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[jamsat-news:1308] ANS 212


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 212

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

ANS editor Dan James, NN0DJ, recently suffered a lightning
hit near his QTH that wiped out both the hard drive and modem
of the computer he uses for ANS bulletins. NN0DJ apologies
for the difficulties this incident has caused with recent ANS
bulletin sets. 

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-212.01
ZVEZDA DOCKS WITH ISS

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 212.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 30, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-212.01

Two weeks after being successfully launched, the Russian-built Zvezda
module took its place as a part of the International Space Station after
executing a flawless, completely automated docking. Zvezda becomes
the third piece of the station following the automated linkup.

With three modules now joined together, the orbiting outpost has grown
to nearly 120 feet in length. Zvezda adds sleeping quarters, a galley,
toilet and working space for future resident astronauts and cosmonauts.
In addition to its life-support systems, the new module also brings more
capable guidance, propulsion and computer systems. It will also be the
initial home of Amateur Radio operation from ISS.

The addition of Zvezda to the two elements already in orbit - Zarya and
Unity - sets the stage for the start of human habitation and scientific
research aboard the orbiting outpost. A Russian Progress resupply
mission planned for August and two Shuttle flights scheduled for
September and October will ready the Space Station for the arrival of
the first crew who will begin living and working on board.

Over the coming days, flight engineers will test the mechanisms holding
the elements together and ensure that all seals are tight. In addition, the
ESA built 'Data Management System' computer aboard Zvezda will be
connected to the on-line Space Station systems and Zvezda will be
commanded to assume control of the Space Station.

With Zvezda in place the United States is now ready to begin a series
of flights to ISS, including:

* a September resupply mission
* an October mission attaching the first segment of the 300-foot-long
  metal truss that will support massive solar arrays
* a November flight to erect a power tower of solar panels
* a January 2001 mission to connect a research laboratory
* an April 2001 mission to attach a 55-foot robot arm
* an August 2001 mission carrying experiments to the station
* an October 2001 mission to attach the central truss section

For more information about the three modules now in orbit, visit the
following URL:

http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/assembly2_overview.htm

[ANS thanks NASA, the European Space Agency and Florida today
for this information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-212.02
ANS IN BRIEF

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 212.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 30, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-212.02

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

** MirCorp's board of directors recently approved the permanently
manned operation of Mir beginning next year, marking a major
milestone in the company's plan to use this unique facility as the
world's first true commercial orbital space station. The schedule of
privately-financed MirCorp flights begins with the launch of an
unmanned resupply spacecraft to Mir this fall, followed by two
long-duration missions with cosmonauts in 2001. It is unknown
what this may mean for possible Amateur Radio operation from
the station. - Florida Today/ANS 

** Any home computer can become a portal to a wonderland of stars,
thanks to a massive release of images from an infrared sky survey
sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation. More
information is available from the following Web site:
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/telescopes-00c.html. -SpaceDaily

** Jeff, N9AVG, reported to ANS about a nice story Florida Today
recently carried -- entitled 'NASA Talks, He Retransmits by Amateur
Radio'. Check out the full story at the following URL:
http://www.floridatoday.com/news/people/stories/2000/jul/peo070900c.htm
--ANS

** ANS congratulates AMSAT-NA members W3PK, W3GEY, W3XO and
W2RS. These individuals are among the original members of our
organization and are still active in AMSAT after all these years!

** An Orbital Sciences Minotaur rocket recently launched the U.S. Air
Force's MightySat and the DARPA Picosat-2 spacecraft. The Minotaur,
also known as the Orbital Suborbital Program Space Launch Vehicle, is
a hybrid of a refurbished Minuteman 2 ICBM and Orbital's commercial
Pegasus launch vehicle. Launch occurred at from the SSI Commercial
Launch Facility at Vandenberg, California. -Florida Today

--ANS BULLETIN END---

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-212.03
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 212.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 30, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-212.03

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 146.00 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.458 MHz
Robot Uplink 145.840 MHz
Robot Downlink 29.504 MHz
Status: 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 RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at:

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)
Status: 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)
Status: 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
Status: 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 TEPR AO-27 operations (at):

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html

Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states (on 7/26/00) as follows:

TEPR 4    46
TEPR 5    82

[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
Status: Operational, mode J.

UO-14 was launched in January 1990 and has returned to Amateur Radio
operation after many years of commercial service.

Tim, KG8OC, has updated the Michigan AMSAT Information site
to include 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
Status: Operational.

SunSat was launched February 23, 1999 aboard a Delta II rocket from
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

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 in addition
to Mode J operation. The satellite has two VHF and two UHF
transmit-receive systems.

Bob, WB4APR, recently caught a SunSat APRS pass while driving home
recently and copied N4ZO, WB8WOR, WB4APR, N5ZNL and N9IDH.
Johann, ZR1CBC, reports that SunSat will operate in Mode J during the
coming weeks (with weekdays included). A schedule for all voice passes
is available on the SunSat web page. 

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 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Status: Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA continuously.

JAS-1b (FO-20) was launched in February 1990. OZ1MY reports the
beacon on FO-20 is working again, mostly in CW.

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

JAS-2 FO-29
Voice/CW Mode JA
Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Status: Operational, rotated with a digital mode and a digi-talker.

JAS-2 was successfully launched on August 17, 1996, by an H-II
launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

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 JARL FO-29 command station has announced the following
operation schedule of FO-29:

July 20-Aug 31st  - Digi-talker (except mode JA every Wednesday)

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

Mineo, JE9PEL, has a FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis program that
will automatically analyze all digital telemetry from the satellite (such as
current, voltage and temperature). The JE9PEL FO-29/shareware is
available at the following URL:

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

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

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-212.04
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 212.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 30, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-212.04

KITSAT KO-25
Uplink 145.980 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 436.500 MHz FM
Status: Operational.

Jim, 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
Status: 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 on the status of UO-22.

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
Status: 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 all other dates (which
are generated by software) are advanced by 1 day. Ground control
stations 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)
Status: Semi-operational. The CW beacon is sending eight telemetry
channels and one status channel. 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
Status: 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 WOD collection of satellite 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)
Status: 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
Status: Operational.

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 has demonstrated on UO-36 the ability to use standard Internet
protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft (just like any node
on the Internet). NASA has been developing this project by working with
the commercial payload aboard UoSAT-12.

The BBS is open, although uploading and downloading may be
disabled at times.

The VK5HI viewer shareware for UO-36 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
Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater function is on and open for
APRS users.

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

[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for
IO-26 information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-212.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 212.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 30, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT
BID: $ANS-212.05

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

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

Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-23 is (again) non-operational. Jim reports the
downlink transmitter is off.

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.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ,
for KO-23 status information]

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
Status: Non-operational. No operation in 2000 has been observed.

TECHSAT-1B GO-32
Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry
Status: Non-operational.

Efforts were reported to be underway to bring GO-32 on line,
however, no 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 transmit a 9600-baud burst every
30 seconds (for a continuous 3 seconds in length) on 435.225 MHz.

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

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

PANSAT PO-34
Status: Unknown.

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 (the story 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)
Status: Unmanned.

AMSAT's Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reported that 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
onboard 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 of 141.3 Hz
Downlink 437.950 MHz FM
Status: 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
Status: 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
Status: 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)
Status: 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)
Status: Non-operational.

The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and
the 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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