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OUTERnet becomes OTHERnet (APRS geo feed)
by Robert Bruninga 11 Jun '19

11 Jun '19

Since about 2 years ago, the APRS satellite ground station captures have been made available worldwide via three GEO satellites for reception anywhere on earth. But I recently found that the OUTERnet system has changed to a new GEO satellite constellation and no longer uses INMARSAT L band satellites but is now using a KA band downlink over the USA. And that they are now selling a new receiver kit for this satellite. Has anyone kept up with them? Here is my original WEB page but with the links changed from OUTnet to OTHERnet: http://aprs.org/othernet.html If anyone has one of their receivers or is receiving the downlink and/or wants to help me get my web page all cleaned up to what has changed over the last two years, let me know. This is a powerful capability. I hope we can keep it working. Bob, Wb4APR

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KI7UNJ ROVE - DN13/14/21/22/23/24/32/33 - June 14th - 18th
by KI7UNJ Tucker 11 Jun '19

11 Jun '19

Good Afternoon, I will be head to Twin Falls ID (DN22) for a few days and be doing some roving. Chances for some random night time (MST) passes from DN22 will post on twitter beforehand. - Track me via APRS https://aprs.fi/ki7unj-9 - Rove Updates https://twitter.com/ki7unj - Logging to LOTW as KI7UNJ * (NO / anything)* - FM only Friday 14th - DN13/DN14 1702Z AO-92 1754Z AO-91 1808Z SO-50 Saturday 15th - DN22/21 1642Z AO-92 1814Z AO-91 1830Z SO-50 Sunday 16th - DN22/DN32 1835Z AO-91 1855Z SO-50 Monday 17th - DN23/DN33 1723Z AO-91 1732Z AO-92 Tuesday 18th - DN24 (maybe DN14/DN24) 1711Z AO-92 1744Z AO-91 1805Z SO-50 -- Casey Tucker KI7UNJ https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ https://www.qrz.com/db/KI7UNJ http://bit.do/ki7unj <https://www.google.com/url?q=http://bit.do/ki7unj&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=…>

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WRC-23 Agenda Items may impact 144 MHz and 1240 MHz bands
by M5AKA 11 Jun '19

11 Jun '19

ARISS contact planned for Rowan Preparatory School UK on Tuesday, June 18 at 1251 GMT https://amsat-uk.org/2019/06/11/ariss-contact-planned-for-rowan-preparatory… WRC-23 Agenda Items may impact 144 MHz and 1240 MHz bands https://amsat-uk.org/2019/06/11/wrc-23-agenda-items-144-1240-mhz-bands/ 1240-1300 MHz band discussed by CEPT WGFM and CPG/PTA https://amsat-uk.org/2019/05/31/1240-1300-mhz-band-discussed-by-cept-wgfm-a… CubeSat Developers Workshop – talks now available https://amsat-uk.org/2019/06/06/cubesat-developers-workshop-talks-now-avail… AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2019 Second Call for Speakers https://amsat-uk.org/2019/06/09/colloquium-2nd-call-for-speakers/ Trevor M5AKA ---- AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK ----

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Re: [amsat-bb] Stolen Satellite Rear
by Steve Nordahl 11 Jun '19

11 Jun '19

Mike.. Make sure you post your stolen equipment list on both QRZ.com. and eHam.QRZ.com here: Stolen Radios, Scams and Rip-Offs | | | | | | | | | | | Stolen Radios, Scams and Rip-Offs Reports of thefts, rip-offs, and scams | | | eHam here: Stolen Gear | | | | | | | | | | | Stolen Gear Stolen Gear | | | Steve NS3L

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Re: [amsat-bb] Stolen Satellite Gear
by hdskullfire2 . 11 Jun '19

11 Jun '19

Mike.. Make sure you post your stolen equipment list on both QRZ.com. and eHam. QRZ.com here: https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?forums/stolen-radios-scams-and-rip-offs.85/ eHam here: https://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/board,30.0.html Steve NS3L

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Fw: AO73 Mode change
by Graham Shirville 11 Jun '19

11 Jun '19

Hi folks, AO73/FUNcube is now in amateur mode for the weekend with the transponder on! Please see below for all FUNcube mission info 73s Graham G3VZV and the FUNcube team. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FUNcube frequencies and other details ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AO-73 FUNcube-1 The transponder is normally operational only when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. During weekends (from pm Fridays UTC to PM Sundays UTC) the transponder is operational 24/7. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. During holidays, eg Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc, the transponder maybe activated for extended periods. Watch AMSAT-BB for announcements which are usually made on Friday evenings (UTC) The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.935 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 15kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Lower temperatures give higher freqs!) FUNcube-2 (aka FUNcube on UKube) The FUNcube-2 sub-system continues to operate autonomously and, almost continuously, in amateur mode. The transponder is operational and the telemetry downlink is functioning with about 70mW output. The FUNcube-1 Dashboard does not correctly display the telemetry but it does correctly decode the data and uploads it to the FUNcube Data Warehouse from where it can be examined. Most of the real time data channels are operational and these include battery voltages, temperatures and ADCS data coming via the main On Board Computer (OBC). The transponder is interrupted for a few seconds every 2 minutes when the other transmitter sends its CW beacon and, occasionally, for a few seconds when the main OBC reboots (approx seven times each orbit). The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.080 - 435.060 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.930 - 145.950 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.915 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 10kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) EO79 FUNcube-3 Due to power budget constraints the transponder cannot be operational 24/7 and an orbit specific schedule has been developed. The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes. This schedule may be modified in future months as a result of experience. The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.0723-435.0473 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.946-145.971 MHz USB Further detailed info on EO79 transponder frequencies is at: https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/10/eo79-funcube-3-transponder-commences-regula… EO88/Nayif-1/FUNcube-5 EO88 is presently operating in autonomous mode. The transponder is operational when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. The transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.045 – 435.015 MHz LSB (inverting) Downlink: 145.960-145.990 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.940MHz All FUNcube transponders are sponsored by AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL. We are very grateful for the assistance given by Innovative Solution In Space Bv, The Netherlands. _______________________________________________ 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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Satellite Basics (Part 2) article by KX9X
by Ryan Noguchi 10 Jun '19

10 Jun '19

Sean KX9X posted another introductory article on satellite operating on https://www.onallbands.com/satellite-basics-part-2-making-qsos-via-satellit…. Check it out. I did have a few exceptions to the advice given, as I believe they suggest less-than-ideal operating practices. Rather than contact Sean directly, I figured it would be worthwhile to post them here. If they're controversial, perhaps it will stimulate some thoughtful discussion. I want to start off by saying that I applaud Sean for providing some very thoughtful contributions to help introduce potential new satellite ops to the birds. My intent is really to provide constructive suggestions for improvement of the advice that we as a community provide to new satellite operators to set them off on the right path. "Currently, all FM satellites in orbit require a CTCSS (PL) tone of 67.0 Hz on your transmit frequency." Mostly true, but LilacSat-2 and PO-101 don't follow this model. "These instructions assume you are using a hand-held directional antenna. If you’re using your standard dual-band vertical antenna at home or on the roof of your car, you can ignore those instructions." Oh, man, I really don't think we should be encouraging newbies to try to work satellites using a vertical to receive the downlink. Also, very unsure why vertical antenna ops should ignore any of the rest of the instructions... Maybe okay to use a vertical to transmit, but to receive they really ought to be using an antenna with gain or with the ability to rotate to match polarization, ideally both. Please, let's not encourage more alligators! "A suggested frequency list of the three active FM satellites at the time of this writing (May 2019) is in Figure 1." Rather than provide yet another frequency list, can't we just reference an authoritative source elsewhere, e.g., on the AMSAT-NA web site? We all remember that recent ARRL article that posted many wrong frequencies; let's try to avoid risking a relapse of that. A frequency list like this can be helpful, so perhaps AMSAT-NA could include a list like this on the Frequency Summary page? FM Satellite Frequency Summary – AMSAT | | | | FM Satellite Frequency Summary – AMSAT | | | "Listen for a QSO to end, then give your callsign and your grid square, using standard phonetics." I don't think we should be suggesting that ops drop their call and grid on a busy FM pass. Unless you've already worked everyone else on the pass, there's really no good reason to just drop your call and grid. Find someone who is solid into the bird and appears to be hearing other stations well, and call them directly. (But not immediately after they've called someone else!) If you've already heard a callsign a couple of times during the pass, it'll also be easier to repeat it on the first try. When you wait until someone calls you, you run the risk of not being able to catch their full call on the first try and needing a fill. I think having the new op initiate the QSO gives them the best chance of having a successful first QSO. "KX9X: “Whiskey One Alpha Whiskey, thanks, Echo November Five Zero, Illinois, QSL? W1AW: “QSL, Fox November Three One, Connecticut, QSL?”" Much of this back-and-forth is extraneous. KX9X already provided his grid in his first transmission, and W1AW already provided his grid in his first transmission. Neither asked for a fill. Unless a fill is needed, KX9X would normally just end the QSO with his second transmission (KX9X: "W1AW QSL KX9X") which is really the norm. The other commonly heard pattern is when a rover is working from a rare grid. If KX9X is the rover, that first KX9X line in the sample QSO doesn't happen; the rover often announces their grid when responding to a caller, and the rover's transmission is often followed by that of a new caller calling the rover. If we want new ops to recognize when QSOs have ended, it's good for them to know how 95+% of successful QSOs really go down so they can more quickly recognize the pattern. Also, there's generally no need to identify state, unless it's a rare one. CT may be one of the few worth mentioning, but most states are not. "With one hand holding your radio and the other holding your antenna, how are you going to log your QSOs?" Recording the pass isn't the only way to handle this, and may not even be the best approach for newbies, at least as a primary method. I've posted in the past about the benefits of operating with one's writing hand free, and logging by hand during the pass when receiving, transcribing calls and grids as I hear them. It would be a useful technique to suggest to new ops, particularly those who may not already be experienced phone contesters, as an alternative that might also help to improve their ability to work the pass. Reading a callsign you've already written down can be much easier than recalling one you only heard verbally. I cannot overstate how immensely this practice helped me. "If you are using two HTs, you will need a diplexer, which isolates your transmitted signal from your receive radio. Without it, you will likely overload the front end of your receive radio, which will make contacts impossible. Several manufacturers such as Comet and MFJ offer diplexers; the Arrow antenna has an optional diplexer that is stored in the antenna handle." I haven't needed any filtering when using two HTs and an Arrow to work AO-91 or AO-92. Also, the BLP-200+ filter may be a useful option to suggest in lieu of those larger diplexers if one is using an Arrow antenna. 73, Ryan AI6DO

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Stolen Satellite Gear
by Michael Whitman 10 Jun '19

10 Jun '19

Good evening, AMSAT! This morning I discovered my personal vehicle had been stolen. Among the items inside, though hidden, was my complete satellite operation station. I understand this is a long shot, but please keep an eye out if you see any or all of these items up for sale in the near future: Yaesu FT-818ND (serial #: 8G910854) Icom IC-W32A (underside of battery has my callsign, I believe the side of the radio does as well but can’t remember) Bose QuietComfort 15 noise cancelling headphones Olympus LS-10 Linear Voice Recorder Arrow II Satellite Antenna (split boom) Also if you haven’t done it yet, let this be a good reminder to mark your equipment appropriately so it can be identified in case of loss or theft. 73, Michael, N4DCW -- Michael Whitman (904) 557-8243 images(a)michaelwhitman.net <mailto:images@michaelwhitman.net> Louisville, KY, USA

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2019-06-11 02:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 10 Jun '19

10 Jun '19

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2019-06-11 02:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Peninsula Grammar, Melbourne, Australia, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Thu 2019-06-13 11:10:52 UTC 79 deg Smithsonian Air and Space – Udvar-Hazy, Chantilly, VA, USA, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV (***) Contact is go for: Sat 2019-06-15 18:11:51 UTC 42 deg Rowan Preparatory School, Claygate, United Kingdom, direct via GB4RPS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Tue 2019-06-18 12:51:20 UTC 80 deg Watch for live stream at https://live.ariss.org/ King Island District High School, Currie, TAS, Australia, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is David St-Jacques KG5FYI Contact is go for: Wed 2019-06-19 08:49:20 UTC 58 deg 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 2019-06-11 02:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2019-06-08 16:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf The ARISS webpage is at http://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 http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html ARISS Contact Applications (United States) The ARISS webpage is at http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 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: http://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) http://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 http://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: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 135 Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 117 **************************************************************************** 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 1315. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1258. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://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: http://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 http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 58 on orbit Oleg Konenenko David St-Jacques KG5FYI Anne McClain Exp. 59 on orbit Christina Koch Aleksey Ovchinin Nick Hague KG5TMV **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ICOM 910H issue
by Paul Overn 10 Jun '19

10 Jun '19

Hello, I have an issue on my 910H. On my 910h, I get “desense” on all linear sats except FO29. FO29:is clear and perfect, but any other linear I just hear my crakely voice until I tune perfectly to hear myself. Then I can still hear the static version of me behind the clear version. I have replaced all cables, diplexers, connectors and the Arrow. The issue still is there. I have also tried to used an MJF diplexer on the 70cm side to try to stop the desense, but it didn't help. Any thought as to what the issue could be? Paul Overn KE0PBR Twitter: @KE0PBR `·.¸¸.·´¯`·.. ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.. ><((((º> *****************************************

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