SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS012   
   ARLS012 New Amateur Radio FM Transponder CubeSat Now in Space   
      
   ZCZC AS12   
   QST de W1AW   
   Space Bulletin 012  ARLS012   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington, CT  December 30, 2016   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB SPACE ARL ARLS012   
   ARLS012 New Amateur Radio FM Transponder CubeSat Now in Space   
      
   The BY70-1 CubeSat launched on December 28 from the Taiyuan Space Launch   
   Center in China, but in a lower orbit than intended. The satellite carries an   
   Amateur Radio FM transponder.   
      
   BY70-1 was intended to go into a 530-kilometer (approximately 329-mile)   
   circular Sun-synchronous orbit, but it appears the orbit is 524 x 212   
   kilometers, which will give the spacecraft an orbital   
   lifetime of just a month or two.   
      
   Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, reported working Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, through the FM   
   transponder during the 1709 UTC pass on December 28. "Uplink requires precise   
   frequency adjustment, and there's a delay on the downlink, but the signal is   
   strong," Stoetzer said.   
      
   BY70-1 is a 2U CubeSat project for education and Amateur Radio. It features   
   3-axis stabilization and deployable solar panels. In addition to the FM   
   transponder, BY70-1 has a camera, and plans call   
   for downloading images and telemetry via a 9600 bps BPSK downlink. The IARU   
   Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages list an uplink of 145.920 MHz,   
   and a downlink of 436.200 MHz.   
      
   AMSAT-UK has more information online at, https://amsat-uk.org/20   
   6/12/27/by70-1-fm-transponder-satellite/ .   
      
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
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    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)