October 2019 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Latest TLE files
by David W0DHB 14 Oct '19

14 Oct '19

The latest nasabare.txt and nasa.all TLE files are downloading with the character "n" in place of blanks and or "-" SatPC32 is forgiving of this, but other software like Zeptomoby Orbit Tools is not. Example: NO-84 1 40654U 15025D 19283.30541112 n.00010852 n00000n0 n14926-3 0 7451 2 40654 54.9910 13.9106 0128597 257.8659 100.7975 15.48780673130049 Normally would look like this NO-84 1 40654U 15025D 19283.30541112 .00010852 00000-0 14926-3 0 7451 2 40654 54.9910 13.9106 0128597 257.8659 100.7975 15.48780673130049 Has anyone else noticed this ? Dave W0DHB

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Re: [amsat-bb] Latest TLE files
by Alan 14 Oct '19

14 Oct '19

Ah, didn't dig that far down. Just checked the first few. Odd that it is only effecting a small number. 73, Alan WA4SCA <-----Original Message----- <From: David W0DHB [mailto:[email protected]] <Sent: Monday, October 14, 2019 17:51 PM <To: APBIDDLE(a)MAILAPS.ORG; 'Alan' <wa4sca(a)gmail.com> <Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Latest TLE files < <Via SatPC32 or directly with a web browser <http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/keps/current/nasabare.txt < <Look at IO-26 the 7th Sat down < <IO-26 <1 22826U 93061D 19282.89089458 n.00000002 n00000-0 n18482-4 0 9991 <2 22826 098.9068 274.1371 0009370 024.3759 335.7864 14.30402162358089 < <-----Original Message----- <From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Alan via <AMSAT-BB <Sent: Monday, October 14, 2019 16:41 <To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Latest TLE files < <Dave, < <Downloaded how? Tried the usual web and ftp, and they were fine. < <73, < <Alan <WA4SCA < < <<-----Original Message----- <<From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David <<W0DHB via AMSAT-BB <<Sent: Monday, October 14, 2019 16:26 PM <<To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <<Subject: [amsat-bb] Latest TLE files << <<The latest nasabare.txt and nasa.all TLE files are downloading with the <<character "n" in place of blanks and or "-" << <<SatPC32 is forgiving of this, but other software like Zeptomoby Orbit Tools <<is not. << <<Example: << <<NO-84 <<1 40654U 15025D 19283.30541112 n.00010852 n00000n0 n14926-3 0 7451 <<2 40654 54.9910 13.9106 0128597 257.8659 100.7975 15.48780673130049 < <<Normally would look like this < <<NO-84 <<1 40654U 15025D 19283.30541112 .00010852 00000-0 14926-3 0 7451 <<2 40654 54.9910 13.9106 0128597 257.8659 100.7975 15.48780673130049 < <<Has anyone else noticed this ? << <<Dave W0DHB << <<_______________________________________________ <<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: https://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: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2019-10-14 04:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2019-10-14 04:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: S.M. Calvino – Istituto Comprensivo Settimo IV, Settimo Torinese, Italy, direct via IK1SLD and Istituto Comprensivo Statale Don Milani, Monza, Italy, direct via IQ2MZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP Contact is go for: Mon 2019-10-14 09:37:58 UTC 59 deg Watch for live stream from the Monza side of the contact: www.arimonza.it/youtube Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Diego Valeri”, Campolongo Maggiore, Italy, direct via IQ3RW and Istituto Comprensivo Ladispoli1, Ladispoli, Italy, direct via IKØWGF The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP Contact is go for: Thu 2019-10-17 08:49:52 UTC 73 deg Watch for live stream from IQ3RW side of the contact: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDwdfkmV7_z2xtZP07Js3Rw?fbclid=IwAR2cvdFuG… Watch for live stream from IKØWGF side of the contact: (***) or directly on AMSAT Italia youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkJ8IFmfTO-pUkVFNrUXIcg Science & Technologie e.V. / event: Science Days, Teningen, Germany, direct via DN1EME The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP Contact is go for: Fri 2019-10-18 09:37:45 UTC 64 deg The ARISS webpage is at http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) 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 2019-10-14 04:30 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 The successful school list has been updated as of 2019-10-09 03:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals New Proposal Window is October 1, 2019 to November 30, 2019 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 30, 2019. Proposal information and documents can be found at http://www.ariss.org . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to http://www.ariss.org . Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: http://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) http://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** 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? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. 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 The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 136 Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Sergey RV3DR with 127 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** 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. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1343. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1286. 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: 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 **************************************************************************** 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_correctio… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 59 on orbit Christina Koch Exp. 60 on orbit Luca Parmitano KF5KDP Alexander Skvortsov Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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J6/AA4FL Oct. 19-29
by Jay Garlitz 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

I will be in St. Lucia as part of the J68MD CQWW SSB team Oct. 19-29th. I am bringing equipment along for portable satellite operation as time permits. See the J6/AA4FL QRZ.com page for details. Hope to give you a QSO from one or two grid squares while in J6! 73, Jay AA4FL

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AMSAT @ Marana AZ hamfest - 9 November 2019
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

Hi! AMSAT will be at the Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club's hamfest on the morning of Saturday, 9 November 2019. The hamfest will be at the Marana Middle School, along the frontage road on the west side of the I-10 freeway, south of exit 236 in Marana, Arizona - northwest of Tucson. More information about the hamfest is available at: http://www.tucsonhamradio.org/hamfest WD9EWK will be on the satellites during the hamfest, demonstrating satellite operating. If you hear WD9EWK on a pass that morning, please call and be a part of a demonstration. The hamfest site is in grid DM42, in Arizona's Pima County. QSOs made during the hamfest will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and QSL cards are available on request (please e-mail me directly with the QSO details). Thanks, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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AMSAT @ Congress AZ hamfest - 2 November 2019
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

Hi! AMSAT will be at the Hassayampa Amateur Radio Klub's HARKfest hamfest on the morning of Saturday, 2 November 2019. The hamfest will be at the North Ranch Escapees RV Park, along US-89 near milepost 264 in the town of Congress, Arizona - northwest of the Phoenix area. More information about the hamfest is available in a flyer at: http://www.harkaz.org/HARKhamfest2019.pdf WD9EWK will be on the satellites during the hamfest, demonstrating satellite operating. If you hear WD9EWK on a pass that morning, please call and be a part of a demonstration. The hamfest site is in grid DM34, in Arizona's Yavapai County. QSOs made during the hamfest will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and QSL cards are available on request (please e-mail me directly with the QSO details). Thanks, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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AMSAT @ hamfest near Maricopa AZ - 26 October 2019
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

Hi! AMSAT will be at the Maricopa Amateur Radio Association's CopaFest 2019 hamfest on the morning of Saturday, 26 October 2019. The hamfest will be at the UltraStar MultiTainment Center at Ak-Chin Circle, next to the Harrah's Ak-Chin casino. This location is south of the town of Maricopa along Arizona route 347, on the Ak-Chin Indian Community reservation - south of the Phoenix area. More information about the hamfest is available at: https://www.copafest.org/ WD9EWK will be on the satellites during the hamfest, demonstrating satellite operating. If you hear WD9EWK on a pass that morning, please call and be a part of a demonstration. The hamfest site is in grid DM33, in Arizona's Pinal County. QSOs made during the hamfest will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and QSL cards are available on request (please e-mail me directly with the QSO details). Thanks, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 12 Oct '19

12 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-286 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule * September/October 2019 Apogee View * W3ZM - 50 States in Our 50th Year * ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19 * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-286.01 ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 13, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-286.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Please join us for the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Symposium, to be held in the Washington, DC Metro Area on October 18, 19, and 20, 2019. While the deadline for banquet and tour tickets has passed, walk-in registrations for the Symposium and Annual General Meeting are welcome. The Symposium venue will be the Hilton Arlington, located in the heart of the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The Hilton Arlington is located at 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA TEL: +1-703-528-6000 and the reservation code is AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation). Connected to the Ballston Metro Station, the hotel offers easy and effortless access to Washington DC's top tourist destinations like the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments. The hotel is six miles from Reagan National Airport and the National Mall. There are plenty of restaurants nearby. The Symposium will feature OSCAR Park - a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur radio in space - paper presentations, and a banquet with speakers celebrating AMSAT's long history, and other events. The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held on October 16th and 17th at the same hotel. Two guided tours are available. On Sunday, October 20th a bus tour to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum is available for $30 (max 35 people) and on Monday, October 21st, AMSAT President Joe Spier will lead a day tour to the National Mall via the Metro. So please plan on attending the 50th Anniversary Symposium - you will be glad you did and keep checking the AMSAT website for further updates and information. The 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting features: + Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations + Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World + Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members (October 16-17) + Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers + AMSAT Annual General Membership Meeting + Annual Banquet, Speakers and Door Prizes !! The latest news and information is always posted at: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule A preliminary schedule for the 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting has been posted to the AMSAT website. Check back for updates, including the speaker schedule. https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- September/October 2019 Apogee View I am pleased to be writing this edition of “Apogee View” in Joe’s place as a special guest columnist. For those of you who don’t know me, I am somewhat new to amateur radio satellites and AMSAT. My first experience with amateur satellites was listening to the ARISSat-1 voice beacon and decoding its SSTV images in August 2011. In September 2012, I made my first satellite QSOs (on AO-27) and joined AMSAT. In 2015, I was elected Secretary by the AMSAT Board of Directors; and, in 2017, I was elected Executive Vice President. I also have served as both an alternate and a regular member of the board. As I write this in late September, getting ready for the upcoming Symposium, summer refuses to yield to the cooler air of fall here in Washington, D.C. I hope the weather will be more comfortable for the Symposium in nearby Arlington, VA, in a few weeks. In mid-September, we received the fantastic news that Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the InterOperable Radio System (IORS) and related infrastructure. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio and digital communications in general. While ARISS still needs additional donations to fund the IORS fully, this grant significantly helps the endeavor. ARISS plans to have the IORS ready for launch by the end of the year. AMSAT thanks ARDC for their substantial contribution to this effort. ARISS is a key component of AMSAT’s vision. As printed inside the front cover of each issue of The AMSAT Journal, “Our Vision is to deploy satellite systems with the goal of providing wide-area and continuous coverage,” as we “continue active participation in human space missions and support a stream of LEO satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other amateur satellite groups.” AMSAT teams are hard at work on each clause of that vision statement. The GOLF program is making good progress with development of the GOLF-TEE satellite. GOLF-TEE is a crucial element of our path back to high orbits and fulfilling the first clause of AMSAT’s vision to provide wide-area and continuous coverage satellite systems. Systems aboard GOLF-TEE include active attitude determination and control (ADAC), a radiation-tolerant internal housekeeping unit (RT-IHU), and a Fox-1E type VHF/UHF linear transponder. GOLF-TEE also will include a software defined radio (SDR) with a high-speed X band (10 GHz) data downlink which may also provide a simultaneous X band downlink of the V/u transponder passband, effectively providing V/x capability for use and evaluation. All of these technologies are crucial for missions to HEO and GEO, and additional information will appear in future issues of The AMSAT Journal. Our participation in human space missions also is expanding. As announced at the AMSAT Forum at the Dayton Hamvention, international AMSAT and ARISS organizations have formed a group known as AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration). Work currently is underway on the design of a ham radio system for NASA’s Lunar Gateway. The Gateway will be a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon that will provide access to more of the lunar surface than ever before, with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, ports for visiting spacecraft, and more. The first sections of the Gateway are scheduled for launch in 2022. The plans call for various uses of L (1.2 GHz), S (2.4 GHz), C (5 GHz), and X (10 GHz) bands for repeater-type communications, both analog and digital, through Gateway, image transmissions from both inside and outside the Gateway, possible access to experiments aboard Gateway, and two-way communications with astronauts while Gateway is crewed. The challenges for amateurs involve the substantial increase in free space path loss compared to satellites in low earth orbit. We are very excited about AMSAT’s participation in this project. More details will be presented at the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and articles will certainly follow in future editions of The AMSAT Journal. Finally, we continue to support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E is ready for launch no earlier than December 1, 2019 on the ELaNa XX mission. That mission will launch on the first commercial flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne air launch to orbit system. Stay tuned to ANS for further updates on the launch date. The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus. Noting the prevalence of CubeSats built and launched by universities and other organizations, AMSAT adopted a goal of “amateur radio in every CubeSat.” Interested CubeSat programs wanting to fly an amateur radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry one of these modules on their spacecraft. By providing amateur radio capability, the CubeSat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and experiment data while the amateur radio community gets a transponder to use in orbit. The first of these partnerships is with the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Their 3U CubeSat, HuskySat-1, is scheduled to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops Island, VA, no earlier than November 2. Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 on a mission to the International Space Station. After completing its mission at the ISS, Cygnus will continue to a higher orbit of approximately 500 km to deploy HuskySat-1. After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads, a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K band (24 GHz) communications system, the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear transponder will be made available to the amateur radio community. In addition, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and Vice President of Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, have been hard at work identifying and working with several CubeSat groups interested in carrying this system. We hope to be able to make additional announcements soon. The 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors election recently concluded. I congratulate the winners and look forward to working with the newly- elected board to further our vital mission to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. By the time this Journal arrives, the 2019 Board of Directors meeting and 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium will have concluded. It promises to be an exciting weekend exploring both AMSAT’s five-decade history and the work we are doing for the future. While there will no doubt be many challenges in the future, I am confident in the organization’s ability to overcome them. We will Keep Amateur Radio in Space. I look forward to attending the AMSAT Centennial Symposium in the fall of 2069 at the age of 84. Hopefully, by then we will be discussing our plans for amateur radio on the first crewed interstellar mission. [ANS thanks Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W3ZM - 50 States in Our 50th Year In 1969, a group of amateur radio operators, with dreams of space, formed the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). To commemorate this golden milestone, AMSAT decided what better way to celebrate 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space, then to get AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign to operate from all 50 states and the District of Columbia as a leadup to the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Space Symposium and General Meeting, to be held in Arlington, VA, October 18 – 20, 2019. AMSAT put out a call to its members to get on the air and activate their states, using AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign, as well as to cover those states without an active AMSAT operator. Activations of United States Territories (i.e. Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) were also encouraged. Puerto Rico kicked it off on June 20th and was first on the air, and then, one by one, the U.S.A. map started filling in. Members, some without their family’s knowledge, brought satellite gear with them on vacation to help fill in the harder ones. By the start of October, three weeks before Symposium, 47 states and Puerto Rico were in the log. West Virginia came in October 2nd, Maryland and Delaware on October 6th, and finally Washington, D.C., the birthplace of AMSAT, on October 10th. Coincidently, Washington D. C. was activated outside of the apartment building where one of the first meetings to form the organization was held. To say the response was overwhelming would be an understatement and proved why AMSAT’s greatest strength comes from its members. To all of the W3ZM/p activators and participants, AMSAT THANKS YOU. You made this a fun and exciting celebration of AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space! [ANS thanks Vice President for User Services Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19 David Sumner, K1ZZ, Secretary, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) authored an article in the special WRC-19 issue of #ITU News magazine,"Views of the International Amateur Radio Union on WRC-19 agenda items". Among many overall IARU objectives for WRC-19 one directly affects amateur satellite operation: Agenda item 1.7 - spectrum for non-GSO satellites The IARU supports satisfying the spectrum requirements for non.GSO satellites with short duration missions within the existing allocations for the space operation service or the frequency ranges identified in invites ITU.R 3 of Resolution 659 (WRC.15), unless the satellites are amateur satellites as defined in Radio Regulations (RR) Nos. 1.56 and 1.57. The band 144-146 MHz is especially important to amateurs as it is currently the only worldwide primary amateur and amateur-satel- lite allocation between 29.7 MHz and 24 GHz. It is heavily used in all three Regions for all forms of amateur communications including disaster response. Sumner's article begins on page 72 of the magazine which can be accessed as a 20 MB PDF file at: https://t.co/acLwy4W5Jo?amp=1 [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Satellite Shorts: +EM25,EM35 - WI4T - Oct 15 & 16, holiday style +DN04 - KI7UNJ - Oct 21, 1653z to 1910z, FM only * Central California (CM95, CM96, DM05, DM06) – October 19, 2019 David AD7DB will re-visit the four grids near Kettleman City CA. AO-91, AO-92, SO-50 will be used, with eastern passes a priority. Maybe PO-101 if it’s on, and AO-85 if it’s not too finicky. Contacts will be put on LOTW following the trip. Updates on Twitter https://twitter.com/ad7db * Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Mike Diehl, W8LID, recently developed a web-based tool for easy generation of new lines for SatPC32's Doppler.sqf file. AMSAT is pleased to host this new tool on our website at https://www.amsat.org/doppler-sqf-line-generator/ + NASA has announced that the Orbital CRS-12 mission is now scheduled for launch from Wallops Island, VA no earlier than November 2nd. HuskySat-1, carrying an AMSAT V/u linear transponder, will launch on this mission. + Happy 4th Birthday, AO-85! At 12:49:30 UTC on October 8, 2015, the first Fox-1 satellite, Fox-1A was launched on an Atlas V rocket with the NROL-55 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Designated AO-85 on-orbit, the satellite remains operational while in sunlight despite battery degradation due to the high temperatures experienced in its orbit. + A new distance record has been claimed on the IO-86 FM transponder: 5,324 km between PU4JOE in GH91ad and 9G5AR in IJ95vn. + SDRPlay has announced an easy setup for using an SDRPlay with GNU Radio on Windows. https://t.co/RxDDzcBu8f + Space Daily has an article about Virgin Orbit. Virgin Orbit will carry RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E on its LauncherOne vehicle. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-286-SD + Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA, announced a minor update to his KLA Track satellite tracking program. The update improves rendering of the display. KLA Track can be downloaded at https://www.g0kla.com/klatrack/index.php + The Dutch Amateur Radio Union awarded their first Worked Dutch Kingdom Certificate for satellite QSOs on October 10th to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. This certificate is available for making QSOs with each of the six DXCC entities within the Dutch Kingdom. For more information, see https://www.daru.nu/index.php/nl/awards +At least two new operators achieved Satellite WAS this past week. K5IX and KB6LTY each worked W3ZM/3 in Delaware on Oct 6 for state #50. [ANS thanks everyone 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 and remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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sat dx
by tom 12 Oct '19

12 Oct '19

To answer your questions, I have worked two stations in Guatamala,One did only qsl card, the other,did both card and LOTW. The second question, I only got fj7 before he was stepped on. The third Is, I did work fj/nokv on 04-30-2018, On Fo-29. Costa Rica,Victor,is on almost every day, Does both card and LOTW. Sat dx is out there, I have worked 11 countrys on various sats over the years! Good hunting! 73 Tom.

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Hey Rovers -- How about CM86?
by Ronald G. Parsons 11 Oct '19

11 Oct '19

There’s not much land but it contains the city of Santa Cruz, CA. Great city. Great beaches. Or, is there a sat operator there that might make a sked? Ron W5RKN

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