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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-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 27 Sep '14

27 Sep '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-271 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: * New Premium for AMSAT Fox Donations * EU-038 Terschelling Island on FO-29 * Absolute Last Call for Symposium Papers * Ham Radio Balloon to Commemorate Sputnik * ARISS Proposal Window For US Schools Will Be Opening Soon! * Radio ham receives ISRO Mars Orbiter * TuPOD to enable ISS TubeSat deployment in 2015 * FUNcube at IARU Region 1 General Conference * AMSAT Symposium Is Only Ten Days Away * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.01 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 271.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 28, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-271.01 New Premium for AMSAT Fox Donations AMSAT is excited to announce that a new premium collectable is now available for qualifying donations to the Fox satellite program. AMSAT has commissioned a unique challenge coin for donors who have contributed at the $100 level or higher. This challenge coin is shaped as an isometric view of a Fox-1 CubeSat, complete with details such as the stowed UHF antenna, solar cells, and camera lens viewport. Struck in 3mm thick brass, plated with antique silver, and finished in bright enamel, the coin is scaled to be approximately 1:4 scale, or 1 inch along each of the six sides. The reverse has the AMSAT Fox logo. To view images of the new coin visit http://tinyurl.com/ANS271-FoxCoin The coins are scheduled for delivery just prior to the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium, and will be first distributed to donors attending the Symposium. Coins will also be made available to qualifying donors that have contributed since the Fox-1C announcement on July 18, 2014 upon request. Donations may be made via the AMSAT website at www.amsat.org, via the FundRazr crowdsourcing app at fnd.us/c/6pz92, or via the AMSAT office at (888) 322-6728. The Fox program is designed to provide a platform for university experiments in space, as well as provide FM repeater capability for radio amateurs worldwide. Fox-1A and 1C are set to launch in 2015, and Fox-1B (also known as RadFXSat) is awaiting NASA ELANA launch assignment. Further information on the Fox project can be found at www.amsat.org. [ANS thanks The AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- EU-038 Terschelling Island on FO-29 Operators Nico/PA7PA and Harry/PA1H will be active from Terschelling Island between September 27th and October 3rd. When possible, some portable activation (few hours) of WWF references numbers, PAFF-071 and PAFF-072 (for the World Flora & Fauna), as home call/p (ex. PA7PA/P) will be used. Activity will be on 160-10 meters SSB/PSK/RTTY, and especially PSK and RTTY modes on 30m, as well as 2m via the satellite FO-29. QSL via their home callsign, by the Bureau or direct (w/SAE and NO IRCs). NO eQSL. For updates, watch the URL medias: FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/PA7PA/125033450933890 Twitter - https://twitter.com/PA7PA1 Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1181 [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Absolute Last Call for Symposium Papers The submission deadline for papers to be included in the conference proceedings has been extended to September 30. We welcome papers and presentations on any subject of interest to the amateur satellite community. Please send proposals to Dan Schultz, n8fgv(a)amsat.org Details for submission may be found at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1568. [ANS thanks Dan, N8FGV, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ham Radio Balloon to Commemorate Sputnik The Secunda Amateur Radio Club will launch two balloons carrying amateur radio equipment from the Vryburg airstrip FAVB on October 4, 2014 at 0600 to 0800 CAT (0400-0600 UT). This date marks the start of World Space Week 2014. They will commemorate the launch of the Sputnik satellite on October 4, 1957 by attaching an active model replica of Sputnik to one of the balloons. The replica will transmit a Morse code message on 144.076 MHz. Please e-mail(christo.kriek(a)live.co.za) a screen print of the decoded message with date, time, GPS location, radio and antenna used to receive a special certificate from the launch team, if you are one of the lucky ones that can "decode" by ear please mail above info without the screen print. The transmitter used is a flea power transmitter. The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and eight High Schools (80 children) form part of the program. Each school programmed their own data logger with 2 sensors. The 8 data loggers with sensors will be part of the payload of the balloon payload. Each of the school children had to write a Radio Amateur test (10 Questions) as part of their registration and the results will be used to allocated to their final presentation. There will be a web link with cameras from the launch site atVryburg airport, one camera at Hartbeeshoek and one at Secunda High School. Please send your e-mail info to christo.kriek(a)live.co.za to get access to the webcams on the internet. The first balloon will be launched anytime from 0600 CAT (0400 UT) onwards. The ground stations will use HF on 3.650 MHz or 7.080 MHz or 20m 14.280 MHz between the ground control, chase cars, Secunda High School and Hartbeeshoek. The bands/frequencies may change due to propagation. If your hear the ground stations operate please keep the frequency clear for ground control operations. If you have any feedback in tracking the balloons specifically on descent please report it on the mentioned HF frequencies. Due to the low APRS Digipeater and IGate density in the Vryburg area radio hams in the adjacent areas are requested to also help track the payloads as well. It is vitally important to retrieve the payloads since there are data loggers on-board from several schools in the Secunda area. They need the data to complete their assignments. A High Altitude Glider will also be launched the same morning as the High Altitude Balloon Experiment, HABEX on 4 October 2014. On the same day at Secunda High School, Secunda, Unisa University will also have a ROBTICS exhibition. SANSA will also have a presentation via the webcam about GPS's the same day. Below are the payload frequencies: Main balloon: APRS Tracking RX 144.800 FM CW Telemetry RX 432.075 FM Sputnik CW RX 144.075 FM Crew Comms HF 40/80M Webcam 2nd Balloon: APRS Tracking RX 144.8 FM RTTY 433.92 USB/ 50 baud 500 shift ascii7,n,1 Crew Comms HF 40/80M Webcam 3rd Balloon: Remote Glider Webcam Skype/Web Camera: Please register at http://www.anymeeting.com/ and send your email address to: christo.kriek(a)live.co.za to get access to live webcams. Celebrate UN-declared World Space Week October 4-10. The biggest public space science #STEM event in the world - Use hashtag #WSW2014 Twitter https://twitter.com/WorldSpaceWeek Web http://www.worldspaceweek.org/ Secunda Amateur Radio Club http://secradio.org.za/ Source SARL http://www.sarl.org.za/ [ANS thanks SARL and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Proposal Window For US Schools Will Be Opening Soon! Watch for details in ARRL news and on the ARRL website. Contact Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, ARRL ARISS Program Manager, at djohnson(a)arrl.org, if your school, local museum, or other educational organization is interested in participating in a scheduled ARISS contact in 2015. An educational plan describing the learning activities that will be provided for students leading up to an ARISS contact in 2015. An educational plan describing the learning activities that will be provided for students leading up to and following the contact is necessary for consideration. To learn more about the ARISS program visit www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-on-the- international-space-station Click on the link for ARISS Proposal Requirements for more information about the proposal process and up-to-date information about submitting a proposal. "Radio Waves - 'News you can use for license instruction and radio science education'" is an online newsletter publish by the ARRL. Content should be of interest to those who teach radio liecensing classing and to classroom teachers, demonstrators, scout leaders and others interested in teaching radio science. Much of its content includes articles and stories of interest to those using amsateur radio to teach space science. It can be downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/ANS271-RadioWaves For e-mail delivery of Radio Waves, from ARRL.org, click on "edit your profile" at the top of the ARRL web page. Click on "edit e-mail subscriptions." [ANS thanks ARRL's RADIO WAVES for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Radio ham receives ISRO Mars Orbiter On Wednesday, September 24, the Indian space agency ISRO successfully put their MOM spacecraft into Mars orbit, the first country to have achieved this on the initial attempt Radio amateur Paul Marsh G7EYT/M0EYT received the signal from the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft and tweeted: "S-Band downlink from MOM spacecraft now on orbit @ Mars! Great signal with Doppler; congrats to ISRO - good job". An image of the MOM signal can be seen at http://pjm.uhf-satcom.com/twtr/mom_240914.jpg UHF-Satcom Web http://www.uhf-satcom.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom Yahoo https://groups.yahoo.com/group/amateur-DSN BBC News report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28268186 [ANS thanks the BBC and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- TuPOD to enable ISS TubeSat deployment in 2015 The TuPOD 3U mission will allow the in-orbit deployment of the first TubeSats - Tancredi 1, from Brazil and Ulises 1, from Mexico. Both satellites are educational satellites and involve young students in the projects. TuPOD will integrate the two satellites inside a 3U CubeSat Structure designed to allow the coupling between TubeSat and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) launch mechanism. The TuPOD will release the two satellites after 2 days, in accordance with NASA safety requirements. After the TubeSat deployment, the TuPOD will start is own mission receiving and sending data to amateur radio ground stations. The TuPOD electronics have been designed by students at Morehead State University and is an update version of $50SAT PocketQube electronics and Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C) system. Proposing a 1k2 GMSK UHF downlink and now expected to be deployed fom the ISS in spring 2015. Ulises 1 in Google English http://tinyurl.com/Ulises-1-TubeSat IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNcube at IARU Region 1 General Conference Mats SM6EAN has posted a report on the Swedish Amateur Radio Society (SSA) website about the FUNcube-1 CubeSat presentation at the IARU Region 1 General Conference in Varna-Albena, Bulgaria The following is translated from the original Swedish post: After the session of the VHF, UHF and Microwave C5 Committee had completed the delegates were given two interesting presentations. Graham Shirville G3VZV did a poolside demonstration of the FUNcube-1 satellite which was launched in November 2013. Using a computer, FUNcube SDR dongle and a turnstile antenna, held by Kjetil Toresen LA8KV, he received FUNcube-1 and displayed the telemetry data on the computer screen. The satellite's telemetry beacon on 145.935 MHz was also heard using a handheld SSB receiver. A presentation was also made about Hamnet which is being expanded, especially in Germany. Hamnet is a high-speed multimedia network and it was discussed whether and how IARU Region 1 could support the expansion of this network. Original post by Mats SM6EAN in Swedish http://www.ssa.se/iaru-reg-1-dag-4/ FUNcube http://FUNcube.org.uk/ FUNcube SDR Dongle http://FUNcubeDongle.com/ Hamnet http://hamnetdb.net/ IARU Region 1 Conference documents and pictures http://iarur1con2014.bfra.bg/ [ANS thanks Mats SM6EAN and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Symposium Is Only Ten Days Away Plans for the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore Oct 10-12 are in high gear, with the announcement of exciting speakers, space auction plans and papers and presentation submittals underway. This year's space symposium will, in part, celebrate AMSAT's 45th anniversary. There is still time to register, so please go to www.amsat.org and sign up. Highlights of this year's symposium include: Keynote Speaker: Jan King, W3GEY, founding member of AMSAT and former member of the Board of Directors & V.P. of Engineering The AMSAT Space Symposium's Keynote Speaker with be Jan King, W3GEY, founding member of AMSAT and former member of the Board of Directors & V.P. of Engineering. Jan's keynote speech, entitled "Never, Never, Never Give Up!" will be presented during the Symposium banquet on Saturday October 11. As a teaser for his speech, Jan shared the following with our symposium team: "So very much has changed in 45 years! For starters, our hobby of 1968 has become an industry for one. Launch vehicles can't be had for the price of a NASA Administrator's letter anymore. Launch costs are $100K per kilogram now. ITAR? Not worth discussing. So, what do we do? Is it time to say, "We had a really good run at this" and let it go? We showed some people who cared and wanted to listen that you can do a lot with a little. Should we call it quits and give it up? There are those who ask me questions that start with, "Back in your day....?" It is particularly those people, I'd like to show...that we really are made of the right stuff. We still have things we know that Government Experts and wide-eyed university graduate students don't. Silicon Valley is now filled with satellite experts who aren't. The average university graduating electrical engineer still can't make a 2 meter pre-amp with a 1 dB noise figure - and wouldn't know how to start. Unless, of course, they figured it out from the Internet. Ah yes, the Internet! Another small change since 1968. We'll talk about it in October. Hope to see you in Baltimore. W3GEY." Special Guest Presentation: Tuskegee Airman Col. Charles E. McGee The AMSAT symposium committee has confirmed that one of the original Tuskegee Airman, Col. Charles E. McGee, will be attending our conference on Friday October 10th. Col. McGee will give a special presentation at our symposium on his experiences as a Tuskegee Airman and as an Army Air Corps and Air Force Pilot. A short question and answer period will follow. Born on December 7, 1919, McGee rose to the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts and, shortly after WWII broke out, joined the Army. He became a pilot in what was dubbed the Tuskegee Experiment, the first squadron of African American pilots, also known as the "Red Tails" from their red markings on the tails of their aircraft. Col McGee and his Tuskegee colleagues fought two wars--World War II and the war on segregation. This required them to develop an unprecedented level of discipline, excellence and fortitude to achieve success. In World War II McGee flew numerous aircraft, including the famous P- 51 Mustang as part of the 332 Fighter Group, one of three groups designated as the "Red Tails." He provided fighter escort for the B- 24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers over Germany, Austrian and the Balkans. He holds a US Air Force record of 409 fighter combat missions flown in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Col. McGee received numerous awards for his service, including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, and Air Medal with 25 oak leaf clusters, amongst others. In 2007 Col McGee and the surviving Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush. Col. McGee's presentations are an inspiration to all. He demonstrates, through his life lessons, the need to persevere despite all obstacles and to do your best in all endeavors. Do not miss out on this opportunity to meet this remarkable living legend. Friday Night Reception and Space Auction This year's reception, to be held from 7-9 pm on Friday October 10, will include a space auction. All proceeds from the auction will support AMSAT's two major initiatives--the development and launch of the FOX satellite series and the ARISS program. We have received some very exciting items for the auction, and we are asking for your help in donating specialty items for auction (minimum value $100) that will attract symposium attendee's attention and get them bidding up the item price. If you have any items that are ham related (no boat anchors please), items of historical value, space related and/or autographed items we would love to get your donations. Think out of the box on this--what exciting things would you like to see in this auction? If you have something to donate to the Symposium auction, please send an e-mail to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, who will work with you on getting your item or items into the auction. Frank's e-mail address is ka3hdo at verizon.net Sunday Tours Symposium participants can choose one of the following informal tours: Baltimore Inner Harbor Tour (including the Aquarium), the B&O Railroad Museum, Edgar Allen Poe House or the National Electronics Museum. The National Electronics Museum is opening its doors exclusively for AMSAT on Sunday from 1-3 pm. If you are interested in this tour, please contact Dan Schultz by e-mail (n8fgv at amsat dot org) so we can get a headcount. Monday Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum Tour There is still room on the bus for the tour of the Udvar Hazy center planned for Monday October 13. Go to the AMSAT web site for tour details and signup. Sunday ARISS Operations Team Meeting Anyone interested in volunteering to support the ARISS program is invited to attend the ARISS Operations team meeting from 9-noon Sunday October 12. We will have a number of the ARISS-US team leaders and mentors on-hand to discuss the program and get you involved. We will also be discussing improvements, changes and strategies to enhance ARISS operations. ANS thanks the Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Belton Honea Path, Switzerland and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2014-09-17 08:17 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via 4U1ITU. ARISS Mentor was ON4WF. Institut Florimont is a co-educational day school offering children from 3 to 18 years of age a complete education from kindergarten to the three diplomas that will open the doors to higher education. As well as encouraging academic excellence, Florimont fosters the traditional values and beliefs that are important for life. Since 1905, Florimont has been preparing students for the French Baccalaureat and, as of 1942, for the Swiss Maturité. From September 2014 our range of final examinations will include the bilingual (French-English) International Baccalaureate. Therefore, Florimont will offer children even more opportunities and more choices, allowing them easier access to the world's best universities. The four sections of our school work together to ensure the continuity and coherence of the programme of study. Clear procedures are in place to ensure that new students joining us from other private or public schools are successfully integrated. Close communication with parents, additional lessons and one-to-one tutoring are just some of the ways that Florimont supports students during their studies. Our student body is made up of more than fifty nationalities making Florimont a rich multi-cultural and multi-lingual learning environment. The importance we attach to this is reflected in our language learning programme. In addition to English, emphasis is placed on German, Switzerland's predominant language, as well as on Chinese, Spanish and Italian. Other languages such as Russian and Arabic are individually tutored or taught to small groups.Bilingual classes in French and English are offered from the first year of the middle school. Priority is given to partnerships and exchanges with leading schools worldwide, as well as to many activities that can add value to a university application. Our students are encouraged to be entrepreneurial, bold, adaptable and creative because we know that these qualities will not only strengthen their university applications but also prepare them to face the challenges of working life. Postponed Events Due to the one day delay of the Space X launch, Winter Gardens Primary School, Canvey Island and Pilton Bluecoat School, Barnstaple, United Kingdom and the Kuwait/Bulgaria events were postponed. ARISS is working on rescheduling these events. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule >From 2014-11-10 to 2014-12-07, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N, David AA4KN and Kenneth N5VHO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT-UK Colloquium in TX Factor Show In this episode of the TX Factor Show Bob McCreadie G0FGX reports from the recent AMSAT-UK Colloquium in Guildford He also finds time to test out the SuperAntenna Superstick delux package, while Nick Bennett 2E0FGQ travels north and discovers a rather remarkable radio club. Among those interviewed at the Colloquium are AMSAT-NA VP Operations Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA, Tom Harle from VR2Space, Graham Shirville G3VZV, Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG and Carlos Eavis G0AKI. Watch TX Factor - Episode 5 (TXF005) Recordings of the talks given at the Colloquium are at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/presentation-videos/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Southgate ARN for the above information] + Planning is underway for articles going into the November/December AMSAT Journal. We would like to include as much coverage as possible of the W1AW/P events on the satellites. Please send your commentary and photos (JPG hi-res files work best) to me at k9jkm at comcast dot net or journal(a)amsat.org + World Space Week is October 4 - 10. + October 432 and Above EME Newsletter is now available http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/em70cm.html + Crew including first woman cosmonaut in 17 years blasts off for ISS http://tinyurl.com/ANS271-Cosmonauts + Ham Radio Balloon to Commemorate Sputnik http://tinyurl.com/ANS271-Cosmonauts + Congratulation to Perry Yantis for making his 7000th satellite contact. In his words, as posted to the AMSAT-BB, " Last pass of AO-73 I worked WN9Q, N5ZNL with strong but fading signals. " Then at the end of the pass I worked N8IUP for my satellite qso number 7000!!!! " This only took me 38 years!!!!!!" --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-264 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 21 Sep '14

21 Sep '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-264 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: * Deadline Extension for AMSAT Symposium Papers * AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore Gearing Up with Exciting New Speakers * Results of 2014 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Election * Contract to Build Es’hailSat Includes AMSAT-DL Phase 4 Transponders * SpinSat Launching on Falcon 9 * ESTCube-1 Solar Sail Experiment SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-264.01 ANS-264 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 264.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. September 21, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-264.01 Deadline Extension for AMSAT Symposium Papers The submission deadline for papers to be included in the conference proceedings has been extended to September 30. We welcome papers and presentations on any subject of interest to the amateur satellite community. Please send proposals to Dan Schultz, n8fgv(a)amsat.org Details for submission may be found at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1568. [ANS thanks Dan, N8FGV, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore Gearing Up with Exciting New Speakers Plans for the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore Oct 10-12 are in high gear, with the announcement of exciting speakers, space auction plans and papers and presentation submittals underway. This year’s space symposium will, in part, celebrate AMSAT’s 45th anniversary. There is still time to register, so please go to www.amsat.org and sign up. Highlights of this year’s symposium include: Keynote Speaker: Jan King, W3GEY, founding member of AMSAT and former member of the Board of Directors & V.P. of Engineering The AMSAT Space Symposium’s Keynote Speaker with be Jan King, W3GEY, founding member of AMSAT and former member of the Board of Directors & V.P. of Engineering. Jan’s keynote speech, entitled “Never, Never, Never Give Up!” will be presented during the Symposium banquet on Saturday October 11. As a teaser for his speech, Jan shared the following with our symposium team: " So very much has changed in 45 years! For starters, our hobby of 1968 has become an industry for one. Launch vehicles can't be had for the price of a NASA Administrator’s letter anymore. Launch costs are $100K per kilogram now. ITAR? Not worth discussing. So, what do we do? Is it time to say, "We had a really good run at this" and let it go? We showed some people who cared and wanted to listen that you can do a lot with a little. Should we call it quits and give it up? There are those who ask me questions that start with, "Back in your day….?" It is particularly those people, I'd like to show…that we really are made of the right stuff. We still have things we know that Government Experts and wide-eyed university graduate students don't. Silicon Valley is now filled with satellite experts who aren't. The average university graduating electrical engineer still can't make a 2 meter pre-amp with a 1 dB noise figure - and wouldn't know how to start. Unless, of course, they figured it out from the Internet. Ah yes, the Internet! Another small change since 1968. We'll talk about it in October. Hope to see you in Baltimore. W3GEY." Special Guest Presentation: Tuskegee Airman Col. Charles E. McGee The AMSAT symposium committee has confirmed that one of the original Tuskegee Airman, Col. Charles E. McGee, will be attending our conference on Friday October 10th. Col. McGee will give a special presentation at our symposium on his experiences as a Tuskegee Airman and as an Army Air Corps and Air Force Pilot. A short question and answer period will follow. Born on December 7, 1919, McGee rose to the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts and, shortly after WWII broke out, joined the Army. He became a pilot in what was dubbed the Tuskegee Experiment, the first squadron of African American pilots, also known as the “Red Tails” from their red markings on the tails of their aircraft. Col McGee and his Tuskegee colleagues fought two wars—World War II and the war on segregation. This required them to develop an unprecedented level of discipline, excellence and fortitude to achieve success. In World War II McGee flew numerous aircraft, including the famous P-51 Mustang as part of the 332 Fighter Group, one of three groups designated as the “Red Tails.” He provided fighter escort for the B-24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers over Germany, Austrian and the Balkans. He holds a US Air Force record of 409 fighter combat missions flown in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Col. McGee received numerous awards for his service, including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, and Air Medal with 25 oak leaf clusters, amongst others. In 2007 Col McGee and the surviving Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush. Col. McGee’s presentations are an inspiration to all. He demonstrates, through his life lessons, the need to persevere despite all obstacles and to do your best in all endeavors. Do not miss out on this opportunity to meet this remarkable living legend. Friday Night Reception and Space Auction This year’s reception, to be held from 7-9 pm on Friday October 10, will include a space auction. All proceeds from the auction will support AMSAT’s two major initiatives—the development and launch of the FOX satellite series and the ARISS program. We have received some very exciting items for the auction. And we are asking for your help in donating specialty items for auction (minimum value $100) that will attract symposium attendee’s attention and get them bidding up the item price. If you have any items that are ham related (no boat anchors please), items of historical value, space related and/or autographed items we would love to get your donations. Think out of the box on this—what exciting things would you like to see in this auction? If you have something to donate to the Symposium auction, please send an e-mail to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, who will work with you on getting your item or items into the auction. Frank’s e-mail address is ka3hdo at verizon.net Sunday Tours Symposium participants can choose one of the following informal tours: Baltimore Inner Harbor Tour (including the Aquarium), the B&O Railroad Museum, Edgar Allen Poe House or the National Electronics Museum. The National Electronics Museum is opening its doors exclusively for AMSAT on Sunday from 1- 3 pm. If you are interested in this tour, please contact Dan Schultz by e-mail (n8fgv(a)amsat.org) so we can get a headcount. Monday Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum Tour There is still room on the bus for the tour of the Udvar Hazy center planned for Monday October 13. Go to the AMSAT web site for tour details and signup. Sunday ARISS Operations Team Meeting Anyone interested in volunteering to support the ARISS program is invited to attend the ARISS Operations team meeting from 9-noon Sunday October 12. We will have a number of the ARISS-US team leaders and mentors on-hand to discuss the program and get you involved. We will also be discussing improvements, changes and strategies to enhance ARISS operations. ANS thanks the Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Results of 2014 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Election As a result of the 2014 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Election the following members were elected to serve for two years: Tom Clark, K3IO; JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM; and Lou McFadin, W5DID. Jerry Buxton, N0JY will serve the remaining year of SK Tony Monteiro, AA2TX’s term. The First Alternate is Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and the Second Alternate is Frank Griffin, K4FEG. The results of the voting with 635 ballots cast are as follows: Tom Clark, K3IO 457 JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM 439 Lou McFadin, W5DID 421 Jerry Buxton, N0JY 268 Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA 261 Frank Griffin, K4FEG 232 Steve Coy, K8UD 178 Bryan Klofas, KF6ZEO 132 [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Contract to Build Es’hailSat Includes AMSAT-DL Phase 4 Transponders Gunter Krebs reports on his Space Pages on the web that Es'hailSat has signed a contract with MELCO to build the Es'hail-2 geostationary comsat. Es'hail 2 is a planned communication satellite operated by Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company. It will also feature an radio amateur payload. The new satellite will be positioned at the 26° East hotspot position for TV broadcasting and significantly adds to the company’s ability to provide high quality, premium DTH television content across the Middle East and North Africa. It will feature Ku-band and Ka-band transponders to provide TV distribution and government services to strategic stakeholders and commercial customers who value broadcasting and communications independence, interference resilience, quality of service and wide geographical coverage. Es’hail 2 is expected to be launched at the end of 2016. In September 2014, a contract with MELCO was signed to build the satellite based on the DS-2000 bus. Es'hail 2 will also provide the first Amateur Radio geostationary communication capability linking Brazil and India. It will carry two "Phase 4" Amateur Radio transponders. The payload will consist of a 250 kHz linear transponder intended for conventional analogue operations in addition to another transponder which will have an 8 MHz bandwidth. The latter transponder is intended for experimental digital modulation schemes and DVB amateur television. The uplinks will be in the 2.400-2.450 GHz and the downlinks in the 10.450-10.500 GHz amateur satellite service allocations. Both transponders will have broad beam antennas to provide full coverage over about third of the earth’s surface. The Qatar Amateur Radio Society and Qatar Satellite Company are cooperating on the amateur radio project. AMSAT-DL is providing technical support to the project. This story is posted at: http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/eshail-2.htm [ANS thanks Gunter's Space Pages for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SpinSat Launched on Falcon 9 On Sunday, September 21 at 0552:03 UTC SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Florida carrying the satellite SpinSat with its amateur radio payload to the International Space Station (ISS). On arrival at the ISS it will be put into storage until deployment, later in the Fall, from the airlock of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) SpinSat is a 56 cm sphere weighing 57 kg that has 12 Electronically-controlled Solid Propellant (ESP) thrusters spread in pairs throughout the surface of the satellite. They will be fired in pairs to spin the spacecraft. With just primary batteries and only 4.8 grams of fuel this phase may last between three to six months. The spacecraft will be used to calibrate the space surveillance network. Lasers will be fired at SpinSat from the ground, the light reflected back will be measured to determine where in time and space the satellite is passing overhead. SpinSat will also model the density of the atmosphere. SpinSat carries a 2 watt RF output 9600 bps AX.25 packet radio store and forward system on 437.230 MHz. Additional details about SpinSat are available at the following websites http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2014/with-spinsat-mission-nrl-w… spin-small-satellite-in-space-with-new-thruster-technology NASA – SpinSat http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1019.html [ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ESTCube-1 Solar Sail Experiment After more than a year of preparations on Tuesday, September 16, 2014, the team started to deploy the electric solar sail tether on-board ESTCube-1. The process of burning the tether end-mass and spool locks and reeling out the first few centimeters of tether will start during the 09.06 – 09.19Z pass over Estonia. This is a high pass and should be visible over most of the Europe. During the locks release process and after reeling the tether out some centimeters, images will be taken. If everything is OK with the tether, additional unreeling will take place in coming days. If you are interested in receiving ESTCube-1 during those exciting passes, the UZ7HO 9600 bps packet softmodem and an Online Telemetry Decoder by Mike Rupprecht DK3WN can be used. But basically any 9600 bps G3RUH TNC or decoder can be used to receive ESTCube-1. ESTCube-1 Online Telemetry Decoder by Mike Rupprecht DK3WN http://www.dk3wn.info/files/estcube_online.zip We are looking forward to receiving your reports on the address es5e AT estcube DOT eu, and we would really appreciate if you would also send received data in live, using Mike’s decoder. You can also connect with ESTCube-1 time via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/estcube [ANS thanks Tõnis, ES5TF, 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-250 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 06 Sep '14

06 Sep '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-250 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: * ISS Antenna Constructed by AMSAT Key Factor in Sea Rescue * SSTV Active on ISS * BOD Ballots Must be Recieved by September 15 * Deadlines Approaching for the 2014 AMSAT-NA Symposium * AMSAT AWARDS Update * Submit Messages for Asteroid Mission Time Capsule * AMSAT Symposium Auction * Western States Satellite DXpedition on the Road Now * ARTSAT1: INVADER (CO-77) Decays * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.01 ANS-250 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 7, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-250.01 ISS Antenna Constructed by AMSAT Key Factor in Sea Rescue Since 2010, the International Space Station has been equipped with a space-based Vessel ID System receiver that allows it to track ships at sea by way of a ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal. Since then, the system aboard the ISS has been receiving as many as 400,000 ship position reports from more than 22,000 different ships every single day. According to Horst Koenig, retired Head of ESA's ISS System Engineering Section, "We had very close cooperation with NASA and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). The AIS antenna was provided to ESA by AMSAT, along with an additional antenna for the Amateur Radio on International Space Station (ARISS) group." This is the story of how this experimental system was used in 2012 to rescue the sole surviving crewmember of a fishing vessel after it overturned in the North Atlantic during a storm. http://tinyurl.com/ANS250-gCaptian More on NASA's Vessel ID System experiment can be found http://tinyurl.com/ANS250-VesselID More on the AIS on ISS and Assembling the Experiment can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ANS250-AISonISS Congratulations to the ARISS hardware team that was responsible for the development of the ISS AIS antenna system! [ANS Thanks gCaptain.com and the European Space Agency for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SSTV Active on ISS The SSTV downlink from the Russian ARISS radio was active for several orbits Friday through Saturday. Reports from around the world were being exchanged on social media as well as on the AMSAT-BB. Signals were received on the 145.80 FM downlink frequency in PD 180 mode. Signal reports were strong. There is no word on how long the SSTV will be active. The APRS digipeater in the Columbus module continued to be in operation during the SSTV downlinks. Many pictures have been posted to http://spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php [ANS Thanks AMSAT-BB and Twitter and Facebook for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- BOD Ballots Must be Recieved by September 15 There is still time to vote but remember that Board of Directors ballots must be recieved at the AMSAT 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 the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadlines Approaching for the 2014 AMSAT-NA Symposium It is only five weeks from the kickoff of this year's AMSAT-NA Space Symposium, planned for October 10-12 in Baltimore, Maryland, so please sign up soon!! AMSAT is holding a block of rooms at a special $99 rate until September 17th. After that date, rooms may be available, but at a significantly higher regular rate. Details on the Symposium and room registration may be found at www.amsat.org. The submission deadline for papers to be included in the conference proceedings is September 15th. Details for submission may be found at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1568. The deadline for orders for the popular 2014 AMSAT Symposium commemorative shirts to be received is September 10th. These shirts must be ordered directly, and will not be available on the AMSAT Store or at the meeting. Details and a downloadable order form may be found at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2928. We are getting some fantastic items for the auction to be held during the symposium. A sampling of items include: A John Glenn limited edition commemorative, donated by Marilyn Mix and Dave Taylor, a Yaesu 757, from the estate of Astronaut Ronald Parise, 2 unbuilt models of the Energia-Buran and Space Station Mir in their original packaging, donated by Eric Rosenberg, and some Russian cultural and items and books. If you have items to donate, please contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net. And don't forget to bring your checkbooks as all proceeds are tax deductible and go to a great cause! [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT AWARDS Update AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO announce recent AMSAT AWARD Recipients. The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO. Kelly Davis, KC3CGT David Coutts, VE3KLX Michael Parrott, N4MEP Michael Jones, W6GYC Richard Weil, KW0U The following have earned their AMSAT Sexagesimal Award. Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, #166 The following have earned their Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award. Hector Martinez, CO6CBF, #81 (Basic 1,000 plus endorsements through 4,000) Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, #82 The following have earned their Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI 5,000 Award. Hector Martinez, CO6CBF, #31 To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Submit Messages for Asteroid Mission Time Capsule NASA is inviting the worldwide public to submit short messages and images on social media that could be placed in a time capsule aboard a spacecraft launching to an asteroid in 2016. Called the Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification- Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx), the spacecraft will rendezvous with the asteroid Bennu in 2019, collect a sample and return the cache in a capsule to Earth in 2023 for detailed study. The robotic mission will spend more than two years at the 1,760-foot (500-meter)-wide asteroid and return a minimum of 2 ounces (60 grams) of its surface material. Topics for submissions by the public should be about solar system exploration in 2014 and predictions for space exploration activities in 2023. The mission team will choose 50 tweets and 50 images to be placed in the capsule. Messages can be submitted Sept. 2 - 30. The time capsule website will give you the instructions on how to particpate. See: http://www.asteroidmission.org/timecapsule When the sample return capsule returns to Earth in 2023 with the asteroid material, the mission team will open the time capsule to view the messages and images, at which time the selected submissions will be posted online. [ANS thanks NASA and SpaceDaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Symposium Auction At this year's AMSAT Space Symposium, we are trying a few new things and we hope you will enjoy them. One exciting facet we are adding this year is an auction. All proceeds from the auction will support AMSAT's two major initiatives--the development and launch of the FOX satellite series and the ARISS program. As we prepare for the auction, we are asking for your help in donating specialty items for auction (minimum value $100) that will attract symposium attendee's attention and get them bidding up the item price. If you have any items that are ham related (no boat anchors please), items of historical value, space related and/or autographed items, or even sports tickets or time shares, we would love to get your donations. Think out of the box on this--what exciting things would you like to see in this auction? If you have something to donate to the Symposium auction, please send an e-mail to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, who will work with you on getting your item or items into the auction. Frank's e-mail address is ka3hdo at verizon dot net This auction, while adding a fun experience to the AMSAT Space Symposium experience, will also serve to keep amateur radio's spirit thriving in space through its donations to FOX and ARISS. On behalf of AMSAT, I thank you for your donations in advance. And I encourage each of you to attend and participate in this year's AMSAT Space Symposium to be held in Baltimore Maryland Oct 10-12. For more information, see: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1555 [ANS thanks Frank KA3DHO and Janet Bauer, Symposium Committee Co- Chairs, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Western States Satellite DXpedition on the Road Now John, K8YSE, has started on a grid expedition to some Western States. The grids that he will definitely operate from are: CN93, CN96, DN03, DN05, DN07, DN14, DN15, DN20, DN21, DN22, DN23, DN48, DN54, DN68, DN76, DN78, DM38, DM48 and DM49. John states, "There will be many other grids on the route, but I'll only operate from them if the situation permits. This is a tent camping trip, and the weather will play a role in when and if I can operate. The first grid will be DN54 although there may be one or two before that depending on the timing." John will be using an Icom 910H and an Arrow or Elk antenna rather than the setup in my truck that was used on the Lake Superior Expedition. Setup time and weather will be a factor. I don't anticipate operating in darkness although it may be possible at campsites. I will be using computer control on the linear birds. We don't have many satellites now and since AO-7 is now switching between Mode A and B, it will only be available every other day. The primary birds will be FO-29 and SO-50. There may be some AO-73, but not likely. If AO-7 is weak, he may operate on CW on that bird only. John will be track-able on APRS as K8YSE-9 (cellphone 3g/4g) and/or K8YSE-12, or -12 on RF. He also adds, "Sometime in October I will plan a short trip over to DM63/64 if anyone needs those grids. And on January 1st, 2015, I will operate at least one pass from FM13 in the afternoon." John doesn't anticipate doing LoTW for this expedition. Cards should be sent direct to him. If you have many contacts to confirm, a log excerpt can be sent that he can sign and return to you. Please make sure you indicate which grid he was in for each QSO. He also plans to record all passes and log on paper as well. QSOs will be confirmed sometime in December. To read John's complete press release, go to: http://amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2014-August/050548.html [ANS thanks John Papays, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARTSAT1: INVADER (CO-77) Decays ARTSAT1: INVADER (CO-77) decayed earlier this week . It was only 186 days since launch. However, we are so glad that many hams listen and report it. ARTSAT team is now concentrating the next project, ARTSAT2: DESPATCH as announced by JI1IZR last night. We are continuously going to develop our concept and philosophy through the creation of artworks using the data from INVADER and launch of next deep-space amateur spacecrafts, DESPATCH. We would be grateful for your continued cooperation. [ANS thanks Akihiro Kubota, ARTSAT Project for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between About Gagarin From Space, The Center Of Supplementary Education For Children Of Ruzayev District Mordovia Republic Russia and Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev using callsign RSØISS. The contact began 2014-08-30 10:00 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via R4UAB. ARISS Mentor was RV3DR. The Russian web site http://r4uab.ru/?page_id=6368 includes pictures, video, and descriptions of the contact and student activities. + A Successful contact was made between Gymnasium Siegburg Alleestraße Siegburg, Germany and Astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO using callsign DPØISS. The contact began 2014-09-01 13:12 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via DN6KW. ARISS Mentor was IN3GHZ. 600 were present in the audience, including students, parents, VIP's, members of the DLR team, University of Bonn and the German National Amateur Radio Society. The German nationwide TV stations ARD, WDR, RPR and some regional newspapers covered the event. + A Successful contact was made between Evansville Day School Evansville, Indiana USA and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-09-03 14:31 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via W9OG. ARISS Mentor was K5YFL. All 15 prepared questions plus two others were answered during the contact. For all their STEM efforts leading up to the ARISS contact, the mayor of Evansville declared Sept 3 as "Evansville Day School Science Day." Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule St. Joan of Arc School, Lisle, IL, direct via K9LEZ Contact is a go for: Mon 2014-09-08 18:34:45 UTC St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is located in Lisle, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. We are a pre-K to 8th grade school with about 600 students. St. Joan provides an educational environment which grants each student access to the highest quality and richest variety of integrated educational experiences within our means. We are committed to preparing our students to think critically and become confident, sensitive, Christian leaders capable of adapting and contributing to their community. Our school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence in 2011. Our school was named an IMSA (Illinios Math and Science Academy) Fusion School in 2012. Our school participated in NASA's microgravity program through the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in 2013. The teachers directly involves in this contact completed the American Radio Relay League's (ARRL) summer teacher institute program and are working with local radio amateurs to successfully complete this contact and to provide additional opportunities to our classrooms. Students First Names & Questions: 1. Caitlin: Was it hard to sit so long in the Soyuz capsule on the way to the ISS? 2. Ben: Do you have any type of church services or a chance to receive communion on the ISS? 3. Marlo: What is your favorite thing you have seen on Earth from the space station? 4. Mary: What type of research are you doing on the ISS? 5. Olivia: What made you want to become an astronaut? 6. Nicholas: What is your favorite thing to eat in space? 7. Merrick: How do you talk to your family and friends? 8. Charlotte: What happens if you get sick? 9. Amelia: Is it hard to sleep in space? 10. Taylor: What do you miss most about home? 11. Ava: What do you like to do in your free time? 12. Brady: What is the scariest thing you have experienced as an astronaut? 13. Nathan: What type of exercises do you do while in space? 14. Jake: What was your favorite subject while in school? 15. Kristine: What was the hardest part of astronaut training? 16. Phil: What is the most interesting object in the universe that you have seen from the ISS? 17. Miss Friedman: What advice would you give to a student who would like to someday become an astronaut? 18. Mrs. Anderson: What do you miss most about gravity? 19. Mrs. Anderson: What is the greatest challenge of living with people from other countries? 20. Miss Friedman: What do you enjoy most about being weightless? Lanier Middle School and Lanier Cluster Schools, Sugar Hill, GA, direct via W4GR Contact is a go for: Tue 2014-09-09 11:16:25 UTC Lanier Cluster is the home of the Longhorns! They are a group of schools with a common goal: Learn, Lead, Succeed. They are comprised of one special needs preschool (The Buice School), three elementary schools (Sugar Hill Elementary, Sycamore Elementary, White Oak Elementary), one middle school (Lanier Middle), and one high school (Lanier High). Their schools are located in the greater Atlanta metro area in the largest school district in Georgia. Their schools and cluster are named after nearby Lake Lanier, which part of the Chattahoochee River system. Lanier Cluster schools strive to create authentic learning environments for our students. Towards that end, our elementary schools, Lanier Middle, and Lanier High have project based learning programs for students. At Lanier High, students choose to be a part of a school within a school (academy model) as they guide students towards career and college readiness. Lanier High was also recently certified as a Georgia STEM high school, the only all-inclusive, traditional high school in Georgia that has received this STEM certification. Lanier Cluster students are excited about science and space exploration. They have participated in regional and state science fairs, designed an experiment flown in microgravity, and chatted with a NASA Earth scientist live on NASA TV. They have presented at conferences, participated in robotics and app challenge events, and even won an Emmy for work on a 3D computer animation for a PBS documentary. The students of Lanier Cluster are excited to be a part of this ARISS contact! Students First Names & Questions: 1. Marcus (12th grade) What was your motivation to becoming an astronaut? 2. Joseph (5th grade) If you were repairing the space station outside and the tether snapped, what would you do? 3. James (11th grade) Your whole life led up to this moment. You've gotten great grades through school and endured all the training that allowed you to go into space. Do you think it is all worth doing? Does it all payoff in this moment? 4. Bianca (5th grade) Do you do cool experiments? 5. Wyatt (3rd grade) What do you like best about space? 6. Red Lady Bug Class (PreK 4) Can you dance in space? 7. Reyes (4th grade) In our school we have an Inquiry Program, which is a collaborative program. As you work with other countries in space what challenges do you have as you collaborate with them. 8. America (3rd grade) How much do you weight when you wear your spacesuit on Earth? 9. Mason (5th grade) Does it get really hot when you re-enter Earth's atmosphere? 10. Zae-kwon (10th grade) Thinking of how long it took humans to go to the moon and how humans have not stepped foot on some of the other planets, how long do you think it will take to reach the nearest star system? 11. Green Frog Class (PreK 4) Will the spaceship crash into meteors? 12. Jahzay (5th grade) What exactly is your job at the space station? 13. Ormand (12th grade) What's the most annoying thing about zero gravity? 14. Charlie (5th grade) Have you come across any challenges yet? 15. Lily (5th grade) How do you sleep in space without floating around? 16. Brown Bear Class (PreK 4) How long is space training? 17. Savannah (4th grade) Once you have landed back on Earth, how do you make adjustments to being back on Earth and no longer in space (gravity, sleeping, eating, etc.) 18. Sherlyn (3rd grade) How many astronauts are there in space? 19. Kasandra (5th grade) Is (are) there food or restrooms in space? 20. Blue Butterfly Class (PreK 4) How do you eat food without it floating away? The ARISS team mourns the loss of Astronaut Steve Nagel, callsign N5RAW, who passed away on August 21. Steve supported amateur radio school contacts on two of his Shuttle flights as part of the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment) program, the forerunner to ARISS. Article from last week's ARISS Contact at Dorothy Grant Elementary in Fontana, CA: http://TinyURL.com/ANS250-DorothyGrant Here is the video that was put together by the Peoria Unified School District for the Zuni Hills Contact. Enjoy! http://youtu.be/cQpAlsBE2IE [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N, David AA4KN, Frank KA3DHO and Keith W5IU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over The CubeSat Chasqui-1 features on page 44 of the September issue of the free publication Sat Magazine http://www.satmagazine.com/download.php# Abyss-2 - from the Japanese language article it looks like it's carrying an amateur radio payload and will launch this December. Does anyone have any further information ? http://tinyurl.com/ANS250-Asteroid Also there appears to be a Japanese Lunar Orbiter under development which will carry an amateur radio transponder http://kit-okuyama-lab.com/en/sinen2/sinen2-outline/ [ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA for the above information] You Can Run But You Can't Hide Tom Doyle W9KE reports on the AMSAT-BB about a serendipitous CW contact earlier this week. On an early morning FO-29 pass I was doing some SDR desense tests. I was looking for an open spot to do the tests so as to not interfere with anyone. I send a bunch of dots or dashes to check the downlink signal on the SDR and identify myself with the call sign. There were some ssb contacts going on and some CW so I had to move from time to time. It seemed as if I was often in danger of interfering with a cw contact so I would have to move frequently. The sdr latency is an issue when trying to monitor your cw downlink. I heard my callsign on the downlink and thought that a two second latency delay was a bit much. I finally figured out that someone was calling me - it was the person that I had been trying to not interfere with by moving away from his frequency. It was K9CIS. He deserves an award for working someone who was not even trying to make a contact. He is a very skilled operator who had no trouble with the fact that I was operating without any Doppler correction and I had been jumping (not swooping) around trying to stay off his frequency for some time. Well done. [ANS thanks Tom W9KE 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

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