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[jamsat-news:1278] ANS 149
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 149
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.
AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce that recent and future development
in Amateur Radio satellites will be presented in Portland, Maine
- October 27-29, 2000 - at the 18th Space Symposium and
AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting. The 2000 Symposium Chairman
is George Caswell Sr., W1ME.
More information is available at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium
(or from) w1me@amsat.org
Information on AMSAT-NA is available at the following URL:
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)
* General satellite discussion (AMSAT-BB)
* Orbit data (KEPS)
* Manned space missions (SAREX)
* District of Columbia area (AMSAT-DC)
* New England area (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 former ANS
Editor 'BJ' Arts, WT0N.
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-149.01
MIR TO BE PLACED ON AUTOPILOT
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 149.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 28, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-149.01
Several news agencies are reporting that the Mir mission control center
is planning to put the orbiting space station on autopilot in the near
future. Apparently, disruptions in financing for the next mission and
uncertain future prospects are the main reasons for the decision.
Cosmonauts Sergei Zaletin and Alexander Kaleri will return to Earth
about mid-June, first closing down the station and switching the flight
control systems from the on-board computer to an analog system. No
additional flight crews are scheduled to visit the station until much later
this year -- at the earliest.
The orbiter has been raised to an operational orbit of 375 to 390 km.
Mission control reports they will not need to perform any orbit
maneuvers until early 2001.
AMSAT's Bruce Paige, KK5DO, earlier reported to ANS that the two
cosmonauts arrived on Mir after an April 4, 2000 launch from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome and the successful docking with Mir.
Amateur Radio activity aboard the station has been limited during this
mission. No ham radio activity has been reported from the orbiter during
the last several weeks
[ANS thanks Florida Today for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-149.02
STS-101 MISSION UPDATE
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 149.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 28, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-149.02
As this edition of ANS was assembled, all was well aboard the
International Space Station after shuttle astronauts entered the complex
and repaired several key systems. As they entered the station from the
joined shuttle, the seven crew members took air samples and tested the
carbon-dioxide level to make sure it was safe.
Their first task was to replace the batteries and restore full electrical
power to the ISS - a task that was completed without any problem.
Russia's space program is picking up the tab for the batteries at a cost
of $252,000 each. Last weekend, a seven hour spacewalk was also
needed to fix outboard cranes and antennas and install hand rails for
future crews.
Late Tuesday shuttle pilots used thrusters to lift the space station about
10 miles higher in orbit in the first of three such maneuvers. NASA plans
to establish a 240 mile above Earth orbit for ISS. The station had
dropped as low as 202 miles, mainly due to increased solar activity and
the natural effect of atmospheric drag.
After reaching the higher orbit, ISS will be positioned for the arrival of
the Russian-built Zvezda Service Module this July. Zvezda will provide
working and living quarters for the first resident crew, scheduled for later
this year.
Mission STS-101 is the 21st flight of the orbiter Atlantis and the 98th
flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program.
No Amateur Radio operation was scheduled during this flight.
[ANS thanks NASA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-149.03
ANS IN BRIEF
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 149.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 28, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-149.03
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** The search for life both elsewhere in our solar system and beyond is
slowly emerging as a credible science with scientists the world over
developing new research techniques to better understand how life
emerges and how the wildly differing conditions life on Earth can exist
within. -SpaceDaily
** Thanks to recent results from NASA's Galileo orbiter and the Hubble
Space Telescope, geochemists have a new appreciation for why the
volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io are so wildly colored and powerful. -S&T
** AMSAT-NA's Tom Clark, W3IWI, has placed a number of digital
photos of AMSAT's Dayton activities. Take a look at what was going on
at the following URL: ftp://tac.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/pix/dayton/index.htm.
Dayton was a successful one for AMSAT-NA with 88 new members, 201
membership renewals and 4 new life members! -ANS
** Two new launch service agreements have been signed by SSTL: one
between SSTL and China Great Wall Industry Corporation, Beijing; the
other between SSTLand Rosvoorouzhenie, Moscow. -SpaceDaily
** A 17-story Atlas 3A rocket successfully carried a European
communications satellite into space this past week. The Atlas 3A is the
first American rocket to use a Russian engine. -Florida Today
** Some doorstep astronomy from ANS: The three brightest stars at
nightfall at this time of year are pale yellow Capella (sinking low in the
northwest), pale golden Arcturus (very high in the southeast), and
blue-white Vega (less high in the east-northeast). All three shine
with a brightness of magnitude 0. -S&T
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-149.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 149.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 28, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-149.04
MIR SPACE STATION
145.985 MHz Simplex (FM) Voice and SSTV (Robot 36 Mode)
AMSAT's Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reported that two cosmonauts
--Sergei Zalyotin and Alexandr Kaleri-- have arrived on the Russian Mir
space station after an April 4, 2000 launch from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome and the successful docking with Mir.
Ham radio activity aboard the Mir space station is apparently back on
line -- currently in limited fashion. No ham radio activity has been
reported from the orbiter during the last several weeks.
Stay tuned to ANS for further details.
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.
More information about RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the
AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Operators Page:
http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html
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.
Tony, AB2CJ, reports strong signals from RS-15 recently, with
the downlink at S-8.
Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 and RS-13
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
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.
An AO-27 question-and-answer page is available on the AMSAT-NA
web site. Ray, W2RS, recently updated the information. 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 AO-27 operations (at):
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html
Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states on AO-27 (on 05/18/2000).
TEPR 4 is 42 - TEPR 5 is 78
[ANS thanks Chuck Wyrick, KM4NZ, and Michael Wyrick, N4USI, for
AO-27 information]
UO-14
Uplink 145.975 MHz FM
Downlink 435.070 MHz FM
Operational, mode J.
UO-14 was launched in January 1990.
Tim, KG8OC, has updated the Michigan AMSAT Information Site
with UO-14 information, point your web browser to the following URL:
http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN / ZL2TPO, for UO-14 information]
SUNSAT SO-35
Uplink 436.291 MHz FM
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM
Operational, mode B.
SunSat was launched February 23, 1999 aboard a Delta II rocket from
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
AMSAT-SA reported to ANS that SO-35, has now started transmitting
digital signals. "Sunsat will now also offer digital services," confirmed
Johann, ZR1CBC, of the SunSat command team.
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.
For more information on SunSat, visit the following URL:
http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za
A summary of the active modes and frequency allocations
for SunSat is available at the following URL:
http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za/~lochner/sunsat/modes.html
[ANS thanks Garth Milne ZR1AFH, for this 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.
Takushi, JO2OXL, reports that the JARL FO-20 Ground Station
operators believe that with the inability to (now) determine the
satellite battery status (through the loss of the beacon), it is
possible that FO-20 is in its final phases. Operation will continue
as long as possible.
[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:
through June 8th - 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-149.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 149.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 28, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-149.05
KITSAT KO-23
Uplink 145.900 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 435.175 MHz FM
Operational.
Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-23 is (again) operational, with 86% data
downlink efficiency on 5/26/00 at 04:38 UTC. KyungHee Kim,
HL0ENJ, reports (from the KO-23 control team) that part of the
problem with non-operation has been the power budget aboard
the satellite. Currently, KO-23 is also in a maximum eclipse period.
[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 completely operational with normal
traffic and downlink efficiencies in the 90% range.
Jim, KI0BK, reports he is a new user of KO-25 as he recently
"successfully accessed KO-25 and downloaded about 56k of data."
[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 Jackson, G7UPN, reported to ANS last March that UO-22 was in
full sunlight and the temperatures had increased considerably.
Controllers (at that time) turned the satellite upside down to point the
critical systems to cold space. At the time of the last report only the
145.900 MHz receiver was usable for communications. No further
information has been received from the UO-22 ground control stations.
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.
OSCAR-11 celebrated its sixteenth birthday in space on March 1, 2000.
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.
Users should note that the date in the hardware generated ASCII
telemetry is now advanced by 3 days and the other dates (which
are generated by software) are advanced by 1 day. Ground control
may be able to correct the software generated dates, but not the
hardware generated date.
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]
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
Currently semi-operational. The CW beacon is sending eight telemetry
channels and one status channel. Currently, no BBS service is available.
The digipeater is active.
Mineo, JE9PEL, has recorded LO-19 CW and PSK telemetry and
placed the information on his Internet homepage site at:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/
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]
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
Semi-operational.
Russ, WJ9F, reported last March that ground stations were running
memory test software on the satellite. In addition to the memory testing,
ANS received information that the spacecraft spin rate around the
vertical (Z) axis created a less than ideal condition for battery charging.
No recent information about these situations has been received by ANS.
Normally, the S-band transmitter is off.
A new WOD collection of current graphics (dated 02/26/2000)
can be found at:
http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 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
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]
UoSAT-12 UO-36
Uplink 145.960 MHz 9600 baud FSK
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.
NASA recently demonstrated the ability to use standard Internet
protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft (just like any node
on the Internet) - via UO-36. NASA has been developing this project by
working with the commercial payload on UoSAT-12.
The BBS is open, although uploading (and the downlink) may be
disabled at times.
The VK5HI 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, the digipeater function is on - opened to APRS use.
IO-26 was launched on the September 26, 1993.
[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for this
information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-149.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 149.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 28, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-149.06
THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE
NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME:
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
Non-operational. No operation in 2000 has been observed.
TECHSAT-1B GO-32
Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry
Efforts were reported to be underway to bring GO-32 on line,
however no additional information has been received by ANS
(the last report was dated November 1999).
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/
PANSAT PO-34
Uplink/downlink frequencies have never been released.
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) on October 29, 1998.
At the time of launch, PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders
were promised to be available to Amateur Radio operators along with
software to utilize this technology. To date, this has not happened.
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 (written by KD6DRA and N7HPR).
[ANS thanks Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, for this information]
MIR SPACE STATION
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 or 2000 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 or 2000 has been observed.
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 was last 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
image and transponder recovery efforts have been unsuccessful.
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.
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://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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