- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

FUNcube at Science Education Conference
by Trevor . 29 Dec '11

29 Dec '11

AMSAT-UK will be explaining the potential of the FUNcube satellite as a teaching tool at the Association of Science Education (ASE) Conference Jan 5-7, 2012. The ASE exists to provide support and ideas for school science teachers in the UK. AMSAT-UK will be having a small stand in the marquee (number AS28). The event takes place at the University of Liverpool. Admission to the exhibition is free, but to avoid any queuing, you may wish to preregister on the ASE website. Association of Science Education (ASE) http://ase.org.uk/ FUNcube satellite http://www.FUNcube.org.uk/ AMSAT-UK: http://www.uk.amsat.org/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Re: ARISSat : only a few more days !
by Wayne Estes 29 Dec '11

29 Dec '11

Out of curiosity, what method is used to keep the International Space Station from burning up? I know that periodic boosts are done to raise the orbit. Is that done with rocket engines built into the space station? If so, it seems that storage and eventual reloading of the fuel would be difficult and high-risk. Or is the ISS boosted using the engines of a docked vehicle? That seems like it would have its own set of complications. Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik

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ARISSat-1
by Carl Rimmer W8KRF 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

I wanted to let W6IHG that I did hear him through ARISSat-1 during my 1817 UTC pass. I have an audio recording of that pass. I believe I also heard WB2OQQ. There was also a station sending SSTV through the transponder but the station was not using Doppler. He went right out of the bandpass. I tried to follow but could not. I noticed that even though ARISSat-1 was in full sunlight, it went into Low Power mode. I was able to get a pretty decent SSTV copy during that pass, also. I am trying to determine what I am going to do when it terminates. It has taken up a good portion of my operating since August 4th. HI HI. There is another pass coming up in 5 mins (1951UTC). It will be a 13 degree pass so that should be pretty decent also. 73, -- *Carl W8KRF*

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Re: ARISSat-1 Dead? - No, Sir!
by Clint Bradford 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

CRAIG W1MSG>> ... Another good pass on the East Coast USA in FN42 ... Downloaded two images and a really good long recording at 1822 UTC 59 degree elevation ... Craig - I have no idea how old you are chronologically. But I am in my mid-50s, and I STILL get excited with these reports ... Have you posted your images anywhere??? Clint K6LCS

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Chaos Communication Congress Dec 27-30
by Trevor . 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

A atellite related topic at todays Chaos Communication Congress Building a Distrubuted Satellite Ground Station Network - A Call To Arms http://events.ccc.de/congress/2011/Fahrplan/events/4699.en.html Tomorrow - Not your Grandfathers moon landing http://events.ccc.de/congress/2011/Fahrplan/events/4821.en.html 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Shut Down of VE3FFR PCSAT Beacon
by CJ Chapman 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

For All Concerned Doug has shut down his PCSat beacon, see below Cheers & 73 Chip, VA3KGB ---------------------------------------- From: Douglas Richards <ve3ffr(a)cogeco.ca> Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 10:08 PM To: va3kgb(a)rac.ca Subject: Re: Shut Down your PCSAT Beacon Please from Bob, WB4APR Chip If you could pass on to others. I shut it down when I saw the message from Bob, around 1100hrs this morning. Thank you 73 Doug On 12/27/2011 7:58 PM, CJ Chapman wrote: from the AMSAT list - This message is for you Doug Cheers Chip Message: 13 Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:35:32 -0500 From: "Bob Bruninga" To: , , , , Cc: 'TAPR APRS Mailing List' , amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Kingston ON, or Watertown NY? Message-ID: <045501ccc4ad$2badab90$830902b0$@edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Anyone near Kingston Ontario or Watertown, NY that can contact VE3FFR? His email is not listed with QRZ and I need to ask him to shut down his PCSAT beacon. This would reduce the load on PCSAT so that maybe I can get a command in to get control and maybe make a recovery. Next recovery effort will be dawn passes on Wed 28 Dec 2011. PCSAT is almost responding. I only need to get one exchange of packets successfully to do a recovery. We need everyone to turn off all transmitters and reserve PCSAT power so we can complete the command/ack sequence. You may continue to work the ISS, but ONLY if it is in view and is operating. Otherwise, please, no transmissions on 145.825. No unattended beacons... Adding also to the 145.825 channel QRM is UO-11 that appears to also have come back to life. Thanks, Bob, WB4APR -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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AO-27 web page is back up!
by ryan woods 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

I just got to looking and saw that the AO-27 web page is back up! Good news! 73 Ryan KD8ATF Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

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Re: ARISSat : only a few more days !
by Burns Fisher 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

> > > Message: 10 > Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:02:06 -0800 (PST) > From: Roland Zurmely <py4zbz(a)yahoo.com> > To: AMSAT <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] ARISSat : only a few more days ! > Message-ID: <1325026926.9426.YahooMailNeo(a)web36903.mail.mud.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Within a few days, ARISSat will burn in the atmosphere! > The fall rate dh/dt is increasing dramatically! > Look at theupdatedgraphs of height and fall rate here: > > http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#r > > 73 de Roland. > > > Very cool Roland! I got my telemetry decode working just in time to enter the contest! Just out of curiosity, what is with the image appearing in the waterfall diagram? I've seen some 'green haze' like that in the transponder band when I receive it, but never anything discernible within it (nothing particularly audile either). If that is real, someone must be using up the whole transponder spectrum to send that odd picture! Thanks, Burns, W2BFJ

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AO-7
by Rsoifer＠aol.com 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

I had a nice Mode A QSO with Brent, VA5MS, on the 1407-1427 pass this morning. Also heard KC9ELU but the bird was a bit far to the west for him. AO-7 will be in Mode A for most of SKN, so get those 10-meter antennas ready! CU then, Ray W2RS

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Re: ARISSat : only a few more days !
by G0MRF＠aol.com 28 Dec '11

28 Dec '11

Hi Roland. That is really impressive. May I reproduce your graphs for a display for our schools physics classes ?? Callsign left in place so they can 'google' your call. Many thanks David In a message dated 27/12/2011 23:14:39 GMT Standard Time, py4zbz(a)yahoo.com writes: Within a few days, ARISSat will burn in the atmosphere! The fall rate dh/dt is increasing dramatically! Look at theupdatedgraphs of height and fall rate here: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#r 73 de Roland.

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great pass
by ld.lucas＠frontier.com 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Driving to my daughters in Ironton Ohio on Sunday afternoon around 2015UTC I had my handheld Wouxun on my 5/8 antenna scanning and heard the ARRISAT 1 pass. Could not believe how clear it was, sorry did not have anything to write down the particulars to send in. Does anyone have the Azimuth and elevation of that pass on Sunday EM88 area? Just very curious about the particulars for that pass. THANKS Larry KD8JHW

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ARISSat-1 (37772) decay date update for 2011 Dec 27
by DeYoung James 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Greetings, The decay rate of ARISSat-1 has slowed down from the last decay prediction I produced on 2011 Dec. 14. It currently appears that ARISSat-1 (37772) will now decay on 2012 January 3 plus or minus a day. Caveat lector. Jim, N8OQ

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AO-7 contact
by K4FEG 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Are there any stations in Mexico, Central or South America that is interested in working AO7? I am looking to try and work anyone on AO7 mode B. I am presently trying to get my antennas put up for working Mode A but it will be another week or more before I am ready to try Mode A. If anyone is interested in trying to work AO-7 Mode B please email me and we can run the predictions to see when would be a good time to try and make a contact. thank you very much & 73's Frank E. Griffin K4FEG

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Re: great pass
by Clint Bradford 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

QST magazine's Feb, 2011 article on working ARISSat-1 reposted with permission here for you ... http://www.work-sat.com/Work-Sat/ARISSat-1.html Clint Bradford, K6LCS

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ARISSat : only a few more days !
by Roland Zurmely 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Within a few days, ARISSat will burn in the atmosphere! The fall rate dh/dt is increasing dramatically! Look at theupdatedgraphs of height and fall rate here: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#r 73 de Roland.

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Re: ARISSat-1 RADIOSKAF-V KEDR
by DeYoung James 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Farrell, An often used rule-of-thumb in astrodynamics for "decay" height is about 140 kilometers which is about 87 miles. A satellite that gets that far into the atmosophere will burn up during it's final orbit in short order! I would recommend you just keep trying until you are sure the satellite is no longer in orbit. I will post an updated decay prediction on AMSAT-BB this afternoon for operator planning purposes. Jim, N8OQ

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2012 Symposium
by Dee 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

I know the place (Orlando,FL.) but does anyone have the dates so I can put it in my calendar?? Usually weekend of Columbus day...???? 73, Dee, NB2F

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ARISSat-1 RADIOSKAF-V KEDR
by Farrell Winder 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Does anyone have a prediction of the lowest altitude for ARISSat-1 and still have it be functional? With the latest Keps I show its altitude around 155 miles. Depending of signal strength on today's Cincinnati passes I might try another SSTV via the Transponder adjusting my Tx to receive on 145.930 MHz (+/- depending on location). Hope others will also try with voice and video. Farrell Winder, W8ZCF Cincinnati, Ohio

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Kingston ON, or Watertown NY?
by Bob Bruninga 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Anyone near Kingston Ontario or Watertown, NY that can contact VE3FFR? His email is not listed with QRZ and I need to ask him to shut down his PCSAT beacon. This would reduce the load on PCSAT so that maybe I can get a command in to get control and maybe make a recovery. Next recovery effort will be dawn passes on Wed 28 Dec 2011. PCSAT is almost responding. I only need to get one exchange of packets successfully to do a recovery. We need everyone to turn off all transmitters and reserve PCSAT power so we can complete the command/ack sequence. You may continue to work the ISS, but ONLY if it is in view and is operating. Otherwise, please, no transmissions on 145.825. No unattended beacons... Adding also to the 145.825 channel QRM is UO-11 that appears to also have come back to life. Thanks, Bob, WB4APR

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MP3 of Professor Colin Pillinger Beagle 2 BBC Interview
by Trevor . 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Speaking to the BBC about the UK Mars exploration mission Beagle 2 Professor Colin Pillinger said that one of the biggest lessons learnt was not having had a radio beacon active during the decent phase and therefore not knowing what finally happened. http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/27/bbc-interview-with-professor-colin-pilli… AMSAT-UK: http://www.uk.amsat.org/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Testing ANS Formatting Update
by JoAnne Maenpaa 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Hello Everyone, The ANS news bulletins have traditionally been sent out using a packet header format. In the year now approaching 2012 we're no longer sure how many VHF-UHF PBBS systems are re-distributing ANS bulletins via RF-based AX.25. Perhaps the packet header is no longer a requirement for each individual news item. ANS plans to continue to distribute the bulletins in our traditional plain-ascii format so this is not changing. Previous inquiries have indicated a very strong preference for the plain-ascii format. I'm working on an html-mail option with photos, links, etc. to be announced within the next few months. Below my signature line is a prototype, updated, clean-looking plain-ascii ANS format I'm testing. I've preserved the simple e-mail style of plain ascii text, 70 character lines. I preserved packet compatibility by placing a single packet-header (i.e.: SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-361.01) at the top of the news and a single /EX at the end of the entire news. If this still goes out by packet it should still be able to be processed, received, and read. The "news content" is just the recent ANS-359 bulletin. I updated the day number (361) and the date (December 27, 2011) in the packet header to provide a unique ID in case this somehow ends up going out by packet and collides with the previously released ANS-359. Please post comments via amsat-bb on how you think it looks? Is it easier to read, or no difference? Is there anyone who still needs the full packet header on every news item? -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT News Service AMSAT NEWS SERVICE (Testing Prototype Version) ANS-361 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * Help AMSAT to Fly Fox-1: Solar Panel Campaign Begins * SKN On OSCAR 2012 In Memory Of W1JSM * FO-29 Satellite Recovery in Progress * AMSAT-India Announces Linear Transponder * UK Space Agency Ukube-2 CubeSat Mission Concept Studies * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARISS Status - 19 December 2011 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-361.01 ANS-361 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 361.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 27, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-361.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Help AMSAT to Fly Fox-1: Solar Panel Campaign Begins As AMSAT embarks on the Fox-1 Project, here is an opportunity to literally put your callsign on the Fox hardware. AMSAT is looking for major donations to help underwrite the cost of solar cells/ panels, one of the more significant expenses of the project. These solar cells are needed for the flight unit as well as for the a flight spare. As Fox-1 will have solar cells on all six sides of the spacecraft and given the relatively small surface area avail- able on each side (at most 4" by 4" per side), AMSAT will invest in high efficiency solar cells to gain as much power as possible to operate the spacecraft. To protect the installed solar panels prior to launch, a lexan cover for each side will be fabricated and mounted to protect the cells. Prior to placement of the flight spacecraft into the 'P-Pod' that will house the cubesats on the launch vehicle, the lexan covers will be removed. "Friends of Fox" are encouraged to consider several levels of fund- ing support: 1. Donate $1,000 to support purchase of one panel that will cover one side of the spacecraft. 2. Donate $6,500 to support the purchase of six sets of solar panels to cover the entire spacecraft. Donors who contribute at these levels will have their callsign etched on the lexan cover protecting solar panels of the flight unit and the flight spare. Following the launch of Fox-1, donors will receive the lexan solar panel cover with their callsign for 'their' solar panel mounted on a plaque commemorating their contribution to the Fox-1 project and highlighting the purpose of the lexan cover. A letter of authenticity will be provided attesting to the use of the lexan cover to help protect the solar panels. Other potential donor levels are also available: 1. Donate $500 for one solar cell (two cells make up a 'panel' on one side of the spacecraft). 2. Donate $250 for one-half of a solar cell (one-quarter of the solar panel for one side of the spacecraft. Donors contributing at these levels will receive a letter affirming their contribution, including specifying which side of the spacecraft 'their' cells are located. If you're interested in supporting AMSAT's need to purchase solar cells, please return the Fox-1 fundraisingform sent to members. We expect significant interest so make your donation NOW to take full advantage of this donation opportunity. Additional donation opportunities may be found at: + Call Martha at the AMSAT Office +1-888-FB AMSAT (1-888-322-6728) + Paypal donation widget on the main page at: http://www.amsat.org + Paypal donation widget for Project Fox at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fox/ + You can also go to the Paypal site and send your donation to martha(a)amsat.org. + The AMSAT Store: http://www.amsat-na.com/store/categories.php All donations over $40 will receive a Fox pin. Donations of $120 or more qualify you for AMSAT President's Club [ANS thanks AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SKN On OSCAR 2012 In Memory Of W1JSM You are cordially invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2012, conducted by AMSAT for all radio amateurs through- out the world. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Don Brown, W1JSM, who passed away in 2011, aged 90. Don was a longtime, enthusiastic VHF/UHF and satellite operator, and one of our most frequent Best Fist winners. As always, SKN on OSCAR is simple and informal. Just operate CW through one or more satellites on 1 January 2012 (0000 to 2400 UTC), using a straight hand key. There is no need to send in a log, but all participants are encour- aged to nominate someone they worked for Best Fist. Your nominee need not have the best fist of anyone you heard, only of those you worked. Send your nomination to w2rs(a)amsat.org. A list of those nominated will appear in ANS in early February. [ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FO-29 Satellite Recovery in Progress The FO-29 Command Team reports from Japan that they have recovered the satellite after it had experienced a shutdown due to longer eclipse periods causing an undervoltage condition. Ground station operators have placed FO-29 in a temporary, but stable configuration for further testing and recovery operations. They will test FO-29 while it is over Japan between December 23-25. If no problems occur the Command Team will announce an operating schedule for the satellite for the remainder of 2011 and into the early part of 2012. Please standby for further news and announce- ments. [ANS thanks Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-India Announces Linear Transponder AMSAT INDIA had a booth at Hamfest India held on December 10-11. An estimated 900 amateur radio operators and SWLs attended the event. A copy of their satellite presentation can be downloaded from: http://amsatindia.org/presentations/HFI-2011/AI-HFI2011.pdf AMSAT-India gave several presentations at the event, among them was one by Ganesan Namachivayam KJ6LRR in which he described a satellite 435/145 MHz linear transponder with a bandwidth of 50 kHz and capable of 1-3 watts PEP output. AMSAT-India plan to develop a smaller linear transponder for Cubesats. Ganesan also described a CubeSat communications system comprising a 435 MHz half-duplex narrow-band FM transceiver supporting a data rate of 1200-9600 bps. The transmitter produces 1 watt output and can also operate as a Morse Code beacon. Other presentations included: - Real Time Tracking by Mani VU2WMY - Working with LEO Sats by Dr. Raveendranath VU2RVJ - Telemetry Decoding by Nitin VU3TYG [ANS thanks Secretary - AMSAT INDIA Nitin, VU3TYG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UK Space Agency Ukube-2 CubeSat Mission Concept Studies With the UK Space Agency Ukube-1 program currently in development with a planned launch in the second half of 2012 an invitation for participation in studies for future cubesat missions has been ann- ounced. The concept can address a scientific theme or be of an in-orbit tech- nology demonstration nature (e.g. formation flying), providing a real impact to the UK. All UK based communities (academic, industrial and other) are invited to submit proposals. Applications can be made in- dividually or in partnership with other organisations, however indus- try and academia will be funded under the rules stipulated in the scope of funding presented below. Funding is available up to £35K per proposal; the size of award will depend on the requirements of the proposed project and the applicants' case for support. Proposals should not exceed a grant value of £35K. Funding will be awarded in 2012 and the project cannot exceed 3 months duration. Due to the short nature of these studies and the amount of funding available, we intend funding successful applicants at the on- set of the project. It is anticipated the scheme will fund a minimum of 7 proposals; the facility to fund more will depend on the size of awards and will be assessed on a competitive basis as detailed below. The deadline for submission of proposals is 1st February 2012, 12pm. Further information can be found by following the links posted on the AMSAT-UK web: http://tinyurl.com/7glkm3f (www.uk.amsat.org) [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The 2012 SA AMSAT Space Symposium will be held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 12 May 2012. This is the second call for papers. Authors are invited to submit a brief synopsis of their proposed paper. The deadline is 31 January 2012. Send a synopsis as a word file attachment to saamsat(a)intekom.co.za. The theme of the confer- ence is "50 Years of Amateur Radio Satellites" celebrating the launch of OSCAR 1 on 12 December 1961. SA AMSAT: http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ + YX6, VENEZUELA. Members of the Radio Club of Venezuela plan to be active as YX6AJ from Angel Falls waterfall (the world's tallest - 979m) between January 3-6th, 2012. Operators mentioned are Lino/ YY5FRD, Jesus/YY5CHJ, Marcel/YY5CAR, Wilmer/YY5CWM, Alfredo/YV5SSF, Edwin/YV5HUJ, Jose/YV5JF, William/YV5VE, Angel/YV5NEA and possibly one more. Activity will be on CW, SSB, Digital modes and the Satel- lites. QSL via YV5AJ, by the Bureau or direct. They have posted a promotional video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=57lufNJtftk (Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1041 for December 19, 2011) + The Polish amateur radio satellite PW-SAT built by students at the Warsaw University of Technology was featured on the Internet TV channel, BRITE TV. PW-SAT carries a single channel transponder that will operate in a similar way to the amateur satellite AO-16. The uplink on 435.020 MHz will be FM and the downlink on 145.900 MHz will use the BPSK telemetry beacon transmitter to produce Double Sideband (DSB) that can be received on an SSB radio. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=74u7Nqxpkk0 + The Internet Archive and Textfiles has posted every issue of Wayne Green's 73 Magazine ever published, for free. Read 73 online, or download PDF files here: http://www.archive.org/details/73-magazine + A video of the presentation about Amateur Radio Space Communications given by Mario Lorenz DL5MLO to hackers at the Chaos Communication Camp 2011 is now available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Lh_RvzceJo4 + AMSAT area coordinator Clint Bradford, K6LCS, will be presenting his 'Working Amateur Satellites With Your HT' session at the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society's TechFest 2012 in Lawrenceville, Georgia on January 14, 2012. ALL are welcome to attend! Event Web site: http://tinyurl.com/GARS-2012 Clint's four-page tutorial and radio programming data can be found at: http://www.work-sat.com + Bobby, KF4GTA posted photos of his trip to KSC with access to both Atlantis and Endeavour. The links to his photo pages are: http://flic.kr/p/aVsWfM and http://flic.kr/s/aHsjxni8cR [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Status - 19 December 2011 1. Kobe, Japan Contact Successful On Monday, December 12, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between the Hirano Branch of Kobe Youth Nurturing Council in Kobe-city, Hyogo-pref, Japan and Astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX on the ISS. The contact highlighted lessons cover- ing the ISS and the environment. An audience of approximately 50 peo- ple attended the event. Media coverage included two newspapers. 2. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office recently announced a new pro- posal cycle for ARISS-US contacts. The deadline for submitting pro- posals is January 30, 2012 for contacts to be held in the July 15, 2012 - January 15, 2013 time frame. The next informational session will be held on Wednesday, January 11 at 2100 UTC to answer any ques- tions concerning the proposal process. To attend the session or to have questions answered, contact TFS at JSC-TFS-ARISS(a)mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-1919. For more information, visit the TFS Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.h tml 3. ARISS-U.S. Proposal Process Makes the News A NASA Express message which included an item on ARISS contact oppor- tunities for U.S. schools using the proposal process was sent on Dec- ember 8. The message may be viewed on the NASA blog: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/newui/blog/viewpostlist.jsp?blogname=educationexpre ss The NASA Educators Online Network (NEON) posted a link to its ARISS article, "Holiday Ham for NASA." See: http://nasatalk.com/blog/article/bylines/67-dynae-fullwood/1629-holiday-ham- for-nasa.html The Hartford Hobby Radio Examiner published the story, "Schools can apply for space station radio chats." http://www.examiner.com/hobby-radio-in-hartford/school-applications-welcome- for-space-station-contacts 4. ARISS Status on Social Media This is a reminder that ARISS news is available on Twitter and Face- book. ARISS has over 200 active users on Facebook and over 800 follow- ers on Twitter. See: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amateur-Radio-on-the-International-Space-Stati on-ARISS/153679794647788 and http://twitter.com/#!/ARISS_status [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, 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 additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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PCSAT-1 recovery (not)
by Bob Bruninga 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

Almost recovered. Mike got command over Germany (DK3WN) but it did not hold. At 1300z pass over east coast, I got 3 telemetry packets, 5, 6 and 8 minutes into the pass with Latitude between 29N and 39N. The first packet showed +Z (best panel) current was 93 mA. Above that latitude, packets got weaker. One person got a perfect digipeat just about when I was going to try to command at 7 minutes into the pass. So I waited 1 minute and tried to COMMAND at 8 minutes into the pass, but it killed it. No response after the first ACK. TLM did not appear again until 10 minutes into the pass. But +Z current was down to 59 mA. Only decoded that one packet for the rest of the pass. WE MUST GET EVERYONE TO STOP TRYING TO DIGIPEAT. Chances are, that one successful user packet should have been mine for control, it was at the right time, and best sun angle. It used up all the power and so I had to wait another minute, but by then the power had dropped. Bob, WB4APR

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FO-29 Operative Schedule
by Mineo Wakita 27 Dec '11

27 Dec '11

2011 Dec 29 03:58 UTC Dec 31 03:53 UTC 2012 Jan 1 04:43 UTC Jan 3 04:37 UTC Jan 4 05:28 UTC JTA of Sat will turn off soon into eclipse by UVC computer due to the decrease in NiCad battery performance. JE9PEL Mineo Wakita

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Re: K4FEG/p EM46
by Andrew Glasbrenner 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

Great job Frank! Thank you for my 2nd to last grid in the EM field on satellite. Kb0RZD, KA2UPW, K5TDN, and W5PFG finished all the others up for me over the last few months. Anyone going to EM33 anytime soon? Lunch is on me if so! :-) 73, Drew KO4MA

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D-STAR in Space Video
by Mark Thompson 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

D-STAR in Space Video by Ham Brief http://blip.tv/73s-hambrief-ham-radio-update/73s-org-hambrief-44-2553785

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K4FEG/p EM46
by K4FEG 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

Hello, if you worked me and need a QSL for EM46, today on SO50 or AO27, email me the contact info and I will send you a card. NO SASE IS NEEDED AND NO QSL IS NEEDED!!! I am happy to return the favor so many of you have for me in confirming a grid. I was in the parking lot of South East Missouri State University in Kennett, Missouri, today EM46xf. 73's and thank you all who gave me a call! Frank K4FEG/p EM46 now back home in EM55aj!

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KD8KSN/p EN75 Cards Mailed
by Zachary Beougher 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

Hi All, The EN75 cards went out this morning. Please email me if any of the QSO info is wrong or if you do not receive it within 2 weeks. 73! Zack KD8KSN

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Re: ARISSat-1 heard
by Craig Gagner 25 Dec '11

25 Dec '11

Christmas Day here and ARISSat-1 loud and clear at 1645 utc in Massachusetts. It was about a 38 degree elevation pass and I got two SSTV pictures and did an audio recording. I don't notice much of a signal difference. Like I said Loud and Clear here !! Merry Christmas !! Craig, W1MSG

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Happy Hollidays and Question about ARISSat-1 Telemetry forwarding
by Raydel Abreu Espinet (CM2ESP) 25 Dec '11

25 Dec '11

Hello everyone, First, I wish to send all of you a Merry Christmas and happy new year. I wish to forward few telemetry frames I recieve here from ARISSat-1, but I cannot send it direct through the Telemetry Software, does any one have a currently working e-mail address where can I send the CSV files?, the initially given address is not working, at least to me my e-mail server reply "Unknown remote host". Also any tips, will be usefull too, should I send it compress in ZIP or just the CSV? Regards, and happy hollidays. Raydel, CM2ESP Havana, EL83

3 2

Noise from notebook's PSU
by Andy Brian 25 Dec '11

25 Dec '11

Hi, I found that I get a high level of noise on my RX from PSU of the laptops. I need notebook for my antenna control and I'm looking how to reduce or minimaze the noise from PSU, any good suggestion are welcome. thanks MX and HNY2012 regards Andy

3 2

Less than satisfactory satellite re-entry
by Thomas Doyle 25 Dec '11

25 Dec '11

Merry Christmas http://wimp.com/nasasatellite/ -- Sent from my computer. 73 W9KE tom ...

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Re: December 25, 1642
by Tony Langdon 25 Dec '11

25 Dec '11

At 11:37 AM 12/25/2011, B J wrote: >Sir Isaac Newton's birthday. Without his work on gravity, we might not >have satellites. Thanks for that, I didn't realise Newton was born on Christmas Day! :) 73 de VK3JED / VK3IRL http://vkradio.com

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December 25, 1642
by B J 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

Sir Isaac Newton's birthday. Without his work on gravity, we might not have satellites. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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December 24, 1968
by B J 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

Apollo 8 reaches the moon and makes 10 orbits, demonstrating that a lunar landing might be feasible. It was the first time that a crew flew further than LEO and entered the gravitational field of another celestial body. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

1 0

ISS Soyuz rocket re entry
by Steve Daniels 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

The recent launch to the ISS the Soyuz rocket comes back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRY8hW2ya7E Video taken in Germany Steve Daniels G6UIM

1 0

ARISSat height and fall rate
by Roland Zurmely 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

Updated graphics for ARISSat height: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#r 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

2 1

PCSAT recovery attempt
by Bob Bruninga 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

Starting Monday Morning, I will be trying to recover PCSAT. We need everyone to not use it until we give up. Just one single packet from a user during a pass will easily kill that pass's chance of recovery.. We only get one single packet chance per pass for recovery. So everyone. Turn off those automatic beacons via PCSAT until further notice. Thanks Bob, WB4APR

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Merry Christmas Greetings
by Mani VU2WMY 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

Dear All, My Good Wishes and Warm Greetings for a 'Merry Christmas' and a 'Happy New Year'. May this festive season and New Year bring in all the Peace, Prosperity, Good Health and Happiness to all of us. 73 de Mani, VU2WMY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 1

RS-15 launch cover for anti-satellite test?
by Armando Mercado 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

Greetings, This may be old news to some, but I came across an interesting article about a Soviet era anti-satellite test program called Naryad. It made a couple of sub-orbital test flights, and then supposedly was launched into a high orbit along with RS-15 on December 26, 1994. RS-15 was deployed and a short time later the booster stage turned into many objects. (Object 94 085 B-V.) http://www.russianspaceweb.com/naryad.html Interesting story atleast. 73, Armando N8IGJ

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Finally managed an Arrisat-1 real time telemetry decode!
by Burns Fisher 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

I'm excited! A few minutes ago on the ARISSat-1 pass over New Hampshire (US) I received it nice and strong (as usual) got the doppler correction running on SDR-Radio (have done that before), and with a newly-built computer in my shack finally had enough processing power to deal with SDR-Radio, Virtual Audio Cable, AND the ARISSat telemetry decoder, so I got some actual real time telemetry. Just in time for the "last telemetry frame" contest, I'm afraid :-) Was anyone hitting the repeater around 20:20 UTC today? I was not listening, but watching on the waterfall display of SDR-Radio. The telemetry and the FM digitalker were very clear...not sure if there was anything in between...I saw a few smudges that might have been modulation... Burns, W2BFJ

2 1

ARISSAt-1 Decay prediction - G7HIA
by John Heath 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

Christmas Greetings My decay prediction for ARISSAT-1 is that she will be sub 200km altitude by Jan 4th. I am using a very different method from Nico, but have the same proviso, the prediction is valid only if the solar numbers stay at similar levels to the present. Wishing everyone on the bb a happy Christmas and a healthy and peaceful new year. 73 John G7HIA

2 1

Office Closed
by Martha 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

The AMSAT Office will be closed from Monday, December 26th through Tuesday, January 3rd. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a happy, healthy New Year! -- 73- Martha

1 0

E1P data upload
by WILLIAMS MICHAEL 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

Am I the only one still having trouble uploading data to the E1P webstite or is it still messed up? Is there is a valid website, what's the address? TU Mike K9QHO

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on local swap for sale
by Bill Booth 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

Saw this on a local swap page here in Canada .... good sat transceiver. Have no interest in it as I already own one ..... George VE4XR [204-753-2651] in Pinawa MB has listed the following: Manufacturer: ICOM Model: IC-970H Price: 1750.00 Mint condition Icom IC-970H dual band (2mtr-70cm) with the OPTION to add 1200Mhz or 2400Mhz, comes with internal PS-35 power supply, UX-R96 general coverage receive unit, original box, manual, hand mic. $1750.00 shipping included in Canada. Will consider an ICOM IC-275H as partial trade, must be in MINT condition. -- Bill Booth VE3NXK Sundridge ON, Canada 79.23.37 W x 45.46.18 N FN05ns Visit my weather WebCam at http://www.almaguin.com/wxcurrent/weather.html Organ and Tissue Donation - The Gift of Life Talk to your family. Your decision can make a difference.

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FO-29 Recovery Test successfully
by Mineo Wakita 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

We received FO-29 CW Telemetry at 14:22:00UTC ON, and 14:25:46UTC OFF on 23 Dec 2011. Received by JE1CVL HI HI 20 02 88 D1 00 71 00 00 09 60 01 01 01 82 85 82 8D 7B FB FB FB FA FC HI HI 20 02 88 D1 00 71 00 00 09 60 01 01 01 80 84 80 8B 8E FB FB FB FA FD HI HI 20 02 88 D1 00 71 00 00 09 60 01 01 01 80 84 7E 89 8D FB FC FB FA FC > FO-29 Recovery Plan > > Ground Station says that > Possibility of the recovery of the command device of FO-29 is made. > It is a temporary system constitution, but seems to be able to reopen > the use of the satellite. We perform the function confirmation of the > command device on 23 Dec 2011 and draw up the year-end and new-year > operative plan if there is not a problem. And we recover the system > of the command device. > > > 23 Dec 14:20-14:25 UTC, Command Test, JTA ON/OFF > > 24 Dec 05:00 UTC, Test Operation over JA (Until it stop in UVC action) > > 25 Dec 14:16 UTC, Test Operation over JA (Until it stop in UVC action) JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

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FO-29 alive
by Masahiro Arai 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

FO-29 test operation at 23rd Dec was succeeded! JTA was on at 1422z. Lound CW telemetry was heard. Unfortunately, the telemetry was shut off by UVC at 1426z. I put the telemetry MP3 file on the following URL. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/m-arai/gkz/sound/FO29-111223142200-142544z.mp3 The command station announced 24th sked as start at 0405z. I guess this is typo. The correct time is 0505z. Transponder will operate until eclipse. East Asia, VK and suthan South American station will chat over FO-29. Thank you for the FO-29 command station! 73 Masa JN1GKZ

1 0

dk79 or dk78
by Omar Alvarez 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

today I back home, hope try so-50 and ao-27 maybe in dk79 (so-50) and ao-27 (dk78) while driving home. Omar xe1ao

1 0

Seven Student CubeSats Ready For Flight
by Trevor . 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

ESA has confirmed that 7 CubeSats will be flown on the first Vega flight. This launch will also carry the microsatellite ALMASat-1. (In 2007 AO-51 switched to V/S 38k4 to support ALMASat ground station testing) See http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/23/seven-student-cubesats-ready-for-flight/ AMSAT-UK: http://www.uk.amsat.org/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

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ARISSAT1
by Joe Batty 22 Dec '11

22 Dec '11

ARISSAT1, The pass over the Pacific Northwest yesterday afternoon at 2320 was heard for several minutes. The anouncement and telemetry was heard. I can't do SSTV or read the telemetry and the signal was a tad weak but we heard the whole pass. 73 all, as I learn how to do this sat stuff Joe KT7E CN85mm

4 3

HudsonValleySatcomGroupNet Tonight8PMEastern On Echolink N2EYH-L
by cotejaune2＠aol.com 22 Dec '11

22 Dec '11

Hello all. I am sure you are all running around doing that last minute shopping for Christmas as I am. Take a few minutes and join us for our Christmas edition of the HVSGN tonight Dec.22,2011 at 8 PM Eastern time on Echolink N2EYH-L and the Mt.Beacon repeater 147.970 pl 100. Please join us and share any satellite info with the net. Hope to hear you there. All the cool people will be there.73 Gary wa2aqh/Tom kc2dtq

1 0

ARISSat-1 European Activity and Status update.
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 22 Dec '11

22 Dec '11

Hi all, I again monitored and worked into ARISSat-1 during the earlier pass and the final one as it entered eclipse over here in Europe. The early pass was a low angle from my QTH and screened by buildings so I was not able to access the satellite. However the FM downlink was quite reasonable and I did hear someone active on CW . The final pass as it moved into eclipse was really remarkable and my downlink and the FM transmissions were booming in . The loudest that I have ever heard from the satellite, in addition I quickly monitored the CW portion and someone was booming in, I could not stay at that end of the band as I was trying to make schedule on SSB. Heard someone calling but not able to confirm whom it was as they were not easy to copy. I wonder in view of the recent predicted re-entry if the loss of height is perhaps why it is now so strong, or was it perhaps the angle and coverage of the satellites antenna? Will try again tomorrow evening and thanks to those that were hoping to make a contact. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat-UK Amsat NA

1 0

Soyuz TMA 03M Launch to ISS
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 22 Dec '11

22 Dec '11

Hi all, Not seen anything posted but apologies if I have missed the information. The launch of Soyuz TMA 03M to the ISS was I am pleased to advise was successfully carried out from Baikonur Cosmodrone, Kazakhstan -. December 21st at 1316 GMT. The crew members are expected to stay at the International space Station for about 6 months according to plans. Quite a number of very interesting activities including education as a key theme. Trust all goes well for the docking in a few days time - quite a Christmas present for the existing crew members. Further information can be viewed at the NASA Mission Status Centre. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat - UK Amsat NA

1 0

Hand-Drawn "Radar" Plots
by David Palmer KB5WIA 22 Dec '11

22 Dec '11

Hi Everyone, I've finally had time to write up a short article about a technique I use when operating the satellites portable -- hand-drawn "radar" plots. Normally I use a netbook computer running HRD software to show the position of the satellite in the sky in real-time, but there have been occasions when I haven't been able to have the netbook with me. These hand-drawn plots are just the ticket -- it converts a line in the table of numbers from sat prediction software (ie. a print-out of a week's worth of passes from SatPC32, or a print-out from the http://amsat.org satellite tracking module) to a crude radar plot good enough to track the sat pass. Before leaving on a sat-portable road trip, I'll always bring a long printout of passes just in case the computer goes dead, so I'm not stuck without any ability to track. (Yes, I know there are smartphone apps that will do the same thing, but I don't have a smartphone!) (And yes, many of you probably already do the same, but up until now I haven't seen any references for how to do this...) http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2011/12/manual-radar-plots.html 73 and Happy Holidays! Dave KB5WIA

3 2

ARISSAT-1 European Passes
by GW1FKY＠aol.com 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

Hi all, I worked into ARISSat -1 this evening ( Wednesday 21st December, 1730 hrs) prior to it shutting down via the timer as it moved into the eclipse area. My downlink was quite healthy once again just using an "Elk" antenna and about 20 watts RF power. Sadly no takers/response to my CQ calls , I also can report that the FM transmissions were also healthy including SSTV. ( I was not set up to decode or record this) The opportunities over here in Europe will improve with regression over the next few days and I will once again call in to the satellite whilst it is still active and available prior to it perhaps loosing major height. Thanks to all of the team and key players in this project which has been of significant value to me personally for use as a demonstration and example of our hobby. Merry Christmas and Very Best wishes and Good Luck to all for the coming New Year. Ken Eaton GW1FKY Amsat -UK Amsat NA

2 1

Riverside CA Students to Takt to ISS
by Clint Bradford 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

Students at the Flabob Airport Prepatory Academy in Jurupa Valley (Riverside County), CA, are preparing for an amateur radio call from the International Space Station in mid-April, 2012. Flabob has been chosen for this Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact during an open application process in the Fall of 2011. The 10-min live question-and-answer session will take place in the Flabob conference center, and is free to the public. I have published a Web site with more information - http://www.iss-flabob.com If you have a sec, please sign our Guest Book - it is at the bottom of the CONTACT page. THANKS for your support! Clint Bradford, K6LCS http://www.work-sat.com

1 0

FO-29 Recovery Plan
by Mineo Wakita 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

Ground Station said, Possibility of the recovery of the command device of FO-29 was made. It is temporary system constitution, but seems to be able to reopen the use of the satellite. We perform the function confirmation of the command device on 23 Dec 2011 and draw up the year-end and new-year operative plan if there is not a problem. And we recover the system of the command device. > 23 Dec 14:20-14:25 UTC, Command Test, JTA ON/OFF > 24 Dec 05:00 UTC, Test Operation over JA (Until it stop in UVC action) > 25 Dec 14:16 UTC, Test Operation over JA (Until it stop in UVC action) JE9PEL, Mineo Wakita

2 1

73 Magazine: All issues now online
by JoAnne Maenpaa 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

Hello Everyone, I'm reposting this bit of news that I saw on QRZ.com ... --- 73 Magazine: All issues now online (posted by Leigh/WA5ZNU) My friends over at The Internet Archive and Textfiles have given us an early Christmas present: every issue of Wayne Green's 73 Magazine ever published, for free. 73 Magazine was published from 1960 to 2003, and was full of technical articles, news reports, ham ads, and the editorials of the irrepressible Wayne Green, W2NSD. Read 73 online, or download PDF files here: http://www.archive.org/details/73-magazine Magazine articles were scanned, quality corrected, and index by an army of individuals, and collected together for Internet Archive by Jason Scott of textfiles.org. See http://www.textfiles.com/hamradio/ for more ham radio related collections. (rest of this posting on the news at QRZ.com) --- After registering, I picked the PDF of March 1995 73 Magazine for a test. Page 24 has an article how to build HF antenna for satellites with 15M and 10M downlinks. Page 10 has photos of Phase 3D construction. I see on the download options that a kindle format is also available. -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT News Service

6 5

W1AW/5
by Mark Spencer 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Thanks to all the stations that helped W1AW/5 to make a few contacts on AO27 today during the Teachers Institute. Your help and participation made for a very excellent demonstration and it would not have been possible without your patience. If you need a QSL from W1AW/5 or from EM42 for the contact, just drop me an e-mail (adr below) and I'll fire one off to your when I get back to the home QTH. 73, Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings. Mark Mark Spencer, WA8SME Education and Technology Program Director ARRL, the national association for Amateur RadioTM 43 Pinelock Dr. Gales Ferry, CT 06335 860-381-5335 860-460-1139 (cell) mspencer(a)arrl.org

1 0

Fw: SSTV via ARISSat-1 RADIOSKAF-V KEDR
by Farrell Winder 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Heard K9OIM and N8MH on the 20:19 pass. Will be listening again on the 21:52 pass if ARISSat is not too close to the eclipse and turned off.. W8ZCF From: Farrell Winder Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 2:50 PM To: AMSAT Subject: SSTV via ARISSat-1 RADIOSKAF-V KEDR The FM section of ARISSat was sending very strong voice and SSTV signals on 2 passes over Eastern USA Dec 18. Hoping that some stations will try experimenting with voice and SSTV through the Transponder 435.750 LSB up listening 145.930 MHz USB +/- doppler down. I will be listening for contact on the Eastern USA pass today AOS 20:19 UTC . Do not believe there are many days left for ARISSat-1 to be in orbit, I show it is down to about 172 miles altitude according to Nova tracking with latest Keps.. Farrell Winder, W8ZCF

1 0

Re: SSTV via ARISSat-1 RADIOSKAF-V KEDR
by ryan woods 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

I will give voice a try sometime Christmas day! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

1 0

SSTV via ARISSat-1 RADIOSKAF-V KEDR
by Farrell Winder 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

The FM section of ARISSat was sending very strong voice and SSTV signals on 2 passes over Eastern USA Dec 18. Hoping that some stations will try experimenting with voice and SSTV through the Transponder 435.750 LSB up listening 145.930 MHz USB +/- doppler down. I will be listening for contact on the Eastern USA pass today AOS 20:19 UTC . Do not believe there are many days left for ARISSat-1 to be in orbit, I show it is down to about 172 miles altitude according to Nova tracking with latest Keps.. Farrell Winder, W8ZCF

1 0

Re: 73 Magazine: All issues now online
by Trevor . 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

A stack of satellites articles in the November 1977 isuue: http://www.archive.org/download/73-magazine-1977-11/11_November_1977.pdf 73 Trevor M5AKA --- On Tue, 20/12/11, Trevor . <m5aka(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > A great collection, probably take all > the Christmas holidays to download them. > > Page 2 of the December 1972 issue #147 has Waynes views on > Amateur Satellite spectrum. > http://www.archive.org/download/73-magazine-1972-12/12_December_1972.pdf > > 73 Trevor M5AKA

2 1

ISS BBS
by Kevin Deane 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

The ISS Maildrop is great for people in low population areas. I found out the hard way about using it in the US. Now I and others on the west coast are suffering because a certain someone keeps logging in EVERY pass and is not even holding the connection. The email address is no good on QRZ. ARRGG!!! Anyway it still is fun to make Qso's on the Digi just thought since there are not as many birds up there to play with there might be more activity on the ISS. Have not heard much on FO-69? Are people workin that? My radio is in the shop so I have been off the air and only have a 5watt deaf dualbander... :( Kevin KF7MYK

2 1

AO-7
by Rsoifer＠aol.com 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

The AO-7 pass just concluded here reached maximum elevation of 31 degrees to the wesf of my QTH (DM41lu), and the satellite was in Mode V/A (also called Mode A). With about 100 watts EIRP my downlink signal was RST 589 but I had the passband to myself. Nothing but me and the beacon, which was RST 579. My V/A receiving system at this QTH is nothing elaborate, just a Ten-Tec Argonaut V radio and a Hy-Gain AV620 vertical antenna. AO-7 is likely to be in Mode V/A for much of SKN. Hope to work you there. 73 Ray W2RS

1 0

PW-SAT on BRITE TV
by Trevor . 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

PW-SAT which carries a 435/145 MHz AO-16 style transponder featured on BRITE TV. Watch the video (in Polish) at http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/20/pw-sat-on-brite-tv/ AMSAT-UK: http://www.uk.amsat.org/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

1 0

ARRL Teachers Institute on Satellites Today
by JoAnne Maenpaa 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Just a reminder for today ... SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.02 ARRL Teachers Institute Plans Satellite Demo on December 20 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.02 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.02 Satellite operators are invited to listen for ARRL Education and Technology Program Director, Mark Spencer, WA8SME on the afternoon pass of AO-27 (and possibly other satellites) on December 20 as he conducts an operating demonstration from the ARRL Teachers Institute at Mississippi State University. Satellite passes on December 21 are planned as backup operating times. Mark will be covering topics regarding using space-borne systems in the classroom. He says a major part of that unit is demonstrating ham satellite contacts. Mark will be using the call W1AW/5 for the pass. If you'd like a QSL for the contact, send an e-mail to him (mspencer(a)arrl.org) and he will make sure you get one. Find out more about the ARRL Teachers Institutes on-line at: http://www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology. [ANS thanks Mark Spencer, WA8SME for the above information] /EX -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org Editor, AMSAT News Service

1 0

ARISSAT-1 Pass Over SoCal Tuesday
by Bryan Herbert 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

If these keps are correct then hams in DM04rj will be treated to a 53 degree pass from ARISSAT-1 around 2331 UTC (331pm local) this afternoon (Tuesday). Here in the Santa Clarita Valley, 30 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles, we are surrounded by 3000-6000 foot peaks. We have not seen a pass above 20 degrees since mid-October. To date I have only managed to successfully receive ARISSAT-1 twice, I'm hoping this afternoon I will be able to receive a SSTV image, decode some telemetry or contact someone through the transponder. -- Bryan Herbert - KE6ZGP Newhall, CA. DM04RJ USA http://bryanherbert.com http://twitter.com/ke6zgp

1 0

Re: APRS on Bernuda and Atlantic
by Howie DeFelice 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

This is a good reason to use APRS on Cubesat for telemetry. Imagine if even half of the cubesats launched transmitted their telemetry as APRS packets and simultaneously operated as APRS digipeaters. We could have a global constellation of APRS repeaters feeding the terrestrial internet backhaul in short order. This is not only great for us but a major advantage for the folks running the on board experiments since: 1. It provides a standardized method of formatting and transporting the science data2. Allows the science data to be automatically forwarded to a collection server allowing greater access to the raw data3. Every APRS igate around the world becomes a 24x7 collection node We in turn get a worldwide messaging tool. Imagine being able to notify the whole world at once that you just came up on SO-50 in that really rare grid :) Oh well, at least I think it's a good idea :) Howie- AB2S

4 4

Re: APRS on Bernuda and Atlantic
by Guy Mallery 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Howdy, I've been to the weather station at the east end of the runway on St. George's. http://www.weather.bm They have webcams, Internet, power, etc. Perhaps a convincing proposal could be made to them in the interest of APRS and Meteorology...HI HI GL 73, Guy - W6MSU > Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:11:37 -0800 (PST) > From: Jeffrey Koehler <jeffk13057(a)yahoo.com> > To: "rhyolite(a)nettally.com" <rhyolite(a)nettally.com>, > "bruninga(a)usna.edu" <bruninga(a)usna.edu>, "amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org" > <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > > How about maybe the buoy system? > > > http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/rmd.shtml > > > > 73, Jeff WB2SYK

1 0

FUNcube Dongle for Satellite and EME reception
by Bill Dzurilla 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Hi folks, Have not been working the sats much recently, been playing around on EME with a new antenna. I recently discovered the FUNcube Dongle, a nice little gadget that was developed by AMSAT-UK for satellites, but it also makes EME reception a lot easier. The FCD is a 64 mhz to 1700 mhz all-mode software defined radio that fits in the palm of your hand and costs $190 shipped from the UK to the USA. I was playing around with it with a free program called MAP65-IQ to receive EME on 144 mhz. What a joy to see a decode of every station I can receive on the entire 144 mhz digital EME segment of the band, no tuning needed. Screen shot here: http://qsl.net/nz5n/funcube.htm How to set it up? See this video: http://qsl.net/nz5n/FUNcube_Dongle_with_MAP65-IQ_for_EME.swf Not interested in EME? How about using it as a scanner or to monitor repeaters, satellites, and other activity on 2m, 70cm, and 23cm? They also sell an HF down converter that extends the range from DC to 1700 mhz. Thanks to AMSAT-UK for this amazing device. 73, Bill NZ5N

1 1

New Crew to ISS
by Clint Bradford 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-251 STATION CREW SET TO LAUNCH TO A NEW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS HOUSTON -- Just in time for the holidays, the residents of the International Space Station will welcome three new crew members. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit, Russian Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands are set to launch in their Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:16 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Dec. 21 (7:16 p.m. local time). NASA Television will air video of prelaunch activities at 5:45 a.m. and provide live coverage of the launch beginning at 6:30 a.m. On Friday, Dec. 23, the trio will dock to the Rassvet module of the station at 9:22 a.m. The new crew will join station Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and Russian Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, who have been aboard the orbital laboratory since mid-November. NASA TV will provide live coverage beginning at 8:45 a.m. Hatch opening and the holiday welcoming ceremony will occur about three hours later. Burbank has discussed what it will be like to spend the holidays in his home away from home, 240 miles above the Earth. Video is available online at: http://go.usa.gov/NjD Space station sighting opportunities are available across the United States this week, mostly in the northern third of North America, including Alaska. To find sighting details by city, visit: http://go.usa.gov/81R NASA TV's scheduled coverage for launch includes (all times Central): Wednesday, Dec. 21 5:45 a.m. -- Video file feed of the crew prelaunch launch day activities in Baikonur 6:30 a.m. -- Launch coverage (launch at 7:16 a.m.), including launch replays 9:30 a.m. -- Video file of prelaunch and launch video b-roll and postlaunch interviews Friday, Dec. 23 8:45 a.m. -- Docking coverage (docking at 9:22 a.m.) followed by the post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia 11:45 a.m. -- Hatch opening and welcoming ceremony (hatch opening scheduled at 12:20 p.m.) 2 p.m. -- Video file of docking, hatch opening and welcoming ceremony For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For International Space Station information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Clint Bradford clintbradford(a)mac.com

1 0

DK79....
by Omar Alvarez 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Hello I will be on vacations with my family in Manzanillo Colima, the grid is DK79, some maybe have it thanks Ismael XE1AY. I will try to be on afternoon passes of AO-27 and SO-50 when the family activities let me do it. I will be there from 20th to 23th of december as XE1AO, all the QSOs will be upload to LotW, if some need QSL just email me. Not SASE or green stamp. Happy Holidays Omar XE1AO DK89df ******************************** M.C. Omar Alvarez Cárdenas Facultad de Telematica, U de C 316 1075 xe1aom(a)ucol.mx omar_ac(a)hotmail.com ********************************

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Re: ISS
by K5OE 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Kevin, et al, I listened on Saturday and did not hear any packets on 437.550. The 2 m downlink was working FB. 73, Jerry, K5OE > ISS is working great but I forgot to try the 437.550 anyone know how that side > is working? > > Kevin > KF7MYK

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ISS
by Kevin Deane 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

ISS is working great but I forgot to try the 437.550 anyone know how that side is working? Kevin KF7MYK

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Meteor Shower DX
by Bob Bruninga 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

Meteors scatter works not just during showers, but give enhanced paths throughout the day and night on a regular basis. We jsut missed the Geminids 4 days ago, but anyone in remote areas with a TNC can easily monitor for packets anytime, as long as they pick a frequency where there is known activity around 500 to 1200 miles away (and nothing local). In the USA, 144.39 can give that opportunity if you live in a remote area, far from any APRS activity on 144.39 such that the frequency is clear. then you have an Excellent chance to capture some DX meteor packets whenever a lucky meteor goes by. Your porbabliities are high, because there are tens of thousands of APRS transmitters on 144.39 all over the country, and if you are lucky to be in a dead zone, then you have an ideal chance to capture some DX ones that might come in. Just set your TNC to monitor 144.39 (assuming it is quiet in your area). And see if you capture any DX in 24 hours. Of course, even if you have no local traffic on 144.39 some mobile might drive through your area, so you might capture him. But other wise, if you capture a callsign, you can check him out with http://aprs.fi/CALL-SS where CALL-SS is is callsign and SSID. If the packet came in from 500 to 1200 miles away, good chance it was via a meteor. If 144.39 is dead in your area, and you have an old TNC... why not? Bob, WB4APR

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ARISSat-1/RADOSKAF-V/KEDR
by Farrell Winder 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

Note excellent ARISSat-1 SSTV Pictures today from DJ3AK and JA0CAW listed on the ARISS SSTV Gallery. How about these stations and others trying to send pictures through the Transponder 435.750 up and 145.950 dn and posting results on the Gallery. Possibly only a few weeks left to experiment with this Historical satellite! It appears that only 3 stations have sent images through the transponder to date? Respectfully submitted, Farrell Winder, W8ZCF Cincinnati, Ohio

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One Last Mission For Deep Impact?
by B J 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1112/17deepimpact/ http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1112/18DI/ 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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Doppler Curves ?
by John Heath 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

hi guys, in the "olden days" a satellites TCA could be determined by using pencil and graph paper and plotting time v frequency. Is there a modern and more elegant way of doing it with signal anaysis software like Spectravue, Spectran or similar. Need it for an education outreach project and I just know that graph paper and pencils will not be cool. 73 John G7HIA

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Re: ARISSat-1 - NOT Dead Yet!
by Burns Fisher 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

> > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:55:29 -0800 > From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford(a)mac.com> > To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] ARISSat-1 - NOT Dead yet! > Message-ID: <56BFE4E9-AEE0-4F10-A1C7-75D071F787F2(a)mac.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII > > Wow - ARISSat-1's pre-recorded voice messages, computer voice info, and > images were booming here in Southern California just now! > > > Clint Bradford K6LCS > > Agreed! I got a real strong signal yesterday in New Hampshire on a 20 or 30 degree pass and just before eclipse. In fact I was watching as it went into eclipse. I say watching because I was actually looking at the waterfall on SDR-Radio and trying to feed the BPSK-1000 into the telemetry program with a physical audio cable. I had no luck making that work, but I could see strong FM and SSTV, and I could *see* the SSB even if I could not decode it. Burns, W2BFJ

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Re: APRS on Bernuda and Atlantic
by Joe Leikhim 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

Bob; What would be the legality (maritime and otherwise) of a floating solar powered APRS equipped raft? I am thinking along the lines of a Styrofoam NERF-ball type approach that would pose little danger to ships but could be big enough for solar panels, APRS, GPS, weather station, camera and other experiments . Something that could serve as a relay as well as a data collection experiment. For comms, maybe APRS plus some high speed satellite data uplink, commercial or amateur. Think of it as an ocean going satellite! -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida www.Leikhim.com JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 Note to GMail Account users. Due to an abnormally high volume of spam originating from bogus GMail accounts, I have found it necessary to block certain GMail traffic. Please phone me if you believe your message was not received.

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ARISSat height
by Roland Zurmely 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

Please see the updated graphics for ARISSat height here: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#r 73 de Roland PY4ZBZ

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W5PFG/P EM03 (Correction & Pass)
by Clayton Coleman W5PFG 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

I originally said November 19, but I meant to say December 19. I will be operating from EM03 on SO-50 at 10:00 UTC 19-12-2011. Later that same day and the following, I will also be found in DM94-95, and DM85. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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APRS on Bernuda and Atlantic
by Bob Bruninga 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

The recent Balloon flight over the atlantic was a clear demonstration that there is no APRS IGate on Bermuda leaving about 800,000 square miles of the Atlantic without coverage. I've never been there and I assume the old NASA station no longer exists for decades. What kind of government or other official facility is there where we might be able to convince powers-that-be to insall an IGate? It would also be a great place for an unattended ISS ground station... ideas? Oh, and what about SHIPS or aircraft? Does anyone know of any routine back-and-forth asset that travels from USA to Europe and back? If a ship has internet, maybe we could get it to have an IGate too. Bob, WB4APR

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Contratulations CO6CBF
by Omar Alvarez 18 Dec '11

18 Dec '11

Congratulations to Hector (CO6CBF) for the great entreview int the Cuban Television. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp-mbrlVQXI&feature=youtu.be Regards Omar XE1AO DK89df ******************************** M.C. Omar Alvarez Cárdenas Facultad de Telematica, U de C 316 1075 xe1aom(a)ucol.mx omar_ac(a)hotmail.com ********************************

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ANS-352 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne Maenpaa 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-352 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * Keep Amateur Radio in Space: Project Fox-1 Fundraising Campaign * ARRL Teachers Institute Plans Satellite Demo on December 20 * AMSAT Awards * This Week 50 Years Ago: OSCAR 1 in Orbit * Silent Key: Ignacio Martinez, CE2MH, President of AMSAT-CE * N1JEZ Adapts AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle as SDR Panadaptor * Soyuz Preparations Continue for Three Ham Crew Launch to ISS * UNISEC Announces Second Micro/Nano-Satellite Technology Idea Contest * Satellite Shorts From All Over * Got CubeSat? ESA January Vega Launch to Fly 6 More SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.01 Keep Amateur Radio in Space: Project Fox-1 Fundraising Campaign AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.01 Letters mailed to all AMSAT members this week kicked off the Project Fox fundraising campaign. "Given the sad news on AO-51," AMSAT Presi- dent Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said, "we highlighted at the recent 2011 Symposium that AMSAT is actively developing Fox-1, a new spacecraft that is designed to replace AO-51. Fox-1 development now takes on a great sense of urgency." AMSAT Vice-President of Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX says, "Fox-1 will advance single-channel FM repeater satellite operation beyond the experience of AO-51. It will advance AMSAT to the next generation of AO-51 class satellites." Fox-1 is designed for longer operational life with these features: + Fox-1 is designed to operate in sunlight without batteries once the battery system fails. This applies lessons learned from AO-51 and ARISSat-1 operations. + In case of IHU failure Fox-1 will continue to operate its FM repeater in a basic, 'zombie sat' mode, so that the repeater remains on-the-air. + Fox-1 is designed as the immediate replacement for AO-51. Its U/V (Mode B) transponder will make it even easier to work with modest equipment. + From the ground user's perspective, the same FM amateur radio equipment used for AO-51 may be used for Fox-1. + Extending the design, Fox-2 will benefit from the development work of Fox-1 by adding more sophisticated power management and Software Defined Transponder (SDX) communications systems. Barry concluded, "AMSAT's ability to provide a replacement spacecraft and get it launched is dependent upon the active support of donors who wish to see Fox-1 fly." Several opportunities to make your donation to keep amateur radio in space include: + Return the form sent with the letter to reply with your donation for the Fox-1 Project. - All donations over $40 will receive a Fox pin. - Donations of $120 or more qualify you for AMSAT President's Club + Call Martha at the AMSAT Office +1-888-FB AMSAT (1-888-322-6728) + Paypal donation widget on the main page at: http://www.amsat.org + Paypal donation widget for Project Fox at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fox/ + You can also go to the Paypal site and send your donation to martha(a)amsat.org. + The AMSAT Store: http://www.amsat-na.com/store/categories.php On November 15 AMSAT submitted a proposal to NASA for their CubeSat Launch Initiative, also known as the "Educational Launch of NanoSat" (ELaNa) program. NASA selects projects that they deem to have merit in support of their strategic and educational goals. Projects that are selected will be able to enter into a collaboration agreement where NASA will cover the integration and launch costs of the satel- lite. AMSAT, working with ARRL, highlighted the educational merit of the project including the incorporation of Fox-1 into the ARRL Teacher Institute seminars. ARRL also provided a letter of support for the project that was a key component of our proposal. NASA will select from all of the submissions and announce the winning projects by January 30, 2012. The Powerpoint presentations from the 2011 AMSAT Space Symposium on the Project Fox web site provide a good overview of the technical progress: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fox/ + Fox-1 Project Overview + Fox-1 Mechanical Design + Fox-1 Thermal Design + Fox-1 Radiation Environment [ANS thanks AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, and AMSAT's Project Fox Engineering team for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.02 ARRL Teachers Institute Plans Satellite Demo on December 20 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.02 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.02 Satellite operators are invited to listen for ARRL Education and Technology Program Director, Mark Spencer, WA8SME on the afternoon pass of AO-27 (and possibly other satellites) on December 20 as he conducts an operating demonstration from the ARRL Teachers Institute at Mississippi State University. Satellite passes on December 21 are planned as backup operating times. Mark will be covering topics regarding using space-borne systems in the classroom. He says a major part of that unit is demonstrating ham satellite contacts. Mark will be using the call W1AW/5 for the pass. If you'd like a QSL for the contact, send an e-mail to him (mspencer(a)arrl.org) and he will make sure you get one. Find out more about the ARRL Teachers Institutes on-line at: http://www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology. [ANS thanks Mark Spencer, WA8SME for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.03 AMSAT Awards AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.03 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.03 AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO says that con- gratulations are in order for the latest AMSAT Awards recipients. The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO. + Jackson Wilson, KF5LOQ + Bill Caton, WD4DHJ + Marcelo Teruel, IK0USO + Mike Massell, KD0LMB + Kelly Bradley, KC5YPU + Dmitry Krylov, UA3RAB The following have earned the AMSAT Communications Achievement Award. + Bill Caton, WD4DHJ, #546 The following have earned the AMSAT Sexagesimal Communications Achievement Award. + Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, #162 + George Carr, WA5KBH, #163 The following have earned the South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award. + Bill Caton, WD4DHJ, #US175 + Demitry Krylov, UA3RAB, #US176 + Marcelo Teruel, IK0USO, #US177 The following have earned their Robert W. Barbee, Jr. W4AMI Award + Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, #75 To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org. Bruce also invites everyone to check into the Houston AMSAT Net on Wednesday 0200z (Tuesday evening in North America) on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* The net also streams MP3 at: http://www.amsatnet.com And a podcast can be downloaded from http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.04 This Week 50 Years Ago: OSCAR 1 in Orbit AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.04 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.04 The AMSAT News Service is re-running the Project OSCAR Newsletters to commemorate the 50th anniversary of OSCAR 1. During the November/ December 2011 time frame you will be able to share the excitement of the launch campaign that started it all 50 years ago. This week is the last installment in the replay of these historic newsletters. The Newsletters were hand-typed back in 1961. Thanks to Don Ferguson, KD6IRE for scanning the original documents announcing OSCAR 1. ----- <Begin Commemorative Message> O S C A R N E W S L E T T E R December 21, 1961 As of December 19, 1961 (one week in orbit) the amateur radio satel- lite Oscar I had completed 104 revolutions about the earth on a North- South-North orbit. Reports are beginning to pour into the Oscar Head- quarters. A total of 296 reports from ll foreign countries have been received, with radio messages indicating more are on the way. Mail has been delayed because of the Christmas rush, but it is hoped that future reports will reach us more rapidly. Reports have proven to be consistent and accurate enough for use in generating tracking predic- tions. Telemetry information provided by the keying rate indicates that Oscar I is running a fever. Recent data establishes the tempera- ture of the package to be l25°F. The following is a summary of the Oscar 1 satellite: + Frequency: Approximately 144.983 Mc. Power Output: 100+ milliwatts + HI-rate: Proportional to temperature. (IO HI's in 30 seconds = 64°F). + Tumble rate: Approximately 20 seconds. + Apogee: (Point farthest from the earth) - Approximately 275 miles. + Perigee: (Point closest to the earth) - Approximately 150 miles. + Orbital Period: Approximately 92 minutes. + Total Doppler Shift: Approximately 6.5 kc.(Frequency received-is higher than transmitted when satellite is approaching your station; lower when going away). + Transmitter: Transistor crystal oscillator on 72.5 mc., transistor amplifier and "Veri-cap" diode doubler to 145 mc. Keyer consists of transistor multi-vibrator and counters with diode logic. Oscil- lator is keyed in base circuit. + Power Supply: Mercury batteries. Expected life of batteries: 3 to 4 weeks. + Antenna: 1/4-wave monopole, about 19 inches long. + Dimensions and weight: 12" x 10" x 8". Weight: 10 pounds. All daytime passes are from North to South: All nighttime passes are from South to North. A preliminary review of a sample of reports for one pass provides some interesting information. The acquisition times and fade-out times correlate closely among all the receiving stations in the same area. Further, the correlations have improved noticeably for the later orbital passes. This emphasizes that opera- tors are gaining experience and that the predictions have been suffi- ciently accurate to permit early acquisition. Many amateurs have been surprised at the great range which may be spanned by this beacon, whose output power is about 1/4 that requir- ed to light a flash-light bulb. Reports indicate reliable reception up to a distance of about 1400 miles from the satellite path. On an overhead pass, signal reports of 40 decibels above noise level are common! The Oscar Data Reduction group has reported a few messages indicat- ing 'that the last dot of the letter "I" has been missing. Anybody noticing this who has a tape recording of the "missing dot" is re- quested to air mail it to the Association as soon as possible. Reports of the "HI" rate are urgently requested. If the temperature inside the package continues to rise, it is possible that the opera- ting life of Oscar could be cut short by a high temperature failure of some component. The temperature rise does not seem linear, so all reports will be welcome! Also, please monitor the frequency in off- hours to determine if Oscar can be heard by unusual propagation modes at great distances! Orbital data is being broadcast by W1AW (see QST for schedules) and by the Voice of America "Space-Warn" program on various frequencies (9.525, 11.79, 11.83, and 15.29 mc) at 0330 GMT, Monday through Sat- urday. Send all reception reports of Oscar to: Project Oscar Association, Box ---, Sunnyvale, California, U.S.A. Thanks for your splendid cooperation and keep up the good work! 73. <End of Commemorative Message> [ANS thanks Don Ferguson, KD6IRE and Project OSCAR for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.05 Silent Key: Ignacio Martinez, CE2MH, President of AMSAT-CE AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.05 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.05 AMSAT received the sad news that Ignacio Martinez, CE2MH, President of AMSAT-CE passed away suddenly December 9 after a brief illness. He was 73. Ignacio was founder of FEDERACHI, the Chilean Radio Ama- teur Federation, from where he laid the foundations to create AMSAT-CE. There he served as President of the Board from its beginnings in 1992 until he passed away. He was the driving force behind the CESAR-1 satellite project to which Tom Clark, K3IO made a great contribution. Ignacio is survived by his wife Patricia, two daughters and a son. A memorial service took place in Vina del Mar on Sunday, December 11. (Book of Condolences is posted at http://www.amsat.cl/) [ANS thanks Axel Kruuse, CE3AFC and Oscar Cabello, CE3AFX for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.06 N1JEZ Adapts AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle as SDR Panadaptor AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.06 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.06 AMSAT member, Mike Seguin, N1JEZ is active on the microwave bands in addition to his amateur satellite activities. Mike is AO-7's control station. Mike wrote and presented a paper, "A Panadapter for the FT-817" at Microwave Update 2011 where he describes using the AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle SDR receiver adapted for use as a panadapter display. Mike is active on 10 GHz and above, using his FT-817 as the IF rig on 144 and 432 MHz with microwave transverters. The FT-817 having a common 68.33 MHz IF (for VHF and UHF) in its receiver fits within the 64 MHz to 1700 MHz range of the FUNcube dongle. In his paper Mike describes how to find the location to tap the com- mon IF and an active buffer/isolation amp so as to minimize any inter- action with the radio. A copy of Mike's paper and a link to sources of the PC Boards can be found on the W1GHZ Small Projects Page: http://www.w1ghz.org/small_proj/small_proj.htm Find out more about the FUNcube Dongle at: http://www.funcubedongle.com/ [ANS thanks Mike Seguin, N1JEZ for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.07 Soyuz Preparations Continue for Three Ham Crew Launch to ISS AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.07 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.07 NASA astronaut Don Pettit KD5MDT, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko RN3DX and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS continue preparations for their planned Soyuz launch to the ISS on on December 21 at 0816 EST (1316 GMT). The SpaceFlightNow web site posted a photo album of the ISS Expedition 30 crew this week during inspections and fit checks in the seats: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp30/111209fitcheck/ The European Space Agency has released a video of Andre Kuipers' mission which can be viewed at: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp30/kuipers.html The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft will be encapsulated in the aerodynamic shroud and then mated to its rocket booster next week in preparation for rollout to the launch pad on December 19. After launch the Soyuz will fly a two-day trek to rendezvous with the station for a planned automated docking December 23 at 1020 EST (1520 GMT). These three hams are headed for a half-year mission aboard the ISS as members of Expeditions 30 and 31. [ANS thanks SpaceFlightNow.com for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.08 UNISEC Announces Second Micro/Nano-Satellite Technology Idea Contest AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.08 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.08 Japan's University Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC) announced the second Mission Idea Contest for micro/nano-satellite technology sponsored by the University of Tokyo. The Mission Idea Contest was established in 2011 to provide aerospace engineers, college students, consultants, and anybody interested in space with opportunities to present their creative ideas and gain at- tention internationally. The primary goal of this contest is to open a door to a new facet of space exploration and exploitation. The contest has two categories for entry: + Mission Idea and Satellite Design which is open for any indivi- dual, group or company with suitable space systems expertise and an enthusiasm for micro/nano-satellites. + Mission Idea and Business Model which is open for any individual, group or company with suitable business expertise and an enthusiasm for micro/nano-satellites. + The abstract deadline is May 1, 2012. Finalists will be invited to present in Japan at the 4th Nano-satel- lite symposium in Nagoya, Japan on October 10-13, 2012. Awards will be announced at a later date. Selected papers will be published in a peer-reviewed journal to provide high visibility for winning ideas and the potential for future collaboration and support for missions. UNISEC has posted information about the contest at: http://www.spacemic.net/ AMSAT-UK posted the news at: http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/13/nanosat-mission-idea-contest/ [ANS thanks University Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC) for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.09 Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.09 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.09 + Playing this link too often may lead to additional coal in your stocking ... hum along as the NOAA Weather Radio voice (ahem) sings "Deck the Halls": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yGJbkQulQw&feature=share + While you're recovering from the first video watch: "A Ham's Night Before Christmas" at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_9REVC4dtc + Trevor, M5AKA says the ARRL has kindly given permission to put some of the OSCAR 1 articles from the February 1962 edition of QST on the AMSAT-UK website. Links are at the bottom of this article: http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/12/50th-anniversary-of-oscar-1/ + Eric, F4EJW announced a new website, AAR29/SAT, where he and Remy, F1NNI provide an online log sharing resource for each of the ama- teur satellites in service. Go to Eric's blog link, then click on the Amateur Radio Satellite AAR29 banner: http://f4ejw.over-blog.com/ + XU, CAMBODIA. A group of JA operators plan to be active from Sihanoukville between January 14-22. Operators mentioned are Masumi/JA3AVO (XU7AVO), Takeo/JA3BZO (XU7AEN), Kunio/JA1CJA/ JH3LSS (XU7CJA), Tsuguya/JA3UJR (XU7UJR), Shozo/JA3HJI (XU7HJI pending) and Tatsuo/JA3ARJ (XU7ARJ pending). Activity will pro- bably be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB and Digital modes. Also look for satellite activity on 2m and 70cm. QSL via their home callsigns. (Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1040, December 12, 2011) + You can see more details and hear more of the mission plans of these CubeSats: Delfi-n3Xt video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI4rw_BGtaI&feature=share University of Montana's Explorer-1[Prime] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2STzHXv9lY&feature=share + Southgate ARC's web has posted an excellent resource page called, "Working the SSB satellites". There are several links describing the techniques required for SSB operation as compared to operating via the FM satellites: http://tinyurl.com/blul4eb (Southgate) + George, KA3HSW reported there was a typo in the Topr.txt file as received from the AO-27 control team: The second line of the file, which defines the transponder "on" period, should read 420, not 240. You can edit the file yourself with your favorite text editor, or download a corrected version of the file from the AO-27 scheduler website: http://sites.google.com/site/ao27satellitescheduler. + A Cuban TV news crew filmed Hector, CO6CBF satellite demonstration for high school students and teachers in Cienfuegos City, Cuba. This was broadcast by the national TV in Cuba and now a lot more hams are interested in satellites. Hector posted his TV video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp-mbrlVQXI&feature=youtu.be XE1SOV posted a video from his end of a contact with CO6CBF at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uei7vRJk28M + AMSAT's Keeper of the Keps, Ray Hoad, WA5QGD reports that Space- Track has assigned the following catalog numbers to the satellites launched on October 28: Cat# Name ----- ---------------------------- 37850 COSMOS 2251 DEB (boaster) 37851 Dice 1 37852 Dice 2 37853 RAX-2 37854 AUBIESAT-1 37855 HRBE (formally EXP1 Prime renamed for William H. Hiscock, HRBE = Hiscock Radiation Belt Explorer) + The UK Tech Podcast, FrequencyCast, has released a short video showing reception in Essex of FM voice and an SSTV image from the amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1. The 145.950 MHz FM signal was recorded at 1055 UT on the November 14, 2011. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nFSbj-ga2OA [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-352.10 Got CubeSat? ESA January Vega Launch to Fly 6 More AMSAT News Service Bulletin 352.10 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 18, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-352.10 The January 12012 inaugural launch of the ESA Vega rocket from the ESA spaceport at Kourou in the Caribbean will carry the amateur radio microsatellite ALMASat-1 and at least 6 CubeSats. The orbit is plan- ned for 1450 by 300 km at an inclination of 69.5 degrees. There were slots for up to nine CubeSats on the Vega launch. Six, and possibly a seventh, satellites are ready for launch. The six that are ready to fly include: + Xatcobeo (a collaboration of the University of Vigo and INTA, Spain) to demonstrate software-defined radio and solar panel deployment. + Robusta (University of Montpellier 2, France) to test and evaluate radiation effects (low dose rate) on bipolar transistor electronic components. + e-st@r (Politecnico di Torino, Italy) to demonstration of an active 3-axis Attitude Determination and Control system including an inertial measurement unit. + Goliat (University of Bucharest, Romania) to provide imaging of the Earth surface using a digital camera and in-situ measurement of radiation dose and micrometeoroid flux. + PW-Sat (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland) to test a deploy- able atmospheric drag augmentation device for de-orbiting CubeSats. PW-Sat carries an FM to DSB amateur radio transponder with an FM input on 435.020 MHz and DSB output on 145.900 MHz. + MaSat-1 (Budapest University of Technology and Economics): to dem- onstrate various spacecraft avionics, including a power condition- ing system, transceiver and on-board data handling. ESA CubeSats delivered for first Vega flight news web page: http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Education/SEM3L0WWVUG_0.html ESA Education - CubeSats http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Education/SEM3N03MDAF_0.html A picture of ALMASat-1 and the six CubeSats is posted at AMSAT-UK: http://tinyurl.com/c8o73zw (uk.amsat.org) The IARU amateur satellite frequency coordination pages hosted by AMAT-UK list the frequencies of the amateur radio satellites: http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL provides complete coverage of the Vega launch on his 'ESA CubeSats Update' web pages. You'll find an overview of each of the satellite missions, frequencies, modulation/protocols, and links to the developers home web pages posted at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/esa9cubf.htm [ANS thanks ESA, AMSAT-UK, Southgate ARC News site 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 additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. And with that, please keep in mind the size of outer space: If the Earth-Sun distance shrinks to one inch, the nearest star lies 4.3 miles away and the dia- meter of our galaxy is 100,000 miles at this scale. 73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org

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W5PFG/P EM03
by Clayton Coleman W5PFG 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

Several stations have emailed me asking when I might be available to do an activation of grid EM03. There are several SO-50 passes I can work in the very early morning hours on the 19 of November. If you need this grid EM03 confirmed, I am more than willing to do it. Please email me directly, off the BB. Thank you & 73 Clayton W5PFG

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ARISSat-1 - NOT Dead yet!
by Clint Bradford 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

Wow - ARISSat-1's pre-recorded voice messages, computer voice info, and images were booming here in Southern California just now! Clint Bradford K6LCS

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iss APRS pATH
by Pedro Cruz 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

Hello Any one can tell me wath is the current path for digipeate via ISS . Best 73! Pedro Cruz - CU2JX

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SO-50 @ 1926z 17dec// N6SPP
by Eric T-N6SPP 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

Will try SO-50 satellite@ my aos 1026AK/1926z today- work permitting 73 Eric KL/N6SPP_ BQ50sf_deadhorse,ak

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Video - From OSCAR 1 to Mars and Beyond
by Trevor . 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

A video of the presentation about Amateur Radio Space Communications given by Mario Lorenz DL5MLO to hackers at the Chaos Communication Camp 2011 is now available, see http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/17/from-oscar-1-to-mars-and-beyond/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Announcement of Opportunity: CubeSat Mission Concept Studies
by Trevor . 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

The UK Space Agency is inviting proposals to develop CubeSat preparatory studies for future mission concepts e.g. UKube-2. http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/17/announcement-of-opportunity-cubesat-miss… AMSAT-UK http://www.uk.amsat.org/ ---- 73 Trevor M5AKA

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AI presentation at HFI 2011
by Nitin Muttin 17 Dec '11

17 Dec '11

All, You can download the foils shared at HFI 2011 from http://amsatindia.org/presentations/HFI-2011/AI-HFI2011.pdf 73's Nitin [VU3TYG] Secretary, AMSAT INDIA

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ARRISat-1 is visible again
by Mark L. Hammond 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

Okay, the predictions were right on the money. Just collected and sent 30 frames of telemetry from ARISSat-1. We North Americans need to take advantage of the improved visibility... 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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E1P Data Submission
by Carl Rimmer W8KRF 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

For those of you who, like me, have been copying and submitting telemetry data for the Explorer 1 Prime MSU project and may have found you are unable to submit data, I have received a response to my inquiry regarding that problem dated 12/15/2011: <snip> We are in the midst of a server upgrade and are doing a migration of the data submission services. They will be offline for a couple of days and then should be ready to go after that. Sorry for the inconvenience. We do still request telemetry submission and thank you for you patience. -Ehson E1P Program Manager </snip> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my AMSAT friends. 73 -- *Carl W8KRF*

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PicFall transmisson via ARISSat linear transponder
by Roland Zurmely 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

At orbit # 2112, almost vertically from my QTH, I did a PicFall transmission, with only 18 W in a 6 element UHF Yagi. This transmission was converted from UHF to VHF by ARISSat linear transponder. See the result in received spectrogram on VHF with a DCA antenna and home made VHF to HF converter, and a SDR-IQ controlled by SpectraVue, here: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#s 73 de Roland.

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Satellite Stations in Alabama
by Kyle Owen 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

After the launch of AubieSat-1, now AO-71, many stations across the world were able to pick it up. However, it's very weak. Our 100W station at Auburn University has been unable to command it, which has led our team to believe that the antennas did not deploy. However, there is a chance that with enough power we can at least get a few words from the satellite. I have tried contacting Dennis Dease and Jimmy Long in Alabama, but neither have the equipment set up to talk to satellites. Would anyone in the Southeast US area be able to help me get 1.5kW pointed towards AO-71? I have the command transmitter and a 100W amplifier in my possession and would need to be present to talk to the satellite. The uplink and downlink frequencies are both in the 70cm band. I would be looking at doing something within the next few weeks since I'm home in Birmingham. Thanks, and 73! Kyle, KK4ANG Chief Engineer, AubieSat

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Looking for Simple SDR schematics for homebrew
by Raidel Abreu Espinet 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

Hello everyone, I am looking for a simple and easy to build schematics for a SDR reciever in a fixed frequency of 10.7MHz because I am looking to feed it with my reciever 10.7 IF output. I search a little over internet and found a lot of very complex design and the easier ones are by kits offereds for sale which cannot be deliver via postal mail due my local customs regulations. So I'm looking for something simple and easy to build with not too exotic components. If someone have some advice and recommendations, please send me an e-mail. Also if some of you know about a cheap for sale kit which is currently on stock with a really fast and short deliver time let me know, I have a friend visiting some relatives, and he is returning in the next few days. Thanks, Raydel, CM2ESP, EL83 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Este mensaje ha sido enviado mediante el servicio de correo electronico que ofrece la Federacion de Radioaficionados de Cuba a sus miembros para respaldar el cumplimiento de los objetivos de la organizacion y su politica informativa. La persona que envia este correo asume el compromiso de usar el servicio a tales fines y cumplir con las regulaciones establecidas

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UK launches National Space Academy
by Trevor . 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

Space is about to touch down in even more classrooms and colleges across the UK, with the launch of the National Space Academy – a network of outstanding teachers and space scientists that will use the inspirational context of space to teach STEM subjects – and geography – to our students and their teachers. http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/16/uk-launches-national-space-academy/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Amateur Radio Satellites Approach Launch
by Trevor . 16 Dec '11

16 Dec '11

There is a picture of ALMASat-1 and the six CubeSats at http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/16/amateur-radio-satellites-approach-launch/ 73 Trevor M5AKA

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Sat Presentation in Georgia (US) 01/14/2012
by Clint Bradford 15 Dec '11

15 Dec '11

AMSAT area coordinator Clint Bradford, K6LCS, will be presenting his ‘Working Amateur Satellites With Your HT’ session at the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society's TechFest 2012 in Lawrenceville, Georgia on January 14, 2012. ALL are welcome to attend! Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 11AM EST Gwinnett Medical Resource Center 655 Duluth Highway (GA120) Lawrenceville GA 30046 Event Web site: http://tinyurl.com/GARS-2012 Attendees should download Clint’s four-page tutorial and radio programming data from … http://www.work-sat.com … and Clint welcomes pre-presentation questions: Send email to … clint(a)clintbradford.com. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Clint K6LCS

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