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NP24 and grids DM28 DM29 and DM39
by Lee Ernstrom 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Here are the totals of the grids that I activated on 2/22/2016 and 2/23/2016... DM28 - 36 unique calls DM29 - 14 unique calls (Great Basin National Park) DM39 - 9 unique calls Credit for the national park activation is via LOTW only. I have uploaded all QSOs to LOTW and in the next few days I will be sending all my contacts QSL card unique to the grid that I worked them from. Return QSL is not necessary. Thank you all for the fun, and to Frank K4FEG for your help through texting and on the phone. WA7HQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Sent from my iPad

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK on 26 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:43 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between GB1SS and GB2CNS. The contact should be audible over the UK 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. This contact is a collaborative project between three schools in Norfolk and their local university, UEA. Norwich School employ an Ogden Trust Teaching Fellow whose job is 50% dedicated to Physics outreach and she has led the project. City of Norwich School (CNS) are hosting the link up. Reepham High School has an observatory on site and are hosting a 'spot the station' event. 36 schools have signed up to be a part of all we have planned and have each received an age-appropriate radio kit for use in lessons and clubs funded by RCUK through the UEA. This map shows the geographical diversity of the schools involved. We expect 21 of these schools to be able to bring students on the day of the link up. 1. What do you do if you cut yourself really badly in space? 2. Are there any protocols or guidance in place if George Clooney comes knocking on the front door as he did in the film Gravity? 3. What experiment would you like to add to the program based on the experiences you have had? 4. Do you notice that you are missing natural sunlight and fresh air and in what ways is this affecting you? 5. How do you get changed in space, won't your clothes go everywhere? 6. One of the experiments you are conducting in space is to measure fluid shifts in the body, how does this help us back on Earth? 7. Do you think there will be a jump in the design of spacecraft as many are now old? 8. How different was the training compared to actually going into space? 9. Do you think the experiments carried out in space will increase in number as the technology improves or will there be technology to recreate this environment on Earth? 10. Which materials being developed with the electromagnetic levitator will have the largest impact on the development of greener living? 11. Since being in space have your dreams been different to those on earth? 12. If everyone in Britain turned their lights on and off at the same time, would you see it? 13. Which part of the Earth do you like orbiting over the most and why? 14. I understand that you experience sunrise and sunset sixteen times a day on board the ISS, are you aware of it and does it affect your body clock? 15. Do you feel insignificant up in space because perhaps there may be life beyond our planet? 16. Is there a song or a piece of art that you think reproduces the feeling of being in a non-gravity zone, if so which one? 17. Do you play any anti-gravity sport up in space? 18. If you could live on or explore any planet, which would it be and why? 19. If you were allowed to change one feature of a planet, which one would it be and why? 20. As a plane ascends in the atmosphere, we are told to blow our noses or swallow to minimise pain. How do you deal with this with the g-force you experience in the rocket? 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. About Gagarin from space.Of sessions with pupils of amateur radio CHILD collective radio station "Rainbow" and students of South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, direct via R8AM The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Contact was successful: 2016-02-22 10:20 UTC 2. About Gagarin FROM SPACE Of sessions amateur radio MEMBERS Astronautics Federation and school Saint-Petersburg, direct via RA1AJN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Contact was successful: 2016-02-20 11:58 UTC 3. Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 4. National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 5. Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 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), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-24 07:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-24 07:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: About Gagarin from space.Of sessions with pupils of amateur radio CHILD collective radio station "Rainbow" and students of South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, direct via R8AM (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS (***) Contact was successful: 2016-02-22 10:20 UTC (***) About Gagarin FROM SPACE Of sessions amateur radio MEMBERS Astronautics Federation and school Saint-Petersburg, direct via RA1AJN (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Volkov RU3DIS (***) Contact was successful: 2016-02-20 11:58 UTC (***) Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 78 deg National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 53 deg Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 UTC 59 deg **************************************************************************** ** The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30. Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details. **************************************************************************** ** 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. **************************************************************************** *** 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 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-24 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 1027. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 992. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-24 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. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ARISS Contact Friday- Listener Info
by John Spasojevich 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Please join us in listening to the ISS contact with participants at the Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, on Friday February 26th. AOS is anticipated at 1443 UTC The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be DIRECT between NA1SS and GB2CNS The contact is expected to be conducted in English. You can watch the contact at: https://principia.ariss.org/Live/ Their stream starts about an hour or so prior to contact HAMTV from ISS is anticipated Audio from this contact will be fed into the: EchoLink *AMSAT* (101377) IRLP Node 9010 Discovery Reflector Streaming Audio at: https://sites.google.com/site/arissaudio/ Audio on Echolink & web stream is generally transmitted around 20 minutes prior to the contact taking place so that you can hear some of the preparation that occurs. IRLP will begin just prior to the ground station call to the ISS. Audio for this contact is a relay from the principia website and is dependent on their stream. Times breaks are manual and connected repeaters may time out. ** Contact times are approximate. If the ISS executes a reboost or other manoeuvre, the AOS (Acquisition Of Signal) time may alter by a few minutes ** 73, John - AG9D ARISS Audio Distribution

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Simple logic - STOP CALLING!
by Kevin M 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

If a station in a rare grid is on an FM satellite, running 5 watts... and he starts to have a little trouble getting into the bird to answer folks because of some interference, someone keying up, etc... when everyone starts calling him... they all keep keying up and clashing signals... NO ONE is heard and it makes matters WORSE! Just because you don't hear a signal coming back from the satellite DOES NOT MEAN that the UPLINK FREQUENCY IS CLEAR. With 5-6 stations all trying to key up and call at once, nothing gets through but noise, if that... But one guy finally gets through and you hear him calling the station. Then everyone thinks, "Well, I'm not going to get left out, so I better get right in there!" (And to make matters worse, you give a NIIICCCE LOOOONGGG CALLLL.) Then everyone else keys up and tries... and again, nothing but noise. Until another signal dominates and gets through and here we go again... and this keeps happening over and over and over and over! In the meantime, the poor rare grid station is trying his damnedest, but he cant get past all the strong stations calling HIM!!! The fact that YOUR station is full duplex doesn't matter... it's the same as a DX pileup on HF. YOU CAN'T HEAR HIM IF YOU KEEP CALLING! Remember he's very likely LOW POWER! PLEASE... let the rare station RUN THE PILEUP... WAIT... LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!!! It's the key to DX on HF and the same on satellites. Put your competitive, macho egos in park and let the other guy go first and finish his QSO... it's the BEST WAY to clear out the list of callers and GET YOUR CHANCE. And another thing... It's one thing to blind call a rare station, ONCE... ONE SHORT CALL... BEFORE HE APPEARS. A way to let people on the bird know, 'Attention: rare station alert! Listen up!' But it's a completely different matter to just keep calling and calling so you can get to be the FIRST to work him... THAT'S SELFISH and RUINS it for EVERYONE! And it certainly doesn't make a bit of sense to keep calling and calling ONCE HE HAS ALREADY APPEARED ON THE PASS!!! - The simple logic boils down to this... If you keep calling, he cannot answer. And the harder you try, the more you cut your own throat. Get it?!!! X^( 73, N4UFO

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Videos: ARISS and Nayif-1 Clean Room + Uni Malta satellite
by M5AKA 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

Video of Tim Peake and Oasis Academy contact http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/23/video-tim-peake-oasis-brightstowe/ UK and Malta University Satellite Collaboration http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/23/uk-and-malta-university-satellite/ Video: Inside a Satellite Clean Room (with Nayif-1 linear transponder satellite) http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/22/inside-a-satellite-clean-room/ ARISS contact planned for school in Norwich, UK February 26 http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/21/tim-peake-city-of-norwich-school/ TV News coverage of Oasis Brightstowe students contact with Tim Peake http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/19/oasis-brightstowe-students-talk-to-tim-peake/ Norwich School Ground Control Day http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/15/norwich-school-ground-control-day/ 73 Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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WA7HQD LoTW
by K4FEG 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

"Doc" has uploaded the SO-50 QSO's to LoTW already! Congratulations again & FO-29 next! 73 All, K4FEG

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WA7HQD SO-50 UPDATE
by K4FEG 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

WA7HQD DM28 Update: Here are "Doc's" Confirmations for SO-50: N8RO AC0RA N6NUG N6UK KO4MA W7JPI W7JSD AA0CW /*"Doc" will be on the 18:46z FO-29 pass coming up!*/ *Good Luck All & Good SatDX** **73* K4FEG

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WA7HQD/p in DM28
by K4FEG 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

*UPDATE from "Doc" WA7HQD*: "Doc" lost power on his FT-817 during the pass, that is why he disappeared, he will be on the "car battery" next SO-50 pass to be safe! "Doc" logged the following stations from *DM28 on SO-50*: /*NP4JV*//* *//*NX9B*//* *//*WN9Q*//* *//*N1JEZ*//* *//*KB1RVT*//* *//*KA4H*/ "Doc" wants to remind everyone that /if you are in the/ *LOG, PLEASE STAND_BY FOR OTHERS TO WORK DM28!!* _"Doc" has already uploaded the QSO's listed above to LoTW, CONGRATULATIONS to those who got a "New One"__._ I specifically asked him about FO-29 and he said he will be on the 18:46 & 20:23UTC passes of FO-29 to help get to the Eastern part of North America. his plans are to work the next SO-50 pass and then 2-FO-29 passes and he will wrap up his operations. FO-29 /*Fixed TX Frequency: 145.945*/ /*RX only tune @435.860-70*/ Good Luck to those looking for the grid Good Luck All & Good SatDX 73 K4FEG

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy on 25 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 09:10 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The contact should be audible over portions of Italy and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The school is dedicated to Ascanio Sobrero and on October 12, 2012 was celebrated the 200th anniversary of his birthday. Ascanio Sobrero was an Italian chemist, born in our city, Casale Monferrato, and during his research he discovered the "nitroglycerine". Sobrero inspired young Alfred Nobel who received several patents around the world for mixtures, devices and manufacturing methods based on the explosive power of nitroglycerine. Nobel always acknowledged and honored Sobrero as the man who had discovered nitroglycerine. 1. What is the Earth like from space? 2. How do you sleep in absence of gravity? 3. How long does it take to get used to life on the I.S.S? 4. How did you feel when you saw the sunrise for the first time in space? 5. What other problems are there in addition to the absence of gravity? 6. Were you afraid the first time you went into space? 7. What do you usually eat? 8. What was the journey like to get to the I.S.S? 9. What do you do in your free time? 10. How do you feel when you come back from a space mission after a long time? 11. When you were students did you use to dream of doing this job? 12. How is the view from the space station? 13. At what average speed do you travel? 14. How do you use a toilet in space? 15. What kind of emotions did you feel during the count down? 16. How do you have a shower in space? 17. How are people chosen to get to the I.S.S 18. How are you keeping in touch with your family? 19. What kind of researches are you doing on the I.S.S? 20. What program of training did you follow before you going to the I.S.S? 21. How long have you been in space? 22. Which are the things you prefer when you are in the space station? 23. What food do you miss more? 24. What do you usually do in space? 25. If you could turn back time, would you do this work? 26. Do you live better on the ground or in space? 27. What kind of preparation is necessary to do this experience? 28. Is living in space like you expected it to be? 29. Is this venture proving harder than you expected? 30. This experience what impact do you think will have on your next job on the Earth? 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. Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43 UTC 2. Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05 UTC 3. National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45 UTC 4. Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55 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), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: [amsat-bb] Flex 5000a w/SatPC32
by Jeff 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

Good morning, >Dave, W0DHB has written a translator program which sits between SatPC32 and >the PowerSDR CAT to do the needed translation, making it look like a real >TS-2000 I sent Dave an email the other day and didn't get a reply yet. Do one of you guys have access to a copy of Dave's program that I can try. I'm curious about what issues it might fix. I got the 5000a working fine on HF, both voice and digital. I just started yesterday working on the satellite setup. It is working, except for a few issues. I picked up a used set of the M2 LEO pac at Orlando, along with 3 broken Yaesu 5500 rotor's I'm going to try and get at least two of them working. I hope to get the antennas up in a few weeks, and get back on the sats from down here... 73 Jeff kb2m

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-22 19:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-22 19:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI (***) Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 78 deg (***) National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 53 deg (***) Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 UTC 59 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30. Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details. **************************************************************************** ** 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. **************************************************************************** *** 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 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-22 19:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1025. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 990. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-20 21:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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WA7HQD/NP DM29 & DM28
by K4FEG 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

Hello All: I am trying to help "Doc" WA7HQD with his portable operations while he is at Great Basin National Park. The following is a list of stations he has in his log for the 2 /*SO-50*/ passes this morning: *SO-50 @17:34UTC **/(approximate time)/**AOS* AC0RA KL7CN/W6 WA6OWR AA0CW K4FEG W5PFG WI9I W7JPI K8TL N4UFO NX9B NP4JV KO4MA W7JSD *SO-50 @15:56UTC **/(approximate time)/**AOS *N8IUP K4FEG WI9I These are the stations "Doc" has in his log for the 2 satellite operations so far from _*DM28 & DM29*_, he is trying to give out as many QSO's while in the _*Great Basin National Park*_, as possible and he has asked everyone who he has worked FROM THE NP to _/please limit their contacts to just *one* for the NP identifier/_. He is attempting to be fair to everyone that he can be with his operations. If you look at his QRZ page he has a picture showing him in front of the Great Basin National Park sign, that is his location in DM29 and is where he will operate from while in DM29. /*DM28:*/ "Doc" has stated that he know's that *DM28* is a MUCH NEEDED GRID and has plans to further try operations from there, He *MAY* attempt other operations from DM28 today but _*will concentrate on DM28 on Tuesday's satellite passes.*_ /*LoTW:*/ "Doc" does NOT use /P in his LoTW up-loads and is fairly quick in posting them to LoTW. Congratulations to ALL who made a contact and good luck to those still looking for DM29/DM28 & the NP designator. Good Luck & good SatDX 73 Frank K4FEG * *

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SO-50 pass on 22FEB2016 ~1600Z
by Kevin M 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

For heaven's sake, people... If you hear someone get their call into the bird, TAKE A PAUSE!!! I heard like five or six stations give their calls one after the other, after the other and gave absolutely no friggin' room for him to answer anyone! Give the rare station a chance to work the guy in front of you instead of constantly calling. This is getting to be a real problem... I heard two stations call the same guy one after the other on a pass not long ago a total of 4-5 times each and there was no way the guy they were calling could ever answer!!! It was the proverbial urination contest. - And yes, I got my callsign in there a few times on that pass as well... but I did my best to be brief and wait for an open window. I try to always pause at least a few seconds if someone else manages to get their callsign through the chaos. Simply put, the ME, ME, ME mentality is NOT helping ANYONE. The VUCC gives credit for a successful QSO whether it's the first one during a pass, or the last. We could have ALL worked him in on that pass, there was more than enough time... This competitive crap is getting out of hand. BE SPORTSMANLIKE... it's the best way for YOU to WIN a QSO.. AS WELL AS everyone else. For anyone that needs a refresher course on the best winning etiquette, I refer you to Stephen Covey's 'Seven Daily Habits of Highly Effective People'... WIN-WIN is MORE effective than WIN-LOSE... if you focus on only yourself to the detriment of others, we lose. But if you try to operate in a way that gets everyone a QSO and not just focus on YOU... we all win That's what the station who went to all the effort to go set up in a rare grid that we are all trying to work wants, if we cooperate with that sentiment, it just might happen. Ham radio is supposed to be fun... I have a trip planned to Western Nevada later this year to operate from rare grids. It's part of a vacation I am taking with my daughter. I plan to have fun. If I encounter this kind of crap attempting to work passes, I am going to shut off the radios, stuff them in the trunk, tell the daughter to get her camera and go sight seeing. Life is too friggin' short. 73, N4UFO

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ANS-052.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI
by JoAnne Maenpaa 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-052.02 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-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-052.02 ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 052.02 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 21, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-052.02 RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI On February 18, 2016 NASA announced the selection of RadFxSat-2, the Space Radiation Effects CubeSat, for participation in NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) is another partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University ISDE and AMSAT, similar to RadFxSat (Fox-1B) which is scheduled to launch in January 2017. Vanderbilt University, with cooperation from AMSAT, submitted the RadFxSat-2 CSLI proposal in November 2015. Out of 21 proposals, NASA is recommending 20 for participation in the CSLI opportunity. RadFxSat-2 is prioritized #1 out of the 20 selected and has been offered an opportunity for a launch date. The opportunity is being evaluated by Vanderbilt University and AMSAT to determine if it meets our mission and orbital parameters. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) will carry a radiation effects experiment similar to RadFxSat (Fox-1B) but will study new FinFET technology. The Fox-1E spacecraft bus will be built on the Fox-1 series but will feature a linear V/U (Mode J) transponder "upgrade" to replace the standard FM repeater which Fox-1A through D have carried. The downlink will feature a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Further details of the mission and timeline will be published as they become available and are cleared for public release. [ANS thanks AMSAT's Fox Engineering Team for the above information] /EX

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Need help with Satscape running on MAC
by Dobarrows 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

I have been using Scott Hather’s Satscape program on myMacBook for several years now, but I have yet to solve a minor problemwith it. When I started up Satscape, I went to 2D control. This brought up two more windows. The first new window showed statistics for the satellite I selected. The second new window showed a map with orbits of my favoritesatellites. So far, so good. Next I dragged the map window around using the mouse to geta better look at the map. Then I got out of Satscape then got back in. Now, when I selected 2D control, the second new window (map) waspartially Covering up the first new window instead of being adjacent to the first new window with no overlap. No problem – I thought. I will just move the map to where I wanted it to be when I restarted Satscape the map window was once againoverlapping with the first new Window (with the stats). Is there any way to make Satscape remember where I placedthe windows when I shut it down? Is there any way to get the initial display positions back? I have reinstalled Satscape a number of times but it shows noinclination To display the windows as it had on my initialinstallation. If I could find where the settings are stored I could replace them, but Ihave no luck so far. I am running MAC OS X 10.6.8 and Satscape12.7.14. Any help would be appreciated. Dave W8IJ dobarrows(a)aol.com

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ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-052 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: * AMSAT Seeks Volunteers to Support Phase 4 “Five and Dime” Ground Terminal Effort * JAMSAT Symposium 2016 in Tokyo on March 5 - 6 * Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launched * HORYU-4 2.4GHz Received * New AO7 Distance Record * ARISS Information Sessions * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-052.01 ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 052.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 21, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-052.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Seeks Volunteers to Support Phase 4 “Five and Dime” Ground Terminal Effort Established less than 1 year ago, AMSAT’s all-volunteer Phase 4 Ground Terminal team has made significant strides in developing an ensemble of solutions to support the so-called “Five and Dime” (5 GHz and 10 GHz) strategy AMSAT has embraced for microwave satellite projects. Prompting the effort is the planned launch of a geosynchronous military satellite in the 2018 timeframe, which could play host to an Amateur Radio payload operating on the two microwave band. The overarching project, which also includes a complementary Phase 4 Space team, is exploring new territory and innovative solutions, and it’s seeking volunteers from among the technically savvy within the Amateur Radio community. “We’re going to make it as awesome as possible,” Ground Station team lead Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, told ARRL. The project not only would support the Phase 4B geosynchronous launch but provide solutions for the Phase 3E high-Earth orbit satellite, and receiver support for AMSAT’s entry into the NASA Cube Quest Challenge, which would go to the moon. Thompson said the compelling technical reason for using 5 GHz and 10 GHz is the ability to use high-bandwidth modes on those bands. In addition, “the 5 and 10 GHz bands are popular elsewhere, and other projects are embracing this band complement,” she noted. Another advantage would be to raise Amateur Radio’s profile on the two bands and perhaps “shake things up” there for terrestrial use. “The 5 and 10 GHz bands are a compromise that’s working really, really well,” Thompson said. The US Air Force will control the geosynchronous satellite. Virginia Tech, Millennium Space Systems (MSS), FEMA, various clubs as well as AMSAT and ARRL are partners in or are supporting the project. A formal memorandum of understanding is pending. Cognitive Radios “We’re currently exploring the Amateur Radio implementation of a very advanced and exciting open standard called DVB-S2X for the downlink,” Thompson explained, noting it offers a variety of modulation and coding. Earth stations will use their individual radios, transmitting a digital signal — probably something called Offset QPSK (O-PSK) — directly to the satellite, with each getting its own channel in a frequency division, multiple access (FDMA) scheme. “This is an elegant way to design an efficient and advanced communication system and allows technical volunteers to experiment with the basics of cognitive radio — radio that can sense the environment and adapt to take full advantage of the capabilities the hardware offers,” she said. Groundsats and a “Big Honking SDR” Phase 4 radios will be designed to work not just with the impending geosynchronous satellite but through terrestrial microwave “Groundsats,” which, Thompson said, “are essentially satellite simulators that let you test and use the radio terrestrially.” Phase 4 radio designs also could be configured to use modulation schemes that are better able to deal with terrestrial multipath. Amateur Radio Access Points (ARAPs) — essentially signal aggregators — would allow legacy radios, FM hand-held transceivers, or emergency traffic providers to use the satellite from any point where an ARAP can be deployed, packaging the input for uplink to the satellite. Hams within ARAP range would be able to use the Five and Dime terrestrial network just as if they were operating through a satellite. “The Groundsat, which is doing the same job as the satellite payload, has a big honking SDR on it,” Thompson said. Groundsat equipment has arrived and is in use in San Diego, North Texas, and at Virginia Tech, and Groundsat development is under way at those sites. A fourth site would be at Morgan State University in Maryland. Doing It on the Cheap “Five and Dime” also reflects the project’s economics. AMSAT Board Member and Virginia Tech Research Professor Bob McGwier, N4HY, recently explained on the AMSAT-BB that the Ground Team’s work is “an effort to design an inexpensive ground terminal for amateurs that would cost tens of thousands of dollars commercially, for as much under $1000 as we can get it.” In contrast to the Space Team’s work, which, he said, is taking place “under the cloak of ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations),” the Ground Team’s SDR is “completely open source, open specification” and “easily reprogrammed to do many different kinds of missions just by changing the software.” “We welcome any interested technical volunteers to apply to the technical volunteer program at AMSAT and become part of the team,” Thompson said. To volunteer for the Phase 4 Ground Team, provide your contact information on AMSAT’s Engineering Team contact form. Thompson’s weekly “Phase4” engineering updates are available via YouTube. Additional development documentation is posted on GitHub. [ANS thanks the ARRL and Michelle Thompson, W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JAMSAT Symposium 2016 in Tokyo on March 5 - 6 JAMSAT Symposium 2016 will be held on March 5th PM and 6th AM in Tokyo at Conference Room 2(CR2) in Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation). Please see http://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en/ for location and access details. Day 1 is mainly for "JAS-1 30 Years Anniversary". Day 2 is mainly for technology development for satellites. If you are interested in it, or want to join the dinner party, please contact madoguchi(a)jamsat.or.jp Time Title Presenter Call Sign March 5 14:30 - 14:35 "Welcome" Mikio Mouri JA3GEP 14:35 - 16:10 "JAS-1 30 Years Anniversary" Toshiyuki Kondou Eng. Mgr., JARL, JR1NVU 16:20 - 17:30 "Joy of Satellite Communications" Eiji Nakamura, JA1CPA 18:00 - 20:00 Dinner at Sky View Lounge (Restaurant) March 6 9:30 - 10:00 "Report from AMSAT-DL"(by Skype) Peter Guelzow, DB2OS 10:10 - 10:40 "Report on EsHailSat-2/Phase-4A" AMSAT-Qatar Mohamed bin Jabor Althani, A71EY 10:40 - 11:20 "Development of Phase-4 Ground Station" Akira Kaneko, JA1OGZ 11:30 - 12:10 "Development of JAMSAT Mode-J Transponder", Kan Fukai, JH1CEP 12:10 - 12:50 "USB Mini Tuner" Hiroshi Matsumoto, JA1SYK 12:50 - 13:20 "New Regulation on Spurious Emission" Akira Kaneko, JA1OGZ [ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launched Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA posted on the AMSAT-BB: Feb. 17 17:45JST(08:45UTC), ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 has been launched on the H-IIA F30 launch vehicle. After separation, both satellites start transmitting beacon message. I hope you receive our message and report to us, thank you. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite3.ht… Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA provides the following information on ChubuSat-2/3: Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us email: chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following web site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above web site. Horyu-4 downlink 437.375 MHz & 2400.300 MHz 1k2 AFSK,9k6 GMSK, S_BPSK, CW http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/horyu4WEB/horyu4.html http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=434 https://www.facebook.com/Horyu-4-Arc-Event-Generator-and-Investigation- Satellite-780188535364868/ [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- HORYU-4 2.4GHz received I heard 2.4GHz signal many times in this orbit. The spurious signal will be heard lower than about 56kHz from the nominal frequency, it may sound rather strongly. The followings are the image that I received this real signal and spurious signal. At the 2400.244 MHz, I heard the clear and stable sound of them. Perhaps it might not be a spurious signal. This deviation signal might be the real signal of HORYU-4 2.4GHz. 05:22-05:34 UTC, 20 Feb 2016, Ele 40 WS-S-E, 2400.300MHz 100kbps BPSK 07:03-07:16 UTC, 20 Feb 2016, Ele 45 W-S-SE, 2400.244MHz 100kbps BPSK http://www.dropbox.com/s/yg41q64m69dnitc/60220hr4.wav?dl=0 http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/hor4ch23.htm#ghz http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr1.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr2.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr3.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr4.png [ANS thanks Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New AO7 Distance Record Satellite Friends and Colleagues, I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we just needed a little luck. Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded a recording of it to YouTube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. That said, wow.. what a rush Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until then, catch you on the birds! 73! Signed, Dave, KG5CCI Dave, KG5CCI also posted on the AMSAT-BB that he was using an "Alaskan" Arrow ( 4 elements on 2m, 10 elements on 70cm) held by hand, running 10' pieces of LMR-240 into an Icom 821h, manually tuned. "Everything is run from a LiFePo4 battery, and I pretty much exclusively operate portable mountain-top with unobstructed horizon views in the direction I'm planning to work", reported Dave. Also on the AMSAT-BB Eduardo, PY2RN wrote that he used: "RX: Funcube pro plus + SDR# V.1430 (with great NB capabilities) + Yagi-Uda 11el CP + Mirage KP-2 pre-amp. TX: TS-2000x + Yagi-Uda 20el CP Tracked by Satellite Tracking embedded into SDR-RADIO V2 software suite + GS-232/G-5400 Coax: RFS RGC213 15m long And a clear view to my N/NW bound which allows to hear a little after sat LOS most of times. Put together again an old P3 sat setup sitting in storage for many years, just added the SDR fun to it." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTGSlaY7K7A&feature=youtu.be http://www.arrl.org/news/arkansas-vhfer-claims-mathematically-impossible-ao… mode-b-distance-record http://www.amsat.org/?p=4997 [ANS thanks Dave, KG5CCI, Eduardo, PY2RN, the ARRL, and the AMSAT-BB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Information Sessions Host a Real-Time Conversation With Crew Members Aboard the International Space Station ARISS-US is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, contact between Jan. 1 - June 30, 2017. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS-US is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Proposals are due April 15, 2016. Using amateur radio, students can ask astronauts questions about life in space and other space-related topics. Students fully engage in the ARISS contact by helping set up an amateur radio ground station at the school and then using that station to talk directly with a crew member on the International Space Station for approximately 10 minutes. ARISS provides experienced mentors and relies on local amateur radio volunteers to help organizations obtain the technology required to host this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. Informational Sessions ---------------------- To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS program coordinator will offer hourlong online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding U.S. ARISS contacts and the proposal process, and offer an opportunity to ask questions. While attending an online information session is not required, it is strongly encouraged. Informational sessions will be offered Feb. 29, 2016, at 4 p.m. EST and March 10, 2016, at 7 p.m. EST. 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-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, including several countries in Europe as well as Japan, Russia, Canada, and the USA. Questions about this opportunity should be emailed to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Feb. 18, 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). *Friday, 4 March 2016 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach meeting in Signal Hill CA *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016 - ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign was scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg Tim answered on the second call and we proceeded to to get 19 complete questions answered. Ham TV came in from Goonhilly and we had over four and a half minutes lock from our mobile 1.2m dish mounted on a Land Rover. Once we had video, I asked Tim to give us a wave, which he did with the biggest grin I seen from him yet. In the room for the contact, we had over 260i people present with somewhere near 500+ in the hall next - numbers will be verified shortly. In terms of media, we had BBC and ITV Bristol TV and radio BBC and ITV for the West Country, TV BBC (National) The One Show - they have recorded a piece that will feature in build ups all next week and the contact will be featured on the show on Friday 26th February. UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact was successful: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg UAH SHC was successful with 18 questions answered. Very noisy at start but full quieting once beyond question 3. 73 round completed. All are very excited and happy! The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group – all from the northern Alabama area. The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have learned about the ISS, the astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All of the students and club members involved are passionate about this opportunity, and thank you for your time. Upcoming Contacts Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over NASA Invites Public to Send Artwork to an Asteroid NASA is calling all space enthusiasts to send their artistic endeavors on a journey aboard NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to collect a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth for study. OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch in September and travel to the asteroid Bennu. The #WeTheExplorers campaign invites the public to take part in this mission by expressing, through art, how the mission’s spirit of exploration is reflected in their own lives. Submitted works of art will be saved on a chip on the spacecraft. The spacecraft already carries a chip with more than 442,000 names submitted through the 2014 “Messages to Bennu” campaign. “The development of the spacecraft and instruments has been a hugely creative process, where ultimately the canvas is the machined metal and composites preparing for launch in September,” said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It is fitting that this endeavor can inspire the public to express their creativity to be carried by OSIRIS-REx into space.” A submission may take the form of a sketch, photograph, graphic, poem, song, short video or other creative or artistic expression that reflects what it means to be an explorer. Submissions will be accepted via Twitter and Instagram until March 20. For details on how to include your submission on the mission to Bennu, go to: http://www.asteroidmission.org/WeTheExplorers “Space exploration is an inherently creative activity,” said Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “We are inviting the world to join us on this great adventure by placing their art work on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, where it will stay in space for millennia.” The spacecraft will voyage to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) and return it to Earth for study. Scientists expect Bennu may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of the water and organic molecules that may have made their way to Earth. Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. The University of Arizona, Tucson leads the science team and observation planning and processing. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver is building the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information on OSIRIS-Rex, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex [ANS thanks NASA 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

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WA7HQD/p DM28/DM29
by K4FEG 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

Hello All: A quick Alert for those looking for _/*WA7HQD/DM28/DM29*/_!! /*"*//*Doc" */just called me on the telephone at 19:00UTC to tell me that he was running behind and was behind schedule & approximately 1 hour away from the Great Basin NP. He is trying hard to make it there for the NEXT FO-29 pass over Western North America. I put out the info a fast as I get it! G/*ood Luck All & Good Sat_DX!_*/ 73 *K4FEG*

1 0

Remote sensor for antenna array orientation
by Clayton W5PFG 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

Has anyone ever mounted a mutli-axis accelerometer or a magnetic compass sensor to their antenna crossboom for making adjustments to point of aim? I'm currently using Hall Effect sensors but experiencing several degrees of drift over a short period of a few days. 73 Clayton W5PFG

4 3

Tolou to be launched in April
by Nico Janssen 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

All, Iran is planning to launch the satellite Tolou in the first half of April. It is to be launched on the maiden flight of the new launch vehicle Simorgh from the Imam Khomeini Space Center, south-east of Semnan, into a 400 km orbit with an inclination of about 55 degrees. Tolou ('Sunrise') has a mass of 80 kg and has a shape similar to OSCAR 7. It measures 100 cm tall and 70 cm across. Its mission is Earth observation, taking pictures with a resolution of 50 m. Tolou's planned telemetry downlink frequency is in the 435 - 438 MHz band and its data downlink in the 1700 - 1710 MHz band. These downlinks may only be active when the satellite is in range of an Iranian telecommand station. Currently several other satellites are being developed in Iran. Remarkably most of these satellites have their uplink and downlink frequencies planned in amateur radio bands, usually 2 m and 70 cm. 73, Nico PA0DLO

1 0

France (N94) on A-07B
by F6GLJ 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

Hello everybody. I'll be on AO-07B between 17:44 and 17:57 UTC, good footprint for SA and NA. I hope meet you. 73 Qro de F6GLJ https://www.qrz.com/db/F6GLJ

3 2

ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-052 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: * AMSAT Seeks Volunteers to Support Phase 4 “Five and Dime” Ground Terminal Effort * JAMSAT Symposium 2016 in Tokyo on March 5 - 6 * Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launched * HORYU-4 2.4GHz Received * New AO7 Distance Record * ARISS Information Sessions * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-052.01 ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 052.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 21, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-052.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Seeks Volunteers to Support Phase 4 “Five and Dime” Ground Terminal Effort Established less than 1 year ago, AMSAT’s all-volunteer Phase 4 Ground Terminal team has made significant strides in developing an ensemble of solutions to support the so-called “Five and Dime” (5 GHz and 10 GHz) strategy AMSAT has embraced for microwave satellite projects. Prompting the effort is the planned launch of a geosynchronous military satellite in the 2018 timeframe, which could play host to an Amateur Radio payload operating on the two microwave band. The overarching project, which also includes a complementary Phase 4 Space team, is exploring new territory and innovative solutions, and it’s seeking volunteers from among the technically savvy within the Amateur Radio community. “We’re going to make it as awesome as possible,” Ground Station team lead Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, told ARRL. The project not only would support the Phase 4B geosynchronous launch but provide solutions for the Phase 3E high-Earth orbit satellite, and receiver support for AMSAT’s entry into the NASA Cube Quest Challenge, which would go to the moon. Thompson said the compelling technical reason for using 5 GHz and 10 GHz is the ability to use high-bandwidth modes on those bands. In addition, “the 5 and 10 GHz bands are popular elsewhere, and other projects are embracing this band complement,” she noted. Another advantage would be to raise Amateur Radio’s profile on the two bands and perhaps “shake things up” there for terrestrial use. “The 5 and 10 GHz bands are a compromise that’s working really, really well,” Thompson said. The US Air Force will control the geosynchronous satellite. Virginia Tech, Millennium Space Systems (MSS), FEMA, various clubs as well as AMSAT and ARRL are partners in or are supporting the project. A formal memorandum of understanding is pending. Cognitive Radios “We’re currently exploring the Amateur Radio implementation of a very advanced and exciting open standard called DVB-S2X for the downlink,” Thompson explained, noting it offers a variety of modulation and coding. Earth stations will use their individual radios, transmitting a digital signal — probably something called Offset QPSK (O-PSK) — directly to the satellite, with each getting its own channel in a frequency division, multiple access (FDMA) scheme. “This is an elegant way to design an efficient and advanced communication system and allows technical volunteers to experiment with the basics of cognitive radio — radio that can sense the environment and adapt to take full advantage of the capabilities the hardware offers,” she said. Groundsats and a “Big Honking SDR” Phase 4 radios will be designed to work not just with the impending geosynchronous satellite but through terrestrial microwave “Groundsats,” which, Thompson said, “are essentially satellite simulators that let you test and use the radio terrestrially.” Phase 4 radio designs also could be configured to use modulation schemes that are better able to deal with terrestrial multipath. Amateur Radio Access Points (ARAPs) — essentially signal aggregators — would allow legacy radios, FM hand-held transceivers, or emergency traffic providers to use the satellite from any point where an ARAP can be deployed, packaging the input for uplink to the satellite. Hams within ARAP range would be able to use the Five and Dime terrestrial network just as if they were operating through a satellite. “The Groundsat, which is doing the same job as the satellite payload, has a big honking SDR on it,” Thompson said. Groundsat equipment has arrived and is in use in San Diego, North Texas, and at Virginia Tech, and Groundsat development is under way at those sites. A fourth site would be at Morgan State University in Maryland. Doing It on the Cheap “Five and Dime” also reflects the project’s economics. AMSAT Board Member and Virginia Tech Research Professor Bob McGwier, N4HY, recently explained on the AMSAT-BB that the Ground Team’s work is “an effort to design an inexpensive ground terminal for amateurs that would cost tens of thousands of dollars commercially, for as much under $1000 as we can get it.” In contrast to the Space Team’s work, which, he said, is taking place “under the cloak of ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations),” the Ground Team’s SDR is “completely open source, open specification” and “easily reprogrammed to do many different kinds of missions just by changing the software.” “We welcome any interested technical volunteers to apply to the technical volunteer program at AMSAT and become part of the team,” Thompson said. To volunteer for the Phase 4 Ground Team, provide your contact information on AMSAT’s Engineering Team contact form. Thompson’s weekly “Phase4” engineering updates are available via YouTube. Additional development documentation is posted on GitHub. [ANS thanks the ARRL and Michelle Thompson, W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JAMSAT Symposium 2016 in Tokyo on March 5 - 6 JAMSAT Symposium 2016 will be held on March 5th PM and 6th AM in Tokyo at Conference Room 2(CR2) in Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation). Please see http://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en/ for location and access details. Day 1 is mainly for "JAS-1 30 Years Anniversary". Day 2 is mainly for technology development for satellites. If you are interested in it, or want to join the dinner party, please contact madoguchi(a)jamsat.or.jp Time Title Presenter Call Sign March 5 14:30 - 14:35 "Welcome" Mikio Mouri JA3GEP 14:35 - 16:10 "JAS-1 30 Years Anniversary" Toshiyuki Kondou Eng. Mgr., JARL, JR1NVU 16:20 - 17:30 "Joy of Satellite Communications" Eiji Nakamura, JA1CPA 18:00 - 20:00 Dinner at Sky View Lounge (Restaurant) March 6 9:30 - 10:00 "Report from AMSAT-DL"(by Skype) Peter Guelzow, DB2OS 10:10 - 10:40 "Report on EsHailSat-2/Phase-4A" AMSAT-Qatar Mohamed bin Jabor Althani, A71EY 10:40 - 11:20 "Development of Phase-4 Ground Station" Akira Kaneko, JA1OGZ 11:30 - 12:10 "Development of JAMSAT Mode-J Transponder", Kan Fukai, JH1CEP 12:10 - 12:50 "USB Mini Tuner" Hiroshi Matsumoto, JA1SYK 12:50 - 13:20 "New Regulation on Spurious Emission" Akira Kaneko, JA1OGZ [ANS thanks Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launched Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA posted on the AMSAT-BB: Feb. 17 17:45JST(08:45UTC), ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 has been launched on the H-IIA F30 launch vehicle. After separation, both satellites start transmitting beacon message. I hope you receive our message and report to us, thank you. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite3.ht… Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA provides the following information on ChubuSat-2/3: Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us email: chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following web site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above web site. Horyu-4 downlink 437.375 MHz & 2400.300 MHz 1k2 AFSK,9k6 GMSK, S_BPSK, CW http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/horyu4WEB/horyu4.html http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=434 https://www.facebook.com/Horyu-4-Arc-Event-Generator-and-Investigation- Satellite-780188535364868/ [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- HORYU-4 2.4GHz received I heard 2.4GHz signal many times in this orbit. The spurious signal will be heard lower than about 56kHz from the nominal frequency, it may sound rather strongly. The followings are the image that I received this real signal and spurious signal. At the 2400.244 MHz, I heard the clear and stable sound of them. Perhaps it might not be a spurious signal. This deviation signal might be the real signal of HORYU-4 2.4GHz. 05:22-05:34 UTC, 20 Feb 2016, Ele 40 WS-S-E, 2400.300MHz 100kbps BPSK 07:03-07:16 UTC, 20 Feb 2016, Ele 45 W-S-SE, 2400.244MHz 100kbps BPSK http://www.dropbox.com/s/yg41q64m69dnitc/60220hr4.wav?dl=0 http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/hor4ch23.htm#ghz http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr1.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr2.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr3.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr4.png [ANS thanks Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New AO7 Distance Record Satellite Friends and Colleagues, I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we just needed a little luck. Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded a recording of it to YouTube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. That said, wow.. what a rush Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until then, catch you on the birds! 73! Signed, Dave, KG5CCI Dave, KG5CCI also posted on the AMSAT-BB that he was using an "Alaskan" Arrow ( 4 elements on 2m, 10 elements on 70cm) held by hand, running 10' pieces of LMR-240 into an Icom 821h, manually tuned. "Everything is run from a LiFePo4 battery, and I pretty much exclusively operate portable mountain-top with unobstructed horizon views in the direction I'm planning to work", reported Dave. Also on the AMSAT-BB Eduardo, PY2RN wrote that he used: "RX: Funcube pro plus + SDR# V.1430 (with great NB capabilities) + Yagi-Uda 11el CP + Mirage KP-2 pre-amp. TX: TS-2000x + Yagi-Uda 20el CP Tracked by Satellite Tracking embedded into SDR-RADIO V2 software suite + GS-232/G-5400 Coax: RFS RGC213 15m long And a clear view to my N/NW bound which allows to hear a little after sat LOS most of times. Put together again an old P3 sat setup sitting in storage for many years, just added the SDR fun to it." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTGSlaY7K7A&feature=youtu.be http://www.arrl.org/news/arkansas-vhfer-claims-mathematically-impossible-ao… mode-b-distance-record http://www.amsat.org/?p=4997 [ANS thanks Dave, KG5CCI, Eduardo, PY2RN, the ARRL, and the AMSAT-BB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Information Sessions Host a Real-Time Conversation With Crew Members Aboard the International Space Station ARISS-US is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, contact between Jan. 1 - June 30, 2017. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS-US is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Proposals are due April 15, 2016. Using amateur radio, students can ask astronauts questions about life in space and other space-related topics. Students fully engage in the ARISS contact by helping set up an amateur radio ground station at the school and then using that station to talk directly with a crew member on the International Space Station for approximately 10 minutes. ARISS provides experienced mentors and relies on local amateur radio volunteers to help organizations obtain the technology required to host this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. Informational Sessions ---------------------- To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS program coordinator will offer hourlong online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding U.S. ARISS contacts and the proposal process, and offer an opportunity to ask questions. While attending an online information session is not required, it is strongly encouraged. Informational sessions will be offered Feb. 29, 2016, at 4 p.m. EST and March 10, 2016, at 7 p.m. EST. 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-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, including several countries in Europe as well as Japan, Russia, Canada, and the USA. Questions about this opportunity should be emailed to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Feb. 18, 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). *Friday, 4 March 2016 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach meeting in Signal Hill CA *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016 - ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign was scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg Tim answered on the second call and we proceeded to to get 19 complete questions answered. Ham TV came in from Goonhilly and we had over four and a half minutes lock from our mobile 1.2m dish mounted on a Land Rover. Once we had video, I asked Tim to give us a wave, which he did with the biggest grin I seen from him yet. In the room for the contact, we had over 260i people present with somewhere near 500+ in the hall next - numbers will be verified shortly. In terms of media, we had BBC and ITV Bristol TV and radio BBC and ITV for the West Country, TV BBC (National) The One Show - they have recorded a piece that will feature in build ups all next week and the contact will be featured on the show on Friday 26th February. UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact was successful: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg UAH SHC was successful with 18 questions answered. Very noisy at start but full quieting once beyond question 3. 73 round completed. All are very excited and happy! The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group – all from the northern Alabama area. The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have learned about the ISS, the astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All of the students and club members involved are passionate about this opportunity, and thank you for your time. Upcoming Contacts Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over NASA Invites Public to Send Artwork to an Asteroid NASA is calling all space enthusiasts to send their artistic endeavors on a journey aboard NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to collect a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth for study. OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch in September and travel to the asteroid Bennu. The #WeTheExplorers campaign invites the public to take part in this mission by expressing, through art, how the mission’s spirit of exploration is reflected in their own lives. Submitted works of art will be saved on a chip on the spacecraft. The spacecraft already carries a chip with more than 442,000 names submitted through the 2014 “Messages to Bennu” campaign. “The development of the spacecraft and instruments has been a hugely creative process, where ultimately the canvas is the machined metal and composites preparing for launch in September,” said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It is fitting that this endeavor can inspire the public to express their creativity to be carried by OSIRIS-REx into space.” A submission may take the form of a sketch, photograph, graphic, poem, song, short video or other creative or artistic expression that reflects what it means to be an explorer. Submissions will be accepted via Twitter and Instagram until March 20. For details on how to include your submission on the mission to Bennu, go to: http://www.asteroidmission.org/WeTheExplorers “Space exploration is an inherently creative activity,” said Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “We are inviting the world to join us on this great adventure by placing their art work on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, where it will stay in space for millennia.” The spacecraft will voyage to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) and return it to Earth for study. Scientists expect Bennu may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of the water and organic molecules that may have made their way to Earth. Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. The University of Arizona, Tucson leads the science team and observation planning and processing. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver is building the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information on OSIRIS-Rex, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex [ANS thanks NASA 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

TH-D7A sold
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

The owner tells me he has closed the deal on the HT. Glenn AA5PK

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-20 21:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-20 21:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successsful: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg (***) UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact was successsful: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg (***) Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg **************************************************************************** ** The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30. Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details. (***) **************************************************************************** ** 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. **************************************************************************** *** 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 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-20 21:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1025. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 990. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-20 21:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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TH-D7A for sale
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

A friend has a Kenwood TH-D7A for sale for $75 plus shipping. Condition is excellent. If interested, contact me off list. Glenn AA5PK DM91, Texas

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HORYU-4 2.4GHz received
by Mineo Wakita 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

I heard 2.4GHz signal many times in this orbit. The spurious signal will be heard lower than about 56kHz from the nominal frequency, it may sound rather strongly. The followings are the image that I received this real signal and spurious signal. At the 2400.244 MHz, I heard the clear and stable sound of them. Perhaps it might not be a spurious signal. This deviation signal might be the real signal of HORYU-4 2.4GHz. 05:22-05:34 UTC, 20 Feb 2016, Ele 40 WS-S-E, 2400.300MHz 100kbps BPSK 07:03-07:16 UTC, 20 Feb 2016, Ele 45 W-S-SE, 2400.244MHz 100kbps BPSK http://www.dropbox.com/s/yg41q64m69dnitc/60220hr4.wav?dl=0 http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/hor4ch23.htm#ghz http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr1.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr2.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr3.png http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/60220hr4.png JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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OSCAR NEWS edition 213
by Graham Shirville 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

Hi All, The next edition of OSCAR NEWS the quarterly publication of AMSAT-UK will shortly being going to press. The editors would welcome any input that you may have. We are keen to have reports on your activities and projects ...... there is so much going on in the amateur space world at the moment.... We are also keen to have soapbox articles about subjects of amateur satellite interest. For instance should we drop the two least significant digits of our QRA Locator exchanges.....or how should we bandplan the new 250kHz spectrum that should become available alter this year with the launch of the Geostationary Eshail2 S/X transponder...same question about the 8MHz digital/ATV transponder on the same spacecraft. Photos and short news snippets are also very welcome. Please let us have them at g3vzv(a)amsat.org and g3wgm(a)amsat.org many thanks Graham and Jim

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Why 6 digit grid locator in Europe?
by Juan Antonio Fernandez 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

I can´t understand it. My thinking: - Any award needs 6 digits - Time on SATs is limited, Why to waste it trying to understand something useless - Other places, such as USA, only use 4 digits from years - To wrap up, all are advantages Anybody knows some reason why should we follow using 6 digits? If there is not a strong reason, I think we should start using 4 digits Juan Antonio EA4CYQ

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Re: [amsat-bb] Why 6 digit grid locator in Europe?
by Edward R Cole 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Note: that I read the digest of amsat-bb and normally only scan it lightly, so coming into this in mid-thread: I primarily work eme (144 since 1998 and 1296 only a couple years). So haven't done much satellite since demise of AO-40 (still getting system restored). I use JT65 on 2m-eme but not on HF so my experience is with on eme. 4-digit grid square was chosen by Joe Taylor-K1JT when writing JT65 as info traded in the contact as signal level is calculated and displayed by the program in dB below SNR=0 for a 2.5 KHz bw (std SSB bw). Therefore a signal report would be duplicative to the sw display. Eme hams do generally exchange signal level received when running digital modes but this manually added into the "73" report or included in QSL's. On CW-eme the TMO system is not used unless signals are very weak; most now just send RST via CW. TMO is used at "432 and up" while a shorter system of O/RO/RRR is used on 222 and down. JT65 is set up to send this report system. For terrestrial VHF contests (US) only 4-digit grid is exchanged. But most eme stations display and exchange 6-digit grids on QSL's and for more precise station location when using eme tracking programs. 73, Ed - KL7UW BP40iq 144-eme: 4x XP-20 + 1300W 1296-eme: 4.9m dish + 125w sat: 7-elem 2m yagi, 26-elem 435 x-yagi, patch for 2.4 GHz. Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2016 18:31:27 +0100 From: Dani EA4GPZ <daniel(a)destevez.net> To: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Why 6 digit grid locator in Europe? Message-ID: <56C7516F.8090404(a)destevez.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 El 18/02/16 a las 23:06, Peter Goodhall escribi?: > But I honestly don't feel that because on EME or M/S its just 4 > characters that it should mean a sudden switch, for EME/MS ... ...snip... >... which has > moved into HF with JT65 and JT9 before then apart from in a PSK brag > file you never really heard QRAs on HF. In fact it's not the case that they use 4 digit locators on EME. 4 digit locators are used in many JT modes just because there are some spare bits in the message format. I think that operators EME CW don't send locators ever. They have their own signal report system called TMO, where they send one of the letters T, M or O three times based on the amount of data they could copy. http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/g3sek_op_proc.pdf For MS there is signal report system based on the length an strength of the pings. http://www.g0che.co.uk/ms-procedure.php The thing is that in the US 4 digit locators are normally used for terrestrial VHF and such instead of 6 digit locators. In fact, 6 digit locators are almost unheard of and many operators won't know their 6 digit locator. I read recently a proposal of change to the rules of the IARU R1 50MHz contest regarding this matter. This contest currently requires that 6 digit locators are exchanged over the air. However, there is a problem that US operators will usually pass just 4 digit locators and it's difficult explain and get their 6 digit locator under marginal propagation conditions (the usual conditions in transatlantic 50MHz). > I'm not sure how long the 6 characters has been a thing on the > satellites in Europe, but in the 4 years I've been on it's certainly ...snip... > that its easily 50% of the time lost just to people probably not being > able to hear the satellite in the first place. I don't know either, but it's only the case in Europe. In the US they normally use 4 digit locators on satellites. I think that the difference in use comes from terrestrial VHF. The thing is that perhaps we as a community of satellite operators should decide what do we consider as a signal report or valid contact. As you said, the standard signal report doesn't make much sense for satellites. The report could be the locator, but I don't think this is such a good idea because it is not so easy to copy a 6 digit locator in poor conditions (in Europe the many different accents and languages don't help either). The report should be easier to copy. I agree that in good conditions you can send back and forth 6 digit locators real quick. However, in poor conditions, if you want to get them copied properly, you will probably have to repeat it several times and perhaps request a readback. The problem with any idea about changing the established customs is that the satellite community is quite big and spread out. Most of the operators don't read amsat-bb. By comparison, the EME and MS communities are smaller and the guys there tend to frequent the same mailing lists and webs for skeds. > Just my thoughts anyway and many thanks for the squares while you've > been on from the UK. Could you get IO95? I hear that's quite a rare grid. 73, Dani EA4GPZ. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com "Kits made by KL7UW" Dubus Mag business: dubususa(a)gmail.com

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Just received UAH ARISS contact - much harder to rx than normal. Arrow antenna problem?
by John Brier 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

It took much longer into the pass to pick up a solid signal and when I got it, except for the top of the pass I had to aim the antenna perfectly to get the signal. The only thing differently about my setup today was I had the 70 cm elements installed on the boom too because I was using it to work SO-50 recently and didn't have time to take them off. Could this make the antenna less sensitive on 2 meters? Because that's what it felt like. Very dissapointing for me since I normally have no trouble getting the ISS from horizon to horizon. With that said it sounded like they got through all of their questions and Tim Kopra got to say goodbye. In his goodbye he repeated part of his answer to a question, saying one of the most important things to do to get space was to play nice with others. He said it wasn't important just in getting to space but also for life in general. A great message. Congrats to all involved in this succesful contact, but someone please tell me why it was so hard for me to receive! 73, John, KG4AKV in FM05

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ARISS QSO with Alabama
by skristof＠etczone.com 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Had good copy on the ISS side of the conversation with the school in Alabama. My location is southeastern Indiana, EM79jg. Steve Kristoff AI9IN

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Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record
by RSoifer1＠aol.com 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Congrats, guys! When he was active, Pat, G3IOR, made quite a few Mode B QSOs beyond normal range by using troposcatter into and out of the satellite. As you've proved, it still works! 73 Ray W2RS

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UAH SHC Successful
by johnnykludt＠earthlink.net 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

All, UAH SHC was successful with 18 questions answered. Very noisy at start but full quieting once beyond question 3. 73 round completed. All are very excited and happy! John K4SQCSent from my Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone.

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KM4IPF
by James Lea - WX4TV 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Thanks to everyone who worked hope on S0-50 just now. She is at ODU in Norfolk, Virginia doing demonstrations for kids who are coming to tour the engineering school. She will be back on FO 29 in just a little bit probably with the callsign K for AMG. Please forgive any typos Siri is typing this for me! James Lea Sent from my iPhone

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Decoding Chubusat1/2 telemetry
by J. Boyd (JR2TTS) 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

I'm of the understanding that the Chubusat-1/2 satellites that were just launched on Feb. 17 will be transmitting telemetry data in 9600 baud GMSK, in KISS protocol. With satellites in the past there have been programs written to decode and save this data in .kss format, but I can't seem to locate any such programs for the Chubusats. Does it require its own program, or is there a general one that would be used for this purpose? I have a brand spanking new FUNCube Dongle Pro+ and want to DECODE ALL THE THINGS! 73 -- J. Boyd, JR2TTS/NI3B the2belo(a)msd.biglobe.ne.jp http://www.flickr.com/photos/the2belo/ http://www.qrz.com/db/JR2TTS Twitter: @Minus2_C

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Good HamTv signal from ISS
by Fer 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Hello despite the low elevation pass ISS HamTv signal at 2395 Mhz was quite good, no audio https://www.dropbox.com/s/cnhm0d9hwhfaij6/ISS%20hamtv%2019feb16%20Tim_Peake… Preparing now the full video upload on youtube 73 Fer IW1DTU

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Gaasfet xistor
by jeffory broughton 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

I will bet a mfg1402 will work like a million bucks. Also check the 78l0 5 volt regulator. jeff broughton

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ChubuSat-3
by PY5LF 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Very good signal of ChubuSat-3 over here . https://youtu.be/1rsLvcvvjCM 73

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We need more report of ChubuSat-2 and -3
by Yasutaka Naru sawa (JR2XEA) 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Dear all; Thank you for your reports after the launch. But ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 are still in critical phase. So, we still need your beacon or 9k6 report so that we know status of both satellites. Best Regards, Yasutaka Narusawa (JR2XEA)

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Yaesu G-500A Bulb Replacement Pics
by Tony 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

All: I'm in the process of replacing the bulb inside a Yaesu G-500A elevation controller so I thought I'd post a couple of pictures that show the bulbs location and type - see attached. The bulb (28v 40mA) is available from Radio Shack. See: https://www.radioshack.com/products/radioshack-28v-40ma-incandescent-flashl… 73, Tony -K2MO

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Colorado Amateur Satellite net Begins in 1 hour
by Skyler F 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

This is a reminder that the Colorado Amateur Satellite net will begin in 1 hour from now (7PM mountain time Thursday). 6PM Pacific 7PM Mountain 8PM Central 9PM Eastern Please visit us on *AMSATNET.INFO <http://amsatnet.info/>* *IRLP* 9870, the Denver Reflector *ALLSTAR LINK* 40764, direct hookup to the repeater here. 41715, KC9ZHV hub at a data center if I am out of bandwidth. More info on AllStar - amsatnet.info/#node *ECHOLINK* *AMSAT* unless there is an ARISS contact, then go direct to KD0WHB-L *LOCAL RF* 449.625 (-) 141.3 ( WØKU Lookout Mountain) 447.225 (-) 141.3 (The STEM school repeater we set up) 447.850 (-) 141.3 (ACØKQ's repeater where he lives on TOP of saddleback mountain) 147.450 SIMPLEX (Aurora, CO) 446.275 (-) 100.0 Galena St. Local repeater at my house, giving a whopping 5 blocks of great coverage *REMOTE RF* Your Repeater here!, Email me if you want to link in or me to link your echolink or allstar repeater in automatically (no automatic IRLP linking supported) Skyler Fennell amsatnet.info KDØWHB electricity440(a)gmail.com

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Still trying to repair a Mirage KP-2 2 meter preamp
by Larry Ryan 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

I am trying to repair a Mirage KP-2 series mast-mount 2M preamp. It is quite old. Also, I have the companion bias-tee or Control Box as Mirage calls it. It comes in a black plastic box with the hardware to mount it on a mast. Testing indicates the relay works and some transistors have a voltage. Unfortunately testing also indicates its an attenuator. I think it has a blown gasfet. The small round gasfet has 4 leads and has the following markings on top: K183 R 43 The PCB is marked KP1&2 Rev B. The Have any of you repaired a KP-2 2M preamp? Do any of you have a schematic diagram of this preamp? Do any of you know the part number of the gasfet transistor? (I'm thinking its the problem) Any help would be appreciated. Thanks & 73, Larry W7DGP

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Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations (where???)
by Robert Bruninga 18 Feb '16

18 Feb '16

Argh!... These testimonials of when people heard the satellite and what it took to hit and where it was in their pass are -meaningless- unless you say where you are relative to the millions of square miles of the country! Someone on the west coast will have more than 10 dB better chance with any satelillite RISING from over the pacific, and someone on the EAST coast will have more than a 10 dB better change of a SETTING satellite over the Atlantic. But unless people say where they are relative to the 3D geometry of the pass, and the rest of the mass of users and RFI from 350 million other people and their part-15 emissions, any such reports make no sense to anyone else. The guys in the Midwest in most of a pass will have a hard time ALWAYS. People need to think in terms of WHERE the satellite is with respect to the other 700,000 hams in the country before any comments on link quality can make much sense. The satellite on one's horizon and 1500 miles away is only 500 miles above SOMEONE ELSE. That's 10 dB right there... Soap box off. Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Howie DeFelice Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 10:42 AM To: Paul Stoetzer; Clayton W5PFG Cc: AMSAT-BB Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations For what it's worth, I worked AO-85 for the first time this Saturday morning while sitting in the car using a 19" whip and Yeasu 857. I could hear the satellite almost at AOS but waited to transmit until sat was above 30 deg elevation since the 19" whip was 3/4 wavelength at the uplink freq. Got in the first time and made contact with N1JEZ. I never bothered to check SWR on this antenna and from the radio display power is down considerably. I did notice fading as well. - Howie AB2S > Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 09:13:40 -0500 > From: n8hm(a)arrl.net > To: w5pfg(a)amsat.org > CC: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Recent AO-85 Observations > > Clayton, > > I have observed the same. Over the past couple of months, on directly > overhead or ascending passes to the east, I could never get in until > about TCA using about 20 watts to an Arrow antenna. On overhead > descending passes or to the west, I could not get in after TCA. > > Now, over the past few days, it's been much easier to work horizon to > horizon, but the fading is much worse throughout the pass and I am > constantly twisting to try to regain the downlink. Some times, neither > polarity works. > > According to DK3WN's Illum program, AO-85 will be in constant sunlight > until 2/25. We'll see if it returns to it's previous patterns after > that. > > 73, > > Paul, N8HM > > On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:08 AM, Clayton W5PFG <w5pfg(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > For the past several days, I have observed the following: > > > > - On ascending passes, I can activate the transponder at AOS very easily. > > Either polarity V or H works. > > > > - Previously, I needed 10-15 degrees at times on ascending passes to > > activate the transponder. As I approached TCA, the challenge > > getting in always went away and I could get into the transponder easily. > > > > - Descending passes have never been an issue for me. I could access > > the transponder at AOS and activate the transponder as low as 0.1 > > degrees elevation. > > > > - Downlink receive polarity seems to flip almost constantly or be > > equal at times. I'm running a V or H antenna configuration (not > > RHCP or LHCP.) > > > > - Suspected reason is the spacecraft's spin rate has changed with it > > now in constant sun. > > > > - As a result I'm hearing some newer stations working AO-85 with > > handheld transceivers. I've worked 2 new stations in the last 2 > > days who emailed me directly after the pass stating they were seeing some success with an HT. > > > > Thoughts/comments? > > > > 73 > > Clayton > > W5PFG > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum > > available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring > > membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and > > do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > > Subscription settings: > > http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Recent AO-85 Observations
by Clayton W5PFG 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

For the past several days, I have observed the following: - On ascending passes, I can activate the transponder at AOS very easily. Either polarity V or H works. - Previously, I needed 10-15 degrees at times on ascending passes to activate the transponder. As I approached TCA, the challenge getting in always went away and I could get into the transponder easily. - Descending passes have never been an issue for me. I could access the transponder at AOS and activate the transponder as low as 0.1 degrees elevation. - Downlink receive polarity seems to flip almost constantly or be equal at times. I'm running a V or H antenna configuration (not RHCP or LHCP.) - Suspected reason is the spacecraft's spin rate has changed with it now in constant sun. - As a result I'm hearing some newer stations working AO-85 with handheld transceivers. I've worked 2 new stations in the last 2 days who emailed me directly after the pass stating they were seeing some success with an HT. Thoughts/comments? 73 Clayton W5PFG

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ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 launched right now!
by Yasutaka Naru sawa (JR2XEA) 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Dear all; Feb. 17 17:45JST(08:45UTC), ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 has been launched on the H-IIA F30 launch vehicle. After separation, both satellites start transmitting beacon message. I hope you receive our message and report to us, thank you. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite3.ht… Yasutaka Narusawa (JR2XEA)

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New AO7 Distance Record
by Dave Swanson 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Satellite Friends and Colleagues, I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we just needed a little luck. Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. That said, wow.. what a rush Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until then, catch you on the birds! 73! -Dave, KG5CCI

4 5

NP24 and DM28/DM29
by Lee Ernstrom 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

I will be on SO-50 and FO-29 beginning February 21 from a fairly rare grid square within the Great Basin National Park and set up right on the grid line. For times please see my QRZ.com page. WA7HQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom Sent from my iPad

1 0

Fw: Fwd: LVB tracker
by W2JV 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

The Great South Bay, Amateur Radio Club, of which I’m a member wants to put together a satellite station. They have an existing home made AZ EL power unit which works. They are looking into interfacing an LVB tracker with it. and need to know what voltage level input is required for the feedback loop. The unit currently puts out 0-6.25vdc corresponding to 0-360 AZ and 0-180 EL. Looking at the G5500 schematic they go through an opamp arrangement but do not provide any voltage levels. If anyone can the club with some info I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks, W2JV Peter

3 3

Upcoming ARISS contact with Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK on 19 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:23 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between GB1SS and GB1OAB. The contact should be audible over portions of the UK 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. Oasis Academy Brightstowe is an independent Academy for 11 - 16 year olds, located in Shirehampton, North Bristol. We opened in September 2008 in the state-of-the-art buildings of the former Portway School. Our facilities here are second to none, with an on-site restaurant, great sports facilities and a well-stocked Library. Oasis Academy Brightstowe was given £1.8 million to develop a 21st century ICT capability, so students here have access to the very latest technology; including a fully equipped Library, access to Wi-Fi throughout the school, and a Virtual Learning Environment, designed to give students access to online learning provision. The Academy has one of the highest computer-per-student ratios of any school in the area (better than one between two students) and we encourage students to be competent with the use of computers and the internet in their lessons. The new technology is embraced by both staff and students and forms a key part of lesson planning and delivery. Interactive whiteboards are a feature of every classroom and teachers can instantly turn any workspace into an ICT suite using one of our eight portable laptop trolleys. 1. From my research, I have found out that you are taking part in 265 experiments. Which one is the most important for us here on Earth? 2. In your opinion, will unmanned missions ever be equal to manned ones? 3. In a microgravity environment, can dust, debris and liquids cause a danger, and if so how do you deal with it? 4. My aim is to be the first female Afghan astronaut. What would be the one most important piece of advice that you have for me? 5. Were you told what experiments you had to do, or did you get to choose? 6. How many days supplies do you have on board should a resupply mission not arrive as scheduled? 7. How did you build the confidence to go into space? 8. Why should we continue to fund expensive space missions when we have more pressing problems on Earth? 9. If the world's leaders could see the earth from your current perspective, do you think there would be a better consensus to sort out the problems of the world? 10. Did anything in your previous career or experiences, prepare you for space? 11. Why did you want to become an astronaut? 12. When you push on the wall of the space station behind you to move forward, does the space station move backwards due to the principle of conservation of momentum? 13. What do you think of NASA's planned one way Mars mission, and would you go if given the opportunity? 14. Can you feel the ISS shake or wobble? 15. Being in a microgravity environment causes a decrease in muscle mass and bone density. Other than exercise, what measures are you taking to protect your health? 16. Considering that in space you are weightless and time has a different value, do you age at a different rate? 17. Astronauts go through such lengthy and intensive training for their journeys. Was there anything that you were not prepared for? 18. How are your experiments helping to save our Earth? 19. What do you miss about being on earth? 20. Other than the earth, can you tweet a picture of your favourite sight in 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. UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20 UTC 2. Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10 UTC 3. Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43 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), and the 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

Why 6 digit grid locator in Europe?
by Juan Antonio Fernandez 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Perhaps if in the last AO-7 record they were used 6 digits then they could not achive the aim!!! If all of the european operator SATs are agre, we will enjoy more of our SATs time. In HF bands operator even do not send its grid locator. In digital EME communications only send 4 digits. And all of then have more time to make the QSO than a SAT operator. Juan Antonio EA4CYQ

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] ISS Packet
by Paul Stoetzer 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

It shouldn't take that much. I have gotten in with 5 watts to a whip antenna before. However, the channel has to be clear. What is your setup? Have you tried it with terrestrial APRS to make sure your modulation is OK? 73, Paul, N8HM On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 11:22 PM, Buzcut Ranger <kf1buz(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi All > > so is the issue with the iss packet system a radio or antenna? its as def a > stump. had a nice 45 deg pass and it did not pick me up at all, but picked > up a few others, 100w should beable to get a hit but nope, then there is > the odd person or persons that connect to the BBS and lock out any one else > from reporting... > oh well.. > > Dan KF1BUZ > > On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 7:37 PM, <amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org> wrote: > >> Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to >> amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit >> http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to >> amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org >> >> You can reach the person managing the list at >> amsat-bb-owner(a)amsat.org >> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >> than "Re: Contents of AMSAT-BB digest..." >> >> >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. Re: Orlando hamcation (Rich/wa4bue) >> 2. Re: Orlando hamcation (Rich/wa4bue) >> 3. France (IN94) on AO-07B ( F6GLJ) >> 4. Upcoming ARISS contact with UAH Space Hardware Club, >> Huntsville, Alabama (n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net) >> 5. New AO7 Distance Record (Dave Swanson) >> 6. Re: New AO7 Distance Record (Stefan Wagener) >> 7. Fw: Fwd: LVB tracker (W2JV) >> 8. Re: New AO7 Distance Record (Eduardo PY2RN) >> 9. Re: New AO7 Distance Record (Stephen E. Belter) >> 10. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 03:30 UTC >> (AJ9N(a)aol.com) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Message: 1 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:54:25 -0500 >> From: "Rich/wa4bue" <richard.siff(a)verizon.net> >> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation >> Message-ID: <B2D595FFE58A45678B820466593240EB@BanjoPC> >> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; >> reply-type=original >> >> I think the link is Ham world . net >> >> Hope and family will be speaking this weekend at Old Dominion University >> Open House for about 400 -600 middle & high school students touring the >> engineering department. >> >> Hope is the key note speaker on Saturday. >> >> John KW4CR is coordinating the event. >> >> On Fri. 19th K4AMG will be on the air HF and SATS WX permitting >> >> God Bless >> >> R >> W4BUE >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: jeffory broughton >> Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 9:32 AM >> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> Subject: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation >> >> I saw the video ,I believe on facebook of Hope making contacts from the >> hamfest.i can't find it again.Can some send me a link ? >> >> jeff broughton >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 2 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:55:26 -0500 >> From: "Rich/wa4bue" <richard.siff(a)verizon.net> >> To: "James Lea - WX4TV" <james(a)wx4tv.com>, "jeffory broughton" >> <jefforybroughton(a)gmail.com> >> Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation >> Message-ID: <7C43E7C6A7C34EF09C5B79973137EF73@BanjoPC> >> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; >> reply-type=original >> >> Maybe on K4AMG Face Book too! >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: James Lea - WX4TV >> Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 9:47 AM >> To: jeffory broughton >> Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation >> >> If it is her on SO-50, I've not seen it and would love to see it. >> >> James Lea >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Feb 16, 2016, at 09:32, jeffory broughton <jefforybroughton(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> I saw the video ,I believe on facebook of Hope making contacts from the >> hamfest.i can't find it again.Can some send me a link ? >> >> jeff broughton >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions >> expressed >> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of >> AMSAT-NA. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions >> expressed >> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of >> AMSAT-NA. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 3 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 18:32:16 +0100 >> From: " F6GLJ" <michel-f6glj(a)orange.fr> >> To: <K4FEG(a)K4FEG.COM>, "VE1MAM" <mmorel(a)bellaliant.net>, >> <satdx-bb(a)star-com.net>, <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>, <lebelb(a)nbnet.nb.ca >> > >> Subject: [amsat-bb] France (IN94) on AO-07B >> Message-ID: <001f01d168df$fd2d1180$f7873480$@fr> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >> >> Hello. >> >> >> >> I?ll be on AO-07 between 18 :00 to 18 :10, very good pass for qso France <> >> SA and NA. Only 3? off elevation. >> >> >> >> I hope meet you. >> >> >> >> 73 Qro de F6GLJ >> https://www.qrz.com/db/F6GLJ >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 4 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:41:30 -0500 >> From: <n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net> >> To: "Michael Lee" <aa6ml(a)arrl.org>, "Doug Rehman" <doug(a)k4ac.com>, >> <ariss-press(a)amsat.org>, "amsat-edu" <amsat-edu(a)amsat.org>, >> <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> Subject: [amsat-bb] Upcoming ARISS contact with UAH Space Hardware >> Club, Huntsville, Alabama >> Message-ID: <6FF0314C6CC1401098DBAEA39B2480BE@DHJ> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >> >> An International Space Station school contact has been planned with >> participants at UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama on Feb 19 The >> event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:20 UTC. The duration of the >> contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be >> direct between NA1SS and K4UAH. The contact should be audible over the >> state of Alabama and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to >> listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be >> conducted in English. >> >> >> >> >> >> The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an >> engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and >> rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this >> contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we >> reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the >> Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group - all from the northern Alabama area. >> The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 >> years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The >> students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of >> learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this >> opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery >> Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated >> STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have >> learned about the ISS, the >> astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All >> of the students and club members involved are passionate about this >> opportunity, and thank you for your time. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> 1. What is your favorite experiment that you've done in space? >> >> 2. What would you want to add to the ISS? >> >> 3. What is your favorite thing about living in space? >> >> 4. If someone wants to be an astronaut when they grow up, what should >> they be doing now as a kid to prepare? >> >> 5. Was it hard to adjust to zero gravity? >> >> 6. What everyday task on Earth is the hardest in space? >> >> 7. Did you put any ranch on the lettuce grown in space? >> >> 8. What do the stars look like from up in space? >> >> 9. What happens in a case of an emergency? >> >> 10. What is your sleep schedule? >> >> 11. What do astronauts do for fun on the ISS? >> >> 12. Do you ever feel lonely? >> >> 13. When you get back on earth, do you feel different? >> >> 14. Do you have trouble telling whether it is night or day? >> >> 15. Why did you choose to go to space? >> >> 16. Do you feel like your background helped you to become an astronaut? >> >> 17. Does micogravity make your body tired or sick? >> >> 18. What is the hardest thing about being away from earth for so long? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> 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): >> >> >> >> TBD >> >> >> >> 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), and the 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.a >> rrl.org. >> >> >> >> Thank you & 73, >> >> David - AA4KN >> >> >> >> >> >> >> --- >> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. >> https://www.avast.com/antivirus >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 5 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:14:52 -0600 >> From: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> >> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> Subject: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record >> Message-ID: <56C39F5C.2050700(a)druidnetworks.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed >> >> Satellite Friends and Colleagues, >> >> I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made >> a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from >> 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid >> locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located >> at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the >> http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates >> to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've >> been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I >> share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. >> >> Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, >> PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km >> away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with >> great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into >> view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I >> tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and >> I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything >> else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station >> I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way >> beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I >> promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, >> even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. >> >> At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th >> seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th >> all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on >> February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on >> the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and >> we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us >> though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but >> strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was >> low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We >> decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was >> though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and >> our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we >> just needed a little luck. >> >> Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already >> determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL >> thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed >> to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in >> the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both >> stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the >> contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's >> side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded >> a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A >> >> After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I >> think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This >> was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact >> window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. >> Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I >> doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. >> That said, wow.. what a rush >> >> Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making >> ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we >> finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) >> for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for >> acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart >> we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. >> >> If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until >> then, catch you on the birds! 73! >> >> -Dave, KG5CCI >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 6 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:24:03 -0600 >> From: Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com> >> To: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> >> Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record >> Message-ID: >> < >> CAKu8kHBqifxc+bEvoxVu6XhtOT8zep4oAWAYFJ4Q09-YOG6iHw(a)mail.gmail.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 >> >> Very nice Dave and Eduardo! >> >> Congratulations and thank you for the info. >> >> 73, Stefan, VE4NSA >> >> On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 4:14 PM, Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> >> wrote: >> >> > Satellite Friends and Colleagues, >> > >> > I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made >> a >> > scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from 'Shinnal >> > Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid locator >> for >> > the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located at >> GG66LW77JQ >> > in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html >> > website for reference, this equates to 8030.895 km which we believe to >> be a >> > new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've been extremely busy this past week, but >> I >> > had a few folks request that I share a little background behind the >> > contact, so here we go. >> > >> > Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, >> PT9BM. >> > While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km away >> from >> > me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with great a great >> > southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into view, while >> > scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I tried to >> > answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and I went >> ahead >> > and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything else of it >> > until later that night when I decided to look up the station I had heard. >> > To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way beyond the >> > theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I promptly >> emailed >> > Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, even though the >> math >> > said it shouldn't be possible. >> > >> > At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th >> > seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th all >> > to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on February >> > 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on the 8th, >> > followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and we >> prepared >> > for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us though, as we >> > successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but strong CW QRM >> was >> > hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was low and, more >> > importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We decided to not count >> > the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was though, we both heard >> each >> > other (the first time that had happened) and our frequency coordination >> was >> > spot on. We knew it could be done, we just needed a little luck. >> > >> > Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already >> > determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL >> > thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed to >> > simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in the >> > same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both stations >> > cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the contact. It was >> > extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's side of the QSO >> > turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded a recording of >> it >> > to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A >> > >> > After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I >> > think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This >> was >> > by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact window >> > measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. Had I >> not >> > heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I doubt I >> would >> > have even pursued this as something that was possible. That said, wow.. >> > what a rush >> > >> > Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making ultra >> > long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we >> finally >> > made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) for >> > persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for acting >> > as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart we were >> > from each other. Appreciate it guys. >> > >> > If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until >> > then, catch you on the birds! 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 >> > >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 7 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:30:03 -0500 >> From: "W2JV" <PeteW2JV(a)verizon.net> >> To: <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> >> Subject: [amsat-bb] Fw: Fwd: LVB tracker >> Message-ID: <FA573863D2E24482AF2C393812B296C5@PeterPC> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" >> >> >> The Great South Bay, Amateur Radio Club, of which I?m a member wants to >> put together a satellite station. >> They have an existing home made AZ EL power unit which works. They are >> looking into interfacing an LVB tracker with it. >> and need to know what voltage level input is required for the feedback >> loop. The unit currently puts out 0-6.25vdc corresponding to 0-360 AZ and >> 0-180 EL. Looking at the G5500 schematic they go through an opamp >> arrangement but do not provide any voltage levels. >> >> If anyone can the club with some info I'd sure appreciate it. >> >> Thanks, >> >> W2JV Peter >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 8 >> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:46:14 +0000 (UTC) >> From: Eduardo PY2RN <py2rn(a)arrl.net> >> To: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com>, "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" >> <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record >> Message-ID: >> <871553990.5662074.1455673574782.JavaMail.yahoo(a)mail.yahoo.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 >> >> Thanks Dave for the QSO and well done with all the persistence. >> >> It is always good to double check even when everything is saying that it >> wouldn't be possible, even the computer shouting "satellite is not >> visible!" over your signal :o) >> 73s >> Eduardo? PY2RN >> >> From: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> >> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 8:14 PM >> Subject: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record >> >> Satellite Friends and Colleagues, >> >> I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made >> a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from? >> 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas.? My 10 digit grid >> locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located >> at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil.? Using the >> http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates >> to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've >> been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I >> share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. >> >> Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, >> PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km >> away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with >> great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into >> view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I >> tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and >> I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything >> else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station >> I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way >> beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I >> promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, >> even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. >> >> At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th >> seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th >> all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on >> February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on >> the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and >> we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us >> though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but >> strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was >> low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We >> decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was >> though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and >> our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we >> just needed a little luck. >> >> Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already >> determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL >> thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed >> to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in >> the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both >> stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the >> contact.? It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear.? Eduardo's >> side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded >> a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A >> >> After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I >> think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This >> was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact >> window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. >> Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I >> doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. >> That said, wow.. what a rush >> >> Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making >> ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we >> finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) >> for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for >> acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart >> we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. >> >> If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until >> then, catch you on the birds! 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 >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 9 >> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 02:44:43 +0000 >> From: "Stephen E. Belter" <seb(a)wintek.com> >> To: Eduardo PY2RN <py2rn(a)arrl.net>, Dave Swanson >> <dave(a)druidnetworks.com>, "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" < >> amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record >> Message-ID: <D2E94831.5D11E%seb(a)wintek.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >> >> Gentlemen: >> >> Congratulations! >> >> Would you describe your stations? Radios, antennas, coax, preamps, >> software? >> >> Thanks! >> >> 73, Steve N9IP >> -- >> Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com >> >> >> >> On 2/16/16, 8:46 PM, "AMSAT-BB on behalf of Eduardo PY2RN" >> <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org on behalf of py2rn(a)arrl.net> wrote: >> >> >Thanks Dave for the QSO and well done with all the persistence. >> > >> >It is always good to double check even when everything is saying that it >> >wouldn't be possible, even the computer shouting "satellite is not >> >visible!" over your signal :o) >> >73s >> >Eduardo PY2RN >> > >> > From: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> >> > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org >> > Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 8:14 PM >> > Subject: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record >> > >> >Satellite Friends and Colleagues, >> > >> >I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made >> >a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from >> >'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid >> >locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located >> >at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the >> >http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates >> >to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've >> >been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I >> >share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. >> > >> >Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, >> >PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km >> >away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with >> >great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into >> >view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I >> >tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and >> >I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything >> >else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station >> >I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way >> >beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I >> >promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, >> >even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. >> > >> >At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th >> >seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th >> >all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on >> >February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on >> >the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and >> >we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us >> >though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but >> >strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was >> >low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We >> >decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was >> >though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and >> >our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we >> >just needed a little luck. >> > >> >Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already >> >determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL >> >thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed >> >to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in >> >the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both >> >stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the >> >contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's >> >side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded >> >a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A >> > >> >After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I >> >think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This >> >was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact >> >window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. >> >Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I >> >doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. >> >That said, wow.. what a rush >> > >> >Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making >> >ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we >> >finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) >> >for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for >> >acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart >> >we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. >> > >> >If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until >> >then, catch you on the birds! 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 >> > >> > >> > >> >_______________________________________________ >> >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 >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 10 >> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 22:37:21 -0500 >> From: AJ9N(a)aol.com >> To: amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org >> Subject: [amsat-bb] Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 >> 03:30 UTC >> Message-ID: <7043c.6ee4a92e.43f544f1(a)aol.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" >> >> Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 03:30 UTC >> >> Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: >> >> Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB >> The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS >> The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI >> Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg >> >> UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH >> The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS >> The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN >> Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg >> >> Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD >> The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS >> The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN >> Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg (***) >> >> Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS >> The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS >> The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI >> Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg (***) >> >> >> **************************************************************************** >> ** >> ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. >> ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send >> your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. >> >> >> **************************************************************************** >> 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 116 >> Francesco IK?WGF with 116 >> >> >> >> **************************************************************************** >> 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 8061 date >> and >> time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS >> >> The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-17 03:30 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 1023. >> Each school counts as 1 event. >> Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 988. >> Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. >> Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. >> >> 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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: DP?ISS, IR?ISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RS?ISS >> >> >> **************************************************************************** >> The successful school list has been updated as of 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. >> >> http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf >> >> Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing >> Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC >> >> http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction >> .rtf >> >> Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. >> http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf >> >> Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts >> >> https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 >> >> **************************************************************************** >> Exp. 43/44 on orbit >> Scott Kelly >> Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF >> >> Exp. 45 on orbit >> Sergey Volkov RU3DIS >> >> Exp. 46 on orbit >> Tim Kopra KE5UDN >> Timothy Peake KG5BVI >> Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP >> >> >> **************************************************************************** >> >> 73, >> Charlie Sufana AJ9N >> One of the ARISS operation team mentors >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Subject: Digest Footer >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 11, Issue 53 >> **************************************** >> > _______________________________________________ > 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

New satellites
by Roland Zurmely 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Received Chubusat-2, Chubusat-3 and Horyu-4 in Brazil only 50 minutes after liftoff in Japan ! <http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/horyu4.htm> 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

1 0

Launch Success of H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 30
by Thomas Frey 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

A very quick Press Release: http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2016/02/20160217_h2af30.html HORYU-4, ChubuSat-2 & 3 are in the orbit. Mit freundlichen Grüssen, Regards, 73 Thomas Frey, HB9SKA ______________________________________________________________________ Thomas Frey, Holzgasse 2, CH-5242 Birr, Tel.: 056 444 93 41 http://home.datacomm.ch/th.frey/

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 11, Issue 53
by Buzcut Ranger 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Hi All so is the issue with the iss packet system a radio or antenna? its as def a stump. had a nice 45 deg pass and it did not pick me up at all, but picked up a few others, 100w should beable to get a hit but nope, then there is the odd person or persons that connect to the BBS and lock out any one else from reporting... oh well.. Dan KF1BUZ On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 7:37 PM, <amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > amsat-bb-owner(a)amsat.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of AMSAT-BB digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Orlando hamcation (Rich/wa4bue) > 2. Re: Orlando hamcation (Rich/wa4bue) > 3. France (IN94) on AO-07B ( F6GLJ) > 4. Upcoming ARISS contact with UAH Space Hardware Club, > Huntsville, Alabama (n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net) > 5. New AO7 Distance Record (Dave Swanson) > 6. Re: New AO7 Distance Record (Stefan Wagener) > 7. Fw: Fwd: LVB tracker (W2JV) > 8. Re: New AO7 Distance Record (Eduardo PY2RN) > 9. Re: New AO7 Distance Record (Stephen E. Belter) > 10. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 03:30 UTC > (AJ9N(a)aol.com) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:54:25 -0500 > From: "Rich/wa4bue" <richard.siff(a)verizon.net> > To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation > Message-ID: <B2D595FFE58A45678B820466593240EB@BanjoPC> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; > reply-type=original > > I think the link is Ham world . net > > Hope and family will be speaking this weekend at Old Dominion University > Open House for about 400 -600 middle & high school students touring the > engineering department. > > Hope is the key note speaker on Saturday. > > John KW4CR is coordinating the event. > > On Fri. 19th K4AMG will be on the air HF and SATS WX permitting > > God Bless > > R > W4BUE > > -----Original Message----- > From: jeffory broughton > Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 9:32 AM > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation > > I saw the video ,I believe on facebook of Hope making contacts from the > hamfest.i can't find it again.Can some send me a link ? > > jeff broughton > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:55:26 -0500 > From: "Rich/wa4bue" <richard.siff(a)verizon.net> > To: "James Lea - WX4TV" <james(a)wx4tv.com>, "jeffory broughton" > <jefforybroughton(a)gmail.com> > Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation > Message-ID: <7C43E7C6A7C34EF09C5B79973137EF73@BanjoPC> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; > reply-type=original > > Maybe on K4AMG Face Book too! > > -----Original Message----- > From: James Lea - WX4TV > Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 9:47 AM > To: jeffory broughton > Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Orlando hamcation > > If it is her on SO-50, I've not seen it and would love to see it. > > James Lea > Sent from my iPhone > > On Feb 16, 2016, at 09:32, jeffory broughton <jefforybroughton(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > I saw the video ,I believe on facebook of Hope making contacts from the > hamfest.i can't find it again.Can some send me a link ? > > jeff broughton > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 18:32:16 +0100 > From: " F6GLJ" <michel-f6glj(a)orange.fr> > To: <K4FEG(a)K4FEG.COM>, "VE1MAM" <mmorel(a)bellaliant.net>, > <satdx-bb(a)star-com.net>, <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>, <lebelb(a)nbnet.nb.ca > > > Subject: [amsat-bb] France (IN94) on AO-07B > Message-ID: <001f01d168df$fd2d1180$f7873480$@fr> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Hello. > > > > I?ll be on AO-07 between 18 :00 to 18 :10, very good pass for qso France <> > SA and NA. Only 3? off elevation. > > > > I hope meet you. > > > > 73 Qro de F6GLJ > https://www.qrz.com/db/F6GLJ > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:41:30 -0500 > From: <n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net> > To: "Michael Lee" <aa6ml(a)arrl.org>, "Doug Rehman" <doug(a)k4ac.com>, > <ariss-press(a)amsat.org>, "amsat-edu" <amsat-edu(a)amsat.org>, > <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Upcoming ARISS contact with UAH Space Hardware > Club, Huntsville, Alabama > Message-ID: <6FF0314C6CC1401098DBAEA39B2480BE@DHJ> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > An International Space Station school contact has been planned with > participants at UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama on Feb 19 The > event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:20 UTC. The duration of the > contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be > direct between NA1SS and K4UAH. The contact should be audible over the > state of Alabama and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to > listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be > conducted in English. > > > > > > The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an > engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and > rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this > contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we > reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the > Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group - all from the northern Alabama area. > The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 > years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The > students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of > learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this > opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery > Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated > STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have > learned about the ISS, the > astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All > of the students and club members involved are passionate about this > opportunity, and thank you for your time. > > > > > > > > 1. What is your favorite experiment that you've done in space? > > 2. What would you want to add to the ISS? > > 3. What is your favorite thing about living in space? > > 4. If someone wants to be an astronaut when they grow up, what should > they be doing now as a kid to prepare? > > 5. Was it hard to adjust to zero gravity? > > 6. What everyday task on Earth is the hardest in space? > > 7. Did you put any ranch on the lettuce grown in space? > > 8. What do the stars look like from up in space? > > 9. What happens in a case of an emergency? > > 10. What is your sleep schedule? > > 11. What do astronauts do for fun on the ISS? > > 12. Do you ever feel lonely? > > 13. When you get back on earth, do you feel different? > > 14. Do you have trouble telling whether it is night or day? > > 15. Why did you choose to go to space? > > 16. Do you feel like your background helped you to become an astronaut? > > 17. Does micogravity make your body tired or sick? > > 18. What is the hardest thing about being away from earth for so long? > > > > > > > > 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): > > > > TBD > > > > 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), and the 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.a > rrl.org. > > > > Thank you & 73, > > David - AA4KN > > > > > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:14:52 -0600 > From: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record > Message-ID: <56C39F5C.2050700(a)druidnetworks.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > > Satellite Friends and Colleagues, > > I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made > a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from > 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid > locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located > at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the > http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates > to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've > been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I > share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. > > Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, > PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km > away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with > great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into > view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I > tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and > I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything > else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station > I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way > beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I > promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, > even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. > > At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th > seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th > all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on > February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on > the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and > we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us > though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but > strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was > low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We > decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was > though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and > our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we > just needed a little luck. > > Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already > determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL > thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed > to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in > the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both > stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the > contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's > side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded > a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A > > After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I > think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This > was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact > window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. > Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I > doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. > That said, wow.. what a rush > > Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making > ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we > finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) > for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for > acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart > we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. > > If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until > then, catch you on the birds! 73! > > -Dave, KG5CCI > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:24:03 -0600 > From: Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com> > To: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> > Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record > Message-ID: > < > CAKu8kHBqifxc+bEvoxVu6XhtOT8zep4oAWAYFJ4Q09-YOG6iHw(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Very nice Dave and Eduardo! > > Congratulations and thank you for the info. > > 73, Stefan, VE4NSA > > On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 4:14 PM, Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> > wrote: > > > Satellite Friends and Colleagues, > > > > I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made > a > > scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from 'Shinnal > > Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid locator > for > > the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located at > GG66LW77JQ > > in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html > > website for reference, this equates to 8030.895 km which we believe to > be a > > new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've been extremely busy this past week, but > I > > had a few folks request that I share a little background behind the > > contact, so here we go. > > > > Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, > PT9BM. > > While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km away > from > > me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with great a great > > southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into view, while > > scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I tried to > > answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and I went > ahead > > and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything else of it > > until later that night when I decided to look up the station I had heard. > > To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way beyond the > > theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I promptly > emailed > > Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, even though the > math > > said it shouldn't be possible. > > > > At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th > > seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th all > > to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on February > > 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on the 8th, > > followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and we > prepared > > for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us though, as we > > successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but strong CW QRM > was > > hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was low and, more > > importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We decided to not count > > the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was though, we both heard > each > > other (the first time that had happened) and our frequency coordination > was > > spot on. We knew it could be done, we just needed a little luck. > > > > Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already > > determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL > > thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed to > > simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in the > > same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both stations > > cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the contact. It was > > extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's side of the QSO > > turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded a recording of > it > > to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A > > > > After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I > > think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This > was > > by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact window > > measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. Had I > not > > heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I doubt I > would > > have even pursued this as something that was possible. That said, wow.. > > what a rush > > > > Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making ultra > > long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we > finally > > made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) for > > persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for acting > > as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart we were > > from each other. Appreciate it guys. > > > > If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until > > then, catch you on the birds! 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 > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:30:03 -0500 > From: "W2JV" <PeteW2JV(a)verizon.net> > To: <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Fw: Fwd: LVB tracker > Message-ID: <FA573863D2E24482AF2C393812B296C5@PeterPC> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > > The Great South Bay, Amateur Radio Club, of which I?m a member wants to > put together a satellite station. > They have an existing home made AZ EL power unit which works. They are > looking into interfacing an LVB tracker with it. > and need to know what voltage level input is required for the feedback > loop. The unit currently puts out 0-6.25vdc corresponding to 0-360 AZ and > 0-180 EL. Looking at the G5500 schematic they go through an opamp > arrangement but do not provide any voltage levels. > > If anyone can the club with some info I'd sure appreciate it. > > Thanks, > > W2JV Peter > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 8 > Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:46:14 +0000 (UTC) > From: Eduardo PY2RN <py2rn(a)arrl.net> > To: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com>, "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" > <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record > Message-ID: > <871553990.5662074.1455673574782.JavaMail.yahoo(a)mail.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Thanks Dave for the QSO and well done with all the persistence. > > It is always good to double check even when everything is saying that it > wouldn't be possible, even the computer shouting "satellite is not > visible!" over your signal :o) > 73s > Eduardo? PY2RN > > From: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 8:14 PM > Subject: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record > > Satellite Friends and Colleagues, > > I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made > a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from? > 'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas.? My 10 digit grid > locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located > at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil.? Using the > http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates > to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've > been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I > share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. > > Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, > PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km > away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with > great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into > view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I > tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and > I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything > else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station > I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way > beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I > promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, > even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. > > At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th > seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th > all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on > February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on > the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and > we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us > though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but > strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was > low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We > decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was > though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and > our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we > just needed a little luck. > > Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already > determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL > thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed > to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in > the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both > stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the > contact.? It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear.? Eduardo's > side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded > a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A > > After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I > think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This > was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact > window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. > Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I > doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. > That said, wow.. what a rush > > Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making > ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we > finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) > for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for > acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart > we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. > > If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until > then, catch you on the birds! 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 > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 9 > Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 02:44:43 +0000 > From: "Stephen E. Belter" <seb(a)wintek.com> > To: Eduardo PY2RN <py2rn(a)arrl.net>, Dave Swanson > <dave(a)druidnetworks.com>, "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" < > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record > Message-ID: <D2E94831.5D11E%seb(a)wintek.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Gentlemen: > > Congratulations! > > Would you describe your stations? Radios, antennas, coax, preamps, > software? > > Thanks! > > 73, Steve N9IP > -- > Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com > > > > On 2/16/16, 8:46 PM, "AMSAT-BB on behalf of Eduardo PY2RN" > <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org on behalf of py2rn(a)arrl.net> wrote: > > >Thanks Dave for the QSO and well done with all the persistence. > > > >It is always good to double check even when everything is saying that it > >wouldn't be possible, even the computer shouting "satellite is not > >visible!" over your signal :o) > >73s > >Eduardo PY2RN > > > > From: Dave Swanson <dave(a)druidnetworks.com> > > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > > Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 8:14 PM > > Subject: [amsat-bb] New AO7 Distance Record > > > >Satellite Friends and Colleagues, > > > >I wanted to share with everyone that on February 10th, at 2009UTC I made > >a scheduled contact with Eduardo, PY2RN, using AO-7 Mode B, from > >'Shinnal Mountain' just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. My 10 digit grid > >locator for the contact was EM34ST20SC, and Eduardo's station is located > >at GG66LW77JQ in Vinhedo/SP, Brazil. Using the > >http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html website for reference, this equates > >to 8030.895 km which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B. I've > >been extremely busy this past week, but I had a few folks request that I > >share a little background behind the contact, so here we go. > > > >Back on January 24th, I was on an AO-7(B) pass looking for Gustavo, > >PT9BM. While not a record distance, Gustavo's QTH is just shy of 7500km > >away from me, so I was up on my mountain, specifically in a spot with > >great a great southeastern view of the Horizon. As the bird came into > >view, while scanning the passband, I heard Eduardo, PY2RN, calling CQ. I > >tried to answer him, but his signal disappeared quickly after that, and > >I went ahead and had a great QSO with Gustavo, and didn't think anything > >else of it until later that night when I decided to look up the station > >I had heard. To my astonishment, Eduardo was 8030km away, which was way > >beyond the theoretical range AO-7, even with elevation assistance. I > >promptly emailed Eduardo and we both agreed to try and make a contact, > >even though the math said it shouldn't be possible. > > > >At this point the random luck that had let me hear Eduardo on the 24th > >seemed to elude us. We attempted contacts on the 26th, 28th, and 30th > >all to no avail. After recalculating windows, our next shot was on > >February 8th. WinListen (from Sat32pc) calculated a 3 second window on > >the 8th, followed by 5 seconds on the 10th. The day of the 8th came, and > >we prepared for the attempt. Murphy once again seemed to haunt us > >though, as we successfully heard the calls and grids of each other, but > >strong CW QRM was hitting the bird so hard that the intelligibility was > >low and, more importantly, neither of us had a camera running. We > >decided to not count the QSO due to these reasons. The good news was > >though, we both heard each other (the first time that had happened) and > >our frequency coordination was spot on. We knew it could be done, we > >just needed a little luck. > > > >Finally, on February 10th, we got a bit of a break. We had already > >determined that 5 seconds was simply not enough time to do a proper "QSL > >thanks for the grid, have a great day" type of chat, so we both agreed > >to simply repeat 'your call / my call / grid / report' rapidly, much in > >the same way a digital or contest contact is made. At 2009UTC, both > >stations cleanly heard the others call and grid, completing the > >contact. It was extremely rapid, and very weak, but clear. Eduardo's > >side of the QSO turned out way better than mine did, and he has uploaded > >a recording of it to youtube here: https://youtu.be/pTGSlaY7K7A > > > >After all my work towards low-elevation contacts from mountain-tops, I > >think this is approaching the limits of what can be done on AO-7. This > >was by far the hardest sked I've ever attempted, and with the contact > >window measured in mere seconds, it leaves absolutely no room for error. > >Had I not heard Eduardo's call at random on the attempt with Gustavo, I > >doubt I would have even pursued this as something that was possible. > >That said, wow.. what a rush > > > >Big thanks to Eduardo, PY2RN, for humoring my obsession with making > >ultra long-distance QSOs on the birds, and for sticking with it until we > >finally made it work. Good DX my friend. Also thanks to Gustavo (PT9BM) > >for persuading me to point my arrow to the South, and Drew (KO4MA) for > >acting as a spotter during one of the passes to see just how far apart > >we were from each other. Appreciate it guys. > > > >If anyone has any questions or comments, I'm happy to field them. Until > >then, catch you on the birds! 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 > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >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 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 10 > Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 22:37:21 -0500 > From: AJ9N(a)aol.com > To: amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org > Subject: [amsat-bb] Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 > 03:30 UTC > Message-ID: <7043c.6ee4a92e.43f544f1(a)aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" > > Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 03:30 UTC > > Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: > > Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB > The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS > The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI > Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg > > UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH > The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS > The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN > Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg > > Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD > The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS > The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN > Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg (***) > > Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS > The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS > The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI > Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg (***) > > > **************************************************************************** > ** > ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. > ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send > your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. > > > **************************************************************************** > 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 116 > Francesco IK?WGF with 116 > > > > **************************************************************************** > 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 8061 date > and > time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS > > The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-17 03:30 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 1023. > Each school counts as 1 event. > Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 988. > Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. > Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. > > 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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: DP?ISS, IR?ISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RS?ISS > > > **************************************************************************** > The successful school list has been updated as of 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. > > http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf > > Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing > Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC > > http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction > .rtf > > Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. > http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf > > Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts > > https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 > > **************************************************************************** > Exp. 43/44 on orbit > Scott Kelly > Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF > > Exp. 45 on orbit > Sergey Volkov RU3DIS > > Exp. 46 on orbit > Tim Kopra KE5UDN > Timothy Peake KG5BVI > Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP > > > **************************************************************************** > > 73, > Charlie Sufana AJ9N > One of the ARISS operation team mentors > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > 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 member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > ------------------------------ > > End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 11, Issue 53 > **************************************** >

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 03:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-17 03:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg Istituto Sobrero, Casale Monferrato, Italy, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-25 09:10:55 UTC 40 deg (***) Norwich Schools, Norwich/East Anglia, UK, direct via GB2CNS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-26 14:43:39 UTC 29 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** 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 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-17 03:30 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 1023. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 988. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Upcoming ARISS contact with UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama on Feb 19 The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:20 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K4UAH. The contact should be audible over the state of Alabama and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group - all from the northern Alabama area. The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have learned about the ISS, the astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All of the students and club members involved are passionate about this opportunity, and thank you for your time. 1. What is your favorite experiment that you've done in space? 2. What would you want to add to the ISS? 3. What is your favorite thing about living in space? 4. If someone wants to be an astronaut when they grow up, what should they be doing now as a kid to prepare? 5. Was it hard to adjust to zero gravity? 6. What everyday task on Earth is the hardest in space? 7. Did you put any ranch on the lettuce grown in space? 8. What do the stars look like from up in space? 9. What happens in a case of an emergency? 10. What is your sleep schedule? 11. What do astronauts do for fun on the ISS? 12. Do you ever feel lonely? 13. When you get back on earth, do you feel different? 14. Do you have trouble telling whether it is night or day? 15. Why did you choose to go to space? 16. Do you feel like your background helped you to become an astronaut? 17. Does micogravity make your body tired or sick? 18. What is the hardest thing about being away from earth for so long? 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): TBD 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), and the 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

Orlando hamcation
by jeffory broughton 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

I saw the video ,I believe on facebook of Hope making contacts from the hamfest.i can't find it again.Can some send me a link ? jeff broughton

3 3

Mirage KP-2 2 meter preamp help
by Larry Ryan 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

I am trying to repair a Mirage KP-2 series mast-mount 2M preamp. It is quite old. Also, I have the companion bias-tee or Control Box as Mirage calls it. Also, I have the 70CM Mirage preamp which works really well. I have contacted MFJ for info and they are very agreeable and they "need to check one part numbers, etc." but never return a call. When I call them back, I get the same very polite and agreeable "need to check....". I have done this 3 times without getting any info from them. The problem is not in the Control Box - they both work well with the working KP-2 70CM preamp. Have any of you repaired a KP-2 2M preamp? Do any of you have a schematic diagram of this preamp? Do any of you know the part number of the gasfet transistor? (I'm thinking its the problem) Details: I have cleaned up and tested the preamp. It seems that the internal bias-tee relay is working properly and there are voltages on the transistors that seem to match the working KP-2 70CM preamp. The preamps were mounted on my M2 circularly polarized arrays at a previous QTH. Presently, I'm setting up two much smaller antennas and I want to use these preamps. I'm reasonably sure its the gasfet transistor. I Googled this topic extensively and I find other hams asking this same question without an answer in postings from 2001 to 2012. No schematic and no part number for the gasfet. At $200 each, I want to try to repair it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks & 73, Larry W7DGP

2 1

OFF-TOPIC //// - CONVITE GRUPO DGITAL VOICE
by Paulinho PU2PHK 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

Pessoal: Quem tiver interesse venha participar com a gente do Grupo Digital Voice Brasil. www.facebook.com/groups/dvbrasil 73 Paulinho PU2PHK --- Este email foi escaneado pelo Avast antivírus. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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ARISS Contact Friday - Audio
by John Spasojevich 15 Feb '16

15 Feb '16

Please join us in listening to the ISS contact with participants at the Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, on Friday February 19th. AOS is anticipated at 1423 UTC The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be DIRECT between NA1SS and GB1OAB. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. You can watch the contact at: https://principia.ariss.org/Live/ Their stream starts about an hour or so prior to contact HAMTV from ISS is anticipated Audio from this contact will be fed into the: EchoLink *AMSAT* (101377) IRLP Node 9010 Discovery Reflector Streaming Audio at: https://sites.google.com/site/arissaudio/ Audio on Echolink & web stream is generally transmitted around 20 minutes prior to the contact taking place so that you can hear some of the preparation that occurs. IRLP will begin just prior to the ground station call to the ISS. Audio for this contact is a relay from the principia website and is dependent on their stream. Times breaks are manual and connected repeaters may time out. ** Contact times are approximate. If the ISS executes a reboost or other manoeuvre, the AOS (Acquisition Of Signal) time may alter by a few minutes ** 73, John - AG9D ARISS Audio Distribution

1 0

Should I "Flip or Not Flip" my m2 Leo_Pack
by Steve Nordahl 15 Feb '16

15 Feb '16

I have a lingering question. I installed my recently purchased m2 Leo-Pack per spec. Both antennas are RH per the instructions.I'm very pleased with the performance. However... I have the system installed using a Yaseu G5500 and Green Heron AZ/EL controller. I have the system defaulted and restricted to 90 degrees vertical. I already know this AZ/EL can do the entire flip but have not done so. Satellite reception limitations are driving me to ask this question.. Right now many of the sats I'm able to work in the current RH configuration and only going 90 degrees then doing a AZ to get back on it are good until they pass by me. Once the AZ rotation is completed then I have trouble getting back in or even hearing them. It appears I've fallen out of the correct orientation. Would allowing the flip and having the antennas go upside down be OK? I believe this would make them LH at that point. Does anyone else do this? Is the Leo-Pack the exception for the flip rule? (If one exists) Also, on the Leo-Pack system, I've seen images of others who have angled the antennas x instead of the default + orientation. Take?? What have others observed in performance by changing the angles? Let me know. Steve NS3L FN20hq

4 3

KMS-4 Antennas?
by Robb Hill 15 Feb '16

15 Feb '16

Hi, I got a photo of the KMS-4 sat and started wondering about the possible frequencies based on what could be antenna. I think this photo might shed some light on it. I don't want to say what I think they were thinking. Other than they could have been HAMS! Here is the sat: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byq2L9ccyLZeYTVzNWdFS3NLSnM Here is the nacelle in which it fit. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byq2L9ccyLZeZ2pQX1ZtcjlSTk0 There are some other gizmos on the sat. What do you guys think is going on here with the visible components and the other sat features? FYI, I know this is somewhat off topic. But as a HAM and space lover, I don't know what better group to take a look at these things. Thanks, Robb KB3RBA

2 2

TLE of ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 is updated
by Yasutaka Naru sawa (JR2XEA) 15 Feb '16

15 Feb '16

Dear all; TLE of ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 is updated based on the launch date Feb. 17, 2016. ChubuSat-2 1 99999U 99999 16048.38029596 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 00004 2 99999 031.0049 316.5240 0015871 289.3826 223.5942 14.99199090007134 ChubuSat-3 1 99999U 99999 16048.38376818 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 00006 2 99999 031.0074 316.5014 0016462 295.7523 235.9944 14.99608279007136 Best Regards, Yasutaka Narusawa (JR2XEA)

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-15 01:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 15 Feb '16

15 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-15 01:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** 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 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-15 01:30 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 1023. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 988. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Flex 5000a w/SatPC32
by kb2m＠arrl.net 15 Feb '16

15 Feb '16

Is anyone using a Flex5000a with second rx and V/U module with SatPC32, or any other sat/rotor control software. I'm in the process of buying one and I'm interested in how anyone set theirs up for sat use. 73 Jeff kb2m

4 3

QRO your CW, please! (FO-29 / 1810Z / 96281)
by Clayton W5PFG 14 Feb '16

14 Feb '16

There was one station on FO-29 at 1810 UTC today, orbit 96281, over North America running so much power on CW, you could copy them up and down the entire satellite passband. They had numerous images. 73 Clayton W5PFG

3 3

Re: [amsat-bb] The launch date of ChubuSat-2&ChubuSat-3 is set on Feb. 17
by Yasutaka Naru sawa (JR2XEA) 14 Feb '16

14 Feb '16

Dear all; The launch date of ChubuSat-2&ChubuSat-3 is set on Feb. 17 17:45(Japan Standard Time, JST). http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2016/02/20160214_h2af30.html Scheduled date of launch:February 17 (Wed.), 2016 (Japan Standard Time, JST) Launch time:5:45 p.m. (JST) Launch window:5:45 thru 6:30 p.m. (JST) Best Regards, Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA

1 0

ANS-045 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 14 Feb '16

14 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-045 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: * AMSAT-NA Office Closed on Monday February 15th for President's Day Holiday * W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo * Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launch Postponed * Old Dominion University OPEN HOUSE for local Middle and High Schools * Orlando Hamcation Satellite Demos Scheduled * ARISS UK release full video of Tim Peake and RMS contact * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-045.01 ANS-045 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 045.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 14, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-045.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Office Closed on Monday February 15th for President's Day Holiday The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, February 15th in observance of Presidents' Day. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo Thanks to everyone who called in to work K8YSE portable at the Orlando Hamcation. We had a great time working everyone on SO-50 and FO-29. The crowds were big and the weather outside was sunny and warm Although there was a lot of interest in seeing our station, 9 year old Hope, KM4IPF operating W1AW/4 on SO-50 definitely stole the show. Before the pass I watched her pull the compass out of a bag and tell her father where to point the antenna at AOS and where it would finish up at LOS. She used two HT's for the operation. Dad held the antenna for her as she made contact after contact. She had a crowd around her and we had the IC910 set up about 40' away and our crowd was listening to her on our setup. Steve, N9IP, was the antenna man at our station. Near the end of the pass I called her on the 910H and got a confirmation from W1AW/4! We had a signal path hundreds of miles long but were only 40' apart! Rick WA4NVM provided a recording of the pass and it is up on my website: http://www.papays.com/sat/general.html Frank K9CIS also sent in some recordings of our FO-29 passes which I'll put on the website later. Anyone needing confirmation of a Hamcation contact with K8YSE on LOTW, just send me the QSO details and I'll upload it. I can also do a QSL card on request. There is nothing like a good demo to generate interest in satellites. Just set up a station and the crows starts gathering. Thanks to everyone who helped with the effort. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launch Postponed ChubuSat-2, ChubuSat-3 and Horyu-4 were expected to launch on Friday, February 12 into a 575 km, 31 degree inclination orbit. This launch has been postponed due to bad weather at the launch site. A rescheduled launch date and time has not yet been announced. http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/02/11/launch-of-japanese-x-ray-observatory- postponed/ https://twitter.com/JAXA_en?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA provides the following information on ChubuSat-2/3: Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us email: chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following web site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above web site. Horyu-4 downlink 437.375 MHz & 2400.300 MHz 1k2 AFSK,9k6 GMSK, S_BPSK, CW http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/horyu4WEB/horyu4.html http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=434 https://www.facebook.com/Horyu-4-Arc-Event-Generator-and-Investigation- Satellite-780188535364868/ [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Dominion University OPEN HOUSE for local Middle and High Schools The Open House is a recruiting event for the ODU School of Engineering. It is scheduled for February 19 & 20, 2016. Students from 40 Middle and High Schools (400 – 600 students) throughout the Hampton Roads VA region will be visiting the school to tour the labs and campus, meet the (current ODU) students and faculty, and learn more about education and career opportunities in engineering. K4AMG will be supporting the event by conducting a mini field day event will be on Friday, Feb 19 and by hosting lab stations on Saturday Feb 20th featuring a 15 minute presentation of ham radio topics. The lab topics include: An overview of amateur radio as a learning tool. A (light) technical discussion about the science and engineering that support radio communications. A youth forum presented by several young radio amateurs KJ4NFL – Emergency and Public Service Communications WX4TVJ and AE4FH – Antennas KJ4EYZ – Cultures and Environmental Considerations for DX-peditions Satellite communications featuring the CUBESAT simulator provided by AMSAT-NA –KW4CR. Society of Broadcast Engineers – Richard Dyer speaking on Careers in Broadcast Engineering and Electronics and Wireless Communications At the student luncheon 9 year old Hope Lea, KM4IPF, will be the key note speaker - subject OSCAR Satellite Communications [ANS thanks Rich, WA8BUE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando Hamcation Satellite Demos Scheduled A demo station at Orlando Hamcation has been scheduled on Friday, Saturday and possibly on Sunday, February 12, 13, and 14. Operations will likely be on SO-50 and FO-29 on the following passes: 2-12 1813-1832utc FO-29 2-12 1826-1838utc SO-50 2-13 1719-1737utc FO-29 2-13 1851-1904utc SO-50 2-13 1903-1922itc FO-29 2-14 1737-1749utc SO-50 2-14 1808-1827utc FO-29 Sunday is iffy. We may be on other satellites as well. Please give us a call if you hear us and respond with your grid square, city/state and name. This will help the onlookers to have a better idea of where you are. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS UK release full video of Tim Peake and RMS contact This is the 77 minute video of the ARISS contact between Tim Peake GB1SS and the Royal Masonic School for Girls Rickmansworth GB1RMS. The video starts with the students of Cadogan House, the prep school for girls aged 4 to 11 at the Royal Masonic School for Girls singing a number of songs that have been part of their study into space. The video continues with the senior school presenting an overview of the activities that they have been involved in as part of their study and understanding of space. This section concludes with a panel of experts from the UK space industry fielding questions from the assembled audience. At approximately 33 minutes, Ciaran Morgan M0XTD from ARISS, starts the ARISS program with an introduction of the team, their roles and all the equipment that has been brought to the school to help facilitate the contact. The actual ARISS contact starts at approximately 53 minutes into the video. After the contact has finished, the school’s Head Girl concludes the evening with a short thank you speech and introduces the trainers who prepared some of the girls for the Foundation Amateur Radio License. http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/ariss-uk-release-full-video-of-tim-peake-and- rms-contact/ More history made at second amateur radio call http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/more-history-made-at-second-amateur-radio-ca… HamTV on the ISS http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/hamtv-on-the-iss/ What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio Find an UK amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/ A free booklet is available aimed at introducing newcomers to the hobby that can also be used as a handy reference while getting started, see http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-ra… -2/ [ANS thanks ARISS-UK and AMSAT-UK 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). *Friday and Saturday, 19-20 February 2016 – Yuma Hamfest and 2016 ARRL Southwest Division Convention in Yuma AZ *Friday, 4 March 2016 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach meeting in Signal Hill CA *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016 - ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Proposal Window for Scheduled Contacts in the US Opens February 15 The US partners of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program are seeking formal and informal educational institutions and organizations in the US, 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 January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017. http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARISS/Proposal%20Window%20Announcement- 2_15_16.pdf Application Window Open for ARISS Europe Region Schools and Youth organizations in the ARISS-Europe Region (Europe, Africa and Middle East) interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station are invited to submit an application and an educational project. The application submission window will be open February 1 to April 30, 2016, for space conversations that will tentatively be scheduled in the period extending from February to June 2017. http://www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts Successful Contacts Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth, UK, direct via GB1RMS The ISS callsign was scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Thu 2016-02-11 18:09:02 UTC 89 deg Congratulations to the HamTV crew that showed the contact! This was a successful use of HamTV with an ARISS contact. Videos at: https://youtu.be/x3KpilFGQX4 https://youtu.be/ChKNtzYE_HQ The Royal Masonic School for Girls is an independent girl’s day and boarding school in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, with an exceptional, unusual and distinguished history. Founded in 1788 with the purpose of educating the daughters of Freemasons who were unable to support their families, it is one of the oldest girls' schools in the country. We attract girls aged 4-18 from across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London and boarders from all over the world. We also have a Pre School for boys and girls aged 2 to 4. Our ethos is both aspirational and nurturing and our girls strive to be the very best they can be, academically, morally and creatively. Our public examination results are consistently impressive and each year around 90% of girls leave RMS to take up places at University. Life at RMS is centered on much more than "just" academic success and the School is well known for its exceptional pastoral care, and the wealth of extra-curricular opportunities it offers - including Astronomy as we are one of very few schools in the UK to have our own planetarium and observatory! Upcoming Contacts Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group – all from the northern Alabama area. The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have learned about the ISS, the astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All of the students and club members involved are passionate about this opportunity, and thank you for your time. Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over Austin, Texas Students to Speak to Space Station Astronaut Students from the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools in Austin, Texas will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working on the International Space Station at 11:55 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. The contact is schedule via Skype. [ANS thanks NASA News Service for the above information] Help XE1AO get his satellite WAS award via LOTW! Omar XE1AO, a long-time satellite operator in central Mexico, tweeted yesterday that he is interested in making contact with stations in 7 states to finally have all 50 states confirmed via Logbook of the World. The last 7 states he needs are: Kansas Maine New Jersey New York Rhode Island Washington West Virginia Omar is in grid DK89df, if that helps in making calculations on possible passes that he can work. His e-mail address on QRZ is good, so you can contact him directly if you are able to help him get his satellite WAS award. He is also on Twitter as @XE1AO, but his Twitter feed is not open to the public. He's received a few suggestions to get a couple of these states taken care of, so hopefully he can finally reach that goal. [ANS thanks Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, AMSAT Director for Field Operations for the above information] 6D0F Special Call David Maciel XE3DX will work the special prefix 6D0F, for the apostolic journey of his holiness pope Francis to Mexico. Times include: Thursday 11 February 2016 18:00 UTC Thursday, 18 February 2016 18:59 UTC David will work from grid EK36, Chiapas, on only FM satellites SO-50 and AO-85. The QSL Manager is XE1LM. Visit https://www.qrz.com/lookup/6d0f/ http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/ [ANS thanks David Maciel, XE3DX 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

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W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo
by John Papay 14 Feb '16

14 Feb '16

Thanks to everyone who called in to work K8YSE portable at the Orlando Hamcation. We had a great time working everyone on SO-50 and FO-29. The crowds were big and the weather outside was sunny and warm Although there was a lot of interest in seeing our station, 9 year old Hope, KM4IPF operating W1AW/4 on SO-50 definitely stole the show. Before the pass I watched her pull the compass out of a bag and tell her father where to point the antenna at AOS and where it would finish up at LOS. She used two HT's for the operation. Dad held the antenna for her as she made contact after contact. She had a crowd around her and we had the IC910 set up about 40' away and our crowd was listening to her on our setup. Steve, N9IP, was the antenna man at our station. Near the end of the pass I called her on the 910H and got a confirmation from W1AW/4! We had a signal path hundreds of miles long but were only 40' apart! Rick WA4NVM provided a recording of the pass and it is up on my website: http://www.papays.com/sat/general.html Frank K9CIS also sent in some recordings of our FO-29 passes which I'll put on the website later. Anyone needing confirmation of a Hamcation contact with K8YSE on LOTW, just send me the qso details and I'll upload it. I can also do a qsl card on request. There is nothing like a good demo to generate interest in satellites. Just set up a station and the crows starts gathering. Thanks to everyone who helped with the effort. 73, John K8YSE

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Flex 5000A For Sale
by Richard Lawn 13 Feb '16

13 Feb '16

I'm looking to trade or sell my Flex 5000A that is bundled with ATU, 2nd RX and V/U module. I'd trade for a K3. Contact me off list if you are interested in either a purchase or have a K3 to trade. 73 Rick, W2JAZ

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AO-7 from GH53
by Ronnan Werneck 13 Feb '16

13 Feb '16

Hi, I'll be active on AO-7 next orbit from my QTH grid GH53. Hope to work some of you in a few minutes. 73 Ron PP2RON

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W1AW/4 on SO-50
by James Lea - WX4TV 13 Feb '16

13 Feb '16

Hope (KM4IPF) will be working as W1AW/4 from the Orlando Hamcation on SO-50 this afternoon from 13:50-14:04 EDT. EL98 James Lea Sent from my iPhone

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Possible KMS-4 Radio Reception w/ video
by Scott 13 Feb '16

13 Feb '16

At approximately 0111 UTC 12-Feb-2016, I was monitoring a wide spectrum in the area of 460 Mhz in hopes of seeing a signal with doppler movement that might correspond to the TLE track of the KMS-4 satellite launched by North Korea. A very strong signal appeared up near 465.985 and tracked as you would expect. Since the signal strength and doppler movement correlated nicely to the track on Orbitron, I suppose there is a decent chance that I was actually receiving KMS-4. Naturally I forgot to record the IF until well through the pass, but I don't really expect to be able to decode the signal anyway. I'm not even sure if there was anything but a carrier, to be honest. On the outside chance that I did see anything on this pass, I was recording the screen and have uploaded the video to YouTube. Orbitron is very small on the right side as I wanted to have as much area as possible to watch for a signal in HDSDR. The max elevation on the pass was 55 degrees. Antenna was a fixed, omni-directional QFH built for 432 Mhz. The radio was the SDRPlay RSP. If anyone would like to see what the signal looked & sounded like, the video is at: https://youtu.be/9JiEyUM-8U4 (please jump to the 4:40 mark where the signal first appears) Oh, and sorry about the manual tuning... not knowing the frequency beforehand, I did not have the software setup to track the doppler automatically. 73! -Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-12 20:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 13 Feb '16

13 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-12 20:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** 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 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-12 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 1023. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 988. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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FS: ICOM IC-275A and IC-475H Tranceivers
by Frank Westphal 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

Sorry Dirk, both radios are long gone to new homes. Frank On 2/12/16 1:10 PM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > Message: 5 > Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2016 09:36:17 +0000 > From: Dirk Jarrett<dirkhaminit(a)hotmail.com> > To:"amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] FS: ICOM IC-275A and IC-475H Tranceivers > Message-ID: > <CY1PR12MB0393929F534BD7B243072D77A5A90(a)CY1PR12MB0393.namprd12.prod.outlook.com> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Hi Frank, a long long shot here. I assume you sold the icom 275,475. LOL i am trying to find a PAIR. Thanks, Dirk > > Sent from my iPad

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Updates to AMSAT KEP Distribution - 2-12-2016
by Ray Hoad 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

The following satellites have been added to this week's KEP Distribution AGGIESAT4 - NORAD ID # 41313 KWANGMYONGSONG4 - NORAD ID # 41332 Per AMSAT-BB the North Korean KWANGMYONGSONG4, NORAD ID # 41332, (also known as DPRK Brilliant Star) has achieved a stable orbit, but has so far remained silent. We will continue to include the TLEs for this satellite for the time being. See http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-satellite-orbit-idUSKCN0VI1XN for more info. Per AMSAT-BB the launch of ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 is postponed due to weather issues. No new launch date has been set. Ray Hoad WA5QGD

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Office Closed
by Martha 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, February 15th in observance of Presidents' Day -- 73- Martha

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ARISS UK release 77 minute video of Tim Peake GB1SS and RMS
by M5AKA 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

ARISS UK release 77 minute video of Tim Peake GB1SS and Royal Masonic School for Girls GB1RMS amateur radio contact event http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/ariss-uk-release-full-video-of-tim-peake-and… Southampton University students receive Tim Peake http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/southampton-university-students-receive-tim-… Radio ham interviewed about Tim Peake on BBC Radio Norfolk http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/radio-ham-on-bbc-radio-norfolk/ 73 Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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National Parks Activation (beacons)
by Robert Bruninga 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

Everyone, while in a national park, please confirm APRS activity on 144.39 and report if nothing heard. APRS has a goal of assuring APRS coverage in all the national parks. It is so great to see another ham in the park and go meet them because of their APRS beacon. Statistically, there are at least a dozen hams a day in the big parks... yet without a beacon, its dark ships in the night... If no digipeaters cover the park, please report so we can update our databse of all National Parks with APRS coverage. http://aprs.org/aprs-parks.html Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- > I will be operating satellites SO-50 and FO-29 from DM29 > in eastern Nevada on February 21-23, 2016. > WA7HQD, Lee (Doc) Ernstrom

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Upcoming DM29 and NP24 National Parks Activation
by Lee Ernstrom 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

I will be operating satellites SO-50 and FO-29 from DM29 in eastern Nevada on February 21-23, 2016. Please check out my QRZ.com page for details. WA7HQD Lee (Doc) Ernstrom

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First ever ARISS HAMTV live downlink to a school
by Daniel Cussen 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

The first ever live HAMTV school contact took place yesterday, a world first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cosp6W-gqq4 The contact starts at around 55 minutes with live video shortly afterwards. Congratulations to everyone involved. https://principia.org.uk/news/second-amateur-radio-call/ There was live streaming and more info here: https://principia.ariss.org There is always a chance of more live TV on future school contacts. There is one planned for the UK on Friday of next week. Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg HAMTV downlinks on 2395Mhz. More info on HAMTV here: http://www.ariss-eu.org/columbus/ham-video More info on dedicated HAMTV mailing list: https://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/HamTV

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HamTV ARISS Contact Video
by M5AKA 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

Video of Tim Peake’s first Digital Amateur Television (DATV) HamTV ARISS contact as received direct by Colin Watts G4KLB in Bournemouth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9keVA21DPBc More history made at second amateur radio call http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/more-history-made-at-second-amateur-radio-ca… ISS HamTV used for school contact http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/iss-hamtv-used-for-school-contact/ 73 Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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Virtual Audio Cable recommendations
by Steve Kristoff 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

I would like some recommendations on Virtual Audio Cable software that allows Fox Telem to talk to either SDR# or HDSDR, please. Thank you for your thoughts! Steve Kristoff AI9IN skristof(a)etczone.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] FS: ICOM IC-275A and IC-475H Tranceivers
by Dirk Jarrett 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

Hi Frank, a long long shot here. I assume you sold the icom 275,475. LOL i am trying to find a PAIR. Thanks, Dirk Sent from my iPad

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth, UK, direct via GB1RMS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Thu 2016-02-11 18:09:02 UTC 89 deg (***) Congratulations to the HamTV crew that showed the contact! (***) Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg **************************************************************************** ** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to _aj9n(a)amsat.org_ (mailto:[email protected]) or _aj9n(a)aol.com_ (mailto:[email protected]) . **************************************************************************** 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_ (mailto:[email protected]) **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Gaston ON4WF with 121 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 116 Francesco IKØWGF with 116 **************************************************************************** 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 8061 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1023. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 988. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 46. 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, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 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 2016-02-12 05:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 43/44 on orbit Scott Kelly Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS Exp. 46 on orbit Tim Kopra KE5UDN Timothy Peake KG5BVI Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Elecraft for satellites
by Richard Lawn 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

I'm sure I've asked this question if the group in the past, but periodically it's worth asking again. I'm curious if anyone is using these fine radios with transverters in the birds. If so is there compatible tracking software? It's a shame if not as the Elecraft quality and line including the K3 and companion transverters seems to offer great promise for satellite use. Rick, W2JAZ -- Sent from Gmail Mobile

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Re: [amsat-bb] Seeking Help with FunCube Dongle Pro+, SatPC32
by Tom Schuessler 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

HDSDR can also work well via CAT control if you use the free Virtual Serial Port Emulator software. There is some issue with that program and 64 bit windows. For me o0n my old XP box, it works fairly well with quirks. I can move HDSDR and SATPC32 moves with it. The key is that VSPE sets up a pair of serial cables and you use either side of the pair configured to the two programs and they talk bi-directionally. I am not a pro at this but it does seem to work. DDE will only allow one way from SatPC32 to radio. Tom Schuessler n5hyp(a)arrl.net On 2/10/2016 17:49, Richard Lawn wrote: > I'm close but not quite there. I'm trying to get the FCDP+ to function with > SatPC32 and my IC-9100. From within HDSDR I'm using both Omni Rig > connections and DDE client to facilitate connections with SatPC32 and the > 9100. It seems like full tuning is working on the FunCUbe but radio control > is not functioning properly on the IC-9100. > > I've looked for websites to help clarify this setup but haven't found > anything. I know several of you on this list are using the FNCP+ with > another radio for the uplink and I'd love to know how you are setting it > up. > > 73 > Rick, W2JAZ

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The launch of ChubuSat-2&ChubuSat-3 is postponed
by Yasutaka Naru sawa (JR2XEA) 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

Dear all; The Feb. 12 launch of ChubuSat-2&ChubuSat-3 is postponed. New launch date is not yet decided. Best Regards, Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA

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Orlando Hamcation Demos
by John Papay 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

We will have a demo station at Orlando Hamcation on Friday, Saturday and possibly on Sunday, February 12, 13, and 14. We will likely operate on SO-50 and FO-29 on the following passes: 2-12 1813-1832utc FO-29 2-12 1826-1838utc SO-50 2-13 1719-1737utc FO-29 2-13 1851-1904utc SO-50 2-13 1903-1922itc FO-29 2-14 1737-1749utc SO-50 2-14 1808-1827utc FO-29 Sunday is iffy. We may be on other satellites as well. Please give us a call if you hear us and respond with your grid square, city/state and name. This will help the onlookers to have a better idea of where you are. 73, John K8YSE

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6D0F Special Call
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

I will work the special prefix 6D0F, apostolic journey of his holiness pope Francis to Mexico. Thursday 11 February 2016 18:00 UTC Thursday, 18 February 2016 18:59 UTC Will work from EK36, Chiapas, only FM satellites SO-50 and AO-85. Thanks for being there, I need your help for good contact. QSL Manager XE1LM. Visit https://www.qrz.com/lookup/6d0f/ David Maciel XE3DX *http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/ <http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/>* *david.xe3dx(a)gmail.com <david.xe3dx(a)gmail.com>*

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Seeking Help with FunCube Dongle Pro+, SatPC32 & HDSDR
by Richard Lawn 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

I'm close but not quite there. I'm trying to get the FCDP+ to function with SatPC32 and my IC-9100. From within HDSDR I'm using both Omni Rig connections and DDE client to facilitate connections with SatPC32 and the 9100. It seems like full tuning is working on the FunCUbe but radio control is not functioning properly on the IC-9100. I've looked for websites to help clarify this setup but haven't found anything. I know several of you on this list are using the FNCP+ with another radio for the uplink and I'd love to know how you are setting it up. 73 Rick, W2JAZ

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Re: [amsat-bb] IC-9100 AO-85 Telemetry
by Eric Knaps, ON4HF 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

Hello,I had the same problem. Then i used the line input of the soundcard and it worked. If you use the mic input your audio will be filtered on most soundcards.Good luck,Eric ON4HF. Sent with my smartphone... ------ Origineel bericht------Van: Frank WestphalDatum: di, 9 feb. 2016 07:49Naar: Dave Webb KB1PVH;Andrew Glasbrenner;CC: AMSAT -BB;Onderwerp:Re: [amsat-bb] IC-9100 AO-85 Telemetry I turned on menu item #57 (9600bps mode) and put it into FMD mode and tried a 23 degree pass but did not decode any packets.On 2/8/16 1:43 PM, Dave Webb KB1PVH wrote:>> Also put it in FMD mode by long pressing the FM button.>> Dave-KB1PVH>> Sent from my Samsung S4>_______________________________________________Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum availableto all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressedare solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Re: [amsat-bb] Windows program to record desktop and audio?
by h05ram-k9ldw＠usa.net 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

Audacity works well. 73, Lowell K9LDW ------ Original Message ------ Received: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 07:36:48 AM CST From: John Brier <johnbrier(a)gmail.com> To: APBIDDLE(a)mailaps.orgCc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Windows program to record desktop and audio? > I use Open Broadcaster Classic. It works very well for me: > > https://obsproject.com/ > > Fwiw the new version is cross platform. > On Feb 11, 2016 8:24 AM, "Alan" <wa4sca(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > I am putting together a satellite presentation for a non-ham group, and > > want to include some > > recordings of programs in action such as FoxTelem and SatPC32. The > > YouTube recordings are good, but I > > want to do custom ones for the audience. Any recommendations of good > > software? I have tried VLC, > > which is recommended, but must not be holding my jaw right. > > > > > > 73s, > > > > Alan > > WA4SCA > > > > ----------------------------------- > > > > Keep Calm and Carry On > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > > expressed > > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > > AMSAT-NA. > > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Windows program to record desktop and audio?
by Alan 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

Hi, I am putting together a satellite presentation for a non-ham group, and want to include some recordings of programs in action such as FoxTelem and SatPC32. The YouTube recordings are good, but I want to do custom ones for the audience. Any recommendations of good software? I have tried VLC, which is recommended, but must not be holding my jaw right. 73s, Alan WA4SCA ----------------------------------- Keep Calm and Carry On

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Code weaver's crossover
by Richard Lawn 11 Feb '16

11 Feb '16

Has anyone found success using Crossover to run SatPC32 on a Mac? I'm getting sick of fiddling constantly with Windows OS, a system I never got comfortable with after spending years using Macs. Rick, W2JAZ -- Sent from Gmail Mobile

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NK Satellite Stable But Apparently Silent
by B J 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-satellite-orbit-idUSKCN0VI1XN 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Question about APRS/UISS
by Mark Lunday 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

I am wondering why my AGW Packet Engine Pro shows decoded signals from the ISS but the UISS does not show any data. When I switch over to 144.39, almost all of the packets don't show up in UISS either. Is there some special setting I need to use? I don't have any filters enabled on UISS. Is there a better interfacing program with AGW Packet Engine than UISS? Mark Lunday, WD4ELG Greensboro, NC FM06be wd4elg(a)arrl.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com

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FS: M2 436cp30 and ps70cm
by Wyatt Dirks 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

I have for sale a almost brand new 436cp30 and ps70cm. I had the antenna in the air for about a month and everything in good condition. I can disassemble to ship or arrange for pickup around Cedar Rapids, IA. Will sell for 350 dollars obo. Thanks Wyatt Ac0ra

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Chubusat Message Exchange Service?
by Tony 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

All: Does anyone know the details on how Chubusat's Message Exchange Service works? It appears the satellite will receive messages on the 1200 baud VHF uplink while the 9600 baud UHF down link will be used to send (possibly broadcast) said messages. According to the website, ground stations need to "send an inquiry message" to read messages. That said, if this is a full-duplex system, one would obviously need a pair of modems to run both 1200 and 9600 baud i.e., something like a pair of UZ7HO sound modems. Any thoughts? Tony -K2MO

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QRU WinLNK transmitting every 2 secs to the ISS?
by Stewart Todd Morgan 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

I saw your message to the AMSAT board about this, and I think it is documented (somewhat) on your page in the Winlink Text-Messaging section under Message Alerts: http://www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html I wasn't sure if you were just trying to be subtle. 73 Todd AL0I

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