Chapter 23 Space Communications An Amateur Satellite Primer N1JEZ Most amateurs are familiar with repeater stations that retransmit signals to provide wider coverage. Repeaters achieve this by listening for signals on one frequency and immediately retransmitting whatever they hear on another frequency. Thanks to re- peaters, small, low-power radios can com- municate over thousands of square kilometers. Unfortunately, many ama- teurs are not familiar with the best repeat- ers that have ever existed. These are the amateur satellites that hams have been using for 40 years. (See the sidebar “Tired of the Same Old QSOs?”) This is essentially the function of an amateur satellite as well. Of course, while a repeater antenna may be up to a few hun- dred meters above the surrounding terrain, the satellite is hundreds or thousands of kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The area of the Earth that the satellite’s signals can reach is therefore much larger than the coverage area of even the best Earth-bound repeaters. It is this character- istic of satellites that makes them attrac- tive for communication. Most amateur satellites act as analog repeaters, retrans- mitting CW and voice signals exactly as they are received, as packet store-and-for- Fig 23.1—N1JEZ's portable microwave satellite station. ward systems that receive whole messages from ground stations for later relay, or as services for amateurs. See the sidebar that retransmit signals within a band of specialized Earth-looking camera systems “Amateur Satellite History.” frequencies, usually 50 to 250 kHz wide, that can provide some spectacular views. known as the passband. Since the linear See Fig 23.2, an image of a town in the LINEAR TRANSPONDERS AND transponder retransmits the entire band, a western US. THE PROBLEM OF POWER number of signals may be retransmitted Amateur satellites have a long history Most analog satellites are equipped with simultaneously. For example, if three of performing worldwide communications linear transponders. These are devices SSB signals (each separated by as little Space Communications 23.1 From The N3UJJ.COM Document Library Tired of the Same Old QSOs? Break out of Orbit and Set your Course for the “Final Frontier” Satellite-active hams comprise a relatively small really. You have to do a bit of work and invest some brain segment of our hobby, primarily because of an unfortu- power to be successful, but the same can be said of nate fiction that has been circulating for many years—the DXing, contesting, traffic handling, digital operating or any myth that operating through amateur satellites is overly other specialized endeavor. You are, after all, communi- difficult and expensive. cating with a spacecraft! Like any other facet of Amateur Radio, satellite hamming is The rewards for your efforts are substantial, making as expensive as you allow it to become. If you want to equip satellite operating one of the most exciting pursuits in your home with a satellite communication station that would Amateur Radio. There is nothing like the thrill of hearing make a NASA engineer blush, it will be expensive. If you want someone responding to your call from a thousand miles to simply communicate with a few low-Earth-orbiting birds away and knowing that he heard you through a satellite. using less-than-state-of-the-art gear, a satellite station is no (The same goes for the spooky, spellbinding effect of more expensive than a typical HF or VHF setup. In many hearing your own voice echoing through a spacecraft as cases you can communicate with satellites using your present it streaks through the blackness of space.) Satellite station equipment—no additional purchases are necessary. hamming will pump the life back into your radio Does satellite hamming impose a steep learning curve? Not experience and give you new goals to conquer. Fig 23.3—A linear transponder acts much like a repeater, except that it relays an entire group of signals, not just one signal at a time. In this example the satellite is receiving three signals on its 23-cm uplink passband and retransmitting them on its 13-cm downlink passband. mit to the satellite at the bottom of the ties greatly increased and it was neces- uplink passband, your signal will appear sary to show both the uplink and down- at the top of the downlink passband. In link bands. See Table 23.1, Satellite addition, if you transmit in lower sideband Operating Modes. Fig 23.2—UO-36 captured this image of (LSB), your downlink signal will be in Linear transponders can repeat any type a well-known city in the western US. upper sideband (USB). See Fig 23.4. Sat- of signal, but those used by amateur satel- Need a hint? Think “Caesar’s Palace.” ellite passbands are usually operated ac- lites are primarily designed for SSB and cording to the courtesy band plan, as CW. The reason for the SSB and CW pref- shown. Transceivers designed for satellite erence has a lot to do with the hassle of as 5 kHz) were transmitted to the satellite, use usually include features that cope with generating power in space. Amateur sat- the satellite would retransmit all three sig- this confusing flip-flop. ellites are powered by batteries, which are nals—still separated by 5 kHz each (see Over the years, the number of amateur recharged by solar cells. “Space rated” Fig 23.3). Just like a terrestrial repeater, bands available on satellites has in- solar arrays and batteries are very expen- the retransmissions take place on frequen- creased. To help in easily identifying sive. They are also heavy and tend to take cies that are different from the ones these bands, a system of “Modes” has up a substantial amount of space. Thanks on which the signals were originally been created. In the early years reference to meager funding, hams don’t have the received. to these Modes was by a single letter luxury of launching satellites with large Some linear transponders invert the (Mode A, Mode B, etc), but with the power systems such as those used by com- uplink signals. In other words, if you trans- launch of more satellites the opportuni- mercial birds. We have to do the best we 23.2 Chapter 23 From The N3UJJ.COM Document Library Table 23.1 Satellite Operating Modes Frequency Band Letter Designation New Designation Old Designation (Transmit, First Letter; Receive, Second Letter) HF, 21-30 MHz H Mode U/V Mode B VHF, 144-148 MHz V Mode V/U Mode J UHF, 435-438 MHz U Mode U/S Mode S 1.26-1.27 GHz L Mode L/U Mode L 2.40-2.45 GHz S Mode V/H Mode A 5.6 GHz C Mode H/S 10.4 GHz X Mode L/S 24 GHz K Mode L/X Mode C/X forward as it seems. Amateur satellites do not travel in geo- stationary orbits like many commercial and military spacecraft. Satellites in geo- stationary orbits cruise above the Earth’s equator at an altitude of about 35,000 kilometers. From this vantage point the satellites can “see” almost half of our Fig 23.5—An example of a satellite in a planet. Their speed in orbit matches the high, elliptical orbit. rotational speed of the Earth itself, so the satellites appear to be “parked” at fixed positions in the sky. They are available to Instead, all amateur satellites are either send and receive signals 24 hours a day low-Earth orbiters (LEO), or they travel in over an enormous area. very high, elongated orbits. See Fig 23.5. Fig 23.4—The OSCAR satellite band Of course, amateur satellites could be plan allows for CW-only, mixed CW/ Either way, they are not in fixed positions SSB, and SSB-only operation. placed in geostationary orbits. The prob- in the sky. Their positions relative to your Courteous operators observe this lem isn’t one of physics; it’s money and station change constantly as the satellites voluntary band plan at all times. politics. Placing a satellite in geostation- zip around the Earth. This means that you ary orbit and keeping it on station costs a need to predict when satellites will appear great deal of money—more than any one in your area, and what paths they’ll take as can within a much more limited “power amateur satellite organization can afford. they move across your local sky. budget.” An amateur satellite group could ask simi- You’ll be pleased to know that there is So what does this have to do with SSB lar groups in other areas of the world to software available that handles this pre- or any other mode? Think duty cycle—the contribute money to a geostationary satel- diction task very nicely. A bare-bones pro- amount of time a transmitter operates at lite project, but why should they? Would gram will provide a schedule for the full output. With SSB and CW the duty you contribute large sums of money to a satellite you choose. A very simple sched- cycle is quite low. A linear satellite tran- satellite that may never “see” your part of ule might look something like Fig 23.6, sponder can retransmit many SSB and CW the world? Unless you are blessed with showing the antenna pointing angles for signals while still operating within the phenomenal generosity, it would seem each minute of a pass for AO-16. power generating limitations of an ama- unlikely! The time is usually expressed in UTC. teur satellite. It hardly breaks a sweat.