After the successful DNEPR cluster launch we will like to give you a brief update about the UniSat-5 mission and the released satellites:
• Eagle-1 and Eagle-2 have been received and are working perfectly
• HUMSAT-D already finished the commissioning of the platform, but none of the current TLE’s fit to Doppler shift measurements. Information about Doppler shift is very welcome!
• WREN was heard today [Nov 24]. The TLE used are:
The beacon is 1.6 seconds. Wren is sending nominally on 437.405 MHz. The beacon is AFSK-modulated.
For more information contact Paul Kocyla from Stadoku at Paul.Kocyla<at>rwth-aachen.de
• I-Cube [CW] beacon has been received from UK and from Pakistan. They are currently working on commanding the satellite
• UniSat-5 doesn’t have a beacon and the ground station from Roma, Vigo, MSU and California are working on commanding it
• PUCPSAT team needs your help: Beacon every 20 sec. at 145.840 MHz, AX.25 at 1200 bps
Information about object identification in the TLE are very welcome.
ICUBE-1 – Image credit Institute of Space Technology in Pakistan
UK Foundation holder Andrew Garratt M6GTG was the first person to report reception of signals from the ICUBE-1 satellite launched by a Dnepr from Dombarovsky near Yasny.
ICUBE-1 was carried within the UNISAT-5 microsatellite which launched at 07:10:11 UT on November 21. At 07:25:48 UT the Dnepr deployed UNISAT-5 into a near Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) with an altitude of 634 km. UNISAT-5 later deployed ICUBE-1 and the other satellites it was carrying.
Andrew was capturing telemetry from FUNcube-1 on 145.935 MHz during the 10:21 pass when he noticed a CW signal near the edge of the listed FUNCube-1 transponder downlink (145.950 MHz) although the transponder wasn’t operational on launch day.
He had captured the pass as an IQ file, and so set about trying to decode the CW and managed to get ***ISTAN. On the next pass he got the word CUBESAT several times.
The signal had the same Doppler shift as FUNCube-1 so was from the same launch constellation. Andrew checked the satellites on the launch and spotted ICUBE-1 from the Institute of Space Technology in Pakistan which was listed as using 145.947 MHz with 1200 bps data rather than CW.
Andrew sent a message to the ICUBE-1 team on their Facebook page and they confirmed that at this stage of the mission they were indeed transmitting a CW beacon and what he decoded was part of the message.
Dr. Khurram Project Manager of ICube-1 said “Thanx Andrew … your message was a great relief for us”
Erich, DK1TB, has provided a short guide on how to manually add new satellites to the SatPC32 satellite tracking app which is available from the AMSAT-UK shop.
The FUNcube-1 AO-73 satellite is used as an example.
b. Copy the following line to the file AmsatNames.txt
39417 13066B AO-73
That will convert the CelesTrak sat name 213-066B to AO-73. In menu “Satellites” choose “SatNames”, “Use Amsat Names if Available”.
c. Copy the following lines to Doppler.SQF:
AO-73,145934.0,,USB,,,,TLM
AO-73,145960.0,435140.0,USB,LS
B,REV,,, Transponder
In menu “Satellites” choose “Sat Groups” and select – for example- the group “Diverse” to have the sat in a separate list. With “Update Keps” download the Celestrak file. It will appear in the left list of the menu. Click on the file name. In the middle list you will see AO-73 with this name. Select it for the right list and click “OK”. The group will later automatically use the chosen CelesTrak file.
73s, Erich, DK1TB
Watch How to add the new XW-2/CAS3 satellites into SatPC32
Gpredict
Bryce KB1LQC describes how to update the free satellite tracking software Gpredict:
You can add new TLE’s by using the Edit->Update TLE and choose network or local files. I’ve found it interesting to get some of the FUNcube TLE’s in there, maybe Gpredict is being picky but it’s worked. Also, there’s a downward facing arrow in the top right window of Gpredict with a “configure” menu option. I’ve placed my cursor over it in one of the screenshots. When you are in there you can add and remove satellites as shown in the second screenshot. Hope this helps!
• Go to Nova for windows menu to —> Kep Elements—> Disk file update—->Manual update from file—–> Click on the “Update” button.
• Now you see a window appear and browse to the funcube1.txt file.
• If you can not find click in the same window all files.
• If you have uploaded the keps from the file than go to the Nova menu to —> Views configure current view —> Click on Artificial satellites —> browse through the satellite – list till you see FUNcube-1 and drag it to the right window.
•Click on the OK button and now you should see FUNcube-1 on the world map.
Dnepr Launch November 21, 2013 – Credit ISC Kosmotras
This week has seen deployments from the ISS, a Minotaur-1 and a Dnepr of an estimated 34 satellites carrying amateur radio payloads along with a number of commercial and research satellites.
After a launch the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) issue the Keplerian Two Line Element Set which can be used to determine the position and velocity of the associated satellite. CelesTrak make this information available and the file for launches in the past 30 days is available here.
After a new launch this file will list the ID’s of the objects that NORAD have detected. These objects can be parts of the rocket body as well as the satellites. The challenge in the days after launch is to work out which object ID’s correspond to which satellites.
On the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) Nico Janssen PA0DLO has posted an overview of the presently known IDs for the satellites that were launched between November 19-21.
ISS JSSOD Cubesat launches 2013-11-19 12:18 UTC 39412 1998-067DA Pico Dragon ? 39413 1998-067DB ArduSat 1 ? 39414 1998-067DC ArduSat X ? To be confirmed when the objects have more separation. 2013-11-20 07:58 UTC 39415 1998-067DD TechEdSat 3P
Minotaur 1, Wallops Flight Facility 2013-11-20 01:15 UTC ORS3 & ELaNa 4: 29 satellites So far only 4 TLEs published. No IDs yet but probably: 39380 2013-064A STPSat 3
The AMSAT-SM website has an article on the dual-band omni-directional 145/435 MHz Slim Jim antenna developed by N9TAX.
Lars SM0TGU comments that the antenna works great for satellite passes below 30 degrees elevation, but signals are considerably weaker on high elevation passes.
AMSAT-UK 
You must be logged in to post a comment.