AMSAT ARGENTINA LAUNCH DETAILS

Dear Dr. Prudhvi Raju, VU2IKY,

 We sincerely thank you for your kind message and your interest in our upcoming stratospheric launch in collaboration with the National University of Córdoba. We are delighted to learn that the amateur radio community in India is eager to participate and contribute to the mission’s tracking efforts.

Below, we address your queries with the information available so far:

 1. **Balloon Callsigns:**

   **Main Balloon (APRS and Transponder):**

 The callsigns LU7AA and LU1HD will be assigned, along with those used by operators accessing the transponder during the flight. This balloon is named "Pedrosat" in honor of LU7ABF (SK).

   - **Secondary Balloon (Pico WSPR):** It will utilize the callsigns LU7AA and LU1HD.

 

2. **Confirmed APRS Frequency:**

   The APRS frequency in Argentina will be 144.930 MHz. We recommend monitoring APRS.fi and other APRS-IS systems for real-time tracking.

 

3. **Expected Altitude and Flight Prediction:**

The main balloon is anticipated to reach an altitude of 25,000 meters before descending. The flight path will depend on weather conditions.

 

4. **Recommended Software for Telemetry Decoding:**

   To receive and process mission data, we suggest the following tools:

    **APRS:**
     - APRS.fi (for global tracking)
     YAAC (Yet Another APRS Client) – Multiplatform
      Dire Wolf (for use with SDR and virtual TNC)
    **WSPR (for Pico Balloon):**
     WSPRnet (for global monitoring)
     WSJT-X or JTDX (to decode WSPR signals from SDR or direct receivers)
    **SDR and General Decoding:**
     SDR# (SDRSharp) or HDSDR (for use with RTL-SDR)

     Fldigi (for additional telemetry if the payload includes other digital modes)

 

We recognize that the distance between Argentina and India may pose challenges for direct VHF signal reception, but your plan to coordinate with online SDRs and the APRS-IS network is commendable. We deeply appreciate your readiness to assist in tracking and recovering the payload.

5. **Currently Active Pico Balloons:**

 Presently, pico balloons with the callsign LU1ESY-50  are in flight, alongside the one launched on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

We will keep the community informed with the latest updates. We encourage you to stay connected, and we will provide relevant updates as the launch date nears.

Attached are the band plan and preparation photos from this Sunday.

This email was created temporarily due to lack of access to our official account, which has now been restored.

 

 Our official email is:  lu7aa@lu7aa.org.ar

73, 

AMSAT Argentina