May 2015 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-151 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 30 May '15

30 May '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-151 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: * 2015 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nomination Deadline Approaching * Nick Lance, KC5KBO, SK * Update - VP2MKV Satellite Operation June 11-20 * Planetary Society's LighSail Satellite Stops Transmitting * 29 MHz – the forgotten frequency for amateur radio satellites SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-151.01 ANS-151 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 151.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. May 31, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-151.01 2015 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nomination Deadline Approaching It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming AMSAT-NA Board of Directors election. Four director's terms expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Mark Hammond, N8MH, and Jerry Buxton, N0JY. In addition, up to two Alternates may be elected for one year terms. A valid nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT-NA member for Director. Written nominations, consisting of the nominee's name and call, and the nominating individual's names, calls and individual signatures should be mailed to: AMSAT-NA, 10605 Concord St, #304 Kensington, MD 20895-2526. In addition to traditional submissions of written nominations, which is the preferred method, the intent to nominate someone may be made by electronic means. These include e- mail, Fax, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA(a)AMSAT.ORG or Faxed to (301) 822-4371. No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS. [ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nick Lance, KC5KBO, SK On behalf of the ARISS-International team, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of long-time ARISS team member Nick Lance, KC5KBO, SK. Nick passed away on May 24 from an aneurism of the aorta. Nick was a smart, caring, considerate and helpful person that loved the amateur radio hobby. As the primary amateur radio license trainer for the ISS astronauts, Nick played an integral role in encouraging and training countless astronauts (US, Canada, Japan and Europe) to pursue their amateur radio license and become active on ARISS. He inspired and trained dozens of NASA's aerospace education specialists (who talk to schoolteachers nationwide) to get their ham tickets. He also taught a "Hamster" course to middle schoolers, inspiring them to pursue careers in technology through Amateur Radio and ARISS activities. Personally, I enjoyed working with Nick both as a NASA engineer and an amateur radio operator. I will miss his quick wit and sense of humor. Nick will be deeply missed by many. A Celebration of Life for Nick Lance will be held Sunday, June 14, 2015, 2 p.m. at the Gilruth Center. A map to the public entrance of the Gilruth Recreation Center, Building 207 http://ewh.ieee.org/r5/galveston_bay/events/GilruthCenterMapandDirections.p… A flag will be flown over Mission Control and presented to Renee and the family. Our deepest sympathy goes out to all that knew Nick, especially Renee, his wife, and all his family members. Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS International Chairman [ANS thanks Frank, KA3HDO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Update - VP2MKV Satellite Operation June 11-20 Operators Barry/N0KV, Ken/W0ETT, Greg/W0ZA and Jim/WD0E will be active as VP2MKV from Gingerbread Hill, St. Peters (grid square FK86), between June 10-18th. Activity will be on 80-2 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. They will also participate in the ARRL VHF Contest and some satellite operations (FO-29 only on selected passes). The two primary radios will be Elecraft K3's with 500 watt amplifiers. Antennas include a Mosley Classic 33 on 10/15/20, a folding hexbeam by Folding Antennas (Germany) on 20-10 meters, verticals on 30 and 40 meters, a dipole on 75-80 meters, and an M2 5 element 6 meter beam. They will run 500 watts on 6m SSB/CW and FSK441. A 6 meter beacon is planned and will be on 50.102 MHz when the station is not manned, and the receiver will be active between beacon transmissions to listen for calls. The primary callsign for the operation will be VP2MKV, and VP2MTT will probably be used on 6 meters. Near 24 hour operation is planned. Tentative satellite pass plan for VP2MKV operation: They will attempt to be on the first two FO-29 ascending node passes June 11th through 20th. If time allows they may be on the third ascending node those days. Those passes happen in late morning to mid afternoon Montserrat time. On those passes they will look first for South America when the satellite is south of them, then North America, then Europe during the short mutual window. If there are 2 meter or 6 meter terrestrial openings during the VHF contest June 13th and 14th, they will not be on satellite at those times. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW soon after the group returns to the US. Paper QSLs via N0KV, direct or via the bureau. US addressees send SASE; addressees outside the US send SASE plus 2 USDs for return postage. Use of ClubLog has not been finalized at this time. Additional information will be posted under VP2MKV on QRZ.com. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1215 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Planetary Society's LighSail Satellite Stops Transmitting Excerpt from the Planetary Society's page http://planet.ly/0gVop As of late Friday afternoon, LightSail was continuing to operate normally. The spacecraft’s ground stations at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Georgia Tech were receiving data on each pass. Power and temperature readings were trending stably, and the spacecraft was in good health. But inside the spacecraft’s Linux-based flight software, a problem was brewing. Every 15 seconds, LightSail transmits a telemetry beacon packet. The software controlling the main system board writes corresponding information to a file called beacon.csv. If you’re not familiar with CSV files, you can think of them as simplified spreadsheets-in fact, most can be opened with Microsoft Excel. As more beacons are transmitted, the file grows in size. When it reaches 32 megabytes-roughly the size of ten compressed music files-it can crash the flight system. The manufacturer of the avionics board corrected this glitch in later software revisions. But alas, LightSail’s software version doesn’t include the update. Late Friday, the LightSail team received a heads-up warning them of the vulnerability. A fix was quickly devised to prevent the spacecraft from crashing, and it was scheduled to be uploaded during the next ground station pass. But before that happened, LightSail’s automated chirps fell silent. The telemetry data is sent on a downlink of 437.435 MHz, AX.25, 9600 bps FSK. The last data packet received from the spacecraft was May 22 at 21:31 UTC (5:31 p.m. EDT). A LightSail map tracking application is at http://sail.planetary.org/missioncontrol/ [ANS thanks JoAnne, K9JKM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 MHz – the forgotten frequency for amateur radio satellites Hans van de Groenendaaal ZS6AKV writes in the EngineerIT magazine about the potential for 29 MHz as a satellite uplink band. Universities and other scientific research institutions are using portions of the amateur spectrum for their CubeSat’s which has caused the 145 and 435 MHz amateur-satellite band segments to be very crowded, leading to an increasing number of satellite builders to explore alternatives. For many, such as those requiring single-channel bandwidth greater than approximately 12.5 kHz, the best answer will be found in the microwave bands. However, for those who can use it, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) satellite frequency coordination process has now opened another alternative: 29 MHz uplinks. Read the EngineerIT article at http://www.ee.co.za/article/29-mhz-forgotten-frequency-amateur-radio- satellites.html IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination http://www.iaru.org/satellite.html [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-144 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 24 May '15

24 May '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-144 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: * CAMSAT announces mid-July launch with six U/V transponders * 2015 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice * AMSAT 2015 Field Day Announcement - June 27-28 * Beijing may launch amateur satellites in July * Radio Amateur Sworn In as New NASA Deputy Administrator * AMSAT News Lit up on the Web, Forums, and Social Media * PSK31 and APRS CubeSat Status Update * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-144 ANS-144 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 144 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. May 24, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-144 CAMSAT announces mid-July launch with six U/V transponders Alan Kung, BA1DU (CAMSAT CEO) recently sent AMSAT-NA the following press release: CAMSAT orchestrated CAS-3 amateur satellite system is now nearing completion, six Chinese amateur satellites will be launched in mid- July,it includes different weight category satellites, consists of a 20 kg, three 10 kg and two 1 kg satellites. All six satellites are equipped with substantially the same amateur radio payloads, a U/V mode linear transponder, a CW telemetry beacon and an AX.25 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK telemetry downlink are attached in each of the six satellites, each set of amateur radio equipments has the same technical characteristics, but operates on different frequencies of 70cm band uplink and 2m band downlink. During the years, CAMSAT works closely with DFH Satellite Co. Ltd to complete the project, which is Chinese government aerospace contractor and provided most of the support for this project. All the satellites are currently conducting final testing and inspection, here are the technical details: CAS-3A: – Micro-satellite architecture – Dimensions: 400Lx400Wx400H mm – Mass: 20kg – Stabilization: three-axis stabilization system with its +Y surface facing the earth – Antenna: Deployable antenna, one 1/4? monopole VHF antenna with max.0dBi gain is located at +Z side and one 1/4? monopole UHF antenna with max.0dBi gain is located at –Z side, close to the each edge of satellite body – Uplink: 70cm band – Downlink: 2m band – Amateur radio payloads: Callsign: BJ1SB CW Telemetry Beacon: 50mW, 22wpm U/V Mode Linear Transponder: 100mW, 20kHz bandwidth, spectrum Inverting AX.25 telemetry: 100mW, 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK CAS-3B, CAS-3C and CAS-3D: – Micro-satellite architecture – Dimensions: 250Lx250Wx250H mm – Mass: 9kg – Stabilization: three-axis stabilization system with its +Y surface facing the earth – Antenna: Deployable antenna, one 1/4? monopole VHF antenna with max.0dBi gain is located at +Z side and one 1/4? monopole UHF antenna with max.0dBi gain is located at –Z side, close to the each edge of satellite body – Uplink: 70cm band – Downlink: 2m band – Amateur radio payloads: Callsign: BJ1SC ( for CAS-3B), BJ1SD ( for CAS-3C), BJ1SE (for CAS-3D CW Telemetry Beacon: 50mW, 22wpm U/V Mode Linear Transponder: 100mW, 20kHz bandwidth, spectrum Inverting AX.25 telemetry: 100mW, 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK CAS-3E and CAS-3F: – Cube-satellite architecture – Dimensions: 110Lx110Wx110H mm – Mass: 1.5kg – Stabilization: Spinning stabilization using permanent magnet torquer – Antenna: Deployable antenna, one 1/4? monopole VHF antenna with max.0dBi gain is located at +Z side and one 1/4? monopole UHF antenna with max.0dBi gain is located at –Z side, close to the each edge of satellite body – Uplink: 70cm band – Downlink: 2m band – Amateur radio payloads: Callsign: BJ1SF ( for CAS-3E), BJ1SG ( for CAS-3F) CW Telemetry Beacon: 50mW, 22wpm U/V Mode Linear Transponder: 100mW, 20kHz bandwidth, spectrum Inverting AX.25 telemetry: 100mW, 9.6k baud GMSK This launch will use an brand new Chinese launch vehicle named as Long March – 6 (LM-6 or CZ-6) at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center of China, CAS-3A will operate at about 450 km height sun-synchronous orbit, the other satellites will operate at about 530 km height sun- synchronous orbit. The launch will carry total of 20 satellites, there are other three satellites named as CAS-3G, CAS-3H and CAS-3I involved in amateur radio from other agencies of China will share the same launch, CAMSAT was assisting Chinese government administration to coordinate and allocate their frequencies, more details will be announced later. [ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU and CAMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming AMSAT-NA Board of Directors election. Four director's terms expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Mark Hammond, N8MH, and Jerry Buxton, N0JY. In addition, up to two Alternates may be elected for one year terms. A valid nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT-NA member for Director. Written nominations, consisting of the nominee's name and call, and the nominating individual's names, calls and individual signatures should be mailed to: AMSAT-NA, 10605 Concord St, #304 Kensington, MD 20895-2526. In addition to traditional submissions of written nominations, which is the preferred method, the intent to nominate someone may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, Fax, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA(a)AMSAT.ORG or Faxed to (301)822-4371. No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS. Alan Biddle WA4SCA AMSAT-NA Corporate Secretary [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, AMSAT-NA Corporate Secretary for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT 2015 Field Day Announcement - June 27-28 It's that time of year again: Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a "picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!" The event takes place during a 24-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2015, the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 27, through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 28, Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 27 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellite SO-50 for your AMSAT Field Day focus - don't - unless you are simply hoping to make one contact for the ARRL rules bonus points. The congestion on FM LEO satellites was so intense in prior years that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating voice. You will also be allowed one digital QSO with the ISS or any other digital, non-store-and-forward, packet satellite (if operational). Many good contacts can be made on the linear transponder satellites including AO-73, FO-29, and AO-7. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous SSB or CW contacts. The 2015 AMSAT Field Day event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. AMSAT Field Day information is also posted on the web at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=216 [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Beijing may launch amateur satellites in July Mineo Wakita JE9PEL reports on his website that Beijing may launch satellites carrying amateur radio payloads in July 2015. It is understood the launch would be on a CZ-6 rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. XW-2 (CAS-2) and LilacSat-2 will be carrying amateur radio payloads but at the time of writing it is not clear if Tiantuo-3 and ZDPS-2 may also have amateur radio payloads. Additionally it is reported elsewhere there may be up to 20? CubeSats on the launch. CAS-2A1 satellite: 270x270x250mm 2m CW telemetry beacon 100 mW 2m AX.25 digital telemetry beacon 500 mW 2m FM voice beacon 500 mW U/V mode Linear transponder 50 kHz 500 mW L/S mode Linear transponder 200 kHz 320 mW U/V mode APRS repeater CAS-2A2 satellite: 70cm CW telemetry beacon 100 mW 70cm AX.25 digital telemetry beacon 500 mW 13cm CW telemetry beacon 200 mW 3cm CW telemetry beacon 200 mW V/U mode Linear transponder 500 mW LilacSat-2 – Harbin Institute of Technology Approx. 11 kg 20x20x20 cm Uplink: 145.825, 145.875 MHz Downlink: 437.200 MHz beacon 437.225 MHz FM/APRS Tiantuo-3 (TT-3) – Small satellite from China’s National University of Defense Technology ZDPS-2 – Nano-satellite mission of the Microsat Research Center Zhejiang University Source Mineo Wakita JE9PEL http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/lilacsat.htm [ANS thanks Mineo Wakita JE9PEL and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Radio Amateur Sworn In as New NASA Deputy Administrator Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Dava Newman, KB1HIK, has been sworn in as the deputy administrator of NASA. President Barack Obama appointed Newman last October, and the US Senate confirmed her appointment on April 27. The swearing-in took place on May 15 in her MIT office in Cambridge. Newman is Apollo Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems and the director of the Technology and Policy Program at MIT. She started her official duties as NASA's new deputy administrator on May 18 at the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC. "I'm very excited to be at NASA," said Newman. "I'm looking forward to being a part of the agency's work to expand humanity's reach into space, advance our journey to Mars and strengthen America's leadership here at home." NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, ex-KE4IQB, said he's long admired Newman. "Her talents and skills as an educator and technological innovator will bring a new energy to our NASA leadership team, and I'm ecstatic to have her on board," he said. Newman had been on the MIT faculty since 1993. Her research has included modeling human performance in low and microgravity conditions, examining the dynamics and control of astronaut motion, and the development of assisted walking devices for the physically handicapped. Possibly her most prominent project has been the development of the BioSuit, a skintight spacesuit that would give astronauts unprecedented comfort and freedom in exploration of planetary surfaces and extra-vehicular activity. An avid sailor, Newman has circumnavigated the globe. [ANS thanks the ARRL via Space Bulletin 008 ARLS008 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT News Lit up on the Web, Forums, and Social Media VP of User Services JaoAnne Maenpaa K9JKM noted "Our e-mail lists relayed the Fox-1 news from Dayton. Those lists have remained quiet while the web and social media were lit up with AMSAT's news from Dayton." AMSAT-NA Facebook has 1,789 members. AMSAT's Twitter has 6,770 followers. One of the biggest repeater systems in the Chicago area relays news feeds on their facebook page from the internet: https://www.facebook.com/suhfars?fref=nf which points to the QRZ.com posts: http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?480200-Fox-1-news-from-Dayton http://tinyurl.com/ANS144-QRZ-Report Southgate ARC news: http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/may/fox_1_news_from_dayton.htm http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/may/fox_1_operating_guide.htm Amateur Radio Newsline Facebook group is referring readers to: ANS-135 Fox-1 News From Dayton which is a replay of the ANS bulletins AMSAT-UK and ARRL published the ARRL news item about AMSAT: http://amsat-uk.org/2015/05/15/fox-1-launch-sept-geo-5-10-ghz/ http://tinyurl.com/ANS144-Hamvention JoAnne reports two links of video from the AMSAT Forum: First, the presentation by AMSAT president Barry Baines WD4ASW to open the forum... http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/62340146 Second, a portion of Tom Clark's K3IO Forum presentation at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/62343338 Hams in Space posted a copy of their Dayton forum slides including mention of AMSAT at: http://hamsinspace.com/resource/Sat_Radio_7_07_Dayton.pdf [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- PSK31 and APRS CubeSat Status Update Martin G8JNJ reports receiving the PSAT PSK31 FM downlink on the online SUWS WebSDR located at Farnham near London. At 22:30 GMT on May 21, 2015 Bob Bruninga WB4APR posted the following update on the AMSAT Bulletin Board about the three USNA CubeSats PSAT, BRICSAT and USS Langley along with a guide on how to use the PSK31 transponder. We now have heard 4 of 5 transmitters from our 3 spacecraft all still in a close cluster: * PSAT packet is OK but WOD not working (no digipeating for users yet) * PSAT PSK31 downlink is ok [remember, it is FM!] * BRICSAT telemetry has been heard but is cycling OFF due to low power * BRICSAT PSK31 downlink (also FM) has also been heard barely (when ON) * USS Langley not heard PSAT CPU shows the 4 day-fail-safe backup reset circuit is not counting down, so we have lost this (1 of 3) fail safe backup RESET capabilities. Bad line of code already found. But cannot change it. PSAT is not properly reporting WOD data and S#… STATUS packets are being bundled until 255 byte packet length is reached and then it all comes down at once. Noone has captured any of these long packets. Please try with PASSALL ON so that you can receive partial packets. Awaiting permission from BRNO University to authorize HF user uplinks on PSAT PSK31. BRICSAT PSK31 transponder is on identical frequencies as PSAT’s. You can tell them apart because one has PSK Telemetry on 315 Hz and the other is on 365 Hz. Both on the UHF FM downlink 435.350 MHz We’d LOVE to hear from USS Langley, and we’d love to capture one of those long WOD packets from PSAT. Our ground station is only getting a few packets compared to some submissions from others. Keep it up. SUMMARY: 145.825 1.5U cubesat – PSAT 1200 baud AX.25 435.350 same cubesat – PSAT PSK31 FM – Brno University transponder 437.975 1.5U cubesat – BRICsat 9600 baud 435.350 same cubesat – BRICsat PSK31 FM – Brno University transponder 437.975 3.0U cubesat – USS Langley 9600 bd ULTRASat3 1 99993U 15140.67013889 .00040043 00000-0 10235-2 0 00009 2 99993 055.0004 339.9238 0251027 182.3314 074.3075 15.12517086000014 Receiving the PSAT PSK31 FM downlink Receiving the PSAT (and BRICsat) 435.350 MHz FM downlink is as simple as placing your PSK31 laptop microphone next to the speaker on your FM satellite UHF receiver and just watching the waterfall. What you see is exactly what everyone else sees (its FM). There is no Doppler added to the tones due to your station’s position relative to the satellite. But you DO have to retune your FM radio at least 3 times during the pass (+5 kHz, 0, -5 kHz) to stay in the FM passband. [Note: UK users should remember to selected the wide FM (5 kHz deviation/25 kHz channel spacing) setting on their rigs] User uplinks, however, will shift in the waterfall according to each user’s position relative to the satellite. The shift can be as low as 1 Hz per second to as high as 6 Hz per second. This is because the uplink is on 10 meters where the Doppler rate is only 1/15th of what it would be on UHF. The TELEMETRY channel at 315 Hz (PSAT) or 375 Hz (BRICsat) is FIXED with no Doppler since it is generated onboard into the FM downlink WHAT TO DO: 1) We will need PSK31 authors to open the PSK31 frequency tracking to accommodate more than 1 Hz per second Doppler tracking. Current implementations can do 1 Hz/s but completely fail at 3 Hz/s. 2 Hz/s might work a little… 2) Until then, ANY uplink user that is in line with a direct overhead pass will have minimum Doppler at the start and end of his pass (1 Hz/sec) when the satellite is going right at him and directly away from him. (Though it will be MAX (6 Hz/sec) when it passes over her/his station). 3) Just turn on MULTI CHANNEL window and let the PSK31 decode everyone.The ones with the least Doppler at any instant may be decoded for a while! USERS can transmit later when BRNO University says it has completed its tests. Brno provided the transponders for use in the PSAT and BRICsat satellites. So start preparing your station to TX PSK31 on 10 meters SSB and to receive the audio from an FM UHF rig on 435.350 +/- 5 kHz steps of Doppler. DOWNLINK Limitations: The UHF downlink signal is only 300 mW and so a UHF beam is needed on the downlink. UPLINK RESTRICTIONS: *NOTHING MORE THAN* a Vertical 1/4 wave or Dipole is authorized on the 10m uplink and no more than 25 Watts (for now). Remember a 1/4 wave vertical is the ideal antenna because it maximizes the signal at lower angles and tapers the signal as the satellite gets closer. This keeps user uplinks about the same during a pass. Strong stations just drive down the AGC and ruin it for everyone. Use minimum power!! Remember, this is crossband FULL DUPLEX so you can see yourself in the downlink just like everyone else can see you. Act accordingly. And of course DO NOT TRANSMIT if you cannot see the waterfall … Duh! Enjoy! Bob, WB4APR Listen to satellite signals in the 145 and 435-438 MHz bands from anywhere in the world using the online SUWS WebSDR located near London. Further details at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr- moves-to-new-site/ [ANS thanks Bob WB4APR and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News It is unlikely that there will be any contacts with the Columbus module station until after a crew change. >From 5-11-2015 through 7-26-2015, 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. Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The AMSAT Office is closed from Friday, May 22nd through Monday, May 25th. Martha will be back in the office on Tuesday, May 26th. [ANS thanks the Martha for the above information] + These are the launch provided elements for PPOD 3 deployment that included PSAT: ULTRASat3 1 99993U 15140.67013889 .00040043 00000-0 10235-2 0 00009 2 99993 055.0004 339.9238 0251027 182.3314 074.3075 15.12517086000014 The PSAT predictions are now available on the AMSAT web site using the keps Bob Bruninga provided for ULTRASat3 [ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR and Joe KM1P for the above information] + Tentative satellite pass plan for VP2MKV operation: We will attempt to be on the first two FO-29 ascending node passes June 11 through 20. If time allows we may be on the third ascending node those days. Those passes happen in late morning to mid afternoon Montserrat time. On those passes we will look first for South America when the satellite is south of us, then North America, then Europe during the short mutual window. If there are 2 meter or 6 meter terrestrial openings during the VHF contest June 13 and 14 we will not be on satellite at those times. [ANS thanks Jim WD0E for the above information] + The annual SA AMSAT Space Symposium will be held on 20 June at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria. Book your seat now to take advantage of the early bird registration fee. Details and booking form is on www.amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks SA AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX AMSAT User Services and the Editors of the AMSAT New Service pass on our condolences to ANS Weekly Co-Editor Joe Spier K6WAO and his family on the death of Joe's mother this week. 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-137 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 16 May '15

16 May '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-137 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-1 Development, Launch, and Frequency Coordination Status at Dayton * AMSAT FieldOps Team Fox-1 Operating Guide is Available * US Naval Academy CubeSat Launch to Include Next APRS Satellite * Iowa CubeSat students get ham radio licenses * Extreme DX satellite contact between UK and Texas * International Space Station Partners Adjust Spacecraft Schedule * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-137.01 ANS-137 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 137.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE May 17, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-137.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1 Development, Launch, and Frequency Coordination Status at Dayton AMSAT Dayton Hamvention Annoucements (Saved) During the AMSAT Forum at the Dayton Hamvention, AMSAT Vice President Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, provided more information about the Fox-1 satellites under development. Buxton, N0JY, says Fox-1A has passed all environmental testing and is integrated into the P-POD deployment canister. "The 'remove before flight pin' has been pulled, the doors closed on the P-POD, and everything is aboard the shipping container now en route to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for launch", said Buxton. Previously Buxton had announced plans to incorporate an L band receiver in Fox- 1C and Fox-1D. The addition will allow ground commanded selection of the U/v (normal Fox-1 bands) or the new L/v 1.2 GHz (23 cm) mode. Both bands will operate as FM single channel. http://www.amsat.org/?p=4000 During the satellite operations segment of the AMSAT Forum Glasbrenner provided the details of the uplink and downlink frequencies for the Fox-1 FM cubesat fleet. Fox-1 Frequencies Uplink FM (67 Hz tone) Downlink FM Fox-1A 435.180 MHz 145.980 MHz RadFxSat/Fox-1B* 435.250 MHz 145.960 MHz Fox-1C* 435.300 MHz 145.920 MHz 1267.300 MHz ** 145.920 MHz Fox-1D* 435.350 MHz 145.880 MHz 1267.350 MHz ** 145.880 MHz * Pending IARU Coordination, If needed, changes will be announced ** U/v and L/v operations switchable by command station, not operational simultaneously According to Buxton, the team is planning to have an affordable L band uplink ground station available to amateurs by the time Fox-1C is on orbit. + Fox-1A will launch on a NASA ELaNa flight scheduled during the third quarter, 2015 from Vandenberg AFB. Fox-1A is a passenger aboard this launch driven by the schedule of the primary payload. When updates are available they will be announced via the ANS and in the AMSAT Journal. + 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 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 flight planned for late 2015. + Fox-1D is a flight spare for Fox-1C. If not needed as a spare it will fly with the University of Iowa HERCI radiation mapping experiment. + Fox-1E “Evolution” will carry a Mode J linear transponder. The transponder is planned to be 30 kHz wide and will also have a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon. Launch opportunities are being developed, to be announced at a later date. AMSAT has an immediate need to raise funds to cover both the launch contract and additional materials for construction and testing for Fox-1C. Please help us to continue to keep amateur radio in space. Donations may be made via the: + Paypal and credit card payment on the AMSAT website at http://www.amsat.org + Donation link in the AMSAT store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ + Call the AMSAT office at (888) 322-6728 [ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering and AMSAT Operations Teams for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT FieldOps Team Fox-1 Operating Guide is Available AMSAT's Director of Field Operations, Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, invites you to view and download the "Fox-1 Operating Guide" which was released at the 2015 Dayton Hamvention. This color PDF file is designed to print double-sided. Two different resolution versions are available: + Low resolution PDF suitable for on-screen display (~400 KB size) + High resolution, press quality PDF for hard-copy printing (~2 MB size) To access these files visit the AMSAT web and follow the path: 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 to the Guide. [ANS thanks the AMSAT FieldOps Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- US Naval Academy CubeSat Launch to Include Next APRS Satellite Sometime on or about May 20, the next US Naval Academy satellites and Brno University PSK31 transponders head into space from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas 5 launcher and into an approximately 50° orbit. The launch will include the Psat APRS satellite — a pair of identical 1.5 U cubesats (A and B) — as well as the BRICsat and USS Langley (Unix Space Server Langley) nanosatellites. “Psat is a Naval Academy student satellite project named in honor of one of our graduates, Bradford Parkinson, of GPS fame, which contains an APRS transponder for relaying remote telemetry, sensor, and user data from remote users and Amateur Radio environmental experiments or other data sources back to Amateur Radio experimenters via a global network of Internet-linked ground stations,” explained APRS developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR. In addition to the data transponder, a secondary Brno University transponder will support multi- user PSK31 text messaging. The APRS downlink will be 145.825 MHz (1200 baud AX.25 APRS). “We welcome radio amateurs worldwide to tune into the downlinks and either IGate packets into the global APRS-IS system or to e-mail me,” Bruninga said. “After launch, the next several orbits will be over USA and Europe.” Bruninga said PSAT, including the PSK31 transponder, would not be available for use until all on-orbit checks are complete, a process he said could take “many, many days.” He also requested reports on any PSK31 (FM) heard on 435.350 MHz (the PSK31 uplink is 28.120 MHz). The PSK31 multi-user FDMA transponder experiment on Psat and BRICsat is similar to the one on RAFT and PCSAT2. It will allow messaging among up to 30 modest ground stations simultaneously, Bruninga said. Psat is one of five APRS-networked Amateur Radio satellites that will be in orbit during 2015, and all will appear on the live APRS downlink page. The others include PCsat-1, in orbit since 2001, QIKcom-1, set to launch in September, QIKcom-2, set to launch in December, and the ARISS packet radio system on board the International Space Station since 2007. BRICsat will carry a PSK31 transponder with a 28.120 MHz uplink (2.5 kHz bandwidth) and a UHF FM downlink on 435.350 MHz. Gunter’s Space Page describes USS Langley as “a proof-of-concept mission for providing global Internet access via a nanosatellite constellation.” The satellite will act as a web server and router in space, using Internet Protocol and Linux. Downlinks 437.475 MHz (9600 baud AX.25 packet telemetry) with uplink at 145.825 MHz. The IARU coordination page said that while 28.120 MHz is not in the band plan as a satellite frequency, “the panel considered the motivation for this frequency as to give lower class license holders in the US the opportunity to participate in the project.” Bruninga said satellite experiments such as Psat “serve our educational and outreach goals for student projects encouraging young people to be interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.” He said he hopes other schools will build either additional 145.825 MHz relay satellites or experimental sensors. “We hope that Psat will be the ‘egg’ in this chicken-egg conundrum,” he added. [ANS thanks ARRL Letter for 5/14/2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa CubeSat students get ham radio licenses The University of Iowa reports its students will conduct a Van Allen radiation belt experiment with the AMSAT Fox CubeSat Thanks to a proposal by the UI Department of Physics and Astronomy, a group of senior electrical and computer engineering students will reenact James Van Allen’s original experiment — this time with updated technology. Group members Kevin Klosterman KD9CPF, Bryan Senchuk KD9CPD, Tyler Dunkel KE0CHR, and Patrick Maloney KD9CPD took on the task as a part of their senior design project for the College of Engineering. The group is trying to figure out how much energy is emanating from the Van Allen belts at a specific altitude. To measure that, they’ve built a radiation sensor attached to a circuit board that will launch into space on a small satellite. There, the radiation sensor will detect energetic particles from the Van Allen belts. The satellite will sit in a low-Earth orbit and circle the globe every 90 minutes, some data will be transmitted in real time, but all of it is stored for later transmission. “I feel like we’ve learned something new every day,” Klosterman says. Not only did the students have to come up with a design concept, write the code to run the device, and build the circuit board by hand, they also had to learn and become licensed ham radio operators as well. The satellite that the students are using to launch into space is part of the CubeSat program — an initiative supported by NASA to help give students more hands-on experience with space research — and is being constructed by AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, whose mission is to foster amateur radio participation in space technology. The data from a full day of operating the experiment will be transmitted from the satellite as it makes a single pass over the CubeSat tracking station on top of Van Allen Hall. The final result will be a full mapping of the radiation levels at a low Earth orbit. It is hoped the Fox CubeSat with an FM voice transponder will be launched later this year. Read the full story at http://now.uiowa.edu/2015/05/seniors-reenact-van-allen-radiation-belt- experiments Each year 100’s of students are introduced to amateur radio through University CubeSat satellite programs with many going on to get their amateur license. AMSAT Fox http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1113 [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and University of Iowa for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme DX satellite contact between UK and Texas On April 27, 2015 at 1901 GMT, Cuban radio amateur Hector Martinez W5CBF/CO6CBF achieved a 7537.8 km DX contact with UK amateur Peter Atkins G4DOL via FO-29. Hector reported, "I am pleased to report that Peter G4DOL and I had another extreme QSO on FO- 29. It is my furthest contact on the birds! Back on October 2013, Peter and I had a very nice contact between EL92sd, Cienfuegos, Cuba and IO80so, Weymouth area, UK. It was a 7286 km contact and probably the first contact between UK and Cuba on FO-29! Peter and I desired to try again on FO-29, this time between EM21hs, Texas, US and his habitual spot in IO80so. We were able to complete a very nice CW contact on the 92319 orbit of FO-29. Peter had just 0.1 degree as maxim elevation while I had 0.8 during the 80 seconds mutual window. As before, Peter did all the hard work by driving until his habitual spot at a cliff-top and setting up his “portable satellite station” (19 elements Yagi for 435 MHz and 10 elements Yagi for 145 MHz both with horizontal polarization). FO- 29 was sounding really good on these orbits. It was a solid 559 satellite contact, we were very impressed. We made the calculations using our 10 digit grid squares at http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html The distance between the stations was 7537.799 km (4683.77 mi). To my knowledge, the longest distance achieved on FO-29 until now had been 7,533.685 km between Frank, K4FEG and Erich, DK1TB http://www.qrz.com/db/k4feg UPDATE 2015-05-08: K4KEG has now revised his distance to 7,538.685 km. This puts his contact with DK1TB just ahead of that of W5CBF and G4DOL. It appears that an even longer distance is achievable. It has been reported that FO-29 has a “theoretical maximum range” of 7502 km, but I guess that at least 7600km is doable. We will try to break our own record! This contact was possible thanks to the great feature implemented on SatPC32 V12.8b. There is an option of seeing the frequency you are at the satellite receiver at any time during a pass. It allows the operators to tune the right frequencies and attempt a contact without having to search for each other. Thanks very much to Peter for his persistence, effort and all the fun!" 2013 FO-29 satellite contact between Cuba and the UK http://amsat-uk.org/2013/10/20/fo-29-satellite-contact-between-cuba-and-the… FO-29 information http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/two-way-comms-satellites/fuji-oscar-29-jas-2/ [ANS thanks Hector, W5CBF/CO6CBF and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Station Partners Adjust Spacecraft Schedule NASA and its international partners agreed Tuesday to set a new schedule for spacecraft traffic to and from the International Space Station. The partner agencies agreed to adjust the schedule after hearing the Russian Federal Space Agency's (Roscosmos) preliminary findings on the recent loss of the Progress 59 cargo craft. The exact dates have not yet been established, but will be announced in the coming weeks. Roscosmos expects to provide an update about the Progress 59 investigation on Friday, May 22. The return to Earth for NASA's Terry Virts, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov now is targeted for early June. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka will remain aboard the station to begin Expedition 44. The next Russian cargo craft, Progress 60, will launch in early July to deliver several tons of food, fuel and supplies. The space station has sufficient supplies to support crews until the fall of 2015. The Soyuz spacecraft carrying Expedition 44’s Kjell Lindgren of NASA, Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, will launch in late July from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The date of SpaceX’s seventh resupply flight under its commercial resupply services contract with NASA still is under review but remains targeted for no earlier than June 19. The mission will deliver to station additional supplies and research that improve life on Earth and drive progress toward future space exploration. It also will deliver the first of two international docking adapters, which will enable future commercial crew vehicles to dock to the orbiting laboratory. Additional 2015 space station-related launch dates also are under review. NASA will continue to update the launch schedule online at: http://www.nasa.gov/launchschedule For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station [ANS thanks NASA 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, Saturday, and Sunday, May 15-17 2015, Dayton Hamvention in Dayton OH (Hara Arena) *Thursday, 21 May 2015 – International Microwave Symposium 2015 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 6 June 2015 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ *Friday and Saturday, 12-13 June 2015 – HAM-COM in Irving TX (west of Dallas) *Thursday, 9 July 2015 – presentation for the Escondido Amateur Radio Society in Escondido CA *Friday and Saturday, 7-8 August 2015 – Austin Summerfest in Austin TX *Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 August 2015 – Boxboro Hamfest and ARRL New England Convention in Boxborough MA *Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 16-18 2015, AMSAT Symposium in Dayton OH (Dayton Crown Plaza) [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Upcoming ARISS Contacts It is unlikely that there will be any contacts with the Columbus module station until after a crew change, which will probably occur in late June or July. Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. **************************************************************************** Latest ARISS News * Gagarin from Outer Space: A contact was successful Thu 2015-05-07 at 08:30 UTC with Ryazan State Radio Technical University, Ryazan, Russia, direct via RK3SWB. The ISS callsign was RSØISS, and the astronaut was Mikhail Korniyenko, RN3BF. * A contact was successful Sat 2015-05-09 08:20 UTC between Kursk, Russia, WWII veterans, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign was RSØISS, and the astronaut was Gennady Padalka, RN3DT. * Contacts on Sat 2015-05-09 09:52:06 UTC 27 deg with Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Enrico Fermi,” Lucca, Italy, direct via IQ5LU, and with Studi di Firenze – Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy, direct via IQ5PO, were both successful. The ISS callsign was IRØISS, and the astronaut was Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF, who answered 22 questions. There were several hundred in attendance at both locations, along with newspaper and TV media. The event was streamed live on the Web. State Technical Industrial Institute is named for Enrico Fermi and is located in Lucca, Northern Tuscany. Five year courses are offered in Mechanics, Electrotechnics, Electronics, Information, and Communication Tecnology with several laboratories. There are about 700 students, aged 15 through 19. The school had an Amateur Radio Club with the callsign IK5YOI (license expired). [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over * Reminder: Cambi-Hams DXpedition to Mull Island is Active May 15-21 The Cambi-Hams group is going to activate Mull, Inner Hebrides (IOSA NH15, SCOTIA CN10, WW Loc. IO76EJ) from May 15 to 21. They plan to be active on 80- 10m on SSB, CW, RTTY, and PSK; also on 6m, 4m, and 2m, and on satellites: AO-7 (Mode B), FO-29, SO-50, and AO-73. The group also hopes for short trips to Iona (EU-008) and Treshnish Island (EU-108), see their website for updates on that. QSL via ClubLog OQRS or via bureau. http://dx.camb-hams.com/ Watch AMSAT's Upcoming Satellite Operations page for late breaking news about DX and grid operations: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3921 [ANS thanks the DXNL Newsletter 1936 for May 13, 2015 for the above information] First all CW 73 on 73 Award Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, reports, "Congratulations to Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, for working 73 different stations on AO-73 since September 1, 2014. Notably, he is the first to work all 73 different stations using CW." For more information on the award see http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ AO-73 was launched on November 21, 2013 and is the first spacecraft to have a primary mission of educational outreach to schools and the smallest ever satellite to carry a linear (SSB/CW) transponder for radio amateurs. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] New NASA Deputy Administrator is a Radio Ham Prof. Dava Newman KB1HIK was sworn in as NASA Deputy Administrator on May 15 from her MIT office. Her appointment had been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 27. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (formerly KE4IQB) said, “I am delighted with the Senate confirmation of Dr. Dava Newman to be the deputy administrator of NASA. The strong bipartisan support Dr. Newman received in the Senate is a reflection of her well-earned reputation and renown as a global leader in science and technology research and policy.” Newman is a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and of engineering systems. On the MIT faculty since 1993, she directs the Institute’s Technology and Policy Program and MIT Portugal Program, and is co-director of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Man Vehicle Laboratory. She is a Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology faculty member, and a Margaret McVicar Faculty Fellow. Her research has included modeling human performance in low and micro-gravity conditions, examining the dynamics and control of astronaut motion, and the development of assisted walking devices for the physically handicapped. Perhaps her most prominent project has been development of the BioSuit, a skintight spacesuit that would give astronauts unprecedented comfort and freedom in exploration of planetary surfaces and extra-vehicular activity. After accepting the confirmation, Newman said, “It’s an enormous honor to serve at NASA in times when our country is extending humanity’s reach into space while strengthening American leadership here on Earth. I’m profoundly grateful to President Obama, the United States Senate, and Administrator Bolden — along with everyone at MIT. I can’t wait to come aboard.” http://amsat-uk.org/2015/05/16/new-nasa-deputy-administrator-is-a-radio-ham/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org -- -73 k6wao Joe Spier k6wao(a)amsat.net

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ANS-135 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Fox-1 News From Dayton
by JoAnne Maenpaa 15 May '15

15 May '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-135 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-1 News From Dayton * AMSAT FieldOps Team Fox-1 Operating Guide is Available SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-135.01 ANS-135 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 135.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. May 15, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-135.01 Fox-1 News From Dayton During the Dayton Hamvention, AMSAT Vice President Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and AMSAT Vice President - Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, provided more information about the Fox-1 satellites under development. Buxton, N0JY, says Fox-1A has passed all environmental testing and is integrated into the P-POD deployment canister. "The 'remove before flight pin' has been pulled, the doors closed on the P-POD, and everything is aboard the shipping container now en route to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for launch", said Buxton. Previously Buxton had announced plans to incorporate an L band receiver in Fox-1C and Fox-1D. The addition will allow ground commanded selection of the U/v (normal Fox-1 bands) or the new L/v 1.2 GHz (23 cm) mode. Both bands will operate as FM single channel. (See: http://www.amsat.org/?p=4000) During the satellite operations segment of the AMSAT Forum Glasbrenner provided the details of the uplink and downlink frequencies for the Fox-1 FM cubesat fleet. Fox-1 Frequencies Uplink FM (67 Hz tone) Downlink FM Fox-1A 435.180 MHz 145.980 MHz RadFxSat/Fox-1B* 435.250 MHz 145.960 MHz Fox-1C* 435.300 MHz 145.920 MHz 1267.300 MHz ** 145.920 MHz Fox-1D* 435.350 MHz 145.880 MHz 1267.350 MHz ** 145.880 MHz * Pending IARU Coordination, If needed, changes will be announced ** U/v and L/v operations switchable by command station, not operational simultaneously According to Buxton, the team is planning to have an affordable L band uplink ground station available to amateurs by the time Fox-1C is on orbit. + Fox-1A will launch on a NASA ELaNa flight scheduled during the third quarter, 2015 from Vandenberg AFB. Fox-1A is a passenger aboard this launch driven by the schedule of the primary payload. When updates are available with firm dates they will be announced via the ANS bulletins and in the AMSAT Journal. + 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 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 flight planned for late 2015. + Fox-1D is a flight spare for Fox-1C. If not needed as a spare it will fly with the University of Iowa HERCI radiation mapping experiment. + Fox-1E "Evolution" will carry a Mode J linear transponder. The transponder is planned to be 30 kHz wide and will also have a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon. Launch opportunities are being developed, to be announced at a later date. AMSAT has an immediate need to raise funds to cover both the launch contract and additional materials for construction and testing for Fox-1C. Please help us to continue to keep amateur radio in space. Donations may be made via the: + Paypal and credit card payment on the AMSAT website at http://www.amsat.org + Donation link in the AMSAT store: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ + Call the AMSAT office at (888) 322-6728 [ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering and AMSAT Operations Teams for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT FieldOps Team Fox-1 Operating Guide is Available AMSAT's Director of Field Operations, Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, invites you to view and download the "Fox-1 Operating Guide" which was released at the 2015 Dayton Hamvention. This color PDF file is designed to print double-sided. Two different resolution versions are available: + Low resolution PDF suitable for on-screen display (~400 KB size) + High resolution, press quality PDF for hard-copy printing (~2 MB size) To access these files visit the AMSAT web and follow the path: 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 to the Guide. [ANS thanks the AMSAT FieldOps Team for the above information] /EX

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ANS-130 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 09 May '15

09 May '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-130 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 for 2015 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet ticket is Tuesday, May 12th at 1800 EDT * AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2015 * Work Fox-1A at Dayton * Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton * 7th European CubeSat Symposium * ISS Ham Video transmitter now transmitting * NASA Hosts Media Call on Draft Solicitation for New Class of Launch Services SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-130.01 ANS-130 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 130.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. May 10, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-130.01 Deadline for 2015 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet ticket is Tuesday, May 12th at 1800 EDT The speaker at the 2015 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be Michael Ossmann, AD0NR, on "Adventures of a Hacker Turned Ham." Tickets ($35 each) MUST be purchased online in advance at the AMSAT Store no later than 1800 EDT (2300 UTC) Tuesday, May 12th. Tickets will not be sold at the Hamvention or at the door. Tickets purchased online may be collected at the AMSAT booth (433-435, 444-446). More information may be found at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=190. [ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2015 The AMSAT theme for this year is "Year of The Fox", as we expect to launch both Fox-1A and Fox-1C in 2015 and we're announcing the plans for Fox-1D and Fox-1E. The AMSAT booth is in the same location inside the Ball Arena as last year, in booths 433-435 and 444-446. The Tracking Software Demos (433) and Engineering & Education (434-435) are across the aisle from the Beginner's Corner (444) and Membership, Books & Shirts (445-446). The closest entrance to the AMSAT booth is the Ball Arena entrance (Door 1) at the southeast corner of the building. The satellite QSO demonstrations will be outside across from the entrance to the Ball Arena. AMSAT Forum ----------- The AMSAT forum will be Saturday morning from 11:15 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. in Forum Room 5, close to the AMSAT booth. See the commercial vendor layout map in the Hamvention program or the Hamvention website for the location of Forum Room 5 (same as the last few years). The following speakers will be presenting at the AMSAT Forum: + Moderator: Alan Biddle, WA4SCA + "AMSAT Status Report." Barry Baines, WD4ASW, AMSAT-NA President, will highlight recent activities within AMSAT and discuss some of the challenges, accomplishments, and exciting projects of the organization. + "ARISS Report 2015" Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President for Human Spaceflight, will discuss ARISS development & operations on the International Space Station. + "AMSAT-NA Fox Satellite Program." Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT-NA Engineering Vice President, will discuss the upcoming launches of four Fox spacecraft and exciting new engineering developments. + "AMSAT Satellite Operations." Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA Operations Vice President, will discuss current satellites, as well as those planned for launch in the next year. + "AMSAT's Skunk Works." Tom Clark, K3IO, AMSAT-NA President Emeritus, will discuss some innovative R&D items for future spacecraft. + "Amateur Satellites, Education, and You!" EMike McCardel, KC8YLD, AMSAT-NA Educational Relations Vice President, will discuss the resources and equipment which supports the educational goals of AMSAT-NA. On-the-air Satellite Demonstrations ----------------------------------- Keith Pugh, W5IU and other volunteers will be conducting satellite demonstrations during the Hamvention. They will be demonstrating satellite operation using a manual station to work all the currently available FM satellites and SSB satellites. Hamvention has provided us a nice fenced area right outside the Ball Arena entrance in which to do our satellite demonstrations. A schedule of satellite passes for the Hamvention will be available in the Beginner's Corner and in the demonstration area. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Dayton Hamvention Posse for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Work Fox-1A at Dayton Bring your HT to Dayton Hamvention, you can work each other on the Fox-1 engineering unit repeater at the AMSAT Engineering Booth! Uplink: 435.180 MHz FM, CTCSS 67.0 Hz Downlink: 145.980 MHz FM ± Doppler (which should be minimal) [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton 10. Rub shoulders with 25,000 of your best friends at the largest hamfest in the United States, including nearly all of the AMSAT Directors and senior officers. 9. Find out how to organize a contact with the astronauts on the International Space Station for your local school or youth group from our Education and ARISS experts. 8. Pickup the latest AMSAT golf shirts, T-shirts, and hats. Get your copy of the updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide" (laminated frequency chart) and Gould Smith's just revised "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites" (book). We'll also have assembled wide-band preamps that are great for portable operation. 7. See the latest equipment from Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Flex, Alinco, M2, Arrow, and many other manufacturers of amateur radio equipment and accessories. Take advantage of discounted pricing you won't find anywhere else. 6. See demonstrations of SatPC32 and MacDoppler satellite tracking software, and get your operational questions answered. Meet Don Agro, author of MacDoppler (Friday & Saturday, 2-3 p.m.). See a demonstration of the LVB Tracker, a computer interface to the Yaesu azimuth-elevation rotors. Talk with Mike Young, who has built more LVB Trackers than anyone else. Assembled LVB Trackers will be available. 5. Hear the latest on the *five* Fox satellites, the geosynchronous rideshare opportunity, the International Space Station, other current and future satellites, Education news, and an AMSAT update at the AMSAT Forum Saturday, from 11:15 to 1:30. 4. Get one-on-one guidance on setting up your satellite station and making contacts at our "Beginner's Corner". Witness live demonstrations of contacts through satellites AO-7, FO-29, SO-50, AO-73, and the Fox-1C engineering model using handheld antennas. 3. Bring your dual-band HT and listen (on 2m FM) to the Fox-1A engineering model, and transmit through the model on 70cm. Meet and interact with some of the Engineering Team members working on the Fox-1 satellites. 2. Get satellite station and operating tips from some of the best satellite operators in the country, including John Papay K8YSE (1,405 grids confirmed), Doug Papay KD8CAO (1,045 grids), Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA (1,036 grids), Paul Stoetzer (444 grids), and Keith Pugh W5IU (ARISS Mentor). 1. Receive special premiums when you join or renew your AMSAT membership at Dayton, including an updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide" (laminated frequency chart), an AMSAT pen/stylus, and special pricing on the SatPC32 satellite tracking software. [ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th European CubeSat Symposium 7th European CubeSat Symposium that will take place at Liège (Belgium) on 9-11 September 2015. The Symposium is co-organized by the von Karman Institute and the University of Liege (Space Structures and Systems Laboratory). As in the previous years, the Symposium is open to all CubeSat community around the World. For more information and deadlines, please visit the symposium website www.cubesatsymposium.eu Please remember to submit your abstract before the 15th June 2015. If you are a student, please apply for the sponsorship before that date. The Symposium will be followed by a short course in astrodynamics organized by the University of Liège (more information at this link). [ANS thanks Dr. Masutti for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Ham Video transmitter now transmitting Friday May 1st, 2015 the Ham Video transmitter on board the Columbus module of the International Space Station was powered on and started transmitting in "Blank Transmission" (BT) mode. In this mode, the transmitter is operated without camera. The digital TV signal is fully formatted, but the content of the video is black and the content of the audio is at zero level. From a technical perspective, the BT signal is all that is needed for testing and fine tuning ground stations. The European network of chained ground stations is presently nearly complete. Six ground stations span the continent in "X" formation. For each ascending pass over Europe, four stations provide about ten minutes of solid copy and the same is true for descending passes: - Ascending passes: Lisbon (Portugal ==> Poitiers (France) ==> Casale Monferrato (North Italy ==> Kolo (Poland) - Descending passes : Cork (Ireland) ==> Poitiers (France) ==> Casale Monferrato (North Italy ==> Matera (South Italy. The chained ground stations are streaming the digital video to the BATC server (British Amateur Television Club). BATC set up a multiviewer page, accessible at: http://www.batc.tv/iss/ The page shows all six streams from the chained ground stations. Each view can be maximized to full screen and the audio of each stream can be set to level or muted. Presently, active stations stream technical data provided by the software developed by Jean Pierre Courjaud F6DZP. Several data are most interesting to observe: - the "constellations", which visualize the QPSK (quaternary PSK) modulated signal - the digital Signal/Noise ratio = MER (dB) (Modulation Error Ratio) - the control LEDs that change from red to green on decoding the digital signal. The Ham Video transmitter frequency is 2395MHz and the symbol rate is 2.0Ms/sec. More information is available at: http://www.ariss-eu.org/columbus.htm The Ham Video transmitter will stay on as long as on board operations permit. When the ground stations will be operating reliably, the Ham Video transmitter will be used to enhance ARISS school contacts. Uplink will remain VHF audio only. This operational mode is dubbed ARISS Ham TV. [ANS thanks Gaston, ON4WF, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Hosts Media Call on Draft Solicitation for New Class of Launch Services NASA's Launch Services Program has issued a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS), which would be commercial launch services for small satellites and experiments on science missions using a smaller than currently available class of rockets. NASA Logo NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Monday, May 11 to discuss this strategic initiative, the RFP and the expectation for this class of launch services. At present, launch opportunities for small satellites -- often called CubeSats or nanosatellites -- and small science missions are mostly limited to ride-share type arrangements, flying only when space is available on NASA and other launches. The Launch Services Program seeks to develop alternatives to this approach and help foster other launch services dedicated to transporting smaller payloads into orbit. The services acquired through such a contract will constitute the smallest class of launch services used by NASA. Participants in the media briefing are: Mark Wiese, chief, Flight Projects Branch, Launch Services Program Business Office, NASA's Kennedy Space Center Garrett Skrobot, mission manager, Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa), Launch Services Program, NASA's Kennedy Space Center This solicitation, and resulting contract or contracts, is intended to demonstrate a dedicated launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science and CubeSat missions. CubeSats already are used in markets, such as imagery collection and analysis. In the future, CubeSat capabilities will include abilities, such as ship and aircraft tracking, improved weather prediction, and broader Internet coverage. NASA intends to award one or more firm fixed-price VCLS contracts to accommodate 132 pounds (60 kilograms) of CubeSats a single launch or two launches carrying 66 pounds (30 kilograms) each. The launch provider will determine the launch location and date, but the launch must occur by April 15, 2018. To listen to the media teleconference, call 321-867-1220, 321-867-1240 or 321-867-1260 or listen online at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio Media may participate in the briefing by calling the Kennedy Space Center news center at 321-867-2468 within 15 minutes prior to the start of Monday's teleconference to obtain a passcode for voice access. The draft RFP is open for written questions and comments from industry entities until Wednesday, May 20. The final RFP, if issued, is anticipated to be released in June. The draft RFP may be accessed at: http://go.nasa.gov/1KMTeDR For more information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html NASA's Launch Services Program is focused on assuring the availability of long- term launch services for NASA while also promoting the continued evolution of the U.S. commercial space launch market. The capability anticipated to meet the requirement for a smaller launch vehicle represents an emerging category of launch services. For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html [ANS thanks NASA 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-123 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 02 May '15

02 May '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-123 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: * Announcing EO-79 transponder testing for one full orbit - May 4 * EO-79 / QB50p1 First Transponder Test Success * 2015 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice * "Where Over the World Is Astronaut Scott Kelly?" Geography From Space Trivia Contest * Delfi-C3 has been in orbit 7 years * $50SAT/MO-76/Eagle-2 Update * 2015 ARRL/TAPR DCC (Digital Communications Conference) Announced * AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention - Fourth call for volunteers * AMSAT Plans Dayton Rollout for 2015 "Getting Started" Satellite Book * AMSAT FieldOps Team SO-50 Operating Guide is Available * AMSAT-SM donates $1600 USD for the FOX satellite project * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-123 ANS-123 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 123 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. May 3, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-123 Announcing EO-79 transponder testing for one full orbit - May 4 Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG from AMSAT-NL reported via the AMSAT-BB that on Monday May, there is a fairly high chance that the AMSAT-NL transponder will be tested for one full orbit. Details will be made available on short notice, but the target time for an activation starts at approximately 08:30 UTC and may last until about 10:10 UTC. The aim of the test is to characterize the power budget on board EO- 79. Usage of the transponder is being encourage. Please also report the QSOs and signal reports to pa3weg at amsat.org [ANS thanks Wouter Wouter PA3WEG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- EO-79 / QB50p1 First Transponder Test Success AMSAT-NL is delighted to announce that an initial series of tests of the FUNcube transponder payload aboard the QB50p1 CubeSat have been successfully completed. QB50p1 is one of two QB50 precursor spacecraft that were launched from Yasny in Russia in June 2014. The primary science payloads are still being extensively tested but it has now been possible to undertake a short test of the transponder payload as well. The transponder is intended as a long term secondary mission following the initial technology demonstration and de-risking phase. After spending ten months in space, the transponder was commanded on for short periods during each of the three morning passes over Europe on Monday 27th April 2015. A number of FUNcube team members in the Netherlands and in the UK were standing by to run through a predefined test plan. The transponder has a similar performance to that of FUNcube-1 but the passband is nominally 5 kHz wider by design. It is not yet known when this transponder may be available for regular usage but AMSAT-NL is delighted to be able to report that the hardware is functioning and is very grateful to the QB50 project, the Von Karman Institute and ISIS B.V. for their ongoing support. More information about the QB50 project can be found at https://www.qb50.eu/ AMSAT-NL: http://amsat-nl.org AMSAT-UK: http://amsat-uk.org [ANS Thanks Graham G3VZV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming AMSAT-NA Board of Directors election. Four director's terms expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Mark Hammond, N8MH, and Jerry Buxton, N0JY. In addition, up to two Alternates may be elected for one year terms. A valid nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT-NA member for Director. Written nominations, consisting of the nominee's name and call, and the nominating individual's names, calls and individual signatures should be mailed to: AMSAT-NA, 10605 Concord St, #304 Kensington, MD 20895-2526. In addition to traditional submissions of written nominations, which is the preferred method, the intent to nominate someone may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, Fax, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA at AMSAT.ORG or Faxed to (301) 822- 4371. No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Where Over the World Is Astronaut Scott Kelly?" Geography From Space Trivia Contest During his year-long stay on the International Space Station, astronaut Scott Kelly wants to test your knowledge of the world through a geography trivia game on Twitter. Traveling more than 220 miles above Earth, and at 17,500 miles per hour, he circumnavigates the globe more than a dozen times a day. This gives Kelly the opportunity to see and photograph various geographical locations on Earth. In fact, part of his job while in space is to capture images of Earth for scientific observations. Follow @StationCDRKelly on Twitter and each Wednesday, Kelly will tweet a picture and ask the public to identify the place depicted in the photo. The first person to identify the place correctly will win an autographed copy of the picture. Kelly plans to continue posting weekly contest photos until he returns from the space station in March 2016. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/ANS123-ScottKelly. To learn more about the One-Year Mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/content/one-year-crew. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message for April 30, 2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Delfi-C3 has been in orbit 7 years As of April 28, Delfi-C3 has been in orbit 7 years. Wouter Weggelaarb, PA3WEG, reports, "When we designed Delfi-C3, no- one would have dreamed it would last this long. "The satellite still remains healthy and strong. We are delighted to still get the support of the ham radio community and in all those years there have been very few days where no telemetry was decoded and submitted. Thank you very much to those still decoding and sending in telemetry and also to those still signing up for new accounts. "Delfi-C3 has been praised numerous times as the ideal example of a cooperation of radio amateurs and an university and the team is very proud of that. Together we have demonstrated the first successful Distributed Ground Station Network (DGSN) built around radio amateurs. We as a community can be very proud of this achievement! Without your continued support, this would not have been possible." Wouer goes on to report that they may need to re-locate their data collection server. When this happens he will report appropriate updates to the AMSAT-BB. [ANS Thanks Wouter PA3WEG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- $50SAT/MO-76/Eagle-2 Update The following status of $50sat/MO-76, one of the first Pocketqubes, was recently posted by Michael Kirkhart,KD8QBA on the 50dollarsat Yahoo group. Here is an excerpt: "17 Months in Space, Still Working, and How Long Will a $10 Camera Battery last "Tuesday, April 21, 2015 marked the 17 month anniversary of the launch of $50SAT/MO-76/Eagle-2, and believe or not, it is still operating. Unfortunately, the battery capacity has degraded to the point where the satellite spends a significant amount of time with the battery voltage below the 3300 mV minimum required for enabling the transmitter. As a result, those of us who live in the northern hemisphere no longer hear any transmissions during the evening passes, and for now, rarely hear any during the daytime passes as well. The last telemetry packet I captured here in EN82 land was April 21, and the last one which was error-free on April 10. Fortunately, I have been able hear it operate over Anton's (ZR6AIC) WebSDR station in South Africa during the evening passes (which occur between 4:00 and 6:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time), and occasionally am able to capture error-free telemetry packets. The last one available is from April 24 at 21:25 UTC. "This situation was fully expected; when looking at the battery voltage chart (which, along with all the other telemetry, is available from our Dropbox at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l3919wtfiywk2gf/AABRl4iM5BFqVAcLQGSmdsVga/ Telemetryanalysis/Current-Telemetry) the readings took a large drop sometime after February 12. Given this was a $10 camera battery that had gone through over 6,000 orbits, each with temperature swings of -30 degrees C to +30 degrees C, it is surprising it has lasted this long! At this point, it is starting to behave more like a large capacitor than a battery. "As we get closer to summer here in the northern hemisphere (and after this winter, it cannot come soon enough), $50SAT/MO-76/Eagle-2 will spend more time in the sun before it makes each pass; this means it will be warm enough to enable solar power sooner in the pass, and makes it more likely it we will be able to hear it transmit before it disappears over the southern horizon. Those of you who live in the southern hemisphere, however, should still be able to hear it during both daytime and evening passes. If you could, we would certainly appreciate any telemetry you could gather and post. "The orbit continues to decay at an average rate of about 1.5 km/week; apogee is just below 570 km at 569.8 km, and perigee is at 538.2 km. Someday, I will attempt to determine when it might actually de-orbit. If any of you have access to STK or some other fancy software which might be able to do a de-orbit prediction, please feel free to run a simulation and let us all know. Some basic parameters you might need are as follows: TLEs as of 2015-04-24, 23:53:15 UTC: EAGLE 2 1 39436U 13066W 15114.82864817 .00033340 00000-0 23789-2 0 9991 2 39436 97.7463 190.7550 0022811 281.2509 78.6152 15.04244039 77466 Using these, the following can be computed: Semi-major axis = 5743.7488705249 km Apogee = 569.7766621696 km Perigee = 538.1516552847 Average cross-sectional area = 0.014252 m^2 Mass = 210 g Area/mass ratio = 0.06787 m^2/kg In the meantime, I will continue to update the Dropbox with any new telemetry gathered. Please keep it coming, even if it has errors or is incomplete. At this point, we are happy to simply know that it is still operating." [ANS Thanks Howie DeFelice AB2S and Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 ARRL/TAPR DCC (Digital Communications Conference) Announced The 2015 DCC will be in Chicago on October 9 - 11 in the northwest suburb of Arlington Heights not far from O'Hare airport.The DCC has two full days of Technical presentations on Friday & Saturday and on Sunday morning a deep dive into a technical subject. On Saturday there is a full day of concurrent Introductory sessions. Be sure to register for the DCC and reserve your hotel room early. DCC information is available at: http://www.tapr.org/dccLook forward to your participation in the DCC. TAPR at Dayton Hamvention TAPR will have booths, forums and a joint banquet with AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention. Details about TAPR activities at the Hamvention are available at: http://www.tapr.org/dayton [ANS thanks Mark WB9QXB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention - Fourth call for volunteers The Dayton Hamvention is less than three weeks away! Last year, we had 52 people assist with the AMSAT booth at Dayton. We've had a good response so far to our call for volunteers, but we could really use another 10-15 people. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun. Meet or renew acquaintances, exchange operating tips, and find out what antennas, software and equipment other AMSAT members use. We currently expect all of the AMSAT senior officers and 5 of the 7 board members to be there too. The 2015 Hamvention is May 15-17. Would you consider helping AMSAT at Dayton this year? If you're an experienced operator, great! We can use you and your experience. If you've never operated a satellite before, but want to learn more, that's OK. We can use your help too. 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(a)amsat.org if you can help. Thank you! [ANS thanks Steve N9IP for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Plans Dayton Rollout for 2015 "Getting Started" Satellite Book Gould Smith's book, "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites", is being updated to tell you all about how you can get ready to operate through the Fox-1 satellites launching later this year. Additional chapters in the book tell you about tracking software, orbital mechanics, antennas, radios, Doppler tuning, and operating techniques. Chapters are also being added to tell you about the new satellites soon becoming available for amateur radio. Going beyond brief descriptions in hamfest flyers, this book will provide a complete reference for new satellite users to assemble a basic station and to make your first satellite contacts. Also this book you will teach you how to incrementally upgrade your initial FM satellite station, time and budget permitting, to include automated tracking as well as operating through the CW/SSB linear passband satellites. A companion Fox-1A reference sheet is also being planned for release at Dayton. This will be made available for AMSAT's FieldOps team for distribution at hamfests and satellite operating demonstrations. Watch for the 2015 "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book and reference sheet at the AMSAT booth at the Dayton Hamvention. The book will also be available in the AMSAT Store shortly after Dayton: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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-SM donates $1600 USD for the FOX satellite project "AMSAT-SM believe that FOX project is very important to continue to develop amateur radio on board satellites. We therefore hope that our contribution can help the FOX satellites up in space." AMSAT-SM in Sweden has aprox 150 members. Membership is currently free and registration is done online at our website: www.amsat.se [ANS thanks Lars Thunberg SM0TGU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful double contact was made with schools in South Africa and in Italy. Participants at Sol Plaatje Primary School, Mahikeng, South Africa and Scuola Secondaria di 1 Grado, Caprino Bergamasco, Italy queried Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF who was using the Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2015-05-02 14:34:27 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was IZ2GOJ. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Ryazan, Russia, direct via TBD Contact is a go for Thu 2015-05-07 08:30 UTC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Mikhail Korniyenko RN3BF Kursk, Russia, WWII veterans, direct via TBD Contact is a go for Sat 2015-05-09 08:20 UTC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Gennady Padalka RN3DT >From 2015-05-11 to 2015-06-14, 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 and David AA4KN for the above information] [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Grid Master Award # 3 Congratulations to WA4NVM Rick for working and confirming all 488 US grids GRID MASTER AWARD #3 4-26-2015 + 5 in EM55 Award Congratulations to WF7L Jeff for 5 in EM55 award # 58 [ANS Thanks Damon WA4HFN for the above --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX AMSAT User Services and the Editors of the AMSAT New Service pass on our condolences to ANS Weekly Co-Editor Joe Spier K6WAO and his family on the death of Joe's mother this week. 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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