Sit. Rep. #121: Low Earth Orbit, Rail Road Tracks

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop.
Kindness: Friendly, generous, concern for others, affection, gentleness, care.
Service:  Act of helpful activity, help, aid.

1- To me “service” is “kindness” in action.  Service and kindness are part of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.  I assert that being in service to someone else is good for you.  To think about others and put their needs, wishes, and welfare ahead of your own teaches selflessness.  It not only builds you/me /us into better persons.  It builds a stronger community.  Therefore you benefit, in the long run, from a stronger community!

O: What kind of gum do astronauts chew?
P: Hubble Bubble.

2- Ham /  amateur satellites:
What is the impact of using too much effective radiated power on a (Ham Radio) satellite uplink?
      Blocking access by other users
Which of the following is a good way to judge whether your uplink power is neither too low nor too high?
      Your signal strength on the downlink should be about the same as the beacon

What do the initials LEO tell you about an amateur satellite?
      The satellite is in a Low Earth Orbit
What is a satellite beacon?
      A transmission from a satellite that contains status information
What telemetry information is typically transmitted by satellite beacons?
      Health and status of the satellite
Who may receive telemetry from a space station?
      Anyone who can receive the telemetry signal

Which of the following are provided by satellite tracking (computer) programs?
      All of these answers are correct
         • Maps showing the real-time position of the satellite track over the earth
         • The time, azimuth, and elevation of the start, maximum altitude, and end of a pass
         • The apparent frequency of the satellite transmission, including effects of Doppler shift
Which of the following are inputs to a satellite tracking program?
      The Keplerian elements
With regard to satellite communications, what is the Doppler shift?
      An observed change in signal frequency caused by relative motion between the satellite and the earth station
What causes “spin fading” of satellite signals?
      Rotation of the satellite and its antennas.

Q: What kind of cell phone service is on the moon?
R: 1/6 G. 
Q: Maybe you have to understand the gravity of the situation to get it!

3- Map and Compass.  Find Your Way. Land Navigation or Land Nav. (for short). Orienteering. Piloting (water, air, or space).  Whatever you want to call it is OK with me.  Your compass can only do one thing.  That is to point to the nearest / strongest North Pole.  And that may not be the North Pole of planet Earth.  Everything else is up to you, the operator.

3B- Here is my list of things that can distort the North Pointing needle of your compass:

* Iron or steel
* Power lines & transformers
* Watch, belt buckle
* Cell phones & batteries
* Vehicles

* Railroad tracks
* Motors of any kind
* Rebar in concrete
* Metal door and table frames

* Other compasses
* Ore deposits, magnetic rocks
* Lava
* and…

Items on this list cause your compass to “deviate” from North.  “Declination” is a natural deviation that you have to correct for.

Yours In Service,
Gaither

Thanks to:  Dan Romanchik KB6NU, (Ham Radio)  Technician Study Guide

More Scout Skits by Thomas Mercaldo

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.