Aves Specta

ARISSat-1 aka Radioskaf aka Radioscaf-B aka KEDR aka RS01S

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29 entries on my voice telemetry chart, the first on August 4 at 10:47 UTC (Mission Elapsed Time 967). On August 9 I got MET 8166, but a week later MET was already resetting during eclipse. Last voice heard January 3 at 21:19z (MET 51), with my first IHU report exceeding 50 degrees.

43 entries on the CW chart, the first on August 18 at 00:30z, the last January 3 at 21:20z. Copied 16 callsigns (and ?3IOR), some of them multiple times...

RF ranged from 305 to 541 mA.

54 frames on the data chart, putting me in the sagging middle of DK3WN's list (261 submitters).
Call Kursk Spacecraft Total
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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will

deploy ARISSat-1, the first of a series of educational satellites being developed in a partnership with the Radio Amateur Satellite Corp. (AMSAT), the NASA Office of Education ISS National Lab Project, the Amateur Radio on ISS (ARISS) working group and RSC-Energia.

ARISSat satellites can carry up to five student experiments and the data from these experiments will be transmitted to the ground via an amateur radio link. In addition, ARISSat will transmit still frame video Earth views from four onboard cameras, commemorative greetings in native languages from students around the world, and a Morse code tracking beacon. ARISSat also will function as a world-wide space communications utility for use by amateur radio operators.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/russi...

EDIT: Deployment has been postponed.

With 37 sounds and 4 tones, Mandarin is beyond my imminent learning, but I have this start: Xī Wàng (to hope, to wish for, to desire).

Hope OSCAR 68 is the designated name for XW-1, the Chinese satellite that launched December 14 and soon began supporting communications by amateur radio.

The first North American pass with the FM transponder activated was immensely crowded, hampering almost everyone's ability to make a contact or upload a packet. Mostly I listened to chaos. Occasionally, I would transmit a partial syllable and quickly determine I was having no luck with low power and an indoor Arrow antenna.

A day or two later, I managed to get in "1AIA" while the satellite was coming over from the north, prompting a persistent KC9ELU to try an exchange. But no go.

SumbandilaSat launched September 17 and the control team has been stepping the South African satellite through its commissioning activities. Only in the past few days has the amateur radio transponder been activated over the United States, and this morning was the first apparent opportunity for east coast stations to be in the footprint of an active OSCAR 67.

I unexpectedly heard nothing at the appointed hour, but when I cast my callsign skyward the downlink was clear and then I had a call from K8YSE. Success on SO-67! John kindly shared a recording of the entire pass, and ZR1JAK mapped stations heard during this and the subsequent pass (which was out of range for me) based on John's captured audio.

I haven't tracked and recorded the ANDE-2 experimental satellites yet, to say nothing of decoding and submitting any data. Best intentions...

Frustratingly unclear image for a 70-degree pass, which I am attributing at least partially to the Arrow antenna, though perhaps unfairly. It's identifiable, though, and audio reception was decent.