AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-083
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North
America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the
activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share
an active interest in designing, building, launching and
communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* Come See AMSAT at Dayton 2013
* Dayton Hamvention 2013 AMSAT Forum
* More 'AMSAT at Dayton' News
* ISS Expedition 35 Crew To Include Three Licensed Hams
* ARISS News
* [QB50] 5th European CubeSat Symposium - ESA sponsorship - Deadline
postponed
* March/April 2013 AMSAT Journal Heading for the Print Shop
* KiwiSAT - All systems are now flight ready
* New Swiss Small Satellite Launch System
* Raspberry Pi as WSPR transmitter up to 250 MHz
* Houston based WebSDR for 2m Ham Band
* AMSAT Helps at Monrovia HS Science Expo and ISS Downlink
* Music in Space Downlink With the International Space Station
* Argentine CubeBug-1 satellite will have amateur radio digipeater
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-083.01
ANS-083 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 083.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 24, 2013
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-083.01
*****************************************************************
* Volunteers are needed to help at the AMSAT booth at Dayton. *
* Steve Belter N9IP, is looking for volunteers to help man the *
* AMSAT booth during the 2013 Hamvention. If you are willing *
* to help at the Hamvention, please send an e-mail by April 30 *
* to Steve Belter, n9ip(a)amsat.org. *
* *
* Monitor the 'AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2013' link on the new *
* AMSAT Web Site http://www.amsat.org for the latest AMSAT at *
* Dayton news and developments *
*****************************************************************
Come See AMSAT at Dayton 2013
The 2013 Dayton Hamvention, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association will be held this year on May 17-19, 2013. "Dayton" is
the largest hamfest in the United States, and AMSAT will be there
again this year.
AMSAT's theme for Dayton will be "AMSAT - A View to the Future."
Come see AMSAT in Ball Arena, right across from the ARRL area and
just inside the door from the Satellite Demonstration area.
The AMSAT booth will feature AMSAT Engineering, new publications,
new apparel, amateur satellite hardware and software. The AMSAT
Forum will be on Saturday May 18. Plan to visit all of the AMSAT
activities!
+ The booth will feature an engineering model of the 1U Fox Cubesat
+ AMSAT Publications
+ AMSAT Apparel
+ Station Hardware
+ The latest version SatPC32 tracking software
+ Renew your AMSAT membership at the AMSAT booth too.
[ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information]
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Dayton Hamvention 2013 AMSAT Forum
This year's AMSAT Forum will be held is on Saturday in Room 5,
from 1115
to 1330 EDT. There will be an open Q&A session after the talks.
Moderator: Alan Biddle, WA4SCA
Speakers:
"AMSAT Status Report." Barry Baines, WD4ASW, AMSAT-NA President,
will highlight recent activities within AMSAT and discuss some of the
challenges, accomplishments, and exciting projects of the
organization.
"A report on ARISS." Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President
for Human Spaceflight, will discuss amateur operations on the
International Space Station.
"AMSAT Fox Satellite Program," Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, AMSAT-NA
Engineering VP, will present the current Status of the AMSAT Fox
CubeSat Projects.
"The AMSAT-UK FUNcube CubeSat." Howard Long, G6LVB, AMSAT-UK
Committee Member, will discuss the FUNcube project which will enable
amateurs and students to use and learn about satellites.
"Amateur Satellites, Education, and You!" Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT-
NA Educational Relations VP, will discuss what satellite operators
can do to support the educational goals of AMSAT.
[ANS thanks Alan WA4SCA for the above information]
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More 'AMSAT at Dayton' News
+ AMSAT Hotel
The cutoff date to book a room with the AMSAT group is April 25.
If you are interested in staying with AMSAT at Dayton, please call
Martha at the AMSAT Office at 301-589-6062.
+ Thursday Night Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery
Thursday night, May 16, 1830-???? at the Tickets Pub and Eatery in
Fairborn, OH. This is a great chance to relax after a hard day's
travel or setting up the AMSAT display area. Very informal. Click
the 'AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2013' button on the new Web Site:
http://www.amsat.org.
+ AMSAT/TAPR Friday Night Banquet
AMSAT/TAPR Banquet on Friday night, May 17 is one of the main AMSAT
activities during the 2013 Hamvention at Dayton. Banquet tickets
will not be sold at the AMSAT booth during the Hamvention so reser-
vations must be made through the AMSAT Store. For the latest details
about the Banquet go to the 'AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2013' button
on the new Web Site: http://www.amsat.org. The link to the AMSAT
Store to purchase the Banquet tickets will be found there. Tickets
are $30 apiece.
+ Satellite Demonstration Area
AMSAT is encouraging everyone attending the 2013 Dayton Hamvention
to come by the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside of the Ball
Arena entrance for live demonstrations making contacts using the
amateur satellites. There will be AMSAT volunteers there to explain
how to make the contacts and during actual satellite passes. Lists of
satellite pass times will be posted in the satellite demonstration
area and at the AMSAT booth.
[ANS thanks AMSAT's 2013 Dayton Committee for the above information]
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ISS Expedition 35 Crew To Include Three Licensed Hams
A report posted on Space-Travel.com says Russian cosmonauts Pavel
Vinogradov, RV3BS and Alexander Misurkin and NASA astronaut Chris
Cassidy have arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to
prepare for the March 29 launch to the International Space Station.
Their Soyuz spacecraft is to reach the ISS in a record six hours
due to a new fast-track launch trajectory.
The ISS will have a crew of six upon arrival of the Soyuz when Vino-
gradov, Misurkin and Cassidy join with Russian cosmonaut Roman Roman-
enko, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG, and US astro-
naut Thomas Marshburn, KE5HOC are already aboard the space station.
See http://tinyurl.com/March29-Launch (Space-Travel.com) for their
orginal posting.
[ANS thanks Space-Travel.com for the above information]
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ARISS News
Recent ARISS Contacts
+ Christ the King School, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia on 20
March 2013
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at Christ
the King School, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia on 20 Mar. The
contact began at approximately 07:15 UTC, and lasted for about 9
minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a telebridge between OR4ISS
and IK1SLD and was audible over Italy and adjacent areas.
Established by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, Christ the King
School, Warradale, is a small, Reception to Year 5 Catholic parish
school within the Brighton Parish in Adelaide. The school has
approximately 190 students across 7 classes. In the Catholic
tradition, they seek to provide a comprehensive Catholic education
to children in a caring, faith community.
+ Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, Austin, TX on 20
March 2013
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at Ann
Richards School for Young Women Leaders, Austin, TX on 20 Mar. The
contact began at approximately 14:20 UTC, and lasted for about 9
minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a telebridge between NA1SS
and VK6MJ and was audible over portions of Australia and adjacent
areas.
The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders is a unique all-
girls school founded to educate young women and give them the
confidence and skills necessary to succeed in college, in their
careers, and in their communities. They are a public school in the
Austin Independent School District serving over 700 girls in 6th
through 12th grade. The girls partake and excel in engineering design
projects and robotics competitions. The demographics of our student
body mirror that of our local community. During the 2011 - 2012
school year, 61% percent of our students were Hispanic, 22% are
Caucasian, 13% were African-American, 3% were Asian-American and 1%
were American Indian/Alaskan Native. Two hundred of the girls were
gathered as 10 of their peers asked questions on behalf of all grade
levels during the ARISS contact.
+ UA Huntsville Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, AL, on 21 March 2013
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at UA
Huntsville Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, AL, on 21 Mar. The
contact began at approximately 15:50 UTC, and lasted for about 9
minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a direct between NA1SS and
K4UAH and was audible over portions of the U.S.
The Space Hardware Club is a UA Huntsville student organization. The
club is student run and is strictly volunteer. Using the capacities
of a multi-disciplinary team of engineering to conceptualize, design,
build, test and fly flight hardware for orbital spaceflight, high
altitude ballooning, competitive mock-satellite design, build, launch
competitions, and other space related engineering problems.
Involvement in The Space Hardware Club allows students to experience
real life time sensitive deadlines, and design payloads to mission
specification. The students learn to design mechanical structures,
software, and circuit boards while considering thermal forces, shock
loads, and other realistic environmental limitations.
Upcoming ARISS Contacs For This Week
+ Thornton Middle School, Katy, TX on 25 Mar. The event is scheduled
to begin at approximately 15:39 UTC. The duration of the contact is
approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct
between NA1SS and KF5NZD. The contact should be audible over portions
of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80
MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
+ Des Cardinaux School, Sainte-Rose, Laval, Quebec, Canada on 26
Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 13:13 UTC. The
duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact
should be audible over the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties
are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is
expected to be conducted in French.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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[QB50] 5th European CubeSat Symposium - ESA sponsorship - Deadline
postponed
Cem O. Asma, PhD, Aeronautics & Aerospace Dept von Karman Institute,
reports, "We have good news regarding the 5th European CubeSat
Symposium that
will be held on 3-5 June 2013 at Brussels, Belgium. The Education
Office of European Space Agency has kindly offered scholarships to
selected students to attend the European CubeSat Symposium. More
information on the rules and how to apply are given at the Symposium
web site:
https://cubesatsymposium.eu/
We have therefore decided to postpone the deadline of abstract
submission to 29 Mar 2013 so that those who consider an ESA
sponsorship can apply as well."
[ANS thanks Cem O. Asma, PhD for the above information]
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March/April 2013 AMSAT Journal Heading for the Print Shop
AMSAT Journal Editor, JoAnne K9JKM reports that the March/April
2013 issue is on its way to the print shop this week. It should
reach your mailbox in early to mid-April. This issue features two
technical projects, operating features, and the latest news from
AMSAT's officers.
We'll update you on all the content next week when the March/April
Issue is completed, packed up, and ready for delivery.
Thanks for all the help from our Journal Editorial Team: Douglas
Quagliana, KA2UPW/5; Mike Sedlak, K4ERA; Bernhard Jatzeck, VA6BMJ;
Bill Hook, W3QBC, and Martha at the AMSAT Office.
The AMSAT Journal is pleased to publish your articles and photos of
satellite operations and all aspects of amateur radio in space.
Send your ideas and questions to journal at amsat.org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Journal Editor JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above
information]
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KiwiSAT - All systems are now flight ready
The KiwiSAT website reports that all hardware is complete and the
KiwiSAT micro-satellite is operational. Final integration to launch
ready awaits completion of command and control testing.
They say software is being developed and launch negotiation is
underway in New Zealand. Earlier reports indicated that $1 million
was required for a launch to a 700 km orbit.
Read the status report dated March 13, 2013 at
http://www.kiwisat.org.nz/status.html
[ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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New Swiss Small Satellite Launch System
Swiss Space Systems – S3 a new Swiss aerospace company, was
officially inaugurated in Payerne on Thursday, March 14, in the
presence of representatives of the national authorities and of
prestigious Swiss and international partners such as the ESA,
Dassault Aviation, the Von Karman Institute, Sonaca, Meggitt and
Stanford University. S3 aims to develop, build, certify and operate
suborbital space shuttles dedicated to launching small satellites,
enabling space access to be made more democratic thanks to an
original system with launching costs reduced to a quarter of the
present cost. The first test launches are planned to be carried out
by the end of 2017.
The Swiss Space Systems launch model uses an Airbus A300, an
aircraft already certified for zero gravity flights, to take the
shuttle up to 10,000m on its back; the shuttle will then be launched
from there. Combining the internal architecture developed by the
French company Dassault for Hermes with the external architecture
developed by the Belgian companies Sonaca and Space Application
Services will develop the shuttle. Discussions are at an advanced
stage concerning the engine supplier. The shuttle-drone will take
care of the next part of the ascent up to an altitude of 80km, the
height at which the upper stage will be launched in order to put the
satellites into orbit. Once this operation has been completed, the
shuttle will return to earth by gliding towards its launch airport,
where it will be taken care of by the maintenance teams who will
prepare it for a new launch.
S3 say agreements have already been signed for four launches for the
Von Karman Institute.
How will the in-orbit delivery of small satellites work ? Video at
http://tinyurl.com/b27atko
Swiss Space Systems – S3 http://www.s-3.ch/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Raspberry Pi as WSPR transmitter up to 250 MHz
Guido PE1NNZ has released code that he says enables the Raspberry Pi
to operate as a WSPR transmitter at HF and VHF.
Guido has modified the WsprryPi code originally developed by Dan
Ankers MD1CLV. He says the Raspberry Pi requires just a Low Pass
Filter (LPF) and antenna connected to the GPIO4 pin in order to
function as a WSPR transmitter.
The PE1NNZ code and binary is available at
https://github.com/threeme3/WsprryPi
Turning the Raspberry Pi into an FM Transmitter
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2013/
turning_the_raspberry_pi_into_an_fm_transmitter.htm
Dan Ankers MD1CLV WSPR
http://m0xpd.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/raspberry-whispers.html
WSPR on the Raspberry Pi
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2013/
wspr_on_the_raspberry_pi.htm
[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur radio News for the above information]
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Houston based WebSDR for 2m Ham Band
Thomas Krahn KT5TK has made available a Houston-based Web Software
Defined Radio for the 144-146 MHz amateur radio band.
The WebSDR receiver is located in the 8th floor of a Houston office
building. The receiver is a simple RTLSDR dongle with an Elonics E4000
tuner. The brand is: Terratec NOXON DAB/DAB+ USB dongle (rev 2).
Currently a telescopic antenna is being used but it's planned to
change to a bi-quad antenna.
Thomas notes that the Houston AMSAT NET can be heard on Tuesdays at
8pm Central Time (Wednesday 0100 UT) 0n 145.470 MHz FM. (Also
available on Echolink AMSAT node.)
The Houston 2m WebSDR is available at
http://websdr.tkrahn.com:8901
[ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information]
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AMSAT Helps at Monrovia HS Science Expo and ISS Downlink
On Saturday, March 2, the Pasadena Radio Club participated in the
Monrovia High School Science Expo with the help of local AMSAT
members.Set up started at 8 am and the display began at 10. Tom Berne
gave students the opportunity to talk over amateur radio while
Robert and Irene Allen and Kate Hutton transmitted radiograms. Tom
Mikkelsen, Tim LaMarca, and Dale Hunzeker demonstrated amateur radio
satellite communications with an AMSAT satellite simulator and a
satellite receiving station. All spent considerable time answering questions
and sharing their ham radio experiences.
Other actives at the Science Expo included a FIRST Robotics
competition, demonstrations by the Remote Control Aircraft Club, and
booths from Sidewalk Astronomers, NASA, Planetary Society, FTC/FRC
Robotics, and Miachi/UniTek. Stargazing activities continued into the
evening.
Science Expo activities continued on Tuesday, March 5, with a NASA
sponsored live International Space Station downlink. Over one
thousand 5th - 12th grade Monrovian students watched as three
astronauts "floated" inside the space station while answering
students' questions. Tim LaMarca, Jutti Marsh, and Dale Hunzeker were
in the audience. These activities are examples of ways amateur radio
can work with schools in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) education.
[ANS thanks Dale L. Hunzeker, KJ6VUC for the above information]
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Music in Space Downlink With the International Space Station
Join NASA's Johnson Space Center, or JSC, Digital Learning Network for
a live International Space Station downlink with astronaut Chris
Hadfield, space station commander. Commander Hadfield and students
from the Pasadena Independent School District's Pearl Hall Elementary
will explore the many cultures and music surrounding the International
Space Station partners. Students will perform songs at JSC with
astronaut Dan Burbank and with space station astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Students from Pearl Hall Elementary in Pasadena, Texas, and the Chris
Hadfield Public School in Ontario, Canada, will speak to Chris while
exploring about the connection between the arts and science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.
Watch the webcast live on March 27, 2013, from 2:30-3:45 p.m. CDT* by
clicking on the link below.
http://tinyurl.com/2aufnge
Questions about the program may be directed to
Patricia Moore at patricia.l.moore(a)nasa.gov.
*The webcast time is subject change due to communication with the
space station. Please visit http://dln.nasa.gov for the most recent
information.
[ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- March 21, 2013
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Argentine CubeBug-1 satellite will have amateur radio digipeater
CubeBug-1 is the first technology demonstration mission for a new
CubeSat platform design (mechanics, hardware and software) intended
to be released as Open Source and Open Hardware for its use in
Amateur projects, University projects and research labs.
The project is sponsored by the Argentinian Ministry of Science,
Technology and Productive Innovation.
Payloads on this first mission include:
• an ARM based on-board computer
• a nano-reaction wheel with its driver circuit
• a low resolution camera
all based on COTS components
CubeBug-1 is a 2U CubeSat and the team are planning to use half
duplex communications on 437.445 MHz with 9k6 GMSK data. Telemetry
information is at http://1.cubebug.org/coms/telemetry
After the technology demonstration part of the mission is over, the
satellite will enter a mode that will include services to the Amateur
radio community, including a Digipeater, science data downloads from
the payload (including images if possible).
CubeBug-1 is expected to launch on a Long March CZ-2D rocket from
the Jiuquan Space Center on April 28, 2013. Other satellites on the
same launch include NEE-01 Pegasus and TURKSAT-3USAT.
Watch a CubeBug-1 video at http://vimeo.com/56055215
CubeBug-1 website http://1.cubebug.org/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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,
EMike McCardel, KC8YLD
kc8yld at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-069
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North
America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the
activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share
an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicat-
ing through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org
In this edition:
* AMSAT Now Preparing for Two Launch Opportunities
* AMSAT.ORG Web Site Testing On-Line Now
* SpaceTrack Approves AMSAT Request for Redistribution of KEPS
* Help Wanted: AMSAT News Service Rotating Editor Positions Available
* Rare Grid Square Opportunities
* SARL National Convention Includes SumbandilaSat Ground Station Visit
* NASA-TV Coverage Schedule for ISS Expedition 34 Departure/Landing
* 2013 Amateur Transponder Launch Opportunity Summary
* ARISS School Contacts Nearing 800 Mark
* NASA Summer 2013 Internship Applications Close on March 15
* Microsoft Blocking arrl.net and arrl.org E-mail Addresses
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-069.01
ANS-069 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 069.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 10, 2013
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-069.01
********************************************************************
* Reminder! AMSAT-DC Spring Workshop on Portable Satellite Ground *
* Stations - Saturday, March 23, 2013, at the NASA Goddard Space *
* Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD beginning at 9:00AM EDT. Pre- *
* registration is required. To register call Martha at the AMSAT *
* Office 301-589-6062 no later than Thursday, March 21. Sorry, *
* no late registration at the door! See full details at: *
* http://patkilroy.com/amsat-dc/ *
* *
* The suggested donation for advanced registration and admission *
* for non-AMSAT members is $25. Registration for AMSAT members *
* registering in advance is free. *
********************************************************************
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AMSAT Now Preparing for Two Launch Opportunities
AMSAT's focus on STEM education and development of a cubesat
platform capable of flying a science mission with a reliable
communications link resulted in our previous selection of Fox-1
in the third round and RadFxSat (Fox-1B) in the recent fourth round
of NASA's Cubesat Launch Initiative. Actual launch vehicle select-
ions are dependent on the availability of auxiliary payload space
and on what orbits are required.
AMSAT VP Engineering Tony Monteiro reports that he has been in
conversation with NASA about our orbital preferences/priorities
and we're awaiting a response from NASA as to a specific launch
selection. In the meantime, the engineering team expects to complete
Fox-1 in 2013 and have RadFxSat ready in the 2nd half of 2014 in
order to take advantage of launch opportunities that may be
offered by NASA.
Fox-1 and the RadFxSat missions are based on similar system
architecture. Both satellites:
+ Include a U/V (mode B) FM analog transponder. Its 2 meter down
link should be even easier to hear than AO-51.
+ Are designed so you can work it with just a dual-band HT
and an "arrow" hand-held antenna.
+ Will send telemetry on the voice downlink in the frequencies below
the audible band as low-speed FSK with forward error correction.
+ Will support a high speed digital data mode.
+ A free telemetry decode program, FoxTLM, will be available to
decode and display the low-speed telemetry and the high speed
data downlink on Fox-1. An update will be provided for RadFxSat.
+ All Fox cubesats are designed to host advanced science pay-
loads to support future science missions that help us to continue
qualify for NASA ELaNa (free) launches.
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW summarized the Fox cubesat
program, "Although we are subject to the same launch constraints as
every other satellite builder accepted in the Cubesat Launch
Initiative, we will be ready for a launch opportunity when it is
offered. As soon as we know when we're manifested that information
will be shared with our members."
[ANS thanks the Fox Engineering Team and AMSAT President Barry
Baines, WD4ASW for the above information]
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AMSAT.ORG Web Site Testing On-Line Now
The web development team, working on the recovery of the AMSAT-NA
web at http://www.amsat.org, reports the site is becoming active
with testing of the system. As testing proceeds visitors to AMSAT's
site will begin to see restoration of prior functionality and in-
troduction of new features where appropriate.
AMSAT VP User Services Gould Smith, WA4SXM said, "Our web team is
making good progress in the restoration of popular features our
users counted on in the past. This also gives us an opportunity to
review some of the older content to prioritize in what order the
system is brought back up."
Although the pages seem sparsely populated at present, soon the
entire web presence will assume a new look-and-feel with additional
functionality, restored features, background graphics templates and
overall look-and-feel. A site map feature is planned for development
allowing quick navigation of the site's future multiple features.
Clicking on "SAT STATUS" on the top of the new page will bring you
to the Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page which currently resides at
http://oscar.dcarr.org/.
The roll-out of the Fox Project web pages can be accessed with a
click on the menu bar at the top of the home page.
Gould noted, "With the introduction of AMSAT's new web technology
we plan to use a new content management system to roll out import-
ant and and breaking satellite news via the web page as soon as our
volunteers have the chance to post them." Continuing, Gould said,
"We will still maintain our existing distribution via the AMSAT News
Service so e-mail subscribers will not need to change anything. The
ANS bulletins will still arrive in your in-box once a week."
You are invited to view the prototyping work in-progress on the
new AMSAT-NA web. Use the URL http://www.amsat.org. If you have
prior cache entries or bookmarks set to www.amsat.org/amsat-new
those will no longer work.
[ANS thanks AMSAT VP User Services Gould Smith, WA4SXM and Joe
Fitzgerald, KM1P for the above information]
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SpaceTrack Approves AMSAT Request for Redistribution of KEPS
AMSAT-NA Orbital Data Manager Ray Hoad, WA5QGD announced this week
that AMSAT's request to re-distribute Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)
Keplerian elements from SpaceTrack has been approved on March 7 for
the period April 1, 2013 to April 1, 2014. Ray wrote, "Thanks to
AFSPC, Perry Klein, W3PK and Paul Williamson, KB5MU for their help
in this process. Once again, we are 'good to go"' for another year."
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information]
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Help Wanted: AMSAT News Service Rotating Editor Positions Available
The AMSAT News Service (ANS) is responsible for researching, writing,
editing, and publishing the weekly amateur satellite news bulletins.
With the addition of a couple of volunteers this would generally
involve taking a turn about every 3 to 4 weeks.
At present we a looking for interested satellite enthusiasts to join
the ANS editorial team. Professional writing/editing experience is
NOT a requirement. Your interest and enthusiasm in following and
reporting on amateur radio in space will get you started! The ANS
Editor team helps each other by rounding up items of interest. Plus
we receive submitted items for publication ... so you won't be left
all alone!
If you can commit to working on the bulletins for a week on a rotat-
ing basis please reply via e-mail to AMSAT News Service Editor
Lee McLamb, KU4OS via ku4os at amsat.org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Vice-President User Services, Gould Smith, WA4SXM
for the above information]
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Rare Grid Square Opportunities
Antigua and Barbuda
-------------------
Nikolai Ozerov, VE3NKL plans to operate as V26NK from grid square
FK97 in Aruba on daytime SO-50 passes between March 11-16. He will
be looking for contacts with North American, Caribbean, Central
American, and South American stations depending on the pass.
Mawson Station, Antarctic
-------------------------
Craig Hayhow signing VK0JJJ from Australia's Mawson Base in the
Antarctic, 67°36' S 62°52' E, grid MC12kj is reportedly equipped
with an Arrow antenna for operating satellites. Craig has also
activated the VK0RTM/B 6 meter beacon on 50.300 MHz running at
50 watts. He will also be on the air on HF phone and digital
modes. (via Austraila WIA News, March 3)
[ANS thanks Nikolai Ozerov, VE3NKL, and Australia WIA News
for the above information]
Plan Ahead for KV1J on Satellites from Island of Miquelon
---------------------------------------------------------
Eric, KV1J, will once again be operating from the Island of
Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J
between July 6-16th. Activity will include HF and 6M and look
for him on the satellites, weather permitting.
[ANS thanks OPDX Bulletin, ARRL DX News for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NASA-TV Coverage Schedule for ISS Expedition 34 Departure/Landing
Expedition 34 will handover command of the International Space Sta-
on Wednesday, March 13 as Commander Kevin Ford KF5GPP of NASA, Rus-
sian Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Russian Flight Engineer
Evgeny Tarelkin prepare for their return to Earth aboard a Soyuz
spacecraft. Landing in Kazakhstan is planned to occur on March 14
at 11:57 PM EDT (UTC-4).
Expedition 35 will begin aboard the station under the command of
Chris Hadfield KC5RNJ/VA3OOG of the Canadian Space Agency. Hadfield
will be the first Canadian commander. Expedition 35 also includes
NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn KE5HOC and Russian cosmonaut Roman
Romanenko. In two weeks they will be joined by three additional crew
members: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel
Vinogradov RV3BS and Alexander Misurkin.
NASA TV has posted the following schedule of events which will be
streamed on-line at http:www.nasa.gov/ntv:
(all times are US Eastern Daylight Time EDT or UTC-4)
March 13, Wednesday
5:10 p.m. - ISS Expedition 34/35 Change of Command Ceremony
Ford hands over ISS command to Hadfield
March 14, Thursday
4:45 p.m. - ISS Expedition 34 Farewells and Hatch Closure Coverage
with hatch closure scheduled at 5:15 p.m.
8:15 p.m. - ISS Expedition 34/Soyuz TMA-06M Undocking Coverage
with undocking scheduled at 8:30 p.m.
10:45 p.m. - ISS Expedition 34/Soyuz TMA-06M Deorbit Burn and
Landing Coverage with Deorbit burn scheduled at
11:04 p.m.; landing near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan scheduled
at 11:57 p.m.
March 15, Friday
2 a.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 34/Soyuz TMA-06M
Landing and Post-Landing Activities
1:40 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35 VIP Event for the Canadian Space
Agency
2 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 34/Soyuz TMA-06M
Landing and Post-Landing Activities; scheduled to
include post-landing interview with Expedition 34
Commander Kevin Ford of NASA and the return of
Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin to
Chkalovsky Airfield near Star City, Russia.
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SARL National Convention Includes SumbandilaSat Ground Station Visit
The South African Radio League (SARL) 2013 National Convention will
open on April 26 with a welcoming function at the West Rand Amateur
Radio Club. The SARL Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday
morning April 27. Beginning on March 4, registration forms and pro-
gram details will be available on http://www.sarl.org.za.
On Saturday afternoon there is a visit to the Hartbeeshoek satellite
tracking station where many international satellites are tracked and
managed. This also includes a visit to see the SumbandilaSat ground
station.
[ANS thanks SARL News, March 3 for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2013 Amateur Transponder Launch Opportunity Summary
In addition to the AMSAT-NA Fox cubesat launch opportunity announce-
ments several other satellites with amateur radio transponders are
expected to launch during 2013. Here is a summary of the upcoming
launch plans:
+ A 2013 Yasny Dnepr Launch should have:
o AMSAT-UK FUNcube-1 435/145 MHz 500mW PEP linear transponder
and 1200 bps BPSK beacon for educational outreach for a
planned 600-700km orbit.
o Delfi n3xT 435/145 MHz linear transponder
o Triton-1 435/145 MHz single channel FM to DSB transponder
o Triton-2 435/2408 MHz FM transponder + 435/145 MHz FM to DSB
transponder
o CPUT ZACube-1 435/145 MHz FM transponder
+ In 2nd quarter 2013 TURKSAT-3USAT with a 145/435 MHz linear
transponder (see ANS-069: "May 2013 Launch for TURKSAT-3USAT
Linear Transponder Cubesat",
http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2013/000694.html)
+ June 2013 Ukube-1 with AMSAT-UK FUNcube boards to provide an
amateur radio 435/145 MHz linear transponder and a 1200 bps
BPSK beacon for educational outreach.
[ANS thanks the satellite teams for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS School Contacts Nearing 800 Mark
This week the total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events (each
school counts as one event) is 797.
Prince Edward Island, Canada
----------------------------
A successful ARISS contact was completed with the Stonepark Inter-
mediate School, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on
Thursday, March 7. The contact was be direct between NA1SS and
VY2PEI.
Grade 9 students at Stonepark Intermediate, Charlottetown, PEI
preparing for their contact with the International Space Station
through a number of in class activities, research and guest speak-
ers. In the past three months they researched life on the ISS and
watched YouTube segments of various facets of the ISS. Any news
stories featuring Chris Hadfield and the ISS were read and discus-
sed. The students attended sessions by a local university professor
of engineering who worked for NASA and local amateur radio oper-
ators. Both sessions gave students insight into the workings ISS,
NASA and the ham radio.
France
------
A successful ARISS contact was completed with the Lycée Polyvalent
Anatole France, Cedex, France on March 9. The contact was direct
between OR4ISS and F4KIS.
Anatole France is a French high school located in Lillers, a small
town in the center of the Pas-de-Calais department. There are about
850 students aged between 15 and 20 years old. The science teachers
and the local amateur radio club F6KIS, which became in 2010 the
"Artois Lys Radio Club", have developed a partnership since 2007
collaborating on projects to send sounding balloons into the strat-
osphere. This year, they are working with a group of students to
contact the ISS. The students are preparing the TPE project for their
final exam. They need to define the subject of their research, find
information about it and run experiments over a period of six months
in order to give an oral presentation of their work in front of a
jury.
ARISS Contacts Planned for Coming Week
--------------------------------------
Monday, March 9: Valley Manor School, Martensville, SK, Canada,
direct via VE5RAC at 19:23:56 UTC 34 deg.
Tuesday, March 12: Mt. Ousley Public School, Fairy Meadow, NSW,
Australia, telebridge via IK1SLD at 07:35:42 UTC 44 deg. For
listeners in the Wollongong and Sydney area, the historic event
will be relayed onto the VK 2 RMP repeater on 6850 at Maddens
Plains. For interstate or overseas listeners, the event will be
relayed onto IRLP Node 9010 and on Echolink via the AMSAT Con-
ference Bridge.
ARISS is requesting listener reports for this contact. Due to issues
with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at present, the
Ericsson radio is going to be used for this contact. ARISS thanks
everyone in advance for their assistance. Due to continuing Space X
operations, the above times are subject to last minute changes or
cancellations.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NASA Summer 2013 Internship Applications Close on March 15
The NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, strives to provide
students at all institutions of higher education access to a port-
folio of internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities offer-
ed by NASA mission directorates and centers.
Visit the Office of Education Infrastructure Division LaunchPad to
find information on internship, fellowship and scholarship oppor-
tunities. The site features the OSSI online application for recruit-
ing NASA Interns, Fellows and Scholars, or NIFS. This innovative
system allows students to search and apply for all types of higher-
education NASA internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities
in one location. A single application places the student in the
applicant pool for consideration by all NASA mentors.
Applications for summer 2013 opportunities are due March 15, 2013.
To find available opportunities and to fill out an OSSI online
application for recruiting NIFS, visit
https://intern.nasa.gov/index.html.
Inquiries about the OSSI should be submitted via
https://intern.nasa.gov/oic/.
[ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message, March 7, 2013 for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Blocking arrl.net and arrl.org E-mail Addresses
The ARRL IT staff has been notified that Microsoft is blocking
e-mail to the more than 20,000 members who use the arrl.net e-mail
forwarding service to forward e-mail to Microsoft domains (hot-
mail.com, msn.com, live.com and outlook.com). In addition, the
blockage is also affecting those members of the ARRL's Field
Organization and other ARRL volunteers who use an arrl.org alias
e-mail address to have e-mail delivered to an address with a Micro-
soft domain. According to ARRL Information Technology Manager
Michael Keane, K1MK, the IT staff is working to have these blocks
lifted and e-mail delivery restored to normal operation as quickly
as possible.
[ANS thanks the ARRL Letter March 7, 2013 for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Mike Rupprecht DK3WN has produced a summary of all active amateur
radio satellites with frequencies and links to more detailed
information. See: http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?page_id=29535
+ Here is another one of the outstandingly cool time-lapse photo-
graphy-videos from the ISS: http://tinyurl.com/cool-ISS-video
(youtube)
+ SpaceRef.com posted video of the March 4 SpaceX Dragon docking
with the International Space Station:
http://tinyurl.com/SpaceRef-Dragon-Docking (SpaceRef.com)
+ AMSAT-UK gets nice recognition in this article about STRaND-1:
http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=40267
+ The on-line CQ Newsroom posted news of amateur radio participation
during the recent Plasma Shadowing Experiment aboard the ISS. This
story and other amateur radio news can be read at:
http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/
+ The VHF Plus column by Joe Lynch, N6CL in the March 2013 CQ Maga-
zine discusses the Fox-1 satellite (pages 78-79).
+ This coming week is the best time to watch for the Comet PanSTARRS.
Viewing information and diagrams are posted at:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo/whatsuptonight/194257261.html
+ HAM RADIO 2013 Convention, organized by Deutscher Amateur Radio
Club will take place from Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30,
2013 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
[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. And with that please keep in mind when in 1987 Ivan
Sutherland, when asked "How could you possibly have done the first
interactive graphics program, the first non-procedural programming
language, the first object-oriented software system, all in one
year?" ... replied, "Well, I didn't know it was hard."
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM
K9JKM at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-062
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North
America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the
activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share
an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating
through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* Vanderbilt-AMSAT RadFxSat Cubesat Selected for NASA ELaNa Program
* AMSAT Shows New President’s Club Pin
* 5th European CubeSat Symposium, 3-5 June 2013, Brussels - Belgium
* American satellite starts transmitting after being abandoned in 1967
* STRaND-1 Information and Telemetry
* ARISS NEWS
* AMSAT-DC Workshop on Portable Satellite Ground Stations
* AMSAT Forum at ACADIANA ARA Hamfest - Free Admission Coupons for
Youth
* Korean OSSI-1 Ham Radio CubeSat Frequency Coordinated
* ARRL Offers Two Sessions of their Teachers Institute
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-062.01
ANS-062 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 062.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
DATE, 2013
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-062.01
Vanderbilt-AMSAT RadFxSat Cubesat Selected for NASA ELaNa Program
On February 26th, NASA announced the winning projects for the
fourth round of their CubeSat Launch Initiative. Project
Selection was based on technical feasability and the assessed merit
for conducting technology demonstrations, STEM education, and science
research. These selected projects are eligible for a free launch
on NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa) missions as
auxiliary payloads on launches planned for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The 24 winning cubeSat proposals came from universities, a Florida
high school, non-profit organizations and NASA field centers.
AMSAT partnered with the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics
(ISDE) at Vanderbilt University to develop our winning proposal.
The official name of the project is RadFxSat and we were selected
at priority 15 out of the 24 winners. AMSAT and ISDE plan to fly a
Fox-1 type satellite with a sophisticated space radiation effects
experiment to be developed by ISDE. This experiment is intended to
improve computer modeling of radiation effects and help improve the
survivability of modern semiconductor devices in the harsh radiation
environment of earth orbit. AMSAT is especially interested in this
area of science research since it affects our ham radio satellites.
This project also represents an exciting "first" for AMSAT with the
satellite's primary mission being science research. We believe that
partnering on science and education missions will open up new launch
opportunities for AMSAT satellites in the future.
Of course, RadFxSat also carries the same ham radio FM transponder
as Fox-1 but on a different frequency pair. We believe we will have
enough power to run the FM transponder simultaneously with the science
mission most of the time. The transponder capability was an
important component of our NASA ELaNa proposal since it enhances the
opportunities for formal science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM) education via "hands-on" school activites using an actual
communications satellite. It also allows informal groups such as the
boy scouts, girl scouts and ham radio clubs to introduce radio
and satellite communications to our young people. AMSAT aims to show
that STEM education can be exciting and fun!
The full text of the NASA announcement can be accessed on-line at:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/feb/HQ_13-064_CubeSat_4.html
[ANS thanks AMSAT VP Engineering Tony Monteiro, AA2TX and Joshua
Buck at NASA Headquarters, Washington for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT Shows New President’s Club Pin
You can join the AMSAT President’s Club with your contribution
directly through easy, automatic charges to your credit card. Since
AMSAT is a 501(C)(3) organization donations may be USA tax
deductible. (Check with your tax advisor.)
Titanium Donors contribute at least US $400 per month or $4800 one
time payment.
Platinum Donors contribute at least US $200 per month or $2400 one
time payment.
Gold Donors contribute at least US $100 per month or $1200 one time
payment.
Silver Donors contribute at least US $50 per month or $600 one time
payment.
Bronze Donors contribute at least US $25 per month or $300 one time
payment.
Core Donors contribute at least US $10 per month or $120 one time
payment.
Every donor will receive the specially designed pin and the unique
AMSAT President’s Club Certificate. Starting at the Gold Donor level
and higher you will also receive a personal invitation to the AMSAT
Dayton Dinner as our guest.
You choose where your contribution should go:
AMSAT-Fox
ARISS
Future Projects
General Fund
To join you can go to the AMSAT On-Line Store or contact Martha at
the AMSAT office!
Phone: US Toll Free 888-322-6728 or 301-589-6062
E-mail: martha(a)amsat.org
The link to the AMSAT On-Line Store is
http://store.amsat.org/catalog/
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
5th European CubeSat Symposium, 3-5 June 2013, Brussels - Belgium
It is with great pleasure to remind you about the 5th European
CubeSat Symposium that will take place on 3-5 June 2013 at the
premises of Royal Military Academy in Brussels, Belgium.
This is the biggest CubeSat related event in Europe and last year it
attracted more than 250 participants and industrial exhibits of 7
specialized companies. This year, we are expecting more
participation. Applicants from all around the world are welcome.
The call for proposals and the online abstract submission system is
available at www.CubeSatSymposium.eu
The important dates are:
15 Mar 2013: Deadline for the submission of abstracts
15 April 2013: Notification of acceptance
15 May 2013: Publication of the programme and the abstracts
24 May 2013: Deadline for online registration
3-5 June 2013: 5th European CubeSat Symposium at ERM,
Brussels (3 full days)
6 June 2013: 6th QB50 Workshop at VKI, Brussels (by
invitation only)
The session topics are:
CubeSat networks/constellations/swarms
Scientific instruments/sensors on CubeSats
Biology and microgravity experiments on CubeSats
Technology demonstration on CubeSats
Micropropulsion subsystems, formation flying
Attitude determination and control subsystem
Telecommunications, ground stations, ground station networks
Orbital dynamics for CubeSats, lifetimes of CubeSats in orbit
CubeSat flight experience, lessons learned
Other topics (e.g. expandable solar arrays, atmospheric re-
entry, CubeSats as free-flying payloads for the exploration of
the Solar System)
Future technologies on CubeSats
Deployment systems for CubeSats
[ANS thanks Cem Ozan Asma, PhD for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
American satellite starts transmitting after being abandoned in 1967
An American satellite, abandoned in 1967 as a piece of Space Junk
has begun transmitting again after 46 years.
An Amateur Radio Astronomer in North Cornwall accidentally picked up
the signal and after cross checking with various lists, has
identified it as LES1 built by the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and launched in 1965. The satellite failed to reach its
intended orbit owing to a wiring error and has been drifting out of
control ever since.
Phil Williams G3YPQ from near Bude noticed its peculiar signal drift
caused by its tumbling end over end every 4 seconds as the solar
panels become shadowed by the engine. ‘This gives the signal a
particularly ghostly sound as the voltage from the solar panels
fluctuates’ Phil says.
It is likely that the on board batteries have now disintegrated and
some other component failure has caused the transmitter on 237Mhz, to
start up when its in sunlight.
LES1 is about the size of a small car, It is not likely to re-enter
the atmosphere for a long time as the orbit is still relatively high.
It poses no threat other than that caused by the thousands of other
pieces of space junk in orbit.
Phil says its remarkable to think that electronics built nearly 50
years ago, 12 years before Voyager 1, and long before microprocessors
and integrated circuits, is still capable of working in the hostile
environs of space.
Listening to the signal you can easily imagine the craft tumbling
over and over every 4 seconds and the transmitter starting up as the
sun rises. He refers to the hobby as ‘Radio-Archeology’!
[ANS thanks Phil Williams G3YPQ and Southgate ARN for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
STRaND-1 Information and Telemetry
STRaND-1 carries an amateur radio AX.25 packet radio downlink on
437.568 MHz using 9600 bps FSK modulated data with HDLC frame, NRZI
encoding.
Free satellite tracking software:
• SimpleSat Look Down http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=8217
• Gpredict http://gpredict.oz9aec.net/
• Orbitron http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=9051
Dr Chris Bridges would be delighted to receive all available
telemetry files by email to C.P.Bridges(a)surrey.ac.uk
Mark Hammond N8MH has provided these tips to decode STRaND-1:
(1) Sprint-2 TNC set at 9600 baud in KISS mode (or any 9600 TNC in
KISS mode probably)
(2) Using this software to capture
http://www.dk3wn.info/files/online_kiss_plus.zip
(3) And using this software to decode the captured KISS files
http://www.dk3wn.info/files/kissdump.zip
Thanks to Mike Rupprecht DK3WN for the excellent software.
Jan PE0SAT describes how he used the free TNC emulator software
AGWPE and SDR# to decode the telemetry. This approach means you don’t
have to buy a dedicated hardware TNC it simply uses your existing PC
and radio that supports 9600 bps data:
(1) Record a pass using SDR# and a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ and save the
IQ wav file so you can work with it after the pass.
(2) Configure AGW Packet Engine (AGWPE) as a 9600 baud modem using
your audio mixer as input. If you don’t have an audio mixer, use
audio VAC to route the received audio to the AGW audio input.
(3) When the AGW packet engine is running use AGW-Online-KISS from
DK3WN to connect to the packet engine and decode the telemetry.
(4) Open the IQ wav file within SDR# and playback the recorded file
and tune to the correct receive frequency, now you can see decoded
data within Online-Kiss.
(5) Feed the files captured to KISS-Dump
Descriptions of ONLINE KISS +, AGW ONLINE KISS and KISS Dump + are
at http://tinyurl.com/SatSoftwareDK3WN/
The free AGWPE soundcard packet software AGWPE.zip is available at
http://www.sv2agw.com/downloads/
Guide on how to use AGWPE http://www.soundcardpacket.org/
Latest Keps for the objects from the PSLV-C20 launch. Note: At the
current time the object to satellite mapping is not known:
2013-009A
1 39086U 13009A 13057.07723200 -.00000047 00000-0 00000+0 0 66
2 39086 98.6489 247.4456 0046840 48.7060 103.7711 14.45874186 76
2013-009B
1 39087U 13009B 13057.12205894 -.00000045 00000-0 00000+0 0 65
2 39087 98.6295 247.4478 0010362 263.0055 96.9849 14.33603731 70
2013-009C
1 39088U 13009C 13057.12202184 -.00000045 00000-0 00000+0 0 54
2 39088 98.6260 247.4462 0010229 264.9844 95.0146 14.33699090 77
2013-009D
1 39089U 13009D 13057.12196648 -.00000045 00000-0 00000+0 0 52
2 39089 98.6302 247.4430 0009913 269.8258 90.1934 14.33842702 72
2013-009E
1 39090U 13009E 13057.12180062 -.00000045 00000-0 00000+0 0 57
2 39090 98.6314 247.4520 0008151 271.9062 88.1247 14.34269067 79
2013-009F
1 39091U 13009F 13057.12171611 -.00000045 00000-0 00000+0 0 69
2 39091 98.6289 247.4453 0009293 286.2139 73.7956 14.34449938 72
2013-009G
1 39092U 13009G 13057.12216226 -.00000045 00000-0 00000+0 0 62
2 39092 98.6325 247.4484 0010738 258.3712 101.6263 14.33353747 74
For more information visit
http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/strand-1/strand-1-telemetry/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS NEWS
Succesful ARISS Contacts
Uplands Elementary School Penticton, British Columbia, Canada - 2013-
02-22
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at
Uplands Elementary School, Penticton, BC, Canada on 22 Feb. The
contact began at approximately 19:36 UTC. The duration of the contact
was approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was a
telebridge between OR4ISS and IK1SLD.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield talked to students (K-6) throughout the
South Okanagan & Similkameen Valleys in beautiful BC. They had
students & home school students from Penticton, West Bench, Oliver &
Keremeos. The event was hosted at Uplands Elementary, a school
located in Penticton. Lisa Edwards, Principal, believes that
students can "SOAR with a view to excellence" in the right
environment. There has been a team of people in the community whose
goal is to make the Ham Radio contact as part of a wider educational
experience that inspired students & educators to continue to explore
STEM & space exploration for years to come.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Soleado Elementary School Ranchos Palos, California, USA - 2013-02-25
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at
Uplands Elementary School, Penticton, BC, Canada on 22 Feb. Soleado
Elementary School, Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA on 25 Feb. The event
began at approximately 19:53 UTC. The duration of the contact was
approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was direct
between NA1SS and KE6JPM. Astronaut Chris Hadfield talked to students.
Soleado Elementary School's mission is to educate each and every one
of its students to their fullest potential while cultivating a
lifelong love of learning. Named for its beautiful location in the
hills of Rancho Palos Verdes, our school is proud of its rich
cultural background, academic achievement, and involvement in extra-
curricular activities. Our mascot, a rosy-cheeked sun, is an
exceptionally fitting characterization of our school, which wraps our
students in the arms of a caring and supportive community that
nurtures development of the whole child.
Founded in 1968, even Soleado's physical design embodies community
and cooperation, with each core educational building housing five
classrooms with one wall "open" to a shared "big room" in the center.
The open classroom environment facilitates daily teacher
collaboration and student interaction within and among grade levels,
while "big rooms" allow for large group activities and foster a
positive feeling of family among our students and staff. In addition
to our strong sense of community and our open classroom model,
another distinguishing characteristic of our school is its cultural
and linguistic diversity. With 420 "Soleado Suns" this year in
grades DK through 5, our student body encompasses families who come
directly from 30 different countries speaking 21 languages.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
4th Dimotiko Scholeio Chaidariou, Chaidari, Greece - 2013-02-28
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at 4th
Dimotiko Scholeio Chaidariou, Chaidari, Greece on 28 Feb. The event
began at approximately 09:42 UTC. The duration of the contact was
approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact was direct
between OR4ISS and J41ISS.
4th Dimotiko Scholeio Chaidariou is located in Chaidari, a suburb in
the north-west of Athens. It was constructed in 1978, but it is now
being renovated so as to be more energy efficient. It is a two-storey
building with 16 classrooms, a Head office and a stuff room.
The school serves 256 pupils, aged between 6 and 12 years old, from
1st Grade through 6th Grade. It is staffed by a headmistress and 24
teachers, 12 of whom teach all subjects required in the curriculum
(that is: Greek Language, Mathematics, Geography, History, Science,
Religious Education) plus two Physical Education teachers, a Music
lessons teacher, two English language teachers, a French language
teacher, a German language teacher, a teacher of Art, a teacher for
Theatre, an Information & Technology teacher and a teacher
responsible for the afternoon zone study. There is also a teacher who
helps those pupils with special educational problems. The official
lessons are in the morning (Monday - Friday) start at 8:10a.m. and
finish at 2:00p.m. All pupils attend morning lessons, but those
pupils whose both parents work, stay on at school and they study and
prepare their homework for the next day starting at 12:30 p.m. and
finish at 4:15p.m.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Talcott Mountain Science Center & Academy, Avon, Connecticut, USA -
2013-02-28
A successful ARISS Contact was made with with participants at
Talcott Mountain Science Center & Academy, Avon, Connecticut, USA on
28 Feb. The event began at approximately 15:53 UTC. The duration of
the contact was approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact
was direct between NA1SS and W1TMS.
Talcott Mountain Science Center is one of Connecticut's premier
informal science education institutions. The Center has been an
initiator and catalyst in providing enrichment science education to
students throughout the Northeast and a leader in teacher in-service
education, including special programs for girls in science. TMSC is
recognized for its innovations in gifted and talented programs, for
its earth and space, alternative energy, atmospheric and
environmental science activities for students, with ongoing science
and technology in-service education for teachers as well as its one-
of-a-kind k-8 model school for intellectually excited students,
Talcott Mountain Academy for Mathematics, Science and Technology.
Since 1985, Talcott Mountain Science Center has been nationally
recognized as a pioneer in the development of interactive video
programming in math and science education.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Contacts hopeful for the coming week
ARISS is requesting listener reports for these contacts. Due to
issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at
present, the Ericsson radio is going to be used for these contacts.
ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance.
Lycée Polyvalent Anatole France, Cedex, France, direct via F4KIS/P
Contact is a go for: Mon 2013-03-04 11:06:27 UTC 67 deg (If Space X
launches on time)
Canyon Owyhee School Services Agency (COSSA), Wilder, ID, direct
via W7VOI
Contact is a go for: Mon 2013-03-04 18:49:04 UTC 37 deg (If Space X
launches on time)
Stonepark Intermediate School, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island,
Canada, direct via VY2PEI
Contact is a go for: Thu 2013-03-07 16:26:42 UTC 33 deg (If Space X
launches on time).
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 crew members on-
board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and
communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crew members 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 ARISS for the above information]
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AMSAT-DC Workshop on Portable Satellite Ground Stations
[This originally appeared in ANS-020, see ANS-055 for details on
registration]
The AMSAT-DC Group is planning for a Spring Workshop 2013, to take
place on Saturday, March 23, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Maryland. It will be a nearly all-day event.
This is a workshop for those who wish to learn more about satellite
operations and develop their own portable ground station. Partici-
pants will bring their wares to assemble, show, and explain to others
that which will feature one or more of the following:
+ One's own laptop computer, with appropriate software installed,
such as for satellite tracking, SDR receiver control, antenna
control (optional), audio recording, time stamp track, and any
of many other apps.
+ The FUNcube Dongle Pro receiver or equivalent. We will emphasize
receiving only, and not the transmit side at this particular time.
+ One or more antennas for 146 MHz and 436 MHz, Arrow, Elk, or
homebrew on a camera tripod, small mast, homebrew PVC, or hand-
held.
+ Everything, or almost everything, ought to be designed to be
powered from a regulated 12-volt DC source of your choosing.
A table will be provided with a shared 120VAC wall outlet with-
in about 50 feet.
Volunteers are invited to join the planning committee (contact Pat
at n8pk at amsat.org.) Registration information will be announced by
February 15 via the AMSAT News Service (ANS), and on the AMSAT Cal-
endar of Events under http://www.amsat.org
The workshop cost is expected to be low (for incidental items) or
free to AMSAT members. Any non-US citizen who would like to attend
must contact Pat by February 15 at the latest.
To volunteer or ask questions contact Pat at n8pk at amsat.org.
Links for antenna ideas:
http://arrowantennas.com/http://www.elkantennas.com/http://www.g6lvb.com/homebrewarrow.htmhttp://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/faqs/crow/index.phphttp://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/Az_El_Pos.pdfhttp://www.wa5vjb.com/references/Cheap%20Antennas-LEOs.pdfhttp://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/downloads/iROTOR.pdfhttp://www.arrl.org/shop/The-ARRL-Satellite-Handbook/http://ac6v.com/antprojects.htm
Links for software ideas:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/software.phphttp://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/http://www.moetronix.com/spectravue.htmhttp://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/faqs/resguide.pdfhttp://sdrsharp.com/
Links for receiver ideas:
http://www.funcubedongle.com/http://www.amsat.org/amsat/intro/sats_faq.htmlhttp://tinyurl.com/cdo9tyo (Spectravue Configuration)
http://sdrsharp.com/
AMSAT-DC
http://patkilroy.com/amsat-dc/
[ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK, AMSAT Area Coordinator, Maryland-DC
for the above information]
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AMSAT Forum at ACADIANA ARA Hamfest - Free Admission Coupons for Youth
ACADIANA ARA would like to invite you to our 2013 Hamfest, March 8
and 9 at the Rayne Civic Center, Rayne Louisiana . Attached
is our Hamfest flyer with all the information and a FREE admission
coupon for you and your parents to attend our hamfest. Come out to
the hamfest to meet other hams, see new and used radio equipment,
attend forums, operate the radios set up for demonstration, or watch
AARL movies.
This is a once a year opportunity to enjoy this segment of the
hobby, I hope you can join us.
Note that Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, will be sponsoring an AMSAT Forum Saturday
March 9 at 9am, during the Hamfest.
For more information visit
http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest/Files/AARA%20Hamfest%20Flyer.pdf
[ANS thanks Nick Pugh for the above information]
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Korean OSSI-1 Ham Radio CubeSat Frequency Coordinated
The IARU amateur radio satellite frequency coordination panel has
announced the frequencies for the OSSI-1 CubeSat developed by Hojun
Song DS1SBO.
Artist and radio amateur Hojun Song DS1SBO has spent 7 years
developing his Open Source Satellite Initiative satellite OSSI-1. He
has designed and developed it from scratch using readily available
components rather than expensive space qualified hardware. It has a
beacon in the 145 MHz band, a data communications transceiver in the
435 MHz band and carries a 44 watt LED optical beacon to flash Morse
Code messages to observers on Earth.
OSSI-1 is planned to launch on April 19, 2013 into a 575 km 64.9°
inclination orbit on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket from the Baikonur launch
facility in Kazakhstan along with the Bion-M1, SOMP, BEESAT 2, BEESAT
3 and Dove-2 satellites.
The IARU amateur satellite frequency coordination panel has
announced frequencies for a downlink on 145.980 MHz and an
uplink/downlink on 437.525 MHz.
Video – How the Amateur Radio Satellite OSSI-1 Works
http://tinyurl.com/bdckaqb
Watch the BBC TV report: Korean artist has high hopes for his
homemade satellite
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19007475
OSSI CubeSat in New Scientist Magazine
http://amsat-uk.org/2012/11/06/ossi-cubesat-in-new-scientist-magazine/
Hojun Song DS1SBO visited London to give a well received
presentation on his CubeSat to WIRED 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bcjw83z
Data Format for Korean OSSI CubeSat
http://amsat-uk.org/2013/01/23/data-format-for-korean-ossi-cubesat/
More background on OSSI Cubesate can be found in ANS-027:
Open Source Satellite OSSI CubeSat Launch in April 201
Open Source Satellite Initiative (OSSI) http://opensat.cc/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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ARRL Offers Two Sessions of their Teachers Institute
The ARRL Education & Technology Program has announced the schedule
for two sessions of our professional development workshop, the
Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI-1) being offered during
July 2013.
"We are also pleased to announce that Dayton Amateur Radio
Association will be supporting and hosting a new professional
development opportunity, an advanced Teachers Institute (TI-2) on
Remote Sensing and Data Gathering, at their new educational facility.
A March QST article includes a description of this new workshop.
Please visit the ARRL website at:
http://www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology
for more information about Teachers Institute curriculum content,
participant requirements, dates and locations and other details. Go
to www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-application to download an
application."
Tuition, resources and most expenses to attend the Teachers
Institute are paid by donations to the ARRL Education & Technology
Fund. Donate to support Wireless Technology Literacy today!
[ANS thanks Debra Johnson and the ARRL 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 student
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