March 2017 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 25 Mar '17

25 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-085 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT Fox Series Launch Schedule Update * ND9M Satellite Gear in VQ917 Chagos Islands * Ex-Alta-1 Alberta Canadia Cubesat Set to Launch * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 * Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity * 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-085.01 ANS-085 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 085.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 26, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-085.01 AMSAT Fox Series Launch Schedule Update The launches of AMSAT satellites Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D have been rebooked from the original Spaceflight Formosat-5/Sherpa mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on to two separate new launches. Fox-1D will now ride to orbit on an Indian PSLV vehicle scheduled to launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India in late 2017. Fox-1Cliff will launch on Spaceflight’s SSO-A dedicated rideshare mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in late 2017 or early 2018. These moves will serve to expedite the launch of these two satellites, both of which carry an amateur radio U/v FM repeater and an experimental L/v FM repeater. The satellites also carry scientific experiments, from university partners Penn State, Vanderbilt University ISDE, Virginia Tech, and University of Iowa. In addition to the launch of Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D, AMSAT is awaiting the launches of RadFxSat and RadFxSat-2. RadFxSat is currently manifested for launch on August 29, 2017 aboard the ELaNa XIV mission, as a secondary payload with the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-1 on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. RadFxSat-2 will be launched by Virgin Galactic on their LauncherOne air launch system from Mojave, CA on the ELaNa XX mission no earlier than December 2017. [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, and Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ND9M Satellite Gear in VQ917 Chagos Islands VQ917, CHAGOS ISLANDS. Jim, ND9M (VQ96JC), from Diego Garcia Island (AF-006) informs OPDX on March 14th, "Well, the local licensing office came through for me again. The VQ917JC license I asked for just came through here this afternoon." So start looking for Jim to be on the air signing as VQ917JC. Jim told OPDX he will not make an effort on 60m at this time. His operating hours are still limited to 1200-1600z max which doesn't do much good for the NA/SA ops. He states that he will probably focus on 30, 20, and 17 meters just to get VQ9 into some logs. Jim also mentioned he did bring his satellite equipment. QSL via his home call- sign. Look for more details to be forthcoming. HH8, HAITI. Doug, KD8CAO, was active as HH8/KD8CAO from Jacmel, Haiti (FK38rf), on both satellite and the HF bands between March 19-23rd. The primary purpose of Doug's travel to Haiti involved missions work (he and his team installed a solar array to power Radio Lumiere's FM broadcast station in Jacmel. QSL via direct w/SASE and/or LoTW (upload upon return to USA). [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1309 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-Alta-1 Alberta Canadia Cubesat Set to Launch Ex-Alta-1, the first CubeSat satellite mission from the University of Alberta’s AlbertaSat team, is set to launch on an Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch will be streamed via NASA Live and the United Launch Alliance. The cubesat will make a brief pit stop aboard the International Space Station before being deployed into low Earth orbit to begin monitoring space weather. Ex-Alta-1 is part of the international QB50 project, which involves cubesats designed and built at universities around the world, representing 15 countries from five continents. The cubesats carry complementary science payloads that will study space weather and the lower thermosphere for a period of nine to 18 months. After seven years and countless hours contributed by more than 50 team members (including undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members), measuring roughly the size of a loaf of bread and built with financial support from more than 600 crowd-funded donors as well as the Canadian Space Agency, Ex- Alta-1’s launch marks the beginning of a new era of space exploration for Alberta. Not only did the team build the first ever made-in-Alberta satellite, AlbertaSat is also one of the first Canadian universities to put a satellite into space. The University of Alberta participated in the first Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC), prior to focusing its efforts on the QB50 mission, and many members from the Ex-Alta-1 team are competing in the current CSDC. On behalf of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, and all the teams participating, I would like to send my congratulations to the entire AlbertaSat team, and hope that the launch, deployment, and mission of the Ex-Alta-1 cubesat will be successful. The Ex-Alta 1 Satellite has the following science objectives: 1. Serve as a platform for the In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) of a digital fluxgate magnetometer designed at the University of Alberta. 2. Address multi-point space plasma physics with data from the QB50 constellation using the Langmuir probe common payloads and the digital fluxgate magnetometer. 3. Take part in the QB-50 string-of-pearls constellation for in-situ measurements of the lower thermosphere to build an accurate model. A downlink of 436.705 MHz has been coordinated employing 9k6 GMSK using the published Cubesat Space Protocol and the QB50 whole orbit data specifications. [ANS thanks Larry Reeves, CSDC Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-03-24 Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Council of State Science Supervisors, Los Angeles, CA, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-29 18:03:38 UTC 21 deg Russia School TBD, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***) The scheduled astronauts are Andrei Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov, Oleg Novitskiy (***) Contact is a go for 2017-04-01 21:10 UTC (***) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Proposal Window Deadline April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl.org. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop The 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop will be held in San Luis Obispo, CA April 26-28 2017. The schedule is now on the workshop website at the link below. http://www.cubesat.org/s/2017-Workshop-Schedule.pdf REGISTRATION Prices are as follows: 3 Day Pass + Banquet Professional - $475 Student - $150 1 Day Pass Early Bird Professional - $160 Professional - $200 [ANS thanks the CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joe Spier 19 Mar '17

19 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-078 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 * AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town * CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced * IARU Page Proposed South Korean Satellite * ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System * AMSAT Awards Update * 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-078.01 ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 078.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 19, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-078.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 We kick off this week’s report with two demonstrations of DVB-S2 transmission from the LimeSDR. The first from Charles Brain G4GUO, and the second from Paul KB5MU and Michelle W5NYV. Charles has live video and Paul and Michelle are transmitting a pre-recorded work of art called Adventure Time. Mike Seguin N1JEZ has some LimeSDR spectral analysis to report. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZNshry3sZU First, 850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -58.36 – 10LOGBW = -88.36 dBc/Hz If I read the LMS7002M Spec sheet right, it should be down around -96 dBc/Hz? PDF is in the Phase 4 Ground Github link is in the show notes. https://github.com/…/d…/tree/master/Engineering/SDRs/LimeSDR Second, 2850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -49 – 10LOGBW = -79 dBc/Hz spec around -87 dBc/Hz? Third image is at 2850 MHz ±200 kHz Check out those curious 200 kHz spurs Fourth image is 2850 MHz 100 MHz Span A broader view – we need to go digging deeper. Final image is 2850 MHz 388 kHz spur small spur on the low side? Output power varies. He’s seen upwards of +15 dBm. He is powering the LimeSDR board off an external supply. He is using LimeSuite to set up the transmit output on TX1-1. There are so many settings it’s possible/probable we’re missing something. He has also have done rudimentary noise figure measurements. Paul, W1GHZ loaned him a homebrew noise head he had built from his QEX article in 1996? on Noise Figure. He used it to measure the NF, but had to rely on a chart for ENR. So assumptions!!! He found he definitely had to use a preamp in front of the Lime. He used an AD6IW wideband pre for testing. “I need to do more real world tests on the bands….” -Mike Seguin In the next segment of this report Paul described how to use the examples folder in GNU Radio to get to the DVB flowgraphs we’ve been using for experiments. Charles G4GUO shares his plan for next steps for DVB-S2 receive. He is looking at how to do the front end that finds the start of a frame and compensates for frequency error. He is pondering how to do this and has some ideas. He also has the low density parity check (LDPC) decoder to do but has not yet planned it out. He has the BCH decoder done and the bit that decodes the preamble code FEC. Charles explains that the whole of DVB-S2 has been designed for the parallel processing powers of ASICs/FPGAs/GPUs. He has decided to attack the problem using GPUs. He asserts that GPUs don’t have such a steep learning curve as some of the other technologies. He believes that the symbol tracking and root raised cosine filtering is best done in the FPGA on the LimeSDR. His thoughts are to re-write some of the Lime code so he can alter the ADC sample rate in fractions of a symbol. Then use the host to calculate the timing error and send the correction to the Lime FPGA code. The Lime can also do fine frequency error correction using a complex mixer. The error can be calculated in the host from the phase change in the preamble sequence. The central question is how to fit it into the memory model of the GPU to keep all the threads fully occupied. This means properly balancing the combination of LDPC decoding, parallel thinking and NVIDIA GPU programming. One of the many questions he has is how to cope with the final XOR of the parity bit for each block as that makes every bit in the whole thing dependent on every other bit. He believes that there must be a short cut so you can break the problem at the receiver down into a load of independent blocks (divide and conquer). It is all very DVBS2 specific but when a sub block of the code meets a condition where all its parity check equation are correct it can be marked as finished and the decoder can then move on to the next sub block. It requires a lot of thinking about and Charles welcomes your feedback. So! Lots of programming! We are here to help with this effort! It’s going to be a big one. Please join AMSAT, TAPR, ARRL, and any other local or regional club that is helping advance the state of the art in amateur radio. Projects like ours cannot exist without your membership. http://www.amsat.org/?p=5875 [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV and the AMSAT Ground Terminal Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town SDR workshop in Cape Town on 22 April. Following on a very successful symposium on Software Defined Radio held in Gauteng towards the end of last year, a similar event will be presented by AMSAT SA in the Cape on Saturday 22 April 2017 at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. To register visit http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ [ANS thanks the South African Radio League News for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced CAMSAT has worked closely with a Beijing Government aerospace contractor to build two satellites with amateur radio linear transponder payloads. IARU record a launch had been planned for March 31, 2017 from Taiyuan into a 524 km orbit with an inclination of 42 degrees. Both will carry a 435/145 (U/V) 20 dBm (100 milliwatt) SSB/CW linear transponder, a 2m CW 17 dBm (50 mW) telemetry beacon and an AX.25 4.8 kbps GMSK 20 dBm (100 mW) telemetry downlink. The two micro-satellites will also carry optical remote sensing missions. Planned to be 494x499x630 mm dimension regular square shape and approximately 50 kg mass with three-axis stabilization system. These frequencies have been coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel: CAS-4A • Linear transponder downlink 145.870 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.220 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.855 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.835 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm CAS-4B • Linear transponder downlink 145.925 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.280 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.910 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.890 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Page Shows Proposed South Korean Satellite K2SAT The Republic of Korea Air Force Academy has applied to the IARU for coordination of its' K2SAT satellite frequencies. Headline Details: A 3U CubeSat. The missions of the K2SAT are to demonstrate satellite imaging and transfer, and secondly to test voice repeating capability. The payloads: 1. On-board camera 2. On-board voice repeater. Attitude control will be performed with 3-axis reaction wheels and magnetorquer. The satellite surface that contains the main payload(Camera) shall be aligned to the nadir direction of the satellite. Requesting coordination for a V/U transponder. The TX would also be capable of downlinking AX25 telemetry at 9k6 using BPSK. Planning a 2018 launch into a 500 or 600km SSO. [ANS thanks the IARU Page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System March 13, 2017: The ARISS team took a giant step closer to flying the new ARISS Interoperable Radio System to the International Space Station, having met a major milestone. Lou McFadin, W5DID, and Kerry Banke, N6IZW, travelled to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, in mid-February for preliminary testing of Banke's breadboard version of the ARISS Multi-voltage Power Supply. The two worked alongside JSC engineers and JSC EMC lab personnel, putting the specially built power supply through its paces, checking against US and Russian space specifications for Power Quality and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) preliminary tests. The result: Outstanding news-the ARISS Team can move on to the next step, fabrication of prototype and flight units. The JSC engineers disclosed that the ARISS breadboard power supply was the first hardware to have passed all of the space agencies' tests! They said the very professional ARISS Team certainly knew hardware development and design. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer thanked Banke and McFadin for the multiple days spent putting the unit through the serious battery of NASA and Russian preliminary electrical tests. Banke expressed pleasure with the results: "I was looking to come away with what we needed to move forward. We achieved that." He was impressed with the support he and McFadin received from the testing group, and said key players on those teams who are also ham radio operators, commented that they find equipment brought in that is supported by ham radio operators, to earn particularly good marks. McFadin asserted that the Multi-voltage Power Supply's fine test results are due to ARISS's team working very well together and being very experienced. The completed testing of the breadboard unit means McFadin can now purchase expensive space-certified parts so the final prototype/flight power supplies can be fabricated. He and Banke now know that when the final, even more rigorous tests are done, the units will pass with flying colors. Watch for more news stories on the hardware and the fundraising campaign to help support the costs associated with designing, building, and testing the new ARISS radio system-the Kenwood D710GA and Multi-voltage Power Supply. Those wishing to contribute toward the final fabrication and flight tests are highly appreciated and asked to go to the AMSAT website, www.amsat.org, to click on the "ARISS Donate" button. Or visit the donation page on the ARISS website, http://www.ariss.org/donate.html. Contributions are tax deductible. Those who contribute $100 or more will receive the handsome ARISS Challenge Coin. If you or your ham club or place of employment wish to make a highly substantial contribution, contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net. About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update This is the first posting of awards for 2017. The year started slow and then picked up with the following earning their awards. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Christopher Hobbs, KD5RYO Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV Milan Stancel, OM4MX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #575 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #576 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #577 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #178 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #179 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Frank Westphal, K6FW, #49 Toralf Renkwitz, DJ7MS, #50 Ronald Oldham, N8RO, #51 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #US202 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #US203 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #US204 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Cleber Rodrigues, PY3TX, #88 Paul Stoezter, N8HM, Upgrade to 4000 Frank Westphal, K6FW, Upgrade to 2000 John Papay, K8YSE/7, Upgrade to 3000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #89 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #90 ------ To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 Mexico trip includes satellite operating plans: XE, Mexico: A group of Mexican amateurs plans to visit archaeological sites of Maya culture in Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo from the 18th to 21st. QRV with the call 6E3MAYA on 80-6m on SSB, CW, digital modes and via satellites. QSL via XE3N, LoTW. [ANS thanks the DARC DX Newsletter DXNL 2032 March 15, 2017 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday through Sunday, 31 March–2 April 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas NV *Wednesday, 5 April 2007 – presentation for Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club in Scottsdale AZ *Friday and Saturday, 7-8 April 2017, Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK *Saturday, 6 May 2017 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *19-21 May 2017, HamVention in the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, Dayton, Ohio *Friday and Saturday, 9-10 June 2017, HAM-COM in Irving TX *Saturday, 10 June 2017 – Prescott Hamfest in Prescott AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * A direct contact with students at McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, USA was successful Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC 25 deg. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG answered all 19 questions prepared by students. Upcoming Contacts * A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, is presently scheduled Thu 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg. with Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Trois Palétuviers is a small native people village of French Guyane, set between the Amazonian forest and the majestic Oyapock River, a natural border with Brazil. It is accessed only by dugout and the journey takes place in one hour. On site, no electricity during the day, internet and telephone recently, but a quality of life preserved, which in no way excludes projects and achievements in order to help envisage the future in a dynamic and optimistic way. The village comprises a population of 180 inhabitants, exclusively Native Americans and many of whom have strong ties with Brazil. The school hosts about fifty students divided into 2 classes: a kindergarten from the PS to the GS, an elementary from the CP to the CM2. In addition to the usual teachings, the school offers activities that enable you to travel and make contact with the outside of the village. So : The "chess game for academic success" has been helping since 2006 to reason and confidence in its abilities, The theater club has already performed several times in French Guiana. A highly eclectic choir gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves. In addition, there are urban dance classes, numerous programs and projects related to the environment, space, health and so on. Another peculiarity is that a school for parents has been in place since 2011. For the liaison with the ISS, the pupils will travel 1 hour of canoe motor and 3 hours of road. * A direct contact via AA4UT with students at the Student Space Technology Association, Knoxville, TN, USA will be rescheduled. The University of Tennessee Knoxville is an amazing school located in the hills of Tennessee. It is the largest campus in the state, hosting more than 30,000 students. This school is known for its engineering and science heritage, having close ties with research facilities such as Oak Ridge National Lab and companies like Alcoa. Also, included in our alumni are 9 astronauts including the recent ISS inhabitant Scott Kelly. Our school is filled with thousands of eager students seeking to pursue careers in the space industry. With our vision of becoming a top-tier research school, our students are set to become the next leaders in STEM industries. ********************************************************************** 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. ********************************************************************** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is ; looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. ********************************************************************** 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: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 ********************************************************************** 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 2017-03-09 05:00 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 1116. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1080. 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 2017-02-23 05:00 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_correctio… 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. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy ********************************************************************** Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over Help Wanted - Russian Space Agency If you know what this means, "Mukhnem na Lunu: Rossiya ishchet novykh kosmonavtov"*, you may be able to apply at Russia's space agency, who on Tuesday announced a recruitment drive for young would-be cosmonauts who it hopes will become the country's first on the Moon. And women are welcome, an official stressed. In the first such drive for five years, Roscosmos space agency said it is looking for 6 to 8 cosmonauts who will operate a new-generation spaceship now in development and "will become the first Russians to fly to the Moon". The full story is posted at: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Fly_me_to_the_Moon_Russia_seeks_new_cosmo… *Translation: Fly me to the Moon: Russia seeks new cosmonauts [ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org -- -73, k6wao AMSAT Vice President Educational Relations AMSAT News Service Co-Editor ARISS-NA Education 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Chairman

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ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joe Spier 19 Mar '17

19 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-078 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 * AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town * CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced * IARU Page Proposed South Korean Satellite * ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System * AMSAT Awards Update * 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-078.01 ANS-078 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 078.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 19, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-078.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Ground Terminal Weekly Report for March 7, 2017 We kick off this week’s report with two demonstrations of DVB-S2 transmission from the LimeSDR. The first from Charles Brain G4GUO, and the second from Paul KB5MU and Michelle W5NYV. Charles has live video and Paul and Michelle are transmitting a pre-recorded work of art called Adventure Time. Mike Seguin N1JEZ has some LimeSDR spectral analysis to report. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZNshry3sZU First, 850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -58.36 – 10LOGBW = -88.36 dBc/Hz If I read the LMS7002M Spec sheet right, it should be down around -96 dBc/Hz? PDF is in the Phase 4 Ground Github link is in the show notes. https://github.com/…/d…/tree/master/Engineering/SDRs/LimeSDR Second, 2850 MHz Phase Noise 10 kHz offset 1 kHz resolution bandwidth -49 – 10LOGBW = -79 dBc/Hz spec around -87 dBc/Hz? Third image is at 2850 MHz +/-200 kHz Check out those curious 200 kHz spurs Fourth image is 2850 MHz 100 MHz Span A broader view – we need to go digging deeper. Final image is 2850 MHz 388 kHz spur small spur on the low side? Output power varies. He’s seen upwards of +15 dBm. He is powering the LimeSDR board off an external supply. He is using LimeSuite to set up the transmit output on TX1-1. There are so many settings it’s possible/probable we’re missing something. He has also have done rudimentary noise figure measurements. Paul, W1GHZ loaned him a homebrew noise head he had built from his QEX article in 1996? on Noise Figure. He used it to measure the NF, but had to rely on a chart for ENR. So assumptions!!! He found he definitely had to use a preamp in front of the Lime. He used an AD6IW wideband pre for testing. “I need to do more real world tests on the bands….” -Mike Seguin In the next segment of this report Paul described how to use the examples folder in GNU Radio to get to the DVB flowgraphs we’ve been using for experiments. Charles G4GUO shares his plan for next steps for DVB-S2 receive. He is looking at how to do the front end that finds the start of a frame and compensates for frequency error. He is pondering how to do this and has some ideas. He also has the low density parity check (LDPC) decoder to do but has not yet planned it out. He has the BCH decoder done and the bit that decodes the preamble code FEC. Charles explains that the whole of DVB-S2 has been designed for the parallel processing powers of ASICs/FPGAs/GPUs. He has decided to attack the problem using GPUs. He asserts that GPUs don’t have such a steep learning curve as some of the other technologies. He believes that the symbol tracking and root raised cosine filtering is best done in the FPGA on the LimeSDR. His thoughts are to re-write some of the Lime code so he can alter the ADC sample rate in fractions of a symbol. Then use the host to calculate the timing error and send the correction to the Lime FPGA code. The Lime can also do fine frequency error correction using a complex mixer. The error can be calculated in the host from the phase change in the preamble sequence. The central question is how to fit it into the memory model of the GPU to keep all the threads fully occupied. This means properly balancing the combination of LDPC decoding, parallel thinking and NVIDIA GPU programming. One of the many questions he has is how to cope with the final XOR of the parity bit for each block as that makes every bit in the whole thing dependent on every other bit. He believes that there must be a short cut so you can break the problem at the receiver down into a load of independent blocks (divide and conquer). It is all very DVBS2 specific but when a sub block of the code meets a condition where all its parity check equation are correct it can be marked as finished and the decoder can then move on to the next sub block. It requires a lot of thinking about and Charles welcomes your feedback. So! Lots of programming! We are here to help with this effort! It’s going to be a big one. Please join AMSAT, TAPR, ARRL, and any other local or regional club that is helping advance the state of the art in amateur radio. Projects like ours cannot exist without your membership. http://www.amsat.org/?p=5875 [ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV and the AMSAT Ground Terminal Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SA to Sponsor SDR Workshop in Cape Town SDR workshop in Cape Town on 22 April. Following on a very successful symposium on Software Defined Radio held in Gauteng towards the end of last year, a similar event will be presented by AMSAT SA in the Cape on Saturday 22 April 2017 at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. To register visit http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ [ANS thanks the South African Radio League News for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAS-4A and CAS-4B Linear Transponder Frequencies Announced CAMSAT has worked closely with a Beijing Government aerospace contractor to build two satellites with amateur radio linear transponder payloads. IARU record a launch had been planned for March 31, 2017 from Taiyuan into a 524 km orbit with an inclination of 42 degrees. Both will carry a 435/145 (U/V) 20 dBm (100 milliwatt) SSB/CW linear transponder, a 2m CW 17 dBm (50 mW) telemetry beacon and an AX.25 4.8 kbps GMSK 20 dBm (100 mW) telemetry downlink. The two micro-satellites will also carry optical remote sensing missions. Planned to be 494x499x630 mm dimension regular square shape and approximately 50 kg mass with three-axis stabilization system. These frequencies have been coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel: CAS-4A • Linear transponder downlink 145.870 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.220 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.855 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.835 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm CAS-4B • Linear transponder downlink 145.925 MHz, emission designator 20K0V8WWF, output power 20 dBm • Linear transponder uplink 435.280 MHz • CW telemetry beacon 145.910 MHz, emission designator 100HA1AAN, output power 17 dBm • GMSK telemetry 145.890 MHz, emission designator 16K0F1DCN, output power 20 dBm [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Page Shows Proposed South Korean Satellite K2SAT The Republic of Korea Air Force Academy has applied to the IARU for coordination of its' K2SAT satellite frequencies. Headline Details: A 3U CubeSat. The missions of the K2SAT are to demonstrate satellite imaging and transfer, and secondly to test voice repeating capability. The payloads: 1. On-board camera 2. On-board voice repeater. Attitude control will be performed with 3-axis reaction wheels and magnetorquer. The satellite surface that contains the main payload(Camera) shall be aligned to the nadir direction of the satellite. Requesting coordination for a V/U transponder. The TX would also be capable of downlinking AX25 telemetry at 9k6 using BPSK. Planning a 2018 launch into a 500 or 600km SSO. [ANS thanks the IARU Page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Closer to Launching New Radio System March 13, 2017: The ARISS team took a giant step closer to flying the new ARISS Interoperable Radio System to the International Space Station, having met a major milestone. Lou McFadin, W5DID, and Kerry Banke, N6IZW, travelled to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, in mid-February for preliminary testing of Banke's breadboard version of the ARISS Multi-voltage Power Supply. The two worked alongside JSC engineers and JSC EMC lab personnel, putting the specially built power supply through its paces, checking against US and Russian space specifications for Power Quality and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) preliminary tests. The result: Outstanding news-the ARISS Team can move on to the next step, fabrication of prototype and flight units. The JSC engineers disclosed that the ARISS breadboard power supply was the first hardware to have passed all of the space agencies' tests! They said the very professional ARISS Team certainly knew hardware development and design. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer thanked Banke and McFadin for the multiple days spent putting the unit through the serious battery of NASA and Russian preliminary electrical tests. Banke expressed pleasure with the results: "I was looking to come away with what we needed to move forward. We achieved that." He was impressed with the support he and McFadin received from the testing group, and said key players on those teams who are also ham radio operators, commented that they find equipment brought in that is supported by ham radio operators, to earn particularly good marks. McFadin asserted that the Multi-voltage Power Supply's fine test results are due to ARISS's team working very well together and being very experienced. The completed testing of the breadboard unit means McFadin can now purchase expensive space-certified parts so the final prototype/flight power supplies can be fabricated. He and Banke now know that when the final, even more rigorous tests are done, the units will pass with flying colors. Watch for more news stories on the hardware and the fundraising campaign to help support the costs associated with designing, building, and testing the new ARISS radio system-the Kenwood D710GA and Multi-voltage Power Supply. Those wishing to contribute toward the final fabrication and flight tests are highly appreciated and asked to go to the AMSAT website, www.amsat.org, to click on the "ARISS Donate" button. Or visit the donation page on the ARISS website, http://www.ariss.org/donate.html. Contributions are tax deductible. Those who contribute $100 or more will receive the handsome ARISS Challenge Coin. If you or your ham club or place of employment wish to make a highly substantial contribution, contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net. About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks David Jordan, AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update This is the first posting of awards for 2017. The year started slow and then picked up with the following earning their awards. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Christopher Hobbs, KD5RYO Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV Milan Stancel, OM4MX ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #575 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #576 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #577 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #178 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #179 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Frank Westphal, K6FW, #49 Toralf Renkwitz, DJ7MS, #50 Ronald Oldham, N8RO, #51 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #US202 Matthew Stevens, KK4FEM, #US203 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #US204 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Cleber Rodrigues, PY3TX, #88 Paul Stoezter, N8HM, Upgrade to 4000 Frank Westphal, K6FW, Upgrade to 2000 John Papay, K8YSE/7, Upgrade to 3000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #89 Milan Stancel, OM4MX, #90 ------ To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6E3MAYA on Satellites March 18-21 Mexico trip includes satellite operating plans: XE, Mexico: A group of Mexican amateurs plans to visit archaeological sites of Maya culture in Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo from the 18th to 21st. QRV with the call 6E3MAYA on 80-6m on SSB, CW, digital modes and via satellites. QSL via XE3N, LoTW. [ANS thanks the DARC DX Newsletter DXNL 2032 March 15, 2017 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday through Sunday, 31 March–2 April 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas NV *Wednesday, 5 April 2007 – presentation for Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club in Scottsdale AZ *Friday and Saturday, 7-8 April 2017, Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK *Saturday, 6 May 2017 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *19-21 May 2017, HamVention in the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, Dayton, Ohio *Friday and Saturday, 9-10 June 2017, HAM-COM in Irving TX *Saturday, 10 June 2017 – Prescott Hamfest in Prescott AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * A direct contact with students at McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, USA was successful Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC 25 deg. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG answered all 19 questions prepared by students. Upcoming Contacts * A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at “School of Trois Paletuviers”, Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, French Guyana, is presently scheduled Thu 2017-03-23 12:42:26 UTC 61 deg. with Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG. Trois Palétuviers is a small native people village of French Guyane, set between the Amazonian forest and the majestic Oyapock River, a natural border with Brazil. It is accessed only by dugout and the journey takes place in one hour. On site, no electricity during the day, internet and telephone recently, but a quality of life preserved, which in no way excludes projects and achievements in order to help envisage the future in a dynamic and optimistic way. The village comprises a population of 180 inhabitants, exclusively Native Americans and many of whom have strong ties with Brazil. The school hosts about fifty students divided into 2 classes: a kindergarten from the PS to the GS, an elementary from the CP to the CM2. In addition to the usual teachings, the school offers activities that enable you to travel and make contact with the outside of the village. So : The "chess game for academic success" has been helping since 2006 to reason and confidence in its abilities, The theater club has already performed several times in French Guiana. A highly eclectic choir gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves. In addition, there are urban dance classes, numerous programs and projects related to the environment, space, health and so on. Another peculiarity is that a school for parents has been in place since 2011. For the liaison with the ISS, the pupils will travel 1 hour of canoe motor and 3 hours of road. * A direct contact via AA4UT with students at the Student Space Technology Association, Knoxville, TN, USA will be rescheduled. The University of Tennessee Knoxville is an amazing school located in the hills of Tennessee. It is the largest campus in the state, hosting more than 30,000 students. This school is known for its engineering and science heritage, having close ties with research facilities such as Oak Ridge National Lab and companies like Alcoa. Also, included in our alumni are 9 astronauts including the recent ISS inhabitant Scott Kelly. Our school is filled with thousands of eager students seeking to pursue careers in the space industry. With our vision of becoming a top-tier research school, our students are set to become the next leaders in STEM industries. ********************************************************************** 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. ********************************************************************** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is ; looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. ********************************************************************** 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: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 ********************************************************************** 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 2017-03-09 05:00 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 1116. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1080. 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 2017-02-23 05:00 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_correctio… 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. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy ********************************************************************** Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over Help Wanted - Russian Space Agency If you know what this means, "Mukhnem na Lunu: Rossiya ishchet novykh kosmonavtov"*, you may be able to apply at Russia's space agency, who on Tuesday announced a recruitment drive for young would-be cosmonauts who it hopes will become the country's first on the Moon. And women are welcome, an official stressed. In the first such drive for five years, Roscosmos space agency said it is looking for 6 to 8 cosmonauts who will operate a new-generation spaceship now in development and "will become the first Russians to fly to the Moon". The full story is posted at: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Fly_me_to_the_Moon_Russia_seeks_new_cosmo… *Translation: Fly me to the Moon: Russia seeks new cosmonauts [ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins (In its Entirety)
by E.Mike McCardel 12 Mar '17

12 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-071.02 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Editor's Note: * US ARISS Proposal Window Remains Open Through April 15, 2017 * First Moon Bounce using Opera * NEON - NASA Educators Online Network - ANNOUNCEMENTS * Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-071.02 ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 071.02 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. March 12, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-071.02 Editor's Note: Todays ANS was sent missing content, as I am sure most who read it observed. This is a re-bublication of the Bulletin including its full contact. I apologize for any problems. EMike, AA8EM --------------------------------------------------------------------- US ARISS Proposal Window Remains Open Through April 15, 2017 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an- ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- First Moon Bounce using Opera On Tuesday, March 7, Luis EA5DOM and Jose EA3HMJ made a test using the amateur radio weak-signal data mode Opera for 1296 MHz Moon Bounce (EME) Luis EA5DOM posted the following: We are both using an small 180cm offset dish. Jose is 400w, so he was transmitting and I was trying to decode. The trace was visible but too weak for an Op05 decode. So tried Op1 switching band to 70MHz. After some trying we got one decode at -24dB 2017-03-07 23:31:17 EA3HMJ JN11AN EA5DOM IM98WN 381 70.093 - 23 Op1__~24dB Switched to Op2 and tried some times without success. I was getting problems to keep an accurate tracking, so the signal was not optimal and close to the decoding limit We will keep testing, But at least one decode was worth the effort. Here is EA5DOM screenshot: http://tinyurl.com/ANS071-EA5Dom-Screenshot And EA3HMJ Screenshot: http://tinyurl.com/ANS071-EA3HMJ-Screenshot You can download Opera from https://rosmodem.wordpress.com/ [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEON - NASA Educators Online Network - ANNOUNCEMENTS Free STEM Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) at Texas State University is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom. Registration is required to participate. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description. March 13, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. ET: Earth Right Now: Engineering at NASA (Grades K-12) -- Engineers at NASA come from a multitude of backgrounds such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, materials science and physics. This webinar allows participants to hear from one of NASA's Planetary Protection engineers. These unique engineers support projects that have to be biologically clean before launch so that they do not contaminate another planet or moon with Earth life. Join us to discover NASA educational activities related to engineering and help inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/209358 ********** March 14, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. ET: Earth Right Now -- GLOBE Atmosphere (Grades K-12) -- NASA’s fleet of satellites, its airborne missions and researchers address some of the critical challenges facing our planet today. Learn about clouds and contrails using the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, or GLOBE, program. This international science and education program provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/229949 ********** March 16, 2017, at 8:00 p.m. ET: Astrobiology and Looking for Life (Grades 6-12) -- In this webinar, we will discuss how NASA has turned the search for alien life from science fiction to a quickly growing research field. Topics in Earth and space science linked to biology will help us understand the most current theories for how life came to be here on Earth and where we could find it next. Classroom activities for numerous grades will put this exploration into the hands of the next generation of scientists. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/234109 ********** For the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development webinar schedule, go to: http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/ ********** For US Educators: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station-- Students Talk to Astronauts Call for Proposals -- Window is February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crewmember on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the radio contact would be held between Jan 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits determine the exact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Students learn about technology, communications, and science studied on board the ISS. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. For proposal information and details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and days/times of Information Sessions, go to www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl.org . [ANS thanks NASA Educators Online Network (NEON) for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017 Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017, April 26-28, 2017, San Luis Obispo, CA -- New Venue - Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. #CubeSatDW2017 * http://www.cubesat.org/workshop-2017-information The CubeSat Workshop Team is honored to welcome Mr. James L. Reuter (http://www.cubesat.org/james-reuter), Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters, as one of our Keynote speakers for the upcoming workshop. If you are as interested as we are to hear what he has to say, you can follow up with Registration and Workshop Information on our website: http://www.cubesat.org/workshop-2017-information/ Early Bird Registration for the 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop ends in just TEN DAYS on *March 17, 2017*. Register before the prices increase! You can register by following the link below. https://calpoly.irisregistration.com/Home/Site?code=cubesat-2017 If you have any questions regarding workshop, or are interested in being a sponsor this year, don't hesitate to contact us at: cubesat-workshop at calpoly.edu [ANS thanks The CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Blair Pointe Upper Elementary School, Peru, IN, USA and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Thu 2017-03-09 15:21:33 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via WD9GIU. ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. + A Successful contact was made between 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Fri 2017-03-10 08:20:46 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via SV7APQ. ARISS Mentor was Bertus PE1KEH. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, direct via K6MHS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 11 Mar '17

11 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-071 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * US ARISS Proposal Window Remains Open Through April 15, 2017 * First Moon Bounce using Opera * NEON - NASA Educators Online Network - ANNOUNCEMENTS * Cubesat Developers Workshop 2017 * ARISS News SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-071.01 ANS-071 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 071.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. March 12, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-071.01 US ARISS Proposal Window Remains Open Through April 15, 2017 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an- ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Blair Pointe Upper Elementary School, Peru, IN, USA and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Thu 2017-03-09 15:21:33 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via WD9GIU. ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. + A Successful contact was made between 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Fri 2017-03-10 08:20:46 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via SV7APQ. ARISS Mentor was Bertus PE1KEH. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule McBride High School, Long Beach, CA, direct via K6MHS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-15 16:28:44 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-064 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 04 Mar '17

04 Mar '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-064 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: * Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, 2017 Dayton Hamvention Amateur of the Year * VUCC Awards for February 2017 * On-line Information Sessions for ARISS-US School Contact Proposals * Ham radio satellite activation of Berry Islands, Bahamas * NASA Explores Opportunity for Smaller Experiments to 'Hitch a Ride' to Mars * Belize on Satellite * October Amateur Radio Satellites Activation of Sint Maarten Announced * Nayif-1 Status Report and New Dashboard * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-064.01 ANS-064 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 064.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. March 5, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-064.01 Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, 2017 Dayton Hamvention Amateur of the Year The Dayton Hamvention has announced the winners of the 2017 Hamvention Awards. Each year, the Dayton Hamvention honors radio amateurs who have made major contributions to the art and science of amateur radio. AMSAT Vice President for Human Spaceflight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, was named 2017 Amateur of the Year. The award citation reads: “Frank serves as the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) international chairman. In the mid-1990s, Bauer proposed a GPS reception experiment on the AMSAT Phase 3D satellite (AO-40). The experiment was to measure the signal strength of the GPS satellite constellation while Phase 3D was in high-Earth orbit (HEO). The AO-40 experiment subsequently has been cited often in aerospace literature, as it remained the most comprehensive above-the- constellation data source for nearly a decade and led to changes in the system’s specifications and applications. The results of the AO- 40 experiment jump started a game-changing transformation in navigation at HEO/GEO altitudes, enabling new and exciting missions in these orbits. Bauer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University. His career in aerospace spans 4 decades within NASA and in private industry Bauer has been licensed since 1974. In 1983, in preparation for the space mission of Owen Garriott, W5LFL, he was responsible for setting up and operating the worldwide retransmission of Space Shuttle air-to- ground communications from Goddard Amateur Radio Club station WA3NAN. This initiative provided a critical conduit of information to hams attempting to contact astronaut-hams in the pre-Internet era.” The 2017 Dayton Hamvention Award winners are listed at http://hamvention.org/event-details/awards/ [ANS thanks Dayton Hamvention via the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC Awards for February 2017 Congratulations to the following satellite operators who were awarded endorsements for Satellite VUCC by the ARRL during the period 1Feb2017 thru 1Mar2017: WA4NVM-1413 KD8CAO-1200 W5PFG-982 N8RO-918 N7SFI-829 K4FEG-711 N8HM-608 N4UFO-601 KG5CCI-452 N9IP-417 K5ND-200 W7QL-180 W4DTA-151 AI6GS-136 N6RFM-107 There were 2 new VUCC awards: WI7P - 829 AK4WQ (EN34) - 106 The ARRL VUCC Award is the most prestigious and sought after award for satellite operators. The award is what inspires all of the roving activity here in the United States and around the world. A special thanks to all rovers who make the effort to operate away from home. The Central States VHF Society sponsors the reverse VUCC award for rovers who operate in 100 or more grids away from home. Some of our current rovers are already eligible or close to being eligible for this award. Recipients so far include N7SFI, N5AFV, ND9M and KD4ZGW. (as of 5July2016 www.csvhfs.org) [ANS thanks John K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- On-line Information Sessions for ARISS-US School Contact Proposals ARISS-US is accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, radio contact with an orbiting space station crew member between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2018. Proposals are due April 15, 2017. Informational Sessions To help organizations learn about ARISS radio contacts and the proposal process, ARISS offers one-hour online information sessions and welcomes all questions. Attending an online session is not required but strongly encouraged. Informational sessions will be offered March 6, 2017, at 7 p.m. EST and March 16, 2017, at 4 p.m. EDT. Advance registration is necessary. Email ARISS (ariss(a)arrl.org) to sign up for an information session. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal forms, visit http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please email questions about this opportunity to ariss(a)arrl.org. ARISS-US is offered through a partnership between NASA, the American Radio Relay League, and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ARISS was created and is managed by an international working group. [ANS thanks ARISS and NASA Education Express Message -- March 2, 2017 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ham radio satellite activation of Berry Islands, Bahamas Steve M1ACB, Rob M0VFC and John M0IDA will be active on the FM and SSB amateur radio satellites from Berry Islands in the Bahamas. The trio plan to operate from March 4-10 and will be using hand-held antennas. Since the FM satellites will only cover part of the USA they’ll also be using SSB on FO-29 to reach the British Isles and Europe. They will be operating from Little Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands, IOTA NA-054, Grid Square FL15do. For further information see https://m1acb.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/1527/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Explores Opportunity for Smaller Experiments to 'Hitch a Ride' to Mars NASA's goals for human deep space exploration are complex and ambitious. To maximize resources as it pushes the boundaries of exploration, the agency is exploring opportunities to take advantage of emerging private sector space capabilities. NASA released a request for information Monday regarding possible commercial sources to fly limited payloads on planned, non-NASA missions to Mars. The agency will use the responses to gather market data on the complete spectrum of commercial plans, and identify any excess capacity that may exist for NASA payloads. Furthering NASA's human deep space exploration goals will require a significant amount of scientific research, and opportunities to collect data on Mars have been rare. Only seven successful missions to the surface of Mars have taken place in the history of space flight. Evolving capabilities in the private sector have opened the possibility for NASA to take advantage of commercial opportunities to land scientific payloads on the surface of the Red Planet. Such capability would provide an additional method of acquiring science and engineering data concerning Mars, and would complement NASA's current deep space exploration efforts. [ANS thanks www.marsdaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Belize on Satellite Good evening to my fellow people of the birds, The time has come. I will be venturing to the land of Belize March 11-19 and will be on the satellites with the call V31NJ. I will operate from various grids and possibly some islands (a side trip to Roatan, Honduras is possible with operations from there, not positive yet). This is gonna be a vacation style op (going with my little brother for his spring break), so don't expect me on every pass. If I can get a permit for Guatemala TG/NJ7H may also be on a few passes, though I'm not sure if from any grids different than in Belize. QSLing will be via LoTW. If there is a demand, I can get some cards printed when I'm back. [ANS thanks Gabe V31NJ/NJ7H for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- October Amateur Radio Satellites Activation of Sint Maarten Announced PJ7, ST. MAARTEN. Members of Argentinian DXers Group will be active as PJ7T from Sint Maarten (NA-105) between October 24th and November 4th. Operators mentioned are Dan/LU9FHF, Bob/LU4FBU, Andy/LU2JCW, Wally/LU3FMD and Jose/LU1FM. They plan to have three station on the HF bands and one on the Amateur Radio Satellites. QSL via LU1FM direct, LoTW or eQSL. Look for their Web page to be active soon at: http://www.tarjetasqsl.com.ar/pj7t [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1307 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nayif-1 Status Report and New Dashboard The Nayif-1 (EO-88) CubeSat has now been in orbit for more than two weeks and all systems continue to operate nominally. The power budget is positive, the spin/tumble rate is acceptably low, on board temperatures are perfectly okay and, importantly, the educational/amateur transponder switching is taking place autonomously as planned. More than 250 stations around the world have provided telemetry to the Nayif Data Warehouse and the FUNcube Team are extremely grateful to them for their invaluable support. The experts have now formally allocated Catalog Number 42017 to Nayif-1 (EO88) and the TLEs can now be downloaded from Celestrak – TLEs New Dashboards The FUNcube Team have now updated the Dashboards for both Nayif-1 and FUNcube-1 so that they display only the telemetry received from the individual spacecraft that they are designed for. This will help users to display only the correct information and graphs and reduce confusion. Whilst they only display the data from ONE spacecraft, they will, as now, receive and decode the data from all FUNcube payloads currently in orbit and automatically submit it to the relevant Data Warehouse. The new Dashboard for FUNcube-1 (ver 1044) can be downloaded from here: FUNcube Dashboard Installer 1044 The new Dashboard for Nayif-1 (ver 1040) can be downloaded from here: Nayif-1 Dashboard Installer 1040 Additionally some command line parameters have been added to enable the programmes to auto-start with the desired parameters. These are: /minimized /autostart /source=dongle or /source=soundcard Some notes on how to implement these parameters can be found here: funcube-dashboard-autostart Nayif-1 Data Warehouse http://data.amsat-uk.org/nayif1/ Ham radio satellite transmits Vice President’s message https://amsat-uk.org/2017/02/25/nayif-1-uae-vice-president-message/ Nayif-1 Launched https://amsat-uk.org/2017/02/15/nayif-1-launched/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between ABOUT GAGARIN FROM SPACE. Raduga Space Communication Center of St. Petersburg, Russia and Cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov using Callsign RSØISS. The contact began UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direc via RA1AJN. ARISS Mentor was Sergey RV3DR. + A Successful contact was made between Ecole “Robespierre B.”, Rueil-Malmaison, France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign FX0ISS. The contact began 2017-03-01 08:04 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via F6KFA. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. + A Successful contact was made between College Marcel Pagnol, Rueil- Malmaison, France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign FX0ISS. The contact began 2017-03-01 08:04 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via F6KFA. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. + A Successful contact was made between Ecole Albert Camus, Rueil- Malmaison, France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign FX0ISS. The contact began 2017-03-01 08:04 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via F6KFA. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Blair Pointe Upper Elementary School, Peru, IN, direct via WD9GIU The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Thu 2017-03-09 15:21:33 UTC + 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece, direct via SV7APQ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-03-10 08:20:46 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The AMSAT-NA office was closed Friday March 3 and will remain closed through Monday March 6. Martha will return to office Tuesday March 7. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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