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[jamsat-news:1469] ANS 119


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 119

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)
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 Tony Tricoche,
KP4EKG, a long-time satellite operator. His death was reported
by KP3A, who said KP4EKG was an Elmer to many in Puerto Rico,
both in AMSAT matters and digital communications. "We have lost a
great friend and operator," said KP3A. [ANS thanks Asdrubal Lugaro,
KP3A, AMSAT Area Coordinator in Puerto Rico 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-119.01
PHASE 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 UPDATE

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 119.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 29, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-119.01

April continues with recovery efforts concerning AO-40. The satellite
is healthy and recent reports indicate that very good telemetry along
with excellent downlink signals have been received recently.

The most exciting news is that successful transponder and matrix
operation has been performed. The following is from AMSAT-DL:

Dear All,

On orbit 226, the U, L and U+L receiver passbands were connected to
the (S-2) S-band downlink and were briefly checked out by command
stations G3RUH and W4SM - using PSK, CW and SSB signals for the
uplink. The tests worked extremely well and confirm that the matrix
switch is working in these combinations. This prepares the way, with
confidence, for transponder operation very soon, when the attitude
approaches ALON-0/ALAT-0, via on-going magnetorquing.

Stay tuned for further announcements regarding general transponder
operations!

73,

Peter, DB2OS, for the AO-40 Command Team

(end)

AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, recently completed
a conversation with the ARRL concerning AO-40; the complete story
is included here:

AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, this week raised the
possibility that AO-40 could inaugurate transponder operation this
summer, if tests and orbital maneuvers between now and then go as
planned. "We are learning how to fly this thing," Haighton said. "But I
still think we're going to end up with a darned good satellite."

The most likely initial transponder configurations would be Mode US,
or 435 MHz up and 2.4 GHz down -- and Mode LS -- 1.2 GHz up and
2.4 GHz down. "It looks like a good bet," Haighton said of the probability
that the two modes would prove useful from the damaged satellite. He
predicted that Mode US operation from AO-40 would surpass what had
been available a few years ago from the now-defunct AO-13. "We're
getting something like 27 dB more signal."

Recent data from the spacecraft suggest that the mid-December
incident that silenced AO-40 for two weeks and rendered some systems
unusable also might have blown a hole in the spacecraft. Haighton said
ground controllers have detected a distinct rise in temperature when the
Sun faces parts of AO-40. "Speculation is there could be damage, and
sunlight is getting right in," he said. That theory would go along with the
loss of the satellite's omni-directional antennas, Haighton added. The
speculated opening was not causing any major problems, he said, but it
could explain why efforts to adjust AO-40's attitude via magnetorquing
have been unpredictable.

As the AO-40 recovery effort continues, Haighton said, ground
controllers plan to boost the satellite's orbit in the very near future. That
process, using the onboard arc-jet motor, could take up to several
weeks. The AO-40 team hopes the maneuver will minimize or eliminate
possible effects on the satellite's orbit caused by atmospheric expansion
at the peak of the solar cycle.

AO-40 currently is approximately 200 miles above Earth at perigee and
some 31,600 miles at apogee. Plans call for raising the orbit at perigee to
around 320 miles. The maneuver would "hardly affect" the satellite's
apogee, Haighton said. The arc-jet would be operated without electrically
igniting it -- using the pressure of the ammonia fuel alone. This would
yield about half the normal thrust, Haighton said.

Once the orbit has been adjusted, ground controllers would orient the
spacecraft's attitude and check out the various onboard transmitter and
receiver systems to see what works and what does not. "We're still pretty
confident that the 2-meter and 70-cm transmitters are not there,"
Haighton said, "but we're equally confident that the receivers for those
bands still are."

The satellite has been transmitting telemetry on the 2.4 GHz (S-2)
beacon, and signals reportedly have continued to improve - although
the beacon has been out from time to time as needed to conserve
power during eclipse periods. Ground controllers recently commanded
the YACE camera to take several pictures, starting with orbit 216, and
11 images were downloaded. "The pictures show the characteristic rings
and blisters that have been detected on the YACE photographs since the
December 13 incident (damage to the lens from fuel residue?)," said a
posting on the AMSAT-DL Web site. A prevailing theory about the image
degradation was that the camera may have been damaged by direct
sunlight into its lens, but James Miller, G3RUH, in an analysis subtitled
"Did the Cameras Fry?" has disputed that notion.

Full deployment of the spacecraft's solar panels is still "down the road
at least two to three months," Haighton said. Also uncertain was the
satellite's ultimate inclination with respect to the equator. It was planned
for AO-40 to have a 60-degree inclination, but given the satellite's
compromised circumstances, "we'll be lucky if we can get 10 or 15
degrees," Haighton said. The current inclination is six degrees.

(end)

Paul, VP9MU, reported that additional pictures (using the YACE
camera) were performed at the end of orbit 225. AO-40 then
downloaded the photos via D-block telemetry through orbit 226.
Paul reported that "we expect around 180 D-blocks in the complete
set."

Moe, AE4JY, reported the following concerning his AO40Rcv
Telemetry decoding program:

"I just found a nasty bug in the AO40Rcv program. It will crash if it
is started in the minimized state. The bad part of this is that if the
program is closed when minimized, it will always try to start up
in a minimized state."

Moe reports a fix for this condition will be listed on the AE4JY web
site in the near future.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this
information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-119.02
STS-100 MISSION CONTINUES TO ALPHA

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 119.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 29, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-119.02

Mission STS-100 continues as this edition of ANS is broadcast. During
the past week troubleshooting efforts designed to restore full capability to
Alpha's three redundant command and control computers continued.
Initial troubleshooting efforts have failed to resolve the problem, and
flight controllers once again worked a procedure to re-string data
management functions to the third computer, however, the computer
problems continue and flight control teams are evaluating the situation.

Reloading the Raffaello logistics module with unneeded station
equipment and supplies for return to Earth also took place. The Italian
Space Agency-provided Raffaello logistics module is now loaded with
1,600 pounds of material and is tucked securely in Endeavour's payload
bay. A practice run with the new station arm to rehearse moves the arm
must make during the next shuttle assembly mission to the station (to
attach a new airlock) were also conducted.

As this edition of ANS was prepared, Endeavour had backed away
from the International Space Station as the two spacecraft soared
240 miles over the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia.

As Pilot Jeff Ashby slowly backed Endeavour away, Commander
Kent Rominger and Expedition-2 flight engineer Susan Helms
exchanged final wishes for Endeavour's planned return to Earth,
and a continued safe journey for the station crew.  Once Endeavour
was at a distance of 450 feet from the station, Ashby initiated a
three-quarter circle flyaround of the station as Mission Specialist Yuri
Lonchakov activated a large-format IMAX camera in Endeavour's
payload bay to photograph the station.

On board the station, the Expedition-2 crew - Commander Yury
Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Helms - will enjoy some
time off following a busy week on orbit. Early Monday morning, they
will support the docking of a replacement Soyuz spacecraft that will
serve as the station's lifeboat. The Soyuz and its crew of three,
Commander Talgat Musabayev, Flight Engineer Yuri Baturin and
American businessman Dennis Tito -- is scheduled to dock very
early Monday morning.

The ARISS team informed ANS that the crew had left the ISS ham
radio gear turned on recently. Several stations reported QSO's with
ISS, including AMSAT Awards Manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, and
AMSAT-NA Vice President W2RS. Ray reported working Jeff Ashby,
The shuttle pilot of the STS-100 mission. Ken, WA1QXR, also worked
Ashby. Ken was mobile at the time using 20-watts into a
5/8-wavelength vertical on car roof.

Those that are still unclear on how to work the ISS Amateur Radio
system are encouraged to carefully review the ARISS web page
located at:

http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/

[ANS thanks NASA an the ARISS team for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-119.03
ANS IN BRIEF

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 119.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 29, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-119.03

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

** Amateur Radio antenna bills have made significant legislative
headway in Alaska and Nevada. The Alaska bill is on its way to the
governor, while the Nevada measure has cleared the state
Assembly and is bound for the state Senate. -ARRL

** The U.S. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Global Hawk made
international aviation history when it completed the first non-stop flight
across the Pacific Ocean by an autonomous aircraft, flying from
Edwards Air Force Base to RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.
-SpaceDaily

** AMSAT-NA has been invited to set up a display at the Air and Space
Museum for Space Day, Thursday, May 3rd. Perry, W3PK, reports the
demonstration will be called 'Build Your Own Satellite - Learn how radio
amateurs build and launch satellites for science and ham radio
communication'. Perry says that "if all goes to plan, Senator John Glenn
may stop by for an autograph session for some of the children later in the
afternoon. -Perry, W3PK

** The SETI League has placed on the air a transmitter that bounces
microwave signals off the moon's surface for use in testing Earth-based
radiotelescopes. Operating on 1296 MHz under the call W2ETI, the EME
beacon enables amateur and professional radio astronomers to calibrate
their receiving systems by providing a stable reference signal from a
known point in the sky. The SETI League's EME beacon received its first
shakedown in March. -ARRL

** A Brazilian telecommunications satellite will be launched on a Delta
rocket in 2002. The launch of the Estrela do Sul satellite, which will
provide telecommunications services to North and South America, is
scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during the
second half of 2002. -SpaceDaily

** Last week California businessman Dennis Tito received the green light
from Russia to become a space tourist, in addition, Tito has received a
waiver from the International Space Station Partnership to make his trip.
There are some very strict conditions attached to Tito's visit including his
signature on a document that says neither he nor his heirs will hold any
of the ISS partners liable for anything that might happen to him. It is
unknown how much time (if any) Tito, now KG6FZX, will be active using
the ARISS gear on Alpha. -Newsline/ANS

** NASA recently extended the successful Galileo spacecraft's mission
until January 2003 to continue study of Jupiter's fascinating moons,
particularly the extremely volcanic moon Io. But scientists now say that a
planned power-down of Galileo's imaging suite at the end of this year will
hamstring efforts to solve Io's many mysteries. -SpaceDaily

** Barry, KG4LAK, and Stephen, KD7LKG, students at Washington
University are working on a prototype of a future satellite that they
hope to place onboard an upcoming attempt to circumnavigate the
world by balloon. They are currently working with Roy, W0SL, on
the design of the prototype. More information is available by sending
an e-mail to: VolStations@hotmail.com. -KG4LAK and KD7LKG

** NEAR mission science team members have concluded that the
majority of the small features that make up the surface of asteroid
Eros more likely came from an unrelenting bombardment from
space debris more than any internal processes. -SpaceDaily

--ANS BULLETIN END---

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-119.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 119.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 29, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-119.04

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. 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			NOCALL
ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis.
ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio
organizations, including AMSAT.

Status: Operational. Voice contacts with ISS have been made recently.
The ISS packet station is available for UI packets (APRS or UI QSL).
The mailbox and keyboard are currently disabled. Please see the
packet section of the ARISS web page before attempting to first work
ISS on packet.

U.S. callsign: 		NA1SS
Russian callsigns:	RS0ISS, RZ3DZR

The QSL routes for W/VE stations working NA1SS aboard the
International Space Station:

U.S. stations:		Margie Bourgoin KB1DCO
			Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL
			ARRL, 225 Main Street
			Newington, Connecticut 06111

Canadian stations:	Radio Amateurs of Canada
			Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL
			720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
			Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5

A self-addressed, stamped envelope is required to get a QSL in
return. The ARISS international group has not yet finalized a QSL
card design. It will be a few months before cards become available.

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

Kevin, N2TO, recently made his first mode-A contact via RS-12,
congratulations from ANS!

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 RS-12 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

Mike, N1JEZ, reports that although RS-15 can be very frustrating, he
recently heard his downlink using his 10-meter turnstile (no external
preamp) and 50-watts into his VHF beam. His downlink was S-3 with
some QSB. The beacon was S-5. This was a 31-degree pass over
N1JEZ's QTH.

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.

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.

TEPR states on AO-27 were reset on March 24, 2001 as follows:

TEPR 4 is 38 / TEPR 5 is 78 (TEPR 5 is now 20 minutes long)

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 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 July 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-119.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 119.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 29, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-119.05

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 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 low traffic. Downlink
efficiencies are still in the low 50% range.

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. Downlink efficiency is in the 70% range.

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 information
and Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for 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

Clive Wallis, G3CWV, reports that he has updated his processing
software for OSCAR-11, correcting a Y2K problem with Keplerian
elements. The updated packages can now be downloaded from
his web site.

Ground control operations have now corrected the dates in ASCII
status blocks, reset the magnetorquer counters and started a new
WOD survey. However, users should also note that there is still a
3-day error in the hardware generated ASCII telemetry date. The
time in the ASCII telemetry continues to advance and the error is
now about 18 minutes. Unfortunately these errors cannot be
corrected.

During the period 14-March to 17-April, 2001 reliable signals have
been received from the 145 MHz beacon. Battery voltage observed
during daylight passes has continued to decrease. The average
value observed was 13.6 with a range of 13.2 to 13.9 volts.

Internal temperatures have continued to decrease by one degree.
They are now 2.0C and 0.4C for battery and telemetry electronics
respectively.

Magnetometer calibrations have steadily changed during many
years in orbit. Although the changes are small and are not
noticeable on a plot of individual channels, they do have a
considerable effect when the total magnetic field is calculated.
The spin period has varied between 207 and 339 seconds. Ground
control has now reset the magnetorquer counters.

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.

At last report telemetry was as follows:

uptime is 432/17:20:00.  Time is Fri Apr 20 20:57:04 2001
+X (RX) Temp   -13.919 D  	RX Temp          0.603 D
BCR Input Cur    0.314 A  	BCR Output Cur   0.348 A
Bat 1 Temp       3.629 D  	Bat 2 Temp       4.839 D
Baseplt Temp     4.839 D  	PSK TX RF Out    1.374 W
RC PSK BP Temp  -2.422 D  	RC PSK HPA Tmp  -3.027 D
+Y Array Temp  -15.129 D  	PSK TX HPA Tmp  -0.002 D
+Z Array Temp  -18.155 D
Total Array C= 0.299 Bat Ch Cur= 0.005 Ifb= 0.015 I+10V= 0.329
TX:1009 BCR:74 PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:AA

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

Happy birthday UO-36, two years in space this month!

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-119.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 119.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 29, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-119.06

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, reported recently to ANS that TO-31 has been
non-operational over North America for the past several months.

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 Time is Fri Apr 20 20:59:04 2001

LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ADT AVB ADV AUB A66 A6U 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 over 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 over 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, reported 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
was 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 frequency (listed on the PanSat web site) 436.500 MHz
Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery
Status: Unknown

The satellite is not available for general uplink transmissions.

The Naval Postgraduate School developed PanSat. 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]

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

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