- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Has the amsat.org remailer crashed?
by Jim Sanford 20 Aug '20

20 Aug '20

I'm not getting anything, including test messages. Yet, tests to my physical address come through immediately. If anybody knows, is this a long-term problem or something that will be fixed any time soon? Thanks & 73, Jim wb4gcs(a)amsat.org (reply to wb4gcs(a)wb4gcs.org) -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: [amsat-bb] Transparency and Double Standards
by Bruce Perens 20 Aug '20

20 Aug '20

Well, very sorry that you guys feel that way, Mike and Dave. I expect to have some news that will change the discussion entirely. I don't think there's much point in continuing with this until then. Thanks Bruce

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Election Candidate List?
by Gerald Payton 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

As a recent (re-hashed) member re-joining too late for a vote, is it possible to see a list of who is renewals or new candidates? Using an OLD phrase, I am FLABERGASSED with all this back and forth! Having said that, Jerry AB5R

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List of Board Candidates?
by Gerald Payton 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

As a recent (re-hashed) member re-joining too late for a vote, is it possible to see a list of who is renewals or new candidates? Using an OLD phrase, I am FLABERGASSED with all this back and forth! Having said that, Jerry AB5R

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Re: [amsat-bb] Transparency and Double Standards
by E.Mike McCardel 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

Perhaps nothing indicts the agenda Of “The Team” than This quote from Bruce Perens. “I am not convinced that I need to spend my time on convincing anyone at AMSAT. At some point it becomes less effort to simply let AMSAT die and carry on the work elsewhere.” EMike McCardel, AA8EM Past Senior Editor AMSAT News Service Past AMSAT-NA VP Educational Relations Former ARRL, Ohio Section, Affiliated Club Coordinator > On Aug 19, 2020, at 6:14 PM, Bruce Perens <bruce(a)perens.com> wrote: > > I am not convinced that I need to spend my time on convincing anyone at AMSAT. At some point it becomes less effort to simply let AMSAT die and carry on the work elsewhere.

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Board Election Candidates
by Gerald Payton 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

As a recent (re-hashed) member re-joining too late for a vote, is it possible to see a list of who is renewals or new candidates? Using an OLD phrase, I am FLABERGASSED with all this back and forth! Having said that, Jerry AB5R

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Re: [amsat-bb] Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR
by Joseph Armbruster 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

Michelle, Ok, so just everyone on the BB is entirely clear about what is going on here. Your team submitted forms to the DDTC, apparently on February 20, 2020. This form that was submitted to the DDTC with the request, has NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC. As a result, we can not read it. This document, that we can not read, has all the verbiage that matters and is the document that the DDTC would have responded to directly. Previously, you have referenced designs that are publicly available, but we have no way of knowing if the form above actually referenced those designs or not. Again, we (the community) have absolutely no way of knowing or verifying this information, because we can not read the submission. You publicly announced on the -bb that "Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR" and publicly were willing to share the DDTC response to the forms submitted above, namely the commodity jurisdiction determination. But, we (the community) have no clue what this determination is actually referring to, because we can not read what was being adjudicated. To summarize: INPUT (FORM) TO DDTC ===> time delay from DDTC ===> OUTPUT FROM DDTC (CJ determination letter). - We have not been able to see the INPUT - We have been provided with the OUTPUT * and the OUTPUT contains little to no actual information in it... I think this is clear enough for everyone on the -bb to comprehend. So, in the immortal words of Johnny 5 from the movie Short Circuit "Need INPUT"! Joseph Armbruster KJ4JIO On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 3:10 PM Michelle Thompson < mountain.michelle(a)gmail.com> wrote: > None of what you have written here makes sense. > > Everything that the US State Department approved for this open source > amateur radio satellite service CJ Request is already published and > available for inspection. All of the designs and policies are already > disclosed to the general public, free of charge. What you keep demanding > has already been done. > > If you won't show your DS-4076 submission packets, then you do not have an > argument. You have not provided any proof that publishing the work product > of lawyers without their consent is a positive thing to do. It's just not > done and it is not material to desperately needed forward progress. > > You can keep arguing with AMSAT's *own* consultant's opinions and advice, > the advice of renowned ITAR/EAR experts hired on recommendation of the EFF, > and the US State Department, the Department of Defense, and Commerce BIS, > but honestly that is not the best path forward to create a safe and sane > volunteer situation for AMSAT. > > -Michelle W5NYV > > > > > On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 11:46 AM Joseph Armbruster < > josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Michelle, >> >> >> There's a major, major difference between what you are trying to >> accomplish from an 'open and transparency' perspective and what your >> average commercial business would do (or AMSAT would likely do, with NDAs >> in place...) >> >> >> There's no need for me to publish any of my companies info, because this >> is not really about my business. I did not release an email to the -bb >> with the title "Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR". >> That's quite a claim and mama didn't raise no fool here and I know the >> devil's always in the details with these kinds of things. And we haven't >> been provided with any of the details yet, only claims of success! I know, >> with absolute certainty, that you can have an "open source design", >> alllllll you want, composed of specific hardware components that may only >> be available to US Persons, you can publish it here, there and everywhere! >> However, if you attempted to put the hardware in a box and ship it outside >> the US for integration, without an export permit, you can get into major >> trouble. Private companies that develop products and/or offer services for >> others typically work under NDAs and they have unique IP interests >> (designs, business relationships, etc...) that they wish to protect/keep >> secret. If that kind of information is included in the CJ request, it's up >> to the submitter to serve their agreements and protect the information >> (if-so-agreed-upon). >> >> >> From what i've observed, what you're trying to do is the polar opposite. >> It's suppose to be about open source, becoming free of ITAR, serving the >> amateur radio community, making all the designs public and free of IP >> constraints and most importantly, being transparent about the process (.... >> and you all seem to use the noble term "Transparency", quite a bit... ref >> previous -bb emails...). If all the designs are public and there's no IP >> to protect, why would the CJ request need to be kept private? The request >> that was submitted and adjudicated, contained specific words, likely >> referenced specific designs, that may or may not have referenced any of the >> designs that you are referring to. It's impossible for any of us to make >> any sense of your release, or substantiate Any of the claims, without it. >> This is the difference in my opinion. You're obviously not going to find >> any other companies submissions around, because they are by-nature, focused >> on secrecy and protecting IP, not doing charitable work. Yours on the >> other hand, should be about transparency to the open source / amateur >> community, not about secrecy and protecting whatever it is... >> >> >> And, you may say that what i'm asking for is something the "law firm >> specifically advised against doing"... but we all know that's just >> silly... Anyone here on the-bb can look up the exact form and see what >> data is requested on it. There is nothing that any open source guru >> wouldn't be more than willing to disclose publicly. >> >> >> That's my 10 cents, >> >> Joseph Armbruster >> >> KJ4JIO >> >> >> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 1:03 PM Michelle Thompson < >> mountain.michelle(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Yes. Again, all the information that went into the DS-4076 is already >>> publicly available (designs and policies). You can find all the design >>> information in our repositories and the policies on our website. >>> >>> You can see a significant part of the described transmitter design for >>> yourself in the review workshop video I posted about a week ago here on >>> -BB. >>> >>> The posting of the submitted DS-4076 seems to be so rare that I cannot >>> find an example of one shared on the web. You are asking for something that >>> the law firm specifically advised against doing. Again, I have said I would >>> raise the issue next time I meet with them. >>> >>> If you can show me your company's DS-4076 postings, then maybe that >>> would help support your point of view. I couldn't find them on the web. I'd >>> appreciate the name of the consulting firm or law firm that your company >>> used for the CJ Requests so I can call them about their approach to >>> releasing their work products. This is an area I'm very interested in for a >>> variety of reasons, not just for amateur radio. I'm in strong favor of >>> publishing everything possible, but all of us need to honor legitimate or >>> required limitations, like the ones we are discussing here. >>> >>> If it's routine to post DS-4076 submissions, and if you somehow can't >>> use a final determination without them, then I should be seeing a lot more >>> published DS-4076s than final determination letters. That doesn't appear to >>> be the case at all from looking at the list of determinations made over the >>> past couple of years, tracking down ones that published their final >>> determination letters, and looking for DS-4076s. >>> >>> All the information and policies involved in this particular request are >>> already public. The existence of the determination can be independently >>> verified. Your questions have all been answered in the affirmative. >>> >>> AMSAT's ITAR/EAR consulting firm was notified of this CJ Request >>> process, application, and the final determination. The response has been >>> very positive and supportive throughout. There are no roadblocks to using >>> this final determination to establish a safe and sane open source policy >>> for AMSAT from the consulting firm that AMSAT already uses. The proposal >>> and retainer fee from this consulting firm for this policy work is sitting >>> on the President's desk. I've done all the work necessary to make it easy >>> and effective. It's a pleasure to be able to do so, and I look forward to a >>> renaissance in the technical volunteer corps. >>> >>> -Michelle W5NYV >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 8:16 AM Joseph Armbruster < >>> josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Michelle, >>>> >>>> The determination letter itself needs to be interpreted in the correct >>>> context. Noone on the -bb can make any sense of that determination letter >>>> right now, without seeing a copy of what was submitted on the form >>>> DS-4076. I can not find this posted publicly anywhere, did I miss it? >>>> >>>> Is the submitted form DS-4076 (and supplemental materials if-any), >>>> posted publicly? >>>> >>>> If-not, this whole announcement is basically a shoulder shrug for me. >>>> It Sounds great... but, we have no evidence that the determination letter >>>> actually means anything of value. >>>> >>>> On question 2, it is good to know there was no back and forth 'juicy' >>>> communication. For the record, it is not uncommon to have a back-and-forth >>>> with them. They typically ask a lot of questions and dig into the >>>> requests... Knowing this fact, will make it that much easier for all >>>> of us on the -bb to make sense of your announcement, once we have all the >>>> information.... right now, we do Not have all the required information. >>>> >>>> Joseph Armbruster >>>> KJ4JIO >>>> >>>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 10:48 AM Michelle Thompson < >>>> mountain.michelle(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> The final determination letter is the only communication we received. >>>>> >>>>> Public link to the letter is in the announcement. >>>>> >>>>> I was not contacted during the 7 months of review by the government. >>>>> Neither were the lawyers. >>>>> >>>>> I kept up with the request as it worked its way through DHS, DOD, and >>>>> BIS by using the DDTC request status server. >>>>> >>>>> BIS was necessary because we included encryption. There was a lengthy >>>>> discussion on whether or not to include encryption. >>>>> >>>>> Those of you that know the regulations know we are allowed to use >>>>> encryption. However, this complicates the request in several ways. It >>>>> requires an entire additional department to review, and there are a lot of >>>>> potential pitfalls here. >>>>> >>>>> Not including encryption would make it faster and easier to approve, >>>>> but would make the result incomplete. >>>>> >>>>> We decided to include encryption, trigger the extra scrutiny, and we >>>>> worked through all the language. If we were going to run the marathon then >>>>> we needed to run the entire marathon. >>>>> >>>>> I don't believe there is usually a lot of correspondence between >>>>> requestor and DDTC at all. I was told to be available for questions (from >>>>> the reviewer) but that contact would be very highly unlikely. >>>>> >>>>> Making the request is not a negotiation or collaboration. There is no >>>>> juicy trove of emails. The silence from the government was absolute. >>>>> >>>>> We had to have the best possible information and case upon submission, >>>>> and be prepared for any outcome. >>>>> >>>>> -Michelle W5NYV >>>>> >>>>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 07:09 Joseph Armbruster < >>>>> josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Michelle, >>>>>> >>>>>> Public link to a copy of the submitted form DS-4076 (and supplemental >>>>>> materials if-any)? >>>>>> >>>>>> Public link to a copy of all communications with the DDTC? >>>>>> >>>>>> Joseph Armbruster >>>>>> KJ4JIO >>>>>> >>>>>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 10:02 AM Michelle Thompson < >>>>>> mountain.michelle(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Again, all information used in the request is already public. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Again, the policies used to make the succesful request are also >>>>>>> already public and in use. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> You are spilling a lot of ink asking for things to be shared that >>>>>>> have already been shared. I've already said I will ask the firm what can be >>>>>>> released. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The final determination is of enormous benefit to AMSAT and many >>>>>>> other organizations. The request was deliberately designed that way, and it >>>>>>> worked. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Time to put it to work for AMSAT. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> And celebrate! :+) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -Michelle W5NYV >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 06:24 Joseph Armbruster < >>>>>>> josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Michelle, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Standby. The community has absolutely no reason, whatsoever to >>>>>>>> trust any guidelines your group is publishing, unless the community is >>>>>>>> given direct insight into the request itself and all direct communications >>>>>>>> with the DDTC, so that the context and realities of the determination can >>>>>>>> be validated. What i'm asking for here is not inappropriate, given the >>>>>>>> history, context or claims being made. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> This, "Just trust what we say we did", is Not Transparent and does >>>>>>>> not instill confidence in anyone about what is going on. I do, on the >>>>>>>> other hand, have Hope, that the claims being made are supported. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I will say though, I actually laughed out loud when I read >>>>>>>> "Information contained in CJ requests is not usually made public. The law >>>>>>>> firm would not file it unless it was presented to the State Department as >>>>>>>> private and confidential." Because, C'mon.. noone in their right >>>>>>>> mind is going to read that and say "oh yeah!" and agree that they should >>>>>>>> just turn their brains off to the actual request. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> With respects to the first sentence, the reality is that most >>>>>>>> companies dealing with the DDTC are exporting defense articles and >>>>>>>> services. As a result, there's usually a contractual need (and >>>>>>>> could be a real life/death reason) to keep the communications with the >>>>>>>> DDTC, confidential. Because the intent here is not to manufacture/export >>>>>>>> defense articles or services, there should be no harm in the request being >>>>>>>> made public. I mean, I believe everyone on the -bb would unanimously Want >>>>>>>> to see it. On the second sentence, I have an attorney on retainer for my >>>>>>>> business and I could easily go to them and say "All communications between >>>>>>>> parties A and B for this effort will be placed into the public domain, in >>>>>>>> support of an outreach effort going on with this charity, so treat it that >>>>>>>> way". And, that's what would happen, because, that's what I would be >>>>>>>> paying them to do. In addition, I am free to take my legal business >>>>>>>> elsewhere if-need-be and I do not have to beg, plead, or pay for any >>>>>>>> release. Sometimes, having a second set of legal eyes on legal work >>>>>>>> products is a good thing. I would not have the firm file on my behalf with >>>>>>>> the DDTC, because there's really no need. That's giving them more power >>>>>>>> and responsibility in the process than they actually need. I'd use them >>>>>>>> more as support personnel / consultants on an as-needed basis, vs the >>>>>>>> directors of the effort that you now have to beg for a release (of your own >>>>>>>> information...) This sounds like a disaster. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The contents of a CJ request is private and confidential if and >>>>>>>> only if the submitting party treats it that way. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Joseph Armbruster >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> KJ4JIO >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 11:23 PM Michelle Thompson < >>>>>>>> mountain.michelle(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Yes, Joseph, it’s amazing news and It is just as good as >>>>>>>>> advertised. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The result is of enormous and direct benefit to AMSAT. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> AMSAT was asked to join the request. I sent a paper letter, wrote >>>>>>>>> the board, brought it up during the 2019 annual board meeting, and >>>>>>>>> published an open letter. I did all I could to enable the full >>>>>>>>> participation of the one organization that stands to benefit the most from >>>>>>>>> this determination. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> But, the men you voted for did not respond, at all. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> It took a year of very hard work. It’s a gift to the community. It >>>>>>>>> can restore free and open international collaboration. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> That’s it. There’s no tricks or gotchas. It is what it is claimed >>>>>>>>> to be. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I would have done the same work and raised the same money if AMSAT >>>>>>>>> had wanted their name on it. I would be just as proud and would be saying >>>>>>>>> the same things. When work needs to be done, it needs to be done. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Information contained in CJ requests is not usually made public. >>>>>>>>> The law firm would not file it unless it was presented to the State >>>>>>>>> Department as private and confidential. This advice was because virtually >>>>>>>>> all requests are for proprietary programs and products. Sticking out in >>>>>>>>> this regard, by doing something they advised strongly against, would not >>>>>>>>> work to our advantage in any way. I want to win for open source, not die on >>>>>>>>> the wrong hill. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Additionally, the law firm does not want their work products or >>>>>>>>> email correspondence published. We will honor that. We want to work with >>>>>>>>> them again. They were fantastic, recommended by EFF, and 100% supportive of >>>>>>>>> open source. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Fortunately, *everything* that went into the request is already >>>>>>>>> public information. All our designs, details, policies, procedures, >>>>>>>>> definitions, diagrams, and code are available to the general public free of >>>>>>>>> charge, today. That’s the primary reason it succeeded. We already follow >>>>>>>>> the law with respect to public domain carve outs and publishing >>>>>>>>> requirements. The final determination shows the value of this approach. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> AMSAT can do this too. There is literally no reason not to. This >>>>>>>>> is the game changer people have been waiting for. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> *All* of what *anyone* will need to know to take full advantage >>>>>>>>> will be published in a set of implementation guidelines. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> This is the single best risk reduction for AMSAT volunteers that >>>>>>>>> exists in US law. It is the gold standard. We have access as a community to >>>>>>>>> this result because a team of very committed and competent people made it >>>>>>>>> happen and are now going to make it easy to use. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Want to contribute to the guidelines? Participants are welcome. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> -Michelle W5NYV >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 18:01 Joseph Armbruster < >>>>>>>>> josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Michelle, >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> This is quite interesting, indeed! However, from your press >>>>>>>>>> release, I really have no clue what "Information and Software for a Digital >>>>>>>>>> Microwave Broadband Communications System for Space and Terrestrial Amateur >>>>>>>>>> Radio Use", means (in terms of the legalese, definitions and proper nouns >>>>>>>>>> used, etc...). Depending on how they were defined, the determination may >>>>>>>>>> or may not be directly relevant to AMSAT or anyone else for that matter... >>>>>>>>>> And just to be clear, i'm not trying to be a spoiler here or anything, this >>>>>>>>>> could be really amazing news, or nothing more than a null determination >>>>>>>>>> that sounds great in a headline but really means nothing. I think Everyone >>>>>>>>>> would welcome relaxed ITAR constraints on AMSAT engineers, in any >>>>>>>>>> way, shape or form... That being said, this begs the question, is the Form >>>>>>>>>> DS-4076 and all supplemental materials, along with all written >>>>>>>>>> communications with the DOS/DDTC concerning this matter, being made >>>>>>>>>> public? I think this would be absolutely necessary for anyone on the list >>>>>>>>>> to get excited about this, in any way, shape or form. I looked on the ORI >>>>>>>>>> website and couldn't find anything around Feb 2020 (per the date the >>>>>>>>>> indicated submission was made per the AUG11 reply from the DDTC). >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Although, I am not a particular fan of ORI so-far, which is why I >>>>>>>>>> voted for Hammond, Paige, Stoetzer.... >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I do commend any individual or entity that is able and willing to >>>>>>>>>> deal with the DOS or DDTC. It takes a lot of time and $. At one point, my >>>>>>>>>> business helped develop parts of a research UAV for a foreign military on a >>>>>>>>>> high-altitude balloon, which included a wireless network. One export >>>>>>>>>> permit took over six months, with back-and-forths with questions and >>>>>>>>>> clarifications, questions and clarifications, more questions and >>>>>>>>>> clarifications... on and on and on... Just because they say you can >>>>>>>>>> produce Information and Software for a widget (however those are defined), >>>>>>>>>> it doesn't necessarily mean you can actually get a permit to ship the >>>>>>>>>> hardware with the software on it, anywhere. Because the 'Information and >>>>>>>>>> Software' (however defined), may not govern the hardware used. In my case, >>>>>>>>>> there were special accelerometers and gyros, that you don't purchase >>>>>>>>>> without providing a lot of information. So, no matter what software was >>>>>>>>>> written to drive them, if you shipped them out of the country without a >>>>>>>>>> permit, look out! I remember finally getting my first export permit and >>>>>>>>>> shipping label and putting it on the box and sending some hardware out. It >>>>>>>>>> was just a sticky label that went on a box, but wow, it wasn't easy. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> It sure would be nice if ITAR was less of an issue but the >>>>>>>>>> devil's really in the details here... >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Joseph Armbruster >>>>>>>>>> KJ4JIO >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 12:29 PM Michelle Thompson via AMSAT-BB < >>>>>>>>>> amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> https://openresearch.institute/2020/08/18/cj-determination-open-source-sate… >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> The United States Department of State has ruled favorably on >>>>>>>>>>> Open Research >>>>>>>>>>> Institute's commodity jurisdiction request, finding that >>>>>>>>>>> specified >>>>>>>>>>> “Information and Software for a Digital Microwave Broadband >>>>>>>>>>> Communications >>>>>>>>>>> System for Space and Terrestrial Amateur Radio Use” is >>>>>>>>>>> definitely not >>>>>>>>>>> subject to State Department jurisdiction under ITAR, the >>>>>>>>>>> International >>>>>>>>>>> Traffic in Arms Regulations. This is an important step toward >>>>>>>>>>> reducing the >>>>>>>>>>> burden of regulations restricting international cooperation on >>>>>>>>>>> amateur >>>>>>>>>>> satellite projects, which have impeded engineering work by >>>>>>>>>>> amateurs in the >>>>>>>>>>> United States for decades. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Export regulations divide both technical information and actual >>>>>>>>>>> hardware >>>>>>>>>>> into three categories. The most heavily restricted technologies >>>>>>>>>>> fall under >>>>>>>>>>> ITAR, which is administered by the State Department. >>>>>>>>>>> Technologies subject >>>>>>>>>>> to more routine restrictions fall under EAR, the Export >>>>>>>>>>> Administration >>>>>>>>>>> Regulations, administered by the Department of Commerce. >>>>>>>>>>> Technologies that >>>>>>>>>>> are not subject to either set of regulations are not restricted >>>>>>>>>>> for export. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> On 20 February 2020, Open Research Institute (ORI) filed a >>>>>>>>>>> Commodity >>>>>>>>>>> Jurisdiction (CJ) Request with the US State Department, seeking >>>>>>>>>>> to >>>>>>>>>>> establish that key technologies for amateur radio are not >>>>>>>>>>> subject to State >>>>>>>>>>> Department jurisdiction. “Information and Software for a Digital >>>>>>>>>>> Microwave >>>>>>>>>>> Broadband Communications System for Space and Terrestrial >>>>>>>>>>> Amateur Radio >>>>>>>>>>> Use” was assigned the case number CJ0003120. On 11 August 2020, >>>>>>>>>>> the case >>>>>>>>>>> received a successful final determination: the technology is not >>>>>>>>>>> subject to >>>>>>>>>>> State Department jurisdiction. This is the best possible outcome >>>>>>>>>>> of a CJ >>>>>>>>>>> request. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> The Final Determination letter can be found at >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> https://openresearch.institute/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/CJ-00031… >>>>>>>>>>> . >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Under this determination, the technologies are subject to the >>>>>>>>>>> EAR. The next >>>>>>>>>>> step is to submit a classification request to the Commerce >>>>>>>>>>> Department. ORI >>>>>>>>>>> anticipates that the Commerce Department will find that these >>>>>>>>>>> technologies >>>>>>>>>>> are unrestricted under the carve-out for open source in the EAR. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Open Research Institute (ORI) is a non-profit research and >>>>>>>>>>> development >>>>>>>>>>> organization which provides all of its work to the general >>>>>>>>>>> public under the >>>>>>>>>>> principles of Open Source and Open Access to Research. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> This work was accomplished by a team of dedicated and competent >>>>>>>>>>> open source >>>>>>>>>>> volunteers. The effort was initiated by Bruce Perens K6BP and >>>>>>>>>>> lead by >>>>>>>>>>> Michelle Thompson W5NYV. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Open Research Institute developed the ideas behind the Commodity >>>>>>>>>>> Jurisdiction request, hired Thomsen and Burke LLP ( >>>>>>>>>>> https://t-b.com/) for >>>>>>>>>>> expert legal advice, organized the revisions of the document, >>>>>>>>>>> and invited >>>>>>>>>>> organizations and individuals with amateur satellite service >>>>>>>>>>> interests to >>>>>>>>>>> join or support the request. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> ORI thanks Libre Space Foundation and Dr. Daniel Estevez for >>>>>>>>>>> providing >>>>>>>>>>> their subject matter expertise and written testimony, and JAMSAT >>>>>>>>>>> for >>>>>>>>>>> helpful encouragement and support. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> The legal costs were fully reimbursed with a generous grant from >>>>>>>>>>> Amateur >>>>>>>>>>> Radio Digital Communications (ARDC). See >>>>>>>>>>> https://www.ampr.org/grants/grant-open-research-institute/. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> ARDC and ORI share a vision of clearly establishing open source >>>>>>>>>>> as the best >>>>>>>>>>> and safest way to accomplish technical volunteer work in amateur >>>>>>>>>>> radio. >>>>>>>>>>> This final determination letter provides solid support for that >>>>>>>>>>> vision. The >>>>>>>>>>> determination enables the development of implementation >>>>>>>>>>> guidelines that >>>>>>>>>>> will allow free international collaboration. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> This clears the path for a number of interesting projects >>>>>>>>>>> facilitating new >>>>>>>>>>> methods for terrestrial and satellite communications, opening >>>>>>>>>>> the door to >>>>>>>>>>> robust global digital amateur communications. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Questions and inquiries to ori(a)openresearch.institute >>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>>> 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 >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>> -Michelle W5NYV >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> "Potestatem obscuri lateris nescis." >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>

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Some benefits of open source sats that I envision
by Stephen DeVience 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

I think this is great news, but with our convoluted government, how big is the impact of this determination? If I take this design, add my own modifications, and publish those (keeping it open source), is it still covered by the determination, or do I have to apply again for my new version? How much modification is acceptable? We still need to find out how much will be restricted by EAR. I agree with some commenters that it would be nice to see a summary of exactly what's covered and what's not. I'm glad ORI is pushing the government on this issue and trying to get the landscape cleared up. It reminds me of the issues the cryptography people had years ago. -Stephen, N8URE

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Some benefits of open source sats that I envision
by John Brier 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

I am excited to hear about the possibility of ITAR not restricting open source satellite work. You can see a similar excitement in how AMSAT talks about the Linear Transponder Module and the possibility of seeing that module in multiple unique university satellites. Just imagine if instead of having to hand hold every university who was interested in the AMSAT LTM in their efforts to use the module, if instead its design was published online for free for anyone to use. Imagine people launching sats using it you didn't even know were going to be launched. Imagine they found issues or ways to improve it, and just submitted design changes back to you for free. Not to mention you get to see and use your technology in additional sats you didn't have the funds to build or launch. It's hard to know what went wrong with AO-95, but imagine if the Fox designs were open source and others were launching Fox sats and made small changes to the antenna design, or other suspect components, to see if it avoided that issue. You could perhaps figure out what caused the issue over time, not to mention, have a lot more sats to operate. I'm also envisioning AMSAT-NA working with all the other AMSAT groups around the world, and many different universities around the world, on the best sat designs for different categories. You could build the most dependable possible FM sats, linear sats, and more complex sats like the GOLF project describes. If it is at all possible to get around ITAR so sats can be developed the open source way, I think it would be wildly beneficial. 73, John Brier KG4AKV

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Transparency and Double Standards
by Stephen DeVience 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

This bulletin board must be what it's like to see Space-X and ULA or Boeing and Airbus in the same room. Maybe it would be better if ORI and AMSAT remained totally separate organizations, and this vitriol could be harnessed through healthy competition, an amateur space-race back to HEO. May the best philosophy win! -Stephen, N8URE

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Transparency and Double Standards
by E.Mike McCardel 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

Just an observation. Among all of this talk, during the past BOoD election cycle, about Transparency, I find it amazing that the excuse of the Lawyers or others don't think it wise to disclose information can even be an argument. Michelle Wrote: "Unless, of course, this Information contained in CJ requests is not usually made public. The law firm would not file it unless it was presented to the State Department as private and confidential. This advice was because virtually all requests are for proprietary programs and products. Sticking out in this regard, by doing something they advised strongly against, would not work to our advantage in any way. I want to win for open source, not die on the wrong hill. as an admission that NDA's are indeed important and not just convenient." Is this not the very essence of Non-Disclosure Agreements? Without the transparency which seems to be lacking here this comes across as a simple political stunt. Enough already. I am not voting for any TEAM, I'm putting my trust in individuals whom I respect and trust and have no agenda other than serving AMSAT to keep amateur radio in space. EMike, AA8EM E. Michael McCardel, AA8EM, former KC8YLD Former Senior Editor for AMSAT News Service, Past VP Educational Relations for AMSAT-NA Former Ohio Section Affiliated Club Coordinator

3 3

Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR
by Michelle Thompson 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR https://openresearch.institute/2020/08/18/cj-determination-open-source-sate… The United States Department of State has ruled favorably on Open Research Institute's commodity jurisdiction request, finding that specified “Information and Software for a Digital Microwave Broadband Communications System for Space and Terrestrial Amateur Radio Use” is definitely not subject to State Department jurisdiction under ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. This is an important step toward reducing the burden of regulations restricting international cooperation on amateur satellite projects, which have impeded engineering work by amateurs in the United States for decades. Export regulations divide both technical information and actual hardware into three categories. The most heavily restricted technologies fall under ITAR, which is administered by the State Department. Technologies subject to more routine restrictions fall under EAR, the Export Administration Regulations, administered by the Department of Commerce. Technologies that are not subject to either set of regulations are not restricted for export. On 20 February 2020, Open Research Institute (ORI) filed a Commodity Jurisdiction (CJ) Request with the US State Department, seeking to establish that key technologies for amateur radio are not subject to State Department jurisdiction. “Information and Software for a Digital Microwave Broadband Communications System for Space and Terrestrial Amateur Radio Use” was assigned the case number CJ0003120. On 11 August 2020, the case received a successful final determination: the technology is not subject to State Department jurisdiction. This is the best possible outcome of a CJ request. The Final Determination letter can be found at https://openresearch.institute/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/CJ-00031… . Under this determination, the technologies are subject to the EAR. The next step is to submit a classification request to the Commerce Department. ORI anticipates that the Commerce Department will find that these technologies are unrestricted under the carve-out for open source in the EAR. Open Research Institute (ORI) is a non-profit research and development organization which provides all of its work to the general public under the principles of Open Source and Open Access to Research. This work was accomplished by a team of dedicated and competent open source volunteers. The effort was initiated by Bruce Perens K6BP and lead by Michelle Thompson W5NYV. Open Research Institute developed the ideas behind the Commodity Jurisdiction request, hired Thomsen and Burke LLP (https://t-b.com/) for expert legal advice, organized the revisions of the document, and invited organizations and individuals with amateur satellite service interests to join or support the request. ORI thanks Libre Space Foundation and Dr. Daniel Estevez for providing their subject matter expertise and written testimony, and JAMSAT for helpful encouragement and support. The legal costs were fully reimbursed with a generous grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC). See https://www.ampr.org/grants/grant-open-research-institute/. ARDC and ORI share a vision of clearly establishing open source as the best and safest way to accomplish technical volunteer work in amateur radio. This final determination letter provides solid support for that vision. The determination enables the development of implementation guidelines that will allow free international collaboration. This clears the path for a number of interesting projects facilitating new methods for terrestrial and satellite communications, opening the door to robust global digital amateur communications. Questions and inquiries to ori(a)openresearch.institute

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Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR
by Joe Leikhim 19 Aug '20

19 Aug '20

1) - Great Work Bruce P and Michelle T! 2) - So many "Debbie Downers", no wonder AMSAT has been frozen in place for so many years: "In the past, AMSAT volunteers have had a rude surprise when they were held personally liable for violating ITAR,*_or so I'm told_*. Will ORI indemnify volunteers who work on projects where it may, later, be found that ITAR applies? Is that even possible for ORI to do? If not, this makes me less interested in volunteering my skills and time to ORI projects. --- Zach N0ZGO" -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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Re: [amsat-bb] Open Source Satellite Work Determined to be Free of ITAR
by Jeff Johns 18 Aug '20

18 Aug '20

Good job! Jeff WE4B http://we4bravo.com > On Aug 18, 2020, at 11:29 AM, Michelle Thompson via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >

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Please advise
by Jean Marc Momple 18 Aug '20

18 Aug '20

Hi Michelle, I just receive the ballot and wish to have your personal advices for whom to vote (surely not the legacy team), being quite far and not knowing the OM personally. More I really believe that the organization need a shake and this will be my vote, but wish to have a team in place hopefully lead by you or someone you will work with serenity. Please indicate and recommend to me for whom I should vote for to make the change and a real working Board.. Make the change and bring AMSAT to new heights Madam, my personal wish and dream is to get either HEO's or GEO’s for worldwide coverage, more unite the different AMSAT organizations worldwide for a common vision so that all cents we spent are in line with that vision/common goal (my 1 cent input). Also wish you and your team the best for this election. 73 Jean Marc (3B8DU) AMSAT Ambassador Member of AMSAT NA & DL Member of MARS IARU Responsible operator for MIR-SAT1, the first 3B8 satellite which will be a HAM one in orbit early next year. Driving HAM and satellite operations in the region (Indian Ocean, FR Reunion Is. and 3B8) with much success for some years. Etc… List just too long

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-18 14:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 18 Aug '20

18 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-18 14:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-08-19 18:21:55 UTC 85 deg Rescheduled again due to ISS hatch closures for leak detection activity. Watch for live stream starting about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of AOS at: https://youtu.be/1Pwcc2rilz0 Information and Technologies Branch, Department of Education-Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Mon 2020-08-24 08:09:22 UTC 80 deg Greenwood Primary School, Greenwood, Western Australia, Australia, telebridge via AB1OC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR The school has elected to cancel the contact. (***) ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-18 14:00 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 2020-08-11 16:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 135 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 1394. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1327. 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

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Thinking and thanking...Tony AA2TX
by Mark L. Hammond 18 Aug '20

18 Aug '20

About a week ago, Facebook alerted me that it was Tony AA2TX Monteiro's birthday. I'll admit it caught me off guard, yet it was really fun thinking about the wonderful work he did for us, AMSAT, as the "father of the Fox satellite family." He was such a neat and brilliant guy. So over the past several days I have been thinking of him, and being thankful for him. It brought back memories of a HamRadioNow.TV interview from Dayton Hamvention in 2013, where Tony was VP for Engineering, and I was the first VP for Educational Relations. This is before any of the Fox birds were built and buttoned up for launch. If you're curious, and you never had the chance to meet Tony (or even if you did!!) you might enjoy watching the video and hearing about the vision and planning; note that the interview starts about 5 mins into the recording. It was touching for me, personally. https://www.amsat.org/hamradionow-amsat-fox-1-interview-now-online/ It took Jerry N0JY Buxton as the "new VP" and friends stepping up to fulfill Tony's vision. So I'm thankful for all of you that did all of this. Far too many to count. And the "bonus bird" Fox-1E wasn't even part of Tony's original vision...but I can't wait to have that one flown and operational "someday soon" as well! If you work AO-91 or AO-92 this weekend, maybe you'll also be "thinking and thanking" Tony AA2TX, too! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH] AMSAT Director and Command Station

5 4

Getting on Jan satellites
by Russ Kinner 18 Aug '20

18 Aug '20

I've used what I had on hand, a FT7900 and a dual band mobile Diamond antenna, both items I've had to operate from my car for 10 years. I have built an eggbeater for both bands and the fading on high passes went away but it just wasn't very efficient and I went back to the mobile antenna. The 1/2 wave design doesn't need a ground plane, it works about the same with or without radials. One thing I'm contemplating is a easy to adjust angle mount so I can be close to a right angle on different elevation passes. Not sure exactly how I'll do that but it may help and I would not need to point a beam. A tripod if you use a directional antenna can help. Even a light weight antenna can get heavy for 15 minutes and if it's windy.... There is a zoom presentation available on this topic, a link is provided in other amsat-bb messages. In general, get the frequencies and pl tone set in your rig and listen. Late night passes are often easier to start operating with less competition. I've had pass with only 2 other stations and then others where no one hears me at all. Don't get discouraged, there will be a pass where everyone calls you one after another. I've had a pass with 6 contacts - once in a while you find several stations that need your grid and you knock them off in short order. Rusty, WA8ZID

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AMSAT GridMaster Award Application Process
by George Sakai 18 Aug '20

18 Aug '20

Bruce, I sent you two e-emails regarding AMSAT GridMaster Award process (first one on July 24 and second one on August 10). I have not received any response from you. Are you having problems receiving e-mails ? George Sakai, N3GS

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-17 22:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 17 Aug '20

17 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-17 22:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-08-19 18:21:55 UTC 85 deg Rescheduled again due to ISS hatch closures for leak detection activity. Watch for live stream starting about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of AOS at: https://youtu.be/1Pwcc2rilz0 Information and Technologies Branch, Department of Education-Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via ON4ISS (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Mon 2020-08-24 08:09:22 UTC 80 deg (***) Greenwood Primary School, Greenwood, Western Australia, Australia, telebridge via AB1OC (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Mon 2020-08-24 09:32:57 UTC 34 deg (***) ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-17 22:30 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 2020-08-11 16:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 135 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 1394. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1327. 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

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Ballot return date is September 15
by Brennan Price 17 Aug '20

17 Aug '20

All, Please indulge an election procedure post--with four weeks of balloting remaining, I think a reminder of procedures is warranted. Ballots for the AMSAT board of directors election must be received by 5 p.m. US Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 15. If you have received your ballot and wish to vote, please mail your ballot with sufficient time to arrive by this time. If you have not received your ballot and were a member of AMSAT on July 1, please email me at brennanprice(a)verizon.net to request a replacement ballot. All such requests that were made by today (Monday, August 17) have been fulfilled no later than today. A note to non-US based members: The printed return envelope does not specify that the return address is in the United States. The design of the envelope (my effort alone) may be fairly criticized on this basis. Several non-US members have added USA to the printed return address and successfully returned the ballot. This is my recommended remedy, but if for whatever reason it's too late for that (and I know of one such case), I will gladly send a replacement (as I have in said case). I am verifying envelopes against the voter list and keeping them unopened until the time of counting, when they will be opened face down and separated from the ballot without immediate counting to maintain secrecy. This is a key part of verifying that each ballot going out generates no more than one ballot coming back in. Presumably out of an understandable but self-defeating desire to ensure the secrecy of the ballot beyond this procedure, about ten members have sought to obscure the return address or use a different envelope, either with no return address or a different return address. In all but one of those cases, the printed address was insufficiently obscured, or the alternate address was traceable to a member who had not yet voted. The attention required to verify the nonconforming envelope in each case substantially exceeded the attention normally necessary, and actually increased the possibility of me inadvertently discerning the contents without opening the envelope through inspection I would ordinarily forego. Nevertheless, these envelopes have been accepted for eventual accounting. In the remaining case, postmarked last week in Grand Junction, Colorado, there is no indication on the outside the envelope to permit me to conclude that the ballot is not cumulative of one already returned. As it stands, this is the only envelope out of the several hundred returned thus far that I cannot accept. If you are that voter mailing from or near Grand Junction, please be in touch so we can remedy. All others, please use the provided return envelope. I welcome questions. 73, Brennan Price, N4QX Secretary Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation

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Android App for AMSAT Status
by Loren M. Lang 17 Aug '20

17 Aug '20

It seems like my earlier email attempt might have been blocked due to an inline image it included. I've been toying with the idea of implementing an Android App to view and submit updates to the AMSAT Status page. I've put together a quick mock-up of what the interface will be for submitting updates will be like. I wanted to get some preliminary feedback and also get in touch with anyone at AMSAT to make sure I'm working with the correct acceptable-use policy and API. Here's a screen shot of the App so far: https://www.dropbox.com/s/d24egqeuiu17ds1/Screenshot_20200816-153642.png?dl… If you want to check out the mock interface, it doesn't actually submit anything yet, but all the fields are present. http://www.north-winds.org/amsat-status.apk -Loren K7IW ReplyForward

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Helping a totally blind ham get started working the birds?
by Sean Paul 17 Aug '20

17 Aug '20

Hello all: subject line pretty much says it all. I am in Chattanooga TN & want to get started working the satellites. Anyone interested in helping me. Please reach on out. Thanks N4SPK Sean Paul informs y'all from my iPhone

3 2

FW: Fox Delta ST2 issue- SOLVED at least so far
by D. Craig Fox 16 Aug '20

16 Aug '20

For Bruce KK5DO, and others who expressed interest in re-programming their Fox Delta ST2 tracker running a G5400/5500: This first link is for configuring HyperTerminal emulator to talk to the ST2 once HT is downloaded from any number of websites (I didn’t know an emulator from an escalator when I started to troubleshoot my issue this morning). Apparently if you still have an XP machine it can be found under Windows “Accessories, Communications”. I only have W10 now so had to start from scratch. http://www.foxdelta.com/products/minitnc/hyperterminal.pdf This link is to the actual programming procedure and basic commands once you have Hyper Terminal up and running and connected to the ST2 http://www.foxdelta.com/products/ST2-0417/st2-setup-guide.pdf Like the author in the second link said, “it just worked…” 73, Craig N6RSX

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Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Delta ST2 issue- SOLVED at least so far
by D. Craig Fox 16 Aug '20

16 Aug '20

Thank you for the prompt replies. As I suspected, re-programming the eprom did the trick. But how to re-program? The critical directions were actually on the FD website for another product. After some research I figured out how to install “hyper terminal” to be able to communicate directly with the ST2. Apparently this was a utility last included with Windows XP. Several hours later, I had things talking to one another, followed the calibration instructions under the ST2 page, flashed the eprom, and now it’s working as it should on several passes. Wowsers, that was annoying but very educational. Thanks again. 73, Craig N6RSX From: Charles Reiche <charlieray(a)gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2020 1:30 PM To: D. Craig Fox <DCFox(a)rwglaw.com>; AMSAT BB <Amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Fox Delta ST2 issue Hi Craig, Do the readings on your yaesu control box AZ meter read correctly or are they also wacky? Looking at the circuit diagram, the AZ pot and the output to the plug that runs to the ST-2 goes through different circuitry to the plug than to the meter in the control box. If the control box meter reads correctly, then the problem is probably in the circuitry that connects to the external plug that goes to the ST-2. Measure your 5v bus on the interface is actually running at 5v. I had problem with my voltage regulator (I soldered it in backwards) and did not have 5v where it needed to be. Thanks, Charles Reiche On Sun, Aug 16, 2020 at 3:37 PM D. Craig Fox via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Greetings all. I searched the amsat BB archive but found no answer so posting this. For no apparent reason, my FD st2 connected to my G5400 has just started misbehaving after working great for months. Using W10. It is displaying incorrect AZ, while EL is correct. It parks the G5400 at 225 deg instead of default 300. It will show EL in excess of 500+ deg when manually turning the G5400 clockwise. I have the most current driver for my usb-serial cable. Im thinking I need to reset the EPROM but an find no directions on the FD website or internet on how to do this after initial setup. I will email Dinesh at FD if no answers. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you and 73 from OC DM13 Craig N6RSX _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org<mailto:[email protected]>. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb Click here<https://www.mailcontrol.com/sr/i91QiYtPM6vGX2PQPOmvUsk03K5IhN5dQQUUlVnR-nxP…> to report this email as spam.

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Fox Delta ST2 issue
by D. Craig Fox 16 Aug '20

16 Aug '20

Greetings all. I searched the amsat BB archive but found no answer so posting this. For no apparent reason, my FD st2 connected to my G5400 has just started misbehaving after working great for months. Using W10. It is displaying incorrect AZ, while EL is correct. It parks the G5400 at 225 deg instead of default 300. It will show EL in excess of 500+ deg when manually turning the G5400 clockwise. I have the most current driver for my usb-serial cable. Im thinking I need to reset the EPROM but an find no directions on the FD website or internet on how to do this after initial setup. I will email Dinesh at FD if no answers. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you and 73 from OC DM13 Craig N6RSX

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Upcoming Presentations - K6LCS
by Clint Bradford 16 Aug '20

16 Aug '20

Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs = 09/02/2020 - Garden State ARA, New Jersey 09/14/2020 - North Agusta Belevedere Radio Club 10/27/2020 - Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC TBD - Antelope Valley (CA) ARC TBD - A private presentation fo a Boy Scout troop inDanville, Pennsylvania These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application - by directly visiting Zoom.us <http://zoom.us/>. Clint Bradford K6LCS 951-533-4984 - cell /end/

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Upcoming Presentations - K6LCS
by Clint Bradford 16 Aug '20

16 Aug '20

Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs = 09/02/2020 - Garden State ARA, New Jersey 09/14/2020 - North Agusta Belevedere Radio Club 10/27/2020 - Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC TBD - Antelope Valley (CA) ARC TBD - A private presentation fo a Boy Scout troop inDanville, Pennsylvania These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to regularly update their copies of the Zoom application - by directly visiting Zoom.us <http://zoom.us/>. Times, Zoom meeting info, and more details to follow. Clint Bradford K6LCS https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9099997287 <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9099997287> (951) 533-4984 - cell

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Re: [amsat-bb] Thinking and thanking...Tony AA2TX
by Michael Tondee 15 Aug '20

15 Aug '20

Subject: RE: Thinking and thanking...Tony AA2TX Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 23:09:28 -0400 From: Michael Tondee <mat_62(a)charter.net> To: amsatbb(a)amsat.org It was Tony who told me where to get the out of production and hard to find OR-360 rotors that I used in my fist sat station with my homebrew SAEBRETrack box. I had tapped out my hobby finances just getting a sat capable rig and if not for that circuit and those rotators, I might not have gotten any further. As disillusioned as I am with where this side of the hobby seems to be headed now, thanks to you, Gene and Tony, I'll always have the memories of working AO-7 which is something I had wanted to do since I was a teenager and first saw it on the cover of QST. Unfortunately I missed AO-40 by a few years but the times I spent with AO-7, AO-51, FO-29 etc. using that rotor setup topped with some homebrew WA5VJB "cheap yagis" were some good ones and I miss them. MY thanks to all you guys! 73, Michael, W4HIJ Message: 11 Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 14:43:00 -0400 From: "Mark L. Hammond"<marklhammond(a)gmail.com> To: Amsat - BBs<amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Thinking and thanking...Tony AA2TX Message-ID: <CAPRXzyr-_EKNqELfMkgmfW1-JH3zk_5qmtJPV2ihwFW-4+J0Sw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" About a week ago, Facebook alerted me that it was Tony AA2TX Monteiro's birthday. I'll admit it caught me off guard, yet it was really fun thinking about the wonderful work he did for us, AMSAT, as the "father of the Fox satellite family." He was such a neat and brilliant guy. So over the past several days I have been thinking of him, and being thankful for him. It brought back memories of a HamRadioNow.TV interview from Dayton Hamvention in 2013, where Tony was VP for Engineering, and I was the first VP for Educational Relations. This is before any of the Fox birds were built and buttoned up for launch. If you're curious, and you never had the chance to meet Tony (or even if you did!!) you might enjoy watching the video and hearing about the vision and planning; note that the interview starts about 5 mins into the recording. It was touching for me, personally. https://www.amsat.org/hamradionow-amsat-fox-1-interview-now-online/ It took Jerry N0JY Buxton as the "new VP" and friends stepping up to fulfill Tony's vision. So I'm thankful for all of you that did all of this. Far too many to count. And the "bonus bird" Fox-1E wasn't even part of Tony's original vision...but I can't wait to have that one flown and operational "someday soon" as well! If you work AO-91 or AO-92 this weekend, maybe you'll also be "thinking and thanking" Tony AA2TX, too! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH] AMSAT Director and Command Station

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-14 21:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-14 21:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Wed 2020-08-19 18:21:55 UTC 85 deg (***) Rescheduled again due to ISS hatch closures for leak detection activity. (***) Watch for live stream starting about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of AOS at: https://youtu.be/1Pwcc2rilz0 ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-14 21:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. 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 2020-08-11 16:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 135 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 1394. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1327. 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

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P4XT Workshop Design Review
by Michelle Thompson 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXiWCgo10lg Learn about our work on the digital microwave broadband transponder for amateur radio. All work is donated to the general public as open source. AMSAT is intended as the primary consumer. This digital multiplexing transponder is a regenerative design, taking full advantage of a wide variety of cutting edge technology, intended for amateur radio use in space and terrestrial deployments. This review focuses on decisions made for the prototype board set that implements the transmitter side of the payload. Comment and critique welcome and encouraged. -Michelle W5NYV

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AO-91 Strong out of Europe this morning!
by Roy Dean 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

I typically don't try to work these sub 5 degree passes to my northeast due to trees (~14:00z)... but figured I'd at least turn on the antennas and FoxTelem to see if I could score one or two frames. Well, while I was doing some "real" work - I had my headphones on and the bird started to come in at full quieting. I ended up with 35 frames and two European contacts (G0ABI and MI0ILE)! I wish I'd recorded it. Congratulations to the entire AMSAT engineering team for building such incredible little 4" cubes! --Roy K3RLD

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AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satelliet QSO Party - G0AUK
by David G0MRF 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

If anyone participating in the QSO Party would like an extra 5 points,then the AMSAT-UK club call will be active on QO-100 this Saturday. QRG around 10489.900 MHzapx. 08.00 - 10.00 + 13.00-15.00 UTC. Additional times if demand exists. The objective of the AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is to encourage all radio amateurs to get on the air and make contacts via satellites. While points are given per QSO this isn’t a contest, but we hope it will encourage people to get on the air and enjoy the excitement of making contacts through satellites. Dates Aug 1st to Sept 22nd https://leaderboard.amsat-uk.org Rules and prize details: https://amsat-uk.org/ 73 David G0MRF

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Satellite Demo Saturday 1325-1340Z
by tjschuessler＠verizon.net 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

I am doing a virtual Breakfast presentation for the Lewisville TX Amateur Radio Club this Saturday morning, August 15. There are two lower angle, but good passes during the event that I hope to use as a demo. XW-2B starting at 1324Z and XW-2F at 1332Z Please look for me near the center of the passband and say hi to the group watching on GoToMeeting. 73 Tom Schuessler, N5HYP EM12ms N5hyp(a)arrl.net

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-14 02:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-14 02:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Thu 2020-08-20 17:34:21 UTC 59 deg (***) Watch for live stream starting about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of AOS at: https://youtu.be/1Pwcc2rilz0 ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-14 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 2020-08-11 16:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 135 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 1394. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1327. 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

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LOTW
by Nestor Punales 13 Aug '20

13 Aug '20

*IF everyone that uses this service collaborates with any amount possible it will go longways on supporting this very useful service.* *Nestor N6CKC DM12 * Since 2003, Logbook of The World has provided amateur radio operators with a quick, simple way to claim and verify contacts. This verification formerly required exchange of paper QSL cards and submission of a paper application to ARRL – a slow, environmentally unfriendly, and somewhat expensive process. Using LoTW today, some digital contacts get confirmed *within minutes *of when they conclude. Because ARRL wants there to be no barriers to stations uploading their QSOs, LoTW is available to any amateur radio operator at no cost to the user. However, there are costs incurred by ARRL for Logbook operations run by ARRL staff members including costs for programmers, equipment, web access, and user help and support. *The future of LoTW!* ARRL Headquarters staff works with a permanent committee to oversee, maintain, and improve LoTW. Some notable achievements and goals that have resulted from this work include: - Continuous reviewing and updating of Logbook processes to facilitate ease of use - Adding new ARRL awards as well as awards from other organizations - Enhancing DX registration through supporting email methods - Adding support for multiple locations within a single upload, which supports the rover and mobile communities - Future growth including a redesign of Logbook's web presence.*day, LoTW is more important than ever!* - The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has significantly slowed international mail. - In some countries, the mail has been embargoed. - Many national ham radio societies have discontinued their QSL bureaus and it's unlikely that they will reappear. Your donation to Logbook of The World will support maintenance of the current database and expansion of the system in the future. Visit the <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form>*ARRL Donation Page <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> *to support Logbook of The World today!

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-13 15:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 13 Aug '20

13 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-13 15:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Fri 2020-08-21 18:23:40 UTC 29 deg Watch for live stream starting about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of AOS at: https://youtu.be/1Pwcc2rilz0 (***) ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-13 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 2020-08-11 16:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 135 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 1394. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1327. 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

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fuses
by mikflathead＠aol.com 13 Aug '20

13 Aug '20

There are 2 fuses behind the ac power connector. They are 5 amp 250 volt. They are a bout 3/16 diameter and 3/4 inch long. I do not see them on a schematic. Mike

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FT-736 update.
by Bill Acito 13 Aug '20

13 Aug '20

How do you know there are additional fuses besides the one on the case? I took a look, and as you said, nothing in the schematics or in a general google search. b

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FT-736 update.
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

Hi All, Still working on the 736. When the PS went, it blew all three fuses. There is a 4 amp external fuse, but there are two internal fuses that were also blown. I can't find the internal fuses on any of the schmaticz. Does any know the current rating of the internal fuses? The rig is okay, it was the power supply that blew the fuses. Thanks again KB7ADL

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Tom’s Show Last Sunday
by Clint Bradford 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

Great job, Tom, at the online QSO Extravagana! Videos from the event are posted for another week or so … If you missed Tiom LIVE, you can watch the recording. www.qsotodayhamexpo.com Clint K6LCS work-sat.com Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [amsat-bb] 70cm LNA
by Zach Metzinger 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

On 08/12/20 14:26, Kevin Elliott wrote: > Not wanting to use this with a transceiver, mostly just for my 70cm QFH with SDR for satnogs. Aware of any other 70cm and 2m LNAs that perform well for receive-only? Hello Kevin, I've heard good things about LNA4ALL (https://lna4all.blogspot.com/), which has a high IIP3 and low NF. The +33dBm IIP3 would help with overload issues on the LNA itself, but the high gain (+23dB) would then overload your SDR/rig with those, now amplified, high-power out-of-band signals. If you added an appropriate filter, such as the one I used, to the output, then you'd have a good solution. --- Zach N0ZGO

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Cubesat Design Specification update call for review
by Bruce Perens 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

Cal Poly wants feedback for their new spec at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/5f24997b6… "The original CDS introduced the CubeSat Standard to the world almost two decades ago. It defined the physical and electrical characteristics for a 1U and 3U size CubeSat and included requirements for interfacing with the only CubeSat dispenser available at the time, the Poly-Pico Orbital Deployer (P-POD). Since then the industry has expanded to include more standard sizes and additional dispensers with more available options. To accommodate these new advancements, the CDS has been retooled to be more flexible and inclusive of developments within the industry. Requirements that were originally written specifically for the P-POD will encompass requirements for all dispensers currently available. It is also the intention for the new revision of the CDS to identify the available options on dispensers that are widely available for use. Currently that list is limited to dispensers that publish their specifications online, but can be updated as dispenser companies make that information available to us. The CDS will also define all U configurations in one document with one set of requirements for ease of reference."

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Another mailing list?
by Michael B 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

I thought I had subscribed to the digest version of this list, but apparently I subscribed to the drama version. Is there a mailing list that focuses on the technical aspects of amateur satellite use? For example, I would like to know of SSTV events and other operational aspects. I don't care to know about infighting of AMSAT members and officers. Does anyone have some suggestions? Thank you in advance. Michael

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Re: [amsat-bb] 70cm LNA
by Zach Metzinger 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

On 08/12/20 13:54, Kevin Elliott wrote: > Are there any complete built filters to inline by chance from any retailer? Hello Kevin, I do not know of anyone offering this filter, and it isn't something you'd want to transmit through. I don't even know how much power it would survive before releasing the magic smoke (probably < 1W). The SAW filter is on the output of the LNA chip, so it is switched out during TX. You could take your LNA apart and tack this in to achieve the same effect. You'd laugh at the component-on-it's-side soldering job with 30ga wire-wrap wire, but it works! I plan to lay out a board and release it to the community with build instructions. However, I have another project or two in front of that before I have free time. --- Zach N0ZGO

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ME to HI for WAS--Possible at present?
by Wes Baden 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

Any ideas about the following? My QTH is in Maine, FN54, 120 feet ASL. I'm closing in on WAS, but the problem is going to be Hawaii. From my rough calculations, I need a SAT that has a 4500+ mile footprint, meaning an apogee of 1200+ miles, and even then any operating window will be pretty short. Current MEO satellites do not seem to offer a window quite that big, or am I missing something? In theory, I guess, I could go to Mt. Washington, NH (fortunately only 90 miles away) and a KH6 could go up on a volcanic peak there, to try to make use of over-the-horizon signal bending. But I'm not sure if even that would work at the present time, and in any case I can wait if a better MEO or an HEO bird is in the offing in the next few years. Does anyone know if ME-HI will be possible in the future, and if so when? WAS SAT is on my bucket list. Of course I envy all of you to the west of me, who can contact HI, but on the other hand it is nice to be only 3200 or so from London, 3800 miles from Berlin. We are all prisoners of our locations, at least until another HEO satellite is in orbit again. Thanks for feedback. And by the way, I'm always happy to sked with anyone needing FN54, not the rarest grid in ME but a challenge for many stations, especially out west or so they tell me. 73, Wes NA1ME

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RS Satellite Robot
by Gary 11 Aug '20

11 Aug '20

A question came up on Facebook about a QSL from a satellite. I remember some of the RS Satellites carried a 'Robot' which would QSO you with a serial number. You could then send that information to Box 88 in Moscow and receive a QSL. A quick Google search did not turn up any pictures of the cards. I would love to see one, and I am sure they are out there. Anyone have any links? 73, Gary "Joe" kk0sd

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-11 16:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 11 Aug '20

11 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-11 16:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Sorry gang for the lack of a heads up but we just found out about this contact today. (***) GAGARIN FROM SPACE. Performing a radio amateur session with schoolchildren of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RZ4PXO (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Ivan Vagner (***) Contact was successful for: 2020-08-07 11:18 UTC (***) Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Fri 2020-08-21 18:23:40 UTC 29 deg ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-11 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 2020-08-11 16:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 135 (***) 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 1394. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1327. (***) 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

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Another call for forensic accounting and an inventory
by Joe Leikhim 11 Aug '20

11 Aug '20

That is sort of what has happened to the NRA! I doubt we have any "grifters" in AMSAT. To be safe, look out for any Jaguar owners as Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear points out. That said the P&L statement should be reviewed. Locally, our ex mayor decided to buy a failing golf course with our stormwater funds to save it from development. An action clearly benefiting only one neighborhood. Depending on who you talk to on a given day, it is either making or losing money. This is a case where the P&L needs to be made public. "Yes. I see the “plot” clearly now. A few grifters decided the best way to get “rich" was to join a ham radio organization. They would lay low for 10-30 years so as not to arouse suspicion. They would volunteer their time and efforts for decades to provide an smokescreen so other members wouldn’t suspect that they would one day steal money and inventory from the coffers and then refuse to provide a detailed accounting when requested… Jeff, KE9V" -- Joe Leikhim Leikhim and Associates Communications Consultants Oviedo, Florida JLeikhim(a)Leikhim.com 407-982-0446 WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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QUESTION
by Rosa & Robert Fitzpatrick 11 Aug '20

11 Aug '20

WHAT GOING ON WITH AO-92 . I HEAR IT IS IN SAFE MODE.IS THER A PROBLEM WITH AO-92 ??????BOB/KB5SQG

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Re: [amsat-bb] Another call for forensic accounting and an inventory
by Chris Hoffman 11 Aug '20

11 Aug '20

That was my mistake, Joseph. I, too, am sorry for the misrepresentation. /ch On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 11:26 AM Joseph Armbruster < josepharmbruster(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Chris, > > I am not in Any position of leadership within AMSAT. And I have not meant > to mis-represent myself as one if I ever did. I'm just a life-member. > > Joseph Armbruster > KJ4JIO > > On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 1:51 PM Chris Hoffman <cq.kg6o(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Each thread has a topic, and members are not incapable of intentionally >> ignoring threads by looking at the subject line. >> >> >> Remember those little boxy things that are whipping around the world that >>> we enjoy and have fun, learn, develop expertise, and just chat with like >>> people. Please knock off the BS! >>> 73 Bob W7LRD >>> >>> >> >> Bob and Joseph, as a dues-pyaing AMSAT member, I'm sorry to >> inconvenience you with my own '...BS,' however, please understand that --to >> me-- these "...the small things are complicated' or "...watch the birdie" >> misdirections, and the "...everyone is tired of it, so please knock it >> off!" comments can serve to undermine your standing as Trusted Leadership >> in the eyes of Interested Members by making it look as if the board and >> leadership really do have something to hide. >> >> If this is not the correct venue, then what is? >> >> Put another way, why even respond to these questions in the Email >> Threads? >> >> Also, Is wishing people would just stop griping and just enjoy the view >> really a successful strategy? >> >> >> Seeing these comments as you both speak from a position of leadership >> makes me worry that AMSAT may be lost in the woods, and not on an >> intentional path. At the moment, I can see NO better forum than an email >> list to express these concerns, and to suggest that this should not happen >> is... galling. Fundamentally, I see your comment as deprecating and >> dismissive of Members in Good Standing who are using the only venue >> apparently available with any significant level of accountability to air >> their concerns. >> >> There have been some important and simple questions asked: Why hasn't the >> board of an organization to which members pay dues address some valid >> questions and show that they are acting in good faith, let alone convene in >> order to do so? What was really behind the irregular use of funds paid to a >> law firm, and why was it handled that way? Your membership is smart enough >> to gain their Ham Radio license, and information is shared more broadly and >> easily than ever before, so it should be no surprise that a "...you just >> would not understand, so trust us" response --or silence-- may not have the >> desired effect. >> >> Do you understand that it is some of your comments, combined with >> [in-]actions --and not the legitimate questions being raised-- which >> undermine the confidence we have in the board and leadership? At this >> point, given the proven and highly irregular actions of the board '... we >> are making progress,' from the board may not be a sufficient answer to keep >> the Rabble at a low din. >> >> >> How about we turn this conversation to 'real' subject matter, then? >> AMSAT is still the preeminent forum within the US to provide new Amateur >> Radio Satellites. From my chair, however, given how seemingly few AMSAT >> OSCAR satellites are work-able in-orbit, I'd say we are not as successful >> in that effort as we have been in the past, and I would like to know why. >> Can leadership answer these questions for me: >> - Has a committee been convened to understand what happened with Husky >> Sat? >> - What is the full project plan, set of milestones, and real status of >> GOLF-TEE? >> - Where does AMSAT stand WRT launch strategies, and can we expect to see >> more operational FM and Transponder birds any time soon? >> - How is AMSAT now involved in helping schools get more satellites into >> the sky, and how is that effort changing? >> - What resources does AMSAT require to make these things happen? >> - We are geeks and enthusiasts and funders, and we want to know: how we >> can help? >> >> Respectfully, >> >> Chris Hoffman >> N6QR >> Amsat member # *54687432* >> >> (Please email me directly if you would like my cell phone number) >> >> >>> > On 08/09/2020 5:07 PM Jeff Johns via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> >>> wrote: >>> > >>> > >>> > > If AMSAT had regular board meetings, preferably monthly, then things >>> like this would be taken care of quickly and efficiently. >>> > > >>> > > We would all be reading detailed minutes about all the "boring >>> ordinary" stuff that should be going on - in the Journal. >>> > >>> > Exactly! A forensic audit may not be simple but I would hope that >>> someone within AMSAT could produce a list of physical assets which could be >>> checked to make sure they are still in AMSAT’s control and inventory. Does >>> a list of assets exist? >>> > >>> > It doesn’t matter who wins this election. The dark cloud over AMSAT >>> will remain until the members and donors are satisfied that their is no >>> malfeasance that has, or is, taking place within AMSAT. All the members and >>> donors can see the smoke and there’s no smoke unless there’s a fire. >>> > >>> > It saddens me that no legacy BoD member or Officer running against me >>> will step-up and join me in requesting that a third-party audit AMSAT. Like >>> I said, there wouldn’t be any smoke if there wasn’t a fire. This leads many >>> members to wonder what else is being hidden. There may well be nothing >>> being hidden but enough has been uncovered that a jury of average people >>> would not be convinced. There’s a simple way to make the bad thoughts that >>> members and donors have. Allow a full audit and inventory of AMSAT’s >>> finances and inventory. >>> > >>> > Jeff WE4B >>> > http://we4bravo.com >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >>> > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >>> Opinions expressed >>> > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views >>> of AMSAT-NA. >>> > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite >>> program! >>> > Subscription settings: 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 >>> >>

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Trying AGAIN
by Gerald Payton 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

I've tried several times to post to the BB but nothing ever showed! I'll try again, please Mr. Moderator, whoever you are. I purchased and downloaded the "Getting Started" booklet but having problems printing the PDF. It successfully printed pages through Chapter 8 "Digital Modes" and quit. Regardless what I have tried, printing the remainder has been fruitless. As you know that eliminates the "Satellite Reference Guide" and "appendices" sections. I do not believe that this is a local printer problem as it works perfectly on any and all documents and PDFs that I try. Has anyone else experienced this problem? A fix? 73, Jerry AB5R

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Re: [amsat-bb] ME to HI for WAS--Possible at present?
by Stephan Greene 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

Wes: I'm at 49 states on satellite and I've looked into this from FM18 and sites within the 50 mile WAS radius, Take a look at satmatch.com, and try AO-7 and RS-44 with various combinations of grids on the Big Island, maybe eastern Oahu, etc., and locations within your 50 mile WAS circle (Mt W is too far, would still be cool!) that have EXCELLENT horizons to the west (I'm checking sites along Skyline Drive in VA as my best bet). For me, there are possibilities with passes at 1-2 deg, and I may have to wait until the orbital movement puts apogee in the right spot. There is an active ham on Oahu, but he has terrain blocking the way for working low elevations to the east. So I STRONGLY support GOLF as a return to higher orbits; it's probably cheaper than a GoFundMe to send someone with a 9700 to the Big Island for a week or 2. Definitely cheaper than a time machine to gell my younger self during the AO13 and 40 days to WORK SOMEONE IN HAWAII WHILE YOU CAN! :) 73 Steve KS1G On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 2:23 PM <badencapecod(a)gmail.com> wrote: > From: Wes Baden <badencapecod(a)gmail.com> > > Subject: [amsat-bb] ME to HI for WAS--Possible at present? > Any ideas about the following? My QTH is in Maine, FN54, 120 feet ASL. I'm > closing in on WAS, but the problem is going to be Hawaii. From my rough > calculations, I need a SAT that has a 4500+ mile footprint, meaning an > apogee of 1200+ miles, and even then any operating window will be pretty > short. Current MEO satellites do not seem to offer a window quite that > big, or am I missing something? In theory, I guess, I could go to Mt. > Washington, NH (fortunately only 90 miles away) and a KH6 could go up on a > volcanic peak there, to try to make use of over-the-horizon signal > bending. But I'm not sure if even that would work at the present time, and > in any case I can wait if a better MEO or an HEO bird is in the offing in > the next few years. Does anyone know if ME-HI will be possible in the > future, and if so when? WAS SAT is on my bucket list. Of course I envy > all of you to the west of me, who can contact HI, but on the other hand it > is nice to be only 3200 or so from London, 3800 miles from Berlin. We are > all prisoners of our locations, at least until another HEO satellite is in > orbit again. Thanks for feedback. And by the way, I'm always happy to > sked with anyone needing FN54, not the rarest grid in ME but a challenge > for many stations, especially out west or so they tell me. > > 73, Wes NA1ME >

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ME to HI for WAS--Possible at present?
by Stephen DeVience 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

Google maps shows that Bangor ME to the coast of Hawaii is about 8200 km. Based on the QSO distance records, you're within range for AO-7 and RS-44. *RS-44 – 8,357 km.* W5CBF in EM30jf35qi <> DL4EA in JN48ko94cw. 26-May-2020 at 23:07 UTC. (Source: W5CBF) *AO-7 (B) – 8,204.592 km. *F4DXV in JN14CH76<> KE9AJ in DM79IQ58. 10-Aug-2020 at 17:49 UTC. (Source: F4DXV) I know there's some software out there that can tell you what passes to use given the two locations. -Stephen, N8URE

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Let's Talk Sats
by Brad Smith 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

In a message dated 8/10/2020 1:43:51 PM Central Standard Time, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org writes: <1) We need a separate mailing list for campaign issues in campaign season.> If there was a separate mailing list for campaign issues, very few people would see or read them. Sadly, there are enough of the uninterested and uninformed now. This organization has to be more than just pointing an antenna into the sky and forgetting that anything else exists, or sooner or later there will be nothing to point to. Brad KC9UQR

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-10 18:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-10 18:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Fri 2020-08-21 18:23:40 UTC 29 deg SpaceX-Demo2 back on earth Congrats guys on a job well done! Bob Behnken KE5GGX Doug Hurley ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-10 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 2020-07-31 02:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 134 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 1393. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1326. 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 SpaceX-Demo2 back on earth (***) Congrats guys on a job well done! (***) Bob Behnken KE5GGX Doug Hurley **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Re: [amsat-bb] Another call for forensic accounting and an inventory
by Jeff Johns 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

> If AMSAT had regular board meetings, preferably monthly, then things like this would be taken care of quickly and efficiently. > > We would all be reading detailed minutes about all the "boring ordinary" stuff that should be going on - in the Journal. Exactly! A forensic audit may not be simple but I would hope that someone within AMSAT could produce a list of physical assets which could be checked to make sure they are still in AMSAT’s control and inventory. Does a list of assets exist? It doesn’t matter who wins this election. The dark cloud over AMSAT will remain until the members and donors are satisfied that their is no malfeasance that has, or is, taking place within AMSAT. All the members and donors can see the smoke and there’s no smoke unless there’s a fire. It saddens me that no legacy BoD member or Officer running against me will step-up and join me in requesting that a third-party audit AMSAT. Like I said, there wouldn’t be any smoke if there wasn’t a fire. This leads many members to wonder what else is being hidden. There may well be nothing being hidden but enough has been uncovered that a jury of average people would not be convinced. There’s a simple way to make the bad thoughts that members and donors have. Allow a full audit and inventory of AMSAT’s finances and inventory. Jeff WE4B http://we4bravo.com

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-10 16:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-08-10 16:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR (***) Contact is go for: Fri 2020-08-21 18:23:40 UTC 29 deg (***) SpaceX-Demo2 back on earth (***) Congrats guys on a job well done! (***) Bob Behnken KE5GGX Doug Hurley ######################################################################################################################################## 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 2020-08-10 16:00 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 2020-07-31 02:30 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 ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The Proposal Window of February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 has now closed. 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. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. 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 134 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 1393. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1326. 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 SpaceX-Demo2 back on earth (***) Congrats guys on a job well done! (***) Bob Behnken KE5GGX Doug Hurley **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Hack-a-Sat finals this weekend - AMSAT volunteers represented!
by Michelle Thompson 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

Greetings all, There's a major event happening this weekend with a very large amateur radio satellite component. It's DEFCON. This year it's virtual and free to attend! https://www.defcon.org/ DEFCON draws 30,000 people interested in improving technology and themselves. In the past, amateur radio and AMSAT have been well represented, presented, and promoted at WiFi Village, Ham Radio Village, and Hardware Hacking Village. It's been a real pleasure to present amateur satellite work at DEFCON because the audience is receptive, educated, interested, and supportive. Every time we have a booth or talk, the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. The largest US amateur radio licensing session on record happened at DEFCON a couple of years ago. Amateur radio is alive and well. This year, a number of AMSAT members have participated in another aspect of DEFCON: The competitions! There are a lot of competitions at DEFCON. They range from silly to extremely difficult multi-day technical ordeals. This year, the Air Force sponsored a high-end competition called Hack-a-Sat. For the qualifying event, amateur radio satellite service enthusiasts were recruited. Our practical knowledge and interdisciplinary can-do spirit was something that I thought would provide a unique advantage in a competition ordinarily dominated by networking and computing information security professionals. This strategy worked. An interdisciplinary team finished 20th out of over 1500. You can find reports about it in the -BB archive. Unfortunately, while 20th place is a remarkable achievement, that meant that team missed out on the finals, as only the top 10 moved on. However, I have some news! A number of us hams were recruited by teams that finished in the finals. There will be several AMSAT engineering volunteers participating in the final event this weekend. I'm on ADDVulcan along with several others. We are very excited to represent amateur radio in an event put on by the Air Force to explore current and pressing security issues with satellite technology. For the finals, the teams each received a flatsat. The challenges in the competition are both "virtual", meaning code only, and also "real", meaning having to do with the flatsat hardware. If you want to follow along, there will be coverage and content at https://www.hackasat.com/ Some inside baseball: The team that won the semifinals is a famous engineering competition team called PPP. They have withdrawn from the finals because they also have a team in the "main" computing CTF at DEFCON, and could not field both teams at once. ADDVulcan finished 4th, and has strengthened their position through recruiting and practice. So, I think it's fair to say that amateur radio satellite service people have a chance to contribute to a possible win at an international elite competition. Everyone here should be very proud of what our license and hobby enables. Some of the things we've had to learn with respect to tools are Core Flight System (NASA open source) and COSMOS, from Ball Aerospace. We've also been given an opportunity to see what the Air Force believes are the 1) current capabilities of the technical community and 2) what the threat models might be. I look forward to sharing what we learn and how we do with all of you. These are the sorts of things I think AMSAT should be supporting and sponsoring. It's well within our capabilities as a community to host competitions like this one, where the goal of the challenges is to produce quality open source work that solves particular problems. If you are interested in doing something like this, then I'm here to help make it happen. Get in touch and let's see what we can come up with! -Michelle W5NYV

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Let’s talk satellites
by Paul F. Merrill 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

1) We need a separate mailing list for campaign issues in campaign season. The back and forth is valuable because I’ve seen one candidate who I’m very glad to not have voted for, more than one I can’t wait to vote against, and clues as to the personal integrity of others. Useful information, but it doesn’t need to be diluting operational satellite conversations, mentoring, and other useful information. 2) I’d throw a vote in for a different communication platform than this legacy bbs format - apparently even very smart people who can get little flying repeaters into orbit can’t understand how to trim their messages - the digests and nearly unreadable when someone posts a three word comment over 400 lines of nested emails. 3) For the pedants among us, yes...I know that I can view the threads in the browser, but when I rejoined AMSAT earlier in the year, I was very enthusiastic at how much useful information I gleaned from the daily digests - lately...not so much.

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Another mailing list?
by Stephen DeVience 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

I'm trying to figure out what satellite antennas I should build next, so I ran some simulations of signal strengths for various ground station and satellite antenna combinations, given a tumbling satellite like the foxes. It turns out a dipole or whip antenna on the satellite is not so good, because some fraction of the time is spent in its null (when the long axis of the antenna is pointed toward ground). It's more reliable to have an omnidirectional, circularly polarized antenna on the bird, which is why things like this exist: https://gomspace.com/shop/subsystems/communication-systems/nanocom-ant430.a… It's similar to the design on Lilacsat-2. It would also make your Lindenblad very happy. I'll have to write something up for the Journal. -Stephen, N8URE

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AMSAT-NA - WE4B
by Clint Bradford 09 Aug '20

09 Aug '20

The future indicates “clear skies” for AMSAT-NA, as far as fulfilling their mission statement is concerned. Say, WE4B - You have been asked several times to report which AMSAT-NA activities in which you have been involved. What HAVE you volunteered to do for AMSAT-NA in, say, the past ten years? Don’t you think actual volunteer hours devoted to an organization is a valuable part of one’s resume - as they runoff office for that organization? Clint Bradford K6LCS WE4B - > Regardless of who wins this election, there will still be a cloud over AMSAT regarding the handling of members? monies until an independent source provides an authoritative summary of both AMSAT?s finances and physical assets.

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new computer doesn't see Keyspan adapters
by Perry Yantis 09 Aug '20

09 Aug '20

I have purchased a new MacBook Pro computer running Mac OS 10.15.6 with USB-C portsIt is just like my old MacBook Pro computer with USB-A ports, running the same OS except while my older computer sees my Keyspan usb to serial adaptors and gives me radio and antenna control, my new computer doesn't see these adaptors for some reason.I have went to Keyspans web page and downloaded a newer driver but still not seeing these adaptors.Does anyone else have this problem or have a solution?I will try calling Keyspan tomorrow. Perry WB8OTH py41(a)att.net sent from my Apple Macbook Pro

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ONE INDIVIDUAL'S VIEW
by GEO Badger 09 Aug '20

09 Aug '20

Hello, I was born the eldest of four into a prosperous WASP familyin southern Cali. I squandered pretty much every opportunity given tome, a West Point appointment, a scholarship to Virginia Tech, those sortsof things. We moved a lot so I never really developed any long termfriendships. I received many "citations” during my four years inthe military. However, those where not the kind you wear on youruniform, they were Article 15's of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.I wasn't at the "appointed place at the appointed time". I chafe atauthority. Upon my honorable discharge from the military I returned toCali and pretty much lived as a 1%'er for a few years. In 1980 SiliconValley called and I went to work as a design engineer to VP of Engineeringfor a number of tech firms in the valley. They included TeledyneMEC, M/A-COM, ThermoFisher Scientific and MBARI among others. During that time I became a pillar in the community, whoknew, and was, and still am, involved with non-profits, all501(c)(3) orgs. Additionally, my wife, MBA in Non-Profit Management fromthe Anderson School of UCLA, has been intimately involved in all aspectsof non-profits. She is currently assisting Burning Man in its transitionfrom a LLC to a 501(c)(3). This has been a difficult process fraughtwith politics and leadership issues. Hmmm. Now, about Amsat: Amsat is not a corporation. It has nocompensated senior management, it doesn't issue stock and it can't besold, taken over or merged. What Amsat is; a club chartered/incorporated underthe articles of 501(c) paragraph 3 which stipulates that it can be aneducational org. Donations can be deducted from the donor’s taxes. A(7) is a social club and donations may not be deducted. You've no doubtheard of political non-profits, the donations to them may not be deductedbut they are used to shield where their money that they distributecomes from. Amsat was chartered in 1969 and IMHO the by-laws are out ofdate. The mission statement and by-laws need to be revamped. Thereneeds to be more members on the BOD. The served terms should be 3 years.There should be term limits so current members rotate off. Thisinsures there is no entrenchment of an "old guard" and thereis an infusion of new ideas and talent. Is Amateur Radio growing? I have no idea, nor does anyoneelse. Is Amsat growing? Same. The satellite biz has changed dramatically.It has become VERY commercialized. I posted an email from a knowledgeable outsideobserver a while back that discussed this. Is there anyone on the BOD or within the GM, who can pick upa phone and make a personal call to Jeff Bezos, Dmitry Rogozin,Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Hiroshi Yamakawa, Jim Bridenstine, orZhang Kejian? I hesitate to guess that the answer is "No",though I threw a ringer in there. These are all young people who wereprobably born after 1969. How does Amsat move forward? Amsat needs to have a dynamicBOD who operates in a fair, honest and open manner and is willing to revampthe mission statement and by-laws to reflect an exciting organizationfocused on education. The GM needs to be invited to BOD meetings and seethe results of said meetings. By meeting with any/all of the aboveindividuals, Amsat can show them that the club is providing the interestand educational directions for young people to become the newengineers/scientists that these space organizations are going to requireto be viable in the future. BTW, status quo, anger, personal attacks and/or the airing ofdirty laundry is the antithesis to Amsat moving forward. Just sayin’….. --- Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side 73 de W3AB/GEO http://www.w3ab.org You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".

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Another call for forensic accounting and an inventory
by Jeff Johns 09 Aug '20

09 Aug '20

About 24 hours ago I asked if the legacy BoD members and Officer which are running against me during this election cycle would join me to call for a full forensic accounting of AMSAT’s finances. The call to ask them to step-up and help ease the minds of many members was not answered. Why? It could be a myriad of things but because they will not (so far) step forward and help promote financial transparency is very disturbing. If there is nothing astray, then there would be nothing to worry about other than the cost for a third-party to perform the audit. I will once again ask them if they are willing to move forward a motion to authorize a forensic audit of AMSAT’s finances. Along with this audit, a full inventory of all AMSAT assets should be performed. Can any BoD member tell us, the general membership, the last time an inventory was performed? I can’t find anything in any minutes that are published. It’s good business practice to perform inventories. The Treasurer, as a CPA, should be very familiar with inventory practices in business. AMSAT is a business, albeit non-profit. An inventory of physical assets would go a long way to helping to heal AMSAT by removing the cloud. Regardless of who wins this election, there will still be a cloud over AMSAT regarding the handling of members’ monies until an independent source provides an authoritative summary of both AMSAT’s finances and physical assets. If elected, I would make the motion to have this occur in order to ease the minds of members and donors. This needs to happen regardless of who wins seats and I would ask all members to encourage the Board to make this happen. Jeff WE4B http://we4bravo.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] FT-736 power supply part.
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 08 Aug '20

08 Aug '20

At 12:06 PM 8/8/2020 -0400, you wrote: >Your request for info on that part made me look at the parts list I have >had for close to 20 years. >I don't think I ever used it for capacitor info as it was always available >on the capacitor. >I see my information (provided by another ham) isn't accurate on some of >the caps. >It is also possible the info was correct for the P.S. he had, as Yaesu >changed many things on the >736 and didn't document them all. > >Looks like I can't totally trust the parts list....sorry > >Â 73 >Richard / K4RTS Hi Richard, No problem. C24 isn't ceramic. I've been studying the components on that side of the schematic to see what other component could have failed to cause the SCR to blow. If C24 got hot and shorted, I wonder if that could have done it. The 736 is in fine shape, I hooked it to an external supply and current draw was normal. The bad part of all this is that my eyesight is not as good as it was 25 years ago. :-) 73

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Re: [amsat-bb] FT-736 power supply part. Thanks everyone.
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 08 Aug '20

08 Aug '20

At 03:23 PM 8/7/2020 -0700, wa7fwf(a)gmail.com wrote: >Vince, >Â The SCR looks to be the crowbar for a overvoltage, you may have >something else wrong also. > >http://radioaficion.com/mods/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/DL7VHFs-FT-736R-mod… > >There is the schematic for a 736R, not sure what the R difference is but >it lists your SCR as a 5P4M, a google search shows many available. > >73 >Kevin Thanks Kevin, and everyone else for the help, I have all schematics and original manuals for the rig, but didn't have one for the PSU. Ha, Murphy's law I think the reason the SCR finally gave out, was I kept the radio on 24/7, and there is a lot of heat in it any way. I need to make up a 12V power cord so I can power it externally. And Talk about good luck, I also noticed I can buy the SCR on ebay, NEC brand. Thanks again everyone for all the help. 73

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Forensic Accounting
by Jeff Johns 08 Aug '20

08 Aug '20

Do any of the legacy, BoDs or Officers, who are running for re-election against me want to join me to call for a full forensic accounting of AMSAT’s finances? Many members want this to occur. No matter the cost, it seems to me this would help to remove the cloud that is currently hovering over AMSAT. Anyone? If elected, I would make a motion for this to occur. I am committed to full transparency for the organization. A full financial audit including an full inventory of all assets of AMSAT would go a long way towards rebuilding the trust of members. Jeff WE4B http://we4bravo.com

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Re: [amsat-bb] Who Let THIS Info Out?
by Bruce Perens 08 Aug '20

08 Aug '20

On Fri, Aug 7, 2020, 2:11 PM Joseph Armbruster via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > This sure makes me wonder, why didn't AMSAT ever do this against me or the > tons of volunteers and engineers before me? You can't tell me this is the > first case of some problem... > Joseph, And no police officer ever kneeled on _your_ neck, or your friends, so it must be the Black person's problem, right? It's the exact same argument. There has been no shortage of conflict between AMSAT management and volunteers. I have a long list of people whom I know were the major developers of previous AMSAT missions, who we don't see here any longer. As I said previously, no one hired lawyers against you because you did not act as opposition to the incumbent board. >

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FS: 2019-2020 AMSAT Journal (4 issues)
by John Geiger 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

I have for sale 4 issues of the AMSAT journal from 2019-2020, which include the July/August 2019, September/October 2019, November/December 2019, and January/February 2020 issues. These are all in good condition and contain lots of good information about the satellites and amateur radio in space. I am asking $12 shipped for the set and can take paypal/check/MO. 73 John AF5CC

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Re: [amsat-bb] Who Let THIS Info Out?
by Bruce Perens 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

I made "numerous legal threats"? I don't think so. Given what a tremendous whopper that one is, I can't attach any credibility to the rest of your statement, except for one thing: It is true that Michelle and Patrick, and for that matter I, feel that AMSAT's NDAs prevent it from being able to achieve a workable ITAR strategy. You simply can't use the ITAR 120.11 and EAR 734.7 carve-outs AND have secret or proprietary portions of any technology listed under the United States Munitions List. Once there is secret or proprietary technology, all of the nasty restrictions of ITAR are unavoidable. It is possible to deal with secrets outside of the technology, such as launch schedules, and it is possible to compartmentalize some ITAR-protected information, for example technology specific to the launch which is not necessary for broader cooperations such as designing and constructing a satellite. Thus it is necessary for AMSAT to examine all existing NDAs, separate itself from ones that are no longer necessary, and carefully compartmentalize any which need to stand for the moment. Michelle and Patrick attempted to initiate this process, but have been blocked. Thanks Bruce

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Re: [amsat-bb] FT-736 power supply part
by Gregory Beat 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

DL7VHF placed the FT-736R SMPS schematic diagram on Last Pages http://www.catlog.net/_Descarregas/Manuals/03-Yaesu/Yaesu%20FT-736R-PS-Repa… SCR21 : marked: TH21 5P4M NEC 5P4M, 5A, 400V Thyristor in a TO-220 case, == Possible substitutes: Phillips BT258-500R , STMicroelectronics TYN608 https://www.digikey.com/products/en/discrete-semiconductor-products/thyrist… NTE 5424 appears to be suitable substitute. https://www.nteinc.com/specs/5400to5499/pdf/nte5424.pdf Digi-Key F7250-ND (Littlefuse S4008LTP) SCR 400V, 8A Standard Recovery, TO-220AB-L, Isolated Tab https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/littelfuse-inc/S4008LTP/F7250-ND/… Littlefuse Data Sheet https://www.littelfuse.com/~/media/electronics/datasheets/switching_thyrist… greg w9gb === Date: Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:04:16 -0600 From: "Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL" <vlfiscus(a)mcn.net> To: AMSAT-BB Subject: [amsat-bb] FT-736 power supply part Hi All, I walked into the shack about a month ago and smelled something really hot like the smell from a hot resistor. Turned off all the equipment waited a while then turned everything back on. The FT-736 didn't come back on, so I assumed the power supply, as this is a common problem with the rigs as they get older. Bought a repair replacement kit for the electrolytic caps in the power supply, which is normally the problem. They get baked and fail. Got the power supply out last night to do the repairs and I discovered it was the SCR in the power supply that had totally burned up. Weird. Does anyone here have or know a Digi-key or Mouser part number for the SCR or an equivalent compatible part? It labeled SCR21 on P.C. board. Thanks Vince

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FT-736 power supply part.
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

Hi All, I walked into the shack about a month ago and smelled something really hot like the smell from a hot resistor. Turned off all the equipment waited a while then turned everything back on. The FT-736 didn't come back on, so I assumed the power supply, as this is a common problem with the rigs as they get older. Bought a repair replacement kit for the electrolytic caps in the power supply, which is normally the problem. They get baked and fail. Got the power supply out last night to do the repairs and I discovered it was the SCR in the power supply that had totally burned up. Weird. Does anyone here have or know a Digi-key or Mouser part number for the SCR or an equivalent compatible part? It labeled SCR21 on P.C. board. Thanks

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Who Let THIS Info Out?
by Clayton Coleman W5PFG 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

No Directors are being muted, censored, or censured. Directors, Officers, and volunteers make statements about their work for the corporation on social media, blogs, or the AMSAT-BB. With or without regard for diplomacy, certain Directors have taken an approach to make their opinions public before bringing items up for discussion via the internal Board of Directors mailing list. There is no majority or minority "party" at AMSAT. There are no political parties defined by AMSAT. Continued claims about "incumbents" sounds very divisive. All sitting Directors are incumbents. AMSAT is about shared interest in amateur radio and space - not personal interests, vengeance, and politics. Directors should be aware of how minutes of the Corporation work. The Secretary writes them, the Board approves them, and then they are made public. As of August 4th, the Secretary has not provided any draft minutes for meetings after February 4th. The claim about not having any Board Meetings for an entire year is false. AMSAT has held three Board of Directors meetings plus an informal working session in 2020. There will be at least one more formal Board of Directors meeting before the 2020 Directors election concludes. The bylaws clearly state the mechanics of calling a Board of Directors meeting. Historical Board of Directors meetings held per year: 2019 (2), 2018 (3), 2017 (4), 2016 (3) Ref: https://www.amsat.org/minutes-of-the-board-of-directors/ I refuse to engage in endless disputes via this email list out of respect for its members, AMSAT's mission, and my love for amateur radio. Despite exaggerated claims to the contrary, the reality is AMSAT remains committed to success with new and existing partners. AMSAT succeeds as a team or fails as a team. 73 Clayton W5PFG

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Re: [amsat-bb] Who Let THIS Info Out?
by Bruce Perens 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

> I’m glad that they have been transparent :-) We need to remain aware of the difference between frankness and transparency. What we saw was a frank admission of conduct that many of us found to be an inappropriate means of dealing with opposition. People also confuse frankness with honesty.

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Yaeus G-5500 rotator boom mounting
by Bob Hammond 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

How do others attach their fiberglass boom to the elevation rotor on a G-5500? Just use the boom clamps provided? Make a sleeve to fit between the smaller fiberglass boom and elevation rotor inside diameter? Drill a hole and pin it? All ideas appreciated. Bob W7OTJ

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GridMaster Award in GridTracker
by Don KB2YSI 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

N0TTL has added the GridMaster Award as an award layer in his GridTracker software ( https://tagloomis.com/downloads/ ). It is awesome when developers work with users to help make their software appeal to a broader audience! Once you get your log into the software, there are many ways to do this. Press J and it will highlight in your QSL'ed grids for GMA. Press B to get the grid #'s to be filled in. Move the map to how you want it, press SHIFT+F5 to save the position. At any time press F5 and it will return to that position! Press K to take a screenshot. If you forget something, press F1 and a help screen with all of the key presses is displayed; this is the #1 key press to remember! I have posted my newest map here: https://twitter.com/kb2ysi/status/1291408711987200002 If you happen to be an FT8 junkie and have not given the package a try, you should check it out. There are many award layers available and a load of features that I barely know how to utilize; check out the Callable Roster. If you want to join the Discord server: https://discord.gg/j9Cv9XU -- 73, Don KB2YSI https://www.hamqth.com/kb2ysi

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Sat Show in Georgia
by Clint Bradford 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

>> If you can collect feedback, that would help too … Absolutely. The Q&A duringnd after are always enlightening! Clint K6LCS

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Sat Show in Georgia
by Clint Bradford 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

>> Just thinking out loud here: Which other AMSAT Ambassador puts out a 'press release' about themself?? I prefer to call is a “media alert,” Ted. Hitting appropriate “target audiences." It is all about “effective communications.” The local chamber of commerce is posting the announcement. You’ll see it on QRZ and eHam, too. The bottom line: spread the gospel of AMSAT-NA and educate, AND try to get a couple “first-time visitors” to the clubs I speak to. It is always wonderful to draw those potential new members for clubs. Any other questions? Clint Bradford K6LCS PS My Calendar of upcoming presentations is at https://www.work-sat.com/hamjam-2018.html <https://www.work-sat.com/hamjam-2018.html> for you!

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Election Timeline
by Brennan Price 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

Ev, >From the instructions portion of the ballot: "The ballots will be counted under the Secretary's supervision as soon after September 15 as is reasonably practicable." The bylaws further specify that the result be announced by September 30. I am afraid I am unable to be more specific at this time, as the ability to conduct a standard scrutineering session may be impacted by facility and teller availability depending on the state of public health at the time. If I am unable to conduct a standard session, I have a plan to livestream my solo operation to provide the confidence that comes from multiple sets of eyes on the process. Most of such a stream would be of me opening face-down envelopes and placing their contents in a ballot box for subsequent counting. I hope it doesn't come to that. If it does, do not expect entertainment. 73 de Brennan N4QX Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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XW-2D
by Michael Walker 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

All Just to confirm that XW-2D is non-usable? I seems to transpond for a few seconds and then goes mute for 10 seconds or so? Mike va3mw

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Election Timeline
by Ev Tupis 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

Hello. May I ask when the results from the election will be (or are scheduled to be) announced? Ev, W2EV

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Sat Show in Georgia (US) 8/15/2020
by Clint Bradford 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

ARRL instructor and AMSAT-NA Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, will be presenting his "Working Amateur Satellites With Your HT” session at the Saturday, August 15, 2020 meeting of the Team Radio GA in southeast Georgia. The session will begin at 9AM Georgia time. Team Radio GA (TRGA) is a growing ARES / EmComm group, whose region covers the ARRL’s District 8 in Georgia. Led by Jerome Erickson KK1JE, TRGA was featured in the July, 2020 issue of the ARRL Georgia Section’s newsletter, “Georgia on My Mind.” The groups Jerome has organized focus on digital and emergency communications. Refreshingly, Jerome told the newsletter editor, “I believe that the privilege to operate on the many frequencies we are granted we should make an effort to give back to our communities through radio communications.” TRGA’s expanding Web site is … http://trga.us/ Clint K6LCS has made it his mission in his amateur radio life to show hams that they really can work a few FM voice satellites with equipment they probably already own. To that end, he has given his presentation more than 100 times to audiences who genuinely desire to expand their ham experience - to clubs, conventions, and hamfests in North America and Canada. An attendee of Clint’s session at the club a couple years ago wrote: "K6LCS gave a fantastic presentation on amateur satellites. It was most informative and entertaining. Clint's passion for the subject was evident, and I would imagine that the club members individually and or in a group will be eager to try satellite contacts in the near future. “We will be using Zoom Video Communications to conduct our session,” Clint advises. “I would much rather be in a room, LIVE, with my audience, but it’s cheaper with Zoom than air fare to Savannah's International Airport … “ Clint always welcomes questions before his presentations. Leave him a voicemail at (909) 999-SATS or send email to: k6lcs(a)ham-sat.info Clint’s satellite support site - www.work-sat.com If you are in the southeast region of TRGA, you will be notified of the session’s Zoom meeting ID on TRGA's Web site. If you are not in the region and would like to attend, please send email to k6lcs(a)ham-sat.info for the meeting ID. /end/

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Re: [amsat-bb] XW-2D
by Yono Adisoemarta 05 Aug '20

05 Aug '20

You have to time it perfectly to make a complete QSO. 73 de Yono - YD0NXX Sent from my iPhone > -----Original Message----- > > To: AMSAT <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: [amsat-bb] XW-2D > > All > > Just to confirm that XW-2D is non-usable? > > I seems to transpond for a few seconds and then goes mute for 10 seconds or so? > > Mike va3mw > _______________________________________________ >

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AO-92 in L/v at 03:24utc 5 Aug 2020 for 24 hrs
by Mark Hammond 05 Aug '20

05 Aug '20

Happy L-band...good for 24 hrs unless it resets due to low batt/safe mode. 73, -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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Soaring Upward to HEO
by Paul Stoetzer 05 Aug '20

05 Aug '20

The past five years rank with the best in AMSAT's history and we are poised for much more success in the future. We have launched four satellites and a fifth is complete and awaiting launch. We have partnered with university groups to place amateur transponders on their satellites. We are on a path back to HEO through our GOLF program with the first two satellites in this series, GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1, selected for launch opportunities. We continue to support amateur radio on human spaceflight through ARISS and AREx. Our CubeSat Simulator project has been very successful in promoting AMSAT's mission of educational outreach. Due to these successes, membership numbers and revenue continue to increase after a long period of decline from the late 1990s. After falling to around 3,000 members in the early part of last decade, we are now up to about 4,000 members. Additionally, activity on the amateur satellites has increased considerably over the past several years. In addition to satellite projects, we have launched a new, modern membership portal. Our members now have access to all issues of The AMSAT Journal from 2014 to the present and all of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings since 1986 through this portal. More publications are coming soon. We have also modernized and revitalized the field program with our new AMSAT Ambassador program. If you want us to continue on the journey Upward to HEO, vote for Dr. Mark Hammond, N8MH, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, and myself. 73, Paul, N8HM upwardtoheo.coom

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Who Let THIS Info Out?
by Clint Bradford 04 Aug '20

04 Aug '20

Gawd, did someone sue AMSAT-NA to obtain a membership email mailing list or something? All sorts of campaign statements from folks who don’t deserve votes in my IN BOX this evening … No need to reply. Clint Bradford K6LCS

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Re: [amsat-bb] Ballot received
by christy hunter 04 Aug '20

04 Aug '20

We got ours weeks ago, probably just dumb luck with the USPS... or maybe it was because of a lull during all that electronic crap being ordered from China by Ham radio operators in the USA, oh wait, maybe that was just me. 73 Christy KB6LTY > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 17:41:10 -0600 > From: "H. Stephen Nipper" <stephennipper(a)gmail.com> > To: Wendy and Terry Osborne <wandtosborne(a)gmail.com> > Cc: "amsat-bb(a)amsat.org" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Ballot received > Message-ID: > <CAPf7+3rjpuUikSjCq8z6eHZ9wsdw+BU8CBGFD14CO+txcyq-Eg(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > I received mine on Friday, and after prayerfully reviewing the options, > marked mine and sent it off on Monday. > > The post office isn't what it used to be, must be all that crap > housewives > across the USA are ordering from China. Oh wait maybe that is just my > wife. > > Stephen Nipper > N7DJX > > > On Mon, Aug 3, 2020 at 5:04 PM Wendy and Terry Osborne via AMSAT-BB < > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 314
by Rose Lubbers 04 Aug '20

04 Aug '20

On August 3, 2020, at 5:40 PM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: Send AMSAT-BB mailing list submissions to amsat-bb(a)amsat.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit 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. Re: QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo satellite presentation. (W3AB/GEO) 2. Re: GS-232B Advice? (CEE) 3. Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) (Max) 4. Re: Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) (Zach Metzinger) 5. Re: Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) (Max) 6. Re: Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) (jim(a)k6ccc.org) 7. ARISS News Release No. 20-10 (David Jordan) 8. Ballot received (Douglas B Tabor) 9. Re: Ballot received (Steve Kristoff) 10. (no subject) (Greg Lane) 11. Re: GS-232B Advice? (Chris Hoffman) 12. Re: Ballot received (Ed Krome) 13. ARISS News Release No. 20-10 (David Jordan) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 02 Aug 2020 14:51:31 -0700 From: W3AB/GEO <w3ab(a)yahoo.com> To: tjschuessler(a)verizon.net Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo satellite presentation. Message-ID: <bb059e51-0918-489f-89f0-62d8115634eb(a)yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Tom, Thanks for doing this. I'm looking forward to seeing your presentation. ?___ Sent from my two way wrist watch 73 de W3AB/GEO? On Aug 1, 2020, 15:53, at 15:53, "Tom Schuessler, N5HYP via AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >Hi all, > >I was able to slip under the wire and obtain what turns out to be the >very >last presenter slot for the upcoming QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo event >this >coming weekend, August 8 and 9, https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/ . I >will >be doing a "Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites presentation >which >is scheduled at the conclusion of the second day of the event, starting >at >2245Z on Sunday August 9th. The first half of the hour will be a >pre-recorded and edited talk I submitted to them for playback at that >time, >followed by a live Q and A session for those attending real time. My >recorded piece also includes a tour of my portable setup as well as >part of >a contact on RS-44. The event organizers will then archive that >presentation and Q and A, along with the others for the weekend for >on-demand streaming over the next month. I also get to have a virtual >"Table" with downloads that can be grabbed and viewed at a later time, >just >like a real information table. > >I only had about a day to put together the edited 30 minutes and felt >like I >had to rush through things and definately know I forgot items and >concepts >that I hope to be able to bring up during the Q and A. I hope though >that >it will be enough to grab the interest of the hearers. > >The event organizers have come up with a cool way to spur ongoing >interest >in participating in as much of the event activities as possible, by >giving >points for every activity viewed. These points act as virtual tickets >in a >prize drum and can accumulate for the month following the live Expo. >The >more activities one takes in, the more tickets, and thus, the more >chances >to win a cool selection of prizes. > >If you know someone who is interested in learning more about our >fascinating >niche of the amateur radio hobby, please do send them to the event and >point >out the presentation time on August 9, or the post event archives. > >I think they are planning on doing this again next March and I do hope >to >have an improved video presentation by then. > >73 and hope to see you, virtually at least. > >Tom Schuessler, N5HYP >EM12ms > > > >_______________________________________________ >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: 2 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2020 20:38:40 -0700 From: CEE <cee(a)palomarlight.com> To: Chris Hoffman <cq.kg6o(a)gmail.com>, DCFox(a)rwglaw.com Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] GS-232B Advice? Message-ID: <74e69f57-66a3-05f2-3a24-58a16be0379c(a)palomarlight.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed I agree with Craig, my Fox Delta LVB tracker has worked flawlessly for several years now. Great price, great service, nice kit. 73 Chuck N7BFO On 8/2/2020 2:39 PM, D. Craig Fox via AMSAT-BB wrote: > Long time happy user of the Fox Delta. Price and customer service can't be beat. > > 73, Craig > N6RSX > > -----Original Message----- > From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Peter Goodhall (2M0SQL) via AMSAT-BB > Sent: Saturday, August 1, 2020 3:43 AM > To: Chris Hoffman <cq.kg6o(a)gmail.com> > Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] GS-232B Advice? > > Chris, > > There's a few options > > - LVB Tracker that you can still get on AMSAT-UKs shop > - Foxdelta ST2 lvb clone > - ERC-M > - EA4TX ars > > There's many others including homebrew, and some very expensive commercial units. > > I'd suggest one of those four, I'm currently using the ERC-M with good success. > > Peter, 2M0SQL > > On Fri, 31 Jul 2020, 19:05 Chris Hoffman via AMSAT-BB, <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > wrote: > >> Happy Birthday to me: I now own a G-5500 and it's controller! Now... I >> need the computer interface. >> >> As opposed to paying the $ for an authentic GS-232B, I see the >> following item come up a lot in my EBay feed, and I'm left to wonder >> if it is worth >> trying: >> >> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotator-Control-Interface-Board-with-Cable-US >> B-232B-for-YAESU-G-800-1000-2800DXA/124009089208?hash=item1cdf8488b8:g >> :a0YAAOSw-c9d8wtl >> >> That, or I spring for a Green Heron, right? >> >> What do you think? What other options should I consider? >> >> /ch >> N6QR >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 > > > (If this message is spam, please report it to IT Dept. Thank you.) > _______________________________________________ > 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: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 13:46:56 +0300 From: Max <max(a)boryspil.net.ua> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) Message-ID: <3fe2ed39-c5b3-88a6-31c8-1ec84b791e79(a)boryspil.net.ua> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Good day, Immediately I apologize for my request in this topic. Can you please tell me where you can read how to reconfigure the repeater to work in the amateur band? Or who can I write to help? Thank. ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 09:04:48 -0500 From: Zach Metzinger <zmetzing(a)pobox.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) Message-ID: <812bb211-b381-fa49-8332-5426d6a86e7f(a)pobox.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed On 08/03/20 05:46, Max via AMSAT-BB wrote: > Can you please tell me where you can read how to reconfigure the > repeater to work in the amateur band? Hello Max, Are you a licensed amateur radio operator? I did not see your call in the post. Are you planning to use this radio for satellite work? Googling for "VXR-9000 amateur" returns several promising pages of information. --- Zach N0ZGO ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 17:19:20 +0300 From: Max <max(a)boryspil.net.ua> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) Message-ID: <98c72e83-8f23-4696-f2ff-a12a72feb4df(a)boryspil.net.ua> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Good day, Thanks for the answer. I apologize for disturbing this mailing list with my question. This will never happen again. 03.08.2020 17:04, Zach Metzinger via AMSAT-BB ????: > On 08/03/20 05:46, Max via AMSAT-BB wrote: >> Can you please tell me where you can read how to reconfigure the >> repeater to work in the amateur band? > > Hello Max, > > Are you a licensed amateur radio operator? I did not see your call in > the post. > > Are you planning to use this radio for satellite work? > > Googling for "VXR-9000 amateur" returns several promising pages of > information. > > --- Zach > N0ZGO > _______________________________________________ > 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: 6 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 07:24:05 -0700 (PDT) From: "jim(a)k6ccc.org" <jim(a)k6ccc.org> To: "Max" <max(a)boryspil.net.ua> Cc: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) Message-ID: <1596464645.19526542(a)apps.rackspace.com> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=UTF-8 A far better place to ask is the Vertex Standard group on Yahoo: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/vertex-standard/info Jim - K6CCC -----Original Message----- From: "Max via AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 03:46 To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Repeater Vertex Standard VXR-9000U to hamradio band (433Mhz) Good day, Immediately I apologize for my request in this topic. Can you please tell me where you can read how to reconfigure the repeater to work in the amateur band? Or who can I write to help? Thank. _______________________________________________ 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: 7 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 16:25:06 +0000 (UTC) From: David Jordan <n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] ARISS News Release No. 20-10 Message-ID: <1107056798.7848264.1596471906370(a)mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 ? ? ARISS News Release??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????? No.?? 20-10?????? Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org ? ? ? FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ? SSTV Event Scheduled for earlyAugust ? August03, 2020 ? A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the InternationalSpace Station (ISS) for early August. Date and times for the event are Aug 4 (12:25-18:10 UTC) for setup and operation andAug 5 (08:15-18:25 UTC) for operation and close down. This is an MAI-75experiment activity developed by the MoscowAviation Institute. ? Imageswill be downlinked at 145.8 MHz and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD120. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images onthe ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. ? ? About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societiesand the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).? In the United States, sponsors are the RadioAmateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL),the ISS National Lab and NASA?s Space Communications and Navigation program.The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology,engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contactsvia amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communitieslearn about space, space technologies, and amateur 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. ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 11:33:14 -0600 From: Douglas B Tabor <dtabor52(a)icloud.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Ballot received Message-ID: <0EE2A98E-FE1A-4E42-9A66-0624AEF5179B(a)icloud.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I did finally receive my ballot, but was that horse ever tired. Just hoping that it makes it back to the other coast before the first snow flies. 73, Doug, N6UA DN71qd Douglas Tabor dtabor52(a)icloud.com ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Mon, 03 Aug 2020 14:00:18 -0400 From: "Steve Kristoff" <skristof(a)etczone.com> To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Ballot received Message-ID: <923d07363653d2a935f5a1171a34d0a2(a)etczone.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Haven't seen my ballot yet. Can you direct that horse in the direction of Indiana please, Doug? Steve AI9IN EM79ji ? ----- Original Message ----- From: Douglas B Tabor via AMSAT-BB (amsat-bb(a)amsat.org) Date: 08/03/20 13:48 To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Ballot received I did finally receive my ballot, but was that horse ever tired. Just hoping that it makes it back to the other coast before the first snow flies. 73, Doug, N6UA DN71qd Douglas Tabor dtabor52(a)icloud.com ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 13:08:39 -0500 From: Greg Lane <lanekg(a)gmail.com> To: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] (no subject) Message-ID: <CAKBWdLrXnNpgCWk-fRCs0ziuruNXmawAZ-bM7i63nQnqi4kyng(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" ------------------------------ Message: 11 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 11:15:11 -0700 From: Chris Hoffman <cq.kg6o(a)gmail.com> To: cee(a)palomarlight.com Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] GS-232B Advice? Message-ID: <CANPmdb0u9A1E4xV5rSyp5q2hCkts9c-g95yt=VUhdMgw71KRkw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Thanks, everyone, for your input! Pablo, EA4TX, was amazingly responsive with replies to my questions, and I suspect that he has the superior all-in-one product, with the most-complete design and the least hassle. The Vbiroplex kit seems to be the most flexible pre-fab option, and runs off of LVB logic. The K3NG arduino option (and kit plans) are likely what I will to consider at stage-two, when I decide to implement some sort of Euler Angle automation for mounting plane sensing and translatio in order to run the az-el on a trailer (ala satellite + VHF/UHF rover)... if anyone has experience with this, please let me know. The and the eham reviews, vibroplex and EA4TX documentation provide no discernable differentiation between products, so I'm left to assume 'functional equivalence' between each of the kit options at this point. After lots of research and abandonment of shopping carts, The price point with an enclosure is the lowest for the Fox Delta USB kit. So: I decided to start with the FoxDelta ST2 0417 for now, just to get some automation going, and figure out what I want to do from there. I'll respond as soon as I have my kit installed and running with the rotor with any weirdness. /ch N6QR On Sun, Aug 2, 2020 at 8:38 PM CEE <cee(a)palomarlight.com> wrote: > I agree with Craig, my Fox Delta LVB tracker has worked flawlessly for > several years now. Great price, great service, nice kit. > > 73 Chuck > > N7BFO > > On 8/2/2020 2:39 PM, D. Craig Fox via AMSAT-BB wrote: > > Long time happy user of the Fox Delta. Price and customer service can't > be beat. > > > > 73, Craig > > N6RSX > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Peter Goodhall > (2M0SQL) via AMSAT-BB > > Sent: Saturday, August 1, 2020 3:43 AM > > To: Chris Hoffman <cq.kg6o(a)gmail.com> > > Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > > Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] GS-232B Advice? > > > > Chris, > > > > There's a few options > > > > - LVB Tracker that you can still get on AMSAT-UKs shop > > - Foxdelta ST2 lvb clone > > - ERC-M > > - EA4TX ars > > > > There's many others including homebrew, and some very expensive > commercial units. > > > > I'd suggest one of those four, I'm currently using the ERC-M with good > success. > > > > Peter, 2M0SQL > > > > On Fri, 31 Jul 2020, 19:05 Chris Hoffman via AMSAT-BB, < > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> > > wrote: > > > >> Happy Birthday to me: I now own a G-5500 and it's controller! Now... I > >> need the computer interface. > >> > >> As opposed to paying the $ for an authentic GS-232B, I see the > >> following item come up a lot in my EBay feed, and I'm left to wonder > >> if it is worth > >> trying: > >> > >> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotator-Control-Interface-Board-with-Cable-US > >> B-232B-for-YAESU-G-800-1000-2800DXA/124009089208?hash=item1cdf8488b8:g > >> :a0YAAOSw-c9d8wtl > >> > >> That, or I spring for a Green Heron, right? > >> > >> What do you think? What other options should I consider? > >> > >> /ch > >> N6QR > >> _______________________________________________ > >> 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 > > > > > > (If this message is spam, please report it to IT Dept. Thank you.) > > _______________________________________________ > > 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: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 14:31:18 -0400 From: Ed Krome <e.krome(a)comcast.net> To: Steve Kristoff <skristof(a)etczone.com> Cc: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Ballot received Message-ID: <E4C96C74-367D-4B76-BFC8-4898658F1BD3(a)comcast.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Send Brennan a note. brennanprice(a)verizon.net Ed Krome K9EK Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 3, 2020, at 2:14 PM, Steve Kristoff via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > ? > Haven't seen my ballot yet. Can you direct that horse in the direction of Indiana please, Doug? > > Steve AI9IN > EM79ji > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Douglas B Tabor via AMSAT-BB (amsat-bb(a)amsat.org) > Date: 08/03/20 13:48 > To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org > Subject: [amsat-bb] Ballot received > > I did finally receive my ballot, but was that horse ever tired. > > Just hoping that it makes it back to the other coast before the > first snow flies. > > 73, Doug, N6UA > DN71qd > > Douglas Tabor > dtabor52(a)icloud.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb ------------------------------ Message: 13 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 21:40:13 +0000 (UTC) From: David Jordan <n4csitwo(a)bellsouth.net> To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] ARISS News Release No. 20-10 Message-ID: <1970595214.58269.1596490813409(a)mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 ? ? ARISS News Release??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????? No.?? 20-10?????? Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org ? ? ? FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ? SSTV Event Scheduled for earlyAugust ? August03, 2020 ? A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the InternationalSpace Station (ISS) for early August. Date and times for the event are Aug 4 (12:25-18:10 UTC) for setup and operation andAug 5 (08:15-18:25 UTC) for operation and close down. This is an MAI-75experiment activity developed by the MoscowAviation Institute. ? Imageswill be downlinked at 145.8 MHz and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD120. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images onthe ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. ? ? 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 and NASA?s Space Communications and Navigationprogram. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science,technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizingscheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS andstudents. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents,and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. Formore 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. ------------------------------ 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 314 *****************************************

1 0

ARISS News Release No. 20-10
by David Jordan 03 Aug '20

03 Aug '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-10 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE SSTV Event Scheduled for earlyAugust August03, 2020 — A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the InternationalSpace Station (ISS) for early August. Date and times for the event are Aug 4 (12:25-18:10 UTC) for setup and operation andAug 5 (08:15-18:25 UTC) for operation and close down. This is an MAI-75experiment activity developed by the MoscowAviation Institute. Imageswill be downlinked at 145.8 MHz and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD120. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images onthe ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. 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 and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigationprogram. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science,technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizingscheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS andstudents. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents,and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. Formore 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

GS-232B Advice?
by Chris Hoffman 03 Aug '20

03 Aug '20

Happy Birthday to me: I now own a G-5500 and it's controller! Now... I need the computer interface. As opposed to paying the $ for an authentic GS-232B, I see the following item come up a lot in my EBay feed, and I'm left to wonder if it is worth trying: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotator-Control-Interface-Board-with-Cable-USB-232… That, or I spring for a Green Heron, right? What do you think? What other options should I consider? /ch N6QR

8 9

(no subject)
by Greg Lane 03 Aug '20

03 Aug '20

1 0

Ballot received
by Douglas B Tabor 03 Aug '20

03 Aug '20

I did finally receive my ballot, but was that horse ever tired. Just hoping that it makes it back to the other coast before the first snow flies. 73, Doug, N6UA DN71qd Douglas Tabor dtabor52(a)icloud.com

2 1

ARISS News Release No. 20-10
by David Jordan 03 Aug '20

03 Aug '20

ARISS News Release No. 20-10 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE SSTV Event Scheduled for earlyAugust August03, 2020 — A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the InternationalSpace Station (ISS) for early August. Date and times for the event are Aug 4 (12:25-18:10 UTC) for setup and operation andAug 5 (08:15-18:25 UTC) for operation and close down. This is an MAI-75experiment activity developed by the MoscowAviation Institute. Imageswill be downlinked at 145.8 MHz and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD120. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images onthe ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societiesand the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the RadioAmateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL),the ISS National Lab and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program.The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology,engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contactsvia amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communitieslearn about space, space technologies, and amateur 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

AO-91 at 1745 UTC on 8/2/2020
by johnv＠frontier.com 02 Aug '20

02 Aug '20

Does anyone have a tape of this pass? AO-91 at 1745 UTC on 8/2/2020. I confirmed the call and grid but wrote it down wrong. My recorder was not on. Thanks and Stay Safe John - N7AME CN87 Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

1 0

Computer Interface
by Rafael Pena 02 Aug '20

02 Aug '20

Easy Rotor Control (ERC) https://www.schmidt-alba.de/eshop/index.php?cPath=1 I have been using the ERC VERSION 4 SMD, USB sold by Vibroplex in USA. Building the kit is a fun project. My Leo Pack / G-5500 combo is so happy with it. Excellent customer support. I endorse it. Rafael / NN3RP > On Jul 31, 2020, at 2:13 PM, Chris Hoffman via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > ?Happy Birthday to me: I now own a G-5500 and it's controller! Now... I need > the computer interface. > > As opposed to paying the $ for an authentic GS-232B, I see the following > item come up a lot in my EBay feed, and I'm left to wonder if it is worth > trying: > https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotator-Control-Interface-Board-with-Cable-USB-232… > > That, or I spring for a Green Heron, right? > > What do you think? What other options should I consider? > > /ch > N6QR

1 0

Re: [amsat-bb] Dragon Capsule Return from ISS
by Gregory Beat 02 Aug '20

02 Aug '20

Cloudy skies over Midwest last night (Saturday) obstructed my chance to view. — The SpaceX “Endeavour” capsule re-entry track will be from SW to the NE. So it will not overfly the USA on re-entry path. Stormy weather (outside wind & wave parameters) at the planned splashdown sites in the Gulf of Mexico, could complicate the return schedule. NASA and SpaceX are planning on a water landing off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, on Sunday while continuing to monitor any weather impact from Hurricane Isaias. NASA TV Coverage https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public NASA has the following coverage schedule for the major milestones for Endeavour’s return on Sunday, August 2 . NASA News Conference will be on NASA TV. Splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico targeted for 2:48 p.m. ET / 11:48 a.m. PT. Post-splashdown news conference set for 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT. w9gb == Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2020 01:12:43 +0000 From: Gary <gary_mayfield(a)hotmail.com> To: "bernd1peters(a)gmail.com" Cc: "AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org" Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Dragon Capsule Return from ISS I was hoping to step out and see it from my yard tonight. Like I was able to when they were chasing the ISS. 73, Gary "Joe" kk0sd

1 1

Dragon Capsule Return from ISS
by Gary 02 Aug '20

02 Aug '20

My Google skills are not that great. Does anyone have visual tracking information for the Dragon as it returns from ISS? 73, Gary "Joe" kk0sd

4 4

ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 02 Aug '20

02 Aug '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-215 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: * ISS MAI-75 SSTV Activity Planned For Aug 4-5 * AMSAT Awards Update * How Many Satellite Awards Have Been Issued? * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for August 2020 * First Demonstration Of Orbit Control On A 1U CubeSat * Burns Fisher, WB1JF, Featured Speaker at AMSAT SA Symposium * NASA to Provide Coverage of Astronauts' Return from ISS on SpaceX * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-215.01 ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 215.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 August 02 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-215.01 ISS MAI-75 SSTV Activity Planned For Aug 4-5 Russian cosmonauts will transmit amateur radio Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images from the International Space Station (ISS) during August 4-5 on 145.800 MHz FM (likely using PD-120). On July 9, ESA Education had Tweeted: “We are expecting the ISS to transmit pictures in the next weeks for the 45th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz test project. This is a perfect opportunity to try this activity for yourself!” https://twitter.com/ESA__Education/status/1281140713237946370 Apollo–Soyuz was the first international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in mid-July 1975. An announcement made July 27 on the ARISS SSTV Blog says: The final crew schedule for the week of Aug 3-9 was released recently and it showed a MAI-75 activity scheduled for Aug 4 and 5. This is soon after the Space X Demo-2 undock so changes to that event could impact the schedule. The current dates and times of the planned activity are as follows: Aug 4 (12:25-18:10 UTC) is setup and day 1 operations. Aug 5 (11:15-18:45 UTC) is day 2 operations and close out. This is the Moscow Aviation Institute SSTV experiment that is active for orbital passes over Moscow, Russia. It has traditional been PD-180 or PD-120 and transmitting on 145.800 MHz. Source ARISS STV Blog http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/ The ISS puts out a strong signal on 145.800 MHz FM and a 2m handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it. Many FM mobile and base station rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM (25 kHz channel spacing). Handhelds all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard. The space agency ESA has released a video ‘How to get pictures from the International Space Station via Amateur Radio’ along with a collection of Tutorial videos explaining how to receive ISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) pictures for different computers and mobile devices https://amsat-uk.org/2020/07/08/esa-promote-amateur-radio-iss-sstv/ Read the Raspberry Pi article Pictures from space via ham radio https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/pictures-from-space-via-ham-radio/ ISS SSTV info and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Awards Update Here are the awards issued in the last two months. The AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award is given to any operator for having made their first contact: Anthony Rizi, NR1Z Edward Hartzel, W3HMK James Brooks, KB3EFH Vilanova University ARC, W3YP Robin Shelley, G8VVY ------ The Oscar Satellite Communications Achievement Award is for working 20 contacts on any satellite: Anthony Rizi, NR1Z, #628 Angus Alexander, KJ7KOJ, #629 ------ The AMSAT Sexagesimal Satellite Communications Achievement Award is given for 60 satellite contacts: Stephan Greene, KS1G, #187 Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ, #188 ------ The AMSAT South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award is for 25 different stations on Phase 2 (LEO) satellites: Anthony Rizi, NR1Z, #US230 Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ, #US231 Angus Alexander, KJ7KOJ, #US232 ------ The Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Satellite Operator Achievement Award is awarded for the submission of 1,000 satellite contacts on OSCAR-6 or later satellites: W4AMI Award (1,000-4,000) Mitchell Whitman, N4DCW, #110 Mark Johns, K0JM, #111 David Hoffman, KL1XI, #112 Phillip Sauvey, AK7DD, #113 Dennis Love, N7EGY, #114 Kell Bodholt, KI7UXT, upgrade to 2000 ------ AMSAT Rover Award is based on a point system and is awarded to those who put grids on the air away from their home QTH: Rover Call ===== ======== #054 N0TEL #055 AK7DD #056 KE0WPA ------ GridMaster Award is presented to those who confirm QSOs with all 488 grids in the Continental U.S.: GridMaster Call ========== ======== #11 KO4MA #12 N4UFO #13 W5CBF To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org and click on Services then Awards. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- How Many Satellite Awards Have Been Issued? When Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, was asked by a ham last week how many awards he has issued, his response was, "You know, I really had no idea." Paige took over doing the AMSAT awards in May, 2001. Most of the awards have computer records. However, the Satellite Communicator Club award, he did not start keeping track of until 2003. So, you ask, how many awards has he issued? Paige says, "Satellite Communicator 407+ but my records only go back to 2003 South Africa Satellite Communication Achievement 167 AMSAT Satellite Communication Achievement 273 Sexagesimal (60 QSOs) 64 Century (100 QSOs) 24 W4AMI (1,000 QSOs) 81 W4AMI endorsements (each additional 1,000 QSOs) 66 W4AMI 5000 (5,000 QSOs) 25 Rover 55 GridMaster 13 and if I added correctly, it comes out to 1,165 plus whatever Satellite Communicator awards were issued in 2001 and 2002. That's a lot of certificate paper, a lot of ink and a bunch of envelopes and stiffeners to get them safely to their owners." Do you have one on your wall? If not, maybe you should submit for one or more so that one day I will hit 2,000 or 3,000 who knows. Visit the awards page at https://www.amsat.org/awards-2/ [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Awards-Endorsements for August 2020 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period July 1, 2020 through August 1, 2020. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! WOW! Long list this month! CALL July August W7QL 478 510 WI4T 301 461 N7EGY 405 456 PS8ET 350 434 AF5CC New 425 N9FN 303 403 HP2VX 351 377 WB7VUF 319 370 KC9UQR 301 332 W4ZXT 252 327 WA9JBQ 326 326 W4DTA 263 275 AK7DD New 255 N1PEB * 138 255 K4RGK 175 214 VE6WK New 207 S57NML 179 205 AC9O 108 204 YV1DIG 146 200 AA4FL 181 187 N3CAL 160 171 WD9EWK (DM23) 137 152 N7AME 128 148 WB7QXU New 140 K3HPA 102 128 VE2NGO 100 128 HB9WDF New 114 N5EKO 102 108 KP4RV 100 105 XE1R New 105 KB9STR New 104 N2ZN New 103 IK1IYU New 101 KF6JOQ New 101 N5MIG New 101 LU3FCA New 100 M0KDS New 100 N6RVI New 100 * For some reason, this call dropped off the list from February to now. If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at W5RKN at W5RKN dot com. This list was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work! [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- First Demonstration Of Orbit Control On A 1U CubeSat The University Wuerzburg Experimental Satellite 4 (UWE-4) successfully used its propulsion system in order to conduct orbit control. The 1U CubeSat, developed and built at the Chair for Robotics and Telematics, is equipped with the electric propulsion system NanoFEEP which has been developed by TU Dresden. Several manoeuvres have been performed within 11 days between June 23 and July 3, 2020 such that the altitude of the CubeSat was reduced by more than 100 meters, compared to an average of 21 meters with natural decay. This marks the first time in CubeSat history that a 1U CubeSat changed its orbit using an on-board propulsion system. As chance would have it, the team of UWE-4 received a conjunction data message (CDM) in the morning of July 2, 2020 from the United States Air Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron. A conjunction of UWE-4 with a non- operational Iridium satellite (ID: 34147) in the morning of July 5, 2020 with a minimum range of about 800 meters was a threat to the safety of UWE-4. An analysis has shown that the altitude of UWE-4 would already be below the Iridium satellite at the time of conjunction. Thus the on-going altitude lowering manoeuvre could only improve the situa- tion and can be considered as a collision avoidance manoeuvre. No furt- her CDMs have been issued regarding this possible conjunction. An anal- ysis of the orbit of the two spacecraft after July 5, 2020 results in a closest approach of more than 6000 meters. Lowering the altitude of a spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO) is equivalent to a reduction of its lifetime, since satellites in LEO usually burn up during re-entry due to the friction with the Earth’s atmosphere. Thus, this experiment is a concept demonstration of a de- orbiting manoeuvre shown at the smallest class of spacecraft in LEO. Today, there is no commitment to carry a propulsion system for space- craft. However, due to the vastly increasing number of satellites in mega constellations such obligations are being discussed in the space agencies of several space faring countries. The experiment of UWE-4 presents a de-orbiting solution for the fraction of space debris of operational but unused satellites of today and for the mega constella- tions of tomorrow. [U.S. regulations make the ability to de-orbit a requirement for HEO amateur satellites in the future -- Ed.] Stay tuned for more updates on UWE-4 and the upcoming launch of NetSat, a formation flying nano-satellite mission from the Center for Telema- tics which is expected to be launched September 2020! Kind regards, The UWE-4 Team UWE-4: First NanoFEEP thruster ignition https://amsat-uk.org/2019/03/04/uwe-4-first-nanofeep-thruster-ignition/ UWE-4 435.600 MHz https://bit.ly/39FdrPt [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Burns Fisher, WB1JF, Featured Speaker at AMSAT SA Symposium AMSAT of South Africa (AMSAT SA) has converted its annual Space Sympo- sium into a live online event to take place from 08:00z to 17:00z on Saturday 22 August with a lunch break to have your sandwiches at home. Burns Fisher, WB1JF, IHU Software Engineer and key volunteer in the construction of the Fox1 series of satellites, will join the symposium from the USA with two presentations. In one of his papers Burns will present a small, easy-to-deploy telemetry station called Fox-in-a-Box, a good way for amateurs to get started in satellite telemetry collec- tion with a modest investment. There will be features about AMSAT OSCAR 7, the longest operating ama- teur satellite, as well as about SATNOGs and how to track and decode thousands of small satellites in orbit with simple hardware/software requiring minimal outlay. Dr. Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, and his team will present the latest developments in the AfriCUBE project. To book, visit www.amsatsa.org.za. Members of the SARL or AMSATSA and may register before 15 August for a cost of only R30. Non-members may register prior to this date for a cost of R100 (approximately $6 U.S.) but the AMSAT SA website only offers instructions for registration via postal mail. Contact AMSAT SA to explore other possible options. [ANS thanks SARL News and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above informa- tion] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NASA to Provide Coverage of Astronauts' Return from ISS on SpaceX NASA will provide live coverage of activities leading up to, during, and following the return of the agency's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with the agency's astronauts Robert Behnken, KE5GGX, and Douglas Hurley from the International Space Station. The duo arrived at the orbiting laboratory on May 31, following a suc- cessful launch on May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Ken- nedy Space Center in Florida. NASA and SpaceX are targeting 7:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 1, for un- docking of the Dragon "Endeavour" spacecraft from the space station and 2:42 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, for splashdown, which will be the first re- turn of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft carrying astronauts from the space station. Coverage on NASA TV and the agency's website will begin at 20.30z on Aug. 1, with a short farewell ceremony on station and resume at 21.00z with departure preparations through splashdown and recovery at one of seven targeted water landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Watch at https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS 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. 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 cancella- tions or postponements of school contacts. The most recent contact was with the American School of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS on Thursday, 2020-07-30 at 16:41:42 UTC. The scheduled astronaut was Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. The contact was successful, and the recording may be found at https://youtu.be/MSyfzEHYwrE [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: Do you need Hawaii? NH7WN on AO-7 Most days. Reach out for a schedule. EN57, EN56, EN67, 8/2 – 8/8: N8MR, will be in EN57 from August 2nd through August 8th. He may also activate EN56 and 67. Roving will be holiday style. DM97/98 & EM08/09, 8/29 & 8/30: Super Rover @AD0DX is heading out for the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come. Major Roves: AD0HJ, is heading out again for the South Dakota Super Rove Part I Rove Map: Grids DN74, DN75, DN84, DN85, DN94, DN95, EN04, EN05, EN14, EN15, EN16, and EN17. July 31st through August 7th. See the Twitter post at https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1284669314637930499 to get passes and times. Then as if that isn’t enough, there is more: South Dakota Super Rove Part II Rove Map: Grids DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93, EN02, EN03, EN12, EN24, and EN25. August 17th through August 21st. Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overnfor, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meet- ings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have been cancelled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the information contained below is correct, there may be some that we missed. We wish all of you safekeeping and hope to be at a hamfest near you soon. A copy of the AMSAT hamfest brochure is available for download from: https://bit.ly/2ygVFmV This color brochure is designed to be printed double-sided and folded into a tri-fold handout. To include your upcoming AMSAT presentation and/or demonstration, please send an email to ambassadors (at) amsat (dot) org. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP-User Services for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), September 11 - 13. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's conference will be held online. Papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings; authors do not need to participate. Submit papers by August 15 via email to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + AMSAT-UK has announced the OSCAR Satellite QSO Party, aimed at en- couraging radio amateurs around the world to get on the air and make contacts via satellite during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. While points are given per contact, AMSAT-UK says the OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is not a contest. The event starts at 0000 UTC on August 1 and continues until 2359 UTC on September 22. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information) + W5KUB's high-altitude balloon went down around July 21 between Green- land and Norway after 72 days aloft and more than three trips around Earth. "It got stuck in the Arctic for several weeks, making loops," Tom Medlin, W5KUB, said. "We are getting ready to launch W5KUB-21, an SBS-13 balloon with lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Testing on ground is showing that we are getting 24-hour tracking. We hope to launch that in the next week or two." (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + NASA's latest rover, Perseverance, launched to Mars on July 30 carry- chips with 10.9 million names submitted by people all over the world. Anyone can sign up to send their name on a future Mars mission at https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/mars2020/ (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Kerry Banke, N6IZW, was featured in an article published in the La Mesa Courier newspaper of La Mesa, Calif. on July 24. The article highlighted Kerry's association with ARISS, particularly his work on the new special power supply that converts the space station power to the levels that are required by ham radio equipment aboard the ISS. See the full story at https://lamesacourier.com/space-radio/ (ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information) + NASA and its international partners have assigned crew members for Crew-2, which will be the second operational SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the International Space Station as part of NASA?s Commer- cial Crew Program. Crew-2 is targeted to launch in spring 2021. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will serve as space- craft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG, will join as mission specialists. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + The 34th Annual Small Satellite Conference, SmallSat 2020, is going virtual, August 1-6, 2020. Admission is free of charge at: https://smallsat.org/conference/registration (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + The public disclosure copy of AMSAT's 2019 IRS filing (Form 990) has been posted to the AMSAT website at: https://www.amsat.org/audit-and-other-financial-reports/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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, Mark D. Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

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QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo satellite presentation.
by tjschuessler＠verizon.net 01 Aug '20

01 Aug '20

Hi all, I was able to slip under the wire and obtain what turns out to be the very last presenter slot for the upcoming QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo event this coming weekend, August 8 and 9, https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/ . I will be doing a "Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites presentation which is scheduled at the conclusion of the second day of the event, starting at 2245Z on Sunday August 9th. The first half of the hour will be a pre-recorded and edited talk I submitted to them for playback at that time, followed by a live Q and A session for those attending real time. My recorded piece also includes a tour of my portable setup as well as part of a contact on RS-44. The event organizers will then archive that presentation and Q and A, along with the others for the weekend for on-demand streaming over the next month. I also get to have a virtual "Table" with downloads that can be grabbed and viewed at a later time, just like a real information table. I only had about a day to put together the edited 30 minutes and felt like I had to rush through things and definately know I forgot items and concepts that I hope to be able to bring up during the Q and A. I hope though that it will be enough to grab the interest of the hearers. The event organizers have come up with a cool way to spur ongoing interest in participating in as much of the event activities as possible, by giving points for every activity viewed. These points act as virtual tickets in a prize drum and can accumulate for the month following the live Expo. The more activities one takes in, the more tickets, and thus, the more chances to win a cool selection of prizes. If you know someone who is interested in learning more about our fascinating niche of the amateur radio hobby, please do send them to the event and point out the presentation time on August 9, or the post event archives. I think they are planning on doing this again next March and I do hope to have an improved video presentation by then. 73 and hope to see you, virtually at least. Tom Schuessler, N5HYP EM12ms

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