The (Ongoing) Saga of OSCAR-109

A reminder of both the possibilities – and the perils – of launching satellites into space. AMSAT-OSCAR-109, launched January 17 as RadFxSat-2, was a passenger aboard the first non-experimental flight of Virgin Space's LauncherOne vehicle. LauncherOne is a rocket fired from an airplane at roughly 35,000 feet, reducing the need for fuel (read weight) and thrust to escape Earth's gravity and deliver payloads to orbit. That part of the launch went well, as did the automated deployment of multiple satellites once LauncherOne was in space.

But the beacon transmitter from RadFxSat-2, a joint effort between AMSAT North America and Vanderbilt University, did not start transmitting on schedule and it took several days before Brad Schumcher, W5SAT, reported being able to copy his own CW signal weakly retransmitted from the satellite's linear transponder. Once it was confirmed that the satellite was at least partially functioning, it was re-christened as AMSAT OSCAR 109 (AO-109). According to the AMSAT News Service, controllers were still trying to detect a beacon signal which, if present, would include telemetry with information about the state of various systems on the satellite. There's no word yet as to the state of Vanderbilt's radiation experiment which is part of the satellite's payload.

A New 2-Meter "OTA" Frequency?

 Many hams activating mountain peaks for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program and similar "OTA" efforts bring along a 2-meter FM rig for simplex contacts as well as HF gear for working greater distances. The ARRL Letter is reporting that Bob Witte, K0NR, author of the book, VHF, Summits and More, is proposing that 146.58 MHz be designated as the "North American Adventure Frequency" on 2-meter FM. 

This, he says, would avoid possible congestion on 146.52 MHz, the national simplex calling frequency, and the need to change frequencies after establishing contact, which is the common practice for users of .52. The Letter did not indicate whether the ARRL planned to consider the proposal for inclusion in its voluntary 2-meter band plan.

Ongoing HF QRM from Radars and Others

 

The International Amateur Radio Union's Region 1 Monitoring Service reports increasing levels of interference on HF ham bands from over-the-horizon radar (OTH-R) systems as well as fishing buoys and international broadcasters. 

According to the ARRL Letter, Russian and Chinese radar systems are now showing up on 17 and 15 meters as well as 20, where they have long been a problem. In addition, several international broadcasters have popped up below 7200 kHz on 40 meters, which is supposed to be exclusively amateur under International Telecommunication Union rules. Finally, the improving propagation on 10 meters resulting from the startup of Solar Cycle 25 is revealing the ongoing presence of fishing buoys on the band, long a nuisance but not recently a problem due to poor band conditions.