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ANS-241 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 27 Aug '16

27 Aug '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-241 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: * US ARISS Contacts -Call for Proposals- Runs September 1 - November 1 * Amateur Satellite Educational Videos * Expanding SatNOGS for Satellite Command and Control * The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th * Aves Island DXpedition to Include Satellite Operations * AMSAT Phase 4 Ground weekly report for 26 August 2016 * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Continued * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-241.01 ANS-241 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 241.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 28, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-241.01 US ARISS Contacts -Call for Proposals- Runs September 1 - November 1 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 - November 1, 2016 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl dot org. About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Satellite Educational Videos David Casler KE0OG has released a couple of videos which aim to explain amateur radio satellites They form part of his collection of training videos for the Amateur Radio Technician, General, and Extra exams. This video introduces the orbital mechanics part of amateur satellites, including the concept of orbits, eccentricity, Keplerian elements, and definitions of key terms. These videos are updated for the 11th edition of the "ARRL Extra Class License Manual for Ham Radio." Watch Amateur Extra Lesson 2.3, Part 1, Amateur Satellites https://youtu.be/Ku9rf9Lwld4 The second half of the video discusses polarization, Faraday rotation, repeaters, transponders, and band and mode designations. Note one error in which I refer to the X band as in the 10 MHz region when it should be 10 GHz. Watch Amateur Extra Section 2.3 Part 2, Amateur Satellites https://youtu.be/ebUeCKjAPFY These videos are updated for the 11th edition of the "ARRL Extra Class License Manual for Ham Radio." David thanks you for watching his videos! His channel, "Ham Radio Answers," is available to help anyone become an active, on-the-air amateur radio operator! David concludes, "I am unique in that I provide the only set of YouTube training videos that accompany the ARRL license manuals, section for section. I try hard to answer every Ask Dave question individually if I can." https://www.youtube.com/user/davecasler [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Expanding SatNOGS for Satellite Command and Control Although quite some time has passed since their last update, the SatNOGS team and the community has been busy working on it’s software and hardware components, allowing modular setups. A large amount of focus has been with the SatNOGS client software, allowing the user to not only use RTL-SDR based dongles but a far greater variety of SDR solutions using GnuRadio. In conjunction with that, SatNOGS client is able to use Amateur Radios that are supported by hamlib (we’ve already tested on Yaesu and Kenwood radios). Such functionality paired with our new ground station hardware design, and further tests on after market designs such us Yaesu Az/El rotator, would allow the SatNOGS network to not only receive but transmit data via the network to satellites. For a few months now Libre Space Foundation, the organization that assists the development and operation of the SatNOGS networks, has been working together with the University of Patras on developing and manufacturing the first satellite with most of it’s components based upon open hardware and using free software, UPSat, https://upsat.gr/ An open hardware and software satellite, especially one built by Libre Space Foundation would have a great chance for the SatNOGS network to implement command and control features on it’s SatNOGS client, allowing a fully open Low Earth Orbiting satellite communication stack from earth to orbit and back. Communications with the satellite are implemented through ECSS Standard Commands as described in ECSS-E-70-41A standard (CCSDS). You can checkout the code of the client on GitHub https://github.com/satnogs/satnogs-client/tree/dev and the ecss services implemented on the satellite at https://github.com/librespacefoundation/ecss_services There has been a lot of effort to make sure that all the needed functionality on the SatNOGS client has been implemented, while in parallel maintaining modularity and extensibility for future satellites and other protocols. Do you have a satellite in the works and want to use SatNOGS client as command and control? Let us know and we will be happy to work with you expanding our client! https://satnogs.org/2016/08/cnc-librecubesat/ [ANS thanks SatNOGS and Daniel Cussen, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th Martha announce via the AMSAT-BB that The AMSAT Office will be closed through Wednesday, Sept 7th. She requests "Please do not leave messages as I will not be able to answer them." The office will reopen Thursday September 8. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Aves Island DXpedition to Include Satellite Operations Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA, announced that his group (ARV, Asociacion de Radioaficonados de Venezuela) back in Venezuela got an invitation by the Navy to activate YV0 (Currently the #18 most wanted in the world). A team of 14 operators will depart on August 27th and operate as YX0V for 7-10 days. The team is planning to be active between August 28th and September 5th. Activity will be on all bands (HF/VHF) and modes (CW, SSB, the Digital modes, FM and Satellites). Steve, W4DTA, will be the QSL Manager for the operation. The Caribbean location and flat island terrain should provide excellent footprints across North and South America. Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA, sent out the following update on August 20th: Hello all.. YX0V team both in YV and here in the USA have been working almost non top! A big FEDEX package was send to Caracas today with shirts, basic supplies and a new antenna analyzer, hopefully it will arrive in time. The team is now working on a contingency plan for power. At the moment there is only one power plant working in YV0, so there are periods of black outs mostly during the night. The team is purchasing a new generator capable of running a few stations, so there might be times that not all stations will be on the air. A operating plan should be available to me very soon. The good news Hams around the world have step up with donations, and that is helping defray some of the cost. More to come, but if you have any questions that you will like me to ask the team, please feel free to email me or call me. 73.... Steve, W4DTA For more details and updates on the YX0V DXpedition, see the following URLs: YX0V Web site: http://yx0v.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/yx0v2016 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yx0v2016 ADDED NOTES: Tom, W5KUB, hosted an Amateur Radio Roundtable on August 16th, which contains a converstaion with W4DTA/YV5DTA about the upcoming YX0V operation. The video can be viewed on YouTube.com: https://youtu.be/CSTYx2pvBW4?t=1757 Also, watch short videos on YouTube.com at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjGsEFKXVwk&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uV89vEuwRM [ANS thanks Steve, W4DTA/YV5DTA and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Ground weekly report for 26 August 2016 Some of you may know Mr. Brain ?G4GUO. He's been working on DVB-S2 BCH decode and has it correcting errors (big YAY here, this stuff is hard. But his last name is Brain, so there's that.) He's given us the thumbs up to use it on Phase 4. he is planning on using NVIDIA CUDA to do the LDPC decoder because he doesn't think a general CPU will hack it. There's other really good news on the "new hardware that will make our radio easier to build but will take hard work to get fully functional" front. Two types of hardware we can't talk about just yet because the details aren't yet public, but there is a third. (And actually, a fourth, counting the fact that in two days we can buy an SR Systems DVB Modulator because the company will be coming back from their month-long vacation.) That Snapdragon certificate course that I (foolishly, because Time) signed up for at UCSD? The capstone project is coming right up, and I'm going to see how much we can get out of the quad core processor and onboard DSP in efforts to do some type of Phase 4 Ground radio (or radio peripheral) on Android on a DragonBoard 410c. This would be as the final project in the certificate program, so it's worth the time, it's just kind of feeling like school. Slack is really enjoyable to use and useful for having more personal and flexible virtual meetings than email. Slack is not a replacement for the email list, but I'm going to go ahead and invite everyone that has subscribed to the mailing list, to our Phase 4 Ground Slack. (why add Slack? Because it's searchable, integrated with Github and *many* other services and sites, and easy to organize for technical discussions and work.) I believe Jerry (our AMSAT Vice President of Engineering) has filled out the paperwork to get us a free upgrade to the pro version of Slack. This gives us all the useful functions of Slack. We can live with the "free" version, but the upgrade is a big benefit of all those volunteer hours that we logged during the last seven months. Another big deal is that we need computers to volunteer for our two node-locked licenses from Xilinx that allow us to target ALL the chips out there, even the ones in the bigger USRPs. We have a brand new laptop here in San Diego and are trying to figure out Windows or Linux for Vivado. We need a second site that can support FPGA/HDL design. Jerry Buxton nominated Bill Reed in Texas. *Are there any other individuals that want to provide remote development with this license opportunity?* Otherwise, we go with San Diego and Texas. If not, then we put the two that we have so far "on the air". I have about 8 people on the list right now that want to do more FPGA/RFNoC learning, so let's start getting some traction here with the license, logging in, tutorials, take-this-job descriptions, etc. Bob N4HY is giving the Sunday tutorial at TAPR DCC and I agreed to help him. We're going to talk about DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge, why amateur spectrum is under pressure, and what amateurs need to do about it. My proposed title was "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." But Bob countered with "Spectrum Crunch is real. Amateur radio needs to take action." I think mine's funnier but Steve Bible will probably go with Bob's. Anyway, if you're at DCC, please let Mike Sprenger W4UOO know - he's helping coordinate all of us Phase 4 people while we're there so that we can find each other and talk up a storm. Thank you Mike! Please give feedback if you have it. It makes a big difference. I know I told some of you I read minds, but that might have been a small exaggeration. -Michelle W5NYV [ANS thanks Michelle W5NYV via the AMSAT-BB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Continued ** Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium ** There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40. This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. The registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website. Online Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130 ** Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page** Carnival offers round-trip. Transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person. If you are traveling to the Board of Directors meeting, you may still utilize the Carnival transportation option for your return to the airport from the cruise terminal. However, you will need to obtain other transportation between the airport and the Galveston DoubleTree hotel. Cruise information may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667 [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are five candidates: Tom Clark, K3IO Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN, USA and Astronaut Kate Rubins KG5FYJ using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-08-23 15:09 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via N9DR. ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR, direct via KF7TCG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-09-03 18:21:03 UTC School Information: Thomas Jefferson was a scientist and a pioneer in many fields of study including biology, geography, meteorology, and ethnology. Since at least 1793 he had been planning for an exploration of the largest remaining unexplored land on earth: the American West. This resulted in the four pages of detailed instructions that he gave to Meriwether Lewis during their 1801-03 planning for the voyage of the Corps of Discovery. The resulting 1804-06 U.S. Army expedition to explore along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers was led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The 33 diverse members of the Corps spent the winter of 1805-06 at a campsite they built just a few miles from the mouth of the Columbia River and named after the local Clatsop Indians. At Fort Clatsop, the captains planned for the return journey to the United States and worked on writing scientific descriptions of the plants and animals they'd encountered that were new to science (a total of 178 species of plants and 122 animals by the end of the trip). Like President Thomas Jefferson and Captain Meriwether Lewis, today's astronauts have a curiosity for exploring beyond known frontiers. Some local students who have participated in various education programs at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and live in surrounding Clatsop County have been learning about the International Space Station (ISS) and are hoping to have a brief radio conversation with an ISS astronaut. All of these students live in Clatsop County and are familiar with the park through field trips, park summer camps, family visits, or education programs with rangers visiting their classrooms. The park connected with these students through four relationships: 1. The Northwest Regional Educational Service District and the Astoria School District offer a migrant summer school to serve students who have moved within the last three years for their parent's work. Several of these students participated in summer camps that the park offered and they were excited about the opportunity to learn about the International Space Station and talk with an astronaut. 2. Three small local Girl Scout Troops (#10025, #10026, #10086) were interested in this opportunity as they have been focusing on the three keys to Girl Scouting which are Discovering, Connecting, and Taking Action. The girls and their leaders were happy to incorporate this ARISS opportunity into their projects. 3. The Fort Clatsop District of Boy Scouts includes local troop #509 and #542. Since Scouting is about character development and having confidence in yourself to Be Prepared, the ARISS program is a good challenge for these youngsters. Their district is named in honor of the 1805-06 winter encampment of the 33 people of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 4. Three of the youth recruited for this special program are children or grandchildren of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park rangers and were excited to learn that an astronaut radio conversation would be happening in their park. Students & Anticipated Questions: 1. Alejandra (12): To prepare for his journey, Captain Meriwether Lewis was tutored by experts in medicine, navigation, astronomy, mathematics, botany, and paleontology. What was the hardest part of your training? 2. Kevin (13): The Corps of Discovery enjoyed fiddle music, do you listen to music in space? If so, what kind? 3. Katie (11): How different does your body feel in microgravity and how long does it take to adjust after arrival in the space station? 4. Liam (8): Lewis and Clark failed to find a Northwest Passage. Have any of your experiments failed or not gone like you wanted? 5. Nahomy (Naomi) (10): While wintering at Fort Clatsop, the Corps of Discovery made buckskin clothes as their uniforms wore out. How many outfits of clothing do you have with you, and what kind of material are they made from? 6. Dashel (7): Why do you like communicating with kids? 7. Kelsey (11): Meriwether Lewis treasured an ermine scarf he received from a Shoshone chief. Do you have a souvenir from space? If so, what is it? 8. Sophie (8): Do you create art from the views from the space station? 9. Derek (8): When is your next spacewalk? What is your favorite thing when you are outside the space station? 10. Crystal (12): Lewis brought his dog Seaman with him on the expedition. Are there any research animals on the space station now? If so, what are they? 11. Xochitl (Sochi) (13): Although most members of the Corps of Discovery were single, York and John Shields had families at home. Do you miss your family, and how do you communicate with them? 12. Frances (8): Do you guys keep journal like Lewis and Clark did? 13. Rylee (7): If a microorganism changed genetically on the International Space Station would it be considered a space alien? 14. Logan (6): Were you in a scouting program as a child? If so, did it affect your desire to work in space? 15. Linnea (8): Lewis and Clark played backgammon. What games do you play? 16. Josie (8): When Sacagawea became sick, Lewis treated her. If you get hurt or sick, who treats you? 17. Rosalinda (9): What are your space suits made of, and can they catch on fire? 18. Belinda (9): How do you protect your eyes when the space station is facing the sun? 19. Elias (13): Are you doing any experiments with animals adapting to microgravity? 20. Samantha (10): What does a shooting star or a meteor shower look like from space? [ANS thanks ARISS via Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + International EME Conference Presentation Videos Videos of the presentations given at the 17th International EME conference, held in Venice August 19-21, 2016 are now available. They include talks by Sam G4DDK @DXING, Dave G4HUP, Charlie G3WDG, Alex ZS6EME and Joe Taylor K1JT. Watch the videos on the YouTube channel of Giulio Pico IW3HVB at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFct56EA6F9lkqMBmydh5hw EME 2016 The schedule of the EME presentations is posted at: http://www.eme2016.org/index.php/25-2/ [ANS thanks 17th International EME Conference and IW3HVB for the above information] + SPACE EXPLORATION EDUCATORS CONFERENCE (SEEC) February 9-11, 2017 at Space Center Houston 1601 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 Experience three days of complete immersion into the out-of-this world adventure of space exploration! This conference is for grades kindergarten to 12th – and not just for science teachers! Space Center Houston strives to use space to teach across the curriculum. The activities presented can be used for science, language arts, mathematics, history, and more. Attend sessions hosted by the actual scientists and engineers working on exciting endeavors like the International Space Station and explorations of Mars and the planets beyond. Hear from the astronauts leading the charge in exploration! Come learn about the bold vision to send humans back to the Moon and off to Mars! Attend sessions presented by educators and receive ready to implement classroom ideas and experience minds-on, hands-on fun. Network with fellow educators, take back a multitude of cross-curriculum ideas and activities and earn 24 hours of continuing professional education credit. For more information or to register, visit : http://spacecenterSEEC.org, email seec at spacecenter dot org or call (281)244-2149. [ANS thanks NEON - NASA Educators Online Network] + There has been a date change for the satellite presention to the Victor Valley (CA) ARC. The presentation will take place Tuesday, OCTOBER 11, 2016, 7:00 PM at the Sitting Bull Academy Library, 19445 Sitting Bull Road, Apple Valley. CA. [ANS thanks Clint K6LCS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM) aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-234 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 20 Aug '16

20 Aug '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-234 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: * Call for 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th * Happy 20th Birthday to FO-29! * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder * Amateur Radio BIRDS CubeSat Constellation * RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Launch Scheduled for December 2017 * Graham Shirville G3VZV to be next BATC President * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-234.01 ANS-234 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 234.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE August 21, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-234.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Call for 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers The 2016 AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be held on the weekend of November 10- 14, 2016. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations, and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, but no later than September 15th. The final copy must be submitted by October 15th for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(a)amsat.org The 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting will be held aboard the cruise ship Carnival Liberty departing from the port of Galveston,Texas on November 10, 2016 and returning to port on November 14, 2016. [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by September 15th Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are five candidates: Tom Clark, K3IO Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy 20th Birthday to FO-29! Happy 20th Birthday to Fuji-OSCAR 29! FO-29, known as JAS-2 (Japan Amateur Satellite #2) prior to launch, was built by the Japan Amateur Radio League and launched on August 17, 1996 from Tanegashima Space Center on an H-II launch vehicle into a 1,323 km x 800 km orbit with an inclination of 98.5 degrees. In addition to a 100 kHz wide analog Mode V/u (JA) transponder, the satellite also includes a packet BBS and digitalker. While the packet BBS and digitalker are non-functional, the analog transponder continues to provide excellent service to the present day. With an apogee of 1,323 km, FO-29 provides satellite operators with excellent DX opportunities every few months when the passes over a certain area are at or near apogee. Intercontinental QSOs are regularly reported, including between Japan and Alaska as well as North America and Europe. Although the theoretical maximum range at apogee is 7,502 km, the excellent sensitivity of the transponder as well as it’s strong and solid 1 watt downlink signal allows that distance to be stretched when the conditions are suitable. The longest distance QSO made via FO-29’s analog transponder occurred on August 27, 2015 with an unscheduled 7,599.959 km contact between KG5CCI in Arkansas and F4CQA in France. The sensitivity of the transponder and Mode V/U configuration also allow for the effective use of minimal equipment. QSOs have been reported using a single Yaesu FT-817 transceiver and the stock rubber duck antenna. Taking advantage of the large footprint and ease of use, the K1N DXpedition to Navassa Island made a total of 29 QSOs during two passes of FO-29 on February 12, 2015 using a single Yaesu FT-817 along with an Arrow antenna, activating that extremely rare DX entity on satellite for the first time since 1978. To this day, FO-29 remains the most widely used linear transponder satellite and an ideal satellite for beginners looking to become active on the linear transponder satellites to try first. The FO-29 control station maintains a blog (in Japanese) at http://blog.goo.ne.jp/fo-29 The JARL also offers an award for confirmed QSOs with ten different stations via FO-29. http://www.amsat.org/?p=5417 [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and Paul, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Registration Reminder - Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium. There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40. This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. The registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website. Online Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130 - Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page. Carnival offers round-trip transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person. If you are traveling to the Board of Directors meeting, you may still utilize the Carnival transportation option for your return to the airport from the cruise terminal. However, you will need to obtain other transportation between the airport and the Galveston DoubleTree hotel. Cruise information may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667 [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio BIRDS CubeSat Constellation The BIRDS constellation, planned to deploy from the ISS in 2017, will consist of four 1U CubeSats (BIRD-B, BIRD-J, BIRD-G and BIRD-M). They are made of the exactly same design including the radio frequencies to be used and will be deployed together. The main mission of the constellation is to do experiments on radio communication with a CubeSat constellation via a network of UHF/VHF amateur radio ground stations all over the world. The challenge is to distinguish each satellite from the four satellites transmitting with the same frequency, hand over operation of a satellite from one ground station to another and assemble the satellite data, such as housekeeping telemetry, music and the Earth images, obtained at different ground stations. Amateur radio enthusiasts are asked to join the network to assist in the data downlink and reconstruction of the patchy satellite data into one meaningful data. Orbit information and operational plan of each satellite will be made available to the amateur radio community in the world. Software to decode the satellite data will be also made available. The respective amateur ground stations that can successfully decode the telemetry data, music and the Earth images, shall receive a QSL card from the BIRDS team. The data reconstructed by the effort of the amateur ground station network will be made public to share the sense of satisfaction and achievement. A particularly interesting mission of BIRDS project is the SNG mission that exchanges music via a digi-singer. It is an outreach-oriented mission. First, music in MIDI format is uploaded from ground. Then the MIDI file is processed on-board using a vocal synthesizer. Finally, the processed music is sent back to Earth using UHF antenna as voice FM data. During organized events on space utilization with schools or general public, music could be heard using a common hand-held receiver and hand-made Yagi antenna positioned to track the satellite at each given pass over the region. This has a tremendous effect on awareness of radio communication among school children and general public, especially in the countries participating in the BIRDS project, Japan, Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria and Bangladesh. Proposing to use CW, 1k2 AFSK FM, audio FM and 9k6 GMSK downlinks. Planning a JAXA sponsored deployment from the ISS during 2017. BIRDS project information: http://birds.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/ http://birds.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/amateur.html http://birds.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/newsletter.html https://www.facebook.com/Joint-Global-Multi-Nation-Birds-BIRDS-project- 171403156542445/ Download the Paper – IAA-CU-15-01-16 Five-nations CubeSat constellation; An inexpensive test case for learning and capacity building https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289868265_IAA-CU-15-01-16_Five- nations_CubeSat_constellation_An_inexpensive_test_case_for_learning_and_capaci- _ty_building The IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination pages are hosted by AMSAT-UK at http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Launch Scheduled for December 2017 AMSAT has been informed that the launch for the NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) XX mission carrying RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) has been scheduled for December 2017. In addition to RadFxSat-2, the ELaNa XX mission will carry 12 CubeSats constructed both by NASA and several universities around the United States. The mission will be launched by Virgin Galactic on their LauncherOne air launch to orbit system from Mojave, CA RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat (Fox-1B), is a partnership opportunity between the Vanderbilt University Institute for Space and Defense Electronics and AMSAT and will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new FinFET technology. RadFxSat-2 will be the fifth Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. Fox-1A, now AMSAT- OSCAR 85 (AO-85), was launched on October 8, 2015 and is fully operational, providing science data from it's onboard experiments and FM transponder service for the amateur radio community. Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D are scheduled for launch this fall and RadFxSat is scheduled to launch in early 2017. The RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus will be built on the Fox-1 series but will feature a linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard FM transponder in Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands will be reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J) configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink will feature a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and Paul, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Graham Shirville G3VZV to be next BATC President The British Amateur Television Club (BATC) has announced that Graham Shirville, G3VZV, has been chosen to be the organization's next President. He first joined BATC in the early 1970’s, where he supported the development of the network of ATV repeaters in the UK for many years. More recently he has been closely involved with the development of the HamTV system on the ISS and with the schools contacts with Tim Peake during his Principia Mission. Graham has also been a driving force behind AMSAT-UK’s FUNcube satellite projects and was briefly shown working on the FUNcube-1 satellite in the RSGB Youth video Amateur Radio – a 21st Century Hobby. He provided the deployment mechanism for the Slow Scan Television (SSTV) satellite ARISSat-1/KEDR which was released from the International Space Station by cosmonauts Sergei Volkov RU3DIS and Alexander Samokutyaev. British Amateur Television Club http://www.batc.org.uk/ https://amsat-uk.org/2016/08/19/graham-shirville-g3vzv-batc-president/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday, 3 September 2016 - Shelby Hamfest in Shelby, NC (ARRL North Carolina State Convention) - AMSAT Forum Only *Saturday and Sunday, 10-11 September 2016 Boxboro Hamfest in Boxborough, MA (ARRL New England Division Convention) *Friday, 23 September 2016 – presentation at Jet Propulsion Laboratory Amateur Radio Club in Pasadena CA *Friday and Saturday, 21-22 October 2016 – CopaFest 2016, south of Maricopa AZ *Saturday, 12 November 2016 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 3 December 2016 – Superstition Superfest in Mesa AZ *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Daisen Elementary School, Saihaku-gun, Japan, direct via 8J4DISS The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was successful: Sat 2016-08-20 08:50:19 UTC 42 deg Signal was very clear and strong. 13 students prepared 26 questions. They got 15 answers. News papers : 4 TV : 5 Audience: 210 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHcoPW5Ex-I Oyama Elementary School is near the Oyama National Park in Tottori Prefecture. It is a small elementary school with a population of 76. This school contact will involve 13 students in the sixth grade (ages 11 and 12), who will interview astronaut Onishi. * Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal NY, direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Contact was successful: Thu 2016-08-18 16:24:42 UTC 29 deg * A telebridge contact via IS1SLD with students attending Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville AL, USA, was successful Thu 2016-08-11 14:48:24 UTC 83 deg. * A direct contact via OK2KET with the OK2KJT Radioclub, Valasska Polanka, Czech Republic, was successful Wed 2016-08-10 18:56:17 UTC 90 deg. Upcoming Contacts * The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN, direct via N9DR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-08-23 15:09:15 UTC 42 deg Founded in 1925, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis creates immersive, interdisciplinary experiences that promote inquiry-based family learning across the arts, sciences, and humanities. The museum is a 473,000 square foot, five-level facility that houses 11 permanent exhibit galleries, two traveling exhibit spaces, a children’s theater, a planetarium, a public library, a preschool, and a collection of more than 115,000 artifacts and objects. Most recently, the Children’s Museum opened Beyond Spaceship Earth, and immersive exhibit focused on human space travel. Beyond Spaceship Earth features three components: a recreation of portions of the inside of the International Space Station (ISS); a one-of-a-kind, immersive space object experience called the Schaefer Planetarium & Space Object Theater; and an Astronaut Wall of Fame, which will pay tribute to more than 30 astronauts with ties to Indiana. Hosting more than one million visitors each year, the museum has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the top 3 science centers in the country by Family Fun magazine. The museum has been ranked as the number one children’s museum by Forbes.com. Through a variety of free and discounted admission programs for under-served populations, as well as its community outreach efforts targeting local neighborhood residents and urban public schools, the Museum ensures that its visitor population is diverse. Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave, AA4KN, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend - Satellite operation On the AMSAT-BB, Ken, GW1FKY reports: With reference to the question about satellite operation for this years "International Lighthouse /Lightship " events ( ILL ) dates Saturday 20 th and Sunday 21st august 2016. Over here in Wales ( United Kingdom ) the " Barry Amateur Radio Society " will be operating from a twin pair of lighthouses located at "NASH POINT" situated on the coast of the Bristol Channel - South Wales. We will be limited to operation during approx. 0700 -1600 hrs GMT only I regret to say. " In addition to operating on the HF and VHF bands I also plan to set up my portable satellite equipment for operation and contacts during suitable passes" Callsign /Lighthouse and details as follows GC6BRC - Lighthouse ( High ) Ref: UK0071: GC4BRS - Lighthouse ( Low ) Ref: UK0072 Locator Ref: IO81FJ QSL Manager : MW0DHF (Philip King) Weather is not looking to good - hopefully it will not deter our plans for operation. [ANS thanks Ken, GW1FKY and AMSAT-UK for the above information] YX0V DXpedition to Aves Island to Include Satellite Operations The YX0V DXpedition to Aves Island, scheduled for August 31, 2016 – September 10, 2016, will include satellite operations. Aves Island, a dependency of Venezuela located west of Dominica and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean Sea (grid FK85eq), is currently the 17th most wanted DXCC entity on the Club Log DXCC Most-Wanted List and was last on the air in 2007. It was active on satellite during the YV0D expedition in 2004, but only three QSOs were made before the DXpedition was cut short due to rain. Satellite plans are yet to be finalized. YX0V information can be found on their website at http://yx0v.com/, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yx0v2016, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/yx0v2016/ [ANS thanks Paul, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-227 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 14 Aug '16

14 Aug '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-227 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: * Special Callsigns From Brazil During Olympic Games * Satellite DX News * Receive Pictures from Space – ISS SSTV August 15-16 * July/August AMSAT Journal in the Mail * AMSAT-SA Partnership Announced to Develop QB50 nSight-1 Groundstation * P4A Es'hailSat Geostationary Satellite Launch Re-Scheduled SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-227.01 ANS-227 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 227.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. August 14, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-227.01 Special Callsigns From Brazil During Olympic Games Members of the Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Radio Emissao (LABRE) will be active with the special call ZV2016RIO from Rio de Janeiro between Aug. 5 and 21. QRV on 160-2m (except 30m) on CW, SSB, FM, PSK, and D-Star, as well as via satellites. QSL via PY1AA. Henrique/PP5NY operates with the call PX2016RIO in the context of the Olympic Games on HF (CW only). QSL via PP5NY (d/B), LoTW. The following special event calls will also be active while the Games run: ZV8R, ZV8I, ZV8O, ZV8D, ZV8E, ZV8J, ZV8A, and ZV8WN. QSOs count towards the award RIO 2016. QSL via bureau, ClubLog. See: http://www.labre-rr.org/olimpiadasrio2016.html [ANS thanks DXNL 2000 - August 3, 2016 DX Newsletter which is a free and weekly service of DARC Committee "DX and HF contesting". It is noted that this 2000th issue of the DX Newsletter reflects continuous coverage over 62 years. Congratulations, thank you, and 73] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite DX News CY9C ST. PAUL ISLAND DXPEDITION (Update, dated August 2nd). Randy, N0TG, reports on the upcoming CY9C operation for August 19-29th [edited]: The CY9C DXpedition team is very busy with last minute details and packing. All equipment will begin the journey to our take off point in Nova Scotia, August 13-14th. We plan to be partially on the air on 19th August and fully operational 20th August. The home page of our website has a link for those who desire to check the log. Log data will be posted LIVE. We will be using ClubLog and OQRS. Direct QSL via WA4DAN. Activating 60m for the first time from St. Paul is exciting for the team. And, while conditions will be a challenge for 160m, the team is energized to give it a serious effort. Also, be assured we will pay attention to the long and/or difficult propagation paths on all bands when conditions are workable. We look forward to working not only the more common bands CW/SSB/RTTY, but also 6m, 2m EME and Satellite. We appreciate the donations and support by many. Even now in these last days, support is most helpful and appreciated. Our sincere thanks to all interested and following this DXpedition. We look forward to working you. Thank you. The WEB site: http://www.CY9DXpedition.com (Update, dated August 2nd). Randy, N0TG, reports: First cargo ship- ment packed and ready to go. Shipment from NY to northern tip of Nova Scotia is scheduled for Aug 11th. Next shipment will be from Ohio/Indiana and will ship August 13th. Destination is the take off-point - Dingwall, Nova Scotia. Team members will arrive in Dingwall between August 14-17th. Early arrivals will begin preparation for final transport to the island. SATELLITE GRIDS ROAD TRIP. Ron, N8RO, reports that he "will start a road trip on Thursday, August 11th. The trip will head north to OK, KS, NE, SD, ND and SK. We will then head west on the Trans Canadian Highway to AB & BC. From BC we will go to WA, MT, WY, CO and then work our way home to TX on Friday, August 26th. While the trip is primarily a vacation, I will attempt to make satellite contacts, hopefully one or two a day, on XW-2C, AO-85, SO-50 and FO-29 along the way. Possible grid activations include: EM03/04, EN00/01, EN04/05, DN88/89, DO50/60, DO11/21, CO90, CN99, CN78/88, CN97/96, DN36/37, DN75/76, DN71 and DM95. I hope to contact many of you during this trip." [ANS thanks the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1277 for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Receive Pictures from Space – ISS SSTV August 15-16 The ARRL reports Slow-scan television (SSTV) transmissions will be made from the International Space Station (ISS) on August 15-16, 2016. The MAI-75 Experiment will transmit SSTV images on 145.800 MHz FM over the course of a few orbits as the space station passes over Moscow. Operators in Europe and South America will have the best chances to receive images. Operators along the US East Coast may have one chance on August 16. Thanks to Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, ISS Ham Project Coordinator [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- July/August AMSAT Journal in the Mail The July/August 2016 issue of The AMSAT Journal has gone to press and should be arriving in member's mailboxes soon. In this issue: * Apogee View by Barry Baines, WD4ASW * Engineering Update by Jerry Buxton, N0JY * Member Footprints by Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer, NP4JV * AMSAT Field Day Results by Bruce Paige, KK5DO * Digital Microwave Communications in Amateur Radio Satellites by Michelle Thompson, W5NYV and Robert McGwier, N4HY * QRV from PJ2 by Michael Lipp, HB9WDF * Protecting Satellites and Ground Stations from EMP and CME by Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK * Aboard the Queen Mary, W6RO, on AO-7 by Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK * Big Science / Amateur Budget by Eric Nichols, KL7AJ * Goodbye to a Good Man and Former AMSAT President by Robert McGwier, N4HY [ANS thanks Paul, N8HM, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-SA Partnership Announced to Develop QB50 nSight-1 Groundstation SCS Space (a subsidiary of the privately owned South African SCS Aerospace group) partnered with AMSAT SA to assist with internationally distributed ground station facilities for their up and coming QB50 satellite, "nSight-1". The use of multiple ground stations will multiply the downloaded science and imagery (32 m resolution) data generated by the satellite. QB50 is a constellation of 50 CubeSats that will be launched into a low earth orbit to study the earth's lower thermosphere. QB50 will provide multi-point, in-situ measurements. Each satellite will carry one of three science sensors that will generate data that must be downloaded to the ground daily. This is a unique opportunity for Radio Amateurs in South Africa to participate in an interesting satellite project. To participate please send details of your station, such as transceiver and antennas available as well as your location to saamsat(a)intekom.co.za. The next step will be to participate in a briefing session that will be conducted on Skype in two weeks' time. More details on www.amsatsa.org.za. ----- AMSAT-SA SDR Development Conversation The next AMSAT SDR Conversation takes place on Wednesday 24 August. The second AMSAT SDR Conversation was held last Wednesday when a basic mind-map to develop a SDR transponder was proposed and discussed. During the next two weeks, the participants will populate the mind-map, which will be discussed at the next SDR Conversation on Wednesday 24 August. For more information and how to take part in the conversation, visit www.amsatsa.org.za. [ANS thanks the South African Radio League News for Sunday 14 August 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- P4A Es'hailSat Geostationary Satellite Launch Re-Scheduled AMSAT Deutschland reported that the P-4A transponder on the Es'hail-2 is re-scheduled for launch in Q3 2017. Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, wrote, "We have been informed by Es'hailSat Qatar Satellite company, that the launch of Es'hail-2 with the first P4-A geostationary amateur radio transponder is shifted to Q3/2017." [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL 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-220 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-220 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: * Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG Awarded Louis Varney Cup * Amateur Radio Presentations at EMF 2016 Guildford * AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos Now Available * Dayton Hamvention Moving to Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia * LoTW adds UKube-1 Support * Skyler Fennell, KD0WHB, is 2016 Young Ham of the Year * NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative Opens Space to Educators, Nonprofits * Sign Up for New NASA Education 'Science WOW!' Weekly Email Newsletter * AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots in the Mail * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-220.01 ANS-220 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 220.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 7, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-220.01 Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG Awarded Louis Varney Cup On July 31 at the AMSAT-UK International Space colloquium in Guildford the RSGB Board Chair Steve Hartley G0FUW presented the RSGB Louis Varney Cup for Advances in Space Communications to Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG. The award was in recognition of Wouter’s outstanding technical contributions to several amateur satellites and associated outreach. The presentation can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/8GpewVRTKXQ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio Presentations at EMF 2016 Guildford Many radio amateurs are giving presentations at the Electromagnetic Field EMF 2016 event taking place near Guildford August 5-7 and two special event stations will be operating from the site. It is hoped the presentations may be streamed live on the web. The event is aimed at makers, scientists, engineers and radio enthusiasts. Most radio amateurs will be in two villages on the site, HABville and the Amateur Radio Village. The London Hackspace Amateur Radio Club are planning to erect at least one of their Clark masts in the amateur radio village. London Hackspace will be showcasing Amateur Radio on bands from 3.5 MHz (80m) to 430 MHz (70cm) and maybe higher using the call sign GB4EMF. RSGB Youth Committee member Rebecca M6BUB will be at the GB8EMF station which will be using three ICOM transceivers, two IC-706MKIIG and an IC-746. At 1559 GMT (4:59pm BST) on Saturday, August 6 the International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Kate Rubins KG5FYJ should be receivable at the event on a handheld radio tuned to 145.800 MHz FM. Full details at http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/july/ariss-event- 0608.htm The amateur radio satellite talks being given over the weekend are: • A hacker’s guide to satellites — Dave Rowntree 2E0DRV (drummer in rock-band Blur) • Receiving live video from the Space Station — Daniel Cussen EI9FHB HamTV • The story behind $50SAT, a new approach to Amateur satellite design which became the world’s smallest operational satellite, built for £125 in a garden shed — Stuart Robinson GW7HPW Other presentations by radio amateurs include: • 100 years of Shannon — the man, his work and his legacy — Matthew Ireland MW0MIE • Asynchronous or Analogue Methods for Computation — Matthew Ireland MW0MIE • Connecting computers together over 1,000s miles without using the Internet — GB8EMF Amateur Radio Station • Hacking Robot Dinosaurs — Dr Lucy Rogers M6CME (Judge on BBC Robot Wars) • My Ubertooth Year — Michael Ossmann AD0NR developer of HackRF One SDR • Numbers Stations: Cold War, short waves — Henry Cooke • Rebooting a Hobby: How Modern Digital Comms are Reviving Amateur Radio — Ryan Sayre M0RYS Electromagnetic Field EMF 2016 https://twitter.com/emfcamp https://www.emfcamp.org/schedule https://www.emfcamp.org/line-up/2016 EMF HABville https://wiki.emfcamp.org/wiki/Village:HABville EMF Amateur Radio Village https://wiki.emfcamp.org/wiki/Village:Amateur_Radio London Hackspace ARC https://twitter.com/m0hsl https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/view/Group:Amateur_Radio Previous EMF events have generated BBC News coverage https://amsat-uk.org/2014/09/02/bbc-reports-emf-2014/ What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio Find a short Amateur Radio training course near you at https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/ The book Getting Started with Amateur Satellites 2016 is available from the AMSAT-UK online shop http://tinyurl.com/ANS220-GettingStartedUK [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos Now Available Thanks to the hard work of British Amateur Television Club (BATC) and AMSAT-UK volunteers the videos of the presentations given to the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium held in Guildford on July 30- 31, 2016 are now available on YouTube. During the Colloquium AMSAT-UK operated a satellite ground station using the call sign G0AUK. Contacts were made via the SO-50, AO-85 and FO-29 satellites. The ground station used the Kenwood TS-2000X transceiver that was successfully used for all the UK school contacts with astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS during his Principia mission on the International Space Station. The TS-2000X was kindly loaned by Martin Lynch & Sons Ltd and Kenwood Communications UK. The 2016 Colloquium presentations along with those from previous years can be found on the AMSAT-UK YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/playlists The videos of the presentations can either be watched online or downloaded to your PC using readily available free YouTube download software for showing at club meetings. AMSAT-UK publish a quarterly newsletter OSCAR News, a sample issue can be downloaded here. Electronic (PDF) membership is £15 a year – https://amsat-uk.org/new-members/join-now/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dayton Hamvention Moving to Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia Hamvention® announced today that it will be moving to the Greene County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Xenia, Ohio, after 52 years at Hara Arena. That’s about 16 miles east of Dayton center off US Route 35 (see map). Hara Arena announced last week that it would be closing, and Hamvention indicated that it soon would be announcing its back-up plan for a new venue in the Dayton area. “We appreciate and value all the time and effort of the many partners, in particular the Greene County Agricultural Society, the Greene County Board of Commissioners and the Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau has put into helping Hamvention find the right venue to continue our long history here in the Miami Valley,” Hamvention General Chair Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, said. “We look forward to a long and mutually prosperous relationship.” Last week, after Hara Arena announced it would close, Cramer had said, “We have spent many hours over the last few years evaluating possible locations and have found one in the area we believe will be a great new home! We all believe this new venue will be a spectacular place to hold our beloved event. Please rest assured we will have the event on the same weekend and, since it will be in the region, the current accommodations and outside events already planned for Hamvention 2017 should not be affected.” Hamvention chief spokesman and board member Mike Kalter, W8CI, told ARRL today that announcement of the new venue came a bit sooner than he’d anticipated last week. He pointed out that the event annually attracts in excess of 25,000 visitors from every US state and some 60 countries around the world. “The key thing is that we plan to have a 5-star event,” he said of Hamvention 2017. “We’ll put a lot of time and energy into it.” The move to Xenia could prove to be a huge financial bonanza for the city and Greene County. Hamvention typically has meant millions of dollars to the Dayton/Montgomery County area, and some of that benefit now could migrate eastward down US 35. Kalter conceded that the new venue in Greene County is a slightly longer drive from Dayton City Center -- where some Hamvention-related events traditionally occur -- than it was to Hara Arena, but he believes it will be worth the trip. “Montgomery County didn’t have anything for us,” he said. “We looked exhaustively. We’ve known this is what we’d do for about a month — if Hara Arena would no longer be available.” And the flea market at the new site? “Our plan is to have a much better flea market,” Kalter said. “We have two or three different options, but we think people are really going to like it.” He said the entire fairgrounds facility was rebuilt several years ago after it was destroyed by a tornado, so the buildings are newer than Hara, which was built in the 1950s. He said there will be opportunities to bring in campers — with 30 A service, water, and sewer available. Kalter believes the change in venue in and of itself will be a big incentive for a lot of people who may be just thinking about attending Hamvention 2017 right now. “We expect next year to be a big year,” he said. “We expect a lot of people to come to see what it’s like.” [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- LoTW adds UKube-1 Support The ARRL has informed Paul, N8HM that TQSL configuration file version 9.3 will be released shortly adding support for UKube-1 in LoTW. Please note that due to character limitations, the satellite name for LoTW will be "UKUBE1" Clayton W5PFG followed up saying "Simply launching the TQSL application should inform you that a new configuration file is available. I've updated my log and uploaded all of my UKube-1 contacts with the new SAT_NAME parameter UKUBE1." [ANS thanks the ARRL, Paul N8HM, and Clayton W5PFG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Skyler Fennell, KD0WHB, is 2016 Young Ham of the Year Skyler Fennell KD0WHB, of Denver, CO, has been selected as the 2016 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Young Ham of the Year by the Amateur Radio Newsline. Skyler's interest in satellite communications resulted in a revival of Colorado Amateur Satellite Net where he became a net control operator and created a website for the net: https://amsatnet.info/ Skyler, 17, is the son of Karl and Carol Fennell, and recently graduated with honors from Denver School of the Arts. Skyler was first licensed in July 2013 as a Technician and upgraded to General by September 2013. He took and passed his Extra class license exam in January 2014. Skyler's interest in basic electronics was sparked when he was in the fourth grade and continued into middle school and high school. Among his early building projects were a laser spirograph, audio amplifiers, and high voltage transformer drivers. A high school friend, Jordan Walters, KD0MLV, introduced Skyler to amateur radio when he was a freshman in high school , explaining how radio transmissions could bounce off layers of the atmosphere. That led Skyler to engage in a six-month period of study, testing and operating that resulted in his path to Extra. Skyler has extensive experience in designing and working on repeater systems and introduced an AllStar Link system for one of the Rocky Mountain Radio League's repeaters. He began working with the AB0BX STEM School Amateur Radio Club in nearby Littleton, CO and got involved in the group's Edge of Space Sciences missions (balloon launches with amateur equipment). He became project manager for its 440Mhz repeater and helped put together an AllStar and EchoLink repeater for students, serving as a mentor for construction of the project. Skyler started the Denver School of the Arts amateur radio club in August 2015 and was trustee of the club call - KE0FXH. Skyler has chronicled several of his amateur radio and technical achievements on his YouTube channel - "Skyler F." He was also involved in proposing and assisting in the construction of a VHF/UHF repeater at a remote base site on Blue Mountain in the Denver area and added an AllStar link to the system. This past May, Skyler spoke at the Youth Forum at the Dayton Hamvention on the topic: "Homebrewing on a Budget." He also addressed the Quarter Century Wireless Association forum in Dayton about how his technical interests will help him further his educational and career goals. Skyler is an Eagle Scout, a rank he achieved at the age of 13. He also combined his interest in cycling and amateur radio, assembling a bicycling mobile set-up with VHF and UHF radios. He is also an accomplished pianist and earned the first-place trophy in the recent U.S. International Duo Piano competition in Colorado Springs this past February after performing a Poulenic piano sonata for four hands, two pianos. Skyler will be recognized during the Huntsville Hamfest on Aug. 20 in the Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, AL. The Young Ham of the Year award was inaugurated by William Pasternak, WA6ITF, in 1986. Upon his passing in 2015, Bill's name was added to the award as a memorial to his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of young people to the amateur radio service. In addition to Amateur Radio Newsline, CQ Magazine and Yaesu USA are primary sponsors, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company. Skyler will be receiving a gift of amateur radio gear from Yaesu and a complimentary week at Space Camp, Huntsville, provided by CQ. [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline and CQ Communications, Inc. for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative Opens Space to Educators, Nonprofits Accredited education institutions, nonprofit organizations and NASA centers can join the adventure and challenges of space while helping the agency achieve its exploration goals through the next round of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). Applicants must submit proposals by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 22. The CSLI provides CubeSat developers with a low-cost pathway to space to conduct research that advances NASA's strategic goals in the areas of science, exploration, technology development, education and operations. The initiative provides students, teachers and faculty with the chance to get hands-on flight hardware development experience designing, building and operating these small research satellites. NASA will make selections by Feb. 17, 2017, but selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. Selected experiments will be considered as auxiliary payloads on agency launches or for deployment from the International Space Station beginning in 2017 through 2020. If chosen, U.S. nonpro?t and accredited educational organizations are entirely responsible for funding the development of the small satellites. To date, NASA has selected 119 CubeSat missions, 46 of which have been launched into space. NASA has offered a launch opportunity to 95 percent of those selected through previous announcements, with 29 scheduled for launch within the next 12 months. The selected CubeSats represent participants from 32 states, demonstrating the significant progress NASA has made on a remarkable goal established during the 2015 White House Maker Faire, to launch a small satellite from at least one participant in every state during the next five years. For this round of the initiative, NASA is particularly interested in participation from organizations in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 18 states not previously selected. These states are: Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. CubeSats are in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. Base CubeSat dimensions are about 4-by-4-by-4 inches (10-by-10-by-11 centimeters), which equals one Cube, or 1U. CubeSats supported by this launch effort include volumes of 1U, 2U, 3U and 6U. CubeSats of 1U, 2U and 3U size typically have a mass of about three pounds (1.33 kilograms) per 1U Cube. A 6U CubeSat typically has a mass of about 26.5 pounds (12 to 14 kilograms). The CubeSat's final mass depends on the selected deployment method. Small satellites, including CubeSats, play a valuable role in the agency’s exploration, science, technology and educational investigations. These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for NASA science missions, including planetary exploration, Earth observation, and fundamental Earth and space science. They are a cornerstone in the development of cutting-edge NASA technologies like laser communications, satellite-to-satellite communications and autonomous movement. NASA also is using small satellites to demonstrate and validate the vehicles, systems and protections humans need to live and work in space and on other worlds. They are an inexpensive means to engage students in all phases of satellite development, operation and exploitation through real-world, hands-on research and development experience on NASA-funded rideshare launch opportunities. For additional information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative To explore images from our previous launches, follow us on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145538433@N02/ Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasa_cubesat/ [ANS thanks NASA News Release for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign Up for New NASA Education 'Science WOW!' Weekly Email Newsletter Are you a science educator or interested in science education? Sign up for the NASA Education "Science WOW!" mailing list. Receive an email with NASA's latest science education offerings delivered "Weekly on Wednesdays." Science starts with a question, and so does "Science WOW!" Each week's message kicks off with a science question and a link to where you can find the answer. "Science WOW!" also highlights an awesome science education tool each week. These featured resources will include NASA apps, interactive games, 3-D printing templates and more! Plus, "Science WOW!" delivers -- right to your inbox -- the latest science education opportunities offered by NASA. It's a simple way to keep up with the latest professional development webinars, student contests, workshops, lectures and other activities. The first "Science WOW!" message is scheduled to be sent on Aug. 10, 2016. To register your email address and be added to the list, visit https://www.nasa.gov/education/sciencewow/. [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Aug. 4, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots in the Mail Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are five candidates: Tom Clark, K3IO Clayton Coleman, W5PFG Mark Hammond, N8MH Bruce Paige, KK5DO Paul Stoetzer, N8HM The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non- voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Sacred Heart Primary School, New Taipei City, Taiwan and Astronaut Takuya Onishi KF5LKS using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Tue 2016-08-02 08:36:03 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via BNØSH. ARISS Mentor was Satoshi 7M3TJZ. + A Successful contact was made between Space Jam 10, Rantoul IL, USA and Astronaut Kate Rubins KG5FYJ using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Sat 2016-08-06 15:59:03 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridged via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-08-04 06:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: OK2KJT Radioclub, Valasska Polanka, Czech Republic, direct via OK2KET The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Wed 2016-08-10 18:56:17 U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville AL, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-08-11 15:25:44 U.S. Space & Rocket Center Information: Since 1982, Space Camp® at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama has been inspiring people of all ages about space science, space flight, and space exploration. Among the 750,000 Space Camp graduates worldwide are five astronaut alumnae, including Dr. Kate Rubins, slated to launch on expedition 48/49 to the ISS this summer. Her presence on the space station provides an incredible opportunity for young people currently attending Space Camp to be able to talk to someone who was once in their shoes who went on to become an astronaut. It is also very likely that international students will be taking part in Space Camp during the link. These students will have a unique opportunity while visiting the United States to take part in an active exchange with the largest multi- national laboratory on-or off-the planet! In addition to Space Camp trainees, museum guests will have the opportunity to take part in the activity. As the original NASA visitor center, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center has been telling NASA's story since 1970. And with over 650,000 visitors annually, the Space and Rocket Center is Alabama's top tourism attraction. And depending on when the event falls in the summer, the USSRC may also bring in educators attending Space Academy for Educators, an immersive professional development program conducted throughout the summer months annually. In short, the USSRC hope to maximize both camp and museum guest participation to promote the scientific activities taking place on the ISS, as well as highlight the technology that allows such an exchange to take place. Expected Questions: 1. What was your favorite subject in school? 2. What was your toughest subject in school? 3. Who were your heroes growing up? 4. What is something you learned at Space Camp you are using in space? 5. What advice would you give a student who wants to become an astronaut? 6. What advice would you give to someone at Space Camp this week? 7. Were you afraid when your rocket launched? 8. What was the hardest thing in astronaut training? 9. How often do you talk to your family? 10. Do you speak Russian with the Russian cosmonauts? 11. What does it smell like on the ISS? 12. What is the coolest thing that you have seen in space? 13. What is your favorite food to eat in space? 14. What medical research are you working on while you're on the Space Station? 15. What other cool research projects are you helping with? 16. As a researcher, do you think NASA's biological space research will one day lead to a cure for diseases like HIV or cancer? 17. Do you work with research projects from other countries? 18. What do you think is the biggest effect on an astronaut's body from long-term spaceflight? 19. How will research on the Space Station help us get ready to go to Mars? ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. Exp. 47 on orbit Jeff Williams KD5TVQ Oleg Skripochka RN3FU Aleksey Ovchinin Exp. 48 on orbit Anatoly Ivanishin Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Takuya Onishi KF5LKS The next ARISS Application Window will begin September 1, 2016 and run through November 1, 2016. Be alert for the official announcement which will be released the second half of August. The announcement will include links to the updated Application Guide as well as the application form and other information pertinent to the application process. Look for the announcement here in the AMSAT News Service Bulletin, via the AMSAT-BB, via the ARRL and several other news venues. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + ISS R&D Presentations ISS Contact and Booth Photos If you weren't able to attend the ISS Research & Development Conference last month, or watch the live webcast, use this link to access all the videos, presentations and photos: http://www.issconference.org/resources.php [ANS thanks the American Astronautical Society and the ISS R&D Confrence for the above information] + Want to learn more about Rocket and Space Technology? Visit Robert A. Braeunig's Rocket and Space technology site at http://www.braeunig.us/space/index_top.htm [ANS thanks C. Robert Welti, PhD. for the above information] + SUPPORT AMSAT-NA AMSAT Store http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ JOIN AMSAT http://store.amsat.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=32 AMSAT's President's Club Donation http://store.amsat.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=34 Make a General Donation http://store.amsat.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=35 Support the FOX Satellites http://tinyurl.com/ANS220-SupportFox Support ARISS http://tinyurl.com/ANS220-SupportARISS --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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