[jamsat-news:2524] ANS-216 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-216

**************************************************************
***  2008 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting ***
***            October 24-26 in Atlanta, Georgia           ***
**************************************************************

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.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org


In this edition:
* Falcon-1 Launches from Kwajalein with Three Satellites
* Delfi-C3 / DO-64 Status Update
* FO-29 Analog Transponder Observations
* AMSAT-UK Colloquium Presentations Online
* AMSAT-NA Space Symposium Second Call for Papers
* AMSAT Awards
* ARISS Status - 28 July 2008

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.01
Falcon-1 Launches from Kwajalein with Three Satellites

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.01
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
Augugst 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.01

SpaceX's Falcon-1 rocket lifted off from the Kwajalein atoll on 03 August 2008
at 0334 UTC.  On board was the Trailblazer satellite for the Jumpstart Program
of the United States Department of Defense痴 Operationally Responsive Space
Office (ORS).  Also on board where two triple-cubesats from NASA which have
beacons in the amateur 70cm band.  Unfortunately, an anomaly occured
approximately 2 minutes 20 seconds into the flight.

[ANS thanks SpaceX for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.02
Delfi-C3 / DO-64 Status Update

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.02
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
Augugst 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.02

Wouter Jan Ubbels, PE4WJ, provided the following 
status update of the Delfi-C3 /
DO-64 satellite on behalf of the Delfi-C3 team.

1. We have concluded the first three months of science mission with
great success. A big word of thanks to all amateur radio operators
around the world for collecting and forwarding telemetry, sending
reception reports and observations, and thanks for all the tremendous
support we have received. As of today, we have collected 396564 AX.25
frames through the worldwide network... a truly amazing number. Thank
you all so much.

2. Delfi-C3 has been switched to permanent transponder mode during the
10:00 UTC pass on July 29th over the Delfi-C3 ground station in
The Netherlands. This means that the spacecraft now boots in
transponder mode as soon as the spacecraft exits eclipse. This was
verified by a successful OBC database dump shortly after that.

3. We plan to switch the satellite back into either basic or science
mode, approx. once every 2 weeks for short times during passes over
our ground station for housekeeping purposes. During these passes
either the 145.870 MHz or 145.930 MHz downlink will be on transmitting
1200 baud BPSK, and the transponder will then be off. We would like to
encourage everyone to forward telemetry using RASCAL in the usual way
during these passes. Longer periods of BPSK telemetry will be
announced on the AMSAT-BB.

4. Reports have indicated a slight frequency offset of the
transponder, i.e. an uplink of 435.556MHz corresponds to 145.900MHz in
the downlink passband. This was actually known before launch, and is
caused by a slight frequency offset in one of the spacecraft's local
oscillators. The video on YouTube is a video from the first
transponder contact using our "flatsat" transponder prototype in early
2007, which is not the same as the flight model. However, the flatsat
prototype also showed a slight frequency offset, as G0MRF pointed out.

5. The transponder mode beacon is at 145.870MHz, approximately 10dB below
PEP, transmitting a CW beacon message, followed by a commemorative
Sputnik message consisting of 6 dits. Actually, the CW beacon is
transmitted using Double Sideband, there are two CW carriers 1200Hz
apart. (Guess where that number comes from hi:)

6. Reports on the transponder's operation are more than welcome,
either on the AMSAT-BB (which is read by us on a daily basis) or directly to
info at delfic3.nl

Having said all this, the team is happy to open the transponder for
use, and wishes you good DX. Enjoy!


73 on behalf of the Delfi-C3 team,
Wouter Jan Ubbels PE4WJ

[ANS thanks Wouter, PE4WJ, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.03
FO-29 Analog Transponder Observations

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.03
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
Augugst 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.03

Domenico, I8CVS, provided the following observation of FO-29's analog
transponder:

Following suggestions of my friend Mak, SV1BSX,  I tried FO-29 the
night of 27 July during the South bound orbit 58978. AOS for me
in JN70ES was at 00:06 UTC and FO-29 was in sun light.

I was alone into the passband and my return signal was very strong above
my noise floor with appoximately only 10 watt on a 13 dBi crossed yagi
RHCP / LHCP (about 200 watt EIRP)

The SSB return was very clean and without FMing with the usual need to
switch RHCP to LHCP time to time to get the best signal strength

At 00:15 UTC  FO-29 started to experience the eclipse as per InstanTrack
but no sign of reduction of my return signal or FMing was noted.

  From  00:15 to 00:21 until my LOS the satellite was over Africa and well
in full eclipse for about 6 minutes but my own return signal was still clear
ad strong without any sign of FMing. It seems that the battery is
working and as far I know the satellite performance seems to be nominal.

The CW beacon was ON all the time.

The transponder is very sensitive so please refrain from using high power
because 200 watt EIRP is more than enough.

I thank very much Mak, SV1BSX, for sending to me the results of his
experience the previous day which confirm the results that I got. Both
confirm that FO-29 seems to be alive and well.

We don't know what JARL did to resurrect this beautiful satellite but
while she will last we have another real CW and SSB satellite to work.

Congratulations to JARL

[ANS thanks Domenico, I8CVS, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.04
AMSAT-UK Colloquium Presentations Online

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.04
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
Augugst 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.04

Presentations from the AMSAT-UK Colloquium have been added to the to the
AMSAT-UK website as
slide shows.  There are a couple that have been held back at the
request of their presenters.

Currently there are  15 online at:

         http://www.uk.amsat.org/content/view/664/235/

You will find some of the 2007 presentations there as well.

[ANS thanks John for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.05
AMSAT-NA Space Symposium Second Call for Papers

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.05
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
Augugst 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.05

This is the second call for papers for the 2008 AMSAT Space Symposium and
Annual Meeting to be held October 24-26, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Proposals for papers, symposium presentations, and poster presentations are
invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite program. An emphasis
for this year is an educational outreach to middle and high school students.
Another topic if interest is using amateur satellite tracking systems to
monitor deep space network objects.

In particular, papers on the following topics are solicited:
      Students & Education
      ARISS
      AO-51
      P3E
      Eagle
      Deep Space Network monitoring
      Any additional satellite-related topics.

We request a one-page abstract as soon as possible. Camera ready copy on paper
or in electronic form will be due by September 1, 2008 for inclusion in the
printed symposium proceedings. Papers received after this date may not be
included in the printed proceedings.

Abstracts and papers should be sent to n8fgv@amsat.org


[ANS thanks Dan, N8FGV, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.06
AMSAT Awards

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.06
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
Augugst 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.06

We would like to welcome the following to the satellite community. They
have made their first satellite contact and are now members of the AMSAT
Satellite Communicators Club.

Bart Tichelaar, KE5GUR
Supun Perera, VE4WSP

The following has earned the AMSAT South Africa Communications
Achievement Award.

Rob Rousseau, KI4BKE  #US122

The following has earned the AMSAT Sexagesimal Award for 60 contacts.

Doug Papay, KD8CAO  #146


To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or
http://www.amsatnet.com

[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information]

/EX



SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.07
ARISS Status - 28 July 2008

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.07
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
August 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-216.07

1. European Space Camp 2008 Contact Successful

On Thursday, July 24, youth attending the European Space Camp 2008 in Zanka,
Hungary participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) contact. Astronaut Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ, answered the six questions
asked of him as 120 students looked on. The audio from this event was fed into
the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) conference room server and received 8 connections
from 7 countries including Hungary, Switzerland, Belgium and the U.S.  It was
also fed into the EchoLink JK1ZRW (277 208) server. The audio file may be found
on the ARISS-Europe Web site. Go to:
http://www.ariss-eu.org/Zanka_2008_07_24.mp3


2. ARRL QST Articles on ARISS Activities

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) published two items covering Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) related news in its August
issue of QST.

A column called "Hams Head into Space" (page 55) included amateur radio
activities that Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ, plans to take part in and also
activities in which Garrett Reisman, KE5HAE, participated.

The column "75, 50 and 25 Years Ago" on page 102 showed the QST August 1983
cover with astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL's picture operating the radios from
space for the very first space amateur radio contacts ever.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]

/EX


In addition to regular membership, AMSAT 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. Application forms are
available from the AMSAT Office.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org


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