Feb 25 2012

AMSAT’s Dick Daniels, W4PUJ – Silent Key

One of AMSAT’s most important, admired and well loved members, Dick Daniels, W4PUJ, died on February 14, 2012. He lost his battle with lung cancer, diagnosed only at Christmas time 2011. Dick achieved so much working for AMSAT that it is virtually impossible to enumerate his individual accomplishments. Read more …

Dick W4PUJ is ready for the installation of the 400N engine into the Phase 3D spacecraft. Photo Credit: AMSAT-DL

A memorial service will be held for Dick Daniels, W4PUJ on Saturday, February 25 at 1:00PM at Little Falls Presbyterian Church, 6025 Little Falls Rd, Arlington VA 22207. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to: Capital Caring, 950 N Glebe Rd #500, Arlington VA 22203. This is the organization that provided hospice care for Dick.Donations in memory of Dick can also be made to Capital Caring on-line.

E-mail messages of condolence sent to martha@amsat.org will be given to Dick’s family.

Feb 26, Bob McGwier N4HY writes:

Yesterday at Little Falls Church in Arlington, VA family, friends, and colleagues had a memorial for Dick Daniels W4PUJ (SK) who died recently after a very brief fight against lung cancer. Barry, WD4ASW, President of AMSAT read a tribute written by Jan King W3GEY/VK4GEY.

Watch Memorial for Dick Daniels, W4PUJ February 25, 2012

I apologize for the audio transients at the beginning, typical problems from hand holding a smart phone.

Feb 28, Bob McGwier N4HY writes:

I only took a small set of usable pictures. I really wish I’d brought the camera. Dick’s children took a few hundred photos! Those apples fell close to the tree.
http://n4hy.smugmug.com/AMSAT/Dick-Daniels-W4PUJ-Memorial

Feb 25 2012

Antares Launch Slip Delays Dove-1 Satellite

Artists Impression of Antares Launch from Wallops Island, Virginia

The amateur radio satellite Dove-1 (145.825 MHz AX.25 FM) was originally planned to launch on the Antares launcher on February 28 but reports indicate it may be Fall before it is launched.

Space.com reports that on February 21 Orbital Sciences Corporation announced a further slip and the launch of Antares could now be delayed until as late as September. Read the space.com report here.

Dove-1 was built by Cosmogia and is a 3U CubeSat with a total mass of about 5 kg.

Its 145.825 MHz 1200 bps AFSK AX.25 FM downlink will transmit telemetry data, including temp/power supply/current/RSSI/solar vector/acceleration, approximately every 30 seconds. The beacon can transmit at up to 1 watt and will use a quarter wave monopole antenna cut from a tape measure.

It also has a 2.4 GHz half-duplex, spread spectrum radio with patch antenna that will be used for main payload downlink and telecommand uplink. The data rate will be 115 kbps.

The planned orbit is 280 by 270 km at 51.6 deg inclination which will give Dove-1 a lifetime of about 2 weeks before re-entry.

Dove 1 Satellite Technical Description https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=121393&x=.

Cosmogia Dove-1 Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=122025&x=.

Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares page http://www.orbital.com/Antares/

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Pages hosted by AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru

Feb 24 2012

Vietnam Student CubeSat F-1

Vietnamese students have produced a video about their amateur radio CubeSat F-1, callsign XV1VN.

The F-1 is an educational CubeSat to be launched in the summer of 2012. It will carry a low resolution C328 camera with 640×480 resolution and two Yaesu VX-3R transceivers using 145.980 and 437.485 MHz.

•VX-3R1
–Frequency: 437.485MHz, FM Narrow
–Power supply: directly from solar cells, only operates in sunlight
–Output power: max 0.3W, half-wave dipole antenna
–Modulation scheme: Morse code beacon (10 chars) using PWM CW
–Beacon interval: every 30 seconds (configurable)

•VX-3R2
–Frequency: 145.980MHz , FM Narrow
–Power supply: rechargeable battery, operates in the dark by default but can be commanded to operate in sunlight as well
–Output power: max 1.0W, half-wave dipole antenna
–Modulation scheme: AFSK 1200bps, half duplex
–Telemetry interval: one AX.25 packet every 30 seconds (configurable)

Watch F-1 picosatellite project – FSpace laboratory

F-1 CubeSat Blog on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/116436068290/

Gunter’s Space Page lists F-1 on the HTV-3 launch to the ISS on July 18, 2012.

Send your name/callsign and a message into space on the F-1 CubeSat! http://fspace.edu.vn/?page_id=31

Vietnam F-1 CubeSat on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116436068290

FSpace Laboratory http://fspace.edu.vn/

Feb 24 2012

TechEdSat to use ‘SatPhone’

TechEdSat

TechEdSat will be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS). It is a 1U CubeSat that will demonstrate Plug and Play power architecture and two way communication via the satellite phone/data networks Iridium and Orbcomm.

UPDATE: The plan to transmit from space using frequencies allocated to Iridium and Orbcomm SatPhone ground stations has been canceled. A statement from the team says: “We were forced to disable the Iridium modem as our FCC license did not come in time. As usual, building the satellite is the easy part.”

There will be a 437.465 MHz beacon transmitting 1 watt to 1/4 wave monopole. Commanding is via the commercial networks and there is a 2 week watchdog timer to stop the beacon in the event of no commands being received.

TechEdSat will be launched along with Raiko, FITSat-1, We-Wish and F-1 to the ISS aboard HTV-3, currently planned to launch July 18, 2012. From there, it will be deployed into Low Earth Orbit using the JAXA J-SSOD deployer, from the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM also known as Kibo).

Wiki – TechEdSat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TechEdSat

Kibo Robot Arm http://kibo.jaxa.jp/en/about/kibo/rms/

ISS Amateur Radio CubeSat Deployment October 4 http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=10119

Watch the deployment live at http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages hosted by AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru