ANS February 2016

3 participants
4 discussions

ANS-059 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 28 Feb '16

28 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-059 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: * eBay Donations for AMSAT * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Satellite DXCC Nearly 20 Years in the Making * 2016 AMSAT Field Day * Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems to Support Atlas V CubeSat Rideshare Initiative * UK and Malta University Satellite Collaboration SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-059.01 ANS-059 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 059.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. February 28, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-059.01 eBay Donations for AMSAT Are you an eBay seller? One item, ten items, or a full-time business you can donate a percentage of your winning bid to AMSAT. To do so, do not list your item with the basic listing tool, select advanced tools. eBay will give you a warning message that it is for large volume sellers, however this is where the eBay for Charity tool is found. You can 'select another nonprofit you love' and search for either AMSAT or Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. Choose the percentage amount of the sale you would like to donate to AMSAT and boom. When your item sells and the winning bidder pays, eBay will deduct the percentage from your take and forward it to AMSAT. Sometimes we are getting rid of our old equipment, sometimes selling something new. In any case, won't you consider giving a piece of the pie to a new satellite and choose AMSAT for your eBay for Charity. [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 78 deg National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 53 deg Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 UTC 59 deg ************************************************************************ The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30. Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite DXCC Nearly 20 Years in the Making It took nearly 20 years, but AMSAT Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, finally qualified for Satellite DXCC. Glasbrenner submitted the requisite number of QSLs for checking at the Orlando HamCation February 12-14, and ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, verified KO4MA’s achievement. “It's been a long process getting to satellite DXCC,” said Glasbrenner, who got into satellite operating around 1993, and was only on RS-12 (Mode K) for a long time. “This was the Russian satellite payload that used 15 meters up, and 10 meters down,” he explained. His activity stagnated for a long time during and after his college years, but in 1999 he got involved in working the LEO satellites, such as UO-14 and AO-27, “then FO-20 and FO-29 for a little more distance, and then on the perigee passes of AO-10, when it was still semi-usable,” he added. “When AO-40 was launched into a high-Earth orbit, I dove into Mode U/S with gusto,” Glasbrenner recounted. During the 3 years that AO-40 was active, he spent many late nights and early mornings looking for the next new one. “Eventually I was using a 3 foot solid dish with preamp and downconverter for the Mode S downlink, and this is when some of my most exciting contacts came.” Highlights included working VU2MKP at a few degrees of elevation to the east, right after the satellite came up, and working KH2GR in the other direction, “while the satellite was off-pointing and the spin fades were horrendous, and timing each call during peaks.” When AO-40 went silent, Glasbrenner said he was about a dozen short of DXCC, and he realized that he’d have to be proactive to finish up with just LEO satellites. Many of his new ones came from operators who went the extra mile to operate from places like the Caribbean and Greenland. “The absence of operational HEO satellites makes satellite DXCC nearly impossible for newer operators,” he said, “but I'm confident that continued membership and support of AMSAT by any operator interested in satellites will result in the successful return to high orbit by one of the several opportunities currently being pursued by the organization. Strike while the iron is hot!” Bernhard Dobler, DJ5MN, has been at the top of the DXCC-Satellite standings since 2000, and has 274 entities confirmed. {ANS thanks ARRL and Drew, KO4MA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Field Day It's that time of year again; summer and 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 2016 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 25, 2016 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 26, 2016. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 25 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. With the loss of AO-51, VO-52 and SO-67 this year it is going to be as challenging as last year. A few new satellites are up there to take some of the load. If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites like 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 is always so intense 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). It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO’s. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO’s to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO. The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day, e.g.: W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG W6NWG de KK5DO QSL If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low- earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, or AO-73. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can't use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW. THE 2016 AMSAT FIELD DAY RULES The AMSAT Field Day 2016 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. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below. 1. Analog Transponders ARRL rules apply, except: - Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band. - CW and digital (RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each. - Stations are limited to one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the PBBS is on - see Pacsats below, ISS (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. PCSat (I, II, etc.) (1 digital), - The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited. 2. Digital Transponders For the Pacsats (GO-32, etc.) or ‘Store and Forward’ hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post "CQ" messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL. The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts. (a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite). (b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later "proof of contact." Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules. Satellite digipeat QSO's and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. Remember, only one digipeat contact is allowed for the ISS and other satellites in this mode. The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed. Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File: Greetings from W5MSQ Field Day Satellite station near Katy, Texas, EL-29, with 20 participants, operating class 2A, in the AMSAT-Houston group with the Houston Amateur Television Society and the Houston QRP club. All the best and 73! Note that the message stated the call, name of the group, operating class, where they were located (the grid square would be helpful) and how many operators were in attendance. 3. Operating Class Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.). AND FINALLY... The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (email or postal mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 11, 2016. The preferred method for submitting your log is via e- mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. You may also use the postal service but give plenty of time for your results to arrive by the submission date. Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal. You will receive an email back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your email submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other email address. If mailing your submission, the address is: Bruce Paige, KK5DO Director of Awards and Contests PO Box 310 Alief, TX 77411-0310. Certificates will be awarded to the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2016. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads. You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don't even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event! Complete copies of the rules and recommended submission form can be found on the AMSAT web site. 2016 PDF Field Day Rules http://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016fd.pdf 2016 MS-Word Field Day Rules http://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016fd.docx [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems to support Atlas V CubeSat Rideshare initiative Tyvak is responsible for identifying, obtaining, and integrating CubeSat customers on the ULA Atlas V launch vehicle system. Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to serve as the primary Auxiliary Payload Customer on CubeSat Rideshare Initiative efforts through Dec. 31, 2019. ULA's CubeSat Rideshare Initiative enables rideshare opportunities on its Atlas V launch vehicle and aims to tap into a growing market of small satellites with applications in education, scientific research, U.S. Government and commercial business. CubeSats are miniaturized satellites originally designed for use in conjunction with university educational projects and quickly becoming a dependable tool for advance missions. CubeSats are made of one or more units, called U's, measuring 10cm x 10cm x 10cm with a mass of 1.33 kilograms. Under this MOU, Tyvak will provide low-cost access to space for both commercial and U.S. Government CubeSat customers, as well as no-cost access to space for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) CubeSat customers for rideshares on ULA's Atlas V launch vehicles. Tyvak is responsible for identifying, obtaining, and integrating CubeSat customers on the ULA Atlas V launch vehicle system. In addition, as part of the agreement with ULA, Tyvak will provide for no cost up to three STEM CubeSat slots for each Atlas V 24U capacity launch opportunity for educational customers. "Tyvak is thrilled to have been selected for this opportunity with a world-class launch Provider like ULA," said Tyvak President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Previte. "This MOU brings key opportunities to Tyvak and to the entire nanosatellite community." "As America's ride to space, ULA is transforming rideshares so that customers will now have predictable manifest slots for their payloads," said Tory Bruno, ULA president and CEO. "We are driving innovations like this program which will make space more affordable and accessible for all manner and size of payload customers." [ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UK and Malta University Satellite Collaboration The UK’s University of Birmingham, the University of Malta, the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL) and the Italian Astrodynamics company, GAUSS Srl are collaborating on a project to send a PocketQube satellite with an amateur radio payload into space. The Times of Malta newspaper reports: The 5x5x5 cm device, referred to as a PocketQube pico-satellite, will be launched in 2018 into a sun-synchronous low earth orbit (LEO) and will be used to validate on-board equipment that will study the properties the Earth’s ionosphere. This project will pave the way for a swarm of eight such satellites that will spread over a large geographical area and hence gain better coverage of changeable ionospheric conditions which affect radio communications. The collaboration has brought together two Maltese post graduate engineering students – Darren Cachia in Malta and Jonathan Osairiis Camilleri (Ozzy), a Ph.D. student at the University of Birmingham – who have joined efforts and are developing the satellite platform and the scientific payload respectively. The mission is expected to last about 18 months and will relay information back to Earth that will be accessible to anyone owning a simple ham radio set. Information will be made available in due course to allow schools and interested individuals to participate using inexpensive equipment. [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-052.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI
by JoAnne Maenpaa 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-052.02 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: * RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-052.02 ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 052.02 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 21, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-052.02 RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI On February 18, 2016 NASA announced the selection of RadFxSat-2, the Space Radiation Effects CubeSat, for participation in NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) is another partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University ISDE and AMSAT, similar to RadFxSat (Fox-1B) which is scheduled to launch in January 2017. Vanderbilt University, with cooperation from AMSAT, submitted the RadFxSat-2 CSLI proposal in November 2015. Out of 21 proposals, NASA is recommending 20 for participation in the CSLI opportunity. RadFxSat-2 is prioritized #1 out of the 20 selected and has been offered an opportunity for a launch date. The opportunity is being evaluated by Vanderbilt University and AMSAT to determine if it meets our mission and orbital parameters. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) will carry a radiation effects experiment similar to RadFxSat (Fox-1B) but will study new FinFET technology. The Fox-1E spacecraft bus will be built on the Fox-1 series but will feature a linear V/U (Mode J) transponder "upgrade" to replace the standard FM repeater which Fox-1A through D have carried. The downlink will feature a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Further details of the mission and timeline will be published as they become available and are cleared for public release. [ANS thanks AMSAT's Fox Engineering Team for the above information] /EX

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ANS-045 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 14 Feb '16

14 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-045 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT-NA Office Closed on Monday February 15th for President's Day Holiday * W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo * Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launch Postponed * Old Dominion University OPEN HOUSE for local Middle and High Schools * Orlando Hamcation Satellite Demos Scheduled * ARISS UK release full video of Tim Peake and RMS contact * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-045.01 ANS-045 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 045.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 14, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-045.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Office Closed on Monday February 15th for President's Day Holiday The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, February 15th in observance of Presidents' Day. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo Thanks to everyone who called in to work K8YSE portable at the Orlando Hamcation. We had a great time working everyone on SO-50 and FO-29. The crowds were big and the weather outside was sunny and warm Although there was a lot of interest in seeing our station, 9 year old Hope, KM4IPF operating W1AW/4 on SO-50 definitely stole the show. Before the pass I watched her pull the compass out of a bag and tell her father where to point the antenna at AOS and where it would finish up at LOS. She used two HT's for the operation. Dad held the antenna for her as she made contact after contact. She had a crowd around her and we had the IC910 set up about 40' away and our crowd was listening to her on our setup. Steve, N9IP, was the antenna man at our station. Near the end of the pass I called her on the 910H and got a confirmation from W1AW/4! We had a signal path hundreds of miles long but were only 40' apart! Rick WA4NVM provided a recording of the pass and it is up on my website: http://www.papays.com/sat/general.html Frank K9CIS also sent in some recordings of our FO-29 passes which I'll put on the website later. Anyone needing confirmation of a Hamcation contact with K8YSE on LOTW, just send me the QSO details and I'll upload it. I can also do a QSL card on request. There is nothing like a good demo to generate interest in satellites. Just set up a station and the crows starts gathering. Thanks to everyone who helped with the effort. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launch Postponed ChubuSat-2, ChubuSat-3 and Horyu-4 were expected to launch on Friday, February 12 into a 575 km, 31 degree inclination orbit. This launch has been postponed due to bad weather at the launch site. A rescheduled launch date and time has not yet been announced. http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/02/11/launch-of-japanese-x-ray-observatory- postponed/ https://twitter.com/JAXA_en?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA provides the following information on ChubuSat-2/3: Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us email: chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following web site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above web site. Horyu-4 downlink 437.375 MHz & 2400.300 MHz 1k2 AFSK,9k6 GMSK, S_BPSK, CW http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/horyu4WEB/horyu4.html http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=434 https://www.facebook.com/Horyu-4-Arc-Event-Generator-and-Investigation- Satellite-780188535364868/ [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Dominion University OPEN HOUSE for local Middle and High Schools The Open House is a recruiting event for the ODU School of Engineering. It is scheduled for February 19 & 20, 2016. Students from 40 Middle and High Schools (400 – 600 students) throughout the Hampton Roads VA region will be visiting the school to tour the labs and campus, meet the (current ODU) students and faculty, and learn more about education and career opportunities in engineering. K4AMG will be supporting the event by conducting a mini field day event will be on Friday, Feb 19 and by hosting lab stations on Saturday Feb 20th featuring a 15 minute presentation of ham radio topics. The lab topics include: An overview of amateur radio as a learning tool. A (light) technical discussion about the science and engineering that support radio communications. A youth forum presented by several young radio amateurs KJ4NFL – Emergency and Public Service Communications WX4TVJ and AE4FH – Antennas KJ4EYZ – Cultures and Environmental Considerations for DX-peditions Satellite communications featuring the CUBESAT simulator provided by AMSAT-NA –KW4CR. Society of Broadcast Engineers – Richard Dyer speaking on Careers in Broadcast Engineering and Electronics and Wireless Communications At the student luncheon 9 year old Hope Lea, KM4IPF, will be the key note speaker - subject OSCAR Satellite Communications [ANS thanks Rich, WA8BUE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando Hamcation Satellite Demos Scheduled A demo station at Orlando Hamcation has been scheduled on Friday, Saturday and possibly on Sunday, February 12, 13, and 14. Operations will likely be on SO-50 and FO-29 on the following passes: 2-12 1813-1832utc FO-29 2-12 1826-1838utc SO-50 2-13 1719-1737utc FO-29 2-13 1851-1904utc SO-50 2-13 1903-1922itc FO-29 2-14 1737-1749utc SO-50 2-14 1808-1827utc FO-29 Sunday is iffy. We may be on other satellites as well. Please give us a call if you hear us and respond with your grid square, city/state and name. This will help the onlookers to have a better idea of where you are. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS UK release full video of Tim Peake and RMS contact This is the 77 minute video of the ARISS contact between Tim Peake GB1SS and the Royal Masonic School for Girls Rickmansworth GB1RMS. The video starts with the students of Cadogan House, the prep school for girls aged 4 to 11 at the Royal Masonic School for Girls singing a number of songs that have been part of their study into space. The video continues with the senior school presenting an overview of the activities that they have been involved in as part of their study and understanding of space. This section concludes with a panel of experts from the UK space industry fielding questions from the assembled audience. At approximately 33 minutes, Ciaran Morgan M0XTD from ARISS, starts the ARISS program with an introduction of the team, their roles and all the equipment that has been brought to the school to help facilitate the contact. The actual ARISS contact starts at approximately 53 minutes into the video. After the contact has finished, the school’s Head Girl concludes the evening with a short thank you speech and introduces the trainers who prepared some of the girls for the Foundation Amateur Radio License. http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/ariss-uk-release-full-video-of-tim-peake-and- rms-contact/ More history made at second amateur radio call http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/more-history-made-at-second-amateur-radio-ca… HamTV on the ISS http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/hamtv-on-the-iss/ What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio Find an UK amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/ A free booklet is available aimed at introducing newcomers to the hobby that can also be used as a handy reference while getting started, see http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-ra… -2/ [ANS thanks ARISS-UK and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday and Saturday, 19-20 February 2016 – Yuma Hamfest and 2016 ARRL Southwest Division Convention in Yuma AZ *Friday, 4 March 2016 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach meeting in Signal Hill CA *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016 - ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Proposal Window for Scheduled Contacts in the US Opens February 15 The US partners of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program are seeking formal and informal educational institutions and organizations in the US, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017. http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARISS/Proposal%20Window%20Announcement- 2_15_16.pdf Application Window Open for ARISS Europe Region Schools and Youth organizations in the ARISS-Europe Region (Europe, Africa and Middle East) interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station are invited to submit an application and an educational project. The application submission window will be open February 1 to April 30, 2016, for space conversations that will tentatively be scheduled in the period extending from February to June 2017. http://www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts Successful Contacts Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth, UK, direct via GB1RMS The ISS callsign was scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Thu 2016-02-11 18:09:02 UTC 89 deg Congratulations to the HamTV crew that showed the contact! This was a successful use of HamTV with an ARISS contact. Videos at: https://youtu.be/x3KpilFGQX4 https://youtu.be/ChKNtzYE_HQ The Royal Masonic School for Girls is an independent girl’s day and boarding school in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, with an exceptional, unusual and distinguished history. Founded in 1788 with the purpose of educating the daughters of Freemasons who were unable to support their families, it is one of the oldest girls' schools in the country. We attract girls aged 4-18 from across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London and boarders from all over the world. We also have a Pre School for boys and girls aged 2 to 4. Our ethos is both aspirational and nurturing and our girls strive to be the very best they can be, academically, morally and creatively. Our public examination results are consistently impressive and each year around 90% of girls leave RMS to take up places at University. Life at RMS is centered on much more than "just" academic success and the School is well known for its exceptional pastoral care, and the wealth of extra-curricular opportunities it offers - including Astronomy as we are one of very few schools in the UK to have our own planetarium and observatory! Upcoming Contacts Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group – all from the northern Alabama area. The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have learned about the ISS, the astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All of the students and club members involved are passionate about this opportunity, and thank you for your time. Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over Austin, Texas Students to Speak to Space Station Astronaut Students from the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools in Austin, Texas will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working on the International Space Station at 11:55 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. The contact is schedule via Skype. [ANS thanks NASA News Service for the above information] Help XE1AO get his satellite WAS award via LOTW! Omar XE1AO, a long-time satellite operator in central Mexico, tweeted yesterday that he is interested in making contact with stations in 7 states to finally have all 50 states confirmed via Logbook of the World. The last 7 states he needs are: Kansas Maine New Jersey New York Rhode Island Washington West Virginia Omar is in grid DK89df, if that helps in making calculations on possible passes that he can work. His e-mail address on QRZ is good, so you can contact him directly if you are able to help him get his satellite WAS award. He is also on Twitter as @XE1AO, but his Twitter feed is not open to the public. He's received a few suggestions to get a couple of these states taken care of, so hopefully he can finally reach that goal. [ANS thanks Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, AMSAT Director for Field Operations for the above information] 6D0F Special Call David Maciel XE3DX will work the special prefix 6D0F, for the apostolic journey of his holiness pope Francis to Mexico. Times include: Thursday 11 February 2016 18:00 UTC Thursday, 18 February 2016 18:59 UTC David will work from grid EK36, Chiapas, on only FM satellites SO-50 and AO-85. The QSL Manager is XE1LM. Visit https://www.qrz.com/lookup/6d0f/ http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/ [ANS thanks David Maciel, XE3DX for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-038 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 07 Feb '16

07 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-038 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: * ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 Launch Information * AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed * Dayton Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery * FoxTelem Version 1.03 Released * AMSAT Partners With Ragnorak Industries Cubesat Challenge Team * Announcement of the 8th European CubeSat Symposium, 7-9 Sept 2016 (London) * 2016 NASA Academy SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-038.01 ANS-038 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 038.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. February 7, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-038.01 ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 Launch Information Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following WEB site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above WEB site. We hope you get interested in our satellites, receive beacon messages, and enjoy the message exchange service. Best regards, Yasutaka Narusawa (JR2XEA) [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa, JR2XEA, and the KOMAKI Amateur SATCOM Club for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed Call for Volunteers for the AMSAT Booth at Dayton 2016 The 2016 Dayton Hamvention®, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association will be held this year on May 20-22. “Dayton” is the largest hamfest in the United States, and AMSAT will be there again this year. You can assist AMSAT by volunteering to help staff the booth. While there, you will meet other AMSAT members, interact with the satellite designers, builders, and operators, and enjoy all that Dayton has to offer. People are needed to assist with the setup of the booth on Thursday, May 19 (A few people to move the equipment from the storage area leaving the hotel at 9 am, most at the Arena from 11am to 4 pm), to staff the booth Friday (9 am to 6 pm), Saturday (9 am to 5 pm), and Sunday (9 am to 1 pm), and pack up on Sunday (1 pm to 3 pm). If you are leaving late Sunday, or Monday morning, please consider helping transport the display to the storage area on the south side of Dayton. This is normally completed by 5 pm. Most people volunteer for one or more 2 hour shifts in the booth. Please send an e-mail to Steve Belter, N9IP if you are willing to help AMSAT at the Hamvention. Please let Steve know as soon as possible if you¹re available to assist. If you missed the Hamvention the last few years, there were some changes in the Ball Arena, and the AMSAT exhibit was part of that change. We now have a 3 X 3 booth arrangement, with the engineering and software display on one side of the aisle, and the sale area on the opposite side. The booth numbers are now 444-446 and 433-435. We will be very near the old exhibit area, within sight of the ARRL exhibit. [ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dayton Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery Thursday night, 1800-2000. The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held Thursday, May 19, at 1800 EDT at the Tickets Pub & Eatery. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth. You’ll find a great selection of Greek and American food and excellent company! No program or speaker, just good conversation. Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention®. Tickets Pub and Eatery, 7 W. Main St. Fairborn, OH 45324 (937) 878-9022 [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FoxTelem Version 1.03 Released This version of FoxTelem uses a new datafile format. While we store our data on the server in an SQL database, we use a flat file database for FoxTelem. A flat file format is nearly optimal for a program that mostly adds new data to the end of a growing list. With that said, we need to be able to load sections of the data into memory for efficient analysis. The new data file format allows that. If you have been downloading data from the server for analysis, you will see that this format is much faster. One major change is the ability to automatically switch between low speed and high speed. This will help unattended stations gather as much telemetry as possible. The "auto" mode actually runs both decoders at the same time, so make sure your computer has enough CPU power to cope. Graphing has been updated to support better analysis of the spacecraft by the AMSAT Operations team and amateur scientists everywhere. This version also contains new features that will be required for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D. You can download it here: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/foxtelem_1.03_windows.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.03_mac.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/foxtelem_1.03_linux.tar.gz [ANS thanks Chris, G0KLA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Partners With Ragnorak Industries Cubesat Challenge Team AMSAT is participating in the Cube Quest Challenge as a partner with Ragnarok Industries. Members of the AMSAT - ASCENT team are designing the communications package which will be 5.6 GHz uplink and 10.5 GHz. downlink and will use digital modulation. At the end of the mission, the 6U cubesat will be put into a stable lunar orbit and AMSAT will be able to operate the satellite as a digital regenerative transponder. Many of the details are still in development and the ASCENT team is always looking for U.S. citizen volunteers to help with the design, prototype and testing. There is no guarantee Ragnarok's submission will be accepted by NASA but if it is, this could be an exciting mission for the amateur community that allows amateurs to have an active role in collecting telemetry and range rate data that is crucial to the mission and end up with a satellite that allows EME type communications between relatively small (1-2meter) earth stations. [ANS thanks Howie, AB2S, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement of the 8th European CubeSat Symposium, 7-9 Sept 2016 (London) Dear CubeSat Community, This year the 8th European CubeSat Symposium will take place in the vibrant city of London on September 7th-9th 2016. The Symposium, co-organized by the von Karman Institute (Belgium) and the Knowledge Transfer Network (UK), will be hosted in the premises of the historical buildings of the Imperial College London. In particular the South Kensington Campus is located in the very heart of London only few steps away from Kensington Palace and the Natural History Museum. We have tried to organize this Symposium giving importance to the most relevant topics in the CubeSat world. From Technology Demonstrators and Scientific Missions to the Future Technologies and the Space Exploration with CubeSats. In detail, the Symposium is covering the following topics: - Scientific Instruments/Sensors on CubeSats - Technology Demonstration on CubeSats (e.g. formation flying, IODs) - Micro-g Experiments on CubeSats - Micropropulsion Subsystems - Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem - CubeSat Flight Experience and Lessons Learned - CubeSat Networks and Constellations - Telecommunications, Ground Stations and Ground Station Networks - Orbital Dynamics (e.g. de-orbiting and debris mitigation) - Launchers and Deployers for CubeSats - Future Technologies on CubeSats - Space Exploration Missions with CubeSat (i.e. beyond Earth orbit) Renowned speakers from NASA, ESA and NanoRacks LLC will give an account of their view of the past and future development of CubeSats. If you are interested in contributing to this event, please submit your abstract before May 31st 2016. Registrations and abstract submission will be opened from March 1st 2016. For more information on the venue, registration, deadlines, abstract guidelines, sponsorship and exhibitors, please visit the symposium website www.cubesatsymposium.eu As in the previous years the Symposium is open to the all CubeSat community around the World, so please feel free to disseminate this information further. See you there! Best Regards Davide Masutti on behalf the Organising Committee [ANS thanks Davide Masutti for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 NASA Academy The 2016 NASA Academy is being offered at three locations: NASA's Ames Research Center in California, NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Applications are being solicited for this 10-week summer experience for college students with emphasis on immersive and integrated multidisciplinary exposure and training. Activities include laboratory research, a group project, lectures, meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and space-related industries, and technical presentations. Students learn how NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories, and participate in leadership development and team-building activities. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (including citizens of the U.S. territories Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas) majoring in a STEM discipline. The applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in accredited universities and colleges in the U.S. and its territories. Students may apply to any of the NASA Academy opportunities by following these steps: 1. Log into the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, site at https://intern.nasa.gov. 2. Register and set up an account. 3. Select the "Search Opportunities" tab at the top bar. 4. Select "NASA Center(s) of Interest" under "NASA Center/Facility." 5. Enter "Academy" in the "Keywords" block at the bottom of the screen. 6. Click the "Search" button at the very bottom of screen; a list of Academy Opportunities will then be displayed. 7. Click on the "View" icon in the first column under "Action" to read about the Opportunity of interest, followed by comments on additional instructions for completing the application, including two requested essays. The deadline for receipt of NASA Academy application(s) and associated documents is Feb. 16, 2016. Please direct questions about NASA Academy to NASA-Academy-Application(a)mail.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Feb. 4, 2016 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 February 2016