The ARISSat-1 satellite, currently aboard the ISS, will be switched on to an external antenna to mark the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's launch. Activation will be done on Monday 11/04/2011 at 14:30 UTC and will be switched off at 10:30 UTC on 13/04/2011. This is mainly due to energy balance, since ARISSat is on board the ISS and its solar panels cannot be activated - it will only work from the onboard battery. For this reason, the satellite will only be on for a limited time and in low power mode. The transmitter will always be active for 40-60 seconds and then off for 2 minutes...
145.950 MHz FM downlink
This transponder will alternately broadcast voice ID, selected telemetry data, greeting in 24 languages and SSTV pictures. One of the voice messages will be a recording of Yuri Gagarin's historic conversation with the ground control station.
145.919 MHz CW beacon
The lighthouse will alternately broadcast the call, selected telemetry data and the calls of radio amateurs who participated in the ARISS program.
145.920 MHz SSB BPSK-1000
Telemetry - The new 1kBPSK BPSK protocol developed by Phil Karn KA9Q allows receiving very weak signals. Telemetry data will be broadcast.
The telemetry data decoder can be found here:
http://www.arissattlm.org/download/ARISSatTLM_050_Setup.exe
Instructions for use are here: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/images/fck_images/ARISSatTLM-QuickStart%281%29.pdf
The linear transponder will not be active during this power-up. Especially for this activation, the on-board FM downlink on 437.550 MHz will also be active.
AMSAT will be confirming receipt of signals from this event - please email gagarin@arissat1.org with your name and description of when and what you captured. Of particular interest to the ARISSat team will be the received UTC telemetry and on-board battery status.
If you get a chance, you can listen to Dave Jordan AA4KN talk about ARISSat-1 on NPR's "Science Friday": http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201104083 (minute 4:40).
Roscosmos confirmed the information about the launch of ARISSat-1 during the next EVA in July this year...