SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.01 AO-40 UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 189.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 08, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.01 The ARRL is reporting that AO-40's new orbit should be good for at least the next 20 years. The League based the story on information from AMSAT-DL President Peter Guelzow, DB2OS. Peter heads the satellite's ground control team. Following maneuvers to shift the satellite's orbit at perigee, AO-40 perigee now is ''oscillating in a safe range between 810 and 1260 km,'' according to DB2OS. AO-40's height at apogee of 58,971 km was unchanged by the orbital adjustment. The satellite's transponders remain off as ground controllers reorient the spacecraft. Ground controllers were able to change AO-40's orbit through successive cold firings of the onboard Arcjet motor, using only ammonia gas. The move raised AO-40 higher than predicted, and apparently depleted the spacecraft's ammonia supply. As a result, AO-40 likely will remain in its current orbit. Stacey Mills, W4SM, of the ground team said it's ''quite possible'' that an ammonia leak accounted for the unexpected loss of ammonia. ''If we did have a slow leak, it is very fortunate we did not wait any longer to use the remaining fuel,'' he said. Mills said that AO-40's old orbital configuration, while stable, was too close for comfort at perigee. ''I sincerely hope that nothing else malfunctions for a long, long time, but this is, after all, rocket science,'' Mills said. ''Nothing is guaranteed.'' Ground controllers plan to fully test AO-40's momentum wheels prior to any decision to deploy the spacecraft's solar panels. The momentum wheels provide three-axis control of the spacecraft. If the momentum wheels are not operational, it's unlikely the solar panels will be deployed. Stay tuned to ANS, the official source of AO-40 information. [ANS thanks the ARRL for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.02 PERDICT VERSION 2.1.4 RELEASED AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 189.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 08, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.02 John, KD2BD, has released an updated version of Predict, a popular satellite tracking and orbital prediction application for the Linux operating system. Predict version 2.1.4 includes the following changes from the previous version: * An array overflow problem in the Solar Illumination Prediction mode has been fixed * Pressing [R] in either the Single or Multi-Tracking mode forces Predict to re-read the orbital database. This will be useful if the database is updated manually through available Predicts update options while the program is running. This will eliminate the need to re-start the program under such conditions * Real-time tracking is no longer attempted for satellites that appear to have decayed from orbit * Several new options were added to the 'F' command-line switch. If no starting or ending date/time is specified, a single line of output corresponding to the current date/time is produced * Multiple Keplerian element data files may now be used as arguments for the 'U' command-line switch * Several network client applications were added or otherwise revised * The configuration and compilation process has been modified slightly to reduce confusion during installation Best of all, Predict is free software! More information about the program can be found at: ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/Linux/predict-2.1.4.tar.gz The Predict homepage is located at: http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html [ANS thanks John Magliacane, KD2BD, for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.03 ANS IN BRIEF AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 189.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 08, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.03 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** Could life thrive where the Sun never shines? The answer to this unorthodox question bears directly on the tantalizing possibility that life exists in the hidden, perpetually dark oceans that are thought to shroud some of Jupiter's moons, most prominently Europa. -SpaceDaily ** A space shuttle mission to deliver a key component that will enable astronauts to conduct spacewalks on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station was the subject of briefings help recently. Designated mission STS-104, Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for launch no earlier than July 12th. After an extensive engineering analysis, International Space Station Program managers gave the green light to proceed with the launch of Atlantis. Currently, the International Space Station is orbiting at an altitude averaging 240 miles. -NASA ** A new robotic explorer, smart enough to know when it's lost or in trouble and designed to follow the Sun in a whole new way, is ready to face its first test in the harsh elements of the Canadian Arctic. The prototype robot, named Hyperion, has the potential to be self-sufficient and will help researchers test a technique called Sun-synchronous navigation. -SpaceDaily ** It's now under five weeks before the AMSAT-UK Colloquium at the University of Surrey. Details are available at the following URL: http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium.htm. -Richard, G3RWL ** An astronaut who exits a spacecraft without a spacesuit will die very quickly because there is no air to breathe. However, although space is often regarded as an airless vacuum, it is by no means empty. Spacecraft such as Cluster are built to detect and study the sparse 'soup' of electrified plasma -- mostly electrons and protons -- that populates near-Earth space. -SpaceDaily ** Aboard ISS the Expedition-2 crew continues to test the station's robotic arm in preparation for its first official task of permanently installing the Airlock onto the Unity module. Expedition-2 Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms are conducting additional dress rehearsals of the Airlock installation task. The International Space Station is orbiting at an altitude averaging 240 miles. -NASA -END- --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.04 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 189.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 08, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.04 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. 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. Transponder operation is currently suspended. G6LVB has described how to use an offset-dish for S-downlink at: www.g6lvb.com/60cm.htm Three programs to convert RUDAK WOD (whole orbit data) are available at: www.amsat.org/amsat/ftpdelta.html [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 ISS daily crew schedule (which gives an idea when crew members have free time and may be available for Amateur Radio operations) can be found at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/2001/may/index.html U.S. callsign: NA1SS Russian callsigns: RS0ISS, RZ3DZR The QSL routes for working NA1SS aboard the International Space Station are as follows: 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 European stations: AMSAT-France 16, rue de la Vallee 91360 Epinay sur Orge, France 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. 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 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) [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 FO-20 control station operators believe that the UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the transponder. The controller 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 Last reported, the JARL FO-29 command station announced the operation schedule of FO-29 through October 2001 - was 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-189.05 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 189.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 08, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.05 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 Paul, KB2SHU, reports he was pleasantly surprised recently to see TiungSat-1 working again over North America. His system logged the satellite for the first time in many months. 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, reports KO-25 has returned to service. More details as they become available. No useful data had been downlinked since mid-June as the command team of KO-25 reported the on-board computer (OBC) of KO-25 crashed on June 19, 2001. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for this 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 good downlink efficiency and heavy traffic. 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, G3CWV, reported to ANS that it has been an uneventful time for OSCAR-11 during the period of May 15-June 9, 2001. Battery voltage observed during daylight passes has continued to decrease. The average value observed was 13.3 volts with a range of 13.1 to 13.5 volts. The internal temperatures have continued to decrease, now -0.2 and -1.6 Celsius for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The magnetometer calibrations have steadily changed during the many years in orbit. Although the changes are small and are not noticeable on a plot of individual channels, they do have a considerable effect when the total magnetic field is calculated. The spin period has also varied, now between 300 and 344 seconds, with the attitude control working normally. The mode-S beacon is active, transmitting an unmodulated carrier. This beacon is a useful test source for those testing mode-S converters for AO-40. 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 is as follows: uptime is 502/18:55:23. Time is Fri Jun 29 22:32:27 2001 +X (RX) Temp -13.314 D RX Temp -0.607 D Bat 1 V 1.271 V Bat 2 V 1.238 V Bat 3 V 1.237 V Bat 4 V 1.310 V Bat 5 V 1.208 V Bat 6 V 1.314 V Bat 7 V 1.240 V Bat 8 V 1.332 V BCR Input Cur 0.307 A BCR Output Cur 0.336 A Bat 1 Temp 2.419 D Bat 2 Temp 1.209 D Baseplt Temp 1.209 D PSK TX RF Out 0.816 W RC PSK TX Out 0.063 W RC PSK BP Temp -5.448 D RC PSK HPA Tmp -5.448 D +Y Array Temp -24.811 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -1.817 D +Z Array Temp -18.760 D Total Array C= 0.298 Bat Ch Cur= 0.092 Ifb= 0.009 I+10V= 0.235 TX:1006 BCR:6E PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:2A 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-189.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 189.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JULY 08, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.06 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. 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 is as follows: Time is Fri Jun 29 22:20:27 2001 CW-Code: aun ada a4u adt avv a6u a6t ae6 5V-reg.: 4.93 V 8.5V-reg: 8.74 V 10V-Bat: 11.58 V 10V-Curr: 113.4 mA TX-Pwr : 0.909 W TX-Temp.: -2.58 ?C +Z-Sol.: 24.00 V Box-Temp: 1.07 ?C CW-Code: aun adt a4u abn avv a6u ae6 ae6 5V-reg.: 4.93 V 8.5V-reg: 8.74 V 10V-Bat: 11.52 V 10V-Curr: 113.4 mA TX-Pwr : 0.899 W TX-Temp.: -2.58 ?C +Z-Sol.: 23.40 V Box-Temp: 1.07 ?C General information and decode values of CW telemetry can find it in: www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu/lo19 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