F5PL receiving first radio signals from ExoMars Mars Space Craft
3 Days before the announced lauch , we get from Sir Giorgini , JPL Horizons manager, fresh tracking data sent to him from ESA .
A problem appears , seeing wrong aiming parameters for us , near Toulouse, France .
In the end , ESA sent a new tracking data file and antenna aiming computed for Tououse, at the time of the lauch .
Studying these aiming data, we noticed a very low élevation angle on our South horizon .
In fact, it was Impossible to catch EXOMARS / Breeze séparation with my 3,5 meters dish, at home .
Rocket launce was done in Russia.
We decided to preapare a field expedition on little moutains not farther from Villeneuve , 600 Meters high ,
with a very good view, looking to the South at the horizon .
A little trigonomeric computation pointed EXOMARS signal going up 4000 meters high above Pyrenees moutains .
Next we made 3 trips to these little moutains to find an adequate field and to get farmer's green light to camp at his land.
I exchanged mails with Olivier explaning : the farmer is OK , not shot guns during the launch night , we hope !
Olivier is an EXOMARS flight engineer.
He worked hard , day and night , 15 days before the launch for to check many circuits and fonctions of the satellite .
Bertrand,
Your reception and signal acquisition was officially mentioned in the Main Control Room amid reports on the announcement channel Malindi,
The signal acquisition by a deep space radio amateur installation has never happened here before.
The event was announced on he main communication link with many other data about the project for indistry teams, stations, fligh info, etc.
How much time did you observe between AOS and and LOS?
Ate you now back in Villeneuve or is there a chance that the horn antenna allows you to track TGO a few more days from where you are now?
Olivier from the MCR ( Main Control Room? )
Watch at 20 minutes into video for first signal from spacecraft at ESA in Darmstad.
Pictures here of the event:
Bertrands brother, Xavier helping out.
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Bertrand Pinel to ESA friends,
Exchange from F5PL with ESA:
Here , with our hyper light equipment , we catched TGO signal at the expected exact time ,
and on the computed frequency , Doppler corrected , with your tracking data .
@ 21 : 29 UTC ,,,, AOS on 8410,4975 Mhz
Signal strenght : + 15 / + 20 dB [ Hz ]
located 60 Km east of Toulouse city , Alt : 650 mètres for a good horizon aiming .
At the AOS time , Azimut : +151 ° and Elevation : + 2,3 °
The horn antenna used for the detection is very convenient with the large aperture angle .
In fact , a MGA antenna .
Kind regards ,
Bertrand Pinel
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Receive Reporting by F5PL:
EXOMARS TGO signal detected at the exact time of switching on of the transpondeur ,
After Breeze stage separation .
@ 21:29 UTC , F : 8410,498 MHz
Azimut : + 151 °
Elevation : + 2° 4
Signal strenght : + 15 / 20 dB .
TGO at an approximative distance : 280000 Km
Received on a + 20 dB horn and a 80 K LNA .
73s Bertrand F 5PL
Some Notes about preparations and reasons for this interesting and challenging portable operation away from home station.
(From ESA):
Congratulations to you and your brother for this challenging observing and we hope this is no real "gun" ! Congratulations, once more.
Maspalomas, Kourou, not Malargue DeepSpace 4 Remote version 2.0 is therefore also part of the ESA network !!
F5PL detection of firsr downlink signal during launch of spacecraft
A Portable operation in the field.
With our congratulations for the nice EXOMARS TGO launch, now on the way of MARS planet .
Hello ,
Equipmnet used in field Operation:
15 dB gain 8.4 GHz Horn
Top view converter
Rear end converter
1 stage LNA ( < .9 dB NF) and second state pre-amp
8,4 GHz wave guide filter
Horn antenna pointing towards Spacecraft just over the horizon (EL = 2 degrees)
Receiver mounted on tripod
LO
Checking coordinates
Velocity vector changing of the spacecraft
LO, filter and mixer
Input to Horn antenna
Other view of input to Horn
