5 ms·

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for, amateur radio on the top of hackernews. :) It's also worth mentioning we've got a lot of amateur radio satellites in

by kawfey 9y ago

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for, amateur radio on the top of hackernews. :) It's also worth mentioning we've got a lot of amateur radio satellites in orbit[0], and more coming, including a geosynchronous satellite launching sometime in March (Es'hail 2)[1]. Some are very easy to get into with just an HT (or two for full-duplex).[2] [0] http://www.amsat.org/status/ http://www.amsat.org/status/ [1] https://amsat-uk.org/tag/eshail-2/ https://amsat-uk.org/tag/eshail-2/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJrA62t141s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJrA62t141s

chrissnell 9y ago
If you find AMSAT interesting, you'll probably also enjoy the high altitude ballooning (HAB) projects. This guy [0] built an 11-gram transponder payload and floated it up on what was, essentially, a mylar party balloon. It circled the globe at least once and came ashore over the northwestern U.S. near Tacoma, WA and I was lucky enough to pick it up on a handheld radio while standing in my backyard [1]. [0] https://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/31/434-mhz-balloon-b-64-completes-epic-journey/ https://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/31/434-mhz-balloon-b-64-complet... [1] https://imgur.com/a/2qEC0 https://imgur.com/a/2qEC0
- stilldavid 9y ago
  Hey Chris, Dave KI6YMZ here :) We did a SOTA peak many years ago in CO together! You should check out HIRF-6 as well. Similar payload, and has been airborne since September of 2016! https://www.qrp-labs.com/circumnavigators.html https://www.qrp-labs.com/circumnavigators.html https://aprs.fi/info/a/HIRF-6 https://aprs.fi/info/a/HIRF-6
  - th0ma5 9y ago
    I always wondered... This thing is in Class A airspace? I'm sure an accident would be rare, but do airports issue NOTAMs for these?
    - tagami 9y ago
      Yes a NOTAM is required for launch
      - chrissnell 9y ago
        Not required, but FAA requests that you file one. NOTAM is required for payloads exceeding a weight limit.
  - chrissnell 9y ago
    Hey Dave! That was a fun trip. For those that are wondering what we're talking about, Dave and I once carried a bunch of amateur radio equipment up a Colorado peak in the middle of a brutally cold snowstorm. Video: https://youtu.be/g850RIQp6rA https://youtu.be/g850RIQp6rA Thanks for the HIRF-6 link. That's unbelievable! Hope you are doing well. EDIT: woah. M0XER did 8 circumnavigations. That's unbelievable. I wonder if that is a record for a man-made, atmospheric object.
shiplet 9y ago
Hey!! No kidding! One of my goals for this year is to finally get my call sign. I've been on the verge the past two years, but things with work kept coming up. This year however, this year it's gonna happen.
- pdelbarba 9y ago
  There are plenty of really good apps on the android app store at least. They'll just feed you the questions and correct your answers. Took about 1 wk of semi serious use to pass technician and another week to get general and extra together (though I work in a related field, YMMV)
  - nickysielicki 9y ago
    Skip the apps, just go to hamstudy.org and then add it to your homescreen instead of as a tab.
- huehehue 9y ago
  I was the exact same way! What worked for me was just picking an open exam day and committing. I used the Ham Test Prep (no affiliation) Android app, studied for two days, took the test the third day, aced it. Just pick the next available exam, cram for a couple nights, and get it over with. The Technician exam is much much easier than you think. If you take my advice, fail the test, and prove me wrong, I'll pay the exam fee :P
dundercoder 9y ago
Can't wait to try a sat QSO this year. 73, KG7SYA
BlankMike 9y ago
A great story, indeed. I'm scheduled to take my Technician Class exam in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to being able to use my license with stuff like this.
kichuku 9y ago
Thanks for the links
tlrobinson 9y ago
There was supposed to be a geosynchronous satellite over North America too (https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/na-gso-sat/ https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/na-gso-sat/) but I haven’t heard anything about it recently. Geosynchronous is interesting because you just need to point a fixed dish at it and it always works, whereas the LEO satellites only occasionally pass overhead and you need the antenna to track it (either by hand or with a tracker)
- tzs 9y ago
  Speaking of geosynchronous satellites, every site or app that I've seen for helping aim a dish works by telling you for your location the altitude and azimuth of the satellite. This is kind of annoying when trying to figure out something like where on your property you have all of line of sight to the satellite, a place you can mount the dish, and a good way to run the cable from the disk to wherever you receiver will be. It's especially annoying when you have a lot of potential obstacles blocking line of sight, and so you need to have a pretty good idea of the satellite location to tell if you do have sight. If magnetic north is a little off in your area then using a compass to find azimuth could be uncertain enough to give you the wrong answer. Unless I'm missing something there is a much better way we could do this. You could tell the app or website your location, and a time in the evening that you can check for line of site. The app/site could then give you a star chart for that time at your location, marking on the star chart where the satellite is. You could then note that stars near the satellite on the chart, and note how to find the satellite starting from them (e.g,., "go 2/3 from this star to that star, turn counterclockwise 90 degrees, and go half way to this star...and you are staring right at the satellite"). Then you could go outside, find those same stars, and locate the satellite using them. No stupid fumbling around trying to measure altitude and azimuth. It's just go out, and find a place where you can see your reference stars, and with a glance you can tell if you have line of site on the satellite. Even better, you should be able to give the app/site a range of times you are available, and let it suggest particularly good times to try to find the satellite. It can look for available times where the satellite is very close to a prominent, easy to find star (or planet...no need to limit this to stars), or when it is in a particularly easy to find spot in a prominent constellation.

by kawfey 9y ago

chrissnell 9y ago

If you find AMSAT interesting, you'll probably also enjoy the high altitude ballooning (HAB) projects. This guy [0] built an 11-gram transponder payload and floated it up on what was, essentially, a mylar party balloon. It circled the globe at least once and came ashore over the northwestern U.S. near Tacoma, WA and I was lucky enough to pick it up on a handheld radio while standing in my backyard [1]. [0] https://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/31/434-mhz-balloon-b-64-completes-epic-journey/ https://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/31/434-mhz-balloon-b-64-complet... [1] https://imgur.com/a/2qEC0 https://imgur.com/a/2qEC0

stilldavid 9y ago
Hey Chris, Dave KI6YMZ here :) We did a SOTA peak many years ago in CO together! You should check out HIRF-6 as well. Similar payload, and has been airborne since September of 2016! https://www.qrp-labs.com/circumnavigators.html https://www.qrp-labs.com/circumnavigators.html https://aprs.fi/info/a/HIRF-6 https://aprs.fi/info/a/HIRF-6
- th0ma5 9y ago
  I always wondered... This thing is in Class A airspace? I'm sure an accident would be rare, but do airports issue NOTAMs for these?
  - tagami 9y ago
    Yes a NOTAM is required for launch
    - chrissnell 9y ago
      Not required, but FAA requests that you file one. NOTAM is required for payloads exceeding a weight limit.
- chrissnell 9y ago
  Hey Dave! That was a fun trip. For those that are wondering what we're talking about, Dave and I once carried a bunch of amateur radio equipment up a Colorado peak in the middle of a brutally cold snowstorm. Video: https://youtu.be/g850RIQp6rA https://youtu.be/g850RIQp6rA Thanks for the HIRF-6 link. That's unbelievable! Hope you are doing well. EDIT: woah. M0XER did 8 circumnavigations. That's unbelievable. I wonder if that is a record for a man-made, atmospheric object.

shiplet 9y ago

Hey!! No kidding! One of my goals for this year is to finally get my call sign. I've been on the verge the past two years, but things with work kept coming up. This year however, this year it's gonna happen.

pdelbarba 9y ago
There are plenty of really good apps on the android app store at least. They'll just feed you the questions and correct your answers. Took about 1 wk of semi serious use to pass technician and another week to get general and extra together (though I work in a related field, YMMV)
- nickysielicki 9y ago
  Skip the apps, just go to hamstudy.org and then add it to your homescreen instead of as a tab.
huehehue 9y ago
I was the exact same way! What worked for me was just picking an open exam day and committing. I used the Ham Test Prep (no affiliation) Android app, studied for two days, took the test the third day, aced it. Just pick the next available exam, cram for a couple nights, and get it over with. The Technician exam is much much easier than you think. If you take my advice, fail the test, and prove me wrong, I'll pay the exam fee :P

dundercoder 9y ago

Can't wait to try a sat QSO this year. 73, KG7SYA

BlankMike 9y ago

A great story, indeed. I'm scheduled to take my Technician Class exam in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to being able to use my license with stuff like this.

kichuku 9y ago

Thanks for the links

tlrobinson 9y ago

There was supposed to be a geosynchronous satellite over North America too (https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/na-gso-sat/ https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/na-gso-sat/) but I haven’t heard anything about it recently. Geosynchronous is interesting because you just need to point a fixed dish at it and it always works, whereas the LEO satellites only occasionally pass overhead and you need the antenna to track it (either by hand or with a tracker)

tzs 9y ago
Speaking of geosynchronous satellites, every site or app that I've seen for helping aim a dish works by telling you for your location the altitude and azimuth of the satellite. This is kind of annoying when trying to figure out something like where on your property you have all of line of sight to the satellite, a place you can mount the dish, and a good way to run the cable from the disk to wherever you receiver will be. It's especially annoying when you have a lot of potential obstacles blocking line of sight, and so you need to have a pretty good idea of the satellite location to tell if you do have sight. If magnetic north is a little off in your area then using a compass to find azimuth could be uncertain enough to give you the wrong answer. Unless I'm missing something there is a much better way we could do this. You could tell the app or website your location, and a time in the evening that you can check for line of site. The app/site could then give you a star chart for that time at your location, marking on the star chart where the satellite is. You could then note that stars near the satellite on the chart, and note how to find the satellite starting from them (e.g,., "go 2/3 from this star to that star, turn counterclockwise 90 degrees, and go half way to this star...and you are staring right at the satellite"). Then you could go outside, find those same stars, and locate the satellite using them. No stupid fumbling around trying to measure altitude and azimuth. It's just go out, and find a place where you can see your reference stars, and with a glance you can tell if you have line of site on the satellite. Even better, you should be able to give the app/site a range of times you are available, and let it suggest particularly good times to try to find the satellite. It can look for available times where the satellite is very close to a prominent, easy to find star (or planet...no need to limit this to stars), or when it is in a particularly easy to find spot in a prominent constellation.