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

Re: [amsat-bb] AO-7 notes
by Andrew Glasbrenner 18 Sep '20

18 Sep '20

Low enough that the passband doesn't bounce up and down with each character or syllable, or when there is a minimal amount of frequency distortion on ssb. Some days that’s more or less than other days. Antenna gain also is part of the equation. I said power, I should have said ERP. 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Steve Kristoff via AMSAT-BB Sent: Friday, September 18, 2020 7:26 PM To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-7 notes Drew, what counts as "low-power" for AO-7? Steve AI9IN ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew Glasbrenner via AMSAT-BB (amsat-bb(a)amsat.org) Date: 09/18/20 18:59 To: AMSAT BB (amsat-bb(a)amsat.org) Cc: ans-editor(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-7 notes All, AO-7 is approaching a return to full illumination, sometime around September 25. This period will last until approximately December 26. During this time, it is likely AO-7 will switch between Modes A and B (2m/10m, and 70cm/2m) every 24 hours. Get those 10m antennas ready to enjoy mode A every other day. On another note, here's a reminder and request to remember to keep the power down. Recently, I've observed sometimes several different stations, usually in the middle of the passband, ditting away on CW in an attempt to find themselves. This often bounces the entire passband up and down, and sometimes causes the transponder to reset ("flip") to Mode A. Try to find yourself with very low power, or on SSB, or best, with full Doppler control, and the other users will thank you. If you have to use high power to find yourself, your receive antenna and system probably needs improvement. SSB users should also watch their uplink power carefully. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Ops _______________________________________________ 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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AO-7 notes
by Andrew Glasbrenner 18 Sep '20

18 Sep '20

All, AO-7 is approaching a return to full illumination, sometime around September 25. This period will last until approximately December 26. During this time, it is likely AO-7 will switch between Modes A and B (2m/10m, and 70cm/2m) every 24 hours. Get those 10m antennas ready to enjoy mode A every other day. On another note, here's a reminder and request to remember to keep the power down. Recently, I've observed sometimes several different stations, usually in the middle of the passband, ditting away on CW in an attempt to find themselves. This often bounces the entire passband up and down, and sometimes causes the transponder to reset ("flip") to Mode A. Try to find yourself with very low power, or on SSB, or best, with full Doppler control, and the other users will thank you. If you have to use high power to find yourself, your receive antenna and system probably needs improvement. SSB users should also watch their uplink power carefully. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Ops

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Re: [amsat-bb] Gpredict "Transponder" database update for ISS?
by Roy Dean 18 Sep '20

18 Sep '20

It should be there. I updated transponders about a day after the repeater went online (I was the one who added the transmitter via SatNogs transmitter submittal). It's listed as "Mode V/U FM - Voice Repeater", and should be the last one listed. --Roy K3RLD > Hi folks, > > Does anyone know if there is a way to update Gpredict's "Transponder" > database for the new ISS cross-band repeater? The program can download > a JSON blobby-thing from the Internet with all the transponders > included, but the Mode V/U FM Voice information for the ISS is for the > old radio (145.800 up, instead of 145.990). > > I can temporarily override the setting in the Radio Control screen, but > it reverts back to the un-altered information from time to time, which > is rather annoying. > > Thanks, > > Greg KO6TH > >

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Gpredict "Transponder" database update for ISS?
by Greg D 18 Sep '20

18 Sep '20

Hi folks, Does anyone know if there is a way to update Gpredict's "Transponder" database for the new ISS cross-band repeater? The program can download a JSON blobby-thing from the Internet with all the transponders included, but the Mode V/U FM Voice information for the ISS is for the old radio (145.800 up, instead of 145.990). I can temporarily override the setting in the Radio Control screen, but it reverts back to the un-altered information from time to time, which is rather annoying. Thanks, Greg KO6TH

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-09-18 17:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 18 Sep '20

18 Sep '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-09-18 17:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Avellaneda Ikastetxea, Sodupe, Spain, telebridge via ZS6JON The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact was successful: Fri 2020-09-18 12:56:34 UTC 65 deg (***) Watch for live stream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMDcOZOF2FE&feature=youtu.be ************************************************************************************************************* 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 2020-09-18 17:30 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 2020-09-18 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 ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. 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 135 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 1399. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1332. (***) 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] Election
by Brennan Price 18 Sep '20

18 Sep '20

Peter Prendergast wrote: > Are the results out yet? 1,233 envelopes were returned, of which 1,231 could be associated with a unique member. As the local public health situation makes a traditionally tellered count infeasible, I have invited candidates, directors, officers, and a few people local to Northern Virginia who I had planned to invite as tellers to observe my handling of the ballots through a Zoom session I've set up (to the extent my webcam permits--I try to set up to give a good view). The handling involves opening each envelope face down, removing the ballot from the face-down envelope and putting it into a receptacle, and tallying the ballots after all of them within the batch have been placed into the receptacle, meeting the bylaws requirement for a secret ballot. I have conducted two sessions thus far (Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening). I believe I will be able to finish in one more session. Invited folks from across and without the generally perceived ideological divide have observed one or both sessions in whole and in part, and I appreciate their investment of time to give the confidence that observing the process imparts. The bylaws require an announcement as soon as practicable, and in no event later than September 30. This standard will be met. 73, Brennan Price, N4QX Secretary Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation

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Rocket Lab launch from Wallops Island getting close
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 17 Sep '20

17 Sep '20

See: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/updates/rocket-lab-completes-final-dr… 73, Terry Osborne ZL2BAC

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AMSAT-BB hacked???
by Joe Leikhim 16 Sep '20

16 Sep '20

I just got three strange messages , one with an attachment, from sender: AMSAT-BB <erkan(a)vanessatur.com.tr> The subject line was something I started last month. The word "virus" appended to subject line on two of these by AVG. -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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Election
by Pgprendergast 16 Sep '20

16 Sep '20

Are the results out yet? Peter Sent from my iPhone

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Kenpro Rotary motor
by Andy Brian 16 Sep '20

16 Sep '20

Hi, Anyone have the good information where to buy or find the substitute for azimuth rotary KR-5600? thanks for any information BR Andy

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JO-97 TLM Uploads?
by Hasan N0AN 16 Sep '20

16 Sep '20

My count hasn't changed in at least several days on the uk-site. Am I doing something wrong? I haven't knowingly changed any settings in the dashboard.. The dashboard is decoding and says it's uploading, but the count at http://data.amsat-uk.org/ranking Isn't changing for my callsign. Ideas? Maybe I missed something in a message on the list. Been very busy. AO-73 and EO-88 are showing up fine for my uploads. 73, N0AN Hasan

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AO-92
by Roy Dean 15 Sep '20

15 Sep '20

I can find no information about AO-92 going silent recently. Was it commanded into a silent state (as AO-85 was shortly before it went silent permanently)? --Roy K3RLD

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ARISS News Release No. 20-16
by David Jordan 15 Sep '20

15 Sep '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-16 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISS Contact Scheduled for Students at Avellaneda Ikastetxea, Sodupe, Spain September 15, 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 ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call sign KF5KDR. John Sygo, amateurradio call sign ZS6JON in Paardekraal, South Africa will serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. The ARISS radio contact isscheduled for September 18, 2020 at 2:56 pm CEST (Sodupe), (12:56UTC, 08:56 am EDT, 07:56 am CDT, 06:56 am MDT and 05:56 am PDT). The public is invited to watch the livestream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMDcOZOF2FE&feature=youtu.be The school, Avellaneda Ikastetxea (with about 650students), is in the small town of Sodupe in northern Spain. The school coordinatedwith 15 other schools on STEM-based curriculum that includes a STEM mentoringprogram with Deusto University. First through sixth grade studentswill participate in the ARISS contact, and have and will prepare for thecontact during STEM sessions with learning objectives that include space,gravity, matter, energy and other related topics. _____________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. What did you wantto be when you were young? 2. What made youthink that you wanted to be an astronaut? Was it your dream? 3. How long does ittake from the Earth to Space? 4. How do you feelwhen you leave the Earth? 5. When you are inspace, what do you carry with you in the rocket? What things do you need? 6. How much time doyou spend in space before returning to Earth? 7. What is concretelythe objective of your mission? 8. If you are ill,who can help you? 9. Is the space suitcomfortable? 10. How do you cookin space? 11. What type of fooddo you eat? Do you like it? 12. What is the firstthing you'll do when you get back? 13. What do you do inyour free time? 14. Is therepollution in space? 15. How manyastronauts are there in your space-station? 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 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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AO-92
by kb2mjeff＠att.net 14 Sep '20

14 Sep '20

I second this. L/V mode would certainly beat the batteries up much less due to the lighter traffic load. I agree with Dave, there are plenty of U/V passes... 73 Jeff kb2m -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Andrew Glasbrenner via AMSAT-BB Sent: Monday, September 14, 2020 7:08 PM To: 'David Worboys' <kg4zlb(a)icloud.com> Cc: 'AMSAT BB' <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 Certainly to be considered... 73, Drew KO4MA -----Original Message----- From: David Worboys <kg4zlb(a)icloud.com> Sent: Monday, September 14, 2020 6:40 PM To: Andrew Glasbrenner <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 Drew, would it be possible that if you are able command it back on an ad-hoc basis it could be commanded into L/V mode for those sessions? There are plenty of U/V opportunities up there for anyone already. Thanks David KG4ZLB On Sep 14, 2020, at 6:12 PM, Andrew Glasbrenner via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: I've mostly been posting about it on Twitter. AO-92 has a cell that's failing, and towards the end of many eclipses it goes into auto-safe mode at 3.6v. If the battery drops low enough the IHU resets, and it comes back up in normal safe mode. Mark and I have been commanding to repeater mode on the first available pass after the resets, but it's not a long term sustainable answer. Last night Mark commanded the transmitter completely off while we consider a plan of action. Leaving autosafe on and the tx off, we may be able to turn the repeater on ad-hoc for weekends or such, completely dependent on command station availability. Turning autosafe and the IHU off like we did with AO-85 will kill the satellite pretty quickly, so that's not a good response either. So, we'll look at resets and battery states before this weekend and see where we stand. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations

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FS: Pac-Comm PSK-1 Packer Controller
by Paul F. Merrill 14 Sep '20

14 Sep '20

Any interest from anyone here before I put this out to the larger World? TNX, Paul / W7IV

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Route 66 On The Air
by Scott Davis 14 Sep '20

14 Sep '20

I will be on the air as W6H occasionally until this Sunday, 20-Sep, as New Mexico’s satellite representative in the "Route 66 On The Air" special event. For general info visit http://w6jbt.org/?page_id=19 . QSL via K8TE. Our coordinator is working on getting a certificate for LoTW, but it's not up yet. Besides, the paper cards are nice-looking. Christy, KB6LTY, is also on sats as W6D from San Bernardino County -- you remember the old song "...Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino!" We worked each other this afternoon on PO-101. -Scott K5TA DM65 Albuquerque.

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Re: [amsat-bb] Amazon donations
by jim＠k6ccc.org 14 Sep '20

14 Sep '20

Bruce said: > If you use the app, you can set it up for smile. If you use a web browser be sure to always goto smile.amazon.com I normally use a browser, but I do have the Amazon app on my phone. Note that it is rather hidden on the app. On the app, press the three horizontal bars in the upper left corner for the main menu. Then under "Programs and Features", select "See All Programs". Then scroll down to "AmazonSmile" (not in alphabetical order). 73 ----- Jim Walls - K6CCC jim(a)k6ccc.org

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Amazon donations
by Francis Geraci 14 Sep '20

14 Sep '20

I just got an Email from AmazonSmile. $5,660.00 was donated to Amsat. All you Amazon buyers, use "Amazonsmile" when buying, and donate to Amsat. IMHO W1FXX

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New LOTW ADIF File Generator
by Wes Baden 14 Sep '20

14 Sep '20

I didn't mean for my original post to kick up any dust. In hindsight, it was a classic "Who Moved My Cheese?" moment. Train a mouse to move through a maze to find cheese, then move the position of the cheese, and the mouse will become disoriented and panic at first. In my case, I should have played with the new system for a while before posting. Many thanks to those who passed on information about navigating the ADIF file generator now. Using TAB rather than ENTER, as I did previously, gets me down from one entry line to another (ENTER no longer does, at least on my PC). Also, the elimination of "Phone," replaced by a number of voice modes, really does make a lot of sense. I miss what are probably the most common linear satellite modes, CW and now SSB, being at the top of the Mode list, but as someone pointed out, they are findable fairly quickly by typing in "C" or "S" first. I have no trouble using LOTW at this point (I really need to get a logging program, though!), and my CW and SSB contacts are matching on LOTW just as they should be. I appreciate the coders' ongoing efforts to tweak LOTW and made it better over time. In the future, I just need to remember not to panic when the cheese gets moved once again. 73, Wes NA1ME

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New version of LOTW
by Wes Baden 13 Sep '20

13 Sep '20

Anyone else not pleased with the new version "improving" LOTW, at least as it involves SAT contacts? Can we get ARRL to undo some things? At least on my computer, you no longer can press the Enter key to go down entry fields one after another. It's a much slower process now. Also, the two most common modes that we've been using on LOTW, CW and VOICE, are no longer first in line, where an expanded list of modes is alphabetized. This also slows down entries. Worse yet, VOICE is no longer a listed mode at all. It's been replaced by SSB, LSB and USB. I could be wrong, but isn't this in particular going to make QSO matching more difficult? Should SAT ops simply enter SSB, or should it be USB (the output of satellites) or LSB (our input to them)? In sum, the whole process is now slower with multiple opportunities for matching errors and contacts not being confirmed. Ugh. Wes NA1ME

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Oops, It's "Phone" They Removed
by Wes Baden 13 Sep '20

13 Sep '20

Way too early in the morning and without coffee when I sent that post about changes in LOTW. It's PHONE they removed, which used to appear immediately after CW in the first two Mode field options. For linear SAT users, the previous PHONE choice is now replaced by LSB, SSB and USB. Pick one now and hope the operator you've contacted picks the same one, for a match. Or should the new standard, for us, simply be SSB? Wes NA1ME

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1.2G on LEO Pack
by Jeff Davis 12 Sep '20

12 Sep '20

Looking for links to photos of 1.2G antenna installed on the same boom as a LEO Pack. Thanks! 73 Jeff KE9V

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-09-12 20:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 12 Sep '20

12 Sep '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-09-12 20:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Avellaneda Ikastetxea, Sodupe, Spain, telebridge via ZS6JON The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Fri 2020-09-18 12:56:34 UTC 65 deg Watch for live stream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMDcOZOF2FE&feature=youtu.be (***) ************************************************************************************************************* 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 2020-09-12 20:00 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 2020-09-10 14:00 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. 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 135 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 1398. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1331. 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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AMSAT D-Star talkgroups
by Keith E. Brandt, WD9GET 12 Sep '20

12 Sep '20

I'm having trouble with the AMSAT D-Star reflectors. I can hear traffic with no difficulty, but I am not heard when I transmit. Other reflectors work fine (30C, 1C, 4B, etc). I've tried the various alternative reflectors that are hooked together (DCS, XLX, XRF systems using reflectors 28C, SAT, and SIN). When I transmit, the Pi-Star shows me getting into the hotspot and it shows the reflector connected. The gateway pages for the reflectors sometimes show me connected, sometimes they don't. My hotspot is a RPi 3 running Pi-Star 4.1.2 with a DVMega board (firmware 3.26) -- both the newest versions I've tried accessing the hotspot with both my TH-D74A and Icom ID-51A I use the Pi-Star interface to change reflectors I can use the AMSAT reflectors from my Windows computer with an AMBE stick and BlueDV If anyone has any insights as to why my transmissions aren't getting to the system I'd appreciate advice. Keith WD9GET

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Re: [amsat-bb] ORI receives half million dollar grant, and, it's only the first.
by Daniel Schultz 11 Sep '20

11 Sep '20

Going Open Source is the second thing that AMSAT needs to do. The first thing is to learn how to govern the organization in an adult manner without all the petty bickering and name calling of the past couple of months, no matter which group wins the BOD election in a few days. The more I learn about the secondary launch market as it exists today, the more I must conclude that the only way that we will get a launch to HEO for a satellite large enough to serve our needs will be to buy it on the commercial launch market, and we are talking millions of dollars for that. Since we have no generous Arab royalty on this side of the pond, it did not look very hopeful that some rich benefactor would come to our aid. It still might be too big of an ask, but the days of free satellite launches as "ballast" are far behind us and we better learn to adapt to that reality. Dan Schultz N8FGV ----------------------------- Michael, W4HIJ, wrote: It appears there are resources out there if AMSAT is willing to do what's necessary to have access to them. I guess the question is what's that involve? Is it simply just going open source or is there more to it than that? Are there other stumbling blocks that they wouldn't be comfortable with for some reason?

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