- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

2020 AMSAT Symposium - Great Job All Around!
by kc4le＠arrl.net 21 Oct '20

21 Oct '20

Thanks to all of those who contributed their time and talents for this event. Clearly, a lot of work went into organizing the symposium, writing the papers, preparing the presentations and compiling the proceedings. Already looking forward to Minneapolis... Red KC4LE

2 1

Virtual Ham Expo March 2021
by tjschuessler＠verizon.net 21 Oct '20

21 Oct '20

The Virtual Ham Expo is soliciting speakers for the next event in March of 2021. I presented at the one back in August and have signed up again. I wanted to see if someone from AMSAT or Field Ops would like to join me as a co-presenter. I would like to see if we can create a better than last year presentation. Please let me know if you are interested. The presentation part is pre-recorded so editing a video is a good way to go beyond PowerPoint. There is also a Q&A session is live on Zoom. I had 130+ in the Q&A session back in August. Last year, I added a video of working RS-44 from my Driveway. Other things could be done as well. Also they do have an "Exhibit hall" which is a "Pay for your space" deal, but perhaps AMSAT would like to buy a space and we could coordinate a group of us to work the virtual table through the weekend. That would be a good way to help bring personal interaction as is always the case for events like Hamcation, Hamvention and Ham-Com. Now is the time to begin planning and arranging, not 2 weeks before. Let me know what you think and maybe we can investigate further. Tom Schuessler, N5HYP EM12ms

2 1

Kenwood TS-2000 And Falconsat-3
by Tony 21 Oct '20

21 Oct '20

All: Is anyone using the Kenwood TS-2000 to work FalconSat-3? It's been a while, but I believe I used the internal modem to work GO-32 years ago before I sold my Kenwood. If I'm not mistaken, the latest TS-2K's still have the built-in modem. Tony

1 0

70cm Lindy design files & construction notes available on Thingiverse
by Curt Laumann 21 Oct '20

21 Oct '20

Hi All! Over the last couple of months I’ve been having a lot of fun with 3D printing and design, working to make a 70cm parasitic Lindenblad that is easy to manufacture and assemble. I’d like to share the design files with the amateur community, inviting people to build and improve on this design. This design heavily leverages the previous excellent work by Tony Monteiro (AA2TX), who created and published the paper: “A Parasitic Lindenblad Antenna for 70cm” AMSAT Proceedings 2006. The AA2TX design uses a central driven dipole surrounded by four tilted parasitic elements. One of the biggest challenges to construct the AA2TX design is holding the parasitic elements in the crazy geometry defined by a Lindenblad configuration. The AA2TX design used irrigation parts, requiring careful alignment by hand and tedious bonding operations. Today with the availability of 3D printing it is possible to remove literally all the critical alignments, designing these spacings and angles into the 3D printed part! Design files, pictures and construction notes can be found on Thingiverse (search for my call sign K7ZOO). I welcome any ideas for improvement and would really enjoy seeing the results of any construction efforts. de K7ZOO

1 0

Rocket Lab launch postponed until tomorrow
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 21 Oct '20

21 Oct '20

Weather at the Launch site was not good today :(. They are going to try again tomorrow see: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1318041165669699584 73, Terry Osborne ZL2BAC

1 0

Get ready for more space junk
by Zach Metzinger 20 Oct '20

20 Oct '20

Everyone is rushing to put The Cloud into LEO, it seems. This morning's WSJ: "Microsoft Teams With Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Push Cloud Battle With Amazon Into Orbit" https://tinyurl.com/y4q6uy5w > Microsoft would help connect and deploy new services using swarms of > low-orbit spacecraft being proposed by SpaceX, and more traditional > fleets of satellites circling the earth at higher altitudes. > Microsoft’s initiative targeting commercial and government space > businesses, formally launched Tuesday, comes about three months after > Amazon Web Services, the e-retailer’s cloud unit, disclosed its > space-focused effort. Shorter story here, too: https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/microsoft-teams-with-elon-musks-spac… --- Zach N0ZGO

2 1

RS-44
by Glenn Miller AA5PK 20 Oct '20

20 Oct '20

Worked XE2YWH on RS-44 this morning. Good to hear it's back. Glenn AA5PK

1 0

PO-101
by Chris Pohlad-Thomas 20 Oct '20

20 Oct '20

So, I've not worked PO-101 before, but when I tried to earlier I was getting no voice. I checked on Satnogs and it appears the same for others with this. Are they not doing FM Voice right now? -- Chris Pohlad-Thomas

3 2

G5500 left turn relay failure
by k.swaggart＠charter.net 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

My G5500 control box won't command the rotor left, but right works fine. No voltage to the #4 connector when I press "left", but if I put some pressure on the relay the voltage intermittently returns. So, guess the relay contacts are dirty. Looking at the schematic it looks like both the right and left relays are the same, but use different connections. So. thinking I'll just remove and the two and swap relays. (This unit has been in daily use since 2002!) Are these relays available from Yaesu or someone in the US? Did a quick Google and DigiKey search but didn't find them. Just noticed there is a little lid on the top of the relay. When I popped that open there is a lot of black residue on the inside of the lid and I just might be able to clean the contact! Ken, W7KKE

3 3

JN15 by F4DXV Monday 19Oct 2000utc RS-44
by john＠papays.com 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

jerome, F4DXV, will be operating from a 1500M summit in JN15jo on Monday, 19 October at 2000UTC on RS-44 specifically for North America. The operation has been planned around the coverage of this specific pass such that much of eastern North America will have an excellent chance for a contact with this rare grid. The last 200M of elevation to the summit is on foot. Jerome will arrive at the summit in daylight but will make the descent back to the road after this pass in darkness. Weather may also be an issue. This is not a walk on the beach. Jerome is an experienced operator and will do his best to work everyone that can hear him. Good Luck. 73, John K8YSE

2 1

RS-44 status
by Ronald Parsons 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

There has been no active status on RS-4 since 1300Z. Did I miss Ron W5RKN

1 0

AO7 reports requested please!
by andy thomas 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

hi I am uplinking a qrp cw (attended) beacon on 145.900 today onto AO7 mode A, and would appreciate any swl reports, it's a bit chirpy! Will e-qsl too. I plan to uplink at around 14:40 (east of me)and also 16:32 (west) local time. many thanks andy g0sfj

1 0

FO-29 operation schedule for Nov. 2020
by JH3XCU 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

FO-29 operation schedule for Nov. 2020 Time in UTC Nov. 1 03:15- Nov. 3 01:30- 03:10- Nov. 7 01:15- 03:00- Nov. 8 03:50- Nov.14 01:50- 03:35- Nov.15 02:40- 04:28- Nov.21 02:25- 04:10- Nov.22 03:15- 05:05- Nov.23 02:20- 04:05- Nov.28 01:15- 03:00- Nov.29 02:05- 03:50- https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-201907.htm 73, Hideo - JH3XCU

1 0

CAS4 A &B
by Andy Brian 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

Hi, Why CAS4A and CAS4B are not included in amateur.txt on celestrack.com? BR Andy

2 2

Help For Abbreviations Etc.
by Gerald Payton 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

Abbreviations and acronyms are a real headache for me from time to time. I was told that in the past the AMSAT Journal sometimes printed a table of abbreviations used frequently. I have some Journals from Sept/Oct 2019 to current issue, but do not include such table. Is there such table available and where may I find it, please? I listen to Saturday's Symposium and was overwhelmed with the terms used. I wrote down and looked up later a few of the terms. I realize that it probably take time to learn, but a list or table would help! Thanks, and 73 to all. Gerald "Jerry" Payton AB5R EM12kh

8 9

AO-92
by Chris Pohlad-Thomas 19 Oct '20

19 Oct '20

So I just learned today that AO-92 is dead. Does anyone know what happened? -- Chris Pohlad-Thomas

2 1

Congratulations to 2020-2021 AMSAT Officers
by Clayton Coleman W5PFG 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

I'm excited for the upcoming year at AMSAT. Congratulations to our new Officers and recently installed Directors. It's a great team. There is no shortage of opportunities for growth at AMSAT. If you are contemplating volunteering at AMSAT, there has never been a greater time. I appreciate each of you who've reached out to me over the past year with words of support and encouragement. 73 Clayton W5PFG Immediate Past President (2020), AMSAT

1 0

ANS-292.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Robert Bankston, KE4AL, President
by Paul Stoetzer 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-292.02 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-292.02 ANS-292.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 292.02 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 18, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-292.02 * AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Robert Bankston, KE4AL, President At its annual meeting, the AMSAT Board of Directors elected Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, President, succeeding Clayton Coleman, W5PFG. Bankston is a Life Member of AMSAT and has previously served as Treasurer and Vice-President User Services, as well as volunteering in several other capacities for AMSAT, including the development and launch of AMSAT’s online member portal and chairing the 2018 AMSAT Space Symposium held at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, in Huntsville, Alabama. He also is an ARRL Life Member and holds an Extra Class license. Immediate Past President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, said “It has been both a joy and privilege to serve as President of AMSAT in 2020. In what has been a rather difficult year for many individuals in amateur radio, AMSAT, through its many supportive members, volunteers, and donors, has continued course on our vision of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. With our initiatives such as modernizing the AMSAT office with a self-service member portal and the Linear Transponder Module, the organization has moved forward. With the talented and capable individuals sitting on AMSAT’s new Board and its Officers, I am confident in a bright future ahead for AMSAT and the amateur radio satellite service.“ Other officers elected by the Board were: • Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President • Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President - Engineering • Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of Brooksville, FL, as Vice President - Operations • Jeff Davis, KE9V, of Muncie, IN, as Secretary • Steve Belter, N9IP, of West Lafayette, IN, as Treasurer • Martha Saragovitz, of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager • Alan Johnston, KU2Y, of Philadelphia, PA, as Vice President - Educational Relations • Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, MN, as Vice President - Development [ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

1 0

Frequency Guide
by Chris Pohlad-Thomas 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

Does anyone know where I can access the most recent frequency guide from AMSAT? Mine from May 2020 might still be the most up to date but I'd like to know for the future. -- Chris Pohlad-Thomas

5 4

ANS-292 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins ERRATA
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

ERRATA: the subject for the Weekly Bulletin was marked as ANS-270 which is incorrect. The text of the bulletin was correct however. My apologies, 73, Jack Spitznagel - KD4IZ Assistant Editor - AMSAT News Service Cell: (410) 207-5123 kd4iz dot arrl.net

1 0

ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-292 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * ARRL Comments in Orbital Debris Mitigation Proceeding * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 15, 2020 * * * PREDICT-2.2.7 for Linux, Unix, Android, and Raspberry Pi Platforms * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over * Tips for the New Operator SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-292.01 ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 292.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 September 27 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-290.01 ARRL Comments in Orbital Debris Mitigation Proceeding 10/13/2020 In comments to the FCC, ARRL targeted two specific areas of concern regarding a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) in IB Docket 18-313 - mitigation of orbital debris in the new space age. In an earlier phase of the proceeding, ARRL filed comments and met with FCC staff to discuss the proposed rules. In comments filed on October 9, ARRL focused on the areas of indemnification and maneuverability/propul- sion. Indemnification places the liability for any possible damage from a satellite on an individual or entity. ARRL reiterated its assertion that, as a practical matter, an indemnification requirement "would seriously impair the ability of amateur and university experimenters to launch and operate satellites under US auspices" due to the potential liability and high insurance cost. Additional information is available at the ARRL Web Site: https://bit.ly/3iZiGwj [ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 15, 2020 The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: MO-106 - Cat ID 44830 (decay epoch = 2020-10-09 per Space-Track). TRSI-Sat - Cat ID 44831 (decay epoch = 2020-10-11 per Space-Track). The following satellite has an estimated decay epoch determined by Space- Track as follows: EnduroSat One - Cat ID 43551 - estimated decay epoch = 2020-10-15 per Space-Track). (Still in orbit as of 2020-10-15 at 04:53 UTC.) An updated set of Orbital Elements for October 15, 2020 have been dis- tributed via the AMSAT /keps list and are available at the AMSAT website: https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ PREDICT-2.2.7 for Linux, Unix, Android, and Raspberry Pi Platforms John Maglicane, KD2BD, has announced the release of PREDICT version 2.2.7, an Open Source satellite tracking / orbital prediction applic- ation for Linux and Unix computing environments, including PCs, laptops, and Raspberry PIs. New in this release is a version of PREDICT that operates on Android platforms under a Termux environment. Now you can carry your smartphone in your shirt pocket while voice announcements made by PREDICT's "vocalizer" tell you where to locate the ISS, Hubble, or other visible satellites in the night sky! There's even an alarm to alert the observer when the spacecraft enters into eclipse or into sunlight. Android screenshots are available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/SingleTrack-Android.jpg https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/MultiTracking-Android.jpg The Linux/Unix version of PREDICT-2.2.7 is available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict-2.2.7.tar.gz And the Android/Termux release is available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict-2.2.7-termux.tar.gz Both versions are source code releases. An included "configure" script will configure and compile PREDICT and its associated utilities for your specific platform while you wait. Termux is an Android terminal emulator and Linux environment application that is available at no cost through Google Play. Further details are available at: https://termux.com/ Further details on PREDICT are available at: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html Stay safe, stay well, and Happy Tracking! 73 de John, KD2BD [ANS thanks John Magliacane, KD2BD for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS (awaiting update from AJ9N) Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact was successful: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men- tors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: Jerome, F4DXV, is plans to operate from a 1500 meter summit in JN15jo on Monday, 19October. He will be on RS-44 beginning at 2000utc specifically for North America. The footprint covers much of eastern NA. This is a difficult operation after dark and Jerome hopes that many will take advantage of the opportunity to work this very rare grid. RS-44 will be around 1430km. DN13/23 and DN22: @KI7UNJ, 10/16 - 10/19: No pass list, just follow Twitter, BEACON APRS KI7UNJ-9 KI7UNJ-IOS 16th DN13/23 Line 17th DN22 18th DN22 19th DN13/23 Line KQ2RP is heading to FN44/54 again. Will be on FM birds from FN54 with occasional FN44/54 line. FN53 possible. Oct 11-16th. Logging as KQ2RP/1. EL Grids, @N1PEB 10/10 -10-14: 10/10 EL95 Key Largo, 10/11 EL94 Key West, 10/12 EL84 Dry Tortuga, 10/13 EL94 Key West, 10/14 TBD >From TI2BSH: October 16, 2020 I will be working in EK71 and will go out on the satellites: AO-91 at 04: 22z,05:57z, 16:38z SO-50 at 04: 48z, 15:16z If you hear me and want that grid call in international phonetic code. 73s Major Roves: Doug N6UA and Ron AD0DX are planning to activate DL88 on Sunday Oct 25th. This will be a daytime activation only because the Talley Campground is currently closed. We will be on FM and Linear satellites. Thanks to everyone that donated back in April before the COVID restrictions. K5Z on qrz.com has more details including passes:https://www.qrz.com/db/K5Z Currently the weather looks good and we will be monitoring the weather throughout the week. If there is a chance of rain in the forecast we will have to find another date. We are looking forward to giving out this rare grid! 73 Ron AD0DX and Doug N6UA Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Clint Bradford, K6LCS will give his "Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment" Zoom presentation on the following dates for: 10/27/2020 - Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC Additional presentations are in the planning stage: TBD - Antelope Valley (CA) ARC and a private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Pennsylvania Club Groups are asked to update their copies of the Zoom application prior to the scheduled session by directly downloading it from https://zoom.us/ [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA will provide live coverage of the return to Earth for agency astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and two Russian cosmonauts Wednes- day, Oct. 21, after six months aboard the International Space Sta- tion. Cassidy, the Expedition 63 commander, and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, will close the hatch to their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft at 20:10 UTC Wednesday. Their Soyuz will un- dock at 23:32z. A parachute-assisted landing is set for 02:55z on Oct. 22 on the steppe of Kazakhstan. Complete coverage of the return will be available on NASA TV and the agency's website, https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Joe Werth, KE9AJ Tweets about a new distance record set for AO-7 Mode A: "Amazing QSO with Olivier, @F5RRO on AO-7 MODE A. Breaking a 40 year old AMSAT distance record at 6,879 km. Olivier used a MA5B Yagi and I used my Moxon..... Thanks Olivier!" The path map may be seen at: https://bit.ly/2SUSeJM (ANS thanks Joe Werth, KE9AJ for passing along the above information) + GNU Radio Project (@gnuradio) tweeted at 3:52 PM on Tue, Oct 13, 2020: Wylie Standage-Beier's @thewyliestcoyot workshop on Writing GNU Radio Blocks is up on YouTube! A hands on intro to blocks, flowgraphs, and systems from simple Python simulation of a phase shift keyed signal in white noise to a functioning communications system. Link to Twitter Feed and Youtube link: https://t.co/XldgMCJeLy (ANS thanks JoAnn Maenpaa, K9JKM for relaying the above information from Twitter) + OSIRIS-REx, which launched in 2016 and has been orbiting the asteroid Bennu in microgravity since 2018, is going to try its first Touch And Go (TAG) maneuver next week. This maneuver involves autonomously des- cending toward the asteroid with the craft's sample arm extended, briefly making contact, using nitrogen gas to blow loose material in- to a sample collection head, and returning to orbit. The pristine sample should arrive back on Earth in September 2023. Visualization at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjlGYHJ2560&feature=youtu.be (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Blue Origin's reusable suborbital New Shepard flew on October 13 for the first time since December 2019, completing its 13th flight, and seventh reuse for this booster. The mission successfully carried sev- eral NASA experiments, including a "microgravity LilyPond"--a hydro- ponic chamber for growing edible aquatic plants in space--and a sys- tem for precise planetary landing that uses both terrain relative navigation (for high altitude use, soon to be used for landing by Mars 2020) and LiDAR (for final propulsive landing), with a planned application to upcoming lunar landing missions. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Tweeted on October 13: Premier signers of Virgin Orbit's payload wall, @AMSAT RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E is out of our hands and in the hands of @Virgin_Orbit to fly as part of Launcher One's first payload. Great fun sharing in their new experience and first integration. And tours of their facilities to boot! https://twitter.com/n0jy/status/1315878009371422720?s=27 (ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering, for the above information) + Soyuz crew docks with International Space Station: In a mission marking the end of an era, NASA astronaut and former virus hunter Kate Rubins, using NASA's last currently contracted seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, rocketed into orbit Wednesday with two cosmonaut crewmates on a record-setting flight to the International Space Station. Celebrating her 42nd birthday, Rubins' launch came just two weeks before 20th anniversary of the arrival of the station's first crew on Nov. 2, 2000. Since then, the lab complex has been continuously staffed by rotating crews, or expeditions, of American, Russian, Japanese, European and Canadian fliers along with a handful of space tourists. Additional information is avalable at: https://bit.ly/31brNUw (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now and CBS News for the above information) + Oxygen supply fails on Russian segment of ISS, crew not in danger (Oct 15, 2020) The oxygen supply system has failed in a module on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) but the crew is in no danger, Russian space agency Roscosmos said Thursday. The oxygen supply system on the Zvezda module on the orbital lab failed late on Wednesday but a second system on the American segment is operating normally, a Roscosmos spokesperson told AFP. "Nothing threatens the security of the crew and the ISS," said the spokesperson, adding this repair work to fix the issue would be carried out on Thursday. The issue arose after three new crew -- two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut -- reached the ISS on Wednesday to bring the number of current crew on board to six. Additional information at:https://bit.ly/31aO596 (ANS thanks Spacetravel and AFP for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips for the New Satellite Operator [Tentative Add-on FOR CONSIDERATION] This is the first of a what I hope to be a monthly New Satellite Opera- tors Corner. I will offer AMSAT New Operator tips and links to AMSAT resources for new operators and posts from various interest groups where useful info is published. This weeks tip comes from Rick, WA6NDR via TH-D74A(a)groups.io. I hope you find this as useful as I have. Jack, KD4IZ, Editor, AMSAT News Service. Tip of the month: TH-D74A ISS APRS settings From: Rick - WA6NDR "I was able to make an ISS APRS contact today with just the TH-D74A and an Arrow antenna (details at the end). I started with a video from Don W6GPS and documented what I ended up doing including minor changes. Change the call sign and email address to yours. "Personal preference" settings are optional. The reasoning behind most of the settings is given in Don's video. I am using TH-D74A firmware v1.10 (with v1.11 released 8/26/2020 but not seeming worth the installation time)." . Menu 800 = SD Card, Export, Config Data (FOR LATER IMPORT AND NORMAL OPERATION). . Menu 999 = Config, System, Full Reset . [F]DUAL to set A band only. . Menu 900 = Config, Display, Backlight Control = On . Menu 404 = GPS, Basic Settings, Battery Saver = Off . Menu 500 = APRS, Basic Settings, My Callsign = WA6NDR-7 . Menu 503 = APRS, Basic Settings, Status Text = 1/1, "VIA ISS WA6NDR(a)ARRL.NET" . Menu 504 = APRS, Basic Settings, Packet Path = Others1, "ARISS" . Menu 507 = APRS, Basic Settings, DCD Sense = Detect Data . Menu 511 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Initial Interval = 30 min. . Menu 512 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Decay Algorithm = Off . Menu 513 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Prop. Pathing = Off . Menu 514 = APRS, Beacon TX Control, Speed = Off . Menu 903 = Config, Display, Power-on Message = "WA6NDR ISS" . Menu 904 = Config, Display, Single Band Display = GPS(GS) . Menu 920 = Config, Battery, Battery Saver = Off . Menu 921 = Config, Battery, Auto Power Off = Off . Menu 950 = Config, Date & Time, Setting = <local>, UTC -7:00 . VFO, set frequency to 145.825 MHz . [F]APRS (see "APRS 12" on the top display, GPS info on bottom). . Personal preference, for SD Card recording and save to PC. o Menu 941 = Config, Auxiliary, PF2 = Recording (on/off) o Menu 944 = Config, Auxiliary, PF3 (Mic) = Screen Capture o Menu 980 = Config, Interface, USB Function = Mass Storage . Menu 800 = SD Card, Export, Config Data (FOR ISS OPERATION). . Operation o Arrow 146/437-10WBP antenna: Use only the 2m 3-element part. o Open squelch: [F]MONI, KNOB CCW, ENT. Listen, watch... o BCON to send a beacon. BCON again (off). Repeat. (ANS thanks Rick Nungester, WA6NDR for this information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at amsat dot org

1 0

DL88 Rove Planned for Sunday Oct 25th
by Ron Bondy 17 Oct '20

17 Oct '20

Doug N6UA and Ron AD0DX are planning to activate DL88 on Sunday Oct 25th. This will be a daytime activation only because the Talley Campground is currently closed. We will be on FM and Linear satellites. Thanks to everyone that donated back in April before the COVID restrictions. K5Z on qrz.com has more details including passes:https://www.qrz.com/db/K5Z Currently the weather looks good and we will be monitoring the weather throughout the week.If there is a chance of rain in the forecast we will have to find another date. We are looking forward to giving out this rare grid! 73 Ron AD0DX and Doug N6UA

1 0

AMSAT Symposium Live Now
by Paul Stoetzer 17 Oct '20

17 Oct '20

The AMSAT Symposium is live now at https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY 73, Paul, N8HM

1 0

Registration Deadline Imminent! 2020 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
by Paul Stoetzer 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

Just a reminder that registration for Saturday's AMSAT Symposium closes in just under an hour and a half at 5:00pm CDT / 22:00 UTC. AMSAT members are encouraged to register for the Symposium at https://launch.amsat.org/Events/. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBER ACCOUNT IN ORDER TO REGISTER, PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECTLY BY 5:00 PM CDT / 22:00 UTC SO WE CAN GET YOU REGISTERED. Registered members will be eligible for prize drawings and will be able to participate in Q&A sessions during the event. There are a lot of great presentations scheduled, so you do not want to miss this event! AMSAT members who are not able to log in to their accounts in order to register should consult the instructions for gaining access at https://launch.amsat.org/resources/Documents/Documents/The%20New%20AMSAT%20… Login details for the Zoom Webinar as well as a link to the 2020 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings will be emailed to registered attendees shortly after registration closes tomorrow evening. If you are not an AMSAT member, please consider joining AMSAT and registering for the webinar. An annual membership is just $44 ($22 for students) and includes access to The AMSAT Journal (including archives dating back to 2014), access to all Proceedings of AMSAT Symposia dating back to 1986, and access to special events such as this Virtual Symposium. If you do not wish to join AMSAT at this time, or prefer to view another way, the Symposium will also be simulcast via YouTube to the public at https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY If you are not able to join us or watch for the day, the YouTube replay will remain available for future viewing at the above link. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Executive Vice President AMSAT

1 0

Satellite demo on Saturday
by tjschuessler＠verizon.net 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

I hope everyone gets a chance to tune into the AMSAT symposium Saturday the 17th. I will try to if I can, but I do have a presentation and demo of Amateur Radio in space for the Bedford, TX radio club on Saturday morning via Zoom from my back yard. I am hoping to work one SO-50 FM pass, (1533Z AOS for me) and then one XW-2A pass (1602Z) while doing the presentation. We had hopes of doing something in person but COVID.... I have been told that in an edited form, this might end up on the Ham Radio 2.0 video podcast so we will see. Please look for me, N5HYP, or give me a call outright and help promote AMSAT and Amateur Radio in space to a broader audience. 73 Tom Schuessler, N5HYP EM12ms

2 1

BugSat-1, Tita, object 40014
by MICHAEL WILLIAMS 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

Is anyone out there digipeating through BugSat-1? Thanks, Mike, K9QHO

2 1

LoTW acronyms/abbreviations
by Steve Kristoff 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

I've looked all over LoTW and I can't find a place where they give definitions for their mode and submode abbreviations. Is PKT the abbreviation for packet as used for ISS APRS? Where do they define their abbreviations? Steve AI9IN Grid EM79ji Oldenburg IN

2 1

dead satellite collision
by Michael Walker 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a34383707/space-junk-coll… On Tuesday, LeoLabs, a company that monitors the paths of space junk in low-Earth orbit, announced on Twitter it was tracking a potential conjunction—that's space-speak for a mid-orbit crash—tonight between a defunct Soviet satellite and a discarded Chinese rocket stage. According to the company's latest calculations, the objects are expected to come within 80 feet of each other (±59 feet). The probability of a collision is greater than 10 percent. If the satellites collide, the impact could spread a network of debris throughout low-Earth Orbit. Mike va3mw

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] LoTW acronyms/abbreviations
by Scott Davis 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

There are lots of modes, and they are further grouped into “mode groups.” Open TQSL, click on “Create an ADIF file…” and then “Mode.” The drop-down list will show all the available modes. -Scott K5TA

1 0

Register Now for the 2020 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
by Paul Stoetzer 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

Just a reminder that registration for Saturday's AMSAT Symposium closes tomorrow (Friday, October 16th) at 5:00pm CDT / 22:00 UTC. AMSAT members are encouraged to register for the Symposium at https://launch.amsat.org/Events/. Registered members will be eligible for prize drawings and will be able to participate in Q&A sessions during the event. There are a lot of great presentations scheduled, so you do not want to miss this event! AMSAT members who are not able to log in to their accounts in order to register should consult the instructions for gaining access at https://launch.amsat.org/resources/Documents/Documents/The%20New%20AMSAT%20… Login details for the Zoom Webinar as well as a link to the 2020 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings will be emailed to registered attendees shortly after registration closes tomorrow evening. If you are not an AMSAT member, please consider joining AMSAT and registering for the webinar. An annual membership is just $44 ($22 for students) and includes access to The AMSAT Journal (including archives dating back to 2014), access to all Proceedings of AMSAT Symposia dating back to 1986, and access to special events such as this Virtual Symposium. If you do not wish to join AMSAT at this time, or prefer to view another way, the Symposium will also be simulcast via YouTube to the public at https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY If you are not able to join us or watch for the day, the YouTube replay will remain available for future viewing at the above link. 73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Executive Vice President AMSAT

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] ISS FM Repeater
by aj9n＠aol.com 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

The radio should be in packet mode. I am going to try and indicate what mode the radio is being set back to after an ARISS contact when I post the ARISS announcements to the AMSAT-BB. I will also try to let everyone know what mode is being used if the mode changes again between ARISS school contacts. 73,Charlie Sufana AJ9NOne of the ARISS Mentors In a message dated 2020-10-15 09:28:14 Eastern Standard Time, amsat-bb(a)amsat.org writes: Hi Jose. It looks like the ISS is sending packet at the moment. Just check out https://www.AMSAT.org/status/ to see what is happening with all the birds. 63, Rick Sent from Rick's iPad 3 "Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact" - Carl Sagan No trees were killed in the sending of this message, however, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced. > On Oct 15, 2020, at 8:59 AM, ea4hkf via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > Hi all, > > Are the ISS FM repeater active? I've tried some passes from portable > station, but i've not listened activity...I'm not sure if are my working > conditions, there're not activity or are not fullr working. > > TNX 73 > EA4HKF - Jose > IM78wq > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

1 0

ISS FM Repeater
by ea4hkf 15 Oct '20

15 Oct '20

Hi all, Are the ISS FM repeater active? I've tried some passes from portable station, but i've not listened activity...I'm not sure if are my working conditions, there're not activity or are not fullr working. TNX 73 EA4HKF - Jose IM78wq

1 0

ISS APRS via ???
by Steve Kristoff 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

For APRS through the Space Station are we using "via RS0ISS" or "via NA1SS"? I have a couple of good passes tomorrow. Steve AI9IN Grid EM79ji Oldenburg IN

2 1

Free: 1, 000 ft ultra low loss air core coax in Austin Texas
by John Brier 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

Would be cool for a sat op to get this. 73, John Brier KG4AKV From: n3bb <N3BB(a)mindspring.com> Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 Subject: [CTDXCC] Free Coaxial Cable To: CTDXCC <ctdxcc(a)lists.kkn.net> Ten years or so ago, I purchased 1,000 feet of "ultra low loss" coaxial cable. It turned out that I could not use it because it has an air core and special end connectors. It is highly prized for UHF systems that require very low loss at very high frequencies. The cable is like new, on a large wooden commercial roll, and has been stored in my barn completely out of any weather. The wooden "enclosure" is in good shape. Since I have no plans to use it, but need to clean out the barn, I'm offering it free of charge to anyone who comes and takes it. The cable roll will fit into any reasonably large trailer. It is too large for a normal pickup truck, however. If I get no requests for it, this whole length of very low loss 50 Ohm coax will go to the Hays County dump in a week or two. Please contact me at my email: n3bb(a)mindspring.com if interested. Please QSP this info to other radio clubs. Thanks and I sure hope that some serious UHFer of V-UHFer or even normal HFer can utilize this material. 73, Jim N3BB

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact was successful: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg (***) The radio is scheduled to go into Packet mode after the contact. (***) Watch for live simulcast stream at https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k The stream will start at about 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time, 12noon Eastern Daylight Time, or 16:00 UTC on Wednesday October 14. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC. (***) https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1403. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1336. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] swtiching frequency in satpc32
by Yono Adisoemarta 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

What I usually do is turn off Satellite Mode, then the radio becomes simplex at 145.825 (the frequency before I enable SatPC32). 73 de Yono - YD0NXX Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 14, 2020, at 8:40 PM, Stefan Wagener via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >

1 0

swtiching frequency in satpc32
by cchunter3＠mindspring.com 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

for my setup I dont have to use SatPC32ISS, Using my FT847 in split mode I use SatPC32 and can use digi mode for ISS (all digi sats on 2m). I do have to adj slightly the up/down freq during the pass for doppler though. can then switch to other sats w/o using separate program. 73 Christy KB6LTY ------ Yes, it has to work in simplex mode on 145825 with SatPc32ISS 73, Stefan VE4SW On Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 8:23 AM John Brier <johnbrier at gmail.com> wrote: > He can't switch between FM repeater and digipeater, or at least use the > digipeater with SatPC32, he needs SatPC32ISS for the digipeater, right? > > > http://sats.wikidot.com/how-do-you-add-add-2-meter-only-digipeaters-to-satp… > > 73, John Brier KG4AKV > > On Wed, Oct 14, 2020, 09:20 Stefan Wagener via AMSAT-BB < > amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote: > >> Assuming you entered the different frequencies in the doppler.sqf file, in >> the main window click on "CAT" and select the frequency from the list in >> the box. >> >> 73 Stefan VE4SW >> >> On Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 7:46 AM lu9cbl--- via AMSAT-BB < >> amsat-bb at amsat.org> >> wrote: >> >> > Hi to all! maybe someone can help me, i can´t find in google the answer. >> > >> > If i put the SatPC32 software to tracking the ISS, where i need to >> > select to switch for example for de ISS, to conmute from the APRS freq >> > to the FM repeater, and tracking that in my equipment? >> > >> > Thanks! >> > >> > Mati LU9CBL >> >

1 0

swtiching frequency in satpc32
by lu9cbl＠gmail.com 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

Hi to all! maybe someone can help me, i can´t find in google the answer. If i put the SatPC32 software to tracking the ISS, where i need to select to switch for example for de ISS, to conmute from the APRS freq to the FM repeater, and tracking that in my equipment? Thanks! Mati LU9CBL -- El software de antivirus Avast ha analizado este correo electrónico en busca de virus. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

3 4

Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

> > Ah ha! The driver wasn't able to reserve enough bandwidth on the USB hub > for the 192 kb/s 16-bit "stereo" audio stream. Try moving it to another > USB port. Most computers have several USB hubs, and it's not obvious how > the various sockets connect to them. Try temporarily disconnecting any > other USB audio interfaces you might have. > > Phil > > Phil, I'm sure you've probably seen my other response, but at least you are putting a technical explanation behind it. Yep, while it still doesn't work AT ALL on my small "backup" computer, I plugged it directly into the USB 3.0 port on my primary shack computer and it is now working. Thanks everyone for giving me some time to help me figure this one out! --Roy K3RLD

4 5

ARISS News Release No. 20-22
by David Jordan 13 Oct '20

13 Oct '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-22 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled for Ramona Lutheran Christian School, Ramona, CA October13, 2020—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is thegroup that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students aroundthe globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between students at the Ramona Lutheran Christian School (RLCS) inRamona, CA and ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call signKF5KDR. The Ramona Outback Amateur Radio Society (ROARS) ham operators using call sign N6ROR will operatethe ground station for this contact. Students will take turns askingCassidy their questions. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 14,2020 at 9:26 am PDT (Ramona) (16:26 UTC, 12:26 pm EDT, 11:26 am CDT and 10:26 am MDT). RLCS (withstudents in preschool through sixth grade) is located in an unincorporatedmountain community approximately 40 miles northeast of San Diego. In additionto the school’s classical course curriculum, RLCS also involves students in STEM-enrichmentclub activities that include robotics, coding, physics, space-related sciences,and radio theory. In 2019, the Amateur Radio Relay League awarded RLCS an IcomIC-9700 radio built and designed for communications with amateur radiosatellites—resulting in the first school radio station in Ramona, and one solar-poweredthanks to equipment provided by ROARS. The ARISS contact will utilize thisset-up. ROARS members have helped students prepare for their ARISS contact and mentoredthem on amateur radio operating protocol including emergency communications andMorse code practice. ARISS invites the public to view a livestream ofthe pre-action (join 20 minutes beforehand) and the upcoming ARISS radio contactat https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k. _____________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. How has Expedition63 changed your outlook on life? 2. What is yourfavorite thing to look at in space? 3. What is mostdifficult when you are recovering from returning to Earth? 4. What does it feellike when you are on a spacewalk? 5. What was thestrangest thing that's happened to you while you were in space? 6. What is your favoriteactivity when you have free time on the ISS? 7. How likely do youthink it is that I will visit outer space in my lifetime, even if I neverbecome an astronaut? 8. What does it feellike to sleep on the ISS? 9. What mission wereyou most scared of? 10. What are yourfavorite experiences of Expedition 63? 11. What has beenyour favorite experiment on the ISS? 12. About how manyrepairs are made each week aboard the ISS? 13. What is yourfavorite game to play in space? 14. What are your 3favorite foods to eat while on the ISS? 15. What language hasbeen the most challenging to communicate aboard the ISS? 16. What food are youmost looking forward to eating when you get home? 17. What fear haveyou had regarding space? 18. What surprisesyou the most about how the ISS is today than when you were part of the assemblymission? 19. Which holidayshave you enjoyed celebrating on the ISS? 20. What's yourfavorite number of people aboard the ISS at one time? 21. Who was yourfavorite astronaut that you have met from another country? 22. What way(s) couldwe utilize space to help manage our problems with waste disposal on Earth? 23. Do you hope to goback to space or the moon in a commercial space suit via a commercial vehicle? 24. How do you useham radio on the ISS and after you return to Earth? ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations onthe ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsorsare the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s SpaceCommunications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promoteexploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematicstopics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew membersaboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students,educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org . MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Likeus on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and@ARISS_status.

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-11 16:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 13 Oct '20

13 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-11 16:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg Watch for live simulcast stream at https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k (***) The stream will start at about 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time, 12noon Eastern Daylight Time, or 16:00 UTC on Wednesday October 14. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-11 16:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1402. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1335. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

3 4

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-13 12:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 13 Oct '20

13 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-13 12:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz (***) The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg Watch for live simulcast stream at https://youtu.be/jDTydjM60_k The stream will start at about 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time, 12noon Eastern Daylight Time, or 16:00 UTC on Wednesday October 14. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-13 12:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1402. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1335. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Yaesu G-5500 meters and readings to LVB tracker not working
by John Brier 12 Oct '20

12 Oct '20

Hi fellow satops, I have a Yaesu G-5500 I got used a couple years ago. In February I hooked it up for the first time on the ground with an LVB Tracker and MacDoppler. At the time the azimuth needle sometimes bounced all over the place, if I tapped the box it affected it too. Sometimes the azimuth meter swung all the way right to 450 degrees and seemed stuck. Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4jse3mykh58iy1/VID_20200208_222436.mp4?dl=0 (Note towards the end of the video you can see the readings on the LVB tracker and the Azimuth needle simultaneously while the needle bounces around. The readings on the LVB tracker are "bouncing" too) When the reported Az was stuck at 450 degrees, MacDoppler didn't adjust Az at all. In February I did take the cover off and loosen and retighten some screws, including screws that held the meters in (IIRC). This didn't help. When I had it open I noticed even if I barely touched the frame sometimes the needles would bounce. I want to say there were times where I could just get my finger very close to it, without touching, and it would make the meters move. Perhaps capacitance. When the LVB tracker is disconnected, the up, down, left, and right controls work fine. The rotators turn completely and stop at their stop points. But still, the meters don't always work. Today I recorded a video of the azimuth rotator rotating it's full 450 degrees, but the meter barely moved at all: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f9592okxvx1rv0x/PXL_20201003_183543916.mp4?dl=0 Today, initially the elevation meter didn't move at all. It was stuck at 0 degrees. Later, it worked perfectly going smoothly from 0 to 180, I think accurately, as I held down the up button. Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6ttqcvs7n2nnvo/PXL_20201003_183351247.mp4?dl=0 I think the elevation meter is in better shape than the azimuth meter, because it occasionally works. Earlier when I tried to track a low elevation pass with SatPC32 the elevation rotator turned what looked like a full 180 degrees. The meter and what ServerSDX read showed the actual degrees were 0. Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/k88egwg3d7yvz1k/PXL_20201003_191350061.mp4?dl=0 (skip to 01:38 for AOS) It seemed like SatPC32 instructed the rotator to turn and I guess it just kept instructing it to turn, waiting for the reading to show, 3 or 4 degrees elevation or whatever the satellite was. Since the reading never changed from 0 it went all the way to its stop point. I think, anyway. It did stop part way through the 180 degrees. Please send me suggestions on things to try to fix this or get more information to troubleshoot the issue. If anyone would prefer to help me over the phone because it's faster, that is welcome too. 73, John Brier KG4AKV

6 9

PREDICT-2.2.7 Released for Linux, Unix, Android, and Raspberry Pi Platforms
by John Magliacane 12 Oct '20

12 Oct '20

Today I am pleased to announce the release of PREDICT version 2.2.7, an Open Source satellite tracking / orbital prediction application for Linux and Unix computing environments, including PCs, laptops, and Raspberry PIs. New in this release is a version of PREDICT that operates on Android platforms under a Termux environment. Now you can carry your smartphone in your shirt pocket while voice announcements made by PREDICT's "vocalizer" tell you where to locate the ISS, Hubble, or other visible satellites in the night sky! There's even an alarm to alert the observer when the spacecraft enters into eclipse or into sunlight. Android screenshots are available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/SingleTrack-Android.jpg https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/MultiTracking-Android.jpg The Linux/Unix version of PREDICT-2.2.7 is available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict-2.2.7.tar.gz And the Android/Termux release is available here: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict-2.2.7-termux.tar.gz Both versions are source code releases. An included "configure" script will configure and compile PREDICT and its associated utilities for your specific platform while you wait. Termux is an Android terminal emulator and Linux environment application that is available at no cost through Google Play. Further details are available at: https://termux.com/ Further details on PREDICT are available at: https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html Stay safe, stay well, and Happy Tracking! 73 de John, KD2BD

1 0

Items for sale
by Mark Johns, K0JM 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

I'm preparing to sell a couple of items that would be of interest to satellite operators: Kenwood TH-D7A(G) full-duplex VHF/UHF FM hand-held radio equipped with a built-in TNC (1200/9600) and APRS capability. Also, 200 memories (100 each band), CTCSS, and backlit keys. RF output is 2 to 6 watts, depending on type of battery pack or external DC supply. This comes with original box and manuals, "rubber duck" antenna, SMA to BNC antenna adapter, SMC-34 speaker-mic, wall-wart charger, PB-39h 9.6v 1450 mAh battery with belt clip. Control box ONLY (no motor) for a 24vac Yaesu G-550 elevation rotator. Note, this box is only for the elevation rotor, not to be confused with the G-5500 Az/El system. This elevation-only control box is brand new, never used except to test. No manual or other documentation included, but available online. E-mail me off list for prices, photos, etc. -- Mark D. Johns, KØJM AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain

1 0

Pacsat Ground Station and Mac OSX
by Brian Wilkins 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Anyone been able to get Pacsat Ground Station SW working on Mac OS X? My serial device shows up as /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART However Pacsat shows None for serial connection. I am unable to pick my device. I can connect to the TNC via Serial which is an app on the App Store successfully and command it -- Brian Wilkins KO4AQF

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

> > Might be a USB Host scheduler bug, indicating that something wanted to > talk to a USB device, but the kernel thought it didn't have enough of > the 12 Mbit/sec (or 480 Mbit/sec in USB2.0 HS, or something GBit/sec in > SuperSpeed, etc.) bus to satisfy the request. > > This got me thinking and I tried it again on the laptop that has a USB 3.0 port. I tried it directly in that port (no hub), although I DID use a USB 3.0 extension cable. It works! So the problem (at least on this laptop), is that it needed the USB 3.0 port? I thought that it was supposed to work on any USB port? *shrug* It doesn't appear to work on the cheapo amazon USB hub that is plugged into a different USB port (but I can't say for sure that that port is USB 3.0 or not, though). Thanks for the tips! Regardless of what was wrong, it's working now! --Roy K3RLD

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

And after running GQRX, there are hundreds of these comments after running "dmesg": [ 332.396482] usb 1-1.2: cannot submit urb 0, error -28: not enough bandwidth --Roy K3RLD

3 2

Re: [amsat-bb] Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Update (still not working): Turned off the Funcube Dongle via Config tab in pavucontrol. Didn't seem to affect anything. GQRX behaves the same. dmesg yields: [ 89.628088] usb 1-1.2: new full-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci [ 89.739007] usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=04d8, idProduct=fb31 [ 89.739013] usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0 [ 89.739016] usb 1-1.2: Product: FUNcube Dongle V2.0 [ 89.739018] usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Hanlincrest Ltd. [ 89.741208] hid-generic 0003:04D8:FB31.0005: hiddev1,hidraw2: USB HID v1.11 Device [Hanlincrest Ltd. FUNcube Dongle V2.0 ] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.2/input2 [ 89.930743] usb 1-1.2: 1:1: cannot get freq at ep 0x81 [ 89.933232] usbcore: registered new interface driver snd-usb-audio [ 90.010218] usb 1-1.2: 1:1: cannot get freq at ep 0x81 [ 90.050461] usb 1-1.2: 1:1: cannot get freq at ep 0x81 lsusb yields: Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0461:4dfe Primax Electronics, Ltd Bus 001 Device 005: ID 04d8:fb31 Microchip Technology, Inc. Bus 001 Device 003: ID 138a:003d Validity Sensors, Inc. VFS491 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Are there any diagnostic utilities for the FCDPP? (like "rtl_test" for the rtl-sdr? Wishful thinking, perhaps....) --Roy K3RLD

1 0

Help on BY70-2 Proxy
by Vincenzo Mone 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Hello there, I would like to know if there is anybody to uses Linux to decode BY70-2 And can help me how to do. I have all set ( It seems ), I can decode the satellite but I do not get any incoming data into the Proxy. I have downgrade the Tornado how it says in the Doc file but still no success. Anybody able to help me may be off the list? Thanks in advance 73's de Enzo IK8OZV EasyLog 5 BetaTester EasyLog PDA BetaTester WinBollet BetaTester D.C.I. CheckPoint Regione Campania Skype: ik8ozv8520 ********************************* ****** GSM +39 328 7110193 ****** ***** SMS +39 328 7110193 ***** *********************************

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] PSAT is ON (Dual hop testing?)
by Robert Bruninga 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

> > > I am working with a HT and a hand held arrow, so it can be challenging. > > If I understand correctly, My packet would travel this path. > > ME>>>ISS>>PSAT>>ME > > yes, in the sense that the first ME is a TX, the next two are DIGIpeats and the last one is RX. But you have to set the correct PATH callsigns in your APRS radio. That would be NA1SS,PSAT for a dual hop. NA1SS would hear it first and then transmit it via the path of PSAT which then (if it heard it amongst all the other QRM on the channel) would then digi eat it too. Doing the dual hops in this direction (assuming they can see each other (rare) is because the chance of the ISS hearing the weak 0.25W XMTR form PSAT is very small compared to PSAT hearing the 10W signal from ISS. So a dual hop path in this direction has a 16 dB better chance than one attempted in the opposite direction. And that is Huge. Bob, wb4APR > > On Sat, Oct 10, 2020 at 4:53 PM Robert Bruninga via AMSAT-BB < > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > >> Robert NcHale KE6BLR has turned on PSAT for digipeating. >> I have no idea if it has the power budget to support it, but we will see. >> If the telemetry counter gets above 90 (minutes) then it is surviving >> eclipses >> See http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/raw.cgi?call=psat,psat-1&time=1&start=12 >> >> Have fun. Try some double hops from ISS to PSAT using the path NA1SS,PSAT >> >> If you simply used APRSAT,APRSAT, then PSAT might digi the first hop too >> and then be clobbered when ISS also does it. Then the second hop will not >> go via PSAT beacuse by then it is a dupe. >> >> Bob, WB4APR >> >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >> Opinions expressed >> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of >> AMSAT-NA. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >

1 0

Funcube Dongle Pro+ w/GQRX (Ubuntu)
by Roy Dean 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Does anybody have experience with this combination? I've been having issues with my dedicated FoxTelem Raspberry Pi station, so I've taken it down in favor of my APRS SatGate (which uses an RTL-SDR instead of the FCDPP) - and decided to use the FCDPP for my Rx in my normal everyday shack operations. However I can't seem to connect to the dongle at all with GQRX. GQRX is doing something, but there is no waterfall and no audio. I'm somewhat concerned that the issue with my FoxTelem station was with the dongle itself, as I seem to remember successfully connecting to the dongle with GQRX in the past. I've tried the dongle on two separate pcs running Ubuntu 18.04 with no luck. I am able to start FoxTelem on a raspberry pi and it seems to start decoding as expected (however the failure mode is when it's left unattended for a couple of days, it ends up stalling with a USB access error). Any suggestions welcome. Thanks. --Roy K3RLD

4 4

Re-purpose Cable Modems, headed to dumpsters ?
by Gregory Beat 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Amateur Radio has a history of re-purposing Radio & Electronics surplus, for a variety of uses (receiving, transmitting, accessories, etc.). Recent posting on Github the past two weeks https://github.com/stdw/cm-sdr “cm-sdr” is a piece of software to turn a Broadcom BCM3383-based cable modem into a general purpose Software Defined Radio (SDR) In its current state, cm-sdr serves as a proof of concept. It can currently stream I/Q data to a peer via TCP. A script to demodulate and play FM radio broadcasts is also provided. cm-sdr is dependent on many functions and memory mapped registers in the unmodified firmware. Thus, at the moment it is highly tailored to one specific cable modem model and firmware version. == Earlier work by OpenWrt with the Broadcom’s BCM33xx chipset. https://openwrt.org/docs/techref/hardware/soc/soc.broadcom.bcm33xx The BCM3383 DOCSIS 3.0 cable gateway System on a Chip (SoC) combines Broadcom's Full-Band Capture (FBC), dual-band concurrent Wi-Fi and a custom applications processor. https://www.broadcom.com/products/broadband/cable/modems/bcm3383 Current Broadcom cable modem SoC offerings https://www.broadcom.com/products/broadband/cable/modems == greg, w9gb

2 2

PSAT is on again
by alex weimer 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Great to hear it ! I will definitely be on the digipeater shortly ! JACK KC7MG

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] ORI receives half million dollar grant, and, it's only the first.
by Michael Tondee 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Wow! Sounds like you guys have done and are doing an awful lot for the hobby. My thanks to you. It appears there are resources out there if AMSAT is willing to do what's necessary to have access to them. I guess the question is what's that involve? Is it simply just going open source or is there more to it than that? Are there other stumbling blocks that they wouldn't be comfortable with for some reason? 73, Michael, W4HIJ > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2020 22:41:39 -0700 > From: Phil Karn <karn(a)ka9q.net> > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] ORI receives half million dollar grant, and > it's only the first. > Message-ID: <38f30c90-6874-b8bc-5855-9e27bbb3bf66(a)ka9q.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > On 9/10/20 19:40, Bruce Perens via AMSAT-BB wrote: >> In the present time, people have grown to take the Internet a lot more >> seriously, and the world ran out of IPV4 addresses in their 32-bit space. >> We now have IPV6, which has a much larger address space, but IPV4 is still >> important. So, Brian and friends sold 3/4 of our addresses to Amazon for a >> lot of money, and formed a non-profit to manage it. > Correction: ARDC sold 1/4 (not 3/4) of its original IPv4 address block, > 44.0.0.0/8. The part that was sold is 44.192.0.0/10, i.e., the top > quarter, which had never been used on the "real" Internet though it had > been used internally in some European ampr subnets. > > ampr.org still has the bottom 3/4 of its original assignment: 44.0.0.0/9 > and 44.128.0.0/10. Hams running IP are still able to use these two blocks. > > The 44.0.0.0/8 block was originally obtained by Hank Magnuski, KA6M, in > the early 1980s, literally for the cost of a phone call. It did not see > much use until the mid 1980s when I began work on my KA9Q NOS TCP/IP > package; at that time, Hank transferred control of the 44 block to me. > Brian Kantor WB6CYT and Wally Lindstruth WA6JPR soon joined in its > management, with Brian running much of the infrastructure out of the > University of California San Diego (UCSD) where he spent his entire career. > > NONE of us had any idea whatsoever that these numbers would someday have > serious monetary value. We did amprnet simply because we really believed > in the potential of the Internet and, as hams, felt ham radio was the > perfect place to experiment with the Internet protocols. (Some of you > have fond memories of those days, as do I.) We thought it was a cool > idea that would find good uses, but we had no idea that the Internet > over radio would change the world as much as it did. It certainly > changed my life; in 1991 I moved from New Jersey to San Diego to accept > a position with Qualcomm largely on the basis of my work with TCP/IP > over ham radio, and Brian and I became very close friends. > > In the early 2010s, Brian obtained Hank's and my consent to transfer > formal ownership of this address block to a nonprofit he created for the > purpose: Amateur Radio Digital Communications, or ARDC. (Wally > Lindstruth had passed away by this time). In 2018 and 2019, with full > knowledge and consent of the ARDC board, Brian negotiated the sale of > the 44.192.0.0/10 block with the proceeds to ARDC to be used for a wide > range of charitable grants to benefit ham radio, the Internet, and > especially the intersection of the two and their role in STEM education. > Unfortunately, the nature of the IP address market and the size of the > sale necessitated secrecy, which none of us liked. A nondisclosure > agreement still limits what we can publicly say about the terms of the > sale, though some facts can be readily determined from public sources > such as the "whois" database and IP address market data. > > Brian passed away unexpectedly in November 2019 and I've taken over as > president and chair of ARDC. Hank continues to serve on the grant review > committee chaired by John Hays, K7VE. > > Since ARDC is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, it is required to > file detailed tax returns (990 forms) with the IRS; this will happen > very shortly. By law, nonprofit tax returns are publicly available. > > Phil Karn, KA9Q > > ARDC President & Chair > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ >

8 10

YouTube Livestream of AMSAT-UK Colloquium
by M5AKA 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

The Online AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium is now streaming live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnZGVY9ZteA Schedule info is at https://amsat-uk.org/2020/09/19/online-amsat-uk-space-colloquium/ Trevor M5AKA---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] PSAT is ON circa 9:10 AM PST (Dual hop testing?)
by Robert Bruninga 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

Robert NcHale KE6BLR has turned on PSAT for digipeating. I have no idea if it has the power budget to support it, but we will see. If the telemetry counter gets above 90 (minutes) then it is surviving eclipses See http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/raw.cgi?call=psat,psat-1&time=1&start=12 Have fun. Try some double hops from ISS to PSAT using the path NA1SS,PSAT If you simply used APRSAT,APRSAT, then PSAT might digi the first hop too and then be clobbered when ISS also does it. Then the second hop will not go via PSAT beacuse by then it is a dupe. Bob, WB4APR > >

2 1

To Tweet or Not to Tweet - APRS
by Stephen DeVience 09 Oct '20

09 Oct '20

There have been some projects to make amateur internet networks on our 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz allocations, for example http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/ However, no matter whether it's APRS or actual internet protocols, it will be dependent on the real internet unless amateurs make an independent backbone to support the long-distance traffic. This could be a good way to use our microwave bands. There are a lot of repeater systems linked over large regions via microwave, so I'm sure it could be done to support internet traffic too, although the bandwidth might be somewhat limited. A geostationary satellite could work too. The problem is getting enough people interested and finding the right hardware. -Stephen N8URE

1 0

To Tweet or Not to Tweet
by Gerald Payton 09 Oct '20

09 Oct '20

I have fundamentally opposed to TWITTER doe to the NONSENSE on it! However, I see many references posted here. I am having second thoughts about signing up. PLEASE, will someone direct me to WHO I should follow regarding AMSAT and possibly others. Many thanks, 73 Jerry AB5R EM12kh

9 10

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 09 Oct '20

09 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: ABOUT GAGARIN FROM SPACE Conducting an amateur radio session with October 9 (World Post Day) schoolchildren of Vladivostok, Vladivostok, Russia, direct via RMØM (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Anatoli Ivanishin Contact was successful Fri 2020-10-09 08:15 UTC (***) Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-09 15:30 UTC. (***) https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) (***) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 137 (***) Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1402. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1335. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 408
by ke0pbr＠gmail.com 09 Oct '20

09 Oct '20

Thanks! KE0PBR Paul Overn AMSAT Ambassador Twitter: @KE0PBR Website: KE0PBR.Wordpress.com -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org Sent: Friday, October 9, 2020 7:34 AM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 408 Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to amsat-bb(a)amsat.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org You can reach the person managing the list at amsat-bb-owner(a)amsat.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of AMSAT-BB digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Fwd: Coming Hurricane and power outages (Robert Bruninga) 2. Re: To Tweet or Not to Tweet (Don KB2YSI) 3. Re: [Blog] Successful ISS ham demo for a young space fan! (Paulo PV8DX) 4. Re: JW7XK/LA7XK Rove to JQ78 Update (Mika Siira) 5. Re: Yaesu Az-El Rotor Controller switches (Gregory Beat) 6. JW7XK/LA7XK Rove to JQ78 Update -- update (adrian(a)liggins.ca) 7. NA1SS is Very Popular Today (Robert MacHale) 8. SSTV-friendly fonts (Greg D) 9. Upcoming satellite demo (saguaroastro(a)cox.net) 10. Re: To Tweet or Not to Tweet (Jerry Buxton) 11. Re: SSTV-friendly fonts (Loren M. Lang) 12. Re: SSTV-friendly fonts (David Jordan) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 13:48:29 -0400 From: Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> To: amsat bb <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Fwd: Coming Hurricane and power outages Message-ID: <CALdCfNJ4xEktc5GabztB7mXKhsaLErN452QXehv1GC9f4NU+rQ(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" For continuity of radio operations... As another hurricane approaches the gulf coast with the potential to knock out power to tens of thousands, I was pleased to see that CQ published my article this month (Oct) on using an EV or plugin Hybrid for emergency power for days or weeks. With the 10 to 100 kWh batteries in EV's and the 50kW or so generators in hybrids, your car makes a great accessory for your house when the grid goes down. The article is just a short condensation of some of the Emergency Power topic that is in the ARRL Energy Choices handbook I also posted greater detail from the article on this page: http://aprs.org/FrankenVolt.html Bob, WB4APR Author http://aprs.org/Energy-Choices.html ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 13:59:12 -0400 From: Don KB2YSI <kb2ysi(a)gmail.com> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] To Tweet or Not to Tweet Message-ID: <CAAJiE8NqnFHhPqDfavCS9Bb5HpUikQbRjAhOiKMM4xpWmB_0Jw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Throw in using a 3rd party client that kills the ads, stupid timeline "featured tweets", and other nonsense they throw in the official client. Tweetdeck on the web is way better than twitter.com is, even thought it is owned by Twitter. On Wed, Oct 7, 2020, 20:14 nathanjwhite via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > You could start with following @amsat , then try @**** insert call > sign of high profile hams...or low profile > > > > > NathanN5LEX > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect > the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 14:06:35 -0400 From: Paulo PV8DX <paulopv8dx(a)gmail.com> To: John Brier <johnbrier(a)gmail.com>, AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] [Blog] Successful ISS ham demo for a young space fan! Message-ID: <f80ca79a-36c2-1ca0-b1e5-6769ca81c622(a)gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Congratulations Excellent. 73? de Paulo PV8DX Em 08/10/2020 09:34, John Brier via AMSAT-BB escreveu: > I had a successful ISS ham demo for a young space fan last night! We > received two perfect SSTV images and made contact through the recently > enabled digipeater! Thanks for the QSO Scott K4KDR! > > Full story/pics on my blog: > > https://spacecomms.wordpress.com/2020/10/08/iss-ham-demo-for-a-young-s > pace-fan/ > > 73, John Brier KG4AKV > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 20:48:13 +0300 From: Mika Siira <oh8mbn(a)gmail.com> To: adrian(a)liggins.ca Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] JW7XK/LA7XK Rove to JQ78 Update Message-ID: <CAAAKfqvf7ti80ESiSe1PtU0Vdxq=0cNs=NP1exRhc9_N=zJNVg(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Hello folks, I worked JW7XK today at 1551 UTC on RS-44 sat. -Mika, OH8MBN to 8. lokak. 2020 klo 16.05 Adrian Liggins via AMSAT-BB (amsat-bb(a)amsat.org) kirjoitti: > Got a note from Halvard, LA7XK, this morning. His plane was turned > back yesterday due to fog at the airport in Longyearbyen. He's > currently in Northern Norway waiting for conditions to clear. When I > get an update, I'll post it here. > > Adrian VA3NNA > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect > the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 14:22:36 -0500 From: Gregory Beat <w9gb(a)icloud.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org, seb(a)wintek.com, kl7uw(a)acsalaska.net, w7lrd(a)comcast.net Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Yaesu Az-El Rotor Controller switches Message-ID: <CA184215-46A0-4879-B818-E594D32D8892(a)icloud.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Steve - Question about Yaesu controller rocker switches asked on July 8 and 9, 2020 by Bob Johnson, W7LRD and Ed Cole, KL7UW. == I researched this problem in 2014 after Yaesu USA Parts reported that no replacement rocker switches (for repairs) were available. Since this was after the Japanese 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami, I assume the OEM suppliers to Yaesu were lost. This is a Photo of the LAST OEM switch, from Yaesu USA Parts (before 2011), now discontinued. Photos at entry #8 (QRZ Q&A Tech Forums). LOOK at photo carefully. https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/g-500a-replacement-switch.664784/ The Kenpro/Yaesu used an OFFSET Lever (Pivot) on that Rocker switch mechanism. The Paddle Lever is NOT Symmetrical about the pivot axis. Kenpro designed their front panel molds (plastic injection) of the rotator controllers to work with that specific Offset Lever style. ? The old Japanese OEM switch used rivets (thru metal pin), while the NKK levers use an outside edge plastic mobs to fit into holes on the variety of paddle/rocker options. There is not a thru pin on the NKK. == In 2014, I ordered the NNK Series M2 rocker switch parts (substitute candidate) from Mouser, when Mouser stocked NKK # M202TYW01 . ($4.80 in 2014). This part was correct size for Kenpro/Yaesu G500/G550 controllers and accepts a variety of ?Paddle? styles https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/633-M2022TYW01 This NKK rocker switch properly fits the Kenpro/Yaesu front panels (rotator control). https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/295/MrockersFlatFrame-1663268.pdf HOWEVER, the standard NKK Levers (Paddles) are SYMMETRICAL. They do NOT have the proper OFFSET. NKK # AT4157C (Red) https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/633-AT4157C NKK # AT4157A (Black) https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/633-AT4157A NKK Switch Accessories https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/295/accessorieshardware-10910.pdf === SOLUTION ?? Someone (AMSAT member?) to design a proper ?Offset? Paddle (asymmetrical) for the standard Rocker switch mechanisms (NKK, C&K) that fit Kenpro/Yaesu rotator controllers. The Design (CAD) could then be 3D-Printed OR Injected Molded (Plastic). greg, w9gb elmhurst, IL == Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 12:13:19 +0000 From: "Stephen E. Belter" <seb(a)wintek.com> To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu rotor controller switches Would someone remind me who was looking for switches for a Yaesu G5400/G5500 rotor controller?? I've searched on the AMSAT-BB archives, but haven't discovered the correct keywords to retrieve his messages. I can probably help him. 73, Steve N9IP -- Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2020 15:26:34 -0400 From: adrian(a)liggins.ca To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] JW7XK/LA7XK Rove to JQ78 Update -- update Message-ID: <50a5fc543ddc8846c963c8f199737eb1(a)liggins.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Just got the following from Halvard, LA7XK: We arrived this afternoon. I got my antenna and radio set up earlier this evening and worked 2 EU contacts and 2 in Asiatic Russia, SSB and CW to test the radio. All OK. We then had to go to get some dinner and now I am set up for the 1929 pass, EU and maybe JA this pass, I will try to stay up as long as possible before I drive down to the hotel to get some sleep. My priority will be NA and JA. the 2100 utc and the2300 utc passes should be OK for east NA. I will work SSB tonight around 435660 downlink. Adrian VA3NNA ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 20:03:12 +0000 (UTC) From: Robert MacHale <robert.machale(a)yahoo.com> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] NA1SS is Very Popular Today Message-ID: <2076536797.819921.1602187392096(a)mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Looks like over half the APRSAT traffic in the past 24 hours involved NA1SS. Kudos to Frank Bauer and ARISS for the new equipment. Kudos to Robert Bruninga for creating a useful protocol. For reference - APRSAT messages: http://www.spacecommunicator.club/igates/?reload_timer=3600? 73 Robert MacHale . KE6BLR FCC Licensed Radio Operator? .?http://www.aprsat.com/predict .?http://www.spaceCommunicator.club? . Supporting Boy Scout Merit Badges in Radio, Robotics, and Space Exploration Silly Joke:?What did the little mountain say to the bigger mountain? Hi Cliff! He who dares not offend cannot be honest. -- THOMAS PAINE There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. -- ERNEST HEMINGWAY ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 14:10:50 -0700 From: Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> To: Amsat BB <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] SSTV-friendly fonts Message-ID: <cb07f745-c2de-6073-b752-9ba599e54174(a)gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Hi folks, but mostly the ARISS team, First, thank you for hosting the extended SSTV event on the ISS. It was long enough that I was able to coach a few folks who had problems one day, have a success the next. Also thank you for including English subtitles to the predominantly Russian images, and Spanish for the one I saw regarding Equador's nanosat. But a request... Is there a better font which could be used for future events? I noted several folks here who were able to grab an image, but couldn't read any of it, not even the part in their own native language. A sans-serif font would be a good starter, perhaps one with skinnier lines (less bold) would help too. Any text at this resolution is hard, and I'd rather pick a more friendly font than try to increase the size for readability. Pictures are more pleasing than text. To the general population, is there a "best" font that can be recommended for the text used for Latin-based languages at this resolution, and with this sort of "propagation"? Greg KO6TH ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 20:12:02 -0700 From: <saguaroastro(a)cox.net> To: <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Upcoming satellite demo Message-ID: <029d01d69de9$f7305910$e5910b30$(a)cox.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Rick Tejera K7TEJ from the Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club (TBARC) will be giving a presentation and demonstration of Satellite operations to the Northwest Christian School in Glendale, AZ on Nov. 11th 2020. The demo will be on SO-50 at 2323UT. I will be using our Club call WB7TBC and the church is in Grid DM33wp. I may try to get a student on the air. Please keep an ear out for us and respond to our call, the kids will appreciate it. I'll send outa reminder as the date gets closer. 73 & Thanks Rick Tejera Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2020 00:00:46 -0500 From: Jerry Buxton <n0jy(a)amsat.org> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] To Tweet or Not to Tweet Message-ID: <1c8d8b71-18a5-a3d9-2445-0e9cab14ac5a(a)amsat.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 On 10/7/2020 16:59, Gerald Payton via AMSAT-BB wrote: > I have fundamentally opposed to TWITTER doe to the NONSENSE on it! However, I see many references posted here. > > I am having second thoughts about signing up. PLEASE, will someone direct me to WHO I should follow regarding AMSAT and possibly others. > > Hi Jerry, I would suggest that it's not who but what, in the sense of AMSAT vs. a single AMSAT volunteer.? My recommendation is to follow AMSAT (the organization) tweets only.? Even tweets from individuals that are of satellite ops interest get retweeted by AMSAT, so it's a simple way to get what you might be looking for without following a clutter of tweeters.? They even retweet me if I tweet something about Engineering that is intelligent and useful information.? There is an audience looking for AMSAT information via Twitter, so I'm glad to share news on their preferred platform.? It would be foolish not to do so and somewhat un-hamlike, given that we're building stuff that is/will be available for satellite users worldwide.? That's why I started using Twitter. There are other worthy organizations, corporations, and government agencies to follow too for your space (and other) interests that are about news and information and not random nonsense.? I follow various NASA branches, and other space/satellite related stuff like Spaceflight, SpaceX, Virgin Orbit to name a few, the corporations/agencies/organizations that are AMSAT "job" related as well as related space hobby interests.? I follow only a handful individuals, some who are AMSAT officers and a few friends/acquaintances who know how to tweet useful or interesting info and then be quiet again, for a spell.? And let me add AMSAT-UK as a suggestion, they share in a way similar to what AMSAT does here with useful info as it comes up.? Give Twitter a try, I'd say it's worth a look.? You can ease in and add more over time.? I'd also suggest that you don't jump in and follow a bunch right off because it might be information overload rather than informative. And if you don't like it you can blame me, in a Tweet!? I'm a popular "public figure" for that type of stuff.? Then just close your Twitter account, and move on... Jerry Buxton, N?JY ------------------------------ Message: 11 Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2020 03:05:14 -0700 From: "Loren M. Lang" <penguin359(a)gmail.com> To: Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> Cc: Amsat BB <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SSTV-friendly fonts Message-ID: <CACymvmeAUUz0NhkDAtvNC+SQ6874BKUmBhcWm0U99Z2yvtR73g(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" If I recall, one of the big reasons computers used san-serif fonts is because they have a simpler construction and read better at low resolution. Serif is easier for humans to read large blocks of text like a book, but requires a higher resolution to be effective. Also, I've heard some people reporting that the images were just a little less sharp than previous events like this. I haven't compared myself. I believe there is a new radio onboard. Is there a possibility that the audio path from the computer to the RF modulator is being bandwidth-limited somehow preventing the higher frequency edge transitions in the image from retaining their sharpness? -Loren K7IW On Thu, Oct 8, 2020, 14:12 Greg D via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Hi folks, but mostly the ARISS team, > > First, thank you for hosting the extended SSTV event on the ISS. It was > long enough that I was able to coach a few folks who had problems one > day, have a success the next. Also thank you for including English > subtitles to the predominantly Russian images, and Spanish for the one I > saw regarding Equador's nanosat. > > But a request... Is there a better font which could be used for future > events? I noted several folks here who were able to grab an image, but > couldn't read any of it, not even the part in their own native > language. A sans-serif font would be a good starter, perhaps one with > skinnier lines (less bold) would help too. Any text at this resolution > is hard, and I'd rather pick a more friendly font than try to increase > the size for readability. Pictures are more pleasing than text. > > To the general population, is there a "best" font that can be > recommended for the text used for Latin-based languages at this > resolution, and with this sort of "propagation"? > > Greg KO6TH > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > ------------------------------ Message: 12 Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2020 12:34:13 +0000 (UTC) From: David Jordan <n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net> To: "Loren M. Lang" <penguin359(a)gmail.com>, "Loren M. Lang via AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org>, Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> Cc: Amsat BB <AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] SSTV-friendly fonts Message-ID: <1996431497.702568.1602246853671(a)mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Greg,I appreciate you taking time to not only mention the resolution issue, but also share some possible solutions. I've also noticed this particular issue since most of my demods are done on my smartphone. I believe many of our ARISS team view the amsat-bb and will see your remarks, but regardless, I'll be sure to pass them along directly to our team.Thank you and everyone who participate in our ARISS SSTV events. Dave, AA4KN?ARISS PR? Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android On Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 6:08 AM, Loren M. Lang via AMSAT-BB<amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: If I recall, one of the big reasons computers used san-serif fonts is because they have a simpler construction and read better at low resolution. Serif is easier for humans to read large blocks of text like a book, but requires a higher resolution to be effective. Also, I've heard some people reporting that the images were just a little less sharp than previous events like this. I haven't compared myself. I believe there is a new radio onboard. Is there a possibility that the audio path from the computer to the RF modulator is being bandwidth-limited somehow preventing the higher frequency edge transitions in the image from retaining their sharpness? -Loren K7IW On Thu, Oct 8, 2020, 14:12 Greg D via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Hi folks, but mostly the ARISS team, > > First, thank you for hosting the extended SSTV event on the ISS.? It was > long enough that I was able to coach a few folks who had problems one > day, have a success the next.? Also thank you for including English > subtitles to the predominantly Russian images, and Spanish for the one I > saw regarding Equador's nanosat. > > But a request...? Is there a better font which could be used for future > events?? I noted several folks here who were able to grab an image, but > couldn't read any of it, not even the part in their own native > language.? A sans-serif font would be a good starter, perhaps one with > skinnier lines (less bold) would help too.? Any text at this resolution > is hard, and I'd rather pick a more friendly font than try to increase > the size for readability.? Pictures are more pleasing than text. > > To the general population, is there a "best" font that can be > recommended for the text used for Latin-based languages at this > resolution, and with this sort of "propagation"? > > Greg? KO6TH > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ Sent via amsat-bb(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb ------------------------------ End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 408 *****************************************

1 0

SSTV-friendly fonts
by Greg D 09 Oct '20

09 Oct '20

Hi folks, but mostly the ARISS team, First, thank you for hosting the extended SSTV event on the ISS. It was long enough that I was able to coach a few folks who had problems one day, have a success the next. Also thank you for including English subtitles to the predominantly Russian images, and Spanish for the one I saw regarding Equador's nanosat. But a request... Is there a better font which could be used for future events? I noted several folks here who were able to grab an image, but couldn't read any of it, not even the part in their own native language. A sans-serif font would be a good starter, perhaps one with skinnier lines (less bold) would help too. Any text at this resolution is hard, and I'd rather pick a more friendly font than try to increase the size for readability. Pictures are more pleasing than text. To the general population, is there a "best" font that can be recommended for the text used for Latin-based languages at this resolution, and with this sort of "propagation"? Greg KO6TH

4 3

Upcoming satellite demo
by saguaroastro＠cox.net 09 Oct '20

09 Oct '20

Rick Tejera K7TEJ from the Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club (TBARC) will be giving a presentation and demonstration of Satellite operations to the Northwest Christian School in Glendale, AZ on Nov. 11th 2020. The demo will be on SO-50 at 2323UT. I will be using our Club call WB7TBC and the church is in Grid DM33wp. I may try to get a student on the air. Please keep an ear out for us and respond to our call, the kids will appreciate it. I'll send outa reminder as the date gets closer. 73 & Thanks Rick Tejera Saguaro Astronomy Club www.saguaroastro.org Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club www.w7tbc.org

1 0

NA1SS is Very Popular Today
by Robert MacHale 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

Looks like over half the APRSAT traffic in the past 24 hours involved NA1SS. Kudos to Frank Bauer and ARISS for the new equipment. Kudos to Robert Bruninga for creating a useful protocol. For reference - APRSAT messages: http://www.spacecommunicator.club/igates/?reload_timer=3600 73 Robert MacHale . KE6BLR FCC Licensed Radio Operator . http://www.aprsat.com/predict . http://www.spaceCommunicator.club . Supporting Boy Scout Merit Badges in Radio, Robotics, and Space Exploration Silly Joke: What did the little mountain say to the bigger mountain? Hi Cliff! He who dares not offend cannot be honest. -- THOMAS PAINE There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. -- ERNEST HEMINGWAY

1 0

JW7XK/LA7XK Rove to JQ78 Update -- update
by adrian＠liggins.ca 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

Just got the following from Halvard, LA7XK: We arrived this afternoon. I got my antenna and radio set up earlier this evening and worked 2 EU contacts and 2 in Asiatic Russia, SSB and CW to test the radio. All OK. We then had to go to get some dinner and now I am set up for the 1929 pass, EU and maybe JA this pass, I will try to stay up as long as possible before I drive down to the hotel to get some sleep. My priority will be NA and JA. the 2100 utc and the2300 utc passes should be OK for east NA. I will work SSB tonight around 435660 downlink. Adrian VA3NNA

1 0

[Blog] Successful ISS ham demo for a young space fan!
by John Brier 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

I had a successful ISS ham demo for a young space fan last night! We received two perfect SSTV images and made contact through the recently enabled digipeater! Thanks for the QSO Scott K4KDR! Full story/pics on my blog: https://spacecomms.wordpress.com/2020/10/08/iss-ham-demo-for-a-young-space-… 73, John Brier KG4AKV

4 3

Re: [amsat-bb] To Tweet or Not to Tweet
by jim＠k6ccc.org 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

I have a twitter account. I have posted exactly two times, and that was just to see that it worked. I follow (let's see if you see a pattern): The official feed of the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. The official feed of the Los Angeles City Fire Dept. The official feed of the Glendale Fire Dept. (where I work) The official feed of the Glendale Police Dept. The official feed of Glendale Water and Power The official feed of the Glendora Police Dept. (where I live) The official feed of the Cal Fire The official feed of the Cal OES The official feed of MetroLink (how I get to work) SpaceFlightNow SpaceX RocketLab My wife (not that she ever posts anything. Twitter never alerts to my phone - I have to go looking for it. Jim - K6CCC -----Original Message----- From: "Gerald Payton via AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Sent: Wednesday, October 7, 2020 14:59 To: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] To Tweet or Not to Tweet I have fundamentally opposed to TWITTER doe to the NONSENSE on it! However, I see many references posted here. I am having second thoughts about signing up. PLEASE, will someone direct me to WHO I should follow regarding AMSAT and possibly others. Many thanks, 73 Jerry AB5R EM12kh _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

3 2

Fwd: Coming Hurricane and power outages
by Robert Bruninga 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

For continuity of radio operations... As another hurricane approaches the gulf coast with the potential to knock out power to tens of thousands, I was pleased to see that CQ published my article this month (Oct) on using an EV or plugin Hybrid for emergency power for days or weeks. With the 10 to 100 kWh batteries in EV's and the 50kW or so generators in hybrids, your car makes a great accessory for your house when the grid goes down. The article is just a short condensation of some of the Emergency Power topic that is in the ARRL Energy Choices handbook I also posted greater detail from the article on this page: http://aprs.org/FrankenVolt.html Bob, WB4APR Author http://aprs.org/Energy-Choices.html

1 0

JW7XK/LA7XK Rove to JQ78 Update
by adrian＠liggins.ca 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

Got a note from Halvard, LA7XK, this morning. His plane was turned back yesterday due to fog at the airport in Longyearbyen. He's currently in Northern Norway waiting for conditions to clear. When I get an update, I'll post it here. Adrian VA3NNA

2 1

[Blog] Successful ISS ham demo for a young space fan!
by Roy Dean 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

> > Congratulations on the successful demo. Now take the next step. Apply for your own ARISS school contact. If you are successfully accepted, then it is even more fun. The info below has been posted several times recently but here it is again. Good luck! 73,Charlie Sufana AJ9NOne > > He already did - February 2018.... --Roy K3RLD

2 1

AO-92 Speaks
by Roy Dean 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

https://network.satnogs.org/observations/2951176/ Captured on my VHF SatNOGs station.

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

At 11:57 AM 10/7/2020 -0400, you wrote: >Was it a female russian voice? They have a system that announces the >locations they are passing over and it gets into SSTV transmissions >somehow/sometimes. No, Just a number of english speaking U.S. OM's making fm contacts. The sstv was louder than they were. KB7ADL

5 4

Re: [amsat-bb] To Tweet or Not to Tweet
by ke0pbr＠gmail.com 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

I would say to get on Twitter, but you need to stay on top of your feed. I don't get any political items in my feed, I only allow Ham items, and mostly Satellite. I can safely say that without Twitter I would not be where I am in my grid chase or my knowledge of operating sats. If you put post your pollical feelings I block you. If you cause drama, I block you. If you posting good clean fun items about Satellites, I will follow you. This process takes about 2-3 minutes a month and is time well spent. If you want a list of accounts to follow: @ke0pbr, @ad0hj, @ad0dx, @wy7aa, @n6ua, @wd9ewk, @k7tab, @gridmasterheat, @amsat, @Supercazzola, @notel_0738, @ak7dd, @aa5pk, and so on. KE0PBR Paul Overn AMSAT Ambassador Twitter: @KE0PBR Website: <http://ke0pbr.wordpress.com/> KE0PBR.Wordpress.com

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

At 04:09 PM 10/7/2020 -0400, John Brier <johnbrier(a)gmail.com> wrote: >Any chance you had dual VFOs and one tuned to 437.800 as well as 145.800? I'll give it a go if I have time, the ts790 has dual receive. KB7ADL

2 1

NA1SS APRSAT WebSite
by Robert MacHale 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

About 10 minutes ago I added NA1SS to the Space Communicator Club website for Boy Scouts. Feel free to use and share as AmSat members. This site monitors all satellite APRS acitvity in a single listing. http://www.spacecommunicator.club/igates/?reload_timer=3600 ### Sample packets: # SRC UTC APRS PACKET TX EL RX EL H:M 1 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:42 KB2M-2>3YTU0V,NA1SS*,qAO,K4KDR-15:'g]'l `/]Live Op FM29= n/a n/a 00H:00M 2 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:38 KO4AQF-7>APK003,NA1SS*,qAO,K4KDR-15::N2QKV :HI! EL98 in MELBOURNE,FLORIDA{18 n/a n/a 00H:00M 3 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:35 KO4AQF-7>APK003,NA1SS*,qAR,KC5ILO-12::N8URE-7 :HI! EL98 in MELBOURNE,FLORIDA{17 n/a n/a 00H:00M 4 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:32 KO4AQF-7>APK003,NA1SS*,qAR,KC5ILO-12::K1WY :HI! EL98 in MELBOURNE,FLORIDA{16 n/a n/a 00H:00M 5 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:25 K4KDR-6>CQ,NA1SS*,ARISS,qAR,KG4PID-12::KG4AKV-5 :Heard you via ISS in Montpelier, VA FM17es n/a n/a 00H:00M 6 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:19 KG4AKV-5>S6PU6Y,NA1SS*,qAO,K4KDR-15:`jSrl CK>"5G}youtube.com/spacecomms1= n/a n/a 00H:00M 7 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:13 KG4AKV-5>S6PU6X,NA1SS*,qAR,KG4PID-12:`jSsl"WK>"5*}youtube.com/spacecomms1= n/a n/a 00H:00M 8 IS 2020-10-07 23:53:03 N2QKV>APRS,NA1SS*,AISAT-1,PSAT,AISAT,PSAT-2,qAR,KG4PID-12:=4004.45N/07406.23W-73 via Satellite n/a n/a 00H:00M 9 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:56 K0KOC-7>3Y2S1Y,NA1SS*,qAO,K4KDR-15:'i4wl #/]= n/a n/a 00H:00M 10 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:54 KB2M-2>3YTU0V,NA1SS*,qAO,WB2QGZ-10:'g]'l `/]Live Op FM29= n/a n/a 00H:00M 11 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:50 KO4AQF-7>APK003,NA1SS*,qAO,WB2QGZ-10::WE4B :HI! EL98 in MELBOURNE,FLORIDA{15 n/a n/a 00H:00M 12 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:38 N8URE-7>SYQX5V,NA1SS*,qAR,KE4AZZ:'hIzl [/>Live from FM19= n/a n/a 00H:01M 13 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:17 K4KDR-6>CQ,NA1SS*,ARISS,qAR,KD8THX-6:=3747.66N/07736.67W`de K4KDR scott23192(a)gmail.com Virginia FM17es n/a n/a 00H:01M 14 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:12 W9QO>STPX1V,NA1SS*,SGATE,WIDE2-2,qAR,KD8THX-6:'oIPl -/] n/a n/a 00H:01M 15 IS 2020-10-07 23:52:05 K1WY>TQTU7T,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAR,KD8THX-6:'dGRl -/] n/a n/a 00H:01M 16 IS 2020-10-07 23:51:52 WE4B>SRQX1W,NA1SS*,qAR,KD8THX-6:'r(l S>WE4B EM62 LIVE OP n/a n/a 00H:01M 17 IS 2020-10-07 23:51:45 NA1SS>0P0PR5,APRSAT,qAR,KD8THX-6:'v&l SI]ARISS-International Space Station= n/a n/a 00H:01M 18 IS 2020-10-07 23:51:36 W0VFK-9>TRPP2R,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAR,KD8THX-6:`wD?l#C-/`"6P}_% n/a n/a 00H:02M 19 IS 2020-10-07 23:51:04 K1WY>TQTU7T,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAO,N6BA-10:'dGRl -/]K1WY FN31ps n/a n/a 00H:02M 20 IS 2020-10-07 23:51:01 W0VFK-9>TRPP2R,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAR,KD8THX-6:`wD?l#C-/`"6P}_% n/a n/a 00H:02M 21 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:54 WE4B>SRQX1W,NA1SS*,qAR,KD8THX-6:'r(l S>WE4B EM62 LIVE OP n/a n/a 00H:02M 22 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:54 PSAT-1>APOFF,ARISS,qAO,W0ARP-14:T#896,843,072,729,755,795,00011100 n/a n/a 00H:02M 23 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:54 PSAT-1>APOFF,ARISS,qAO,W0ARP-14:T#896,843,072,729,755,795,00011100 n/a n/a 00H:02M 24 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:41 PSAT-1>APOFF,ARISS,qAO,W0ARP-14:s#006757,0z001 n/a n/a 00H:03M 25 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:41 PSAT-1>APOFF,ARISS,qAO,W0ARP-14:s#006757,0z001 n/a n/a 00H:03M 26 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:27 W0VFK-9>TRPP2R,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAO,W0ARP-14:`wD?l#C-/`"6P}CQ VIA RS0ISS_% n/a n/a 00H:03M 27 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:23 W0VFK-9>TRPP2R,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAR,KD8THX-6:`wD?l#C-/`"6P}_% n/a n/a 00H:03M 28 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:10 KB2M-2>3YTU0V,NA1SS*,qAR,KD8THX-6:'g]'l `/]Live Op FM29= n/a n/a 00H:03M 29 IS 2020-10-07 23:50:03 WE4B>SRQX1W,NA1SS*,qAO,W0ARP-14:'r(l S>WE4B EM62 LIVE OP n/a n/a 00H:03M 30 IS 2020-10-07 23:49:56 W0VFK-9>TRPP2R,NA1SS*,RS0ISS,qAO,W0ARP-14:`wD?l#C-/`"6P}CQ VIA RS0ISS_% n/a n/a 00H:03M 31 IS 2020-10-07 23:49:37 WI9EMS>T2UX6U,NA1SS*,WIDE2-1,qAO,W0ARP-14:`tZdl#F-/`"6N}Looking for anyone to "QSO" via APRS..._% n/a n/a 00H:04M 32 IS 2020-10-07 23:49:32 WE4B>SRQX1W,NA1SS*,qAO,W0ARP-14:'r(l S>WE4B EM62 LIVE OP n/a n/a 00H:04M 33 IS 2020-10-07 23:45:45 NA1SS>0P0PR5,APRSAT,qAO,N6BA-10:'v&l SI]ARISS-International Space Station= n/a n/a 00H:07M 34 IS 2020-10-07 23:45:42 VE7CUU-5>TYUSXQ,NA1SS*,qAO,N6BA-10:'3-+l -/] n/a n/a 00H:08M 35 IS 2020-10-07 23:45:11 VE7CUU-5>TYUSXQ,NA1SS*,qAO,W0ARP-14:'3-+l -/] n/a n/a 00H:08M 36 IS 2020-10-07 23:44:45 VA7SHG-2>CQ,NA1SS*,qAO,VE7TGZ-2:=4910.96N/12156.41W- Shaggy says Hi! via ISS in Chilliwack ### 73 Robert MacHale . KE6BLR FCC Licensed Radio Operator . http://www.aprsat.com/predict . http://www.spaceCommunicator.club . Supporting Boy Scout Merit Badges in Radio, Robotics, and Space Exploration Silly Joke: What did the little mountain say to the bigger mountain? Hi Cliff! He who dares not offend cannot be honest. -- THOMAS PAINE There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. -- ERNEST HEMINGWAY

1 0

ISS Crossband repeat mode off, packet digipeat on
by Roy Dean 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

Has anybody gotten it to digipeat? I got NA1SS beacons on the 19:00z pass, but heard no other packets. ARISS.net shows no active packets for 40 days. --Roy K3RLD

4 3

Next Rocket Lab launch
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

Next Rocket Lab launch window starts 20th October UTC. See: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1313916304814825474 73, Terry Osborne ZL2BAC

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-07 20:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-07 20:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact was successful: Wed 2020-10-07 14:18:44 UTC 81 deg (***) The downlink frequency for this contact is 437.525 MHz. Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Anatoli Ivanishin Watch for possible contact Fri 2020-10-09 08:15 UTC Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for early October. The event is scheduled to begin on October 4 at 14:00 UTC for setup and operation and continue until October 8 ending at 19:15 UTC. Dates and times are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. (***) Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. The main theme of this collection of images will be Satellites. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-07 20:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-07 20:00 UTC. (***) https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) (***) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 136 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1401. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1334. (***) Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Trouble with MMSSTV
by Steve Kristoff 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

Hope you don't mind that I shared your email (below) on-list, but I think you gave me a clue as to what I'm doing wrong and I would like folks to see a good example if they need it. Your screen shows the single peak at 1200, then essentially nothing until the picture info between 1500 and 2300 , then down to nothing again. I also noticed that the little green signal strength (?) bar just to the left of the FFT display is quite low. I think maybe I've just had the input level up too high. I've got signal in the FFT portion all the way from 1200 to past the 2300 and the green bar about 1/3 of the way up it's range. Would that be enough to throw off the sync? I may be able to clean up the signal just by turning down the volume. All helpful comments and suggestions are still very welcome. Steve AI9IN ----- Original Message ----- From: Greg D (ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com) Date: 10/07/20 13:54 To: Steve Kristoff (skristof(a)etczone.com) Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Trouble with MMSSTV Hi Steve, The SSTV signals from the ISS yesterday were kind of garbled. Multiple stations reported this, so it's not your (or my) station's problem. Take a look at a video of a (good) pass on Monday last that I did for our club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SkJ8_mtA4 The FFT display should show the specific peaks in the signal around the line sync on the left, and a separate band for the actual picture to the right of it. If it looks like an amorphous blob, that was the interference we all heard. Hopefully they'll get it sorted out upstairs and we can grab a few more pictures today. Next pass in just under an hour here... Greg KO6TH

2 1

Trouble with MMSSTV
by Steve Kristoff 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

I've been trying to use MMSSTV to receive the ISS pics, but I'm having problems. I think the problem is with syncing. I can see that I am receiving strips of various colors, but they are not lined up to make a coherent picture. I downloaded the latest version of MMSSTV yesterday so that's up-to-date. I'm using SDR# to decode the signal from a dongle. The output of SDR# is to the input of VBCable and the input to MMSSTV is from the output of VBCable. Once I've downloaded the picture I can hit the "fix slant" and "fix sync" button and the picture straightens out some but still not enough to see the details. The op system is Windows 10. I've read through the MMSSTV help and can't find a fix.I must be missing a setting somewhere. If anyone has ideas to share on how to fix this, I'd appreciate your help! (Is there a better SSTV decode program?) Steve AI9IN

1 0

ISS Crossband repeat mode off, packet digipeat on
by John Brier 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

https://twitter.com/RF2Space/status/1313830101344161792 https://twitter.com/RF2Space/status/1313869679614545920 73, John Brier KG4AKV

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by David Worboys 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

As long as I reading this correctly, the new 5500DC control box will not work with the older rotators - been there, done that! David KG4ZLB On Oct 7, 2020, at 10:13 AM, Jeff via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: 2.. As I'm going to try and repair the Yaesu control box, I'm almost positive that the transformer is burned out. If not available I might consider buying a new control box. I'm thinking that the new 5500DC will work with the older rotors?

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

At 02:51 AM 10/7/2020 +0000, you wrote: >A local told me the ISS repeater was on the air. Is that possible in >conjunction with the SSTV? > >73, >Gary "Joe" kk0sd I haven't been doing any sstv decoding, but on a number of passes I've heard voice conversations under the sstv. KB7ADL

3 2

Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by John Brier 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

Two active. SSTV is in Russian service module. New radio doing crossband is in Columbus module. On Tue, Oct 6, 2020, 23:26 Greg D <ko6th.greg(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Possibly, but the interference isn't at the audio level; it sounds more > like an FM double to me. > > How many ham stations do they have up there? > > Greg KO6TH > > > John Brier wrote: > > Reports suggest two SSTV transmissions at same time. > > https://twitter.com/bobbylittle/status/1313665745734324225?s=19 > > Crossband is totally diff setup in diff ISS modules. > > 73, John Brier KG4AKV > > On Tue, Oct 6, 2020, 23:04 Greg D via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > >> That was my first thought, but I'm presuming they're running from >> separate power sources, and using separate antennas, in different >> modules of the Station. If anything, the interference would be the >> reverse, with the SSTV desensing the x-band repeater's uplink. >> >> Also, my audio sounds rather different from Loren's, so perhaps >> different (or degrading) situations? >> >> Greg KO6TH >> >> >> Gary wrote: >> > A local told me the ISS repeater was on the air. Is that possible in >> conjunction with the SSTV? >> > >> > 73, >> > Gary "Joe" kk0sd >> > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Greg D via >> AMSAT-BB >> > Sent: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 9:38 PM >> > To: Loren M. Lang <penguin359(a)gmail.com>; AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Unusual ISS SSTV signal >> > >> > I just heard something even weirder here during the just-completed >> 02:04z pass here in CM98. 3 images during the pass, the first two totally >> wiped out. The third started off just fine, then the interference started >> in. >> > >> > I captured the screen and audio for the second and 3rd images here: >> > >> > >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzlp9jzs4k29sy1/ISS%20SSTV%20Pass3-2020-10-06_19.… >> > >> > I'm no where near where Loren is, so it's unlikely to be local. This >> is with the same equipment and setup as two passes yesterday, which were >> totally clean. The 8pm (PDT) pass yesterday was recorded for our local >> club, and can be viewed here: >> > >> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SkJ8_mtA4 >> > >> > Thoughts? >> > >> > Greg KO6TH >> > >> > >> > Loren M. Lang via AMSAT-BB wrote: >> >> During one of the SSTV transmissions today, I heard an unusual signal >> >> overlaid on top of the regular SSTV signal. It started just after the >> >> original SSTV signal, and was initially quite strong, but eventually >> >> lost out to the regular SSTV signal. It sounds similar to SSTV, but >> >> not quite the same. This started at 2020-10-06 02:54:32Z. You can hear >> it here: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/abcizkoly8rn1ij/funny-sstv-signal.mp3?dl=0 >> >> >> >> You can see the waterfall during the initial decode here: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxmy4rhruiit84v/funny-sstv-signal.png?dl=0 >> >> >> >> It does look like a separate signal on top of the original SSTV signal >> >> and it looks more centered on 145.800 MHz than the Doppler shifted ISS >> >> transmission which makes me thing it might be terrestrial, but I have >> >> no idea where it would be coming from. It definitely looks like it was >> >> targeting 145.8 and it sounds SSTV-like. The signal poped in several >> >> more times as can be seen in this waterfall: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwh4h4b1d8qtnbv/funny-sstv-signal2.png?dl=0 >> >> >> >> Any ideas what this came from? >> >> >> >> Here's the image I received during that pass: >> >> >> >> https://www.dropbox.com/s/j11wj6yo9s2ceg9/sstv-202010060311.png?dl=0 >> >> >> >> I do have the raw baseband signal if anyone's interested. >> >> >> >> -Loren >> >> K7IW >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >> >> Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect >> the official views of AMSAT-NA. >> >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite >> program! >> >> Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions >> expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official >> views of AMSAT-NA. >> > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite >> program! >> > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >> Opinions expressed >> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of >> AMSAT-NA. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> > >

1 0

Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Loren M. Lang 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

During one of the SSTV transmissions today, I heard an unusual signal overlaid on top of the regular SSTV signal. It started just after the original SSTV signal, and was initially quite strong, but eventually lost out to the regular SSTV signal. It sounds similar to SSTV, but not quite the same. This started at 2020-10-06 02:54:32Z. You can hear it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/abcizkoly8rn1ij/funny-sstv-signal.mp3?dl=0 You can see the waterfall during the initial decode here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxmy4rhruiit84v/funny-sstv-signal.png?dl=0 It does look like a separate signal on top of the original SSTV signal and it looks more centered on 145.800 MHz than the Doppler shifted ISS transmission which makes me thing it might be terrestrial, but I have no idea where it would be coming from. It definitely looks like it was targeting 145.8 and it sounds SSTV-like. The signal poped in several more times as can be seen in this waterfall: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwh4h4b1d8qtnbv/funny-sstv-signal2.png?dl=0 Any ideas what this came from? Here's the image I received during that pass: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j11wj6yo9s2ceg9/sstv-202010060311.png?dl=0 I do have the raw baseband signal if anyone's interested. -Loren K7IW

4 4

Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Kevin 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Steve, I run the same antennas here, maybe something I do to my rotors make a difference. I clean and grease them with a marine grease, the old wire on the slider style pots have been replaced with the newer style closed back ones, I added thermal switches to the inside of the motors so if something snags they shutoff rather than burn up, an interesting note is that it looks like Yaesu had planned for a cutout as the pc board inside the motor has a spot where you move one wire and then there are two holes that line up perfectly with a spot to slip the cutout into the motor and solder to the board, I also Loctite the drive screws. For me when they do finally fail it is the pot that gets erratic, a new pot and re-grease and away they go. If yours were dying every 4-8 months I can see where spending the bucks for the Spid makes perfect sense, It's also possible you guys track way more sats than I do, with AO-92 going dark I only track 4 sats on a daily basis now. 73, Kevin WA7FWF On 10/6/2020 1:29 PM, Stephen E. Belter wrote: > Kevin, > > I'm in West Lafayette, Indiana, so no salt water. My antennas are M-squared medium size antennas, 2MCP14 and 436CP30 with polarity switches, so not overloaded. > > Mark N8MH, has had similar experience with his Yaesu's. Since he is a dedicated telemetry collector like you, and since he is a control operator for the Fox satellites, he replaces his rotors when they fail. He had a volunteer to repair his broken rotors, so I transported 6-8 rotors from his garage in North Carolina (not near salt water either) to Indiana. Half were elevation rotors, half were azimuth rotors. I thought I was just having bad luck until Mark shared his experience. > > The last time mine failed, it was the azimuth rotor. Pointing the Yagis south just above the horizon worked a little better (long term) than an omnidirectional antenna. Since it failed while I was on a 3 month trip, I couldn't replace the rotor. > > I still recommend the G5500 rotors for normal operators, but they may not be the best choice for 24x7x365 telemetry collection. (I'm glad they work for you in that mode.) I've since switched to an AlphaSpid rotor with a Green Heron controller. You can buy the AlphaSpid rotors without the controller (my recommendation for heavy duty use) and use a Green Heron instead. > > Still: YMMV > > 73, Steve N9IP

1 0

Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Bob Hammond 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

I'm going to get set up to monitor Fox telemetry. For those of you who already do so, what antenna are you using? I'm set up with 2M, 70cm, and 23cm CP antennas on a G5500 rotator but I understand I can also use a fixed antenna such as a Lindenblad or quadrifilar. Suggestions? Bob W7OTJ

2 1

Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Stephen DeVience 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

During my time in Chicago, I collected telemetry with a QFH (no preamp) that was actually designed for the NOAA satellites. It did an OK job but wasn't going to put me on top of the leaderboard. A Lindenblad would probably be better for the lower passes. You could probably make a phased array of either type if you wanted. -Stephen N8URE

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Kevin 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Steve, What are you doing that is wearing it out in 4-8 months? overloaded? near the ocean with salt? something has to be wrong as mine go for years. 73 Kevin WA7FWF On 10/6/2020 10:21 AM, Stephen E. Belter via AMSAT-BB wrote: > Roy, > > In my experience, using the CP antennas with the G5500 will help you collect and decode about 4-6 times more packets than an omnidirectional antenna. > > But tracking the Fox satellites using the Yaesu rotors will wear out the rotors in 4-8 months. Replacement rotors are about $250 each (you won’t need to replace the controller). > > YMMV > > 73, Steve N9IP > -- > Steve Belter, seb(a)wintek.com > > >

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Telemetry antenna?
by Roy Dean 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

I've been using a 3/4 wavelength ground plane (vertical with 4 equal length radials) in my attic for the last couple of years, and have usually been in the top 60 on the leaderboard for the fox satellites. Lately I've been having FoxTelem stability issues, though (pretty regularly getting a usb access error). --Roy K3RLD > I'm set up with 2M, 70cm, and 23cm CP antennas on a G5500 rotator but I > understand I can also use a fixed antenna such as a Lindenblad or > quadrifilar. Suggestions? > >

4 3

AO-27 this morning
by Stephen DeVience 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

I also noticed a lot of fading. I heard you and KB2M but not very clearly. I made a QSO with KI5DVX near the end of the pass, but it was rough going. Maybe the satellite antenna was just in a bad orientation this morning. -Stephen N8URE

1 0

ARISS News Release No. 20-19
by David Jordan 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-19 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISSContact is Scheduled with McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA October06, 2020—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is thegroup that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students aroundthe globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio between the ISS and students fromMcConnell Middle School in Loganville, Georgia. Students will take turns askingtheir questions of ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call sign KF5KDR,during the ARISS radio contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 437.525 MHz. ARISS team member Jan Poppeliers, using call signON4ISS (from an AMSAT amateur radio clubstation in Aartselaar, Belgium), will serve as therelay amateur radio station. Each student asking a question of Cassidy on the ARISS radiowill be teleconferenced in from home or social-distancedat school. Youth and faculty and the publiccan watch the livestreamed action from home. TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 7, 2020 at 10:18 am EDT (Georgia) (14:18UTC, 9:18 am CDT, 8:18 am MDT, 07:18 am PDT). McConnellMiddle School (about 2,300students ages 11 to 15) is a Gwinnett County public school near Atlanta.The district’s career-planningcurriculum group integrated lessons into established science, math and languagearts classes before the contact in order to increase student interest andawareness related to space science, expand student experience with researchmethodologies, and inspire them to pursue studies and careers inscience-related fields. The school’s McConnell Radio Club, in its 6th year,is mentored by members of the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society who provide radioclasses and equipment for student use, and guided the ARISS project, a part of thefaculty’s efforts toward becoming a STEM-certified school. ARISS invites the public to view thelivestream of the upcoming ARISS radio contact at: https://youtu.be/pHOM15BLRSo. _______________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1. Are there specialactivities designed for you to help relieve the stress of living and working inspace? 2. Describe whatsurprised you about earth when you got to the ISS. 3. Do you seeevidence of the recent West Coast wildfires or other environmental situations? 4. As a middle schoolstudent what can we do to prepare ourselves for the job you do today as anastronaut? 5. In the movie TheMartian, Mark was trained as a botanist. What is your area of interest and whatexperiments are you doing in your field? 6. How long is yourmission and how do you expect it might impact your body? 7. What was thehardest part of training prior to going to space? 8. How often do youneed to do repairs on the outside of the ISS? 9. Describe yourmedical training that would help if an astronaut becomes ill or seriouslyinjured while on the space station. 10. Standard airpressure on earth is 1 atmosphere. What air pressure do they try to maintain onthe ISS? 11. Whatqualifications do you have that enable you to be assigned to more than onemission or similar? 12. Have you evertried growing carrots or root vegetables in space? 13. Are there anytimes where any shipments of food or drinks are running late, or have spaceflight troubles, and you run out of food or water for the time? 14. How does foodtaste when you don't get to smell it? 15. How is the ISSdesigned in case of a collision with space junk or a meteoroid? 16. What is theprocedure if spills, liquid or solid, occur during experiments? 17. How do youmaintain clean hygiene while in space? 18. What is yournormal schedule on the ISS? ARISS– Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsorsare the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s SpaceCommunications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promoteexploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematicstopics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew membersaboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students,educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org . MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Likeus on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and@ARISS_status.

1 0

Unusual ISS SSTV signal
by Roy Dean 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Loren, Here are 4 SatNogs observations from the same pass. I don't see the same signal in any of these, so it's likely that you have a local issue. https://network.satnogs.org/observations/2949326/ https://network.satnogs.org/observations/2949174/ https://network.satnogs.org/observations/2944749/ https://network.satnogs.org/observations/2949757/ --Roy K3RLD

1 0

AO-27 this morning
by Steve Kristoff 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Did anyone else have trouble hearing AO-27 this morning? Usually the downlink is strong. The only complete call that I heard was KB2M. A couple of other folks were trying to call, but I couldn't hear the complete calls. Steve Ai9IN Grid EM79ji

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-06 02:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-06 02:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-07 14:18:44 UTC 81 deg The downlink frequency for this contact is 437.525 MHz. Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Anatoli Ivanishin Watch for possible contact Fri 2020-10-09 08:15 UTC Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg (***) An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for early October. The event is scheduled to begin on October 4 at 14:00 UTC for setup and operation and continue until October 8 ending at 19:15 UTC. Dates and times are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. (***) Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. The main theme of this collection of images will be Satellites. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-06 02:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-01 03:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) (***) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 136 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1400. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1333. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-06 02:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 06 Oct '20

06 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-06 02:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be ONRISS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-07 14:18:44 UTC 81 deg The downlink frequency for this contact is 437.525 MHz. Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Anatoli Ivanishin Watch for possible contact Fri 2020-10-09 08:15 UTC Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-14 16:26:13 UTC 43 deg (***) An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for early October. The event is scheduled to begin on October 4 at 14:00 UTC for setup and operation and continue until October 8 ending at 19:15 UTC. Dates and times are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. (***) Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. The main theme of this collection of images will be Satellites. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-06 02:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-01 03:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) (***) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 136 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1400. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1333. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Searching amsat-bb for G5500/G5500DC/G5400 Rotor Problems
by JoAnne K9JKM 05 Oct '20

05 Oct '20

> You can go back through the amsat-bb archives It is possible to search the AMSAT-BB archives by using the "site:" command in Google. For example, to find all mentions of the word "G5500" in amsat-BB, type this line into Google: G5500 site:http://amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb To restrict the search to a particular year, type: G5500 site:http://amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2020 Perhaps you'll find the 5500 rotator threads quicker with this search technique. Just fine tune your search in that 'keyword' before the 'site:' to zero in on your particular -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm(a)amsat.org

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-05 19:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 05 Oct '20

05 Oct '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-10-05 19:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA, multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be ONRISS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-10-07 14:18:44 UTC 81 deg (***) The downlink frequency for this contact is 437.525 MHz. Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Anatoli Ivanishin Watch for possible contact Fri 2020-10-09 08:15 UTC An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for early October. The event is scheduled to begin on October 4 at 14:00 UTC for setup and operation and continue until October 8 ending at 19:15 UTC. Dates and times are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. (***) Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. The main theme of this collection of images will be Satellites. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image. ************************************************************************************************************* There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts. The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink. ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. ************************************************* ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also. Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-10-05 19:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-01 03:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) (***) The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. ******************************************************************************** ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ ****************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ******************************************************************************* All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? Please note that the HamTV system has been brought back to earth for troubleshooting. Please monitor ARISS-EU or ARISS-ON for the very latest news on the troubleshooting efforts. If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net The HamTV webpage: https://www.amsat-on.be/hamtv-summary/ **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138 Sergey RV3DR with 136 Gaston ON4WF with 123 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1400. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1333. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correcti… Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 62 now on orbit Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Anatoli Ivanishin Ivan Vagner **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

G5500/G5500DC/G5400 Rotor Problems
by john＠papays.com 05 Oct '20

05 Oct '20

You can go back through the amsat-bb archives and find many of the same problems that are being talked about now. Yaesu rotor problems are not new and are re-discussed from time to time. I have a G5500 on my Arizona station. It was installed in 2013 and it was a used rotor at the time. It worked ok for several years. I had it tracking Funcube 24x7 for many months and that was probably not a wise decision considering the potential problems. A few years ago I started to experience what is being talked about now. The azimuth readings started to be erratic. The LVB tracker would give up trying to move the rotor and since I was not there to manually move it, I would use the park command in SatPC32 to try to get past the intermittent areas. That would work for a while but soon I could not park the rotor from about 100 degrees back to zero. So the best option for me was to buy a replacement azimuth rotor (no control box or elevation rotor). This was a catalog item at many ham radio supply houses. So last December my son and I replaced the azimuth rotor with the new Yaesu unit. I thought I would be good for a few years but that would not be the case. I planned to repair the original az rotor by replacing the pot and have it available if the rotor should fail in the future. In August the rotor started showing signs of the same problem. I noticed that the actual azimuth was lagging behind what SatPC32 was sending to the LVB tracker. Eventually it would get past the bad spot and movement would be normal until it got to another bad area. So the new rotor only lasted 8 months and I wasn't tracking and downloading data on any satellite. So what is different about Arizona? For one thing the temperature gets to 120F and when the sun shines, as it does most every day, the dark cclor of the rotor absorbs the heat and the temp inside the rotor is likely sky high. Could that be a reason that the potentiometer is failing? Maybe and maybe not. Several years ago I ordered replacement pots from Yaesu. The shaft on these pots is metric so 1/4" American made pots will not fit. You are stuck with metric components. The part number on the replacement pots is RA25Y25S B501. You can look it up on the web. The specs for this pot are 15,000 cycles and 100 degrees C. I doubt if the temp inside the rotor exceeded 100C so it should have held up in the Arizona sun. 15,000 cycles is a lot and you can do the math. The next question is what is the part number of the pot in my new azimuth rotor? Did Yaesu change suppliers over the years and what are the specs of the pots they are using now? Once I disassemble the old rotor which is in Arizona, I will know if the part number is different than the replacement pots I purchased. I could send the new rotor back to Yaesu under warranty and have it repaired, but why do that if the same pot is used to repair the unit and will likely fail again? I thought I was alone with this problem but after asking around I found that that might not be the case. KB6LTY is experiencing the same problem with a new G5500DC that she purchased not long ago. There appears to be a systemic problem here. Changing the pot may work for a while but you can't be taking things apart every year just to have the same problem occur shortly thereafter. K3RRR reported similar problems and his story should be told here as well. Last year Yaesu changed the model number of the G5500 to the G5500DC. There was no announcement and ham radio dealers knew nothing about the change. EA4TX who makes replacement control boxes was also unaware of the change. The motors in the rotors are now DC rather than AC. The controller is different, but Yaesu did not publish the schematic in their instruction manual as they did with the G5400/5500 series. One satellite operator noticed that when SatPC32 sent a command to move the az and the el at the same time, the control box would go into a fault condition. Apparently the control box detected an overcurrent condition due to a high startup current and shut down. I'm not sure if that issue was resolved by Yaesu or by a software change. Just another thing to be aware of if you have a new DC model. Another thing to be aware of is that there are meter amplifiers in the the control box that are used to isolate and control the output voltage to interfaces like the LVB tracker. These meter amplifiers can become erratic rendering the interface unusable. The meters in the control box are separate so if they are reading properly and don't jump around, erratic readings going to the computer interface are likely caused by the meter amplifiers and have nothing to do with the pots in the rotors themselves. If you have experienced these kinds of problems and have or have not resolved them, please post so that we can determine how widespread these issues are and possible fixes. 73, John K8YSE

2 1

K7ZOO roving photo from norther Arizona DM46fx
by Curt Laumann 05 Oct '20

05 Oct '20

Hi All, This past weekend I had a chance to rove in two grids, DM36 and DM46. I struggled to get into any FM birds (only one QSO), but easily made many contacts through transponder satellites, using both SSB and CW. This was my first opporunity to really wring out two recently completed LIndeblad antennas. Overall I'm pretty pleased with their performance. At times I had to back down the power of my IC-910H to 5 watts to match the beacon signal strength. Of course a pair of circularly polarized yagi's will have more gain, but for portable operations the pair of Lindy's does great. At the link below you can see my setup, including the brand new tire on my right rear wheel :) See you on the air, Curt / K7ZOO https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YJ6QpQKl1FJGIZ7DdiwLy9sdpWZOSdOE/view?usp=…

2 1