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

Landwehr Pre-amps
by Mark Johns 20 Mar '17

20 Mar '17

I have a pair of old Landwehr RF switched receive pre-amps (one 2m and one 7cm) taking up space in my basement. They were working when removed from service about seven years ago, but they have been sitting around a long time and I have no means of testing them at the moment. Strictly "as is." They *DO* have the rare power/control cable connectors with them. Contact me off list if you are interested in making a deal on these. -- Mark D. Johns, KØMDJ Decorah, Iowa USA EN43 ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain

2 3

Fwd: Sequencers
by Fred Castello 20 Mar '17

20 Mar '17

> Begin forwarded message: > > From: Fred Castello <fredcastello(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Fwd: Sequencers > Date: March 20, 2017 at 5:09:28 PM EDT > To: amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org > > Hello Folks, > > I am trying to "bulletproof" my setup. My setup is a Kenwood TS-790A, preamps at the antennas for both 2 meters and 70 cms. powered through a separate control line (not via coax) and some M2 antennas (pictures and more details at my QRZ page: HERE <https://www.qrz.com/db/KF4FC>). I have a sequencer with up to 5 control points available. It seems that our implementation for sequencers is a bit different that most applications in that we have the possibility of needing to: > > A) Transmit on 2 meters while listening on 70cms- i.e. 70 cm preamp on, 2 meter preamp off > B) Transmit on 70 cms while listening on 2 meters. i.e. 2 meter preamp on, 70 cm preamp off > > and this can change rather rapidly if multiple opportunities for passes are close. The way I am operating now is that I selectively turn on the preamp that I need for each pass and turn the other off. This is working, but even though I have rf sensing preamps, I do not want to chance transmitting SSB into either preamp. I am only transmitting 30 watts maximum and usually significantly less. > > The Kenwood TS-790A has an “External Connector” on the back where I can access the PTT as well as having pins that can tell me when either 2 meters or 70 cms are being transmitted. All this said, it seems that I am in a bit of catch 22 because even though I can separate the PTT and for instance use a foot pedal to trigger the sequencer, the pins on the back of the rig will only change their signal AFTER the transmission has already started, so this signal is not helpful to determine which preamp to turn off and which to turn on. I realize that I could have a manual switch to go back and forth between using 2 meters and 70cms but that is essentially what I have now. > > I am sure that I am missing something that somebody out there will suggest is very obvious. Help me understand how to implement a sequencer when we have two frequencies that can be in use at one moment in time and easily switch the next pass in an effort to make the station bulletproof so that I don’t blow up preamps. > > Much Appreciated, > Fred - KF4FC

1 0

(no subject)
by Frank Staffa Jr. 20 Mar '17

20 Mar '17

Looks like my TS-2000 needs to go back to HRO for warranty service. I have no problem on FO-29 with the 2 meter uplink and 70cm downlink, but reversed for other sats I get a cw message (UL) PLL Unlock and rig goes dead with dashes on screen. After turning the rig off and on again it comes back to life. But as soon as I transmit on 435mhz again, it cuts out. No problem transmitting on 2 meter uplink. Anyone else experience that with their TS2000? Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

2 1

short notice: activating EM85 today SO_50 2114z
by Kevin M 20 Mar '17

20 Mar '17

Hi all, I have some time, so heading over to EM85 to catch the SO-50 pass at 2114z to fulfill a request. The pass doesn't cover the west coast, sorry; might try a pass favoring that side of the country another day. Could be some other activity on from the Gulf of Mexico or the Yucatan, so patience as always will be key. I'll do my best to work everyone that needs the grid, but we all know how it can go. 73 and see you on the birds, Kevin N4UFO

2 1

Re: [amsat-bb] Hard times for satellite radio buyers?
by Edward R Cole 20 Mar '17

20 Mar '17

Anyone experimenting with the Lime-SDR? 0.1 to 3800 MHz with multiple Rx and Tx. $289 https://www.crowdsupply.com/lime-micro/limesdr For now I have use of venerable FT-736R. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubususa(a)gmail.com

2 1

Kam Plus TNC Modem - AGWPE - UISS
by Kurt Heernaert 20 Mar '17

20 Mar '17

Dear All, Who can helping me a little to make a start in UISS with next Items, Modem : Kam Plus alle mode modem AGWPE UISS Tnx in Advance Vy 73 ON4CGW Kurt

5 6

ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joe Spier 19 Mar '17

19 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-078 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 Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 * AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town * CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced * IARU Page Proposed South Korean Satellite * ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System * AMSAT Awards Update * 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-078.01 ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 078.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 19, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-078.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 We kick off this week’s report with two demonstrations of DVB-S2 transmission from the LimeSDR. The first from Charles Brain G4GUO, and the second from Paul KB5MU and Michelle W5NYV. Charles has live video and Paul and Michelle are transmitting a pre-recorded work of art called Adventure Time. Mike Seguin N1JEZ has some LimeSDR spectral analysis to report. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZNshry3sZU First, 850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -58.36 – 10LOGBW = -88.36 dBc/Hz If I read the LMS7002M Spec sheet right, it should be down around -96 dBc/Hz? PDF is in the Phase 4 Ground Github link is in the show notes. https://github.com/…/d…/tree/master/Engineering/SDRs/LimeSDR Second, 2850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -49 – 10LOGBW = -79 dBc/Hz spec around -87 dBc/Hz? Third image is at 2850 MHz ±200 kHz Check out those curious 200 kHz spurs Fourth image is 2850 MHz 100 MHz Span A broader view – we need to go digging deeper. Final image is 2850 MHz 388 kHz spur small spur on the low side? Output power varies. He’s seen upwards of +15 dBm. He is powering the LimeSDR board off an external supply. He is using LimeSuite to set up the transmit output on TX1-1. There are so many settings it’s possible/probable we’re missing something. He has also have done rudimentary noise figure measurements. Paul, W1GHZ loaned him a homebrew noise head he had built from his QEX article in 1996? on Noise Figure. He used it to measure the NF, but had to rely on a chart for ENR. So assumptions!!! He found he definitely had to use a preamp in front of the Lime. He used an AD6IW wideband pre for testing. “I need to do more real world tests on the bands….” -Mike Seguin In the next segment of this report Paul described how to use the examples folder in GNU Radio to get to the DVB flowgraphs we’ve been using for experiments. Charles G4GUO shares his plan for next steps for DVB-S2 receive. He is looking at how to do the front end that finds the start of a frame and compensates for frequency error. He is pondering how to do this and has some ideas. He also has the low density parity check (LDPC) decoder to do but has not yet planned it out. He has the BCH decoder done and the bit that decodes the preamble code FEC. Charles explains that the whole of DVB-S2 has been designed for the parallel processing powers of ASICs/FPGAs/GPUs. He has decided to attack the problem using GPUs. He asserts that GPUs don’t have such a steep learning curve as some of the other technologies. He believes that the symbol tracking and root raised cosine filtering is best done in the FPGA on the LimeSDR. His thoughts are to re-write some of the Lime code so he can alter the ADC sample rate in fractions of a symbol. Then use the host to calculate the timing error and send the correction to the Lime FPGA code. The Lime can also do fine frequency error correction using a complex mixer. The error can be calculated in the host from the phase change in the preamble sequence. The central question is how to fit it into the memory model of the GPU to keep all the threads fully occupied. This means properly balancing the combination of LDPC decoding, parallel thinking and NVIDIA GPU programming. One of the many questions he has is how to cope with the final XOR of the parity bit for each block as that makes every bit in the whole thing dependent on every other bit. He believes that there must be a short cut so you can break the problem at the receiver down into a load of independent blocks (divide and conquer). It is all very DVBS2 specific but when a sub block of the code meets a condition where all its parity check equation are correct it can be marked as finished and the decoder can then move on to the next sub block. It requires a lot of thinking about and Charles welcomes your feedback. So! Lots of programming! We are here to help with this effort! It’s going to be a big one. Please join AMSAT, TAPR, ARRL, and any other local or regional club that is helping advance the state of the art in amateur radio. Projects like ours cannot exist without your membership. http://www.amsat.org/?p=5875 [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV and the AMSAT Ground Terminal Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town SDR workshop in Cape Town on 22 April. Following on a very successful symposium on Software Defined Radio held in Gauteng towards the end of last year, a similar event will be presented by AMSAT SA in the Cape on Saturday 22 April 2017 at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. To register visit http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ [ANS thanks the South African Radio League News for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced CAMSAT has worked closely with a Beijing Government aerospace contractor to build two satellites with amateur radio linear transponder payloads. IARU record a launch had been planned for March 31, 2017 from Taiyuan into a 524 km orbit with an inclination of 42 degrees. Both will carry a 435/145 (U/V) 20 dBm (100 milliwatt) SSB/CW linear transponder, a 2m CW 17 dBm (50 mW) telemetry beacon and an AX.25 4.8 kbps GMSK 20 dBm (100 mW) telemetry downlink. The two micro-satellites will also carry optical remote sensing missions. Planned to be 494x499x630 mm dimension regular square shape and approximately 50 kg mass with three-axis stabilization system. These frequencies have been coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel: CAS-4A • Linear transponder downlink 145.870 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.220 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.855 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.835 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm CAS-4B • Linear transponder downlink 145.925 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.280 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.910 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.890 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Page Shows Proposed South Korean Satellite K2SAT The Republic of Korea Air Force Academy has applied to the IARU for coordination of its' K2SAT satellite frequencies. Headline Details: A 3U CubeSat. The missions of the K2SAT are to demonstrate satellite imaging and transfer, and secondly to test voice repeating capability. The payloads: 1. On-board camera 2. On-board voice repeater. Attitude control will be performed with 3-axis reaction wheels and magnetorquer. The satellite surface that contains the main payload(Camera) shall be aligned to the nadir direction of the satellite. Requesting coordination for a V/U transponder. The TX would also be capable of downlinking AX25 telemetry at 9k6 using BPSK. Planning a 2018 launch into a 500 or 600km SSO. [ANS thanks the IARU Page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System March 13, 2017: The ARISS team took a giant step closer to flying the new ARISS Interoperable Radio System to the International Space Station, having met a major milestone. Lou McFadin, W5DID, and Kerry Banke, N6IZW, travelled to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, in mid-February for preliminary testing of Banke's breadboard version of the ARISS Multi-voltage Power Supply. The two worked alongside JSC engineers and JSC EMC lab personnel, putting the specially built power supply through its paces, checking against US and Russian space specifications for Power Quality and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) preliminary tests. The result: Outstanding news-the ARISS Team can move on to the next step, fabrication of prototype and flight units. The JSC engineers disclosed that the ARISS breadboard power supply was the first hardware to have passed all of the space agencies' tests! They said the very professional ARISS Team certainly knew hardware development and design. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer thanked Banke and McFadin for the multiple days spent putting the unit through the serious battery of NASA and Russian preliminary electrical tests. Banke expressed pleasure with the results: "I was looking to come away with what we needed to move forward. We achieved that." He was impressed with the support he and McFadin received from the testing group, and said key players on those teams who are also ham radio operators, commented that they find equipment brought in that is supported by ham radio operators, to earn particularly good marks. McFadin asserted that the Multi-voltage Power Supply's fine test results are due to ARISS's team working very well together and being very experienced. The completed testing of the breadboard unit means McFadin can now purchase expensive space-certified parts so the final prototype/flight power supplies can be fabricated. He and Banke now know that when the final, even more rigorous tests are done, the units will pass with flying colors. Watch for more news stories on the hardware and the fundraising campaign to help support the costs associated with designing, building, and testing the new ARISS radio system-the Kenwood D710GA and Multi-voltage Power Supply. Those wishing to contribute toward the final fabrication and flight tests are highly appreciated and asked to go to the AMSAT website, www.amsat.org, to click on the "ARISS Donate" button. Or visit the donation page on the ARISS website, http://www.ariss.org/donate.html. Contributions are tax deductible. Those who contribute $100 or more will receive the handsome ARISS Challenge Coin. If you or your ham club or place of employment wish to make a highly substantial contribution, contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net. 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. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update This is the first posting of awards for 2017. The year started slow and then picked up with the following earning their awards. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Christopher Hobbs, KD5RYO Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV Milan Stancel, OM4MX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #575 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #576 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #577 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #178 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #179 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Frank Westphal, K6FW, #49 Toralf Renkwitz, DJ7MS, #50 Ronald Oldham, N8RO, #51 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #US202 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #US203 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #US204 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Cleber Rodrigues, PY3TX, #88 Paul Stoezter, N8HM, Upgrade to 4000 Frank Westphal, K6FW, Upgrade to 2000 John Papay, K8YSE/7, Upgrade to 3000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #89 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #90 ------ To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 Mexico trip includes satellite operating plans: XE, Mexico: A group of Mexican amateurs plans to visit archaeological sites of Maya culture in Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo from the 18th to 21st. QRV with the call 6E3MAYA on 80-6m on SSB, CW, digital modes and via satellites. QSL via XE3N, LoTW. [ANS thanks the DARC DX Newsletter DXNL 2032 March 15, 2017 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday through Sunday, 31 March–2 April 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas NV *Wednesday, 5 April 2007 – presentation for Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club in Scottsdale AZ *Friday and Saturday, 7-8 April 2017, Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK *Saturday, 6 May 2017 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *19-21 May 2017, HamVention in the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, Dayton, Ohio *Friday and Saturday, 9-10 June 2017, HAM-COM in Irving TX *Saturday, 10 June 2017 – Prescott Hamfest in Prescott AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * A direct contact with students at McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, USA was successful Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC 25 deg. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG answered all 19 questions prepared by students. Upcoming Contacts * A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, is presently scheduled Thu 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg. with Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Trois Palétuviers is a small native people village of French Guyane, set between the Amazonian forest and the majestic Oyapock River, a 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. 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 travel 1 hour of canoe motor and 3 hours of road. * A direct contact via AA4UT with students at the Student Space Technology Association, Knoxville, TN, USA will be rescheduled. The University of Tennessee Knoxville is an amazing school located in the hills of Tennessee. It is the largest campus in the state, hosting more than 30,000 students. This school is known for its engineering and science heritage, having close ties with research facilities such as Oak Ridge National Lab and companies like Alcoa. Also, included in our alumni are 9 astronauts including the recent ISS inhabitant Scott Kelly. Our school is filled with thousands of eager students seeking to pursue careers in the space industry. With our vision of becoming a top-tier research school, our students are set to become the next leaders in STEM industries. ********************************************************************** 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 2017-03-09 05:00 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 1116. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1080. 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 2017-02-23 05:00 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_correctio… 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 ********************************************************************** Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over Help Wanted - Russian Space Agency If you know what this means, "Mukhnem na Lunu: Rossiya ishchet novykh kosmonavtov"*, you may be able to apply at Russia's space agency, who on Tuesday announced a recruitment drive for young would-be cosmonauts who it hopes will become the country's first on the Moon. And women are welcome, an official stressed. In the first such drive for five years, Roscosmos space agency said it is looking for 6 to 8 cosmonauts who will operate a new-generation spaceship now in development and "will become the first Russians to fly to the Moon". The full story is posted at: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Fly_me_to_the_Moon_Russia_seeks_new_cosmo… *Translation: Fly me to the Moon: Russia seeks new cosmonauts [ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org -- -73, k6wao AMSAT Vice President Educational Relations AMSAT News Service Co-Editor ARISS-NA Education 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Chairman

1 0

ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joe Spier 19 Mar '17

19 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-078 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 Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 * AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town * CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced * IARU Page Proposed South Korean Satellite * ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System * AMSAT Awards Update * 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-078.01 ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 078.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 19, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-078.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 We kick off this week’s report with two demonstrations of DVB-S2 transmission from the LimeSDR. The first from Charles Brain G4GUO, and the second from Paul KB5MU and Michelle W5NYV. Charles has live video and Paul and Michelle are transmitting a pre-recorded work of art called Adventure Time. Mike Seguin N1JEZ has some LimeSDR spectral analysis to report. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZNshry3sZU First, 850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -58.36 – 10LOGBW = -88.36 dBc/Hz If I read the LMS7002M Spec sheet right, it should be down around -96 dBc/Hz? PDF is in the Phase 4 Ground Github link is in the show notes. https://github.com/…/d…/tree/master/Engineering/SDRs/LimeSDR Second, 2850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -49 – 10LOGBW = -79 dBc/Hz spec around -87 dBc/Hz? Third image is at 2850 MHz +/-200 kHz Check out those curious 200 kHz spurs Fourth image is 2850 MHz 100 MHz Span A broader view – we need to go digging deeper. Final image is 2850 MHz 388 kHz spur small spur on the low side? Output power varies. He’s seen upwards of +15 dBm. He is powering the LimeSDR board off an external supply. He is using LimeSuite to set up the transmit output on TX1-1. There are so many settings it’s possible/probable we’re missing something. He has also have done rudimentary noise figure measurements. Paul, W1GHZ loaned him a homebrew noise head he had built from his QEX article in 1996? on Noise Figure. He used it to measure the NF, but had to rely on a chart for ENR. So assumptions!!! He found he definitely had to use a preamp in front of the Lime. He used an AD6IW wideband pre for testing. “I need to do more real world tests on the bands….” -Mike Seguin In the next segment of this report Paul described how to use the examples folder in GNU Radio to get to the DVB flowgraphs we’ve been using for experiments. Charles G4GUO shares his plan for next steps for DVB-S2 receive. He is looking at how to do the front end that finds the start of a frame and compensates for frequency error. He is pondering how to do this and has some ideas. He also has the low density parity check (LDPC) decoder to do but has not yet planned it out. He has the BCH decoder done and the bit that decodes the preamble code FEC. Charles explains that the whole of DVB-S2 has been designed for the parallel processing powers of ASICs/FPGAs/GPUs. He has decided to attack the problem using GPUs. He asserts that GPUs don’t have such a steep learning curve as some of the other technologies. He believes that the symbol tracking and root raised cosine filtering is best done in the FPGA on the LimeSDR. His thoughts are to re-write some of the Lime code so he can alter the ADC sample rate in fractions of a symbol. Then use the host to calculate the timing error and send the correction to the Lime FPGA code. The Lime can also do fine frequency error correction using a complex mixer. The error can be calculated in the host from the phase change in the preamble sequence. The central question is how to fit it into the memory model of the GPU to keep all the threads fully occupied. This means properly balancing the combination of LDPC decoding, parallel thinking and NVIDIA GPU programming. One of the many questions he has is how to cope with the final XOR of the parity bit for each block as that makes every bit in the whole thing dependent on every other bit. He believes that there must be a short cut so you can break the problem at the receiver down into a load of independent blocks (divide and conquer). It is all very DVBS2 specific but when a sub block of the code meets a condition where all its parity check equation are correct it can be marked as finished and the decoder can then move on to the next sub block. It requires a lot of thinking about and Charles welcomes your feedback. So! Lots of programming! We are here to help with this effort! It’s going to be a big one. Please join AMSAT, TAPR, ARRL, and any other local or regional club that is helping advance the state of the art in amateur radio. Projects like ours cannot exist without your membership. http://www.amsat.org/?p=5875 [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV and the AMSAT Ground Terminal Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town SDR workshop in Cape Town on 22 April. Following on a very successful symposium on Software Defined Radio held in Gauteng towards the end of last year, a similar event will be presented by AMSAT SA in the Cape on Saturday 22 April 2017 at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. To register visit http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ [ANS thanks the South African Radio League News for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced CAMSAT has worked closely with a Beijing Government aerospace contractor to build two satellites with amateur radio linear transponder payloads. IARU record a launch had been planned for March 31, 2017 from Taiyuan into a 524 km orbit with an inclination of 42 degrees. Both will carry a 435/145 (U/V) 20 dBm (100 milliwatt) SSB/CW linear transponder, a 2m CW 17 dBm (50 mW) telemetry beacon and an AX.25 4.8 kbps GMSK 20 dBm (100 mW) telemetry downlink. The two micro-satellites will also carry optical remote sensing missions. Planned to be 494x499x630 mm dimension regular square shape and approximately 50 kg mass with three-axis stabilization system. These frequencies have been coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel: CAS-4A • Linear transponder downlink 145.870 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.220 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.855 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.835 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm CAS-4B • Linear transponder downlink 145.925 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.280 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.910 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.890 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Page Shows Proposed South Korean Satellite K2SAT The Republic of Korea Air Force Academy has applied to the IARU for coordination of its' K2SAT satellite frequencies. Headline Details: A 3U CubeSat. The missions of the K2SAT are to demonstrate satellite imaging and transfer, and secondly to test voice repeating capability. The payloads: 1. On-board camera 2. On-board voice repeater. Attitude control will be performed with 3-axis reaction wheels and magnetorquer. The satellite surface that contains the main payload(Camera) shall be aligned to the nadir direction of the satellite. Requesting coordination for a V/U transponder. The TX would also be capable of downlinking AX25 telemetry at 9k6 using BPSK. Planning a 2018 launch into a 500 or 600km SSO. [ANS thanks the IARU Page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System March 13, 2017: The ARISS team took a giant step closer to flying the new ARISS Interoperable Radio System to the International Space Station, having met a major milestone. Lou McFadin, W5DID, and Kerry Banke, N6IZW, travelled to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, in mid-February for preliminary testing of Banke's breadboard version of the ARISS Multi-voltage Power Supply. The two worked alongside JSC engineers and JSC EMC lab personnel, putting the specially built power supply through its paces, checking against US and Russian space specifications for Power Quality and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) preliminary tests. The result: Outstanding news-the ARISS Team can move on to the next step, fabrication of prototype and flight units. The JSC engineers disclosed that the ARISS breadboard power supply was the first hardware to have passed all of the space agencies' tests! They said the very professional ARISS Team certainly knew hardware development and design. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer thanked Banke and McFadin for the multiple days spent putting the unit through the serious battery of NASA and Russian preliminary electrical tests. Banke expressed pleasure with the results: "I was looking to come away with what we needed to move forward. We achieved that." He was impressed with the support he and McFadin received from the testing group, and said key players on those teams who are also ham radio operators, commented that they find equipment brought in that is supported by ham radio operators, to earn particularly good marks. McFadin asserted that the Multi-voltage Power Supply's fine test results are due to ARISS's team working very well together and being very experienced. The completed testing of the breadboard unit means McFadin can now purchase expensive space-certified parts so the final prototype/flight power supplies can be fabricated. He and Banke now know that when the final, even more rigorous tests are done, the units will pass with flying colors. Watch for more news stories on the hardware and the fundraising campaign to help support the costs associated with designing, building, and testing the new ARISS radio system-the Kenwood D710GA and Multi-voltage Power Supply. Those wishing to contribute toward the final fabrication and flight tests are highly appreciated and asked to go to the AMSAT website, www.amsat.org, to click on the "ARISS Donate" button. Or visit the donation page on the ARISS website, http://www.ariss.org/donate.html. Contributions are tax deductible. Those who contribute $100 or more will receive the handsome ARISS Challenge Coin. If you or your ham club or place of employment wish to make a highly substantial contribution, contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net. 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. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update This is the first posting of awards for 2017. The year started slow and then picked up with the following earning their awards. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Christopher Hobbs, KD5RYO Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV Milan Stancel, OM4MX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #575 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #576 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #577 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #178 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #179 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Frank Westphal, K6FW, #49 Toralf Renkwitz, DJ7MS, #50 Ronald Oldham, N8RO, #51 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #US202 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #US203 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #US204 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Cleber Rodrigues, PY3TX, #88 Paul Stoezter, N8HM, Upgrade to 4000 Frank Westphal, K6FW, Upgrade to 2000 John Papay, K8YSE/7, Upgrade to 3000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #89 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #90 ------ To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 Mexico trip includes satellite operating plans: XE, Mexico: A group of Mexican amateurs plans to visit archaeological sites of Maya culture in Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo from the 18th to 21st. QRV with the call 6E3MAYA on 80-6m on SSB, CW, digital modes and via satellites. QSL via XE3N, LoTW. [ANS thanks the DARC DX Newsletter DXNL 2032 March 15, 2017 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday through Sunday, 31 March–2 April 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas NV *Wednesday, 5 April 2007 – presentation for Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club in Scottsdale AZ *Friday and Saturday, 7-8 April 2017, Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK *Saturday, 6 May 2017 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *19-21 May 2017, HamVention in the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, Dayton, Ohio *Friday and Saturday, 9-10 June 2017, HAM-COM in Irving TX *Saturday, 10 June 2017 – Prescott Hamfest in Prescott AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * A direct contact with students at McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, USA was successful Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC 25 deg. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG answered all 19 questions prepared by students. Upcoming Contacts * A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, is presently scheduled Thu 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg. with Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Trois Palétuviers is a small native people village of French Guyane, set between the Amazonian forest and the majestic Oyapock River, a 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. 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 travel 1 hour of canoe motor and 3 hours of road. * A direct contact via AA4UT with students at the Student Space Technology Association, Knoxville, TN, USA will be rescheduled. The University of Tennessee Knoxville is an amazing school located in the hills of Tennessee. It is the largest campus in the state, hosting more than 30,000 students. This school is known for its engineering and science heritage, having close ties with research facilities such as Oak Ridge National Lab and companies like Alcoa. Also, included in our alumni are 9 astronauts including the recent ISS inhabitant Scott Kelly. Our school is filled with thousands of eager students seeking to pursue careers in the space industry. With our vision of becoming a top-tier research school, our students are set to become the next leaders in STEM industries. ********************************************************************** 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 2017-03-09 05:00 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 1116. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1080. 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 2017-02-23 05:00 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_correctio… 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 ********************************************************************** Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over Help Wanted - Russian Space Agency If you know what this means, "Mukhnem na Lunu: Rossiya ishchet novykh kosmonavtov"*, you may be able to apply at Russia's space agency, who on Tuesday announced a recruitment drive for young would-be cosmonauts who it hopes will become the country's first on the Moon. And women are welcome, an official stressed. In the first such drive for five years, Roscosmos space agency said it is looking for 6 to 8 cosmonauts who will operate a new-generation spaceship now in development and "will become the first Russians to fly to the Moon". The full story is posted at: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Fly_me_to_the_Moon_Russia_seeks_new_cosmo… *Translation: Fly me to the Moon: Russia seeks new cosmonauts [ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

1 0

MI6GTY IO54 26March
by John Papay 18 Mar '17

18 Mar '17

George MI6GTY is planning to operate from IO54 on 26March on possibly two FO-29 passes, 1158 and 1351 utc. The first pass will cover extreme northeast USA but the second pass will cover more than half of the US. As before, he would like to be sure that there will be enough interest to warrant the trip. So if you can be there, please drop him an email and let him know. The second pass provides a very short window for southern States like Texas and Florida etc. So if you live in the north, please wait a bit before calling and let the south get a contact first. The second pass is only 2.2 degrees max for George. He was very successful with low elevation at IO65 and let's hope he can be just as successful in IO54. 73, John K8YSE --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-17 05:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 18 Mar '17

18 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-17 05:00 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 **************************************************************************** ** 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 2017-03-17 05:00 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 2017-03-11 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

1 0

Selection of satellite (ham and non-ham) frequencies
by Philip Jenkins 17 Mar '17

17 Mar '17

I'm helping teach a Technician licensing class, and one of the students has asked a question I can't answer :-) (And please correct any misinformation in this email) My understanding is that agencies/governments - by gentleman's agreement? policy? - are supposed to request frequency coordination for satellites with inputs/outputs in the amateur bands from IARU, whether the primary payload is ham radio or not. I remember an entity a couple of years ago which launched a satellite(s) who did NOT go through IARU for satellite downlink(s) on the ham bands, and there was some dust-up over this. (Again, please help me understand this better if I'm mistaken.) My student's question is this; who is responsible for frequency assignments for non-ham satellites, specifically, missions like Cassini and Voyager/Pioneer? Is it ITU? I'm sure the military - and government (and commercial interests) - in other countries have their own satellite frequencies, but for scientific payloads, who is responsible for frequency allocation/coordination in near Earth orbits and intra-galactic ones? Is is ITU? (This started a whole new thought bubble in my head about what would be the best/appropriate frequencies for missions like Cassini (antenna size and Doppler considerations, but that is for a different email, as I want to wrestle with those questions in my head first :-) ) Thanks Philip N4HF

8 9

WG: Call for Interest: "Open Source CubeSat Workshop"
by Mike Rupprecht 17 Mar '17

17 Mar '17

fyi ... Von: librecube(a)googlegroups.com [mailto:[email protected]] Im Auftrag von Artur Scholz Gesendet: 17 March 2017 14:37 An: librecube(a)googlegroups.com Betreff: Call for Interest: "Open Source CubeSat Workshop" Dear All, there is the likely possibility to hold an open source CubeSat workshop at the premises of ESOC, the European Space Operations Center of ESA, located in Darmstadt, Germany (where Rosetta was commanded from!). Preliminary, the parameters are: - Oct/Nov timeframe - 1-2 days workshop (+hackathon?) - zero fees - around 15 presentations - around 50-100 participants Interested? --- Artur Scholz LibreCube Initiative Email: artur.scholz(a)librecube.net Web: www.librecube.net -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "librecube" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to librecube+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to librecube(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

1 0

AMSAT @ Scottsdale AZ SpringFest hamfest - Saturday (18 March)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 17 Mar '17

17 Mar '17

Hi! I will have an AMSAT booth at the Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club's SpringFest hamfest on Saturday morning, 18 March 2017. The hamfest will be held at the Mountain Valley campus of Scottsdale Bible Church on Perimeter Drive, west of the AZ-101 freeway exit 36, and north of Princess Drive, in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is a half-day hamfest, since everyone has to clear out of the church's parking lot by 1pm (2000 UTC). The hamfest officially starts at 8am (1500 UTC), but I expect people to be roaming around the parking lot before sunrise. More information about the hamfest is available at: http://www.scottsdalearc.org/spring-fest I plan on doing a series of on-air demonstrations of satellite operating during the morning as WD9EWK. There are a bunch of passes for FM, SSB, and packet operations that I could show up on. If you hear or see WD9EWK on a pass Saturday morning, please call and be a part of the demonstrations. Any QSOs attempted via NO-84 and the ISS will also use WD9EWK as my call sign, without the -9 SSID I have used for demonstrations in the past. All QSOs made during the hamfest will be uploaded to Logbook of the World after the hamfest. If you'd like a QSL card for a QSO, please e-mail me directly with the QSO details. During the hamfest, I will post updates from the hamfest, along with photos, on my @WD9EWK Twitter account. If you want to see these updates and you do not use Twitter, do not worry. You can use a web browser to follow along, at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-16 06:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 16 Mar '17

16 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-16 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, direct via K6MHS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG (***) Contact was successful: Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC 25 deg (***) “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 **************************************************************************** ** 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 2017-03-16 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 2017-03-11 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

1 0

6E3MAYA Includes Satellites March 18-21
by JoAnne K9JKM 15 Mar '17

15 Mar '17

News about a Mexico trip that includes satellite operating plans - more timely to get the news out ahead of the usual weekend news cycle ... XE, Mexico: A group of Mexican amateurs plans to visit archaelogical sites of Maya culture in Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo from the 18th to 21st. QRV with the call 6E3MAYA on 80-6m on SSB, CW, digital modes and via satellites. QSL via XE3N, LoTW. Thanks to the DARC DX Newsletter DXNL 2032 March 15, 2017 for the above information. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org

1 0

ARISS News Release 17-04
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

ARISS NEWS RELEASE no. 17-04 Mar. 14, 2017 David Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System March 13, 2017: The ARISS team took a giant step closer to flying the new ARISS Interoperable Radio System to the International Space Station, having met a major milestone. Lou McFadin, W5DID, and Kerry Banke, N6IZW, travelled to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, in mid-February for preliminary testing of Banke's breadboard version of the ARISS Multi-voltage Power Supply. The two worked alongside JSC engineers and JSC EMC lab personnel, putting the specially built power supply through its paces, checking against US and Russian space specifications for Power Quality and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) preliminary tests. The result: Outstanding news-the ARISS Team can move on to the next step, fabrication of prototype and flight units. The JSC engineers disclosed that the ARISS breadboard power supply was the first hardware to have passed all of the space agencies' tests! They said the very professional ARISS Team certainly knew hardware development and design. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer thanked Banke and McFadin for the multiple days spent putting the unit through the serious battery of NASA and Russian preliminary electrical tests. Banke expressed pleasure with the results: "I was looking to come away with what we needed to move forward. We achieved that." He was impressed with the support he and McFadin received from the testing group, and said key players on those teams who are also ham radio operators, commented that they find equipment brought in that is supported by ham radio operators, to earn particularly good marks. McFadin asserted that the Multi-voltage Power Supply's fine test results are due to ARISS's team working very well together and being very experienced. The completed testing of the breadboard unit means McFadin can now purchase expensive space-certified parts so the final prototype/flight power supplies can be fabricated. He and Banke now know that when the final, even more rigorous tests are done, the units will pass with flying colors. Watch for more news stories on the hardware and the fundraising campaign to help support the costs associated with designing, building, and testing the new ARISS radio system-the Kenwood D710GA and Multi-voltage Power Supply. Those wishing to contribute toward the final fabrication and flight tests are highly appreciated and asked to go to the AMSAT website, www.amsat.org, to click on the "ARISS Donate" button. Or visit the donation page on the ARISS website, http://www.ariss.org/donate.html. Contributions are tax deductible. Those who contribute $100 or more will receive the handsome ARISS Challenge Coin. If you or your ham club or place of employment wish to make a highly substantial contribution, contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net. 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. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status Contact: David Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR , aa4kn(a)amsat.org --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

1 0

Nayif-1 heard on FO29
by PY5LF 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

Hi I`ve heard the Nayif-1 (EO88) on the downlink of FO29 ; https://youtu.be/1_6okYzLi0E 73

2 1

Podcast: Frank Bauer KA3HDO Discussed ARISS Radios on Ham Radio Live
by JoAnne K9JKM 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO was on the Ham Talk Live podcast discussing ARISS and the gear aboard the ISS. The link to the podcast is: http://www.spreaker.com/user/hamtalklive/episode-55-ham-radio-on-the-iss-wi… -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-13 23:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-13 23:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, direct via K6MHS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG (***) Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC 25 deg “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 (***) **************************************************************************** ** 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 2017-03-13 23:00 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 1125. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1086. 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 2017-03-11 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

1 0

AMSAT Awards Update
by Bruce 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

This is the first posting of awards for 2017. The year started slow and then picked up with the following earning their awards. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Christopher Hobbs, KD5RYO Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV Milan Stancel, OM4MX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #575 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #576 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #577 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #178 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #179 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Frank Westphal, K6FW, #49 Toralf Renkwitz, DJ7MS, #50 Ronald Oldham, N8RO, #51 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #US202 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #US203 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #US204 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Cleber Rodrigues, PY3TX, #88 Paul Stoezter, N8HM, Upgrade to 4000 Frank Westphal, K6FW, Upgrade to 2000 John Papay, K8YSE/7, Upgrade to 3000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #89 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #90 ------ 73...bruce To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0200z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards AMSAT Board Member 2016-2018 ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

1 0

Upcoming ARISS contact with McBride High School, Long Beach, CA
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at McBride High School, Long Beach, CA on 15 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:28 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K6MHS. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. 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. Ernest S. McBride High School (McBride) opened its doors on September 4, 2013 to an incoming class of 204 freshmen. During the course of the past four school years, we have grown to 735 students, and we are preparing to graduate our first class of seniors. All students are part of one of the following pathways: Criminal Justice and Investigation (CJI), McBride Engineering (ME), and Health and Medical (HM). Our campus is located in a middle-class residential neighborhood and, through our School of Choice process have students who live throughout the cities of Long Beach and Lakewood. We are fortunate to have a student body that is both ethnically and socio-economically diverse. Over thirty-eight percent of our student population are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and over seventy percent of the populations are from ethnic minorities. In opening a new school, we have had many unique opportunities. The first class of McBride student chose our mascot, the Wolf, and have decided that we are collectively known as the Wolf Pack. Our daily announcements are closed with the proclamation, "Goooo Wolfpack!" All three of our pathways share a strong focus on math and science, learning by doing, and a preparation for both college and career. As a sample of our project-based learning approach, our students have built solar powered boats, resolved disputes in Teen Court, earned awards for analyzing crime scenes, and conducted studies on concussions in sports. We are fortunate to have access to updated and professional level equipment, including CNC Milling Machines, a Scanning Electron Microscope and Simulated Patient Manikins. Long Beach is the 36th most populous city in the United States and the 7th most populous in California. It is located on the Pacific Coast of the United States, within the Greater Los Angeles area of Southern California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257. Long Beach is the second largest city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and the third largest in Southern California behind Los Angeles and San Diego. The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest container port in the United States and is among the world's largest shipping ports. Manufacturing sectors include those in aircraft, automotive parts, electronic equipment, audiovisual equipment, petrochemicals, precision metals and home furnishings. Long Beach lies in the southeastern corner of Los Angeles County and borders Orange County. Downtown Long Beach is approximately 22 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Our school district, Long Beach Unified has earned a reputation as one of America's finest school systems, winning many awards as a national and international model of excellence. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What do you do during your free time in space? 2. Do you ever feel afraid up there in space, as you look down at the Earth, and ponder how our whole world is just one grain of sand in the ocean, and how our individual actions do so little to affect the course of the universe? 3. What is the most used equipment when you are in space? 4. How many miles and how long does it take to break atmosphere? What did that feel like? 5. Why did you give up your regular life on earth to be in space for a long period of time? It seems like a big commitment. Why did you make it? 6. When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, so do you have any important advice you could give to a future astronaut that helped you through your journey in order to become an astronaut? 7. What could you say about climate change that others couldn't that would change a climate change deniers view on the subject? 8. What happens if you run out of food? 9. What were the training requirements you went through to become an astronaut? Can you explain what you do when you are actually in space? Can you explain what you do when you are NOT in space? 10. What is something you wish you would have known before becoming an astronaut? 11. What do you think the benefits of having traveling exhibits like Facing Mars are for young people? 12. What psychological issues have arisen in the astronauts who have spent an extended time on the ISS? How are you prepared mentally to handle your time in space? 13. What are you enjoying the most in the space station? 14. Have you had a birthday on the ISS? If so, did anyone sing happy birthday to you on ham radio? 15. Have you seen ""Hidden Figures?"" Could the ISS be navigated if all the calculations were done by hand? 16. We sometimes wonder if there is more than just us out there in the universe, now that you're up there, has your opinion changed? 17. How different is time in space? 18. Could you imagine a musical being performed in orbit? 19. What do you think about the planned Space X trip around the moon? 20. What is the coolest trick you have done on the ISS with apparently zero gravity? 21. Do you ever regret going to space? 22. How are you brave enough to risk your life to see earth from a cool view? 23. Did you know the people you currently work with on the space station before you went into orbit? How do you get along? 24. Have you ever worked on the outside of the space station? 25. How old were you when you first seriously considered being an astronaut? 26. Is there any art you have seen on Earth that is more beautiful than the Earth itself? 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

1 0

CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced
by M5AKA 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

Frequencies for the CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder satellites have been announced by IARU - launch was planned for March 31, 2017 https://amsat-uk.org/2017/03/13/cas-4a-cas-4b-transponder-sats-2/ Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

1 0

RT Systems Programming Data
by Jay Garlitz 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

If any of our group use this programming product and have data definition files you have created for the following radios I would appreciate you saving me a lot of time! I have recently purchased it for the Yaesu FT-817, Kenwood TH-D7G , Yaesu FT-60R, Yaesu FT-8800, and would be very appreciative of the data files. Please e-mail to jay.aa4fl(a)gmail.com. 73, Jay AA4FL

1 0

NASA software relesse
by Robert McGwier 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/02/nasa-released-a-ton-of-software-for-free-… Bob -- Bob McGwier Founder, Federated Wireless, Inc Founder and Technical Advisor, HawkEye 360, Inc Research Professor Virginia Tech Chief Scientist: The Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology Senior Member IEEE, Facebook: N4HYBob, ARS: N4HY Faculty Advisor Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Assn. (K4KDJ) Director of AMSAT and member of PVRC, TAPR, and life member of ARRL and AMSAT

3 2

ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins (In its Entirety)
by E.Mike McCardel 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

E. Michael McCardel, AA8EM, former KC8YLD Rotating Editor for AMSAT News Service, AMSAT-NA Have you donated to get your Fox-1 Challenge Coin Yet? http://AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-071.02 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: * Editor's Note: * US ARISS Proposal Window Remains Open Through April 15, 2017 * First Moon Bounce using Opera * NEON - NASA Educators Online Network - ANNOUNCEMENTS * Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-071.02 ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 071.02 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. March 12, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-071.02 Editor's Note: Todays ANS was sent missing content, as I am sure most who read it observed. This is a re-bublication of the Bulletin including its full contact. I apologize for any problems. EMike, AA8EM --------------------------------------------------------------------- US ARISS Proposal Window Remains Open Through April 15, 2017 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 at arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- First Moon Bounce using Opera On Tuesday, March 7, Luis EA5DOM and Jose EA3HMJ made a test using the amateur radio weak-signal data mode Opera for 1296 MHz Moon Bounce (EME) Luis EA5DOM posted the following: We are both using an small 180cm offset dish. Jose is 400w, so he was transmitting and I was trying to decode. The trace was visible but too weak for an Op05 decode. So tried Op1 switching band to 70MHz. After some trying we got one decode at -24dB 2017-03-07 23:31:17 EA3HMJ JN11AN EA5DOM IM98WN 381 70.093 - 23 Op1__~24dB Switched to Op2 and tried some times without success. I was getting problems to keep an accurate tracking, so the signal was not optimal and close to the decoding limit We will keep testing, But at least one decode was worth the effort. Here is EA5DOM screenshot: http://tinyurl.com/ANS071-EA5Dom-Screenshot And EA3HMJ Screenshot: http://tinyurl.com/ANS071-EA3HMJ-Screenshot You can download Opera from https://rosmodem.wordpress.com/ [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEON - NASA Educators Online Network - ANNOUNCEMENTS Free STEM Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) at Texas State University is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom. Registration is required to participate. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description. March 13, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. ET: Earth Right Now: Engineering at NASA (Grades K-12) -- Engineers at NASA come from a multitude of backgrounds such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, materials science and physics. This webinar allows participants to hear from one of NASA's Planetary Protection engineers. These unique engineers support projects that have to be biologically clean before launch so that they do not contaminate another planet or moon with Earth life. Join us to discover NASA educational activities related to engineering and help inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/209358 ********** March 14, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. ET: Earth Right Now -- GLOBE Atmosphere (Grades K-12) -- NASA’s fleet of satellites, its airborne missions and researchers address some of the critical challenges facing our planet today. Learn about clouds and contrails using the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, or GLOBE, program. This international science and education program provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/229949 ********** March 16, 2017, at 8:00 p.m. ET: Astrobiology and Looking for Life (Grades 6-12) -- In this webinar, we will discuss how NASA has turned the search for alien life from science fiction to a quickly growing research field. Topics in Earth and space science linked to biology will help us understand the most current theories for how life came to be here on Earth and where we could find it next. Classroom activities for numerous grades will put this exploration into the hands of the next generation of scientists. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/234109 ********** For the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development webinar schedule, go to: http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/ ********** For US Educators: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station-- Students Talk to Astronauts Call for Proposals -- Window is 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 crewmember on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the radio contact would be held between Jan 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits determine the exact 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. Students learn about technology, communications, and science studied on board the ISS. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. For proposal information and details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and days/times of Information Sessions, go to www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl.org . [ANS thanks NASA Educators Online Network (NEON) for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017 Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017, April 26-28, 2017, San Luis Obispo, CA -- New Venue - Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. #CubeSatDW2017 * http://www.cubesat.org/workshop-2017-information The CubeSat Workshop Team is honored to welcome Mr. James L. Reuter (http://www.cubesat.org/james-reuter), Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters, as one of our Keynote speakers for the upcoming workshop. If you are as interested as we are to hear what he has to say, you can follow up with Registration and Workshop Information on our website: http://www.cubesat.org/workshop-2017-information/ Early Bird Registration for the 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop ends in just TEN DAYS on *March 17, 2017*. Register before the prices increase! You can register by following the link below. https://calpoly.irisregistration.com/Home/Site?code=cubesat-2017 If you have any questions regarding workshop, or are interested in being a sponsor this year, don't hesitate to contact us at: cubesat-workshop at calpoly.edu [ANS thanks The CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Blair Pointe Upper Elementary School, Peru, IN, USA and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Thu 2017-03-09 15:21:33 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via WD9GIU. ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. + A Successful contact was made between 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Fri 2017-03-10 08:20:46 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via SV7APQ. ARISS Mentor was Bertus PE1KEH. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, direct via K6MHS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org www.amsat.org/?p=3275

1 0