Please keep an ear open for a phoenix!

With many listening out for signals from the new Amateur Radio satellites launched on Friday, Graham G3ZVZ asks that Amateurs also listen out for XO53 - SSETI Express 437.250 MHz.

On the AMSAT Bulletin Board he wrote:
With the successful launch today of the new cubesats - congratulations to the teams involved - there is just a very small chance of also hearing signals from XO53 - SSETI Express!

SSETI Express was launched in November 2005 but, due to a failure within the power supply system on board, signals were only heard for a few hours.

Investigations made after the launch indicate that it is just possible that the offending short circuit FET devices may, one day, go open circuit. This would allow power from the solar panels to again reach the electronics. It can be assumed that the batteries are pretty useless by now so it would only be likely to operate when in sunlight.

SSETI Express was on 437.250MHz - the same frequency as is now being used by PRISM and this is a request that, if by any chance you hear any strange noises on the frequency to please let me know! In this context, "strange noises" could be either short bursts of 9k6 data or even some very unusual "CW like" signals.

Similar things have happened in the past!

Many thanks

73

Graham, G3VZV

PS - just in case...here is a more technical description of what might be heard -
- a sub 1 second burst of AX25 telemetry every 18 seconds.
or
- simple on/off telemetry comprising 16 x 100msec carrier pulses. Either every 30 seconds or every 2 mins

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