March 2018 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 fading
by Andrew Glasbrenner 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

>2) One cannot determine if the fading is on the uplink or downlink with a portables and an Arrow type antenna, and one >receiver only. I find the S meter is an excellent indicator of whether a fade is on the uplink or downlink, beyond that of just hearing whether the DUV rumble goes away or not. 73, Drew KO4MA

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Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 fading
by Roy Dean 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

If you have separate uplink and downlink antennas, both with independently switched polarity, couldn't you tune the polarity on the downlink to best reception, and then transmit while listening and simultaneously flipping polarity on the uplink? You'd have to switch a couple of times quickly to be sure you weren't experiencing a downlink fade. Just a thought. -Roy K3RLD Again, even in full duplex how do you distinguish between a > non-matchinguplink vs non-matching downlink? You only "hear" the downlink!

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AO-92 fading
by Kevin M 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

Again, even in full duplex how do you distinguish between a non-matchinguplink vs non-matching downlink? You only "hear" the downlink! 73, Stefan VE4NSA----------------- Maybe it's just because I maintained repeaters for years and have a 'trained ear', but for me the difference is easy to hear. The downlink is a carrier and has it's own quality of fading that is very different than the 'repeated' audio that is ON the carrier which will have a slightly 'processed' sound. In other words... if the carrier is loud and strong, full quieting and steady strength on RX meter, then any white noise fade 'swooshes' that would occur on an individual repeated signal (but not the subaudible telemetry, which is easily detectable to my ear) would be on the uplink signal. Put another way, if the fading happens to both the carrier & telemetry as well as the voice audio, it's the downlink... if the carrier and telemetry are constant and only the 'carried audio' fades, it's on the uplink. Just another comment on things discussed... I have only worked a single pass of AO-91 with an Arrow, never AO-85 or AO-92. I have mostly worked these birds from home where my yagis are both same polarity. During my trip I had very good success with an Elk using 5 watts on all the birds. I've read in the past that Elks can have an advantage since the uplink and downlink antennas on the sats are in the same polarity. My observations would seem to bear that out, because I had to make no 'TX/RX twists' with the Elk, even on AO-85. Combined with the ease of carrying and accessing the Elk while fully assembled, it may well become my primary 'roving' antenna. At least for those 'quick stops' while traveling. That said, the Arrow doesn't get left home, either. But it may be reserved for those 'special passes' and 'destination' grids. 73 all, Kevin N4UFO

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Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 fading
by Stephen E. Belter 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

Stefan, My observations, not backed by science or a good understanding of antenna theory, is that the polarity peaks (best reception) are fairly broad, while the nulls are pretty sharp. (I studied electrical engineering, but I was never good at field theory.) As a result, I can twist the Arrow a little off of the best reception point without taking too much of a received signal strength hit, while allowing me to move the transmit polarity away from a null. At least that is what seems happen when I’m operating portable. 73, Steve N9IP -- Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com From: Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com> Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 10:39 PM To: "Stephen E. Belter" <seb(a)wintek.com> Cc: Sterling Coffey <kawfey(a)gmail.com>, Paul Stoetzer <n8hm(a)arrl.net>, AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>, Burns Fisher <burns(a)fisher.cc> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 fading Thanks Steve, Great point and well thought out. Now, let me ask you a question: After you matched the downlink signal and position of your Arrow for maximum quieting and best signal, what happens when you now change the position of your arrow to look for best "uplink"? unless yo can keep the downlink position steady you will not be able to check for the uplink.. as science tells me one thing has to be constant for the other to be assessed... All the best, Stefan, VE4NSA On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 9:27 PM, Stephen E. Belter <seb(a)wintek.com<mailto:seb@wintek.com>> wrote: Stefan, You are correct that you only hear the downlink, but... From personal experience, including operating AO-85 and AO-91 today using a standard Arrow and an IC-821 (from a campground in EM87), I'm convinced that I can hear my uplink polarity mismatch. I first adjust the polarity of my antenna (by twisting my wrist) while searching for the strongest (maximum quieting) received signal. Then while pressing the PTT, I tweak the Arrow polarity while going for maximum quieting while listening to myself. The best sounding full-duplex signal is typically not at the same polarity as the best received signal from someone else on the satellite, but I've been able to get full quieting full-duplex. When operating full-duplex, I think I'm hearing the results of *both* the uplink and downlink polarity match. And that's how I 'differentiate between uplink "weakness" from downlink' weakness. 73, Steve N9IP -- Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com<mailto:seb@wintek.com> On 3/27/18, 10:06 PM, "AMSAT-BB on behalf of Stefan Wagener" <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org<mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org> on behalf of wageners(a)gmail.com<mailto:wageners@gmail.com>> wrote: Hi Sterling, That would assume you have the ability to switch between linear uplink polarization (vertical and horizontal) and circular polarisation for uplink (right and left) and keep you downlink polarization on the same optimized path all the time, meaning you know in advance which way the downlink signal is the best to compensate for any uplink discrepancies. Good luck :-) But hanks, good thought! Stefan, VE4NSA On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 8:47 PM, Sterling Coffey <kawfey(a)gmail.com<mailto:kawfey@gmail.com>> wrote: > If linear polarized, if you can keep your RX/downlink antenna still and > you can at least hear the satellite, and rotating your TX/uplink antenna > results in correlated signal level changes on the RX/downlink, then you've > isolated it to the uplink polarization variable. > > On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 8:44 PM, Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com<mailto:wageners@gmail.com>> > wrote: > >> Thanks, >> >> Again, even in full duplex how do you distinguish between a non-matching >> uplink vs non-matching downlink? You only "hear" the downlink! >> >> 73, Stefan VE4NSA >> >> On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 8:38 PM, Sterling Coffey <kawfey(a)gmail.com<mailto:kawfey@gmail.com>> >> wrote: >> >>> You can hear your own signal if you have a full duplex (two radio) >>> setup. However, it's still pretty hard to tell if you use a single antenna >>> (arrow, elk, etc) since you're changing the RX polarity while you're >>> changing the TX polarity too. >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 7:22 PM, Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com<mailto:wageners@gmail.com>> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> One of the questions I have is why one would think that the uplink >>>> (polarization) is a problem since you only have the downlink to assess >>>> and >>>> how would you differentiate between uplink "weakness" from downlink >>>> since >>>> that is the only thing you hear. In addition, at least for uplink, you >>>> could "in principle" very quickly adjust with higher power... and no, I >>>> am >>>> NOT promoting crocodile behavior (big mouth little ears) >>>> >>>> Stefan, VE4NSA >>>> >>>> On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 2:26 PM, Burns Fisher <burns(a)fisher.cc> wrote: >>>> >>>> > If you have seen a model or picture of the Fox satellites, you may >>>> have >>>> > noticed that some of the solar panels seem to be mounted off-center. >>>> This >>>> > is intentional so that photons that reflect off the shiny side give >>>> it a >>>> > tiny off-center push that spins the bird to distribute the heat more >>>> > evenly. Thus it spins faster the more time it spends in the sun. In >>>> > addition, when it crosses the equator, it should flip over (-Z and +Z >>>> > reverse sides). This is because of the passive magnetic >>>> stabilization. >>>> > But I'm guessing that since it is spinning, that causes it to wobble. >>>> > >>>> > Why 92 seems worse I don't know--I can only assume it has something >>>> to do >>>> > with the orbit. That graph that Paul posted looks very different from >>>> > AO-85, for example. >>>> > >>>> > Some RF person can correct me, but I believe that the 70cm antenna >>>> only >>>> > uses the antenna that sticks out one side, while the 2m antenna >>>> actually >>>> > uses the antennas on both sides. Could that explain why the uplink >>>> has >>>> > more fading than the downlink? I don't know. Something to think >>>> about. >>>> > >>>> > 73, >>>> > >>>> > Burns WB1FJ >>>> > Fox-1 Flight Software >>>> > >>>> > On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 2:12 PM, Paul Stoetzer <n8hm(a)arrl.net<mailto:n8hm@arrl.net>> wrote: >>>> > >>>> > > All of the Fox-1 satellites seem to spin faster or slower depending >>>> on >>>> > > orbit illumination or other factors. >>>> > > >>>> > > For example, this is the +Z panel rotation on AO-92 since launch. >>>> > > >>>> > > https://imgur.com/a/uS8TB >>>> > > >>>> > > Someone more well-versed in these matters can comment further on >>>> what >>>> > > causes this, but it is definitely not an indication of the health >>>> > > status of the satellite. >>>> > > >>>> > > 73, >>>> > > >>>> > > Paul, N8HM >>>> > > >>>> > > On Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 1:59 PM, Jean Marc Momple >>>> > > <jean.marc.momple(a)gmail.com<mailto:jean.marc.momple@gmail.com>> wrote: >>>> > > > Dear All, >>>> > > > >>>> > > > I have been experimenting with AO-92 as from its launch. Some >>>> > > observations: >>>> > > > >>>> > > > 1) The fading on this bird seems to be high and quite >>>> unpredictable, >>>> > > requires a lot of changes of polarization to keep the Rx signal to >>>> an >>>> > > adequate level. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > 2) Seems that the fading is both on the U/V and L-mode, more >>>> seems to >>>> > me >>>> > > that the uplink is more affected. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > 3) Telemetry seems to be quite reliable with FoxTelem in all >>>> modes. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > Today, it was even worse losing the bird many times during the >>>> pass, it >>>> > > seems that it is degrading quite quickly, hope that this is not the >>>> case. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > Just to share my observation. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > 73 >>>> > > > >>>> > > > >>>> > > > Jean Marc (3B8du) >>>> > > > >>>> > > > >>>> > > > _______________________________________________ >>>> > > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org<mailto:AMSAT-BB@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/l >>>> istinfo/amsat-bb >>>> > > _______________________________________________ >>>> > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org<mailto:AMSAT-BB@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/l >>>> istinfo/amsat-bb >>>> > > >>>> > _______________________________________________ >>>> > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org<mailto:AMSAT-BB@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<mailto:AMSAT-BB@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<mailto:AMSAT-BB@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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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-03-28 08:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-03-28 08:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Freeport Public Schools, Freeport, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact was successful: Tue 2018-03-27 17:41:04 UTC 24 deg (***) Valday, Russia, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Artemyev (***) Contact is a go for 2018-04-04 TBD UTC (***) Vologda, Russia, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Artemyev (***) Contact is a go for 2018-04-10 13:37 UTC (***) Exp. 55 on orbit (***) Welcome aboard! (***) Drew Feustel Oleg Artemyev Ricky Arnold KE5DAU ****************************************************************************** International Space Station Astronauts are Calling CQ Students (corrected) (***) ARISS-US program education proposal deadline is April 30, 2018 March 15, 2018: The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is seeking proposals from US schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host radio contacts with an orbiting crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS) between January 1 and June 30, 2019. Each year, ARISS provides tens of thousands of students with opportunities to learn about space technologies and communications through the exploration of Amateur Radio. The program provides learning opportunities by connecting students to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) through a partnership between NASA, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, the American Radio Relay League, and other Amateur Radio organizations and worldwide space agencies. The program’s goal is to inspire students to pursue interests and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and Amateur Radio. A ham recently said, “ARISS shows how Amateur Radio is the most unique hobby/service there is.” Educators overwhelmingly report that student participation in the ARISS program stimulates interest in STEM subjects and in STEM careers. One educator wrote, “It exceeded our expectations--it created a great interest in both amateur radio and in space exploration. Our kids are completely inspired!” Ninety-two percent of educators who have participated in the program have indicated that ARISS provided ideas for encouraging student exploration and participation. An educator even joined the ham ranks, saying, “This chance for our school’s ARISS contact helped me see the great value of the ham world. I just passed my Technician License this weekend and have already signed up to take a General class.” ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed, exciting education plan. Students can learn about satellite communications, wireless technology, science research conducted on the ISS, radio science, and any related STEM subject. Students learn to use Amateur Radio to talk directly to an astronaut and ask their STEM-related questions. ARISS will help educational organizations locate Amateur Radio groups who can assist with equipment for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. The proposal deadline for 2019 contacts is April 30, 2018. Proposal webinars for guidance and getting questions answers will be offered March 29, 2018, at 7 p.m. EDT and April 16, 2018, at 4 p.m. EDT. Advance registration is necessary. To sign up, go to https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2018.eventbrite.com For more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form, visit: http://www.ariss.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-us.html ****************************************************************************** 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: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 102 **************************************************************************** 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 2018-03-28 08:30 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 1217. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1166. (***) 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 2018-03-28 08:00 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. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov Exp. 55 on orbit (***) Welcome aboard! (***) Drew Feustel Oleg Artemyev Ricky Arnold KE5DAU **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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AO-92 fading
by Jean Marc Momple 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

Dear All, I have been experimenting with AO-92 as from its launch. Some observations: 1) The fading on this bird seems to be high and quite unpredictable, requires a lot of changes of polarization to keep the Rx signal to an adequate level. 2) Seems that the fading is both on the U/V and L-mode, more seems to me that the uplink is more affected. 3) Telemetry seems to be quite reliable with FoxTelem in all modes. Today, it was even worse losing the bird many times during the pass, it seems that it is degrading quite quickly, hope that this is not the case. Just to share my observation. 73 Jean Marc (3B8du)

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another rotator question
by Rolf Krogstad 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

Question: My elevation rotator (Yaesu G-5400) works fine, but to raise the elevation I have to press the down button and to lower it, I press the Up button. How do I reverse this so it works as intended? Background: I had been the traditional HF ham for years. I had a tower with a TH7 and a Yaesu G-1000-DXA rotator. I then got into working satellites. I purchased a used Yaesu G-5400 rotator and controller. For the five years since installing the elevation rotator I have been manually controlling my rotators. I relabeled the up and down buttons on the controller and all was good. A few years ago I purchased a new LVB Tracker from AMSAT-NA but it sat on the shelf. I am now automating my rotators. I have the azimuth rotator working fine and have connected the LVB Tracker to control the elevation rotator and done the configuration routine. I can control the elevation using the LVB buttons, but must press up for down and down for up. I looked at the controller schematic and it appears that pins 1, 2, 3 of the rotator cable connector are connected to the potentiometer: pins 1 and 3 are on either end of the pot windings and pin 2 is the wiper. I set the antenna to 0 degrees elevation (0 on far left). I tried reversing the wires for 1 and 3, 1 and 2, 2 and 3. I don't think any of these will help me here, but am not sure. Any suggestions on how to reverse the buttons so that up is up and down is down? Thanks Rolf NR0T Grid EN34

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Raleigh NC hamfest, March 31
by Philip Jenkins 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

At the Raleigh NC hamfest this Saturday, March 31, John KG4AKV and I - N4HF - will be manning an AMSAT info table; John will be doing demos as well. As of right now, John is planning for the AO-92 pass which starts at 1519Z, and AO-91 at 1648Z. (And possibly another pass - TBD) Philip N4HF

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M2 432 polarity switch
by mikflathead＠aol.com 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

M2 sells a driven element assembly that allows polarity switching for there 435 antennas. Has any one used this product and can comment? Is there a cheaper way to do this? Thanks Mike

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AMSAT-UK Colloquium Call for Speakers
by David Johnson 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

This is a call for speakers for the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium 2018 which, will be held this year on 13-14 October, in conjunction with the RSGB Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom . AMSAT-UK invites speakers, to cover topics about Amateur satellites, CubeSats, Nanosats, space and associated activities, for this event. They are also invited to submit papers for subsequent publishing on the AMSAT-UK web site or in Oscar News. We appreciate that it is not always possible to give a firm indication of attendance at this stage but expressions of interest would be appreciated. Submissions should be sent via e-mail to: dave(a)g4dpz.me.uk AMSAT-UK also invite anyone with requests for Program Topics to submit them as soon as possible to G4DPZ. Invitations for any papers on specific subjects will be included in the future call. Likewise if anyone knows of a good speaker, please send contact and other information to G4DPZ. 73 Dave, G4DPZ On behalf of the AMSAT-UK Committee

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Roving Announcement: 20-23 Apr East Coast U.S.
by Robert Bankston 25 Mar '18

25 Mar '18

I have a BIG roving trip planned April 20-23, to hand out some infrequently activated grids along the East Coast and operate from some cool places along the way. In addition, I will take advantage of upping my VUCC/r count by working at least one pass in every grid along my planned route on whatever satellite is available. This will include a total of 22 grid activations over a 4-day sprint. My route will take me from EM71 to FM27, down the coast to EM90, then back to EM71, for a total of 1,922 miles I have tried to include satellite passes that provide coverage to North/Central/South Americas, Europe, and all points in between. Unfortunately, location, a tight schedule, and pass availability does not allow that at every grid. It is going to be a very tight schedule, so hopefully there are no hiccups. Here is the schedule: (Grid/AOS/LOS/Satellite/my az-el) - all times UTC Friday, 20 Apr 2018 EM73|EM74 13:08 13:19 xw2f 36w EM84|EM94 15:49 16:00 ao92 30e EM95|FM05 18:40 18:53 ao85 35nw FM06 20:47 21:01 so50 62sw FM16 23:49 00:01 cas4b 36n Saturday, 21 Apr 2018 FM16 07:54 08:11 ao7 14e FM17 09:45 10:08 ao7 85e 10:59 11:12 so50 89nw 11:36 11:55 fo29 32ne 12:41 12:52 so50 12nw 13:20 13:40 fo29 51w FM27 15:11 15:22 fo29 6w 15:29 15:40 ao92 30e 15:49 15:55 ao85 3e 17:03 17:13 ao92 15w FM26 19:32 19:46 so50 43ne 20:19 20:31 cas4b 28se 20:42 21:03 ao7 86w 21:12 21:25 so50 20w 21:58 22:11 cas4b 62n Sunday, 22 Apr 2018 FM15|FM25 09:44 09:56 so50 24e 10:43 10:58 fo29 12ne 11:24 11:37 so50 30nw FM13|FM14 16:10 16:21 ao85 15e 17:49 18:02 ao85 38nw FM03|FM04 19:29 19:40 ao91 24w FM02 23:42 23:53 fo29 6e 00:44 00:54 ao85 7ne 01:24 01:43 fo29 64e 02:23 02:38 ao85 50ne 03:10 03:26 fo29 21nw 04:04 04:17 ao85 19w Monday, 23 Apr 2018 EM92 14:37 14:47 xw2a 52w EM91 16:23 16:35 ao92 70w EM90 18:14 18:25 ao85 17nw Updates will be posted on Twitter @KE4ALabama and on my website https://ke4al.wordpress.com/ Hope to get you in the log - 73, Robert KE4AL

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ANS-084 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 24 Mar '18

24 Mar '18

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-084 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: * AO-92 Operation Schedule * EQUiSat to launch into space May 9 * Pearl Technology STEM Camp, June 18-22, 2018 in Illinois * Software-Defined Radio Using MATLAB & Simulink and the RTL-SDR * AMSAT-LU Balloon Flight Carries RepSat-1 Cubesat Transponder * AMSAT Rover Awards Issued * New HackSpace Magazine Available For Download * Introducing CATSync - The new CAT tool for WebSDRs * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-084.01 ANS-084 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 084.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. March 25, 2018 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-084.01 AO-92 Operation Schedule AO-92 operations are scheduled among the U/v FM repeater, L-Band Downshifter, Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa’s High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI). Please keep the uplink clear during passes with scheduled mode changes. For the week of 25-31 Mar 2018, the following mode changes are scheduled: Approximately 0242UTC 25Mar we will enable the L band uplink for ~24 hours. Approximately 1645UTC 27Mar we will enable the VT camera and high- speed data for ~40 minutes. Please be ready to copy high-speed data with FoxTelem, and keep the uplink clear at 1645UTC. All other times the U/v repeater will be open continuously. The schedule can be viewed anytime at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-schedules/ [ANS thanks Drew KO4MA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- EQUiSat to launch into space May 9 NASA-funded student group constructs satellite, hopes to inspire interest in space among youth. Since its conception nearly seven years ago, a continuously revolving group of University undergraduates has been diligently working to send a satellite into space. Now, as May 9 draws closer, the group of over 200 past and current students and faculty can find catharsis as the EQUiSat will finally launch into orbit. The project, funded by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, will send a small cube satellite to the International Space Station to then launch into orbit. The EQUiSat will test lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are used in machines such as lawn mowers, but find limited applications in spacecrafts. Due to its low cost and the fact that its latitude will coincide with that of Providence, which allows its LED flashes to be seen from the ground, the satellite will also serve as a symbol for the accessibility of space. “A big part of the goal is proving the accessibility of space. … We kind of want to show people that space is right there,” said Hunter Ray ’18, the project’s co-leader and team manager. The project could have cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, but the team has kept its cost to just $3,776.61, Ray added. The project’s relatively low cost and mantra to “build it from the ground up” speak to the feasibility and accessibility of space. The EQUiSat will be equipped with powerful LED lights, a small radio and multiple sensors to keep track of its trajectory and control steering. “Anyone with a hand radio can pick up its frequency. … We will be relying on the community of amateur radio (groups) around the world to help collect EQUiSat’s data,” Ray said. He described the construction process as his favorite part of the project. “It’s like a Lego set. You build it and you’re like ‘great, now what do I do,’ … but the mission will keep going.” Ray has been a part of the project since he arrived on campus. “I started freshman year, first week … (I decided that) I want to build a spacecraft,” he said. “I ended up taking over for the power system development, … (and then) I was elected as part of the project’s manager and co-leader of the team,” he added. He hopes to see similar projections come together in the future following the EQUiSat’s launch. “The fact that as undergraduates we have been able to build an entire spacecraft from scratch … (it shows where) we are going with the space program, as humanity is progressing into the final frontier,” he said. Ray will be delivering the EQUiSat to Houston this week in order to facilitate preparations for the launch. Anand Lalwani ’18 leads the power team, the group of 17 team members in charge of the EQUiSat’s solar power and battery construction. “We are a group of incredibly motivated, but incredibly fun people. Yes, we have had our arguments and fights, but we still work very well with each other,” he said. The power team not only constructed solar panels from scratch, but also ensured that they would survive a launch. Eventually finding a coating and the means to apply it to protect the delicate panels was a grueling process, Lalwani said. “We tried (different protocols) for about 12 months, … and we failed consistently,” he said. Finding a solution “was probably (Brown Space Engineering’s) biggest achievement,” as no other satellite group in the country had done this, he said. The project also serves as an outreach symbol, Lalwani said. By talking to both middle school and high school students and teaching them about different aspects of engineering, the team hopes to show children that space is not as far-fetched as it may seem. “What we had pitched to NASA in our original mission was that ‘We are going to make space cool again,’” Lalwani said. He hopes to see BSE continue its work with new satellites being constructed in under two years. “For BSE, our future is very bright. … All our future applications for launches such as this will be very likely granted. … We expect all the sophomores in our team to have a satellite they would have designed and built and launched before they graduate from Brown,” he added. Max Monn GS, one of founders of the initial project, worked on the project from its initial creation in 2011 to 2013. “Since the manned space missions to the moon … (the public) had a declining interest for space” due to the lack of human connection, Monn said. The origin for the project began as a means for creating an idea in Adjunct Associate Professor of Engineering Rick Fleeter’s class, which has since evolved into ENGN1760: “Design of Space Systems,” Monn described. While other projects leaned toward theoretical concepts or plans such as the colonization of Mars, Monn and the other founders decided to plan something which was “down to Earth” and did not need a large corporation to complete, Monn said. The EQUiSat’s LED lights flashing down toward Earth show the accessibility of space, one of the project’s main purposes. This element was inspired by Monn’s interest in photography. Following the initial work, the project expanded from a four-person class project to a student group. “We weren’t really sure how it would be received,” he said. At the first information session, 15 to 20 people showed up. Seeing the growth of the group has been one of Monn’s favorite memories of the project. “It feels like a legacy,” he said. Serving as founder, member and mentor, Monn has seen the project evolve from “wires spread out on a table” to its eventual launch. “We had these visions of what it could be and to have left the project in such shambles … (and) having it become more and more real… (it’s) a pleasant surprise,” he said. “You don’t need to be a multi-millionaire, you do not have to be a rocket scientist, and space is not that far,” Lalwani said. The satellite will serve as a realization that the final frontier is truly not as far as it seems, he added. “EQUiSat is reaching down to everyone on the Earth and showing them that space is right there, and I hope that, in a sense, it helps unite everyone together,” Ray said. [ANS thanks Chris Schutte and The Brown Daily Herald for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl Technology STEM Camp, June 18-22, 2018 in Illinois The STEM Academy is sponsored and put on by Pearl Technology, with the assistance of the University of Illinois Extension, Richwoods Township, Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois, Peoria Area Ama- teur Radio Club, Peoria Heights High School, volunteer Caterpillar engineers, and ISS Above Software. Twenty-five middle school students will spend June 18-22 attending the STEM Academy held at Goodwill Commons, where they will learn about space and radio communications. The students will build Rasp- berry Pi computers that stream live video from the ISS. Students will also participate in a high-altitude balloon launch by building the payload with student experiments and then, use radio telemetry to track the balloon to near-space. The highlight of the academy will be when students communicate directly with astronauts on the International Space Station. The ISS contact will be open to students of all ages in the local area. [ANS thanks Fritz Bock, WD9FMB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Software-Defined Radio Using MATLAB & Simulink and the RTL-SDR Learn how to receive and analyze wireless signals using RTL-SDR, MATLAB, and Simulink. RTL-SDR is a popular, low-cost hardware that can receive wireless signals. The RTL-SDR dongle features the Realtek RTL2832U chip, which can be used to acquire and sample RF signals transmitted in the frequency range 25MHz to 1.75GHz. A FREE ebook that teaches users how to receive and analyze wireless radio signals using MATLAB, Simulink, and RTL-SDR Key features of this free ebook include: + Illustrating how to receive wireless RF signals using RTL-SDR and analyze the signals in time and frequency domains + Showing how to use RTL-SDR in conjunction with SDR transmitters to develop a complete communication system + Providing an extensive set of DSP-enabled SDR examples to help you get started Find out more or download from: https://tinyurl.com/ANS084-Mathwoks This news provided by http://www.nooelec.com/store/ [ANS thanks NooElec.com and mathworks.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-LU Balloon Flight Carries RepSat-1 Cubesat Transponder AMSAT-LU reports they flew RepSat-1, a repeater designed for cubesat operation, aboard a balloon launched from Victorica, La Pampa, Argentina on March 24. The uplink was on 435.950 MHz with a downlink on 145.950 MHz. RepSat-1 is an 8 cm square board capable of being integrated into a cubesat. The FM module transmits at 1 watt. It is also capable of transmitting voice, SSTV in Robot 36, telemetry and APRS location data identifying as LU7AA-11. Telemetry and location were transmitted every 90 seconds via 1200 baud AX.25 APRS data. A separate module on the flight transmitted tracker data for balloon recovery on 145.930 MHz with the LU7AA-12 callsign. It included a camera capable of filming with a 360 degree view. The AMSAT Argentina web aite can be found at: http://www.amsat.org.ar [ANS thanks AMSAT-LU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Rover Awards Issued On January 1, 2018, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards announced the Rover Award. This award is granted to stations who achieve a combined 25 points using any combination of the defined criteria posted at: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/ Points can be earned for each grid square activated outside of your home grid square using the FM, linear, and digital satellites. While FM contacts count for 1 point each multiplier points are available for contacts via the linear and digital satellites. Additional points are available for photographs, publicity, social media promotion, and AMSAT Journal articles. The options are numerous so please refer to the Rover Award Website for all of the details. To date, 16 rovers have earned the award: Rover Call Date Issued ===== ============ =========== 001 AC0RA 02 Jan 2018 002 WD9EWK 05 Jan 2018 003 NJ4Y 08 Jan 2018 004 M0IDA 09 Jan 2018 005 KG5GJT 12 Jan 2018 006 EB1AO 18 Jan 2018 007 N7AGF 22 Jan 2018 008 N4YHC 29 Jan 2018 009 W0S 07 Feb 2018 010 KE0PBR 08 Feb 2018 011 K5IX 18 Feb 2018 012 AK4WQ 23 Feb 2018 013 WI7P 25 Feb 2018 014 K5ND 09 Mar 2018 015 N6UA 12 Mar 2018 016 N9IP 16 Mar 2018 [ANS thanks AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New HackSpace Magazine Available For Download Issue 5 of the free magazine HackSpace has an article about Limor Fried AC2SN (aka LadyAda) of electronics company Ada Fruit as well as a Dr Lucy Rogers M6CME article "Share the knowledge" Also in this issue - Tutorial Slack-powered On-Air sign - Direct from Shenzhen: Stirling engine buggy - Can I Hack It? Every home needs a hacked wireless doorbell - Raspberry Pi 3B+ Download the free PDF of issue 5 April 2018 from https://hackspace.raspberrypi.org/issues [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Introducing CATSync - The new CAT tool for WebSDRs Oscar, DJ0MY, has developed a new software tool for radio amateurs and SWLs. CATSync allows the user to control public WebSDR receivers with a real rig connected via CAT. It supports the classical Web-SDR servers as well as the newer Kiwi SDR servers publically available on the internet. This gives you access to dozens of web based receivers with the comfort of tuning your rig at home. This software helps you to bring you back into the fun of ham radio when you are suffering from local temporary or permanent high noise levels in an urban QTH location. The software has the following features: - Syncronizes any public WebSDR server with your real RIG… - Supports a wide number of RIG’s (it uses the popular OmniRig engine) - Supports WebSDR and KiwiSDR browser based SDR receivers - Tune the VFO of your radio and see the web SDR follow in realtime! - Switch modes (SSB, CW, etc.) on your radio and see the web SDR switch mode in realtime. - Listen to the same frequency as your rig via web SDR - Ideally suited e.g. for people suffering from local QRM - Can track RX or TX VFO (e.g. to find that split of a DX station) if radio CAT supports both simultanously - Can be interfaced with popular logging software using OminRig or via VSPE port splitter For more information visit the author’s website: https://catsyncsdr.wordpress.com/ See a YouTube video of CATSync under: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSHfkjhx0c [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News The following contacts were successful since February 18, 2018: On The Gagarin from Space, "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via RK3X with Alexander Misurkin on 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB with Scott Tingle KG5NZA on 2018-02-21 09:38 UTC Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST with Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP on 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC On The Gagarin from Space Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Southwest State University", Kursk, Russia, direct via RV3DR on 2018-02-26 17:59 UTC Parkside Middle School, San Bruno, CA, direct via K6PVJ Scott Tingle KG5NZA 2018-03-07 18:05 UTC Gymnasium Räddningsgymnasiet Sando, Sandöverken, Sweden, telebridge via K6DUE with Scott Tingle KG5NZA on 2018-03-15 11:12 UTC Templestowe Valley Primary School, Templestowe, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK4KHZ with Scott Tingle KG5NZA on 2018-03-19 08:43 UTC Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Templestowe Valley Primary School, Templestowe, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact was successful: Mon 2018-03-19 08:43:46 UTC Watch for live stream on the EchoLink AMSAT conference server live. Freeport Public Schools, Freeport, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Tue 2018-03-27 17:41:04 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AO-91 Distance Record The footprint on AO-91 has been stretched yet again to 6,123 km with a QSO between @eb1ao and PU8MRS on 17-Mar-2018 at 14:51 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ . + PicSat Goes Silent PicSat @IamPicSat Tweeted: I am feeling somewhat confused up here. My communication has fallen silent (sorry faithful listeners, I did not see that coming. My team is trying to find out what happened. More to follow, when I pass over Paris @amsatf #amsat @AmsatUK @amsat_sm @SatNOGS PicSat @IamPicSat Tweeted: Passed over Paris, couldn't not talk. Don't know why, neither does my team. They tried! Fortunately, I have a so-called watch-dog onboard, a piece of hardware that will kickstart me if I have not received anything from nobody for 72h PicSat team tweeted Friday morning: Nothing, nix. I still cannot communicate. Hard for me to tell if my Watch Dog initiated the kick start. If it did, and it did not work for some reason, it will try again in 72h from now. In the mean time, pls stay tuned! Monday March 26 will be the next time the 72 hour watchdog fires. Now we wait: pic.twitter.com/OBdsOLiK67 --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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1st satellite QSO
by Clayton Coleman W5PFG 24 Mar '18

24 Mar '18

This morning I heard a fun QSO on AO-92. It was AE0BB's first satellite contact with K9EI. A couple of things I want to point out: 1. Even though there were multiple users on the bird, everyone patiently stood by to allow the contact to go through. Normally timing is very fast on FM birds. This was a nice break! 2. Michael K9EI was patient and courteous with the new operator. It was a great model of how to welcome and encourage others. Here's a short recording of the QSO: https://clyp.it/z0xoibpj 73, Clayton W5PFG

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FS: Yaesu FT-847, FC-20, MD100
by Bennett Norell 23 Mar '18

23 Mar '18

For sale: Yaesu FT-847 HF, 6m, 2m, 70cm all-mode transceiver from estate. 100W on HF-6m, 50w on 2m and 70cm. Regular and Sat modes. Looks and works perfect. With optional FC-20 auto tuner, and Yaesu MD-100A desk mic, original hand mic, DC power cord and original manual. MD-100A has crack in top of base holder but prior owner glued back together (looks ok, works perfect). All for $1000 local pickup, or plus shipping. Sold as-is due to parts swappers, but can demo if local pickup.

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AO-92 schedule updated
by Andrew Glasbrenner 23 Mar '18

23 Mar '18

https://www.amsat.org/satellite-schedules/ AMSAT-OSCAR 92 AO-92 operations are scheduled among the U/v FM repeater, L-Band Downshifter, Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa's High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI). Please keep the uplink clear during passes with scheduled mode changes. For the week of 25-31 Mar 2018, the following mode changes are scheduled: Approximately 0242UTC 25Mar we will enable the L band uplink for ~24 hours Approximately 1645UTC 27Mar we will enable the VT camera and high-speed data for ~40 minutes. Please be ready to copy high-speed data with FoxTelem, and keep the uplink clear at 1645UTC. All other times the U/v repeater will be open continuously. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations

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For Sale: Kenwood TS-711A and TS811A all mode radios
by Bennett Norell 23 Mar '18

23 Mar '18

For Sale - Kenwood TS-711A 2m and TS-811A 70cm all mode radios. From an estate, simple testing shows works as they should. TS-711A has voice option, both have the tone board TSU-5 option installed and both have built-in AC power supply. The 711A is in very good condition (face perfect), with a small chip/crack in top right back surface of the bezel, other wise very good condition. The 811A is also in very good condition, with wear marks on the left and right sides of bezel (don't see head-on). The 811A backlight for the meter is a little flaky, but tap the case and it comes back on. Both come with Kenwood hand mic, AC power cord, original manual. $300 plus shipping for the 711A, $350 for the 811A, plus shipping, unless picked up NNJ. Sold as-is due to parts swappers, but can demo if picked up.

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Yaesu rotator connections
by Rolf Krogstad 22 Mar '18

22 Mar '18

I have a Yaesu G-1000-DXA rotator and controller for azimuth. After I got into working satellites I purchased a used Yaesu G-5500 elevation rotator and the dual Az/El controller. (Thanks AA5PK it has been working great!) I would like to hook the G-1000-DXA cable to the G-5500 controller but can't figure out how the pins correspond. Both are 6 wire cables. I found a better schematic for the G-5500 on the Yaesu site than was in my manual - it appears pins 4-5-6 have to do with power for the G-5500. On the G-1000-DXA pins 4-5 are power, so in a wild guess I tried hooking 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, but nothing happens. Does anyone know how I need to hook this up? Thanks Rolf NR0T in EN34

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Antenna Polarization Question
by Brian 22 Mar '18

22 Mar '18

Should I be using LHCP or RHCP when setting up the 2 meter and 440 yagi's to work the LEO's. Thank you Brian, KG8CO

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FUNcube-1 Mode change
by Graham Shirville 22 Mar '18

22 Mar '18

Hi all, Just to advise that FUNcube-1 is now in amateur mode, with the transponder on, until Monday 26th morning UTC. best 73 Graham G3VZV

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Freeport Public Schools, Freeport, NY
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 21 Mar '18

21 Mar '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Freeport Public Schools, Freeport, NY on 27 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:41 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 OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The contact should be audible over Italy 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. Freeport Public Schools is located in the city of Freeport, about 25 miles east of New York City. The district is composed of 8 schools---one pre-K school, four elementary schools, one intermediate middle school, one middle school, and one high school. The total student enrollment is 7,400 and 90% of the students are Hispanic or African-American. Science is taught in all grades, and at the high school students enroll in Advanced Placement classes in physics (calculus and non-calculus based), chemistry, biology, and environmental science. We also have a research class in each of the grades 7-12 that is open to all students. Our students have participated in the International Astronomical Search Campaign to confirm or discover asteroids that exist in the asteroid belt. We confirmed the discovery of two asteroids, received two plaques from NASA and then published a paper on our work in a leading physics educational journal. One of our teachers and his students travelled to California Institute of Technology to take part in NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program. One of the students who participated in this research program is now majoring in astrophysics. Our students have been preparing for our conversation with Scott Tingle from early last summer. This unique opportunity to speak and observe Scott in the International Space Station has generated tremendous enthusiasm for science among our students. Going forward, we plan to design an experiment that can be conducted in the Space Station. At some point in the future we would also like to invite Mr. Tingle to come to our school and give a science seminar. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. If an astronaut gets a bacterial infection, do antibiotics work in space as they do on Earth? 2. Could you describe the ?SUPVIS Justin? experiment you conducted on March 2 and the next steps in this work 3. How has your perspective about the Earth changed as a result of your trip to the Space Station? 4. What are the duties of a typical astronaut on his/her first day in space? 5. Does the immune system become impaired after a prolonged stay in space? 6. What does it look like from space when seasons are changing? 7. How does age effect how the body reacts in space? 8. What are the uses of the robotic arm? 9. You plan to do one or more spacewalks in your trip aboard the ISS. Could you describe the biggest challenge you face in such missions? 10. How often and how does ISS adjust its trajectory to maintain a constant orbit? 11. If astronauts leave the Earth at around 17,000 mph why does it take so long to reach the ISS located approximately 250 miles above the Earth? 12. I know you like fluid mechanics. Could you describe the fluid mechanics experiments you are involved in? 13. Has the ISS National Laboratory found any possible organisms that can survive the harsh conditions of space for a prolonged period of time? 14. What would happen if you got sick in space? 15. You will be doing a number of experiments aboard the ISS. Could you describe one that interests you the most? 16. How can we help pets to survive in outer space for longer periods of time? 17. What are the effects of blood rushing to astronauts? heads in a microgravity environment? 18. You were one of the first responders in the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Could you describe your role? 19. Knowing there is debris in space can you describe briefly how ISS detects objects moving toward the station? 20. Due to varying laws governing research in various countries, does each country work solely on their own project or are projects codependent? 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): TDB 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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Simple Chat
by Pedro Converso 21 Mar '18

21 Mar '18

On http://amsat.org.ar/pass (click smiley face) Will allow check passes meanwhile online schedules. Direct link on http://amsat.org.ar/chat 73, LU7ABF, Pedro

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PicSat suddenly silent...
by Roland Zurmely 21 Mar '18

21 Mar '18

<<http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/picsat.htm#e>> 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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'roving' to FN02/03/12/13
by Don KB2YSI 21 Mar '18

21 Mar '18

I threw this out on Twitter, but figured it would be worth posting it here as well. I will be out near the FN02/03/12/13 grid corner this weekend, if anyone needs a QSO let me know. -- 73, Don KB2YSI

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For Sale: Kenwood TS-790A 2m/70cm radio
by Bennett Norell 21 Mar '18

21 Mar '18

For Sale: Kenwood TS-790A 2m/70cm all mode base radio with satellite modes. Tested as spec'd : 35w-45w on 2m depending on mode, and 30w-40w on 70cm depending on mode, SSB/FM/CW. With optional tone-boards in both main and sub bands. With Kenwood hand mic, dc power cable and original manual. Excellent working condition and in very good physical condition (nice bright displays) except for some stains on top cover. Can accept 1.2GHz module, not available. $600 shipped CONUS, discount if picked up in NNJ. Sold as-is due to parts swappers, but can demo if picked up. Ko2ok(a)arrl.net.

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Re: [amsat-bb] Nova for windows and Picsat
by IW1DTU Fer 21 Mar '18

21 Mar '18

Hi Jerry nova for windows is excellent and I use it everyday . Consider satpc32 too, very useful if you operate transponders. I have my old TS-790 CAT connected to satpc32 and doppler correction is automatic in both downlink and uplink. Easy to connect to SDR# too if you just want to receive telemetry with doppler connection. 73 Fer IW1DTU On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 1:59:33 PM GMT, Gerald Witalec <jplanner(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: Thanks Fer. I'm in the process of building my station for the SATS,and will try the Nova program per your recommendations. Jerry...W8RQM On Wednesday, March 21, 2018 4:01 AM, IW1DTU Fer <heliox694-iw1dtu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Hello Jerry Nova for windows is an excellent tracking software with celestrak keps download utility inside the program 73 Fer IW1DTU On Tuesday, March 20, 2018, 11:19:40 PM GMT, Gerald Witalec <jplanner(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: What program do we need to download the KEPS? Jerry On Tuesday, March 20, 2018 4:21 PM, Fer via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: Thanks Scott, any chance to add http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/kepler/mykepler.txt to NOVA kep element internet update? 73 Fer IW1DTU On Tuesday, March 20, 2018, 4:43:55 PM GMT, Scott <scott23192(a)gmail.com> wrote: Hello! It's listed in: https://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/science.txt ... as well as the source I use: http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/kepler/mykepler.txt 73! -Scott, K4KDR ======================= On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 12:07 PM, IW1DTU Fer via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > I'd like tracking Picsat, norad #43132, using **Nova for windows** but I > can't find this bird in amateur or cubesat list from Celestrack. Any idea? > Fer IW1DTU _______________________________________________ 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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