SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-042.01 FCC KEEPS 13CM AMATEUR BAND HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 042.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD FEBUARY 12, 1995 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-042.01 FCC KEEPS 13 CM AMATEUR BAND On February 7, FCC adopted a Report and Order in ET Docket 94-32, concerning the reallocation of portions of the 2.4 GHz band which had been released from government to private-sector use by NTIA. Previously, amateur radio had secondary status at 2300-2310 and 2390-2450 MHz, with government radiolocation (mainly shipboard radar) being the primary user. NTIA, in response to a Congressional mandate that it must choose 50 MHz of spectrum below 3 GHz to reallocate from government to exclusively private-sector use, had decided to vacate 2390-2400 and 2402-2417 MHz in 1995 and 2300-2310 MHz in 1996. Companies and industry groups representing various non-amateur services had petitioned the FCC to reallocate these bands to commercial use, which would have left the amateur-satellite service with only 2400-2402 and 2417-2450 MHz. Because of interference from microwave ovens and other Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) devices nominally operating on 2450 MHz, the 2417-2450 MHz segment is not very useful for satellite downlinks and other weak-signal applications in many parts of the U.S. In several rounds of comments filed with NTIA and FCC, AMSAT-NA maintained that 2400-2402 MHz would not be sufficient to accommodate the future needs of the amateur-satellite service for downlink spectrum, and argued for at least a 10 MHz wide allocation (2400-2410 MHz) which could be "paired" with the existing uplink band at 1260-1270 MHz, and preferably the entire 2400-2417 MHz range. The Commission's decision announced on February 7th essentially gives amateurs all that we asked for. It elevates the amateur service from secondary to primary at 2390-2400 and 2402-2417 MHz, and the amateur-satellite service from secondary to primary at 2402-2417 MHz. Combined with the previous decision by NTIA not to reallocate 2400-2402 and 2417-2450 MHz, this means that the international amateur-satellite service allocation of 2400-2450 MHz will remain intact in the USA. FCC also made available 2390-2400 MHz (a U.S. amateur band, but not allocated internationally for satellite use) for unlicensed Personal Communications Services (PCS) including wireless networking and data transfer devices, and provided for continued use of 2402-2417 MHz by unlicensed "Part 15" devices such as wireless LANs. However, because of amateur radio's primary status in these bands, amateur stations will be entitled to protection from interference and amateurs will not have to protect any other user. Few, if any, cases of interference to or from amateurs involving these generally spread-spectrum devices have been reported to date. However, amateurs are not completely out of the woods. The latest FCC decision did not address the ultimate fate of 2300-2310 MHz, which must be reallocated from government to private use in January 1996. If amateurs lose their current use of this band, that could create congestion in the lower end of our amateur-satellite service allocation. The matter will be addressed in another FCC proceeding later this year; AMSAT-NA will, of course, continue to participate. [The AMSAT News Service (ANS) would like to thank Ray Soifer (W2RS) for this bulletin item.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-042.02 AO-27 OPERTIONAL STATUS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 042.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD FEBUARY 12, 1995 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-042.02 N4USI & KA1LM Provide Operational Status For AO-27 AO-27 is generally available in FM repeater mode on weekends during daylight passes over the Northern Hemisphere. The center downlink frequency for stations that are correcting for doppler shift is 436.797 MHz. The uplink is centered on 145.850 MHz. Both uplink and downlink modes are FM. The repeater is operational from when the satellite's footpring hits 68 degrees north latitude until it leaves about 37 degrees north latitude during daylight only. The repeater "may" be activated on a "ad-hoc" basis during eventing passes on weekends and weekdays. Users are reminded that as an FM-mode repeat, AO-27 is subject to FM "capture effect" and can only transmit one signal at a time. Users are asked to cooperate, keep calls short, give breaks so as many stations as possible can work a pass, and above all, LISTEN BEFORE AND WHILE TRANS- MITTING! The satellite has a very sensitive receiver, and stations running approximately 25 watts of power to moderate-gain omnidirectional antennas can get a good uplink signal into the satellite. A sensitive UHF FM receiver with a preamplifier and an omnidirectional antenna can receive AO-27's downlink with some fading; moderate-gain directional arrays should provide a solid receive signal. Remember to correct for the +/- 9 KHz of doppler shift on the 436.797 MHz downlink signal during a pass. No doppler correction is needed for the 145.850 MHz uplink signal. Users are asked not to transmit on 145.850 MHz if they do not hear the satellite's downlink so as to avoid possible interference to other satellite uplinks and downlinks on adjacent frequencies. In the future, more attempts will be made to provide the amateur radio satellite community with regular bulletins concerning AO-27's status and availability. For those who have further questions about AO-27, please direct your questions to Steve Greene (KA1LM) to his INTERNET address of ka1lm@amsat.org. [The AMSAT News Service (ANS) would like to thank Steve Greene (KA1LM) for this bulletin item.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-042.03 AMSAT OPS NET SCHEDULE HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 042.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD FEBUARY 12, 1995 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-042.03 AMSAT Operations Net Schedule To take full advantage of the upcoming "good" phase on AO-13, the following AMSAT Operations Net Schedule will be in place. The primary downlink frequency for all Ops. Nets will be 145.950 MHz. In case a QSO is in progress on that frequency at net time, 145.955 MHz will be used as an alternate. Net control for all of these nets will be Keith (W5IU); however, anyone is welcome to serve as an alternate. Reports on all phases of OSCAR operations are welcome. Guest speakers on special topics will be scheduled as availability permits. Day Date Time Coverage ________________________________________________________ Sat 18-FEB-95 22:00 NA, SA Note: All times are in UTC; therefore, Sun. dates are actually Sat. evening in USA. Times do not conflict with ZRO Tests. Thanks - Keith, W5IU, AMSAT VP of Operations /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-042.04 SKN WINNERS ANNOUNCED! HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 042.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD FEBUARY 12, 1995 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-042.04 OSCAR SKN BEST FIST WINNERS Many thanks from AMSAT-NA to all who participated in the 23rd annual Straight Key Night on OSCAR this past January 1. First Prize in the Best Fist derby goes to W6HDO, who received two independent nominations. This is the third year in a row that Cliff has been a Best Fist winner. We have four other winners as well, all first-timers. They are G3RWL, K4FS, NM1K and VU2TS. Satellites used for the QSOs which resulted in these nominations included AO-13, FO-20, RS-10, RS-12 and RS-15. See you next year! 73, Ray, W2RS /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-042.05 WEEKLY OSCAR STATUS REPORTS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 042.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD FEBUARY 12, 1995 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-042.05 Weekly OSCAR Status Reports: 11-FEB-95 AO-13: Current Transponder Operating Schedule: The Mode Schedule from 19-DEC-94 until 20-FEB-95 will be: Mode-B : MA 0 to MA 100 |Omnis : MA 230 to MA 25 Mode-BS : MA 100 to MA 130 | Mode-S : MA 130 to MA 132 |<- S beacon only Mode-S : MA 132 to MA 155 |<- S transponder; B trsp. is OFF Mode-S : MA 155 to MA 160 |<- S beacon only Mode-BS : MA 160 to MA 180 | Blon/Blat 180/0 Mode-B : MA 180 to MA 256 | Move to attitude 230/0, Feb 20 [G3RUH/DB2OS/VK5AGR] AO-10: N2HMM reports that AO-10 continues to be very quiet. No signals heard this past week. [N2HMM] AO-13: N2HMM reports that Mode B is still functioning very well with alot of activity. N2HMM hopes it continues after the attitude change on 20-FEB-95. [N2HMM] AO-27: N2HMM reports that AO-27 was operational the weekend of February 4-5 while in sunlight. Activity was light to moderate. Remember, when operating AO-27 one will not always hear themselves on the downlink. This is because as the satellite tumbles, its transmit antenna are pointing away from your ground station. Always assume that you are being heard somewhere within the footprint of the satellite. The opposite also holds true. You might hear yourself on the downlink, but the station you are calling does not hear you. And remember, keep your power down. AO-27 has a very sensitive receiver. [N2HMM] The AMSAT NEWS Service (ANS) NEEDS YOUR HELP! The ANS looking for volun- teers to contribute weekly OSCAR status reports. If you have a favorite OSCAR which you work on a regular basis and would like to contribute to this weekly bulletin, please send your observations to WD0HHU at his CompuServe address of 70524,2272, on INTERNET at wd0hhu@amsat.org, or to his local packet BBS in the Denver, CO area, WD0HHU @ N0QCU. Also, if you find that the current set of orbital elements are not generating the correct AOS/LOS times at your QTH, PLEASE INCLUDE THAT INFORMATION AS WELL. The information you provide will be of value to all OSCAR enthusiasts. /EX