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[jamsat-news:1683] ANS 090


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 090

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 pleased to announce the 20th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA
Annual Meeting. The conference is scheduled for November 7-11, 2002 in
Fort Worth, Texas, and will chronicle recent and future Amateur Radio
satellite technology developments. The 2002 event chairman is Keith
Pugh, W5IU.

This ANS bulletin set is dedicated to Jack Williamson, W3GC, who
died recently at age 95 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. W3GC
was the co-founder of Barker & Williamson, once a well-known U.S.
manufacturer of Amateur Radio equipment. First licensed in 1921,
Williamson earned a widespread reputation for his radio knowledge.
[ANS thanks Bob Thomas, W3NE, for this information]

ANS salutes Clarence Tuska, 1AY - co-founder of the ARRL (along
with Hiram Maxim). Tuska is among the inaugural group of 50
inductees into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.

Nominations are open for the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame 2002
class, due by March 31, 2002. Nominations can e-mailed to
< hall-of-fame@cq-amateur-radio.com >. The official nomination
form and guidelines are in the January issue of CQ and on the CQ
web site at < www.cq-amateur-radio.com >. [ANS thanks CQ Amateur
Radio magazine, published by CQ Communications, Inc. for this
information]

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-090.01
AO-40 UPDATE

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 090.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 31, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-090.01

AO-40 ground control station W4SM recently reported on the latitude drift
of AO-40's sub-satellite (apogee) point. The sub-satellite point of latitude
at apogee is a function of argument of perigee and the inclination of the
satellite's orbit. The greater the inclination, the more the variability.

Argument of Perigee (ArgP) needs a drawing to fully visualize, but it
represents the angle between the perigee of the orbit and the point
where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane headed north (ascending
node). If ArgP = 0 or 180, then apogee is over the equator. When ArgP
is less than 180 degrees, the apogee is in the southern hemisphere.
When ArgP is greater than 180 degrees, apogee is in the northern
hemisphere. For AO-40, ArgP is currently ~32 degrees, and increasing
0.3251 degrees each day. The duration of a full cycle is a little over
3-years.

Inclination is a measure of the tilt of the orbital plane with respect to
the Earth's equatorial plane. For satellites with highly elliptical orbits
such as AO-40, the inclination is subject to significant solar/lunar forces
which tend to alter it in a non-linear fashion. AO-40's inclination has
been increasing from about 5.2 degrees in mid-2001, to the current value
of 7.3 degrees. Orbital element integration, factoring in solar, lunar, and
terrestrial forces show that inclination will continue to increase until 
it peaks at approximately 10.3 degrees in the spring of 2004. As AO-40's
inclination and eccentricity change due to these forces, the rate of
change of ArgP will fluctuate very slightly as well.

From a northern hemisphere perspective, the low point for elevation of
AO-40 at apogee will occur in the fall of this year. Apogee elevation will
then improve, peaking 18 months later (in the spring of 2004).

AO-40 is currently experiencing eclipse periods of nearly 30 minutes.
During a recent eclipse period, both the magnetorquers and beacon
were on when the IHU detected that the battery was running low,
triggering the low-voltage software-which turned the S-2 transmitter off.

For the last three orbits, the battery voltage during the final 45-seconds
of  the eclipse period has dropped to the point where it has triggered
S-2 shutoff.

The shutoff is set very conservatively and the scheduling software has
restarted the S-2 transmitter at MA-15 nominally each time. W4SM
lowered the shutoff threshold by one count, and this should be
sufficient to prevent further eclipse shutoffs for this cycle. If not,
additional adjustments will be made.

The current perigee eclipse cycle runs through June 19th. From
August 13th to September 18th, AO-40 will experience much longer
non-perigee eclipses that peak at 165 minutes duration. During these
eclipses the S-2 transmitter will be turned off by the scheduler.

[ANS thanks the AO-40 team for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-090.02
2ND CALL FOR PAPERS

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 090.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 31, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-090.02

This is the second call for papers for the 17th AMSAT-UK Colloquium,
to be held at Surrey University, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom. The
dates are July 26-28, 2002.

AMSAT-UK invites speakers to submit papers about Amateur Radio
space and associated activities for the event and for the Proceedings
document to be published at the same time.

There will be awards for the best presentations.

Offers of Papers should be submitted as soon as possible; the final date
for full documents to be received is mid-June 2002.

Submissions should be sent to:

Internet e-mail:  	g3rwl@amsat.org

Terrestrial mail: 		Richard Limebear, G3RWL
60 Willow Road
                  		Enfield EN1 3NQ
                  				United Kingdom

AMSAT-UK also invites anyone with requests for program topics to also
submit them to G3RWL.

[ANS thanks Colloquium organizer Richard Limebear, G3RWL
for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-090.03
ANS IN BRIEF

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 090.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 31, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-090.03

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

** The ARRL says the large number of comments filed by amateurs in
opposition to SAVI Technology's plans to operate RF identification tags
on 70-cm support the League's position that the proposed rules are
flawed and should not be adopted. -ARRL

** A major new health check on the Earth is underway with the
European Space Agency's Envisat satellite - launched by an Ariane 5
rocket from French Guiana. It is the largest and most sophisticated
Earth observation satellite ever built. -ESA

** Lockheed Martin's new Atlas 5 booster passed its first major test
recently on the way to the debut launch this summer. Over a five-day
period, the Atlas team rolled the rocket on its mobile launch platform to
the launch pad, loaded the super-cold propellants on board and then
conducted a simulated launch countdown. -SpaceDaily

** The 2001 AMSAT Symposium awards included a presentation to
Dick Jansson, WD4FAB, for his generous contribution of time and
effort during the Phase 3D launch campaign. His willingness to
sacrifice personal time for this endeavor is greatly appreciated by
hams all over the world. -ANS

** The Expedition-4 ISS crew of RK3DUO, KD5PNU, and KC5TIE,
will be spending an extra month in orbit. Problems with the robotic
arm on the ISS will result in extending their mission to 189 days-a
new record for the U.S. crew members. -ARRL

** NOAA has the primary responsibility within the federal government to
routinely provide climate forecasts and products to the nation. Most
parts of NOAA are in some way involved in El Nino research, such as
monitoring and prediction. -SpaceDaily

** John Champa, K8OCL, has been named to chair the ARRL
High-Speed Digital and Multimedia Working Group. Champa is a senior
telecommunications engineer. The High-Speed Digital and Multimedia
Working Group will review existing amateur digital networks-including
packet systems and DX spotting networks and, in particular, high-speed
systems--to gain an understanding of the current status. Champa is a
former Executive Vice President of AMSAT-NA. -ARRL/ANS

** Studies of pristine forests in South America found that the cycling of
nitrogen, an essential nutrient, was quite different than expected, and it
suggests that many forests of North America and Europe actually have
an unnatural ecology driven largely by air pollution, acid rain and
artificial nitrogen fertilization. -SpaceDaily

** According to highly reliable sources, the AMSAT-India proposal for
project VUSat is at a highly advanced stage of consideration and
near-approval, with a possibility of launch to be scheduled during 2003.
Possible configuration may include a mode-B linear transponder, an FM
message beacon and a telemetry beacon. -Nagesh Upadhyaya

--ANS BULLETIN END---

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-090.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 090.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 31, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-090.04

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 (various times)
Uplink    	U-band    435.550 - 435.800 MHz CW/SSB
                  	L1-band  1269.250 - 1269.500 MHz CW/SSB
                  	L2-band  1268.325 - 1268.575 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink  	2401.225 - 2401.475 MHz CW/SSB

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. Some 58 DXCC countries were QRV on AO-40 in 2001.

Ground stations capturing telemetry from AO-40 are asked to send a
copy of the data to the AO-40 archive at: ao40-archive@amsat.org.

For the current transponder-operating schedule visit:

http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm

[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                      RS0ISS

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.

ISS packet activity has resumed. Although the mailbox function has
been activated, ground stations are discouraged from using it. Currently,
there is no computer hooked up to the packet system.

Upcoming student contacts are scheduled with Pflugerville High School,
Pflugerville, Texas; Caribbean Preparatory School San Juan, Puerto;
Quogue Union Free School District, New York; Woodland Middle School,
East Meadow, New York; Shenandoah Elementary School, Florida;
Lucee Jeanne D'Arc, France and Ecole Louis Pergaud, France;
Hambright Elementary School, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Woodland
Middle School, East Meadow, New York.

An archive of school contacts can be found at:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/505064.asp

NASA information on the ISS station can be found at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/

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

A detailed breakdown of the antenna installation with some great
pictures and diagrams (depicting the entire ISS ham system including
antenna's) can be downloaded at:

http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/EVAs/amsat01.pdf

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 (a SASE is required to get a QSL in return):
Margie Bourgoin, KC1DCO
Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2, 3) QSL
ARRL, 225 Main Street
Newington, Connecticut 06111

Canadian stations:
Radio Amateurs of Canada
Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2, 3) QSL
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
Ottawa, Ontario KEG 0Z5

European stations (a SASE and 2 IRC's are required to get
                               a QSL in return).
AMSAT-France
14 bis, rue des Gourlis
92500 Rueil Malmaison
France

[ANS thanks Will Marchant, KC6ROL, and Jean-Louis Rault, F6AGR,
for this information]

RADIO SPORT RS-12
Uplink 		21.210 to 21.250 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink	29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon  	29.408 MHz
Robot		29.454 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-12 was placed in Mode-K on February 19, 2002.

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-13
Uplink    	21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink   	145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 	145.860 MHz
Robot		145.908 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-13 was re-activated in Mode-T on February 19, 2002.

The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the AC5DK
RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at:

http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html

[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information]

RADIO SPORT RS-15
Uplink    	145.858 to 145.898 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 	29.354 to 29.394 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon  	29.352 MHz (intermittent)
SSB meeting frequency     29.380 MHz (unofficial)
Launched: December 26, 1994 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Status: Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a
10-meter downlink

Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 on his
web site. In addition to satellite data, antenna information for
mode-A operation is also featured. The WB6LLO web site URL is:

http://home.san.rr.com/doguimont/uploads

[ANS thanks Dave Guimont, WB6LLO, for this information]

OSCAR 10 AO-10
Uplink   	435.030 to 435.180 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink	145.975 to 145.825 MHz CW/USB
Beacon 	145.810 MHz (unmodulated carrier)
Launched: June 16, 1983 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, mode-B. AO-10 has
been locked into a 70-cm uplink and a 2-meter downlink for several
years.

DX continues to be heard and worked on AO-10.

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, with updates by Ray, W2RS. 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

On Saturday, March 30, 2002, the TEPR states on AO-27 were
reset as follows:		TEPR 4 - 50
TEPR 5 - 90

[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

Ray, W2RS, has revised the AO-27 FAQ on < www.amsat.org > to
include information on UO-14.

[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 as mode JA through March 2002.

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-090.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 090.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 31, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-090.05

PCSAT NO-44
Uplink/downlink    145.827 MHz 1200 baud AX-25 AFSK via PCSAT-1
Aux/Uplink            435.250 MHz 9600 baud via PCSAT-2 (off)
APRS Downlink    144.390 MHz (Region 2)
Launched: September 30, 2001 aboard an Athena-1 rocket from the
Kodiak, Alaska launch complex. Status: Operational

PCSat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater designed for use by
stations using hand-held or mobile transceivers. Downlinks feed a
central web site < http://pcsat.aprs.org >. The APRS-equipped
PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy
under the guidance of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR.

Bob, WB4APR, reports ground stations are still not able to get PCSat
into a positive power budget. Since early March, PCSat has gone
through 15 deep discharges each day because its failed -Z panel
prevents maximum charge (in Southern Hemisphere passes) and its
+Z best face has not seen any Sun angle during orbit.

Although the satellite responds to commands (while in sunshine),
March 15th was the last day that an uplinked command was successful.
On March 18th the digipeater was turned off for all users. However,
Further analysis shows an improving sun angle, which may allow the
satellite to successfully make it through this difficult period.

Users should not use the satellite until further notice.

For more information, visit the PCSat web site at:

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat.html

[ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for PCSat information]

TIUNGSAT-1 MO-46
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

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.

[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, 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 moderate traffic.

More information on the satellite is available at the following URL:

http://www.sstl.co.uk/

[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-22 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

Happy birthday OSCAR-11, now celebrating 18 years in space!

During the past year OSCAR-11 has operated continuously on both
VHF and S band, with very little ground control needed. The single event
upset counter has detected several permanent memory location failures,
but these do not appear to be causing any malfunctions at the present
time.

During the period from mid-February to mid-March the internal
temperatures have decreased slightly They are now 3.8C and 2.2C
for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The battery voltage
observed during daylight passes has decreased slightly. The average
value observed was 13.7 with a range of 13.3 to 13.9 volts.

The spin period has drifted between 198-266 seconds. The attitude is
controlled solely by the gravity boom gradient.

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 776/07:53:54. Time is Sat Mar 30 11:38:00 2002
+10V Bus   11.000 V  	+Z Array V      22.711 V
+X (RX) Temp    -1.212 D  	RX Temp         -3.027 D
+5V Bus          4.718 V  	+8.5V Bus        8.776 V
BCR Set Point  122.365 C  	BCR Load Cur     0.420 A
+8.5V Bus Cur    0.031 A  	+5V Bus Cur      0.214 A
BCR Input Cur    0.431 A  	BCR Output Cur   0.348 A
Bat 1 Temp       5.444 D  	Bat 2 Temp       6.049 D
Baseplt Temp     6.049 D  	PSK TX RF Out    1.831 W
+Y Array Temp    6.049 D  	PSK TX HPA Tmp   6.049 D
+Z Array Temp    4.839 D

Total Array C= 0.407 Bat Ch Cur=-0.072 Ifb= 0.024 I+10V= 0.397
TX:1009 BCR:7F PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:34

A 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]

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-090.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 090.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 31, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-090.06

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

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: Non-operational.

Jim, AA7KC, reports that KO-23's downlink transmitter continues in a
non-operational status.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ,
for KO-23 status 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: Semi-operational

Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 is essentially non-operational due to very
low downlink efficiencies. KO-25 did show a brief sign of life recently,
but not much useful data was downlinked.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for this 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: Unknown

UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward
communications and mode L/S transponders.

Paul, KB2SHU, tells ANS that UO-36 has not been operational (over
North America) since late July 2001. In addition, Sangat, 9M2SS,
reports he has not copied UO-36 since July 30, 2001.

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
UO-36 information]

TMSAT-1 TO-31
Uplink               145.925 MHz (9600-baud FSK)
Downlink           436.925 MHz (9600-baud FSK)
Broadcast Callsign:        TMSAT1-11
BBS          		TMSAT1-12 
Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Non-operational, no data downlinked
since December 18, 2000.

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.

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 Wed Jan 25 20:58:00 2002
LUSAT HIHI 60

CW-Code: ava abv aav adb at4 ab6 ttu aae
 5V-reg.:   4.85 V      8.5V-reg:   6.44 V
 10V-Bat:  11.07 V      10V-Curr:  123.2 mA
 TX-Pwr :  0.977 W      TX-Temp.:   7.68 ?C
 +Z-Sol.:   0.30 V      Box-Temp:  11.39 ?C

CW-Code: ava abv aa4 adb ate abe ttu aee
 5V-reg.:   4.85 V      8.5V-reg:   8.68 V
 10V-Bat:  11.07 V      10V-Curr:  122.5 mA
 TX-Pwr :  0.977 W      TX-Temp.:   7.33 ?C
 +Z-Sol.:   0.30 V      Box-Temp:  11.04 ?C

CW-Code: ava abv aae adb at6 abe ttu aee
 5V-reg.:   4.85 V      8.5V-reg:   8.68 V
 10V-Bat:  11.07 V      10V-Curr:  122.5 mA
 TX-Pwr :  0.977 W      TX-Temp.:   6.97 ?C
 +Z-Sol.:   0.30 V      Box-Temp:  10.68 ?C

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, 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, 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
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]

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.

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 to
be available to Amateur Radio operators along with software to utilize
this technology.

The satellite is still operating, however, the spread spectrum packet radio
portion never took place. The spacecraft is now beyond it's initial 2-year
mission life, but telemetry records are still being downloaded.

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 is released worldwide via the AMSAT ANS e-mail reflector and a
live radiocast on 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.

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)
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* District of Columbia area (AMSAT-DC)
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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.

AMSAT-NA has developed a on-line volunteer survey, designed
to identify the interests and skills of those who may be available to
directly help in efforts to develop the amateur satellite program. The
survey is designed to be completed and returned on-line, and takes
only a few minutes to fill out. To request the survey, simply send an
e-mail request to:

volunteer@amsat.org

ANS is always dedicated to past ANS editor 'BJ' Arts, WT0N, and to the
memory of long-time AMSAT supporters Werner Haas, DJ5KQ, and
Dennis Kitchen, G0FCL.

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

/EX

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