hi, thanks for addressing this question. And I invite others to participate, or get in touch with me for a phone conversation, and discuss simple steps that can be taken IMHO within 50-100 USD. I suggest we adopt AMSAT friendly tips:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/downloads/iROTOR.pdf (will need additional interface to PC, any kind) (cool idea, but only as concept) http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/Az_El_Pos.pdf http://dgg.gotdns.com/doc/XOX_rotor.pdf (Semi professional..) http://ka6puw.tripod.com/azimuth1.html <--- what do you think of this style? Looks simple enough. But I have only done a simple google search here. Any other projects worth investigating? Focus on the "mount" only now. -samudra On Sat, Feb 23, 2013 at 10:41 PM, Lizeth Norman <[email protected]>wrote: > Samudra, > This is a good question for a first year engineering student like > myself: How does one bring home the best bang for the buck out of an > engineering dollar? > > Feel free to ask around. A few on the list have driven unusual devices > to get antennas moved. > > How does a project get into the hands of people who will actually do > it? A one off I can do for you in my basement. Probably with parts > from radio shack, a grinder and a few hand tools.. A reproducible > project 10 years from now? Hardly likely. > > I submit to you that irrespective of the metalwork this is a simple > project as you propose, however it must be reproducible. With a > student copy of SolidWorks, a circular saw, drill and the Arduino IDE > it could be prototyped by two people in a weekend. Refining it so that > a relatively new ham with a smidgin of technical ability could do it > might take a little longer. These days with the internet and cad, the > real issue is the tooling. How do you design/layout such that it can > be done with snips/file/saw/fill in the blunt instrument here.. > 73 es have fun.. > > Norm n3ykf > > > > > > On Sat, Feb 23, 2013 at 10:19 PM, Samudra Haque <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I hope it is evident, I am not focusing on the > > controller/microcontroller/computer interface/az-el controller/etc. The > real > > issue is how cheaply can an antenna be mounted on a kingpost somewhere > on a > > surface, with a view towards the sky, and how conveniently can that > mount be > > motorized, with a sensor to give feedback to the ground station. > > electronics, seem to be, (apologises to EE friends) a dime a dozen, > cheaper > > if made in hundreds, but the key drawback of any design is the mechanical > > and electromechanical (can we use, mechatronics) system that serves as > the > > actuators. I am not referring to a hand held antenna assembly, but rather > > something that we can all use in cold/hot weather and that can be put > > together by one / two persons on an average post. > > > > Comments welcome, I think the future holds bright for amsats and edu > based > > cubesats. > > > > > > -samudra > > > > > > On Sat, Feb 23, 2013 at 9:50 PM, Lizeth Norman <[email protected]> > > wrote: > >> > >> Gus and the group: > >> Lots of birds going up in the next year. Success rate not 100% as it's > >> rocket science oftentimes on a budget. Hopefully we'll get a few out > >> of it. > >> The Arduino IDE install supports PPM. The nice thing about that > >> platform is that configuration is doable for just about all forms of > >> hardware that you might drive with it and scaling can be done in > >> software for the various different bits of kit. > >> > >> I am sure that with the appropriate development environment and having > >> the hardware on hand IN a well equipped lab, it should be a weekend > >> project to get running. > >> > >> The hard bit in my opinion is how to mount the antennas to the az/el > >> clockwork. Will require a little woodwork/metalwork to finish. > >> > >> Everyone who does this will have a problem with some phase of it. > >> Needs to be simple and repeatable. > >> > >> Norm n3ykf > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the > author. > >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite > program! > >> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > > > _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
