[HamSat] Echo Launched!

[Timothy Pickett]

ECHO Launched

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 181.01 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD. June 29, 2004
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-181.01

Chuck Green, N0ADI, reported by phone from the Baikonur Cosmodrome that the
launch of AMSAT Echo and the other satellites occurred on time at 6/29/2004
0630 UTC.  He watched the rocket climb out and said it appeared to be flying
straight and true. A second phone call from Chuck 18 minutes later confirmed
that the launch carrying AMSAT OSCAR Echo was successful and that all
spacecraft had separated successfully.

Chuck was assisted in the final integration and checkout process at Baikonur
by the team from SpaceQuest which included Dr. Dino Lorenzini KC4YMG, Mark
Kanawati N4TPY, and Lyle Johnson KK7P.  The SpaceQuest team members are also
AMSAT members and volunteers.

A first attempt to turn on Echo will be made during its pass over the US at
about 1430 UTC.  Initial transmissions will be short, just enough to gather
some telemetry and analyze the performance of the power system.  Those first
downlink signals will be on 435.150 MHz FM at 9600 bps.

The correct callsigns for Echo's Pacsat Broadcast Protocol Digital system
are:

Broadcast:  PACB-11
BBS:          PACB-12


A telemetry decode program, TLMEcho, is available for those who would like
to view and report data from Echo.  It may be downloaded from
http://web.infoave.net/~mkmk518/echo.htm

If you record telemetry please send the CSV files to ke4azn at amsat.org.  A
database for all telemetry has been established and will be tested over the
next few days.  When testing is complete it will be made available for
direct upload of telemetry files as well as queries on any and all data.

Please do not transmit to Echo until checkout and commissioning has been
completed and the satellite is made available for general use.