SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.01 PHASE 3D LAUNCH UPDATE AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-310.01 AMSAT News Service previously reported that the Phase 3D satellite launch window will open very soon, with the anticipated date and time of launch for Arianespace Flight 135, on which P3D will fly, confirmed for 01:07 UTC, Wednesday, November 15, 2000. The revised launch date was changed from the October 31st initial launch window. Phase 3D was recently mounted atop the Ariane 5 launcher, along with the much smaller STRV-1C and 1D satellites. As this edition of ANS is transmitted, the large PAS-1R communications satellite is being placed aboard the launcher. A view of the entire payload can be found at the following URL: http://www.arianespace.com/news_missionupdate.html The Radio Club of Kourou's FY5KE has announced plans to broadcast the Phase 3D launch on 14.315 MHz in French ''and probably in English.'' The FY5KE transmission will start at approximately 15 minutes prior to launch and will end about 45 minutes later when the satellite reaches orbit. Closer to home, AMSAT-NA Vice President of Operations Keith Pugh, W5IU, reports that details are being worked out for an AMSAT-NA P3D Launch Information Net to run "live" during the launch. Keith told ANS that "at a minimum, the net will include several HF stations and bands." The current plan is to start about 15 minutes before launch and carry through separation of P3D. The U.S. net will be based on the live Arianespace satellite feed from the launch site and will also contain commentary by key AMSAT officials associated with the launch. According to W5IU, "dissemination of the launch information will be by the Houston AMSAT Net connection and by key HF stations, led by WA3NAN on their Shuttle re-transmission frequencies. Additional HF stations and frequencies will be added to fill in North American coverage." The Houston AMSAT Net connection will also be available via the Internet using the Real Audio format. The AMSAT launch team Internet web site has been popular with satellite operators around the world. The site now features several new photographs showing Phase 3D being placed aboard the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. To visit the site, point your browser to: http://www.amsat-dl.org/launch/ Stay tuned to ANS for additional bulletins from AMSAT, the official source for information on the Phase 3D Launch. [ANS thanks the ARRL, AMSAT-DL and AMSAT-NA for this information and congratulates the AMSAT launch team on their outstanding work] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.02 ARISS OPERATION FROM ISS NEAR HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-310.02 Amateur Radio satellite operators worldwide followed the recent launch of the 120-foot white, orange and gray Soyuz TM-31 rocket as it roared into the autumn sky. The launch took place right on time from the same site from which Yuri Gagarin blasted off to become the first human in space some 39 years ago. Sat ops were especially excited about this flight as aboard the Soyuz rocket was the Expedition-1 crew headed for the International Space Station. The crew includes expedition commander/U.S. astronaut Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL, Soyuz vehicle commander/Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko, and flight engineer/cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR. The crew successfully docked with the International Space Station's Zvezda module as the spacecraft flew high above southeastern Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev begin what many people hope will be a permanent human presence in space. Shepherd, the first commander aboard ISS, became only the second American to be launched aboard a Russian rocket. The Station at long last has a real name -- or at least a radio call sign. In a gutsy bid to get bureaucrats to deal with a political hot potato, U.S. astronaut Shepherd boldly asked for a go-ahead to christen the outpost 'Alpha' just hours after arriving at the complex last Thursday. Amateur Radio activity has not started as of this bulletin -- with best estimates pointing to a mid-November start. The Expedition-1 crew's activities are being scheduled around a UTC timeframe. It's expected that their working day will start around 08:00 UTC and end somewhere near 19:00 hours with a lunch break near 12:00 UTC. Passes near the beginning, lunchtime, and end of the crew day might be good times to find a crewmember relaxing with ham activities, once Amateur Radio operation begins. The crew will also have most weekends off -- from about mid-Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday. It is not known at this time if the power budget on Alpha will allow for leaving the packet rig powered during times when the crew cannot perform voice contacts. The ARISS working group has requested that the packet rig be left on as much as possible. The crew has been trained in the use of the beaconing capabilities of the TNC. The Expedition-1 portion of the ARISS web page has been updated. To view the page, point your browser to: http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/ExpeditionOne/ [ANS thanks NASA, ARISS and the ARRL for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.03 AMSAT SYMPOSIUM A SUCCESS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-310.03 The 18th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine has been judged an unqualified success. "Thanks to all those folks who worked to make the Maine experience a good one," said Richard, G3RWL. "The locals in Portland were surely entertained with the sight of a dozen antenna waving satellite operators in the parking lot at all hours of the day and night," reported Bob, WB4APR. "Thanks to Caroline and George Caswell (W1ME), and crew for their flawless arrangements. For us it was a tremendous 8-day vacation," said Dave, WB6LLO. Cliff, K7RR, added, "many thanks to all that worked so hard in Portland." Over 170 AMSAT members attended the event with some 20 satellite related presentations given during the Friday and Saturday sessions. Great interest was shown in the two sessions dealing with Phase 3D. Part of the P3D launch team (who had recently returned from Kourou) showed photographs and explained the operations which had taken place during the P3D pre-launch campaign. Many excellent papers were also presented with a continuing theme of AMSAT participation in education at all academic levels from beginning through very advanced levels. A very important part of the Symposium is the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors meeting. As reported by ANS, Keith Baker, KB1SF, had previously indicated he was stepping down as AMSAT-NA President. The BOD commended KB1SF for his outstanding accomplishments and past several years as President. KB1SF will remain a member of the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. An election was then held which included the following results: * Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, President * Ray Soifer, W2RS, Executive Vice President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, is well known in AMSAT circles. A Canadian Advanced class Amateur Radio operator, Robin also holds the callsign GD4INU. A professional electrical engineer, he was first licensed in 1977 and has been an AMSAT member since 1991. Robin also organized the 1997 AMSAT-NA Symposium and Annual Meeting. Robin is a past president of the Burlington Amateur Radio Club and is a Canadian ARISS team member as well as a life member of the Canadian Amateur Radio Foundation/Radio Amateurs of Canada organization. Ray Soifer, W2RS, is also no stranger to AMSAT circles. Ray has served as Vice President-International Affairs since 1994, mainly looking after relations with the International Amateur Radio Union and other AMSAT organizations around the world. This will be the second time that Ray will serve as Executive Vice President, having been in the post from 1991 until 1994. W2RS has been a long-time AMSAT member (since 1969) and has held various AMSAT positions including a stint as a Board of Directors member from 1972 to 1974. Congratulations to both VE3FRH and W2RS on your new positions from AMSAT News Service! Dave, WB6LLO, reported on the annual 'Jewelry Contest' held during the Symposium. "This year we had a total of 91 entries, the biggest response ever," reported WB6LLO. The measured frequency of the Tuney-Tuna was 145.925821 MHz. The winner of the contest was Anthony, AA2TX, with his entry of 145.925426 MHz. In second place was Bill, W3XO, followed by Harley, K6DS and Cliff, K7RR. Congratulations Anthony, Bill, Harley and Cliff from ANS! A Symposium special event station was active during the event using the AMSAT Club Callsign W3ZM. Both satellite and HF operation was featured. Bruce Paige, KK5DO, told ANS that all Symposium audio files are now available on the Houston AMSAT Net web site. In addition, Bruce has also posted several photographs from the event. For more information point your browser to: http://www.amsatnet.com [ANS congratulates Caroline Caswell and George Caswell Sr., W1ME, for the Symposium success!] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.04 TIUNGSAT-1 OPENED FOR AMATEUR RADIO USE HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-310.04 Chris Jackson, G7UPN, has informed ANS that "all commissioning duties have been completed on TiungSat-1 and the spacecraft is now open for general Amateur Radio use." Chris reports that currently the downlink is "operating in a digital mode at 9600 baud, although this will be switched to 38k4 in the coming weeks." According to G7UPN, "when this is done the downlink will not be on at all times since we will operate using the high power transmitter which consumes considerably more power than the current transmitter." The same system as currently employed on UO-36 will be used to allow satellite operators to switch on the downlink from their ground stations. The imaging systems aboard the satellite are still being calibrated and not all images will be available for download. Chris notes that since the images from TiungSat-1 should be the primary interest, uploading to the bird is restricted to command stations only. The imaging system has a Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) of about 70m and a wide angle camera with a GSD of approximately 1km. No word was received when repeater style, FM 'bent pipe' operation will be scheduled. [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN, for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.05 ANS IN BRIEF HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-310.05 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** The Greenville, South Carolina Experimenters Group ARC, using the callsign N4ISS, will be celebrating the manning of the International Space Station with a special event station on December 2-3, 2000. HF operation on 40, 20 and 10 meters as well as satellite operation through AO-27 will be featured. -Al, KD4SFF ** Bruce Paige, KK5DO, tells ANS that "since GE-4 has gone digital, the Houston AMSAT Net has moved back to Satcom C3 (131 degrees west), transponder 24, 7.5MHz audio.-Bruce, KK5DO ** Large telescopes with de-formable optics are allowing astronomers to study distant asteroids with unprecedented clarity. This should lead to the discovery of new shapes and configurations - presenting scientists with new puzzles to solve. -SpaceDaily ** ESA has begun operating a 'virtual campus' for the International Space Station, allowing present and future users of the Station in Europe to be kept informed on all the new developments taking place, share knowledge and find new research partners. -ESA ** What do you get if you mix together one part helium and five-and-a-half parts hydrogen, add a dash of methane, heat to 60 Kelvin (-351 degrees F) and let sit for about four billion years? If you made a large enough batch of these mixed gases, you might get the planet Neptune! -SpaceDaily ** Ronald Ross, KE6JAB, is returning to Antarctica to begin a two month expedition in the mountains of Queen Maud Land. He will be operating from the area and invites satellite operators to check out his website at http://www.thistle.org to find out more about the trip in the next few weeks. -ANS ** Arianespace, using the Ariane 4 launch platform, recently took the EuropeStar communications satellite to orbit. What is notable about this flight is that it marked the 100th launch of the Ariane 4! With some twenty more Ariane-4 launches scheduled between now and 2003 - it certainly is a high point and confirmation that the Ariane 4 launcher delivers the goods. -ESA ** A White House announcement directing federal agencies to work with the FCC and the private sector to identify spectrum for next-generation wireless services will not likely have any impact on amateur satellite allocations. The Executive Memorandum issued by President Clinton follows the path agreed to (earlier this year) to make frequencies available for so-called third-generation portable wireless devices. -ARRL ** Skycorp recently announced the signing of an agreement with NASA to place the world's first Internet server in Space. Skycorp and NASA are working together to determine a Shuttle flight date for a developmental test of this unique spacecraft technology. -SpaceDaily --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-310.06 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 for voice and packet: 145.800 MHz TNC callsign RZ3DZR ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis Status: Expected operation to begin in mid-November The ARISS initial station gear is now temporarily stowed aboard the Functional Cargo Block module of ISS. The initial station will use an existing antenna that will be adapted to support 2-meter FM voice and packet. The ARISS equipment will get a more-permanent home aboard the Service Module in 2001, along with VHF and UHF antennas. Plans call for amateur TV, both slow scan and fast scan ATV, a digipeater and relay stations. Planning for the deployment and use of the ham system aboard ISS has been an international effort coordinated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The effort began in 1996 with the formation of the Amateur Radio International Space Station organization. ARISS is made up of delegates from major national amateur radio organizations, including AMSAT. Two U.S. callsigns have recently been issued for Amateur Radio operations with ISS. The FCC granted vanity callsigns NA1SS and NN1SS to the International Space Station Amateur Radio Club in mid-October. The NA1SS callsign will be used aboard ISS, and NN1SS will be used for ground-based transmissions from the Goddard Space Flight Center. Russian callsign RZ3DZR and German call sign DL0ISS have previously been issued for use aboard the station. The crew may use their own callsigns (KD5GSL, U5MIR) or they may use one of the ISS calls. RZ3DZR is also the callsign entered into the TNC currently onboard Alpha. More information about the project can be found on the ARISS web site at http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov [ANS thanks the ARISS team for this information] RADIO SPORT RS-13 Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.460 to 29.500 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 145.863 MHz Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher Status: Operational, recently changed to mode-KT with a 2-meter and 10-meter downlink and 15-meter uplink First noted on the AMSAT bulletin board by Randy, N7SFI, RS-13 apparently has switched to mode-KT. Jerry, K5OE, confirmed the move. Jerry notes that "2-meter beacon is at 145.863 MHz, and the 2-meter downlink seems to be 145.860-145.900 MHz. K5OE reports the "2-meter downlink audio is terrific, much better than the 10-meter audio." Kevin, AC5DK, also reported the mode change on RS-13 "and it's thrown everybody for a loop!" More information about 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 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 (and RS-13) 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 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 worked (and heard) 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 current TEPR settings are: TEPR 4: 36 TEPR 5: 72 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, has updated the Michigan AMSAT Information site to include UO-14 information -- point your web browser to the following URL: http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-14 information] 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: Operational. The SunSat package includes 1200 and 9600 baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater system that will be used primarily for educational demonstrations in addition to Mode B/J operation. The satellite has two VHF and two UHF transmit-receive systems. For more information on SunSat, visit the following URL: http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za A summary of the active modes and frequency allocations for SunSat is available at the following URL: http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za/~lochner/sunsat/modes.html [ANS thanks Garth Milne, ZR1AFH, for this 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 Several satellite operators have reported problems with FO-20's transponder. Mike, N1JEZ, told ANS that he believes the loss of signal is a combination of two factors. First, battery age and an increase in FM traffic due to operators unaware of the band plan. Mike reports he routinely hears FM signals on the transponder. Tak, JA2PKI, reported the FO-20 control station operators now believe that the UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the transponder. The UVC monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the batteries from over discharge. Tak notes that FO-20, launched in 1990, is now over 10 years old. [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 The JARL FO-29 command station has announced the following operation schedule of FO-29: Oct. 7- Nov. 5 - Digi-talker (except mode JA every Wednesday) The FO-29 command station further reports the mode switching Digi-talker to mode JA was unsuccessful recently and FO-29 will remain in Digi-talker mode until the next switch attempt can be made. Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29, addressing the analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy e-mail Mike at: kf4fdj@amsat.org. 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] SAUDISAT-1A Uplink to be released Downlink 437.075 MHz Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Status: Commissioning stage, initial housekeeping tasks underway 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. SAUDISAT-1B Uplink to be released Downlink 436.775 MHz Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Status: Commissioning stage, initial housekeeping tasks underway 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. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-310.07 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.07 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-310.07 TIUNGSAT-1 Uplink 145.850 or 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK Downlink 437.325 MHz Broadcast callsign MYSAT3-11 BBS MYSAT3-12 NUP MYSAT3-10 Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Status: Operational in digital mode, currently at 9600 baud FSK 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 KITSAT KO-25 Uplink 145.980 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 436.500 MHz FM Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana Status: Operational Jim, AA7KC, reports nominal KO-25 operation, with low traffic. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information] UOSAT UO-22 Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK Downlink 435.120 MHz FM Call sign UOSAT5-12 Launched: July 17, 1991 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana Status: Operational Jim, AA7KC, reports nominal UO-22 operation at high efficiency, with heavy traffic and major sat-gate operation. 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 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 OSCAR-11 celebrated its sixteenth birthday in space on March 1, 2000. During the period 16-September to 17-October excellent signals have been received from the 145 MHz beacon. The satellite is currently experiencing very good solar conditions that should continue through the end of the year. Ground control operations recently reset the magnetorquer counters and the spin period has now started to slowly return to a nominal value. The battery voltage observed during daylight passes has continued to increase. The average value observed was 14.0, with a range of 13.9 to 14.1 volts. The internal temperatures have increased recently. They are now 5.8C and 4.2C for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. This rise in temperature is expected to continue as solar eclipse times become shorter. 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] 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) Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana Status: Semi-operational. The CW beacon is sending eight telemetry channels and one status channel. No BBS service is available. The digipeater is not active. 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] 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 Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French Guiana Status: Semi-operational Russ, WJ9F, reported the S-band transmitter is off. The VHF uplink and the UHF PSK transmitter are operational (TX power at 1.5 watts). The digipeater command is on. General information and telemetry samples can be found at: www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu [ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information] TMSAT-1 TO-31 Uplink 145.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 436.925 MHz (9600 baud FSK) Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Status: Operational Jim, AA7KC, reports nominal TO-31 operation, with moderate traffic and new image files available as of early November. 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] UoSAT-12 UO-36 Uplink 145.960 MHz (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 437.025 MHz 437.400 MHz 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 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-310.08 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 310.08 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 05, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-310.08 THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME: KITSAT KO-23 Uplink 145.900 MHz FM (9600 baud FSK) Downlink 435.170 MHz FM 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, reports that KO-23's downlink transmitter had been operational recently, but is (again) not transmitting. Duration of this status is unpredictable. Last received downlink was on October 28th. 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 now underway. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, for KO-23 status information] RADIO SPORT RS-12 Uplink 21.210 to 21.250 MHz CW/SSB Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 29.408 MHz Robot Uplink 21.129 MHz Robot Downlink 29.454 MHz Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher Status: Non-operational. No operation in 2000 has been observed 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. The program to the access the satellite can be downloaded from the homepage. The TechSat team has a home page about TechSat. To view the site, point your web browser to: http://www.technion.ac.il/pub/projects/techsat/asher/techsatmain.html PANSAT PO-34 Uplink/downlink frequencies have never been released Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery Status: Unknown The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions. PanSat was developed by the Naval Postgraduate School. 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). MIR SPACE STATION 145.985 MHz (FM) voice and SSTV (Robot 36 Mode) Launched: February 18, 1986 Status: Unmanned Currently, there is no human habitation aboard the station and the onboard Amateur Radio equipment has been turned off. Several news agencies have reported that Mir in now on 'autopilot'. Stay tuned to ANS for further details. MIR SAFEX II 70-cm Repeater Uplink 435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone of 141.3 Hz Downlink 437.950 MHz FM Status: Not operational. No operation in 1999 or 2000 has been observed MIR SAFEX II 70-cm QSO Mode Uplink 435.725 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 151.4 Hz Downlink 437.925 MHz FM Status: Not operational. No operation in 1999 or 2000 has been observed 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. No additional information is available at this time. 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. No additional information is available at this time. 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://www.seds.org/sedsat No additional information is available at this time. /EX