CAS-4A and CAS-4B Amateur Radio Satellite Transponders Activated

/

The Amateur Radio linear (SSB/CW) inverting transponders on the CAS-4A and CAS-4B satellites were activated on 18th October 2017. CAMSAT’s Amateur Radio payloads piggybacked on the optical remote-sensing micro-satellites OVS-1A (CAS-4A) and OVS-1B (CAS-4B), launched on 15th June 2017.

CAS-4A (call sign BJ1SK) has a CW telemetry beacon on 145.855 MHz, and 4.8 kB GMSK telemetry on 145.835 MHz. The uplink is 435.220 MHz, the downlink is 145.870 MHz (20-kHz passband).

CAS-4B (call sign BJ1SL) has a CW telemetry beacon on 145.910 MHz, and 4.8 kB GMSK telemetry at 145.890 MHz. The uplink is 435.280 MHz, the downlink is 145.925 MHz (20-kHz passband)

RadioStrat - Balloon Based Stratospheric Probe

/

RadioStrat is a balloon-based stratospheric probe project carried on by a bunch of Baccalaureate students as a research work for their final grade.

The four members’ team - Roc, Ignacio, Roger and Carlos, are studying aeronautics, computing and telecommunications within the science and technology branch of the Catalan Baccalaureate in Barcelona.

The probe is based on Arduino Uno and Trackunio. Readings from two temperature sensors and GPS tracking information will be sent to the VHF APRS network. It is expected reach up to 30Km high.

The RadioStrat team contacted to the Catalonia’s Radioamateur Association, Unió de Radioaficionats de Catalunya - URCAT, to get some technical support and to make an agreement to use the radioclub’s callsign EA3URC-9.

The balloon launched on 25th September 2017 (coordinates 41º 42' 51,8'' N i 0º 41' 14,7'' W).

RadioStrat Project - https://radiostrat.wixsite.com/radiostrat

AMSATSA Transponder to Fly on BACAR

/

The AMSATSA Kletskous transponder will be flown on the next BACAR flight, which is scheduled for 21 October 2017 to coincide with the JOTA and CQ Hou Koers weekend.

The transponder was recently successfully demonstrated at the AMSAT South Africa and SARL SDR workshop.

The transponder is linear with an uplink on 70 cm and a downlink on 2 metres. More details, frequencies and other payloads on BACAR 2017 will be announced soon.

Kletskous Transponder Demonstration - http://www.amsatsa.org.za