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

ANS-292 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins ERRATA
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

ERRATA: the subject for the Weekly Bulletin was marked as ANS-270 which is incorrect. The text of the bulletin was correct however. My apologies, 73, Jack Spitznagel - KD4IZ Assistant Editor - AMSAT News Service Cell: (410) 207-5123 kd4iz dot arrl.net

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ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-292 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, 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 commun- icating 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(a)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: * ARRL Comments in Orbital Debris Mitigation Proceeding * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 15, 2020 * * * PREDICT-2.2.7 for Linux, Unix, Android, and Raspberry Pi Platforms * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over * Tips for the New Operator SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-292.01 ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 292.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 September 27 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-290.01 ARRL Comments in Orbital Debris Mitigation Proceeding 10/13/2020 In comments to the FCC, ARRL targeted two specific areas of concern regarding a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) in IB Docket 18-313 - mitigation of orbital debris in the new space age. In an earlier phase of the proceeding, ARRL filed comments and met with FCC staff to discuss the proposed rules. In comments filed on October 9, ARRL focused on the areas of indemnification and maneuverability/propul- sion. Indemnification places the liability for any possible damage from a satellite on an individual or entity. ARRL reiterated its assertion that, as a practical matter, an indemnification requirement "would seriously impair the ability of amateur and university experimenters to launch and operate satellites under US auspices" due to the potential liability and high insurance cost. Additional information is available at the ARRL Web Site: https://bit.ly/3iZiGwj [ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 15, 2020 The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: MO-106 - Cat ID 44830 (decay epoch = 2020-10-09 per Space-Track). TRSI-Sat - Cat ID 44831 (decay epoch = 2020-10-11 per Space-Track). The following satellite has an estimated decay epoch determined by Space- Track as follows: EnduroSat One - Cat ID 43551 - estimated decay epoch = 2020-10-15 per Space-Track). (Still in orbit as of 2020-10-15 at 04:53 UTC.) An updated set of Orbital Elements for October 15, 2020 have been dis- tributed via the AMSAT /keps list and are available at the AMSAT website: https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ PREDICT-2.2.7 for Linux, Unix, Android, and Raspberry Pi Platforms John Maglicane, KD2BD, has announced the release of PREDICT version 2.2.7, an Open Source satellite tracking / orbital prediction applic- ation 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 [ANS thanks John Magliacane, KD2BD for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS (awaiting update from AJ9N) Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-14 18:00 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 was successful: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 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 [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men- tors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: Jerome, F4DXV, is plans to operate from a 1500 meter summit in JN15jo on Monday, 19October. He will be on RS-44 beginning at 2000utc specifically for North America. The footprint covers much of eastern NA. This is a difficult operation after dark and Jerome hopes that many will take advantage of the opportunity to work this very rare grid. RS-44 will be around 1430km. DN13/23 and DN22: @KI7UNJ, 10/16 - 10/19: No pass list, just follow Twitter, BEACON APRS KI7UNJ-9 KI7UNJ-IOS 16th DN13/23 Line 17th DN22 18th DN22 19th DN13/23 Line KQ2RP is heading to FN44/54 again. Will be on FM birds from FN54 with occasional FN44/54 line. FN53 possible. Oct 11-16th. Logging as KQ2RP/1. EL Grids, @N1PEB 10/10 -10-14: 10/10 EL95 Key Largo, 10/11 EL94 Key West, 10/12 EL84 Dry Tortuga, 10/13 EL94 Key West, 10/14 TBD >From TI2BSH: October 16, 2020 I will be working in EK71 and will go out on the satellites: AO-91 at 04: 22z,05:57z, 16:38z SO-50 at 04: 48z, 15:16z If you hear me and want that grid call in international phonetic code. 73s Major Roves: Doug N6UA and Ron AD0DX are planning to activate DL88 on Sunday Oct 25th. This will be a daytime activation only because the Talley Campground is currently closed. We will be on FM and Linear satellites. Thanks to everyone that donated back in April before the COVID restrictions. K5Z on qrz.com has more details including passes:https://www.qrz.com/db/K5Z Currently the weather looks good and we will be monitoring the weather throughout the week. If there is a chance of rain in the forecast we will have to find another date. We are looking forward to giving out this rare grid! 73 Ron AD0DX and Doug N6UA Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Clint Bradford, K6LCS will give his "Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment" Zoom presentation on the following dates for: 10/27/2020 - Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC Additional presentations are in the planning stage: TBD - Antelope Valley (CA) ARC and a private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Pennsylvania Club Groups are asked to update their copies of the Zoom application prior to the scheduled session by directly downloading it from https://zoom.us/ [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA will provide live coverage of the return to Earth for agency astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and two Russian cosmonauts Wednes- day, Oct. 21, after six months aboard the International Space Sta- tion. Cassidy, the Expedition 63 commander, and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, will close the hatch to their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft at 20:10 UTC Wednesday. Their Soyuz will un- dock at 23:32z. A parachute-assisted landing is set for 02:55z on Oct. 22 on the steppe of Kazakhstan. Complete coverage of the return will be available on NASA TV and the agency's website, https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Joe Werth, KE9AJ Tweets about a new distance record set for AO-7 Mode A: "Amazing QSO with Olivier, @F5RRO on AO-7 MODE A. Breaking a 40 year old AMSAT distance record at 6,879 km. Olivier used a MA5B Yagi and I used my Moxon..... Thanks Olivier!" The path map may be seen at: https://bit.ly/2SUSeJM (ANS thanks Joe Werth, KE9AJ for passing along the above information) + GNU Radio Project (@gnuradio) tweeted at 3:52 PM on Tue, Oct 13, 2020: Wylie Standage-Beier's @thewyliestcoyot workshop on Writing GNU Radio Blocks is up on YouTube! A hands on intro to blocks, flowgraphs, and systems from simple Python simulation of a phase shift keyed signal in white noise to a functioning communications system. Link to Twitter Feed and Youtube link: https://t.co/XldgMCJeLy (ANS thanks JoAnn Maenpaa, K9JKM for relaying the above information from Twitter) + OSIRIS-REx, which launched in 2016 and has been orbiting the asteroid Bennu in microgravity since 2018, is going to try its first Touch And Go (TAG) maneuver next week. This maneuver involves autonomously des- cending toward the asteroid with the craft's sample arm extended, briefly making contact, using nitrogen gas to blow loose material in- to a sample collection head, and returning to orbit. The pristine sample should arrive back on Earth in September 2023. Visualization at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjlGYHJ2560&feature=youtu.be (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Blue Origin's reusable suborbital New Shepard flew on October 13 for the first time since December 2019, completing its 13th flight, and seventh reuse for this booster. The mission successfully carried sev- eral NASA experiments, including a "microgravity LilyPond"--a hydro- ponic chamber for growing edible aquatic plants in space--and a sys- tem for precise planetary landing that uses both terrain relative navigation (for high altitude use, soon to be used for landing by Mars 2020) and LiDAR (for final propulsive landing), with a planned application to upcoming lunar landing missions. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Tweeted on October 13: Premier signers of Virgin Orbit's payload wall, @AMSAT RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E is out of our hands and in the hands of @Virgin_Orbit to fly as part of Launcher One's first payload. Great fun sharing in their new experience and first integration. And tours of their facilities to boot! https://twitter.com/n0jy/status/1315878009371422720?s=27 (ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering, for the above information) + Soyuz crew docks with International Space Station: In a mission marking the end of an era, NASA astronaut and former virus hunter Kate Rubins, using NASA's last currently contracted seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, rocketed into orbit Wednesday with two cosmonaut crewmates on a record-setting flight to the International Space Station. Celebrating her 42nd birthday, Rubins' launch came just two weeks before 20th anniversary of the arrival of the station's first crew on Nov. 2, 2000. Since then, the lab complex has been continuously staffed by rotating crews, or expeditions, of American, Russian, Japanese, European and Canadian fliers along with a handful of space tourists. Additional information is avalable at: https://bit.ly/31brNUw (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now and CBS News for the above information) + Oxygen supply fails on Russian segment of ISS, crew not in danger (Oct 15, 2020) The oxygen supply system has failed in a module on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) but the crew is in no danger, Russian space agency Roscosmos said Thursday. The oxygen supply system on the Zvezda module on the orbital lab failed late on Wednesday but a second system on the American segment is operating normally, a Roscosmos spokesperson told AFP. "Nothing threatens the security of the crew and the ISS," said the spokesperson, adding this repair work to fix the issue would be carried out on Thursday. The issue arose after three new crew -- two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut -- reached the ISS on Wednesday to bring the number of current crew on board to six. Additional information at:https://bit.ly/31aO596 (ANS thanks Spacetravel and AFP for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips for the New Satellite Operator [Tentative Add-on FOR CONSIDERATION] This is the first of a what I hope to be a monthly New Satellite Opera- tors Corner. I will offer AMSAT New Operator tips and links to AMSAT resources for new operators and posts from various interest groups where useful info is published. This weeks tip comes from Rick, WA6NDR via TH-D74A(a)groups.io. I hope you find this as useful as I have. Jack, KD4IZ, Editor, AMSAT News Service. Tip of the month: TH-D74A ISS APRS settings From: Rick - WA6NDR "I was able to make an ISS APRS contact today with just the TH-D74A and an Arrow antenna (details at the end). I started with a video from Don W6GPS and documented what I ended up doing including minor changes. Change the call sign and email address to yours. "Personal preference" settings are optional. The reasoning behind most of the settings is given in Don's video. I am using TH-D74A firmware v1.10 (with v1.11 released 8/26/2020 but not seeming worth the installation time)." . Menu 800 = SD Card, Export, Config Data (FOR LATER IMPORT AND NORMAL OPERATION). . Menu 999 = Config, System, Full Reset . [F]DUAL to set A band only. . Menu 900 = Config, Display, Backlight Control = On . Menu 404 = GPS, Basic Settings, Battery Saver = Off . Menu 500 = APRS, Basic Settings, My Callsign = WA6NDR-7 . Menu 503 = APRS, Basic Settings, Status Text = 1/1, "VIA ISS WA6NDR(a)ARRL.NET" . Menu 504 = APRS, Basic Settings, Packet Path = Others1, "ARISS" . Menu 507 = APRS, Basic Settings, DCD Sense = Detect Data . Menu 511 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Initial Interval = 30 min. . Menu 512 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Decay Algorithm = Off . Menu 513 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Prop. Pathing = Off . Menu 514 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Speed = Off . Menu 903 = Config, Display, Power-on Message = "WA6NDR ISS" . Menu 904 = Config, Display, Single Band Display = GPS(GS) . Menu 920 = Config, Battery, Battery Saver = Off . Menu 921 = Config, Battery, Auto Power Off = Off . Menu 950 = Config, Date & Time, Setting = <local>, UTC -7:00 . VFO, set frequency to 145.825 MHz . [F]APRS (see "APRS 12" on the top display, GPS info on bottom). . Personal preference, for SD Card recording and save to PC. o Menu 941 = Config, Auxiliary, PF2 = Recording (on/off) o Menu 944 = Config, Auxiliary, PF3 (Mic) = Screen Capture o Menu 980 = Config, Interface, USB Function = Mass Storage . Menu 800 = SD Card, Export, Config Data (FOR ISS OPERATION). . Operation o Arrow 146/437-10WBP antenna: Use only the 2m 3-element part. o Open squelch: [F]MONI, KNOB CCW, ENT. Listen, watch... o BCON to send a beacon. BCON again (off). Repeat. (ANS thanks Rick Nungester, WA6NDR for this 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, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at amsat dot org

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DL88 Rove Planned for Sunday Oct 25th
by Ron Bondy 17 Oct '20

17 Oct '20

Doug N6UA and Ron AD0DX are planning to activate DL88 on Sunday Oct 25th. This will be a daytime activation only because the Talley Campground is currently closed. We will be on FM and Linear satellites. Thanks to everyone that donated back in April before the COVID restrictions. K5Z on qrz.com has more details including passes:https://www.qrz.com/db/K5Z Currently the weather looks good and we will be monitoring the weather throughout the week.If there is a chance of rain in the forecast we will have to find another date. We are looking forward to giving out this rare grid! 73 Ron AD0DX and Doug N6UA

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AMSAT Symposium Live Now
by Paul Stoetzer 17 Oct '20

17 Oct '20

The AMSAT Symposium is live now at https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY 73, Paul, N8HM

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Registration Deadline Imminent! 2020 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
by Paul Stoetzer 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

Just a reminder that registration for Saturday's AMSAT Symposium closes in just under an hour and a half at 5:00pm CDT / 22:00 UTC. AMSAT members are encouraged to register for the Symposium at https://launch.amsat.org/Events/. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBER ACCOUNT IN ORDER TO REGISTER, PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECTLY BY 5:00 PM CDT / 22:00 UTC SO WE CAN GET YOU REGISTERED. Registered members will be eligible for prize drawings and will be able to participate in Q&A sessions during the event. There are a lot of great presentations scheduled, so you do not want to miss this event! AMSAT members who are not able to log in to their accounts in order to register should consult the instructions for gaining access at https://launch.amsat.org/resources/Documents/Documents/The%20New%20AMSAT%20… Login details for the Zoom Webinar as well as a link to the 2020 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings will be emailed to registered attendees shortly after registration closes tomorrow evening. If you are not an AMSAT member, please consider joining AMSAT and registering for the webinar. An annual membership is just $44 ($22 for students) and includes access to The AMSAT Journal (including archives dating back to 2014), access to all Proceedings of AMSAT Symposia dating back to 1986, and access to special events such as this Virtual Symposium. If you do not wish to join AMSAT at this time, or prefer to view another way, the Symposium will also be simulcast via YouTube to the public at https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY If you are not able to join us or watch for the day, the YouTube replay will remain available for future viewing at the above link. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Executive Vice President AMSAT

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Satellite demo on Saturday
by tjschuessler＠verizon.net 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

I hope everyone gets a chance to tune into the AMSAT symposium Saturday the 17th. I will try to if I can, but I do have a presentation and demo of Amateur Radio in space for the Bedford, TX radio club on Saturday morning via Zoom from my back yard. I am hoping to work one SO-50 FM pass, (1533Z AOS for me) and then one XW-2A pass (1602Z) while doing the presentation. We had hopes of doing something in person but COVID.... I have been told that in an edited form, this might end up on the Ham Radio 2.0 video podcast so we will see. Please look for me, N5HYP, or give me a call outright and help promote AMSAT and Amateur Radio in space to a broader audience. 73 Tom Schuessler, N5HYP EM12ms

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BugSat-1, Tita, object 40014
by MICHAEL WILLIAMS 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

Is anyone out there digipeating through BugSat-1? Thanks, Mike, K9QHO

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LoTW acronyms/abbreviations
by Steve Kristoff 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

I've looked all over LoTW and I can't find a place where they give definitions for their mode and submode abbreviations. Is PKT the abbreviation for packet as used for ISS APRS? Where do they define their abbreviations? Steve AI9IN Grid EM79ji Oldenburg IN

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dead satellite collision
by Michael Walker 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a34383707/space-junk-coll… On Tuesday, LeoLabs, a company that monitors the paths of space junk in low-Earth orbit, announced on Twitter it was tracking a potential conjunction—that's space-speak for a mid-orbit crash—tonight between a defunct Soviet satellite and a discarded Chinese rocket stage. According to the company's latest calculations, the objects are expected to come within 80 feet of each other (±59 feet). The probability of a collision is greater than 10 percent. If the satellites collide, the impact could spread a network of debris throughout low-Earth Orbit. Mike va3mw

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Re: [amsat-bb] LoTW acronyms/abbreviations
by Scott Davis 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

There are lots of modes, and they are further grouped into “mode groups.” Open TQSL, click on “Create an ADIF file…” and then “Mode.” The drop-down list will show all the available modes. -Scott K5TA

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Register Now for the 2020 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
by Paul Stoetzer 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

Just a reminder that registration for Saturday's AMSAT Symposium closes tomorrow (Friday, October 16th) at 5:00pm CDT / 22:00 UTC. AMSAT members are encouraged to register for the Symposium at https://launch.amsat.org/Events/. Registered members will be eligible for prize drawings and will be able to participate in Q&A sessions during the event. There are a lot of great presentations scheduled, so you do not want to miss this event! AMSAT members who are not able to log in to their accounts in order to register should consult the instructions for gaining access at https://launch.amsat.org/resources/Documents/Documents/The%20New%20AMSAT%20… Login details for the Zoom Webinar as well as a link to the 2020 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings will be emailed to registered attendees shortly after registration closes tomorrow evening. If you are not an AMSAT member, please consider joining AMSAT and registering for the webinar. An annual membership is just $44 ($22 for students) and includes access to The AMSAT Journal (including archives dating back to 2014), access to all Proceedings of AMSAT Symposia dating back to 1986, and access to special events such as this Virtual Symposium. If you do not wish to join AMSAT at this time, or prefer to view another way, the Symposium will also be simulcast via YouTube to the public at https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY If you are not able to join us or watch for the day, the YouTube replay will remain available for future viewing at the above link. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Executive Vice President AMSAT

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Re: [amsat-bb] ISS FM Repeater
by aj9n＠aol.com 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

The radio should be in packet mode. I am going to try and indicate what mode the radio is being set back to after an ARISS contact when I post the ARISS announcements to the AMSAT-BB. I will also try to let everyone know what mode is being used if the mode changes again between ARISS school contacts. 73,Charlie Sufana AJ9NOne of the ARISS Mentors In a message dated 2020-10-15 09:28:14 Eastern Standard Time, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org writes: Hi Jose. It looks like the ISS is sending packet at the moment. Just check out https://www.AMSAT.org/status/ to see what is happening with all the birds. 63, Rick Sent from Rick's iPad 3 "Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact" - Carl Sagan No trees were killed in the sending of this message, however, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced. > On Oct 15, 2020, at 8:59 AM, ea4hkf via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > Hi all, > > Are the ISS FM repeater active? I've tried some passes from portable > station, but i've not listened activity...I'm not sure if are my working > conditions, there're not activity or are not fullr working. > > TNX 73 > EA4HKF - Jose > IM78wq > _______________________________________________ > 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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ISS FM Repeater
by ea4hkf 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

Hi all, Are the ISS FM repeater active? I've tried some passes from portable station, but i've not listened activity...I'm not sure if are my working conditions, there're not activity or are not fullr working. TNX 73 EA4HKF - Jose IM78wq

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ISS APRS via ???
by Steve Kristoff 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

For APRS through the Space Station are we using "via RS0ISS" or "via NA1SS"? I have a couple of good passes tomorrow. Steve AI9IN Grid EM79ji Oldenburg IN

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Free: 1, 000 ft ultra low loss air core coax in Austin Texas
by John Brier 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

Would be cool for a sat op to get this. 73, John Brier KG4AKV From: n3bb <N3BB(a)mindspring.com> Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 Subject: [CTDXCC] Free Coaxial Cable To: CTDXCC <ctdxcc(a)lists.kkn.net> Ten years or so ago, I purchased 1,000 feet of "ultra low loss" coaxial cable. It turned out that I could not use it because it has an air core and special end connectors. It is highly prized for UHF systems that require very low loss at very high frequencies. The cable is like new, on a large wooden commercial roll, and has been stored in my barn completely out of any weather. The wooden "enclosure" is in good shape. Since I have no plans to use it, but need to clean out the barn, I'm offering it free of charge to anyone who comes and takes it. The cable roll will fit into any reasonably large trailer. It is too large for a normal pickup truck, however. If I get no requests for it, this whole length of very low loss 50 Ohm coax will go to the Hays County dump in a week or two. Please contact me at my email: n3bb(a)mindspring.com if interested. Please QSP this info to other radio clubs. Thanks and I sure hope that some serious UHFer of V-UHFer or even normal HFer can utilize this material. 73, Jim N3BB

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-14 18:00 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 was successful: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg (***) The radio is scheduled to go into Packet mode after the contact. (***) 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 2020-10-14 18:00 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 2020-10-14 18:00 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 1403. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1336. (***) 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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Re: [amsat-bb] swtiching frequency in satpc32
by Yono Adisoemarta 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

What I usually do is turn off Satellite Mode, then the radio becomes simplex at 145.825 (the frequency before I enable SatPC32). 73 de Yono - YD0NXX Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 14, 2020, at 8:40 PM, Stefan Wagener via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >

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swtiching frequency in satpc32
by cchunter3＠mindspring.com 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

for my setup I dont have to use SatPC32ISS, Using my FT847 in split mode I use SatPC32 and can use digi mode for ISS (all digi sats on 2m). I do have to adj slightly the up/down freq during the pass for doppler though. can then switch to other sats w/o using separate program. 73 Christy KB6LTY ------ Yes, it has to work in simplex mode on 145825 with SatPc32ISS 73, Stefan VE4SW On Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 8:23 AM John Brier <johnbrier at gmail.com> wrote: > He can't switch between FM repeater and digipeater, or at least use the > digipeater with SatPC32, he needs SatPC32ISS for the digipeater, right? > > > http://sats.wikidot.com/how-do-you-add-add-2-meter-only-digipeaters-to-satp… > > 73, John Brier KG4AKV > > On Wed, Oct 14, 2020, 09:20 Stefan Wagener via AMSAT-BB < > amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote: > >> Assuming you entered the different frequencies in the doppler.sqf file, in >> the main window click on "CAT" and select the frequency from the list in >> the box. >> >> 73 Stefan VE4SW >> >> On Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 7:46 AM lu9cbl--- via AMSAT-BB < >> amsat-bb at amsat.org> >> wrote: >> >> > Hi to all! maybe someone can help me, i can´t find in google the answer. >> > >> > If i put the SatPC32 software to tracking the ISS, where i need to >> > select to switch for example for de ISS, to conmute from the APRS freq >> > to the FM repeater, and tracking that in my equipment? >> > >> > Thanks! >> > >> > Mati LU9CBL >> >

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swtiching frequency in satpc32
by lu9cbl＠gmail.com 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

Hi to all! maybe someone can help me, i can´t find in google the answer. If i put the SatPC32 software to tracking the ISS, where i need to select to switch for example for de ISS, to conmute from the APRS freq to the FM repeater, and tracking that in my equipment? Thanks! Mati LU9CBL -- El software de antivirus Avast ha analizado este correo electrónico en busca de virus. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

> > Ah ha! The driver wasn't able to reserve enough bandwidth on the USB hub > for the 192 kb/s 16-bit "stereo" audio stream. Try moving it to another > USB port. Most computers have several USB hubs, and it's not obvious how > the various sockets connect to them. Try temporarily disconnecting any > other USB audio interfaces you might have. > > Phil > > Phil, I'm sure you've probably seen my other response, but at least you are putting a technical explanation behind it. Yep, while it still doesn't work AT ALL on my small "backup" computer, I plugged it directly into the USB 3.0 port on my primary shack computer and it is now working. Thanks everyone for giving me some time to help me figure this one out! --Roy K3RLD

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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 13 Oct '20

13 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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