By Miles Mann WF1F,

MAREX-MG (Manned Amateur Radio Experiment, North American Division)

There is a new club in town. The Amsat-Russia is now an official club, congratulations to everyone at Amsat-RU. They even have their own web page http://www.amsat.ru/

I checked out the web page this week and it looks good. It is mostly in Russian, but there is some English sections.

Sergej Samburov RV3DR is the AMSAT-RU Vice President of Manned Space Flight activities. Sergej has been responsible for all of the successful Amateur Radio programs on board the Russian Space station Mir.

Progress rocket M41 was launched from Baykonur on April 2, 1999. The cargo rocket docked with Mir on April 4. The rocket contains the typical supplies, Food, Water, fuel and some lizards for biological studies. The RS-19 satellite is also on M41. The current schedule calls for RS-19 to be launched this Friday, April 16.

I have received new information on the crew members who will be performing the EVA this Friday. The names of the crew members who are participating in were not correct in my last weeks memo. Here is the correct line up according to the information from Energia.

During the EVA two of the crewmembers (Commander Viktor Afanasyev and French Cosmonaut Jean-Pierre Heignere ) will exit the Mir station and perform the EVA. Flight engineer Sergei Avdeyev will stay inside Mir. The RS-19 satellite will be hand launched some time during the EVA. Sergei Avdeyev will stay inside the pressurized section of Mir and will help coordinate the EVA activities by monitoring the radio transmission and closely following the crew progress. Sergei's job will also include taking pictures of the RS-19 satellite (both Still and video images). Shortly before the RS-19 launch, Sergei Avdeyev will turn off the Amateur Radio PMS project and change the frequency of the Mir's Kenwood TM-733 to145.815. He will use the Amateur Radio to monitor the signal of the RS-19 satellite. If the satellites signal checks out Good, the RS-19 satellite will be launched. The actual launch will probably take place while Mir is in radio range of Russian Mission control.

The new Sputnik can be heard on 145.812/815 (Adjust for Doppler). Listen closely and you will hear the up to 10 messages, repeated in multiple different languages. I was informed that each message would be 7 seconds long, with a 7-second pause. There is the ability to change the message every 24 hours.

Anyone with a simple 2-meter receiver or scanner should be able to hear the voice recordings being played by Sputnik. Tentative launch date for Sputnik, April 16, 1999

Sputnik is operating close to the frequency 145.815. Of course the frequency will appear to drift due to normal Doppler effects.

Because of Doppler shift, the signal may appear anywhere between 145.811 - 145.818 (I rounded a little). When Sputnik first comes in range for its 10 minute pass, the initial frequency plus Doppler will be approximately 145.818 (145.815 TX freq., plus 3.5k Doppler shift).

When Sputnik is directly over head, the frequency will be approximately 145.815. Then as Sputnik passes away and nears the horizon, the frequency will be approximately 145.812 (145.815, minus Doppler 3.5k).

If you have an FM receiver which can tune only in 5k Channels, try to listen for Sputnik on 145.820 at the beginning of the pass, then step down to 145.815 and 145.810 towards the end of the pass. Sputnik can be heard with most receivers, FM, CW or SSB.

I do not have accurate web page information for the Rs-19 project at this time.

The 100-mw beacon can be heard in FM, CW or SSB modes. Give it a try and if you hear the Beep Beep Beep of the Sputnik satellite, you can send away for a special Short Wave Listener SQL card.

Please use one of the following QSL managers and follow the directions for that Manager.

************************************************

All Mir contacts, SWL, Two-way voice or Packet connections (R0MIR), including the new Sputnik Satellite RS-19

Envelopes should be well sealed and do not include cash. Send a SAE (self-addressed Envelope) and one or two IRC coupons (which can be purchased at major US post offices). Do not make any notes on the out side of the envelope with Amateur Radio Call signs visible.

QSL Information for SWL (Short Wave Listener)

Sergej Samburov

PO Box 73

Korolev-10 City

Moscow Area, 141070, Russia

************************************************

For Two-way contacts with Mir ONLY. Just for the call sign R0MIR and R0MIR-1

No SWL (Short Wave Listener) cards will be issued at this address.

Dr. Dave Larsen - N6CO/K6MIR

PO Box 311

Pine Grove, California

95665

USA

Please include a SASE (Business Size Envelope) and one or more IRC for international.

If you are sending an IRC, please make sure it is dated 1998, as my post office will not accept IRC dated over 1 yr. old.

Note: Dave Larsen MIREX / N6CO is not handling SWL cards for Sputnik, please use the other address

*****************

SOYUZ TM-29 arrived at Mir on February 20, 1999. Mir Soyuz TM-29 crew consisted of French cosmonaut Jean-Pierre Heignere, Viktor Afanasyev and Slovakian Cosmonaut Ivan Bella

On February 28, some of the crew returned to earth, they were:

Slovak Ivan Bella and Gennadiy Paldalko.

Gennadiys mission lasted approximately 6 months (August 16 1998 – February 28 1999)

The remaining crew consists of:

The French cosmonaut Jean-Pierre Heignere

Cosmonaut Viktor Afanasyev

Cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev. Sergei mission began August 16, and is expected to last a total of 9-11 months.

Mir (base block) Peace 1986

Kvant-1 Quantum-1 1987

Kavant-2 Quantum-2 1989

Kristall Crystal 1990

Spektr Spectrum 1995

Priroda Nature 1996

Soyuz Union TM-29 1999

Progress Progress M-41 1999

The PMS activity was a little intermittent last week.

For more information about MAREX-MG and out past, present and future project, please visit

our new home page:

www.marexmg.org

For current tracking data, try the CelesTrak web page at http://celestrak.com/

Copyright 1999 Miles Mann, All Rights Reserved. This document may be freely distributed via the following means - Email (including listservers), Usenet, and World-Wide-Web. It may not be reproduced for profit including, but not limited to, CD ROMs, books, and/or other commercial outlets without prior written consent from the author.

Images received from the MAREX-MG SSTV system on the Russian Space Station Mir are considered public domain and may be freely distributed, without prior permission.

Miles WF1F

Bulletin Index | Home