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[jamsat-news:1182] ANS 325


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 325

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.

Information on AMSAT-NA is available at the following URL:
http://www.amsat.org

(or)

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 (AMSAT-NE)
* AMSAT Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-EDU)

To subscribe, or for more list information, visit the following URL:

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/menu.html

This edition of ANS is dedicated to the memory of Robert Hecksher Sr.,
W4CYU, who died November 4th after a long illness. He was 82.
Hecksher put four Florida commercial radio stations on the air during
the 1950s and 1960s. Licensed around 1930, Hecksher enjoyed phone
operation and building his own equipment. 

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.01
AMSAT-UK CALL FOR PAPERS

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 325.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 21, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS

The 15th AMSAT-UK Colloquium, to be called "AMSAT Space 2000",
will be held at Surrey University in the United Kingdom, July 27-30, 2000.
AMSAT-UK invites potential authors to submit papers about Amateur
Radio space and associated activities for this event.

Papers will also be published in the 'Proceedings' document which will
be available during (and after) the event.

Richard, G3RWL, tells ANS that "normally, AMSAT-UK prefers authors
to present the papers themselves rather than having someone else read
them, but we also welcome unpresented papers."

According to G3RWL, offers of papers should be submitted as soon as
possible; the final date for full documents to be received is mid-June 2000
(in order that the Proceedings document be available to participants). 

A second (and final) call for papers will issued in early 2000. Additional
Colloquium information will also be available at that time.

Submissions should be sent to G3RWL via the following routes:

Internet e-mail:  	g3rwl@amsat.org
Packet radio:     	G3RWL @ GB7HSN.#32.GBR.EU
Terrestrial mail: 	Richard Limebear  G3RWL
                  		60 Willow Road
                  		Enfield EN1 3NQ
                  		        United Kingdom

AMSAT-UK also invites anyone with requests for program topics to
submit them. Invitations for any papers on specific subjects will
be included in any future call for papers. Additionally, AMSAT-UK will
offer sessions specifically for those new to Amateur Radio satellite
operation during the event.

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

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.02
ANS IN BRIEF

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 324.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 21, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-325.04

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

** Richard, G3RWL reports the AMSAT-UK web site has been updated
with major changes in the navigation sequence of the site. Richard tells
ANS this will "give it a more formal structure." Check out the changes
at http://www.uk.amsat.org/. -G3RWL

** The Hubble Space Telescope was placed into a safe hold recently
when a gyroscope ceased operation. With only two operational gyros
remaining, the science programming on Hubble was suspended until
completion of Servicing Mission 3A, currently scheduled for launch
aboard Discovery in early December. -SpaceDaily

** Increased solar activity due to the current sunspot cycle is expected to
affect satellites on which telecommunications customers depend. The
solar maximum also could impact power grids. NOAA officials said the
storms alter the Earth's magnetic field and may send strong enough
electrical charges that would overwhelm vulnerable power grids. The
last cycle of geomagnetic storms occurred in the late 1980s and resulted
in blackouts in Montreal, England and Scandinavia and damaged four
Navy satellites. -ARRL Letter

** The ASUSat1 launch date has now been set for December 7th. 4X1KX
reports "the first two stages of the launcher have been assembled on the
launch pad and the payload has been encapsulated."
-Assi, KK7KX/4X1KX

** NASDA launch officials destroyed both launch vehicle and satellite
payload after a H2 rocket veered off course recently. A Japanese official
reported that the H2 solid rocket boosters burned okay, but main
engine cutoff was nearly two minutes early when (apparently) the rocket
ran out of fuel. After loss of telemetry the destruct command was
sent. -SpaceDaily

** The first commercial launch of the giant European rocket Ariane-5
has been set for December 10th, when it is scheduled to place a
research satellite in orbit, Arianespace officials announced. The launcher
has been moved to the launch location and a rehearsal of the launch
has been completed. Photos of the upcoming Ariane-504 mission are at
http://www.arianespace.com/english/orbit_504log.html.
-Ron, W8GUS

** Some U.S. doorstep astronomy from ANS: The brightest star shining
in the west-northwest after dark this month is Vega, 25 light-years away.
The brightest star above it (by a little more than two fist-widths at arm's
length) is Deneb, about 1,500 light-years distant. -S&T

--ANS BULLETIN END---

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.03
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 325.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 21, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-325.03

RADIO SPORT   RS-12
Uplink		  21.210 to  21.250 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink          	145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink	  29.410 to  29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink        	145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon  	  29.408 MHz
Robot Uplink       21.129 MHz
Robot Downlink   29.454 MHz
Semi-operational, beacon only.

RADIO SPORT   RS-13
Uplink     	  21.260 to  21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink          	145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink          	  29.460 to  29.500 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink        	145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon           	  29.458 MHz
Robot Uplink     145.840 MHz
Robot Downlink   29.504 MHz
Operational, in mode-KA with a 10-meter downlink
and a 15-meter and 2-meter uplink.

Al, XE2YVW, tells ANS that three new operators are now active on RS-13,
welcome to Marcos, XE2TSG, Ben, XE2TH, and  Ben, XE2TZP. 

RS-13's Robot CW auto-transponder is active. For confirmation of an
RS-13 Robot contact, send your QSL card along with the Robot
QSL number to: 	Radio Sport Federation
Box 88
Moscow

Kevin, AC5DK, has information about RS-12/13 that contains a simple
explanation on how to operate on the satellite, including a forum for
operators to exchange information, pose questions or even set up
schedules via RS-12/13.

AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Operators Page:

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

AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Forum:

http://www.hotboards.com/powerforum/pwrforum.exe?who=rs1213

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)

Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a
10-meter downlink.

Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 and RS-13
on his personal 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

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)
Semi-operational, mode-B. AO-10 has been locked into a 70-cm uplink
and a 2-meter downlink for several years.

W4SM has more information about the satellite at the following URL:

http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html

Masa, JN1GKZ, reports his web page shows the current AO-10
spin period and spin rate (by measuring the beacon with FFTDSP
software). The JN1GKZ web site can be found at the following URL:

http://www.din.or.jp/~m-arai/ao10/beacone.htm

[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
Operational, mode J.

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.

Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states on AO-27 (on 10/11/99).

TEPR 4 is 22	TEPR 5 is 58

Mike, KF4FDJ, recently operated on AO-27 from the Tampa hamfest.

[ANS thanks Chuck Wyrick, KM4NZ, and Michael Wyrick, N4USI, for
AO-27 information]

JAS-1b   FO-20
Uplink   	145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 	435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB
Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA continuously.

FO-20 continues to function quite well.

[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports]

JAS-2   FO-29
Voice/CW Mode JA
Uplink   	145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 	435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB
Semi-operational, rotated with digital mode and digi-talker.

Digital Mode JD
Uplink     	145.850  145.870  145.910 MHz FM
Downlink   	435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK
Digitalker 	435.910 MHz
Semi-operational, rotated with analog mode and digi-talker.

Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29,
addressing analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy
e-mail Mike at:          kf4fdj@amsat.org

Kazu, JJ1WTK, reports the FO-29 operational schedule
(announced by the JARL) is as follows:

November  11 - 23rd		digitalker
November  24 - 25th		JA
November  26 - 30th		digitalker

Mineo, JE9PEL, has updated his FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis
Program. The software will automatically analyze all digital
telemetry from the satellite such as current, voltage and temperature.

The JE9PEL FO-29/software update is available at:

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/

[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 325.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 21, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-325.04

KITSAT   KO-23
Uplink   	145.900 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 	435.175 MHz FM
Non-operational. 

ANS has learned (from HL0ENJ) that satellite downlink telemetry shows
two of KO-23's battery cells to be very unstable. 

Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-23 is (again) not operational. Stay tuned to ANS
for further developments.

[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
Operational.

Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 is performing well with good downlink
efficiency.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information]

UOSAT   UO-22
Uplink   	145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 	435.120 MHz FM
Operational.

Carol, W9HGI, reports UO-22 is performing within acceptable limits.
W9HGI operates the West Coast Packet Satellite Gateway (WSPG) for
the Worldwide Packet Network (WPN).

Chris, G7UPN, reported to ANS that UO-22 was recently reloaded with
new software to make the satellite Y2K compliant.

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

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

[ANS thanks Carol Byers, W9HGI and Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO,
for UO-22 status information]

OSCAR-11
Downlink  	    145.825 MHz FM, 1200 baud AFSK
Mode-S Beacon  2401.500 MHz
Operational.

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     145.90 145.92 145.94 145.86 MHz FM
               using 1200 baud Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.0513 MHz SSB RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK
Mode-S Beacon   2401.1428 MHz
Operational (with the exception of the mode-S beacon,
which is currently off).

AO-16 has operated continuously for over 1,800 days since its
last software reload.

Telemetry is as follows:

Time is Fri Nov 19 22:38:08 1999 uptime is 1888/16:55:40
+5 Volt Bus      4.941 V  	+2.5V  VREF      2.506 V
8.5V BUS        8.485 V  		+10V Bus         10.450 V
+X (RX) Temp    -3.027 D  	RX Temp         12.100 D
Baseplt Temp      6.654 D  	PSK TX RF Out   -0.029 W
RC PSK TX Out    0.582 W  	RC PSK BP Temp  -1.817 D
RC PSK HPA Tmp   1.209 D  	+Y Array Temp     -18.760 D
PSK TX HPA Tmp    0.603 D  	+Z Array Temp       -9.078 D
Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.471 Ifb= 0.161 I+10V= 0.328
TX:010B BCR:1E PWRC:59E BT: A WC:25 EDAC:7C

General information and telemetry WOD files can be found at:

http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu

A complete collection of WOD graphics corresponding to the
year of 1998 can be found at:

http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/wod1998.zip

[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information]

LUSAT   LO-19
Uplink 	  145.84 145.86 145.88 145.90 MHz FM
               using 1200 baud Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.125 MHz SSB RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK
Currently semi-operational. No BBS service. The digipeater is active.

Telemetry is as follows:

Time is Fri Nov 19 22:55:49 1999 uptime is 476/09:21:11
+10V Bus        10.770 V  	+X (RX) Temp     -4.917 D
RX Temp          5.179 D  	Baseplt Temp       4.618 D
RC PSK TX Out    0.659 W  	+Z Array Temp  -11.087 D
Total Array C= 0.008 Bat Ch Cur=-0.283 Ifb= 0.119 I+10V= 0.171
TX:017 BCR:1E PWRC:62D BT:3C WC: 0

General information and telemetry samples can be found at:

http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/lo19.htm

[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information]

TMSAT-1   TO-31
Uplink   	145.925 MHz  9600 baud FSK
Downlink 	436.925 MHz  9600 baud FSK
Operational.

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

[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for TO-31 status
information]

PANSAT   PO-34
Uplink/downlink frequencies have not been established.
The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions.

PanSat, developed by the Naval Postgraduate School, was launched
from the shuttle Discovery during STS-95. PanSat spread-spectrum
digital transponders will be available to amateur radio operators in the
near future along with software to utilize this technology.

Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, PanSat Project Manager recommends
'The ARRL Spread Spectrum Sourcebook' as a good place to start in
understanding the spread-spectrum scheme.

For more information, visit the official PanSat web site at:

http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/

PanSat is the featured cover article in the July/August 1999 issue of the
AMSAT-NA Journal (written by KD6DRA and N7HPR).

[ANS thanks Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, for this information]

SUNSAT   SO-35
Semi-operational. SunSat has been in mode-B recently.

SunSat was launched February 23, 1999 aboard a Delta II rocket from
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SunSat stands for
Stellenbosch University Satellite and takes it name from the South
African university whose students constructed the payload.

The SunSat package includes 1200 and 9600 baud digital
store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater system
that will be used primarily for educational demonstrations.
The satellite has two VHF and two UHF transmit-receive systems.

Hans, ZS5AKV, reports the SunSat ground control team at the
University of Stellenbosch are now in the process of loading new
control software. ZS5AKV reports "operation as previously scheduled
is doubtful."

For more information on SunSat, visit the following URL:

http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za

[ANS thanks Garth Milne ZR1AFH, for this information]

UoSAT-12   UO-36
Downlink	437.025 MHz
             	437.400 MHz

UoSAT-12 was successfully launched on April 21, 1999 from the
Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome. UO-36 carries a number of imaging
payloads, digital store-and-forward communications and mode L/S
transponders.

The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions.

S-band high speed downlink commissioning continues at rates
between 128kb/s and 1Mb/s. The S-band downlink frequency has
not been announced.

UO-36 has been transmitting 9600-baud FSK telemetry framed in a
VLSI format using a downlink frequency of 437.400 MHz. Chris,
G7UPN, reports UO-36 is also (at times) testing on 437.025 MHz at a
baud rate of 38,400 (38k4).

Presently the BBS is still closed.

The VK5HI/TMSAT viewer shareware 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
Semi-operational, digipeater function is 'on'.

IO-26 was launched on the September 26, 1993.

Alberto, I2KBD, reports IO-26 has been opened to APRS use. ITAMSAT
ground controllers have switched the digipeater function to 'on'.

[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for this
information]

TECHSAT-1B   GO-32
Downlink 	435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry
Updated status. Shlomo, 4X1AS, tells ANS that efforts are underway
to bring GO-32 on line. According to Dr. Fred Ortenberg of the Asher
Space Research Institute in Haifa, "the TechSat control team is about to
finish its Amateur Radio BBS package tests. The next stage is to add
beacon messages about the satellite's housekeeping status." 

Stay tuned to ANS for further information. 

The TechSat-1B micro-satellite was successfully launched from the
Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 10, 1998.

Last reported, the satellite does not have a continuos beacon, but does
transmit a 9600-baud burst every 30 seconds (for a continuous 3
seconds in length), on 435.225 MHz.

The TechSat team has constructed a home page about TechSat.
To view the site, point your web browser to:

http://techsat.internet-zahav.net/

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 325.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 21, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-325.05

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

MIR SPACE STATION
Ham radio activity aboard the Mir space station came to a close on
August 28, 1999 as the crew returned to Earth, leaving the station
unmanned. Mir is in a stable orbit with only essential systems running.
All Amateur Radio activities have ceased. Currently, the station is being
prepared for re-entry sometime in the first quarter of 2000, however, the
final fate of the space station has not been formally announced. Stay
tuned to ANS for further developments.

Current Amateur Radio equipment aboard Mir includes: 

MIR SAFEX II 70-cm Repeater
Uplink		435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 141.3 Hz
Downlink  	437.950 MHz FM
Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed.

MIR SAFEX II 70-cm QSO Mode
Uplink    	435.725 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 151.4 Hz
Downlink  	437.925 MHz FM
Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed.

MIR PERSONAL MESSAGE SYSTEM (PMS)
Uplink/Downlink 145.985 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK
Not operational.

DOVE   DO-17
Downlink       145.825 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK
  	       2401.220 MHz
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. No additional information is
available at this time.

WEBERSAT   WO-18
Downlink 	437.104 MHz SSB 1200 baud PSK AX.25
Non-operational.

WO-18 is reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash.
No additional information is available at this time.

SEDSAT-1   SO-33
Downlink 	437.910 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and
recovery efforts have been unsuccessful over the past year.

Mineo, JE9PEL, reports he has again received minimal telemetry
from the satellite, the most recent dated November 11th.

SedSat-1, signifying Students for the Exploration and Development of
Space Satellite number one, was successfully launched and placed in
orbit on Saturday, October 24, 1998.

For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at the
following URL:

http://www.seds.org/sedsat

No additional information is available at this time.

/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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