October 2020 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

ARISS News Release No. 20-22
by David Jordan 13 Oct '20

13 Oct '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-22 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled for Ramona Lutheran Christian School, Ramona, CA October13, 2020—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is thegroup that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students aroundthe globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between students at the Ramona Lutheran Christian School (RLCS) inRamona, CA and ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call signKF5KDR. The Ramona Outback Amateur Radio Society (ROARS) ham operators using call sign N6ROR will operatethe ground station for this contact. Students will take turns askingCassidy their questions. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 14,2020 at 9:26 am PDT (Ramona) (16:26 UTC, 12:26 pm EDT, 11:26 am CDT and 10:26 am MDT). RLCS (withstudents in preschool through sixth grade) is located in an unincorporatedmountain community approximately 40 miles northeast of San Diego. In additionto the school’s classical course curriculum, RLCS also involves students in STEM-enrichmentclub activities that include robotics, coding, physics, space-related sciences,and radio theory. In 2019, the Amateur Radio Relay League awarded RLCS an IcomIC-9700 radio built and designed for communications with amateur radiosatellites—resulting in the first school radio station in Ramona, and one solar-poweredthanks to equipment provided by ROARS. The ARISS contact will utilize thisset-up. ROARS members have helped students prepare for their ARISS contact and mentoredthem on amateur radio operating protocol including emergency communications andMorse code practice. ARISS invites the public to view a livestream ofthe pre-action (join 20 minutes beforehand) and the upcoming ARISS radio contactat https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k. _____________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. How has Expedition63 changed your outlook on life? 2. What is yourfavorite thing to look at in space? 3. What is mostdifficult when you are recovering from returning to Earth? 4. What does it feellike when you are on a spacewalk? 5. What was thestrangest thing that's happened to you while you were in space? 6. What is your favoriteactivity when you have free time on the ISS? 7. How likely do youthink it is that I will visit outer space in my lifetime, even if I neverbecome an astronaut? 8. What does it feellike to sleep on the ISS? 9. What mission wereyou most scared of? 10. What are yourfavorite experiences of Expedition 63? 11. What has beenyour favorite experiment on the ISS? 12. About how manyrepairs are made each week aboard the ISS? 13. What is yourfavorite game to play in space? 14. What are your 3favorite foods to eat while on the ISS? 15. What language hasbeen the most challenging to communicate aboard the ISS? 16. What food are youmost looking forward to eating when you get home? 17. What fear haveyou had regarding space? 18. What surprisesyou the most about how the ISS is today than when you were part of the assemblymission? 19. Which holidayshave you enjoyed celebrating on the ISS? 20. What's yourfavorite number of people aboard the ISS at one time? 21. Who was yourfavorite astronaut that you have met from another country? 22. What way(s) couldwe utilize space to help manage our problems with waste disposal on Earth? 23. Do you hope to goback to space or the moon in a commercial space suit via a commercial vehicle? 24. How do you useham radio on the ISS and after you return to Earth? ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations onthe ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsorsare the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s SpaceCommunications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promoteexploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematicstopics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew membersaboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students,educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org . MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Likeus on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and@ARISS_status.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-11 16:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 13 Oct '20

13 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-11 16:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg Watch for live simulcast stream at https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k (***) The stream will start at about 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time, 12noon Eastern Daylight Time, or 16:00 UTC on Wednesday October 14. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. 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 https://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 2020-10-11 16:30 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. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://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 https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) 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, 2021 and December 30, 2021. 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 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. 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 ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** 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: https://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) https://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 https://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: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 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 1402. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1335. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://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: https://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 https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-13 12:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 13 Oct '20

13 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-13 12:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz (***) The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg Watch for live simulcast stream at https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k The stream will start at about 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time, 12noon Eastern Daylight Time, or 16:00 UTC on Wednesday October 14. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. 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 https://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 2020-10-13 12:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://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 https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) 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, 2021 and December 30, 2021. 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 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. 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 ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** 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: https://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) https://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 https://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: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 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 1402. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1335. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://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: https://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 https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Yaesu G-5500 meters and readings to LVB tracker not working
by John Brier 12 Oct '20

12 Oct '20

Hi fellow satops, I have a Yaesu G-5500 I got used a couple years ago. In February I hooked it up for the first time on the ground with an LVB Tracker and MacDoppler. At the time the azimuth needle sometimes bounced all over the place, if I tapped the box it affected it too. Sometimes the azimuth meter swung all the way right to 450 degrees and seemed stuck. Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4jse3mykh58iy1/VID_20200208_222436.mp4?dl=0 (Note towards the end of the video you can see the readings on the LVB tracker and the Azimuth needle simultaneously while the needle bounces around. The readings on the LVB tracker are "bouncing" too) When the reported Az was stuck at 450 degrees, MacDoppler didn't adjust Az at all. In February I did take the cover off and loosen and retighten some screws, including screws that held the meters in (IIRC). This didn't help. When I had it open I noticed even if I barely touched the frame sometimes the needles would bounce. I want to say there were times where I could just get my finger very close to it, without touching, and it would make the meters move. Perhaps capacitance. When the LVB tracker is disconnected, the up, down, left, and right controls work fine. The rotators turn completely and stop at their stop points. But still, the meters don't always work. Today I recorded a video of the azimuth rotator rotating it's full 450 degrees, but the meter barely moved at all: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f9592okxvx1rv0x/PXL_20201003_183543916.mp4?dl=0 Today, initially the elevation meter didn't move at all. It was stuck at 0 degrees. Later, it worked perfectly going smoothly from 0 to 180, I think accurately, as I held down the up button. Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6ttqcvs7n2nnvo/PXL_20201003_183351247.mp4?dl=0 I think the elevation meter is in better shape than the azimuth meter, because it occasionally works. Earlier when I tried to track a low elevation pass with SatPC32 the elevation rotator turned what looked like a full 180 degrees. The meter and what ServerSDX read showed the actual degrees were 0. Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/k88egwg3d7yvz1k/PXL_20201003_191350061.mp4?dl=0 (skip to 01:38 for AOS) It seemed like SatPC32 instructed the rotator to turn and I guess it just kept instructing it to turn, waiting for the reading to show, 3 or 4 degrees elevation or whatever the satellite was. Since the reading never changed from 0 it went all the way to its stop point. I think, anyway. It did stop part way through the 180 degrees. Please send me suggestions on things to try to fix this or get more information to troubleshoot the issue. If anyone would prefer to help me over the phone because it's faster, that is welcome too. 73, John Brier KG4AKV

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PREDICT-2.2.7 Released for Linux, Unix, Android, and Raspberry Pi Platforms
by John Magliacane 12 Oct '20

12 Oct '20

Today I am pleased to announce the release of PREDICT version 2.2.7, an Open Source satellite tracking / orbital prediction application for Linux and Unix computing environments, including PCs, laptops, and Raspberry PIs. New in this release is a version of PREDICT that operates on Android platforms under a Termux environment. Now you can carry your smartphone in your shirt pocket while voice announcements made by PREDICT's "vocalizer" tell you where to locate the ISS, Hubble, or other visible satellites in the night sky! There's even an alarm to alert the observer when the spacecraft enters into eclipse or into sunlight. Android screenshots are available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/SingleTrack-Android.jpg https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/MultiTracking-Android.jpg The Linux/Unix version of PREDICT-2.2.7 is available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict-2.2.7.tar.gz And the Android/Termux release is available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict-2.2.7-termux.tar.gz Both versions are source code releases. An included "configure" script will configure and compile PREDICT and its associated utilities for your specific platform while you wait. Termux is an Android terminal emulator and Linux environment application that is available at no cost through Google Play. Further details are available at: https://termux.com/ Further details on PREDICT are available at: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html Stay safe, stay well, and Happy Tracking! 73 de John, KD2BD

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Items for sale
by Mark Johns, K0JM 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

I'm preparing to sell a couple of items that would be of interest to satellite operators: Kenwood TH-D7A(G) full-duplex VHF/UHF FM hand-held radio equipped with a built-in TNC (1200/9600) and APRS capability. Also, 200 memories (100 each band), CTCSS, and backlit keys. RF output is 2 to 6 watts, depending on type of battery pack or external DC supply. This comes with original box and manuals, "rubber duck" antenna, SMA to BNC antenna adapter, SMC-34 speaker-mic, wall-wart charger, PB-39h 9.6v 1450 mAh battery with belt clip. Control box ONLY (no motor) for a 24vac Yaesu G-550 elevation rotator. Note, this box is only for the elevation rotor, not to be confused with the G-5500 Az/El system. This elevation-only control box is brand new, never used except to test. No manual or other documentation included, but available online. E-mail me off list for prices, photos, etc. -- Mark D. Johns, KØJM AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain

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Pacsat Ground Station and Mac OSX
by Brian Wilkins 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Anyone been able to get Pacsat Ground Station SW working on Mac OS X? My serial device shows up as /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART However Pacsat shows None for serial connection. I am unable to pick my device. I can connect to the TNC via Serial which is an app on the App Store successfully and command it -- Brian Wilkins KO4AQF

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Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

> > Might be a USB Host scheduler bug, indicating that something wanted to > talk to a USB device, but the kernel thought it didn't have enough of > the 12 Mbit/sec (or 480 Mbit/sec in USB2.0 HS, or something GBit/sec in > SuperSpeed, etc.) bus to satisfy the request. > > This got me thinking and I tried it again on the laptop that has a USB 3.0 port. I tried it directly in that port (no hub), although I DID use a USB 3.0 extension cable. It works! So the problem (at least on this laptop), is that it needed the USB 3.0 port? I thought that it was supposed to work on any USB port? *shrug* It doesn't appear to work on the cheapo amazon USB hub that is plugged into a different USB port (but I can't say for sure that that port is USB 3.0 or not, though). Thanks for the tips! Regardless of what was wrong, it's working now! --Roy K3RLD

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Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

And after running GQRX, there are hundreds of these comments after running "dmesg": [ 332.396482] usb 1-1.2: cannot submit urb 0, error -28: not enough bandwidth --Roy K3RLD

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Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Update (still not working): Turned off the Funcube Dongle via Config tab in pavucontrol. Didn't seem to affect anything. GQRX behaves the same. dmesg yields: [ 89.628088] usb 1-1.2: new full-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci [ 89.739007] usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=04d8, idProduct=fb31 [ 89.739013] usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0 [ 89.739016] usb 1-1.2: Product: FUNcube Dongle V2.0 [ 89.739018] usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Hanlincrest Ltd. [ 89.741208] hid-generic 0003:04D8:FB31.0005: hiddev1,hidraw2: USB HID v1.11 Device [Hanlincrest Ltd. FUNcube Dongle V2.0 ] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.2/input2 [ 89.930743] usb 1-1.2: 1:1: cannot get freq at ep 0x81 [ 89.933232] usbcore: registered new interface driver snd-usb-audio [ 90.010218] usb 1-1.2: 1:1: cannot get freq at ep 0x81 [ 90.050461] usb 1-1.2: 1:1: cannot get freq at ep 0x81 lsusb yields: Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0461:4dfe Primax Electronics, Ltd Bus 001 Device 005: ID 04d8:fb31 Microchip Technology, Inc. Bus 001 Device 003: ID 138a:003d Validity Sensors, Inc. VFS491 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Are there any diagnostic utilities for the FCDPP? (like "rtl_test" for the rtl-sdr? Wishful thinking, perhaps....) --Roy K3RLD

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