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[jamsat-news:1549] ANS 203
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 203
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 <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
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT-NA offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors
To AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.
Initially, there will two levels for donations - Gold and Silver.
Application forms are available from the AMSAT-NA Office. For further
Information and details contact:
Daniel James, NN0DJ
AMSAT Vice President-Public Affairs
P.O. Box 297
Warroad, MN 56763-0297
NN0DJ can be reached at: (218) 386-1544 (or) via e-mail at:
nn0dj@amsat.org
This edition of ANS is dedicated to the memory of Bob Smart, W5TBV,
Of Georgetown, Texas. Smart reportedly fell from his 75-foot tower while
adjusting his antenna. Bob's death is a grim reminder that safety must
always be a consideration when working above ground level. [ANS thanks
Phil Duff, NA4M, and the ARRL for the information on W5TBV]
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.
ANS salutes Lew McCoy, W1ICP - well-known Amateur Radio writer,
who accomplished may things in his radio career, including educating
thousands about preventing TVI interference. W1ICP is among the
inaugural group of 50 inductees into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of
Fame. The Hall was established to recognize those individuals, whether
licensed radio amateurs or not, who significantly affected the course of
Amateur Radio; and radio amateurs, who, in the course of their
professional lives, had a significant impact on their professions or on
world affairs. AMSAT and OSCAR supporters/notables on the CQ Hall of
Fame list include K1JT, K1ZZ, W6SAI, W2SKE, W8JK, K7UGA, W6ZH,
W3ASK, W1HR, KA9Q and W3IWI. [ANS thanks CQ Amateur Radio
magazine, published by CQ Communications, Inc. for this information]
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-203.01
AO-40 UPDATE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.01
AO-40 command station Stacey Mills, W4SM, recently posted on the
AMSAT-NA bulletin board what many stations were looking for -
AO-40 transponder operation was again underway!
W4SM announced the U/L-1 to S-2 passbands were again active from
MA-10 through MA-99. The current ALON/ALAT will give some very low
squint angles (especially in the Northern Hemisphere) that should provide
excellent signals.
W4SM also reported that on orbit 328/329, the magnetorquer system
took AO-40 to the limits of the solar sensors, with a solar angle of about
48 degrees. As soon as lock was lost, effective torquing stopped. "We
also now have an extremely good fix on AO-40's current position,"
reported W4SM: ALON / ALAT = 325.5 / 6.2 (+/- 0.2 degs)
This is in very good agreement with our computer simulations, as well as
other sensor data.
According to W4SM, Leila-2 (not Leila-1) is active. It appears that the
thresholds for Leila-2 are slightly different than for Leila-1, so some
adjustments are needed. RUDAK tests are currently scheduled for
Orbit 339. The passbands will be off for this orbit and the S-2 beacon
may be intermittently off as well. In the near future, W4SM reports
command stations will be testing the S-1 transmitter passbands during
times of optimal squint angle. The higher gain of the S-1 antenna should
give better signals farther out in the orbit, as long as the squint angle is
good.
AMSAT Awards Manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, in Houston, was among
the first stations to get on AO-40 after the transponders were reactivated.
''It sounds awesome,'' Paige said. ''I am transmitting with 25 watts up,
and it sounds great!'' In addition to some domestic contacts, he and his
daughter, Mahana, W5BTS, worked EA8/DJ9PC in the Canary Islands.
Dave, WB6LLO reported great signals from AO-40 as the transponders
went active. Dave worked VE3NPC and 4X1AS, in addition to stations in
Japan and Australia. Jerry, W6IHG, reported making 12 contacts.
Renato, CE3XK, was also active, working several stations with received
downlink signals around S-5.
The AMSAT-DL web site is currently featuring an AO-40 status summary
format at:
http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm
Stay tuned to ANS, the official source of AO-40 information.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-203.02
AMSAT-NA PRESIDENT'S LETTER
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.02
Greetings,
It is with great pleasure that I write to you this month and talk
about the progress being made with our next satellite project,
currently known as "Project JJ".
Recently, a meeting was held in Denver, Colorado - attended by
twenty of AMSAT-NA's designers and officers. Their main
objective was to begin implementation of this project, as
mandated by the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. While it is not
my intention in this letter to go into every detail about the
meeting, it is important to note that one very significant decision
made was to make every aspect of this new satellite
(as it is being designed) completely available to the AMSAT
community. By every aspect I mean every drawing (including
schematics), every piece of code and all telemetry details, etc.
The only details which will not be released are those which
would possibly endanger the security of the spacecraft when in
orbit (should hackers become active on the bird), and any
proprietary commercial data (which I don't think that there will be
much, if any, of). In other words, Project JJ will be your satellite!
Yes, this new project will be an "open concept" design and the
project committee will welcome your constructive feedback as
the project progresses. In fact, I am pleased to announce that
Paul Williamson, KB5MU, will be posting all project information
on the AMSAT-NA web page and Russ Tillman, K5NRK, will be
writing an initial article for the AMSAT-NA Journal - with more
articles planned as we progress. I am also pleased to announce
that Lyle Johnson, KK7P, and Chuck Green, N0ADI, have
agreed to act as joint managers at the start of this project.
As with any project it is always wise to review, and learn from,
previous projects. Accordingly, at the Denver meeting a review of
the Phase 3 series of satellites was undertaken. Discussion took
place on advantages and disadvantages, things we want to
repeat and things we can improve on. Such a review is a very
valuable part of the design process.
Some of the decisions made at the meeting included:
1) Sideband uplinks on L and U bands with a S-band downlink;
2) Digital communications (TDMA) L-band uplink with S-band
downlink;
3) V-band telemetry beacon;
4) Gain antennas for U, L, and S-bands;
5) Omni-directional antennas (for initial commands);
6) Propulsion system only if absolutely necessary. This is
function of yet undetermined launch dynamics and may
require some form of cold gas propulsion system for
perigee adjustment. A decision on this will be made in the
near future.
Now to the important question of finance.
It is quite apparent that the days of inexpensive launches is over,
especially if we want a good, reliable launch, which I'm sure, we all do.
Therefore, it is imperative that we immediately commence a fund raising
effort -for a launch (currently estimated) for early 2004. I encourage you
to become a President's Club donor at either the $100/month (Gold) or
$50/month (Silver) level. In addition, a meeting of the AMSAT-NA
Development Committee will take place in mid-August with the main
objective of determining the best way to raise the necessary funds and
to coordinate the fundraising effort itself.
Meanwhile, you can take the initiative by calling Martha at the
AMSAT-NA office and give her your details for President's Club
Membership! Remember - AMSAT donations are tax deductible
in the U.S.
Martha can be reached during normal business hours at:
(301) 589-6062
Again, this will be your satellite!
73,
Robin Haighton, VE3FRH
President, AMSAT-NA
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH,
for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-203.03
STS-104 MISSION CONTINUES
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.03
The Space Shuttle Atlantis has spent the past week docked to the
International Space Station as the main mission of delivery of a
new doorway to space has gone very well.
On Tuesday, Shuttle and station crews set aside work on a leaky
ventilation valve and pressed forward with activation of the new Quest
airlock. Preparations for the second space walk of the flight also took
place. Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly completed the
objective of mounting a high-pressure oxygen and high-pressure
nitrogen tanks late Tuesday/early Wednesday. It was the 66th space
walk in shuttle program history, and the 23rd devoted to International
Space Station assembly. So far, STS-104 space walks have lasted 12
hours, 28 minutes.
Atlantis Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi and Expedition Two Flight
Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms installed the Hatch between
Quest's Crew Lock and Equipment Lock on Wednesday. The hatch
was then tested for leaks for more than eight hours.
On Thursday, Atlantis' engines were fired in a series of pulses during a
one-hour period to boost the station's altitude in the third and final
reboost scheduled for this mission. Atlantis will leave the station later this
week about 10 miles higher than when it arrived.
On Friday, the third spacewalk of the mission took place as Mission
Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly attached a fourth and final
supply tank to the airlock's exterior. Tasks added to Friday's space walk
included an inspection of one of the station's solar array swivels and
inspection of the Floating Potential Probe that measures plasma levels
around the solar arrays. Also on Friday Atlantis and International Space
Station crewmembers marked the 32nd anniversary of the first human
steps on the moon by completing another phase of station construction.
Atlantis spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly floated out of the
station's new Quest airlock, completing airlock activation and marking
the beginning of independent operations aboard the space station.
On Saturday, Atlantis began preparations to undock from ISS. It is very
Interesting to note that since July 2000, 77 tons of hardware has been
added to the station, including the Zvezda module, the Z1 Truss Assembly,
Pressurized Mating Adapter 3, the P6 Truss and its 240-foot long solar
arrays, the U.S. laboratory Destiny, the Canadarm-2 and the Quest
airlock.
Atlantis is currently scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida
late Monday morning. Another landing opportunity is available on the
subsequent orbit, which would see Atlantis touch down Tuesday afternoon.
Though the outlook was improving, although forecasts for landing time still
carried the possibility of clouds and rain.
[ANS thanks NASA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-203.04
ANS IN BRIEF
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** The finalized program for this year's AMSAT-UK Colloquium is now on
the UK web-site. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium.htm for all the
details. -Richard, G3RWL
** An advanced X-38 prototype International Space Station lifeboat
floated to a successful touchdown under the world's largest parafoil
recently at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards,
California. The program completed the seventh large-scale free flight
test for the X-38 project. -NASA
** XM Satellite Radio's second satellite, "Roll," has been formally handed
over to XM by Boeing Satellite Systems and has begun broadcasting.
Roll has reached its final position in geostationary orbit at 85 degrees
West Longitude recently. -SpaceDaily
** Mike, N1JEZ reports special event station N2V was successful.
Mike's part included satellite operation, with 99 stations worked during
the 2 days of operation from the Cumberland ferry. Most all of the
contacts were made while in motion travelling between Vermont and
New York across Lake Champlain. Mike used an FT-847 and tripod
mounted Arrow antenna and used a Garmin GPS III to provide
directional information. Mike reports "it was really a challenge to work
AO-10 and the FO birds while in motion on the ferry. Adjusting antenna
position/polarity and correcting for doppler really kept me busy." There is
a certificate available for working N2V. QSL to P.O. Box 113,
Morrisonville, NY 12962. -Mike, N1JEZ
** The Naval Academy's Personal Communications Satellite Amateur
Radio satellite has been accepted for launch in early September.
This satellite is a simple UI digipeater with four uplinks and two
downlinks at both 1200 and 9600 baud rates. -Bob, WB4APR
** W5ACM reminds all not to forget AMSAT Field Day reports!
AMSAT FD-2001 rules and a report form were included in the last issue
of the of the AMSAT-NA Journal. The information is also available at
the following URL: http://www.amsat.org. -Andy, W5ACM
** DS-1's grand extended mission will end in about 3 months, after the
aged and scarred explorer attempts a final daring feat: a brief and
close-up investigation of comet Borrelly. Previous ANS bulletin sets
briefly talked about some of the preparations for this risky finale to
DS-1's bonus mission. --SpaceDaily
** Ray, W2RS, reports that MarkSpace has just released a terminal
program called Online 1.6d3, for PalmOS devices. This public
beta version includes a fix for a bug that had kept it from interfacing
properly with a many packet radio TNC's. W2RS reports that this is true
pocket packet (Ray uses an AOR AR-210 miniature TNC and a HT
to accomplish digital connections). For further information, visit
www.markspace.com. -Ray, W2RS
** The FCC has put the ARRL's petition seeking a primary amateur
allocation at 2300 to 2305 MHz on public notice. It's been assigned a
rulemaking number (RM-10165). Comments are due by August 1st.
The League's petition, filed in May, also requested that no commercial
operations be introduced in the band. The Amateur Service now is
secondary at 2300-2305 MHz. There is no primary occupant. The ARRL
last year sought to have the segment 2400-2402 MHz elevated from
secondary to primary, but the FCC has yet not acted on that request
to date. The AO-40 satellite has been successfully using that band for
downlink telemetry and transponder operation. -ARRL
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-203.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.05
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.
The RUDAK system has been activated.
Currently, the U/L-1 to S-2 passbands are active from MA-10 through
MA-99. The current ALON/ALAT will give some very low squint angles
(especially in the northern hemisphere) that should provide for
excellent downlink signals.
AO-40 experimental transponder operation started on May 05, 2001 at
approximately 08:00 UTC when the U-band and L1-band uplinks were
connected to the S-2 transmitter passband downlink via the Matrix
switch.
ALON / ALAT = 325.5 / 6.2 (+/- 0.2 degs)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL 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.
A group of elementary students in Bourne, Massachusetts, had a chance
recently to chat with Susan Helms, KC7NHZ, aboard ISS. The mid-July
contact was arranged as part of the Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station --or ARISS-- program, sponsored by ARRL, NASA and
AMSAT. Helms fielded 16 questions during the contact.
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.
The ARISS-US team delivered a new packet module to NASA. This new
packet module is expected to correct several of the problems that have
been observed on the current ARISS packet system. Expedition-3
astronaut Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, is planning to make the
packet module change-out early in his ISS tour of duty (in August).
The ISS daily crew schedule (which gives an idea when crew members
have free time and may be available for Amateur Radio operations) can
be found at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/2001/may/index.html
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
European stations: AMSAT-France
16, rue de la Vallee
91360 Epinay sur Orge, France
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
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
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. 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
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)
[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
controller 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
Last reported, the JARL FO-29 command station announced the
operation schedule of FO-29 through October 2001 - is mode JA
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-203.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.06
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 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 returned to service on July 12th. Downlink
efficiency is in the 50% range. Traffic is O-25 is operational. Traffic is
light, compared to the last report, when the satellite first returned to service.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for this 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 good downlink efficiency
and heavy traffic, both individual and SatGate. Many international
gateways are represented on the satellite.
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, G3CWV, reported to ANS that during the period 09-June to
14-July there have been three noteworthy events with OSCAR 11.
First, reports of unusually strong mode-S beacon reception were
received from VK5HI and G4SDG. A possible explanation for these
strong signals might be that the fault which has caused low output
power for many years, may be intermittent, perhaps triggered by the
lower battery voltages which are currently occurring. Ground control
have confirmed that the S-band beacon has the same modulation as
the 145 MHz beacon, but the modulation level is very low.
Secondly, the rate at which the SEU counter increments has
approximately doubled, to about 390 counts per day. Decoding the
SEU binary telemetry shows regular memory failure at locations 3EC0
and 37B1. Less frequent faults at locations 1873 and 18F3 have also
been recorded. The failure of 3EC0 started around 12-May 2001.
Location 37B1 failed in August 1994. Unfortunately the presence of
permanent memory failures masks the occurrence of less frequent
random memory failures, which could be observed before the 1994
failure.
Finally, the Z-axis magnetorquer counter reached its limit of 1024 on
23-June. This has stopped further active attitude control. The satellite's
attitude is now controlled solely by the passive gravity boom gradient.
Prior to this the spin control had been working well, with periods in range
from 338 to 343 seconds.
Reliable signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The
battery voltage observed during daylight passes is unchanged with
average value observed at 13.4 - with a range of 13.0 to 13.5 volts.
The internal temperatures have continued to decrease by a further
one degree C and are now at -1.2C and -2.6C for battery and telemetry
electronics respectively. The WOD survey of channels 1, 2, 3, 61
(X, Z, Y magnetometers and status) dated 24-March, has been
transmitted.
OSCAR-11 hardware generated time in the ASCII telemetry is now
15.5 minutes ahead of UTC, and the date is three days advanced.
Unfortunately these errors cannot be corrected.
The operating schedule is unchanged.
ASCII status (210 seconds)
ASCII bulletin (60 seconds)
BINARY SEU (30 seconds)
ASCII TLM (90 seconds)
ASCII WOD (120 seconds)
ASCII bulletin (60 seconds)
BINARY ENG (30 seconds)
The ASCII bulletin is currently a static message, detailing modes and
frequencies of all 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.
Telemetry is as follows:
uptime is 516/18:31:47. Time is Fri Jul 13 22:08:51 2001
+X (RX) Temp -12.104 D RX Temp 0.603 D
Bat 1 V 1.225 V Bat 2 V 1.117 V
Bat 3 V 1.145 V Bat 4 V 1.208 V
Bat 5 V 1.110 V Bat 6 V 1.199 V
Bat 7 V 1.117 V Bat 8 V 1.169 V
Bat 1 Temp 1.814 D Bat 2 Temp 1.814 D
Baseplt Temp 1.814 D PSK TX RF Out 0.698 W
RC PSK BP Temp -6.658 D RC PSK HPA Tmp -6.658 D
+Y Array Temp -22.995 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -3.027 D
+Z Array Temp -16.339 D
Total Array C= 0.038 Bat Ch Cur=-0.100 Ifb= 0.049 I+10V= 0.072
TX:1006 BCR:7A PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:F3
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
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-203.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 203.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 22, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-203.07
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.
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 is as follows:
Time is Fri Jul 13 21:53:51 2001
CW-Code: avt aba av6 abn au6 a6v ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 10.94 V 10V-Curr: 114.1 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.899 W TX-Temp.: -0.46 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 3.56 ?C
CW-Code: avt aba av6 abn aub a6u ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 10.94 V 10V-Curr: 113.4 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.899 W TX-Temp.: -0.46 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 3.20 ?C
General information and decode values of
CW telemetry can find it in:
www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu/lo19
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 8 months. ANS has received no additional
information.
When/if operational, 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 8 months. ANS has received no additional
information.
When/if operational, 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: NN0DJ
Grid Square EN28iv
Warroad, Minnesota U.S.A.
E-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org
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