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[jamsat-news:1195] ANS 353
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 353
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
ANS would like to take this opportunity to wish the happiness of the
holiday season to all satellite operators worldwide. May your dreams
and wishes be realized in the New Year! Happy holidays from ANS
Editor Dan James, NN0DJ!
This edition of ANS is dedicated to the memory of ERAU President Tiit
Praks, ES7RE, of Viljandi, Estonia, who died December 7th in Finland
as the result of an automobile accident. He was 40. ES7RE was an active
DX chaser and contester. The ERAU, an International Amateur Radio
Union member, has some 650 members headquartered in the capital
city of Tallinn.
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-353.01
JAWSAT DATA - PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-353.01
As reported earlier in ANS, the JAWSAT launch (with Amateur Radio's
newest satellites) has been postponed until early 2000. This delayed
launch timeframe allows ANS to take a detailed look at each of the new
birds - last week ANS looked at the JAWSAT multi-payload adapter
space-frame that will deploy four independent satellites, including the
Orbiting Picosatellite Automatic Launcher - or OPAL.
OPAL is Stanford University's second satellite as part of a Space
Systems Development Laboratory project known as SQUIRT. The
SQUIRT program exposes graduate level students to all aspects of
satellite design, including construction, testing and operations.
OPAL's primary mission is to demonstrate the feasibility of launching
multiple picosatellites from a mothership satellite. The satellite's
secondary payloads are an accelerometer and magnetometer testbed,
which will perform component characterization. The design for OPAL
started in early April 1995. If successful, the OPAL picosatellite payload
will provide an end-to-end mission demonstration of mother-and-
daughtership technologies.
OPAL is a hexagonal prism, made of quarter-inch aluminum honeycomb
panels using a modular, three-tray approach with each tray containing
a different subsystem. OPAL's weight is about 51 pounds.
For its ground communication link, OPAL will use packet radio
Transmissions using a UHF uplink and downlink between 420-450 MHz.
Data rate will be 9600 baud.
For more information on the OPAL satellite, visit the following URL:
http://ssdl.stanford.edu/opal/index.html
A web cast of the launch of JAWSAT (and OPAL) is available. To register
for the web cast, visit the following URL:
http://www.webcastingtv.com/jawsat/
[ANS thanks Richard Limebear, G3RWL, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-353.02
PHASE 3D WATCH
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-353.02
AMSAT-NA President Keith Baker, KB1SF, brings ANS up to date on the
activity surrounding the Phase 3-D satellite:
"Right now, P3-D is still in Orlando, the satellite team has been busy
getting the last-minute paperwork clearances and shipping details in order
for shipment to the launch site at Kourou in French Guiana. The team is
waiting on various U.S. government agencies to issue the final, updated
versions of the necessary paperwork and clearance documents. These
documents contain shipping information, specific equipment lists,
shipment contents, final weight and customs documentation needed to
allow the international shipping contractor to actually schedule and then
ship not only the P3D spacecraft, but also the SBS and several pieces of
associated ground equipment via commercial airliner to Kourou. AMSAT
has been assured that all clearances are forthcoming and we are simply
waiting for all the paperwork to clear."
KB1SF tells ANS that the P3D team used this time for last minute tweaking
on spin balancing of the spacecraft. "Right now," said President Baker,
"all is in readiness and our plan right now is to have P3-D on the plane
to Kourou as soon as possible."
As ANS has reported - a launch contract accepting Phase 3D as a
payload for the first suitable Arianespace Ariane 5 vehicle launch was
signed October 5th. Arianespace has noted that Phase 3D would be
"one of the first secondary payloads boosted by Ariane 5, which will use
a special adapter for orbital injection." Phase 3D, which weighs 1,430
pounds, will be injected into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
P3D will then use its own propulsion system to reach an elliptical
orbit around the Earth.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA President Keith Baker, KB1SF, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-353.03
HUBBLE MISSION STS-103 UNDERWAY
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-353.03
In the final launch attempt available this year, Discovery and its seven
astronauts blasted off Sunday evening on the last human space flight of
the 20th century to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope.
Under clear and starry skies at the Kennedy Space Center, Discovery
Lifted off on time, lighting up the Central Florida coastline, to send
Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Scott Kelly and Mission Specialists Steve
Smith, Jean-Francois Clervoy, John Grunsfeld, Mike Foale and Claude
Nicollier on a two-day chase to catch up to and retrieve the 12 and a half
ton telescope.
Technically, Hubble has been in hibernation since the loss of a fourth
gyroscope designed to enable the telescope to point precisely at distant
astronomical targets for scientific observations. Hubble is in what is
known as safe mode -- a state of dormancy in which the telescope aims
itself constantly at the sun to provide electrical power to its systems.
Once the crew retrieves Hubble, it will be parked at the rear of
Discovery's cargo bay so that two teams of space-walking astronauts can
perform repairs and upgrades to its systems during three nights of space
walks. The most vital of the space walks will occur on Wednesday night,
when Smith and Grunsfeld replace all six of Hubble's gyroscopes and
install devices to improve voltage regulation to the telescope's systems.
If all goes as planned, Hubble will be released back into orbit on
Christmas Day, with Discovery landing at the Kennedy Space Center
two days later.
Currently, Discovery is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 300
nautical miles, completing one orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes.
[ANS thanks NASA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-353.04
ANS IN BRIEF
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-353.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** Russ Platt, WJ9F, of the AO-16 Command Team tells ANS "it appears
that after 1900 plus days of operating -- AO-16 suffered a problem that
returned it to safe mode." WJ9F has been able to turn the 70-cm
transmitter back on. Russ also reports AO-16 is in MBL (Microsat Boot
Loader) mode and over the next week the team will be downloading the
memory to check for the cause of this problem. The power is currently
set to keep the batteries safe from abuse during this period of
reloading. -Russ, WJ9F
** FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley
Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, will be the keynote speaker at the 2000 Dayton
Hamvention banquet, set for Saturday, May 20th. For the first time ever,
the Dayton Hamvention will also host the ARRL National Convention!
--ARRL Letter
** The APRS Working Group has completed the second public draft of
the APRS Protocol Specification. The document covers the core
functionality of APRS Protocol Version 1.0. The Specification contains
many examples of how APRS data is formatted to make it easier to
understand. The APRS Protocol Specification draft is available as an
Adobe PDF file at http://www.tapr.org/tapr/html/Faprswg.html.
--ARRL/John Ackermann, N8UR
** PREDICT Version 2.0.0 for Linux has been released. PREDICT is a
multi-user satellite tracking and orbital prediction program by John,
KD2BD. PREDICT may be downloaded from:
ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/Linux/predict-2.0.0.tar.gz.
A web page describing PREDICT is also available at the following URL:
http://www.linuxfan.com/~predict. - AMSAT-BB
** For those that keep track, the December solstice occurs at 2:44 a.m.
EST on the 22nd of this month. This is when the Sun ends its six-month
journey southward in the sky and begins its six-month return north. This
moment officially marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere
and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Also, the full moon on this date
is slightly nearer to Earth than average and will appear slightly brighter,
but the difference will be too small for most to notice -- despite some
claims that say the Moon will become astonishingly brilliant. For the facts
behind the exaggerations, see the Sky and Telescope article at
http://www.skypub.com/news/news.html. -S&T
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-353.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-353.05
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.
Dick, N3DV, tells ANS that RS-13 seems to be back to normal. "It
operated very well in Mode K this past week. On 10-December, for the
very first time in 5 years of RS-12/13 work, I worked over the
horizon to SM7VXS in southern Sweden."
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.
DX continues to be worked (and heard) 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
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. The AO-27 pages on the AMSAT-NA
web site include an explanation of AO-27 operations (at):
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html
Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states on AO-27 (on 12/14/99).
TEPR 4 is 12 TEPR 5 is 48
[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.
JAS-1b (FO-20) was launched in February 1990 and 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
Operational, rotated with digital mode and digi-talker.
JAS-2 was successfully launched on August 17, 1996, by an H-II launch
vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center.
Digital Mode JD
Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM
Downlink 435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK
Digitalker 435.910 MHz
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:
FO-29 command station of JARL announced that
the operation sked for FO-29 as follows;
through December 19th JD 1200bps PSK mailbox
December 20 - January 11th JA
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-353.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-353.06
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 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 operational with good data throughput.
[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.
Chris, G7UPN, reported to ANS that UO-22 was 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 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 as follows:
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
Non-operational.
Russ Platt, WJ9F, of the AO-16 Command Team tells ANS "it appears
that after 1900 plus days of operating -- AO-16 suffered a problem that
returned it to safe mode." WJ9F has been able to turn the 70-cm
transmitter back on. Russ also reports AO-16 is in MBL (Microsat Boot
Loader) mode and over the next week the team will be downloading the
memory to check for the cause of this problem.
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 Dec 17 22:20:49 1999 uptime is 504/08:46:11
+10V Bus 10.871 V +X (RX) Temp -3.796 D
RX Temp 6.861 D RC PSK TX Out 0.674 W
Bat 1 Temp 5.740 D Bat 2 Temp 5.740 D
+Y Array Temp -12.209 D +Z Array Temp -9.966 D
Total Array C= 0.008 Bat Ch Cur=-0.277 Ifb= 0.119 I+10V= 0.164
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.
Chris, G7UPN, recently reloaded TO-31 with the new flight software to fix
a few minor Y2K issues. TO-31 users may also note that many of the high
resolution color images on TMSAT are now compressed using a UoSAT
compression format. This format is supported by the VK5HI CCD display
program.
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 using an uplink
of 436.291 MHz (+/- doppler) and a 145.825 MHz downlink.
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.
The SunSat schedule is as follows (supplied by Henry
Chamberlain, ZS1AAZ):
21-December Antarctic 08:42 to 08:52 UTC
20:04 to 20:14
22-December Antarctic 09:43 to 09:53 UTC
21:04 to 21:14
23-December Antarctic 09:02 to 09:12 UTC
20:23 to 20:33
24-December Antarctic 08:22 to 08:32 UTC
19:43 to 19:53
25-December Japan 01:16 to 01:30 UTC
Antarctic 09:26 to 09:40
Europe 08:08 to 08:22
USA/Canada 14:44 to 14:58
Antarctic 20:43 to 20:53
26-December Australia 02:07 to 02:21 UTC
Antarctic 08:46 to 09:00
South America 13:50 to 14:04
USA 15:44 to 15:58
Antarctic 20:03 to 20:13
27-December Antarctic 09:42 to 09:52 UTC
19:23 to 19:33
28-December Antarctic 09:01 to 09:11 UTC
20:22 to 20:32
29-December Antarctic 08:20 to 08:30 UTC
19:42 to 19:52
30-December Antarctic 09:20 to 09:30 UTC
20:43 to 20:53
31-December Antarctic 08:40 to 08:50 UTC
20:02 to 20:12
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
Uplink: 149.600 MHz
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). Currently, this downlink is switched on over
Europe. Due to the limited power on UO-36, it is not possible to have
this downlink on permanently over all areas.
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-353.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 353.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 19, 1999
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-353.07
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.
Mineo, JE9PEL, reports he has again received minimal telemetry
from the satellite, the most recent dated December 9th.
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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