Five new Amateur Radio Satellites in orbit

Five new Amateur Radio Satellites in orbit

FASTRAC-1, FASTRAC-2, NanoSail-D2, O/OREOS and RAX were launched at 01:24 UT on Saturday Nov 20, reports of the signals are needed.

So far signals have been reported from FASTRAC-2 (Emma), O/ORES and RAX.

Nominal Frequencies:
- FASTRAC-1 "Sara Lily" 437.345 MHz FM AX.25 1200bps
- FASTRAC-2 "Emma" 145.825 MHz FM AX.25 1200bps
- RAX-1 437.505 MHz
- O/OREOS 437.305 MHz
- Nanosail D2 0.5 sec beacon every 5 sec on 437.275 MHz.

RAX Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RAX-Radio-Aurora-Explorer/168658456492859
RAX Twitter: http://twitter.com/RAX_2010

FASTRAC Facebook http://www.facebook.com/fastracsats
FASTRAC Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fastracsats/

O/OREOS http://www.crestnrp.org

NanoSail-D2 http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm

Amateur radio operators - help track the FASTRAC satellites
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/november2010/fastrac_tracking.htm

AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB)
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/

Orbiter Forum
http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?p=219924






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I would love to see a geostationary equatorial orbit ham satellite. I'm sure the cost to launch such a bird is way too costly.
Imagine the use it would get (coast to coast)!
Fun to think about anyways.


Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Mark A. Lacy - W5TXR
Schertz, Texas

ARRL Asst. Technical Coordinator, STX
ARRL Certified Teacher/Instructor

www.w5txr.net
www.amateurradioeducation.org

 

Stationary Satellite

Yeah, that would great especially in emergencies. Wouldn't have to rely on internet gateways or hf conditions. Maybe the ARRL could look into something like that. But as stated above, the cost is most likely out of reach for us hams.


Lou Marcelli
K3EMG
Montgomery County
ARES/RACES Technical Committee
SKYWARN Ass. Coord.

 

It would be great, then we could hear that guy saying "Hola, hola..." Through the whole day instead of just the pass

 

IT ALMOST HAPENED -- KIND OF

Actually, a geostationary ham satellite is not a pipedream. It is possible and launch opportunities while expensive are realistic. The problem is more political than technical. For example, a bird serving the America's would be of little use to hams in Asia or Europe. In reality, you need a constellation of at least three geosync birds operating in unison, parked 120 degrees apart to cover the entire Earth. TDRS - the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites used in the Space Shuttle and other space experiments as a support program is such a system.

So the big question and political nightmares: If you can only afford one geosync ham radio bird, where in space do you park it? Much of the developmental work on ham radio satellites is done by AMSAT-DL. Do you park it over Europe? Or do you park it over the Atlantic to permit communications from part of Europe to part of the Americas? And what about Japan and China which are also big ham-sat supporters? A geosync hamsat over the Atlantic leaves them out as it does hams in VK and ZL.

So, where do you park it if you only have one bird and / or one geostationary parking slot afforded to you?

Activating the "way back machine," in the history of ham radio satellites there have been at least two "almost reality" geosync ham radio birds. Thiey came in an offer by a cable television entrepreneur who owned a company called Cablesat General, Inc. He was a ham and offered to include a ham radio transponder on two planned cable television feeder satellites called Cablesat East and Cablesat West. That was back around 1985 or there abouts.

This was more than a paper proposal. Cablesat General had received a "turnkey proposal" from what was then known as RCA Astro Electronics to build, launch and control the satellites.

As far as I can determine, the Cablesat satellites were never built or launched as the planners just could not raise the needed capital to do it. Ill have to dig out the old issues of Westlink Report or the AMSAT Newsletter if you need more info but there is a bit on-line. (See http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860017933_1986017933.pdf on page 137 (Section E-14) for more information)

Oh yes, we must not forget the strange cloak and dagger mystery ham radio only geosync bird circa 1990 or there abouts called "Pri-Sat I." It would have been like a proverbial "private crossband FM repeater on-orbit." For a price that was never specified one could theoretically have ht to ht service anywhere in the Americas through "Pri Sat maintained gateway repeaters tied to the Pri Sat I geosync satellite."

That one (in my humble opinion) was a "pipe dream" in that there were no names or calls attached to the "Pri Sat" project which was to operate uplink the 220 MHz band and downlink on 146.?? MHz. All that one turned out to be was a photocopy press release and nothing more. I do recall the return address was a PO Box in Cincinnati, Ohio. I flatly refused to do the story on this one though it did get some column room in an issue of Repeater Journal. Nothing on-line about this that I could find.

But back to reality and to today: A real world geosync ham radio bird? Don't hold your breath. The technology is there, but who would it serve without slighting the other 2/3 of the ham radio world?

de WA6ITF

 

we need more molynia type orbits using linear transponders not flying FM repeaters

AMSAT you have lost the plot.

 

P3E from AMSAT-DL is just such a project, but without a launch, or the money to buy one. And that is the crux of the problem, do we do what we can afford, or do something we can never pay to launch. We haven't "lost the plot", we just can't afford it without the free launches we enjoyed with P3A-P3D.

73, Drew KO4MA

 

We (AMSAT-NA) have had discussions with a major operator for a secondary ham payload on a GEO bird as late as last year. Numbers ran 10+ million dollars for launch and additional yearly fees. That's not even remotely feasible given the current state of the economy and the support AMSAT receives from hams.

73, Drew KO4MA

 

Would you happen to remember the name and/or call of the ham who owned Cablesat General and offered to carry the ham radio transponders on his proposed birds. It was Rev Raymond ?????. Cant recall his last name or find it in my files. I think that was the closest ever to a ham radio geosat happening.

 

A launch to GTO (Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit) for a primary payload costs about 100 million dollars, and that just gets you to a transfer orbit. It's up to your spacecraft to get to its final orbit.
When I was working at Sea Launch I found out that they did have the capability to launch a secondary payload, but had never marketed it, and hence had no pricing.
Jim

 

I became a member of AMSAT in 1969 just missing being a charter member. There was discussion then of a geostationary bird at that time. What everyone assumes is that the bird will cover their part of the world. Well over half the amateurs in the world would be shut out. Which half? AMSAT and the amateur community is worldwide so all discussion was dropped. Interesting at the time their was talk about "Moon Ray". An Apollo moon landing crew would place an amateur transponder on the moon's surface. That idea died as did the Apollo 18 and 19 moon missions.

 

Maybe this question has to be asked.

Are we simply adding to the space junk for little real public benefit?
Sure it is nice, but having one of these pieces eventually be a destructive projectile hardly seems worth it.

73 de Brian/K3KO

 

Wonder what it would cost to launch a few politicians into orbit? Could this get a Public Service discount?

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

It's a fair question. The spacecraft recently launched are all student and NASA spacecraft, some of which involve amateur frequencies through the student connection. The orbit there are in is relatively short-lived, probably around 100 years or less, so the long term impact is small. Additionally, they are very small spacecraft, and that greatly reduces the collision risks, as well as being a somewhat uncommon orbit. One of the spacecraft carries an experiment to greatly accelerate the reentry process, which I think will soon become standard practice.

73, Drew KO4MA

 

Agree with GM4PLM ....

Does the amateur community NEED more orbiting packet and FM repeater satellites? Or the ones that require a healthy commitment in funds just to access their microwave transponders?

How about some more mode A and mode J transponders? It might move me to re-join AMSAT and/or the ARRL.