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I tried to get a signal from LAPAN-A2
by Karn Suwanrat 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

2015 Sept 29 0826UTC I tried to get a signal from LAPAN-A2 with TLE: 2015-052F Receiver set to 437425kHz Max El 9 Degree Over Bangkok, TH I heard some kind of sound but don't know if this is a TLM from LAPAN-A2 or not here is my video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XpNihCQ8yc Thank you Karn Suwanrat E20ZFD/AA1AF

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LilacSat-2 pass @ 0147 UTC tonight (29 September)
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

Hi! There was a nice turnout on the 0147 UTC LilacSat-2 pass over the US west coast. Stations up and down the coast, and as far east as west Texas, were on. Unlike with the first QSO I made on this satellite last week, when it was raining very hard on my operating position in the yard, I was able to have a nice and calm evening. I used my Icom IC-2820H 2m/70cm FM mobile radio for my uplink transmitter, and an SDR setup for the downlink receiver - SDRplay SDR receiver, 8-inch Windows 10 tablet with HDSDR software - to operate full-duplex. I connected both of these through a diplexer to my Elk log periodic. I used HDSDR to make an RF recording of both downlinks - the FM repeater downlink around 437.200 MHz, and the digital telemetry downlink around 437.225 MHz. I think I had a better copy on the 437.225 MHz downlink tonight than over the weekend, and logged 6 contacts on the FM repeater. Last week, when I worked Glenn AA5PK, I was not able to get through with anything less than 50W transmit power. Tonight was not as bad, but I found that I couldn't get away with 5W for more than a few transmissions. The mid-power setting from my IC-2820H, 15W, worked better. High power (50W) worked well, too. None of these power levels desensed my SDRplay receiver. Maybe if the satellite was higher in the sky, and closer to passing over my head, I might have had better luck using the 5W power level. I saw a mixed reaction on Twitter - one reported needing to run 50W, and someone else said 5W was sufficient. Rather than posting the long and nasty URLs used by Dropbox for its public folders, I made a shorter URL that can take you to the recordings and other files I have been posting in my public Dropbox space: http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ For tonight's LilacSat-2 pass, look for the folder with the name "20150929-LilacSat2". If you have an SDR program on your computer or device, and have the bandwidth to download the RF recording, download the WAV file with the name starting with "HDSDR_20150929" in that folder. I also have an MP3 recording with the audio I heard during the pass, plus photos of my back yard setup and a screengrab from my phone's tracking app to show how the pass was for me in central Arizona. Late last week, I made a one-page graphic with a quick-reference guide for the LilacSat-2 FM repeater. I now have this graphic at its own URL: http://lilacsat2.wd9ewk.net/ Please feel free to right-click on the graphic and save it to your computer/tablet/device. This pass was the 3rd consecutive pass where LilacSat-2's FM repeater was operational over the continental USA. It was nice to see the reports from the two earlier passes, and then to work it for myself on the third pass. Thanks to the LilacSat-2 team for another FM satellite for us! 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-29 04:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-29 04:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Nowogard Union Schools: Junior High School No. 2, Nowogard, Poland, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-09-29 12:56:27 UTC 36 deg Watch for possible live stream http://ariss.pzk.org.pl/live/ Fukara Junior High School, Susono, Japan, direct via 8N2F The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Thu 2015-10-01 10:26:55 UTC 85 deg Corpus Christi Catholic School, Chambersburg, PA, telebridge via LU1CGB (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-10-06 16:29:32 UTC 33 deg (***) Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr Ismail (1), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, direct via 9M2RPN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Fri 2015-10-09 08:00:04 UTC 47 deg (***) **************************************************************************** ** Interested in hosting an ARISS contact? The window is now open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016. Go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact or http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html for full details. To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding US 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. These will be offered Thursday, September 17, at 2000 UTC; Tuesday, September 22, at 2000 UTC, and Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. **************************************************************************** ** >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. **************************************************************************** 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 Francesco IKØWGF with 114 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 109 **************************************************************************** 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 2015-09-29 04:30 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 994. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 959. 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, Vermont, 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 2015-09-17 08:30 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. 44 on orbit Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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XW-2 identifications
by Nico Janssen 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

All, Using detailed doppler measurements I find the following identifications: XW-2A is object 40903, 2015-049E, (other IDs: XiWang 2A, Hope 2A, CAS-3A). XW-2E is object 40909, 2015-049L, (other IDs: XiWang 2E, Hope 2E, CAS-3E). 73, Nico PA0DLO

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New Satellites! ? (keyhole view)...
by Robert Bruninga 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

Watching the BB about all these recent satellites is like watching a parade through a key hole. Would someone with the time simply make a very brief summary of these items: NAME, NUMBER, Inclination, DOWNLINK, UPLINK, MODE, comments ANd try to remember to include the table (as updated) in most emails so that we can all benefit as a group from your efforts. When new info comes along, hit REPLY, then edit the table with your new info. And for the table, KEEP it BRIEF, else we cannot see the trees in the forest. Bob, Wb4APR

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Fall Grid Trip - Summary
by R.T.Liddy 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

This Fall's Grid Expedition took place 9/17-9/23. I had several requeststo activate some northern Grids in Ontario and Quebec. So, I mapped outa route quite a ways north of Toronto in Ontario to EN99 and over intoQuebec to FN18 and down to Montreal and over to FN24 in Upstate NY. My portable station was an ICOM 820H and an Arrow Antenna on a homebrewAX/EL/Vert/Horiz tripod mount. You can see the setup on my QRZ.com page,but it shows my Arrow prior to building the tripod which makes things much easier. The first station worked on the trip was KG5CCI while in FN05 on FO29and the last station worked was WI9I while in FN24 on SO50. Special Thanksto Frank K4FEG who was always around with helpful info and assisting withputting out status messages on the Internet on my progress. Extra Special Thanksto John K8YSE who kept me company at the end of most passes when I wasalone and there was no one left to work. John would always have a signal thatwas copyable nearly to my LOS! Here are some highlights of the Trip by the numbers:0 - The number of stations worked on an FO29 pass in FN08. Where were they?1 - Excellent & Understanding XYL who lets me do these solo trips.1 - Only once did anyone come over to me and ask what I was doing.2 - DX Countries worked. G & ZF.2 - Stations that said I was their FIRST SAT QSO!!3 - Chicken Dinners I ended up with vs.ONE in Quebec due to my poor Francais.4 - Countries worked ...plus All US Call Areas and VE2 & VE34.56 - Price per gallon in Canadian $ equating to 3.39 in US $5 - The number of cylinders I drove home on the last 150 miles, fouled plug!6 - Motel stays (Thankfully, 25% advantage using US Exchange Rate!)7 - Days on the road seeing absolutely beautiful scenery!!11 - Voltage of my truck battery the day after I got home - replaced. (Glad I was HOME.)12 - Number of Grids activated. FN05,06,07,08,18,17,16,26,24 and EN97,98,9921 - Stops for Grid Activations.73 - Number of different stations worked - 36 with single QSOs and 37 with multiple QSOs.234 - Total QSOs - 181 on FO29 and 53 on SO50.2065 - Total trip miles.++ - Lost count of the number of times I heard, "Thanks for the New Grid!" Biggest Thrill - Tie between working 2 stations as their FIRST SAT QSO and the multiple times I gave folks a New Grid!! Biggest Disappointment - The level of QRM on SO50 on every pass that prevented numerous QSOs I was trying to finish with stations. Most Interesting Roadside Marker - 'Now Entering The Arctic Watershed"!! WOW, that's what I call NORTH!!! Hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did. Would I do it again? YOU BETCHA!! 73, Bob K8BL /VE3/VE2/W2 (AMSAT #6593 Since 1979)

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Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 FM Transponder at 00:11 UTC, 29-September
by Rick Tejera 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

Clayton, Is the downlink at 447.220 as recently reported? From earlier reports, it seemed to be around 457.200 as dome (might have Bern you) were hearing it at LOS near 447.191. Hoping to give it a try Wednesday. Rick Tejera K7TEJSaguaroAstro(a)cox.net623-203-4121 -------- Original message -------- From: Clayton W5PFG <w5pfg(a)amsat.org> Date: 09/28/2015 17:51 (GMT-07:00) To: 'amsat bb' <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 FM Transponder at 00:11 UTC, 29-September About a dozen stations were heard making contacts on LilacSat-2 at 00:11Z, orbit # 135. From my QTH in Texas, EM21, I was hearing stations as far north as EN37. This orbit put LilacSat-2 almost directly up the center of the USA. I was able to make several contacts using 5 watts and an Elk antenna. 73 Clayton W5PFG EM21hs _______________________________________________ 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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LilacSat-2 FM Transponder at 00:11 UTC, 29-September
by Clayton W5PFG 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

About a dozen stations were heard making contacts on LilacSat-2 at 00:11Z, orbit # 135. From my QTH in Texas, EM21, I was hearing stations as far north as EN37. This orbit put LilacSat-2 almost directly up the center of the USA. I was able to make several contacts using 5 watts and an Elk antenna. 73 Clayton W5PFG EM21hs

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RES: Lilacsat is ON now 22:32 UTC
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

Hello All, Lilacsat was ON over USA sounding strong but pretty crowded on the 0:15 UTC pass.. I managed to work a bunch of stations on there, The bird can be hard to get into for me for some reason, But other than that its better than SO-50. Hopefully we can see people working LAPANSAT soon too! 73's Nick KE8AKW

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LAPAN-A2
by Andrew Glasbrenner 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

I see Celestrak now has objects 2015-052A, B, C, D, and H in the tle-new.txt file. These are all roughly the same altitude and 6 degrees inclination. One is out in front of the others significantly. Probably pretty easy to look at the RCS and figure which is LAPAN-A2, as it is fairly big compared to the other secondary payloads. For my location at ~28.3N, I see about 5 passes a day, clumped together in a row, with max elevations of 3-4 degrees, and max length of ~7-8 minutes. I think if you are north of 30 degrees, you will be out of luck on this one. When the APRS digi is activated, I will plan on a gateway with a good performing low elevation antenna. This could become an important resource to boaters and such in the Caribbean, especially with the high revisit rate. It will be quite the boon for the low latitude ops who don't get the same number and quality of passes from polar orbiters as those north of the tropics! 73, Drew KO4MA 2015-052A 1 40930U 15052A 15271.78805001 .00000636 00000-0 00000+0 0 9998 2 40930 5.9961 25.6324 0012569 1.1177 71.2694 14.76109362 97 2015-052B 1 40931U 15052B 15271.78630001 .00000639 00000-0 00000+0 0 9998 2 40931 5.9992 25.6568 0013796 3.6374 59.9065 14.76340487 80 2015-052C 1 40932U 15032C 15271.78522595 .00000640 00000-0 00000+0 0 9997 2 40932 6.0047 25.6912 0014433 12.5061 45.7809 14.76569231 87 2015-052D 1 40933U 15052D 15271.78414840 .00000641 00000-0 00000+0 0 9994 2 40933 6.0035 25.7250 0013915 10.3986 42.4641 14.76757899 84 2015-052H 1 40937U 15052H 15271.78277109 .00000675 00000-0 00000+0 0 9990 2 40937 5.9541 25.2141 0029532 80.0353 332.8819 14.80192300 95

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RES: Lilacsat is ON now 22:32 UTC
by PY5LF 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

LILACSAT 2 1 40908U 15049K 15271.49888377 .00001864 00000-0 11313-3 0 9991 2 40908 97.4651 279.4719 0015548 212.7825 269.1563 15.11648961 1289 PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF -----Mensagem original----- De: Ted [mailto:[email protected]] Enviada em: segunda-feira, 28 de setembro de 2015 19:42 Para: 'PY5LF' Assunto: RE: [amsat-bb] Lilacsat is ON now 22:32 UTC Hi Luciano, what is the object number, pls Thank you, Ted K7TRK -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of PY5LF Sent: Monday, September 28, 2015 3:34 PM To: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Lilacsat is ON now 22:32 UTC Transponder FM is ON ! PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF _______________________________________________ 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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My latest ISS reception video, of New Mexico Military Institute
by John Brier 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

My latest ISS reception video. This time between New Mexico Military Institute and Astronaut Kjell Lindgren on September 16th. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmGMZPDXdbI

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Lilacsat is ON now 22:32 UTC
by PY5LF 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

Transponder FM is ON ! PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF

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LAPAN A-2
by Roland Zurmely 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

The Lapan A2 can not be operated by stations in latitudes above 32 degrees ! Please see here: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/lapan2.htm 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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Re: [amsat-bb] LAPAN A-2
by W M Willoughby 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

Alan, Don't delete your keps – you can always use them when you take a beach vacation or a Caribbean cruise! Red KC4LE

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Oct-3 15hs Amsat Argentina Balloon launch
by Amsat Argentina 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

On Sat. Oct-3-2015 at 15hs-UTC a Balloon Launch is planned from Pehuajo, Argentina. Callsign: LU7AA-11 on aprs.fi , findu.com & http://lu7aa.org.ar/vor.asp Details/Photos on http://amsat.org.ar/globo3.htm 73, Amsat Argentina lu7aa (at) yahoo.com

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Popes Visit Special Event- Thanks' to everyone
by W2JV 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

Hello, It was certainly an historic visit and amateur radio had another reason to celebrate with the overwhelming activity on all bands and modes. The amateur satellite operators supported this special event as well exchanging greetings, grids and appreciation for the operators who donated their time to give their contacts an opportunity for a special QSL and certificate. I would like to thank Paul, N8HM, Wayne, NM3B, Jeff, KB2M and Paul, W2HRO, 2M EME for making this event a memorable one for those operating on the amateur satellites and EME. Thank you. 73 Peter W2JV

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KD5QGR satellite status page
by ingejack＠cox.net 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

the KD5QGR satellite status page now has the XW-2E and XW-2F satellites listed as well as XW-2A 73 JACK/KC7MG

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share a room at Dayton for symposium
by Nick Pugh K5QXJ 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

If you want to share room expenses at the Crown Plaza hotel please contact me off list. Thanks nick Office 337 593 8700 Cell 337 258 2527 Helping UL become a world Class Engineering and Educational School Disagree I Learn

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Now Available: The TASS Computer-Controlled Switch System
by Mark Thompson 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

Now Available: The TASS Computer-Controlled Switch System The TASS (Totally Awesome Switch System) is a general purpose 8-port DC-150 MHz relay-based switch. The hardware is designed to be very generic, with an inexpensive processor such as an Arduino providing the system logic. Control is via USB, with Ethernet and other interfaces also available. The TASS can be configured several ways, and multiple boards can be combined to create large switching systems. The TASS has many uses, from switching signal sources on a test bench or in a laboratory, to selecting receive antennas and filters in a ham or SWL station. The TASS system has two boards: * The TASS-R relay board, which does the mechanics of signal switching and provides a very simple 10-pin interface. * The TASS-SHIELD board for use with an Arduino Mega 2560 microcontroller. The TASS-SHIELD allows up to four TASS-R boards to be controlled simultaneously. Both boards are available now from TAPR as kits. They use through-hole parts and don't require any special assembly techniques. The final component is open source software for the Arduino that acts as an interface between a host computer or other input system, and the switching hardware. The software is available for download from TAPR. An introductory video is available at https://youtu.be/P-TUM2dOi4c or from TAPR at http://tapr.org/~n8ur/TASS/TASS_Intro_26Sep15.mp4 Software and documentation can be downloaded from http://tapr.org/~n8ur/TASS. You may order the TASS-R and TASS-SHIELD boards by visiting http://tapr.org/kits_tass.html _______________________________________________

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TW-1A/B/C Report
by PY5LF 28 Sep '15

28 Sep '15

Hi Signal heard of the 3 new Chinese sats . https://youtu.be/MXujwLMPHdI Congrats to Camsat. PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF

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LilacSat-2 FM Transponder Active at 2300 UTC, 26 September
by Clayton W5PFG 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

Several stations were heard making contacts on LilacSat-2's FM transponder at 2300 UTC today, 26 September on orbit #104 over North America. I've uploaded a recording to Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/w5pfg/lilacsat-2-26092015-2300-ko4ma-ka4h-ki4ro-aa5p… 73 Clayton W5PFG

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FUNcube- 1 operations
by Graham Shirville 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

Hi All, Just to confirm that FUNcube-1 was returned to autonomous mode at approx 20:12 UTC this evening. 73 Graham G3VZV

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LAPAN-A2 keps
by Roland Zurmely 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

As his orbits is inclinated by only 8 degrees, Lapan will notbe able to be operated by stations in latitudes above 32 degrees ! please see heere: < LAPAN A2 > | | | | | | | | | | | LAPAN A2 LAPAN A2 Previsão do rastro terrestre por PY4ZBZ em 09-09-2015 | | | | View on www.qsl.net | Preview by Yahoo | | | | | 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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LAPAN-A2 FM Voice and APRS launch Sep 28
by M5AKA 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

LAPAN-A2 with FM Voice transponder and APRS launches September 28 http://amsat-uk.org/2015/08/30/lapan-a2-launch/ Ofcom clarifies position on SES call signs http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/27/ofcom-clarifies-position-on-ses-calls/ RSGB invites all radio amateurs in the UK and Crown Dependencies to complete an online questionnaire http://www.rsgb.org/ar-survey Beijing launches three more amateur radio satellites http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/26/tianwang-1-launch/ LilacSat-2 FM voice transponder schedule and first image downloaded http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/25/lilacsat-2-fm-transponder-schedule/ 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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LilacSat-2 over FN10
by W3MAT . 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

Listen to this mornings pass... https://youtu.be/Q2wWS7FMLBU

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TW-1A,1B,1C heard
by Mineo Wakita 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

I could receive the signals of these Chinese satellites on 27 Sep 2015. The signals of TW-1A or 1C in the left figure are a very powerful every 10 seconds. The signal of TW-1B in the right figure is a very delicate and I confirmed that are sending every 20 seconds. Because those protocol are CSP (not AX.25), we will not be able to decode them in the usual way. I used 2015-051A in NORAD as TLE. 2015-051A 1 40925U 15051A 15270.08999289 -.00000074 00000-0 00000+0 0 9992 2 40925 97.3119 305.5606 0012816 273.4021 164.9809 15.29495126 296 09:44-09:55 UTC, 27 Sep 2015, Ele 31 SE-E-N TW-1A/C http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/50927twa.png TW-1B http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/50927twb.png Details http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/tw1a1b1c.htm JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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LilacSat-2 FM Transponder
by KO6TZ Bob 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

On the 00:30 and 02:00utc passes 27Sept, nothing heard. Is it possible the transponder was only turned on for one pass? KO6TZ

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AMSAT News Service Bulletin 270
by E.Mike McCardel 27 Sep '15

27 Sep '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-270 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Fox-1A to Launch on NROL-55 October 8 * Recording of LilacSat-2's FM Transponder * Be the first to catch the signals from AAUSAT-5 contest * LAPAN-A2 To Be Launched September 28 * ARISS-Europe Chairman Retires, Successor Elected * Space Auction to be held again at this year’s AMSAT Symposium * AMSAT Space Symposium Paper Publication Deadline Looms * Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Version 1.0 Available for Download * ARISS-US Contact Proposals for Schools, Educational Organizations Still Being Accepted * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-270 ANS-270 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 270 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. September 27, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-270 Fox-1A to Launch on NROL-55 October 8 NROL-55 is scheduled to launch on October 8, 2015 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. NROL-55 will carry an auxiliary payload called Government Rideshare Advanced Concepts Experiment (GRACE). GRACE, sponsored by the NRO, will carry 13 CubeSats to space, nine sponsored by the NRO and four sponsored by NASA. GRACE is the fourth NRO-sponsored CubeSat mission. Fox-1A is one of the NASA sponsored CubeSats. [ANS thanks NRO/OCPA/OPA] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Recording of LilacSat-2's FM Transponder Several stations were heard making contacts on LilacSat-2's FM transponder at 2300 UTC today, 26 September on orbit #104 over North America. Clayton W5PFG uploaded a recording to Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/w5pfg/lilacsat-2-26092015-2300-ko4ma-ka4h- ki4ro-aa5pk-kc4le-w5pfg (Editor's note the URL above is truncated to meet ANS' editorial requirements. You may need to copy and paste as one line to guarantee it works) [ANS thanks Clayton W5PFG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Be the first to catch the signals from AAUSAT-5 contest Be the first to send in your recorded signal from AAUSAT5 and you will receive a prize from ESA's Education Office. Launched on 19 August to the ISS, the Danish student CubeSat is now waiting for its deployment from the Japanese Kibo module’s airlock. Sometime in the week of 5 October, an astronaut will manipulate a robotic arm to lift AAUSAT5 from the airlock and place it in orbit. Once launched from the International Space Station the CubeSat will begin transmitting signals to Earth that can be picked up by anyone with common amateur radio equipment. ESA challenges anyone to record the signal and send it to us (cubesats(a)esa.int) and Aalborg University (studentspace(a)space.aau.dk). The first correct email received will win the following prices: ESA/AAUSAT5 poster with signatures of the team members ESA Education goodie bag Scale 1:1 3D printed model of the AAUSAT 5 satellite AAUSAT5 is the 5th CubeSat designed and built by the University of Aalborg, Denmark. It is the 2nd AAUSAT satellite tested under ESA’s supervision as part of the ESA Education Office’s Fly Your Satellite programme. The technical objective of AAUSAT5 is to test an improved version of an Automatic Identification System (AIS), which aims to track and identify ships transiting away from coastal areas and those in remote areas. If successful, a satellite-based AIS system could enable the establishment and use of safe new shipping lanes. For more information please see the ESA AAUSAT5 website http://www.esa.int/Education/CubeSats_- _Fly_Your_Satellite/AAUSAT5_CubeSat and the team site from the University of Aalborg. http://www.space.aau.dk/aausat5/ [ANS thanks ESA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- LAPAN-A2 To Be Launched September 28 LAPAN-A2 satellite will be launched together on a mission astrosat India's PSLV-C30 / astrosat on 28 Sep 2015. It will operate in the near equatorial orbit between 6 to 8 degree, 650km and able to cross the territory of Indonesia 14 times a day. LAPAN A2, also known as LAPAN-ORARI, is an indonesian microsatellite based on the LAPAN-Tubsat. It carries an AIS (Automatic Identification System) to identify the ships in the waters of Indonesia and a video camera with a range three times wider than the Lapan-Tubsat. It also carries a payload for disaster management by amateur radio communication. The satellite structure and many subsystems are the same as in its sister satellite LAPAN A3. The Earth observation payload of LAPAN A2 consists of a Video camera (Kappa PAL) for 80 km width ground coverage and a Video camera (Kappa HDTV for high resolution satellite color video observation with a ground resolution of 6 m and a ground coverage of 11 × 6 km per video frame. LAPAN-A2 carries a payload of voice repeaters and an APRS Repeater for communications of the Organisation for Amateur Radio Indonesia (ORARI) during a disaster. [ANS thanks Wisnu YBØAZ and Gunter's Space Page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS-Europe Chairman Retires, Successor Elected Amateur Radio on the International Space Station-Europe (ARISS-EU http://www.ariss-eu.org/) Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, will retire from that post this fall after serving since 2000, when the ARISS Working Group was formed. Among other initiatives, Bertels was involved in the project to have Amateur Radio equipment and antennas installed on the ISS Columbus module and with the installation and commissioning of the Ham TV DATV system on the ISS. He has also personally assisted in many ARISS contacts involving schools and groups on the Continent. "[I'm] now 88 and slowing down a bit," Bertels told ARRL in announcing the election of his successor as ARISS-EU Chairman, Emanuele D'Andria, I0ELE. In 2014, International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1 http://www.iaru-r1.org) awarded the Roy Stevens, G2BVN, Memorial Trophy to Bertels, in recognition of his service to Amateur Radio in space, first as chairman of the Eurocom Working Group and then of the Amateur Radio Space Exploration Working Group. As Bertels explained, a slate of four ARISS-EU Board candidates was presented to the ARISS-EU member societies. All ran unopposed for 2- year terms. In addition to D'Andria, other Board members include Oliver Amend, DG6BCE, technical director; Bertus HÃ¼sken, PE1KEH, counselor, and Jean Pierre Courjaud, F6DZP, counselor. The new ARISS- EU Board takes office on October 1. The ARISS membership includes the AMSAT organizations in Belgium, France, Italy, Sweden, and the UK, and the IARU member societies in Italy, Germany, Poland, France, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK. IARU member societies in Malta and Lebanon are associate members. "Congratulations to the elected Board, and best wishes for a very successful term of office," Bertels said in announcing the new board. [ANS thanks The ARRL Letter for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Space Auction to be held again at this year’s AMSAT Symposium In light of the very successful—and fun—auction at last year’s AMSAT Symposium, AMSAT-NA is pleased to announce that you can look forward to another auction at this year’s Symposium. The auction will be held at the Friday night reception. Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, has again volunteered to be the Auctioneer. To date, we have several space-related items for the auction. However, to make this auction, interesting, fun, and “profitable”** we could use many more items. Some of the items auctioned last year included several astronaut autographed items, including a DVD from Richard Garriott, Russian memorabilia, spacecraft and rocket models, space related books, the sign from the AMSAT Lab and items from previous AMSAT satellites. If you have any space or AMSAT related items you would like to donate for the auction, please contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)amsat.org. Think about this and use your creativity as this is for a good cause. We thank you for your donations in advance! **And don’t forget that AMSAT is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. So your auction donations are tax deductible!! [ANS thanks Frank KA3HDO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Space Symposium Paper Publication Deadline Looms AMSAT Space Symposium Proceedings Chairman, Dan Shultz, N8FGV, reminds all that the final deadline for receiving Papers for publication in the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings is MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28. Final drafts should be submitted to Dan, n8fgv (at) usa (dot) net. Dan advises that authors who are pushing hard to meet this deadline should contact him immediately. n8fgv (at) usa (dot) net. These papers will be presented at the AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 16-18, 2015, at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Dayton, Ohio. [ANS thanks Dan N8FGV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Version 1.0 Available for Download Version 1.0 of the FoxTelem software, the Fox Telemetry Decoder is being released to enable setup, testing, and debugging of your Fox-1A ground station prior to the launch of the satellite. FoxTelem is used to demodulate, store and analyze telemetry data from AMSAT's Fox series of Cube Sats. Fox-1 satellites include two telemetry formats: + Slow Speed, also called Data Under Voice (DUV) is 200 bps FSK data sent at the same time as the transponder audio. Whenever the trans- mitter is on, data is being sent. This happens during beacons and during live QSOs. + High Speed is 9600 bps FSK sent instead of the transponder. This is used for data intensive experiments such as the Virginia Tech Camera. This is only active when commanded from the ground. You can recognize High Speed because it sounds like an old school computer modem. FoxTelem will receive and store both formats assuming you can feed it audio that does not have the frequencies below 200 Hz filtered. For High Speed, the audio must also extend to include the full 9600bps bandwidth of the FM signal. For both modes this is best achieved from a Software Defined Radio or from the 9600 bps packet port of some radios. The FoxTelem User Guide provides more details. FoxTelem is supplied as an archive file (.zip on windows, .dmg file on MacOs, .gzip on Linux). Links for downloading can be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4532 You can unzip the contents and put it in the directory of your choice. Also, detailed in the User Guide, are instructions to select the sound source and set received audio levels on your computer. Until Fox-1A is launched you can confirm everything is working by testing with test wav file which will be available from: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/recordings . Access to the test file is accomplished by selecting "Load Wav File" from the FoxTelem File menu, then navigate to the directory where you saved the test wav file. Once you press the start button the file will play through the decoder. The FoxTelem page can also be accessed from the main AMSAT web page: http://www.amsat.org --> Fox Project --> FoxTelem Software for Windows, Mac, & Linux. The direct link to the page is: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4532 [ANS thanks the FoxTelem software team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS-US Contact Proposals for Schools, Educational Organizations Still Being Accepted Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2015 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1 and December 31, 2016. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2015. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an- ariss-contact. Informational Sessions To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding US 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. The next and last of these will be offered Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. Advance registration is necessary. E-mail ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA. More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss- contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-24 05:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Nowogard Union Schools: Junior High School No. 2, Nowogard, Poland, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-09-29 12:56:27 UTC 36 deg Watch for possible live stream http://ariss.pzk.org.pl/live/ Fukara Junior High School, Susono, Japan, direct via 8N2F The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Thu 2015-10-01 10:26:55 UTC 85 deg ********************************************************************* Interested in hosting an ARISS contact? The window is now open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016. Go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact or http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html for full details. To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding US 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. One last session will be offered Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. ********************************************************************* >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. ********************************************************************* 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. ********************************************************************* 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. 44 on orbit Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Satellite Activation on Argentina's Martin Garcia Island Members of the Radio Club Argentino will activate the special callsign LU4AA/D from the Argentine exclave Martin Garcia Island (ILLW AR 022, WW Loc. GF05VT) in Uruguayan waters (part of the La Plata in Buenos Aires Province) between/around 2000z, October 1st and 1400z, October 4th. Operators mentioned are Francisco/ LU1AET, Martin/LU1AMH, Fernando/LU1ARG, Carlos LU1BCE, Fernando LU2BPM, Nico/LW3DN and Juan/LU8ARI. Activity will be on 80-1 meters, as well as 6m/2m/70cm, and using CW, SSB, Satellites, SSTV and the Digital modes. QSL by the Bureau or via LU4AA direct. PLEASE NOTE: The trip, originally planned for middle August had to be rescheduled as a strong storm caused a heavy flooding and closed the departure port. [ANS thanks the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1233 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

1 0

Icom keying software
by gkcarr＠go-express.net 26 Sep '15

26 Sep '15

I have the 9100 and having trouble keying the radio for the ISS, without any extremal device. Can anyone give me a link to the keying software written by Bill, N0DB? 73 George WA5KBH

3 2

AWARDS
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 26 Sep '15

26 Sep '15

To the new satellite ops please go to www.starcommgroup.org There you will find info on 3 free satellite awards 5 in em55 Got Grids and Grid Master some of you may already qualify check your logs Thanks Damon WA4HFN em55 www.starcommgroup.org

1 0

Upcoming ARISS contact with Nowogard Union Schools: Junior High School No. 2, Nowogard, Poland
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 26 Sep '15

26 Sep '15

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Nowogard Union Schools: Junior High School No. 2, Nowogard, Poland on 29 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:56 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and LU1CGB. The contact should be audible over Argentina 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. Nowogard Union Schools consists of two schools: Junior High School No 2 and II High School. The school is situated in Nowogard in West Pomernia Province. Our students are 13 - 19 years old. II High School provides students mainly with humanities, science and mathematics curriculum. In December 2013 the schools joined the ARISS School Contacts project. In 2004 the Nicolaus Copernicus School Amateur Radio called SP1KMK was established. Since then our students have been keenly developing their radio ham interests. Students have taken part in astronomy and astronautics projects such as: MiniSat (they sent their own experiments in near space via balloons thanks to Copernicus Project Foundation), EarthKam (pupils ordered images of Earth taken from the ISS). There was also an educational project called "SUPERCOMPUTER" in which our students gained some knowledge of the latest wireless networking technologies. Apart from the above projects, they have made numerous astronomical observations and got involved in astrophotography. Moreover, we hosted some members of Polish Amateur Astronomers Society who showed at the school the largest amateur telescope called "SOWA". Within the project, Nowogard Union Schools started to cooperate with some institutes of higher education such as West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin and University of Szczecin. We also have established cooperation with NASA staff and conducted a video conference with a NASA astronauts' trainer and a NASA flight engineer. There have been some school trips to 21. Air Force Base in Owidwin and Dolna Odra Power Station in Gryfino organized to expand students' technological and technical knowledge. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What kind of technology is used to have Internet on the station? 2. What is the shortest time to leave the station, for example in case of sending back to Earth a seriously ill astronaut? 3. In your opinion, what module of the ISS is the most heavily loaded with electronics and what tasks does it serve? 4. Does the station have cosmic rays detectors and how do they indicate that the radiation dose inside the station is higher than acceptable? 5. What astronauts have to do in case of fire on the station? 6. Do astronauts have free time? 7. What is the composition and pressure of the atmosphere inside the space station? 8. What is the most interesting or astonishing Earth atmospheric phenomenon you have ever observed? 9. What is the most difficult task you did on the station? 10. Do all members of the crew sleep at the same time? 11. Is it true that pizza and carbonated drinks are forbidden on the ISS? Could you explain why? 12. How is the station provided with electricity? 13. What are negative symptoms of being under Zero Gravity for too long? 14. Is everyone on the station trained to take a spacewalk, if necessary? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Sign up for the SAREX maillist at http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex 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. Fukara Junior High School, Susono, Japan, direct via 8N2F The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Thu, 01Oct2015, 10:26 UTC ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the volunteer support and leadership from AMSAT and IARU societies around the world with the ISS space agencies partners: NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

1 0

TianWang 1A, 1B and 1C
by Nico Janssen 26 Sep '15

26 Sep '15

The new Long March 11 (CZ-11) launch vehicle was launched for its maiden flight on 25 September at 01:41 UTC from Jiuquan with four satellites on board. Three of those are planned to have 2 m, 70 cm and 2.4 GHz downlinks. The 70 cm downlink frequencies have been published by BD5RV. TW-1A (TianWang 1A, SECM-1), a 2U Cubesat TW-1B (TianWang 1B, NJUST-2), a 2U Cubesat TW-1C (TianWang 1B, NJFA-1), a 3U Cubesat. The TW-1 satellites will test formation flying, evaluate a SDR payload, and test a GPS/Beidou receiver, AIS receiver, ADS-B receiver and a video camera. The TW-1 satellites are in polar orbits, 470 x 485 km, 97.3 degrees inclination. Their IDs are in the object range 40925 to 40928 (i.e. 2015-051A to 2015-051D). 73, Nico PA0DLO

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Three new Shanghai SECM-1 VHF/UHF satellites launched today
by M5AKA 26 Sep '15

26 Sep '15

Beijing's new Chang Zheng CZ-11 was launched earlier today from Jiuquan. It carried three satellites believed to have amateur payloads: Tianwang-1A (TW-1A / SECM); Tianwang-1B (TW-1B / NJUST-2); Tianwang-1C (TC-1C / NJFA-1). Does anyone know the frequencies ? The IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination site notes they were expected to have VHF and UHF downlinks, see http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=468 It is understood Beijing plans another launch of an amateur radio payload on October 5 http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/06/three-ham-radio-launches-planned-by-beijing/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

2 1

CAPE-2 heard in France
by Jean-Pierre Godet 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Dear friends from University of loisiana in Lafayette, Your bird was heard in the North of France when flying over Oran (Algeria), orbit number 204, especially the CW beacon (on 145.823 MHz +- Doppler) between 12:12:52 and 12:13:06 UTC, content was "EUL CAPE 2 OR UF231". The signal was somewhat chirpy, but it's exactly the sound which the real lover of CW like above all. Really ! :-) http://f5yg.pagesperso-orange.fr/forum/CAPE-2_orb204_03dec2013.mp3 The signal to noise ratio is not too good because I'm using an old AM/FM scanner from the 80s heterodyned by my medium wave homebrew transmitter fitted with a 456.9 Xtal. The antenna was a vertical half-wave inside the attic. The next orbit, number 205, was heard too, with the CW beacon affected at that time by a hoarse voice and suffering from a strong fadding. So I'm not absolutly sure, poor lonesome telegraphist, of my human decoding, "M5UL CAPE 2 ÜR 5045", something like that. It was over the East coast of Spain, between 12:12:52 and 12:13:06 : http://f5yg.pagesperso-orange.fr/forum/CAPE-2_orb205_03dec2013.mp3 Congratulation to the Cajun Advanced Picosat Experiment team from France ! Jean-Pierre F5YG -- Powered by Linux (Slackware 10.0 - kernel 2.4.26)

4 7

FUNcube-1
by Graham Shirville 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Hi All, Just to advise that FUNcube-1 was commanded to amateur mode, with the transponder operational continuously, at approx 1801 UTC this evening. We expect to switch her back to autonomous operation on Sunday evening as usual. Have a grand weekend on the birds 73 Graham G3VZV

1 0

LVB Tracker v0.9 Firmware
by Sion Chow Q. C. (9W2QC) 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Dear All, I have been an original LVB Tracker for many years running firmware 0.7. Recently I am having some problems with the serial communications and from the forums, I notice that firmware version 0.9 has resolved these issues. However, the link published (many of which are few years ago) to download this firmware at http://www.g6lvb.com/Articles/LVBTracker/LVBTrack.hex seems to be no longer valid. I have been trying to look around but failed to obtain a copy of the firmware version 0.9 .hex file. Would really appreciate any pointers of where I could obtain this new firmware. Thank you. 73, Sion Chow Q. C., 9M2CQC, WQ2C, 9V1QC, JG1XHM, ex: 9W2QC, AB3IO, WQ2C /HL1 /YB9

3 3

Up on AO7 and Down on FO29
by PY5LF 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Hi Today it's possible to hear your signal from AO7(mode B) on FO29 , due to pass almost together , as me and PY4ZBZ did a kind of "cross satellite" . http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/cross.htm 73 PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF

1 0

RF recordings from last night's XW-2 satellites @ 0040-0100 UTC now online
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Hi! I uploaded the RF recordings from last night's pass of the XW-2 satellites around 0040-0100 UTC to my Dropbox space. They are at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6nl39qjkfyw5y5h/AADGZP0tBc3C--9vouGqwUIXa/201509… Look for the filenames starting with HDSDR_20150925. There are two files, as HDSDR split the recording when the initial file reached the size limit I set (3800 MB). I ran this for about 20 minutes, since these satellites are now spreading out, and XW-2A was audible several minutes before the others, and XW-2E was audible a minute or two before XW-2F. Even if you don't use an SDR receiver, you can still download HDSDR at http://www.hdsdr.de and install it on your computer, then download the RF recordings like those I have been posting. You can use HDSDR to play back the recordings, and see/hear what was going on during the pass. Using last night's pass as an example, you'll be able to see/hear the digital and CW telemetry from XW-2A early in the first recording. Later, as the other satellites move in range of my station, you'll hear the telemetry from those satellites. XW-2E is heard a minute or two before XW-2F is in range, and with these two satellites you'll hear the two telemetry beacons as well as the transponders. If you worked either of the transponders last night, you can see/hear if my station copied your QSO(s). I have RF recordings from other passes I have recently worked, along with photos and other files, in my Dropbox space. I reorganized many of the files into separate subfolders. All of this is accessible at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6nl39qjkfyw5y5h/AADynnchNPayKAnU0XYwl3TCa?lst= 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

1 0

XW-2's NORAD's
by W3MAT . 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Here's what I came up with for XW-2 NORADS... XW-2A 40903 XW-2B ? XW-2C 40906 XW-2D 40907 XW-2E 40909 XW-2F 40905 Lilacsat-2 40908 Anyone correct me if I have them incorrect. What is B? Loon

1 0

First image downloaded from LilacSat-2
by M5AKA 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

First infrared remote sensing image downloaded from LilacSat-2. pic.twitter.com/ro1J8qpaZ1 Source http://www.weibo.com/by2hit LilacSat-2 http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/20/lilacsat-2-linux-telemetry-decoding/ 73 Trevor M5AKA ----AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK

1 0

LoTW / XW-2 Sats
by David G0MRF 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Hi all Does anyone know what Sat ID LoTW needs for the new transponders? XW-2E XW-2F sounds possible 73 David

4 4

ESA invites radio amateurs to listen for AAUSAT-5 CubeSat
by M5AKA 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

ESA invites radio amateurs to listen for AAUSAT-5 CubeSat in week of Oct 5 http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/24/esa-listen-for-aausat-5/ Also on the AMSAT-UK site: Pig in Space - 434 MHz SSDV balloon - Saturday Sept 26 http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/22/pig-in-space/ Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Available http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/23/fox-telemetry-decoder-software/ Recent satellite deployments http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/20/new-xw-2-satellites-linear-transponders-acti… http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/20/lilacsat-2-linux-telemetry-decoding/ http://amsat-uk.org/2015/09/17/serpens-cubesat-deployed-from-iss/ 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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Lilacsat 2 12:29 UTC pass
by W3MAT . 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

FM transponder still off Good signals from TLM Loon W3MAT

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Re: [amsat-bb] Colorado Amateur Satellite net Begins in 1 hour
by Skyler Fennell 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Thanks, I'll do two separate emails. Let me know if you don't want me to send it, it might get annoying every week. > On Sep 25, 2015, at 6:24 AM, Andrew Glasbrenner <glasbrenner(a)mindspring.com> wrote: > > Your announcement emails often get hung up waiting for approval to go to amsat-bb because of the many cc's. Try sending it just to -BB with the others BCC'ed or in a separate email. > > 73, Drew KO4MA > > -----Original Message----- > From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Skyler F > Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2015 8:04 PM > To: Amanda Alden; Burness Ansell; Cody; David W0DHB; Doug; Garry Ham; Jack Roland; Jeff Carrier; Jon Caples; MICHAEL A COLETTA; Nestor Punales; Patrick; Paul; Richard Anderson; Scott Bakke; Brian Williams; John Derycke; Loren Tedford; amsat-bb(a)amsat.org; Echolink_Nets(a)yahoogroups.com > Subject: [amsat-bb] Colorado Amateur Satellite net Begins in 1 hour > > 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* > 449.875 (-) 103.5 (the Rocky Mountain Radio League repeater on Eldorado > 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) > 449.625 (-) 141.3 ( WØKU Lookout Mountain) Possibly here, not for sure yet > 147.450 SIMPLEX (Aurora, CO) > 446.275 (-) 100.0 Galena St. Local repeater at my house, giving a whoppin 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 > _______________________________________________ > 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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: KINDLY DO OPEN THE ATTACHED FILE
by WESTERN UNION E-LOTTERY 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

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For clients of Moneyweb Treasures, Treasures Private Client or Private Banking, please call +27-(0) 78 127 3459 (within South Africa) or +27-(0) 71 963 0228(outside South Africa).FAX:+27 (0) 86 274 2908 or email usKINDLY DO EMAIL US AT: treasury.dept(a)englandmail.comFOR INQUIRIES PLEASE EMAIL US AT: res.banksouthafrica(a)safrica.comTO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE MONEY DO EMAIL US AT: boardlink(a)inbox.lvPLEASE SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FILE FOR FURTHER STEP HOW TO CLAIM THE PRIZE.KINDLY FILL IN THE CLAIM FORM BELOW WITH YOUR FULL DETAILS AND RETURN IT BACK TO US TO ENABLE US PROCESS THIS TRANSACTION AMICABLY.YOUR PAYMENT SLIP COPIES ALSO ATTACHED TO THIS EMAIL VIEW THE ATTACHED FILE:BELOW IS THE COMPUTER PRINT OUT RECEIPT COPIES OF YOUR TWO TRANSACTIONS PAYMENT AVAILABLE FOR YOU.======================================================Send Money through Western Union®Reference Number: 529833Transaction Status: SuccessfulTransaction Date/Time: 7-09-2015 06:40:07 PMFrom Account: 3354961409 (Current)Amount: $5,000.00 USDMTCN: 491-618-6649Sender's Name: Mr. Abdulrazzaq Abdulkarim Al ZarooniWU Reference No: 176046080Estimated Destination FCY Amount: US Dollars $5,000.00Exchange Rate: 3.67295 AED Emirati DirhamTax Invoice No.: 8877-091-150430-125000GST @3.6: 18,364.73 AED Emirati DirhamTransaction Amount: $5,000.00Total Amount Payable: $5,000.00 USDPurpose Code: TRANSACTION OF 18,364.73 AED Emirati DirhamAND BELOWTest Question: What ColorAnswer: White=======================================================Send Money through Western Union®Reference Number: 171931Transaction Status: SuccessfulTransaction Date/Time: 7-09-2015 06:40:12 PMFrom Account: 3354961409 (Current)Amount: $5,000.00 USDMTCN: 998-611-6641Sender's Name: Abdulrazzaq Abdulkarim Al ZarooniWU Reference No: 136056088Estimated Destination FCY Amount: US Dollars $5,000.00Exchange Rate: 3.67295 AED Emirati DirhamTax Invoice No.: 3324-990-351430-081204GST @ 3.6: 18,364.73 AED Emirati DirhamTransaction Amount: $5,000.00 USDTotal Amount Payable: $5,000.00 USDPurpose Code: TRANSACTION OF 18,364.73 AED Emirati DirhamAND BELOWTest Question:What ColorAnswer:White=====================================================Kindly do fill in the form below by reconfirmed back your details to enable us speed up this transaction amicably without delay since this transaction has became overdue transaction and it has approved by the executive board of directors:(1) FULL NAME:---------------(2) DATE OF BIRTH:---------------(3) MARITAL STATUS-------------(4) OCCUPATION:--------------(5) HOME ADD----------------(6) ZIP:--------------------(7) CODE:-------(8) COUNTRY:-------------(9) NATIONALITY:--------------(10)CELL NO----(11)TEL:NO------(12)FAX:NO-------(13)PASSPORT COPY-----------We take this opportunity to thank you for using MONEYWEB PRIVATE iBanking.MONEYWEB PRIVATE Internet BankingSincerely,Prof.Mrs.TAMMY LEE MINAARExecutive chief operational serviceForex DeptMoneyweb Private BankSouth Africa.Email us at: buch(a)orange.snTel: +27-(0) 71 963 0228

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XW-2A through XW-2F satellites, around 0040-0100 UTC this evening
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

Hi! Another late afternoon today, another chance to try working the new Chinese satellites. The satellites are now starting to spread out, and instead of hearing XW-2A through XW-2F together in a 10- to 12-minute pass, XW-2A is now coming up several minutes before the others. This is now making a pass for these 6 satellites last about 20 minutes or so. I got home in enough time this afternoon to set up my gear, and also assemble my VHF crossed dipole (the antenna sold on the AMSAT-UK web site) and use that for the downlink antenna. The crossed dipole was connected to my SDRplay receiver, and my Elk log periodic was connected to one of my FT-817NDs for my uplink transmitter. Around 0043-0044 UTC, I started hearing the digital and CW telemetry from XW-2A. This was several minutes before I heard anything from the XW-2B through XW-2F satellites. I was tweeting photos of what I saw on my tablet's HDSDR screen at this point. A few minutes later, I saw the telemetry from XW-2B through XW-2E, and some activity on the XW-2E transponder. On XW-2E, I worked Jim WD0E and George WA5KBH. I was seeing more activity pop up on the XW-2F transponder, so I moved over there and worked 5 stations (Glenn AA5PK, Jack KC7MG, Robert KO6TZ, George WA5KBH, and Clayton W5PFG). I heard others on XW-2F, so I knew that it was the busier of the two transponders this evening. I wrote more about this pass, and posted some photos, in a message I left in an ongoing thread about the new Chinese satellites on the QRZ satellite forum: https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/camsat-xw-2-cas -3-satellites-launch-18sep2015-2300z.493758/page-2#post-3607750 In that post, I have a link to my Dropbox space, where you can see some photos, along with an audio recording of what I heard when I worked the XW-2E and XW-2F transponders. Sometime tomorrow morning, I will upload the HDSDR RF recordings I made from this long pass (two files, totaling about 4.6 GB in size) to my Dropbox space, as my home ISP has throttled my upload bandwidth when I try to upload large files to Dropbox. I hope to try more of these passes over the weekend. Unless LilacSat-2's FM repeater is activated, I will probably try working the XW-2E and XW-2F satellites with my FUNcube Dongle Pro+ as my receiver instead of the SDRplay. The dongle should do fine, and its smaller maximum bandwidth (192 kHz) is sufficient to copy the transponders and telemetry downlinks from both of these satellites. The SDRplay has been performing well, and I expect the same from the dongle. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Colorado Amateur Satellite net Begins in 1 hour
by Skyler F 25 Sep '15

25 Sep '15

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* 449.875 (-) 103.5 (the Rocky Mountain Radio League repeater on Eldorado 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) 449.625 (-) 141.3 ( WØKU Lookout Mountain) Possibly here, not for sure yet 147.450 SIMPLEX (Aurora, CO) 446.275 (-) 100.0 Galena St. Local repeater at my house, giving a whoppin 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

1 1

K2P ISS packet contacts
by kb2m＠arrl.net 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

While discussing the Pope Francis event with Pete W2JV, we both thought it would be a good idea to also offer QSL cards for a packet contact with K2P via the ISS. As I'm at my antenna restricted summer home location at the Jersey shore for the rest of the week I would be able to concentrate on the packet contacts only. I will be active every day in the morning and maybe at night till the end of the event. I'm not going to do any portable SSB/FM ops from here as I just went through a shoulder replacement and the packet contacts will all I will be able to do. Pete W2JV is covering the Lion's share of SSB and FM voice contacts as K2P anyway. So I would be beaconing as K2P when available, all I would need is a 599 to which I would reply a 599 to, you would then be in the log as a K2P packet contact. Everyone have fun, and enjoy this historical event, God Bless.. 73 Jeff KB2M (K2P)

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Re: [amsat-bb] LVB Tracker v0.9 Firmware
by Sion Chow Q. C. (9M2CQC) 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Hi Glenn, Thank you for the reply. Tried that hex file but unfortunately I got firmware 0.5 instead (shown on the LCD screen). 73, Sion, 9M2CQC <div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Glenn Miller - AA5PK <aa5pk(a)suddenlink.net> </div><div>Date:09/25/2015 2:16 AM (GMT+08:00) </div><div>To: "Sion Chow Q. C. (9W2QC)" <9w2qc(a)9w2qc.net>, AMSAT BBS <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> </div><div>Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] LVB Tracker v0.9 Firmware </div><div> </div>The LVBTrack.hex file is contained within this v0_9.zip file: <http://www.g6lvb.com/Articles/LVBTracker/v0_9.zip> Glenn AA5PK DM91 -----Original Message----- From: Sion Chow Q. C. (9W2QC) Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2015 11:31 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] LVB Tracker v0.9 Firmware Dear All, I have been an original LVB Tracker for many years running firmware 0.7. Recently I am having some problems with the serial communications and from the forums, I notice that firmware version 0.9 has resolved these issues. However, the link published (many of which are few years ago) to download this firmware at http://www.g6lvb.com/Articles/LVBTracker/LVBTrack.hex seems to be no longer valid. I have been trying to look around but failed to obtain a copy of the firmware version 0.9 .hex file. Would really appreciate any pointers of where I could obtain this new firmware. Thank you. 73, Sion Chow Q. C., 9M2CQC, WQ2C, 9V1QC, JG1XHM, ex: 9W2QC, AB3IO, WQ2C /HL1 /YB9 _______________________________________________ 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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Re: [amsat-bb] XW-2F W2JV
by Fraser Bonnett 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

>I was on the 21:44 Pass of XW-2F and heard W3UTD and just my own downlink for the entire pass, transponder was solid. > >W2JV as K2P.. I heard myself, and I heard you, but I couldn't tune you in. So I'm wondering if I'm operating properly. I'm using SATPC32 and letting it correct Doppler on both Uplink and Downlink. Is that correct? Fraser, W3UTD --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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XW-2F W2JV
by W2JV 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

I was on the 21:44 Pass of XW-2F and heard W3UTD and just my own downlink for the entire pass, transponder was solid. W2JV as K2P..

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[keps] CAS-3 Satellites Added to KEP Distribution
by Ray Hoad 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

The Chinese new Long March 6 (CZ-6) launched 14 objects into orbit on 2015-09-19 at 23:01:14.331 UTC. Of the these 6 have been identified so far, including the CZ-6 rocket body itself. (Thanks go to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO and those emailing on AMSAT-BB for their much appreciated efforts.) The satellites added are as follows: Object A - NORAD CAT ID 40899 Object B - NORAD CAT ID 40900 Object C - NORAD CAT ID 40901 Object D - NORAD CAT ID 40902 XW-2A - NORAD CAT ID 40903 (Object E) Object F - NORAD CAT ID 40904 XW-2F - NORAD CAT ID 40905 (Object G) XW-2C - NORAD CAT ID 40906 (Object H) Object J - NORAD CAT ID 40907 LILACSAT-2- NORAD CAT ID 40908 (Object K) XW-2E - NORAD CAT ID 40909 (Object L) Object M - NORAD CAT ID 40910 Object N - NORAD CAT ID 40911 Object P - NORAD CAT ID 40912 Note there are no OBJECT I or OBJECT O in the Spacetrack list. I assume, because of the similarity between I and 1 and between O and 0 (zero). The CZ-6 rocket body is NORAD CAT ID 40913 and has not been included in the KEP distribution. Ray Hoad WA5QGD

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AMSAT website - menu
by Kevin M 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Has the AMSAT website display gone squirrelly for anyone else? There is the initial pull down menu across the top, "AMSAT, Contact Us, blah, blah, blah Store"... But then there is 6 lines of other menu choices related to the AMSAT symposium and it covers up the pages content. It's like someone tried to add another menu but it's not displaying properly. Here I am using Firefox v41.0 for the coders. 73, Kevin N4UFO

5 4

XW-2E xpndr nil hrd
by Glenn Miller - AA5PK 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Noted that the transponder on XW-2E was not heard on the 1415Z pass over western US. Its CW beacon was loud and clear. The XW-2F transponder and beacon were also loud and clear, but no one was on it but me. Glenn AA5PK DM91

2 2

QB50P2 (EO-80)
by W3MAT . 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Anyone know the current status of QB50P2? I just had 73 degree pass and heard nothing o 145.880 TLM or 145.840 Just curious... Thanks Loon W3MAT

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Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Version 1.0 Available for Download
by Chris Thompson 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Stefan, thanks for the feedback. I exchanged emails with Don earlier in the project. There is no way to read the Az El information from MacDoppler currently. I'm open to supporting it in the future if that feature becomes available. 73 Chris On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 6:13 PM, Stefan Wagener <wageners(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Chris, > > Very nice tool. Using a Mac I get the security warning and No, using the > command function to start it did not work (10.10.5 Yosemite). I had to > change the security settings for the application (possible correction for > the manual). Also, I would highly encourage you to contact Don Agro (Author > of MacDoppler) and see if you can find a doppler control integration > solution with MacDoppler (like you did via DDE with SatPC32 etc.). > > Very much appreciated and more testing will follow, > > Stefan VE4NSA > > On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 6:44 AM, Chris Thompson <g0kla(a)arrl.net> wrote: > >> Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Version 1.0 Available for Download >> >> Version 1.0 of the FoxTelem software, the Fox Telemetry Decoder is being >> released to enable setup, testing, and debugging of your Fox-1A ground >> station prior to the launch of the satellite. FoxTelem is used to >> demodulate, store and analyze telemetry data from AMSAT’s Fox series of >> Cube Sats. >> >> Fox-1 satellites include two telemetry formats: >> >> + Slow Speed, also called Data Under Voice (DUV) is 200 bps FSK data >> sent at the same time as the transponder audio. Whenever the trans- >> mitter is on, data is being sent. This happens during beacons and >> during live QSOs. >> >> + High Speed is 9600 bps FSK sent instead of the transponder. This is >> used for data intensive experiments such as the Virginia Tech Camera. >> This is only active when commanded from the ground. You can recognize >> High Speed because it sounds like an old school computer modem. >> >> FoxTelem will receive and store both formats assuming you can feed it >> audio >> that does not have the frequencies below 200 Hz filtered. For High Speed, >> the audio must also extend to include the full 9600bps bandwidth of the FM >> signal. For both modes this is best achieved from a Software Defined Radio >> or from the 9600 bps packet port of some radios. The FoxTelem User Guide >> provides more details. >> >> FoxTelem is supplied as an archive file (.zip on windows, .dmg file on >> MacOs, .gzip on Linux). Links for downloading can be found at: >> http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4532 >> You can unzip the contents and put it in the directory of your choice. >> Also, detailed in the User Guide, are instructions to select the sound >> source and set received audio levels on your computer. >> >> Until Fox-1A is launched you can confirm everything is working by testing >> with test wav file which will be available from: >> http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/recordings . Access to the test file is >> accomplished by selecting “Load Wav File” from the FoxTelem File menu, >> then >> navigate to the directory where you saved the test wav file. Once you >> press >> the start button the file will play through the decoder. >> >> The FoxTelem page can also be accessed from the main AMSAT web page: >> http://www.amsat.org --> Fox Project --> FoxTelem Software for Windows, >> Mac, & Linux >> The direct link to the page is: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4532 >> >> >> -- >> Chris E. Thompson >> chrisethompson(a)gmail.com >> g0kla(a)arrl.net >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >> > > -- Chris E. Thompson chrisethompson(a)gmail.com g0kla(a)arrl.net

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Launchers Being Developed
by B J 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/09/23/multiple-small-satellite-launch-vehi… 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-24 05:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-24 05:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Nowogard Union Schools: Junior High School No. 2, Nowogard, Poland, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-09-29 12:56:27 UTC 36 deg Watch for possible live stream http://ariss.pzk.org.pl/live/ (***) Fukara Junior High School, Susono, Japan, direct via 8N2F The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Thu 2015-10-01 10:26:55 UTC 85 deg **************************************************************************** ** Interested in hosting an ARISS contact? The window is now open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016. Go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact or http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html for full details. To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding US 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. These will be offered Thursday, September 17, at 2000 UTC; Tuesday, September 22, at 2000 UTC, and Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. **************************************************************************** ** >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. **************************************************************************** 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 Francesco IKØWGF with 114 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 109 **************************************************************************** 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 2015-09-22 18:30 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 994. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 959. 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, Vermont, 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 2015-09-17 08:30 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. 44 on orbit Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Yaesu FT-5200 Repair
by Les Rayburn 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

I have a nice dual-band Yaesu FT-5200 that works fine, however the display is shot. Probably too much exposure to Alabama heat and sunshine. Can someone recommend a good repair service who are willing to tackle this little rig? -- -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf 6M VUCC #1712 AMSAT #38965 Grid Bandits #222 Southeastern VHF Society Central States VHF Society Life Member Six Club #2484 Active on 6 Meters thru 1296

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Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Version 1.0 Available for Download
by Chris Thompson 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Fox Telemetry Decoder Software Version 1.0 Available for Download Version 1.0 of the FoxTelem software, the Fox Telemetry Decoder is being released to enable setup, testing, and debugging of your Fox-1A ground station prior to the launch of the satellite. FoxTelem is used to demodulate, store and analyze telemetry data from AMSAT’s Fox series of Cube Sats. Fox-1 satellites include two telemetry formats: + Slow Speed, also called Data Under Voice (DUV) is 200 bps FSK data sent at the same time as the transponder audio. Whenever the trans- mitter is on, data is being sent. This happens during beacons and during live QSOs. + High Speed is 9600 bps FSK sent instead of the transponder. This is used for data intensive experiments such as the Virginia Tech Camera. This is only active when commanded from the ground. You can recognize High Speed because it sounds like an old school computer modem. FoxTelem will receive and store both formats assuming you can feed it audio that does not have the frequencies below 200 Hz filtered. For High Speed, the audio must also extend to include the full 9600bps bandwidth of the FM signal. For both modes this is best achieved from a Software Defined Radio or from the 9600 bps packet port of some radios. The FoxTelem User Guide provides more details. FoxTelem is supplied as an archive file (.zip on windows, .dmg file on MacOs, .gzip on Linux). Links for downloading can be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4532 You can unzip the contents and put it in the directory of your choice. Also, detailed in the User Guide, are instructions to select the sound source and set received audio levels on your computer. Until Fox-1A is launched you can confirm everything is working by testing with test wav file which will be available from: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/recordings . Access to the test file is accomplished by selecting “Load Wav File” from the FoxTelem File menu, then navigate to the directory where you saved the test wav file. Once you press the start button the file will play through the decoder. The FoxTelem page can also be accessed from the main AMSAT web page: http://www.amsat.org --> Fox Project --> FoxTelem Software for Windows, Mac, & Linux The direct link to the page is: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4532 -- Chris E. Thompson chrisethompson(a)gmail.com g0kla(a)arrl.net

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Active on next pass LilacSat-2
by Daniel Estévez 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hi all, Hopefully I will be on the next pass of LilacSat-2, starting about 17:07 UTC and working portable as M/EA4GPZ from IO94EX. 73, Dani.

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Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z
by kb2m＠arrl.net 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

On the last 12 degree east coast pass I was able to hear my d/l with a center frequency of 437.188. That’s 37 kHz lower than the suggested 437.225... 73 Jeff kb2m -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 23:39 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z to 437.190 MHz and possibly even 437.185 MHz.

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XW-2(CAS-3) Keplerian data update
by Alan Kung 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

XW-2A(CAS-3A) 1 00601U 15265.00000000 .00557105 00000-0 -31719-1 0 00006 2 00601 097.4566 273.1262 0012842 256.6068 170.4479 15.12849425000013 XW-2B(CAS-3B) 1 00603U 15265.00000000 .01225069 00000-0 -71232-1 0 00004 2 00603 097.4579 273.1246 0014061 242.4512 178.9795 15.12083523000016 XW-2C(CAS-3C) 1 00602U 15265.00000000 .01188536 00000-0 -69010-1 0 00001 2 00602 097.4565 273.1243 0014771 244.3546 177.4051 15.12125536000013 XW-2D(CAS-3D) 1 00604U 15265.00000000 .01232014 00000-0 -71649-1 0 00005 2 00604 097.4529 273.1233 0014212 242.3341 179.0383 15.12075242000019 73 Alan, BA1DU

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LilacSat-2 Report
by Paul Stoetzer 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Good morning, I just worked a pass of LilacSat-2 from here in Washington, DC. The downlink signal was good and I was able to work KO4MA with 5 watts, though the constant carrier and audio filtering made it tough to know when I was getting in to the satellite. I had to listen very carefully to hear my own voice coming back from my headphones. There was terrestrial interference, but I was able to get in below 6 degrees and heard the satellite all the way down to below a degree. Equipment used was two Yaesu FT-817s, an Arrow antenna, and a High Sierra Microwave LNAA432 preamp. 73, Paul, N8HM

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Hi
by PY5LF 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hi Heard Lilacsat now over Brazil , downlink in 437200,00 , signal a little weak in a low elevation pass. 73 PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF

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Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z
by Rick Tejera 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Patrick, A JA op posted a screen shot of LilacSat-2 on the AMSAT Facebook page, he too was down around 437.191, so it does appear to be quite a bit lower. I did notice the quick doppler change, especially near the zenith. I'll give it a go on the D72a, if that proves unworkable, I'll set up the Icom IC-7000 & HDSDR and see how that goes. I'm currently working on a pair of Crossed Moxons so I don't have to lug gear outside all the time. I'll add the AMSAT preamp, and hopefully that'll hold me until I can afford the M2 Leo pack. Not sure when I'll ahve the time, but now that it's cooling off, we need to get together so you can elmer me on the fine art of working the linear birds. Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Radio Club www.w7tbc.org 623-572-0713 623-203-4121 (cell) SaguaroaAstro(a)cox.net -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 9:46 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z Hi Rick! You should be ready for a downlink lower than what was published. Glenn AA5PK and I were giving each other our downlink frequencies late in the pass, so we could compare where we were listening. If you didn't have more than HT power (5W), you may have also had issues getting through. Hopefully the FM transponder stays on, as these lower passes compared to other satellites only leave me one workable pass per late afternoon. If only these satellites were launched 60 or 90 mimutes later... As for the uplink frequency and where it falls in various bandplans, Arizona - like the ARRL's 2m band plan - appears to be the exception to the "rule" that nobody recognizes anything more than 145.800-146.000 MHz for satellite operation. I saw this page from the Amateur Radio Council of Arizona, which is the coordinator in Arizona, for the 2m band plan: <https://t.co/Y8DvZR8q3i>http://azfreqcoord.org/bp/144bp.html Other than the APRS and AM calling/net frequencies, this is one of the rare cases where amateur satellite operation is actually recognized in a local band plan for this part of the 2m band. Since LilacSat-2, like most of the others launched over the weekend, didn't receive IARU frequency coordination - it won't be eligible for an OSCAR number. A shame, but I understand the rationale for that. Just give a quick listen on the 144.350 MHz frequency before transmitting, to make sure you don't interfere with anyone else who might be there, before working these passes. And be ready to adjust the downlink quicker than you do with SO-50. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK > I saw the message about the FM transponder being on around the middle of > the pass, by the time I got my gear out and set up on the VFO (frequencies > now in memory) the bird was about 20 degree from LOS. Since I operate from > the backyard of my North facing house, it was down near the rooftops. I did > throw my call out, but did not hear the downlink. based on your report, I > was probably too high. I won't be available tomorrow or Thursday to try > again, maybe Friday. My Schedule is starting to ramp up with theater > season.... > > As for the choice of uplink, Here in AZ 144.410mhz has become the defacto > Fm simplex frequency for SOTA (Summits on the Air). So dredging up a > discussion from a few weeks back about the choice of frequency, It appears > that the IARU will not coordinate these frequencies, so does that mean > these birds will not receive OSCAR numbers? > > _______________________________________________ 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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Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hi Rick! You should be ready for a downlink lower than what was published. Glenn AA5PK and I were giving each other our downlink frequencies late in the pass, so we could compare where we were listening. If you didn't have more than HT power (5W), you may have also had issues getting through. Hopefully the FM transponder stays on, as these lower passes compared to other satellites only leave me one workable pass per late afternoon. If only these satellites were launched 60 or 90 mimutes later... As for the uplink frequency and where it falls in various bandplans, Arizona - like the ARRL's 2m band plan - appears to be the exception to the "rule" that nobody recognizes anything more than 145.800-146.000 MHz for satellite operation. I saw this page from the Amateur Radio Council of Arizona, which is the coordinator in Arizona, for the 2m band plan: <https://t.co/Y8DvZR8q3i>http://azfreqcoord.org/bp/144bp.html Other than the APRS and AM calling/net frequencies, this is one of the rare cases where amateur satellite operation is actually recognized in a local band plan for this part of the 2m band. Since LilacSat-2, like most of the others launched over the weekend, didn't receive IARU frequency coordination - it won't be eligible for an OSCAR number. A shame, but I understand the rationale for that. Just give a quick listen on the 144.350 MHz frequency before transmitting, to make sure you don't interfere with anyone else who might be there, before working these passes. And be ready to adjust the downlink quicker than you do with SO-50. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK > I saw the message about the FM transponder being on around the middle of > the pass, by the time I got my gear out and set up on the VFO (frequencies > now in memory) the bird was about 20 degree from LOS. Since I operate from > the backyard of my North facing house, it was down near the rooftops. I did > throw my call out, but did not hear the downlink. based on your report, I > was probably too high. I won't be available tomorrow or Thursday to try > again, maybe Friday. My Schedule is starting to ramp up with theater > season.... > > As for the choice of uplink, Here in AZ 144.410mhz has become the defacto > Fm simplex frequency for SOTA (Summits on the Air). So dredging up a > discussion from a few weeks back about the choice of frequency, It appears > that the IARU will not coordinate these frequencies, so does that mean > these birds will not receive OSCAR numbers? > >

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Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 pass around 0117 UTC tonight
by Rick Tejera 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Sounds good. Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Radio Club www.w7tbc.org 623-572-0713 623-203-4121 (cell) SaguaroaAstro(a)cox.net -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 9:10 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 pass around 0117 UTC tonight Hi! I just uploaded my MP3 from the LilacSat-2 pass where I worked Glenn AA5PK to my Dropbox space. The link to hear the recording is: https://db.tt/sPOYLsJF I used my Icom IC-2820H and Elk log periodic to work this pass, transmitting at 50W to get through the muck on the 144.350 MHz uplink frequency. Once I found the downlink, it was easier to hear than SO-50's downlink. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK _______________________________________________ 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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LilacSat-2 pass around 0117 UTC tonight
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hi! I just uploaded my MP3 from the LilacSat-2 pass where I worked Glenn AA5PK to my Dropbox space. The link to hear the recording is: https://db.tt/sPOYLsJF I used my Icom IC-2820H and Elk log periodic to work this pass, transmitting at 50W to get through the muck on the 144.350 MHz uplink frequency. Once I found the downlink, it was easier to hear than SO-50's downlink. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Method to Update from a Custom TLE Source
by Scott 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

This is not earth-shattering and probably not even original, but I wanted to contribute something in light of all the great information that I have learned from others online. If you would like to use a custom TLE source in your tracking software (Orbitron in my case), downloading updates can be a manual, multi-step process. However, it's very easy to automate. This is one way to make it a lot easier on a Windows machine. First, you need a utility to download the desired TLE file. Download wget: http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/wget.htm After extracting/installing wget, be sure to either place the wget executable in a folder in your path (i.e., "C:\Windows\system32"), or add the location where you put wget to your system's PATH environment variable. Then, create a batch file (i.e., update-TLE.bat) as follows: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @echo off cls wget http://www.dk3wn.info/tle/amateur.txt -O"D:\Program Files\Orbitron\tle\DK3WN.txt" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ... where the first argument after "wget" is the URL of the TLE file you want, and the file after the "-O" (that's a capital "O") is a file in the folder where your tracking software keeps its TLE files. (use any file name you want as long as it's different from the files already there) That's it! You can either create a shortcut and run it anytime you want or even put it in your Task Scheduler if you'd like to automate the process. Thanks again to all the experts who have added so much to my enjoyment of tracking & receiving satellite data! -Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA

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Serpens
by PY5LF 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hi Signal of Serpens during this week over Brazil . https://youtu.be/6mS-OK194gM 73 PY5LF Luciano Fabricio Curitiba-PR-BR GG54jm http://www.qrz.com/db/PY5LF

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Re: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z
by Rick Tejera 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Dang, I saw this just as a 78 degree pass was ending... Frequencies are programmed. we'll see what happens. Rick Tejera (K7TEJ) Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Radio Club www.w7tbc.org 623-572-0713 623-203-4121 (cell) SaguaroaAstro(a)cox.net -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dave Swanson Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 5:06 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] LilacSat-2 over Central US 2340z All, I just worked several stations on XW-2E, and all sounded nice and strong. Well done to the CAMSAT team. I ALSO on a whim swapped over to the Lilac-Sat2 frequencies around 2340z to see what I could hear. To my surprise I heard what sounded like a good ol' fashion rag chew going on with S7 reception levels. I keyed up and tried to get in to no avail at first, but after tweaking with polarity and doppler.. and cranking the power to 40W, I was able to break thru and hear myself on the downlink. I called CQ a few times, but as soon as I would let up on the key, the old men and their rag chew came back clear as a bell, and I didn't hear any other satellite operators. I was only able to capture the bird for a few minutes, before it sunk low enough in the sky I could no longer overwhelm the other transmitters with my low power. Good news is the downlink was exceptionally strong.. I've only ever had the pleasure of working SO50 on FM, so I was quite surprised at how clear and strong the downlink was. Bad news is I fear with the lack of PL tone, interference will be extreme from other hams using the 144.30-144.50 section of the 'New OSCAR subband' section of 2 meters as their personal rag chewing frequencies. Also the downlink seemed to be a little lower in doppler than I figured it would be, published downlink is 437.225 (+/-) but by the end of the pass I was all the way down to 437.190 for clear reception, which seemed a smidge extreme. The next pass for me is only 8° but I may run up on a mountain and give it another shot. West coast operators should definitely try and hear what they can hear. 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

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SPECIAL EVENT- Pope Francis visits the US September 22-27
by W2JV 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hello, The special event celebrating Pope Francis’ visit to the US begins tonight night at 8:00 pm EASTERN TIME! Listen for the special event call signs K2P , K3P, and W3P on all the amateur satellites and K2P 2M EME. For certificate and QSL information visit: PAPAL VISIT AMATEUR RADIO SPECIAL EVENT I want to thank Jeff, KB2M, (K2P) Wayne, NM3B (W3P), Paul, N8HM (K3P) and Paul, W2HRO (K2P) 2M EME for taking part as special stations, I will also be K2P during the event. We will use the standard satellite exchange, grid square or signal report to confirm the contact, as they say on HF, see you in the pileups! 73 Peter W2JV

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XW-2 Nomenclature
by Paul Stoetzer 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

I have noticed many using different names for the various satellites in the CAMSAT constellation. For consistency purposes and to avoid confusion, I think it's best to stick with the current names of the satellites as designated by CAMSAT: XW-2A through XW-2F. Since these satellites will likely not receive OSCAR numbers (only D and E meet the established criteria), this consistency will especially be important for logging and LoTW purposes. 73, Paul, N8HM

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XW-2B ID
by Nico Janssen 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

XW-2B is either object 40907 or object 40906. The third stage of the CZ-6 rocket is object 40899. 73, Nico PA0DLO

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Fwd: Must See TV...
by wa4hfn＠comcast.net 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Rick Pinelli" <memphisdstar(a)gmail.com> To: "Andy Masters" <nu5o(a)yahoo.com>, "Bob" <af4tz(a)comcast.net>, "Bob Gordon" <w4rsg(a)arrl.net>, "Calvin" <cko188(a)gmail.com>, "Charlie" <kc2ped(a)gmail.com>, "Chris Dowland" <chrisdowland(a)gmail.com>, "Christopher Nicholson" <mail(a)christophernicholson.net>, "Cory" <cproctor(a)leadingedgewireless.com>, "Damon" <wa4hfn(a)comcast.net>, "Danny" <dbanksd(a)bellsouth.net>, "Daryl" <wx1der(a)gmail.com>, "David" <kd4noq(a)bellsouth.net>, "David Bash" <ki4ikm(a)gmail.com>, "David D" <david(a)deatherage.com>, "David Perry" <bsp325(a)aol.com>, "Don Cook" <kj4po(a)earthlink.net>, "Gary" <w5ema(a)arrl.net>, "Ham" <hamh(a)bellsouth.net>, "Jim" <ke5rhm(a)arrl.net>, "Jim Beard" <jfbeard(a)swbell.net>, "Jim Golden" <k5mid(a)dsdn.org>, "Joe Ibarra" <joeibarra145(a)att.net>, "John Guthrie" <john.guthri3(a)arrl.net>, "John Hale" <john.david.hale(a)gmail.com>, "John Nordland" <john.nordlund(a)arkansas.gov>, "Jon Williams" <kb4ns(a)hotmail.com>, "Juan Carlos" <jcaltuzar(a)gmail.com>, "Kathryn Smith" <kj4uzl(a)gmail.com>, "Keith" <kt4ep(a)arrl.net>, "Lance Morris" <n4gmt(a)comcast.net>, "Lisa Alex" <lisa_alex(a)bellsouth.net>, "Luke Williams" <luke(a)ae5au.com>, "Mark" <mvlasak(a)bellsouth.net>, "Michael Knight" <kk4ioh(a)gmail.com>, "Nathan" <nathan.turner(a)gmail.com>, "Ned" <ka4bll(a)bellsouth.net>, "Phil Fentress" <p_fentress(a)bellsouth.net>, "Randy Wilder" <randyw4412(a)aol.com>, "Ray Turner" <cynonym(a)aol.com>, "Ray Ware" <rayeware(a)comcast.net>, "Rick T" <wa4nvm(a)comcast.net>, "Robert" <ac4ge(a)yahoo.com>, "Ron" <k3ron(a)arrl.net>, "Rosalinda Melena" <ki4zkw(a)gmail.com>, "Scott Chapman" <KJ4SJR(a)hotmail.com>, "Steve" <ki4yop(a)gmail.com>, "Steve Kellett" <stevekellett(a)hotmail.com>, "Steve Terry" <wb4izc(a)comcast.net>, "Steven Johnson" <KK4VZT(a)arrl.net>, "Stuart" <Stuart(a)earthlyinsurance.com>, "Stuart" <smccloy(a)hotmail.com>, "Tim Harris" <n4tfz(a)mail.com>, "Tom KK4ZZZ" <ungrenservices(a)bellsouth.net>, "Tyler Wilkinson" <twilkinson64(a)gmail.com>, "Wes" <wesfayrf(a)aol.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 2:07:11 PM Subject: Must See TV... Greetings... Tonight, NS4B, Cliff and myself will be joining Tom, W5KUB on his "Bringing Ham Radio To You" Live TV show. The show starts at 8PM Central and can be found here: w5kub.com We will be discussing digital communications, focusing on D-STAR. 73' Rick KA2BSM -- *C.E.R.T. Net - Thursday's @ 20:30 Hrs. CT* *MDARC Net - Fridays @ 20:30 Hrs. CT* *W4LET: Node B & **Refelector 67B*

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Pope's visit QSL information
by W2JV 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

Hello, The link I forwarded on the Pope’s visit was busted, this is a link for QSL and certificate information. http://www.silverfishdevelopment.com/papalEvent/ 73 Peter W2JV

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-22 18:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-09-22 18:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Nowogard Union Schools: Junior High School No. 2, Nowogard, Poland, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-09-29 12:56:27 UTC 36 deg Fukara Junior High School, Susono, Japan, direct via 8N2F The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Thu 2015-10-01 10:26:55 UTC 85 deg **************************************************************************** ** Interested in hosting an ARISS contact? The window is now open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016. Go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact or http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html for full details. To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are designed to provide more information regarding US 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. These will be offered Thursday, September 17, at 2000 UTC; Tuesday, September 22, at 2000 UTC, and Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. **************************************************************************** ** >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. **************************************************************************** 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 Francesco IKØWGF with 114 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 109 **************************************************************************** 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 2015-09-22 18:30 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 994. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 959. 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, Vermont, 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 2015-09-17 08:30 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. 44 on orbit Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Exp. 45 on orbit Sergey Volkov RU3DIS **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Office Closed
by Martha 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

The AMSAT Office will be closed on Wednesday, October 23rd. -- 73- Martha

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XW-2(CAS-3) Keplerian data update
by Alan Kung 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

XW-2A(CAS-3A) 1 00601U 15265.00000000 .00557105 00000-0 -31719-1 0 00006 2 00601 097.4566 273.1262 0012842 256.6068 170.4479 15.12849425000013 XW-2B(CAS-3B) 1 00603U 15265.00000000 .01225069 00000-0 -71232-1 0 00004 2 00603 097.4579 273.1246 0014061 242.4512 178.9795 15.12083523000016 XW-2C(CAS-3C) 1 00602U 15265.00000000 .01188536 00000-0 -69010-1 0 00001 2 00602 097.4565 273.1243 0014771 244.3546 177.4051 15.12125536000013 XW-2D(CAS-3D) 1 00604U 15265.00000000 .01232014 00000-0 -71649-1 0 00005 2 00604 097.4529 273.1233 0014212 242.3341 179.0383 15.12075242000019 73 Alan, BA1DU

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XW-2
by Roland Zurmely 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

6 XW-2 satellites copied in Brazil: < http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/xw.htm > 73 de Roland.

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Satpc Orbitron New satellites
by mm0kjg 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

Hello All. Can someone tell me when the Keps downloads for Satpc and Orbitron will be updated for the new Camsats. I have copied and pasted them in to the txt files but when I update the tle from software the get deleted? Any Info much appreciated 73s Kev MM0KG

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CAMSATs projected life span?
by Red Willoughby 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

Any estimates on how long the CAMSATs may be in orbit? Thanks, Red KC4LE

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XW-3E QSOs...
by Red Willoughby 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

Thanks @W2JV, @N8HM & @KA4H for quick QSOs on XW-3E at 2015-09-22 1122Z. Good signals on a 19 degree pass fpr me. Red KC4LE EM63

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XW-2E transponder QSO
by LU2DPW Juan Carlos 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

Hello to all My first contact in SSB with Luciano PY5LF via XW-2E at 22:13 UTC Heard PU2RAS and PR8ZX Strong signals over South America Thanks CAMSAT !! 73 de Juan LU2DPW - Mercedes(Bs.As.) - GF05gi

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XW-2E Keps & SatPC32
by Clayton Coleman 22 Sep '15

22 Sep '15

I just made several contacts on the XW-2E transponder. I was using CelesTrak Keps in the TLE-NEW file. 2015-049 objects. XW-2E seems to be 2015-049L. Once I calibrated SatPC32 at AOS, Doppler shift correction functioned flawlessly to my LOS. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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'Carbonite' space imager revealed
by Eric Rosenberg 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

From the BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34315725 Enjoy! Eric W3DQ --------------------- Science & Environment 'Carbonite' space imager revealed By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent UK small satellite manufacturer SSTL has released details of the spacecraft it launched in July, but about which it gave few details at the time. Codenamed Carbonite, the 80kg platform filled some unused mass on the rocket that put up the company's new high-resolution imaging constellation. It turns out the additional passenger was a demonstrator for a new type of quick-build, ultra-low-cost satellite. Carbonite uses an off-the-shelf camera and telescope to take videos of Earth. It acquires still pictures as well. Both modes show features on the ground down to a size of 1.5m. However, if flown in a 500km-high orbit, this would be a 1m ground-resolution. Carbonite's mission was revealed at last week's World Satellite Business Week conference in Paris, organised by Euroconsult. The intention is to compete the platform in the emerging Earth-observation market for daily, fast-turn-around imagery. This is a market being targeted currently by a number of Silicon Valley operations, including Skybox-Google and Planet Labs, and requires the use of multiple satellites in orbit. Carbonite-1 was built and tested in six months. Its camera and telescope, which has a 25cm mirror, were both bought online and then adapted so they would cope with the harsh environment of space. It also incorporates a drag sail, which will be deployed at the end of its mission to pull it out of orbit. Fill-in role SSTL says more Carbonite missions are already in development. The goal is to reduce the mass to 50kg, and to get the build time down to under three months. The cost will have to be lowered, too. The aim there is to turn Carbonites out for well less than a million pounds. "That will depend on what level of sophistication the customer wants," said Luis Gomes, the head of Earth observation at SSTL. "What Carbonite is about is filling in the blanks, and doing it in a timely way," he told BBC News. (If there is cloud in the way, the ground cannot be seen by an optical satellite). "There is a lot of hype out there about some of these new systems - that they can do everything. "No, they can't, but for certain applications, they will nevertheless perform a role in supporting more capable constellations." SSTL has not released publicly the imagery acquired by the demonstrator in the last few weeks. The Guildford company says it has been busy getting its own new DMC3 imaging constellation ready for operation and wants more time to work with the Carbonite product before showing it off more widely. For those wondering where they may have heard the word "carbonite" before - one use was for a fictional substance in the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back. The material was used by the Empire to freeze the body of smuggler and rebel leader Han Solo. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET(a)bbc.co.uk <https://twitter.com/#%21/BBCAmos>

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XW-2E
by Paulo PV8DX 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

Estimados Os 6 CUBEs da China já em órbita https://ukamsat.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/xw-2_cas-3_-satellites-frequenc… Consegui hoje pela manhã cedinho contato SSB com LU2DPW. Muito rápido, mas o suficiente. Visto já no fim da passagem. O 2E está muito bem de sensibilidade. 73 de Paulo PV8DX LABRE/ARRL AMSAT-BR/AMSAT-NA member FJ92pt - VUCC SAT www.labre-rr.org Boa Vista-Roraima pv8dx(a)labre-rr.org pv8dx(a)arrl.net

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Kenwood TM-733 for FM sats
by Skyler F 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

I have a kenwood TM-733. This radio is nice because it is full duplex cross-band, but I am having issues trying to figure out how to use it with satellites. The problem is that I will have to switch between bands and change each frequency when adjusting for doppler, and I can't find a simple solution with channels because doing an odd split channel only seems to split between VHF - VHF or UHF - UHF not V-U. Even if that would work, it would not be full duplex. Is there any solution using this radio for FM sats??? -- Skyler Fennell amsatnet.info KDØWHB electricity440(a)gmail.com

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WD9EWK on the CAS-3 satellites this afternoon/evening
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

Hi! After reading all of the fun everyone had last night and earlier today working the new Chinese satellites, I was looking forward to the passes late in this afternoon. The first of the two passes was not very high out here in Arizona, with maximum elevation of 10 degrees around 0000 UTC. The next pass, about 90 minutes later, was up to a maximum elevation of 47 degrees. I have been using my SDRplay receiver to work other satellites, and I wanted to give it a try on these satellites. SDR makes working these satellites fun, being able to see all of them on the screen. For the first of the two passes, around 0000 UTC, I had my SDRplay in the yard, along with my 8-inch HP Stream 8 tablet and Elk log periodic. I did not intend on transmitting during this pass, considering the relatively low elevation. Once the satellites rose above the houses and hills to my east, they were easy to hear. I could hear the CW telemetry from all 6 (CAS-3A through -3F), see the digital telemetry from all 6, and heard QSOs on the transponders of CAS-3E and CAS-3F. While I was listening, I used the HDSDR software's RF recoding function to capture all of this. For about 5 minutes, I ended up with a 1.2 GB file. After hearing the activity on that pass, I made sure I was all set to work stations on the pass around 0130 UTC. I brought out one of my FT-817NDs, my headset/mic, diplexer, and additional coax. I had my tablet all set with the SDRplay plugged in and HDSDR on the screen. I made adjustments to HDSDR so I could see and hear all 6 satellites, which fit comfortably in a 600 kHz bandwidth. Once I started seeing traces of signals on the HDSDR screen, I started my RF recording in HDSDR and my Sony audio recorder (I still use the external audio recorder, even when working with my SDR setup, as insurance in case something happens to the HDSDR recording). And it was a busy pass. I saw activity appearing on both of the working transponders. Initially, there was more activity on CAS-3F's transponder, but more activity showed up on CAS-3E's transponder later in the pass. I started working CAS-3F, and was able to log 3 QSOs - Brad KG7NXH a few miles southeast of me, Glenn AA5PK in Texas, and Mike WA6ARA in California. At this point, it was just after the midpoint of the pass, and tuned my FT-817ND and HDSDR to the CAS-3E transponder. I heard WA6ARA CQing, and made a quick QSO with him for my first CAS-3E QSO. I still saw more activity on CAS-3F toward the end of the pass than on CAS-3E, but there were stations on both transponders. Afterwards, I opened up the RF recording from the later pass, and saw that I received the CW beacon and digital telemetry from all 6 satellites - just like I saw on the earlier pass. I intend on posting both RF recordings, but that might have to wait until tomorrow. The RF recording from the later pass was about 1.9 GB for 9 minutes. I'll post a follow-up message here when those files are available online, if anyone wants to grab a copy and see/hear themselves as I heard the transponders out here in Arizona. I could have worked these passes with my two FT-817NDs, but this is most definitely one advantage for using an SDR receiver. I did not have to hear anything on the transponders to know there was activity. I could see it on the waterfall, and see the other signals from all 6 satellites. I could tell which transponder was busier (CAS-3F was usually the busier of the two). I also found that having HDSDR put the RF recordings on the tablet's C: drive (internal storage) instead of the D: drive (micro-SD card) worked a lot smoother. I will also post details on my HDSDR setup with the SDRplay receiver. I just bought this receiver a couple of months ago directly from its UK manufacturer, but now they are available in the US from Ham Radio Outlet. I still like the FUNcube Dongle Pro+, but that dongle only allows for a maximum bandwidth of 192 kHz. This is fine when working one satellite, or maybe a couple of these CAS-3 satellites, but the SDRplay allows for a maximum bandwidth of 8 MHz. I'm only using 600 kHz bandwidth with these satellites, so that my recordings don't overwhelm the tablet's C: drive. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

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Pope Francis - Special Event
by W2JV 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

Hello, Pope Francis arrives tomorrow and our special event begins tomorrow night (Tuesday 09/22/15 to 09/27/15) at 8:00 pm EASTERN TIME! Listen for the special event call signs K2P & K3P, we need satellite operators for N4P- VA. & W3P- PA, if you are available for any passes please contact W2JV(a)AMSAT.NET. For certificate and QSL information visit: PAPAL VISIT AMATEUR RADIO SPECIAL EVENT 73 Peter W2JV

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CAS-3D CW beacon
by Steve Kristoff 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

Strong signal from the CAS-3D CW beacon this morning about 1140 UTC at 28 deg el. I won't be posting the transcript as my monitoring consisted of manually chasing the Doppler shift across my MixW waterfall, but I did get enough for a positive ID. Steve Kristoff AI9IN skristof(a)etczone.com

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LVB Tracker Sat Amsat
by David Maciel (XE3DX) 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

I'm looking for the LVB Tracker AMSAT, I do not see in the store, they can tell you how to buy one? -- Saludos David Maciel XE3DX Enviado desde mi IPHONE

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XW-2 predictions on www.amsat.org
by Joe Fitzgerald 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

XW2 predictions are available on http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/index.php For the moment, I arbitrarily picked object 40902 to represent the entire fleet of 6 spacecraft. As the individual spacecraft are identified and drift away from each other along the orbital track, the list will expand to list each one. -Joe KM1P

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Doppler PSK
by Douglas Phelps 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

My Display is 2560 by 1440 pixels. I can barely read the font in the program. Can you send me the program with the font 3 times larger? I would appreciate it. Thanks, DougK9DLP

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CAS-3A CW Beacon
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 21 Sep '15

21 Sep '15

bj1sb dfh xw2 xw2 aaa rtt ruu rtu ruv tmm r6i rnt ruv ttt rnt tku rdr ttt ttt dct ttt tti ttt ttt irk vtt camsat camsat bj1sb dfh xw2 xw2 aaa rtt ruu rtu ruv tnr r6i rnt ruv ttt rnr tku ttt ttt 6it ttt tti ttt ttt trk vtt camsat camsat 73's KE8AKW

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20 satellites launched on Beijing's CZ-6
by M5AKA 20 Sep '15

20 Sep '15

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 tweeted: 8 of the 20 Chinese CZ-6 payloads now cataloged in 515 x 540 km orbits 10 are small subsatellites, some probably not yet ejected from their motherships. Will take a while. Tsinghua University (Beijing)'s Naxing-2 (20 kg) which itself ejects two Zijing-1,2 picosats about 0.2 kg each Zhejiang University's ZDPS-2A, 2B satellites, 12 kg, with some experiments in MEMS technology and structure deployment The National University of Defense Technology in Changsha (Guofang Keji Daxue) with 20 kg Luliang-1, 1 kg PhoneSat and four 0.1 kg Xingchen The 11 kg LilacSat-2 satellite from Harbin Inst of Technology in the far northeast Heilongjiang province Xinjishu Shiyan Weixing 2, the largest payload at 130 kg, is a technology development sat from Shenzhen Aerospace DFH HIT SatCo, in S China Shenzhen Aero.DFH HIT SatCo is affiliated with the southern graduate campus of Harbin Inst of Tech. Their XY2 will eject the 4kg DCBB subsat CAMSAT, the China amateur radio sat group, has 6 sats built with Aerospace DFH Sat Co (Beijing). XiWang 2A to 2D are 10-25 kg, 2E/2F 1.5 kg 73 Trevor M5AKA

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CAS-3E CW Tlm
by Nicholas Mahr KE8AKW 20 Sep '15

20 Sep '15

Bj1sf dfh xw2 xw2 aaaa irbc kb6m aink iudk urvb eeea fiti im4b 4teh ein2 tttt tttt rrrt tttt kbt4 ik6t dddd dddd dddd dddd dddd dddd camsat camsat Over 5+ station heard on the east coast pass of CAS-3E. Sounding very strong, altough alot of polarity fades.. I tryed transponder A-D None were heard.

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XW-2E at 2223Z
by Paul Stoetzer 20 Sep '15

20 Sep '15

Good evening, The XW-2E transponder sounded great at 2223Z over eastern North America. I worked W2JV, KE8AKW, and K8YSE and also heard KX9X. The polarity shifts were challenging to keep up with, but other than that, signals were strong. I don't feel like the signals are much weaker than AO-73, even with only 1/3 of the power output. Equipment here is 2 Yaesu FT-817s, a High Sierra Microwave LNAA146FIL filtered preamp, and a Arrow 146/437-10 yagi hand held (holding it in the hand was very important for keeping up with the polarity shifts). Congratulations to CAMSAT and everyone involved in these projects. 73, Paul, N8HM

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