AO-51 ECHO Status: operational//Testing Current Mode: FM Repeater, V/U modes l/s and v/s working well, but takes some tracking!Reports welcome from stations using the digital side of ao51. AO-51 14 Jan 2005 Schedule Update Up to now no message traffic on the AO-51 PBBS from the Tsunami Disaster Area has been seen. Echo's mode will change 15 Jan 2005 to allow both FM repeater and 9k6 digital operations. The FM repeater will be back operational and open for amateur use. The plan is to run in this mode until the end of January unless word is received from the disaster area that a different setup would be useful. (se below for latest schedule)

Anyone that can help contact those in the disaster area and inform them of the Satellite resource is encouraged to do so. Should another configuration of AO-51 be identified as providing more benefit to those in the disaster area, AMSAT will adjust AO-51's operating mode accordingly

AMSAT 51 Award The AMSAT 51 on 51 Award new! The AMSAT 51 on 51 Award is given to any station that makes contact with 51 different stations on AMSAT's newest satellite, AO-51, during the year 2005. The award is designed to promote friendship, and encourage contact with handheld and first-time satellite users. Applicants are encouraged to include contacts with stations making their first satellite contacts. Contacts may be in any mode (Voice/Packet/PSK-31) and on any band (V/U, V/S, L/S, L/U, H/U). To receive the award, you must submit your log entries either electronically or by photocopy. Entries must indicate date and time (UTC) of the contact, callsign and grid square of the contacted station, and mode used. Only contacts made between 1 January, 2005 and 31 December, 2005 are eligible. Logbooks may be submitted until 30 April, 2006. QSL cards are not required, however logbooks may be checked against other applicant's logs.

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 Digipeater callsign ARISS WAC CertifFirsticate Awarded For ISS Op During his International Space Station Expedition 9 duty tour, astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, became the first ISS crew member to contact all seven of the world's continents via Amateur Radio. Now he has the International Amateur Radio Union's Worked All Continents (WAC) certificate for his wall.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Ham Radio Technical Coordinator Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO presented the award to Fincke recently at Johnson Space Center. Operating NA1SS Fincke worked KC4AAC at Antarctica's Palmer Research Station for his last contact--actually a "bonus continent" not required

Japan Contact Successful On Friday, January 7, students from Mori Elementary School in Hyogo, Japan experienced a contact with the ISS. They were able to ask 20 questions of Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, during the 10 minute pass. Approximately 100 people attended the event. Media coverage included 5 newspapers and 1 local cable TV station. Efforts to troubleshoot the Elektron oxygen- generation system appear to be successful. The Elektron, which stopped operating on New Year's Day, was reactivated Thursday morning and was operating late Thursday afternoon on a backup pump, after being restarted a second time.

Later in the day, Chiao took the controls at the Robotics Work Station to move the Station robotic arm, Canadarm2, into position for an upcoming spacewalk. Flight controllers will use the camera on the arm to view Chiao and Sharipov during the Jan. 26 excursion.

Chiao also completed U.S. cargo transfers from the ISS Progress 16 cargo ship to the Station.

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.

AO-27 AMRAD Status: Operational Evening time uk/europe,FM repeater on first part off each pass. 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 lab2@jarl.or.jp . 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.

UO-11 OSCAR-11 Status: Semi-operational. During the period 16 December 2004 to 25 January 2005 the 145.826 MHz. beacon has been heard transmitting continuous ASCII telemetry from 24 December to 03 January and 14 January to 24 January. During this period good signals have been received. On several occasions the signals have been stronger than usual. The beacon operates under control of the watchdog timer. Observations have indicated that the cycle is approximately 10.3 days ON followed by 10.4 days OFF. Assuming that this cycle continues, the beacon should switch ON around 04 February. When the telemetry started on 24 December, the +Y solar array telemetry showed erratic measurements, and now almost zero current. For some time the +Y array had only been delivering about half the current of the other arrays. Further investigation is required to establish whether this is a failure of the array, or the telemetry. Users of OSCAR-11 should note that the date in the telemetry is now advanced by FOUR days. The time is advanced by 20.5 minutes, and this error is increasing by about one minute per year. At the present time the mode-S beacon 2401.5 MHz. and the UHF beacon 453.025 MHz. are both OFf More information on UO-11 OSCAR-11 can be found at: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/

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 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 Status: Operational PCSat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater http://pcsat.aprs.org

The APRS-equipped PCSat was built by midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy PCsat working fine. Please do not use PCsat in the dark, and she should live a long time....

KG4 Satellite Activity Jose, N4BAA/KG4SG, was active on the FM satellites from 15-22 Jan 2005. Jose was located in gridsquare FK29. He work every possible pass of AO-27, and 25% to 50% of the workable SO-50 and AO-51 passes.

Straight Key Night OSCAR SKN 2005 is now history. Activity was up significantly from last year's level. A number of Best Fist nominations are already in, but if you participated and haven't yet sent in yours, please take a moment to do so. Remember, the operator you nominate need not have the best fist of all whom you heard, just of those you worked. Please send all Best Fist nominations to w2rs@amsat.org. A list of nominees will be published via the AMSAT News Service in early FebruaryThe AMSAT Journal.

Amsat India has announced that there hamsat pay load will be postponed for launch untill some time in April 05

AO-51 Schedule.

2nd Feb
Please follow the QRP requirements listed below
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.880 mhz FM, NO PL Tone required
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM

3 Feb
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL Tone
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM
9k6 Digital, V/U, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS)
Uplink: 145.860 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital
Downlink: 435.150 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital

5 Feb *** Kid's Day on AO-51 Special Event, Start 1415 utc ***
FM Repeater, V/U
See the info above for specific Kid's Day Requirements
Uplink: 145.880 mhz FM voice, 67hz tone
Downlink: 435.300 mhz FM voice

6 Feb
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL Tone
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM
9k6 Digital, V/U, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS)
Uplink: 145.860 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital
Downlink: 435.150 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital

9 Feb - Exp Wed - 9k6 High Power
9k6 Digital, V/U, High Power, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS)
Uplink: 145.860 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital
Downlink: 435.150 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital

10 Feb
FM Repeater, V/S
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, No PL Tone
Downlink 2401.200 mhz FM

16 Feb - Exp Wed
FM Repeater, L/S
Uplink: 1268.700 mhz FM, No PL Tone
Downlink 2401.200 mhz FM

17 Feb
FM Repeater, V/U, High Power Mode
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL Tone
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM

23 Feb - Exp Wed
38k4 Digital Downlink, V/U, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS)
Uplink: 145.860 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital
Downlink: 435.150 mhz FM, 38k4 PBP Digital

24 Feb
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL Tone
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM
9k6 Digital, V/U, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS)
Uplink: 145.860 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital
Downlink: 435.150 mhz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital

paul . 2E1EUB. (AMSAT UK 6236)