[aprssig] APRS telemetry to the planets

[Robert Bruninga]

> Subject: Re: [aprssig] APRS telemetry to the planets
> 
> Bob, this has to be one of the slickest ideas I've seen in a 
> long time! I'm batting around the idea of scaling it down to 
> my middle school kids, and putting together the solar cell 
> interface, since we don't have a cubesat to use. 

Almost all of our labs are based on a KPC-3+ (as are our real
satellites too).  You can see what we do with them on my web
page:

http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/labsats.html

The LABsats are more mature now than when I wrote that page, but
this summer I hope to get the new photos in there and  update
the page..

> My question 
> is this: what is good freeware to decode telemetry that's 
> sent from the KPC? While there are still some loose ends to 
> make work, I think my kids can do this project with some 
> modifications.

My PCSAT.EXE program that decodes and displays all of our
spacecraft is free.  (Though I have not made a public release in
over a year.  Give me a chance next week, and I will post it.

> Thanks for the idea, and if I can pull it off, I'll let the 
> group know (and of course, provide credit where due...)

You'll love some of the other ones.  They are even better.  Hang
the KPC-3 satellites on a string and make them spin with torque
motors and or magnetic coils under remote control.  It works
here just like in space!

Bob, WB4APR

> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Robert Bruninga [mailto:bruninga at usna.edu]
> >Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2007 09:31 AM
> >To: aprssig at lists.tapr.org
> >Subject: [aprssig] APRS telemetry to the planets
> >
> >APRS Telemetry to the planets
> >
> >To demonstrate solar power and the distances to the planets,
our
> >students used a mock planetary explorer consisting of a solar
> >panel on a satellite model on a cart:
> >
> >http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/EPSplanets.html
> >
> >They backed the cart away over 590 feet from a 1000W spot
lamp
> >to get from Mercury to Jupiter. A KPC-3+ TNC provided APRS
> >telemetry to a laptop which plotted the IV curve of the solar
> >panel along the way (which was down 1000 to 1 by the time
they
> >got to Saturn (the size of a BB)... Pluto was in the next
> >building.
> >
> >Anyway, students had fun. And we got some nice photos. I
> >compressed them in PAINT and
> >they are under 40k and load pretty fast.
> >
> >Just an example of how we use Ham radio in the classroom.
> >
> >Bob, WB4APR
> >
> >
> >
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> 
>