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>Path: infoac!unido!fauern!ira.uka.de!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!n8emr!gws
>From: gws@n8emr.uucp (Gary Sanders)
>Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
>Subject: AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.01
>Message-ID: <1991Apr08.083428.11645@n8emr.uucp>
>Date: 8 Apr 91 08:34:28 GMT
>Sender: gws@n8emr.uucp (Gary Sanders)
>Organization: HAM BBS, 614-895-2553 (1200/2400/v.32/pep)
>Lines: 282

SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.01
LATEST STS-37 KEPLERIANS

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 06, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

Latest STS-37 Keplerian Element Set From W5RRR Johnson Space Flight Center

STS-37
1 00037U          91 95.84517361  .00023000           17236-3 0    86
2 00037  28.4658 237.0841 0008639 267.3762  92.6116 15.37949031    51

Satellite: STS-37
Epoch time:      91095.84517361         (5-APR-91 20:17:02.999 UTC)
Element set:     JSC-008
Inclination:       28.4658 deg          Space Shuttle Flight STS-37
RA of node:       237.0841 deg              Keplerian Elements
Eccentricity:     .0008639
Arg of perigee:   267.3762 deg
Mean anomaly:      92.6116 deg
Mean motion:   15.37949031 rev/day                 W5RRR
Decay rate:       2.30E-04 rev/day^2      NASA Johnson Space Center
Epoch rev:               5

/EX
SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.02
RS-12 MODE-K DX OPENINGS

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 06, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

G3IOR Reports A Spectacular DX QSO On RS-12, Mode KT

This past week long-time OSCAR satellite enthusiast Pat Gowen (G3IOR)
reported he made a rather remarkable QSO with a ZL station from his QTH in
Norwich, England.  The QSO, made over a long-haul DX path, was accomplished
using the Modes K and T transponders flying aboard RS-12.  Pat mentioned that
he had   always hoped someday to make a satellite contact with a ZL station
using AO-10 or AO-13 but they were never quite visible to both regions
simultaneously.  With the advent of continuous Modes K and T operations on
RS-12, this may start to become a very popular bird to work DX!  Also, with
the simplest of equipment requirements, it could become very popular with
novice satellite users.

The following table is a summary of the RS-12 Mode KT frequencies.  Good DX!

	 	       RS-12 Mode KT
                       -------------
               Uplink  21.210- 21.250  MHz
             Downlink  29.410- 29.450  MHz
             Downlink 145.910-145.950  MHz
               Beacon  29.4081 MHz  (or 29.4543 MHz)
                      145.9125 MHz  (or 145.9587 MHz)

/EX
SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.03
AO-16 PROVIDES LINK TO ALASKA

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 06, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

AO-16 Used To Pass Message Traffic From Lower "48"

A satellite gateway has been established between Alaska and the
contiguous U.S.  The gateway, which utilizes the AMSAT AO-16
PACSAT satellite and the Argentinian LO-19 LUSAT satellite, has
been in operation since early February between NL7NC, John Lawson, in
Anchorage and KI6QE, Dave Medley, Los Osos, California.  The gateway
provides reliable same day delivery of packet traffic to most locations
in Alaska regardless of HF propagation conditions.  To send Private or
NTS traffic to Alaska via the satellite, one of the following routing
methods may be used:

    1. All traffic with hierarchical address AK.USA.NA received
       by AA6QD.#CENCA.CA.USA.NA is automatically routed to KI6QE
       via a 24 hour mailbox.  No special addressing is required.

   2.  Trafic may be routed to KI6QE @ W7AZF.#CENCA.CA.USA.NA or
       to KI6QE @ AA6QD.#CENCA.CA.USA.NA but in this case the
       hierarchical address line and the subject line must be
       the first two lines of the text.

All traffic not following the above will be routed by presently
operating HF gateways.

A more detailed description of this activity will appear in an upcoming
AMSAT Journal.

[ANS would like to thank KI6QE for the information in this bulletin.]

/EX
SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.04
STUDENTS TRACKING DOVE

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.04 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 06, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

DOVE Classroom Applications Abound

One of the most active schools utilizing amateur radio satellite telemetry
in the classroom is Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, CA.  Physics
instructor Dave Reeves, KF6PJ, has developed a set of experiments that put
to use his advanced placement students knowledge of fundamental physics
concepts.  One of his students, Laura Waggoner, has been watching DOVE
telemetry and has concluded that the DOVE spin rate has slowed
considerably.  MICROSAT command station operator Jim White, W0DE, well
known for his MICROSAT motion studies, reports the following: "I have
not been watching DOVE closely and so cannot confirm Laura's observations.
The question is not idle, because WEBER has slowed considerably, and while
several theories are floating around, none can fully explain why. If DOVE
has also slowed it would be very valuable input to the mathematical models
of spin rate several people are trying to build."

Jim would appreciate reports of very recent DOVE spin rates from anyone who
has been watching the spin or who has recorded the telemetry and can go
back to just before the last software crash and check it (3-25-91).  Please
send spin rate and data via Compuserve: 71477,546 or on disk to his home
address, Jim White, W0DE, 6642 Dover Way, Littleton, Colorado 80123.

Would you like to share this and other exciting OSCAR activities in your
school?  Contact Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, AMSAT Science Education Advisor for
further information about classroom satellite activities ready to share.
Write Rich at 421 N. Military, Dearborn, MI 48124, USA.

/EX
SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.05
UO-14 DOWNLINK CHANGES

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 6, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

UO-14 being used in Proof of Concept Experiment

UoSAT-OSCAR-14 started switching its single downlink transmitter between its
Amateur Satellite Service frequency (435.070 MHz), and an experimental UHF
downlink frequency licensed outside of the Amateur Satellite Service (429.985
MHz).  Amateur users will sometimes see the downlink "disappear" for as little
as 250 msec or as long as 5 seconds.  So long as the downlink eventually
returns to 435.070 MHz, there is nothing wrong with the satellite.

(U. S. amateurs will note that 429.985 MHz is in the U. S. Amateur 70 cm
band, but not the 70 cm Amateur Satellite band.  Amateur radio operation
is secondary in this band and shares the frequencies with satellite
experiments such as this and other services.  The UO-14 licenses are is not
issued by the FCC in the U. S.)

UO-14's can operate outside the amateur service to support experimental
communications trials to and from stations in developing countries.  Most of
these trials will be conducted by The Volunteers In Technical Assistance
(VITA).  VITA is an international development organization [non-profit] with
long-standing ties to AMSAT and UoSAT.  VITA funded the construction of the
UO-11 Digital Communications Experiment (DCE) by AMSAT volunteers in the USA
and Canada, and contributed to the development costs of the UO-14 PACSAT
Communications Experiment (PCE) hardware and software.  It was, in part,
UoSAT's arrangement with VITA which allowed G0/K8KA time to write FTL0 and the
file system software now running on UO-14, PACSAT and LUSAT.

VITA will be using UO-14 to transfer technical information amongst a number of
stations in developing countries.  These stations will be in areas which are
poorly served by existing data communications systems.  VITA's UO-14
operations are an experimental pilot system which will allow VITA to pass
traffic which would not be appropriate for amateur channels.  The UO-14 pilot
studies will help VITA determine whether or not to purchase its own dedicated
satellite.  These operations are licensed by the FCC in the USA and by
individual national authorities in other countries for this experimental
demonstration only.

It has been common for the RS series amateur satellite transponders to ride on
the satellite bus of a non-amateur transponder or instrument; VITA's
"hitchhiking" on UO-14 is similar.  On a microsatellite like UO-14, however,
the distinction between amateur and non-amateur payloads is blurred, and
unique resources such as the downlink transmitter, the RAM message store and
the CPU are actually shared.

This symbiosis benefits both the amateur satellite community and the non-
amateur organization.  Through collaboration with non-amateur organizations,
the amateur satellite service conclusively shows its value as a force for
technology development and testing.  This, in turn, should help to secure our
frequencies against competitors.  On a more basic level, transfer of
technology to paying customers helps fund present and future amateur satellite
missions.  These commercial (if not profit-making) ventures keep organizations
like UoSAT, AMSAT-NA and TAPR financially sound so that they can continue to
pursue technical goals with benefits to the amateur community.

This change in UO-14 operations was made possible after NK6K travelled to the
United Kingdom as a volunteer courier - carrying solar panels for UoSAT-F.
NK6K and G0/K8KA took advantage of this brief visit to add a new WB6YMH I/O
driver and to change QAX.25 (the software TNC), the broadcast protocol, and
FTL0.  In orbit testing started on 2 April.

As the testing dual-frequency operation on UO-14 continues, we will issue
further technical and "administrative" updates.

[ANS thanks Jeff Ward, G0/K8KA, for the information for this bulletin]

/EX
SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.06
OPERATIONS NET SCHEDULE

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.06 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 6, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

AMSAT-NA Operations Net Schedule

AMSAT Operations Nets are planned for the following times.  Mode B nets are
conducted on an AO-13 downlink frequency of 145.950.  Mode J/L nets are
conducted on an AO-13 downlink frequency of 435.970.

 Date      UTC   Mode  Phs     NCS     Alternates   U.S. day

17 Apr 91  0330  J/L    97   WB6LLO  N5BF    WJ9F   Tuesday
28 Apr 91  0300  J/L   102    N5BF   WD0E   WB6LLO  Saturday
04 May 91  2100   B    141   WB9ANQ KA5SMA   WJ9F   Saturday
12 May 91  0100   B    149   WA5ZIB KA5SMA  WB6LLO  Saturday

The Operations Net features guest speakers approximately every other week
to provide up-to-the-minute information on topics of interest to various
sorts of satellite users.  Watch ANS for information on guest speakers
and topics.


/EX
SB ALL @ AMSAT      $ANS-096.07
NEW AO-13 TRANSPONDER SCHEDULE

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 096.07 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD APRIL 6, 1991
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

AO-13 Spring Schedule Announced, AO-10 Not Presently Available


NOTE:  The AO-13 magnetorquing schedule was disrupted by geomagnetic
activity last week.  The current attitude is thought to be:

				BLON = 195  BLAT = 0

The current schedule is:

  Off    : MA 220 to MA 035 |
  Mode-B : MA 035 to MA 220 |
  Omins  : MA 240 to MA 060 |

Once the magnetorquing is completed, the "27 March 91" schedule will be
instituted.

The AO-13 transponder schedule through 19 June 91 will be:

Mode-B  : MA 000 to MA 095 !
Mode-JL : MA 095 to MA 125 !
Mode-LS : MA 125 to MA 130 !
Mode-S  : MA 130 to MA 140 !
Mode-BS : < discontinued > !
Mode-B  : MA 140 to MA 256 !
Omnis   : MA 240 to MA 030 !

The target Spacecraft attitude (once magnetorquing is complete) is:

				BLON = 180  BLAT = 0


Currently, OSCAR-10 is obviously not receiving sufficient solar panel
illumination to support even the beacon much less the transponder.
PLEASE DO NOT attempt to use OSCAR-10 until further notice.  This period
of dormancy is expected to last for several months.  As soon as OSCAR-10
can support Mode-B transponder operations it will once again be released
for general use.  Early reports of OSCAR-10's beacon returning to full
strength can be sent to VK5AGR @ PACSAT-1, @ UOSAT-3, @ 8J1JBS, or @
VK5WI.  73, Graham VK5AGR

/EX
-- 
Gary W. Sanders (gws@n8emr or ...!osu-cis!n8emr!gws), 72277,1325
N8EMR @ W8CQK (ip addr) 44.70.0.1 [Ohio AMPR address coordinator]
HAM BBS (1200/2400/9600/V.32/PEP/MNP=L5) 614-895-2553
Voice: 614-895-2552 (eves/weekends)
-- 
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