October 2015 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: [amsat-bb] Fox-1A
by Joe Fitzgerald 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

George, KA3HSW wrote: >Which of the GRACE objects are you using as your keps for Fox? As the >satellites spread out, that will make a difference... CalPoly uses GRACE2 to identify it. The best source of Keps is: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/keps/current/nasabare.txt Look for AO-85 object# 99992 -Joe

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Fox-1A
by Loon - 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

Do think uplink frequencies seem to be on, or are there adjustments that need to be made? AOS 1 - 435.170AOS 2 - 435.175Max L - 435.180LOS 1 - 435-185LOS 2 - 435.190 I find using the FT-60R challenging. The pass over central PA (50 degree) at 10:08 UTCwas strong, heard KC4LE, N8MH, KA4H, and others, but only had one station answermy call in FN10. LoonW3MAT

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FoxTelem Tips
by Chris Thompson 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

If you are attempting to decode Fox-1A in IQ mode with Find Signal enabled, then it will also search for signals from Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D. But that is a waste of time at the moment :) You can fix that by removing the files from the spacecraft directory. You only need to move the files that end in .dat. In fact, renaming the ending is sufficient. Leave the file for Fox-1A of course. 73 Chris g0kla/ac2cz -- Chris E. Thompson chrisethompson(a)gmail.com g0kla(a)arrl.net

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GomX 3 and AAUSat 5 identified
by Nico Janssen 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

All, Using detailed doppler measurements I find that GomX 3 is object 40949, 1998-067HA. Therefore AAUSat 5 is object 40948, 1998-067GZ. 73, Nico, PA0DLO

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AO-85 telemetry hints
by Mark L. Hammond 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

Hi All, On the 10utc pass this morning, while the transponder was on and in use: I learned that reducing the width of the cutoff filter in Foxtelem program made it so I could copy the subaudible telemetry packets with the Funcube Dongle Pro. Reducing from the default 200 Hz to about 180 or 175 seemed to work here. It shows up as a decent eye pattern after that. Another FYI-When playing back an IQ recording via SDR#, it seems a bit more forgiving, working well around 175-200. Suggest folks experiment for best copy! Share hints here, please! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Fox-1A/AO-85 transponder to remain on to 0000Z 10Oct
by Andrew Glasbrenner 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

All, We will leave the transponder running until about 0000Z 10Oct. Feel free to try it. A couple of notes: If the downlink isn't on, a few seconds of 67 Hz tone will turn it on. Narrow FM may help with the downlink audio levels if you find it difficult to hear. You may find it takes a little more gain on the uplink than expected. I encourage users to try their handheld yagis, remember to twist for polarity, listening full duplex to peak your uplink. During this time, the low speed data will still be active alongside your voice downlink, so ground stations are encouraged to continue submitting that to the server. 73, Drew KO4MA

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FOX-1A
by Martin Sweeting 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

On behalf of all members of AMSAT-UK I send our congratulations the AMSAT team in the USA for all their hard work in recent years on FOX-1A which having been successfully launched, and from which telemetry signals have been successfully received and decoded on earth, is now known as AO-85. This is a great achievement. I wish the team well during the forthcoming commissioning, and we all hope that the new satellite will have a long and useful life operating in the Amateur Satellite Service. 73 Martin Sweeting, G3YJO Chairman AMSAT-UK This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal.

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Using AO-85 Transponder
by Bill Attwood 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

I attempted two passes of AO-85 from DO20 after Jerry's email regarding activation of the transponder. During the first attempt with an Alinco HT at 0447 UTC I didn't get into the bird (approx 4 watts into an Arrow antenna). I was, however, able to copy AC0RA for most of the latter half of the pass. I tried again at 0629 UTC using 20 watts TX power on an FT-857 (and the Arrow). This time I was able to get into the sat from within a degree or two of AOS to about 6 degrees near LOS. It took a fair bit of playing with the TX frequency and antenna polarization. Unfortunately nobody else was on :-( One thing I noticed on both passes was that I had to tune my RX frequency down by 5 KHz during the last quarter of the pass. Regards, Bill VE6WK

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ANS-281 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AO-85 OSCAR Number Assigned for Fox-1A
by Joseph Spier 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-281 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: * AO-85 OSCAR Number Assigned for Fox-1A SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-281.01 ANS-281 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 281.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 8, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-281.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-85 OSCAR Number Assigned for Fox-1A Willian (Bill) Tynan, W3XO, AMSAT-NA OSCAR Number Administrator has issued the following release: I have been informed of the successful launch today, October 8, 2015 of the AMSAT-NA-built Fox-1A CubeSat. I am also informed that the satellite has been heard by several amateurs in various countries. This successful launch comes after years of diligent and dedicated work on the part of AMSAT-NA volunteers including Tony Momteiro, AA2TX, who became a silent key in March, 2014. It was Tony who spearheaded and guided the work on all AMSAT-NA CubeSats until his untimely passing. Thus, it is only fitting that this spacecraft be dedicated to his memory. Following Tony’s death, the work of completing and preparing for launch fell to Jerry Buxton, W0JY, who took over Tony’s post of AMSAT-NA’s Vice President for Engineering and saw to Fox-1A’s successful completion and its preparation for launch. All of those who had a part in designing, constructing and testing Fox-1A and its various subsystems are to be congratulated for jobs well done. Since Fox-1A was properly coordinated through IARU as an Amateur Radio satellite, has been successfully launched and its signals have been received; I, under the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA President, do hereby issue to Fox-1A the designation AMSAT-OSCAR-85, or AO-85. May AO-85 serve the radio amateurs of world for many years to come. [ANS thanks Bill, W3XO, and AMSAT-NA 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. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr Ismail (1), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 09 Oct '15

09 Oct '15

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr Ismail (1), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 09 Oct. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:00 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and 9M2RPN. The contact should be audible over Malaysia and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Our first ARISS contact was made in 2007 when, Malaysia's first Astronaut Shiekh Muzapher went on board ISS. We made 5 direct contacts when, some 80 school children to talked to him and asked questions. Since then it has become highly sought after yearly event which is tied up with the Prime Minister's Space Challenge Trophy. This year 2015 we would be making our 8th yearly contact. Since the schools do not have ground stations, they make use of Satellite Ground Station at National Planetarium established in 1995 under the call sign of 9M2RPN. The schools are the nurseries to produce future astronauts and space scientists. The forthcoming contact in October, 2013 provides the hands on experience and the seeding operation for tomorrow's space scientists. 1. How far you have to go to escape gravity? 2. What is the escape velocity to reach ISS? 3. When you have achieved orbit what is the first thing that you do? 4. Is it hard to eat in space? 5. How does it feel to float in space? 6. How does one get treated in case of sudden sickness in space? 7. If there is air leak in ISS what emergency action would be taken? 8. Can you weigh yourself in weightlessness? 9. Do you sweat in space? 10. Can you grow seeds in space? 11. Can you see other satellites from the ISS? 12. What time zone do you observe in space? 13. How many sunrises and sunsets you see in space? 14. How often you get to speak to your families in space? 15. How is garbage disposed in space? 16. How do astronauts train for launch, orbit and reentry? 17. How would a candle burn in space? 18. Can you blow your nose in space? 19. If you sneeze in space do you float backwards? 20. Can you see stars in daytime when you are in space? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Bay View Elementary School, Burlington, WA, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Wed Oct. 24, 2015 19:41:44 UTC ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the volunteer support and leadership from AMSAT and IARU societies around the world with the ISS space agencies partners: NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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