FO-29 status report

The JARL have issued an update on the 23 year-old Amateur Radio satellite FO-29.

Yutaka Murata JA1COU posted this English translation on the AMSAT bulletin board:

The present conditions (January 29, 2010) of FUJI3 (FO-29)

FUJI3(FO-29) has been stopped the continuous operation and moved to planed schedule operation because it can not have enough battery charge current from beginning of November.

The command of JTA (an analog transponder) ON has been sent for a confirmation examination from the control station at 11:33 on January 27th (UTC). JH1EKH/1, JR8LWY, VK5HI have reported to us that "FO-29 still works". There is a possibility that FO-29 has been working consecutively after we sent transponder ON command on January 27.

It is thought that the electricity income and expenditure is improved by the decrease of the shade rate, and the transponder is working continuously. If someone has information of telemetry or other working status related from January 27th 11:30(UTC) to 28th 19:20(UTC), please send it to JARL technical section.

In addition, when FO-29 battery power is lower than setting value, a transmitter becomes OFF automatically by UVC. If you find the transponder is getting off, please send the information of transponder off time and date to JARL technical section.

Please use FO-29 without restriction but use proper uplink power.

Thanks JARL command team.

Yutaka Murata JA1COU

FO-29
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/
satInfo.php?satID=5

YouTube video 'Satellite FO-29 - PS8RF with PY1AT'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yYED1uSG6E

FO-29 Real Time Tracking (tick draw footprint)
http://www.n2yo.com/?s=24278

AMSAT Bulletin Board AMSAT-BB
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/