Author Archives: robert

Centennial QSO Party Certificate Arrives

Posted on April 20, 2015 by robert

So my certificate for the Centennial QSO Party came in late last week.  Almost all of my QSOs were associated with working the W1AW/portable stations, so I only obtained the second tier (out of four).

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Open Source SGP4 Python Package

Posted on April 2, 2015 by robert

SGP4 is a Simplified General Perturbations mathematical model, which is used to calculate the position of satellites relative to the Earth.  The most frequently used model is SGP4, which is used with Two-Line Element (TLE) sets provided by NORAD and … Continue reading →

Posted in Raspberry Pi, Satellite, Tracker | Leave a comment

Setting the RPi System Clock via GPS

Posted on April 1, 2015 by robert

I am still learning and experimenting with the Adafruit Ultimate GPS HAT and the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.  While I have the GPS tied into the system now, it doesn’t appear that the Raspbian NTP service is handling the … Continue reading →

Posted in Raspberry Pi, Satellite, Tracker | 10 Comments

Worked All W1AW Portable States

Posted on March 30, 2015 by robert

A photo of the plaque has finally been published.  Don’t know how the endorsements will fit as it is cut into the shape of the United States.

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Auto Login and Auto Run gpsd

Posted on March 27, 2015 by robert

As I continue to work on the Autonomous Satellite Antenna Tracking System (ASATS), to changes need to be made to setup the RPi so things happen automatically on power-up.  This requires two changes to the RPi: Setup for Automatic Login … Continue reading →

Posted in Raspberry Pi, Satellite, Tracker | 1 Comment

First Bureau QSL Cards Arrive

Posted on March 25, 2015 by robert

Since getting back on the air in Feb of 2011, I have sent off three sets of six envelopes to my QSL bureau in Jan of 2012, Jan of 2013 and Jan of 2015.  Up until yesterday, I’ve never received … Continue reading →

Posted in From the OM | Leave a comment

Centennial QSO Certificates and W1AW Plaques Available

Posted on March 25, 2015 by robert

I noticed that the ARRL just opened up the process for obtaining a certificate for Centennial QSO Party operation, as well as the W1AW WAS certificate or plaque.  Go here:  https://centennial-qp.arrl.org/index.php  Use your LotW username/password to log on, and click on … Continue reading →

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GPredict and RPi 2 Model B Power Consumption

Posted on March 23, 2015 by robert

I started today’s experimentation by loading the gpredict program.  This was written by Alexandru Csete, at http://gpredict.oz9aec.net/ While his repository has all the source code, there is no reason to do anything other than load it into the pi, at … Continue reading →

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Satellite Tracker – Finally Underway

Posted on March 21, 2015 by robert

Toward the end of last year I decided to make a small antenna satellite tracking system that was based on the Raspberry Pi.  It was to be entirely self-contained — no other computer devices required.  Seven months later, I’ve finally … Continue reading →

Posted in Raspberry Pi, Satellite, Tracker | 1 Comment

Is 5BDXCC Rare?

Posted on March 7, 2015 by robert

I was curious about the number of 5BDXCC awards and ran across this notice concerning W1AW making 5BDXCC on April 3, 2012.  Their nemesis was also 80 Meters.  Suddenly I feel much better.  My plaque is on order now. W1AW … Continue reading →

Posted in DX | 2 Comments