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

My experiences receiving the ISS SSTV images: attention from the radio club
by Koos van den Hout 23 Jul '17

23 Jul '17

I wrote about my experiences receiving the ISS SSTV images on https://idefix.net/~koos/newsitem.cgi/1500644468 the short is that I decided to leave the recording to the computer all night and decoded the images afterwards because all passes happened during the night and I wanted to get my sleep. I wrote that article Friday evening. On Saturday evening the webmaster of my local chapter of my radioclub saw my story (in English) and asked whether he could use this on our own site. I helped him with a Dutch version which got published on the site this Sunday morning. https://a08.veron.nl/slapend-iss-sstv-beelden-ontvangen/ in Dutch, with a bit more emphasis on the 'while sleeping'. The communications department of the nationwide radioclub saw the story come up on the local site and decided to send out a tweet about it, https://twitter.com/VERON_Nederland/status/889037830370054144 in Dutch, praising the pictures and the story. Koos PE4KH -- Koos van den Hout PGP keyid 0xF0D7C263 via keyservers Visit the site about books with reviews http://idefix.net/ http://www.virtualbookcase.com/

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ANS-204 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 22 Jul '17

22 Jul '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-204 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: * VE9 on Satellite * Her Majesty's Royal Mint Special Event on Satellites * V47JA St. Kitts on SO-50 * AMSAT 2017 Symposium Call for Papers * IARU Aligns Satellite Coordination Guidelines with ITU WRC-15 Decisions * Have you seen the Mayak satellite? SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-204.01 ANS-155 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 204.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE July 23, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-204.01 VE9 on Satellite CANADA, VE. Mike, KI1U will be QRV as KI1U/VE9 from Grand Manan Island, IOTA NA-014, from July 23 to 30. Activity will be on 40 to 10 meters using CW and various digital modes, including possibly the new mode FT8, as well as possible activity on the FM satellites. QSL to home call. [ANS thanks the ARRL DX Bulletin 29 - ARLD029 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Her Majesty's Royal Mint Special Event on Satellites Members of the Barry Amateur Radio Society will be operating from 'Her Majesty's Royal Mint' at Llantrisant, South Wales, UK, call sign - GB4RME (Royal Mint Experience) between July 30th and August 5, 2017 Locator: IO81HN WAB:ST08 The hours of operation on a daily basis have been limited, but we expect to be operational between 0800 - 1730 hrs GMT. It does restrict operation for satellite operations and passes in addition of course AO-73 operates in data mode Monday to Friday when illuminated (Auto mode). However on the first Sunday of the event (30th) and the last day (Saturday 5th August) the transponder mode should be available if commanded. The general other activities of the event will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB, DATA RTTY and JT65. This event will also include an exhibition and demonstrations of "Amateur Radio". How key events, especially using satellites and the ISS, are key players in the role of education and "STEM" Note also this event also co-incident with the event taking place for "YOTA 2917" (GB17YOTA) and should be significant as a prime contact for youngsters participating from world wide. This special event station is a world first, operating from within a Mint, and a Royal one at that. Details about the mint can be viewed at: http://www.royalmint.com/en/the-royal-mint-experience QSL via GW0ANA, direct, by the Bureau, LoTW and ClubLog. There will be a Web page set up for the operation on QRZ.com. [ANS thanks Ken, GW1FY, and Southgate for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- V47JA St. Kitts on SO-50 John, V47JA/W5JON, has been operating on SO-50 from St. Kitts with some success. The problem for him is that there is terrain in the way from about 320 degrees, north to east. So he is limited to what he can work from his house there. John is putting together what he will need to operate portable from the top of the hill where he will be able to see down to the horizon to the north. Once he has everything together he will be able to work down low and work more stations in the US. He is using an Arrow antenna and two FM mobile units. He is not a new comeer to the birds but hasn't operated since the HEO's went away years ago. He will be on St. Kitts for a few weeks and he hopes to work everyone that needs it. SO-50 only. He will QSL via LOTW but might wait until he returns to Texas to get everyone uploaded. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT 2017 Symposium Call for Papers This is the first call for papers for the 2017 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 27, 28, 29, 2017 at the Silver Legacy Resort, Reno, Nevada. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy to be submitted by October 6 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org [ANS thanks Dan, N8FGV, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Aligns Satellite Coordination Guidelines with ITU WRC-15 Decisions As the global federation of national associations of radio amateurs in more than 150 countries, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) for many years has provided frequency coordination services for amateur satellites free of charge. Often these satellites are constructed by students at universities and other institutions as a part of their educational experience. In general, they have been licensed to operate in the amateur- satellite service, which is defined by the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as having the “…purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, by duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.” Some administrations have issued experimental licenses for such satellites operating in amateur-satellite frequency bands. The IARU has coordinated these satellites as well, to reduce the possibility of harmful interference that might result from uncoordinated operation. Since 1 July 2014 it has not been possible to coordinate experimental satellites in the 144-146 MHz band because of the high probability of harmful interference in this heavily used band. Educational satellite projects have grown in popularity as launch opportunities have increased. In 2012 the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference took note of the proliferation of what in Resolution 757 (WRC-12) it called “nanosatellites and picosatellites” and invited WRC-18 (now scheduled for 2019) to consider steps to facilitate their deployment and operation. Two Reports, ITU-R SA.2312 (09/2014) and ITU-R SA.2348 (05/2015), are instructive regarding the characteristics, definitions, spectrum requirements, and notification procedures of and for such satellites, which generally must use spectrum below 1 GHz for operational reasons. At the following WRC in 2015, in place of Resolution 757 the Member States of the ITU adopted Resolution 659 (WRC-15) in which it was noted that the use of 144-146 MHz and 435-438 MHz by non-amateur satellites is not in accordance with the definition of the amateur-satellite service in the Radio Regulations. Resolution 659 cites the two reports mentioned above and makes it clear that the spectrum needs of what are now called “non- geostationary satellites with short duration missions” should be met either within the service in which the space station is operating or within the space operation service. Further, if new or upgraded allocations to the space operation service are required, studies should be limited to the frequency ranges 150.05-174 MHz and 400.15-420 MHz. Accordingly, effective 1 August 2017 the IARU will be following revised guidelines for satellite frequency coordination. The strong preference is for all satellites using spectrum allocated to the amateur and amateur-satellite services to operate under amateur licenses and within the definition of the amateur-satellite service and the service- specific Article 25 of the Radio Regulations. The IARU believes the definition is sufficiently broad to encompass nearly all educational satellite projects that include giving students hands-on experience with radiocommunication and are conducted under an amateur license. The IARU will only coordinate a non-amateur satellite if an administration directs in writing that it be operated in an amateur-satellite band under an experimental or other non-amateur license. Satellites with combined amateur and non-amateur missions will continue to be coordinated. [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you seen the Mayak satellite? By Deborah Byrd, EarthSky News in HUMAN WORLD | SPACE | July 18, 2017 http://earthsky.org/space/mayak-bright-russian-satellite-july-august-2017 On July 14, an amateur group in Russia launched a small satellite called Mayak. They said it would become the “brightest shooting star” in the sky. Why’d they do it? Here’s how to look for it. A team of young Russians – led by Moscow State Mechanical Engineering University (MAMI) – managed to raise more than $30,000 on Russian crowdfunding website Boomstarter, in order to launch their own small satellite. The satellite is called Mayak, which means beacon in English. It’s a cubesat, roughly the size of a loaf of bread. And it’s up there. Mayak went into space on July 14, 2017, as part of a secondary payload, launched on a Soyuz 2.1v vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It’ll be orbiting Earth, about 370 miles (600 km) high, for the coming month. It’s supposed to be very, very bright, so bright that it would, supposedly, ruin night skies and threaten astronomy. Satellite tracking websites like Heavens Above are already trying to follow it, hoping to offer information on Mayak’s passes over various parts of the world. Heavens Above commented: "A new small satellite has just been launched which will deploy a large reflector once in orbit and has the potential to be very bright. We now have a provisional orbit from Space-Track which you can use to generate predictions. Please note that the magnitude estimates are possibly very inaccurate until actual observations are reported." Heavens-Above.com now has pass predictions up for the new Russian reflector sat "Mayak," listing it as NORAD ID 2017-042F/42830. http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=42830 Plus Mayak has its own app, available to those who back the project. See: http://cosmomayak.com/default#mobileapp How bright is Mayak? Brightness estimates have varied, but the idea was that it would be the brightest shooting star in the sky. Some estimated it would be nearly as bright as Venus, the sky’s brightest planet. Its brightness is part of its purpose, which is partly, simply, to inspire people. From Mayak’s website: The main objective of the project is to make cosmonautics and space research poplar in Russia, as well as to make scientific and technical researches attractive to youth. Also from Mayak’s website: Question: Why did you build the satellite? Answer: Everyone is used to think that flying into space is a privilege of state and military corporations. We wanted to prove that space is simpler and closer than it seems, and a team of enthusiasts can launch a satellite into space! This The video shows Mayak’s launch, along with 72 other satellites, on July 14, 2017 at 9:36 Moscow Time from the Baikonur cosmodrome: https://youtu.be/E0X0KfEnJAk [ANS thanks EarthSky News for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KT4TZ kt4tz at amsat dot org

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GB4RME -Special Event Station corrections
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 22 Jul '17

22 Jul '17

Hi, Details of our club "Special Event Station " planned operations. Apologies for any typo's or gaps that may transpire in the format and word wrap. The format when I post out does not seem to be as it appears on my screen when I prepared the message. In view of this I have edited and revised my previous version and trust that this posting gets through OK. Also experienced some of my earlier posts being returned. Regards Ken GW1FKY Her Majesty's Royal Mint special event. (GB4RME) Members of the Barry Amateur Radio Society will be operating from "Her Majesty's Royal Mint" located at Llantrisant, South Wales,UK Call sign - GB4RME (Royal Mint Experience ) July 30th - August 5th 2017. Locator: IO81HN WAB:ST08 The hours of operation on a daily basis have been limited, but we expect to operate between 0800 - 1730 hrs GMT. It does restrict operation for satellite and passes in addition of course AO-73 operates in data mode Monday to Friday when illuminated (Auto mode). However on the first day of the event ( Sunday 30th July ) and the last day (Saturday 5th August ) the transponder mode should be available if commanded on. Some satellites may only have early passes on a daily basis and if I cannot get access to our op's room on site, I may have to use a portable set up from the car park The general other activities of the event and the special call will be on the HF bands using : CW, SSB, DATA RTTY and JT65. This event will also include an exhibition and demonstrations of "Amateur Radio." For example - How amateur radio is used together with amateur satellites and the ISS, in a role play for education and furthering a career. ( STEM ). Note also this event also co-incident with the event taking place for "YOTA 2917" ( GB17YOTA ) and should be significant as a prime contact for youngsters participating from world wide. Saturday 5th August is our final day of operation but the first day for the "YOTA GB17YOTA " teams. This special event station is a world first, operating from within a Mint, and a Royal one of course. Details about the mint can be viewed at: http://www.royalmint.com/en/the-royal-mint-experience QSL via GW0ANA, direct, by the Bureau, LoTW and ClubLog. There will be a Web page set up for the operation on QRZ.com. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Member AMSAT-UK, AMSAT NA, RSGB , Barry Amateur Radio Society.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-07-21 16:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-07-21 16:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: About Gagarin From Space International Summer Camp #3?? with Bashkortostan schoolchildren, Ufa, Russia, direct via RZ9WWB (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI Contact is a go for: 2017-08-05 16:25 UTC (***) **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø 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 2017-07-21 16:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1149. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1108. 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 2017-07-20 20:00 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. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Exp. 51 on orbit Jack Fischer K2FSH Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 12, Issue 180
by Albert van Deursen 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

Hi Reid , Thanks yr feedback. Until today in spite of the given tips haven't yet found a solution to the problem. Will cont on this of course. If you have this zip file with data plse forward to my mail address avdeur(a)home.nl. Thanks again. 73 albert PD0OXW -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org Sent: 21 July 2017 17:48 To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 12, Issue 180 Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to amsat-bb(a)amsat.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org You can reach the person managing the list at amsat-bb-owner(a)amsat.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of AMSAT-BB digest..."

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V47JA St. Kitts
by John Papay 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

John, V47JA/W5JON, has been operating on SO-50 from St. Kitts with some success. The problem for him is that there is terrain in the way from about 320 degrees, north to east. So he is limited to what he can work from his house there. John is putting together what he will need to operate portable from the top of the hill where he will be able to see down to the horizon to the north. Once he has everything together he will be able to work down low and work more stations in the US. He is using an Arrow antenna and two FM mobile units. He is not a newcomeer to the birds but hasn't operated since the HEO's went away years ago. He will be on St. Kitts for a few weeks and he hopes to work everyone that needs it. SO-50 only. He will QSL via LOTW but might wait until he returns to Texas to get everyone uploaded. 73, John K8YSE --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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ISS ground station info needed
by Butch 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

I am trying to get in touch with two ARISS telebridge ground stations, but cannot find any email info for them on QRZ. If anyone can supply email addresses or other contact info, I would greatly appreciate it. The stations are: K6DUE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 3 1804 Hopefield Rd Silver Spring, MD 20905 W6SRJ SANTA ROSA JR COLLEGE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 4375 Sonoma Mountain Rd Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Tnx & 73 Butch Alline K8KO

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Elevation meter Rotor YAESU G-5500 stopped working
by Albert van Deursen 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

Hi all, All of a sudden the elevation meter stopped working of my Yaesu G-5500 rotor controller unit . No issue with the AZ meter. Rotor itself keeps on steering / working without any problem in EL &AZ (via interface EA4TX ARS-USB) so all still working fine (fortunately !) for satellite work. Looks like a component failure in the controller unit or the meter itself ? A physical check (opening the controller unit) didn't show any anomaly. Being a not too tech ham was wondering if any of you Yaesu rotor users had seen this problem before / around ? Possibly anyone to hint/ indicate at a quick check in the schematic wire diagram to where to start looking for this failure ? Thanks beforehand for yr appreciated advice 73 Albert PD0OXW

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Cubesat UNSW-EC0 identified
by Nico Janssen 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

All, Detailed doppler measurements show that QB50 Cubesat UNSW-EC0 is object 42723, 1998-067MC. Its downlink frequency appears to be about 4 kHz high: 436.529 MHz. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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Virtual Audio Cable
by Steve Appleton 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

All, I am in the process of setting up my station to receive telemetry from AO-85 and then AO-73. I have come across a number of references to a “Virtual Audio Cable” being used to connect the RTL-SDR dongle to the telemetry software. A Google search returns a number of hits for such a cable. Some free, some not. Does anyone have any experience using any of these products in the application I want to? If so, is there one you would recommend? Stay away from? Hints, pitfalls? Any insight would be appreciated. I just hate downloading product after product for evaluation without any prior knowledge. Reminds me of the old BBS systems and shareware! Thx -Steve

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Her Majesty's Royal Mint special event. (GB4RME)
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 21 Jul '17

21 Jul '17

Her Majesty's Royal Mint special event. (GB4RME) Members of the Barry Amateur Radio Society will be operating from 'Her Majesty's Royal Mint' at Llantrisant, South Wales, UK,call sign - GB4RME (Royal Mint Experience) between July 30th and August 5th 2017. Locator: IO81HN WAB:ST08 The hours of operation on a daily basis have been limited, but we expect to be operational between 0800 - 1730 hrs GMT. It does restrict operation for satellite operations and passes in addition of course AO-73 operates in data mode Monday to Friday when illuminated (Auto mode) However on the first Sunday of the event (30th ) and the last day (Saturday 5th August ) the transponder mode should be available if commanded. Some satellites may only have early passes on a daily basis and if I cannot get access to our op's room on site I may have to use a portable set up from the car park The general other activities of the event will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB, DATA RTTY and JT65. This event will also include an exhibition and demonstrations of "Amateur Radio." How key events especially using satellites,the ISS are key players in the role of education and "STEM" Note also this event also co-incident with the event taking place for "YOTA 2917" ( GB17YOTA ) and should be significant as a prime contact for youngsters participating from world wide. This special event station is a world first, operating from within a Mint, and a Royal one at that. Details about the mint can be viewed at: http://www.royalmint.com/en/the-royal-mint-experience QSL via GW0ANA, direct, by the Bureau, LoTW and ClubLog. There will be a Web page set up for the operation on QRZ.com. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Member AMSAT-UK, AMSAT NA, RSGB , Barry Amateur Radio Society.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-07-20 20:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-07-20 20:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: About Gagarin From Space International Summer Camp #2 with Bashkortostan schoolchildren, Ufa, Russia, direct via RZ9WWB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI Contact was successful 2017-07-19 20:07 UTC (***) The Tuskegee Airmen Youth in Aviation Program at The International Space Station (ISS) Research and Development (R&D) Conference, Washington, D.C., telebridge via W6SRJ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Jack Fischer K2FSH Contact was successful Thu 2017-07-20 13:23:10 UTC 56 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. **************************************************************************** *** All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. **************************************************************************** *** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2017-07-20 20:00 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 1149. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1108. (***) 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 2017-07-20 20:00 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. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Exp. 51 on orbit Jack Fischer K2FSH Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Google Streetview Of ISS
by R.T.Liddy 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

Check out the ISS with Google Streetview! - Bob K8BL https://www.google.com/streetview/#international-space-station

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SSTV from ISS
by Roland Zurmely 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

Picture from 20-07-2017 22:05 UTC: <http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/sstviss.htm#p> 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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AMSAT 2017 Symposium Call for Papers
by Daniel Schultz 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

This is the first call for papers for the 2017 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 27, 28, 29, 2017 at the Silver Legacy Resort, Reno, Nevada. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy to be submitted by October 6 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz N8FGV at n8fgv(a)amsat.org

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NJ7H/retired
by Gabriel Zeifman 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

Hello fellow people of the birds, I have returned to the motherland from a glorious trip abroad, spending two weeks in continuous daylight. I think I forgot what night was, and as such was awake 24/7 working satellite passes! It was great to make so many contacts from Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Greenland! Probably the most exciting thing is that OX/NJ7H achieved VUCC! At the moment, we are at 111 grids confirmed in LoTW and estimated 149 grids worked, all in four days (with plenty of touristy stuff fit in as well)! It appears that this is the first VUCC of any type completed in Greenland! I could not have done it without all the dedicated rovers on both sides of the world that supported me in this crazy idea! Special thanks to: AK4WQ (8) KG5CCI (6) AI6GS (4) F4DXV (4) WD9EWK (3) WN9Q (3) MI6GTY (3) N6UA (3) N9EAT (3) N7AGF (2) W5PFG (2) EB1AO (2) WC7V (2) W4FS (2) K0FFY (2) NP4JV (2) CG7CEW (2) KL7CN (2) KK4FEM (2) Some more statistics from OX (based on LoTW): 278 QSOs 149 grids worked, 111 confirmed 26 DXCCs worked, 17 confirmed 34 states worked, 30 confirmed I think not so bad for a single operator QRP in four days while doing other stuff as well! Location, location, location... It was very cool being able to work so much on individual passes, even with lower birds like SO-50. Being so high on the earth, many of the satellites would pass over me and allow most of North America and Europe to be worked on a single pass. It was very cool! Although it could be eerie being alone for much of the pass as the satellites traversed the oceans with no one else in the footprint... It was fun to play around in this time experimenting with things like 50mW on SO-50. Made contacts through out North and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia! Dave KG5CCI and I were also able to break the distance record on XW-2D, which is now the furthest contact on any of the XW-2 satellites! The operating locations in OX and TF were awesome and usually allowed me to operate to the horizon and often below in the direction of North America. It was great to activate ten grids throughout the trip, including some ultra rare ones (and unheard before). HP74 had only a sliver of land and the grid corner of HP93/94/IP03/04 were fun grid adventures. In the Faroe Islands I had a much more difficult horizon, only allowing me to operate to as low as 3°-7° depending on the direction. The trade off was that I was able to walk to and operate from the IP61/62 line for nearly every pass! I am now back in the US (New York City to be exact). Tomorrow I head to Florida for a few days. Friday night and Saturday I will be driving from North Florida to Miami. I am hoping to score some new /r grids along the way, so give me a shout if you need EL95-EM90. EL95-97 will be new /r grids for me, so those are my focus. I'll be on Twitter like usual, @NJ7H_Radio, so that's the best way to get in touch with me. I'll be spending more time in EM90 and EL99, as opposed to the other ones that I'm just passing through. On the 25th I head back to Oklahoma City to begin my training to be an air traffic controller! With that, I see very little opportunity for me to do much roving until around late October when I complete that initial training (I'll still get on on weekends and do some local roving). Which comes to NJ7H/retired... I am volunteering for Alaska, and I am told that if I volunteer for Alaska, the FAA will likely gladly place me there (my buddy just got assigned to West Virginia and he was expecting Wisconsin, so who knows). Assuming I pass the academy (which I sure hope and will be doing my damnedest to), I will be finished on October 23rd. If I get Alaska, I am hoping to make a little detour on the way to attend the AMSAT-NA Symposium in Reno! The time seems to work just about perfectly for that (assuming I pass and I get assigned to Alaska). If I do indeed get Alaska, this trip will have been the last use of NJ7H while abroad as I'll get an Alaskan call upon crossing the border into Canada on the drive (NJ7H/7 will be around until the cross into Canada, then VE6NJH until Alaska). 73 and mind your ERP, Gabe NJ7H/retired

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Grid JO76 (Sweden) tomorrow 21 July SO-50 / FOX 1A
by Felix Paez EA4GQS 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

Hi friends, I am pretty sure I will be able to activate grid JO76 from Sweden tomorrow, as SM/EA4GQS in the morning and afternoon Also if allowed by crew, this afternoon 20 July and night, starting from 19 UTC I might be able to transmit from some of the grids JO84, JO74, JO76 or JO85 in the Baltic Sea (EA4GQS/MM). I am still in half duplex. (Trying to find a SMA PL here this morning) so sorry If I did not operate very well from the previous grids. Regards Felix EA4GQS

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WD9EWK @ DM35/45, Thursday (20 July) afternoon
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 20 Jul '17

20 Jul '17

Hi! Weather permitting, I'm planning a quick road trip to northern Arizona tomorrow (Thursday, 20 July) to work a few passes in the afternoon. My plan is to park on the DM35/DM45 grid boundary west of Flagstaff and work passes starting with the shallow AO-85 pass at high noon (1900 UTC). If the weather holds out, I'll stay up there through the SO-50 pass at 2339 UTC before returning home, and I also plan on trying the NO-84 digipeater if it is active. I won't be on the SSB birds from up there, just those two FM satellites and (if active) NO-84. Mobile phone coverage is sketchy in that area, but I will try to send updates during the day through my @WD9EWK Twitter account. If you don't use Twitter, you can see these updates at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK While on the road, I will use APRS to show my location as WD9EWK-9. This will be visible on the usual APRS-related web sites, like: http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 When working NO-84, I will use WD9EWK without the -9 after my call sign. After I return home, I will upload my QSOs to Logbook of the World. If anyone who works me wants a QSL card, please e-mail me with the QSO details. If you're in the log, I'll send a card. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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Re: [amsat-bb] Elevation meter Rotor YAESU G-5500 stopped working
by Norm n3ykf 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

Sez he's using a tracker (ea3tx), it's rotating the rotator just fine. EL meter on the G-5500 does not work (only symptom). The schematic shows the segmentation of the drive circuitry. If the tracker is being driven (ADC from terminal two repeated on the aux jack), should be internal problem. Triage is critical for this stuff. I have lost weekends This problem is just an annoyance for now. On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 8:06 PM, W3AB/GEO <w3ab(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Didn't catch that he was using a tracker. Did he bypass it? > > ___ > Sent from my two way wrist watch > 73 de W3AB/GEO > > On Jul 18, 2017, 17:04, at 17:04, Norm n3ykf <normanlizeth(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>If the box is driving the tracker (that's what he says), it's not >>external. Time to get the screwdriver. >> >> >> >> >> >>On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 8:01 PM, W3AB/GEO <w3ab(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >>> Norm, >>> >>> He should make sure it is not an external issue before he dives into >>the >>> internal circuitry. >>> >>> He should also check that the controller is operating before opening >>the >>> controller. >>> >>> Albert, take a VOM, set it on AC and the 50V range if it isn't >>autoranging. >>> Turn on the controller. Put 1 lead on pin 6 of the terminal strip, >>the other >>> lead on pin 4 and operate the up/down switch. Do the same for pin 5. >>If the >>> controller is operating correctly you should measure ~30V. If not, >>you have >>> an internal failure and follow Norm's advice. >>> ___ >>> Sent from my two way wrist watch >>> 73 de W3AB/GEO >>> >>> On Jul 18, 2017, 16:50, at 16:50, Norm n3ykf <normanlizeth(a)gmail.com> >>wrote: >>>>Albert, >>>> >>>>Take EXTREME CARE working on equipment that has power applied. >>>> >>>>You'll need a copy of the schematic. Preferably the one that came >>with >>>>the controller/rotator. There are at least two different power op-amp >>>>power supply layouts. One with a pass transistor and zener diodes, >>the >>>>other a 75L10 regulator. >>>> >>>>Unplug the control box. >>>> >>>>Remove the top cover. Remove the front two screws from the bottom >>>>cover. This will let the face (meters, circuit board and switches) >>>>free. (still wired to the rest) >>>> >>>>Get two books. Turn the front face down on top of the books, switches >>>>between the books. (to allow the assembly to sit level and not >>>>press/break the switches) >>>> >>>> >>>>MAKE SURE THE UNIT IS UNPLUGGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>>> >>>> >>>>Q4 is one half of a 4558 op amp pair(two on one chip, the other runs >>>>AZ output for the aux jack). >>>> >>>>Find Q4. >>>> >>>>You're mission is to check the various components making up the drive >>>>circuit for the EL meter for trouble. >>>> >>>>Could be: >>>> >>>>Shorted capacitor >>>> >>>>Open diode >>>> >>>>Short or open via other means. >>>> >>>>MAKE SURE THIS IS UNPLUGGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>>> >>>>Use an Ohmmeter to look for capacitors that aren't open (Should look >>>>close to it, at least the values in the circut. Electrolytics are a >>>>different story...) Look for open diodes. Meter anything reasonably >>>>accessable, starting from the wiper on VR2 on the back panel. Some >>>>things are best looked at with respect to ground, others point to >>>>point reading the components in between. >>>> >>>>DANGER!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!! >>>> >>>>This part of the test requires making power on voltage measurements. >>>>Here be dragons, or a trip to your eternal reward!!! >>>> >>>> Locate L2 and L4. Those components (each in their seperate circuit) >>>>form the power supplies (rails) for the EL op amp. See C1 (the >>voltage >>>>output) next to L2? C2 likewise next to L4? >>>> >>>>Check the pins 8(C1) with respect to ground and 4(C2) of Q4. These >>are >>>>the power supply rails (should be +/- 12 volts or so). >>>> >>>>Before plugging it in to test, make sure no bare wires are touching >>>>things they should not be. >>>> >>>>Plug it in (you did leave the power switch on, didn't you??). Test >>>>away. UNPLUG IT AS SOON AS YOU'RE DONE!!!! >>>> >>>>Have fun and don't break anything. A fire here is a failure. >>>> >>>>Norm n3ykf >>>> >>>>On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 5:56 PM, Albert van Deursen <avdeur(a)home.nl> >>>>wrote: >>>>> Hi all, >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> All of a sudden the elevation meter stopped working of my Yaesu >>>>G-5500 rotor >>>>> controller unit . >>>>> >>>>> No issue with the AZ meter. Rotor itself keeps on steering / >>working >>>>> without any problem in EL &AZ (via interface EA4TX ARS-USB) so all >>>>still >>>>> working fine (fortunately !) for satellite work. >>>>> >>>>> Looks like a component failure in the controller unit or the meter >>>>itself ? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> A physical check (opening the controller unit) didn't show any >>>>anomaly. >>>>> Being a not too tech ham was wondering if any of you Yaesu rotor >>>>users had >>>>> seen this problem before / around ? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Possibly anyone to hint/ indicate at a quick check in the schematic >>>>wire >>>>> diagram to where to start looking for this failure ? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Thanks beforehand for yr appreciated advice >>>>> >>>>> 73 >>>>> >>>>> Albert >>>>> >>>>> PD0OXW >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> 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] Russian Thing
by Ross Whenmouth 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

> Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2017 11:16:38 -0500 > From: Joe<nss(a)mwt.net> > > Now for a surface to be reflective, how big does it need to be in terms > of wvelength? That's textbook radar theory - see: http://slideplayer.com/slide/3927976/13/images/9/Modelling+development+&+re… Provided that you have enough EIRP (EME rig?), I would expect that 6m or 2m would probably be a good choice of band, since shorter wavelengths are more likely to undergo optical scattering, which might not be in the direction of your intended RX. On this subject, have any hams tried using the ISS as a passive RF reflector? 73 ZL2WRW Ross Whenmouth

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Possible FM13 grid square activation July 22nd or 23rd
by John Brier 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

I'm heading to my parent's house in FM14 for my Dad's Bday this weekend and I'm considering activating nearby FM13 while I'm there. This grid only has a tiny bit of land in it, so it's relatively rare. If I end up doing it I'll announce on Twitter @johnbrier [1] for sure. It will be one of the FM satellites, either SO-50 or AO-85. 73, John Brier KG4AKV 1) https://twitter.com/johnbrier P.S. Good luck receiving ISS SSTV everyone!

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SO-50 from EM93
by Ruth Willet 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

I am hoping to be on the 21:36Z SO-50 pass from EM93 this afternoon (July 19, 2017). See you on the air! 73, Ruth KM4LAO Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 12, Issue 178
by Roy Dean 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

Andrew, I have a rather large thread going in the the QRZ satellite forum about my raspi/rtl-sdr sat gate. I am currently using a 3/4w vertical with 4 ground plane radials in my attic, and WITH a cheap VHF tv amp I was averaging about 12 packets a day over the last 18 days (mostly from the ISS, as NO-84 has been inactive for the most part). Last night I disconnected the amp to see if it was actually doing anything, and will be updating the thread as I get more information. I will say that prior to the 3/4 wave antenna, I was using a 1/4 wave with good results, as well (maybe 75% as good as the 3/4 wave). Also, what I have realized is that while not 100% of my captured packets make it to ariss.net or pcsat.aprs.org (mostly due to being duplicate packets), I DO have evidence of capturing packets that never make it to either of those websites, or even aprs.fi. Can't figure out if it's a problem with the aprs-is system or direwolf..... --Roy K3RLD > Message: 6 >> Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:50:13 -0400 >> From: Andrew Northam <andrewbnortham(a)gmail.com> >> To: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org >> Subject: [amsat-bb] SatGate Antenna >> Message-ID: >> <CAOeHS4e16nBVJ8c=zUACPhuMVzMg0cWYuiNZis4Xk1-LGY4UpQ@mail. >> gmail.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" >> I would like to setup an SatGate, I have been running an iGate for a >> little >> while, and already have the Pi, TNC, Radio, LMR400...I have read the page >> ( >> http://aprs.org/aprs-satellite-igate-antennas.html) about antennas, and >> they all recommend a large ground plane, however I have a ranch style >> house, and would like to put the antenna on the peak of my roof on a small >> mast. >> What kind of antenna would be best for on the peak of a roof? Would a 3/4 >> wave monopole work? Or should I look for something with radiators? >> I have a great view to the North, East and South, but trees to the west >> from Michigan (EN72ef) >> Thanks for your help! >> Andrew/KE8FZT > > > >

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SatGate Antenna
by Andrew Northam 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

I would like to setup an SatGate, I have been running an iGate for a little while, and already have the Pi, TNC, Radio, LMR400...I have read the page ( http://aprs.org/aprs-satellite-igate-antennas.html) about antennas, and they all recommend a large ground plane, however I have a ranch style house, and would like to put the antenna on the peak of my roof on a small mast. What kind of antenna would be best for on the peak of a roof? Would a 3/4 wave monopole work? Or should I look for something with radiators? I have a great view to the North, East and South, but trees to the west from Michigan (EN72ef) Thanks for your help! Andrew/KE8FZT

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Using KX3-2M and PX3 as a Mode B receiver
by Ryan Noguchi 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

I'm thinking about getting the KX3-2M transverter module to allow a KX3 to serve as a more sensitive receiver for working the Mode B linear satellites than the TH-F6A I'm currently using. I'm hoping to use the PX3 panadapter to provide situational awareness of activity across the entire transponder. Does anyone have any experience using the PX3 with the KX3-2M, particularly for satellite operation? An SDR and tablet/laptop solution is much less desirable since I prefer to operate entirely pedestrian-mobile. Thanks and 73, Ryan AI6DO

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