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

EQUiSat Optical Beacon CubeSat
by Trevor . 17 Oct '18

17 Oct '18

Students at the Ivy League Brown University are developing an amateur radio satellite EQUiSat that will carry a Xenon Flash Tube (XFT) subsystem to act as an Optical Beacon that should be visible to the unaided eye of observers on Earth. See http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=10635 73 Trevor M5AKA AMSAK-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ ----

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Using 1.2Ghz
by Todd 04 Apr '18

04 Apr '18

Thinking about adding the 1.2Ghz module for my 9100. Prices have dropped a little and units will start become harder to find once production ends. Anybody using this band? I read it's used as a uplink frequency for some satellites. Any input appreciated.ToddAL7PX

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Outernet L-Band now carries AMSAT and ARISS weekly bulletins
by Robert Bruninga 17 Mar '18

17 Mar '18

The Outernet L-band feed is now carrying a condensed version of the AMSAT and ARISS weekly news files. (Global Geosat coverage except for Northern Alaska)... Receivers are simple: http://aprs.org/outnet.html For ARISS, I manually added a 2 char grid square to each school listed in the school schedule and am asking the outernet folks to parse out that location info and plot a 1200 km footprint on their weather globe showing where people can tune in the ARISS contacts. Then their RTL-SDR dongle could then actually be retuned to hear the contact. Just an idea... Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dani EA4GPZ Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2016 7:36 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New Outernet L-Band service... >> I hope someday a service like this will be available >> from an AMSAT geostationary service. > I'm pretty confident that the guys at AMSAT-DL are capable > of doing this much better on the upcoming EsHail'2 > than what Outernet is currently doing on Inmarsat... > They already have in mind a "DVB-S beacon"... broadcast > from the ground station at Qatar ... carrying videos > about Ham radio and Ham radio events on this signal. > What is more, if you have equipment to operate EsHail'2 on SSB, > it's more or less easy to use either the narrowband transponder > or the wideband transponder to transmit an Outernet-type signal > through EsHail'2, so anyone can have a go with this. > Outernet uses 4200baud BPSK and half of the bitrate is spent for FEC. > You can use a bit less bitrate to get a signal that will even pass > through a conventional 2.7kHz SSB filter and you can use less > bits for FEC to get increased data throughput (but more SNR required). > Dani EA4GPZ.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-10-26 23:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 22 Sep '17

22 Sep '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-10-26 23:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Possible Russian contact with Kursk Tue 2015-10-27 11:35 UTC Dearborn Public Schools, Dearborn, Michigan, USA, direct via K8UTT The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for Option #3: Tue 2015-10-27 16:01:59 UTC 57 deg Watch for a live video stream that should start about 15:00 UTC: (***) http://www.dearbornschools.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbhrQiZ62LE Daggett Montessori School K-8, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, direct via K5COW The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for Option #4: Thu 2015-10-29 14:12:56 UTC 31 deg **************************************************************************** ** Interested in hosting an ARISS contact? The window is now open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016. Go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact or http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html for full details. To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding US ARISS contacts and the proposal process and offer an opportunity to ask questions. While attending an online information session is not required, it is strongly encouraged. These will be offered Thursday, September 17, at 2000 UTC; Tuesday, September 22, at 2000 UTC, and Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. **************************************************************************** ** >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. **************************************************************************** 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. **************************************************************************** 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 Francesco IKØWGF with 114 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 112 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2015-10-24 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 Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1001. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 966. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, 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 2015-10-24 06:00 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. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 44 on orbit Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Satellite SDR: Seeing IS NOT Hearing
by Clayton Coleman 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

I happen to be a fan of using Software Defined Radio (SDR) to receive amateur satellites. It is an inexpensive way to view all the signals appearing on a satellite's passband simultaneously. While I don't normally run SDR full time at my station, from time to time I use it to monitor activity on busy satellite passes because I can view and record all activity. As a result of more people using SDR on satellites, I have discovered an operating trait that warrants some discussion and evaluation. On more than one occasion, I have given a call to a very specific station, and instead of my intended target had another SDR-based station appear on frequency immediately saying "QRZ? QRZ?" rather than wait and listen to who is calling on the frequency. The SDR user saw a signal on their waterfall and clicked on it. They "pounced" on what they perceived to be another station looking to make contact which might not necessarily be the case. I've see the same thing happen a few times with pileups. There is an existing pileup in progress when the SDR station comes into the footprint. Rather than wait a short period to listen, they click on the new signal in their waterfall, and immediately proceed to "QRZ" on the frequency of the pileup, sometimes interrupting the flow of existing contacts. Just today I heard this scenario: Station 1 calls CQ. Station 2 went to answer. The SDR user clicked on the waterfall, heard only part of the callsign of Station 2, and proceeded to call Station 2, ignoring the possibility that Station 2 was attempting to QSO with someone else. It seems to me the visual nature of SDR waterfalls is causing a temporary lapse in judgement when it comes to a basic ham radio principle that we apply to satellite operating -- listen with our ears before transmitting. SDR is a great listening tool. With great power comes great responsibility. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Hard times for satellite radio buyers?
by Ken M 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

Hello all, Is it not hard times for new and prospective satellite operators (like me) in terms of equipment choices, at least in terms of the "big three"? (And, to be clear, I'm talking about current, in-production models only.) I'm looking for an HF base/mobile radio, and also a VHF/UHF-only all-mode base/mobile radio that I can use for the linear satellites but - wait - there are no VHF/UHF-only all mode radios! That means I need to buy a "shack in a box" but - wait - there are only two choices (at what I will call moderate prices), the ancient TS-2000 and equally ancient FT-857D. There is the new and somewhat more expensive FT-991A and, although that sounds like a very good radio, for HF at that price point I might prefer the IC-7300 but that would mean no satellite work. I'm also looking for a portable HF QRP radio, and a portable radio I can use for the linear satellites. Again the venerable but ancient FT-817ND is pretty much the only game in town. As with the HF base radios above, if I am only interested in HF QRP I would probably rather put my money toward a KX2 or KX3 of newer design but, again, that would mean no satellite work. So as a new operator, to get into linear satellites it seems I am forced to either (1) troll the swap meets for ancient gear; (2) buy new gear of old design (which in my mind is even worse); or (3) buy new gear of modern design that works for satellite and HF, but is not necessarily the radio I would choose for HF alone. I should add that the situation is not much better for HT/mobile radios for the FM satellites, but at least there are some cost effective workarounds including the less expensive Baofeng/Wouxun/Tytera radios and their clones. Thanks for indulging my shopping frustrations, and my inexperience, but I have to think there are others new to the hobby that are having similar thoughts. Do Amsat members see this as a problem? Probably off to spend some new money on an old radio... 73 - Ken - VA7KBM

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EO73 Mode change
by Graham Shirville 02 Apr '17

02 Apr '17

Hi folks, FUNcube/AO73 is now in full time amateur mode with the transponder ON. The plan is for it to switch back to auto mode on Sunday pm UTC as usual but, for operational reasons, this may be delayed until Monday pm UTC. Please see below for other FUNcube transponder info Have FUN with the transponder. 73s Graham G3VZV and the FUNcube team. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FUNcube frequencies and other details ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AO-73 FUNcube-1 The transponder is normally operational only when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. During weekends (from pm Fridays UTC to PM Sundays UTC) the transponder is operational 24/7. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. During holidays, eg Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc, the transponder maybe activated for extended periods. Watch AMSAT-BB for announcements which are usually made on Friday evenings (UTC) The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.935 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 15kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Lower temperatures give higher freqs!) FUNcube-2 (aka FUNcube on UKube) The FUNcube-2 sub-system continues to operate autonomously and, almost continuously, in amateur mode. The transponder is operational and the telemetry downlink is functioning with about 70mW output. The FUNcube-1 Dashboard does not correctly display the telemetry but it does correctly decode the data and uploads it to the FUNcube Data Warehouse from where it can be examined. Most of the real time data channels are operational and these include battery voltages, temperatures and ADCS data coming via the main On Board Computer (OBC). The transponder is interrupted for a few seconds every 2 minutes when the other transmitter sends its CW beacon and, occasionally, for a few seconds when the main OBC reboots (approx seven times each orbit). The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.080 - 435.060 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.930 - 145.950 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.915 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 10kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) EO79 FUNcube-3 Due to power budget constraints the transponder cannot be operational 24/7 and an orbit specific schedule has been developed. The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes. This schedule may be modified in future months as a result of experience. The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.0723-435.0473 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.946-145.971 MHz USB Further detailed info on EO79 transponder frequencies is at: https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/10/eo79-funcube-3-transponder-commences-regula… EO88/Nayif-1/FUNcube-5 EO88 is presently operating in autonomous mode. The transponder is operational when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. The transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.045 – 435.015 MHz LSB (inverting) Downlink: 145.960-145.990 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.940MHz All FUNcube transponders are sponsored by AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL. We are very grateful for the assistance given by Innovative Solution In Space Bv, The Netherlands.

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Busy FO-29 at 1608z
by Clayton Coleman 31 Mar '17

31 Mar '17

I was glad to see some of the rover stations spreading out and avoiding the busy center on the FO-29 pass around 16:08 UTC today. So many QSO's squeezed in the middle 20 kHz is a shame on a 100 kHz wide transponder. Hats off to those guys breaking convention... 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 31 Mar '17

31 Mar '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India on 03 Apr. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:19 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 LU1CGB. The contact should be audible over Argentina 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. Brahma Kumaris Educational Society is a Socio-Spiritual Organization focuses on Ethics & Values, Disaster Relief, Peace & Security and is headquartered in Mt.Abu, Rajasthan, India. Brahma Kumaris comprises a worldwide network of centers in 110 countries and is an international non-governmental organization of the United Nations accredited with General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Mount Abu International Ham Radio Club (MHRC) VU2BK is located within Brahma Kumaris Campus with an aim to promote Amateur radio as an instrument for spreading universal brotherhood and to provide emergency communications. It also organizes technical lectures on latest topics like satellite communication, software defined radios, antennas, etc. and conducts demonstrations of Amateur Radio. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What's the most fun or interesting part about being on the International Space Station? 2. What does a launch feel like? 3. Where do you go in the Space Shuttle? Do you go to the moon? 4. What do you do when you aren't on a mission? 5. Can you call your family? Do you have email? 6. What should I study in school if I want to be an astronaut? 7. What was your job as an astronaut on the ISS? 8. What advice would you give someone wishing to follow in your footsteps? 9. What was the scariest part of being in space? 10. Have you seen space junk? How bad is the problem? 11. Did you have much fear going into space your first time or on subsequent trips? 12. Did you ever see anything you couldn't explain while in space? 13. What are your three favorite things about being in a spaceship? 14. How has your understanding of the universe changed since seeing it from space? 15. If you could go back into space now, what's one thing you would make sure to do? 16. What will be the basic health standards for people to partake in space travel as tourists? 17. What is the most beautiful sight you have seen from space? 18. I'd like to know how hard it is to land on Mars. 19. I wanted to know how it feels to be in Space. 20. What does astronaut food taste like? 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. College Roger Martin Du Gard, Bellême, France, direct via F6KCO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-04-14 15:20 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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Beginners Guides + Spring OSCAR News
by M5AKA 31 Mar '17

31 Mar '17

Spring issue of AMSAT-UK publication OSCAR News is now available for e-members to download https://amsat-uk.org/2017/03/31/spring-2017-oscar-news/ Chertsey Radio Club issue new Beginners Guides to Satellite Operating https://amsat-uk.org/2017/03/30/beginners-guides-to-satellite-operating/ Video of Jo Hinchliffe MW6CYK @concreted0g presentation at PocketQube Workshop in Delft, Netherlands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D2y65d634s On May 9, 2016 students at the Kings School, Ottery St Mary had an ARISS contact with ISS astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS. Following a recent training course, 5 students and 2 staff from the school have successfully passed their Amateur Radio Foundation exam https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk/posts/1344400575602988 The Kings School ARISS contact featured in the TX Factor Show https://amsat-uk.org/2016/06/07/tx-factor-kings-school-iss/ ITF-2 (YUI-2) Satellite Update https://amsat-uk.org/2017/03/28/itf-2-yui-2-update/ IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination status pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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Shadow- beacon experiment certificate - thanks
by andy thomas 31 Mar '17

31 Mar '17

Just to thank Tsniimash and the sponsors of the Shadow-beacon experiment on the ISS for the handsome cerificate signed by Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, Head of the Center for manned programs of Tsniimash, which I have just received today. I think that everyone who registered and posted reports will get theirs in due course. 73 de Andy G0SFJ

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-31 06:00 UTC Quick list of schedu
by AJ9N＠aol.com 31 Mar '17

31 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-31 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Gagarin from space, Tolyatti, Russia School, direct via R4HDR (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronauts are Sergey Ryzhikov (***) Contact is a go for 2017-04-01 17:09 UTC (***) Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contract is a go for: Mon 2017-04-03 08:19:38 UTC 53 deg College Roger Martin Du Gard, Bellême, France, direct via F6KCO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-04-14 15:20:44 UTC 48 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. **************************************************************************** *** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. **************************************************************************** *** 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 2017-03-31 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 1128. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1089. (***) 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 2017-03-24 04:00 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. 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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updated WD9EWK travel plans (31 March-2 April 2017)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 30 Mar '17

30 Mar '17

Hi! I have updated my plan for the next 3 days, driving up to Las Vegas for the NVCON convention and other non-convention radio operating in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The plan is... Friday, 31 March - from 1600 or 1730 UTC until 1930 UTC, working from DM25xg/DM35ag grid boundary, north of I-40 in Kingman AZ. Friday night (1 April, UTC time) - from around 0230-0330 UTC until at least 0530 UTC, working from DM26xt/DM36at grid boundary, east of I-15 freeway in NW Arizona and east of Mesquite NV. Saturday and Sunday, 1-2 April - during the daytime, demonstrations from the NVCON convention in Las Vegas NV in grid DM26. Sunday, 2 April - from sometime around 2000-2200 UTC into the evening, working from the DM24wx/DM25wa grid boundary, along the I-40 freeway frontage road, about 15 miles/25km south of Kingman AZ. There may be a chance on Saturday evening (2 April, on the UTC clock) or Sunday (2 April) morning from the DM25/DM26 grid boundary, south of the NVCON convention in the Las Vegas area. I will try to post those plans here on the -BB, and will definitely post that to my @WD9EWK Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK Although I try to update my log in Logbook of the World quickly, please be patient. Some of the spots I will visit may not have good coverage for my mobile phone, and I will be looking to drive a lot in the next 72 hours or so. I will hit the road Friday morning, and my TH-D72A will squawk WD9EWK-9 on the APRS network: http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 APRS coverage for most of my drive to Las Vegas should be decent. I'm not sure how well it will cover me tomorrow night near the DM26/DM36 grid boundary, so looking at my Twitter feed may be the best way to know when I reach these spots. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Schedule for Sunday April 2nd: FO00, EO90, EN98/99
by Ken Alexander 30 Mar '17

30 Mar '17

Hi All, Following is my tentative schedule for Sunday April 2nd, morning in FO00, afternoon in EO90 and evening in EN98/99. Once again, please get in touch with me if my schedule hasn't given your area the coverage you were hoping for. Let me know your AOS and the proposed satellite and I'll see if I it will work from here. Sunday Morning in FO00 02.04.2017 AO-73 13:52 02.04.2017 AO-07 14:06 02.04.2017 FO-29 14:20 02.04.2017 AO-73 15:29 02.04.2017 AO-07 15:54 02.04.2017 FO-29 16:06 Sunday Afternoon in EO90 02.04.2017 SO-50 18:25 02.04.2017 AO-07 19:32 02.04.2017 SO-50 20:07 02.04.2017 AO-07 21:27 Sunday Night in EN98/99 03.04.2017 AO-73 02:29 03.04.2017 SO-50 02:53 03.04.2017 FO-29 03:10 03.04.2017 FO-29 04:55 73, Ken VE3HLS

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SpaceX Is 2 For 2
by B J 30 Mar '17

30 Mar '17

Today's launch was good. The first stage has successfully landed on the recovery barge, making the first time that a refurbished SpaceX booster has been flown and returned. Unfortunately, the video feed of when it happened was lost. Meanwhile, the second stage is well on its way. Well done! 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Schedule for Saturday April 1 - FO00 and EN98/99
by Ken Alexander 30 Mar '17

30 Mar '17

Hi All, Following is my tentative schedule for Saturday April 1st. Once again, please get in touch with me if my schedule hasn't given your area the coverage you were hoping for. Let me know your AOS and the proposed satellite and I'll see if I it will work from here. Note: 1. [Overlap] means the next satellite pass begins before the current pass ends. The plan is to drop AO-73 in time to make AOS for FO-29. Likewise with FO-29 and EO-79. 2. [CQ Europe!] means I hope you guys in Europe are reading this! :-) Saturday in FO00 01.04.2017 AO-73 15:10 [Overlap] 01.04.2017 FO-29 15:15 [Overlap] 01.04.2017 EO-79 15:30 01.04.2017 AO-07 16:51 [CQ Europe!] 01.04.2017 EO-79 17:06 01.04.2017 SO-50 18:00 01.04.2017 AO-07 18:40 01.04.2017 SO-50 19:41 01.04.2017 AO-07 20:32 Saturday Night in EN98/99 02.04.2017 SO-50 00:47 [might not get back in time for this] 02.04.2017 AO-85 01:22 02.04.2017 AO-73 02:09 02.04.2017 SO-50 02:27 02.04.2017 FO-29 04:06 [will try to stay up for this one!] 73, Ken VE3HLS

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SO-50 EL79 April 1st favor please
by Greg Lane 30 Mar '17

30 Mar '17

I have changed my location for the April 1st Radar Challenge to EL79 St George Island, Florida. The SO 50 pass at that location starts at 1754 UTC Your contacts appreciated! Greg N4KGL Panama City, Florida >

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-30 04:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 29 Mar '17

29 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-30 04:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact was successful: Wed 2017-03-29 18:03:38 UTC 21 deg (***) Tolyatti, Russia School TBD, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronauts are Andrei Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov, Oleg Novitskiy Contact is a go for 2017-04-01 21:10 UTC Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contract is a go for: Mon 2017-04-03 08:19:38 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. **************************************************************************** *** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. ******************** *********************************************************** 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 2017-03-29 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 1127. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1088. 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 2017-03-24 04:00 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. 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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Friday March 31st Schedule (EN97, FN08, EN98/99)
by Ken Alexander 29 Mar '17

29 Mar '17

Hi All, Following is my tentative schedule for this Friday. I am making brief stops in EN97 and FN08 to hand those grids out to a few who didn't get them previously. It takes 6+ hours to get there and then several more hours after that to get to my hotel. If we don't connect on this stopover then let me know and we'll try to work something out for my return trip on Monday morning. I'll be worn out when I arrive in Cochrane (EN99) Friday evening, so don't be too disappointed if I don't make all of the Friday night passes. Catch me early because I might turn in early. I will be staying in Cochrane for three nights, so you can catch me on Saturday or Sunday night if you miss me on Friday. EN98 is only a few minutes' drive away. The aptly named 49th Parallel Road runs along the boundary so I might head down there for the evenings and hand out two grids! Please get in touch with me if you see that my schedule hasn't given your area the coverage you were hoping for. Let me know your AOS and the satellite and I'll see if I can do it from here. The weather forecast still looks decent. It should be a fun weekend! Friday Afternoon in EN97 and FN08 31.03.2017 SO-50 19:15 31.03.2017 AO-07 19:38 31.03.2017 SO-50 20:57 31.03.2017 AO-07 21:33 Friday Evening in EN99 31.03.2017 XW-2F 23:24 31.03.2017 XW-2A 23:46 01.04.2017 SO-50 00:21 01.04.2017 AO-85 00:56 01.04.2017 AO-73 01:50 01.04.2017 SO-50 02:02 01.04.2017 AO-85 02:38 01.04.2017 FO-29 03:16 More schedules as I work them out. 73, Ken VE3HLS

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ARISS Contact today
by claudio 29 Mar '17

29 Mar '17

Hello, during today contact: Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-29 18:03:38 UTC 21 deg we will stream operation, from our telebridge station, on www.ariotti.com at 17:30 UTC. 73' Claudio IK1SLD

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-29 04:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 28 Mar '17

28 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-29 04:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-29 18:03:38 UTC 21 deg Tolyatti, Russia School TBD, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronauts are Andrei Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov, Oleg Novitskiy Contact is a go for 2017-04-01 21:10 UTC Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contract is a go for: Mon 2017-04-03 08:19:38 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. **************************************************************************** *** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. ********************* ********************************************************** 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 2017-03-29 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 1127. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1088. 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 2017-03-24 04:00 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. 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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WD9EWK road trip to/from Las Vegas on 31 March & 2 April
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 28 Mar '17

28 Mar '17

Hi! I am driving to Las Vegas for this weekend's NVCON convention, and I already posted a message to the -BB about that event. Before I reach Las Vegas on Friday (31 March), I am planning on a stop in Kingman, Arizona, on the DM25/DM35 grid boundary. I'm hoping to make it to Kingman around 1600 UTC to work some passes, before driving the last 100 miles/160km from Kingman to Las Vegas and the NVCON convention. After the convention wraps up on Sunday (2 April), I plan on heading back to Phoenix, but not directly to Phoenix. I can make stops on one of 3 different grid boundaries: 1. DM25/DM35 grid boundary in Kingman AZ (a repeat of the stop I plan to make on Friday morning) 2. DM24/DM25 grid boundary, about 15 miles/25km south of Kingman along the I-40 freeway 3. DM26/DM36 grid boundary in northwestern Arizona, near the I-15 freeway and northeast of Mesquite NV Any preferences on which grid boundary you'd like to hear me operating from? I don't know what time I will depart Las Vegas on Sunday, so I can't post any schedules for operating from any of these locations. As with my other road trips, I will use APRS as WD9EWK-9 as I drive. You can see my APRS track at (among other online places): http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and QSL cards will be available on request (please e-mail me directly with QSO details, if you want a card). Updates should also appear on my @WD9EWK Twitter account, also visible at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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AMSAT @ NVCON in Las Vegas (31 March-2 April 2017)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 28 Mar '17

28 Mar '17

Hi! I will be part of the AMSAT presence at the ARRL Nevada State Convention, also known as NVCON, this Friday through Sunday (31 March - 2 April 2017) in Las Vegas. The convention will be at the Eastside Cannery Casino-Hotel along Boulder Highway, east of the Strip and southeast of downtown Las Vegas. More about the convention is available at: http://nvcon.org Frank Kostelac N7ZEV, a long-time AMSAT Area Coordinator in Las Vegas, and I will be around the AMSAT booth at the convention. Weather permitting, I will have some demonstrations of satellite operating from outside the hotel during the convention. If you hear WD9EWK on the satellites from NVCON, please call and be a part of the demonstrations! Last year's NVCON weekend was a wet one, with a lot of rain that washed out any chances to do demonstrations during the convention. This weekend is supposed to be better, and drier. The convention site is in grid DM26. Any QSOs made during the convention will be uploaded to Logbook of the World. If you would like to receive a QSL card for a QSO with WD9EWK during NVCON, please e-mail me directly with QSO details. If you're in the log, I will send a card. During the convention, I will tweet photos and updates on my @WD9EWK Twitter account. These tweets are available for anyone to see, even if you don't have a Twitter account, at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Re: [amsat-bb] Filter out 3rd harmonic of 145MHz
by dtabor＠estesvalley.net 28 Mar '17

28 Mar '17

Perhaps termination would help on the diplexer ... so far, I've kept it simple and just unplugged the unused antenna on the Arrow. It 'seems' to work OK when using the FT-1634. Doug, N6UA

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Atomic AMSAT Roving
by Gabriel Zeifman 28 Mar '17

28 Mar '17

Good evening fellow sky talkers and bird trackers, An exciting trip will occur this weekend with Dave KG5CCI and myself venturing to the wastelands of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. We will be visiting the Trinity Site on Saturday morning (sadly the U.S. Army is not friendly to operating on the missile range from the actual site). However, we may still have an opportunity to activate a nuclear test site, the site of Project Gnome, a 3.1kt underground bomb test. We will be leaving early morning on Friday 3/31 and will return Sunday. Grids that can be expected are EM02/03/04/05 DM61/62/63/71/72/73/82/83/84/92/94/95. Watch our Twitter accounts @KG5CCI and @NJ7H_Radio for updates, one of us will usually be on APRS (I use NJ7H-9), and iridium at share.garmin.com/gz. QSL via LoTW or direct with homing pigeon. Have fun and keep the power down. 73, Gabe NJ7H/lunacy

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