- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

antenna switching
by James Brown 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

I am currently manually switching antennas between uplink and down link radios when needed. is there a switch or other method to use? Jim KI6WJ

1 0

SSTV
by James Brown 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

In a attempt to decode the sstv signals, I managed to crash SAT 32. I now have everything working again but have missed the window for ISS SSTV.My station is SAT32PC with ERC rotor tracking. FT817 radio 1 as downlink and IC7100 as radio 2 uplink.I downloaded MMSSTV but could not decode the SSTV signal. I realized that there was no audio link to mmsstv. That's when SAT 32 crashed I had tried to change to configuration 2. I was unaware that there was a corrupted file in the software. What I am confused about is what sstv software should I use for ISS and how should it be configured to allow sat32 to do its job and decode the signal without conflicts? Jim KI6WJ

2 1

Update on tomorrow's ARISS contact with Tallmadge Community Learning Center in Lancaster, Ohio
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

Update on tomorrow's ARISS contact with Tallmadge Community Learning Center in Ohio. The contact scheduled for 14:56 UTC on Wednesday October 31 will be streamed on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WASCCLC --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

1 0

S band satellite
by Jim White 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

I'm working with a university that has a new 4 meter S band dish they are trying to test out. Can anyone recommend a satellite they know is transmitting in the 2200 to 2300Mhz band? Geo or LEO as long as it's transmitting. Any modulation; we are using a spectrum analyzer to detect the signals. Thanks, Jim jim.white(a)coloradosatellite.com wd0e(a)amsat.org

2 2

HF Satellites
by 2 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

Interest in planned satellites carrying 10 and 15 meter transponders is growing steadily, owing in large part to the DX possibilities these satellites will open. The best source I know of for information about propagation from such satellites is the Space Radio Handbook, by the late John Branigan, GM4IHJ (SK), published by RSGB. Unfortunately, this book is out of print and may be difficult to find. November QST arrived several days ago. As always, I turned to the monthly column describing the contents of QST 25, 50 and 75 years ago. Was I surprised! In the "50 Years Ago" section, about November 1968 QST, was an article I had written, about which I had totally forgotten in the intervening 50 years. It was called "Antipodal Reception of Satellite Signals," discussing what was then known about such things and proposing an experiment to be carried out using the 10 meter beacon to be carried on OSCAR-Australis, the name of which was changed to Australis-OSCAR 5 after its launch in 1970. Readers of that article will also want to read the results of the AO-5 propagation experiments, which I presented in October 1970 QST. You will find these articles in the QST archive on ARRL's Web site, under my call sign at the time, K2QBW. Unfortunately, copyright laws prevent my attaching them here. I turned out to be in very good company. Also researching in this field at the time were Dr. Owen Garriott. W5LFL, later to be the first US ham in space, and Dr. O. G. (Mike) Villard, Jr., W6QYT (SK), an early pioneer of SSB. Both were then at Stanford University. 73 Ray W2RS

3 2

Upcoming ARISS contact with Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, Palmer, MA
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, Palmer, MA on 02 Nov. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:50 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and KB1MDS. The contact should be audible over the state of Massachusetts 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. This ARISS Project has become a school-wide endeavor here at Pathfinder capitalizing on our students' interests in the trades and STEM subjects and giving them an interdisciplinary opportunity to apply their various skill sets. We have incorporated many of the technical areas to construct the radio station and prepare for the ARISS Contact and challenged our students to learn more about wireless technology and radio science. Many shops were directly involved, including Advanced Manufacturing, Auto Body, Business Technologies, CAD, Electrical, Electronics, HVAC/R, Programming and Web and many of the academic courses have been involved including the History, Math, and Science Departments. Students have helped build the radio station, advertise the event, solicit and narrow down questions for the astronauts, and document the entire process on the Web. Academic teachers have also incorporated the ARIIS project into their curriculums creating an engaging educational opportunity for the school. All involved have had the chance to learn more about space exploration, technology, and communications. This project has also become an opportunity for engagement with the larger community through work with local businesses, media, and amateur radio clubs. All of this work by the various stakeholders has led to this once in a lifetime opportunity for our all involved. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Our bodies are used to living with the force of gravity, how does living in micro-gravity affect the human body? 2. How has seeing Earth from space impact your view on the world? 3. With the amount of heat generated on the ISS, how do you dissipate heat into space when heat transfer through a vacuum is poor? 4. How often do you refuel the propulsion system and what is the fuel? 5. If you need to manufacture a part or tool on the ISS, how is this accomplished? Do you have any machines such as 3D-printers, mills, or drills to assist you? 6. After reaching a professional goal of space travel, what piece of advice could you share with high school students who are navigating toward their future? 7. Do you generate enough electricity to power everything on the ISS and if not, how do you compensate for the lack of power generated? How do you manage excess generated power? 8. Working with a number of nations, is there a uniform set of rules that guide activities and projects on ISS? 9. How difficult is it to readjust from living in space somewhat isolated for 6 months in a micro gravity environment to living on Earth? 10. How do you prevent/monitor space debris from coming in contact with the ISS, and in the event of a space debris collision how do you fix the outside of the space station? 11. The temperature difference can be over 300 degrees different from the sunny side of the ISS to the shaded side, why do we not use thermal generators? 12. What kinds of experiments that are difficult or impossible on Earth are best suited to the microgravity on the Space Station? 13. When the ISS is facing the Sun, the sunlight side is at about 120 degrees Celsius, and the other side is at about -160 degrees Celsius. How do you thermoregulate the inside of the Station between these extremes, considering that there is no thermal convection in the microgravity environment? 14. Do you see a geotropic response from plants? 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. Bishop O'Connell High School, Arlington, VA, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Contact is a go for: Thu 2018-11-08 15:56 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

1 0

Amazon Smile now contributing 5% to your favorite charity (through 2 November)
by Alan 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

Amazon Smile is running a special, through 2 November, where they give 5% of your purchase to the charity you have registered. You HAVE registered AMSAT, right?! This is 10X the normal .5%, so it might be a good time to purchase those big ticket items you have been wanting. 73, Alan WA4SCA ----------------------------------- The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded. President Dwight D. Eisenhower

1 0

Upcoming ARISS contact with Tallmadge Community Learning Center, Lancaster, OH
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 29 Oct '18

29 Oct '18

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Tallmadge Community Learning Center, Lancaster, OH on 31 Oct. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:56 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K8QIK. The contact should be audible over the state of Ohio 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. Tallmadge Elementary is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the town of Lancaster, Ohio. The ages of our students range between 5 years to 11 years of age. Our school is so excited for our ARISS contact. Our staff meeting, at the start of our school year, watched a video of our space camp initiative. Every morning the principal during morning announcements, gives a fact about space. He also reads articles from the National Geographic magazine for discussion. The teachers was asked to display space themes on the hallways outside their classrooms, as well as in their classrooms. Our main hall portrays posters of all 25 Ohio astronauts. Special t-shirts were purchased for the staff and students. Space themed music and videos are being shown in our classrooms. The NASA website is being used in our computer tech classes. At the end of this school year, our 4th and 5th graders will take a field trip to Lancaster High School's planetarium. We will be hosting space and radio camps. Our students will begin by watching the video with astronaut Sunita Williams giving a tour of the ISS. Camps will have activities for the students, such as sampling space ice cream, learning Morse Code, electricity and magnetism, solar power, and many more topics. These topics will be taught with the help of the Lancaster and Fairfield County Amateur Radio Club, K8QIK. We will also have a presentation from The Curiosity Dome, a portable HD planetarium. Tallmadge Elementary has a 21st Century Grant after school program. The students in this program will be learning Morse Code, radio communications, electricity and magnetism, solar power, and will be learning about the ISS. Last spring these students participated in NASA's Rockets Rock and Aeronautics program. On Fridays, these students will train with NASA's Train like an Astronaut physical education program. COSI, our local science center, will visit with a handson workshop focusing on robotics. After school students will also have hands on projects with Arduino, building an hydraulic arm, building crystal radios, making Arduino robotic cars, building ISS models from blocks, and many other projects. Our students, staff, parents, radio club members, and our community are looking forward to our contact with the ISS. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. How do you scratch your nose in your spacesuit? 2. How many times do you go around the earth in a year? 3. How do you know when it is time to go to bed and when to get up? 4. What does it feel like when you walk or float in outer space and how does your body feel when there is no gravity? 5. How many years of schooling does it take to become an astronaut? 6. What does an orbital sunrise look like? 7. What is it like living on earth after living in space? 8. Why does a meteor catch on fire when passing through the atmosphere? 9. Can you describe what a typical day in outer space is like? 10. What scares you the most in outer space? 11. Does your space ship have a nick name? 12. How do you take a shower in space? 13. What would happen if your ship broke down; what is your back-up plan? 14. What is the most surprising aspect of a spacewalk? 15. What do you think you do on the International Space Station that would make life on earth easier for everyone, including yourself? 16. Are there places besides earth people could live? 17. Since the sun is 5,772 Kelvins, how can Space still be cold? 18. Does your phone, laptop, and ipad work up there? 19. If you had the chance to design your own mission or choose your own destination, where would you go? And why? 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. Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, Palmer, MA, direct via KB1MDS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-11-02 14:50 UTC 36 deg 2. Bishop O'Connell High School, Arlington, VA, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Contact is a go for: Thu 2018-11-08 15:56 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

1 0

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-10-30 01:00 UTC
by aj9n＠aol.com 29 Oct '18

29 Oct '18

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2018-10-30 01:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Tallmadge Community Learning Center, Lancaster, OH, direct via K8QIK The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-10-31 14:56:40 UTC 27 deg Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, Palmer, MA, direct via KB1MDS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Contact is a go for: Fri 2018-11-02 14:50:19 UTC 36 deg Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington, VA, telebridge via W6SRJ (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS (***) The scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Contact is a go for: Thu 2018-11-08 15:56:28 UTC 51 deg (***) If you are interested in applying for an ARISS contact, please go to http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html The information below is from the ARISS webpage: International Space Station Astronauts are Calling CQ ARISS Students ARISS-US program’s education proposal window open Oct. 1 - Nov. 30, 2018 September 25, 2018: ARISS is seeking proposals beginning October 1, 2018 from US schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host amateur radio contacts with an orbiting crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS) between July 1 and December 30, 2019. Each year, ARISS provides tens of thousands of students with learning opportunities about space technologies, communications, and much more through the exploration of Amateur Radio and space. ARISS has been pleased of late, to be one of many possibilities of interest to educators during NASA’s A Year of Education on Station, which celebrates an almost 12-month presence of a teacher aboard the ISS. The ARISS program connects students to astronauts on the ISS through a partnership between NASA, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, the American Radio Relay League, other Amateur Radio global organizations and the worldwide space agencies. The program’s goal is to inspire students to pursue interests and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in Amateur Radio. Educators report regularly that student participation in the ARISS program stimulates interest in STEM subjects and STEM careers. One educator wrote, “Many of the middle school students who took part in and attended the ARISS contact have selected science courses in high school as a result of that contact.” Educators are setting up ham radio clubs in schools and learning centers because of students’ interest. ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed, exciting education plan. Students can learn about satellite communications, wireless technology, science research conducted on the ISS, radio science, and other STEM subjects. Students learn to use Amateur Radio to talk directly to an astronaut and ask their STEM-related questions. ARISS will help educational organizations locate Amateur Radio groups who can assist with equipment for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. The proposal window opens October 1, 2018 and the proposal deadline is November 30, 2018. For proposal guidelines and forms and more details, visit: http://www.ariss.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-us.html Proposal webinars for guidance and getting questions answered will be offered October 11 and October 23, 2018, both at 8 pm Eastern Time. Advance registration is necessary. To sign up, go to: ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2018.eventbrite.com/ 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, click here. ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) ****************************************************************************** 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? 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 **************************************************************************** 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 108 **************************************************************************** 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. 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 2018-10-30 01:00 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 Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1273. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1217. 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 **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2018-10-25 16:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf 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 Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 56 on orbit Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT Alexander Gerst KF5ONO Sergei Propopev **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

1 0

Portable, Full-Duplex Transceiver
by ronald mosher 29 Oct '18

29 Oct '18

I am new to satellite communication and this is my first post. My setup so far includes an Arrow antenna on a camera tripod, an SDR (RSP) and SatPC32 software on a Surface Pro. I would like to buy a portable, HF/VHF/UHF, Full-Duplex transceiver that I can use for both portable HF QRP and for satellite work. So far, I have not been able to find such a radio. Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Also, I would like to buy or build an AZ-EL rotator that is suitable for a portable setup. I am leaning toward building as a less expensive alternative. I have been studying the WRAPS version by WA8SME and the Mini Mk-2 by VK3FOWL and VK3YSP. Both look to be of about equal construction complexity. Any thoughts on either if these rotators, or any other inexpensive rotator would also be very much appreciated. It is exciting to be learning a new phase of ham radio and to be a part of this group. Thank you for any suggestions. 73, Ron K0PGE

6 6