[jamsat-news:1447] ANS 077

[Dan James <DanJ@marvin.com>]

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 077

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 both recent (and future)
developments in Amateur Radio satellite technology will be discussed
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 Taroh Yagi, JH1WIX,
(ex-J1DO, J2GX) a well-known JA DXer and Amateur Radio pioneer who 
died at age 93. First licensed in 1924, Yagi often was the first JA contact
for many new hams. [ANS thanks the ARRL for this information]

ANS is always dedicated to the memory of past ANS editor 'BJ' Arts,
WTØÎ, and to the memory of long-time AMSAT supporter Werner
Haas, DJ5KQ.

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.01
PHASE 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 UPDATE

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 070.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.01

To All Members of AMSAT-NA,

The following statement is addressed to those members of AMSAT-NA
who have requested an explanation of the December 2000 incident that
took place on P3D. This statement has been prepared and developed by
Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, President of AMSAT-NA, with input and
review from other AMSAT-NA members.

As you are aware, Phase 3D was launched on November 16, 2000 into
an almost perfect geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) by an
Arianespace launch vehicle (AR-507) from Kourou, French Guiana.
Within a few hours of launch excellent telemetry was being received
from the 2-meter beacon, and Amateur Radio stations worldwide started
downloading data with great accuracy, due in-part to the strong signal
strength. The original plan was to use the 70-cm beacon, however,
for reasons not yet known, the 70-cm transmitter signal was not heard.

Before the satellite could be regularly used for general Amateur Radio
communications, it was necessary to carry out orbital changes, stabilize
the satellite, open the solar panels, etc. The first changes to the
orientation of the satellite were carried out using the onboard
magnetorquing system - this worked well and after relatively few orbits
the attitude of (now) AO-40 was  270/0, and ready for operation of the
400 Newton motor. Among the many components which comprise this
motor system, there are several valves which control pressurizing helium
and fuel. During construction of the satellite it was noted that one of the
helium valves had a tendency to "stick" when operated. Both of these
valves were sent back to the manufacturer for inspection and repair.
Both valves were inspected and one valve was repaired, followed by
return and re-installation into the system. 

On the first attempt to fire the 400-N propulsion system, it failed to
operate, possibly due to a sticking helium valve. Before the second
attempt, it was determined that the fuel tanks could be pressurized (by
helium) to their correct pressure over a five minute period, and although
this was about one-tenth of the normal helium flow rate, it was still
adequate for the planned three minute motor burn. 

On the second attempt to fire the 400-N motor, all systems appeared to
respond correctly at first. At the three minute mark the internal timer
transmitted a signal for the main solenoid valve to close, which should
have shut off the fuel to the motor. Telemetry shows that the signal was
sent and received, but the motor did not shut off for two or three more
minutes, placing AO-40 into a higher apogee orbit than was planned at
that time. 

To understand how this may have happened, it is necessary to be aware
that the fuel for the 400-N motor is made up of two components,
hydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetraoxide (N2O4), with each component
contained in two separate tanks, both of which could be pressurized by
helium. Helium could also be applied to the solenoid motor valve, the
output of which operates the two fuel valves which start (and stop) the
fuel flow. These valves are actually part of the 400-N motor and are
located inside the motor itself.
 
On the solenoid motor valve there is an evacuation port that allows
excess helium at the output port of the valve to escape when closing the
valve. It is believed that this evacuation port was blocked and that the
output port remained pressurized beyond the three minute mark of the
motor operation - thus the motor continued to burn for an extended
period of time.
 
Between the fuel tanks and the 400 Newton motor there are fuel isolation
valves which are pressure operated by the helium system. When the
pressure in the helium manifold had been reduced to approximately
6-Bar (100 PSI) the fuel isolation valves closed and prevented any
additional fuel from entering the motor, stopping the burn. At this time
it is possible that the main motor valves were still open, due to the
trapped pressurized helium that had not vented at the solenoid motor
valve.

Approximately twelve minutes after the motor shut down, a second
anomaly occurred. This was detected when the motor solenoid valve
changed from closed to open, possibly caused by fuel migrating in the
lines between the isolation valve and the 400-N motor. The motor
could have also "burped" or "popped" as the fuel mixed and then ignited.
 
High pressure helium (180 Bar) is fed to the motor system via a high
pressure on/off valve and a regulator valve - reducing the pressure to
a nominal 15 Bar level. It is then fed to the low pressure helium manifold.
Because of the longer 400-N burn, a program for testing the high
pressure helium valve was written to "cycle" the valve (to insure proper
functioning) and uploaded to AO-40.

On December 11, 2000, while cycling the helium valve, a sudden loss
of signal from AO-40 occurred. It is believed that during this exercise the
system became pressurized and that a leakage of fuel was the end result. 
Initial thoughts were that the spacecraft was completely dead and that 
chances of recovery were remote, with the possibility that AO-40 was in 
multiple pieces. However, with help from NORAD, it was determined
that the satellite was in one piece, with a possibility of some recovery.
At least two automatic resets passed without hearing from the spacecraft.
It was decided to try and hear the general beacon on the S-band
(2.4 GHz) transmitter. On Christmas Day 2000 the second attempt to
activate the S-band transmitter was successful, and since that day
downlink telemetry has been recovered on a regular basis.

The following items have been found to be working; the 2-meter, 70-cm
and 1.2 GHz receivers, the S-2 (2.4 GHz) transmitter, the magnetorquing
system, the YACE camera, IHU-2 and the high-gain antennas. The
following items are believed not to be working; the 2-meter and 70-cm
transmitters and the omni-directional antennas.

At the time of this bulletin (March 16, 2001) we still do not know the
status of the Arc-jet motor - which is an important item, needed to
position the satellite for future use. We do know that the satellite has
lost mass, and we attribute this to the loss of bi-propellant fuel from the
400-N motor. The satellite spin rate had increased as the overall weight
decreased, but by using the magnetorquing system the spin rate is
now nearly down to a usable 5 RPM. In addition, the heat pipe system
(which became unusable at the higher spin rates) has now become
effective again.
 
Soon AO-40 will be able to be re-orientated so that the high-gain
antennas will face the Earth, and the Arc-jet motor will be tested.
Following the re-orientation it will be possible to test the remaining
systems on board the spacecraft and to determine which systems and
bands will be available for future operations and under what conditions.

As we all learn more about the status of the satellite, additional bulletins
will be posted on AMSAT-BB,  and placed on the AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL
and AMSAT-UK web sites. Meanwhile, all those involved in the recovery
of AO-40 are to be congratulated for their skills and perseverance, and
may their hard work continue to bring us an operational satellite.

73,

Robin Haighton VE3FRH 
President AMSAT-NA 

AO-40 is currently transmitting the following message in the A-Block
MOTD:

Magnetorquing!! At Orbit # 172: ALON=212 / ALAT=45 / SPIN=5.8
 <<...OLE_Obj...>> 
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.02
SYMPOSIUM CALL FOR PAPERS

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.02

The 2001 AMSAT-NA Annual Symposium is scheduled for October
5-6, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the first "Call For Papers" to be
presented during the 2001 Symposium.

Papers may be presented by the author during the Symposium, or
simply offered for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings publication.

The subject matter should be of general interest to Amateur Radio
operators involved in satellite communications. Suggested topics
include; operating techniques, antenna design and construction,
spacecraft design and construction, current mission status, proposed
satellite missions, telemetry acquisition and relay, satellite microwave
projects, etc.

A brief abstract of the proposed paper (in outline format) should be
submitted as soon as possible. The final date for abstracts is June
30, 2001. Copy-ready papers must be received no later than August
15, 2001.

Electronic submittal is preferred. The format must be either MS Word
compatible or in plain text. For security purposes, Symposium chairman
Steve Diggs, W4EPI, is asking authors to condense the document file
and send it as an e-mail attachment. W4EPI's e-mail address is:

w4epi@amsat.org

[ANS thanks Symposium Chairman, Steve Diggs, W4EPI, for this
information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.03
SPACE STATION ALPHA UPDATE

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.03

As this edition of ANS was being broadcast, the crews of Discovery
and the International Space Station were spending a full day packing
the Leonardo cargo module on the station before they detach Leonardo
from the complex and secure it in the shuttle payload bay for the trip
home.

Two more full days of joint work remain before Discovery is scheduled
to undock from ISS. A third and final re-boost of ISS will also take place
using the shuttle's small steering jets to raise Alpha by a little over two
statute miles. Altogether, Discovery will leave Alpha a little more than
seven miles higher than when it arrived.

The ISS Expedition-2 crew is getting right to its school contacts! The
John B. Reible School, in Santa Rosa, California is scheduled for the
week of March 26th, with the Vicksburg, Mississippi High School group
scheduled for early April. 

Late breaking news: Randy, KG3N, reported "this morning I heard
astronaut Susan Helms calling CQ onboard the International Space
Station. I gave here a call (and using the NA1SS callsign) she came
back to me. I was able to talk to her for 45 seconds." It appears
Susan will be very active (as promised).

[ANS thanks NASA and ARISS for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.04
MIR END IS NEAR

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.04

When the space station Mir returns to Earth over the remote South
Pacific in a few days, it will be big news. Several organizations
(such as CNN) are planning live coverage of the de-orbit as it
happens. The Russian outpost is the heaviest thing orbiting our planet
other than the Moon itself!

During its 15-year stint in space, Mir has set endurance and space
adventure records, along with providing hundreds of Amateur Radio
contacts between ham radio satellite operators and onboard
cosmonauts and astronauts.

Scientists expect the space station to put on a good show when it
returns. Mir is put together much like an erector set. It's an
assortment of solar arrays, laboratories and living quarters that was
not designed for aerodynamic flight through the atmosphere. Mir has
a core module and five other components weighing about 143 tons in
all. With a cargo ship and an escape capsule attached, it weighs up 
to 154 tons. The modules are arranged in a T-shaped structure, 86 by
96 by 99 feet. 

The station will quickly fall apart as it descends toward Earth. "We
expect Mir to break into six or more main pieces when it hits the
atmosphere," said Nicholas Johnson at NASA's Johnson Space
Center. Each piece will resemble a blazing meteor that spits smaller
fireballs as the pieces crumble and burn.

[ANS thanks NASA for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.05
ANS IN BRIEF

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.05

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

** Following objections from the ARRL, AMSAT and others, the FCC
has turned down an application from Los Angeles County, California,
for an experimental license permitting airborne microwave TV
downlinks in the 2402-2448 MHz range. The FCC also canceled an
experimental license grant to the City of Los Angeles to operate an
identical TV downlink system in same band. Amateurs have a primary
domestic allocation at 2402-2417 MHz and a secondary allocation in
the rest of the affected band. -ARRL, AMSAT-NA

** The ARRL has suggested that the FCC expand the secondary
amateur allocation at 219-220 MHz to provide access to the entire
216-220 MHz band. The League commented this month in response
to a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, ET Docket 00-221, that proposes
to reallocate 27 MHz of spectrum in various bands, including
216-220 MHz, from government to non-government use. In general,
the FCC seeks to allocate the entire 216-220 MHz band to the Fixed
and Mobile services on a primary basis. -ARRL

** The ARRL is urging the FCC to deny or dismiss a petition that
seeks to boost the field strength and duty cycle of RF identification
systems deployed as unlicensed Part 15 devices in the 420-450 MHz
band. The League filed comments March 1 in a petition filed by SAVI
Technology Inc. The petition, designated RM-10051, asks the FCC to
change certain Part 15 rules affecting unlicensed, periodic, intentional
radiators. SAVI, which markets radiolocation and wireless inventory
control products, says it needs the rules changes to satisfy customer
demand for increased RFID system capabilities. -ARRL

** A newly released pair of images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft
has captured a dynamic eruption on Jupiter's moon Io. They images
show a change in the location of hot lava over a period of a few months
in 1999 and early 2000. -SpaceDaily

** The Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio
Union has selected the theme "Providing Disaster Communications:
Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" for World Amateur Radio Day,
April 18, 2001. IARU has been the watchdog and spokesman for the
world Amateur Radio community since its founding in Paris, France,
in 1925. Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, was its first president. -ARRL

** An international team of researchers has discovered compelling
evidence that the magnetite crystals in the martian meteorite
ALH84001 are of biological origin. The researchers found that the 
magnetite crystals embedded in the meteorite are arranged in long
chains, which they say could have been formed only by once-living
organisms. -SpaceDaily

** When last reported, Randy, N7SFI, was only one grid square
away from completing his quest to work all the grid squares in the
48 contiguous states! Congratulations Randy! -AMSAT BB

** An Ariane 5 was launched recently from the Kourou spaceport in
French Guiana. Flight 140 transported a dual satellite payload: the
Eutelsat EUROBIRD satellite BSAT-2a from Orbital Sciences.
-SpaceDaily

** The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 is now
officially HR 817. Rep Michael Bilirakis of Florida introduced the bill
on March 1st in the U.S. House of Representatives. ARRL President
Jim Haynie, W5JBP, and ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison,
W5ZN, visited the Congressman's office to thank him personally for
his continuing interest in protecting Amateur Radio frequency
allocations. -ARRL

** Scientists from Bell Labs have created the world's first plastic
material in which resistance to the flow of electricity vanishes below
a certain temperature, making it a superconductor. The plastic, 
is an inexpensive material that could be widely used in the future for
applications, such as quantum computing and superconducting
electronics. -SpaceDaily

 --ANS BULLETIN END---

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.06

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.

[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-1
ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis
Status: Operational (although current ISS workload is limiting operation)

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

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

Peter, OZ4LP, has been hearing W1 stations via RS-12 and is
looking to set up transatlantic schedules with stations in the north
east U.S. and eastern Canada. Interested stations can contact him
via the RS-12/13 operators forum at:

 http://www.hotboards.com/plus/plus.mirage?who=rs1213

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 heard and worked on AO-10. Jerry, K5OE, reports
contacts with FY1DW, DH5FS, IT9GSV and OE8TPK. Tim, N8DEU,
reports QSO's with PP8KWA, IT9GSV, G7MJX, EB4AFK, DG3SAA,
SP7JSG and many others! "Big signals on AO-10 this afternoon," reports
Ron, W6ZQ, hearing 7M4DUI, VE7STY, NX7U, N8DEU, K5VAS and
others. 

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 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

Tim, KG8OC, features UO-14 information on the Michigan AMSAT
web site -- 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.

[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]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.07

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 is operational with light 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

Happy birthday OSCAR-11 - now 17 years in space!

During the period 14-February through 14-March 2001 good signals
have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The battery voltage
observed during daylight passes is slightly lower. The average value
observed was 13.8 volts, with a range of 13.4 to 14.1 volts. The
internal temperatures have decreased by about one degree C. They
are now 3.2C and 1.6C for battery and telemetry electronics
respectively. 

A WOD survey (dated 06-January), has been transmitted. The
array voltage shows the effect of the solar eclipses. The array
voltage also shows the decrease of battery voltage during dark
periods, the constant voltage during charge, and the over-voltage
condition when the battery is fully charged. 

The spin period has varied between 280 and 329 seconds. In
mid-January the Z-axis magnetorquer counter reached 1,024.

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]

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 that at 15:00 UTC on March 17, 2001 AO-16's
S-band transmitter (2401.1428 MHz) was turned on. Operation is
expected for about 36 hours. Lawrence, DL1FLW, reported "very strong
signals from AO-16 on S-band." The next scheduled S-band operation
is march 23, 2001.

Telemetry is as follows:

uptime is 398/08:01:42.  Time is Sat Mar 17 11:38:34 2001
+X (RX) Temp     6.654 D  	RX Temp         -0.002 D
Bat 1 Temp         7.260 D  	Bat 2 Temp       6.049 D
Baseplt Temp      5.444 D  	PSK TX RF Out    1.705 W
RC PSK BP Temp   1.814 D  	RC PSK HPA Tmp   1.814 D
+Y Array Temp    1.814 D  	PSK TX HPA Tmp   4.234 D
+Z Array Temp   16.941 D
Total Array C= 0.365 Bat Ch Cur=-0.064 Ifb= 0.048 I+10V= 0.364
TX:1009 BCR:7F PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:8D

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]

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: Operational

Bill, VK3JT, reports UO-36 was operating normally over VK land.
Paul, KB2SHU, reports similar results recently.

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-077.08
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 077.08 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 18, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-077.08

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

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 TO-31 has been non-operational over
North America.

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]

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: Beacon only. 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.

Telemetry (limited) is as follows:

Sat Mar 17 at 11:45 2001 UTC
LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ABN AVA AD4 AU4 A6U AEV AE6
LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ABN AVT ADV AU4 A6U AE4 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]

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: Unknown, this
satellite has been in orbit for almost six months. ANS has
received no additional information.

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: Unknown, this
satellite has been in orbit for almost six months. ANS has
received no additional information.

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.

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

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!

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 re-activated in January 2001. 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.

Jeff, KB2WQM, reported to ANS that he noticed KO-23 transmitting a
solid carrier recently (no data), Mineo, JE9PEL, also reported receiving
KO-23 carrier signals.

[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 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 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: NNØÄJ
Grid Square EN28iv
Warroad, Minnesota U.S.A.
E-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org

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