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DXCC Via Oscar-100
by Les Rayburn 12 Feb '19

12 Feb '19

Listening to the WebSDR link all morning. Very interesting to hear so many QSO’s, and in a variety of languages. I’m curious if DXCC will be a possibility using only this satellite? Looks like its footprint covers enough countries to qualify, but I’m not sure how many of those have amateur allocations that will allow operation on the bird. I’m sure it won’t be long until operators are “working the edges” of the footprint, and also mounting DX-expeditions to areas with few operators. Exciting stuff. I’d love to see a similar bird launched in this hemisphere. Opens up so many possibilities. Congratulations to all involved. One hundred amateur satellites, quite an achievement. And fitting that it should occur during the 50th anniversary of AMSAT. 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63nf AMSAT #38965, ARRL Life Member, CVHS Life Member, SVHF Member

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Grid square entries
by Dr. Robert Keating 12 Feb '19

12 Feb '19

In light of the roving expeditions to rare grid squares this past weekend, I wanted to verify how these grid squares are entered into our logs on LoTW. >From what I remember, when setting up a station in TQSL you have the opportunity to create different station locations along with the grid square for each location. Is this correct? I want to be sure I have this right because I am heading out to Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks in April and I will be operating on the FM birds from there. Thanks. 73, Bob N6REK

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CW timings for amateur radio satellite beacons
by Douglas Quagliana 12 Feb '19

12 Feb '19

Friends, I am looking for exact dit time, dah time, intra-letter timings, inter-letter timings and inter-word timings for CW beacons from amateur radio satellites. For example, AO-999, dit time 52 milliseconds, dah time 156 milliseconds... and so on. Is there a comprehensive list that gives precise timing information for the CW beacons sent by various amateur radio satellites? Thanks and 73, Douglas KA2UPW/5

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Faith Christian Academy, Orlando, FL
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 12 Feb '19

12 Feb '19

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Faith Christian Academy, Orlando, FL on 14 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:30 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and W9DWJ. The contact should be audible over Florida and portions of the eastern U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Story: Faith Christian Academy is a private school located in Orange County in Orlando, FL. With a student body population of nearly 700, we teach grades K-12. We offer an array of subjects and electives during and after school hours. In addition to traditional athletic activities, we have an emphasis in the arts and have intentionally developed our STEM program in recent years. FCA leadership understands the diversity of the students that attend and therefore strives to prepare them for any future endeavors that suit their individual goals, personalities, and learning styles. Over 50 teachers instruct our students to understand their purpose and to work toward it from an early age. We believe in equipping children to become well rounded adults that are educated, caring, and ambitious. In preparation for the upcoming ARISS event, our school has done many things to bolster excitement about the ISS and space exploration in general. The students received credit for spotting and videoing the ISS as it passed overhead at night. In addition, they filled out ISS activity books provided on the NASA website, did Math projects on the distances between planets, painted pictures of the themselves with galactic themes in Art, took field trips to Kennedy Space Center, and were taught from curriculum that emphasized the International Space Station and the anticipated mission to Mars. In the weeks to come, we will have a team from a nearby amateur radio Club come to teach the students about Ham radio and Morse code. Also, FCA will hold after school classes for students to create a Raspberry Pi device in order to track the ISS and keep up with the current crew. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What advice would you give new astronauts preparing to join the ISS? 2. What are the mental and physical effects of going from Earth to space and back to Earth? 3. What is your favorite exercise to do in space and why? 4. Do all of you rotate jobs on the ISS? 5. How do you shave or cut your hair on the ISS without the hair floating away? 6. Do you have a certain pre-flight ritual? 7. Can you see any constellations while on the ISS and do you have a favorite one? 8. Have you ever experienced a major malfunction on the ISS? 9. Do your ears pop like they would when you fly in a plane? 10. Does everything in your body work the same in a microgravity environment, for instance, does your heart work harder to pump blood through the body? 11. Are you recognized as an astronaut on the streets? 12. Are you allowed to request certain things to be delivered by the cargo missions? 13. Describe the escape system on the ISS in case of an emergency. 14. What would you say has been your most important or meaningful experience in space? 15. What is the temperature inside the ISS vs outside the ISS? 16. Is there wi-fi on the space station? 17. Where is the garbage stored on the ISS? 18. What experiment are you currently working on and is it going well? 19. Is there ever a time when you feel a sense of panic on the ISS? 20. What did you feel the first time you saw Earth from the ISS? 21. How long does it take for your body to feel "normal" once you are in space? 22. What time zone do you work with on the ISS? 23. How many gallons of rocket fuel does it take to get to the International Space Station? 24. How do you keep up with current events happening on Earth? 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): TBD 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) 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 informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.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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Re: [amsat-bb] Solar panel inverters--radio noise?
by Mike Lussier 11 Feb '19

11 Feb '19

I have been running 5.8 Kw system using Kyocera panels and SMA inverters now for 20 years. No noise at all. The inverters are less that 6 feet from my radios. -- *Michael Lussier AE4ML* *Orange County ARES Emergency Coordinator* *W5YI Volunteer Coordinator **CVE #32761*

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Call for Papers - Digital Communications Conference
by Ford, Steve, WB8IMY 11 Feb '19

11 Feb '19

Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), to be held September 20-22 at the Marriott Detroit Metro Airport Hotel. Papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their papers included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is August 5, 2019. Submit papers to via e-mail to maty(a)arrl.org, or via post to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain all rights.

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For Sale: TH-72
by Frank Karnauskas 11 Feb '19

11 Feb '19

I a listing for a friend, K7BAZ, the following full duplex handheld and accessories for sale: Kenwood TH-D72A with rubber duck AC charger 1800 mAh battery PB-45L, Lithium Ion Battery 7.4V 1800 mAh (Extra Battery) Manual USB Interface cable PG-3J, Cigarette lighter charger KSC-32, Drop in desktop charger BT-15, Battery case (6 x AAA) with pouch SMC-34, Speaker Mic with Remote and Volume KHS-26, Clip microphone with earphone SC-55, Soft carry case with swivel belt clip Nifty 24 laminated page, spiral-bound Mini-manual, plus a laminated Quick Reference card for your wallet Go Bag Insulated carry case I know this radio is essentially unused and in mint condition. Please contact Hal directly at cqcqhal(a)gmail.com with your questions. 73, Frank FRANK W. KARNAUSKAS, N1UW 3670 E. KINGLER SPRING PL. TUCSON, AZ 85718 T: 612-644-9174 E: N1UW(a)GOKARNS.COM

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WiSP WIN10 issues
by kb2mjeff＠att.net 11 Feb '19

11 Feb '19

I rebooted my WIN10 computer after a good Falconsat3 pass this morning. When I brought WiSP back up I'm again having the disappearing sat config information issue. Of course I blew the pass as I don't have enough time to enter the data before the end of the pass. Does anyone have any kind of fix for this behavior? 73 Jeff kb2m

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Upcoming ARISS contact with College Park School, Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 11 Feb '19

11 Feb '19

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at College Park School, Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada on 13 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 20:10 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and VA5ISS. The contact should be audible over Alberta, Canada 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. College Park School is a relatively new school situated in the Town of Lloydminster on the provincial border between Saskatchewan and Alberta. It houses over 600 students in a range of grades from Kindergarten to Grade 9. We are fortunate to have a telescope and an observatory on the roof of the school. We study space in both grades 6 & 9 and have many students interested and excited to learn from a Canadian Astronaut. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What was your first thought when you knew that you were going to space? 2. Why did you want to become an astronaut? 3. What went through your head when you're counting down the seconds to blast off? 4. How long does it take to get to the ISS? 5. How do astronauts get aboard the International Space Station given its extreme speed? 6. Do you get to bring a personal item with you and what did you bring? 7. What's your mission on the ISS? 8. What do you if one of you gets sick while in space? 9. Are you able to talk to your family? 10. What do the Northern Lights look like in space? 11. How do you sleep in space? 12. Who inspired you to go to space? 13. What does the Earth look like? 14. Do things get dirty on the ISS and if so, how do you clean them? 15. How do you feel when you're looking down on Earth from space? 16. What jobs do you do in space? 17. What do you do in space if you are bored? 18. How does it feel representing Canada on the ISS? 19. What does an average day on the ISS entail? 20. If you know there is a risk to you when you re-enter the atmosphere why do you go? 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): Faith Christian Academy, Orlando, FL, direct via W9DWJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is David St-Jacques KG5FYI Contact is go for: Thu 2019-02-14 14:30 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) 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 informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.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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Es'Hail 2
by Jean Marc Momple 11 Feb '19

11 Feb '19

Dear All, I just want to share that I copied many NB transmissions on Es’Hail 2 today clean and strong (a few callsigns well noted), however I believed that the HAM’s transmitting through the bird now are not very disciplined and not having at heart the interest of the community at large and acting irresponsibly. AMSAT-DL through many communication channels have requested that we should not do so before the official launch date, good reason for this is that it enable testing but also enable the sponsors to announce this officially and take credit to have offered this facility to the HAM community. If we act lightly we may not find many sponsors in the future. I therefore appeal to the community to abide with the set plan of AMSAT-DL not to jeopardize the future and further opportunities. Therefore guys keep away from Es’Hail 2 Tx for a few days so that you may enjoy same for the 15 next years, more show that as a community we are disciplined and organized. Hope this message will be heard for the benefit of all. 73 Jean Marc (3B8DU)

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