SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-139.01 CHANGES TO THE AMSAT KEPS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 139.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 18, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-139.01 Ray Hoad (WA5QGD), AMSAT-NA's Orbital Data Manager, recently reported that his study to review which satellites should be listed in AMSAT's weekly keplerian bulletin is now complete. Based on the information contained in a number of user comments, Ray plans to drop only ARSENE and FY-1/2 from the current AMSAT keps list. Ray noted that there seems to be more than enough interest in keeping the NOAA and METEOR satellite keps as they are currently. There are also some individuals who listen for POSAT and UO-14 even though these satellites are not in amateur service at this time. Therefore POSAT and UO-14 will stay on the list for now. OKEAN-1/7 and SICH-1 will be ADDED to the kep list. Ray offered thanks to all for their comments and also offered his apologies if the process seemed drawn out. However, Ray reports that a "go slow" approach was needed to allow everyone to have a chance to comment. One other change ... Starting this May 17, the AMSAT keps will be sent in two files instead of three. One file named orbs$xxx.amsat will have the AMSAT format keps and the second file named orbs$xxx.2l.amsat will contain the NASA two-line keps. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, AMSAT-NA Orbital Data Manager, for this information.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-139.02 SPACE SYMPOSIUM SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 139.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 18, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-139.02 1996 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium Second Call For Papers Holiday Inn, City Center Tucson, AZ November 8-10, 1996 The 1996 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be held on November 8-10, 1996 at the Holiday Inn, City Center in Tucson, AZ. This is the second call for papers to authors who wish to submit for this event. As always, the scope of the papers should be on topics of interest to the amateur satellite service. Topics may include, but are certainly not limited to: The Life and Times of AO-13 Building a Phase-3D Ground Station Phase-3D Construction Topics DSP-93 Integration AMSAT Field Operations What's Next for AMSAT After Phase-3D? The annual meeting committee is also soliciting additional topics from the AMSAT community. They have already received some interesting proposals, (such as P3D ground station construction) but they report more input is welcome. Abstracts from authors should be submitted by June 15, 1996. Final versions of all papers should be received by August 15, 1996. Submissions and inquiries should be made to Dave Burnett, WD8KRV: By Internet: wd8krv@amsat.org By Mail: G. D. Burnett 4809 E. Pima #223 Tucson, AZ 85712 Information about the Annual Meeting home page will be included in future announcements. [ANS thanks Dave Burnett, WD8KRV, for this news item.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-139.03 JAS-2 BAND PLAN HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 139.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 18, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-139.03 The new Japanese JAS-2 satellite, now set for launch as early as August of this year, carries both a linear(analog) and a digital transponder. The satellite band plan is as follows: 1) Analog mode Uplink: 145.900 - 146.000 MHz Downlink: 435.800 - 435.900 MHz(inverted) (same band plan as for the current FO-20) Output power: 1W 2) Digital mode 1200bps BPSK(NRZ-I), same as FO-20 Uplink: 145.850, 145.870, 145.890, 145.910 MHz Downlink: 435.910 MHz Additionally, 9600bps FSK will be available on JAS-2. 9600bps FSK(NRZ-L) Uplink: 145.870 MHz Downlink: 435.910 MHz 3) Digitalker FM voice, max 25 seconds Downlink: 435.910 MHz Output power: 1W 4) CW telemetry Downlink: 435.795 MHz Speed: 12WPM (same as for the current FO-20) [ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, of JAMSAT for this update on JAS-2.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-139.04 WEEKLY SATELLITE STATUS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 139.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 18, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-139.04 RS-12--Operating normally RS-10--Operating normally AO-27--Operating normally [ANS thanks Rusty Hack, NM1K, Amsat Area Coordinator for Connecticut for this information about RS-10, RS-12 and AO-27.] AO-10--Presumably, AO-10 shutdown almost immediately after the solar panels were no longer providing charge. The shutdown occurred at 14:37 UTC on May 9th, which is just a couple of minutes after the tracking program showed there was no longer an intersection of the satellite's footprint and the terminator. [ANS thanks Chris Hill, VK6KCH, for this news on AO-10.] AO-13--Sees Eclipse of Sun by Moon A partial eclipse of the Sun by the Moon will deprive Oscar-13 of solar power on 1996 May 17 [Fri] from 0030 to 0225 utc, Orbit 6068, MA 151-195. Maximum obscuration is 73% at 0135 utc, MA 175. This event will be visible (in the telemetry) from South Africa, India, S.E. Asia, and Australia as a substantial drop in solar panel temperatures, and reduced power production. The transponders will be OFF during the eclipse period. Details are also illustrated by a GIF drawing in the Internet file: ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/satinfo/ao13/moonecl.zip (15k) Otherwise, AO-13 is operating normally South Pacific stations has been active recently on AO-13 and some on AO-10. Tada, C21/JA1WPX, is QRV on Nauru and Aki, TE9RLI, is on Cocos. Both have had 55+ signals. Yves, FO3PJ, has also been on from Raiatea. He's a high school teacher there, not a DXpedition. He doesn't have an amplifier so listen carefully for him. These stations are often heard calling CQ with no-one coming back to them. It's a lot of work to put a satellite station on from remote locations, and many times the operators must get up in the middle of the night so we can work them. KC6DIJ urges, "Let's show them that we appreciate it." [ANS thanks James Miller G3RUH for the AO-13 eclipse information and JC Smith, KC6EIJ, for the AO-10 and AO-13 operating news.] WEBERSAT-OSCAR-18--Experienced a software crash at 05:50:11 UTC on 17-Apr-96. Initial operating software has been reloaded by groundstation controllers, and the satellite is currently transmitting telemetry, OBC status, and beacon frames on a downlink of 437.102 MHz using right-hand circular polarization. The digipeater is temporarily off the air. [ANS thanks John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, and SpaceNews for this bulletin on Webersat.] LUSAT-OSCAR-19--Continues to provide excellent service to users all over the world. LO-19 is operated by AMSAT-LU and operates with a transmitter output power level of between 0.8 and 1.4 watts with a data rate of 1200 bps. [ANS thanks Miguel A. Menendez, EA1BCU, John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, and SpaceNews for this bulletin on LO-19.] Please send your Satellite reports to bjarts@uslink.net or to wt0n@amsat.org /EX