Friday, July 30, 2010

Building a Weather Satellite Station

Check out the section on assembling a low cost, easy-to-build ground station to receive weather satellite images.

No ham radio license or special training needed.

Just need a computer with a sound card, a short-wave receiver, and some tracking and decoding software.

You don't need a ham radio license and transmitter to participate in space radio. Monitoring of radio transmissions is a popular hobby of its own. You can listen in on satellite downlinks and shuttle communications with police scanners and shortwave radios, available at your local electronics store.

(Listening in on manned spaceflights began early in the space age. This article The first 'scoop' from space in 1999 by John Rich at the Christian Science Monitor reports on NBC reporters eavesdropping on Gordon Cooper's communications while he was in space on Mercury Faith 7.)

You can also directly capture weather satellite images and other satellite signals using radio and computer kits.

A related hobby involves reception of Natural Radio signals produced by atmospheric phenomena such as lightning and aurora. VLF (Very Low Frequency, less than 500HZ) signals from the magnetosphere can be detected from as far as 20000 miles above the earth. When these signals are converted to audio, an assortment of unique sounds such as whistlers and sferics can be heard.

Amateurs even do Radio Astronomy with homemade systems. They can carry out a wide range of observations ranging from listening to electromagnetic storms on Jupiter to picking up pulsar signals to searching for ET signals.


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Monday, July 26, 2010

VX-8DR; Looking to Purchase

Why another radio? Why not?
Yes, I am looking at purchasing the VX-8DR by Yaesu.
I have the VX-7R and love it. It has been a great radio for me and dose everything I want it too. The only issue is as of late I have had some audio issues. When I adjust the volume knob I get some crackling and also get crackling when not adjusting the volume. I put the radio on the MFJ-269 and everything looks great. So I guess my HT is getting old. Besides, the VX-8DR looks much cooler than the VX-7R and I really want to get back into working the satellites.
The VX-8DR has some really nice features that the VX-7R dose not has. It is also a thinner rig from what I have heard.
I guess my quest for the Kantronics XL and the Rig Blaster Pro might sit on the back burner, then again, so many decisions to think about.

BTW, The Yaesu VX-8DR is an APRS® enhanced version of the popular VX8R. Key additional features of the VX-8DR include:
*Smart Beaconing Function.
*Station List memories has increased from 40 to 50.
*The number of APRS® Message Memories has increased from 20 to 30.
*DIGI-PATH route indication function.
*Heads up compass display to the GPS screen.
*The Message received LED flashing rate is selectable.
*The number of DIGI-PATH route settings has increased from 1 to 7.

The Yaesu VX-8GR is the newest member of the proud VX-8 family. The VX-8GR dual-bander only covers 2 meters and 440 MHz and receive coverage is 108-999 MHz (less cellular frequencies). This version has a built-in GPS unit right out of the box! It is not Bluetooth capable. Click here for Yaesu VX-8GR info.!
The VX-8R, VX-8DR and VX-8GR come with the SMA antenna, FNB-101LI Lithium Ion battery pack (7.4V 1100 mAh), belt clip and NC-86B battery charger. (The NC-86B should only be used for receive, because it is not capable of supplying sufficient current to support transmit).

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Scott Allan Herrick Alert

Scott Allan Herrick, 39, is charged with videotaping boys in the locker room at the YMCA. He also was charged with two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child porn.
He looks at only getting a maximum of 170 years in prison, fines of $1,750,000 and restitution.

Wood TV 8

WZZM 13

Mlive

Other News Links

My Blog

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

SunSpot 1087

Sunspot 1087 has a magnetic canopy that can only be described as magnificent. It's on full display in today's extreme ultraviolet image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory:


Note the inset. The active region could swallow our planet ten times over and still have room to spare. Fortunately, we're 93 million miles away. We could still feel the effects of an eruption, however. The thicket of magnetic loops and filaments harbors energy for M-class solar flares. M-flares can heat and puff up Earth's upper atmosphere, causing satellites to experience extra drag as they orbit our planet; they can also cause waves of ionization to ripple around the planet, disrupting radio communications. There haven't been any big eruptions yet, but the magnificent magnetic field of sunspot 1087 has been restless, as shown in this time-lapse movie spanning four days.

NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% chance of M-flares during the next 24 hours. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Satellite Tracking Software

I have worked many Satellites since I became an Amateur Radio Operator. Anyways,my favorite software to use is Nova for Windows or NLSA, which has become the most popular Windows-based satellite tracking program in the world. In use by NASA, the U.S. Air Force, industry, and thousands of amateur radio operators, Nova sets the standard for excellence.

Here is a list of some of the most popular software.

  • Footprint - Satellite tracking program
  • Nova For Windows - Real time tracking of an unlimited number of satellites, fast, accurate and easy to use. Automated FTP keps updates. Also support a great number of interface to control rotors azimuth and elevation plus frequency doppler shift.
  • AMSAT Software links - Links for Satellite tracking software and other Satellite information.
  • Real Time Satellite tracking - Select your favorite satellite and watch its trajectory on Google Maps in real time! Includes ISS tracking, Weather, Geostationary, GPS Military, and of course Amateur radio satellites
  • J-Track - With J-Track you can quickly and easily keep track of your favorite orbiting objects.
  • TrakSat WinTrak - Wintrak and traksat, satellite tracking software
  • Winorbit - Satellite Orbital Prediction and Satellite Tracking
  • GorbTrack - GorbTrack or Geostationary Orbit Tracker is a freeware program intended to be an aid in finding geostationary satellites. It produces output helpful in aiming dishes for receiving television broadcast satellites. The program also displays several astronomical values like the positions of the sun and moon
  • WXtrack - Predict the tracks of weather satellites both as paths above the earth, and as images produced by these satellites when scanning the ground.
  • Visual Moon Tracking - Java moon tracking software runs on LINUX, Win 98, Win NT, UNIX, OSF, MacOSX
  • FODtrack Satellite Tracking Interface - Construction tips to build an automatic``satellite tracking rotor controller using``PIC16F877 IC.
  • FUNKBOX Hard&Software - Useful hardware & software for SAT tracking ,logging, Software defined transceivers for SDR and more
  • Big Fat Tail Productions - PocketSat is a full-featured satellite tracking application for PalmOS and PocketPC devices. It is designed to be usable by both experienced satellite trackers as well as novices who are interested in knowing when they can simply look up and see satellites.
Satellites I have worked;

ISS, AO-7, UO-11*, UO-14, AO-16*, LO-17*, UO-22, AO-27, FO-29, GO-32, AO-40, SO-41, NO-44, NO-45, SO-50, AO-51, VO-52, XO-53*, CO-55*, CO-56*, CO-57*, CO-58*


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My Stamp Collecting Blog

Counter Added January 1, 2011

free counters

HOW TO READ PROPAGATION NUMBERS

The A index [ LOW is GOOD ]

  • 1 to 6 is BEST
  • 7 to 9 is OK
  • 11 or more is BAD

Represents the overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Ap" if averaged from the Kp-Index) (an average of the eight 3-hour K-Indices) ('A' referring to amplitude) over a given 24 hour period, ranging (linearly) typically from 1-100 but theoretically up to 400.

A lower A-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Ap-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

SFI index [ HIGH is GOOD ]

  • 70 NOT GOOD
  • 80 GOOD
  • 90 BETTER
  • 100+ BEST

The measure of total radio emissions from the sun at 10.7cm (2800 MHz), on a scale of 60 (no sunspots) to 300, generally corresponding to the sunspot level, but being too low in energy to cause ionization, not related to the ionization level of the Ionosphere.

Higher Solar Flux generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; Solar Flux rarely affects the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

K index [ LOW is GOOD ]

  • 0 or 1 is BEST
  • 2 is OK
  • 3 or more is BAD
  • 5 is VERY VERY BAD

The overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Kp" if averaged over the planet) over the past 3 hours, measured by 13 magnetometers between 46 & 63 degrees of latitude, and ranging quasi-logarithmically from 0-9. Designed to detect solar particle radiation by its magnetic effect. A higher K-index generally means worse HF conditions.

A lower K-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Kp-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

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