Amateur Radio Information for UNISAT-6

UNISAT-6 transmits on the amateur radio frequencies. Any amateur radio is invited to receive the satellite telemetry and post it below this post or sending us binary files to <info@gaussteam.com> (Tell us if we can put your name on the credits in the website). We will periodically create graphs of the status of the satellite based on the data you send us.

The spacecraft has a UHF transceiver dedicated both as TT&C and digipeater for HAM radio amateurs. The digipeater feature will be disabled during the first part of the mission and it will be enabled only when the primary mission of the satellite is completed. We will be posting details of this on the website and on twitter.

Unisat-6 working frequency is 437.425 MHz, it uses a GFSK modulation at 9600bps with a standard AX.25 protocol. The satellite will transmit with a power of 2W with RHCP. The callsign of the satellite is II0US.

In order to receive the satellite you will need a radio capable of receiving at 437.425 MHz and +- 10KHz for adjusting the doppler shift; a software to automatically correct the radio frequency would be desired. You will also need a TNC capable of demodulating FSK at 9600 bps and that supports AX.25 protocol.

Beacon Format

Unisat-6 will transmit 2 beacons:

• Beacon 1: “UNISAT-6” transmitted every 30 seconds with 8 bytes that are transmitted only when the satellite is not being commanded from ground.
• Beacon 2: Binary packet transmitted every 10 seconds consisting of 67 bytes with house keeping data of the satellite.

The period of the beacon transmissions could vary depending on the status of the batteries of the satellite. The “beacon 1” does not contain valuable data and it is only broadcasted for easy identification of the satellite when searching for it. The “beacon 2” has the following structure:

struct unisat6_beacon02
{
	uint8_t syncPacket[3]; 		//It contains the bytes: U S 6 
	uint16_t packetIndex;		//Index of packet
	uint16_t groundIndexAck;	//ACK to ground commands
	uint8_t packetType;		//value "1" for beacon02
	uint8_t payloadSize;		
	uint16_t rebootCounter;		
	uint32_t uptime;		//Milliseconds since last reboot
	uint32_t unixTime;		//Seconds since 1970
	int8_t tempMCU;			//Temperature CPU
	int8_t tempFPGA;		//Temperature FPGA
	int16_t magnetometer[3];	//Magnetometer X, Y, Z readings
	int16_t gyroscope[3];		//Gyroscope X, Y, Z readings
	uint16_t cpuCurrent;
	int8_t tempRadio;
	uint8_t payloadReserved[2];
	uint8_t temperatureBottom;
	uint8_t temperatureUpperPart;
	uint8_t payloadReserved;
	uint16_t eps_Vbat;		//Battery voltage in mV
	uint16_t eps_currentSun;	//Current from solar panels in mA
	uint16_t eps_currentOut;	//Current comsuption by the satellite
	uint16_t eps_Vpanel01;		//Voltage in mV from bottom panels
	uint16_t eps_Vpanel02;		//Voltage in mV from panels B & D
	uint16_t eps_Vpanel03;		//Voltage in mV from panels A & C
	uint16_t eps_current01;		//Current in mA from bottom panels
	uint16_t eps_current02;		//Current in mA from panels B & D
	uint16_t eps_current03;		//Current in mA from panels A & C
	uint16_t eps_batTemperature;	//Temperature of the batteries
	uint8_t payloadReserved;		
	uint16_t satelliteErrorFlags;
	uint8_t	satelliteOperationStatus;
	uint8_t crc;			//Last 8 bits of a 16bit CRC-CCITT-BR
}

Two-Line Element

We have precalculated a temporary Two-Line Element to track the satellite during the first orbits. Please do not use this TLE after the date 2014/06/21.

UNISAT-6
1 00000U 00000    14169.02083330  .00000831  00000-0  10000-3 0 00009
2 00000 097.9760 063.7300 0060000 225.6000 206.7270 14.69750000000017

• 2014-06-22 UPDATE: Updated TLEs can be found at NORAD website, UNISAT-6 is the object 2014-033C
• 2014-06-23 UPDATE: You can send us binary data to our email <info@gaussteam.com> (Tell us if we can put your name on the credits in the website). Soon we will public a tool so you can decode the telemetry!
• 2014-06-30 UPDATE: You can now decode our telemetry using this small program: Unisat6_bin2txt. This program generates a CSV file that you can open with the Spreadsheet application or mathematical application of your choice. Please keep sending us data to our email <info@gaussteam.com> It has been very helpful. We will soon make public some charts.