Amsat Oscar 40.pptVIP

Amsat Oscar 40 World Wide Amateur Radio Satellite Communications AO-40 was initially known as Phase 3D, or P3D. It’s the fourth amateur Phase 3 satellite, hence the ‘D’.  AO-40 is the most complex and feature laden amateur satellite ever flown. ? AO-40’s Orbit AO-40’s footprint * Presented by Stanley Grixti 9H1LO Phase 1 amateur satellites were designed to last only a few weeks, having either no or limited means of power replenishment during orbit. Phase 2 satellites are in a Low Earth Orbit (or LEO), and lend themselves to communication over distances up to 4,000 miles or so. Phase 3 satellites are designed to operate over much longer distances because for most of their highly elliptical orbit they are at a much higher altitude than the LEO’s. When launched on November 16 2000, AO-40 seemed to be working correctly, or ‘nominally’, except for the 70cm transmitter. Soon after being launched, the satellite started beacon transmission of telemetry data on the 2m band. And it sounded very loud! AO-40 was left in an elliptical orbit, essentially in the same plane as the equator, as expected. For optimum use, the preferred orbit needed to be changed somewhat. On December 13 2000, during some orbital manoeuvres using the 400N motor, AO-40 went silent. To sighs of relief across the globe, on 25 December 2000 the 2401MHz (S band) beacon was switched on successfully, but a number of systems were now not working correctly, in particular the 2m transmitter Despite the setback, on May 5 2000 the transponder (the device allowing two-way communication) was switched on for a trial period until 30 May 2000. With reports from around the globe of worldwide contacts, this proved the satellite to be an unmitigated success. Some further orbital manoeuvres ensued starting 21 June 2000, this time using the a second motor: the Arcjet (or ATOS). Designed for smaller orbital changes than the 400N motor, over a few orbits the Arcjet was programmed to fire for a couple of hours