[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[jamsat-news:1021] ANS 031
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 031
ANS is a free weekly news and information service of AMSAT North
America, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the
activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an
active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating
through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The AMSAT-NA 1999 General Meeting and Space Symposium
will be held in San Diego, California, October 8-10, 1999.
Information on AMSAT-NA is available at the following URL:
http://www.amsat.org (or)
AMSAT-NA
850 Sligo Avenue, Suite 600
Silver Spring, Maryland
20910-4703
Voice: 301-589-6062
FAX: 301-608-3410
Currently, AMSAT-NA provides the following free mailing lists:
* AMSAT News Service (ANS)
* General satellite discussion (AMSAT-BB)
* Orbit data (KEPS)
* Manned space missions (SAREX)
* District of Columbia area (AMSAT-DC)
* New England (AMSAT-NE)
To subscribe, or for more list information, visit the following URL:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/menu.html
Please Note: ANS editor Dan James, NN0DJ, would like to take this
opportunity to express a sincere thank you to AMSAT-NA VP Robin
Haighton, VE3FRH, who filled in as ANS editor for the past two weeks.
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.01
AMSAT-NA STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM FORMED
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-031.01
Under the guidance of Bill Burden, WB1BRE, AMSAT-NA Vice President
for Strategic Planning, AMSAT's strategic planning process is about to
re-commence.
The initial idea is to review the current AMSAT-NA mandate and then
present those findings to the Board of Directors, either confirming the
current AMSAT-NA mandate -- or to make appropriate changes.
This action will require a considerable amount of work by those involved,
but according to AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Robin Haighton,
VE3FRH, "both AMSAT-NA President Keith Baker and I consider this to
be an essential action that must be completed before the next annual
AMSAT-NA meeting in San Diego." At that time, added VE3FRH, "any
proposed changes may be placed in front of the general membership."
Team members were chosen from active members of AMSAT-NA,
representative of the general membership and the geographical
areas served by AMSAT-NA itself.
Current team members are:
Bill Burden WB1BRE
Keith Baker KB1SF
Russ Tillman K5NRK
Ken Ernandes N2WWD
Bdale Garbee N3EUA
Dan James NN0DJ
Steve Bible N7HPR
Robin Haighton VE3FRH
Stay tuned to ANS for further developments of the Strategic Planning
Team.
[ANS thanks Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, AMSAT-NA Executive Vice
President for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.02
MIR/APRS SCHOOL ROUNDUP
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-031.02
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, tells ANS the annual ARRL School Club
Roundup (SCR) event will take place from February 8--13, 1999, with
the objective to get as many schools on the air as possible using all
amateur bands all modes.
Wit that in mind, WB4APR notes that the Mir space station orbit during
that week over North America makes this an ideal opportunity for
students to participate in satellite communications as well.
As part of the ongoing APRS/Mir/School experiments, MIREX president
Dr. Dave Larson has endorsed the maximum participation of all schools
to use the Mir digipeater to exchange communications between schools
during the weeklong event. APRS style operations can handle as many
as 100 stations per pass, so any school with a 2-meter FM radio, simple
antenna and a TNC should be successful. The frequency will be 145.985
MHz.
Bob reminds everyone the APRS/Mir portion of this event is not a
contest, but an "opportunity for students and schools to learn about
space communications." WB4APR encourages amateurs to contact a
local school science teacher and schedule a time period during the event
when you can help set up and/or operate a school club station.
The live APRS/Mir downlink is always visible on the Naval
Academy/MIREX web page at the following URL:
http://web.usna.mil/~bruninga/mirex.html
The ARRL School Club Roundup contest is described in detail on page
92 of the January 1999 QST. For more information visit:
http://www.arrl.org/contests
[ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.03
W1B SPECIAL EVENT STATION
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-031.03
Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, has informed ANS that again this year, the W1B
special event station will be active during the Vermont QSO Party.
W1B is operated in commemoration of Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley.
The station will be active on all high frequency bands and several active
analog satellites, operating from grid square FN34. Operation will start at
13:00 UTC on Saturday, February 6th, and will end at 23:00 UTC the
following day.
Mike tells ANS that a group of local AMSAT folks are planning W1B
operation on the active analog satellites during this period. According to
N1JEZ, operation is currently planned for FO-20, FO-29, AO-10, AO-27,
RS-13 mode A and RS-15 mode A.
W1B will issue a colorful certificate for 2-way confirmation.
Mike notes during past operations, over 100 satellite contacts were made
during the event. On HF, worked all states (WAS) was achieved in the
first 6 hours of operation!
[ANS thanks Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.04
SUNSAT LAUNCH DELAYED
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-031.04
Proving that the satellite launch business is actually rocket science --and
frustrated by numerous weather-related delays-- the Boeing team that's
attempting to launch a Delta-II rocket carrying the Sunsat amateur
satellite (and two other payloads) ran into a technical snag during the
January 28th launch attempt.
Eric Lemmon, WB6FLY, reports that at 1044 UTC on Thursday, January
28th, the Delta-II rocket experienced a main engine cutoff immediately
after the engine start command was issued. The shutoff is sent
automatically when an anomaly in the engine sequence is detected.
The cause is of the shutdown is currently under investigation. No
damage occurred to the rocket or to the three satellites that comprise the
payload.
Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, tells ANS the NBC news bureau near the
Vandenberg launch pad featured a nice discourse on the number of
delays occurring with the Delta launch. The NBC report mentioned upper
air winds as the primary cause of the launch delay, but other excuses
including abnormal wind direction (in which debris might fall over a
populated area and ship channel traffic offshore) were also offered. The
NBC story also had a very nice description of the Oersted and Sunsat
satellites.
No further information on the Delta launch is available at this time. Stay
tuned to ANS as this story unfolds.
[ANS thanks Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, Eric Lemmon, WB6FLY, and the
ARRL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.05
ANS IN BRIEF
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-031.05
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** AMSAT-NA secretary Martha Saragovitz tells ANS that AMSAT needs
a volunteer graphic artist to design a patch commemorating the
upcoming AMSAT 30th anniversary. The design should be submitted to
Martha by March 1, 1999. Current plans include having patches at the
Dayton AMSAT Booth. Contact the AMSAT-NA office for more
information. --AMSAT-BB
** The Miami Tropical Hamboree is February 6-7, 1999 and AMSAT will
have a booth at the Hamboree (spaces 69-70). Volunteers are needed to
help handle the activities that typically occur at an AMSAT booth, handle
transactions, deal with memberships and renewals, answer questions
and serve as a representative of AMSAT. An AMSAT Forum is also
scheduled. If you can help send an e-mail to wd4asw@amsat.org.
--Barry, WD4ASW
** Amateur Radio's first Microsat satellites celebrated their 9th birthday
recently. AMSAT-Oscar-16, DOVE-Oscar-17, WEBERSAT-Oscar-18 and
LUSAT-Oscar-19 were all launched together in January 1990 from
Kourou, French Guiana. AO-16 is the only satellite of the group that
continues to perform well, operating for over 1590 days since its last
on-board computer re-load. The remaining satellites are not in full
operation. DOVE experienced a hardware malfunction after launch that
has made it nearly impossible for controllers to upload operating
software. WEBERSAT's primary function was to take digital color
images of the earth, but it also contains all the electronics necessary
to function as a store-and-forward digital communications transponder.
LUSAT also contains a digital transponder, however it has not been
active since the satellite experienced an OBC software crash last year.
--SpaceNews
** Bill, KA7YAO, tells ANS that he will be operating from the Glacier
(Montana) Hamfest in July 1999 with the special callsign -- W7G. Bill will
inform ANS of the dates, times and what satellites the station will be
active on sometime later this summer. --Bill, KA7YAO
** KO0U and N1RWY have collected an up-to-date list of the available
VHF and UHF newsletters. To view the list visit the following URL:
http://www.umecut.maine.edu/~baack/vhfnewslist/index2.html.
--VHF Reflector
** Effective this month the ARRL Field Services and Educational
Activities departments have consolidated to become the Field and
Educational Services Department. The new department brings together
staff members with similar missions and functions --primarily supporting
ARRL volunteers-- who, in turn, support ARRL objectives and promote
ham radio on a local and regional level. Former Educational Activities
Department Manager Rosalie White, WA1STO, has assumed the title of
Educational Services Manager. --ARRL
** Andy, WD9IYT, has assembled an accurate account of AMSAT
related HF/VHF/UHF satellite nets. If you missed his posting on the
AMSAT-BB, e-mail Andy at wd9iyt@amsat.org for more information.
--AMSAT-BB
** Western Europe's 115th Ariane rocket placed PanAmSat into orbit
after a textbook launch from equatorial French Guiana recently. The
Ariane 42L rocket was launched from the European launch center and
20 minutes later space officials said the PAS-6B satellite separated from
the rocket. PAS-6B will provide direct-to-home television broadcasting
throughout South America. --Newsline
** Will, KC6ROL, tells ANS there is a nice article in the February/March
'99 issue of the Smithsonian Air & Space magazine about amateur radio
operations on Mir. The article is called 'Talk Radio'. Information on the
story can be found at the following URL:
http://www.airspacemag.com/ASM/Mag/latest.html. --Will, KC6ROL
** Did you ever wonder what Mark, N0NSV, looked like? Or Jerry,
K5OE? Or Mike, N1JEZ, Bill, W0OQC, Jerry, W0SAT, or Doug,
VA3DGR? Photo's of these active satellite operators (and many more)
can be found on the K9SLQ Satellite Operator Photo Album web site.
The URL is http://www.parlorcity.com/k9slq. --Wayne, K9SLQ
** The launch of NASA's Stardust spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II
rocket is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 1999. Liftoff will occur from
Pad A at Launch Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Station in
Florida. Stardust will fly through the dust cloud that surrounds the
nucleus of a comet -- and for the first time ever, bring that material
back to earth. --NASA
** The FCC has issued an Experimental Radio Service license to the
ARRL to permit two-way tests in the vicinity of 5 MHz, the most likely
site of the next amateur HF band. The license, bearing the call sign
WA2XSY, was issued January 8th. A group of 15 current amateurs in
various parts of the US and the Caribbean will conduct experimental,
two-way RTTY and SSB transmissions within the band of 5.100 to 5.450
MHz. --ARRL
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PT 1
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-031.06
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
Semi-operational due to SSTV transmissions.
The PBBS is running a Kantronics KPC-9612 + V.8.1 TNC. The
commands are similar to most PBBS and BBS systems.
BV1AF, G0SFJ and NS1Z report SSTV transmissions from Mir. G0SFJ
also reports hearing the Russian cosmonauts using 2-meter FM voice
recently (the current Russian crew are not licensed amateur radio
operators).
MIREX has announced an on-going APRS School Days Test. MIREX is
allowing schools to use APRS for position and status reports via R0MIR.
Non-school stations are asked to refrain from using APRS type
transmissions or beacons via R0MIR.
Scott, WA6LIE, has a set of instructions on how to work the Mir space
station. Copies of the instructions are available from Scott by e-mail at
wa6lie@juno.com, or by packet at wa6lie@wa6lie.#wcca.ca.usa.noam.
[ANS thanks Scott Avery, WA6LIE, and the MIREX team for Mir status
information]
Radio Sport RS-12
Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink 21.210 to 21.250 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.408 MHz
Robot Uplink 21.129 MHz Downlink 29.454 MHz
Last reported to be semi-operational, beacon only.
Radio Sport RS-13
Uplink 21.260 MHz to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink 145.960 MHz to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.460 MHz to 29.500 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.504 MHz
Robot Uplink 21.140 MHz Downlink 29.458 MHz
Last reported in mode KA with a 10-meter downlink and a 15-meter
and 2-meter uplink.
John, KD2JF, tells ANS that an effective 10 meter antenna for mode A
work is the turnstile. KD2JF reports he has been using a turnstile located
about 8 feet above ground, noting it "is the best mode A antenna I have
used." John says the turnstile has "a very low receive noise level and
hears very well over the top."
Garie, K8KFJ, reports Bruce, ZF2CM, has been active on RS-13.
XE2YVW in central Mexico (DL81) is looking for schedules on the
satellite, as is VP5JM. RS-13 seems in good shape according to John,
K6YK, who recently made several CW contacts on the bird. Waldis,
VK1WJ, reports excellent downlink signals.
The RS-12/13 satellite has seen many recent changes in operational
status. Modes K, T, KT and now mode KA operation have all been
reported by a number of stations.
No official word from the Russian satellite controllers has been received.
ANS recommends monitoring each satellite carefully to determine the
transponder in operation and which mode it is operating in.
RS-12/13 command is now in the hands of Alex Papkov, in
Kaluga City, Russia.
Radio Sport RS-15
Uplink 145.858 to 145.898 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.354 to 29.394 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.352 MHz (intermittent)
Semi-operational, mode A, using a 2-meter uplink and a 10-meter
downlink.
Dave, WB6LLO, reports he has prepared a "quick and dirty" set of
operating instructions for RS-15 at the following URL:
http://users.aol.com/dguimont
OSCAR 10 AO-10
Uplink 435.030 to 435.180 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 145.975 to 145.825 MHz CW/USB
Beacon 145.810 MHz (unmodulated carrier)
Operational, mode B. AO-10 is locked into a 70-cm uplink and a 2-meter
downlink.
Many AO-10 activity reports have been received by ANS:
Charlie, VR2XMT, reports working VE6ITV, AL7OB, WL7BQM, W6VPH,
K6YK and W7BRP with good signals. John, K6YK, reports VR2XMT,
VR2LC, VU2IR, and VU2MKP contacts. John also reports a nice QSO
with OH5LK when both stations were right at the edges of the footprint.
From St. John, US Virgin Islands, Mal, NP2L, reports contacts with
PS7JN, PA0DVM, DC2BB, OK2VLT, and OZ1MY. Frank, PE1KNL,
reports contacts with K7XQ, NH6VB, VE6ITV and AL7OB.
JA6BX and OZ1MY both report that AO-10 has started FMing again
indicating that another 'sleep period' maybe upcoming.
W4SM tells ANS that he has, using ranging software (and hardware)
developed by James Miller, G3RUH, recently made ranging
measurements on AO-10 and have fed these measurements into an
algorithm, which generates modified Keplerian elements from a 'seed'
set of elements. The Keplerian elements generated appear to be
accurate within 16-25 km and are now based on a 'best fit' of over
300 range measurements.
Satellite: AO-10
Catalog number: 14129
Epoch time: 99020.76950000
Element set: 005
Inclination: 26.927 deg
RA of node: 46.982 deg
Eccentricity: 0.60084
Arg of perigee: 284.293 deg
Mean anomaly: 119.137 deg
Mean motion: 2.05867845 rev/day
Decay rate: 0.0 rev/day^2
Epoch rev: 11735
Checksum: 256
1 14129U 00 0 0 99020.76950000 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 0052
2 14129 026.9270 046.9820 6008400 284.2930 119.1370 02.05867845117354
W4SM has more information about the satellite at 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, mode J.
Jerry, K5OE, recently operated portable from several grid squares,
including EL19 and EM10. Jerry would like to thank everyone for all
the cooperation on AO-27, telling ANS "it was fun."
NP2L, St. John, US Virgin Islands, is looking for contacts on AO-27.
[ANS thanks Michael Wyrick, N4USI, for AO-27 information]
JAS-1b FO-20
Uplink 145.900 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA continuously.
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports]
JAS-2 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, rotated with digital mode and digi-talker. See schedule
below.
Digital Mode JD
Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM
Downlink 435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK
Operational, rotated with analog mode and digi-talker. See schedule
below.
The JARL has released the following FO-29 schedule:
Jan. 25 to Feb. 1 JA
Feb. 1 to Feb. 3 JD1200
Feb. 3 to Feb. 8 JA
Feb. 8 to Feb. 15 JD1200
Feb. 15 to Feb. 18 JA
Feb. 19 to Feb. 22 Digitalker
The JARL will announce the next FO-29 schedule on February 10, 1999.
Several station have reported the mode changes from analog to digital
(and back to analog) including KF4FDJ, G7HIA and KA7YAO.
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for this report]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PT 2
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-031.07
KITSAT KO-23
Uplink 145.900 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Downlink 435.175 MHz FM
Not operational.
ANS has learned (from the KO-23 ground command team) that the
satellite downlink transmitter first tripped off on August 18, 1998. Since
that time, KO-23 has been tripped frequently. The transmitter was again
off the air on January 17th and (again) turned back on. However, the
command team noted the absence of KO-23's downlink on the very next
pass. Telemetry shows one of KO-23's battery cells to be very unstable.
The command team is analyzing the relationship between the battery life
cycle and the downlink transmitter problem. The team has announced
operation of KO-23 will be stopped until the team understands the
problem completely and has found a workable solution.
Several stations have noted that KO-23's transmitter is once again
silent, including W4SM.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ,
for KO-23 status information]
KITSAT KO-25
Uplink 145.980 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Downlink 436.50 MHz FM
Operational.
AA7KC reports the satellite is exhibiting good downlink efficiency.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information]
UO-22
Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Downlink 435.120 MHz FM
Semi-operational.
Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS the OBC186 flight software on UO-22 crashed
recently after operating for well over 500 days.
More information on the satellite is available at the following URL:
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/
[Chris Jackson, G7UPN /ZL2TPO, is the Operations Manager of
UO-22]
OSCAR-11
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM, 1200 Baud AFSK
Beacon 2401.500 MHz
Operational.
Clive, G3CWV, tells ANS that apart from some ground control activity
during the first week in January, it's been another uneventful month for
OSCAR-11. During the period 16-December-98 to 16-January-99 good
signals have been received from the 145.826 MHz beacon. Telemetry is
reported as nominal. Battery voltage is usually around 13.9 volts.
The magnetorquer spin correction counters have continued to be of
interest. Recently there have been very few spin counter increments,
although the spin period remains around its nominal value of -300
seconds. The Z axis counter increments normally, and all the counters
were reset by ground control when a new WOD survey was started.
The internal temperatures have fallen slightly, by about one degree C.
They are now 7.6C and 5.8C for battery and telemetry electronics
respectively. The current duration of solar eclipse times has continued to
provide OSCAR-11 with near optimum conditions, maintaining an
adequate power budget while not allowing the internal temperatures to
rise to excessive levels.
The single WOD survey, of channels 1, 2, 3, 61 (magnetometers) dated
10-October-1998, was transmitted until 05-January when it was briefly
replaced by a survey of the same channels dated 04-January-1999. This
was then replaced by a WOD survey dated 06-January-99, detailing
solar array currents and array voltage on channels 10, 20, 30, 40 (+Y,-X,
+X, V).
The operating schedule is unchanged.
ASCII status (210 seconds)
ASCII bulletin (60 seconds)
BINARY SEU (30 seconds)
ASCII TLM (90 seconds)
ASCII WOD (120 seconds)
ASCII bulletin (60 seconds)
BINARY ENG (30 seconds)
The ASCII bulletin is currently a static message, detailing modes and
frequencies of all the amateur radio satellites. There are additional
status blocks after each bulletin is transmitted, and between ASCII TLM
and WOD.
The mode-S beacon is ON, transmitting an unmodulated carrier, but
telemetry indicates that it has partially failed, and delivering half
power. This beacon is a useful source for those testing mode-S
converters, prior to the launch of P3-D. The 435.025 MHz beacon is
normally off.
More information about OSCAR 11 can be found at the following URL:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/
Beacon reception reports should be sent to g3cwv@amsat.org.
[ANS thanks Clive Wallis, G3CWV, for this information]
PACSAT AO-16
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 AO-16 command team has authorized an APRS experiment on
AO-16 to explore the use of the 1200-baud PACSAT for APRS
position/status reporting. Test periods will run each Tuesday from
0000 to 2359 UTC.
Telemetry is nominal.
Time is Fri Jan 22 21:49:27 1999 uptime is 1587/16:12:30
+10V Bus 10.350 V RC PSK TX Out 0.798 W
+X (RX) Temp -4.237 D RX Temp 10.285 D
Bat 1 Temp 7.260 D Bat 2 Temp 6.654 D
Baseplt Temp 6.654 D RC PSK BP Temp 0.603 D
RC PSK HPA Tmp 2.419 D +Y Array Temp -19.365 D
PSK TX HPA Tmp 1.209 D +Z Array Temp -10.288 D
Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.461 Ifb= 0.197 I+10V= 0.285
TX:010C BCR:1E PWRC:59F BT: A WC:25 EDAC:8A
General information and telemetry WOD files can be found at:
http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu
A complete collection of WOD graphics corresponding to the
year of 1998 can be found at:
http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/wod1998.zip
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for this report]
LUSAT LO-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
Currently semi-operational.
No BBS service. OBC (on board computer) reload in progress. The
Digipeater is active.
Telemetry is as follows:
Time is Fri Jan 22 21:38:09 1999 uptime is 175/08:03:31
RC PSK TX Out 0.659 W
Total Array C= 0.008 Bat Ch Cur=-0.270 Ifb= 0.116 I+10V= 0.161
TX:017 BCR:1E PWRC:62D BT:3C WC: 0
General information and telemetry samples can be found at:
http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/lo19.htm
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for this report]
ITAMSAT IO-26
Uplink 145.875 145.900 145.925 145.950 MHz FM 1200 Baud
Downlink 435.822 MHz SSB
Semi-operational.
Telemetry is reported as being received on 435.822 MHz at 1200 baud
PSK.
ANS has not received any recent updates concerning the status
of IO-26. No additional information is available at this time.
TMSAT-1 TO-31
Uplink 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 436.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK
TMSAT-1 is now open for general access by Amateur Radio operators
worldwide. Normal access will allow operators to use the store and
forward communications on the spacecraft and also download the
high-resolution multispectral images.
Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that during software loading (and other
command activities) ground control stations may close the satellite BBS
to general users. This ensures that command activity is not obstructed or
slowed by user traffic. This also allows ground control stations to
complete these activities much quicker.
Recently, the secondary OBC-386 flight computer software was loaded.
The OBC-386 will be made the primary OBC (with a number of
advantages) including 128 MB of data storage available for storing
images and the availability of two simultaneous uplinks.
ProcMail V2.00G has been released by G7UPN. This software permits
the processing of image files from TO-31. ProcMail V2.00G is available
for downloading on KO-23 and KO-25. It also has been posted to the
AMSAT-NA FTP site at the following URL:
www.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/wisp
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN /ZL2TPO, for this report]
TechSat-1B GO-32
Downlink 435.325 435.225 MHz
HDLC telemetry framed so a TNC in KISS mode will decode it
The TechSat-1B micro-satellite was successfully launched from the
Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 10, 1998.
ANS has not received any recent updates concerning the current status
of GO-32 and no additional information is available at this time.
The satellite does not have a continuos beacon, but does transmit a
9600-baud burst every 30 seconds (for a continuous 3 seconds in
length), currently on 435.225 MHz.
The TechSat team has also constructed a home page about TechSat.
To view the site, point your web browser to:
http://techsat.internet-zahav.net/
[ANS thanks Shlomo Menuhin, 4X1AS, for this information]
SedSat SO-33
Downlink 437.910 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions.
SedSat-1, signifying Students for the Exploration and Development of
Space Satellite number one, was successfully launched and placed in
orbit on Saturday, October 24, 1998.
SedSat is continuing to perform as it has since launch, transmitting
telemetry until the batteries are depleted and then going into safe mode
(for about ten hours) and then repeating the process. "The orbital
geometry is such that we have had as much as 120 hours of continuous
operation from the bird before the batteries die," said Dennis, KD4ETA.
Recovery efforts continue.
For more information on SedSat-1, including Version 1.2 of the SedSat
ground station software -- visit the satellite web site at the following URL:
http://www.seds.org/sedsat
[ANS thanks Dr. Mark Maier, KF4YGR, for this information]
PanSat PO-34
Downlink frequency not established.
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions.
PanSat, developed by the Naval Postgraduate School, was launched
from the shuttle Discovery. PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders
will be available to amateur radio operators in the near future along with
software to utilize this technology. The PO-34 command station is
located in Monterey, California.
Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, PANSAT Project Manager recommends
'The ARRL Spread Spectrum Sourcebook' as a good place to start in
understanding the spread-spectrum scheme.
The PANSAT Team does not expect the satellite to be available to the
Amateur Radio community for another few months.
For more information, visit the official PANSAT web site at:
http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/
[ANS thanks Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.08
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PT 3
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 031.08 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 31, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-031.08
THE FOLLOWING SATELLITES ARE NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS
TIME:
RS-16
Attempts to command the mode A transponder 'on' have been
unsuccessful to date. At this time the RS-16 transponder is
non-operational. The 435 MHz beacon (only) is operational.
No additional information is available at this time.
DOVE DO-17
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM 1200 Baud AFSK
Beacon 2401.220 MHz
Non-operational.
DOVE stopped transmitting in March 1998. The 145.825 MHz and
2401.220 MHz downlinks are off the air and the satellite has not
responded to ground station control.
QSL cards for receiving DOVE (when the satellite is operating) may
be obtained from:
Dianne White, N0IZO
45777 Rampart Road
Parker, Colorado 80138-4316
USA
No additional information is available at this time.
WEBERSAT WO-18
Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB 1200 Baud PSK AX.25
Non-operational.
WO-18 is reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash.
No additional information is available at this time.
--ANS END---
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to
ans-editor@amsat.org
/EX
Daniel (Dan) James
AMSAT News Service Bulletin Editor
AMSAT-NA Vice President/Public Affairs
Amateur callsign: NN0DJ
Grid Square EN28iv
Warroad, Minnesota U.S.A.
e-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org
----
Via the ans mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe ans" to Majordomo@amsat.org