ESA reports the European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO) has concluded its test campaign. The ESEO student teams gathered in the Netherlands, October 18, 2018 for a last precious lesson before the satellite is launched.
ESEO satellite in the anechoic chamber at the ESTEC test facilities, in the Netherlands
ESEO carries an amateur radio 1260 to 145 MHz FM transponder and a 1k2 and 4k8 BPSK telemetry beacon developed by AMSAT-UK members.
The satellite has been at ESA’s ESTEC test facilities, in the Netherlands, where it completed the last steps of a thorough satellite test campaign which had started in August 2018 at SITAEL’s facility in Mola di Bari, Italy.
Learning by doing has already proven an amazing experience for the ten university student teams from different European universities who have designed and built the instruments and several key subsystems of the ESEO satellite.
On October 18, at a dedicated workshop, the ESEO students had the additional chance to hear first-hand what it takes to run a satellite test campaign – trouble shooting included!
“In the space sector no satellite could ever be launched without a thorough tests campaign”, said Piero Galeone, coordinating the ESA Academy programme of which ESEO is a part. “The reason is that – as perfect as your satellite design and manufacturing process can be – the devil always hides in the details. If there is anything to be fixed, you want to know it and correct it before the satellite flies on its orbit hundreds kilometres from the surface of the Earth, beyond the reach of any engineer’s hands”.
SSDV image of Moon and Earth taken by LO-94 (DSLWP-B) – Credit Cees Bassa
Daniel Estévez EA4GPZ / M0HXM reports decoding a JT4G amateur radio signal from the LO-94 (DSLWP-B) spacecraft that was reflected off the Moon.
Daniel says “JT4G is a digital mode designed for Earth-Moon-Earth microwave communications, so it is tolerant to high Doppler spreads. However, the reflections of the [DSLWP-B] B0 transmitter at 435.4 MHz, which contained the JT4G transmissions, were very weak, so I had not attempted to decode the JT4G Moonbounce signal.”
However, by analysing a recording made on October 19, 2018 at 17:53:35 GMT he was able to decode one of the five JT4G transmissions in the recording.
ISS SSTV image received by John Brier KG4AKV October 27, 2018
Amateur Radio On The International Space Station (ARISS) is planning a very special Slow Scan Television (SSTV) event from about 1000 UT Saturday, Oct. 27 until 1930 UT Monday, Oct. 29 on 145.800 MHz FM using PD-120.
UPDATE 0930 GMT Oct. 28:SSTV pictures were sent from the ISS on Saturday, the session ended early in the afternoon. Transmissions resumed early Sunday morning.
Helping to support the event will be NASA’s Space, Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Department.
The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program manages NASA’s three most important communications networks: The Space Network (SN), Near Earth Network (NEN), and the Deep Space Network (DSN).
Just as in past ARISS SSTV commemorations, twelve images will be downlinked, but this time with six featuring the SCaN educational activities while the other six images will commemorate major NASA anniversaries, ie., when NASA was established, astronauts first landing on the moon, etc.
In addition to the fun of receiving these images, participants can qualify for a special endorsement for the NASA On The Air (NOTA) celebration event. To learn more about NOTA visit https://nasaontheair.wordpress.com/
The transmissions are expected to be broadcast at the usual frequency of 145.800 MHz using the PD-120 SSTV mode.
Please note that the event is dependent on other activities, schedules and crew responsibilities on the ISS and are subject to change at any time.
Source AMSAT News Service
Note the ISS transmissions use the 5 kHz deviation FM standard rather than the narrow 2.5 kHz used in Europe. If your transceiver has selectable FM filters try using the wider filter. Handheld transceivers generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard and you should get good results outdoors using just a 1/4 wave whip antenna.
You can receive the SSTV transmissions by using an Online Radio (WebSDR) and the MMSSTV software:
• Listen to the ISS when it is in range of London with the SUWS WebSDR http://farnham-sdr.com/
• Listen to the ISS when it is over Russia with the R4UAB WebSDR http://websdr.r4uab.ru/
The message was coded using the Enigma cipher machine. After receiving the message, transmitted on a frequency of 145.935 MHz in 1200 bps BPSK, the scouts could determine the deciphering key and Enigma settings by correctly answering 10 space and satellite related questions.
Paulo PV8DX reports the 15RR Valentes de Davi scout group from the city of Boa Vista in the state of Roraima, Brazil were among those who decoded the message.
In the UK the Chertsey Radio Club reports they ran a special event station GB6SS for the Sixth Staines Scouts. In addition to using the digital ode FT-8, see report, the scouts also decoded the FUNcube-1 Enigma message.
Watch Sixth Staines Scouts with Chertsey Radio Club completing JOTA FUNcube Challenge
NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor KG5TMT, who is currently on the International Space Station, was active on 145.800 MHz FM making contacts on Saturday, October 20 using the callsign NA1SS.
Watch a video at twitter.com/supercazzola/status/1053659932292247552
The ISS packet radio digipeater on 145.825 MHz was active during Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) and Lauren 2E0HLR took advantage of this to demonstrate the reception of APRS packets from the Space Station to Scouts, see twitter.com/G0PEKand2E0HLR
Adil Namakoe YD3HNL has released a video of the Slow Scan TV pictures he received during Jamboree On The Air from the amateur radio satellite IO-86.
In space, satellites can be found. A recent development in this area are the “CubeSat” satellites.
Normal satellites typically have a size ranging from that of a washing machine to a small truck.
CubeSats have the size of a milk-carton!
The JOTA-JOTI FUNcube Challenge focuses on the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) CubeSat satellite. During the Jamboree On The Air (JOTA-JOTI) on October 19-21, a special, coded, message will be transmitted. This message can be received with a simple 2m handheld antenna, e.g. HB9CV, a small yagi or even a vertical, and a SDR-dongle or any SSB radio for 2m. The data is sent by the satellite on its telemetry channel of 145.935 MHz (1200bd BPSK modulated). You will need to set your receiver to Upper Side Band (USB). If you use a FUNcube dongle, you can directly receive the satellite.
Sixth Staines Scouts with Chertsey Radio Club completing the JOTA FUNcube Challenge
The message is coded using the Enigma cipher machine. The deciphering key and Enigma settings can be obtained by answering the questions below.
The message sent by the satellite follows the following format: JOTA JOTI START coded message STOP
Your deciphered message can be mailed to: JJ.Satellite.Challenge (at) kitbuilding.org ( (at)=@)
The mail should contain your name, age, country and Scout group name and the correct answer!
If you have any pictures of the reception of the satellite with your group, this would also be highly appreciated, we would love to see how you did it!
If your answer is right and mailed before the 1st of November 2018, you will participate in a raffle.
The winner will get some products from www.kitbuilding.org
Have a lot of fun and good luck! Best 73s, Wouter PA3WEG and Jeroen PE1RGE
1.) A geostationary satellite has an altitude above the earths surface of (approximately):
A. 20200 km or 12600 miles – First rotor is rotor III
B. 35786 km or 22236 miles – First rotor is rotor V
C. 42164 km or 26199 miles – First rotor is rotor VII
2.) NASA has selected over 300 astronauts since 1959,
A. None of them was ever active in Scouting – First rotor alphabet setting (ringstellung) A
B. Not more than 37 of them were active in Scouting – First rotor alphabet setting
(ringstellung) F
C. More than 200 were/are active in Scouting – First rotor alphabet setting (ringstellung) S
3.) The average distance between the moon and the earth is:
A. 1738 km or 1080 miles – First rotor initial setting (grundstellung) D
B. 12742 km or 7918 miles – First rotor initial setting (grundstellung) G
C. 385001 km or 239228 miles – First rotor initial setting (grundstellung) H
4.) AMSAT, an organisation involved in launching a number of radio amateur satellites was founded in:
A. 1969 – Second rotor is rotor II
B. 1978 – Second rotor is rotor VI
C. 1991 – Second rotor is rotor VIII
5.) As satellites are flying extremely high in the sky, at least 100 Watts of transmit power is needed to establish communication with or through a satellite. Is this true or false?
A. True – Second rotor alphabet setting (ringstellung) D
B. False – Second rotor alphabet setting (ringstellung) C
6.) The Russian Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite orbiting around the earth. When was this satellite launched?
A. October 4th, 1957 – Second rotor initial setting (grundstellung) A
B. January 31st, 1958 – Second rotor initial setting (grundstellung) G
C. July 20th, 1969 – Second rotor initial setting (grundstellung) F
7.) The abbreviation OSCAR means:
A. Open Source Communication for Amateur Radio – Third rotor is rotor III
B. Outer Space Charge – free Amateur Radio – Third rotor is rotor IV
C. Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio – Third rotor is rotor I
8.) Signals from a satellite are characterized by Doppler-shift, this means:
A. The frequency of the transmitted signal appears to be higher when the satellite is moving towards you. – Third rotor alphabet setting (ringstellung) T
B. The frequency of the transmitted signal appears to be lower when the satellite is moving towards you. – Third rotor alphabet setting (ringstellung) U
9.) If a radio amateur wants to communicate through satellites he/she needs to do an additional exam in order to obtain a special license, the Amateur Radio Operator License (AROL). True or false?
A. True – Third rotor initial setting (grundstellung) R
B. False – Third rotor initial setting (grundstellung) M
10.) Radio amateurs can make radio contact with the ISS (International Space Station)?
A. Yes – Reflector B
B. No – Reflector C
AMSAT-UK 
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