Author: SM0TGU

hams.at is a new satellite activation page by WW1X currently in beta state. This page makes it possible to enter your satellite activation and as a chaser station you can get a track of overlapping passes. It also has i very nice integration to Satmatch and a direct tweet generation for Twitter.

I hope this page can be a central hub for upcoming satellite activations for all users.

From the Funcube web:

Many will be aware that FUNcube-1 has been transmitting a special Fitter message to commemorate her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee earlier this month. Everyone who receives this message and uploads it to the Data Warehouse using the Dashboard can generate a certificate to remember this historic event. The special message includes a link to a website that has the full instructions. It is intended to keep this message active until the end of June.

The spacecraft’s orbit continues to run near the sun’s terminator and this is resulting in less than optimal solar power generation. The battery bus voltage is now centering around 7.45 volts rather than the 8+ volts that we have seen for many years. We believe that this reduced voltage level may be due to a combination of factors, illumination levels, battery and/or solar panel degradation or, possibly, gradual changes in some component values within the EPS. It is also possible that the high spin/tumble rates that we experienced over the recent months may be involved. Our thanks to to Colin VK5HI and his team for continuing to keep track of this issue for us.

Operators may have noticed that the spacecraft is now in high power telemetry mode when in sunlight and in receive only mode during eclipse. Although the transponder is not currently active, with the rapid fading presently being experienced on the downlink, the high power telemetry setting will assist listeners to decode the data more easily.

We continue to be extremely grateful to all those stations who continue to contribute their data to the FUNcube data warehouse. The information you are providing is invaluable to the FUNcube to team and will greatly assist us in managing the spacecraft through its “middle age” after more than eight years in space!

From ANS-163:
Stephan Greene, KS1G reports, “AO-27’s on/off times run open-loop and have drifted a bit so that the information on ao27.net is out of date. We’re trying to collect current telemetry before attempting to upload new settings.

“AO-27 sends 20 seconds of AFSK telemetry followed by 240 seconds of FM repeater operation during descending nodes (North to South passes). As best we can determine from Satnogs observations, the satellite currently turns on when near the equator and shuts off at about 12-14 deg South latitude. Stations with UHF receive capability should be able to receive the telemetry and detect/use the FM repeater operation.

“We think the ascending node on time begins when AO-27 is at about 75 deg N latitude and ends around 85 deg N as the satellite begins the descending part of the orbit. Stations probably have to be fairly far north with good northern horizons to hear anything. No telemetry is sent on ascending node passes.

“The AO-27 command team would greatly appreciate reception reports, especially with the time(s) telemetry or repeater operation started/ended. Please provide station location, 6 character grid square is sufficient. If you have AFSK reception/decode capability, any telemetry successfully decoded. Reports from northern stations able to copy the start or end of the ascending node on time are also sought.

“Please send reports to ks1g at amsat dot org.”

[ANS thanks Stephan Greene, KS1G for the above information.]