[Meteor-Scatter] Fwd: Interference from MAROC-TUBSAT -- a review

Thu, 24 Jan 2002 16:55:51 +0000

>Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 14:14:41 +0000
>To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
>Subject: Interference from MAROC-TUBSAT -- a review
>
>Hi,
>
> From what I've been able to put together, here's the situation as of 1400 
> UTC on 24 January.
>
>The source of the interfering signal on 144.100, reported throughout the 
>world over the last several days, is MAROC-TUBSAT.   So far at least, 
>we've had no reports of that signal on 144.100 since about 1800 UTC 
>yesterday (the 23rd).  We do not know why, or if it will resume.
>
>Another signal from MAROC-TUBSAT has been identified on 436.075 MHz, and 
>this is apparently continuing on an intermittent basis.  After several 
>hours of silence, it was reported by DJ1KM as recently as 0950 this 
>morning.  I listened on an overhead pass at 1305-1322 and did not hear it 
>here.  Again, we do not know the reasons.
>
>A Swedish web site identified by Peter, DB2OS, says that MAROC-TUBSAT may 
>also have a transmitter on 2401.0 MHz, FEC 250KB BPSK.  However, no one 
>has yet reported hearing it.
>
>If you actually heard one of these signals, it is important that you 
>document the observation (date, time, QTH, any identifying characteristics 
>such as what was transmitted or correlation with MAROC-TUBSAT keps) and 
>send a report to the IARU Monitoring Service coordinator of your national 
>radio society.  In the USA, that is N4QX at ARRL Hq. ([email protected]).  If 
>there is no such coordinator, send it to your society's IARU Liaison Officer.
>
>It is important to document and report such interference because, under 
>the ITU Radio Regulations, any country may put any station on any 
>frequency, as long as no harmful interference is caused to stations of 
>other countries operating within the Table of Frequency Allocations.  If 
>amateurs do not report interference from an intruder, the country which 
>put it there could thus claim that it is legitimate under international 
>regulations.
>
>Let's hope it's gone away, at least on 144.1, but please keep listening 
>and reporting what you hear.
>
>73, Ray, W2RS

(From Ray's previous messages):

A google.com search on MAROC-TUBSAT turned up the following pages of 
background information:

<http://www.spaceandtech.com/spacedata/logs/2001/2001-056_maroc-tubsat_sumpub.shtml>Maroc-Tubsat 
- Summary
<http://www.vectronic-aerospace.com/Image_Gallery/MAROC-TUBSAT/hauptteil_maroc-tubsat.html>MAROC-TUBSAT 

MAROC-TUBSAT
1 27004U 01056D   02022.57004138  .00000143  00000-0  21472-3 0   302
2 27004  99.6429 257.4079 0019488 199.6223 160.4165 13.69946201  5863

As far as AMSAT is concerned, this is an intruder.  Its frequencies 
obviously were not coordinated with IARU.  Amateurs experiencing harmful 
interference to their operations are encouraged to report it to the IARU 
Monitoring System coordinator of their national radio society, or if there 
is no IARU MS coordinator, to the society's IARU Liaison Officer. 