AMSAT NEWS SERVICE<br />ANS-324<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:<br />ans-editor@amsat.org<br /><br /><br />In this edition:<br /><br />* HAMSAT VO-52 Activates Dutch Transponder<br />* AATiS Team Announces RUBIN-5/SAFIR-S Activation<br />* DXpedition to FP Plans Satellite Activity<br />* SSETI Express - Statement by Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO<br />* AMSAT Awards<br />* Italian School ISS Contact Photos On-Line<br />* Arianespace Celebrates Heavy Lifter Launch Success<br />* SuitSat Update<br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.01<br />HAMSAT VO-52 Activates Dutch Transponder<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.01<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.01<br /><br />Mani, VU2WMY, Secretary & Station-In-Charge of the Upagrah <br />Amateur Radio Club at the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore,<br />India reports the command to switch on the Dutch transponder<br />aboard HAMSAT VO-52 was successfully issued from India's ISRO <br />Tracking Ranging and Command Network.<br /><br />The Dutch transponder, designed and built by William, PE1RAH,<br />began operation at 1034 hours on November 17 Indian Standard<br />Time. <br /><br />William said, "Tuning on 145.860 MHz I could clearly hear the <br />CW beacon with the message I programmed in it. The CW beacon <br />and transponder survived 6 months in space without any problems.<br />I hope you all have lot of fun with it and can use it for your<br />experiments and QSOs."<br /><br />The first stations to operate via VO-52's Dutch transponder<br />were Pop, VU2POP, Secretary Amsat India; Guru, VU2GUR; and<br />Ramesh, VU2RMS; and Mani, VU2WMY. Reception reports have begun<br />to be received from radio amateurs around the world as HAMSAT<br />VO-52 comes in range.<br /><br />Mani continued, "The second pass over India was also monitored <br />with initial measurements and test results indicating normal <br />performance. We look forward to feedback from the hams all over <br />the world. Please post your reports on the Amsat-India web site<br />http://www.amsat.in/hamsatreports.htm." <br /><br />Frequencies used on HAMSAT's Dutch Transponder<br />------------------------------------------------<br />Type: Linear Inverting transponder<br />Uplink frequency: 435.220 - 435.280 MHz,<br />Downlink frequency: 145.870 - 145.930 Mhz<br />Beacon: CW at 145.860 MHz<br /><br />William will send a special QSL card for those who have a QSO<br />with him via the Dutch transponder. This card was designed by<br />Tasos, SV8YM, and features exclusive photos and information<br />about HAMSAT.<br /><br />[ANS thanks Mani, VU2WMY; Pop, VU2POP; AMSAT-India, and William,<br />PE1RAH for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.02<br />AATiS Team Announces RUBIN-5/SAFIR-S Activation<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.02<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.02<br /><br />There are 2 amateur radio equipped payloads that are remain attached<br />to the launch adapter that carried the SSETI mission into space.<br />These are the Mozhayetz-5 (RS-25) and RUBIN-5/SAFIR-S payloads.<br /><br />Unfortunately due to the failed release of RS-25, the power budget<br />of a partially covered solar cell for RUBIN-5/SAFIR-S is low. The<br />SAFIR S-band beacon is now enabled with a carrier frequency of<br />2401.900 MHz. The downlink-only beacon consists of a 10-15 second<br />FM speech message followed by several transmissions of 9k6 FSK AX.25 <br />packets.<br /><br />Currently the SAFIR-S beacon is activated with the following schedule:<br />minutes 10-20, minutes 30-40 and minutes 50-60. SAFIR-S is de-powered<br />during the remaining hourly intervals.<br /><br />Details regarding the status and a technical description are available<br />on the AATiS-Sat Homepage: http://amend.gmxhome.de. This site is in <br />German language for the moment, but it is planned to add a description <br />in English. The satellite news on this site is bilingual.<br /><br />Please e-mail reception reports DG6BCE@aatis.de<br /><br />[ANS thanks Oliver, DG6BCE for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.03<br />DXpedition to FP Plans Satellite Activity<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.03<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.03<br /><br />Ian, K8MM, announced the DXpedition to the islands of St. Pierre and<br />Miquelon (prefix-FP) will include amateur radio satellite operation via<br />FO-29, VO-52, AO-07, AO-51 and SO-50. They will use CW and phone depend-<br />ing on how well they can hear the analog birds.<br /><br />The FP DXpedition plans to be active from grid squares GN16 on St. Pierre <br />and GN17 on Miquelon from Nov 20 - 30. QSL with a SASE direct for any <br />FP/K8MM contacts via Ian's Call Book Address.<br /><br />[ANS thanks Ian K8MM for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.04<br />SSETI Express - Statement by Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.04<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.04<br /><br />Professor Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO, CEO of SSTL (Surrey Satellite <br />Technology Ltd) and Chair of AMSAT-UK has issued the following statement <br />regarding SSETI Express.<br /><br />I am very sorry to learn of the problems with the SSETI power system <br />and I hope that it may yet recover at some time in the future so that <br />we will have the satisfaction of seeing all the hard work operational <br />in orbit. <br /><br />Nevertheless, a major element of the project has been successful - that <br />is the training and inspiration of the students involved - and at least <br />signals were heard from SSETI in orbit during the first day! <br /><br />It was very apparent from the European Space Agency (ESA) and SSETI <br />students that I met that they all greatly appreciated and admired the <br />specialist experience and maturity that the AMSAT-UK members involved <br />brought to the project - this has done much to raise the credibility <br />of AMSAT within the ESA community. Well done!<br /><br />We at Surrey have been through difficult times with our early spacecraft <br />and so can empathise with the disappointment - however, I also urge <br />patience and perseverance as we recovered two of our satellites after <br />several months hard work when everyone else had given them up as lost! <br /><br />SSTL is also pleased to have been able to assist the SSETI project by <br />arranging the launch on Cosmos that successfully placed the satellite <br />in orbit.<br /><br />Best 73,<br />Martin G3YJO<br /><br />[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.05<br />AMSAT Awards<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.05<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.05<br /><br />Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, announces<br />this week, congratulations go out to all of the following.<br /><br />Allen Kenny KK4EMK Satellite Communicators Club Award<br />Robert Tucker WA6MBL Satellite Communicators Club Award<br />Robert Lacey IV KF4GTA Satellite Communicators Club Award<br /><br />Phillip Paulhus K1ICO 51 on 51 Award #39<br />Mitani Masaru JE4SMQ 51 on 51 Award #40<br />Jonathan Poulton W0CK 51 on 51 Award #41<br /><br />To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org. <br /><br />[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.06<br />Italian School ISS Contact Photos On-Line<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.06<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.06<br /><br />Claudio, IK1SLD, invites radio amateurs to view the photos on-line<br />of the November 9 school contact between Bill McArthur and the Istituto <br />Comprensivo F. Negri of Casale Monferrato, Italy.<br /><br />Images are stored in the gallery section at:<br />http://scuola.spaceonline.tv/mkportal/modules/coppermine/index.php<br /><br />[ANS thanks Claudio, IK1SLD for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.07<br />Arianespace Celebrates Heavy Lifter Launch Success<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.07<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.07<br /><br />An Ariane-5 ECA heavy lift launcher blasted off from Kourou, <br />French Guiana on Wednesday, September 16 carrying a world record <br />8,000 kg of telecommunications satellites. The payload consisted <br />of DirecTV's Spaceway 2 satellite weighing 6,000 kg at lift-off, <br />and PT TelKom Indonesia's Telcom 2 satellite weighing nearly <br />2,000 kg at liftoff. The combined weight of the two satellites <br />on this launch was more than 8,000 kg, or 17,500 pounds. <br /><br />Ariane-5 ECA rockets are designed to carry a payload of almost <br />10,000 kg (22,000 pounds). Arianespace has launched a total 11 <br />satellites so far in 2005.<br /><br />[ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324.08<br />SuitSat Update<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324.08<br />>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.<br />November 20, 2005<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-324.08<br /><br />Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs, <br />and ARISS International Chairman provided additional information<br />about SuitSat which is expected to be released from the ISS in<br />the December 7-8 timeframe.<br /><br />SuitSat will transmit a direct downlink only signal on 145.99 MHz.<br />There is a tentative plan to reconfigure the Kenwood D700E radio <br />aboard ISS from packet mode into cross-band repeater mode to repeat <br />the Suitsat audio on 437.80 MHz.<br /><br />All hams are requested to refrain from uplinking packet (or voice) on <br />145.99 during Suitsat operations. This will allow you and your local <br />neighbors to better hear the SuitSat downlink. SuitSat will only be <br />operational for a few days so we all would like to get the most of its <br />operations. So please do your best to abide by this plan.<br /><br />We will continue to provide late-breaking information on SuitSat plans on <br />the following web sites. Please check them often. And get your stations <br />ready to copy the audio, voice telemetry, and SSTV picture.<br />http://www.amsat.org<br />http://www.rac.ca/ariss<br /><br />[ANS thanks Frank, KA3HDO for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX