January 2017 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-029 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 28 Jan '17

28 Jan '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-029 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: * Colloquium Videos for 2009-2012 Posted on YouTube * ARRL LoTW Adds Additional Satellite Entries * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-27 * Get Your Iridium Fix Before It’s Too Late! SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-029.01 ANS-029 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 029.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 29, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-029.01 Colloquium Videos for 2009-2012 Posted on YouTube AMSAT-UK reports that thanks to Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG and @BATC online videos of talks given at AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2009-2012 are now posted at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/videos The videos were made by members of the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) and stored on the club’s streaming site. Dedicated BATC members have carried out the world-wide streaming and recording of the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium since 2007. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL LoTW Adds Additional Satellite Entries ARRL LoTW/IT staff announce an update release containing additions and changes made since the release of config.xml 10.4 The changes in config.xml 10.5 are: - In the Satellite enumeration, added entries for: - "BY70-1": Bayi Kepu Weixing 1 - "IO-86": Indonesia-OSCAR 86 (LAPAN-ORARI) - "SAREX" for 2-way contacts made using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) packet digipeater - "MIREX": for 2-way contacts made using the Mir packet digipeater [ANS thanks Sean, KX9X, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-27 Cours Saint Maur, Monaco, Monaco, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-02-02 08:38:27 UTC 75 deg via LU1CGB Rescheduled due to Service Module spatial constraint. South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-02-02 18:49:14 UTC 80 deg [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Get Your Iridium Fix Before It’s Too Late! The shock and dazzle of Iridium flares will soon be a thing of the past. Here's how to make the most of seeing them before a new generation of spacecraft replaces the Iridium satellites. Each of the approximately 66 Iridiums in orbit have three door-sized aluminum antennae treated with highly reflective, silver-coated Teflon for temperature control. When the angle between observer and satellite is just right, sunlight reflecting off an antenna can cause the satellite to surge from invisibility up to magnitude –8.5 in a matter of seconds. If you've never seen one, the searing brilliance may make you recoil instinctively. On rare occasions, flares can reach magnitude –9.5. That's 100 times brighter than Venus! Sadly, that era will soon draw to a close. On January 14th, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 delivered the first 10 of a new generation of Iridium NEXT satellites to low- Earth orbit, starting the process to replace the older units in a maneuver called slot-swapping. While the new birds will provide faster data rates and enhanced global communications, their antenna design is completely different and not expected to produce significant flares. Heavens Above is one of the easiest sites to get you looking in the right place at the right time. The Heavens Above website allows for easy figuring and finding of Iridium flares. Just sign in and give it your location, then click the Iridium Flares link under the Satellites heading on the left side of the homepage. A table will pop open with a week's worth of passes that includes pertinent information like brightness, altitude, and magnitude of the flare at flare center, the brightest possible magnitude for a particular pass. Clicking on the date will produce a map showing the flare's path and ground track where the flare will appear brightest. When that path passes near or over your location, you'll see a –8 dazzler. If not, you can use the map to drive to the sweet spot and await the display. The transition to the Iridium NEXT generation will be gradual but certain, so make the most of the opportunities that remain. If you're a teacher, do your homework and plan an outing to show a daytime flare to your science class. Anything that gets people talking more about the sky is a good thing, and I guarantee those kids will never forget the sight. [ANS thanks Bob King, and Sky and Telescope 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-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 21 Jan '17

21 Jan '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-022 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: * Reno, Nevada to Host 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 27-29 * Diwata 2's payload includes amateur radio * AMSAT News From South Africa * JAMSAT Symposium in Kyoto on 11-12 March, Presenters Requested. * Kenwood features ARISS in February 2017 Two Page QST Ad * AMSAT Phase 4 Weekly Engineering Report * US Naval Academy HFsat Receives IARU Frequency Coordination * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-022.01 ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 022.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. January 22, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-022.01 Reno, Nevada to Host 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 27-29 AMSAT NA announces that the 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held on Friday through Sunday, Oct 27, 28, 29, 2017 in Reno, Nevada. Location will be at the Silver Legacy Resort , 407 N Virginia Street, in Downtown, Reno. The Silver Legacy is a 4 star Resort/Hotel/Casino which is an iconic 42-story hotel with its massive round dome and spires centered in downtown. The Silver Legacy is typically lit green at night and is referred to by many as the "Emerald City" of Reno. In support of the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, the Silver Legacy will sometimes turn blue. Some of the perks include * Free parking for attendees. * Free transportation to and from the airport (10 minutes shuttle ride). * Complimentary WiFi. * The Silver Legacy has 8 restaurants and 8 different retail shops. * Large selection of additional restaurants and casinos (El Dorado, Circus Circus, and the rest of downtown Reno) are in close proximity and within walking distance. * Multiple alternate activities and attractions are in the Reno area. Nevada Museum Of Modern Art National Automobile Museum Fleischmann Planetarium (UNR Campus) National Bowling Stadium * If you are staying longer in the Reno area, there are several other points of interest close by, including Virginia City and Lake Tahoe. 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting The annual AMSAT Space Symposium features: * Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations * Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World * Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members * Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers * AMSAT-NA Annual General Membership Meeting * Auction, Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !! Several members from The Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society (SNARS) as well as many other local radio amateurs will be participating in helping with this event. Additional information about the 2017 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org as it becomes available. [ANS thanks Joe Spier, K6WAO, Frank Kostelac, N7ZEV, Linda Kostelac, KC7IIT, and the AMSAT-NA Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Diwata 2's payload includes amateur radio THE whole world is again set to witness come 2018 a third-world country launching into space another microsatellite -- this time with an amateur or ham radio included in the payload. An amateur radio is a communication technology that allows its operators to talk or send messages to other people, especially first responders, planners and government agencies whose own communications have been knocked out, in time of disasters and emergencies. Diwata 2 -- the Philippines' second microsatellite that is currently being developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Hokkaido University, and Tohoku University in Japan -- has this technology, along with a telescope and cameras. Its predecessor, the Diwata 1, was launched into orbit last April 2016 and has been sending pictures to DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (Asti); the latest photo posted on PHL-Microsat Program's website shows the swollen Pinacanauan River, as well as agricultural areas damaged by flood after Tropical Cyclone Lawin (Haima) made landfall in Peñablanca, Cagayan on October 19, 2016. The PHL-Microsat said that as of January 13, the "Diwata 1 has circled the world approximately 4,083 times, taking images not just of the Philippines but also of other parts of the Earth." "We will download the images every time the Diwata 1 passes by the Philippines," said Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr., program leader of PHL-Microsat and acting director of DOST-Asti, in an interview with SunStar. As to the amateur radio included in the payload of Diwata 2, Marciano said it is a very important feature of the second microsatellite, especially that the country is prone to natural disasters and calamities. "So when the satellite passes over in time of disaster, you can get a ham radio and send messages to another person in other areas in the country, and even give updates on evacuation using ham radio," he told fellows of the 20th Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop held in UP Diliman last November 2016. The Philippines has more than a thousand amateur radio operators nationwide. Most of them are members of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association. Aside from the amateur radio, Diwata 2 has a Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) with liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) for environmental monitoring; high precision telescope (HPT) for rapid post-disaster assessment; and enhanced resolution cameras (instead of wide and middle field cameras used in Diwata 1). "Medium and wide cameras will be replaced by enhanced resolution cameras but there will still be the HPT and SMI with LCTF... Three cameras, plus an amateur radio as part of the payload," Marciano told SunStar. He said 11 Filipino scholars are working on the Diwata 2. "Mas dumami pa, because we now have 11 scholars. They are in Japan, working with the two universities (Hokkaido and Tohoku)," said Marciano. There were only nine Filipino scholars who assembled the Diwata 1. "They are considered as scholars because they are under the DOST scholarships, and building the microsatellites is part of their studies," added Marciano. He said that at present, they are working on the engineering model. "We are now in the design phase. We are working on the blocks. They are being done here locally and they will be tested in Japan." The DOST targets to launch the Diwata 2 in the first half of 2018, but Marciano said the launching will also depend on the availability of the launching facility. "The target overall for the completion of the flight model is in December 2017," he said. Except for the amateur radio and enhanced resolution cameras, Diwata 2 will hover 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface just like Diwata 1. It also weighs 50 kilograms, the size of a room air conditioner. "The characteristics are the same. There will be chances na mag-abot sila doon, which is an advantage to us since it will mean that we can generate more images from them... The idea is they should be operated on the same constellation. They have to communicate with other satellites to provide us better images," said Marciano. He explained that the country's microsatellites are not geostationary satellites, which have an altitude of 39,000 kilometers and are more expensive. "Diwata 2 only has 400 to 600 kilometers altitude," he said, adding that because it is a microsatellite, it is only considered a secondary payload. "Parang nakikiangkas lang tayo sa paglaunch (We are just hitching a ride), because it is very expensive to launch big satellites. You have to pay for the rocket," he told the Lopez Jaena journalism workshop fellows. He also said in November that the challenge of Diwata satellites' orbit is they can only take images of a certain location if they passes by it. "Diwata 1 passes every day, but it passes in different places, so there's a challenge of being in the right place at the right time," said Marciano. Asked about the possibility of a launching failure, Dr. Marc Caesar Talampas, project leader in-charge of the microsatellite BUS development, said in a follow-up interview: "They undergo rigorous testing before they will be launched into space. There is vibration test, radiation testing, etc. We have to comply with all the specifications." "The failure is more on not responding, not on the launching. But so far, based on our experience with Diwata 1, the communication has been positive," added Marciano. The government has allotted P2 billion per year for DOST's space technology program. This is on top of the P840 million that was already invested for the PHL-Microsat program. "There's an increase in the availability of funding for research in space technology... In 2018, we will come up with a new (budget) proposal,"Marciano said. [ANS thanks LAUREEN MONDOÑEDO-YNOT and SunStar Philippines for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT News From South Africa ** Turn your laptop into a 24 MHz to 1,7 GHz receiver. AMSAT SA is holding a half-day SDR Workshop in association with the South African Radio League at the NARC on 18 February 2017. This is a hands-on workshop where participants will install a VHF/UHF RTL dongle and programme it to become a VHF/UHF receiver covering 24 MHz to 1,7 GHz. Anton Janovsky, ZR6AIC, and Cor Rademeyer, ZS6CR, will present the Workshop. The Workshop fee includes the RTL dongle and a memory stick with all the required software as well as light refreshments. Register before 11 February 2017, all the details and registration form are available on www.amsatsa.org.za. Book early to avoid disappointment. ** The 2017 AMSAT SA Space Conference will be held on Saturday 20 May 2017 in Pretoria. This is the first call for paper proposals. The theme of the conference is "Conquering Space as an educational pastime." Proposals for papers should include a brief synopsis of the proposed paper. The closing date for proposals is 31 January 2017. Authors will be notified of acceptance of their paper by 15 February 2017. More details on www.amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks the SARL weekly news in English 2017-1-7 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JAMSAT Symposium in Kyoto on 11-12 March, Presenters Requested. Mikio Mouri, JA3GEP, JAMSAT announces "We are going to held our AGM and JAMSAT Symposium in Kyoto next March. "I hope to have some attendance from AMSAT-NA, even via Skype. We hope to hear some update of activities in US." The meeting will be held at: http://hotel-binario.jp/en/ The Hotel Binario Saga Arashiyama is located in the beautiful Arashiyama district of Kyoto and is perfect for sightseeing. Date and Time of Symposium: 14:30-17:30JST(05:30-08:30UTC) March 11(Sat) 09:00-13:00JST(00:00-04:00UTC) March 12(Sun) If anyone has an opportunity to join and present, please let Mikio know the appropriate time of your availability. He will keep the time slot for your presentation. Mikio can be contacted via JBH02173 (at) nifty.com] [ANS thanks Mikio JA3GEP for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenwood features ARISS in February 2017 Two Page QST Ad Kenwwood features ARISS donations in its two page ad in the February 2017 QST. Check out the ad on pages 27 and 28. During February the ARRL is running a special slider in their rotating banner, on their website home page, with an appeal for ARISS donations. Also, The QST Cover story for February teases "Texas Students Take Amateur Radio to the Edge of Space" The article "To the Edge of Space and Back with Ham Radio" by Chase Mertz, KG5KKX is featured on page 76. Mertz highlights "Student engineers in the Eldorado Space Program design, build, and program instrument packages, sending them as high as 120,000 feet using a highaltitude weather balloon." [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Phase 4 Weekly Engineering Report AMSAT Phase 4 Ground Radio prototype with Ettus Research B210 by John Petrich W7FU can be viewed at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oyAe21bWR4g&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Michelle W5NYV for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- US Naval Academy HFsat Receives IARU Frequency Coordination The US Naval Academy has received IARU satellite frequency coordination for HFsat, a 1.5 U CubeSat with a 15 meter to 10 meter linear transponder with 30kHz bandwidth. The CubeSat will also carry an APRS digipeater on 145.825MHz. HFsat is a project to demonstrate the viability of HF satellite communications as a backup communications system using existing ubiquitous HF radios that are usually a part of the communications suite on all small mobile platforms such has ham radio mobiles and portable operations frequently used by Amateurs in support of disaster and emergency response communications. The HFsat will be gravity gradient stabilized by its long full size 10 meter band halfwave HF dipole antenna with tip masses. A standardized CubSsat VHF communications card based on the popular Byonics MTT4B all-in-one APRS Tiny-Track4 module for telemetry, command and control is under development at the US Naval Academy. Standardizing the communications board makes it easy to add the HF Transponder mission into Naval Academy’s standard CubeSat bus without an all new start. HFsat will continue the long tradition of small amateur satellites designed by Aerospace students at the US naval Academy. The students are working with Bill Ress, N6GHZ on the HF transponder card. HF Uplink: 21.40 MHz, 30 kHz wide multi user bandwidth HF downlink: 29.42 MHz, the 30 kHz wide downlink passband VHF APRS DigiPeater: 145.825 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK packet Find additional information on-line at: http://aprs.org/HFsat.html (US Naval Academy) http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ (search for HFsat in the list of satellites that have been coordinated) [ANS thanks the US Naval Academy and the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between High School "Léon Blum", Le Creusot, France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Mon 2017-01-16 11:53:17 and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-01-19 06:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: South Street School, Danbury CT, telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD. Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-01-27 19:50:18 UTC Swiss Space Center – EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, telebridge via W6SRJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-01-26 11:06:29 UTC 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 145.800 MHz. The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + APRS Symbol Look Up Table Kenneth Finnegan, W6KWF has created an easy to use lookup table for APRS symbol codes. "I've made a lookup table which has the symbol code, the primary symbol, and the secondary symbol all on top of each other as opposed to the three adjacent tables on the aprs.org page: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-022-APRS-Table [ANS thanks Kenneth K6KWF for the above information.] + Colloquium Videos for 2009-2012 Posted on YouTube AMSAT-UK reports that thanks to Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG and @BATC online videos of talks given at AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2009-2012 are now posted at: https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/videos [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] + June Page of the 2017 ARRL Calendar Features NPOTA Satellite Ops "Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer NP4JV, overlooks the vastness of Grand Canyon National Park (NP22) in Arizona as he makes contacts via the SO-50 Amateur Radio satellite. This was the sixth NPOTA unit he had activated via satellite." (Ruth V Ramirez, photo credit) [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.] + UT1FG/MM is departing Finland ~1900 UTC (21 January) heading to Mexico. Clean your antennas, de-wax your ears and remember to give others a chance to get through.. [ANS thanks Jari OH2FQV, Via Twitter, 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-015 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 14 Jan '17

14 Jan '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-015 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 (Fox-1B) Launch Date Moved to August 29, 2017 * AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2017 * ITF-2 CubeSat Set to Deploy from ISS * Satellite Logging Updates Requested for ARRL LoTW * College OSCAR Activity, Grow Future Membership * 2017 Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference * Frequency Plan of the PicSAT Project Validated by the IARU * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-015.01 ANS-015 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 015.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 15, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-015.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Launch Date Moved to August 29, 2017 The launch date for RadFxSat (Fox-1B) has been moved to August 29, 2017. RadFxSat is one of four CubeSats making up the NASA ELaNa XIV mission, riding as secondary payloads aboard the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-1 mission. JPSS-1 will launch on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. RadFxSat is a partnership with Vanderbilt University ISDE and hosts four payloads for the study of radiation effects on commercial off the shelf components. RadFxSat features the Fox-1 style FM U/v repeater with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on 145.960 MHz. Satellite and experiment telemetry will be downlinked via the "DUV" subaudible telemetry stream and can be decoded with the FoxTelem software. RadFxSat construction and testing was completed in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the CubeSat is currently in clean storage at Fox Labs, waiting for delivery and integration which is now scheduled for June, 2017. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice President for Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2017 AMSAT-UK is very happy to announce that the dates of the next AMSAT-UK Colloquium will be 14-15 Oct 2017. This year it will be incorporated into the RSGB Convention at the Kents Hill Park Convention Centre in Milton Keynes. Exact details are currently being finalized with the RSGB and these will be notified when they are known. If you have not been to Kents Hill before, it is very close to the M1 motorway and is near to Bletchley Park, where RSGB members have free entry. For overseas visitors it is convenient for planes to London Luton Airport (30-minute taxi ride) and also London Gatwick and Birmingham airports, both of which have direct train connections to Bletchley and/or Milton Keynes stations. These stations are approximately 10 minutes away by taxi. [ANS thanks Jim Heck, G3WGM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ITF-2 CubeSat Set to Deploy from ISS Toshihiro Kameda, JJ3GRX/W3GRX, of the University of Tsukuba's "Yui" satellite project in Japan, reports that the ITF-2 ("Imagine The Future") CubeSat is set for release from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, January 16, at 0910 UTC. The 1U ITF-2 was designed and built at the university. The Amateur Radio downlink is 437.525 MHz. Updated information will be announced on the AMSAT Bulletin Board at, http://www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/ . ITF-2 is the successor to the unsuccessful ITF-1, which launched in 2014 but was never heard. Six CubeSats delivered to ISS by HTV-6 will deploy from ISS with new JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) at 16h Jan. New J-SSOD has four satellite install cases. One satellite install case has 3U space, so new J-SSOD can delploy twelve CubeSat at one time. Six CubeSats are installed as follows, satellite install CubeSats case #1 three 1U CubeSats ITF-2, WASEDA-SAT3, FREEDOM #2 one 3U CubeSat EGG #3 one 2U CubeSat AOBA-VELOX3 #4 one 3U CubeSat TuPOD (including Tancredo1 and OSNSAT) ITF-2, WASEDA-SAT3, AOBA-VELOX3, TuPOD and Tancredo1 operate on the amateur radio bands. #1 and #2 will be deployed at 0900-0930z 16th Jan, #3 and #4 will be 1030-1100z. Live broadcast will start at 0850z on YouTube JAXA channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4xq_rj0QiQ [ANS thanks the ARRL and JAXA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Logging Updates Requested for ARRL LoTW AMSAT has requested that BY70-1 be added as "BY70-1" in the next configuration file for the ARRL Logbook of the World (LoTW). AMSAT has also requested that this update be made no later than January 31st due to NPOTA QSOs that were made via the satellite. AMSAT has also requested the addition of IO-86 as well as SAREX and MIREX for previous QSOs that occurred via the digipeater carried on various Space Shuttle missions and the Mir space station. If anyone notices a satellite that was available for amateur operation that is not included in the LoTW configuration file, please let me know: Paul Stoetzer n8hm(a)arrl.net Please also keep in mind that there may be a delay in requests being made for the addition of satellites to the LoTW configuration file while AMSAT awaits word of any potential OSCAR number request. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- College OSCAR Activity, Grow Future Membership In 2008-2009 we used to have regular College Satellite Nights, where clubs active in our area of interest would get on the birds at the same time and give out contacts. Please let me know if there is an interest again in doing this once per month and if the group minds allowing SO-50 to be the venue. It is important to our future that we grow our ranks through attracting younger hams. OSCAR operating at the college level can also be a huge advantage for attractive college students to the hobby. Many of our technician course attendees at UF are there for that reason (we give two licensing courses a year). Please help spread the word to those at your local universities, and to other college clubs. There will be a College Student Amateur Radio Forum at HamCation HamFest in Orlando, Saturday Feb. 11. Please let college student hams know of the event info. The event is ARRL sponsored, part of CARI, the Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative. The forum will take place at 3pm, and there is room for 50 college student attendees. There are more events planned for the day, including an evening social event for college students. We should also have table space for the day for college clubs to distribute club info and to meet, greet, and network with alumni. The table would be a good place for high school student hams to network in preparation for a life of amateur radio during the upcoming college years. Questions can be directed to the moderator of the forum, UF Doctoral student Andy Milluzzi, KK4KWR - andy(a)gatorradio.org For the latest of information see the CARI Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ARRLCARI/ [ANS thanks Dr. Jay H. Garlitz, AA4FL, FCC Trustee, W4DFU at Univ. of Florida, since 2005, www.gatorradio.org. The Club Station of the Gator Amateur Radio Club, at UF since 1934, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference The Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference (ISSC) will be held at San Jose State University on May 1-2, 2017 in San Jose, California. The conference addresses interplanetary small satellites, including mission design, enabling technologies, science applications, and all other technical aspects of these missions. You can find out more details about the conference at http://www.intersmallsatconference.com/ This year we are expecting over 200 people to attend the conference. This year’s keynote speakers will be announced soon. The conference will feature a suite of talks and attendees from JPL, NASA and other space agencies, universities, and companies from around the world to work on developing this important new direction for small spacecraft missions. The Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference also gives an exciting chance for organizations to sponsor an exhibitor table or a booth. A table is $270 (includes one registration) and a booth is $540 (includes two registrations). Prices are guaranteed until January 31, when they may increase. Registration will be available soon on our website, but please email us at exhibitors(a)intercubesat.org for information and to reserve your spot. Tables and booths will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis when registration payments are received. Please also consider submitting an abstract to represent your organization. Abstracts are due on February 15, 2017. I hope you'll be able to join us in beautiful San Jose. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions. [ANS thanks the ISSC Committee (via the cubesat.org mailing list) for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Frequency Plan of the PicSAT Project Validated by the IARU AMSAT-F (AMSAT Francophone) announced on January 8 the the IARU validated the proposed frequency plan for the PICSAT satellite project of the Paris Observatory. The satellite will offer capabilities for telemetry data transmission: AX25 - 9k6 BPSK, and an FM transponder. Uplink : 145.910 MHz FM Downlink : 435.925 MHz FM AMSAT-F and Réseau des Émetteurs Français (REF), the national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in France, will provide active technical support for this project. For more information : IARU Coordination: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=536 Link budget estimated: https://perso.lesia.obspm.fr/picsat/files/2016/12/PicSat_IARU_Coordination.… Project page: http://lesia.obspm.fr/PICSAT.html REF-Info: http://ref-info.ref.org/projet-picsat-de-lobservatoire-de-paris/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-Francophone 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, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Friday and Saturday, 20-21 January 2017 – Cowtown Hamfest in Forest Hill, TX *Thursday, 26 January 2017 – presentation for Arizona Repeater Association in Tempe 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 *Friday-Sunday, March 31, April 1 & 2, 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas, NV [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * A combined telebridge via K6DUE with students at Collège Saint-Guibert, Gembloux, Belgium and Euro Space Center, Transinne, Belgium was successful Thu 2017-01-12. * A direct contact via W6FOG with students at the World Genesis Foundation (WGF), Goodyear, AZ. & Quartzsite in Motion, Quartzsite, AZ. was successful Wed 2017-01-11. * A direct contact via K4JMC with students at Rainbow Middle School in Rainbow City, AL. was successful Wed 2017-01-04. * A direct contact via F1IMF with students at Collège Mathilde Marthe Faucher, Allassac, France was successful Wed 2017-01-04. * A direct contact via F4KJV with students at Primary School Georges Wallers, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (59), France was successful Sat 2016-12-31. * A direct contact via IK1SLD with students at Ecole Communale de Saint Sylvestre, Saint Sylvestre, France was successful Wed 2016-12-21. Upcoming Contacts * A telebridge via K6DUE students at the Léon Blum High School, Le Creusot, France, is presently scheduled for Mon 2017-01-16 11:53:17 UTC 60 deg. The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG. Le Creusot is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by large metallurgical companies such as ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric, and Alstom. In the 19th century, iron ore mines and forges around Le Creusot generated a business in steel, railways, armaments, and shipbuilding. The lycée Léon Blum (Le Creusot-71) together with the lycée international Charles de Gaulle (Dijon-21) and lycée Pierre Paul Riquet (Saint-Orens-31) were selected after a call for projects in March 2015 by the CNES Youth Education department for the PROXIMA mission. The project is named CERES (after the name of ancient roman goddess of agriculture). Thomas will grow some seeds in space as part of the CERES educational experiment. A special cargo of mustard, lentil and radish seeds was sent to him on the Space Station. He should water them and take pictures at regular intervals to study how the seeds grow in space. Students of the two partner high schools and a local elementary school are also participating to the list of questions. 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 South East VHF Society Conference Charlotte NC April 28-29 The SVHF Society will hold their convention in Charlotte, NC this year on April 28 and 29 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Charlotte Airport, 2600 Yorkmont Road, Charlotte, NC 28201. We have arranged rooms at $95; you can call 800-222-TREE and ask for this rate under the name "South East VHF Society". Early registration guest room rate of $89 is offered for reservations made by January 31, 2017. If you plan to attend, please call now to reserve your room at this lower rate before the end of January. Registration information will be posted soon on the web site (http://svhfs.org) so watch for the sign up details. The conference fee for pre-registration is $30, Friday's Luncheon is $15, and Saturday's banquet is $40. [ANS thanks Gary Greene, W2ZV, SVHF Society conference committee member for the above information] AMSAT CW Activity Day reports As of 8 January, only two of the participants in AMSAT CW Activity Day have posted reports to amsat-bb. While there is no requirement to do so, if you participated, please consider posting one while it's still fresh in your mind. You can post a list of stations worked, satellites used, "Soapbox" comments, suggestions for next year's event, or what have you. [ANS thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information] DXpedition Teams Make Satellite Plans FP, ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON. Eric, KV1J, will once again be operating from the Island of Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J between July 4-18th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY (but primarily SSB and RTTY). He will generally be on the highest frequency band that is open (favoring 12/10m). He will be active in the IARU HF Contest (July 8-9th), NA QSO Party-RTTY (July 15-16th) and the CQ VHF Contest [6M only] (July 15-16th). QSL via KV1J, direct or by the Bureau. Also eQSL and LoTW. For more details and updates, check out his Web page at: http://www.kv1j.com/fp/July17.html PLEASE NOTE: Eric mentions, "I will also be on the analog Satellites when the WX is good enough to operate from outside." YN, NICARAGUA. A team of four operators, sponsored by Texas DX Society, will be operating near Granada beginning March 20th and ending March 27th. Operators mentioned are Keith/NM5G (YN2MG), Ken/KD2KW (YN2KW), Bill/K5WL (YN2WL) and Marty/W5MF (YN2MF). The group plans to participate in the CQWW WPX SSB Contest (March 25-26th) as YN2KW and station, as a Multi-Op/Single- Transmitter/All-Bands/Low-Power entry. Outside of the contest, operators will use their own callsigns on CW, SSB, RTTY and other Digital modes. They will also have equipment to make some satellite contacts as time and weather permit. QSL YN2KW via N5ET, all others callsigns listen for instructions, but probably the same route. [ANS thanks the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1299 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-008 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 07 Jan '17

07 Jan '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-008 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: * The Hidden World of Space Junk * AMSAT at the Cowtown Hamfest * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-Jan-05 * Tips for Posting to AMSAT-BB SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.01 ANS-008 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 008.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 8, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-008.01 The Hidden World of Space Junk Adrift is a short documentary that explores the hidden world of space junk. The film reveals an issue that is troubling and beautiful, dangerous and fascinating. It begins with the tale of astronaut Piers Sellers, who dropped his spatula in space in 2006, which became the most deadly kitchen instrument soon after, traveling at 27,000 km/h. The film then journeys across the remote deserts of Chile with astronomers of Collowara Observatory, into the skies, where threats to the International Space Station take place, and through to Thailand, where a man watches space debris burn. The film includes a narration by Vanguard, the oldest piece of space junk, voiced by Sally Potter (Dir Orlando). As featured on BBC Arts Online bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3sjd1wnYD47WLzhT9dV02YH/lost-in-space-turning- cosmic-junk-into-art [ANS thanks Stephen, G7VFY, and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at the Cowtown Hamfest Keith Pugh, W5IU, reports that there will be an AMSAT Forum, a Booth, and Demonstrations at the Cowtown Hamfest, 20-21 January 2017. The Hamfest takes place in Forrest Hills, TX. A suburb of Fort Worth, TX. [ANS thanks Keith, W5IU, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-Jan-05 Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: World Genesis Foundation (WGF), Goodyear AZ, direct via W6FOG The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-01-11 16:10:15 UTC 46 deg Collège Saint-Guibert, Gembloux, Belgium and Euro Space Center, Transinne, Belgium; Combined telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for Thu 2017-01-12 13:46:51 UTC 36 deg [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips for Posting to AMSAT-BB People sometimes post time-sensitive messages to AMSAT-BB. Examples are last minute grid activities, unexpected satellite mode changes, requests for critically important telemetry, etc. These normally go through promptly, but occasionally get held for two primary reasons: While AMSAT-BB is an open list, that means it is open for membership, not posting. In order to post to the list, it normally must be from the same account you originally registered. For instance, if you registered from your home account, and post from your office account, it will normally be held for release by a moderator. Likewise, some people have all their email forwarded to a single account from which they reply. We can create a filter to pass the second address, but that is not automatically done on the first instance, and does require moderator action. AMSAT-BB receives many pieces of spam for each legitimate message. As part of the filtering process, emails larger than 50 kB are blocked. This usually happens to legitimate email when someone attempts to attach a large file. Also, there is a limit to the number of addresses before an email is held as potential spam. I have seen legitimate email sent to 30+ addresses. We have a team of volunteer moderators, but they are not available 24/7. The result is that a message sent in the evening or on a holiday, US time, may well be held for several hours before being released. So, if it absolutely, positively needs to be distributed promptly: 1. Post from the same account you registered, or one which from past experience you know has been flagged as acceptable. 2. Do not use attachments. (Pictures and other files should be included by a link.) They will be blocked to the list, and if the total size of the message plus attachments exceeds 50 kB, the mail will be held. 3. Send it to AMSAT-BB and a few other addresses at most. If you must send to a large distribution list, send to them, and another copy to AMSAT-BB. (A trick which seems to work well is to place most of the addresses in the BCC rather than CC line.) 4. Consider also posting to the AMSAT Twitter and Facebook accounts. There is overlap in membership, though at present it is far from 100%. 5. Do not send large commercial press releases, or things which look like them. They will be caught by heuristic spam filters. A simple posting of an event or activity will normally go through. Note that there are existing exemptions for official channels such as ANS, ARISS, other AMSAT organizations, etc. 6. New accounts are automatically flagged for moderation. This flag will normally be cleared on the first or second posting, but do allow for and expect an initial delay if you establish a dedicated account for your satellite organization. [ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, 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-001 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 31 Dec '16

31 Dec '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-001 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: * Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat to deploy during EVA * New Amateur Radio FM Transponder CubeSat Now in Space * Background info on launch problems for BY70-1 * Possible Satellite Activity Galapagos Islands * CONTACT! via UHF ISS digipeater using Kenwood TH-D72 * AMSAT CW Activity Day * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-001.01 ANS-001 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 001.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. January 01, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-001.01 Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat to deploy during EVA The amateur radio CubeSat Tomsk-TPU-120 may be deployed during a Russian spacewalk (EVA) in July 2017. The satellite was developed by students at the Tomsk Polytechnic University to test new space materials technology and is the world’s first space vehicle with a 3D-printed structure. It was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan to the ISS on March 31, 2016 in a Progress-MS- 2 cargo vessel. It will be deployed by hand during a Russian spacewalk, which is why unlike other CubeSats this one has a handle. The call sign of the satellite is RS4S. According to Alexey Yakovlev, head of the Tomsk Polytechnic University’s Institute of High Technologies, the 3D printed satellite is something of a landmark for additive manufacturing, being the first example of a fully 3D printed satellite: “The Tomsk-TPU-120 is the first such project in the world, in which the entire casing of a satellite is fully 3D printed using dynamic modeling,” Yakovlev recently told Sputnik. “The combination of these technologies can significantly reduce the development time and the number of full- scale tests, find new engineering solutions, and reduce the project’s cost.” In May 2016 the Tomsk Polytechnic University celebrated its 120th anniversary. As part of the celebrations on May 10/11 the Tomsk-TPU- 120 was activated in the ISS and transmitted a greeting to Earth inhabitants, recorded by students of the university in 10 languages: Russian, English, German, French, Chinese, Arabic, Tatar, Indian, Kazakh and Portuguese. The greeting message was transmitted once a minute on 437.025 MHz FM. A Kenwood transceiver on the ISS provided a cross-band relay, re- transmitting the signal on 145.800 MHz FM. Read the 3ders article at http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-3darticle Sputnik News – Unique 3D-Printed Siberian Satellite to Orbit Earth http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-3D/ ISS Calendar http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-calendar/ Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat Video http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-Tomsk-TPU-120 [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Amateur Radio FM Transponder CubeSat Now in Space The BY70-1 CubeSat launched on December 28 from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in China, but in a lower orbit than intended. The satellite carries an Amateur Radio FM transponder. BY70-1 was intended to go into a 530-kilometer (approximately 329- mile) circular Sun-synchronous orbit, but it appears the orbit is 524 x 212 kilometers, which will give the spacecraft an orbital lifetime of just a month or two. Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, reported working Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, through the FM transponder during the 1709 UTC pass on December 28. "Uplink requires precise frequency adjustment, and there's a delay on the downlink, but the signal is strong," Stoetzer said. BY70-1 is a 2U CubeSat project for education and Amateur Radio. It features 3-axis stabilization and deployable solar panels. In addition to the FM transponder, BY70-1 has a camera, and plans call for downloading images and telemetry via a 9600 bps BPSK downlink. The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages list an uplink of 145.920 MHz, and a downlink of 436.200 MHz. AMSAT-UK has more information online at, http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-AMSAT-UK-BY70 [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Background info on launch problems for BY70-1 On Dec 28 China launched a CZ-2D from Taiyuan - the first time the 2D model has flown from their southern launch site. However, the rocket appears to have run into problems and achieved orbit with an underspeed of 100 m/s, making a 212 x 520 km orbit instead of a circular 500 km one. The main payloads are Gaojing 1 and 2, two commercial high resolution (0.5m) imaging satellites also called SuperView 1 and 2. The satellites are owned by Beijing Aerospace World View Information Technology Co., Ltd (also called Beijing Space View Tech Co.Ltd.); the US company DigitalGlobe is a major investor. Also aboard was BY70-1, or Bayi kepu weixing 01 xing, a 2U cubesat with an amateur radio payload developed by high school students at the PLA-related Beijing Bayi School. [ANS thanks Jonathan's Space Report, No. 733 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Possible Satellite Activity Galapagos Islands HC8, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. Geoff, G8OFQ, will once again be active as HC8/G8OFQ from Isabela Island (SA-004) between August 1st and October 31st, 2017. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using SSB only. There is a possibility of some satellite activity on 2m and 70cm SSB. Geoff is there working as a volunteer for the Galapagos National Park at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center (see pictures on QRZ.com) on Isabela Island. QSL via G8OFQ: Geoff Dobson, 9 Fitzpain Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 8RZ, United Kingdom. Also LoTW on request. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1297 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTACT! via UHF ISS digipeater using Kenwood TH-D72 I made CONTACT! Through the UHF ISS digipeater using my Kenwood TH-D72 View the video at: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceComms/videos/1342108185861041/ This was my second contact through the ISS digipeater. I actually contacted the same station I contacted in this video, W8LR, three days before, but I wasn't recording any video. For this video I recorded the audio from my Kenwood TH-D72a and later played it back to Soundmodem+UISS. Soundmodem decodes many more packets than my radio does. I made a screen capture of UISS and its map so you can see the complete details of every received packet. Another thing this video shows is how hard it can be to track a near overhead pass (close to 90 degrees elevation). When I was beginning in satellites I only tried to work overhead passes because I knew the signal would be strongest when the satellite was closest to me. While that is true, the closer the satellite is to you the faster its relative speed is. When it passes overhead it switches from coming towards you to going away from you very fast, and drops 10s of degrees in seconds. That makes the satellite very easy to lose track of. In this video I got distracted while changing settings on my radio and lost the ISS after it went overhead. It didn't help that I was using a tripod for the first time. I prefer to hold the antenna in my hand precisecly because I find it's easier to track, as I can make quick adjustments and listen for the signal going up and down. To control the radio for packet, it helps to have two hands. See my previous UHF ISS digi video to see how hard it is to change settings with one hand. Here is the very appropriate QSL card I got from W8LR for my first ISS digi contact: http://imgur.com/vUfwkiE http://imgur.com/DIq7fD4 Here are all the stations I heard on the pass from this video (time stamps GMT -5) -------------- N4ZQ 12/18/2016 11:08:08 System time KG4AKV-5 12/18/2016 11:08:13 W8LR 12/18/2016 11:09:02 KC4LE 12/18/2016 11:09:17 W0NBC 12/18/2016 11:11:07 RS0ISS 12/18/2016 11:11:38 W4TBD-6 12/18/2016 11:12:14 KA8YES-6 12/18/2016 11:12:52 Total Stations = 8 The music at the end is "Jubilee - Opa--locka" You can subscribe to John's SpaceComms YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/SpaceComms1?sub_confirmation=1 [ANS Thanks John KG4AKV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT CW Activity Day January 1, 2017 (UTC) will be AMSAT's first annual CW Activity Day! As with the old Straight Key Night, this is a fun event, not a contest. It will run for 24 hours on January 1, 2017 (UTC). All forms of CW are welcome, -- straight keys, bugs, keyers, even keyboards and decoders. Since it is not a contest, there is no required exchange. A QSO is a QSO. Working the same station on more than one satellite is permitted. Instead of submitting Best Fist nominations, all participants are asked to post their results, including "Soapbox" comments, to AMSAT- BB. Please include the satellites you used, and the number of CW QSOs you had on each. While it is not necessary to post your full log, you may do so if you wish. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Primary School Georges Wallers, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (59), France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign FXØISS. The contact began Sat 2016-12- 31 11:31:12 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via F4KJV. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Collège Mathilde Marthe Faucher, Allassac, France, direct via F1IMF. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS. The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-01-04 11:16:26 UTC Rainbow Middle School, Rainbow City, AL, direct via K4JMC. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-01-04 17:29:40 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Amateur Radio Kids Day January 7 Organized by the ARRL Kids day, scheduled this year for January 7 is meant to develop interest in Amateur Radio. Please consider this while operating the satlleite January 7. Listen for kids on-the-air or plan to assist kids with operating the satellites. For more information visit http://www.arrl.org/kids-day. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] + ANS Seeks Rotating Editors The AMSAT News Service (ANS) seeks additional volunteers to serve as rotating editors. The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information 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. If you are interested in serving AMSAT-NA in this important and rewarding role, please contact Lee McLamb, KU4OS: ku4os at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks the ANS editorial staff for the above information] + The AMSAT News Service editors wish you and yours a prosperous and safe 2017. [ANS thanks Lee KU4OS, Joe K6WAO and EMike AA8EM 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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