Satgen 23  Mir Space Station Puzzles, Packsats and BSB.

Today Sept 6th , the Russians plan to send a crew up to Mir. Mir has
been empty for 4 months.Several outstanding questions may soon be answered
1. Has the electric power supply problem been solved, or has it still to
be fixed by the new crew?
2. Has the problem of heat and humidity which upset the previous 
occupants been sorted out?
3. What height will Mir be at when the new crew docks. On 1st Sept Mir
was nearly 400 kms high. No docking has ever been done before at this
height. So it will be interesting to check the height when they dock, 
using the following simple table which relies on the difference in time 
you hear Mir on succesive days
Next day later by  Mean Ht  Orbit Period
     16 mins       328 kms   91 min
     24            353       91.5
     32            377       92
     40            402       92.5
     48            439       93
Eg if Mir comes past one day at 0500ut then passes at 0540 the next day,
its mean height is near 402 kms.
On the way up to Mir the Cosmonauts will use 121.75 MHz FM, but will
probably be out of range of UK. Once in Mir they will use 143.625 MHz FM,
and Mir will also automatically answer ground control on its 165.87 and
166.121 MHz remote control frequencies. It is also likely that when far
below the Russian horizon Eg over the Atlantic they may do what they did
last year and use a VHF relay to a Comship which then directly connects
them to Moscow via a Microwave Molniya or a geosat. You can tell when this
is happening because there are voice echoes 0.55 seconds behind the
original speech on the VHF circuits audible in UK.
Packsat Checks  As the November launch date of 5 of the packsats gets
closer , you might want to try equipment out on Fuji Jas1. The following
date times are possible AOS's utc when Fuji is planned to be on near UK
Analog mode 6Sep 0530 ; 14Sep 0225 ; 26Sep 2250 utc beacon 435.975 MHz
Digital Mode 30Sep 2311 ; 1st Oct 0109; 0310 ;0511; 0712; 0915 ut and, at
6 Oct 2150; 2348 and,7th Oct 0148; 0350; 0551 and 0755 utc.Listen 435.910
MHz plus or minus 9 KHz of doppler .The French government has gone firm
on a Spot 2 launch plus all the packsats around Nov 10th.
BSB Marcopolo TV sat ? To answer several questioners in one go.BSB Channel
Frequencies are 11.78502, 11.86174, 11.93846,12.01518, and 12.09190 GHz
Polarisation is right hand circular. Location will be 31 West ie az 211
el 22 very approximately for UK stations. Anticipate several weeks of use
of beacons at band edges with an additional command link being fired up
when they get the solar panels unfurled, again near band edge. No regular
TV transmissions planned before spring 1990. Transmissions will be D2MAC.
Please note that even the lowest 11.78502 chan is above the claimed tuning
range of most Astra LNB front ends but I find I can push mine up to 12 GHz
if I accept serious reduction in signal to noise. You can test this by
tuning TDF 1 at 19W Az 198 El 25 approx from UK already on 11.72748,
1180420, 11.88092,11.95764, 12.03436.Have fun de GM4IHJ@GB7SNE 6th Sept 89