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

Strong digital on FO-29 at 16:21Z, 27-Mar-2017
by Clayton Coleman 27 Mar '17

27 Mar '17

I recorded some data being sent via FO-29 today approximately 16:21 UTC. Very strong signal. If you skip to about 6 minutes, 44 seconds into this recording you will hear it: https://clyp.it/m4lalgl5?token=2c0365f763bcb95a6e42a5d7fe003d6b Afterwards you can listen to a pileup of stations working UT1FG/MM. I can email you the MP3 if you'd like. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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auto switch tracking
by Jim White 27 Mar '17

27 Mar '17

Can anyone suggest software that will automatically switch between two or three sats and do freq, Doppler, and pointing ?

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SO-50 April 1st favor please
by Greg Lane 27 Mar '17

27 Mar '17

I would like to get at least one and up to five contacts on the pass. I am doing the RaDAR challenge from St Andrews State Park at EM70. My first Sat contact will count as a bonus. Eddie ZS6BNE came up with the RaDAR ideal and he loves Sats. In Radar, you make five contacts and move. However, I don't want to interfere with any special operation already scheduled. You can find info on RaDAR on my web site N4KGL.info Just scroll down. Thanks, Greg N4KGL SO-50 will be visible from Upper Grand Lagoon, on Saturday, April 1 12:54:01 PM Starting in the SSW (205°) Ending in the NNE (28°) at 01:07:54 PM Maximum elevation: 87° http://issdetector.com

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ARISS contact with Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 27 Mar '17

27 Mar '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA on 29 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:03 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 OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The contact should be audible over Italy 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. The Los Angeles Unified School District: Local District South, Los Angeles, California at The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California CSSS is the only professional science organization whose members have direct accountability to the state government agencies given the constitutional authority for education. Each of these supervisors plays a key role in directing efforts at improving school science and ensuring excellence and equity in science education in their states. This partnership with ARISS is a way to showcase the importance of space education and create enthusiasm among state leaders that can be shared with teachers across the nation. CSSS partnered with students from the Los Angeles Unified School District, The Jordan-Locke network comprised of 16 elementary schools for this event. Participants in the ARISS contact include 6th grade students from the 92nd, 93rd, and 96th elementary schools. The District demonstrates that all children can achieve their highest potential when the conditions for learning are at an optimum by integrating project based learning into the academic achievement of students in all subjects. All schools are located in Watts or South Central Los Angeles and consist of a predominantly Latino and African American Student population with poverty rates in the 95-100% Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. In Science class we learned that it takes a tremendous amount of energy and speed to escape Earth's gravity. Can you tell us how you felt as you were climbing upward through Earth's Atmosphere? 2. Reentering Earth can be very dangerous for astronauts. Can you please tell me what steps do you follow when reentering the Earth's atmosphere? 3. In Los Angeles, there are many street lights at night that prevent us from seeing many stars in the sky, but when we went camping in the mountains we saw more stars. Now that you are in space, can you see even more stars than we see here on Earth? 4. In Science class we are learning about germs and how fast they can spread. Do germs multiply as fast in space as they do on Earth? 5. Is there something in space that you did, that you will never forget? 6. Were you afraid to go to space? 7. Is there a problem with space junk? If so how severe is it? 8. What is your purpose for being in space today? 9. We know that in space there is zero gravity. What is the proper procedure for eating in space so that your liquids or food does not float away or damage any equipment? 10. What activity do you like doing the most while in space and why? 11. How hard is it for you to settle in space, leave your family, and communicate with them? 12. How long does it take to become a professional astronaut? 13. We recently read your biography and noticed that you accomplished so much here on Earth. Can you tell us how your achievements on Earth help you complete your missions on the International Space Station? 14. Have any of the solar panels on the ISS been damaged by space debris? If so, please tell me how you were able to repair it. 15. If you were stuck in space, what are the 5 most important things you would need to survive? Explain why. 16. I read that you are very athletic. Have you found any new health problem besides, the weakening of muscles, while living on the International Space Station? 17. What was the most important/amazing/beautiful thing in space you ever saw? 18. Have you seen anything in space that scared you or confused you? 19. Which planets (other than Earth) do you see most often as you are orbiting in the ISS? Do you have a favorite planet? Why is it your favorite? 20. What is the longest time you have been in space? 21. What is the most dangerous situation that you have experienced on the International Space Station? 22. What activities do you do while up in space in your free time? 23. Have you thought of teaching anyone about how to be an astronaut? 24. Your biography shows that you have such a great life on Earth. Can you tell us what convinced you to go to 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): TBD 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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ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 27 Mar '17

27 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-085 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: * AMSAT Fox Series Launch Schedule Update * ND9M Satellite Gear in VQ917 Chagos Islands * Ex-Alta-1 Alberta Canadia Cubesat Set to Launch * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 * Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity * 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-085.01 ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 085.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 26, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-085.01 AMSAT Fox Series Launch Schedule Update The launches of AMSAT satellites Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D have been rebooked from the original Spaceflight Formosat-5/Sherpa mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on to two separate new launches. Fox-1D will now ride to orbit on an Indian PSLV vehicle scheduled to launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India in late 2017. Fox-1Cliff will launch on Spaceflight’s SSO-A dedicated rideshare mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in late 2017 or early 2018. These moves will serve to expedite the launch of these two satellites, both of which carry an amateur radio U/v FM repeater and an experimental L/v FM repeater. The satellites also carry scientific experiments, from university partners Penn State, Vanderbilt University ISDE, Virginia Tech, and University of Iowa. In addition to the launch of Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D, AMSAT is awaiting the launches of RadFxSat and RadFxSat-2. RadFxSat is currently manifested for launch on August 29, 2017 aboard the ELaNa XIV mission, as a secondary payload with the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-1 on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. RadFxSat-2 will be launched by Virgin Galactic on their LauncherOne air launch system from Mojave, CA on the ELaNa XX mission no earlier than December 2017. [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, and Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ND9M Satellite Gear in VQ917 Chagos Islands VQ917, CHAGOS ISLANDS. Jim, ND9M (VQ96JC), from Diego Garcia Island (AF-006) informs OPDX on March 14th, "Well, the local licensing office came through for me again. The VQ917JC license I asked for just came through here this afternoon." So start looking for Jim to be on the air signing as VQ917JC. Jim told OPDX he will not make an effort on 60m at this time. His operating hours are still limited to 1200-1600z max which doesn't do much good for the NA/SA ops. He states that he will probably focus on 30, 20, and 17 meters just to get VQ9 into some logs. Jim also mentioned he did bring his satellite equipment. QSL via his home call- sign. Look for more details to be forthcoming. HH8, HAITI. Doug, KD8CAO, was active as HH8/KD8CAO from Jacmel, Haiti (FK38rf), on both satellite and the HF bands between March 19-23rd. The primary purpose of Doug's travel to Haiti involved missions work (he and his team installed a solar array to power Radio Lumiere's FM broadcast station in Jacmel. QSL via direct w/SASE and/or LoTW (upload upon return to USA). [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1309 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-Alta-1 Alberta Canadia Cubesat Set to Launch Ex-Alta-1, the first CubeSat satellite mission from the University of Alberta’s AlbertaSat team, is set to launch on an Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch will be streamed via NASA Live and the United Launch Alliance. The cubesat will make a brief pit stop aboard the International Space Station before being deployed into low Earth orbit to begin monitoring space weather. Ex-Alta-1 is part of the international QB50 project, which involves cubesats designed and built at universities around the world, representing 15 countries from five continents. The cubesats carry complementary science payloads that will study space weather and the lower thermosphere for a period of nine to 18 months. After seven years and countless hours contributed by more than 50 team members (including undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members), measuring roughly the size of a loaf of bread and built with financial support from more than 600 crowd-funded donors as well as the Canadian Space Agency, Ex- Alta-1’s launch marks the beginning of a new era of space exploration for Alberta. Not only did the team build the first ever made-in-Alberta satellite, AlbertaSat is also one of the first Canadian universities to put a satellite into space. The University of Alberta participated in the first Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC), prior to focusing its efforts on the QB50 mission, and many members from the Ex-Alta-1 team are competing in the current CSDC. On behalf of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, and all the teams participating, I would like to send my congratulations to the entire AlbertaSat team, and hope that the launch, deployment, and mission of the Ex-Alta-1 cubesat will be successful. The Ex-Alta 1 Satellite has the following science objectives: 1. Serve as a platform for the In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) of a digital fluxgate magnetometer designed at the University of Alberta. 2. Address multi-point space plasma physics with data from the QB50 constellation using the Langmuir probe common payloads and the digital fluxgate magnetometer. 3. Take part in the QB-50 string-of-pearls constellation for in-situ measurements of the lower thermosphere to build an accurate model. A downlink of 436.705 MHz has been coordinated employing 9k6 GMSK using the published Cubesat Space Protocol and the QB50 whole orbit data specifications. [ANS thanks Larry Reeves, CSDC Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 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 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 (***) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Proposal Window Deadline 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. 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 at arrl.org. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop The 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop will be held in San Luis Obispo, CA April 26-28 2017. The schedule is now on the workshop website at the link below. http://www.cubesat.org/s/2017-Workshop-Schedule.pdf REGISTRATION Prices are as follows: 3 Day Pass + Banquet Professional - $475 Student - $150 1 Day Pass Early Bird Professional - $160 Professional - $200 [ANS thanks the CubeSat Workshop Team 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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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Your third harmonic
by jeffory broughton 26 Mar '17

26 Mar '17

A mobil diplexer will give you 60 dB of isolation between uhf and vhf.should be more than enough even at 100 w.I have used them with both the Ft847 and IC 910 with zero desense even when using gaasfet preamps at the antennas on both bands. jeff broughton

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EO-79 SAT
by ingejack＠cox.net 25 Mar '17

25 Mar '17

Was on the 18:55 UTC pass of EO-79. Signals very strong however there were no other stations heard during the complete pass. Was wondering why other people are not utilizing this satellite ?? Are they afraid of manual tuning of the Doppler or is it just too difficult for them to keep up with the Bird ?? even though it is hard to track and maintain Doppler it is still a great satellite to work, Nice footprint and strong signals. Was on the satellite many times in the past with same results.. Nobody heard !! JACK-KC7MG DM42

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Path loss Calculations
by Joe 25 Mar '17

25 Mar '17

Can anyone help me with some path loss calculations? Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

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AO73 weekend operations
by Graham Shirville 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '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. 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 the future 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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YN2/Nicaragua grid EK71 on sats
by Clayton Coleman 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

On AO-85 at 12:55 UTC today I managed to contact three members of the Texas DXpedition team in YN2/Nicaragua. They are in country for the upcoming CQWPX Phone contest. The bird was very high on them before they were able to get into the satellite but I managed to work three team members: YN2KW, YN2MG, and YN2MF. They were weak so you will need to have good ears to pick them out on AO-85. I believe they have an HT and Arrow. GL & 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Re: [amsat-bb] Best HT for satellite operation?
by Edward R Cole 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

Clayton, An ICOM-910H is a HT .... Really (ha ha)? I suppose a few of you know that is a 100w desktop/mobile radio and hardly "portable". But it is a pretty good satellite radio for multi-mode use. A nearby friend uses one (actually has two) with az-el mounted yagis and full auto-track. A few months ago I was looking at adding a dual-band FM mobile to my hamshack and kinda groaning at the the $350+ cost for a new mobile, I decided spending just a little more would get me a nice used multi-mode VHF/UHF satellite desktop/mobile radio. Used prices on the Icom-910H and the FT-847 both ran $900-1200 which I could not justify. Then Looked for used FT-736R and bought one for $550 (including ctcss encoder board option) with basic 2m/70cm (no 220 or 1.2G options). I'm quite pleased with the "old" radio and a bit surprised in its Rx sensitivity without preamps, running 144 and 432 SSB with a vertical for contacts out to 70-miles. I have not yet restored use of my satellite antennas as yet (probably be next summer as I want to move the short sat tower which requires new concrete base). You can look on my website for some info: http://www.kl7uw.com/sat.htm Two Baefong with appropriate filters should make an inexpensive portable sat setup with full duplex (not computer controlled). A single Baefong plus a Funcube Rx would also work pretty good though you would need a notepad or equivalent. I did some simplex FM-sat ops with a FT-817 in early 2000's with an Arrow but missed having duplex. I also had a 1998 FT-847 but sold both in 2012. Now have K3 and KX3, a Baefong UV5-RA, plus the venerable FT-736R. 73, Ed - KL7UW Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2017 12:15:31 -0600 From: Clayton Coleman <kayakfishtx(a)gmail.com> To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Best HT for satellite operation? Message-ID: <CAPovOwfU3hBafuauUyykDMmh49xdeTS1VjV_DK5iwf1yBED16Q(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 I've seen a lot of great recommendations for satellite HT's. I really prefer the Icom IC-910h. Since it is a little heavy for neck straps, and the belt clip is made of 3/8" steel plate, I'd probably recommend the BABYBJ?RN carrier approach. You can buy a 15 year old one at a bargain price of $1000-1500 at most hamfests. TGIF Clayton W5PFG 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubususa(a)gmail.com

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Weekend Roving
by Gabriel Zeifman 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

Hello fellow bird talkers, As is usual, I will be venturing on a roving trip this weekend departing tomorrow (hooray for a random three day weekend). The plan is to head to the Detroit/Windsor area. Because I can't resist crossing international borders, expect to hear NJ7H/VE3 at some point, hopefully with a terminus of EN92 or EN83 this trip. I'll try to hit as many new /r grids in MO, IL, IN, MI as time allows, but as usual I'll expect to be in a good time crunch on the way home. Skeds available, hit me up on Twitter or email for whatever you need. I'll try to be on general good passes (AO-7, FO-29, FM, good full continent stuff). Feel free to watch my every movement on APRS NJ7H-9, or when that doesn't work I can still be watched and harassed via iridium share.garmin.com/gz. Have fun, and keep the power down. 73, Gabe NJ7H/V31NJ/C6AGZ/CRAZY

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 04:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 04:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Thu 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg (***) 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 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 (***) Special contact with the Earhart Research Vessel, direct via NYØV (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronauts are Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD and Sergey Ryzhikov (***) Contact was successful 2017-03-17 20:07 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. **************************************************************************** *** 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 2017-03-24 04:00 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 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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Question about separate antennas
by CT2IWW . 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Hello everyone, I just got a couple crossed dipoles, one VHF, the other UHF, for some satellite work. How far apart should they be for proper operation and minimal influence on each other? I remember reading somewhere that it should be one wavelength of the lowest band, in this case, two meters. Thoughts? Thanks Paulo, CT2IWW

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Sat APP
by JHBRTOO＠aol.com 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Someone suggested I share- SOOOOO----- http://LU7ABF.com.ar/pass.htm Works on my Windows7 and more importantly on my Kindle (when I get it back up or replace it)

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Sat program
by JHBRTOO＠aol.com 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Had an answer just now- is so good to have that APP back again and I have written it down in two places. Thanks all Dave

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EO88 Included in LoTW TQSL Config File 11.0
by Sean K. 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Hi all- LoTW TQSL Config File V11.0 was released today. Among other things, it adds EO88 (Nayif-1) to the satellite list. You should get a popup window announcing the new config file the next time you open TQSL. Sean Kutzko Amateur Radio KX9X

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EO-79
by Ken Alexander 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Just reading up on EO-79, trying to understand it. The Amsat website says: "The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes." I take that to mean that the transponder will stay ON for 25 minutes regardless of whether the satellite is in sunlight or darkness during that 25 minute period. Is that correct? I also read: "This schedule may be modified over the forthcoming weeks as a result of experience." Have there been any changes to the schedule? 73 and many thanks in advance! Ken Alexander VE3HLS

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Wanted: Amsat Symposium Proceedings from 2014 and 2015
by Douglas Quagliana 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

Friends, I am looking for a copy of the Amsat symposium proceedings from 2014 and 2015. If you have an extra copy, or a copy that you don't want anymore, then please contact me. 73, Douglas KA2UPW/5

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Info request
by JHBRTOO＠aol.com 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

I had the satellite schedule app on my Kindle and it gabolled. Of course I didn't write it down. It's the one from LU?- that ties to the Amsat predictions but is a one page sheet with maps/ frequencies and AOS/LOS times/ azimuths. - I loved it for the ability to have it on my KINDLE, small portable, easy to use and read. Would someone send me the link info please Dave WA6EKR-- jhbrtoo @aol.com Thanks

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[Video] LIVE French Astronaut and Translator! [repost]
by John Brier 23 Mar '17

23 Mar '17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gS-PiVt7bU I posted this a couple of weeks ago on a Friday and it didn't get a lot of views possibly because "Fridays are slow news days." I got permission from the amsat-bb list owner to repost it. It's a pretty cool video where I got a French student to translate a French astronaut's answers to students in Belgium. The contact was through K6DUE telebridge station in Maryland, which is why we were able to hear the ISS talk to a school in Belgium from North Carolina. 73, John Brier KG4AKV

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ARISS contact with "School of Trois Paletuviers", Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at "School of Trois Paletuviers", Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana on 23 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:42 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Inventory Trois Palétuviers is a small Native people village of French Guyane, set between the Amazonian forest and the majestic Oyapock River, natural border with Brazil. It is accessed only by dugout and the journey takes place in one hour. On site, no electricity during the day, internet and telephone recently; But a quality of life preserved; Which in no way excludes projects and achievements in order to help envisage the future in a dynamic and optimistic way.The village comprises a population of 180 inhabitants, exclusively Native Americans and many of whom have strong ties with Brazil. A dynamic The school hosts about fifty students divided into 2 classes: A kindergarten from the PS to the GS, an elementary from the CP to the CM2. In addition to the usual teachings, the school offers activities that enable you to travel and make contact with the outside of the village. So : The "chess game for academic success" has been helping since 2006 to reason and confidence in its abilities, The theater club has already performed several times in French Guiana. A highly eclectic choir gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves. In addition, there are urban dance classes, numerous programs and projects related to the environment, space, health and so on. Another peculiarity is that a school for parents has been in place since 2011. For the liaison with the ISS, the pupils will have 1 hour of canoe motor and 3 hours of road. 1: Est-ce qu'on peut écrire avec un stylo dans l'espace? 2: Est-ce qu'on peut jouer de la guitare dans l'espace? 3: Comment vous allez faire pour rentrer sur terre? 4: Comment vous chauffez la nourriture? 5: Comment vous faites pour vous laver? 6: Si tu joues aux échecs, quel sera ton 1er coup avec les pièces blanches? 7: Est-ce qu'on peut facilement jouer au jeu de go dans l'espace? 8: Est-ce que c'est vrai que les lits sont debout contre un mur? 9: Est-ce qu'on entend quelque chose quand on a mis le scaphandre? 10: Est-ce qu'on pourrait faire un élevage de poules dans la station? 11: Est-ce que la nourriture de l'espace a bon goût? 12: peut-on planter des fruits dans l'ISS? 13: Qu'avez-vous ressenti arrivés dans l'espace? Avez-vous eu peur? 14: De là où vous êtes, voyez-vous toutes les planètes du système solaire? 15: quand vous êtes malades, qui vous soigne? 16: arrivez-vous à voir le village de Trois Palétuviers depuis l'espace? 17: Nous avons quitté notre village de Trois Palétuviers pour aller en Europe à Cologne et à Toulouse, pour marcher dans vos pas. Viendriez-vous nous rendre visite à Trois Palétuviers en Guyane? Translated: 1: Can we write with a pen in space? 2: Can we play the guitar in space? 3: How are you going to go back to earth? 4: How do you heat the food? 5: How do you wash? 6: If you play chess, what will be your first shot with the whites? 7: Can we easily play the go game in the Station? 8: Is it true that the beds are standing against a wall? 9: Do we hear anything when we put the space suit? 10: Can we do a chicken breeding in the Station? 11: Does the food of the space taste good? 12: can we plant fruit in the ISS? 13: How did you feel in space? Were you afraid? 14: From where you are, do you see all the planets of the solar system? 15: when you are sick, who is treating you? 16: can you see the village of Trois Palétuviers from space? 17: "We left our village of Trois Palétuviers to travel to Europe and visit Cologne and Toulouse to walk in your footsteps. Would you visit us at Trois Palétuviers in French Guiana?" 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. 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 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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WTB: Icom 910
by Wyatt Dirks 21 Mar '17

21 Mar '17

I have decided I want to get another Icom 910 for a backup/portable radio if you have one you'd like to sell or know of one for sale please contact me direct. Thanks Wyatt AC0RA

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Nayif-1 Data Warehouse Update
by David Johnson 21 Mar '17

21 Mar '17

Hi, First of all thanks to all those who have been providing us with data, it's really appreciated. We are now displaying the minimum and maximum values for all the telemetry channels where the value varies. The min-max are reset on a weekly basis so that we can get the trend from the database. http://data.amsat-uk.org/nayif1/index.html <http://data.amsat-uk.org/nayif1/index.html> Next on the list of jobs: Display the fitter messages CSV dump of WOD CSV dump of HiRes If you have any specific requests for data for STEM outreach please let us know. 73 Dave, G4DPZ

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-21 06:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 21 Mar '17

21 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-21 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, 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 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg 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 (***) **************************************************************************** ** 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 2017-03-21 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 1126. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1087. 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 2017-03-16 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. 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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