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/

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 21^st 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/

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/

FUNcube-1 flight model – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

The BBC report that the Dnepr rocket launching from Yasny in Russia has set a record for the most payloads carried to orbit in a single mission.

They say the converted intercontinental missile released 32 objects in space – mostly small, so called “cubesats”.

Read the BBC story Rocket deploys spacecraft armada at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25035490

Story on NASA Space Flight
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/11/russian-dnepr-record-breaking-32-satellite-haul/

ADS Advance Magazine
http://adsadvance.co.uk/uk-s-funcube-1-satellite-launches-successfully.html

The Dnepr carrying FUNcube-1 and 18 other satellites carrying amateur radio payloads successfully launched at 07:10:11 UT on Thursday, November 21. Approximately 8 minutes later, FUNcube-1 was deployed from the upper stage of the Dnepr rocket.

FUNcube Team Monitor Launch

About 10 minutes after separation, telemetry was successfully been received, decoded using the Dashboard App, and uploaded to the data warehouse by ZS1LS (at 07:37) and ZS6BMN in South Africa.  There was a huge cheer at Bletchley Park and the FUNcube-1 Project team toasted the successful launch .

All main parameters on FUNcube look nominal; temp, battery voltage, solar panel charging rate, etc and the data received so far is available in the Data Warehouse.  The team are already seeing some superb examples of the data that will be fundamental to the educational aspect of FUNcube – thank you to all stations around the world for your efforts so far.

ZACUBE-1, FUNcube-1 and HiNCube in the deployment pod – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

The first signals from FUNcube-1 were heard in the UK on the first visible pass at 3 degrees above the horizon and Mike Willis, G0MJW, became the first UK station to receive and decode the telemetry from FUNcube-1 – congratulations Mike.

For the first two orbits FUNcube-1 was in Safe mode with the beacon transmitting low power just 30 mW. FUNcube-1 was then commanded into Educational mode which increased the power to 300 mW. This enabled it to be copied on a SSB handheld with whip antenna.

The FUNcube team encourage all stations to continue to receive the telemetry and upload it to the Data Warehouse as we monitor the spacecraft and continue with the early operations tasks.

Satellites on Dnepr launch November 21, 2013 – Image credit Nader Omer ST2NH

These satellites were heard during the morning passes:
• FUNcube-1
• ZACUBE-1
• Delfi-n3xt
• Triton-1
• CubeBug-2
• UWE3 9k6
• HumSat-D

One of the satellites on the launch UniSat-5 will deploy a number of additional satellites. Among them should be the CubeSats PUCP-SAT-1, HumSat-, Icube-1 and the PocketQubes Wren, Eagle-1 (BeakerSat), Eagle-2 ($50Sat), QB-Scout1. PUCP-SAT-1 intends to subsequently release a further satellite Pocket-PUCP.

As well as UniSat-5 and its associated CubeSats and PocketQubes these amateur radio satellites were also on the launch:
HinCube
FUNcube-1
ZAcube-1
First-MOVE
UWE-3
Velox-PII
CubeBug-2
Triton-1
Delfi-n3Xt
GOMX-1

Dnepr Launch Frequency Chart by Mike Rupprecht DK3WN

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

Mass Amateur Radio Satellite Launch November 21
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/08/mass-amateur-radio-satellite-launch-november-21/

Download the FUNcube-1 Dashboard App
http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/

FUNcube-1 Data Warehouse http://funcube.org.uk/ground-segment/the-data-warehouse/

A live video stream was run from the Bletchley Park station on the BATC website at http://batc.tv/streams/funcube1

The first FUNcube-1 telemetry data