SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS001
ARLS001 HuskySat-1 with VHF/UHF Linear Transponder Set to Deploy
Soon
ZCZC AS01
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 001 ARLS001
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT January 28, 2020
To all radio amateurs
SB SPACE ARL ARLS001
ARLS001 HuskySat-1 with VHF/UHF Linear Transponder Set to Deploy
Soon
The University of Washington's HuskySat-1 3U CubeSat, launched
November 2, 2019, is set to deploy on January 31 after the vehicle
that carried it to the International Space Station undocks.
HuskySat-1 has remained stowed aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus
supply vehicle. Within 24 hours after Cygnus' departure from the
ISS, HuskySat-1 and SwampSat 2 will be deployed into orbit. After
deployment, HuskySat-1's 1200 bps BPSK beacon on 435.800 MHz should
be active and decodable with the latest release of AMSAT's FoxTelem
software. HuskySat-1 is expected to carry out its primary mission
before being turned over to AMSAT for amateur radio operation.
The FoxTelem software is available at,
https://www.amsat.org/tlm/leaderboard.php?id=0&db=FOXDB .
HuskySat-1 features a 30 kHz wide V/U linear transponder for SSB and
CW. The uplink passband will be 145.910 - 145.940 MHz LSB/CW. The
downlink passband will be 435.840 - 435.810 MHz USB/CW (inverting).
Telemetry will be transmitted on 435.800 MHz, 1k2 bps BPSK with an
experimental downlink at 24.049 GHz.
The "Fox-in-a-Box" FoxTelem software has been updated for HuskySat-1
operation and is available at its download website at,
http://burnsfisher.com/AMSAT/FoxInABox/ .
The new release now contains the SD card image,
FIAB-distro8-V1.08w.zip. This file, when unzipped and written to a
16 GB SD card will provide the latest software for FoxTelem and will
run on a Raspberry Pi 4. The 1.08 versions can switch bands between
listening on VHF and UHF, based on which Fox and Husky satellites
are overhead at the time.
The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard AMSAT's
Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats merely by adding
an interface adapter for connection to the host bus. Noting the
prevalence of CubeSats built and launched by universities and other
organizations, AMSAT adopted a goal of "amateur radio in every
CubeSat." Interested CubeSat programs wanting to fly an amateur
radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry one of these modules
on their spacecraft.
By providing amateur radio capability, the CubeSat program gets a
worldwide ground station network to receive telemetry and experiment
data, while the amateur radio community gets a transponder to use in
orbit. Additional information is posted on the University of
Washington Husky Satellite Lab site.
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