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[jamsat-news:1636] ANS 348
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 348
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.
This edition of ANS is dedicated to the memory of John Abbott, K6YB, of
Newhall, California, who died recently at age 68. Abbott is perhaps best
known for his Technician license study guide called Ride the Airwaves
with ALFA and ZULU, written for youngsters. [ANS thanks the ARRL for
this information]
ANS salutes Heinrich Hertz, who set the stage for radio by proving that
electricity can travel in waves, thus developing the concepts of frequency
and wavelength. Hertz lived from 1857 to 1894. He is among the inaugural
group of 50 inductees into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. [ANS
thanks CQ Amateur Radio magazine, published by CQ Communications,
Inc. for this information]
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.01
DECEMBER 2001 PRESIDENT'S LETTER
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.01
Several times each year ANS will feature information from AMSAT-NA
President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. This feature is known as the
President's Letter. The following is the December 2001 installment:
Wednesday, December 12, 2001 was a very special day for AMSAT
members and for anyone with an interest in radio communications.
Wednesday marked the 100th anniversary of the first transatlantic radio
communication by Marconi, from England to Newfoundland. The event
was a historic achievement in the annals of radio communications.
An equally historic event took place 40 years ago, the launch of the first
Amateur Radio satellite - OSCAR-1.
From my archives I find that OSCAR-1 was a 10-pound package of
electronics which transmitted the word "HI" back to Earth, along with
telemetry in the form of a temperature measurement (which controlled
the timing of the CW). The satellite was constructed by members of
Project OSCAR, a group organized at Foothills College in Los Altos,
California, along with the Lockheed Amateur Radio Club in Sunnyvale,
California.
I would like to pass my congratulations to all of the members of Project
OSCAR (most of whom are still active in Amateur satellites). They were
the forerunners of AMSAT and we have to thank them for their vision in
developing this exciting aspect of Amateur Radio only four years after
the flight of the first Sputnik.
On December 12, 2001 yet another first took place, the introduction
of a new website from the latest member of the AMSAT world
community. AMSAT-India has announced that their web page would
become available on that day, and I look forward to reading their
information.
As the senior officer of AMSAT-NA, I get a great deal of e-mail
from many of you, and the variety of topics seem endless. I try to reply
directly to as many as I can, providing some insight into AMSAT and
what goes on in the organization. However, several of you have
written to complain about frequency use, or bad operator etiquette by
some stations. It is important to note that AMSAT is not a regulatory
body and we do not have any control over how people use a satellite,
we can only provide "moral persuasion" and hope that operators will use
the minimum power required to get the communications through and not
try and control the limited frequency space available on such satellites as
AO-27 and UO-14. Many operators try to use these satellites with small
antennas and a handheld transceiver, and do not appreciate some of the
"big guns" operating with high-gain antennas and home stations.
Finally, to all of you from the Board of Directors and Officers of
AMSAT-NA at this festive time of the year, may I wish you all the very
best of the holiday season. May you and your family have a great holiday
and a very happy New Year.
73,
Robin Haighton, VE3FRH
President AMSAT-NA
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.02
ARRL AO-40 UPDATE
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.02
AO-40 command station team member Stacey Mills, W4SM, provided
ANS with current AO-40 status:
In order to complete some tests of the SCOPE cameras, CEDEX and
other RUDAK functions (before we move to avoid the Sun), the RUDAK
system must be on from MA 70 to MA 170 on orbit 518.
The Middle Beacon and transponder passbands will be off during this
time. Command stations realize that this is prime weekend time, but the
orbital conditions are such that we have no choice. To partially make up
for this inconvenience, there will be no RUDAK session on orbit 519.
Thus, orbit 519 will have the transponders active from MA 30 to MA 220.
Shortly after this, we must begin moving to a more negative ALAT.
Last week, ANS reported on upcoming adjustments to AO-40's attitude
to compensate for unfavorable Sun angles over the next several months.
The scheduled attitude shift to compensate for an unfavorable Sun angle
will leave AO-40's antennas pointing away from Earth until next spring
and will lead to a transponder shutdown period.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.03
STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.03
AMSAT-NA's W2RS cordially invites all Amateur Radio satellite
operators to participate in the 30th Annual Straight Key Night on
OSCAR - conducted by AMSAT-NA for Amateur Radio operators
around the world.
The event is entirely informal; no rules or scoring and no need to
send in a log!
To participate just operate CW using a straight hand key through
any OSCAR satellite (including the Moon - OSCAR Zero) on
January 1, 2002 between 00:00 and 24:00 UTC.
In keeping with the fun nature of this event, please nominate (from
among those you worked), the operator with the best fist.
Nominations may be sent to W2RS:
E-mail: w2rs@amsat.org
Packet: W2RS@WA2SNA.NJ.USA.NA
Those operators receiving nominations will be recognized in an ANS
bulletin in early February and in a future issue of the AMSAT Journal.
[ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.04
ANS IN BRIEF
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** After eight days together, Endeavour and ISS have parted ways, with
the shuttle leaving behind a new station crew and ferrying home a veteran
Station crew. The new station crew, Expedition-4 Commander Yury
Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Dan Bursch and Carl Walz now begin
their watch aboard ISS. Endeavour is set to land at the Kennedy Space
Center, Florida on Monday. -NASA
** Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ, former Secretary of AMSAT-UK, is in
the hospital. He will be undergoing surgery and hopes to be home
by Christmas. Get well wishes can be sent to g3aaj@amsat.org.
-ANS
** Tiny tubes of carbon may conduct electricity without any resistance
at temperatures stretching up past the boiling point of water. The tubes
would be the first superconductors to work at room temperature.
-SpaceDaily
** The 2001 AMSAT Symposium awards included a presentation to
Virginia Slack, KA4DDQ, in grateful appreciation for her work as
Registration Coordinator for the 2001 AMSAT Annual Meeting and
Space Symposium. Her dedicated service and hard work in handling
this aspect of our annual gathering was noted with thanks. -ANS
** Contrary to their expectations, scientists doing research in the Arctic
Ocean have found evidence that the Gakkel Ridge, the world's slowest
spreading mid-ocean ridge, may be very volcanically active. Using
satellite images they also believe that conditions in this area of undersea
vents could support previously unknown species of marine life.
-SpaceDaily
** NASA reports that 22 percent of the active astronaut corps are women
and the average female astronaut is 42 years old. -NASA
** South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth looks set visit the
International Space Station. A Russian Space Agency official announced
a contract has been signed for Shuttleworth to take part in a 10-day
Soyuz mission to replace the emergency crew return Soyuz vehicle
attached to ISS. -SpaceDaily
** Masa, JN1GKZ, reports hearing Sapphire's December 12th greeting
messages. In addition to a spark-gap reception re-enactment, several
Amateur Satellites noted the progress of 100 years of radio. PCSat
transmitted Marconi's historical letter 'S' and OSCAR-1's 'HI' and
Sapphire transmitted two voice announcements. -ANS
** The Canadian Space Agency announced that they have signed a
contract to launch the MOST space astronomy microsatellite before
the end of 2002. MOST is not an Amateur Radio satellite, but has
enjoyed a close relationship with satellite designers from AMSAT-NA.
The design of many elements of MOST are inspired by the AMSAT
micro-satellite designs. -ANS
** The X-38 prototype crew rescue vehicle successfully completed its
highest, fastest and longest flight to date recently at NASA's Dryden
Flight Research Center, a test flight that intersected some of the most
critical conditions such a craft would experience when returning from
space. -NASA
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.05
Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40
Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher
from Kourou, French Guiana.
Status: Currently, the U/L-1 to S-2 passband is active.
Uplink U-band 435.550 - 435.800 MHz CW/SSB
L1-band 1269.250 - 1269.500 MHz CW/SSB
L2-band 1268.325 - 1268.575 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 2401.225 - 2401.475 MHz CW/SSB
AO-40 experimental transponder operation started on May 05, 2001 at
approximately 08:00 UTC when the U-band and L1-band uplinks were
connected to the S-2 transmitter passband downlink via the Matrix
switch. For the current transponder-operating schedule visit:
http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL 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 NOCALL
ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis.
ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio
organizations, including AMSAT.
Status: Operational.
An ARISS contact with students from the St. John's, Newfoundland,
Canada area celebrated Marconi's 100th anniversary of the first
trans-Atlantic wireless contact. The ISS contact took place from Cabot
Tower at the Signal Hill National Historic Site in Canada using the
callsigns VO1S and NA1SS. Ten students were able to have their
question answered. The students had also participated in a crystal radio
building contest celebrating Marconi's achievements. In the audience
were approximately 125 students and another 40 adults. Graham,
VO1DZA, was the control op at VO1S.
The ISS packet station (normally) available for UI packets. The mailbox
and keyboard are currently disabled. Please see the packet section of
the ARISS web page before attempting to first work ISS on packet.
The ISS daily crew schedule (which gives an idea when crew members
have free time and may be available for Amateur Radio operations) can
be found at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/2001/may/index.html
Miles, WF1F, has posted pictures of the new antenna system for ISS.
View < http://www.marex-na.org/fileshtml/galleryantenna.html > for
details.
U.S. callsign: NA1SS
Russian callsigns: RS0ISS, RZ3DZR
The QSL routes for W/VE stations working NA1SS aboard the
International Space Station:
U.S. stations (a SASE is required to get a QSL in return):
Margie Bourgoin, KC1DCO
Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2, 3) QSL
ARRL, 225 Main Street
Newington, Connecticut 06111
Canadian stations:
Radio Amateurs of Canada
Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2, 3) QSL
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
Ottawa, Ontario KEG 0Z5
European stations (a SASE and 2 IRC's are required to get
a QSL in return).
AMSAT-France
14 bis, rue des Gourlis
92500 Rueil Malmaison
France
[ANS thanks Will Marchant, KC6ROL, and Jean-Louis Rault, F6AGR,
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
Robot 29.454 MHz (145.831 MHz uplink)
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-12 was re-activated in mode-A on January 1, 2001
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.
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, with updates by Ray, W2RS. 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
On December 9, 2001 Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states on AO-27
as follows: TEPR 4 - 19
TEPR 5 - 59
[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
Ray, W2RS, has revised the AO-27 FAQ on < www.amsat.org > to
include information on UO-14.
[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 FO-20 control station operators believe that the
UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the transponder. The
controller 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
Last reported, the JARL FO-29 command station announced the
operation schedule of FO-29 as mode JA through March 2002.
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-348.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.06
PCSat
Uplink/downlink 145.830 MHz 1200 baud AX-25 AFSK via PCSAT-1
Uplink 435.250 MHz 9600 baud via PCSAT-2
APRS Downlink 144.390 MHz (Region 2)
Launched: September 30, 2001 aboard an Athena-1 rocket from the
Kodiak Alaska Launch Complex.
Status: Operational
Bob, WB4APR, reports PCSat is currently in a higher than average
eclipse period and the UHF 9600-baud receivers are off. "Limited
operations can continue as long as the telemetry is showing
00111111," said WB4APR. Bob also noted that no ground stations
should be using PCSat via the "safe mode" callsign of W3ADO-1.
The APRS-equipped PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S.
Naval Academy under the guidance of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR.
PCSat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater designed for use by stations
using hand-held or mobile transceivers. Downlinks feed a central web
site < http://pcsat.aprs.org >.
For more information, visit the PCSat web site at:
http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat.html
[ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for PCSat information]
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: Semi-operational at
38k4-baud FSK
Paul, KB2SHU, reports TiungSat-1 now displays the <<BBS SHUT>>
message during recent passes over California. Paul first observed this
condition on December 6th and reports he has not been able to access
the satellite since.
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.
[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for this 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
Jim, AA7KC, reports UO-22 is operational with heavy individual and
Sat-gate use. Downlink efficiency is generally above 50%.
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 16-October to 17-November 2001 reliable signals
have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The internal
temperatures have continued to increase as the solar eclipse times
decrease. These temperatures are now 7.0C and 5.0C for battery and
telemetry electronics respectively. Temperatures have been fairly static,
indicating that the current eclipse cycle has reached a minimum value.
The battery voltage observed during daylight passes is unchanged.
The average value observed was 14.0 with a range of 13.8 to 14.1
volts.
The rate at which the SEU counter increments has continued to
increase from 417 to 479 counts per day. Decoding the SEU binary
telemetry shows permanent memory failures at locations 3EC0 and
37B1. Frequent faults appear to be causing the increase in count rate.
The WOD survey of channels 1, 2, 3, 61 (X, Z, Y magnetometers and
status) dated 16-August-2001 has been transmitted. This survey shows
the spin period to be 368 seconds. The spin period has varied between
203 and 232 seconds.
The operating schedule is unchanged.
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.
Telemetry is as follows:
uptime is 670/17:56:06. Time is Fri Dec 14 21:33:10 2001
+10V Bus 9.950 V +Z Array V 0.102 V
+X (RX) Temp 1.814 D RX Temp 14.521 D
Bat 1 V 1.183 V Bat 2 V 1.163 V
Bat 3 V 1.162 V Bat 4 V 1.221 V
Bat 5 V 1.131 V Bat 6 V 1.205 V
Bat 7 V 1.163 V Bat 8 V 1.232 V
Bat 1 Temp 10.890 D Bat 2 Temp 9.680 D
Baseplt Temp 9.680 D PSK TX RF Out 0.747 W
+Y Array Temp -14.524 D PSK TX HPA Tmp 6.049 D
Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.306 Ifb= 0.158 I+10V= 0.163
TX:1006 BCR:1E PWRC:36E BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:5E
A 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]
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-348.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 348.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, DECEMBER 16, 2001
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.07
THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL
OR SEMI-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME:
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 a
non-operational status.
[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
Broadcast Callsign HL02-11
BBS HL02-12
Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational
Jim, AA7KC, reports that KO-25 still has very low downlink efficiency.
One individual message is occasionally downlinked, but the satellite is
unsatisfactory for normal use. The lack of traffic and low downlink
efficiency indicates a problem. In addition, KO-25's downlink
transmitter power output seems low or intermittent.
[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for this 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: Unknown
UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward
communications and mode L/S transponders.
Paul, KB2SHU, tells ANS that UO-36 has not been operational (over
North America) since late July. In addition, Sangat, 9M2SS, reports he
has not copied UO-36 since July 30th.
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
UO-36 information]
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.
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.
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 is as follows:
Time is Fri Nov 30 21:03:00 2001 Orb-61900
CW-Code: ava abv aab ad6 atd abv ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.85 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 11.07 V 10V-Curr: 121.1 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.967 W TX-Temp.: 6.27 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 9.97 ?C
CW-Code: avt abv aan ad6 aat abu ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 11.07 V 10V-Curr: 120.4 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.967 W TX-Temp.: 5.56 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 9.26 ?C
CW-Code: avt abu aua ade aaa abu ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 11.01 V 10V-Curr: 120.4 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.957 W TX-Temp.: 4.85 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 8.90 ?C
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 for almost 8 months. ANS has received no additional
information.
When/if operational, 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 for almost 8 months. ANS has received no additional
information.
When/if operational, 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]
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.
Max White reported to ANS that two passes of GO-32 were
received recently; it still issues the burst transmission as stated
above with "quite a strong signal" according to White.
[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.
The Naval Postgraduate School developed PanSat. At the time of
launch, PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders were to
be available to Amateur Radio operators along with software to utilize
this technology.
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 is released worldwide via the AMSAT ANS e-mail reflector and a
live radiocast on 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.
Information on AMSAT-NA is available at the following URL:
http://www.amsat.org <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)
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To subscribe, or for more list information, visit the following URL:
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT-NA offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors
to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.
Initially, there will two levels for donations - Gold and Silver.
Application forms are available from the AMSAT-NA Office.
AMSAT-NA has developed a on-line volunteer survey, designed
to identify the interests and skills of those who may be available to
directly help in efforts to develop the amateur satellite program. The
survey is designed to be completed and returned on-line, and takes
only a few minutes to fill out. To request the survey, simply send an
e-mail request to:
volunteer@amsat.org
ANS is always dedicated to the memory of past ANS editor 'BJ'
Arts, WT0N, and to the memory of long-time AMSAT supporters
Werner Haas, DJ5KQ, and Dennis Kitchen, G0FCL.
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
/EX
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