Author Archives: robert

Why I like BuddiPole

Posted on August 31, 2011 by robert

I have mentioned my BuddiPole antenna before.  I think BuddiPole tends to elicit some strong responses from folks.  There is the camp that swears BuddiPole is too expensive for what you get.  There are those that feel BuddiPole is poorly … Continue reading →

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Generator follow-up

Posted on August 29, 2011 by robert

It seems like the entire neighborhood is abuzz with the sound of generators.  I can’t hear the cricket chirping noise now.  Neighbors that are 500+ feet away are making more noise that the Honda 8 feet from me.  It’s pretty … Continue reading →

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Irene, I say again Irene

Posted on August 29, 2011 by robert

Pretty much all of the east coast from North Carolina to New England was visited this weekend by an unwelcome guest — Hurricane Irene.  This was a massive storm, over 500 miles in diameter, that managed to dump an enormous … Continue reading →

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Cape Cod: Home of Wireless, Whales and Lighthouses

Posted on August 29, 2011 by robert

My family and I spent a few days on the cape during during late August (hoping that the late date would mean less traffic and crowding).  On our way out to our hotel, we arrived several hours before check-in time, … Continue reading →

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SCORE!!!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by robert

Don, VE3VRW, from Dog Park Software, was a real champ and helped explain the reason why I was having issues with my IC-9100 and MacDoppler.  It turns out when Icom wrote their custom drivers for Windows, they made sure they … Continue reading →

Posted in From the OM, History, Satellite | 1 Comment

One of those days!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by robert

So the day before yesterday, I was determined to make a contact via ARISSat-1.  I had MacDoppler fired up and tuning my rig during a late night pass.  There was a great daylight pass in the early morning hours.  Sunrise … Continue reading →

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ARISSat-1 Transponder worked 2 of 3 times I checked

Posted on August 7, 2011 by robert

Using 5 watts and low-gain omnidirectional eggbeater antennas on both the uplink and downlink, I had no trouble hearing my downlink signal at S8 (the noise is S2-3).  I did this experiment twice during low-power mode.  It’s a challenge for … Continue reading →

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It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

Posted on August 4, 2011 by robert

A major M-class (just shy of X-class) solar flare is on its way to hit earth sometime early tomorrow morning to late afternoon. You can always find the latest space weather information here:  http://www.spaceweather.com/ Maybe some aurora activity?  http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/pmapN.html or … Continue reading →

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ARISSat-1 U/V transponder is working!

Posted on August 4, 2011 by robert

According to ARISSAT-1.ORG early this afternoon:  “The transponder is working! Drew, KO4MA was successful in easily working through the transponder with a 1 W uplink” That is a great relief. Maybe the kapton tape fell off and the antenna was … Continue reading →

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ARISSat-1

Posted on August 4, 2011 by robert

During the July 31 test onboard the International Space Station, I was able to copy several telemetry frames as well as the voice announcement from a middle school in Texas (including the “secret” word). On August 3, I anxiously viewed … Continue reading →

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