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

NO-84 update, progress on my end
by Mark Lunday 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

OK, tonight on the high pass at 0300 UTC over US East Coast, I heard the following with my IC910H tuned to 435.350 MHz FM-Narrow, feeding FLDIGI through a SignaLink USB card: 1. W3ADO beacon. The beacon signal was so strong it was almost like hearing an FM repeater that is "full quieting" with no background noise at all. 2. Someone transmitting early in the pass, but Doppler was moving the signal and I did not decode it because it eventually went right on top of the beacon. I attempted to transmit using DopplerPSK, 50 watts to an inverted L, but I did not see my signal on the downlink at all. I measured 50 watts output, and I listened on a separate receiver (no antenna) on 28.120 and I did hear PSK. Questions: * I am using TS480SAT for transmit. I have the dial on 28.120, which means that the center AF frequency is 2 kHz according to Doppler PSK. Is that correct for the dial frequency? * Any other suggestions on what I should do, or just try again on the next pass? Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972

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Re: [amsat-bb] EO-80
by Richard Tejera 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

I'm not getting what you mean? EO-80 is an FM transponder, EO-88 is a linear Transponder. Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On March 3, 2017, at 16:12, John Brier <johnbrier(a)gmail.com> wrote: Maybe because Nayif-1 was just named EO-88? 73, John Brier KG4AKV On Fri, Mar 3, 2017 at 6:07 PM, Richard Tejera <Saguaroastro(a)cox.net> wrote: > Funny, I was thinking the same thing this morning... > > Rick Tejera K7TEJ > Saguaro Astronomy Club > www.SaguaroAstro.org > Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club > www.w7tbc.org > > On March 3, 2017, at 11:01, Bill Attwood <whattwood(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Anybody know what's happening with EO-80? Wasn't the FM transponder > supposed to be turned on full-time ages ago? > > Cheers, > Bill > VE6WK > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: [amsat-bb] EO-80
by Richard Tejera 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

Funny, I was thinking the same thing this morning... Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On March 3, 2017, at 11:01, Bill Attwood <whattwood(a)gmail.com> wrote: Anybody know what's happening with EO-80? Wasn't the FM transponder supposed to be turned on full-time ages ago? Cheers, Bill VE6WK _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: [amsat-bb] Still trying to decode NO-84 (Doppler)
by Robert Bruninga 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

One thing to remember is that you cannot use normal Doppler correcting software that tunes the radio. The instantaneous radio steps cause Phase discontinuities and that completely destroys PSK31. The only ways to work well is to only try to decode when the bird is coming right at you or right aways from you and the Doppler is not rapidly changing. *** OR *** use the special PSK31 Doppler uplink correcting program written by Andy Flowers found on the PSAT web page… http://aprs.org/psat.html Here is his page: http://www.frontiernet.net/~aflowers/dopplerpsk/dopplerpsk.html This software also allows you to run full duplex so that you can uplink continuously throughtout the pass and independently receive all downlinks at the same time. The radio does not tune, but your uplink audio compensates for the uplink Doppler so that your trace in the downlink appears constant to everyone. Yes, you can run UHF Radio stepped Doppler correction that steps down in the usual 5 KHz steps 4 times during the pass. You may still loose an instant of phase corrupted characters, but only 4 times, not every few seconds as the SSB radio would try to do if the computer program was trying to compensate the SSB uplink radio. That help? Bob *From:* Fer [mailto:[email protected]] *Sent:* Thursday, March 02, 2017 10:25 AM *To:* Mark Lunday; AMSAT BB; Paul Stoetzer; Robert Bruninga *Subject:* Re: [amsat-bb] Still trying to decode NO-84 I am trying too to activate NO-84, 50w on 28.120 MHz with vertical antenna or dipole with FLDIGI (saw no difference, still weak), good downlink signal on UHF with SDR-14+SpectraVue as panadapter at 10.7 MHz, beacon decoded in FLDIGI, my weak signal sometime decoded, strong doppler on my signal despite I correct both with orbitron/wispdde using only fresh keps and GPS computer sync clock. Any idea? 73 Fer IW1DTU here some screenshoot link to dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/s/ec2i14l62u4ij3w/NO-84%202%20mar17%20uno.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/l1k3a3h8atyys5l/NO-84%202mar17%20due.jpg?dl=0 On Thursday, March 2, 2017 2:51 AM, Mark Lunday <wd4elg(a)outlook.com> wrote: 0230 UTC pass, saw the bear claw PSK 31 waveform again. Anyone else able to see the PSK dowllink? I am seeing 7 parallel traces, almost like the transmission is overloading the receiver. Attempting to attach the file to this email with a capture of what my SDR receiver is seeing... On a positive note, APRS is working perfectly on NO84 even at low passes. Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972 _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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EO-80
by Bill Attwood 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

Anybody know what's happening with EO-80? Wasn't the FM transponder supposed to be turned on full-time ages ago? Cheers, Bill VE6WK

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Ten things I did not know about cube sats. From AMSAT Journal...
by Phillip Lontz 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

It's amazing they ever get into orbit and work! Phil K5SSR Santa Feel Sent from my iPad

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AO-73/FUNcube Mode change
by Jim Heck 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

Hi folks, I have just changed the sat into amateur (continuous transponder) mode. Plan is to switch back to auto mode on Sunday 26 Feb 2017 pm UTC as usual. See https://funcube.org.uk/news/ for details of new FUNcube launched last week, and Pls see below for other FUNcube transponder info Have FUN with the transponder. 73s Jim G3WGM and the FUNcube team. AO-73 FUNcube-1 The transponder is normally operational only when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. During weekends (from pm Fridays UTC to PM Sundays UTC) the transponder is operational 24/7. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. During holidays, eg Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc, the transponder maybe activated for extended periods. Watch AMSAT-BB for announcements which are usually made on Friday evenings (UTC) The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.935 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 15kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) FUNcube-2 aka FUNcube on UKube The FUNcube-2 sub-system continues to operate autonomously and, almost continuously, in amateur mode. The transponder is operational and the telemetry downlink is functioning with about 70mW output. The FUNcube-1 Dashboard does not correctly display the telemetry but it does correctly decode the data and uploads it to the FUNcube Data Warehouse from where it can be examined. Most of the real time data channels are operational and these include battery voltages, temperatures and ADCS data coming via the main On Board Computer (OBC). The transponder is interrupted for a few seconds every 2 minutes when the other transmitter sends its CW beacon and, occasionally, for a few seconds when the main OBC reboots (approx seven times each orbit). The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.080 - 435.060 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.930 - 145.950 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.915 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 10kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) EO79 FUNcube-3 Due to power budget constraints the transponder cannot be operational 24/7 and an orbit specific schedule has been developed. The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes. This schedule may be modified in future months as a result of experience. The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.0723-435.0473 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.946-145.971 MHz USB Further detailed info on EO79 transponder frequencies is at: https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/10/eo79-funcube-3-transponder-commences-regula… All FUNcube transponders are sponsored by AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL. We are very grateful for the assistance given by Innovative Solution In Space Bv, The Netherlands.

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[Video] LIVE French Astronaut and Translator!
by John Brier 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gS-PiVt7bU Thank you Arrow Antenna for just becoming a sponsor of Space Comms! I still have my original Arrow II satellite antenna from 2000 and I highly recommend them. Thanks to Dog Park Software for the usage of MacDoppler and MacLoggerDX, sorry for forgetting to include you in the end credits. Thank you of course to Victor for doing the translation. It was a lot of fun working with you. Thank you to Phillip Zucchino at The Wine Feed for hooking me up with SKEMA, and Marie Claire at SKEMA for hooking me up with Victor. Thanks to Max, K2MAX for recently becoming a patron. Good luck working satellites from the San Francisco bay area where you won't have many obstructions on the horizon. Thanks to Frank for the drone footage. And thanks to you for watching! 73, John Brier KG4AKV

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Berry Islands Bahamas on Sats + SHERPA SpaceX
by M5AKA 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

Amateur radio satellite activation of Berry Islands, Bahamas, March 4-10 FM and SSB satellites https://amsat-uk.org/2017/02/18/berry-islands-bahamas/ GeekWire report: Citing schedule slips, Spaceflight rebooks 89 satellites on SpaceX’s launch list #SHERPA http://www.geekwire.com/2017/spaceflight-sherpa-89-satellites-spacex/ Amateur Radio CubeSat Nayif-1 transmits Vice President’s message https://amsat-uk.org/2017/02/25/nayif-1-uae-vice-president-message/ Nayif-1 is now EO-88 https://amsat-uk.org/2017/02/27/oscar-number-for-nayif-1/ AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Milton Keynes October 14-15, 2017 https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/ Call for speakers https://amsat-uk.org/2017/02/03/international-space-colloquium-first-call-f… Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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Shack re-wiring: RTL-SDR options?
by Greg D 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

Hi folks, Has anyone used an RTL-SDR dongle on the 10.7 MHz IF output from another receiver? Is that better than going direct? My cable TV provider is forcing us to go all-digital. With the new "cable box" comes the opportunity to re-wire the shack and simplify the many layers of cables, splitters, and lash-ups that have accumulated over the years. The proverbial camel is crying out for help. What this has to do with Ham Radio is that part of the lash-up mess is an old pre-CATV deep fringe TV antenna that I have in the attic, aimed to the southern horizon. We are well outside the range of any of the digital OTA stations, and never one to leave a perfectly good piece of RF equipment go to waste, I currently have it fed to an old Icom R-7000 scanning receiver (previously used as the AO-40 downlink IF) and to an RTL-SDR dongle by way of a TV 2:1 splitter. I've tried hooking the dongle directly to my 2m ham antenna for satellite use, but for some reason that was less than satisfactory. Never really did hear much of anything, and never could figure out why. At least with the TV antenna, I can copy some stuff with the dongle, though the Icom is generally better. But the Icom doesn't do the various digital modes that are better suited for SDR. Looking at the back of the Icom, I see that it has a 10.7 MHz IF output, so the thought is that the SDR dongle might perform better hooked there (with a DC bias block) instead of to the antenna itself through the splitter. Both receivers have similar frequency coverage, but perhaps the Icom, while somewhat deaf by modern standards, might still make for a better front-end to the dongle? I think the down-side is that the Icom's IF bandpass is narrower than the Dongle's, so I'd lose some flexibility there. I would also lose the ability to software-control the frequency of the receive chain, outside of the IF bandpass. What do you think? Would this be a net win or loss for the RTL-SDR? Thanks, Greg KO6TH

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Still trying to decode NO-84
by Mark Lunday 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

The signal looks like a bear claw, 6 parallel signals in the passband. What causes that? Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972

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Re: [amsat-bb] Nayif-1
by Richard Tejera 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

When will it show as EO-88 the keps? I'm still seeing Nayif-1.. Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On March 2, 2017, at 08:00, Alan <wa4sca(a)gmail.com> wrote: The satellite formerly known as Nayif-1 is now EO-88. 73s, Alan WA4SCA <-----Original Message----- <From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Red <Willoughby <Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2017 08:48 AM <To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <Subject: [amsat-bb] Nayif-1 < <I see it listed at the top of the colorful matrix on amsat.org/status, <but it does not seem to appear in the Select Satellite dropdown box for <posting reports. Am I just missing it or does it have another name? <_______________________________________________ <Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available <to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions <expressed <are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT- <NA. <Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite <program! <Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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EL89 tomorrow
by Matthew Stevens 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

I'll be in EL89 tomorrow morning on the ~1700z FO29 pass if anyone needs it, fixed uplink around 145.930. Afterwards, I'll try the 1° AO-7 pass towards EU, at 145.938. 73, - Matthew KK4FEM Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [amsat-bb] Nayif-1
by Rick Tejera 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

OK, thanks, now for the next question. I have added the Doppler file, which I know is correct, I'm try to add the Sat to the AMSATNAMEs file. I tried to add the info from that Since I use the Nasabare element set, but it's not working and the frequency is not showing. Can someone post the proper edit for both names? Thanks in advance Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org <http://www.saguaroastro.org> Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.W7TBC.org <http://www.W7TBC.org> -----Original Message----- From: prstoetzer(a)gmail.com [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Paul Stoetzer Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2017 4:16 PM To: Richard Tejera <Saguaroastro(a)cox.net> Cc: APBIDDLE(a)mailaps.org; Red Willoughby <red(a)redwilloughby.com>; AMSAT <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Nayif-1 Celestrak has it as Nayif-1 (EO-88) now. AMSAT should have as EO-88 with tonight's release. 73, Paul, N8HM On Thu, Mar 2, 2017 at 6:10 PM, Richard Tejera < <mailto:[email protected]> Saguaroastro(a)cox.net> wrote: > When will it show as EO-88 the keps? I'm still seeing Nayif-1.. > > Rick Tejera K7TEJ > Saguaro Astronomy Club > <http://www.SaguaroAstro.org> www.SaguaroAstro.org > Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club > andwww.w7tbc.orgle <http://www.w7tbc.orgle> > > On March 2, 2017, at 08:00, Alan < <mailto:[email protected]> wa4sca(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > The satellite formerly known as Nayif-1 is now EO-88. > > 73s, > > Alan > WA4SCA > > > <-----Original Message----- > <From: AMSAT-BB [ <mailto:[email protected]> mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Red > <Willoughby > <Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2017 08:48 AM > <To: <mailto:[email protected]> amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > <Subject: [amsat-bb] Nayif-1 > < > <I see it listed at the top of the colorful matrix on > amsat.org/status, <but it does not seem to appear in the Select > Satellite dropdown box for <posting reports. Am I just missing it or does it have another name? > <_______________________________________________ > <Sent via <mailto:[email protected]> AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > <to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions <expressed <are solely those of the author, and do not > reflect the official views of > AMSAT- > <NA. > <Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite > <program! > <Subscription settings: <http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb> http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via <mailto:[email protected]> AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: <http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb> http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ > Sent via <mailto:[email protected]> AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: <http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb> http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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EO-88 keps now on Celestrak
by Perry Yantis 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

The keps for Nayif-1 (EO-88) are now on Celestrak bbs in amateur.txt, cubesat.txt, and last 30 day launches. Perry WB8OTH py41(a)att.net sent from my Apple Macbook Pro

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Office Closed
by Martha 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

The AMSAT office will be closed on Friday, March 3rd and Monday, March 6th. I will be back on Tuesday. -- 73- Martha

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APRStk ? Or other?
by Dave 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

Hi All I'm setting up an autonomous sat gate using a spare Kenwood TMD700. I seem to remember that once upon a time there was a DOS program called APRStk that could Doppler correct the TMD700. Does anyone know of a more up to date alternative that would run on a Pi or Pi Zero? Regards Dave EI4HT / M0GIW Sent from my iPhone

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Nayif-1
by Red Willoughby 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

I see it listed at the top of the colorful matrix on amsat.org/status, but it does not seem to appear in the Select Satellite dropdown box for posting reports. Am I just missing it or does it have another name?

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-02 07:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-02 07:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ecole Albert Camus, Rueil-Malmaison, France, College Marcel Pagnol, Rueil-Malmaison, France, and Ecole “Robespierre B.”, Rueil-Malmaison, France, direct via F6KFA The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Wed 2017-03-01 08:04:44 UTC 77 deg (***) Student Space Technology Association, Knoxville, TN, direct via AA4UT The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact postponed (***) Blair Pointe Upper Elementary School, Peru, IN, direct via WD9GIU The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-03-09 15:21:33 UTC 80 deg 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece, direct via SV7APQ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-03-10 08:20:46 UTC 28 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 2017-03-02 07:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1123. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1084. (***) 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 2017-03-02 07:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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TS-2000 Strange behavior
by Kevin M 01 Mar '17

01 Mar '17

Hi Mike, I don't believe there is anything wrong with your receive... the 'static' you hear IS the AO-85 downlink. The transmitter is on and transmitting and the signal strength is going up and down due to 'tumbling', ploarity shifting, etc. The reason you hear static is that it's not like SO-50; instead of squelching when there is no signal, AO-85 simply rebroadcasts what it hears... which at the moment is 'nothing', SO it is passing the white noise from it's UHF receiver straight to the 2m transmitter. Eventually you heard a voice there at the end, so yes, you ARE hearing it. If I read the TS-2000 manual correctly, your problem is that you have the PL tone set on the receive band... not the transmit band. The 'T' should be above the sub band display in other words. So since you are not transmitting the proper PL tone of 67.0 Hz, you are not able to hear yourself come through the transponder. See about fixing that and give it another try. And from experience, I'll suggest to double check that even after you get the 'T' on the correct band, verify that it's 67.0 Hz. =^) 73, Kevin N4UFO

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EL39 3/2
by R.T.Liddy 01 Mar '17

01 Mar '17

I've had several requests for EL39 before I skiptown. So, it'll be tomorrow on FO29 1600Z pass.Look 10-15 KHz above center.CUL, Bob K8BL

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AO-73 is ROCKING
by Mark Lunday 01 Mar '17

01 Mar '17

Wow, 0200 UTC pass over east central US. I heard my downlink CW CQ throughout the pass, very strong! Too bad no one else was on that I could hear. Right on alignment: center of passband up = center of passband down. Fabulous. Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972

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Re: [amsat-bb] Solid State conversion (tube equivalents)? END
by Robert Bruninga 01 Mar '17

01 Mar '17

Here is the conclusion to this thread with great feedback from James Duffey and Diane Bruce... > I picked up an old boatanchor LM-21 Frequency Meter at a Hamfest over the weekend. I original asked people here about converting the 3 tubes to solid state. But they said, why bother. Just use it with the tubes... and were curious how well it was calibrated now compared to its 85 year old design age (1930's)? So today I just powered it up with the tubes and it was within 150 Hz at 2 MHz after not being used since 1976. Not bad. In fact when I first compared it to the modern sig gen, I thought it wasn't even working because the 150 Hz was so close to zero beat I didn't hear it at first until I dithered the dial! I have no idea why I am doing this, but it sure brings back the good ole days... Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: James Duffey [mailto:[email protected]] ... why bother converting to solid state? The LM/BC-221 frequency meters are, as you note, very nice frequency meters/sources. They don't drift when warmed up and are very solid mechanically. They age well and you are likely to have performance now very close to what they were new. If you insist on converting it to solid state, here is one article describing how: < http://www.hanssummers.com/images/stories/bc221t/bc221.pdf > < http://hanssummers.com/bc221t.html > including schematics and the manual. But I doubt performance will be substantially better, if any, than the tube unit you start out with. Enjoy it. Technologically it is a wonderful thing to have just the way it is. It is still a very useful laboratory quality instrument. - Duffey KK6MC

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BY70-1
by PY5LF 01 Mar '17

01 Mar '17

Hi We had a low pass over here minutes ago and i felt the keps BY70-1 are wrong . I start to hear 25 seconds before . Does anyone feels the same ? 73

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ISS Boosting It's Orbit
by JoAnne K9JKM 01 Mar '17

01 Mar '17

Update your ISS keps: The International Space Station will boost its orbit Wednesday night to get ready for a crew swap next month. Three Expedition 50 crew members will complete their mission and a new two-person crew will launch to the station in April. https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/03/01/station-boosting-orbit-for-a… Watch the line wrap ... the -bb kills long URLs. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org

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