Category: Ham Satellite news

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Ham Satellite news

AnyTone AT-D878UVII now has satellite tracking

Update 2025-08-22!
From version v4 the satellite function has been removed due to bugs and stability problems.

As the first (what I know of) commercial handheld radio the AnyTone AT-D878UVII software release V3.04 has included amateur radio satellite tracking. From the webpage we got the following information:

  • Predict Satellite Transits: The firmware provides a list of upcoming satellite passes, allowing you to plan ahead for satellite communications.
  • Frequency and Transit Time Display: Select a satellite from the list to view its communication frequency and exact transit time.
  • Direct Communication: Once a satellite is selected, press the PTT (Push-to-Talk) button to transmit directly to the satellite. This is a huge leap for satellite communication enthusiasts, making it easy to operate via satellite with minimal setup.

Read more at: https://anytone.org/wp/2024/09/19/anytone-at-d878-now-has-automatic-satellite-tracking/

Here is a Youtube video describing the function:

One more YT video:

Categories
Ham Satellite news

GreenCube (IO-117) ceased functioning Sept 2024

Re-post from AMSAT-UK and info from  Piero I0KPT via Facebooks Greencube Group

The GreenCube satellite, developed by S5LAB, has likely ceased functioning due to radiation damage. After a successful mission that exceeded expectations, the satellite is no longer responding to commands, and its onboard radio is believed to have been compromised by the harsh radiation environment in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).

Approximately ten days ago, GreenCube experienced a reboot, and telemetry data from the event did not indicate any anomalies. However, the S5LAB team now suspects that the satellite’s radio was damaged, leading to the current communication blackout. MEO is notoriously challenging for satellites due to its high radiation levels, and GreenCube was not the only satellite affected. Several other CubeSats launched alongside it only lasted a few days, making GreenCube’s extended mission duration a remarkable achievement.

Despite ongoing efforts to send commands and reactivate the satellite, the team remains pessimistic about restoring GreenCube’s functionality. The satellite’s survival in the hostile MEO environment is seen as a testament to its robust design, but the likelihood of recovery is slim.

At this time, no successor to GreenCube is planned, primarily due to the infrequency of launch opportunities to MEO. Launches to this orbit are rare, which complicates the prospect of future missions.

In response to the satellite’s success and the interest it generated among radio amateurs, S5LAB has promised to host a webinar in collaboration with AMSAT Italia. The event will provide insights into the GreenCube mission, sharing the challenges and triumphs of the satellite’s journey. This is an opportunity for the amateur radio community to learn more about the satellite’s impact and the technical details behind its impressive mission.

While GreenCube’s operational life may have ended, its contributions to satellite technology and amateur radio will be remembered as a significant milestone.

[Information from Piero I0KPT via Facebooks Greencube Group]

Categories
Ham Satellite news

Cubesat deploys from ISS aug 2024

Re-post from ANS-245

Seven CubeSats deployed from Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on Thursday, August 29.

According to the IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination, six of these satellites, CosmoGirl-Sat, SaganSat0, SAKURA, Binar2, Binar3 and Binar4, operate on the amateur bands. Three of them carry APRS digipeaters operating on the world-wide APRS frequency of 145.825 MHz.

CosmoGirl-Sat 145.825MHz, 437.120MHz
APRS VHF, callsign JS1YOI
CW, 4k8 GMSK UHF
A 1U cubesat built by Cosmo Girls Amateur Radio Club, a group of Japanese women established under the theme of “Getting closer to the universe.” The satellite also carries a high-resolution camera for earth imaging, as well as a short message UHF store-and-forward system.

SaganSat0 145.825MHz, 437.050MH
APRS VHF
GMSK 4k8, CW UHF
A 1U cubesat built by students at various high schools in the Saga Prefecture of Japan. The satellite also carries an infrared camera and gamma ray detector.

SAKURA 145.825MHz, 437.375MHz
APRS VHF
GMSK 4k8 UHF
A 1U cubesat built by the Chiba Institute of Technology, a university in Narashino, Japan. The satellite also carries experiments designed to monitor sunspots and solar flares, as well as to assess environmental damage on earth.

Binar-2 437.700MHz, Binar-3 437.850MHz, Binar-4 437.925MHz
CW, OQPSK 100/38.4kbps, GFSK 19.2/9.6/1.2kbps
Three cubesats built by Curtin University in Australia designed to test radiation shielding materials and modeling of re-entry data from LEO.

Info from
7 CubeSats were deployed from “Kibo” on Thursday, August 29, 2024.
https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/biz-lab/news/detail/004129.html

[ANS thanks Masa Arai, JN1GKZ, for the above information.]

Categories
Ham Satellite news

SSA remissvar om 2.4 GHz effektbegränsning

Post- och telestyrelsen har skickat ut ett förslag på nya undantags-föreskrifter på remiss. SSA har skrivit ett remissvar på detta.
Glädjande är att SSA föreslår höjning av effektgränsen på 2.4 GHz och där QO-100 pekas ut specifikt som anledning.

Läs mer här:
https://www.ssa.se/ssa-svarar-pa-pts-remiss-om-nya-undantagsforeskrifter/

Hela remissvaret:
https://www.ssa.se/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SSA_Remiss_UFSKR_final.pdf

Del av remisssvaret:

Effektbegränsning för 2400–2450 MHz (3 kap. 185 §)

Frekvensbandet används huvudsakligen för upplänkstrafik till geostationära amatörradiosatelliter (OSCAR 100/Es’hail-2). Nuvarande effektgräns på 100 mW gör att det krävs mycket stora antenner för att
kommunicera med satelliten.

Ser man på våra grannländer så är högsta tillåtna effekt för amatörradio i bandet avsevärt högre, t.ex. tillåter Danmark 250 W1, Norge 100 W2, Finland 150 W CW, 600 W p.e.p.3 och Tyskland 75 W4

I det mycket tätbefolkade Storbritannien har man så sent som 2024 beslutat att behålla effektgränsen 400 W5

I Spanien tillåts ännu högre effekter (EIRP) med förbehållet att användningen är satellittrafik.

Vid satellittrafik används riktantenner med betydande antennvinst riktade uppåt. Risken för störningar från sådana satellitupplänkar på wifi-trafik måste bedömas vara mycket begränsad. SSA ser inte någon rimlig förklaring till vilka unika förhållanden som råder i Sverige, som gör att PTS bedömning så kraftigt avviker från kollegornas i våra grannländer.

SSA önskar
• I första hand att den högsta tillåtna tillförda effekten i delbandet 2400–2410 MHz ökas till 100 W p.e.p.
• I andra hand att den högsta tillåtna tillförda effekten för satellittrafik i delbandet 2400–2401 MHz ökas
till 10 W p.e.p.

Categories
Ham Satellite news

Tevel Re-Entry

From ANS-203:

The Tevel series of satellites is approaching re-entry, with Tevel-5 already re-entering on July 18th.

The Tevel mission consists of 8 satellites developed by the Herzliya Science Center in Israel, each carrying an FM transponder. The satellites were built by 8 schools in different parts of Israel and launched in January 2022 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-3 mission.

A number of other satellites with amateur radio payloads are also re-entering shortly. A list of satellites approaching re-entry can be found at http://lu7aa.org/decay.asp

[ANS thanks Herzliya Science Center, AMSAT Argentina, and LU7AA for the above information]

Categories
Ham Satellite news

AMSAT-EA GENESIS-A Module

Re-post from ANS-189:

The maiden flight of the new European launcher, Ariane 6, is scheduled for July 9, 2024, with a launch window of 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time from the European spaceport in French Guiana (July 9 20:00h to July 10 00:00h CEST). Among many other payloads, it carries our (inside YPSAT) GENESIS-A module, attached to the second stage of the launcher. The module will transmit FT8 and live SSTV images in Robot 36 format.

FT8 transmissions are made every 16 seconds, while SSTV’s are every 5 minutes.

The working frequencies are as follows:

Downlink 144.175 MHz FT8 Mode:

– Callsign AO4ARI HO60 if the antenna has been deployed
– Callsign AO4ARI HO61 if the antenna has not been deployed

Downlink 144.550 MHz SSTV Robot 36 mode with live image and Hades text

A carrier with a frequency of 144.550 MHz (same frequency as SSTV) is left between FT8 tones.

This information is compiled in PDF in the following document on our web:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13458580/AMSAT+EA+-+GENESIS-A+transmissions+description.pdf

The only thing ESA has given us is the trajectory over the ground while flying over Europe, but we don’t have TLEs or anything that we can semi-automate. It is available on our website:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/s/cc_images/cache_19006006.jpg?t=1720182961

It will be very difficult to receive it but we thank you all if you try and if you spread this information to have all possible operators tuned into FT-8 that day. The module will fall into the sea with the second stage after a few hours.

More information about the flight including timings here:
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Ariane_6_launch_how_to_watch_and_what_to_look_out_for

[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT EA, for the above information]