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[jamsat-news:1704] ANS 125
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS 125
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 pleased to announce the 20th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA
Annual Meeting. The conference is scheduled for November 7-11, 2002 in
Fort Worth, Texas, and will chronicle recent and future Amateur Radio
satellite technology developments, including an Electronic Surplus Stores
tour on November 7th; a Field Operations breakfast and a tour of the
Lockheed Martin Aerospace Company on November 10th; and the
AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Meeting November 10th (AMSAT members
are welcome to attend the BOD meeting. [The 2002 event chairman is
Keith Pugh, W5IU]
This ANS bulletin set is dedicated to the memory of Jake Jacobs, W5KIK,
who was an elmer to many in his area. He will be missed. [ANS thanks
Terry, W5TDM, for this information]
ANS salutes William Shockley, the co-inventor of the transistor. Shockly
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-125.01
MAY AMSAT-NA PRESIDENT'S LETTER
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.01
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 May 2002 installment:
A lot can happen in the short space of one month. As I promised in my
last President's Letter, I will now provide you with the latest up-to-date
information on the April Board of Directors meeting, as well as the status
of our two new satellite projects.
First, let me say that a full set of the BOD minutes will be published in the
AMSAT Journal later this year, which is our normal custom.
The Board of Directors met on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - with the
principal aim of reviewing the status of our ongoing satellite projects.
The first part of the meeting was held at the offices of SpaceQuest in
Fairfax, Virginia - where we were shown their facilities and their ideas for
manufacturing the basic satellite bus for our new OSCAR-E (Echo)
satellite. A similar satellite to Echo had already been manufactured at
SpaceQuest, and was laid out on a bench for test purposes.
A satellite model space frame had also been constructed for
demonstration purposes and we now tentatively plan to have that model
available for viewing in our AMSAT booth at Dayton.
The amazing thing about Echo is the size reduction that has taken
place by combining two of the main boards. Had Echo been built
in the earlier days of amateur satellites, the overall size would
have been far greater because of larger component sizes and the lower
efficiency of the solar cells. Put another way, the satellite would have
needed a much greater surface area to produce the same amount of
onboard power.
After viewing the SpaceQuest facilities, the Board met again in
Washington, DC, where we were given a full technical briefing on the
Echo satellite. I will not repeat the briefing here, but, rather, will refer you
to the next issue of the AMSAT Journal where a complete technical
article about the satellite (by Rick Hambly, W2GPS) will be published.
We are also making tentative plans to place at least some of this material
on the AMSAT web page for more immediate viewing.
In the afternoon, the BOD re-assembled in Silver Spring, at the AMSAT
Offices. At this time a lengthy discussion took place on the Eagle project,
including a detailed review of both the available and anticipated
resources (people and funding) for that effort. What follows are some of
the major points of that discussion:
1) Since September 11, 2001 donations and funding for not-for-profit
charities has slowed down considerably, and AMSAT, too, has "felt the
pinch". The slowdown has been particularly true for donations of money,
time and effort from technical people and organizations. And, as you well
know, donations from these sources have traditionally been the lifeblood
of AMSAT.
2) In spite of a continuing search for a near-term, affordable launch for
Eagle, we have yet to find one. However, we shall keep looking and will
continue to negotiate.
3) During the past year, various innovative ideas have come to light
among AMSAT's experimenters which would enable Eagle to be smaller
in size, lower in weight and thus easier (but not necessarily lower in cost)
to launch. These improvements could all be incorporated into the design
without drastically sacrificing on-orbit capability. In light of the fiscal
realities we are now facing, we believe it is prudent to build Eagle to
these newer parameters, as doing so would give us the flexibility to fly
Eagle on several launch vehicles.
4) Newly proposed regulations by the FCC may also require that Eagle
have the capability to be de-orbited (subsequently brought back to
Earth). This would require Eagle to carry additional propulsion capability,
thus making the satellite somewhat larger and heavier?or, we may have
to reduce its planned payload to compensate for the added propulsion
mass.
5) Our goal is to still put Eagle into an elliptical (GTO) orbit, similar
to the current AO-40 orbit, but with a somewhat lower apogee.
6) Our plans still call for Eagle to have transponders in U, V, L and S
bands, thus meeting the much requested "high altitude Mode B"
requirement. In addition, we'd also like Eagle to carry some experimental
equipment - yet to be decided.
7) The design phase for Eagle is now scheduled to run into the fall of
2003, at which time the design would be "frozen", unless major problems
occur during subsequent building and testing phases of the project.
8) Assuming we then have both the fiscal and people resources
available, component building could commence upon completion of the
design phase, and, if all went well in the component building phase
(again assuming we have the resources available), full scale integration
of the satellite could occur as early as 2005.
9) Finally, if we have located both a suitable launch by then and also
have funds available to pay for it, Eagle could be lofted into orbit as early
as 2006.
In the interim, we believe the construction and launch of OSCAR Echo,
now tentatively anticipated to take place much sooner than Eagle,
(possibly as early as late 2003) will provide us with valuable on-orbit
data on a number of innovative new satellite component designs. This
includes a new internal housekeeping unit (IHU-2) - designed to meet the
requirements of the next generation of AMSAT satellites. Flying the
IHU-2 design on Echo as an on-board experiment may also provide us
with critical, flight experience for future satellites. Our experimenters
would also like to get a little more experience with some emerging digital
voice communications concepts (via Echo) before "freezing" them into
the subsequent Eagle design.
Before we enter the each new phase of the Eagle project, a detailed
financial review will take place among our experimenters, project
managers and the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. Thanks to the
generosity of President's Club donors and to those who have donated
outside of the Presidents Club, we can now proceed with the design
stage for Eagle as we continue to hunt for an affordable GTO launch.
Unfortunately, the component building and integration stages for Eagle
are not yet funded. Current estimates indicate a cost of some $600,000
for completing the design, building, integration and testing phases.
This expense would all be in addition to the cost of a launch, and, as I
have already discussed, unless a suitable launch can be secured at well
below current commercial market rates, the launch costs alone for Eagle
will almost certainly exceed the costs of the previous four phases of the
project combined.
Other discussions at the BOD meeting concerned cooperation with other
AMSAT organizations regarding the de-orbit issue, a committee to look
at the possibility of electronically publishing and distributing the AMSAT
Journal, the function of the Project Committee, as well as AMSAT-NA's
communications and business development efforts. Details of all of these
discussions will be found in the minutes of the Board meeting and will be
the subject of several announcements in the near future.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you in Dayton! I will try and
spend as much time as possible at the AMSAT booth during
Hamvention. Eagle and Oscar-Echo will be two of the subjects to be
discussed at the Dayton AMSAT Forum
Why not stop by the booth, so we can have an eyeball contact?
73,
Robin Haighton VE3FRH
President AMSAT-NA
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-125.02
CALL FOR PAPERS
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.02
Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 21st Annual ARRL
and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September
13-15, 2002 in Denver, Colorado. Annual conference proceedings are
published by the ARRL. Presentation at the conference is not required
for publication.
Submission of papers is due by August 5th, 2002.
The ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an
international forum for radio amateurs to meet, publish their work, and
present new ideas and techniques. Presenters and attendees will have
the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about recent hardware and
software advances, theories, experimental results, and practical
applications.
Topics will include software-defined radio, digital voice satellite
communications, global position systems, APRS, digital signal
processing, HF digital modes, Internet interoperability with Amateur
Radio networks, spread spectrum systems, and much more.
Conference registration details and updates, along with more information
are available at:
http://www.tapr.org/dcc
[ANS thanks the ARRL for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-125.03
RS-21 DEORBIT
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.03
Alex Papkov at Kaluga Ground Control in Russia reported to ANS that
RS-21 has re-entered the atmosphere. Papkov provided the following
announcement:
Trajectory calculation of lowering of the microsatellite, using the last
navigation data, gives its atmospheric re-entry on orbit 711, somewhere
above the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the microsatellite Kolibri-2000/RS-21
has successfully completed the operation and has stopped any
physical existence.
We consider all aspects of this mission to have been a success.
Collaboration between Australian high school students, Russian Space
scientists and Russian high school students has been a highlight.
The satellite's formal name was the Russian-Australian Scientific and
Educational Microsatellite.
(end)
Radio Sport RS-21, was remotely launched on March 20, 2002 from
a Russian Progress M-1-7 launcher. During its lifetime, RS-21 sent
telemetry data and digitally recorded voice messages in a circular
orbit just over 200 miles above the Earth.
More information about the satellite can be found at:
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2001/12/16/1/
[ANS thanks Alex Papkov for this information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-125.04
ANS IN BRIEF
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.04
ANS news in brief this week includes the following:
** The March issue of the Monitoring System Newsletter discussed
heavy interference on 20 meters, caused by what appeared to be
a faulty transmitter of Radio Portugal. The station accepted that they
had a problem and eventually the faulty transmitter was removed
from service. -IARU
** China will put its first astronauts into space within two years and
launch another unmanned test flight by the end of 2002 following the
successful third mission in its fledgling space program, leading space
officials said Tuesday. -SpaceDaily
** The 2001 AMSAT Symposium awards included a presentation to
Lou McFadin, W5DID, for his generous contribution of time and effort
during the Phase 3D launch campaign. His willingness to sacrifice
personal time for this endeavor is greatly appreciated by hams the
world over. -ANS
** A new NASA computer model can now tell exactly where in the world
rain or snow that provides local water originated. Scientists can use this
water vapor tracer to improve rainfall and drought forecasts and gain a
deeper understanding of climate change. In addition, scientists now have
the capability to document atmospheric and climate change at locations
nearly anywhere in the world, thanks to a new mobile atmospheric
monitoring system. -SpaceDaily
** AMSAT-NA's Bdale Garbee, KB0G, has been elected the Debian
Project Leader. Debian Linux is among the best known Linux
distribution systems, which contain Linux kernel, utilities, and other
application packages. Debian has excellent support for many popular
Amateur Radio modes such as CW, RTTY, packet radio, APRS and
PSK-31. KB0G is an AMSAT-NA Life Member, past officer of TAPR,
project leader for the AO-40 GPS receiver experiment, and one of
the developers of the RUDAK digital communications processor on
AO-40. -Maggie, K3XS/AR Newsline
** Ongoing planet searches continue to turn up new discoveries almost
monthly, many of them far more strange than anyone had imagined. All
of the planets discovered to date are gas giants, incapable of supporting
life as we know it. -SpaceDaily
** Amateur Radio was represented at this year's National Association of
Broadcasters convention, as the ARRL booth was staffed by local
volunteers. NAB Vice President for Science and Technology, John
Marino, KR1O, emceed a reception at the convention. -ARRL
** Engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center have begun a series of
engine tests on a new breed of space propulsion: a Reaction Control
Engine developed for the Space Launch Initiative - a technology
development effort to establish reliable, affordable space access.
-SpaceDaily
** ESA astronaut Frank De Winne will fly to the International Space
Station in October as a flight engineer on a Soyuz taxi flight, a 10-day
Mission. The main purposes of the mission will be to exchange the
Station's Soyuz vehicle, which serves as the main emergency rescue
craft for the Station's crew. -ESA
** Fire extinguishers, skin cancer detectors and a record-breaking solar
car are all recent examples of new products on Earth made possible
thanks to space technology. ESA recently presented these, and many
more space spin-offs, to non-space industry representatives from all
over the world at the Hanover Fair in Germany. -SpaceDaily
** AMSAT-NA's Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF, recently
announced that AMSAT-NA is now accepting orders for AMSAT's
various printed, hardware and software items on-line, via a secure
credit card link. In addition, a new toll-free number at AMSAT-NA
Headquarters in Maryland has been launched to help make telephone
ordering of these offerings that much easier. Visit the AMSAT-NA web
site for more information. -ANS
--ANS BULLETIN END---
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-125.05
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.05
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 (various times)
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 S-band 2401.225 - 2401.475 MHz CW/SSB
K-band 24,048.025 - 24,048.275 MHz CW/SSB
Yoshi JF6BCC/JD1, was active on AO-40 recently.
Mike, N1JEZ, reports several successful QSO's using the K-band
downlink of AO-40, with Jerry, K5OE. Amato, I6PNN, recently
completed a K-band contact with I8CVS, using a 120-cm dish and
circular polarized feed.
Command station W4SM reports that we are close to ALON/ALAT = 0/0,
and command stations we will begin minor tweaking and station keeping.
As control holds ALON essentially constant, the solar angles will begin
to improve. The RUDAK slot needs to be re-activated as soon as
possible, gathering CEDEX and GPS data. As before, when RUDAK is
active, the middle beacon and passbands will be off. Updates will be
posted in ANS, AMSAT-NA BB and on the AO-40 message blocks.
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. Some 58 DXCC countries were QRV on AO-40 in 2001.
Ground stations capturing telemetry from AO-40 are asked to send a
copy of the data to the AO-40 archive at: ao40-archive@amsat.org.
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 RS0ISS
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.
ISS packet activity has resumed. Although the mailbox function has
been activated, ground stations are discouraged from using it. Currently,
there is no computer hooked up to the packet system.
Several stations report recent voice activity from ISS, including KB2M,
KK5DO, K3LTM, KB3BRT, and KD4SFF. CT1EAT, IT9GSV, and
IK1SLD reported Roberto Vittori, IZ6ERU, was active recently from
ISS in contact with Italian hams.
The latest ARISS announcements and successful school list is
available at:
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov
An archive of school contacts can be found at:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/505064.asp
NASA information on the ISS station can be found at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/
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
A detailed breakdown of the antenna installation with some great
pictures and diagrams (depicting the entire ISS ham system including
antenna's) can be downloaded at:
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/EVAs/amsat01.pdf
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 21.210 to 21.250 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.408 MHz
Robot 29.454 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-12 was placed in Mode-K on February 19, 2002.
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-13
Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 145.860 MHz
Robot 145.908 MHz
Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher
Status: RS-13 was re-activated in Mode-T on February 19, 2002.
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]
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.
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.
AO-27 control operator Michael Wyrick, N3UC (former N4USI), reports
AO-27 has been turn off to condition the batteries. Earlier this month, the
control operators noticed that AO-27's batteries had become very low
and was causing the transmitter to turn off early during the passes. The
on-board software was turning the transmitters off to keep the batteries
from becoming too low to keep the CPU running.
Currently, AO-27's Amateur Radio 'bent-pipe' transmitter is off in hopes
of getting enough charge to the batteries. At that time, the transmitter
will resume normal FM repeater operation. At times the control stations
will turn the transmitter on to collect 1200-baud AFSK telemetry.
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 Saturday, March 30, 2002, the TEPR states on AO-27 were
reset as follows: TEPR 4 - 50
TEPR 5 - 90
[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]
SO-41 SAUDISAT-1A
Uplink 145.850 MHz
Downlink 436.775 MHz
Broadcast Callsign SASAT1-11
BBS SASAT1-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Status: operational
Jerry, K5OE, reports "SO-41 is very sensitive to uplink polarity, with fast
and complete QSB while the downlink signal strength remains relatively
constant and does not seem particularly sensitive to polarity. This
behavior makes the satellite quite difficult to work unless you have both
circular-polarity switching capability and full-duplex capability (to hear the
effect of switching)."
One of two ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by
the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology.
The spacecraft is operating in Mode-J, currently configured as an
analog FM voice repeater. The spacecraft will operate in this mode
intermittently, as power and spacecraft experiments permit.
SO-41's downlink RF power is 1-watt with left-hand circular polarization.
The uplink antenna (located on top of the spacecraft) is linear in
polarization.
[ANS thanks Turki Al-Saud 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
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 June 30, 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-125.06
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.06
PCSAT NO-44
Uplink/downlink 145.827 MHz 1200 baud AX-25 AFSK via PCSAT-1
Aux/Uplink 435.250 MHz 9600 baud via PCSAT-2 (off)
APRS Downlink 144.390 MHz (Region 2)
Launched: September 30, 2001 aboard an Athena-1 rocket from the
Kodiak, Alaska launch complex. Status: Operational
Recently, PCSat has enjoyed about 10% more sun time and has even
had a positive power budget for GPS receiver usage. PCSat is operating
normally. In mid-May, the satellite will go through another period of
poor illumination, but should be in full sun by June and will be in great
shape for summer travelers!
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 >. The APRS-equipped
PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy
under the guidance of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR.
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 MO-46
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
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 good downlink efficiency.
Satellite gateway stations from many parts of the world are represented.
KE0LX recently placed an interesting display of South Pole weather on
the satellite.
Jerry, K5OE, reports "UO-22's only active uplink is now 145.900 MHz.
That is a change from the last two months where only the
145.975 MHz uplink has worked well. The message on the downlink
to use both uplinks is in error."
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 past year OSCAR-11 has operated continuously on both
VHF and S band, with very little ground control needed. During the period
08-March 08-April 2002, consistent signals have been received from the
145.826 MHz beacon. The internal temperatures have decreased slightly.
They are now 3.2C and 1.6C for battery and telemetry electronics
respectively. The battery voltage observed during daylight passes has
also decreased slightly. The average value observed was 13.6 with a
range of 13.3 to 13.9 volts. The spin period has drifted between 233
and 315 seconds. The attitude is controlled solely by the gravity boom
gradient.
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 812/17:40:56. Time is Sun May 05 21:26:19 2002
+10V Bus 10.100 V +Z Array V 0.205 V
+X (RX) Temp -9.683 D RX Temp 3.629 D
Bat 1 V 1.210 V Bat 2 V 1.154 V
Bat 3 V 1.183 V Bat 4 V 1.234 V
Bat 5 V 1.204 V Bat 6 V 1.194 V
Bat 7 V 1.204 V Bat 8 V 1.232 V
PSK TX RF Out 0.747 W +Z Array Temp -14.524 D
+Y Array Temp -24.811 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -1.212 D
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-125.07
WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 125.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 05, 2002
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-125.07
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: Non-operational.
Jim, AA7KC, reports 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 KO-25 is essentially non-operational due to very
low downlink efficiencies. Jim reports there have been a few contacts
displayed on the satellite, but downlink efficiency continues to be poor.
[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 celebrates its 3rd year space this month!
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 2001. In addition, Sangat, 9M2SS,
reports he has not copied UO-36 since July 30, 2001.
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 Wed Jan 25 20:58:00 2002
LUSAT HIHI 60
CW-Code: ava abv aav adb at4 ab6 ttu aae
5V-reg.: 4.85 V 8.5V-reg: 6.44 V
10V-Bat: 11.07 V 10V-Curr: 123.2 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.977 W TX-Temp.: 7.68 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 11.39 ?C
CW-Code: ava abv aa4 adb ate abe ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.85 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 11.07 V 10V-Curr: 122.5 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.977 W TX-Temp.: 7.33 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 11.04 ?C
CW-Code: ava abv aae adb at6 abe ttu aee
5V-reg.: 4.85 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V
10V-Bat: 11.07 V 10V-Curr: 122.5 mA
TX-Pwr : 0.977 W TX-Temp.: 6.97 ?C
+Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 10.68 ?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-42 SAUDISAT-1B
Uplink to be released
Downlink 436.075 MHz
Broadcast Callsign SASAT2-11
BBS SASAT2-12
Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic
missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown, 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
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]
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.
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.
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.
The satellite is still operating, however, the spread spectrum packet radio
portion never took place. The spacecraft is now beyond it's initial 2-year
mission life, but telemetry records are still being downloaded.
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
888-322-6728
FAX: 301-608-3410
Currently, AMSAT-NA supports the following (free) mailing lists:
* AMSAT News Service (ANS)
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* District of Columbia area (AMSAT-DC)
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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
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 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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