[amsat-bb] Space Center Abandoned Dish Rehabilitation - Outreach #1

Thu Aug 15 03:45:50 UTC 2019

Everyone, please chill.

As I asked before, has it been "surplused"? Everything stripped from it. No one even knows what "model" it is and who made it. Plus what is on board. Speculation is really worthless compared to facts.

Just like the rocket on display; anyone think it'll ever fly again?

And, here is an example of another "opportunity" that fell apart. I shared this as well.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamesburg_Earth_Station

⁣___
Sent from my two way wrist watch
73 de W3AB/GEO

On Aug 14, 2019, 18:49, at 18:49, Robert Bruninga via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:
>EME seems most practical...
>
>From the shadows, it looks like it is on the north side of the building
>and has SERIOUS blockage to the east and west through south maybe as
>high
>as 40 degrees or more.  Then trees block the North and NE.  About the
>only
>sky it can see is NW?
>
>Since LEO's spend 70% of their time in view below about 22 degrees, My
>guess is that this dish could only see about 10% of all possible pass
>times?
>
>But EME is high most of the time.  And easy to schedule around times of
>high passes for a club station at a museum.  Also would be a high
>interest
>item and things MOVE SLOWLY!
>
>If it is rusted frozen, then the EASY way out is to point it roughly
>south
>some how.  And then wait for the moon to pass through its field of
>view.
>Hummh, lets say using the 2m feed the beamwidth is 5 degrees and the
>moon
>goes 180 degrees in 12 hours.  Then its in view  (3dB) maybe 20 minutes
>at
>a time?
>
>Then to improve the number of days, one could add another dipole above
>and
>below the existing one and then pick up additional passes without
>having
>to move the dish.  Or easier, just nutate the feed up and down.  Then
>you
>could get a moon pass every day.
>
>You could predict and post a schedule of when people could make
>contacts.?
>
>Just playing with ideas...
>
>Zooming in with google earth in 3d you can stand ANYWHERE and almost
>see
>the same views as the excellent ones alrady posted.  But walk around
>and
>fine tune them.  Amazing...
>
>Bob, WB4APR
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org> On Behalf Of John Kludt via
>AMSAT-BB
>Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 9:25 PM
>To: Michelle Thompson <mountain.michelle at gmail.com>
>Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
>Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Space Center Abandoned Dish Rehabilitation -
>Outreach #1
>
>Michelle,
>
>So help me understand - what is the problem we are trying to solve? 
>Let's
>play this out, we somehow get our hands on a  surplus dish and we fix
>it
>up.  I will skip over the part of the story that deals with annual
>maintenance costs and ongoing operational costs every time we fire it
>up
>and use it.  The question is, use it for what?  A dish for the sake of
>saying, "Heh, we own a dish" - who ever "we' is  - just does not make
>any
>sense.
>
>I suppose we could use it as part of a network of stations on 2.4 MHz
>for
>HamTV but that works only if the dish is part of a greater US HamTV
>network
>that does not exist right now.   And it only works if the Az/El system
>turning the dish is a fast enough to keep up with a LEO such as the ISS
>-
>that is simple question of fact that we can discover.    Other uses
>that
>would benefit the general amateur radio satellite  community?
>
>While it is a cool idea at least to me it feels a bit like a solution
>in
>search of a problem.  Not saying it is bad idea but I am saying so help
>us
>understand why we need a 20 foot dish owned by the amateur *satellite*
>community at large.  The other part of me that does EME sees lots of
>uses
>but that is very different game - see HB9Q.  And before we get too far
>down the road, I'd like to see not just acquisition and repair costs
>but
>ongoing maintenance and operations costs.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>John
>
>
>
>
>
>On Wed, Aug 14, 2019 at 5:12 PM Michelle Thompson via AMSAT-BB <
>amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:
>
>> A group of GNU Radio community members has permission to evaluate a
>> dish installation in Huntsville, AL near the Space Center. If you've
>> ever been to the Space Center (where the Saturn V is suspended from
>> the ceiling) then this dish is right outside the main entrance.
>Anyone
>> attending Symposium last year should recognize it!
>>
>> Here's a set of photos:
>>
>>
>>
>https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1d_Oi3hrIi49JxmaoNuUA-pvUXO
>> s7vSz1
>>
>> We're looking for technical information, identification of what you
>> recognize in the photos, recommended next steps, and what to watch
>out
>> for, prioritize, or avoid. We already know we want to take the paint
>> off all the ID plates and see what's under there.
>>
>> We want to see if we can get this working for *amateur radio
>operators
>> to access over the internet*, ideally with a GNU Radio flowgraph to
>> control it from an SDR. Our priority is to make this work for amateur
>satellite.
>>
>> This type of setup is similar to what GNU Radio Foundation is working
>> on with the Allen Telescope Array. We have the go-ahead from the
>Space
>> Center curator to do this study and make recommendations.
>>
>> I have fully restored several basket-case British sports cars and
>then
>> successfully raced them. My other team members have restored things
>> even more challenging. We are not dumb, naive, or easily deterred. We
>> know this may turn out to be something that requires way more work
>> than we can do in any time frame we can manage. Documenting that is
>> still of great value, and that is why we are asking for your help.
>> Right now, no one knows much of anything about it. This sort of
>> installation, if available for amateur radio, is well worth the
>effort.
>>
>> Some of the people involved have been driving past this installation
>> for 20 years and want to see it back in service at whatever level we
>can
>achieve.
>> It will be discussed at GNU Radio Conference, and everyone at the
>> conference will have the opportunity to see it up close and in
>person,
>> since it's literally across the parking lot from the venue.
>>
>> Want to attend or find out more about GRCon?
>> https://www.gnuradio.org/grcon/grcon19/
>>
>> If you know of someone off-list that might know details that will
>> help, then please pass this along!
>>
>> -Michelle W5NYV + Corps of Operation Flashlight
>> _______________________________________________
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>_______________________________________________
>Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
>to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership.
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>are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views
>of AMSAT-NA.
>Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
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