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[jamsat-news:1299] ANS 191
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 191
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 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 past ANS editor
'BJ' Arts, WT0N, and to the memory of Werner Haas, DJ5KQ.
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-191.01
FP DXPEDITION UPDATE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 191.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 09, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-191.01
ANS bulletin 184.01 reported on an upcoming DXpedition that Mike,
N1JEZ, is involved in. Here is the latest report from Mike:
"Well, everything is packed and ready to go. I leave for Nova Scotia
July 8th. (Mike is underway as this report is being broadcast -ANS).
One big change we experienced was with the callsign. We had expected
to use TO0DX. It was used by KT1J last year and he sent in his
renewal to use the callsign again this year. We just received a letter
with a refund stating that the callsign is unavailable -- so, we will be
using FP/N1JEZ, FP/KT1J and FP/AI5P. We still plan to be on
Ile aux Marins by July 14th."
Mike is traveling with 6-meter, 2-meter and 432 MHz equipment in his
car and plans to activate many of the grids he is passing through via
satellite. He will also participate in the CQ VHF contest.
Mike also plans to upload some digital pictures (to UO-22) from the
Island once the DXpedition equipment is in place and operation has
begun.
The expected operation will be July 15 through July 19, 2000.
Stay tuned to ANS for further details.
[ANS thanks Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, ANS principal satellite investigator,
for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-191.02
FCC ACTION IN VHF CW SUBBANDS
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 191.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 09, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-191.02
The ARRL is reporting that the FCC has turned down a request asking
(the Commission) to permit SSB and digital modes in the 6 and 2-meter
CW-only subbands. The petition was filed last August by the California
Six Meter Club and was assigned rulemaking number RM-9806.
The FCC had sought comment on the proposal earlier this year.
The CSMC said it requested the additional emission types because its
survey of weak-signal operations indicated that the CW-only segments
are hardly used. The club said most DX and weak signal work takes
place on frequencies above the CW subbands.
In denying the request, the FCC said it did not believe the requested
revisions were necessary or had the support of the amateur community.
The Commission said the petition's premise that the segments 50.0 to
50.1 MHz and 144.0 to 144.1 MHz appear "virtually unused" was
contradicted by an earlier petition filed by the Central States VHF
Society. The CSVHFS had sought additional spectrum to protect
so-called weak signal operations from wideband modes.
The FCC had dismissed the CSVHFS petition last November.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-191.03
ANS IN BRIEF
HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 191.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 09, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-191.03
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** Hawaii, the Pacific Ocean, the Far East, and Australia are the best
places to be for a grand lunar eclipse on July 16th, which is
especially noteworthy because the Moon passes almost dead center
through the Earth's shadow. As a result totality lasts an unusually
long 1 hour 47 minutes. For details see the following URL:
http://www.skypub.com/sights/skyevents/0007skyevents.html. -S&T
** Particle physicists have shown that light pulses can be accelerated to
up to 300 times their normal velocity of 186,000 miles per second - the
implications, like the speed, are mind-boggling. However, the research
is already causing controversy among physicists. -Newsline
** Andy, W5ACM, reports there is still plenty of time to submit AMSAT
Field Day reports! W5ACM has received several via surface mail and
e-mail, but he hopes to receive many more. Andy suggests using the
form on the AMSAT web site. -ANS
** Participants at the Palomar Amateur Radio Club ARRL Field Day
site in Valley Center, California, this year completed a two-way voice
contact via laser beam. In typical ham radio tradition, communicating
over the nearly 13-mile path on a beam of light involved minimal cost
and readily available parts. -ARRL Letter
** How many ham radio operators are there in the world? According to
the International Amateur Radio Union the actual number of licensed
radio amateurs reached just a few short of three million in 1999. Japan
leads the way with more than 1,296,000 station licenses issued. The
United States ranks number two at 679,864 individual license holders
followed by Thailand at 141,241, the Republic of Korea at 130,000
and Germany at 80,336. -Newsline
** Some doorstep astronomy from ANS: The two brightest stars in the
July twilight are Arcturus, shining golden-yellow very high toward the
southwest, and Vega, shining pale blue-white very high in the
east. -S&T
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-191.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 191.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 09, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-191.04
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.
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. 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.
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.
Ib, OZ1MY, reports the beacon on FO-20 is working
again - sometimes with modulation but mostly only CW.
[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.
The FO-29 command station of the JARL has announced the
operation schedule of FO-29 for July and August is as follows:
July 10-19th JA
July 20-Aug 31st Digi-talker (except mode JA every Wednesday)
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
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-191.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 191.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 09, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-191.05
KITSAT KO-23
Uplink 145.900 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 435.175 MHz FM
Operational.
AA7KC reports KO-23 is operational with nominal performance
and light traffic.
KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, reports (from the KO-23 control team) that part
of the problem with recent 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.
AA7KC reports KO-25 is operational with downlink efficiency in the
80% range. Jim reports moderate traffic on the satellite.
[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-191.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 191.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 09, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-191.06
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
145.985 MHz (FM) voice and SSTV (Robot 36 Mode)
AMSAT's Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reported that two cosmonauts
--Sergei Zalyotin and Alexandr Kaleri-- arrived on the Russian Mir
space station after an April 4, 2000 launch from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome and the successful docking with Mir. After just
over two months in space the cosmonauts returned to Earth in
June. During their stay the ham radio equipment aboard Mir was
activated in a very limited fashion.
Currently, there is no human habitation aboard the station and the
Amateur Radio equipment has been turned off. Several news agencies
have reported that Mir in now on 'autopilot'.
Stay tuned to ANS for further details.
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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