As compiled by PAUL 2E1EUB.

Inclusions to be included in this monthly report to reach me by the 25th of each month please, at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This report can also be found at www.amsat.uk.org and on packet Radio or may be heard live on 3.780mhz +/- QRM on the last Sunday of each month around 10.00 local time. The next takes place every Sunday.

VO52/HAMSAT

AMSAT India has applied for and has been granted an OSCAR number for HAMSAT. In the future HAMSAT will be referred to as VUSat-OSCAR 52 or VO-52 for short.

For additional information see 'HamSat'

This bird is now 12 months old, and still has plenty of traffic and plenty of new comers, lets hope it stands the pace,I’ve already noticed weaker signals than first noted. The foot print is not massive and it moves quick ,but its possible to work the USA just about.

HAMSAT frequencies: ------------------- Indian transponder: Uplink : 435.225MHz to 435.275MHz LSB/CW Downlink: 145.875MHz to 145.925MHz USB/CW Beacom : 145.940MHz continue carier signal Dutch transponder: Uplink : 435.225MHz to 435.275MHz LSB/CW Downlink: 145.875MHz to 145.925MHz USB/CW Beacon : 145.860MHz 12WPM with CW message

AO-51 ECHO

Status: operational//

Reports welcome from stations using the digital side of ao51. Some improvements have been made after studying the latest data! PLEASE NOTE: The bbs call sign has now been changed to: PECHO-12 and the broadcast call is :PECHO-11

Field day news: This year, AO-51 will be setup in dual FM repeater mode, allowing for two usable FM repeaters from the satellite. The FM repeater utilizing the transmitter on 435.300 will be open to all users. The FM repeater utilizing the transmitter on 435.150 (normally reserved for BBS operations) will be reserved during Field Day for QRP stations only, as has been the common practice when this mode runs on AO-51. Please note the information on the mode configurations and QRP requirements.

FM Repeater #1 for all Users:
Downlink: 435.300 mhz FM
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM

FM Repeater #2 for QRP Users ONLY:
Downlink: 435.150 mhz FM
Uplink: 145.880 mhz FM

AO-51 ECHO LOW POWER STATION (QRP) REQUIREMENTS:
To attempt to keep this simple, a low power station will be defined as a station which can deliver no more than 10 watts to a vertical or handheld antenna. These are some examples of Low Power Stations:

·        Using an HT (barefoot, no amplifier) with 10 watts or less output into any type of vertical whip antenna (rubber duck, etc) or handheld beam antenna (arrow type).

·        Using a mobile station with 10 watts or less output into car mounted mobile whip antenna(s).

·        Using a base station at 10 watts output into a vertical omni-directional antenna on the side of the house.

Echo Operating Schedule for:
June 5
FM Repeater
Downlink 435.300 mHz FM
Uplink 145.920 mHz FM with 67 hz Tone

Digital / PBBS
Downlink 435.150 mHz FM 9k6 Digital
Uplink 145.860 mHz FM 9k6 Digital
PBBS Active
Telemetry Downlink Active

June 12
FM Repeater High Power
Downlink 435.300 mHz FM
Uplink 145.920 mHz FM with 67 hz Tone

June 17 Kid's Day Special Event
Please observe the Kid's Day Requirements allowing
contacts with Kid's Only.

June 19 Field Day Configuration
FM Repeater
Downlink 435.300 mHz FM
Uplink 145.920 mHz FM with 67 hz Tone

FM Repeater with QRP Requirements
Downlink 435.150 mHz FM
Uplink 145.880 mHz FM, QRP Power Limits

June 26
FM Repeater
Downlink 435.300 mHz FM
Uplink 145.920 mHz FM with 67 hz Tone

Digital / PBBS
Downlink 435.150 mHz FM 9k6 Digital
Uplink 145.860 mHz FM 9k6 Digital
PBBS Active
Telemetry Downlink Active

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) - ARISS

Status: Operational

Current Mode: Packet

Digipeater: Active

Russian callsigns RS0ISS, RZ3DZR

USA callsign NA1SS

Packet station mailbox callsign RS0ISS-11

Packet station keyboard callsign RS0ISS-3

The European Space Agency's International Space Station Columbus module is expected to arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on 30 May 2006, where it will be prepared for its launch to the space station on the space shuttle.

As announced in the ARISS-Europe News Bulletin of 02 May 2006, the cables for the ARISS antennas for the 23cm and 13cm Amateur bands are presently being installed on the hull of Columbus.

ARISS team member Oliver Amend, DG6BCE took photos of the work in progress, see:
<http://www.southgatearc.org/news/may2006/ariss_antennas_columbus.htm>

Columbus will provide state-of-the-art internal payload accommodation for experiments in material science, fluid physics and life science, and its external payload facility will host experiments and applications in the field of space science, Earth observation and technology

In space this week, a satellite flew within a satellite. International Space Station Flight Engineer Jeff Williams "piloted" a unique spacecraft in three dimensions for the first time around the pressurized Destiny module. The demonstration tested the basics of formation flight and autonomous docking that could be useful in future multiple spacecraft formation flying.

That test flight wrapped up a week of experiments, maintenance, spacewalk preparations and packing of equipment set to return to Earth aboard Space Shuttle Discovery following its next mission to the station, targeted for July.

Along with Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Williams oversaw activities through the 50th day of their planned 180-day mission, focusing on laboratory science experiments in the microgravity science glovebox. That facility hosted the final sample for the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation experiment, which uses a transparent modeling material to study how bubbles form and migrate during liquid solidification. This is important to understanding the formation of flaws in molten metals as they solidify.

Much of the attention, however, focused on a new experiment flying for the first time on the station ? the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Re-orient Experimental Satellites, also known as SPHERES.

Williams, also NASA's station science officer, performed a series of test flights with the first of what eventually will be a constellation of three small free-flying satellites designed to demonstrate the basics of formation flight and autonomous docking.

For the first tests, only one satellite and two beacons ? one mounted and one hand-held ? were used. The satellite is eight inches in diameter and has a mass of about seven pounds. It also contains internal avionics, software and communications systems and is manoeuvred using compressed carbon dioxide gas thrusters.

During the first test flight, performed autonomously in Destiny, the satellite made a series of 10-15 pre-planned maneuvers lasting up to 10 minutes each. After Williams selected and loaded the appropriate software on the laptop, the satellite began its pre-programmed maneuvers to test attitude control, station keeping, re-targeting, collision avoidance and fuel balancing.

This technology could be used to design spacecraft constellations or arrays or to develop free-flying robotic assistants to help astronauts on future spacewalks.

NASA's payload operations team at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., coordinates U.S. science activities on the station.

On the maintenance front, Vinogradov prepped for a June 1 space walk by reconfiguring ventilation lines associated with the Elektron oxygen generating system in the Zvezda module. One of the spacewalk tasks will be to install a new external hydrogen vent line for the Elektron. Oxygen is being provided now by storage tanks in the Progress supply vehicle. The Elektron will remain deactivated until after the spacewalk.

Early in the week, the carbon dioxide removal system, known as Vozdukh, in the Russian segment malfunctioned. Flight controllers activated the carbon dioxide removal system in Destiny until troubleshooting restored Vozdukh's operation. Both units will run in tandem until next week when a new gas analyzer is installed in Vozdukh.

On Thursday, the crew talked with school students in Wisconsin's Winter School District about life in space and experiments aboard the station.

 On Monday, May 1, Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, participated in his first ARISS contact with students from Bob Jones High School in Madison Alabama. Seventeen questions were asked by 13 students via the telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia. Among the 100 students and teachers attending the event was Jeff Williams' brother. Media coverage included the Huntsville Times and the Madison County Record. The audio from this contact was webcast by Verizon Conferencing and was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (node 101 377) and JK1ZRW (node 277 208) conference servers. Eighteen connections, including three repeaters, were made from 7 countries. Nine connections were also made on the IRLP Discovery reflector 9010 from 3 countries: UK, USA, and Canada.

ARRL's article, "ROTC Cadets at Alabama School Query ISS Astronaut," covered the news and may be found at: <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/05/05/1/?nc=1>

Canadian School Contact, a Success
Jaanimmarik School in Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Canada experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Thursday, May 4 via the telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia. Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, answered twenty-three questions posed to him by 18 students. The event was well attended by approximately 450 students, teachers and parents. Among the dignitaries present were the president and CEO of Makivik Corporation, Senator C. Watt, local officials, and elders from the community school board from the Montreal and local offices. Media coverage was provided by a local radio station which broadcast the event live, translating the contact in Inuktituk, CBC North, and APTN (Northern Canada TV Network). APTN is producing a presentation for later broadcasting. The City of Ottawa media also reported the event. The audio from this contact was webcast courtesy of Verizon Conferencing and was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (node 101 377) and JK1ZRW (node 277 208) conference servers. Twenty-three connections were made, of which two were repeaters, from 9 countries, including Bangladesh, Holland and Thailand. It was also available on the IRLP Discovery reflector 9010.

Space Day Event at the Udvar-Hazy Center
On Friday, May 5, ARISS members participated in the Space Day activities at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. AMSAT and ARISS members provided displays and hands on activities for the students. Approximately 10,000 visitors were expected to attend the event.

ARRL Article on Expedition 14 Hams
On May 3, ARRL ran a story covering the newly named Expedition 14 crew, all licensed Amateur Radio operators. The article, "Three radio amateurs on next ISS crew", may be found at: <http://www.arrl.org/>

Cleveland Heights High School contact
Students at the Cleveland Heights High School participated in an ARISS contact on March 17. Photos of the event are now available. See:
<http://www.chuh.org/chhs/library/podcasts/Kidpics/index.htm>

Technical Interchange Meeting Planned
An ARISS Technical Interchange Meeting is being planned for the week of July 10 in Houston. Topics of discussion will include ARISS hardware, software, slow scan television, and plans for SuitSat-2.

SuitSat-1 Contest
AMSAT is planning a "Chicken Little" contest to see who can guess when SuitSat-1 will re-enter the earth's atmosphere. There will be K-8, 9-12 and adult categories. Certificates will be provided to the winners of each group. More information will be forthcoming.

AO-7 AMSAT OSCAR 7

Status: Semi-operational in sunlight.

Return to active status: June 21,2002

Emily, W0EEC has created a website to allow the users of AO-7 to record

contacts, observations and use of the satellite more effectively at:

http://www.emilyshouse.com/experthams/ao7/main.php

This includes the ability to log contacts.

Mostly in mode B, ! with dx stations heard regularly, with some qrm on the 2m down link. But still plenty of traffic, showing that the old mode b transponder is  much liked and rated. Tending to disappear or change modes part way through passes, perhaps due to poor solar lock.?

ao7 seems to be changing its trend its spent a lot of time in mode A this month...why not try CW or phone ....100w eirp l/h circular uplink.......2/6db linear antenna on the down link are the requirements ! Its poss to work mode A with less.

-AO27 AMRAD   *******

Status:semi Operational( On!)

Eclipse time! check sked.....but we should be back to normal soon,this happens every year.

The latest information on AO-27  can be found at:

http://www.ao27.org

An AO-27 question-and-answer page is available on the AMSAT-NA web

site,

FO-29 JAS-2

Status: Operational

working well, with strong downlink signals at times.

Voice/CW Mode JA

Please send the reception reports to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please use the

subject line: 'FO-29reception report'.

SO-50 SAUDISAT-1C

Status: Operational.

Uplink: 145.850 MHz

There have been unconfirmed reports on the amsat-bb emailer that So-50 has

shifted downlink frequency as much as 5khz up.

To switch the transmitter on, you need to send a CTCSS tone of 74.4 Hz.and then ctcss of 67hz to keep the bird open:

UO-11 OSCAR-11…semi operational

07 May 2006 RECEPTION REPORTS REQUESTED! I am expecting the VHF beacon on 145.826 MHz. to switch ON around 15/16 May. Due to solar eclipses (see below) the beacon may only transmit for a short time, perhaps only a few orbits. Any reception reports would be appreciated. Please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or post to AMSAT-BB. If you are unfamiliar with the sound of OSCAR-11, there is an audio clip on my website www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/ During the period 16 April to 06 May 2006 the VHF beacon on 145.826 MHz. has been heard from 25 April to 05 May. Signal strengths have been very variable during this ten day period, sometimes too weak to detect, even with the receiver set to CW mode, at other times signals were of good decoding quality. Frequent changes in polarisation were also observed on some passes. OSCAR-11's VHF beacon switched OFF on 05 May, as expected. This was just one day before the solar eclipses were due to start. These eclipses will continue until 04 August 2006, reaching a maximum duration of 22% around 19 June. If the satellite behaves in the same way as it did last year, the beacon may only be heard for very short times, during the eclipse season. The on-board clock continues to show a very large accumulated error. On 05 May it was 22.76456 days slow. The clock lost two hours during the last OFF period, and nine hours during the last transmission period. The observations of clock errors suggest that the clock may slow or stop when the battery voltage is low. All the analogue telemetry channels, 0 to 59 are zero, ie they have failed. The status channels 60 to 67 are still working. The watchdog timer now appears to have resumed operation on the 20 day cycle. During the last three months the ON/OFF times have been very consistent, and many observations show this to be 20.7 days, ie. 10.3 days ON followed by 10.4 days OFF. However, during the present solar eclipse season, power supply problems, may result in a low 14 volt line supply, which may cause the beacon to switch OFF prematurely, and reset the watchdog timer cycle. The Beacon frequencies are - VHF 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry UHF 435.025 MHz. OFF S-band 2401.5 MHz. OFF Liste

AO-16 PACSat

Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater command is on and open for

APRS user

Broadcast Callsign: PACSAT-11

BBS: PACSAT-12

GO-32 TECHSAT-1B

Status: Operational

Roni, 4Z7DFC, reports:

 Techsat1b BBS's is back ..but still having problems...its been off, latest reports are that its back in service.

Uplink freq. ; 145.859, 145.890, 1269.800

More information of GO-32 can be found at:

http://www.iarc.org/techsat/techsat.html

NO-44 PCSAT 1

Status: Operational-in sunlight

PCSat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater

http://pcsat.aprs.org

The APRS-equipped PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academ

PCSAT2

UI Digipeater 145.825 MHz FM 1200 Baud AFSK TLM and PSK Downlink 435.275 MHz FM 1200 AFSK or PSK-31 PSK-31 Uplink 29.4 MHz PSK-31 Aux Downlink 437.975 MHz FM 1200 and 9600 Baud AFSK Voice Repeater Downlink 437.975MHz FM Deployed 3 August 2005

STATUS: PCSAT2 was switched back to UHF downlink for both Packet and PSK-31/CW transponder on 28 March. This concluded over 2 weeks joint operations on its VHF downlink with PCSAT-1 which awoke from hibernation on88 March

ESEO News:

The next SSETI "Student Space Exploration & Technology Initiative" satellite project - ESEO continues to make progress towards a launch into GTO in 2008. The ESA website has the latest details here <http://www.esa.int/esaED/SEM29W9ATME_highereducation_0.html> The AMSAT-UK payload, a linear 60kHz wide transponder for the satellite, continues in development and we were invited to attend the recent Workshop at the ESA-ESTEC facility which took place in May. The transponder will be a single Mode U/S device and will incorporate a STELLA SDR processor to provide the best possible system performance for all uplinked signals. The transponder is also expected to provide telecommand and telemetry facilities for mission controllers immediately after launch and before the planned earth pointing attitude has been achieved and will also include a 400bps telemetry beacon. More information will be provided during the AMSAT-UK Colloquium being held at the University of Surrey in Guildford UK between July 28th and 30th. See <http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/> for more information.

NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery Moves to Launch Pad

The Space Shuttle Discovery stands at its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The shuttle arrived at 8:30 p.m. EDT Friday on top of a giant vehicle known as the crawler transporter.

"Rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery signifies the last major processing milestone in preparation for our next mission, STS-121," said Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale. "The entire team has worked tremendously hard to ensure we were prepared to move to the pad, and we are excited to continue moving toward a July launch."

The crawler transporter began carrying Discovery out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 12:45 p.m. Friday. The crawler's maximum speed during the 4.2-mile journey was less than 1 mph.

While at the pad, the shuttle will undergo final testing and hardware integration prior to launch, as well as a "hot fire" test of the auxiliary power units to ensure they are properly functioning. The rotating service structure then will be moved back around the vehicle to protect it from potential damage and the elements.

Discovery's launch to the International Space Station is targeted for July 1, with a launch window that extends until July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

AMSAT-UK will be holding their 21st International Space Colloquium           

at the University of Surrey, Guildford, England on the 28th - 30th July. The detailed programme will be published on the web site at <http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/programme/default.php> There will be guided tours of the Surrey Space Centre at the University with the satellite mission control centre and the satellite assembly facility. These tours are always popular and they provide a unique opportunity to see satellites in various stages of construction. On Friday in addition to the main lecture programme there will be a special "Beginners Session" to show newcomers how to use the many Amateur Satellites that are available. The microwave testing facilities are key feature of every Colloquium and AMSAT-UK is grateful to the dedicated volunteers who provide this service. As in previous years there will be facilities to check frequency and noise figure of equipment and of course there will be the ever popular 2.4 GHz Antenna Testing Range. SSTL/UoS Space Centre students will be holding an exhibition in the SSTL conference room. About a dozen post graduate students will be present with posters and some exhibits, and they will explaining the projects they are working on. This Exhibition will take place on Friday afternoon approximately 5pm to 6pm. The RSGB GB4FUN van will be present throughout the event to allow visitors to work the satellites. The event is open to all Amateurs and SWL's. Either Day passes costing £18:00 (Fri)/£24.00 (Sat/Sun) (both including buffet lunch) or full packages comprising overnight accommodation and meals at the University are available. For further details contact Sophie Haigh Tel: +44 (0)1483 689880. email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Day visitors are also welcome ,but please advise amsat-uk of this.       

AMSAT-UK's 2006 Colloquium,  has attracted the support of the European Space Agency (ESA). The ESA Education Office have confirmed that they will support the Colloquium by sponsoring the travel and accommodation costs for up to five university students so that they can attend and present at the meeting. This opportunity is open to any University student presently studying in one of the ESA member states or one of the ESA cooperating states. Students who are interested in applying for this sponsorship should urgently contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it giving their details and information about their proposed paper. Additionally ESA have approved the attendance of Neil Melville - the SSETI Express project co-ordinator. Neil will be giving a full report on the SSETI Express experience and the "Knowledgebase" that has been created as a result. He will also be discussing the establishment of an internet linked World-wide network of University and radio amateur groundstations to help support future launches of satellites in the amateur satellite service. AMSAT-UK is very pleased to receive this support from ESA as this will further assist towards promoting the synergistic relationships that already exist between the two groups of space enthusiasts. Full details of the 2006 Colloquium and the online booking form can be found at <http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/>

Mass Satellite Deployment:  
The largest ever deployment of amateur radio satellites is due to take place on 28 June. No less than 13 CubeSats - as the tiny 1kg satellites are called - will be launched into orbit by rocket from the Kazakstan Baikonur Cosmodrome. The satellites will be put into a 500 by 566km orbit with an inclination of 97 degrees. Each satellite, measuring just 10cm cube, is packed with a battery, transmitter and various experiments. Twelve of the satellites have downlinks in the amateur radio satellite service allocation between 435 and 438MHz and one will operate on 145.950MHz. One of the CubeSats was built by students at the Nihon University in Japan. It contains a CW beacon, Digi-Talker and other experiments. After launch, it will operate a CW beacon on 437.485MHz using the callsign JQ1YGU. For further information on amateur radio satellites, including advice on how to build one yourself, visit website www.cubesatkit.com <http://www.cubesatkit.com/>.

Posat Update:

We are still waiting for the paper work to be compleated, I’m told its expected to be sorted soon.

 PAUL . 2E1EUB. (AMSAT UK 6236)