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[jamsat-news:2826] ANS-143 AMSAT Weeky Bulletins


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-143

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:
* Please Do Not Use AO-51 While the Satellite is in Eclipse
* Maryland-DC PICetSat Balloon Launch on May 29
* AMSAT Videos From Dayton Hamvention
* Downlink Signal Successfully Received From Venus-bound UNITEC-1
* Report on ARISS Contact at the National Air and Space Museum
* AMSAT-DL Symposium and AGM
* NASA Listens One More Time for Phoenix
* ARISS Status - 17 May 2010


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.01
Please Do Not Use AO-51 While the Satellite is in Eclipse

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.01
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.01

After a brief outage on May 16 the AO-51 Command Team has turned
the repeater back on on AO-51, including the 67 Hz PL mode. The
Command Team has a favor to ask of our Southern Hemisphere users,
including those in South America, Southern Africa, Australia, and
New Zealand:

Please avoid using AO-51 while the satellite is eclipsed.

Most tracking programs indicate illuminated or eclipsed states, and
it can always be found by whether the footprint of the satellite is
crossing or in contact with the footprint of the sun. Generally this
is occurring when the satellite is South of 30 degrees South latitude
at present. AO-51 eclipses are predicted to reach almost 20 minutes
by July 2010.

AMSAT-NA VP of Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA said, "I realize
this is a large favor to ask, but the alternative right now is moving
to a scheduled type operation, which I would like to avoid. Please pass
this to your friends, other users you know, and your national satellite
email lists and forums."

For this summer eclipse season, the eclipsed periods are while AO-51 is
over mostly unoccupied Antarctica and surrounding areas. This means when
the batteries alone are supporting the transmitter there are not likely
to be any users. The power management software combined with the PL,
should mean the satellite's batteries can be protected from over-discharge,
while still providing the strongest possible downlink signal and highest
possible availability.

Observations from the southern hemisphere while entering and leaving
eclipse are very helpful. Post your reports on the AMSAT-BB or e-mail
your report to the AO-51 Control Team via ao51-modes@amsat.org. AO-51
operators also monitor the Live OSCAR Satellite Status page
(http://oscar.dcarr.org/). Analysis of AO-51's Whole Orbit Data (WOD)
files shows the distribution of the satellite's users.
See: http://tinyurl.com/2ehbxv5

If the eclipse periods get too long too fast the repeater may shut off
due to a low battery voltage watchdog. If this happens, please email
Drew directly via ko4ma@amsat.org.

Read the latest AO-51 Control Team News at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.02
Maryland-DC PICetSat Balloon Launch on May 29

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.02
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.02

If you're in the Washington DC - Maryland area you're invited to join
Pat Kilroy, N8PK for a PICetSat Lite balloon launch on Saturday, May 29
at about 10:00 AM EDT.

Pat says the launch site can be any place in Carroll County, Maryland.
Coordination will be on the 145.410 MHz K3PZN/R machine in Westminster,
MD. (backup 147.285 MHz machine in Sykesville, MD). We will launch any-
thing you wish with a microcontroller attached, so your ideas are
welcome. RSVP by May 27 to pat@patkilroy.com.

Pat has posted some background info: http://simsat.net.

[ANS thanks Pak, N8PK for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.03
AMSAT Videos From Dayton Hamvention

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.03
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.03

David Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS Public Relations requested David Larsen,
KK4WW, to produce informative videos while attending the 2010 Dayton
Hamvention.

One video features AMSAT Treasurer, Keith Baker KB1SF describing
AMSAT's efforts in Cubesat development. The Cubesat video can be
viewed on-line at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZDpyEhw-vI

The second video is David's interview with AMSAT VP of User Services,
Gould Smith WA4SXM where he discusses in detail the upcoming ARISS
satellite, ARISSat-1. This can be viewed on-line at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEDfSCw6VcU

David would like to thank David Larsen with the LCF Group and a director
of the Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service (www.fairs.org),
for his time in producing these videos.

[ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for the above information]

/EX



SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.04
Downlink Signal Successfully Received From Venus-bound UNITEC-1

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.04
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.04

JAXA successfully launched the seventeenth H-IIA mission on May 21
(JST) carrying the Planet-C Venus Climate Orbiter a Venus probe, the
experimental "Ikaros" space sail, a Venus-bound University satellite
called UNITEC-1 and 3 small satellites also developed by Japanese
universities and other institutions delivered to low earth orbit:

Negai*", Soka University
437.305MHz CW, Packet 1200bps FSK AX.25
http://kuro.t.soka.ac.jp/main.html

WASEDA-SAT2, Waseda University
437.485MHz CW(FM), PCM-FSK(FM) 9600bps
http://www.miyashita.mmech.waseda.ac.jp/Waseda-Sat2/index.htm

KSAT, Kagoshima University
Uplink: S-band(2GHz, 10kbps), Downlink: Ku-band(13.275GHz, 10kbps/1Mbps)
http://www.sci.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/~nishio/download/Ukaren2008Nishio.pdf

UNITEC-1 be inserted into a Venus encounter trajectory and will become
the world first university satellite which goes beyond Lunar orbit. The
main mission of UNITEC-1 is to perform technological experiments of
on-board computers and test long-range, inter-planetary communication
using amateur radio frequencies:

Downlink Frequency: 5840.000MHz, band width 20MHz
Transmission Power: 4.8W/antenna, 9.6W total
Antenna:                2 Microstrip patch antennas
Modulation:             AFSK/FM 1200bps during LEO flight
                     CW 1bps during Interplanetary flight
Callsign:           JQ1ZUN

News posted on the UNITEC-1 Operations Center web page reports that
its CW and FSK signal have been received from a distance of approx-
imately 300,000 km by Japanese ground stations on its first pass over
Japan kept from 16:15 (JST) to 25:15 (JST) at 21st May. Their signal
report indicated the measured downlink frequency of 5839.91 MHz which
is down slightly from the design frequency of 5840.00 MHz. The UNITEC
team will continue to work on refining receiving and recording tech-
niques as well as tracking and orbital determination.

You can find the latest UNITEC-1 mission news on the team's operation
center website: http://sites.google.com/site/unitec1ops/ This also in-
cludes a link to their software page where a telemetry data decoder
program is available.

Several universities with access to big dishes have expressed interest
in creating a network of ground stations to track UNITEC-1 on its
flight to Venus and continuing once the satellite is in orbit around
the planet. This is still under development at press time and progress
will be reported in future ANS bulletins. A radio link budget is under
study to help amateur radio stations develop their capability to re-
ceive this interplanetary signal.

Pat Barthelow, AA6EG has developed a Facebook Event Page which he
calls "UNiTEC-1 VENUS PROBE COMMUNICATIONS" at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124468414245469&index=1

[ANS thanks the UNITEC-1 Operations Team and SpaceDaily.com
  For the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.05
Report on ARISS Contact at the National Air and Space Museum

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.05
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.05

ARRL Maryland-DC Section Manager, Jim Cross, WI3N published news
of the successful ARISS contact in the "The MDC Section News".

Thanks to Bob Curran, KE3GG for submitting this report ...

On Saturday, May 8, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
held a public ARISS contact.  The contact was part of their parti-
cipation in the annual Lockheed Martin Space Day event.

Fifteen Boy Scouts from Troop 417 of Waldorf, MD were given the
opportunity to speak directly to astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson,
KF5DBF, aboard the International Space Station (ISS) via amateur
radio.  The contact was facilitated via ground station VK4KHZ in
Australia.

Each scout was able to ask at least one question during the nearly
10 minute contact window.  During the whole program audience members
were able to watch a real time satellite track of the ISS on a large
video monitor beside the stage.

The program was introduced by astronaut Dan Tani, KD5DXE, himself
having recently returned from four months aboard the ISS.  On hand
to locally MC the event was Dave Taylor, W8AAS.  At the controls of
the sound system and the telebridge interface was Bob Curran, KE3GG.
The coordinator of the Boy Scout participation in the program was
Bob Davidson, KB3KOW.

Located a short distance left of the stage where the ARISS contact
was taking place, AMSAT had a large display table showcasing amateur
radio and amateur radio satellites.  In addition to fielding questions
about amateur radio and explaining the various satellite samples on
their table, they also had an example of the amateur radio antennas
installed on the ISS and were running a video explaining the ARISS
program on a large video monitor.

[ANS thanks Jim Cross, WI3N; Dave Taylor, W8AAS; and Bob Curran,
  KE3GG for the above information]

/EX




SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.06
AMSAT-DL Symposium and AGM

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.06
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.06

The SouthGate ARC web site carried a summary of the The 2010 Symposium
and AGM of AMSAT-DL that took place on April 24 in the Amateur Radio
facility at Bochum with its spectacular 20 metre dish.

The Symposium was told that a successor to the COMPASS-1 CubeSat will
be built. COMPASS-2 will be a triple CubeSat, 100x100x340 mm, weighing
4 kg.

Mario Lorenz, DL5MLO gave a presentation on the telemetry and command
operations of the new IHU-3 computer for P3-E. This included a live
demonstration of the operation of the IHU-3 and the IPS operating system
and showed the robustness of the turbo codes.

Peter Gülzow DB2OS reported that the 20m dish at Bochum has been opera-
ting successfully in automatic mode for over a year allowing continuous
reception of the NASA solar probes Stereo-A and-B. Bochum supplies the
received data to the NOAA in the United States.

Achim Vollhardt DH2VA reported in detail to the symposium on the joint
feasibility study by AMSAT-DL and DLR (German Aerospace Center) on Lunar
and Mars missions.

AMSAT-DL 2010 Symposium and AGM Report
http://tinyurl.com/33rcasl

AMSAT-DL in Google English
http://tinyurl.com/Amsat-DL

[ANS thanks the SouthGate ARC News for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.07
NASA Listens One More Time for Phoenix

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.07
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.07

by Staff Writers (Mars Daily http://tinyurl.com/23hwyuj)
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) May 17, 2010

NASA officials say they are conducting the fourth and final series
of checks this week to determine whether the Phoenix Mars Lander
has resumed operations.

NASA says its Mars Odyssey orbiter will listen for a signal from
Phoenix during 61 flights over the lander's site on northern Mars.
The orbiter detected no transmission from the lander during earlier
campaigns totaling 150 overflights in January, February and April.

In 2008, Phoenix completed its three-month mission studying martian
ice, soil and atmosphere. It continued work for an additional two
months before reduced sunlight caused energy to become insufficient
to keep it functioning. The solar-powered robot was not designed to
survive the dark and cold conditions of a martian arctic winter, NASA
said, but in case it did, scientists are using Odyssey to listen for
the signals Phoenix would transmit if abundant spring sunshine revived
the lander.

"To be thorough, we decided to conduct this final session around the
time of the summer solstice, during the best thermal and power condi-
tions for Phoenix," said Chad Edwards, chief telecommunications engin-
eer for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, Calif.

[ANS thanks Mars Daily for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-143.08
ARISS Status - 17 May 2010

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 143.08
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 23, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-143.08

1. Upcoming School Contacts

The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) in Bayswater, Victoria, Australia has
been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact on Saturday, May 29 at 10:43 UTC via ON4ISS in Belgium. The WIA will
hold a special dinner to celebrate its centenary and has invited students from
local schools in Canberra to make an ARISS school 
contact on that evening. It is
anticipated that this dinner will be a high key event with Australia wide
coverage.


2. Successful ARISS Contact Held with Komoro Higashi Junior High

On Friday, May 14, Komoro Higashi Junior High 
School students in Komoro, Nagano,
Japan contacted onboard astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP via the Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) 
program. Prior to the event, children
visited Nobeyama Radio Observatory and worked on radio kits as part of their
science curriculum. Over 140 students, parents 
and guests watched as 15 students
had their questions answered during the contact, 
while 2 television stations and
5 newspapers provided media coverage.


3. MAI-75 Experiment Activated

The MAI-75 (Moscow Aviation Institute) experiment was activated on Friday, May
14. The ISS crew transmitted several SSTV (Slow Scan Television) images which
were received by ground stations in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
Images have been posted to the SSTV Web site:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/SSTV/


4. ARISS at Dayton Hamvention

Dayton Hamvention 2010 was held at the Hara Arena Complex in Dayton, Ohio over
the May 14-16 weekend. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Radio
Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) manned exhibition booths at the event.
Gould Smith, WA4SXM, AMSAT Project Manager for 
ARISSat-1, gave a presentation on
the satellite.  The ARISSat-1 prototype was on exhibit and demonstrated to the
crowds. ARRL held a Teachers Workshop and distributed ARISS bookmarks to
educators interested in the ARISS program. The Dayton Hamvention is an
internationally attended amateur radio convention that draws crowds of 25,000
annually.

[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


_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans