12 January 2013

I am just back from Pier 84 where I didn't hear FITSAT-1 again. It is cloudy and foggy and I am again wondering how much cloud cover attenuates the signals of satellites. I have read that it does affect GPS signals and I doubt that cubesats are putting as much power into their signals as a military navigation satellite does.

Again I heard that slight decrease in the aggressiveness of the static at several locations across the sky and don't know how significant it is. When I held it the longest I couldn't tell if I has tracking it of was holding my antenna in the same position in the sky. Might I be hearing radiation from a far distant radio source? I have no idea if a radio source would appear on the particular frequency I was listening to.

	Time local	Alt	Az
Beginning of Pass	0625:57	10°	WSW
Maximum Altitude	0629:00	42°	NNW
End of Pass	0632:04	10°	NE

11 January 2013

I went down to Pier 84 today for a lunchtime NIWAKA pass but didn't hear any code.  A couple of times there was a slight lessening of the static roar but is was just a minor decrease in volume and a reduction in the "granularity" of the static - its texture seemed to be more fine grained.

	Time local	Alt	Az
Beginning of Pass	1213:57	10°	NW
Maximum Altitude	1217:05	67	NE
End of Pass	1220:11	10°	ESE

There was another pass this morning at 0547 EST but the park doesn't open until 0600 and I have seen the NYC Park Police there on more than one occasion so decided to pass on that pass.

When I arrived a Robin alighted on the edge of the pier and flew off as I passed nearby.  It landed on the water between Piers 84 and 83 and was quickly attecked by a mob of around 25 Ring-billed Gulls.  They pecked at the back of its neck and one succeeded in lifting it partially out of the water.  When it started flapping its wings the gulls backed off and it flew under the pier where the gulls could not follow.