Monthly Archives: November 2013

Nov 22 2013

$50Sat Eagle2 PocketQube Operational

$50SAT-Eagle2

$50SAT-Eagle2

$50SAT – Eagle2 – the PICAXE and RFM22B micro satellite was successfully launched from Dombarovsky Air Base in Russia on November 21 at 07:10 UT.

It went active soon after being released from UNISAT-5 and the 437.505 MHz (+/-10 kHz Doppler shift) Morse beacon from $50SAT was heard in the UK at 10:28 that morning (Nov. 21).

$50SAT is a very low cost and simple satellite and most radio amateurs should be able to receive the Morse beacon and FSK RTTY data with an omni directional antenna.

The primary purpose of $50SAT (Eagle2) was to create a cost effective platform for engineering and science students to use for developing real world skills. The PocketQube form factor has no precision mechanical parts and can be built from locally obtained sheet metal.

$50sat is comprised of two 40mm x 40mm circuit boards. The first is the processor/radio board which contains the PICaxe 40X2 processor programmed in PICaxe basic, the Hope RFM22B single chip radio and some peripheral devices. The PICaxe 40X2 is an easy to use micro controller popular in the education sector.

The second board is the power control and monitor board. This board contains four maximum power point controllers, one for each solar array on each side of the spacecraft as well as current monitors for the battery and summed solar power. The battery is a common 3.7 volt lithium ion camera battery.

The satellite will transmit data telemetry about the satellites operation, a sequence of call signs in slow FM Morse and some key data as fast FM Morse (120 WPM). The main data payload will also be transmitted as FSK RTTY which should be readily heard on the ground with basic amateur radio equipment.

$50SAT has been a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, Morehead State University and three other radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW.

The $50SAT team plan to make all the software and hardware designs freely available to anyone who wants them for personal or educational use. For further information see the $50SAT Dropbox at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l3919wtfiywk2gf/-HxyXNsIr8

There is a discussion group for $50SAT at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/50dollarsat/conversations/topics

50DollarSat http://www.50dollarsat.info/

HOPE RFM22B FSK transceiver http://www.hoperf.com/rf/module/fsk/RFM22B.htm

PICAXE-40X2 microcontroller http://www.picaxe.com/Hardware/PICAXE-Chips/PICAXE-40X2-microcontroller/

Dnepr satellites https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/dnepr-november-2013/

Nov 22 2013

BBC TV visit FUNcube station at RSGB National Radio Centre

BBC presenter John Maguire interviews Graham Shirville G3VZV at the RSGB National Radio Centre

BBC presenter John Maguire interviews Graham Shirville G3VZV at the RSGB National Radio Centre

On Friday, November 22 a film crew from the BBC Breakfast show visited the RSGB National Radio Centre (NRC) at Bletchley Park to interview the FUNcube Project team about the new educational amateur radio satellite FUNcube-1 (AO-73).

BBC film Howard Long G6LVB and Jim Heck G3WGM working FUNcube-1 (AO-73)

BBC film Howard Long G6LVB and Jim Heck G3WGM working FUNcube-1 (AO-73)

BBC presenter John Maguire interviewed Graham Shirville G3VZV at the GB3RS station in the NRC.

Other members of the FUNcube team were filmed making a SSB contact from the Bletchley Park car park using the FUNcube-1 linear transponder.

During the visit to the National Radio Centre, John Maguire asked the FUNcube Team to support a visit to a local school, Abbeys Primary School in Bletchley, to meet up with some 10-11 year old pupils and talk to them about the FUNcube project.

Ciaran Morgan M0XTD and BBC crew at Abbeys Primary School in Bletchley

Ciaran Morgan M0XTD and BBC crew at Abbeys Primary School in Bletchley

The visit was a huge success, with the school children asking lots of questions. As this was the first educational outreach opportunity after launch, the children were asked to compose a Fitter message which the FUNcube Team will upload to FUNcube-1 (AO-73) when they have decided what it should be! (Teachers’s comment “Might be their home work!”).

The FUNcube news report was broadcast on the BBC One TV Breakfast show on Monday, November 25 at 06:52 and 07:53 as well as on the BBC 24 hour News channel throughout the day. You can watch a recording at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25084547

Watch the BBC FUNcube item at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25084547

BBC Radio 5 Outriders Podcast, look for the “Outriders 26 Nov 13: Crypto, crosswords and tiny satellites” edition
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/pods
Direct link to podcast http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/fivelive/pods/pods_20131126-0530a.mp3

BBC Breakfast show http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v5tb

FUNcube-1 Deployed !!! https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/21/funcube-1-deployed/

First Fitter Message Uploaded https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/21/ao-73-first-fitter-message-uploaded/

First Transponder Test https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/22/funcube-1-ao-73-transponder-tested/

FUNcube website http://www.funcube.org.uk/

Nov 22 2013

FUNcube-1 (AO-73): First Transponder Test

Howard Long G6LVB working AO-73 while Ciaran Morgan M0XTD captures the downlink passband data using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ and Microsoft Surface Tablet

Howard Long G6LVB working AO-73 while Ciaran Morgan M0XTD captures the downlink passband data using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ and Microsoft Surface Tablet

The first test of the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) SSB/CW linear transponder took place on Friday, November 22. The transponder was successfully commanded on at 10:49 UT and at 10:51 GB3RS successfully transmitted through the inverting transponder using a pair of Yaesu FT-817 transceivers and an Arrow dual-band antenna.

FUNcube-1 flight model - Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

FUNcube-1 flight model – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

A two-way contact was then made between GB3RS and G0AUK who worked each other at 10:53 UT. Both stations were operating from the Bletchley Park car park each running 5 watts PEP to Arrow antennas.

Ciaran Morgan M0XTD captured the entire downlink passband during the pass on a Microsoft Surface Tablet using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ SDR connected to an Elk dual-band antenna.

FUNcube-1 carries a 20 kHz bandwidth transponder for SSB and CW communications. To reduce the Doppler shift the transponder is inverting meaning that a Lower Sideband (LSB) signal on the uplink comes out as an Upper Sideband (USB) signal on the downlink.

Testing and analysis of the telemetry data from FUNcube-1 (AO-73) is continuing.

Thank you to all stations who have provided telemetry so far. More telemetry data is needed to enable the FUNcube team to characterise the satellite.

We would encourage stations to download the Dashboard software to receive the telemetry and upload it to the Data Warehouse

The FUNcube Team hope to do further transponder tests possibly Saturday, November 23.

FUNcube-1 Deployed !!! https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/21/funcube-1-deployed/

BBC TV visit FUNcube station at RSGB National Radio Centre
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/22/bbc-visit-funcube-station-at-rsgb-national-radio-centre/

FUNcube website http://www.funcube.org.uk/

Nov 21 2013

FUNcube-1 (AO-73): First Fitter Message Uploaded

First Fitter Message Uploaded (FM8)

First Fitter Message Uploaded (FM8)

On Thursday evening the FUNcube team successfully uploaded the first Fitter message to the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) satellite.

‘Fitter’ is derived from ‘Twitter’. So it’s like a tweet, but via FUNcube.

The message is a short (200 characters maximum) text-like message which can be uploaded to the satellite (by authorised ground stations), and which can be transmitted several times every five minutes or so. It will continue to be retransmitted until such time as it is replaced by a new Fitter Message.

The message uploaded was:

Thanks to ZS1LS for receiving and uploading the first FUNcube-1 (AO-73) packets

There is memory space for a total of nine such Messages (total 1800 characters).

FUNcube-1 Deployed !!! https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/21/funcube-1-deployed/

Nov 21 2013

FUNcube-1 spacecraft now named AO-73

FUNcube-1 flight model - Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

FUNcube-1 flight model – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

The FUNcube team are delighted to be able to release the formal email received at the Bletchley Park monitoring station on the afternoon of Thursday, November 21, informing us that the FUNcube-1 spacecraft can now be referred to as AMSAT-OSCAR-73 (AO-73).

Congratulations on the successful launch of the FUNcube-1 CubeSat, launched this morning from Yasny in Russia at 07:10:10.47 UTC November 21st 2013.  

Since FUNcube-1 meets all of the requirements for being issued an OSCAR number, including coordination through IARU and requesting such a number; I, under authority vested in me by the President of AMSAT-NA, do hereby name FUNcube-1, ”AMSAT- OSCAR-73″ or “AO-73.”

I, and all at AMSAT-NA wish AMSAT- OSCAR-73 great success in fulfilling all of its mission objectives and we welcome it to the long list of Amateur Radio satellites.

73,

William (Bill) Tynan, W3XO
OSCAR Number Administrator

FUNcube-1 Deployed !!! https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/21/funcube-1-deployed/

Nov 21 2013

FUNcube-1 Loud and Clear in Essex

Data being received from FUNcube-1 1028GMT Nov 21, 2013

Data being received from FUNcube-1 1028GMT Nov 21, 2013

Pete Sipple M0PSX from the Essex Ham website was one of a handful of UK amateurs to receive and decode the data signals from the satellite in its second UK pass at 10:28 GMT today.

Pete had tried receiving the first pass over the UK just before 09:00 GMT, but this was very low on the horizon and he wasn’t able to receive it here in Essex. At the time FUNcube-1 was on low power running just 30 mW by the time of the second UK pass it was running high power, 300 mW.

You can see screenshots of the data, an audio recording of the pass, and details on how to receive signals from FUNcube-1 on the Essex Ham site:
http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/funcube-1-live-and-heard-over-essex.html

The audio of FUNcube-1 received in Essex on an omni-directional colinear
http://www.essexham.co.uk/media/funcube_1028_21nov13.mp3

FUNcube-1 Deployed !!! https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/21/funcube-1-deployed/