KickSat telemetry over Cupertino

[Justin Dolske]

I caught a packet at 20:12:19 UTC / 1:12pm local, but I also seem to
have caught a lot a local interference, and was swamped with noise. No
decode. :(

Justin

[Rick Mann]

Justin, what's your setup (software, receiver, LNA, antenna)?

Thanks!

On May 12, 2014, at 13:34 , Justin Dolske <dol...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I caught a packet at 20:12:19 UTC / 1:12pm local, but I also seem to have caught a lot a local interference, and was swamped with noise. No decode. :(
>
> Justin
>

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Rick

[Justin Dolske]

"I'm not dead yet!"

Clear, strong packet. 5/13 19:42:17 UTC.

P4C,727,0,0,0,

http://dolske.net/hacks/kicksat/pass_0513/

Justin

[Justin Dolske]

On 5/12/14, 1:45 PM, Rick Mann wrote:
> Justin, what's your setup (software, receiver, LNA, antenna)?

Just what the wiki listed
(https://github.com/zacinaction/kicksat/wiki/Setting-Up-A-Ground-Station).

Already had a few RTL dongles, picked up the antenna and dg0ve LNA for
KickSat. Recently acquired a Funcube Dongle too, but the RTL was
adequate for KickSat's packets.

Justin

[Zac Manchester]

It seems that the dg0ve LNAs are far and away the best at this price point. I've made out OK with the Down East Microwave one, but had problems with the others being too noisy.

Justin - I never really got around to fleshing out the wiki page on setting this stuff up. Since you seem to have had the most success, would you mind writing some of it down in the wiki?

Thanks,

Zac

[Rick Mann]

I had an Arrow II, Nooelec R820T and FunCube Dongle Pro+ v2.0, RF Bay LNA-440, and zero success. I tried both gqrx and Windows SDR Console v2. I never heard the satellite (I have heard others, barely, from inside my house, although never with the LNA-440 in the loop, and only with the FunCube, and only with SDR Console).

[Dave Webb KB1PVH]

Rick,

If you are trying to hear the satellites from inside your house, you are setting yourself up for failure right off the bat. You should try doing it outside and make sure the squelch is wide open on whatever software you are using for the dongle. I have tried one of the cheap dongles a few times to hear the satellites and had no luck, so I just kept with my Icom IC-9100. I might pick up a Funcube Pro+ soon and give it a whirl for receiving some weather satellites.

Dave-KB1PVH

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid RAZR

[Rick Mann]

On May 13, 2014, at 15:21 , Dave Webb KB1PVH <kb1...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Rick,
>
> If you are trying to hear the satellites from inside your house, you are setting yourself up for failure right off the bat. You should try doing it outside and make sure the squelch is wide open on whatever software you are using for the dongle. I have tried one of the cheap dongles a few times to hear the satellites and had no luck, so I just kept with my Icom IC-9100. I might pick up a Funcube Pro+ soon and give it a whirl for receiving some weather satellites.

No, of course not, sorry if that wasn't clear. I have a clear view of much of the satellite's path.

I'm saying, even from inside my house, I was able to hear a few other satellites. Just beacons, never tried to decode data.


--
Rick

[Dave Webb KB1PVH]

I just looked up the specs on the RFBay LNA-440 and it has a 2.7db noise figure, hardly "low noise". You probably did a better job hearing satellites without it. I have Advanced Receiver Research preamps and they are all .5db noise figure.

[Rick Mann]

Ah. Pity. I'd try again without any LNA if I could.

Thanks.

[daniela daniela]

Did you try the other phonesats? If you still want to try, I think they've still a day or two of orbit lifetime. 

I'm curious about the one you heard indoors, i thought there are plenty of regulations if allowed at all to shoot such em power, especially if it's beamed towards silicon valley, not the ocean or the Sahara. 

[Rick Mann]

I just heard a faint CW beacon. It was noisy.

[Dave Webb KB1PVH]

Rick,

 Which satellite did you catch the CW from?

Dave-KB1PVH

[Rick Mann]

FO-29? HO-68? I think it was one of those.

[Dave Webb KB1PVH]

They both have strong downlinks.

Dave-KB1PVH