SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.01 AO-40 UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.01 ANS is pleased to report that the GPS experiment on AO-40 has undergone successful testing. This experiment was supplied and sponsored by NASA to determine if it is possible to get positional data outside of the GPS ring of satellites. There are two GPS receivers on AO-40, the A receiver for receiving signals around apogee and the B receiver for signal reception around perigee. Both receivers are operational and data is passed from the receivers through the RUDAK to the S-band transmitter. Jim White, WD0E, has been the AMSAT coordinator and chief operator for this activity. Jim reported that "we received a signal on the apogee receiver from about 52,000 kilometers out with good signal levels." WD0E told ANS that further data is being gathered and the information is being analyzed. Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs (and an instrumental person in setting up the GPS experiment), told ANS that "if this experiment goes the way I expect it will, this will revolutionize the way we use GPS in space. Many future high Earth orbit spacecraft will be able to take advantage of GPS for autonomous navigation and station keeping." AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, was delighted with the news of the GPS success, and commented that "it is great to be able to help our friends at NASA. Testing this experiment has been a long time in coming, and we were worried that radiation may have damaged the GPS receivers. Now at last we have a very positive result from this important experiment." AO-40 activity continues. Stacey Mills, W4SM, informed ANS that the RUDAK time slots remain active from MA-70 to MA-87 currently. Mike, N1JEZ, reports he has been able to QSO 39 stations, including 10 contacts using Mode-L uplinks. N1JEZ has worked Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, Hungary, Italy as well as the United States. Ed, AL7EB, reports 7 states including Alaska and Hawaii, along with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong - in 40 initials. AL, WC9C, reports 231 contacts with 143 stations in 32 states and 28 countries so far via AO-40. In other AO-40 news, Jean-Michel, F6GBQ, has completed an initial group of contacts on 24 GHz with success. F6GBQ is looking for more contacts on AO-40 using mode-K! AO-40 is currently in a long period during which the Earth eclipses the Sun near perigee. These actually began about August 28th, and will rapidly increase in length. The will continue well into June 2002. During September, eclipses peaked at 85 minutes in duration. For the current transponder operating schedule visit: http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm Stay tuned to ANS, the official source of AO-40 information. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.02 SEPTEMBER 2001 PRESIDENT'S LETTER AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.02 Once each month ANS will feature information from AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. This feature is known as the President's Letter. The following is the September 2001 installment: The Presidents Letter for September 2001 is a little late, due to the terrible things that happened in New York and Washington. However, I am pleased to report that Amateur Radio has once again come to the assistance of those who are involved in the search and rescue efforts, and I feel sure that as a result of the continuing need to develop and maintain emergency plans in towns and cities around the world - our services will continue to be in demand. I am also proud to report to you that since the infamous acts of September 11th, the number of registrants for the AMSAT-NA Symposium and Annual meeting in Atlanta has grown by quite a large number, with many participants coming from overseas in addition to North America. This certainly is in the spirit of "return to normality". More tests are being carried out on AO-40, and of particular note is the testing of the GPS systems, which were provided by NASA. These tests are currently proceeding using the RUDAK system and I hope they turn out to be successful. Design parameters are continuing for Project "JJ" and project committee members hope to have their preliminary design review around the end of this year. Meanwhile, the Business Development Committee has plans in place to involve members in the important business of fund raising for our new project - will you help? In the next few weeks expect to receive a letter from me outlining the needs of the project and ways that you, our membership can help. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing many of you at our Symposium and Annual Meeting in Atlanta! 73, Robin Haighton, VE3FRH President AMSAT-NA [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.03 AMSAT-NA SYMPOSIUM NEAR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.03 AMSAT-NA corporate secretary Martha Saragovitz reminds ANS readers that the 2001 AMSAT Space Symposium is one week away! This is the last opportunity to register by calling Martha at 301-589-6062. Show support for AMSAT and come to Atlanta! Symposium Chairman Steve Diggs, W4EPI, announced recently that Paul Middleton, K4NUH, the national sales manager for Kenwood USA will speak at the Saturday night banquet. The subject of Paul's presentation will be 'Amateur Radio - Hobby and Industry'. This will be a wonderful to hear about our hobby from the manufacturer's side of the equation. For further details about the 2001 AMSAT-NA Symposium, visit: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.04 ANS IN BRIEF AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.04 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** ANS is pleased to report the successful launch of the Kodiak Star launch vehicle from Kodiak Alaska at 02:40:02 UTC September 30, 2001. The launch had been delayed several times due to weather conditions and solar flares. On board the launch vehicle (and of interest to Amateur Radio satellite operators) were the PCSat and Starshine satellites, as well as other satellites developed by the Airforce Academy. Bob, WB4APR, reported that PCSat successfully separated and is activate with 1200 baud AX.25 AFSK telemetry on 145.825 MHz. WB4APR also reports PCSat is not open for general use until complete on-orbit checkout. "We ask that users please wait while we get the system loaded," said WB4APR. -ANS ** AMSAT-NA corporate secretary Martha Saragovitz tells ANS that as a result of the recent 2001 AMSAT-NA BOD election, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Dick Daniels, W4PUJ, Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, and Bill Tynan, W3XO, will retain their seats on the Board for the next two years. Bruce Paige, KK5DO is the first alternate and Dick Hambly, W2GPS is the second alternate. They will serve until the next election. -Martha ** After nearly two weeks of intense effort, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Civil Emergency Service volunteer effort in New York City has wound down. The American Red Cross closed all shelters that remained open in New York City on September 23rd, while the New York City Office of Emergency Management terminated Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service support Monday, September 24th. Any remaining Amateur Radio Emergency Service activity will be handled by volunteers from the greater New York City area. -ARRL ** After more than a half century of writing CQ magazine's monthly Propagation column, George Jacobs, W3ASK, will be stepping down as the magazine's Propagation Editor at the end of the year. Jacobs, who celebrated his 50th anniversary in the position last March, will remain on the CQ staff as Contributing Editor Emeritus and will continue to author feature articles about radio wave propagation as well as personal reminiscences of his more than 60 years as a leader in both amateur and broadcast radio. Jacobs will be succeeded as Propagation Editor by Tomas Hood, NW7US, as of the January, 2002, issue of CQ. -Newsline ** If predictions by the world's top meteor experts hold up, early on the morning of November 18th skywatchers in North America can expect to see their most dramatic meteor shower in 35 years. These meteors, called Leonids because they appear to radiate from the constellation Leo (the Lion), will signal the collision of Earth with streams of fast moving dust particles shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Amateur Radio operators look forward to this shower to make many long distance VHF and UHF contacts. -SpaceDaily ** Deep Space-1 plunged into the heart of comet Borrelly and has lived to tell about it. The amazing little spacecraft was fantastically successful in its encounter with the mysterious comet in late September. Many recent mission logs have described why this probably would not work, but it did work, and it worked far better than expected. -SpaceDaily ** The worldwide JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) event will take place soon. Many satellite operators will operate during this event. More info about JOTA can be found at: http://www.middelkoop7.myweb.nl/. Tom, N0NTX, reports the Pikes Peak area scouts will be using KO-25, UO-22, AO-27, UO-14 and others. -William, PE1RAH ** ESA's "Teach in Space" 2001 Education Conference has become attractive for Europe's teachers. The first International Space Station Conference in Europe (for teachers) will be held in late October at the European Space Agency's ESTEC center in the Netherlands. Teachers of every discipline have been invited to come and exchange practical ideas on how ISS can inspire their students. -ESA ** Jim, AA4MD, will be operating from Belize on UO-14 and AO-27 from October 1-7, 2001. His call sign will be V31KD. -ANS ** Scientists have shown recently that soccer ball-shaped carbon molecules (known as bucky balls) can act as superconductors at relatively warm temperatures, raising hopes for inexpensive, power loss-free organic electronics and other practical applications such as quantum computers. -SpaceDaily --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.05 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.05 Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40 Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Status: Currently, the U/L-1 to S-2 passband is active. Uplink U-band 435.550 - 435.800 MHz CW/SSB L1-band 1269.250 - 1269.500 MHz CW/SSB L2-band 1268.325 - 1268.575 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 2401.225 - 2401.475 MHz CW/SSB For the current transponder operating schedule visit: http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm 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. Pieter Tjerk, PA3FWM, recently announced the availability of a new program for decoding and viewing AO-40 telemetry under the Linux operating platform, called ao40tlmview. AO40tlmview can be downloaded from: http://www.cs.utwente.nl/~ptdeboer/ham/ao40/ [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. The Ladysmith Primary School, Ruther Glenn, Virginia, was set to contact the ISS crew as this edition of ANS was broadcast. The ISS packet station (normally) available for UI packets. 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 ARISS-US team delivered a new packet module to NASA. This new packet module is expected to correct several of the problems that have been observed on the current ARISS packet system. Expedition-3 astronaut Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, is planning to make the packet module change-out. 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 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 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 - is 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-271.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.06 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 Bill, VK3JT, reports TiungSat-1 efficiency is 100% most of the time with strong signals and (usually) 2 megabytes exchanged each pass. 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 is operational with low traffic and low downlink efficiency. [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 moderate traffic. Downlink efficiency is in the 50% range. UoSAT command station G7UPN reports to ANS that UO-22 had been closed for amateur activity for a short duration while command stations assess the state of the RAM disk. Over the past few weeks there have been increasing difficulties downloading larger files from the spacecraft. The store and forward communications system has been reloaded. 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 during the period of 14-August to 15-September, reliable signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The internal temperatures have continued to increase as the solar eclipse times decrease. A rise of 2.5 degree C has been noted. The temperatures are now 3.0 C and 1.6 C for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The battery voltage observed during daylight passes has increased. The average value observed was 13.8 volts, with a range of 13.4 to 14.2 volts. The improved battery voltage is also a result of decreasing solar eclipse times, and this trend is expected to continue for several months. The operating schedule is unchanged. 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 593/18:20:29. Time is Fri Sep 28 21:57:33 2001 +10V Bus 9.950 V PSK TX RF Out 0.730 W +X (RX) Temp -9.683 D RX Temp 4.234 D Bat 1 V 1.183 V Bat 2 V 1.145 V Bat 3 V 1.158 V Bat 4 V 1.221 V Bat 5 V 1.157 V Bat 6 V 1.194 V Bat 7 V 1.185 V Bat 8 V 1.229 V Bat 1 Temp 4.839 D Bat 2 Temp 4.839 D Baseplt Temp 1.814 D +Y Array Temp -24.811 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -1.212 D +Z Array Temp -16.339 D Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.306 Ifb= 0.154 I+10V= 0.166 TX:1006 BCR:1E PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:E1 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-271.07 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 271.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.07 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 Sep 28 23:02:00 2001 CW-Code: avt abu aun adv aan a6b ttu aee 5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V 10V-Bat: 11.01 V 10V-Curr: 116.9 mA TX-Pwr : 0.938 W TX-Temp.: 2.02 ?C +Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 6.05 ?C CW-Code: avt abu ava ada auu a66 tta aee 5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V 10V-Bat: 11.01 V 10V-Curr: 116.2 mA TX-Pwr : 0.918 W TX-Temp.: 1.31 ?C +Z-Sol.: 0.15 V Box-Temp: 4.98 ?C CW-Code: avt aba av4 adt au4 a6e ttu aee 5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V 10V-Bat: 10.94 V 10V-Curr: 115.5 mA TX-Pwr : 0.909 W TX-Temp.: 0.25 ?C +Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 4.27 ?C 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 to be available to Amateur Radio operators along with software to utilize this technology. 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