AMSAT UK MONTHLY SATELLITE REPORT:
As compiled by PAUL 2E1EUB. Inclusions to be included in this monthly report to reach me by the 25th of each month please,at: 2E1EUB@AMSAT.ORG. This report can also be found at www.uk.amsat.org and on packet Radio or may be heard live on 3.780 mhz on the last sunday of each month.
AO-51 ECHO
Status: operational//Testing
Current Mode: FM Repeater, V/U
modes l/s and v/s working well,but takes some tracking!still problems with the qrm level on mode v uplink.Reports welcome from stations using the digital side of ao51.
March 2005 AO-51 (Amsat Echo) Schedule
All dates are UTC. The mode change occurs normally between 0100 and 0400
utc on the date shown. The mode will be active from the date shown until
the next Mode Change date listed. Mode Configurations are listed below the
schedule. If for some unplanned reason we need to work with Echo and deviate
from the plan I will post a note to the this Echo page on AMSAT.ORG.
If a specific transmitter or mode is not listed on a given day then it will
be off. For example, if TXB (435.300) is not listed during a 38k4 digital
mode period then the FM repeater will be off.
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
2 Mar - Exp Wed - 38k4 Digital Mode
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
This session is part of the Command Station Testing Period.
3 Mar -
Command Station Testing
We need to run some tests on the satellite. During this window the satellite
will be changed into different setups. Those configurations will be posted
here and on the amsat-bb as soon as possible. The satellite will be open
in the mode configured for general use.
9 Mar - Exp Wed - Mode L/U as requested via ao51-modes
FM Repeater, L/U
Uplink: 1268.700 mhz FM, No PL Tone
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM
9 Mar
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
16 Mar - Exp Wed - PSK31
PSK31, 10 meters/U
Uplink: 28.140 mhz USB
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM
Please send reports of your activity on this mode to the ao51-modes@amsat.org
e-mail address. I want to get a feel for the number of stations utilizing
this mode.
17 Mar
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
23 Mar - Exp Wed - QRP Mode
QRP Experimenters Wednesday, note uplink frequency, NO PL Tone
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
24 Mar
FM Repeater, V/S
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL Tone
Downlink 2401.200 mhz FM
30 Mar - Exp Wed
FM Repeater, L/S
Uplink: 1268.700 mhz FM, No PL Tone
Downlink 2401.200 mhz FM
31 Mar
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
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
ARISS School Contact Schedule
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2005-02-15 17:00 UTC
The ARISS (a joint effort of AMSAT, the ARRL, NASA, the ARISS international
partners including Canada, Russia, the European Partners, and Japan) operations
team wishes to announce the following very tentative schedule for ARISS school
contacts. This schedule is very fluid and may change at the last minute.
Remember that amateur radio use on the ISS is considered secondary. Please
check the various AMSAT and ARISS webpages for the latest announcements.
The ARISS contacts can be heard by listening for the ISS on the downlink
of 145.80 MHz as well as checking MSNBC.com for possible live retransmissions
<http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp>
The crossband repeater has been active at times.
The frequencies are uplink of 437.80 MHz and downlink of 145.80 MHz.
For information about educational materials available from ISS partner space
Agencies, please refer to links on the ARISS Frequently Asked Questions page.
There are several ARISS web sites:
English: <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/>
French: <http://c.avmdti.free.fr/ariss/index.htm>
ARISS Europe: <http://www.ariss-eu.org/>
ARISS Japan: <http://www.jarl.or.jp/ariss/>
ISS frequencies:
Remember that the ISS radios are not able to correct for Doppler as the frequencies
are channelized. So it is up to the ground station to do the Doppler correction.
For 2 meters, the Doppler is about +3kHz at the beginning and goes to about
-3kHz at the end. For 70 cm, the Doppler is about +10kHz at the beginning
and goes to about -10kHz at the end. The 70cm Doppler is roughly 3 times
the 2m Doppler. Many of the tracking programs have the ability to calculate
the Doppler.
Rockland District High School, Rockland, ME, direct via W1PBR
Contact was successful Mon 2005-02-14 15:06 UTC
Congratulations Rockland and Leroy!
St. John's School, Houston, Texas via W5RRR
Contact is a go for Wed 2005-02-23 14:35 UTC
The following contacts are planned but the specific dates have not yet been
announced:
Bentley School, Oakland, California, telebridge via TBD
Rains High School, Texas direct via KD5OMH.
St Martins Lutheran School, Mt Gambier, Australia, telebridge via VK5ZAI
S.C.O.P.E. Science & Technology Center, Texas direct via W5LRU or KB5YAM.
Maple Avenue Elementary, Goffstown, NH, direct via KB1GDA
Ft. Ross, Cazadero, CA, direct via WA6M.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, Colorado, direct via N0VSE
Currently the ARISS operations team has a list of 60 schools that we
hope will be able to have a contact during 2005. As the schedule becomes
more
solidified, we will be letting everyone know. Current plans call for an
average of one scheduled school contact per week.
[ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N for the above info]
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,although this month it has spent a lot of time in mode A ! 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 25 January to 15 February 2005 excellent signals have been received from the 145.826 MHz. beacon, transmitting continuous ASCII telemetry from 04 February to 14 February. 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 24 February.
At the present time the satellite is in full sunlight, and therefore temperature changes are caused by changes in attitude, and spin rate. The hot external surfaces will cause some nearby internal parts to warm up faster than others. Random variations of internal temperatures of around two degrees C have occurred. The current internal temperatures are 19C, 201C and 245C for the battery, telemetry electronics and command decoder respectively. Solar eclipse predictions indicate that the satellite is now in continuous sunlight, which will continue until the end of April. The battery voltage has varied between 11.9 and 12.8 volts. The average voltage was 12.4 volts, a reduction of 0.7 volts since the last report, when a trend towards lower voltages was noted.
The period of rotation about the Z axis had been determined from the solar array currents. Values of between 295 and 400 seconds have been observed. 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. OSCAR-11 now operates in a default mode, controlled by the watch-dog timer. The satellite transmits continuous ASCII telemetry for approximately 10.3 days on 145.826 MHz., followed by 10.4 days of silence. This regular sequence might be interrupted by ground control, at any time. At the present time the mode-S beacon 2401.5 MHz. and the UHF beacon 453.025 MHz. are both OFF.
Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my web site. The web site contains details about using a soundcard for data capture, and also details about using hardware demodulators. There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. There is an archive of raw data for analysis, which is continually being expanded, as new data is captured. Originally this was for WOD, but it is now being expanded to include ASCII telemetry. At the present time the telemetry covers 1996 to December 2004. I will add other years as time permits.
In parallel there is a news archive which provides an overview of the state of the satellite, at the times when the telemetry was captured. If anyone out there can provide any data, particularly for the 1984 to 1993 years, this would be most appreciated. Please e-mail me with details. However please DO NOT SEND ANY FILES, before further discussion. Also included are some audio files, examples of each type of data transmitted by OSCAR-11, each one plays for about ten seconds. There are also examples of mode-S reception. All the audio files are zipped, so that they can be played off-line. These should help listeners identify the various types of data, and give an indication of the signal quality required for successful decoding. The URL is - <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
Please do not use PCsat at this moment in time,as it is eclipse periods once again.
AMSAT P3E Report
A P3E satellite design review meeting was
held in Marburg Germany from January 26th through January 30th. The primary
focus of this meeting was the design of the IHU-3 and the CAN-Do interface.
In attendance for AMSAT-NA were Bob McGwier N4HY, Bdale Garbee KB0G, Stephen
Moraco KC0FTQ, Lyle Johnson KK7P, and Chuck Green N0ADI. AMSAT-DL was represented
by AMSAT-DL President Peter Guelzow DB2OS, Prof. Dr. Karl Meinzer DJ4ZC,
Hartmut Paesler DL1YDD, Gerhart Metz DG2CV and 3-E Project Manager Heike
Straube. A great deal of progress was made during the week. A detailed
task and schedule list was prepared for completion of IHU-3 and related
tasks over the next several months.
AMSAT-NA President Rick Hambly W2GPS, who spent the week in Germany and Austria
on business, joined the meeting on Saturday, January 29th. This was Rick's
first visit to AMSAT-DL in Marburg. Rick was very pleased with the warm reception
he received and with the great progress that has been made on the P3E satellite.
OSCAR SKN 2005
Activity in OSCAR SKN 2005 was up significantly from last year, especially
in western North America where Cliff, K7RR, reported that the FO-29 passband
sounded like 40 meters!
Eight SKN participants received at least one Best Fist nomination:
Frank Riedel, DJ3FR
Bill Erhardt, K7MT
Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR
Ron Gorzynski, K8DID
Frank Wiesenmeyer, K9CIS
Al Ozias, N7EQF
Diane Bruce, VA3DB
Kerry La Duke, WC7V
Congratulations to all of our Best Fist winners, and CU next year
$600,000 Needed for Construction
AMSAT OSCAR - Eagle is the next generation high earth orbit satellite under construction now! Eagle will provide many services and reliable communications on bands previously not available. Check out www.amsat.org for latest info!and donations.
ORBITAL DATA REDISTRIBUTION UPDATE:
During the past week the NASA Orbital Information Group (OIG) system from which
our KEP data comes, was rebooted and the system became inoperable. The
good news is that as of 16 February they were able to recover some functionality.
Daily updates of the KEPs are now possible, which is sufficient for our
needs. For the time being we are OK.
In the bigger picture, Air Force Space Command is still in the process and
working hard to put their redistribution process in place. Permission to
redistribute the data has been formally requested but at this time it is
still not known that process will be.
paul . 2E1EUB. (AMSAT UK 6236)