SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0906 * SpaceNews 06-Sep-99 * BID: $SPC0906 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 1999 * WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT * ========================= Amateur Satellite Workshop for Colleges and Universities Sponsored by The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) Thursday, October 7th, 1999 Hanalei Hotel, San Diego, CA The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) is sponsoring a free Amateur Satellite Workshop for Colleges and Universities on Thursday, October 7th, 1999. The Workshop will provide a series of educational lectures to participants interested in using the Amateur Satellite Service in their classroom and small satellite projects. The Workshop will cover topics on: > Amateur Satellites, who, what, where, and when > The role of the Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite Service > ITU and FCC Rules and Regulations > Spectrum Assignment and Frequency Coordination > Amateur Radio in the classroom/laboratory > Open Forum The workshop is free. Hotel and travel arrangements are the responsibility of the participants. Attendees are invited and encouraged to attend the 17th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting being held on October 8, 9, and 10, 1999 in the same location. Additional information on the Symposium is available at http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sympos99.html Requests for information on the workshop please contact Steve Bible by email: n7hpr@amsat.org. Please RSVP for the workshop to the AMSAT office at (301) 589-6062 or by email to: martha@amsat.org. [Info via Steven Bible, N7HPR] * KITSAT-OSCAR-23 NEWS * ======================== KO-23 controllers report that KO-23 continues to be unusable due to battery degradation. Two or more cells are suspected to have expired, and controllers are operating KO-23 with the bare minimum systems turned on. In addition, attitude control has been lost over the past few months, and sudden power failures are being experienced about once every two months. The power required for the OBC186 on-board computer has not been secured or verified yet. Controllers will try to verify the current power status during September. After that, controllers can decide if they can operate the satellite. However, it does not seem likely that the recovery will be successful. [Info via Hyungshin Kim from SaTReC, KAIST, Korea] * MORE ECLIPSE PHOTOS * ======================= Brian Riley reports that the crew on MIR apparently captured a shot of the moon's shadow passing across the earth's surface during the solar eclipse several weeks ago. Brian reports that this is an incredible photo that was the "Astronomy Picture of the Day" a few days back. The photo may be accessed via the Internet at the following URL: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990830.html * NEW AO-27 TEPR STATES * ========================= At approximately 1525 UTC on September 3, 1999, AO-27 satellite controller Chuck Wyrick, KM4NZ reset the TEPR states on AO-27. TEPR 4 is now 34, and TEPR 5 is now 70. * FO-29 SCHEDULE * ================== The latest FO-29 operating schedule is as follows: Mon 30-Aug-99 -to- Thu 09-Sep-99 : Mode JA Fri 10-Sep-99 -to- Tue 21-Sep-99 : Digitalker Tue 21-Sep-99 -to- Wed 22-Sep-99 : Mode JA Wed 22-Sep-99 -to- Mon 04-Oct-99 : Digitalker Tue 05-Oct-99 -to- Thu 07-Oct-99 : Mode JA [Info via Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK] * SUNSAT NEWS * =============== SUNSAT's Amateur transponder is scheduled as follows. "We may occasionally encounter software bugs (as on 28/9 August) computer hangs, or finger trouble, so please regard the schedule as a goal, and not a guaranteed service" Prof Garth Milne ZR1AFH told SA AMSAT. Uplink = 145.950 MHz (Ignore Doppler) Down = 436.250 MHz (+5kHz/0/-5kHz for Doppler in pass.) On the uplink no allowance for Doppler shift is necessary as the 2M receiver has AFC that will cope with the 3 kHz Doppler shift. On the downlink, a Doppler shift of up to +9kHz/-9kHz occurs at the beginning/end of the pass. Saturday 4 September 02:41 to 02:59 Australia 09:22 to 09:36 Africa 09:44 to 09:58 Europe 16:18 to 16:35 USA Sunday 5 September 03:40 to 03:58 Australia 10:21 to 10:36 Africa 10:43 to 10:58 Europe 17:18 to 17:34 USA Saturday 11 September 02:59 to 03:15 Australia 09:41 to 09:55 Africa 10:01 to 10:17 Europe 16:37 to 16:55 USA Sunday 12 September 02:20 to 02:38 Australia 10:40 to 10:53 Africa 11:00 to 11:16 Europe 15:58 to 16:15 USA The passes over Australia will often enable comms over most of Australia, and then the islands North of Australia including Japan. Communications between Japan and Australia should be possible for a short period. Let's hear from you! The pass over Southern Africa should make comms possible between countries like the RSA, Namibia, Angola, Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and as far North as Sudan. On the European pass, comms will be possible between countries in North Africa and as far North as France, Germany, and parts of Russia. The satellite will remain switched on to cover the Scandinavian countries and Greenland. The pass over North America should make comms possible from the Northern countries in South America, the Carribean, most of the Eastern part of the USA to the midwest, Canada, and briefly Alaska. Please send your comments and experience to: saamsat@intekom.co.za [Info via Hans, ZS5AKV] * SORRY * ========= My apologies for being tardy in generating and distributing SpaceNews in recent weeks, but my hard disk has been experiencing "unrecoverable errors" lately and is getting worse. Several critical system files were recently lost, and this issue of SpaceNews had to be edited using floppy disks, including a boot floppy. A new hard disk is on order. * 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 @ N2SMV.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, KITSAT-OSCAR-25 <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> <<=- Serving the planet (and beyond) since 1987 -=>> /EX