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[jamsat-news:845] AMSAT ANS 165
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 165
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.01
STS-91/MIR MISSION CONCLUDES
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.01
The United States began its last flight to the Russian Mir Space Station on
Tuesday, June 2, 1998, with a flawless, on-time liftoff, and ended the
mission with favorable weather conditions and a near-perfect landing at the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, June 12th. The mission returned
home US astronaut Andy Thomas after more than four months in orbit aboard
Mir, marking the official end of NASA's Shuttle-Mir program.
On Sunday, June 7th the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the Discovery-Mir
complex were actively working on the final transfer of water and logistical
supplies, in preparation for undocking of the two spacecraft. A photo and
video survey of the interior of the Russian space station was also on the
agenda. Approximately 1200 pounds of water and almost 4,700 pounds of
resupply material or return items were moved between the two vehicles
before the hatches between the two spacecraft were closed for the final
time.
After the hatches were closed, the Shuttle and Mir separated on time while
flying above Russia, southwest of Moscow and north of the Ukrainian border.
Following separation, STS-91 Pilot Dom Gorie maneuvered the shuttle away
from the Mir. He then performed a nose-forward fly-around of Mir allowing
the Shuttle to reach a point approximately 240 feet directly in front of
the space station.
By Wednesday, June 10th, several records had been achieved. Mission
Specialist Franklin Chang-Diaz broke the previous record for time spent on
board the space shuttle, as he passed the mark of 1,211 hours set by
astronaut Jeff Hoffman over the course of five missions. STS-91 was
Chang-Diaz's sixth space flight. In another first, navigational data on
board Discovery was updated using data from the Global Positioning Satel
lite system, marking the inaugural use of the GPS satellite constellation
to provide navigational information to a manned spacecraft in orbit.
On Thursday, the seven astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery
completed most of their pre-landing packing and made sure that all of the
systems needed for landing were working well.
The successful landing on Friday, June 12th, culminated 977 total days
spent in orbit by the seven U.S. astronauts who have stayed aboard Mir
since the Shuttle-Mir program began. Of those, 907 days were spent as
actual Mir crewmembers. Friday's landing also marked the end of an 812-day
continuous U.S. presence in space.
[ANS thanks NASA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.02
ANDY THOMAS BIDS MIR FAREWELL
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.02
US astronaut Andy Thomas, KD5CHF, said good-bye to Mir on June 8th as he
left for home aboard the shuttle Discovery after spending 130 days in
space. Before he left the aging Russian space outpost, Thomas broadcast a
general "thank you" to the worldwide amateur community via the R0MIR packet
system. "I am leaving Mir today, and this will be my last message," he
said. "Thank you all for your interest in the mission and your messages."
Thomas again apologized for not being able to give individual replies. "I
wish you all every success. Good-bye and good luck."
The day after Discovery docked with Mir, Thomas engaged in a last-minute
flurry of random Amateur Radio contacts on 2-meter FM simplex. Al Lark,
KD4SFF, in Greenville, South Carolina, was one of the lucky stations to
talk with Andy. Thomas told Lark that "a decent hot shower is going to be
the first order of business" on Earth. Following his chat with Lark, Thomas
also worked WA6LR and AA2DR. "You guys have given me a lot of pleasure
during my time up here," Thomas told AA2DR.
Australian Peter Ellis, VK1KEP, also spoke with Thomas and found himself
thrust into celebrity status as a result. Thomas, a native of Australia who
also holds the call sign VK5MIR, told Ellis that he was the first VK1 he'd
ever worked. Ellis soon wound up in the midst of a media frenzy -- on local
radio twice, the front page of the Canberra Times, on TV in Canberra and
Sydney, and on ABC Radio nationwide. The entire story is available at the
following URL:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/5796/vk1kep.htm.
During his Mir stay, Thomas spoke frequently with his family via Amateur
Radio, sometimes with Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, serving as the Earth station.
Hutchison also set up phone patches with Thomas' father, Adrian, who lives
in Adelaide. Hutchison also provided the elder Thomas with a computer to
track Mir and a receiver so he could listen to his son's conversations.
[ANS thanks NASA, the ARRL and Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, for this
information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.03
AMSAT-UK COLLOQUIUM 1998
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.03
AMSAT-UK's 13th Annual Colloquium takes place at the University of Surrey,
starting July 31st and ending August 2, 1998. According to Richard
Limebear, G3RWL, the lecture program this year has been enlarged, with an
additional 90-minute session to accommodate the extensive response to the
call for papers. Included is this years program is a presentation by NASA
astronaut Don Thomas, KC5FVF.
In addition to the presentations, there will also be the usual standard
events, including satellite Command Station visits, the annual dinner and
auction, the AMSAT-UK annual meeting, microwave equipment testing, and the
Friday evening barbecue on the University grounds.
Information about the Colloquium is available on the AMSAT-UK's web site at
he following URL:
http://www.uk.amsat.org/
This year there is also a related event at University of Surrey during the
two days prior to the Colloquium; the International Space Station
gathering. This ISS meeting is also open to everyone.
[ANS thanks Richard Limebear, G3RWL, Colloquium Program Organizer and
AMSAT-UK Communications Officer for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.04
TMSAT LAUNCH
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.04
The TMSAT micro-satellite is currently scheduled for launch on June 23,
1998. The digital amateur radio satellite is to be placed into orbit aboard
a Zenit launch vehicle from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome. The satellite
is scheduled for an 821km sun-synchronous orbit.
A brief overview of the TMSAT satellite and commissioning plan is available
at the following URL:
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/amateur/tmsat/tmsat_commissioni
ng_plan.html.
Further information about TMSAT will be posted to UO-22 as the launch draws
near, and updates on the commissioning itself will be uploaded to TMSAT and
UO-22 following the launch.
All initial commissioning information is scheduled to be available using a
9600 baud downlink, so stations equipped to receive any of the present 9600
baud amateur spacecraft will be also able to receive TMSAT on 436.925 MHz.
Stay tuned to ANS for further updates as the launch date draws near.
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.05
SATELLITE AND RF SEMINAR
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.05
Rosalie White, WA1STO, and Dan Miller, K3UFG, tell ANS that two very
interesting workshops will be available at the ARRL Southwestern Division
Convention. Entitled 'Amateur Satellites -- Today and Tomorrow' and 'The
FCC RF Exposure Regulations', both will feature experts in the satellite
and RF exposure fields.
The workshops will be held during the convention on August 14, 1998.
The satellite workshop will feature AMSAT-NA's own Keith Baker, KB1SF,
along with other AMSAT experts from various parts of the US. Topics to be
covered include:
* Digital satellites as orbiting bulletin boards
* AO-27 - An FM satellite you can work with an HT
* Low earth orbit SSB/CW 'Easy Sats' on 2, 10 and 15 meters
* High altitude satellites such as AO-10
* Mir, SAREX and the International Space Station
Also to be covered is satellite equipment requirements, antennas, rotators,
operating protocol, how to track satellites, Phase 3-D, and where to get
facts from AMSAT, ARRL and the Internet.
The RF Safety Seminar will explain changes to the US radio regulations that
suddenly had ham radio operators interested in RF exposure. Ed Hare, W1RFI,
ARRL Lab Supervisor, has put together a workshop that defines the new
rules, clarifies what is required of ham operators, and even explains the
theory behind the requirements.
The ARRL Educational Activities Department is sponsoring the seminars. To
register for either seminar, contact Dan Miller, K3UFG, at ARRL
Headquarters. A toll free number is available: 1-860-594-0340, or write to
the League at 225 Main, Newington, CT 06111.
There is a small fee for attendance. Those attending either seminar all day
will earn 0.5 Continuing Education Units.
[ANS thanks the ARRL, Rosalie White, WA1STO, and Dan Miller, K3UFG, for
this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.06
SKYQUEST FLIGHT SUCCESSFUL
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.06
Hank Riley, N1LTV, tells ANS the flight of the SkyQuest expendable balloon
package was successful. The flight took place on Saturday, May 30th from
the Taunton, New England National Weather Service office.
N1LTV said the balloon lifted up into "a deep blue New England sky" and as
advertised, the balloon's signal was widely heard, despite a much lower ERP
than expected. Stations all across New England, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
reported receiving the balloons downlink signal.
According to the SkyQuest HF Net, the balloon signals were evident for
approximately 2 hours, indicating a healthy peak altitude. The onboard
micro-controller performed flawlessly. Also flawless was the superb net
control provided by Steve Ford, WB8IMY, through the facilities of ARRL
Headquarters station W1AW. The net had almost 30 check-ins, and has
provided the greatest feedback so far with respect to confirmed signal
reach. N1LTV was able to monitor the last several minutes of the HF net,
and reports he found it "to be totally enjoyable."
N1LTV is seeking operators who have extended tapes of the balloon telemetry
signals that they could loan to SkyQuest for analysis. Extended,
uninterrupted tapes are required to decode the altimeter data, and need not
be perfect in quality because exact frequencies are not relevant to alti
tude measurement. Hank is also seeking more signal reports of any station
that monitored SkyQuest during its flight, especially in Maine and Canada.
Reports should be sent to the following e-mail address:
n1ltv@amsat.org
[ANS thanks Hank Riley, N1LTV, and SkyQuest for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.07
SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.07
Papers are due July 1, 1998 for the 24th annual Eastern VHF/UHF Conference,
August 21-23rd at Harley Hotel, Enfield, Connecticut. The conference is
sponsored by the Eastern VHF/UHF Society and the North East Weak Signal
Group.
Subjects to be covered include VHF/UHF operating, antennas, equipment
design, interfacing and testing. All submittals must be camera-ready with
one-inch borders and separate photos with accompanying page layout. Send
submittals to:
Bruce Wood N2LIV
1998 Eastern VHF/UHF Conference Chairman & Proceedings Editor
3 Maple Glen Lane
Nesconset, New York 11767-1711
This year's conference will feature both speakers and a technical
laboratory. Gerry Rodski, K3MKZ, of SSB Electronics, will conduct a preamp
noise-figure measurement workshop covering 50 MHz - 10 GHz. Joe Reisert,
W1JR, will manage the antenna gain-measurement range from 222 MHz and up,
and all entrants will receive a hard copy plot of their antenna. Ernie
Gray, W1MRQ, will host a VHF-SHF trivia quiz.
The ARRL will publish the Proceedings, which will be available at the
event. More information is available at the following URL:
http://uhavax.hartford.edu/~newsvhf
[ANS thanks the ARRL, Eastern VHF/UHF Society and the North East Weak
Signal Group for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.08
ANS IN BRIEF
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.08 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-165.08
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** There is no easier time to work the satellites than FD. No preamps, no
power amps, no rotators and no complex hardware. Just set up your rigs
barefoot in middle of a field. Run 10 feet of coax to the beam antenna of
your choice, get someone to hold and point the antennas and work 'em. At
Field Day, think basics. For a 10 minute pass, anyone can hold the antenna.
--WB4APR
** AMSAT-UK announces the availability of an update insert for their
popular publication 'The Guide to Oscar Operating'. The update, which
replaces the previous one, costs one UK pound from the AMSAT-UK Secretary.
This price includes postage for UK correspondents, if anyone is ordering
from overseas, AMSAT-UK would appreciate a small amount to cover the extra
postage. More information is available from g6zru@amsat.org. -AMSAT BB,
G3RWL
** According to the annual statistics collected by the International
Amateur Radio Union (IARU), there were 2,777,000 amateur radio operators in
the world in 1997. --NX1L, The ARRL Letter
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.09
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PT 1
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.09 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-165.09
MIR/SAFEX
SAFEX II 70 cm Repeater
Uplink 435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 141.3 Hz
Downlink 437.950 MHz FM
Semi-operational.
SAFEX II 70 cm QSO Mode
Uplink 435.725 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 151.4 Hz
Downlink 437.925 MHz FM
Semi-operational.
PMS
Uplink/Downlink 145.985 MHz FM 1200 Baud AFSK
Operational.
The PBBS is running a Kantronics KPC-9612 + V.8.1 TNC. The commands are
similar to most PBBS and BBS systems.
[ANS thanks Scott Avery, WA6LIE, and the MIREX team for Mir status
information]
RS-12
Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Operational, mode KA.
RS-15
Uplink 145.858 to 145.898 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.354 to 29.394 MHz CW/SSB
Semi-operational.
RS-15 has apparently lost its TLM beacon, however the transponder
remains on and working.
RS-16
The 435 MHz beacon (only) is operational. Attempts to command
the Mode A transponder on have been unsuccessful.
Transponder information on RS-16.
Uplink = 145.915 - 145.948 MHz
Downlink = 29.415 - 29.448 MHz
Beacons = 29.408 and 29.451 MHz
Pwr 29 MHz Down = 1.2W /4W
Beacon 1 = 435.504 MHz
Beacon 2 = 435.548 MHz
Pwr 435 MHz Beacons = 1.6W
AO-10
Uplink 435.030 to 435.180 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 145.975 to 145.825 MHz CW/USB
Semi-operational.
Stacey Mills, W4SM, reports AO-10 downlink signals have improved
considerably in the past weeks. W4SM reports no problem hearing his own
downlink at 30,000-km distance. This bodes well for this year's field day
activities on AO-10 as "the satellite will also be orbitally well
positioned for field day use this year."
The low point of this illumination cycle appears to have been around late
March, although the beacon could still be barely heard with deep QSB at
that time. W4SM has revised the questimated ALON/ALAT to approximately
100/25 based on these observations.
W4SM has more information about the satellite on his AO-10 web page, using
the following URL:
http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html
[ANS thanks Stacey Mills, W4SM for his AO-10 status information and web
site]
AO-27
Uplink 145.850 MHz FM
Downlink 436.792 MHz FM
Operational.
AO-27 TEPR States are currently:
4 = 36 = 18 Minutes
5 = 72 = 36 Minutes
This means AO-27's transmitter turns on 18 minutes after entering the Sun
and stays on for 18 minutes. AO-27's transmitter is turned off at all other
times during the orbit. N4USI reminds stations that this happens on every
orbit, approximately 14.2 times a day. The current TEPR settings will cause
the satellite to be on during the daytime at northern latitudes.
[ANS thanks Michael Wyrick, N4USI, AO-27 Control-op for this update]
FO-20
Uplink 145.900 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Operational. FO-20 in mode JA continuously.
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK for his FO-20 status reports]
FO-29
Voice/CW Mode JA
Uplink 145.900 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Operational.
Digital Mode JD
Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM
Downlink 435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK
Not operational, the satellite is in JA (voice) mode.
Kazu, JJ1WTK, tells ANS that the command station of FO-29 has released a
report showing current solar activity apparently is causing frequent 2 bit
errors in the on-board-computer. The satellite will stay in mode JA for in
order to investigate the frequency of these errors.
The FO-29 command station is asking for reports from radio amateurs who can
confirm the value of channel '2B' in CW telemetry. The position of channel
'2B' is the 6th item transmitted after 'HI HI'. The value is '00' normally.
Reports will be appreciated (in e-mail) addressed to:
lab@jarl.or.jp.
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for this report]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-165.10
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PT 2
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 165.10 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 14, 1998
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-165.10
KO-23
Uplink 145.900 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Downlink 435.175 MHz FM
Operational. Downlink efficiencies are in the 90% range.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC for this report]
KO-25
Uplink 145.980 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Downlink 436.50 MHz FM
Not operational.
ANS has learned that as of June 6th KO-25 uplinks are not being accepted by
the satellite. There is a continuous message being transmitted, "We will
reboot the OBC S/W of KO-25 for a while."
The satellite software was apparently still being reloaded when observed
on June 11th, @1645 UTC. ANS has no further information when the reloading
process will be completed. Stay tuned for further developments.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC for this report]
UO-22
Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Downlink 435.120 MHz FM
Operational.
More information on the satellite is available at the following URL:
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/
Regular status updates on UO-22 are expected in the near future from
Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, Operations Manager of UO-22.
OSCAR-11
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM, 1200 Baud PSK
Beacon 2401.500 MHz
Operational.
Beacon reception reports should be sent to: g3cwv@amsat.org.
In response to many requests for information about methods of decoding
OSCAR-11 signals, a package of hardware information has been added to the
satellite web site. The site also contains some software for capturing
data, decoding ASCII telemetry and WOD information.
The URL is http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/
[ANS thanks Clive Wallis, G3CWV, for this information]
AMSAT-OSCAR-16 (PACSAT)
Uplink 145.90 145.92 145.94 145.86 MHz FM 1200 bps Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.0513 MHz SSB, 1200 bps RC-BPSK 1200 Baud PSK
Beacon 2401.1428 MHz
Operating normally.
The telemetry is nominal. The S band transmitter is off.
Time is Fri Jun 12 22:44:30 1998 uptime is 1363/17:12:04.
Temperatures below are at the end of a night orbit.
+X (RX) Temp -12.709 D RX Temp 0.603 D
Baseplt Temp 0.603 D +Z Array Temp -18.760 D
RC PSK BP Temp -6.658 D RC PSK HPA Tmp -6.053 D
+Y Array Temp -25.416 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -6.053 D
RC PSK TX Out 0.360 W
Total Array C= 0.058 Bat Ch Cur=-0.143 Ifb= 0.047 I+10V= 0.121
TX:0109 BCR:7B PWRC:59E BT: A WC:25 EDAC:AB
General information and telemetry WOD files can be found at:
http://www.arrakis.es/~ea1bcu/wod.htm
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for this report]
DO-17 (DOVE)
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM 1200 Baud AFSK
Beacon 2401.220 MHz
Currently non-operational.
The 145.825 MHz and 2401.220 MHz downlinks are off the air. Command
stations are reported to be working on the problem. No additional
information
is available at this time.
WEBERSAT (WO-18)
Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB 1200 Baud PSK AX.25
Currently non-operational.
WO-18 is in MBL mode after a software crash. No additional information is
available at this time.
LUSAT-OSCAR-19
Uplink 145.84 145.86 145.88 145.90 MHz FM 1200 bps Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.125 MHz SSB 1200 bps RC-BPSK
Operating normally.
The telemetry is nominal.
Time is Fri Jun 12 23:21:10 1998 uptime is 1088/09:16:00.
Temperatures below are at the end of a night orbit.
+X (RX) Temp -12.209 D RX Temp -2.113 D
Baseplt Temp -0.991 D RC PSK BP Temp -6.039 D
RC PSK HPA Tmp -7.722 D +Y Array Temp -21.744 D
PSK TX HPA Tmp -6.039 D +Z Array Temp -16.696 D
RC PSK TX Out 0.520 W
Total Array C= 0.071 Bat Ch Cur=-0.129 Ifb= 0.008 I+10V= 0.131
TX:016 BCR:1E PWRC:36E BT:3C WC: 0
General information and telemetry samples can be found at:
http://www.arrakis.es/~ea1bcu/lo19.htm
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for this report]
IO-26 (ITAMSAT)
Uplink 145.875 145.900 145.925 145.950 MHz FM 1200 Baud PSK
Downlink 435.822 MHz SSB
Semi-operational.
Telemetry is reported as being downloaded on 435.822 MHz at 1200 baud PSK.
No additional information is available at this time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to
ans-editor@amsat.org, (or to)
ANS Editor, Dan James, NN0DJ, at nn0dj@amsat.org.
/EX
Daniel (Dan) James
AMSAT News Service Bulletin Editor
Amateur callsign: NN0DJ
Grid Square EN-28iv
Warroad, Minnesota U.S.A.
e-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org