AMSAT News Service

February 13, 2000

Although many Amateur Radio operators welcomed the year 2000 with anticipation, several satellite enthusiasts did take part in the Y2K edition of Straight Key Night on OSCAR, a long time AMSAT tradition. "The activity level seemed down a bit this year," said AMSAT's Ray Soifer, W2RS, "but we all had fun." W2RS added that he would like to thank all the stations worldwide who did take part in the annual event.

There were five 'Best Fist' winners this year -- Thomas Hart, AD1B, Russell Hack, NM1K, Al Tribble, W3STW, George Brien, N4ZQ and Frank Wiesenmeyer, K9CIS. Congratulations from ANS!

Ray reminds all satellite operator's to mark their calendars for the 29th edition of SKN, noting that next year, "hopefully SKN will take place on Phase 3D!"

[ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for this information]

Special Event Station a Success

Special Event Station W1B achieved another successful operation recently, during the Vermont QSO Party. In addition to the usual HF activities, satellite operations were featured, under the direction of ANS principal satellite investigator Mike Seguin, N1JEZ.

New for the satellite group this year was digital operation with N1JEZ noting that FO-29 JD1200 on-line transmissions were made during the event. The final log showed over 107 analog/digital contacts!

W1B is run annually in cooperation with the Jericho Vermont Historical Society to commemorate the birthday of Wilson 'Snowflake Bentley.

If you worked W1B, QSL via N1PDV, at the following address:

Special Event Station W1B
C/O John Fowler, N1PDV
385 VT Route 15
Jericho, Vermont 05465-2044

[ANS thanks ANS principal satellite investigator Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, for this information]

STS-99 Underway

With six astronauts on board, shuttle Endeavour sped to orbit last Friday under cloudless skies from the Kennedy Space Center. The STS-99 mission -- the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission -- is the first human space flight of the year. This mission does not carry any amateur radio equipment.

Space shuttle astronauts have deployed the longest rigid structure ever used in space, the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, stainless steel and titanium Invar radar mast. Total length of the mast is just under 200 feet long! The crew has also maneuvered the shuttle into the proper orientation for mapping. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will record radar data in both C-band and X-band radar wavelengths. This data eventually will be processed into 3-D maps of the Earth that should be 30 times more exact that those currently available. Because of the 24-hour-a-day radar activity aboard Endeavour, the six crewmembers are divided into two teams.

The first X-band image of an area near White Sands, New Mexico was released Saturday afternoon, and scientists expressed their delight with the quality of the image. X-band images will be posted to the German Space Agency web site at www.dfd.dlr.de/srtm/html/newtoday_en.htm

All of the orbiter's systems continue to function normally. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth inclined at 57 degrees to either side of the Equator. This will allow for the radar mapping of a majority of the Earth's surface. The shuttle completes one orbit every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 150 statute miles.

[ANS thanks NASA for this information]

ANS in Brief

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

Multiple confirmations that several picosats have been launched from Opal, including JAK and StenSat, along with Thunder and Lightning (a.k.a. Thelma and Louise). Space Command confirmed the pico launch and Aerospace has acquired their pico beacons and decoded data. Initial reports from Hank, N4AFL, seem to indicate that StenSat is alive, but in an abnormal operating mode. StenSat appears to be leading OPAL by about 1-minute. StenSat also appears to be in transponder mode (no CW or AX.25 has been reported at ANS broadcast time). Cliff, K7RR, reports he heard himself through StenSat, but with the recovered audio highly distorted and at about S-2 in strength. Stay tuned to ANS and watch the AMSAT BB for the latest news.
-NN0DJ

The Houston AMSAT Net has completed its move to a new satellite carrier, the C-band GE Americom Spacenet 4, transponder 16 upper (H), using a 5.8 MHz wideband analog audio subcarrier on 4.020 GHz. The bird is located at 101 degrees west longitude. The satellite link of the Houston AMSAT Net began back in 1994 on the Telstar satellite and has continued through many different network feeds since then!
-Bruce, KK5DO

Launch of the International Space Station's next component -- the Zvezda service module -- is scheduled to occur before this July 15th from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. That is according to both NASA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Launch of Zvezda sets the stage for the launch of other ISS components undergoing final testing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Other key station components are also under development and testing in Europe and Japan.
-NASA

Jeff Davis, N9AVG, has been archiving the AMSAT-BB mailing list using an HTML format on the AMSAT-NA ftp site. The archives can be viewed by month, author, subject or thread. Jeff has also added a search engine for doing word/phrase specific searches of the archive. Check out Jeff's work at http://n9avg.org/amsat/.
-ANS thanks N9AVG

ESA is contributing to the world's biggest field campaign to measure ozone amounts and changes over the Arctic. The aim of this international campaign is to obtain a better understanding of the low ozone values observed over the Arctic region during recent winter/spring seasons and their possible link to long-term ozone depletion over Europe. The campaign, based above the Arctic Circle, started last November and continues until the end of March.
-ESA

The current issue of The Economist carries a story called 'Picosatellites: Small is Beautiful' and talks about the recent OPAL launch. Although most of the story centers on the two satellites in the constellation that were built by Aerospace Corporation, it does mention that some of the six small birds launched by OPAL were built by Amateur Radio satellite enthusiasts.
-Ray, W2RS

The West Valley Amateur Radio Association has added on-line practice examinations for all written elements to its web site. "Our program will automatically generate a test and grade it after you are done" said Mike, K6PUD. Visit http://www.wvara.org and follow the link in the bulletin on the front page.
-ARRL

Weekly Satellite Report

Mir . RS-12 . RS-13 . RS-15 . AO-10 . AO-27 . FO-20 . FO-29 . KO-23 . KO-25 . UO-11 . AO-16 . DO-17 . WO-18 . LO-19 . UO-22 . IO-26 . TO-31 . GO-32 . SO-33 . PO-34 . SO-35 . UO-36

RS-12

Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink 21.210 to 21.250 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.408 MHz
Robot Uplink 21.129 MHz, Downlink 29.454 MHz

Semi-operational, beacon only.

RS-13

Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB
Uplink 145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 29.460 to 29.500 MHz CW/SSB
Downlink 145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB
Beacon 29.504 MHz
Robot Uplink 21.140 MHz, Downlink 29.458 MHz

Operational, in mode-KA with a 10-meter downlink and a 15-meter and 2-meter uplink.

AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Operators Page: http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html

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)
Semi-operational, Mode A (2m uplink, 10m downlink)

Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 and RS-13 on his personal 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

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)
Semi-operational.

DX continues to be worked (and heard) on AO-10. Tony, VK5ZAI has been active, as has Al, XE2YVW. Jerry, K5OE, worked George, W1ME/PJ7 by keying the PTT button on his 35-watt mobile FM rig for his uplink, receiving with a small handheld wideband receiver! Both radios were fed into a small handheld beam.

Stacey Mills, W4SM, has more information about the satellite at http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html

[ANS thanks Stacey Mills, W4SM, for his AO-10 status information and web site]

AO-27

Uplink 145.850 MHz FM
Downlink: 436.792 MHz FM
Operational.

Mike, N1JEZ, reports working Steve, VA3SF/J6, in Saint Lucia via AO-27.

An AO-27 question-and-answer page is available on the AMSAT-NA web site. 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 the 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 AO-27 operations at http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html

Chuck, KM4NZ, recently reset the TEPR states on AO-27 (on February 12).

TEPR 4 is 22 TEPR 5 is 58

[ANS thanks Chuck Wyrick, KM4NZ, and Michael Wyrick, N4USI, for AO-27 information]

SunSat SO-35

Operational. SunSat has been in mode-B using an uplink of 436.291 MHz (+/- Doppler) and a 145.825 MHz downlink.

SunSat was launched February 23, 1999 aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SunSat stands for Stellenbosch University Satellite and takes it name from the South African university whose students constructed the payload.

The SunSat package includes 1200 and 9600 baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater system that will be used primarily for educational demonstrations. The satellite has two VHF and two UHF transmit-receive systems.

The SunSat command team recently upgraded the diary software. The team has also uploaded the parrot repeater software and early tests were satisfactory. The parrot repeater should be functional near the end of January. According to the team packet radio operation is still some 3 months away.

For more information on SunSat, visit http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za

[ANS thanks Garth Milne ZR1AFH, for this information]

JAS-1b FO-20

Uplink 145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB
Operational.

FO-20 is in mode JA continuously.

JAS-1b (FO-20) was launched in February 1990 and continues to function quite well.

[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK for the FO-20 status reports]

JAS-2 FO-29

Voice/CW Mode JA: Uplink 145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB
Downlink 435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB
Operational, rotated with digital mode and digi-talker.
Digital Mode JD: Uplink 145.850, 145.870, 145.910 MHz FM
Downlink 435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK
Operational, rotated with analog mode and digi-talker.

JAS-2 was successfully launched on August 17, 1996, by an H-II launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center.

Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29, addressing analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy e-mail Mike at kf4fdj@amsat.org

Kazu, JJ1WTK, reports the FO-29 operational schedule (announced by the JARL) is as follows:

through February 21	JA
February 22 - 27	JD1200 mailbox
February 28 - March 5	JA

Mineo, JE9PEL, has updated his FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis program. The software will automatically analyze all digital telemetry from the satellite such as current, voltage and temperature. The JE9PEL FO-29/software update is available at http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/

[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports]

KO-25

Uplink 145.980 MHz FM
Downlink 436.500 MHz FM, 9600 Baud FSK
Operational.

Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 is operational. Downlink efficiency remains in the 60 to 70% range with good data throughput.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information]

UO-22

Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM
Downlink 435.120 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
Operational

Chris Jackson, G7UPN, reports to ANS that UO-22 has now entered full sunlight and the temperatures have increased considerably. Controllers have turned the satellite upside down to point the critical systems to cold space. This has reduced the temperature on various systems (such as the batteries) by between 5 and 10 degrees. The unfortunate by-product of this is that the downlink is now quite weak.

The satellite will remain in full sunlight until late March, when controllers will turn it back 'over' again. According to G7UPN "over the next few years this situation will become worse as the no eclipse periods become longer."

Only the 145.900 MHz receiver is usable for communications at the moment.

More information on the satellite is available at http://www.sstl.co.uk

[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO for UO-22 status information]

OSCAR-11

Downlink 145.825 MHz FM, 1200 baud PSK
Beacon 2401.500 MHz
Operational.

Clive, G3CWV, reports that "it has been an interesting time for OSCAR-11. I'm pleased to report that the satellite has survived the Y2K change-over and continues to work well." G3CWV tells ANS that good signals have been received from the 145.826 MHz. beacon. In addition, a revised bulletin from G3RWL has been uploaded by ground control.

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 the 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]

LUSAT-OSCAR-19

Uplink 145.840, 145.860, 145.880, 145.900 MHz 1200 bps Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.125 MHz SSB, 1200 bps RC-BPSK
Currently semi-operational.

The CW beacon is sending eight telemetry channels and one status channel. Currently, no BBS service is available. The digipeater is active.

Mineo, JE9PEL, recently recorded LO-19 CW and PSK telemetry and placed the information on his Internet homepage site at http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/

Telemetry is as follows:

Time is Sun Feb 13 12:26:00 2000 uptime is 561/22:42:43
+10V Bus 11.227 V RC PSK TX Out 0.674 W
Total Array C= 0.313 Bat Ch Cur= 0.108 Ifb= 0.023 I+10V= 0.147
TX:017 BCR:88 PWRC:62D BT:3C WC: 0

General information and telemetry samples can be found at http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/lo19.htm

[ANS thanks Miguel A. Menendez, EA1BCU, for this report.]

AMSAT-OSCAR-16 (PACSAT)

Uplink 145.900, 145.920, 145.940, 145.860 MHz FM, 1200 bps Manchester FSK
Downlink 437.0513 MHz SSB, 1200 bps RC-BPSK 1200 Baud PSK
Beacon 2401.1428 MHz.
Semi-operational.

Russ Platt, WJ9F, of the AO-16 Command Team tells ANS the 437.025 MHz transmitter has been turned off and the S-band transmitter is now on. The satellite is back in a PHT (PACSAT Housekeeping Task) mode. This task manages the battery charging during sunlit periods and manages the decay during eclipse periods. It also includes safeguards to protect the batteries. WJ9F will be running Whole Orbit Data surveys to watch the batteries during the S-band only operation. Russ is also reloading the software to bring the file server back on line.

Stay tuned to ANS for further updates.

Telemetry is as follows:

Time is Sun Feb 13 12:20:51 2000 uptime is 000/08:51:41
+10V Bus 10.500 V PSK TX RF Out 1.286 W
Total Array C= 0.284 Bat Ch Cur=-0.055 Ifb= 0.023 I+10V= 0.359
TX:1008 BCR:72 PWRC:58B BT:3C WC: 0 EDAC:AC

General information and telemetry WOD files can be found at http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu

A complete collection of WOD graphics corresponding to the year of 1998 can be found at http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/wod1998.zip

[ANS thanks Miguel A. Menendez, EA1BCU, for this report.]

TMSAT-1 TO-31

Uplink 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK
Downlink 436.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK
Operational.

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 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 this report]

UoSAT-12 UO-36

Downlink 437.025, 437.400 MHz

UoSAT-12 was successfully launched on April 21, 1999 from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome. UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward communications and mode L/S transponders.

The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions.

S-band high speed downlink commissioning continues at rates between 128kb/s and 1Mb/s. The S-band downlink frequency has not been announced.

UO-36 has been transmitting 9600-baud FSK telemetry framed in a VLSI format using a downlink frequency of 437.400 MHz. Chris, G7UPN, reports UO-36 is also (at times) testing on 437.025 MHz at a baud rate of 38,400 (38k4). Currently, this downlink is switched on over Europe. Due to the limited power on UO-36, it is not possible to have this downlink on permanently over all areas.

Presently the BBS is still closed.

The VK5HI TMSAT viewer software is available on the AMSAT-NA web site at 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 this information]

ITAMSAT IO-26

Uplink 145.875, 145.900, 145.925, 145.950 MHz FM
Downlink 435.822 MHz SSB, 1200 Baud PSK
Semi-operational.

Digipeater function is on.

IO-26 was launched on September 26, 1993.

Alberto, I2KBD, reports IO-26 has been opened to APRS use.

[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for this information]

The following satellites are in orbit but are non-operational at this time:

KITSAT KO-23

Uplink 145.850, 145.900 MHz FM
Downlink 435.175 MHz FM, 9600 Baud FSK
Non-operational.

KO-23 is non-operational. The downlink transmitter (TX-0) has been turned off. KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, reports from the KO-23 control team that part of the problem is due the current power budget aboard the satellite.

Stay tuned to ANS for more information.

[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, for KO-23 status information]

TechSat-1B GO-32

Downlink 435.225 MHz, HDLC telemetry

Updated status. Shlomo, 4X1AS, tells ANS that efforts are underway to bring GO-32 on line.

Stay tuned to ANS for further information.

The TechSat-1B micro-satellite was successfully launched from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 10, 1998.

Last reported, the satellite does not have a continuous beacon, but does transmit a 9600-baud burst every 30 seconds (for about 3 seconds in length), currently on 435.225 MHz.

The TechSat team has constructed a home page about TechSat. To view the site, point your web browser to:

http://techsat.internet-zahav.net/

PANSAT PO-34

Uplink/downlink frequencies have not been established.
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions.

PANSAT, developed by the Naval Postgraduate School, was launched from the shuttle Discovery. PANSAT spread-spectrum digital transponders will be available to amateur radio operators in the near future along with software to utilize this technology.

Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, PANSAT Project Manager recommends 'The ARRL Spread Spectrum Sourcebook' as a good place to start in understanding the spread-spectrum scheme.

For more information, visit the official PANSAT web site at:

http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/

PanSat is the featured cover article in the July/August 1999 issue of the AMSAT-NA Journal (written by KD6DRA and N7HPR).

[ANS thanks Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, for this information]

Mir Space Station

Ham radio activity aboard the Mir space station came to a close on August 28, 1999 as the crew returned to Earth, leaving the station unmanned. Mir is in a stable orbit with only essential systems running. All amateur radio activities have ceased. Currently, the station is being prepared for re-entry sometime in the first quarter of 2000. However, the final fate of the space station has not been formally announced. Stay tuned to ANS for further developments.

Current Amateur Radio equipment aboard Mir includes:

SAFEX II 70cm Repeater: Uplink 435.750 MHz FM with subaudible tone 141.3 Hz
Downlink 437.950 MHz FM
Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed.
SAFEX II 70cm QSO Mode: Uplink 435.725 MHz FM with subaudible tone 151.4 Hz
Downlink 437.925 MHz FM
Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed.
Packet Radio PMS: Uplink/Downlink 145.985 MHz FM, 1200 baud AFSK
Not operational.

DO-17 (DOVE)

Downlink 145.825 MHz FM, 1200 Baud AFSK
Beacon 2401.220 MHz
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.

No additional information is available at this time.

WEBERSAT (WO-18)

Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB, 1200 Baud PSK AX.25
Non-operational.

WO-18 is reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash.

No additional information is available at this time.

SEDSAT SO-33

Downlink 437.910 MHz FM 9600 Baud FSK
The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions. Recovery efforts have been unsuccessful.

Mineo, JE9PEL, reports he has again received minimal telemetry from the satellite recently, dated October 22nd.

SEDSAT-1, signifying Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Satellite number one, was successfully launched and placed in orbit on Saturday, October 24, 1998.

For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at http://www.seds.org/sedsat

No additional information is available at this time.

ANS would like to thank Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, ANS principal satellite investigator, for helping provide current satellite information for ANS.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to the ANS Editors at ans-editor@amsat.org, or to ANS Editor Dan James, NN0DJ, at nn0dj@amsat.org.

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This week's AMSAT News Service bulletins were edited by AMSAT News Service Editor Dan James, NN0DJ.