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

Upcoming ARISS contact with Australian Air League - South Australia Wing, Parafield, South Australia, Australia
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 12 Mar '20

12 Mar '20

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Australian Air League - South Australia Wing, Parafield, South Australia, Australia on 13 March. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:56 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact should be audible over the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Story: The Australian Air League (AAL) is a volunteer youth organisation focused at supporting and encouraging young people's interest in aerospace. The Air League was formed on 18th July 1934 becoming known as the 'primary school of aviation'. The AAL provides a comprehensive educational program for its cadets which is based on theory instruction as well as practical experience. The AAL is a uniformed organisation and proud of its history and traditions. The AAL educational program is aerospace focused and extends to the Diploma level. Practical experience includes flying experience and training in gliders and powered aircraft. A number of former AAL cadets have progressed into the aerospace sector as pilots, technicians, scientists and academics. The AAL comprises approximately 1300 cadets in Australia. The SA Wing comprises approximately 100 cadets and arranged into three Squadrons. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. With all the training you did before going to space which part was most useful? 2. Would the space station be able to support marine life? 3. What would you like to achieve that you have not yet achieved? 4. What do you do in your spare time on the space station? 5. What jobs do you have to do on the space station? 6. Is it true that due to the lack of gravity, an astronaut's sleep pattern changes and you don't need as much sleep? 7. How long does it take to get to the space station? 8. Do your emotions change in space? 9. How do you entertain yourself on the space station? 10. If you could take any souvenir down from the station what would it be? 11. What is the coolest or weirdest thing you have seen while on the station? 12. What time zone do you use in space? 13. If you could have something delivered from earth what would it be? 14. Do your muscles stop working because you don't use them in zero gravity? 15. How do you find direction in space if the compass is based on north and south on earth? 16. What is the most interesting science experiment that you have done in space and what did you learn from it? 17. What inspired you to want to live on the space station? 18. How do obtain a straight flight path? 19. How does the underwater training in the pools compare with really living in space? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey, telebridge via W5RRR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for Option #4: Thu 2020-03-19 08:59:54 UTC 37 deg 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 (STEM) 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. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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EM87 | 3/19-24
by Michael Whitman 12 Mar '20

12 Mar '20

Grid chasers, I’m making another multi-day trek to the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky (EM87) March 19-24, 2020. This trip will include a SOTA activation of W4K/EC-184 Pilot’s Knob. Please watch my Twitter feed for pass information: www.twitter.com/mwimages <http://www.twitter.com/mwimages> EU ops - this will be my first linear-ready trip to this grid and I’ll post specific AO-7 passes for you. Western US ops - While this is rugged terrain, I’ll have very good Western aspects, specifically in the afternoon passes of FM/SSB birds. 73, Michael, N4DCW -- Michael Whitman michael(a)n4dcw.com Home Grid: EM78

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 77
by Dwayne Sinclair 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

Sounds like we need to add an external pad to the transmit path on high power transceivers such as the 9700? to provide more granular power control. Maybe a software tweak needed? Dwayne NA6US > For those IC-9700 operators, I highly suggest that you? keep the Multi-Knob > focussed on RF power and adjust as required.? This will of course limit > your ability to use the RIT since it is hard to use both at the same time. > > It is unfortunate that I can't seem to use the waterfall on the IC-9700 to > also see the beacon in the panadapter.? It isn't a 'width' issue but a gain > issue.? ? I already have my REF set to +12db. > > I'm always open to suggestions. > > Mike va3mw

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Operating Instructions manual for PacComm PSK-1 Packet Satellite Modem
by niederwil1388＠gmail.com 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

I have one original "Operating Instructions" manual for the PacComm PSK-1 Packet Satellite Modem. It's in excellent condition. If you want it, please email me and you can have it for the cost of postage. 73, Ron VA7VW

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AO-92 L-Band Schedule Poll
by Paul Stoetzer 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

In September, weekly L-Band operation on AO-92 moved from Sunday UTC to Wednesday UTC. We have posted polls on our Twitter account and Facebook group to get a sense of the membership's opinion regarding the schedule preference. Along with command station availability, these polls will inform AMSAT Operations regarding the L-band schedule. The Twitter poll can be found at: https://twitter.com/AMSAT/status/1237806162197741570 The Facebook group poll can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AMSATNA/permalink/1230503697138239/ Results will be finalized on Friday. AMSAT Operations will advise on the future scheduling plans afterwards. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Executive Vice President Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-11 18:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-11 18:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Australian Air League - South Australia Wing, Parafield, South Australia, Australia. telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-13 08:56:53 UTC 32 deg Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey, telebridge via W5RRR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for Option #4: Thu 2020-03-19 08:59:54 UTC 37 deg 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) 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 2020-03-11 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 2020-03-03 17:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 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 is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 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 proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.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. More Information For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 133 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 1385. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1318. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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New operator on uplink power
by Michael Walker 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

I want to share something for those new operators. Old farts can jump in with 'I told you so!' LOL I know this has been stressed before, but I wanted to share an uplink power experience. I am using a 7 Element Quad on UHF. There are times that I have to dial down the UHF uplink power on the IC-9700 to 1% and even then I think that is too much signal. Case in point was this morning working CAS-4A. For those IC-9700 operators, I highly suggest that you keep the Multi-Knob focussed on RF power and adjust as required. This will of course limit your ability to use the RIT since it is hard to use both at the same time. It is unfortunate that I can't seem to use the waterfall on the IC-9700 to also see the beacon in the panadapter. It isn't a 'width' issue but a gain issue. I already have my REF set to +12db. I'm always open to suggestions. Mike va3mw

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Operating Instructions manual for PacComm PSK-1 Packet Satellite Modem
by niederwil1388＠gmail.com 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

I have one original "Operating Instructions" manual for the PacComm PSK-1 Packet Satellite Modem. It's in excellent condition. If you want it, please email me and you can have it for the cost of postage. 73, Ron VA7VW

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AO-92 L/v at 0143 11 March 2020 for 24 hrs
by Mark L. Hammond 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

Happy L-band! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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No Attachments
by Robert Bankston 10 Mar '20

10 Mar '20

Just a reminder that AMSAT-BB is a text-based mailing system. You cannot include pictures or any other attachments with your posts. When you attach an image, your post ends up in our spam/reject file. A moderator must then go in and manually reject your post, thus, delaying delivery of your message. Apologies for the inconvenience. 73, Robert Bankston, KE4ALVice-President, User ServicesRadio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)

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