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ANS-153 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne K9JKM 01 Jun '19

01 Jun '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-153 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Dollar-for-Dollar Match on your ARISS Donation Thru June 17, 2019 * Call for Nominations - AMSAT Board of Directors * AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites * Lightsail-2 Scheduled for Launch June 22 - Beacon on 437.025 MHz * AMSAT-EA FossaSat-1 Receives IARU Coordination * QO-100 meets HAM RADIO 2019 in Friedrichshafen * ARISS SSTV Planned Over Russia for Moscow Aviation Institute * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Send Your Name (and callsign) to Mars * RS-10 Downlink Provides Unique Troubleshooting Solution * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-153.01 ANS-153 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 153.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE June 2, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-153.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Support AMSAT when you make purchases from Amazon! So far, AMSAT has received $3,913.29 from AmazonSmile. Search for "Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation" https://smile.amazon.com/ref=smi_ext_twt_dshb_smi +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Dollar-for-Dollar Match on your ARISS Donation Thru June 17, 2019 During the ARISS Forum at the Hamvention, it was announced, that between now and June 17, that an anonymous donor will equally match one dollar for each dollar donated up to $10,000. Here is an excellent opportunity to get the most from your donations to the ARISS FundRazr. The FundRazr Project was initiated to raise $150,000 towards the ARISS Radio Upgrade on ISS. To date 90 contributors have donated $24,840 to the campaign, about 17% of the goal. $10,000 of your dollars, donated now, will raise that total to $44,840, including the matching funds. It would be great if we could actually achieve one-third of our goal ($50,000) by mid-June. Please donate today at https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_6ruVeeeNzOa6ruVeeeNzOa [ANS thanks AMSAT 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Call for Nominations - AMSAT Board of Directors It's time to submit nominations for the upcoming AMSAT Board of Directors election. Four directors' terms expire this year: those of Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Clayton Coleman, W5PFG; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. In addition, up to two Alternates may be elected for one-year terms. A valid nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member for Director. Written nominations, consisting of the nominee's name and call, and the nominating individuals' names, calls and individual signatures should be mailed to: AMSAT 10605 CONCORD ST STE 304 KENSINGTON MD 20895-2526 In addition to traditional submissions of written nominations, which is the preferred method, the intent to nominate someone may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, fax, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to martha at amsat.org or faxed to +1-301-822-4371. No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive at the AMSAT office no later than June 15th. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If electronic means are used, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT office within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT BYLAWS. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites The weekend of June 22-23, 2019 is Field Day! Each year the Ameri- can Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes our own version of Field Day focused on operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. The AMSAT Field Day 2019 event is open to all Amateur Radio opera- tors. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM sat- ellite. Operators are encouraged NOT to make any extra contacts via the FM satellites. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Information for the operational satellites can be found in the tables posted on-line on the AMSAT web: + FM Satellite Frequencies https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ + Linear satellite Frequencies https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/ Up-to-date satellite status reports are posted by users at: https://www.amsat.org/status/ AO-92 may be in L/v for the first part of the event, depending on command station availability. Keep an eye on @AMSAT on Twitter for expected L/v mode change times. An article by Sean Kutzko, KX9X, “Get on the Satellites for ARRL Field Day”, published in the June 2018 issue of QST is reprinted with the ARRL’s permission can be accessed at: https://www.amsat.org/get-on-the-satellites-for-field-day The full set of rules (including downloadable documents) are posted at: https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ [ANS thanks AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightsail-2 Scheduled for Launch June 22 - Beacon on 437.025 MHz LightSail is a citizen-funded project from The Planetary Society. This cubesat will be propelled solely by sunlight, to Earth orbit. LightSail 2 is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on June 22, 2019, and we will attempt the first, controlled solar sail flight in Earth orbit. LightSail 2 will ride to space aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission which will send 24 spacecraft to 3 different orbits. LightSail 2 itself will be enclosed within Prox-1, a Georgia Tech-designed spacecraft originally built to demon- strate close-encounter operations with other spacecraft. Prox-1 will deploy LightSail 2 seven days after launch. After a few days of health and status checks, LightSail 2's four dual-sided solar panels will swing open. Roughly a day later, four metallic booms will unfurl four triangular Mylar sails from storage. The sails, which have a combined area of 32 square meters [344 square feet], will turn towards the sun for half of each orbit, giving the spacecraft a tiny push no stronger than the weight of a paperclip. For about a month after sail deployment, this continual thrust should raise LightSail 2's orbit by a measurable amount. LightSail 2 will fly in a 24-degree inclination, 720 km, circular orbit. At latitudes of 42 degrees north it will reach a maximum elevation of 10 degrees above the horizon. Lightsail-2 has been issued an experimental radio license WM9XPA and transmit on 437.025 MHz. A morse beacon will transmit the callsign every 45 seconds. A packet beacon will transmit AX.25, FSK 9K6 bps data. Beacon information is available at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Lightsail-Morse-Beacon Documentation of the downlink telemetry data structure is posted at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Lightsail-Telemetry [ANS thanks the Planetary Society for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-EA FossaSat-1 Receives IARU Coordination The IARU reported that AMSAT-EA FossaSat-1 satellite has received a downlink coordination to operate on 436.700 MHz with LoRa 125kHz, Chirp Spread Spectrum Modulation, 180 bps, 100mW; and, FSK RTTY 45 baud ITA2, 100mW 183hz Shift. The planned mission objectives for the 5x5x5cm 250gram satellite are: + General development of miniaturized and inexpensive satellite systems for space applications using off the shelf components. + Testing a new solar panel mechanism, making this satellite the smallest to have deployable solar arrays. These solar arrays will additionally increase the radar reflectivity significantly to that of a standard cubesat. + The promotion & involvement of students in aerospace development on an international level, giving them the opportunity to test their hardware and software experiments on the satellite. AMSAT-EA will be hosting STEM workshops & competitions for secondary stu- dents to participate in, a full section of the satellite is dedi- cated to these experiments for educational research. + The main mission of the satellite is the testing of a new experi- mental RF chirp modulation called LoRa, this new modulation hugely increases the link budget, reduces the power consumed and reduces the cost of receivers. Students & Amateurs will be able to receive telemetry from the satel- lite with inexpensive hardware, expanding & promoting the amateur satellite community among youth. Uplink challenges will also be carried out with rewards for amateurs. AMSAT-EA will provide decoding software for SDR use in order to allow anyone to decode LoRa using common existing hardware & host software for users to submit telemetry data, making all data public and reward- ing users with certificates & awards. The IARU coordination announcement can be accessed at: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=652 [ANS thanks AMSAT-EA and the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- QO-100 meets HAM RADIO 2019 in Friedrichshafen Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, President of AMSAT-DL invites everyone to meet members of the QARS, AMSAT-DL and also QO-100 users, face-to-face at the HAM RADIO 2019 exhibition from June 21-23 June in Friedrichshafen. A special event station DL50AMSAT will be operating live from the AMSAT-DL booth, DATV (DVB-S2) transmissions are also planned. There will be several lectures around Qatar-OSCAR 10 and you can meet the P4-A team at the QARS and AMSAT-DL stands, which are located next to each other. We also welcome members of the BATC team at our booth. For more information visit: https://amsat-dl.org/en/ham-radio-2019-qo-100-meeting/ [ANS thanks Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, President of AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS SSTV Planned Over Russia for Moscow Aviation Institute A Russian MAI-SSTV event is planned for Wednesday, June 5 from 12:00-16:00 UTC and June 6 from 11:30-15:30 UTC. Transmissions are expected to be at 145.800 MHz in SSTV mode PD120. Based on the times received, SSTV signals are not expected over N. America. This event uses a computer in the ISS Russian Segment, which stores images that are then transmitted to Earth using the ARISS Amateur Radio station located in the Service Module which employs the Kenwood TM-D710E transceiver. Amateur radio operators and other radio enthusiasts are invited to post the images they receive at http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php Please note that the event is dependent on other activities, schedules and crew responsibilities on the ISS and is subject to change at any time. Online WebSDR receivers can be used to receive signals from the International Space Station at SUWS WebSDR located Farnham near London http://farnham-sdr.com/ and R4UAB WebSDR located European Russia http://websdr.r4uab.ru/. For updates check Twitter at https://twitter.com/ARISS_status/status/1131945966297182210?s=03 [ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations See https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ for latest information. Pre-Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (Wyoming to Tennessee) – June 2-7, 2019 On June 2nd, RJ, WY7AA and the Elco will head South to start roving on the DM77/78 gridline, heading east working gridlines and corners along the way all the way to EM87/88 hopefully. RJ will try to be on as many FM passes as possible, with a few linears as time allows. Follow RJ on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9, as he will not have Twtter access along the road. Checkout WY7AA’s QRZ page for specific plans he will post before he leaves, and @dtabor (N6UA) will help by posting on Twitter if he has any updates from the road. EM57/EM67 Line – June 4, 2019 Michael, N4DCW, will be at the EM57/67 line on June 4, 2019. He’ll post satellite passes a week before on twitter and the -bb, but will plan for the AO-9x and SO-50 midday passes. FM only. The day of, Michael will post updates via his twitter feed: https://twitter.com/MWimages Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (North Carolina to Ohio) – June 8-14, 2019 From June 8th to 14th, WY7AA will be traveling with several thous- and other Hot Rods along a winding route from NC to OH. RJ will mostly be activating in the evenings on FM passes including grids EM95, FM06, EM86, EM78, EM69, EN71, and EN81. Checkout the event route: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-HotRods And if anyone is anywhere close to the route, come out and see the spectacle and let RJ know on Twitter if you are coming out. Follow RJ on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9. #HomewardBoundRove (DN13, DN14, DN21, DN22, DN23) – June 14-18,2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be hitting a few grids on his way home. Look for DN13/DN14 line on June 14th, DN21/DN22 line June 15th, DN22 June 17, and DN23 June 18th. FM only. Pass times expected between 1700-200 0UTC. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ Post Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (New York to Wyoming) – June 15-27, 2019 Following the Hot Rod Power Tour, I will be heading to FN02 for a few days and plan to work FN01/11 gridline around June 17-18. Details to follow. I will be heading as far east as FN32 and then eventually working my way back to DN71. Specifically looking for EN01/02 along the way. Details will be posted to Twitter and my QRZ page as the trip plans unfold. Follow him on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9, as he will not have Twitter access along the road. #JosephOrBustRove (DN04, DN05, DN15) – June 28-30, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be wandering around Eastern Oregon and decided to do a little grid activating. Look for Casey on FM passes in DN04 mid-Friday, June 28th, in DN15 Friday night to Saturday evening, and DN05 Sunday morning. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ Iceland (HP95 IP15 IP25 IP03 HP03) – July 13-19, 2019 Adam, K0FFY, is taking his family (and his radios) to Iceland. Tenta- tive schedule is HP95 July 13, IP13 and IP15 July 14-15, IP25 July 16, IP03 or HP93 July 17-18, and HP94 July 19. There’s a lot to see, so passes will be best effort and announced on Twitter shortly prior. https://twitter.com/K0FFY_Radio Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Send Your Name (and callsign) to Mars NASA Press Release May 21, 2019 NASA is giving the public an opportunity to send their names — etched on microchips — to the Red Planet with NASA's Mars 2020 rover, which represents the initial leg of humanity’s first round trip to another planet. The rover is scheduled to launch as early as July 2020, with the spacecraft expected to touch down on Mars in February 2021. The opportunity to send your name to Mars comes with a souvenir board- ing pass and "frequent flyer" points. From now until Sept. 30, you can add your name to the list and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars here: https://go.nasa.gov/Mars2020Pass The Microdevices Laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, will use an electron beam to etch the submit- ted names onto a silicon chip with lines of text smaller than one- thousandth the width of a human hair (75 nanometers). At that size, more than a million names can be inscribed on a single dime-size microchip. The chip (or chips) will ride on the rover under a glass cover. For more information on Mars 2020, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mars2020 For more about NASA's Moon to Mars plans, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RS-10 Downlink Provides Unique Troubleshooting Solution Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC, recalls a troubleshooting solution utilizing the downlink from the RS-10 satellite as he was resolving an HF noise problem in the radio system of New Zealand's Maritime Radio Network. (http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-NZ-Maritime-Radio) The New Zealand network consists of a chain of VHF base stations, an HF Transmitter site and an HF Receiving site. These are all linked back to an Operations Centre in Lower Hutt (near Wellington). During commissioning, Terry was visiting the Operations Centre where the operators mentioned that the HF receivers were very noisy. This didn't sound right since the receiving site had been chosen because it was in a remote area well away from any man made noise. Terry said, "To check how well the receivers were working I gave the operators the frequency and a week of pass times for RS-10. This was on a Friday. On Saturday I turned on my receiver at home on RS-10. My receiver was a TenTec Argonaut 505 with DGFet preamp and a half wave dipole at about 10 feet. RS-10's downlink boomed in at about 5x7. The Maritime operators heard nothing on their receivers. I fed the audio down the phone line to convince them it was working." The four HF receivers are fed from a Multicoupler that has a "Low Noise" amplifier feeding a splitter. On the following Monday, the technicians from the maintenance base visited the site and at AOS of RS-10, turned off the power supply to the multicoupler. The Oper- ations Centre reported down went the HF noise and up came the signal from RS-10. Terry reported on the solution, "There were many options for the 'Low Noise' amplifier in the multicoupler ranging from a 2dB noise figure 10 dB gain version up to a 30dB gain 15dB noise figure version. Upon removing the lid from the multicoupler it revealed that the 30dB gain 15dB noise figure version had been supplied rather than the 2dB noise figure 10dB gainversion specified. It turned out that the manufacturers of the Multicoupler hadn't actually made one with a 2dB NF/10dB Gain amp before and had just supplied their standard version. Putting in the right amplifier solved the problem." In closing, Terry wrote, "Satellite operators who have worked with preamps will recognise this problem." [ANS sends an 'Ahoy' with a tip of the sailing hat and thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Virgin Orbit has posted updated information about the LauncherOne initial flight which is AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) ride to orbit: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Fox1E-VirginOrbital This cubesat will feature a V/u inverting analog SSB/CW transponder and a digital beacon: Uplink: 145.890 - 145.860 MHz LSB Downlink: 435.760 - 435.790 MHz USB Beacon: 435.750 MHz 1200 baud BPSK + AMSAT is pleased to offer a set of Titleist Pro V1x golf balls. One bears the GOLF-TEE logo, one the GOLF-1 logo and one the AMSAT 50th Anniversary logo. There are also a set of the same 3 golf balls with the logos that have also been signed by 3 of the AMSAT presi- dents. Keith Baker, KB1SF, has signed the GOLF-TEE ball, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, has signed the GOLF-1 ball and Joe Spier, K6WAO, has signed the AMSAT 50th Anniversary ball. The set of 3 balls is $50 plus shipping. The set of 3 balls with the 3 AMSAT President signatures is $100 plus shipping. Take care of your Father's Day shopping on-line at: https://www.amsat.org/product/2019-fundraising-golf-balls-set-of-3 + The ARISS team has posted an album of photos in memory of Keith Pugh, W5IU - SK at http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-ARISS-W5IU-Album (facebook). Keith was an active AMSAT and ARISS volunteer. He pas- sed away on May 24. A memorial service for Keith Pugh, W5IU, will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church with a reception following. 1000 Penn St, Fort Worth, TX 76102. https://fpcfw.org/su-event/431761720/memorial-service-keith-pugh/ Obituary for Keith: https://www.swaimfuneralhome.com/obituary/keith-pugh + The Tico Times in Costa Rica featured an article about the ARISS contact with the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC), Los Suenos, Costa Rica on May 27. http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-ARISS-CostaRica + AMSAT-DL AMSAT Deutschland released a video of theQatar-OSCAR 100 (P4-A/ Es'hail-2) launch with a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida: https://youtu.be/8uQqZBIUfHY + NASA TV will provide live coverage as a SpaceX Dragon cargo space- craft is set to return to Earth from the International Space Station Monday, June 3. NASA Television and the agency’s website will pro- vide live coverage of the craft’s release beginning at 11:45 a.m. EDT. (UTC - 4) Around noon, flight controllers at mission control in Houston will deliver remote commands to the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detached Dragon from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public + The Science Museum's YouTube channel has a video of the first astronaut from the UK, Helen Sharman GB1MIR, who used amateur radio to talk to students in schools across the UK. In May 1991, Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space. The Soyuz TM-12 mission, which included Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Artsebarsky, U7MIR and Sergei Krikalev U5MIR, launched on May 18, 1991 and lasted eight days, most of that time spent at the Mir space sta- tion. Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/x0-nMl0jf5E + The European Space Agency's Astro Pi Challenge which allows students to design an experiment, write the code, and then have it run by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, enjoyed a student's success recently when one of the Astro Pi units running a Raspberry Pi 1 B+ and a Raspberry Pi Camera Module captured the approach of a Soyuz spacecraft arriving at the ISS. Check out the photos and learn more at: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-captures-soyuz-in-space/ + Sean Kutzko, KX9X, has written a contribution to DX Engineering’s blog “On All Bands.” In this article, he writes about the basics of VHF propagation, to help you stay active during the solar mini- mum: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-KX9X-VHF -and- a newly released blog entry covers the basics of satellite operation: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-KX9X-Satellite + Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Radio Club of America Young Achiever Award, Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure participant, recipient of an AMSAT Presidential Award is interviewed in a webcast ‘Sankalp’ from NewView Studios: https://youtu.be/TUce-WyZPdc The Sankalp program showcases and inspires youth in the community. + The Cal Poly CubeSat Team is requesting input to fill out their survey where they are gathering information about the connectors, electrical interfaces, and communication protocols currently in use by CubeSat and payload developers. The feedback will be used to help design the XCube platform, which will create opportunities for CubeSats to fly on NASA’s high altitude aircraft for testing and calibration purposes. Access the survey at: https://forms.gle/TKxTgcZKVmfNv8F17 + Edmund Spicer, M0MNG, made a video about his visit to Hamvention 2019. The AMSAT satellite demonstration station operated by Paul, N8HM and Matt, NJ4Y is shown: https://youtu.be/nnbQbJnkxs0?t=861 + The May 2019 issue of SatMagazine is available at: http://www.satmagazine.com/ + The June 2019 issue of CQ-DATV magazine is available at: https://cq-datv.mobi/72.php [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 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 behave and to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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QO-100 meets HAM RADIO 2019 in Friedrichshafen
by Peter Guelzow 01 Jun '19

01 Jun '19

Meet members of the QARS, AMSAT-DL and also QO-100 users, face-to-face at the HAM RADIO 2019 exhibition from 21st - 23rd June in Friedrichshafen. A special event station DL50AMSAT will be operating live from the AMSAT-DL booth, DATV (DVB-S2) transmissions are also planned. There will be several lectures around Qatar-OSCAR 10 and you can meet the P4-A team at the QARS and AMSAT-DL stands, which are located next to each other. We also welcome members of the BATC team at our booth. For more information visit: https://amsat-dl.org/en/ham-radio-2019-qo-100-meeting/ 73s Peter, DB2OS AMSAT-DL

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Moriah Central School - Pt. Henry, NY
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 31 May '19

31 May '19

NOTE: There has been a reschedule for the Moriah Central School - Pt. Henry, NY ARISS contact. This is a corrected reissue of the original press release for the school. The contact is now scheduled for June 6: An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Moriah Central School, Port Henry, NY on 06 Jun. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:54 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between OR4ISS and VK6MJ. The contact should be audible over Australia and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Moriah Central School is located in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. It is a K-12 public school with nearly 800 students and 50 teachers. Located near the beautiful Lake Champlain, Moriah Central School is home of the Vikings! With many successful academic and athletic programs such as football, basketball, cheerleading, drama club, band, chorus and many student clubs, many opportunities are available for all students. In addition to a new educational technology center, the district is proud of our distance learning lab, amateur radio station, computer programming classes, and other programs designed specifically in helping the surrounding communities in Essex County. Moriah Central School District proclaims its mission to be the provision of a safe, supportive, and academically challenging environment for all students in our community. We are dedicated to the goals of educational excellence, preparation for college and careers, and the development of a high level of citizenship. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What is the purpose of the International Space Station and why is it a value to all of humanity? 2. What is the most amazing thing you have seen from the space station? 3. What do you get to do in your free time when you are not working? 4. What types of computer programming languages were used to write the software on board the International Space Station? 5. What is your favorite piece of hardware to use on the space station and what does it do? 6. What types of computers are you using on board, and what operating systems do they run? 7. Do you get to listen to music in space, and if so what do you all like to listen to? 8. What is the most difficult and dangerous thing about living in space? 9. How many people can fit on board the space station safely? 10. What is your favorite science experiment on board? 11. What do you think the importance of future space stations will be? 12. What is the importance of Amateur Radio on the Space Station? 13. What is the status of CIMON (Simon) the Artificially Intelligent robot that was sent to the ISS? 14. How did you become an Astronaut? Does your training for space start right away or do you have to move up in ranking? 15. What is your favorite food in space? 16. Are there any manmade objects on earth you can see from the space station? 17. Do you keep a journal of everything you do on board to remember in the future? 18. What can scientists do on Earth to help you on the Space Station? 19. What is the best part of working with people from different countries every day? 20. What have you learned the most from living and working in Space? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Aleksey Ovchinin Contact is a go for Wed 2019-06-05 07:50 UTC 2. Dum detí a mládeze Olomouc (House of Children and Youth Olomouc), Olomouc, Czech Republic, direct via OK2KWX The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Sat 2019-06-08 13:05:59 UTC About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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FO-98 OrigamiSat-1 5.84 GHz downlink
by Mike Seguin 31 May '19

31 May '19

I apologize for the short notice..... The OrigamiSat-1 Team will remotely activate the 5.84 GHz downlink on FO-98 for four upcoming passes over the Northeastern US. The times listed are based on my QTH here in Vermont at FN34jm. 5.84GHz transmission from OrigamiSat-1 (FO-98) ---------------------------------------------------------- Day Objects AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl AZ ---------------------------------------------------------- 31.05.2019 FO-98 01:29 01:39 10 59 157 - 351 31.05.2019 FO-98 14:30 14:40 10 59 015 - 188 01.06.2019 FO-98 01:10 01:19 09 35 144 - 357 01.06.2019 FO-98 14:11 14:20 09 37 022 - 176 The latest kep data is here: FO-98 1 43933U 19003B 19150.08119722 .00000607 00000-0 29789-4 0 9993 2 43933 97.2825 208.2757 0018888 149.0302 270.2283 15.21599516 20077 I manually updated my nasa.all file in SatPC32 to use these. 5.8GHz specifications: http://www.origami.titech.ac.jp/archives/722 http://www.origami.titech.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/OP-S1-0117_5R… If you have 5.8 GHz receive capability and are in the Eastern US, please consider trying to detect the downlink. The equipment I am using is the same that I used to successfully detect NIWAKA in 2012 on 5.84 GHz. DEMI 5.760 GHz transverter with a 2' dish and Directive Systems linear feed (Horizontal). I also have a DEMI preamp inline. The IF I'll be using is a Funcube Dongle Pro+ set for 224 MHz. This equipment is my terrestrial 5.760 GHz system which works quite well out of band at 5.84 GHz. Please report any success here and you can also use the reception report on their website. The OrigamiSat-1 team is also on Twitter. @OrigamiSat1 -- 73, Mike, N1JEZ "A closed mouth gathers no feet"

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G5500 Interface
by Michael Brodeur 31 May '19

31 May '19

Hello all, I acquiring a Yaesu G5500 rotator and would like your opinions on the various rotator controller computer interface. What are the strengths and weakness of the various products? I am planning on using SatPC32 or HRD. Does anyone have experience with the Chinese made unit on Ebay. Thanks for your help. 73,

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AMSAT: Remoting of Radios
by Robert Bruninga 30 May '19

30 May '19

Subject: Remoting of Radios I saw a clever box at Dayton for remoting Radios and Controls over dozens of feet. The interconnecting cable was just standard VGA cables. The "VGA" boxes at the radio end had the correct pigtails to plug into the radio and the "VGA" box at the control location had jacks for the Mic, Control Head, data, and Speaker, etc. The cleverness was in using the 3 or 4 internally&seaparately shielded conductors in standard VGA cables to carry the signals while shielded. And with the phase out of VGA, there are usually tons of VGA cables appearing in junk boxes everywhere from ten feet to 100 feet. So save those VGA chassis mount connectors to take advantage of these easy to find multiconductor multipurpose "VGA" cables. Bob, WB4APR

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CNPOTA activation by CJ7EWK/3 on 12 May, from Point Pelee Nat'l Park
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 30 May '19

30 May '19

Hi! On Sunday, 12 May 2019, I operated as CJ7EWK/3 from Point Pelee National Park of Canada, southeast of Detroit and Windsor in grid EN81rx. I logged a total of 60 satellite QSOs from this location, and those QSOs were uploaded to Logbook of the World on that date. Thanks for the QSLs I have received via LOTW. Today, I just uploaded those 60 QSOs to the Canadian National Parks on the Air (CNPOTA) web site http://cnpota.ca/ to be a part of that year-long activity. As of now, I don't see any matches with my log in the CNPOTA web site. As CNPOTA is not integrated with Logbook of the World like the ARRL National Parks on the Air event was in 2016, chasers and activators are required to upload their logs to the CNPOTA web site to participate in CNPOTA. In this case, the upload may be a single QSO record in an ADIF file, a QSO with CJ7EWK/3 in EN81 on 12 May, as a chaser. A minimum of five confirmed QSOs are required for a CNPOTA activation, according to the rules at https://cnpota.ca/rules/ (section 7). It would be nice to have another activation of a CNPOTA site via satellite, as has already been done by W8LID (as VE6LID) and AD0DX earlier in 2019. Before the CNPOTA web site accepts a file upload, it is necessary to first register with the CNPOTA web site. Thanks in advance, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

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dual band beam
by Mr B r a d 30 May '19

30 May '19

Robert I have the smaller 3 element cushcraft dual band beamthe swr has all ways been high on it also... 1. Cushcraft dual band Beam (Robert Bruninga) From: Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Subject: [amsat-bb] Cushcraft dual band Beam Message-ID: <ccd4917772306d63074417ff122095ae(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Any success with a cushcraft A27010S dual band beam? Just got a new one and it tunes up perfectly to 1.1 SWR but only at 150.1 MHz. Nothing we do with the matching network can lower the frequency to 145 MHz where it is off-scale high SWR. We now added 1/2" sleeves to the driven element and threaded on #10-32 nuts on the end of all the wire elements to lower the resonance, but the best is still only at 148.2 MHz. Am going to try extended the two piece boom an inch and lastly will try to extend the matching element. Just wanted to see what others did to make this beam usable. Bob, Wb4APR *****************************************

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Re: [amsat-bb] Cushcraft dual band Beam - done
by Robert Bruninga 30 May '19

30 May '19

Finally after 4 days of trying absolutely everything to get from 151 MHz down to 145.8, including: Extending elements with threaded nuts on all. Extending driven element with 3/8" tips, extending boom as MFJ suggested and extending tuning tube, I got closer to 145 MHz (from original 151 MHz).. Got closer, but nothing below 2:1. Finally made a new center rod for the matching section that is 1" longer than the one provided. THAT SOLVED IT PERFECTLY. Got nice 1.1 SWR at 145.8 MHz as desired with everything restored to the original antenna. And now plenty of tuning range across all of two meters. So there simply was not enough capacity in the tuning stub! Bob, WB4APR -----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 3:49 PM To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Cc: Robert Bruninga <bruninga(a)usna.edu> Subject: Cushcraft dual band Beam Any success with a cushcraft A27010S dual band beam? Just got a new one and it tunes up perfectly to 1.1 SWR but only at 150.1 MHz. Nothing we do with the matching network can lower the frequency to 145 MHz where it is off-scale high SWR. We now added 1/2" sleeves to the driven element and threaded on #10-32 nuts on the end of all the wire elements to lower the resonance, but the best is still only at 148.2 MHz. Am going to try extended the two piece boom an inch and lastly will try to extend the matching element. Just wanted to see what others did to make this beam usable. Bob, Wb4APR

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Moriah Central School, Port Henry, NY
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 30 May '19

30 May '19

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Moriah Central School, Port Henry, NY on 04 Jun. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:22 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between OR4ISS and ON4ISS. The contact should be audible over Belgium and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Moriah Central School is located in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. It is a K-12 public school with nearly 800 students and 50 teachers. Located near the beautiful Lake Champlain, Moriah Central School is home of the Vikings! With many successful academic and athletic programs such as football, basketball, cheerleading, drama club, band, chorus and many student clubs, many opportunities are available for all students. In addition to a new educational technology center, the district is proud of our distance learning lab, amateur radio station, computer programming classes, and other programs designed specifically in helping the surrounding communities in Essex County. Moriah Central School District proclaims its mission to be the provision of a safe, supportive, and academically challenging environment for all students in our community. We are dedicated to the goals of educational excellence, preparation for college and careers, and the development of a high level of citizenship. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What is the purpose of the International Space Station and why is it a value to all of humanity? 2. What is the most amazing thing you have seen from the space station? 3. What do you get to do in your free time when you are not working? 4. What types of computer programming languages were used to write the software on board the International Space Station? 5. What is your favorite piece of hardware to use on the space station and what does it do? 6. What types of computers are you using on board, and what operating systems do they run? 7. Do you get to listen to music in space, and if so what do you all like to listen to? 8. What is the most difficult and dangerous thing about living in space? 9. How many people can fit on board the space station safely? 10. What is your favorite science experiment on board? 11. What do you think the importance of future space stations will be? 12. What is the importance of Amateur Radio on the Space Station? 13. What is the status of CIMON (Simon) the Artificially Intelligent robot that was sent to the ISS? 14. How did you become an Astronaut? Does your training for space start right away or do you have to move up in ranking? 15. What is your favorite food in space? 16. Are there any manmade objects on earth you can see from the space station? 17. Do you keep a journal of everything you do on board to remember in the future? 18. What can scientists do on Earth to help you on the Space Station? 19. What is the best part of working with people from different countries every day? 20. What have you learned the most from living and working in Space? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Next planned event(s): 1. Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Aleksey Ovchinin Contact is a go for Wed 2019-06-05 07:50 UTC 2. Dum detí a mládeze Olomouc (House of Children and Youth Olomouc), Olomouc, Czech Republic, direct via OK2KWX The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Sat 2019-06-08 13:05:59 UTC About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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