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

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

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TEVEL-3,4,7
by david.greenberg＠bezeqint.net 30 Jun '23

30 Jun '23

Hello All, TEVEL-3,4,7 FM transponders have been activated, starting from today, 30.06.23 18:20U for 72 hours. The satellites were chosen based on footprint overlapping considerations. 73, David 4X1DG

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13 Colonies 2023 Special Event - Satops
by Ant Lefebvre 30 Jun '23

30 Jun '23

Tomorrow starts the 13 Colonies event. All 13 colonies are covered by satops this year making a clean sweep possible. Trying to limit the FM and IO-117 congestion as much as possible, so look for most on the linear birds throughout the week. Last day being July 7th, but some ops may stop sooner due to personal commitments. http://www.13colonies.us/ 73 -Ant NU1U (K2D backup satop)

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NYTimes.com: The Cosmos Is Thrumming With Gravitational Waves, Astronomers Find
by Arthur Feller 29 Jun '23

29 Jun '23

Check out this article from The New York Times. Because I'm a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription. The Cosmos Is Thrumming With Gravitational Waves, Astronomers Find Radio telescopes around the world picked up a telltale hum reverberating across the cosmos, most likely from supermassive black holes merging in the early universe. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/science/astronomy-gravitational-waves-na… To thrive in life, you need three bones: a wish bone, a back bone, and a funny bone. - Reba McEntire

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Re: FoxTelem on macOS Ventura
by Burns Fisher 28 Jun '23

28 Jun '23

Hi Will, Please say what version of FoxTelem you are using. I believe it should work with OpenJDK, but I can check. 73, Burns WB1FJ On Tue, Jun 27, 2023 at 8:15 PM Will Brozovic via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Hey Everyone, > > I am currently trying to get FoxTelem running on my mac and am running > into some issues relating to my Java installation. > > Java versions: > > (base) wbrozovic@WillsMak14M1Pro FoxTelem_1.12z3_mac % java --version > > openjdk 20.0.1 2023-04-18 > > OpenJDK Runtime Environment Homebrew (build 20.0.1) > > OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Homebrew (build 20.0.1, mixed mode, sharing) > > If someone could help troubleshoot or if anyone has run into a similar > issue and can help it would be appreciated! I'll paste some context below. > > - Double click FoxTelem exec > > (base) wbrozovic@WillsMak14M1Pro ~ % > /Users/wbrozovic/Developer/AMSAT/FoxTelem_1.12z3_mac/FoxTelem ; exit; > > > Java is not in the path > > JAVA_HOME is set > > Java not found. Install Java 1.7 or later to run FoxTelem > > > Saving session... > > ...copying shared history... > > ...saving history...truncating history files... > > ...completed. > > > [Process completed] > > > > The weird thing is that Java does appear to be in my path (unless .jenv or > openjdk aren't what we are looking for?): > > (base) wbrozovic@WillsMak14M1Pro FoxTelem_1.12z3_mac % echo $path > > /opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk/bin /Users/wbrozovic/.jenv/shims > /Users/wbrozovic/.jenv/bin /opt/homebrew/opt/llvm/bin > > It has been a while since I have worked with Java on this computer so > maybe (hopefully) I'm missing something obvious here. > > > -- > Thanks, > Will Brozovic > > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > 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/amsat-bb@amsat.org > 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

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FoxTelem on macOS Ventura
by Will Brozovic 28 Jun '23

28 Jun '23

Hey Everyone, I am currently trying to get FoxTelem running on my mac and am running into some issues relating to my Java installation. Java versions: (base) wbrozovic@WillsMak14M1Pro FoxTelem_1.12z3_mac % java --version openjdk 20.0.1 2023-04-18 OpenJDK Runtime Environment Homebrew (build 20.0.1) OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Homebrew (build 20.0.1, mixed mode, sharing) If someone could help troubleshoot or if anyone has run into a similar issue and can help it would be appreciated! I'll paste some context below. - Double click FoxTelem exec (base) wbrozovic@WillsMak14M1Pro ~ % /Users/wbrozovic/Developer/AMSAT/FoxTelem_1.12z3_mac/FoxTelem ; exit; Java is not in the path JAVA_HOME is set Java not found. Install Java 1.7 or later to run FoxTelem Saving session... ...copying shared history... ...saving history...truncating history files... ...completed. [Process completed] The weird thing is that Java does appear to be in my path (unless .jenv or openjdk aren't what we are looking for?): (base) wbrozovic@WillsMak14M1Pro FoxTelem_1.12z3_mac % echo $path /opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk/bin /Users/wbrozovic/.jenv/shims /Users/wbrozovic/.jenv/bin /opt/homebrew/opt/llvm/bin It has been a while since I have worked with Java on this computer so maybe (hopefully) I'm missing something obvious here. -- Thanks, Will Brozovic

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TEVEL-2
by david.greenberg＠bezeqint.net 26 Jun '23

26 Jun '23

Hello All, My antenna has developed some problems. Using a remote station, I have tried to activate TEVEL-2 transponder, but was not able to verify. I will check the AMSAT status page. 73, David 4X1DG

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Re: EO88’s re-entry competition from AMSAT-UK
by David G0MRF 26 Jun '23

26 Jun '23

Thank you for that link Joe. Now I can stop loading individual sets of keps !! If anyone would like to enter, just an e-mail with a line giving your best guess of date and time (UTC) of re-entry to EO88(a)amsat-uk.org Enties close on 4th July at midnight UTC.We'll announce the result a few days after re-entry and send a framed certificate to the winner. Good luck On Friday, 23 June 2023 at 20:00:34 UTC, Joseph B. Fitzgerald via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: You can monitor EO-88's decent at https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/graph-altitude.php?CATNR=42017 Adjust the catalog number at the end of the URL to view other objects. Use 42787 to see the decent of NUDTSAT which recently re-entered. de KM1P Joe ----------------------------------------------------------- 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/amsat-bb@amsat.org 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

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ANS-176 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 25 Jun '23

25 Jun '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-176 In this edition: * Two Awards Available from AMSAT-UK Regarding EO-88's Impending Re-Entry * URESAT-1 Deployed * Harbin Institute of Technology Developing New Lunar Amateur Radio Satellite * How Many Satellites Can We Safely Fit In Earth Orbit? * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 22, 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-176 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 June 25 Two Awards Available from AMSAT-UK Regarding EO-88's Impending Re-Entry As you may be aware, Solar Cycle 25 has already shown that we cannot yet predict what the sun will be doing with any great accuracy. Sunspots, X-class solar flares and CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are increasing in frequency and intensity on a daily basis. The peak of Solar Cycle 25 was not expected until late 2024 or early 2025 but it may be coming earlier and have a higher intensity than was predicted. One result of this increased activity is that the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of the earth becomes warmer and expands upwards. This means that spacecraft in low earth orbit experience more drag or resistance as a result of the increase in the number atoms they are having to displace as they travel around the globe. As a consequence, the spacecraft loose more kinetic energy and start to descend lower in orbital height, which, of course, makes the problem worse and a fiery end to the spacecraft is hastened. The actual effect is also dependant on the drag coefficient of the particular spacecraft…simply how much mass (the more the better) to how much surface area (the less the better). So in CubeSat terms, a 1U CubeSat, fairly full of stuff with a mass near the maximum of 1.3kg, will probably be better off than a half empty 3U CubeSat with deployable solar panels and other drag inducing protuberances. All TLEs (Two Line Elements) include a parameter called drag, it is usually a very small number preceeded by four or more zeros! Although this parameter is calculated by the system, it is not usually precise or even stable, so cannot be used to accurately predict deorbit dates when looking forward many weeks/months. It can give us a guide though! Alarm bells should ring when we only see two leading zeros. How does this effect our activities? Well for the FUNcube family, there are presently three active members! FUNcube-1, AO-73 was launched almost ten years ago in November 2013 into an elliptical polar orbit of approx 682×595 km. Presently those numbers are around 640×570 km so probably not too much to worry about. The drag number from the TLEs is, at the time of writing, 0.000074, a good number. The same applies to JY1SAT, JO-97. This was launched in December 2018 into a 573×590 km polar orbit. Presently those numbers are around 557×573 km and the current drag is listed as 0.000076. Unfortunately, however, the same cannot by said for Nayif-1, EO-88. This spacecraft was launched in February 2017 into a 496×507 km polar orbit. Currently the orbit parameters show a height of around 320 km with the drag at 0.00319. It is now well below the ISS and much lower than at launch. As mentioned, largely due to the random nature of the our star’s flux output on a day to day basis, it is not possible at this stage to accurately predict the likely deorbit date but it seems that it will certainly be before the end of this year. As the spacecraft continues to perform 100% nominally this is a great shame. Presently it is switching autonomously from high power telemetry when in daylight and with lower power telemetry and the transponder active when in darkness. The solar panels, battery and power system also continue to be reporting nominal numbers, essentially unchanged since the day of launch. It will therefore be a really sad moment when re-entry occurs but in the meantime everyone is encouraged to use the spacecraft whilst it remains available. To mark the event of EO-88/Nayif’s demise, AMSAT-UK is offering two awards. These will be individual framed certificates. Firstly, to the station who submits the last telemetry to the FUNcube Data Warehouse and also to who “guesses” or calculates the re-entry time and date most accurately. Submissions for this award must be made to EO88(a)amsat-uk.org before midnight (UTC) on July 4th 2023. So time is short to get your entries in. Good luck! [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ URESAT-1 Deployed The URESAT-1 satellite, also known as HADES-B according to its ITU designation, successfully launched into space as part of the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission from Vandenberg AFB on Monday, June 12. The satellite is a joint effort between AMSAT-EA, URE (the Spanish equivalent of ARRL), private companies, and universities. The URESAT-1 satellite, contained within the D-Orbit ION Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), was not deployed directly from the Falcon-9 rocket. Instead, approximately one hour and twenty minutes after launch, the Falcon-9 released the OTV. URESAT-1 was deployed from the OTV at approximately 12:10 UTC on June 22, 2023. As of this writing, signals have not yet been received from the satellite. One of the primary objectives of URESAT-1 is to serve as an FM voice and FSK data repeater. Equipped with a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) camera, the satellite will transmit live images as well as stored images at regular intervals. It also features a chess game, enabling players on Earth to engage in a game against the satellite. Periodically, the satellite will transmit updates on the state of the game, including the chess board, the last movement made, and whether the next move belongs to the players or the satellite. The specified frequencies for communication with URESAT-1 are as follows: for uplink transmissions, 145.975 MHz or 145.925 MHz (auxiliary frequency) using FM voice without subtone, FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200/2400 bps. For downlink transmissions, the frequency is set at 436.888 MHz, and modes include FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps telemetry, SSTV Robot 36, and a voice beacon with the callsign AO4URE. To provide further information regarding URESAT-1's transmissions, the AMSAT-EA organization has made available a comprehensive document that can be accessed at the following link: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13366685/AMSAT+EA+-+URESAT-1+Transmis… For those interested in decoding the telemetry, a Linux x86/ARM decoder is available for download at the following link: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13395017/URESAT-1_telemetry_decoder_L… A sample file containing the audio of a telemetry file can be found here: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13398144/URESAT-1_sample_FSK_telemetr… If URESAT-1 operates as intended, the project team plans to release a Linux program that will allow players to send their chess moves to the satellite, further enhancing the interactive experience. [ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Harbin Institute of Technology Developing New Lunar Amateur Radio Satellite Lunar OSCAR II is a lunar amateur radio payload developing by a team consists of students in Harbin Institute of Technology and international amateur radio enthusiasts. Its baseline functions include telemetry, digital image downlink from an infrared camera, and digipeater with JT4G uplink/downlink. It will also provide chances for uploading and testing new waveforms and algorithms for radio communications and measurements in very long distance. Amateur radio orbit determination experiments, for example Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), are also possible with these links. Harbin Institute of Technology has previously successfully developed the first lunar amateur radio satellite, Longjiang-2 / DSLWP-B. (LO-94) As a subsequent mission, Lunar OSCAR II will continue offering various resources for communications relay and amateur radio research, and promoting the cooperation of amateur radio communities. The Lunar OSCAR II payload will be on board a lunar microsatellite with a volume of about 300x200x100 mm3 and a mass of about 14 kg and will utilize downlinks on UHF for telemetry and images using 250/500 baud GMSK with turbo codes and Digipeater using 4.375 baud $FSK with convolutional coding (JT4G). More information is available at https://by2hit.github.io/. The satellite is planned for a launch from Wenchang in 2024. A downlink on 437.750 MHz has been coordinated. [ANS thanks the IARU and Harbin Institute of Technology for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- How Many Satellites Can We Safely Fit In Earth Orbit? Just 10 years ago, a mere thousand or so operational satellites may have orbited our planet, but there will be tens or even hundreds of thousands a decade from now. Experts have been sounding alarm bells for years that Earth orbit is getting a bit too crowded. So how many satellites can we actually launch to space before it gets to be too much? Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics warns the first signs that things are getting a little too tense are, in fact, already present. "It's going to be like an interstate highway, at rush hour in a snowstorm with everyone driving much too fast," he told Space.com when asked what the situation in orbit will be like if existing plans for satellite megaconstellations such as SpaceX's Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper come to fruition. "Except that there are multiple interstate highways crossing each other with no stoplights." McDowell's British colleague Hugh Lewis is another frequently heard voice of caution. In a post published on Twitter on Jan. 13, Lewis stated that "the overall number of conjunctions predicted for 2022 was 134% higher than the number for 2020 and 58% higher than 2021, exceeding 4 million." That doesn't mean that on 4 million occasions objects in space came close to a collision — just that managing traffic in space is getting much more complicated than it has ever been in the past. Take SpaceX's Starlink as an example. According to information submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December last year, SpaceX's autonomous collision-avoidance system performed 26,037 orbital avoidance maneuvers with its Starlink satellites in the two-year period between Dec. 1, 2020 and Nov. 30, 2022. That means each Starlink satellite of the nearly 4,000 that have been launched to date performed, on average, 12 avoidance maneuvers during that time. But the size of SpaceX's current constellation is less than 10% of what the company plans to deploy. Within the next 10 years, the number of Starlink satellites in orbit may rise to 42,000. Add to that the up to 4,000 satellites that OneWeb wants to launch, another 3,200 of Amazon's Kuiper craft and 13,000 satellites of China's envisioned Guowang system, and it becomes obvious that things are set to get much more heated. According to the FCC document, SpaceX claims that each of its satellites has a sufficient amount of fuel on board to perform 350 collision-avoidance maneuvers over its expected five-year lifetime. But that number could be reached remarkably soon, according to Lewis' calculations. In short, less than five years from now, Starlink satellites may be running out of fuel in a shorter period of time than their designed lifetime because of the sheer number of avoidance maneuvers they will have to perform. [ANS thanks Tereza Pultarova, writing for Space.com, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 22, 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/ This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT-NA TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: No contacts currently scheduled 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. 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 Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about 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 Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater 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 (AA5UK) is heading back to the Cayman Islands. He will be operating as ZF2AE/ZF8 from Little Cayman June 25 to June 29th (EK99wp). He plans to rent a car June 28th/29th and will try to make it to FK09 grid at the other end to the island, time permitting. He will operate from Grand Cayman as ZF2AE June 30th to July 3rd (EK99ki) with focus on cross Atlantic contacts via AO7, RS44, FO-29 and IO-117. He will be relocating to Seven Mile Beach to operate from July 4th – July 7th in EK99hi and will try to mix it up on the passes with focus on Western passes. The gear will be FT-1634 with Alaskan Arrow antenna. For IO-117, he will be using an IC-7000. Operation will be holiday style. Please follow him on Twitter @ZF2AE and @AA5UK and watch for the latest announcements. He also plans to periodically operate HF with focus on RTTY, FT8/FT4 and other digital modes. QSL information on QRZ.com. LOTW preferred. [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. + AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2023 Dallas, Texas AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. 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. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up." [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + For rocket geeks, an interesting video shows the dynamics of SpaceX’s new stage separation technique, which will be tested on Starship, separating the booster and upper stage without pusher pistons (like Falcon) or explosives (like many traditional rockets). The video may be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yesni8HUEA4 (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Although their identities have been widely circulated previously, the European Space Agency (ESA), on June 20, formally announced the personnel who will make up SpaceX Crew-7. They are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, commander; ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, from Denmark, who will serve as pilot; as well as JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, from Japan, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, from Russia, who will both serve as mission specialists. This crew will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida later this summer on a SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, and will remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for approximately six months. (ANS thanks ESA for the above information) + Spei Satelles is a 3U CubeSat created by the students and teachers of the Polytechnic of Turin. During its stay in orbit, Spei Satelles will transmit a radio signal that can be received by amateurs. The signal contains messages of hope from the magisterium of Pope Francis. Spei Satelles (the Latin words for Satellite of Hope) operates in a sun-synchronous low Earth orbit at about 525 km of altitude from the Earth's surface. At a frequency of 437.5MHz (Editor's note - this satellite is not coordinated by the IARU and AMSAT encourages radio amateurs to decline to offer telemetry collection or other technical support to groups that launch satellites that are not IARU coordinated and do not offer amateur communications opportunities) it transmits GMSK at 9600 bit/s AX.25. Spei Satelles also contains a nanobook, a 2x2x0.2 mm silicon slab on which the images, speeches, and readings by Pope Francis on March 27, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, were imprinted by nanotechnologies. The satellite hitched a ride aboard Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket launching from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 10, after being blessed by Pope Francis on March 29 at his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. (ANS thanks Religion News Service and Polytechnic of Turin for the above information) + Congratulations to Olivier Tymkiw, HB9GWJ, on receiving AMSAT Rover Award # 077! To earn the AMSAT Rover Award, participants must accumulate a combined total of 25 points through various achievements in portable satellite operations outside their home grid square. The AMSAT Rover Award was established to recognize and honor the accomplishments of satellite operators who engage in rover operations. Rover operations involve the activation of grid squares outside one's home grid, utilizing various satellite transponders and modes to establish communication links. A breakdown of the points system along with a list of past AMSAT Rover Award recipients can be found at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/. Keep on roving, Olivier, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community! + Virgin Galactic will launch its first commercial spaceflight on June 27th. https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-first-commercial-spaceflight-june-2023 (ANS thanks space.com) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

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Re: TEVEL-4,5,7
by Pedro Converso 23 Jun '23

23 Jun '23

Hi David, Thanks! for activating the TEVEL constellation !! Frequency+Dopplers and passes in local time at: http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=teve3,teve4,teve5,teve7 73, lu7abf, Pedro

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