August 2010 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

mode switch
by Bob- W7LRD 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

FYI- I noted a mode switch from A to B at 2314Z. Anyone know why the switch time can change every once in awhile. 73 Bob W7LRD Seattle

1 0

MORE POWER !!! EGON ...
by John Hackett 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

To whom it may concern, A lot of the experienced satellite operarors will recall Jan King VK3GEY / W3GEY as the project manager for AO-7, consequently, here probably isn't a better authority on the grand old Lady. A few years ago GM1SXX and myself were in contact with Jan after I'd discovered and catalogued the operation of the mode timer - and noted the fact that it wasn't as described in the 1974 Amsat newsletter. After it's resurrection and for several years thereafter I took an active interest in this veritable old girl but eventually moved over to HO-68. Due to moving into an old people's facility where aerials are not allowed I had no choice other than to 'bin' the satellite array and disguise a chopped down version as a TV (!) aerial on a small rotor. Unfortunately, I was limited to 200mW so as not to interfere with the digital TV decoders installed in the rooms. 200mW was adequate on HO-68. however, due to the FM mentality promoted by Amsat, the uplink power on the other satellites has been increasing ... particularly by the newcomers - who apparently, and mistakenly, think that high power is necessary. It's *NOT* ... nor is an EME class aerial array necessary to work LEO satellites. Ditto circular polarisation. FACT: polarisation is *ONLY* circular along the boresight of an aerial. High power is detremental to space bourne transponders - think power budget - causing among other things, FM'ing. For the 'details', please read up on the subject. A positive mine of information can be found on the AO-7 Resource Page - (which I stopped administering several years ago) - or ask an experienced operator to explain why! high power is detremental - (power sharing on a linear transponder or 'hogging' it on FM). As mentioned, Jan King is probably the foremost authority on AO-7. I'd like to quote a couple of his comments ... * Jan King, W3GEY notes that AO-7 had (has?) a very sensitive receiver and a good uplink antenna. 5 watts EIRP should provide a good downlink. Amplifiers are not required for the uplink. * Excessive uplink power may be cause FMing of the transponder and may be causing the input voltage to the regulator that provides 6D to fluctuate causing all telemetry to be bad. Jan also explains - (on the AO-7 resource Page) - how to determine when the telemetry is valid - (and when it''s not). Serious operators take the trouble to read the recommended operating proceedures. Finally, a reminder ... (repeated annually). The Resource Page log was always meant as an ACTIVITY log - not! a competition. Mistakes that are not rectified make the statistics, over time, invalid. One can correct one's own mistakes by clicking on the spyglass to the left of the log entry ... and follow the onscreen instructions. The editing facility has*ALWAYS* been there - (but many people don't use it). Please do *NOT* make several entries for the same pass unless you work more than eight (8) stations on a particular pass. 73 John. <la2qaa(a)amsat.org>

1 0

BEESAT
by Vincenzo Mone 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

Hi folks, i would like to know what do i need to listen the BEESAT bird. Thanks. 73 de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ********************************** ******* GSM +39 338 9749786 ******* ****** SMS +39 338 9749786 ****** ***** FAX +39 328 7244294 ***** *** 2nd e-mail: vimone(a)tin.it *** *********************************

2 1

AO-51 update 23 August 2010, Plan B
by Mark L. Hammond 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

Hello All, Well, so much for the theoretical :) AO-51 isn't quite out of eclipses yet. Therefore, continuos operation of the 435.150 digital transmitter will be postponed a few more days until we get some baseline telemetry data and figure out how much power is actually available. You can expect the 435.300 v/u voice repeater to remain ON at reasonable power, but unexpected shutdowns may occur as we adjust the spacecraft's power budget during the transition from eclipses to full sunlight. It is likely that early morning operators over the east coast of the US will find the bird with only the digital transmitter on at 435.150 for part of the pass so I can collect telemetry. Thanks for your patience and for your reports! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

1 0

Danish-built Amateur Rocket Scheduled For Launch
by B J 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/838761-danish-plan-to-launch-space-mission http://www.copenhagensuborbitals.com/index.php 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

1 0

Doppler corrected frequencies for ISS, AO-27, SO-67, AO-51 & HO-68?
by vtnn43e＠comcast.net 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

I would like to get started on the FM satellites using my Kenwood TH-G71A that I now own and an Arrow 146/437- 10W BP antenna that I will purchase in the very near future. Since I would like to program the frequencies for those satellites in my HT can anyone tell me what the frequencies should be for the passes on average including the Doppler correction? For instance what should the up and down frequency be for the AOS, TCA and TOS of each pass including the Doppler correction? 73 Zack N8FNR

2 1

AO-51 update 22 August 2010
by Mark L. Hammond 22 Aug '10

22 Aug '10

Hello All, According to projections, the next 100% illumination period for AO-51 has begun. Hopefully for the next week or two we can run both transmitters ON at reasonable power. The PL tone isn't needed (and hasn't been for the last few weeks). FM Digital PBBS, U Uplink: N/A Downlink: 435.150 Mhz FM FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 Mhz FM Downlink: 435.300 Mhz FM Even though AO-51 "sees sunlight" all the time, it doesn't "see" the sun equally throughout an orbit. So, we are going to keep the power management software running in hopes that we can optimize the transmitter power output and keep the battery temperatures down. The way it is currently configured, AO-51 can run in one of three states, depending on available battery power: 1) HIGH 435.300 at 550 mW and 435.150 at 420 mW 2) MEDIUM 435.300 at 420 mW and 435.150 at 300 mW 3) LOW which currently sets both transmitters effectively to OFF It is very likely that users will see the transmitter power going up and down some as the battery voltage goes up and down. We hope it's not too often, and adjustments will be made after collecting some telemetry over the next few days. Our goal has always been to keep it ON and useable as much as possible, and we'll do our best to continue that tradition. Activity reports over the next few weeks to http://oscar.dcarr.org/ (or to me at n8mh AT amsat.org if Ao-51 appears to be OFF) will be very much appreciated. And finally--telemetry files (KISS format preferred) from around the world will be greatly appreciated for the next few weeks! On behalf of the AO-51 Command Team, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

2 1

K8YSE EN58
by kladuke1144＠msn.com 22 Aug '10

22 Aug '10

All, John, K8YSE will be operating FM birds on Friday from Isle Royale. He plans on activating EN58 and possibly EN57. He will be portable and on FM birds only. He said he plans to be back on the road Tuesday and continue his trip. 73 WC7V Kerry

4 5

ANS-234 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins
by Dee 22 Aug '10

22 Aug '10

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-234 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * Election Reminder * ARRISSat-1 Update * Symposium Call for Papers * AO-51 Update * ARISS STATUS * Satellite Shorts SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.01 Election Reminder AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 22, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.01 Just another nag that the AMSAT election for members of the Board of Directors is in progress. The end of the summer, and the start of school is upon us. Still, if you haven't gotten around to it, take a few minutes to vote. The deadline will be here in a month. Obviously it is important as a member to vote, but it is also important for Board members to receive your input in this way. 73s, Alan Biddle WA4SCA AMSAT Corporate Secretary [ANS Thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.02 ARISSat-1 Update AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 22, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.02 ARISSat-1 update We are now manifested on Progress 41P to get ARISSat to the ISS. The current timeline has the launch in January 2011. Four ARISSat satellites have been assembled in Orlando. The two Russian flight units are assembled, electronics are undergoing operational tests, software is close to being the final version and we expect to have the satellite complete and ready for vibration tests next week. We don't have a date for the vibration test yet, but are working to get one in the next few weeks. NASA has been very instrumental in getting us an export license, arranging for transportation to Russia and helping clarify how the satellite will be attached to the Progress vessel. We plan on shipping the two satellites to Russia in September, to give them time to install the Kursk experiment, test their battery with the satellite and do additional tests before shipping to Baikonur for launch. Gould, WA4SXM AMSAT ARISSat-1 Project Manager [ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.03 Symposium Call for Papers AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 22, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.03 Reminder: Symposium Call For Papers Deadline is Coming It's already August 1 and the September 1 deadline of the call for papers for the 2010 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting is approaching faster than ever! The abstracts and some completed papers have arrived - thank you. For everyone else - we need to get busier ... please! The abstract for your paper does not require any special format. Simply send an e-mail to the Proceedings Editor, K9JKM with the basic information: Author Name, Callsign, and a few sentences that describe your proposed topic. I'll be looking forward to receiving your abstracts in my in-box at k9jkm(a)comcast.net. The Symposium Committee invites proposals for: + Papers for publication in the Proceedings + Symposium Presentations + Poster Presentations + Equipment and Operating Demonstrations These can be on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by September 1, 2010 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. To help you prepare your paper the Symposium Committee has posted an author's guide on the AMSAT.org web page: http://tinyurl.com/2djjnmx The 2010 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting will be held October 8 - 10 at the Chicago/Elk Grove Holiday Inn which is near O'Hare Airport. [ANS thanks the 2010 Symposium Committee for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.04 AO-51 Update AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 22, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.04 Eclipses Cause Short Term Changes to AO-51 Schedule AO-51 Command Team member, Mark N8MH noted this week that AO-51 is still in eclipses until the last week of August. The satellite will be back in 100% sun until the end of December after this time. That means the Command Team should be able keep AO-51 transmitting all the time. In fact, they will need to do this in order to keep temp- eratures down! In recent days the Command Team had to resort to shutting down the voice repeater in order to grab some telemetry files from the bird. This was very important as we are nearing the end of the eclipse period and was a unique opportunity to collect good data for current use and for future reference for AO-51 Operations. Recently AO-51 has been automatically turning itself OFF and back ON because of the power budget. Users see this more often as it first comes out of eclipse and as it begins to enter eclipse. The Command Team will continue to fine tune this, but the goal is to keep AO-51 transmitting when there is enough power--without having the bird shutdown until manually commanded back ON by one of the command team members. Starting January 2011, we won't see much of a break from the eclipse periods for a long, long time (there is one short window of full sun, but it's about 2 weeks long in late Feb/early March 2011). The com- mand team has been using the recent eclipse period to learn how to become more efficient in the use of the power management code on board. This allows us to get the most "bang for the buck" out of the available power. It's pretty complex and versatile. We've learned a tremen- dous amount this eclipse period, but still have more to learn in the future. [ANS thanks AO-51 Command Team member, Mark N8MH for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.05 ARISS Status Report AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 16, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.05 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with the DaVinci Science Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Center has integrated this activity into its Summer Camp Program for 2010. Students have learned about space through lessons from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Education Office and Astronaut Terry Hart is expected to give presentations. The Delaware-Lehigh Amateur Radio Club has provided instruction on Amateur Radio, how it works, what it is and its uses, how the ARISS radio systems work, the international ham radio team, satellite tracking, radio wave propagation and the organizations that sponsor ARISS. The club will also provide VHF demonstrations and multi-media presentations to the group which will enhance the center's 200 hands-on exhibits that promote the understanding of science and technology. Due to ISS Problems, This has been postponed, however, keep informed as this can change before this ANS is published. 2. QST Covers ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) September issue of QST carried an item in the "Inside HQ" column about how NASA ISS crew members participated in one or more ARISS educational activities per week during the first half of 2010. The ARRL monthly journal has a circulation of 150,000. 3. ISS Ham Debrief Scheduled An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) debrief session has been scheduled with Expedition 22/23 astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP on Tuesday, August 17. The feedback provided on the radio system and school contacts will help the ARISS program update its operations. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.06 Satellite Shorts AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. August 22, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.06 SA-AMSAT Reports Plans for Sumbandilasat SO-67 Return to Service South Africa AMSAT (SA-AMSAT) is slowly adding additional operational time for Sumbandilasat SO-67. On their web page they report that the ground control station will start slowly with the amateur payload and observe if the satellite remains stable and then gradually add more operating time. The current SO-67 schedule for operations over South Africa and Europe can be found on their web page at: http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ The PTT of the transmitter now STAYS ON for the duration of the payload activation (i.e. 15 min), regardless of a valid "transponder" tone received. Please leave a 3 second gap between overs. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO says congratulations are in order for these stations earning AMSAT awards during July and August. The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO. George Jounakros, K2KVI Johnathon Ballard, KI4UKF Stephen Ponder, N5WBI Bob Herrell, AJ5C Jason Brisco, N5NBJ The following have earned the AMSAT Communications Achievement Award. Stephen Rish, K8SAR #516 The following have earned the South Africa AMSAT Communications Achievement Award John Neeley, W6ZKH #US148 To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org -------------------------------------------------------------------- Japan's Venus Mission Getting Close The mission that launched UNITEC-1, Amateur Radio's first inter- planetary probe, the Venus Climate Orbiter also known as Akatsuki remains healthy and is nearing the planet. The 5.8 GHz amateur radio beacon from UNITEC-1 was last heard only two days outbound from Earth. Akatsuki, bristling with cameras, will circle the exotic planet's equator in an elliptical orbit for at least 2 years, monitoring the atmosphere at different altitudes using various wavelengths (IR, UV, and visible). With this data and data from the spacecraft's radio dish, scientists will reconstruct a 3D model of the atmosphere's structure and dynamics. The instruments will also scrutinize the planet's surface for volcanic activity. In addition, Akatsuki's Lightning and Airglow Camera will hunt for lightning in order to settle a longstanding debate about how is Venusian lightning generated in a dry atmosphere? The full story can be found on-line at NASA Science News http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/16aug_vco/ [ANS thanks Everyone for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org

1 0

IC-9100 + CubeSat Propulsion Videos
by Trevor . 22 Aug '10

22 Aug '10

A video of the IC-9100 from the Tokyo Ham Fair is at http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2010/tokyo_ham_fair.htm Plasma electrolysis of water to produce thrust for nano satellites are at: http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2010/cubesat_propulsion.htm 73 Trevor M5AKA

1 0