SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.01 AMSAT President's Message AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.01 All, I had a talk today with a returning member of the team that went to the Launch site, In summary he told me that ECHO has now been integrated onto the launch vehicle and we are awaiting Launch which will is scheduled to take place around NOON local time at the launch site on Tuesday the 29th of June. As the Launch site is some 10 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (USA and Canada) this means we should have some knowledge of the mission success -when we wake up that morning. Our ECHO Launch fund stands at $97,450 today (June 23) can we get it to the $100K by launch time?. Phone in to add to the total (301-589-6062). Are you looking for up to date information on ECHO? if so call the Office and ask Martha to send you a copy of the new Book "ECHO, Operation, Development and Specifications" by Gould Smith WA4SXM, it is quite inexpensive and contains all you may want to know about this new bird. Yes! Martha takes orders over the Phone, if you have a suitable credit Card Available. Demand for the book is strong so we have just had extra copies printed for you. Frequencies, data rates, etc are all included. There is even some information on the Baikonur Launch site in Kazakhstan, together with pictures of ECHO's construction trays. More news as it comes in ..... 73 Robin Haighton VE3FRH President AMSAT /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.02 ECHO Prelaunch Info AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.02 Mike Kingery, KE4AZN provided the following information on the initial commissioning for ECHO following launch. Currently, the launch is planned for 29 June 2004 at approximately 0630 UTC. The transmitter will not turn on until commanded from the ground. The plan is that ECHO will be allowed to stabilize and outgas for approximately 10 hours. The first communication attempt will take place during the evening of 29 June, during the first pass over the Eastern US if launched as scheduled. TX0, on 435.155 MHz, will be commanded on and will be running 9k6 baud Pacsat Protocol. After some initial health and status checks, the transmitter will be commanded off before the end of the pass. The latest prelaunch element set for ECHO is: ECHO 1 99999U 99999B 04015.44385708 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 00013 2 99999 098.2700 042.0000 0072000 180.0000 226.0000 14.40910000000006 AMSAT News Service will be providing regular updates on the commissioning of ECHO to include Special Bulletins when warranted. [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.03 New ECHO Book Now Available AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.03 AMSAT now has available the new book, "Echo - Operation, Development and Specifications" written by G. Gould Smith, WA4SXM. The donation price is $15 for US, $17 for Canada and $19 elsewhere. Please remember that payment must be in US dollars. Ordering can be done by: + Email (martha@amsat.org) with Visa or MasterCard. Please include name, address, card number and expiration date + Telephone (1-888-322-6728 or 301-589-6062) with Visa or MasterCard + Fax (301-608-3410) Include the same information as email + Postal Mail - AMSAT, 850 Sligo Ave, #600, Silver Spring MD 20910. You can pay by charge card, check or money order. Include your name and mailing address. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.04 AMSAT-NA Web Site Redux AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.04 AMSAT Area Coordinator Emily Clarke, W0EEC reports that the newly redesigned AMSAT website has transitioned to a public BETA test phase. Before the final switch over to the new design, the web team is inviting comments and feedback on problems (bugs) and overall usability of the new site which is available at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new Additional information about about the site update is available at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/about [ANS thanks Emily Clarke, W0EEC for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.05 ECHO's Digital Modes AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.05 Echo uses the Pacsat Broadcast Protocol (PBP) and is compatible with other digital satellites, such as UO22 and KO25. WiSP is the tool of choice, and what the command team has been using to test Echo's store and forward file system. There are many Wisp users in the Amsat community, so getting help, and answers to questions, regarding setting up and operating Wisp should be as simple as a quick post to the Amsat-BB. Wisp can be download from the Amsat website, http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftpsoft.html#win-wisp, and registered with Martha at the Amsat office. Echo will initially run in 9k6 downlink and 9k6 uplink mode, just like UO22. Echo is capable of many other bps rates, and will be tested and operated in 38k4 downlink and 9k6 uplink mode during commissioning. These digital configurations will be tested on the U band and the S Band Transmitters. Echo is capable of 76k8 downlink as well, and will eventually be tested in that mode. The first signals heard from Echo will be 9k6 PBP. Plans call for Echo, in the standard mode, to operate one of its U band transmitters in PBP digital mode continuously. [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.06 TlmEcho v1.02 Now Available for Download AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.06 Windows based software to receive and monitor telemetry from the Amsat-NA Echo Satellite is ready for download. Please check the Amsat website or the following URL for links to download the program and support files. An updated Telemetry Specification, v1.2, is also available from the website. http://web.infoave.net/~mkmk518/echo.htm The program is designed for screen resolutions of 1024x768 or greater. It will run on an 800x600 display with some difficulty viewing the various telemetry screens. The software accepts Pacsat Broadcast Protocol KISS packets from your TNC, and will display those packets in a text window. For a test, you can copy the downlink from UO22 and view it in the programs main window. Check the brief readme file for basic instructions on getting TlmEcho setup for your station. Configure the CPBINI.TXT file for your station and PC/TNC configuration, put the necessary files in your working directory, and run the program. The program will create CSV files of your received telemetry and place them in the CSV subdirectory. The command team requests that you sent these files to the requested email address, just like we have done for AO-40. This address will be published in the new few days via ANS. [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.07 KP2AA Field Day Operation AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.07 The Pina Colada Contest Club will be active as KP2AA from FK77 on Field Day, including 6M, FM sats, and AO-7, on Field Day. Activity will be limited, but we will try for as many passes as available operators permit. QSL via K7JA. [ANS thanks Chip Margelli, K7JA for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-179.08 This Week's News in Brief AMSAT News Service Bulletin 179.08 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 27, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-179.08 ** ISS astronaut Mike Finke got word that he is a new father. Tarali Paulina Fincke was born on June 18, 2004 to proud parents, Mike and Renita Fincke. They also have 1 son, Chandra. "Her name is Tarali Paulina and Tara is the Indian dialect meaning star," Fincke radioed to Mission Control, shortly after the birth. "Our first boy, his name is Chandra, which means moon. So, my wife had already given me the moon, and now she's given me a star and it's a privilege to happen aboard the International Space Station. It's also tough on the family, but there's a lot of other service people out there that this happens to, so thanks NASA. We really appreciate your support and understanding." On the ISS packet beacon, which is sent out once a minute, the proud papa is announcing the birth of his daughter. --JSC Today (courtesy N5VHO) ** International Space Station Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke returned to the airlock shortly after the beginning of a Thursday evening spacewalk after an oxygen leak was detected in a spacesuit oxygen bottle. Official start time of the spacewalk was 5:56 p.m. EDT, when crewmembers opened the airlock hatch of the Pirs Docking Compartment in the Station's Russian segment. But moments later, Russian flight controllers ordered the spacewalkers back inside after a drop in pressure in the primary oxygen bottle of Fincke's suit was noted. Program managers will assess the problem with Fincke's suit and other elements before deciding how to proceed. The next spacewalk opportunity would be no earlier than next week. --NASA ** History was made when SpaceShipOne made its first flight Monday in California. A small company put a ship and a man into space -- the first time that's been done independent of the government of some large country. The rocket plane fell about 31,500 feet short of its targeted altitude: 360,000 feet. But it did fly to an altitude of 328,491 feet -- or about 407 feet above the recognized boundary between the upper atmosphere and space. /EX