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[jamsat-news:2822] Re: ANS-129 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-129
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
********************************************************************
* Next week is the Dayton Hamvention. *
* The AMSAT team is preparing For the 2010 Dayton Hamvention and *
* AMSAT Booth and activities. For the latest information go to: *
* http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/hamvention/2010/Dayton.php *
* *
* Please be advised that tickets for the AMSAT-TAPR banquet at *
* Dayton will not be sold at the booth. *
*All tickets must be purchased at the AMSAT store by Monday, 10 May*
* Attendees do not have to be a member of AMSAT or TAPR *
* http://www.amsat-na.com/store/item.php?id=100158 *
********************************************************************
In this edition:
* Three Additional Cubesats Aboard the JAXA Planet-C Launch
* Power Management Software Operational on AO-51
* Special OPS during Armed Forces Day
* UNITEC 1 Latest update
* Satellite Shorts
* ARISS Status - 3 May 2010
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.01
Three Additional Cubesats Aboard the JAXA Planet-C Launch
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 9, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.01
Three Additional Cubesats Aboard the JAXA Planet-C Launch
In addition to the UNITEC-1 University satellite bound for Venus
orbit on May 17 there will also be three additional cubesat class
birds aboard. These cubesats will be dropped off in low-earth orbit
prior to the Planet-C and UNITEC-1 satellites departure for Venus.
Three of the CubeSats, Negai*", WASEDA-SAT2, KSAT, being launched by
the H-IIA rocket on May 17 will be dropped off into a low earth orbit
but UNITEC-1 will continue following the JAXA's Venus Climate Orbiter
PLANET-C / AKATSUKI on its journey to Venus.
Negai*", Soka University
437.305MHz CW, Packet 1200bps FSK AX.25
http://kuro.t.soka.ac.jp/main.html
WASEDA-SAT2, Waseda University
437.485MHz CW(FM), PCM-FSK(FM) 9600bps
http://www.miyashita.mmech.waseda.ac.jp/Waseda-Sat2/index.htm
KSAT, Kagoshima University
Uplink: S-band(2GHz, 10kbps), Downlink: Ku-band(13.275GHz, 10kbps/1Mbps)
http://www.sci.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/~nishio/download/Ukaren2008Nishio.pdf
More information is also available on Mineo Wakita's web page at:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/unitec-1.htm
[ANS thanks Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.02
Power Management Software Operational on AO-51
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 9, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.02
Power Management Software Operational on AO-51
AO-51 has now reentered a period of eclipses that will reach almost
20 minutes by July. Since the satellite has been in an extended period
of continuous illumination and very warm spacecraft temperatures, the
Operations Team will spend the next few weeks determining what the
batteries capacities are in the new environment.
AMSAT-NA VP Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA enabled the power
management software on AO-51. The 435.300 repeater with the new PL
mode is programmed to run at 1.01 watt while in sun, and 290 milli-
watts while in eclipse. The low power mode will continute after exit-
ing eclipse until the solar cells recharge the batteries approximately
7.9 volts.
For this summer eclipse season, the eclipsed periods are while AO-51
is over mostly unoccupied Antarctica and surrounding areas. This means
when the batteries alone are supporting the transmitter there are not
likely to be any users. The power management software combined with the
PL, should mean we can protect the batteries from over-discharge, while
still providing the strongest possible downlink.
Observations from the southern hemisphere while entering and leaving
eclipse are very helpful. Post your reports on the AMSAT-BB or e-mail
your report to the AO-51 Operations Team at ao51-modes@amsat.org. AO-51
operators also monitor the Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page
(see: http://oscar.dcarr.org/). Analysis of AO-51's Whole Orbit Data
(WOD) files shows the distribution of the satellite's users.
See: http://tinyurl.com/2f83ezk
If the eclipse periods get too long too fast the repeater may shut off
due to a low battery voltage watchdog. If this happens, please email
Drew directly at ko4ma@amsat.org.
[ANS thanks the AO-51 Control Team for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.03
Special OPS during Armed Forces Day
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 9, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.03
On May 15th & 16, in honor of Armed Forces Day, the Great
South Bay ARC will set up portable HF/VHF operations at the
Air Power Museum located at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY.
using the call W2GSB/APM, a special QSL card will be sent. The
club will be on HF from 11 AM until 4 PM each day. I will be o
n AO-27 on May, 15th, 17:51 UTC using the special call sign, W2GSB/APM,
look forward to working many stations, thank you.
For more information, www.gsbarc.org
Ed: Don't forget to listen for AMSAT OPS from Dayton Hamvention.
[ANS thanks Pete, WB2OQQ, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.04
Current UNITEC Information
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 9, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.04
Amateur Radio Call for Assistance for UNITEC-1 Venus-Bound Satellite
On May 17 Japan's Space Agency JAXA plans to launch its Planet-C
Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" mission to Venus. Also aboard will
be UNITEC-1, a 15 kg, 35cm cubed nano-satellite developed by twenty
two universities and colleges of UNISEC (University Space Engineering
Consortium).
UNITEC-1 be inserted into a Venus encounter trajectory and will become
the world first university satellite which goes beyond Lunar orbit. The
main mission of UNITEC-1 is to perform technological experiments of
on-board computers and test long-range, inter-planetary communication
using amateur radio frequencies:
Downlink Frequency: 5840.000MHz, band width 20MHz
Transmission Power: 4.8W/antenna, 9.6W total
Antenna: 2 Microstrip patch antennas
Modulation: AFSK/FM 1200bps during LEO flight
CW 1bps during Interplanetary flight
Due to development time and funding limitations UNITEC-1 does not
have an attitude control system resulting in a tumbling motion in
the inter-planetary trajectory. It will be impossible to maintain
full-time earth pointing of the 5840 MHz patch antennas. Consequently,
the 1 bps CW signal will detectable intermittently.
Tracking of the satellite should also be done using the same weak
downlink signal. UNISEC cordially invites world-wide AMSAT and other
amateur RF engineers to support the interplanetary team by receiving
the very weak RF signal, decoding it and enabling tracking during
the long journey to Venus. In the future they hope to develop a world
wide ground station network using the internet to relay your received
and decoded signals directly to the UNITEC-1 Mission Operation Center
in Japan so that the real-time signal analysis can be performed.
In addition to the telemetry content of the beacon the direction of
incoming RF signal and the amount of Doppler Shift will also be sent
to the Operation Center to continually estimate the satellite traject-
ory (position and velocity). This trajectory data will be available
to all of the world amateur ground stations fine tune their C-band
antenna tracking.
As the Earth rotates only the ground stations pointing toward UNITEC's
direction can receive the signal. This challenge can be overcome by
creating a global network of interplanetary-capable amateur radio earth
stations.
Full information about this exciting mission and amateur radio challenge
can be found on-line at: http://www.unisec.jp/unitec-1/en/top.html
[ANS thanks Naomi Kurahara, UNITEC-1 project team member for the
above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.05
Satellite Shorts From All Over
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 9, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.05
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Sebastian, W4AS has had good success at working DX via AO-7 footprint
stretching contacts. While AO-7 was at about 3 degrees W4AS worked
G7BTA on May 2 and May 4 for a distance of 6,975 km. On May 4 he
worked 2E1EUB for a distance of 7,018 km while AO-7 was at 2 degrees
elevation.
+ The Dayton Hamvention AMSAT Booths will be a hot spot with new items
and a great place to get first hand questions answered from your elected
officials. Stop by and renew your membership while meeting them.
Get the latest information about Satellite ops and up to date
information on present projects. Remember, the DARA Matching funds
offer.
+ Congratulations are in order to George, WA5KBH for working his 50th
state via satellite for Worked All States - Satellite when he made a
contact with Adrian, AA5UK/KH6, in BL02 via FO-29 on April 3. George
says he will apply for the award when he receives the QSL card. He
commented, "This contact was like the excitement of my first contact
as a new novice in the summer of 1964!" Well done!
+ News received from John, LA2QAA informed ANS that he is now the HO-68
area coordinator for Europe and has requested European satellite oper-
ators (via the EU-Amsat list) to state their preferences for a future
mode schedules when commissioning is completed. John notes the extra-
ordinary DX opportunities available on HO-68. For example, on May 5
HO-68's footprint covered Europe, Africa and Asia from Svalbard in
the north to The Sudan in the south and from Portugal in the west to
Pakistan in the east. John's blog will now have a new HO-68 category
on his http://www.observations.biz website where GM1SXX does all the
work and LA2QAA takes all the credit. John can be reached via his
e-mail at la2qaa@amsat.org.
+ Call for Papers and Presenters for the 2010 CSVHF Society Conference.
http://www.csvhfs.org/conference/presenters.html -and-
http://www.csvhfs.org/conference/authors.html are the web pages to
read if you are interested in being a presenter or author at the
Central States VHF Society Conference near St. Louis in July, 2010.
+ PowerPoint Slides from the successful CubeSat workshop held in April
are now available for download. The slides in a 100 meg zip file can
be downloaded at http://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~jfoley/Spring2010/
Videos of the CubeSat presentations can be seen at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/CubeSatWorkshop/v3
+ Matthias DD1US has added a number of recordings to his "Sounds from
Space" collection at http://www.dd1us.de. Matthias invites fellow
AMSAT members to enjoy listing to the sounds of past and present
satellites. He is also still looking for some additional record-
ings especially from some satellites which are long gone.
+ The ANS News team is looking for a few reliable volunteer editors.
Additional editors will keep the news flowing in a timely manner and
spread important information to our many readers of ANS. Please respond
To Joanne Maenpa k9jkm@amsat.org with questions and offers.
+ The team of Teresina DX Group and Labre - is preparing for the ZW8B
DXpedition to the Santa Isabel Island (IOTA SA) and Pedra do Sal
Lighthouse on the coast of the state of Piauí in northeastern Brazil
June 2 - 6, 2010. Their satellite operations include AO-7, FO-29,
AO-51, VO-52, SO-50, HO-68, SO-67 if active, and ISS repeater if
active. The ZW8B team plans to operate on all available orbits. QSL
via PS8HF.
+ Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 29th Annual
ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September
24-26, 2010 near Portland, Oregon. These papers will also be published
in the Conference Proceedings (you do NOT need to attend the conference
to have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission dead-
line is July 31, 2010. Please send papers to: Maty Weinberg, ARRL,
225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111. You can make your submission via
e-mail to: maty@arrl.org. Papers will be published exactly as submit-
ted and authors will retain all rights.
[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.06
ARISS Status - 3 May 2010
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.06
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 9, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.06
1. Upcoming School Contacts
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was
scheduled for Nippon Boy Scout Amateur Radio Club in Mitaka-shi,
Japan on Tuesday, May 4 at 15:09 UTC. The Japan Boy Scouts have an
amateur radio club, JA1YSS and study amateur radio station operations.
The boys enjoyed speaking with Soichi Noguchi, a former Boy Scout.
The Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in
Washington, D.C. was scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) contact on Space Day, Saturday, May 8 at 17:01 UTC
via VK4KHZ in Australia. The Education Division of NASM recruited
the young people who participated in the contact. Generally,
Boy Scouts and other groups are involved with this activity.
The Museum drew approximately 30,000 on this Saturday in May.
Komoro Higashi Junior High School in Komoro, Nagano,
Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, May 14 at 11:16 UTC. The
students have become especially interested in space due to Koichi
Wakata, the first long term Japanese astronaut on the ISS. Many
children chose to take a space themed course under their general
education requirement. As part of their studies, they visited
Nobeyama Radio Observatory and worked on radio kits. A JAXA
representative visited the school and gave a presentation on
space and the ISS. Through these activities, students enhanced
their knowledge of space, the ISS and communication using ham radio.
2. ARISS Contact Held at IARU Exhibition/European Parliament
Students from European School Brussels II were invited to the European
Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on April 27 to participate in an Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit
astronaut Timothy Creamer, KC5WKI. Other students remaining at the school
listened in to the contact via teleconference. Telebridge station
LU1CGB in Argentina provided the connection. The ISS hook-up was the
highlight of the ESA/IARU (International Amateur Radio Union) Region
1 exhibition, “European Amateur Radio Benefiting Society.” Afterwards,
astronauts Frank De Winne and Robert Thirsk as well as cosmonaut
Roman Romanenko visited the exhibition and met with a group of 40
students to answer questions about their space missions. Several
Members of the European Parliament and assistants attended the event.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Radio
Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted articles on this event.
For the ARRL story, see:
http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-exhibition-reflects-unity-in-europe-e
uropean-radio-societies-exhibit-in-european-parli
For AMSAT coverage, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php
3. Astronaut Training Status
On Monday, April 26, astronauts Ron Garan (Expedition 27) and
Kevin Ford (Expedition TBD) successfully passed their FCC amateur
radio licensing exams. Callsigns should be posted to the FCC
database in about a week.
4. Soichi Noguchi Contacts Showa Base
On April 29, on-orbit astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP used
ARISS radio equipment and contacted Yuusuke Otani and Sakae
Kudouh at Showa Base in Antarctica. This was the first contact
ever made between the ISS and Showa Base, 8J1RL. Noguchi
remarked on the event, “One small chat for man, a giant
leap for ARISS!”
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information.]
/EX
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
nb2f at amsat dot org
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http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans