Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. They specify the size and shape of the orbit, and how the orbit is oriented with respect to the Earth … Read more
Operating on satellites is relatively straightforward, but over the years many tips, tricks, and secrets have been discovered which make operating more efficient and pleasant. Here we are collecting information of use to both the new and experienced operator. Fox-1 Operating Guide, updated for 2019, includes pointers on getting started and provides a handy reference to … Read more
Several new amateur radio satellites were sent to the ISS on the first Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Cygnus mission from Wallops Island at 18:07UTC January 9th, 2014. These satellites will be deployed from ISS over the coming weeks, using the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer from the airlock on the Kibo module of the station. Check back … Read more
FUNcube-1, also known as AO-73, is a 1U cubesat (10cm x 10cm x 10cm) built and launched as a collaborative effort between AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NL, and ISIS-BV. The primary function of the satellite is educational outreach, utilizing onboard experiments, an easy-to-copy 1200 baud BPSK beacon, an innovative SDR receiver (the FUNcube Dongle), and telemetry decoding, archiving, … Read more