BACAR set for launch on Saturday

The second BACAR flight of 2009 will be launched on Saturday 12 September from the Klerksdorp (PC Pelser) Airfield. The co-ordinates are S26°52'00" and E26°43'00".

The reason for a change in launch site is to meet the
requirements of the air traffic authorities.

The launch is planned for between 08:00 and 08:30 CAT. Launch coverage will start at 07:30 from the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre on 7 082 kHz and 145,750 MHz.

The payload includes an APRS system operating on 144,800 MHz which will be switched on 2 minutes before launch and allow APRS stations to follow the flight of BACAR.
The callsign of the APR beacon is ZS6SAT-7.

A VHF beacon on 144,825 MHz will be operating every 2 minutes for the first 30 minutes of the flight on voice, MCW and CW, after that every 5 minutes for the following 119 minutes and then revert back to every 2 minutes.

A 40 metre beacon will be operating on 7 022 kHz with telemetry information every one minute. The information includes the inside and out temperature and the pressure in millibar.

Visit www.amsatsa.org.za for more information on the flight.

Get a certificate: Radio Amateurs who submit a telemetry line of the 40 metre transmission together with details of their location will be awarded a BACAR certificate of participation. Telemetry details must be sent to bacar@sarl.org.za on the day of the launch.

Certificates for the August launch will be mailed within the next two weeks.

The South African Radio League website