Tag Archives: Amateur Radio

Dec 17 2011

AMSAT-India Linear Transponder

AMSAT-India 435-145 MHz Linear Transponder

AMSAT-India 435/145 MHz Linear Transponder

At Hamfest India (HFI) 2011, held in Kochi Dec 10-11, a presentation was given on a new Indian linear transponder and a CubeSat communications system.

This was the largest gathering of radio amateurs in India so far. Radio Amateurs and SWLs from all over the country and invited guests from other countries enjoyed the two-day event.

AMSAT-India gave several presentations at the event, among them was one by Ganesan Namachivayam KJ6LRR in which he described a satellite 435/145 MHz linear transponder with a bandwidth of 50 kHz and capable of 1-3 watts PEP output. AMSAT-India plan to develop a smaller linear transponder for CubeSats.

AMSAT-India CubeSat

AMSAT-India CubeSat

Ganesan also described a CubeSat communications system comprising a 435 MHz half-duplex narrow‐band FM transceiver supporting a data rate of 1200-9600 bps. The transmitter produces 1 watt output and can also operate as a Morse Code beacon.

Other presentations included:

  • Real Time Tracking by Mani VU2WMY
  • Working with LEO Sats by Dr. Raveendranath VU2RVJ
  • Telemetry Decoding by Nitin VU3TYG

The slides from the AMSAT-India presentations are at
http://amsatindia.org/presentations/HFI-2011/AI-HFI2011.pdf

Hamfest India (HFI) 2011 http://www.hamfestindia2011.com/

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

Dec 16 2011

Amateur Radio Satellites Approach Launch

Amateur radio CubeSats and ALMASat-1 being prepared for launch

The integration of Vega’s first, second and third stages is now complete at ESA’s Spaceport at Kourou in the Caribbean. ESA say the new rocket is moving full speed ahead towards its maiden flight at the end of January.

Vega will carry seven amateur radio satellites, ALMASat-1 and six Cubesats. The primary payload is LARES (Laser Relativity Satellite), a passive satellite with laser mirrors for the study of the Earth gravitational field and general relativity measurements (Lense-Thirring effect).

By the end of December, the six CubeSats, ALMASat-1 and LARES will be ready and enclosed in the fairing, well in time for the launch.

PW-Sat to launch in January

Vega to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites

Vega moves closer to its first liftoff 

OSCAR News is published quarterly by AMSAT-UK. Download a free sample issue here join here

Dec 15 2011

FUNcube Dongle used in new Prospero X-3 Satellite Tests

Prospero

Roger J A Duthie M0RJA and the team are carrying out further attempts to reactivate Prospero, the United Kingdom’s first satellite launched on a UK-built rocket, Black Arrow, on October 28, 1971.

The team now have an AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle (FCD) VHF/UHF Software Defined Radio to receive Prospero on 137.560 MHz and use an Icom IC-746 tranceiver on transmit commands to the satellite.

Because the frequency is now used by a number of Orbcomm satellites it can be difficult to identify the Prospero X-3 signal. The intention is to switch the satellite on and off by making commanding attempts and listening for a response in the RF carrier to indicate that Prospero is indeed still in some sort of working condition.

It is hoped Amateur Radio operators will be able to provide recordings of the signals on 137.560 MHz.

For further information check the Prospero X-3 blog and the AMSAT bulletin board.

Prospero 40th Anniversary has links to the real time tracking page and the history of the satellite

PE0SAT – Prospero

Join the FUNcube Yahoo Group

OSCAR News is published quarterly by AMSAT-UK and posted to members. Download a free sample issue here join here

Dec 15 2011

PW-Sat to launch in January

PW-Sat, a 1U CubeSat to be launched on the first VEGA flight in January, will carry a 435 to 145 MHz Amateur Radio transponder.

The single channel transponder will operate in a similar way to the amateur satellite AO-16. The uplink on 435.020 MHz will be FM and the downlink on 145.900 MHz will use the BPSK telemetry beacon transmitter to produce Double Sideband (DSB) that can be received on an SSB radio.

PW-Sat should be launched into a 1450 by 300 km 71 degree orbit and may be expected to have a lifetime of about 4 years before re-entry. It was built by students of Warsaw University of Technology in cooperation with the Space Research Centre and will be Poland’s first satellite.

PW-Sat has five modes of operation:
1. Receive only mode – no downlink
2. Beacon CW mode – Downlink On-Off Keying (OOK) CW (1kHz) 12 WPM on 145.900 MHz
3. Beacon BPSK mode – Downlink BPSK (3 kHz) 1200 bps AX25 (1 frame on 20 sec) on 145.900 MHz
4. Control communication mode. Downlink BPSK (3 kHz) 1200 bps AX25 on 145.900 MHz
5. Voice Repeater mode (aka “AO-16” mode) – Uplink 435.020 MHz FM (15 kHz) Downlink 145.900 DSB (3 kHz)

For more information on PW-Sat in Google English see  http://tinyurl.com/CubeSatPW-Sat 

Vega to Launch Amateur Radio Satellites

IARU Amateur satellite frequency co-ordination panel pages hosted by AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/

AO-16 FM-DSB transponder http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2008/ao16_reconfigured.htm

OSCAR News is published quarterly by AMSAT-UK and posted to members.
To get your copy join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/
Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf

Dec 13 2011

Nanosat Mission Idea Contest

Nanosat Misssion Idea Contest

Dec 12 2011

50th Anniversary of OSCAR 1

Lance Ginner K6GSJ with OSCAR 1

Lance Ginner K6GSJ with OSCAR 1

The first amateur radio satellite OSCAR 1 was launched 50 years ago on December 12, 1961.

OSCAR 1 was battery powered and signals lasted for about two weeks. It re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on January 31, 1962.

The AMSAT News Service is re-running the Project OSCAR Newsletters to commemorate the 50th anniversary of OSCAR 1.

The Newsletters were hand-typed back in 1961. Thanks to Don Ferguson, KD6IRE for scanning the original documents announcing OSCAR 1.

This is from the newsletter produced on that historic day and reproduces the historic telegram sent by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) with the news that OSCAR 1 had been received in the United Kingdom.

O S C A R N E W S L E T T E R

December 12, 1961

OSCAR SATELLITE IN ORBIT

At 2041 GMT, 12 December 1961 the Oscar satellite was hurled into orbit by the Discoverer XXXVI launching vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The satellite immediately went into a North-South orbit and was picked up loud and clear by the hams at KC4USB (Marie Byrd Base) at the South Pole a few minutes after launch. The word was quickly relayed back to the Oscar Tracking Station, K6QEZ, by W4ABY. Acquisition was also obtained by hams at Kodiak, Alaska and by KH6UK in Hawaii on the first pass.

Oscar is on a frequency between 144.990 and 145.008 and has tremendous c.w. signal strength on a direct, overhead pass! Tracking reports have begun to flow into the Center. W1AW heard the first pass S9 over the East coast.

The following telegram was received by the Center from the RSGB:
OSCAR HEARD 0055 GMT X KEYING OK X STRENGTH NINE PLUS X DOPPLER SEVEN KC X FURTHER DATA AIR HAIL X.

Orbit is being computed, but insufficient time has elapsed to permit predictions to be made of time Oscar will pass over your area. Listen to W1AW and the Voice of America for orbital predictions. Continuous 24-hour a day monitoring is essential until predictions are established. In fact, this monitoring is urged to check for unpredicted reception at times when the Oscar satellite is theoretically out of range! Our thanks to the Air Force and men of Vandenburgh AFB who helped to make this historic milestone possible!

Actual launch was attended by W6SAI, K6LFH, W6MLZ and W0TSN. Full Oscar story in February QST and CQ and more details in our next news letter!

AMSAT News Service (ANS)

Listen to an original audio recording of OSCAR 1 here

Interview with OSCAR Pioneer Lance Ginner K6GSJ

Project OSCAR History

The February 1962 edition of QST carried several articles on OSCAR 1. Our thanks to ARRL for permission to post them here.

OSCAR 1 Launch on front cover of QST Feb 1962
The OSCAR Satellite
Communications for Project Oscar
Sixty Years of Radio Amateur Communication – Marconi to the OSCAR Satellite

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information. Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf Join online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK