SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.01 AMSAT President's Letter August 2004 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.01 August and the vacation season are now upon us and I hope you are enjoying yourselves at this wonderful time of year. Since I wrote to you last many things have happened in AMSAT, Firstly the launching and successful commissioning of AO-51 (ECHO). While the commissioning is not 100% complete, many of us nave already made our first contacts through our new satellite. I was fortunate to be at the University of Surrey, UK, representing you at the AMSAT-UK Colloquium when AO-51 was first opened for general use. However the up-link was so crowded that it took some effort to make a contact, but finally at 1108 UTC I made my first contact on this fine satellite. Shortly after the launch of AO-51 AMSAT held a meeting to review the requirements for EAGLE, and a number of interesting changes were made to the future satellite. Firstly it was agreed that the EAGLE structure and shape as presented by Dick Jansson (WD4FAB) would most likely be maintained, except that to enable a better shape for spin stabilization the height (z axis) would be reduced to 450 mm from 600 mm. The x and y axis would remain at 600 mm. About the Pay Loads I am delighted to report that there will be mode B, available but it will be provided through Software Defined Radio (SDR) techniques. SDR techniques allow the command station to change Frequency, Bandwidth, Mode (FM, AM, PSK, CW, etc) from the groundstation. Thus allowing a great amount of flexibility. The total amount of band available at 2M will probably be restricted to about 20 kHz. The 70 CMS band (U) will have an allocation for the Mode B operation but with more frequency available for operation with S band. It is anticipated that Mode U/S and L/S will be very popular bands to work. Perhaps the most interesting for the "TECHIES" will be the new C band which is wide enough to provide both up link and down link using SDR and Tom Clark's (W3IWI) CC Rider. (for CC rider see the AMSAT Journal or Last year's proceedings). A new, AMSAT introduced, wide band digital system will be introduced using C band, and while there will be some who decry the introduction of these new techniques (remember AM Vs SSB ?) We feel that after a while there will be wide acceptance of these techniques - and everyone will want to get on board. To learn more about EAGLE and the things it promises, come to the Annual Meeting in Washington (8 through 10 October). Another Change that has taken place recently is the introduction of our new web site. Nearly everyone agrees that it is a move in the right direction, and our thanks go to Emily Clarke W0EEC who re-designed the web site and did such a fantastic job. My thanks also go to Paul Williamson (KB5MU) who co-operated with Emily in this effort, and for his devotion to AMSAT in managing the previous site. Our ECHO launch campaign, has progressed well, and a few donations are still trickling in, I was given a $100 Travelers Check from a member of AMSAT-UK "committee" last weekend, but we still do need to make the $110,000. The outstanding amount of $7K+ has been taken from our reserves, which are there to start the development of EAGLE, so let's get behind ECHO, it's up, it works, and it needs your final help. Talking of which ...... if you are a member of any AMSAT, please feel completely free to use ECHO, If you are not a member, then please join and encourage all users to join. Unfortunately satellites do not "Grow on Trees" they are not free to launch, but there are quite a few users who feel that it is their right to use, what we have provided. We really don't want to introduce a "members only" policy to satellite use. For more details of ECHO and it's capability call the AMSAT-NA office for a copy of Gould Smith's ECHO book, Also available through AMSAT-UK (call Jim Heck). Have a good Summer, 73 Robin Haighton VE3FRH President AMSAT-NA [ANS thanks Robin, VE3FRH for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.02 New amateur satellite transponder project announced AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.02 The Chairman of AMSAT-UK, Professor Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO announced a new amateur transponder project to be launched as part of the ESA SSETI Express satellite. Speaking at the opening of the 2004 AMSAT-UK Colloquium at the University of Surrey in Guildford, he expressed his delight that AMSAT-UK has been able to work with the European Space Agency to provide, at very short notice, an S band (2.4GHz) transmitter. The SSETI Express project is believed to be the first ever pan-European student satellite with over 100 students from more than nine different countries working on it. The project is being coordinated and managed buy the Education Office of ESA. It is intended that this transmitter will be available for use as the downlink of a single channel FM U/S transponder. The 437MHz receiver is also being provided to ESA by another radio amateur - Holger Eckart DF2FQ. These frequencies will enable the many amateurs who already have Oscar 40 equipment to use it in an exciting new way. After integration of the spacecraft, which is due to start at the ESTEC laboratories in the Netherlands next month (August), SSETI Express is intended to be launched into a sun synchronous 680km orbit from Plestek in Russia in April 2005. The satellite is in the 80kg class and is being designed and constructed by a number of European University teams which include students and teachers. The onboard experiments include attitude control, a camera and a cold gas propulsion unit. It is intended that the 2.4GHz downlink transmitter will transmit satellite telemetry and data at 38k4 data rate before being switched over to voice transponder operation after the onboard experiments have been completed. ESA will shortly be announcing a worldwide competition for radio amateurs who download the data from the satellite and forward it to a website which is under construction. There will be a valuable award for the amateur who provides the largest amount of verified data over the first few weeks/months of operation. The 2.4GHz downlink exciter, the switched mode power supply and control interfaces are being developed by an AMSAT-UK team comprising of Sam Jewell G4DDK, David Bowman G0MRFand Jason Flynn G7OLD with Graham Shirville G3VZV assisting. The 3 watt 2.4GHz power amplifier is completed and has been provided by Charles Suckling G3WDG and this unit is already space qualified as it is identical to the one flying in the recently launched Oscar 51 spacecraft. The S band antennas are three flat plate patches that have been developed and produced by the Wroclaw University of Technology in Poland. Professor Sir Martin Sweeting emphasized that AMSAT-UK is delighted to have been entrusted with such an important task and that development team will have the organization's full support. Those interested in finding out more about Amateur Satellites may like to know that AMSAT-UK produce an excellent newsletter called Oscar News which is sent to all members. For further information contact the AMSAT-UK secretary Jim Heck, G3WGM Tel: +44 (0)1258 453959 E-mail: g3wgm@amsat.org Website: www.uk.amsat.org [ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.03 Echo Experimenters Wednesday for 11 Aug 2004 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.03 The next Exp Wed will test the 9k6 Pacsat Broadcast Protocol, Store and Forward, BBS system on Echo. Uplink: 145.860 MHz FM 9k6 digital Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM 9k6 digital Start: 11 Aug 2004 @ 0240 UTC End: 12 Aug 2004 @ 0340 UTC The FM repeat mode transmitter on 435.300 will be turned off during this time, and power to the 435.150 transmitter will be increased. Please check the digital downlink for any last minute changes. This will be the first user access of the BBS system. Please understand that new software will be uploaded to the satellite when we close this first window of user access. At that time, all messages in the BBS system will be lost. Please keep your uploads to messages only. Let's give everyone a chance to upload and download messages from Echo during this one day test. The large files that are stored in the BBS that begin with "we" are Whole Orbit Data (WOD) files. They are binary data that require a decoding program to extract the information. There is no need to download one of those files. And the "Upload Test" picture files are all the same picture. These were used to test the uploading speed as well as uploading with a CTCSS tone enabled. There is no need to download those either. Just keep it to messages and give everyone a chance to use the BBS system. And please avoid using ALL in the TO field of your message. Send your hello or introductory message to "ECHO USERS" or just "ECHO" instead. Enjoy Echo! [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.04 ECHO telemetry software v1.0.5 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.04 Version 1.0.5 of TlmEcho is now available. Mike, KE4AZN reports that a telemetry time calculation bug that was fixed and some minor updates to the telemetry Screens are included. The latest Echo software is available from the Echo Project Page http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/ [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.05 Echo Voice Ops Challenge AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.05 In an attempt to reduce the congestion and allow more contacts to be made on Echo, Mike, KE4AZN challenges every user to make only one contact per pass that you initiate with a call. After that point, sit back and enjoy the others making contacts. If someone calls you, then by all means reply and complete that contact. Then go back to listening. Maybe if more of us take up that philosophy everyone will join in and more contacts can be made. [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.06 EyasSAT Educational Satellite System AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.06 Colorado Satellite Services is pleased to announce the availability of the EyasSAT Educational Satellite System. Through our work with universities and especially the Air Force Academy we saw the need for an inexpensive satellite 'kit' for lab use. This little box contains all the systems of a satellite in modules that just plug together to make up a complete satellite on the bench. It's designed to be handled and worked with by students from high school through grad school. One of the main ideas is to teach using the EyasSAT and avoid risking expensive space qualified hardware. Lab exercises are provided. Another great feature is that you can build your own module to the interface spec, plug it in, and it just work. The code for 3 attached experiments is already in the main computer. Further information is available at www.eyassat.com Contact information is there as well. Eyassat will be displayed next week at the Cubesat Conference that precedes the USU/AIAA Small Sat Conference in Logan Utah and there will be a short talk on it as well. [ANS thanks Jim, WD0E for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.07 ARISS Status - 02 August 2004 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.07 1. Habikino School Contact Successful The Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino in Habikino, Japan experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Thursday, July 29 at 11:55 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, speaking in English and Japanese, answered 16 questions put to him by fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School, as an audience of 70 children and 300 adults looked on. One TV station and 2 newspapers covered the event. 2. Russian Contact Successful The aerospace festival "Let's Give the Planet to the Kids" is being held from July 15 through August 4, at ARTEK International Children's' Center. The President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, UNESCO's Deputy Director General, Mr. Barboza, members of diplomatic corps from over 20 countries, and other high-ranking dignitaries were invited to the gala concert, which was scheduled for July 30. During this event, a HAM radio contact was scheduled with Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and cosmonaut Anatoly Artsebarsky, callsign - Ulyana-7-MIR [?7???]) at 16:50 UTC. 3. Upcoming School Contact Two Tennessee schools, Good Shepherd School in Decherd and St Paul's in Tullahoma, will share an ARISS contact. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 at 1340 UTC, and will take place from St. Paul's. 4. Mike Fincke Makes Random Contacts Astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, has been enjoying himself on the ARISS radio systems. In addition to his participation in Field Day, he has made many general contacts. He has been most active on the weekends, including this past weekend, July 31 - August 1, when he made over 30 contacts to 5 continents. ARRL ran an article on the Expedition 9 crew members and their time on the air. See "ISS crew schedule tight for casual hamming," at: http://www.arrl.org/?news_list_off=15 5. ARISS Team sends Photos to Japan for Exhibit The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) will sponsor a Ham Fair 2004 on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 - 22 at Tokyo Big Site, Japan. The ARISS U.S. team provided photographs of the ARISS radio equipment in the Service Module to Hiroto Watarikawa, JJ1LYU. Hiroto will display a modified Kenwood D700E, which looks like the flight radio, and will use the photos for a slide show on a personal computer as part of an exhibit in the Kenwood Booth. An attendance of 28,000 people is expected at the event. 6. ARISS Radio Systems to be Cycled for EVA In preparation of the EVA, scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, the amateur radios on board the ISS are scheduled to be cycled off at 0850 UTC on Aug 2. They will be turned on again on Aug 4 at 0850 UTC. 7. ARISS Acquires Amateur Radios for Training A Yaesu FT-100D amateur radio is currently being qualified for flight as part of the ARISS Phase 2 Hardware. The ARISS U.S. team has recently acquired six of these transceivers and associated tuners. These will be used for training, crew procedure development and testing. 8. Coordinating Teacher of First ARISS Contact Receives Second License Rita Wright, KC9CDL, recently earned her General Class license. Rita is an 8th grade science and math teacher from Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois, whose school experienced the first ARISS radio contact with Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL, on December 21, 2000. She still uses radio and NASA material in her classroom and pursued her second license in order to help her students progress even further in science. [ANS thanks Carol for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.08 This Week's News in Brief AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.08 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 8, 2004 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.08 ** A group of teenage hams from the Cincinnati area got an ovation at the recent Las Vegas DefCon hacker conference. This, after organizers announced that the winners of this year's Wi-Fi shootout might have broken a world D-X record for ground distance in establishing a 55.1-mile Wi-Fi connection. --Newsline ** Sanswire Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GlobeTel Communications announced Wednesday that it has scheduled the launch date of its first Stratellite.The Stratellite will be positioned at an altitude of just under twelve miles above the earth's surface. The Company will complete the remaining tests of its Stratellite program in preparation for the launch of its first permanent Stratellite scheduled for later in 2005. --SpaceDaily ** US spacecraft Messenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Tuesday, 03 August 2004, on a six-year exploratory journey toward Mercury, the closet planet to the Sun. With Messenger safely nestled in its payload bay, a massive Delta II rocket roared off from its launching pad at about 0616 UTC, turning in a matter of seconds from a fire-breathing giant into a tiny speck of light in the sky. --Newsline /EX