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

AMSAT Slack Channel for Pass Management / Elmer / Kooks
by Dwayne Sinclair 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

How about we establish an official AMSAT Slack channel for satellite pass management? NetLogger is a great tool for managing nets but since passes are reatime, Slack may be more appropriate? I’m open to any other tool but some coordination may help us address the concerns that are being raised. Regards Dwayne NA6US

1 0

Poor Opertors
by Brad Smith 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

< As another op said to them once on the air "you want my gird say my call" > Casey, sometimes we can't get the call when we are standing there doing three things. If I know the rover's call, I say it. Otherwise "Gridline station, KC9UQR" is what I say. It's that or loose the opportunity all together. You have to consider the equipment that people have and the noisyness of the bird and the fact that we are lucky to get in at all. This having been said, a lot of satellite hams have been very accommodating with people getting cut off, or stepped on while talking to them. When that happens and I email them, most will say that they heard me and we have a contact. (The QSL was cut off for instance.) That is very appreciated by us portable guys. Some will still say that there was no QSL and therefore no contact. Times have changed, guys. I love being portable and handheld, even with it's limitations. Thank you for roving and consideration. It is greatly appreciated. Brad KC9UQR

1 0

QRP Days for FM Birds?
by Hasan al-Basri 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

Why Not? I remember in "the old days" of Sat ops we used to have exactly that. A 24 hour period where EIRP was limited. It was once a week on the same day. It started UTC 0000 and ran for 24 hours. Then the normal free-for-all resumed. People, in those days, had enough self-respect and restraint to actually observe the QRP Day. It was the "honor" system. But it did allow a lot of marginally equipped stations to make a lot of satellite qsos. Even as recently as two years ago, I can remember standing next to my EggBeaters (7' off the ground), with a piece of coax going from my 5W H/T to the duplexer and up to the eggbeaters. I was able to make a qso then. Now, in most cases, it would be futile. I don't know if something like this could be organized for the FM birds, but if so, *it would need backing and publicizing by AMSAT*. It would be wonderful to hear people easily using the bird for even a few hours running nothing but an HT at 2.5 watts output and a hand held Arrow (or the equivalent of that say 10 watts to a simple 1/4w vertical) If we assume the handheld yagis have 10 dBi gain on 70cm, then the EIRP would be 25 watts. For home stations, the same idea. No more than 25 watts Effective Radiated Power (RF Output + Antenna Gain - Feedline Loss) A simple 1/4 wave vertical might be 2 dBi, so 10w would be in the ballpark. The goal would be to keep uplink power limited to 25 watts effective radiated power. QRP day could be a celebration of sorts, if it became popular ...there would be a sort of peer prestige thing take place, as opposed to worshiping the mighty grid. A grass roots approach won't work. It has to be led by people with some standing and credibility, and for AO-91 and AO-92 it would have to be AMSAT. It would require some real effort on their part, not just a by-line in the weekly news. Once it took hold, some self policing could probably keep it going. Just and idea for the FM birds. It might be fun. It might give more rovers and portable Ops a chance. The linear birds don't need it, as the strength of the user downlink signal is to be kept to no stronger than the CW beacon and we can easily identify the offenders. 73, N0AN Hasan

2 1

We Need FM Birds
by Brad Smith 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

<Hopefully, AMSAT and other entities will continue to make available FM satellites as well as more SSB satellites and APRS satellites, so everyone who wants to participate will have that opportunity.Steve AI9IN> I echo what Steve said. Those of us who love to rove and work outdoors enjoy the FM birds. We may not have the huge, rotatable and elevating, computer controlled antenna system, connected to a 9700 in a permanent shack, with SDR and thus to some hams may be just "little people," but we have fun with the FM birds. When it ceases to become fun, I get another hobby. I am a minimalist and love working portable, with an D72 or other smaller radio. I do not understand why any manufacturer would have made a radio that put out 75-100 watts in FM satellite mode. I have worked the birds since 2013, both linear and FM. The FM birds are just plain FUN and can get a person a lot of new grids, which is fun too. Please, guys, keep your power down, so we portables can have a chance to get in and mostly, give us a space to get in. Brad KC9UQR

4 3

FM birds
by Russ Kinner 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I have just gotten back into satellites and eventually will go full tilt with PC control and an all mode rig but for the moment the cost factor needs to be addressed (I've just retired so I have the time but limited funds). I have still worked 34 grids and as far away as EL97 from DM33 in 6 weeks of on air time with only FM. Sure, I've heard the occasional Lid and one guy who seems to go key down and never say a word on AO-92 on the late evening pass but guys work thru the best and worst of it. That is part of the challenge. I'm sure I've caused a bit of QRM getting started and not hearing the output but there are good mentors that do help with the new guys. SSB is coming and all the additional requirements it takes but without the FM birds, I doubt I'd have ventured into Satellites at all. Rusty, WA8ZID

1 0

ANS-079 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
by Frank Karnauskas 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-079 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: * AMSAT President Urges Members to Renew/Donate Now SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-079 ANS-079 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 079.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 19, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-079.01 AMSAT President Urges Members to Renew/Donate Now AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG has put out a call for new and renewing AMSAT members to act now and register online. Coleman says, "All things considered, cancellation of Hamvention 2020 was the right thing to do and we recognize the difficult decision that the Dayton Amateur Radio Association Executive Committee had to make. "The cancellation of Hamvention will have a dramatic effect on the well-being of many vendors and associations that serve the Amateur Radio community. AMSAT is no exception. Hamvention has always been a major fund-raising tool for both recruiting and renewing members as well as selling AMSAT branded merchandise, software, books and antennas. The loss of this important venue has the potential to adversely affect the projects that AMSAT has underway already and planned for the months and years ahead. "This is a very exciting time for Amateur Radio in Space with the new Interoperable Radio System for ARISS, the GOLF satellite program, updating member services and launching our Youth Initiative. It has been many years since we have seen this kind of excitement and interest in space communications. We would hate to lose that momentum and fall behind. "I am asking everyone to act now and join or renew their AMSAT membership NOW while it is on our minds. Your immediate willingness to act will help strengthen AMSAT and help ensure our mission of 'Keeping Amateur Radio in Space'. There are membership opportunities for everyone to consider: - Basic Membership from $44 - Student Membership from $22 - Additional Household Memberships from $22 - School and Club Memberships from $80 - QRO Membership from $80 - Lifetime Membership $880 (or only $74/mo. For twelve months)" Coleman also adds, "And, while you're at it, don't be afraid to kick in a few extra dollars with a one-time or sustaining donation to AMSAT's general operating fund. Especially appreciated are those Amateurs who can make an extra difference by contributing to the President's Club with contributions of $120 or more. Whatever you can contribute, please understand that every dollar counts. "Additionally, with Hamvention's cancellation, we lost the opportunity to personally greet and thank all of AMSAT's membership and to share our enthusiasm for the upcoming year. Watch for upcoming news on our plans and launches for 2020. We'll be talking soon." [ANS thanks Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, AMSAT President for the above information] +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Memberships, both new and renewals, as well as can be made at: https://www.amsat.org/shop For a limited time, AMSAT is making the "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store! Make your online donations at: https://www.amsat.org/donate +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ /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 additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73 and Remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-19 15:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-19 15:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: 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 was successful: Thu 2020-03-19 08:59:54 UTC 37 deg (***) In an ARISS first due to COVID-19, all of the questions were pre-recorded by the students and no students were on site during the contact. (***) SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ??? (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tue 2020-03-31 08:50 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 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 2020-03-19 15:30 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 2020-03-19 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 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 1387. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1320. (***) 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

1 0

May 1st - New Online AMSAT Member Management Portal
by Robert Bankston 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I wanted to give AMSAT members a heads up that, on May 1st, we go live with AMSAT's new online member management portal. This will put you in charge of your membership account and allow you to make real-time updates. Full instructions on how to get signed up and logged in will appear in the March/April issue of The AMSAT Journal. We hope you are as excited as we are. 73, Robert Bankston, KE4AL Vice-President, User Services Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)

1 0

SO-50 question
by Bob Hammond 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I worked several operators last night on SO-50 at about 0115 UT and then......pffft. I couldn't get into the satellite at all after it passed overhead and to the SE. Does SO-50 shut down if there's too much use? I was hoping to work the young woman who kept calling me but she was having trouble or getting stepped on or whatever. She'd get out "W7O...." and then nothing. Just curious, Bob W7OTJ

4 6

Rude Operator, part deux
by Bob Keating 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I'm sure those of you that were on the SO-50 pass this morning at 16:38 utc heard that rude operator who repeatedly threw out his call sign and called "CQ satellite". He was stomping over everyone and apparently didn't hear those of us who responded to his call, myself and Doug N6UA had responded to him among others .My thought was this is a "newbie" that has never worked the birds before, so I figured I would look him up on QRZ and send him a friendly email offering some help and suggestions. Low and behold this guy's QRZ page is papered with scads of award certificates including, get this, a VUCC satellite award! You'd think he'd know better! I did kindly offer some suggestions and help including not calling "CQ satellite" and referred him to AMSAT's web site. In addition, he was keeping operators from a QSO with N6UA who is roving right now. I don't know if he was operating full duplex or maybe he didn't have his downlink frequency correct. Regardless, his signal was so strong and overpowering, i sincerely question if he was putting out just 5 watts. We had a much better pass on AO-91 at 19:07. 73, Bob N6REK

3 2