May 2013 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

President of the British Interplanetary Society at AMSAT-UK Colloquium
by M5AKA 12 May '13

12 May '13

The 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will start late afternoon on Friday, July 19 and will run through until the afternoon on Sunday, July 21 at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, UK. It will be preceded by an exciting “Hands-on” CubeSat Workshop which will take place at the nearby University of Surrey on the Friday and this will be followed, at the hotel, by the usual Colloquium “Beginners Session” in the late afternoon. A number of keynote presentations have already been arranged for the Colloquium. These include Alistair Scott, the President of the British Interplanetary Society. The BIS has, over many decades, developed ideas and concepts about the future of space travel and both Patrick Moore and Arthur C Clarke were members. Alistair has had many years experience working in the space industry and will be reviewing the future possibilities for ventures into space both small and large. The BIS is presently developing one of the Sprites for the Kicksat mission and Andrew Vaudin will be presenting a paper about this and also providing a demonstration. It is anticipated that both the FUNcube-1 and FUNcube-2 missions will be launched later this year and the FUNcube team will be on hand to talk about the missions and the planned educational outreach. A full demonstration of the Engineering Model, which has been performing flawlessly for almost a year, will also be provided. On the Sunday, the General Manager of the RSGB, Graham Coomber, G0NBI will be talking about the Society’s vision of the future of amateur radio and how amateur satellites can play a major part in helping to secure that future. We will also have updates on a number of the other current amateur satellite projects including HAMtv from the ISS, spectrum matters, operating methods, new products etc. Additionally there will be a satellite demonstration station operating over the weekend and visits to the new technical facilities at the University are planned. There are still a few slots available for additional speakers, so if you would like to make a presentation, please contact Dave Johnson e-mail: dave at g4dpz dot me dot uk as soon as possible. The AMSAT-UK organising committee looks forward to welcoming both regular attendees and newcomers – you can be assured of a warm welcome and an exciting weekend. Full details of the accommodation, travel and booking arrangements can be found here: http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2013/ and details of the “Hands On” CubeSat Workshop are available here http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/cubesat-workshop-2013/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAT-UK website http://amsat-uk.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMSAT-UK/208113275898396 Twitter https://twitter.com/AMSAT_UK ----

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VY1RM
by K4FEG 12 May '13

12 May '13

Ron, VY1RM was just on the FO29 pass with a 57 signal into the satellite, he made a contact with CO6CBF, for another great QSO for Hector to Ron, very short window for Ron and Hector but a good contact for them. Ron is back on the air and has mentioned that he plans to be active on the satellites. He is in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada CP20lq. Look for Ron on the satellite or drop him an email if you want to make a schedule with him. Congratulations Hector and Ron for a great FO29 contact! 73; K4FEG EM55aj84ta

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ANS-132 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne Maenpaa 11 May '13

11 May '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-132 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT is Going to the Dayton Hamvention This Week * AMSAT Engineering Will Show Fox-1 System Software Running on IHU * AMSAT V/U/WX Receive Preamps at Dayton for Display and Sales * New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to Debut at Hamvention 2013 * Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton * "Dayton Only" Special Deals * Signals Received From Estonia's ESTCube-1 CubeSat * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Solicited * ARISS School Contacts * Museum Ships Weekend Special Event Station KK5W Satellite Ops * Additional 2M Downlink Allocation Proposed for Amateur Satellites? * HAMSAT VO-52 Celebrates 8th Year On Orbit * SA AMSAT Space Symposium Coming to Pretoria on May 18 * 1000th Session of the Houston AMSAT Net Invites You to Check In * NASA TV to Cover Soyuz Landing May 13 * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-132.01 ANS-132 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 111.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 12, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-132.01 ************************************************************** * Volunteers are still needed to help at the AMSAT booth at * * Dayton. We have about 20 people who have stepped forward, * * but we could use a few more. If you are willing to spend a * * couple of hours on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to help at * * the Hamvention, please send an e-mail NOW to Steve Belter, * * n9ip(a)amsat.org. If you've volunteered, but not heard back * * from Steve, please send him another note. Thank you! * * * * Monitor the 'AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2013' link on the * * new AMSAT Web Site http://www.amsat.org for the latest * * AMSAT at Dayton news and developments. * ************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT is Going to the Dayton Hamvention This Week This is the week - May 16 through May 19 - for the really big show near Dayton, Ohio at the 2013 Hamvention. AMSAT Hamvention activities and displays are planned to take place at the new booth location (444-446 and 433-435) in the Ball Arena, and outside in the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside the Ball Arena entrance. 2013 theme for AMSAT at Dayton is "AMSAT - A View to the Future." If you have not yet made your reservations for the AMSAT/TAPR Ban- quet, please make them by Tuesday, May 14, 1800 EDT. Because of the requirement that the caterer have a final count, no more reserva- tions will be accepted afterwards, either on the AMSAT Store or at Dayton. This is a great opportunity to mingle with your fellow techies, as well as hear a fascinating speaker! Here are the daily AMSAT activities for on-site and off-site events at the 2013 Hamvention! Thursday 16 May 2013 -------------------- + 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM AMSAT Booth Setup at Ball Arena (contact Steve Belter, N9IP, n9ip at amsat.org if you can help during this time). + 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM The third Annual AMSAT "Dinner at Tickets" party will be held at Tickets Pub & Eatery in Fairborn, OH. Check out the 'AMSAT at Day- ton Hamvention 2013' link to the page 'AMSAT Dayton Social Events' on the new Web Site: http://www.amsat.org. Friday 17 May 2013 ------------------ + 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM at the AMSAT Booth AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and information. You may pick up your tickets at the AMSAT boot for the Friday Night AMSAT/TAPR Banquet during this time. + 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at Dayton 2013 AMSAT/TAPR Banquet on Friday night, May 17 is one of the main AMSAT activities during the 2013 Hamvention at Dayton. The speaker this year will be Bruce Perens, K6BP, with a humorous history of tech- nology evangelism: "The Evangelist's Dilemma: Driving New Ideas With Nothing But Words." Saturday 18 May 2013 -------------------- + 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the AMSAT Booth AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and information. Note the bulletin below for the AMSAT Store Dayton Deals! + 11:15 AM - 1:30 PM The AMSAT Forum Get the latest information about what is going on with AMSAT and its projects. The AMSAT Forum will be held in Forum Room 5. See the bulletin below for details! Sunday 19 May 2013 ------------------ + 9:00 AM - 1:00PM at the AMSAT Booth AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and information. + 1:00PM - 3:00PM at the AMSAT Booth Take down and storage of the AMSAT Booth. (contact Steve Belter, N9IP, n9ip at amsat.org if you can help during this time). Demos Daily on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for All Available Passes -------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT is encouraging everyone attending the 2013 Dayton Hamvention to come by the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside of the Ball Arena entrance and make a contact using the amateur satellites. There will be AMSAT volunteers to explain how to make the contacts and dur- ing actual satellite passes will complete as many actual contacts as possible. Satellite pass times will be posted in the satellite demon- stration area and at the AMSAT booth. [ANS thanks AMSAT's 2013 Dayton Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Engineering Will Show Fox-1 System Software Running on IHU AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX reported that the software development team successfully brought up the Fox-1 system software on the Internal Housekeeping Unit (IHU.) The IHU is the brains of the Fox-1 satellite and it has a 32-bit, STM32L microprocessor. Tony says the operating IHU card will be shown at the Dayton Ham- vention next week in the AMSAT booth. The engineering team welcomes everyone to stop by and have a look. ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT V/U/WX Receive Preamps at Dayton for Display and Sales AMSAT will have a supply of the popular V/U/WX receive preamplifiers at Dayton for display and sales. Ready to operate--not a kit! Fully assembled, tested, and installed in a metal enclosure with female BNC connectors on input and output. It is based on the MAR 7 device, and covers 100 MHz to 500 MHz. This includes the137 MHz WX, 2M, and 70cm satellite bands. Operates from +9-15V DC (a fresh 9V battery works great!). Perfect for portable operations using dual band hand-held Yagis like the ARROW, Cheap Yagi, etc. Just put it inline on the correct receive band for operations in either mode U/V or V/U. You won't believe what you've been missing! Includes low power (about 5W) protection diode on the input for acci- dental transmissions into the input. This preamp is not RF switched. It must be protected from inadvertent repeated or high power trans- mission RF using a relay or diplexer. Full details and schematic can be found in the November/December 2012 AMSAT Journal article by Mark Spencer, WA8SME, or downloaded from the item in the Hardware section of the AMSAT Store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ The assembled and tested kit is priced at $50 USD. Proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the AMSAT Fox Family of satellites! This equipment was developed as part of the ARRL Education and Tech- nology Program. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to Debut at Hamvention 2013 Through the dedicated work of Stefan Wagener, VE4NSA, AMSAT-NA will debut its new 1:1 scale cardboard model of the Fox-1 CubeSat at Ham- vention 2013. We will have a complete display at the AMSAT booth. It is life size, and based on the latest Fox-1 engineering drawings for highest fid- elity in design and appearance. The model is printed in color on heavy stock paper, including all components. The instructions are carefully prepared to allow for easy assembly requiring scissors, glue etc. Depending on experience, assembly will take approximately 10+ hours. The complete model will be a perfect addition to any satellite oper- ator's shack, and a chance to show visitors what is being done by AMSAT today. We will have finished models at the AMSAT booth for a recommended donation of $25. All proceeds will go to supporting the Fox Project. See http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=503 for a photo of the model. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton AMSAT has sold the popular G6LVB Tracker for several years. This year we will have a new version which replaces the amber LCD display with an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The new display offers a high visibility contrast with a wide angle of view. It will be available in blue, green and amber. LVB Trackers will be available with the recommended serial (RS-232) I/O. The recommended minimum donation will remain $200. An FTDI USB/ Serial module is available as an option for an additional $25. A pic- ture showing the old and new displays may be found at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=484 Current LVB Tracker owners may update their own units. The OLED dis- plays used are manufactured by Newhaven, NHD-0216KZW series, and are available from Mouser and other online parts suppliers. The OLED dis- plays have less depth so the PEM fasteners need to be shortened for correct fit and viewing thru the front of the case. The LVB Tracker firmware will also require updating. Current owners may send their LVB Tracker to WB8CXO for retrofit if they don't wish to do the mod- ifications themselves. Upgrading existing trackers will be $50 + ship- ping. Contact WB8CXO(a)AMSAT.ORG for details. AMSAT would like to acknowledge the many contributors to this effort. Mike Young, WB8CXO who has supported the Tracker and whose initiative was essential to this development. John Drago, W8FAA modified the LVB Tracker firmware to support the OLED display. Ken Baker from Ridge Machine manufactured the PEM fastener cutting jig. Steve Belter, N9IP, Mark Hammond, N8MH and John Papay, K8YSE did beta testing. And finally Gould Smith, WA4SXM, LVB Tracker project manager for his continuous guidance and support. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Dayton Only" Special Deals As usual, during the Hamvention AMSAT will have a number of special items and packages available at the booth. These will range from new design shirts and hats, to tracking hardware and software, to Elk antennas. Many of the shirts and trinkets are only available at Dayton. When they are gone, they are gone! Be sure to stop by the booth early while we have a full range of sizes. Here are some of the bargains announced for Dayton Hamvention 2013: + SATPC32 - $40 (normally $45 for members) + AMSAT TOTE BAG - $5.00 (Free for new and renewing members and for those who buy a LVB Tracker Box.) + AMSAT LICENSE PLATE HOLDER - $5.00 (Free for new and renewing members) These items are only available at Dayton: + LVB TRACKER BOX - $200 + ELK ANTENNA - $125 The full shopping list, including publications, software, hardware, apparel, and sustaining memberships are posted on the AMSAT On-Line Store at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=296 Please do not contact the AMSAT office requesting Dayton-only spe- cials. Our regular offerings remain available at the AMSAT Store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Signals Received From Estonia's ESTCube-1 CubeSat Estonia's first CubeSat ESTCube-1, amateur radio callsign ES5E/S, was successfully launched from the ESA Spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana on May 7, 2013 aboard an ESA VEGA rocket. Built by students at the University of Tartu ESTCube-1 the main mission of the satellite is to test electric solar wind sail tech- nology, a novel space propulsion technology that could revolution- alize transportation within the solar system. It will deploy a 10 meter conductive electrodynamic tether and the force interacting with the tether will be measured. Information about the satellite is posted at: http://www.estcube.eu/en/ The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have pub- lished these frequencies for ESTCube-1: + 437.250 MHz - CW beacon, callsign ES5E/S + 437.505 MHz - 9600 bps AX.25 telemetry, callsign ES5E-11 + See http://www.estcube.eu/en/radio-details for additional news. + A beacon decoder can also be found on a link from this page. The AMSAT-UK web shows additional photos and a description of the mission for ESTCube-1 at: http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/06/estcube-1-estonias-first-cubesat-2/ The ESTCube-1 Team has begun posting updates on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/estcube Here is a google maps page that tracks ESTCube-1: http://tinyurl.com/ESTCube-Tracker (lizard-tail.com) ESTCube-1 keplerian elements are included in the AMSAT.ORG elements set sent out this week via the keps(a)amsat.org e-mail list. After deployment from the VEGA upper stage reception reports of ESTCube-1 reception reports from amateur radio stations worldwide were posted: + Ib, OZ1MY received the signal, noting, "Using the preliminary TLEs I heard ESTCube-1 beacon at 0908 UTC May 7. The received frequency is approximately 2 KHz higher than published." + Nader, ST2NH reported, "EstCube-1 Beacon heard over Africa strong and clear." + Ken, GW1FKY reported, "Monday 7th May 2013 - Time here in Wales, UK 1235hrs UTC. Hearing ESTcube-1 very well with just my Elk antenna and a Kenwood TS-2000. + Jean-Pierre, F5YG wrote, "On orbit number 4, good signal but only small pieces of text as there is a lot of time between CW frames. + Hector, CO6CBF said, "ESTCube-1 was heard in EL92sd with a great signal. I was running a FUNcube Dongle with SDR-Radio V2.0 and ELK antenna with a homebrew preamplifier. Approximately 12 hours after launch the ESTCube-1 team posted a status that received telemetry packets indicate the satellite had charged its batteries completely. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the University of Tartu ESTCube-1 Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Solicited It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming open seats on the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. A nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member for the position. Four director's terms expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Drew Glasbrenner, K04MA, and Tony Monteiro, AA2TX. In addition to traditional submission of written nominations, which remains unchanged and is the preferred method, nominations may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, FAX, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA at AMSAT.ORG or faxed to 301-608-3410. Written nominations, consisting of names, calls and individual sig- natures should be mailed to: AMSAT-NA 850 Sligo Ave #600 Silver Spring, MD, 20910 No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS School Contacts Gary, Indiana ------------- An International Space Station school contact was susscessful with participants at The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc, Gary, IN on May 8. This was a direct contact between NA1SS and KC9JQN. The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc. serves as the primary literacy collaborative in the City of Gary and neighboring communities. GLC supports, promotes, enhances, and coordinates the accessibility of literacy opportunities, thus making Gary, "A Reading City." GLC has maintained a close partnership with the Gary Community School Corporation (GCSC). The GLC/GCSC partnership allows the operation of the "Learning Partner" Mentoring Project. This mentoring initiative is a motivational endeavor offering an arm of support to 4th, 5th and 6th grade students enrolled in the GCSC gender academies; Dr. Bernard C. Watson Academy for Boys and Frankie Woods-McCullough Academy for Girls. The GCSC is an urban public school district challenged to ex- pand and enhance educational experiences for the approximately 10,000 students that it serves. A large percentage of these students reside in single-parent homes and/or low -income families. Royal Canadian Mounted Police HQ, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada ---------------------------------------------------------- The contact with the Yellowknife R.C.M.P. Headquarters, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada, via a telebridge connection with K6DUE that had been scheduled for Saturday, May 11 was postponed due to an unplanned EVA to investigate an ammonia leak. At press time this contact has been rescheduled for a telebridge via K6DUE on Sunday, May 12. ARISS is requesting listener reports for the above contacts. Due to issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at pre- sent, the Ericsson radio is going to be used for these contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. [ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Museum Ships Weekend Special Event Station KK5W Satellite Ops The Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club (BVARC) will be participating in the Museum Ships Weekend Event on June 1-2, 2013 from Pelican Island (IOTA NA-143) near Galveston, Texas. It is expected that amateur radio operators will activate amateur radio stations on over 80 ships worldwide during the event. The BVARC operation from Seawolf Park will activate both the submarine USS Cavalla and the destroyer escort USS Stewart. BVARC plans a full 2-day operation on the HF bands. Operation on OSCAR satellites is planned for daytime passes on Saturday, June 1. The BVARC satellite team will consist of AMSAT members Andy Mac- Allister, W5ACM, Allen Mattis, N5AFV, Charlie Keng, K5ENG, and Carl Hacker, WC5WM. During MSWE 2012 a number of museum ships operated on OSCAR satel- lites and the KK5W satellite team worked the USS Nautilus, the USS New Jersey, and the Lightship Overfalls. We encourage any interest- ed satellite operators to volunteer to operate on the OSCAR satel- lites if you live near a participating museum ship. Join in and be part of this worldwide event. If you hear KK5W on during MSWE 2013 give us a call. QSL with SASE to KK5W, Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club, PO BOX 2997, Sugar Land, TX 77487-2997. Additional information is posted on these web pages: + http://www.nj2bb.org/museum/index + http://www.bvarcmswe.org [ANS thanks Allen Mattis, N5AFV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional 2M Downlink Allocation Proposed for Amateur Satellites? AMSAT-UK reports that an increased allocation for amateur satellite downlink on the 2 meter band has been proposed. In the minutes from the IARU Region 1 Interim meeting held in Vienna, April 20-21, the papers related to the Amateur Satellite Service included: + VIE13_C5_03 Increased Amateur-Satellite Service 144MHz Usage + VIE13_C5_05 Recommendations for DATV Transmission + VIE13_C5_24 Region 1 Satellite Coordinator Report + VIE13_C5_27 New Narrow-Band working frequencies in the 2300-2450 MHz band + VIE13_C5_32 2400MHz Amateur Satellites The VIE13_C5_03 which proposed the use of 144.000-144.035 MHz for satellite SSB/CW downlinks was modified to accommodate some CW con- tests, the proposal was reduced from 35 to 25kHz (i.e. 144.000-144.025 MHz). The minutes record that Graham Shirville, G3VZV presented the paper on the increasing use of 2m by satellites and the desire to use the under-utilized bottom of the 2m band 144.000-144.035, which had originally been harmonized for EME activity. "EME has subsequently moved to frequencies further up the band," Shirville said. An IARU Region 1 representative noted that if the other IARU Region 2 and Region 3 are also willing to go for 144.000 and 144.025, then IARU Region 1 will support this proposal. IARU Region 2 Conference is in Cancun, Mexico in September 2013. Additional details of the proposal and links to the Vienna C5 meet- ing minutes and papers are posted on the AMSAT-UK web at: http://tinyurl.com/FrequencyProposal (www.amsat-uk.org) In the show "Amateur Radio Today" for May 5, 2013 Murray Niman G6JYB was interviewed about the IARU Region 1 Vienna conference and dis- cussed the proposal to permit amateur radio satellite linear trans- ponders operate in the very bottom section of the 144 MHz band. The show, hosted by Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, provides a pre- view of the Dayton Hamvention, Murray Niman who represented the SARL (and RSGB) at the IARU Vienna Conference. The interview with Murray Niman G6JYB starts 34 minutes into the show. Listen to Amateur Radio Today May 5, 2013 at: http://www.amateurradio.org.za/ARTODAY5MAY2013pod.MP3 (lo-res) http://www.amateurradio.org.za/ARTODAY5MAY2013.MP3 (hi-res) AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW notes that the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors is studying the IARU Region 1 proposal but has as yet not reached a decision on whether to support it or not. He further noted that EME operators and other weak signal people need to be canvassed before the Board is willing to reach a decision. Barry observed, "The inclusion of this news item in ANS is meant to encourage conversation/discussion and is not meant to suggest impli- cit endorsement by AMSAT-NA. AMSAT members and others who wish to comment on the proposal are encouraged to send their feedback to the AMSAT Board of Directors' mailbox at BOD at AMSAT.org." [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- HAMSAT VO-52 Celebrates 8th Year On Orbit Mani, VU2WMY, Secretary & Station-In-Charge Upagrah Amateur Radio Club VU2URC at India's ISRO Satellite Centre noted this week: "It gives us great and immense pleasure to say that 'HAMSAT VO-52' completes eight fruitful years in orbit contributing to the wonder- ful cause of 'Amateur Radio Satellite Communication'. The overall health parameters are excellent and we do hope that transponder(s) on-board 'HAMSAT VO-52' would continue to render good services for many more years to come. On this joyous occasion, on behalf of everyone here in ISRO/India and on my personal behalf, I thank each and every user, contribu- tors and well wishers for this great achievement. Special thanks to Guru VU2GUR, Nitin VU3TYG, Partha VU2GPS, Sunil VU2UKR, Bob W7LRD, Trevor M5AKA and others for sending in their reports and suggestions for the possible HAMSAT 2." [ANS thanks Mani, VU2WMY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SA AMSAT Space Symposium Coming to Pretoria on May 18 The 2013 SA AMSAT Space Symposium will be held at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria on Saturday 18 May. Full details can be found on-line at: http://www.amsatsa.org.za. Some of the program topics announced this week include: + Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, will take delegates on a historical journey in his presentation "living the dreams of our space pioneers", speaking of OSCAR-7, the oldest amateur satellite still operating. + Deon Coetzee, ZR1DE, will share his experiences developing a 14 MHz receiver to receive signals from the soon to be launched ZACube satellite. + Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ will have a presentation on antenna control. SA AMSAT says, "The programme is packed with interesting papers to cater for all levels of interest and experiences. All attendees will receive a CD with all the presentations and other interesting material. [ANS thanks SA AMSAT and the SARL News for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1000th Session of the Houston AMSAT Net Invites You to Check In The Houston AMSAT net is on the air live on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM (Wednesday 0100 UTC) on the 145.47 W5RPT FM Repeater PL 123.0. The net can also be heard on Echolink on the AMSAT confer- ence. All interested satellite operators are invited to tune in on Tuesday, May 21 for 1000th consecutive session of the net. A special feature of the 1000th net will include AMSAT officers and other guests call- ing into the net. If you are on the Echolink AMSAT conference you also count as being checked into the net. [ANS thanks Andy W5ACM, Net Control of the Houston AMSAT Net for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA TV to Cover Soyuz Landing May 13 NASA Television will provide live coverage May 12-14 as three crew members aboard the International Space Station end five months in orbit and return to Earth for a scheduled landing May 13. Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, Tom Marshburn of NASA and Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will undock their Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft from the station at 7:08 p.m. EDT (UTC-4) May 13, heading for a land- ing on the steppe of Kazakhstan southeast of Dzhezkazgan at 10:31 p.m. EDT. NASA TV's full coverage schedule is as follows (all times EDT): Sunday, May 12: 3:40 p.m. -- Expedition 35/36 change of command ceremony Monday, May 13: 3:30 p.m. -- Farewells and hatch closure (hatch closure scheduled at 3:50 p.m.) 6:45 p.m. -- Undocking (undocking scheduled at 7:08 p.m.) 9:15 p.m. -- Deorbit burn and landing (deorbit burn scheduled at 9:37 p.m., landing scheduled at 10:31 p.m.) Midnight -- Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities Tuesday, May 14: Noon -- Video file of post-landing activities and interviews For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + We receive occasional inquiries about the error message shown when attempting to access the prior AMSAT.ORG web pages. These prior web pages are down and are being replaced with a new AMSAT web presence. You need to delete any old bookmarks pointing to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new. The URL http://www.amsat.org should be manually entered into your browser. This will bring you to the new AMSAT web page currently under development. There is only basic information posted on this site at present but will expand in the future. + Members of the Camb-Hams are now active from the Isle of Mull (IOSA NH15, SCOTIA CN10, WLOTA 2485), Inner Hebrides, as GS3PYE/p until May 16. Look for 13 operators to be active on all bands and many modes from 160-2 meters as well as 472 kHz. The HF bands will be covered by 5 simultaneous stations, while 6m, 4m and 2m sta- tions will have a great take-off towards the UK and Europe. They will have an antenna elevation system for 2m EME activity and will also be on many of the VHF/UHF satellite passes. + Singing in Space: Russia's space agency Roscosmos said this week it has reached an agreement with US-based Space Adventures Ltd. company to proceed with the plans to put British singer Sarah Brightman on a space flight to the International Space Station in October 2015. A final decision on Brightman's journey to the ISS has not been made as it has to be coordinated between Roscosmos and NASA, fitting the demanding schedule of visiting flights to the orbital station. (SpaceDaily.com) + The 2013 Central States VHF Society Conference will be held near Chicago at the Elk Grove Village, IL, Holiday Inn from Thursday July 25 until Sunday July 28. Refer to the conference web at: http://www.csvhfs.org/2013conference/agenda.html for additional information on the technical program, family activities, and a tour of FermiLab. + If you can't make it to the Hamvention you can watch the event on the W5KUB.com world wide webcast. The live broadcast begins on Wednesday May 15 at 8:00 AM Central time for the 550 Mile drive from Memphis to Dayton live. The broadcast will be up on Thursday to show various vendors setting up. Then the show will feature Hamvention coverage Friday through Sunday. As in the past, W5KUB will be giving out thousands of dollars of ham prizes to their viewers. Join in on the fun at W5KUB.Com. When you login to the web chat room you are registered for the prize drawings. + In this video Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield explains how to steer the ISS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IZHw4UKFiHQ + In case you wondered why there was never a station broadcasting on UHF TV channel 37 find out why in the Universe Today story, "The Curious Channel 37 - Must-see TV For Radio Astronomy". http://tinyurl.com/channel37 (UniverseToday.com) [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. And with that please keep in mind to never trust an atom ... they make up everything! 73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org

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J-Pole Antenna
by Werner, HB9BNK 11 May '13

11 May '13

Looking for a simple omnidirectional antenna for AO-7 (B), FO-29 and VO-52, I came across a description of a J-Pole - dual band, single mast antenna, done by Dick Jansson, WD4FAB several years ago. This looks like the solution for my situation. Before I start building, I would like to know, if somebody here has experience with this antenna. Thanks and 73 -- Werner, HB9BNK http://www.hb9bnk.ch http://www.hb9bs.ch

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AO7 Eclipse's
by K4FEG 11 May '13

11 May '13

Hello Everyone, I have taken the information from Ib, OZ1MY and plugged it into SatPC32 and starting on May 21, 2013 at approximately 1346UTC, AO7 will start going into brief eclipse periods as it approaches the coast of Antarctica. Based on my observations these eclipses will increase in duration until they reach a peak around the Summer equinox and then they will start to taper off until the last eclipse occurs at approximately 0245UTC on August 2, 2013. If the past is any indication of future events, this could mean erratic behavior from AO7. Last year for an extended period of time, AO7 was coming up in Mode B every day. I do not know of any rhyme or reason to which mode it may come up in but I plan to monitor AO7 close this year to see if we have another extended "Mode B" period. I will try to keep the StarCom BB up to date on the status of AO7 during this time. I would suppose the worst case scenario would be if we had an extended "Mode A" condition. The dates are 05/21/2013 until 08/02/2013 the eclipse's start at 15 to 20 second periods up to about 3 minutes in duration at their peak. I am not sure how much total loss of sunlight is required cause the satellite to start acting differently, I know the batteries are totally gone but I do not know if there is any type capacitive storage that may retain a voltage in critical systems on the satellite. If anyone has any information on that I would be interested. That is my AO7 status report for now! Stay Tuned! 73 All FRM; K4FEG EM55aj84ta

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AO-07 in mode-B now
by Ib Christoffersen 11 May '13

11 May '13

Hi all, With AOS at 1124 UTC here in Copenhagen I found it in mode-B. Looking at NOVA predictions it will have regular eclipses at the 21 May and onwards. Have a nice weekend all. 73 OZ1MY Ib

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2m1eub/p io97cm qsl cards
by paul robinson 11 May '13

11 May '13

hi all just posted all qsl cards for opps in io97cm dirrect...73 paul 2e1eub

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AO7
by K4FEG 11 May '13

11 May '13

Hello AO7 operators! As of 1005UTC over the USA, AO7 is still in Mode A, the next 45 minutes is the normal time frame for AO7 to switch so the next pass over Asia, The Middle East and Western Europe should be switched to Mode B. The satellite will be over Antarctica when the switch should occur so I expect there will be no one to actually "hear" the switch. I am betting that the switch goes off on schedule and Mode B will up on our next orbit of AO7. I'll be on the next pass as well to see what mode/mood the "Grand Old Lady" is in! 73 all FRM Frank E. G. K4FEG EM55aj84ta

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AO7 Mode
by K4FEG 10 May '13

10 May '13

TO ALL AO7 USERS: AT 2152UTC, THE AO7 PASS OVER THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE IS STILL IN MODE A. I will check to see if the 1047UTC time is still the "switch" time for the satellite in the morning my first pass that is "close" to the switch time is at 0950UTC, the satellite will be over Antarctica when it hits the "time" at which it has been switching. Hopefully we will see that it has switched modes over to B and all we had was an anomaly today on the switching. 73 everyone! K4FEG; Em55aj84ta

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New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to debut at Hamvention 2013
by Alan 10 May '13

10 May '13

Through the dedicated work of Stefan Wagener, VE4NSA, AMSAT-NA will debut its new 1:1 scale cardboard model of the Fox-1 CubeSat at Hamvention 2013. We will have a complete display at the AMSAT booth. It is life size, and based on the latest Fox-1 engineering drawings for highest fidelity in design and appearance. The model is printed in color on heavy stock paper, includes all components and the instructions are carefully prepared to allow for easy assembly requiring scissors, glue etc. Depending on experience, assembly will take approximately 10+ hours. The complete model will be a perfect addition to any satellite operator's shack, and a chance to show visitors what is being done by AMSAT today. We will have finished models at the AMSAT booth for display and printed models for sale. They will be available at the AMSAT booth for a recommended donation of $25. All proceeds will go to supporting the Fox Project. 73s, Alan WA4SCA

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