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

ANS-133 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 13 May '18

13 May '18

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-133 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. ******************************************************************** * DON'T FORGET THAT IT IS MOTHER'S DAY * * AMSAT at HAMVENTION May 18-20 booth (1007-1010 & 1107-1110) * * AMSAT ForumSaturday, May 19 in Forum room 4 at 2:45-3:45 PM * ******************************************************************** In this edition: * Dr. Alan B. Johnston (PhD), KU2Y, Named AMSAT Vice-President, Educational Relations * Jerry Buxton, NØJY CubeSat Presentation at Princeton Orbital Initiative * ARISS HamVideo Currently Not Transmitting * AMSAT at Hamvention 2018 -- 3rd and Final Call for Volunteers * Work the AMSAT Hamvention Demo Station! * Video Streaming of RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Flight Model Testing * AMSAT Activities at Hamvention 2018 * Tips For Prompt Message Posting To The AMSAT-BB * Three CubeSats with Amateur Radio Payloads Deployed from ISS * Satellite-Image_26113 Re-recovered... Call for amateur help! * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.01 ANS-133 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. May 13, 2018 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.01 Dr. Alan B. Johnston (PhD), KU2Y, Named AMSAT Vice-President, Educational Relations AMSAT President, Joe Spier, K6WAO has announced the appointment of Alan Johnston, KU2Y as AMSAT Vice President-Educational Relations. Joe noted, "The subject of educational outreach is critical for the mission of AMSAT. AMSAT continues creating structure for fulfilling our mission component regarding education with projects such as the CubeSat Simulator, ARISS, and outreach to primary, middle, high school, and university programs. Alan has agreed to help AMSAT establish and coordinate an education initiative program and serve as AMSAT’s senior point of contact with outside organizations regarding educational outreach." Given the increasing importance of fulfilling education goals as justification for launch opportunities, this is an important subject for AMSAT. Alan is aptly suited for this position as he is currently an instructor at Rowan University in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, and has previously taught at Seattle University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Washington University in St Louis. Alan is interested in using amateur radio satellites to teach various engineering and scientific topics and understands the teacher perspective as well. He holds an Amateur Extra license and is also a published author. [ANS Thanks Joe, K6WAO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry Buxton, NØJY CubeSat Presentation at Princeton Orbital Initiative The Princeton Orbital Initiative, a student organization at Princeton University, has invited Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering, to share his experience with CubeSat development and AMSAT's proven technology combining scientific telemetry with on-orbit CubeSat voice operations, further expanding AMSAT's educational outreach. Dan Marlow, K2QM, a faculty advisor to the Princeton Orbital Initiative (POI) says the group plans to build and fly a 3U CubeSat with a goal to submit the project to the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative in November of this year. Marlow's invitation includes meetings with Andrew Redd, the lead for the POI initiative and an additional session with the graduate student chief designer of the thruster that the Princeton Plasma Lab is planning. Marlow said the visit would also provide an opportunity to explore possible mutual interest in partnering along the lines of some of the recent Fox missions. Buxton will give a presentation followed by a Q&A session, and have informal sessions with the students. The students have begun mechanical design of their 3U CubeSat and are looking to AMSAT for advice and guidance for their electronic and communications systems. Buxton commented, "Many institutions have been calling us for input on building CubeSats and to explore partnerships, and I think that this opportunity from an Ivy League University reflects the high level of standing and reputation AMSAT has established in the satellite industry ... with a specialty in amateur radio satellites of course." AMSAT North America pioneered satellite operations in space and con- tinues that tradition now based based on reliable CubeSat operations with amateur radio transponders, hosting scientific experimental missions sharing the amateur radio payload, successful multiple CubeSat deployment, and orbital deployment from the International Space Station. AMSAT was an early participant with the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative in the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) program and con- tinues to have our launches selected based on our prior success and exciting future technological, scientific and educational opportunities. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS HamVideo Currently Not Transmitting In the official ARISS News Release No.18-06 dated May 10, 2018, ARISS PR Editor David Jordan, AA4KN, reports that the ARISS HamVideo is not currently transmitting The HamVideo digital Amateur Television (DATV) transmitter aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module recently ceased transmitting. The unit's indicators show it is functioning but its signal cannot be detected on the ground. The ARISS team's efforts to get the transmitter working again have been unsuccessful, thus far. A series of steps are currently being undertaken to try to diagnose the problem. However, if an actual failure occurred, only a ground- based evaluation will fully diagnose the problem. The ARISS International team is working diligently to bring HamVideo back to full operation as soon as practical. We have started coordination with our space agency partners and with our sponsors to expeditiously troubleshoot the issue on-board and, if necessary, troubleshoot and repair the device on the ground. The HamVideo DATV transmitter has become a very valuable educational asset that astronauts enjoy employing as part of the ARISS connection. Astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI; Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA; and Thomas Pesquet, FX0ISS, regularly utilized HamTV to inspire students and educators during ARISS contacts scheduled as part of these astronauts' ISS missions. Australian and European HamTV ground stations have been operational for receiving and distributing DATV signals from the ISS, and in the US, HamTV stations are under development. Several hams in Japan have set up ground stations that have received HamVideo. As more information becomes available on the HamVideo status and on any potential repair plans, we will keep you informed through future news releases and via messages on the ARISS web site www.ariss.org. [ANS thanks David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at Hamvention 2018 -- 3rd and Final Call for Volunteers Hamvention 2018 in Xenia, Ohio is next week, May 18-20! If you’ve been waiting to volunteer until you’d firmed up your plans, we need to hear from you ASAP! If you're an experienced satellite operator, we can use you and your experience. If you've never operated a satellite before, we can use your help too. Whether you're available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated. Please send an e-mail to Phil, w1eme(a)amsat.org if you can help. Thank you! [Information provided by Phil Smith, W1EME Hamvention 2018 Team Leader] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Work the AMSAT Hamvention Demo Station! As previously announced, AMSAT will have it's traditional presence at Hamvention this year, including a satellite demo station. The demostation will operate under the AMSAT club callsign W3ZM/8. We intend to be on most passes of voice satellites between 12:00 UTC and 20:30 UTC on Friday, May 19th and Saturday, May 20th and between 12:00 UTC and 16:00 UTC on Sunday, May 21st. Hamvention is located in the six digit gridsquare EM89aq. As a reward for working the AMSAT demo station, individuals working us will receive a digital certificate upon request. Please email n8hm(a)amsat.org with your QSO details to receive a certificate. If you are attending Hamvention, please stop by the demo station outside Building 1! [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Video Streaming of RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Flight Model Testing AMSAT Vice President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, has been streaming live videos of testing of the flight model of RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) from Fox Labs in Granbury, TX. You can view archived videos at: https://www.twitch.tv/n0jy/videos/all. The first two are also posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS133-RadFxModelTest Follow @N0JY on Twitter for future live streams of RadFxSat-2 flight model testing. RadFxSat-2 is scheduled to launch later this year on the ELaNa XX mission aboard Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne air-launch-to-orbit system. The satellite carries a 30 kHz wide V/u linear transponder and radiation experiments for Vanderbilt University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer N8HM, and Jerry Buxton, N0JY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Activities at Hamvention 2018 The 2018 Hamvention will be held on May 18-20, 2018 at Greene County Fairground and Expo Center in Xenia Ohio. AMSAT is planning for an exciting event. May 17 – Booth setup on Thursday. May 18, 19, 20 – AMSAT in full operation at Hamvention May 20 – Booth teardown on Sunday AMSAT Booth Stop by the AMSAT booth (1007-1010 & 1107-1110) Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 9am-1pm to meet board members, officers, and active satellite operators. You’ll be able to ask questions and see demonstrations of AMSAT’s current and upcoming technologies. Well dressed satellite operators will look forward to picking up the latest AMSAT “swag” and fashions for 2018. Gould Smith’s book, Getting Started With Amateur Satellites, has been updated for 2018 and will be on sale during the Hamvention. AMSAT Forum The AMSAT Forum at Hamvention 2018 will be held on Saturday, May 19 in Forum room 4 at 2:45-3:45 PM. Amateur Satellite Demonstrations Amateur Satellite operation demonstrations will be held every day outside the main Maxim Hall (Building 1 or E1) entrance. AMSAT will be be demonstrating actual contacts with the operational amateur satellites. We especially invite youth to make a contact via an amateur satellite. All are invited to observe, participate and ask questions. Satellite pass times will be posted at the AMSAT booth and in the demo area. Annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” Party The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held Thursday at 1800 EDT at Tickets Pub & Eatery at 7 W. Main St, Fairborn, OH. Feast on a great selection of Greek and American food and great company! No program or speaker, just good conversation. Food can be ordered from the menu, drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Leave room for dessert, there’s an in-house ice cream shop! Come as you are. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention. AMSAT/TAPR Banquet The twelfth annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Center on Friday at 1830 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the AMSAT and TAPR activities during the Dayton Hamvention. We are pleased to announce that Jeri Ellsworth, AI6TK will be our speaker. Jeri will present her innovative ideas and adventures in Amateur Radio. Banquet tickets are no longer available There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door of the banquet center. AMSAT Announces Hamvention Forum Speaker Line Up The AMSAT Forum at Hamvention 2018 will be held on Saturday, May 19 in Forum room 4 at 2:45-3:45 PM. The speaker and topic line up includes: Moderator: Keith Baker, KB1SF / VA3KSF “AMSAT Status Report” by Joseph Spier, K6WAO, AMSAT-NA President, who will highlight recent activities within AMSAT and discuss some of our challenges, accomplishments, projects, and any late breaking news. “AMSAT Engineering Program” by Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT-NA Vice President for Engineering, will talk about the Fox-1 and Golf (Greater Orbit Larger Footprint) Projects. “ARISS Report 2018” by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President for Human Spaceflight will discus ARISS’ “Next Generation ARISS Radio System” on the International Space Station. AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Speaker – Jeri Ellsworth, AI6TK The twelfth annual joint AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held on Friday, May 18 at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH 45429 (just south of Dayton). Doors open at 6:30 PM for a cash bar with the buffet dinner served at 7:00 PM. Jeri Ellsworth, AI6TK, will present on her innovative ideas and adventures in Amateur Radio. Jeri is an American entrepreneur, self- taught engineer, and an autodidact computer chip designer and inventor. She gained notoriety in 2004 for creating a complete Commodore 64 system on a chip housed within a joystick, called C64 Direct-to-TV. That “computer in a joystick” could run 30 video games from the early 1980’s, and at peak, sold over 70,000 units in a single day via the QVC shopping channel. Ellsworth co-founded CastAR (formerly Technical Illusions) in 2013 and stayed with the company until its closure on June 26, 2017. In 2016, she passed all three amateur radio exams, earned her Amateur Extra license, and received the AI6TK callsign. This has now launched new adventures into Amateur Radio. She has been featured in January 2017 QST and in YouTube videos from Quartzfest earlier this year. Jeri has been given a free hand to speak on whatever topic she wishes (as long as it’s amateur radio, somewhat). [ANS thanks The AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips For Prompt Message Posting To The AMSAT-BB Recently, there have been several posts, including some time sensitive roving information, which have been held for moderator release because they were sent by list members from accounts other than the one used to register with the list. While the moderators are happy to release these messages, it can result in significant delay. Since there are many new members here, below is a guide which was published two years ago. Tips for prompt message posting. People sometimes post time-sensitive messages to AMSAT-BB. Examples are last minute grid activities, unexpected satellite mode changes, requests for critically important telemetry, etc. These normally go through promptly, but occasionally get held for two basic reasons: While AMSAT-BB is an open list, that means it is open for membership, not posting. In order to post to the list, it normally must be from the same account you originally registered. For instance, if you registered from your home account, and post from your office account, it will normally be held for release by a moderator. Likewise, some people have all their email forwarded to a single account from which they reply. We can create a filter to pass the second address, but that is not automatically done on the first instance, and does require moderator action. AMSAT-BB receives many pieces of spam for each legitimate message. As part of the filtering process, emails larger than 50 kB are blocked. This usually happens to legitimate email when someone attempts to attach a large file, or does not trim an extended series of exchanges. Also, there is a limit to the number of addresses before an email is held as potential spam. I have seen legitimate email sent to 30+ addresses. We have a team of volunteer moderators, but they are not available 24/7. The result is that a message sent in the evening or on a holiday, US time, may well be held for several hours before being released. So, if it absolutely, positively needs to be distributed promptly: 1. Post from the same account you registered, or one which from past experience you know has been flagged as acceptable. 2. Do not use attachments. (Pictures and other files should be included by a link.) They will be blocked to the list, and if the total size of the message plus attachments exceeds 50 kB, the mail will be held. 3. Send it to AMSAT-BB and a few other addresses at most. If you must send to a large distribution list, send to them, and another copy to AMSAT-BB. (A trick which seems to work well is to place most of the addresses in the BCC rather than CC line.) 4. Consider also posting to the AMSAT Twitter and Facebook accounts. There is overlap in membership, though at present it is far from 100%. 5. Do not send large commercial press releases, or things which look like them. They will be caught by heuristic spam filters. A simple posting of an event or activity will normally go through. Note that there are existing exemptions for official channels such as ANS, ARISS, other AMSAT organizations, etc. 6. All new accounts are automatically flagged for moderation. This flag will normally be cleared on the first or second posting, but do allow for and expect an initial delay if you establish a dedicated account for your satellite organization. 7. Remember that this is a text-only list. Posting using HTML formatting will have unpredictable results, and may trigger the 50 kB hold for what appears to be a short message. [ANS thanks Alan WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Orbit Reboost Saturday May 12 The International Space Station was scheduled to raise its orbit this weekend (Saturday, May 12) to prepare for the departure of three Expedition 55 crew members and the arrival of a new Russian cargo craft. The docked Russian Progress 69 resupply ship will fire its engines Saturday at 6:07 p.m. EDT for two minutes and 52 seconds slightly boosting the orbital lab’s altitude. This orbital reboost sets up the proper phasing trajectory for the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft when it undocks June 3. The Soyuz will carry Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineers Scott Tingle and Norishige Kanai back to Earth after six-and-a-half month mission in space. The reboost will also enable a two-orbit launch to docking opportunity for Russia’s next resupply ship the Progress 70 in July. [Ed note: Stations who have not refreshed their Keplerian Elements will discover that the ISS is arriving slightly later than predicted.] https://tinyurl.com/ANS133-ISS-Boost [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Three CubeSats with Amateur Radio Payloads Deployed from ISS The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced that three CubeSats carrying Amateur Radio payloads, including one with a V/U linear transponder, were deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on May 11 at around 1030 UTC. Irazu (Costa Rica) and 1KUNS-PF (Kenya) carry beacon/telemetry in the 70-centimeter Amateur Radio band, while UBAKUSAT (Turkey) carries an Amateur Radio linear transponder for SSB and CW, in addition to CW and telemetry beacons. Irazu is a 1U CubeSat developed by students at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, with a telemetry beacon at 436.500 MHz. 1KUNS-PF is a 3U CubeSat developed by students at the University of Nairobi, with a telemetry beacon (9.6 kbps) at 437.300 MHz. UBAKUSAT, a 3U CubeSat developed by students at the Istanbul Technical University, has a CW beacon at 437.225 MHz, and a telemetry beacon at 437.325 MHz. The linear transponder downlink is 435.200 - 435.250 MHz; the uplink is 145.940 - 145.990 MHz. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite-Image_26113 Re-recovered... Call for amateur help! Earlier this week Scott Tilley again recovered IMAGE on S-band. The spacecraft started a series of eclipses and the first one appeared to cause IMAGE to reboot and start transmitting again. After the initial recovery in January of this year IMAGE faded away in late February. NASA is now trying to reestablish control of the spacecraft and has been actively attempting with some success to have the spacecraft accept commands over the last couple of days. A number of phenomenon have been observed that has challenged the ground controllers to understand what is going on with the spacecraft and they have asked for amateurs to contribute s-band signal data particularly as the spacecraft passes through eclipse. If you have access to equipment and are suitably located to contribute observations please contact me for more information and support in sharing your observations with NASA. NASA kindly supplied the following table for stations planning to monitor IMAGE during eclipses. Those studying the TLE for IMAGE will note eclipses primarily happen in the southern hemisphere and have limited visibility to northern hemisphere locations. It's not impossible for northern stations but not 'convenient'. https://tinyurl.com/ANS133-ImageRecovery For those needing general information about the mission to plan their efforts: Track: 26113 IMAGE, see Spacetrack... Frequency: 2272.5MHz +/- Doppler If possible, record amplitude, frequency and timestamp to a machine readable file and send to me with any information that may be needed to interpret your data. Please include lat/long and altitude of observing station and provide general details of the station. I.e. GPS time and frequency disciplined etc, antenna etc. If all you can do is record a plot that's fine too! Stations collecting real data or needing more help can email me directly and I will forward to NASA: sthed475 (at) telus (dot) net IMAGE thanks you. For more information on IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration) visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAGE [ANS thanks Scott Tilley and Seesat-l for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News The following ARISS contacts have been successful: 2018-04-17 16:44 UTC Astronaut Scott Tingle KG5NZA using ISS callsign NA1SS with Salado Intermediate School, Salado, TX, USA, direct via K5LBJ. ARISS Mentor was Gene K5YFL. 2018-04-18 15:57 UTC Astronaut Ricky Arnold KE5DAU using ISS callsign NA1SS with Central Islip Union Free School District, Central Islip, NY, USA, direct via KD2IFR. ARISS Mentors were Gordon KD8COJ and Backup John K4SQC. 2018-04-19 12:05 UTC Astronaut Ricky Arnold KE5DAU using, ISS callsign NA1SS with King's High School, Warwick, UK, direct via GB4KHS, ARISS Mentor was Ciaran MØXTD. 2018-04-24 11:05 UTC Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov using ISS callsign RSØISS with About Gagarin From The Space. Implementation Of The Session Of Radio-Love Communication With Participants Of "Artek" Change, near Black Sea, Russia, direct via RM6KD. Mentor was Sergey RV3DR. 2018-04-26 12:30 UTC Astronaut Ricky Arnold KE5DAU using ISS callsign OR4ISS with Zespól Szkoly Podstawowej i Publicznego Gimnazjum w Buczku, Buczek, Poland; I Liceum Ogólnoksztalcace im. Tadeusza Kosciuszki w Lasku, Lask, Poland; and Zespól Szkól Ponadgimnazjalnych w Zelowie, Zelów, Poland, direct via SP7KYL. ARISS Mentor was Armand SP3QFE. 2018-05-03 15:47 UTC Astronaut Scott Tingle KG5NZA using ISS callsign NA1SS with Mill Springs Academy, Alpharetta, GA, USA, direct via WA4MSA. ARISS Mentor was John K4SQC. 2018-05-03 17:22 UTC Astronaut Scott Tingle KG5NZA using ISS callsign NA1SS with Students for the Exploration & Development of Space, College Station, TX, USA, direct via W5QZ. ARISS Mentor was Keith W5IU. 2018-05-07 13:54:10 UTC Astronaut Ricky Arnold KE5DAU using ISS callsign NA1SS with Mooreland Heights Elementary, Knoxville, TN, USA, direct via WA4SXM. ARISS Mentor was Dave AA4KN. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines on 15 May. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:22 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. The UP Integrated School (est. 1976) is the laboratory school of the UP College of Education. It offers an integrated curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12. It is one of the country's pioneer integrated schools and has been offering an integrated curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 10 since its inception until the mandatory implementation of the Department of Education's K-12 program in 2012. The UPIS is the product of the merging of three schools whose functions it inherited. These are the UP High School (est. 1916), the UP Elementary School (est. 1936), and the UP Preparatory High School (est. 1954). Age of students is 14 and 15. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What are the challenges that astronauts face while working inside the international space station? How are these issues addressed? 2. What can you give as an advice or words of inspiration to young aspiring Filipinos dreaming of becoming involved in NASA's (or International) space programs? 3. The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone (typhoon, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) countries in the world. What researches does the ISS have to help these countries (or the Philippines, in particular) minimize risks related to such disasters? 4. Which of the recent breakthroughs/discoveries in your research in the ISS is your team's favorite and why? 5. Given the latest discoveries/experiments your team has done in the ISS, which field in science and technology do you think has the most promising advancement in the upcoming years? 6. How can the youth have a more active participation in space programs? (Skills training, seminars, etc.) 7. How long does it take to get use to the weightlessness in space? 8. What did you do before you became an astronaut? 9. Compared to Earth-based monitoring programs, how does the ISS facilities and equipment help in monitoring environmental disasters? 10. What can the Philippines do if it wants to participate in international space programs? 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 [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Get on the Satellites for Field Day! Field Day is right around the corner! Posted on the AMSAT website with the ARRL’s permission is an article entitled “Get on the Satellites for ARRL Field Day” written by Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and published in the June 2018 issue of QST. Read it at https://www.amsat.org/get-on-the-satellites-for-field-day/. As a reminder, AMSAT runs a Field Day event concurrently with ARRL Field Day. For more information, please see https://www.amsat.org/field-day/. [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information.] + 6Y5IDX log I, Marty N9EAT, have been working with Chris, VO1IDX/6Y5IDX to get his logs sorted out. However, some passes may have been lost due to phone issues during rainstorms while he was in Jamaica. The following are in the log at this time, and we plan to upload May 11: YS1MS(x2), TI2CDA, TI4DJ, FG8OJ, WP4PRD, N1RCN (x2), KE4AL, K9EO, N1COR, HP2VX, NA2AA(x2), N9EAT, AK4WQ, AA5PK, N8HM, N8RO, K4FEG, KD8ATF, KG4AKV, KB1PVH, NK1K. If you worked them, and have a recording available to prove it, forward them to either me or Chris VO1IDX. His email is good on QRZ. Additionally, forward any lotw issues to either of use. Paper QSL cards are via direct to VO1IDX. [ANS thanks Marty N9EAT for the above information.] + 6E5RM/XF3 Cozumel Island Special Event Includes Satellite Operation Members of the Radioclub Cancun will be active as 6E5RM between May 23rd and June 1st. Activity is to celebrate the 2018 Rally Maya Mexico. However, on May 23rd and 24th, they will be active as 6E5RM/XF3 from Cozumel Island. Operations are expected to be on 80-6 meters using SSB, RTTY, FT8 and the satellites. They will be on the air as much time as possible for the Rally activities. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1363] + ARISS Story Line Featured in Book Emily Calandrelli KD8PKR recently released her third short novel for kids, "Take Me to Your Leader". In it, her main character, Ada Lace uses amateur radio around her hometown. She also uses radio to contact an astronaut on the ISS. I believe it is Sandy Magnus in her story. Even though the contact does not follow the ARISS protocol, she talks about the ARISS program in one of the appendices at the back of the book. If you (or your schools) are ever looking for a good short book to explain a little about radio contacts, this would be a good choice. [ANS thanks Brian VE6JBJ 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, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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Question from Newbie
by uli＠df5sf-qrp.de 13 May '18

13 May '18

Hello, I have an HT Kenwood TH-7 and now building a 4 element duoband LPDA for satellite operation. I found a lot of helpful information in the internet. Some infos are in conflict with other. Are this infos ok ? SO50: Transmit 145.850 MHz fix FM 67.0 Hz, RX from 436.815 MHz to 436.795 MHz AO91: Transmit from 435.240 MHz to 435,260 MHz FM 67.0Hz , RX 145.960 MHz fix AO85: Transmit from 435.160 MHz to 435.180 MHz FM 67.0 Hz , RX 145.980 MHz fix Many thanks 73 Uli DF5SF

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Re: [amsat-bb] when are TLE's too old to use?
by Todd W Deckard 13 May '18

13 May '18

It’s my experience with my arduino based tracker that the TLEs age rapidly and must be refreshed on game day. I attributed this to the single precision math although it could be due to some more fundamental misunderstanding on my part. Now that there are no more shuttle re-supply flights even ISS reboosts are fairly infrequent. I am using the most excellent qrpTracker library (Bruce Robertson VE9QRP) which is in turn derived from PLAN13 (James Miller G3RUH). https://youtu.be/VG5L5oP2uNk https://github.com/twdeckard/AE-35/blob/master/sketch_ae-35/sketch_ae-35.ino Best Todd Sent from my iPhone > On May 12, 2018, at 6:21 PM, Alfredos (fredy) Damkalis <fredy(a)fredy.gr> wrote: > > Recently it was posted in libre.space community discourse[1] by cgbsat > an interesting analysis about TLE of a couple of satellites and what > delays you should expect in observation starting time when you use TLE > 0-10 days old. > > Delays vary depending on satellite, difference could be from some > seconds to some minutes (in ISS case). > > I'm very interested if there are similar analyses. > > 73, > fredy > > [1] https://community.libre.space/t/tle-updates-and-scheduling/1987/4 > >> On 05/12/2018 08:02 PM, Ron VE8RT wrote: >> I understand that there won't be a good answer for how old can TLE's be >> before they're of no use. If you were going to be offline for an >> extended period, roughly, for a LEO, how long would you go before >> they're worthless? >> >> Ron VE8RT >> >

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BPSK decode applications
by Mike Stansberry 12 May '18

12 May '18

Hi, all. What applications are being used to decode BPSK 1k2 and BPSK 9k6? I've been searching but have not turned up anything. Thanks! Mike, K0TER

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when are TLE's too old to use?
by Ron VE8RT 12 May '18

12 May '18

I understand that there won't be a good answer for how old can TLE's be before they're of no use. If you were going to be offline for an extended period, roughly, for a LEO, how long would you go before they're worthless? Ron VE8RT -- Ron VE8RT <ve8rt(a)yknwt.ca>

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NASA needs amateur help with IMAGE spacecraft recovery
by Joe Fitzgerald 11 May '18

11 May '18

The following was seen on the seesat-l mailing list. Drop me a note off list for Scott's e-mail address. 73 de KM1P Joe *******BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE********* From: Scott Tilley via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org> Date: Fri, 11 May 2018 08:49:49 -0700 Hi All Earlier this week I again recovered IMAGE on S-band. The spacecraft started a series of eclipses and the first one appeared to cause IMAGE to reboot and start transmitting again. After the initial recovery in January of this year IMAGE faded away in late February. NASA is now trying to reestablish control of the spacecraft and has been actively attempting with some success to have the spacecraft accept commands over the last couple of days. A number of phenomenon have been observed that has challenged the ground controllers to understand what is going on with the spacecraft and they have asked for amateurs to contribute s-band signal data particularly as the spacecraft passes through eclipse. If you have access to equipment and are suitability located to contribute observations please contact me for more information and support in sharing your observations with NASA. Thanks, Scott Tilley

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FUNcube-1 mode change
by Graham Shirville 11 May '18

11 May '18

Hi All, Just to report that AO73/FUNcube-1 is now in continuous Amateur mode with the transponder on for the weekend. 73 Graham

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StaPC Satellite list
by Vincenzo Mone 11 May '18

11 May '18

Hi Folks, I am going crazy to set the list of the satellites. What I do is: I go in the standard group and select the satellites for the Amateur.txt click on OK Re enter in the Satellite list and select Cubesat.txt. I find already some satellites than I try to put other ones. click on OK Re enter in the Satellite list and get back in the Amateur.txt list And I can see that some satellites are disappeared from the selected list. Is that normal? How I have to do to select different satellites in each list? Thanks 73's de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ************************************* ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ****** *************************************

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Three CubeSats deploy from ISS 1030z 11th May
by Masahiro Arai 11 May '18

11 May '18

JAXA announced three CubeSats will deploy from ISS at 1030-1040z 11th May. The live broadcast will start at 1900z on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wRQ1Nljuiw The satellites are Irazu(Costa Rica), 1KUNS-PF(Kenya) and UBAKUSAT (Turk). IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination shows 1KUNS-PF and UBAKUSAT are operate on amateur radio band. 1KUNS-PF 3U CubeSat Digital downlink 9600bps 437.300 MHz http://engineering.uonbi.ac.ke/sites/default/files/cae/engineering/engineer… UBAKUSAT 3U CubeSat Beacon 427.225MHz TLM downlink 437.325MHz Linear Transponder downlink 435.200-435.250MHz uplink 145.940-145.990MHz JN1GKZ Masa Tokyo Japan

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Upcoming ARISS contact with University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 11 May '18

11 May '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines on 15 May. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:22 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. The UP Integrated School (est. 1976) is the laboratory school of the UP College of Education. It offers an integrated curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12. It is one of the country's pioneer integrated schools and has been offering an integrated curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 10 since its inception until the mandatory implementation of the Department of Education's K-12 program in 2012. The UPIS is the product of the merging of three schools whose functions it inherited. These are the UP High School (est. 1916), the UP Elementary School (est. 1936), and the UP Preparatory High School (est. 1954). Age of students is 14 and 15. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What are the challenges that astronauts face while working inside the international space station? How are these issues addressed? 2. What can you give as an advice or words of inspiration to young aspiring Filipinos dreaming of becoming involved in NASA's (or International) space programs? 3. The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone (typhoon, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) countries in the world. What researches does the ISS have to help these countries (or the Philippines, in particular) minimize risks related to such disasters? 4. Which of the recent breakthroughs/discoveries in your research in the ISS is your team's favorite and why? 5. Given the latest discoveries/experiments your team has done in the ISS, which field in science and technology do you think has the most promising advancement in the upcoming years? 6. How can the youth have a more active participation in space programs? (Skills training, seminars, etc.) 7. How long does it take to get use to the weightlessness in space? 8. What did you do before you became an astronaut? 9. Compared to Earth-based monitoring programs, how does the ISS facilities and equipment help in monitoring environmental disasters? 10. What can the Philippines do if it wants to participate in international space programs? 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): TBD 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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