Category Archives: Amateur/Student Satellite

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space Radio

AMSAT, student satellites, & ISS amateur radio news – March.23.14

Go to AMSAT News for the latest headlines about developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS.

ANS 082 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – March 22, 2014:
* Your Purchases at AmazonSmile.com Donate to AMSAT-NA
* AC0RA Road Trip to Activate Grids in ND, SD, CO, NE, and KA
* High Altitude Balloon Flight to Carry APRS and Crossband Repeater
* Es’hailSat 2 Satellite to Carry Amateur Transponder
* $50Sat Receives an OSCAR Number
* FO-29 Extreme DX Contact
* Satellite Activation From the Isle of Lewis
* 33rd Annual 2014 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Announcement
* 2014 AMSAT Field Day Rules Now Available

Other links:

Update: Qatar ARS and AMSAT-DL announce Phase 4 satellite payload – AMSAT-NA

A collaboration between the Qatar Amateur Radio Society, the Qatar Satellite Company, and AMSAT-DL has resulted in the announcement of a geostationary amateur radio payload aboard the proposed Es’HailSat-2 commercial satellite.

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Amateur/Student Satellite, Education, Space Radio

$50SAT PocketQube satellite operating in orbit

The $50SAT (Eagle2)2 is a spacecraft launched last November and measures a mere 5x5x7.5 cm and weighs only 210 grams. This withing the PocketQube™ (PQ) class satellite standard of 5cm x cm x 15cm and weighing less than half a kilogram: $50SAT designated Morehead-OSCAR-76 – AMSAT-UK

The spacecraft is still operational and its ground track can be viewed at EAGLE 2 (13066W) – Satview.org.

$50SAT may be the smallest operational satellite in Earth orbit and cost less than $250 in parts to build, most of this being the cost of the TASC triple junction solar cells. $50SAT was built with standard off the shelf commercial components, no special radiation hardened parts were used.

The primary purpose of $50SAT was to create a cost effective platform for engineering and science students to use for developing real world skills. The PocketQube form factor has no precision mechanical parts and can be built from locally obtained sheet metal. 

$50SAT is comprised of two 40mm square circuit boards. The first is the processor/radio board with the PICAXE 40X2 processor, the Hope RFM22B transceiver module and devices for measuring temperature some protection devices.

The second board is the solar power control and monitor board. This board contains the maximum power point controllers as well as current monitors for the battery and summed solar power. The battery is a common 3.7V lithium ion camera battery.

$50SAT was n a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs,  Morehead State University and 3 radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW.

A discussion group for the project is at $50SAT – Yahoo Groups.

Yaesu handheld receiver and the $50SATComparison of the $50SAT and a Yaesu handheld transceiver. (Hi-res image)

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space Radio

AMSAT, student satellites, and ISS amater radio news

Go to AMSAT News for the latest headlines about developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS.

ANS 001 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – March.15, 2014:
* Falcon 9 CRS-3 Launch Delay and KickSat Update
* FUNcube-1 Transponder Test March 22
* Canadian AMSAT Delegate to the ARISS Working Group Appointed
* Central States VHF Society Conference Call for Papers
* GOT GRIDS Award #1 Issued
* 40th Eastern VHF-UHF-MW Conference
* UK Spectrum Proposal Will Impact Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services
* Spread the Word About the ARRL Teachers Institute

See also:

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space Radio

AMSAT, Student sats, and ISS amateur radio news – Mar.8.14

Go to AMSAT News for the latest headlines about developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS.

ANS 068 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – March 8, 2014:
* ISS HamTV Success (3-8-2014)
* ISS Ham Video now installed and ready for commissioning (3-6-2014)
* Satellite TLE Object ID’s
* FUNcube-1 (AO-73) 100+ days in orbit
* Mass Launch of 437 MHz Satellites
* Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL)— A 30th Birthday
Celebration For UoSAT-2, OSCAR-11
* Two Close Calls For ZACUBE-1 CubeSat
* OSCAR DEMO and Youth Forum MAY 3, 2014
* Upcoming AMSAT Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts from All Over

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Amateur/Student Satellite, DIY space, Education

CubeSat Weekend (UK) – learn to develop & launch a satellite

The UK Satellite Applications Catapult organization is hosting the CubeSat Weekend in Oxfordshire:

CubeSat Weekend: 29th-30th March 2014

The growth in the number of CubeSats being launched and operated to create new businesses and services is phenomenal. This is stimulating a range of new applications to be developed that can build upon near real time imagery through to novel communications solutions.

Do you want to understand how to develop and launch a satellite?

The CubeSat weekend will allow members of the public to work together to design, build and balloon launch a flight ready CubeSat engineering model, and a flight model suitable for launch into low earth orbit.

The purpose of the weekend is to demonstrate that amateur groups with no experience of spacecraft design or assembly can design, build and fly. Participants are invited to register teams of two to five members each, to build and test the CubeSat.

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