February 2016 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Yuma Hamfest (19-20 February 2016) - report
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Hi! Last weekend's Yuma Hamfest in southwestern Arizona was a fun event to be a part of. For the 8th straight year, AMSAT had a booth at the hamfest. This year, as in 2012 previously, the Yuma Hamfest also served as the ARRL Southwestern Division Convention. This brought more people out to Yuma, along with the great weather and the lower fuel prices in most of the southwestern USA outside of California certainly didn't hurt. The hamfest ran across two days - Friday (19 February) afternoon, and all day Saturday (20 February). The hamfest site, the Yuma County Fairgrounds, turns into a mix of hamfest, convention, and campground. Campers are able to park on the fairgrounds for the weekend, meaning there's no travel from camp site to hamfest. For the others attending the hamfest, there are many motels and hotels around Yuma, or other campgrounds in the area - plus the desert, a favorite of many spending the winter in this area. The fairgrounds sits across the street from Yuma International Airport and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. With the military air operations, it was like having a small air show alongside the hamfest with the different types of military aircraft in the sky. AMSAT had its booth in a section with other groups like ARRL and the Civil Air Patrol. Lots of traffic went past the booth over the two days. I set up tablets running videos showing demonstrations of working satellites, tracking software (SatPC32), and SDR (HDSDR, connected to either an SDRplay receiver or a HackRF Blue software-defined transceiver). Demonstrations were done outside the hall, near a parking lot, on 3 different satellites (AO-85, FO-29, SO-50) using different radio configurations: AO-85- TX: IC-2730A, RX: SDRplay with HDSDR on 8-inch Windows 10 tablet FO-29- TX/RX: FT-817ND (half-duplex) SO-50- TX/RX: TH-D72A (also half-duplex) All of my radio configurations used an Elk Antennas handheld 2m/70cm log periodic. For the AO-85 configuration, the antenna was connected through an MFJ diplexer to serve both the IC-2730A and SDRplay. With the hamfest starting at midday (1900 UTC) Friday, and AO-85's pass times not lining up better with the hamfest, Saturday morning was the only chance I had for an AO-85 demonstration during the hamfest. For the other two satellites, I was on at least once a day on each satellite. One of the FO-29 passes on Saturday afternoon was recorded on video, and has since been uploaded to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-G6rD_xl4 Other pictures were posted on my @WD9EWK Twitter feed over the weekend. If you don't have a Twitter account, you can follow this link and scroll back to see other photos I posted from the hamfest: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK Outside of the hamfest on Friday and Sunday mornings, I worked AO-85 from the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historical Park, northwest of the hamfest near the Colorado River. All of these locations were in the rarely-heard grid DM22. For all of the AO-85 passes I worked at those two locations, I captured and uploaded telemetry to AMSAT. With AO-85 being in orbit for a few months now, and more satellites coming during 2016, it makes it easier to talk about this part of ham radio at an event like the Yuma Hamfest. Instead of "it's coming", I can say "we have one Fox-1 satellite in orbit now, and more on the way". Add in the other projects AMSAT is working on currently, and this is a much better situation compared to a few years ago. A good thing. :-) Thanks to Roger Hunt K7MEX and the Yuma Amateur Radio Hamfest Organization (a not-for-profit corporation whose only purpose is this hamfest!) for allowing AMSAT to be a part of the event. Thanks also to all the stations who called WD9EWK during the demonstrations. Some of them took a little bit of time to describe their location, and even their station setup - things that help the crowds understand how far we can communicate through the satellites, and what others use for their stations. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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IC9100 USB Port
by Tom Lubbers K8TL 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

While reinsatlling and upgrading PCSAT 32 I ran across a page that gave some detailed instructions and cautions for using the USB port on the 9100 with PCSAT32. I made a mental note to make a copy of it, my mental note book is defective anyone know what article I'm talking about and where it is? Tom Lubbers K8TL

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NP24 and grids DM28 DM29 and DM39
by Lee Ernstrom 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Here are the totals of the grids that I activated on 2/22/2016 and 2/23/2016... DM28 - 36 unique calls DM29 - 14 unique calls (Great Basin National Park) DM39 - 9 unique calls Credit for the national park activation is via LOTW only. I have uploaded all QSOs to LOTW and in the next few days I will be sending all my contacts QSL card unique to the grid that I worked them from. Return QSL is not necessary. Thank you all for the fun, and to Frank K4FEG for your help through texting and on the phone. WA7HQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Sent from my iPad

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK on 26 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:43 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between GB1SS and GB2CNS. The contact should be audible over the UK 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. This contact is a collaborative project between three schools in Norfolk and their local university, UEA. Norwich School employ an Ogden Trust Teaching Fellow whose job is 50% dedicated to Physics outreach and she has led the project. City of Norwich School (CNS) are hosting the link up. Reepham High School has an observatory on site and are hosting a 'spot the station' event. 36 schools have signed up to be a part of all we have planned and have each received an age-appropriate radio kit for use in lessons and clubs funded by RCUK through the UEA. This map shows the geographical diversity of the schools involved. We expect 21 of these schools to be able to bring students on the day of the link up. 1. What do you do if you cut yourself really badly in space? 2. Are there any protocols or guidance in place if George Clooney comes knocking on the front door as he did in the film Gravity? 3. What experiment would you like to add to the program based on the experiences you have had? 4. Do you notice that you are missing natural sunlight and fresh air and in what ways is this affecting you? 5. How do you get changed in space, won't your clothes go everywhere? 6. One of the experiments you are conducting in space is to measure fluid shifts in the body, how does this help us back on Earth? 7. Do you think there will be a jump in the design of spacecraft as many are now old? 8. How different was the training compared to actually going into space? 9. Do you think the experiments carried out in space will increase in number as the technology improves or will there be technology to recreate this environment on Earth? 10. Which materials being developed with the electromagnetic levitator will have the largest impact on the development of greener living? 11. Since being in space have your dreams been different to those on earth? 12. If everyone in Britain turned their lights on and off at the same time, would you see it? 13. Which part of the Earth do you like orbiting over the most and why? 14. I understand that you experience sunrise and sunset sixteen times a day on board the ISS, are you aware of it and does it affect your body clock? 15. Do you feel insignificant up in space because perhaps there may be life beyond our planet? 16. Is there a song or a piece of art that you think reproduces the feeling of being in a non-gravity zone, if so which one? 17. Do you play any anti-gravity sport up in space? 18. If you could live on or explore any planet, which would it be and why? 19. If you were allowed to change one feature of a planet, which one would it be and why? 20. As a plane ascends in the atmosphere, we are told to blow our noses or swallow to minimise pain. How do you deal with this with the g-force you experience in the rocket? 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. About Gagarin from space.Of sessions with pupils of amateur radio CHILD collective radio station "Rainbow" and students of South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, direct via R8AM The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Contact was successful: 2016-02-22 10:20 UTC 2. About Gagarin FROM SPACE Of sessions amateur radio MEMBERS Astronautics Federation and school Saint-Petersburg, direct via RA1AJN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Contact was successful: 2016-02-20 11:58 UTC 3. Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 4. National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 5. Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 UTC ABOUT ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.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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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-24 07:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-24 07:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: About Gagarin from space.Of sessions with pupils of amateur radio CHILD collective radio station "Rainbow" and students of South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, direct via R8AM (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS (***) Contact was successful: 2016-02-22 10:20 UTC (***) About Gagarin FROM SPACE Of sessions amateur radio MEMBERS Astronautics Federation and school Saint-Petersburg, direct via RA1AJN (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS (***) Contact was successful: 2016-02-20 11:58 UTC (***) Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 78 deg National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 53 deg Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 UTC 59 deg **************************************************************************** ** The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30. Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details. **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** *** All ARISS contacts are made via the Ericsson radio unless otherwise noted. **************************************************************************** *** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-24 07:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1027. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 992. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2016-02-24 07:30 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ARISS Contact Friday- Listener Info
by John Spasojevich 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

Please join us in listening to the ISS contact with participants at the Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, on Friday February 26th. AOS is anticipated at 1443 UTC The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be DIRECT between NA1SS and GB2CNS The contact is expected to be conducted in English. You can watch the contact at: https://principia.ariss.org/Live/ Their stream starts about an hour or so prior to contact HAMTV from ISS is anticipated Audio from this contact will be fed into the: EchoLink *AMSAT* (101377) IRLP Node 9010 Discovery Reflector Streaming Audio at: https://sites.google.com/site/arissaudio/ Audio on Echolink & web stream is generally transmitted around 20 minutes prior to the contact taking place so that you can hear some of the preparation that occurs. IRLP will begin just prior to the ground station call to the ISS. Audio for this contact is a relay from the principia website and is dependent on their stream. Times breaks are manual and connected repeaters may time out. ** Contact times are approximate. If the ISS executes a reboost or other manoeuvre, the AOS (Acquisition Of Signal) time may alter by a few minutes ** 73, John - AG9D ARISS Audio Distribution

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Simple logic - STOP CALLING!
by Kevin M 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

If a station in a rare grid is on an FM satellite, running 5 watts... and he starts to have a little trouble getting into the bird to answer folks because of some interference, someone keying up, etc... when everyone starts calling him... they all keep keying up and clashing signals... NO ONE is heard and it makes matters WORSE! Just because you don't hear a signal coming back from the satellite DOES NOT MEAN that the UPLINK FREQUENCY IS CLEAR. With 5-6 stations all trying to key up and call at once, nothing gets through but noise, if that... But one guy finally gets through and you hear him calling the station. Then everyone thinks, "Well, I'm not going to get left out, so I better get right in there!" (And to make matters worse, you give a NIIICCCE LOOOONGGG CALLLL.) Then everyone else keys up and tries... and again, nothing but noise. Until another signal dominates and gets through and here we go again... and this keeps happening over and over and over and over! In the meantime, the poor rare grid station is trying his damnedest, but he cant get past all the strong stations calling HIM!!! The fact that YOUR station is full duplex doesn't matter... it's the same as a DX pileup on HF. YOU CAN'T HEAR HIM IF YOU KEEP CALLING! Remember he's very likely LOW POWER! PLEASE... let the rare station RUN THE PILEUP... WAIT... LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!!! It's the key to DX on HF and the same on satellites. Put your competitive, macho egos in park and let the other guy go first and finish his QSO... it's the BEST WAY to clear out the list of callers and GET YOUR CHANCE. And another thing... It's one thing to blind call a rare station, ONCE... ONE SHORT CALL... BEFORE HE APPEARS. A way to let people on the bird know, 'Attention: rare station alert! Listen up!' But it's a completely different matter to just keep calling and calling so you can get to be the FIRST to work him... THAT'S SELFISH and RUINS it for EVERYONE! And it certainly doesn't make a bit of sense to keep calling and calling ONCE HE HAS ALREADY APPEARED ON THE PASS!!! - The simple logic boils down to this... If you keep calling, he cannot answer. And the harder you try, the more you cut your own throat. Get it?!!! X^( 73, N4UFO

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Videos: ARISS and Nayif-1 Clean Room + Uni Malta satellite
by M5AKA 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

Video of Tim Peake and Oasis Academy contact http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/23/video-tim-peake-oasis-brightstowe/ UK and Malta University Satellite Collaboration http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/23/uk-and-malta-university-satellite/ Video: Inside a Satellite Clean Room (with Nayif-1 linear transponder satellite) http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/22/inside-a-satellite-clean-room/ ARISS contact planned for school in Norwich, UK February 26 http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/21/tim-peake-city-of-norwich-school/ TV News coverage of Oasis Brightstowe students contact with Tim Peake http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/19/oasis-brightstowe-students-talk-to-tim-peake/ Norwich School Ground Control Day http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/15/norwich-school-ground-control-day/ 73 Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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WA7HQD LoTW
by K4FEG 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

"Doc" has uploaded the SO-50 QSO's to LoTW already! Congratulations again & FO-29 next! 73 All, K4FEG

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WA7HQD SO-50 UPDATE
by K4FEG 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

WA7HQD DM28 Update: Here are "Doc's" Confirmations for SO-50: N8RO AC0RA N6NUG N6UK KO4MA W7JPI W7JSD AA0CW /*"Doc" will be on the 18:46z FO-29 pass coming up!*/ *Good Luck All & Good SatDX** **73* K4FEG

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