AMSAT Engineering Team Meets

With the holiday season behind and everyone settling back into winter in the northern hemisphere, the AMSAT Engineering Team kicked off the new year with the first meeting of 2008 on Tuesday, January 8.

Thirty-two radio amateurs met via a VoIP teleconference call to get down to work on AMSAT's main missions which include the Eagle Satellite, the geosynchronous Phase IV Lite rideshare opportunity with Intelsat, and educational support for university projects.

Engineering project manager Barry Baines, WD4ASW moderated the meeting along with AMSAT's Vice President of Engineering, Bob McGwier, N4HY.

AMSAT's volunteer engineers provided status and planning information for the projects listed below. Barry, Bob and engineering team members will provide members with detailed project information in future columns of the AMSAT Journal.

Rick Hambly, W2GPS, AMSAT President, reported that negotiations are continuing with Intelsat and are now going to focus on size, weight, and cost of the geosynchronous rideshare arrangement. Rick reminded everyone that our mission must excite potential grant funding sources via our unique emergency communication and educational capabilities. Watch the Journal for future details!

Matt Ettus, N2MJI has taken on the design of the Advanced Communication Payload. The first steps toward specification of the high speed digital channels, power requirements, uplink and downlink protocols, and class of stations supported have begun. Watch the Journal for future details!

Howard Long, G6LVB continues work on the linear transponders based on Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. Development and testing are underway. High altitude balloon, SuitSat2 and SSETI missions are planning to utilize this transponder technology to provide early experience prior to P3E and Eagle utilization. Watch the Journal for future details!

Marc Franco, N2UO has started work on the VHF amplifier driver stage using the silicon carbide technology enabling the 86% efficiency of the main PA. Space rated components are under study. The 2 meter band HELAPS amplifier will be the initial design and possible scaling upward to the 70cm band is under consideration. Watch the Journal for future details!

Lou McFadin, W5DID leads the team developing SuitSat-2. The internal housekeeping unit (IHU) and AMSAT's software defined transponder technology are the main items under development. Solar cells have been donated by NASA. A new antenna system on top of the helmet has been completed. Watch the Journal for future details!

Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Lab Manager reported on several good projects that have arisen out of the cooperative efforts of AMSAT and the HAWK Institute of Space Sciences at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. Construction of the AMSAT lab in the 8500 square foot facility continues. The clean room and machine shop will be coming on line to begin the development of the Eagle satellite space frame.

University students will utilize the facilities to develop and launch a high altitude balloon project and a university cubesat both carrying research-related and AMSAT-related payloads. Watch the Journal for future details!

If you want to help with the AMSAT Engineering Team, send an e-mail to Bob N4HY via n4hy@amsat.org.

Bob, N4HY