- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Low-Power FM (broadcast band) Transmitter?
by Scott 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

I hope the group doesn't mind a non-ham question since we're all trying to help our communities in this difficult time. Can anyone recommend a low-power transmitter for broadcast on the commercial FM radio band? An LPFM license can be acquired asap, but the first order of business is finding some hardware. As you can imagine, church gatherings are out of the question so I've been asked to see if I can locate a "drive-in theater" type transmitter for short-range broadcasting to car radios. Interested in commercial products only; thanks but not something I want to build & be responsible for maintaining. Thanks very much a good wishes to all. -Scott, K4KDR

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Yaesu G-5500 question
by Bob Hammond 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

I have my M2 LEO antennas plus a WiMo 23cm helical antenna end-mounted on a fiberglass boom with the G-5500. I also placed a counterbalance lead weight opposite the antennas. I think I've asked this question before and if so I'm asking it again because, well, I CRS: How many of you with similar antennas and a G-5500 have NOT used a counterbalance? Any issues? Bob W7OTJ

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Question on 23cm WiMo Helix
by Thomas Schaefer 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Reading the prior posts about the counterbalance, made me think again about adding the 23 cm helix antenna to my sat beams before they go up, but I wanted to check my thinking on this… There appears to be only one L band satellite, AO-92. That is an uplink. Given that, I obviously have no need for a preamp. But I also believe that I need not worry too much about using anything better than LMR-400. In checking the Times Microwave loss calculator, using LMR400 over a 50 foot run would lose 2.6 dB. Using LMR-600, would lose 1.7 dB. 7/8” hardline would be .8 dB. But given that the Helix has 13 dBd, that is over 100 watts at the antenna. Plenty AO-92. So while cable loss seems academic, are there any satellites in the works accessible from the US with an L band downlink? If not, it appears LMR-400 is just fine (even with a short loop of LMR-400 UF at the top for the rotor). Thanks, Tom Schaefer, NY4I Blog: www.ny4i.com Madeira Beach, FL (Grid: EL87ot)

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FoxDelta trackers
by James Brown 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Thanks Gang Both Fox Delta trackers are committed! Jim KI6WJ

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Re: [amsat-bb] Yaesu G-5500 Question
by MICHAEL WILLIAMS 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

My thinking has been to put it out of balance, especially with the light weight satellite antennas we use. In a perfectly balanced system, the wind will work the gearing back and forth. In an unbalanced system, the gears will stay meshed in one direction not working the internal parts when the antennas are moving or are at rest. It's difficult to balance a system when coax and preamps added to the rear. It's also good to have the least wind resistance when SatPC32 returns antennas to the rest position The Yaesu elevation rotors are pretty tough. I used an Alliance U-110 for years with no problems. Talk about out of balance, check my qrz page. Good luck with this. It has been an interesting subject. 73, Mike (K9QHO)

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Yaesu G-5500 question
by Roy Dean 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

For what it's worth, I've been using a (prior to me owning it) well used G5400 for the past year with end mounted M2 Leo-Pack yagis..... with no problems at all. My rotator is low enough that "mid mounting" the array (on a fiberglass boom) is not possible, and counterweighting would likely involve a large weight due to the lack of moment arm length available off the back of the array. If/when it fails, I'll be sure to report my findings to this group. --Roy K3RLD

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Test - Please ignore
by Ronald Parsons 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Uyugg ii ikbkjkj hkj bk kkjkhk kkjk vjhv jhbjhb bkb bk jbj hb N3GS 624 652 K9UO 550 565 KK4YEL 413 504 jtff uyuyg ugg

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Garmin ETREX 10 GPS
by alex weimer 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Thanks to all who answered my request. I now have the info I needed .. Looks like it's the way to go for me . Thank you Paul and Patrick

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Re: [amsat-bb] Yaesu G-5500 question
by Bob Hammond 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Thanks for the quick replies M5ET, NR0T, and VE3NXK. The M2 LEO antennas are designed to be end-mounted and M2 has no idea how they'll perform if mid-mounted as they aren't designed for that. Hence, my counterbalance scheme. Bob W7OTJ On Thu, Apr 2, 2020 at 8:01 AM Bill Booth <ve3nxk(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > How many of you with similar antennas and a G-5500 have NOT used a > > counterbalance? > > I did not balance mine in the current install. I did move the mounting > brackets > on the boom when I had the A40 dish on the main boom to help with balance. > > Attached pic of current setup. > > > > -- > Bill Booth VE3NXK > Sundridge ON, Canada > 79.23.37 W x 45.46.18 N > FN05ns > > Visit my weather WebCam at http://www.almaguin.com/wxcurrent/weather.html > > Organ and Tissue Donation - The Gift of Life > Talk to your family. Your decision can make a difference. >

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Fwd: iPhone Program
by Mark L. Hammond 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

For ease of use and setup (just add the satellites you want), I find SatSat to be perfect for what I want to do; including a nice feature to add a calendar reminder with notification! Easy to see passes for the next week, etc. Try a few---use what works for you! ;) Mark N8MH On Thu, Apr 2, 2020 at 9:53 AM BRAD SMITH via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > I use the HamSat app from the App Store. It is so easy. I have tried > others and not been satisfied. Brad KC9UQR > > Sent from Brad’s iPad > _______________________________________________ > 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 > -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH] -- Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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iPhone Program
by BRAD SMITH 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

I use the HamSat app from the App Store. It is so easy. I have tried others and not been satisfied. Brad KC9UQR Sent from Brad’s iPad

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Re: [amsat-bb] Satelitte Rig, IC-7900 Pros & Cons
by Yono Adisoemarta 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Coming from Yaesu FT-847 and Kenwood TS-2000, I like my IC-9700 very much. 73 de Yono YD0NXX Sent from my iPhone > On Mar 30, 2020, at 4:58 AM, ke4kol via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >

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Satelitte Rig, IC-7900 Pros & Cons
by ke4kol 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Thinking about updating my sat station. Any and all suggestions appreciated. Thaks,Jim Ke4kol

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Re: [amsat-bb] I phone
by Pedro Converso 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

On Iphone try http://amsat.org.ar/pass also shows freqs+Doppler. Once started via Inet could run without connection. 73, lu7abf, Pedro

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I phone
by 73 Bob W7LRD 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

Hi all- What is good app for satellite tracking for a i phone? 73 Bob W7LRD

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Re: [amsat-bb] VUCC Standings formatting
by Matthew Chambers 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

That might be a problem as my email client doesn't have a plain text mode, all emails are HTML with no user changeable settings. I could make all my emails plain text but then it would be server wide for me and anyone else on the domain. And it would wipe out everyone's signature files which would have to be remade in plain text. I just wonder why the email list can't grow with the rest of the internet? Matthew Chambers, CBT, NR0Q Owner/Engineer *M Chambers Communications Engineering LLC* PO BOX 855, Moberly, MO 65270 Mobile (660)415-5620 www.mchambersradio.com On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 2:02 PM Mark D. Johns <mjohns+K0JM(a)luther.edu> wrote: > The reflector will not take attachments. But do make sure you set the > email client into "Plain text" mode before you put the data into it. > -- > Mark D. Johns, KØJM > AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor > Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd > ----------------------------------------------- > "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, > you would stay out and your dog would go in." > ---Mark Twain > > On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 1:41 PM Matthew Chambers via AMSAT-BB > <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > > > Maybe type it up in a word processor in a table and copy that to your > email > > client? Another idea and this is what my local club does for anything > that > > we want "pretty" formatting on something. Is attach it as a PDF to the > > email and have a minimal blurb that says go read the attached PDF. > > > > Not sure if PDF's would make it across the email reflector, might be a > sign > > that it's started falling behind with the current state of tech. This is > > the only one that I belong to that blows up on embedded HTML and images. > > Most have moved to Groups.IO. > > > > Matthew Chambers, CBT, NR0Q > > Owner/Engineer > > *M Chambers Communications Engineering LLC* > > PO BOX 855, Moberly, MO 65270 > > Mobile (660)415-5620 > > www.mchambersradio.com > > > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 10:46 AM Ronald Parsons via AMSAT-BB < > > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > > > > I'm sorry about the formatting of the standings. I've been searching > for > > > the > > > magic bullet to list columns of data neatly, but the trial this month > > > turned > > > out really bad. If anyone knows the secret, please let me know, > > > > > > Ron W5RKN > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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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VE8RT on AO91 earlier today
by Ron VE8RT 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

No it wasn't an April fools day prank, I was on AO91 for a few minutes (before the footprint was too far north) and worked a few stations. It was to be a demonstration of amateur satellite communications for a Canadian Broadcasting Corp locally produced program. Thanks to all who were on. As the antenna, radio, and log keeping were too much of a challenge outdoors (temperature was about -18C or 0F with a windchill around -27C) I used an old recorder for logging. For the most part it worked well, there is at least one call sign I'm having trouble picking out. I've had some help improving the quality, but if someone wanted a copy of the MP3 file to try their luck at getting more out of it I'll send them the file. Its just over 5 min long. Ron VE8RT in DP22 -- Ron VE8RT <ve8rt(a)yknwt.ca>

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Test - Please ignore
by Ronald Parsons 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNMqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm 1234567890 1234567890 12345 67890 QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNMqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm 1234567890 1234567890 12345 67890 QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNMqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm 1234567890 1234567890 12345 67890 QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNMqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm 1234567890 1234567890 12345 67890 A B C D . A B C D . A B C D . A B C D .

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rotator controllers available
by James Brown 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

I have two Fox Delta ST-2 rotator interfaces avilable. These are good working units and be great for new station set ups. I ran a G5500 rotor and satpc32 with one. The other is new spare. Google Fox Delta for details. Jim KI6WJ

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Garmin ETREX10 maidenhead grids ??
by alex weimer 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

Does anyone know if the Garmin Etrex10 GPS has Maidenhead grids built in ? I cannot find any info and when I call Garmin the people I talk do have no idea.. Thanks JACK KC7MG

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AO-92 in L/v at 0157z for 24 hours 1 April 2020
by Mark L. Hammond 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

No foolin'! 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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M-2 SAT Pack #1
by Gerald Witalec 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

Has anyone used this eggbeater antenna from M-2 company with great results to track the SATS? Jerry...W8RQM

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Tab Delimited Test
by Roy Dean 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

W4ZXT 150 202 K5ZM 135 179 WD9EWK 148 164 N4QX 125 150 I suspect that this wont work because gmail is not allowing me to insert tab delimited data. It's inserting it as space delimited. :( --Roy K3RLD

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Test - ignore
by Ronald Parsons 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

Now is the time for . Title ABC DEF _____ ______ _____ KLM 123 566 NOP 987 6542 . all good men. Sig

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VUCC Standings formatting
by Ronald Parsons 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

I'm sorry about the formatting of the standings. I've been searching for the magic bullet to list columns of data neatly, but the trial this month turned out really bad. If anyone knows the secret, please let me know, Ron W5RKN

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VUCC Standings for April 2020
by Ronald Parsons 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

VUCC Awards-Endorsements for April 2020 Happy April Fools Day. Happy Birthday to me! A lot of roves are being canceled as travel is more difficult. Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period March 1, 2020 through April 1, 2020. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! CALL Mar Apr N3GS 624 652 K9UO 550 565 KK4YEL 413 504 G0ABI 453 454 KB2YSI 101 450 AD0HJ 405 425 N7EGY 351 405 KC9VGG 228 310 N9FN 207 303 PT9BM 225 255 KC9UQR 240 252 WA9JBQ 175 225 W4ZXT 150 202 K5ZM 135 179 WD9EWK (DM41) 148 164 WD9EWK (DM22) 131 150 N4QX 125 138 XE2YWH 102 137 EA2AA 101 125 IZ1ERR New 112 N7JY New 106 KE4BKL New 101 AA7WB New 100 DP0GVN New 100 If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. 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 much of the work! Ron W5RKN

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Satpc32 Access Key
by PETER BUDNIK 30 Mar '20

30 Mar '20

Fellow Amsat members. Hope all are well. With Amsat being closed. I did purchase SATPC32 from the AMSAT store. Who usually sends out the program key? Or do i have to wait till we are all back to normal? Thanks for any ones times! 73 and stay well Peter,KB1HY

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Re: [amsat-bb] Local stay-in voice nets
by andy thomas 30 Mar '20

30 Mar '20

hi Bob, we are doing the same here in the UK , the Welland Valley ARS now has a quick call around on 2 metres at 4pm local time, social in nature and also taking food orders. I expect the nets are springing up everywhere. It's a new use for amateur radio. 73 de andy g0sfj

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Local stay-in voice nets
by Robert Bruninga 29 Mar '20

29 Mar '20

With everyone isolated at home, The local Goddard ARC began holding daily noon-time chat nets to keep everyone socially connected. SOunds like a good idea since it is rare to hear anyone at all on any of our several dozen Wash dc/baltimore repeaters these days. Bob, Wb4APR

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ANS-089 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark D. Johns 28 Mar '20

28 Mar '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-089 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 at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Sean Kutzko, KX9X, Appointed AMSAT Volunteer Coordinator * AMSAT Office Closed Until Further Notice * First Satellite Contact to be Noted in May QST * Amateur Radio Satellite Spreads Fight Coronavirus Message * Ham Talk Live! Interviews Frank Bauer, KA3HDO * ISS Crew Transition Affected by CoViD-19 * Upcoming ARISS Contacts * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-089.01 ANS-089 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 089.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 Mar 29 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-089.01 Sean Kutzko, KX9X, Appointed AMSAT Volunteer Coordinator AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, has announced the appointment of Sean Kutzko, KX9X, as Volunteer Coordinator. First licensed in 1982 as KA9NGH, Kutzko served as both ARRL Contest Branch Manager (2007-2013) and ARRL Media and Public Relations Mana- ger (2013-2017). He was the creator and co-administrator of the ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program in 2016. An active HF and VHF contester, DXer and backpack QRP enthusiast, Kutzko started work- ing satellites in 2011 and has transmitted from over fifty different grid squares. He has written instructional materials on satellite op- erating for the AMSAT website, QST, and blogs regularly on satellite topics for the DX Engineering blog "On All Bands." "It's an honor to be able to volunteer for AMSAT," Kutzko said. "When [new AMSAT president] Clayton [Coleman, W5PFG] asked if I would help coordinate a team of volunteers, I jumped at the opportunity. AMSAT is a great organization and helping find good volunteers who are willing to help all areas of AMSAT's growth and development is the least I could do for the organization that has given me a lot of enjoyment and technical skill." Outside of Amateur Radio, Kutzko is a freelance PR/communications consultant and voiceover artist, as well as a baker of artisan breads, pizza and pastries. He also plays drums in a classic rock/country band, Silverweed. He lives in Urbana, Illinois. [ANS thanks AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, for the above in- formation] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Office Closed Until Further Notice Due to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's order closing all non-essential businesses in the State of Maryland in response to the COVID-19 pan- demic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice, effective to- day at 5:00pm EDT. While the office is closed, AMSAT will continue to accept new and renewal memberships. However, membership packets will not be mailed until the office reopens. T-shirts, hats, and other items stocked in the office will also not be available until the office reopens. Dig- ital downloadable content, including SatPC32 and MacDoppler will re- main available from the AMSAT store. Antenna, name badge, and awards orders will be forwarded for processing. The March/April issue of The AMSAT Journal will be produced on time. However, it may only be possible to publish it in digital format. Stay tuned for further updates. Any questions about memberships, orders, or office operations can be sent to info at amsat.org. Please note that no mail or phone service will be available until the office reopens. Vendors billing AMSAT for goods or services may email the above address to arrange payment. [ANS thanks the AMSAT office for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ First Satellite Contact to be Noted in May QST Those who are ARRL members may be interested in the Technical Corres- pondence article in the forthcoming May 2020 QST, entitled "The 60th Anniversary of the First Satellite Contact." The contact to which it refers took place on February 6, 1960, six months before NASA's Project Echo, between W2RS and K3JTE (now W3PK), making use of a propagation mode first reported by W8JK (SK), which he called "the satellite ionization phenomenon." The May 2020 QST article describes what we did and what has been learn- ed since then about the ionosphere and how W8JK's mechanism works. For further reading about the contact, see the article in Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, September 1961. For more about the satellite ionization phenomenon, see the chapter by W8JK in S.F. Singer, ed., Interactions of Space Vehicles With an Ionized Atmosphere, Pergamon Press, 1965. The May issue of QST is expected to be published in mid-April. [ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio Satellite Spreads Fight Coronavirus Message Indonesia’s national amateur radio society ORARI reports the ham radio satellite LAPAN-A2 (IO-86) is being used to send a Fight Coronavirus message using APRS. A translation of the ORARI post says: The satellite spreads the text message “Stay Healthy, Stay at Home #LawanCorona”. This was conveyed by Researcher of the Center for Satellite Technology, Sonny Dwi Harsono when contacted, Friday, March 20, 2020. Sonny explained, this action was a form of support for government pol- icies on social distancing. The policy encourages all of us to reduce activities outside the home and interactions with others. “So this mes- sage was sent by the LAPAN A2 satellite via the APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) beacon which was transmitted throughout Indonesia. APRS is a text based communication system for short messages such as SMS on mobile phones. But this APRS message can only be received through HT (Handie Talkie) which has the recipient of the APRS mess- age,” he said. Sonny explained, messages that have been disseminated can be received by anyone by setting the HT radio frequency to 145.825 MHz. To date corona’s message has been received by dozens of members of the Indo- nesian Radio Amateur Organization (ORARI) spread throughout Indonesia. The dissemination of the message was carried out starting March 20. For the time being the message dissemination was carried out on the APRS mission only. But it will try to spread the message one time at a LAPAN-A2 / LAPAN-ORARI track every 100 minutes. “Later if possible, we try to distribute 24 hours nonstop every 100 minutes under certain con- ditions. Currently we are discussing the technicalities. The messages from the government can also be disseminated via the LAPAN-A2 satel- lite," he concluded. Source ORARI https://tinyurl.com/IndonesiaORARI Follow LAPAN-A2 https://twitter.com/lapansat [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Ham Talk Live! Interviews Frank Bauer, KA3HDO Ham Talk Live! host Neal Rapp, WB9VPG recently interviewed Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, for an informative look at recent events in the ARISS program. Bauer, who is AMSAT Vice President, Human Spaceflight and ARISS Inter- national Chair was interviewed on Thursday, March 26, 2020. In the interview Bauer covers ARISS' four-year effort to update the ISS Amateur Radio station with its next generation radio system, the Interoperable Radio System (IORS). The IORS consists of a specially modified JVC-Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver and the AMSAT-NA developed multi-voltage power supply. The complete interview can be heard at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-089-Bauer [ANS thanks Neil Rapp, WB9VPG for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Crew Transition Affected by CoViD-19 The International Space Station Expedition 62 crew, consisting of NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Meir, Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan, KI5AAA, and Commander Oleg Skripochka, RA0LDJ, are readying their Soyuz MS-15 crew ship for departure on April 17. Meanwhile, the crew that will re- place them is nearing its launch scheduled for April 9 aboard the Soyuz MS-16 crew ship. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner arrived this week at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final training. The Expedition 63 trio is due to live aboard the station for 195 days with Cassidy as commander. (ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information) NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy’s family will be watching remotely from halfway around the world when he blasts off April 9 from Kazakhstan to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. That’s because travel restrictions and stringent social distancing guidelines instituted to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic will limit the ability for family members to travel to the Baikonur Cosmo- drome for the launch. Launch day at Baikonur is usually a festive af- fair. “But it’ll be completely quiet,” Cassidy said in a satellite in- terview from Star City, Russia. “There won’t be anybody there." (ANS thanks spaceflightnow.com for the above information) NASA already has a long-held strategy in place for preventing astro- nauts from carrying any nasty bugs with them to space. All astronauts going to orbit must go through a two-week period of quarantine called “health stabilization,” according to NASA. That way, the agency can make sure the crew is not incubating any illnesses before launch. How- ever, NASA said it “will continue to evaluate and augment this plan, in coordination with its international and commercial partners” if needed. In the meantime, Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, has de- cided to shut down all media activity surrounding the Soyuz launch, barring journalists from covering the mission in person. Russia will still live stream the launch, and NASA typically airs all of its crew- ed launches on its own online TV channel. The return of the Expedition 62 crew in mid-April would typically in- volve large numbers of recovery personnel. SpaceX will be ready to send its first crew of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Crew Dragon capsule sometime in May. NASA has not provided any details if those operations would change in light of the pandemic. (ANS thanks theverge.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contacts 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. Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tuesday 2020-03-31 08:50 UTC ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancella- tions or postponements of school contacts. As always, ARISS will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates at the ARISS webpage: https://www.ariss.org/ The contact scheduled for Wednesday 2020-03-25 with SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. [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 River Bend Wireless Rove (EN22, EN33, EN34, EN42, EN43, EN44) April 2-4, 2020 Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ, is looking to add six more grids to his ro- ver basket just before the April 4 AMSAT presentation/demonstration at the River Bend Wireless and Mechanical Society in Faribault, Minn. Mitch will be activating the EN43/EN44 grid line on April 2nd, the EN32/EN42 grid line on April 3rd, and the EN33/EN34 grid line on April 4th, 2020. Watch Mitch’s Twitter feed as the dates approach for a de- tailed schedule. https://twitter.com/AD0HJ >From the Mountains to the Bay (CM88,89,98,99 DM09,19,29 DN00,01,02,10,11,20,21) April 12-21, 2020 R.J. Bragg, WY7AA, is hitting the asphalt again, roving from Wyoming to Vacaville, Calif. He’s attending a class from April 15-19, so most of the roving will be outside of this time. Grids to be covered in- clude: CM88,89,98,99 DM09,19,29 DN00,01,02,10,11,20,21. Specific pass details will be posted on WY7AA QRZ page and Twitter (https://twitter.com/WY7AA) as the trip approaches. Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP-User Services for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Nothing to do while quarantined by Covid-19? How about making a paper model of the satellite, DIWATA-1, the first satellite designed and built in the Philippines: https://tinyurl.com/ujukexd (ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above information) + There has been lengthy discussion this week on the AMSAT email bul- letin board, amsat-bb, about inconsiderate operators on FM satel- lites. A document by Sean Kutzko, KX9X, published back in 2017, is still an excellent guide to best practices on these birds. See it at https://tinyurl.com/ybw5e2ng (ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, for the above information) + The coronavirus has had effects on many space activities this week: Virgin Orbit is reassessing schedules, Blue Origin in hard-hit Seat- tle is mostly working online, Arianespace suspended launches from French Guiana and Russia recalled and quarantined its personnel, ESA mission control is working from home, and some spaceports are closed worldwide. (ANS thanks orbitalindex.com for the above information) + One thing astronauts have to be good at: living in confined spaces for long periods of time. Find yourself in a similar scenario? NASA astronaut Anne McClain recently posted a lengthy Twitter thread with pro-tips for getting through your time at home. It begins at: https://tinyurl.com/tqh3hke (ANS thanks orbitalindex.com for the above information) + At least on the ISS astronauts don't have the added task of caring for and educating kids. If your current confinement capsul is equip- ped with youngsters in grades K-4, there are resources for you at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-k-4.html (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + The Folding@home project is a distributed computing project that is currently running calculations to analyze protein structures on the COVID-19 project. Donate your spare computer time to help this project and consider joining AMSAT's team (#67910). More information at https://foldingathome.org/covid19/. AMSAT's team standings can be found at https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/69710 --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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, K0JM at amsat dot org

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[Video] A year along the geostationary orbit
by John Brier 28 Mar '20

28 Mar '20

Spectacular imagery. Intellectually I knew typhoons/hurricanes are a part of the global weather system, not things that randomly "happen" to humans, but this really put that into perspective, among other things. https://vimeo.com/342333493 "Himawari 8, Japan’s most advanced meteorological satellite, travels 35,786 km above Earth, at more than 11000 km/h. It observes the Eastern Hemisphere day and night. For one year we look through the eyes of the distant observer. From solstice to solstice, from pole to pole, from storm to storm, we watch Earth’s beauty and fragility, weather’s wonders, forces, and disasters. From space, it all looks miraculous." https://dceff.org/film/year-along-geostationary-orbit/ 73, John Brier KG4AKV P.S. I hope everyone is handling the Coronavirus as well as possible. My state just instituted a month long shelter in place policy.

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Controller/Interface for iMAC to G-5500
by Carl A Estey 28 Mar '20

28 Mar '20

What hardware interface (Controller) do you recommend for use on an Yaesu G-5500 az-e rotor, IC-9700, MacDopper s/w and running a iMac (mod 2011) running High Sierra OS? Carl WA0CQG

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Indian Students are offered to Learn Ham Radio in Lockdown
by Rajesh Vagadia - VU2EXP 28 Mar '20

28 Mar '20

(Initiative to popularise Ham Radio and Amateur Radio Satellite activities) *ARE YOU TIRED IN LOCKDOWN?* *Indian Students *are offered to* Learn from Home* about Interesting Scientific Hobby - *Amateur Radio!* *Dear students & friends,* Feel Free to *Learn & Ask any Questions* regarding; Ham radio, It's Applications, Operating Procedure, Getting Licence, Amateur Satellites, ARISS Events, Satellite Communication, Ham events, Emergency Communication etc. *WhatsApp any of your Questions* to active Indian Ham Operator Rajesh P. Vagadia VU2EXP on M: *9898283916* or *Call during* *10:00 AM - 1:00 PM* & *4:00 PM - 7:00 PM* (IST) (Keep us engage up to 14th April 2020) *We will be Happy to Answer your every Queries.* Thanks & 73 Rajesh P Vagadia - VU2EXP Rajkot - Gujarat (India) Regional Co-ordinator West India Zone AMSAT-INDIA M: 9898283916 E: vu2exp(a)gmail.com www.qrz.com/db/vu2exp *Stay Home • Be Safe • Learn More*

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Re: [amsat-bb] Trying to get back on the sats... but G-5500 Failure
by Michael Hatzakis Jr MD 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

Jerry, Just for perspective. That rotor has been up for 15 years or more. Been through multiple major storms, snow, ice, etc and has been flawless for that entire time. This is the first failure in all that time, and more than likely related to sitting dormant for 6 years. So, I would say, that is pretty darn good. Can’t speak for others, but I don’t have an issues with that duration of a failure free period. Michael Hatzakis Jr MD. K3MH > On Mar 27, 2020, at 2:21 PM, Gerald Witalec <jplanner(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > Hi Michael, > Been reading a lot on the AMSAT-BB and amazed about how many of you are having problems with such an expensive rotor. > I have decided not to purchase it and going to build my SAT station instead with servo motors. > > Jerry...W8RQM > > On Friday, March 27, 2020, 4:58:27 PM EDT, Michael Hatzakis Jr MD via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > > Hi guys/gals, > > I used to be very active on the Sats, and for years; have a great set-up, but thanks to life events, went dark for about 5-6 years. > > Trying to find a silver lining in this COVID crisis, while my business is in the tank, thought I would get back to my love of the birds. > > Unfortunately, I turned on my G-5500 controller and suddenly find the elevation portion of the rotor isnt responding. Rotation is fine. Thanks to my fearless days of my 40’s, the antenna is up on the chimney in a set up thats a little challenging to service, so I am looking for what I can do on the ground to try to debug and prepare first, before embarking on a roof expedition. > > What are the common reasons for the elevation rotator to stop responding? is there much I can do on the ground to debug, and/or prepare when I go up on the roof to check the rotor out? What are the repair options? > > Michael Hatzakis Jr MD K3MH > mail(a)hatzakis.net <mailto:[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> > _______________________________________________ > 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 <https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb>

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Shortening M2 2MCP22?
by Rich Gopstein 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

I have an old 2mcp22 antenna that I would like to put up, but it's almost 20 feet long... Since I don't need that much gain for the current batch of satellites, I was wondering if I can use only one boom section and end up with a shorter 10 (2x5) element antenna. Would that have any undesirable effects (other than reducing gain and increasing beam width)? Thanks. Rich, KD2CQ

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Be on the lookout for YV stations on the birds
by The Romagni's 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

Hello all, I been involved with a project teaching how to get on sats with a group of hams down in Venezuela - the result has been amazing, and now about 10 to 15 stations are getting on the birds (most of the on the FM birds) - so be in the look out for some activity from YV Land. 73 Steve W4DTA / YV5DTA

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Trying to get back on the sats... but G-5500 Failure
by Michael Hatzakis Jr MD 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

Hi guys/gals, I used to be very active on the Sats, and for years; have a great set-up, but thanks to life events, went dark for about 5-6 years. Trying to find a silver lining in this COVID crisis, while my business is in the tank, thought I would get back to my love of the birds. Unfortunately, I turned on my G-5500 controller and suddenly find the elevation portion of the rotor isnt responding. Rotation is fine. Thanks to my fearless days of my 40’s, the antenna is up on the chimney in a set up thats a little challenging to service, so I am looking for what I can do on the ground to try to debug and prepare first, before embarking on a roof expedition. What are the common reasons for the elevation rotator to stop responding? is there much I can do on the ground to debug, and/or prepare when I go up on the roof to check the rotor out? What are the repair options? Michael Hatzakis Jr MD K3MH mail(a)hatzakis.net <mailto:[email protected]>

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Kenwood TM-D700A Duplex Settings
by E.Mike McCardel 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

I’m setting up a Kenwood TM-D700A for use on the FM birds. I’m having issues to getting it to work full duplex. Could someone post or send me a copy of the settings they are using for their working setup? Thank you, 73, EMike McCardel, AA8EM Past Senior Editor AMSAT News Service Past AMSAT-NA VP Educational Relations Former ARRL, Ohio Section, Affiliated Club Coordinator

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Re: [amsat-bb] AlphaSpid Green Heron rotor controller PstRotator (noise)
by Robert Bruninga 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

If it is the ramp-up PWM modulation, then I guess worst case is to somehow put a muffler box around the motor to keep the neighbors happy. But the vibrations are probbbly well couipled to the shafts and antenna system, so just muffling the motor might be not as effective. Wrap a towel around the motor for a quick test and see how much that attenuates the noise. Bob -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Burns Fisher via AMSAT-BB Sent: Friday, March 27, 2020 3:04 PM To: Kevin <wa7fwf(a)gmail.com> Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AlphaSpid Green Heron rotor controller PstRotator Is the Alfa-Spid stepper motor based? Certainly the feedback is digital. But I could certainly imagine a bunch of fast steps sounds like a beep. My G5500 actually makes a slightly odd noise too. I sounds almost like a clock being wound. I'm guessing it has something to do with the brake?? Does the A-S have one? Maybe sound insulation is going to be your best bet. On Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 9:10 PM Kevin via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > I do not own one but looking at the documentation for the controller I > noticed this, "gradual startup and shutdown of rotor power to reduce > stress on towers, antennas and rotors. This is achieved by > pulse-width-modulating the operating voltage for the rotor." > > That could very well be the source of the "beeping" with the windings > in the motor singing. > > 73 > Kevin WA7FWF > > On 3/26/2020 17:47, Jeff via AMSAT-BB wrote: > > Green Heron R-21 controller > > _______________________________________________ > 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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AlphaSpid Green Heron rotor controller PstRotator
by Jeff 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

Over the last year I have evolved to a completely new AZ/EL rotor control setup, an AlphaSpid AZ/EL rotor system, a Green Heron R-21 controller, controlled by SatPC32 and PStRotortator. In the last few weeks my neighbors have mentioned that my rotor is "beeping'. As it is just 15 feet from their lunai that they sit in at night I'm a little concerned that their comments are going to get more unfriendly. As I have recently lost a good part of my high frequency hearing I can't hear the tone. I have had to stop collecting Telemetry at night to try to alleviate the situation. Does anyone have a clue on why the rotor system would beep? Does anyone have a clue on how to stop this from happening? My only input on this as I can't hear the beep, but I'm now feeding more voltage to the rotor system then before when I was using the stock controller supplied by AlphaSpid. The higher voltage allows the rotor to turn at a much improved rate. If I knew I was going to have to put up with all this BS I would of just bought another 5500 at half the price. 73 Jeff kb2m

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Re: [amsat-bb] IC-910H no audio on SO-50 downlink
by Mike Diehl 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

Shouldn’t matter, I’ve run my 910 at 50W+ without a hint of desense on SO-50. N8HM is right, the 910 has superb filtering so I would definitely break out the analyzer and check out what’s going on with the antennas and feed line. 73, Mike Diehl W8LID/VE6LID > On Mar 27, 2020, at 14:19, John Brier via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: >

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Re: [amsat-bb] IC-910H no audio on SO-50 downlink
by Roy Dean 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

> > All,Has anyone else had the problem of not hearing your own downlink when > working SO-50? In the past I was able to hear myself, but lately I cannot > not. I don't know if I change some setting or that the Icom is going bad. > Thanks for any help. I appreciate it in advance. > Jim, Ke4kol Jim, With SO-50, especially, this is very common. The 2m uplink has a harmonic very close to the downlink, which if not filtered out, can wipe out your local downlink whenever you are transmitting. I'm not familiar with the 910 enough to know how well it does at this, though. You were getting in fine this morning, though (not sure if you copied my QSL)! --Roy K3RLD

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IC-910H no audio on SO-50 downlink
by ke4kol 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

All,Has anyone else had the problem of not hearing your own downlink when working SO-50? In the past I was able to hear myself, but lately I cannot not. I don't know if I change some setting or that the Icom is going bad. Thanks for any help. I appreciate it in advance. Jim, Ke4kol

1 0

ISS APRS with an HT
by Steve Kristoff 26 Mar '20

26 Mar '20

Has anyone been able to digipeat APRS through the ISS with a 5 watt HT and an Arrow antenna lately? If so, what are your secrets for success? If 5 watts and an Arrow doesn't work please let me know that, too, so I can pursue a different aspect of our hobby. thanks! Steve AI9IN Grid EM79ji Oldenburg IN 47036

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ELaNa-20 - Will it ever happen?
by Roy Dean 26 Mar '20

26 Mar '20

So I've been following the progress (or lack thereof) of LauncherOne for a while. Ignoring the whole CV problem, is this launch really going to ever happen? It seems that as we get "closer" to the actual demo launch - we get less and less info. I guess bad timing to ask this question..... CV may be the straw that breaks the camel's back? --Roy K3RLD

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-25 20:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 25 Mar '20

25 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-25 20:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. (***) Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tue 2020-03-31 08:50 UTC ************************************************* Looking for some stay at home activities related to science and for when you are not playing on your radio? Check out these links: (***) >From ARISS Vice Chair Oliver Amend DG6BCE: ESA Astronauts to offer inspiration during isolation in #SpaceConnectsUs https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Astronauts_to_offer_inspiration_during_isolati… In Europe and around the world, we’ve been getting used to a different way of living in recent weeks. On Thursday, 26 March, ESA and long-time partner Asteroid Day will host #SpaceConnectsUs – a chance to connect across borders and hear from space explorers, artists, and scientists about how to manage ourselves and our environment as our communities battle a global pandemic. #SpaceConnectsUs is an online event running on March 26th from 16:00–21:00 CET (15:00–20:00 GMT) on ESA WebTV and ESA YouTube to help everyone practising social distancing or in isolation enjoy science, our home planet, and our dreams of the sky above us. The programme will feature remote connections with astronauts and guests from all over the world. The presenters and guests will speak to children, young adults and their families and friends about their experience and techniques in confined places, lessons in life from space exploration, their trust in science and their sources of inspiration. The programme runs in five language segments starting at 16:00 in Dutch, followed by German (17:00 CET), Italian (18:00 CET), French (19:00 CET) and English (20:00 CET, 19:00 GMT). Celestron, the telescope, microscope, and sports optics folks, now has something called #STEMINYOURBACKYARD that you can find on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. By the way, I don't work for Celestron or have any business dealings with them and this is just something I saw. Apparently there are 10 free STEM activities covering Astronomy, Nature and Wildlife, and The Microscopic World. Check out: https://www.celestron.com/blogs/news/discover-stem-in-your-backyard NASA has a STEM page with fun activities to do at home. Check out https://www.nasa.gov/stem ************************************************* 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 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 2020-03-25 20:30 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 2020-03-21 00:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1387. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1320. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

RH or LH ??
by James Jipping 25 Mar '20

25 Mar '20

Good Morning! Just reviewing some past email and the topic of which polarization "RH or LH ?" showed up. It must have been close to a solar activity maximum that I started my satellite adventure. Faraday rotation was in full swing (or should I say "rotation"). It was a phenomenon we all experienced and had to deal with. My first antenna project included a polarization switch and I have always had one on my satellite antennas. My arrow linear polarized antenna has one (my arm/wrist rotation device). I would like to advise that if you can manage it (financially or creatively -- "in the good old days it was creatively") to include some way of changing the polarization plane or direction of both the transmitted and received wave. ALL signals WILL experience some amount of polarization depending on the strength of the earth's magnetic field strength IN THE PATH of the signal from station to satellite (and vice/versa). The total rotation effect is constantly changing. And do not forget the effect that the earth's ionosphere has on polarization. As we know, the ion density of the ionosphere, is constantly changing. Right now that effect is at it's minimum as the sun's sunspot activity is at it's minimum. IT WILL change and the effect will really begin to be noticed. Please remember that the entire effect is proportional the total magnetic and ion densities, so the rotation is not going to be 90 degrees or 180 degrees. We will not always get RH OR LH, vertical OR horizontal. If the right conditions exist a RH signal could actually turn into a linear signal. Another factor to consider is the degree of rotation is proportional to the square of the wavelength. The effect is noticed at UHF frequencies, so for the many satellites whose uplink is UHF there is an effect but as we go to higher frequencies rotation effects become less a problem. Imagine the fun we had with mode A satellites in the beginning. All 10 meter down link and 2 meter up link and the Sun was doing it's sunspot thing. Well that's PHYSICS lesson for the day. It's been a while that I could do that. My advice for the day --- get a switch! You are going to need it. I always find, even now, that a switch in polarization at the antenna is needed to maintain a good QSO. Have a good day, at home or where you have to be, Jim Jipping, W8MRR AMSAT # 5512

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-25 16:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 25 Mar '20

25 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-25 16:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg Watch for live stream at: Die Voortrekkers: SPD Water Werk - De Bank https://www.facebook.com/groups/1750900235133434/ Die Voortrekkers https://www.facebook.com/groups2354763991/ You Tube Die Voortrekkers https://www.youtube.com/user/dievoortrekkers Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tue 2020-03-31 08:50 UTC ************************************************* Looking for some stay at home activities related to science and for when you are not playing on your radio? Check out these links: (***) >From ARISS Vice Chair Oliver Amend DG6BCE: ESA Astronauts to offer inspiration during isolation in #SpaceConnectsUs https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Astronauts_to_offer_inspiration_during_isolati… In Europe and around the world, we’ve been getting used to a different way of living in recent weeks. On Thursday, 26 March, ESA and long-time partner Asteroid Day will host #SpaceConnectsUs – a chance to connect across borders and hear from space explorers, artists, and scientists about how to manage ourselves and our environment as our communities battle a global pandemic. #SpaceConnectsUs is an online event running on March 26th from 16:00–21:00 CET (15:00–20:00 GMT) on ESA WebTV and ESA YouTube to help everyone practising social distancing or in isolation enjoy science, our home planet, and our dreams of the sky above us. The programme will feature remote connections with astronauts and guests from all over the world. The presenters and guests will speak to children, young adults and their families and friends about their experience and techniques in confined places, lessons in life from space exploration, their trust in science and their sources of inspiration. The programme runs in five language segments starting at 16:00 in Dutch, followed by German (17:00 CET), Italian (18:00 CET), French (19:00 CET) and English (20:00 CET, 19:00 GMT). Celestron, the telescope, microscope, and sports optics folks, now has something called #STEMINYOURBACKYARD that you can find on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. By the way, I don't work for Celestron or have any business dealings with them and this is just something I saw. Apparently there are 10 free STEM activities covering Astronomy, Nature and Wildlife, and The Microscopic World. Check out: https://www.celestron.com/blogs/news/discover-stem-in-your-backyard NASA has a STEM page with fun activities to do at home. Check out https://www.nasa.gov/stem ************************************************* 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 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 2020-03-25 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 2020-03-21 00:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1387. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1320. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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RH or LH ?
by James Jipping 25 Mar '20

25 Mar '20

OH MY GOODNESS!! In my discussion on Faraday rotation, I COMPLETELY forgot about the person using a linear polarized antenna. HMMM! I guess i forgot is because my very first 2 meter up-link antenna was a turnstile, actually on the ground. The second was a linear yagi , mounted horizontally and I lived with the limitations. The third was a pair of yagis, one horizontal and one vertical. I switched between them, Then I made a phasing harness to make the two together be circularly polarized. By the way, all of this was "pointed" with a pair of the trusty Alliance Tena Rotators and the weirdest of all arrangements of gears, etc. WELL, where does that leave me ?? Faraday is still right. Rotation Is going to happen and something has to be done to accommodate it to get maximum signals. It's been good day, staying home and working satellites or changing HF bands with propagation shifts to work FT8 or capturing data from AO-91, 92, 95 with my Fox-in-a box. Hope you all a having a good day! Jim, W8MRR AMSAT #5512

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Re: [amsat-bb] Poor Operators
by Roy Dean 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

> > - problem #2 is about reducing congestion. It was discussed at length > right here last year or so, and the bottom line was to never work a station > if you have already worked them before. Let others get a chance. "Never" is a powerful word. There are plenty of passes that I've worked in the past in which the only operators on the pass are ones that I've worked plenty of times before. Weekday morning passes are typical examples. I would suggest leaving this rule out, or at least modifying it appropriately (however I think Sean's published work already suggests good operating habits that cover this). --Roy K3RLD

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Re: [amsat-bb] LH or RH polarization
by MICHAEL WILLIAMS 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

LH for AO7 GL Mike (K9QHO)

1 0

Next Rocket Lab Launch postponed
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

Since New Zealand is going into lockdown at Midnight tonight the next Rocket Lab Launched has been postponed. See: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/covid-19-update-rocket-lab-has-po… If we are lucky the country should start up again in about 4 weeks. See also: https://covid19.govt.nz/ 73, Terry Osborne ZL2BAC

1 0

Pcsat32
by Joe KD2NFC 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

Hi, I just paid for AMSAT membership and purchased a license to pcsat32. As I’m learning we need to make entries in the Doppler.SQF and possible AmsatNames.txt. I was able to find DK3WN’s blog that had a comprehensive listing of the satellites and their frequencies. Is there a good resource I can go to go that will give me a current list of all AMSAT satellites and others with their frequencies. I think with what I found is pretty details but I do see that there various files floating around crates by different hams. I know AMSAT offices are now closed so I don’t know the ETA of my license key, but no rush under the circumstances. Joe KD2NFC Sent from my iPhone

2 2

LH or RH polarization
by Dave J 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

Hello All My 2 meter M2 polarization switch died (water-logged) but I still have the old fixed polarization element. I now have the option of setting it up fixed either LH or RH. Which would be the better way to go given the current crop of birds? Thanks Dave WB9YIG

2 1

Premature announcement
by Ray Soifer 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

Sorry that my last email was sent out prematurely. May QST won't be out for two more weeks or so. 73 Ray W2RS

1 0

.The First Satellite Contact (May QST)
by Ray Soifer 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

Those of you who are ARRL members may be interested in my Technical Correspondence article in May 2020 QST, entitled "The 60th Anniversary of the First Satellite Contact." The contact to which it refers took place on February 6, 1960, six months before NASA's Project Echo, between myself and K3JTE (now W3PK), making use of a propagation mode first reported by W8JK (SK), which he called "the satellite ionization phenomenon." My May 2020 QST article describes what we did and what has been learned since then about the ionosphere and how W8JK's mechanism works. For further reading about our contact, see my article in Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, September 1961. For more about the satellite ionization phenomenon, see the chapter by W8JK in S.F. Singer, ed., Interactions of Space Vehicles With an Ionized Atmosphere, Pergamon Press, 1965. 73 Ray W2RS

1 0

Poor Operators
by Brad Smith 24 Mar '20

24 Mar '20

I am a minimalist because I want to be a minimalist. I understand that the FM bird is nothing more than a repeater and the strongest signal takes the bird, even if someone else is talking. "Someone else is talking" is the rude part. Last weekend, I was chasing a rover and got "KC9" out and into the bird (I work full duplux, so know that I was in) and someone took over by stepping on me. Luckily, I got him anyway, but someone was high power and more important than me. That's the way contesters work. But, I don't want to plaster someone's call on the board. I just hope that the person is a member and thinks about it. Getting into a peeing contest with someone is not beneficial to anybody, including the hobby. It used to be that if one said "handheld" or "portable" guys would give them a break, but that doesn't happen anymore. The birds are too crowded for that. There are several people in my ham clubs that want to try satellite operation and myself and my friend Rick (WA9JBQ) loves to mentor them and teach them the proper way to operate. Not everyone has this benefit. I don't know what the answer is. Last Spring one ham was an extremely poor operator on the birds, but is now a better operator. So, something works. But there is always the tendency to crank up the power to get the station that you want, if you have the power available. It is like guys who I know that run 1,500 watts on FT8 to get what they want. I guess it is going to happen and we have to live with that fact. As soon as I solve my equipment problem with my 847 and the weather turns warmer, I will be back on the linear birds. I sure do miss FO-29. Brad KC9UQR

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ANS-083.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AMSAT Office Closed Until Further Notice
by Paul Stoetzer 23 Mar '20

23 Mar '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-083.02 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT Office Closed Until Further Notice SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-083.02 ANS-083.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 083.02 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 23, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-083.02 AMSAT Office Closed Until Further Notice Due to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's order closing all non-essential businesses in the State of Maryland in response to the COVID-19 pan- demic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice, effective to- day at 5:00pm EDT. While the office is closed, AMSAT will continue to accept new and renewal memberships. However, membership packets will not be mailed until the office reopens. T-shirts, hats, and other items stocked in the office will also not be available until the office reopens. Dig- ital downloadable content, including SatPC32 and MacDoppler will re- main available from the AMSAT store. Antenna, name badge, and awards orders will be forwarded for processing. The March/April issue of The AMSAT Journal will be produced on time. However, it may only be possible to publish it in digital format. Stay tuned for further updates. Any questions about memberships, orders, or office operations can be sent to info at amsat.org. Please note that no mail or phone service will be available until the office reopens. Vendors billing AMSAT for goods or services may email the above address to arrange payment. [ANS thanks the AMSAT office for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73 and Remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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PSK on NO-84, no joy
by George Henry 23 Mar '20

23 Mar '20

Not seeming to have any luck with PSK31 on NO-84... I am seeing and decoding the beacon and other stations okay, but don't see my signal in the waterfall. Using DopplerPSK for the uplink and FLdigi for the downlink. I suspect that my meager 20 watts to a dipole isn't cutting it... George, KA3HSW

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-23 19:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 23 Mar '20

23 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-23 19:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg Watch for live stream at: (***) Die Voortrekkers: SPD Water Werk - De Bank https://www.facebook.com/groups/1750900235133434/ Die Voortrekkers https://www.facebook.com/groups2354763991/ You Tube Die Voortrekkers https://www.youtube.com/user/dievoortrekkers Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tue 2020-03-31 08:50 UTC ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The 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 2020-03-23 19:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. 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 2020-03-21 00:00 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1387. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1320. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ANS-083 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Sean Kutzko, KX9X, Appointed AMSAT Volunteer Coordinator
by Paul Stoetzer 23 Mar '20

23 Mar '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-083 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Sean Kutzko, KX9X, Appointed AMSAT Volunteer Coordinator SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-083 ANS-083 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 083.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 23, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-083.01 Sean Kutzko, KX9X, Appointed AMSAT Volunteer Coordinator AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, has announced the appointment of Sean Kutzko, KX9X, as Volunteer Coordinator. First licensed in 1982 as KA9NGH, Kutzko served as both ARRL Contest Branch Manager (2007-2013) and ARRL Media and Public Relations Mana- ger (2013-2017). He was the creator and co-administrator of the ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program in 2016. An active HF and VHF contester, DXer and backpack QRP enthusiast, Kutzko started work- ing satellites in 2011 and has transmitted from over fifty different grid squares. He has written instructional materials on satellite op- erating for the AMSAT website, QST, and blogs regularly on satellite topics for the DX Engineering blog "On All Bands." "It's an honor to be able to volunteer for AMSAT," Kutzko said. "When [new AMSAT president] Clayton [Coleman, W5PFG] asked if I would help coordinate a team of volunteers, I jumped at the opportunity. AMSAT is a great organization and helping find good volunteers who are willing to help all areas of AMSAT's growth and development is the least I could do for the organization that has given me a lot of enjoyment and technical skill." Outside of Amateur Radio, Kutzko is a freelance PR/communications consultant and voiceover artist, as well as a baker of artisan breads, pizza and pastries. He also plays drums in a classic rock/country band, Silverweed. He lives in Urbana, Illinois. [ANS thanks AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, for the above in- formation] /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. 73 and Remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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Rove to DM63 on Tuesday 24th.
by Dan Eggert 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

On Tuesday the 24th I will be going to Tularosa New Mexico in grid DM63. You will hear me on the AO-91 passes at 17:59 and 19:37 UTC, and the AO-92 passes at 16:19 and 17:51 UTC. 73 Dan Eggert - AC9E Sent from my iPad

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Update on next Rocket Lab Launch
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

Launch date is delayed until 30th March due to people having to work from home. See: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/an-update-on-covid-19/ 73, Terry Osborne ZL2BAC

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Back on the Satellites!
by Mike Herr 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

Finally, after about 3 weeks, I am back on the satellites. The Yaesu G-5500 stopped rotating. The weather kept me from bringing the tower down but finally the winds subsided, tower down, rotor removed and trouble shooting began. Now with my schedule completely cleared I could concentrate on the problem. The soft brake that Yaesu uses in the design was hanging up with the spring edge on top of the butterfly (if you have ever looked at the 5500 brake mechanism, you know what I mean. A couple of small bends with a needle nose pliers and it is functioning properly, including the brake. Yea! towers back up and the antenna wiggles as it should. -- Mike Herr WA6ARA DM-15dp Home of The QRP Ranch No trees were killed in the sending of this message, however, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced. "Dad says that anyone who can't use a slide rule is a cultural illiterate and should not be allowed to vote. Mine is a beauty - a K&E 20-inch Log-log Duplex Decitrig." - Robert Heinlein

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Icom CT-16 (eBay)
by Gary 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

If you don't eBay please delete. If eBay is forbidden I apologize. This is the last satellite related item from my late father's (wa0eaf) estate. Icom CT-16 Satellite Interface. https://www.ebay.com/itm/254548454902 73, Gary (Joe) kk0sd

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AO-91 KA3RLZ
by Hasan al-Basri 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

Unfortunately, I cannot find an email address for KA3RLZ, so I'm hoping someone knows it and will relay the info or have him get in touch with me. We have worked on several of the linear birds and his signal is just excellent. This morning I just finished with him on AO-91 and I told him his signal was very distorted and that I would send him a recording of it. He said, fine...except I can't find an email for him. In hopes that this will get to him, here is a URL to my google drive, which has the recording of the entire pass in mp4 format. Anyone who wants to listen to it is free to do so. Anyone who can get the info to him, I'm sure he would very much appreciate it. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xiYdxVcPRIp_Wu29_Knx6oshNQF_k9Bz Click on the link, download the file, then double-click on the file and it will play on virtually any operating system. It is 143 MB in size in case you have a slow internet connection or a data cap. 73, N0AN Hasan

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Official QO-100 International Emergency Frequency!
by Peter Guelzow 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

Official QO-100 International Emergency Frequency! In order to coordinate potential emergency communications during the actual or any other crisis, the following frequency will be assigned as international emergency frequency on QO-100 NB Transponder: QO-100 International Emergency Frequency Downlink: 10489.860 MHz Uplink: 2400.360 MHz SSB channel: max. 2.7kHz bandwidth All users on QO-100 are encouraged to monitor this frequency, but keep it clear for emergency traffic!

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AMSAT Talkgroup Disappeared
by Frank Karnauskas 21 Mar '20

21 Mar '20

The AMSAT TG has been silent at my end for three days now. I am connected via DMR Master 3102. Did something change? 73, Frank Frank Karnauskas, N1UW

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Re: [amsat-bb] 9700 and ssb Birds
by Jeff 21 Mar '20

21 Mar '20

I feel it’s my duty to assist anyone to get SatPC32 and the 9700 working as I’m the one who got Erich to add the panadapter display to SatPC32. Adding some complexity to the setup. Some of you might not know, but I also worked with Dave author of DXLab to get SatPC32 to play nicely with DXLab’s DXKeeper logging program. This is now the ultimate Sat tracking and logging software package available…. 73 Jeff kb2m From: Gerald Witalec <jplanner(a)sbcglobal.net> Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2020 12:51 To: kb2m(a)arrl.net Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] 9700 and ssb Birds Hi Jeff, I've been thinking about purchasing the IC-9700 and use it with the SatPC32. It will not be until later this year, but I will need your advice in setting up the station. I want to find out how to work the Birds with that system. Will be glad to forward my phone when that time comes, but I think I will do it later this week so I can get some pre-info about the whole system if you do not mind. Thanks, Jerry...W8RQM On Saturday, March 21, 2020, 12:36:42 PM EDT, Jeff via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: I send a private email to Coy with my cell number, to offer him over the phone help. As we are sheltering in place now is a good time if you want any help from me with SatPC32, with a 9700, or most any other radio... 73 Jeff kb2m -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf Of Coy Johnson via AMSAT-BB Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2020 11:44 To: AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: [amsat-bb] 9700 and ssb Birds Hello: My name is Coy, and my call is K5BCN EM34. I have talked to many of you on the SSB Birds, and you know what a time I’m having staying on frequency. I need to talk to someone who is using a Icom 9700 on the SSB Birds. I have coped setups off of Youtube, and other sites , but still have problems. Any help would be helpful. I just started working the Birds about 2 mouths ago. Thanks for your time. Coy K5BCN EM34

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Am I the lid, or was no one there?
by Nick Hart 21 Mar '20

21 Mar '20

Was just trying to work ao 92 on a 77 degree pass over cm87, San Francisco Bay Area. Nothing heard. Called 3 times, midway between the scheduled aos and the closest approach, the closest approach, and midway between the closest approach and los. Kept the power down, and the Doppler adjustments in the uhf side. Just want to be sure I’m not a bad operator. Granted, it’s late local time. Was anyone on? Was I stomping on anyone, or not getting through?

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9700 and ssb Birds
by Coy Johnson 21 Mar '20

21 Mar '20

Hello: My name is Coy, and my call is K5BCN EM34. I have talked to many of you on the SSB Birds, and you know what a time I’m having staying on frequency. I need to talk to someone who is using a Icom 9700 on the SSB Birds. I have coped setups off of Youtube, and other sites , but still have problems. Any help would be helpful. I just started working the Birds about 2 mouths ago. Thanks for your time. Coy K5BCN EM34

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Am I the Lid....
by Russ Kinner 21 Mar '20

21 Mar '20

I'm in DM33 and have had similar passes on the last one for the night. Typically, in a S to N pass, activity picks up late in the pass but not always. There have been passed where I've talked to another Phoenix station for 2 min. and no one else chimed in. I always thought it was due to being near XE land and not many stations being on from there but it just might be that it's late. In a town the size of Phoenix and the rest of the valley, I only have heard 15 or so unique calls on FM and several are snowbirds so they are preparing to head north. Having said that, LA is huge and they almost always have a few on every pass. I did have one time where a linear bird was up as well and that split the regulars up. I'm any case, if you can get full duplex operational, you can be sure you're getting in. Rusty, WA8ZID

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HuskySat-1 Xmit Power Status
by Mike Lucas 21 Mar '20

21 Mar '20

Am I reading the Health Data correctly that the current Xmit power is only 17mw? I haven't been able to get any frames as of late. Weeks ago the power was substantially higher if I'm not mistaken. Regards, Mike N7ASZ

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-21 00:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 20 Mar '20

20 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-21 00:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tue 2020-03-31 08:50 UTC ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The 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 2020-03-19 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 2020-03-21 00:00 UTC. (***) https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1387. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1320. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Re: [amsat-bb] NO-44? (can work)
by Robert Bruninga 20 Mar '20

20 Mar '20

NO44, PCSAT defaults to the callsign W3ADO-1 in safe mode. And the usual APRS satellite aliases of ARISS and APRSAT are not recognized. But you can digi via its actual call W3ADO-1. We had discouraged that initially, but hey, after 19 years if you can use it, go ahead! It only works in the sun and only after about 15 minutes of charging. Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Steve Kristoff via AMSAT-BB Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2020 8:11 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] NO-44? Does NO-44 (PCSat?) have any kind of functionality still? I don't see it listed in the "Current Status" listings. Steve AI9IN _______________________________________________ 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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Low performance receivers degrade satellite operating practices
by Tom (working account) 20 Mar '20

20 Mar '20

A strong case has been made that: A GOOD receiver is needed to hear others to avoid walking on others. Many VHF/UHF radios have poor receive sensitivity which is also poorly specified. A more expensive receiver may or may not have substantially better sensitivity. A GOOD low noise preamplifier will overcome poor receive sensitivity for almost any receiver. K6THH Sent from Mail for Windows 10

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Re: [amsat-bb] Poor Operators
by Roy Dean 20 Mar '20

20 Mar '20

> > Perhaps I'm not on often enough, but I have yet to hear anyone say "Good > buddy" on an FM satellite. > Steve AI9IN That sounds like a dare! --Roy K3RLD

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NO-44?
by Steve Kristoff 20 Mar '20

20 Mar '20

Does NO-44 (PCSat?) have any kind of functionality still? I don't see it listed in the "Current Status" listings. Steve AI9IN

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Re: [amsat-bb] Poor Operators
by Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

Whenever I want to remember what CB radio sounded like, I just wait for an FM bird to pass over. KB7ADL

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Fwd: Poor Operators
by Jeff Moore 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Jeff Moore <tnetcenter(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 3:48 PM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Poor Operators To: Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL <vlfiscus(a)mcn.net> On Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 3:36 PM Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > Whenever I want to remember what CB radio sounded > like, I just wait for an FM bird to pass over. > > KB7ADL > > That's real helpful! Jeff Moore -- KE7ACY CN94 > _______________________________________________ > 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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AMSAT Slack Channel for Pass Management / Elmer / Kooks
by Dwayne Sinclair 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

How about we establish an official AMSAT Slack channel for satellite pass management? NetLogger is a great tool for managing nets but since passes are reatime, Slack may be more appropriate? I’m open to any other tool but some coordination may help us address the concerns that are being raised. Regards Dwayne NA6US

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Poor Opertors
by Brad Smith 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

< As another op said to them once on the air "you want my gird say my call" > Casey, sometimes we can't get the call when we are standing there doing three things. If I know the rover's call, I say it. Otherwise "Gridline station, KC9UQR" is what I say. It's that or loose the opportunity all together. You have to consider the equipment that people have and the noisyness of the bird and the fact that we are lucky to get in at all. This having been said, a lot of satellite hams have been very accommodating with people getting cut off, or stepped on while talking to them. When that happens and I email them, most will say that they heard me and we have a contact. (The QSL was cut off for instance.) That is very appreciated by us portable guys. Some will still say that there was no QSL and therefore no contact. Times have changed, guys. I love being portable and handheld, even with it's limitations. Thank you for roving and consideration. It is greatly appreciated. Brad KC9UQR

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QRP Days for FM Birds?
by Hasan al-Basri 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

Why Not? I remember in "the old days" of Sat ops we used to have exactly that. A 24 hour period where EIRP was limited. It was once a week on the same day. It started UTC 0000 and ran for 24 hours. Then the normal free-for-all resumed. People, in those days, had enough self-respect and restraint to actually observe the QRP Day. It was the "honor" system. But it did allow a lot of marginally equipped stations to make a lot of satellite qsos. Even as recently as two years ago, I can remember standing next to my EggBeaters (7' off the ground), with a piece of coax going from my 5W H/T to the duplexer and up to the eggbeaters. I was able to make a qso then. Now, in most cases, it would be futile. I don't know if something like this could be organized for the FM birds, but if so, *it would need backing and publicizing by AMSAT*. It would be wonderful to hear people easily using the bird for even a few hours running nothing but an HT at 2.5 watts output and a hand held Arrow (or the equivalent of that say 10 watts to a simple 1/4w vertical) If we assume the handheld yagis have 10 dBi gain on 70cm, then the EIRP would be 25 watts. For home stations, the same idea. No more than 25 watts Effective Radiated Power (RF Output + Antenna Gain - Feedline Loss) A simple 1/4 wave vertical might be 2 dBi, so 10w would be in the ballpark. The goal would be to keep uplink power limited to 25 watts effective radiated power. QRP day could be a celebration of sorts, if it became popular ...there would be a sort of peer prestige thing take place, as opposed to worshiping the mighty grid. A grass roots approach won't work. It has to be led by people with some standing and credibility, and for AO-91 and AO-92 it would have to be AMSAT. It would require some real effort on their part, not just a by-line in the weekly news. Once it took hold, some self policing could probably keep it going. Just and idea for the FM birds. It might be fun. It might give more rovers and portable Ops a chance. The linear birds don't need it, as the strength of the user downlink signal is to be kept to no stronger than the CW beacon and we can easily identify the offenders. 73, N0AN Hasan

2 1

We Need FM Birds
by Brad Smith 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

<Hopefully, AMSAT and other entities will continue to make available FM satellites as well as more SSB satellites and APRS satellites, so everyone who wants to participate will have that opportunity.Steve AI9IN> I echo what Steve said. Those of us who love to rove and work outdoors enjoy the FM birds. We may not have the huge, rotatable and elevating, computer controlled antenna system, connected to a 9700 in a permanent shack, with SDR and thus to some hams may be just "little people," but we have fun with the FM birds. When it ceases to become fun, I get another hobby. I am a minimalist and love working portable, with an D72 or other smaller radio. I do not understand why any manufacturer would have made a radio that put out 75-100 watts in FM satellite mode. I have worked the birds since 2013, both linear and FM. The FM birds are just plain FUN and can get a person a lot of new grids, which is fun too. Please, guys, keep your power down, so we portables can have a chance to get in and mostly, give us a space to get in. Brad KC9UQR

4 3

FM birds
by Russ Kinner 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I have just gotten back into satellites and eventually will go full tilt with PC control and an all mode rig but for the moment the cost factor needs to be addressed (I've just retired so I have the time but limited funds). I have still worked 34 grids and as far away as EL97 from DM33 in 6 weeks of on air time with only FM. Sure, I've heard the occasional Lid and one guy who seems to go key down and never say a word on AO-92 on the late evening pass but guys work thru the best and worst of it. That is part of the challenge. I'm sure I've caused a bit of QRM getting started and not hearing the output but there are good mentors that do help with the new guys. SSB is coming and all the additional requirements it takes but without the FM birds, I doubt I'd have ventured into Satellites at all. Rusty, WA8ZID

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ANS-079 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
by Frank Karnauskas 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-079 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT President Urges Members to Renew/Donate Now SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-079 ANS-079 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 079.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 19, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-079.01 AMSAT President Urges Members to Renew/Donate Now AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG has put out a call for new and renewing AMSAT members to act now and register online. Coleman says, "All things considered, cancellation of Hamvention 2020 was the right thing to do and we recognize the difficult decision that the Dayton Amateur Radio Association Executive Committee had to make. "The cancellation of Hamvention will have a dramatic effect on the well-being of many vendors and associations that serve the Amateur Radio community. AMSAT is no exception. Hamvention has always been a major fund-raising tool for both recruiting and renewing members as well as selling AMSAT branded merchandise, software, books and antennas. The loss of this important venue has the potential to adversely affect the projects that AMSAT has underway already and planned for the months and years ahead. "This is a very exciting time for Amateur Radio in Space with the new Interoperable Radio System for ARISS, the GOLF satellite program, updating member services and launching our Youth Initiative. It has been many years since we have seen this kind of excitement and interest in space communications. We would hate to lose that momentum and fall behind. "I am asking everyone to act now and join or renew their AMSAT membership NOW while it is on our minds. Your immediate willingness to act will help strengthen AMSAT and help ensure our mission of 'Keeping Amateur Radio in Space'. There are membership opportunities for everyone to consider: - Basic Membership from $44 - Student Membership from $22 - Additional Household Memberships from $22 - School and Club Memberships from $80 - QRO Membership from $80 - Lifetime Membership $880 (or only $74/mo. For twelve months)" Coleman also adds, "And, while you're at it, don't be afraid to kick in a few extra dollars with a one-time or sustaining donation to AMSAT's general operating fund. Especially appreciated are those Amateurs who can make an extra difference by contributing to the President's Club with contributions of $120 or more. Whatever you can contribute, please understand that every dollar counts. "Additionally, with Hamvention's cancellation, we lost the opportunity to personally greet and thank all of AMSAT's membership and to share our enthusiasm for the upcoming year. Watch for upcoming news on our plans and launches for 2020. We'll be talking soon." [ANS thanks Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, AMSAT President for the above information] +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Memberships, both new and renewals, as well as can be made at: https://www.amsat.org/shop For a limited time, AMSAT is making the "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store! Make your online donations at: https://www.amsat.org/donate +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73 and Remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-19 15:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-19 15:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey, telebridge via W5RRR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact was successful: Thu 2020-03-19 08:59:54 UTC 37 deg (***) In an ARISS first due to COVID-19, all of the questions were pre-recorded by the students and no students were on site during the contact. (***) SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ??? (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Oleg Skripochka Possible contact on Tue 2020-03-31 08:50 UTC ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. The 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 2020-03-19 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 2020-03-19 15:30 UTC. (***) https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1387. (***) Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1320. (***) 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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May 1st - New Online AMSAT Member Management Portal
by Robert Bankston 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I wanted to give AMSAT members a heads up that, on May 1st, we go live with AMSAT's new online member management portal. This will put you in charge of your membership account and allow you to make real-time updates. Full instructions on how to get signed up and logged in will appear in the March/April issue of The AMSAT Journal. We hope you are as excited as we are. 73, Robert Bankston, KE4AL Vice-President, User Services Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)

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SO-50 question
by Bob Hammond 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I worked several operators last night on SO-50 at about 0115 UT and then......pffft. I couldn't get into the satellite at all after it passed overhead and to the SE. Does SO-50 shut down if there's too much use? I was hoping to work the young woman who kept calling me but she was having trouble or getting stepped on or whatever. She'd get out "W7O...." and then nothing. Just curious, Bob W7OTJ

4 6

Rude Operator, part deux
by Bob Keating 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

I'm sure those of you that were on the SO-50 pass this morning at 16:38 utc heard that rude operator who repeatedly threw out his call sign and called "CQ satellite". He was stomping over everyone and apparently didn't hear those of us who responded to his call, myself and Doug N6UA had responded to him among others .My thought was this is a "newbie" that has never worked the birds before, so I figured I would look him up on QRZ and send him a friendly email offering some help and suggestions. Low and behold this guy's QRZ page is papered with scads of award certificates including, get this, a VUCC satellite award! You'd think he'd know better! I did kindly offer some suggestions and help including not calling "CQ satellite" and referred him to AMSAT's web site. In addition, he was keeping operators from a QSO with N6UA who is roving right now. I don't know if he was operating full duplex or maybe he didn't have his downlink frequency correct. Regardless, his signal was so strong and overpowering, i sincerely question if he was putting out just 5 watts. We had a much better pass on AO-91 at 19:07. 73, Bob N6REK

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Re: [amsat-bb] Rude Operator, part deux
by Michael Walker 19 Mar '20

19 Mar '20

Hi Bob I just want to say that if you want to share the store and solve it, then you really do need to share the entire story with all the facts. If you want to publicly shame an operator, then please do tell the entire story with the operators call sign. If you are not able to tell the entire story then it is not really worth mentioning it at all. I barely work the FM birds and it is clear that they are a waste of time and investment money, at least over North America. No different than 27.185Mhz. We have a repeater like that here in Toronto where there is no control. Hopefully, we have seen the last of the FM repeaters in the sky since this part of the hobby is partially out of control. I would like to know the callsign in case he shows up on the Linear birds and I know how to treat this operator. Also, if I knew the callsign, I have no issue listening for him on an FM bird and then emailing him privately to see what he has to say. Maybe there is a misunderstanding as there are 2 sides to every story. But, without the callsign, I won't waste my time. OK, rant over and I apologize for my rant. I would just like more of the facts and that is all I am saying -- with full respect of course. many 73 Mike va3mw On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 11:43 PM Bob Keating <bkeating1954(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Mike, > > Believe me, you will have no problem hearing him. In the interest of > privacy, I am not going to give his full call, but the prefix was XE2. > > 73, > > Bob N6REK > On 3/18/2020 7:05 PM, Michael Walker wrote: > > Hi Bob > > It does take all kinds. > > What was his callsign? That way none of us will work him when we hear him. > > Mike va3mw > > > > > On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 3:28 PM Bob Keating via AMSAT-BB < > amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > >> I'm sure those of you that were on the SO-50 pass this morning at 16:38 >> utc heard that rude operator who repeatedly threw out his call sign and >> called "CQ satellite". He was stomping over everyone and apparently >> didn't hear those of us who responded to his call, myself and Doug N6UA >> had responded to him among others .My thought was this is a "newbie" >> that has never worked the birds before, so I figured I would look him up >> on QRZ and send him a friendly email offering some help and suggestions. >> Low and behold this guy's QRZ page is papered with scads of award >> certificates including, get this, a VUCC satellite award! You'd think >> he'd know better! I did kindly offer some suggestions and help including >> not calling "CQ satellite" and referred him to AMSAT's web site. In >> addition, he was keeping operators from a QSO with N6UA who is roving >> right now. I don't know if he was operating full duplex or maybe he >> didn't have his downlink frequency correct. Regardless, his signal was >> so strong and overpowering, i sincerely question if he was putting out >> just 5 watts. >> >> We had a much better pass on AO-91 at 19:07. >> >> 73, >> >> Bob N6REK >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. >> Opinions expressed >> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of >> AMSAT-NA. >> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >> Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >> >

3 2

AISat1? and other APRS sats?
by Robert Bruninga 18 Mar '20

18 Mar '20

Also, what about the APRS Laban-Orari (AO86) (YBOX-1) also in a near equatorial orbit and usable throughout the low latitudes? I have not seen any users on the pcsat.findu.com live downlink page though its telemetry is there and numerous SATGATES are linking it to the FINDU pages. All APRS Sats: http://aprs.org/sats.html Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces(a)amsat.org> On Behalf Of Scott via AMSAT-BB Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 12:31 PM To: amsat-bb(a)amsat.org Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AISat1? AISAT-1 has not been digipeating for a couple of days now, unfortunately. There was a downlink beacon from it on 3/16, but no digipeats on that pass. I haven't even heard beacons since that orbit. For those who are 9600 full-duplex capable and in range of the southerly orbit, don't forget that FalconSat-3 continues to do well both for APRS and the store-and-forward BBS. -Scott, K4KDR ====================== On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 12:18 PM Steve Kristoff via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > > What happened to AISat? We have no more functioning APRS satellites? > Steve AI9IN > _______________________________________________ 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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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-18 17:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 18 Mar '20

18 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-18 17:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey, telebridge via W5RRR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Thu 2020-03-19 08:59:54 UTC 37 deg SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg 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 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 2020-03-18 17:30 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 2020-03-13 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 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1386. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1319. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Re: [amsat-bb] AO-92 D/L
by Roy Dean 18 Mar '20

18 Mar '20

> > Anyone else notice it? Just checked the recent AO-92 observation and it looked normal. Any chance this was local? --Roy K3RLD

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AO-92 D/L
by Jeff 18 Mar '20

18 Mar '20

Just tried to work the end of the AO-92 L/V pass and there was a very load signal covering up the d/l here. The noise seemed to be on the d/l signal itself. I never heard this before. I did manage to barely work WB8OTH, and NS3L as their signals where solid. Anyone else notice it? 73 Jeff kb2m

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 18 Mar '20

18 Mar '20

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey on 19 March. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:59 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W5RRR. The contact should be audible over the state of Texas and adjacent areas. U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. As a space and science education center, Space Camp Turkey is primarily focused on motivating young people from around the world to pursue careers in science, math, and technology. Through interactive, space-related simulations, both youth and adults learn about communication, teamwork, and leadership in a dynamic, fun-filled environment. Programs at Space Camp Turkey focus on simulators to give participants the sensations of working and living in space. At Space Camp Turkey, we pack years of mission training into 2 to 6 day programs. Space Camp Turkey is one of only two Space Camps in the world. We are proud to have the only such facility in Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It is located in the Aegean Free Zone, a high-tech industrial park in Izmir, operated by ESBAS. Izmir is a vibrant Aegean city on the western coast of Turkey with a population of over 4 million. Education and entertainment center Space Camp Turkey, which was opened on June 12, 2000 has been visited by more than 250 thousand young people and adults from over 60 countries. Our state-of-the-art facility offers an ideal environment where young people from different nations can come together to build long-term friendships and understand other cultures. Our counselor staff (Turkish and International) consists of college graduates and undergraduates. Some are education majors while others are pursuing masters and doctorate degrees in astronomy or have certificates in various education programs. All program staff members receive training in the following areas: space education, Space Camp Turkey activities, and safety for simulator operations. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What does a launch feel like? 2. How long did you have to train before you actually flew to space? 3. What changes did you feel in your body as a result of microgravity? 4. What do you do when you aren't on a space mission? 5. What is the coolest thing you have seen while on the space station? 6. How would sneezing be different in weightlessness? 7. Do we age faster in space? 8. What is the most interesting thing about the Artemis mission? 9. Does your appetite change in space? 10. When you were younger, did you think about becoming an astronaut in the future? 11. Can you hear any sound in space? 12. Do you ever feel like you are upside down in space? 13. Who controls the space station? 14. What does space smell like? 15. What are the three things that you miss back on Earth? 16. How do you grow vegetables and fruits in space? 17. How can I visit the planets? 18. How do you see stars from space? 19. What would you like to take with you from home for your space travel? I would take my plush kangaroo. 20. This year we are celebrating our 20th anniversary of Space Camp Turkey. We would love to hear your message to our campers listening to you right now. PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47 UTC About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), 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 (STEM) 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. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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HuskySat telemetry
by Allen 17 Mar '20

17 Mar '20

I have been collecting telemetry since early Feb, and for the last week or so I notice that the leaderboard totals for my uploads are being received and incremented with each pass, only to have the totals reset to a lower number during the 15 hour period of inactivity. Example 14Mar begin/end totals 8618/8913; 15Mar 8497/8817; 16Mar 8347/8680; 17Mar 8258/. Same occurrence whether using Ver 1.08y, 1.08z3 or 1.08z5. Any ideas? Thanks, Allen KI7RM

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Verification HuskySat Telem
by Mike Lucas 17 Mar '20

17 Mar '20

Just had a HuskySat-1 high elevation pass (0620 UTC) but did not hear the telemetry signal at all. Been away for a couple of weeks. Wanted to validate BPSK receive Is LSB on the downlink correct? Mike N7ASZ

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-16 18:30 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 16 Mar '20

16 Mar '20

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-03-16 18:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Turkey Space Camp, Izmir, Turkey, telebridge via W5RRR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Thu 2020-03-19 08:59:54 UTC 37 deg SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Fri 2020-03-27 09:47:49 UTC 36 deg (***) 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 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) 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 2020-03-16 18:30 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. 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 2020-03-13 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 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com . The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For 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 133 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 1386. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1319. 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. 60 on orbit Drew Morgan KI5AAA Exp. 61 on orbit Oleg Skripochka Jessica Meir **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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K8BL Grid Ops CAS-4B Recording
by Hasan al-Basri 16 Mar '20

16 Mar '20

Included in this message is a URL to my Google Drive MP4 recording of Bob's operation on CAS-4B a few minutes ago. At the very end of the pass, my elevation was -0.5 degrees, yes, that's right, negative horizon! Note for Bob: I didn't have your email address, so I'm posting the mp4 url here. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HPz8o-ttEfZURT-XFge2IUVbazB_j2FX Just click on this link to download the mp4 file,. It is both video and audio. It is a standard MP4 file and will play on virtually any device, even a phone. Anyone is welcome to view/listen to it. File is about 95 MB, so with today's speeds, it should download quite quickly. The video shows: 1. On the far left the CAS-4B Batwing PSK Beacon (very useful for observing polarity shifts during a pass). 2. The CW Beacon for reference of the maximum signal strength your signal should be 3. Bob's signal Notice that Bob did a nice job of keeping his power down to reasonable levels and how difficult it is to do manual doppler, which he also did a nice job with. 73, N0AN Hasan

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