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

My experiences from HB0
by hb9wdf＠bluewin.ch 14 Aug '17

14 Aug '17

I got many mails with the question, why HB0 is so rare on satellite. So here my experience from my last activation in this tiny country. It was the second activation of HB0. My setup was a FT-100D / FT-817 combo, the Arrow Antenna and an 18Ah LiPo power pack. Before I went to Liechtenstein, I made several tests with the equipment from HB9. A day before my activation, I had a sked with Chris NK1K on FO-29. It was an success. Liechtenstein is very difficult for satellite. The ground of the valley is 460 m ASL high, between 2-5km wide and about 25km long. The mountains around the valley are over 2000m ASL high and steep. The public places are rare and tiny. The solution for satellite operation is to go on the top of the mountain. For hiking, you need many hours o reach the top of the mountains. But there is a cable car (the only one in the summertime) and serves the mountain "Sareiserjoch", which is 2000m ASL high. The panoramic view from there is amazing. But still not the best place for satellite operation. There is a mountain in the north / west side, who take over 10 degrees of elevation. To high for the North Atlantic pass. The service of the cable car is open only between 8am and 17pm. There is no mountain lodge for an over night stay. Camping in the higher mountains are difficult and can be dangerous for an one man expedition. I have no experiences in camping and dealing with the changing weather conditions in the higher mountains... You see: The possibilities for HB0 on satellite are very limited. Last Sunday I was ready at 8:30 am for start the activation from HB0. My first satellit was SO-50. I had a qso with Jérôme F4DXV - after that I was very surprised: many stations called CQ and no one got an answer each other. I had no pileup and heard my signal very clearly on the bird. I only had two qso on this pass. After SO-50 I was qrv on AO-85. I met Jérôme again and - after the qso, I was the only one on this satellite who called. And AO-85 was in a very good shape. I think, that many stations don't understand the deal with doppler: On SO-50 they don't find the downlink, on AO-85 the uplink. Then I had a sked with Chris NK1K on AO-7. The pass of AO-7 was at the edge of the mountain on the north / west side of my place. Most of the time, the satellite was a little bit behind the mount. I heard a very weak signal from Chris and no downlink from my own signal. Then I made a big misstake and powered up my TX to high. The LiPo got an overload and shutted down. For a reset I had to connect the power supply. But this device was still in Switzerland in my home on my shacktable. I was very frustrated. I had a new idea: I went down with the cable car, jumped into my car and drove to Gaflei. Gaflei is only 1500m ASL high. But good enough for the passes in the west. I plugged my station at the car battery. But the tiny parking lot crowded very fast. Many cars were around me. The DC cable was to short for a good position of my station. Consequently the activation on FO-29 was a disaster. I had a big pile up. But I got strong interferences and had problems to listening on my downlink. That was the reason why I stopped my activation and returned to my home. Yes, I was very frustrated at this time ... Now I have plans to optimize my station. And I have a new contact to an OM in HB0. Maybe I get a better opportunity in the future. 73s Michael, hb9wdf

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Takaishi City Central Public Hall, Takaishi City, Japan
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 14 Aug '17

14 Aug '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Takaishi City Central Public Hall, Takaishi City, Japan on 14 Aug. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:37 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and 8N3NA. The contact should be audible over Japan 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. Takaishi city central public hall is located in the center of Takaishi city. We are ready to open the door of public hall to every school child. Almost all the boy and girls in Takaishi city are interested in nature, science and space. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Why did you want to be an astronaut? 2. To be an astronaut how I spend my school days? 3. What experiment are you doing? 4. Are there any difficulties in space walking? 5. How do you feel in zero gravity? 6. Are the stars beautiful like we watch them from the earth? 7. Are the stars shining clearly? 8. What time do you usually get up and go to bed in space? 9. What color is the earth now? 10. How do you enjoy your life in zero gravity? 11. What kind of space food do you like? Taste good? 12. Can you take a break? What do you do for fun? 13. What exercise are you doing to avoid weak bones? 14. What do you do on ISS? 15. How heavy is the space suit? 16. You are an astronaut now, you've changed a lot you used to be? 17. How do you sleep? 18. How does the earth look like? 19. Would you tell me your dreams? 20. Is the earth beautiful? 21. How do the butterflies and dragonflies fly in zero gravity? 22. Which do you eat a lot, in space or on the earth? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Fleet Science Center, BE WISE Program, San Diego, CA, direct via KJ6KDZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact is a go for: Sat 2017-08-19 16:44 UTC About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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QRV Roaming - CO, WY, SD
by Scott Medbury 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

Beginning on August 20 thru August 26 I will be QRV from DM79, DN70, DN71, DN72, DN62, DN73, DN74, DN83, DN84 on SO-50 and if I can AO-85. I will only be using handheld radios and antennas. I am not sure where I will be and when except that I will be in Casper, WY, at ground zero on Monday the 21st for the eclipse and Devil's Tower late on the 21st possibly making late passes from the Devil's Tower monument. Later in the week, I will be at Mt. Rushmore and Wind Cave National Parks and several National Trails including Fort Laramie. 73 .. Scott KD5FBA Scott Medbury KD5FBA 16802 Aprilmont Drive Sugar Land, TX 77498-1941

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Re: [amsat-bb] Best SDR for satellite reception
by Norm n3ykf 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

Thanks for your opinion! We all get one. Particularly if you've paid the $$$$. Think I'll continue with today's mission: playing with my toys. It's too nice a day to waste sending useless emails, comparing dirty navel hair. Sunny, 75 degrees F no rain. It'd still be 95F if I were in EL89. Being retired rocks. Today's play toys? Anritsu Sitemaster S113b and a pc (their line sweep tools suite), outside with the antennas. Learning more about Phillip Smith's chart and why he chose to make it sooooooo curvy. Will be in your footprint next month. Norm n3ykf

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Re: [amsat-bb] [aprssig] Sat reporter and UI-VIEW dumping packets
by Tucker McGuire 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

Andrew, Most every post I see you make in this BB is either rude, full of complaints, or similar. Perhaps if you worded your responses in a more strategic, kinder way, you would receive kinder, more helpful answers or responses in return. Just my 2 cents. Cheers, Tucker W4FS On Aug 13, 2017 3:35 PM, "Andrew Rich" <vk4tec(a)tech-software.net> wrote: Who are "we" Sent from my iPhone > On 14 Aug 2017, at 3:51 am, Kenneth Finnegan < kennethfinnegan2007(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > We have already told you several times to stop using UI-view since it is out of date and it's author died more than a decade ago. > > Kenneth Finnegan > >> On Aug 13, 2017 10:28, <vk4tec(a)internode.on.net> wrote: >> Hello >> >> >> >> Just be a bit careful about what programs you use to feed the internet with space data. >> >> >> >> UI-VIEW for example dumps packets that are identical and heard less than two minutes out >> >> >> >> We are essentially loosing space packets. >> >> >> >> I am going to run a TNC and use a raspberry pi and a direct link. >> >> >> >> I just saw two strong packets from the ISS and only one made it >> >> >> >> Does the APRS-IS crush dup packets in a short time ? >> >> >> >> Andrew >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> aprssig mailing list >> aprssig(a)tapr.org >> http://www.tapr.org/mailman/listinfo/aprssig >> _______________________________________________ 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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Sat reporter and UI-VIEW dumping packets
by vk4tec＠internode.on.net 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

Hello Just be a bit careful about what programs you use to feed the internet with space data. UI-VIEW for example dumps packets that are identical and heard less than two minutes out We are essentially loosing space packets. I am going to run a TNC and use a raspberry pi and a direct link. I just saw two strong packets from the ISS and only one made it Does the APRS-IS crush dup packets in a short time ? Andrew

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ANS 225
by KG5JUP 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

My apologizes to all for the errors this week. This bulletin had the wrong numbering and no subject. AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-225.01 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: * Return of Experimenter's Wednesday to AO-85 * AMSAT-NA Elects Executive Vice President * ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space * AMSAT Phase 4 Groundstation * AMSAT-NA BoD Ballots Due At AMSAT Office By September 15, 2017 * AMSATSA/SARL Workshop To Focus On Taking SDR To A New Level * ARLK061 Keplerian data * NASA Program Gives Students Access to Astronauts * Mayak Fails to Deploy Solar Reflector * Satellite Shorts From All Over + Satellite Reporter + RX only i-gate + Grid Expedition SB SUN @ AMSAT $ANS-225.01 ANS-218.01 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 218.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 13, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-218.01 Return of Experimenter's Wednesday to AO-85 With the recent popularity of Slow Scan Television (SSTV) from the ISS, AMSAT Operations is bringing back Experimenter's Wednesday to AO- 85. On a trial basis, we invite users to exchange pictures using Robot 36 SSTV mode via the FM repeater on AO-85 during UTC Wednesdays. Please identify prior to beginning transmissions, and only send when the uplink is clear. Stations are requested to only uplink if they have a reasonable expectation of maintaining a full-quieting signal for the duration of the image transmission. Smaller stations are encouraged to focus on receiving the images. Please don't send questionable or provocative images. If in doubt, pick another one. Expect all ages to be participating. Feedback is encouraged, and comments may be directed via email to me at ko4ma at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Drew KO4MA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Vice President, Educational Relations, Joe Spier, K6WAO of Reno, NV, has been elected by the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors as Executive Vice President during a Board Meeting via a conference call that took place on August 8, 2017. Joe's new duties will include implementation of AMSAT-NA's Strategic Planning. He will continue in his other duties as 2017 Space Symposium Chairman, AMSAT News Service Co-Editor, ARISS-NA Education, and Educational Relations until new personnel can be appointed or the task assigned is completed. Under the AMSAT ByLaws, the position of Executive Vice President is one of seven senior officer positions that are approved by the AMSAT Board of Directors. Included in the ByLaw stated duties, "the Executive Vice President shall act in the place of the President in the President's absence, and shall have such other duties as the Board may determine." [Bylaws, Article II, Section 5B]. In addition, the Executive VP is assigned the responsibility of AMSAT External Relations team leader and as acting director of any team leader position that is not filled. Joe is a Life Member of AMSAT-NA and has served in Educational Relations during the past six years. He also has Life Memberships in the ARRL, SARA (Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers) and the AFA (Air Force Association). He holds an Extra Class license as well Commercial licenses. AMSAT-NA President, Barry Baines, WD4ASW said, "I extend my congratulations to Joe on his new position of leadership in AMSAT-NA. As EVP, he will be working closely with me on a variety of matters involving various AMSAT departments as we move forward on our strategic planning process as well as day-to-day management of the organization. Joe's dedication to the strategic planning process will enhance the future of AMSAT-NA." [ANS thanks the AMSAT-NA BOD for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space The ARRL offers a series of six posters that promote Amateur Radio to the general public. These were originally designed by ARRL for the 2017 National Scouting Jamboree, but may be used for any outreach effort. Each poster is 11" x 17". One of the posters features amateur radio in space. The six posters are based around the theme, "Ham Radio Is..." Those themes are: + Adventure (Portable operating of all kinds) + Discovery (Making/Building/DIY) + Friendship (Community and Mentoring) + Out Of This World (space communications/satellites) + Ready (Publc Service) + The Game (Contesting and Awards) A link to ARRL's "What Is Ham Radio" page is provided as both a URL and a QR code on each poster. The posters are available for free download in PDF format. http://www.arrl.org/pr-posters We suggest printing on high-gloss paper and framing them for maximum effect. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Groundstation AMSAT Phase 4 Ground will next present at the GNU Radio Conference in September, in San Diego, CA. Register now at https://www.gnuradio.org/grcon-2017/ After that, we will be at the AMSAT Symposium in October, in Reno, NV. More information at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ Thank you to Paul Williamson and Steve Conklin for helping staff the booth, bringing cool custom swag, setting up demonstrations, and answering hundreds and hundreds of questions. We are already looking forward to next year! [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA BoD Ballots Due At AMSAT Office By September 15, 2017 Ballots for AMSAT-NA's Board of Directors were mailed to members in good standing on July 15. Members are encouraged to complete their ballots and return them as soon as possible. Ballots must be received at the AMSAT office by September 15 in order to be counted. This year AMSAT-NA will be electing four voting members of the Board of Directors. These will go to the four candidates receiving the highest number of votes. In addition, there will be one alternate chosen, based on the next highest number of votes received. The 2017 candidates, in alphabetical order by last name are: Jerry Buxton, N0JY Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Peter Portanova, W2JV Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that will accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. You have the option to vote for up to four candidates. [ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSATSA/SARL Workshop To Focus On Taking SDR To A New Level The AMSAT SA/SARL workshop, to be held on Saturday 19 August at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre at Radiokop Roodepoort, will focus on how to get more out of Software Defined Radio, and will take participants to another level in Amateur Radio activity. The workshop will be presented in two sessions. Session one will deal with the VHF SDR dongle and how to have more fun, such as listening to satellites, receiving weather satellites pictures, and astronomy projects. The second session will discuss a HF Dongle and the SARL HF Noise floor monitoring project, with details and a demonstration of how to automate this and how to build an autonomous system using a raspberry Pi. For more details and to check your registration status, point your browser to www.amsatsa.org.za or send an e-mail to admin at amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks SARL weekly news in English 2017-8-5 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARLK061 Keplerian data Decode 2-line elsets with the following key: 1 AAAAAU 00 0 0 BBBBB.BBBBBBBB .CCCCCCCC 00000-0 00000-0 0 DDDZ 2 AAAAA EEE.EEEE FFF.FFFF GGGGGGG HHH.HHHH III.IIII JJ.JJJJJJJJKKKKKZ KEY: A-CATALOGNUM B-EPOCHTIME C-DECAY D-ELSETNUM E-INCLINATION F-RAAN G-ECCENTRICITY H-ARGPERIGEE I-MNANOM J-MNMOTION K-ORBITNUM Z-CHECKSUM 0 AO-07 1 7530U 74089B 17222.89382764 -.00000034+00000-0 +65403-4 0 9994 2 7530 101.6352 190.51130011675 214.9856 169.654212.53628132955487 0 FO-29 1 24278U 96046B 17222.88315093 -.00000020+00000-0 +15539-4 0 9999 2 24278 098.5553 098.84690350108 195.5218 163.496413.53077139036025 0 ISS 1 25544U 98067A 17223.80427436 .00000839 00000-0 19944-4 0 9990 2 25544 51.6417 121.06850005753 127.9944 342.434415.54137576 70404 0 SO-50 1 27607U 02058C 17222.70530263 -.00000019+00000-0 +17647-4 0 9997 2 27607 064.5567 318.96290030593 068.5242 291.911814.75346094787154 0 CO-55 1 27844U 03031E 17222.95672142 +.00000034+00000-0 +35298-4 0 9990 2 27844 098.6896 231.16650009598 181.9520 178.162114.22051495732061 0 RS-22 1 27939U 03042A 17222.97040331 +.00000040+00000-0 +15718-4 0 9990 2 27939 097.9469 005.96770014114 056.3493 048.528014.66584866741206 0 CO-58 1 28895U 05043F 17222.87314324 +.00000088+00000-0 +25763-4 0 9993 2 28895 097.8709 022.66180016157 335.1569 024.885514.63418301628257 0 CO-65 1 32785U 08021C 17222.91711090 +.00000186+00000-0 +25911-4 0 9995 2 32785 097.5644 244.68450012846 354.3527 005.754414.87920127502963 0 COMPASS 1 1 32787U 08021E 17219.63433091 +.00000659+00000-0 +69181-4 0 9996 2 32787 097.5570 250.74060011708 333.3907 026.671014.92651841503170 0 DO-64 1 32789U 08021G 17222.94489045 +.00000684+00000-0 +52430-4 0 9993 2 32789 097.5555 280.01530010897 275.4557 084.542615.05021247505002 0 RS-30 1 32953U 08025A 17222.93246189 +.00000006+00000-0 -27611-4 0 9991 2 32953 082.5015 205.60940019184 161.8443 198.332612.43078449418222 0 KKS-1 1 33499U 09002H 17222.88213370 +.00000109+00000-0 +24219-4 0 9997 2 33499 098.3375 029.88180008862 192.4626 167.636414.75208800459427 0 AO-71 1 37854U 11061E 17222.66330723 +.00001124+00000-0 +68027-4 0 9995 2 37854 101.6957 123.99190166924 273.7613 084.452615.04249114314670 0 AO-73 1 39444U 13066AE 17222.57930650 +.00000238+00000-0 +35934-4 0 9990 2 39444 097.6269 263.29630060073 088.8088 272.000714.81476715199070 0 UKUBE 1 1 40074U 14037F 17222.79095587 +.00000329+00000-0 +47155-4 0 9994 2 40074 098.3518 340.17790003571 225.1982 134.893814.83534592167270 0 XW-2A 1 40903U 15049E 17222.87356365 +.00001746+00000-0 +47328-4 0 9998 2 40903 097.4186 249.24800016516 071.5648 288.739115.38944766106055 0 XW-2C 1 40906U 15049H 17223.20886975 .00000610 00000-0 36481-4 0 9991 2 40906 97.4556 227.60270016062 29.9894 330.225515.14609982104560 0 XW-2F 1 40910U 15049M 17222.96013475 +.00000999+00000-0 +55913-4 0 9996 2 40910 097.4544 227.87960016161 026.6269 333.579015.15634603104577 0 IO-86 1 40931U 15052B 17222.61952655 +.00000684+00000-0 +62228-5 0 9996 2 40931 005.9980 204.64320013797 295.9894 063.706314.76535783101022 0 AO-85 1 40967U 15058D 17221.51251771 .00000256 00000-0 48666-4 0 00502 2 40967 064.7776 057.12380174670 058.2511 303.548014.75464490007664 Keplerian bulletins are transmitted twice weekly from W1AW. The next scheduled transmission of these data will be Tuesday, August 15, 2017, at 2230z on Baudot and BPSK31. [ANS thanks ARRL News Bulletin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- * NASA Program Gives Students Access to Astronauts On June 23, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer spoke with 22 Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, while he was aboard the International Space Station. More than 400 people attended the event, with many more watching live footage online. Children all over the world can connect with astronauts aboard the space station via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), and with the help of volunteer ham operators. ARISS delegates from the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan help connect the world, from Senegal to Cincinnati, with the station. These contacts endeavor to inspire youth worldwide to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) interests and careers. "Ham radio was one of the most rewarding things to do on the International Space Station," said NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, a former Girl Scout and Ohioan. "Having that connection with kids on Earth who have worked hard to understand and build HAM radio was priceless. Their excited voices, echoing through equipment they had a hand in building, brought numerous smiles and often tears to my eyes. Afterward, getting the reports on how the kids enjoyed the event, and how amazed that they were that they were talking directly with a space ship, really made me understand how important and how easily we can get kids interested in STEM. ARISS is a great project and we are so happy to be part of it on the International Space Station." The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Williams embodies this tenet. She's lived more than 322 days in space over the course of four expeditions to the ISS, Expeditions 14, 15, 32 and 33. During her stay, she logged more than 50 hours of space walks, ran the first marathon and triathlon in space, and participated in a number of ARISS contacts. She currently trains to fly America's first commercially built spacecraft, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Dragon. The week prior to the contact, Sydney Walter, an 11-year-old Girl Scout, participated in the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio's Space Cadettes program at Camp Timberlane in Lorain County, Ohio. She met with NASA professionals, learned what it's like to float in zero gravity and explored constellations with a Starlab portable planetarium. The ARISS contact rounded off a week of activities devoted to STEM education. "I really like that NASA can do this for kids at schools and Girl Scouts at camp," said Sydney. "It was a really fun experience and I will never forget it." Programs like this instill powerful memories that can spark a lifelong passion for STEM. For 10 minutes, with the space station in range of northern Ohio, a field of girls spoke with humans among the stars. Their vests now bear patches honoring that moment in time. Pink and green encircle a yellow tent with the bold gray shadow of the space station above. The patches honor 10 minutes when they were not Girl Scouts - they were astronauts. Volunteers from national amateur radio organizations and AMSAT run ARISS events. For more information and to learn how your community can get involved, visit www.ariss.org. By Danny Baird NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Link to the patch http://tinyurl.com/ybp6zpll [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM/Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayak Fails to Deploy Solar Reflector "Per Mayak’s simple design, the project engineers did not include a radio as the satellite could be programmed on the ground to autonomously execute its critical tasks in orbit to complete the deployment of the solar reflector. Later in the design stages it was realized that a radio would be beneficial, however, no radio channel could be allocated to the satellite this close to launch. A backup plan of using a series of LEDs on the satellite to deliver basic telemetry in the form of a visual Morse Code never came to fruition, leaving Mayak without any means of communicating its status to the ground." http://tinyurl.com/ybeoz23n [ANS thanks to AMSAT Bulletin Board for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over * Satellite Reporter Andrew VK4TEC is working on a little project for space communications enthusatics It is a raspberry Pi, that is connected to the APRS-IS and will eventually also take in user reports as well Andrew has setup a static ip http://59.167.159.165/ It is called "Satellite Reporter" It is intended to provide a dashboard, stats in graphical format and also data streams. Please let me know if you want any features added as this project grows. I see a user input screen and drop downs for satellites. I will make an iPhone and Samsung compatible version. The back end is MySQL and PERL and CGI I will add ISS for the time being, please check back often for updates. I think it best to use UTC times for the time being. [ANS thanks Andrew VK4TEC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + RX only i-gate Dave, EI4HT operates an RX only i-gate in the UK MB7UEI-6. Currently it uses AZ/EL active tracking antennas, VHF and UHF wimo Xquads, the system runs 24/7 and also tracks the 3 Funcube sats, Dave plans to expand this further and include the station on WEBSDR, [ANS thanks Dave EI4HT / M0GIW for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + Gride Expedition Clayton Coleman (W5PFG) will depart for a satellite grid expedtion to northern Maine on Friday, August 18. The trip will conclude the morning of August 21. I'll roughly follow the same path I used on a similar expedition January 2015. Planned grids will be: FN54-57 and FN64-67 Due to the short duration of this trip, my satellite pass selection will be dynamic. I will probably not work many passes from each unique grid. I'll do my best to work from grid boundaries on passes with wide coverage. Monitor my Twitter feed @w5pfg for updates during the trip. [ANS thanks Clayton Coleman (W5PFG) 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, Chris Bradley, KG5JUP kg5jup at amsat dot org _______________________________________________ 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 from my iPhone

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ANS 218.02
by Christopher Bradley 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-218.01 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: * Return of Experimenter's Wednesday to AO-85 * AMSAT-NA Elects Executive Vice President * ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space * AMSAT Phase 4 Groundstation * AMSAT-NA BoD Ballots Due At AMSAT Office By September 15, 2017 * AMSATSA/SARL Workshop To Focus On Taking SDR To A New Level * ARLK061 Keplerian data * NASA Program Gives Students Access to Astronauts * Mayak Fails to Deploy Solar Reflector * Satellite Shorts From All Over + Satellite Reporter + RX only i-gate + Grid Expedition SB SUN @ AMSAT $ANS-218.01 ANS-218.01 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 218.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 13, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-218.01 Return of Experimenter's Wednesday to AO-85 With the recent popularity of Slow Scan Television (SSTV) from the ISS, AMSAT Operations is bringing back Experimenter's Wednesday to AO- 85. On a trial basis, we invite users to exchange pictures using Robot 36 SSTV mode via the FM repeater on AO-85 during UTC Wednesdays. Please identify prior to beginning transmissions, and only send when the uplink is clear. Stations are requested to only uplink if they have a reasonable expectation of maintaining a full-quieting signal for the duration of the image transmission. Smaller stations are encouraged to focus on receiving the images. Please don't send questionable or provocative images. If in doubt, pick another one. Expect all ages to be participating. Feedback is encouraged, and comments may be directed via email to me at ko4ma at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Drew KO4MA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Vice President, Educational Relations, Joe Spier, K6WAO of Reno, NV, has been elected by the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors as Executive Vice President during a Board Meeting via a conference call that took place on August 8, 2017. Joe's new duties will include implementation of AMSAT-NA's Strategic Planning. He will continue in his other duties as 2017 Space Symposium Chairman, AMSAT News Service Co-Editor, ARISS-NA Education, and Educational Relations until new personnel can be appointed or the task assigned is completed. Under the AMSAT ByLaws, the position of Executive Vice President is one of seven senior officer positions that are approved by the AMSAT Board of Directors. Included in the ByLaw stated duties, "the Executive Vice President shall act in the place of the President in the President's absence, and shall have such other duties as the Board may determine." [Bylaws, Article II, Section 5B]. In addition, the Executive VP is assigned the responsibility of AMSAT External Relations team leader and as acting director of any team leader position that is not filled. Joe is a Life Member of AMSAT-NA and has served in Educational Relations during the past six years. He also has Life Memberships in the ARRL, SARA (Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers) and the AFA (Air Force Association). He holds an Extra Class license as well Commercial licenses. AMSAT-NA President, Barry Baines, WD4ASW said, "I extend my congratulations to Joe on his new position of leadership in AMSAT-NA. As EVP, he will be working closely with me on a variety of matters involving various AMSAT departments as we move forward on our strategic planning process as well as day-to-day management of the organization. Joe's dedication to the strategic planning process will enhance the future of AMSAT-NA." [ANS thanks the AMSAT-NA BOD for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space The ARRL offers a series of six posters that promote Amateur Radio to the general public. These were originally designed by ARRL for the 2017 National Scouting Jamboree, but may be used for any outreach effort. Each poster is 11" x 17". One of the posters features amateur radio in space. The six posters are based around the theme, "Ham Radio Is..." Those themes are: + Adventure (Portable operating of all kinds) + Discovery (Making/Building/DIY) + Friendship (Community and Mentoring) + Out Of This World (space communications/satellites) + Ready (Publc Service) + The Game (Contesting and Awards) A link to ARRL's "What Is Ham Radio" page is provided as both a URL and a QR code on each poster. The posters are available for free download in PDF format. http://www.arrl.org/pr-posters We suggest printing on high-gloss paper and framing them for maximum effect. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Groundstation AMSAT Phase 4 Ground will next present at the GNU Radio Conference in September, in San Diego, CA. Register now at https://www.gnuradio.org/grcon-2017/ After that, we will be at the AMSAT Symposium in October, in Reno, NV. More information at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ Thank you to Paul Williamson and Steve Conklin for helping staff the booth, bringing cool custom swag, setting up demonstrations, and answering hundreds and hundreds of questions. We are already looking forward to next year! [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA BoD Ballots Due At AMSAT Office By September 15, 2017 Ballots for AMSAT-NA's Board of Directors were mailed to members in good standing on July 15. Members are encouraged to complete their ballots and return them as soon as possible. Ballots must be received at the AMSAT office by September 15 in order to be counted. This year AMSAT-NA will be electing four voting members of the Board of Directors. These will go to the four candidates receiving the highest number of votes. In addition, there will be one alternate chosen, based on the next highest number of votes received. The 2017 candidates, in alphabetical order by last name are: Jerry Buxton, N0JY Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Peter Portanova, W2JV Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that will accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. You have the option to vote for up to four candidates. [ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSATSA/SARL Workshop To Focus On Taking SDR To A New Level The AMSAT SA/SARL workshop, to be held on Saturday 19 August at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre at Radiokop Roodepoort, will focus on how to get more out of Software Defined Radio, and will take participants to another level in Amateur Radio activity. The workshop will be presented in two sessions. Session one will deal with the VHF SDR dongle and how to have more fun, such as listening to satellites, receiving weather satellites pictures, and astronomy projects. The second session will discuss a HF Dongle and the SARL HF Noise floor monitoring project, with details and a demonstration of how to automate this and how to build an autonomous system using a raspberry Pi. For more details and to check your registration status, point your browser to www.amsatsa.org.za or send an e-mail to admin at amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks SARL weekly news in English 2017-8-5 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARLK061 Keplerian data Decode 2-line elsets with the following key: 1 AAAAAU 00 0 0 BBBBB.BBBBBBBB .CCCCCCCC 00000-0 00000-0 0 DDDZ 2 AAAAA EEE.EEEE FFF.FFFF GGGGGGG HHH.HHHH III.IIII JJ.JJJJJJJJKKKKKZ KEY: A-CATALOGNUM B-EPOCHTIME C-DECAY D-ELSETNUM E-INCLINATION F-RAAN G-ECCENTRICITY H-ARGPERIGEE I-MNANOM J-MNMOTION K-ORBITNUM Z-CHECKSUM 0 AO-07 1 7530U 74089B 17222.89382764 -.00000034+00000-0 +65403-4 0 9994 2 7530 101.6352 190.51130011675 214.9856 169.654212.53628132955487 0 FO-29 1 24278U 96046B 17222.88315093 -.00000020+00000-0 +15539-4 0 9999 2 24278 098.5553 098.84690350108 195.5218 163.496413.53077139036025 0 ISS 1 25544U 98067A 17223.80427436 .00000839 00000-0 19944-4 0 9990 2 25544 51.6417 121.06850005753 127.9944 342.434415.54137576 70404 0 SO-50 1 27607U 02058C 17222.70530263 -.00000019+00000-0 +17647-4 0 9997 2 27607 064.5567 318.96290030593 068.5242 291.911814.75346094787154 0 CO-55 1 27844U 03031E 17222.95672142 +.00000034+00000-0 +35298-4 0 9990 2 27844 098.6896 231.16650009598 181.9520 178.162114.22051495732061 0 RS-22 1 27939U 03042A 17222.97040331 +.00000040+00000-0 +15718-4 0 9990 2 27939 097.9469 005.96770014114 056.3493 048.528014.66584866741206 0 CO-58 1 28895U 05043F 17222.87314324 +.00000088+00000-0 +25763-4 0 9993 2 28895 097.8709 022.66180016157 335.1569 024.885514.63418301628257 0 CO-65 1 32785U 08021C 17222.91711090 +.00000186+00000-0 +25911-4 0 9995 2 32785 097.5644 244.68450012846 354.3527 005.754414.87920127502963 0 COMPASS 1 1 32787U 08021E 17219.63433091 +.00000659+00000-0 +69181-4 0 9996 2 32787 097.5570 250.74060011708 333.3907 026.671014.92651841503170 0 DO-64 1 32789U 08021G 17222.94489045 +.00000684+00000-0 +52430-4 0 9993 2 32789 097.5555 280.01530010897 275.4557 084.542615.05021247505002 0 RS-30 1 32953U 08025A 17222.93246189 +.00000006+00000-0 -27611-4 0 9991 2 32953 082.5015 205.60940019184 161.8443 198.332612.43078449418222 0 KKS-1 1 33499U 09002H 17222.88213370 +.00000109+00000-0 +24219-4 0 9997 2 33499 098.3375 029.88180008862 192.4626 167.636414.75208800459427 0 AO-71 1 37854U 11061E 17222.66330723 +.00001124+00000-0 +68027-4 0 9995 2 37854 101.6957 123.99190166924 273.7613 084.452615.04249114314670 0 AO-73 1 39444U 13066AE 17222.57930650 +.00000238+00000-0 +35934-4 0 9990 2 39444 097.6269 263.29630060073 088.8088 272.000714.81476715199070 0 UKUBE 1 1 40074U 14037F 17222.79095587 +.00000329+00000-0 +47155-4 0 9994 2 40074 098.3518 340.17790003571 225.1982 134.893814.83534592167270 0 XW-2A 1 40903U 15049E 17222.87356365 +.00001746+00000-0 +47328-4 0 9998 2 40903 097.4186 249.24800016516 071.5648 288.739115.38944766106055 0 XW-2C 1 40906U 15049H 17223.20886975 .00000610 00000-0 36481-4 0 9991 2 40906 97.4556 227.60270016062 29.9894 330.225515.14609982104560 0 XW-2F 1 40910U 15049M 17222.96013475 +.00000999+00000-0 +55913-4 0 9996 2 40910 097.4544 227.87960016161 026.6269 333.579015.15634603104577 0 IO-86 1 40931U 15052B 17222.61952655 +.00000684+00000-0 +62228-5 0 9996 2 40931 005.9980 204.64320013797 295.9894 063.706314.76535783101022 0 AO-85 1 40967U 15058D 17221.51251771 .00000256 00000-0 48666-4 0 00502 2 40967 064.7776 057.12380174670 058.2511 303.548014.75464490007664 Keplerian bulletins are transmitted twice weekly from W1AW. The next scheduled transmission of these data will be Tuesday, August 15, 2017, at 2230z on Baudot and BPSK31. [ANS thanks ARRL News Bulletin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- * NASA Program Gives Students Access to Astronauts On June 23, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer spoke with 22 Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, while he was aboard the International Space Station. More than 400 people attended the event, with many more watching live footage online. Children all over the world can connect with astronauts aboard the space station via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), and with the help of volunteer ham operators. ARISS delegates from the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan help connect the world, from Senegal to Cincinnati, with the station. These contacts endeavor to inspire youth worldwide to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) interests and careers. "Ham radio was one of the most rewarding things to do on the International Space Station," said NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, a former Girl Scout and Ohioan. "Having that connection with kids on Earth who have worked hard to understand and build HAM radio was priceless. Their excited voices, echoing through equipment they had a hand in building, brought numerous smiles and often tears to my eyes. Afterward, getting the reports on how the kids enjoyed the event, and how amazed that they were that they were talking directly with a space ship, really made me understand how important and how easily we can get kids interested in STEM. ARISS is a great project and we are so happy to be part of it on the International Space Station." The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Williams embodies this tenet. She's lived more than 322 days in space over the course of four expeditions to the ISS, Expeditions 14, 15, 32 and 33. During her stay, she logged more than 50 hours of space walks, ran the first marathon and triathlon in space, and participated in a number of ARISS contacts. She currently trains to fly America's first commercially built spacecraft, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Dragon. The week prior to the contact, Sydney Walter, an 11-year-old Girl Scout, participated in the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio's Space Cadettes program at Camp Timberlane in Lorain County, Ohio. She met with NASA professionals, learned what it's like to float in zero gravity and explored constellations with a Starlab portable planetarium. The ARISS contact rounded off a week of activities devoted to STEM education. "I really like that NASA can do this for kids at schools and Girl Scouts at camp," said Sydney. "It was a really fun experience and I will never forget it." Programs like this instill powerful memories that can spark a lifelong passion for STEM. For 10 minutes, with the space station in range of northern Ohio, a field of girls spoke with humans among the stars. Their vests now bear patches honoring that moment in time. Pink and green encircle a yellow tent with the bold gray shadow of the space station above. The patches honor 10 minutes when they were not Girl Scouts - they were astronauts. Volunteers from national amateur radio organizations and AMSAT run ARISS events. For more information and to learn how your community can get involved, visit www.ariss.org. By Danny Baird NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Link to the patch http://tinyurl.com/ybp6zpll [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM/Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayak Fails to Deploy Solar Reflector "Per Mayak’s simple design, the project engineers did not include a radio as the satellite could be programmed on the ground to autonomously execute its critical tasks in orbit to complete the deployment of the solar reflector. Later in the design stages it was realized that a radio would be beneficial, however, no radio channel could be allocated to the satellite this close to launch. A backup plan of using a series of LEDs on the satellite to deliver basic telemetry in the form of a visual Morse Code never came to fruition, leaving Mayak without any means of communicating its status to the ground." http://tinyurl.com/ybeoz23n [ANS thanks to AMSAT Bulletin Board for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over * Satellite Reporter Andrew VK4TEC is working on a little project for space communications enthusatics It is a raspberry Pi, that is connected to the APRS-IS and will eventually also take in user reports as well Andrew has setup a static ip http://59.167.159.165/ It is called "Satellite Reporter" It is intended to provide a dashboard, stats in graphical format and also data streams. Please let me know if you want any features added as this project grows. I see a user input screen and drop downs for satellites. I will make an iPhone and Samsung compatible version. The back end is MySQL and PERL and CGI I will add ISS for the time being, please check back often for updates. I think it best to use UTC times for the time being. [ANS thanks Andrew VK4TEC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + RX only i-gate Dave, EI4HT operates an RX only i-gate in the UK MB7UEI-6. Currently it uses AZ/EL active tracking antennas, VHF and UHF wimo Xquads, the system runs 24/7 and also tracks the 3 Funcube sats, Dave plans to expand this further and include the station on WEBSDR, [ANS thanks Dave EI4HT / M0GIW for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + Gride Expedition Clayton Coleman (W5PFG) will depart for a satellite grid expedtion to northern Maine on Friday, August 18. The trip will conclude the morning of August 21. I'll roughly follow the same path I used on a similar expedition January 2015. Planned grids will be: FN54-57 and FN64-67 Due to the short duration of this trip, my satellite pass selection will be dynamic. I will probably not work many passes from each unique grid. I'll do my best to work from grid boundaries on passes with wide coverage. Monitor my Twitter feed @w5pfg for updates during the trip. [ANS thanks Clayton Coleman (W5PFG) 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, Chris Bradley, KG5JUP kg5jup at amsat dot org _______________________________________________ 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 from my iPhone

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Satellite Reporter V1.1 (update)
by Andrew Rich 13 Aug '17

13 Aug '17

Hello Satellite Reporter V1.1 has been released. http://59.167.159.165/ Since V1.0 there has been continuous improvements 1. The system looks back 60 minutes not the hour now for system logs and stats 2. The system has auto restart and reboot scripts from non activity 3. The system has html access logs and disk usage 4. The system can now take manual entries 5. Scripts and files are backed up at 3 am 6. A satellite map of ISS was added 7. Statistics are chopped off and only show the last 24 hours 8. The background of the dashboard turns green if active in the last 60 mins and red if not. 9. This all runs on a little raspberry pi sitting in the corner with just the power lead hooked into it. 10. The main screen was dumped and the system goes straight into the ISS view 11. I can add email alerts to those that want it , either at the moment, hourly , daily or weekly summaries 12. A list of stations heard in the last 60 minutes scrolls across the top of the log 13. Open to suggestions - send me an email 14. Times are AEST ( GMT+10) for the time being so I can debug. 15. Let me know If you want to add in any other satellites. Work in progress Andrew Rich VK4TEC

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(no subject)
by Chris Bradley 12 Aug '17

12 Aug '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-218.01 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: * Return of Experimenter's Wednesday to AO-85 * AMSAT-NA Elects Executive Vice President * ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space * AMSAT Phase 4 Groundstation * AMSAT-NA BoD Ballots Due At AMSAT Office By September 15, 2017 * AMSATSA/SARL Workshop To Focus On Taking SDR To A New Level * ARLK061 Keplerian data * NASA Program Gives Students Access to Astronauts * Mayak Fails to Deploy Solar Reflector * Satellite Shorts From All Over + Satellite Reporter + RX only i-gate + Grid Expedition SB SUN @ AMSAT $ANS-218.01 ANS-218.01 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 218.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 13, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-218.01 Return of Experimenter's Wednesday to AO-85 With the recent popularity of Slow Scan Television (SSTV) from the ISS, AMSAT Operations is bringing back Experimenter's Wednesday to AO- 85. On a trial basis, we invite users to exchange pictures using Robot 36 SSTV mode via the FM repeater on AO-85 during UTC Wednesdays. Please identify prior to beginning transmissions, and only send when the uplink is clear. Stations are requested to only uplink if they have a reasonable expectation of maintaining a full-quieting signal for the duration of the image transmission. Smaller stations are encouraged to focus on receiving the images. Please don't send questionable or provocative images. If in doubt, pick another one. Expect all ages to be participating. Feedback is encouraged, and comments may be directed via email to me at ko4ma at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Drew KO4MA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Vice President, Educational Relations, Joe Spier, K6WAO of Reno, NV, has been elected by the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors as Executive Vice President during a Board Meeting via a conference call that took place on August 8, 2017. Joe's new duties will include implementation of AMSAT-NA's Strategic Planning. He will continue in his other duties as 2017 Space Symposium Chairman, AMSAT News Service Co-Editor, ARISS-NA Education, and Educational Relations until new personnel can be appointed or the task assigned is completed. Under the AMSAT ByLaws, the position of Executive Vice President is one of seven senior officer positions that are approved by the AMSAT Board of Directors. Included in the ByLaw stated duties, "the Executive Vice President shall act in the place of the President in the President's absence, and shall have such other duties as the Board may determine." [Bylaws, Article II, Section 5B]. In addition, the Executive VP is assigned the responsibility of AMSAT External Relations team leader and as acting director of any team leader position that is not filled. Joe is a Life Member of AMSAT-NA and has served in Educational Relations during the past six years. He also has Life Memberships in the ARRL, SARA (Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers) and the AFA (Air Force Association). He holds an Extra Class license as well Commercial licenses. AMSAT-NA President, Barry Baines, WD4ASW said, "I extend my congratulations to Joe on his new position of leadership in AMSAT-NA. As EVP, he will be working closely with me on a variety of matters involving various AMSAT departments as we move forward on our strategic planning process as well as day-to-day management of the organization. Joe's dedication to the strategic planning process will enhance the future of AMSAT-NA." [ANS thanks the AMSAT-NA BOD for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space The ARRL offers a series of six posters that promote Amateur Radio to the general public. These were originally designed by ARRL for the 2017 National Scouting Jamboree, but may be used for any outreach effort. Each poster is 11" x 17". One of the posters features amateur radio in space. The six posters are based around the theme, "Ham Radio Is..." Those themes are: + Adventure (Portable operating of all kinds) + Discovery (Making/Building/DIY) + Friendship (Community and Mentoring) + Out Of This World (space communications/satellites) + Ready (Publc Service) + The Game (Contesting and Awards) A link to ARRL's "What Is Ham Radio" page is provided as both a URL and a QR code on each poster. The posters are available for free download in PDF format. http://www.arrl.org/pr-posters We suggest printing on high-gloss paper and framing them for maximum effect. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Groundstation AMSAT Phase 4 Ground will next present at the GNU Radio Conference in September, in San Diego, CA. Register now at https://www.gnuradio.org/grcon-2017/ After that, we will be at the AMSAT Symposium in October, in Reno, NV. More information at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ Thank you to Paul Williamson and Steve Conklin for helping staff the booth, bringing cool custom swag, setting up demonstrations, and answering hundreds and hundreds of questions. We are already looking forward to next year! [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA BoD Ballots Due At AMSAT Office By September 15, 2017 Ballots for AMSAT-NA's Board of Directors were mailed to members in good standing on July 15. Members are encouraged to complete their ballots and return them as soon as possible. Ballots must be received at the AMSAT office by September 15 in order to be counted. This year AMSAT-NA will be electing four voting members of the Board of Directors. These will go to the four candidates receiving the highest number of votes. In addition, there will be one alternate chosen, based on the next highest number of votes received. The 2017 candidates, in alphabetical order by last name are: Jerry Buxton, N0JY Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Peter Portanova, W2JV Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that will accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. You have the option to vote for up to four candidates. [ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSATSA/SARL Workshop To Focus On Taking SDR To A New Level The AMSAT SA/SARL workshop, to be held on Saturday 19 August at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre at Radiokop Roodepoort, will focus on how to get more out of Software Defined Radio, and will take participants to another level in Amateur Radio activity. The workshop will be presented in two sessions. Session one will deal with the VHF SDR dongle and how to have more fun, such as listening to satellites, receiving weather satellites pictures, and astronomy projects. The second session will discuss a HF Dongle and the SARL HF Noise floor monitoring project, with details and a demonstration of how to automate this and how to build an autonomous system using a raspberry Pi. For more details and to check your registration status, point your browser to www.amsatsa.org.za or send an e-mail to admin at amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks SARL weekly news in English 2017-8-5 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARLK061 Keplerian data Decode 2-line elsets with the following key: 1 AAAAAU 00 0 0 BBBBB.BBBBBBBB .CCCCCCCC 00000-0 00000-0 0 DDDZ 2 AAAAA EEE.EEEE FFF.FFFF GGGGGGG HHH.HHHH III.IIII JJ.JJJJJJJJKKKKKZ KEY: A-CATALOGNUM B-EPOCHTIME C-DECAY D-ELSETNUM E-INCLINATION F-RAAN G-ECCENTRICITY H-ARGPERIGEE I-MNANOM J-MNMOTION K-ORBITNUM Z-CHECKSUM 0 AO-07 1 7530U 74089B 17222.89382764 -.00000034 +00000-0 +65403-4 0 9994 2 7530 101.6352 190.5113 0011675 214.9856 169.6542 12.53628132955487 0 FO-29 1 24278U 96046B 17222.88315093 -.00000020 +00000-0 +15539-4 0 9999 2 24278 098.5553 098.8469 0350108 195.5218 163.4964 13.53077139036025 0 ISS 1 25544U 98067A 17223.80427436 .00000839 00000-0 19944-4 0 9990 2 25544 51.6417 121.0685 0005753 127.9944 342.4344 15.54137576 70404 0 SO-50 1 27607U 02058C 17222.70530263 -.00000019 +00000-0 +17647-4 0 9997 2 27607 064.5567 318.9629 0030593 068.5242 291.9118 14.75346094787154 0 CO-55 1 27844U 03031E 17222.95672142 +.00000034 +00000-0 +35298-4 0 9990 2 27844 098.6896 231.1665 0009598 181.9520 178.1621 14.22051495732061 0 RS-22 1 27939U 03042A 17222.97040331 +.00000040 +00000-0 +15718-4 0 9990 2 27939 097.9469 005.9677 0014114 056.3493 048.5280 14.66584866741206 0 CO-58 1 28895U 05043F 17222.87314324 +.00000088 +00000-0 +25763-4 0 9993 2 28895 097.8709 022.6618 0016157 335.1569 024.8855 14.63418301628257 0 CO-65 1 32785U 08021C 17222.91711090 +.00000186 +00000-0 +25911-4 0 9995 2 32785 097.5644 244.6845 0012846 354.3527 005.7544 14.87920127502963 0 COMPASS 1 1 32787U 08021E 17219.63433091 +.00000659 +00000-0 +69181-4 0 9996 2 32787 097.5570 250.7406 0011708 333.3907 026.6710 14.92651841503170 0 DO-64 1 32789U 08021G 17222.94489045 +.00000684 +00000-0 +52430-4 0 9993 2 32789 097.5555 280.0153 0010897 275.4557 084.5426 15.05021247505002 0 RS-30 1 32953U 08025A 17222.93246189 +.00000006 +00000-0 -27611-4 0 9991 2 32953 082.5015 205.6094 0019184 161.8443 198.3326 12.43078449418222 0 KKS-1 1 33499U 09002H 17222.88213370 +.00000109 +00000-0 +24219-4 0 9997 2 33499 098.3375 029.8818 0008862 192.4626 167.6364 14.75208800459427 0 AO-71 1 37854U 11061E 17222.66330723 +.00001124 +00000-0 +68027-4 0 9995 2 37854 101.6957 123.9919 0166924 273.7613 084.4526 15.04249114314670 0 AO-73 1 39444U 13066AE 17222.57930650 +.00000238 +00000-0 +35934-4 0 9990 2 39444 097.6269 263.2963 0060073 088.8088 272.0007 14.81476715199070 0 UKUBE 1 1 40074U 14037F 17222.79095587 +.00000329 +00000-0 +47155-4 0 9994 2 40074 098.3518 340.1779 0003571 225.1982 134.8938 14.83534592167270 0 XW-2A 1 40903U 15049E 17222.87356365 +.00001746 +00000-0 +47328-4 0 9998 2 40903 097.4186 249.2480 0016516 071.5648 288.7391 15.38944766106055 0 XW-2C 1 40906U 15049H 17223.20886975 .00000610 00000-0 36481-4 0 9991 2 40906 97.4556 227.6027 0016062 29.9894 330.2255 15.14609982104560 0 XW-2F 1 40910U 15049M 17222.96013475 +.00000999 +00000-0 +55913-4 0 9996 2 40910 097.4544 227.8796 0016161 026.6269 333.5790 15.15634603104577 0 IO-86 1 40931U 15052B 17222.61952655 +.00000684 +00000-0 +62228-5 0 9996 2 40931 005.9980 204.6432 0013797 295.9894 063.7063 14.76535783101022 0 AO-85 1 40967U 15058D 17221.51251771 .00000256 00000-0 48666-4 0 00502 2 40967 064.7776 057.1238 0174670 058.2511 303.5480 14.75464490007664 Keplerian bulletins are transmitted twice weekly from W1AW. The next scheduled transmission of these data will be Tuesday, August 15, 2017, at 2230z on Baudot and BPSK31. [ANS thanks ARRL News Bulletin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- * NASA Program Gives Students Access to Astronauts On June 23, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer spoke with 22 Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, while he was aboard the International Space Station. More than 400 people attended the event, with many more watching live footage online. Children all over the world can connect with astronauts aboard the space station via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), and with the help of volunteer ham operators. ARISS delegates from the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan help connect the world, from Senegal to Cincinnati, with the station. These contacts endeavor to inspire youth worldwide to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) interests and careers. "Ham radio was one of the most rewarding things to do on the International Space Station," said NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, a former Girl Scout and Ohioan. "Having that connection with kids on Earth who have worked hard to understand and build HAM radio was priceless. Their excited voices, echoing through equipment they had a hand in building, brought numerous smiles and often tears to my eyes. Afterward, getting the reports on how the kids enjoyed the event, and how amazed that they were that they were talking directly with a space ship, really made me understand how important and how easily we can get kids interested in STEM. ARISS is a great project and we are so happy to be part of it on the International Space Station." The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Williams embodies this tenet. She's lived more than 322 days in space over the course of four expeditions to the ISS, Expeditions 14, 15, 32 and 33. During her stay, she logged more than 50 hours of space walks, ran the first marathon and triathlon in space, and participated in a number of ARISS contacts. She currently trains to fly America's first commercially built spacecraft, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Dragon. The week prior to the contact, Sydney Walter, an 11-year-old Girl Scout, participated in the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio's Space Cadettes program at Camp Timberlane in Lorain County, Ohio. She met with NASA professionals, learned what it's like to float in zero gravity and explored constellations with a Starlab portable planetarium. The ARISS contact rounded off a week of activities devoted to STEM education. "I really like that NASA can do this for kids at schools and Girl Scouts at camp," said Sydney. "It was a really fun experience and I will never forget it." Programs like this instill powerful memories that can spark a lifelong passion for STEM. For 10 minutes, with the space station in range of northern Ohio, a field of girls spoke with humans among the stars. Their vests now bear patches honoring that moment in time. Pink and green encircle a yellow tent with the bold gray shadow of the space station above. The patches honor 10 minutes when they were not Girl Scouts - they were astronauts. Volunteers from national amateur radio organizations and AMSAT run ARISS events. For more information and to learn how your community can get involved, visit www.ariss.org. By Danny Baird NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Link to the patch http://tinyurl.com/ybp6zpll [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM/Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayak Fails to Deploy Solar Reflector "Per Mayak’s simple design, the project engineers did not include a radio as the satellite could be programmed on the ground to autonomously execute its critical tasks in orbit to complete the deployment of the solar reflector. Later in the design stages it was realized that a radio would be beneficial, however, no radio channel could be allocated to the satellite this close to launch. A backup plan of using a series of LEDs on the satellite to deliver basic telemetry in the form of a visual Morse Code never came to fruition, leaving Mayak without any means of communicating its status to the ground." http://tinyurl.com/ybeoz23n [ANS thanks to AMSAT Bulletin Board for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over * Satellite Reporter Andrew VK4TEC is working on a little project for space communications enthusatics It is a raspberry Pi, that is connected to the APRS-IS and will eventually also take in user reports as well Andrew has setup a static ip http://59.167.159.165/ It is called "Satellite Reporter" It is intended to provide a dashboard, stats in graphical format and also data streams. Please let me know if you want any features added as this project grows. I see a user input screen and drop downs for satellites. I will make an iPhone and Samsung compatible version. The back end is MySQL and PERL and CGI I will add ISS for the time being, please check back often for updates. I think it best to use UTC times for the time being. [ANS thanks Andrew VK4TEC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + RX only i-gate Dave, EI4HT operates an RX only i-gate in the UK MB7UEI-6. Currently it uses AZ/EL active tracking antennas, VHF and UHF wimo Xquads, the system runs 24/7 and also tracks the 3 Funcube sats, Dave plans to expand this further and include the station on WEBSDR, [ANS thanks Dave EI4HT / M0GIW for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + Gride Expedition Clayton Coleman (W5PFG) will depart for a satellite grid expedtion to northern Maine on Friday, August 18. The trip will conclude the morning of August 21. I'll roughly follow the same path I used on a similar expedition January 2015. Planned grids will be: FN54-57 and FN64-67 Due to the short duration of this trip, my satellite pass selection will be dynamic. I will probably not work many passes from each unique grid. I'll do my best to work from grid boundaries on passes with wide coverage. Monitor my Twitter feed @w5pfg for updates during the trip. [ANS thanks Clayton Coleman (W5PFG) 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, Chris Bradley, KG5JUP kg5jup at amsat dot org _______________________________________________ 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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