AO-51 News and AMSAT Kid's Day on AO-51

Mike Kingery, KE4AZN, AMSAT Vice-President Operations, announced a new version of TlmEcho, the Telemetry Decoding Program for AO-51, is now available on his website:
http://home.centurytel.net/ke4aznsatellite/echo.htm.

TlmEcho software will allow the user to view and capture telemetry that is downlinked by Echo in real time.

If you have used a previous version of TlmEcho then you can just download Version 1.1.1 and place the new files in the existing directory on your computer. This is all you need to do to upgrade to the new version.

If this is your first time using the TlmEcho program, then you need to download the full installation which is Version 1.0.5. Install this older version first and then upgrade to Version 1.1.1. Instructions are on the web page.

Also a new EchoCoef file has been placed on the site for download. This file has better high and low limits for the Tlm Channels.

The Echo Operations Team plans to enable the high power mode on AO-51 on January 4, 2006. Use 145.920 mhz FM, 67 hz PL tone for the uplink on this day. The FM downlink will be on 435.300 Mhz. Echo is planned for high power downlink operation on January 8 also in support of Kid's Day activities.

AMSAT-NA, the AO-51 Command Team, and the AO-51 Operations Team will sponsor Kid's Day on AO-51 on January 8, 2006. The event will run from approximately 0100 utc 8 January until 0345 utc 9 January. The event is open to all kids, worldwide. We ask all amateur radio stations to give this short time window to promote satellite operations with kids, by actually showing a kid how to make contacts via AO-51, providing a station to contact, or stepping aside to allow others to make contacts with the kids.

During the event, please limit contacts to stations that are operating with kids at the microphone. This should allow the kids to have a nice QSO and pass some information. Kids can tell their name, age, who is helping them operate on AO-51, where they live, and other information about themselves.

AO-51 will be configured in the following mode during the event. Please note the change in the uplink frequency for the event. The PL tone will be turned off for the event.

Kid's Day AO-51 Frequencies
Uplink: 145.880 mhz FM voice
Downlink: 435.300 mhz FM voice

The digital transponder on 435.150 will be turned off during the event.

See http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html on the ARRL website for more Kids Day information.

Have fun and enjoy AO-51!

73 KE4AZN
Amsat VP-Operations
Echo Command Station

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