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

Re: [amsat-bb] FT8 mode
by Richard Tejera 16 Sep '17

16 Sep '17

I believe AC Log can accept a manually input mode, and as well, Scott has recently updated the program to accept FT8. Upgrades are free. Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On September 15, 2017, at 17:10, Dino Papas <kl0s(a)cox.net> wrote: Rich - LoTW accepts FT8 now. My Mac logging program doesn’t have built-in digital mode identifications for anything beyond RTTY BUT it allows you to type “JT65” or “FT8” which is then sent along to LoTW. Does AC Log have a box where you can type in text like that to identify the mode? 73 - Dino KL0S > On Sep 15, 2017, at 3:57 PM, Rick Walter <wb3csy(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Maybe someone on this bb can help me. I just tried to put about 20 contacts in LOTW for mode FT8 when on 20 m, HF. I use the program AC LOG. The program does not have that mode listed in the pull down menu so I typed it in. When I try to upload those contacts, the QSO's come back as suppressed. Is there an update to LOTW or are they still 3 months behind? Should I type FT-8, instead of FT8? Tnx. Rick, WB3CSY _______________________________________________ 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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AMSAT Awards Update
by Bruce 16 Sep '17

16 Sep '17

We have a good list of recipients this time for the AMSAT Awards. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Rafael Martinez, HI8KV Donald Solberg, K9AQ Frank Krizan, KR1ZAN Wyatt Law, AI6V Michal Kwieciak, SP3DBM Jonathan Zlystra, KL2DN ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Rafael Martinez, HI8KW, #578 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, #52 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Rafael Martinez, HI8KW, #US205 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Branko Martincic, 9A3ST upgrade to 4,000 Frank Westphal, K6FW upgrade to 3,000 Joseph Murphy, EI5EV 2,000 #91 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM 1,000 #92 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI 5,000 Award Branko Martincic, 9A3ST, #34 ------ 73...bruce To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0200z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes

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GRID MASTER AWARD
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 16 Sep '17

16 Sep '17

Congrats to W5PFG Clayton Coleman has worked and confirmed all 488 US grids GRID MASTER AWARD #5 Good job for info on our awards go to QRZ and look up wa4hfn or wa4nvm We will have a new web site up soon squirt the birds Damon WA4HFN em55

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FT8 mode
by Rick Walter 15 Sep '17

15 Sep '17

Maybe someone on this bb can help me. I just tried to put about 20 contacts in LOTW for mode FT8 when on 20 m, HF. I use the program AC LOG. The program does not have that mode listed in the pull down menu so I typed it in. When I try to upload those contacts, the QSO's come back as suppressed. Is there an update to LOTW or are they still 3 months behind? Should I type FT-8, instead of FT8? Tnx. Rick, WB3CSY Sent from Rick's iPhone 6S "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds" - Albert Einstein "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" - Arthur C. Clarke "Klaatu Barada Nikto" - The Day the Earth Stood Still "I have been, and always shall be, your friend" - Spock

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-09-15 07:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 15 Sep '17

15 Sep '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-09-15 07:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Boston Red Sox Outreach to School Groups, Boston, MA, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact was successful: Thu 2017-09-14 15:03:58 UTC 56 deg (***) Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America, Kansas City, MO, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact is a go for: Sat 2017-09-23 12:03:49 UTC 26 deg Exp. 53 on orbit (***) Welcome aboard! (***) Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR **************************************************************************** ** 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 124 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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 2017-09-15 07:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1159. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1118. (***) 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 2017-09-15 07:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 52 on orbit Randy Bresnik Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Sergey Ryazanskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Second call for papers for 2017 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium
by Daniel Schultz 15 Sep '17

15 Sep '17

This is the seccond 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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Register for the AMSAT Symposium Now!
by Paul Stoetzer 14 Sep '17

14 Sep '17

Today is the last day you can register for the AMSAT Space Symposium, being held October 27th-29th in Reno, NV for the early registration price of $45. Starting tomorrow, registration is $55. https://www.amsat.org/product/2017-amsat-symposium/ Be sure to register today! 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Secretary Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT-NA)

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WD9EWK road trip to southern California (15-17 September 2017)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 14 Sep '17

14 Sep '17

Hi! I will be driving to Los Angeles on Friday morning, and planning to attend the 2017 ARRL Southwest Division Convention ("HAMCON") over the weekend. On my way out on Friday, I am planning a stop on the DM23/DM24 grid boundary north of Quartzsite AZ and I-10. This will probably be a quick stop, possibly no more than a couple of passes, depending on when I leave Phoenix and how the drive goes up to that point. I am also planning to pass through this area sometime on Sunday afternoon or early evening, when I might have more time to work more passes on my way home. During the weekend, I will be in Torrance, south of LAX airport. I won't have a booth at the convention, but I will be wandering around and also - if all goes well - getting on some passes from the top of the parking garage outside the hotel. I may even do some demonstrations, repeating what I did during the 2015 convention at the same location. I don't have a set schedule for the weekend, as this is closer to a quick vacation away from home and work. Even if I'm not going to do a demonstration, I want to try working some passes while I'm there, including some packet via NO-84 and the ISS. I will post updates on my @WD9EWK Twitter account, which is also visible in a web browser at http://twitter.com/WD9EWK - even if you don't use Twitter. While on the road, I'll have my TH-D72A squawking to the APRS network in Arizona and southern California as WD9EWK-9. This should also show up on the web, on http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 among other sites. Where possible, I may also post updates here on the -BB. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Boston Red Sox Outreach to School Groups, Boston, MA
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Boston Red Sox Outreach to School Groups, Boston, MA on 14 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:03 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Fenway Park is host to close to twenty schools from five of the six New England states for a STEM event on Thursday, September 14, 2017. This event, specifically the on-field activities like engineering and launching water bottle rockets in the shadow of the historic Green Monster, provide schools with a real-world application of the Next Generation Science curriculum. With the partnership of ARISS and the ISS contact, the STEM activities (both the activities of the day and the pre-teaching activities sent to schools prior) would shift to a STEM NASA, space and amateur radio focus. The goal of ISS contact was to be a draw to those schools from all over New England who do not have the capacity to otherwise go through the contact proposal and host a contact. In this one event, ARISS is granting exposure to New England schools to STEM, NASA, space and amateur radio. Students from Burlington, VT; Salem, MA; Whitnesville, MA; Mashpee, MA; Wakefield, RI; Danvers, MA; Bradford, MA; Waltham, MA; Whitefield, MA; Provincetown, MA; Concord MA; Roxbury, MA; Stoneham, MA; Nashua, NH; and Bangor ME are all scheduled to be part of this historic learning event. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. How often and through what methods do you communicate with family and others on earth? 2. How much exercise do you get while in space? 3. What are some of the foods you eat while in space? 4. What if a serious illness enters the space station, how would you stop it? 5. When did you first become interested in space exploration? 6. What kind of jobs does Robonaut 2 do on the ISS or what kind of experiments do you do with R2? 7. Were you able to see the eclipse in space? 8. What's it like to float around instead of walking? 9. Do you believe in aliens or life on other planets? 10. What advice would you give to someone who wants to grow up to be an astronaut? 11. What was the hardest thing to become accustomed to on the ISS? 12. What is the most challenging thing to do weightless? 13. Are you a Red Sox or Yankees fan? 14. Do you use a lot of math on the ISS? 15. What was your favorite subject in school? 16. How do you brush your teeth? 17. What Earth food do you miss the most? 18. When are you scheduled to come back to Earth and what will you do first? 19. Who inspired you? 20. Have you ever been to Fenway Park? 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. Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America, Kansas City, MO, The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact is a go for: Sat 2017-09-23 12:03 UTC About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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5.8ghz Dish, G5500, and receivers...
by Lou Michaels 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

A pair of 25'' 5.8ghz 29dBi Teletronics International dishes fell into my lap this week and I'm trying to decide on some projects. Here's a pic: https://i.imgur.com/W9oeVSv.jpg I have a G5500 rotor from my previous ground station, and I'm thinking of doing some solar radio astronomy or transponder chasing. Without the covers, the dishes weigh 13.2lbs each. Could the G5500 safely handle the load of one or two of these dishes? I'm not considering roof mounting, and prefer to do things closer to the ground for the time being. Via a SDRPlay, my highest receive capability is 2ghz. Short of changing the feed, what might I do or be able to use to bring the frequency down to something more manageable or will the dish still feed signals at lower frequencies? I'm not beyond changing the feed, or building transverters, but some searching isn't producing more than commercial wifi applications. Anyone have any plans, ideas, advice or direction to offer? Thanks in advance! Cheers, Lou W2LMM <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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DN50 this Saturday
by dtabor＠estesvalley.net 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

Under the guise of seeing the Fall colors and maybe Dinosaur Nat'l Monument, Pam, K0ZXZ and I are planning to head to NW Colorado for an activation of DN50 this Saturday. This may be our last chance to go over Trail Ridge Road (12,120') for the season. We expect to be all modes and in the grid around 1800 UTC - track N6UA-9 on APRS. Right now, the plan is to overnight in either Craig, CO or Vernal, UT, so early Sunday ops are possible as well.

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Re: [amsat-bb] Ao-85 SSTV
by John Brier 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

Yes. It is a great program. How is it working for you? 73, John Brier KG4AKV On Sep 13, 2017 10:20 AM, "Michael A. Foster" <akx2(a)dacor.net> wrote: Any body got any experience with a program called RX-SSTV?? Trying to decode SSTV signals off of ao-85 Tnx, Michael – n8iup _______________________________________________ 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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Ao-85 SSTV
by Michael A. Foster 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

Any body got any experience with a program called RX-SSTV?? Trying to decode SSTV signals off of ao-85 Tnx, Michael – n8iup

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Re: [amsat-bb] Making the Linear Satellites more accessible
by MICHAEL WILLIAMS 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

I would like to add some comments to Mac's interesting email. As both a CW and SSB op on FO-29, AO7, and the XW birds, I can attest that CW operation is now almost non existent. If I was to guess CW a percentage of total satellite use, it would be less than 2%. At 2%, the CW problems you mention are not a problem. From time to time, there are clearly some issues on the linear satellites. A good example is stations using full Doppler correction colliding with stations under manual control. But in general things roll along pretty well and good satellite operators know how to deal with it. FO-29 is my favorite satellite. It has an excellent receiver and a large footprint. I've QSOed with a station using 50 mW of up link power. With some resourcefulness, I think you could beat the $1000 figure way down. I'd spend $20.00 on a SDR SHARP and see just how well you can hear the linear sats. That would be a good start, and they a fun to play with. All the best in your future satellite operations, Mike K9QHO

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EM93 from South Carolina Wednesday September 13, 2017
by Ruth 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

Hi all, I planning to be on the 22:35z SO-50 pass tomorrow evening, Wednesday September 13th, from EM93 in South Carolina. It’s a 15 degree pass and a new location, but I’ll work as many as I can. Hope to hear you then! 73, Ruth KM4LAO

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-09-12 07:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 12 Sep '17

12 Sep '17

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-09-12 07:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Beenleigh State High School, Beenleigh, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact was successful: Mon 2017-09-11 12:58:34 UTC 77 deg (***) Boston Red Sox Outreach to School Groups, Boston, MA, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-09-14 15:03:58 UTC 56 deg Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America, Kansas City, MO, telebridge via W6SRJ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Contact is a go for: Sat 2017-09-23 12:03:49 UTC 26 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 124 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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 2017-09-12 07:30 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 1158. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1117. (***) 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 2017-09-12 07:30 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. 52 on orbit Randy Bresnik Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Sergey Ryazanskiy **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Sked Request from UX0FF
by John Papay 11 Sep '17

11 Sep '17

Nikolay, UX0FF, is looking for someone to work in the USA on satellite. He is an accomplished operator and worked satellites years ago. He is an active EME operator and has WAS on 2M. His grid square is KN45kj. He is not in my range on AO-7 but should be able to work stations in the Northeast. If you are interested in working him, please email him at his qrz.com address. 73, John K8YSE --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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G5500 position pot
by Bob- W7LRD 11 Sep '17

11 Sep '17

Hi - has anyone ordered the position pot for a G5500 elevation rotor. If so where Yaesu is out of them. Part number etc. 73 Bob W7LRD

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Arrow II boom dimensions
by Mike Diehl 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

Does anyone have boom dimensions for the Arrow II? What I'm looking for is overall length, length to each of the 2m elements as measured from the end of the handle and length to each of the 70cm elements as measured from the end of the handle. I currently only own the Alaskan model which has different dimensions. I don't really want to go out and buy a new handle as I have 3/4 square tubing on hand and would like to fab up some lightened handles for a few people to try out. I can't seem to find anything on the location of the elements, only the element lengths. 73, Mike Diehl AI6GS

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ANS 253.01
by Chris Bradley 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-253.01 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 dot org. In this edition: * Worst Solar Cycle for HF Since Advent of Radio * ARRL PR Poster Features Amateur Radio in Space * Last Week of Discounted 2017 Space Symposium Registration * University of Michigan GTO Cubesat Flight Receives IARU Coordination * UK Storm Names for 2017-18 * Students from India & Russia build SSTV CubeSAT * AA5PK Awarded Grid Master Award #4 * Satellite Shorts From All Over + Route 66 OTA - W6D Through September 17th SB SUN @ AMSAT $ANS-253.01 ANS-253.01 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 253.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. September 10, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-253.01 Worst Solar Cycle for HF Since Advent of Radio There is an HF propagation anomaly currently in progress for this week, that might give us a temporary boost. Look for unusually strong, short term, band openings via F2 layer and Sporadic-E (Es) in the 14 MHz to 54 MHz range. We are near the bottom of our 11-year-long Solar Cycle 24, but today we are seeing space weather that is similar to the higher part of this cycle. A recent, fast-growing earth-targeted sunspot, combined with increased x-ray flux, is associated with the anomaly. The x-ray flux has reached sustained M-class levels, and could impulse higher to X-class bursts. This can also temporarily cause short-term HF blackouts for NVIS and regional HF communications below 15 MHz. An R2 level blackout just happened a couple hours ago, which obliterated the mid-day 7 MHz ham radio nets in North America. At this moment, we currently have highly unusual solar numbers for this part of the cycle: Sunspot Number = 96 Solar Flux = 183 X-ray Flares = M5 K-index Kp = 4 A-index = 14 That Solar Flux is very high for the valley of the solar cycle we are in. The highest solar flux in this cycle, Solar Flux =237, happened during the peak of this cycle in January 2014. [ANS thanks Bonnie KQ6XA 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Week of Discounted 2017 Space Symposium Registration September 14 is the last day for the discounted price to register for the 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium which will be held on Friday through Sunday, Oct 27, 28, 29, 2017 in Reno, Nevada at the Silver Legacy Resort, 407 N Virginia Street, in Downtown, Reno. Symposium Registration (including a copy of the Proceedings) + Through September 14 -- $45 + Starting September 15 -- $50 + At the door -- $55 You can register for the 2017 Space Symposium, the Saturday Evening Banquet, and the Sunday Morning Area Coordinators breakfast in the store: https://www.amsat.org/shop/ You must make your hotel reservations at the Silver Legacy at this link: https://www.amsat.org/symposium-hotel/ (block code ISAMSAT) The hotel phone number is 1-800-687-8733 The 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting features: + Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations + Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World + Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members + Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers + AMSAT-NA Annual General Membership Meeting + Auction, Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !! Our Keynote Speaker this year is Mr. Garrett Skrobot, Sr. Mission Manager of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program, or ELaNa, at NASA Headquarters. Additional information about the 2017 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org The Silver Legacy is a 4-star Resort/Hotel/Casino which is an iconic 42-story hotel with its massive round dome and spires centered in downtown Reno. Some of the perks include: + Free parking for attendees. + Free transportation to/from the airport (10-minute shuttle ride). + Complimentary WiFi. + Multiple alternate activities and attractions are in the Reno area. + We are working on tours of Virginia City and Lake Tahoe. [ANS thanks the 2017 AMSAT Symposium Folks 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- University of Michigan GTO Cubesat Flight Receives IARU Coordination The IARU has announced frequency coordination at 437.485 MHz for DSM-BARC, a 2U CubeSat developed by the University of Michigan. The primary objective is to raise the technology readiness level of the EPS, CDH and communications systems in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The satellite is a 2U CubeSat compatible with the Tyvak NLAS Mk.ll deployer. The satellite is 227mm x 100mm x 100mm in size while stowed and has a mass of 1.28 kg (Max: 2.66 kg). There is one deployable reflective panel on the 227mm long Negative X Face of the satellite that will deploy once in orbit, as well as the deployable UHF antenna, which will deploy out of the same face. The satellite will tumble in orbit and does not have an attitude control or stabilization system. The UHF downlink will transmit 9k6 GMSK and AX25 telemetry. The launch from Cape Canaveral on an ULA flight with initial parameters: + Apogee – 35786 km + Perigee – 185 km + Inclination – 27 deg + Period – 10.5 hrs. Fellow payloads are expected to be from: CubeSats from University of Texas, University of Louisiana and Purdue University. More info available at http://m-barc.com/our-story/ The United Launch Alliance announcement can be found at: http://www.ulalaunch.com/ula-announces-2016-cubesat-stem-winners.aspx [ANS thanks the IARU Satellite Coordinator and the University of Michigan for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UK Storm Names for 2017-18 The first storm of the year will be female and will be named 'Aileen', the gender of the first storm alternates each year and follows Angus in the 2016-17 season. Surveys conducted after named storms in 2016/17 have shown further increases in awareness and action taken in response to people hearing of a named storm. Storm Doris for example achieved an 89% awareness score with 94% of those responders finding the severe weather warning useful. 82% of people that took action ahead of Storm Doris felt they were right to do so. Derrick Ryall, Head of Public Weather Services at the Met Office, said: "Last year was another successful pilot of the storm naming project and it's great to be now making it operational. Naming storms has been proved to raise awareness of severe weather in the UK, crucially prompting people to take action to prevent harm to themselves or their property." Gerald Fleming, Head of Forecasting at Met ireann, said: "Last winter was a very quiet one weather-wise and we only worked our way through five named storms, from Angus to Ewan. While it is too early to say whether the coming winter will be a stormy one or a quiet one we are prepared with a whole new set of 21 names for whatever nature may throw at us. As before Met ireann forecasters will work in close co-operation with our colleagues from the UK Met Office to keep all the peoples of these islands warned of impending severe weather." The names for the next year have once again been compiled using suggestions submitted by the public combined with names proposed to Met ireann. As in previous years, Q; U; X; Y and Z will not be used to comply with international storm naming conventions. Note: Fionn is pronounced 'Fyunn' and Niall 'Nye-ul' A storm will be named on the basis of 'medium' or 'high' impacts from wind but also include the impacts of rain and snow, i.e. storms will be named for weather systems which we expect an Amber or Red warning will eventually be issued by Met ireann and/or the Met Office's National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS). The 2016-17 season saw five storms named, from Angus in late November to Ewan at the end of February. In comparison eleven storms were named in the 2015-16 season, from Abigail in mid-November to Katie at the end of March. This year's names will be announced at the European Conference for Applied Meteorology and Climatology in Dublin at 15:00 6 September 2017. The start of this year's storm season looks to be getting off to an unsettled start, with low pressure moving in from the west towards the end of the week and dominating our weekend weather. You can find out the current forecast in your area using our forecast pages and by following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as using our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store. Additional information can be found by visiting http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ [ANS thanks the UK Met Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Students from India & Russia build SSTV CubeSAT The Times of India reports students from Russia and India are building an amateur radio satellite that will transmit SSTV images from space. The 1U CubeSat Iskra-5 is being built by 20 students from Moscow Aviation Institute and 9 from Indian cities like Chennai and Bangalore through Space Kidz India to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between the two countries. The satellite will be transported to the International Space Station by mid-October, 2017 through cargo spacecraft from where it will be placed in orbit by a cosmonaut during a spacewalk. The Iskra satellites were a series of Soviet amateur communication satellites built by students and radio amateurs at the Moscow Aviation Institute in the early 1980s. Srimathy Kesan, founder, Space Kidz India said that the subsystems in the satellite being built in MAI is made by Russian students while the outer cube has been designed by Indian students. [ANS thanks AMSAT UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AA5PK Awarded Grid Master Award #4 The Grid Master Award is sponsored by WA4HFN and WA4NVM to encourage radio amateur operators to get on the air and make contacts. To qualify for the Grid Master Award you must make confirmed satellite contact with all 488 grids in the U.S. Prior Grid Master Award winners include: + #1 -- John Papay, K8YSE + #2 -- Doug Papay, KD8CAO + #3 -- Rick Tillman, WA4NVM This week Damon Runion, WA4HFN, announced that Grid Master Award #4 has been awarded to Glenn Miller, AA5PK. For more information Damon requests you send an e-mail to him at the address listed on QRZ.com. These awards are free, Damon and Rick only ask that you make a donation to AMSAT NA. [ANS thanks Damon Runion, WA4HFN for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over Route 66 OTA - W6D Through September 17th Christy, KB6LTY will be operating again this year as W6D Victorville, CA on the Sats, on as many birds as she can (FM/transponder/packet/no CW)throughout the week from home QTH DM14. Citrus Belt ARC is hosting the event again making this the 18th year. for more info on the event: http://w6jbt.org/?page_id=15 see you next week for this fun event. Christy KB6LTY [ANS thanks Christy KB6LTY 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,AA5EM aa5em 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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Icon IC-9700 SDR Transceiver Prototype
by Les Rayburn 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

Tokyo Ham Fair saw the debut of the prototype Icom IC-9700, which looks to be a SDR version of the IC-910H. If released, this radio would feature full-duplex operation on 144, 432, and 1296. It’s also D-STAR capable. As the owner of an IC-7300, I’d love to see this model released. It would be a most welcome addition to the shack, and the built in waterfall display would make satellite operation much easier. http://qrznow.com/icom-ic-9700-vhfuhf1-2ghz-prototype-transceiver-shown-at-… 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA. Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR2, SDRPlay RSP-1 Pro, Sony XDR-F1HD, Dennon TU-1500RD, Sangean HDT-1, Ray Dees RDS Decoders, Korner 9.2 Antenna, FM-6 Antenna, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. “Nothing but blues and Elvis, and somebody else’s favorite song…”

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g5500 pot
by Bob- W7LRD 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

where is the best place to buy the sending pot for a G5500 elevation rotor. Or does someone have one laying around? 73 Bob W7LRD

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Getting PCSAT32 Working Again
by Ray Hoad 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

Use only the 9-9-17 03:33 UTC orb17252.2l.amsat email or the data in the www.amsat.org website to update PCSAT32. The AMSAT-NA website data is now correct (as of 9-9-17 03:33 UTC). The TLEs sent out on Friday 9-8-17 contained duplicate TLEs of five satellites and the data on the AMSAT-NA website was corrupted also. This issue causes PCSAT32 to lockup. Space-Track introduced duplicates of five TLE sets in my 9-8-17 download for reasons unknown. As this is a new problem, I did not catch it. So my orb17251.2l.amsat email was corrupted. But, Space-Track is not doing that now (???) so I have re-done the KEPs. I have issued orb17252.2l.amsat (9-9-17 03:33 UTC) which has been tested and are OK. DK1TB's PCSAT notes to fix for this problem are under the "?" menu/FAQ/ "Error while loading file xxxx" (at the very bottom) in the PCSAT32 program. If you can't get PCSAT32 to load, briefly, you need to replace the file Standard.Sat in C:\Users\<yourname>\AppData\Roaming\SatPC32\Standard.Sat, with an uncorrupted and older (check the file dates) copy of that file maintained in (Don't change this file!) C:\Users\<yourname>\AppData\Roaming\SatPC32\DAT_repair\Standard.Sat Note: the path that contains the "AppData" folder is usually hidden. To make it visible, start Windows Explorer and click on "File", click on "Change folder and search options", and click on "View". Click on "Show hidden files, folder, and drives". You should now be able to find everything. Hope this helps. Sorry for all the problems. Ray Hoad WA5QGD Orbital Elements Manager

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps
by Rick Tejera 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

OK, so I re-updated all the KEPLER sets EXCEPT nasa.all and the Linear SAT group now work as it should. Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.W7TBC.org -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Rick Tejera Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 8:50 PM To: 'Glenn Miller - AA5PK' <aa5pk(a)suddenlink.net>; amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps OK, save me posting. Question though, The program is working until I try to change to a satellite group I creates for Linear sats. I can switch the FM sat group, which draw from the same set of Keps (nasabare). I this what others are seeing? Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.W7TBC.org -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Glenn Miller - AA5PK Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 6:46 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps Same happening here, Ken. Error message: Zugriffverletzung bei Adresse 004499E2 in Modul 'SatPC32.exe' Lesen von Adresse 00000008 Access violation at address 004499E2 in module 'SatPC32.exe' Read address 00000008 Glenn AA5PK -----Original Message----- From: Ken Alexander Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 8:28 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps I went to update the Keplerian files this evening and get the following error message after successfully downloading the keps. The error pops up when I click on the Quit button. SatPC is locked up solid. There's no way out except by rebooting. Any help would be gratefully received. Thanks and 73, Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ 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] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps
by Rick Tejera 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

OK, save me posting. Question though, The program is working until I try to change to a satellite group I creates for Linear sats. I can switch the FM sat group, which draw from the same set of Keps (nasabare). I this what others are seeing? Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.W7TBC.org -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Glenn Miller - AA5PK Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 6:46 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps Same happening here, Ken. Error message: Zugriffverletzung bei Adresse 004499E2 in Modul 'SatPC32.exe' Lesen von Adresse 00000008 Access violation at address 004499E2 in module 'SatPC32.exe' Read address 00000008 Glenn AA5PK -----Original Message----- From: Ken Alexander Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 8:28 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] SatPC Error Message when updating Keps I went to update the Keplerian files this evening and get the following error message after successfully downloading the keps. The error pops up when I click on the Quit button. SatPC is locked up solid. There's no way out except by rebooting. Any help would be gratefully received. Thanks and 73, Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ 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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