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ANS-108 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-108 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information 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 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(a)amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * AMSAT's GOLF-TEE CubeSat Manifested for Launch on ELaNa-46 * SMOG-1 Designated Magyar-OSCAR 110 (MO-110) * AMSAT FTP Site Retired * TO-108 Operational Update * CAMSAT Applies for Frequency Coordination for CAS-9 (XW-3) * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for April 15, 2021 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 108.01 To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2021 Apr 18 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Join the 2021 President's Club! Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin with Polished Gold Finish, Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag By donating today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it! -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- AMSAT's GOLF-TEE CubeSat Manifested for Launch on ELaNa-46 AMSAT's GOLF-TEE CubeSat has been manifested for launch on NASA's ELaNa-46 mission. GOLF-TEE is the first satellite in AMSAT's "Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint" or GOLF program. The goal of the GOLF program is to work by steps through a series of increasingly capable spacecraft to learn to develop systems and skills needed to achieve successful high orbit missions. Among these are active attitude control and the ability to command attitude changes, deployable/steerable solar panels, radiation tolerance for commercial off the shelf (COTS) components in higher orbits, and propulsion. The eventual goal of the GOLF program is a satellite in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) similar to AO-10, AO-13, and AO-40, but at a currently affordable cost combined with significantly enhanced capabilities, which in turn will allow the use of much less complex ground stations. The -TEE designation in GOLF-TEE stands for "Technology Exploration Environment" reflecting GOLF-TEE's mission testing two primary systems needed for higher orbits. First, an Attitude Determination and Control (ADAC) system will be tested to allow active pointing of the satellites antennas, which will have significant gain. The other primary goal of GOLF-TEE is to gain initial orbit and space radiation exposure for radiation event-induced fault tolerant systems designed using COTS components. GOLF-TEE will carry an Integrated Housekeeping Unit (IHU) / command transceiver designed using the Hercules line of ARM architecture-based microcontrollers. GOLF-TEE will also evaluate a low-cost, deployable, fixed attitude, solar panel array design as part of AMSAT Engineering's exploration of fixed panel arrays that allow for outfitting a variable number of "wings" in order to best match the power requirements of various CubeSat missions. Additionally, GOLF-TEE will carry a modified commercial software-defined radio (SDR), the Ettus E310, as an experimental package to test high speed data downlink in the 10 GHz band. GOLF-TEE will also be a fully-functional LEO VHF/UHF amateur satellite carrying conventional backup systems, including a linear transponder, similar to those flown on AO-109. A significant amount of funding is necessary to complete the development and construction of the GOLF series of CubeSats. Please consider a donation today. Donations designated for the AMSAT GOLF program may be made at https://www.amsat.org/donations/amsat-golf-program-donations/ [ANS thanks AMSAT Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SMOG-1 Designated Magyar-OSCAR 110 (MO-110) On March 22, 2021, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics SMOG-1 PocketQube was launched on a Soyuz-2-1a Fregat launch vehicle from the Baikonur, Kazakhstan. SMOG-1 carries RF spectrum monitoring and total ionizing radiation experiments. Further information is available at https://gnd.bme.hu/smog At the request of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, AMSAT hereby designates SMOG-1 as Magyar-OSCAR 110 (MO-110). We congratulate the owners and operators, thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them a long mission and continued success on this and future projects. More information about OSCAR numbers can be found at https://www.amsat.org/oscar-numbers-policy/ [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, OSCAR Number Administrator, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT FTP Site Retired The AMSAT File Transport Protocol (FTP) server has been retired as of 15 April 2021. Content formerly hosted on that server is now available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/ The FTP server provided an important service for distributing software, bulletins and other information going back to at least the early 1990's when internet access started to become available to the general public. Over time the overwhelming success of the web and ubiquitous use of the web browser have evolved to provide the same capability, and today even heavy internet users are unfamiliar with FTP. The decision was made to stop spending scarce volunteer resources maintaining this seldom used service. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT Team Leader, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ TO-108 Operational Update TO-108 (CAS-6) was launched in December 2019 and carries a 20 kHz wide UHF/VHF linear transponder. When originally made available for amateur radio use in June 2020, the transponder operated only intermittently, approximately 2 seconds on and 5 seconds off. On April 12, 2021, EI2IP posted a video on Twitter where he calls CQ for a few minutes on the satellite. Later tests by European stations including SA2KNG and DO1AM showed that the transponder is still only operational intermittently, but now the transponder is on for minutes at a time instead of only a couple of seconds. TO-108's linear transponder's uplink passband is 435.270 MHz - 435.290 MHz and the downlink passband is 145.915 MHz - 145.935 MHz. The CW beacon is at 145.910 MHz and 4.8k GMSK telemetry at 145.890 MHz. Observations indicate that the transponder is operational when the beacon is transmitting continuously. [ANS thanks various sources for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAMSAT Applies for Frequency Coordination for CAS-9 (XW-3) CAMSAT has applied for frequency coordination for their CAS-9 satellite, also known as Hope-3 or XW-3. CAS-9 will be a 6U CubeSat carrying a 30 kHz VHF/UHF linear transponder. In addition to the linear transponder, there will be a UHF CW beacon and UHF 4.8k/9.6k AX.25 GMSK telemetry downlink. Launch is planned for December 15, 2021 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center into a 770 km circular orbit with an inclination of 98.58 degrees. Application details can be found at http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=804 [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for April 15, 2021 The following satellites have been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: GRIFEX - NORAD Cat ID 40379 (Reported as active and returned to TLE list.) Orbicraft-Zorkiy - NORAD Cat ID 47960 (per Nico Janssen, PA0DLO) STECCO - NORAD Cat ID 47962. (per Nico Janssen, PA0DLO) [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News Winmalee Public School, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC Contact is go for: Tue 2021-04-20 08:28:39 UTC 81 deg The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations ND9M: I’m doing another tour on my merchant marine ship. We’ll be leaving the States (EM90) in a few days to head for the western Pacific by way of the Panama Canal. I’ve got my FT857 / FT817 with an Elk although I don’t hear RS-44’s downlink all that well. (AO-27’s downlink on the same band is great though.) I’m planning to be active on as many satellite passes that I can fit in around job duties; since I’m a staff of 1, working all seven days and being on call 24/7 can get in the way. My internet connection on board is marginal at best and will become virtually nil for several days as we approach Panama and then hit the Pacific. I’ll post likely grids a day or two in advance to the AMSAT-BB and will hit Twitter (@ND9M) when I’ve got a web connection. WY7AA: April 17th – May 2 EM86 vacation style FM and SSB. I will have a day trip to EM85, but I will plan that and advertise when I get there. Major Roves: CM93 Possibility: N6DNM Very long shot, but might want to put it on your calendar for May 15th, if you can figure out where it is and for SOTA folks, that would be W6/SC-336, Santa Rosa Island, activated only once before. I, Italy: Loriano/IZ5RHU and the ARI section Grosseto commemorate the Chernobyl disaster between April 18 and May 9 as II5RCH on 80-2m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via satellite. QSL via IZ5RHU (d/B). (via DX Newsletter DXNL 2245 Apr 14, 2021) [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, reports these upcoming presentations scheduled for … 04/26 - Livonia, Michigan 05/18 - Puget Sound 05/26 - South New Jersey 06/01 - University of Arizona 06/09 - San Jose 06/15 - East Massachusetts 10/21 - Conejo Valley CA … and dates for Roseland NJ, Austin TX, Maine, and NH to be firmed up! Think a lively, entertaining, AND educational 75-minute presentation to YOUR club or organization on “Working the Easy Sateliites” would be appropriate for your club? Send me a message or call! Clint Bradford K6LCS AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL instructor http://www.work-sat.com k6lcs AT work-sat DOT info (909) 999-SATS (7287) [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador, and Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events Page Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Congratulations Kell Bodholt, KI7UXT, on completing the AMSAT GridMaster Award by working all 488 maidenhead grid squares in the continental United States. Kell is the 29th recipient of this award. More information on the AMSAT GridMaster award can be found at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/ + A new distance record has been claimed on the ISS VHF digipeater. 9G5AR completed a 4,032 km QSO with EA3BAX on 11-Apr-2021 at 09:07 UTC. More records can be found at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records + FG8OJ has developed a quick script to display your VUCC credits on a world map. 1/ Connect to LoTW 2/ Go to your VUCC favorite award page and select "All credits" 3/ Copy the page with CTRL+A and CTRL+C 4/ Go to https://fg8oj.com/lotwgrid2map/ 5/ Paste in the form's text area CTRL+V 6/ Enjoy + The spring issue of OSCAR News is now available for download for AMSAT-UK members at https://amsat-uk.org/2021/04/13/spring-oscar-news-2/ + Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear + All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT’s new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT’s Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you’re a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/ + The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. President’s Club donations may be made at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week’s ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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Looking for design article on patch feeds
by w8kmx＠bellsouth.net 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

There was a gentleman, ham radio operator who was also a professor at a college in Kentucky or Tennessee or in that general area. He was noted for his design of antennas and specifically patch feed systems for satellite communications. He passed away several years ago but his articles are still circulating around. I am looking for his article on how to design and construct a patch feed for 1296. Does anybody remember this gentleman, his call sign, and can tell me where I can file an article? Thanks for reading Dan, WHKMX

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Re: Amateur Radio satellites for Beginners?
by Bob Liddy (K8BL) 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

Carl, Sorry to hear those results. You should have much better RX than that. Many folks on the BB have similar setups. Perhaps, the general AMSAT community can give more advice. GL/73, Bob K8BL On Saturday, April 17, 2021, 02:41:04 AM EDT, Carl A Estey <carl(a)esteys.net> wrote: Bob: Here are my observations:Using both the AMSAT predictions and that from MacDoppler I tried hearing SO-50 at 12:59 4/17 on a 13 minute pass. Both AMSAT and MacDoppler compared favorably. The D72 and GP-95 could hear only faintly. The 9700 and the M2 LEO Pack antenna barely copied but when I switched to my long-boom 70-cm yagii fed with 7/8” helix I I got about a S-6 signal and could see it on the scope. Duringthe pass I heard no stations calling or in QSO. Certainly polarizations were not helping but I was really disappointed. Path losses according to MacDoppler are high - in the area of -150 to -160. Thoughts? 73Carl WA0CQG On Apr 16, 2021, at 1:49 PM, Bob Liddy (K8BL) <k8bl(a)ameritech.net> wrote: Carl, I'm surprised you're not hearing any of the SATs, especially withyour setup. Some of them are quite strong and folks have heardthem with handhelds and worked them from mobiles using verticalantennas while in motion. Since moving to a new QTH, I have no home station at the moment.But when I'm roving and using an Arrow, the SATs are easy to hearand track. I use either AmsatDroid or Look4Sat on my phone and theyboth do a great job. If I were you and I just wanted to check if I could hear a SAT, here'swhat I would do. Pick a common SAT known to be active and well-usedlike SO-50. Set your RX VFO to 436.800 MHz FM. Set your antennaelevation to about 20 degrees. Look up the timing of a pass viewablefrom your location. Set the azimuth of your antenna in the direction ofthe middle time of that pass. At that time, you should hear SO-50 loudand clear with several stations making QSOs. Since you say that your setup works fine for terrestrial QSOs, you willsurely hear SO-50 if you have the pass time correct for your location andyou have the azimuth set properly. If you want to verify that your MACsoftware is accurate, check the pass info against the AMSAT predictioncalculation for your QTH on: AMSAT - AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions | | | | AMSAT - AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions AMSAT is a worldwide group of Amateur Radio Operators who share an active interest in building, launching and th... | | | GL/73, Bob K8BL On Friday, April 16, 2021, 03:03:38 AM EDT, Carl A Estey <carl(a)esteys.net> wrote: Bob - Thanks for your input. Right now I am using a TH-D72 handheld and GP-95 vertical and also the IC-9700 with the M2 LEO Pack. I hear nothing with either although terrestrial reception with both is fine. I am using MacDoppler software for tracking and have verified time and location. 73Carl WA0CQG On Apr 15, 2021, at 9:08 PM, Bob Liddy (K8BL) <k8bl(a)ameritech.net> wrote: Carl, The FM SATS are pretty easy and can be loads of fun. However, beingso easy, they get quite busy at times which brings about mayhem andchaos. It takes a while for new users to learn the proper operationalskills for using a single channel repeater available often nationwide. The Linear SATS are somewhat difficult to master at first, but most folkscatch on in a reasonable timeframe. They have a wide bandwidth whichmakes them available for quite a few QSOs to take place simultaneously.And, they can be actual QSOs as opposed to hello/goodbye types thatare the norm on the FM Birds. Your 9700 is an excellent radio for theLinear SATs, whereas an HT would have been sufficient for the FM ones. GL/73, Bob K8BL On Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 10:57 AM Carl A Estey <carl(a)esteys.net> wrote: What handful of Amateur Radio satellites should a newcomer focus on? The Amsat Current Status table lists 15 with current reports but many of those are telemetry only. Is there a current “Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide? My April 2019 is pretty out of date. I need to know what satellites I should try to hear in an effort to validate my IC-9700 and M2 Leo Pack system. 73Carl WA0CQG -----------------------------------------------------------

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ARISS News Release No. 21-22
by David Jordan 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

ARISS News Release No. 21-22 Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR aa4kn(a)amsat.org FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE ARISS ContactScheduled for Students at Winmalee Public School BlueMountains, New South Wales, Australia April 17, 2021—AmateurRadio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received scheduleconfirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the groupthat puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around theglobe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turnsasking their questions of Astronaut Victor Glover, amateurradio call sign KI5BKC. Englishis the language that will be used for this contact. Both onsite and remote access will beprovided to the student body at the time of the contact per Covid-19 guidelines.The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that alsoencompasses the telebridge station. ARISSteam member Jan Poppeliers, in Aartselaar, Belgium using radio call sign ON4ISS,will serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio station. The ARISS radio contact isscheduled for April 20, 2021 at 6:28 pm [AEST] (Winmalee,Australia), (8:28 UTC,4:28 am EDT, 3:28 am CDT, 2:28 am MDT and 1:28 am PDT). Winmalee PublicSchool (360 students, Kindergarten-Year 6) is one of five local primary schoolsin the town of Winmalee within the Blue Mountains, 80 km west of Sydney,Australia. Winmalee Public School’s STEM program curriculum includes a weeklySTEM Lab for Kindergarten through Year 6 taught by a specialist primary scienceeducator. Space-based studies also include lessons about the Solar system,space travel, space missions, and the future of space exploration. Inpreparation for the ARISS contact class lessons have focused on the ISS; how totrack its position in orbit (using applied mathematics), as well as learningabout the ISS astronauts and their roles. Other student activities included ISSmodel-building, designing promotional posters, and sharing their knowledge ofthe ISS with the local high school students. Students also participated in aspace trivia competition. _____________________________ Astime allows, students will ask these questions: 1.What is the best way to describe the feeling of microgravity? 2.How long does it take to travel to the Space Station from Earth? 3.Have you ever seen a meteor pass through Earth’s atmosphere from the ISS? 4.What experiments do you do at the International Space Station? 5.Has anything ever gone wrong or required you to take emergency action while youhave been on board the International Space Station? 6.What happens if space junk hits the International Space Station? 7.What personal items would you take into space if allowed…and why? 8.How many times a year do you get supplies delivered to the ISS? 9.What is the most difficult thing about being in space? 10.What do you do for fun up there? 11.As the ISS orbits the earth, can you see weather patterns like cyclones? 12.Do you grow plants in the space station? If so, how? 13.What is your daily routine on the ISS? 14.How are crew members chosen to go out on a space walk? 15.Which animal species are currently on board the ISS and what is their purpose? 16.Does seeing Earth from a distance give you and your crew a differentperspective on life? 17.What do you enjoy most about linking up with students from across the world aspart of this amazing ARISS program? 18.Many of my students have talked about their dream to become astronauts. Whatwould be your greatest advice for them? ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur RadioContinuous Operations on the ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsorsare the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s SpaceCommunications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promoteexploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematicstopics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew membersaboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students,educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org MediaContact: DaveJordan, AA4KN ARISSPR Likeus on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and@ARISS_status.

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ND9M/mm - Wet Grids - 4/17
by Clary, James T (Jim) 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

I'm planning to be on the AO-7 pass (CW) later today at about 17/2140Z from either FK01 or FK00, other passes up to mid evening should be FK00, and finally FJ09. I'll try to set up about 5 kHz above the center of each linear satellite's band segment. Our Canal transit will take most if not all day tomorrow (4/18). There are webcams positioned along the canal that update every 30 seconds or so as I remember it. Their web addresses are: https://multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/aguaclara.html https://multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/gatun.html https://multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/cocoli.html https://multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/Miraflores.html My ship is fairly large (675 feet long), and has five yellow-ish cranes on the main deck area, and a black hull with a white stack in the back. The stack has grey, blue, and yellow/gold horizontal identification stripes. The helicopter flight deck is at the back (stern) of the ship; its markings are all white and include a large landing circle. If the weather holds (possible showers), I'll have a 6-foot ladder set up in front of the landing circle where I operate from. If you happen to spot me at the ladder, please do a screen capture and let me know; it might make a good QSL! Please don't send attachments at this time however since our e-mail system is at its slowest capability because of minimized satellite connectivity. 73/Jim, ND9M

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Flying with HT
by David Jordan 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

I'll be flying Southwest airlines tomorrow and plan to take my TH-D72 HT along for the ride. This is my first time taking an HT in my carry-on backpack through security. Does this usually go smoothly or are there any pit falls I need to be prepared for? Dave, AA4KN Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android

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ND9M/mm - FK14 - CAS-4A/B
by Clary, James T (Jim) 16 Apr '21

16 Apr '21

By the time the second RS-44 pass ended, we still had another mile to go in FK15 before crossing into FK14. We're in FK14, so I'll be on CAS-4A and CAS-4B about 40 minutes from now. I'll target 5 kHz above the center of each band. 73/Jim, ND9M

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-04-17 00:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 16 Apr '21

16 Apr '21

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-04-17 00:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Winmalee Public School, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC Contact is go for: Tue 2021-04-20 08:28:39 UTC 81 deg ************************************************************************************************************* The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html ######################################################################################################################################## A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. **************************************************************************************************************************************** ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates. Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements at https://www.ariss.org/ The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19: Postponed: No new schools Cancelled: No new schools **************************************************************************************************************************************** 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 2021-04-17 00:00 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 2021-04-07 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) New Proposal Window is February 15th, 2021 to March 31st, 2021 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 31st, 2021. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on February 25th, 2021 at 8 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2021.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. For future proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application from September to October and from February to April. Please refer to details and the application form at www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appropriate regional representative listed below. If your country is not specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your question to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your question to the appropriate coordinator. For the application, go to: https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) https://www.jarl.org/ ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz unless otherwise noted. ******************************************************************************* 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: Sergey RV3DR with 148 Francesco IKØWGF with 140 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 140 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 1436. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1369. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48. 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, 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. 63 now on orbit Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Sergey Ryzhikov Sergey Kud-Sverchkov SpaceX-Crew 1 on orbit Victor Glover KI5BKC Mike Hopkins KF5LJG Soichi Noguchi KD5TVP Shannon Walker KD5DXB Exp. 64 now on orbit Oleg Novitskiy Pyotr Dubrov Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ND9M/mm - FK15 & FK14 Tonight
by Clary, James T (Jim) 16 Apr '21

16 Apr '21

We're in FK15 right now, and I'm planning to be on RS-44/CW from this same grid on the next pass at 17/0023Z. We should cross into FK14 sometime around 17/0200Z. I should be on XW-2A at 17/0205Z and RS-44/CW at 17/0215Z. We're setting clocks back tonight for our first time change of 10 this trip. This time change makes CAS-4A and -4B passes around 0400Z possible. Grey cumulus clouds are starting to develop which is no surprise for this area, so I'll have to keep an eye on them. Even if I had some kind of shelter to cover the gear and myself with, I'm operating from a helo flight deck that's more than 100 feet above the water line not to mention waving the Elk antenna around. Ben Franklin I'm not! I'm estimating FK01, F010, and FJ09 for tomorrow late afternoon and evening. We'll transit the Canal (FJ09, FJ08, and FJ07) on Sunday. 73/Jim, ND9M

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Looking for design article on patch feeds
by w8kmx＠bellsouth.net 16 Apr '21

16 Apr '21

There was a gentleman, ham radio operator who was also a professor at a college in Kentucky or Tennessee or in that general area. He was noted for his design of antennas and specifically patch feed systems for satellite communications. He passed away several years ago but his articles are still circulating around. I am looking for his article on how to design and construct a patch feed for 1296. Does anybody remember this gentleman, his call sign, and can tell me where I can file an article? Thanks for reading Dan, WHKMX

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