October 2023 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: Eggbeaters.
by Clint Bradford 17 Oct '23

17 Oct '23

But for field/portable FM voice sat work, 5W TX power and a $15 tape measure beam out-performs my multi-hundred-dollar m2 eggbeaters ... Clint K6LCS In Vienna right now Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 17, 2023, at 09:19, William Herzberg via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > Good day. > I've been using eggbeaters for years. > You shouldn't have any problems reaching the birds with them. > I was getting into both analog and FM birds. > I've been using a Kenwood TS-2000x ...

1 0

Eggbeaters.
by William Herzberg 17 Oct '23

17 Oct '23

Good day.I've been using eggbeaters for years.You shouldn't have any problems reaching the birds with them.I was getting into both analog and FM birds.I've been using a Kenwood TS-2000x.For a while, I used my 2m Eggbeater for both uplink and downlink, by using a duplexer I had.I was able to hear my own signals coming back down from the birds.My 2 meter signals had a very low swr, but my swr on 70 cm was through the roof.But I still got enough signal up to the birds to be usable, even though I was heating up the coax.But I did eventually get a 70 cm Eggbeater.That brought my 70 cm swr down.And it made it easier to get into the birds.A 2m and 70cm preamp probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

1 0

Re: ANS-009 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by David G0MRF 17 Oct '23

17 Oct '23

Hi Zach. About a year ago the battery on AO-73 began to drop in Voltage from its nominal 8.3V at full charge down to 7.8 ish. It's unclear if this is due to a 9 year old battery with reduced capacity, or a hardware fault. - Voltage reference etc etc. Although we have designed in many strategies for dealing with power issues, the one we ideally need in this situation does not exist in the firmware. To prevent the battery discharging to a dangerously low voltage during eclipse, we have enabled a mode where the transmitter is on in sunlight, but when it enters eclipse it changes to "receive only" . i.e The transmitter is off, but the RX is on and telemetry is collected and stored by the processor for use in Whole Orbit Data. Ideally we need Transponder on in sunlight.....receive only in eclipse. But that's not an available option. The transponder can be commanded on, but to avoid further degradation of the power system, we would need to manually command it off before it enters eclipse, or take a big risk. If we're feeling brave, perhaps we can look at some transponder operation over a holiday period and use the opportunity to assess the battery / EPS status. 73 David G0MRF. - See you in Dallas (?) On Monday, 16 October 2023 at 22:05:27 UTC, Zach Metzinger via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: On 1/8/22 18:00, Paul Stoetzer wrote: > + With the recent re-enabling of the AO-73 transponder, Paul Stoetzer, > N8HM, has issued the 59th 73 on 73 Award to JA1OJA. This award was > completed using CW only. N8HM notes, "AO-73 is a fantastic satellite, > but it can be a challenge due to the transponder's frequency drift. With > the recent technical issues, we don't know how long it will be > available. Get on and make some QSOs so that more operators can receive > this award!" More information about the award can be found at > https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ > <https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/> Hello Paul, Any idea if AO-73's transponder will ever be re-enabled? I've search the -bb and looked at funcube.org.uk. Nothing forthcoming from those outlets. Was there a hardware failure? Thanks, --- Zach N0ZGO ----------------------------------------------------------- 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. Acceptable Use and Privacy Policies available at https://www.amsat.org/about-amsat/ View archives of this mailing list at https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to amsat-bb-leave(a)amsat.org Manage all of your AMSAT-NA mailing list preferences at https://mailman.amsat.org

2 1

DFW AMSAT net move and invite.
by Thomas Schuessler 17 Oct '23

17 Oct '23

I have been running two separate AMSAT nets here in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area for a number of years now. The Wednesday night "West" net, has been hosted on the Arlington, TX ARC 2 Meter machine at 9PM local, for decades. That repeater however has been having issues over the past few months. As a result, and with permission, we are moving it to the Arlington ARC 70 Cm machine, 444.200 PL 100 repeater. This box has as good a coverage as their 2 Meter one. An invite to any AMSAT members/leadership in the area for the Symposium, to join us this Wednesday deveining at 9PM on the 444.200 (100 PL) machine for the DFW AMSAT info net-West. We would love to have you join us. Should be easy access from the area of the Symposium hotel. The other net, DFW "East" , is on most Tuesdays, except the 1st, on the Dallas ARC 146.88 repeater, PL 110.9 repeater and the W5FC-R Echolink node 37247. Time for the "East" net is Tuesday's at 8P Central time. Both nets provide a great place to exchange information and answer questions about Amateur satellites. Hope yo will keep both nets in mind when in the DFW area. 73 and see you at the Symposium, Tom Schuessler, N5HYP

1 0

ANS-009 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 16 Oct '23

16 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-009 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: * The ARRL Foundation Grants an Award for the ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project * EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites with FM Repeaters Scheduled for Launch on January 13th * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 6, 2022 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-009 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2022 Jan 09 The ARRL Foundation Grants an Award for the ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project ARISS‐USA is known for engaging students in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) subjects by arranging live question-and-answer sessions via amateur radio (ham radio) between K‐12 students and astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). In the last two decades, over 1,400 contacts have connected more than one million youth using amateur radio, with millions more watching and learning. ARISS is constantly pursuing educational opportunities that inspire student interest and outcomes. ARISS-USA is pleased to announce that the ARRL Foundation awarded funding for the first year of a two-year project called the “ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project” with *STAR* being the acronym for Space Telerobotics using Amateur Radio. The ARRL Foundation very generously provided $47,533. The project honors the memory of highly-respected Keith Pugh, whose call sign was W5IU (Silent Key, May 2019). He was an expert supporter of ARISS for many years, a star ARISS Technical Mentor assisting schools with their ARISS contacts, finding educators who might be interested in learning about ARISS, and going to schools to lead youth in a variety of lessons about wireless radio technology. ARISS *STAR* (short for ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project), is a brand-new education program that will enable US junior high and high school education groups to remotely control robots through digital APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) commands using amateur radio. Year 1 focuses on systems development and initial validation of *ARISS* STAR, and Year 2 focuses on evaluation and final validation. Systems development and evaluation will be led by university staff and students who will undertake hands-on-wireless and telerobotics lesson development, learn about Amateur Radio, and support the development of the *STAR* engineering hardware and software. Next, youth teams will be selected to experiment and critique *STAR* telerobotics scenarios along closed courses and radio lessons. Some participating students will want to prepare for, and earn, their amateur radio licenses, using ham radio to learn and practice concepts in radio technology and radio communications. Overarching goals for *STAR* are to improve and sustain ARISS STEAM educational outcomes with youth. Robotics is gaining popularity among youth and adults alike. Telerobotics adds a wireless accent to robotic control. *STAR*, therefore, gives ARISS a new educational dimension to attract the attention of more education groups and their students and educators—outreach that promises to attract new audiences. The ARRL Foundation was established in 1973 by ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio ®, and advances the art, science and societal benefits of the Amateur Radio Service by awarding financial grants and scholarships to individuals and organizations in support of their charitable, educational and scientific efforts. ARISS-USA Executive Director Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, praised the ARRL Foundation, saying, “ARISS team member, Keith Pugh, W5IU, poured his energy into inspiring, engaging and educating youth in space and in amateur radio endeavors. What a better way to honor Keith than through the ARISS *STAR* initiative. We thank the ARRL Foundation for their vision to move this initiative forward. Maybe someday one of our ARISS *STAR* students will use their telerobotics skills to control scientific rovers on the Moon or Mars!” [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2022 AMSAT President's Club coins have arrived! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites with FM Repeaters Scheduled for Launch on January 13th I just wanted to confirm with you all that the launch of EASAT-2 and Hades satellites is scheduled for this January, 13, 15.25 UTC on SpaceX TR-3 flight, as it has been confirmed to us by Alba Orbital. As it has been noted in older posts, both satellites offer voice communications in FM and data retransmission in FSK or AFSK up to 2400 bps, such as AX.25 or APRS frames. They also transmit voice beacons in FM with the callsigns AM5SAT and AM6SAT, as well as CW, and, in the case of Hades, SSTV live images too. We thank you in advance for trying to receive their signals and of course for trying to use the repeater. EASAT-2 one will be automatically active 30 minutes after the launch although it would be a priority for us trying to have some telemetry frames first to check if all is working properly. I tell you a bit more about the satellites: EASAT-2 has been designed and built jointly by AMSAT-EA and students from the European University of Degrees in Aerospace Engineering in Aircraft and in Telecommunication Systems Engineering, with contributions from ICAI in the communications part, and it incorporates as an experimental load a basalt material from Lanzarote, similar to lunar basalts, provided by the CSIC research group on meteorites and planetary geosciences at the Institute of Geosciences, IGEO (CSIC-UCM) and that could be used as a construction material on the Moon. This project was promoted and has the collaboration of the ETSICCP (UPM). The UNESCO world geopark of Lanzarote and the Chinijo archipelago has been used for different investigations as an analogue of the Moon and Mars, also including the training of ESA astronauts. The selected basalt material meets the requirements to be used as a simulant of the existing basalt on the Moon. The purpose of the experiment is to determine its evolution in space based on periodic measurements of some of its properties. Although the experiment is limited and constitutes the first phase of this type of study, it represents an important milestone as it is the first of its kind to be introduced on such a small satellite. As for Hades, its payload consists of a miniature camera module that outputs the captured images as an audio signal in SSTV mode. The SSTV formats it uses are compatible with Robot36, Robot72, MP73 and MP115. The design of the cam module is based on the one used in the successful mission of the PSAT2 satellite, an amateur radio satellite of the United States Naval Academy and the Brno University of Technology. This camera has been operational since June 25, 2019: (http: // www.aprs.org/psat2.html). The camera chip is the Omnivision OV2640, which provides a resolution of up to 2M pixels and compressed JPEG output. The resolution is limited by the internal memory of the CPU (MCU) that controls the camera to 320x240 (typical) or 640x480 maximum. The MCU selected for the control is the STM32F446RET6, which has the smallest possible footprint with connection to a DCMI peripheral, necessary for the connection with the camera. Images can be stored in 2MB serial flash memory. The complete SSTV encoder has managed to be implemented on a 4 layer PCB with dimensions of only 38x38mm. The MCU can be fully controlled from ground stations. The firmware allows the sending of live camera images, images previously saved in flash memory, or images encoded in ROM. It also provides PSK telemetry and imaging advance scheduling with current status (event counters, temperature, voltage, light conditions, etc.) and a brief summary. The described module has been developed and manufactured in the Department of Radioelectronics of the Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic. Both hardware and firmware designs with the source codes will be available on Github under the MIT license (https://github.com/alpov/SatCam). As noted, initially only the EASAT-2 repeater is active. Hades one will be activated by remote control a few days after launch. The frequencies coordinated with IARU for both satellites are as follows: EASAT-2 145.875 MHz uplink, Modes: FM voice (no subtone) and FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200/2400 bps 436.666 MHz downlink, Modes: FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps, FM voice beacon with AM5SAT callsign HADES 145.925 MHz uplink, Modes: FM voice (no subtone) and FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200/2400 bps 436.888 MHz downlink, Modes: FM voice, CW FSK 50 bps, SSTV Robot 36, FM voice beacon with callsign AM6SAT The description of the transmissions can be found in the following document. https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/12530621/AMSAT+EA+-+EASAT-2+and+HADES… AMSAT-EA appreciates the receipt of telemetry, voice beacons and SSTV images. A paper QSL will be sent to those who submit their transmissions. It can be done through the following link: http://data.amsat-ea.org [ANS thanks Felix Paez, AMSAT-EA Mission Manager, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 6, 2022 CAMSAT XW-3(CAS-9) is designated Hope-OSCAR 113, HO-113: HO-113 - Cat ID 50446 (Formerly known as XW-3 (CAS-9)) Drew Glasbrenner, AMSAT VP Operations / OSCAR Number Administrator, announced the following OSCAR assignment in AMSAT News Service Bulletin ANS-002 dated January 2, 2022: "At the request of CAMSAT and the XW-3 (CAS-9) team, AMSAT hereby designates XW-3 (CAS-9) as Hope-OSCAR 113 (HO-113). We congratulate the owners and operators of HO-113, thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them continued success on this and future projects." Also thanks to Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, for his timely name changing of CAMSAT's new satellite to HO-113 in last week's AMSAT NA webpage TLE distribution of Object Cat ID 50446. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News No scheduled contacts reported. The next mode change to voice cross band repeater is expected to occur in early January, 2022. 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 Events: 4A90, MEXICO (Special Event). Members of the Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE)[Mexican Society]are celebrating their 90th anniversary during January, February and March 2022 promoting each of the 31 States and Mexico City with the following 32 different special event callsigns and 4A90FMRE: January 1st-15th: 4A90COL, 4A90CMX, 4A90EMX, 4A90GTO, 4A90HGO, 4A90JAL and 4A90MIC January 16-30th: 4A90MOR, 4A90NAY, 4A90PUE, 4A90QRO, 4A90TLX and 4A90VER January 31st-February 14th: 4A90AGS, 4A90BAC, 4A90BCS, 4A90COA, 4A90CHH and 4A90DGO February 15th-March 1st: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM March 2nd-16th: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see: http://fmre90.puebladx.org [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and 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. Events with a confirmed AMSAT presence: HamCation 2022 - The ARRL National Convention Friday, February 11th, 2022 to Sunday, February 13, 2022 Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive Orlando, Florida 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/ Hamvention 2022 Friday May 20, 2022 to Sunday May 22, 2022 Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center 210 Fairground Road Xenia, Ohio 45385 https://hamvention.org/ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention Friday, October 7th, 2022 to Sunday, October 9th, 2022 Event Center at Archer 3921 Archer Pkwy Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007 https://wyhamcon.org/site Clint Bradford, K6LCS reports: Part of the “job description” for volunteer AMSAT Ambassadors is to “spread the gospel” of working satellites to clubs and conventions. PS 2022 is starting off with a bang! Presentations set for clubs in … Tennessee South Bay CA New York British Columbia Ontario Canada Victoria BC Sonoma CA Tampa FL Texas Nevada Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are solicited and welcome. Send an email or call! Clint Bradford K6LCS AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL instructor http://www.work-sat.com 909-999-SATS (7287) [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + A new distance record has been claimed on AO-109. ES4RM in KO49al completed a SSB QSO with F4DXV in JN04iu on 22-Dec-2021 at 15:24 UTC - a distance of 2,445 km. With a reported total power output of 8 mW, SSB QSOs over a decent range are quite a challenge. Can anyone do better? + With the recent re-enabling of the AO-73 transponder, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, has issued the 59th 73 on 73 Award to JA1OJA. This award was completed using CW only. N8HM notes, "AO-73 is a fantastic satellite, but it can be a challenge due to the transponder's frequency drift. With the recent technical issues, we don't know how long it will be available. Get on and make some QSOs so that more operators can receive this award!" More information about the award can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ + John Brier, KG4AKV, has posted a video regarding HO-113 and some of the issues with working it successfully. The video can be found at https://youtu.be/NglO_WJ2hhc + NASA reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has successfully deployed its sunshade and the full primary mirror. + Abstract Submission for the 2022 CubeSat Developer's Workshop is still open! The deadline is January 14th, 2022! More information about the 2022 CubeSat Developer's Workshop, to be held ar Cal Poly on April 26-28, 2022, can be found at https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + Version 1.11 of the HO-113 (XW-3) User's Manual, mainly adding the test mode telemetry data format. is now available at https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/XW-3_Manual_1.11… --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

2 1

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2023-10-16 21:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 16 Oct '23

16 Oct '23

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2023-10-16 21:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS 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 crewmember is Andreas Mogensen KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor is AB1OC Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-17 12:25:03 UTC 38 deg Watch for livestream at https://youtube.com/live/g74NbsTEvVw?feature=share St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom, direct via GB4SPT 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 crewmember is Loral O’Hara KI5TOM The ARISS mentor is MØXTD Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg A. L. Burruss Elementary School, Marietta, GA, direct via K4RGK 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 crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL (***) The ARISS mentor is K4RGK Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-24 16:14:50 UTC 74 deg (***) The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. 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 2023-10-16 21:00 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 2023-10-13 23:30 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf ####################################################################################################################################### Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. 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 **************************************************************************************************************************************** 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) Call for Proposals The next proposal window for US schools and educational organizations to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS opens October 1, 2023 for contacts to be scheduled for July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. This proposal is due to ARISS by November 10, 2023 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. (***) Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 5 2023 at 7 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2023.eventbrite.com (***) Find more information and proposal instructions, visit the ARISS-USA website at: https://ariss-usa.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-usa/ 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 216 Francesco IKØWGF with 150 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 150 Gaston ON4WF with 124 Peter IN3GHZ with 115 Steve VE3TBD with 105 **************************************************************************** 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 1668. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1575. 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, FXØISS, GB1SS, 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 **************************************************************************** SpaceX Crew-7 on orbit Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL Andreas Mogensen KG5GCZ Satoshi Furukawa Konstantin Borisov Exp. 70 on orbit Oleg Kononenko Nikolay Chub Loral O’Hara KI5TOM **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

ARISS News Release No. 23-56
by David Jordan 15 Oct '23

15 Oct '23

ARISS News Release No.23-56 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE UPDATED COPY (Theastronaut and the live streaming URL have been updated) ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs,Kent, United Kingdom October15, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboardthe International Space Station (ISS) and students at St Peter Junior School inBroadstairs, UK. ARISS conducts 60-80 ofthese special amateur radio contacts each year between students around theglobe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS. St Peter is a three form entry junior school located inBroadstairs, a small seaside town on the South East coast of England. St Peter’s students(ages 7 – 11) have been taking part in activities in ‘Mission Zero’ where they writea program to display a personalized image on an Astro Pi computer on board theISS to remind the astronauts of home. Students have also been taking part inthe FUNcube project (tracking an active LEO Satellite - FUNcube-1/AO-73), andparticipating in a community stargazing event assisted by members of RamsgateStargazers. The school’s science club has also engaged students inspace-related activities that include learning the difficulties of traveling tospace, designing and launching rockets (using water and air), and living on theISS (and designing solutions that may help overcome these difficulties). Members of the Hilderstone Radio Society(G0HRS) have been fundamentalin advising and supporting the school during these activities and during thisARISS contact. This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio and students will take turns asking their questionsof Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, amateur radio call sign KI5WSL. The downlink frequency for thiscontact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within theISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station. The amateur radio ground station for this contactis in Broadstairs, UK. Amateur radio operators using call sign GB4SPT, willoperate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection. TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 18, 2023 at 10:57:49 am BST (UK) (9:57:49UTC, 5:57 am EDT, 4:57 am CDT, 3:57 am MDT,2:57 am PDT). Thepublic is invited to watch the live stream at: https://live.ariss.org _______________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1.Is it hot or cold in space, and if it’s hot how do you keep cool and if it’scold how do you keep warm in your spacesuit? 2.Is it really true that girls are better suited to space than boys? 3.How do you tell if it's night or day on the international space station? 4.Would you be happy to live in space for the rest of your life if you were toldto? 5.What are your thoughts about space travel in the future for mankind? 6.In the future will we be able to take holidays to the international spacestation? 7.Do you think living organisms will ever be found in space, and if so what couldthey be? 8.Do you get dizzy in space when you are not moving? Or does the lack of gravitymean that you do not get dizzy? 9.Does the ISS shake when a Soyuz spacecraft docks? 10.I know we can measure gravity, but what is gravity? 11.What is the furthest distance a human has travelled away from Planet Earth? 12.What would happen if you played on a swing in space? 13.What is the most amazing thing you have seen on earth from the space station? 14.How do fires behave in space? 15.Have you seen any comets? 16.How much work do you have to do on the space station each day, and what do youdo in your spare time? 17.My brother and I love space, my brother especially loves the moon. We wouldlove to be able to explore space one day. What advice can you give us, to helpour dreams come true? 18.What did you study in school to become an astronaut? 19.How does the space station renew the oxygen inside the station? 20.What is different about growing plants in space and do you think we'll be ableto grow food for long term space missions? 21.Will there be a point soon when you can watch Netflix or use your mobile phonein Space - as you are near the satellites that operate the signals? 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 American Radio Relay League(ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur SatelliteCorporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN)and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS isto promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, andmathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts viaamateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities takepart in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org . MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Findus on social media at: Twitter:ARISS_Intl Facebook:facebook.com/ARISSIntl Instagram:ariss_intl Mastodon:[email protected] Checkout ARISS on Youtube.com.

1 0

ARISS News Release No. 23-56
by David Jordan 15 Oct '23

15 Oct '23

ARISS News Release No.23-56 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs,Kent, United Kingdom October15, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboardthe International Space Station (ISS) and students at St Peter Junior School inBroadstairs, UK. ARISS conducts 60-80 ofthese special amateur radio contacts each year between students around theglobe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS. St Peter is a three form entry junior school located inBroadstairs, a small seaside town on the South East coast of England. St Peter’s students(ages 7 – 11) have been taking part in activities in ‘Mission Zero’ where they writea program to display a personalized image on an Astro Pi computer on board theISS to remind the astronauts of home. Students have also been taking part inthe FUNcube project (tracking an active LEO Satellite - FUNcube-1/AO-73), andparticipating in a community stargazing event assisted by members of RamsgateStargazers. The school’s science club has also engaged students in space-relatedactivities that include learning the difficulties of traveling to space,designing and launching rockets (using water and air), and living on the ISS(and designing solutions that may help overcome these difficulties). Members of the Hilderstone Radio Society(G0HRS) have been fundamentalin advising and supporting the school during these activities and during thisARISS contact. This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio and students will take turns asking their questionsof Astronaut Loral O’Hara, amateur radio call sign KI5TOM. The downlinkfrequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners thatare within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station. The amateur radio ground station for this contactis in Broadstairs, UK. Amateur radio operators using call sign GB4SPT, willoperate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection. TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 18, 2023 at 10:57:49 am BST (UK) (9:57:49UTC, 5:57 am EDT, 4:57 am CDT, 3:57 am MDT,2:57 am PDT). Thepublic is invited to watch the live stream at: https://youtube.com/live/g74NbsTEvVw?feature=share _______________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1.Is it hot or cold in space, and if it’s hot how do you keep cool and if it’scold how do you keep warm in your spacesuit? 2.Is it really true that girls are better suited to space than boys? 3.How do you tell if it's night or day on the international space station? 4.Would you be happy to live in space for the rest of your life if you were toldto? 5.What are your thoughts about space travel in the future for mankind? 6.In the future will we be able to take holidays to the international spacestation? 7.Do you think living organisms will ever be found in space, and if so what couldthey be? 8.Do you get dizzy in space when you are not moving? Or does the lack of gravitymean that you do not get dizzy? 9.Does the ISS shake when a Soyuz spacecraft docks? 10.I know we can measure gravity, but what is gravity? 11.What is the furthest distance a human has travelled away from Planet Earth? 12.What would happen if you played on a swing in space? 13.What is the most amazing thing you have seen on earth from the space station? 14.How do fires behave in space? 15.Have you seen any comets? 16.How much work do you have to do on the space station each day, and what do youdo in your spare time? 17.My brother and I love space, my brother especially loves the moon. We wouldlove to be able to explore space one day. What advice can you give us, to helpour dreams come true? 18.What did you study in school to become an astronaut? 19.How does the space station renew the oxygen inside the station? 20.What is different about growing plants in space and do you think we'll be ableto grow food for long term space missions? 21.Will there be a point soon when you can watch Netflix or use your mobile phonein Space - as you are near the satellites that operate the signals? 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 American Radio Relay League(ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur SatelliteCorporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN)and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS isto promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, andmathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts viaamateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities takepart in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org . MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Findus on social media at: Twitter:ARISS_Intl Facebook:facebook.com/ARISSIntl Instagram:ariss_intl Mastodon:[email protected] Checkout ARISS on Youtube.com.

1 0

ANS-288 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 15 Oct '23

15 Oct '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-288 In this edition: * Estonia’s ESTCube-2 Digipeater in Orbit * 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Next Weekend * AMSAT-UK Colloquium Ongoing * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 15, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over 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/ ANS-260 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 October 15 Estonia’s ESTCube-2 Digipeater in Orbit ESTCube-2 is a 3U Cubesat largely designed and built by undergraduate students at the University of Tartu, Estonia. It was launched into sun-synchronous orbit as an auxiliary payload on the European Space Agency (ESA) Vega flight VV23 from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou on October 8 at 01:36 UTC. Among ESTCube-2's several missions, it will conduct in-orbit signal strength mapping in the 2m and 70cm amateur bands, using periodical full band received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements in order to check how polluted these two radio amateur bands are in low Earth orbit. In addition, a cross-band AX.25 digipeater mode will be used to allow amateur radio operators to use satellite for two-way digital communication. 9600 bps G3RUH AX.25 data uplink will be in 2m amateur band and transmission of digipeated packet in 70cm amateur radio band. Transmission speed and modulation will be the same as for uplink. [Similar to the now re-entered FalconSat-3.] There are plans to include periodic short audio announcements (similar to FOX-1) to indicate that the digipeater is active. The high-speed communications system is a COTS transmitter system called HiSPiCO from IQ Technologies. It is used when downloading preselected Earth observation scientific camera full-resolution images using the 2.4 GHz amateur radio band. (See https://www.iq-spacecom.com/products/hispico for details.) Data will be downlinked using QPSK modulated up-to 1 Mbps data-rate signal. Software tools (e.g. GNU Radio, web browser- based) will be published before the satellite launch, in order to enable reception of high speed downlink by the amateur radio community. The optional multi-station radio frequency ranging experiment will be used to determine satellite distance to Earth in order to improve accuracy of satellite orbit determination. For the experiment, the 70cm radio amateur band will be used in conjunction with four or more amateur ground stations using SDR-based equipment that can provide stable and accurate frequency and time measurements. The satellite downlink will be listened to from several ground stations at the same time. To educate the next generation of radio amateurs, the satellite will transmit analog messages from space using an NBFM signal containing pre-recorded audio greetings. This activity will infrequently take place according to a schedule published publicly to schools and the AMSAT/HAM community. The transmitted signal will be received by participating Estonian secondary and high schools, using their own built radio antennas and SDR-based receiver systems. This activity is targeted primarily to promote amateur radio and satellite communication (and in general STEM fields) among the younger generation. The Primary transceiver, shared with the amateur payloads, is using the 70 cm amateur radio band for uplink and downlink purposes. It will be used as the housekeeping beacon for a simple overview of the satellite status and as the main transceiver for receiving tele-commands and firmware upgrades. As well transmitting mission data, like telemetry from each subsystem (< 256 bytes per subsystem) and payload data, e.g. compressed, low resolution image thumbnails (~100 KiB), in AX.25 data packet format with 9600 baud data-rate with G3RUH modulated signal. The spacecraft will have experimental capability to change data-rate up-to 38600 baud using 2GFSK (or 4GFSK for testing) different modulation schemes. During the mission, it is planned to transmit a housekeeping telemetry beacon periodically (~1 KiB), typically once per minute, containing telemetry, health data packets from every subsystem. The 70 cm amateur radio band downlink will be used to send Plasma brake tether experiment [link] and housekeeping data of the payload module such as temperature measurements, information about the attitude of satellite, energy production etc. (< 256 bytes). After performing measurements of a material science experiment on corrosion resistant coating, the 70cm amateur radio band downlink will be used to transmit a very small amount of acquired sensor data (~ 200 B per day). The satellite will measure the electrical continuity of the coating material to determine its lifespan after exposure to atomic oxygen in LEO. Proposing UHF 9k6 using GFSK/G3RUH modulation or 38k4 GFSK/4GFSK or, alternatively, FM voice downlinks, and on S Band downlink DQPSK modulation with 1 Mbps data-rate, downlinks on 435.800 MHz and 2425.000 MHz have been coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). The Vega C VV23 launch plan was to put ESTCube-2 into a 555km Sun-Sychronous Orbit (SSO). Actual orbit parameters have yet to be confirmed. More info is at https://www.estcube.eu/projekt/ESTCube-2 and https://www.estcube.eu/blogi/Raadio [ANS thanks IARU, ESA, and the University of Tartu for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join us for the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX More Information at: https://tinyurl.com/41st-AMSAT-Symposium +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Next Weekend Although the deadline for the banquet and Sunday morning Members' Breakfast has passed, there's still time to join us for the 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting next weekend. A livestream of the Symposium Presentations and Annual General Meeting will be available on AMSAT's YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/amsatna For more information, visit https://www.amsat.org/41st-amsat-annual-space-symposium-and-annual-general-… Schedule (Times CDT) Thursday, October 19, 2023 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM AMSAT Board Meeting 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Pre-Registration Check-in Friday, October 20, 2023 8:00 – 12:00 Noon AMSAT Board Meeting (Closed Session) 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Registration 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM AMSAT Symposium Kickoff, President’s Welcome 1:15 PM – 5:00 PM Paper Sessions 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Informal Dinner on your own 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM AMSAT Reception and Auction, Cash Bar Available Saturday October 21, 2023 8:00 AM – 11:45 AM Registration 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM AMSAT Symposium Welcome 8:15AM – 12:00 Noon Paper Sessions 1:00 PM – 3:15 PM Paper Sessions 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM AMSAT Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Attitude Adjustment (Social), Cash Bar 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM AMSAT Banquet, Cash Bar Sunday October 22, 2023 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM AMSAT Member Breakfast [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT-UK Colloquium Ongoing Although the first day of the AMSAT-UK Colloquium has concluded at the time of publication, a livestream of Sunday's presentations is available. Volunteers from the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) are providing a live stream of the presentations from the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium which takes place as part of the RSGB Convention on October 14-15. BATC volunteers have been recording and streaming the Colloquium for over 11 years. Watch the AMSAT-UK Colloquium presentations on Sunday from 09:30-15:15 BST (GMT +1) at https://batc.org.uk/live/amsatuk2023 The AMSAT-UK talks are in Lecture Room 5 and PDF’s of the talk schedule can be downloaded from the RSGB site at https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention/2023-convention-lectures/ Further information on the BATC is available at http://batc.org.uk/ Individual videos of Colloquium presentations will also be available on AMSAT-UK's YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK) over the coming weeks. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 13, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: AstroBioCubsat NORAD Cat ID 53107 Probably defunct, USSF no longer providing element sets. Aurorasat NORAD Cat ID 56312 Decayed from orbit on or about 9 October 2023 Lightcube NORAD Cat ID 56314 Decayed from orbit on or about 12 October 2023 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ The ARISS mentor is AB1OC Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-17 12:25:03 UTC 38 deg Watch for livestream at https://youtube.com/live/g74NbsTEvVw?feature=share St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom, direct via GB4SPT The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM The ARISS mentor is MØXTD Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 19. OFF TBD. ON TBD. * Powering off for ROS EVA on Oct 25. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 30. OFF TBD. ON TBD. * Powering off for TBD on TBD. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for TBD on TBD. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. SSTV (Kenwood D710) – STATUS - OFF. Default mode is for scheduled SSTV operations (145.800 MHz down) * Next planned operation date(s) TBD. * Specifically configured for SSTV ops. 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] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Adrian, N8AJM, will be QRV from EM85 (TN) 16th – 20th October. This will be LEO/MEO. Details are available at hams.at [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and 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. + 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063 AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The first PCBs for AMSAT-UK's next FUNcube satellite arrived this past week. This satellite will provide a Mode U/v linear transponder, an FM transponder with an uplink at 1267 MHz and downlink on 2 meters (Mode L/v), and an experimental QPSK downlink at about 20 kbps. (Thanks to G0MRF for this information) + ITU‑R WP5A meeting #30 could not achieve consensus on the measures needed to protect the RNSS in the 23cm band. (Relating to WRC-23 AI 9.1b) Link to the IARU report on WP5A meeting is at the end of https://www.iaru-r1.org/2023/itu-r-wp5a-meeting-30-could-not-achieve-consen… (Thanks to AMSAT-UK and the IARU for this information) + VU2JO has created a post detailing tips and tricks for working LEO satellites. The blog post is available at https://johnsonfrancis.org/techworld/tips-and-tricks-for-working-leo-satell… (Thanks to VU2JO for this information) + The Psyche mission to all-metal asteroid Psyche successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 13, 2023 on a Falcon Heavy. This was NASA's first user of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. https://spacenews.com/nasa-launches-psyche-mission-to-metal-world/ (Thanks to SpaceNews.com for this 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, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

1 0

FT818 and M2 Eggbeaters
by Erik Eitel 14 Oct '23

14 Oct '23

I’ve been using my dual Yaesu FT818 setup and Arrow antenna with great success on the FM and linear satellites. As the temperature in the northeast US begins to plummet I have put some thought into how to operate for the winter. I have purchased an M2 Sat Pack Eggbeater antenna and I am wondering if anyone has had success using a 6 watt FT818 with it? Again, I have no problem with 6 watts and an Arrow antenna, but curious what the results might be with the eggbeaters. I know some don’t care for the Eggbeater style antenna but I have talked to many who have had great success, just not sure if I can duplicate that with 6 watts. Thanks for the help. 73 Erik K2ERK - FN20

1 0