AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-228

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.

In this edition:

* ARISS-I Delegates Meet This Week in Tokyo * Activation of Transponder on EO-79 August * Plans for New Amateur Radio Station for ISS Columbus Module * South Texas Balloon Launch to Fly Amateur Radio Payload * AMSAT Awards Update * Jeff Lamb NX9B Earns 73 0n 73 Award * Small Satellites: Possible Future WRC Agenda Item * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-228.01 ANS-228 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 228.01

From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.

August 16, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-228.01

ARISS-I Delegates Meet This Week in Tokyo

ARISS International Delegates, its Board of Officers, and international team members will meet at Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan on August 20-23, 2015 for a critical meeting to discuss ARISS strategy, teamwork, hardware and operations. Delegates are voting members of ARISS-I representating the 5 ISS member regions: United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe.

The meeting will open with remarks from meeting host Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB from ARISS Japan and JARL.

Other agenda items will include: * Welcome by the Japanese Space Agency JAXA & an Overview of the JAXA Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program * ARISS working group business discussions and reports, including: regional reports, ARISS Terms of Reference update, space agency coordination status, sustainability & fundraising and ARISS future endeavors * Technical discussions on current and future hardware developments, including: Next Generation ARISS Radio Systems, the Astro-Pi Project, and an update on the Ham-TV system * Operations discussions, including presentations on: Educational Activities, International Expansion & Planning of SSTV. School Selection and Regional Scheduling Procedures and plans for the upcoming Tim Peake Mission

Along with their ambitious schedule the delegates will begin each day with an opportunity for informal discussions and will have the opportunity to visit the Tsukuba Space Center.

[ANS thanks ARISS-I for the above information]

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Activation of Transponder on EO-79 August

The AMSAT-NL transponder on EO-79 will be activated to support the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW).

We apologize for the short notice, this opportunity came along very last minute, and again we took it.

QB50p1 (EO-79) carries the FUNcube-3 400 mW inverting linear 435/145 MHz transponder provided by AMSAT-NL with support from AMSAT-UK.

- *Uplink:* 435.035-435.065 MHz LSB - *Downlink:* 145.935-145.965 MHz USB

TLEs are NORAD # 40025, COSPAR designator 2014-033-R

Remember that the FUNcube family of transponders do not need much power to work them.

I will be operating at Scheveningen Lighthouse PA25SCH, NL0025

Thanks to the Von Karman Institute and Innovative Solution In Space for the opportunity to use the transponder.

Have FUN over the weekend!

In related news Peter Portanova, W2JV, announced that he will be active from the Fire Island Lighthouse- FN30KP from 1400 U to 2100 U Saturday and Sunday celebrating Lighthouse/ Lightship weekend. The call will be W2GSB/LH and will be on all Amateur Satellites including EO-79. If you would like a commemorative QSL card please SASE to my QRZ QTH, and more information is available on my QRZ page, thank you.

[ANS Thanks Wouter PA3WEG and Peter W2JV for the above information]

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Plans for New Amateur Radio Station for ISS Columbus Module

Plans are under way to develop a new, higher-power Amateur Radio station for the ISS Columbus module. The current radio is a lower- power unit that sometimes results in weak signals during ISS-to-Earth educational contacts. A new radio system will improve communication capability for students scheduled to participate in ARISS educational contacts and related activities. The new system also would allow greater interoperability between the Columbus module and the Russian Service Module. ARISS said that integration of the equipment into the ISS infrastructure and the necessary testing and certification require hours of engineering resources that it cannot afford.

"Each ARISS contact offers the opportunity to inspire young people through ARISS's unique window into space exploration activities, opening the horizon of possibilities of a career in a STEM field," said ARRL Education Services Manager, Debra Johnson, K1DMJ. "Each contact also introduces students and their communities to Amateur Radio. The program needs your help to secure these opportunities for the future."

Individuals may donate to ARISS online via the AMSAT website (select the "ARISS Donate" button). AMSAT is contributing the necessary personnel resources to handle gifts to ARISS. Individuals contributing $100 or more will receive the new ARISS Challenge Coin. Corporate donors should contact Frank Bauer.

[ANS thanks AMSAT News Service, ARISS, and Debra Johnson, K1DMJ for the above information]

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South Texas Balloon Launch to Fly Amateur Radio Payload

South Texas Balloon Launch Team announced their next flight via their BLT-42 balloon and payload is scheduled for August 22, 2015 at 10:00 Central Daylight Time (UTC-5). The launch site will be from the Wharton Intergalactic Spaceport, Wharton, TX (Coords: 29.2543, -96.1544 Grid: EL19WG).

The flight payload includes:

+ Live DTV-B Color ATV = 434 Digital TV 0.3W + Crossband FM Repeater Up 147.435 Down 446.000 + Digital Camera with a picture every 15 seconds + Balloon Burst Cam Recorder + APRS Coconut v1.2 - AB5SS-11 - 144.390 MHz + APRS GPS Downlink = 144.390 W5ACM-9 250 mW + TWO GoPro Cameras for HD Recording with Micro Cam Recorder pointing down + New Surface Mount Fireball - 28.322 MHz 50.000 MHz - 50 mW + Austin Experiments - Raspberry Pi w/TP-Link WiFi Omni Antenna + Dallas Experiments KE5GDB - SSTV System - 144.5 MHz FM - 0.5 W

Website:http://www.w5acm.net/ APRS.FI: AB5SS-11, W5ACM-9 Telemetry: APRS: 144.390Mhz, Contact: John Maca ab5ss@swbell.net QRZ: AB5SS

Check http://www.w5acm.net/b42.html or contact Andy MacAllister, w5acm@amsat.org for the latest flight/payload information.

[ANS thanks the BALLOON_SKED@yahoogroups.com e-mail list for the above information]

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AMSAT Awards Update

Here are our newest award recipients and quite a good batch we have this time.

AMSAT Communication Achievement Award

Steve Kristoff, AI9IN #565 Fraser Bonnett, W3UTD #566 Carlton Noll, KA4H #567 (also a new member to AMSAT)

------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award

Frank Westphal, K6FW #169 Hector Luis Martinez Sis, CO6CBF #170 Carlton Noll, KA4H #171

------ AMSAT Century Award

Hector Luis Martinez Sis, CO6CBF #45

------ AMSAT South Africa Communication Achievement Award

Frank Westphal, K6FW #US193 Fraser Bonnett, W3UTD #US194 Carlton Noll, KA4H #US195

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information]

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Jeff Lamb NX9B Earns 73 0n 73 Award

Congratulations to Jeff Lamb, NX9B, for working 73 different stations on AO-73 since September 1, 2014 and becoming the 27th recipient of the 73 on 73 Award.

[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]

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Small Satellites: Possible Future WRC Agenda Item

The CEPT CPG-PTA-8 meeting in Catania, Sicily, July 21-24, discussed a number of issues related to WRC-15 among them a paper submitted by The Netherlands – Small satellites: further aspects for the development of a future agenda item.

The paper’s summary says:

Following proposals from 12 CEPT members, WRC12 decided to place the subject of nanosatellites and picosatellites on the WRC19 agenda for adoption at WRC15.

Since then a growing number of small satellites, launched year on year has been recorded, and a growing number of diverse applications has been implemented ranging from technology demonstration and research to Earth observation. The applications of these small satellites vary widely, but all of these satellites have one common need which is Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C). Providing for proper TT&C will allow positive satellite control at all times, and, when combined with ranging capability, may provide for orbit determination as well which in turn can aid in the tracking of space objects.

At this moment, the study work under the related agenda item 9, issue 9.1.8 which deals with regulatory aspects for nanosatellites and picosatellites is finished. The studies have indicated a number of difficulties in the application of the Radio Regulations. These difficulties, however, do not justify a change of Articles 9 and 11.

Considering that most bands currently used for satellite telemetry and command such as the 2200-2290MHz SRS/SOS/EESS allocation are heavily crowded, the growth in numbers of small satellites launched offers new challenges which were not faced before. Therefore, the proposal for AI 10 is to invite ITU-R in the forthcoming study period to identify additional allocations to the space operation service (SOS) within the 137MHz-960MHz range. This frequency range is particularly suitable for small satellites since it offers favourable propagation characteristics while allowing moderately complex antenna systems and antenna pointing requirements on board the satellite.

CPG-PTA-8 meeting in Catania, Sicily, July 21-24, 2015 http://tinyurl.com/ANS228-WRC

To download the meeting documents: • Go to http://tinyurl.com/ANS228-Documents • Click on 2015 • Click on 8th CPG PTA Meeting – 21-24 July – Sicily • Click Input Contributions and Goto table • Tick documents • Click on Minutes and Annexes and Goto table • Tick documents • Do same for Annex IV – Draft Briefs, Annex V – Draft ECPs, Annex VI – misc • Click the Download selected button

[ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA and AMSAT-UK for the above information]

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ARISS News

+ A Successful contact was made between Space Jam 9, Rantoul, Illinois, USA and Astronaut Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2015-08-08 16:58 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was AJ9N.

+ A Successful contact was made between Fleurance Astronomy Festival, France and Astronaut Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF using Callsign RSØISS. The contact began 2015-08-14 19:42:00 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was F6ICS.

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-08-13 16:00 UTC

Higashioka Elementary School, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan, direct via 8N3HO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-08-18 11:42:14 UTC 82 deg

Pima County 4H/Vail Vaqueros 4H Club, Tucson, AZ, direct via W7LB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Sat 2015-08-22 18:37:55 UTC 87 deg

Sochi, Russia, direct via TBD) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF) Contact is a go for 2015-08-29 11:15 UTC

* Watch for the official announcements for when US schools will be able to send in proposals for an ARISS contact. The window will be open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016.

[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AMSAT Award Comments

Paul Stoetzer N8HM congratulates all those who earned the AMSAT Awards, mentioned in the rticle above. Paul says, "I'd like to point out a couple of them. First, congrats to Hector on the Century Award. The Century Award is tough enough to complete from the East Coast of the United States, but Hector managed to complete it from Cuba. He made many of these QSOs with homebrew equipment and had the additional handicap of not being able to use AO- 7's Mode B transponder due to Cuban regulations, so he had to wait until FO-29 was near apogee on the right passes to make his longest distance QSOs.

Second, congratulations to Carl on the Sexagesimal Award. Like me, he has operated solely with portable equipment and low power and he appears to be on the way to beating my pace to the Century Award (it took me 23 months from when I started getting on the air daily, Carl has been on for only about a year)."

Hector, W5CBF/CO6CBF, responded, "Actually, the AMSAT Century Award has been the hardest award in my amateur radio career. The lack of AO- 7 mode B made it even harder.

Thanks very much to all the operators who made it possible and special thanks to the DX stations that accepted the challenge of an extreme QSO."

[ANS thanks Paul N8HM and Hector W5CBF/CO6CBF for the above information]

+ UK Ham's ISS Contact Gathers No Moss

There’s been a lot of coverage in mainstream media of the ham in England who made contact with astronauts aboard the ISS last month. This bit in Time is the latest, and possibly most mainstream.

http://time.com/3995908/international-space-station-radio/

[ANS thanks Sean KX9X for the above information]

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/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, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org