Tag Archives: Ham Radio

May 5 2017

UBSEDS24 Balloon with SSDV Successfully Launched

UBSED24 flight path May 8, 2017

UBSED24 flight path May 8, 2017

Richard Meadows M0SBU reports there will be a second attempt to launch the Raspberry Pi Zero equipped 434 MHz balloon UBSEDS24 early Monday morning.

Update: At 1700 GMT May 8 the team reported “Our Raspberry Pi Zero balloon #UBSEDS24 is over France”.

On the UKHAS Google Group Richard writes:

There’s going to be another attempt to launch this flight from Bristol this Monday, May 8 between 0500 and 0530 BST [0400-0430 GMT]. This is weather permitting, but the forecast looks okay at the moment.

This launch is using a 1.9m envelope and longer payload train, and so there’s a NOTAM in place. This tracker has a Raspberry Pi Zero V1.3 attached, which transmits images when solar power is available. It’s a different design to our launch last August; in this case the tracker will continue to operate even if the pi fails. For the curious the ‘pi status’ telemetry values are: 0 = off, 1 = on, 2 = PITS started, 3 = SSDV started).

SSDV picture taken by from UBSEDS24 on May 8, 2017

SSDV picture taken by from UBSEDS24 on May 8, 2017

There will hopefully be a cutdown mounted between the balloon and the tracker. We’ll be testing the 434 MHz uplink to this whilst it’s still in range of Bristol; if it returns over the UK at a convenient time and place we will attempt to trigger the cutdown.

The tracker has several transmissions:

– 434.635 MHz USB Telemetry – Contestia 16/1000 with pips and RSID, transmitting telemetry. Once per minute below 8km altitude and every two minutes otherwise.

– 434.637.5 MHz SSDV – Two modes:
(1) While balloon over UK and English channel GMSK at 12 ksymbol/s. 4×4 interleaved, R=1/2 convolutional K=5, HDLC framing, whitened etc. as per the AX5043 manual. Concatenated with RS(255,223) to mop up some burst errors.
(2) Outside UK 300 baud RTTY, 850 Hz shift, 8N2.

If you are listening to the RTTY, remember to turn off the ‘RxID’ button on the top right of dl-fldigi.

Rather than the usual JPEG SSDV, this is transmitting Better Portable Graphics (BPG) images. This is experimental, and ssdv.habhub.org doesn’t support it just yet. Hence receivers should upload to http://ssdv.bristol-seds.co.uk instead, please read the instructions on this site. You’ll need dl-fldigi release 3.2, as explained on the site. James Coxon M6JCX has made the dl-fldigi release available at: https://github.com/jamescoxon/dl-fldigi/releases/tag/3.2

The flight is expected to head south towards France. Many thanks to everyone who attempts to track this.

Track the balloon online at https://tracker.habhub.org/

Listen to the balloon online with the SUWS WebSDR link at https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/balloons/

UBSEDS https://twitter.com/bristolseds
http://www.bristol-seds.co.uk/hab/flight/2017/05/08/ubseds24.html

Richard M0SBU who is involved in the UBSEDS project took the amateur radio training courses run by the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) at Danbury in Essex. Further information on the courses is available from the CARS Training Coordinator, Christopher G0IPU
Tel: 07908-107951
Email: training2017 at g0mwt.org.uk
Web: http://g0mwt.org.uk/training

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

Find an amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/

May 2 2017

Amateur Radio Satellite Operation in Algeria

Abdel Mesbah M0NPT reports on what is believed to be the first amateur satellite operation from Algeria since the 7X0DX activation in 2002.

An introductory training course on amateur satellite traffic which was organized on April 14-15, 2017 at the 7X3WPL radio club in Laghouat (400 km south of Algiers).

This course was held under the auspices of the Laghouat Youth and Sports Directorate, Laghouat’s League of Cultural and Scientific Activities for Youth (LACS), the National Association of Algerian Radio Amateurs (ARA) and The El Manar youth hostel which houses the radio club 7X3WPL.

Satellite Doppler Management by Professor Bouzouad Mouloud

Satellite Doppler Management by Professor Bouzouad Mouloud

A total of about 25 students took part in this event, mainly students in master telecommunications and other enthusiasts of the world of radio telecommunications. While communication and demonstrations on amateur satellite traffic were carried out by Abdel Mesbah M0NPT, a member of AMSAT-UK and Chairman of the Hucknall Rolls-Royce Amateur Radio Club (UK), the Doppler management in satellite traffic was discussed by the Professor researcher, M. Bouzouad Mouloud of the laboratory of telecommunications of the signals and systems of the University of Laghouat.

The radio club 7X3WPL is in the process of installing a satellite station using a Kenwood TS2000, Yaesu G5500 Trackers and Wimo cross Yagis, please keep your ears open on Satellites as you may hear them soon.

I am delighted to be the first person to have activated Algeria (7X2ARA in JM16MS & 7X3WPL in JM13KT) on the SO-50 satellite and I am looking forward to going back again.

The first contact from Algeria on the SO-50 satellite was with my friend Peter 2E0SQL [now 2M0SQL], followed by Adam MU0WLV, Fran EA1JM, Olivier F5RRO, Jerome F4DXV, George MI6GTY, Peter G0ABI, Neven 9A5YY, Colin MU0FAL and many others.

I am also looking forward to install my own station in Algiers once I get my Algerian callsign 7X2TT sorted Inchallah

Abdel Mesbah M0NPT

How to work FM satellites https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-work-fm-satellites/

Apr 26 2017

HamRadioNow: Look! Up in the Sky!

Look! Up in the Sky!The bulk of this episode is an on-location interview with two Raleigh NC area hams who gave a couple of live demonstrations of operating through satellites at the Raleigh Hamfest, April 15,  2017.

There’s some banter between hosts David Goldenberg W0DHG and Gary Pearce KN4AQ back in the studio. And toward the end Gary announces a Viewer Challenge that we’ll detail down below.

The satellite hams are John Brier KG4AKV and Tucker McGuire W4FS. At 18 years old, Tucker is a relatively new ham who first started operating satellites last summer, and quickly jumped into the deep end. John’s been around longer, but ham radio satellites and space operation captured his focus, too. He produces videos about it on his YouTube channel, Space Comms. Links below.

Gary talked to John and Tucker after they completed their second demo, and he edited a little of each demo into the interview.

There’s video of all of both demonstrations on YouTube. John shot himself operating through ‘Saudi-Sat’ SO-50, a “Mode J” FM crossband repeater (145.850 MHz uplink and 436.795 MHz downlink). John used three cameras (including a GoPro on a headband for a unique view). Gary edited the video and put it on the HamRadioNow YouTube channel as an extra bit if video.

Gary added two more cameras to the mix to shoot Tucker operating through FO-29, a Japanese satellite that uses a 100 kHz wide ‘linear transponder’ for mostly SSB and CW (and NO FM, please) between two meters and 70 cm. There’s a few minutes of that demo in this episode, and the whole thing is on John’s Space Comms channel.

Watch HRN 316: Look! Up in the Sky! Ham Radio Now

Space Comms http://youtube.com/SpaceComms1

KG4AKV’s SO-50 FM operation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dhJsfh6fYA

W4FS’s FO-29 SSB operation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEvsKN9ZSyw

John KG4AKV https://twitter.com/johnbrier
Tucker W4FS https://twitter.com/Whiskey4FoSho

Apr 24 2017

AMSAT-UK test ESEO payload command uplink

Dr Chris Bridges M0IEB and Pete Bartram conduct uplink command testing on the ESEO payload in University of Surrey grounds

Dr Chris Bridges M0IEB and Pete Bartram conduct uplink command testing on the ESEO payload in University of Surrey grounds

AMSAT-UK are providing an amateur radio 1260/145 MHz FM transponder and a 145 MHz BPSK telemetry beacon for the European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO) satellite.

Over the weekend of April 22-23, 2017, AMSAT-UK members met at the Surrey Space Centre to conduct some final testing of the command uplink on the Engineering Model of their payload which will launch on the European Space Agency ESEO mission.

The payload, which will transmit 1k2 and 4k8 BPSK telemetry on 145.895 MHz, was set up in the Arthur C Clarke building, with the AMSAT-UK team sending commands on L-band (1260 MHz) from some distance away in the university grounds.  A large string of attenuators simulated the path loss to low Earth orbit, while the VHF telemetry confirmed the level of signal received at the ‘spacecraft antenna’ and that the commands had been executed correctly.

With the lab and range testing declared a success, work now begins on constructing the Flight Model hardware. This is due for delivery by the middle of the summer so that it can be integrated into the 50 kg microsat. ESEO is expected to be launched late this year or in the first quarter of 2018.

ESEO satellite https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/communications/eseo/

Apr 23 2017

Camb-Hams Satellite Operation from Islay Island

Camb-Hams LogoMembers of the Camb-Hams will once again be active on the amateur radio satellites as GS3PYE/P, but this time from Islay Island between May 6-12.

The Camb-Hams have been activating the Scottish Isles each year since 2008.

As in the past, ten or more operators will be active on all bands and many modes from 4 m to 80 m, 2 m & 70 cm for Satellites and 2 m and 23 cm for EME.

The HF bands will be covered by four simultaneous stations while the 6 m and 4 m stations will have a great take-off towards the UK and Europe. All stations will be able to run at the full UK power limit.

EME operations will use 150W to 55 elements on 23cm and 400W to 17 elements on 2m, primarily on JT65, but also available for CW skeds – if your station is big enough.

Satellite operations on 2 m and 70 cm will use X-Quad antennas and a fully automatic Az/El tracking system. Activity is planned on AO-7 (mode B), FO-29, SO-50, AO-85 & AO-73.

All the up-to-date plans and progress and sked info will be on-line at
http://dx.camb-hams.com/

Most importantly, this is a group of good friends doing what they enjoy, so please give them a call and enjoy the trip with them.

Active on the major social networks before, during and after the trip, you can check on progress and interact with the operators via their blog or through the Twitter, Facebook and YouTube links below:
http://dx.camb-hams.com/
http://twitter.com/g3pye
http://facebook.com/CambHams
http://youtube.com/CambHams

Source: AMSAT News Service http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

Apr 21 2017

Low-Cost 10 GHz SSB Receiver

Graham G8HAJ demonstrating 10 GHz SSB

Graham G8HAJ demonstrating 10 GHz SSB

Despite the Bank Holiday Essex Skills Night attracted 55 people to the Danbury Village Hall on April 17, 2017. The busy evening consisted of a wide range of activities, among them was 10 GHz SSB by Graham G8HAJ.

Low-cost 10 GHz SSB receiver

Low-cost 10 GHz SSB receiver

He demonstrated how you can start with a simple low-cost 10 GHz receiver using a just a standard Sky satellite LNB (£14:99) and a FUNcube Pro+ SDR or RTL-SDR dongle. This set-up should be capable of receiving the amateur radio transponder on the geostationary satellite Es’Hail 2 that is expected to be launched in early 2018.

The Es’Hail transponder should be receivable on a 60 cm dish with no tracking needed. The downlink will be 10489.550-10489.800 MHz which will equate to 739.550-739.800 MHz on an SDR with the Optima LNB down-converter.

For 10 GHz transmit Graham showed the popular DB6NT transverter and interface board which used an IF of 144 MHz.

G8HAJ 10 GHz operating handout Download Here

Es’Hail 2 https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/eshail-2/

GM1SXX – A Cheap 10 GHz Receive System
http://gm1sxx.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/a-cheap-10ghz-receive-system.html

A full  report of the evening is now available on the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society website at http://g0mwt.org.uk/skills/cars-skills-apr2017.htm

The next Essex Skills Night takes place on Monday, May 15, this free event is open to all.

CARS run amateur radio training courses, to find out more contact training organiser Christopher, It´s important to know that air quality is regulated more heavily with new diesel regulations put out by such states as California. G0IPU
Mob: 07908-107951
Email: training2017 at g0mwt.org.uk
Web: http://www.g0mwt.org.uk/training/