************************************************************************** * * * THIS IS THE AMSAT-NA CBBS at ST. LOUIS MO, 24HR 7DAY AT (314)447-3003 * * 300/1200/2400 BAUD * * Mike Parisey WD0GML SYSOP * * Norm Newman NZ0Z Co-SYSOP * * * ************************************************************************** SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-147.01 RS 12/13 LAUNCH IMMINIENT! HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD MAY 27, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT RS 12/13 Is Scheduled To Be Launched In June AMSAT-NA has learned from Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ, that the launch of RS 12/13 is imminient. This information was made available from reliable Russian sources familiar with amateur satellite activities in the Soviet Union. It is felt by G3AAJ's colleagues in the Soviet Union that the launch of RS 12/13 will occur sometime in June. RS 12/13 will closely resemble RS 10/11 in many ways. It will support modes A, K, KA, KT, and T; also RS 12/13 will possess a "robot." Like RS 10/11, this new Radio Sputnik "bird" will fly "attached" to a maritime navigational satellite. The preliminary orbital characteristics are the following: 1000 mile circular orbit, 83 degree inclination, and 105 minute nodal period [equator-to-equator]. AMSAT-NA urges all OSCAR enthusiasts to monitor the planned beacon frequencies of 29.408 MHz for RS 12 and 29.4582 MHz for RS 13. The "robot" downlink frequencies for RS 12/13 will be 29.4543 MHz and 29.5043 MHz, respectively. At the present time it is unknown which beacon and/or "robot" will be turned on first after launch. Amateurs wishing to use RS 12/13 should look for transmissions on all four frequencies mentioned above. If you should hear the CW beacon on these frequencies for RS 12/13, please contact AMSAT HQ's [(301) 589-6062] so that this information can be passed along to AMSAT Net Control Stations for announcement during the many regular AMSAT Nets each week. Please include the date, time, frequency, your call, and QTH. In the meanwhile, all those who have Amateur Satellite Report (ASR) #183 can refer to it for the "preliminary" bandplan information. When the exact frequencies are known, AMSAT-NA will publish them as quickly as possible in ASR, post them on the AMSAT-NA BBS [(303) 447-3003], and will also make them part of the next AMSAT News Service (ANS) Bulletins. When informed of this, Doug Loughmiller (KO5I), AMSAT-NA President, indicated that amateur satellite enthusiasts would be watching the developments with great interest and anticipation. Doug also added: "We wish our Russian colleagues great success with their latest endeavor." /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-147.02 DOVE DOWNLINK FREQUENCY REVISED HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD MAY 27, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Further Clarification Provided On The Dove Frequency Change To 145.825 MHz AMSAT-NA regrets thats there were errors in the reporting of this topic in AMSAT News Service (ANS) Bulletin ANS-139.02 last week. AMSAT-NA hereby provides this further clarification and apologizes for any confusion or misconceptions that resulted from our initial report of this topic. As announced last week in ANS-139.02, BRAMSAT President, Dr. Junior de Castro (PY2BJO), has given the "OK" to move the Digital Orbiting Voice Encoder (DOVE) downlink frequency to 145.825 MHz. AMSAT-NA, BRAMSAT, and the University of Surrey officials would like to further explain the reasons justifying this bandplan change. Several months ago, Dr. Martin Sweeting (G3YJO) of the University of Surrey initiated a "orbital mechanics" analysis to study the potential for mutual interference if both DOVE and UO-11 used the same downlink frequency of 145.825 MHz. It was found by studying the AOS and LOS times for the projected DOVE orbit and the current UO-11 orbit there would only be a few occasions when DOVE and UO-11 would appear simultaneously over the same QTH; thus, mutual QRM would be minimal. After careful study of the results of this analysis, Martin Sweeting (G3YJO) offered the suggestion that DOVE change frequencies to Jan King (W3GEY), AMSAT-NA VP for Engineering and MICROSAT Program Manager. It was obvious from a engineering standpoint that the only impact this would have was a change in crystals in the DOVE trans- mitter and this change could be easily accomodated. After Jan King presented this suggestion to BRAMSAT President, Junior de Castro (PY2BJO), Junior agreed with this suggestion that DOVE should also utilize this established frequency for amateur educational and scientific satellites. It is hoped that this brief discussion will clear up any misconceptions regarding this frequency selection for the DOVE downlink. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-147.03 N4HY ATTENDS MEETINGS IN PARIS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD MAY 27, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Bob McGwier (N4HY) Attends Meetings With Arianespace Officials In Paris Bob McGwier (N4HY), AMSAT-NA Assistant VP for Engineering, met with Ariane- space officials to discuss many important topics related with the launch of the MICROSATs during his brief trip to Paris on May 10-11th. Also in attendence was Dr. Martin Sweeting (G3YJO) representing the University of Surrey as well as SPOT-2 payload representatives. This AMSAT News Service (ANS) Bulletin will only cover the major points of these very important meetings. The launch of the ARIANE IV carrying SPOT-2, UOSAT D & E, and the MICROSATs has now been set for November 9, 1989 at 01:35:27 UTC. The first major pay- load separation event occurs after a Mission Elapse Time (MET) of 17 minutes 8 seconds after launch when the SPOT-2 satellite separates from the 3rd stage of the ARIANE IV. After a reorientation maneuver of the 3rd stage is performed, at 20 minutes 9 seconds (MET) UOSAT D & E will be released. Next, after another reorientation maneuver of the 3rd stage is accomplished, at 21 minutes 6 seconds MET all four of the MICROSATs will be separated from the 3rd stage. Finally, the 3rd stage will vent any remaining fuel it has left in its tanks and simultaneiously perform a "collision avoidance" maneuver. By the end of the first day, it is predicted that the MICROSATs will be approximently 1000 km away from SPOT-2 and anywhere from 70 to 170 km away from UOSAT D & E. The MICROSATs, it is predicted, will be separated from each other by distances that range from 30 km to 100 km. On May 11th a fit check was performed with the vibration "test-model" to see how well the MICROSATs would mate to the Ariane Small Auxillary Payload (ASAP) structure. It was found that except for a small cable that needed to be re-routed, the vibration test-mode fitted perfectly in all of the four positions where MICROSATs would be mounted on the ASAP structure. The only other concern was expressed about the DOVE 2m downlink antenna. A special "cup-like" struture will be fabricated to "spiral" that particular antenna inside of and hold it there until DOVE separates from the ASAP structure. It was felt by the engineers involved that this would allow the "long" 2m downlink antenna to uncurl nicely from the spacecraft at separation. The major concern was that the tip of the 2m downlink antenna might touch some of DOVE solar cells at separation from the ASAP structure. Bob McGwier (N4HY) indicated that series of meetings with Arianespace officials went extremely well. The "fit check" was one of the major "milestones" which had to be passed in order to have the MICROSATs "approved" for flight aboard the ARIANE IV launch vehicle this November. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-147.04 LAUNCH SCHEDULE FOR OSCARS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD MAY 27, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT A Summary Of All Planned Amateur Radio Satellite Launches Last week Tom Clark (W3IWI) had a chance to talk with Eduardo Dias who is the manager of a satellite tracking station in Santiago Chile. This was one of the tracking stations which supported the launch of the Japanese H-1 rocket that carried FO-12. Eduardo mentioned that the next Japanese launch of their H-1 rocket has been set for January 23, 1990. Eduardo said that he had been contacted by the JARL and asked if he could provide amateur radio support since JAS-2 will also fly on this mission. JAS-2 will be the "follow-on" to FO-12. At this point AMSAT would like to give a quick "run-down" of all known amateur radio satellite launch activies scheduled for next several months. SATELLITE LAUNCH DATE ========= =========== RS-12/13 June '89 PACSAT 11/09/89 LUSAT 11/09/89 DOVE 11/09/89 UOSAT D 11/09/89 UOSAT E 11/09/89 JAS-2 01/23/90 /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-147.05 U2MIR HAS DINNER AT W4PUJ QTH HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD MAY 27, 1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Musa Manoroff (U2MIR) Visited W4PUJ And Others For An "Eyeball" QSO On the evening of May 12, Dick Daniels (W4PUJ) along with Tom Clark (W3IWI), John Shew (N4QQ), Martha Saragovitz (XYL of N4QQ), Rich Zwirko (K1HTV), and the XLY's of W4PUJ, W3IWI, and K1HTV, all had the privilege of meeting the MIR Space Station Cosmonaut Musa Manaroff (U2MIR). Musa was in the US to visit with NASA space medicine specialists as a "specimen" to prove that humans can survive 366 days in space with no long term ill effects. Through their contacts in NASA, W3IWI and W4PUJ were able to arrange a dinner party for Musa at W4PUJ's QTH. During the dinner party, Musa told many humorous anecdotes about his year long stay in outer space. He commented about spending "366 times 16" [orbits/day] nights away from his wife and children (ages 7 and 8). Musa talked about the size of Mir which was about two normal rooms. Musa emphasized that when the Yaseu FT-290 tranciever arrived in November of '88, amateur radio operations from Mir provided a great deal of enjoyment. Although Musa is an electrical engineer, before he was licensed in space aboard Mir, he was only a SWL. Musa said that he hopes to remain active in amateur radio and keep his U2MIR call. Later in the evening Musa had a chance to see W4PUJ's hamshack and enjoyed tuning around the 20M band and also listening to the downlink passband of AO-13. Tom Clark showed Musa some of the receiver modules he was building for the MICROSATs and also the "little" packet unit (Tasco/Heath HK21 TNC) which Astronaut Ron Parise (W4SIR) will carry on a future Space Shuttle mission. In saying "73's" for the evening, W3IWI on behalf of AMSAT, presented Musa an honorary "life-membership." Musa also recieved one the new MICROSAT patches. In summary, it was a very enjoyable evening for all those who attended this "eyeball QSO," and it only proves without a doubt that Amateur Radio certainly does promote international goodwill and friendship. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-147.06 AMSAT SHORT BURSTS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD MAY 27,1989 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AMSAT Short Bursts The following will be the operating schedules for AMSAT OSCAR-13 for the next several months. Please post this in a convenient place in your ham shack for quick reference. M de VK5AGR 14May89: *** AO-13 Transponder Schedule Update *** 14May89 to 14Jun89 Mode-JL from MA 160 to MA 200 ! Mode-B from MA 200 to MA 160 Also, for a trial period the OMNI-directional 70cm antenna will be connected to the Mode-B RCVR from MA 20 to MA 40. These changes have been introduced to enable stations who have access around perigee to experiment with perigee operation. Mode S unchanged. 14May89: BLON/BLAT 212.0/+2.4 with a drift rate of 0.016/-0.061 deg/day, respectively. O S C A R - 1 3 Date : 14Jun89 until 16Aug89 ! 16Aug89 until 16Nov89 Attitude: 180/0 ! 210/0 Mode-B : MA 0 to MA 110 ! MA 3 to MA 160 Mode-JL : MA 110 to MA 145 ! MA 160 to MA 200 Mode-B : MA 145 to MA 255 ! MA 200 to MA 240 OFF : % ! MA 240 to MA 3 Mode-S : MA 150 to MA 160 ! MA 210 to MA 222 Transponders will be in operation during the whole orbit from June 14 until Aug 16 due to excellent sunangle and power budget. No perigee operation between August and November due to perigee solar eclipses! In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the American Radio Relay League, there will be a commemorative station operation under the callsign of W1AW/5 on 2-4 June, 1989. This activity will take place at the ARRL National Convention in Arlington, TX. The hours of operation will be from 17:00 UTC on Friday, 2 June through 18:00 UTC on Sunday, 4 June. In keeping with the convention theme "FROM SPARK...1914-1989...TO SPACE," a "deluxe" satellite station will be set up. It is the intention of the station planners to operate this station on every pass of every Amateur Radio Satellite that comes within view of Arlington, Texas during this operating period. All modes of operations will be supported from Mode A, B, J, and L. So listen and try to work W1AW/5 on every OSCAR satellite you can. Crank up your satellite tracking programs and check for windows "of mutual visability" to Arlington, Texas, for 2-4 June,1989. For those with QT4.0 who would like to use the "mutual visibility" option, Arlington, TX has the following coordinates: Long=97.083W, Lat=32.750N, and Height above sea-level: 210 Meters. AMSAT is seeking additional Area Coordinators throughout North America. These additional members of the Field Operations organization are needed to support the expected inrush of activity and excitement centered about the launch of an additional six or seven amateur radio satellites this year. AMSAT-NA is seeking those who wish to promote the Amateur Radio Satellite program, and primarily, those experienced satellite users who will serve as "Elmers" for aspiring satellite enthusiasts. If you are interested in joining this team of "make it happen" amateurs, contact the AMSAT VP of Field Operations: Jack Crabtree, AA0P 4327 W. Bellewood Dr. Littleton, CO 80123 (303) 795-7736 Many AO-13 users are unaware that there is an AMSAT Operations Net which is conducted on AO-13 several times each month to help answer questions about OSCAR satellites and to provide information about the many exciting things going on in AMSAT. The following is a list of the times for the Ops Net. Please place this list in a convenient place in your OSCAR station so that you won't miss out on this interesting net which is offered as a service to all AMSAT members. Here is the Ops Net schedule through June: Date UTC orb-phs NCS 28 May 0200 731-105 (27 May local) 04 Jun 0300 746-045 (03 Jun local) 11 Jun 0000 760-152 (10 Jun local) 18 Jun 0100 775-092 W0RPK (17 Jun local) 25 Jun 0300 790-055 (24 Jun local) Nets can be held on B or JL, but if the AO-13 satellite schedule is changed such that the Ops Net falls during an "off" period, it will be rescheduled. Downlink frequencies are 145.950 MHz and 435.970 MHz for Mode B and JL, respectively. All these are for AO-13 but AO-10 is sometimes used when available. The following is the operating schedule for FO-12 for the rest of the month of May and for June: DATE MODE OPERATING PERIOD 05/28/89 JD 00:56 UTC until 09:08 UTC 06/03/89 JD 05:46 UTC until 00:44 UTC on 06/04/89 06/09/89 JA 04:25 UTC until 21:20 UTC 06/21/89 JA 01:43 UTC until 18:38 UTC 06/24/89 JA 01:03 UTC until 17:58 UTC 06/29/89 JA 00:35 UTC until 15:29 UTC de DB2OS 01May89: *** AO-10 TRANSPONDER SCHEDULE *** 01May89 to 13Jul89 Mode-B : from MA 025 to MA 225 OFF : from MA 226 to MA 024 All radio amateurs who live in the Northern California area are reminded of the "Shasta SpaceCon '89" which will be held in Weed, CA on June 17th at the Student Center of the College of the Siskiyous. This all day seminar is designed to be a "beginners introduction" OSCAR satellites. Many excellent speakers from AMSAT-NA and Project OSCAR will be present. For more infor- mation about this fine seminar, please contact Bob Dalleske (W6AMW) at (916) 964-3154. /EX FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! THE FOLLOWING ADDED BY AMSAT-NA CBBS at St. Louis (314) 447-3003 24hr 7day 300/1200/2400 baud. This section may have additions through the week! EAST MEETS WEST, 4J1FS ON THE AIR: Malyj Vysotskij Island active on both HF and OSCAR this past week, see below, A brand new country is on the air on Oscar 13, Mode B and Mode J. The operator is well known to AMSAT types, it is Chip Margelli (of Yaesu fame). I worked him on Mode B and L. He worked the entire orbit after he talked with his wife at the QTH of KL7GRF (John Fail). Good DX Bob, N4HY