space operation service (SOS) within the 137MHz-960MHz range. This frequency range is particularly suitable for small satellites since it offers favourable propagation characteristics while allowing moderately complex antenna systems and antenna pointing requirements on board the satellite.

CPG-PTA-8 meeting in Catania, Sicily, July 21-24, 2015
http://www.cept.org/ecc/groups/ecc/cpg/cpg-pt-a/client/meeting-calendar/event-details?meetingid=1133

To download the meeting documents:
• Go to http://www.cept.org/ecc/groups/ecc/cpg/cpg-pt-a/client/meeting-documents
• Click on 2015
• Click on 8th CPG PTA Meeting – 21-24 July – Sicily
• Click Input Contributions and Goto table
• Tick documents
• Click on Minutes and Annexes and Goto table
• Tick documents
• Do same for Annex IV – Draft Briefs, Annex V – Draft ECPs, Annex VI – misc
• Click the Download selected button

Aug 11 2015

Radio Astronomy Group Meteor Scatter Workshop

A BAA RAG Workshop on Meteor Scatter is planned for Saturday, October 31 in Northampton, the keynote speaker will be Jean-Louis Rault F6AGR.

Paul Hyde G4CSD writes:

Please note that we are going to hold a one-day workshop on Meteor Scatter at Northampton Natural History Society on October 31. This will be a joint meeting with the BAA Meteor Section. As always the event will be open to non-BAA members.

The objectives of the day will be to show what is possible through meteor scatter, to help beginners set up a meteor observing system, and to help existing observers develop their activities. I very much hope that we can come out of the day with the basis of a collaborative observing project that will complement optical and video work.

The keynote speaker will be Jean-Louis Rault F6AGR who is President of the Radioastronomy Commission of the Société Astronomique de France and the International Meteor Organisation Radio Commission Officer. He will talk on the meteor science domains in which radio is offering valuable data, what can be done using amateur-level equipment, and the scope for pro-am collaborations using the French FRIPON programme (see www.fripon.org) as an example.

This will be supported with presentations from other speakers, of which I have several offers at present, but please don’t hesitate to mail me with another!

Paul Hyde G4CSD
Coordinator, BAA RAG
g4csd<at>yahoo.co.uk

Radio Astronomy Group
https://twitter.com/BAARAG
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/BAA-RAG
http://www.britastro.org/radio/

Aug 11 2015

GB1DS – Amateur Satellites and Meteor Scatter

Meteor Scatter Propagation – SNOTEL

Run by the Brecon & Radnor Amateur Radio Society, GB1DS will operate on most bands and satellites on the weekend of August 15-16, coinciding with the annual Perseids meteor shower which will make for an incredible operation.

In co-operation with the Brecon Beacons National Park, the station aims to promote the incredible beauty of the Beacons and surrounding areas during such a special time. One of only five Dark-Sky reserves in the world and the only one in Wales.

More information about the Brecon Beacons and its Dark-Sky reserve can be found at http://www.breconbeacons.org/stargazing

Information on the station can be found at http://qrz.com/db/gb1ds

The Essex-based Loughton & Epping Forest Amateur Radio Society (LEFARS) recently tried Meteor Scatter, see http://lefars.org.uk/WPblog/2015/08/10/meteor-scatter/

Getting started in Meteor Scatter (MS) http://www.geekshed.co.uk/getting-started-in-meteor-scatter-ms/

Free WSJT software http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/

Meteor Scatter Information
http://www.mmmonvhf.de/ms.php
http://rsgb.org/main/technical/propagation/meteor-scatter/

Radio Astronomy Group Meteor Scatter Workshop Oct 31 with Jean-Louis Rault F6AGR
https://amsat-uk.org/2015/08/11/rag-meteor-scatter-workshop/

Aug 10 2015

“First” UK radio ham to contact space station astronauts

Mir Space Station

A newspaper story says a Swindon radio amateur was believed to be the first in the UK to contact an astronaut on a space station, the Russian Mir, which hosted UK and USA astronauts.

The story published in the Swindon Advertiser on August 7 says: “…it took place almost 20 years before another amateur hit the headlines this week for doing the same thing.

Radio ham Donald Shirreff [G3BGM], who died in 2010, was believed to be the first amateur radio enthusiast to successfully make contact with astronauts aboard an international space station more than 19 years ago.

In 1996, former MI5 agent Donald, then 77, took an unusual approach to his retirement and set his sights on contacting cosmonauts aboard Russian space station Mir.”

Read the Swindon Advertiser story at http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/13582484.Radio_ham_was_first_in_Britain_to_contact_space_station_astronauts/

However, it appears there were many other UK contacts with Mir prior to Donald Shirreff G3BGM. See details of the contacts made in 1991 by Chris Lorek G4HCL and radio amateurs in schools across the UK at https://amsat-uk.org/about/history/first-uk-astronaut-helen-sharman-gb1mir/

On Aug 7, commenting on the Daily Mail website on the story about a recent ISS amateur radio contact, Donald Shirreff’s son (User ID crunchbard) posted:

“My father Donald Shirreff (1918-2010) used to communicate in the 1990s with Russian cosmonauts on the Mir space station as it flew over his Wiltshire farmhouse. He was a keen radio ham, with a 40-foot mast in the garden. Though he spoke some Russian he often used Yana, a Russian friend, as translator. The cosmonauts seemed to enjoy this light relief after hard work over Russian territory. His greatest coup was to talk to British-born Michael Foale when he was a guest on Mir.”

See the Daily Mail story and his son’s comment at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186534/Radio-ham-contacts-International-Space-Station-GARDEN-SHED.html

Donald Shirreff G3BGM Obituary
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/don-shirreff-intelligence-officer-dismissed-for-his-antinuclear-stance-2001352.html

August 2015 UK radio ham’s ISS contact in the press

UK radio ham’s ISS contact in the press

Aug 7 2015

Work continues on ESEO FUNcube-4

Graham Shirville G3VZV working on the ESEO FUNcube-4 amateur radio payload – Credit 2E0OBC

AMSAT-UK members have been busy this week working on the FUNcube-4 amateur radio payload for the new European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO) satellite. On Friday, August 7, 2015 they tested the transponder and it seems to work fine. More testing and characterisation will follow over the next few days.

ESEO FUNcube-4 Engineering Model

This is the third mission within the European Space Agency’s Education Satellite Programme. The satellite, which has a mass of 40 kg and measures 33x33x63 cm, is planned to launch into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The spacecraft will carry a 1260/145 MHz FM transponder and 145 MHz 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon to provide a telemetry downlink that can be easily received by schools and colleges for educational outreach purposes. The data will be displayed in an attractive format and provide stimulation and encouragement for students to become interested in all STEM subjects in a unique way.

The target audience is primarily students at both primary and secondary levels and the project includes the development of a simple and cheap “ground station” operating on VHF frequencies in the Amateur Satellite Service. This station is an omni-directional antenna feeding a FUNcube DonglePRO+ SDR receiver which will receive the signals direct from the satellite and transfer the data to specially developed graphical software running on any Windows laptop.

Watch “ESEO Payload Update” by Chris 2E0OBC and Graham G3VZV at 2015 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium

Download the ESEO Presentation Slides

2015 International Space Colloquium Presentations Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/playlists

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