[jamsat-news:2100] ANS-268 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-268

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.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org

In this edition:
* SSETI Express Set to Launch 30 September 2005
* SSETI Express to Deploy Three Cubesats
* Cubesat "XI-V" Reception Reports Requested
* Special Event from Titan Missle Museum
* AO-51 Special Event - JOTA Weekend 15-16 Oct
* Suitsat Video Newsreel
* ARISS Status - 19 September 2005


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.01
SSETI Express Set to Launch 30 September 2005

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.01
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.01

At long last, official confirmation has been received that the SSETI
Express launch is scheduled to take place at 06:52 on September 30th
with October 1st as the backup date.  SSETI Express will be launching
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on the Cosmos-3M LV

The launch of SSETI Express will be streamed to the Internet thanks to
the efforts of Howard Long, G6LVB. The new URL for the Webstream will be
http://www.streamingwizard.com/clients/space.asx

The first transmission will occur approximately 65 minutes after
separation from the launch adaptor approximately 100 minutes after
launch when Express is over northern Europe.

The type of the first transmissions will depend on the state of the
battery.

In Nominal mode - a sub 1 second burst of AX25 9k6 FSK telemetry every
18 seconds on the downlink frequency of 437.250 MHz.

In Recovery or Safe mode - simple on/off telemetry comprising 16 x 100
msec carrier pulses. This telemetry is repeated every 30 seconds in Safe
Mode and every 2 minutes when in Recovery Mode.

The satellite will transmit at a power of 3 watts.

Reception reports will be welcome by email at operations@sseti.net or by
placing them on the SSETI Newsgroup at slave.gte.tuwein.ac.at in the
folder "sseti.express.report" where you will also be able to see reports
from other locations around the world.

Full information on receiving SSETI Express signals, decoding the
telemetry, submitting it to the project team and entering the
competition will be posted at: 
http://sseti.gte.tuwien.ac.at/WSW4/MOPWS/news.php.

This will have links to all the updated pages as they occur.

AMSAT-UK produce a newsletter "Oscar News" which is full of satellite
information.
For membership details contact the secretary Jim Heck G3WGM
Tel: +44 (0)1258 453959
E-mail: g3wgm@amsat.org
Website: http://www.uk.amsat.org/

[ANS thanks Graham, UA/G3VZV and Trevor, M5AKA for the above
information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.02
SSETI Express to Deploy Three Cubesats

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.02
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.02

SSETI Express will be launching from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on the
Cosmos-3M LV on September 30, 2005 at 06:52:26 UTC. Satellites that will
be launched from Cosmos-3M are Topsat, China DMC and SSETI Express.
>From SSETI Express three CubeSats will be deployed: NCUBE-2, UWE-1, and
XI-V.  This is a great opportunity for everyone in the  Cubesat
community to use and test their earthstations to track and communicate
with the satellites once they are deployed from the LV.

The information regarding the cubesats and their TLEs is located on the
CubeSat Website, www.cubesat.org   The CubeSat website will contain
links to more detailed information and operations about SSETI Express
and the CubeSats as well as general information for tracking purposes.
The expected TLEs will be posted when the satellites are launched.  A
SSETI Express discussion board has been created; you must login-in to
post on the discussion board.  Fully functionality of the tools will
occur as the launch approaches.

SSETI Control Center
http://littonlab.atl.calpoly.edu/pages/missions/sseti-express-2005/satellite
-info.php

Test Discussion Board
http://littonlab.atl.calpoly.edu/smf/

[ANS thanks Simon Lee for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.03
Cubesat "XI-V" Reception Reports Requested
 
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.03
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.03

The University of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL) is
preparing for the launch of their second CubeSat called
"XI-V" (sai-five).  XI-V launched with and then separated from SSETI
Express.

The XI-V team would appreciate reception reports of signals from XI-V.
Reports or received data may be sent via email to
xi5report@space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp or upload any data file through the web 
http://www.space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cubesat/upload/xi5report-e.aspx

The specification of the transmitter is as follows:
CW morse-coded signal is on 437.465MHz +/- doppler, output power is 80mW
FM packet of AFSK AX.25 is on 437.345MHz +/- doppler, output power is
800mW. 

The details can be seen at
http://www.space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/gs/satinfo-e.html#xi5

Although the FM packet will not be transmitted unless commanded by the
ground station at Tokyo, CW signal is always ON, so anyone can receive
it. The format of the CW signal is available at
http://www.space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/gs/application-e.html#xi5

Initially the TLE of SSETI Express (provided by Graham) will be adequate
for acquisition as the separation velocity is so small that the
deviation from the orbit of SSETI Express will be negligible for a few
days.

Event Timeline:
Sep 30 06:52:26 (UTC)   Launch
Sep 30 08:37:26 (UTC)   Separation of XI-V
Sep 30 09:08:00 (UTC)   Start of CW transmission 
                        (which will occur over the pacific ocean)

Due to the power limitation, the initial interval of the CW signal is
about 30 seconds, and it will be very difficult to catch its signal. The
XI-V would greatly appreciate help receiving data. 
Any format of received data is welcome.

If you have anything to ask, please send email to
cube_info@space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

[ANS thanks Ryu Funase for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.04
Special Event from Titan Missle Museum

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.04
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.04

On October 1, the Green Valley Amateur Radio Club will be conducting a
special event operation from the Titan Missile Museum National Historic
Site, in neighboring Sahuarita, AZ (DM41).  While most of the operation
will be on HF, we plan to be on SO-50, and, if the FM transponder is
active at the time, AO-51, using the call N7GV. A special certificate is
available free of charge (SASE please) to anyone working the station.
Please QSL to W0KAD.  Further details appear on p. 101 of October QST.

The Titan Missile Museum National Historic Site houses the only
remaining Titan II ICBM, intact in its original silo except for the
propellants and nuclear warhead.  The site was operational from 1963 to
1981.  The facility is open to visitors daily, with guided tours
available.

[ANS thanks Ray, W2RS for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.05
AO-51 Special Event - JOTA Weekend 15-16 Oct

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.05
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.05

The annual Boy and Girl Scouts "Jamboree on the Air" Amateur Radio event
is scheduled for 15 and 16 October 2005.  As this is an International
Scouting event, amateur radio stations around the world are invited to
participate. The AO-51 command team is scheduling the satellite for
exclusive use by the Scouts, and Satellite operators communicating with
the Scouts, for this weekend.  Please allow the Scouts the opportunity
to make as many contacts as possible via AO-51 during this short time
period.  Base stations, please remember that most of the JOTA stations
will be portable, so please use minimum power.  The official times for
the JOTA event will be from 1200 UTC on October 15 until 1200 UTC on
October 17, 2005.

For the JOTA weekend, AO-51 will be configured in the Dual FM repeater
mode. This will provide two independent FM repeaters (separate uplink
and downlink frequencies) for use over the weekend.  Both repeaters will
be for use by the JOTA activity.  This mode will run Monday through
Friday before the event to allow amateur satellite stations to
familiarize and test this mode. The configuration of the satellite
frequencies for this mode is listed below.

AO-51 FM repeater #1
Downlink:  435.300 MHz
Uplink:  145.920 MHz with 67hz PL Tone

AO-51 FM repeater #2
Downlink:  435.150 MHz
Uplink:  145.880 MHz with NO PL Tone

Here are some web links for information on the JOTA weekend activity.
  http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/jota.html and
  http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/ideas.html
  http://www.scouting.org/international/jota.html

If your local club has a JOTA activity planned for the weekend please
consider volunteering your services to provide a satellite communication
station for the event.

Thanks for your support and participation.

73, KE4AZN
Echo Command Team
Amsat VP-Operations

[ANS thank Mike KE4AZN for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.06
Suitsat Video Newsreel

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.06
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.06

Get ready for SuitSat, watch and listen to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO and Mark
Steiner, K3MS explain what SuitSat is and what it will do. On the AMSAT
website, click on AMSAT VIDEO NEWS then on the Video News page click on
SuitSat. You will need Windows Media Player or Mplayer to view the
NewsReel.

If you haven't seen the other NewsReels, now would be a great time to
see them, or watch them again. They are very informative and highlight
the activities of AMSAT.

[ANS thanks Don WB5EKU for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-268.07
ARISS Status - 19 September 2005

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 268.07
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
September 25, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-268.07

1. NES School Contact Successful

On Friday, September 16, children from the Matthew J. Kuss Middle School
in Fall River, Massachusetts, experienced a successful contact with John
Phillips, KE5DRY. The amateur radio station was set up in the school
library where twelve students asked 22 questions of the astronaut. Two
of the students came from Central Park Middle School, another NASA
Explorer School (NES), and six of the students (all girls) were amateur
radio operators. The audio and video were fed, via amateur radio
television, to a nearby church where 100 students, parents, teachers,
and local dignitaries gathered to watch.  

The event drew a great deal of media attention with television stations
including NBC affiliate, WJAR (Channel 10), Fox affiliate WPRI (Channel
12), ABC affiliate WLNE (Channel 6), Comcast Local Channel 9, and Fall
River Educational Television (FRED-TV).  Newspapers in attendance
included the Fall River Spirit and the Fall River Herald News. In
addition, the Museum of Science, Boston, was producing a documentary of
the school contact.

The Fall River Herald News article, "Long-distance call," may be viewed
online.  See:
http://www.heraldnews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15228976&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=8
 

2. Upcoming School Contacts

Tregaron High School in Tregaron, Ceredigion, Wales, United Kingdom, has
been scheduled for an ARISS contact.  It will take place on Thursday,
September 29 at 11:28 UTC.


3. Upcoming School Contacts with Space Tourist

Space Tourist, Greg Olsen, will fly with the Expedition 12 crew slated
to launch on October 1. He plans to make three ARISS contacts during his
8 day visit on board the ISS. The tentative dates and times for these
contacts follow.

On Wednesday, October 5 at 16:58 UTC, Olsen will speak to students at
Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey.  The contact will be
direct via N2RE.

Students from Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, New York will speak
to the space traveler via the telebridge station, VK5ZAI, in Australia.
The contact is scheduled for Thursday, October 6 at 15:07 UTC. 

Olsen will speak to the students at Ridgefield Park High School in
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey via the telebridge station ZS6BTD in South
Africa.  The contact will take place on Friday, October 7 at 13:32 UTC.


4. ARRL Article on Japan Red Cross Contact

On September 8, the Japan Red Cross Radio Volunteer Corps of
Fukui-prefecture, Wakasa Branch, in Obama-City, Fukui-ken, Japan
experienced a successful amateur radio contact with astronaut John
Phillips, KE5DRY. The ARRL article, "Young Japanese Astronaut Hopefuls
Discuss ET, Other Topics," covers the event, and provides links to the
audio and video.  See: 
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/16/6/?nc=1


5. Astronaut Training Status

On Wednesday, September 7, astronaut Sandy Magnus took and passed her
amateur radio exam.  Her new callsign is KE5FYE. Congratulations, Sandy!

Mission Specialist Bob Behnken attended an amateur radio training class
at JSC on Monday, September 12. He is scheduled for another session on
September 21 to prepare him for his technician's exam.   


6. ARRL Article on SSTV and SuitSat Hardware

ARRL ran a web story covering the new ARISS hardware which was launched
September 8, and is now on-orbit. The article, "'SuitSat', New ARISS
SSTV Gear Arrives at International Space Station," may be found at:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/16/2/?nc=1


7. AMSAT and ARISS Joint Meetings, 2006

The 2006 AMSAT-NA Space Symposium will be held in the San Francisco Bay
area. ARISS plans to hold its international face to face meeting
immediately following the AMSAT-NA conference.  The 2006 Symposium
planning committee has begun working on next year's meeting and has
asked for input. To voice an opinion on hotel and location preferences,
go to: 
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/survey.php


8. Hams Commended on their Aid at Stennis

A Stennis Space Center facility is serving as the Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) for Hancock County, MS; the original EOC was destroyed by
Hurricane Katrina. Amateur Radio operator Randy Pierce, AG4UU, from
Tallahassee, Florida, is stationed at Stennis, and reports that Amateur
Radio operators are serving as communicators for all the services at the
EOC, including the fire department and the emergency medical system.
Four radio operators are still needed each day.  The Amateur Radio
operators' technical capabilities have been employed, and the hams were
complimented by the Hancock County Sheriff's Office and County
Commissioners. 

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information]

/EX


In addition to regular membership, AMSAT 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.
Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org
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