SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.01 PHASE 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.01 Last week, ANS offered a statement from Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, President of AMSAT-NA, with input and review from other AMSAT-NA members. Following the ANS release, both the ARRL Letter and AMSAT-DL also featured AO-40 news. (from the ARRL Letter) AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, has issued a likely explanation of why AO-40 suddenly went silent in mid-December. Haighton's March 16 statement outlines a three-part failure scenario theorizing that AO-40's problems began with a fault in a helium valve. "Initial thoughts were that the spacecraft was completely dead and that chances of recovery were remote, with the possibility that AO-40 was in multiple pieces," Haighton said. The satellite's 2-meter beacon quit while ground controllers were testing the onboard 400-Newton motor system after anomalies with an orbit-shifting burn that lasted several minutes too long. It was almost two weeks before ground controllers were able to reset the onboard computers and restart a beacon on 2.4 GHz. Ground controllers have been somewhat successful in regaining control of the next-generation amateur satellite since telemetry transmissions resumed Christmas Day, but Haighton concedes some onboard systems may not be recoverable. Haighton said that while the Phase 3D team may never know exactly what happened, the likely scenario includes what Haighton told ARRL was "a minor explosion" aboard AO-40, as out-of-place fuel mixed and then ignited as a result of a blocked exhaust port on a helium valve. "We think it was a human error thing," Haighton conceded in an interview with the ARRL. He did not elaborate. Ground controllers have used AO-40's magnetorquing system to reduce the satellite's spin rate to around 5 RPM and are optimistic that they'll be able to re-orient the satellite for communication with Earth. The satellite's omnidirectional antennas appear to be lost, but ground controllers hope the high-gain directional antennas still work and that reorienting the spacecraft will bring about a resumption of signals from other transmitters. AO-40's heat pipe system--which could not work at the higher spin rates-has begun operating again too, considerably reducing internal temperatures. But ground controllers are pessimistic about being able to restore AO-40's 2-meter and 70 cm transmitters. Yet to be tested is the onboard arc-jet motor, which ground controllers hope to use to reorient the satellite so that the high-gain antennas will face the Earth. "Following the reorientation it will be possible to test the remaining systems on board the spacecraft and to determine which systems and bands will be available for future operations and under what conditions," Haighton said. (end) AO-40 was also a topic of discussion at the recently completed AMSAT-DL Symposium: The afternoon began with a review of the P3D launch-campaign by Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, and a video-presentation of the launch itself. Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, subsequently explained, what had since happened with AO-40. He expounded that the incident which occurred on December 13, 2000 has been technically clarified and the human component, which led to the incident, has been understood. The catastrophe was triggered by a vent opening of a valve associated with the 400-N motor. As a consequence remnants of fuel was left in the cooling shell of the motor which subsequently forcibly escaped through a leak. DJ4ZC then explained the current situation of AO-40. The goal is now to rule out likely problems for the future and concentrate on the commissioning of AO-40. After successful magnetorquing, the satellite should be maneuvered to an attitude which permits testing of the Arcjet engine. The results of this test will then determine further orbit changes involving the Arcjet and the commissioning of AO-40. Presently, AO-40 is in a 440 day long cycle in regards to the solar angle (with alternating phases), with 110 days providing suitable alignment of the antennas and solar cells for firing of the Arcjet. Provided the ATOS-tests proceed satisfactorily, the first transponder operation could begin earlier than originally planned, possibly still in the first year-half of 2001. (end) The 8th AMSAT-DL Symposium was also reported to have been very successful with more than 120 visitors. In addition, the annual meeting of AMSAT-DL elected a new Board of Directors (following the sad death of former Vice President Werner Haas, DJ5QK, and Dr. Karl Meinzer's wish to retire as president). The new officers of AMSAT-DL are: President: Peter Guelzow, DB2OS Vice President: Frank Sperber, DL6DBN Treasurer: Hans Dorr, DF4FE The new AMSAT-DL Board of Directors thanked Karl Meinzer for all of his hard work during the first 28 years of AMSAT-DL, bestowing the title of Honorary President on DJ4ZC. AMSAT-NA President VE3FRH offered his congratulations to the new officers: Hello Peter, Frank and Hans, I was delighted to see that your recent AMSAT-DL annual meeting went well, and that you were elected to your new positions. I look forward to working with you on future projects. May I also offer congratulations to you both on behalf of the Board of Directors of AMSAT-NA. 73, Robin Haighton VE3FRH President AMSAT-NA [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.02 PRESIDENTS LETTER AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.02 The following is the March Presidents Letter from AMSAT-NA President, Robin Haighton VE3FRH. To all AMSAT-NA members, Spring is finally here and for those who live in the northern part of the Americas, it is very good to be able to enjoy the Sun again and to prepare the garden for spring flowers. Spring seems to bring a sense of hope and renewal, and so it is in the AMSAT world. First, we hope for the recovery of AO-40 and for the promise of good things to come and bands to work. I hope that we will soon be hearing more good news from the Project Leader Karl Meinzer and the command stations -- these people have worked very hard on our behalf. Secondly, after many years as AMSAT-DL President, Karl has relinquished that job, and Peter Guelzow, DB2OS has been elected to the President's office (with Karl as Honorary President). In addition, Frank Sperber, DL6DBN, has been elected as Vice President and Hans Dorr, DF4FE, as Treasurer. AMSAT-NA looks forward to working with all of the above, just as we have for many years. Congratulations to all! Thirdly, new AMSAT-NA projects are being discussed at the project committee level, and a very good discussion is continuing. Perhaps the most interesting part of the proceedings is a discussion which is trying to determine just how to provide the best coverage for smaller Amateur Radio satellite ground stations -- which bands and under what conditions. For example, if a satellite is at apogee, then high-gain antennas pointing to Earth would be the preferred solution, but since the satellite is not always at apogee, what is the best compromise for all the other positions? The questions are complicated by many factors (such as spin axis shape). The Project Committee will attempt to find an answer to these problems prior to our first formal meeting (to be held soon). Apart from the design and building of the satellite, we also must think of the means available for financing this new bird, as even Amateur Radio satellites cost money to build and to launch. Initial estimates indicate that $2 million may be close, however a more accurate figure will be made later in the year after the preliminary design stage. I hope that all AMSAT members will be prepared to contribute to this project, possibly even asking your local Amateur Radio club to contribute as well! Other ideas include spending time at a local Hamfest as the AMSAT representative and helping bring in new members. If every AMSAT member were to raise only $400, the initial estimated figure would be met! Can you meet this challenge? Please send your contributions to our head office, attention Martha, at 850 Sligo Avenue Unit #600, Silver Spring, MD 20910-4703. Martha is also available by telephone at (301) 589-6062 during normal business hours. Each year AMSAT has a booth at Dayton, and we welcome friends, both old and new, as it is an ideal time to renew memberships. Often there is a special incentive for those who join or renew. This year AMSAT-NA will offer a very special price on the newly released AMSAT-NA Journal on CD. In addition, please don't forget the Friday night AMSAT dinner at Dayton, it's a great get together where you can meet many of the AMSAT officers, builders and others who make the organization run. I look forward to meeting you there. The Dayton AMSAT forum will take place on Saturday, May 19th from 8-10 a.m., more details will be included in future ANS bulletins. Finally, AMSAT is always looking for new people to assist in the operation of the organization, and spring is a great time to become even more involved in your hobby along with giving something back to AMSAT with your participation. I know how much I have learned about satellites once I became involved in AMSAT, so don't be shy, volunteer! AMSAT needs all sorts of people to assist in many activities. If interested, just send me an e-mail (VE3FRH@amsat.org) and let me know what you would like to do. Some areas requiring additional people include our area coordinators, fund raisers, technical designers and builders, legal, and Canadian liaison with RAC. That's enough for now, have a great time experimenting, working the birds and enjoying our wonderful hobby. 73, Robin Haighton, VE3FRH President AMSAT-NA [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.03 MIR 1986-2001 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.03 The Mir space station broke up in the atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean (as planned) on March 23, 2001, ending its reign as the heaviest artificial object to orbit Earth. Russian Mission Control ordered Mir to begin the de-orbit sequence using rocket thrusters from an attached cargo ship as ground controllers directed the plunge. Most of the unmanned modular complex disintegrated in the atmosphere. Mir, the world's first international space station, exploded into thousands of pieces after the successful maneuver at 05:59 UTC as it flew over the western central Pacific. Eye witnesses on islands from southern Japan and across the Pacific reported the fireworks display. During its 15-year stint in space, Mir set endurance and space adventure records, along with providing hundreds of Amateur Radio contacts between ham radio satellite operators and onboard cosmonauts and astronauts. Mir was a beloved space fixture for many Amateur Radio satellite operators, who enjoyed communication with the crew, using the onboard digital and voice repeaters and watching video transmitted from the station. In addition, there were several Mir-to-shuttle contacts via ham radio. Many in the world-wide ham radio community were sad to see the station leave orbit. Amateurs watching CNN's coverage of the Mir de-orbit were very familiar with the tracking images shown, as they were generated from the popular Nova for Windows satellite tracking program authored by Michael Owen, W9IP. Mir racked up an impressive number of accomplishments during its lifetime, including the longest time in orbit for a space station (15 years); the longest time in space for a human crew member (438 days); and the heaviest man-made object ever to orbit Earth. [ANS thanks NASA and several news agencies for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.04 KA3HDO HONORED AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.04 ANS is pleased to announce that AMSAT's Vice President for Human Space Flight, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, has been chosen to receive the Dayton Hamvention Special Achievement award for 2001. The Hamvention announcement reads: Mr. Bauer's countless hours of behind-the-scenes work with the Space Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) and Amateur Radio International Space Station (ARISS) programs have made these very high profile activities a world-wide successes. Mr. Bauer organized and led the teams that provided the links to schools so that children could talk with astronauts as they orbited the earth. He developed band plans for spectrum utilization for Amateur Radio space operations and continues his leadership role as a technical liaison between the Amateur Radio service and NASA. Dayton Hamvention is proud to honor Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, as its Special Achievement Winner for 2001. In accepting, KA3HDO told ANS that he is just one small part of a world-wide group of volunteers who are dedicated to keeping ham radio in space. "I am very humbled to get this award, and I would like to thank all of hundreds of volunteers around the world that have made the SAREX and ARISS programs possible. They put in thousands of hours because they believe in what we are doing in space. They believe in our youth and they believe in Amateur Radio, " said KA3HDO. AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, offered his congratulations: Frank, may I pass my personal congratulations to you, as well as those from the Board of Directors and Officers of AMSAT, on your being awarded the Dayton Hamvention Special Achievement Award for 2001. Your work on the SAREX Program and ISS has been a model for all volunteers, and a program in which AMSAT has been proud to work with you and provide support. You have made this program a truly International effort, and one in which all the various participants feel that they have a significant share in the results. 73, Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. President AMSAT Other 2001 Hamvention winners included CQ magazine Propagation Editor George Jacobs, W3ASK, named Amateur of the Year, and Peter Martinez, G3PLX, chosen to receive this year's Technical Excellence Award for his development of a new low bandwidth digital mode called PSK-31 that has taken ham radio by storm. [ANS congratulates Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and thanks NewsLine and AMSAT-NA for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.05 AMSAT-DC SEMINAR FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS Space enthusiasts and Amateur Satellite operators are invited to the Maryland-DC area AMSAT Meeting and Space Seminar. The gathering takes place on Sunday, April 1, 2001 in the Visitor Center Auditorium of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Special guests include Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, President of AMSAT-NA, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, AMSAT Vice President Field operations, and more! The agenda, worker signup, and more information about the event can be found at the AMSAT-DC web site at: http://simsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssamsatdc.html The event will start promptly at 1:00 p.m. EDT, visitors may come early to help, set up or take a stroll in the Visitor Center Hall of Satellites. Visitors can also enjoy a walking tour of the Hubble Space Telescope Operations Control Center and the NASA Communications Center, starting at 11 a.m. The Educator's Resource Center will also be available for gathering student and classroom materials. For directions and additional information on the GSFC Visitor Center, visit the web site: http://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/vc/vc.htm [ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK, AMSAT Area Coordinator, for this information.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-077.06 ANS IN BRIEF AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 23, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.06 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** The crew of shuttle Discovery successfully completed their mission to the International Space Station, leaving the second station crew to settle in and begin in earnest the research planned aboard the orbiting laboratory. Expedition-1 Commander Bill Shepherd passed responsibility for the station to Expedition-2 Commander Yury Usachev, UA9AD. Other crew members are astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms, KC7NHZ. A school contact with the Reible School, in Santa Rosa, California, was successfully completed on March 27th with KC7NHZ as the operator for the NA1SS station on the ISS. This was the first school contact for the new crew. There also have been several reports of Susan also doing general QSO's. -ARISS ** April 12, 2001 is the 40th anniversary of manned space flight and G8ATE, G7HIA and G7OBR will operate a special event station using the callsign GB1MSF (first manned space flight). Operation will be mainly from April 12-14th, but will continue on other dates as well. The special event station will be active on all analog satellites, with emphasis on RS-12. A special QSL card will be made available. Operating times will be posted as the event draws near. - Robert, G8ATE ** VHF-UHF and microwave enthusiast Al Ward, W5LUA, reports that he has documented echoes from the moon on 24 GHz. Ward was able to hear and record the EME echoes on 24192.1 MHz recently, running just 20-watts into a dish antenna. -NewsLine ** Bruce, KK5DO, reported that the Houston AMSAT Net enjoyed a special guest last Tuesday, AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, via telephone link. It was an excellent opportunity to ask Robin a question or two about AMSAT happenings. If you missed the event, instant replay of the net is available at the Houston AMSAT Net web site: http://www.amsatnet.com. -Bruce, KK5DO ** The jolt of excitement from the January discovery of a new high temperature superconducting metal, magnesium diboride, received another voltage boost with evidence that the material can carry electrical currents at high density. A team of scientists from the Applied Superconductivity Center discovered that the material carries large currents without the common barriers seen in other ceramic superconductors. The development may mean advancement in world electric power applications. -SpaceDaily ** The Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union has selected the theme "Providing Disaster Communications: Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" for World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2001. The recent use of UO-14 for emergency disaster communications in India is an excellent example. The IARU has been the watchdog and spokesman for the world Amateur Radio community since its founding in Paris, France, in 1925. Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, was its first president. -ARRL/Bill, W3XO ** Nominations are now open for the Amateur Radio NewsLine Young Ham of the Year Award for 2001. Created in 1986, the award recognizes one young amateur under the age of 18 in the continental United States for his or her contributions to society through Amateur Radio. Nominating forms and additional information are available at the Amateur Radio NewsLine Web site, http://www.arnewsline.org. -NewsLine ** Deep Space 1 is now the proud owner of a gift from its controllers on distant Earth -- a new load of software. The new computer programs were transmitted across the solar system as the craft continues its trek through the cosmos. The previous version of software was loaded in June 2000. -SpaceDaily --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.07 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.07 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.07 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-1 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 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 Peter, OZ4LP, has been hearing W1 stations via RS-12 and is looking to set up transatlantic schedules with stations in the north east U.S. and eastern Canada. Interested stations can contact him via the RS-12/13 operators forum at: http://www.hotboards.com/plus/plus.mirage?who=rs1213 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. DX continues to be heard and worked on AO-10. Mirek, 9V1XE, from Singapore has been active. 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. TEPR states on AO-27 were reset on March 24, 2001 as follows: TEPR 4 = 38 TEPR 5 = 78 (TEPR 5 is now 20 minutes long) 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, features UO-14 information on the Michigan AMSAT web site -- 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 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] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.08 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.08 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.08 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 KO-25 operational. Downlink efficiency is in the high 90% range. [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 operational with heavy individual and Sat-gate traffic. Downlink efficiencies are 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 information and Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for 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 Happy birthday OSCAR-11 - now 17 years in space! During the period 14-February through 14-March 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 13.8 volts, with a range of 13.4 to 14.1 volts. The internal temperatures have decreased by about one degree C. They are now 3.2C and 1.6C for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. A WOD survey (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 the over-voltage condition when the battery is fully charged. The spin period has varied between 280 and 329 seconds. In mid-January the Z-axis magnetorquer counter reached 1,024. 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] 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. Telemetry is as follows: uptime is 398/08:01:42. Time is Sat Mar 17 11:38:34 2001 +X (RX) Temp 6.654 D RX Temp -0.002 D Bat 1 Temp 7.260 D Bat 2 Temp 6.049 D Baseplt Temp 5.444 D PSK TX RF Out 1.705 W RC PSK BP Temp 1.814 D RC PSK HPA Tmp 1.814 D +Y Array Temp 1.814 D PSK TX HPA Tmp 4.234 D +Z Array Temp 16.941 D Total Array C= 0.365 Bat Ch Cur=-0.064 Ifb= 0.048 I+10V= 0.364 TX:1009 BCR:7F PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:8D 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] 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: Operational Bill, VK3JT, reports UO-36 was operating normally over VK land. Paul, KB2SHU, reports similar results recently over North America. 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-084.09 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 084.09 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MARCH 25, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.09 THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME: 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 has been non-operational over North America for the past several months. 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] 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: Beacon only. 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 Mar 17 at 11:45 2001 UTC LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ABN AVA AD4 AU4 A6U AEV AE6 LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ABN AVT ADV AU4 A6U AE4 AE6 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] 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, this satellite has been in orbit for almost six months. ANS has received no additional information. 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, this satellite has been in orbit for almost six months. ANS has received no additional information. 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. 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 frequency (listed on the PanSat web site) 436.50 MHz Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery Status: Unknown The satellite is not 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] 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