ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North<BR>America, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the<BR>activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an<BR>active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating<BR>through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.<P>ANS is first released via the AMSAT-NA 20-meter net held each Sunday<BR>on 14.282 MHz. Pre-net operations start at 18:00 UTC, with current ANS<BR>bulletins transmitted to the eastern U.S. at 19:00 UTC and to the western<BR>U.S. at 19:30 UTC. ANS is also released worldwide via the AMSAT ANS<BR>e-mail reflector.<P>AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce that recent (and future) Amateur<BR>Radio satellite technology developments will be discussed in<BR>Atlanta, Georgia at the 19th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual<BR>Meeting, October 5-6, 2001. The Symposium Chairman is Steve Diggs,<BR>W4EPI. Contact W4EPI at: w4epi@amsat.org<P>Information on AMSAT-NA is available at the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.amsat.org" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat.org</A> <http://www.amsat.org/> (or from)<P>AMSAT-NA<BR>850 Sligo Avenue, Suite 600<BR>Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-4703<P>Voice: 301-589-6062<BR>FAX: 301-608-3410<P>Currently, AMSAT-NA supports the following (free) mailing lists:<P>* AMSAT News Service (ANS)<BR>* General satellite discussion (AMSAT-BB)<BR>* Orbit data (KEPS)<BR>* Manned space missions (SAREX)<BR>* District of Columbia area (AMSAT-DC)<BR>* New England area (AMSAT-NE)<BR>* AMSAT Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-EDU)<BR>* AMSAT K-12 Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-K12)<P>A daily digest version is available for each list.<P>To subscribe, or for more list information, visit the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/menu.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/menu.html</A> <P>In addition to regular membership, AMSAT-NA offers membership in the<BR>President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors<BR>To AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.<BR>Initially, there will two levels for donations - Gold and Silver.<BR>Application forms are available from the AMSAT-NA Office.<P>This edition of ANS is dedicated to the memory of George Veraldo,<BR>WB2BAU, of Norwood, New York, who died recently at age 75.<BR>Veraldo was the first northern New York Section Manager and was<BR>serving as Affiliated Club Coordinator for the section at his death.<BR>He is survived by his wife Pat, WB2CRY. [ANS thanks the ARRL<BR>for this information]<P>ANS is always dedicated to the memory of past ANS editor 'BJ'<BR>Arts, WT0N, and to the memory of long-time AMSAT supporter<BR>Werner Haas, DJ5KQ.<P>ANS salutes General Curtis LeMay, W6EZV, United States Air Force<BR>Chief of Staff, and 1968 candidate for Vice President of the United<BR>States on the American Independent Party ticket. W6EZV is among<BR>the inaugural group of 50 inductees into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of<BR>Fame. The Hall was established to recognize those individuals, whether<BR>licensed radio amateurs or not, who significantly affected the course of<BR>Amateur Radio; and radio amateurs, who, in the course of their<BR>professional lives, had a significant impact on their professions or on<BR>world affairs. AMSAT and OSCAR supporters/notables on the CQ Hall of<BR>Fame list include K1JT, K1ZZ, W6SAI, W2SKE, W8JK, K7UGA, W6ZH,<BR>W3ASK, W1HR, KA9Q and W3IWI. [ANS thanks CQ Amateur Radio<BR>magazine, published by CQ Communications, Inc. for this information]<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.01<BR>AO-40 UPDATE<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.01 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.01<P>AO-40 command station Stacey Mills, W4SM, informed ANS that AO-40<BR>has achieved another first! On orbit 396 the K-band (24.048 GHz)<BR>transmitter was activated and connected to the same inputs as the<BR>S-2 downlink transmitter.<P>The passband and beacon were first detected by G4KGC and G3WDG<BR>using a 22-cm offset dish. They reported signals almost 6 dB above<BR>the noise floor. Shortly thereafter, the beacon and passband were also<BR>detected by OH2AUE, using a 60-cm dish, also with very good received<BR>signals.<P>The command team is delighted to report this additional functional<BR>transmitter on AO-40!<P>AO-40 is currently in a long period during which the Earth eclipses<BR>the Sun near perigee. These actually began about August 28th, and<BR>will rapidly increase in length. The will continue well into June 2002.<BR>During September, eclipses will peak at 85 minutes in duration.<P>For the current transponder operating schedule visit:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm</A> <P>Pieter Tjerk, PA3FWM, recently announced the availability of a new<BR>program for decoding and viewing AO-40 telemetry under the Linux<BR>operating platform, called ao40tlmview. PA3FWM tells ANS the<BR>software allows browsing through archived telemetry as well as receiving<BR>live telemetry. The program does not contain a soundcard-based<BR>demodulator, but it can be connected to one of the existing demodulator<BR>programs. Pieter says "the program is inspired by, and in many ways<BR>similar to, the Stacey Mills, W4SM, P3T program for windows."<P>AO40tlmview can be downloaded from:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.cs.utwente.nl/~ptdeboer/ham/ao40/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.cs.utwente.nl/~ptdeboer/ham/ao40/</A> <P>Stay tuned to ANS, the official source of AO-40 information.<P>[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this information]<P>/EX<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.02<BR>2001 AMSAT-NA SYMPOSIUM IS NEAR<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.02 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.02<P>The 19th Space Symposium and AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting,<BR>scheduled for October 5-6, 2001, is now only a few weeks away.<BR>AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce that the conference, which<BR>chronicles recent and future Amateur Radio satellite technology<BR>developments, will still be held despite the tragic events of this<BR>past week.<P>Initially following the first reports of the attacks in New York and<BR>Washington, AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH,<BR>released the following statement:<P>Dear Friends and Colleagues,<P>I feel I should share your grief over the events at the World Trade<BR>Center, the Pentagon and other places. These terrible events affect<BR>us all, my thoughts are with you and all the American People.<P>AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President W2RS, echoed Robin's comments;<BR>"Your Executive VP shares all of Robin's thoughts and prayers. I'm sitting<BR>here about 25 miles from the World Trade Center, or what's left of it. My<BR>thanks to all who inquired about my safety."<P>Our sister AMSAT organizations were quick to also send similar<BR>thoughts:<P>>From AMSAT-UK: On behalf of the membership of AMSAT-UK, we<BR>express our shock, horror and great sadness at the events in New York<BR>and Washington. Our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by<BR>this terrible act.<P>>From AMSAT-DL: All the members of AMSAT-DL are sorry and shocked<BR>about the totally inhumane events in New York and Washington. We thus<BR>would like to reach out and let know all the American people, and our<BR>friends of AMSAT in particular, that we feel and suffer with you. Helpless<BR>as we are, we cannot but take these events as yet another<BR>encouragement to contribute our little share to promote worldwide<BR>understanding and to eradicate mindless hate.<P>>From AMSAT-France: Like other people from over the world, we have<BR>been horribly shocked by these events. The people of France are very<BR>sad of what happened to our American friends. We send our sincere<BR>condolences to our colleagues who may have lost a member of their<BR>family.<P>>From AMSAT-OZ: Here in Copenhagen we have experienced, I think for<BR>the first time ever, several thousand people going to the American<BR>Embassy to place flowers and candles in respect for the victims. We are<BR>all deeply affected.<P>Following these remarks, AMSAT-NA President VE3FRH released the<BR>following statement:<P>Greetings,<P>In the spirit of Amateur Radio, the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors has<BR>agreed that the Atlanta meeting will proceed on schedule. At present we<BR>do not see any reason why any changes should be made, and we totally<BR>agree with those who believe that business should proceed normally<BR>as soon as possible, to show that we will not be beaten by a bunch of <BR>terrorists. The more of you that attend in Atlanta, the bigger and stronger<BR>that message will be.<P>I invite you all to come, you do not have to be an AMSAT member to<BR>attend, the registration form is available on our web site and I look<BR>forward to seeing a record crowd!<P>In addition, on behalf of the Board of Directors and the officers and<BR>members of AMSAT-NA, I would like to express our thanks to the<BR>many AMSAT organizations for your expressions of sympathy and<BR>support concerning the recent terrible events in the USA.<P>I realize that in addition to the enormous loss of people and facilities<BR>suffered in America that many of you will have lost nationals from your<BR>own countries; on behalf of our organization would like you to pass to<BR>your fellow countrymen the sympathy of AMSAT-NA.<P>It is worth noting that Amateur Radio is providing an important service<BR>during the recovery efforts, once more proving the value of our<BR>operations at a critical time.<P>73, VE3FRH<P>Symposium Chairman Steve Diggs, W4EPI, and the Atlanta Host<BR>Committee have recently added lots of additional information to the<BR>AMSAT-NA web site about the Symposium.<P>See <A HREF="http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium/index.html</A> for the<BR>whole scoop!<P>[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]<P>/EX<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.03<BR>ARRL/TAPR DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.03 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.03<P>The 20th ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference will<BR>be held September 21-23 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The annual gathering<BR>provides an international forum for radio amateurs involved in digital<BR>communication, networking (and related technologies) to meet, publish<BR>their work, and present new ideas and techniques for discussion.<P>TAPR President John Ackermann, N8UR, told ANS "with the tragic<BR>events of this week, we've had to seriously consider whether it was still<BR>appropriate or feasible to hold the Digital Communications Conference.<BR>Although we grieve with the whole world for the losses so many have<BR>suffered, we believe it's important to show that terrorism will not succeed<BR>in making us change our way of life. The DCC will go on."<P>The Conference will offer sessions at the beginner, intermediate, and<BR>advanced levels of digital communication. Topics include APRS, satellite<BR>communication, TCP/IP, digital radio, spread spectrum and other<BR>topics. Tony Curtis, K3RXK, will be the banquet speaker.<P>Full DCC information, a registration form, and hotel information may be<BR>obtained at: <A HREF="http://www.tapr.org." TARGET=_blank>http://www.tapr.org.</A> <P>[ANS thanks TAPR and the ARRL for this information]<P>/EX<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.04<BR>ANS IN BRIEF<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.04 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.04<P>ANS news in brief this week includes the following:<P>** A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off Saturday with a new, 3-berth<BR>docking port, rocketing toward the international space station after a<BR>last-minute repair of the booster's control system. The rocket lifted<BR>off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. The rocket carried<BR>the Progress M-CO1 cargo ship with the Pirs (Pier) docking port attached<BR>to it instead of the regular fuel tank and cargo section. -Roy, K6DUE<P>** America's revised program for Mars exploration is now taking firm<BR>shape - a program which, in the opinion of every scientific group that<BR>has reviewed it, is infinitely better than the plan that existed before the<BR>1998 Mars missions. -SpaceDaily<P>** TiungSat-1 is about to celebrate its first anniversary in space on<BR>September 26, 2001. Congratulations from ANS!<P>** The Proceedings from the 2001 AMSAT-UK Colloquium are available.<BR>This year's Proceedings is 138 pages and (for the first time) a proportion<BR>of the illustrations and graphics are in color. More information can be<BR>found at: <A HREF="http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium/proceedings.htm." TARGET=_blank>http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium/proceedings.htm.</A> The<BR>Colloquium organizer, Richard, G3RWL, told ANS the success of the<BR>2001 event was directly tied to the hard work of AMSAT-UK Secretary<BR>G3WGM, who deserves much of the credit. -Richard, G3RWL<P>** The ARRL has inaugurated the Amateur Radio Interference<BR>Assessment project. The effort will involve amateur volunteers across<BR>the country to assess the noise levels primarily from unlicensed devices<BR>in bands above 400 MHz. -ARRL<P>** The U.S. and Russia have agreed to allow more space tourists to<BR>visit the Space Station. NASA and the Russian space agency have<BR>drafted criteria setting standards for space flight participants, as the<BR>space visitors are to be called. -SpaceDaily<P>** PCSat, a U.S. Naval Academy Amateur Radio tracking and<BR>communications satellite, is still scheduled to launch sometime<BR>this month. The Kodiak Star launch that will carry three Amateur<BR>Radio payloads (including PCSat) from Kodiak, Alaska, has been<BR>delayed due to travel disruptions caused by the recent terrorist<BR>attacks. The Kodiak Star mission comprises four small satellites<BR>that will be launched aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena-1 rocket.<BR>The launch will mark the first orbital launch from the new Kodiak<BR>Launch Complex in Alaska. PCsat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater<BR>that will operate on 145.825 MHz. Starshine 3 is a mirror-ball with<BR>AX.25 9600-baud telemetry on 145.825 MHz, and Sapphire-1 has<BR>1200-baud AX.25 telemetry and a voice replay on 437.100 MHz.<BR>PCSat was designed and assembled by midshipmen at the Naval<BR>Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to gain practical hands-on<BR>experience in support of their aerospace curriculum.<BR>-ARRL/Bob, WB4APR<P>** The 2001 Pacific Northwest VHF Conference will be held September<BR>22nd, in Tacoma, Washington. Well-known Canadian VHF'er Gabor<BR>Horvath, VE7DXG, will be this year's featured speaker. His presentation<BR>is titled "Mountaintops, Meteors and Other Cool Stuff." -AR Newsline<P>** XCOR Aerospace announced today that it has successfully<BR>demonstrated a rocket engine for satellite propulsion using<BR>non-toxic propellants. -SpaceDaily<P>** Researchers from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering<BR>and Dartmouth Medical School have teamed up to design sophisticated<BR>computer software, called mobile agents, to help astronauts monitor<BR>bone loss during long space flights. -SpaceDaily<P>** The call sign W4TCH has been assigned to the ham club station at<BR>the Tampa Children's Hospital. AMSAT-NA Area Coordinator Jim Huhta,<BR>AA4MD, tells ANS "to look for us on the us on the birds and I hope to<BR>have scheduled times for young patients there to talk via satellite."<BR>-ANS<P>** The Houston AMSAT Net is quickly approaching its 400th net! Mark<BR>October 2, 2001 on your calendar and join in! -Bruce, KK5DO<P>** NASA has begun to publish the most accurate three-dimensional<BR>mapping of Earth ever made, based on data collected by U.S. space<BR>shuttle. The map will be released in successive sections. -SpaceDaily<P>--ANS BULLETIN END---<P>/EX<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.05<BR>WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.05 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.05<P>Phase 3D / AMSAT OSCAR 40 / AO-40<BR>Launched: November 16, 2000 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher<BR>from Kourou, French Guiana. <BR>Status: Currently, the U/L-1 to S-2 passband is active.<BR>Uplink U-band 435.550 - 435.800 MHz CW/SSB<BR> L1-band 1269.250 - 1269.500 MHz CW/SSB<BR> L2-band 1268.325 - 1268.575 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Downlink 2401.225 - 2401.475 MHz CW/SSB<BR>For the current transponder operating schedule visit:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm</A> <P>AO-40 experimental transponder operation started on May 05, 2001 at<BR>approximately 08:00 UTC when the U-band and L1-band uplinks were<BR>connected to the S-2 transmitter passband downlink via the Matrix<BR>switch.<P>[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL and the ARRL for this information]<P>INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/ARISS<BR>Worldwide packet uplink: 145.990 MHz<BR>Region 1 voice uplink: 145.200 MHz<BR>Region 2/3 voice uplink: 144.490 MHz<BR>Worldwide downlink: 145.800 MHz<BR>TNC callsign NOCALL<P>ARISS initial station launched September 2000 aboard shuttle Atlantis.<BR>ARISS is made up of delegates from major national Amateur Radio<BR>organizations, including AMSAT.<P>Status: Operational.<P>The Seabrook Middle School south of Houston, Texas recently<BR>completed a successful contact with ISS on September 4, 2001.<BR>Eleven students asked 15 questions of Commander Frank Culbertson,<BR>KD5OPQ, who was using the station call sign, NA1SS. The audio<BR>quality of the pass was excellent. Parents and a small school staff were<BR>on hand to listen to Commander Culbertson answer questions<BR>ranging from what preparations they needed to make to become an<BR>astronaut, to the commander's preference for gravity over<BR>weightlessness.<P>The Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, Virginia, is scheduled<BR>for a ham radio contact with ISS at approximately 13:03:00 UTC<BR>on Wednesday 2001-09-19. This is a direct contact and so<BR>those in range of the USA's mid-Atlantic coast are invited to listen in<BR>to the downlink on 145.800 MHz.<P>The ISS packet station (normally) available for UI packets. The mailbox<BR>and keyboard are currently disabled. Please see the packet section of<BR>the ARISS web page before attempting to first work ISS on packet.<P>The ARISS-US team delivered a new packet module to NASA. This new<BR>packet module is expected to correct several of the problems that have<BR>been observed on the current ARISS packet system. Expedition-3<BR>astronaut Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, is planning to make the<BR>packet module change-out.<P>The ISS daily crew schedule (which gives an idea when crew members<BR>have free time and may be available for Amateur Radio operations) can<BR>be found at:<BR> <A HREF="http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/2001/may/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/2001/may/index.html</A> <P>U.S. callsign: NA1SS<BR>Russian callsigns: RS0ISS, RZ3DZR<P>The QSL routes for W/VE stations working NA1SS aboard the<BR>International Space Station:<P>U.S. stations: Margie Bourgoin KB1DCO<BR> Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL<BR> ARRL, 225 Main Street<BR> Newington, Connecticut 06111<P>Canadian stations: Radio Amateurs of Canada<BR> Attn: ARISS Expedition-1 (or 2) QSL<BR> 720 Belfast Road, Suite 217<BR> Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5<P>European stations: AMSAT-France<BR> 16, rue de la Vallee<BR> 91360 Epinay sur Orge, France<P>A self-addressed, stamped envelope is required to get a QSL in return.<BR>The ARISS international group has not yet finalized a QSL card design.<BR>It will be a few months before cards become available. More information<BR>about the project can be found on the ARISS web site at:<BR> <A HREF="http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov" TARGET=_blank>http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov</A> <P>[ANS thanks ARISS team member Will Marchant, KC6ROL, for this<BR>information]<P>RADIO SPORT RS-12<BR>Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Beacon 29.408 MHz<BR>Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher<BR>Status: RS-12 was re-activated in mode-A on January 1, 2001<P>The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the AC5DK<BR>RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html</A> <P>[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for RS-12 information]<P>RADIO SPORT RS-15<BR>Uplink 145.858 to 145.898 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Downlink 29.354 to 29.394 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Beacon 29.352 MHz (intermittent)<BR>SSB meeting frequency 29.380 MHz (unofficial)<BR>Launched: December 26, 1994 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome<BR>Status: Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a<BR>10-meter downlink<P>Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 on his<BR>Web site. In addition to satellite data, antenna information for<BR>mode-A operation is also featured. The WB6LLO web site URL is:<BR> <A HREF="http://home.san.rr.com/doguimont/uploads" TARGET=_blank>http://home.san.rr.com/doguimont/uploads</A> <P>[ANS thanks Dave Guimont, WB6LLO, for this information]<P>OSCAR 10 AO-10<BR>Uplink 435.030 to 435.180 MHz CW/LSB<BR>Downlink 145.975 to 145.825 MHz CW/USB<BR>Beacon 145.810 MHz (unmodulated carrier)<BR>Launched: June 16, 1983 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, mode-B. AO-10 has<BR>been locked into a 70-cm uplink and a 2-meter downlink for several<BR>years.<P>DX continues to be heard and worked on AO-10.<P>W4SM has more information about the satellite at the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html</A> <P>[ANS thanks Stacey Mills, W4SM, for his AO-10 status information<BR>and web site]<P>AMRAD AO-27<BR>Uplink 145.850 MHz FM<BR>Downlink 436.795 MHz FM<BR>Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J.<P>Periodically, AO-27's analog repeater will be turned off for a few days at<BR>a time to enable ground controllers to gather Whole Orbital Data (WOD),<BR>to verify the health of the satellite.<P>An AO-27 question-and-answer page is available on the AMSAT-NA web<BR>site. The URL is: <A HREF="http://www.amsat.org/amsat/intro/ao27faq.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat.org/amsat/intro/ao27faq.html</A> <P>AO-27 uses a method called Timed Eclipse Power Regulation (TEPR) to<BR>regulate the on-board batteries. In simple terms, TEPR times how long<BR>the satellite has been in an eclipse (or in the sun) and decides what<BR>subsystems to turn on or off. The AO-27 pages on the AMSAT-NA web<BR>site include an explanation of TEPR AO-27 operations (at):<BR> <A HREF="http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html</A> <P>TEPR states on AO-27 were reset on March 24, 2001 as follows:<P>TEPR 4 is 38 / TEPR 5 is 78 (TEPR 5 is now 20 minutes long)<P>[ANS thanks AMRAD for AO-27 information]<P>UO-14<BR>Uplink 145.975 MHz FM<BR>Downlink 435.070 MHz FM<BR>Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Operational, mode J<P>Tim, KG8OC, features UO-14 information on the Michigan AMSAT<BR>web site - point your web browser to the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc" TARGET=_blank>http://www.qsl.net/kg8oc</A> <P>[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-14 information]<P>JAS-1b FO-20<BR>Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB<BR>Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB<BR>Launched: February 07, 1990 by an H1 launcher from the Tanegashima<BR>Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA<BR>continuously<P>Tak, JA2PKI, reported FO-20 control station operators believe that the<BR>UVC (Under Voltage Controller) now is regulating the transponder. The<BR>controller monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the batteries from<BR>over discharge.<P>[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports]<P>JAS-2 FO-29<BR>Launched: August 17, 1996, by an H-2 launcher from the Tanegashima<BR>Space Center in Japan. Status: Operational<P>Voice/CW Mode JA<BR>Uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz CW/LSB<BR>Downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz CW/USB<P>Digital Mode JD<BR>Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM<BR>Downlink 435.910 MHz 1200-baud BPSK or 9600-baud FSK<BR>Callsign 8J1JCS<BR>Digitalker 435.910 MHz<P>Last reported, the JARL FO-29 command station announced the<BR>operation schedule of FO-29 through October 2001 - is mode JA<P>Mineo, JE9PEL, has a FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis program that<BR>will automatically analyze all digital telemetry from the satellite (such as<BR>current, voltage and temperature). The JE9PEL FO-29/shareware is<BR>available at the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/</A> <P>[ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports]<P>/EX<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.06<BR>WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.06 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.06<P>TIUNGSAT-1<BR>Uplink 145.850 or 145.925 MHz 9600-baud FSK<BR>Downlink 437.325 MHz<BR>Broadcast callsign MYSAT3-11<BR>BBS MYSAT3-12<P>Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic<BR>missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Operational at<BR>38k4-baud FSK<P>Bill, VK3JT, reports TiungSat-1 efficiency is 100% most of the time<BR>with strong signals and (usually) 2 megabytes exchanged each pass.<P>Chris, G7UPN, tells ANS that TiungSat-1 has been operating at a data<BR>rate of 38k4. Data recovery at 38k4 is reported to be extremely good with<BR>efficiencies near 100%. The output power is at 8-watts "which should<BR>provide a very good downlink," said Chris, adding "the downside is that<BR>with the high power transmitter operating, the power budget is negative<BR>so we can't support continuous operation."<P>According to G7UPN, TiungSat-1 now requires the Amateur Radio<BR>station to switch the downlink 'on' when the satellite comes into range.<BR>The way this works is for the ground station software to send a request<BR>to the spacecraft to switch the downlink on. The spacecraft receives this<BR>request and checks the battery voltage to see if it can support the<BR>operation, and if it can it will activate the downlink.<P>TiungSat-1 is Malaysia's first micro-satellite and in addition to<BR>commercial land and weather imaging payloads offers FM and FSK<BR>Amateur Radio communication.<P>TiungSat-1, named after the mynah bird of Malaysia, was developed as<BR>a collaborative effort between the Malaysian government and Surrey<BR>Satellite Technology Ltd.<P>For more information on TiungSat-1, visit the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.yellowpages.com.my/tiungsat/tiung_main.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.yellowpages.com.my/tiungsat/tiung_main.htm</A> <P>[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for this information]<P>KITSAT KO-25<BR>Uplink 145.980 MHz FM (9600-baud FSK)<BR>Downlink 436.500 MHz FM<BR>Broadcast Callsign HL02-11<BR>BBS HL02-12<P>Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Operational<P>[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for this information]<P>UOSAT UO-22<BR>Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600-baud FSK<BR>Downlink 435.120 MHz FM<BR>Broadcast Callsign UOSAT5-11<BR>BBS UOSAT5-12<P>Launched: July 17, 1991 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Operational<P>UoSAT command station G7UPN reports to ANS that UO-22 had<BR>been closed for amateur activity for a short duration while command<BR>stations assess the state of the RAM disk. Over the past few weeks<BR>there have been increasing difficulties downloading larger files from<BR>the spacecraft. The store and forward communications system has<BR>been reloaded.<P>More information on the satellite is available at the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sstl.co.uk/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sstl.co.uk/</A> <P>[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-22 information<BR>and Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for status information]<P>OSCAR-11<BR>Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200-baud AFSK)<BR>Mode-S Beacon 2401.500 MHz<BR>Launched: March 1, 1984 by a Delta-Thor rocket from Vandenberg Air<BR>Force Base in California. Status: Operational<P>Clive, G3CWV, reported to ANS that for many years there has been a<BR>need for a sound card demodulator program for OSCAR-11, which would<BR>enable many users to decode the satellite. Doug, KA2UPW, has taken<BR>up the challenge and is developing a program called UO11DEM.<P>The program will take a .WAV file recording and display the demodulated<BR>signal on a computer screen. Although still very much in development,<BR>encouraging results have been obtained.<P>During the period 09-June to 14-August reliable signals have been<BR>received from the 145 MHz beacon. Internal temperatures have now<BR>started to increase as the solar eclipse times decrease. A rise of<BR>1.7C has been noted. These temperatures are now 0.6C and -1.0C<BR>for battery and telemetry electronics respectively. The battery voltage<BR>observed during daylight passes has slightly increased with an average<BR>value observed at 13.5 (and a range of 13.2 to 13.8 volts). The<BR>improved battery voltage is also a result of decreasing solar eclipse<BR>times.<P>The WOD survey of channels 1, 2, 3, 61 (X, Z, Y magnetometers and<BR>status) dated 24 March, has been transmitted. The Z-axis magnetorquer<BR>counter reached its limit of 1,024 on 23-June. The satellite's attitude is<BR>now controlled solely by the passive gravity boom gradient. During the<BR>last month the spin period has drifted between 416 and 647 seconds,<BR>and is currently 582 seconds.<P>The operating schedule is unchanged.<P>ASCII status (210 seconds)<BR>ASCII bulletin (60 seconds)<BR>BINARY SEU (30 seconds)<BR>ASCII TLM (90 seconds)<BR>ASCII WOD (120 seconds)<BR>ASCII bulletin (60 seconds)<BR>BINARY ENG (30 seconds)<BR> <BR>The ASCII bulletin is currently a static message, detailing modes and<BR>frequencies of all active Amateur Radio satellites.<P>More information on OSCAR-11 is available at the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/</A> <P>[ANS thanks Clive Wallis, G3CWV, for OSCAR-11 status information]<P>PACSAT AO-16<BR>Uplink 145.90 145.92 145.94 145.96 MHz FM<BR> (using 1200-baud Manchester FSK)<BR>Downlink 437.025 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200-baud PSK)<BR>Mode-S Beacon 2401.1428 MHz<BR>Broadcast Callsign: PACSAT-11<BR>BBS PACSAT-12<P>Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater command is on.<P>Telemetry is as follows:<P>uptime is 579/16:59:06. Time is Fri Sep 14 20:36:10 2001<BR>+10V Bus 10.100 V +X (RX) Temp -9.078 D<BR>RX Temp 4.234 D Bat 1 V 1.191 V<BR>Bat 2 V 1.163 V Bat 3 V 1.137 V<BR>Bat 4 V 1.231 V Bat 5 V 1.174 V<BR>Bat 6 V 1.226 V Bat 7 V 1.199 V<BR>Bat 8 V 1.236 V +Z Array Temp -14.524 D<BR>Bat 1 Temp 5.444 D Bat 2 Temp 4.839 D<BR>Baseplt Temp 4.839 D PSK TX RF Out 1.512 W<BR>RC PSK BP Temp -5.448 D RC PSK HPA Tmp -5.448 D<BR>+Y Array Temp -22.390 D PSK TX HPA Tmp -0.002 D<P>Total Array C= 0.000 Bat Ch Cur=-0.415 Ifb= 0.200 I+10V= 0.235<BR>TX:1009 BCR:1E PWRC:36D BT:1E WC:25 EDAC:27<P>A new WOD collection of current graphics along with general<BR>Information and telemetry samples can be found at:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu" TARGET=_blank>www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu</A> <P>[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information]<P>UoSAT-12 UO-36<BR>Uplink 145.960 MHz (9600-baud FSK)<BR>Downlink 437.025 MHz 437.400 MHz<BR>Broadcast Callsign UO121-11<BR>BBS UO121-12<P>Launched: April 21, 1999 by a Russian launcher from the Baikonur<BR>Cosmodrome. Status: Operational<P>UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward<BR>communications and mode L/S transponders. <P>NASA has demonstrated on UO-36 the ability to use standard Internet<BR>protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft (just like any node<BR>on the Internet). NASA has been developing this project by working with<BR>the commercial payload aboard UoSAT-12.<P>The BBS is open, although uploading and downloading may be disabled<BR>at times.<P>The VK5HI viewer shareware for UO-36 is available on the AMSAT-NA<BR>web site at the following URL:<P>ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/display/ccddsp97-119.zip<P>Further information on UO-36 is available from: <A HREF="http://www.sstl.co.uk/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sstl.co.uk/</A> <P>[ANS thanks Chris G7UPN/ZL2TPO, and the University of Surrey for this<BR>information]<P>ITAMSAT IO-26<BR>Uplink 145.875 145.900 145.925 145.950 MHz FM (1200-baud)<BR>Downlink 435.822 MHz SSB<BR>Broadcast Callsign ITMSAT-11<BR>BBS ITMSAT-12<P>Launched: September 26, 1993 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Semi-operational, the digipeater function is on<BR>and open for APRS users.<P>[ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for<BR>IO-26 information]<P>/EX<P>SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.07<BR>WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3<P>AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 259.06 FROM AMSAT HQ<BR>SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 16, 2001<BR>TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS<BR>BID: $ANS-259.07<P>THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL<BR>AT THIS TIME:<P>TMSAT-1 TO-31<BR>Uplink 145.925 MHz (9600-baud FSK)<BR>Downlink 436.925 MHz (9600-baud FSK)<BR>Broadcast Callsign: TMSAT1-11<BR>BBS TMSAT1-12 <P>Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur<BR>Cosmodrome. Status: Non-operational, no data downlinked<BR>since December 18, 2000.<P>Chris G7UPN, (UoSAT operations manager) reports the<BR>following to ANS:<P>The TO-31 downlink will be off over most areas, with the exception of<BR>Europe and Thailand. This is required to allow control stations to<BR>recondition the battery with minimum power drain.<P>ProcMail V2.00G has been released by G7UPN. This software permits<BR>the processing of image files from TO-31. It has been posted to the<BR>AMSAT-NA FTP site at the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/wisp" TARGET=_blank>http://www.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/wisp</A> <P>Many of the high-resolution color images transmitted by TMSAT are<BR>Compressed using a UoSAT compression format. This format is<BR>supported by the VK5HI CCD display program.<P>[ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for TO-31 status<BR>information]<P>LUSAT LO-19<BR>Uplink 145.84 145.86 145.88 145.90 MHz FM<BR> (using 1200-baud Manchester FSK)<BR>CW downlink 437.125 MHz<BR>Digital downlink 437.150 MHz SSB (RC-BPSK 1200-baud PSK)<BR>Broadcast Callsign LUSAT-11<BR>BBS LUSAT-12<BR>Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou, French<BR>Guiana. Status: Beacon only. The CW beacon is sending eight telemetry<BR>channels and one status channel on 437.126 MHz. No BBS service is<BR>available. The digipeater is not active.<P>Telemetry is as follows:<P>Time is Fri Jul 13 21:53:51 2001<BR>CW-Code: avt aba av6 abn au6 a6v ttu aee<BR> 5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V<BR> 10V-Bat: 10.94 V 10V-Curr: 114.1 mA<BR> TX-Pwr : 0.899 W TX-Temp.: -0.46 ?C<BR> +Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 3.56 ?C<P>CW-Code: avt aba av6 abn aub a6u ttu aee<BR> 5V-reg.: 4.89 V 8.5V-reg: 8.68 V<BR> 10V-Bat: 10.94 V 10V-Curr: 113.4 mA<BR> TX-Pwr : 0.899 W TX-Temp.: -0.46 ?C<BR> +Z-Sol.: 0.30 V Box-Temp: 3.20 ?C<P>General information and telemetry samples can be found at:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu" TARGET=_blank>www.telecable.es/personales/ea1bcu</A> <P>[ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information]<P>SO-41 SAUDISAT-1A<BR>Uplink to be released<BR>Downlink 437.075 MHz <BR>Broadcast Callsign SASAT1-11<BR>BBS SASAT1-12<P>Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic<BR>missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown, this satellite<BR>has been in orbit for almost 8 months. ANS has received no additional<BR>information.<P>When/if operational, SaudiSat-1A will operate as 9600-baud digital<BR>store-and-forward systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability.<BR>One of two new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by<BR>the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and<BR>Technology.<P>SO-42 SAUDISAT-1B<BR>Uplink to be released<BR>Downlink 436.775 MHz<BR>Broadcast Callsign SASAT2-11<BR>BBS SASAT2-12<BR>Launched: September 26, 2000 aboard a converted Soviet ballistic<BR>missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Status: Unknown, this satellite<BR>has been in orbit for almost 8 months. ANS has received no additional<BR>information.<P>When/if operational, SaudiSat-1B will operate as 9600-baud digital<BR>store-and-forward systems as well analog FM repeater mode capability.<BR>One of two new ham satellites from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia built by<BR>the Space Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and<BR>Technology.<P>SUNSAT SO-35<BR>Mode J Uplink: 145.825 MHz FM<BR>Mode J Downlink: 436.250 MHz FM<P>Mode B Uplink: 436.291 MHz FM<BR>Mode B Downlink: 145.825 MHz FM<P>Launched: February 23, 1999 by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air<BR>Force Base in California. Status: Non-operational<P>The SunSat team released the following statement, dated<BR>February 1, 2001:<P>We regret to announce that the last communication with SunSat from our<BR>ground station at the Electronic Systems Laboratory at Stellenbosch<BR>University took place recently. We are certain, after having performed<BR>several tests since the last contact, that an irreversible, physical failure<BR>has occurred on the satellite. It is therefore unlikely that we will have<BR>any further contact with SunSat, apart from the occasional visual sighting<BR>by telescope!<P>When it was operational the SunSat package included 1200 and 9600<BR>baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater<BR>system in addition to Mode B/J operation with two VHF and two UHF<BR>transmit-receive systems.<P>For more information on SunSat visit the following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za" TARGET=_blank>http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za</A> [ANS thanks Garth Milne, ZR1AFH, for this information]<P>RADIO SPORT RS-13<BR>Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Downlink 145.860 to 145.900 MHz CW/SSB<BR>Beacon 145.860 MHz<P>Launched: February 5, 1991 aboard a Russian Cosmos C launcher<BR>Status: non-operational (last operational in mode-T)<P>RS-12 was re-activated in January 2001. Prior to this switch RS-13 was<BR>operational (mode T), but was apparently turned off following the recent<BR>RS-12 switch.<P>The latest information on RS-12 and RS-13 can be found on the AC5DK<BR>RS-12/13 Satellite Operators page at:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html</A> <P>[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, AC5DK, for this information]<P>KITSAT KO-23<BR>Uplink 145.900 MHz FM (9600-baud FSK)<BR>Downlink 435.170 MHz FM<BR>Broadcast Callsign HLO1-11<BR>BBS HLO1-12<BR>Launched: August 10, 1992 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Intermittent operation with the downlink<BR>transmitter operating at unpredictable intervals.<P>Jim, AA7KC, reported that KO-23's downlink transmitter continues in<BR>non-operational status. Jim says that KO-23 shows some signs of trying<BR>to recover, but no useful data has been downlinked. The duration of this<BR>status is unpredictable. No data has been received since<BR>October 28, 2000.<P>KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, reports (from the KO-23 control team) that part<BR>of the problem with non-operation has been the power budget aboard the<BR>satellite. "We are not sure when the bird might turn off again due to<BR>insufficient power. The capability of the onboard power system has been<BR>less and less," said Kim. HL0ENJ also noted that as of October 30, 2000<BR>the onboard computer was reset and a reboot of operational software<BR>is/was underway.<P>[ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ,<BR>for KO-23 status information]<P>TECHSAT-1B GO-32<BR>Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry<BR>Launched: July 10, 1998 by a Russian Zenit rocket from the Baikonur<BR>Cosmodrome. Status: Semi-operational.<P>Efforts were reported to be underway to bring GO-32 on line, however,<BR>no information has been received by ANS (the last report was dated<BR>November 1999).<P>Last reported, the satellite does transmit a 9600-baud burst every 30<BR>seconds (the GO-32 beacon sends one short telemetry status<BR>transmission of 44 bytes) and upon request the complete telemetry<BR>buffer.<P>[ANS has no further information]<P>PANSAT PO-34<BR>Uplink/downlink frequency (listed on the PanSat web site) 436.500 MHz<BR>Launched: October 30, 1998 by the Shuttle Discovery. Status: Unknown<P>The satellite is not available for general uplink transmissions.<P>The Naval Postgraduate School developed PanSat. At the time of<BR>launch, PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders were to<BR>be available to Amateur Radio operators along with software to utilize<BR>this technology.<P>For more information, visit the official PanSat web site at:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/</A> <P>PanSat was the featured cover article on the July/August 1999 issue of<BR>the AMSAT-NA Journal (the story written by KD6DRA and N7HPR).<P>[ANS has no further information]<P>DOVE DO-17<BR>Downlink 145.825 MHz FM (1200-baud AFSK)<BR> 2401.220 MHz<BR>Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Non-operational.<P>DOVE stopped transmitting in March 1998. The 145.825 MHz and<BR>2401.220 MHz downlinks are off the air and the satellite has not<BR>responded to ground station control.<P>[ANS has no further information]<P>WEBERSAT WO-18<BR>Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB (1200 baud PSK AX.25)<BR>Launched: January 22, 1990 by an Ariane launcher from Kourou,<BR>French Guiana. Status: Non-operational.<P>WO-18 was last reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash.<P>[ANS has no further information]<P>SEDSAT-1 SO-33<BR>Downlink 437.910 MHz FM (9600-baud FSK)<BR>Launched: October 24, 1998 by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral,<BR>Florida. Status: Semi-operational.<P>The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and the<BR>image and transponder recovery efforts have been unsuccessful.<P>SedSat-1 signifies Students for the Exploration and Development of<BR>Space (satellite number one).<P>SedSat-1 has downlinked months worth of telemetry data on the<BR>performance of its electrical power system parameters. The Nickel<BR>Metal Hydride batteries on the spacecraft were experimental and<BR>experienced some abuse due to a power negative situation. This<BR>information has provided NASA with useful information. With the<BR>exception of the imaging system and the use of the transponders,<BR>SedSat-1 has been judged a success.<P>For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at the<BR>following URL:<BR> <A HREF="http://seds.uah.edu/projects/sedsat/sedsat.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://seds.uah.edu/projects/sedsat/sedsat.htm</A> <P>[ANS has no further information]<P>/EX<P>--ANS END---<P>ANS would like to thank Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, ANS principal satellite<BR>investigator, for helping provide current satellite information.<P>Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:<P>ans-editor@amsat.org<P>Daniel (Dan) James<BR>AMSAT News Service Bulletin Editor<BR>AMSAT-NA Vice President/Public Affairs<BR>Amateur callsign: NN0DJ<BR>Grid Square EN28iv<BR>Warroad, Minnesota U.S.A.<BR>E-mail: nn0dj@amsat.org