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[jamsat-news:1430] ANS 035
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 035
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.
ANS is first released via the AMSAT-NA 20-meter net held each Sunday
on 14.282 MHz. Pre-net operations start at 18:00 UTC, with current ANS
bulletins transmitted to the eastern U.S. at 19:00 UTC and to the western
U.S. at 19:30 UTC. ANS is also released worldwide via the AMSAT ANS
e-mail reflector.
AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce that recent and future development
in Amateur Radio satellites will take place in Atlanta, Georgia at the
19th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting, October 5-6,
2001. The Symposium Chairman is Steve Diggs, W4EPI.
Contact W4EPI at: w4epi@amsat.org
Information on AMSAT-NA is available at the following URL:
http://www.amsat.org (or from)
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 area (AMSAT-NE)
* AMSAT Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-EDU)
* AMSAT K-12 Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-K12)
A daily digest version is available for each list.
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 Lew Tepfer, W6FVV,
of Weed, California, who died recently as the result of an auto accident.
He was 79. W6FVV spent 20-years as the head of the International
Visual Communication Association and was well-known in the Amateur
Radio Slow Scan TV community.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for this information]
ANS is always dedicated to the memory of past ANS editor 'BJ' Arts,
WT0N, and to the memory of long-time AMSAT supporter Werner
Haas, DJ5KQ.
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.01
PHASE 3D/AO-40 UPDATE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.01
The month of February begins with command stations continuing their
on-going recovery efforts of AMSAT OSCAR 40.
The AMSAT-DL web site is currently featuring the following statement:
AO-40 is currently like a ship on a sandbank at low-tide and in the fog.
In the fog because of the high solar-angle (maximum of 77 degrees)
where the onboard sun sensor(s) temporarily cannot see. At low-tide
because the increasing solar-angle leads to less illumination (minimum
of 23 percent) - thus less energy is produced. AO-40 is stuck on a
sandbank because the satellite cannot be maneuvered out of this
situation very easily. The 'de-spinning' software routine may help. This
program should work without sun sensor data and will use on-going
measurements from the solar panels as an attitude indicator. Intensive
work on this software is currently taking place.
Even if this routine doesn't work immediately, there is no reason to
panic. The 'fog and low-tide' orbit will disappear with further seasonal
Sun movements around the spacecraft. By April the sensors will see the
Sun again and active attitude control can be restarted. After lowering
the current spin rate, improving the Sun angle and repositioning AO-40's
antennas, all further tests can be done.
Command stations G3RUH and W4SM have completed a long-term
prediction of AO-40's new orbit. Even after last year's accident and the
resulting decrease of perigee - AO-40's orbit will be fairly stable through
this period.
ALON/ALAT is currently 248/-7, as last listed on the AMSAT-DL
web page.
The AO-40 element set (number 30) is as follows:
Satellite: AO-40
Catalog number: 26609
Epoch time: 01027.28372779
Inclination: 5.8370 degrees
RA of node: 227.6036 degrees
Eccentricity: 0.8132970
Arg of perigee: 212.6216 degrees
Mean anomaly: 48.4646 degrees
Mean motion: 1.26933309 rev/day
Decay rate: -7.0e-07 rev/day^2
Epoch rev: 111
Checksum: 274
Stay tuned to AMSAT News Service, the official source of AO-40 news
and information.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL and AMSAT-NA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.02
SUNSAT OPERATIONS CEASE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.02
AMSAT OSCAR 35, known the world over as SunSat, has ceased
operation. Johann, ZR1CBC, first broke the unfortunate news on
the AMSAT-NA bulletin board:
"Our last contact with SunSat was on January 19, 2001 at 15:22:37 UTC.
Unfortunately, little hope remains after two weeks of recovery attempts.
My thanks to all who shared in our fun, your feedback and continual
encouragement made most of it happen. I hope to talk to you on AMSAT
Oscar 40 soon."
73, ZR1CBC
Houston, Texas AMSAT Area Coordinator Bruce Paige, KK5DO, recorded
the very first operational pass of SunSat over the North America - it's
available at the following URL:
http://www.amsatnet.com/so35.ram
The SunSat team released the following statement, dated
February 1, 2001:
We regret to announce that the last communication with SunSat from
our ground station at the Electronic Systems Laboratory at Stellenbosch
University took place recently. We are certain, after having performed
several tests since the last contact, that an irreversible, physical failure
has occurred on the satellite. It is therefore unlikely that we will have
any
further contact with SunSat, apart from the occasional visual sighting by
telescope!
The SunSat team reported that SO-35 was recently exposed to
continuous sunlight for a period of five months due to orbital parameters.
The orbit was determined by the requirements of the Danish Orsted
satellite, on which the SunSat platform was based. SunSat was a
secondary (and free) payload attached to the Orsted spaceframe.
When the satellite became exposed to the full sun period, the SunSat
command team continuously re-oriented the satellite in an attempt to
alleviate high operating temperatures and battery overcharging. The
ground team realized that battery capacity was a problem and efforts to
recondition the battery cells seemed to help at first, however, the
satellite then suddenly failed.
Interestingly, the ground team does not believe battery failure was the
cause of the shutdown. The team believes the failure resulted from
multiple internal problems or a possible collision with an external
object resulting in major physical damage. The SunSat web site did not
contain any information as to if the Orsted platform also suffered an
operational failure.
The SunSat team was (nevertheless) very satisfied with SunSat's
achievements in orbit during the period of nearly 2-years since launch.
Built by graduate students at Stellenbosch, SO-35 was launched on
February 23, 1999, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
aboard a Delta II rocket.
When it was operational the SunSat package included 1200 and 9600
baud digital store-and-forward capability, a voice 'parrot' repeater
system and Mode B/J operation with two VHF and two UHF
transmit-receive systems.
ANS would like to congratulate the SunSat team for their outstanding
achievements with SO-35 and thanks all the Amateur Radio operators
that were associated with the satellite.
[ANS thanks the SunSat command team and the ARRL for this
information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.03
BEST FIST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.03
Amateur Radio operators worldwide participated in AMSAT-NA's 29th
annual Straight Key Night on OSCAR, held last January 1, 2001. In
keeping with the friendly tradition of this event, participants were
encouraged to nominate someone he or she worked for 'Best Fist'.
AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Ray Soifer, W2RS, recently
announced the Best Fist winners as:
* Tom Hart, AD1B, of Dedham, Massachusetts
* Tom McGane, K2ISS, of West Hampton, New York
* Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, of Morro Bay, California
* Peter Lawn, WA6DFU, of San Luis, California
* Alan Lyday, WC9C, of Pimento, Indiana
Congratulations to these fine operators from ANS!
SKN is totally informal, the whole idea is just have fun operating Morse
Code with a straight hand key via any Amateur Radio satellite (including
the moon -OSCAR Zero).
The 30th SKN event is scheduled for the start of year 2002!
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Ray Soifer, W2RS,
for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.04
ANS IN BRIEF
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** NASA's Mars Global Surveyor has completed its primary mapping
mission of Mars, a mission that lasted one full Mars year (687 days).
During this time MGS was able to globally map the planet while
monitoring seasonal changes. Some channels visible on the surface
of the planet may have been gouged by ice, rather than by catastrophic
flooding, as is generally believed. -SpaceDaily
** Meeting in Irving, Texas recently, the ARRL Board of Directors voted
to increase membership dues from $34 to $39 annually for full members
younger than 65, and from $28 to $34 for full members 65 and older. The
dues hike goes into effect July 1, 2001. The last ARRL dues increase was
in July 1997. -ARRL Letter
** Software developed by the Aerospace Corporation can save satellites
from failure, extend the on-orbit life of satellites with ailing hardware
gyros
and save large sums of money in insurance costs, among other benefits.
More information is available at the following URL:
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/space-salvage-01a.html. -SpaceDaily
** NASA reports its NEAR Shoemaker space probe is set to drop to its
final resting place on the asteroid Eros shortly, sending pictures as it
goes.
The robotic spacecraft, which left Earth five years ago and spent the last
year orbiting the asteroid and taking pictures, is scheduled for a
controlled
descent to the surface of Eros two days before Valentine's Day. It is
scheduled to land gently at the edge of a saddle-shaped feature called
Himeros. -Roy, K6DUE
** AMSAT-NA is please to report we have met our first $1,000 challenge
(a dollar match for new and lapsed memberships). It's now time for the
second challenge. Through the month of February all donations (up to
$1,000) will be matched. Let's show support of AMSAT and the
outstanding jobs done by our volunteers! -ANS
** Students at George West Elementary School enjoyed the latest
successful ISS school contact. Students asked several questions related
to microgravity and even the dreams the crew might have as they sleep
in space. A crowd of about 75 teachers and relatives joined the many
students as the contact took place. The contact was 'rock solid' with
very good signals reported throughout the 10-minute pass.
-ARISS/ARRL
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.05
Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40
Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher
from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: S-Band transmitter is
active, recovery efforts continue.
The V-band, U-band and the L-band (L1) receivers are working on the
the high-gain antennas. The omni-directional antennas appear to be
non-functional. The attitude control system is functional. Recovery
efforts continue.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL for this information]
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/ARISS
Worldwide packet uplink: 145.990 MHz
Region 1 voice uplink: 145.200 MHz
Region 2/3 voice uplink: 144.490 MHz
Worldwide downlink: 145.800 MHz
TNC callsign RZ3DZR
ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis
Status: Operational (although current ISS workload is limiting operation)
Recent school contacts have gone well, the Merivale, Ottawa, Ontario
school contact is currently scheduled for mid-February.
ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio
organizations, including AMSAT.
U.S. callsign: NA1SS
Russian callsign: R0ISS, RZ3DZR
German call sign: DL0ISS
RZ3DZR-1 is the callsign entered into the TNC currently onboard Alpha,
operation is expected shortly.
More information about the project can be found on the ARISS web site
at http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov.
[ANS thanks ARISS team member Will Marchant, KC6ROL, for this
information]
RADIO SPORT RS-12
Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.408 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-12 was re-activated in mode A on January 1, 2001
Dan, NN0DJ, worked Mike, KE4AZN, and Don, K5BTK, using very
minimal antennas - RS-12 really is an 'easy sat'!
The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the
AC5DK RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at:
http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html
[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information]
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)
Launched: December 26, 1994 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Status: Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a
10-meter downlink
Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 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
[ANS thanks Dave Guimont, WB6LLO, for this information]
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)
Launched: June 16, 1983 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: 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. Richard, G3RWL,
has been providing information about AO-10 plans by the D68C
DXpedition. D68C plans to start AO-10 activity on February 8th.
The G3RWL recommendation is to look around AO-10's 145.895 MHz
downlink. Last minute information will be posted on the AMSAT-BB.
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
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J.
Periodically, AO-27's analog repeater will be turned off for a few days
at a time to enable ground controllers to gather Whole Orbital Data
(WOD), to verify the health of the satellite.
An AO-27 question-and-answer page is available on the AMSAT-NA
web site. The URL is: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/intro/ao27faq.html.
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 current TEPR settings (as of
November 25, 2000) are:
TEPR 4 18 TEPR 5 36
The AO-27 pages on the AMSAT-NA web site include an
explanation of TEPR AO-27 operations (at):
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html
[ANS thanks AMRAD for AO-27 information]
UO-14
Uplink 145.975 MHz FM
Downlink 435.070 MHz FM
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J
Happy birthday UO-14, now 11 years old!
Tim, KG8OC, has updated the Michigan AMSAT Information site
to include UO-14 information -- point your web browser to the
following URL: http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-14 information]
JAS-1b FO-20
Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Launched: February 07, 1990 by an H1 launcher from the
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational.
FO-20 is in mode JA continuously
Tak, JA2PKI, reported the FO-20 control station operators believe
that the UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the
transponder. The UVC monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the
batteries from over discharge. Tak notes that FO-20, launched in 1990,
is now over 10 years old.
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports]
JAS-2 FO-29
Launched: August 17, 1996, by an H-2 launcher from the
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational
Voice/CW Mode JA
Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Digital Mode JD
Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM
Downlink 435.910 MHz 1200 baud BPSK or 9600 baud FSK
Callsign 8J1JCS
Digitalker 435.910 MHz
The JARL FO-29 command station has announced the following
operation schedule of FO-29:
through April 2, 2001 - mode JA
Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29,
addressing the analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy
e-mail Mike at: kf4fdj@amsat.org.
Mineo, JE9PEL, has a FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis program that
will automatically analyze all digital telemetry from the satellite (such as
current, voltage and temperature). The JE9PEL FO-29/shareware is
available at the following URL:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports]
SO-41 SAUDISAT-1A
Uplink to be released
Downlink 437.075 MHz
Broadcast Callsign SASAT1-11
BBS SASAT1-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Commissioning stage,
initial housekeeping tasks underway
SaudiSat-1A will operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward
systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two
new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the
Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology.
SO-42 SAUDISAT-1B
Uplink to be released
Downlink 436.775 MHz
Broadcast Callsign SASAT2-11
BBS SASAT2-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Commissioning stage,
initial housekeeping tasks underway
SaudiSat-1B will operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward
systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two
new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the
Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology.
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.06
TIUNGSAT-1
Uplink 145.850 or 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 437.325 MHz
Broadcast callsign MYSAT3-11
BBS MYSAT3-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Operational at
38k4 baud FSK
Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that recently TiungSat-1 has been operating
at a data rate of 38k4. Data recovery at 38k4 is reported to be extremely
good with efficiencies near 100%. The output power is at 8-watts "which
should provide a very good downlink," said Chris, adding "the downside
is that with the high power transmitter operating, the power budget is
negative so we can't support continuous operation."
According to G7UPN, TiungSat-1 now requires the Amateur Radio station
to switch the downlink 'on' when the satellite comes into range. The way
this works is for the ground station software to send a request to the
spacecraft to switch the downlink on. The spacecraft receives this request
and checks the battery voltage to see if it can support the operation, and
if
it can it will activate the downlink.
TiungSat-1 is Malaysia's first micro-satellite and in addition to
commercial land and weather imaging payloads offers FM and FSK
Amateur Radio communication.
TiungSat-1, named after the mynah bird of Malaysia, was developed as
a collaborative effort between the Malaysian government and Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd.
For more information on TiungSat-1, visit the following URL:
http://www.yellowpages.com.my/tiungsat/tiung_main.htm
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for this information]
KITSAT KO-25
Uplink 145.980 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 436.500 MHz FM
Broadcast Callsign HL02-11
BBS HL02-12
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational
Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 operational with downlink efficiency
returning to normal. Low operator traffic.
[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
Broadcast Callsign UOSAT5-11
BBS UOSAT5-12
Launched: July 17, 1991 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational
Jim, AA7KC, reports UO-22 is operational with heavy individual and
Sat-gate traffic.
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
Launched: March 1, 1984 by a Delta-Thor rocket from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California. Status: Operational
During the period of 16-December 2000 to 16-January, 2001 good
signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. OSCAR-11 users
should note that the year displayed in the ASCII status blocks is incorrect.
There is currently a similar error of one year in the date of the latest WOD
survey. Ground control should be able to correct these errors shortly
Battery voltage observed during daylight passes is unchanged. The
average value observed was 14.0, with a range of 13.7 to 14.1 volts.
Internal temperatures have continued to decrease by one degree as the
eclipse periods lengthen. They are now 5.02 and 3.2 C for battery and
telemetry electronics respectively.
The spin period has varied between 256 and 311 seconds. Two positive
magnetorquer correction pulses and zero negative pulses have been
counted, while there have been 324 Z-axis correction pulses.
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)
CW downlink 437.125 MHz
Digital downlink 437.150 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK)
Broadcast Callsign LUSAT-11
BBS LUSAT-12
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational. The CW beacon is sending
eight telemetry channels and one status channel on 437.126 MHz. No
BBS service is available. The digipeater is not active.
Frank, DL6DBN / AA9KJ, recently measured the frequency of LO-19's
CW-beacon as 437.126 MHz. Here are Frank's telemetry values as
received:
5V-reg.: 4.93 V 8.5V-reg: 8.74 V
10V-Bat: 11.01 V 10V-Curr: 116.9 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.947 W TX-Temp.: 2.73 庵
+Z-Sol.: 21.90 V Box-Temp: 6.41 庵
DL6DBN reported LO-19 signals are solid copied with a small yagi. His
calculated LO-19 values were done with a "quick hack" DOS-software
that Frank has available on his web site:
http://www.dl6dbn.de/amsat/lo-19
Telemetry (limited) is as follows:
Sat Jan 27 at 13:00 2000 UTC
LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ADT AVT ADE AUU A6E A4E AE6
LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ADT AVT AD4 AUU A6E A46 AE6
Mineo, JE9PEL, has recorded LO-19 CW and PSK telemetry and
placed the information on his Internet homepage site at:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/
General information and telemetry samples can be found at:
www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information]
PACSAT AO-16
Uplink 145.90 145.92 145.94 145.96 MHz FM
(using 1200 baud Manchester FSK)
Downlink 437.025 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK)
Mode-S Beacon 2401.1428 MHz
Broadcast Callsign: PACSAT-11
BBS PACSAT-12
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater command is
on.
Russ, WJ9F, reported the 70-cm transmitter is at about 2-watts output
and WOD is being collected to watch the battery temps to see if they
stabilize to previous levels. S-band transmitter operation is scheduled
for the weekend of February 17th.
Telemetry is as follows:
uptime is 356/07:22:15. Time is Sat Feb 03 10:58:14 2001
+X (RX) Temp 8.470 D RX Temp 0.603 D
BCR Load Cur 0.420 A BCR Input Cur 0.399 A
BCR Output Cur 0.348 A Bat 1 Temp 7.260 D
Bat 2 Temp 7.260 D Baseplt Temp 7.865 D
PSK TX RF Out 1.805 W RC PSK BP Temp 1.814 D
RC PSK HPA Tmp 4.839 D +Y Array Temp 4.839 D
PSK TX HPA Tmp 3.629 D +Z Array Temp 18.756 D
Total Array C= 0.350 Bat Ch Cur=-0.072 Ifb= 0.049 I+10V= 0.371
TX:1009 BCR:80 PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:E9
Beacon text: Happy 11th birthday to AO-16, LO-19, UO-14.
AO-16 owned and operated by AMSAT-NA
AO-16 Command Team <WJ9F>
A new WOD collection of current graphics along with general
information and telemetry samples can be found at:
www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information]
TMSAT-1 TO-31
Uplink 145.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 436.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK)
Broadcast Callsign: TMSAT1-11
BBS TMSAT1-12
Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Non-operational, no data downlinked since
December 18, 2000.
Jim, AA7KC, reports small amounts of data downlinked (not decodable)
from TO-31.
Chris G7UPN, (UoSAT operations manager) reports the following
to ANS:
The TO-31 downlink will be off over most areas, with the exception of
Europe and Thailand. This is required to allow control stations to
recondition the battery with minimum power drain.
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]
UoSAT-12 UO-36
Uplink 145.960 MHz (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 437.025 MHz 437.400 MHz
Broadcast Callsign UO121-11
BBS UO121-12
Launched: April 21, 1999 by a Russian launcher from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Semi-operational
Chris, G7UPN, reports to ANS that UO-36 may not be available at
times due to the satellite currently in continual sunlight. Chris reports
this
generates considerable heat and command teams try and keep the
transmitter off do avoid generating additional heat.
Bill, VK3JT, reports that UO-36 should now be into an eclipse period and
he notes UO-36 (should be) operational shortly.
UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward
communications and mode L/S transponders.
NASA has demonstrated on UO-36 the ability to use standard Internet
protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft (just like any node
on the Internet). NASA has been developing this project by working with
the commercial payload aboard UoSAT-12.
The BBS is open, although uploading and downloading may be
disabled at times.
The VK5HI viewer shareware for UO-36 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
Broadcast Callsign ITMSAT-11
BBS ITMSAT-12
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater function is on
and open for APRS users.
[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for
IO-26 information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-035.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 035.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 04, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-035.07
THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL
AT THIS TIME:
SUNSAT SO-35
Mode J Uplink: 145.825 MHz FM
Mode J Downlink: 436.250 MHz FM
Mode B Uplink: 436.291 MHz FM
Mode B Downlink: 145.825 MHz FM
Launched: February 23, 1999 by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California. Status: Non-operational
When it was operational the SunSat package included 1200 and 9600
baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater
system in addition to Mode B/J operation with two VHF and two UHF
transmit-receive systems.
For more information on SunSat visit the following URL:
http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za
[ANS thanks Garth Milne, ZR1AFH, for this information]
RADIO SPORT RS-13
Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 145.860 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: non-operational (last operational in mode-T)
RS-12 was apparently re-activated recently. Prior to this switch RS-13
was operational (mode T), but was apparently turned off following
the recent RS-12 switch.
The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the
AC5DK RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at:
http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html
[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information]
KITSAT KO-23
Uplink 145.900 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 435.170 MHz FM
Broadcast Callsign HLO1-11
BBS HLO1-12
Launched: August 10, 1992 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Intermittent operation with the downlink
transmitter operating at unpredictable intervals.
Jim, AA7KC, reports that KO-23's downlink transmitter continues
in non-operational status. Jim says that KO-23 shows some signs
of trying to recover, but no useful data has been downlinked. The
duration of this status is unpredictable. No data has been received
since October 28, 2000.
KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, reports (from the KO-23 control team) that part
of the problem with non-operation has been the power budget aboard
the satellite. "We are not sure when the bird might turn off again due to
insufficient power. The capability of the onboard power system has been
less and less," said Kim. HL0ENJ also noted that as of October 30, 2000
the onboard computer was reset and a reboot of operational software is
now underway.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ,
for KO-23 status information]
TECHSAT-1B GO-32
Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry
Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Russian Zenit rocket from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Semi-operational.
Efforts were reported to be underway to bring GO-32 on line,
however, no information has been received by ANS (the last
report was dated November 1999).
Last reported, the satellite does transmit a 9600-baud burst every
30 seconds (the GO-32 beacon sends one short telemetry status
transmission of 44 bytes) and upon request the complete
telemetry buffer.
[ANS has no further information]
PANSAT PO-34
Uplink/downlink frequencies have never been released
Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery
Status: Unknown
The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions.
PanSat was developed by the Naval Postgraduate School. At the time of
launch, PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders were promised to
be available to Amateur Radio operators along with software to utilize
this technology. To date, this has not happened.
For more information, visit the official PanSat web site at:
http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/
PanSat was the featured cover article on the July/August 1999 issue
of the AMSAT-NA Journal (the story written by KD6DRA and N7HPR).
[ANS has no further information]
MIR SPACE STATION
145.985 MHz (FM) voice and SSTV (Robot 36 Mode)
Launched: February 18, 1986
Status: Unmanned
Currently, there is no human habitation aboard the station and the
onboard Amateur Radio equipment has been turned off.
Several news agencies are reporting the Mir space station will be ditched
in a controlled descent that will send it hurtling into a remote area of the
Pacific Ocean in early March 2001.
MIR SAFEX II 70-cm Repeater
Uplink 435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone of 141.3 Hz
Downlink 437.950 MHz FM
Status: Not operational. No operation in 1999 or 2000 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
Status: Not operational. No operation in 1999 or 2000 has been observed
[ANS has no further information]
DOVE DO-17
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200 baud AFSK)
2401.220 MHz
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Non-operational.
DOVE has been in orbit for 11 years.
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.
[ANS has no further information]
WEBERSAT WO-18
Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB (1200 baud PSK AX.25)
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Non-operational.
WO-18 has been in orbit for 11 years.
WO-18 was last reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash.
[ANS has no further information]
SEDSAT-1 SO-33
Downlink 437.910 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Launched: October 24, 1998 by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape
Canaveral, Florida. Status: Semi-operational.
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and
the image and transponder recovery efforts have been unsuccessful.
SedSat-1 signifies Students for the Exploration and Development of
Space (satellite number one).
SedSat-1 has downlinked months worth of telemetry data on the
performance of its electrical power system parameters. The Nickel
Metal Hydride batteries on the spacecraft were experimental and
experienced some abuse due to a power negative situation. This
information has provided NASA with useful information. With the
exception of the imaging system and the use of the transponders,
SedSat-1 has been judged a success.
For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at the
following URL:
http://seds.uah.edu/projects/sedsat/sedsat.htm
[ANS has no further information]
/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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