AMSAT News

FoxTelem v1.05 Released

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AMSAT’s preparations for the launch of RadFxSat (Fox-1B) on November 10th continue at a breakneck pace. FoxTelem developer Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, today announced the release of FoxTelem v1.05 on the AMSAT-BB. Among other improvements, upgrading to this release is required for the proper decoding of RadFxSat telemetry. FoxTelem versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux can be downloaded at https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/

Below is the full text of Thompson’s post on the AMSAT-BB:

​I am pleased to announce a new version of FoxTelem, Version 1.05.  This will make you ready for the RadFxSat launch in 2 weeks time,  at 01:47 PST (09:47UTC) on November 10, 2017.   You will also take advantage of over 60 fixed defects and changes applied to the code base.

NEW FEATURES

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RADFXSAT

Accurately decode the data, display the results of the experiments and forward it to the AMSAT server for analysis by the experiment owners and other amateur scientists like yourself.  This version will also be able to download the RadFxSat data from the server.

POSITION CALC

You can use a new feature to calculate the position of the satellite. This is  enabled on the settings screen. The TLEs are automatically downloaded each
week and stored in EPOCH order.  This will be used to plot historical graphs in the future.  See the manual for more details.

WHEN ABOVE HORIZON

You can set FoxTelem to only decode when the satellite is up.  This is designed to save CPU power when many copies of FoxTelem are run at the same time.

RUNNING MULTIPLE COPIES

You can run FoxTelem in a new way.  If you pass a directory on the command line then it will use this as the location of the config file and the
log files. Previously you needed to create a batch file and run a special command. That will still work, but this should be easier.  See the manual for details.

KEY CHANGES

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* Implements changes needed to support RadFxSat (Fox-1B) which launches Nov 2017
* Simpler approach to run multiple copies of FoxTelem with different configuration settings
* Calculation of spacecraft position for users on Linux/Mac or those without SatPC32, including automatic TLE/KEP management
* Automatic start/stop of the decoder to save CPU when running many copies, based on FoxTelem calculation or SatPC32
* Runs on the Raspberry Pi 3
* Storage of the spacecraft .dat files in the logfiles directory to avoid issues where the install directory is not writable
* Plots 450 deg and 180 deg Az/EL correctly
* PSK decoder in readiness for RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E)

And many other bug fixes. Full list of changes here:
https://github.com/ac2cz/FoxTelem/milestone/3?closed=1

You can email me with any bug reports or issues that you see.

​73
Chris
g0kla/ac2cz​

Free Digital Copy of “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites” Available with New or Renewed Membership

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As part of the preparations for the launch of RadFxSat on November 10th, AMSAT is making our “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites” book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite.

Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option. While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag. Be sure to view your cart before going to checkout. If you add a membership and then go directly to checkout, you’ll never see an option to add your free gift.

Thank you, and see you soon on RadFxSat!

Countdown to Launch: RadFxSat (Fox-1B)

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Only three weeks remain until the next AMSAT Fox-1 satellite launches!

RadFxSat (Fox-1B) is scheduled for launch at 01:47 PST (09:47 UTC) on November 10, 2017. RadFxSat is one of four CubeSats making up the NASA ELaNa XIV mission, riding as secondary payloads aboard the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-1 mission. JPSS-1 will launch on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

RadFxSat Flight Model

RadFxSat is a partnership with Vanderbilt University ISDE and hosts four payloads for the study of radiation effects on commercial off the shelf components. RadFxSat features the Fox-1 style FM U/v repeater with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on 145.960 MHz. Satellite and experiment telemetry will be downlinked via the “DUV” subaudible telemetry stream and can be decoded with the FoxTelem software.

 

Uplink FM
(67 Hz CTCSS)		 Downlink FM Comments
RadFxSat (Fox-1B) 435.250 MHz 145.960 MHz Launch 11/10/2017

FalconSAT-3 is Now Open for Amateur Radio Use

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The Air Force Academy satellite FalconSAT-3 is now open for amateur radio use as a digital store-and-forward system. FalconSAT-3 was built in 2005 and 2006 by cadets and faculty in the Space Systems Research Center at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, and launched in 2007 on an Atlas V.

After serving in scientific and training roles, the Academy has now made the satellite available for Amateur radio use.

The satellite is in a 35.4 degree inclination orbit, with an approximate altitude of 465 to 476 km. The Packet Bulletin Board System is operating at 9600 baud with a 145.840 uplink, and 435.103 downlink. Output power is 1 watt, and the downlink is continuously on. Digipeating is enabled for live QSOs, but unattended digipeating operations is not authorized at this time. Current Keplerian elements can be found in the AMSAT distributed Keplerian elements.

More information can be found at https://www.amsat.org/falconsat-3/ and further operational inquiries should be directed to AMSAT Vice President Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA ([email protected]).

[ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA for the above information]