Tag Archives: Ham Radio

Apr 23 2016

IARU-R1: Global APRS Harmonisation and Satellite Coordination

IARU_Region_1_logoThe IARU Region 1 Interim Meeting was held April 15-17, 2016 in Vienna. Minutes for the C5 VHF/UHF/Microwave committee are now available.

Some 70 delegates from over 20 Member Societies discussed a wide range of issues in the VHF/UHF/Microwave, HF and EMC Committees. Recommendations from the meeting will be considered by the Region 1 Executive Committee at its meeting in early May 2016. If approved by the EC, these recommendations will become interim Region 1 policy until the next General Conference in 2017, at which time all Societies present will have the opportunity to ratify the proposals.

Among the key items in the minutes are:

4.1. Report of satellite coordinator C5_04
Graham Shirville G3VZV presented the report of satellite coordinator. G3VZV emphasized that the frequency coordination between the three Regions has to be improved for avoiding interference incidents like PC-Sat and some of the XW2 satellites.

Due to current reports from MS about some observations of harmful interference, RSGB is asked to prepare a statement for publishing to inform MS and members how to take care.

C5 chairman is asked to bring up the issue on EC meeting, because further AC action is required.

5.2. Band Planning 5 GHz: C5_10
VIE16_C5_Rec_06: To correct the satellite segment the table in chapter 4.9 by deleting “5790”, inserting “5830” and adding the footnote: “Any wideband system shall protect narrowband applications”.

6.1. General matters: C5_26
VIE16_C5_Rec_11A: To discuss an even more extended [Grid Square] locator system that is used for ATV (including IARU ATV contest) and for other purposes by using the Wiki and prepares a document for GC 2017 if necessary. (Note this will clarify the definition of 10 digit [character] locators used for microwaves etc see example at http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html )

7.2. APRS Harmonisation: C5_41
VIE16_C5_Rec_23: The C5 chairman to answer Regions 2 and 3 that:
• 144.390 MHz is not suitable for Region 1 and that Region-3 should consider 144.800
• To consider an additional 144 MHz frequency (that might be compatible) with Region 2 and 3
• To also consider 435 MHz usage and newer APRS technologies (for the 2017 GC)

Download the C5 VHF/UHF/Microwave Vienna 2016 Minutes
http://tinyurl.com/IARU-R1-Vienna-2016-C5-Minutes

The input papers are available as a matter of record:

HF Papers http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/documents/Documents/HF/Interim-Meeting-2016-HF-Committee-C4-v4.zip/

VHF/UHF/Microwave papers http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/documents/Documents/VHF/C5-papers-v3.zip/

EMC Papers http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/documents/Documents/EMC/C7v3.zip/

Apr 22 2016

ESA announce competition for radio hams

Soyuz VS14 mission patchThe European Space Agency (ESA) Education Office will give a prize to the first three radio amateurs to send a recorded signal from either the AAUSAT4, E-st@r-II or OUFTI-1 CubeSats which are expected to launch Monday, April 25 at 2102 UT.

The launch of the three CubeSats on a Russian Soyuz-STA Fregat-M rocket from Kourou in South America had been planned for Friday but suffered a series of postponements due to bad weather.

Watch the launch live at http://www.esa.int/Education/CubeSats_-_Fly_Your_Satellite/Watch_live_Fly_Your_Satellite!_CubeSats_and_Sentinel-1B_launch

Soon after being deployed into their final orbit, the CubeSats will begin transmitting signals to Earth that can be picked up by anyone with common amateur radio equipment. ESA challenges anyone to record the signal and send it to cubesats@esa.int, and to the CubeSat team.

For each CubeSat, the first email received for which the signal is confirmed to belong to the CubeSat will be awarded with the following prizes:
• ESA Fly Your Satellite! poster
• ESA Education goodie bag
• Scale 1:1 3D printed model of a CubeSat

Full details and frequency information are available at
http://www.esa.int/Education/CubeSats_-_Fly_Your_Satellite/Be_the_first_to_catch_a_signal_from_Fly_Your_Satellite!_from_space

D-STAR satellite to launch from Kourou
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/04/05/d-star-satellite-to-launch-from-kourou/

Apr 21 2016

CADRE CubeSat to deploy from ISS

University of Michigan CADRE CubeSat

University of Michigan CADRE CubeSat

Prince Kuevor who worked on the CADRE CubeSat features in a video from the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering Department.

The CADRE 3U CubeSat, developed by the students at the University of Michigan, was launched to the ISS on December 6, 2015 and should be deployed from the space station soon, possibly mid-May. It carries an instrument package developed by the Naval Research Lab, WINCS, which will characterize neutral winds and ion drifts in the ionosphere/ thermosphere. The IARU lists the downlinks as 437.485 MHz and 3404.0 MHz.

What is it like to be an aerospace engineering student at the University of Michigan? Step into the life of senior Prince Kuevor, who, in addition to his coursework, writes software for CADRE, a small satellite designed by his student team. In the future, Prince hopes to become a professor and teach the next generation of aerospace engineers.

Watch Meet an Aerospace Engineering Student: Prince Kuevor

Learn more about Michigan Aerospace at
http://engin.umich.edu/aero
https://facebook.com/MichiganAerospace

 

Apr 20 2016

OUFTI-1 Telemetry Decoder App

Jacques_Verly_ON9CWD_and_Amandine_Denis_ON4EYA_with OUFTI-1

Professor Jacques Verly ON9CWD (Montefiore Institute) and Amandine Denis ON4EYA, Head of Project OUFTI (LTAS) with the flight model (structure) of OUFTI-1 – Image credit ESA

The OUFTI-1 D-STAR CubeSat team have released the format of the CW telemetry beacon and a Decoder App. The launch, on a Russian Soyuz-STA Fregat-M from Kourou in South America, is expected to take place at 21:02:13 UT on Saturday, April 23, 2016.

OUFTI-1 is a nano-satellite entirely developed by the students of the University of Liege (ULg), Belgium, along with two other engineering schools. It is the first satellite to carry a dedicated amateur radio D-STAR transponder.

OUFTI-1 amateur radio information including Keps http://events.ulg.ac.be/oufti-1/radioamateurs/

The PDF of the article ‘D-STAR digital amateur communications in space with OUFTI-1 CubeSat’ by Jonathan Pisane ON7JPD, Amandine Denis ON4EYA and Jacques Verly ON9CWD can be downloaded from
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/04/05/d-star-satellite-to-launch-from-kourou/

IARU coordinated frequencies for all CubeSats on the Russian Soyuz launch
http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/
OUFTI-1 – 145.950 MHz FSK AX25 and D-STAR (uplink 435.045 MHz) – CW beacon 145.980 MHz
e-st@r-II – 437.485 MHz CW and 1k2 AFSK
AAUSAT-4 – 437.425 MHz

Apr 17 2016

Listen to Tim Peake on 2m FM

UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI GB1SS in the ISS Jan 2016

UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI / GB1SS

UK radio amateurs have the chance to listen to Tim Peake GB1SS transmitting on 145.800 MHz FM from the International Space Station (ISS).

The dates of Tim’s planned UK school contacts are at https://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/03/all-uk-ariss-shortlisted-schools-are-now-scheduled/

All you need to hear Tim is a 144 MHz handheld radio, such as the popular £16 BaoFeng UV-5R VHF/UHF transceiver. If used outdoors you should be able to hear Tim with just the tiny antenna supplied with the handheld. If you have a 1/4 wave whip you will get better results.

In the UK we use narrow 2.5 kHz deviation FM but the ISS transmits on 145.800 MHz with the wider 5 kHz deviation used in much of the world. Most base station and mobile radios can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters and for best results you should select the wider filter. Handheld radios all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.

As a result of Doppler shift the 145.800 MHz ISS signal may vary by +/- 3.5 kHz during a pass going from 145.835 to 145.7965 MHz. Many FM radios can only tune in steps of 5 kHz, with such equipment you may get best results by selecting 145.805 at start of pass, then 145.800 and finally 145.795 MHz.

Not got a VHF radio or not in the UK ? You can tune-in to Tim Peake online from anywhere in the world using the SUWS amateur radio WebSDR receiver located at Farnham near London http://websdr.suws.org.uk/

There will be a live video webstream of Tim Peake’s UK school contacts at
https://principia.ariss.org/Live/

Video – Listening to the ISS on a handheld radio
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/01/10/listening-iss-on-handheld/

How to hear the ISS https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-hear-the-iss/

Get press publicity by receiving ISS school contacts
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/03/10/press-publicity-receiving-iss/

Apr 16 2016

Catch the signal of e-st@r-II CubeSat

Catch est@r-II CubeSat Signal CompetitionThe CubeSat Team of Politecnico di Torino invite the amateur radio community to participate in a competition to receive the 437.485 MHz signal from their new satellite e-st@r-II which launches 2102 UT on Monday, April 25, 2016 on a Russian Soyuz-STA Fregat-M rocket from Kourou in South America.

The CubeSat Team is a student team of Politecnico di Torino involved in the design and development of small platforms for scientific missions and for testing new technologies. We are guys enthralled by space activities. Undergraduate and graduate students work together with researchers and professors to create a real hands-on experience.

“SPACE IN A CUBE: MISSIONS OF THE FUTURE” is our motto! We believe that small satellites can contribute to a broad set of science goals and space based services. Our CubeSat missions aim at conceiving new scenarios and technologies to serve the scientific community while educating students in the challenging field of aerospace engineering.

Our first CubeSat, e-st@r-I, was launched into orbit on February 2012, and the second satellite, e-st@r-II, will be launched next week: the Soyuz launch ST-A VS14 is scheduled on April 25, 2016, at exactly 09:02:13 p.m UT, from the European Kourou spaceport in South America http://www.arianespace.com/mission/ariane-flight-vs14/

To celebrate this date, we invite the radio-ham community to support the e-st@r-II mission: participate in the contest to listen out for our CubeSat from orbit!

We have prizes for the first to receive the e-st@r-II signal and for the one who will provide us with the higher number of packets received in the first month in orbit!

All details of the competition can be found at our official webpage:
http://www.cubesatteam-polito.com/operations/radio-amateurs/

Follow the daily updates on our Facebook page.

Thank you in advance for your help in collecting TLM packets….. and break a leg!

Website: http://areeweb.polito.it/cubesat-team/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubeSatTeam
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CubeSatTeam

e-st@r-II frequency: 437.485 MHz CW and 1200 bps AFSK AX.25

CubeSats to launch from Kourou
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/04/05/d-star-satellite-to-launch-from-kourou/