UNITEC-1 signal received!

Signals have been received from the Amateur Radio satellite UNITEC-1 which is on its way to Venus.

CW and FSK signals was received from UNITEC-1 at a distance of 300,000 km, no other Amateur Radio satellite has traveled this far before. It has some 50 million km to go before it reaches its destination.

Japanese ground stations worked together to receive the UNITEC-1 signal on the first pass over Japan on May 21 and they report:

- Measured Frequency 5839.91 MHz (Original UNITEC-1 downlink frequency 5840.000MHz)
- Problem: big frequency variation QRH is measured during major and minor downlink (wide-range recorder may be needed)
- Orbital determination downlink is easier to receive

The latest news on UNITEC-1 is available at the Operation Center website along with free software and a Ham Radio forum, see http://sites.google.com/site/unitec1ops/

Amateur Radio call for assistance for UNITEC-1 Venus-bound satellite
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/may2010/unitec_1.htm

Receiver for Interplanetary Amateur Radio Satellite UNITEC-1
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2010/
venus_satellite_receiver.htm

AMSAT-UK publish a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information.
Join online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/subs_form/

A fully detailed description of the UNITEC-1 satellite and its
capabilities and data structure appeared in Oscar News
No 188