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