Monthly Archives: April 2013

Apr 30 2013

OPUSAT CubeSat

OPUSATOPUSAT is a 1U CubeSat designed and created by an OPU student team consisting of about 20 undergraduates and graduates at the Small Spacecraft Systems Research Center (SSSRC).

It is planning to use a 2 metre downlink for CW Beacon, 1k2 AFSK and 9k6 GMSK telemetry.

Mission Plans include
a. To operate technique of getting high power with Lithium-Ion Capacitor, control to the sun, and Maximum Power Point Tracking.
b. To open data of experiments on orbit and analytical software to the public.
c. To hold “competition of expecting object”.
d. To hold “competition of expecting the date of atmospheric entry

Planning for a 400 km circular 65 deg orbit with a launch by JAXA together with STARS-ⅡKagawa University,TeikyoSat-Teikyo University, ShindaiSat Shinshu University, INVADER Tama Art University and ITF-1 University of Tsukuba.

It is understood the primary payload is the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) due to launch in JFY 2013.

OPSAT in Google English http://tinyurl.com/OPUSAT

Apr 30 2013

Flying Laptop – 130 kg Satellite

Flying Laptop FLP satellite

Flying Laptop (FLP) satellite

The Flying Laptop (FLP) is a 130 kg spacecraft of 600 by 702 by 866 mm. It is the first satellite of the Small Satellites Program in Stuttgart. This mission aims to establish the foundation for the required infrastructure as well as the expertise for the Small Satellites Program of the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), University of Stuttgart. The satellite is developed and build at the IRS and will be operated with the institutes’ own ground station. The design, development, construction and future operation are primarily done by Ph.D. students and undergraduate students.

The satellite plans to demonstrate a number of innovative technologies including infra-red high speed optical links. Also three cameras with 25 metre resolution and an S Band downlink for near real time observations. Proposing 10 Mbit/s QPSK LHCP transmissions using CCSDS like protocol.

No launch yet confirmed but planning a sun synchronous LEO in late 2014. They have applied to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) for coordinated Amateur Satellite Service frequencies.

More information from

https://oc.irs.uni-stuttgart.de/public.php?service=files&t=e12e0e7f821a3163d949a580672a3def

using the password hamradio13

Flying Laptop http://www.kleinsatelliten.de/index.php/en/flying-laptop.html

Apr 30 2013

TURKSAT-3USAT Announcement

TURKSAT-3USAT and Deployment Pod

TURKSAT-3USAT and Deployment Pod

Dear Radio Amateurs,

To save energy in the batteries of TURKSAT-3USAT satellite, unless announced otherwise, we kindly request you to;

1. When following the satellite, especially during daylight passings, concentrate on listening to the beacon signal at 437.225 MHz (with an open squelch, using preamp) only and send the info you have recorded to turksat3usat@tamsat.org.tr , together with time and location information.

2. Do not use the calling frequencies of the transponders (Uplink 145.940 – 145.990 MHz) and do not make any calls (TX) at these frequencies during this time.

3. Continue using existing TLE (Kepler) data in tracking the satellite, unless announced otherwise.

4. We thank all radio amateurs for their kind interest and help in this.

TURKSAT-3USAT information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/turksat-3usat/

Apr 30 2013

IARU Region 1 Agrees Addition 2m Satellite Allocation

IARU_Region_1_logoThe minutes from the IARU Region 1 Interim meeting held in Vienna, April 20-21, have been released.

A number of papers related to Amateur-Satellite Service allocations were discussed:
• VIE13_C5_03 Increased Amateur‐Satellite Service 144MHz Usage
• VIE13_C5_05 Recommendations for DATV Transmission
• VIE13_C5_24 Region 1 Satellite Coordinator Report
• VIE13_C5_27 New Narrow‐Band working frequencies in the 2300–2450 MHz band
• VIE13_C5_32 2400MHz Amateur Satellites

The Vienna C5 meeting minutes are available here.

The original papers for the meeting are available here.

Probably the most important paper from an Amateur Satellite Service perspective was VIE13_C5_03 which proposed the use of 144.000-144.035 MHz for satellite SSB/CW downlinks.

The minutes record that Graham Shirville G3VZV presented the paper on the increasing use of 2m by satellites and the desire to use the under-utilized bottom of the 2m band 144.000-144.035, which had originally been harmonized for EME activity. EME has subsequently moved to frequencies further up the band.

In order to accommodate some CW contests, the proposal was reduced from 35 to 25kHz (i.e. 144.000-144.025 MHz).

If the other IARU Region 2 and Region 3 are also willing to go for 144.000 and 144.025, then IARU Region 1 will support this proposal.

Note: IARU Region 2 Conference is in Cancun, Mexico in September 2013.

Read VIE13_C5_03_Increased_Amateur_Satellite_Service_144MHz_Usage

Apr 27 2013

Three 437 MHz ham radio balloons to launch from Poland

sp9uob_frontTomasz Brol SP9UOB plans to launch three High Altitude Balloons to near-space this week carrying amateur radio payloads on 437.600, 437.595 and 437.615 MHz.

At maximum altitude the 10 mW signal from these balloons could have a potential range of up to 700 km.

Thomasz posts:

I’m planning on launching 3 balloons from Gliwice Glider Airport [Upper Silesia], with ultralight (36-40 grams) payloads.

First launch on Wednesday, May 1 at 9:00 UTC – under 100g kaysam / Helium – just for hardware check 437.600 MHz

Second on Saturday, May 4 at 9:00 UTC – 1600 g Hwoyee / Hydrogen – 437.595 MHz

Third on Saturday, May 4 at 10:00 UTC – 1600 g Hwoye / Hydrogen – 437.615 MHz

RTTY, 470 Hz shift / 50 baud / 7n1

The IARU Region 1 site carries this report on the May 4 balloon launch:

On Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 9:00 UTC (11:00 am – local time), the team from the club SP9PDF – directed by Tomasz, SP9UOB – will launch an unmanned stratospheric balloon. The current record of flight altitude is 44,376 feet above sea level.

The balloon named SEBA-1 will be launched from the Aero Club of Gliwice within the project “From Gliwice to Space”, started in June 2012.

A telemetry transmitter (its power – 10 mW) will be  placed in a capsule, the balloon will operate on RTTY on the frequency 437.600 MHz USB (+ / – thermal drift of about 10 kHz), 50 baud, 470 Hz shift, 7N1. To receive telemetric data, you should use the dl-fldigi program.

Detailed instructions for configuration of the software can be found at: http://sp9uob.verox.pl/rtty_tracking.html

The capsule has a total weight of just 37 grams, including: the electronic circuits – 8 grams, the power (R6) – 14 grams, the antenna – 3 grams, the thermal insulation – 12 grams.

Such light weight load, combined with a giant balloon (2 kg of latex filled with hydrogen) should result, at least, in approaching the world record.

We invite everyone to track the flight of the balloon by listening on the indicated frequency, or  at the following website: http://spacenear.us/

Source of information: SP9PDF Club Team – IARU Region 1 http://www.iaru-r1.org/

Beginners Guide to Tracking using dl-fldigi http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide

To get details of upcoming balloon launches subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address: ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Twitter #ukhas https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ukhas

Tracks of balloon launches can be seen at http://www.spacenear.us/tracker

Apr 26 2013

PhoneSat Pictures Released

Graham PhoneSat Picture 2013-04-25

Graham PhoneSat Picture 2013-04-25

Pictures taken by the Graham and Bell PhoneSat satellites, deployed April 21, have been released.

Graham and Bell have been transmitting picture packets. Radio amateurs around the world have been receiving the individual packets and passing them to the PhoneSat team who have stitched them together to restore the complete Earth picture.

See the pictures at http://www.phonesat.org/pictures.php

PhoneSat team thank Radio Amateurs
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/23/phonesat-team-thank-radio-amateurs/