Category Daily Updates

Mar 14 2012

AMSAT-India Thanks You

Dear Friends,

I take this opportunity to sincerely thank each and every user and well wishers, who have been following and monitoring closely all those events and activities that followed since the interruption on 28th February 2012.

Thanks for all those encouraging and supporting expressions!

VO-52 on FUNcube Dongle by Dave G4DPZ

VO-52 received on an AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle by Dave Johnson G4DPZ 17:27 pass on March 14, 2012

The initial telemetry reports indicated all the crucial and critical parameters to be normal and satisfactory and we do hope ‘HAMSAT VO-52’ would be available with much stronger power. The overall spacecraft health is in ‘Excellent Condition’ and all that we need to do is to monitor the transponder parameters.

14:05 UT on 14 March was a moment of great satisfaction and joy to all of us here in bringing ‘HAMSAT VO-52’back to life. It also gives us great pleasure to note that ‘HAMSAT VO-52’from India/ISRO has a earned a name in the history of ‘Amateur Radio Satellites’.

On behalf of everyone, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank particularly, Mr. Parimalarangan-Operations Director for his hard work and great efforts besides his exemplary technical competence and skills exhibited in recovering back ‘HAMSAT VO-52’.

Also my sincere thanks to Mission Director Mr. R. Suresh and the entire ‘HAMSAT VO-52’ Mission Management and Project teams for all the support, encouragement and recognition provided to ‘Amateur Radio World’.

My Good wishes to VO-52 and the transponders on-board for a ‘Healthy and Long Life’.

My Good wishes & Greetings, once again to William PE1RAH.

73

Mani, VU2WMY
Secretary & Station-In-Charge
Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC
ISRO Satellite Centre
HAL Airport Road, Bangalore-560 017.
Phone:(O)91-80-25082054/2598/2192
Mobile:  91-80-98803 41456
E-mail ID: wmy@isac.gov.in
vu2wmy_mani@yahoo.com
isrohams@yahoo.com

The new HAMSAT (VO-52) frequencies are:

Uplink:         435.2250 – 435.2750 MHz SSB/CW
Downlink:     145.9250 – 145.8750 MHz SSB/CW
Beacon:       145.8600 MHz CW

How to work the SSB satellites http://www.uk.amsat.org/2712

HAMSAT VO-52 Dutch Transponder Activated http://www.uk.amsat.org/5755

HAMSAT VO-52 Activation Planned For Wednesday http://www.uk.amsat.org/5685

HAMSAT VO-52 Falls Silent http://www.uk.amsat.org/5217

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

Mar 14 2012

HAMSAT VO-52 Dutch Transponder Activated

VO-52 on FUNcube Dongle by Dave G4DPZ

VO-52 received on an AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle by Dave Johnson G4DPZ during the 17:27 pass on March 14, 2012

The Dutch SSB/CW linear transponder on the AMSAT-India amateur radio satellite HAMSAT VO-52 has been successfully activated.

Transponder # 1, which had been operating for over 6 years, fell silent on February 28 and efforts have been underway to activate transponder # 2.

Mani VU2WMY reports that the commands to ‘Turn On’ the transponder # 2 on-board HAMSAT VO-52 were successfully sent on March 14 during the 1400 UT 35 deg ascending Node pass over Bangalore, India.

The commands were successful and the CW message beacon of the Dutch transponder # 2, built by William Leijenaar PE1RAH, was heard in Bangalore loud and clear, some 6 years and 4 months since it was last switched on.

The Dutch SSB/CW transponder uses these frequencies:
Uplink:         435.2250 – 435.2750 MHz SSB/CW
Downlink:     145.9250 – 145.8750 MHz SSB/CW
Beacon:       145.8600 MHz CW

When working through linear transponder satellites such as VO-52 use as little power as possible, this will help extend the lifetime of the transponder and satellite batteries. As a guide ensure your downlink signal is no stronger than the satellite beacon. Low duty cycle modes such as SSB and CW are recommended.

How to work the SSB satellites such as VO-52 http://www.uk.amsat.org/2712

AMSAT-India Thanks You http://www.uk.amsat.org/5777

HAMSAT VO-52 Activation Planned For Wednesday http://www.uk.amsat.org/5685

HAMSAT VO-52 Falls Silent http://www.uk.amsat.org/5217

Leijenaar Electronics http://www.leijenaarelectronics.nl/

AMSAT-India http://www.amsatindia.org/

Mar 14 2012

HAMSAT VO-52 Activation Planned For Wednesday

HAMSAT VO-52

HAMSAT VO-52

Mani VU2WMY reports that due to ‘Operational Constraints’ the commands to turn on the Dutch SSB/CW transponder on HAMSAT (VO-52) could not be sent on Tuesday and attempts at 01:44 UT and 03:20 UT Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The next attempt will be made during the 14:00 UT pass over India.

William Leijenaar PE1RAH, designer and builder of the Dutch SSB/CW linear transponder on HAMSAT (VO-52), requests reports when the transponder is activated. He says:

! ! !  Please don’t use high uplink powers !!! (We don’t want it to rise temperature very fast just after cold switch on) ! ! !

Please listen for the CW beacon at 145.860, which is a good reference.
(Audio records and reports are very welcome at ISRO and myself)

73 de PE1RAH,
William Leijenaar

The frequencies used will be:

Uplink:         435.2250 – 435.2750 MHz SSB/CW
Downlink:     145.9250 – 145.8750 MHz SSB/CW
Beacon:       145.8600 MHz CW

How to work the SSB satellites http://www.uk.amsat.org/2712

HAMSAT VO-52 Falls Silent http://www.uk.amsat.org/5217

Leijenaar Electronics http://www.leijenaarelectronics.nl/

AMSAT-India http://www.amsatindia.org/

Mar 13 2012

New Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Request Form

Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV

Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV

IARU Satellite Advisor Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV has made available a new version of the Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination request form.

Frequency coordination for amateur radio satellites is provided by the IARU through its Satellite Advisor, an official appointed by the IARU Administrative Council, its top policymaking body.

The IARU Satellite Advisor is assisted by an Advisory Panel of qualified amateurs from all three IARU Regions. The panel meets regularly via Skype to consider amateur satellite frequency coordination requests for satellites planned for operation on frequencies in the amateur service. The panel members often provide advice and assist satellite builders with the selection of   the best possible frequencies to meet the objectives of their mission.

The Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination request form has been updated (Version 27) and is available for download from http://www.iaru.org/satellite.

On the IARU web satellite page there are also available a number of guideline documents which will assist satellite builders, including a document on the ITU requirements for Amateur Radio Satellites.

73

Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV
IARU Satellite Advisor

A list of coordinated amateur radio satellites can be found at http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru

Mar 13 2012

ESA to start mini space mission series

BBC Science correspondent Jonathan Amos reports that the European Space Agency is starting what it expects to become a regular series of small science missions.

The first winning “S-Class” idea will receive 50 million euros (£42m) and will be readied for launch in 2017.

Prof Mark McCaughrean, head of ESA’s Research and Scientific Support Department is reported as saying:

“We want to hear from innovative people who’ve got a clever idea that doesn’t need a billion or half a billion euros, but can be done with a much smaller amount.”

Read the full BBC News story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17335339

Call for a Small mission opportunity in ESA’s Science Programme for a launch in 2017 http://sci.esa.int/2012-S-Call

Mar 12 2012

GOMX-1 to test CubeSat Space Protocol

GOMX-1 is a student built amateur radio 2U CubeSat. The mission is being flown under the auspices of a Government research grant covering space related radio research. It will qualify a number of subsystems and provide extensive in-flight data.

A large number of future amateur/educational CubeSat missions depend on the important data that will be generated by this mission. This will help these mission teams across the globe to achieve higher reliability and improved utilization.

The mission will also test the use of the open source Cubesat Space Protocol (http://code.google.com/p/cubesat-space-protocol/) for a complete mission including the space link.

A camera payload will take color images of the Earth and an experimental Software Defined Radio receiver will be carried and its performance characterized.

More than 15 students at Aalborg University have been actively involved in the development of this payload as part of their semester projects.

It is planning to use GMSK telemetry with selectable 1k2/2k4/4k8/9k6 rates on UHF with approx 28dBm power to a deployed antenna. Launch is expected in late 2012 into a near sun syncronous orbit on a DNEPR rocket from Yasny in Russia with a number of other amateur radio satellites,  see Gunter’s Space Page http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_chr/lau2012.htm

GOMspace http://gomspace.com/