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[jamsat-news:1577] ANS 238
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 238
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) Amateur
Radio satellite technology developments 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 noted DXer Philip Latta,
of Marietta, Georgia, who died recently after a long illness. He was 85.
Latta was on the DXCC Honor Roll with 356 entities. [ANS thanks the
ARRL for this information]
ANS is always dedicated to the memory of past ANS editor 'BJ'
Arts, WT0N, and to the memory of long-time AMSAT supporter
Werner Haas, DJ5KQ.
ANS salutes Eugene Senti, W0ROW. As an engineer for Collins Radio,
W0ROW invented the radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver in a
single package, with shared circuitry). His idea has become a standard
in Amateur Radio. W0ROW 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-238.01
AO-40 UPDATE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.01
AO-40 command station members Stacey Mills, W4SM, and James
Miller, G3RUH, conducted another momentum wheel testing session
during orbit #365, with very good success.
The wheels were spun up to +100 RPM. This was accomplished with
a quick lock on all three wheels. They were left at this speed for some
30 minutes. Telemetry before and after the spin-up was nominal and
it is possible to deduce (with some caution) that we have a working
3-axis control system. More tests will be done over the next few
weeks, before we will transfer the spacecraft from spin stabilization
into a 3-axis stabilization.
The AO-40 team hopes to will to use the reaction wheels to aim
the satellite's antennas and, eventually, its solar panels. The latest
testing paves the way for possible deployment of the solar array and
better signals on the ground.
AO-40 is about to enter a long period during which the Earth eclipses
the Sun near perigee. These actually begin about August 28th, and
once they start they will rapidly increase in length. The will continue well
into June of next year.
During September, eclipses will peak at 85 minutes in duration. In order
to conserve the batteries the S-2 transmitter --including the middle beacon--
will be off from MA 220 to 250. The on/off times will be adjusted
slightly as the eclipse times move.
** ALON/ALAT has just been tweaked and is currently showing 350/2.
ALON will decrease about 1.5 degrees each perigee due to the
mystery effect. It will be adjusted again in several days to stay in the
range of 340/350 degrees.
Stay tuned to ANS, the official source of AO-40 information.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-238.02
AUGUST PRESIDENT'S LETTER
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.02
Once each month ANS will feature information from AMSAT-NA
President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. This feature is known as the
President's Letter. The following is the August 2001 installment:
Every month that I write to you, it seems that there is another facet
of AO-40 that is up and running. This month we are all delighted to
learn that the SCOPE camera is operational using the RUDAK
system, and although we may have had some problems in the early
stages of AO-40 commissioning, the bird is living up to expectations.
Yes, there are those who miss the V-band and U-band transmissions,
but the S-2 S-band downlink is generally performing very well, and
the S-band downlink it is simple to operate with only a minimum of
expenditure. Recent conversation on the AMSAT-BB talked about
portable operation with small UHF beam uplinks and various simple
antennas for the S-Band downlink. This could hardly be called an
elitist operation. James Miller, G3RUH, and Freddy DeGuchteneire,
ON6UG, both gave excellent demonstrations of receiving AO-40
portable at the recent AMSAT-UK Colloquium.
At the Colloquium Jerry Brown, K5OE, received an award for the best
paper given by a new person and Gene Marcus, W3PM, won the
award for a new AO-40 logo. Both prize recipients had stiff competition.
Gene's logo will now start appearing on related AMSAT items. Jerry's
presentation will be repeated at Atlanta in October. Congratulations to
both Jerry and Gene.
I am pleased to report that following last month's President's letter (and
my request at Surrey for help on the JJ project) we have started to
have several overseas volunteers join the team, and although Project JJ
will be managed by AMSAT-NA, we look forward to involving our
international friends in their areas of technical expertise.
A group of AMSAT-NA Vice Presidents recently met in Washington, DC
to consider how to co-ordinate our AMSAT-NA business programs and to
develop the funding for Project JJ. Certainly, becoming a sustaining
donor to the President's Club is one way that you can significantly help,
and it is one way that can by relatively painless! Why not start your
donations now?
I hope that by the time I write next month, more great things may be
happening on AO-40, and, like you, I hope to be having lots of fun on the
birds!
73,
Robin Haighton, VE3FRH
President AMSAT-NA
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-238.03
PACSAT Tools VERSION 0.9 RELEASED
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.03
PacsatTools is a collection of Linux utilities designed to help facilitate
communication with PacSat satellites operating in the Amateur Radio
Service. Included are utilities that prepare files for upload to PacSat
satellites, process downloaded files and display satellite directory
information. A utility that converts narrow-angle CCD Earth Imaging
Camera images taken by the UO-22 and KO-25 satellites to a PGM
format is also included.
PacsatTools was written by John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, and is an
excellent addition to the PB/PG Pacsat communication suite by Bent
Bagger, OZ6BL.
Full documentation and sample data files are included.
PacsatTools may be downloaded from:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/software/Linux/PacsatTools-0.9.tar.bz2
PacsatTools is free software, and is released under the GNU General
Public License as an open-source software product.
[ANS thanks John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-238.04
ANS IN BRIEF
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** A satellite operation workshop is scheduled for the upcoming ARRL
Southwestern Division Convention. The five-hour program is designed to
introduce attendees to amateur satellite operation and equipment
requirements. Experienced satellite users will also benefit from
discussions of operation through AO-40 and ISS. -Brennan, N4QX
** The results of the 2001 Automotive Emerging Technologies Study
could eventually impact on ham radio as well as anyone else who uses
any form of communication in an automobile. The study concluded that
a majority of drivers consider operating a cellular telephone to be a major
distraction and lawmakers often look at cellular and two-way radio in the
same light. -AR Newsline
** China may gain access to ISS with the help of the European Space
Agency. ESA and the Chinese National Space Administration have
reached an intention to collaborate towards admitting China to an ISS
project in the near future. -SpaceDaily
** The ARRL and company known as AeroAstro have filed
comments with the FCC to bolster competing proposals for 2300
to 2305 MHz. The League has petitioned to elevate the Amateur
Service from secondary to primary status -- AeroAstro seeks co-primary
status with the Amateur Service to accommodate a satellite-based
position-monitoring system. The ARRL said there's no possibility that
hams and the AeroAstro service could coordinate operations on the
band. In a related story, the FCC has included a primary Amateur
Service allocation among bands it plans to examine to support the
introduction of advanced wireless systems. The Commission said it will
seek comments on reallocating some spectrum in the 2390 to 2400
MHz Amateur Service segment as well as in the non-amateur 1.9 and
2.1 GHz bands for unspecified mobile and fixed services. -ARRL Letter
** The Jason 1 satellite, a joint project of NASA and the French space
agency has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, to begin final
preparations for launch no in mid-September. -SpaceDaily
** The Pacific Northwest VHF Conference will be held September 22nd,
in Tacoma, Washington, at the Best Western Tacoma Inn. Registration
forms, conference and hotel information are on the Pacific Northwest
VHF Conference web page at the following URL:
http://www.qsl.net/n7cfo/hamfests/vhfcon.pdf. -ARRL Letter
** The Radio Amateurs Canada Board of Directors has announced the
appointment of Steve Kavanagh, VE3SMA as Chair to the organizations
Microwave Band Planning Committee. Kvanagh replaces former Chair
Darrel Ward, VE1ALQ, who resigned for health reasons. Ward is still a
committee member and will continue to participate in microwave band
planning matters. -AR Newsline, RAC
** Solar storms that bombard the Earth's atmosphere with electrically
charged particles apparently contribute to the destruction of the
upper-level ozone, according to a recent report in the Geophysical
Research Letters. -SpaceDaily
** The November Special Satellite Issue of 73 magazine will
include the following stories: AMSAT - Where to Next?,
ARISS Operations, FODTrack Construction, Microwave Earth
Station Antennas for AO-40, Modifying the TranSystem 3373
for S-Band, Mode S - Tomorrow's Downlink - along with many
other satellite related articles. -Andy, W5ACM
** Currently, more than half of all licensed hams in the U.S. live in
10 of the 50 states. The states with the highest amateur populations are
California Texas, Florida and New York. The states with the fewest hams
are Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Delaware. -AR Newsline
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-238.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.05
Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40
Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher
from Kourou, French Guiana.
Status: Currently, the U/L-1 to S-2 passband is active.
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.
[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.
Status: Operational.
The ISS packet station (normally) available for UI packets. 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.
Amateur Radio operation from ISS may be limited currently, due to the
crew requirements.
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.
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-238.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.06
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
[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
UoSAT command station G7UPN reports to ANS that UO-22 had
been closed for amateur activity for a short duration while command
stations assess the state of the RAM disk. Over the past few weeks
there have been increasing difficulties downloading larger files from
the spacecraft. The store and forward communications system has
been reloaded.
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 for many years there has been a
need for a sound card demodulator program for OSCAR-11, which would
enable many users to decode the satellite. Doug, KA2UPW, has taken
up the challenge and is developing a program called UO11DEM.
The program will take a .WAV file recording and display the demodulated
signal on a computer screen. Although still very much in development,
encouraging results have been obtained.
During the period 09-June to 14-August reliable signals have been
received from the 145 MHz beacon. Internal temperatures have now
started to increase as the solar eclipse times decrease. A rise of
1.7C has been noted. These temperatures are now 0.6C and -1.0C
for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The battery voltage
observed during daylight passes has slightly increased with an average
value observed at 13.5 (and a range of 13.2 to 13.8 volts). The
improved battery voltage is also a result of decreasing solar eclipse
times.
The WOD survey of channels 1, 2, 3, 61 (X, Z, Y magnetometers and
status) dated 24 March, has been transmitted. The Z-axis magnetorquer
counter reached its limit of 1,024 on 23-June. The satellite's attitude is
now controlled solely by the passive gravity boom gradient. During the
last month the spin period has drifted between 416 and 647 seconds,
and is currently 582 seconds.
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.
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-238.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 238.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, AUGUST 26, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-238.07
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.
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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