10 January 2013

I observed FITSAT-1 again this morning from Pier 84. I heard something that appears to have a pattern in it so I am calling it a success.

	Time local	Alt	Az
Beginning of Pass	0643:58 0643:24	10°	WSW SW	Online Observatory Heavens Above
Maximu Altitude	0647:09 0646:34	80° 81°	NW	Online Observatory Heavens Above
End of Pass	0650:20 0649:45	10°	NE	Online Observatory Heavens Above

Heavens Above graphic

By the time of the pass the stars were all but gone so of little help in pointing my antenna but at least I had observed them when I first arrived so knew more or less where the satellite should be at key times. And I forgot to bring my ClearSPOT with me so Satellite AR wouldn't work.

I was using my ICOM ID-31A D-STAR radio in the analog FM mode with my Elk Antennas 70cm/2m Log Periodic antenna. I had the radio set up to record received audio.

I heard a couple of gaps in the static when the satellite should have been coming toward me but they were brief and it was a long time before the next one occurred. About the time the satellite should have been nearly overhead I heard several bursts of code. Once the satellite was moving away from me I didn't hear it any more.

I downloaded the .WAV file of the "QSO" onto my computer and imported it into Audacity. I could see where the code bursts were in the waveform even when looking at the file in low resolution. I zoomed in so I was watching the seconds go past in near real time and the gaps in the static were real obvious as they went past. I slowed the audio down to 1/100th of its original speed but it is still too fast for me to copy. I can tell that there are dots, dashes, and differing amounts of static between them.

I expanded and zoomed my display to see what the waveform looked like and think I can make out code characters.

As a bonus I observed ISS on a visible pass before the FITSAT-1 pass. I don't have the ISS frequencies programmed in this radio so couldn't listen for any transmissions from its transponder.

	Time local	Alt	Az
Beginning of Pass	0628:29	10°	SW
Mazimum Altitude	0631:43	54°	SE
End of Pass	0634:57	10°	ENE
Magnitude	-2.5

Heavens Above graphic