Ham Radio 2000/Ham Radio 2000.iso/ham2000/misc/satellit/faq_sat.txt

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 35KB | 664 lines

REVISION: 9 MAY 1994

CONTENTS:

  Foreword - my ramblings
  Bibliography - list of sources and how to get more information
  Modes - common satellite operating modes
  Satellites - descriptions and background history of common satellite
  Antennas - discussion of what works best
  Preamps - discussion of what is needed
  Rigs - popular satellite rigs and features
  Accessories and Other Stuff - things that make satellte operation easier
  Frequencies - list of most hamsats with uplink/downlink freq/modes
  Aliases - list of satellite common names with their other aliases

FOREWORD:

Having recently started to get into Satellites, I asked MANY people what
it took to get started and what to do.  I found few people who could offer
all the information necessary to start.  I have attempted to compile this
information for future newbies.  If I have missed something, please ask and
I will attempt to add it to the collection.  Any comments can be sent
directly to me, [e-mail].  Copies of this article should be
available in the following locations:

    oak.oakland.edu:/pub/hamradio/docs/faq
    ftp.cs.buffalo.edu:/pub/ham-radio
    Clear Skies BBS [phone]

Also, if you really want to get serious about satellites, I would STRONGLY
recommend joining AMSAT to help promote the satellite hobby.  AMSAT is a
volunteer organization that works for the interests of amateur satellites.
Dues are only US$30 per year and you will receive a subscription to "The
AMSAT Journal".  For US$80, you will receive first year dues and a copy
of Instant Track computer tracking software which is a top-notch program.
Instant Track was donated to AMSAT by its author and its sales account for
a considerable portion of AMSAT's income. AMSAT-NA, 850 Sligo Avenue,
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4703.  [phone].  Credit cards welcome.
NOTE:  I am in no way connected with AMSAT-NA, other than I have found their
publications quite useful.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

The following text was compiled from the following sources and from comments
from many operators:

* "How to use the EZSATS pass tables by N9LTD" and "Hamsat aliases"
  reprinted with permission.  Full text, tables, and lots of other useful
  information can be obtained by sending a SASE to David Mullenix N9LTD,
  2052 Brentwood Pky, Madison, WI 53704 or call the Clear Skies BBS at
  [phone].

* "Amateur Radio Satellite Frequencies"  This file can be obtained from the
  ARRL e-mail server.  For information on the server, send an e-mail message
  to [e-mail] with 'HELP' in body of message.

* "Summary - Getting onto the Hamsats"  This was an article posted to
  rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup by Stephan Greene ([e-mail])
  on 20 Mar 1992.  The article is also available via anon ftp from
  ftp.cs.buffalo.edu or Australian mirror at grivel.une.edu.au as file
  pub/hamradio/ham_sat_sum.

* "An Amatuer Satellite Operation Upgrade Path" from the AMSAT Journal,
  September/October 1993, pp. 24-26.

MODES:

The combination of uplink freq, downlink freq, and transmission mode are all
lumped together into standardized satellite MODES.  Here is a list of common
satellite modes used by satellites covered by this article:

A - This mode requires a 2 meter SSB/CW trasmitter and a 10 meter SSB/CW
    receiver and supports CW and voice.

B - This mode requires a 70 cm SSB/CW transmitter and a 2 meter SSB/CW
    receiver and supports CW and voice.  Some satellites also support RTTY
    and SSTV in this mode.

K - This mode requires a 15 meter SSB/CW transmitter and a 10 meter SSB/CW
    receiver and supports CW and voice.  This mode is unique in that it can
    be done with a simple HF rig.

JA- This mode stands for J Analog and requires a 2 meter SSB/CW transmitter
    and a 70 cm SSB/CW receiver and supports CW, voice.

JD- This mode stands for J Digital and requires a 2 meter FM transmitter and
    and a 70 cm SSB/CW receiver and supports packet.

S - This mode requires a 70 cm SSB/CW transmitter and a 2.4 GHz SSB/CW
    receiver and supports CW and voice.  Many people use a 2.4 GHz to 2 meter
    converter with a 2 meter SSB/CW receiver instead of buying a 2.4 GHz
    SSB/CW receiver.

T - This mode requires a 15 meter SSB/CW transmitter and a 2 meter SSB/CW
    receiver and supports CW and voice.

Some satellites have dual modes that operate simultaneously.  For example,
AO-13 can operate in mode BS which means that it can do both mode B and mode
S simulaneously.  Other common dual modes are KT and KA.

Also, satellites have 3 basic types of retransmissions:  beacon, transponder,
and repeater.

Beacon - Most satellites have a fixed Morse beacon at the lower end of the
satellites band-pass transponder.  This is useful to detect when the satellite
has crossed the horizon and is in range for operation.  It can also be used to
determine dopler shifts.

Transponder - A transponder is a band-pass repeater.  It accepts a range of
frequencies on the input and retransmits the entire range on the output.  All
offsets withing that range are preserved.  NOTE:  since the satellite is
transmitting many signals at the same time, it is dividing its output power
amongst all of these signals.  If someone transmits a very powerful signal
into the satellite, it will spend most of its power retransmitting that
signal and all of the other signals will drop in power.  This is NOT a way
to earn friends and people who overpower the satellites input are called
"alligators" and are not very popular.

Repeater - This closely resembles a land-based repeater.  It listens for
signals on one frequency and retransmits it on another frequency.  All
satellite repeaters (and transponders) are full duplex, meaning you can
(and should) listen to you signal on the downlink (with headphones) while
you are transmitting.

SATELLITES:

Some satellites are easier to work than others.  The satellites that follow
can be operated fairly easily and are referred to by some as the Easy Sats.
What follows is a breif description of each satellite.  A summary list of
operating frequencies is included later.

                Mir

Mir (promounced "mere" - "Peace" in Russian) is the Russian Space Station.
It's been in orbit since 1986.  All recent Russian Cosmonauts have been hams
and have callsigns with "MIR" in them, such as U2MIR.  Mir has 2-meter
equipment on board and they operate packet and voice on 145.55 MHz.  (This is
the same freq as the Space Shuttles.) The cosmonauts also have a digital
voice recorder which can repeatedly transmit voice announcements.

The best way to get a QSL card from Mir is to connect to their TNC's mailbox,
R0MIR-1, (That's R Zero MIR) leave a message AND GET A MESSAGE NUMBER.  You
must have the message number to qualify for a QSL.  The TNC is often busy
because amatuers forget to disconnect before Mir goes under their horizon.
In a case like this, try connecting to yourself or a friend VIA R0MIR.  And
if you hear a heavily accented voice calling CQ, by all means say hello!

70 cm and ATV gear is being prepared for future flights!

QSL Address:
    Sergei Samburov (RV3DR)
    Prospect Kosmonavtov. d.36, kw.96
    Kaliningrad City, MOSCOW 141070, RUSSIA.

Sergei can also be reached via packet radio as RV3DR @ RK3KP.#MSK.RUS.EU

A special note on caculating Mir's orbit: Mir is big and it's in a low
orbit.  This means that there's a lot of atmospheric drag and it has to fire
its rockets every month or two to boost itself back up or it would have
re-entered and burned up long ago.  Unfortunately, whenever this happens, it
throws off all pass predictions.  When this happens, Mir will arrive LATER
than predicted, so if you tune to 145.55 and nothing happens at the predicted
time, keep waiting, it may be along in 10-30 minutes.

SEEING MIR: Mir is also the only EZSAT that can bee seen.  Mir is very big,
about the size of a semi-trailer, and when it comes over just after sunset or
just before sunrise, you can often see it go by.  This is because Mir will
still be in sunlight whil you're in the earth's shadow.  In these cases, Mir
looks like a very bright star gliding acress the sky.  It's a beautiful sight
and well worth looking for.  It's best to use a tracking program set to
VISUAL to find visible passes.  The best such programs will even draw you a
star map and show you Mir's path across it.  Don't forget to tune to 145.55
when you see it.  Also, don't forget to get on the local repeater and tell
people when you spot it so that others can share in the fun.

            RS-10/11, RS-12/13, OSCAR-21(RS-14)

These three satellites are all in 600 mile high polar orbits, which carry
them over the US six to eight times a day for 10-18 minutes at a time.
They all have orbital periods of about 95 minutes and we typically get two
sets of three or four passes spaced 95 minutes apart.  The two sets of
passes are spaced 12 hours apart and their passes come a little earlier each
day because their orbits don't take quite exacly 95 minutes.

These satellites all have a coverage circle about 4000 miles in diameter, so
when they're about the horizon, you can use them to work hams anywhere in the
conteinental US, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Central America, South America down
to the Equator, the Caribbean, Greenland, Iceland and parts of Scandinavia.
Eastern hams can work Europe and the West can work Hawaii.

All of these satellites are in boxes that are bolted to larger Russian
satellites and draw their power from the large satellite's solar cells.
They are VERY easy to hear and fairly simple to work.

                OSCAR-21

My favorite satellite.  This is a German/Russian radio that uses a Digital
Signal Processor (DSP) chip and it is Flexible with a capital "F"!  It was
launched in January, 1990 configured as a linear translator which received a
band of 70 cm CW and SSB signals and relayed them on 2 meters.  The bird was,
to put it mildly, under-utilized.  Then in 1992 the DSP chip was reprogrammed
in orbit into a cross band FM repeater!  If you've been wondering if DSP is
as powerful as you've heard, now you know!  In the past year, it's telemetry
has been re-programmed from an obscure format to standard 1200 baud packet.
WEFAX pictures (which are uploaded by teh ground controllers) were added in
December 1993.  (This is the same format used by many weather sats and short
wave weather stations.)

OSCAR-21 has an input frequency of 435.016 MHz, but 435.015 works just fine.
It's output frequency is 145.987 MHz, but 145.985 or 145.990 will recieve it
quite well.  It has a strong transmitter and a ground plane antenna and most
HTs have no trouble picking its signals up when it passes over.  Mobiles and
base stations with omni antennas will receive it full quieting.  You can get
into this bird with 20 watts and a six element beam antenna.  I mount my beam
on a photo tripod next to my car and run coax to my dual band mobile.  You
have to point the beam accurately, so I take a list of altitude and azimuth
bearing generated by simple tracking software out with me and re-point the
beam once a minute.  In one summer, I worked the east and west coasts,
several Canadians, Texas and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba before fall's cold weather
drove me indoors.

Some OSCAR-21 tips: you can hardly get a word in edgewise during "prime time"
opening passes.  Try the late night passes instead, they're much less
crowded.  OSCAR-21's transmit and recieve polarity rotate constantly during a
pass.  Mount your beam so you can easily rotate it for the best signal.
Remember, all these ham sats are full duplex, so you can and should monitor
your signal on the downlink.  (Use headphones.) Turn the beam for minimum
noise.  You'll probably have to modify your dual band rig to get it to
transmit on 435.015.  BE CAREFUL beacuse FM is generally NOT appreciated
below 440 MHz.  Also, the mod may allow you to transmit out of band, which is
a real no-no.

OSCAR-21 is also known as RS-14, AO-21 and Rudak-2.  It's bolted to a
satellite called INFORMATOR-1, which is often abbreviated INFORMTR-1.  It's
NORAD ID number is 21087.  Be careful, the rocket booster that launched the
satellite is still up there and it's named INFORMTR-1 R/B in some element
sets.  Your tracking program may find it instead of the satellite if you're
not careful.

                RS-10/11

This is probably the easiest satellite to work of them all.  It has an
incredibly sensitive receiver that can pick up the faintest two meter signal
and relay it on ten meters.  There are documented examples of people having
QSOs on RS-10/11 by clicking Morse on HTs with rubber duck antennas!  I
guarantee you that your HT can put a useable signal into RS-10/11, I've done
it myself.  WARNING: if you try this, disable the microphone so you don't
transmit any FM sidebands and turn your CTCSS (PL) OFF!

RS-10/11 (Radio Sputnik) is for CW and SSB signals, so an all mode 2 meter
rig is ideal for transmitting to this bird.  The input bandpass is from
145.860 - 145.900 and the output freqs are from 29.360 - 29.400 MHz.  There
is also a morse beacon at 29.357 MHz.

RS-10 is also equiped with a feature called ROBOT.  The ROBOT is an automatic
on-board QSO computer.  To work it, send the following at about 15-20 wpm
on 145.82 MHz (an automated keyer works best):

    RS-10 DE (your call) AR

If the ROBOT hears you, it will respond on the 29.403 MHz downlink with:

    (your call) DE RS-10 QSL NR (number) OP ROBOT TU USW QSO (number) 73 SK

If you want a QSL card, try sending the QSL number the ROBOT sent back to
you on your QSL (along with an SASE and return postage) to:

    Andrey Mironov
    UL Vvoloshinoj. D11. KV72.
    141000 Station Perlovskaya
    Moscow, Russia

                RS-12/13

A cousin to RS-10/11, RS-12/13 is also a 40 KHz wide linear transponder.
However, this bird is unique because its input frequencies are in the fifteen
meter band!  This is also the only ham sat in the sky that requires more than
a code free technician license to work it, because its input band is from
21.210 - 21.250 MHz.  This straddles the Advanced and Extra portions of the
15 meter band.  Its output freqs are from 29.410 - 29.450 MHz.  Because of
skip, this satellite can often be heard and worked when it's below the
horizon!  At least one person has earned DXCC on this satellite!  RS-12/13 is
bolted to yet another Russian satellite and its NORAD ID is 21089.  RS-12/13
also has a ROBOT mode like its brother RS-10/11.

                DOVE

DOVE is short for Digital Orbiting Voice Encoder and is a transmit-only
hamsat (it has no user accessible receiver).  Built in Argentina, DOVE was
launched in 1990 as a good will satellite to introduce children and newcomers
to amateur satellites.  It was originally intened to transmit digitized voice
messages that could be picked up by students with simple receivers.
Unfortunately, the digital voice hardware and software has been a constant
source of problems since launch.  Atempts to get DOVE to works properly are
proceeding as this is written, so the best bet is to tune your 2-meter rig or
scanner to 145.825 MHz and see what the bird is up to currently.  Be ready
for Morse, standard 1200 baud packet or (with luck) digitized voice messages.
The signals are strong enough so that an HT with a rubber duck will hear it
when it's overhead, although ground plane antennas will give better coverage
when the bird is near the horizon.

                AO-10

Known as Phase 3-B before it's launch by the European Space Agency in June,
1983, this satellite was designed for launch into a high elliptical orbit.
This orbit, called "Molniya" orbit, places the satellite over one spot on
the Earth for up to several hours at a time.  This orbital configuration
also allows for consistent, long haul DX communication because the satellite
is visable to roughly half the Earth!  This orbit virtually eliminates the
frantic "hurry up" style of operation.  But such a luxury is not without
cost.  At the farthest point in the Molniya orbit, this satellite is over
25,000 miles away from the Earth, meaning high gain antennas and higher
power levels are required to get a workable signal up and through the bird.
Also, even though radio waves travel at the speed of light, the over 50,000
mile round trip creates a signal path delay of about 1/4 second on the
downlinked signal.  It takes some time for satellite operators to get used
to simultaneously speaking and listening to their own voices returning in
their headphones a quarter second later.

The first Phase 3-A launch ended in disaster when the Ariane booster
malfunctioned, dropping the bird in the Atlantic.  Phase 3-B, later to
become OSCAR 10, met with somewhat better fortune, surviving the launch and
first burn of its "kick motor" just fine.  However, we later learned that
the booster had apparently bumped OSCAR 10 shortly after separation which
damaged one or more of its antennas and also caused other internal injuries
because the second and subsequent kick motor firings never happended.  This
left OSCAR 10 in a lower inclination elliptical orbit.  This meant that
the bird didn't have the intended operational coverage nor enough solar
panel illumination to sustain full operations.  So today, OSCAR 10 is "sort
of" operational.  It is stuck in mode "B" with only its omnidirectional
antennas working and it is slowly tumbling.  Users are requested to listen
for AO-10's 145.810 MHz beacon for a steady, unmodulated carrier before
operating the bird.  If the beacon is raspy or if your downlink signal
appears to be shifting in frequency, users are asked NOT to use the
transponder until it has a chance to slowly recharge its batteries.

                AO-13

Launched in June, 1988, OSCAR-13 is now carrying the bulk of the long haul
DX available via amateur satellite.  It is the current--and much improved--
brother to OSCAR 10.  However, unlike OSCAR 10, it did managed to achiieve
its "Molniya" orbit.  OSCAR 13 also has the ability to automatically select
transponders for each mode at different points in its orbit.  This helps
optimize the mode in use with its corresponding downlink antenna gain.  OSCAR
13 did have some problems, however.  It had a RUDAK experiment onboard that
failed shortly after launch.  Also, in June 1993, the 70 cm downlink
transmitter ceased to function, putting an end to Mode J and L operation.
However, modes B and S are still being supported and mode S is becoming
increasingly popular.  Also, AO-13's batteries are beginning to show signs
of age and its orbit it deteriorating.  The progressive effects of previously
unknown gravitational interactions between AO-13, the Sun, the Moon and the
Earth will all conspire to cause the satellite's re-entry into the atmosphere
sometime in 1996.

ANTENNAS:

For AO-13, the consensus is get to get KLMs, Telex/Hy-Gains, or roll-your
own,  Nobody liked the Cushcraft satellite antennas - they appear to have
problems in wet weather.  Bigger is also better, if you have the space.
Several people mentioned the KLM  22C and 40CX pair as excellent performers
(again - you need the room for those long booms!)  KE4ZV stated his pair of
KLMs (the big ones!) lets him work AO-13 with 3 to 30 watts (hardline feed
and rigorous attention to routing the feedlines and cables properly to
maintain the antenna patterns helps, too.).  Others mentioned the KLM
14C/18C pair as good performers - but you need more power on the uplink.

Telex/Hy-Gain antennas were recommended by several people as a less
expensive alternative to KLMs that work almost as well.  There's also M2
(started by an engineer from KLM).  While no one who responded uses them,
the information I received from a call to their factory in California
suggests they are comparable to slightly better than the KLMs in performance,
and about the same in cost.  Dave, WB6LFC, said homebrewing antennas is also
feasible - it takes work, but attention to detail results in top-notch
performance for very little money.  Finally, Ross, VE6PDQ, reported good
results using a pair of Cushcraft 215WBs on receive.

Problems encountered with AO-13 antennas include routing cables and
feedlines off the back of the antennas (to preserve antenna patterns), use
of fiberglass cross booms, mounting preamps as close to the feedpoint as
possible, and long antenna booms drooping.  (Gary, KE4ZV, recommends using
a rope to brace the boom or stiffening booms and fiberglass masts internally
with foam-in-a-can insulation.)

On antenna rotators, it appears the Alliance UD-100 is no longer made,
though it should still show up at hamfests.  People with long-boom antennas
report the Alliance rotator is too weak to move a big array anyway, and
recommended Yaesu's elevation-only rotator or their Model 5400 azimuth-
elevation unit.

Antennas for the low-altitude satellites appear to be much less critical.
J-poles were most frequently mentioned (the design from the AMSAT Journal?),
but dipoles, ground-planes, and yagis are also in use.  Several people work
RS-10 quite well with antennas in the attic.  Best results are with
steerable antennas, but the high operator workload during a pass (unless
the satellite is just grazing your access circle) almost demands computer
control of the rotators.

PREAMPS:

You need a preamp for AO-13.  (I can hear the downlink after a fashion on
a Ringo fed with cheap coax and a 10 dB preamp in the shack, but it's not
communications quality reception!)  Only two people mentioned a specific
brand name (Advanced Receiver Research and the unit included with the
Ten-Tec 2510), so I assume almost any GAsFET preamp in the 20dB gain class
is adequate.  THE PREAMP MUST (almost always) BE MOUNTED AT THE ANTENNA
(check the discussion in Chapter 9 of the Satellite Experimenter's Handbook
and you'll see why!).  KE4ZV recommends mounting the preamp AT the antenna
feedpoint, if your elevation rotator can handle the unbalanced load.

While no one mentioned it (maybe it's obvious), if the antenna is used to
transmit (say Mode J) as well as receive (on Mode B, for example), the
preamp MUST either include RF-sensed switching, or be switched out of the
line before you transmit.  TRANSMITTING INTO AN UNPROTECTED PREAMP WILL
DESTROY IT INSTANTLY!

Preamps also seem to help on RS-10 (especially with older HF rigs) and on
the Pacsats.  It seems to be a case of "try it, and get a preamp if it looks
like it would help").

RIGS:

Three radios were mentioned by name - Yaesu FT736 (and it's predecessor,
the 726 with satellite module), Kenwood TR751 (a mobile-capable 2 meter
multimode), and Ten-Tec's 2510.  The Ten-Tec unit is out of production.
The few units left are selling for about $300-350.  I'm sure other multi-
mode radios, and setups with converters and transverters work well, too -
it's just that no one mentioned any by name.

Power output required is a function of the satellite, your antennas, and
how badly you want to communicate.  [QRP on the satellites is just like
QRP on HF - you need good antennas and feedline, you have to pick optimal
passes, and skilled operators at both ends are needed.  Given the apparent
"calmer" operating style on AO-13, QRP is probably easier there than on
20 meters!]

Anyway -about power for AO-13.  3-30 watts will work if you have top-notch
antennas (KE4ZV).  KC7IT uses 50-100 watts (Ten Tec 2510, Mirage D1010
amplifier, KLM 14C/18C fed with 50 feet of 9913).  Both KE4ZV and KC7IT
use Mirage D1010 amplifiers on 70 cm when they need a little extra power.
For an "optimum station", WA5ZIB recommends 60 watts on 70 cm and 80 watts
on 2 meters for AO-13, assuming good antennas (Telex/Hy-Gain or better) and
feedlines, and 20 watts to a 5' dish for Mode L.  Andy emphasized that you
can get by and have lots of fun with much less!

For Mode A, WA5ZIB said 6 watts to the AO-13 2 meter antenna will work well.
People using omnis report success with the Pacsats running 50-70 watts to a
J-Pole (N5VGC).  Several people said they (or someone they know) have no
trouble using RS-10 at lower power (10-25 watts) with simple, omnidirectional
antennas.  Again, it's a case of "try it and see if it works."

There was unanimous consensus that the receiving quipment (antenna, preamp,
feedline, and receiver) is more important than the transmit equipment.
Running more power "to hear yourself" is frowned upon, to say the least!
It's also important to be able to vary uplink power to adjust to specific
conditions.  Both the Ten Tec 2510 and the Yaesu 736 have continuously
variable power output  (I guess the rest of us just have to fiddle with the
drive controls on our rigs!).

ACCESSORIES AND OTHER STUFF:

You need a PSK modem to use the Pacsats.  PacCom makes fully assembled
units, either already integrated with their own TNC, or as a board you
install in your TNC-2 clone.  They make similar 9600 bps units for accessing
UO-22.  The downlink receiver (on 70 cm) should be capable of being tuned by
the PSK modem's AFC lines.  Newer radios can use the up/down lines from the
microphone jack or an accessory connection on the rear panel.  Older radios
must be modified, or be tuned manually.  N5VGC told me he sees about 20KHz
of doppler on an AO-16 pass, and that without automatic tuning, operator
workload is too high to do much else besides tune the receiver!

Just about any radio suitable for packet on 2 meters will work for  AO-16,
WO18, and LU-19.  To run 9600 bps on UO-22, modifications to bypass the
microphone and speaker's audio processing circuits are required.  I've seen
some reports on rec.radio.packet and in the various Hamsat columns that
differences between UO14 and UO-22's transmitters make UO-22 more difficult
to copy.  (I'll worry about that problem later - I'll start with AO-16 and
LU-19 first!)

No one mentioned computers - again, it must be obvious (also, we're
"talking" using computers!).  They're handy, and you need one IN THE SHACK
when working the Pacsats or for automated, real-time control of antenna
rotators (useful for low altitude satellites).

Other operator aids mentioned, or I thought of on my own:  If your radio
can't slave uplink and downlink tuning (Ten Tec 2510 and Yaesu 736 can),
you need something to help convert between uplink and downlink frequencies
(and account for doppler shift and calibration errors on the radios'
frequency readouts).  A cardboard slide scale or dial will work.  I'm
thinking of programming my HP48 to do the conversion for me.  You need
something like this to know where to tune on the uplink to hear a given
downlink frequency.

Software to track satellites and predict passes.  There are many programs
that work.  Price ranges from free to $70 for state-of-the-art QuickTrack
or InstantTrack (available from AMSAT).  Special software is also needed
to use the Pacsats, and to interpret telemetry data.  This software is also
available from the usual ham sources, and from AMSAT (BTW, software sales
support the amateur satellite program!)

Polarity switchers optimize antenna performance by allowing switching
antenna feeds from RHCP to LHCP as the need arises.  They are a very useful
add-on, but don't appear essential.

Equipment to measure power output, SWR, transmit frequency - all useful
(see - satellites are not that different from HF!).

FREQUENCIES:

Amateur Radio Satellite Frequencies (as of January 1994)

Designation Frequencies    Transponder/    Mode
                           Beacon
AO-10
  Downlinks 145.810        B               B
            145.825-.975   T               B
            145.987        B               B (Usually off)
  Uplinks   435.027-.179   T               B

RS-10
  Downlinks  29.357        B               A
             29.360-.400   T               A
             29.403        B (Robot)       A
            145.857        B               T/KT
            145.903        B (Robot)       T/KT
  Uplinks   145.860-.900   T               T/KT
        145.820        B (Robot)       T/KT

RS-12
  Downlinks  29.408        B               K
             29.410-.450   T               K
             29.454        B (Robot)       K
            145.913        B               T/KT
            145.959        B (Robot)       T/KT
  Uplinks    21.210-.250   T               K

AO-13
  Downlinks 145.812        B               B
            145.825-.975   T               B
            145.985        B               B (Usually off)
            435.651        B               L/JL
            435.677                        RUDAK
            435.715-6.005  T               L/JL
           2400.664        B               S
           2400.711-.749   T               S
  Uplinks   435.423-.573   T               B/S
            435.601-.637   T               B/S

AO-16
  Downlinks 437.02625      T/B             J Dig. (1200b SSB) (secondary)
            437.05130      T/B             J Dig. (1200b Rai. Cos SSB) (pri)
           2401.14280      B               1200 bps SSB (Usually off)
  Uplinks   145.900        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.920        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.940        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.960        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital

DO-17
  Downlinks 145.82438      B               1200 bps AFSK FM or Dig Voice
            145.82516      B               1200 bps AFSK FM or Dig Voice
           2401.22050      B               1200 bps BPSK (SSB) (usually off)
  Uplinks       None

WO-18
  Downlink  437.10200      B               1200 bps BPSK, J Dig (Telem, Image)
  Uplink        None

LO-19
  Downlinks 437.125        T/B             J Digital (secondary)
            437.127        B               CW
            437.154        T/B             J Digital (primary)
  Uplinks   145.840        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.860        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.880        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.900        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital

FO-20
  Downlinks 435.795        B               J Analog
            435.800-.900   T               J Analog (See below)
            435.910        T/B             1200 bps BPSK (SSB), J Digital
  Uplinks   145.850        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.870        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.890        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
            145.910        T               1200 bps AFSK FM Digital
  OR        145.900-6.00   T               CW/SSB (Alternates with above
                                           every other week.  Changes on
                                           Wednesdays)

AO-21
  Downlinks 145.852-.932   T               CW/SSB
            145.866-.946   T               CW/SSB
            145.985        Repeater        FM (Alternates with voice
                                               bulletins and telemetry)
  Uplinks   435.022-.102   T               CW/SSB
            435.601-.637   T               CW/SSB
            435.015        Repeater        FM (See above)

UO-22
  Downlink  435.120        T               9600 bps FM Digital
  Uplinks   145.900        T               9600 bps FM Digital
            145.975        T               9600 bps FM Digital

KO-23 (KITSAT)
  Downlink  435.175        T               9600 bps FM Digital
  Uplinks   145.850        T               9600 bps FM Digital
            145.900        T               9600 bps FM Digital

Mir
  Downlink  145.550        T/Robot         (Packet mailbox. Alternates
                                            with simplex FM voice QSOs
                                            occasionally)

KO-25 (KITSAT-B)
  Downlink  435.175/436.500 MHz            9600 bps FSK FM Digital
  Uplink    145.870/145.980 MHz            9600 bps FSK FM Digital

AO-26 (ITAMSAT)
  Downlink  435.867 MHz                    1200 bps PSK Digital
  Uplinks   145.875 MHz                    1200 bps FM Digital
            145.900 MHz                    1200 bps FM Digital
            145.925 MHz                    1200 bps FM Digital
            145.950 MHz                    1200 bps FM Digital

AO-27 (AMRAD)
  Downlink  436.798 MHz                    Analog FM voice/9600 bps FSK FM
  Uplink    145.850 MHz                    Analog FM voice/9600 bps FSK FM

PO-28
  Uplink    145.975 MHz                    JD 9600 bps FSK (Primary)
            145.925 MHZ                    JD 9600 bps FSK (Secondary)
  Downlink  435.075 MHz                    JD 9600 bps FSK (Primary)
            435.050 MHz                    JD 9600 bps FSK (Secondary)
  Note: PoSat will be available to all radio amateurs from January 28, 1994.

ALIASES:

NORAD Common Name [Aliases]                   (Parent satellite)
----- ----------- --------------------------- ------------------
14129 AO-10       [OSCAR 10, Phase 3B]
14781 UO-11       [OSCAR 11, UO-11, UOSAT-B, UOSAT 2]
16609 Mir
18129 RS-10/11    [RS-10]                      (COSMOS 1861)
19216 AO-13       [OSCAR 13, Phase 3C]
20437 UO-14       [OSCAR 14, UOSAT-OSCAR 14]
20438 UO-15       [OSCAR 15, UOSAT-OSCAR 15]
20439 AO-16       [OSCAR 16, Pacsat, Microsat-A]
20440 DO-17       [OSCAR 17, DOVE, Microsat-B]
20441 WO-18       [OSCAR 18, WEBERSAT, Microsat-C]
20442 LO-19       [OSCAR 19, LUSAT, Microsat-D]
20480 FO-20       [Fuji-OSCAR 20]              (JAS 1-B)
21087 AO-21       [OSCAR 21, RS-14, RUDAK-II]  (INFORMTR-1 or INFORMATOR-1)
21089 RS-12/13    [RS-12]                      (COSMOS 2123)
21575 UO-22       [OSCAR 22, UoSAT, UOSAT-F]
22077 KO-23       [OSCAR 23, KITSAT A]
22654 ARSENE
22825 AO-27       [OSCAR 27, AMRAD]            (EYESAT-1)
22826 AO-26       [ITAMSAT, IO-26]
22829 PO-28       [POSAT, POSAT 1]
22830 KO-25       [KITSAT B]

 ____       ____
|   / /_  __\   | Disk       Stephen Holmstead            All comments (c)1994
|  | / / /_/ |  | Memory     [e-mail]      Opinions are mine,
|___\   /   /___| Division   Fax: [phone]            not my employer's.