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[jamsat-news:1206] ANS 016


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 016

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.

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 supports 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)
* AMSAT Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-EDU)

To subscribe, or for more list information, visit the following URL:

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/menu.html

This edition of ANS is dedicated to the memory of Lem Allen Jr.,
W7JMH, a former Idaho Section Manager. W7JMH, of Boise,
died January 8th at the age of 81. An ARRL member for 50 years,
he served two terms as Idaho Section Communications Manager and
as Section Manager from May 1984 until September 1986.

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.01
JAWSAT LAUNCH DELAYED	

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.01

Florida Today is reporting the maiden flight of a new U.S. Air Force
booster known as Minotaur - a hybrid combining the first two stages of a
decommissioned Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
with an Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket - was aborted last Friday night
and again on Saturday morning, just moments prior to launch. The
rocket contains the JAWSAT Amateur Radio satellite platform.

Officials at the Vandenberg, California launch site halted the first
countdown when the auto sequence start command was not received
with just two minutes remaining in the countdown. The problem was
rectified and the launch team recycled the Minotaur for a second launch
attempt just before the close of the three-hour launch window. Again, with
just seconds remaining on the countdown clock, a second launch attempt
was halted when the Minotaur's onboard batteries dropped below required
power levels.

The Minotaur's first mission, planned as a test flight to evaluate the former
ICBM's capability as a satellite launch vehicle, will carry Air Force and
NASA experiments and several small student-built spacecraft such as
Amateur Radio's JAWSAT and OPAL.

Next launch attempt for the Minotaur is set to occur no earlier than
January 22nd.

[ANS thanks Florida Today for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.02
JAWSAT DATA - PART 5
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.01

As reported in ANS, the JAWSAT launch (with Amateur Radio's
newest satellites) was first postponed last December and then again this
past weekend. This delayed launch timeframe has allowed ANS to take
a more detailed look at each of the new birds. In the last edition ANS
explored ARTEMIS, a science payload built in conjunction with Stanford
University that will approximate the occurrence and amplitudes of
horizontal and vertical lightning. This edition of ANS will look at the
ASUSAT-1 satellite.

The ASUSAT satellite is an Arizona State University project built around
Amateur Radio packet hardware and a FM voice repeater. ASUSAT-1
will feature a 9600-baud G3RUH type digital communications system.
The uplink/downlink architecture follows the standard VHF/UHF band
plan. From an operating perspective, any station capable of working the
KO-23/KO-25 style satellites should be able to work ASUSAT-1. It is
important to note that the satellite will not feature a store-and-forward
bulletin board system. Stations that communicate with the satellite
following launch should disable all automatic BBS features as the
satellite will not respond to those transmissions.

As noted, a FM transponder is also included in ASUSAT-1, similar to
AO-27. The main difference is the FM transponder will be CTCSS tone
operated.

After launch, ASUSAT-1 will wake up in a power-safe mode. In this mode,
it will send status beacons in both text and binary form using the AX25
protocol. Amateur Radio ground stations having 9600-baud packet radio
capabilities should be able to monitor text messages identifying the
satellite immediately. In fact, the ASUSAT team would greatly appreciate
if the satellite community could help the team by listening for the
satellite after launch and recording any received telemetry.

ASUSAT-1's downlink frequency will be 436.700 MHz.

Additional information on the satellite is available at:

http://www.eas.asu.edu/~nasasg/asusat/asusat.html

A web cast of the launch of JAWSAT (and ASUSAT-1) is available.
To register for the web cast, visit the following URL:

http://www.webcastingtv.com/jawsat/

The Vandenberg launch schedule is available at:

http://mocc.vafb.af.mil/launchsched.asp

[ANS thanks Richard Limebear, G3RWL, for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.03
ANS IN BRIEF

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.03

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

** Several news agencies are reporting that the Mir space station may
receive yet another crew this year for an extended flight paid for by a
undisclosed firm. Mir has been empty and partly shut down since August
1999. The current plan is to send a crew to Mir in March for a 45-day
mission. If the Mir program were to be ended, a crew would probably fly
to the station for a brief mission to shut it down before Mir is guided on
a crash course into the Pacific. -AMSAT-BB

** The ARRL reports that the FCC has begun issuing new U.S.
Amateur Radio license documents on blue paper instead of the beige
stock that hams have become accustomed to for many years. The
change apparently has nothing to do with the recently announced
FCC license restructuring. -ARRL

** NASA has secured a launch date for shuttle Endeavour, clearing the
way for a January 31st flight to map the Earth in unmatched detail. To
make the launch date possible, Air Force officials agreed to postpone
a temporary shutdown of the military tracking system that monitors all
shuttle launches and landings. Once in orbit, the Endeavour crew will
extend a 200-foot mast that will use radar to compile a 3-dimensional
map of the Earth in great detail. -NASA

** The night of January 20th marks a total eclipse of the Moon visible
for all of the Americas (and for Europe on the morning of the 21st).
For more information, including special observing projects for
telescopes and binoculars, visit the following Sky & Telescope web site:
http://www.skypub.com/sights/eclipses/lunar/0001preview.html. -S&T

** The 2000 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be held
in Portland, Maine. An exact date will be officially announced in the
near future. Stay tuned to both the AMSAT Journal and ANS for more
information. -Russ, K5NRK

--ANS BULLETIN END---

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-016.04

RADIO SPORT   RS-12
Uplink		  21.210 to  21.250 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink          	145.910 to 145.950 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
Robot Downlink   29.454 MHz
Semi-operational, beacon only.

RADIO SPORT   RS-13
Uplink     	  21.260 to  21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink          	145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink          	  29.460 to  29.500 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink        	145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon           	  29.458 MHz
Robot Uplink     145.840 MHz
Robot Downlink   29.504 MHz
Operational, in mode-KA with a 10-meter downlink
and a 15-meter and 2-meter uplink.

AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Operators Page:

http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html

AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Forum:

http://www.hotboards.com/powerforum/pwrforum.exe?who=rs1213

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)
SSB meeting frequency 29.380 MHz (unofficial)
Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a
10-meter downlink.

Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 and RS-13
on his web site. In addition to satellite data, antenna information for
mode-A operation is also featured. The WB6LLO web site URL is:

http://home.san.rr.com/doguimont/uploads

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)
Semi-operational, mode-B. AO-10 has been locked into a 70-cm uplink
and a 2-meter downlink for several years.

DX continues to be worked (and heard) on AO-10.

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]

AMRAD   AO-27
Uplink    	145.850 MHz FM
Downlink  	436.795 MHz FM
Operational, mode J.

AO-27 uses a method called Timed Eclipse Power Regulation (TEPR)
to regulate the on-board batteries. In simple terms, TEPR times how
long the satellite has been in an eclipse (or in the sun) and decides
what subsystems to turn on or off. The AO-27 pages on the AMSAT-NA
web site include an explanation of AO-27 operations (at):

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html

Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states on AO-27 (on 12/14/99).

TEPR 4 is 12	TEPR 5 is 48

[ANS thanks Chuck Wyrick, KM4NZ, and Michael Wyrick, N4USI, for
AO-27 information]

JAS-1b   FO-20
Uplink   	145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 	435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB
Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA continuously.

JAS-1b (FO-20) was launched in February 1990 and continues
to function quite well.

[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports]

JAS-2   FO-29
Voice/CW Mode JA
Uplink   	145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 	435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB
Operational, rotated with digital mode and digi-talker.

JAS-2 was successfully launched on August 17, 1996, by an H-II launch
vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center.

Digital Mode JD
Uplink     	145.850  145.870  145.910 MHz FM
Downlink   	435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK
Digitalker 	435.910 MHz
Operational, rotated with analog mode and digi-talker.

Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29,
addressing analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy
e-mail Mike at:          kf4fdj@amsat.org

Kazu, JJ1WTK, reports the FO-29 operational schedule
(announced by the JARL) is as follows:

through January 16th	JD1200 mailbox
January 17-31st     	JA

Mineo, JE9PEL, has updated his FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis
program. The software will automatically analyze all digital
telemetry from the satellite such as current, voltage and temperature.

The JE9PEL FO-29/software update is available at:

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/

[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-016.05

KITSAT   KO-23
Uplink   	145.900 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 	435.175 MHz FM
Operational. The satellite has returned to service.

KO-23 ground control stations report to ANS the KO-23 main
transmitter has returned to full service and the power budget
appears to be fine.

[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 	436.500 MHz FM
Operational.

Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 is operational with good data throughput.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information]

UOSAT   UO-22
Uplink   	145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 	435.120 MHz FM
Operational.

Chris Jackson, G7UPN, earlier reported to ANS that there were some
problems with UO-22, noting "the satellite has entered a period of
permanent sunlight and controllers are trying some attitude
maneuvers to cool it down." Currently, UO-22 is in service. Chris
tells ANS "it's possible that I may close it again depending on how
things heat up over the next few days. We are currently inverting the
attitude which I hope will cool down most of the spacecraft."

More information on the satellite is available at the following URL:

http://www.sstl.co.uk/

[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-22
status information]

OSCAR-11
Downlink  	    145.825 MHz FM, 1200 baud AFSK
Mode-S Beacon  2401.500 MHz
Operational.

The operating schedule is as follows:

        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 active amateur radio satellites.

More information on OSCAR-11 is available at the following URL:

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/

[ANS thanks Clive Wallis, G3CWV, for OSCAR-11 status information]

LUSAT   LO-19
Uplink 	  145.84 145.86 145.88 145.90 MHz FM
               using 1200 baud Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.125 MHz SSB RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK
Currently semi-operational. No BBS service. The digipeater is active.

Mineo, JE9PEL, reports receiving LO-19 CW telemetry on
January 15th.

General information and telemetry samples can be found at:

http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/lo19.htm

[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information]

TMSAT-1   TO-31
Uplink   	145.925 MHz  9600 baud FSK
Downlink 	436.925 MHz  9600 baud FSK
Operational.

ProcMail V2.00G has been released by G7UPN. This software permits
the processing of image files from TO-31. It has been posted to the
AMSAT-NA FTP site at the following URL:

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/wisp

Many of the high-resolution color images transmitted by TMSAT are
compressed using a UoSAT compression format. This format is
supported by the VK5HI CCD display program.

[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for TO-31 status
information]

SUNSAT   SO-35
Operational. SunSat has been in mode-B using an uplink
of 436.291 MHz (+/- doppler) and a 145.825 MHz downlink.

SunSat was launched February 23, 1999 aboard a Delta II rocket from
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SunSat stands for
Stellenbosch University Satellite and takes it name from the South
African university whose students constructed the payload.

The SunSat package includes 1200 and 9600 baud digital
store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater system
that will be used primarily for educational demonstrations.
The satellite has two VHF and two UHF transmit-receive systems.

The SunSat command team recently upgraded the diary software.
The team has also uploaded the parrot repeater software and early
tests were satisfactory. The parrot repeater should be functional
near the end of January. According to the team packet radio
operation is still some 3 months away.

For more information on SunSat, visit the following URL:

http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za

[ANS thanks Garth Milne ZR1AFH, for this information]

UoSAT-12   UO-36
Downlink	437.025 MHz
             	437.400 MHz

UoSAT-12 was successfully launched on April 21, 1999 from the
Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome. UO-36 carries a number of imaging
payloads, digital store-and-forward communications and mode L/S
transponders.

The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions.

S-band high speed downlink commissioning continues at rates
between 128kb/s and 1Mb/s. The S-band downlink frequency has
not been announced.

UO-36 has been transmitting 9600-baud FSK telemetry framed in a
VLSI format using a downlink frequency of 437.400 MHz. Chris,
G7UPN, reports UO-36 is also (at times) testing on 437.025 MHz at a
baud rate of 38,400 (38k4). Currently, this downlink is switched on over
Europe. Due to the limited power on UO-36, it is not possible to have
this downlink on permanently over all areas.

Presently the BBS is still closed.

The VK5HI viewer shareware is available on the AMSAT-NA
web site at the following URL:

ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/display/ccddsp97-119.zip

Further information on UO-36 is available from: http://www.sstl.co.uk/

[ANS thanks Chris G7UPN/ZL2TPO, and the University of Surrey for
this information]

ITAMSAT   IO-26
Uplink   	145.875 145.900 145.925 145.950 MHz FM 1200 baud
Downlink 	435.822 MHz SSB
Semi-operational, digipeater function is 'on'.

IO-26 was launched on the September 26, 1993.

Alberto, I2KBD, reports IO-26 has been opened to APRS use.

[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for this
information]

TECHSAT-1B   GO-32
Downlink 	435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry
Updated status. Shlomo, 4X1AS, tells ANS that efforts are underway
to bring GO-32 on line. According to Dr. Fred Ortenberg of the Asher
Space Research Institute in Haifa, "the TechSat control team is about to
finish its Amateur Radio BBS package tests. The next stage is to add
beacon messages about the satellite's housekeeping status." 

Stay tuned to ANS for further information.

The TechSat-1B micro-satellite was successfully launched from the
Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 10, 1998.

Last reported, 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), on 435.225 MHz.

The TechSat team has constructed a home page about TechSat.
To view the site, point your web browser to:

http://techsat.internet-zahav.net/

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-016.06

THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE
NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME:

PANSAT   PO-34
Uplink/downlink frequencies have not been established.
The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions.

PanSat, developed by the Naval Postgraduate School, was launched
from the shuttle Discovery during STS-95. PanSat spread-spectrum
digital transponders will be available to amateur radio operators in the
near future along with software to utilize this technology.

Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, PanSat Project Manager recommends
'The ARRL Spread Spectrum Sourcebook' as a good place to start in
understanding the spread-spectrum scheme.

For more information, visit the official PanSat web site at:

http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/

PanSat is the featured cover article in the July/August 1999 issue of the
AMSAT-NA Journal (written by KD6DRA and N7HPR).

[ANS thanks Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, for this information]

PACSAT   AO-16
Uplink     145.90 145.92 145.94 145.86 MHz FM
               using 1200 baud Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.0513 MHz SSB RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK
Mode-S Beacon   2401.1428 MHz
Non-operational.

Russ Platt, WJ9F, of the AO-16 Command Team tells ANS  "it appears
that after 1900 plus days of operating -- AO-16 suffered a problem that
returned it to safe mode." WJ9F has been able to turn the 70-cm
transmitter back on. AO-16 is in MBL (Microsat Boot Loader) mode and
ground teams are checking the on-board memory to find the cause of
this problem.

Stay tuned to ANS for further updates.

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 AO-16 status information]

MIR SPACE STATION
Ham radio activity aboard the Mir space station came to a close on
August 28, 1999 as the crew returned to Earth, leaving the station
unmanned. Mir is in a stable orbit with only essential systems running.
All Amateur Radio activities have ceased.

Stay tuned to ANS for further developments.

Current Amateur Radio equipment aboard Mir includes:

MIR SAFEX II 70-cm Repeater
Uplink		435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 141.3 Hz
Downlink  	437.950 MHz FM
Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed.

MIR SAFEX II 70-cm QSO Mode
Uplink    	435.725 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 151.4 Hz
Downlink  	437.925 MHz FM
Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed.

MIR PERSONAL MESSAGE SYSTEM (PMS)
Uplink/Downlink 145.985 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK
Not operational.

DOVE   DO-17
Downlink       145.825 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK
  	       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. 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.

SEDSAT-1   SO-33
Downlink 	437.910 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and
recovery efforts have been unsuccessful.

Mineo, JE9PEL, reports he has again received minimal telemetry
from the satellite, the most recent dated December 9th.

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.

For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at the
following URL:

http://www.seds.org/sedsat

No additional information is available at this time.

/EX

--ANS END---

ANS would like to thank Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, ANS principal satellite
investigator, for helping provide current satellite information.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to
ans-editor@amsat.org

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

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