October 2021 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

BCON button, TH72A
by Philip Jenkins 19 Oct '21

19 Oct '21

Had some glitches with my 72A, so I did a hard reset on the unit. Now, when pressing the BCON button on the keypad, BCON does not appear on the display screen. I've gone through the set-up for adding callsign, date/time, etc, but still no luck in enabling the BCON icon. (Unit receives APRS just fine.) Am I overlooking something simple? Thank you Philip N4HF

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Latest changes to ARISS Ops for selected pages as of 2021-10-19 at 02:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 19 Oct '21

19 Oct '21

Latest changes to ARISS Ops for selected pages as of 2021-10-19 at 02:00 UTC. Not all are listed but these are the ones that tend to change often. Index as of 2021-10-19 at 02:00 UTC Scheduled events and school contacts as of 2021-10-19 at 02:00 UTC Completed events and school contacts as of 2021-10-18 at 15:30 UTC Schools waiting as 2021-10-12 at 02:30 UTC Archived Schools as of 2021-10-06 at 19:30 UTC Failed Schools as of 2021-08-03 at 16:00 UTC Frequencies as of 2021-05-18 02:00 UTC Contact information as of 2019-04-05 19:00 UTC Reference material for public use as of 2021-10-18 15:30 UTC Reference material for private use as of 2021-05-18 02:00 UTC Presentations as of 2020-10-22 03:00 UTC List of weekly ARISS mentor telecon participants. Now includes list of US ARISS Educational Ambassadors (AEA) as of 2020-02-09 21:00 UTC Reminder: The weekly ARISS mentor telecon is at 21:00 UTC on Wednesdays (see note below). Note: Week 4: Revised the available options due to the unavailability of VK6MJ for South Yarra Primary School, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia, 2021-07-20, telebridge via TBD Week 7: Uploaded questions and story for Wolfgang-Kubelka-Realschule (WKR), Schondorf am Ammersee, Germany, telebridge via TBD via TEAMS or Zoom New Kep set available Equipment plans are due 2021-07-31 for first half 2022 schools If your school is going to do a live stream, then make sure I receive the entire URL for the contact. That means I want the URL for even the ARISS YouTube produced contacts. I am not going to attempt to remember what URL was used last. Things tend to change on the fly around here and since I am not in on every email or voice conversation where something might get changed, I need to get whatever URL is going to be used. I don’t care if the URL has been used for the 1000th time, just pass along what is going to be used. Then I do not have to guess. If there is going to be a change in the URL, then please tell me if it is replacing an existing link or if it is in addition to an existing link. I can’t guess at what you are doing, so you have to tell me. Several things for you to tell the schools when it is time to get the story and questions. You would not believe the amount of time I have had to do at times because some school did not follow some pretty simple rules on how I want to see the story and questions. We have a specific format that is used for the uplink files that is based on crew comments and ARISS review. So please make sure your school does it correctly in the first place. Otherwise, I may send it back for either the mentor to fix (and see what I have to go through sometimes) or send it back to the school to fix. This also means that the mentor should actually look at what a school sent them before sending something to me rather than just forwarding on a file to me. 1. File name. Plain old simple text (TXT) works best. But if you have a story or questions that are using something like French, where there are lot of accent marks for the letters; please also send me an RTF file. I can handle just about any file format, but TXT and RTF are pretty universal in nature. Languages like Russian or Japanese might not lend themselves very well to using a TXT file, so also send me an RTF. I will figure out what actually works best for the uplink. 2. Turn off all the automatic formatting stuff. The means Bullet Library=None, Numbering Library=None, List Library=None. Also, never use tabs. Different programs pick up the tab locations differently and can cause all sorts of issues. 3. Use Align Left. 4. Turn off the idea of forcing carrier returns to just keep the maximum line length to something like 80 characters. I remove all of those and let it wrap to the next line. 5. Do not capitalize the student names. I know that is what is done in some countries, but I end up changing that to have just the first letter capitalized. 6. The formatting for the questions is to be this: SequenceNumber. FirstName (age or grade): Question? Note the use of ( ) and the colon after the ). Note that there is a period after the SequenceNumber, then a space before the name. I usually put in 2 spaces after the colon. If you have 2 or more students with the same first name, then give me the last name or the last name initial; for example, Bob Smith or Bob S. would be just fine. Again, I will figure out what the end result will look like. HERE IS WHAT I DO NOT WANT TO SEE. This really takes up time to correct. DO NOT USE A TABLE FOR THE QUESTIONS. Here is what I usually get if a table is used: | 1 | Question? | Name | Age or grade | | 2 | Question? | Name | Age or grade | | 3 | Question? | Name | Age or grade | | 4 | Question? | Name | Age or grade | What I usually must do is go into each line to merge the cells for that row, then copy/paste, then re-arrange so that the name and age/grade are before the question. Again, we are using a very specific format for the uplink file. So, anything you can do at the beginning makes it easier on me at the end of the process. Here is what the table eventually gets converted to: 1. Name (Age or grade): Question? 2. Name (Age or grade): Question? 3. Name (Age or grade): Question? 4. Name (Age or grade): Question? 7. The use of PDF files. About 95% of the time, I have no problems using a file that comes in as a PDF. Sometimes I think people feel it is easier, but in reality, sometimes it is way more difficult to use. The cases where neither of my PDF programs allowed me to do a copy from the PDF into the Word file, I had to hand enter the data into the uplink file. Sometimes I might get lucky and one of my PDF programs will save it as a Word file, but that may mean I still have to do some cleanup before getting it into the uplink. The PDF files that usually give me a problem are ones where something was handwritten, scanned, and then saved as PDF or ones that were type written, scanned, and were actually crooked. So, I would actually prefer receiving a TXT or RTF file than a PDF if possible. I tend to have no issues if a file was printed using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature. But you have seen for the last zillion years, I will do what is needed to get the data. Stay safe everyone! 73, Charlie AJ9N

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FOR SALE YAESU FT-818's (2X)
by n1uw＠gokarns.com 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

These two FT-818's were purchased early last year just before my wife and I decided to stop snow-birding between Minnesota and Arizona. Now that I live in one home, I don't need four of the same radios. Email me off-line: N1UW AT GOKARNS DOT COM. I am the original owner and have used this setup only three or four times. Although they have been rarely used, the Lithium-Ion batteries have been kept charged regularly. They have never traveled or used in the field. Not so much as a scuff mark on anything. Smoke-free, of course. The setup includes all the original everything in the original boxes, plus the Portable Zero rack (originally $95) and two Valley Enterprises RPC-Y857-UF FTDI/USB CAT control cables ($45). I made an extra two-headed charging cable to charge both radios together. (The original power cables were not used for this deluxe homebrew accessory.) With 8% sales tax, this station would cost around $1,500 (even if you could find the radios today). Sale price is $1,000 firm and includes double boxed shipping to the lower 48. PayPal is fine. Personal check after cleared is good, too. Local pick up in Tucson take $50 off. No returns. Equipment thoroughly photographed at www.n1uw.net. Never heard of me? You're not alone, but you can find me about halfway down the page at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-officers-and-board-members/ or QRZ.com. Email me off-line: N1UW AT GOKARNS DOT COM. Cheers, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW 3670 E. Kingler Spring Pl. Tucson, AZ 85718 (612) 644-9174 n1uw(a)gokarns.com

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-10-18 15:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-10-18 15:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Jean Alloitteau School, Vinça, France, direct via F1MOJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Mon 2021-10-18 08:06:12 UTC 38 deg (***) Watch for livestream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVVxz4RFLVE (***) Congratulations to the Jean Alloitteau School students and Thomas! (***) We received the corrected livestream URL after the contact. (***) Tarwater Elementary School, Chandler, AZ, multi-point telebridge via W7MRF The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD (***) Contact is go for: Thu 2021-10-28 17:44:11 UTC 76 deg (***) The next mode change is expected to occur at the end of October. (***) The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html ######################################################################################################################################## 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. Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements at https://www.ariss.org/ The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools **************************************************************************************************************************************** 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 2021-10-18 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 2021-10-18 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) Sept. 11, 2021 --- The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2021. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at https://ariss-usa.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-usa/. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 7th, 2021 at 8 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2021.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* 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 congratulates the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Sergey RV3DR with 155 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 142 Francesco IKØWGF with 140 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 1476. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1403. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. 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, 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. 64 on orbit Oleg Novitskiy Pyotr Dubrov Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP SpaceX-Crew 2 on orbit Meghan McArthur (Behnken) Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Question: Diamond D130J for Satellite Use?
by Richard AG5M 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

*I'd like to thank everyone who has responded to my recent call for advice getting started with satellite operation. Lots of good advice. Appreciated. * *Specially I asked about the M2 Egg Beater antenna system. No bad words about it, and I now know the M2 Leo Pack is "the" de-facto satellite antenna system. * *A Ham mentioned an antenna I never thought about, the Diamond D130J Discone. It would seem it too, especially given its low cost, is a viable choice for someone just getting their feet wet without spending a lot up front to get started. I have everything I need, other than the antenna. * *So, with that in mind, I'd like to hear more about the Diamond D130J, the good, the bad, the ugly, from users or those knowledgeable about that antenna for satellite operations. So far I have only heard the "Good." What's the Bad, the Ugly?* *I just want to get started, b***efore I go off on the deep end someday, as it has been brought to my attention Satellite Operation can be very addictive Hi Hi. ** *Thanks, 73 Richard AG5M, AMSAT Member #54688195. *

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UVSQ-SAT FM repeater ON October 17 : from 12h UTC to 23H UTC
by christophe.mcr 17 Oct '21

17 Oct '21

Dear The LATMOS team has programmed the UVSQ-SAT satellite to go into transponder mode on Sunday, October 17, 2021 starting at 12:00 UTC. The transponder will be active for 11 consecutive hours. Frequencies used : - Telemetry : - 437.020 MHz - BPSK - GR3UH 9k6 - FM Transponder : - Uplink frequency: 145.905 MHz - Downlink frequency: 437.020 MHz More information on the satellite: UVSQsat (amsat-f.org) <http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/47438UVSQsat.html> and project : UVSQ-SAT (ipsl.fr) <http://uvsq-sat.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/> 73's -- *Christophe Mercier* *Président AMSAT-Francophone* *https://www.amsat-f.org <https://www.amsat-f.org/>*

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ARISS News Release No. 21-55
by David Jordan 17 Oct '21

17 Oct '21

ARISS News Release No.21-55 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at Jean Alloitteau School, Vinça, France October16, 2021—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). Thiswill be a direct contact via amateur radio between students in France at the JeanAlloitteau School and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, amateur radio call sign KG5FYG.Students will take turns asking their questions. Appropriate local Covid-19protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. The downlinkfrequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners who arewithin the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the radio relay ground station. Amateur radio operators, using the call signF1MOJ, will operate the ham radio ground station for this contact. TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 18, 2021 at 10:06 am CEST (Vinça,France) (8:06 UTC, 4:06 am EDT, 3:06 am CDT,2:06 am MDT, 1:06 am PDT). The JeanAlloiteau is a rural school in the Pyrénées-Orientales department (66), in thesouth of France, at the foot of Canigou Peak. About 150 students will be involved in this ARISS contact. The school has integrated the ARISS contact(project) as an interdisciplinary curriculum into all school subjects (French,biology, mathematics, physics, technology, visual arts, music education).Perpignan Radio Club F6KBR and REF66are participating in the project, and assisted students with preparing for thecontact. Viewthe live stream of the upcoming ARISS radio contact at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYXvpl5HCcA . _______________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions (translated from French): 1.What was the hardest part of becoming an astronaut? 2.Is it scary when the rocket takes off? 3.Did you ever get lost in the ISS on your first expedition (2016)? 4.Is the ISS like home? 5.Are the smells on board the ISS the same as on Earth? 6.How does it feel to be weightless? 7.When you drink water, do you only drink your own recycled urine or also that ofyour colleagues? 8.How do you wash your clothes in the ISS? 9.Have you ever seen UFOs in space? 10.Have you ever eaten Chlorolla vulgaris, the algae that turns CO2 into oxygen? 11.How do you feel when you do spacewalks? 12.When you have a sick astronaut on the ISS, how do you treat him? 13.Why are astronaut suits always white color? 14.Can you bring animals to the ISS? 15.Did your role change since you have been assigned to ISS captain? 16.Have you noticed a lot of pollution in space? 17.Did you have to solve any serious technical problems in the ISS? 18.How do you put on your spacesuits to get out into space? 19.Is your next project going to go to the Moon or Mars? 20.Does the return to the atmosphere hurt? ARISS– Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous 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, sponsors are the Radio Amateur SatelliteCorporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS NationalLab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space communications and Navigationprogram. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science,technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this byorganizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard theISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators,parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied tospace, space technologies, and amateur 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. Checkout ARISS on Youtube.com.

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ANS-290 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 16 Oct '21

16 Oct '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-290 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and 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: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting - October 30, 2021 * AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium to be held on Zoom 24 Oct 2021 * New APRS Satellites are now functioning * PSAT2 (NO-104) enabled for APRS-2-Voice * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution as of October 14, 2021 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-290 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2021 Oct 17 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting - October 30, 2021 Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, AMSAT has changed plans for its 39th Annual Symposium and General Meeting from an in-person event to a virtual event. This is a chance for "Amateur Radio in Space" enthusiasts from all corners of the globe to learn more about AMSAT's Strategic Plan, GOLF program, CubeSat Simulator and other exciting developments taking place in the amateur satellite world. AMSAT will host its 2021 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on Zoom for its members on Saturday, October 30th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC-5). The event will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with live question and answer sessions. Registration for members is required and is available on AMSAT's Member Portal, launch.amsat.org. Registration is free and registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings, entered into the Symposium prize drawings, and be able to participate in discussions during each question and answer session. The 2021 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be available to the general public on AMSAT's YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/RTvcceM7Tz0 at no cost. Final papers for the Symposium Proceedings must be submitted by October 18, 2021 to Dan Schultz, N8FGV, n8fgv at usa dot net. Symposium presentations should be limited to 15 minutes of pre- recorded video. Video presentations must be submitted by October 18, 2021 to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, n8hm at arrl dot net. We ask that presenters be available to take questions via Zoom following the airing of their pre-recorded video. Tentative Schedule 9:00am CDT - Opening Remarks 9:15am CDT – 2:00 pm CDT - General Presentations 2:00pm CDT – 3:00 pm CDT - AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator 3:00pm CDT – 4:00 pm CDT - AMSAT Engineering 4:00pm CDT – 5:00 pm CDT - 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting Questions regarding the Symposium can be directed to info at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks the Symposium organizers for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join the 2021 President's Club! Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin. This gold finished coin comes with Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as an online Zoom Webinar on the 24th October 2021 The Colloquium will run from 09.45 UTC to approximately 15.00 UTC. A full programme of the event is available at www.amsat-uk.org/colloquium You don’t have to be a member of AMSAT-UK to attend, and the event is free of charge. This year’s colloquium will be in the form of a Zoom Webinar. It’s easy to use, simply register at the address below, and follow the instructions which will arrive by email. Please register before the 24th , or join live at https://tinyurl.com/AMSATUK2021Colloquium The 2021 colloquium will also be streamed via YouTube. Our channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK The event will be hosted by members of AMSAT-UK and formally opened by our Chairman, Martin Sweeting, G3YJO. Each presentation will be followed by a 5 minute Q+A session, which will allow those viewing via Zoom, to pose questions to the speakers. The 2021 colloquium will be followed by the AMSAT-UK AGM and after a short break there will be an informal evening discussion session on ‘All things satellite.’ [ANS thanks David Bowman G0MRF - AMSAT-UK for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ New APRS Satellites are now functioning: KE4AZZ McKinley Henson reports a new APRS satellite was heard on 145.825. BEACON: DX4MYA To APTT4 Via WIDE1-1:Mabuhay! This is the APRS-DP of Maya-4. But it appears to use DX3MYA callsign substitution when digipeating because on the next pass he sent a few beacons with wide1-1. He was digi’d several times but the following made it into the network. KE4AZZ>APRS,DX3MYA*,WIDE1*,qAR,KD8THX-6: >121508z[224] KE4AZZ EL87 KE4AZZ>APRS,DX3MYA*,WIDE1*,qAR,KD8THX6: =2702.06N/08209.93W`KE4AZZ EL87 Robert MacHale, KE6BLR comments on the two new APRS satellites added to the APRS constellation: "They are in an approximate ISS orbit from which they were deployed a week or so ago. They also use the alias of ARISS making operations easy." Christy Hunter KB8LTY reports: "I got 6 beacons digi'd thru MAYA-3 today (10/13/21). (never heard MAYA-4 beacons although heard it yesterday) I used 2 separate paths, ARISS, and DX3MYA, both were successful.I used TLEs (named from SatNOgs using Celestrak):" maya-3 1 49273U 98067SS 21285.96953269 .00027554 00000-0 48953-3 0 9997 2 49273 51.6413 120.2941 0005565 120.1632 239.9909 15.49963282 1115 maya-4 1 49274U 98067ST 21286.09863284 .00026959 00000-0 47967-3 0 9992 2 49274 51.6413 119.6562 0005462 119.5971 240.5562 15.49933665 1138 See all APRS sats on http://aprs.org/sats.html (ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, Robert MacHale, KE6BLR, and Christy Hunter, KB6LTY for the above information. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on NASA's ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ PSAT2 (NO-104) enabled for APRS-2-Voice Bob Bruninga reports: "We are enabling PSAT2 for users (including APRS2Voice)" "Here is how to use it (The status bits should show 01001110) 1) Use 145.825 for digipeater (along with other APRS satellites) 2) For digipeating use one of these paths: APRSAT, ARISS, etc 3) For APRS2voice send an APRS message to PSAT-SAY 4) Begin the first 10 chars of the message with "CCCCCC sez ..." 5) Followed by the text to be spoken.(no quotes) 6) CCCCCC is your callsign right-padded to 6 with spaces." "The satellite should ACK the packet uplink and then speak the text.APRS-to-Voice is enabled if the status bit is enabled: 01001110. showing that: Reserved bit always on (01xxxxxx) PDK31 is disabled (xxxx1xxx) Digipeater is enabled (xxxxx1xx APRS2voice is enabled (xxxxxx1x) PSAT2 Voltage telemetry has failed so we will turn the PSAT2 user modes on as long as they work. Live telemetry on http://aprs.org/psat2.html" [ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution as of October 14, 2021 The following two cubesats (added last week) have been identified and the names have changed as follows: Maya-3 - NORAD Cat ID 49273 (was listed as OBJECT SS). Maya-4 - NORAD Cat ID 49274 (was listed as OBJECT ST). Thanks to Christy, KB6LTY for the identifications. The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution: IT-SPINS – NORAD Cat ID 49017 Thanks to David Klumpar,KD7MFJ for requesting this addition [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-09-15 15:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Jean Alloitteau School, Vinça, France, direct via F1MOJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html. The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Contact is go for: Mon 2021-10-18 08:06:12 UTC 38 deg Next mode changes as of 12 October: Columbus Module radios: +IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Supporting packet operation (145.825 MHz up & down). Next planned mode change is to cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down) around first part of November. +Power down for upcoming Soyuz undocking on Oct. 17. Turning OFF Oct. 16 about 15:20 UTC. Back ON Oct. 18 about 07:55 UTC +Power down for upcoming Progress relocate on Oct. 21-22. Turning OFF Oct. 20 about 18:00 UTC. Back ON Oct. 22 about 17:55 UTC. +Power down for upcoming Progress docking on Oct. 30. +Supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: Kenwood D710E – STATUS - Radio usually off. +Power down for upcoming Soyuz undocking on Oct. 17. Turning OFF Oct. 17 about 15:20 UTC. +Power down for upcoming Progress relocate on Oct. 21-22. Turning OFF Oct. 20 about 18:00 UTC. +Power down for upcoming Progress docking on Oct. 30. +Supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts and SSTV. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: WA8ZID: I hope to get some passes in OCT 14-18 on FM birds for the 60th Anniversary of the West Valley ARC in DM33. Not a rare grid but it is a rare call. We will be on HF as well but I do want to get some satellite stations for the 5 days we are authorized with W7V callsign. A certificate is available for those who are interested. Major Roves: Galapagos Islands: HD8, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. Members of the Tifariti Gang/DX Friends will be active as HD8R from Galapagos Islands (SA-004) between October 26th and November 7th. Operators mentioned are Toni/EA5RM (Team Leader), Alberto/EA1SA, Gen/EA5EL, Raul/EA5KA, Javier/EA5KM, Manuel/EA7R, Jose Ramón/EA7X, Flo/F5CWU, Jean Jacques/F5NKX, Tony/F8ATS, Fausto/HC5VF, Faber/HK6F, Simone/IK5RUN and Fabrizio/IN3ZNR. The pilot station will be Tony, EC7ZK. Activity will be on 160-6 meters, including 60m, using CW, SSB, the Digital modes and low orbit satellites, with at least 4 stations that include Spiderbeams, verticals, Inverted “Ls” and beverages. Check with K9JKM for details. NA-008. (Zone 2) After being silent for 18 months, operators Alex/VE1RUS and Pierre/VE3TKB will once again be active as VY0ERC from the Eureka Weather station this October. This station is operated by the Eureka Amateur Radio Club [probably the most northerly located amateur radio club in the world] from Eureka, Nunavut. The VY0ERC team (VE1RUS and VE3KTB) is now in preparation to be active from the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory between October 12th and November 22nd, (time and weather conditions permitting). They plan to participate in CQWW DX SSB and the ARRL Sweepstakes Contests. Outside of the contests, the suggested bands are 40 and 20 meters (possibly 80m), as well as FM satellites (from ER60, EQ79) using SSB, the Digital modes (FT8 and RTTY) and very slow CW. Activity will be limited to their spare time. QSL via M0OXO, OQRS or direct. For updates, see:https://twitter.com/vy0erc [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT will host its 2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Memorial Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on Zoom for its members on Saturday, October 30th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC-5). The event will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with live question and answer sessions. Registration for members is required and is available on AMSAT’s Member Portal for the 39th AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting. Go to: https://launch.amsat.org/Events. You will need to log in to access the registration page. Updates may be found at: https://www.amsat.org/other-events/ AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. From Clint Bradford,K6CLS, AMSAT Ambassador: "Pulled off a doubleheader last Monday: I performed two satellite shows back-to-back - one in Ohio and one in Portland. Found out ARRL Director Dale WA8EFK was going to be in attendance in Ohio. Oh my gosh - should I take off my crazy Buzz Aldrin Collection shirt and get something more conservative on? Naw ... (grin) We each had prepared a "salute" to the club for winning a prestigious award for their outstanding club newsletter. And I received this the next day in my In Box - ------------------ Hi Clint, Your presentation was a real hoot! It was fun being your "target" and I think we all enjoyed it. I really like your presentation style, it is so relaxed, personal and really moves along. Oh, and one thing more, I learned a lot! Thanks 73, Dale R. Williams WA8EFK Director Great Lakes Division AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, makes online presentations to Amateur Radio clubs and other interested organizations. Contact Clint at http://www.work-sat.com or by phone at 909-999-SATS (7287) to arrange a presentation. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The latest AMSAT Rover Award goes to Richard Nolet, VA3VGR. Richard is awardee #61. The AMSAT Rover award is earned by those who acheive a score of 25 points by meeting the crieteria that is described on the AMSAT Rover Award page: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/ (ANS thanks Bruce KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests & Awards for the above information.) + Using IC-705 with SDR-Console v3 for satellite QSOs: Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU has posted some additional "how to" information for IC-705 users: "I have made a small update for my guide about using the IC-705 for satellite QSO with the SDR-Console as control software and receiver. https://www.amsat.se/2021/01/01/working-satellites-with-ic-705-pstrotator-s… 73, Lars SM0TGU" Lars has posted a number of good "how-to" blogs on the AMSAT-SM website. (ANS thanks Lars Thunberg, SM0TGU, Webmaster, AMSAT-SM for the above information.) + UVSQ-SAT: Transponder active on October 17, 2021 from 12 p.m. UTC to 11 p.m. UTC. The LATMOS team has programmed the UVSQ-SAT satellite to go into transponder mode on Sunday, October 17, 2021 from 12 p.m. UTC. The transponder will be active for 11 consecutive hours. From October 16 at 12:00 UTC, an ASCII message will be broadcast to announce that transponder mode will be activated. More information on the satellite: UVSQsat (amsat-f.org)(ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information.) + Adapter structure with 10 CubeSats installed on top of Artemis moon rocket. Workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center have lifted the Orion Stage Adapter on top of the Space Launch System moon rocket, adding the structure housing 10 CubeSat rideshare payloads heading into deep space on the Artemis 1 mission. But three of the CubeSat missions missed their opportunity to fly on the first SLS mission. NASA has not announced a target launch date for the mission, known as Artemis 1, but it is expected to fly some time in early 2022. The test flight will pave the way for the next SLS/Orion mission, Artemis 2, to carry four astronauts to lunar orbit as soon as 2023. More information available at : https://bit.ly/3FETY0P (ANS thanks Stephen Clark of Spaceflight Now for the above information.) + Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter lies a large asteroid, averaging 225 km in diameter (and shaped like a potato! 🥔) and made largely (30-60%) of metal—its size and composition make it unique in our solar system. This is Psyche, a mysterious world full of questions. How was it created? What is the connection between it and the other planets? What does a metal-rich surface look like? Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton at Arizona State University, principal investigator of the Psyche mission, leads a team that’s aiming to solve the mystery of how Psyche was created. Scientists suspect that Psyche is a stripped core of a planetesimal: a metal core left floating in space after collisions stripped at least some of the rocky mantle surrounding it. The Psyche mission was selected along with its sister mission Lucy as the 14th mission in NASA’s Discovery program. The Psyche spacecraft is jointly built; its body, the Solar Electric Propulsion chassis, comes from Maxar Technologies, but its brains, the main computer and software, come from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. More at https://bit.ly/3aA7V1G (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.) + AMSAT-EA is already working on the mission of what will be the first satellite of URE (Spain's national amateur radio society), URESAT-1. The URESAT satellite are based on the experience of the previous GENESIS missions, with the GENESIS-N and GENESIS-L satellites (which were lost due to rocket failure in September), and EASAT-2 and Hades, which are scheduled to launch with SpaceX on January 10 from Cape Canaveral. It is expected that said satellite will incorporate an FM voice repeater, FSK transmissions and some type of on-board experiment, which could be a camera with SSDV transmissions or some type of propellant. (ANS thanks Southgate ARC and Union Radioaficionados Espanoles for the above information) + The astronauts who will ride SpaceX’s newest Dragon spaceship into orbit later this month have named their spacecraft “Endurance” as a tribute to the human spirit and a historic sailing vessel used by Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. The new spacecraft, previously known by serial number “Capsule 210,” is scheduled to launch to the ISS on Oct. 30 carrying Raja Chari, KI5LIU, Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC, Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH, and Kayla Barron, KI5LAL. SpaceX’s first two crew-rated Dragon spaceships were named "Endeavour" and "Resilience" by the astronauts who first flew on them. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at frawg dot org

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Need Advice Getting into Satellite Operations
by Richard AG5M 16 Oct '21

16 Oct '21

*Hello. New to the amsat-bb. * *For a long time I have wanted to get into satellites. That will all change next Spring. A few questions: Question 1: I have both a Yaesu FT-726R (fully populated for satellite work) and a Yaesu FT-847. Is the FT-726R still a very good radio to begin learning satellite operation? Same question for the FT-847. To get my feet wet, so to speak. ***Yes, I know the FT-847 is superior, but the FT-726R works very well and I plan on giving it to my son to get his feet wet. We can always upgrade later.** **Question 2. Come to think of it, what is the best satellite radio most people are using these days? The Icom IC-9700? Others? Just curious. ** *Question 3. I am thinking of using the M2 Egg Beater antenna system (expensive) to start with, but no rotor to mess with, keeping things simple. Unless I homebrew my own antennas, which I still might do. None-the-less, is the M2 Egg Beater antenna system really good for a newbie to start out with for satellite operation? Can always upgrade later. Question 4: Are there any groups dedicated to satellite operations I should be subscribed to other than this amsat-bb(a)amsat.org? Thank you, 73 Richard AG5M* * *

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MIR-SAT 1 Digipeater open for the WE
by Jean Marc Momple 16 Oct '21

16 Oct '21

Dear All, The MIR-SAT 1 digipeater has been open for the WE in spite not yet tested. It is a bent tube at 9k6 GMSK, whatever in - same out, uplink 145.9875 MHz and downlink 436.925MHz. Please try it and I would be grateful for any successful QSO report from it, the first to make it and report will receive a MIR-SAT 1 3B8 national stamp first day cover from me personally. Good luck 73 Jean Marc (3B8DU)

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