Radio Amateurs&

Satellitesby Jean Marc Momplé (3B8DU)

member of:

the Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS) Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)

What is Radio Amateur?A Radio Amateur, also known as a “ham”, is a person which uses radio frequencies for the purposes of experimentation, self training, non-commercial exchange of messages, private recreation and emergency communication without any pecuniary interest.

A Radio Amateur must pass a competency examination carried out by the Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS) and obtain a Licence issued by the regulatory authority (ICTA) which will assign him a “callsign” (3B8XXY), before he may operate his station.

Over the years Radio Amateurs have significantly and benevolently contributed to education, science, engineering and greatly helped in times of emergency.

There are about 3 million licenced Radio Amateur operators worldwide represented at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) by their worldwide association the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). Many are actively involved satellites in activities.

By 3B8DU

By 3B8DU

Radio Amateur station

Transmitter

Receiver

Computer/sequipment control and digital mode

Antennas/s

Radio/s

A typical Radio Amateur station consists of several components and as a minimum a radio transmitter, a receiver and an antenna

Optional

Morse key

Satellite orbits

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HEO Satellites:Highly Elliptical Orbit satellites

“Circular” Orbit

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites (up to 2000 Km altitude)

Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites (35,000 Km altitude)

OSCAR 1, the first satellite build by Radio Amateurs, was launched in 1961 only 4 years after the launch of Sputnik 1. Also, it was the first non-governmental spacecraft.

Since then, Radio Amateurs regularly send transponders in space to facilitate communication between themselves and have acquired some competencies in space technologies.

Many Radio Amateurs are helping Universities or scientific organizations to build their satellites and/or Ground Stationsand also collect data sent by spacecraft's worldwide.

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Radio Amateur satellites

Launch mass 10.0 kilogramsDimensions 15.2 by 25.4 by 33 cm Apogee 474 KmPerigee 245 Km

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OSCAR 7 (AO-7)

Constructed by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), it was launched on November 15, 1974 and remained operational until a battery failure in 1981. Then after 21 years of apparent silence, the satellite was heard again on June 21, 2002, some 27 years after launch. It is presently still operational when in sunlight and still used by Radio Amateurs to communicate.

Launch mass: 28.8 kilogramsDimensions: 36.0cm x 42.4cm octahedron

Apogee 1,465 KmPerigee 1,447 Km

Mauritian Radio Amateurs have been active on satellites

since the time of Oscar 7.

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One of the most used elliptical orbit satellite was Oscar-13, launched on June 15 1988 on the first test flight of the Ariane 4 rocket, along with Panamsat and Meteosat P2. Eight and a half years later AO-13 re-entered and burned up, on December 5 1996. With its high apogee Oscar-13 gave global VHF, UHF and SHF radio coverage to thousands of Radio Amateur operators.

OSCAR 13 (AO-13) Height: 1.35 m, Width: 2.0 m, Weight: 140 140 Kg (at launch), 90 Kg (after engine firings)Apogee 38,000 KmPerigee 720 Km

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AMSAT Japan (JAMSAT) has contributed to many satellites, in addition to launching its own satellites in cooperation with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Fuji-OSCAR series. The most known one is FO-29 which was launched on 17 August, 1996, it has a relatively large footprint and can be accessed with portable radios (walkie-talkies). It is still active after over 21 years in orbit and is still a very popular “bird”.

Fuji-OSCAR 29 (FO-29)

Dimensions:44 x 47 cm sphere-like polyhedronWeight: 50 KgApogee 1,323 KmPerigee 800 Km

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Fox-1D or OSCAR 92 (AO-92) was launched on the PSLV-C40 mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on January 12, 2018.

It carries a Radio Amateur UHF/VHF FM transponder, L-Band Downshifter, a Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa’s High Energy Radiation CubeSatInstrument (HERCI).

Example of a FM repeater CubeSat

CubeSat 10 x 10 cm

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Example of CubeSats carrying amateur radio

Many CubeSats are being launched carrying Radio Amateur transponders, as an example 3 Cubesat last year, namely Bhutan 1 of Bhutan, Maya-1 a Filipino project and UiTMSAT-1 of Malaysia.

All three where launched from the International Space Station on Friday 10 August 2018 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Kibo's robotic arm and all 3 carry Amateur Radio digipeaters.

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Longjiang-1 and Longjiang-2 carrying Radio Amateur transponders were launched with a Long March 4C rocket from Xichang, China on the 20th May 2018.

DSLWP-B, Lunar OSCAR 94 (LO-94), successfully entered elliptical lunar orbit some 400,000 from the earth and is now orbiting the moon since 25th May 2018.

Many Radio Amateurs around the world have been able to receive the weak signal from the moon orbit, this using relatively modest ground stations, including 2 Mauritians 3B8FA and 3B8DU.

Lunar Amateur transponder

Examole of beacon DSLWP-B received at Curepipe

The ISS carries several Radio Amateur transponders such as FM repeater, ATV and APRS digipeater.

Various experiment using Radio Amateurs frequencies are carried out from the ISS.

Radio Amateur Slow Scan TV are broadcasted regularly for special events.

International Space Station (ISS)

By 3B8DU

Award obtained by 3B8FA (Mauritian

Radio Amateur) for receiving SSTV

picture from the ISS

Example of SSTV picture transmitted from the ISS, left one received in Curepipe by 3B8DU and right one this year in Solitude by 3B8FA

SSTV Pictures received from ISS

By 3B8DU

By 3B8DU

ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) lets students worldwide experience the excitement of talking directly with the crew members of the ISS, inspiring

them to pursue interests in careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

International Space Station (ISS)

Many astronauts are Radio Amateurs

Es’hailSat-2 is commercial GEO satellite carrying Radio Amateur geostationary transponders as secondary payload.

Covering approximately 5.2 billion population which translates to more than 1.5 million Radio Amateurs in nearly 225 countries.

On 15 November 2018 Es'hail-2 was launched witha SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral.

Testing was recently been completed and the Amateur Radio narrowband and wideband amateur transponders have been open to traffic on 14th February 2019 enabling 24/7 contacts.

The Radio Amateur payload has officially received the Amateur Radio designation of Qatar OSCAR 100 (QO-100).

First Radio Amateur GEO transponders

Coverage

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QO-100 transponders communications

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Two local Radio Amateurs are presently active on Es’Hail 2 (QO-100) namely 3B8FA (Patrice) and 3B8DU. Many modes may be used such as narrow band communication like Morse (CW), Single Sideband (SSB), Slow Scan TV (SSTV), packet etc… but also wide band transmission such as Digital Amateur TV.

DATV Beacon transmission received by 3B8DU

DL9DAC (Germany) and 3B8FA (Mauritius)

exchanging a SSTV QSO (contact)

PE1ASH (Holland) DATV transmission received by 3B8DU

Assuming one has a computer, several LEO satellites and CubeSat telemetry or images may be received. The antenna may be built in a few hours from readily available material in hardware stores.

This setup may be used by students or radio enthusiasts to get acquainted with LEO satellites and space technology.

To note that a Radio Amateur licence is not required for receiving only stations.

+ +SDR

Receiving LEO Satellite with SDR

+LNA

DYI AntennaAll required software are FREE

By 3B8DU

By 3B8DU

Software Define Radio (SDR) receiver

Receiving the strong signal of NO-AA 15 Weather Satellite with a SDR

Using:

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Examples of NOAA images received by 3B8DU.

NO-AA 15 image 14/07/2018

Gelena 9/02/2019 approaching Rodrigues

NOAA-18

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Is all software (not hardware anymore)Forwarder to

Data-Warehouse SDR Program Tracking Software

Software ModemData file generator application XW-2F Satellite

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Decoded XW-2F KISS file

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Amsat Fox series Online Decoder

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Satnogs Data-Warehouse

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Radio Amateur Ground StationUHF Omnidirectional Antenna

VHF Omnidirectional Antenna

“home brewed”

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Tracking Ground Station AntennasIn order to receive LEO satellites at low elevation (horizon to horizon), many Radio Amateur satellite Ground Station antennas are high gain directional ones, such as Yagi’s or dish antennas which are automatically pointed towards the satellite with a computer controlled motor (Rotator).

High quality low noise amplifiers are also used.

Over 80 satellites has been received or worked with this station.

2.4 GHz 2.4m dish

10 GHz 80 cm dishmotorised tracking

Az/ele Rotator

145 MHz Yagi 435 MHz Yagi

1.2 and 2.4 Ghz Helixs’

+

+

+

+

+A Semi-duplex radio + SDR

A duplex radioOR

2-Way satellite communication set-up

+SDR for telemetry

reception

SDR for communication & telemetry reception

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Very modest setup sometimes works well

JY1 satellite (Jordan 1st Cubesat) received at Bambous Virieux in January 2019, the satellite was named in tribute of the late King Hussein who was a Radio Amateur

(his callsign was JY1), 11 satellites decoded with this antenna.

By 3B8DU

Satellite Portable operationOne local Radio Amateur, Francois (3B8GZ) made many reliable 2-way voice contacts on LEO satellites with Reunion, South Africa, Madagascar and Kenya using simple gears.

A “home brew” antenna, 2 walkie-talkies and computer headset. All together costing less that Rs 4,000.

In the beginning it is not obvious where to point the antenna, however after a few satellite passes one acquires the required skill by listening at his own voice coming back from the bird.

Four Radio Amateur satellites have been successfully worked (2-way contact) with this set-up, namely AO-91, AO-92, FO-29 and SO-50.

By 3B8DU

QSL Card

Radio Amateurs exchange QSL cards (electronic form is also now used) for confirming that a radio contact has been established between the 2 stations and this is used for obtaining

awards or for personal collection. It is a tradition which started during the early days of radio broadcasting to report reception quality so that the broadcaster could adjust their

technical setup or for quality control.

By 3B8DU

MIR-SAT 1

MIR-SAT 1 is a great opportunity for capacity building in Mauritius, Radio Amateurs in the region and their associations are benevolently supporting the project.

End Note• Hams communicate with other hams around the globe, on a distant continent or from

an orbiting space station!;

• some talk via computers, others prefer to use regular voice communication, and some use the efficient and enjoyable 19th century technology known as Morse code;

• some hams help people save people's live by handling emergency communications following a natural disaster or other emergency;

• some become close friends with the people they talk to on the other side of the globe, then make it a point to meet one or more of them in person;

• it would take hundreds of pages to tell what ham radio is all about, but I can tell you: it's one of the most exciting and versatile hobby.

(Johannes DL4EBJ)By 3B8DU

THANK YOU

Contact author:Jean Marc Momplé (3B8DU)

jean.marc.momple@gmail.com

MARS contact for Radio Amateur Examination: The Secretary

Mauritius Amateur Radio Society P.O. Box 104

Quatre Bornes