Det händer mycket med FOX-satelliterna just som AMSAT-NA ligger bakom. FOX-1A är just nu (april 2015) i monteringsstadiet – se bilden. Den är planerade att komma upp senare i år 2015.
Vad gäller modellerna FOX-1C och 1D kommer de nu att inkludera en L-band upplänk och modellen 1E kommer att få en linjär transponder. Fox-1E är planerad för uppskjutning under 2016.
Läs mer på http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1113
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Fox-1C and Fox-1D Include L-Band Uplink; Fox-1E Linear Transponder Announced
AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, announced plans to
incorporate an L band receiver in Fox-1C and Fox-1D. The addition will allow
ground commanded selection of the U/v (normal Fox-1 bands) or the new L/v
1.2 GHz (23 cm) mode. Both bands will operate as FM single channel.
Rather than adding a complete new receiver, the L band “Project Downshifter”
will convert the received L band signal down to the Fox-1 uplink frequency
and feed it to the regular UHF receiver on the Fox-1 satellite. The design
will not require an additional antenna on the satellite because the existing
UHF antenna will work for L band receive as well.
In concert with the development of the satellite segment, a new group of
volunteers is working on a companion uplink station to convert UHF to the L
band uplink frequencies:
+ Bruce Herrick, WW1M
+ Dan Hubert, VE9DAN
+ Elizabeth Schenk, KC1AXX
+ Dave Smith, W6TE
+ Alfred Watts, AF5VH
The team is planning to have an affordable L band uplink ground station
available to amateurs by the time Fox-1C is on orbit.
In further news, Jerry announced the plan to construct a Fox-1E “Evolution”
variation of the Fox-1 series which will carry a Mode J linear transponder.
The transponder is planned to be 30 kHz wide and will also include a 1200
bps BPSK telemetry beacon. The purpose of the project is to test a design for a
linear transponder that could be made available to CubeSat builders as a
secondary, or even primary radio payload thus bringing more opportunities for
amateur radio in space as well as offering AMSAT’s proven communications skills
as a telemetry option.
AMSAT has been approached for a launch opportunity for Fox-1E in 2016, but
launch details can not be shared at this time.
Jerry concluded, “It is important that we find additional resources to help
the Fox-1 Team with these new endeavors. We are looking for volunteers who
have solid RF building and testing experience to work on both the
downshifter and the transponder prototyping and construction.” If you would
like to help and be a part of the success of Fox-1C/D and Fox-1E, please
contact Jerry through the AMSAT Engineering volunteer form page on-line at:
http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1121.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, for the
above information]