SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.01 PHASE 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.01 AO-40 experimental transponder operation has temporarily ended due to changes in the spacecraft latitude needed for Arcjet cold firing. The squint pointing angle is more than 30 degrees and not currently useful for transponder operation. AMSAT-DL reports command stations have suspended transponder operation for now as the S-2 transponder remains off until further notice. The RUDAK beacon and S-band middle beacon are continuously on. ANS has received additional information from AMSAT-DL: In order to escape the rapidly approaching Sun exposure (and to get ready for Arcjet thruster) AO-40's ALAT number has been lowered. ALON/ALAT values will be tweaked with YACE images and command stations will continue to lower ALAT numbers before beginning to move ALON numbers past sun exposure. X-band, K-band transmitter and C-band receiver tests have stopped as the minimum squint angle is not enough for useful signals. In addition, the RUDAK team has asked for more time for RUDAK experiments. Message blocks have been be updated to reflect these new conditions. (end) Stay tuned to ANS, the official source for news and information about AMSAT OSCAR 40. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.02 VE3FRH ANNOUNCES PRESIDENT'S CLUB AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.02 Initially released at the Dayton Hamvention by AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, AMSAT, is pleased to announce the formation of the President's Club. Following the announcement, Gunther Meisse, W8GSM, became one of the first to respond. "I have been a life member for years and have been away from the hobby for a long time," said W8GSM, "this year I was thinking about AMSAT and listening for AO-40, sign me up!" Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds will be eligible to receive the benefits of membership. Initially, there will two levels for donations - which will qualify for benefits: Gold Level - for donations of $100 or more per month (or $1,200 per year) Silver Level - for donations of $50 or more per month (or $600 per year) Presidents Club benefits include the following: Gold Level: AMSAT President's Club - Gold Certificate AMSAT President's Club - Gold Pin (unique) Invitation to the AMSAT special reception (at the annual meeting), to meet with Directors, Officers, Project Designers and satellite builders. Invitation to the AMSAT Dayton Dinner Annual endorsement stickers for certificate Silver Level: AMSAT President's Club - Silver Certificate AMSAT President's Club - Silver Pin (unique) Invitation to the AMSAT special reception (at the annual meeting), to meet with Directors, Officers, Project Designers and satellite builders. Annual endorsement stickers for certificate Application forms are available from AMSAT-NA Office. For further information and details contact: Daniel James, NN0DJ AMSAT Vice President-Public Affairs P.O. Box 297 Warroad, MN 56763-0297 NN0DJ can be reached at: (218) 386-1544 (or) via e-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.03 NEW APPOINTMENTS AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.03 AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, is pleased to announce the following appointments: Dick Daniels, W4PUJ, (a member of the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors), has been appointed as the official AMSAT-NA Archivist. Dick a founding member of AMSAT-NA, and has collected numerous photographs and information concerning AMSAT. In addition, he has already started converting many existing slides to a digital format for the archives. Dick will also present plans and ideas to the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for the long-term preservation of our records. Ed Collins, N8NUY, (the organizer of the annual AMSAT Dayton dinner), has been appointed as special assistant to the President. Ed's assignments will be designated Robin, VE3FRH. Ed's background and past military experience will bring additional strength to the AMSAT administrative roles. Both of the above appointments are effective immediately. [Congratulations to both Dick and Ed from ANS!] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.04 THE PRESIDENT'S LETTER AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.04 The following is the May President's Letter from AMSAT-NA President, Robin Haighton, VE3FRH: Another Dayton has come and gone, and it was great to meet so many of you at the AMSAT booth! However, even with the time I spent there, it was still not enough time to meet and talk to everyone. Immediately before Dayton, Kenwood had a reception to introduce a new handheld radio. At the reception Kenwood also presented Barry Baines, WD4ASW, (our Vice President of Field Operations), with the Kenwood Top Gun Award. The award commends Barry for his hard work in attending many hamfests throughout the year and for doing so much to promote Amateur Radio. Details of the presentation will be included in a future issue of the AMSAT-NA Journal. Congratulations Barry! On Friday of Dayton it rained and rained, and we all felt very sorry for the outside vendors. Inside, the crowds were busy with new AMSAT memberships (and renewing existing ones) as well as making donations to AMSAT for books and various other goods. The Friday evening annual AMSAT Banquet was very well attended and I had the pleasure of introducing the new AMSAT President's Club, which recognizes members who donate on a regular basis to AMSAT projects. Gerry Schmitt, KK5YY, gave those at the dinner a very interesting talk on his Alaska adventures, complete with beautiful pictures. On Saturday, the weather cooperated with Dayton and a great day was had both inside and out. Saturday evening the Dayton Hamvention Banquet was held and Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, (our Vice President of Human Spaceflight Programs), was awarded a Dayton Special Achievement award. Frank received this award for his outstanding work with both the SAREX and ISS programs. Congratulations Frank! I would like to thank all of the people who participated in making the Dayton arrangements, assisting at the booth, putting the booth up (and taking it down), organizing the AMSAT dinner, and a thousand-and-one other items - thank you all for volunteering! 73, Robin Haighton, VE3FRH President AMSAT-NA [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.05 ANS IN BRIEF AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.05 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** NASA Astronaut Patricia Hilliard Robertson was fatally injured recently in a private plane accident. Robertson was a member of the Astronaut class of 1998 and was currently is assigned as a crew support astronaut for the Expedition-2 crew presently on board the International Space Station. -NASA ** ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency recently signed an agreement for European astronauts to fly to the International Space Station on Russian Souyz launchers between 2001-06. The agreement represents an important step in the development of operational expertise for the European astronaut corps. -ESA ** The X-40A vehicle successfully performed a 7th and final free flight test at the Dryden Flight Research Center. The X-40A was lifted by an Army Chinook helicopter to an altitude of 15,005 feet and released, reaching a speed of 304 mph. -SpaceDaily ** The ARRL Executive Committee has reviewed a preliminary draft Petition for Rule Making seeking a new U.S. ham band in the vicinity of 5 MHz. Experimental operation at 5 MHz under a license issued to the ARRL has been going on since 1999. Participants in the operation have established that an allocation at 5 MHz could improve emergency communication capabilities by filling the gap between 80 and 40-meters. -ARRL ** AMSAT Awards Manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reports for those who think you need to have a big station to work AO-27 or UO-14, Scott, KD5FBA, has over 1,000 satellite contacts using both satellites with nothing more exotic than a HT and an HT-mounted omni-directional whip antenna. -Bruce, KK5DO ** ESA and Arianespace have agreed on an early summer launch date for Artemis, the agency's new advanced telecommunications satellite. The multi-purpose satellite is the most advanced telecommunication satellite developed by ESA and will demonstrate new technologies in developing Europe's new worldwide satellite navigation system, new mobile communication services and inter-satellite data relay. -ESA ** The ARRL says it's not reasonable to assume that the FCC's Part 15 rules can be applied to ultra-wideband (UWB) devices due to their unique transmission characteristics. The League drew that conclusion in responding to comments filed by others in reaction to five reports that address UWB's interference potential. The FCC has proposed to deploy UWB devices on an unlicensed basis under its Part 15 rules. -ARRL ** After a long and distinguished career spanning almost 24 years, one of the nation's NOAA weather workhorse satellites was boosted into higher orbit and removed from service, as announced by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. -SpaceDaily --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.06 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. The RUDAK system has been activated. AO-40 experimental transponder operation started on May 05, 2001 at approximately 08:00 UTC when the U-band and L1-band uplinks were connected to the S-2 transmitter passband downlink via the Matrix switch. It is also planned to test the U-band and V-band transmitters again when squint angles allow good visibility. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL 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 NOCALL ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis. ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio organizations, including AMSAT. Status: Operational. Voice contacts with ISS have been made recently. The ISS packet station is available for UI packets (APRS or UI QSL). The mailbox and keyboard are currently disabled. Please see the packet section of the ARISS web page before attempting to first work ISS on packet. The Moran Prairie Elementary School, Spokane, Washington, successfully completed the latest ISS/school contact. Moran Prairie is an elementary school with over 500 students. U.S. callsign: NA1SS Russian callsigns: RS0ISS, RZ3DZR The QSL routes for W/VE stations working NA1SS aboard the International Space Station: U.S. stations: Margie Bourgoin KB1DCO Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL ARRL, 225 Main Street Newington, Connecticut 06111 Canadian stations: Radio Amateurs of Canada Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL 720 Belfast Road, Suite 217 Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5 A self-addressed, stamped envelope is required to get a QSL in return. The ARISS international group has not yet finalized a QSL card design. It will be a few months before cards become available. 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 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 RS-12 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. 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 is 38 / TEPR 5 is 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 John, K6YK, reports HC8N has been active on the FO satellites. Tak, JA2PKI, reported 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 July 2, 2001 - mode JA 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-147.07 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.07 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.07 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 Paul, KB2SHU, reports that he has not copied the satellite since early May. Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that 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, last reported KO-25 to be operational with very low traffic and low downlink efficiency. 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, last reported UO-22 is operational with heavy individual and Sat-gate traffic. Gateways from Spain, France, Brazil, South Africa, Greece, the United States and Chile use this satellite daily - which demonstrates the international use of this satellite. Downlink efficiencies are in the high 90% 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 Clive Wallis, G3CWV, reports during the period of 17-April to 15-May, reliable signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The battery voltage observed during daylight passes has continued to decrease. The average value observed was 13.4 with a range of 13.2 to 13.7 volts. The internal temperatures have continued to decrease by another one degree C. They are now 0.8C and -0.6C for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The WOD survey of channels 1, 2, 3, 61 (X, Z, Y magnetometers and status) dated 24-March, has been transmitted. The spin period has varied between 305 and 348 seconds. The attitude control appears to be working normally since the counters were reset by ground control. Users of OSCAR-11 should note that the hardware generated time in the ASCII telemetry is now 15.5 minutes ahead of UTC, and the date is three days advanced. Unfortunately these errors cannot be corrected. 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 was as follows: uptime is 460/18:13:11. Time is Fri May 18 21:50:15 2001 +10V Bus 9.900 V PSK TX RF Out 0.747 W Bat 1 V 1.183 V Bat 2 V 1.135 V Bat 3 V 1.166 V Bat 4 V 1.224 V Bat 5 V 1.119 V Bat 6 V 1.134 V Bat 7 V 1.158 V Bat 8 V 1.216 V Bat 1 Temp 3.024 D Bat 2 Temp 3.024 D Baseplt Temp 3.024 D RC PSK BP Temp -6.053 D RC PSK HPA Tmp -5.448 D +Y Array Temp -24.811 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -3.027 D +Z Array Temp -15.129 D Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.300 Ifb= 0.168 I+10V= 0.152 TX:1006 BCR:1E PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:E9 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 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-147.08 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.08 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 27, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.08 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, reported recently to ANS that TO-31 has been non-operational over North America for the past six 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 Time is Fri Apr 20 20:59:04 2001 LUSAT HIHI 60 AUN ADT AVB ADV AUB A66 A6U AE6Sat 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 8 months. ANS has received no additional information. When/if operational, 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 8 months. ANS has received no additional information. When/if operational, 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, reported 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 was underway. [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) 436.500 MHz Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery Status: Unknown The satellite is not available for general uplink transmissions. The Naval Postgraduate School developed PanSat. 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 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