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

FoxTelem 1.09 released
by Chris Thompson 04 Dec '20

04 Dec '20

This release provides several enhancements and needed changes for RadFxSat, also known as FOX-1E. This new spacecraft sends 1200bps BPSK telemetry in parallel with a linear transponder. Downloading telemetry and sending it to the server will assist AMSAT and the Radiation tolerance experiments from Vanderbilt University. You can download it here: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/FoxTelem_1.09n3_windows.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/FoxTelem_1.09n3_linux.tar.gz http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.09n3_mac.tar.gz The following changes are in 1.09 (from 1.08): * Performance improvements on the telemetry tabs. This uses less CPU than 1.08. * Clearer display of historical records on the telemetry tabs for RT, MAX, MIN and WOD. * Bug fixes for Fox-1E decode and display of diagnostic tables, Whole Orbit Data, formatting of telemetry * Ignore extra commas in conversion curve comments * Allow a single spacecraft to be downloaded from the Fox Server, even if FoxTelem stores many spacecraft * Latest Golf-T layouts for development * BPSK CRC checksum calculation for GOLF-T * Another new way to decode and display the mode * More generic tab layouts to allow future expansion through soft coding * Throttle the DDE requests when decoder stopped * Many other bug fixes See the complete list on github here: https://github.com/ac2cz/FoxTelem/issues?q=is%3Aclosed+is%3Aissue+milestone… -- Chris E. Thompson chrisethompson(a)gmail.com g0kla(a)arrl.net

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Fwd: A look at Chang’e 5 telemetry
by Zach Metzinger 04 Dec '20

04 Dec '20

Great analysis of an undocumented downlink from the Chinese moon lander. https://destevez.net/2020/11/a-look-at-change-5-telemetry/ --- Zach N0ZGO

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ARISS News Release No. 20-25
by David Jordan 04 Dec '20

04 Dec '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-25 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact Scheduled for Students at Athlone CommunityCollege, Athlone, Ireland December4, 2020—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received scheduleconfirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the groupthat puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around theglobe 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 AthloneCommunity College, Athlone, Ireland and astronaut Shannon Walker, amateur radiocall sign KD5DXB. Amateur radio station EI1ISS will be the ground station forthis contact. About800 people will be onsite for the event. Students will take turns asking Walker questions and Englishis the language expected to be used during the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is145.800 MHz. The ARISS radio contact isscheduled for December 7, 2020 at 2:50 pm GMT (Athlone), (14:50 UTC, 9:50 am EST,8:50 am CST, 7:50 am MST and 6:50 am PST). The public is invited to watch the livestream at: https://youtu.be/viVQBI4WzKs AthloneCommunity College has 1,200 students, ages 12 to 18, from a diverse range ofbackgrounds, and from both rural and urban areas. Mathematics, science and engineeringsubjects occupy a special place in the school curriculum for both the junior and senior levels, and studentshave enjoyed studying the ISS and space. In preparation for the ARISS contact,teachers have conducted lessons that involve science and physics studies. _____________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. Did you enjoy the launch into space? 2. Tell us somethingabout current experiments on the ISS? 3. What is yourfavourite area in the ISS? 4. What activities doyou do in your spare time? 5. What is the mostinteresting thing you have seen on Earth from the space station? 6. What evidence ofclimate change can you see from space? 7. How many years oftraining does it take to become an astronaut? 8. Where does the ISSget its energy from? 9. What happens ifyou are in a space suit and your nose becomes really itchy? 10. When you returnhome what will you miss most about the ISS? 11. What was the mostdifficult challenge you had to overcome during training? 12. When you firstsaw the earth from space what was your reaction? 13. Has somethinguseful on earth come from space experiments? 14. Are your musclesweak when you return from micro gravity? 15. If there was amanned mission to Mars would you consider going? 16. Will it ever befeasible to travel to another solar system? 17. How do you keepfit with the low gravity in space? 18. Does your senseof taste and smell change in space? 19. While on the ISSare you able to communicate with family? 20. When did youdecide you wanted to become an astronaut - from a young age or did yourinterest develop at a later age? _____________________________ 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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SatPC32 and Yaesu FT-817nd not working properly
by Curt Laumann 03 Dec '20

03 Dec '20

Hi All, I've used SatPC32 with my Icom IC-910H successfully, I tried using SatPC32 with my Yaesu FT-817nd and ran into some problems tonight. I'm seeking setup and troubleshooting help.. *a) Anomalous Behavior of FT-817nd* Frequency does not change to satellite frequencies Frequency stays on 7 MHz On SatPC32 start up, mode on FT-817 changes from LSB to FM (in accordance with AO-27) Radio rapidly switches between VFOa and VFOb a couple times when I select different satellites Correct mode (CW/FM) seems to be chosen. *b) FT-817nd notes* Factory reset performed CAT rate kept at 4800 Split mode is shown when SatPC32 is run I've tried two different FT-817nd's and they both exhibit this anomalous behavior. *c) SatPC32 setup parameters worth mentioning* version 12.8d - fresh installation C+ i CAT control is ON A- automatic satellite chane OFF V- VFO mode OFF ..........<Radio Setup> parameters............ Radio 1 "Yaesu" Model FT-817 Baudrate 4800 (verified same as menu item #14 "CAT RATE" on FT-817nd) COM port - 7 (verified correct with Windows Device Manager. I plugged and unplugged the CAT cable and could see COM7 appear and disappear with the Windows Device Manager) CAT delay 110 no boxes checked: RTS+12, DTS+12, KCT-Tuner, Auto Sat Rx/Tx change, Satellite Mode Radio 2 none *d) Reading the manual* I've read and followed the directions in the SatPC32 manual closely, including the 'Hints for Yaesu radio" file. *e) Communications to Yaesu verified with another program* I verified the computer and CAT cable can communicate with the FT-817nd at least when using CHIRP. I was able to successfully program memory channels in both FT-871nd's.. *QUESTIONS* a) is there a known problem with using this version of SatPC32 with an FT-817nd? b) Any thoughts of additional troubleshooting steps I could take? I suspect I just missed something in the setup manual, but I can't seem to figure out what. Thanks for any help you can provide. Curt / K7ZOO

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ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th
by Paul Stoetzer 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-337 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-337 ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 337.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 2, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-337.01 Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th Virgin Orbit has announced that the launch window for their LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 mission opens on December 19th. This launch will carry AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E to orbit. RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat / Fox-1B, now AMSAT-OSCAR 91, is a partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT and will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new FinFET technology. RadFxSat-2 is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. The RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series but features a linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard FM transponder in Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands are reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J) configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink features a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Telemetry and experiment data can be decoded using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later. FoxTelem is available at https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/. Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks for successful startup and indications of the general health and function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space. AMSAT will send a commemorative 3D printed QSL card to the first station capturing telemetry from RadFxSat-2. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Frequencies: Telemetry Downlink - 435.750 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Uplink - 145.860 MHz - 145.890 MHz Inverting Linear Transponder Downlink - 435.760 MHz - 435.790 MHz [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. 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. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ARISS News Release No. 20-23
by David Jordan 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-23 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact Scheduled for Students at ScuolaSecondaria di I grado “Anna Frank”, Pistoia, Italy December 2, 2020—AmateurRadio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received scheduleconfirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the groupthat puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around theglobe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turnsasking their questions of Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign KI5BKC. The ARISS teamin Casale Monferrato, Italy will use call sign IK1SLD to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. English is the language that will beused for this contact. Thedownlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz. The ARISS radio contact isscheduled for December 4, 2020 at 1:25 pm CET in Pistoia (12:25 UTC, 7:25 am EST, 6:25am CST, 5:25 am MST and 4:25 am PST). Scuola Secondariadi I grado (Anna Frank School) is a public middle school (junior highschool) in Pistoia, Italy. About120 students, ages 13 – 14 years, will be present during the contact, with 20students asking the questions. Students were guided by their STEAM studies todevelop their questions for the contact, and afterwards, to better understand theastronaut’s answers; they will apply the topics in experimental analogies intheir science laboratory classes. Anna Frank school has two science laboratories: one dedicated to chemistry and physics, andanother dedicated to biology and anatomy. _____________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. How do you sleepin space? 2. Is it possible togrow a plant on the ISS? 3. How long does ittake to get to the Space Station? 4. When you are onthe Space Station, do you ever wish to go back home? 5. How fast is thespace station going? 6. What is theinternal temperature of the ISS? 7. How is the feelingof moving from terrestrial gravity to space gravity? 8. Which are theactions to be performed in case of emergency? 9. What are thestrangest sensations you feel when you return to Earth? 10. If you couldbring a loved one on the Space Station, who will you bring with you? 11. How do you feelwhen you take spacewalks? Are you afraid or is it a beautiful feeling? 12. Do you have amedical kit and a physician on board the ISS? 13. What is thetraining astronauts like? Is it hard? 14. Is the food inspace all lyophilized, or is there something in liquid state, apart fromdrinks? 15. What are the mostdifficult and which are the most exciting parts of your jobs? 16. How do you seeARISS and the amateur radio on board the ISS? 17. How many hours doyou work a day and what are you experiencing and studying now? 18. Has the food agood flavor after you add water on it? 19. Have you had anytechnical problems? Which types are the most frequent? 20. Which is theoldest module of the ISS? ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur RadioContinuous Operations on the ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societiesand the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the RadioAmateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), theISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications andNavigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration ofscience, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics byorganizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard theISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators,parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateurradio. 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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ARISS News Release No. 20-24
by David Jordan 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-24 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled for Students at Tecumseh Public Schools District, Tecumseh, Oklahoma, USA December2, 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 Tecumseh High School,Tecumseh, OKand astronautShannon Walker, amateur radio call sign KD5DXB. Bothonsite and remote access will be provided to the student body at the time ofthe contact per Covid-19 guidelines. Amateur radiooperators, using the Tecumseh High School Amateur Radio Club call sign K5THS,will operate the ham radio ground station for this contact. Students will take turns asking Walkertheir questions. The downlink frequency for this contact is145.800 MHz. The ARISS radio contact isscheduled for December 4, 2020 at 12:33 pm CST (Tecumseh), (18:33 UTC, 1:33pm EST, 11:33 am MST and 10:33 am PST). The public is invited to watch the livestream at: mkleine(a)live.comor https://w5nor.org/k5ths/. Tecumseh PublicSchools District (with about 2000 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12thgrades) is a rural school district that includes five grade-level sites andalso the College, Career Readiness and STEAM Center and employs nearly 275teachers and support staff. The District’s high school students and staff inthe STEAM Center’s Electronics and Amateur Radio Class will be the lead hostfor this ARISS contact. Students and staff at all the District’s sites andgrades will have been involved at different learning levels (utilizing various grade-appropriateSTEAM class activities) in preparation for the ARISS contact. In developing theschool’s amateur radio class, the school partnered with the local radio operators of the Pottawatomie County Amateur Radio Club and SouthCanadian Amateur Radio Club who were instrumental in providing equipment,installation, and technical expertise, and who will be on hand during the ARISScontact. Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. If you could go back to high school, what is one thing you would make sure you paid more attention to? 2. What was thescariest part when traveling through the atmosphere? 3. Are you longingfor the day you’ll return to earth or already putting on your brakes so thatyou can stay on the ISS longer? 4. What is one skillthat every astronaut should have before entering the astronaut program? 5. Have you seen anychanges in your circadian rhythms, or those of any plants or animals on boardthe ISS? 6. How does NASAtrain you to deal with zero gravity? 7. How do you getdressed without your clothes floating away? 8. How does NASAprepare you for walking on earth after months of being in space? 9. Is there a sightin space that was breathtaking the first time you saw it, and what was it? 10. If there is asmall space particle that penetrates the ISS, how is that handled? 11. What are some ofyour favorite experiments in which you are involved? 12. How much trainingdo you need before going into space? 13. What happens ifyou become sick on an EVA or inside the ISS? 14. What is the mostchallenging plant to try to grow in space? 15. Does time changein space? 16. How do you sleepin space? 17. How do youmaintain body heat in and out of the ISS? 18. If someone isinjured on the ISS, how do you respond? 19. If afree-floating one-ounce drop of water were to freeze in the ISS, would it berough or smooth in shape? 20. What are some ofthe personal items you brought with you to the ISS? _____________________________ 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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Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC32 - need help with configuration of Doppler.SQX file
by Bill Dzurilla 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

I was just advised that, contrary to the RS-44 line in the JE9PEL file, it should be REV rather than NOR. If so, that would explain a lot. 73, Bill NZ5N On Monday, November 30, 2020, 02:10:53 PM EST, Bill Dzurilla <billdz.geo(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Hello, Does anyone have any tips for proper configuration of the Doppler.SQX file on SatPC32? I'm having a hard time getting it correct for RS-44. I started with the standard line from JE9PEL: RS-44 (DOSAAF-85),435640,145965,USB,LSB,NOR,0,0,SSB When I heard the sat, I started clicking the Uplink Calibration buttons in the CAT Control window until my voice sounded natural. It was pretty far off, something like 8800hz. To save, I clicked on Change/Store Data File and then clicked RX/TX Freq. Data. I thought this was all I needed to do, but on the next pass my TX and RX were again out of sync. On every pass, I need to start over, and each time the uplink frequency is several thousand hertz off. My current line is: RS-44 (DOSAAF-85),435631.85,145970.86,USB,LSB,NOR,0,0,SSB What am I doing wrong? Thanks and 73, Bill NZ5N

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC32 - need help with configuration of Doppler.SQF file
by Mineo Wakita 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

I corrected it from NOR to REV for CAS-4A, CAS-4B, and RS-44. If it still have a mistake in the file, please let me know. http://dl.dropbox.com/s/inq5d3pkh3ojhs8/NewDoppler.zip by DK1TB / Modified Doppler.SQF JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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Need help on BY70-2 RX with M6SIG distro
by Vincenzo Mone 02 Dec '20

02 Dec '20

Hello all, I am looking for help on how to receive the BY70-2 with the M6SIG Linux distro. I cannot get correctly the data transferred i the Proxy. I got the gr-lilacsat with the command: git clone https://github.com/bg2bhc/gr-lilacsat gr-lilacsat-master. Set all how it says in the read me.md file but no luck. I am noticing Thani see the signal in the FCDPP flowgraph ( I am using a Funcube Dongle Pro Plus to RX ) but I do not get the constellation in the BY70-2 demod flowgraph and in the meantime nothing in the Proxy window. I have the same results also with good signals and with higher passes of the satellite. Please anybody can tell me where am I missing? Anybody can help me to solve the problem? Thanks in advance who will help me 73's de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ******************************************* ******* GSM +39 328 7110193 ******* ****** SMS +39 328 7110193 ******* ********************************************

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