- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-255 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 11 Sep '16

11 Sep '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-255 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 onhttp://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: * RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launch date is now scheduled for March 16, 2017 * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th * AMSAT Awards Update * “Frequency Crunch” is ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Sunday Seminar Topic * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder * 5 Teams Share First Round of NASA Cube Quest Challenge Prizes * 5 GHz to 10 GHz Lunar Transponder Mission * Pratham: IITB Student Satellite * Inspiring the next STEM generation * ARISS to Host On-line Information Sessions - School Contacts * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-255.01 ANS-255 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 255.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 11, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-255.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launch date is now scheduled for March 16, 2017 The RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launch date has been moved, and is now scheduled for March 16, 2017. RadFxSat will ride as one of the ELaNa XIV secondary payloads aboard the NASA JPSS-1 launch on a ULA Delta II rocket. The launch will be at Vandenberg AFB, California. It is one of only two remaining Delta II planned to be launched. The RadFxSat mission is a partnership with Vanderbilt Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) that will study space radiation effects on commercial off the shelf memory. The experiments are carried aboard the AMSAT Fox-1B CubeSat and experiment data will be carried in the subaudible telemetry stream of the Fox-1B FM repeater along with the CubeSat telemetry data. The telemetry can be decoded and displayed with the AMSAT FoxTelem software. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY AMSAT Vice President, Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are five candidates: Tom Clark, K3IO Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update Congrats to all who have earned an AMSAT Award since the last posting. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Peter Laws, N5UWY Jose de Jesus Moura Costa, PS8E Mac Cody, AE5PH Bernard Van Haecke, KI6TSF Burns Fisher, W2BFJ ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Robert Beatty, WB4SON #569 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer, NP4JV #173 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Kevin Manzer, N4UFO #47 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Yanko Yankov, NX9G #87 1000+ ------ To see all the awards visithttp://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- “Frequency Crunch” is ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Sunday Seminar Topic “Spectrum (It’s the frequency crunch for real)” will be the Sunday Seminar topic at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) September 16-18 in St Petersburg, Florida. Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, and Bob McGwier, N4HY, will moderate the tutorial. “The Amateur Radio spectrum above 450 MHz is facing serious threats. The demand for useful spectrum is large and growing,” an abstract for the presentation asserts. “We will explain why this spectrum is in demand and what you need to know and do in order to defend it.” The presentation will offer a practical understanding of digital communication, software-defined radio, codecs, protocols, and cognitive radio. Thompson heads the AMSAT Ground Terminal Team, a component of the so-called “five and dime (5 GHz and 10 GHz) Phase 4B geosynchronous satellite project. McGwier is chief scientist at the Hume Center for National Security and Technology at Virginia Tech. The Saturday night banquet speaker will be ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX. His topic will be “New Frontiers in Wireless: Challenges to and Opportunities for Amateur Radio.” http://www.arrl.org/news/frequency-crunch-is-arrl-tapr-digital-communicatio… conference-sunday-seminar-topic [ANS thanks TAPR and the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium. There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40. This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. The registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website. Online Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130 - Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page. Carnival offers round-trip transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person. If you are traveling to the Board of Directors meeting, you may still utilize the Carnival transportation option for your return to the airport from the cruise terminal. However, you will need to obtain other transportation between the airport and the Galveston DoubleTree hotel. Cruise information may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667 [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Teams Share First Round of NASA Cube Quest Challenge Prizes Five teams, ranging from university students to a group of engineers dispersed across the country, received $20,000 each from NASA in the first milestone of a competition to develop deep space CubeSat technologies. The teams, announced by NASA at a Sept. 9 briefing, had the highest scores in the first of four “ground tournaments” that make up the initial phase of the agency’s $5 million Cube Quest Challenge. That tournament, held in early August, featured 13 teams who presented their initial spacecraft designs. “Cube Quest is an opportunity for non-government CubeSat developers and builders to compete in lunar orbit and deep space for accomplishments in communications, navigation and longevity,” said Jim Cockrell of NASA’s Ames Research Center. Cockrell is manager of the competition, part of the agency’s Centennial Challenges prize program. - See more at: http://spacenews.com/5-teams-share-first-round-of-nasa-cubesat- prizes/#sthash.qbwJKlXB.dpuf The ground tournaments are optional elements of the overall competition, intended to guide teams through the development of their spacecraft as they mature from initial concepts to flight hardware. Participating teams are scored on how well they meet the requirements of each tournament, and the three with the highest cumulative scores will win flights of their spacecraft as secondary payloads on the first Space Launch System mission, Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), in 2018. The first ground tournament did not involve any hardware, and Cockrell likened it to a mission concept review that takes place early in the development of a typical NASA mission. Judges assessed the capabilities of each proposed mission and compliance with mission rules and SLS safety requirements. “It was the first opportunity for teams to present their concepts for how they intend to win the Cube Quest Challenge,” he said. “Ground Tournament 1 demonstrates that teams are on a good trajectory for launch on EM-1.” Some of the winning teams are linked to universities that have experience with CubeSats. A space systems design class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology started work on the KitCube spacecraft this spring, said Kerri Cahoy, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics there. KitCube is designed to go into lunar orbit and demonstrate a laser communications system. Another team, Cislunar Explorers, is composed mostly of students at Cornell University. “The work represents the culmination of lots of Ph.D.-level research and some undergraduate research from the last five or six years at the university,” said Mason Peck, a Cornell engineering professor who served as NASA chief technologist from 2011 to 2013. Peck said their spacecraft will demonstrate several key technologies, including a propulsion system that uses solar power to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen propellants. “It’s a pathfinder for the sustainable exploration and settlement of the solar system,” he said. Other winning teams have less traditional backgrounds. “There’s 12 of us across the United States” working on Team Miles, said team leader Wes Faler. Many of them are located in Tampa, Florida, including Faler, but others are based in California, New York and South Carolina. Faler said the team takes its name from a line in a Robert Frost poem: “And miles to go before I sleep.” After going into orbit around the Moon, he said, the spacecraft will perform an extended mission, traveling towards Mars to test autonomous navigation technology. Ragnarok Industries of Wilmington, Delaware, was established by a group of former engineering interns at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Their satellite, Heimdallr, is intended to test advanced propulsion and communications technologies for missions beyond Earth orbit, said company co- founder Luigi Balarinni. Novel Engineering of Cocoa Beach, Florida, is working with several other local companies, including Craig Technologies and Harris Corp., the latter providing a deployable mesh antenna for its CubeSat, named Space Pig. The name, team members said, came from elementary school students during an outreach event. The ultimate goal of the competition is to fly CubeSats into lunar orbit or deep space. A total of $3 million is offered in prizes for the “Lunar Derby” part of the competition, for both being able to enter lunar orbit and to demonstrate communications capabilities and longevity. An additional $1.5 million is for a “Deep Space Derby” to achieve communications and longevity goals. NASA’s Cockrell said the next ground tournament is scheduled for early 2016. Teams can participate in that round, which he compared to a preliminary design review, regardless of their performance, or even participation, in the August tournament. Teams that do not participate in the ground tournaments, or who do not finish in the top three in total points, can still pursue the deep space and lunar prizes by arranging their own launches. The competition ends, and any prizes awarded, one year after the EM-1 launch - See more at: http://spacenews.com/5-teams-share-first-round-of-nasa-cubesat- prizes/#sthash.qbwJKlXB.dpuf AMSAT-NA is partnered with the Ragnarok Industries team. Heimdallr satellite plans to test advanced propulsion and communications technologies for missions beyond Earth. AMSAT radio will be aboard. The AMSAT Groundstation initiative will give amateur radio operators to uplink and downlink to the lunar satellite. http://spacenews.com/5-teams-share-first-round-of-nasa-cubesat-prizes/ [ANS thankswww.spacenews.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 GHz to 10 GHz Lunar Transponder Mission AMSAT-NA plans 5 GHz to 10 GHz transponders on a spacecraft expected to launch in September 2018 into a Lunar orbit. Heimdallr is a 3 axis stabilized 6U CubeSat with a mass of approximately 8 kg. It will have a Cold Gas Thruster for inertia dump and a star tracker for navigation. Deployable, gimbled solar panels will produce up to 100 watts of DC power, electric propulsion will be used to achieve lunar orbit. There will be a combination of omni and directional patch antennas on one side of spacecraft. The first part of mission is to provide Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) to obtain lunar orbit. The second part is to perform the data downlink experiment while the final part is to provide a two way regenerative repeater and analog repeater in lunar orbit for lifetime of satellite. Proposing these downlinks: • Omni transponder: 10.451 GHz +/- 0.5 MHz • Directional transponder: 10.4575 GHz. +/- 3.5 MHz • Analog transponder: 10.4665 GHz. +/- 2.0 MHz For the first part of the mission (TT&C) using 300 bps BPSK 1/2 rate viterbi Ranging 1.5 Mbps BPSK DSSS. For the second part of mission 4.5 Mbps QPSK ½ rate DVB-S2. For the final part of mission 25 kbps BPSK 1/5 rate DVB-S2. Proposing these Uplinks • Omni transponder: 5.651 GHz +/- 0.5 MHz • Directional transponder: 5.6575 GHz. +/- 3.5 MHz • Analog transponder: 5.665 GHz. +/- 2 MHz A link budget is available at https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3u-mSOWBMISYnZyZGJpeThKeU0&usp=sha… It is anticipated that a 1 or 2 metre dish will be required using the AMSAT designed ground station equipment. Source IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Status pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pratham: IITB Student Satellite The satellite Pratham, built by students at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, is expected to launch on the Indian PSLV-C35 mission currently planned for September 26, 2016. Pratham, a 300x300x300mm satellite with a mass of 10 kg, aims to measure total electron count in a 800 km altitude Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Aayush Yadav of the Pratham team writes: We, students of IIT Bombay, are glad to inform you that our project, Pratham, is ready and expected to launch with PSLV-C35 in the last week of September. We would be really happy if you all joined us in receiving our satellite’s beacon, details given below: Beacon: Mode: CW wpm: 35 words Frequency: 145.980 MHz (The CW beacon will be on through out the orbit and can be received from anywhere.) Downlink: Mode: FSK Baudrate: 1200 bps Frequency: 437.455 MHz (To be switched on over France and India only) We will update the information as soon as TLE’s will be available. Further information at http://www.aero.iitb.ac.in/pratham/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/iitb.student.satellite/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Team Pratham for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Inspiring the next STEM generation The UK Space Agency’s Astronaut Flight Education Program Support Manager Susan Buckle will be giving a presentation at the RSGB Convention on Saturday, October 8. Along with Ciaran Morgan M0XTD, she will talk about the ten UK ARISS amateur radio school contacts with astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS during his Principia mission on the International Space Station. These contacts have inspired thousands of young people and introduced them to amateur radio in a new and exciting way. The full schedule and booking information for the convention are available at http://rsgb.org/convention Twitter hashtag #RSGBconv2016 An RSGB video celebrates these historic school contacts and the range of linked activities the schools have enjoyed. Beginning with the exhilaration of the launch, it follows the competition for schools to host the ARISS contacts, and showcases the variety of science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and arts activities that helped pupils to understand more about space and amateur radio. The contacts themselves, often led by newly-licensed pupils, were the successful culmination of many months of work and anticipation. ARISS Principia https://principia.ariss.org/ AMSAT-UK Article https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/10/inspiring-the-next-stem-generation/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS to Host On-line Information Sessions - School Contacts To help organizations learn about ARISS radio contacts and the proposal process, ARISS offers one-hour online information sessions; all questions are welcomed. Attending an online session is not required but strongly encouraged. Informational sessions will be offered Sept. 20, 2016, at 4 p.m. EDT and Sept. 28, 2016, at 7 p.m. EDT. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, visit: http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. ARISS Contact Application Window Open Until November 1 ARISS-US is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, radio contact with an orbiting space station crew member between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2017. Proposals are due Nov. 1, 2016. ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of parti- cipants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Students can learn about satellite communications, wireless technology, science research conducted on the space station, what it is like to work in space, radio science, and any related STEM subject. Students learn to use amateur radio to talk directly to an astronaut and ask their STEM-related questions. ARISS will help educational organizations locate amateur radio groups who can assist with equipment for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. Exact dates for the 10-minute radio contact are determined by crew scheduling and space station orbits. ARISS-US is offered through a partnership between NASA; the American Radio Relay League, or ARRL; and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT. ARISS was created and is managed by an international working group. Please email questions about this opportunity to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Sept. 8, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday and Sunday, 10-11 September 2016 Boxboro Hamfest in Boxborough, MA (ARRL New England Division Convention) *Friday, 23 September 2016 – presentation at Jet Propulsion Laboratory Amateur Radio Club in Pasadena CA *Friday and Saturday, 21-22 October 2016 – CopaFest 2016, south of Maricopa AZ *Saturday, 12 November 2016 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 3 December 2016 – Superstition Superfest in Mesa AZ *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was Successful: Sat 2016-09-10 17:03:42 UTC 13 Questions Asked/Answered 300 People at the library, 91 watched the livestream online The event was covered by local Channel 6 News, KUJH (KU's tv channel), Girl Scouts (for their blog), and The Lawrence Journal World. * Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Astoria OR, was direct via KF7TCG now telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact was Successful: Sat 2016-09-10 17:03:19 UTC via W6SRJ 17 of 20 questions Asked/Answered. Approximately 50 in audience. Upcoming Contacts * C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ or TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave, AA4KN, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over K6R Coundtdown On September 16th, Wyatt, AC0RA, and myself will be getting on the boat in Ventura, CA with our destination set on CM93. We've been training all summer, finalizing equipment, setting skeds, and generally getting all the loose ends tied up, and we look to be ready to go. We have posted our Final pass schedule on the K6R QRZ page at https://www.qrz.com/lookup/K6R - so feel free to find a pass that is to your liking. We have tried hard to include everyone in our distance range on at least 1 or 2 passes. Of course all passes are dependent on weather, schedule, and other factors - and there's a very good chance we'll show up on passes that AREN'T on our list as well.. find a window, and see if we're around. We're also happy to announce that Jimmy, KK6FAH will be serving as our pilot relay station for the expedition. He's a fellow AMSAT operator, and has a QTH right in Ventura, and we should be in local repeater range of each other while we're on the Island. We have agreed to meet up each evening and report our logs to him, and he will then pass our report on to the BB. Please do not email him with questions about busted calls or the like, he's simply going to be passing on our reports. He's also been awesome in helping us with some local arrangements, and we appreciate his assistance with this project greatly. I'd also like to make a brief request for folks to use some good situational awareness while we're out there. We know this is a rare grid and there's tons of interest, but remember that the birds and pass time are a scarce resource. We're hoping with lots of scheduled passes there should be more than enough air time to get everyone worked that wants it, but use some common sense. If you have linear capability, find us on one of those birds, and leave SO-50 for the FM only operators. If you're on the West coast and can work us on a higher pass where the east coast doesn't have a footprint, consider delaying to give them a chance. If you can handle taking a night off from using SO-50 as your ragchew repeater in the sky, that'd be great too... and please try to keep the dupes to a minimum - you never know when someone is just sliding into the footprint and only has 30 seconds to make that precious QSO. Thanks in advance. Finally, we're planning to do a very informal round table on 20 meters Saturday night at 8:00 PDT. Clayton, W5PFG has agreed to find us a frequency (probably the upper portion of 20m) and send out a tweet on where we will be. We'd love to have you stop by on HF and chat about Satellite stuff, the expedition, or "Am I in the log?" that night. It's expedition go time. Hope to catch everyone from CM93! [ANS thanks Dave, KG5CCI 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

1 0

Advise and/or Help
by Gerald Payton 11 Sep '16

11 Sep '16

73 to ALL, I am preparing to start the assembly of my "low budget" station and have a couple of question, please. My first step will employ an azmuthal only inexpensive rotor (RCA VH22F) and a terrestrial use linear dual band antenna (Jetstream JTBM270). The antenna has 3 elements for 2m and 5 for 70cm. I plan to offset the elevation of the antenna 20-30 degrees in a fixed position, rotatable of course. My radio at this time is an IC-2730 dual band which can be used for the FM birds; I am told. Having described my "phase one plans", my first question is regarding rotor control. Does anyone know of a rotor control for a three wire inexpensive rotator? Regarding the linear antenna, what would the best mounting angle be for polarization. Yes, I realize that it would not be optimal mounted vertical or horizontal. I assume that a compromise angle might help. Let me explain that portable handheld operation is not feasible dues to my age and living circumstances. A fixed station is my only option. However, that can be improved if necessary and financially feasible. Thanks to each and all. 73, Jerry AB5R

5 5

Neat and Cheap 5769 amplifier
by Tony Stone 11 Sep '16

11 Sep '16

I have purchased 4 of these units for experimentation. They work very well and are linear at 5760 MHz. There is an attenuator in the input line of about 6 db. 20 mw will get about 0.6 watts out with the attenuator in circuit. 10 mw will produce about 3 watts output with the attenuator removed. Fine for Phase 4 on the uplink with combiners. I have two combiners on order and will test two of the ampllifiers combined with another ampllifier driving them. The SMA connectors are RP units and I changed the connectors on mine to regular SMA. EBay link is: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252436361820?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageNam… Tony Stone w4tas(a)gte.net

1 0

One more question
by Ken Alexander 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

I notice that SatPC32 did not set my FT-817 into Split mode. I assume that's because it recognizes the 2-radio setup and won't be operating semi-duplex with one radio. Correct? 73 - Ken

2 1

SatPC32 Settings for HDSDR + FT-817
by Ken Alexander 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

Hi All, I received my USB-to-FT-817 interface cable this week, and just finished setting up the 817 in SatPC32. It is controlling transmit frequency on the FT-817 and receive frequency on HDSDR just fine. The current Radio Setup has HDSDR as Radio 1 and FT-817 and Radio 2. Then I read that the CAT Delay is supposed to be set to 110 for an FT-817. However, there is no such setting for Radio 2, only Radio 1. CAT Delay for HDSDR is currently set to 20. Everything seems to be working OK so I am wondering whether I should switch the radios in SatPC32 or leave well enough alone. Any thoughts? As always, many thanks for any assistance. 73, Ken Alexander VE3HLS

1 0

ANS-255 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-255 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: * RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launch date is now scheduled for March 16, 2017 * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th * AMSAT Awards Update * “Frequency Crunch” is ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Sunday Seminar Topic * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder * 5 Teams Share First Round of NASA Cube Quest Challenge Prizes * 5 GHz to 10 GHz Lunar Transponder Mission * Pratham: IITB Student Satellite * Inspiring the next STEM generation * ARISS to Host On-line Information Sessions - School Contacts * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-255.01 ANS-255 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 255.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 11, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-255.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launch date is now scheduled for March 16, 2017 The RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launch date has been moved, and is now scheduled for March 16, 2017. RadFxSat will ride as one of the ELaNa XIV secondary payloads aboard the NASA JPSS-1 launch on a ULA Delta II rocket. The launch will be at Vandenberg AFB, California. It is one of only two remaining Delta II planned to be launched. The RadFxSat mission is a partnership with Vanderbilt Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) that will study space radiation effects on commercial off the shelf memory. The experiments are carried aboard the AMSAT Fox-1B CubeSat and experiment data will be carried in the subaudible telemetry stream of the Fox-1B FM repeater along with the CubeSat telemetry data. The telemetry can be decoded and displayed with the AMSAT FoxTelem software. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY AMSAT Vice President, Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are five candidates: Tom Clark, K3IO Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update Congrats to all who have earned an AMSAT Award since the last posting. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Peter Laws, N5UWY Jose de Jesus Moura Costa, PS8E Mac Cody, AE5PH Bernard Van Haecke, KI6TSF Burns Fisher, W2BFJ ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Robert Beatty, WB4SON #569 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer, NP4JV #173 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Kevin Manzer, N4UFO #47 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Yanko Yankov, NX9G #87 1000+ ------ To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- “Frequency Crunch” is ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Sunday Seminar Topic “Spectrum (It’s the frequency crunch for real)” will be the Sunday Seminar topic at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) September 16-18 in St Petersburg, Florida. Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, and Bob McGwier, N4HY, will moderate the tutorial. “The Amateur Radio spectrum above 450 MHz is facing serious threats. The demand for useful spectrum is large and growing,” an abstract for the presentation asserts. “We will explain why this spectrum is in demand and what you need to know and do in order to defend it.” The presentation will offer a practical understanding of digital communication, software-defined radio, codecs, protocols, and cognitive radio. Thompson heads the AMSAT Ground Terminal Team, a component of the so-called “five and dime (5 GHz and 10 GHz) Phase 4B geosynchronous satellite project. McGwier is chief scientist at the Hume Center for National Security and Technology at Virginia Tech. The Saturday night banquet speaker will be ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX. His topic will be “New Frontiers in Wireless: Challenges to and Opportunities for Amateur Radio.” http://www.arrl.org/news/frequency-crunch-is-arrl-tapr-digital-communicatio… conference-sunday-seminar-topic [ANS thanks TAPR and the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium. There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40. This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. The registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website. Online Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130 - Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page. Carnival offers round-trip transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person. If you are traveling to the Board of Directors meeting, you may still utilize the Carnival transportation option for your return to the airport from the cruise terminal. However, you will need to obtain other transportation between the airport and the Galveston DoubleTree hotel. Cruise information may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667 [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Teams Share First Round of NASA Cube Quest Challenge Prizes Five teams, ranging from university students to a group of engineers dispersed across the country, received $20,000 each from NASA in the first milestone of a competition to develop deep space CubeSat technologies. The teams, announced by NASA at a Sept. 9 briefing, had the highest scores in the first of four “ground tournaments” that make up the initial phase of the agency’s $5 million Cube Quest Challenge. That tournament, held in early August, featured 13 teams who presented their initial spacecraft designs. “Cube Quest is an opportunity for non-government CubeSat developers and builders to compete in lunar orbit and deep space for accomplishments in communications, navigation and longevity,” said Jim Cockrell of NASA’s Ames Research Center. Cockrell is manager of the competition, part of the agency’s Centennial Challenges prize program. - See more at: http://spacenews.com/5-teams-share-first-round-of-nasa-cubesat- prizes/#sthash.qbwJKlXB.dpuf The ground tournaments are optional elements of the overall competition, intended to guide teams through the development of their spacecraft as they mature from initial concepts to flight hardware. Participating teams are scored on how well they meet the requirements of each tournament, and the three with the highest cumulative scores will win flights of their spacecraft as secondary payloads on the first Space Launch System mission, Exploration Mission 1 (EM- 1), in 2018. The first ground tournament did not involve any hardware, and Cockrell likened it to a mission concept review that takes place early in the development of a typical NASA mission. Judges assessed the capabilities of each proposed mission and compliance with mission rules and SLS safety requirements. “It was the first opportunity for teams to present their concepts for how they intend to win the Cube Quest Challenge,” he said. “Ground Tournament 1 demonstrates that teams are on a good trajectory for launch on EM-1.” Some of the winning teams are linked to universities that have experience with CubeSats. A space systems design class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology started work on the KitCube spacecraft this spring, said Kerri Cahoy, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics there. KitCube is designed to go into lunar orbit and demonstrate a laser communications system. Another team, Cislunar Explorers, is composed mostly of students at Cornell University. “The work represents the culmination of lots of Ph.D.-level research and some undergraduate research from the last five or six years at the university,” said Mason Peck, a Cornell engineering professor who served as NASA chief technologist from 2011 to 2013. Peck said their spacecraft will demonstrate several key technologies, including a propulsion system that uses solar power to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen propellants. “It’s a pathfinder for the sustainable exploration and settlement of the solar system,” he said. Other winning teams have less traditional backgrounds. “There’s 12 of us across the United States” working on Team Miles, said team leader Wes Faler. Many of them are located in Tampa, Florida, including Faler, but others are based in California, New York and South Carolina. Faler said the team takes its name from a line in a Robert Frost poem: “And miles to go before I sleep.” After going into orbit around the Moon, he said, the spacecraft will perform an extended mission, traveling towards Mars to test autonomous navigation technology. Ragnarok Industries of Wilmington, Delaware, was established by a group of former engineering interns at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Their satellite, Heimdallr, is intended to test advanced propulsion and communications technologies for missions beyond Earth orbit, said company co- founder Luigi Balarinni. Novel Engineering of Cocoa Beach, Florida, is working with several other local companies, including Craig Technologies and Harris Corp., the latter providing a deployable mesh antenna for its CubeSat, named Space Pig. The name, team members said, came from elementary school students during an outreach event. The ultimate goal of the competition is to fly CubeSats into lunar orbit or deep space. A total of $3 million is offered in prizes for the “Lunar Derby” part of the competition, for both being able to enter lunar orbit and to demonstrate communications capabilities and longevity. An additional $1.5 million is for a “Deep Space Derby” to achieve communications and longevity goals. NASA’s Cockrell said the next ground tournament is scheduled for early 2016. Teams can participate in that round, which he compared to a preliminary design review, regardless of their performance, or even participation, in the August tournament. Teams that do not participate in the ground tournaments, or who do not finish in the top three in total points, can still pursue the deep space and lunar prizes by arranging their own launches. The competition ends, and any prizes awarded, one year after the EM-1 launch - See more at: http://spacenews.com/5-teams-share-first-round-of-nasa-cubesat- prizes/#sthash.qbwJKlXB.dpuf AMSAT-NA is partnered with the Ragnarok Industries team. Heimdallr satellite plans to test advanced propulsion and communications technologies for missions beyond Earth. AMSAT radio will be aboard. The AMSAT Groundstation initiative will give amateur radio operators to uplink and downlink to the lunar satellite. http://spacenews.com/5-teams-share-first-round-of-nasa-cubesat-prizes/ [ANS thanks www.spacenews.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 GHz to 10 GHz Lunar Transponder Mission AMSAT-NA plans 5 GHz to 10 GHz transponders on a spacecraft expected to launch in September 2018 into a Lunar orbit. Heimdallr is a 3 axis stabilized 6U CubeSat with a mass of approximately 8 kg. It will have a Cold Gas Thruster for inertia dump and a star tracker for navigation. Deployable, gimbled solar panels will produce up to 100 watts of DC power, electric propulsion will be used to achieve lunar orbit. There will be a combination of omni and directional patch antennas on one side of spacecraft. The first part of mission is to provide Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) to obtain lunar orbit. The second part is to perform the data downlink experiment while the final part is to provide a two way regenerative repeater and analog repeater in lunar orbit for lifetime of satellite. Proposing these downlinks: • Omni transponder: 10.451 GHz +/- 0.5 MHz • Directional transponder: 10.4575 GHz. +/- 3.5 MHz • Analog transponder: 10.4665 GHz. +/- 2.0 MHz For the first part of the mission (TT&C) using 300 bps BPSK 1/2 rate viterbi Ranging 1.5 Mbps BPSK DSSS. For the second part of mission 4.5 Mbps QPSK ½ rate DVB-S2. For the final part of mission 25 kbps BPSK 1/5 rate DVB-S2. Proposing these Uplinks • Omni transponder: 5.651 GHz +/- 0.5 MHz • Directional transponder: 5.6575 GHz. +/- 3.5 MHz • Analog transponder: 5.665 GHz. +/- 2 MHz A link budget is available at https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3u-mSOWBMISYnZyZGJpeThKeU0&usp=sha… It is anticipated that a 1 or 2 metre dish will be required using the AMSAT designed ground station equipment. Source IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Status pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pratham: IITB Student Satellite The satellite Pratham, built by students at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, is expected to launch on the Indian PSLV-C35 mission currently planned for September 26, 2016. Pratham, a 300x300x300mm satellite with a mass of 10 kg, aims to measure total electron count in a 800 km altitude Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Aayush Yadav of the Pratham team writes: We, students of IIT Bombay, are glad to inform you that our project, Pratham, is ready and expected to launch with PSLV-C35 in the last week of September. We would be really happy if you all joined us in receiving our satellite’s beacon, details given below: Beacon: Mode: CW wpm: 35 words Frequency: 145.980 MHz (The CW beacon will be on through out the orbit and can be received from anywhere.) Downlink: Mode: FSK Baudrate: 1200 bps Frequency: 437.455 MHz (To be switched on over France and India only) We will update the information as soon as TLE’s will be available. Further information at http://www.aero.iitb.ac.in/pratham/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/iitb.student.satellite/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Team Pratham for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Inspiring the next STEM generation The UK Space Agency’s Astronaut Flight Education Program Support Manager Susan Buckle will be giving a presentation at the RSGB Convention on Saturday, October 8. Along with Ciaran Morgan M0XTD, she will talk about the ten UK ARISS amateur radio school contacts with astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS during his Principia mission on the International Space Station. These contacts have inspired thousands of young people and introduced them to amateur radio in a new and exciting way. The full schedule and booking information for the convention are available at http://rsgb.org/convention Twitter hashtag #RSGBconv2016 An RSGB video celebrates these historic school contacts and the range of linked activities the schools have enjoyed. Beginning with the exhilaration of the launch, it follows the competition for schools to host the ARISS contacts, and showcases the variety of science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and arts activities that helped pupils to understand more about space and amateur radio. The contacts themselves, often led by newly-licensed pupils, were the successful culmination of many months of work and anticipation. ARISS Principia https://principia.ariss.org/ AMSAT-UK Article https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/10/inspiring-the-next-stem-generation/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS to Host On-line Information Sessions - School Contacts To help organizations learn about ARISS radio contacts and the proposal process, ARISS offers one-hour online information sessions; all questions are welcomed. Attending an online session is not required but strongly encouraged. Informational sessions will be offered Sept. 20, 2016, at 4 p.m. EDT and Sept. 28, 2016, at 7 p.m. EDT. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, visit: http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. ARISS Contact Application Window Open Until November 1 ARISS-US is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, radio contact with an orbiting space station crew member between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2017. Proposals are due Nov. 1, 2016. ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of parti- cipants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Students can learn about satellite communications, wireless technology, science research conducted on the space station, what it is like to work in space, radio science, and any related STEM subject. Students learn to use amateur radio to talk directly to an astronaut and ask their STEM-related questions. ARISS will help educational organizations locate amateur radio groups who can assist with equipment for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. Exact dates for the 10-minute radio contact are determined by crew scheduling and space station orbits. ARISS-US is offered through a partnership between NASA; the American Radio Relay League, or ARRL; and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT. ARISS was created and is managed by an international working group. Please email questions about this opportunity to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Sept. 8, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday and Sunday, 10-11 September 2016 Boxboro Hamfest in Boxborough, MA (ARRL New England Division Convention) *Friday, 23 September 2016 – presentation at Jet Propulsion Laboratory Amateur Radio Club in Pasadena CA *Friday and Saturday, 21-22 October 2016 – CopaFest 2016, south of Maricopa AZ *Saturday, 12 November 2016 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 3 December 2016 – Superstition Superfest in Mesa AZ *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was Successful: Sat 2016-09-10 17:03:42 UTC 13 Questions Asked/Answered 300 People at the library, 91 watched the livestream online The event was covered by local Channel 6 News, KUJH (KU's tv channel), Girl Scouts (for their blog), and The Lawrence Journal World. * Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Astoria OR, was direct via KF7TCG now telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact was Successful: Sat 2016-09-10 17:03:19 UTC via W6SRJ 17 of 20 questions Asked/Answered. Approximately 50 in audience. Upcoming Contacts * C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ or TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave, AA4KN, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over K6R Coundtdown On September 16th, Wyatt, AC0RA, and myself will be getting on the boat in Ventura, CA with our destination set on CM93. We've been training all summer, finalizing equipment, setting skeds, and generally getting all the loose ends tied up, and we look to be ready to go. We have posted our Final pass schedule on the K6R QRZ page at https://www.qrz.com/lookup/K6R - so feel free to find a pass that is to your liking. We have tried hard to include everyone in our distance range on at least 1 or 2 passes. Of course all passes are dependent on weather, schedule, and other factors - and there's a very good chance we'll show up on passes that AREN'T on our list as well.. find a window, and see if we're around. We're also happy to announce that Jimmy, KK6FAH will be serving as our pilot relay station for the expedition. He's a fellow AMSAT operator, and has a QTH right in Ventura, and we should be in local repeater range of each other while we're on the Island. We have agreed to meet up each evening and report our logs to him, and he will then pass our report on to the BB. Please do not email him with questions about busted calls or the like, he's simply going to be passing on our reports. He's also been awesome in helping us with some local arrangements, and we appreciate his assistance with this project greatly. I'd also like to make a brief request for folks to use some good situational awareness while we're out there. We know this is a rare grid and there's tons of interest, but remember that the birds and pass time are a scarce resource. We're hoping with lots of scheduled passes there should be more than enough air time to get everyone worked that wants it, but use some common sense. If you have linear capability, find us on one of those birds, and leave SO-50 for the FM only operators. If you're on the West coast and can work us on a higher pass where the east coast doesn't have a footprint, consider delaying to give them a chance. If you can handle taking a night off from using SO-50 as your ragchew repeater in the sky, that'd be great too... and please try to keep the dupes to a minimum - you never know when someone is just sliding into the footprint and only has 30 seconds to make that precious QSO. Thanks in advance. Finally, we're planning to do a very informal round table on 20 meters Saturday night at 8:00 PDT. Clayton, W5PFG has agreed to find us a frequency (probably the upper portion of 20m) and send out a tweet on where we will be. We'd love to have you stop by on HF and chat about Satellite stuff, the expedition, or "Am I in the log?" that night. It's expedition go time. Hope to catch everyone from CM93! [ANS thanks Dave, KG5CCI 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

1 0

Just a reminder about Amazon
by Bruce 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

For those of you that are friends of AMSAT, do not forget when you place an order for something place your order at smile.amazon.com and select AMSAT as your preferred charity. By doing so, Amazon will donate a small percentage of the purchase price to AMSAT. There is no additional cost to you, only a benefit to AMSAT. You can use the amazon.com website as you normally do. However, when it is time to pay for things in your cart, that is when you should go to smile.amazon.com. Your cart will appear there just as it did at the amazon.com site. You do not have to find the items you would like to purchase again, just remember to pay for them over on the smile.amazon.com site. 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards AMSAT Board Alternate 2015-2016 ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

1 0

Sunday 11 september 2016 balloon fox hunt with U/V FM transponder!
by Cor PDØRKC 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

>Hi Cor, >wat is de URL van de speciale ballon web site? >Tot ziens, 73 de Tom PA/DF5JL/P in JO11RJ Hello Tom, All the links to the websites I already had posted in my first message on amsat-bb. For you I have posted these here again but now I added the PI6ATV website because I think the 23cm ATV transmittor video stream will be shown on that website. 73s Cor PD0RKC I expect live video from the balloon camera on this website: http://www.pi6atv.com/ (probably the live stream will be switched on short for the event. The official balloon fox hunt website and social media websites: https://www.ballonvossenjacht.nl (you can choose the English language from the menu). http://www.facebook.com/ballonvossenjacht https://twitter.com/ballonvosjacht (often with quick update news messages!).

2 1

Sunday 11 september 2016 balloon fox hunt with U/V FM transponder!
by Cor PDØRKC 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

Hello radio friends, The weather forcast predictions seems to anounce good weather. Expected balloon launch time shall be 11:00UTC (follow updates on the balloon event website!). In past years I have heard stations (via the balloon transponder) from: Belgium, Sweden, Germany, France, UK and ofcoarse the most from the Netherlands. 73's Cor PD0RKC

2 1

DM92
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

The WX should be clear tomorrow (raining today), so I'll trek to DM92 for a couple of passes. AO-85 at ~1541Z FO-29 at ~1633Z AO-85 at ~1721Z. Glenn / AA5PK

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-09-10 07:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-09-10 07:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was successful: Fri 2016-09-09 16:25:42 UTC 56 deg (***) Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-09-10 17:03:19 UTC 43 deg C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC 52 deg **************************************************************************** **Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2016 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, indiv idually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. **************************************************************************** ** 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 Ericsson 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: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 117 **************************************************************************** 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 2016-09-10 07:30 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 Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1081. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1046. 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 2016-09-10 07:30 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. 47 on orbit Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Aleksey Ovchinin Exp. 48 on orbit Anatoly Ivanishin Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Takuya Onishi KF5LKS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Wednesday AO-85 contact ~1642utc
by E.Mike McCardel 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

I worked someone on AO-85 Wed Sept 7 approximately 1642UTC +/- The beginning of the passed was marked with a safe mode announcement. My recording failed and I didn't write down the information and my memory is failing me. If someone has a recording I would appreciate if you could share it. If you were the contact, please contact me off list. Thank you, EMike McCardel, AA8EM Rotating Editor AMSAT News Service Sent from my iPhone

1 0

Lawrence Public Library ARISS Contact today - uplink?
by sean fay 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

Hello All I live fairly close to Lawrence KS and am hoping to be able to hear the library side of it as well. Is their uplink frequency 145.200 or is it a state secret to prevent unauthorized transmission (= I just plan on listening, but it would be great to hear both sides of the split Thanks Sean AA0AN

4 3

AMSAT Awards Update
by Bruce 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

Congrats to all who have earned an AMSAT Award since the last posting. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Peter Laws, N5UWY Jose de Jesus Moura Costa, PS8E Mac Cody, AE5PH Bernard Van Haecke, KI6TSF Burns Fisher, W2BFJ ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Robert Beatty, WB4SON #569 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer, NP4JV #173 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Kevin Manzer, N4UFO #47 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Yanko Yankov, NX9G #87 1000+ ------ 73...bruce To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0200z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes

1 0

Upcoming ARISS contact with Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

Please note that this is contact first attempted as a direct, has been rescheduled as a telebridge for Sept. 10, 2016. An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR on 10 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:03 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. 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. Thomas Jefferson was a scientist and a pioneer in many fields of study including biology, geography, meteorology, and ethnology. Since at least 1793 he had been planning for an exploration of the largest remaining unexplored land on earth: the American West. This resulted in the four pages of detailed instructions that he gave to Meriwether Lewis during their 1801-03 planning for the voyage of the Corps of Discovery. The resulting 1804-06 U.S. Army expedition to explore along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers was led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The 33 diverse members of the Corps spent the winter of 1805-06 at a campsite they built just a few miles from the mouth of the Columbia River and named after the local Clatsop Indians. At Fort Clatsop, the captains planned for the return journey to the United States and worked on writing scientific descriptions of the plants and animals they'd encountered that were new to science (a total of 178 species of plants and 122 animals by the end of the trip). Like President Thomas Jefferson and Captain Meriwether Lewis, today's astronauts have a curiosity for exploring beyond known frontiers. Some local students who have participated in various education programs at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and live in surrounding Clatsop County have been learning about the International Space Station (ISS) and are hoping to have a brief radio conversation with an ISS astronaut. All of these students live in Clatsop County and are familiar with the park through field trips, park summer camps, family visits, or education programs with rangers visiting their classrooms. The park connected with these students through four relationships: 1. The Northwest Regional Educational Service District and the Astoria School District offer a migrant summer school to serve students who have moved within the last three years for their parent's work. Several of these students participated in summer camps that the park offered and they were excited about the opportunity to learn about the International Space Station and talk with an astronaut. 2. Three small local Girl Scout Troops (#10025, #10026, #10086) were interested in this opportunity as they have been focusing on the three keys to Girl Scouting which are Discovering, Connecting, and Taking Action. The girls and their leaders were happy to incorporate this ARISS opportunity into their projects. 3. The Fort Clatsop District of Boy Scouts includes local troop #509 and #542. Since Scouting is about character development and having confidence in yourself to Be Prepared, the ARISS program is a good challenge for these youngsters. Their district is named in honor of the 1805-06 winter encampment of the 33 people of the Lewis and Clark Expedition . 4. Three of the youth recruited for this special program are children or grandchildren of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park rangers and were excited to learn that an astronaut radio conversation would be happening in their park. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. To prepare for his journey, Captain Meriwether Lewis was tutored by experts in medicine, navigation, astronomy, mathematics, botany, and paleontology. What was the hardest part of your training? 2. The Corps of Discovery enjoyed fiddle music, do you listen to music in space? If so, what kind? 3. How different does your body feel in microgravity and how long does it take to adjust after arrival in the space station? 4. Lewis and Clark failed to find a Northwest Passage. Have any of your experiments failed or not gone like you wanted? 5. While wintering at Fort Clatsop, the Corps of Discovery made buckskin clothes as their uniforms wore out. How many outfits of clothing do you have with you, and what kind of material are they made from? 6. Why do you like communicating with kids? 7. Meriwether Lewis treasured an ermine scarf he received from a Shoshone chief. Do you have a souvenir from space? If so, what is it? 8. Do you create art from the views from the space station? 9. When is your next spacewalk? What is your favorite thing when you are outside the space station? 10. Lewis brought his dog Seaman with him on the expedition. Are there any research animals on the space station now? If so, what are they? 11. Although most members of the Corps of Discovery were single, York and John Shields had families at home. Do you miss your family, and how do you communicate with them? 12. Do you guys keep journal like Lewis and Clark did? 13. If a microorganism changed genetically on the International Space Station would it be considered a space alien? 14. Were you in a scouting program as a child? If so, did it affect your desire to work in space? 15. Lewis and Clark played backgammon. What games do you play? 16. When Sacagawea became sick, Lewis treated her. If you get hurt or sick, who treats you? 17. What are your space suits made of, and can they catch on fire? 18. How do you protect your eyes when the space station is facing the sun? 19. Are you doing any experiments with animals adapting to microgravity? 20. What does a shooting star or a meteor shower look like from space? 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. C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 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

FUN cube Data Warehouse Changes
by David Johnson 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

Hi, I need to upgrade some of the software we use to support the warehouse over the next few days. In particular moving from: java 1.7 to java 1.8 and Tomcat 1.7 to 1.8 Both of which I have to say have been extremely stable but do not allow us to move forward with other functions. There will initially be a a few outages of the UI (the data collection will continue to run) If that is successful the data service will be stopped and moved to the new platform (the dashboards will recover from the outage) All this is in preparation for supporting Nayif-1 and eventually ESEO. There may be another move in the next few months to the Amazon Web Services platform for stability (some of you helped with that experiment a few weeks ago) As always, many thanks to all those that supply us with data. Over 4M packets processed! 73 Dave, G4DPZ

1 0

test email
by Nick Pugh 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

this is a test email Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School Disagree I Learn

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-09-09 06:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-09-09 06:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-09-09 16:25:42 UTC 56 deg Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR, telebridge via W6SRJ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ (***) Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-09-10 17:03:19 UTC 43 deg (***) C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ (***) Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC 52 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2016 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. **************************************************************************** ** 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 Ericsson 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: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 117 **************************************************************************** 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 2016-09-09 06:30 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 Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1081. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1046. 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 2016-08-24 02:30 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. 47 on orbit Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Aleksey Ovchinin Exp. 48 on orbit Anatoly Ivanishin Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Takuya Onishi KF5LKS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

sat remote
by Jeff Griffin 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

Is anyone presently operating satellites remotely? If so what is your setup? Just curious, we just had a conversation about remote ops on XW-2A. 73 Jeff kb2m

5 4

PJ6Y and 4Z5RR
by James G. Lea 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

I have been listening to the recordings for PJ6Y to make sure that we have everyone in the log and I heard 4Z5RR give one of the operators a call. The accent the guy has sounds like he is from the islands, and he doesn’t seem to know how to work the birds, so I suspect that this is a bootleg call. Does anyone know about this guy? There is no way we worked him from Israel on SO-50. Also, the leadership for the Youth DX Adventure refuses to use LOTW and will not allow me to upload to LOTW. If you worked PJ6Y on HF or satellite, please QSL to the address on QRZ. 73, James Lea - WX4TV ARRL Section Youth Coordinator - Northern Florida Section +1 (386) 414-0788 Want to learn more about all that Ham Radio has to offer? Check out http://www.HamRadio.World <http://www.hamradio.world/>!

4 3

Re: [amsat-bb] Seeking Assistance - SatPC32 to HDSDR
by Jay Cox 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

Sorry if this is old. What are you using to get the two to talk to each other? I've used vspManager from K5FR without issue to talk to get Sat32PC to talk to HDSDR which was driving my SDRPlay. If you aren't getting any COM port errors, that's a good sign. You might try using something like PuTTY to look at the other end of your virtual serial port setup to see if SatPC32 is talking through the port. When a CAT session starts, you should see some letters pop up, like "FA;" (for the selected TS2000 radio). Maybe your problem is something sill like forgetting to make sure "CAT to HDSDR" is activated. Jay Cox KG5BZW > On Sep 4, 2016, at 8:38 PM, Ken Alexander <k.alexander(a)rogers.com> wrote: > > Hi Group, > > For the past several days I've been trying to get SatPC32 and HDSDR to communicate with each other via VSP Manager. HDSDR is controlling an Airspy. > > I have followed the instruction in the SatPC Help files. In fact, everything seems relatively straightforward, except neither software knows the other is there and there is no communication. I have received some help from a few people on the @Amsat Twitter group who use this same setup successfully, but still no luck. > > I'm hoping to get this up and running in time for my grid expedition to EO91 at the end of this month so I do have a few weeks. However, I don't know what else to try. any assistance would be gratefully accepted! > > 73, > > Ken Alexander > VE3HLS > > _______________________________________________ > 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

FUNcube Data Warehouse Short Outage
by David Johnson 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

Hi, We noticed that UKube position was not being reported correctly so the data server had to be restarted. The Dashboards should have caught up. The display server was unaffected. Sorry for the inconvenience. 73 - Dave

1 0

Important AMSAT-NA Reminders
by Paul Stoetzer 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

Good morning, I have a few reminders regarding upcoming AMSAT events: 1. Ballots for the Board of Directors election are due at the AMSAT-NA office in one week (September 15, 2016). Please mail your ballots in today. Ballots that arrive after the close of business on September 15th will not be counted. 2. The 2016 AMSAT-NA Space Symposium and General Meeting will be held aboard the Carnival Liberty November 10th - November 14th. If you have not yet booked your cruise and plan on attending, please do so as soon as possible. See here for further information: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667 3. If you have already booked your cruise, please remember to register for the Symposium. You can register via the AMSAT online store here: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=39 4. If you plan to attend the Symposium and wish to bring radios to operate, please remember that the Carnival Liberty is registered in Panama. US licensed amateur operators wishing to operate at sea must obtain an IARP from the ARRL. Details are available at the following site: http://www.arrl.org/iarp Unfortunately, obtaining a license for operation in Mexico or within Mexican territorial waters is likely not possible at this time. 5. If you wish to contribute a paper to the Symposium Proceedings and/or present at the Symposium, please email Dan Schultz (n8fgv(a)amsat.org) with a proposed title as soon as possible, preferably by September 15th. Final papers must be submitted by October 15th for publication in the printed Proceedings. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Secretary Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT-NA)

1 0

70cm Landwehr preamp
by Jeff Griffin 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

Does anyone have a working 70cm Landwehr preamp that they might want to sell? 73 Jeff kb2m

1 0

Pratham: IITB Student Satellite
by Aayush Yadav 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

Greetings everyone, We, students of IIT Bombay, are glad to inform you that our project, Pratham, is ready and expected to launch with PSLV-C35 in the last week of September. We would be really happy if you all joined us in receiving our satellite's beacon, details given below: Beacon: Mode: CW wpm: 35 words Frequency: 145.980 MHz Downlink: Mode: FSK Baudrate: 1200 bps Frequency: 437.455 MHz (To be switched on over France and India only) We will update the information as soon as TLE's will be available. Kind Regards. Team Pratham

3 3

Re: [amsat-bb] K6R Countdown
by Ted 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

Hi Dave, I may have missed it on the QRZ page, but what modes on HF/6? Any digital? JT65 on 6M might be pretty productive Anyway, Good Luck and safe travels 73, Ted K7TRK -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Swanson Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2016 2:20 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] K6R Coundtdown 9 days from now, Wyatt, AC0RA, and myself will be getting on the boat in Ventura, CA with our destination set on CM93. We've been training all summer, finalizing equipment, setting skeds, and generally getting all the loose ends tied up, and we look to be ready to go. We have posted our Final pass schedule on the K6R QRZ page at https://www.qrz.com/lookup/K6R - so feel free to find a pass that is to your liking. We have tried hard to include everyone in our distance range on at least 1 or 2 passes. Of course all passes are dependent on weather, schedule, and other factors - and there's a very good chance we'll show up on passes that AREN'T on our list as well.. find a window, and see if we're around. We're also happy to announce that Jimmy, KK6FAH will be serving as our pilot relay station for the expedition. He's a fellow AMSAT operator, and has a QTH right in Ventura, and we should be in local repeater range of each other while we're on the Island. We have agreed to meet up each evening and report our logs to him, and he will then pass our report on to the BB. Please do not email him with questions about busted calls or the like, he's simply going to be passing on our reports. He's also been awesome in helping us with some local arrangements, and we appreciate his assistance with this project greatly. I'd also like to make a brief request for folks to use some good situational awareness while we're out there. We know this is a rare grid and there's tons of interest, but remember that the birds and pass time are a scarce resource. We're hoping with lots of scheduled passes there should be more than enough air time to get everyone worked that wants it, but use some common sense. If you have linear capability, find us on one of those birds, and leave SO-50 for the FM only operators. If you're on the West coast and can work us on a higher pass where the east coast doesn't have a footprint, consider delaying to give them a chance. If you can handle taking a night off from using SO-50 as your ragchew repeater in the sky, that'd be great too... and please try to keep the dupes to a minimum - you never know when someone is just sliding into the footprint and only has 30 seconds to make that precious QSO. Thanks in advance. Finally, we're planning to do a very informal round table on 20 meters Saturday night at 8:00 PDT. Clayton, W5PFG has agreed to find us a frequency (probably the upper portion of 20m) and send out a tweet on where we will be. We'd love to have you stop by on HF and chat about Satellite stuff, the expedition, or "Am I in the log?" that night. It's expedition go time. Hope to catch everyone from CM93! 73! Dave, KG5CCI _______________________________________________ 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

Best Connectors?
by Joe 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

Hi All, I till last night thought I found the "Holy Grail" of a connector and connector source. But maybe was blown down by a "Professional" That does all this "Radio Stuff" for a living. I always LOVED the old "N" connectors. With the big rubber clamping thing inside for the shield. And always wished that method was available on other connectors, even the old PL-259. A few weeks ago I found them, Like this, http://dxavenue.com/131-465-thickbox/pl-259-clamp-connector-uhf-male.jpg and I found a source, that is not only CHEAP, but in any combination you could even dream of. So No losses from adapters. Like from LMR-400 to Male BNC, or even LMR-400 to female SMA. I bought three connectors. (2) LMR-400 to Male BNC (1) Male BNC to Female SMA Total cost only 9 bucks and 3 days shipping time! OK, I was sooo happy I had to bring them to the club meeting last night to let everyone else know of this find. And a guy that works for a land mobile company. They do all the radio work around here for the police, FD etc. And he said he wished he knew I wanted them. They got a box of a hundred in the storage room. A lot of equipment comes with the connectors like these but they refuse to use them. He said they are not reliable and the ground connection fails. I never heard of this before. What is everyones thoughts here? Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

6 7

K6R Coundtdown
by David Swanson 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

9 days from now, Wyatt, AC0RA, and myself will be getting on the boat in Ventura, CA with our destination set on CM93. We've been training all summer, finalizing equipment, setting skeds, and generally getting all the loose ends tied up, and we look to be ready to go. We have posted our Final pass schedule on the K6R QRZ page at https://www.qrz.com/lookup/K6R - so feel free to find a pass that is to your liking. We have tried hard to include everyone in our distance range on at least 1 or 2 passes. Of course all passes are dependent on weather, schedule, and other factors - and there's a very good chance we'll show up on passes that AREN'T on our list as well.. find a window, and see if we're around. We're also happy to announce that Jimmy, KK6FAH will be serving as our pilot relay station for the expedition. He's a fellow AMSAT operator, and has a QTH right in Ventura, and we should be in local repeater range of each other while we're on the Island. We have agreed to meet up each evening and report our logs to him, and he will then pass our report on to the BB. Please do not email him with questions about busted calls or the like, he's simply going to be passing on our reports. He's also been awesome in helping us with some local arrangements, and we appreciate his assistance with this project greatly. I'd also like to make a brief request for folks to use some good situational awareness while we're out there. We know this is a rare grid and there's tons of interest, but remember that the birds and pass time are a scarce resource. We're hoping with lots of scheduled passes there should be more than enough air time to get everyone worked that wants it, but use some common sense. If you have linear capability, find us on one of those birds, and leave SO-50 for the FM only operators. If you're on the West coast and can work us on a higher pass where the east coast doesn't have a footprint, consider delaying to give them a chance. If you can handle taking a night off from using SO-50 as your ragchew repeater in the sky, that'd be great too... and please try to keep the dupes to a minimum - you never know when someone is just sliding into the footprint and only has 30 seconds to make that precious QSO. Thanks in advance. Finally, we're planning to do a very informal round table on 20 meters Saturday night at 8:00 PDT. Clayton, W5PFG has agreed to find us a frequency (probably the upper portion of 20m) and send out a tweet on where we will be. We'd love to have you stop by on HF and chat about Satellite stuff, the expedition, or "Am I in the log?" that night. It's expedition go time. Hope to catch everyone from CM93! 73! Dave, KG5CCI

1 0

UK CubeSat Forum: Lunar CubeSats + BATC Convention Sat Talks
by M5AKA 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

UK CubeSat Forum – Lunar opportunity https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/03/uk-cubesat-forum-lunar-opportunity/ 5 GHz to 10 GHz Lunar Transponder https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/07/5-ghz-to-10-ghz-lunar-transponder-mission/ Pratham student satellite launches last week of September 2016 https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/07/pratham-student-satellite/ Video of Portable Satellite Operation Talk by Peter Goodhall 2E0SQL https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/07/video-of-portable-satellite-operation-talk/ UK student balloon crosses Pacific https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/02/uk-student-balloon-crosses-pacific/ Amateur Satellites at BATC Convention Sept 24-25 https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/01/batc-convention-sept-24-25/ 73 Trevor M5AKA---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

1 0

edX Introduction to Aerospace Engineering Course
by Stewart Todd Morgan 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

MIT is conducting an online introductory aerospace engineering course through edX. The course began yesterday. If you want to know more about the physics and mathematics that underlies the 2-line Keplerian element sets that amateurs use to track satellites, the course includes a segment on orbital mechanics. If you have been listening to the ARISS contacts between ISS crew and ground stations, you may have heard astronauts/cosmonauts make reference to spacewalks and the effects of microgravity. Dr. Kate Rubins indicated in her recent ARISS contact with The Children's Museum in Indianapolis that the spacewalk was the most difficult aspect of time on the station. These topics and other are covered in the course which is taught by former NASA astronaut Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman. More information is available here: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-aerospace-engineering-mitx-16-00x-0#! Todd AL0I

1 0

FT-736R for sale
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

Estate sale. Just passing this along. YAESU FT-736R VHF/UHF ALL MODE TRANSCEIVER SSB/CW/FM THE RADIO HAS 2 METER, 440, 220, 6 METER AND THE ELEMENT FOR 1.2 GHZ. INCLUDES MANUALS AND SERVICE MANUALS. ASKING $1600. PURCHASED NEW BY THE OWNER. IT HAS NEVER BEEN IN A SMOKING ENVIRONMENT. HAS SEEN VERY LITTLE USE AND IS IN EXCELLENT TO LIKE NEW CONDITION. CONTACT: ALAN WALRAVEN, N5MSE, 940-872-0484

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] For Sale Yaesu FT-847 Satellite Rig
by Mike Sprenger 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

Greetings, Posted this a few weeks ago, following up: Would much rather see this radio go to a fellow AMSAT enthusiast and let this radio be enjoyed on satellite, let me know if you have interest in this FT-847 at $795 to start the discussion, I'm willing to negotiate to make someone happy working the birds. Contact me off list if interested and we can talk. Thanks, Mike W4UOO On Sat, Aug 13, 2016 at 12:53 PM, Mike Sprenger <mikesprenger(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi, > > Cleaning out some things, would rather see a fellow amsat-er enjoy this > radio on the Satellites > > I have a Yaesu FT-847 which is an all mode (FM/CW/SSB) HF through 70cm > (less 220) Rig. Its not had a lot of use since I got it, which means its > got little wear. > > Asking $950 plus shipping to your QTH. I have the original box for this > radio. There's a scratch on the top next to the speaker, but even so, it > looks nice, given this, its not museum quality, but it sure will get you on > the air if you like working the satellites and look nice in your station. > > Also, it has RS-232 and is a late enough model that the RS-232 is > bi-directional, which means it works fine with SatPC32, where for instance, > you tune the receive dial on the radio, and SATPC then reads the downlink, > calculates doppler, then sets the uplink for you. Works nicely, with 100w > on 6m and HF (plus Mode A on AO-7 = uplink on 2m down on 10M) and will > power mast mount preamps on 2m/70cm via the coax. > > No Paypal - Cashiers Check or Money Order, then I'm glad to ship. The > Radio Works - Selling As-Is because I'm not interested in being scammed and > have someone send me a carcass back....expecting a refund, sorry I even > have to say that... For serious enquiries, I'm more than willing to > provide pictures. (I don't think pictures go through the amsat-bb, I can > send pictures direct) > > Here's the info from Yaesu's website about the radio: > http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts& > ProdCatID=102&encProdID=1F9F41E47B926F9590C43C638C5EFD00 > > 73 > Mike > W4UOO > -- Thanks, Mike Sprenger (37.9167N 81.1244W is the Summit)

1 0

Upcoming ARISS contact with Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence, KS
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence, KS on 09 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:25 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and KC0NFL. The contact should be audible over the state of Kansas, USA 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. Lawrence Public Library (LPL) is located in the vibrant community of Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence has a population of around 87,000 people and is home to the University of Kansas. LPL provides free access to a wide range of informational, intellectual, and cultural resources for our community. We seek to create an environment in which all members of the community feel welcome, and to act as a community living room where all types of important topics can be discussed and examined. Through participation in the ARISS program, we hope to provide all members of our community with the opportunity to learn more about space exploration, the international space station, and radio in general. We most especially are hoping to encourage 6-12th graders in our community to expand their horizons and consider STEM careers. In the months leading up to our contact with the International Space Station LPL has provided a number of programs in partnership with the Douglas County Amateur Radio Club ranging from building crystal radios and preparing for and taking the radio technician exam, to star gazing and learning about the science of rocketry and what life is like in space. Space-themed story hours for the smallest kids, and book displays for teens and adults also sought to educate and excite as many community members as possible about the upcoming contact. Our full community was encouraged to become involved in the contact by submitting potential questions to ask the astronauts, and then by voting for their favorite questions in order to narrow the list down to our community's top 20. A lucky group of 6-12th graders will get to ask these questions as we all listen in to the radio contact. In the hours surrounding our contact LPL and a number of local organizations will provide activities and informational booths on everything from what it takes to become an astronaut, to activities such as launching paper rockets on the library lawn. It will be an event for the whole community to enjoy and an opportunity for our teens to look beyond the everyday and imagine a future with STEM. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Have you seen any examples of your crew developing its own space culture? 2. What kinds of bacteria are in the space station? 3. What does the international space station smell like? 4. Are space headaches worse than headaches you've had on earth? 5. How do you deal with mental health issues in space? 6. Can you see space junk outside the space station and does it look like litter? 7. Would you go to Mars if you were given the opportunity? 8. How frequently do you see meteors/objects entering atmospheres, how is it different from seeing them on Earth? 9. Do you have a favorite experiment? 10. While in space, do you prefer books/music about space, or something more terrestrial, and why? 11. What are you reading? And how do you get new materials (ebooks, physical books etc.)? 12. Have your experiences in space changed your outlook on life, and if so, how? 13. What happens when there is a solar flare? 14. Do you ever get claustrophobic in the space station? 15. Have you had an experience in space where your preparation didn't really prepare you for the event and why? 16. What inspired you to become an astronaut? 17. What is the most exciting thing on the horizon for the ISS? 18. Do you ever fear that when you come back to Earth everything will be different? 19. What are your thoughts on the international cooperation necessary to make a project like the international space station possible? 20. What is the most difficult part of your current journey? 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. C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ or TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14 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

Sat PC32 Vs. AMSAT Predictions
by Ray Hoad 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, in answer to a comment made the following reply: " recommend using http://www.amsat.org/tle/current/nasabare.txt This file is updated daily with ISS elements from the Johnson Space Flight Center, so you should be dead on to ISS. It is also the go-to place for new satellites as soon as we get reliable information/identification often before we get information from other sources." This is very good advice and I want to make sure it's not lost is the daily AMSAT-BB dialogue! Note that SatPC32 and probably most of the other tracking programs do not have the above URL listed in the standard choices. I suggest that you add this option to your tracking program either by changing the update choices or even typing in the above URL each time if you have no other option. In SatPC32, you can add the URL to the auxiliary file "Celetrak.SQF" I tried it and it works. Note that you will have to close SatPC32 and reopen it in order to read in the new "Celetrak.SQF" data. Ray Hoad WA5QGD

1 0

[Video] Listening to the ISS with Kids at the Beach! (Indy Children's Museum)
by John Brier 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

https://youtu.be/a218pkQr3Oc Help me reach 1,000 YouTube subscribers! https://www.youtube.com/SpaceComms1?sub_confirmation=1 My friend Sammy, KK4TJH, and his kids, joined me to listen to astronaut Kate Rubins onboard the International Space Station talking to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana on August 23rd, 2016. We listened from Raleigh, North Carolina and I dictated the questions from Nags Head, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks barrier islands of North Carolina. Thanks for watching and 73! John Brier KG4AKV

1 0

SatPC32 Vs. AMSAT Predictions
by R.T.Liddy 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

SatPC32 Users, While running WinAOS printouts for my upcoming Grid Expedition, I checked them out versus the AMSAT On-Line Predictions to see if they jibed. Upon comparison, I noticed a variation in AOS/LOS and Azimuths. It isn't all that much, but sometimes I can be OCD when I'm out in the hinterlands and I'm not hearing the Birds when I think I should. The data I give each program are exactly the same. It's more than likely that the two Programs use slightly different formulae to make their calculations and that would account for the differences, but I was just wondering. As long as I'm wondering, I have a basic question. When I update the Keps in PC32, do I choose Satellites nasa.all and Download Keps www.amsat.........../nasa.all? Or, do I choose Satellites amateur.txt and Download Keps www.celestrak.........amateur.txt? Or, can it be a combination of the two, or doesn't it matter? AND, when I run the Program, do I choose Satellites nasa.all or amateur.txt from the Source Files listing? I'm easily confused at my age - HIHI. TNX/73, Bob K8BL

2 1

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-09-06 20:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 06 Sep '16

06 Sep '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-09-06 20:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-09-09 16:25:42 UTC 56 deg C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ or TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ (***) Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC 52 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2016 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. ************************************************************ ****************** 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 Ericsson 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: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 117 **************************************************************************** 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 2016-09-06 20:00 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 Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1081. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1046. 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 2016-08-24 02:30 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. 47 on orbit Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Aleksey Ovchinin Exp. 48 on orbit Anatoly Ivanishin Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Takuya Onishi KF5LKS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

request for antenna related information
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Sep '16

06 Sep '16

Hi! I received an e-mail from Dino VE7XDT, who used to be active on the satellites from the Vancouver BC area a few years ago. After a few years away from the satellites, he wants to get back on, but needs some assistance. From his e-mail: ********** I am thinking of getting something up for the birds. I have the Icom 9100 with 1,2 GHz module as well and kept all my Yaesu rotors and tracking controls. Unfortunately I had brand new, never installed 2M and 70 CM N2 antennae that I sold few years back.. :( I have the A144-20T and 416-TB but no harnesses or baluns ….. just the antennae. Do you know a good source for that info? Perhaps anyone that has the same set up . I checked Cushcraft but no much there. ********** Please reply to me directly if you have the information on the harnesses and anything else he would need to get those antennas working again. Dino is still in the Vancouver area, still in grid CN89, so maybe we can get a little more activity from that area along with Chris VE7CEW who has been on the satellites lately from there. Dino also mentioned he makes regular trips to Whitehorse in Yukon, grid CP20. He asked if there would be any interest in working that grid. I told him "yes", without waiting to ask a wider audience. :-) Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

1 0

FS: NIB 16-element Cushcraft 416-TB UHF Boomer $80
by JC Smith 06 Sep '16

06 Sep '16

I hope it's still OK to post stuff for sale in the BB. Please let me know if it is not. I have two of these: New in box, cross-polarized, sixteen element Yagi w/80" boom, 12.5 dBd forward gain. See manual with pictures and complete specs here: http://www.pa3guo.com/cushcraft_416tb_manual.pdf These are satellite antennas but of course have other applications and elements could be trimmed for higher freqs. $80 plus shipping or pick up in Walnut Creek, CA (near Pacificon). Reply to K0HPS(a)AMSAT.ORG

1 0

AMSAT-themed interview on HamRadio360
by Andrew Glasbrenner 06 Sep '16

06 Sep '16

Hi all, I had the honor last week of being interviewed for the most excellent podcast, HamRadio360. Cale let me know this morning that the podcast had been released, and I thought I'd share. It's more of an introduction for those curious about amateur radio satellites, so I'll hope you'll share it with those you know that might be interested. The podcast can be found at: http://hamradio360.com/index.php/2016/09/06/ham-radio-satellite-ops-with-ko… 73, Drew KO4MA

1 0

Mystery Finally Solved--Phlae Lander Located
by B J 05 Sep '16

05 Sep '16

Good news before the mission comes to an end: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58220-philae-found/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

1 0

Seeking Assistance - SatPC32 to HDSDR
by Ken Alexander 05 Sep '16

05 Sep '16

Hi Group, For the past several days I've been trying to get SatPC32 and HDSDR to communicate with each other via VSP Manager. HDSDR is controlling an Airspy. I have followed the instruction in the SatPC Help files. In fact, everything seems relatively straightforward, except neither software knows the other is there and there is no communication. I have received some help from a few people on the @Amsat Twitter group who use this same setup successfully, but still no luck. I'm hoping to get this up and running in time for my grid expedition to EO91 at the end of this month so I do have a few weeks. However, I don't know what else to try. any assistance would be gratefully accepted! 73, Ken Alexander VE3HLS

1 0

FUNcube-1 Mode changes
by Graham Shirville 04 Sep '16

04 Sep '16

Hi All, Just to report that FUNcube-1, AO73, is now back in autonomous operation. The transponder will be active when the spacecraft is in eclipse during the week. We expect that we will continue to maintain having the transponder on continuously at the weekends until further notice. 73 Graham G3VZV

1 0

Portable in DM90
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 04 Sep '16

04 Sep '16

I'll operate portable tomorrow (5 Sept) from DM90. SO-50 pass starting at ~1230Z, then XW-2A starting at ~1311Z. Glenn AA5PK

1 0

ANS-248 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 04 Sep '16

04 Sep '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-248 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: * Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D Schedule Under Review * ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Presentations * AMSAT Area Coordinators List On-Line * Aves Island update * Canadian Satellite Grid Expedition * Multiple Satellite Grid Activations SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-248.01 ANS-248 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 248.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. September 4, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-248.01 Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D Schedule Under Review As a consequence of the anomaly during the static fire test of the SpaceX Falcon 9 on September 1, 2016, the planned integration of Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D on the Spaceflight SHERPA has been postponed. AMSAT will provide updates regarding the schedule for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D activities when further information is available. [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Presentations The ARRL/TAPR DCC (Digital Communications Conference) will be held in St. Petersburg, FL September 16 - 18, 2016. Saturday Night Banquet Speaker will be Brennan Price, N4QX, ARRL CTO (Chief Technology Officer) speaking on the topic "New Frontiers in Wireless: Challenges to and Opportunities for Amateur Radio" Sunday Seminar will be conducted by Michelle Thompson, W5NYV with Bob McGwier, N4HY, Chief Scientist, Hume Center for National Security and Technology as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. Sunday's Seminar topic will be, "Spectrum (It's the frequency crunch for real)" The DCC Technical Forum Schedule is being finalized, however a couple times slots may be available. If you would like to present a Technical Topic at the DCC, but haven't submitted a technical paper in advance please email the TAPR Office at: taproffice(a)tapr.org with the topic of your presentation. More information is available at http://www.tapr.org/dcc [ANS thanks TAPR and ARRL for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Area Coordinators List On-Line Are you an AMSAT Area Coordinator? Are you looking for an AMSAT Area Coordinator? Would you like to become an AMSAT Area Coordinator? If you answered yes any of these questions, then we are ready to help you. I have just placed (with the list maintained by Patrick, WD9EWK) the current list of AMSAT Area Coordinators on the amsat.org webpage. You can peruse it at your leisure and if you find someone close to you that you would like to get some help from, you can drop that Area Coordinator an email at his callsign @ amsat.org If you see a need for a correction or addition, please drop an email to Patrick, WD9EWK, at his amsat.org email address. Oh, where can you actually find the list? http://www.amsat.org then click on AMSAT in the menu bar and you will see Area Coordinators. [ANS thanks AMSAT Director of Field Operations Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, and Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Aves Island update Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA, sent out the following 'Official Press-Release' on August 24th: The Amateur Radio Association of Venezuela, Sectional "Santiago de Leon de Caracas" regrets to inform the entire amateur radio community of Venezuela and the world, that the Bolivarian Armada of Venezuela has notified us that for reasons outside of the DXpedition team control that the expedition to Aves Island to be held in commemoration of Navy Day 2016, by the end of this August and early September has been put on hold until further notice. Then later in the day Steve sent out: "YX0V is very thankful for all of the donations, emails, and calls received regarding the operation. They are still working hard, and the team is ready to go when the Navy says go. At the moment weather is a big factor at the moment with two tropical storms near YV0. [ANS thanks Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA and Southgate ARN for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadian Satellite Grid Expedition GRID EXPEDITION TO EO91 (Moosonee, ON). Ken, VE3HLS, announced a Grid EX- pedition to Moosonee, ON, Canada, which is in EO91. He will be arriving early afternoon on Friday, September 23rd, and leaving late afternoon Monday, September 26th. That gives him four days to put EO91 on the air via the Satellite. Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. He will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there which will enable him to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99. Look for updates on his Twitter page at: https://twitter.com/@VE3HLS [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1280 for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Multiple Satellite Grid Activations Between 5 September and 11 September Bob Liddy, K8BL, travel from Ohio north to Sault St. Marie and make a loop through the following Grids: EN76/86/87/88/98/99/89/79/78/77 Operation will be on FO29, SO50 and AO7. Bob reports that he may check out a couple XW's before he leaves to see if he can work them as well. On linear satellites Bob can usually be found about 15 KHz up from center. [ANS thanks Bob, K8BL, 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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

1 0

7L3AEO on Fuji-29
by AL7JK John 04 Sep '16

04 Sep '16

Got lucky, Fuji-29 was grazing my western horizon which is blocked partially by the Alaska range up to 10 deg. 7L3AEO pounced on my cw downlink during the brief mutual window. Orbit # 99016 max elev 7 deg, I'm doin the happy dance, between the numerous trees, neighbors roofs, sheds and who know's what else worked Japan again. 73 & Good DX to all de AL7JK, John BP51

1 0

DM23/24 trip canxelled
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 03 Sep '16

03 Sep '16

Hi! Due to a family issue, I have to cancel my plans to go out to the DM23/DM24 grid boundary on Saturday. I apologize to those who were hoping to work me out there. I may be able to go out there next weekend, and will post more when I have a new plan to go out there. 73. Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

1 0

Off-topic, But Related To Amateur Radio
by B J 03 Sep '16

03 Sep '16

Amateur radio was part of this week's episode of AMC's "Halt and Catch Fire". In the opening part, the character Gordon had set up his ham shack in a closet in his house and he was fiddling with his transceiver. He says it was home-brew, but it was really an FT-101B, which I found rather amusing. I thought I recognized the radio and, when I looked closely during the replay of that episode, the model number could be clearly seen. I'm sure his on-air manner would have branded him as a lid, unless such behaviour was permitted 30 years ago when the episode is supposed to be set. One thing I found odd was that it sounded like he was operating AM as I think he was on HF. I remember when AM was common on those bands where I grew up but that was during the mid-1960s. I thought that by the 1980s, SSB was the main voice mode. He was having problems making contacts, and his wife suggested that maybe a lot of hams were possibly on-line. In the mid-'80s? I'm not so sure about that, even though there were dial-in services and bulletin boards available back then (I was active on a CompuServe space board at the time). Even the use of the term "on-line" seems a bit suspicious, as I don't recall it ever being used in those days. Anyway, I thought it was interesting that amateur radio was part of this week's story, despite some questionable details. Unfortunately, nothing about satellites. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

2 2

Star Trek fans- off topic- but cool
by D. Craig Fox 03 Sep '16

03 Sep '16

Just a heads up to my sat ops friends who are also Star Trek fans. USPS has just issued Star Trek commemorative forever stamps. https://store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?categoryNav=… Thanks for indulging a Trekkie 73s Craig N6RSX

2 1

PCSAT NO-44 packet Active during daylight?
by sean fay 03 Sep '16

03 Sep '16

Hello all, I just got gifted a long holiday weekend and I plan to celebrate my free time by trying to make some QSOs on the ISS digipeater and I was wondering if NO-44 PCSAT was still active for AX.25 packet work during the daylight hours? Could someone give me the scoop on its activation status and if it is active , if there is regular use of it during active times? Thanks and at least keep a look out for me on the ISS and try to QSO if you do see my packet being sent Sean AA0AN/EM29

3 3

Re: [amsat-bb] PCSAT NO-44 packet Active during daylight?
by Richard Tejera 03 Sep '16

03 Sep '16

Sean Not sure about NO-44, but NO-84 is functional on APRS packet. Depending on errands and honeyco's, I will try to work as many ISs & NO-44 Passes as I can. Look for K7TEJ-7 from DM33 (Phoenix area) 73 Rick Tejera K7TEJ Saguaro Astronomy Club www.SaguaroAstro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org On September 2, 2016, at 17:22, sean fay <spatrickfay(a)gmail.com> wrote: Hello all, I just got gifted a long holiday weekend and I plan to celebrate my free time by trying to make some QSOs on the ISS digipeater and I was wondering if NO-44 PCSAT was still active for AX.25 packet work during the daylight hours? Could someone give me the scoop on its activation status and if it is active , if there is regular use of it during active times? Thanks and at least keep a look out for me on the ISS and try to QSO if you do see my packet being sent Sean AA0AN/EM29 _______________________________________________ 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

Re: [amsat-bb] Satellite Radios
by PA3GUO 02 Sep '16

02 Sep '16

https://youtu.be/xFZGlqKPPQo Gives an impression how such a small device performs (quite well!). Henk PA3GUO

1 0

FUNcube-1
by Graham Shirville 02 Sep '16

02 Sep '16

Hi All, The transponder on AO73 is now on for the weekend! 73 Graham G3VZV

1 0

(no subject)
by Peter Budnik 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

1 0

amsat-bb] [Florida Weak Signal Society] 10 meter satellite PSK
by KO6TZ Bob 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

From the text that you copied, I am certain what you saw was my CQ call thru the satellite NO-84. The macro I use is as follows; { "text": " cq cq satellite MYCALL MYCALL " } This text would be sent continuously while calling CQ. The satellite users rely on multi decoders for the downlink PSK-31. Each side of the contact or Keyboard QSO would be at a different frequency on the waterfall. As Bob, WB4APR, mentioned, the PSK-31 signal is Doppler shifted by the program I use to transmit. This signal will be skewed to the point it will be hard copy to a terrestrial station. The opposite is also true, I am usually unable to copy more than short segment of terrestrial station. I hope this was helpful. Bob KO6TZ DM13rw Its more interesting that that too. The reason the 28.118 MHz user uplink has Doppler on it, is because he is using N0SM's pre-compensated Doppler uplink software. See http://aprs.org/psat.html With this software, you can run your normal PSK31 software for monitoring the 435.350 MHz FM downlink and run full duplex with N0SM's TX software for your 28.1xx uplink. And the uplink is pre-shifted for Doppler so that everyone seeing the downlink will see your signal constant. And since it is full duplex, you can be typing with comments to everyone in the passband at the same time while watching their comments too. Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Glasbrenner Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2016 3:10 PM To: Florida Weak Signal Society Cc: Bob Cutter via Amsat-Bb; Don Hawbaker Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] [Florida Weak Signal Society] 10 meter satellite PSK NO-84 has a PSK transponder, 10m up and UHF FM down. 73, Drew KO4MA > On Sep 1, 2016, at 2:57 PM, Don Hawbaker via FLWSS <flwss at flwss.net> wrote: > > I was hearing a station on about 28118 KHz last night running PSK31 calling CQ satellite with drift, but since it says CQ satellite, I guess it could have been Doppler shift. Anybody know how this could happen? > _______________________________________________ > Website http://www.flwss.net > > FLWSS mailing list > FLWSS at flwss.net > http://flwss.net/mailman/listinfo/flwss_flwss.net

1 0

Satellite Radios
by Bill Acito 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

Icom 820H, 821 Bill W1PA

2 1

Re: [amsat-bb] [Florida Weak Signal Society] 10 meter satellite PSK
by Andrew Glasbrenner 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

NO-84 has a PSK transponder, 10m up and UHF FM down. 73, Drew KO4MA > On Sep 1, 2016, at 2:57 PM, Don Hawbaker via FLWSS <flwss(a)flwss.net> wrote: > > I was hearing a station on about 28118 KHz last night running PSK31 calling CQ satellite with drift, but since it says CQ satellite, I guess it could have been Doppler shift. Anybody know how this could happen? > _______________________________________________ > Website http://www.flwss.net > > FLWSS mailing list > FLWSS(a)flwss.net > http://flwss.net/mailman/listinfo/flwss_flwss.net

2 1

More On Falcon 9 Explosion
by B J 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2016/09/01/elon-musk-falcon-9-explosion-origina… Looking at the video of the explosion: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2016/09/01/video-spacex-falcon-9-explosion/ it appeared to me that the flash was centred near where the lines were attached to the upper stage. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

1 0

(no subject)
by jeffory broughton 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

I have had several FT 847 radios.Great low cost choice and works well with satpc32.However ,for just a few dollars More get a used IC910. Much better rx sens with a lower noise figure.Also REAL DNR circuitry.Make listening for long periods a pleasure,not so exhausting. Also if you compare the specs of the IC910 and IC 9100 uhf and vhf SECTIONS, you will see they are IDENTICAL! jeff broughton

6 6

SpaceX Launch Pad Test Explosion
by Alan 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/spacex-loses-rocket-200-million-satellite-… 73s, Alan WA4SCA ----------------------------------- Keep Calm and Carry On

4 4

WD9EWK @ DM23/DM24 on Saturday (3 September)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

Hi! I am planning a quick road trip on Saturday (3 September), but not to a National Parks on the Air site like I have been doing during this summer. Saturday's road trip will be to the DM23/DM24 grid boundary in western Arizona. This location is north of the junction of Arizona routes 72 and 95, southeast of Parker. I have visited this location many times over the past few years, and there is a paved road that leads up to the grid boundary (north of the intersection, south of railroad tracks). I plan on being out there around 1630 UTC, which would be in time for an AO-73 pass. If not, I may be able to try a very shallow FO-29 pass just before 1700 UTC. I definitely plan on working the AO-85 passes at 1900 and 2040 UTC, among other passes. I will use APRS while on the road Saturday, with the call sign WD9EWK-9. My travels, and my location at the grid boundary, should be visible on web sites like http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9 (among others). There is good APRS coverage in central and western Arizona, thanks to the mountaintop digipeaters that cover much of this state. I won't run the APRS radio when on the satellites, unless I'm working digipeaters on NO-84 or (if it is on) the ISS. Along with APRS, I will send updates during the day using my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. If you do not use Twitter, you can still see my Twitter activity using a web browser at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK I will upload my log to Logbook of the World after this trip. If anyone would like to receive a QSL card for working WD9EWK at the DM23/DM24 grid boundary, please e-mail me directly with the QSO details. If you are in the log, I will be happy to send you a QSL card. Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

1 0

Satellite Radios
by Gerald Payton 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

Thanks ALL of you giving you comments and suggestions. I kept a tally sheet to see which showed up the most. Of course, it's like "which car do you like question." (smile) Seriously, your answers have been helpful. Generally, I like a "table top" type radio as compared to the smaller mobile units. That's just MY "druthers." Zach, I appreciate you input on the FunCube Pro +. I do not have one, but have played with the other cheaper types and several software packages. Currently, I have settled with a SDRPlay RSP. What is the advantage(s) of the FunCube dongle? Again, thanks to everyone chipping in with their 2 cents. It helps me, maybe others lurking. 73, Jerry AB5R

1 0

Satellite Radios
by Gerald Payton 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

EXCLUDING the radios used for portable and with handheld antennas, what are the radios used for FIXED operations? I have my IC-2730, which I understand can be used, but wonder what other radio options are there out there. Are the older second-hand radios (hard to find) the answer? Any comments appreciated. 73, Jerry AB5R

9 8

Re: [amsat-bb] Satellite Radios
by Jari A 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

Kenwood TS-711 (2m) and TS-811 (70cm). They has PC control possibility Also TM-255 and TM-455 are good for basestation use, without external control. :Jari / OH2FQV On Thu, Sep 1, 2016 at 11:17 AM, Jari A <oh2fqv(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Kenwood TS-711 (2m) and TS-811 (70cm). Also TM-255 and TM-455 are good for > basestation use. > > :Jari / OH2FQV > > On Thu, Sep 1, 2016 at 12:29 AM, Gerald Payton <gp_ab5r(a)outlook.com> > wrote: > >> EXCLUDING the radios used for portable and with handheld antennas, what >> are the radios used for FIXED operations? I have my IC-2730, which I >> understand can be used, but wonder what other radio options are there out >> there. Are the older second-hand radios (hard to find) the answer? >> >> >> Any comments appreciated. >> >> >> 73, >> >> Jerry AB5R >> _______________________________________________ >> 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

Re: [amsat-bb] HIgh efficiency solar cells for cubesats
by Edward R Cole 01 Sep '16

01 Sep '16

Bob, That's very interesting curve. Guessing for most home users its more cost effective to purchase more cells for increased power than paying more for higher efficiency. I really don't recall what I paid for remote radio site solar power about 15 years ago. I believe they were 30 to 50w panels and cost about $400. Our first panels were made by Arco and Solar Electric (something) made the last ones we installed. This was commercial mountain-top comm sites only reachable by helicopter about one month/year due to weather. Our largest site was shared with State of Alaska who maintained a mw link from Kenai Peninsula to Kodiak Island (about 70 mi over water). We had five radios, most of which were 5w but two had 30w amps (all FM). Originally we used a battery bank rated at 10,800 AH at 13.2v (were air cells) which had to be replaced every three years. But we installed a two panel solar charged system using two 100 AH deep-cycle batteries to supplement the fixed battery bank during roughly 6-months of high sunlight in the arctic summer. We thought that would extend the main battery bank life to four years but it did not quite do it. Energy use analysis was complicated by multiple users so our guess fell short. Helicopter cost each year for one trip to the mountain ran $5,000 for 40min flight one-way and standby time on the mountain while we worked (usually four hours). After being stuck on the mountain for seven days in 40F-40mph winds in rain we decided to keep the helo on the mountain so we could get off quickly in event of bad wx which could develop in 15-min socking in the mountain top for long duration. Winter had the shelter covered over under 15-20 foot of snow with winds upward of 200 mph. Top of the mountain had year-round snow cover. Nice to be retired <smile> 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com "Kits made by KL7UW" Dubus Mag business: dubususa(a)gmail.com

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] HIgh efficiency solar cells for cubesats(high end?)
by Robert Bruninga 31 Aug '16

31 Aug '16

> ... why is there no economy of scale at the space end? Because every incremental improvement in efficiency for space cells becomes the new MUST-HAVE for the BIG satellite builder. All the big boys move on to the new cells for their billion dollar missions. Meanwhile last year's $500 cell has practically no market. The big guys always want the latest and greatest, but there is practicallyu zero market for last years best. Since everyone else except billion dollar satellites want the cheapest cells, and it it a long way down from $500/watt to 30 cents a watt. And there is no "large scale in space" compared to the billions of panels being sold for the new home solar and utility market). BUT, I did find out how those college solar cars are getting the higer efficiency cells. You CAN buy the same 28% cells for only $50/watt each (instead of $500) if you get them as cosmetic rejects, and without cover glass and without bypass diodes. This is a huge savings. But it is till 160 times more expensive than common solar. And you have to buy in bulk increments of $7500 (150 cells). Bob, WB4aPR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peter Laws Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2016 1:19 PM To: amsat-bb Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] HIgh efficiency solar cells for cubesats On Wed, Aug 31, 2016 at 12:04 PM, Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> wrote: > http://aprs.org/Energy/solar/Cost-of-efficiency.png > > > > It is interesting that we hear so much about solar getting cheaper, > but in fact, the high end only gets more expensive. That is why those > people who say “I’m waiting for higher efficiency” will never see it > be cost effective. The space industry will always pay much,much more > for just a factor of two increase, whereas the homeowner will only > ever pay the cheapest. And cheap it is! > People "waiting" often can't do math and so don't understand how cheap it really is (even 10+ years ago!), but regardless, why is there no economy of scale at the space end? Is the efficiency just going up at the same time? If so, why isn't the price just staying the same while efficiency rises? The domestic PV is a completely different thing and now that our friends in China are pumping cells and modules by the million (billion?) the price just keeps dropping. I'm not "waiting for efficiency", I'm "waiting until my roof can be repaired" which means "waiting for money" which should mean "not buying that IC-910H" but did not. :-) -- Peter Laws | N5UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train! _______________________________________________ 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

HIgh efficiency solar cells for cubesats
by Robert Bruninga 31 Aug '16

31 Aug '16

We just bought some high efficiency solar cells for our cubesat at $500 per watt. For what it is worth, that is 1600 times more expensive than home solar panels now down to 30 cents a watt. So I plotted it: http://aprs.org/Energy/solar/Cost-of-efficiency.png It is interesting that we hear so much about solar getting cheaper, but in fact, the high end only gets more expensive. That is why those people who say “I’m waiting for higher efficiency” will never see it be cost effective. The space industry will always pay much,much more for just a factor of two increase, whereas the homeowner will only ever pay the cheapest. And cheap it is! Solar power is now cheaper than a custom glass window of the same size. The cost of the solar cells is only 10% of the typical home installation (recently seen as low as $2.70/watt contractor price in PA). Bob, WB4APR

5 5

Very Small-Scale Solar Power for Ham Use?
by Scott 31 Aug '16

31 Aug '16

Greetings to everyone. This is only satellite-related in the most peripheral sense, but since much of our equipment requires electricity, I hope it’s a valid question. I’m normally very good with Google searches, but for some reason I’m coming up empty on this one. In the U.S. (and probably elsewhere), it’s common now to see highway signs and stand-alone telemetry installations installed with a small solar panel and a utility box that I assume protects a charge regulator and battery for night operations. I have an interest in duplicating this type of setup for experimental antenna installations that are too far from my house to conveniently run normal power, as well as for portable use. I don’t know if the installations that I see on the highway are turn-key setups (solar panel, charge controller, battery) or if they have been pieced together sized to fit the need. Naturally, the question of power requirements would affect the response from those of you who might be particularly knowledgeable about this kind of thing. I’m talking about the low end... just enough to power things like a wi-fi router, USB webcam, or perhaps a small notebook PC charger or Raspberry Pi... that kind of thing. At the high end, perhaps a small AZ-only TV rotator which would be a VERY intermittent draw. Anyway, if anyone is already providing for small power needs in this fashion, or is familiar with the installs that I see along the road, I sure would appreciate your input. Further, one would assume that it would be cheaper to DIY this... so recommendations for small outdoor solar/charger/battery discrete components would of course be helpful, too. Thanks! -Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA

3 2

Prediction / Tracking Programs.
by Joe 31 Aug '16

31 Aug '16

I have three prediction / tracking programs here. Simple Sat by W9KE HRD Sat Track and Orbitron. The simplesat and the HRD are perfect, and agree to the second even with each other. Orbitron on the other hand, is WAY off. Like 1/2 an orbit off. it says the tle's up date fine and clocks all say correct time. but the sat no matter what one I try is like 1/2 an orbit wrong. Also it does not have NO-84 listed. How do I get it to see that one too. Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

3 2

AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page
by Joe 31 Aug '16

31 Aug '16

This Page,,, http://www.amsat.org/status/ When you hover over a block, and the window appears it says Heard, and then a call, Now is the call, a call that was heard on the bird,,, or is it the station that simply heard the bird? Date is self explanatory, The UTC tho I'm not quite sure what it is telling me. anyone? Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

4 5

Telemetry Information PLEASE
by Gerald Payton 30 Aug '16

30 Aug '16

While awaiting "parts" to assemble my station, I am interested in the TELEMETRY reception from the birds. I was looking at the "Leader Board" for FOX-1A on Amsat.org. Looking at some of those stations posted there I noticed that FoxTerm 1.04f software listed, but no TNCs. Now I am confused. I believe that the FoxTerm software may decode received audio from the passes, but what about other satellites. Is a TNC needed, especially with the 9600 baud? I'm sorry, I am trying to figure out HOW to receive and decode the telemetry signals and just do not comprehend the procedures. The AMSAT website does not seem to supply that information, and neither does the "Getting Started 2016" book. If it is too much to answer here, please contact directly at my email: gp_ab5r(a)outlook.com 73, Jerry AB5R

6 5

Grid AP65
by Tom Lubbers K8TL 30 Aug '16

30 Aug '16

During the 2000z AO7 orbit this afternoon (8/30) a Got a report from GRID AP65. He finally got my call correct but I could never get his. Any one know who that was?

3 2

"Fall" Grid Trip
by R.T.Liddy 30 Aug '16

30 Aug '16

SAT Grid Chasers, My annual Fall Grid Trip will be early this year due to other upcoming personal plans. Between 9/5 and 9/11, I'll travel from Ohio north to Sault St. Marie and make a loop through the following Grids: EN76/86/87/88/98/99/89/79/78/77 Operation will be on FO29, SO50 and AO7. I may check out a couple XW's before I leave to see if I can work them. I usually go about 15 KHz up from center on Linear SATs. I'll be moving across a lot of territory, so some Grids may only be operated ONCE. However, I HOPE to work as many folks as possible that NEED these Grids. C U Soon, 73, Bob K8BL P.S. I have a low tolerance level for rude/inconsiderate operations on Single-Channel SATs. If I encounter too much of it, I'll just go QRT on them.

3 2

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-08-30 06:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 30 Aug '16

30 Aug '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-08-30 06:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR, direct via KF7TCG The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-09-03 18:21:03 UTC 42 deg Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS (***) Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-09-09 16:25:42 UTC 56 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** Call for Proposals (***) Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2016 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. ******************* *********************************************************** 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 Ericsson 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: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 117 **************************************************************************** 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 2016-08-30 06:30 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 Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1081. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1046. 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 2016-08-24 02:30 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. 47 on orbit Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Aleksey Ovchinin Exp. 48 on orbit Anatoly Ivanishin Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Takuya Onishi KF5LKS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

CY9C Satellite QSOs now in Club Log
by Paul Stoetzer 29 Aug '16

29 Aug '16

The CY9C satellite QSOs seem to now be in Club Log, though there are some minor band/mode inconsistencies. http://www.clublog.org/charts/?c=CY9C 73, Paul, N8HM

2 2

N8RO Portable Operations
by Ronald Oldham 29 Aug '16

29 Aug '16

Our road trip to western Canada was completed last week. We traveled over 5900 miles and were able to activate 30 grids. The grids included: EM03/04, EM08/09, EN00/01, EN03, EN05, DN97, DN88, DN89, DO60, DN49, DO40, DO21, DO00, CO90, CN78, CN88, CN97, DN07, DN17, DN27, DN26, DN37, DN45, DN76, DN75, DN73 and DN71. A total of 169 contacts were made on satellites SO-50, FO-29, AO-85 and XW-2C All contacts will be uploaded to LOTW within the next few days. All Canadian contacts will be uploaded using the call N8RO/VE5, 6 or 7. All other contacts will be uploaded using my call N8RO without any portable designation. If you would like a paper card please send a SASE. All paper cards will be mailed out over the next few weeks. After completing this road trip I have now activated a total of 122 unique grids during my portable operations. Many thanks for all of the contacts on this trip and the previous portable operations. 73, Ron - N8RO

1 0

F-104 will be used to launch cubesats
by Wayne Estes 29 Aug '16

29 Aug '16

Interesting BBC article about the long troubled history of the F-104 Starfighter jet. Near the end, the article explains that a company in Florida plans to use the jet together with wing-mounted mini-rockets to launch Cubesats from the Stratosphere into low earth orbit. Unlike piggyback rides on a big rocket, the customer will be able to specify the orbit and launch date. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160826-the-1950s-jet-launching-tiny-satel… Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik

1 0

FT-991 (radio Question)
by Gary "Joe" Mayfield 28 Aug '16

28 Aug '16

Just double checking - I assume the FT-991 can NOT do full duplex satellite communications. Is this correct? I'm thinking the only radios on the 'new' market that that currently do all mode full duplex satellite communications out of the box are : Icom IC-9100 Kenwood TS-2000 Is this correct? My old reliable FT-847 is now passing the 16 year mark, and I am considering an update. Thanks and 73, Joe kk0sd

2 1

NPOTA activations on Outer Banks of NC this weekend
by John Brier 28 Aug '16

28 Aug '16

I'll be at Nags Head, North Carolina Saturday through Monday and I plan to activate some of the National Parks while I'm there. There are three nearby: Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and Cape Lookout National Seashore. I will try to activate them on SO-50, and possibly AO-85 if I can get into it (the last time I tried I could barely get in but I think my HT wasn't fully charged). Sorry I can't provide exact passes at this time, I'm just not sure when I'll be able to do it as I'll be there for other reasons than just sats ;-) I'll try to send out notifications of passes when I know on amsat-bb and/or Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbrier 73, John Brier KG4AKV

1 2

Re: [amsat-bb] NPOTA activations on Outer Banks of NC this weekend
by John Brier 28 Aug '16

28 Aug '16

This NPOTA contact was successful. I made 11 contacts and my last contact was CY9C who I never contacted anywhere else. It was kind of funny listening to the recording, because at first I thought I made only 10 contacts, and CY9C was the last one, which would have been a perfect story, but later I realized Paul, N8HM used his personal call *and* the AMSAT NA club call, W3ZM to contact me. So I actually made 11 contacts. Better safe than sorry. Thanks to all the stations who helped me make this activation successful: 01) KO4MA EL88 02) NAHM/W3ZM FM18 03) WA5KBH 04) W5CBF EM30 05) W4FS FM06 06) K5ND EM12 07) KC9ELU EM79 08) KI4RO EM88 09) N8RO EM00 10) CY9C FN97 11) +1 for N8HM as W3ZM I took some cool pics of the Bodie Island Lighthouse I was next to and the Milky Way Galaxy. It was a beautiful evening: https://www.facebook.com/johnbrier/posts/10102322637697528 73, John Brier KG4AKV On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 4:26 PM, John Brier <johnbrier(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I will activate Cape Hatteras National Seashore SS04 on the 0354 UTC SO-50 > pass. It's 86 degrees in elevation for me. > > Note earlier I said cape lookout. I was cofused. It will be Cape Hatteras > National Seashore. > > 73 John Brier KG4AKV > > On Aug 27, 2016 12:47 AM, "John Brier" <johnbrier(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> I'll be at Nags Head, North Carolina Saturday through Monday and I >> plan to activate some of the National Parks while I'm there. There are >> three nearby: Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and >> Cape Lookout National Seashore. >> >> I will try to activate them on SO-50, and possibly AO-85 if I can get >> into it (the last time I tried I could barely get in but I think my HT >> wasn't fully charged). >> >> Sorry I can't provide exact passes at this time, I'm just not sure >> when I'll be able to do it as I'll be there for other reasons than >> just sats ;-) >> >> I'll try to send out notifications of passes when I know on amsat-bb >> and/or Twitter: >> >> https://twitter.com/johnbrier >> >> 73, John Brier KG4AKV

1 0

ANS-241 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 28 Aug '16

28 Aug '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-241 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: * US ARISS Contacts -Call for Proposals- Runs September 1 - November 1 * Amateur Satellite Educational Videos * Expanding SatNOGS for Satellite Command and Control * The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th * Aves Island DXpedition to Include Satellite Operations * AMSAT Phase 4 Ground weekly report for 26 August 2016 * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Continued * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-241.01 ANS-241 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 241.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 28, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-241.01 US ARISS Contacts -Call for Proposals- Runs September 1 - November 1 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 - November 1, 2016 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl dot org. About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the 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. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Satellite Educational Videos David Casler KE0OG has released a couple of videos which aim to explain amateur radio satellites They form part of his collection of training videos for the Amateur Radio Technician, General, and Extra exams. This video introduces the orbital mechanics part of amateur satellites, including the concept of orbits, eccentricity, Keplerian elements, and definitions of key terms. These videos are updated for the 11th edition of the "ARRL Extra Class License Manual for Ham Radio." Watch Amateur Extra Lesson 2.3, Part 1, Amateur Satellites https://youtu.be/Ku9rf9Lwld4 The second half of the video discusses polarization, Faraday rotation, repeaters, transponders, and band and mode designations. Note one error in which I refer to the X band as in the 10 MHz region when it should be 10 GHz. Watch Amateur Extra Section 2.3 Part 2, Amateur Satellites https://youtu.be/ebUeCKjAPFY These videos are updated for the 11th edition of the "ARRL Extra Class License Manual for Ham Radio." David thanks you for watching his videos! His channel, "Ham Radio Answers," is available to help anyone become an active, on-the-air amateur radio operator! David concludes, "I am unique in that I provide the only set of YouTube training videos that accompany the ARRL license manuals, section for section. I try hard to answer every Ask Dave question individually if I can." https://www.youtube.com/user/davecasler [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Expanding SatNOGS for Satellite Command and Control Although quite some time has passed since their last update, the SatNOGS team and the community has been busy working on it’s software and hardware components, allowing modular setups. A large amount of focus has been with the SatNOGS client software, allowing the user to not only use RTL-SDR based dongles but a far greater variety of SDR solutions using GnuRadio. In conjunction with that, SatNOGS client is able to use Amateur Radios that are supported by hamlib (we’ve already tested on Yaesu and Kenwood radios). Such functionality paired with our new ground station hardware design, and further tests on after market designs such us Yaesu Az/El rotator, would allow the SatNOGS network to not only receive but transmit data via the network to satellites. For a few months now Libre Space Foundation, the organization that assists the development and operation of the SatNOGS networks, has been working together with the University of Patras on developing and manufacturing the first satellite with most of it’s components based upon open hardware and using free software, UPSat, https://upsat.gr/ An open hardware and software satellite, especially one built by Libre Space Foundation would have a great chance for the SatNOGS network to implement command and control features on it’s SatNOGS client, allowing a fully open Low Earth Orbiting satellite communication stack from earth to orbit and back. Communications with the satellite are implemented through ECSS Standard Commands as described in ECSS-E-70-41A standard (CCSDS). You can checkout the code of the client on GitHub https://github.com/satnogs/satnogs-client/tree/dev and the ecss services implemented on the satellite at https://github.com/librespacefoundation/ecss_services There has been a lot of effort to make sure that all the needed functionality on the SatNOGS client has been implemented, while in parallel maintaining modularity and extensibility for future satellites and other protocols. Do you have a satellite in the works and want to use SatNOGS client as command and control? Let us know and we will be happy to work with you expanding our client! https://satnogs.org/2016/08/cnc-librecubesat/ [ANS thanks SatNOGS and Daniel Cussen, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th Martha announce via the AMSAT-BB that The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th. She requests "Please do not leave messages as I will not be able to answer them." The office will reopen Thursday September 8. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Aves Island DXpedition to Include Satellite Operations Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA, announced that his group (ARV, Asociacion de Radioaficonados de Venezuela) back in Venezuela got an invitation by the Navy to activate YV0 (Currently the #18 most wanted in the world). A team of 14 operators will depart on August 27th and operate as YX0V for 7-10 days. The team is planning to be active between August 28th and September 5th. Activity will be on all bands (HF/VHF) and modes (CW, SSB, the Digital modes, FM and Satellites). Steve, W4DTA, will be the QSL Manager for the operation. The Caribbean location and flat island terrain should provide excellent footprints across North and South America. Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA, sent out the following update on August 20th: Hello all.. YX0V team both in YV and here in the USA have been working almost non top! A big FEDEX package was send to Caracas today with shirts, basic supplies and a new antenna analyzer, hopefully it will arrive in time. The team is now working on a contingency plan for power. At the moment there is only one power plant working in YV0, so there are periods of black outs mostly during the night. The team is purchasing a new generator capable of running a few stations, so there might be times that not all stations will be on the air. A operating plan should be available to me very soon. The good news Hams around the world have step up with donations, and that is helping defray some of the cost. More to come, but if you have any questions that you will like me to ask the team, please feel free to email me or call me. 73.... Steve, W4DTA For more details and updates on the YX0V DXpedition, see the following URLs: YX0V Web site: http://yx0v.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/yx0v2016 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yx0v2016 ADDED NOTES: Tom, W5KUB, hosted an Amateur Radio Roundtable on August 16th, which contains a converstaion with W4DTA/YV5DTA about the upcoming YX0V operation. The video can be viewed on YouTube.com: https://youtu.be/CSTYx2pvBW4?t=1757 Also, watch short videos on YouTube.com at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjGsEFKXVwk&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uV89vEuwRM [ANS thanks Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Ground weekly report for 26 August 2016 Some of you may know Mr. Brain ?G4GUO. He's been working on DVB-S2 BCH decode and has it correcting errors (big YAY here, this stuff is hard. But his last name is Brain, so there's that.) He's given us the thumbs up to use it on Phase 4. he is planning on using NVIDIA CUDA to do the LDPC decoder because he doesn't think a general CPU will hack it. There's other really good news on the "new hardware that will make our radio easier to build but will take hard work to get fully functional" front. Two types of hardware we can't talk about just yet because the details aren't yet public, but there is a third. (And actually, a fourth, counting the fact that in two days we can buy an SR Systems DVB Modulator because the company will be coming back from their month-long vacation.) That Snapdragon certificate course that I (foolishly, because Time) signed up for at UCSD? The capstone project is coming right up, and I'm going to see how much we can get out of the quad core processor and onboard DSP in efforts to do some type of Phase 4 Ground radio (or radio peripheral) on Android on a DragonBoard 410c. This would be as the final project in the certificate program, so it's worth the time, it's just kind of feeling like school. Slack is really enjoyable to use and useful for having more personal and flexible virtual meetings than email. Slack is not a replacement for the email list, but I'm going to go ahead and invite everyone that has subscribed to the mailing list, to our Phase 4 Ground Slack. (why add Slack? Because it's searchable, integrated with Github and *many* other services and sites, and easy to organize for technical discussions and work.) I believe Jerry (our AMSAT Vice President of Engineering) has filled out the paperwork to get us a free upgrade to the pro version of Slack. This gives us all the useful functions of Slack. We can live with the "free" version, but the upgrade is a big benefit of all those volunteer hours that we logged during the last seven months. Another big deal is that we need computers to volunteer for our two node-locked licenses from Xilinx that allow us to target ALL the chips out there, even the ones in the bigger USRPs. We have a brand new laptop here in San Diego and are trying to figure out Windows or Linux for Vivado. We need a second site that can support FPGA/HDL design. Jerry Buxton nominated Bill Reed in Texas. *Are there any other individuals that want to provide remote development with this license opportunity?* Otherwise, we go with San Diego and Texas. If not, then we put the two that we have so far "on the air". I have about 8 people on the list right now that want to do more FPGA/RFNoC learning, so let's start getting some traction here with the license, logging in, tutorials, take-this-job descriptions, etc. Bob N4HY is giving the Sunday tutorial at TAPR DCC and I agreed to help him. We're going to talk about DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge, why amateur spectrum is under pressure, and what amateurs need to do about it. My proposed title was "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." But Bob countered with "Spectrum Crunch is real. Amateur radio needs to take action." I think mine's funnier but Steve Bible will probably go with Bob's. Anyway, if you're at DCC, please let Mike Sprenger W4UOO know - he's helping coordinate all of us Phase 4 people while we're there so that we can find each other and talk up a storm. Thank you Mike! Please give feedback if you have it. It makes a big difference. I know I told some of you I read minds, but that might have been a small exaggeration. -Michelle W5NYV [ANS thanks Michelle W5NYV via the AMSAT-BB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Continued ** Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium ** There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40. This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. The registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website. Online Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130 ** Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page** Carnival offers round-trip. Transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person. If you are traveling to the Board of Directors meeting, you may still utilize the Carnival transportation option for your return to the airport from the cruise terminal. However, you will need to obtain other transportation between the airport and the Galveston DoubleTree hotel. Cruise information may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667 [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are five candidates: Tom Clark, K3IO Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN, USA and Astronaut Kate Rubins KG5FYJ using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-08-23 15:09 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via N9DR. ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR, direct via KF7TCG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-09-03 18:21:03 UTC School Information: Thomas Jefferson was a scientist and a pioneer in many fields of study including biology, geography, meteorology, and ethnology. Since at least 1793 he had been planning for an exploration of the largest remaining unexplored land on earth: the American West. This resulted in the four pages of detailed instructions that he gave to Meriwether Lewis during their 1801-03 planning for the voyage of the Corps of Discovery. The resulting 1804-06 U.S. Army expedition to explore along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers was led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The 33 diverse members of the Corps spent the winter of 1805-06 at a campsite they built just a few miles from the mouth of the Columbia River and named after the local Clatsop Indians. At Fort Clatsop, the captains planned for the return journey to the United States and worked on writing scientific descriptions of the plants and animals they'd encountered that were new to science (a total of 178 species of plants and 122 animals by the end of the trip). Like President Thomas Jefferson and Captain Meriwether Lewis, today's astronauts have a curiosity for exploring beyond known frontiers. Some local students who have participated in various education programs at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and live in surrounding Clatsop County have been learning about the International Space Station (ISS) and are hoping to have a brief radio conversation with an ISS astronaut. All of these students live in Clatsop County and are familiar with the park through field trips, park summer camps, family visits, or education programs with rangers visiting their classrooms. The park connected with these students through four relationships: 1. The Northwest Regional Educational Service District and the Astoria School District offer a migrant summer school to serve students who have moved within the last three years for their parent's work. Several of these students participated in summer camps that the park offered and they were excited about the opportunity to learn about the International Space Station and talk with an astronaut. 2. Three small local Girl Scout Troops (#10025, #10026, #10086) were interested in this opportunity as they have been focusing on the three keys to Girl Scouting which are Discovering, Connecting, and Taking Action. The girls and their leaders were happy to incorporate this ARISS opportunity into their projects. 3. The Fort Clatsop District of Boy Scouts includes local troop #509 and #542. Since Scouting is about character development and having confidence in yourself to Be Prepared, the ARISS program is a good challenge for these youngsters. Their district is named in honor of the 1805-06 winter encampment of the 33 people of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 4. Three of the youth recruited for this special program are children or grandchildren of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park rangers and were excited to learn that an astronaut radio conversation would be happening in their park. Students & Anticipated Questions: 1. Alejandra (12): To prepare for his journey, Captain Meriwether Lewis was tutored by experts in medicine, navigation, astronomy, mathematics, botany, and paleontology. What was the hardest part of your training? 2. Kevin (13): The Corps of Discovery enjoyed fiddle music, do you listen to music in space? If so, what kind? 3. Katie (11): How different does your body feel in microgravity and how long does it take to adjust after arrival in the space station? 4. Liam (8): Lewis and Clark failed to find a Northwest Passage. Have any of your experiments failed or not gone like you wanted? 5. Nahomy (Naomi) (10): While wintering at Fort Clatsop, the Corps of Discovery made buckskin clothes as their uniforms wore out. How many outfits of clothing do you have with you, and what kind of material are they made from? 6. Dashel (7): Why do you like communicating with kids? 7. Kelsey (11): Meriwether Lewis treasured an ermine scarf he received from a Shoshone chief. Do you have a souvenir from space? If so, what is it? 8. Sophie (8): Do you create art from the views from the space station? 9. Derek (8): When is your next spacewalk? What is your favorite thing when you are outside the space station? 10. Crystal (12): Lewis brought his dog Seaman with him on the expedition. Are there any research animals on the space station now? If so, what are they? 11. Xochitl (Sochi) (13): Although most members of the Corps of Discovery were single, York and John Shields had families at home. Do you miss your family, and how do you communicate with them? 12. Frances (8): Do you guys keep journal like Lewis and Clark did? 13. Rylee (7): If a microorganism changed genetically on the International Space Station would it be considered a space alien? 14. Logan (6): Were you in a scouting program as a child? If so, did it affect your desire to work in space? 15. Linnea (8): Lewis and Clark played backgammon. What games do you play? 16. Josie (8): When Sacagawea became sick, Lewis treated her. If you get hurt or sick, who treats you? 17. Rosalinda (9): What are your space suits made of, and can they catch on fire? 18. Belinda (9): How do you protect your eyes when the space station is facing the sun? 19. Elias (13): Are you doing any experiments with animals adapting to microgravity? 20. Samantha (10): What does a shooting star or a meteor shower look like from space? [ANS thanks ARISS via Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + International EME Conference Presentation Videos Videos of the presentations given at the 17th International EME conference, held in Venice August 19-21, 2016 are now available. They include talks by Sam G4DDK @DXING, Dave G4HUP, Charlie G3WDG, Alex ZS6EME and Joe Taylor K1JT. Watch the videos on the YouTube channel of Giulio Pico IW3HVB at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFct56EA6F9lkqMBmydh5hw EME 2016 The schedule of the EME presentations is posted at: http://www.eme2016.org/index.php/25-2/ [ANS thanks 17th International EME Conference and IW3HVB for the above information] + SPACE EXPLORATION EDUCATORS CONFERENCE (SEEC) February 9-11, 2017 at Space Center Houston 1601 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 Experience three days of complete immersion into the out-of-this world adventure of space exploration! This conference is for grades kindergarten to 12th – and not just for science teachers! Space Center Houston strives to use space to teach across the curriculum. The activities presented can be used for science, language arts, mathematics, history, and more. Attend sessions hosted by the actual scientists and engineers working on exciting endeavors like the International Space Station and explorations of Mars and the planets beyond. Hear from the astronauts leading the charge in exploration! Come learn about the bold vision to send humans back to the Moon and off to Mars! Attend sessions presented by educators and receive ready to implement classroom ideas and experience minds-on, hands-on fun. Network with fellow educators, take back a multitude of cross-curriculum ideas and activities and earn 24 hours of continuing professional education credit. For more information or to register, visit : http://spacecenterSEEC.org, email seec at spacecenter dot org or call (281)244-2149. [ANS thanks NEON - NASA Educators Online Network] + There has been a date change for the satellite presention to the Victor Valley (CA) ARC. The presentation will take place Tuesday, OCTOBER 11, 2016, 7:00 PM at the Sitting Bull Academy Library, 19445 Sitting Bull Road, Apple Valley. CA. [ANS thanks Clint K6LCS 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

1 0

Last chance for CY9C TONIGHT!
by Paul Stoetzer 28 Aug '16

28 Aug '16

WW2DX just tweeted that the CY9C satellite station is still set up and they are still working passes. I do not know if they will be on all passes, but listen for them on any pass you have a footprint if you have not yet worked them. If I get any word about specific passes, I will let the BB know. 73, Paul, N8HM

3 4

AO-7 Beacons
by Joe 27 Aug '16

27 Aug '16

Are the beacons still functional? And do they always run, or is the 10 meter beacon functional only when the bird is in mode "A" Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

3 3

CY9C on AO-7
by R.T.Liddy 27 Aug '16

27 Aug '16

Worked CY9C on AO-7 Mode B today at 1813Zwith my Call and Club Call N8BC. He was there the entire pass and was constantly QRZ,but no one else was there to work him. Very lonely! Let's make their Sat efforts worth it! 73, Bob K8BL

6 5

Re: [amsat-bb] AO-7
by Joe 27 Aug '16

27 Aug '16

This Illum program seems interesting,, Link Please? Joe WB9SBD Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com On 8/27/2016 9:20 AM, Paul Stoetzer wrote: > The clock resets each eclipse, so there's no way to tell exactly until > it's actually in constant sunlight. Once it is, it'll be every 24 > hours counting from it's last eclipse. > > According to the Illum program, the last eclipse ends at 14:15 UTC on > September 28th. If that is truly the case, and the satellite doesn't > lose power due to a subsequent near-eclipse, it'll switch every day > around 14:15 UTC. > > 73, > > Paul, N8HM > > > On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 10:17 AM, Joe <nss(a)mwt.net > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > What time does the switch happen, at 00:00Z or what? > > Joe WB9SBD > > The Original Rolling Ball Clock > Idle Tyme > Idle-Tyme.com > http://www.idle-tyme.com > On 8/27/2016 9:12 AM, Paul Stoetzer wrote: >> It'll switch between Mode A and Mode B reliably every 24 hours when >> it's in constant sunlight. It'll be in constant sunlight starting >> September 29th according to DK3WN's Illum program. >> >> 73, >> >> Paul, N8HM >> >> >> On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 10:05 AM, Joe<nss(a)mwt.net> <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: >>> So, what's the official status of this Energizer Bunny of the Amateur Sat >>> world? >>> >>> I know the BATTS are I guess for a better choice of words Dead. So it is >>> running solely on the panels power. And that feat alone is amazing that the >>> panels are still producing power. >>> >>> So, can anyone tell me, when will it be somewhat ,, well at least as >>> reliable as possible, of knowing when it will be in Mode "A" >>> >>> Joe WB9SBD >>> -- >>> Sig >>> The Original Rolling Ball Clock >>> Idle Tyme >>> Idle-Tyme.com >>> http://www.idle-tyme.com >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Sent viaAMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org <mailto:[email protected]>. 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 >>> <http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb> >

2 1

Instant Track co-visibility
by Fabio Azzarello 27 Aug '16

27 Aug '16

Hello everybody, I was wondering if there is a way to predict the visibility of a single satellite from two or more ground stations. I will use Instant Track, but I would like to have a suggestion for a more recent sw. It 'a pity that IT is no more updated, it would be very nice to have a port of it on linux. 73 Fabio IZ5XRC

2 1

AO-7
by Joe 27 Aug '16

27 Aug '16

So, what's the official status of this Energizer Bunny of the Amateur Sat world? I know the BATTS are I guess for a better choice of words Dead. So it is running solely on the panels power. And that feat alone is amazing that the panels are still producing power. So, can anyone tell me, when will it be somewhat ,, well at least as reliable as possible, of knowing when it will be in Mode "A" Joe WB9SBD -- Sig The Original Rolling Ball Clock Idle Tyme Idle-Tyme.com http://www.idle-tyme.com

3 3

Grid Expedition Eastern Canada
by Lee Ernstrom 26 Aug '16

26 Aug '16

On October 1, 2016 my wife and I will be leaving New Your City aboard the Norwegian Gem on a seven day cruise to eastern Canada. Our ports will be Halifax (FN84) Saint John (FN65), Bar Harbor (FN54), Portland (FN43) and back to New Your City. I have no idea where we will be when SO-50 passes over but I will be on as many passes as I possibly can from whatever grid we are in at the time. I will be using the call sign C6AQD/MM but my Logbook of the World uploads will be just C6AQD. I understand that there are only about two cruises each fall to eastern Canada by the Gem, so if you are looking for it on the Norwegian website you will find it somewhere around the Bahamas right now. All QSOs will be uploaded to LOTW and QSLs will be available upon request. Just send me an email and I will send you a card. No need to send me a card or SASE. I hope we have good weather conditions and that I am able to fill in a new grid square for whoever is in need. WA7HQD/C6AQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Syracuse, Utah

2 1

Office Closed
by Martha 26 Aug '16

26 Aug '16

The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th. Please do not leave messages as I will not be able to answer them. Have fun! -- 73- Martha

1 0

FUNcube-1 mode change
by Graham Shirville 26 Aug '16

26 Aug '16

Hi All, Just to confirm that FC1 is now in continuous transponder mode for the weekend. 73 Graham G3VZV

1 0

CY9C satellite update August 26
by Clayton Coleman 26 Aug '16

26 Aug '16

Some of you may have noticed on @WW2DX's Twitter feed that bad weather forced them offline in the middle of the night between 0200-0700 UTC today. It has been raining heavily with strong wind gusts. When weather clears, they expect to get back online and operate. I would recommend if you aren't in the log yet, listen on all available passes with mutual footprint. Their six digit gridsquare is FN97wf. 73 Clayton W5PFG

6 8

CY9C Dupes
by Paul Stoetzer 26 Aug '16

26 Aug '16

One well-known satellite operator has now been heard working them four times over two FO-29 passes. This is not necessary and reduces the opportunity for others to work them, especially those on the fringe of coverage. DXpedition operators frown upon excessive dupes. Let's try to refrain from working them more than once! 73, Paul, N8HM

7 9

CY9C satellite passes next 24 hours
by Clayton Coleman 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

CY9C satellite passes for next 24 hours. They make work others as available. Asterisks * indicates a prioritized pass for best geographical coverage. All dates/times are UTC 25.08.2016 AO-85 16:51-17:02 25.08.2016 AO-07 17:15-17:34 25.08.2016 AO-85 18:32-18:42 25.08.2016 AO-07 19:06-19:27 25.08.2016 XW-2C 20:28-20:37 * 25.08.2016 AO-07 21:04-21:19 * 25.08.2016 XW-2C 22:02-22:11 25.08.2016 XW-2F 22:16-22:25 25.08.2016 XW-2A 23:38-23:44 * 26.08.2016 FO-29 01:46-01:52 * 26.08.2016 SO-50 03:10-03:21 26.08.2016 FO-29 03:28-03:45 * 26.08.2016 SO-50 04:50-05:02 * 26.08.2016 FO-29 05:13-05:30 26.08.2016 SO-50 06:33-06:42 * 26.08.2016 FO-29 06:59-07:11 * 73 Clayton W5PFG

2 1

AMSAT Area Coordinators
by Bruce 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

Are you an AMSAT Area Coordinator? Are you looking for an AMSAT Area Coordinator? Would you like to become an AMSAT Area Coordinator? If you answered yes any of these questions, then we are ready to help you. I have just placed (with the list maintained by Patrick, WD9EWK) the current list of AMSAT Area Coordinators on the amsat.org webpage. You can peruse it at your leisure and if you find someone close to you that you would like to get some help from, you can drop that Area Coordinator an email at his callsign @ amsat.org If you see a need for a correction or addition, please drop an email to Patrick, WD9EWK, at his amsat.org email address. Oh, where can you actually find the list? http://www.amsat.org then click on AMSAT in the menu bar and you will see Area Coordinators. 73...bruce -- Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards AMSAT Board Alternate 2015-2016 ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat

1 0

ESA European Citizens' Debate
by andy thomas 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

ESA has asked me to relay this information: I registered for the Citizens’ debate on Space for Europe. It is organised in … (your city) and in 21 other European countries on September 10. Join me. Participate to the debate and you will contribute to the future of space for Europe, together with 99 other citizens in your country. You will be sitting at a table with 5 to 7 other citizens Attendance at the citizen consultation is free and lunch is included. Enrolment however is necessary and you are invited to register online on the website www.citizensdebate.space The list of the countries and cities where a debate is organised (link to the video teaser in the proper language on each country): Austria – Vienna www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fI12l0RVVg Belgium – Brussels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtxJzIQMmNk Czech Republic – Praha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd-hdr0wglQ Denmark – Odense https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m02rIXYroFM Estonia - Tallinn & Tartu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4g6Py8KCfo Finland – Helsinki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX6FAIA6y9Q France – Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7DkUUCS0IA Germany – Darmstadt www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fI12l0RVVg Greece – Athens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6lCJIebDro Hungary – Budapest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdfdr-NYAc4 Ireland – Cork https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1twDM8Vpl20 Italy – Roma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl9vcX2ESYg Luxemburg – Luxembourg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvd35SN_XBc The Netherlands – Noordwijk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ibNtfS91i0 Norway – Oslo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2NHZgu03Zw Poland - Rzeszow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sZFTUctEIQ Portugal - Lisbon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gycuM84YHBo Romania – Bucharest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNidEv9JfcE Spain – Madrid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs6tY1lCUsQ Sweden – Göteborg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOx7Kawq4Yc Switzerland – Lucerne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euCEZDxoEYs The United Kingdom – Edinburgh 10 September 2016: Citizens' Debate on Space for Europe in 22 ESA Member States 73 de andy G0SFJ | | | | | | | | | | | 10 September 2016: Citizens' Debate on Space for Europe ... | | | | View on www.youtube.com | Preview by Yahoo | | | | |

1 0

CY9C now active on satellites
by Clayton Coleman 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

It was nice to hear a good crowd on FO-29 tonight (25-Aug) working CY9C on FO-29 around 0430 UTC. A few were able to work them on the previous orbit. Lots of good signals and some seldom-heard calls on the ole bird. 73 Clayton W5PFG

5 4

CY9C upcoming FO-29 at 16:25 UTC (25-Aug)
by Clayton Coleman 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

Look for CY9C on the upcoming FO-29 at 16:25 UTC today (25-Aug) 73 Clayton W5PFG

3 2

CY9C on FM Satellites
by Paul Stoetzer 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

CY9C plans to work several FM passes over the next couple of days. As FM is a limited resource, please do not call if you are already in the log on another satellite. Please also refrain from making other QSOs while CY9C remains in the footprint. They are only there for a few more days. It's been 18 years since CY9 has been on satellite, other QSOs can wait a few days. Even if it sounds like they have worked everyone on a pass, another station may be about to enter the footprint with a very short window to work them. 73, Paul, N8HM

1 0

Expanding SatNOGS for satellite command and control
by Daniel Cussen 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

From: https://satnogs.org/2016/08/cnc-librecubesat/ Although quite some time has passed since our last update the SatNOGS team and the community was busy working on it’s software and hardware components allowing modular setups. A large amount of focus has being the SatNOGS client software. Allowing the user to not only use RTL-SDR based dongles but a far greater variety of SDR solutions using GnuRadio. In conjunction with that SatNOGS client is able to use Amateur Radios that are supported by hamlib (we’ve already tested on Yaesu and Kenwood radios). Such functionality paired with our new ground station hardware design, and further tests on after market designs such us Yaesu Az/El rotator would allow the SatNOGS network to not only receive but transmit data via the network to satellites. Since a few months now Libre Space Foundation, the organization that assists the development, and operation of the SatNOGS networks is has being working together with the University of Patras on developing and manufacturing the first satellite with most of it’s components based open hardware and using free software, UPSat. An open hardware and software satellite especially one build by Libre Space Foundation would be a great chance for the SatNOGS network to implement command and control features on it’s SatNOGS client, allowing a fully open Low Earth Orbiting satellite communication stack from earth to orbit and back. Communications with the satellite are implemented through ECSS Standard Commands as described in ECSS-E-70-41A standard (CCSDS). You can checkout the code of the client on GitHub and the ecss services implemented on the satellite here. There has been a lot of effort to make sure that we implement all needed functionality on the SatNOGS client, while in parallel maintaining modularity and extensibility for future satellites and other protocols. Do you have a satellite in the works and want to use SatNOGS client as command and control? Let us know and we will be happy to work with you expanding our client! https://satnogs.org/2016/08/cnc-librecubesat/

2 1

CY9C
by Mark Johns 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

St. Paul is very easy to work on satellite. Good op, station hears well. Just take your time, no need to step all over one another. He was lonely toward the end of the most recent FO-29 pass. Wish I'd waited until the crowd had thinned out. -- Mark D. Johns, KØMDJ Decorah, Iowa USA EN43 ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain

1 0