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AO-51 Engineering Team Monitoring Power Levels

Due to the increasing time AO-51 is spending in eclipse AMSAT Vice-President of Operations, Drew KO4MA reports that transmitter power levels have needed to be reduced. This way the batteries will provide enough power to keep the satellite operational when the solar cells are not providing charging current. AO-51 users have already noted the weaker signals on the downlinks.

Gould, WA4SXM, AO-51 Ground Control Station said, "I have had to change both transmitter power levels as low as I can go without turning them off to get Echo through the 16+ minute eclipse periods. I have set the 435.150 MHz downlink (TXa) to 210 mW and the 435.300 MHz downlink (TXb) to 290 mW. Operations on the 435.150 downlink may occasionally be interrupted as ground control stations collect telemetry data to monitor that status of the power system. The eclipse time should start to decrease over the next few days hopefully allowing improvement in the transmitter power settings."

For the period between June 29 - July 5 AO-51 will operate in this configuration:

FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.920 Mhz FM
Downlink: 435.300 Mhz FM

9k6 BBS and Telemetry
Uplink: 1268.700 Mhz FM
Downlink: 435.150 Mhz FM

Please check the AO-51 Control Team Web Page for latest operating information.

AMSAT now has a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/AMSAT where the AO-51 Operations Team will try to tweet things too small for ANS bulletins or email, but of interest to the general AMSAT community.


2009 Board of Directors Nominations Announced

Per the AMSAT bylaws, those individuals nominated to serve a 2 year term for the AMSAT Board of Directors are:

  • Barry Baines, WD4ASW
  • Alan Biddle, WA4SCA
  • Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
  • Tony Monteiro, AA2TX
  • Bill Ress, N6GHZ

Ballots should be in the mail by July 15th.


Remember To Send in Your AMSAT Satellite Field Day Score

Now that Field Day has come and gone remember to submit your score using the Satellite Summary Sheet to AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, Bruce KK5DO. This format should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (email or postal mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 13, 2009. The preferred method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do@amsat.org or kk5do@arrl.net.

You may also use the postal service but give plenty of time for your results to arrive by the submission date. Add photographs or other interesting information so that can be used an article for the Journal. If mailing your submission, use the callbook or QRZ,com mailing address for KK5DO.

Certificates will be awarded to the first-place, second, and third place emergency power/portable stations at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in October, 2009.

Updated: 28 Jun, 09

Original American Colonies Will Be Active on Satellite

During the period from July 1 through July 5 at least nine of the Original 13 American Colonies will be active on the amateur satellites as part of a special event organized by Ken, KU2US, in New York. Full details are available on Ken's 13 Colonies Web Page. You'll also find updates on Ken's QRZ.com page - just ­look up KU2US.

Listed alphabetically by Colony, here are the stations that have confirmed to date. The calls they will use are in parentheses:

  • Georgia ­ Tim, N3TL (K2G)
  • Maryland Bruce, WA3SWJ (K2F)
  • Massachusetts ­ Dave, KB1PVH (K2H)
  • New Hampshire ­ Rik, N1XED (K2K)
  • New Jersey ­ Marc, W4MPS (K2I)
  • New York ­ Peter, WB2OQQ (K2A)
  • North Carolina ­ Jim, ND9M (K2J/K2T)
  • Pennsylvania Gary, N2AUO (K2M)
  • Rhode Island ­ Fletch, N1RCN (K2C)
  • South Carolina ­ Art, K4YYL (K2L)
  • Virginia ­ Steve, NL7VX (K2B)
Right now there remain openings for volunteers from Connecticut, and Delaware, to represent your state. Please e-mail Tim, N3TL to let him you are interested. Tim will provide more information after hearing from anyone who wants to activate one of the four remaining colonies.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to work one or more of the colonies on passes from July 1 through July 5. You only need to work one station to get the certificate, but the more the merrier!
  Tim summarized, "I intend to work at least one pass of every satellite as K2G, every day."

Updated: 01 Jul, 09

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