AMSAT UK MONTHLY SATELLITE REPORT:MARCH/APRIL
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 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 about HamSat please see:
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/hamsat.php>
This bird has heavy Traficant 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.
HAMSAT frequencies: ------------------- Indian transponder: Uplink : 435.225MHz to 435.275MHz LSB/CW Downlink: 145.875MHz to 145.925MHz USB/CW Beacon : 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//
Last months schedule went a bit a miss, after a software problem caused a reload, and this took longer than thought! 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:
April 2006 AO-51
24 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 TLM Downlink Active
13 Apr
FM Repeater, L/U
· Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM
· Downlink 435.300 MHz FM
17 Apr
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 Apr
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 TLM Downlink
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
Astronaut thanks radio amateurs
As he prepares himself for a return to earth, Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, aboard the International Space Station, sent out a message of thanks to radio amateurs across the globe. The following is an extract:
“I would like to express my deep gratitude to the world-wide amateur radio community for your participation in this great adventure. Clearly, one of the benefits for amateur radio is bridging the distances between us. Through your participation, you helped realise the potential for the human exploration of space to do exactly that.
“Thanks to you, over the past six months, the International Space Station has been more international than ever before. Together, we achieved many significant milestones from space, DXCC, WAC, WAS and most importantly 35 school contacts.
“It is with no small degree of sadness to realise that soon I will no longer be able to float to the aft part of the station, dial up our frequency pair and call CQ, knowing that a host of friends are waiting to talk. Good luck to you all. Thank you, again, for your participation in this greatest of all human endeavours. I look forward to listening as you continue your enthusiastic support of the International Space Station and, one day, human colonies on the Moon and Mars. 73 de NA1SS.”
Successful Contact with Maryland High School
On Friday, March 17, students from Bowie High School in Bowie, Maryland had the chance to speak with Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, on board the International Space Station. Ten students posed twenty questions to the astronaut including two questions asked and answered in Russian. Fifty students, teachers and parents gathered in the library for the contact as other classes listened in. Kathy Kurtz, Regional Assistant Superintendent and AMSAT President Rick Hambly also attended. Media coverage included a local cable television station, CTV-76, the Washington Post, and several local newspapers. Some of the articles follow:
"Students at Bowie High communicate with space station"
<http://www.gazette.net/stories/031706/princou152802_31960.shtml>
"Space Station calls home to Bowie - High school students communicate with astronaut via amateur radio"
<http://www.gazette.net/stories/032306/bowinew185511_31939.shtml>
"A Chat That's Out of This World"
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032201250.html?referrer=emailarticle>
"Bowie High students speak to astronauts by ham radio"
<http://www.bowieblade.com/vault/cgi-bin/bowie/view/2006B/03/23-20.HTM>
Ohio High School Contact Successful
Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, participated in a second contact on March 17 as he spoke with a group of teens at Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He answered 22 questions posed to him by 15 students. Echolink was used during the contact and had 30 connections from 10 countries which included Belgium, Germany, Greece, and Hungary. Three nodes connected to IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010 and shoutcast audio streaming was available on the following web site: <http://www.discoveryreflector.ca/>
Successful ARISS Contact with Italian School Children
On March 21, children from three schools participated in the ARISS contact held at 1°Circolo didattico Giuseppe Settanni in Rutigliano, Italy. Two elementary schools, "1°Circolo didattico Giuseppe Settanni" (500 pupils) and "2°Circolo didattico Aldo Moro" (475 pupils) and one middle school, "Alessandro Manzoni" (615 pupils) participated. Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, answered 17 questions that were relayed to him by amateur radio operator Michele Mallardi, IZ7EVR. Audio and video links were made from the radio shack at the "Giuseppe Settanni" school to the assembly halls of the two other schools where students, teachers, military representatives, civilian authorities and Princess Elettra Marconi, daughter of Guglielmo Marconi, watched. Five television stations (RAI3, Telenorba, Telepuglia, Telebari and Teleregione), one radio station (Canale 103), and 4 newspapers(Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, La Repubblica, Blu and Fax) covered the event.
Canadian School Experiences a Contact with the ISS
Students from Sir James Lougheed Elementary School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada experienced a successful ARISS contact on March 21. Twelve children asked 14 questions of astronaut Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, as 400 students and teachers looked on. Dignitaries present included a federal member of Parliament and executives from the school board and other corporations. The video of the event was seen many times on provincial wide distribution and acknowledged by other forms of media.
ARRL Covers Lippstadt School Contact
On March 16, ARRL ran a web story on the ARISS contact with Evangelisches Gymnasium entitled, "Space QSO Helps Introduce Amateur Radio to German Students."
See: <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/03/16/1/?nc=1>
ARRL Article on Contacts with Bowie, Cleveland Heights Schools
ARRL ran an article covering the Bowie High and Cleveland Heights Elementary School contacts. "ISS Commander on a Roll, Completes Another Set of Back-to-Back School QSOs" may be found at: <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/03/23/1/?nc=1>
ARRL Article on Contacting ISS
A "how-to" guide for making contacts with the ISS has been posted on the ARRL web site. "Making a Voice Contact with the International Space Station" may be found on:
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/03/15/1/?nc=1>
McArthur Wows Tonga
An article has been posted online covering McArthur's general contact with an amateur radio operator in Tonga. To view "Space station astronaut communicates with outer island," go to:
<http://www.matangitonga.to/article/tonganews/outerislands/nasa_space_station_tonga150306.shtml>
SuitSat Continues to Receive Media Coverage
ARISS member Lou McFadin was interviewed by Electronic Design Magazine last month and talked about his participation in the SuitSat project. The story, "Latest Amateur-Radio Satellite Is No Empty Suit," has been posted to this web site:
<http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=12096>
ARRL Runs McArthur's Thank You Note
ARRL posted a thank you note to earth bound hams from Bill McArthur. "ISS Commander Says 'Thank You!' to the Amateur Radio Community" may be found on the ARRL web site:
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/03/22/2/?nc=1>
Student Inspired by Amateur Radio Contact
A student who participated in a SAREX contact with astronaut Ken Cameron in 1994 is now an Air Force Academy graduate. She dreams of becoming an astronaut and attributes much of her interest in flying to her participation in that contact years ago. As a little girl, she was able to ask her question, "How does a fish swim in space?" Today she is a pilot and she continues her flight training in flying fighter jets.
International Space Station Status Report: SS06-015
Camaraderie and hard work highlighted this week's joint operations on the International Space Station. Aboard the complex, one crew prepared for a return to Earth while another focused on taking the helm in orbit.
Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev and Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes head home Saturday, closing hatches as they leave the station at 1:35 p.m. EDT. They will undock their Soyuz spacecraft at 4:28 p.m. EDT. That sets the stage for a deorbit burn at 6:58 p.m. EDT to drop the 15,000-pound spacecraft out of orbit. The Soyuz will parachute to a landing at 7:48 p.m. EDT on the steppes of Kazakhstan. All landing events can be seen live on NASA Television and NASA.gov.
Expedition 12's homecoming preparations began in earnest after last week’s arrival of the 13th station crew, Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams, who arrived with Pontes, Brazil's first astronaut. Pontes will have spent eight days on the station conducting experiments as part of a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency.
This week began with a partially completed “campout” by McArthur and Williams in the Quest Airlock. The planned overnight stay in the airlock tested procedures that can shorten the time needed to prepare for future spacewalks.
Quest was sealed off from the rest of the station at 6:45 p.m. EDT Monday with McArthur and Williams inside, and its air pressure was later lowered to 10.2 pounds per square inch. The rest of the station remained at the normal air pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch. An overnight stay at the lower air pressure helps purge nitrogen from the body, a necessary step to avoid decompression sickness. McArthur and Williams were awakened four hours into their sleep in the airlock by an error tone.
The tone was generated by software that monitors the composition of air on the station. Flight controllers opted to end the campout test Tuesday at 12:43 a.m. EDT, open the airlock hatch to the station, and allow the crew to go back to sleep. Despite the glitch, all of the test objectives were achieved. Engineers are reviewing data to determine whether changes are needed to use the technique during the STS-115 shuttle mission later this year. Engineers could decide to repeat the test at another time.
On Wednesday, Williams trained with the station’s robot arm, Canadarm2. Late this week, McArthur briefed Williams on payload operations in the Destiny laboratory while Tokarev, the Soyuz commander, stowed equipment and payloads in the Soyuz for the trip home. Tokarev also reviewed procedures for the undocking, entry and landing with flight controllers at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow.
NASA TV's Public, Education and Media channels are available on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, they're on AMC-7 at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal polarization. For digital downlink information and links to streaming video, visit:
www.nasa.gov/ntv <http://www.nasa.gov/ntv>
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.?
AO-7 is Operational
As of 15 March 2006 AO-7 enters eclipse on the ascending node of it's orbit for a short period of time and will turn off during that period, but otherwise it remains operational providing stations observe QRP power levels. It is difficult to tell if the 24 hour timer will be reset or if there is enough energy to keep it running during the short periods of eclipse AO-7 experiences for the next few weeks. We should know in a few days by observing the modes reported on each orbit.
Please keep your power low!
AO-7 was the seventh OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) satellite to be launched since the inception of the OSCAR program. AMSAT-OSCAR 7 built by a multinational team under the direction of AMSAT-NA <http://www.amsat.org> and was launched November 15, 1974 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. AO-7 carries two working linear transponders, one in Mode A (145.850-950 MHz uplink; 29.400-500 MHz downlink) and another in Mode B (432.180-120 MHz uplink; 145.920-980 MHz downlink). It also contains two working beacons on 29.502 and 145.972 MHz. A third beacon on 435.1 MHz has been reportedly heard sporadically, and a fourth beacon on 2304.1MHz was never turned on.
In mid 1981 AO-7 ceased operation due to battery failures. It was thought at that time that the batteries had shorted. However on June 21, 2002 Pat Gowen, G3IOR reported hearing AO-7s 2m beacon. After the news was relayed through AMSAT bulletin boards, several more hams monitored the satellite.
AO-7 continues to operate continuously, albeit a bit whimsical. After emerging from an eclipse AO-7 may turn on in one of four modes. Mode A and Mode B are shown above, and Mode C is a low power version of Mode B. Mode D is a beacon only mode. It is impossible to distinguish between Modes B and C, although in the short time I have been using AO-7 I think I have heard it twice because there was a noticeable decrease in signal strength from normally strong signals.
More technical information about AO-7 can be found in the usage page shown above, and at the AMSAT Satellite Summary page for AO-7 at <http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/ao7.php
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,
I’ve 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, but also very weak ones, as data showed in march the tx power was down as low as 20mw!!
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. and then ctcss of 67hz to keep the bird open:
UO-11 OSCAR-11…semi operational
On 01 March OSCAR-11 achieved 22 years in orbit, and in spite of numerous problems, it still continues to transmit good signals. During the period 14 February to 26 March 2006 the VHF beacon on 145.826 MHz. has been heard from 22 February to 04 March, and from 14 to 24 March. Signals have been very consistent and excellent copy has been obtained on all passes received. If the current mode of operation continues, the beacon should switch ON around 04 April 2006. The on-board clock continues to show a very large accumulated error. On 24 March it was 22.14308 days slow. However, the clock is now very stable. During the last month it gained 2.5 seconds, which is approximately half the monthly gain, observed when the satellite was fully operational! 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 satellite is now in continuous sunlight until around 06 May, when eclipses will start again. This should help the satellite to continue transmitting, although continuous sunlight can cause problems due to excessive temperatures. Power supply problems can be caused by poor pointing attitude, ie the sunlight illuminating the ends of the satellite, instead of the solar arrays. The watchdog timer now appears to have resumed operation on the 20 day cycle. During the last two 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, at any time, poor solar attitude, and battery 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. I am indebted to Bob G4VRC, Gustavo LW2DTZ, Mike DK3WN, John K7RQN and John G4PWG for their reception reports. All have reported good signals from the VHF beacon. Many thanks for those reports. The Beacon frequencies are - VHF 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry UHF 435.025 MHz. OFF S-band 2401.5 MHz. OFF Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my website which contains an archive of news & telemetry data. It also contains details about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture. There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. The URL is 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
uk hams reported this month that go-32 was working well, lets hope it stays that way.
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 Academe
PCSAT2
UI Digipeater 145.825 MHz FM 1200 Baud AFSK TLM and PSK Downlink 435.275 MHz FM 1200 AFSK or 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
PCSAT2 has now returned to its 435.275 downlink to avoid any potential for QRM to ARISS school contacts. It will remain in this mode for several weeks until we see how the new crew schedule works out.
Modes remaining available:
· Packet up on 145.825 and down on 435.275
· High power PSK-31 and CW up on 29.401 also with downlink on 435.275
To activate the PSK transponder, just connect to PCSAT2 on the packet uplink.
For more information see: <http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pec/pc2ops.html>
DX:
Richard, G3RWL, is operating as 8P6DR from Barbados until 5 April. He will work CW and data using 100w QSL via G3RWL, direct or bureau any one worked him??
latest Oscar number issue:
CUBESAT OSCAR CO-55 (CUTE-I) CUBESAT OSCAR CO-56 (CUTE-1.7 + APD)
Posat :
No news as of March, still waiting for paperwork update!
VOYAGER 1 received by amsat-dl
On March 31, 2006 an AMSAT-DL/IUZ team received the American space probe VOYAGER 1 with the 20 m antenna in Bochum. The distance was 14.7 billion km. This is a new record for AMSAT-DL and IUZ Bochum. The received signal was clearly identified through means of Doppler shift and position in the sky. The receive frequency was exactly measured and compared with the information provided by NASA.
This distance equals approximately 98 times the distance between Earth and Sun. VOYAGER 1 is the most distant object ever built by mankind. This again proves the superior performance of the Bochum antenna. Most probably this is the first time VOYAGER 1 has been received by radio amateurs.
VOYAGER 1 was launched on September 5, 1977 by NASA. It transmitted the first close-up pictures of Jupiter and Saturn. In 2004 VOYAGER 1 passed the Termination Shock Region, where the solar wind mixes with interstellar gas. VOYAGER 1 today is still active, measuring the interstellar magnetic field.
The following radio amateurs were involved:
· Freddy de Guchteneire, ON6UG
· James Miller, G3RUH
· Hartmut Paesler, DL1YDD
· Achim Vollhardt, DH2VA/HB9DUN
Special thanks to Thilo Elsner, DJ5YM of the IUZ Bochum, Roger Ludwig of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena USA and the Deep Space Network Tracking Station in Madrid, Spain for their cooperation.
For more information please visit
<http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/>
<http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms> under "News"
Amsat-uk Bulletins for download
For many years, Richard, G3RWL prepared monthly bulletins of Amateur Radio Satellite news. The bulletins were usually broadcast on the last Sunday of each month, in the AMSAT-UK 80 meter net. They were also distributed via packet radio and as hard copy. Many of the early bulletins were produced before the internet was available.
Clive, G3CWV, has now obtained a complete set of these bulletins which were broadcast from May 1985 to July 2004.
This is a very detailed and useful archive, especially for research and preparation of lectures. The archive comprises 239 text files, one for each month, which are zipped into four packages for convenience. Also included are some reports of the AMSAT-UK Colloquium and reports about individual satellites.
Upon making the archives available, Clive stated "I would like to congratulate Richard for a fine achievement in preparing these bulletins and to thank him for granting permission to distribute the archive."
The archive may be downloaded from Clive's web site. See: <http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/satnews.htm>
PAUL . 2E1EUB. (AMSAT UK 6236)