December 2017 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-365 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne K9JKM 30 Dec '17

30 Dec '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-365 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * GOLF-TEE $15,000 Matching Funds President’s Challenge * New Year's Weekend - AMSAT CW Activity Day 2018 In Memory Of G3IOR * New Year's Weekend - AO73 / FUNcube-1 Happy Holiday Mode * New Year's Weekend - AMSAT Office Closed For Holiday * KB1LQC's Faraday RF Blog Describes the Development of the AO-91 MPPT * Fernando, NP4JV Completes Satellite Contact With All 488 CONUS Grids * KA9Q AMSAT Archive Updated With Phase 3-B/Oscar-10 Documents * Volunteer Opportunity - Openings for News Service Rotating Editor * The ARRL International Grid Chase Includes Satellite Contacts * NASA/JPL is Testing Combined Deployable Solar Cell & Antenna Panel * Philippines’ Diwata-2 Microsat to Include Amateur Radio Transponder * IARU Coordination Completed for DreamSat for ISS Deployment in 2019 * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-365.01 ANS-365 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 344.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 31, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-365.01 GOLF-TEE $15,000 Matching Funds President’s Challenge In October 2017 AMSAT announced the GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Foot- print) program. The first project of the GOLF program is a technology demonstrator named GOLF-TEE (Technology Evaluation Environment). The design is a 3U CubeSat with deployable solar panels, ADAC (attitude determination and control), Software Defined Radio (SDR) Transponder, and a Vanderbilt University Low Energy Proton (LEP) experiment. Now is the time to begin work on the GOLF-TEE Project. At the end of 2017, AMSAT has generous offers from two AMSAT Past Presidents for matching funds up to $15,000 for those that contribute to the GOLF-TEE campaign at: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=STK27W… (Shortened URL without linewrap: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-365-PayPal-GOLF-Donation ) between now and Feb- ruary 15th. Make your donation twice as valuable by taking advantage of this opportunity and contributing, and help AMSAT fund the launch of the next series of satellites of the GOLF program. There are also donate buttons for GOLF-TEE on the AMSAT website. Planning is for a launch in 2019. Donations of $100 and $1,000 or more will be eligible for a special AMSAT GOLF premium. (Both premiums are currently being designed, so please be patient awaiting delivery.) AMSAT is a 501-(c)-(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization of amateur radio operators whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to AMSAT to help under- write the development and launch expenses of our GOLF satellite program. Donors wishing to provide additional matching funds please contact Joe Spier, K6WAO at k6wao(a)amsat.org. (ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Year's Weekend - AMSAT CW Activity Day 2018 In Memory Of G3IOR You are cordially invited to participate in AMSAT's second annual CW Activity Day. It will be held from 0001 to 2400 UTC on January 1, 2018. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Pat Gowen, G3IOR. The rules are very simple: there aren't any. Just operate CW through any amateur radio satellite. Straight keys and "bugs" are encouraged, but not required. The important thing is to get on the air and have fun. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Year's Weekend - AO73 / FUNcube-1 Happy Holiday Mode AO73/FUNcube-1 is now operating in full time transponder mode and will continue in this mode until the evening of Wednesday 3rd January 2018. Please enjoy the transponder during this happy holiday period! Season's greetings from the whole FUNcube team. [ANS thanks Graham, G3VZV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Year's Weekend - AMSAT Office Closed For Holiday The AMSAT Office is closed from Friday, Dec 22 - Friday, Jan 5th. Please check the website (amsat.org) for information. HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a VERY HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information --------------------------------------------------------------------- KB1LQC's Faraday RF Blog Describes the Development of the AO-91 MPPT Bryce Salmi, KB1LQC, writes about the development and successful launch and deployment of the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) designed by himself and Brent Salmi, KB1LQD. The design started as a senior design project at the Rochester Institute of Techno- logy. Bryce wrote, "The story of the Fox-1 MPPT is a great example of how amateur radio is what you want it to be. The MPPT symbolizes the vast nature of amateur radio which spans far beyond just com- municating over the airwaves." Continuing, "The Maximum Power Point Tracker has no radio inside of it yet it is profoundly amateur radio. It’s sole purpose is to enable scientific and ham radio payloads on-board the spacecraft. Amateur radio is about learning, having fun, and applying techno- logy to accomplish great things. Let’s explore this side of the hobby!" Follow the rest of the blog, the MPPT, with photos and videos at: https://faradayrf.com/ham-radio-is-about-more-than-radios-amsat/ [ANS thanks Bryce Salmi, KB1LQC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fernando, NP4JV Completes Satellite Contact With All 488 CONUS Grids Congratulations are due to Fernando, NP4JV, for completing satellite contacts with all 488 Maidenhead grids in the contin- ental United States. His December 28, 2017 contact with Ken, VE3HLS in grid FN65 on XW-2B completed Fernando's quest. Ken was mobile on his trip to to New Brunswick. The satellite was at 2º elevation when the contact was completed. Fernando wrote on amsat-bb, "I would like to publicly express my gratitude to Ken for going out of his way to help bring down the "white whale", and last grid needed in the 488 CONUS." Continuing, "I want to also thank all the satellite operators that made this possible. All credit goes to them! Extra thanks to all those who travelled and helped with multiple grid squares. This has been a fun and exciting 2 years and 3 months of opera- ting Ham Radio Satellites." Fernando compiled a list of the stations contacted which can found on the archived copy of his original posting: http://www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2017-December/066053.html [ANS thanks and congratulates Fernando, NP4JV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- KA9Q AMSAT Archive Updated With Phase 3-B/Oscar-10 Documents Phil Karn, KA9Q, wrote on amsat-bb that he has been scanning and categorizing his stacks of paper files. He's been working on old AMSAT documents from the early 1980s. Phil says, "I have a good pile of stuff on Phase 3-B/Oscar-10 that might be of interest to the old-timers among you (and maybe of archeological interest to others)". He will be placing these documents in raw form on his personal website. There's no index or HTML framing at the moment, but hopefully the file names are at least slightly descriptive. Phil advises to watch: http://www.ka9q.net/amsat/Oscar-10 Phil's AMSAT Newsletter archives can be accessed on his website: http://www.ka9q.net/newsletters.html [ANS thanks Phil Karn, KA9Q for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Volunteer Opportunity - Openings for News Service Rotating Editor If you're open to volunteering to help AMSAT this is your chance! We have openings for a few volunteers willing to help as an AMSAT News Service editor. Our editors work on a rotating schedule with each taking turns as the current week's news editor. Using input received from members, the amateur radio community, officers, plus our other editors your job is to assemble the AMSAT News Service bulletin for your week. (Template is provided to help you format the message.) If you can help contact our Senior News Service Editor, Lee McLamb, KT4TZ via his e-mail: kt4tz(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks the AMSAT News Service for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- The ARRL International Grid Chase Includes Satellite Contacts Beginning at 0000 UTC on January 1, 2018, the ARRL International Grid Chase kicks off. The objective is simple: Work stations in as many grid squares as possible and upload your log data to ARRL's Logbook of The World. Visit the ARRL Grid Chase web page at: http://www.arrl.org/international-grid-chase-2018 (If you are not currently registered with Logbook of The World, this is a good reason to get started. Go to https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/getting-started/. Registration and uploading are free.) Every new grid square contact confirmed through Logbook of The World counts toward your monthly total, which begins when you ring in the New Year. Just turn on your radio and start calling "CQ Grid Chase," or listen for others doing the same. Make the contact, enter it into your log, and you're on to your next QSO. At the end of each month, your totals on the Grid Chase leader board will reset to zero. Fear not, though. The online scoring system will maintain your monthly totals for a grand total at the end of the year, when an annual summary will be released and awards given to top finishers in various categories. The ARRL International Grid Chase is open to all amateurs, regard- less of location or license class. Any operating mode is eligible as well as every band, except 60 meters. You'll find the complete rules at www.arrl.org/aigc2018. Any contact can count for your Chase score; it doesn't have to involve an exchange of grid squares. As long as other operators participate with Logbook of The World, you'll get the credit automatically when they upload their logs. This means that contest contacts will count, as will contacts with special-event stations, or any other on-air activity. As long as stations upload their logs to Logbook of The World, you're good. Satellite contacts count. Contacts made through earthbound repeaters do not count for the Grid Chase, but repeaters in outer space are the exception. This includes all low-orbiting satellites that support CW, SSB, and even FM contacts. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA/JPL is Testing Combined Deployable Solar Cell & Antenna Panel After cargo ship Cygnus OA-8E (SS Gene Cernan) was unberthed from the Unity module of the ISS on December 5 it continued in orbit to release cubesats and perform additional testing. On December 6 Cygnus raised its orbit from 402 x 407 km to 447 x 456 km. It then deployed 14 cube- sats on December 6 and 7. Cygnus was deorbited on December 18, with entry over the South Pacific. One of the cubesats deployed from Cygnus was the NASA/JPL Integrated Solar Array and Reflectarray Antenna (ISARA) mission to demonstrate a reflectarray antenna that increases downlink data rates for CubeSats from the existing baseline rate of 9.6 kilobits per second (kbps) to more than 100 megabits per second (Mbps). The reflectarray antenna consists of three panels, electrically tied together through hinges, which have an array of printed circuit board patches on them. The size of the patches are adjusted so that the phase of the reflected feed illumination collimates the radiation in much the same way a parabolic dish reflector would. Unlike a parabolic dish, however, the reflectarray panels are flat, which enables them to be folded down against the CubeSat. On the opposite side of the printed reflectarray antenna, solar cells have been added. Additional information and illustration can be found on the web: Jet Propulsion Labs ISARA page: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/isara.php NASA ISARA page: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-365-NASA-ISARA-Project NASA ISARA PDF data sheet http://tinyurl.com/ANS-365-ISARA-PDF [ANS thanks Jonathan's Space Report No. 743, NASA, and Jet Propulsion Labs for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippines’ Diwata-2 Microsat to Include Amateur Radio Transponder The IARU frequency coordination pages show that the Diwata-2 team have applied for amateur radio frequency coordination: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=593 Diwata-2 is the Philippines’ second microsatellite designed and developed by Filipino scientists and engineers under the PHL-Microsat Program. They describe their program at: http://phl-microsat.upd.edu.ph/diwata2 Diwata-2 is a 50x50x50 cm microsatellite with estimated mass of 50kg. It features two deployable systems - solar array panels and amateur radio antennas. Diwata-2 will carry optical payloads that will support the following objectives: + Determining the extent of damages from disasters + Monitoring natural and cultural heritage sites + Monitoring changes in vegetation + Observing cloud patterns and weather disturbances These paylaods will use non-amateur S and X Band frequencies. In addition to these optical payloads, Diwata-2 will also carry an amateur radio unit. This payload is intended to pro- mote awareness and interest in amateur radios and satellite technology in the country. It is also intends to provide an alternative means of communication at times of disasters and emergencies. Diwata-2 is proposing a U/V FM transponder with APRS and CW beacon. Planning a launch from Tanegashima, Japan into a 613km polar orbit in Q2 2018. [ANS thanks the IARU and the PHL-Microsat Program for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Coordination Completed for DreamSat for ISS Deployment in 2019 The Dream Satellite Project plans to develop and deploy a 1U cube- sat from the ISS in 2019. The structure and bus system of this sat- ellite consists of the OPUSAT-Kit, which is developed based on Osaka Prefecture University’s OPUSAT CubeSat, manufactured by NISSIN Co., Ltd. The Dream Satellite Project will develop the mission system: + Provide amateur radio mailbox service + Provide QSL service + Store and forward message operations A downlink at 145.860 MHz and UHF uplink have been coordinated. DreamSat has not yet announced their UHF uplink frequency. Data formats include CW, AFSK 1k2 packet and GMSK 9k6 packet. The DreamSat webpage: http://faspia.or.jp/ Planned for deployment from the ISS during Q1 2019. The IARU coordination information can be viewed at: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=590 [ANS thanks the IARU and Katsuya Shibata, JJ1GPJ for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Bryce, KB1LQC, at faradayrf.com and AMSAT volunteer designer has a new entry in his blog https://faradayrf.com/antenna-every-pot/ Bryce discusses the effects of ITAR over the years and shows a really neat segment from a 1996 show which aired on the Discovery network about the construction of antennas for AO-40. This is quite a find ... you're going to like this one folks ... + The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has published a document on Agenda Items of Interest to the Science Services at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019. The docu- ment addresses potential threats to the Radio Astronomy Service and Earth Exploration-Satellite Service. (A word search of the document does not reveal specific menition of amateur radio or amateur satel- lite.) Among the many frequency ranges mentioned are 45 MHz, 24 GHz, 47 GHz. Download document as "Guest" at: https://www.nap.edu/download/24899 (via W4ART and Southgate) + Pierros Papadeas, SV1QVE gave this presentation on December 29 about the LibreSpace_Fnd UPSat Open Source satellite to the Chaos Communication Congress in Leipzig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boZRB4Qpg9s Nikos Roussos gives an overview of the LibreSpace_Fnd SatNOGS project, a network of satellite ground station around the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiMXW6URg0U + How Many New Year’s Eves Will NOAA’s Satellites Celebrate? http://tinyurl.com/ANS-365-NOAA-NewYear + An ARISS School Contact with the Higher National School of Computer Science and Systems Analysis (ENSIAS), Rabat, Morocco, Wed 2018-01-03 13:52:42 is planned to be streamed on-line at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVrHxxZ5pCvF-6I2O1-wgqQ/live + Peter Parker, VK3YE, has published two excellent introductions to amateur satellites videos. Peter describes his two-part video demonstration as, "A new amateur satellite has just gone up and it's super easy to work. You just need a pair of handhelds on 2m & 70cm FM. Watch these videos to find out how to make contacts through AO91 with equipment you probably already have." Part 1 - https://youtu.be/astteV2umOg Part 2 - https://youtu.be/XNB7Nc4HFYs + 6O6O from Somalia - Operators Ken, LA7GIA and Adrian, KO8SCA will be active as 6O6O from Somalia between January 3-16th, 2018. This will be an HF DXpedition but they invite amateur radio operators worldwide to participate in a humanitarian portion of their trip. Both Ken and Adrian will pay for all the DXpedition expenses. All money raised during the DXpedition will go to the not-for-profit Doctors Without Borders. They have also set up a dedicated PayPal address for these donations 6o6o(a)la7gia.com. Closing date for donations is February 1st, 2018, when donations will be wire transferred to Doctors Without Borders. + Visit https://www.smallsat.org/ to find information on the 2018 SmallSat Conference August 4-9, 2018 at Utah State University. The theme this year is "Delivering Mission Success". + Terry, ZL2BAC, posted plans and photos of his 3 element 2M yagi antenna he made from old TV antenna parts in his junk box. Terry wrote, "It seems to work well on AO-91. If anyone is interested, see the details at:" http://tinyurl.com/ANS-365-ZL2BAC-Antenna + The AMSAT Station and Operating Hints page has been updated. 1) The Fox Operating Guide has been updated for 2018. This is in color, designed to print two-sided. A low-resolution PDF for e-mailing or screen viewing; and, a high-resolution PDF is available for high quality printing. 2) A copy of the I8CVS Antenna Polarization Switching article from the AMSAT Journal was added after many expressed interest in obtaining a copy. See: https://www.amsat.org/station-and-operating-hints/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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 and Happy New Year, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-358 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 23 Dec '17

23 Dec '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-358 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: * AO73 / FUNcube-1 Happy Holiday Mode * Satellite Activity Planned From Solomon Islands * AMSAT CW Activity Day 2018 In Memory Of G3IOR * Another Radio Amateur Joins ISS Crew, Three Hams Now On Board * AMSAT Officed Closed For Holiday * 13 US Schools/Groups Move Into Phase 2 of ARISS Selections * Satellite DXCC Awarded to K8YSE * Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch * Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-358.01 ANS-358 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 358.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. December 24, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-358.01 AO73 / FUNcube-1 Happy Holiday Mode AO73/FUNcube-1 is now operating in full time transponder mode and will continue in this mode until the evening of Wednesday 3rd January 2018. Please enjoy the transponder during this happy holiday period! Season's greetings from the whole FUNcube team. [ANS thanks Graham, G3VZV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Activity Planned From Solomon Islands H44, SOLOMON ISLANDS. Shane, VK4KHZ, will once again be active as H44DA from his holiday home in Busuone, Guadalcanal Island (OC-047), until sometime early January 2018. His main focus is on 6 meters, but he will also be active on various HF bands (80/40/20/15/10m) using SSB and also on the SO-50 satellite. Suggested 6m frequencies are: calling on 50.110 MHz, Shane will always QSY to 50.125 as his primary frequency and 50.135 as his secondary frequency (secondary frequency will only be used if primary is in use or too much QRM). QSL via his home callsign direct. NO Bureau. PLEASE NOTE: This is not a DXpedition, but Shane's annual holiday - he will be operating the radio only as time permits and when doing so, training the locals in the operation of the equipment so please be patient and courteous. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1344 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT CW Activity Day 2018 In Memory Of G3IOR You are cordially invited to participate in AMSAT's second annual CW Activity Day. It will be held from 0001 to 2400 UTC on January 1, 2018. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Pat Gowen, G3IOR. The rules are very simple: there aren't any. Just operate CW through any amateur radio satellite. Straight keys and "bugs" are encouraged, but not required. The important thing is to get on the air and have fun. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Another Radio Amateur Joins ISS Crew, Three Hams Now On Board The International Space Station crew is back to its nominal complement of six members, after Scott Tingle, KG5NZA, Anton Shkaplerov, and Norishige Kanai arrived on board early this week. Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin is the new Expedition 54 commander. The other crew members are Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP, and Joe Acaba, KE5DAR. On December 17, Tingle, Shkaplerov, and Kanai headed into space on board a Soyuz MS-07 vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Officed Closed For Holiday The AMSAT Office is closed from Friday, Dec 22 - Friday, Jan 5th. Please check the website (amsat.org) for information. HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a VERY HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 US Schools/Groups Move Into Phase 2 of ARISS Selections The ARISS-US Team (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) is pleased to announce that 13 of the 25 schools or organizations submitting proposals have been selected to advance to the next stage of planning to host amateur radio contacts in July to December 2018. The contacts will be with International Space Station (ISS) crew members using the ARISS equipment on the ISS. A review team of educators from the new ARISS-US Education Committee selected proposals after the recent proposal window closed. The groups will go forward into Phase 2, the submitting of an amateur radio equipment plan to host a scheduled ARISS contact. ARISS's primary goal is to engage young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities, and involve them in activities related to space exploration, amateur radio, communications, and areas of associated study and career possibilities. ARISS anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for these US host organizations during the second half of 2018. These candidates must now complete an equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS technical team, the final selected schools / organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities. The schools and organizations are: Allen Park Elementary School, Lee County School District Ft. Myers FL Ashford School Ashford CT Bishop O'Connell High School Arlington VA Delcastle Technical High School Wilmington DE Hudson Memorial School Hudson NH Kopernik Observatory & Science Center Vestal NY Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School Santa Ana CA Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School Palmer MA Pearl Technology STEM Academy Peoria Heights IL Pell Elementary School Newport RI St. Catherine of Bologna School Ringwood NJ Tallmadge Community Learning Center Lancaster OH Valley High School Albuquerque NM 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. Find more information at www.ariss.org, and also www.amsat.organd www.arrl.org. [ANS thanks David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite DXCC Awarded to K8YSE Congratulations to John Papay, K8YSE, who has been awarded satellite DXCC with 101 entities verified. The satellite DXCC standings are available at http://www.arrl.org/dxcc-standings While there is no way to be certain, John's satellite DXCC is likely the first to be obtained without the use of either HEO satellites or sub-horizon Mode K propagation since prior to the launch of AO-10 in 1983. Starting on satellites in 2006, John did not even enjoy the advantage of FO-20's higher LEO apogee or RS-15's high LEO orbit in his quest to work and confirm 100 DXCCs via satellite.This is certainly a noteworthy achievement! [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch AO-91 is open to all and works great! Now is a good time to join AMSAT and receive a free digital copy of "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"! Visit https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/ and help AMSAT Keep Amateur Radio in Space. AMSAT is making our "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option. While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag. Thank you, and see you soon on AO-91! [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA's Required Minimum Distribution for 2017? Consider making a donation to AMSAT! Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or accountant to make certain you are eligible. AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT's federal tax ID is 52-0888529. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Ashbury College, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2017-11-27 18:39 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via VK4KHZ. ARISS Mentor was Steve VE3TBD. + A Successful contact was made between Huntley Centennial Public School, Carp, ON, Canada and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign IR0ISS. The contact began 2017-11-28 18:46 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was Steve VE3TBD. + A Successful contact was made between S.G.B. De La Salle, Rome, Italy and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2017-11-30 08:04 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF. + A Successful contact was made between Istituto Comprensivo Luigi Nono, Mira, Italy and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2017-11-30 08:04 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was Gianpietro IZ2GOJ. + A Successful contact was made between Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, RI, USA and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign IZ0ISS. The contact began 2017-11-30 17:02 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was John K4SQC. + A Successful contact was made between School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering (EETAC), Castelldefels, Spain and Astronaut Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2017-12-04 15:10 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via EG3UPC. ARISS Mentors were Marcelo IKØUSO primary/ Francesco IKØWGF backup. + A Successful contact was made between Shirokawa Elementary School, Seiyo, Japan and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2017-12-11 11:06 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via 8J5SS. ARISS Mentor was Satoshi 7M3TJZ. + A Successful contact was made between Antietam Elementary School, Woodbridge, VA, USA and Astronaut Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2017-12-11 18:30 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via KM4TAY. ARISS Mentor was Dave AA4KN. + A Successful contact was made between Summa-Aldapeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2017-12-12 13:01 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via EG2SMA. ARISS Mentors were Marcelo IKØUSO primary/ Francesco IKØWGF backup. + A Successful contact was made between Taipei Municipal Ximen Elementary School, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C. and Astronaut Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2017-12-21 08:49:07 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via BNØSM. ARISS Mentor was Satoshi 7M3TJZ. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Because of current high interest, here is the link for AMSAT's list of Station and Operating hints. https://www.amsat.org/station-and-operating-hints/ + FM Satellites: Good Operating Practices for Beginning and Experienced Operators Sean Kutzko, KX9X, has written a helpful document explaining good operating practices for working FM satellites. It's been posted to the AMSAT website at https://tinyurl.com/ANS358-FMSats A PDF version is also available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS358-FMSatsPDF --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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

1 0

ANS-351 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Chris Bradley 17 Dec '17

17 Dec '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-351 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * November/December 2017 Apogee View Column Posted on the AMSAT Web * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-12-13 09:00 UTC * Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch * Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA * Satellite Activity From Azores Islands on Christmas * December 20 Launch for HA-1 CubeSat with FM transponder and SSTV * Information for Requesting UT1FG/MM QSL Cards * Two-Part Video Demonstration Working AO-91 from Down Under * AMSAT Awards Update * KG5CCI and F4DXV 7,634.775 km QSO Sets New Distance Record on FO-29 * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-351.01 ANS-344 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 351.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 10, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-351.01 November/December 2017 Apogee View Column Posted on the AMSAT Web The November/December 2017 edition of Apogee View, a comprehensive bimonthly update of AMSAT's activities written by AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO, has been posted on the AMSAT website. https://www.amsat.org/apogeeview/ [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-12-13 09:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Taipei Municipal Ximen Elementary School, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C., direct via BNØSM (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-12-21 08:49:07 UTC 72 deg ********************************************************************* ******* ** 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. ********************************************************************* ******* *** All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ********************************************************************* ******* *** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. ********************************************************************* ******* Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net ********************************************************************* ******* ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 126 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 ********************************************************************* ******* The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2017-12-13 09:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1199. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1148. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++ 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 ********************************************************************* ******* The successful school list has been updated as of 2017-12-12 18:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_cor rection .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 ********************************************************************* ******* Exp. 52 on orbit Randy Bresnik Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Sergey Ryazanskiy Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch AO-91 is open to all and works great! Now is a good time to join AMSAT and receive a free digital copy of "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"! Visit https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/ and help AMSAT Keep Amateur Radio in Space. AMSAT is making our "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option. While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag. Thank you, and see you soon on AO-91! [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA's Required Minimum Distribution for 2017? Consider making a donation to AMSAT! Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or accountant to make certain you are eligible. AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT's federal tax ID is 52-0888529. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Activity From Azores Islands on Christmas Pedro, CU2ZG says he will be active on satellites from grid square HM58 on Christmas. His equipment will include an Alaskan Arrow antenna, Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT-857D, Kenwood TS-2000 and a Wouxun KG-UV9DPlus. Most of the operation will be done using the TS-2000. Expected operating days are December 23 and 24, plus December 25 during the afternoon/evening hours. Pedro says this will be a family holiday and skeds will be accepted depending on his availability. His exact location will be HM58qm, at the CU7BC QTH (check QRZ.com) Watch his twitter account (@pdsousa) for updates. [ANS thanks Pedro, CU2ZG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- December 20 Launch for HA-1 CubeSat with FM transponder and SSTV The IARU has announced frequency coordination has been completed for HA-1, a 2U CubeSat developed by the Teenagers Amateur Radio Center of Activity in Huaian, China. HA-1 is planned for launch on December 20. HA-1 will be mainly used for teenagers in Huaian to carry out activities related with amateur radio and aerospace science education. The cubesat is equipped with amateur radio repeater and SSTV(Slow Scan Television) component, which is to validate still image transmission in narrowband voice channel. There is an SSTV beacon, which puts Date/Time/Location information/temp- erature etc on a SSTV picture. Amateurs worldwide can also use HA-1 to test SSTV via the cubesat. Uplink: 145.930 MHz FM Downlink: 436.950 MHz FM Telemetry: 437.350 MHz 9k6 BPSK [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Information for Requesting UT1FG/MM QSL Cards John, K8YSE, posted a message on the amsat-bb on behalf of Yuri, UT1FG/MM currently at sea aboard the MV Seahorse, "Yuri has asked that anyone who has not received confirmations from this year and previous year's operations to prepare logsheets so that he can mail them out when he arrives in New Orleans." John has posted an Excel Spreadsheet for you to enter your log data plus an example of a completed log sheet at: http://www.papays.com/sat/ut1fgqsl.html John's web page includes instructions to prepare your logsheet of QSO's that Yuri can print, verify, sign and mail from one of his destination ports. E-mail your logsheet to John at the address he lists in his instructions. John will send an acknowledgement email when he receives your request. This way you will know that Yuri will have your logsheet. Marinetraffic.com anticipates a December 15-16 arrival in New Orleans. John requests you send your logsheet QSL request as soon as possible so Yuri will have time to get them ready for mailing. Yuri's current ship, Seahorse, is a relatively new ship and is wider than previous vessels he has captained so it cannot go through the locks in the Great Lakes. On this voyage he will be more restricted as to possible destinations than he was last season. John concluded, "Yuri has been very busy with his duties and has had little time for anything else. He sends his regards to all." [ANS thanks John Papay, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Two-Part Video Demonstration Working AO-91 from Down Under Peter Parker, VK3YE, has published two excellent introduction to amateur satellites videos. Note that some of the QSO customs shown are a little different than the common practice in Europe and North America, but the tips are still generally applicable. Peter, VK3YE, describes his two-part video demonstration as, "A new amateur satellite has just gone up and it's super easy to work. You just need a pair of handhelds on 2m & 70cm FM. Watch this video to find out how to make contacts through AO91 with equipment you probably already have." Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astteV2umOg Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNB7Nc4HFYs&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Peter Parker, VK3YE, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update We have a good list of recipients this time for the AMSAT Awards. This will also be the last update for 2017. With the new satellites this year and a crop of new ones coming in 2018 there will be a lot of operating going on. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Perikles Monioudis, HB9IQB Tae-Ryon Kim, DS5DNO Lawrence Witker, KE8BHX Adam Zabrowski, W8OOO Robert Twigg, KE8GDD Dan Howard, VA3MA ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Ed Poccia, KC2LM, #579 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, $180 Mac Cody, AE5PH, #181 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award George Carr, WA5KBH, #53 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Carlo Morandi, IK4JQQ, #93 Mac Cody, AE5PH, #94 ------ Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards [ANS thanks Peter Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- KG5CCI and F4DXV 7,634.775 km QSO Sets New Distance Record on FO-29 David Swanson, KG5CCI, and Jerome Lecuyer, F4DXV completed a 7,634.775 km QSO on December 12 via FO-29. This eclipses their previous record on that satellite by 26.62 km and greatly exceeds the theoretical maximum range of the satellite, which is calculated at 7,502 km. Video of the QSO as recorded by F4DXV can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sPe9wSOvAY&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Did you know you can help AMSAT by logging into your Amazon account using http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-0888529 to designate AMSAT-NA as the organization of your choice. When shopping on-line you must use the URL http://smile.amazon.com for AMSAT to receive the donation from your purchases. + 2017: FUNcube Status and New Developments - Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG walks us through the whole FUNcube family of spacecraft at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Milton Keynes, October 15th 2017. Watch on-line at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFoLtm44Kc&feature=share + While waiting for the next satellite pass have a listen at http://www.livemeteors.com/ to hear meteor pings as they happen. The pings are a bit more frequent during the popular meteor showers. + Hackaday posted an article showing how to build your own azimuth- elevation rotor: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-HackadayRotor (via Bernhard, VA6BMJ) + The 3Y0Z DXpedition Team on Bouvet Island is asking the amateur radio community to help with flying costs. See the details on the web: http://www.bouvetdx.org/news-and-updates/ + European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA, is compiling TimeLapseADay videos and is sharing them on-line. These can be found on his playlist posted on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344TimeLapseADay + The December 2017 issue of SatMagazine has been posted at: http://www.satmagazine.com/ Vytenis Buzas LY1ZY features in this issue, see pages 76-77. + Read about new analysis of the famous Hubble Deep Field images and watch a video scan across the Deep Field. Each of those blobs and dots is a galaxy. See: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-UniverseToday --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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. And, with that consider that bowling is more advantageous than golf since you rarely lose a bowling ball. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Chris Bradley, AA5EM aa5em at amsat dot org

1 0

ANS-351 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Chris Bradley 17 Dec '17

17 Dec '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-351 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * November/December 2017 Apogee View Column Posted on the AMSAT Web * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-12-13 09:00 UTC * Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch * Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA * Satellite Activity From Azores Islands on Christmas * December 20 Launch for HA-1 CubeSat with FM transponder and SSTV * Information for Requesting UT1FG/MM QSL Cards * Two-Part Video Demonstration Working AO-91 from Down Under * AMSAT Awards Update * KG5CCI and F4DXV 7,634.775 km QSO Sets New Distance Record on FO-29 * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-351.01 ANS-344 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 351.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 10, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-351.01 November/December 2017 Apogee View Column Posted on the AMSAT Web The November/December 2017 edition of Apogee View, a comprehensive bimonthly update of AMSAT's activities written by AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO, has been posted on the AMSAT website. https://www.amsat.org/apogeeview/ [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-12-13 09:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Taipei Municipal Ximen Elementary School, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C., direct via BNØSM (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-12-21 08:49:07 UTC 72 deg ********************************************************************* ******* ** 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. ********************************************************************* ******* *** All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ********************************************************************* ******* *** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. ********************************************************************* ******* Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net ********************************************************************* ******* ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Francesco IKØWGF with 132 Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 126 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Sergey RV3DR with 100 ********************************************************************* ******* The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2017-12-13 09:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1199. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1148. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++ 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 ********************************************************************* ******* The successful school list has been updated as of 2017-12-12 18:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_cor rection .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 ********************************************************************* ******* Exp. 52 on orbit Randy Bresnik Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA Sergey Ryazanskiy Exp. 53 on orbit Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP Alexander Misurkin Joe Acaba KE5DAR [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch AO-91 is open to all and works great! Now is a good time to join AMSAT and receive a free digital copy of "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"! Visit https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/ and help AMSAT Keep Amateur Radio in Space. AMSAT is making our "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option. While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag. Thank you, and see you soon on AO-91! [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA's Required Minimum Distribution for 2017? Consider making a donation to AMSAT! Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or accountant to make certain you are eligible. AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT's federal tax ID is 52-0888529. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Activity From Azores Islands on Christmas Pedro, CU2ZG says he will be active on satellites from grid square HM58 on Christmas. His equipment will include an Alaskan Arrow antenna, Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT-857D, Kenwood TS-2000 and a Wouxun KG-UV9DPlus. Most of the operation will be done using the TS-2000. Expected operating days are December 23 and 24, plus December 25 during the afternoon/evening hours. Pedro says this will be a family holiday and skeds will be accepted depending on his availability. His exact location will be HM58qm, at the CU7BC QTH (check QRZ.com) Watch his twitter account (@pdsousa) for updates. [ANS thanks Pedro, CU2ZG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- December 20 Launch for HA-1 CubeSat with FM transponder and SSTV The IARU has announced frequency coordination has been completed for HA-1, a 2U CubeSat developed by the Teenagers Amateur Radio Center of Activity in Huaian, China. HA-1 is planned for launch on December 20. HA-1 will be mainly used for teenagers in Huaian to carry out activities related with amateur radio and aerospace science education. The cubesat is equipped with amateur radio repeater and SSTV(Slow Scan Television) component, which is to validate still image transmission in narrowband voice channel. There is an SSTV beacon, which puts Date/Time/Location information/temp- erature etc on a SSTV picture. Amateurs worldwide can also use HA-1 to test SSTV via the cubesat. Uplink: 145.930 MHz FM Downlink: 436.950 MHz FM Telemetry: 437.350 MHz 9k6 BPSK [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Information for Requesting UT1FG/MM QSL Cards John, K8YSE, posted a message on the amsat-bb on behalf of Yuri, UT1FG/MM currently at sea aboard the MV Seahorse, "Yuri has asked that anyone who has not received confirmations from this year and previous year's operations to prepare logsheets so that he can mail them out when he arrives in New Orleans." John has posted an Excel Spreadsheet for you to enter your log data plus an example of a completed log sheet at: http://www.papays.com/sat/ut1fgqsl.html John's web page includes instructions to prepare your logsheet of QSO's that Yuri can print, verify, sign and mail from one of his destination ports. E-mail your logsheet to John at the address he lists in his instructions. John will send an acknowledgement email when he receives your request. This way you will know that Yuri will have your logsheet. Marinetraffic.com anticipates a December 15-16 arrival in New Orleans. John requests you send your logsheet QSL request as soon as possible so Yuri will have time to get them ready for mailing. Yuri's current ship, Seahorse, is a relatively new ship and is wider than previous vessels he has captained so it cannot go through the locks in the Great Lakes. On this voyage he will be more restricted as to possible destinations than he was last season. John concluded, "Yuri has been very busy with his duties and has had little time for anything else. He sends his regards to all." [ANS thanks John Papay, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Two-Part Video Demonstration Working AO-91 from Down Under Peter Parker, VK3YE, has published two excellent introduction to amateur satellites videos. Note that some of the QSO customs shown are a little different than the common practice in Europe and North America, but the tips are still generally applicable. Peter, VK3YE, describes his two-part video demonstration as, "A new amateur satellite has just gone up and it's super easy to work. You just need a pair of handhelds on 2m & 70cm FM. Watch this video to find out how to make contacts through AO91 with equipment you probably already have." Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astteV2umOg Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNB7Nc4HFYs&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Peter Parker, VK3YE, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update We have a good list of recipients this time for the AMSAT Awards. This will also be the last update for 2017. With the new satellites this year and a crop of new ones coming in 2018 there will be a lot of operating going on. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Perikles Monioudis, HB9IQB Tae-Ryon Kim, DS5DNO Lawrence Witker, KE8BHX Adam Zabrowski, W8OOO Robert Twigg, KE8GDD Dan Howard, VA3MA ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Ed Poccia, KC2LM, #579 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, $180 Mac Cody, AE5PH, #181 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award George Carr, WA5KBH, #53 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Carlo Morandi, IK4JQQ, #93 Mac Cody, AE5PH, #94 ------ Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards [ANS thanks Peter Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- KG5CCI and F4DXV 7,634.775 km QSO Sets New Distance Record on FO-29 David Swanson, KG5CCI, and Jerome Lecuyer, F4DXV completed a 7,634.775 km QSO on December 12 via FO-29. This eclipses their previous record on that satellite by 26.62 km and greatly exceeds the theoretical maximum range of the satellite, which is calculated at 7,502 km. Video of the QSO as recorded by F4DXV can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sPe9wSOvAY&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Did you know you can help AMSAT by logging into your Amazon account using http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-0888529 to designate AMSAT-NA as the organization of your choice. When shopping on-line you must use the URL http://smile.amazon.com for AMSAT to receive the donation from your purchases. + 2017: FUNcube Status and New Developments - Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG walks us through the whole FUNcube family of spacecraft at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Milton Keynes, October 15th 2017. Watch on-line at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFoLtm44Kc&feature=share + While waiting for the next satellite pass have a listen at http://www.livemeteors.com/ to hear meteor pings as they happen. The pings are a bit more frequent during the popular meteor showers. + Hackaday posted an article showing how to build your own azimuth- elevation rotor: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-HackadayRotor (via Bernhard, VA6BMJ) + The 3Y0Z DXpedition Team on Bouvet Island is asking the amateur radio community to help with flying costs. See the details on the web: http://www.bouvetdx.org/news-and-updates/ + European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA, is compiling TimeLapseADay videos and is sharing them on-line. These can be found on his playlist posted on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344TimeLapseADay + The December 2017 issue of SatMagazine has been posted at: http://www.satmagazine.com/ Vytenis Buzas LY1ZY features in this issue, see pages 76-77. + Read about new analysis of the famous Hubble Deep Field images and watch a video scan across the Deep Field. Each of those blobs and dots is a galaxy. See: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-UniverseToday --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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. And, with that consider that bowling is more advantageous than golf since you rarely lose a bowling ball. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Chris Bradley, AA5EM aa5em at amsat dot org

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ANS-344 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne K9JKM 09 Dec '17

09 Dec '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-344 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * November/December 2017 Apogee View Column Posted on the AMSAT Web * New Video: AO-91 Integration and Testing Before Launch * Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch * Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA * AMSAT Keplerian Elements Updated with AO-91 NORAD Tracking Number * New Distance Record via AO-91 5,955 km * Satellite Activity From Azores Islands on Christmas * December 20 Launch for HA-1 CubeSat with FM transponder and SSTV * Information for Requesting UT1FG/MM QSL Cards * English Edition of AMSAT-EA Newsletter * New Cuban Movie Features Ham Radio Contact With MIR * 2017 Open Source Cubesat Workshop Talks Posted On-line * Spaceflight Prepares to Launch Eleven Spacecraft on India's PSLV-C40 * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-344.01 ANS-344 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 344.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 10, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-344.01 November/December 2017 Apogee View Column Posted on the AMSAT Web The November/December 2017 edition of Apogee View, a comprehensive bimonthly update of AMSAT's activities written by AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO, has been posted on the AMSAT website. https://www.amsat.org/apogeeview/ [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Video: AO-91 Integration and Testing Before Launch AMSAT VP of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, NØJY has released a video report on YouTube, "The Good and the Bad with AO-91". During the 12 minute video Jerry describes what's right and what went a little wrong with AO-91: She hears very well, but she had a heck of a time learning to talk. Watch on-line at: https://youtu.be/no4pHx02lSI [ANS thanks AMSAT VP of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, NØJY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Membership Offer Continues for RadFxSat/AO-91 Launch AO-91 is open to all and works great! Now is a good time to join AMSAT and receive a free digital copy of "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"! Visit https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/ and help AMSAT Keep Amateur Radio in Space. AMSAT is making our "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option. While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag. Thank you, and see you soon on AO-91! [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA's Required Minimum Distribution for 2017? Consider making a donation to AMSAT! Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or accountant to make certain you are eligible. AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT's federal tax ID is 52-0888529. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Keplerian Elements Updated with AO-91 NORAD Tracking Number AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, Ray Hoad, WA5QGD advises that the AO-91 (FOX-1B) object number has now been updated as NORAD CAT ID 43017 based on the results of detailed orbit analysis by Nico Janssen, PA0DLO. This is expected to be the last change of object number. Ray thanks to all who have labored to finally come to this conclusion. to this point. The AMSAT Keplerian elements have added AO-91 and EcAMSat (NORAD CAT ID 43019) to the AMSAT-NA TLE distribution. The following satellites have de-orbited and have been removed from the AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution: NORAD CAT ID 40949 - GomX-3 NORAD CAT ID 41477 - NODES 1 NORAD CAT ID 41478 - NODES 2 NORAD CAT ID 41931 - TANCREDO NORAD CAT ID 42770 - INFLATESAIL Visit http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/keps to subscribe to weekly e-mail delivery of the AMSAT-NA TLE distribution [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Distance Record via AO-91 5,955 km Satellite operators are continuing to push AO-91's footprint to the limit. Joel Diaz, EB1AO, and Mike Diehl, W8LID, completed a 5,955 km QSO via the satellite this morning. The maximum elevation of the pass was just 0.9° for Mike and the QSO was made at 0.5° on his end. Who will be the first to complete a 6,000 km QSO? The theoretical maximum range is 6,072 km. Visit the AMSAT Distance Record page for a complete list of all satellite records: https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Activity From Azores Islands on Christmas Pedro, CU2ZG says he will be active on satellites from grid square HM58 on Christmas. His equipment will include an Alaskan Arrow antenna, Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT-857D, Kenwood TS-2000 and a Wouxun KG-UV9DPlus. Most of the operation will be done using the TS-2000. Expected operating days are December 23 and 24, plus December 25 during the afternoon/evening hours. Pedro says this will be a family holiday and skeds will be accepted depending on his availability. His exact location will be HM58qm, at the CU7BC QTH (check QRZ.com) Watch his twitter account (@pdsousa) for updates. [ANS thanks Pedro, CU2ZG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- December 20 Launch for HA-1 CubeSat with FM transponder and SSTV The IARU has announced frequency coordination has been completed for HA-1, a 2U CubeSat developed by the Teenagers Amateur Radio Center of Activity in Huaian, China. HA-1 is planned for launch on December 20. HA-1 will be mainly used for teenagers in Huaian to carry out activities related with amateur radio and aerospace science education. The cubesat is equipped with amateur radio repeater and SSTV(Slow Scan Television) component, which is to validate still image transmission in narrowband voice channel. There is an SSTV beacon, which puts Date/Time/Location information/temp- erature etc on a SSTV picture. Amateurs worldwide can also use HA-1 to test SSTV via the cubesat. Uplink: 145.930 MHz FM Downlink: 436.950 MHz FM Telemetry: 437.350 MHz 9k6 BPSK [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Information for Requesting UT1FG/MM QSL Cards John, K8YSE, posted a message on the amsat-bb on behalf of Yuri, UT1FG/MM currently at sea aboard the MV Seahorse, "Yuri has asked that anyone who has not received confirmations from this year and previous year's operations to prepare logsheets so that he can mail them out when he arrives in New Orleans." John has posted an Excel Spreadsheet for you to enter your log data plus an example of a completed log sheet at: http://www.papays.com/sat/ut1fgqsl.html John's web page includes instructions to prepare your logsheet of QSO's that Yuri can print, verify, sign and mail from one of his destination ports. E-mail your logsheet to John at the address he lists in his instructions. John will send an acknowledgement email when he receives your request. This way you will know that Yuri will have your logsheet. Marinetraffic.com anticipates a December 15-16 arrival in New Orleans. John requests you send your logsheet QSL request as soon as possible so Yuri will have time to get them ready for mailing. Yuri's current ship, Seahorse, is a relatively new ship and is wider than previous vessels he has captained so it cannot go through the locks in the Great Lakes. On this voyage he will be more restricted as to possible destinations than he was last season. John concluded, "Yuri has been very busy with his duties and has had little time for anything else. He sends his regards to all." [ANS thanks John Papay, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- English Edition of AMSAT-EA Newsletter Spain's amateur satellite group AMSAT-EA have released an English language edition of their December newsletter It covers the recently launched RADFXSAT (FOX-1B) FM transponder CubeSat and the HA-1 FM / SSTV CubeSat due to launch in December. There is an article on the satellite tracking software Orbitron and Robert KE4AL describes his experiences operating satellites during a DXpedition to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Island. The translation was made by Fernando EC1AME. Download the newsletter from http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-AMSATEA-News AMSAT-EA https://www.amsat-ea.org/ https://twitter.com/AmsatSpain [ANS thanks Southgate and AMSAT-EA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Cuban Movie Features Ham Radio Contact With MIR The Havana, Cuba Film Festival begins on December 7. One of the movies features a cuban amateur radio operator talking to the MIR space station. Posted on tiff.net: "As the Soviet Union crumbles in 1991, an amateur radio operator in Cuba makes unexpected contact with stranded cosmo- naut Sergei Krikalev as he observes the dissolution of his nation from orbit, in Cuban director Ernesto Daranas Serrano's comedic yet poignant reflection on how big events can impact ordinary lives." Check the videos and pictures here (google translation available on the site) http://ea1uro.com/radio/peliculacubana/ [ANS thanks the Southgate Amateur Radio News site for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 Open Source Cubesat Workshop Talks Posted On-line The Open Source Cubesat Workshop which was held on November 23-24 at the European Space Operations Center (ESOC/ESA), Darmstadt, Germany co-organized by Libre Space Foundation, the Librecube initiative and ESA/ESOC Cybernetics Team (https://oscw.space) have posted a YouTube playlist of the presentations and talks at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344OpenSourceCubesat [ANS thanks the Libre Space Foundation for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Spaceflight Prepares to Launch Eleven Spacecraft on India's PSLV-C40 by SpaceDaily.com Staff Writers Seattle WA (SPX) Dec 05, 2017 http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Spaceflight_Prepares_to_Launch_ Eleven_Spacecraft_on_Indias_PSLV_C40_999.html http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-SpaceflightPSLVLaunch Spaceflight, a satellite rideshare and mission management provider, has announced it will be launching 11 spacecraft in early January from India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Spacecraft include Finland's ICEYE-X1 SAR microsatellite, Planetary Resources' Arkyd-6 6U asteroid prospecting demonstration cubesat, four Spire Global Lemur-2 cubesats, Astro Digital's Landmapper-BC3, AMSAT's Fox-1D cubesat, and others. Spaceflight performed the cubesat integration at its Seattle Inte- gration Facility and is in the process of shipping the spacecraft to India for the PSLV-C40 mission. The PSLV rocket is scheduled to lift off from India's Satish Dhawan Space Center in early January 2018 with the Cartosat-2ER navigation satellite, in addition to Space- flight's rideshare customers. "PSLV-C40 is a perfect example of how our flexible, full-service rideshare model is enabling new commercial space businesses to exist while expanding into new markets," said Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight. "This mission brings new customers from outside the industry into space while continuing partnerships with existing customers for their ongoing satellite constellations." One first-time customer on the mission is Finland's ICEYE with the country's first commercial satellite, ICEYE-X1. ICEYE developed its own synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) sensor technologies suitable for satellites under 100kg in weight, making it one of the bigger payloads on the PSLV-C40 mission. This is ICEYE's first proof-of-concept microsatellite mission with a SAR sensor as its payload and also the world's first SAR satel- lite in this size, enabling radar imaging of the Earth through clouds and even in total darkness. Potential use-cases for the data are monitoring sea ice movements or marine oil spills, and preven- tion of illegal fishing. "Working together with Spaceflight to schedule and make this launch a reality has been an outstanding experience for ICEYE, and it has given us the necessary opportunities for scaling up operations for our constellation of micro-SAR satellites as planned," said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder at ICEYE. Spaceflight offers customers the most options for getting to space, working with nearly every global launch vehicle provider, including the Falcon 9, PSLV, Antares, Cygnus, Electron, Soyuz and others. Much like buying an airline ticket that is valid on multiple airlines, Spaceflight can ensure organizations have flexibility to move vehicles if changes or delays occur. Additionally, the smallsat rideshare service model helps organizations reach a desired orbit at a much lower cost than buying their own launch vehicle. Spaceflight has negotiated the launch of more than 120 satellites on behalf of its customers and has contracts to deploy nearly 200 more through 2018. The company plans to coordinate and deploy its largest launch to date in 2018 with its first dedicated rideshare mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. [ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Did you know you can help AMSAT by logging into your Amazon account using http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-0888529 to designate AMSAT-NA as the organization of your choice. When shopping on-line you must use the URL http://smile.amazon.com for AMSAT to receive the donation from your purchases. + 2017: FUNcube Status and New Developments - Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG walks us through the whole FUNcube family of spacecraft at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Milton Keynes, October 15th 2017. Watch on-line at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFoLtm44Kc&feature=share + While waiting for the next satellite pass have a listen at http://www.livemeteors.com/ to hear meteor pings as they happen. The pings are a bit more frequent during the popular meteor showers. + Hackaday posted an article showing how to build your own azimuth- elevation rotor: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-HackadayRotor (via Bernhard, VA6BMJ) + Wyatt, AC0RA plans to be active from the Carnival Sunshine cruise between December 9-16. He will use the callsign C6AWD/MM. He will operate in semiduplex mode with his FT817 and Arrow antenna. More info at the callsign listing for C6AWD on qrz.com + The 3Y0Z DXpedition Team on Bouvet Island is asking the amateur radio community to help with flying costs. See the details on the web: http://www.bouvetdx.org/news-and-updates/ + European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA, is compiling TimeLapseADay videos and is sharing them on-line. These can be found on his playlist posted on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344TimeLapseADay + The December 2017 issue of SatMagazine has been posted at: http://www.satmagazine.com/ Vytenis Buzas LY1ZY features in this issue, see pages 76-77. + Read about new analysis of the famous Hubble Deep Field images and watch a video scan across the Deep Field. Each of those blobs and dots is a galaxy. See: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-344-UniverseToday --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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. And, with that consider that bowling is more advantageous than golf since you rarely lose a bowling ball. 73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 03 Dec '17

03 Dec '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-337 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: * ISS Global Testing SSTV December 5-6 Prior to MAI-75 Over Moscow * Soyuz Launch Anomaly Results in Loss of D-Star ONE Cubesat * AMSAT-SM Supports ARISS With New Donationn * IARU Frequency Coordination for China's Juvenile 3U Cubesats * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-337.01 ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 337.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 3, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-337.01 ISS Global Testing SSTV December 5-6 Prior to MAI-75 Over Moscow http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/ published an update to the December MAI-75 SSTV testing schedule: **UPDATE - Nov 28** Seems the system will be put through some extended testing from December 5 starting around 15:00 UTC and running until 09:00 UTC on December 6. Test images will be used during this period. This will provide near global coverage if all works well. The MAI-75 schedule over Moscow remains unchanged at this point. The times correlate to a small number of passes each day in range of Moscow. Dec 6, 2017 Setup and power on – 13:40-14:20 UTC Power off – 17:05-17:15 UTC Dec 7, 2017 Power on – 13:45-13:55 UTC Power off – 17:30-17:40 UTC Dec 8, 2017 Power on – 14:05-14:15 UTC Power off and stow – 17:00-17:10 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Soyuz Launch Anomaly Results in Loss of D-Star ONE Cubesat A new Russian weather observatory and the first prototype for Telesat’s planned network of 100-plus broadband communications satellites in low Earth orbit were among 19 spacecraft lost after a Fregat rocket stage ran into trouble soon after liftoff aboard a Soyuz booster Tuesday. The Fregat rocket pack was supposed to place the 19 satellites into four different orbits Tuesday in a four-hour flight sequence following launch on a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a new spaceport in the Amur region of Russia’s Far East. A report published by Russia’s Interfax news agency Tuesday quoted a Russian space industry source who attributed the apparent failure to human error. The source said a mistake uploaded to the Fregat’s flight computer caused the upper stage to be in the wrong orientation for the main engine’s first burn, which was scheduled to last 77 seconds to reach a temporary parking orbit a few hundred miles above Earth. Billed as the first German commercial CubeSat, the D-Star One spacecraft had four communications modules on-board, two of which were to be used by the amateur radio community. Developed by German Orbital Systems in Berlin in cooperation with the Czech company iSky Technology, officials hope to build follow-on satellites to construct a low Earth orbit communications network. [ANS thanks SpaceFlightNow for the above information --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-SM Supports ARISS With New Donation AMSAT-SM is proud to announce a donation to ARISS (via AMSAT-NA) of $285. We hope that this small donation will help ARISS further work with amateur radio from ISS. AMSAT-SM is the Swedish section of AMSAT with approximately 220 members. One of their objectives is to inform Swedish hams about the fun with amateur satellites! Not many SM hams are active via satellite at the moment. With the help from our Swedish webpage and HF-net we hope that more Swedish hams should be using amateur satellites. The AMSAT-SM annual meeting is held every spring. Some weeks on Sundays we have a HF-net on 80 meters with lots of news about satellites and space. [ANS thanks AMSAT-SM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Frequency Coordination for China's Juvenile 3U Cubesats The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Status pages, hosted by AMSAT-UK as a service to the world wide Amateur Satel- lite Community, report on an updated coordination for the Juvenile project from China. Juvenile is a 3U CubeSat project led by China Soong Ching Ling Youth Science and Culture Center for school education and amateur radio. The amateur radio station onboard will provide telecommand, tele- metry and FM repeater functions: 1. A VHF uplink and UHF downlink data control board with loop back function, which can act as an FM repeater. 2. A VHF uplink and UHF downlink 9k6 BPSK data control back up board, with a trigger to take a photo from a camera, and transmit SSTV image through NBFM modulation. 3. A 2.4 GHz band with 2 MHZ bandwidth multiple frequency up and down link communication experiment. Planning a launch from Jiuquan Space Center into a 500km Sun Synchronous Orbit. The IARU reports a November 30 revised coordination has been provided. Frequency coordination for Juvenile 1B, 1D and 1F Uplink 435.290 MHz FM Downlink 145.840 MHz FM Telemetry 145.930 MHz 9K6 BPSK Frequency coordination for Juvenile 1A, 1C, 1E and 1G Uplink 145.965 MHz FM Downlink 436.250 MHz FM Telemetry 437.475 MHz 9K6 BPSK Source: http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ (frequencies which have been coordinated) [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, HC8. A group of operators are QRV as HC8LUT from San Cristobal Island, IOTA SA-004, until December 8. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using all modes and satellites. QSL via IK2DUW. (via ARLD048 DX News) + Year-Long NASA On The Air Event Kicks off on December 11 The Amateur Radio clubs at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) centers around the US have invited the Amateur Radio community to join the NASA On The Air (NOTA) special event. NOTA gets under way in December 2017 and continues through December 2018. https://nasaontheair.wordpress.com/ + Astronaut Joe Acaba made an historic contact with the Maria Montessori Institute Educational Unit in San Cristobal, Venezuela: the first-ever educational ham radio contact in that country’s history. Video posted at: https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/935901182811238400 (via ARISS) + Hackaday article shows how AMSAT teamed up with students from Rochester Institute of Technology to create a Maximum Power Point Tracker, attached to a Fox-1B CubeSat. https://hackaday.com/2017/11/27/amsat-mppt-goes-to-infinity-and-beyond/ /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, KT4TZ kt4tz at amsat dot org

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