Techsat GO-32 Open to Amateurs At Last !!!

Zenith Launcher with TechSat satellite at the start position 10.07.98

Remember Techsat, the first Israeli amateur radio satellite???

Most of us had already forgotten, as the amateur radio part of this bird had never been brought into operation.On 10th of July 1998, the Gurwin-II Techsat satellite was launched into space from Baikonur, Kazakhstan atop a Zenith launcher.

Now, four years later the bird has been commissioned for amateur use.From the Techsat web site we bring you this information:

Satellite's frequencies for 9k6 baud FM FSK:

Uplinks (MHz): 145.860 , 145.880 , 145.890 , 145.930

Downlinks(MHz): 435.325 , 435.225

Beacon Callsign: 4XTECH-11

BBS Callsign: 4XTECH-12

Ground Station (Control) callsign: 4X6EM

Ground Station QTH: Technion University, Haifa KM72MT

Operator in charge: Tidhar Teucher 4Z5CA..

GS Contact Info: email or call Tidhar at +972-4-8292646 / 3457Sunday to Thursday, 8:00-16:00 UTC.

IARC - Techsat project coordinator: Shlomo Menuhin 4X1AS

General TechSat Status:

The BBS server software and other improvments are being tested mostly on the ground but experimental alpha versions are

being loaded from time to time to the spacecraft for our own internal tests. Users might be able to communicate GO-32 while

the BBS is on and enabled. There is no BBS uptime schedule at the moment and we will announce the start of BBS operation when time comes. Check this site and GO-32's beacons for updates. 

Please do not send reports at the moment.

Telemtry software will be published soon in this site and also be uploded to the satellite. Check this site for update:

http://www.iarc.org/techsat/techsat.html

Ground Station Control only, System beacon every 30 seconds.No digipeater at any time.

THE FAIR IS DEAD – LONG LIVE THE FAIR !

For the last 20 years I was a regular visitor to the annual ‘Ham Radio’ in Friedrichshafen. This German town is situatedon the shores of Lake Constance.It was the greatest ham fair in Europe.Each year, on the last weekend in June, more than ten thousand radio amateurs from every country of the globe flocked to this fair.

You could get the first peek of the latest creations, state of the art communications equipment offered by manufacturers from all over the world.You would find most any parts and equipment that would make a real amateur’s heart beat faster.A huge flea market was always there and you could find most anything you had been looking for for a long time – not necessarily radio equipmenthi.

Israel hams were among the very first to have there own booth to present the Israeli amateur radio scene in general and the beautiful awards in particular.A visitor to the Israeli stand was always invited to taste some of our locally produced wines, have some tasty dates or our special 4X4 wafers.

You could listen to very interesting talks by the who’s who of amateur radio about most any subject concerning amateur radio either on electronics, DXing, DXpeditions, satellites or Packet Radio.You name any item somebody would lecture about it. 

As already stated it was always the three days of the last weekend in June.The site was a big complex of buildings where many a fair was held, in the town where the Zeppelins were built.But now this complex is being torn down.No more Ham Radio Fair?Absolutely not!Next year, on the last weekend in June, brand new buildings will host our beloved fair. 

Once gain there will be a site were campers may put up their tents or park their camper vehicles.One has to be quick to order rooms at hotels or a 'tzimmer’(B&B) at a private familie’s home.One can imagine, thaat Friedrichshafen was a huge magnet pulling the radio amateurs to there.Most any year my XYL and I decided: next year we are not coming again, but as soon as the date drew closer this curious magnet was pulling again strongly and again we were on the move to meet old friends and see what was new in our hobby.So again we said; we are too old (I am now 76) or do not have the strength any more for such a journey.Only time will tell if we can resist the pull of the magnet.

We wish the DARC many more ham fairs at the Lake of Constance and in the new premises.(4X1AT)

NO MORE ‘RADIO AMATEUR CALLBOOK’!

Another bit of bad news has reached the radio amateur community of Israel.A note from the RACB (Flying Horse) in the States, announced that the last issue if the callbook will be the summer 2003 edition.

For decades this was a most treasured item in the libraries of amateurs around the world.With its appearance on CDs it was obvious that the RACB would be integrated into all the leading electronic logbooks.

Of course we can understand the various reasons that brought about the closure decided by the publisher.Fore once it was easy, as with many other programs, to make a pirate copy – thus bringing losses to its producer.Many radio amateur societies didn’t give the required information.Here it must be noted that the RACB didn’t receive anybody’s announcement (like, for instance, QRZ.com) but only verified info from the relevant ministries of communications or the responsible and authorized people of the relevant national societies.

So what are we going to do?For me the only reasonable solution is:Every National Radio Amateur Radio Club should submit, in a commonly agreed format, a list of the country’s licenced Radio Amateurs, regardless if they are paying members or not.

Happy New Yearùðä èåáä The Staff and Management of HaGal wishes ourreaders a healthy, happy, peaceful and prosperous 5763

NEWS BRIEFS

In Friedrichshafen, 220 amateurs signed the guest book at the IARC booth.There were more visitors than signed the book of course and many of them expressed sympathy with Israel in these thrying times.

Other statistics:25 amateurs from Israel visited the booth; 8 Holyland award books were sold; maps weighing a total of 12 kilogrammes, donated by 4X4DN, were distributed.

Visitors were treated to Barkan wines, donated for the affair.

There were meetings with the heads of national radio societies and preparations were made for the upcoming IARU conference in San-Marino.(de 4X6KJ)

The treasurer, Paul 4X6UU reports that of mid-July more than 100 members had not yet paid their dues. Letters of notification have gone out.The IARC treasury had about 113,000 shekels in it (around $30,000).

By the time you are reading this, there should have been an amateur radio contact between the International Space Station and an Israeli school.Since we are going to press just before when the event is scheduled, you’ll have to wait for the next issue.Sorry.

The IARC Lecture series continues…

The latest series is a two part course by Shalom Cohen 4X1UN on HTML and how to build a web site.

Next will be a talk by 4Z4KQ on Digital Signal Processing.Past topics included Spread-Spectrum, and it is reported that video tapes were made of the talks.

A new amateur radio course is planned mid-November, to be held at the IARC HQ.Immediately after its conclusion, Ministry of Communications examinations will be held for the ham licence.Further details from Joe 4X6KJ.

And don’t forget… every Friday the IARC headquarters are open for visiting and membership services.

MORE TECHSAT DETAILS

The Techsat system is a computer to computer communication system via receive and transmit units. Techsat has three frequency bands for communication with the ground: Three uplinks in the 145 MHz VHF band (2m), three uplinks in the 1270 MHz-L band (23 cm), and one downlink in the 435 MHz - UHF band (70 cm). Data is transmitted at two available rates: 1200 bps and 9600 bps. At 1200 bps the carrier modulation is BSPK (downlink) and FM (uplink). At 9600 bps the carrier modulation is FM (downlink & uplink).

The VHF uplink is circularly polarized at transmission and linearly vertically polarized at reception with a monopole antenna. The downlink is circularly polarized at transmit by a canted turnstile antenna and by a circularly polarized antenna at reception. The L-band uplink is linearly polarized (vertical) and received with a linear polarized monopole antenna.
To optimize the satellite transmitter power efficiency, a hybrid class C power amplifier was implemented. Two UHF transmitters (one for redundancy) were installed with two transmit power levels of 1W and 3W with an electrical power efficiency of 40% and 50%, respectively. The transmitters are connected to the canted turnstile UHF antenna though a 2-to-4 hybrid 90 phasing coupler.
The satellite transmitters are continuous phase FM modulated at 9600 bps or BPSK at 1200 bps. For emergency telemetry the 1200 bps Manchester FM modulation is implemented being more robust than BPSK (SSB receiver) in the presence of Doppler shifts and frequency instabilities.
The on-board receiver includes four independent FHF and L-band channels with a low noise amplifier at the receiver front end, assuring a sensitivity of -117dBm (1200 bps) and -115dBm (9600 bps) at VHF and -116dBm(1200 bps) and -112dBm(9600 bps) at L-band (all at 10^-6 bit error rate).
This communication system is compatible with existing store and forward facilities already in use on AO-16, LO-19, UO-22, etc. The system will provide 4 uplinks (2 on 2 m. and 2 on 23 cm.) and one downlink on 70 cm. The onboard Computer will be a part of this communication system, providing the function of a communication controller.