[amsat-bb] Re: Nothing in AO-51

[JoAnne Maenpaa]

Hello everyone,

The info below may help in planning AO-51 operations on Wednesday and
Thursday for the next few weeks.

--
73 de JoAnne K9JKM
k9jkm at amsat.org
Editor, AMSAT News Service



SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-126.02
AO-51 Schedule Change to Accomodate New Software Testing

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 126.02
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 6, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-126.02

AMSAT Vice President of Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, previously 
announced the on-going software upgrade and ensuing testing efforts for 
AO-51.

During the last round of testing and upgrades on AO-51, the Command 
Team discovered a problem with the BBS receiver interfering with the 
command system with either UHF transmitter above a certain power level. 
This problem had gone unsolved since launch until the relationship to 
the receiver was found. The good news is the problem goes away when 
that receiver is shut off.
 
The bad news is that particular receiver is the only user receiver the 
operating system allows to access the BBS. A rewrite of the core opera-
ting software is required to work around this issue, and there is 
exactly one person who can do this. For the mean time AO-51 will pri-
marily be an analog mode satellite, until the fix is coded and tested 
thoroughly on the ground.

Testing aboard the satellite has started.  Gould, WA4SXM, AO-51 
Operations Group and Command station has updated the May 2007 AO-51 
(AMSAT Echo) Schedule.  Gould wrote, "We will be testing automatic mode 
switching on AO-51 for 2 days each week on Wed & Thur this month, except 
for Dayton week.  The rest of the time AO-51 will be in 'normal' mode."

The first mode switch already occured on an early US east coast pass 
on 2 May 2007.  The AO-51 schedule for May on the AMSAT web site has 
been updated: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/ControlTeam.php

Enjoy these modes and send comments and requests to the AO-51 Operations 
Group at ao51-modes at amsat.org. 

AO-51 May 2007 AO-51 (AMSAT Echo) Schedule 
May 1 until May 31, subject to modification

Normal mode except for 2 days testing on Wed - Fri.  
Testing of the automatic scheduler  

2 - 4 May 2007,  9 - 11 May &  23 -25 May,  no change during Dayton week, 
to be defined mode change the last week of the month.

2 May - 4 May  Mode 7 Testing

  FM Repeater, V/U
  Uplink:   145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone
  Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 

  QRP FM Repeater, V/U
  Uplink:   145.880 MHz FM, NO PL Tone
  Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM 

9 May - 11 May Mode 4 Testing  (Field Day configuration) 

  FM Repeater, V/U
  Uplink:   145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone
  Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 

  FM Repeater, L/U
  Uplink:   1268.700 MHz FM, NO PL Tone
  Downlink:  435.150 MHz FM 

23 May - 25 May Mode 2 Testing

  FM Repeater, V/S
  Uplink:    145.880 MHz FM, NO PL Tone
  Downlink: 2401.200 MHz FM 

Normal Mode 
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink:   145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone
Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM
9k6 Digital, V/U, Telemetry Only
Downlink: 435.150 Mhz FM, 9k6 Telemetry

[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM for the above information]

/EX