AMSAT-NA FACT SHEET
THE RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE CORPORATION-NORTH AMERICA
- FROM THE PHASE 3-D DEVELOPMENT TEAM CONTACT:
KEITH C. BAKER, KB1SF
1324 Fairgrounds Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385;
PHONE/FAX: 513-429-5325
FACTS ABOUT THE AMSAT PHASE 3-D SATELLITE
As currently designed, Phase 3-D will receive on the
145, 436, 1270 and 5600 MHz Bands. It will transmit on
the 29, 145, 436, 2400, 10,500 and 24,000 MHz bands.
Receive/transmit combinations will be programmable from
Earth through the onboard computer and a unique RF matrix
arrangement allowing one or more uplink receivers to be
linked to one or more downlink transmitters. The
satellite will weigh some 800 pounds at launch. It will
also be about 7.5 feet in diameter and about 3 feet high.
With its solar panels extended, Phase 3-D's
"wingspan" will be over 20 feet. Phase 3-D's
elliptical orbit will vary from a maximum height of
29,000 miles above the Earth to a low of some 2400 miles.
On-board antennas will offer gains in the 4 to 19 DBic
range which, because of the spacecraft's unique
three-axis stabilization, will always point Earthward.
When combined with on-board power capability approaching
600-700 watts, these high-gain antennas will produce
effective downlink transmitter powers as high as 10-20
Kilowatts.
As Phase 3-D's transmitters and receivers will be
programmable, this concept will make the traditional
satellite mode designators that Amateur satellite
operators have become used to (such as Modes A, B, and
J), virtually obsolete. For example, on Phase 3-D, a mode
"U/VS" will be possible. That is, Amateurs will
be able to uplink to the satellite on U-Band (435 MHz)
while the satellite transmits downlinks on both V-Band
(145 MHz) and S-Band (2400 MHz). Simply looking at the
frequency chart for Phase 3-D, it becomes apparent that a
myriad of different combinations (like modes
"C/V", "UL/S" and "L/SC")
could all be supported! Of course, the traditional Mode
B, one of the most popular modes on the current Phase 3
satellites, will become Mode "U/V" under this
concept. It is expected this frequency pair will be one
of the more active ones in the first years of Phase 3-D's
lifetime. However, as commercially available gear for the
higher bands becomes more available and lower in cost,
use of the "new" frequencies is expected to
increase. When this happens, Phase 3-D's powerful
receiver and transmitter suites for these bands will
already be in orbit and available for use.
Other experiments slated for the new satellite include
a GPS receiver that will allow the satellite to tell
ground controllers where it's located at any time. Three
digital cameras, tied to the 2400 MHz downlink, will also
be included. Two of these cameras will point Earthward.
Another, combined with an astronomical telescope, will
point toward the stars and planets.
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Web Author: Terry Price (tprice@cerritos.edu)
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Last update: 11/14/01 |
