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Aihnss.153 net.columbia utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!mhtsa!ihnss!karn Tue Oct 6 08:24:40 1981 SME/UOSAT Launch Successful A Delta launch vehicle carrying the Solar Mesospheric Explorer (SME), with a secondary payload of Uosat-Oscar-9, an amateur radio research satellite, was launched successfully this morning at 1127 UTC (6:27AM CDT) from the Western Test Range, Vandenburg, California. Separation of both spacecraft was successful.

Uosat is a project of amateur radio satellite groups in the UK, US and Europe. It carries beacon transmitters on HF, VHF, UHF and microwave amateur radio bands. Although this spacecraft carries no communications repeater, unlike most other Oscars, it carries a number of scientific experiments: two particle radiation detectors, a magnetometer identical to the ones carried on Voyager, a CCD television camera, and an on-board computer. Telemetry may, under ground command, consist of ASCII data from 75 to 1200 baud, morse code or synthesized speech from a National Semiconductor Digitalker chip.

The 2-meter beacon may be received on any standard amateur 2-meter FM receiver, as the modulation is narrow-band FM. Even a portable walkie-talkie should receive a good signal.

On the first orbit, the spacecraft telemetry signal was acquired at the command station in England. The orbit appears nominal.

Phil Karn

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