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

Upcoming ARISS contact with Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia on 08 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:11 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 a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact should be audible over portions of the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The Atlanta Science Festival, launched in 2014, is an annual, weeklong celebration of local science and technology. Approximately 45,000 curious people of all ages explore the science and technology unique to Atlanta and see how science is connected to all parts of our lives in a variety of hands on activities, facility tours, presentations, and performances throughout the metro Atlanta region. The ARISS radio contact will be a highlight of the 2016 Atlanta Science Festival, which enhances our objective to connect the public with STEM professionals and launch the dreams of thousands of young Atlantans toward careers in STEM and innovation. The students participating in our proposed ARISS contact event will be comprised of teachers and students from the 12 metro Atlanta region public school districts and local independent schools. The opportunity both to learn about space science and radio technology and to connect students in conversation with an astronaut in space would yield a powerful event that is both inspirational and educational. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What inspired you to become an astronaut? 2. What kinds of things are you hoping to discover on this mission? 3. How have you handled emergencies or unexpected events while working on the International Space Station? 4. What would you say is the most useful invention that you have had to use on the International Space Station? 5. While on the International Space Station, what is your favorite thing that you have seen so far? 6. When preparing your spacesuit for a spacewalk, do you attach different tools to it based on the assigned mission? 7. Have you ever seen anything that has made you think that there is possibly other life in outer space? 8. What was the greatest disappointment you had to face in space? 9. How long does it take to become and astronaut and what process do you have to go through? 10. What are your thoughts during your first ten seconds of flight? 11. How do you exercise while in space? 12. When in space, what do you do in your free time? 13. What type of gear to your need to remain safe in space? What protocols do you have in place if your gear malfunctions? 14. What are the risks of having space debris aimed at the space stations? How does it affect normal operations? 15. With problems such as poverty and global warming going on in the world, why do you feel that it is important to fund space exploration? 16. What did you do to mentally prepare for your trip to space? 17. On your first mission to space, how nervous were you? 18. What was the most difficult part of your astronaut training? 19. How does it feel when you complete a mission? 20. If space travel was open to the general public, what would be a pro and a con for public participants? 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. North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-10 19:08 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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attic antenna
by Pete Parisetti 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

Having read about some mighty satellite antenna installations in the attic - one in particular... - I wanted to run a few tests of my local conditions before going ahead with a similar project. I built a GP for 146 MHz using wire hangers (SWR flat across the entire 144 and 430 MHz bands....), placed it in my attic and fed it with 45' of Ecoflex 10. On a dry day, today I could hear the FO-29 beacon from about 10 degrees to about 10 degrees. I find this extraordinary. I don't know if ther roof slates will attenuate more when wet (this may be a urban legend...), but on a day like today I think the difference attic/outside is almost negligible. 73 Pete MM0TWX

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Frequency Doubler?
by Robert Bruninga 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

Does anyone remember how to make a High level frequency doubler? I need some energy on 902 MHz, and wonder about just blasting some diodes with a 451 MHz transmitter? (followed of course by a filter)... Seems like a full wave rectifier would give a strong 2X frequency component? I wonder if 1N4005's would do? At 50W input the capacitance per diode is around 1 pF Bob, WB4APR

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Must have been tropo this morning
by J. Boyd (JR2TTS) 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

I got unexpectedly good results on both FUNCube-1 and UKube-1 this morning here in JA during three separate passes between 0000 and 0400 UTC, that I suspect was helped out by tropospheric ducting. My QTH (PM85jl) is on the side of a mountain overlooking a valley, so there is no direction I can look where I can see the horizon other than a small sliver to the SSW. The mountain to the north wipes out the sky up to 40° elevation, and the hills east and west cover up to at least 20°. Despite this, I received 10 packets from AO-73 with my Diamond D-150 discone at 10m height, despite the bird being only being 11° maximum el, and a fantastic 70 packets during its next higher pass, where I heard the beacon loud and clear almost immediately after AOS, despite it being far down behind the mountain. I later got 26 packets from UKube-1 as it passed far to the west, with the last one having been received *after* LOS, something that had not happened to me before. With all of the terrestrial obstructions between me and the bird at that moment, I can only think that tropo had given it a boost. At 739th place in the rankings and rising fast, watch out world... -- J. Boyd, JR2TTS/NI3B the2belo(a)msd.biglobe.ne.jp http://www.flickr.com/photos/the2belo/ http://www.qrz.com/db/JR2TTS Twitter: @Minus2_C

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Long Beach CA presentation on 4 March & W6RO satellite activity on 5 March - report
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

Hi! I'm back home, after a quick two-day trip to southern California for a presentation and some sightseeing. Not as much radio operating on this trip compared to some of my other recent trips to California, but still a great time! I had agreed to give another satellite-related presentation to the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach, after giving a presentation there in April 2015. Where my original presentation focused a lot on the history of amateur radio satellites, the presentation I gave on Friday (4 March) evening would focus more on current and upcoming projects. So I left home on Friday morning for the 6-hour drive from Phoenix to Long Beach, with two stops to work AO-85 passes at Palm Springs and Riverside, both in grid DM13 in southern California. Before the meeting, I had dinner with some hams who would be at the meeting later in the evening. Endaf KG6FIY, the ARALB president, along with Tom WA0POD and Jim AA6QI from Pasadena, met me at a restaurant near the meeting site. After dinner, we drove south to the meeting. Unlike with last year's presentation where I gave demonstrations of working FO-29 and SO-50, my options were limited to XW-2F and XW-2C passes that partially overlapped, about 30 minutes before the 7pm (0300 UTC) meeting time. With a nice crowd, I set up my portable station - FT-817ND, SDRplay SDR receiver with HDSDR on a Windows tablet, Elk log periodic - to work the two satellites. XW-2F came up first, and I made a quick contact with KJ6MSU in southern California. Unfortunately, no QSOs were logged on XW-2C. The crowd could see the transponder, along with the digital telemetry and CW beacons, on the tablet's screen. We also saw some strong adjacent signals just above the XW-2F transponder while working that satellite. There was a nice turnout for this meeting. I'm not used to groups here in Arizona having Friday evening meetings, but it works for the ARALB. After some club business, I gave my presentation. It is really nice to talk about the different satellite and satellite-related projects that are taking place now. It was also fun to answer the questions from the crowd. Since most of my recent California trips have included additional driving and operating from different places, and I have not done much sightseeing, I wanted to be more of a tourist this time. Endaf KG6FIY gave me some suggestions on what I could see and do on a Saturday, and I went with that. Before I met him to start the touristy stuff, I worked an SO-50 pass from a shopping center parking lot. Once I picked up Endaf, we first drove to the Griffith Observatory, overlooking downtown Los Angeles. It was a nice day to walk around with the clouds over the area, not too hot or cold. >From there, we took our time driving back through Los Angeles down to the Long Beach harbor and the Queen Mary. I have been to Long Beach in the past, and have driven near the Queen Mary, but have never been on the ship. Endaf had arranged for me to go on the ship, and visit the wireless room. Some insist on calling the room a "radio room", and signs on the ship refer to it by both names. At the room, I met David Akins N6HHR. David, a member of the ARALB, is the manager of the W6RO station on the Queen Mary. He invited Endaf and me to come in the room, sign a visitor's log, and then sign a radio operators' log. David verified that we held amateur licenses, so we could use the radios. Endaf began to work HF from one operating position, as I looked around the room and took pictures. Then, a surprising offer... David explained that the W6RO station included a satellite station - a Yaesu FT-847, 2m and 70cm Yagis, along with a Yaesu az/el rotator. Even though the FT-847 can also work HF and 6m, it is only used at W6RO for satellites, and had not been used in some time. It had been installed in the days of AO-13. David asked if there were any satellite passes that could be worked, and I saw an AO-7 pass just after 2.30pm (2230 UTC). With a half-hour to quickly get acquainted with the radio and rotator controller, I started reading the satellite section of the FT-847's operating manual. I also posted on Twitter and the AMSAT-BB my intent to work the AO-7 pass as W6RO. The satellite station is not computer controlled, but the FT-847 has the functionality to work satellites without the computer. The rotator controller could also be worked manually, moving it to follow the track I saw on my AmsatDroid Free tracking app. The pass had a maximum elevation of just over 70 degrees, making it a good pass to try from W6RO. I have never used an FT-847 to work satellites, but had figured the radio out sufficiently to give it a go. I had posted that I was going to try working below the center of the AO-7 transponder, but ended up working slightly above the center of the transponder. As I was trying to line myself up, I found that the SUB-TUNE knob on the FT-847 would only tune downward - even if turned it clockwise. This meant to adjust my uplink higher in SAT mode, I would have to disengage the SAT mode and swap VFOs briefly to use the large VFO knob to make the adjustment, then swap VFOs again and press the button to reengage SAT mode. After a few minutes, I was able to hear myself, and hear Dave KG5CCI answering my calls. Dave was the first station I put in the W6RO log. After some challenges with how I had to tune the uplink frequency, I was able to log two more stations before LOS - Larry WA6DIR in the Los Angeles area, followed by Bryan KL7CN/W6 near Sacramento in northern California. At W6RO, operators are asked to log QSOs and give out a QSO number. For my satellite QSOs, those numbers started with "I" followed by 3 digits. I did this, along with giving out the DM03 grid locator for Long Beach with each of these QSOs. The QSOs have been entered in the W6RO log, and the W6RO QSL manager will be able to properly confirm the QSOs I logged - including the notation that these were satellite QSOs. Please look up W6RO on QRZ.com for the address and other information. W6RO only handles paper QSLs, and does not use any of the electronic QSLing systems like LOTW or eQSL. While I was operating, Endaf was taking pictures and made a couple of short video clips. The pictures were being tweeted using his @endaf_99 Twitter feed. If you do not use Twitter, you can still see the pictures without having to sign up for a Twitter account at: https://twitter.com/endaf_99/media Endaf's two video clips are on YouTube, at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-cQ09H-Ll8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg2QFB3ubRQ I had also tweeted photos of the W6RO station and antennas, along with other photos from throughout the two days I spent in California, using my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. Just like with Endaf's Twitter feed, mine is also visible without first signing up for Twitter at: https://twitter.com/WD9EWK For just the photos I tweeted, use: https://twitter.com/WD9EWK/media After I put my QSOs in the W6RO log, and David verified everything looked OK, we left the ship. Endaf and I had dinner at his house, before I drove home. On the way home, I made a couple of stops to work some late-evening SO-50 passes. The first stop was at a rest area along I-10 in Yucaipa, in grid DM14. I logged 8 QSOs from this location on a pass just after 8.30pm (0430 UTC). Then back to the driving, and I went about 45 miles east to Thousand Palms, east of Palm Springs in DM13. After filling the car's fuel tank, I logged 4 more QSOs on the 10.10pm (0610 UTC) SO-50 pass, and then made the drive from the Palm Springs area to my driveway in just over 3.5 hours. Thanks to the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach for their hospitality once again. In particular, the club president Endaf Buckley KG6FIY and the W6RO station manager on the Queen Mary, David Akins N6HHR. I hope the ARALB is able to put the W6RO satellite station on the air again, and often. :-) 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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ANS-066 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-066 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: * One Million Telemetry Packets Received by AO-85 Ground Network * ARISS Countdown to 1000th Contact * School SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS * First satellite QSO to Antartica * AMSAT's Fox-1E Likely to Get a Lift from NASA * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-066.01 ANS-066 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 066.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 06, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-066.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- One Million Telemetry Packets Received by AO-85 Ground Network At 10:31:06 UTC on March 3rd 2016, the millionth telemetry packet from AO-85 was submitted by PB0AHX to AMSAT's Fox Internet Telemetry System (FITS). Led by Chris Thompson, G0KLA, AMSAT has built a worldwide network of ground stations that can effectively monitor spacecraft health as well as collect experiment data for our university partners. The FITS development team is international in nature, with contributors from the US, Canada and the UK. There is plenty of work to go around, if you are interested in helping please contact volunteer(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks AMSAT/NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Countdown to 1000th Contact The ARISS contact between Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, with Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI was on Saturday represented the 997th successful ARISS contact in ARISS history. ARISS is posed to celebrate its 1000th contact as early as this week. Below is the list of currently scheduled events for ARISS. Each one will have to be successful for the numbering to be correct. As of right now, the March 10 contact with North Dakota (the first for that state) is in the prime slot to be the 1000th contact. School: Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic (Kopra) #998 Tue 2016-03-08 08:22:43 UTC 82 deg School: Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia (Peake) #999 Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC 53 deg via K6DUE School: North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota (Kopra) #1000 Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC 56 deg via W6SRJ As stated above, if all of the above contacts are successful it looks as if the contact between Tim Kopra KE5UDN and North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC) in Grand Forks, North Dakota Thursday 2016- 03-10 19:08:55 UTC will be contact 1000. The contact will be telebridged via W6SRJ. Kopra will use the callsign NA1SS. In celebration of the 1000th contact NASA is producing videos touting the importance of amateur radio on the ISS. The first of these to be released can be viewed at https://youtu.be/bTOiiBd2dCo [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- School SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) CubeSat developed by students at Saint Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) in Arlington, VA, is set to be deployed from the International Space Station on March 7 between 8-11am EST. STM is thought to be the first Elementary school to build their own satellite, even Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade students were involved in the project. The satellite, a 1U CubeSat called STMSat-1, will transmit a SSTV signal on 437.800 MHz. Middle School Students took the initiative to begin exploring how to receive data from the CubeSat and formed a Ham Radio Club. There, they learned the basics of operating a ham radio station and explored Slow Scan Television as an option for receiving images once the satellite is deployed. How Did 400 Grade School Students Built A Nano-Satellite? http://jewelbots.tumblr.com/post/134465599599/how-did-400-grade- school-students-built-a STMSat-1 https://twitter.com/STMSAT11 https://www.facebook.com/stmsat1/ http://www.stmsat-1.org/ Be advised that the deployment could be delayed or postponed depending on demands on the crew's time [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK* for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- First satellite QSO to Antartica On Feb-28 2016, first satellite QSO from Antartica to mainland Argentina thru SO-50. Photos & details (spanish) on https://www.lu4aa.org/wp/historico-primer-qso-desde-la-antartida/ [ANS thanks Pedro C0nverso for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT's Fox-1E Likely to Get a Lift from NASA NASA has accepted the Fox-1E cubesat - a joint effort between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University - to be part of its CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) program. The satellite, also known as RadFxSat-2, will carry a radiation effects experiment developed by Vanderbilt as well as a 30-kHz wide amateur radio linear transponder with an uplink on 2 meters and a downlink on 70 centimeters. This will be in place of the FM repeater carried by most amateur cubesats. The project received a #1 priority out of 20 accepted proposals and has been offered a launch date by NASA. This is the second collaboration between AMSAT and Vanderbilt. The first - RadFxSat/Fox-1B - is also part of NASA's CSLI program and is scheduled for launch next January. http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2016/02/amsats-fox-1e-likely-to-get- lift-from.html [ANS thanks the CQ Newsroom for theabove information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 - ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Friday/Saturday, 18-19 March 2016 - presentation for the BVARC Houston Hamfest Fort Bend County Fairground demo on Saturday *Saturday, 19 March 2016 - Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 - Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016, ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 - Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 14 May 2016 - Matanuska Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Wasilla AK *Saturday, 4 June 2016 - White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BV using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 03-01 16:45 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via VK5ZAI. ARISS Mentor was AA4KN. This was the 995th ARISS contact. + A Successful contact was made between National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York and Astronaut Tim Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began [YEAR, Month, Date Time] UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was[direct/telebridge] via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was KA3HDO. This was the 996th ARISS contact. + A Successful contact was made between Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign GB1SS. The contact began [YEAR, Month, Date Time] UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via GB4PCS. ARISS Mentor was KA3HDO. This was the 997th ARISS contact. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic, direct via OK2KYJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 08:22:43 UTC Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC Watch for live stream at http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ariss North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC 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. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over Russian Mayak Satellite Says Bright Enough to Rival Solar System Visible Objects Just something interesting that came across the wires this morning. Russian crowd funded project, apparently testing a solar sail/aerodynamic braking satellite: Once Mayak begins its sun-synchronous orbit above the Earth, the spacecraft will unfold a 16 square meter pyramid of reflectors that will reflect the Sun's rays, creating a man-made star visible from Earth and bright enough to rival any other solar system. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Crowdfunded_Satellite_Set_t o_Become_the_Night_Skys_Brightest_Star_999.html [ANS thanks JoAnne, K9JKM 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 contacts with Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic on 08 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:22 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and OK2KYJ. The contact should be audible over the Czech Republic 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. It will be the first ARISS event ever in the Czech Republic. There are three high schools from Olomouc taking part in the ARISS contact project. All of them have about the same study programmes and equipment common for the 21st century. Students are divided into three different study programmes lasting four, six, and eight years. All schools have invested into the latest technology, enable access to Wi-Fi throughout the schools for the students to access online learning and be competent with the use of computers and the internet in their lessons. They can also be proud of their libraries and other facilities such as study areas and canteens. All schools offer various after-school programmes and activities including the ones connected with the ARISS and ISS projects. Slovanske gymnazium (SG) has selected students aged 11 to 19, some of them studying the French bilingual programme and is of a very good standard concerning teaching programmes and students´ results which are believed to contribute to the ARISS project and make studying of Physics even more attractive to the students. It is possible to see some of their preparations and promotion of ARISS in a short video at www.sgo.cz Gymnazium Olomouc - Hejcin is renowned as one of the top high schools and the biggest school in the Czech Republic. Through a rigorous study program, students are challenged to succeed academically and prepared to excel at the university level. Some of the students study English bilingual programme - both Czech teachers and native English speaking teachers participate and cooperate in the teaching process. Gymnazium Cajkovskeho is a school for 11 to 19 year old selected students. The school offers Spanish bilingual programme and courses for international certificate German language. Students and teachers took part in many projects with well-respected results. The school also has a strong sports section. While taking part in the ARISS contact project, the school has been implying a stronger impact on Science. As the school has been on the waiting list for a radio contact for more than two years now, some of the students have reached the university by now, and took part in forming the UP Crowd. UP Crowd is a guild of students of scientific disciplines and other science enthusiasts from University of Palacky in Olomouc. They have been cooperating on the ARISS project with the 0K2KYJ radio club (see www.ok2kyj.cz) for the last year and half. Through their members they have an extensive connection with the famous scientists and astronomers in the Czech Republic. They had promoted ARISS-Olomouc project at many past events such as University popularization event of Physical kaleidoscope 2015, The Open day of Scientific faculty of UP, "The Night of the scientists" event at Scientific faculty of UP, high schools lectures for first and second grade students of elementary schools and high schools, Lecture event for kids (age 15 - 18) of Mensa Czech Republic. There is a website presenting information about the ISS and ARISS http://exfyz.upol.cz/didaktika/iss/ One of our partners ONYX has greatly contributed to the realization of such a project and tries to reach a wide audience of readers and followers at http://onyx.cz/clanek/587 and https://www.facebook.com/ONYX.engineering/posts We are planning to contact some famous scientists and astronomers to join the lectures planned before and after the actual radio connection, and hope to contribute to spread more interest in both astronautics and radio contact fields of science. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What is it like eating in zero gravity? 2. How can you relax on the ISS? Do you have time to watch movies? 3. Is the day/night cycle the same as on Earth? Are you on shifts? 4. What was the most difficult or strangest thing to get used to on the ISS? 5. Does your stay in space have any influence on your health and if so, how? 6. What do you miss most from gravity on Earth? 7. How do you deal with the isolation from your family? 8. Is it possible to catch a cold on the ISS or is it a completely sterile environment? 9. Can you use a 3D printer in the same way as on Earth? 10. How do you overcome weightlessness when back on Earth? 11. Does time pass slower or faster in your daily routine aboard the ISS compared to life on Earth? 12. Do you access the Internet in the same fashion as on Earth? 13. Do you have any musical instruments on the ISS? 14. Are you planning a stay of a small pet aboard the ISS? 15. Are there any special items that you carry with you all the time? 16. What do you think is the biggest problem for humans to go beyond low earth orbit? 17. How are you being filmed during a spacewalk? 18. Is it possible to compare life on ISS to somewhere on Earth? 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. Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC 53 deg Watch for live stream at http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ariss 2. North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC 56 deg 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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Weekend successes
by Jeff A. Boyd 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

I decided to make this weekend into Telemetry Weekend. Setting up my FUNCube Dongle Pro+ and a laptop receiving from a Diamond D-150 Super Discone, I managed to do all of the following for the first time: 1. Received images from NOAA-15, -18, and -19: http://i.imgur.com/ZQpGLU4.jpg 2. Decoded a total of 27 packets from FUNCube-1, and for a short time was the sole data provider in the warehouse: http://i.imgur.com/H1zFlWa.png http://i.imgur.com/axGp9aB.png 3. I even managed to get telemetry from UKube-1 although I don't think it was complete: http://i.imgur.com/QzCM2rj.png All in all I'm pretty satisfied at what I managed to do, even though it didn't involve any QSOs. 73 -- J. Boyd, JR2TTS/NI3B the2belo(a)msd.biglobe.ne.jp http://www.flickr.com/photos/the2belo/ http://www.qrz.com/db/JR2TTS Twitter: @Minus2_C

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Adding a Position Indicator to TV Ant Rotator
by VU2POP 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

Hi Guys I just uploaded a video of my old project Adding a Position Indicator to TV Ant Rotator see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZWFqNJDlM <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZWFqNJDlM&feature=youtu.be> &feature=youtu.be Best 73 Pop VU2POP

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FS: 10 meter beam for AO7 Mode A
by John Geiger 05 Mar '16

05 Mar '16

Here is a great, small sized Mode A receiving antenna! I have a MFJ 1890 2 element Moxon Yagi for sale. It is several months old and works great. Last year with one I worked 103 countries in one weekend with one and it was only 17 feet high. The boom length is around 5 feet and the elements are around 13 feet long. Easy to turn with a TV rotor. I am asking $80 shipped for it and can take paypal/check/MO. 73 John AF5CC

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