SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0708 * SpaceNews 08-Jul-96 * BID: $SPC0708 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JULY 8, 1996 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use. * AMSAT-UK COLLOQUIUM '96 * =========================== The 11th AMSAT-UK Colloquium will be held at Surrey University, Guildford, Surrey, U.K., from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th July 1996. Thursday will be devoted to international/IARU matters and other subjects will be structured across the following three days. There will also be the usual social events including: Command Station visits, the Annual Dinner and Auction, AMSAT-UK annual meeting, and other light-hearted fun. Colloquium application forms have been sent automatically to anyone who came last year (1995) or in 1994. They were also included with the recent mailing of AMSAT-UK's bi-monthly publication "Oscar News". Anyone else who would like a form should contact the AMSAT-UK office with full mailing address etc. Travel and pricing information is included with these forms. In conjunction with this year's Amsat-UK annual meeting (we call it the AGM, Annual General Meeting) Professor Martin Sweeting, G3YJO, Honorary (it means he doesn't get paid) Chairman of AMSAT-UK is pleased to announce the establishment of the G3AAJ AMSAT-UK Trophy to be awarded annually for "Outstanding Service to the Amateur Satellite Service". This Trophy has been kindly endowed by Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ. Nominations for the G3AAJ Trophy may reflect an individual and major technical contribution to amateur satellites or dedicated personal service to the AMSAT community. [Info via Richard W L Limebear, G3RWL - Communications Officer, AMSAT-UK] * UNAMSAT-B NEWS * ================== UNAMSAT-B is being prepared for a launch window that begins on 20-Aug-96. The UNAMSAT-B launch team is currently scheduled to leave for Moscow at the end of July where they will perform a set of thermal and vibration tests in preparation for the launch. UNAMSAT-B will fly on COSMOS rocket produced by PILOT in the city of OMSK. It has been launched 594 times with incredibly good statistics. The primary load weighs 380 Kg, while UNAMSAT-B weighs 10.7 Kg. The rocket weight at the moment of launch will weight 109 tons. The initial orbit will be circular with an altitude of 1000 Km and an inclination of 83 degrees. UNAMSAT-B will be flying attached to the main payload and will have to wait for separation after they stabilize (4 to 8 hours) before UNAMSAT-B can be commanded to separate from the primary payload. UNAMSAT-B is expected to start sending telemetry just a few minutes after separation. The following is a list frequencies on which UNAMSAT-B will operate: Downlinks: UHF TX1 437.206 MHz UHF TX2 437.138 MHz (Secondary) Uplinks: VHF CHA 145.815 MHz VHF CHB 145.835 MHz VHF CHC 145.855 MHz VHF CHD 145.875 MHz The modulation used is the same as in previous Microsats (Manchester encoded FSK uplink, BPSK downlink). UNAMSAT-B will also carry a 40.997 MHz pulse transmitter and a wide band receiver centered on the same frequency that will be looking for echoes produced on the ionized trails of meteors as they enter the atmosphere. This signal can be used by groundstations to get echoes from meteors in their area when UNAMSAT-B is passing below the horizon. Antenna polarizations are exactly the same as in PACSAT working PACSAT groundstations will be able to function through UNAMSAT-B as well. [Info via David, XE1TU] * SIGNAL-TO-NOISE ON TV * ========================= Ken Ernandes, N2WWD, reports that a three-part PBS (Public Broadcasting System) series "Signal to Noise" is scheduled to air beginning the week of July 8, 1996 on American television. The series is a history of "...the medium formerly known as television." In the third segment, there is a demonstration of amateur satellite communications on AO-10 and a telemetry capture from AO-13 by John Gordon KD2JF and Ken Ernandes N2WWD. The third segment containing the OSCAR demonstration is scheduled to air in the last week of July. Those interested should check the listings for their local PBS station. The amateur satellite demonstration was filmed on Sunday, March 19, 1995 at the residence of KD2JF in Huntington, Long Island. The production crew was quite impressed with the demonstration, and twice at their expense had an AMSAT Phase 3D model shipped to their studio in New York City for use as a prop for the Signal to Noise series. * SAREX NEWS * ============== Many unscheduled SAREX radio contacts occurred with groundstations during STS-78. Some stations reporting making their very first SAREX contact during the STS-78 mission. While many stations reported receiving lower-than-normal signal strength levels from the Space Shuttle on this mission, a result possibly of the unusual attitude of the spacecraft during the mission and the window mounted antenna used, Andy MacAllister, WA5ZIB, reported making a two-way voice contact with "Columbia" using an Alinco DJ-580T running 5-watts of output power to an AEA 5/8-wave antenna with a BNC connector. While it is certainly possible in theory to make direct radio contact with the Space Shuttle using handheld transceivers on each end, it is still a thrill, nontheless to accomplish the feat despite the competition from more powerful groundstations. * FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED * =========================== Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below: WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/ PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19 <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> /EX