Monthly Archives: November 2013

Nov 15 2013

KySat-2: Calling all radio hams and space enthusiasts!

Archive image of KySat-1

Archive image of KySat-1

The KySat-2 CubeSat is scheduled for launch as part of the ORS-3/ELaNa-4 mission on November 20 at 00:30 UT.

To help track KySat-2, we have setup a web page to assist radio amateurs. To help decode packets from KySat-2, we have developed software radio amateurs can download and install.  Both are available here: http://ssl.engineering.uky.edu/amateur-radio-operators/

Initially, the software will support receive-only operation, but after spacecraft checkout, it is intended that the software will also support limited commanding.

We have also created an Advanced Satellite Orbit Tracking Tool to visualize KySat-2’s orbit in real-time: http://k2asot.engr.uky.edu/

For more information on general information on KySat-2, visit: http://kysat2.engr.uky.edu/ and http://kentuckyspace.com/

We appreciate any and all support!

Jason Rexroat KK4AJE
Space Systems Lab, University of Kentucky
Email: jason.rexroat at uky.edu

KySat-2 and other CubeSats launch November 20
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/12/kysat-2-in-november-cubesat-launch/

Frequency list for the three November amateur radio satellite deployments
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/13/three-amateur-radio-satellite-deployments-in-november/

Nov 15 2013

FUNcube-1 Dashboard – New Version

FUNcube-1 last test dashboard frame

FUNcube-1 last test dashboard frame

Many thanks for the feedback received so far!

A couple of issues have come to light and have been corrected in this latest version.

Fixes:
#181 Folder selection doesn’t
#175 Recognise dongles after start-up
#180 Autotune needs a nudge

To download this latest version of the FUNcube Dashboard and the supporting documentation go to

http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/

which is being kept right up-to-date.

Nov 15 2013

Happy 39th Birthday AO-7 !

OSCAR 7 in Space

OSCAR 7 in Space

On the AMSAT bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) Paul Stoetzer, N8HM reminds us that November 15 is the 39th birthday of the AMSAT-OSCAR-7 (AO-7) satellite which incredibly is still operational after so many years in space. A tribute to the engineering abilities of radio amateurs.

OSCAR 7 amateur radio satelliteHappy Birthday to AO-7! Launched on 11/15/1974 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Continued congratulations to all those involved in the design, building, launch, and operations of this satellite. It’s an amazing achievement that, other than the batteries, most of the circuitry continues to function normally 39 years after launch. Here’s to
hopefully many more years of service to the amateur community!

For more information about the lead-up to and the launch of AO-7, as well as the first years of operation, see the 1974-1981 AMSAT
Newsletters on KA9Q’s website:

http://www.ka9q.net/AMSAT-Newsletter-1974.pdf

http://www.ka9q.net/newsletters.html

N4HY has a wonderful gallery of photos from the construction and launch of AO-7 on his Smugmug page:

http://n4hy.smugmug.com/AMSAT/AMSAT-Oscar-7

73,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Washington, DC (FM18)

Pat Gowen G3IOR in radio shack circa 1975

Pat Gowen G3IOR in radio shack circa 1975

The amateur radio satellite AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was launched by a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 15, 1974 and provided many years of service until it went silent from battery failure in mid 1981.

For 21 years nothing more was heard until June 21, 2002 when Pat Gowen G3IOR came across a beacon sending slow 8 -10 wpm CW on 145.973.8 MHz. It sounded like old OSCAR satellite telemetry, it had the familiar HI HI followed by a string of numbers in groups of three. After monitoring by many radio amateurs it turned out to be OSCAR-7, and it seemed to have come back from the dead.

Pat’s email to the AMSAT Bulletin Board announcing his discovery can be seen at
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200206/msg00525.html

It is believed that in 1981 the batteries failed short-circuit, however, in 2002 they became open-circuit enabling the satellite to run again from the solar panels. Since that day OSCAR 7 has been operational when in sunlight and provided radio amateurs with many long distance (DX) SSB/CW contacts.

Remember when working OSCAR 7 use the least uplink power possible to minimize your downlink power usage, and maximize the number of simultaneous contacts supported in the passband.

A BBC News report Radio ham finds lost satellite about the reception of OSCAR 7 by Dave Rowan G4CUO can be seen at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2149381.stm

Video of 2E0HTS Working the OSCAR-7 Satellite https://amsat-uk.org/2012/01/26/2e0hts-working-the-oscar-7-satellite/

OSCAR-7 http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1031

AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/

Nov 14 2013

Czech Statocaching APRS ham radio balloon

Dropion Releasing Stratocache Radio SeedsStratocaching which launches Saturday, November 16 at 0800 UT (144.800 MHz FM APRS) aims to combine amateur radio stratospheric balloons with the popular pastime of Geocaching.

We would like to announce our first experimental flight STRATOCACHING as a result of  cooperation between Žádná věda association and Stsproject.net.
Launch Date: November 16, 2013
Launch Time: 8:00 UTC
Launch Location: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute Prague, Czech Republic
Stratocaching is a unique idea combining launch of a stratospheric balloon with a geocaching game. The Czech association Žádná věda (meaning Not a Rocket Science) with a cooperation of Stsproject.net is going to launch a special ballon set with a gondola called Dropion that includes 12 flying modules with GPS trackers called Stratocache. The modules (an imitation of maple seed design) will be released in the stratosphere and after they fall somewhere in the Czech republic (hopefully!), a geocaching hunt for Stratocaches will be started. The project has attracted many fans (there are 60.000 active geocachers in the Czech Republic) – and currently 11.000 „stratocachers“ registered for this  game.
Specifications:
·         Balloon Hwoyee: 3000g filled with helium
·         Total weight of payload: 3000g
·         Chute: Sperachute 72“
·         Estimated Ascent/ descent: 5-6 m/s up, 4 m/s down
·         Dropion: 1800g, made of styrodur, design inspired by nature (the name originally come from „drop- onion“)
·         Stratocache: 93 g, 40cm long, falls down rotating as a maple pod (2,5 m/s), with a GPS tracker Meitrack MT90 (replaced battery pack – Energizer Lithium)
·         Radioseed: 2 of the 12 „maple seeds“ bear a different tracking technology: RTTY+CW tracker
·         Electronic systems: APRS tracker, RTTY+CW tracker, Arduino computer, pyrotechnic system for releasing Stratocaches and balloon cutoff, IP video stream module (IP camera Axis M2014, PoE injector router Microtic), video recording module (GoPro Hero 3)
·         Altitude: the launch of Stratocaches and the balloon trajectory will be limited by a flight plan programmed in Arduino computer based on the wheather conditions (maximal altitude 30.000). The aim is to end the flight within the borders of the Czech Republic
Trackers onboard:
DROPION:
Callsign: OK1OMX – UKHAS RTTY 300Bd, 7N2, 450 Hz shift, freq 437.650 MHz, SSB/USB

OK1OMX-11 – APRS, freq 144.8 MHz

RADIOSEEDS:
Seed1 – UKHAS RTTY 300Bd, 7N2, 450 Hz shift, freq 437.670 MHz, SSB/USB
Seed2 – UKHAS RTTY 300Bd, 7N2, 450 Hz shift, freq 437.690 MHz, SSB/USB
All the trackers are using CW ID with HAM callsign  in between rtty sentences. Seed1 and Seed2 trackers will transmit in CW altitude and locator also.
Best regards,
Ivan Sobička
Nov 14 2013

Teenage radio ham takes lead on ISS school contact

International Space Station ISS with shuttle Endeavour 2011-05-2316 year-old Rebecca Rubsamen KJ6TWM led the amateur radio contact between students at Rancho Romero Elementary School and astronaut Mike Hopkins KF5LJG on the International Space Station.

The Contra Costa Times newspaper reports:

“This is going to be the biggest science experiment we’ve done with the school — and my career as principal,” proclaimed Skye Larsh, principal of Rancho Romero Elementary School.

The lead engineer in the whole grand experiment: 16 year-old Rebecca Rubsamen of Alamo, a sophomore at Bentley School in Lafayette who built her own VHF radio and crafted two large antennas in her backyard.

A licensed amateur radio operator, Rebecca wanted to return to her elementary alma mater to let students talk to astronauts in space. She applied for permission to do the direct contact through NASA’s Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program. Since 1983, the program has connected schools and universities with astronauts in space to encourage interest in math and science — and youth to become future astronauts.

NASA grants about 50 such permissions a year for amateur radio enthusiasts to make contact with the International Space Station. This year, there have been about 68 granted internationally. Rancho Romero’s is one of 20 in the United States this year and just the third in California, said Ashle Harris, a NASA spokeswoman.

Tim Bosma W6MU, a NASA volunteer who helps to mentor amateur radio buffs through the program, said Rebecca was among the youngest people to act as a lead operator for such a radio communication for a school.

Read the full story at http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24517766/headline

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) http://www.ariss-eu.org/

Nov 14 2013

FUNcube-1 Dashboard User Interface App Now Available

FUNcube-1 last test dashboard frame

FUNcube-1 last test dashboard frame

In advance of the FUNcube-1 launch next week on November 21 at 07:10:11 UT, this first release of the FUNcube Dashboard User Interface software is now available for download here: http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard

This software, when used with a FUNcube Dongle or other SSB capable VHF receiver, will decode and display all the 58 telemetry channels, all the on-board status flags and also the Fitter messages from the spacecraft.

The FUNcube Dashboard will also enable users to upload the telemetry they are receiving to a central Data Warehouse so that others around the world can see what is happening on board.

A fully illustrated set of installation and operating guidance notes can also be downloaded from that page.

Additionally we also have some IQ and audio files available here that can be used for testing. http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/telemetry-examples/

Full details of the telemetry format, which has considerable heritage from AO-40, can be found here. http://funcubetest2.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/fun_downlink_data_draft_13.doc

We are very grateful to our software development team for their efforts in developing the Dashboard and we look forward to your feedback. Please let us have questions and experiences at the FUNcube forum at http://forum.funcube.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=3

FUNcube Yahoo Group https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/