- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: [amsat-bb] Regarding election results, How many members does AMSAT have?
by Bruce Perens 21 Sep '20

21 Sep '20

I think we should open a mailing list on the ORI side for satellite operators. Because obviously AMSAT isn't the only US satellite organization, so you shouldn't have to feel alienated out of a piece of your hobby just because AMSAT makes a choice. I'll get that done and then announce it. There already is the "ground station" mailing list where most engineering discussion takes place. Thanks Bruce On Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 1:45 PM Michael Tondee <mat_62(a)charter.net> wrote: > Is that a matter of public record? Looking at the vote totals of the > election is what made me ponder the question. I'll be quietly moving on > now and enjoying other aspects of the ham hobby but I'm really curious > what your membership totals are and what the percentage of turnout was > for what was such an important election. > > 73, > > Michael, W4HIJ > >

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Major Grant for Open Source Amateur Radio Satellite Service Work
by Michelle Thompson 21 Sep '20

21 Sep '20

I'm very happy to announce that two grants have been made for open source amateur radio satellite work. This closes out an extraordinarily successful summer of regulatory progress, published designs, community development, and fundraising. All of this work directly benefits AMSAT. It benefits AMSAT regardless of whether it's ignored in the short term, attacked, ridiculed, or stolen. One of the new grants, for $4200, is for AmbaSat-inspired nanosat microwave designs. These lightweight designs will be useful for high-altitude balloons as well as space. Intended for University level education, this project will produce repeatable and manufacturable open source designs. The other grant is for $507,020. It is for the second phase of engineering work for the complete digital ground station and payload design. This grant took 14 months of very hard work to obtain. All are welcome to participate. All work is published in a way that makes it accessible to the general public at no cost, with standard licensing and full compliance with all regulations. A third grant, for Rent-a-GEO, is still under review. You can look back through the archives to find out more about that proposal. AMSAT leaders were informed of these grant applications. AMSAT was informed and invited to be part of the Commodity Jurisdiction Request, in writing, multiple times. AMSAT members were invited to contribute, review, participate, comment, and critique the grant proposal. Many members did. The process of writing the grants has been open, with workshops at major amateur events, recruitment of a committee from a diverse technical background, forum presentations, paper presentations, hardware experiments, work carried out on a public mailing list, and so on. There were at least six significant re-writes based on unflinching feedback from the community, ARDC technical review board, and committee members. That is what "very hard work" means. Before the transponder grant was awarded, ORI board offered a technical support contract that would share all funds with AMSAT/ARISS/AREx. As long as the work was mutually beneficial, the funds would be openly available to AREx. That contract can be found here: https://github.com/phase4ground/documents/blob/master/Papers_Articles_Prese… This was presented as a starting point draft, open to negotiation and tailoring. However, it was declined without an explanation. This is not the only negative response to fundraising and regulatory work from AMSAT. Attacks against the landmark Commodity Jurisdiction Request, personal attacks by leadership on anyone associated with this grant, and the open ridicule of the previous YASME, ARRL Foundation, and ARDC grants seem to be what a bit more than half of members want. That is certainly what AMSAT leadership is currently providing. Calling successful engineers that have dozens of projects in space "liars" and "grifters", and shrieking that this grant is going to be "completely wasted" by an AMSAT member society while sharing photos of cash on fire on social media, is not a great look for the Executive Vice President of AMSAT. Ridiculing a desperately needed Final Determination letter from the State Department as a "self-indulgent publicity stunt" is a shockingly stupid thing for the VP of Engineering to publicly state. Rejecting written offers of six-figure fundraising support, and rejecting dozens of competent volunteer recruits' free labor, seems kind of dumb to me. AMSAT would be in great shape if it took advantage of the gifts of time, talent, and treasure that have been consistently and freely offered. Instead, we have a raft of resignations, continued silence, and ugly memes. In looking at the low numbers of AMSAT voters, it may seem kind of silly to keep showing up with seriously needed solutions (ITAR/EAR, several world's-first technical advancements, major funds) when they are rejected so clumsily. However, just because it seems silly now, does not mean it is wrong to keep trying. Nearly half of voters wanted open source and a return to technical leadership this year. This is a huge increase looking at the past three years (from zero!) and is extremely good news. Unfortunately, this time around, non-technical and litigious leadership managed to keep their seats. However, the trend is clear, the regulatory framework has changed, and open source work is rapidly leapfrogging opaque, authoritarian, and exclusionary mindsets. There is a very bright future unfolding. Do you want to make a difference? Consider running for the board. The time to start preparing for 2021 is now. It's well worth the effort and time. If I can make the difference that I have in the past year, in terms of regulatory work, technical work, and fundraising, just imagine what you can do! There has never been a better time to get into amateur microwave, digital design, FPGAs, and space. -Michelle W5NYV

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The AMSAT Journal, July/August 2020
by Robert Bankston 21 Sep '20

21 Sep '20

Due to COVID-19, the July/August 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal will only be available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. Please visit launch.amsat.org to view/download your copy today. The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. Inside the Current Issue: Engineering Update Jerry Buxton N0JY User Services Update Robert Bankston KE4AL Treasurer's Report Robert Bankston KE4AL Educational Relations Update Alan Johnston KU2Y AMSAT Field Day 2020 Bruce Paige KK5DO For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VI Keith Baker KB1SF/VE2KSF Satellite Cyber Threats Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Miguel A. García-Ruiz VE3BKM; Margarita G. MayoralBaldivia XE1BMG; Raúl T. Aquino-Santos (SWL) Integration of a Distributed Ground Station Network M.A.Mendoza-Bárcenas (SWL); Rafael Prieto-Meléndez (SWL); Alejandro Padrón-Godínez (SWL); Gerardo Calva-Olmos (SWL), Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Margarita G. Mayoral-Baldivia XE1BMG; Alfonso TamezRodríguez XE2O Satellite Antenna Tracking Using Goto Telescope Mounts Dwayne Sinclair NA6US Not an AMSAT member? Visit launch.amsat.org and JOIN TODAY! Robert Bankston, KE4AL Vice-President, User Services Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)

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UT1FG/MM QSL Confirmations
by john＠papays.com 21 Sep '20

21 Sep '20

Yuri, UT1FG/MM, is back on the Goldeneye and is sailing from Columbia to Jacksonville Florida today, September 21, 2020. At Jacksonville he will have a good opportunity to mail out confirmations from last season as well as others prior. Please follow the procedure at papays.com/sat and email your pdf's to me. I will forward them to Yuri. If you have sent pdf's in the past and not received an answer, please send them again. As he gets closer to Jacksonville, he will not be able to work on the confirmations so please get your requests in now. That way you will have a better chance at getting the confirmations mailed. 73, John K8YSE

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Board election
by Robert McGwier 20 Sep '20

20 Sep '20

Congratulations to those who came in 1-3 and are now board members and Howie who is first alternate. I am deeply grateful for all who supported my candidacy. My place in this notwithstanding, I feel it makes little sense for me to be second alternate given this seems likely to cause conflict of interest recusals in my position with ARDC. I would have dealt with he pain of it had I been elected to the board or been first alternate. Jeff Johns also ran so this move by me doesn't leave AMSAT without a second alternate. I wish the organization well in its endeavors. My life membership continues and I have a new amateur satellite system under construction at my retirement home in Alabama and I expect to be active soon since I have constructed the M2 crossed yagis, received the Yaesu AZ/EL rotator and expect my Q5 to arrive this Fall. My new satellite tracking software package written in Golang is well underway and I hope I can get people to try it soon. 73s Bob N4HY

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Re: [amsat-bb] more Fox Delta- G5400 fun
by Roy Dean 20 Sep '20

20 Sep '20

Craig, Not sure if this helps, but occasionally when I switch on my serial ST2 + G5400 rotator, I get the same blank screen. I am able to clear it by turning off the G-5400B controller, unplugging the ST2 at the USB plug (its on a prolific serial-usb adapter), and then turning the G5400B controller back on (I power the ST2 directly from the G5400B). The screen comes back, and then I plug the USB adapter back in and I can use the system normally. I suspect you've already tried stuff like this already, but worth a shot. Good luck. --Roy K3RLD > Hello fellow satops. After thinking I had fixed my Fox Delta ST2 calibration/runaway readout problem (worked for "a while"), the problem started up again. With much help from Dinesh VU2FD and Frank K7SFN at FD, the epromm was reprogrammed, thinking maybe some rf got into the ST2. Unfortunately, now there is no readout on the ST2 display, although it is illuminated, and I cannot manually bring up the calibration screen (or any screen). The front buttons on the ST2 are inoperative. The DIN plug connections between the ST2 and the G5400 are solid. The G5400 controller and rotors all work as they should using the Yaesu controller box. Not sure how to go about doing any further troubleshooting except maybe to check voltages on the wires coming from the G5400 through the DIN plug to the screw strip on the ST2 board. I've got my money's worth out of this great little box and don't mind getting a new one (this time, the USB version), but need to first eliminate the G5400 as the issue. > > If anyone happens to have info on what voltages I should be reading on the cable/ wires from the G5400, that would be very helpful. I assume some of the voltages will be variable based on rotor positions. I checked the G5400 manual but it does not appear to provide that information without analysis of the schematic. (beyond my skill set) > > Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. > > 73, Craig > N6RSX > >

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Chinese HF satellite
by Jim Barbre 20 Sep '20

20 Sep '20

Did the Chinese launch their HF amateur radio satellite yesterday, September 15th, as scheduled? Thanks. 73 Jim Barbre KB7YSY

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Radio Amateurs of Canada AMSAT presentation.
by tjschuessler＠verizon.net 19 Sep '20

19 Sep '20

Hi all, I will be doing a "Getting Started" presentation for the Radio Amateurs of Canada Annual conference tomorrow, Sunday September 20th. My session will be at 1PM Eastern, 1800Z. They will be streaming and archiving all their sessions on the RAC YouTube Channel but you can go to the Radio Amateurs of Canada web site and register for the Zoom sessions to be able to do Q & A. I recommend any of our Canadian satellite friends who are on the list to register if not already, and please join in. They have some other interesting seminars on various different topics as well as their Annual Meeting. Not too long a commitment. Only about54 hours from end to end on Sunday. Should be another fun outreach for Amateur Radio in Space. Hope to see yo there. 73 Tom Schuessler, N5HYP EM12ms

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ANS-264 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 19 Sep '20

19 Sep '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-264 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT Board of Directors Elections Results * July/August AMSAT Journal Is Now Available * RAC Canada 2020 Conference and AGM is this Sunday * AO-7 Approaching Return To Full Illumination * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * Ham Radio Club Talk Collection On YouTube * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-264.01 ANS-264 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 264.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2020 September 20 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-264.01 AMSAT Board of Directors Elections Results Balloting for the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation’s 2020 Board of Directors election concluded September 15. Of the 1,233 envelopes returned, 1,231 could be associated with a unique member. Ballots were separated from the envelopes to maintain secrecy and counted by the Secretary over three sessions conducted on September 16, 17, and 18. Candidates, Directors, Officers, and tellers chosen by the Secretary were invited to observe the opening of returned envelopes and handling of ballots during the count. Five envelopes contained reports of deceased members, resulting in a total of 1,226 ballots scrutinized. The number of votes cast for each candidate is as follows: Mark Hammond, N8MH 707 Paul Stoetzer, N8HM 703 Bruce Paige, KK5DO 667 Howie DeFelice, AB2S 550 Bob McGwier, N4HY 534 Jeff Johns, WE4B 429 Four ballots were spoiled. Accordingly, pursuant to Article III, Section 4 of the Bylaws: Mark Hammond, N8MH, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and Bruce Paige, KK5DO, have been elected as Directors of the Corporation for terms ending in 2022. Howie DeFelice, AB2S, has been elected as First Alternate Director of the Corporation for a term ending in 2021. Bob McGwier, N4HY, has been elected as Second Alternate Director of the Corporation for a term ending in 2021. The Secretary thanks the candidates for their cooperation during the election process, those who observed the counting for their time and scrutiny, and the members of the Corporation for their interest and participation. (ANS thanks Brennan Price, N4QX, AMSAT Secretary for the above infor- mation) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ July/August AMSAT Journal Is Now Available Due to COVID-19, the July/August 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal will only be available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. Please visit launch.amsat.org to view/download your copy today. The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. Inside the Current Issue Engineering Update, Jerry Buxton N0JY User Services Update, Robert Bankston KE4AL Treasurer's Report, Robert Bankston KE4AL Educational Relations Update, Alan Johnston KU2Y AMSAT Field Day 2020, Bruce Paige KK5DO For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VI, Keith Baker KB1SF/VE2KSF Satellite Cyber Threats, Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Miguel A. García-Ruiz VE3BKM; Margarita G. MayoralBaldivia XE1BMG; Raúl T. Aquino-Santos (SWL) Integration of a Distributed Ground Station Network, M.A.Mendoza- Bárcenas (SWL); Rafael Prieto-Meléndez (SWL); Alejandro Padrón- Godínez (SWL); Gerardo Calva-Olmos (SWL), Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Margarita G. Mayoral-Baldivia XE1BMG; Alfonso TamezRod- ríguez • XE2O Satellite Antenna Tracking Using Goto Telescope Mounts, Dwayne Sinclair • NA6US [ANS thanks AMSAT 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ RAC Canada 2020 Conference and AGM is this Sunday Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to welcome all Amateurs to the RAC Canada 2020 Conference which will be held on Sunday, September 20 be- fore the RAC Annual General Meeting. Complete descriptions of all of the presentations can be found on the RAC website at: https://www.rac.ca/rac-canada-2020-conference-and-agm-is-this-sunday/ There is no registration fee for this event and registration is now underway. Canada 2020 Conference Overview: The RAC Canada 2020 Conference is an interactive mini-conference that will feature interesting presentations on a wide range of topics as shown below. Whether you are a new Amateur or have been enjoying Ama- teur Radio for many years there will be something of interest for you to discover. Given the great response we have received, we have now decided to ex- tend the schedule to include a keynote presentation followed by three sessions. Each session will have multiple presentations so that participants can choose those presentations that are of most interest to them. In addi- tion, all sessions will be recorded for viewing later so you won’t miss out if two of your favourites take place at the same time. Keynote presentation: 12 noon to 12:50 pm ET First session (4 presentations): 1 pm to 1:50 ET Second session (4 presentations): 2 pm to 2:50 ET Third session (3 presentations): 3 pm to 3:50 ET The Annual General Meeting will then begin after the Conference at 4 pm ET. Conference Presentations and Schedule: The following is a list of presentations and the schedule of events: Keynote Presentation: 12 noon to 12:50 pm ET “A Fireside Chat”: “Amateur Radio during the Global Pandemic and other topics” An informal discussion featuring the following distinguished guests: Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA: President, Radio Amateurs of Canada Tim Ellam, VE6SH: President, International Amateur Radio Union Rick Roderick, K5UR: President, American Radio Relay League Steve Thomas, M1ACB: General Manager, Radio Soc'ty of Great Britain In these unprecedented times, this is an excellent – and possibly historic opportunity – to engage in a discussion on the challenges we face today and the future of Amateur Radio. First session: 1 pm to 1:50 pm ET Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites – Tom Schuessler, N5HYP Amateur Radio and Youth – Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ Amateur Radio Challenges in Canada’s North – Ron Thompson, VE8RT and Angela Gerbrandt, VY0YL CY9C St. Paul Island DXpedition – Phil McBride, VA3QR Second session: 2 pm to 12:50 pm ET 6m FT8 DXing – Ron Schwartz, VE3VN Contesting: Remote Operating – Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA, Tom Haavisto, VE3CX & Gerry Hull, VE1RM VO2AC: Contest DXpedition to Labrador (CQ Zone 2) – Chris Allingham, VE3FU/VO2AC Amateur Radio Hotspots: A Quick Overview – Allan Boyd, VE3AJB Third session: 3 pm to 3:50 pm ET La proposition d’une classe d’entrée pour les radioamateurs (en français) – Guy Richard, VE2QG/VE2XTD Amateur Radio: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Allen Wootton, VY1KX High Altitude Balloons: The Elevation Education – Kelly Shulman, VE3KLX [ANS thanks Radio Amateurs of Canada and Southgate ARC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-7 Approaching Return To Full Illumination AO-7 is approaching a return to full illumination, sometime around September 25. This period will last until approximately December 26. During this time, it is likely AO-7 will switch between Modes A and B (2m/10m, and 70cm/2m) every 24 hours. Get those 10m antennas ready to enjoy mode A every other day. On another note, here’s a reminder and request to remember to keep the power down. Recently, I’ve observed sometimes several different sta- tions, usually in the middle of the passband, ditting away on CW in an attempt to find themselves. This often bounces the entire passband up and down, and sometimes causes the transponder to reset (“flip”) to Mode A. Try to find yourself with very low power, or on SSB, or best, with full Doppler control, and the other users will thank you. If you have to use high power to find yourself, your receive antenna and sys- tem probably needs improvement. SSB users should also watch their up- link power carefully. [ANS thanks Andrew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution The following satellites have been and removed from this week's AMSAT- NA TLE Distribution: OBJECT D - Cat ID 46275. OBJECT F - Cat ID 46277. To understand why, first consider that at this time about 52 satellites have been placed in orbit, so far. Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, has determined that Object D and Object F cannot be either AmicalSat or TTU 110. This based on the fact that Object D and Object F are in the SAME group of satellites (and orbit) into which UPMSat 2 (Cat. ID 46276) was launched. AmicalSat and TTU 100 are in another (and later) group of satellites that were launched later into a higher orbit and are now about a half an orbit away from UPMSat 2 (and Object D and Object F). This is quite a bit of good detective work by Nico! There's more! Since TTU 100 is not transmitting, it is really not pos- sible to identify TTU 100 by radio signal at this time. (The group that TTU 100 was launched still makes it sure that Objects D and F are not AmicalSat and TTU 100.) So TTU 100's Catalog Number is still (at this time) unknown. And so ... the following satellite has been and added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: AmicalSat - Cat ID 46287. Again, a big thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Avellaneda Ikastetxea, Sodupe, Spain, telebridge via ZS6JON The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut was Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. The contact was scheduled for Friday, 9-18-2020 at 12:56:34 UTC. The contact was successful. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men- tors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: EM26/27 “Late this week or This weekend” @KL7TN JM08, 9/17 -9/21 @EA6/EA4NF. Formentera Island. DXCC EA6 – Grid JM08 – IOTA EU-004, LEO SAT FM & LINEARS, QSL via LoTW as EA6/EA4NF. For this new sat portable activation, Philippe will bring with him his Yaesu FT818ND and a FT817ND operating in full Duplex on all LEO satellites with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna. CN86, 9/19 & 9/20, @N7AME : I hope to access the FM satellites AO-91, and AO-92 on most passes during September 19 and 20 during the WWDXC Salmon Run. If they count, I will be at Lewis and Clark SP WA (K-3221) and in Lewis County which will be Grid CN96. K5TA will be on the air as W6H occasionally until this Sunday, 20-Sep, as New Mexico's satellite representative in the “Route 66 On The Air” special event. For general info visit http://w6jbt.org/?page_id=19. QSL via K8TE. Our coordinator is working on getting a certificate for LoTW, but it’s not up yet. Besides, the paper cards are nice-looking. Christy, KB6LTY, is also on sats as W6D from San Bernardino County — you remember the old song “…Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino!” -Scott K5TA DM65 Albuquerque. CN76/77 10/3 and 10/4 @AD0DX Just booked tickets for beautiful Ocean Shores, WA… CN76/CN77 grid line Sat Oct 3 approx 0000z to Sun Oct 4th approx 1700z, pass details closer to the trip Major Roves: Beginning this Saturday, 19 Sept thru Friday, 25 Sept, @kylee_ke0wpa and @ND0C will be doing some holiday roving in several Iowa grids: EN11, EN12, EN20, EN21, EN22 and EN30 – some lines. None of them are particularly rare, but we’ll be there nevertheless. Operation will be limited by work commitments and family activities, but we will focus on AO-91 and SO-50 and maybe some linears. Hope to turn a few grids green for some folks. Please play nice, i.e. no blind calls, no stomp- ing and allow the QSOs to be completed! [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs: 10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn. These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us. The 38th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting in- person event scheduled to be held in Bloomington, Minnesota has been canceled. The event will be shifted to a virtual, online platform. The in-person event was scheduled to occur Friday, October 16th - Sunday, October 18th. As the 2020 virtual event plans are developed, they will be announced via the usual AMSAT channels. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Last week Jupiter had 79 moons. This week it may have 600 more, in- cluding some that go backwards! A new study says that there may be as many as 600 small “irregular moons” orbiting Jupiter. An irregular moon is a minor object that used to orbit the Sun, but was captured by a giant planet early on in the Solar System’s history. Having swapped from being Sun-orbiting to planet-orbiting, they often have “eccentric” orbits; distant, inclined and retrograde—they orbit back- wards. (ANS thanks Forbes.com for the above information) + Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, from Gujarat State in western India, and Lucky Bijanki, VU2LBW from Bangalore in southern India, successfully worked one another via six different FM Satellites in single day on September 9. It's a record for such satellite activities in the region. Satellites worked were AO-91 (0650Z), PO-101 (0830Z), AO-27 (1305Z), SO-50 (1514Z), AO-92 (1712Z) & ARISS - ISS (1714Z). (ANS thanks Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, for the above information) + A small leak of ammonia has been detected at the U.S. segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Ammonia is used in transferring heat from the US segment on the ISS to space. Moderate levels of ammonia are not so dangerous, but exposure to high concentrations of it can be a health hazard. The leak is at a rate of about 700 grams [1.5 pounds] per year. There is no threat to the ISS crew. A similar situation occurred in 2017 and was resolved. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information) + Earth observation satellites are playing a key role in analyzing and responding to the fires in the western U.S. NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System provides daily fire point-source de- tection, along with real time geofenced updates, world wide. NASA also provides a dashboard of world temperature. (ANS thanks The Or- bital Index for the above information) + It was like the opening scene from a movie: cars pulled over on a busy freeway, with everyone gawking in disbelief at what they were seeing. Drivers in New Jersey on September 14 thought a flying saucer was hovering above them. But in reality, it was just another day in 2020 and the UFO was an aircraft from planet Earth: the Goodyear Blimp. With just the right lighting conditions, viewing angle and reflections, the blimp looked just like a classic flying saucer. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) + Following requests from many amateurs outside South Africa, AMSAT-SA now offers its hand-held VHF/UHF yagi for export if ordered in a batch of 6, at R950 each (approx US $65), total for a batch of 6 R5700. (approx US $ 390). Available to countries in the European Union and the USA. For more information, see http://www.amsatsa.org.za/DualbandYagi.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

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more Fox Delta- G5400 fun
by D. Craig Fox 19 Sep '20

19 Sep '20

Hello fellow satops. After thinking I had fixed my Fox Delta ST2 calibration/runaway readout problem (worked for "a while"), the problem started up again. With much help from Dinesh VU2FD and Frank K7SFN at FD, the epromm was reprogrammed, thinking maybe some rf got into the ST2. Unfortunately, now there is no readout on the ST2 display, although it is illuminated, and I cannot manually bring up the calibration screen (or any screen). The front buttons on the ST2 are inoperative. The DIN plug connections between the ST2 and the G5400 are solid. The G5400 controller and rotors all work as they should using the Yaesu controller box. Not sure how to go about doing any further troubleshooting except maybe to check voltages on the wires coming from the G5400 through the DIN plug to the screw strip on the ST2 board. I've got my money's worth out of this great little box and don't mind getting a new one (this time, the USB version), but need to first eliminate the G5400 as the issue. If anyone happens to have info on what voltages I should be reading on the cable/ wires from the G5400, that would be very helpful. I assume some of the voltages will be variable based on rotor positions. I checked the G5400 manual but it does not appear to provide that information without analysis of the schematic. (beyond my skill set) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 73, Craig N6RSX

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