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.amsatuk.org and on paket Radio
or may be heard live on 3.780mhz +/- QRM on the last Sunday of each month
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.
Its with great sadness that i have to report this month that VU2NUD is SK,
he encouraged and helped in the building of this satellite.
For additional information about HamSat please see:
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/hamsat.php>
This bird has heavy traffic (!) and plenty of new comers, lets hope it stands the pace. Ive 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. Ive also noted stations using fm on the transponder ....please do not....the ssb signal just dies when this happens! please only ssb!!!
HAMSAT frequencies: ------------------- Indian transponder: Uplink : 435.225MHz to 435.275MHz LSB/CW Downlink: 145.875MHz to 145.925MHz USB/CW Beacom : 145.940MHz continue carrier 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//
modes l/s and
v/s working well, but takes some tracking! Still problems with the qrm
level on mode v uplink. Good s band down link signals pity traffic has
died on this mode but at least i was able to have nice unspoilt qso's with
oz1my and more stations. 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
Echo Operating Schedule for:
1 Aug
FM Repeater, V/U, High Power
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL Tone
Downlink 435.300 mhz FM
15 Aug
FM Repeater, V/S
Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM, 67hz PL Tone
Downlink 2401.200 mhz FM
22 Aug
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
Also check out BBC radio 1 on 22 August between 13.00 and 16.00 bst ,as GB4FUN and OZIMY are heard via AO51 on the program, having a qso and answering questions.
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
This month has seen the fm voice repeater active, with lots of traffic, including some of the crew, the down link is on 145.800 and uplink 437.800 with no ctcss, signals are strong, but get in quick or every one else will!
If you have not updated your Keplerian Elements recently your tracking of the
ISS may be off.
In preparation of the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight the ISS received one
final reboost to increase the Station's altitude for its upcoming rendezvous
with Space Shuttle Discovery.
Last week the engines of a Progress spacecraft docked to the Station were
commanded to burn for 7 minutes and 20 seconds, boosting the altitude of
the Station nearly 4 miles. This second and final reboost puts the Station
into position for rendezvous opportunities beginning on the third flight
day during most of Discovery's July 13-31 launch window.
Discovery Mission Extended
NASA Announced on Saturday that it will
extend the STS-114 mission by 24 hours so that shuttle astronauts can transfer
more supplies to the ISS and help with station maintenance. The decision
came after NASA determined that there were sufficient consumables, primarily
food and water, to keep the mission going. Factored into that decision
was the decision to ground the shuttle fleet following the discovery that
the Shuttle was once again struck by foam that detached from the external
fuel tank on ascent.
Commander Eileen Collins and the Space Shuttle Discovery crew are scheduled
to land at Kennedy Space Center at 4:46 a.m. EDT, Monday 8 Aug
In other news astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson completed the
first of three extra vehicular activities (EVAs) to test shuttle repair
techniques, switched a circuit breaker on one of the stabilizing gyroscopes
and repair a broken GPS antenna.
ARISS Status July 25, 2005
A contact was scheduled with the ISS on Wednesday, July 20 at 17:31 UTC.
Some of the educators positioned themselves at the NN1SS station located
in Building 11 at GSFC, while others from the class were located outside
Building 11, at a second station. The combined team participated by asking
15 questions of John Phillips, KE5DRY. The radio stations were set up
to enable both groups to hear all questions and answers. The teachers
were very impressed and moved by the event. On July 22, the ARRL website
posted the story, "Educators query ISS astronaut via ham radio." See: <http://www.arrl.org/>
SuitSat Status
The ARISS-Russia team successfully completed a vacuum test on the SuitSat
hardware. Integration and testing continue as the team works on the hardware
flight certificate
ARISS International Meeting, Guildford, U.K.
the ARISS International Face-to-Face Meeting which was held at the University
of Surrey in Guildford, U.K. The AMSAT-UK Colloquium was held Friday, July 29
through Sunday, July 31, and the ARISS meeting continued on Monday and Tuesday,
August 1 - 2. Information on both meetings may be found on the following website:
<http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/default.php>
ARISS International Teleconference Held
The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, July
19. Among the agenda items discussed were plans for the upcoming ARISS International
Face to Face Meeting, PCSAT2, and the SuitSat Project.
On Saturday, July 23, a station in Malaysia heard Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR,
sign off from a general contact. He then heard the ISS packet beacon, ending
the crossband repeater mode.
Astronaut Training
ESA French astronaut Leopold Eyharts spent some time last month with Kenneth
Ransom, training and preparing for his Technician's license exam. He took
and passed the exam this week, enabling him to participate in future ARISS
contacts. Eyharts is scheduled as back up for the Expedition 12 crew
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 possible to work mode A with less....
AO-27 AMRAD *******
Status:semi Operational( On!)
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,
Ive used ao27 in the last few days and worked dx on the bird and it sounds great, with a good down link signal, lets hope its ok ,a big thank you to the control team for bringing ao27 back to life!
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. Also ive noticed that the tx is not as strong sometimes and seems to switch off for no reason...and will not switch back on, even with the command tone!
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: its nice to see a bit more traffic on this bird this month, especially some portable uk stations.
UO-11 OSCAR-11…semi operational
During the period 15 June to 21 July 2005 nothing has been heard from the satellite. Just after the previous report was distributed, I received an e-mail from from Bob G4VRC, who heard the satellite on 13 June at 05:42 UTC. Bob has a special interest in this satellite. He works at the University of Surrey, and did much of the mechanical construction. Many thanks Bob for the report. Since 18 April, OSCAR-11 has been heard on the following occasions -
28 April 04:09 - 30 April 16:04 UTC G3CWV
19 May 22:11 UTC LW2DTZ
13 June 05:42 UTC G4VRC
Based on these times, there was a possibility that UO-11 might be heard
around 09 July. I monitored all passes from 08 July to 11 July, but no
signals were heard on 145.826 MHz. I am indebted to Roger, WA1KAT who also monitored the channel continuously from 07 July to 13 July, no signals were received. However, the satellite could still have been transmitting during this period, for one or two orbits, which were out of range of both stations.
It's now very difficult to predict when the satellite might be heard, as
the time between switch ON has increased after each cycle, and we don't
have a recent observation on which to base a prediction. My guess would be around 05 August for the next transmission.
The satellite is now experiencing solar eclipses, which have reached
their maximum duration, and are now decreasing. The eclipses should
finish in mid-August, when the satellite enters a period of continuous
sunlight for the remainder of the year. It is possible that the satellite might resume transmissions when the eclipses finish. If this occurs then satellite might start transmitting again in early September, approximately 10 days ON followed by 10 days OFF.
Any reception reports would be appreciated. Please send to me direct
g3cwv@amsat.org, or post to AMSAT-BB. To remind listeners of the
sound of the VHF beacon, I have put a short audio clip on my website.
The URL is www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/ It's near the top of the
OSCAR-11 page.
The Beacon frequencies are -
VHF 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry - Occasional operation?
UHF 435.025 MHz. OFF
S-band 2401.5 MHz. OFf,
UO11 has been heard in the last 10 days, so its still alive!
AO-16 PACSat
Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater command is on and open for
APRS users
Broadcast Callsign: PACSAT-11
BBS: PACSAT-12
GO-32 TECHSAT-1B
Status: Operational
Roni, 4Z7DFC, reports:
Happy 7th birthday on July 10!!
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 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 Academy
POSAT-1 Returning to Amateur Service
AMSAT-UK secretary Jim Heck, G3WGM has announced
that POSAT-1 (PO-28) will be returned to the Amateur Satellite Service
in the coming weeks. It is unclear at this time if PO-28 will be converted
to voice operation like UO-14 or if it will remain as a 9k6 packet satellite
per it's original mission. (We think it will be both with a set sked!)
POSAT-1 was built by a consortium of Portugese universities and industry
at the University of Surry in England. It's primary purpose was commercial,
but after discussions with the consortium AMSAT-UK has negotiated switching
it back to Amateur use. It is similar in construction to KO-23.
It was launched in September 1993 into a 822 x 800km sun-synchronous orbit
inclined 98.6 degrees. Local time of the descending node (LTDN) over central
North America occurs at ~1200 UTC. LTAN occurs ~2300 UTC.
More information may on PO-28 can be found in the AMSAT Satellite Summary
at:
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/po28.php>
Keplerian elements for PO-28 are not currently contained in the AMSAT keps
bulletins, but can be found at Celestrak in amateur.txt using the name POSAT.
Users of Space Track should query the NORAD Satellite ID number 22829. The
name listed by Space Track is "EYESAT A".
Current Keps are:
POSAT
1 22829U 93061G 05211.56612910 +.00000086 +00000-0 +49038-4 0 01513
2 22829 098.2400 207.2392 0010790 107.4407 252.7931 14.30056167617672
P3E TRANSPONDER NEWS:
William, PE1RAH, developer of the Dutch
transponder on the Indian HAMSAT, reports, "I am happy to announce
that my MODE-UV transponder design for P3E has completed its initial testing
and has been delivered to AMSAT-DL's integration lab at Marburg, Germany.
I hope the transponder will work like its elder sister on AO-10, and you
all will enjoy it for many years."
PC SAT2 LAUNCHED
When STS-114 lifted off it was carrying an amateur radio payload called
MISSE5/PCSAT2. This will be placed on the exterior of the ISS during the
third space walk of the mission. More information is available on-line at: <http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat2.html>
Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, is developing the PCSat2 telemetry web site:
<http://www.pcsat2.info/>
This late-beta test page is currently displaying channel telemetry generated
by a simulator which refreshes every 10 seconds approximating the speed when
it is under command conditions.
Additional items currently planned include:
o Graphical Channel History
o WOD feed (csv file probably)
o League table of telemetry providers
o RealTime Eclipse status
PCSAT2 is attached to the ISS and so its operations must be in cooperation
with the ARISS communications suite to minimize any mutual interference and
to coordinate activities. Here are the capabilities of the PCSAT2 payload:
PCSAT SYSTEM A:
435.275 PCSAT2 DOWNLINK basic 1200 baud telemetry (nominally 1 packet per
minute)
435.275 PCSAT2 DOWNLINK User packet digipeater from uplink on 145.825
435.275 PCSAT2 DOWNLINK Occasional user PSK-31 continuous downlink (7 minutes
max each time)
145.825 PCSAT2 UP/DOWN User packet digipeater up/down on 145.825
PCSAT SYSTEM B:
437.975 PCSAT2 DOWNLINK periodic Solar Cell data and PCSAT2 telemetry at
9600 baud
437.975 PCSAT2 DOWNLINK TNC-B command downlink at 1200 baud
437.975 PCSAT2 DOWNLINK User Voice Repeater with VHF uplink
When PCSAT2 is enabled on Monday or Wednesday,
(1,3 Aug) we'd like to capture as much of the 1200 baud and 9600 baud telemetry
on 437.975 MHz as possible. See the plan on:(now working)
<http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pec/pc2ops.html>
1200 baud telemetry is just an occasional packet every 10 or 60 seconds just
like PCsat. 1200 baud stations can simply feed their downlinks directly into
the global APRS system like normal. These will help update the LIVE PCSAT2
telemetry page by G4DPZ at: <http://www.pcsat2.info/PCSat2Web/RealTime.jsp>
SSETI EXPRESS:
All work on the SSETI Express spacecraft has now been completed and thespacecraft
has left its "birthplace" - a cleanroom at the ESA ESTEC facility
in the Netherlands. The spacecraft has been packed into its special transport
container and is en-route to the launch site at Plesetsk in Northern Russia.
The launch date is NOW September 27.Arrangements are underway for the launch
to be shown live on ASTRA-1G, a Ku band satellite covering most of Europe.
Hopefully, these transmissions will also be streamed at both high and low
resolution on the internet.
Full details of all these media resources will be made known as soon as they
are finalised. Details of the telemetry downloading and decoding software
will be released.
AMSAT-UK will have a team member at the launch site during the launch campaign
and intend to provide regular updates during the lead up to Sept 27th.
See the latest SSETI news on the ESA web page at:
<http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMPQH6DIAE_index_0.html>
Colloquium Report:
The 20 th amsat colloquium which was dedicated to the late G3AAJ has now passed. For me the day started early 3am !driving to Guilford Friday morning, meeting old and new friends! I started with the amsat international meeting where the topic was mainly interference.
G3YJO opened the proceedings, with about 120 interested listeners, topics covered were Ph3e,Galileo,huygens(Titan), Sseti Express, tracking software, pcsat2, weather sats, a linear transponder design, LVB tracker, Ariss, and small sat design. There was plenty for the budding sat operator too, with demos ,GB4FUN and beginner classes! SSTL ground station tours were a must, with the help from G7UPN !The AMSAT shop also saw lots of trade this year! The normal BBQ and evening meals were also well attended. A BIG thank you to every one who made it a success! I’m sure we are all looking forward to next years event.
Tenth planet discovered
A planet larger than Pluto has been discovered in the outlying regions of the solar system.
The planet was discovered using the Samuel
Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, Calif. The discovery
was announced by planetary scientist Dr. Mike Brown of the California
Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., whose research is partly funded
by NASA.
The planet is a typical member of the Kuiper belt, but its sheer size in
relation to the nine known planets means that it can only be classified as
a planet, Brown said. Currently about 97 times further from the sun than
the Earth, the planet is the farthest-known object in the solar system, and
the third brightest of the Kuiper belt objects.
"It will be visible with a telescope over the next six months and is currently
almost directly overhead in the early-morning eastern sky, in the constellation
Cetus," said Brown, who made the discovery with colleagues Chad Trujillo,
of the Gemini Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and David Rabinowitz, of Yale
University, New Haven, Conn., on January 8.
PAUL . 2E1EUB. (AMSAT UK 6236)