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

Radomes
by Joe 22 Jul '16

22 Jul '16

I'm putting together a very basic and simple ground station. I have a Little Wheel 70cm for an antenna, and a NICE ARR 70 cm gasfet preamp. Now I want to mast mount of course the pre amp right at the antenna. And there are a lot of connections there. So was thinking of making some sort of a Radome to cover it all. And was thinking something as simple as a Ice Cream Bucket. Are there any "Plastics" I should avoid? I do not want to have any effect on the already weak RF. I want it to be as transparent as possible. Thoughts? Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] 1976-07-20: Viking 1 Lands On Mars
by Edward R Cole 22 Jul '16

22 Jul '16

Nice that folks are remembering the 40th anniversary of Viking-I landing on Mars. I worked on the mission as Systems Analyst at the DSS-14 Tracking Station which is administered by JPL. Actually at the time of the landing I was between job's, having resigned at Goldstone in April and would not assume my new job at JPL DSN Engineering until September, 1976. I took a five month hiatus (vacation) traveling across America towing a travel trailer and seeing all the Bi-Centenial Events held by many Nat'l Parks and Historical locations. Celebrated July 4th, 1976 at Devil's Lake, ND (had planned to make it to Yellowstone but was slowed down by a couple days by getting sick on water from Isle Royale, MI). I was 32. I left JPL in July, 1979 heading up to Alaska for a different lifestyle (another story). 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com "Kits made by KL7UW" Dubus Mag business: dubususa(a)gmail.com

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AO-73/FUNcube mode change
by Jim Heck G3WGM 22 Jul '16

22 Jul '16

Hi Folks, Just to let you know that I have just changed AO-73/FUNcube into full time amateur mode. Enjoy the transponder over the weekend. Plan as normal is to return the sat to auto switching mode on Sunday pm, utc 73 Jim G3WGM

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2016 AMSAT Symposium at Sea Update
by Clayton Coleman 22 Jul '16

22 Jul '16

Get ready to set sail for the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting – at sea! With only a few months between now and our sailing date of November 10, cabins are starting to fill up quickly. If you have not made reservations, please consider doing so to ensure your cabin preference may be accommodated. While our AMSAT group reservation has a negotiated rate for category 4B inside cabins, many group members have opted to reserve ocean view and balcony cabins. IMPORTANT NOTES: - Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium. There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40. This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. The registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website. - The AMSAT 2016 Space Symposium Cruise flyer included in the 2016 Board of Directors ballot mailing lists an incorrect group booking code. The correct AMSAT group code is 8Z0RF5. - Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page. Carnival offers round-trip transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person. CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS: - Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130 - Cruise registration: 1-800-438-6744 extension number 70005. Our group name is AMSAT and the group code is 8Z0FR5. Outside of the USA, the number to call is +1 305-599-2600 extension number 70005 (not available on weekends.) DATES AND LOCATION: - 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting November 10-14 aboard the Carnival Liberty departing from Galveston, Texas. - 2016 AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting November 9-10 at the DoubleTree Galveston Beach Hotel, Galveston, Texas.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-07-22 07:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 22 Jul '16

22 Jul '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-07-22 07:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Contact is a go for Sat 2016-07-23 18:50 UTC (***) ESA Space Camp 2016, Lenk, Switzerland, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-07-25 12:46:35 UTC 49 deg Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria IL, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Contact is a go for: Wed 2016-07-27 19:59:27 UTC 36 deg **************************************************************************** ** 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. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. **************************************************************************** *** 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 119 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 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-07-22 07:00 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 1071. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1036. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. 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, 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 2016-07-20 02:00 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. 47 on orbit Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Aleksey Ovchinin Exp. 48 on orbit Anatoly Ivanishin Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Takuya Onishi KF5LKS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Upcoming ARISS contact with ESA Space Camp 2016, Lenk, Switzerland
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 22 Jul '16

22 Jul '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at ESA Space Camp 2016, Lenk, Switzerland on 25 July. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:46 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 W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west 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 ESA Space Camp is a summer camp organized by the European Space Agency at KUSPO, "Kurs und Sportzentrum" in Lenk, Switzerland. The activity is part of an educational program. Children at the camp will have 2 weeks of space education and this event will be a highlight for making ARISS contact with an astronaut in space. The education program will cover the themes of space and exploration in particular looking at Rosetta final operations as well as planet Earth and its uniqueness in the universe. Children will receive a lesson based around how we communicate with the crew on the ISS from a ham radio expert. Local media and authorities are involved, also with the support of the camp provider. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. If one astronaut is very ill, can a "space-ambulance" be sent to bring the astronaut back to earth? 2. How do you clean the air of the ISS 3. I would like to know if a person with severe hearing problem who is equipped with the cochlear implant, like me, is able to become astronaut. Thank you. 4. Once you are in the ISS, which part of the Earth you like the most to fly over and why? 5. What physical changes do you notice with your body whilst you are in space? 6. Is it necessary to have medical knowledge to become Astronaut? Because you shall give yourself an injection! 7. Since the astronauts on board of ISS see many sunrises and sunsets every day, how do they cope with sleeping and day/night cycles? 8. What is the most interesting thing on Earth that you have seen from space? 9. What is going through your mind during launch? 10. For how long do the supplies in food and oxygen last on board the ISS? 11. In case of a vital emergency issue inside the ISS that requires the evacuation of the ISS, which are your escape options? Was it ever used for real in the past? 12. How do you feel when you go to work outside the space station? 13. If you knew that going to space was dangerous, why did you decide to go? 14. What is the first thing you want to do when you arrive back to Earth? 15. When you go out of the station to repair something for instance, what would happen if the cable connecting to the ISS break? What does the crew in the station have to do to avoid that you go in deep space? 16. Have you ever thought of the dangers that can happen in your space missions? 17. What is the most exciting part of the travel to the ISS? 18. What do you typically do during your free time at ISS? And do you ever get bored? 19. How much sport do you have to practice to keep muscle toned and avoid bones degradation? 20. Do the astronauts onboard the ISS have the meals together? 21. Have you ever felt loneliness or have you ever been afraid of staying outside in the space? 22. What happens if an astronaut gets a cavity (toothache) when at the Station? 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. Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria IL, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Contact is a go for: Wed 2016-07-27 19:59:27 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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New to satellites or seasoned operator
by Bruce 21 Jul '16

21 Jul '16

If you are new to satellites or even a seasoned operator, AMSAT has a variety of awards for you. The first is the Satellite Communicator's Club - This award is for making your very first satellite contact. No QSL card is required. Simply apply for it at the AMSAT online store and then drop an email to me that you purchased the award. In the comments of the award, enter the station you worked and date/time. The next award is the Satellite Communication Achievement Award - This award is for making 20 contacts with different states/ve call areas/dxcc entities. Sorry, you cannot use Hawaii and Alaska for a DXCC entity and a state. We will count them both as states. This award does require you to send copies of your QSL cards or screen shots of your LoTW contact. Add another 40 states/ve call areas/dxcc entities to your original 20 above and you earn the Sexagesimal Award for 60 contacts. Then add another 40 states/ve call areas/dxcc entities and you get the Century Award for 100 contacts. AMSAT also has the South Africa Satellite Communication Achievement Award - This is for 25 contacts with any station, any where (all can be from your same city, state or country if you like). These contacts must be made on phase 2 LEO satellites. The final AMSAT Award is the Robert W. Barbee Jr. (W4AMI) Satellite Operator Achievement Award - To earn this award you must have made 1,000 contacts with any station on any satellite (multiple contacts with the same station is allowed if on different days or different satellites). Endorsements are provided for each 1,000 contacts and a special certificate is issued for your 5,000th contact. To see all the awards and see who has earned each visit http://www.amsat.org click on Services and then Awards Do not forget awards issued by other groups such as the ARRL VUCC, ARRL DXCC, and ARRL WAS. Then there is the Central States VHF Society Reverse Grid award. Finally the Got Grids award issued by starcommgroup.org 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards AMSAT Board Alternate 2015-2016 ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

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Spectacular views: Dragon and ISS clearly visible over The Netherlands !
by PA3GUO 21 Jul '16

21 Jul '16

Last 2 nights both the ISS and SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule were clearly visible over my location (Waalre, The Netherlands). I got great help of two friends setting up the camera & tracking the spaceships. In the night of July 19th they were still separated 4 minutes. ISS already passed when Dragon showed up. However, in the night (early morning 03:35 local time...) of July 20th they were separated only 15 seconds / 115km. One really sees the two 'following' (trailing) each other (ISS is followed by Dragon). We had a bit of a challenge with the full moon. Fortunately, the basketball field helped out a bit as you can see on this picture: http://www.pa3guo.com/DSC_7644.JPG ISS is the bright stripe, the more dimmed stripe (below) is Dragon. Exposure (lens open): 10 seconds. ISS was approaching. Subsequent pictures are here: http://www.pa3guo.com/DSC_7645.JPG http://www.pa3guo.com/DSC_7646.JPG http://www.pa3guo.com/DSC_7647.JPG http://www.pa3guo.com/DSC_7648.JPG (here you see Dragon best) http://www.pa3guo.com/DSC_7649.JPG Then my two friends noticed during the final period of the pass that the Pleiades ("Seven Sisters") were accompanying them: http://www.pa3guo.com/iss_dragon_waalre_20jul2016.jpg Well, I finally saw a cargo ship and the ISS passing by together, it was truly a spectacular view !! Best regards, Henk - PA3GUO

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1976-07-20: Viking 1 Lands On Mars
by B J 21 Jul '16

21 Jul '16

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/viking-1/ It was originally scheduled to touch down on July 4, in observance of the American bicentennial, but a sandstorm obscured the landing site. July 20 was chosen instead because it was the 7th anniversary of Armstrong and Aldrin landing, and later walking, on the moon. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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NP4JV in July ARRL NPOTA newsletter
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 21 Jul '16

21 Jul '16

Hi! The ARRL just released the July issue of their National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) newsletter for National Park Service staff and volunteers. These newsletters are at: http://www.arrl.org/npota-for-nps and the July issue is available at: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/NPOTA-News/NPOTA-July2016.pdf On the last page of this month's newsletter is a short mention of one way to deal with an "uncooperative ionosphere" - work satellites. It shows Fernando NP4JV working a satellite from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. If you follow Fernando on Twitter - he's @NP4JV, or visit http://twitter.com/NP4JV to see his Twitter activity - you would have seen the photo that appear in this newsletter on 1 July, when he went up there and worked some passes. Congratulations, Fernando! 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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