From: cowdin@pogo.DEn.mmc.COM (Dave Cowdin)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: $ANS-207
Date: 26 Jul 92 02:26:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: AMSAT.9207261441.AA01354
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu

SB SAT @ AMSAT   $ANS-207.01
KITSAT-A STATUS

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 207.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD JULY 25, 1992       BID:$ANS-207.01
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

G0/K8KA Provides KITSAT-A Status From Kourou, French Guiana

Half way through the KITSAT-A launch campaign, the spacecraft checkout has
gone smoothly.  All of the spacecraft subsystems and payloads have been
tested, and other than finding a lizard in one of the tool boxes, there
have been no surprises.  Five engineers from Surrey Satellite Technology
(UoSAT), six from Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and a
few from MATRA and CNES (France) are preparing two UoSAT developed micro-
satellites for launch.

KITSAT-A will possess a new CCD camera, a store-and-forward transponder,
radiation experiments and digital signal processing facilities in the
amateur satellite service.  The second satellite is called "S80-T" was 
built commercially by the UoSAT/SSTL team at Surrey for MATRA Espace,
a large French aerospace firm, who are in turn contracting for CNES, the
French space agency.  S80-T is not an amateur satellite, but will conduct
experiments for CNES outside the amateur bands.

The launch campaign plan is much the same as that used on previous AMSAT
launches with Ariane.  The satellites and ground support equipment are
flown into French Guiana's main airport in Cayenne, then transported to the
"Centre Spatial Guianase" (CSG) which is about 100 km north up the coast
near the city of Kourou.  This is an outpost of highest technology between
the jungle and the sea, with Devil's Island just off the coast.

At CSG, the teams are given a clean room large enough to hold all the AMSAT
spacecraft ever launched, but too small to be of any concern (or trouble)
to the owners of the main payload.  In this case, the primary satellite
being launched is TOPEX/POSEIDON, an oceanographic survey mission jointly
funded by the NASA and CNES.

Once set up in the clean room, the microsatellite team starts to
systematically check out their satellites.  For the UoSAT bus, this
thorough checkout involves testing dozens of "back door" data paths which
will only be used in emergencies, but which must nevertheless be tested.
For KITSAT, we have also taken pictures with both CCD cameras, broadcast
speech and data from the digital signal processing experiment, and taken
background readings from the radiation monitor. These tests kept us
occupied last week.

This week, the final physical preparations will be carried out. Inside the
satellite, all cables and harnesses will be wrapped with special RFI
shielding (known in French as "papier d'aluminium por les poulets roti").
The exterior surfaces of the satellite -- used for thermal control -- are
also prepared.  Each available area is covered by a tape with specific
thermal characteristics.  The heat absorption and radiation properties of
these areas will keep the satellite within its temperature limits. This is
particularly critical for the KITSAT orbit, which is sometimes in full
sunlight, and sometimes 30% eclipsed.

Mechanical details -- the preparation of cables to connect the satellite to
the "Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads" (ASAP) and the compression of
the attach fitting spring which will eject KITSAT from the ASAP -- are also
under way.

We now have 5 days to prepare the satellite for Monday's mating with the
rocket.  (Working on "le weekend" is frowned upon, and we move quickly
during to week so that we can sample the delights of the jungle on Saturday
and Sunday).  If all goes smoothly, the satellites will both be ready to go
on Friday night, and we will come in on Monday morning for the final
activities.  I will file a report later to bring you up to date -- if I can
get a good data line to civilization.

Jeff Ward (G0/K8KA)

/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT   $ANS-207.02
AMSAT-NA SPACE SYMPOSIUM INFO

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 207.02 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD JULY 25, 1992       BID:$ANS-207.02
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

AMSAT-NA Space Symposium Scheduled For October 9-11th In Washington, D.C.

All individuals who are interested in space and amateur radio satellites
are invited to attend this year's exciting AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting and
Space Symposium to be held at the international headquarters of INTELSAT in
Washington, D.C.  It's a perfect opportunity to catch up on the latest
developments in the design of Phase-3D as well as digital techniques for
use on PACSATs and other amateur radio applications.  The Space Symposium
will be begin mid-day Friday, October 9, 1992 with registration, informal
get-togethers and tutorials.  In addition a special AMSAT/ARRL Education
Workshop will be held on Friday afternoon and will be conducted by Rosalie
White (WA1STO).  A full schedule of talks for beginners, experienced users
and other interested people will continue on Saturday, October 10th.

Saturday evening, following the "now famous" attitude readjustment hour, a
banquet buffet will be served in the beautiful and spacious INTELSAT
lobby.  Also, you will get a chance to meet the new AMSAT-NA Board of
Directors (BOD) during a question and answer session.  In addition, those
individuals who have made important contributions to AMSAT-NA during the
past year will be recognized.

This is a perfect time of the year to spend some time with your family in
our nation's capital discovering something of our past while looking into
the future of amateur radio.  For more information about lodging and
registration, contact AMSAT-NA Headquarters at (301) 589-6062.
Those who have received your advanced registration form with the BOD
ballot, can fax your registration in at (301) 608-3410.

/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT   $ANS-207.03
AO-13 OPERATIONS NET SCHEDULE

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 207.03 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD JULY 25, 1992       BID:$ANS-207.03
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

AMSAT-NA AO-13 Operations Net Schedule

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

 Date           UTC    Mode     Phs     NCS     Alt

 1-Aug-92*      1500   B         57     VE2LVC  W9ODI
 8-Aug-92*      1900   B         65     W7NQM   W5IU
15-Aug-92       1300   B        105     WB6LLO  W9ODI
22-Aug-92       1435   J         55     WA5ZIB  WJ9F

* Thanks to W9ODI for the off-pointing alert and subsequent change.

Guest commentators are planned.  Join the Net if you have questions.  In
the unlikely event that either the Net Control Station (NCS) or the
alternate NCS does not call on frequency, any participant is invited to act
as the NCS.

**************************************

Slow Scan Television On A0-13

The SSTV net will meet on a downlink frequency of 145.925 MHz, Mode B at
MA 165, UTC Sundays.  Also try Mode J, UTC Saturdays at MA 165, on a
downlink frequency of 435.980 MHz.  Try the various AMSAT Nets for
scheduling at other times.

/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT   $ANS-207.04
FO-20 MODE JA TRANSPONDER SCHED

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 207.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD JULY 25, 1992       BID:$ANS-207.04
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

FO-20 Mode JA Transponder Schedule

Fuji-OSCAR-20 is in Mode JA every Wednesday.  The following are the
frequencies for the Mode JA passband:

           FO-20 Mode JA Transponder Frequencies

Telemetry Beacon    435.795 MHz (CW)
Mode JA Uplink      145.900 - 146.000 MHz (SSB, CW)
Mode JA Downlink    435.800 - 435.900 MHz (SSB, CW, Inverting)

/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT   $ANS-207.05
SUMMER AO-13 TRANSPONDER SCHED

HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 207.05 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD JULY 25, 1992       BID:$ANS-207.05
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT

AO-13 Late Summer Schedule Announced

The current schedule for AO-13 is as follows:

N QST 1992 May 08  AO-13 Transponder Schedule  Jun 10 - Jul 20
Mode-B  : MA 000 to MA 165 !  Mode-JL on Mon, Wed   !
Mode-JL : MA 165 to MA 200 !  Fri and Sat UTC only. ! Alon/Alat
Mode-LS : MA 200 to MA 215 !  S Beacon on "L" days  !  150/0
Mode-B  : MA 215 to MA 256 !  S Transp on "B" days  +----------/
Omnis   : MA 250 to MA 060 !  Mode L OFF after Jun 29 until
Aug 17. Next attitude change Jul 20, to 150/0 until Sep 21.
    73 de Peter DB2OS, James G3RUH and Graham VK5AGR.


--->PLEASE NOTE THAT AO-13 IS IN CONTINUOUS MODE B UNTIL AUGUST 17TH<---

      AO-13 Transponder Schedule 1992 Aug 17 - Sep 21
----------------------------------------------------------------
 Mode-B  : MA   0 to MA  40 !  from 1992 Aug 17 until Sep 21
 Mode-S  : MA  40 to MA  50 !<- S transponder; B trsp. is OFF!
 Mode-LS : MA  50 to MA  55 !<- S beacon + L transponder
 Mode-JL : MA  55 to MA  70 !   This schedule operates
 Mode-B  : MA  70 to MA 256 !   every orbit, every day.
 Omnis   : MA 160 to MA  10 !     Alon/Alat 150/0
 Please DON'T uplink to Mode B MA during 40-50; it interferes with Mode S.
----------------------------------------------------------------

      Calendar Of Events For AO-13 To The End Of 1992
      -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                                                      Suns Position
 Date               Event            Modes   Sun Angle    SEL/SAZ
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
 1992 Jul 20 [Mon] Move to 150/0   B  --  -    43 to 44    -34/176
 1992 Aug 17 [Mon] JLS ON          B  JL  S    28          -26/208
 1992 Sep 21 [Mon] Move to 180/0   B  JL  S    -1 to 29     -2/241
 1992 Nov 23 [Mon] Move to 210/0   B  JL  S   -29 to -4     33/305
 1992 Dec 14 [Mon] JLS OFF         B  --  -   -27           33/333
 1992 Dec 28 [Mon]  t.b.a.                     43           29/351
 -----------------------------------------------------------------

AO-10 is currently available for Mode B operation when it is view of your
QTH.  PLEASE DO NOT attempt to use AO-10 if you hear the beacon or the
transponder signals FMing.

/EX
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc