SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-056.01 PHASE 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 056.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-056.01 The month of February comes to an end with good news about AMSAT OSCAR 40. The AMSAT-DL web site is currently featuring the following statement: from Peter, DB2OS: Dear All, Lot's of good news about AO-40! The SEU (sensor electronic unit) is triggering the sun again after the end of eclipse on orbit 147. Telemetry channel #100 (analogue spin rate) is now showing a value of 49. This is the same value it was showing on orbit 89 when triggering was lost. Within a few orbits we should see that the second Sun sensor (SS2) also starts triggering, this should allow us to obtain attitude information and then re-start the magnetorquing efforts to spin-down the spacecraft. One week ago the 3-axis sun sensors were turned on and they seem to be working nominally. It was planned to use the information from the 3-axis omni-directional sun sensors to obtain the necessary reference information for a new algorithm to spin-down the spacecraft without using the SEU information. The new software code, which will be patched into the operational programming, is almost ready to be uploaded, but due to the premature return of SEU data, this may no longer be necessary. Analysis of the IHU temperature has revealed that the maximum Sun angle (with the lowest temperatures) was much earlier than anticipated. The temperature of the IHU reached it's minimum exactly February 1, 2001 with a temperature of about -8.4°C. This is almost one month earlier than originally thought. There is no explanation at the moment as to why this was premature. The spin rate of around 17.5 RPM did not changed in the last few weeks, whatever it caused to increase has apparently stopped. As soon as the SEU delivers good data, the magnetorquers will be used under control of the IHU to reduce the spin and make any possible attitude changes easier. This should also improve telemetry reception on the S-band downlink. The next milestone is to bring the spacecraft into a good orientation to fire the Arcjet using no electrical power only gaseous ammonia only. This test firing will be used to check the Arcjet control electronics and valves. Even without the Arcjet burning, the thrust from the test firing will be enough to raise the perigee. Several independent analysis (including the French space agency CNES) have confirmed that the current orbit will be stable for many years, more than the anticipated lifetime of the spacecraft. The test firing should give us additional safety margin and a better feeling. However, it is later planned to optimize the current orbit with a full running Arcjet. This is planned after testing of the 3-axis momentum wheels, which will be used to re-orient the spacecraft during these maneuvers. While the spacecraft was in hibernation, the command stations were in preparations for the next activities, watching the spacecraft telemetry and reporting healthy results. AMSAT-DL expresses our appreciation thanks to Paul, VP9MU, for his outstanding service in gathering and archiving the AO-40 telemetry from different parts of the world. This is vital (additional) information for the command stations in their continuing effort to turn P3-D back into normal operation. We suggest everyone who is able to send captured telemetry to the AO-40 telemetry archive at: ao40-archive@amsat.org In summary, the spacecraft seems to be in very good shape, with no additional damage or other problems detected. The power budget is very good and even during the poor Sun illumination it was not necessary to reduce power consumption by turning off the S-band transmitter for any part of AO-40's orbit. This is indeed a good sign for the next activities. Stay tuned... 73, Peter, DB2OS AO-40's orbital parameters (number 40) are as follows: Satellite: AO-40 Catalog number: 26609 Epoch time: 01052.45100567 Inclination: 5.6046 deg RA of node: 220.4851 deg Eccentricity: 0.8134917 Arg of perigee: 224.8386 deg Mean anomaly: 29.8566 deg Mean motion: 1.26950859 rev/day Decay rate: 3.0e-08 rev/day^2 Epoch rev: 143 Checksum: 280 Stay tuned to AMSAT News Service, the official source of AO-40 news and information. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL and AMSAT-NA for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-056.02 CANADIAN ISS CONTACT SUCCESSFUL AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 056.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-056.02 The ARISS group and the ARRL have both reported that students at the Merivale Public School in Ottawa, Ontario, recently became the first Canadian students to speak with Space Station Alpha. The Contact was with ISS Commander William Shepherd, KD5GSL, who used the NA1SS callsign. Reports that the Merivale ARISS contact probably will be the last school contact for the current crew of Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, may not be correct. AMSAT-NA's Will Marchant, KC6ROL, the ARISS spokesman, told ANS the team may try to do one more school contact. Following this, it will be sometime in late March before ARISS school contacts can resume, which will be after the Expedition-2 crew arrives. Amateur Radio coordinator Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD, worked in concert with the school in anticipation of the ARISS QSO. When VE3TBD raised NA1SS - the youngsters asked Shepherd about trash disposal and recycling aboard the ISS, procedures for dealing with a sick crew member and what the crew does for exercise. Near the conclusion of the contact, the students on hand hollered "73, Commander Shepherd!" in unison. For more information on the ARISS program, visit the ARISS Web site, http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks ARISS and the ARRL for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-056.03 ANS IN BRIEF AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 056.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-056.03 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** Nearly two-thirds of 1999 Ph.D. graduates in Earth and space sciences took permanent jobs upon graduation, a sharp increase when compared with 1998. This was one of the key findings in the annual survey of graduates conducted by the American Geophysical Union and the American Geological Institute. -SpaceDaily ** The ARRL is now an FCC-designated Club Station Call Sign Administrator. The ARRL has received 10 club station applications since the ARRL program officially began. -ARRL ** Weather predictions are often hard. But what are the possibilities for predicting events related to weather? With new tools being developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center along with NASA's ever increasing Earth observations via satellite, scientists may be on the road to estimating future weather-related incidents. -SpaceDaily ** Space shuttle Atlantis and crew landed in the Mojave Desert this past week after three straight days of bad weather prevented the orbiter from returning to KSC. After 13 days in space, the five-member crew had traveled a total of 5.3 million miles. Following the landing at Edwards Air Force Base, preliminary inspections of Atlantis revealed no abnormal damage. The orbiter's lower surface sustained 58 total debris hits with 8 hits measuring one-inch or greater.,-NASA ** Artemis, the most advanced telecommunication satellite ever developed by the European Space Agency, is now slated for launch on a European Ariane 5 launcher sometime between June and August 2001. With a 3,100 kg mass at launch and solar arrays spanning 25 meters tip to tip and delivering 2.5 kW of electrical power, Artemis incorporates several significant technological advances. -ESA ** Bob Baird, W9NN, of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, has been a ham for 80 years and is one of the founding fathers of the Quarter Century Wireless Association. He also turned 95 recently! W9NN was an engineering supervisor at Chicago's WGN radio for 36 years. Congratulations W9NN from ANS! -ARRL / Badger State Smoke Signals ** Scientists at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new technology application that could all but eliminate the use of hazardous corrosives and the production of wastewater in the fabrication of integrated circuits, or chips, for computers. -SpaceDaily ** Amateur Radio history was made this month when amateurs in Canada and the UK completed what appears to be the first two-way transatlantic Amateur Radio exchange on 136 kHz. Larry Kayser, VA3LK, and Lawrence Mayhead, G3AQC, managed the LF feat using extremely slow CW. VA3LK is a long-time AMSAT member and past Director of AMSAT-NA! Congratulations! -ARRL / AMSAT-NA ** Scott Olitsky, AC3A, will be in Azogues, Ecuador, March 2-9, 2001 and will be on RS12 and UO14 and UO22 during his stay. He will be operating as AC3A/HC5. -AMSAT BB ** The D68C DXpedition has been active on 30, 17 and 12 meters as well as on 14 and 28 MHz RTTY and PSK31. Sadly, the D68C team will not do any satellite operation, as originally planned. -ARRL --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-056.04 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 056.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-056.04 Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40 Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: S-Band transmitter is active, recovery efforts continue. The V-band, U-band and the L-band (L1) receivers are working on the the high-gain antennas. The omni-directional antennas appear to be non-functional. The attitude control system is functional. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL for this information] INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/ARISS Worldwide packet uplink: 145.990 MHz Region 1 voice uplink: 145.200 MHz Region 2/3 voice uplink: 144.490 MHz Worldwide downlink: 145.800 MHz TNC callsign RZ3DZR ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis Status: Operational (although current ISS workload is limiting operation) ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio organizations, including AMSAT. U.S. callsign: NA1SS Russian callsign: R0ISS, RZ3DZR German call sign: DL0ISS RZ3DZR-1 is the callsign entered into the TNC currently onboard Alpha, operation is expected shortly. More information about the project can be found on the ARISS web site at http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks ARISS team member Will Marchant, KC6ROL, for this information] RADIO SPORT RS-12 Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 29.408 MHz Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher Status: RS-12 was re-activated in mode A on January 1, 2001 Happy birthday RS-12, now 10 years old! The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the AC5DK RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at: http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html [ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information] RADIO SPORT RS-15 Uplink 145.858 to 145.898 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.354 to 29.394 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 29.352 MHz (intermittent) SSB meeting frequency 29.380 MHz (unofficial) Launched: December 26, 1994 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Status: Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a 10-meter downlink Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 on his web site. In addition to satellite data, antenna information for mode-A operation is also featured. The WB6LLO web site URL is: http://home.san.rr.com/doguimont/uploads [ANS thanks Dave Guimont, WB6LLO, for this information] OSCAR 10 AO-10 Uplink 435.030 to 435.180 MHz CW/LSB Downlink 145.975 to 145.825 MHz CW/USB Beacon 145.810 MHz (unmodulated carrier) Launched: June 16, 1983 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, mode-B. AO-10 has been locked into a 70-cm uplink and a 2-meter downlink for several years. W4SM has more information about the satellite at the following URL: http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html [ANS thanks Stacey Mills, W4SM, for his AO-10 status information and web site] AMRAD AO-27 Uplink 145.850 MHz FM Downlink 436.795 MHz FM Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J. Periodically, AO-27's analog repeater will be turned off for a few days at a time to enable ground controllers to gather Whole Orbital Data (WOD), to verify the health of the satellite. An AO-27 question-and-answer page is available on the AMSAT-NA web site. The URL is: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/intro/ao27faq.html. AO-27 uses a method called Timed Eclipse Power Regulation (TEPR) to regulate the on-board batteries. In simple terms, TEPR times how long the satellite has been in an eclipse (or in the sun) and decides what subsystems to turn on or off. The TEPR settings (as of November 25, 2000) are: TEPR 4 18 TEPR 5 36 The AO-27 pages on the AMSAT-NA web site include an explanation of TEPR AO-27 operations (at): http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html [ANS thanks AMRAD for AO-27 information] UO-14 Uplink 145.975 MHz FM Downlink 435.070 MHz FM Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J Tim, KG8OC, has updated the Michigan AMSAT Information site to include UO-14 information -- point your web browser to the following URL: http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-14 information] JAS-1b FO-20 Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB Launched: February 07, 1990 by an H1 launcher from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA continuously Happy birthday FO-20, now 11 years old! Tak, JA2PKI, reported the FO-20 control station operators believe that the UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the transponder. The UVC monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the batteries from over discharge. [ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports] JAS-2 FO-29 Launched: August 17, 1996, by an H-2 launcher from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational Voice/CW Mode JA Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB Digital Mode JD Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM Downlink 435.910 MHz 1200 baud BPSK or 9600 baud FSK Callsign 8J1JCS Digitalker 435.910 MHz The JARL FO-29 command station has announced the following operation schedule of FO-29: through April 2, 2001 - mode JA Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29, addressing the analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy e-mail Mike at: kf4fdj@amsat.org. Mineo, JE9PEL, has a FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis program that will automatically analyze all digital telemetry from the satellite (such as current, voltage and temperature). The JE9PEL FO-29/shareware is available at the following URL: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ [ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports] SO-41 SAUDISAT-1A Uplink to be released Downlink 437.075 MHz Broadcast Callsign SASAT1-11 BBS SASAT1-12 Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown SaudiSat-1A will operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. SO-42 SAUDISAT-1B Uplink to be released Downlink 436.775 MHz Broadcast Callsign SASAT2-11 BBS SASAT2-12 Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown SaudiSat-1B will operate as 9600 baud digital store-and-forward systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability. One of two new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-056.05 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 056.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-056.05 TIUNGSAT-1 Uplink 145.850 or 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK Downlink 437.325 MHz Broadcast callsign MYSAT3-11 BBS MYSAT3-12 Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Operational at 38k4 baud FSK Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that recently TiungSat-1 has been operating at a data rate of 38k4. Data recovery at 38k4 is reported to be extremely good with efficiencies near 100%. The output power is at 8-watts "which should provide a very good downlink," said Chris, adding "the downside is that with the high power transmitter operating, the power budget is negative so we can't support continuous operation." According to G7UPN, TiungSat-1 now requires the Amateur Radio station to switch the downlink 'on' when the satellite comes into range. The way this works is for the ground station software to send a request to the spacecraft to switch the downlink on. The spacecraft receives this request and checks the battery voltage to see if it can support the operation, and if it can it will activate the downlink. TiungSat-1 is Malaysia's first micro-satellite and in addition to commercial land and weather imaging payloads offers FM and FSK Amateur Radio communication. TiungSat-1, named after the mynah bird of Malaysia, was developed as a collaborative effort between the Malaysian government and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. For more information on TiungSat-1, visit the following URL: http://www.yellowpages.com.my/tiungsat/tiung_main.htm [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for this information] KITSAT KO-25 Uplink 145.980 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 436.500 MHz FM Broadcast Callsign HL02-11 BBS HL02-12 Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Operational Jim, AA7KC, reports nominal KO-25 operation with low traffic. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information] UOSAT UO-22 Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK Downlink 435.120 MHz FM Broadcast Callsign UOSAT5-11 BBS UOSAT5-12 Launched: July 17, 1991 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Operational Jim, AA7KC, reports UO-22 is operational with heavy traffic. Downlink efficiency is in the 70% range. More information on the satellite is available at the following URL: http://www.sstl.co.uk/ [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-22 status information] OSCAR-11 Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200 baud AFSK) Mode-S Beacon 2401.500 MHz Launched: March 1, 1984 by a Delta-Thor rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Status: Operational During the period 16-January to 14-February 2001 good signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The battery voltage observed during daylight passes is slightly lower. The average value observed was 13.9 with a range of 13.7 to 14.1 volts. The internal temperatures have slightly decreased. They are now 4.6C and 2.8C for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The WOD survey of channels 10, 20, 30, 40 (+Y, -X, +X, solar array currents, array voltage) - dated 06 January - has been transmitted. The array voltage shows the effect of the solar eclipses. The array voltage also shows the decrease of battery voltage during dark periods, the constant voltage during charge, and over-voltage when the battery is fully charged. The spin period has varied between 280 and 315 seconds. At the start of the reporting period the Z-axis magnetorquer counter reached 1,024. Reports of mode-S reception have been received from Andy, VK3TDO, and Jorge, LU4EBC. Both stations report hearing weak signals using SSB converters with 60-cm dishes. The operating schedule is as follows: ASCII status (210 seconds) ASCII bulletin (60 seconds) BINARY SEU (30 seconds) ASCII TLM (90 seconds) ASCII WOD (120 seconds) ASCII bulletin (60 seconds) BINARY ENG (30 seconds) The ASCII bulletin is currently a static message, detailing modes and frequencies of all active amateur radio satellites. More information on OSCAR-11 is available at the following URL: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/ [ANS thanks Clive Wallis, G3CWV, for OSCAR-11 status information] LUSAT LO-19 Uplink 145.84 145.86 145.88 145.90 MHz FM (using 1200 baud Manchester FSK) CW downlink 437.125 MHz Digital downlink 437.150 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK) Broadcast Callsign LUSAT-11 BBS LUSAT-12 Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational. The CW beacon is sending eight telemetry channels and one status channel on 437.126 MHz. No BBS service is available. The digipeater is not active. Telemetry (limited) is as follows: Sat Feb 17 at 22:05 2001 UTC LUSAT HIHI 60 AVT ABV AAB AB6 ATD ABT TTU AEE LUSAT HIHI 60 AVT ABV AAD AD6 ATN A6N TTU AEE LUSAT HIHI 60 AVT ABV AAN AD6 AAT A6N TTU AEE Mineo, JE9PEL, has recorded LO-19 CW and PSK telemetry and placed the information on his Internet homepage site at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ General information and telemetry samples can be found at: www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu [ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information] PACSAT AO-16 Uplink 145.90 145.92 145.94 145.96 MHz FM (using 1200 baud Manchester FSK) Downlink 437.025 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK) Mode-S Beacon 2401.1428 MHz Broadcast Callsign: PACSAT-11 BBS PACSAT-12 Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater command is on. Russ, WJ9F, reported the 70-cm transmitter is at about 2-watts output and WOD is being collected to watch the battery temps to see if they stabilize to previous levels. On Saturday, February 24th AO-16's 2401.1428 MHz S-band transmitter was turned on. It will be on for approximately 24 to 36 hours depending on battery voltages and temperatures. WJ9F welcomes all reception reports especially telemetry copied in KISS format. Telemetry is as follows: uptime is 370/18:21:09. Time is Sat Feb 17 21:57:09 2001 +10V Bus 10.100 V +Z Array V 0.205 V Bat 1 V 1.210 V Bat 2 V 1.187 V Bat 3 V 1.208 V Bat 4 V 1.234 V Bat 5 V 1.191 V Bat 6 V 1.194 V Bat 7 V 1.208 V Bat 8 V 1.239 V Bat 1 Temp 7.260 D Bat 2 Temp 7.260 D Baseplt Temp 6.654 D PSK TX RF Out 1.535 W RC PSK BP Temp -1.817 D RC PSK HPA Tmp -1.817 D +Y Array Temp -21.180 D PSK TX HPA Tmp 2.419 D +Z Array Temp -12.709 D Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.421 Ifb= 0.186 I+10V= 0.250 TX:1009 BCR:1E PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:9A Beacon text: Happy 11th birthday to AO-16, LO-19, UO-14. AO-16 owned and operated by AMSAT-NA AO-16 Command Team A new WOD collection of current graphics along with general information and telemetry samples can be found at: www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu [ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information] TMSAT-1 TO-31 Uplink 145.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 436.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK) Broadcast Callsign: TMSAT1-11 BBS TMSAT1-12 Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Non-operational, no data downlinked since December 18, 2000. Jim, AA7KC, reports TO-31 non-operational over North America. Chris G7UPN, (UoSAT operations manager) reports the following to ANS: The TO-31 downlink will be off over most areas, with the exception of Europe and Thailand. This is required to allow control stations to recondition the battery with minimum power drain. ProcMail V2.00G has been released by G7UPN. This software permits the processing of image files from TO-31. It has been posted to the AMSAT-NA FTP site at the following URL: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/wisp Many of the high-resolution color images transmitted by TMSAT are compressed using a UoSAT compression format. This format is supported by the VK5HI CCD display program. [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for TO-31 status information] UoSAT-12 UO-36 Uplink 145.960 MHz (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 437.025 MHz 437.400 MHz Broadcast Callsign UO121-11 BBS UO121-12 Launched: April 21, 1999 by a Russian launcher from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Semi-operational UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward communications and mode L/S transponders. NASA has demonstrated on UO-36 the ability to use standard Internet protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft (just like any node on the Internet). NASA has been developing this project by working with the commercial payload aboard UoSAT-12. The BBS is open, although uploading and downloading may be disabled at times. The VK5HI viewer shareware for UO-36 is available on the AMSAT-NA web site at the following URL: ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/display/ccddsp97-119.zip Further information on UO-36 is available from: http://www.sstl.co.uk/ [ANS thanks Chris G7UPN/ZL2TPO, and the University of Surrey for this information] ITAMSAT IO-26 Uplink 145.875 145.900 145.925 145.950 MHz FM (1200 baud) Downlink 435.822 MHz SSB Broadcast Callsign ITMSAT-11 BBS ITMSAT-12 Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater function is on and open for APRS users. [ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for IO-26 information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-056.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 056.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-056.06 THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME: SUNSAT SO-35 Mode J Uplink: 145.825 MHz FM Mode J Downlink: 436.250 MHz FM Mode B Uplink: 436.291 MHz FM Mode B Downlink: 145.825 MHz FM Launched: February 23, 1999 by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Status: Non-operational The SunSat team released the following statement, dated February 1, 2001: We regret to announce that the last communication with SunSat from our ground station at the Electronic Systems Laboratory at Stellenbosch University took place recently. We are certain, after having performed several tests since the last contact, that an irreversible, physical failure has occurred on the satellite. It is therefore unlikely that we will have any further contact with SunSat, apart from the occasional visual sighting by telescope! When it was operational the SunSat package included 1200 and 9600 baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater system in addition to Mode B/J operation with two VHF and two UHF transmit-receive systems. For more information on SunSat visit the following URL: http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za [ANS thanks Garth Milne, ZR1AFH, for this information] RADIO SPORT RS-13 Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 145.860 MHz Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher Status: non-operational (last operational in mode-T) RS-12 was re-activated in January 2001. Prior to this switch RS-13 was operational (mode T), but was apparently turned off following the recent RS-12 switch. The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the AC5DK RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at: http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html [ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information] KITSAT KO-23 Uplink 145.900 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 435.170 MHz FM Broadcast Callsign HLO1-11 BBS HLO1-12 Launched: August 10, 1992 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Intermittent operation with the downlink transmitter operating at unpredictable intervals. Jim, AA7KC, reports that KO-23's downlink transmitter continues in non-operational status. Jim says that KO-23 shows some signs of trying to recover, but no useful data has been downlinked. The duration of this status is unpredictable. No data has been received since October 28, 2000. KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, reports (from the KO-23 control team) that part of the problem with non-operation has been the power budget aboard the satellite. "We are not sure when the bird might turn off again due to insufficient power. The capability of the onboard power system has been less and less," said Kim. HL0ENJ also noted that as of October 30, 2000 the onboard computer was reset and a reboot of operational software is now underway. Jeff, KB2WQM, reported to ANS that he noticed KO-23 transmitting a solid carrier recently (no data), Mineo, JE9PEL, also reported receiving KO-23 carrier signals. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, for KO-23 status information] TECHSAT-1B GO-32 Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Russian Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Semi-operational. Efforts were reported to be underway to bring GO-32 on line, however, no information has been received by ANS (the last report was dated November 1999). Last reported, the satellite does transmit a 9600-baud burst every 30 seconds (the GO-32 beacon sends one short telemetry status transmission of 44 bytes) and upon request the complete telemetry buffer. [ANS has no further information] PANSAT PO-34 Uplink/downlink frequencies have never been released Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery Status: Unknown The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions. PanSat was developed by the Naval Postgraduate School. At the time of launch, PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders were promised to be available to Amateur Radio operators along with software to utilize this technology. To date, this has not happened. For more information, visit the official PanSat web site at: http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/ PanSat was the featured cover article on the July/August 1999 issue of the AMSAT-NA Journal (the story written by KD6DRA and N7HPR). [ANS has no further information] MIR SPACE STATION 145.985 MHz (FM) voice and SSTV (Robot 36 Mode) Launched: February 18, 1986 Status: Unmanned Currently, there is no human habitation aboard the station and the onboard Amateur Radio equipment has been turned off. Several news agencies are reporting the Mir space station will be ditched in a controlled descent that will send it hurtling into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean in March 2001. MIR SAFEX II 70-cm Repeater Uplink 435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone of 141.3 Hz Downlink 437.950 MHz FM Status: Not operational. No operation in 1999 or 2000 has been observed MIR SAFEX II 70-cm QSO Mode Uplink 435.725 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 151.4 Hz Downlink 437.925 MHz FM Status: Not operational. No operation in 1999 or 2000 has been observed [ANS has no further information] DOVE DO-17 Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200 baud AFSK) 2401.220 MHz Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Non-operational. DOVE has been in orbit for 11 years. DOVE stopped transmitting in March 1998. The 145.825 MHz and 2401.220 MHz downlinks are off the air and the satellite has not responded to ground station control. [ANS has no further information] WEBERSAT WO-18 Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB (1200 baud PSK AX.25) Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Non-operational. WO-18 was last reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash. [ANS has no further information] SEDSAT-1 SO-33 Downlink 437.910 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK) Launched: October 24, 1998 by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Status: Semi-operational. The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and the image and transponder recovery efforts have been unsuccessful. SedSat-1 signifies Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (satellite number one). SedSat-1 has downlinked months worth of telemetry data on the performance of its electrical power system parameters. The Nickel Metal Hydride batteries on the spacecraft were experimental and experienced some abuse due to a power negative situation. This information has provided NASA with useful information. With the exception of the imaging system and the use of the transponders, SedSat-1 has been judged a success. For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at the following URL: http://seds.uah.edu/projects/sedsat/sedsat.htm [ANS has no further information] /EX