AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-101

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org

******************************************************************** * The AMSAT team is preparing for the 2010 Dayton Hamvention AMSAT * * Booth and activities. For the latest information go to: * * http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/hamvention/2010/Dayton.php * ********************************************************************

In this edition: * AO-51 New PL Operation Being Tested * Deadline Approaching To Reserve Rooms in AMSAT Block At Dayton * USSTRATCOM Approves Continued AMSAT TLE Distribution * Ten Hams in Orbit Now * Estonian University Plans Amateur Radio CubeSat * Arecibo on 432 MHz Moon Bounce * ARISS Status - 5 April 2010

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.01 AO-51 New PL Operation Being Tested

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.01

Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, reports that AO-51's 435.150 transmitter has been turned off and the 435.300 transmitter raised to near 2 watts output. On Saturday, 10 April, the new PL routine was turned on. This improved routine will turn the downlink on with an unsquelched uplink when it hears a 67 hz tone. The plan is to leave a tail of several minutes, so the transmitter will stay on without hearing a tone for an interval of several minutes.

What does this mean for the user? It would be helpful to program in a 67 hz PL tone again, but not absolutely required as long as someone else in the footprint does. It also means if you are the first person in the footprint (not very likely in North America, Europe, or Japan) you might not hear the satellite until after it hears 67hz for a few seconds.

Reports from when the downlink turns on or off would be appreciated.

73, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Operations

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.02 Deadline Approaching To Reserve Rooms in AMSAT Block At Dayton

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.02

Again a friendly reminder that the cutoff date for the AMSAT block of rooms in Dayton is April 13th. If you are planning to stay with us, please call me at 301-589-6062 to make your reservation. I will need a credit card number to hold the room.

[ANS thanks Martha for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.03 USSTRATCOM Approves Continued AMSAT TLE Distribution

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.03

AMSAT-NA Orbital Data Manager Ray Hoad, WA5QGD said this week, "I am pleased to announce that AMSAT NA has received approval to continue re-distribution of Keplerian elements from the USSTRATCOM data source (Space Track website) for the period April 1, 2010 to April 1, 2011. Thanks to the USSTRATCOM team and especially to Mr. Mark Riddle for their help in this process."

This means that the AMSAT Keplerian Elements in verbose format and the 2-line format can be freely distributed by those who recieve them from AMSAT. AMSAT's two formats are each considered an AMSAT product and therefore can be freely distributed. AMSAT asks that AMSAT-NA be given credit as the source for your redistribution.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.04 Ten Hams in Orbit Now

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.04

Six of the seven astronauts on the shuttle Discovery are licensed radio amateurs and will join four radio hams already on the Inter- national Space Station (ISS).

The shuttle Discovery (STS131) crew consists of: Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, KE5DAT Stephanie Wilson, KD5DZE Naoko Yamazaki, KE5DAS James P. Dutton, Jr., KE5HOE, Rick Mastracchio, KC5ZTE, Clayton Anderson, KD5PLA Alan Poindexter

Already onboard the ISS are radio hams: Tracy Caldwell Dyson, KF5DBF Timothy J. Creamer, KC5WKI Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP Mikhail Kornienko, RN3BF along with Oleg Kotov and Alexander Skvortsov.

[ANS thanks SouthGate ARC and ISS Fan Club for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.05 Estonian University Plans Amateur Radio CubeSat

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.05

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination reports the University of Tartu, Estonia, has submitted a frequency coordination application to the IARU for an Amateur Radio CubeSat called ESTCube-1.

The proposal is for a 1U CubeSat in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with UHF downlinks and a VHF telecommand uplink. It is hoped to launch in 2012 although no launch opportunity has yet been confirmed.

ESTCube-1 will carry a camera to acquire images of Estonia for out reach purposes and will deploy a 10 meter conductive Hoytether as a part of the development work of an electric solar wind sail.

ESTCube http://tinyurl.com/yk66s2o

[ANS thanks IARU for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.06 Arecibo on 432 MHz Moon Bounce

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.06

The Arecibo Observatory Amateur Radio Club will be putting the 1000-foot radio telescope on the air for 432 MHz EME from April 16-18.

It can be heard with a small hand-held yagi pointed at the moon

The scheduled times of operation are:

April 16: 1645 - 1930 UTC

April 17: 1740 - 2020 UTC

April 18: 1840 - 2125 UTC

Callsign: KP4AO

Tx Frequency: 432.045 MHz

Rx Frequency: 432.050 to 432.060+

Tx power: 400 W

Antenna gain: 60 dBi

System noise temp: 120 K (cold sky)

System noise temp: 330 K (when pointed at moon)

KP4AO can be heard with a small hand-held yagi pointed at the moon and a good receiver. A 15 dBi antenna and 100 W will be enough to work us on CW.

Operators at KP4AO will do their best to work as many stations as possible. Each session will start with a brief announcement and CQ in SSB. SSB QSOs may continue for 30 minutes to an hour, if the QSO rate remains high.

The mode will be shifted to CW as soon as it is judged that higher QSO rates would result.

We will listen for calls at frequencies 5-15 kHz higher than our own, and even higher if QRM warrants. Callers who s-p-r-e-a-d o-u-t are more likely to be copied.

If you've already worked us in any mode, please do not call again -- give others a chance.

If we call "CQ QRP", we will listen for stations running 100 W or less to a single yagi. Please do not answer such a CQ if you are running more power or have a larger antenna.

On April 18, if we reach a condition where most calling stations have been worked, and we judge that operating in the digital mode JT65B would produce a higher QSO rate, we will switch to JT65B.

Note that any of these planned operating strategies may be changed as circumstances dictate.

We are extremely fortunate to have been granted access to the world's largest radio telescope for this amateur radio good-will event. We look forward to working as many stations as possible in the alloted time!

[ANS thanks John, KB1MGI, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.07 ARISS Status - 5 April 2010

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 101.07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 11, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-101.07

1. Astronaut Soichi Noguchi Chats with Texas Students via ARISS Contact

On Monday, March 29, Walnut Creek Elementary School students in Azle, Texas took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP. All 23 questions were answered with time for a two way "Goodbye." ARISS was integrated into the science curriculum as students researched space objects and gave presentations to their class. The youth also attended satellite communications demonstrations given by retired Lockheed employees and members of local radio clubs. On the day of the contact, a proclamation was read by an Azle City representative declaring it to be Space Day in Azle. Four television stations and one local newspaper covered the event and the audio was available on EchoLink.

2. HAMEX 2010 ARISS Exhibit

HAMEX 2010, the largest RadioFest in Canada, was held on Saturday, March 27 in Toronto. AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) members attended the event and manned an exhibition booth which displayed two mini satellite communications stations as well as information boards with pictures of astronauts involved in the ARISS program. A large AMSAT banner was posted, along with two 7 foot posters on loan from the Canada Space Agency (CSA). CSA also provided handouts, stickers and various magnetic logos, which along with pamphlets describing AMSAT and the ARISS program, were distributed to the many visitors the exhibit attracted. The event was a success in generating interest in the ARISS program and the team was invited back next year.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, 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 additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.

73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org