Satellites launched by the Peoples' Republic of China have been detected transmitting coherent pairs of frequencies near 180MHz (CW beacon and telemetry) and 480MHz (CW beacon). In all cases, the carrier frequency for the 180 MHz transmission is precisely three eighths that of the UHF beacon. Chinese satellites and the piloted spacraft, Shenzhou, can also be found transmitting at S-band frequencies.
The 180 MHz transmissions are similar and appear to be continuous for the active life of the vehicle and the same is true at 480 MHz. 180 MHz carries two bands of telemetry and a pair of further carriers. In the case of Fengyun, the telemetry bands are 5 kHz each side of the main carrier with the other carriers at 10 kHz away from the main one. The CBERS/Zi-Yuan/Jian Bing satellites have telemetry bands at 20 kHz and the additional carriers at 40 kHz either side of the main carrier. At 480 MHz the transmission is a simple CW tone.
CBERS 1, a joint Chinese and Brazilian project, also was also reported to have a transmission frequency near to 462.5 MHz, probably to trigger transmissions from remote data collection platforms monitoring climate conditions at sea or in relatively inaccessible land areas. The two CBERS 2 satellites were designed to carry out a similar function. No transmissions at this frequency have been reported by amateur trackers.
Not all of these frequencies are currently active and the list includes historic frequencies - specifically the HF ones used by China's first two satellites.
| Freq (MHz) |
Satellite |
Payload |
Signal Type |
Notes |
| 2202.000 |
Beidou 5 (Beidou 5 (2A))
2007-011A 31115 |
Navigation satellite |
Carrier plus multiple sidebands |
Probably no longer transmitting - initially tracked from Europe but line of sight lost as it approached the operational location near 140° east |
| 180.011 |
CBERS 1
1999-057A 25940 |
Remote sensing |
CW carrier on centre frequency plus telemetry sidebands at +/- 20 kHz - and further carriers at +/- 40 kHz |
China Brasil Earth Resources Satellite - Coherent transmission at 480.025 MHz - Silent since mid 2003, the last public report being 2003 Jun 6 by Maik Hermenau of www.satellitenwelt.de |
| 480.025 |
CBERS 1
1999-057A 25940 |
Remote sensing |
CW - Doppler tracking beacon |
China Brasil Earth Resources Satellite - Coherent transmission at 180.011 MHz - silent since mid-2003 |
| 180.014 |
CBERS 2
2003-049A 28057 |
Remote sensing |
CW carrier on centre frequency plus telemetry sidebands at +/- 20 kHz- and further carriers at +/- 40 kHz |
China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite - Coherent transmission at 480.037 MHz, ceased to transmit 2007 |
| 480.037 |
CBERS 2
2003-049A 28057 |
Remote sensing |
CW - Doppler tracking beacon |
China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite - Coherent transmission at 180.014 MHz, ceased to transmit 2007 |
| 180.013 |
CBERS 2B
2007-042A 32062 |
Remote sensing |
CW carrier on centre frequency plus telemetry sidebands at +/- 20 kHz- and further carriers at +/- 40 kHz |
China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite - Coherent transmission at 480.033 MHz, also transmits 2204.400 MHz |
| 2204.400 |
CBERS 2B
2007-042A 32062 |
Remote sensing |
CW carrier plus data sidebands |
China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite - also transmits 180.013 MHz and 480.033 MHz |
| 480.033 |
CBERS 2B
2007-042A 32062 |
Remote sensing |
CW - Doppler tracking beacon |
China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite - Coherent transmission at 180.013 MHz, also transmits at 2204.400 MHz |
| 2234.520 |
Chang'e 1
2007-051A 32273 |
Lunar orbiting satellite |
CW carrier plus data sidebands and secondary carriers - two modes - 2 MHz bandwidth and 256 kHz bandwidth |
Lunar probe built and launched by the Peoples' Republic of China, originally tracked in HEO and then followed to the Moon - easily detectable with simple equipment; since arrival at the Moon, Chang'e has been transmitting internittently on command from ground stations |
| 19.995 |
China 2 (Shi Jian)
1971-018A 5007 |
Engineering experiments |
Pulse position data modulation |
Second satellite launch by the PRC - initial transmissions at 20.006 MHz then changed to this frequency - Transmission was continuous until re-entry in 1979 through natural orbital decay |
| 20.006 |
China 2 (Shi Jian)
1971-018A 5007 |
Engineering experiments |
Tone-based telemetry |
Second satellite launch by the PRC - transmissions may have been from the final-stage rocket - After a few days, the 200.006 MHz transmission was replaced by one at 19.995 MHz |
| 20.006 |
DFH-1
1970-034A 4382 |
Technology demonstrator |
Tone-based telemetry plus tune 'The East is Red' |
First satellite launch by the PRC |
| 180.006 |
Fengyun 1C
1999-025A 25730 |
Meteorological imaging |
CW carrier on centre frequency plus telemetry sidebands at +/- 5 kHz- and further carriers at +/- 10 kHz |
Active transmitter until 2007 February when attacked in ground-based interceptor test - Coherent transmission at 480.017 MHz |
| 480.019 |
Fengyun 1C
1999-025A 25730 |
Remote sensing |
CW - Doppler tracking beacon |
Active transmitter until 2007 February when attacked in ground-based interceptor test - Coherent transmission at 180.007 MHz |
| 180.007 |
Fengyun 1D
2002-024B 27431 |
Meteorological Imaging |
CW carrier on centre frequency plus telemetry sidebands at +/- 5 kHz- and further carriers at +/- 10 kHz |
Coherent transmission at 480.017 MHz |
| 480.017 |
Fengyun 1D
2002-024B 27431 |
Meteorological Imaging |
CW - Doppler tracking beacon |
Coherent transmission at 180.007 MHz |
| 2273.520 |
Haiyang 1B
2007-010A 31113 |
Oceanic Remote Sensing |
CW plus data sidebands |
Weak |
| 2241.600 |
Huan Jing 1A (HJ-1A)
2008-041A 33320 |
Disaster monitoring within China |
CW plus data side-bands |
Part of constellation |
| 2209.795 |
Huan Jing 1B (HJ-1B)
2008-041B 33321 |
Disaster monitoring within China |
CW plus data sidebands |
Part of constellation |
| 2224.065 |
Shenzhou 7
2008-047A 33386 |
Piloted spacecraft |
CW carrier plus side-bands |
PRC piloted spacecraft - frequency first detected during the Shenzhou 7 mission (2008 September) by Richard Flagg, Hawaii USA - transmission is probably continuous while in orbit |
| 2212.810 |
Yaogan 1
2006-015A 29092 |
Remote sensing, possible military connection - reportedly equipped with a synthetic aperture radar |
CW carrier (+sidebands?) |
Does not transmit on all passes - European observations are on southbound passes (these occur between passes over the PRC mainland) |
| 2212.810 |
Yaogan 3
2007-055A 32289 |
Remote sensing, possible military connection - reportedly equipped with a synthetic aperture radar |
CW carrier (+sidebands?) |
Does not transmit on all passes - European observations are on southbound passes (these occur between passes over the PRC mainland) |
| 179.951 |
Zi Yuan 2 (Jiang Bing 3A)
2000-050A 26481 |
Remote Sensing |
CW carrier on centre frequency plus telemetry sidebands at +/- 20 kHz- and further carriers at +/- 40 kHz |
Coherent transmission at 479.865 MHz |
| 479.865 |
Zi Yuan 2 (Jiang Bing 3A)
2000-050A 26481 |
Remote sensing |
CW - Doppler tracking beacon |
Coherent transmission at at 179.951 MHz |