Tag Archives: satellite

Jul 5 2012

HORYU-2 Telemetry Operational

The HORYU-2 Team

On Tuesday, July 3, the amateur radio satellite HORYU-2 (call sign JG6YBW) recovered from the problems affecting the 437.375 MHz telemetry and the Blog indicates the team are now attempting to take pictures using the on-board camera.

Read the KIT HORYU Blog in Google English http://tinyurl.com/HORYU-Blog

HORYU-2 Japanese Operating Schedule in Google English http://tinyurl.com/HORYU-2-Schedule

Nano-Satellite “HORYU2”, built by students from the Kyushu Institute of Technology, was launched by JAXA from Tanegashima Space Center on May 18 with the Observation Mission “SHIZUKU” (GCOM-W1). The SHIZUKU observation images acquired by AMSR2 have been released.

JAXA press release
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2012/07/20120704_shizuku_j.html (Japanese)
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2012/07/20120704_shizuku_e.html (English)

HORYU2 operational status
http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/operation_schedule_japanese.html (Japanese)
http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/index_e_new.html (English)

UNISEC http://www.unisec.jp

Jul 4 2012

OSCAR-7 DX Record Broken Again

Artists impression of OSCAR 7 in Space

Artists impression of OSCAR 7 in Space

Independence Day, July 4, saw AC0RA and OM3BD set another world distance record using the amateur radio satellite AMSAT-OSCAR-7 breaking their own record set just 48 hours earlier.

OSCAR 7 amateur radio satelliteThe new distance record was 7903.55km comfortably exceeding the previous record of 7849km.

Bill OM3BD in Grid Square JN88mf reports that Wyatt AC0RA once again woke up early and this time drove 150 miles to EN41ad. They had a 30 second contact at 0949Z to extend the record to 7903.55km.

Bill’s equipment comprised an FT847, 2 x 10 element yagi on 2m with SP2000 preamp, and an 8 element Yagi for 70cm while Wyatt had an FT-847, a 7 element Yagi on 2 meters and a 12 element Yagi on 70cm.

Recordings, pictures, and further info at http://qsl.net/nz5n/AO7record.htm

The article “Guide To OSCAR Operating” that was published in “The Best of OSCAR News” Volume 1 in 1980 notes that the maximum theoretic range of AO-7 without propagation enhancements was expected to be about 7900 km. In some ways it’s surprising that it’s taken 37 years since the launch of AO-7 before the extremes of range were tested to their limits.

Previous OSCAR-7 DX record http://www.uk.amsat.org/8728

10th Anniversary of OSCAR 7′s Return To Life http://www.uk.amsat.org/8524

Oscar 7 Information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/communications/oscar-7/

Video of 2E0HTS Working the OSCAR-7 Satellite
https://amsat-uk.org/2012/01/26/2e0hts-working-the-oscar-7-satellite/

Jul 2 2012

New OSCAR-7 DX Record

Wyatt AC0RA and Bill OM3BD have broken the AMSAT-OSCAR-7 (AO-7) long distance (DX) record set in 2010.

Their GPS-measured 7849km QSO between grid squares EN31vx and JN88mf surpassed the prior 7843km record set by PY5LF and K3SZH in 2010.

Bill says that Wyatt did all the hard work by waking up at 3am, driving to a hill an hour away from his home, setting up his station, and working Bill before sunrise at 0955 UT on July 2.

Bill was running an FT847, 2 x 10 element yagi on 2m with SP2000 preamp, and an 8 element yagi for 70cm while Wyatt had an FT-847, a 7 element yagi on 2 meters and a 12 element yagi on 70cm.

It appears that an even longer distance is attainable, and Wyatt is looking for a suitable place from which they can try before Bill leaves Slovakia in mid-July.

Further information, pictures and recordings of the contact are at http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/AO7record.htm

2010 PY5LF and K3SZH AO-7 distance record http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2010/new_ao7_record.htm

10th Anniversary of OSCAR 7′s Return To Life http://www.uk.amsat.org/8524

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Jun 30 2012

Unveiling of Florida Student CubeSat SwampSat

The amateur radio SwampSat satellite, built by students at the University of Florida (UF) was recently unveiled.

Its downlink will use 1200 bps AX25 packet radio on 437.385 MHz with 1 watt of RF.

The team are planning on a December 2012 launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 into a 450 km orbit with an inclination of 45 degrees. [Update: SwampSat launched on Minotaur-1 on November 20, 2013]

Watch SwampSat Unveiling

SwampSat on TV News http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=8464

SwampSat – Florida’s small satellite programs brings STEM jobs
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150734814267248.435445.121264742247&type=3

UF shows off its small satellite http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120406/articles/120409715

Gator Amateur Radio Club http://www.gatorradio.org/

University of Florida Small Satellite Design Club (SSDC) http://www.ufsmallsat.com/

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Jun 27 2012

KiwiSAT hoping for launch mid-2013

The development of the amateur radio satellite KiwiSAT is completed and it is now ready for a LEO launch.

It carries a 435 or 1268 MHz to 145 MHz  linear transponder for SSB/CW operation.
* Transmit Power: 2 Watts PEP.
* Beacon frequency: 145.885 MHz
* Uplink: (U-Band) 435.265 to 435.235 MHz LSB or
* Uplink: (L-Band) 1268.880 to 1268.850 MHz LSB
* Down link: 145.850 to 145.880 MHz USB

The KiwiSAT website says the team have been in discussion with ISC Kosmatras for a DNEPR launch. They hope the satellite will be launched mid-2013.

The KiwiSAT team released a status update which can be read at http://www.kiwisat.org/status.html

In addition to the transponder KiwiSAT also carries an Atitude Determination And Control (ADAC) experiment developed by students at Massey University.

Read the article Massey students create space satellite software at http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=238ABC1A-FC7C-B944-8CC0-987538B6B665

KiwiSAT http://www.kiwisat.org/

AMSAT-ZL http://www.amsat-zl.org.nz/

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Jun 26 2012

New CAMSAT Satellite CAS-2

CAMSAT CAS-2 at Friedrichshafen Ham Radio 2012 Event – Image Credit ARRL

The first CAMSAT amateur radio satellite CAS-1 (aka XW-1, HO-68) carried a linear transponder and proved very popular with radio amateurs world-wide.

Fan Shaomin BA1EO with CAS-2 A1

Fan Shaomin BA1EO with CAS-2 A1

CAMSAT and students at the Qian Youth Space Academy have been working on the next satellite CAS-2.

The launch of CAS-2 is planned for 2014 into a 1000 km orbit with an inclination of 12 degrees. This orbit means it may not be receivable in those countries at high latitudes.

It is understood that most of the room in CAS-2 will be taken up by the primary (non-amateur) payload and it has only been possible to fit a single channel FM amateur transponder in the satellite.

The announcement of May 20 indicates that two separate CAS-2 satellite structures are being built – A1 and A2.

Further information in Google English can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/CAMSAT-CAS-2-Satellite

The CAMSAT delegation to Ham Radio 2012 in Friedrichshafen was led by Gong Wancong BA1DU. A group picture taken at the CAMSAT and AMSAT-DL stands and a picture of the engraved glass plaque that CAMSAT presented to AMSAT-DL can be seen on the AMSAT Deutschland Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.420116544697800.90571.168177559891701&type=3

Randy Hall K7AGE visited Beijing in March 2008. Among the people he visited was Fan Shaomin BA1EO.

Watch Randy’s video which provides an insight into amateur radio in Beijing. The BA1EO visit is at 12:55

Read more about Ham Radio in that part of the world from Larry’s, KH6ITY, article at ARRL – http://www.arrl.org/news/cq-china

ARISS unable to do Beijing contacts http://tinyurl.com/ARISS-Cancel-Beijing