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[jamsat-news:1464] ANS 105
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 105
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.
ANS is first released via the AMSAT-NA 20-meter net held each Sunday
on 14.282 MHz. Pre-net operations start at 18:00 UTC, with current ANS
bulletins transmitted to the eastern U.S. at 19:00 UTC and to the western
U.S. at 19:30 UTC. ANS is also released worldwide via the AMSAT ANS
e-mail reflector.
AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce that recent (and future)
developments in Amateur Radio satellite technology will be discussed
in Atlanta, Georgia at the 19th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA
Annual Meeting, October 5-6, 2001. The Symposium Chairman is Steve
Diggs, W4EPI.
Contact W4EPI at: w4epi@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)
* AMSAT K-12 Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-K12)
A daily digest version is available for each list.
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 well-known DXer
Javier Ledesma, EA4AV, of Madrid, Spain, who died recently at age
64. Ledesma held DXCC Number One Honor Roll, 5BDXCC,
5BWAS, and all 200 zones of 5BWAZ. [ANS thanks Paco Campos,
EA4BT, Chuck Hutchinson, K8CH, and the ARRL for this information]
ANS is always dedicated to the memory of past ANS editor 'BJ' Arts,
WT0N, and to the memory of long-time AMSAT supporter Werner
Haas, DJ5KQ.
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-105.01
PHASE 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 UPDATE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.01
April continues with recovery efforts concerning AO-40. The satellite
appears to be healthy and reports indicate that very good telemetry
has been received recently.
AMSAT-DL is reporting that the S-band beacon on AO-40 may not be
transmitting continuously during each orbit. The AO-40 team received
a report from Gunter, DF4PV, that he was suddenly loosing the signal
from the S-2 beacon transmitter. DF4PV reported the signal disappeared
during a period where the satellite apparently entered an eclipse.
AMSAT-DL responded that the onboard IHU is running a software task
to watch for critical situations, such as battery voltage. The IHU will
turn the S-beacon off if the battery voltage drops to 26-volts This was
the case recently due to a bad sun angle and a solar eclipse. The IHU
automatically turned the beacon back on as these conditions ended.
This may continue for the next few orbits as well.
As predicted, AO-40 lost solar lock at the end of orbit 201 and the
satellite was then officially in a hibernation state. The magnetorque
system is off and will not be used until the satellite is in solar lock
again. Although the SEU (sensor electronic unit) is not phase locked
on the Sun, the Earth sensor continues to scan our planet.
Four pictures were recently taken during orbit 207, at the time the
satellite's view was the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the IHU-2 clock
was checked and found to be correct. The spin rate was at
2.047rpm.
In looking at the downloaded pictures, it appears the spacecraft spins
about 14 degrees during camera exposure (picture distortion was
minimal). The Earth's edge can be seen in three of the received images
and the angular distance from the bore-sight indicates an attitude of
ALON 128 - ALAT 14. This estimate agrees with the Earth sensor.
The AO-40 command team concludes that the camera and much of
the IHU-2 unit is working correctly. The Earth sensor and camera
mountings appear unchanged - and most importantly - the team
now has a firm idea on the attitude direction of the spacecraft.
73,
Peter DB2OS
for the AO-40 command team
[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-105.02
ISS PACKET SYSTEM ACTIVE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.02
The ARISS team reported to ANS that the packet system onboard
Alpha has been activated. The have been several minor problems.
ARISS team members have been debugging issues with the packet
module over the past few months. The team is fairly certain that the
TNC's RAM battery backup died shortly after the equipment was
commissioned. ARISS been waiting for the Expedition crews to
connect a laptop to the packet module to check out the system and
re-install the packet parameters, including a callsign. To date, this
has not happened due to the high workload the crews have been
faced with. The bottom line is it appears that the packet system is
alive and working well (and able to support APRS) but is operating
without the parameters installed prior to flight.
The ARISS team suggests those operators who are using the ISS
packet system review the packet information found on the ARISS
web site at:
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/
The page has great pictures and written descriptions of the Amateur
Radio equipment on-board ISS.
The most common question the team has received recently is why
can't we change the NOCALL to the ISS callsign? The ARISS
group would love to do this. However, as stated above, the battery in
the TNC has died and all the parameters, including the callsign, was
then erased from the TNC RAM.
The ARISS team plan is to install the callsign when the current crew
has the time to connect a computer to the packet equipment and run
a program to correct the default settings. Both the Expedition-1
and Expedition-2 crews have not had the time to accomplish this task.
Also asked was what happened to the Cosmonautics Day voice
operations?
The only place the team heard that voice operations occurred during
the Cosmonautics Day event was in Russia. The crew had the times of
the contacts on their daily timeline but must have been too busy to
reach for the radio. The ARISS team will continue to ask the crew to
do random voice contacts whenever possible.
The ARISS team is asking Amateur Radio satellite operators to be
patient. The ARISS volunteers worked very hard to bring the initial
hardware to fruition. From an operations standpoint, it will take a while
before things start to settle out on ISS.
[ANS thanks the ARISS team for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-105.03
SCHOOL CONTACTS COMPLETED
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.03
Astronauts onboard ISS Alpha completed three school contacts
recently.
The Vicksburg High School in Vicksburg, Mississippi enjoyed a
contact with astronaut Susan Helms, KC7NHZ. Susan answered
18 questions during a horizon-to-horizon pass telebridged through
the Sacred Hearts Academy station in Honolulu.
Youngsters at the Woodford County Middle School in Versailles,
Kentucky, also talked with the International Space Station recently,
this time with astronaut Jim Voss, using the station's NA1SS callsign.
Voss' first outing on Amateur Radio from space was telebridged
via a southern hemisphere pass under the direction of Tony
Hutchison, VK5ZAI, in Australia.
A successful contact was also completed between the Admiral
Moorer Middle School and the ISS crew. The contact originated
from the NASA Goddard Ground Station, NN1SS, located in
Greenbelt, Maryland. The contact took place on April 16th.
[ANS thanks the ARISS team and the ARRL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-105.04
ANS IN BRIEF
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** The first space tourist, Dennis Tito, who will join a Russian crew
headed for space, is completing comprehensive tests at the Gagarin
cosmonauts training center as part of the program for a flight to the
International Space Station. Tito is now a ham radio operator, having
taken and successfully passed a Technician class Amateur Radio
examination and issued the call sign KG6FZX. -NewsLine
** The FCC has declined to make any significant changes to the way
it implemented Amateur Radio restructuring last April. The Commission
has turned down several requests for changes in the Amateur Service
rules. -ARRL
** The innovative engine now propelling NASA's Deep Space-1
spacecraft toward its ambitious September encounter with Comet
Borrelly just won't give up, having now run for more than 10,000 hours,
almost 50 times beyond its originally required lifetime. -SpaceDaily
** Wondering what a day is like on the International Space Station?
A schedule of work activities is available at the following URL:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/2001/january/index.html
Pick the month and day. The crew is busy! -ANS
** Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne has signed an Amateur Radio
antenna bill into law. The bill incorporates the language of the limited
federal preemption known as PRB-1 into Idaho state law. The new
law will require local rules or ordinances involving placement,
screening or height of antennas or towers based on health, safety
or aesthetic considerations to reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio
communications. -ARRL
** On April 12, 2001, the world celebrated the 40th anniversary of the
first human spaceflight. Major Yuri Gagarin's mission of 108 minutes
was short in duration, but significant to the entire world. This past
century has been filled with a regular series of amazing historical events,
yet Gagarin's flight is still one of the most amazing events of our time.
-SpaceDaily
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-105.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.05
Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40
Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher
from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: S-Band transmitter is
active, recovery efforts continue.
The V-band, U-band and the L-band (L1) receivers are working on the
the high-gain antennas. The omni-directional antennas appear to be
non-functional. Recovery efforts continue.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL for this information]
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/ARISS
Worldwide packet uplink: 145.990 MHz
Region 1 voice uplink: 145.200 MHz
Region 2/3 voice uplink: 144.490 MHz
Worldwide downlink: 145.800 MHz
TNC callsign RZ3DZR-1
ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis
Status: Operational
ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio
organizations, including AMSAT.
U.S. callsign: NA1SS
Russian callsign: RS0ISS, RZ3DZR
The QSL routes for W/VE stations working NA1SS aboard the
International Space Station:
U.S stations: Margie Bourgoin KB1DCO
Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL
ARRL, 225 Main Street
Newington, Connecticut 06111
Canadian stations: Radio Amateurs of Canada
Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5
A self-addressed, stamped envelope is required to get a QSL in
return. The ARISS international group has not yet finalized a QSL
card design. It will be a few months before cards become available.
More information about the project can be found on the ARISS web site
at http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov.
[ANS thanks ARISS team member Will Marchant, KC6ROL, for this
information]
RADIO SPORT RS-12
Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.408 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-12 was re-activated in mode A on January 1, 2001
Richard, YV5MCD, reports telemetry from RS-12 indicates that
the 10-meter transmitter is at 0.6 watts output.
The latest information on 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
[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for RS-12 information]
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)
Launched: December 26, 1994 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Status: Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a
10-meter downlink
Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 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
[ANS thanks Dave Guimont, WB6LLO, for this information]
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)
Launched: June 16, 1983 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. 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 heard and worked on AO-10. EY8MM has
been active and the satellite passband has been filled with station
recently.
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
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J.
Periodically, AO-27's analog repeater will be turned off for a few days
at a time to enable ground controllers to gather Whole Orbital Data
(WOD), to verify the health of the satellite.
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.
TEPR states on AO-27 were reset on March 24, 2001 as follows:
TEPR 4 is 38 / TEPR 5 is 78 (TEPR 5 is now 20 minutes long)
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
[ANS thanks AMRAD for AO-27 information]
UO-14
Uplink 145.975 MHz FM
Downlink 435.070 MHz FM
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J
Tim, KG8OC, features UO-14 information on the Michigan AMSAT
web site -- point your web browser to the following URL:
http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-14 information]
JAS-1b FO-20
Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Launched: February 07, 1990 by an H1 launcher from the
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational.
FO-20 is in mode JA continuously
Tak, JA2PKI, reported the FO-20 control station operators believe
that the UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the
transponder. The UVC monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the
batteries from over discharge.
[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports]
JAS-2 FO-29
Launched: August 17, 1996, by an H-2 launcher from the
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational
Voice/CW Mode JA
Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB
Digital Mode JD
Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM
Downlink 435.910 MHz 1200 baud BPSK or 9600 baud FSK
Callsign 8J1JCS
Digitalker 435.910 MHz
The JARL FO-29 command station has announced the following
operation schedule of FO-29:
through July 2, 2001 - mode JA
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-105.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.06
TIUNGSAT-1
Uplink 145.850 or 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 437.325 MHz
Broadcast callsign MYSAT3-11
BBS MYSAT3-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Operational at
38k4 baud FSK
Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that TiungSat-1 has been operating at a
data rate of 38k4. Data recovery at 38k4 is reported to be extremely
good with efficiencies near 100%. The output power is at 8-watts "which
should provide a very good downlink," said Chris, adding "the downside
is that with the high power transmitter operating, the power budget is
negative so we can't support continuous operation."
According to G7UPN, TiungSat-1 now requires the Amateur Radio station
to switch the downlink 'on' when the satellite comes into range. The way
this works is for the ground station software to send a request to the
spacecraft to switch the downlink on. The spacecraft receives this request
and checks the battery voltage to see if it can support the operation, and
if
it can it will activate the downlink.
TiungSat-1 is Malaysia's first micro-satellite and in addition to
commercial land and weather imaging payloads offers FM and FSK
Amateur Radio communication.
TiungSat-1, named after the mynah bird of Malaysia, was developed as
a collaborative effort between the Malaysian government and Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd.
For more information on TiungSat-1, visit the following URL:
http://www.yellowpages.com.my/tiungsat/tiung_main.htm
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for this information]
KITSAT KO-25
Uplink 145.980 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 436.500 MHz FM
Broadcast Callsign HL02-11
BBS HL02-12
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational
At last report, Jim, AA7KC, told ANS that KO-25 was operational with
moderate traffic. Mineo, JE9PEL, also reports KO-25 is operational
with good signal strength.
[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
Broadcast Callsign UOSAT5-11
BBS UOSAT5-12
Launched: July 17, 1991 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Operational
At last report, Jim, AA7KC, told ANS that UO-22 was operational with
heavy individual and Satgate traffic.
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 information
and Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for status information]
OSCAR-11
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200 baud AFSK)
Mode-S Beacon 2401.500 MHz
Launched: March 1, 1984 by a Delta-Thor rocket from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California. Status: Operational
During the period 14-February through 14-March 2001 good signals
have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The battery voltage
observed during daylight passes is slightly lower. The average value
observed was 13.8 volts, with a range of 13.4 to 14.1 volts. The
internal temperatures have decreased by about one degree C. They
are now 3.2C and 1.6C for battery and telemetry electronics
respectively.
A WOD survey (dated 06-January) has been transmitted. The
array voltage shows the effect of the solar eclipses. The array
voltage also shows the decrease of battery voltage during dark
periods, the constant voltage during charge, and the over-voltage
condition when the battery is fully charged.
The spin period has varied between 280 and 329 seconds. In
mid-January the Z-axis magnetorquer counter reached 1,024.
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 145.90 145.92 145.94 145.96 MHz FM
(using 1200 baud Manchester FSK)
Downlink 437.025 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK)
Mode-S Beacon 2401.1428 MHz
Broadcast Callsign: PACSAT-11
BBS PACSAT-12
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater command is
on.
Mineo, JE9PEL reports AO-16 is transmitting only the broadcast
messages.
At last report telemetry was as follows:
uptime is 412/07:44:09. Time is Sat Mar 31 11:21:13 2001
+X (RX) Temp 9.680 D RX Temp -1.817 D
BCR Load Cur 0.397 A BCR Input Cur 0.385 A
BCR Output Cur 0.348 A Bat 1 Temp 3.629 D
Bat 2 Temp 4.839 D Baseplt Temp 4.839 D
PSK TX RF Out 1.805 W RC PSK BP Temp 1.814 D
RC PSK HPA Tmp 0.603 D +Y Array Temp -0.002 D
PSK TX HPA Tmp 5.444 D +Z Array Temp 21.177 D
Total Array C= 0.342 Bat Ch Cur=-0.049 Ifb= 0.043 I+10V= 0.354
TX:1009 BCR:7F PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:48
A new WOD collection of current graphics along with general
information and telemetry samples can be found at:
www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information]
UoSAT-12 UO-36
Uplink 145.960 MHz (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 437.025 MHz 437.400 MHz
Broadcast Callsign UO121-11
BBS UO121-12
Launched: April 21, 1999 by a Russian launcher from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Operational
Happy birthday UO-36, two years in space this month!
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
Broadcast Callsign ITMSAT-11
BBS ITMSAT-12
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater function is on
and open for APRS users.
[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for
IO-26 information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-105.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 105.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 15, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-105.07
THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL
AT THIS TIME:
TMSAT-1 TO-31
Uplink 145.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 436.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK)
Broadcast Callsign: TMSAT1-11
BBS TMSAT1-12
Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Non-operational, no data downlinked since
December 18, 2000.
Jim, AA7KC, reported recently to ANS that TO-31 has been
non-operational over North America for the past several months.
Chris G7UPN, (UoSAT operations manager) reports the following
to ANS:
The TO-31 downlink will be off over most areas, with the exception of
Europe and Thailand. This is required to allow control stations to
recondition the battery with minimum power drain.
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]
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)
Broadcast Callsign LUSAT-11
BBS LUSAT-12
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Beacon only. The CW beacon is sending
eight telemetry channels and one status channel on 437.126 MHz.
No BBS service is available. The digipeater is not active.
Telemetry (limited) is as follows:
Sat Mar 17 at 11:45 2001 UTC
LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ABN AVA AD4 AU4 A6U AEV AE6
LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ABN AVT ADV AU4 A6U AE4 AE6
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:
www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu
[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information]
SO-41 SAUDISAT-1A
Uplink to be released
Downlink 437.075 MHz
Broadcast Callsign SASAT1-11
BBS SASAT1-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown, this
satellite has been in orbit over six months. ANS has received no
additional information.
SaudiSat-1A will operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward
systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two
new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the
Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology.
SO-42 SAUDISAT-1B
Uplink to be released
Downlink 436.775 MHz
Broadcast Callsign SASAT2-11
BBS SASAT2-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown, this
satellite has been in orbit over six months. ANS has received no
additional information.
SaudiSat-1B will operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward
systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two
new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the
Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology.
SUNSAT SO-35
Mode J Uplink: 145.825 MHz FM
Mode J Downlink: 436.250 MHz FM
Mode B Uplink: 436.291 MHz FM
Mode B Downlink: 145.825 MHz FM
Launched: February 23, 1999 by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California. Status: Non-operational
The SunSat team released the following statement, dated
February 1, 2001:
We regret to announce that the last communication with SunSat from
our ground station at the Electronic Systems Laboratory at Stellenbosch
University took place recently. We are certain, after having performed
several tests since the last contact, that an irreversible, physical failure
has occurred on the satellite. It is therefore unlikely that we will have
any
further contact with SunSat, apart from the occasional visual sighting by
telescope!
When it was operational the SunSat package included 1200 and 9600
baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater
system in addition to Mode B/J operation with two VHF and two UHF
transmit-receive systems.
For more information on SunSat visit the following URL:
http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za
[ANS thanks Garth Milne, ZR1AFH, for this information]
RADIO SPORT RS-13
Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 145.860 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: non-operational (last operational in mode-T)
RS-12 was re-activated in January 2001. Prior to this switch RS-13
was operational (mode T), but was apparently turned off following
the recent RS-12 switch.
The latest information on 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
[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information]
KITSAT KO-23
Uplink 145.900 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Downlink 435.170 MHz FM
Broadcast Callsign HLO1-11
BBS HLO1-12
Launched: August 10, 1992 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Intermittent operation with the downlink
transmitter operating at unpredictable intervals.
Jim, AA7KC, reported that KO-23's downlink transmitter continues
in non-operational status. Jim says that KO-23 shows some signs
of trying to recover, but no useful data has been downlinked. The
duration of this status is unpredictable. No data has been received
since October 28, 2000.
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. "We are not sure when the bird might turn off again due to
insufficient power. The capability of the onboard power system has been
less and less," said Kim. HL0ENJ also noted that as of October 30, 2000
the onboard computer was reset and a reboot of operational software is
was underway.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ,
for KO-23 status information]
TECHSAT-1B GO-32
Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry
Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Russian Zenit rocket from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Status: Semi-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).
Last reported, the satellite does transmit a 9600-baud burst every
30 seconds (the GO-32 beacon sends one short telemetry status
transmission of 44 bytes) and upon request the complete
telemetry buffer.
[ANS has no further information]
PANSAT PO-34
Uplink/downlink frequency (listed on the PanSat web site) 436.500 MHz
Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery
Status: Unknown
The satellite is not available for general uplink transmissions.
PanSat was developed by the Naval Postgraduate School. 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 has no further information]
DOVE DO-17
Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200 baud AFSK)
2401.220 MHz
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. 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.
[ANS has no further information]
WEBERSAT WO-18
Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB (1200 baud PSK AX.25)
Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Non-operational.
WO-18 was last reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash.
[ANS has no further information]
SEDSAT-1 SO-33
Downlink 437.910 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK)
Launched: October 24, 1998 by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape
Canaveral, Florida. Status: Semi-operational.
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and
the image and transponder recovery efforts have been unsuccessful.
SedSat-1 signifies Students for the Exploration and Development of
Space (satellite number one).
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://seds.uah.edu/projects/sedsat/sedsat.htm
[ANS has no further information]
/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: NNØÄJ
Grid Square EN28iv
Warroad, Minnesota U.S.A.
E-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org
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