- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

OE/OM/HA/CU2ZG plus OK
by Pedro Dutra Sousa 21 Feb '18

21 Feb '18

Hi All, In case you missed from my Twitter feed, I’ll be today roving through JN88 and JN89 as OE/CU2ZG and OK/CU2ZG. Tomorrow, 22nd, I’ll be around noon at the tri-border point of Austria, Slovakia and Hungary as OE/OM/HA/CU2ZG, still in JN88 and down to JN87. If you need those grids and countries I’ll be there for the fun. I won’t publish any schedule for now as this is a family vacation. For the tri-border logs, please log me on each individual country. That’s 3 entries for 1 QSO. 73 Pedro CU2ZG Sent from my iPhone Please excuse any typos or briefness -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-21 06:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 21 Feb '18

21 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-21 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC Watch for possible time update Bellefonte Area Middle School, Bellefonte, PA, direct via W3YA The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Mon 2018-02-26 17:59:16 UTC 63 deg (***) ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-21 06:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1208. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1157. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-16 23:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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AO-92: L/v ERP need
by Dale Kubichek 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

What is the minimum directive ERP needed to obtain a solid FM input to AO-92? Best regards, Dale Kubichek, MS-EET, N6JSX

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Falconsat-3 software reload
by Andrew Glasbrenner 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Falconsat-3 has had a software crash after ~850 days uptime, and we will need to reload. Even though you might hear telemetry, the BBS and digipeater will be off until we are complete. Please attempt no transmissions until we release it back to general use. Your cooperation is appreciated. 73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations

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(no subject)
by Steve Nordahl 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Due to circumstances beyond my control I'm postponing my trip to Delaware this coming weekend. My wife & I have a sick puppy that is now on the mend. We will not be traveling for at least a week. All is well, but she needs to get rid of this GI bug. TBD on future sked. Steve NS3L

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LVB Tracker oddness
by Burns Fisher 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Just had a weird thing happen with my LVB tracker (which has worked fine for a couple years now). I powered on the G5500 and the LVB screen did not light up. After a lot of fiddling, it turns out that if I disconnect the RS232 when I turn it on, all is well. Plug RS232 back in, and it controls fine. I just can't power it up with the computer serial connection hooked up. Any ideas? 73, Burns WB1FJ

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AO92 L schedule?
by Ed K9EK 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Probably a dumb question, but has a schedule been established for AO92 L-band uplink? Tnx

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-20 08:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-20 08:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact was not successful: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 70 deg (***) "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC Watch for possible time update Bellefonte Area Middle School, Bellefonte, PA, direct via W3YA The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Thu 2018-03-01 16:58:53 UTC 49 deg (***) ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-20 08:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1208. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1157. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-16 23:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal on 21 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 09:38 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and CS5DBB. The contact should be audible over Portugal and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The school is located in Fundão, in the mainland Portugal Centre Region. This town, of approx. 9000 inhabitants, has grown in a fertile valley between the Gardunha and Estrela mountains and is located about 252 km from Lisbon and Oporto, 200 km from Coimbra and a few kilometers from the Spanish border. This is a region especially devoted to agriculture. There are also a few industries and services and an important university nearby. Olive oil, wine, and cheese are well-known products of this region, together with an increasing and important cherry production that puts Portugal in a pleasant place in the exportation rankings. The highest place in mainland Portugal is located in the neighborhood - the Estrela mountain (1997 mts.) - which brings an important number of visitors especially during the snow season. In June 2012, the school has become an aggregation of several schools for students aged 3-18 which has enlarged the institution. There are 1573 students and 176 teachers. The school has a large variety of student profiles as well as families. Pupils start here the kindergarten until they complete the secondary education, which means it offers an educational project during 12 years. Besides the basic 3 cycles of studies, a wide amount of courses in the secondary education are offered. The secondary regular courses vary from Sciences and Technologies, Economics to Visual Arts and Humanities. There is also an offer of vocational courses. Some students are taking part in the 2018 European CanSat Competition of the European Space Agency (ESA). A CanSat is a simulation of a real satellite, integrated within the volume and shape of a soft drink can. Last year, they also participated in the European Astro Pi Challenge which is a project by the ESA Education Office, in collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, offering primary and secondary school students the amazing opportunity to run scientific investigations on the International Space Station (ISS) by means of computer coding. The Rede dos Emissores Portugueses (REP) was founded in 1926. The REP, as national member society, represents Portugal in the IARU since 1931. The REP headquarters is located in Lisbon, however, there are numbers of HAM radio clubs in different regions of Portugal. The REP Delegação da Beira Baixa CS5DBB is a delegation of the National Club REP and collaborates with the school in educational and technical preparations for the direct ARISS school contact and other projects. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What kind of food do you eat on the ISS? 2. What was the daily routine that took you the longest to get used to on the ISS? 3. What do you do in case of a fire on the station? 4. How long did you take to get used to living in low gravity conditions? 5. What kind of scientific experiments can you do in space and not on Earth? 6. What's the most lifelike science fiction movie that you have ever seen? 7. In which direction do plants grow aboard the International Space Station? 8. What did you feel during the launch? 9. Do you have to wear any special type of clothes on the ISS? 10. What do you have to do if someone gets the ISS dirty by, for example, puking on it? 11. What are you doing in your free time to have fun? 12. What was the hardest experience you ever had on the ISS? 13. What kind of physical and psychological preparations did you need to be an astronaut? 14. What did you feel when you saw the Earth from the ISS for the first time? 15. What do you miss the most when you are staying in the ISS? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08 UTC 2. School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC Watch for possible time update 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatNOGS
by Roy Dean 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

FYI to anybody who is unaware, wood cutting brazed carbide circular saw blades (mounted in el-cheapo miter saws, circular saws, or table saws) will cut aluminum wonderfully. Wear a face shield, as hot chips fly everywhere. > The places like 8020, Misumi, and some Open Builds resealers > will cut the material to size for a small fee per cut. I do not have > a cutoff saw and my hack saw skills would not make the nice square > cuts. Mike Hoblinski > N6IMF

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FW: help installing fox telm
by Nick Pugh 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

Subject: help installing fox telm I running win XP and when I urn the new foxtelm I get an error Uncaught exception ... Help tnx nick Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School Disagree I Learn

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Catalog number for CAS 2T has been changed
by Nico Janssen 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

All, Initially the TLE set for CAS 2T was linked to object 41845. But in the 18SPCS Satellite Catalog that ID was assigned to another satellite. Now they have corrected this by swapping TLE sets with catalog number 41847. After the TLE swap, new doppler measurements confirm that CAS 2T is now object 41847 (2016-066G). The payloads CAS 2 T and KS 1Q remain attached to the CZ 11 fourth stage. CAS 2T telemetry downlink: 435.710 MHz. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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Where can I download the most recent doppler.sqf file
by Mark Lunday 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

And is there a way to transform and import the data into HRD? Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net<mailto:[email protected]> http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972

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Sats that downlink images
by Roland Zurmely 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

Please see here: <<http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/athenoxat.htm>> 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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AO-92 L/V mode, tonight @ 0445 UTC??
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

Hi! Anyone out west planning to try the AO-92 pass at 0445 UTC (8.45pm PST) tonight in L/V mode? I will be outside with my two- radio/two-antenna setup once again - Alinco DJ-G7T and 5-element Yagi for the uplink, Kenwood TH-D74 & Elk for the downlink. If I pick the right passes from home, the 1W radio has been more than enough to work the L/V mode. Western passes haven't had as many stations on as the passes toward the east, so there's room for anyone who has L-band equipment. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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WI7P (ex-N7SFI) back on the road...
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

Hi! Randy Kohlwey WI7P, who might be better known by long-time satellite operators by his former call sign N7SFI, is currently on the road working satellites from different grids. I saw him at the Yuma Hamfest on Friday and Saturday, and he worked me yesterday morning during one of my hamfest demonstrations. Randy said he was traveling to operate from different grids via satellite, and maybe some EME, as he visits locations in Arizona and possibly other states. He didn't mention how long he was going to be on the road, but he wants to get the AMSAT Rover Award. Randy does not use social media, so he will work toward the award by visiting lots of grids and getting on the air. Randy works the FM satellites (he's been on some passes this afternoon from DM31, where I was last Thursday), and I know he likes FO-29. If you hear WI7P, please give him a call. If you work WI7P and use LOTW, please make sure to upload your logs promptly. :-) For those who aren't familiar with WI7P or N7SFI, Randy was once a very active satellite operator. He worked lots of grids from home (he only needs EL58 and EL84 to have all 488 on the FFMA list for the continental USA), and put lots of grids on the air. If pre-2018 rover activations were acceptable for the AMSAT Rover Award, he would have that covered many times over. Randy was out and around during the National Parks on the Air activity in 2016, when he was back to handing out grids as well as activating different national parks and other sites. You can see Randy's web site with lots of information on his satellite - and EME - activities at: http://emeshack.com Or use the alternate link: http://user.xmission.com/~wi7p/ 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatNOGS
by Don KB2YSI 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

I'm surprised they are not using makerbeam or openbeam instead of 8020... I guess it would depend on the "duty" requirements for the frame. 73, Don KB2YSI On Feb 18, 2018 02:13, "Sterling Coffey" <kawfey(a)gmail.com> wrote: I have all the parts except for these: https://8020.net/shop/33450.html. $5 a pop! The frame requires 44 of them; even at bulk prices <https://www.ebay.com/itm/Blind-Hidden-Inside-Corner- Bracket-for-20mm-V-Slot-T-Slot-Aluminum-Extrus-New-/232641238869> those connectors take up the majority of the expense! When I get a minute I want to redesign the frame to not use those suckers. Sterling, N0SSC On Sat, Feb 17, 2018 at 3:11 PM, Mike Hoblinski <hobergenix(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Has anybody built the open source V3 antenna rotor from the SatNOGS site. > > Website https://satnogs.org/ > Wiki https://wiki.satnogs.org/Main_Page > > They promote an open source ground station and link them up. They use a > Raspberry Pi as the computer board and have a controller board that drives > steppers or DC motors for Az and El. > > Mike Hoblinski > N6IMF > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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antenna choices
by mikflathead＠aol.com 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

Hello group. In the coming months (when the weather breaks) I am going to be installing antennas for 2, 435 and probably 1269. I purchased a Cushcraft A144-11 beam at a recent hamfest (the price was right). I would rather re purpose than spend big dollars on antennas. My question is should I run a single antenna on 2 or try to get a pair of these and phase them? Or maybe add elements on this boom to get circular. Or just use this antenna by itself? I hope this makes sense. I do not have a 435 antenna at the present time but do have a few 1296 loopers. Thanks hope to be on the birds in a few months. Mike

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AO-92 in L/v 10:05 utc for 24 hours
by Mark L. Hammond 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

Per the subject, Got AO-92 into L-band up/v down this morning. Have fun experimenting! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Re: [amsat-bb] G-5500 rotor issues
by kb2mjeff＠att.net 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

That's my next step opening up the control box and after a look if I don't find anything operate with it open, then check the relay at failure time... 73 Jeff kb2m -----Original Message----- From: Norm n3ykf Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2018 9:21 AM To: kb2mjeff(a)att.net Cc: Amsat Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] G-5500 rotor issues Jeff, I bet one of the Elevation relays is dirty or has an intermittent connection. (bad wire, cold solder joint, etc). Few minutes with a meter. Norm n3ykf On Sat, Feb 17, 2018 at 9:16 AM, <kb2mjeff(a)att.net> wrote: > I’m having an intermittent problem with my G-5500 rotor that is getting > worse. Now several times a day when I acquire a satellite the elevation > function doesn’t work. But, if I power the control box off and back on > several times it starts to work. This is a problem with the Yaesu control > box, as the manual elevation control doesn’t work when this happens. Any > ideas to troubleshoot before I start to take things apart? > > 73 Jeff kb2m > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. > http://www.avg.com > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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TY 6 identified and some info on PICSAT
by Nico Janssen 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

All, Detailed doppler measurements show that TianYi 6 (TY 6) is object 43158, 2018-008D. TY 6 is a payload in the satellite QuanTuTong 1 (QTT 1). The TLEs for PICSAT have not been stable since February 14. New doppler measurements show that PICSAT is now object 43132, 2018-004X. But its separation from object 43133 is only a few seconds. The FM repeater in PICSAT has been tested and appears to work well. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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Sats that downlink images
by Jason Rearick 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

Looking for information on which satellites are out there that I could receive telemetry data that includes images of earth? I know there are weather images downlinked, but are there any that just send images from above? Thanks for your time Jason N3YUG

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Where can I download the most recent doppler.sqf file
by Mark Lunday 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

And is there a way to transform and import the data into HRD? Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com SKCC #16439 FISTS #17972

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Re: [amsat-bb] help r pi i gate
by Roy Dean 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Ok, got it. The APRS email method is built into the APRS-IS, there is no "server", per se. Instead you just send a properly formated aprs message as shown below: http://www.aprs-is.net/email.aspx The PTT capability of direwolf is (I believe) documented in the user manual, and there are plenty of web sources dealing with creation of a ptt circuit for the baofeng. Almost too many, actually. Googling "direwolf raspberry pi ptt circuit" brings up a ton of solutions. --Roy K3RLD > Tnx for the reply We want to transmit outbound from the I gate so we will > need a PTT circuit. > Do you have any info on a ptt sct? There are email servers on the igate > system but the format is un clear to > me?

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ANS-049 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-049 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, 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. In this edition: * Upcoming AO-92 Operations Schedule * SatPC32 12.8d is released * ARRL 2018 Teacher Institute to Include Amateur Satellites, Telemetry * Kettering University Student Brings Ham Radio Hobby, Expertise to Campus * AMSAT Argentina Balloon Flight Completes 2nd Trip Around the World * AMSAT Phase 4 Ground Station Update: FPGA, RFNoC, SDSoC * AA5UK Announces March 1 Cayman Island Satellite Activation * Phase 4 Ground Weekly Report! * Volunteer Opportunity - Openings for News Service Rotating Editor * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-049.01 ANS-049 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 049.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. February 18, 2018 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-049.01 Upcoming AO-92 Operations Schedule AO-92 operations are scheduled among the U/v FM repeater, L-Band Downshifter, Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa's High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI). For the week of 18 - 24 Feb 2018, the following mode changes are scheduled: Approximately 0200UTC 18Feb we will enable the L band uplink for ~24 hours Approximately 0255UTC 20Feb we will enable high speed data in order to download from the HERCI experiment for 40 minutes Approximately 1540UTC 21Feb we will enable high speed data in order to download from the VT camera for 40 minutes Approximately 0215UTC 22Feb we will enable high speed data in order to download from the HERCI experiment for 40 minutes All other times the U/v repeater will be open continuously. [ANS thanks Drew KO4MA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SatPC32 12.8d is released The English version of SatPC32 12.8d is now available for download on the author's web page. http://www.dk1tb.de/downloadeng.htm Here's What's New in the 12.8d version: 1. The CAT commands of the IC-9100 have been extended again. The program now also controls the DV mode (DV for 'Digital Voice') of the radio. The operating mode must be entered as DV in the file Doppler.SQF. With the FT-817 the program now additionally supports the CWR mode. 2. All SatPC32 programs now process significantly larger Keplerian element source files. Especially because of the numerous new Cubesats, the number of data sets contained in the source files has increased significantly. For example the file Cubesat.txt currently contains data for nearly 400 satellites. The previous version of the SatPC32 programs could only read up to 320 data sets (only SatPC32 itself up to 500). All SatPC32 programs have been expanded to handle sets of up to 1500 satellites. 3. In all programs (SatPC32, SatPC32ISS, Wisat32, WinAOS and WinListen), the list of satellites contained in the source file ('Available' list in menu Satellites) is now displayed in alphabetical order to facilitate locating individual satellites. 4. The program SatPC32ISS now also allows the creation of up to 12 satellite groups. The new Cubesats have also increased the number of 'in-band' satellites. Originally, in-band operation in amateur radio was only available at the ISS. 5. In order to accelerate a change between the individual satellite groups, the 'Groups' window can now be called up by clicking on vacant areas of the main window, except in the Satellite menu. Such free positions are located on the right and left of the frequency window. Editing the groups (create or delete a group, add or remove satellites) can only be done in the Satellites menu. 6. In the Satellites menu the data sets of the satellites contained in the active source file can now be displayed. When called, the data set of the currently selected satellite is displayed. The feature helps you to immediately know the identifier of the satellite. This allows you to add an entry to the file 'AmsatNames.txt' (menu '?' 'Auxiliary files'), so that the satellite can be displayed in the entire program with its AMSAT name or with a user defined name. 7. The program has improved control of the sub-audible tone required by some satellites. For many years SO-50 was the only such satellite. Switching sub tone was no issue. Now we have several (AO-85, AO-91, AO-92) The program can now automatically switch the sub tone on/off when switching between PL tone satellites and others, changing between u/v and v/u satellites, changing the group, closing the program etc. 8. In addition, numerous minor changes and error corrections have been made some people have complained about the difficulty of manually adding a new satellite and its corresponding tuning information. The Programs menu can now launch the W9KE DopplerSqfEditor to aid this process. Please read the instructions before installing or updating the program. You probably want to run the DataBackup program before updating an existing version. Existing registration codes work with the new version. Thanks to Erich Eichmann DK1TB for donating this software to AMSAT. Sale of registration codes and CDs is a major fund raiser for AMSAT. And thanks to Erich for providing user support on amsat-bb and updating the program for 20 years. No other satellite tracking program provides such comprehensive radio Doppler tuning. [ANS thanks Wayne W9AE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL 2018 Teacher Institute to Include Amateur Satellites, Telemetry As part of its educational outreach through the Education & Technology Program (ETP), ARRL will offer three sessions of the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology this July. The week-long workshops will be held at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, and in Dayton, Ohio — hosted by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA). The Teachers Institute (TI) is an expenses-paid, professional development seminar that provides teachers at all grade levels with tools and strategies to introduce basic electronics, radio science, space technology, and satellite communication, as well as weather science, introduction to micro-controllers, and basic robotics in their classrooms. The Teachers Institute curriculum is designed for motivated teachers and other school staff who want to learn more about wireless technology and bring that knowledge to their students. The goal of the TI program is to equip educators with necessary foundational knowledge and — through hands-on learning — generate the inspiration for teachers to continue exploring wireless technology and adapt what they learn to their classroom curricula. Interested educators can apply online. The $100 enrollment fee is refunded for applicants who are not selected. A qualified applicant must be an active teacher at an elementary, middle, high school, or community college/university, or in a leadership or enrichment instruction role in an after-school program. Session Location Dates Instructor TI – 2 Newington, CT July 9 – July 12 Matt Severin N8MS TI – 1 Dayton, OH July 16 – July 20 Larry Kendall K6NDL TI – 1 Newington, CT July 23 – July 27 Tommy Gober N5DUX Topics covered in the TI-1 “Introduction to Wireless Technology” workshop include basic electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming, and basic robotics. Among other activities, participants will learn how to solder and practice by building a small project. They’ll also learn basic circuit concepts and learn how to use basic test equipment. In addition, TI-1 attendees will learn about Amateur Radio, take part in a hidden transmitter hunt, see demonstrations of Amateur Radio satellite communication, and build and program their own simple robots. The TI-2 “Remote Sensing and Data Gathering” workshop will concentrate on analog-to-digital conversion and data sampling. Participants will receive telemetry from Amateur Radio satellites and apply it to math and science topics. TI-2 participants will also construct a marine research buoy equipped with environmental sensors, build a microcontroller to sample the data, configure it for Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) transmission, and receive and upload data to a spreadsheet for analysis. Holding an Amateur Radio license is not required for the “Introduction to Wireless Technology” workshop (TI-1), but one is required by those planning to attend the advanced “Remote Sensing and Data Gathering” workshop (TI-2), and applicants to the advanced workshop must have completed TI-1. The grant to attend a TI covers transportation, hotel, and a modest per diem allowance to cover meals, instructional resources, and a resource library of relevant ARRL publications. Graduate credit is available through Fresno Pacific University, which may be applied to satisfy professional growth requirements to maintain teaching credentials. The class is self-contained, and participants are expected to be able to complete all requirements during the class time. Graduate credit forms may be requested at the end of the Teachers Institute. For more information, contact Ally Riedel ariedel at arrl.org at ARRL Headquarters. [ANS thanks ARRL Headquarters for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kettering University Student Brings Ham Radio Hobby, Expertise to Campus Ruth Willet ‘21 has always been fascinated with Morse code, especially when researching World War II. That fascination grew into a hobby, and she soon found herself engrained in the amateur radio - more commonly known as ham radio - community. Willet, who is double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Physics, first got licensed in June 2015 as a ham radio operator because of her interest in Morse code. She soon upgraded her license in order to explore more aspects of the hobby. Other hams know Willet as KM4LAO (Kilo Mike Four Lima Alpha Oscar), the call letters of her government-issued ham radio license. “It’s such a special hobby because there’s so many people that want to get to know you and want to help you learn and grow. It really has enabled me to mature into who I am today. I have gained incredible friends from across the globe,” said Willet, a Georgia native. “This hobby supplements very well what I’m doing at Kettering because it has application in a lot of different subjects. I love seeing the practical application of electronics, solar weather and the way radio signals propagate around the globe. I am thrilled by the fact that I can talk to someone who’s driving down the interstate 10 miles away, bounce signals off of satellites to have conversations hundreds of miles away, or talk around the world to someone in Africa. It’s fascinating. You really learn a lot.” Willet had to pass an exam given by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to receive her call sign and be allowed to operate on the air. The three levels of Amateur radio licenses from entry-level to most advanced are Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Willet upgraded to the Amateur Extra level license before she graduated from high school. Willet can use a hand-held radio to talk with someone across town, or she can use a more robust radio that enables her to talk around the world by reflecting her transmitted signal off the ionosphere. There are fast-paced competitive events she participates in where she is supposed to talk to as many people as possible within 24 hours. She can operate in multiple ways, including Morse code, voice communication or digital (which is similar to texting through ham radio). “The fun thing is that’s only the start. Amateur radio satellites are orbiting the earth. You can bounce off the satellites and talk to people halfway around the world,” Willet said. “We can also use our skills to assist in emergency situations. For example, when Hurricane Irma recently hit in Puerto Rico, amateur radio operators were some of the only people who could communicate from the island to the outside world.” In 2016, Willet also participated in National Parks on the Air, a worldwide event organized by the American Radio Relay League. Since 2016 was the centennial of the National Park Service (NPS), hams wanted to help celebrate history by getting people to national parks, seashores, monuments, and more. Ham radio operators went out and set up portable radio stations, got on the air, and helped other hams around the world conduct “virtual visits” to parks across the country. When Willet came to Kettering University, she knew she wanted to continue her ham radio activities. Kettering was appealing to her for the small classes and the close-knit campus feel, on top of the co-op experience. “After coming for the LITE (Lives Improved Through Engineering) summer program and seeing how personal everybody was at Kettering I just really felt like it was a great fit. And I can’t turn down the co-op experience,” Willet said. “I was first interested in Mechanical Engineering because my grandfather had a book about basic machines and how they work. I was fascinated with levers to complicated gears. Then senior year of high school I took Physics and I loved it. Being able to see the effects of basic physics on daily life was very interesting to me. I’m learning as much as I can at school and exploring opportunities both inside and outside the classroom so that I can make the most of my time here.” She has found that the skills she learns in classes go hand in hand with her amateur radio hobby. Willet plans to start up an Amateur Radio Club on campus in the spring 2018 term to get more students interested. “It’s a stress relief for me. I really enjoy sharing this hobby with other students,” she said. “I would encourage people to consider exploring amateur radio because it’s a hobby that allows you to explore anything from technical electronics to international friendships. Amateur radio is open to anyone. It will help develop your professional and personal skills, participate in and learn from fascinating activities, and connect with an incredible community.” [ANS thanks Sarah Schuch and Kettering University for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Argentina Balloon Flight Completes 2nd Trip Around the World AMSAT Argentina reports that their earth circling El PicoGlobo WSPR beacon balloon has now completed its 2nd lap around the world. After its 2nd crossing of the Pacific Ocean the balloon flew over Patagonia, then headed north at 12,000 meters altitude to Buenos Aires during the night of February 11. On February 12 it flew over Uruguay then turned east out over the Atlantic Ocean to begin its 3rd circle of the Earth. PicoGlobo transmits a WSPR beacon on 14.0956 MHz. Flight progress can be followed at: http://lu7aa.org.ar/wspr.asp https://aprs.fi/#!call=a%2FLU1ESY-3&timerange=604800&tail=604800 [ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Ground Station Update: FPGA, RFNoC, SDSoC Michelle, W5NYV says the latest Phase 4 Ground Station Report is available for viewing at: https://youtu.be/moKFVagY_Ro This week you'll see a video demo of the Voltera V-one system available for circuit printing, solder paste and reflow to enable prototype development. Work has been progressing on the FPGA or field programmable gate array which is at the heart of many modern software defined radios. Having powerful reconfigurable digital logic realizes a lot of the promise of SDRs. Balancing the workload between the general purpose processor and the FPGA is a big challenge. The RFNoC, or Radio Frequency Network on a Chip from Ettus Research for the 300 series USRPs before. RFNoC lets you place blocks that run on the FPGA in GNU Radio as if they were being run by the host computer. This lets you use the FPGA to full advantage within GNU Radio Companion. A comparison is made with the SDSoC, the Software Defined System on a Chip ,a tool from Xilinx. The team is looking for your help! If you can help ease the process of learning this environment, please let Michelle know: W5nyv(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks Michelle, W5NYV and the AMSAT Phase 4 Ground Station team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AA5UK Announces March 1 Cayman Island Satellite Activation ZF2, CAYMAN ISLAND (Satellites, Grids, HF). Adrian, AA5UK, will once again be operating as ZF2AE from Grand Cayman (between March 1-4th) and ZF2AE/ZF8 from Little Cayman (between March 5-10). Activity will be holiday style (usually) on 40-10 meters using a IC- 7300 and vertical antenna. Operations will be focused on the Digital modes (FT8, RTTY, PSK and other digital modes upon request)with possibly some SSB, and the satellites using 2x FT-817s and Arrow Antenna for satellite. Most of his activity will be in the afternoons and evenings. For the latest operational updates, watch his Twitter links <@AA5UK and @ ZF2AE>. QSL direct to AA5UK with a SAE/SASE, LoTW or eQSL. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1351 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Phase 4 Ground Weekly Report! Voltera Circuit printer for prototyping is up and running the Hello World circuit. Video of this report at https://youtu.be/rdjKZCc9g74 There will be plenty more reports and feedback about the badge design over coming week as the JoCo Cruise embarks. Several of our team members are on the cruise and we can't wait to hear all about it. Everything that we've learned on this effort will be applied to the Hamvention badge, and to the Phase 4 Ground radios. We have some Software Defined System on a Chip progress. We have received our Xilinx specific JTAG Cable. Here it is! Charles Brain has been battling Petalinux and linux builds for his environment. Plenty of learning going on there. Some of us have received additional hardware from LimeSDR and there is more on the way. We have received very positive news from from Critical, the makers of Snickerdoodle, that official board definition files are in progress and will be available very soon. This means that those of us that are ordinary tool users, and not necessarily advanced tool makers, will be able to experiment and make progress with the Snickerdoodle, Xilinx Vivado, and the Xilinx SDK, more easily. SDSoC allows you to take functions written in C and C++, evaluate whether they would be better run on either the general purpose processor or the FPGA, and then assign them to the proper hardware. The 5GHz RF team is learning a lot about the impact of connectors on performance, and are evaluating some higher quality solutions. Several sets of team members are working on transverter designs. This is a very active and interesting area of investigation. There's a large number of tradeoffs and design patterns involved. We have a 10GHz specific effort, a high-performance multi band effort, the 5GHz RF team previously featured, and more. If you are interested in RF designs, then we are here to help. Ed Friesma at UNLV is taking on more of the correlator design. Our next report will be all about the progress on the DVB-S2 correlator, the GNU Radio block, what we can leverage from the GPU implementation, and next steps. On the 28th of February, we will have two guest speakers at our regular ASCENT conference call. Nate and Neal from Ettus Research will be addressing questions about the Careful COTS design of a USRP 300 series board for use in space. Having a powerful SDR at the heart of an amateur radio payload would put us in excellent position to deploy any modulation scheme we want. The Careful COTS version of a USRP is why Phase 4 Space was founded, and we've had a very good week in terms of outreach and evangelism. There's good news in an update to the Phase 4B mission on the Wide Field Of View satellite, with a launch scheduled for 2020. You can read about it in the article linked in the notes, from this past June. Our job on Phase 4 Ground is to make sure that you have a radio that can use this or any other payload that uses the Five and Dime air interface. And of course we want to fill up terrestrial microwave with the same fun and easy to use broadband digital microwave signals. If you're interested in learning more, then get in touch. http://www.losangeles.af.mil/…/final-rfp-released-for-laun…/ Plenty going on and lots of fun to be had. We will have a booth at Dayton as soon as possible, and we will be asking for time to talk at the Hamvention SDR forum about the Careful COTS effort, open source successes, and the impact of SDR advances on licensed and unlicensed services. After Hamvention is DEFCON. And we might have something up our sleeves this year. I'm working very hard on setting up a workshop and hackfest at GNU Radio Conference 2018, which will be held September 17-21 in Henderson, Nevada. This hackfest will focus on developing GNU Radio receiver blocks for DVB-S2 and S2X. If you are on the team or a supporter or find yourself interested in all of this, then please consider coming to the conference and participating in this effort. Tickets will be available very soon. It's a volunteer run event made possible by people just like you. And, there's an open space initiative from Lockheed Martin that we need to take a serious look at, and some new products on the market that might make our GSE and DVB-S2X manufactured solutions a bit easier. Howie DeFelice is on that trail and will report back. See you next week! [ANS thanks Michelle W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Volunteer Opportunity - Openings for News Service Rotating Editor If you're open to volunteering to help AMSAT this is your chance! We have openings for a few volunteers willing to help as an AMSAT News Service editor. Our editors work on a rotating schedule with each taking turns as the current week's news editor. Using input received from members, the amateur radio community, officers, plus our other editors your job is to assemble the AMSAT News Service bulletin for your week. (Template is provided to help you format the message.) If you can help contact our Senior News Service Editor, Lee McLamb, KT4TZ via his e-mail: kt4tz at amsat.org (Ed. note: the need for at least one, hopefully many volunteer editors, is immediate. K9JKM will be retiring at the end of March with extensive travel plans, often out of reach of the internet.) [ANS thanks the AMSAT News Service for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Naka Junior High School, Kakamigahara City, Japan and Astronaut Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2018-01-22 10:23 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via 8J25D. ARISS Mentor was Satoshi 7M3TJZ. + A Successful contact was made between The English School, Nicosia, Cyprus and Astronaut Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2018-01-24 10:35 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was Armand SP3QFE. + A Successful contact was made between Central Magnet Math & Science ES/Batesville School District, Batesville, AR and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2018-01-31 16:42 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridged via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentors was Keith W5IU. + A Successful contact was made between Moore Square AIG/GT Magnet School, Raleigh, NC and Astronaut Scott Tingle KG5NZA using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2018-02-05 18:32 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via KG4AKV ARISS Mentors were Steve W1HQL and Ryan W4NTR. + A Successful contact was made between Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2018-02-14 12:37 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via LY1BWB ARISS Mentor was Eskil SM5SRR. + A Successful contact was made between Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2018-02-15 17:45 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via W6RVD ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC Watch for possible time update [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + European FOSDEM Talks Playlist The Free and Open source Software Developers' European Meeting (FOSDEM) is a two-day event organized by volunteers to promote the widespread use of Free and Open Source software. A playlist of the talks is posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS49-FOSDEM [ANS thanks FOSDEM for the above information] + Congratulations to Mikey White, K7ULS for completing his Worked All States - Satellite on February 13. Mikey says state #50 was Rhode Island. Bob Mattaliano, N6RFM provided the connection at the Rhode Island end. Mikey posted a video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaMBERls6Ww&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Mike K7ULS via AMSAT North America Facebook] + Photos needed for 2018 edition of AMSAT Getting Started With Amateur Satellites. Steve Belter, N9IP, recently tweeted that the editors of the 2018 edition of "AMSAT Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" are looking for action photos of people in the act of operating the satellites. Submissions with credits should be emailed to Steve n9ip at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Steve N9IP for the above information] + The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, February 19th in observance of Presidents' Day. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information.] + On February 16 Jeff, WB8RJY worked Jose, EB1AO in Spain via AO91. The satellite was at 0.8 degrees for Jose and at 0.6 degrees for Jeff for this QSO. Jeff commented, "Thats stretching the old string pretty tight! Once again, amazing bird!" (via Twitter) [ANS thanks Jeff WB8RJY for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 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 stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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FUNcube Warehouse down
by David Johnson 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

The hosting company have reported two errors this evening on the host machine that runs the virtual machine. They are having to make emergency hardware repairs during the night. Will keep you informed. 73 Dave, G4DPZ Sent from my iPhone

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SatNOGS
by Mike Hoblinski 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Has anybody built the open source V3 antenna rotor from the SatNOGS site. Website https://satnogs.org/ Wiki https://wiki.satnogs.org/Main_Page They promote an open source ground station and link them up. They use a Raspberry Pi as the computer board and have a controller board that drives steppers or DC motors for Az and El. Mike Hoblinski N6IMF

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Re: [amsat-bb] help r pi i gate
by Roy Dean 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

> > Here is our setup R pi b USB sound card Baofeng radio Software Dirwolf > Call sign on I-gate k5qxj-10 We have the R-pi log into the server I have > two questions. What is the format to use the email server? What is required > to the up the radio? Thx in advance DE nick k5qxj Nick, First of all, I would suggest you ditch the baofeng and usb sound card in favor of an RTL-SDR ($20 on amazon). there are a ton of instructions online on how to set up the RPi + RTL igate, and Andrew Rich has created a script that does it all for you. Really a much simpler setup than using an actual radio and soundcard interface. As to your questions, not sure what you mean by "email server"? There is no email server involved with an igate. Not sure what you mean by "up the radio". Do you mean "uplink"? If that's the case, you need to fabricate a PTT circuit to key up the radio. Vox is an alternative, but I did some tests like that and got really bad results (vox would keep the radio keyed up for many seconds after Tx'ing a packet, thus missing any digipeats or auto *acks or responses. -Roy K3RLD

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Question for the group
by Jason Rearick 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Looking for information on which satellites are out there that I could receive telemetry data that includes images of earth? I know there are weather images downlinked, but are there any that just send images from above? Thanks for your time Jason N3YUG

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Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC32 12.8d is released
by Robert Switzer 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Hi,I downloaded and installed the new version (after uninstalling my previous release). I did enter my registration key and restart the program afterwards. All seemed good. Seems I'm back to an old issue, or something similar, where it is NOT centering on my Locator (Setup -> Options -> Center maps on Observer) Rather it centers on the selected satellite, regardless of option chosen, regardless of whether I "Store" or "OK" after selecting the option (and restarting SatPC32) or not.... When it starts... the map seems to pause over the eastern US for a brief instant before switching to center on whatever satellite is selected. I did install this via "Run as administrator" and am a bit baffled. I do see + over my locator (FM29SL) when the selected satellite is close enough to have the Eastern US displayed. Any help / insights would be appreciated. Tnx es 73,Rob KA2CZU On Saturday, February 17, 2018, 12:05:01 PM EST, Robert Switzer <rs2atmink(a)yahoo.com> wrote: followup... it seems cancelling the "failed" installation cleanly and retrying has removed whatever lock files were there. AT ANY RATE, all installed now :) Thanks and 73,Rob KA2CZU On Saturday, February 17, 2018, 11:37:07 AM EST, Robert Switzer <rs2atmink(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Erich, Having some trouble with the installation. I uninstalled my old version, downloaded the new to an external drive. Extracted to same. I had tried an install earlier that "hung", perhaps I didn't run as administrator on this win10 "tablet" or not, can't recall. At any rate, trying using the right-click "Run as Administrator" on setup and getting an Error 1500: another installation is in progress. Where is the lock file for a previously "hung" installation kept?Any idea how to clear this? I already rebooted. Thanks,Rob KA2CZU On Friday, February 16, 2018, 6:34:55 AM EST, Erich Eichmann <erich.eichmann(a)t-online.de> wrote: Steve, Users with registration code don't have to pay again for the new version. My "Downloads" web page says clearly: "The program will be installed as Demo version." and "The full versions can be activated by entering a registration code." The registration code is valid also with new program versions, see http://www.dk1tb.de/downloadinfo.htm I use Installshield Express to generate the setup files. This tool doesn't generate "Updates" that can be applied to the current version. It requires to un-install the current version before it installs a new one. I have mentioned that also on the "Downloads" web page (under 2e). The Installshield professional versions that generate such "Updates" cost 3 or 4 times as much as the Express version. 73s, Erich, DK1TB Am 15.02.2018 um 19:37 schrieb Steve Nordahl via AMSAT-BB: > Based on what I see, the poster claims 12.8d is available for download from the link supplied. However that does not appear to be the case. In review of the SatPC32 site, Only a demo version is available and there's no "Update(r)" version that can be applied to current versions that I can find. What is really the case? Is this going to be available as an update for current registered users of SatPC32 12.8c, or do we have to pay for a full blown program via the AMSAT store? From what I see the AMSAT store does not provide a update link, only to purchase a new program entirely. I don't see any indication that the AMSAT store is providing the 12.8d version updater. As a matter of fact, it does not even say what version of SatPC32 is being offered. Steve NS3L > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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ServerSDX not working
by butch alline 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Issue 1: ServerSDX is not starting up with Sat32PC. I did the following: a. Uninstalled then reinstalled everything in C:\Sat32PC. ServerSDX still does not autostart. b. Placed ServerSDX in the start up list and it now starts before Sat32PC. But then: Issue 2: Cannot get ServerSDX to store com port properly. a. Starting Server SDX manually, using Win 10. Device manager says Com 4 is enabled and connected to my Arduino interface. It is the only com port in use that is connected to anything. I then click set up, enter com 4 and store. I now get a prompt to restart Sat32PC, but it is not running. b. If I then close Server SDX and restart, then I get "Port 4 could not be opened" error msg. If I continue and do setup the COM port shown is 0 (zero). Repeat ad nauseum. I have read the manual, clicked R+, R-, and many other things. Somehow in the process I came up with this when trying to do a manual input: My guess is that the fundamental problem is that ServerSDX is not starting and/or not storing the com port. Any and all help appreciated. Butch K8KO

2 1

Picsat - Wrong TLE identification
by christophe.mcr 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Dear >From Picsat team and Albert Van Deursen , NASA *43132 TLE* ( *Micromas-2A* or *2018-04X*) gives better results for doppler compute. See :https://picsat.obspm.fr/operations/launch?locale=en 73 Christophe

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help r pi i gate
by Nick Pugh 17 Feb '18

17 Feb '18

Here is our setup R pi b USB sound card Baofeng radio Software Dirwolf Call sign on I-gate k5qxj-10 We have the R-pi log into the server I have two questions. What is the format to use the email server? What is required to the up the radio? Thx in advance DE nick k5qxj

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-16 23:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 16 Feb '18

16 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-16 23:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Joe Acaba KE5DAR Contact was successful: Thu 2018-02-15 17:45:19 UTC 80 deg (***) University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 70 deg "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC Watch for possible time update ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-16 23:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1208. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1157. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-16 23:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Office Closed
by Martha 16 Feb '18

16 Feb '18

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, February 19th in observance of Presidents' Day. -- 73- Martha

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Fox 1B/RadFxSat launched successfully
by Nico Janssen 16 Feb '18

16 Feb '18

All, Fox 1B was released from its P-POD at 11:09 UTC today over northern Europe. It is in a slightly elliptical orbit with a perigee of 439 km and an apogee of 811 km. The orbit inclination is 97.7 degrees. No downlink signals received yet. The pre-lauch TLE set appears to be almost 20 minutes late. 73, Nico PA0DLO

7 9

DL98 Rover Run Saturday K5IX
by David Loftus 16 Feb '18

16 Feb '18

Mrs. K5IX is out of town for the weekend, so I'll wander south and dispense some unusual grids. Here's the tentative plan: Saturday 2/17:1430z SO-50 DL981859z AO-91 EL081931z AO-85 EL09 Might do it again on Sunday, weather permitting.

1 0

FUNcube Warehouse outage
by David Johnson 16 Feb '18

16 Feb '18

Hi, The server was rebooted at the hosting company during the night for maintenance. dashboards are now catching up. Due to this event, the outage we had recently and with the support of other satellites being planned I am looking at changing the hosting arrangements. More details to follow. 73 Dave, G4DPZ

2 1

Re: [amsat-bb] SatPC32 12.8d is released
by Steve Nordahl 16 Feb '18

16 Feb '18

Based on what I see, the poster claims 12.8d is available for download from the link supplied. However that does not appear to be the case. In review of the SatPC32 site, Only a demo version is available and there's no "Update(r)" version that can be applied to current versions that I can find. What is really the case? Is this going to be available as an update for current registered users of SatPC32 12.8c, or do we have to pay for a full blown program via the AMSAT store? From what I see the AMSAT store does not provide a update link, only to purchase a new program entirely. I don't see any indication that the AMSAT store is providing the 12.8d version updater. As a matter of fact, it does not even say what version of SatPC32 is being offered. Steve NS3L

4 3

Upcoming ARISS contact with University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines on 17 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:23 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and DX1ISS. The contact should be audible over the Phillippines and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The UP Integrated School (est. 1976) is the laboratory school of the UP College of Education. It offers an integrated curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12. It is one of the country's pioneer integrated schools and has been offering an integrated curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 10 since its inception until the mandatory implementation of the Department of Education's K-12 program in 2012. The UPIS is the product of the merging of three schools whose functions it inherited. These are the UP High School (est. 1916), the UP Elementary School (est. 1936), and the UP Preparatory High School (est. 1954). Age of students is 14 and 15. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What are the challenges that astronauts face while working inside the international space station? How are these issues addressed? 2. What can you give as advice or words of inspiration to young aspiring Filipinos dreaming of becoming involved in NASA's (or International) space programs? 3. The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone (typhoon, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) countries in the world. What researches does the ISS have to help these countries (or the Philippines, in particular) minimize risks related to such disasters? 4. Which of the recent breakthroughs/discoveries in your research in the ISS is your team's favorite and why? 5. Given the latest discoveries/experiments your team has done in the ISS, which field in science and technology do you think has the most promising advancement in the upcoming years? 6. How can the youth have a more active participation in space programs? (Skills training, seminars, etc.) 7. How long does it take to get use to the weightlessness in space? 8. What did you do before you became an astronaut? 9. Compared to Earth-based monitoring programs, how does the ISS facilities and equipment help in monitoring environmental disasters? 10. What can the Philippines do if it wants to participate in international space programs? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10 UTC 2. Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38 UTC 3. Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08 UTC 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

1 0

FUNcube-1/AO73
by Graham Shirville 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Hi All,The spacecraft is now in amateur mode with the transponder active until Monday morning (UTC)73GrahamG3VZV

1 0

WH6XM on FO29
by alex weimer 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Nice surprise this morning on FO-29 satellite,, WH6XM Bob in Hilo HI Grid BK29 was on at 1606Z which is very early for him in HI. Bob is always looking for contacts so anyone needing HI for WAS or his grid be on the lookout for him. He works FO29 and always has a great signal JACK KC7MG

2 1

ARISS contact LA Academy live stream URL
by aj9n＠aol.com 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Hi all, Here is the LA Academy live stream URL. The contact starts 17:45 UTC today, in about 30 minutes. http://youtu.be/mfzPAMMZyxQ The live stream will also be on our Instagram page. @laacademyms 73, Charlie AJ9N

1 0

SatPC32 12.8d is released
by Wayne Estes 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

The English version of SatPC32 12.8d is now available for download on the author's web page. http://www.dk1tb.de/downloadeng.htm Here's What's New in the 12.8d version: 1. The CAT commands of the IC-9100 have been extended again. The program now also controls the DV mode (DV for 'Digital Voice') of the radio. The operating mode must be entered as DV in the file Doppler.SQF. With the FT-817 the program now additionally supports the CWR mode. 2. All SatPC32 programs now process significantly larger Keplerian element source files. Especially because of the numerous new Cubesats, the number of data sets contained in the source files has increased significantly. For example the file Cubesat.txt currently contains data for nearly 400 satellites. The previous version of the SatPC32 programs could only read up to 320 data sets (only SatPC32 itself up to 500). All SatPC32 programs have been expanded to handle sets of up to 1500 satellites. 3. In all programs (SatPC32, SatPC32ISS, Wisat32, WinAOS and WinListen), the list of satellites contained in the source file ('Available' list in menu Satellites) is now displayed in alphabetical order to facilitate locating individual satellites. 4. The program SatPC32ISS now also allows the creation of up to 12 satellite groups. The new Cubesats have also increased the number of 'in-band' satellites. Originally, in-band operation in amateur radio was only available at the ISS. 5. In order to accelerate a change between the individual satellite groups, the 'Groups' window can now be called up by clicking on vacant areas of the main window, except in the Satellite menu. Such free positions are located on the right and left of the frequency window. Editing the groups (create or delete a group, add or remove satellites) can only be done in the Satellites menu. 6. In the Satellites menu the data sets of the satellites contained in the active source file can now be displayed. When called, the data set of the currently selected satellite is displayed. The feature helps you to immediately know the identifier of the satellite. This allows you to add an entry to the file 'AmsatNames.txt' (menu '?' > 'Auxiliary files'), so that the satellite can be displayed in the entire program with its AMSAT name or with a user defined name. 7. The program has improved control of the sub-audible tone required by some satellites. For many years SO-50 was the only such satellite. Switching sub tone was no issue. Now we have several (AO-85, AO-91, AO-92) The program can now automatically switch the sub tone on/off when switching between PL tone satellites and others, changing between u/v and v/u satellites, changing the group, closing the program etc. 8. In addition, numerous minor changes and error corrections have been made Some people have complained about the difficulty of manually adding a new satellite and its corresponding tuning information. The Programs menu can now launch the W9KE DopplerSqfEditor to aid this process. Please read the instructions before installing or updating the program. You probably want to run the DataBackup program before updating an existing version. Existing registration codes work with the new version. Thanks to Erich Eichmann DK1TB for donating this software to AMSAT. Sale of registration codes and CDs is a major fund raiser for AMSAT. And thanks to Erich for providing user support on amsat-bb and updating the program for 20 years. No other satellite tracking program provides such comprehensive radio Doppler tuning. Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-15 05:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-15 05:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania, direct via LY1BWB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Joe Acaba KE5DAR Contact was successful: Wed 2018-02-14 12:37:44 UTC 49 deg (***) Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Joe Acaba KE5DAR Contact is a go for: Thu 2018-02-15 17:45:19 UTC 80 deg University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 70 deg "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC Watch for possible time update ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-15 05:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1207. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1156. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-15 05:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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DJ-G7T and full-duplex satellite operating - the 2018 sequel
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Hi! After dusting off my old Alinco DJ-G7T for use with AO-92's L/V configuration, I have been using it for AO-92's U/V mode and on other satellites. I wanted to see how it would do with U/V satellites in particular, given how it performed with V/U satellites like AO-27 and AO-51 when I bought the radio in 2009. I have also seen some recent comments online stating that this radio is good for satellite work. It can be, but only in certain situations. Back in 2009, I was able to make the DJ-G7T work full-duplex with AO-51, with a post titled "DJ-G7T and full-duplex satellite operating": http://amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2009-May/019177.html I turned off the extended (non-ham) receive coverage in my DJ-G7T, and it worked. I remember that, even at the city park I used for much of my operating then, the radio would be very sensitive to other signals way outside the 70cm band when working the U/V FM satellites of that time. I never was able to work SO-50 full-duplex then, with its weaker downlink compared to AO-51 and AO-27. After almost 9 years, nothing has changed there. I just tried to work SO-50 this morning with the DJ-G7T and Elk log periodic, yet I never even heard the downlink once during a 39-degree pass. The downlink VFO's S-meter was pegged for most of the pass, probably from some other RF the radio was receiving. Even using the clock- shift menu setting didn't improve things. I won't bother using my DJ-G7T with SO-50 in the future, unless I have another radio for the downlink. In the past couple of years, we have had some U/V FM satellites (AO-85, AO-91, AO-92) that we never had back in 2009. Simply switching the uplink and downlink bands has been a cure for receiver desense in other radios like the Icom IC-W32 or Wouxun KG-UV9D when trying to work full-duplex, but it's not so simple with the DJ-G7T. Depending on the pass and the antenna I'm using, I can still have receiver desense on 2m while transmitting on 70cm to any of these satellites. When I am able to overcome the receiver desense on 2m, the DJ-G7T works fine for the U/V FM satellites. This normally means I am using my Elk, and not other antennas like the MFJ-1717 long duckie I have used with a few other HTs. For higher passes, I am able to use the DJ-G7T with the MFJ-1717 and hear myself while transmitting through AO-91 or AO-92, but not near AOS or LOS when the receiver desense covers up the downlink. If I am only receiving the 2m downlinks from the 3 current Fox-1 satellites, and not trying to transmit to the satellite, the DJ-G7T can be a good receiver. All of this is dependent on the surrounding RF that the DJ-G7T might pick up, of course. What works in one location, may not work the same in another location. I demonstrated this with two videos I recently posted on YouTube. Here is an AO-91 pass from 6 February: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSK_v3L_RHk And an AO-92 pass, earlier on the same day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3nfO4tKEAI I have also posted some audio recordings and pictures of the DJ-G7T used with these two antennas on AO-91 and AO-92 passes in my Dropbox space. Go to http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ and look for the "DJ-G7T" folder. In there, I have subfolders for different passes I have worked with this radio. Some of the U/V passes were worked with the Elk as the antenna, and some with the MFJ-1717. As an uplink radio, the DJ-G7T has performed well with the U/V FM satellites and for AO-92's L-band uplink. I had to increase the mic gain from 3 to 4 (maximum), and I have only received good reports on my transmitted audio. My signals may be down a bit on 1.2 GHz if my tuning isn't keeping up with the Doppler and AO-92's uplink AFC is having to work, but I have been getting through with this HT (1W on 1.2 GHz) and an old 5-band Yagi mounted on the antenna connector. I have not tried using this radio for the uplink with SO-50, but I am confident that using a DJ-G7T with a different radio for the downlink would also be acceptable for SO-50. I went back and read through the QST review of this radio from April 2010. The review mentioned trying this radio on AO-27. The reviewer mentioned hearing slight interference when working full-duplex. That must have been done from a very RF-quiet location, and on a very high pass. When I heard any non-ham intermod on 70cm, that would tend to cover up the downlinks from AO-27 or AO-51. I have liked my DJ-G7T for non-satellite uses, as it is a neat little radio which includes 1.2 GHz. This HT, along with the 5-element Yagi I have had for a long time, has been my uplink setup for AO-92's L/V configuration over the past couple of weekends. For satellite use, I think it would be great as an uplink radio for the 3 bands, and might be useful for full-duplex operation on the U/V satellites, but comes up way short with the only V/U FM satellite we currently have (SO-50). I don't have an antenna that would let me see if the DJ-G7T could work AO-92's L/V configuration full-duplex, but that would be interesting to see. I won't sell my DJ-G7T, and will continue to recommend the TH-D72 for anyone looking for an HT currently in production to work V/U and U/V FM satellites full-duplex. Otherwise, there are many HTs that can work V/U and U/V FM satellites that have been out of production, or there is always the option of using two radios. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

2 1

FengMaNiu 1 (FMN 1) identified cross link?
by christy hunter 14 Feb '18

14 Feb '18

during coinciding coverage with AO-92 can FMN-1 downlink Tx cross link to AO-92 uplink? signals can access AO-92 without a tone when it is open. has anyone heard this? 73 Christy KB6LTY --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com

2 1

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-14 05:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 14 Feb '18

14 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-14 05:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania, direct via LY1BWB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Joe Acaba KE5DAR Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-14 12:37:44 UTC 49 deg Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Joe Acaba KE5DAR (***) Contact is a go for: Thu 2018-02-15 17:45:19 UTC 80 deg (***) University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 70 deg "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg School in Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is TBD (***) Contact is a go for Sat 2018-02-24 08:45 UTC (***) Watch for possible time update (***) ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-14 05:30 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. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1206. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1155. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-06 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Controller for SAT Antennas
by Gerald Witalec 14 Feb '18

14 Feb '18

Hi everyone, Is anyone using Arduno Uno with stepper motors and HRD to control the AZ/El antennas for the Sats? Jerry...W8RQM

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Re: [amsat-bb] Controller for SAT Antennas
by Bob Freeman 14 Feb '18

14 Feb '18

Here is a link for the Arduino Sketch we have been using for a stepper system. Good success has been reported by several users: http://ki4sbl.dodropin.org/CNCTRK/Arduino/RAZEL-duino_2016-05-28.ino Change the scale factors and max velocity to match your steppers. See the credits in the notes for the original work by Tom, W9KE. Any errors on the above link are all my fault!! Have fun! Bob KI4SBL

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Smartphone (compass) apps which show true north?
by Philip Jenkins 14 Feb '18

14 Feb '18

I'd rather not wade through the process of downloading and installing the various multitudes of compass apps to see which of them can indicate true north (handy for doing satellite demos when you're not at home, and don't know or don't have the magnetic declination of that location). My phone doesn't seem to have a magnetometer anyway (from the error messages I'm getting when I've tried a few compass apps). Do any of these apps use GPS to show true north, and not just magnetic north (or both)? Philip N4HF P.S. I have an Android phone and tablet, but I'm sure iPhone users could find this info useful as well.

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K4T EL84 trip planned July 6-8
by Matthew Stevens 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

Now that we've got our plans finalized, I figured it would be good to get this one on everybody's radar a few months ahead of time. This coming July (6-8) myself, Robert KE4AL, and Rich, N4ESS will be staging a multi day trip (using the callsign K4T) to the last remaining Florida grid we've never activated: EL84. This trip has been about 2 years in the making, and we hope to make it a good one. Primary focus for myself will be 6m, with an emphasis on the digital modes as band openings during peak Es season allow. Robert's focus will be satellites, and Rich will be operating HF (primarily CW) for the International Grid Chase. We will be arriving on Garden key mid-morning on the 6th, and leaving about the same time on the 8th. This will give us 2 full days (and nights) to operate as much as possible. Robert and I can both easily work horizon to horizon on FM and linear sats, and will have 2 full sat stations along. Between the two of us, it should be possible to cover a large number (if not most) of the passes that will occur while on the island. We want to give everybody within range the opportunity to work EL84! QSLs will be via LOTW, with paper cards upon request. We are working on a couple of options to allow communications via twitter, email, and text message while on the island for sked purposes. This should be a great help for 6m, and could possibly allow for some tight satellite skeds into EU and South America. Over the next few months, we'll be working on ironing out all possible kinks in our stations, and do our best to make this trip a success for everyone needing the grid! Pass schedules and plans will be updated here, on twitter, and submitted to the AMSAT Upcoming Ops page as we approach time for the trip. In the meantime, you can follow our team on twitter at https://twitter.com/k4t_el84. We'll post updated plans and info there. Be sure and follow us, as that will be one of our primary channels for communications while on the island! 73, - Matthew nj4y

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FoxTelem on a Mac
by Peter Green 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

I am trying to run FoxTelem on a Mac without success currently. I would very much like to contribute to the telemetry warehouse. Using an Icom 910 with iMac running Sierra. Is there anyone on the list that is achieving this successfully who could give me a few pointers, perhaps of list would be best? Many thanks Pete G0ABI

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA on 15 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:45 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and W6RVD. The contact should be audible over portions of the state of California and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. We at Los Angeles Academy Middle School are pleased and very grateful to have this wonderful opportunity to speak live with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station. To tell the truth, we are not only pleased but quite ecstatic! Our school serves low-income students in the Central Los Angeles area. The ethnic makeup of our school is approximately 90% Latino, 9% African-American, and 1% other. Many of our students originally spoke Spanish as a first language, and we currently have about 350 English Language Learners. Over 90% of our students are from economically disadvantaged families. We currently have about 1250 students in attendance. The children who will be asking the questions are represented by a widely inclusive cross-section of our student population, and they are anxious to participate and become a part of this deeply rich community of caring individuals from the fields of science and technology. We hope, that together with you, we might just change a few lives through this experience! We have been working on this project for over a year, and it has truly become a team effort involving students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members. And it is certainly a labor of love! We have a school amateur radio club, W6RVD, which has talked to people as far away as Mexico, Japan, and South America. The Hughes Amateur Radio Club, CSULA, ARISS, and the California Science Center have all been working with us. Many of these folks attended our Community Law Day to share the project. The event, as well, was attended by our local congresswoman. Our radio club members, additionally, have taken a field trip to JPL in Pasadena. Again, thank you for your diligence and your efforts to touch young lives! Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. How does Los Angeles look from the International Space Station? 2. What is it like inside the Soyuz Spacecraft? 3. When you fly over your own town or city, do you recognize it? Does it make you feel a little homesick? [IN SPANISH: Cuando vuelas sobre tu pueblo o ciudad, la puedes reconocer? Extrañas tu hogar?] 4. Do you ever just look out the window, feeling amazed? If you can see out the window right now, what do you see? 5. When plants grow in space, how are they affected by weightlessness? 6. My Birthday is coming up in a few days. How do you celebrate birthdays on the International Space Station? 7. The youngest person in space was 25 years old. I am 13 years old. Could someone like me ever go into space? 8. Do you ever listen to AM or FM broadcast stations from Earth in space? If so, how do they sound? 9. Can humans really live on Mars? If so, what is necessary for them to do so? 10. Do you think you?ll miss being in space when you come back to Earth? 11. When you look down on Earth, how do you feel? Are you optimistic for humanity? 12. What was your favorite subject in school and did that help you to become an astronaut? 13. Do you or any other astronauts ever sing or play a musical instrument in the ISS? Do you ever sing together? 14. Can you talk to your family at home from the ISS? How do you do it? [IN SPANISH: Puedes hablar con tu familia desde el ISS? Come lo haces?] 15. Where do you go if you want to be alone? Is there a place you can go? 16. If you couldn?t be an astronaut, what else would you like to do? 17. How has being in space changed who you are? 18. Can you take a picture of you talking to us? Is this possible? 19. What do you do to keep your life spiritually centered? 20. What celestial bodies are you studying and how? 21. Have you seen the new Star Wars movie? If you did, what did you think of it? 22. What experiment in the International Space Station most interests you? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 2. "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC 3. Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 4. Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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VE3HLS Heavy: Schedule for FN38/39/48/49 This Weekend
by Ken Alexander 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

Hi Folks! "VE3HLS Heavy" will launch this Friday morning for Quebec. Below is the schedule for this weekend's activities. Note that I have included several FM satellite passes despite my grumbling on my last rove. I promise to be there and ready for those passes, but I won't think twice about pulling the plug if things are so unruly that I can't get a word in edgewise. If you can govern yourselves accordingly then maybe you will score a few new grids that get activated very rarely, if at all. It's up to you. As always, the weather dictates what actually happens. The trip to the FN39/49 boundary is 2+ hours on what appears to be an unpaved logging road (I'll find out when I get there). I have found that Quebec keeps their roads very well plowed in winter. Hopefully, this will be the case here too. The weather forecast looks good, so I am hoping I won't have to invoke the Weather Permitting Clause of my service contract to the satellite community. I had planned to activate FN46 for VE2FU, who needs his home grid. It turns out he won't be able to get on the air so we have put that plan aside. However, please get back to me if you do need FN46. We can do it early Saturday morning. Now, the good stuff. As always, if I have left your region out of my schedule then please get back to me. 17.02.2018 FN38/48 from nr Dolbeau-Mistassini, QC AO-07 20:38 CA XW-2B 21:27 AO-73 22:06 EU CAS-4B 22:26 AO-07 22:40 CA XW-2B 23:02 FO-29 23:29 EU 18.02.2018 FN39/49 from boundary AO-07 14:09 EU ** AO-73 14:37 CA AO-85 14:51 EU AO-07 15:57 EU AO-85 16:32 AO-07 17:45 EU AO-85 18:13 CA - Pass favouring the U.S. west coastEU - Pass favouring Europe (eastern N.A. too)** - This is an early pass. Will try to make it but no guarantees Passes with no notes are passes that provide goodcoverage to most of North America, but not as faras the west coast. 73, KenVE3HLS

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BP41/51 Tomorrow
by Gabriel Zeifman 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

Hello fellow people of the birds, Tomorrow (Feb 14) I will be returning to Alaska from a little visit to New York. As long as all goes as planned, my intended flight arrives at Anchorage at about 1400Z and I will have several hours on the ground there. The BP41/51 line is on the airport so I'm planning to head over there, or at least activate both grids separately (there are parks either side of the line). Weather looks like it should cooperate, hopefully. Ops will probably more centered around BP51, but I'll try to do as much from BP41 as possible. I will have info on specific passes on my twitter more near-in, @AL6D_Alaska. I'll be back to ninja-portable on this visit with my FT-817NDs. 73, Gabe AL6D/VE6NJH

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Scott Tilley VE7TIL Discovers "Image" Lost NASA Sat
by CEE 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

good interview with Scott on his discovery of Image, lost NASA satellite: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wtzw1

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SDR for fm sats
by Povern 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

Anyone using sdr for linear sats? Very new to these and have zero experience with sdr. Looking for any input and hints for using these for the ssb birds. KE0PBR > Paul Overn

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Server.SDX not autoloading in Sat32PC ver. 12.8c
by butch alline 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

According to Win 10 task manager, Server.SDX is not loading automatically when I run Sat32PC (latest version 12.8c). No error messages pop up to indicate this failure to load. If I start Server.SDX manually, it now shows up in task manager. Server.SDX is located here: C:\Program Files (x86)\SatPC32\SDX. So... From here: http://www.dk1tb.de/indexeng.htm, I downloaded *e**. ServerSDX update *The ServerSDX file for Yaesu GS-232A/B amd compatible controllers that comes with the SatPC32 setup file outputs the target azimuth and elevation positions to the controller but doesn't read the actual positions from the controller. With the link below you can download a modified ServerSDX.exe that displays also the actual azimuth and elevation values. The original Server.SDX and the "updated" Server.SDX were tested separately, appear to be the same file, and look the same to me. Neither one loads automatically with Sat32PC when placed in C:\Program Files (x86)\SatPC32\SDX. Both versions accept and store the com port in setup and I can manually input commands that show in "target", but when I do a "read position", I get error "no response from controller". Here are some pix: Server.SDX as opened manually (both versions): After manual input: After "read position": 1. Why no autoload of Server.SDX 2. Why no response from controller? Yes I did restart Sat32PC after making changes... Any and all help appreciated. Butch K8KO

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CORRECTED ARISS RELEASE: Upcoming ARISS contact with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

UPCOMING ARISS CONTACT CORRECTED RELEASE: The ARISS contact that was to occur today Monday, February 12, 2018 with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium in Vilnius, Lithuania has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2018. A corrected copy of the release appears below. An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania on 14 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:37 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and LY1BWB. The contact should be audible over Lithuania and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. We are students of the Vilnius Jonas Basanaviciaus Gymnasium and Progymnasium. Both of the schools are located in Vilnius, in the capital of Lithuania. Here we are taught of all basic subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, math, etc. Our project team was assembled from both schools and each member has their own motivation to join, some of us are here to see what its like to make an amateur radio contact and talk to a person in space, some are here for the generic experience, while others try to figure out if space science would be what they want to do in their future lives. Our team extends from writers, filmmakers to technical people, so everyone can try out everything and do what they like most. Best thing about this project is that it is a very unique way to celebrate the 100 years of Lithuania´s independence. All involved students will be able to mark this historical moment with such a powerful milestone and inspire future generations so that they never stop learning new things and never give up reaching new horizons. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Jonas Basanavicius was named person of the century in Lithuania. What kind of person would you choose to be your country's person of the century? 2. Can you see Lithuania from your current position? 3. What is your opinion about inflatable habitats that were tested in the ISS? 4. If you could ever travel to one of the planets, which would you choose? 5. How your stay in space differs from what you had expected? 6. Are there any disagreements between crewmembers? 7. What extreme situations might be faced in the ISS? 8. What was the first thing you saw through the window of the ISS? 9. Who would you be if you were not an Astronaut? 10. If you had an opportunity to talk to someone from the past, who would it be? 11. What annoys you the most in ISS? 12. Is the silence in space deeper that on Earth? 13. How do you relax in space? 14. Have you ever seen space junk colliding? 15. Which do you think is scarier; ascending or landing? 16. According to which time zone do you celebrate New Year? 17. How do paper planes fly in the space station? 18. What is going to be your first meal when you come back? 19. Do you use lasers made in Lithuania in your work? 20: How long does it take you to catch up with fashion? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-16 16:53 UTC 2. University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 3. "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Jetstream JTBM270 - Dual Band 2m/70cm beam
by jim＠beeson.cc 13 Feb '18

13 Feb '18

Anybody use the Jetstream JTBM270 beam? If how did it work for you?

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Ukube-1 Satellite
by alex weimer 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Ukube-1 Sat very strong during west coast pass at 2300Z Great downlink signal even at LOS here in DM42 Arizona Transponder always on !! This Satellite definitely being under used . Wish more people would get on !! JACK KC7MG

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Sat32PC interface with Yaesu GS-5500
by butch alline 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

I am trying to set up a rotor interface using an Arduino and a Yaesu GS-550. The Arduino interface by Tom Doyle W9KE is shown here <http://www.tomdoyle.org/simplesatrotorcontroller/SimpleSatRotorController.h…>. If anyone has "been there and done that", please contact me please. 73 Butch K8KO

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-12 19:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-12 19:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania, direct via LY1BWB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Joe Acaba KE5DAR (***) Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-14 12:37:44 UTC 49 deg (***) Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-16 16:53:20 UTC 34 deg Watch for possible change of contact time to Thursday. (***) University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 70 deg "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão, Fundão, Portugal, direct via CS5DBB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA (***) Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-02-21 09:38:11 UTC 33 deg (***) Museum of Science & Technology - Danforth Middle School, Syracuse, NY, direct via K2MST The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP (***) Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-23 14:08:52 UTC 28 deg (***) ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-12 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. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1206. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1155. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-06 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

AO-92 L-band recording from FM05 - 2018-02-12 0224 UTC
by John Brier 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

I heard a good number of people experimenting with the L-band uplink on AO-92 tonight on the 0224 UTC pass. Really wish I could get in on the club ;-) I heard N8MH, WB8RJY, WB8OTH, AA5PK, N8HM, and KC9ELU. Here is my recording from a Kenwood TH-D72 with an Arrow. I didn't pick the antenna up off the ground until about 1:07. I had the audio really low in the first 4 minutes too. https://www.dropbox.com/s/10866vwios9qvqy/KG4AKV_2018-02-12_-_0224_UTC_-AO-… 73, John Brier KG4AKV

3 3

FUNcube Data Warehouse
by David Johnson 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Hi, It looks like we are experiencing some problems with the database connectivity associated with the warehouse. You may experience some short outages as I fix it over the next few hours. 73 - Dave

1 0

Visually impaired satellite operators?
by Philip Jenkins 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

One of the club members where I'm scheduled to do a satellite presentation has very little vision, but he is VERY interested in getting on the birds. I don't know yet if he's going to be interested in just the FM birds, or the linear ones as well. I haven't seen his shack yet, so not sure of what equipment (HF/VHF/UHF) he might already have. He did mention he has some Kenwood equipment; he implied that that company's radios are more user-friendly for the visually impaired. Is anyone on the BB aware of a current active satellite user who is vision impaired whom I might call on for advice - for radio/PC software & hardware - when the time arises? I may drop a line to Handi-Hams too for their advice. Thanks Philip N4HF

3 2

Maintenance depot or individual to repair an ICOM IC-821
by Mac A. Cody 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Hello, A fellow ham in my radio club has an ICOM IC-821 that has developed a problem. The transmit power on 2M has dropped from its nominal 45 Watts to 18 Watts. He has already attempted to obtain service through ICOM and some other repair services without success. Is anyone aware of a repair outlet or an individual that is knowledgeable of the IC-821 in order to perform repairs? 73, Mac Cody / AE5PH

6 6

Test
by Luciano Gasparini 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Test only.

1 0

FUNcube data Warehouse outage
by David Johnson 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Hi, We had a short outage this morning between 10:00 - 11:00 UTC. There was fault with the web application running out of resources, we have been running without a break for some time :-) Server restarted and dashboards are sending their backlog and of course scores are being updated (realtime providers may look a bit strange as the warehouse collects out of sequence packets from users) 73 - Dave, G4DPZ

1 0

AO73/FUNcube-1 Mode
by Graham Shirville 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Hi All, AO73/FUNcube-1 is now in continuous amateur mode until Sunday. Have fun with the transponder. 73 Graham G3VZV

2 1

FO-29 with Troop 287
by Robert Bond 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

I will be working the Sept 12 7:39 pm EST (Sept 13 00:39Z) pass of FO-29 (that's all that's passing over during the Scout meeting) with Troop 287. I'm giving them an intro to the Radio Merit Badge and was going to do a satellite demo. It's a bit of a low pass and over the Atlantic at that, but we will be listening and hopefully make a QSO. Thanks, Robert Bond - KM4YSC

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Re: [amsat-bb] SATPC32 Doppler.sqf file
by Rick Tejera 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

Brian, are you dying you do not see the frequencies when selecting AO-91 or 92 o that the satellites are not available to view? Sent from Mail for Windows 10 From: Brian Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2018 15:26 To: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] SATPC32 Doppler.sqf file Still learning how to master the SatPC32 program. It looks like I need to update the Doppler.sqf file as AO-91 and AO-92 do not show up. Does anyhow have an up to date SatPC32.sqf file ? Thank you Brian, KG8CO _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

1 0

Help needed with Sat32PC, GS-232 rotor interface.
by butch alline 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

I am trying to set up a rotor interface using an Arduino and a Yaesu GS-550. The Arduino interface by Tom Doyle W9KE is shown here <http://www.tomdoyle.org/simplesatrotorcontroller/SimpleSatRotorController.h…>. It shows up at Com 3 in device manager. My problem is that when I uses Sat32PC > setup > rotor, there are no com port choices, only LPT printer ports, as shown here: In addition, when I go to hints rotor > Yaesu - GS232, I get nothing! The other hints for ARS, DDE, etc. do show up. Any and all help appreciated. Butch K8KO

2 1

AO-92 mode L/V over Europe
by IW1DTU Fer 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

worked several stations: IK8XLD IZ5ILX EA4CYQ IU2EFA SQ5KTM IZ1ERR DC7KOW IU1IEK G0IIQ SP5MG ON4CJQ ts-790 10w on L band, Satpc32, 14 elements loop yagi V pol, 7+7 rhcp-lhcp on 2m band great signals, lot of fun, thanks to AO-92 team 73 Fer IW1DTU

1 0

AO-92 L/V Mode
by alex weimer 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

Perry: I made a recording of you and others on this last pass of AO-92 L/V Mode !! Emailed it to you 73 JACK KC7MG

1 0

AO92L/V mode
by Perry Yantis 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

I was surprised that I had a decent signal into AO92 using L/V mode with only 11 degrees elevation max!!!Next pass will be higher at 40 degrees elevation so signals will be even better!!! Perry WB8OTH em-89mv py41(a)att.net sent from my Apple Macbook Pro

1 0

Nice L band pass
by Mike Seguin 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

Nice 30 degree max pass over Vermont starting about 1415 UTC. I had about 3-4 minutes of no one in the passband, so did a bit more fine tuning of frequency on L band. I was using +8.5 kHz. SATPC32 was doing the calculations. I reduced power to 1 watt and found best frequency was about 0.5-1 kHz higher. So I've set Doppler.sqf to use +9 kHz. We'll see how it goes on the next pass. Worked 4 stations: WB8OTH EM89 N8HM FM18 KC9ELU EM79 KB2M EL99 Mike -- 73, Mike, N1JEZ "A closed mouth gathers no feet"

1 0

Need help with Sat32PC & Icom 7000/7100
by Butch 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

In particular, under Setup > radio setup > Addresses 1. What values to use? 2. What does “Address OK” do? Thanks, Butch K8KO occamrazr yahoo.com

2 1

Rocket Lab and NASA VCLS ElaNa XIX Update
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

Hi Folks, Rocket Lab have just released an update for this launch. https://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-completes-fit-check-fo… Does anyone have any information about the satellites involved? 73, Terry Osborne ZL2BAC

3 2

ANS-042 Weekly News Service Bulletins
by Christopher Bradley 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-042.01 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, 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. In this edition: * Satellite/AMSAT Presentation for Pasadena Radio Club * Wind satellite survives vacuum * All-in-one Service for Space Station * Sally Ride EarthKAM Space Camp's 60th Mission is open for registration * Estimated March 2018 Launch Date for Es'hail 2 Satellite * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Ham Radio Now Episode 384 AMSAT Update from Orlando * GOLF-TEE Presidents' Challenge Ends February 15th * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-042.01 ANS-042.01 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 042.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. November 5, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-042.01 Satellite/AMSAT presentation for the Pasadena Radio Club on Tuesday, 23 January 2018. (part 1 of 3, links for parts 2 and 3 on the top/right of the page) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-fFpxg1kM&feature=youtu.be An updated version of the slideshow projected on the screen is available for download. Go to http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ and find it in the folder "WA0POD". [ANS would like to thank Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wind satellite survives vacuum ESA's Aeolus satellite has been particularly tricky to build. One of the main stumbling blocks has been getting its lasers to work in a vacuum, but recent tests on the satellite show that the vacuum or temperature of space won't get in the way of Aeolus measuring Earth's winds. [ANS would like to thank the European Space Agency for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- All-in-one Service for the Space Station Quick access to space, high-speed data feed and a unique vantage point are the selling points of a new commercial venture on the International Space Station. Its name is Bartolomeo, and its versatile design allows for many mission types at competitive prices from next year. [ANS would like to thank the European Space Agency for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sally Ride EarthKAM Space Camp's 60th Mission is open for registration. This be will EarthKAM's 60th week-long mission and the first of 2018! Mission 60 runs February 20 through February 26. Mission sign up is available and orbits will be published by Thursday, February 15. Educators can sign up and get their class involved up to the day of the orbit. Requested images should be available within 24 hours of the orbit. If you are looking for a project to do with the images, look at our activities page for some great ideas that incorporate the images. For more information on how to make an image request take a look at our User Guide. www.earthKAM.org [ANS would like to thank E.Mike Cardel, AMSAT ANS Rotating Editor for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated March 2018 Launch Date for Es'hail 2 Satellite The SatBeams website says they have a estimated launch date of 28-Mar-2018 for the Es'hail 2 satellite carrying the world's first geostationary amateur radio service in S-band/X-band ranges via its AMSAT-DL hosted payload. Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Falcon 9 v1.2 Commercial payloads on Es'hail 2 include 24 Ku-band and 11-Ka-band transponders to provide direct broadcasting services throughout the Middle East and North Africa as well as government communication services. Posted at: https://www.satbeams.com/satellites?id=2683 [ANS thanks SatBeams.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania, direct via LY1BWB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Mon 2018- 02-12 12:45:49 UTC Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Fri 2018- 02-16 16:53:20 UTC University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 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. 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 2018-02-06 05:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1206. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1155. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-06 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_corr ection .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ham Radio Now Episode 384 AMSAT Update from Orlando AMSAT President Joe Spier K6WAO talks about AMSAT and Satellites with Gary Pearce KN4AQ on the Ham Radio Now at Orlando Hamcation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGg1VJ5SpBk (thanks to Ham Radio Now) [ANS thanks JoAnne, K8JKM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- GOLF-TEE Presidents' Challenge Ends February 15th One week to go in the GOLE-TEE Presidents' Challenge! Please consider a donation to help kick start the next generation of AMSAT satellites. In October 2017, AMSAT announced the GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) program. The first project of the GOLF program is a technology demonstrator named GOLF-TEE (Technology Evaluation Environment). The design is a 3U CubeSat with deployable solar panels, ADAC (attitude determination and control), Software Defined Radio (SDR) Transponder, and a Vanderbilt University Low Energy Proton (LEP) experiment. Now is the time to begin work on the GOLF-TEE Project. At the end of 2017, AMSAT has generous offers from two AMSAT Past Presidents for matching funds up to $15,000 for those that contri- bute to the GOLF-TEE campaign between now and February 15th. Make your donation twice as valuable by taking advantage of this oppor- tunity and contributing, and help AMSAT fund the launch of the next series of satellites of the GOLF program. Planning is for a launch in 2019. Donations of $100 and $1,000 or more will be eligible for a special AMSAT GOLF premium. (Both premiums are currently being designed, so please be patient awaiting delivery.) [ANS thanks JoAnne, K8JKM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Object 43199 has apparently been identified as Shaonian Xing (Youth Sat) + A video from the RSGB 2017 Convention + LibreSpaceFoundation Talk + Be on the lookout for Clayton, W5PFG/p Object 43199 has apparently been identified as Shaonian Xing (Youth Sat). So the unknown satellite that identifies itself as MXSAT-1 is actually the student satellite Shaonian Xing. It also means this satellite does not transmit on its coordinated frequencies. Let's wait and see if its FM repeater will be activated and on which frequencies it will operate. http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=547 [ANS would like to thank Nico, PA0DLO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- A video from the RSGB 2017 Convention, "Amateur deep space reception", by Paul Marsh, M0EYT can found at: http://rsgb.org/main/publications-archives/video/rsgb-convention- lectures/rsgb-2017-convention-lectures/ Paul Marsh, M0EYT gives an introduction into deep space mega-DX, the equipment needed and the techniques used to identify extremely weak signals coming from man-made space probes in various parts of our solar system. X-Band (8.4GHz) is the primary band of discussion but Paul also talks briefly about S and Ka reception equipment and antennas. You can receive signals from spacecraft in excess of 1 billion Km with a modest size dish in your garden. If you have an interest in EME or microwave weak signal reception, Amateur DSR can help you push the limits of what is possible with home-built equipment. [ANS would like to thank The RSGB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- LibreSpaceFoundation Talk Watch the LibreSpaceFoundation FOSDEM talk on UPSat_gr the 1st open source hardware and software satellite https://youtu.be/D8QtZ9IRLto [ANS would like to thank LibreSpaceFoundation for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Be on the lookout for Clayton, W5PFG/p, for casual satellite operation from the DM70 area of West Texas starting the evening of February 15 through the morning of February 18 He will operate from DM70xo and some of the neighboring grid squares including DM80, DL79, DL89. (via W5PFG) [ANS would like to thank JoAnne, K9JKM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 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 stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Chris Bradley, AA5EM aa5em at amsat dot 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. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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AO-92 mode V/L 0247utc 11Jan2018 for 25 hours
by Mark L. Hammond 11 Feb '18

11 Feb '18

Title says it all...L-band uplink for 24 hours on AO-92. Enjoy! Experiment... 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

1 1

SATPC32 Doppler.sqf file
by Brian 10 Feb '18

10 Feb '18

Still learning how to master the SatPC32 program. It looks like I need to update the Doppler.sqf file as AO-91 and AO-92 do not show up. Does anyhow have an up to date SatPC32.sqf file ? Thank you Brian, KG8CO

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 10 Feb '18

10 Feb '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania on 12 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:45 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and LY1BWB. The contact should be audible over Lithuania and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. We are students of the Vilnius Jonas Basanaviciaus Gymnasium and Progymnasium. Both of the schools are located in Vilnius, in the capital of Lithuania. Here we are taught of all basic subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, math, etc. Our project team was assembled from both schools and each member has their own motivation to join, some of us are here to see what its like to make an amateur radio contact and talk to a person in space, some are here for the generic experience, while others try to figure out if space science would be what they want to do in their future lives. Our team extends from writers, filmmakers to technical people, so everyone can try out everything and do what they like most. Best thing about this project is that it is a very unique way to celebrate the 100 years of Lithuania´s independence. All involved students will be able to mark this historical moment with such a powerful milestone and inspire future generations so that they never stop learning new things and never give up reaching new horizons. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Jonas Basanavicius was named person of the century in Lithuania. What kind of person would you choose to be your country's person of the century? 2. Can you see Lithuania from your current position? 3. What is your opinion about inflatable habitats that were tested in the ISS? 4. If you could ever travel to one of the planets, which would you choose? 5. How your stay in space differs from what you had expected? 6. Are there any disagreements between crewmembers? 7. What extreme situations might be faced in the ISS? 8. What was the first thing you saw through the window of the ISS? 9. Who would you be if you were not an Astronaut? 10. If you had an opportunity to talk to someone from the past, who would it be? 11. What annoys you the most in ISS? 12. Is the silence in space deeper that on Earth? 13. How do you relax in space? 14. Have you ever seen space junk colliding? 15. Which do you think is scarier; ascending or landing? 16. According to which time zone do you celebrate New Year? 17. How do paper planes fly in the space station? 18. What is going to be your first meal when you come back? 19. Do you use lasers made in Lithuania in your work? 20: How long does it take you to catch up with fashion? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-16 16:53 UTC 2. University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 3. "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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SimpleSat Program
by Brian 09 Feb '18

09 Feb '18

I have installed the SimpleSat Look Down program. It is really simple to set up and use, however, it doesn't have any rig control. I see there was a version of SimpleSat that had rig control, however, I cannot seem to locate that program. Does anyone know how I can get a copy of the SimpleSat program? I have a registered copy of Sat32PC, but I feel the SimpleSat program would be easier to use. Thank You Brian, KG8CO

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HamRadioNow interviews AMSAT President Joe Spier K6WAO
by M5AKA 09 Feb '18

09 Feb '18

HamRadioNow interviews AMSAT President Joe Spier K6WAO at Orlando HamCation https://amsat-uk.org/2018/02/09/hamradionow-interviews-amsat-president-joe-… AmsatDroidFree now open source https://amsat-uk.org/2018/01/30/amsatdroidfree-now-open-source/ Archive of GEO Quarterly Weather Satellite magazines available for download https://amsat-uk.org/2017/12/11/geo-quarterly-magazine/ AO-73 / FUNcube-1 Illumination https://amsat-uk.org/2018/01/15/ao73-funcube-1-illumination-jan/ PV8DX video of AO73 FUNcube-1 telemetry reception during an illuminated night pass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UOzkTLlk44 Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-09 06:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 09 Feb '18

09 Feb '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-02-09 06:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Gymnasium together with Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciaus Progymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania, direct via LY1BWB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Mon 2018-02-12 12:45:49 UTC 46 deg Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via W6RVD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Scott Tingle KG5NZA Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-02-16 16:53:20 UTC 34 deg University of the Philippines Integrated School, Quezon City, Philippines, direct via DX1ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Sat 2018-02-17 10:23:00 UTC 70 deg "Galaxy - Children and Youth Center for Space Education", Kaluga, Russia, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Misurkin (***) Contact is a go for 2018-02-18 10:45 UTC (***) ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://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? 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 **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 128 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-02-09 06:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1206. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1155. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-02-06 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR Exp. 54 on orbit Scott Tingle KG5NZA Norishige Kanai Alexander Skvortsov **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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910 19200
by Jim White 09 Feb '18

09 Feb '18

Sorry, I was a bit unclear. I'm looking to run 19200 data on the RF side of the 910 - against a couple of sats to be launched later this year that will use that rate on UHF. I would guess it's going to be like we do for 9600 with older radios - put in cables to directly modulator the TX and to tape the discriminator before any filtering.

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EMØ1 on Saturday
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

If all goes as planned, I'll activate EM01 on Saturday (10 February) for a few morning passes. Listen for me amid the weekend chaos: SO-50 at 1453Z AO-92 at 1612Z SO-50 at 1634Z. Updates on Twitter @AA5PK. APRS AA5PK-9. All QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW. If you need a hard copy QSL, send me an email. 73 Glenn AA5PK

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KPC TNC and wisp. Conflict, or I missed something.!!
by Nader Omer 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

Hi All I used the same setup I used before except I changed the tnc to KPC9612 +.. Everything was fine with this setup. I worked Echo 51 satellite, tnc was samik @ 9600 .bpsand Hope1 tnx was mfj1278b @ 1200 bps.-------------- Now my main problem is:............ KPC 9612 + refuse to key my radio (Icom 910) from MSPE. KPC-TNC works great with any terminal programs, and keying any radios at both port. also I setup wisp on my laptop – windows 10 following the same steps of my friend Mineo Wakita at his nice website. I tested the wisp with mfj tnc and it was ok with windows 10 setup @1200 bps and on my old desktop PC. Last night manually I put the KPC+ in KISS mode, its works ok and the MSPE keying the rig at 9600 bps. Today when i was tracking the falconsat-3 ,the KPC refuse to key the radio again and it was deadly silent.........., i try every thing i knew ( i tested two units of the kpc+) but I keep pulling my grey hair since the last all week.....:( Any help appreciated.73's Nader Omer- st2nh

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IC910 at 19200
by Jim White 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

Looking for a mod for the IC910 to do 19200. No luck Googling or looking in the usual list of mods.

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KPC TNC and wisp. Conflict, or I missed something.!!
by cchunter3＠mindspring.com 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

this discussion may help; http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/200407/msg01019.html 73 Christy KB6LTY

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IC 910
by Tom Lubbers K8TL 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

I notice R&L has a used IC910 listed. Tom K8TL

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SatPC32 adding new satellite
by radiomb 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

Setting up 1st bird in SatPC32. When downloaded SatPC32 it had AO85 in Doppler.SQFAO-85,145980,435180FM,FM,Nor,0,0,Voice U/V but it did not show up as a sat to pick. I looked in the AMSATNames.TXT it was incorrect. So changed to 40967 15058D AO-85 I think that is correct. It still did not show up. What am I doing wrong? Other question the Doppler.SQF has 435180. The "Getting started with amateur satellites" book shows transmit freqs from 435.160 to 435.170. What should the Doppler file have for freq? Again just starting with SatPC32 and trying to learn how to setup the tables. If someone could send the Doppler files for the FM birds until I learn this I would appreciate. My auto antenna tracking is working fine thanks to everyone.73 Mike K4MIA

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W5PFG/p DM70, DM80, DL79, DL89 Feb 15-18
by Clayton Coleman W5PFG 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

I'll be operating satellites casually from the DM70 area of West Texas next week. Starting the evening of February 15 through the morning of February 18, I will operate from DM70xo and some of the neighboring grid squares. Because I visit and operate satellites from these grids at least 2x annually, I will not be posting any skeds or taking individual requests for this specific trip. -- 73, Clayton W5PFG

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A dumb question...
by Pete Parisetti 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

...that many people might be asking now. Rather than taking ballast - for that, besides marketing, is basically what a car is - couldn't one one the next test flights carry the P3E satellite that AMSAT-DL has had on the shelf for quite some time now? 140 Kg wouldn't make a hair of a difference for a thing capable of lifting 60 tons. Is anybody talking to them? Always hopeful, even after so many years... Pete MM0TWX

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PSAT2 preps for delivery (maybe June launch)
by David G0MRF 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

Hi Bob. That's a sad story. Sounds like some interesting payloads. 1) How about a DoD licence for comms ? 2) Sell it to someone South of the border for $1 and launch it as a foreign satellite.......(where did I get that idea?) 73 David G0MRF As of tonight, PSAT2 finally has some photos as it prepares for final testing in our long arduous 3 year campaign. http://aprs.org/psat2.html The Status is that the FCC still has not processed our 2 y ear pending API notice as an Amateur Satellite because they claim there is some Federal "mission". But they have not said what they perceive that Federal mission is? Maybe its because our undergraduate students are "DoD employees" even though the satellite is 100% Amateur Radio with four transponders including AX.25, DTMF, Voice Synthesizer, PSK31, SSTV and HF,VHF and UHF amateur bands built as an undergraduate senior engineering project purely for hands on education in the radio art. Even the construction used only surplus student senior project electronics from student bins and any purchases used non-DoD and no-federal GIFT funds. We have tried every argument in the book, but because the FCC is sensitized to some past abuses of some Federal Labs in crossing the line, we are being tossed into the same dirty bathwater. Oh well. We have 2 weeks to resolve this long going 2 year SNAFU with the FCC or lose this long awaited launch. Oh, and it is going up on the next SpaceX HEAVY launch.... Either to space or the ocean... or into the closet if the FCC does not act favorably Bob, WB4APR

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AO-92's 1.2 GHz uplink, last Sunday
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

Hi! I have been busy this week, and haven't been able to finish this sooner. Better late than never... Having the 1.2 GHz uplink active on AO-92 last Sunday was fun! I tried to work 4 different passes, heard myself on one of the two morning passes, and worked stations on the two passes in the evening. It was fun to dust off a radio and some antennas for the uplink, and end up with a few QSOs by the end of the evening. The first of the 4 passes was a nice 25-degree pass Sunday morning at 1638 UTC. To avoid the houses and other things around my house, I went to a city park on the DM33/DM43 grid boundary. This was my setup: TX: Alinco DJ-G7T @ 1W, Diamond RH951S 2m/70cm/23cm whip (on Diamond BNCJ-SMAP adapter) RX: Kenwood TH-D74, Elk Antennas handheld 2m/70cm log periodic The 145.880 MHz downlink was easy to hear, of course, but I never heard myself through the satellite. Between using an omni antenna on my uplink and playing whack-a-mole trying to find the right uplink frequency, I was a spectator. With the next pass 90 minutes away, I went home to regroup. Before the second pass, I went looking through some boxes for more stuff I could use for the L-band uplink. I found a very old Comet CY-1205 5-element Yagi for the 1.2 GHz band. This antenna has a BNC connector on the bottom of the driven element, and was originally sold in two versions (BNC and TNC connectors) to be compatible with the radios available in the early 1990s. The listed gain for the CY-1205 is 11.0 dBi, which was an improvement over the 5.5 dBi gain for the Diamond RH951S whip used earlier. Gain figures aside, a directional antenna should be a better performer than an omni antenna for satellite work - even a directional antenna sitting on top of the radio. The last pass for the morning was at 1812 UTC, to the west. It was lower, with maximum elevation of 14.4 degrees. I went outside with a slightly different setup... TX: Alinco DJ-G7T @ 1W, Comet CY-1205 5-element Yagi (on Diamond BNCJ-SMAP adapter) RX: Kenwood TH-D74, MFJ-1717 2m/70cm long duckie For a few minutes, there was no activity on the downlink, and I heard the voice ID followed by more static. Around 1817 UTC, I heard the downlink come on, and Tom N6NUG in San Diego appeared. Now I was trying to find a combination of uplink frequency and antenna orientation to hear my signals through AO-92. I finally did, around 1818 UTC when the satellite was just under 14 degrees elevation. By that point N6NUG was nowhere to be heard. I heard later that N6NUG's 1.2 GHz setup was for terrestrial operation, and he wasn't able to catch up with the satellite after the point I heard him. I was able to get through a couple of times, and this gave me encouragement for at least one of the two passes coming up in the evening. For the evening, I saw a couple of passes - a shallow 7-degree pass at 0314 UTC, followed by a 61.4 degree pass around 0445 UTC. From home, I didn't think the 7- degree pass would be a good one to try. I drove to a rest area along I-17 about 50 miles north of Phoenix, a location I use for low eastern passes. One problem there - all parking spaces at the south end of the rest area, the highest part of that location, were occupied. I think people, and especially truck drivers, were taking a break for the end of the Super Bowl game. I have never seen that rest area that full of cars and trucks, and went back to I-17. Ten miles further north, there is a junction for the AZ-69 highway to Prescott. I did not go up AZ-69, instead parking in a large lot on the east side of the freeway behind a McDonald's near the interchange. This spot, in grid DM34wh, turned out to be a good spot. For the evening passes, I used the following setup: TX: Alinco DJ-G7T @ 1W, Comet CY-1205 5-element Yagi (on Diamond BNCJ-SMAP adapter) RX: Kenwood TH-D74, Elk Antennas handheld 2m/70cm log periodic I recorded these passes using the audio recorder function in the TH-D74, which stores the audio as WAV files with the time (hour/minute/second) the recording started in the file name - helpful to know when in each pass different events happened. The first pass at 0314 UTC was very low to the east. I thought it would clear the hills east of the freeway, and I was able to hear the downlink about 30 to 40 seconds after the predicted AOS time. I heard a few stations, and I started trying to get through. A couple of minutes into the pass, I was able to hear myself. Glenn AA5PK in west Texas also heard me, and gave me a quick call. At this point, AO-92 was almost at the midpoint of the pass, with elevation around 6 degrees. I was getting through! Jeff WB8RJY in Michigan also heard me, and gave me a call. Now the satellite was at its highest, just under 7 degrees elevation. Alan WA4SCA also called me, but I was not able to get back to him before LOS. >From comments I saw online during the day, it was apparent that the nominal uplink frequency was higher than the published 1267.350 MHz. Most reports placed it about 8 kHz or so higher than that. With my DJ-G7T and its 5 kHz tuning, I went with 1267.360 MHz as the nominal uplink, and that helped to get through. For the last pass of the evening at 0445 UTC, things started out well. I heard Jerry N0JY initially. Between tuning and twisting my HT/antenna combination, I wasn't able to get lined up in time for a QSO with him. I was eventually able to get through, and after a few minutes Greg KO6TH in northern California appeared. We started to chat slowly, mainly due to my need to tune and move the radio around to get each transmission through the satellite. During this time, AD5MT in southern California appeared. I made a quick QSO with AD5MT, but KO6TH wasn't able to do that. No other stations showed up during the pass, which allowed KO6TH and me to call out our uplink frequencies and the satellite's elevation on its way to LOS. I put the audio, pictures, and other files related to all of this in a couple of folders in my Dropbox space at http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ . Files from the two morning passes are available in the "20180204-AO92" folder, and files from the two evening passes are available in the "20180205-AO92" folder. Each of those folders has a PDF file with a 2008 article from CQ VHF magazine by Kent Britain WA5VJB for smaller 1.2 GHz Yagis with 4, 6, or 10 elements. The 4-element Yagi might be enough with a 1W HT to use the AO-92 1.2 GHz uplink. Since I was able to get through with a 5-element Yagi, it seems like the 6- and 10-element versions in the article should be good options for 1.2 GHz and AO-92. Looking forward to more time to use 1.2 GHz... 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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Hughes 1502938-0001 & 1500439-0113 Jupiter Radio Surplus
by Gregory Beat 08 Feb '18

08 Feb '18

I have noted Hughes Jupiter Radio surplus (NOS pkg), in large numbers, appearing from telecom/surplus dealers (and popping up on eBay, etc.). Hughes: 1502938-0001 & 1500439-0113 Some of these assemblies are selling as low as $15.00 (shipping, due to size/weight, costs more). Has anyone de-constructed or experimented with these Hughes units? I can’t cast an aluminum enclosure fir that price. Sadly, no current western hemisphere AMSAT satellite to adopt these for. Greg w9gb — My sister had this satellite system for Internet access (~18 months), before UpNet Wisconsin offered fixed 4G/LTE wireless service in 2017. http://www.upnetwi.com/ Sent from iPad Air

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PSAT2 preps for delivery (maybe June launch)
by Robert Bruninga 07 Feb '18

07 Feb '18

As of tonight, PSAT2 finally has some photos as it prepares for final testing in our long arduous 3 year campaign. http://aprs.org/psat2.html The Status is that the FCC still has not processed our 2 y ear pending API notice as an Amateur Satellite because they claim there is some Federal "mission". But they have not said what they perceive that Federal mission is? Maybe its because our undergraduate students are "DoD employees" even though the satellite is 100% Amateur Radio with four transponders including AX.25, DTMF, Voice Synthesizer, PSK31, SSTV and HF,VHF and UHF amateur bands built as an undergraduate senior engineering project purely for hands on education in the radio art. Even the construction used only surplus student senior project electronics from student bins and any purchases used non-DoD and no-federal GIFT funds. We have tried every argument in the book, but because the FCC is sensitized to some past abuses of some Federal Labs in crossing the line, we are being tossed into the same dirty bathwater. Oh well. We have 2 weeks to resolve this long going 2 year SNAFU with the FCC or lose this long awaited launch. Oh, and it is going up on the next SpaceX HEAVY launch.... Either to space or the ocean... or into the closet if the FCC does not act favorably Bob, WB4APR

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