L band satellite radio

[davemurgtroyd]

Are there any of the L band radio channels still broadcasting rexeivable in the UK? Old Worldspace type channels. I have in the loft somewhere a portable satellite radio which when I last used it about 18 months ago had BBC World Service plus half a dozen other channels easily received.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Do you mean the 23cm band ?

Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society | UK 23 Centimeter Band Plan

There are a couple of amateur satellites up there operating at Lband frequencies, one old and lost for years Oscar 7.

AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Status

and one that was launched last year, Oscar 85

AO-85 (Fox-1A) | AMSAT-NA

 

[s-band]

Have a look through hvdh's page Geostationary satellites from 90°W to 120°E
L band capability is listed for most satellites that have it but most is data, nav, aero etc. Follow the links towards the right of the page for more detailed info from other sites.

 

[Channel Hopper]

In checking through the 23cm band and its uses, I came across moonbounce sites, the following link is the more interesting

Howard Ling - G4CCH, 23cm (1296MHz), (2320MHz) EME, 9cm (3400MHz) and 6cm (5760MHz) EME

 

[hvdh]

On the question of davemurgtroyd, Worldspace radios are of no use any more, the 21°E AfriStar satellite now carries an educational service "yazmi" using proprietary tablets.
yazmi | Beaming Knowledge to Everyone

 

[Analoguesat]

Ye gods, what a horribly designed website that yazmi site is.

 

[hvdh]

AfriStar left 21.0°E on December 1, with a very slow pace of about 0.06°/day, and is near 20.0°E now.
Wonder what is going on here, I have not read about any relocation plans, so starting to wonder if this is a manouever gone wrong, loss of control or something.
I think Intelsat operates the satellite.

Also, not sure if Yazmi still uses the satellite. A Hong Kong mobile broadcaster called CMMB Vision acquired capacity on AfriStar and AsiaStar.
CMMB VISION

 

[hvdh]

To complete the above AfriStar story, several orbit raisings followed and the satellite ended at graveyard altitude in mid-January 2018.

A FCC filing of a few days ago, reveals there are still plans to launch a follow-up satellite "Silkwave 2" at 21.0°E.

Silkwave Africa LLC seeks modification of its authorization to launch and operate the Silkwave 2 satellite (formerly known as AfriStar-2), at the 21.0° E.L. orbital location.
Specifically, Silkwave seeks authority to
(1) operate in the entire 1452-1492 MHz band, subject to ITU requirements, to provide downlink Broadcast Satellite Service (sound) (BSS (sound));
(2) increase EIRP and EIRP density parameters; and
(3) extend the time allowed to construct and launch Silkwave 2 until December 2022.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Hold on, what happened to Silkwave 1 ?

Worldspace morphed into CMMB Vision, Mr Samara has a few months left of the contract, but after the weekend's events in Hong Kong, one wonders where the investors funds might be headed next.

 

[hvdh]

It's... complicated

Worldspace reborn as CMMB Vision

According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, and clearly an avid Worldspace fan, the long-defunct Afristar

advanced-television.com

Silkwave 1 will be for 105.0°E.

Silkwave 1 (NYBBSat 1)

New York Broadband LLC announced in January 2015 that it had selected Boeing Satellite Systems as the designated contractor for the NYBBSat 1, late...

space.skyrocket.de

Indeed I wonder, when anything materialises.

 

[hvdh]

The ageing AsiaStar (incl. 4.2°) will be moved from 105.0°E to 21.0°E, to keep this previous AfriStar slot reserved for a future satellite.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1309112151903268865