Beautiful Shuttle-ISS Shot

What a beautiful shot. It was taken on May 23 by Italian astronaut Paulo Nespoli from a Soyuz spacecraft. Bravo Paulo! Bella figura!

For a better (high res) view and more details, go here:
http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-shuttle-endeavour-docked-space-station-110607.html

The digipeater on the ISS has been picking up my little 2 meter APRS sigs and sending them back down.

Searching for the Sputnik Schematic

Mike, AA1TJ, has launched (!) yet another intriguing project. See below. In an effort to come up with the actual Sputnik schematic, I have thrown down the geek gauntlet to our fellow nerds at sci.space.history:

Greetings Space Historians!
We are a group of radio amateurs and we probably rival you in our
technical geeky-ness. We are now involved in an effort to re-create
and put on the airwaves replicas of the 20 MHz transmitters used in
Sputnik 1. (We will use the amateur radio 21 MHz band).
We are trying to find a schematic diagram for the transmitter. Can
you help us? Thanks.

------------------------
Gentlemen,

Arnie, CO2KK, told me last night that as a 15 year-old boy he'd made
it into the newspaper by picking up Sputnik's signal on his Hammarland
Super-Pro receiver.

Don Mitchell - a physicist now retired from the Bell Labs - also wrote
last evening to ask if I knew of a schematic diagram for the two
transmitters used on Sputnik-1. Mr. Mitchell maintains an informative
web site on the topic of Sputnik. Here, for example, is the link to
his page on the first of the series of "Travellers" to be lofted into
orbit in late 1957 into 1958.

http://www.mentallandscape.com/S_Sputnik1.htm

To the best of my knowledge the schematic for what may be the most
famous QRPp transmitter has never been published. It's a shame,
particularly as it would have been great fun to build an approximate
replica for use on the ham bands

However, I woke up this morning wondering why should we allow the lack
of an original schematic to stop us when there's plenty of descriptive
evidence available? "Spaceflight Magazine," for example, published a
wonderful article on the 50th anniversary of Sputnik. The story was
pieced together from original documents over a period of 20 years. You
may read the article here

http://faculty.fordham.edu/siddiqi/writings/siddiqi_sputnik_history_2007.pdf

"The two D-200 type radio transmitters operated on frequencies of
20.005 and 40.003 megacycles at wavelengths of 15 and 7.5 m. These
transmitters (which obviously used vacuum tubes) each had a power
intake of 1 watt and provided the famous “beep-beep-beep” sound to
Sputnik. The signals on both the frequencies were spurts lasting 0.2
to 0.6 seconds, and carried information on the pressure and
temperature inside the satellite; one set would transmit during the
“pauses” of the other."

"Despite objections from just about everyone, Gringauz insisted that
PS-1 carry a high frequency transmitter (the 20.005 MHz transmitter
operating in the decameter waveband) in addition to the VHF
transmitter (which had been commonly used on Soviet ballistic
missiles). ...In the end, Gringauz won over his opponents, partly
because everyone agreed that a high frequency
transmitter would ensure that the radio transmissions would be heard
around the world. The transmitter hardware was built by one
of Gringauz’ youngest engineers, Vyacheslav Lappo..."

>From other sources we know the transmitter used vacuum tubes rather
than transistors. This site mentions that when the received signal
level was quite strong, the presence of a back-wave while the other
transmitter was keyed could be noted.

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/features/sounds/firstsat.html

The RF oscillator, at a minimum, must have been free-running. So,
we're talking a vacuum tube crystal-controlled oscillator and a PA
having an input power of 1 watt. They may have used a PA driver stage,
or perhaps a frequency multiplier stage. If they did use a multiplier
then it must have been allowed to free-run as well. But given the
battery drain considerations, I would have done my best to reduce the
number of vacuum tube heaters, or filaments to a minimum. As such, I
think there's a fairly good chance this was a simple, MOPA design
(oscillator-> PA).

I found what might be a photograph of the transmitter on page 26 of
the December 1957 issue of the Soviet "Radio Magazine." Perhaps our
Russian speaking group members can confirm this and provide us with
other clues appearing in the article text? The magazine can be
downloaded at

http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/R/''Radio''/

Click-on ''Radio'',1957,N12.[djv].zip. The "zipped" December issue
appears in DJVU format. Don't miss the nice Sputnik cover art.

This re-post talks about the center-fed Vee dipole used (the 15m
transmitter used the 5.8meter dipole) among other things.

http://hamradio.mybb.ru/viewtopic.php?id=625

Getting to get the point, this morning I woke up thinking about how
plentiful vintage Russian military tubes are these days. Remember how
inexpensive US military surplus used to be? That's how it is right now
with Russian components (and the characteristics of some of these
tubes are simply amazing). All I can say is get 'em while they're hot,
as it surely won't last forever.

It also came to me that Expanded Spectrum Systems sells an HC49
crystal cut for 21060kHz for two and a half-bucks each.

Finally, I remarked to myself that propagation-wise, 15m may well be
open for business come the 54th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik-1
next October the 4th.

You've probably guessed by now what I'm going to propose. We have
plenty of time to throw together a simple 15m CW vacuum-tube
transmitter having an input power of 1w or less. We could use any
tubes that we like but I'm going to build mine using 1950's vintage
ex-Soviet devices. I plan to power mine with one or two of those
ubiquitous 12V sealed-lead-acid batteries. I'll VXO my crystal and
I'll let it free-run during transmit; both for historical reasons and
to improve the signal quality.

Perhaps some of the antenna gurus here would lend a hand by modeling
and testing something akin to the original 70 degree Vee dipole? Would
this be a practical antenna?

I propose that beginning on "Sputnik Day" we launch our 1 watt Sputnik
clones on 15m CW. Instead of calling CQ, our call could be along the
lines of "Beep_Beep_Beep_Beep_Beep_Beep de AA1TJ". In other words, six
letter E's followed by our call sign. Given that I can barely organize
the socks in my underwear drawer, perhaps someone skilled at
organizing events would take up the cause?

One more thing. Poking around on Google last night, I was struck by
how many people remarked that the experience of Sputnik had changed
their lives. Some decided to become engineers, scientists or amateur
radio operators. I didn't know it at the time, but Sputnik changed the
way that I was educated. Not only did this little QRPp transmitter
make a tremendous impact on the world, but radio amateurs were front
and center. It seems appropriate that we should commemorate this
extraordinary day in the history of QRPp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHaJDuq6tBM

(they were seeing the orbiting booster stage rather than the satellite)

Sputnik Mania...the complete film in two parts (warning...contains
some political "button-pushing")Greetings Space Historians!
We are a group of radio amateurs and we probably rival you in our
technical geeky-ness. We are now involved in an effort to re-create
and put on the airwaves replicas of the 20 MHz transmitters used in
Sputnik 1. (We will use the amateur radio 21 MHz band).
We are trying to find a schematic diagram for the transmitter. Can
you help us? Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jI5RBRWIOE

If I happen to learn more about the original transmitter I'll be sure
and post it on my blog or web site. I found particularly interesting
the fact that WWV interrupted some of their 20MHz transmissions in
order to accommodate Sputnik's signal; a gentlemanly thing to do

As for the possibility of an event along these line, any comments or
discussion is most welcome. I plan to make a start on my little
Sputnik sender upon my return from vacation in July.
Greetings Space Historians!
We are a group of radio amateurs and we probably rival you in our
technical geeky-ness. We are now involved in an effort to re-create
and put on the airwaves replicas of the 20 MHz transmitters used in
Sputnik 1. (We will use the amateur radio 21 MHz band).
We are trying to find a schematic diagram for the transmitter. Can
you help us? Thanks.
Ha...I just received several fairly good-quality color photos of the
original Sputnik transmitters! At first glance it looks as though they
used two subminiature pencil tubes! The quartz crystal looks very
similar to our HC-18/u package. The RF portion is very simple in
appearance. In fact, it reminds me of something you'd find in a 1950's
ARRL Mobile Radio Manual! ;o)

The fellow who sent these apparently has a contact with one of the
original Sputnik (non-electronic) hardware designers; who is said to
be "still very much alive." My contact is going to make an inquiry
with his Russian contact about the transmitter.

Very cool...

73/72,
Mike, AA1TJ

Radio Telescope Ausie Eye Candy

Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter viewed from the ATCA on 16th May, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsGJFlTFGhI

Wow, this video is really beautiful. The astronomers out there are setting the bar quite high -- this is the second really spectacular production of this kind that we've seen in the last week. Reminds me of one of my favorite movies: The Dish

Homebrew VHF Phone from Down Under

Here's some beautiful discrete component DSB VHF homebrew from John, VK3AJG:
----
Hi Bill,
I know you like DSB transceivers, so I'm sending you a link to my 144Mhz
DSB transceiver which I've just completed.
Thought I would try and see if I could get the same circuits I use on HF
to work on VHF, turns out they do with a few minor tweaks.
Anyway here it is: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~jgprice/2M-DSB.html

Keep up the good work, love listening to your show.
Cheers
John Price
VK3AJG

Copenhagen Rocket Launched!

From New Scientist:

Original post from 1618 GMT:

A rocket built by a group of Danish space enthusiasts has successfully launched on a short flight high above its sea-based launch platform.

The non-profit organisation Copenhagen Suborbitals built the rocket for around £42,000. They hope to eventually fly a human on a suborbital flight to space using a beefed-up version of the rocket, which is just big enough for one person.

Their first launch attempt a year ago failed to achieve lift-off due to a malfunctioning hairdryer used as a heater inside the rocket.

But their second try on Friday was a success. A video of the flight can be viewed here.

In the video, the rocket can be seen lifting off from its launch pad on the Baltic Sea and soaring high into the sky amid cheers. "We're going supersonic!" someone is heard saying shortly after lift-off.

A few minutes later, the rocket is seen splashing down in the ocean.

Though the rocket itself seems to have performed well, the parachute meant to slow its return to Earth does not appear to have fully opened. "There has been mission anomalies – we are now analysing," someone says in the video.

It was not immediately clear how high the rocket flew. The goal was an altitude of about 15 kilometres.

But the launch team was clearly thrilled with the flight. "The joy is just so huge," Peter Madsen of Copenhagen Suborbitals told Denmark's TV 2, according to a Google translation.

"We've written a little piece of history," added Kristian von Bengtsen, also of Copenhagen Suborbitals.

Amateur Manned Spaceflight?

Initially, I had my doubts about this one... Intriguing as it is, when I watched the video, I was struck by how similar their "just build it" approach is to my own. You know, build first, design later... Well, we have seen the results here, and I wouldn't want my life to depend on it! But who am I to judge? And the rockets they have produced are really impressive. Check it out. And there is an amateur radio homebrew connection.
Thanks Lars!
-------------------

Hi Bill
I thought that you might be interested in following the guys at:
http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/

It is an amateur group with the mission of sending a human into space - I guess that there are quite a few knack victims among them ;-)

They are about to launch a test rocket in a few days, and they are quite serious about what they are doing!

Actuallly you have come across one of them, their electronics guy is OZ2CPU who has the picture of the opened SBL-1 DBM on his website http://webx.dk

Vy 72/73 de Lars OZ1CJX / OZ9G / 5Q5RP

Excellent AT&T Video on SWR

Ken, KG6PO, sent us this gem:

http://techchannel.att.com/play-video.cfm/2011/3/7/AT&T-Archives-Similarities-of-Wave-Behavior

I really like the way Dr. Shive brings together mechanical and electrical phenomena. You get the sense that he had "The Knack" -- note the twinkle in his eye when he explains a particularly intriguing point.

Warning: I think the AT&T archive of which this is part will become another enormous (but worthwhile) time sink for many of us. Thanks Ken. Thanks Dr. Shive.

European Very Large Telescope Video (Warning: It May Make you Cry)

The guys who run Slashdot are not known to be very sentimental, but they warned that this video may bring viewers to tears. They were right. This one is really magnificent. Makes me want to ditch the diplo gig and move to the Atacama desert. Sit back, put this on full screen mode, turn up the speakers a bit, and prepare to be amazed.

Please Help Get SolderSmoke into RadioShack Stores

Several listeners sent me the link to a new campaign by the RadioShack stores. They apparently want to get back into supplying parts for the electronics DIY community. Great! I always liked the oft-maligned stores. I missed them when overseas, and was always saddened to see them drifting away from the world of our kind of radio shack. But it appears that the 'shack might be coming back! RadioShack has asked customers to leave comments on their blog page listing the three items that they would like to see added to the RadioShack inventory.

I would really appreciate it if you guys would go to that page and tell them that you think it would be a good idea for them to sell the book "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" in their stores. You can point them to the link http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm

Some things you might mention in your comments on the RadioShack blog:

-- One of the reasons I wrote the book was because I wanted to try to help perpetuate the old, friendly, cooperative ham radio spirit: The culture of the Elmer and all that. The shared junk box. The willingness to help someone with a project or a technical problem. This book might help foster the kind of sense of community that would help everyone (including RadioShack!)

-- The book was in part inspired by the RadioShack publications of the great Forrest Mims. Like Mim's books, SolderSmoke has lots of hand-drawn diagrams.

-- The book actually contains (already!) a very favorable comment about the important role played in DIY by the RadioShack stores.

-- While it is mostly about ham radio, it was written to appeal to the broader electronics DIY community, and contains wide variety of projects including astronomy, kite aerial photography and rocketry.

-- The author -- Bill Meara -- would be willing to work something out with them (!)

So, gentlemen: Please get typing! Don't tell them I sent you ;-) Let's make this seem like a spontaneous outpouring of popular support.

Here is the blog location for RadioShack: http://blog.radioshack.com/post/2011/05/19/RadioShack-And-The-DIY-Community-You-Talked-Were-Listening.aspx

or http://blog.radioshack.com/post.aspx?id=f7239c83-8fd3-47e4-9fb9-395f57b56bb7

If you are so inclined you could also tweet them your input @Radio Shack

And you could put your comments on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RadioShack

Thanks a lot!

Inspirational Amateur Astrophotography

Wes, W7ZOI, passed this to me. This is a really inspirational project, with a very beautiful result. I recommend you read this newspaper article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015040399_nightsky12.html

Then go play with the images here:
http://skysurvey.org/

Struggling Brother

OM Jason, NT7S, has been experiencing the kinds of workbench trials and tribulations faced by anyone who tries to create something new. But I think the radio gods are looking favorably on his efforts -- a recent QSO with W7ZOI is a very good omen:

http://www.nt7s.com/blog/

Hang in there Jason! I'm sure the QRP community is looking forward to the availability of the rigs you are developing.

Regen Joke

This story from the Netherlands sort of supports my theory about regens all being POSSESSED:

Hi Bill,
... About regens. A couple of years ago we were on a field day.
I put up a zepp antenna for 80 meters, so 40 m wire and 20 m ladderline.
We had a barbecue on Saturday night and on of the visitors brought his
regen, build on a breadboard with nails. I never heard of those but he
wanted to demonstrate and asked if he could use my antenna. I agreed
obviously so he and a lot of others came crowding my caravan.
But he did not succeed to get any intelligible sound out of the thing,
after 30 minutes he was about to give up, then I suggested to swap the
wires of the ladderline, my argument was that it sounded like the wrong
sideband, and this might solve the problem. :-)
He stood there, thought for a while, and swapped the cords of the
ladderline. After playing around with it for 10 or 20 seconds all of a
sudden a clear voice came out of the machine. He was stunned, but I and
two other more experienced hams fled to the tent with drinks to laugh our
heads of. :-)
It was good fun though.

73
Adrian