August 2014 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 27 Dec '14

27 Dec '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-215 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: * July/August 2014 AMSAT Journal is Ready and at the Print Shop * AMSAT ARRL Centennial Videos Added to www.AMSAT.org * AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos Now Available * Enhanced FUNcube-1 Dashboard App now available * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-215.01 ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 215.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE August 3, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-215.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- July/August 2014 AMSAT Journal is Ready and at the Print Shop JoAnne, K9JKM reports that the July/August 2014 AMSAT Journal has been sent to the print shop. Look for your copy in your mailbox in a couple of weeks depending on the post office. Thanks to all of our contributors and Editors: Bernhard, VA6BMJ; Douglas, KA2UPW/5; James, K3JPH for their help getting this issue ready. In this issue you will find ... + AMSAT Announcements: Call for 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers + Apogee View by Barry Baines - WD4ASW + Fox-1C to Launch on Spaceflight's SHERPA in 3Q 2015 + Get Ready for Fox-1 Hamfest Handout + AMSAT at ARRL Centennial Celebration in Hartford + Board of Directors Meeting Minutes and 2014 AMSAT BOD Election Notice by Alan Biddle - WA4SCA + AMSAT at Dayton 2014 by Keith Baker - KB1SF/VA3KSF + AMSAT Engineering 2014 - Virtual Teamwork by Jerry Buxton - N0JY + AMSAT at Ham-Com 2014 + New President's Club Donor Drive Announcement + Star Comm Group Satellite Operating Awards by Damon Runion - WA4HFN + June 19 DNEPR Launch Lofts 37 Satellites + AMSAT Field Day 2014 by Bruce Paige - KK5DO + UKube-1 With FUNcube-2 Transponder Aboard Launched on July 8 by Graham Shirville - G3VZV A color preview of the cover page has been posted to the AMSAT North America Facebook page. The AMSAT Journal welcomes all your input about Amateur Radio in space. We'll do all the final formatting and layout for you. All we need are your article in text, MS-Word, or OpenOffice format. Please send photos separately as JPG or BMP files in as high resolution as possible. We have a writer's guide posted at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1709 -and-feel free to contact the editor directly with your questions. Sample articles from previous issues are posted at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=2074 The AMSAT Journal is sent to all members bi-monthly. We report on all aspects of Amateur Radio in space including launches, equipment, operating techniques, antennas, activities, and membership news. Not yet a member? You can find out how to join at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1095 Please send your articles, photos, and news to journal(a)amsat.org or k9jkm(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal Editor Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT ARRL Centennial Videos Added to www.AMSAT.org The following are videos of Patrick WD9EWK demonstrating working satellites during the ARRL Centennial. Two of the 3 use audio Patrick recorded, with a slideshow complete with pictures and descriptions of the audio and other stuff related to AMSAT at Hartford. This is a slideshow from the AO-7 demonstration Patrick gave, after our training seminar wrapped up on the Thursday of that weekend (17 July): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5TjXbuLv5s This is a slideshow from the NA1SS contact on Saturday (19 July) morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoFbhPXsUx0 This is an actual video from the AO-7 demonstration at the end of the convention on Saturday (19 July). Thanks Peter W2JV for running the camera for this video!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHd91H_t88o See the AMSAT Presentations at the 2014 ARRL Centennial webpage: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2914 [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos Now Available Thanks to the hard work of volunteers from the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) videos of the presentations given to the AMSAT- UK International Space Colloquium held in Guildford on July 26-27, 2014 are now available to view online or download to your PC. Links to the presentation videos, PDF’s of the slides and the schedule are at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/presentation-videos/ You can also access them by following these steps: • Go to http://www.batc.tv/ • Click on the ‘Film Archive’ icon • Select ‘AMSATUK 2014? from the Category drop down menu • Click on ‘Select Category’ • Select the video you wish to watch from the Stream drop down menu • Click on ‘Select Stream’ • Click the play icon ‘>’ on the player • Clicking on the icon to the left of the player volume control will give you full screen display. • To download the video file to your PC right-click on the ‘Click Here’ link under the player. AMSAT-UK publishes an newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information. A sample issue of OSCAR News can be downloaded here. Join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Enhanced FUNcube-1 Dashboard App now available AThis weekend saw the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium take place and Jim Heck G3WGM and Ciaran Morgan M0XTD together gave a presentation on the FUNcube-1 CubeSat mission. The presentation included the announcement of a new version of the FUNcube-1 Dashboard. This has greatly improved decoding performance for weak signals – especially for Dongle users. Additionally the Dashboard can now activate the Bias-T pre-amp power from the Dongle. The new version can now be downloaded and the guidance notes have been updated to provide full information about it. All users are encouraged to install this new version to improve their system performance and further increase the amount of data being captured in the Warehouse. Reports will be very welcome on the FUNcube forum http://forum.funcube.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=195 Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/ Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Iformation about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). * Saturday, 2 August 2014 – Fairbanks Hamfest in Fairbanks AK * Friday through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (near Montgomery Field and I- 805/CA-163 interchange) * Saturday, 8 November 2014 – Tucson Hamfest 2014 in Marana AZ (along I-10 west frontage road, east of exit 236) * Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US- 60 exit 177) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3) [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Upcoming Contacts * A direct contact via 8J3AK with students at Amino Kita Elementary School, Kyotango, Japan is scheduled for Wed 2014-08-06 10:25:43 UTC 68 deg. Amino Kita Elementary School was opened on April 1, 1983. Our school is located at the northernmost tip of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. We have 244 students now, who all study hard and pursue sports actively. Our school is surrounded by a rich, natural environment. The location of our school is recognized as a part of Quasi-National Park and the National Geo Park. It is also only 100 meters away from the beach. Students in the 6th grade swim one kilometer in the sea every year. During the current season, summer, a lot of lights from squid fishing boats can be seen in the sea at night. Maybe you can see them from the ISS? Our school has beautiful grounds covered with green grass. At recess, our students play in the grounds full of energy. There are straight hallways more than 100 meters long in our school. They are sometimes used in our arithmetic classes to learn how to measure distance. The members of our space club will ask you some questions today. These questions were thought of by all of the students. It is a new club that began this year. They are studying the stars and moon, and practicing English hard so that they can make contact with you. All of the people in our school are really looking forward to getting in touch with the astronauts in the ISS. Latest News * A telebridge contact with Scouts at Space Jam 8, Rantoul Airport & Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul IL, USA was successfu on Sat 2014-08-02 12:23:19 UTC 60 deg via W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, CA, USA. ARISS reports "The contact Space Jam 8 just had a very successful contact with Greg. We had 24 questions answered that were on the list plus 2 extra ones for a total of 26. I only heard one very very very brief change in signal strength but Greg was rock solid through the entire pass. He actually called W6SRJ first. The Space Jam 8 group was heading off to their next project of the day, launching a balloon with ham radio on board. They also reported that there was at least 1 TV station there." SpaceJam 8 provided the following information - Greetings to all stations from the participants and volunteers of Space Jam 8 in Rantoul, Illinois. Though primarily a weekend Scouting and STEM education event, we are open to all interested youth. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Venturing Crews from 22 states and this year Canada have come together in an educational and fun format to learn more about the life skills that will prepare them for the increasingly complex technological future. While it is well known that Scouting teaches pioneering skills like camping and wilderness survival, the new pioneers and wilderness are in outer space and we are working hard at 44 technology oriented Merit Badges and activities, plus some fun things like the Duct Tape Merit Badge and experiencing 1/3 gravity. Talking to the astronauts on the ISS is an unforgettable part of the experience at Space Jam and that's next on our list. We will not know for many years whether one of these youths becomes an astronaut themselves but it is certain that they are all part of tomorrow's leaders. Find more information about Space Jam at http://spacejamboree.com/pages/about. * A telebridge contact with students participating in the ESA 2014 Space Camp, Rossall School, Fleetwood, United Kingdom was successful Tue 2014-07-29 14:01:13 UTC 53 deg via W6SRJ. Audio on Echolink and Web stream was transmitted. This annual camp is organized by the ESA Space Camp Committee takes place in a different European country each summer for 2 weeks. This year the camp takes place between 27 July and 10 August where 185 young space explorers aged 8 to 17 will meet each other in the UK at Rossall School. The children come from the following ESA establishments (UK, France, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands and Germany). This will be the 20th Space Camp organized by ESA. This year the children will also be involved in celebrating this milestone with marking 50 years of ESA. Children, their parents and educators from the area will join the ESA campers on this special celebration day. Rossall is a boarding school situated on a beautiful 160-acre site, there is plenty of room for extensive sports and cultural facilities, including a swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, as well as a fitness room and a climbing wall. The ESC 2014 program will feature a balanced mix of sports such as flag rugby, life-guarding, kayaking and martial arts. The theme for camp will be ‘Reach for the Stars!’ Well-equipped IT labs, classrooms and an on-site planetarium will be instrumental in setting up a space education program that will keep the children motivated with new and exciting hands-on activities and educational tasks involving space- related themes, as well as learning about the culture of the host country. As with all ESA Space Camps, there will be specific emphasis placed on socialization and respect among the participants. We hope to make the camp a really unique experience for juniors and teenagers who are in the process of becoming citizens of a multicultural society. * On July 25, 2014, A direct contact via RZ9WWB with students participating in Gagarin From Space at Vii Youth Rally Of Radio Amateurs In Bashkiria, Ufa,Russia was successful 2014-07-25 21:38 UTC. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over * $248 Billion for Manufacture and Launch of 1,155 Satellites Over Next Decade According to Euroconsult's newly released research report, Satellites to be Built and Launched, 115 satellites will be launched on average yearly over the next decade (2014-2023). In comparison with last year's forecast, the number of satellites is stable while market value is growing, thus translating the growing economic importance of the sector, for both governments and commercial satellite companies. Governments all over the world will be responsible for more than 75% of the $248 billion in revenues expected from the manufacturing and launch of these 1,155 satellites. Governments' dominance of the space industry continues to increase as established space countries replace and expand their in-orbit satellite systems and more countries acquire their first operational satellite systems, usually for communications and broadcasting or for Earth observation and imagery intelligence. Nearly 90% of the government market value will remain concentrated in the 10 countries with an established space industry, but growth in the government market will derive from new satellite systems in 35 nascent space countries, creating a market of $2 billion on average per year to be provided principally by foreign suppliers as local industry capabilities develop simultaneously. According to Rachel Villain, Principal Advisor at Euroconsult and editor of the report, "governments in established space countries continue to drive innovation for satellite systems with benefits to local industries and the foreign governments to which they export." In the commercial space sector, Euroconsult anticipates a total of 350 satellites to be launched over the decade, most of which will be for the replacement of capacity existing in-orbit. These satellites will be equally divided between the geostationary orbit (GEO) and lower altitude orbits (MEO and LEO); 83% of market value remains concentrated in the geostationary orbit, the destination of 300+ satellites operated by 30 commercial companies for communications and broadcasting services. Still, the constellations to be launched in non-geostationary orbits for communications services and Earth observation imagery should represent a market of $1 billion per year on average over the decade. Technology advances in satellite payloads and higher competition in launch services allow the continuous improvement of CAPEX efficiency of commercial GEO satellites for communications and broadcasting services. Electric propulsion will definitively be part of the economic equation, even if only five all-electric commercial satellites are now under construction. [ANS thanks spacemart.com for the above information] * US aerospace firm outlines New Zealand-based space program A United States aerospace company is aiming to make New Zealand one of the exclusive group of countries with a space program by promising a revolutionary new satellite-carrying rocket for a fraction of the current satellite launch costs. Rocket Lab announced Tuesday that it had developed a light- weight, carbon-composite rocket, named Electron, at its Auckland plant and hoped to offer small satellite launches for less than 5 million U.S. dollars, compared with a current average price of 133 million U.S. dollars. The company, which has received research and development funding from the government, was being backed by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, Rocket Lab founder and New Zealander Peter Beck said in a statement. The lead-time for businesses to launch a satellite would be cut from years to just weeks and the company already had commercial commitments for 30 launches, said Beck. At 18 meters in length, 1 meter in diameter and weighing more than 10 tones, Electron would be the first vehicle of its class capable of delivering payloads up to 100 kg into low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 160 km. Businesses faced a severe barrier in launching satellites as rockets had remained prohibitively large and expensive, despite the trend for satellites to become smaller, more capable and more affordable, he said. "Along with benefits for commercial enterprises, cheaper and faster space access has the potential to lead to more accurate weather prediction, global high speed Internet access, as well as real-time monitoring of the impacts of human development," said Beck. New Zealand was in an ideal launch position for a variety of different types of orbits and plans were underway to build a space port at several potential locations. Powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene, Electron would have a lift- off mass of 10,500 kg and a possible top speed of 27,500 km per hour. [ANS thanks space-travel.com 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-243 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 30 Aug '14

30 Aug '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-243 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: * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballot Deadline Approaching * W1AW/7 Satellite Operations * Fox-1 Update - Slow Speed Telemetry * Peruvian Cubesat Chasqui-1 Deployed From ISS * ARISS News SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-243.01 ANS-243 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 243.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. August 31, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-243.01 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballot Deadline Approaching A final reminder that Board of Directors ballots must be returned to the AMSAT- NA office by 15 SEP 2014 in order to be counted. Your returned ballot should be sent promptly, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. Normally there would be 3 full Board seats open this year, plus 2 alternates. However, with the passing of Tony Monteiro, AA2TX (SK), there will be an additional full Board seat open to fill the remainder of his term. This means that the top three recipients of votes will have two-year terms, the fourth most vote recipient serving as full member for one year. The fifth and sixth highest vote recipients will serve as first and second Alternate, respectively. You may vote for up to 4 individuals. Election of board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. [ANS thanks Alan, W4SCA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W1AW/7 Satellite Operations Following the schedule for W1AW/x portable activity during 2014, next week will start the second of the two weeks W1AW/7 will air from Arizona. The first W1AW/7 Arizona satellite activity in March was successful (thanks, John K8YSE, for making good use of the K8YSE/7 station in Arizona that week). The next operation will be starting at 0000 UTC Wednesday, 27 August (2000 EDT/1700 PDT on Tuesday, 26 August). Patrick, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, will be operating as W1AW/7 on weeknights, and plan on more activity during the Labor Day weekend (30 August-1 September) that falls within this one-week period. He is working on having additional operators for the weekday passes, when he won't be able to get on the radio. As with any of the W1AW/x activities, ARRL will handle the QSLing. ARRL will upload all W1AW/7 logs to Logbook of the World, in addition to the paper QSL cards that will be available later. If you also work other bands and want to work W1AW/7 from Arizona next week, the W1AW/7 Arizona activity coordinator, Ned Stearns AA7A, has a schedule showing when the other stations operating as W1AW/7 will be on - and on what band/mode combinations. This schedule is still being assembled, so more slots will be filled in as we get closer to next week. You can see that schedule at: http://aa7a.net/W1AW/W1AW_7_AZ_1September.htm Satellite operating times will not appear on Ned's schedule, as Patrick is coordinating that part of the W1AW/7 effort. Patrick will use the AMSAT-BB list and his Twitter @WD9EWK feed (http://twitter.com/WD9EWK ) to send out updates for the W1AW/7 satellite activity. Good luck, and 73! [ANS thanks Patrick, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1 Update - Slow Speed Telemetry The Fox-1 series of satellites feature a slow speed telemetry, with 200 bps data being sent along with the transponder audio or voice ID activity. This allows telemetry to be sent continuously during normal transponder operation while QSOs are taking place. The slow speed data is contained in the audio spectrum below 300 Hz. Using DSP techniques, high pass filtering is applied to the uplink signal and voice IDs, low pass filtering is applied to the telemetry audio which is generated by the IHU, and the combined audio is sent on the downlink as the voice and data. Forward error correction added to the downlink stream provides data recovery for up to 1/4 second signal fades. Fox-1A slow speed telemetry Screen print of actual Fox-1A downlink slow speed telemetry received over the air on a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ with SDR# and a decoded/displayed with command line version of the AMSAT ground telemetry decoding software used in our testing The slow speed data on Fox-1A contains four different payload types: Current telemetry readings, High telemetry readings, Low telemetry readings, and Vanderbilt University radiation experiment telemetry. The payloads are transmitted in a scheduled rotation that delivers one payload or frame about every 5 seconds. Current telemetry is thus received every 15 seconds, experiment telemetry is received about twice every 15 seconds, and high or low telemetry received once every minute (alternating minutes between high and low). The telemetry contains many satellite health and operation values, including readings such as solar panel output, battery voltages, temperatures from various areas of the satellite, IHU performance, and the Penn State University MEMS gyro experiment data. AMSAT will be providing free GUI software for decoding and displaying both slow and high speed telemetry from the Fox-1 series of satellites, as we get closer to launch. The software will be similar to the user software that was provided for ARISSat-1. AMSAT has an immediate need to raise funds to cover both the launch contract and additional materials for construction and testing for Fox-1C. We have set a fundraising goal of $125,000 to cover these expenses over the next 12 months, and allow us to continue to keep amateur radio in space. Donations may be made through the AMSAT webpage at www.amsat.org, by calling (888) 322-6728 or by mail to the AMSAT office at 10605 Concord Street, Kensington, MD 20895, USA. Please consider a recurring, club, or corporate donation to maximize our chance of success with this mission. You may also dontate via PayPal. Donations will be marked specifically for Fox-1C. Note that PayPal usually allows you to donate with a credit card, even if you do not have a PayPal account. However, PayPal requirements differ depending on your country. We have not control over this issue. You may also contribute through a special “crowd sourcing” campaign on fundrazr.com at the following link. https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/6pz92 [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Peruvian Cubesat Chasqui-1 Deployed From ISS The Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos announced that a nano satellite with the designation, NS-1 was hand-launched during a space walk that began at 14:00 UTC Monday, August 18, 2014. The satellite is also referred to as the Peruvian Cubesat Chasqui-1 and weighs 1.5 kg. The satelliteâ€™s main mission is to serve as a platform for testing micro-electronics and optical devices used in cubesat applications. Its secondary mission is to operate as an amateur radio satellite. Itâ€™s transmit downlink is 437.025 MHz. The craft will send information in CW mode. It also transmits images stored in memory, photos taken by two on board cameras and will send telemetry. Data transmissions will use either 1200 bps AFSK AX.25 or 9600 bps GMSK modes. [ANS thanks , for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News A direct contact with students at Dorothy Grant Elementary School, Fontana, CA, USA was successful Wed 2014-08-27 18:31:28 UTC 83 deg. Astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO was able to answer 7 questions for students during the communication window. Dorothy Grant Elementary School proudly earned the California Department of Educationâ€™s 2013 Title I Academic Achievement Award and is a California Distinguished School. This prestigious honor is a reflection of the schoolâ€™s system of support for all students at all learning levels. Innovative intervention strategies and differentiated instruction greatly impacted school- wide student performance to meet state and federal standards of excellence. On October 27, 2012, the Dorothy Grant Elementary Amateur Radio Club was established. Each year nearly 50 students in the 4th and 5th grades learn about amateur radio and participate in activities and programs that teach them about electronics and radio communication techniques. Amateur radio has enhanced reading, writing, mathematics, geography, and communication skills for all students. The club recently installed a 50 ft. Rohn tower and beam antenna in hopes of making more international contacts on 10, 15, and 20 meters. The use of technology is strongly emphasized throughout the curriculum and used as a tool to enhance class lessons. ********** A telebridge contact via IK1SLD providing an interview for students at SPACE KAMP Sterrenlab, Noordwijk, The Netherlands with astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO was successful Tue 2014-08-26 11:36:32 UTC 65 deg. Gerst answered 18 questions for students. The Amicale Space Camp includes 25 children aged 8-13 years old of different European nationalities. It includes children of the European Patent Office staff and takes place in Noordwijk (Stay Okay hostel) from the 25th to the 29th of August 2014. All camp activities are designed to entertain children, stimulate their creative and manual skills, and teach them about science and space. The contact with the International Space Station will be a key activity in the program as it gives the children the opportunity to talk with an astronaut and understand that space is an international endeavor. ********** A direct contact with students at Winfree Bryant Middle School, Lebanon, TN, USA was successful Tue 2014-08-26 16:12:47 UTC 24 deg. Astronaut Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT answered 16 questions for students. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N 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-229 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 16 Aug '14

16 Aug '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-229 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: * 7 weeks Until Symposium * Satellite Road Trip * 2014 AMSAT Symposium Trips, Social Events, and Tours * 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers Due Septmeber 15 * Dnepr Launch Planned for October * SUWS VHF/UHF/Microwave WebSDR moves to new site * LUSAT-1 alive at night! * OSCAR NEWS 207 from AMSAT-UK * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.01 ANS-229 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE August 17, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-229.01 7 weeks Until Symposium Charm City Space Symposium 32nd Space Symposium and Annual Meeting October 10-12, 2014 Baltimore, Maryland * Board of Directors meeting on October 9 and morning of October 10. * Technical presentations on satellite design/operating begin the afternoon of October 10 and continue October 11. * Meet AMSAT Officers and Board members. * Meet and greet fellow satellite operators. * Satellites on display. * Annual general meeting afternoon of October 10. * Saturday evening annual banquet with door prizes. * Sunday morning Area Coordinator's breakfast. * Sunday ARISS Operations Team meeting. * Sunday and Monday tours. Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton -- Baltimore - BWI Airport 890 Elkridge Landing Rd, Linthicum, Maryland, 21090 Phone: 410-859-8400 Ask For: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation Group or use the Code: RAS AMSAT Special Room Rate--$99.00 per night $10 Breakfast Buffet Coupons--Full Hot and Cold Breakfast* FREE Parking FREE WiFi Free Airport and Close-in Transportation Easy Train/Light Rail Service to Baltimore Inner Harbor & D.C. Metro Walking distance to National Electronics Museum Special Guest Presentations *Purchase at check-in A registration form for the Symposium and all events may be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/ANS208-SymposiumRegistration Online registration is available through the AMSAT Store http://tinyurl.com/ANS208-OnlineRegistration [ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Road Trip Ron, N8RO says he started on a vacation road trip on Saturday August 16, 2014. He plans satellite operation only on SO-50 & FO-29. He will attempt to be on one morning and one evening pass of the satellites, but it's a vacation and nothing is set in stone. He plans to return home around September 20, 2014. The trip will be divided into three phases: + The first phase will include TX, NM, AZ and CA. The first stop will be in DM62 and ending up in CM87 on August 26, 2014. + The second phase of the trip will start in AK, BP52, on August 27, 2014 and will end in CN89 on September 6, 2014. A major portion of this part of the trip will be aboard a cruise ship and if he is permitted to operate as N8RO/MM he will only be on SO-50 with a HT and a whip antenna, so contacts may be difficult. + The final portion of the trip will start on September 8, 2014 and will include CA, NV, UT, CO, NM & TX starting again in CN89 and ending in EM00. [ANS thanks Ron Oldham, N8RO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 AMSAT Symposium Trips, Social Events, and Tours We will have two "working" events scheduled Sunday morning (October 12)-the Area Coordinators Breakfast and the ARISS Operations Team Meeting. Similar to last year's symposium, two opportunities for tours are planned for the 2014 Space Symposium: 1) On Sunday October 12 (Afternoon), several Small Group/Light Rail tours are being planned. Symposium participants can choose one of the following tours: Baltimore Inner Harbor Tour (including the Aquarium), the B&O Railroad Museum, Edgar Allen Poe House or the National Electronics Museum. 2) On Columbus Day, Monday October 13 we will take a bus to the Washington Dulles airport area to tour the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. Udvar-Hazy is a phenomenal museum with hundreds of aircraft and spacecraft, including the Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71, Enola Gay, and many others. The plan is to leave the hotel at 9 am and return around 4 pm. In order to get maximum benefit from all the holiday weekend events, the symposium committee suggests that symposium participants consider scheduling their airline flights for no earlier than 6 pm on Monday October 13. Online registration is available through the AMSAT Store http://tinyurl.com/ANS208-OnlineRegistration [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers Due Septmeber 15 The 2014 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be held on the weekend of October 10-12, 2014, at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland. (See information above) Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, but no later than August 1. The final copy must be submitted by September 15 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv at amsat.org [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dnepr Launch Planned for October According to an ITAR-TASS report the launch of a Russian-Ukrainian conversion rocket Dnepr (RS-20) with Japanese satellites, should take place in early October from the Orenburg region, southern Urals. On Wednesday, August 13, when asked by ITAR-TASS whether the plans had not been affected by Japanese sanctions against Russia a source in the Russian Military Industrial Commission said "The launch is scheduled for the beginning of October. There have been no cancellations so far". The rocket will orbit five Japanese satellites, including four micro ones. "The satellites will be brought to Russia on August 20," the source said, adding that this year's third Dnepr launch was scheduled for December. The Dnepr rocket conversion programme was initiated in the 1990s by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine to convert RS-20 Voyevoda ICBMs for civilian uses. Dnepr rockets are launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, and the Yasny Launch Site of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces in the Orenburg region under a joint project commenced by Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The Dnepr rocket is a three-stage liquid-engine vehicle. Its takeoff mass is 210 tones. The first two stages are the regular stages of the RS-20 rocket and have not been changed. The third stage has been worked on to improve its flight control system. The rocket is injected from an RS-20 silo by propellant gases. Its engine turns on after the whole vehicle has come out of the silo. The rocket is made by the Ukrainian company Yuzhmash in Dnepropetrovsk. Source ITAR-TASS http://en.itar-tass.com/non-political/744861 The five satellites are understood to be: * ASNARO 1 * ChubuSat 1 * Hodoyoshi 1 * QSAT-EOS * Tsubame [ANS thanks ITAR-TASS and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SUWS VHF/UHF/Microwave WebSDR moves to new site The Southampton University Wireless Society SUWS VHF/UHF/Microwave WebSDR has now moved to its new site in Farnham. You can use the free online SUWS Web Software Defined Radio (WebSDR) from your PC or Laptop to receive the International Space Station (ISS) and the many amateur radio satellites transmitting in the 144- 146 MHz or 435-438 MHz bands. The WebSDR also provides reception of High Altitude Balloons in the 434 MHz band and coverage of the microwave 10368-10370 MHz band. Martin Ehrenfried G8JNJ has equipped the SUWS WebSDR with omni- direction helix antennas for both 144-146 MHz and 432-438 MHz which have proved effective for both high altitude balloon and satellite reception. The SUWS WebSDR is located at Farnham not far from London, 51.3 N 1.15 W, listen to it at http://websdr.suws.org.uk/ Martin says this about the special satellite antennas "I had been experimenting with single turn 'twisted halo' design, and decided to try stacking them to see if I could achieve more gain. Modelling suggested that a stretched 3 turn helix with a helix circumference of approx 1/2 wave length and an overall length of 1/2 wave at 70cm, and fed with a gamma match at the centre would offer reasonable gain, an omni-directional pattern and mixed polarisation." Full details of the antennas are available at http://g8jnj.webs.com/currentprojects.htm [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- LUSAT-1 alive at night! Pedro, LU7ABF, reported to the AMSAT-BB, "We knew that our LUSAT start transmitting again a couple of years ago, but only when illuminated by sun, and was not heard during the night. On the occasion of testing the application http://amsat.org.ar/sat.htm saw there was a nightly pass, which was tried to listen. Without much hope tuned 437.125 MHz, surprised to hear the usual strong 900mW continuous carrier +/- Doppler, but this time after 22 minutes of being LUSAT in the dark. Commenting locally, several other hams also tried and received LUSAT. It's almost a miracle that after almost 25 years, LUSAT vintage Ni- Cd batteries can receive and hold charge. It seems LUSAT is willing to greet hams on his 'Silver Jubilee' due next Jan-22 thru continuing talking with us from space after its more than 128,000 orbits. The LO-19, next to Oscar-7 and UO-11 is one of the most long-lived active amateur satellites. We have included short report and audio on http://amsat.org.ar/?f=z , Amsat-LU logs. More information on LUSAT (although in Spanish) on http://lusat.org.ar Reports welcomed at info at amsat.org.ar [ANS thanks Pedro, LU7ABF, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- OSCAR NEWS 207 from AMSAT-UK The Editors of OSCAR NEWS are starting the preparation of the next edition - #207. We would welcome any articles for this edition which need to be submitted before the end of August! Long or short articles about technical, operational or historical matters are all equally welcome. Exciting and/or amusing photographs would also be appreciated. Many thanks in advance for your support [ANS thanks Graham G3VZV and Jim G3WGM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Amino Kita Elementary School, Kyotango, Japan and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-08-06 10:25 UTC UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via 8J3AK. ARISS Mentor was 7M3TJZ. + A Successful contact was made between Canada Science and Technology Museum Summer Day Camps, Ottawa, ON, Canada and Astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO using callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2014- 08-13 17:18 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was VE3TBD. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Zuni Hills Elementary School, Sun City, AZ, telebridge via K6DUE Contact is a go for: Fri 2014-08-22 17:47:05 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over Help AMSAT launch Fox-1C satellite in 2015! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/6pz92 [ANS thanks AMSAT 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 Relations, AMSAT-NA

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ANS-222 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 09 Aug '14

09 Aug '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-222 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: * Crowdfunding for Fox-1C Launch * 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers Deadline Approaching * ARISS Contact Success * France WIll Now Allow Students Third Party Communication With The ISS * CubeSat Launch Initiative: 50 CubeSats from 50 States in 5 years * An Amateur Radio Village at EMF 2014 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-222.01 ANS-222 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 222.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. Auguat 10, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-222.01 Crowdfunding for Fox-1C Launch AMSAT has set up a campaign page with FundRazr to help launch Fox-1C next year. In order to maximize our success in raising the required funds, please visit the following link and use the buttons to share the campaign with your friends and contacts on social media and via email. The more it is shared, the more people will see it, and the more support we will receive. http://fnd.us/c/6pz92/sh/561Zd We will continue to explore other fundraising venues between now and launch, so please follow us on Twitter (AMSAT), Facebook (The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)), and at www.amsat.org for updates. [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers Deadline Approaching This is the first call for papers for the 2014 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 10-12, 2014, at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. The final copy must be submitted by September 15 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv at amsat.org [ANS thanks the 2014 Baltimore Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Contact Success A direct contact via 8J3AK with students at Amino Kita Elementary School, Kyotango, Japan on Wed 2014-08-06 10:25:43 UTC 68 deg was successful. Students conducted the interview in English with astronaut Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT and received answers to 23 questions. [ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- France Will Now Allow Students Third Party Communication With The ISS On July 16, 2014 the French State Secretary for Digital Affairs, Axelle Lemaire, responded to a request by the Deputy of Haute-Vienne Province, Daniel Boiserrie, authorizing French students to participate directly in ARISS educational school contacts under the supervision of a licensed operator. Until now, the French administration was very restrictive. For direct school contacts, the operator read the questions prepared by the students. Even this is "third party", but was tolerated by the French regulatory authority. Most European countries allow students to participate directly in ARISS school contacts under the supervision of a licensed operator. Permission to do so requires varying procedures from country to country, but the issue of enabling "third party" communications can generally be solved. Until now, the only exception was France. Notwithstanding years and years of efforts, French schoolchildren had no access to the mike for direct amateur radio communications with the ISS. The letter from the Secretary of State in charge of telecommunications now changes the game. On behalf of the European ARISS partners, Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe Chairman, extends thanks to Sylvain Valat, F1UJT, who led this successful effort. [ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CubeSat Launch Initiative: 50 CubeSats from 50 States in 5 years As part of the White House Maker Initiative, NASA is seeking to leverage the growing community of space-enthusiasts to contribute to NASA’s space exploration goals. NASA is broadening the CubeSat Launch Initiative to promote a spacecraft nation and develop innovative technology partnerships among NASA, U.S. industry and educational institutions to build upon an existing successful initiative and expand it to include launching 50 small satellites from 50 states within five years. The initiative will enable the acceleration of flight-qualified technology that will increase our understanding of Earth and assist in bridging current strategic knowledge gaps needed to extend human exploration of space beyond low-Earth orbit, potentially reducing our nation’s cost for future exploration efforts. A new announcement of launch opportunity for CubeSat developers has been released. It is the first step to broaden its reach to all 50 states by targeting the 21 "rookie states" that have not previously been selected by the CubeSat Launch Initiative, and will leverage the Space Grant network of colleges and universities. Those states include: Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico. CubeSats provide the opportunity for Makers to build small satellites to demonstrate new innovative technologies and conduct scientific research in a space environment. Applicants must submit proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 25. NASA will select the payloads by Feb. 6, 2015, but selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. NASA will not provide funding for the development of the small satellites. CubeSat Launch Initiative satellites selected to date come from 29 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin More information about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, including previously- selected Respondents, is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] ------------------------------------------------------------------- An Amateur Radio Village at EMF 2014 There will be an amateur radio village and special event station GB2EMF at the Electromagnetic Field EMF 2014 event taking place August 29-31 at Bletchley near Milton Keynes. EMF 2014 is a festival for anyone interested in radio, electronics, space, homebrewing, robots, UAVs, 3D printing, DIYBio, Internet culture or pretty much anything else you can think of. It is a volunteer effort by a non-profit group, inspired by European and US hacker camps like Chaos Communication Camp, HAR, and toorcamp. Imagine a camping festival with a power grid and high-speed internet access; a temporary village of geeks, crafters, and technology enthusiasts that’s lit up by night, and buzzing with activity during the day. Over a thousand curious people will descend on the friendly open space to learn, share, and talk about what they love. Over a long weekend, you can expect to see a huge variety of talks across three stages, a slew of workshops, as well as music, games, and installations dotted around the site. Attendees are invited to set up their own villages — camps within the camp — where like-minded people can camp together and put on their own activities. The hard-working EMF team of volunteers will supply you with power and internet to your tent. The special event station GB2EMF will be run from the Amateur Radio Village, it had been hoped to have a 70cm/2m crossband FM repeater operational during the event but it looks as though Ofcom licensing issues may preclude this. At each EMF event the organisers try and give the attendees a great camp badge. Not just a ‘Hello my name is” sticker but a nice fun piece of technology that they can take away and use after the event. EMF 2014 takes place August 29-31 near Newton Longville, just South of Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK17 0BU. EMF 2014 https://www.emfcamp.org/ Twitter @emfcamp Facebook https://www.facebook.com/emfcamp Report on the EMF 2012 event http://amsat-uk.org/2012/09/01/emf-2012-milton-keynes/ [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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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