March 2025 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-068 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 09 Mar '25

09 Mar '25

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-068 In this edition: * Another Batch of CubeSatSim Kits Available Soon in AMSAT Store * GOLF-TEE Advances: Flight Software and Bus Status * New Textbook Featuring GNU Radio Published * ISS Astronauts Reject Call for Early Retirement of the Station * VUCC Satellite Standing March 2025 * DXCC Satellite Standing March 2025 * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for March 7, 2025 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * 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 [dot] 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-068 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2025 Mar 09 Another Batch of CubeSatSim Kits Available Soon in AMSAT Store A new batch of twenty CubeSatSim Kits will be available for purchase in the AMSAT Store on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 7:00 PM US EDT (2300 UTC). Priced at $400 with shipping included for U.S. addresses, the CubeSatSim Kit offers a hands-on learning experience with no soldering and some assembly, making it ideal for both educational use and public demonstrations. [cid:[email protected]] The CubeSatSim Kit includes: * Fully assembled and tested PCBs (Main, Solar, and Battery Boards) * Raspberry Pi Zero 2 with a Pi Camera and fully programmed micro-SD card, along with a fully programmed Raspberry Pi Pico WH * AMSAT logo Remove Before Flight tag switch * 3D printed frame, nylon screws, and nuts, with a mini screwdriver included for assembly * Metal standoffs, stacking headers, and JST jumpers for stacking the PCBs and Pi Zero 2 * 10 solar panels with pre-soldered JST connectors and mounting tape * BME280 sensor (pressure, temperature, altitude, humidity) and MPU6050 IMU/gyro pre-soldered * Two 6? SMA coax cables and two SMA antennas The kit also comes with an instruction sheet, parts inventory, and links to online instructions. Assembly time is estimated to be under two hours, with scissors and the provided mini screwdriver. [cid:[email protected]] The v2.0 CubeSatSim features improvements over v1.2, such as an FM transceiver, Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, and RF command and control using DTMF or APRS packets. It can also be modified to function as a 500mW high altitude balloon payload. For those interested in creating their own CubeSatSim, v2.0 blank PCB sets are available at the AMSAT Store for $35. These require additional components, which can be purchased for approximately $300 using the provided Bill of Materials. Additional resources include: * Kit Instructions https://cubesatsim.org/kit * it Videos https://cubesatsim.org/kit-videos * Discussion Forum https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/discussions * Quick Start Guide https://cubesatsim.org/qsg For more information or to borrow a loaner CubeSat Simulator, contact Alan Johnston, AMSAT VP Educational Relations, at ku2y [at] arrl [dot] net. [cid:[email protected]] How to Order Kits will be sold exclusively on the AMSAT Store website. Only U.S. shipping addresses are eligible; orders with non-U.S. addresses will be refunded and closed. About CubeSatSim CubeSatSim is a low-cost satellite emulator powered by solar panels and batteries. It transmits UHF radio telemetry and can be expanded with additional sensors and modules, making it ideal for educational and public demonstrations. [ANS Thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP-Educational Relations for the above information.] ________________________________ The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [2025 PC Coin Set] Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ GOLF-TEE Advances: Flight Software and Bus Status Burns Fisher, WB1FJ recently presented a review of the progress being made on the GOLF-TEE flight software, and an overview of the satellite electrical busses and telemetry. This next generation of GOLF satellites (Greater Orbit – Larger Footprint) marks a new era of communications satellites. The GOLF series of satellites requires technologies that are new to AMSAT’s CubeSat program. The first satellite of this ambitious effort is called GOLF-TEE for Technology Exploration Environment. As an experimental mission, GOLF-TEE is designed to fly in an readily available and low cost low-earth orbit. Its purpose is to test technologies that will be used in later GOLF satellites. [cid:[email protected]] Figure 1 shows a 3D printed model of the circuit boards for the GOLF-TEE satellite built by Tom Karnauskas, N0UW, AMSAT mechanical engineer. Fisher showed the audience a new 3D printed model of GOLF-TEE and its circuit board mockups to be secured on aluminum rails. GOLF Project Engineers are optimizing placement of the circuit boards so a model of each board is a big help. They are confronting the challenges that satellite designers face when trying to fit stacks of circuit boards, batteries, complex control systems, and experimental payloads inside a 10cm x 10cm x 30cm spaceframe that is the core of a three-unit CubeSat. He explained that the four fold-out solar panels are expected to generate about 36 Watts of power in full-sun. Fisher commented, “That’s a surprising amount of power.” But, before GOLF-TEE is ready to fly, several earth-bound versions of the satellite are used by AMSAT engineers. A “flatsat” is a generic term describing the first attempt at interconnecting the circuit boards to be used in the satellite. The components are spread out on a table for easier access to subsystems. At this point, the circuit boards may not even look like what the final items will look like. The flatsat is used for initial testing and development of the circuits as well as the software that runs and communicates with the systems. [cid:[email protected]] Figure 2 shows a device under test in the WB1FJ shack. It illustrates why the term flatsat is used to describe how prototypes are initially assembled for development and testing. The project uses an AMSAT Linear Transponder Module (LTM) for command/control, telemetry, and a V/U linear transponder as well as a newly designed Radiation-Tolerant processor (the RT-IHU). The satellite will utilize a real-time operating system controlling three microprocessors. He said, “Processor coordination is new to GOLF. It keeps watch over processing monitoring for failures. It copes with failures by switching processors.” GOLF-TEE uses a number of different electrical busses, including I2c and SPI. The purpose of any bus is to communicate among different electrical units while reducing wiring complexity, Fisher described the eight software programs, also called tasks, that the Real-Time operating system manages:: Downlink Control; Telemetry Collection; Diagnostic Console; Receiver/Transmitter Control; Commanding; Experiment Control; Processor Coordination; and CAN Support. [cid:[email protected]] Figure 3 identifies the circuit boards that must communicate with each other via different electrical busses and their stacking arrangement. Fisher’s work includes tests of the CAN bus and the Central Interface Unit connecting various subsystems. The CAN bus is a controller area network that is a vehicle bus standard designed to enable efficient communication primarily between electronic control units. The CAN bus is new to the AMSAT CubeSat program. GOLF-TEE will carry a Vanderbilt University a RadFx (Radiation Effects) experiment using I2C data communication format. Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Space and Defense Electronics analyzes radiation-hardened electronics, develops test methods and plans for assuring radiation hardness, and develops solutions to system-specific problems related to radiation effects. An upcoming feature of a future GOLF satellite will be the ability to comply with NASA’s Orbital Debris and Collision Avoidance Requirements for satellites flying at higher orbits. This means carrying not only an attitude detection and control system but a possible propulsion system needed to de-orbit the satellite at the end of its useful life. Burns Fisher credited technical contributions to the program by Chris Thompson, VE2TCP, Rich Gopstein, KD2CQ, and Bill Schell, W2WZ. Fisher is a life member of AMSAT and the volunteer lead flight software developer for GOLF Satellites. [ANS thanks Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, AMSAT GOLF Lead Flight Software Developer for the above information.] ________________________________ New Textbook Featuring GNU Radio Published The GNU Radio community announces the publication of a new textbook dedicated to GNU Radio and its applications. Communication Systems Engineering with GNU Radio: A Hands-on Approach explores a wide range of topics, including RADAR, GNSS reception, satellite communication, and digital communications. This book encapsulates over 12 years of experience working with GNU Radio and provides a structured, hands-on approach for students, educators, and practitioners alike. Software-defined radio (SDR), which emerged in the 1990s, has become a core development method in certain high-profile fields, including military and space communications. High cost and problems with hardware availability, however, prevented this technology from being widely disseminated. The advent of low-cost hardware beginning in the 2010s, however, has made GNU Radio the leading open-source software toolkit for developing SDR systems an increasingly viable and even critical tool for a new generation of radio frequency communication engineers. [cid:[email protected]] Communication Systems Engineering with GNU Radio provides an accessible overview of this toolkit and its applications. Beginning with the fundamentals of using GNU radio for digital signal processing, the volume then moves to the practicalities of decoding data and the advantages of accessing raw data normally unavailable in hardware-defined radio frequency receivers. The result is a potentially crucial tool for engineers looking to adopt this cost-effective and flexible standard for transmitting and processing radio frequency signals. Readers will find a careful balance of radio communications theory with GNU Radio practicalities, practical implementation examples employing well-developed open-source GNU Radio platforms and extensive accompanying documentation and explanation. Educators looking to connect with the GNU Radio community are encouraged to join #edu on chat.gnuradio.org, or reach out via email at education(a)gnuradio.org<mailto:[email protected]>. Communication Systems Engineering with GNU Radio is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students in communications systems courses, as well as professionals working in SDR. The GNU Radio community extends its gratitude to the authors, Jean-Michel Friedt and Herve Boeglen, for their work making this resource available. More information is available at https://www.gnuradio.org/news/2025-01-29-gnuradio-textbook. [ANS thanks gnuradio.org for the above information.] ________________________________ ISS Astronauts Reject Call for Early Retirement of the Station Astronauts on the International Space Station said they disagreed with Elon Musk’s claim that the station was past its prime and should be deorbited in as soon as two years. Speaking to reporters March 4, NASA astronauts Suni Williams, KD5PLB, and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the station since June on a flawed Starliner test flight, and Nick Hague, KG5TMV, the commander of the Crew-9 mission that will bring the two back with him later this month, addressed political issues like an early retirement of the ISS and Musk’s claim he offered NASA an early return of the Starliner crew. [cid:[email protected]] That included comments on social media by Musk on Feb. 20 where he said the ISS “has served its purpose” and has “very little incremental utility.” Musk called for deorbiting the ISS as soon as possible, which he said should be in two years. NASA’s current plans call for operating the ISS to 2030. “I actually was extremely impressed coming up here and seeing how much science is going on,” Williams said when asked about Musk’s comments. “I would say we’re actually in our prime right now. We’ve got all the power, all the facilities, up and operating.” “I would think that right now was probably not the right time to call it quits,” she concluded. “We have probably until 2030 in our agreements, and I think that’s probably really accurate, because we should make the most of this space station for our taxpayers and for all of our international partners, and hold our obligations.” NASA is instead proceeding with its plan announced in August to have Wilmore and Williams return on the Crew-9 Crew Dragon spacecraft, which launched with two empty seats to provide room for their return. NASA did not consider bringing that capsule back early to ensure there would be an overlap with the Crew-10 mission launching as soon as March 12 “When I launched in late September, our planned return date was the end of February,” Hague said. “Given the amount of training that’s required to get a crew ready and the complexities associated with getting a spacecraft ready to launch and operate in space, targeting a March return is pretty much on target.” Because Williams and Wilmore did not launch as part of a planned Crew Dragon mission, they do not have customized pressure suits, using instead suits either on the station or brought up on cargo spacecraft. That means, Williams said, they don’t have their names on them like a typical Crew Dragon suit. “But that’s ok. We’re just Butch and Suni and everybody knows who we are by now.” “We do have Sharpies up here,” Wilmore added, “so my suit might have a name on it.” [ANS thanks spacenews.com for the above information.] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. [cid:[email protected]] M2 LEO-Pack Antenna When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware<https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/> ________________________________ VUCC Satellite Standing March 2025 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for February 01, 2025 to March 01, 2025. Call Feb. March WC7V1611 1619 F4BKV 1200 1300 YO2CMI 1003 1170 N3GS 1103 1122 JK2XXK 1086 1103 EA2AA 1026 1050 N9FN 700 752 HB9GWJ 553 575 PA7RA 495 534 N8URE(FM19) 450 471 KB3IAI 358 400 DF5SF 217 301 K5WO 255 270 WD5GRW 205 213 WD5GRW(EM13QC) New 213 BI4IA New 110 Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders. [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.] ________________________________ DXCC Satellite Standing March 2025 DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for February 01, 2025 to March 01, 2025. Call Feb. March OE9DGV 213 214 HB9BZA 188 196 YO2CMI 174 180 G4GIR 171 172 HB9AOF 151 163 YO2KHK 156 158 HB9RYZ 153 155 F6AOJ 143 145 W0NBC 124 142 A65BR 112 117 LA0FA 112 117 ON6AA New 114 TF1A 103 112 DJ7NT 105 110 IK8YTA 100 107 DL6JZ New 101 G0MRF New 100 Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders. ON6AA is first DXCC Satellite holder from JO11 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.] ________________________________ AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available Yes, These are the Real Thing! [cid:[email protected]] Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a Fox-Plus Satellite Includes First Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only) Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain ________________________________ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for March 7, 2025 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. NOTICE: In an effort to minimize confusion between sources of two line element sets, AMSAT is adopting the convention of listing the USSF/NORAD Satellite Catalog name first, followed by any secondary name or names in parentheses. For example “POEM 4 (BGS ARPIT)” was added recently where “POEM 4” is the name that appears in the US Space Force Satellite Catalog, and “BGS ARPIT” is the name best known within the amateur satellite community. Expect name changes for affected satellites in the coming weeks as this change is fully implemented. The following satellite has been deleted from this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution: FO-118 NORAD Cat ID 54684 Decayed from orbit on or about 6 March 2025 [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. [ARISS News] Upcoming Contacts No upcoming contacts scheduled. The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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. The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down). As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. 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. 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 No operations listed. A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, for the above information.] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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 News Logo] March 22, 2025 Midwinter Madness Hamfest Buffalo Civic Center 1306 County Rd 134 Buffalo MN 55313 https://k0ltc.org/midwinter-madness/ Hosts: K0JM, AD0HJ, KE0PBR April 4-5, 2025 Southeastern VHF Conference 2025 Quality Inn 3095 Wilma Rudolph Blvd Clarksville, TN 37040 Host: W4FCL April 5, 2025 RARSfest Jim Graham Building NC State Fairgrounds Youth Center Drive, Gate 5 Raleigh NC https://www.rarsfest.org/index.php Hosts: K4EB, N4AEW, W1DCM, KK4HG, N4HF Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/ [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.] ________________________________ Satellite Shorts from All Over Are the kiddies bored and driving you crazy? Have you read the last issue of the ANS Weekly Bulletins ten times and you still have nine hours to go before the next useable pass of the ISS? How about spending some time with a rocket-oriented coloring book? Get your kids and their crayons out and navigate to https://mondaymandala.com/rocket-coloring-pages. Here you’ll find 24 printable coloring book pages with ready-to-color images of everything from the Space Shuttle, SLS, Soyuz, SpaceX Heavy and so much more. What? Done already? Go to https://mondaymandala.com/astronaut-coloring-pages/ for another twenty coloring book pages of astronauts! Did you color out of the lines? No worry. Print as many pages as you like. These pages are totally FREE! [ANS thanks mondaymanda.com for the above information.] [cid:[email protected]] Run out of crayons? Time to sit back and relax with one or two of sixteen NEW videos of the 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium. David Beaujean, N8EPF, has broken the hours-long You Tube videos of two days worth of Symposium presentations into separate, easy-to-click programs. Topics range from CubeSat propulsion systems to space qualified antenna systems and everything in between. David is working on the 2024 Symposium presentations and will be available soon. So, grab a beverage, a bowl of pretzels and navigate to https://tinyurl.com/ANS-068-Videos. Choose from the topics in the right-hand column. Thank you, Dave, for your tireless work in helping to make AMSAT members aware of what AMSAT is doing to Help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] [cid:[email protected]] Still looking for something to do? The AMSAT News Service can use one or two more rotating weekly editors to help keep its members and other satellite enthusiasts up-to-date. Rotating Editors are expected to make a commitment of once a month or so to get their issue of the ANS Weekly Bulletin out on time. Each issue basically requires six hours or so of reviewing a variety of news sources, copying and editing published stories into the ANS format. Some weeks or chock full of news and some are on the thin side so a bit of original writing maybe be needed. You’ll work with a small group of fellow editors trading stories and pitching in. If you want more information or would like to talk to Mark Johns, K0JM, AMSAT News Service Editor-in-Chief, drop a note at volunteer [at] amsat [dot] org. and we’ll get you connected. [cid:[email protected]] ________________________________ 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 [dot] org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

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Re: Sky-watcher Az-Gti mount as a goto tracker
by Greg D 05 Mar '25

05 Mar '25

Excellent! Thanks for letting us know. Greg KO6TH Pierre Frederic Chenier via AMSAT-BB wrote: > Hi Greg, > > Thank you for your thoughts on it. > I can confirm a success with just using the az-gti goto mount with the « luminos » app. > > The mount follows smoothly in real time any amateur satellites I tried. > > I did not have to interface any plugin. > The az-gti works with Synscan pro and it creates a server for 3rd party apps that wants to connect to the mount. > > Pierre VE2 VFI > >> Le 27 févr. 2025 à 12:01, Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> a écrit : >> >> Not sure about that mount in particular, but it's definitely been done. It's going to be moving in spurts, so not good for visual tracking, but an antenna won't care. The Elk antenna (I have one) doesn't have a particularly sharp beam pattern, so you really don't need any sort of precision. >> >> There's a plug-in for Hamlib, I think, to interface to many of the telescope mounts. If you can get the software to talk, might as well give it a try. >> >> Greg KO6TH > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > 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

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2025-03-05 19:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 05 Mar '25

05 Mar '25

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2025-03-05 19:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: TBD Many times, a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming. 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 2025-03-05 19:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2025-02-21 04:00 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 07:30 – 19:30 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking up and about an hour 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 sometimes active. Check the status at https://www.ariss.org/ or http://www.issfanclub.eu to see if the packet system is active or not. 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 proposal window for US schools and educational organizations to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS has closed for contacts to be scheduled for July 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025. 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 is back on board but awaiting re-installation. 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 258 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 155 Francesco IKØWGF with 154 Gaston ON4WF with 124 Steve VE3TBD with 125 Peter IN3GHZ with 122 **************************************************************************** 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 1819. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1710. 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 **************************************************************************** Boeing CFT on orbit Sunita Williams KD5PLB Barry Wilmore SpaceX Crew-9 on orbit Nick Hague KG5TMV Alexander Gorbunov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Re: Sky-watcher Az-Gti mount as a goto tracker
by Greg D 05 Mar '25

05 Mar '25

Not sure about that mount in particular, but it's definitely been done. It's going to be moving in spurts, so not good for visual tracking, but an antenna won't care. The Elk antenna (I have one) doesn't have a particularly sharp beam pattern, so you really don't need any sort of precision. There's a plug-in for Hamlib, I think, to interface to many of the telescope mounts. If you can get the software to talk, might as well give it a try. Greg KO6TH pfchenier--- via AMSAT-BB wrote: > Hi everyone, > > I have an IC-705 and I would like to know if you have used an astrophotography mount like the Sky-watcher Az-gti goto mount to track LEO satellites. Do you think it's quick enough to keep the satellite in the frame? I have a light UV ELK antenna. > > Thanks, > > Pierre > VE2 VFI > > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > 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

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Re: Thinking Out Loud - Firefly Aerospace
by Bruce Perens 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

I'd be willing to settle for geosynchronous orbit :-) On Mon, Mar 3, 2025, 10:52 Burning Image via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Is anyone else wondering how much a private ride to the moon would cost > for a set (2M / 70cm / 23cm / 13cm) of transponders? > > Best regards, > Cory, WA3UVV > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > 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

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Re: Thinking Out Loud - Firefly Aerospace
by Brian Wilkins 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

I was under the impression that the upcoming Artemis Lunar Gateway (similar to the ISS but orbiting the moon) would allow for amateur radio payloads in X band https://www.arrl.org/news/amsat-and-ariss-designing-amateur-radio-system-fo… Mission appears behind though as 2022 has come and gone with 2026 also unlikely given lack of a suitable launch platform. Anyone have up to date info? 73, ko4aqf(a)gmail.com On Mon, Mar 3, 2025 at 1:52 PM Burning Image via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Is anyone else wondering how much a private ride to the moon would cost > for a set (2M / 70cm / 23cm / 13cm) of transponders? > > Best regards, > Cory, WA3UVV > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > 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

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logging new satellite
by n4qwf 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

Thanks you to all who responded. I will sort out the Q's and set on them. 73<<John N4QWF

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SO124 question
by JOHN GEIGER 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

What is the power out, and hence downlink signal like for this new sat? I seem to remember I was never able to hear the previous HADES satellite when it was operational. 73 JOhn AF5CC Sent using {0}

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Re: logging new satellite
by Paul Stoetzer 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

AMSAT has been in contact with the ARRL and SO-124 should be added to LoTW soon. 73, Paul, N8HM On Mon, Mar 3, 2025 at 14:16 Mark Johns, K0JM via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > LoTW won't accept the contact if the satellite is not on the list. It will > show an error and won't be added to your log. You'll just have to sit on > those contacts until the satellite is added. The up to date list is always > at https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/frequently-asked-questions/#sats > > -- > Mark D. Johns, KØJM > AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor > Secretary-Treasurer, Twin City DX Assn. > Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd > ----------------------------------------------- > "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, > you would stay out and your dog would go in." > ---Mark Twain > > > On Mon, Mar 3, 2025 at 12:56 PM n4qwf via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > wrote: > >> I understand that the only satellites that are eligible for LOTW >> credit are the ones on the accepted list. If I upload a QSO with SO-125 >> satellite will it go in the bit bucket or will it get credited once SO-125 >> is added to the list? Anyone have any ideas? >> >> Thanks<<John N4QWF >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------- >> >> 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 > > > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > 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

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Re: Thinking Out Loud - Firefly Aerospace
by Clint Bradford 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

Not sure, Cory. I like your thinking, though. If I win the CA State Lottery, I want to try to commission Kenwood to make a few hundred more TH-D72a for AMSAT … and a few hundred more TH-F6a for sight-impaired hams. AND invest in your lunar setup!!! Clint K6LCS > On Mar 3, 2025, at 10:52, Burning Image via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > Is anyone else wondering how much a private ride to the moon would cost for a set (2M / 70cm / 23cm / 13cm) of transponders? >

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