Apr 9 2012

Integrated Solar Panel Antennas for Cubesats

5GHz Fabricated Antenna

A paper by Mahmoud N. Mahmoud presents an innovative solution for small satellite antennas by integrating slot antennas and solar cells on the same panel to save small satellite surface real estate and to replace deployed wire antennas for certain operational frequencies.

The two main advantages of the proposed antenna are:
1) the antenna does not require an expensive deployment mechanism that is required by dipole antennas;
2) the antenna does not occupy as much valuable surface real estate as patch antennas.

The antenna design is based on using the spacing between the solar cells to etch slots in these spaces to create radiating elements for 2.4 or 5 GHz.

Read the paper at http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1738&context=etd

Apr 9 2012

Flexible Solar Panel Deployment for CubeSat

Senior design project to incorporate flexible solar panels in a CubeSat. The mechanism consists of a rack and gear spring loaded mechanism to release the rolled up solar panel.

Watch Flexible Solar Panel Deployment for CubeSat

Apr 9 2012

PY4ZBZ captures stunning image from Noaa 15 using AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle.

Roland (PY4ZBZ) used an AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle VHF/UHF software defined radio to capture this stunning image from Noaa 15

Noaa 15 Image

“NOAA-15 vertical pass over my QTH
Sete Lagoas GH70un Brasil
Received with FCD+DCA antenna+Spectravue”

The FUNcube Dongle was developed as part of the educational outreach for AMSAT-UK FUNcube satellite project. Although it was designed  to enable school students to receive the satellite beacon the wide frequency coverage of 64 – 1700MHz has meant that it can be used for many other applications.

The AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle VHF/UHF SDR is available at http://www.FUNcubeDongle.com/
It is also sold by Martin Lynch & Sons (ML&S) at http://tinyurl.com/MLandS-FCD

FUNcube Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FUNcube

Apr 8 2012

Yuri’s Night April 12

Yuri’s Night is a celebration of humanity’s achievements in space, with hundreds of parties and events held around the world each April.

Yuri’s Night was first held on April 12, 2001, on the 40th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first flight into space and the 20th anniversary of the launch of the first space shuttle, STS-1.

The event draws tens of thousands of space explorers, artists, engineers, musicians, scientists and partygoers from around the world each year. At the flagship event hosted by the NASA Ames Research Center in 2010, over 12,000 space fans and students attended. Yuri’s Night was created by Loretta Hidalgo and George Whitesides.

This year Yuri’s Night falls on a Thursday so may celebrations will occur on the weekend of April 13.

Yuri’s Night http://yurisnight.net/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/yurisnight

Twitter http://twitter.com/YurisNight

Apr 8 2012

Yuri's Night April 12

Yuri’s Night is a celebration of humanity’s achievements in space, with hundreds of parties and events held around the world each April.

Yuri’s Night was first held on April 12, 2001, on the 40th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first flight into space and the 20th anniversary of the launch of the first space shuttle, STS-1.

The event draws tens of thousands of space explorers, artists, engineers, musicians, scientists and partygoers from around the world each year. At the flagship event hosted by the NASA Ames Research Center in 2010, over 12,000 space fans and students attended. Yuri’s Night was created by Loretta Hidalgo and George Whitesides.

This year Yuri’s Night falls on a Thursday so may celebrations will occur on the weekend of April 13.

Yuri’s Night http://yurisnight.net/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/yurisnight

Twitter http://twitter.com/YurisNight

Apr 8 2012

AMSAT-UK 80 Meter Net recording 8th April 2012

The AMSAT-UK net is held every Sunday morning at 10am local time on a nominal frequency of 3.780 MHz. Due to interference the net may move either side of that frequency so tune around. Newcomers are most welcome to call-in.

Latest AMSAT-UK 80 Meter Net recording- HERE Sunday 8th April 2012.

 

SDR-Radio Console

Simon Brown HB9DRV in Switzerland has made available  recordings of Sunday’s AMSAT-UK 80m net that he made using a remote receiver in Poole, Dorset. What is remarkable about this recording is that a 20 km long experimental 2.4 GHz WiFi link was used at the Dorset end.

You can listen to the remote radio of Paul M0EYT in Poole, Dorset as well as other remote receivers in the United Kingdom and around the world via the Web Servers (Free)  page at http://www.sdr-radio.com/

or try listening to the Dutch 80m web SDR at http://www.nachtuilen.net/

Previous Net Recordings http://www.ham-radio.ch/kits/sdr-radio.com/mp3/

Pop into the AMSAT-UK net for a chat this Sunday All are welcome.

Please allow a few Hours after the Net for the latest recording to appear

73

AMSAT-UK