Funcube Dongle

64MHz to 1,700MHz Software Defined Radio

As part of AMSAT-UK’s FUNcube satellite project, the FUNcube Dongle is the “ground segment”, or a radio receiver designed to allow you to try your hand at reception of satellites.

Like FUNcube, it is part of a global educational collaboration project collecting information from space.

Similar to a USB TV Dongle, the FUNcube Dongle simple fits into your computer’s USB port.

It’s compatible with many radio reception programs like Rocky, M0KGK, Spectravue and LinRad.

The FUNcube Dongle also works with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 both x86 and x64. In addition, it is compatible with Linux and MacOS as it uses standard USB drivers already integrated into the operating system.

There are two versions. The entry level FUNcube Dongle gives access to the satellite frequency band that FUNcube and some other satellites use.

The Pro version gives unlimited access to the frequency range 64 to 1,700MHz.

It’s also all-mode: this means that it’s not just limited to narrow band FM reception. As well as data, the FUNcube Dongle will also recieve many other narrow band signals including AM, FM and SSB. It will even receive TV sound channels!

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NASA Keeps a Wary Eye on Space Weather

NASA reports that the  earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that’s new to human history.

To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th.

Richard Fisher, head of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, explains what it’s all about:

“The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we’re getting together to discuss.”

People of the 21st-century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Smart power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity. A century-class solar storm, the Academy warned, could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.

Read the full story here

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