Sunday, November 28, 2010

Sunday Football

A guy took his blond girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience.

'Oh, I really liked it,' she replied, 'especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents.'

Dumbfounded, her date asked, 'What do you mean?'

'Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!' I'm like...Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents!!!!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

New Toy ordered

I ordered a Vibroplex Iambic Deluxe today.
I am hoping to see it before December third.
Here are some of the e-Ham reviews I read. click here
I also talked to several hams before my purchase. What do I have to loose? I am new to CW.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

As we sit down with family and friends this Thanksgiving, I pray that we all remember those less fortunate and include them in our prayers and well wishes.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

BETA ANGLE

I was on a net and we were talking about Satellites, ISS and the Space Shuttle. The topic came up about the Beta Angle Cutout. Here is some info.
The beta angle \boldsymbol{\beta} is a value that is used most notably in spaceflight. The beta angle determines the percentage of time an object such as a spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) spends in direct sunlight, absorbing solar energy. Beta angle is defined as the angle between the orbit plane and the vector from the sun (which direction the sun is shining from).The beta angle is the smaller angle (there are two angles) between the sun vector (where the sun is shining from in the sky) and the plane of the object's orbit. Note that the beta angle does not define a unique orbit plane; all satellites in orbit with a given beta angle at a given altitude have the same exposure to the sun, even though they may be orbiting in completely different planes around the Earth.The beta angle varies between +90° and -90°, and the direction the satellite revolves around the body it orbits determines whether the beta angle sign is positive or negative. An imaginary observer standing on the sun defines a beta angle as positive if the satellite in question orbits in a counter clockwise direction and negative if it revolves clockwise. The maximum amount of time that a satellite in a normal low Earth orbit mission can spend in the Earth's shadow occurs at a beta angle of zero. In such an orbit, the satellite is in sunlight no less than 59% of the time.

Launch window is a term used in spaceflight to describe a time period in which a particular launch vehicle (rocket, Space Shuttle, etc.) must be launched. If the rocket does not launch within the "window", it has to wait for the next window.[1]

For trips into largely arbitrary Earth orbits, almost any time will do. But if the spacecraft intends to rendezvous with a space station (such as the International Space Station) or another vehicle already in an orbit, the launch must be carefully timed to occur around the times that the target vehicle's orbital plane intersects the launch site.

For launches above low Earth orbit (LEO), the actual launch time can be somewhat flexible if a parking orbit is used, because the inclination and time the spacecraft initially spends in the parking orbit can be varied. See the launch window used by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft to the planet Mars at [1].

To go to another planet using the simple low-energy Hohmann transfer orbit, if eccentricity of orbits is not a factor, launch windows are periodic according to the synodic period; for example, in the case of Mars the period is 2.135 years, i.e. 780 days. In more complex cases, including the use of gravitational slingshots, launch windows are irregular. Sometimes rare opportunities arise such as when Voyager 2 took advantage of 175 year planetary alignment (launch window) to visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. When such an opportunity is missed, another target may be selected. For example, the Rosetta mission of ESA was originally intended for comet 46P/Wirtanen, but a launcher problem delayed it and a new target had to be selected (comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko).

Launch windows are often calculated from porkchop plots that show the delta-v needed to achieve the mission, plotted against the launch time.

NASA's Humanoid Robot Gets Ready for Launch

NASA: ISS Beta Angle

International Space Station

Low Earth Orbit

Collision avoidance

Delta-v budget

Interplanetary travel

Oberth effect

Monday, November 22, 2010

Monday, Nov. 22

I went to a survivalist seminar this last weekend. Wow, did I learn a bunch, everything from food storage, food preparation, clothing, hunting, how to survive in hot and cold climates, how to do and survive just about everything.
Out of the 75 of those in attendance I was the only armature radio operator.
Other than that I am studying for my Extra Class License and also teaching myself Morse code.
I knew it once and due to the lack of using it I lost it.
I am using the G4FON Morse Code Trainer.
Doing pretty good so far, my goal is to get my upgrade before spring 2011 and make some quality CW contacts by the same date.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

National Bible Week

This week is National Bible Week, National Bible Week has been celebrated the week of Thanksgiving every year since 1941.

http://www.nationalbible.org/

Friday, November 19, 2010

Week Ahead

Look at all the contest this week. I might try the Worldwide DX. Then again I rather just log contacts in the book.
ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSBNov 20-22
NA Collegiate ARC Championship, SSBNov 20-22
Run for the Bacon QRP ContestNov 22
SKCC SprintNov 24
QRP Fox HuntNov 24
RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CWNov 24
QRP Fox HuntNov 26
NCCC SprintNov 26
CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CWNov 27-28

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Morse Code Music.

This is pretty cool.I'm sure many of you have seen this already. I did a few years ago.
Enjoy; Beethoven Morse Code

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Friday, November 12, 2010

KD8BIG

Wow, what a fast 2 weeks since my last post. I have been gone due to illness. I hope to be back into the swing of things very soon. Thanks for stopping by.

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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