Also in GB2RS this week..
The FUNcube-1 or AO-73 amateur radio satellite has been in orbit for more than six weeks and things are going well. There is now a way to view the latest AO-73 high resolution data that has been uploaded to the FUNcube Data Warehouse. A link can be found in the Navigation Bar on the warehouse. Clicking on this link will make the high resolution data available to download as .csv files, go to tinyurl.com/funcube-telemetry-dashboard. The telemetry downlink frequency is 145.935MHz and data is transmitted in BPSK format. FUNcube also carries a CW and SSB inverting transponder. The uplink pass band is from 435.150 to 435.130MHz LSB, with a downlink from 145.950 to 145.970MHz on USB.
The Spanish PTT has authorised the use of several frequencies in the 5MHz band from 1st January to 30th June 2014. The authorised frequencies are 5268, 5295, 5313, 5382, 5430 and 5439kHz, with a power of 100W PEP. Unfortunately none of these frequencies coincide with the UK 5MHz frequency allocations. The first 4 channels are very close to our allocation; the last 2 are well above. The frequencies announced are channel centres, so USB dial frequency will be 1.5kHz lower. Please note that if UK operators respond to calls on these frequencies, they will be operating out of band.
A limited number of Czech radio amateurs will be returning to the 5MHz band and the permits will be valid until the end of 2014. Those Czech amateurs issued with one of these special permits will be allowed to use six channels that are common to many other nations. These are 5288.5, 5330.5, 5366.5, 5371.5, 5398.5 and 5403.5kHz. Transmissions are limited to upper sideband and CW only at a power level of 100 watts effective radiated power.
SOS Radio Week organisers have had some difficulty with the registration page on their website for the event that runs from 19 to 25 January. To date 27 registrations have been successfully received, but it seems there may be more. If you have attempted to register and you have not received any login details, please contact the organisers. All details on the event can be found at www.sosradioweek.org.uk.
Members of the UK CubeSat community have established a forum for UK nanosatellite or CubeSat stakeholders. The UK Space Agency and two radio amateurs sit on the organising committee. The UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat, UKube-1, will carry an amateur radio transponder and is expected to launch this year. You can follow the work of the forum and respond to requests for views at www.cubesatforum.org.uk/.
Category: GB2RS Headlines
