SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0615 * SpaceNews 15-Jun-98 * BID: $SPC0615 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JUNE 15, 1998 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 1998 * ============================ AMSAT-UK's 13th Annual Colloquium takes place at the University of Surrey from 31st July to 2nd August 1998. Booking forms are included in the issue of Oscar News publishing mid-June; accomodation and price information is included with these forms. Others requiring them can obtain them by download from the Colloquium web-site (in Word-6 format); or by sending a self addressed envelope (UK applicants are expected to pre-pay the postage) to the AMSAT-UK office at: AMSAT-UK (Colloquium) 40 Downsview Small Dole W Sussex BN5 9YB UK Phone +44 (0)1273 495733; fax +44 (0)1273 492927 e-mail: g6zru@amsat.org Information regarding the Colloquium will be available on the AMSAT-UK's World Wide Web pages at http://www.uk.amsat.org/ within a few days. Applications received later than 15 July will attract a 15% surcharge. Likewise, cancellations after that date will forfeit the full amount (unless we are able to fill the empty slot). Application forms should be sent to the AMSAT-UK Office (above), *NOT* to UoS. The lecture program this year has been enlarged, with an extra 90 minute session on the Friday evening to accomodate the extensive response to the call for papers. We are also fortunate to have a presentation by NASA astronaut Don Thomas, KC5FVF. There will also be the usual extra events including: Command Station visits, Annual Dinner and Auction (please bring something to sell), AMSAT-UK annual meeting, microwave equipment testing, and other fun as well as the "usual" Friday evening barbecue in the University grounds, and a space-oriented Pub Quiz in the bar. Last year's change to the booking requirements, to accept unregistered day attendees subject to space, will be repeated this year but they will not receive a free lunch. As usual, facilities will be available for attendees who wish to arrive at UoS on the evening before the event starts and/or stay over afterwards on the Sunday night. This year there is a related event at UoS during the two days prior to the Colloquium: the International Space Station meeting is open to everyone; information from G3AAJ. (Pricing is the same as for the Colloquium) The program (to date) consists of: IARU International Forum; UoS Graduate papers; Future SAREX Plans; Balloons; Satellites in Education; Microwave Basics; Software Radios; Astronaut presentation; Phase-3D Subjects; 23cm PA and Front End; Microsat Attitude Determination Experiment; Zero-IF Microwave Transceivers; Automatic doppler correction for analogue transponders; Russian Retrograde Launches; What's Next in Amateur Radio Satellites; International Space Station, presentation & forum; Techsat 1B overview/report; Sunsat; Arizona State University ASUSat-1 overview; Amsat-UK Annual General Meeting. Hope to see you there. 73 Richard W L Limebear G3RWL Colloquium Programme organiser and Communications Officer, Amsat-UK g3rwl@amsat.org 13 June 1998 * MIR ALTITUDE DECLINE * ======================== THe following grpah by Jean-Claude, FB1RCI illustrates the altitude of the Mir space station based on the spacecraft's mean motion (number of perigees per day): TIME ORBIT REVOLUTION (summary) MIR Complex 16609 (Period: day = 60 to day = 158, 1998) Revolution/day I 15.6350 I---___ I ---___ I ---___ 15.6400 I ---___ I ---___ I ---___ 15.6450 I --- I I 15.6500 I I I 15.6550 I epoch time I_x__________x__________x__________x__________x___ Mar Apr May Jun Jul Soyuz TM-27 Docking: 30-Jan-98 Progress 38 Docking: 19-Mar-98 Progress 39 Docking: 16-May-98 Mir experienced its lowest perigee ever: 13-May-98 STS-91 Docking: 05-Jun-98 * FINAL MESSAGE FROM ANDY THOMAS * ================================== The following is the final message issued on 1998-Jun-08 from Andy Thomas before his departure from the Mir space station: I AM LEAVING MIR TODAY AND THIS WILL BE MY LAST MESSAGE. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE MISSION AND YOUR MESSAGES. SORRY I CAN NOT GIVE RESPONSES TO ALL OF YOU BUT THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC IS TOO LARGE. IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL, AND I WISH YOU ALL EVERY SUCCESS. GOOD BYE AND GOOD LUCK. ANDY THOMAS. [Info via Dr. Dave Larsen, N6CO] * UoSAT-OSCAR-22 SIGNAL FADING * ================================ Pat Gowen, G3IOR, reports that the recent deep fade outs that Roger, G3LDI (operating SATGATE GB7LDI) has experienced on UoSAT-OSCAR-22, coupled with Richard, G3RWL's findings of the reversal of circularity on the downlink are apparently not unique. Art, G4JY has also noted this effect when UO-22 is at low elevation angles, even at times when Sporadic-E propagation is not in evidence. John, GM4IHJ considered the findings, and came up with points that might explain the anomaly. Firstly, he pointed out that the downlink of UO-22 is decidedly NOT RHCP, but engineered to give a signal approximating this to help give optimum freedom from losses caused by Faraday rotation. GM4IHJ has long had polarity selection. He finds times when RHCP is best, others when LHCP optimises, and also times when linear horizontal or vertical is to be preferred. Only at high elevation angles when the gravity gradient boom and hence the antennas are earth pointing does RHCP use seem to be at its best. He suggests that the attenuation brought about by the path intervention of intense Es reduces the signal down to that level where the fade-outs become highly noticeable, so stimulating attempts to improve by selecting other polarizations than the normally employed RHCP. When a signal is weak, a loss of 3 - 6 dB is very marked, sometimes taking the signal below the noise threshold. When the signal is strong, the loss is barely noticeable, as a signal well above cut off can normally be maintained. So perhaps it is not a strange propagational effect suggesting a change from RHCP to LHCP under Es conditions as first thought, but a perfectly natural occurrence. Even so, users may consider experimenting by noting their findings while the Es season is with us at this time of the year. [Info via Pat, G3IOR] * TMSAT LAUNCH NEWS * ===================== The TMSAT microsatellite is due for launch on the 23rd June on board a Zenit launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome. It will be placed into a 821 km sun-synchronous orbit with a local ascending node time of approximately 21:37 UTC. A brief overview of the TMSAT commissioning plan is available at: http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/amateur/tmsat/ tmsat_commissioning_plan.html. Further information will be posted to UO-22 as the launch draws nearer, and updates on the commissioning itself will be uploaded to TMSAT and UO-22 following the launch. All initial commissioning will be carried out using the 9600 baud downlink, so stations equipped to receive the present 9600 baud amateur spacecraft will be able to receive TMSAT on 436.925MHz. Chris Jackson G7UPN / ZL2TPO Groundstation and Operations Manager Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 5HX, UK Ph: +44 1483 259-141 Fax: +44 1483 259-503 http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/ * ARRL FILES AGAINST LMCC * =========================== The American Radio Relay League has asked the FCC to immediately dismiss efforts by the Land Mobile Communications Council to gain primary access to 420 to 430 MHz and 440 to 450 MHz as well as other UHF allocations. The LMCC recently petitioned the FCC to reallocate the two 70-cm segments from the federal government to the Private Mobile Radio Service. Amateur Radio enjoys the use of 420 to 450 MHz on a secondary basis. In comments filed on RM-9267, the League said the LMCC proposed the switch "without establishing technical compatibility between PMRS operation and incumbent radio services in any of the bands sought." The League said that existing federal government use of the spectrum precludes PMRS operation at 420 to 450 MHz. According to the ARRL, the petition fails to demonstrate any basis to withdraw the two band segments from federal use nor any compatibility between PMRS operation and either federal government or Amateur use. In addition, the League said, the petition fails to justify displacing established amateur operations. The League pointed out that the amateur community uses the band for public service and public safety functions and that hams have "substantial personal investment" in equipment that's in regular use there. The ARRL urged the Commission to throw out this portion of the LMCC petition "without further consideration." The League backed up its arguments by citing documents from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which manages federal spectrum. "NTIA has made it quite clear that there is no possibility of additional sharing of the 420-450 MHz band, and the unique relationship between Federal radiolocation uses and the Amateur Service cannot be duplicated by PMRS users," the ARRL said. The ARRL said that the LMCC petition was premature because it did not take adequate account of the benefits of spectrum refarming already initiated. The League said PMRS users should adopt already available spectrum-efficient technologies to maximize their use of existing allocations before seeking additional spectrum at the expense of other users. The League also said that PMRS users should look into using the Commercial Radio Mobile Service (CMRS). A copy of the League's comments is available at: http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/RM-9267/arrl-cmt.html [Info via the ARRL] * KITSAT-OSCAR-25 NEWS * ======================== KITSAT-OSCAR-25 was copied by KD2BD in New Jersey on Friday 1998-Jun-12 at 14:35 UTC at which time it was transmitting frames such as the following at a rate of one frame per second: LOADER-9->LOADER-9 : "Tick N130D . LOADER-9->LOADER-9 : "Tick N130D . LOADER-9->LOADER-9 : "Tick N130DPH . LOADER-9->LOADER-9 : "Tick N130DPH . LOADER-9->LOADER-9 : "Tick N130D . * 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, KITSAT-OSCAR-25 <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> <<=- Serving the planet for over 10 years -=>> /EX