SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.01 AO-40 UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 320.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 16, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.01 AO-40 celebrates one year in space! The Phase 3D satellite was launched on November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. Transponder operation started on May 05, 2001 when the U-band and L1-band uplinks were connected to the S-2 transmitter passband downlink via the Matrix switch. Congratulations to the entire AO-40 team! Bob, WB4APR, has been working on a portable reflector system, following the pioneering work of G6LVB. Bob has been working on a 1-meter suitcase portable system. Check out the construction at: http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/ao40ant.html. 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. 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 for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.02 ISS UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 320.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 16, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.02 Expedition-3 Commander Frank Culbertson and Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov completed the external outfitting of the PIRS docking compartment on the International Space Station recently, conducting a 5 hour spacewalk outside the orbital outpost. Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, who conducted two previous spacewalks in October, monitored the activities from inside the ISS and operated the Canadarm2 robotic arm, providing television views for flight controllers in Houston and Moscow. Science work aboard the station has resumed this week. ISS will have a new set of Amateur Radio antennas soon. The antennas are expected to be transported to ISS shortly and installed around the perimeter of the Service Module, allowing future operation from HF to microwave frequencies. The HF antenna is made up of a flexible tape that will work on 10-meters (along with possibility 15 and 20-meters). Miles, WF1F, has posted pictures of the new antenna system on the web at: http://www.marex-na.org/fileshtml/galleryantenna.html With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles. For additional information on station activities, including sighting opportunities from anywhere on the Earth, visit the web at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ [ANS thanks NASA for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.03 ANS IN BRIEF AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 320.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 16, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.03 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** AMSAT-NA's VP of Human Spaceflight Programs Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, participated in a public interest radio program (along with Bob Bruninga, WB4APR) on NPR's WAMU radio station. The session was carried on 33 NPR stations throughout the U.S. Frank talked about satellite operation, centered on the ARISS program. "I really enjoyed the opportunity to share our tremendous hobby with the rest of the world," said KA3HDO. The lively, informative segment was complemented by a series of callers - most of them also Amateur Radio licensees - who offered additional insights into ham radio or wanted to share a story. For those who did not hear the program, you can go to the WAMU Public Interest web site and hear the program on Real Audio. Point your browser to the following URL: http://www.wamu.org/pi/index.html. -ANS/ARRL ** In the DX department, OM5CM (Slovak Republic) has been active on AO-10. ZS2ACP (South Africa) also created weekend pile-ups on AO-40, operating when both Europe and North America were in his window. -Jerry, K5OE ** Jon, N0JK, will be operating HC8N on the FO-20/29, UO-14 and AO-10 from November 20-26th. The primary purpose of this trip is operating the CQ-WW CW Contest. Pictures of May 2001 HC8N satellite operations are at: http://communities.msn.com/6mdx. -Jon, N0JK ** Scientists in the Netherlands in cooperation with ESA are tracking an ozone mini-hole opening over the North Atlantic, heading for Europe. The scientists predict that the mini hole will see ozone levels fall to 60-70% of the seasonal average as it sweeps from Greenland to southern Scandinavia. Using real time processing of data from the ERS-2 satellite, the scientists are able to monitor the loss of ozone in the atmosphere, and watch the hole as it moves. -ESA ** The 2001 AMSAT Field Day Competition results show W9REG in 12th place, XE2AT in 13th, W8MRM in 14th, K5ENG in 15th and K4RS in 16th place. Congratulations all! -Andy, W5ACM ** The Dayton Amateur Radio Association has opened the nominating period for the 2002 Dayton Hamvention Awards. There are three awards presented each year; Radio Amateur of the Year, Special Achievement and Technical Excellence. Awards are decided by the committee, based partially upon the information received. Nominations can be submitted to Box 964, Dayton Ohio 45401. -DARA ** Early in 2002 an Ariane-5 rocket will launch the largest and most advanced Earth observation satellite ever built in Europe from the spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana. The ENVISAT satellite will deliver images and data that will help better understand and more effectively protect the Earth. -ESA ** 2001 AMSAT Symposium awards included a presentation to Diana Diggs, in grateful appreciation for her work as Outside Activities Coordinator for the 2001 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium. Her dedicated service and hard work in handling the myriad details associated with this important aspect of our annual gathering was noted with thanks. -AMSAT-NA ** The FCC assigned a rulemaking number to the petition in which Kenwood asks the government to permit control methods like its own Sky Command radio remote system. Kenwood's Sky Command lets a user control a fixed location HF station using a pair of dual-band VHF/UHF transceivers. A change in Part 97 rules would expand permission to operate an auxiliary station on all 2-meter frequencies above 144.5 MHz. -ARNewsLine ** A symbol of American technological prowess, NASA's shuttle Endeavour stands poised on a Kennedy Space Center launch pad, a potential target for a terrorist attack. But the seven astronauts and cosmonauts destined to launch aboard the ship say they'll be fearless fliers when Endeavour blasts off for the International Space Station later this month. -NASA --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.04 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 320.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 16, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.04 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 Happy birthday AO-40, celebrating 1-year in space! 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. [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. Ten students at Phillips Middle School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, made a radio visit recently to ISS, bringing the reality of space exploration into the classroom. Barbara, KE4JZM, served as coordinating teacher and radio operator for the event, arranged through the ARISS program. 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 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 (a SASE is required to get a QSL in return): Margie Bourgoin, KC1DCO Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2, 3) QSL ARRL, 225 Main Street Newington, Connecticut 06111 Canadian stations: Radio Amateurs of Canada Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2, 3) QSL 720 Belfast Road, Suite 217 Ottawa, Ontario KEG 0Z5 European stations (a SASE and 2 IRC's are required to get a QSL in return. AMSAT-France 14 bis, rue des Gourlis 92500 Rueil Malmaison France [ANS thanks Will Marchant, KC6ROL, and Jean-Louis Rault, F6AGR, 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 with very good conditions recently. Drew, KO4MA, reports working OZ1MY, ON4API, ON1AAA, DJ6JJ, and UA3PAB. John, K6YK, worked TR8CA and 5B4AZ. Jerry, K5OE, reports QSO's with IW9AZJ, OM3WBC, OE5PAM, DJ7FE, DL1CR, IW4DTP, UR5MGW, SV1OH, ON1DO, and F6HCC. 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, with recent updates by Ray, W2RS. 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 [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 Ray, W2RS, has revised the AO-27 FAQ on < www.amsat.org > to include information on UO-14. [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 December 3, 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-320.05 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 320.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 16, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.05 PCSat Uplink/downlink 145.825 MHz 1200 baud AX-25 AFSK via W3ADO-1 Uplink 435.250 MHz 9600 baud via W3ADO-2 APRS Downlink 144.390 MHz (Region 2) TNC callsign W3ADO-1/2 on 145.825 MHz PCSAT-11/12 on 144.390 MHz Launched: September 30, 2001 aboard an Athena-1 rocket from the Kodiak Alaska Launch Complex. Status: Operational PCSat is in a low power mode. Bob, WB4APR, reports PCSat is in a higher than average eclipse period. "Cautionary, normal operations can continue as long as the telemetry is showing 00111111," said WB4APR. To help PCSat through this eclipse period, WB4APR asks that all routine operations cease after 23:00 (users) local time and not resume until daylight - and that evening transmission rates be further cut in half from daytime settings. The APRS-equipped PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy under the guidance of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR. PCSat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater designed for use by stations using 1200-baud hand-held transceivers or 9600-baud mobiles. Downlinks feed a central web site < http://pcsat.aprs.org >. For more information, visit the PCSat web site at: http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat.html [ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for PCSat information] TIUNGSAT-1 Uplink 145.850 or 145.925 MHz 9600-baud FSK Downlink 437.325 MHz Broadcast callsign MYSAT3-11 BBS MYSAT3-12 Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Operational at 38k4-baud FSK Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that 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. [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: Semi-operational Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 is marginally operational with very low downlink efficiency - in the 3% range. The lack of traffic and low downlink efficiency indicates a problem. In addition, KO-25's downlink transmitter power output seems low or intermittent. [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 heavy individual and SatGate traffic. Downlink efficiency is in the 75% 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 During the period 15-September to 16-August, consistent signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The internal temperatures have continued to increase as the solar eclipse times decrease. A further rise of 2.5 degree C has been noted. These temperatures are now 5.8C and 4.0C for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The battery voltage observed during daylight passes has increased. The average value observed was 14.05 with a range of 14.0 to 14.1 volts. The improved battery voltage is also a result of decreasing solar eclipse times, and this trend is expected to continue for several months. 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 3 days advanced. 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 644/07:58:52. Time is Sun Nov 18 11:35:56 2001 +10V Bus 10.850 V +Z Array V 23.120 V +X (RX) Temp -3.632 D RX Temp 1.209 D BCR Input Cur 0.445 A BCR Output Cur 0.360 A Bat 1 Temp 6.049 D Bat 2 Temp 6.654 D Baseplt Temp 7.260 D PSK TX RF Out 1.631 W +Y Array Temp 4.839 D PSK TX HPA Tmp 4.839 D +Z Array Temp -4.237 D Total Array C= 0.419 Bat Ch Cur=-0.075 Ifb= 0.026 I+10V= 0.410 TX:1009 BCR:7A PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:8E 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] 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-320.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 320.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 16, 2001 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.06 THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME: 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: Unknown UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward communications and mode L/S transponders. Paul, KB2SHU, tells ANS that UO-36 has not been operational (over North America) since late July. In addition, Sangat, 9M2SS, reports he has not copied UO-36 since July 30th. 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 UO-36 information] TMSAT-1 TO-31 Uplink 145.925 MHz (9600-baud FSK) Downlink 436.925 MHz (9600-baud FSK) Broadcast Callsign: TMSAT1-11 BBS TMSAT1-12 Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Non-operational, no data downlinked since December 18, 2000. 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