Four new satellites going up this week

[g4tut]

RAFT, ANDE, MARSCom and GeneSat-1 satellites going up this week

Space Shuttle Discovery was successfully launched on Saturday carrying to orbit three new satellites, RAFT-1, MARSCOM and ANDE designed, built, and tested by the Midshipmen of the US Naval Academy's Satellite Laboratory in Annapolis, Maryland.

The RAFT-1 and ANDE satellite downlinks will be 145.825 MHz. The frequencies used by MARSCOM are on Navy-Marine Corps MARS frequencies.

For full technical details please refer to:
http://www.ew.usna.edu/%7Ebruninga/ande-raft-ops.html

Another feature of the RAFT mission will allow amateur radio operators to listen to the signal as the satellite crosses the National Space Surveillance Network satellite radar tracking system.

RAFT has a 216.98 MHz direct conversion receiver down to 145.825 MHz so you will hear the radar ping on RAFT's downlink. It will be a tone proportional to the Doppler as it flies through the radar fence, lasting about one second.

GeneSat-1, a secondary payload aboard the Minotaur Launch Vehicle, will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on December 11, 2006, about 7:00am EST. The Minotaur launch window is 3 hours, 1200z-1500z. GeneSat-1 is a 10 x 10 x 30 cm. spacecraft, which will conduct a cellular biology technology demonstration.

Of particular interest to the amateur radio satellite community, is the GeneSat-1 beacon. Operating at 437.075 MHz FM, the beacon sends an AX.25 packet every 5 seconds; the packet contains data about the spacecraft systems operation.

Full details are available on the mission website
at http://www.genesat1.org.



Source: Amsat, US Naval Academy and GeneSat teams



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[k5co]

Why are these people using OUR frequencies?

[KG4GUF]

Don't forget they aren't OUR frequencies, they are frequencies that the federal government allows licensed operators to share with the primary user. Plus, the FCC allows telemetry transmissions so theoretically, an entire manned (unmanned in this case) space mission could be operated using Ham radio alone. 146.78 voice downlink 2450.50 high-bit telemetry downlink, 224.58 low-bit telemetry, and corresponding frequencies for the uplink.
73

[WD8OQX]

The one thing I see is it is getting harder & harder to find a clear simplex freq to use without interfering with something like this.

I, for one, have a hard time keeping up with all the "new" freq usages. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

Although I DON'T HATE sats

[W4CBJ]

As I understand it, NASA requires at least two (2) hams to be aboard each space flight. If they did not operate within the amateur band(s), then we would not be permitted to talk to them.. Simple, ain't it? 73 Joe W4CBJ.

[aj3u]

Quote[/b] (k5co @ Dec. 10 2006,08:22)]Why are these people using OUR frequencies?
They are open to Amateur use, so they have to operate on Amateur Frequencies so we can use them!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif These satellites are not just transmitting telemetry. Amateur Operators can uplink through these birds. In addition to their primary mission, they also function as APRS digipeaters. Just as 144.39 is the standard frequency for terrestrial APRS use, 145.825 is somewhat of an informal APRS satellite frequency. It started with PCSAT-1.

In the case of RAFT, you can also use PSK31 through it! So please don't see these satellites as taking from Amateur Radio spectrum - they are open for Amateur Radio use and are valuable resources!

--
A.J. Farmer, AJ3U
http://www.aj3u.com

[KC2ESD]

Quote[/b] ]GeneSat-1, a secondary payload aboard the Minotaur Launch Vehicle, will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on December 11, 2006, about 7:00am EST. The Minotaur launch window is 3 hours, 1200z-1500z. GeneSat-1 is a 10 x 10 x 30 cm. spacecraft, which will conduct a cellular biology technology demonstration.

I live within 150 miles from Wallops Island up the coast in NJ. If the weather is clear I will be able to see it go up before I goto work. I love Rocketry and can't wait to see the Minotaur lift off. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w2nrl]

And, the frequencies I see being used here are in the Amateur Satellite Service subbands, which have been established for some time.

A problem in the 145.8-146.0 segment is that since VHF carries so well, unwittingly people operate simplex here and jam the uplinks of satellites that they don't realize are there....

[W5FAE]

Be thankful they use Ham frequencies. Now we can hear them too!
73 de Fred , W5FAE

[wa3vjb]

The Naval Academy midshipmen who helped develop these satellites were featured in an article in the Annapolis Capital newspaper this past weekend.

Not once were the words "ham radio" mentioned.

That may actually be a good thing, since the hobby as a whole does seem to have a certain odd and eccentric aura to it.

By avoiding the "ham radio" handle to refer to these experiments, it may play better to the general public than what we may have gotten with any reference to the faintly embarrassing "hams" otherwise known.

[KC2ESD]

The Wallops Island launch was Scrubbed due to a problem with the Taltech-2 Sat. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[W4CBJ]

It's a good thing that they omitted "Ham Radio" from the article. Next thing you know someone will call the FCC and complain..."I don't want that thing flying over MY house"... 73 Joe W4CBJ.