Why not put your own Satellite in space ?

 for as little as $19.00

1. Transmitter power is 10mW DSSS transmitted through a dipole. The maximum solar panel power available on the standard device is 100mW. 
2. Hardware Development Scouts can potentially have as much as 500mW solar power.
3. The orientation of the device in orbit around the earth should be able to be determined most accurately by use of the magnetometer.
4.  It might also be possible to work out orientation by using the single pixel sensor as a moon/earth/sun sensor.
5. They will be doing there best to make the landing site the earth side of the moon.
6. If you are, or would like to be, a radio amateur, they will show you how to communicate directly with your spacecraft in space when it is nearby using inexpensive UHF and S-band equipment. Communication at (cis-)lunar distances is more expensive (typically requiring 5-24m+ steerable dishes), but available to some clubs and enthusiasts.

More info is available at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1677943140/send-your-own-pocket-spacecraft-on-a-mission-to-th

NEE-01 PEGASUS Cubesat

NEE-01 PEGASUS Cubesat

Height: 650km 

Mass: 1266.6 g 

Frequency: Central: 910MHz 

Bandwidth: 25Mhz 

EIRP: 34.1dBm
Carrier: FM
Audio Modulation: AMTV / CW (3 carriers) / SSTV (various modes) 

more info is available here http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://pegaso.exa.ec/index-en.html&usg=ALkJrhjYnNAa9rTmSW7fiYq3ICeFqiKh7g

ESTCube-1 Satellite CubeSat

ESTCube-1 Satellite CubeSat

 It was launched on 7 May 2013

Circular orbit at an altitude of 820 km

CW Beacon 437.250 MHz , call sign (ES5E/S)

• Output power: 0.1 W

• CW Bitrate: approximately 9 bps, 18 WPM

• Sending period: 3 to 4 minutes

AX.25 telemetry 437.505 MHz – 9600 bps , Call sign (ES5E-11)

More details are availbel from http://www.estcube.eu/en/radio-details

CubeBug-1 Cube Satellite

The CubeBug-1 2U CubeSat, also known as Capitán Beto

Beacon 437438 MHz AFSK AX.25, 1200 bps (callsign LU1VZ-11.)

• 1 watt output
• After the technology demonstration part of the mission is over, the satellite will enter a mode that will include services to the Amateur radio community, including an AX.25 Packet Radio Digipeater, science data downloads from the payload (including images if possible).

More info here http://1.cubebug.org
and http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/satellite/cube-nano-picosats/cubebug-1/

TURKSAT 3USAT Satellite

TURKSAT 3USAT Satellite

You could listin to my websdr on Sat freq http://zr6aic.giga.co.za:8902/ (Egg Beater mark 2 Antenna)

Stats:

• Down-link 435.200 – 435.250 MHz Linear Transponder ("Tracking"mode "inverting")
• Up-link 145.940 – 145.990 MHz Linear Transponder.
• Beacon 437.225 MHz CW ( " YM2RTU "call sign)
• 680 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Reception report submission page.  http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://turksat3usat.tamsat.org.tr/info/&usg=ALkJrhgd6DgnRP57nAmSzIGxg5F8v5ufAQ

Here is the info regarding this satellite. http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/turksat-3usat/

Latest Kep's for TURKSAT 3USAT
New TLE info:  http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt
Satellite 3USAT number: 2013-018C

Cube Bug-1 Satellite was launched on same rocket.

Building my Eggbeater II Omni LEO Antennas

Building my Eggbeater II Omni low Earth orbit satellite Antennas for 70cm and 2M. 

70cm Egg Beater

I only had vertical 5/8 ground plane antenna fro 70cm and 2m band and wanted to get better reception on the new cube satellites frequency.
This assembly is based on the Jerry, K5OE Eggbeater II design.
More details at  http://wb5rmg.somenet.net/k5oe/Eggbeater_2.html

70cm Eggbeater II

First get the following items:

1) 2.5 mm SQ (Minimum) Flex cable used in normal 15A plug cable with solid copper core. (about 2m)

2) 50mm PVC Plumbing pipe.(3m lent)

3) 50mm PVC end caps (qty 1)

4) RG65 Coax Cable for matching unit (18.5 cm) 93 Ohm

5) 3mm x 15mm screw with nuts (qty 4)

6) Spade terminals (qty 8)
7) RG58 or recommended RG213 coaxial cable feed line 50 Ohm.
2m Eggbeater II
The 2 meter loops are 51 cm wide by 63 cm tall; 2 meter the reflectors are 100.5 cm long and 101 cm below the driven elements.
137 MHz WX Sat Dimensions
 The loops should be built with # 8 AWG wire and the reflectors should be increased to about 1/4" diameter. The loops will be 54 cm wide by 66.5 cm high. The reflectors will be 107 cm long and 108 cm distance from the feed point. The RG-62 will be 45 cm long (plus 2.5 cm at each end).

Phasing line
The 70 cm phasing line is  (13.5 cm) long and the 2 meter phasing line is (41.5 cm) long. Cut the RG-62 about (5 cm) longer than these measurements and leave (2.5 cm) at each end to strip the insulation, peel back the braid, strip the center conductor, and attached the ring lugs.

Tools:

1) Side cutter.

2) Drill and 3mm metal drill bit.

3) Measuring type.

4) SWR meter or VNA analyzer if you have one.

5) Long nose players or crimping tool.
6) Insulation tape.

Youtube video of Egg beater assebly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai2KiaTMveE

 The 70 cm loops are (17 cm) wide by (21 cm) high and the reflectors is (33.5 cm) long and  (33 cm) below the driven elements

Step by step instructions to assemble 70cm Antenna.
1) Strip the cable from the plastic flex cable.

2) Drill the 50mm PVC end caps with 3mm drill diagonal from each other and mount the wire crimp lugs with the screws and nut.

Crimp lugs

50mm PVC end cap assembled.

2) Bend the wire 21 x 17cm

21cm high

17cm wide

3) Cut the wire end to still give you 17cm with when inserted on external crimp lugs and crimp the lugs with long nose players or crimping tool. (use insulation to hold top section together.)

Assembled active loops

4) Cut two lengths of  cable of 33.7 cm and straiten.

5) Cut about 5mm wide and 1cm deep square cuts out of 50mm PVC end as on picture below.

Cut out squares from pipe end.

6) Then mount the assembled end cap with active elements on to PVC pipe where you have cut out the squares.

Assembled end cap on PVC pipe

5)Then drill 4 holes 33cm below the driving elements diagonal in pipe 

I have drilled 4 hole above and 4 holes below the 33cm distance so I can fine tune the SWR 

Drilled 12 holes 33cm below driver elements

6) Assemble the previously cut 33.7cm wires in the center drilled holes as in picture below.

7) Assembly of feed line next weakened.

Cut the RG-62 about (5 cm) longer than these measurements and leave (2.5 cm) at each end to strip the insulation.
 The 70 cm phasing line is (13.5 cm) long.(add 5 cm to strip 2.5cm on ether side)

Feed Line connection Diagram

Here is my pictures for the assembly of  feed line

13.5cm RG65

RG62 13.5 cm + Rg58 from 70cm Transceiver

Complete Antenna

Ref: more details at  http://wb5rmg.somenet.net/k5oe/Eggbeater_2.html

Here is some pictures of the construction of 2m Eggbeater

2m Feedline

RG65 and RG58 feadline (2m)

2m Top support

Assembly of top section (2M)

2m Feed line connection

Adding phase and feed line (2M)

2m and 70cm Eggbeater Antenna

Add caption

Some more pictures from Hams

70cm Eggbeater Jan 2014

Here is some more pictures from hams who have build the Eggbeater.

70cm Eggbeater Jan 2014

2m Eggbeater Jan 2014

2m Eggbeater Jan 2014

2m Eggbeater and 30m dipole

My new 2m Egg beater

I had some problems with Big OWL bending my 70cm Eggbeater antenna several times where after I decided to redo the 70cm Eggbeater with bigger 5mm Aluminum Rods.

Bend by Large Owl

Owl

Here is a picture of my refurbish 70cm Eggbeater.
I had to bend the Aluminum with a gas torches heating up the corner when bending it as it broke if I tried to bend it if it was room temperature .

5mm Aluminum Rods in place of 2.5mm Coper wire.

Bent with gas torches.

Android in Space Mission. Plans for Launch on February 25 (STRaND-1)

And we're in orbit!  At 785km altitude moving at 7km/s. The question remains: can anyone hear you (12:59 GMT 25 Feb 2013)(STRaND-1)

Estimated time off view 26 Feb at 70cm Receiver SSB/AM only(no FM).

More info at http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/

Here is a Receiver in South of Johannesburg in South Africa if you want to listen to  STRaND-1 on the scheduled times. 

UK Space Mission - STRaND-1 Plans for Launch on February 25

STRaND-1

A UK mission, jointly developed by the University of Surrey's Sur-
rey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
(SSTL), to send the world's first smartphone satellite into orbit,
is due to launch on February 25 from India on PSLV-C20. This launch
will also carry the ocean study spacecraft SARAL as well as satel-
lites carrying amateur radio payloads.

STRaND-1 will be the first UK CubeSat to be launched and has been
developed by talented space engineers and researchers at Surrey with
the majority of the design and developmental work being carried out
in their spare time. The build and test phase of the project has
been completed in just three months. At the heart of STRaND-1 is a
Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system.

During the first phase of the mission, STRaND-1 will use a number of
experimental 'Apps' to collect data while a high-speed linux-based
CubeSat computer developed by SSC takes care of the satellite. During
phase two, the STRaND-1 team plan to switch the satellite's in-orbit
operations to the smartphone, testing the capabilities of a number of
standard smartphone components for a space environment. The satellite
will be commissioned and operated from the Surrey Space Centre's
ground station at the University of Surrey.

Being the first smartphone satellite in orbit is just one of many
'firsts' that STRaND-1 is hoping to achieve. It will also fly inno-
vative new technologies such as a 'WARP DRiVE' (Water Alcohol Resist-
ojet Propulsion Deorbit Re-entry Velocity Experiment) and electric
Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs); both 'firsts' to fly on a nanosatel-
lite. It is also flying a 3D printed part - believed to be the first
to fly in space!

A software-based speech synthesiser will be included to pay homage
to the UOSAT family of satellites OSCAR 9 and 11, that were launched
in 1980 & 1982. There will be an amateur radio AX.25 packet radio
downlink on 437.575 MHz using data rates of 9k6 or 19k2 bps.

On-line articles of the STRaND-1 mission can be found at:
http://www.amsat-uk.org/
http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=43314

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Spaceref.com for the above information]

Live launch broadcast 25 Feb 2013 from about 12:00 GMT http://www.webcast.gov.in/live/

Satellite News

Cubesats Deployed From Vandenberg Atlas V Launch

The Atlas V NROL-36 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Cali- fornia, originally planned for August, successfully launched on 13 September at 2139 UTC.

This launch carried a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. Also aboard this flight at four cubesats as part of ELaNa IV mission and seven cubesats for government missions.

Several hours after launch Justin Foley, KI6EPH, announced via the #Cubesat IRC Channel that all eight P-PODS had successfully deployed.

The ELaNa Cubesats aboard are:

+ CINEMA (Cubesat for Ion, Neutral, Electron, Magnetic fields)

   o Downlinks for engineering telemetry and command are in the 2400-2450 MHz range; Science telemetry is in 2200-2300 MHz range.

+ CSSWE (Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment)

   o Downlink 437.345 MHz, 9k6 with AX25

+ CP5 (PolySat)

   o Downlink 437.405 MHz at 1 watt, AFSK on LSB AX.25 over NRZI at 1200 baud, every 2 minutes, begins 3.5 hours after first turn-on.

+ CXBN (Cosmic X-Ray Background Nanosatellite)

   o Downlink 437.525 MHz, GFSK, AX.25

A detailed article of the launch can be found on-line at:

http://www.americaspace.org/?p=23568&feature=youtu.be

CubeSat Deployment From ISS Set for September 27
Five cubesats launched on July 21 and now aboard the ISS have been integrated with the J-SSOD small satellite deployer on the the Jap-anese Experiment Module, also known as Kibo. They will be deployed with the Kibo robotic arm planned September 27, 2012.

First,  15:10-15:20 UTC: WE-WISH, RAIKO by Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide
Second, 16:30-16:40 UTC: TechEdSat, NanoRack/F-1, FITSAT-1 by JAXA GS

Satellite	Downlink	Beacon	Mode
FITSAT-1	437.445, 5.84GHz	437.250	FM,CWWE
WISH	437.505	437.505	SSTV,
CWRAIKO	2.2GHz, 13GHz	13GHz	38.4 - 500kbps
TechEdSat	437.465	437.465	-
CWF-1	145.980	437.485	1200bps AFSK,FM,CW

Also, refer to the previous ANS bulletin on this topic at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000650.html [ANS thanks Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL for the above information]