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ANS-088 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 29 Mar '15

29 Mar '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-088 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 FieldOps Team SO-50 Operating Guide is Available * AMSAT Hotel Room Reservations for Dayton Hamvention * AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention -- Call for volunteers * ARISS School Proposal Window, for US, Remains Open Through April 15 * Tim Peake and ARISS - GB1SS Listening and Standing By * Mark T. Vande Hei, KG5GNP, New Astronaut Ham * Satellite operation from Isle of Mull * Vote to Name the Next United Launch Alliance Rocket SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-088.01 ANS-088 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 088.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. March 29, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-088.01 AMSAT FieldOps Team SO-50 Operating Guide is Available AMSAT's Director of Field Operations, Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK says the FieldOps team is working to make how-to-operate-satellites information readily available on the web. Based on a hamfest handout designed and written by Patrick, "Getting Started with the FM Satellites", is available for download. Patrick shows the basic equipment and techniques to learn successful operating on the satellites. This guide also gives specific information on how to operate via SO-50, the only currently available FM satellite at the moment. Patrick's guide is posted at: http://www.amsat.org --> Satellite Info --> Station and Operating Hints. The direct link is http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2144 where you'll find the link "Operating FM Satellites" (and a link to the Spanish version also). [ANS thanks the AMSAT FieldOps Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Hotel Room Reservations for Dayton Hamvention Once again, this year, as in previous years AMSAT has reserved a block of rooms for the Dayton Hamvention at the Country Inn & Suites in Fairborn, Ohio. The cost is $109 per night. The cutoff date for reservations is April 12. First priority will be given to AMSAT members assisting with the booth operations, satellite operating demonstrations, and the AMSAT Forum presentations. Call Martha at the AMSAT office at 301-822-4376 to give her your arrival/departure dates and your credit card information. [ANS thanks Martha at the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention -- Call for volunteers Last year, we had 52 people assist with the AMSAT booth at the Dayton. It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2014 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun. The 2015 Hamvention is May 15-17. Would you consider helping AMSAT at Dayton this year? Whether you're available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated. Please send an e-mail to Steve, n9ip at amsat.org if you can help. [ANS thanks AMSAT's Hamvention Chairman Steve Belter, N9IP for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS School Proposal Window, for US, Remains Open Through April 15 ARISS is now accepting proposals for U.S. schools wishing to schedule contacts between their students and the International Space Station for the next cycle. Details on submitting proposals can be found below in the attached ARRL News Release. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 - April 15, 2015 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between *January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016*. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2015. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA. More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl dot org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim Peake and ARISS - GB1SS Listening and Standing By The UK Space Agency has launched a new programme, targeted at students, for the Tim Peake “Principia” mission to the ISS later this year. This is the result of nearly a nearly a years’ worth of effort, working with the UKSA to find a way to bring space to the students and enthuse the next generation of scientists, engineers technicians and mathematicians. The programme is a joint effort between ARISS, UKSA, RSGB, ESERO in the UK and ESA to raise awareness in Space, Amateur Radio and STEM subjects in general. The basis behind the programme is that schools/educational establishments offer a two day Space STEM event where space can be explored within the confines of the UK National Curriculum. Schools/establishments that are successful in applying for such a two day event will then also take part in an ARISS scheduled contact with Tim on the ISS as he orbits above the UK. Many different aspects of Amateur Radio are being promoted from amateur radio in general to the amateur satellite service, data from orbiting spacecraft (FUNcube and with luck the first of the Fox satellites) to the latest equipment on the ISS, the HAMVideo system assuming all goes to plan with the upcoming testing. ARISS UK mentors will assist the schools, provide all the necessary RF equipment and will, with our colleagues in the BATC, live web stream the contacts. We are also promoting this as an opportunity for a suitably licensed student to be in charge of the transmitter for the actual contact itself and to host the call to the ISS. Our national society, the Radio Society of Great Britain, will be working with the selected schools and interested students to ensure that the students that wish to obtain their own license can do so. Tim will be making use of the GB1SS call sign that has been granted by Ofcom, the spectrum regulator in the UK. Tim Peake recently also recorded a short video and you can see this at http://www.amsat-uk.org/ along with the contents of the UKSA press release. Tim is extremely enthusiastic and is looking forward to using the amateur radio equipment whilst he is on orbit. The Tim Peake ESERO resource page is at http://www.esero.org.uk/timpeake The announcements with the guide, application form, press releases and a downloadable copy of the video are at http://tinyurl.com/ariss-timpeake The RSGB announcement is at http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/headlines/2015/03/20/g3rjv-wins- prestigious-technical-award/ [ANS thanks Ciaran, M0XTD, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark T. Vande Hei, KG5GNP, New Astronaut Ham Mark T. Vande Hei attended license classes on March 11 and 12 and passed the Technician exam on March 13. His callsign, KG5GNP, appeared in the FCC database on March 24. Vande Hei was selected in June 2009 as a member of the 20th NASA astronaut class. He completed astronaut candidate training in June 2011 and is now qualified for future flight assignment. From June 2012 to May 2013, he served as the Astronaut Office's Director of Operations in Russia. He currently works in the Astronaut Office's CAPCOM Branch. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in July 2006 to serve as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center, Houston. He served as an International Space Station CAPCOM for Expeditions 15 to 20 and STS-122, 123, 124, 126 and 127. Vande Hei was a member of the 18th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) expedition that spent nine days living and conducting research 62 feet below the surface in Florida International University's Aquarius Reef Base undersea research habitat off the coast of Key Largo, Fla. They investigated tools, techniques and technologies that will benefit spacefarers aboard future International Space Station and long-duration exploration missions. "NEEMO 18 was a fantastic opportunity for me to participate in the development of technologies and techniques for future exploration," said Vande Hei. "That by itself would have been plenty, but on top of that I got to experience life in an environment that most of us don't get to experience as well as enjoy the company of some fantastic teammates, both on the crew and in the ground control and support team." [ANS thanks Kenneth N5VHO , ARISS and NASA for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite operation from Isle of Mull Ten members of the Camb-Hams are returning to Grasspoint IO76EJ on Mull (IOTA EU-008) from May 15-21, 2015 as GS3PYE/P. They will be QRV with multiple stations on HF on 3.5-28MHz SSB, CW, RTTY and PSK with dipoles and verticals and up to 400W if necessary. VHF activity will be on 50MHz, 70MHz and 144MHz, all bands QRO with sizeable antennas. VHF will be mainly QRV using JT6m or ISCAT on 50MHz, FSK441 on 70MHz and FSK441 and JT65b (for EME) on 144MHz, but SSB and CW is also possible, especially in any sporadic E propagation openings. Other modes by agreement. Satellite operations on 2m & 70cm will use an Icom IC-910 and X-Quad antennas mounted on a fully automatic AZ/EL tracking system. If internet connectivity allows, the VHF operators will monitor ON4KST Chat for terrestrial activity and N0UK JT65 chat for EME. You can submit your VHF sked requests online here: http://tiny.cc/gs3pyesked The team will be QRV in the 80m CW CC event on the 21st and in the 144MHz contest on the 16th and 17th. They may do very short side trips to Iona and the Treshnish Islands and will announce these nearer the time on the website. Please QSL only via OQRS on ClubLog for direct or bureau cards. Do not send any cards direct or via the bureau. For the latest info see http://dx.camb-hams.com/ http://twitter.com/g3pye http://facebook.com/CambHams http://youtube.com/CambHams [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Vote to Name the Next United Launch Alliance Rocket United Launch Alliance (ULA), is asking America to help name its next rocket, calling on citizens to play a role in the future of space launch by voting for the name of the new rocket that will be responsible for the majority of the nation's future space launches. For the next two weeks, the public can vote for its favorite rocket name - Eagle, Freedom, GalaxyOne, Vulcan or Zeus - with the results being announced on April 13 along with the design and components of ULA's innovative, next- generation rocket. The top three names were selected from more than 400 names submitted by ULA's 3,400 employees and space enthusiasts earlier this year. ULA employees - rocket scientists, engineers and patriots - will design and build this rocket with the first flight expected in 2019. In order to vote for America's next rocket, voters can visit the website from March 23 to April 6: http://bit.ly/rocketvote. Voters can also text 22333 to submit a vote for their favorite name. The following key can be used to text a vote: . ULA1 for "Eagle" . ULA2 for "Freedom" . ULA3 for "GalaxyOne" . ULA4 for "Vulcan" . ULA5 for "Zeus" (Text and data rates may apply.) [ANS thanks the United Launch Alliance 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-018 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 22 Mar '15

22 Mar '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-018 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: * Fox-1A Launch Date * Most Current ISS Keps * NASA Cubesat Simulators Intern Opportunities Summer 2015 * AESP-14 CubeSat on ISS awaiting deployment * OGMS-SA CubeSat to provide FM Transponder * Call for Speakers and Papers for the 41st Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference * Dick Flagg, AH6NM, honored as Yasme Excellence Award Winner * Video of FUNcube-1 demonstration at IARU-R1 conference * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-018.01 ANS-018 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 018.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 18, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-018.01 ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- Fox-1A Launch Date AMSAT has received a launch date for the Fox-1A satellite. Fox-1A will be launched on August 27, 2015 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on the NROL-55 flight for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The launch time has not been announced. Fox-1A Operating Frequencies include: Uplink 435.180 MHz FM Downlink 145.980 MHz FM The AMSAT Fox series of satellites will include additional opportunities for launch during 2015-2016: + Fox-1B will fly with the Vanderbilt University radiation experiments expected in 2016. + Fox-1C* will launch on Spaceflight's maiden mission of the SHERPA multi-cubesat deployer during the 3rd quarter of 2015. + Fox-1D is a flight spare for Fox-1C. If not needed as a spare it will become available to launch on any open launch slot which becomes available and be submitted in a Cubesat Launch Initiative (CSLI) proposal in 2015. + Fox-1E is built as a flight spare for Fox-1B but has been included in a student science proposal as part of the November, 2014 CSLI for an ELaNa flight slot. If selected the Fox-1B spare will fly as Fox-1E. * The flight for Fox-1C has been purchased by AMSAT. It is not funded by the Cubesat Launch Initiative ELaNa program. Fund raising for the $125,000 launch costs for Fox-1C are underway. We have 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. You may donate at: + The AMSAT web site http://www.amsat.org + AMSAT's page on the FundRazr crowdsourcing web site http://fnd.us/c/6pz92/sh/561Zd + Or Call Martha at the AMSAT Office (888) 322-6728 [ANS thanks the Fox-1 Team for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Most Current ISS Keps AMSAT has been working on updating the keps for the ISS in a more timely manner. Joe Fitzgerald has confirmed that the AMSAT keps download site is now updated with the latest ISS data. Here is his comment: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/keps/current/nasabare.txt is updated daily at 11:18 UTC with TLE's from Spaceflight.nasa.gov http://tinyurl.com/ANS018-ISS-TRAJECTORY-DATA According to Joe Fitzgerald, "This is a very significant improvement and should be very helpful for this who need accurate keps for school contacts and other ISS activities." The bulletins remain on a weekly schedule with data from spacetrack.org The ARISS team suggests this information should be share accordingly. [ANS Thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, and ARISS for the above information.] ----------------------------------------------- ----------------------- NASA Cubesat Simulators Intern Opportunities Summer 2015 CubeSat Simulator Intern Opportunities in Greenbelt, MD USA The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is offering an internship position for the Summer 2015 semester. Applications are being taken on the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) recruiting web site. To search, go to: https://intern.nasa.gov --> Student Opportunities --> Internships --> and you are brought to a page with tabs. The opening tab HOME describes the main ground rules and schedule. Click the SEARCH OPPORTUNITIES tab and scroll to the very bottom. Enter Keyword in the box: "cubesat" without the quotes, then click the Search and then you will get a growing list of opportunities including the Cubesat Simulator, Cubesat Groundstation, and PICetSat Module & PCB Development. This brings the student to this page: https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/guest/searchOpps/ Again, the Internship Titles are: o CubeSat Simulator Upgrade Plus o CubeSat Ground Station Development o PICetSat Module & PCB Development The objective of this Opportunity is to allow a university level student to rework, repair and improve a prototype "1-Unit" CubeSat simulator/model on loan from AMSAT and then to share his or her experiences as a result. The model used in this Opportunity is similar to that described in The AMSAT Journal article "Education With a Satellite Simulator: ETP CubeSat Simulator," by Mr. Mark Spencer, ARRL Education and Technology Program Coordinator, Part 1 in the the September/October 2009 issue and Part 2 in the November/ December 2009 issue. Back copies are available at: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ETP/CubeSat/CubeSat-Pt1-SepOct09.pdfhttp://w… A course of study in engineering is required. Electrical/Electronics Engineering (EE) or Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) for university students in their junior class or higher. Experience in hardware is also required. Open to U.S. citizens. The immediate skills required of the intern are to be a well-rounded individual, and to have an excellent knowledge of and experience with Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office (especially in using spreadsheets), electrical and electronic circuits (theory and practice), microcontrollers, interfacing, and the use of basic laboratory test equipment and procedures. Familiarity with the CubeSat community is important. A proficiency in either C++ or a similar language for microcontrollers and the desire to learn a new one is necessary. A basic understanding of data acquisition, signal processing, or control is required. Hands-on experience in building something, repairing or upgrading PCs or other electronic gear, or just getting stuff to work is required. Mechanical and electrical construction skills will be used. Experience in RF or wireless technology (anywhere between 3 and 2400 MHz) is very important. Holding or obtaining an Amateur Radio license from the FCC and practical radio experience is a distinct advantage. A good attitude, an exceptional willingness to learn and to contribute as a team player are essential qualities. Likewise, excellent communicator skills (verbal, writing and definitely e-mail), reliability, punctuality, having a self-starter work ethic and the ability & desire to work independently for long periods are required. You may ask questions regarding the tasks and skill requirements with the mentor in advance (Mr. Pat Kilroy, Code 568, Patrick.L.Kilroy(a)nasa.gov) and telephone interviews will be available. The student application instructions provide a deadline of March 1 to apply, but mentors will start evaluating applications as soon as next week. The word to the wise is to get one's application in ASAP and certainly within the next three weeks! Applications must be made via the OSSI web. Please Be sure to enclose your callsign. https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/main/index.cfm?sola rAction= view&subAction=content&contentCode=HOME_PAGE_INTERNSHIPS [ANS thanks NASA and Pat, N8PK for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------- OGMS-SA CubeSat to provide FM Transponder The AESP-14 is a 1U CubeSat developed by undergraduate and graduate engineering students at the Technology Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) in Brazil. The satellite’s primary mission is to test the various subsystems in the space environment. The satellite was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) on January 10 by the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch and it is now awaiting release into space by the JEM orbital deployer (J-SSOD) at the Kibo Japanese module. The satellite has an amateur radio experiment developed by the Americana Amateur Radio Club (CRAM). The experiment consists of the random transmission of 100 sequences of ASCII characters prefixed with the “CRAM” word that will used as part of a contest among receiving stations. The first 10 amateur radio stations that complete receiving the 100 sequences will be awarded a commemorative diploma. A web site is being developed to collect the sequences. The site address will be announced shortly. AESP-14 will transmit with an RF power of 500 mW on 437.600 MHz using the 9600 bps G3RUH modulation (GFSK) and AX.25 UI framing. Radio amateurs are encouraged to send any telemetry frames received back to the team. Telemetry format and more information will be published in the project web site http://www.aer.ita.br/~aesp14 An update bulletin will be released as soon as the final launch date is announced by NASA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Edson, PY2SDR for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------- OGMS-SA CubeSat to provide FM Transponder OGMS-SA is a 3U CubeSat being developed by students at the Paris-Est Creteil University as part of the QB50 constellation. The purposes of this CubeSat include upper atmosphere science; radio communication experiments; technology demonstrator; education, training and outreach. Additionally it will provide an FM voice transponder for amateur use. Planning is to use VHF uplink and UHF downlink with 9k6 FX25 GMSK modulation. A downlink of 437.545 MHz has been coordinated. OGMS-SA CubeSat http://www.esep.pro/-CubeSat-OGMS-SA-En-construction-.html Source IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru QB50 CubeSat Launch Contract Signed http://amsat-uk.org/2014/01/28/qb50-cubesat-launch-contract-signed / [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Call for Speakers and Papers for the 41st Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference Talks and papers, both long and short, are needed for the 41st Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference on April 17-19 2015 in Manchester, CT. Please tell us about what you have been working on: Operating, contesting, construction, homebrewing, microwaves. Please let Paul, W1GHZ, (w1ghz(a)arrl.net) know if you are considering a presentation or paper. A commitment by the end of February would be appreciated, with a deadline of 18 March. The conference organizers are also planning another Friday afternoon workshop. One suggestion is for an Antenna Modeling workshop. We could even do two simultaneous workshops - one for Antenna Modeling and something else for those who aren't computer-oriented. Any suggestions, please. Find additional details at http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html [ANS thanks Paul, W1GHZ for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Dick Flagg, AH6NM, honored as Yasme Excellence Award Winner The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has announced the recipients of several awards. The Foundation named four individuals to receive the Yasme Excellence Award for 2014. Honored as Yasme Excellence Award winners were: * Kimo Chun, KH7U, for 20 years of behind-the-scenes support to DXpeditions to Pacific entities -- including logistics, organization, equipment, local contacts, and planning. * Dick Flagg, AH6NM, for his years of working with the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program and its predecessor Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX), and for supporting NASA's Radio Jove project, both designed to introduce Amateur Radio to students and the general public. * Florin Cristian Predescu, YO9CNU, and Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, for their work in organizing and promoting Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) and Amateur Radio youth activities. The Yasme Excellence Award is presented to individuals who, through their own service, creativity, effort, and dedication, have made a significant contribution to Amateur Radio in technical, operating, or organizational achievement. http://www.yasme.org/news_release/2014-01-07.pdf [ANS thanks ARRL Letter and YASME Foundation for the above information] ------------------------------------------- -------------------------- Video of FUNcube-1 demonstration at IARU-R1 conference Riaan Greeff ZS4PR has released a video of the demonstration of the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) CubeSat by Graham Shirville G3VZV to delegates at the IARU Region 1 Conference in September 2014. Mats SM6EAN has posted a brief 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. Post by Mats SM6EAN in Swedish http://www.ssa.se/iaru-reg-1-dag-4/ FUNcube http://FUNc ube.org.uk/ FUNcube SDR Dongle http://FUNcubeDongle.com/ FUNcube Yahoo Group http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/ Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboa rd/ Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/ Hamnet http://hamnetdb .net/ IARU Region 1 Conference documents and pictures http://iarur1con2014.bfra.bg/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------- AMSAT Events Information 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). * Friday and Saturday, 16-17 January 2015 – Cowtown Hamfest in Forest Hill TX (south of Fort Worth) * Saturday, 14 February 2015 – presentation for the Greater Los Angeles Mensa Regional Gathering 2015 in Los Angeles CA (Concourse Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport) * 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) * Saturday, 7 March 2015 – Irving Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Irving TX (west of Dallas) * Friday and Saturday, 13-14 March 2015 – Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK (northeast of Tulsa) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 March 2015 – Acadiana Hamfest in Rayne LA (west of Lafayette) * Saturday, 21 March 2015 – Weatherford Hamfest in Weatherford TX (west of Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex) * Saturday, 21 March 2015 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Scottsdale AZ (northeast of Phoenix, near AZ-101/Princess Drive) * Saturday, 28 March 2015 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ (22nd Street, east of Columbus Blvd.) * Friday, 3 April 2015 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach in Signal Hill CA (Signal Hill Community Center) * Saturday TBD in early May 2015 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ * Saturday TBD in early June 2015 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ * Friday and Saturday, 12-13 June 2015 – HAM-COM in Irving TX (west of Dallas) * Friday and Saturday, 7-8 August 2015 – Austin Summerfest in Austin TX [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------- ARISS News + A direct contact with students at Richmond Heights Middle School and at BioTECH @ Richmond Heights High School in Miami, Florida, USA via W1HQL was successful Thu 2015-01-15 16:09:40 UTC 46 deg. Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZ0UDF answered 12 questions for an audience of 400 students. RICHMOND HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL Richmond Heights Middle School opened its doors in 1963 in the Richmond Heights community in southwest Miami, Florida. The now 50 year old school, is located in a historic African American Community. An army captain by the name of Frank C. Martin believed it to be a wise investment as well as the right thing to do to establish a housing development in which Black veterans of WWII could purchase their own home. There are currently 636 students and a teaching staff of 41 faculty members. Along with its exemplary athletics program, full time gifted program, and Cambridge program, Richmond Heights Middle School offers a Zoology Magnet program to the students of Miami Dade County Public Schools. This is an extremely unique magnet program that is one of only three in the nation. The zoology magnet is a result of a partnership with Zoo Miami, the Zoological Society of Florida and Richmond Heights Middle School. It has been in existence since 1988. Students have the unique opportunity to visit the zoo to study the animals within their exhibits while engaging in STEM fields of study. BIOTECH @ RICHMOND HEIGHTS 9-12 HIGH SCHOOL BioTECH @ Richmond Heights 9-12 High School is the only Conservation Biology public magnet high school is the United States and boasts three campuses: our educational center at Richmond Campus, our Research Station at Zoo Miami, and our Botanical Outpost at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. BioTECH provides students with a challenging and advanced level math and science curriculum focused on Conservation Biology that exposes them to rigorous STEM coursework as well as research opportunities with practicing scientists in state-of- the-art laboratories. In classes taken on-site at Zoo Miami, students study the human impact on biological diversity, making BioTECH the only school in the country to offer a full research and teaching facility within zoo grounds. Research experiences are offered in collaboration with the local zoo and the local research and botanic garden. BioTECH is currently home to 130 students that travel within the boundaries of a 467 square mile area to attend this unique school. The school opened its doors in August 2014 with a total of 8 faculty members, 7 support staff members, and an arsenal of practicing scientists and conservation educators from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Zoo Miami, Zoological Society of Florida, Everglades National Park, The Dumond Conservancy, and Biscayne National Park. 1. How would astronauts combat disease, say an accidental infection by a Salmonella culture, given the increased virulence of microbes in space? 2. What kind of work is the crew doing in support of the future missions to Mars? 3. We have a 3D printer in our school. What are the future implications of having a 3D printer on-board? What types of prints will you create? 4. Does experiencing a sunrise/sunset every 90 minutes change your sleep/wake cycles? 5. Do you feel physical exhaustion in space at the end of your work day? How long is your work day? 6. Without gravity, how do plants, such as Arabidopsis, determine orientation germination? Geotropism what do roots do? Do plants on the ISS grow in all different directions? 7. Do you feel stressed on the space station? How do you cope with stress on a space station and does it have more or less of an effect on your immune system in space? Measure muscle conditioning? 8. How are astronaut diets altered to accommodate the changes to the digestive system in microgravity? 9. All work and no play can be boring. What do you do for fun up in space? 10. How do you keep from feeling trapped in the space station? 11. What role did your education play in becoming an astronaut? 12. Which teacher influenced you the most in your life and why? Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + A direct contact with high school students at Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) headquarters in Shibuya, Japan in connection with their “Masakame” event is scheduled for Sat 2015-01-24 14:21:04 UTC 56 deg. Japan’s NHK is televising a regular science program “Masakame” for young people. ("Masakame" means Good Heavens.) They are planning to offer a special program around the ARISS contact, which will be video recorded, and Amateur Radio satellites on air on February 28. The following contacts with RSØISS: + A direct contact with students in Kursk, Russia scheduled for Wed 2014-12-24 has been postponed until January. + A direct contact with students in Kursk, Russia scheduled for Thu 2014-12-25 has been postponed until January. No additional information has been provided. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] ------------------------------------------- -------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over 73 on 73 Award #7 - EA4AYW Congratulations to Jorge Gallardo Sanchez, EA4AYW, for becoming the seventh recipient of the 73 on 73 Award. He submitted a list of 73 stations worked via AO-73 between September 1, 2014 and January 9, 2015. For more information on the award see http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ [ANS thanks Paul, N8HM 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-074 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 15 Mar '15

15 Mar '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-074 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 2015 Hamfest Recruiting Brochure Available * AMSAT Presence at 2015 Science City/Tucson Festival of Books * New SpaceMath@NASA Resources Available * 2015 NASA Office of Education -- Aeronautics Undergraduate Scholarship * ARISS School Proposal Window, for US, Remains Open Through April 15 * More satellite DX News * $50SAT/MO-76: 15 months, 15 orbits per day, and some unexpected behavior * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.01 ANS-074 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 15, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-074.01 AMSAT 2015 Hamfest Recruiting Brochure Available As hamfest season nears we've added a link to AMSAT's 2015 Recruiting Brochure to the page listing the hamfests our AMSAT Field Ops guys and helpers plan to attend: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=218 This color PDF file is a recruiting tool to help share the excitement of AMSAT and amateur radio in space. The brochure designed to print double-sided and be folded tri-fold. The AMSAT office maintains a small stock of these printed brochures. They have been included in the hamfest support boxes available to support your event. For more information about these kits, contact: martha at amsat dot org If you are setting up a hamfest or club support activity let our Director of Field Operations, Patrick WD9EWK know via wd9ewk at amsat dot org and you will be listed on the events page. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Field Ops team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Presence at 2015 Science City/Tucson Festival of Books AMSAT took part in the University of Arizona's K7UAZ Amateur Radio Club booth at the 2015 Science City/Tucson Festival of Books, on the main mall of the University of Arizona in Tucson on Saturday, 14 March 2015. Science City/Tucson Festival of Books is a large science fair held yearly in Tucson, and AMSAT is happy to support the K7UAZ club. More information about this event is available at: http://www.sciencecity.arizona.edu/ During the day (0930-1730 local, 1630-0030 UTC), Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK took advantage of opportunities for on-air demonstrations of amateur satellite activity. Satellite demonstrations were conducted using Patrick's WD9EWK call sign. The radio club's K7UAZ call sign was used for making HF contacts. The University of Arizona campus is in grid DM42. Patrick posted updates during the day from Science City on his @WD9EWK Twitter feed. If you aren't on Twitter, you can view these in a web browser at: http://twitter.com/WD9EWK Satellite QSOs made during the demonstration using Patrick's WD9EWK callsign will be uploaded to the Logbook of the World, and Patrick have QSL cards available on request for those wanting to receive a written confirmation. Please e-mail him with the QSO details: WDEWK at amsat dot org The K7UAZ club callsign was used for using HF contacts, please direct those QSL requests to the K7UAZ club, email to k7uazarc at gmail dot com, or at the club's postal address: K7UAZ Amateur Radio Club Systems & Industrial Engineering Department The University of Arizona 1127 E. James E. Rogers Way P.O. Box 210020 Tucson, AZ 85721-0020 PAtrick reports that QSOs were made using his WD9EWK callsign via AO- 7, AO-73, FO-29, SO-50 and a QSO using APRS messages via the ISS packet digipeater. Patrick would like to thank Kirk Krenzel N7VGJ and the K7UAZ Amateur Radio Club as well as the Ohio Valley Amateur Radio Club W0HF, for their hospitality in Tucson. [ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New SpaceMath@NASA Resources Available Explore behind-the-scenes mathematics that occur when scientists make discoveries and engineers solve technical problems in spacecraft design and spaceflight. Each module uses press releases to spark student interest, then standards-based mathematics and science skills are explored that relate to the missions discussed. New modules are now available that focus on the SAGE III stratospheric aerosol mission and the JPL InSight Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2016. The multimedia modules follow the 5E education approach. The SAGE III stratospheric aerosol mission modules are available at http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/SAGEIII/SAGEIII.html. The JPL InSight Mars Lander mission modules are available at http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/Mars.html. Questions about these resources should be directed to Dr. Sten Odenwald at sten.f.odenwald at nasa dot gov. [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- March 5, 2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 NASA Office of Education -- Aeronautics Undergraduate Scholarship NASA's Office of Education is accepting applications for the for the Aeronautics Undergraduate Scholarship, or AUS, program. The Aeronautics Undergraduate Scholarship is for individuals pursuing or planning to pursue undergraduate studies leading to an Associate's or a Bachelor's degree in areas related to aeronautics. These scholarships are directed toward enhancing the state of aeronautics for the nation, transforming the nation's air transportation system, and developing the knowledge, tools, and technologies to support future air and space vehicles. Eligible students include freshmen, sophomores and juniors at the undergraduate level. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals. The scholarship includes 75% of tuition up to $9,000 academic scholarship, based on tuition amount, and $6,000 for a summer internship. Applications are due March 31, 2015. Applications should be submitted through the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative at http://intern.nasa.gov. Applicants should be sure to select "scholarship" for the type of application. Questions about the 2015 Aeronautics Undergraduate Scholarship opportunity should be emailed to: NASA.ASP2015 at nasaprs dot com. [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- March 5, 2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS School Proposal Window, for US, Remains Open Through April 15 February 17, 2015 - ARISS is now accepting proposals for U.S. schools wishing to schedule contacts between their students and the International Space Station for the next cycle. Details on submitting proposals can be found below in the attached ARRL News Release. Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 - April 15, 2015 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between *January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016*. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2015. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA. More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Information Sessions are available for those wishing to obtain more information or to ask questions about the ARISS Proposal process. Upcoming sessions will be held Monday March 16 at 7pm EDT and Thursday March 26 at 4pm EDT. Those interested in attending one of these sessions should send email to ariss at arrl dot org to request login information. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl dot org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- More satellite DX News: Mike, WA0SPG, who will be on his first DXpedition, will be active as WA0SPG/4 from the Dry Tortugas between May 4-6th. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW and SSB. Equipment will be a KX3 and a FT-817 into a buddipole vertical dipole near saltwater, Alpha vertical and Loop antenna. Mike will also be on the satellite using 2x FT-817's for SO-50 and FO-29 (CW/SSB) with both arrow and elk antennas. All power will be by Goal Zero batteries being charged by Solar PV panels. QSL via his home callsign. Clayton, W5PFG says several AMSAT satellite operators are working with Mike to prepare for this trip. [ANS thanks the OPDX Bulletin, John Papay, K8YSE, and Clayton, W5PFG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- $50SAT/MO-76: 15 months, 15 orbits per day, and some unexpected behavior Saturday, February 21, 2015 marked the 15 month anniversary of the launch of $50SAT/MO-76, and you guessed it - it is still operating. Thursday, February 12, 2015 marked a different milestone - its orbit has decayed to the point where its mean motion crossed the 15 orbits per day threshold. The TLEs from Saturday, February 21, 2015 indicate it is now at 15.00521293 orbits per day. Some people noticed that something odd started happening on Monday, February 23, and Tuesday, February 24. The $50SAT/MO-76 team noticed the same thing - during daytime passes in the northern hemisphere, $50SAT was transmitting once per minute, always sending telemetry in RTTY format, but never sending GFSK telemetry packets. Moreover, the total reset count kept going up by one each time. The link below will list all the RTTY telemetry messages (of which the $50SAT/MO-76 team are aware) gathered on February 23 and 24: http://amsat-uk.org/2015/03/05/mo-76-15-months/ What seems to be happening on the decending (daytime) passes is the CPU is reset just after sending a full RTTY telemetry message, as here are no GFSK packets sent, but within a half minute the FM Morse beacon is heard with Stuart's callsign (GW7HPW, the first one in the rotation). The teams guess is that the battery voltage is decaying during the operational cycle, and goes below the 2.9V reset threshold just after sending the RTTY or just as it is about to send the GFSK packets. nce the satellite is able to enable solar power (PCB temperature >= 0 degrees C), it starts behaving normally; it is now able to send GFSK packets. During ascending (nighttime) passes, it behaves normally, at least here in EN82 land. There was a brief time where this behavior stopped (2015-02-25, 17:05 UTC through 2015-02-26, 3:47 UTC). It did, however, start back up sometime before 2015-02-26, 05:21 UTC, and has continued since. Why is this happening now? The team is still investigating, but it is apparent when looking at the chart of battery voltage over the lifetime of $50SAT/MO-76 that the battery has suffered a sizeable drop in capacity. If the battery voltage under load is dropping below 2.9V, how is it able to recover back above 3.3 V (the minimum required to enable transmission) and nearly complete another operational cycle? Moreover, why does it always seem to be able to finish sending an entire RTTY packet before resetting? In the hopes of better understanding what is happening, I am in the process of re- assembling my "BoxSat" test setup in an effort to reproduce on the ground what is happening in space. In the meantime, the once-per- minute transmission is actually convenient from telemetry monitoring standpoint, as one no longer has to wait 3 minutes for $50SAT/MO-76 to start transmitting. So, for any of you who have not heard $50SAT/MO-76, now is the time. Who knows how long it will continue to operate in this manner? Who knows how long it will continue to operated at all? Every time an anomaly has occurred and thought, "this is it - well, it was great while it lasted", $50SAT/MO-76 has proven to survive. The team hopes that is the case here as well. The Dropbox has been updated with all the telemetry observations through (Wednesday, March 4 2015, and can be accessed via the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-074-50Dollar-Telemetry I have also uploaded an MP3 file from the daytime pass over EN82 land on Friday, February 27, 2015 starting at 16:59 UTC (11:59 AM local time); it can be accessed via the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-074-50Dollar-MP3 During the recording, I switch back and forth between FM and LSB modes so I can hear the FM Morse beacon as well as the RTTY telemetry. Please keep the telemetry observations coming, especially now! $50SAT was a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, Morehead State University and three other radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW. The transmitter power is just 100 mW on 437.505 MHz (+/-9 kHz Doppler shift) FM CW/RTTY. $50SAT uses the low cost Hope RFM22B single chip radio and PICAXE 40X2 processor. There is a discussion group for $50SAT http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/50dollarsat/ 50DollarSat http://www.50dollarsat.info/ [ANS Thanks Michael Kirkhart KD8QBA, the $50SAT/MO-76 team and AMSAT- UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Double School Contact for Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 10:51 UTC, 11:51 local time and at 12:29 UTC, 13:29 local time, students at "G. Salvemini - G. La Pira", Montemurlo, Italy, and "Dante Alighieri" 1st Grade Secondary (Middle) School, Casale Monferrato, Italy established two ARISS contacts with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF onboard the International Space Station. These were direct contacts performed by Amateur radio ground stations IQ5VR, located at "G. Salvemini - G. La Pira" in Montemurlo and IK1SLD located at "Dante Alighieri" School in Casale Monferrato. Presentation G. Salvemini - G. La Pira The school "Salvemini - La Pira" is in Montemurlo, province of Prato, Tuscany region and it is a Secondary Middle School; it has 21 classes with pupils aged between 11 and 14. The name of the school derives from the fusion of the two schools of the commune. This is the only secondary middle school of the area. The schoolhouse hosts around 520 pupils. Presentation "Dante Alighieri" The "Dante Alighieri" School is situated a bit off the town centre of Casale Monferrato, near the ancient Cittadella, province of Alessandria, Piedmont region. It's a modern construction, developed on two main buildings: one for the school's didactical and administrative activities, one for the sport activities (gym and pool). It's surrounded by a wide playground, with a little plantation of poplars, planted by the pupils of the school. There are 12 classrooms (4 at the main floor and 8 at the first floor) and different labs: Science lab, Informatics lab, Techno lab, Art lab, Maths lab, Languages lab and a coloured and wide library. There is also a lot of afternoon activities, such as Latin courses, Languages courses and sport tournaments (soccer, basket, volley). The Dante Secondary I grade School has a current roll of 230 and a teaching staff of 29. In the last few years the school has been enhanced by the richness of its diverse student population. Mentor Francesco De Paolis IK0WGF proposed to the radio coordinators Mr. Alessandro Tesconi IK5EHI and Mr. Claudio Ariotti IK1SLD to set up a combined direct contact, with the support by IK1SLD back-up ground station and this was accepted. A phone conference call allowed the full sharing of the events between all the contact sites involved. The sequence of questions was made alternately by the students at two schools. ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZ0JPA participating to the event in the Montemurlo school, presented the International Space Station, talked about his experience aboard and before the AOS trained the students for thecontact. Great Paolo! Contact was established at 10:51 UTC, 11:51 local time with IR0ISS via IK1SLD and then via IQ5VR, alternately. Mr. Claudio Ariotti IK1SLD proposed to astronaut continue the contact during the following orbit. ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZ0UDF agreed. During the first scheduled contact Cristoforetti answered 10 questions from students. Samantha Cristoforetti was really very accurate in giving the answers with many details. At 12:29 UTC, 13:29 local time, contact was established again with IR0ISS, not on the primary channel, which was interfered, but on a back-up channel where the event continued normally without problem. During the second random contact Cristoforetti answered 11 questions from students and exchanged greetings with the schools. Signals from the ISS were good during both passes. Both contacts established with IR0ISS were webcast live on: http://www.livestream.com/amsat_italia (from Montemurlo) http://www.livestream.com/ariss (from Casale Monferrato) The Montemurlo event is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egJ72f_I6To The Casale Monferrato event is available at: http://livestre.am/545U4 Regional and Local Televisions and newspapers covered the event also. About 700 students, parents, visitors and media attended the events at contact sites. The event was announced on ESA Portal - National News: http://tinyurl.com/ANS074-ESAPortalNews (Information is in Italian) [ANS thanks Francesco IK0WGF for the above information] + A Successful contact was made between SCHOOL CITY DIVISION COUNTRY and Astronaut FNAME LNAME CALLSIGN using CALLSIGN NA1SS/IRØISS. The contact began YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct/telebridged via CALLSIGN. ARISS Mentor was CALLSIGN. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Collège Paul Langevin, Saint Junien, France, direct via F8KFZ/P and Ecole "La Malmaison", Rueil-Malmaison, France, direct via F6KFA/p The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS The scheduled astronaut is Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF Contact is a go for: Thu 2015-03-19 08:17:56 UTC ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for any of the contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n at amsat dot org or aj9n at aol dot com. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN 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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ANS-067 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 08 Mar '15

08 Mar '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-067 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 and M2 Antenna Systems Announce Member-Only Special Pricing * Fox-1A Delivery and P-POD Integration Set For March 25 * AMSAT and University of Iowa Partner on Scientific Payload for Fox-1D * ISS Deploys Cubesats * I0/W5PFG/P Active on Satellites from Italy * Upcoming ARISS Contact 07 March 2015 * Danish Astronaut Earns Technician License * NASA JPL 2115 MHz Moonshine Signals Received in Australia SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.01 ANS-067 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. March 8, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-067.01 AMSAT-NA and M2 Antenna Systems Announce Member-Only Special Pricing M2 Antenna Systems, Inc. of Fresno, CA introduced the new satellite antenna LEO- Pack using their 436CP16 and 2MCP8A yagis during the 2015 HamCation in Orlando, FL. The 436CP16 and 2MCP8A are light weight, circularly polarized antennas optimized for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite communications or other applications where a small circular polarized antenna is required. Optimum match and gain designed for the satellite band. Rear mounted for easy coaxial cable routing. A preamp (not included) can be mounted close to the antenna for almost no coax loss before the preamp, maximizing your receive performance. Computer design techniques help keep spurious side lobes down for optimum signal to noise rations. Both the 436CP16 and 2MCP8A feature the same CNC machined, O- ring and silicone-gel sealed, driven element assemblies common to all M2 Yagi Antennas. This insures years of trouble free performance regardless of weather. M2 designed a custom LEO cross boom to pair these two antennas together for a very manageable amateur satellite ground station. AMSAT-NA and M2 Antenna Systems are pleased to announce that the LEO-Pack system is being offered to members only at $499, shipping included (US only). Non- members can join AMSAT-NA at time of purchase to participate in this special purchase. The M2 list price is $545.99. To place your order, visit the AMSAT store at: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ M2 Antenna System's LEO-Pack page can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/nyhgmcr [ANS thanks the AMSAT Store and Robert Brown, KR7O, Amateur Marketing and Sales Manager at M2 Antenna Systems for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1A Delivery and P-POD Integration Set For March 25 Following the successful conclusion of vibration and thermal/vacuum testing Fox-1 now is stored in a clean environment waiting for launch. AMSAT Vice- President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY says several required reports are being reviewed by the launch provider. Fox-1 completed its Mission Readiness Review (MRR) at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo CA on February 24 before a review board of Cal Poly and NASA representatives. Jerry sums it all up, "Fox-1A delivery/P-POD integration is now set, for March 25, 2015 at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. From there, we won’t see her again – but certainly look forward to hearing from her again!" Ongoing updates will be posted on the AMSAT web page, on the AMSAT-NA Facebook page, and in the AMSAT Journal. [ANS thanks AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT and University of Iowa Partner on Scientific Payload for Fox-1D AMSAT and the University of Iowa have agreed to include the University’s HERCI (High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) radiation mapping experiment on Fox-1D. According to Don Kirchner, KDØL, Research Engineer at the University of Iowa, “HERCI is intended to provide a mapping of radiation in a low earth orbit. This is of scientific interest for planning CubeSat test flights for low energy X-Ray detectors.” “The instrument consists of a digital processing unit (DPU) derived from processors currently in orbit around Saturn on Cassini and on the way to Jupiter on the Juno spacecraft,” says Kirchner. “The DPU was shrunk to a CubeSat form factor with funding from the Iowa Space Grant Consortium.” The University of Iowa’s history in spaceflight research dates back to the earliest satellites. As Kirchner puts it, “HERCI can be considered a direct descendent of the first University of Iowa spaceflight instrument flown on Explorer I in 1958. The instrument is being constructed as a Senior Design Project by four Electrical Engineering students from the UI College of Engineering, under supervision of Space Physics engineering staff from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.” AMSAT’s VP of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, NØJY, noted the win-win benefits of the agreement, stating, “This partnership with the University of Iowa illustrates our strategy of leveraging the new CubeSat design to assist universities that need a way to fly scientific payloads while providing a viable ongoing platform for amateur radio.” [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- I0/W5PFG/P Active on Satellites from Italy Clayton, W5PFG, will be active as I0/W5PFG/P from Italy between March 7-12th. He will operate the satellites from Rome (WW Loc. JN61et). He states, "Due to my work schedule, I will only be available to work satellite passes in the late evening or early morning hours. If you would like to schedule a contact, please send an E-mail to w5pfg at arrl.net. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1205 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Deploys Cubesats Lambda-Sat was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on July 13, 2014, in an Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket CRS-2/ORB-2. Deployment from the ISS took place on March 4, 2015 along with the MicroMAS CubeSat. This followed the deployment of two other CubeSats GEARRSAT and TechEdSat-4. The Lambda team encourages amateur radio operators around the world to listen for and report the Lambda-Sat signal. Frequency: 437.462 MHz Downlink: AX.25 Unnumbered Information (UI) packets at 1200 bps AFSK Transmission Power : 1W Call Sign KK6DFZ The Secretary of the Cyprus Amateur Radio Society (CARS) Nestor 5B4AHZ has written an article on Lambda-Sat, he says: The naming of the Lambda-sat satellite came from the Greek letter L, lambda, a reminder of Hellas, Helios, the Greek word Thalassa for sea, the Greek word Lithos which directly translates to stone (meaning “Land of Light”). The Lambda-sat was constructed entirely of Greek volunteers who worked feverishly, selflessly and without any personal gain. Members of Lambda-sat contributed to the construction of the satellite system each with their knowledge in robotics, electronics, software development and telecommunications. The group consists of young people from Greece who traveled to Silicon Valley in California to participate in this project. “I want to motivate the youth in Greece to continue to dream,” says the original initiator of the project, Periklis Papadopoulos, Professor of Aerospace Engineering of the Federal University of California San Jose, which has been awarded from NASA for his contribution with the prize Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR). As the professor states, “My goal is to demonstrate the capabilities of young people in Greece.” The professor believes that our country could be active in this area and this is not an economic issue, but a question of will alone. Reception reports of Lambda-Sat came be submitted to: http://lambdasat.com/?page_id=181 Additional Lambda-Sat links: Lambda-Sat http://lambdasat.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lambdateam Article on Lambda-Sat by Nestor 5B4AHZ http://www.cyhams.org/index.php/en/news-and-events/359-the-first-greek- microsatellite-is-a-fact [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact 07 March 2015 An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at G. Salvemini - G. La Pira, Montemurlo, Italy, and "Dante Alighieri" 1st Grade Secondary (Middle) School, Casale Monferrato, Italy on 07 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:51 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between IR0ISS and two other stations IK1SLD and IQ5VR. The contact should be audible over portions of Italy and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English/Italian. The school "Salvemini - La Pira" is in Montemurlo, province of Prato, Tuscany region and it is a Secondary Middle School; it has 21 classes with pupils aged between 11 and 14. The name of the school derives from the fusion of the two schools of the commune. This is the only secondary middle school of the area. The schoolhouse hosts around 520 pupils. The "Dante Alighieri" School is situated a bit off the town centre of Casale Monferrato, near the ancient Cittadella, province of Alessandria, Piedmont region. It's a modern construction, developed on two main buildings: one for the school's didactical and administrative activities, one for the sport activities (gym and pool). It's surrounded by a wide playground, with a little plantation of poplars, planted by the pupils of the school. There are 12 classrooms (4 at the main floor and 8 at the first floor) and different labs: Science lab, Informatics lab, Techno lab, Art lab, Maths lab, Languages lab and a coloured and wide library. There is also a lot of afternoon activities, such as Latin courses, Languages courses and sport tournaments (soccer, basket, volley). The Dante Secondary I grade School has a current roll of 230 and a teaching staff of 29. In the last few years the school has been enhanced by the richness of its diverse student population. [ANS thanks Dave, AA4KN, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Danish Astronaut Earns Technician License Danish Astronaut Andreas Mogensen Andreas Mogensen completed his license class on Feb 23 and passed his exam on Feb 25. He has been assined the callsign KG5GCZ. Andreas was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009 and completed the astronaut basic training programme at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany in November 2010. Since completing the astronaut basic training programme, Andreas has been trained and certified as a private pilot by the Lufthansa flight school and is trained and qualified for spacewalks using both the American EMU suit and the Russian Orlan suit. Andreas has been assigned to a 10-day mission to the International Space Station to be launched September 2015 on the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft. He will be the first astronaut of Danish nationality to go to space. [ANS thanks ARISS and ESA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA JPL 2115 MHz Moonshine Signals Received in Australia Last week's NASA JPL EME lunar ranging experiment was received in Australia. On Tuesday March 3 between 0600 to 0900 UTC, the JPL tested its Lunar Ranging Experiment. With JPL using 20 kilowatts into a 34-metre antenna, it was suggested that reception of the reflected signal would be possible on a basic receiving antenna. This inspired Noel Ferguson VK3FI in Mildura, who decided to have a listen. As his three metre dish was out of service, he decided to try an old "grid pack" pay TV antenna to pick up the reflection on 2115 MHz. The initial noise floor was about strength five. The reflected signal first appeared as the moon rose over the tree line at about 0820 UTC, with the moon's distance at that time about four hundred and three thousand kilometers from earth. Signals in Mildura peaked at strength seven using the FT847 as an IF on 164 MHz. Noel VK3FI reports that reception continued through to 0900 UTC, when the JPL test was terminated. Well done on getting that signal. [ANS thanks Vk1wia-news, Australia's WIA News 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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