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ANS-363 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 28 Dec '13

28 Dec '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-363 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: * FUNcube-1: One Month in Space * CQ to Realign Publications, Launch New CQ Plus Digital Supplement * Updated Dashboard Software now available for FUNcube * FUNcube-1 High Resolution Graphs Available * Popular Magazine Reports * ISS ham video commissioning * HamRadioNow: Low Cost Mobile APRS * AMSAT-UK Announces Availability of the G0MRF 144 MHz Pre-amp Kit * New Ham Radio Educational Video * Star Comm Amateur Satellite Group Announces New "Got Grids? Award" * Changes to FUNcube Data Warehouse Upload * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-363.01 ANS-363 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 363.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. DATE December 29, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-363.01 FUNcube-1: One Month in Space The FUNcube-1 (AO-73) spacecraft has now been in orbit and fully operational for one month. We are very happy and VERY grateful to all the stations who have committed their time and effort into regularly receiving the telemetry and uploading it to our Data Warehouse. We really want to say a BIG THANK YOU and please keep it coming. Dave G4DPZ is still busy refining the operation of the Warehouse and is promising more features over the next few days/weeks. Further updates to the Dashboard are also expected soon. If anyone knows of potential additional stations that could be established in some of the remoter parts of the globe we would be grateful to have your ideas and introductions. “Simple” stations with omnidirectional antennas, dongles and internet connected laptops would be all that is needed. We intend to keep the present operating schedule in place for the time being whilst various on board parameters continue to be characterized by the team. The present low internal temperatures being experienced by the spacecraft, at least in the northern hemisphere, are causing some frequency shifting to take place – especially on the uplink frequencies – roll on summer! We are not yet 100% certain that Object 2013-066AE is FUNcube-1 but it is looking the most likely candidate. As the launch was more than 30 days ago, the record for this object has now moved to the http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/cubesat.txt file and the object is now referred to as DNEPR OBJECT AE. The page has been updated to match. http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/latest-two-line-elements/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the FUNCube Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CQ to Realign Publications, Launch New CQ Plus Digital Supplement Hicksville, NY (December 23, 2013) -- CQ Communications, Inc. today announced plans to realign its roster of publications and to launch an exciting new online supplement to its flagship magazine, CQ Amateur Radio. "The hobby radio market is changing," said CQ Communications President and Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, "and we are changing what we do and how we do it in order to continue providing leadership to all segments of the radio hobby." CQ Communications is currently the only publisher in the United States serving the broad radio hobby, from broadcast band DXing to amateur radio moonbounce and satellite communications. CQ itself has been amateur radio's leading independent voice for seven decades. Effective with the February 2014 issue of CQ, said Ross, content from the magazine's three sister publications, Popular Communications, CQ VHF and WorldRadio Online, will be incorporated into CQ's digital edition as a supplement to be called "CQ Plus." With this change, hobby radio enthusiasts of all types will be able to go to a single source - CQ - for articles on the broader aspects of hobby radio, from shortwave listening and scanner monitoring to personal two-way services and Internet radio, as well as amateur radio. Richard Fisher, KI6SN, currently Editor of both Popular Communications and WorldRadio Online, will be Editor of CQ Plus. "Our primary audience is ham radio operators," explained Ross, "but very few hams began their radio involvement as amateurs. Most of us started out as shortwave listeners, broadcast band DXers, CBers or scanning enthusiasts. Many continue to be involved in many different aspects of the radio hobby in addition to amateur radio." "By consolidating four specialized publications into one," Ross continued, "we will be better able to keep these multidimensional readers informed on all aspects of the radio hobby while simultaneously exposing those who are not hams to all the excitement and opportunities that amateur radio has to offer. We see this as a win-win for all of our readers and our advertisers, who will now be able to reach a wider and more diverse audience." The expanded material will be an integral part of the digital edition of CQ, and will be included as part of a standard digital subscription. Each month's digital edition will simply continue beyond where the print edition ends, offering supplemental material on all aspects of hobby radio communication and will include selected columns carried over from the other magazines. The added digital content will make full use of the multimedia opportunities presented by digital publications. Current subscriptions to Popular Communications, CQ VHF and WorldRadio Online will be converted to CQ subscriptions - and receive CQ Plus at no additional charge! Details will be posted on each magazine website. There's no need to wait to see the great variety of articles that will be featured each month in the new CQand CQ Plus. A preview of the February issue's Table of Contents is available right now on the CQ website at http://bit.ly/19mzbOK [ANS thanks Richard A. Ross K2MGA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated Dashboard Software now available for FUNcube The FUNcube Team are pleased to announce the latest version of the Dashboard Software. Version 814 can be downloaded from http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/ We thank everyone for their interest and reports of the success of FUNcube-1 (AO-73) and we look forward to continued operations. Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the FUNCube Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNcube-1 High Resolution Graphs Available There is now a facility to view the latest FUNcube-1 (AO-73) High Resolution Data uploaded to the Data Warehouse. The link can be found in the Navigation Bar on the warehouse. Following on from this will be making Hi-Res data available to download via .csv files, in a similar way we do for Whole Orbit Data. Watch this space. Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/ Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/ Satellite Tracking Apps http://amsat-uk.org/beginners/satellite-tracking/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the FUNCube Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Popular Magazine Reports + World Radio Online December 2013 Terry Doud's N8KI Amateur Satellites Department article covers Digital ATV aboard the ISS, as well as SSTV. Other tidbits include getting off center on the transponder satllites, FUNCube and finding your Satellite MoJo. He ends his article with a thank you to the "tireless editors of the AMSAT News Service". On behalf of Lee, Joe and myself, you are welcome, Terry. + CQ December 2013 This is CQ's Technology Issue edition. VHF Plus Department covers "lunar Dust Experiment Under Way." It also reports on Three Satellites of Amateur Radio Interest Launche from Vandenberg AFB September 29. Other articles of interest are two on Maker's Fairs and in their Technology Special "Inexpensive Four-Wire Measurments for the Radio Amateur by Gary Geissinger WA0SPM/AAR8GI om measuring high currents and low resistance without a fancy (and expensive) instrument. + QST January 2014 Read WRAPS: A Portable Satellite Antanna Rotator System by Mark Spencer WA8SME (page 43). Mark presented on WRAPS at the Symposium this past November. See W7LRD's "Antenna for the Birds on page 20. Also find hints on surface mount soldering (pg 67), using modern SDR tools to boost you weak signal work (pg 65). [ANS thanks the respective Publications for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS ham video commissioning As announced August 21, 2013 the Ham Video transmitter is onboard the International Space Station and stored in the Columbus module. September 10, 2013 we informed about the Experiment Sequences Test (EST) and the Simulations performed by the European Space Agency in collaboration with ARISS. September 20, 2013 we announced the Ham Video Launch Campaign and described a simple station for Ham Video reception. The Commissioning of the Ham Video transmitter needs to cover different configurations involving 2 antennas, 4 frequencies and 2 symbol rates. As announced earlier, the signals transmitted during the Commissioning steps will be received by the Matera ground station, located in south Italy (see HamTV Bulletin #2). Moreover, during the Commissioning period, the Ham Video transmitter will transmit permanently for several days (weeks). This will allow ground stations to test their equipment and to provide useful information concerning the efficiency of the transmitter. For these transmissions, no camera will be used. The so-called “blank” transmissions will nevertheless provide a complete DVB-S signal, as described hereafter. We hoped that the Commissioning of the Ham Video transmitter would be planned October 2013. It appeared that the “Flight Rules” regarding ARISS activities, which cover VHF and UHF transmissions, needed to be updated for S-band. Writing Flight Rules and having them verified, accepted and signed by all parties involved is a process that takes time. ARISS matters have low priority among the countless activities that populate the International Space Station. Unforeseen events, such as the recent failing of a cooling system, evidently cause further delay. Finally, the January - February 2014 time frame seems a reasonable guess for the Ham Video Commissioning. HamTV Bulletins are available at www.ariss-eu.org See left side column : HamTV Bulletin 4 (with annexes) [ANS thanks Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe chairman and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- HamRadioNow: Low Cost Mobile APRS Episode 114 of HamRadioNow covers the Raspberry Pi Applications in Digital Communications presentation given at the TAPR-ARRL Digital Communications Conference >From the ARRL and TAPR 2013 DCC. John Hansen W2FS brings something interesting every year. This year he built an APRS mobile complete with map display for $1. OK, a little more than that. But a lot less than, say, a Kenwood D710 with an AVMap (nice as that would be). HamRadioNow Episode 114 from the DCC: RazPi + Xastir = APRS Mobile Ham Radio Now http://HamRadioNow.tv/ APRS http://www.aprs.org/ [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK Announces Availability of the G0MRF 144 MHz Pre-amp Kit The G0MRF 144 MHz filtered pre-amp kitThe kit from AMSAT-UK contains all the parts and hardware necessary to build the G0MRF 2m filtered preamplifier. With all the nuts and washers and mounting hardware, there are over 60 individual parts to this project. The connectors supplied are a high quality PTFE insulated reduced flange Ntype for the connection to the antenna and a chassis mounted female BNC for the RF output to the receiver, this also carries the 5 V DC input from a FUNcube dongle or the DC supply from an external bias tee or radio. Links to the Measurement Report and Construction Notes are posted on the AMSAT-UK web: http://amsat-uk.org/info/g0mrf-144-mhz-pre-amp-kit/ Buy the 144 MHz pre-amp kit from the AMSAT-UK shop at http://shop.amsat.org.uk/shop/category_11/G0MRF-Filtered-PreAmps.html [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Ham Radio Educational Video (This excellent video covers all aspects of amateur radio and also includes examples of amateur radio in space and ARISS. - Ed.) Amateurs interested in spreading the good word about their hobby now have a new tool. A video entitled "Discovering Amateur radio" has just been released. Written and narrated by David Anderson, K1AN, the production describes an extraordinary technology that in just 100 years has transformed our lives in, as Anderson says, "the most amazing ways." Available in a condensed version as well as a half hour program, the well-paced video can be viewed on line or used in group presentations. The producers say it was created for anyone who wishes to encourage youths and adults to discover amateur radio. The production is one of many educational programs administered under the auspices of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization through partnership with the World Genesis Foundation. "Discovering Amateur Radio" is on the project website at www.radioqrv.com. [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Star Comm Amateur Satellite Group Announces New "Got Grids? Award" Effective January 1, 2014 your CW/SSB amateur satellite contacts can be used to earn the new Got Grids? award. To qualify you must log one contact in each of the 10 grid fields of the lower 48 United States: CN, CM, DN, DM, DL, EN, EM, EL, FN, FM. Only two-way contacts completed via a linear transponder satellite can be used for this award. This award will be effective January 1, 2014, all contacts must be made on or after this date. Send your log to Rick Tillman, WA4NVM or Damon Runion, WA4HFN for checking, along with your call, name, and current mailing address to either: wa4nvm(a)comcast.net or wa4hfn(a)comcast.net. This award is sponsored by the Star Comm Satellite Group so do not send your logs to AMSAT. An example of the award certificate is available on-line at: http://www.starcommgroup.org, then check the awards tab. This award is free. If you would like to make a donations to the AMSAT satellite program please send it to: AMSAT, 850 Sligo Ave. Suite 600, Silver Spring. MD. 20910. [ANS thanks Damon Runion, WA4HFN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to FUNcube Data Warehouse Upload We are extremely grateful to all the groups and individuals who have uploaded FUNcube-1 (AO-73) data to the warehouse and the totals on the upload ranking page are quite amazing. Since launch we have been monitoring the service which receives, processes and stores that data and now are about to make some changes to it to improve it performance and reliability. The first change is to introduce an acceptance time window for packets uploaded from the Dashboard. This restricts packets to those whose sequence numbers are within +/- 48 hours of the latest sequence number stored in the Data Warehouse. We are doing this for two reasons: We have received erroneous packets whose sequence numbers are significantly different to the latest value. To reduce the chance of double scoring of points when we release stored data back to the user community The second change, which will not affect normal operation but will improve scoring: We currently process packets immediately they arrive at the server. Under load, this can cause us to lose a few packet scores because of contention in the database. To alleviate this problem, we are going to change the processing slightly to process packets through a buffer. This buffer will be processed every 5 seconds, so there will be a slight delay before packets are acknowledged on the ranking. 73 Dave, G4DPZ Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working- documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/ [ANS thanks Dave, G4DPZ, AMSAT-UK, and the FUNCube Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Scouting Burgemeester Welschen Meerhove, Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA using callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2013-12-28 13:08:43 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via PE6SBW. ARISS Mentor was PE1KEH. Scouting Meerhoven was set up in 2003. Their first official turnout was 10 years ago during the JOTA JOTI. During the last 10 years they have had several activities which were connected with transmitting (each year during the JOTA JOTI) and also with technic, air and space travel, as their scouts cabin is near Eindhoven airport. Now, 10 years on, they celebrate our Jubilee. One of their Lustrum activities is the JOTA JOTI, by which they use FM frequency. For a whole weekend the scouting room was transformed to a real radio station. The broadcasts’ are made by their youth and staff members. In the framework of the Jubilee they made a request to NASA, to have radio contact with one of the astronauts from the ISS. They are very supportive of space travel and during the preparation period they engaged in a couple of activities to get ready for a contact with ISS. The Friday evening group (cubs and scouts) visited an observatory, made rockets from lemonade bottles and fired them off. The room of the beavers was transformed to a cosmos with rockets and planets. The scouts made these themselves. The Saturday group (cubs and scouts) built an ISS station. During the past weeks their activities were all in the light of space travel. The groups goal was that the children will make their acquaintance with the JOTA JOTI (transmission) as well as space travel. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Ritsumeikan Moriyama Junior High School, Moriyama, Japan, direct via 8N3RM Contact is a go for: Sun 2013-12-29 09:30:37 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + ARISS has rolled out their new web presence... http://www.ariss.org/ (Source Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, ARRL Education Services Manager) + EA, SPAIN (Satellites). Mark, N8MH, will be active as EA4/N8MH from Madrid (WW Loc. IN80) between December 24th and January 2nd, while on a family holiday. It is possible that he will be active on FO-29, VO-52, AO-73, SO-50, and AO-7 (?) satellites. He states," This is a very low priority part of the trip, and I can't predict when I'll be able to get on the air (limitations of being in the city with poor view to sky, etc.). But I am going to try at least a few passes one way or another! .... My station will be very simple--FT- 817, Elk antenna, and a hand mic. Working half-duplex on the SSB birds will be very challenging for me! I am spoiled by fully automated station operations." (Source Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1142) + Ham Radio Industry Changes - DaySaver Power Systems is in merger with Elk Antennas. Elk will continue to offer DaySaver Power Systems products. The merger enables Elk to expand its products for emergency communications and remote or portable operating. - DX Engineering is now the sole distributir of Hi-Z Antenna Products. - Small Wonder Labs, a QRP kit-maker has ceased operation. (Source CQ magazine December 2013) +Request for Announcements and Articles Are you putting on a Demo, Representating AMSAT at a Hamfest or Convention, Reaching out to Schools, Scouts Youth Groups, Putting on a satellite related Special Events Station, Supporting a Kid's Day Event? PLEASE, LET US KNOW. ANS will be glad to promote your efforts in advance and to report your successes after the fact. To meet our publication deadline, in a timely fashion, please forward your announcements at least 10 days in advance of your event. Typically before the Thursday before the Sunday we publish - the week before your event. Forward your announcement and reports to ans-editor at amsat dot org (Source, The ANS Editors) + AMSAT Coordinator for Georgia, John Kludt, K4SQC, will be representing AMSAT at TechFest in Lawrenceville GA on Saturday, January 11, 2014. Make sure you stop by, or even better, contact John and offer to lend a hand. (Source John K4SQC) + SkySat-1 satellite sends first HD video Skybox Imaging was founded in 2009 by radio amateur Julian Mann KI6OSO along with Ching-Yu Hu, Dan Berkenstock and John Fenwick. Many of the Skybox Imaging executives worked on CubeSat projects while students at Stanford University under Professor Bob Twiggs KE6QMD. SkySat-1, the first in a planned constellation of 24 microsatellites, was launched on a Dnepr from Dombarovsky near Yasny on November 21, 2013. It is believed to be the smallest satellite ever flown that is capable of capturing imagery at better than 1 meter resolution and the 1080p HD camera can capture up to 90 second video clips at 30 frames per second. See a preview at http://www.firstimagery.skybox.com/ Skybox Imaging http://www.skyboximaging.com/ (Source AMSAT-UK) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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

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ANS-356 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 21 Dec '13

21 Dec '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-356 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: * Saudisat 1C, SO-50, Eleven Years in Orbit * NASA Space Life Sciences Training Program Applications Open * ISS Cooling Pump Repair Delays Cubesat Missions * Delfi-N3XT Update * AMSAT SKN on OSCAR 2014 in Memory of W2LV * Satellite Shorts SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-356.01 ANS-356 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 356.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 22, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-356.01 Saudisat 1C, SO-50, Eleven Years in Orbit Now known as SO-50, Saudisat 1C is a Saudi Arabian picosatellite that was launched by a Dnepr rocket from Baikonur at 17:00 UT on December 20, 2002. SO-50 features a "Mode J" FM amateur repeater operating on a 2M uplink and a 440 downlink. "Most hams already own the necessary equipment to work SO-50," reports long time AMSAT Area Coordinator Clint Bradford, K6LCS. "It is preferable to work SO-50 in true, full-duplex mode - so you can hear the downlink as you transmit. This means - for most - using a second radio or the Kenwood TH-D72A and its true full-duplex capability. SO-50's repeater is available to amateurs worldwide, and it uses a 67.0 Hertz PL tone on the uplink. SO-50 also has a 10 minute timer that must be armed before use. If you know the satellite is there - but there is nothing heard - you may need to shoot it a PL tone of 74.4 to turn it ON! The repeater consists of a miniature VHF receiver with sensitivity of -124dBm, with an IF bandwidth of 15 KHz. The receive antenna is a 1/4 wave vertical mounted in the top corner of the spacecraft. Its UHF transmitter is a mere 250 mW, and downlink antenna is a 1/4 wave mounted in the bottom corner of the spacecraft and canted at 45 degrees inward. "Hams just with Technician licenses can work the satellite," Clint continues. "We are talking about weak signals from 500 miles away - so improving both your TX and RX antennas is critical for success on this satellite." "Do not forget to accommodate for the Doppler phenomenon on the 440 receive side." [ANS thanks Clint, K6LCS, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Space Life Sciences Training Program Applications Open The Space Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP) provides undergraduate students entering their junior or senior years with professional experience in space life science disciplines. This challenging ten-week summer program is held at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. The primary goal of the program is to train the next generation of scientists and engineers, enabling NASA to meet future research and development challenges in the space life sciences. For more information, visit: http://spacebiosciences.arc.nasa.gov/slstp The SLSTP is an equal opportunity program. Admission is by competitive application process. U.S. Citizen undergraduate students who maintain a 3.2 or higher grade point average are invited to apply. Past student participants were selected for their merit, passion for space and desire to study space life science. Applications for the SLSTP will be submitted through NASA's One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) website. Prospective applicants must pre-register for a student account and create an interest profile on the OSSI student login page. Links to the OSSI website are included on the SLSTP page (above). Although the application period for summer 2014 student internships closes on March 15, 2014, offers for positions may be made as early as Feb. 2, 2014. Students are encouraged to submit their applications early. Details about the 2014 SLSTP internship opportunities will be posted on the SLSTP website in December. [ANS thanks the NASA Ames Research Center for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Cooling Pump Repair Delays Cubesat Missions The ARRL reports Expedition 38 Astronauts Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, and Rick Mastracchio, KC5ZTE, will leave the confines of the International Space Station (ISS) December 21, 23, and 25 to repair a faulty cooling system pump. The malfunction has already caused the postponement of one Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact. It's unclear if the ISS problem will affect additional ARISS school contacts. Planet Labs CubeSat Constellation Also postponed is the shipment of four amateur radio 1U CubeSats LituanicaSAT-1, LitSat-1, ArduSat-2, UAPSat-1, the 915 MHz CubeSat SkyCube and 28 CubeSats (3U) from the company Planet Labs. The CubeSats were to have been sent to the ISS on an Orbital Sciences Antares-120 rocket on December 18 but this launch will not now take place until January. LituanicaSAT-1 with amateur radio FM transponder to deploy from ISS http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/12/lituanicasat-1/ LitSat-1 amateur radio frequencies announced http://amsat-uk.org/2013/09/11/litsat-1-amateur-radio-frequencies-announced/ ArduSat Open Source Ham Radio CubeSats http://amsat-uk.org/2013/08/09/ardusat-open-source-ham-radio-cubesats/ UAPSat-1 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=210 SkyCube to use 915 MHz CubeSat Ground Station Network http://amsat-uk.org/2012/08/25/skycube-to-use-915-mhz-cubesat-ground-statio… network/ In the United States and a number of other countries 915 MHz is an Amateur Radio allocation. In the UK the regulator Ofcom plan to make 915-921 MHz license exempt http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/short-range-devices/ [ANS thanks ARRLL and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Delfi-N3XT Update Delfi Nanosatellite Program Manager, Jasper Bouwmeester PC4JB, provides this update on the Delfi-n3Xt amateur radio satellite which was launched November 21 and carries a 435/145 MHz linear transponder. Dear radio amateurs, Today, December 19, we have switched from the ISIS transmitter (ITRX) to the Primary Transmitter (PTRX). This radio seems to have a significantly stronger signal, so it should be easier to receive telemetry. The frequency is a bit higher, 145.930 MHz so you will have to retune. I hope this will help some of the radio amateurs who had trouble in decoding Delfi-n3Xt. We have also put the S-band transmitter (STX) back in beacon mode on 2405.000 MHz. As the onboard patch antenna is however pointing in arbitrary direction, it is a matter of luck if it is pointed towards a ground station. In about 10% of the passes it should in theory be possible to receive the signal with a >2.5m dish, but I have to admit that it is only going to be fun to try to receive the signal for those people who like to be the first and have the proper equipment. Unfortunately we have not yet been able to make a new update of the DUDe client. The first issue we want to tackle for the new version is the frequency freeze. After a while, DUDe seems to lock itself at an edge of the band. Currently this means, that DUDe needs to be restarted before a pass. As temporary solution in case you want to track the satellite automatically, you may use an auto-mouse clicker to close and re-open DUDe. But I hope we will be able to fix this issue early next year. Finally, I would like to state that you may replay your SDR recordings a few times to increase packet decoding as our server can handle more load. Our statistics page however currently does not exclude doubles from a single radio amateur, so please keep in mind that the packet counts for the competition (more details early next year) will eventually be corrected for this. It will take a while though before we upgrade the statistics to exclude doubles from a single radio amateur. We are very happy if we receive more telemetry packets, but please don't exaggerate the amount of replays as there is not much more to be gained after a few attempts. Have a nice holidays and a prosperous 2014! 73, Jasper, PC4JB Telemetry reception http://www.delfispace.nl/operations/delfi-n3xt-telemetry-reception Delfi-n3Xt http://www.delfispace.nl/operations/radio-amateurs Dnepr Yasny launch http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/dnepr-november-2013/ [ANS thanks Jasper, PC4JB, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SKN on OSCAR 2014 in Memory of W2LV You are cordially invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2014, sponsored by AMSAT for all radio amateurs throughout the world. Operate CW through any amateur satellite from 0001 through 2400 UTC on 1 January 2014, using a manual, non-electronic key. Note that bugs are now allowed, as they are in similar ARRL and SKCC events. There is no need to send in a log, but please nominate someone you worked for Best Fist. Your nominee need not have the best fist of those you heard, just of those you worked. Send your nomination to w2rs(a)amsat.org.. A list of those nominated will be published in early February. This year's event is being held in memory of Robert Morris (1902-1997), W2LV. Bob's amateur and professional career in radio literally spanned the era from spark to satellite. One of the first to work across the Atlantic in 1923, he also received Satellite DXCC No. 2 in 1979. Bob was featured in the PBS-TV documentary, "Empire of the Air." [ANS thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts + LITHUANIA, LY. Vilmantas, LY3BY is QRV as LY2013SAT until December 24 to commemorate the first Lithuanian nano-satellite LituanicaSAT-1. QSL via LY3BY. (ARLD050 DX news) + Tochigi Science Lion Project was successful. 15 students asked their question to Koichi. Koichi answered all equations. 2 or 3 answers were very weak signal. 280 people where in the audience including media representatives from TV, Radio and Newspapers (ARISS) + Roland PY4ZBZ reports that the CAPE-2 amateur radio CubeSat responded to a "Send Text to Speech" command with "Hello P Y 4 Z B Z" in the voice of Darth Vader. Listen to the recording at http://tinyurl.com/PY4ZBZ-Cape-2-Darth-Vader [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, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-181
by Joe Spier 15 Dec '13

15 Dec '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-181 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: * ESA Education Office announce six CubeSats chosen for Phase 1 Initiative * 13 Colonies Special Event Includes Satellite Operations * 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Starts July 19, 2013 * Two Lithuanian Amateur Radio CubeSats Plan 2013 Launch To ISS * July Space Station Spacewalks To Be Previewed And Broadcast On NASA TV * Upcoming ARISS Contacts * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-181.01 ANS-181 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 181.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 30, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-181.01 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESA Education Office announce six CubeSats chosen for Phase 1 Initiative Six student teams and their supervisors have gathered at ESA's ESTEC centre in The Netherlands for the kick-off of the new Fly Your Satellite! Programme under the ESA Education Office. On June 26-28, ESA experts will introduce the objectives and present the activities to be performed during the first phase of the programme. In January, ESA's Education Office announced the 'Fly Your Satellite!' initiative. This is aimed at offering student teams the opportunity to become familiar with good engineering practice to build and perform satellite testing in order to increase the chances of a successful mission. The 2013 edition of the programme is however only focusing on testing selected university-built satellites that are already at an advanced stage of development. 'Fly Your Satellite!' builds on the success of the 'CubeSats for the Vega Maiden Flight' pilot programme. This culminated in 2012 with the launch of seven student-built CubeSats on the first flight of the new ESA Vega launcher. The focus of the kick-off meeting will consist of coordinating the activity to be performed during the first phase of Fly Your Satellite! enabling the teams to complete the construction of their satellite. This will include extensive satellite testing in ambient conditions under the supervision of ESA specialists who will decide which satellites should participate in the next phase of the programme. The second phase will see the satellites tested in the simulated conditions of outer space and in those the satellites will experience at launch. These will include vibration and thermal-vacuum tests. The six CubeSats chosen for Phase 1 are: Robusta-1B from France will validate a radiation test methodology for specific transistor components. Oufti-1 from Belgium will demonstrate the D-STAR digital communication protocol and validate high-efficiency solar cells. ConSat-1 from Canada will analyse radiation characteristics in the South-Atlantic Anomaly, and test technology payloads. e-st@r-II from Italy will test an Active-Attitude Determination Control System. AAUSAT4 from Denmark will test an improved version of student built AIS (Automated Identification System) receivers. Politech.1 from Spain will carry a student built C-band communication system, a "GEODEYE" Earth Observation camera for academic purposes, and solar wind experiments. Read the full ESA article at http://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_and_student_teams_kick-off_Fly_Your_Satell… Fly Your Satellite! initiative http://www.esa.int/Education/Students_are_you_ready_to_fly_your_satellites_… space [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Colonies Special Event Includes Satellite Operations The 13 Colonies Special Event Stations will be active on the air for Independence Week, July 1-6, 2013. Get all of the details at http://www.13colonies.info/ On the high frequency amateur bands the 13 Colonies stations will operate from 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Savings Time (1300Z), on July 1st, to 12:00 PM (midnight) Eastern Daylight Savings Time, July 6 (0400Z, July 7). The 13 Colonies Satellite Stations will be active as shown in the table below: STATE SE CALL STATION CALL OPERATOR ----- ------- ------------ -------- NY K2A WB2OQQ Pete VA K2B NL7VX Steve CT K2D WA8SME Mark DE K2E KB2M Jeffrey MD K2F WA3SWJ Bruce MA K2H KB1PVH David NJ K2I KB2M Jeffrey NC K2J N8MH Mark SC K2L K4YYL Art PA K2M WB3U Elizabeth (FM Birds Only) K3BFS Richard (Linear Birds Only) Any satellite station can work the 13 Colonies states off the birds. Please indicate your contacts are Satellite. More information can be found at http://www.13colonies.info/Satellites.htm [ANS thanks the 13 Colonies Special Event for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Starts July 19, 2013 The 2013 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will start late afternoon on Friday, July 19 and will run through until the afternoon on Sunday, July 21 at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, UK. It will be preceded by a "Hands-on" CubeSat Workshop. This free workshop will take place at the nearby University of Surrey on Friday, July 19 and this will be followed, at the hotel, by the usual Colloquium "Beginners Session" in the late afternoon. It is anticipated that both the FUNcube-1 and FUNcube-2 missions will be launched later this year and the FUNcube team will be on hand to talk about the missions and the planned educational outreach. A full demonstration of the Engineering Model, which has been performing flawlessly for almost a year, will also be provided. Further details and booking information at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2013/ [ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two Lithuanian Amateur Radio CubeSats Plan 2013 Launch To ISS It is hoped that two Lithuanian satellites will be among the CubeSats sent by Nanoracks LLC to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX CRS-3 mission in November, 2013. They will be deployed from the ISS by the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J- SSOD) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The Kaunas University of Technology is developing LituanicaSAT-1 while the Lithuanian Space Federation is working on LitSat-1. 2013 is the 80th anniversary of the historic flight by Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Gire.nas in the airplane Lituanica. On July 15, 1933, they took off from Floyd Bennett Field in New York and flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 6,411 kilometers without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes. Tragically they crashed by the village of Kuhdamm, near Soldin, Germany just 650 km from their destination of Kaunas in Lithuania. LituanicaSAT-1 plans to carry a VGA camera, GPS receiver, 9k6 AX25 FSK telemetry beacon and a 150 mW V/U FM voice transponder. Links: • Google English web http://tinyurl.com/KosmonautaiLituanicaSAT-1 • Google English Wiki http://tinyurl.com/WikiLituanicaSAT-1 • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lituanicasat1 LitSat-1 is understood to be planning a U/V linear transponder for SSB/CW communications. Links: • Lithuanian Space Association in Google English http://tinyurl.com/LithuanianSpaceAssociation • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/palydovas • Google English article http://tinyurl.com/LitSat-1-Article Google English article on the two Lithuanian CubeSats http://tinyurl.com/LithuanianCubeSats 1933 Lituanica flight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanica [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JULY SPACE STATION SPACEWALKS TO BE PREVIEWED AND BROADCAST ON NASA TV WASHINGTON -- Two Expedition 36 astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station twice in July on spacewalks to prepare for a new Russian module and perform additional installations on the station's backbone. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will host a NASA Television briefing to preview the spacewalks at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 2. Reporters may attend the briefing at Johnson and other participating NASA centers, or ask questions by calling Johnson's newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 1:45 p.m. Tuesday. Briefers will include: -- David Korth, NASA spacewalk flight director -- Ernest Bell, Spacewalk 22 spacewalk officer -- Karina Eversley, Spacewalk 23 spacewalk officer Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency will conduct the spacewalks July 9 and July 16 from the station's Quest airlock. Each spacewalk is scheduled to last 6 1/2 hours. Cassidy and Parmitano will replace a space-to-ground communications receiver and wireless video equipment and install power and cables for a Russian multipurpose laboratory module that will be launched later this year. The new module will serve as a research facility, docking port and airlock for future Russian spacewalks and will replace the Pirs module. Cassidy, who is designated EV1 for the spacewalks, will wear a U.S. extravehicular mobility suit bearing red stripes. The spacewalks will be the fifth and sixth of Cassidy's career. Parmitano, who is designated EV2, will wear a spacesuit with no stripes and will be making the first two spacewalks of his career. He will become the first Italian astronaut to walk in space. Both spacewalkers will wear helmet cameras to provide up close views of their work. NASA TV coverage of the spacewalks will begin at 7 a.m. on both July 9 and July 16. Both spacewalks are scheduled to begin at 8:10 a.m. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the International Space Station and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS contact with Scuola Secondaria grado "Arturo Toscanini", Capiago Intimiano, Italy and Scuola Media Massimiliano Kolbe, Vercurago, Lecco, Italy An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Scuola Secondaria 1? grado "Arturo Toscanini", Capiago Intimiano, Italy and Scuola Media Massimiliano Kolbe, Vercurago, Lecco, Italy on 29 June. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:50 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a combination of direct and telebridge with the contact starting with IK1SLD, then proceeds to IZ2WLC and finishes back with IK1SLD . The contact should be audible over Italy. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in Italian. Scuola Secondaria 1? grado "Arturo Toscanini", Capiago Intimiano, Italy The school is located in Capiago Intimiano, a small town in the north part of Italy, 7 km far from Como. Como and the surrounding area can be clearly seen from space due to the unique shape of Lario lake (like a Y upside down). It tooks the name from "Arturo Toscanini", a famous musician and conductor lived across the end of 19th century and early 20th. There are 10 classes and the students are from 11 years old to 14. Scuola Media Massimiliano Kolbe, Vercurago, Lecco, Italy Local secondary school with students aged from 10 to 14. It's located in a building, built in 1950 by the government, originally used as a sanatorium converted into school in late 1970. Vercurago is a small town not far from Lecco, built on the shores of Garlate's lake (as it comes out of Lario lake and become Adda river). Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Why did you decide to become an astronaut? 2. How do you recycle water? 3. How did you feel on your first day in space? 4. What are the main characteristics of the Earth seen from space? 5. What was your first impression of the ISS? 6. How the northern lights appear from space? 7. How is life in space for six months with only five other people? 8. What is the most difficult activity you've carried out in space? 9. When you see the Earth from the space, what do you think? 10. How do you treat waste? 11. Is the Sun different seen from the space? 12. How do you shave in space? 13. What do you usually do in your free time? 14. How does life in orbit influence vital functions? 15. When you'll come back to the Earth, what will be the first thing you'll do? 16. When the Earth is in the dark, which are the brightest cities? 17. Can you see pollution on the Earth from the ISS? 18. What kind of studies did you attend to become an astronaut? 19. Which was the strongest emotion you felt when you passed quickly from the Earth to space? 20. What is the human construction visible from the space station? 21. How hard was the training before departure? 22. What do you eat in space? 23. What did you miss more from the earth? 24. Have you ever experimented how spiders build webs in space? 25. Have you ever had any serious technical problems on the ISS? 26. What kind of experiments are you carrying out? 27. What do you like most about your job? 28. What is the most ambitious project for the future? PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be obtained by subscribing to the SAREX maillist. To subscribe, go to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/ and choose "How to Subscribe". 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. Association Intercultura Onlus, Frascati, Italy, telebridge Sat, 06July2013, 17:02 UTC 40 deg via W6SRJ ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada). (ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for this ARISS update) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satelite Shorts From All Over Kevin, N4UFO reported on June 25 he was able to work three transatlantic contacts via AO-7. The stations he contacted included EA8HB, CT3FM, and G7BTA. Kevin noted, "I must say... three QSOs in one pass, WOW! That was a lot of fun! AO-7 is a grand old bird, long may she live! I just had to share how exciting it was!" (via N4UFO on starcomm-bb) In the July 2013 edition of the ARRL publication of QST, ARRL Chief Executive Officer, David Sumner, K1ZZ, presents a feature on CubeSats. Steve Ford, WB8IMY, presents a column, Eclectic Technology, titled "More Satellites on the Way", a listing of the 7 satellites due to be launched in 2013. (via www.arrl.org ) A CubeSat presentation was given by AMSAT Francophone to a scientific conference held by the Radio Club of Paris F6KVP on May 29, 2013. A video of the presentation has been made available on the web. AMSAT-Francophone site in Google English: http://tinyurl.com/AMSAT-Francophone Radio Club of Paris F6KVP in Google English: http://tinyurl.com/RadioClubParis F6KVP on Twitter: https://twitter.com/F6KVP (via AMSAT-UK) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-342 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 07 Dec '13

07 Dec '13

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-342 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: * WD9EWK releases videos of working AO-73 * AO-73 added to LoTW list of recognized satellites * South Africa ZACube-1 Tshepisosat Telemetry Requested * New Award from The Star Comm Group * Listening Help Requested for Trailblazer and DragonSat * CAPE-2 Tracking Information Updated * Successful Launch of NROL-39 CubeSats * NASA Enhances 'Space Station Live' and Launches New Weekly Web Series * NASA Education and Virginia Space Grant Opportunities Available * See What You Are Missing if You Don't Receive Your Own AMSAT Journal * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-342.01 ANS-342 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 342.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. DATE December 8, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-342.01 WD9EWK releases videos of working AO-73 Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK has been working the new AO-73 satellite from his back yard. Most of the time, he has been using his normal portable all-mode satellite station - two Yaesu FT-817NDs, Elk handheld 2m/70cm log periodic antenna. On November 30 he replaced one of the FT-817NDs with a Kenwood TH-F6A - using its all-mode receiver to copy the downlink. December 1 he used an Icom IC-R20 receiver for the downlink. He's used these radios in the past on other satellites, and for some hamfest demonstrations on VO-52 Patrick had used the FT-817ND/TH-F6A combination. He has made a series of videos (satellite audio combined with slideshows) from several AO-73 passes he has worked. They are available at: http://www.youtube.com/va7ewk One of the AO-73 videos contains audio from two passes, and is about twice as long as the others which have audio from a single pass. After working these passes, he is convinced that this new satellite performs as well as VO-52, for both its uplink and downlink. This is a very good thing! AO-73 hears very well, as long as you're careful to match the polarization of the satellite's antennas. The downlink is strong enough to allow the use any of these radios as the receiver on higher passes. For lower passes, he will probably use his second FT-817ND for the downlink receiver. It is good to know that, at least on the higher passes, there are lots of options for a downlink receiver. On the same higher passes, he learned that he can cut the power down from 5W to 1W and even 500mW. High power is not necessary to be heard through the transponder. Patrick's next project with AO-73 will be using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ as the downlink receiver, for both the transponder and telemetry, while working the transponder with an FT-817ND as his transmit radio. He reinstalled HDSDR and its ExtIO DLL for the Pro+ dongle on his 64-bit Windows 7 laptop, and it is working well. He will be installing the FUNcube-1 dashboard software. Patrick has an old netbook running Linux, and is curious to see how the dongle works with that operating system. His hope is to be able to use the dongle and a laptop as the downlink receiver, without being wiped out by the 5W signals from an FT-817ND. If all is successful, he believs he will have a new combination for his all-mode satellite station that he can use for upcoming demonstrations. Using the dongle and dashboard software during daytime AO-73 passes at hamfests would be something different, and a great thing to show off to the hamfest crowds. Patrick thanks all who worked on getting this satellite built and launched. "Even with the transponder on only for the nighttime passes, it has been fun to be on a new satellite so soon after its launch." [ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-73 added to LoTW list of recognized satellites New version (Ver. 2.7) of configuration file config.xml now available on Logbook server Changed in config.xml version 2.7: Added entry for AO-73 (FunCube) to list of recognized satellites Please log into your LoTW account, click on YOUR ACCOUNT - Your Certificates - download latest configuration file. This will update the satellite list and accept AO-73. You should be able to sign the QSOs with TQSL to make a TQ8 file with those QSOs. [ANS thanks Kathy Allison KA1RWY, ARRL LoTW Specialist for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- South Africa ZACube-1 Tshepisosat Telemetry Requested South Africa's ZACube-1 F'SATI Satellite team at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology is looking for your support to collect telemetry. They request radio amateurs to listen for the UHF beacon on 437.345 MHz. It will be a great help if they can log the raw data from the TNC and send it to Leon at ldutsteenkamp at gmail dot com. ZACube-1 will be going through a commissioning process for the next two weeks to make sure everything works fine. Then the satellite will be commanded into a spin, where after the HF antenna will be rolled out. Only then will the team turn on the HF beacon on 14.099 MHz. So far the team has tested the downlink and uplink, checked system status, uploaded command scripts with nominal Results. Battery voltage varies between 7.6 and 8.2 V, and on-board temperature between 12 and about 26 degrees C. The telemetry also shows that the ISIS antennas deployed on the first try. The AMSAT keplerian elements bulletin released this week noted that ZACube-1 is currently using Cat # 39417 KEPs (the same as AO-73). [ANS thanks SARL NEWS Sunday 1 December 2013 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Award from The Star Comm Group The Star Comm Group has a new satellite award called Got Grids? that will be effective 1 Jan 2014. The award can be seen along with the rules at http://www.starcommgroup.org/gotgrids.html The rules for the 5in EM55 award have been changed to make it a little easier. http://www.starcommgroup.org/5in55.html This award is open to the world with the new rules. Example you can work 5 stations that have the award anywhere, without working anyone in EM55 or any combination, say 2 stations in em55 and 3 stations that have the award from any other state or country. A 3rd award is in the planning stages , GRID MASTERS rules and design to come soon. These awards are free. Donations to Amsat are welcomed. Please note on your check STAR Comm Group Award We hope to increase activity on the birds. Comments or questions contact wa4hfn at comcast dot net Damon wa4nvmat comcast dot net Rick [ANS thanks Damon WA4HFN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listening Help Requested for Trailblazer and DragonSat Have you heard Trailblazer or DragonSat? Jin KB3UKS and Craig KE5VSH launched two CubeSats a week or so ago. The first is Trailblazer and the second is DragonSat. Trailblazer is from the Configurable Space Research at the University of New Mexico (KE5VSH) and DragonSat is Drexel University. Our problem is that we haven’t heard from our satellites yet. There could be a variety of different reasons. First, the satellite didn’t survive delivery. Second, our antennas didn’t deploy or third, we have poor ground stations. As you can imagine, I am hoping for the third. I pasted the TLE which is openly available on space-track and celestetrack, below. It is very close (I believe) to our birds. If you have a chance, could you please keep your ears open in case you might hear us. Please email any packets for Trailblazer to myself here at craig.kief at cosmiac dot org and for DragonSat to Jin Kang at kang at usna dot edu. Thanks again most sincerely, Craig Trailblazer 437.425MHz, AX.25, 9,600 (there is another satellite with the same tx freq as mine there as well). On my packets, if you see C0 00 A8 84…. You will provide me with a wonderful gift. I beacon every 50 seconds DragonSat 145.870MHz, AX.25, 9,600. Beacons every 30 seconds. Trailblazer Maybe 1 39382U 13064C 13325.87382098 .00041511 00000-0 18318-2 0 39 2 39382 40.5103 239.5017 0004316 318.4599 41.5592 15.20995117 275 [ANS thanks Craig KE5VSH for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAPE-2 Tracking Information Updated Here is a link to all information the CAPE Team currently has for tracking the Satellite (Updated 12/02/2013). A program will be released in the next few days to decode data. http://ulcape.org/cape-2-tracking-update-12022013/ Frequency: 145.825 (varies due to Doppler shift) Modulation: FM/CW Beacon Interval: Varies Based on Modes (alternating ax25and CW) Green Mode Interval: 2 Minutes Orange Mode Interval 4 Minutes Red Mode Interval 6 Minutes Current TLEs 1 39380U 13064A 13330.07541444 .00010598 00000-0 47292-3 0 199 2 39380 40.5199 215.0588 0005267 335.2591 24.7901 15.21214750 922 * TLE is unconfirmed as official TLE for CAPE-2, but has yielded our best results thus far. On behalf of the CAPE-2 Team, we would really appreciate any data you can relay to us on the satellite. [ANS thanks Rizwan Merchant KF5BNL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Successful Launch of NROL-39 CubeSats At 07:14:30 UT on Friday, December 6 a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 3-East (SLC-3E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base on California’s Central Coast. In addition to a classified satellite for the US spy satellite agency the National Reconnaissance Office it carried 12 CubeSats four of which have amateur radio payloads. Justin Foley KI6EPH has made available this TLE for the CubeSats: 1 99991U 00000 13340.43204282 0.00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 0006 2 99991 120.5031 227.3464 0297856 339.9554 93.2232 14.64196995000009 Further information on the CubeSats on the Atlas V GEMSat Launch 2013 can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ANS342-NROL-39-Cubesats Space Flight Now story http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av042/131206launch/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Enhances 'Space Station Live' and Launches New Weekly Web Series Starting in December, NASA will show the public the International Space Station in new ways that will highlight all the scientific research, cutting-edge technology testing and even the wonder of living and working in space. NASA is enhancing its daily NASA Television "Space Station Live" program and beginning a new weekly web series called "Space to Ground." "Space Station Live" will continue to air weekdays at 11 a.m. EST and now will be in a 30-minute format beginning Dec 2. It will feature live views from the International Space Station, updates on the crew's daily activities, enhanced content and interviews on space station science and features on how that science benefits life on Earth. The "Space to Ground" web series will be available every Friday beginning Dec. 6. This series will be a short wrap-up of the week's activities aboard the space station that will showcase the diversity of activities taking place aboard the world's only orbiting laboratory. This video also will be posted to the agency's social media accounts and can be shared and downloaded by the public. The International Space Station remains the springboard to our next great leap in exploration. The space station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that is helping us learn what it means to be a spacefaring people by demonstrating new technologies and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. To view "Space to Ground" beginning Dec. 6, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/spacetoground For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv For media b-roll and resources on the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station [ANS thanks Joshua Buck, Josh Byerly and NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Education and Virginia Space Grant Opportunities Available + 2014-15 Virginia Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship The Virginia Space Grant Consortium is offering undergraduate research scholarships of up to $8,500 to encourage talented individuals to conduct research in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, or STEM, fields. Applicants must participate in an active faculty-mentored research experience that aligns with the aerospace sector and meets NASA's mission. Student stipends and research support totaling $4,000 during the academic year and $4,500 during a summer semester are available. These one-year awards are nonrenewable and based on student academic merit, quality of the research proposal and alignment of research with the goals of NASA and the aerospace sector. Underrepresented minority students, female students and students with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and enrolled at one of the five Virginia Space Grant member universities: The College of William and Mary, Hampton University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The deadline for submitting applications is Feb.10, 2014. For more information, visit http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/undergrad/. + Virginia Space Grant Consortium Graduate STEM Research Fellowship The Virginia Space Grant Consortium's Graduate STEM Research Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $5,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. The objective of this science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, research fellowship opportunity is to encourage talented individuals to pursue careers in STEM industries that support NASA's mission. Participants in the Graduate STEM Research Fellowship Program must take part in an active faculty-mentored research experience that aligns with the aerospace sector and meets NASA's mission. Awards are made annually and are renewable for one year for students making satisfactory academic and research progress. This is a competitive fellowship program, and awards are based on merit recognizing high academic achievement and promise. Underrepresented minority students, female students and students with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and enrolled at one of the five Virginia Space Grant member universities: The College of William and Mary, Hampton University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The deadline for submitting applications is Feb.10, 2014. For more information about this opportunity and to apply online, visit http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/gradfellow/. + 2014-15 Virginia Space Grant Consortium STEM Bridge Scholarship The Virginia Space Grant Consortium, or VSGC, is offering renewable scholarships to sophomore undergraduate students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics, or STEM. The STEM Bridge Scholarships are $1,000 and are available to students who are U.S. citizens from any federally recognized minority group enrolled fulltime at one of the five VSGC member universities: The College of William and Mary, Hampton University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The STEM Bridge Program bridges students to future opportunities by mentoring and guiding them to future VSGC scholarships and NASA- related paid internships. The program encourages students to explore how their majors can apply to NASA’s Mission. This is a competitive program, and awards are based on student academic merit, quality of interest essay as well as letters of recommendation from current college faculty who can attest to students' interest in STEM areas. The deadline for submitting applications is March 17, 2014. For more information, visit http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/Bridge/. + 2014-15 Virginia Space Grant Consortium Community College STEM Scholarship The Virginia Space Grant Consortium, or VSGC, encourages academically talented individuals to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. The VSGC is offering a limited number of scholarship opportunities to students majoring in STEM fields at any campus in the Virginia Community College System, or VCCS. These $2,000 scholarships are competitive awards based on academic merit for students demonstrating an interest in NASA's missions and STEM-related careers. The VSGC strongly supports students in technical career pathways who are preparing to transfer to institutions of higher learning while developing the essential skills for a competitive global workforce. Underrepresented minority students, female students and students with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and enrolled in the VCCS. The deadline for submitting applications is March 17, 2014. For more information, visit http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/ccstem/. Please email any questions about these four opportunities to rkashiri at odu dot edu. [ANS thanks NASA Education for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- See What You Are Missing if You Don't Receive Your Own AMSAT Journal Membership includes the AMSAT Journal and discounts on purchases made through the AMSAT store. You can see representative articles available only to our members here. To download your own copy of the sample AMSAT Journal articles ... go to http://www.amsat.org --> ... then Mouse over the 'AMSAT' Tab in the top row ... then select 'Join AMSAT' which brings you to: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1095 When you click on the blue highlighted link 'here' you will land on a page to choose from two sample articles in PDF format. These are brand new just released articles in the November/December 2013 issue of the AMSAT Journal. Other sample issues plan to be made available from upcoming issues of The AMSAT Journal. Follow the Join AMSAT links to sign up to receive your very own copy of the AMSAT Journal - this is an exclusive membership benefit in AMSAT. While you navigate around http://www.amsat.org take a look at the expanding content and updated pages. Hint: Click on the graphic across the top of each page to jump back 'home'. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal Team and Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Salisbury Middle Schools Salisbury, New Brunswick, Canada and Astronaut Michael S. Hopkins KF5LJG using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2013-11-20 17 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was VE1WPH. For the past several months, students and staff of Salisbury Middle School have been working hard in anticipation of this wonderful opportunity. Most obvious was how the students continued to learn and their excitement as they came together toward this common goal, of which they are all proud. In anticipation of the actual ARISS contact, the students asked that it be proclaimed as “A Day to Space Out”. Activities began with the official launch showcasing a video created by the students providing information regarding the event. Also created by the students were weekly special segments featuring the School's PodCast News Show which include short space related videos, ISS News and current expedition Astronaut biographies. The students also enjoyed informative presentations from the Astronomical Society of New Brunswick and the Science East Planetarium . The Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club will be transmitted from SMS on November 15th, in conjunction with space related “Theme Day”. One creative student submitted an event logo which will be printed on tee- shirts and worn by students as they ask their questions. + A Successful contact was made between Primary and Junior High Schools Complex, Stobierna, Poland and Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2013-11-27 09:26 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via VK5ZAI. ARISS Mentors were SP3QFE and IN3GHZ. School Complex in Stobierna is composed of two main school levels: primary school and junior high school. The primary school attendants' are six-year-old to twelve-year-old students, whereas, the junior high school's students are thirteen to sixteen years old. The second type of school puts more emphasis on Science (including Physics and Mathematics). The students of these schools are interested in astronomical observations, thus they are eager to take part in special classes concerning such issues. Schools organized special classes associated with the astronomical observations of the sky. We organised a series of educational trips to places from which students observed the sky: in the stars, planets and satellites. These activities were integrated into daily school activities in the field of physics and astronomy. Because many schools participated in the project, we organized interschool competitions. Moreover school organized a series of competitions related to astronautics! For the youngest students there was a drawing contest, a contest for older students, multimedia presentations related to space flight and the history of the ISS. + A Successful contact was made between Primary and Junior High Schools Complex, Brzeznica, Poland and Astronaut Michael S. Hopkins KF5LJG using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2013-12-03 08 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via K6DUE. ARISS Mentors were SP3QFE and IN3GHZ. Students from the Primary and Junior High Schools Complex in Brzeznica are interested in Science, mainly Physics. They attend many additional lessons and educational projects connected with Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, amateur radio communications and satellite communications. They participate in educational trips and tours. Teachers prepare lessons for students interested in astronomy. The school organizes additional activities with the support of the European Union, such as special classes involving astronomical sky observation. Moreover, the school prepared a series of activities related to astronautics: amateur radio communications with the ISS, astronomy classes and observation of the passing Space Station, art competitions related to the cosmos and the space station, activities for senior students concerning the life of astronauts aboard the space station. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Rakuyo Technical High School, Kyoto, Japan, direct via 8N3LR Contact is a go for: Thu 2013-12-12 08:44:10 UTC + Tochigi Science Lion Project, Utsunomiya, Japan, direct via 8N1ISS Contact is a go for: Sat 2013-12-14 07:07:42 UTC The episode of Ice Pilots (Ice Pilots NWT Season 5, Episode 1, (Cold Start)), which begins with an ARISS contact, can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuY0IJDhnwY [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AO-73 is now be active on oscar.dcarr.org. (Source David KD5QGR) + FUNCube-1 / AO-73 Radio Communications Subsystem • 145.935 MHz BPSK Telemetry 30 or 300 mW • Inverting SSB/CW transponder 300 mW PEP - 435.150 – 435.130 MHz Uplink LSB - 145.950 – 145.970 MHz Downlink USB Source AMSAT-UK + Live Video Streaming from the ISS The N2YO satellite tracking website provides live video streaming from the International Space Station (ISS) alongside a track showing the position of the ISS over the Earth. The Ustream video from the station is available only when the complex is in contact with the ground through its high-speed communications antenna and NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. During “loss of signal” periods, you will see a blue screen. Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it sees a sunrise or a sunset every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but also may provide spectacular views of city lights below. Live streaming from the ISS http://www.n2yo.com/space-station/ (Source AMSAT-UK) + December Issue of SatMagazine is now online http://www.satmagazine.com/download.php (Source SatMagazine.com) + Radio Astronomy Magazine Available Online The Vol 1 Issue 2, Dec 2013 issue of RAGazine is now available The publication by the British Astronomical Association Radio Astronomy Group (BAA-RAG) can be downloaded in both hi-res and lo-res versions. Lo-res 4 MB http://tinyurl.com/ANS342-LowResRAGazine Hi-res 9 MB http://tinyurl.com/ANS342-HiResRAGazine Issue 1 is on the BAA-RAG site at http://www.britastro.org/radio/downloads.html Join the BAA-RAG Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baa-rag (Source Southgate ARN) + MCubed-2 heard, telemetry captured MCubed-2 is in orbit and working! Packets captured as the command team turned on beacons. http://exploration.engin.umich.edu/blog/?page_id=1830 http://exploration.engin.umich.edu/blog/?page_id=1933 (Source N8MH and DK3WN) + While representing AMSAT at the Tampa Hamfest in Plant City, Florida, 7 Dec 2013, Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA, was able to complete a QSO via FO-29 with Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK, who was representing AMSAT at the Superstition ARC Hamfest in Queen Creek, Arizona. (Source Drew KO4MA) + European Radio Amateurs' Organization Winter Newsletter now 0nline. http://eurobureauqsl.org/newsletter/ Newsletter comes out quarterly, either in pdf format and as a website. (Source EuroBureauQSL) + December is YOTA Month After the success of the Youngsters On The Air events in the summer we decided that it’s time to do some more action ! During the whole month of December several country’s will become active with YOTA as suffix for callsign. The idea for this is to break the ice for some youngsters and take the microphone in the hand. As seen over the years the YOTA-group is growing fast and every week more youngsters are asking to participate. Let us all make YOTA populair in HAM radio and let us all help to put youngsters on the HAM radio train! You want to hear us on the air? Listen for Youngsters On The Air callsigns in the whole month of December! For more information http://www.ham-yota.eu (Source ham-yota.eu) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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

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