January 2017 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

BY70-1 log entries on LOTW
by Mac A. Cody 25 Jan '17

25 Jan '17

All, I have posted my backlog of QSOs for BY70-1 on LOTW. If you are missing a QSL, please let me know. 73, Mac Cody / AE5PH

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Swiss Space Center - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 25 Jan '17

25 Jan '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Swiss Space Center - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland on 26 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:06 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 French. Description du Swiss Space Center Le Swiss Space Center oeuvre pour que les institutions de recherche et les entreprises puissent accéder au secteur spatial et collaborer entre elles sur des projets d'envergure internationale. Raccordé à l'EPFL, le Swiss Space Center s'investit aussi dans la formation professionnelle, les activités éducatives avec les jeunes et l'appréciation de l'espace de la part du grand public. Ecoles participantes Deux écoles ont répondu présent à l'offre de passer un coup de fil à la Station Spatiale Internationale. 1. L'Ecole primaire de Châteauneuf participera avec des enfants très jeunes et déjà très experts de l'espace: ils ont étudié le Système Solaire et la Terre ainsi que différentes missions spatiales et l'implication de la Suisse et l'Europe dans leur contexte. Ils suivent Thomas Pesquet sur les réseaux sociaux depuis son entraînement et sont prêts à prendre le relais de lui: ils savent déjà quoi mettre dans la valise d'un kilo et demi à laquelle les astronautes ont droit pour un séjour à bord de la Station. 2. Les élèves de secondaire l'Etablissement de Préverenges sont aussi très bien préparés: pour ces garçons et filles la gravité ne fait plus peur car ils ont étudié les forces, comment les modéliser, mesurer et calculer. De plus les classes ont aussi conduit un atelier autour de l'alimentation des astronautes à bord de la Station. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1 Quelle heure est-il en ce moment sur ISS? 2 Fêteras-tu ton anniversaire autour de bougies, gâteau et de cadeaux? 3 Pouvez-vous s'il vous plait nous décrire ce que vous voyez hormis la Terre et le Soleil? 4 Quelles sont les choses les plus drôles que vous faites en apesanteur? 5 Que faites-vous pendant votre temps libre? 6 Quel est la nourriture que tu n'aimes pas manger dans l'espace? 7 Quelles étaient tes matières préférées à l'école? 8 Ta maman te manque? 9 As-tu observé les effets de la pollution sur notre planète? 10 Dans le Soyouz et ISS as-tu entendu des bruits qui font peur? 11 Quelle était votre motivation pour aller dans l'espace? 12 Entre combien de candidats avez vous été choisi et pourquoi? 13 Pendant l'entraînement, quelle a été pour vous la chose la plus difficile a réaliser? 14 Quelles sont les expériences scientifiques que vous faites? 15 Qu'est-ce que cela vous procure d'être en apesanteur? 16 Votre sommeil est-il différent quand vous dormez dans l'ISS? 17 Qu'est-ce que vous faites si vous avez une urgence médicale? 18 Y a-t-il des disputes entre les astronautes? 19 Qu'est-ce qu'il vous manque le plus de la vie normale? 20 Quelle est votre plus grande peur durant votre séjour dans l'espace? Translated: Description of the Swiss Space Center The Swiss Space Center works to facilitate access to the space sector for both research institutions and industrial partners, so that they can collaborate on the realization of international projects. Based at EPFL, the Swiss Space Center also works to disseminate public awareness of space, to provide educational activities to school pupils and training to university students. Participating Schools Two schools have answered present to the offer of giving astronauts a ring onboard the International Space Station. 1. The Ecole primaire de Châteauneuf will participate with kids as young as 6, who are already very knowledgeable about space: they studied the Solar System and the Earth, various space missions and what role Europe and Switzerland have in them. They have been following Thomas Pesquets on social media since his training and they are ready to take over from him, as they already know what to put in the 1.5 kg suitcase that astronautes are allowed to bring onboard the ISS. 2. Middle school students from the Etablissement de Préverenges are also very well prepared: for these boys and girls gravity holds no secret anymore as they have studied the concept of forces, how to model, compute, and measure them; they have also learned about how astronauts eat on the ISS by conducting a workshop in the classroom. 1 What time is right now on the ISS? 2 Will you celebrate your birthday with candles, cake and gifts? 3 Could you please describe us what you can see apart the Earth and the Sun? 4 What are the funniest things you can do without gravity? 5 What do you do in your spare time? 6 What is the type of food that you don't enjoy eating in space? 7 What were your favorite school subjects? 8 Do you miss your mum? 9 Have you been able to observe the effects of pollution on our planet? 10 Have you ever experienced frightening noises on both Soyuz and the ISS? 11 What was your motivation to go to space? 12 Among how many candidates were you chosen and why? 13 During your training, what was the most difficult task to accomplish? 14 What experiments are you conducting? 15 What effects does weightlessness have on your body? 16 Does sleeping feel different on the ISS? 17 What do you do if there's a medical emergency onboard? 18 Are there disputes among astronauts? 19 What do you miss the most of life on Earth? 20 What do you fear the most about your stay 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. South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-01-27 19:50 UTC 2. Cours Saint Maur, Monaco, Monaco, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-02-01 09:30 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), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and 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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BY70 and LOTW
by ingejack＠cox.net 24 Jan '17

24 Jan '17

All Qso's from Jack KC7MG in DM42 Arizona have now been entered In LOTW . If anyone is missing his/her Confirmation please email me to verify. Qso's entered under Bayi Kepu Weixing 1 73 JACK-KC7MG DM42

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-24 04:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 24 Jan '17

24 Jan '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-24 04:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Swiss Space Center – EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-01-26 11:06:29 UTC 53 deg South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-01-27 19:50:18 UTC 72 deg Cours Saint Maur, Monaco, Monaco, telebridge via LU1CGB (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-02-01 09:30:57 UTC 35 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 Kenwood 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: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 **************************************************************************** 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 2017-01-24 04:30 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 http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1109. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1073. 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 2017-01-17 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. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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New TQSL Config File
by Sean K. 24 Jan '17

24 Jan '17

>From the ARRL LoTW/IT staff: config.xmlversion 10.5 has been released. This is an update release containing additions and changes made sincethe release of config.xml 10.4 The changes in config.xml 10.5 are: - In the Satellite enumeration, added entries for: - "BY70-1": Bayi Kepu Weixing 1 - "IO-86": Indonesia-OSCAR 86 (LAPAN-ORARI) - "SAREX" for 2-way contacts made using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) packet digipeater - "MIREX": for 2-way contacts made using the Mir packet digipeater Sean Kutzko Amateur Radio KX9X

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Make Up Grid Expedition FN27 + FN28
by Ken Alexander 24 Jan '17

24 Jan '17

Technical difficulties prevented me from reaching FN27 in my recent grid expedition. It's time to correct that situation. February 20th is a statutory holiday in Canada, so I'm going to tack on a few vacation days and return to FN27. As it turns out, there's a small sawmill town further up the road and just south of the FN28 boundary! The plan as of today's will be to haul a$$ from home to Mont-Laurier QC (FN26gn) on Friday Feb 17th, then head into FN27 and FN28 on Saturday. Spend the night in Parent QC, (FN27qw) and operate a little more from both grids on Sunday morning. Sunday night in will be spent in Ottawa, ON and return to base on Monday. My objective is to make up for missing FN27 and to activate FN28 because it's possible. Operation from other grids will only take place in the evenings, when I arrive at my hotel. It's not very ambitious as far as activating new grids is concerned (although they are high quality grids!), but there's a lot of driving involved to get there and back; nearly 2,000 km (approx 1,200 mi) of driving in only 3 days. That said, if anyone has the time and thinks they could put up with me, I would be very happy to have a co-pilot to share the driving and modest expenses with. The Quebec countryside is very beautiful and the people are warm and friendly. Please contact me privately if you're up for a mini-adventure in February. More details as we get closer to the date. 73, Ken VE3HLS

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BY70-1
by Jeff 24 Jan '17

24 Jan '17

BY70-1 is now a valid satellite in LoTW ! 73 Jeff kb2m

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Doppler PSK
by Joe 23 Jan '17

23 Jan '17

Looking for help with this program. All the Google results that have help guides are busted. I fully understand the concept of the program. But wonder is there a way to adjust the base start up frequency? Every time I have used it, I'm worried if I may be passing out of many peoples passbands! Even my radios for that matter on transmit. It seems really high all the time. I do not think it has ever been lower than 2500 Hz Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

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PCSAT32 + LVB tracker.
by Jeff 23 Jan '17

23 Jan '17

Hi Tom. LVB with SatPC32 uses the Yaesu_GS-232 as a rotor interface/controller selection as the LVB uses the Yaesu command format... 73 Jeff kb2m -----Original Message----- From: Tom Lubbers K8TL Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2017 2:29 PM To: AMSAT BB Subject: [amsat-bb] PCSAT32 + LVB tracker. After many successful orbits I'm retiring my Trak Boxes. While looking at PCSATs interface choices I notice the LVB tracker isn't included. Which one should I use? Tom K8TL k8tl(a)earthlink.net _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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PCSAT32 + LVB tracker.
by Tom Lubbers K8TL 23 Jan '17

23 Jan '17

After many successful orbits I'm retiring my Trak Boxes. While looking at PCSATs interface choices I notice the LVB tracker isn't included. Which one should I use? Tom K8TL k8tl(a)earthlink.net

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-22 06:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 22 Jan '17

22 Jan '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-22 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-01-27 19:50:18 UTC 72 deg Swiss Space Center – EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-01-26 11:06:29 UTC 53 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 Kenwood 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: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 **************************************************************************** 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 2017-01-22 06:00 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 http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1109. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1073. 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 2017-01-17 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. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 22 Jan '17

22 Jan '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-022 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: * Reno, Nevada to Host 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 27-29 * Diwata 2's payload includes amateur radio * AMSAT News From South Africa * JAMSAT Symposium in Kyoto on 11-12 March, Presenters Requested. * Kenwood features ARISS in February 2017 Two Page QST Ad * AMSAT Phase 4 Weekly Engineering Report * US Naval Academy HFsat Receives IARU Frequency Coordination * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-022.01 ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 022.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. January 22, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-022.01 Reno, Nevada to Host 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 27-29 AMSAT NA announces that the 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held on Friday through Sunday, Oct 27, 28, 29, 2017 in Reno, Nevada. Location will be at the Silver Legacy Resort , 407 N Virginia Street, in Downtown, Reno. The Silver Legacy is a 4 star Resort/Hotel/Casino which is an iconic 42-story hotel with its massive round dome and spires centered in downtown. The Silver Legacy is typically lit green at night and is referred to by many as the "Emerald City" of Reno. In support of the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, the Silver Legacy will sometimes turn blue. Some of the perks include * Free parking for attendees. * Free transportation to and from the airport (10 minutes shuttle ride). * Complimentary WiFi. * The Silver Legacy has 8 restaurants and 8 different retail shops. * Large selection of additional restaurants and casinos (El Dorado, Circus Circus, and the rest of downtown Reno) are in close proximity and within walking distance. * Multiple alternate activities and attractions are in the Reno area. Nevada Museum Of Modern Art National Automobile Museum Fleischmann Planetarium (UNR Campus) National Bowling Stadium * If you are staying longer in the Reno area, there are several other points of interest close by, including Virginia City and Lake Tahoe. 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting The annual AMSAT Space Symposium features: * Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations * Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World * Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members * Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers * AMSAT-NA Annual General Membership Meeting * Auction, Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !! Several members from The Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society (SNARS) as well as many other local radio amateurs will be participating in helping with this event. Additional information about the 2017 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org as it becomes available. [ANS thanks Joe Spier, K6WAO, Frank Kostelac, N7ZEV, Linda Kostelac, KC7IIT, and the AMSAT-NA Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Diwata 2's payload includes amateur radio THE whole world is again set to witness come 2018 a third-world country launching into space another microsatellite -- this time with an amateur or ham radio included in the payload. An amateur radio is a communication technology that allows its operators to talk or send messages to other people, especially first responders, planners and government agencies whose own communications have been knocked out, in time of disasters and emergencies. Diwata 2 -- the Philippines' second microsatellite that is currently being developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Hokkaido University, and Tohoku University in Japan -- has this technology, along with a telescope and cameras. Its predecessor, the Diwata 1, was launched into orbit last April 2016 and has been sending pictures to DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (Asti); the latest photo posted on PHL-Microsat Program's website shows the swollen Pinacanauan River, as well as agricultural areas damaged by flood after Tropical Cyclone Lawin (Haima) made landfall in Peñablanca, Cagayan on October 19, 2016. The PHL-Microsat said that as of January 13, the "Diwata 1 has circled the world approximately 4,083 times, taking images not just of the Philippines but also of other parts of the Earth." "We will download the images every time the Diwata 1 passes by the Philippines," said Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr., program leader of PHL-Microsat and acting director of DOST-Asti, in an interview with SunStar. As to the amateur radio included in the payload of Diwata 2, Marciano said it is a very important feature of the second microsatellite, especially that the country is prone to natural disasters and calamities. "So when the satellite passes over in time of disaster, you can get a ham radio and send messages to another person in other areas in the country, and even give updates on evacuation using ham radio," he told fellows of the 20th Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop held in UP Diliman last November 2016. The Philippines has more than a thousand amateur radio operators nationwide. Most of them are members of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association. Aside from the amateur radio, Diwata 2 has a Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) with liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) for environmental monitoring; high precision telescope (HPT) for rapid post-disaster assessment; and enhanced resolution cameras (instead of wide and middle field cameras used in Diwata 1). "Medium and wide cameras will be replaced by enhanced resolution cameras but there will still be the HPT and SMI with LCTF... Three cameras, plus an amateur radio as part of the payload," Marciano told SunStar. He said 11 Filipino scholars are working on the Diwata 2. "Mas dumami pa, because we now have 11 scholars. They are in Japan, working with the two universities (Hokkaido and Tohoku)," said Marciano. There were only nine Filipino scholars who assembled the Diwata 1. "They are considered as scholars because they are under the DOST scholarships, and building the microsatellites is part of their studies," added Marciano. He said that at present, they are working on the engineering model. "We are now in the design phase. We are working on the blocks. They are being done here locally and they will be tested in Japan." The DOST targets to launch the Diwata 2 in the first half of 2018, but Marciano said the launching will also depend on the availability of the launching facility. "The target overall for the completion of the flight model is in December 2017," he said. Except for the amateur radio and enhanced resolution cameras, Diwata 2 will hover 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface just like Diwata 1. It also weighs 50 kilograms, the size of a room air conditioner. "The characteristics are the same. There will be chances na mag-abot sila doon, which is an advantage to us since it will mean that we can generate more images from them... The idea is they should be operated on the same constellation. They have to communicate with other satellites to provide us better images," said Marciano. He explained that the country's microsatellites are not geostationary satellites, which have an altitude of 39,000 kilometers and are more expensive. "Diwata 2 only has 400 to 600 kilometers altitude," he said, adding that because it is a microsatellite, it is only considered a secondary payload. "Parang nakikiangkas lang tayo sa paglaunch (We are just hitching a ride), because it is very expensive to launch big satellites. You have to pay for the rocket," he told the Lopez Jaena journalism workshop fellows. He also said in November that the challenge of Diwata satellites' orbit is they can only take images of a certain location if they passes by it. "Diwata 1 passes every day, but it passes in different places, so there's a challenge of being in the right place at the right time," said Marciano. Asked about the possibility of a launching failure, Dr. Marc Caesar Talampas, project leader in-charge of the microsatellite BUS development, said in a follow-up interview: "They undergo rigorous testing before they will be launched into space. There is vibration test, radiation testing, etc. We have to comply with all the specifications." "The failure is more on not responding, not on the launching. But so far, based on our experience with Diwata 1, the communication has been positive," added Marciano. The government has allotted P2 billion per year for DOST's space technology program. This is on top of the P840 million that was already invested for the PHL-Microsat program. "There's an increase in the availability of funding for research in space technology... In 2018, we will come up with a new (budget) proposal,"Marciano said. [ANS thanks LAUREEN MONDOÑEDO-YNOT and SunStar Philippines for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT News From South Africa ** Turn your laptop into a 24 MHz to 1,7 GHz receiver. AMSAT SA is holding a half-day SDR Workshop in association with the South African Radio League at the NARC on 18 February 2017. This is a hands-on workshop where participants will install a VHF/UHF RTL dongle and programme it to become a VHF/UHF receiver covering 24 MHz to 1,7 GHz. Anton Janovsky, ZR6AIC, and Cor Rademeyer, ZS6CR, will present the Workshop. The Workshop fee includes the RTL dongle and a memory stick with all the required software as well as light refreshments. Register before 11 February 2017, all the details and registration form are available on www.amsatsa.org.za. Book early to avoid disappointment. ** The 2017 AMSAT SA Space Conference will be held on Saturday 20 May 2017 in Pretoria. This is the first call for paper proposals. The theme of the conference is "Conquering Space as an educational pastime." Proposals for papers should include a brief synopsis of the proposed paper. The closing date for proposals is 31 January 2017. Authors will be notified of acceptance of their paper by 15 February 2017. More details on www.amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks the SARL weekly news in English 2017-1-7 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JAMSAT Symposium in Kyoto on 11-12 March, Presenters Requested. Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP, JAMSAT announces "We are going to held our AGM and JAMSAT Symposium in Kyoto next March. "I hope to have some attendance from AMSAT-NA, even via Skype. We hope to hear some update of activities in US." The meeting will be held at: http://hotel-binario.jp/en/ The Hotel Binario Saga Arashiyama is located in the beautiful Arashiyama district of Kyoto and is perfect for sightseeing. Date and Time of Symposium: 14:30-17:30JST(05:30-08:30UTC) March 11(Sat) 09:00-13:00JST(00:00-04:00UTC) March 12(Sun) If anyone has an opportunity to join and present, please let Mikio know the appropriate time of your availability. He will keep the time slot for your presentation. Mikio can be contacted via JBH02173 (at) nifty.com] [ANS thanks Mikio JA3GEP for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenwood features ARISS in February 2017 Two Page QST Ad Kenwwood features ARISS donations in its two page ad in the February 2017 QST. Check out the ad on pages 27 and 28. During February the ARRL is running a special slider in their rotating banner, on their website home page, with an appeal for ARISS donations. Also, The QST Cover story for February teases "Texas Students Take Amateur Radio to the Edge of Space" The article "To the Edge of Space and Back with Ham Radio" by Chase Mertz, KG5KKX is featured on page 76. Mertz highlights "Student engineers in the Eldorado Space Program design, build, and program instrument packages, sending them as high as 120,000 feet using a highaltitude weather balloon." [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Weekly Engineering Report AMSAT Phase 4 Ground Radio prototype with Ettus Research B210 by John Petrich W7FU can be viewed at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oyAe21bWR4g&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Michelle W5NYV for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- US Naval Academy HFsat Receives IARU Frequency Coordination The US Naval Academy has received IARU satellite frequency coordination for HFsat, a 1.5 U CubeSat with a 15 meter to 10 meter linear transponder with 30kHz bandwidth. The CubeSat will also carry an APRS digipeater on 145.825MHz. HFsat is a project to demonstrate the viability of HF satellite communications as a backup communications system using existing ubiquitous HF radios that are usually a part of the communications suite on all small mobile platforms such has ham radio mobiles and portable operations frequently used by Amateurs in support of disaster and emergency response communications. The HFsat will be gravity gradient stabilized by its long full size 10 meter band halfwave HF dipole antenna with tip masses. A standardized CubSsat VHF communications card based on the popular Byonics MTT4B all-in-one APRS Tiny-Track4 module for telemetry, command and control is under development at the US Naval Academy. Standardizing the communications board makes it easy to add the HF Transponder mission into Naval Academy’s standard CubeSat bus without an all new start. HFsat will continue the long tradition of small amateur satellites designed by Aerospace students at the US naval Academy. The students are working with Bill Ress, N6GHZ on the HF transponder card. HF Uplink: 21.40 MHz, 30 kHz wide multi user bandwidth HF downlink: 29.42 MHz, the 30 kHz wide downlink passband VHF APRS DigiPeater: 145.825 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK packet Find additional information on-line at: http://aprs.org/HFsat.html (US Naval Academy) http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ (search for HFsat in the list of satellites that have been coordinated) [ANS thanks the US Naval Academy and the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between High School "Léon Blum", Le Creusot, France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Mon 2017-01-16 11:53:17 and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-19 06:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD. Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-01-27 19:50:18 UTC Swiss Space Center – EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, telebridge via W6SRJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-01-26 11:06:29 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. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.800 MHz. 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 Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + APRS Symbol Look Up Table Kenneth Finnegan, W6KWF has created an easy to use lookup table for APRS symbol codes. "I've made a lookup table which has the symbol code, the primary symbol, and the secondary symbol all on top of each other as opposed to the three adjacent tables on the aprs.org page: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-022-APRS-Table [ANS thanks Kenneth K6KWF for the above information.] + Colloquium Videos for 2009-2012 Posted on YouTube AMSAT-UK reports that thanks to Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG and @BATC online videos of talks given at AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2009-2012 are now posted at: https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/videos [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] + June Page of the 2017 ARRL Calendar Features NPOTA Satellite Ops "Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer NP4JV, overlooks the vastness of Grand Canyon National Park (NP22) in Arizona as he makes contacts via the SO-50 Amateur Radio satellite. This was the sixth NPOTA unit he had activated via satellite." (Ruth V Ramirez, photo credit) [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.] + UT1FG/MM is departing Finland ~1900 UTC (21 January) heading to Mexico. Clean your antennas, de-wax your ears and remember to give others a chance to get through.. [ANS thanks Jari OH2FQV, Via Twitter, 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, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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Re: [amsat-bb] Cubesats launch and IDs
by Mineo Wakita 22 Jan '17

22 Jan '17

Thanks Nico, http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/aobaitf2.htm JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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LotW WAS NH, NY, NJ, CT, GA, MO, MS
by Bryan Green 22 Jan '17

22 Jan '17

Hello, all! I'm closing in on LotW WAS from CM98. I have had great success setting up skeds with helpful ops! After today's sked for RI, I'll need LotW confirmation for NH, NY, NJ, CT, MO, and MS. Are any LotW-capable operators from those 6 states around this weekend? Many thanks for the cosideration! Best 73s! -- bag Bryan KL7CN/W6 bryan(a)kl7cn.net

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WINDCAMP BATTERY FOR FT817
by jeffory broughton 22 Jan '17

22 Jan '17

Very disappointed with the performance of the win camp battery in my FT 817. I can't even get thru a full pass of FO 29 before it dies.I had hoped being 3000 MAh,it would be much better than the stock 1700 mah unit.I have gone to a SUPER LITHIUM ION BATTERY for a fraction of the cost.It lasts several passes of making qso after qso after qso. jeff broughton

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AOBA-VELOXIII heard in Brazil
by Roland Zurmely 21 Jan '17

21 Jan '17

AOBA-VELOXIII heard in Brazil in CW only 2h and 20 min after ISS ejection. One of the messages was as follows, at 10:20 am UTC JG6YBW AV3 HKD7ZZZ53ZZZC7FZZZZZ3 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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Office Closed
by Martha 20 Jan '17

20 Jan '17

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Friday, January 20th. -- 73- Martha

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Has BY70-1 gone 'dark'?
by Mac A. Cody 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

I tried to work BY70-1 (repeater) for the last three days without success. Has anyone determined whether it is 'stuck' in data mode or has the repeater stopped working? I've noticed on the AMSAT Satellite Status Page that the last three days of reports are mostly 'No signal'. Has there been any report from the 'mission control' of BY70-1 regarding this? 73, Mac / AE5PH

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-19 06:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-19 06:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via VK4KHZ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-01-27 19:50:18 UTC 72 deg (***) Swiss Space Center – EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, telebridge via W6SRJ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-01-26 11:06:29 UTC 53 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 Kenwood 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: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 **************************************************************************** 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 2017-01-19 06:30 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 http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1109. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1073. 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 2017-01-17 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. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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DM87/97 grid activation from Kansas
by Clayton Coleman 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

I'll be operating some passes on Thursday, January 19 from Elkhart, Kansas on the DM87/97 grid line. 19.01.2017 XW-2C 23:17-23:26 19.01.2017 SO-50 23:30-23:43 20.01.2017 XW-2B 00:44-00:54 20.01.2017 SO-50 01:12-01:21 I might work a few other passes in between these. Updates via Twitter @w5pfg 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Tubesat Tancredo-1
by Edson W. R. Pereira 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

Hello everyone, The tubesat Tancredo-1 (http://www.ubatubasat.com/en/), built by middle school students at the Tancredo Neves public school in Ubatuba, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is scheduled to be deployed from the TuPOD, a tubesat deployer developed by Gauss in Italy (https://www.gaussteam.com/tag/tupod/). TuPOD was successfully deployed from the ISS this past Monday, Jan 16th, and should start transmitting a CW beacon on 437.425 MHz for a few days, starting from tomorrow around 22:00 UTC. The Tancredo-1 deployment is also scheduled for tomorrow around 22:00 UTC and right after deployment it should start transmitting telemetry using packet radio (1200 bps AFSK) on 437.200 MHz with the callsign PY0ETA. The telemetry format is described in this document: https://goo.gl/qOK6qM Reports will be much appreciated and can be send online using this web page: http://www.amsat-br.org/tools/srs/ 73, Edson PY2SDR AMSAT-BR --- - We humans have the capability to do amazing things if we work together. - Nós seres humanos temos a capacidade de fazer coisas incríveis se trabalharmos juntos.

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News: Galileo satellites experiencing multiple clock failures
by Zach Metzinger 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

The BBC has an interesting story on the Galileo navigation satellites: > The onboard atomic clocks that drive the satellite-navigation > signals on Europe's Galileo network have been failing at an alarming > rate. > > Across the 18 satellites now in orbit, nine clocks have stopped > operating. > > Three are traditional rubidium devices; six are the more precise > hydrogen maser instruments that were designed to give Galileo > superior performance to the American GPS network. > > Galileo was declared up and running in December. For more on the story, see: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38664225 --- Zach N0ZGO

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Possible DM87/97 grid activation
by Clayton Coleman 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

I'm staying on the far northern edge of DM95 this week and have been operating some passes from DM86/96. I was looking at the map and I could activate DM87/97 easily with an hour and a half drive. If you need these grids, please reply direct to this email. I'm thinking about doing it tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon or evening. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Recording Software
by Fred Castello 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

I am trying to record my passes on the computer and am using software called “Free Audio Recorder”. I have found that in my opinion it is not as flexible as I need it to be. It seems to record at a relatively low level and I have to play it back full volume and even then can’t pick out some details that I need from a recording. I am using a Windows computer that should be plenty fast. I am curious what you folks use to achieve this function? As usual, thanks for your time. Fred - KF4FC Fishersville, VA

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ITF-2 received
by Roland Zurmely 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

CW message on 437.525 MHz: JQ1ZTK YUI2 ITF2 COMSYSAAAAA S2 31 07 7C 67 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ in GH70un

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