ANS October 2019

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ANS-300 AMSAT News Service Bulletins for October 27
by JoAnne K9JKM 27 Oct '19

27 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-300 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT Goal: "Amateur Radio in Every CubeSat" * AMSAT VP User Services Describes Planning for Improvements * AMSAT-DL Symposium and JHV 2019 November 9 - November 10 * Reminder - ARISS Proposal Window is Open Until November 30, 2019 * ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Software Update for UZ7HO's Software Packet-Radio TNC * Upcoming Satellite Operations * The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-300.01 ANS-300 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 27, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-300.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Video recordings of the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium have been posted: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AMSATNA/videos/ (This page should be accessible to all) The Foundations of AMSAT - 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium Banquet Panel is posted at: https://youtu.be/bRmn4gjvuTI +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Goal: "Amateur Radio in Every CubeSat" The ARRL Letter for October 17, 2019 AMSAT wants to see Amateur Radio in every CubeSat, and it's part- nering with non-Amateur Radio partners to make that happen. In the "Apogee View" editorial for the September/October issue of The AMSAT Journal, Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, wrote, "[W]e continue to support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E is ready for launch no earlier than December 1, 2019, on the ELaNa XX mission. The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus." Stoetzer said CubeSat programs interested in launching an Amateur Radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry a Fox-1E module on their spacecraft. "By providing Amateur Radio capability, the Cube- Sat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and experiment data while the Amateur Radio commun- ity gets a transponder to use in orbit," he pointed out. Stoetzer said the first such partnership will be with the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Its 3U CubeSat -- HuskySat-1 -- is set to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops Island, Virginia, no sooner than November 2. A Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 to the International Space Station, and after completing its mission there, Cygnus will con- tinue to an orbit of approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) to deploy HuskySat-1. "After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads -- a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K-band (24 GHz) communications system -- the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear transponder will be made available to the Amateur Radio community," Stoetzer said. Ed. Note - HuskySat-1 will carry a 30 kHz wide 145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for amateur radio SSB/CW communications along with 1k2 BPSK telemetry. The IARU has coordinated a downlink on 436.810-435.840 MHz and uplink on 145.910-145.940 MHz. NASA TV (http://www.nasa.gov/ntv) will provide coverage of the launch. Pre-launch details are posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Cygnus-Launch-Nov2 [ANS thanks AMSAT and the ARRL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2019 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings USB flash drives, featuring 1.98 GB of information, including the 2019 Proceedings and all previously published Proceedings dating back to 1986 are now available on the AMSAT store https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Symposium-Flash-Drive (allow 10 business days for the next batch to be loaded with the files) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT VP User Services Describes Planning for Improvements At the conclusion of the 2019 AMSAT Symposium and Annual General meeting, Robert Bankston, KE4AL, VP User Services provided a state- ment outlining his plans. Robert's statement follows: I am so honored to be elected by the AMSAT Board of Directors to be the AMSAT Treasurer and reelected to be the AMSAT Vice-President of User Services, as well as reappointed as the Director of AMSAT Ambas- sadors by the AMSAT President. Thank you for your confidence in me. I am humbled. This is a lot of hats to wear, along with my full-time job, but I look forward to the challenge. I believe in AMSAT's mis- sion and have a wonderful team of volunteers to assist me. I am excited to announce that there are major improvements coming for our AMSAT members in the near future. The AMSAT Board of Direc- tors approved my recommendations for an internet-based, member manage- ment system, the transition to a digitally delivered, full-color AMSAT Journal, and a complete overhaul of our AMSAT website. I have been putting together these proposals for several months and thank the Board of Directors for the permission to move these projects forward. These improvements will modernize how AMSAT serves you. I hope that you will be as impressed with them as I am. The member management system puts you in control of your membership account, allowing you to update your contact information, pay your dues, and register for events in real time. In addition, the program will automatically push out reminders, newsletters, and a digital copy of the AMSAT Journal. Transitioning to a digitally-delivered, AMSAT Journal will allow us to provide a full-color magazine, without raising the cost of member- ship. In addition, we will have to opportunity to provide member-only content on our website, to include back issues of our AMSAT Journal. Lastly, we will be working on a complete overhaul of our AMSAT web- site. Over the years, our website has received several facelifts, and, in the process, it has become somewhat disjointed. Our goal is to make the navigation more intuitive and offer the content you deserve. The front of the website will focus on external visitors, explaining who we are, what we do, and what we have to offer. We will also have portals for our members and friends in the AMSAT community, how to guides on getting started in amateur radio satellites, and all the important information about current satellites you will need to work them. AMSAT's User Services is committed to serving AMSAT members and the AMSAT community and to deliver the quality services you deserve as we move forward into the next 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio is Space! If you would like to join us on this incredible journey, we could sure use you help. 73, Robert Bankston, KE4AL Vice-President, User Services Director, AMSAT Ambassadors Treasurer Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) [Ed. note - The AMSAT News Service is a proud member of the AMSAT User Services Team] [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT's Man of Many Hats for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT-DL Symposium and JHV 2019 November 9 - November 10 AMSAT-DL extends an invitation to the Satellite Symposium and General Assembly of AMSAT Deutschland e.V. in Bochum, Germany. Lectures on current amateur radio satellites and space projects will be presented. The lecture program and symposium schedule have been posted. Landing coordinates have been posted as 07° 11' 39" E 51° 25' 40" N. See https://amsat-dl.org/en/event/amsat-dl-symposium-und-jhv-2019/ for the latest information and travel directions. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Reminder - ARISS Proposal Window is Open Until November 30, 2019 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organiza- tions, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. 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 inte- grate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 30, 2019. Proposal information and documents can be found at https://www.ariss.org/ [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Liceo Scientifico Teresa Gullace, Rome, Italy,direct via IZØDIB and I.S.I.S. “ Zaccagna - Galilei” sede “G. Galilei”, Carrara. Italy, direct via IQ5VR Thu 2019-10-24 11:13 UTC Contact was successful. + I.I.S. “Ciampini-Boccardo”, Novi Ligure, Italy, direct via I1LJV and I.T.I.S. "Magistri Cumacini", Como, Italy, direct via IZ2MCC Fri 2019-10-25 10:24 UTC Contact was successful. + Golden Oak Montessori, Castro Valley, CA, telebridge via K6DUE. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Mon 2019-10-28 15:50 UTC + Young Scientists Program at USC and Vermont Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via KN6CHS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP Contact is go for: Mon 2019-10-28 18:57 UTC + Farmwell Station Middle School Space Dreamers, Ashburn, VA, direct via K4LRG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Tue 2019-10-29 15:01 UTC The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. These up- grades are necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astro- nauts in space via Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $33,830 raised or about 23% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your outstanding generosity!! For more informa- tion and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9 [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Software Update for UZ7HO's Software Packet-Radio TNC Andrei, UZ7HO, the developer of the UZ7HO Soundmodem software, has released an updated version: soundmodem105. The UZ7HO soundmodem is a dual-port Packet-Radio TNC that uses a soundcard as a modem and supports the AX.25 protocol on computers running the Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 operating systems. The newest version of Soundmodem supports these packet protocols: + AFSK 300, 600, 1200, 2400 bps (conventional packet) + BPSK 300, 600, 1200, 2400 bps + QPSK 2400, 3600, 4800 bps + 8PSK 4800 bps The updated software and documentation can be accessed at: http://uz7.ho.ua/packetradio.htm - and look for - + soundmodem105.zip 13-Oct-19 03:57 + CHANGELOG.txt 13-Oct-19 04:36 High-speed packet software supporting the telemetry from amateur and scientific satellites, called hs_soundmodem21.zip can also be downloaded from this site. High-Speed Soundmodem: + G3RUH 4800, 9600, 19200 bps + Manchester 1200, 2400, 3600, 7200 bps + HAPN 4800 bps + GOMX-1/3, Mobitex-NX (BeeSAT-2/4), AAUSAT-4, LilacSat-2 decoders [ANS thanks Andrei, UZ7HO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Operating Shorts: + Oct 24-28, KQ2RP/1: FN54 (and possibly the FN44/54 line); FM only + St. Lucia, October 19-28, 2019 Jay, AA4FL, will be in St. Lucia for the J68MD CQWW SSB Contest Team. He will be doing OSCAR satellite operation as J6/AA4FL, by schedule as he is visiting vacation style in varying locations. His schedule will depend on shifts as a team member of the CQWW J68MD team. E-mail per QRZ to coordinate both FM simple SATs and SSB linear transponder bird QSO schedules. Radios will be a FT-817ND and FT-818ND for full duplex operation using an Arrow II antenna. + Minnesota’s North Shore (EN36/EN46, EN47/EN48, EN57/EN58) October 30 to November 1, 2019. Mitch, ADØHJ, will be taking a tour of Minnesota’s North Shore before the BIG SNOW comes down. It all kicks off with the Oct 30 06:35z CAS-4B pass from EN57/58 grid line and ends on the Nov 1 11:27z SO-50 pass from EN36/46 line. In between, Mitch will hit the EN47/48 grid line. 24 FM and Linear passes in all. Definitely something for everyone. Keep and eye on Mitch’s Twitter feed for further updates: https://twitter.com/AD0HJ + South TX (EL0x and EL1x) November 2-9, 2019 Ron, AD0DX, will be vacationing in McAllen TX area the week of Nov 2 to 9. He will be roving to south Texas on the above dates. His cur- rent plan is as follows:Sat Nov 2nd: EL08/EL09 probably one pass per grid starting in the late afternoon local Sun Nov 3: EL17/EL18 holiday style, one or two passes per grid Mon Nov 4 through Fri Nov 8: EL06 / EL15 / EL16. He is staying in EL06 and will activate 15 and 16 a few times throughout the week. Will probably activate EL06 4 or 5 times. Sat Nov 9: EL07 / EL08 Probably one pass from each grid. He will be active on FM and linear satellites and will tweet passes from https://twitter.com/ad0dx + EM68/69 November 3-5, 2019 Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Illinois, November 3–5. Key word is vacation, but he will jump over to activate the EM68/EM69 gridline on FM satellites. Watch Tanner’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85 + Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 – December 6, 2019 Look for VY0ERC to once again be active from the Eureka Weather station (NA-008, Zone 2) between Nov. 11 to Dec. 6. This sta- tion is operated by the Eureka Amateur Radio Club [probably the most northerly located amateur radio club in the world] from Eureka, Nunavut. The suggested bands are 40 and 20 meters (possibly 80m), as well as FM satellites (from ER60, EQ79) using SSB, the Digital modes and very slow CW. Activity will be limited to their spare time. QSL via M0OXO, OQRS or direct. For updates, see: https://twitter.com/vy0erc + EA9 Melilla (IM85) November 18-21, 2019 Philippe, EA4NF, will be operating from Melilla as EA9/EA4NF from November 18 to 21, 2019. This very small Spanish territory located in Northern Africa, which is a very rare GRID and is listed as one of the Most Wanted SAT DXCC. Updates and passes on Philippe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT + Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019 Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3-6. Key word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to activate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85 + Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org Just because the year is winding down and Winter in knocking on the door doesn't mean the satellite operations are slowing down. Check out AMSAT's Upcoming Satellite Operations pages for all the latest happenings: https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ Announcements are posted as soon as they are received, so make sure you bookmark the page and check it often. If you have an activation in the works, please send me an email to make sure the word gets out. [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates Information about AMSAT activities at important events around the country is posted on the AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions web page: https://www.amsat.org/other-events/ Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT repre- sentatives give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence such as a table or booth with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with pre- sentations, forums, and/or demonstrations. A copy of the AMSAT hamfest brochure is available for download from the page (above) - get the "AMSAT Intro Brochure", a color brochure that is designed to be printed double-sided and folded into a tri-fold handout. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office if you need pre-printed copies. To include your upcoming AMSAT presentation and/or demonstration, please send an email to ambassadors (at) amsat (dot) org. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Ambassadors for the above information +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA is inviting 50 social media users to witness the next SpaceX cargo launch to the Space_Station. All details, requirements, and restrictions are posted at: https://go.nasa.gov/2MGt27y Applications close Oct. 31. + To apply for a NASA Internship head over to http://intern.nasa.gov to see what's new! You can learn about about NASA Internships, Path- ways, Fellowships, and International Internship opportunities! The application deadline for spring 2020 is November 5, 2019. + The presentation by Alan B. Johnston, PhD, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations, and Pat Kilroy, N8PK, at the 37th Space Symposium "A Year with the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: 12 Months in the Classroom and Lab" is available for download as a PDF file at https://t.co/8ytonDXW5v View Alan's announcement on Twitter https://t.co/0fiFiU56LM A PDF copy of Alan and Pat's PowerPoint slides for their present- ation, "Updates to the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: Fox Emulation Mode and Raspberry Pi Ground Station" can be downloaded from: https://t.co/N4bjCVVBym?amp=1 + AMSAT Colloquium Talk on QO-100 is posted at: https://amsat-uk.org/2019/10/21/video-eshail-2-qo-100-talk/ https://youtu.be/hxxlCx3W5Bg Videos of the presentations given at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, which was held as part of the RSGB Convention in Milton Keynes, October 12-13, 2019, are being made available on YouTube. A recent release is the talk on the geostationary satellite Es’hail-2 / QO-100 activities of AMSAT-DL given by Achim Vollhardt, DH2VA, this is followed by the awarding of the RSGB Louis Varney Cup to Peter Gülzow DB2OS. + The Microwave Update (MUD) 2019 Conference in the Dallas, TX area has wrapped up. Both the MUD proceedings and GNU Radio Workshop proceedings are available from Lulu. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-MUD-GNU-Proceedings + AO-7 has been operating during a period of full illumination that will last until approximately Decenber 2nd. During this time, the satellite's onboard timer should switch it between Mode A (145 MHz uplink / 29 MHz downlink) and Mode B (432 MHz uplink / 145 MHz down- link) every 24 hours. To check or report the satellite's current mode, please see the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page at: https://www.amsat.org/status/ A description of AO-7 operation is posted at: https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ao-7/ + NASA article highlights the role of amateur radio in letting young people speak directly with astronauts and cosmonauts on the Inter- national Space Station is posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-NASA-Youth + NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform the First Space-Earth Duet. NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, circling Earth aboard the International Space Station, and musician Ian Anderson, founder of the rock band Jethro Tull, joined together for the first space-Earth duet. See: https://youtu.be/XeC4nqBB5BM + Enjoy NASA's specical video just in time for Halloween! Raining glass! Wicked wind! Radiation blasts from an undead star are all at play in our GALAXY OF HORRORS! A preview of the video is avail- able in tweet from NASA: https://twitter.com/NASAExoplanets/status/1187768977079992320 And it will be available for download Tuesday, Oct. 29, at: http://exoplanets.nasa.gov + West Point cadets using the USMA amateur radio club callsign W2KGY had a contact with Col. Drew Morgan, U.S. Military Academy Class of 1998, aboard the ISS. An article with links to a video of the contact is posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-ISS-WestPoint + A new groups.io announcement from the ARRL describes new on-line forums: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-ARRL-Forums You can join the Groups at: https://groups.arrl.org/g/ARRL-Groups/subgroups + The NFL inspires a satellite docking tool which teaches satellites to interact and dock in space, an Aerospace team found a possible solution on Sunday Night Football™: https://aerospace.org/article/nfl-inspires-satellite-docking-tool + The ESA web pages presented with a new look this week: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-ESA-New-Look and, now you can tune in to ESA’s latest digital channel: ESA Web TV! This is ESA’s one-stop- shop for all live events from launches to lectures: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Presenting_ESA_Web_TV + Will We Survive Mars? A video series from Vox gives us something to think about: https://youtu.be/x8fpeVICeGg + This video describes how to set up ham radio software on the Raspberry Pi: https://youtu.be/cGlfv-aPkU8 + Follow a project to use a RaspberryPi to sync your windshield wipers to music; this is apparently a work in progress: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Wipers-With-A-Beat + AMSAT-SA Space Symposium 2020 in South Africa is planned for July 18, 2020. The theme will be: Amateur Radio in Space – explor- ing VHF, UHF and Microwaves. The latest information will be post- ed at: http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ Kletskous related PowerPoint pre- sentations can be accessed at the same web page include: - Kletskous - Kletskous Transponder - Kletskous Magnetic Stabilisation + Scientists and engineers from nearly a dozen Polish universities have teamed up with Poland-based satellite company SatRevolution and Sir Richard Branson’s small satellite launch company Virgin Orbit to establish a new consortium to design and carry out the world’s first dedicated commercial small satellite mission to Mars. See: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-SatRevolution + The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is headed toward our Milky Way galaxy at 110 km per second (68 miles/sec). It'll look bigger & bigger in our skies before colliding with us in a few billion years, and when that happens, the two galaxies will be ripped across space by tidal forces. Have a nice day ... https://twitter.com/physicsJ/status/1182628766289297408?s=20 [ANS thanks everyone 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 and remember to behave and to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-293 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark D. Johns 19 Oct '19

19 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-293 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, 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 commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * 2019 AMSAT Symposium Underway! Livestream Available * AMSAT Board of Directors Announces 2019 Officers * AMSAT-UK Colloquium Videos Available * Cubesat Simulators Launched * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-293.01 ANS-293 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 293.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2019-Oct-19 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-293.01 2019 AMSAT Symposium Underway! Livestream Available The 37th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting has begun, and will continue through Sunday, October 20, 2019, at The Hilton Ar- lingtonin in Arlington, Virginia. Sessions are being live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/AMSATNA/ The AMSAT Board of Directors met just before the Symposium, Oct. 16-17, at the same hotel. The Symposium, which celebrates 50 years of AMSAT, features OSCAR Park –- a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur rad- io in space. Paper presentations and the AMSAT Annual General Meeting will also be featured. The schedule of presentation is available at https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/ [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Board of Directors Announces 2019 Officers These are the results of the 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors meeting vote for Officers: * Joe Spier, K6WAO, of Reno, Nev., as President * Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President * Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, Texas, as Vice-President Engineer- ing * Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of New Port Richey, Fla., as Vice-President Operations * Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, of Silver Spring, Md., as Vice-President Human Spaceflight * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, Ala. as Vice-President User Ser- vices * Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, Minn. as Vice-President Devel- opment * Alan Johnston, KU2Y, of Philadelphia, PA as Vice-President Educa- tional Relations * Brennan Price, N4QX, of Vienna, Va., as Secretary * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, Ala., as Treasurer * Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, Md., as Manager The Board of Directors appointed officers for the new year at its meeting in Arlington, Va. on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Officers are selected by the Board from among the AMSAT membership, based on expertise and experience. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Executive Vice President for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK Colloquium Videos Available Videos of the presentations given at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, which was held as part of the RSGB Convention in Milton Keynes, October 12-13, 2019, are being made available on YouTube. The first of the videos is the fascinating presentation on the WUSAT-3 CubeSat project given by Professor Julia Hunter-Anderson of the Uni- versity of Warwick which highlights the potential use of CubeSats for wildlife tracking. Other presentations are expected to be uploaded in the coming weeks. The AMSAT-UK videos are located on their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/videos AMSAT-UK wishes to thank the British Amateur Television Club and Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, for their work in recording, editing and uploading these videos. [ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA, and AMSAT-UK for the above informa- tion] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Cubesat Simulators Launched Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, Vice President - Educational Affairs has announced the general availability of the AMSAT Cubesat Simulators. Speaking at the 37th Annual Space Symposium, Alan reports that since the prototype Cubesat Simulators were introduced at Hamvention in May, 2019, the simulators have undergone testing and final release. Among the schools testing the simulators was Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. Science and Engineering teacher Melissa Pore presented to the symposium audience her experience with using a simulator in one of her engineering clubs and how her student benefitted from their use. A Cubesat Simulator is a self-contained satellite model that reports solar cell performance via standard AFSK 1200 BPS AX.25 telemetry. The telemetry can be decoded with a simple SDR ground station. A Cubesat Simulator package consists of the 1U simulator, a halogen work light to simulate sunshine, and a motorized rotating turntable that mimics the satellite tumbling through space. The four loaner packages are packed and shipped in a hard case. The simulator is shipped prepaid while the user pays return shipping. Persons interested in borrowing a CubeSat Simulator for a local presentation is encouraged to contact Alan at KU2Y at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President - Educational Affairs.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution The following Amateur Radio satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's TLE distribution: TNS 0-2 - NORAD CAT ID 42914 - Decayed 10/15/2019 (per Space-Track). Last week a number of "N"s were present in a few TLEs which caused some programs to reject those TLEs. Note: Some (but not all) of the raw TLEs from SpaceTrack have plus signs (+) which are not necessary. All plus signs (+) in the TLEs are routinely changed to a blank space. Last week all plus signs were incorrectly changed to the letter "N". This was due to a change in the formatting program and a typing error that substituted a "N" instead of a single blank space everytime a plus sign was present. That problem has been corrected and should not be an issue in the future. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule An International Space Station school contact was completed with par- ticipants at Science & Technologie e.V. event: Science Days, Teningen, Germany on Thursday, Oct. 17. The event lasted approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds, direct between OR4ISS and DN1EME. The contact was audible over Germany and adjacent areas on the 145.80 MHz downlink. ARISS has received word that the EVA that took place on Friday, Oct. 18 has caused changes to the schedule. Thus, some contacts now have new times. Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Diego Valeri”, Campolongo Maggiore, Italy, direct via IQ3RW and Istituto Comprensivo Ladispoli1, Ladispoli, Italy, direct via IKØWGF, the ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS and the scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP. The contact is go for: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 10:27:13 UTC (26 degrees) Watch for live stream from IQ3RW side of the contact at: https://tinyurl.com/y5pcyr9m Watch for live stream from IKØWGF side of the contact directly on the AMSAT Italia youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkJ8IFmfTO-pUkVFNrUXIcg Liceo Scientifico Teresa Gullace, Rome, Italy,direct via IZØDIB and I.S.I.S. “ Zaccagna - Galilei” sede “G. Galilei”, Carrara. Italy, di- rect via IQ5VR, the ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS and the scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP. Contact is go for: Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11:13:40 UTC (79 degrees) I.I.S. “Ciampini-Boccardo”, Novi Ligure, Italy, direct via I1LJV and I.T.I.S. "Magistri Cumacini", Como, Italy, direct via IZ2MCC, the ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS. The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP. Contact is go for: Friday, Oct. 25 at 10:24:39 UTC (83 degrees) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, of the ARISS operation team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations St. Lucia, October 19-28, 2019 Jay, AA4FL, will be in St. Lucia for the J68MD CQWW SSB Contest Team. Jay will be doing OSCAR satellite operation as J6/AA4FL, by schedule as he is visiting vacation style in varying locations. His schedule will depend on shifts as a team member of the CQWW J68MD team. E-mail per QRZ to coordinate both FM simple SATs and SSB linear transponder bird QSO schedules. Radios will be a FT-817ND and FT-818ND for full duplex operation using an Arrow II antenna. Oregon, DN04, October 21, 2019 KI7UNJ will be QRV on Oct. 21, from 1653z to 1910z, FM only. Colombia, through October, 2019 The special event stations J500LDV, 5J500D, 5J500L, and 5J500V will commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death on the air until the end of October. QRV on 80 to 10m on CW, SSB, digital modes, and via satellite. An award program will be available as well. QSL via HK3VHZ, LoTW, eQSL. Texas, EL06, EL16 and adjacent grids, November 2-9, 2019 Ron Bondy, AD0DX, reports on Twitter that he will be flying to San Antonio and hopes to activate as many as 10 south Texas grids. Watch Twitter @ad0dx for details. Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special empahasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announce- ments: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT Vice-President of User Ser- vices for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, October 21 as the AMSAT Symposium wraps up. (ANS thanks Martha Saragovitz, AMSAT Manager, for the above informa- tion -- you deserve a day off, Martha!) + Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir carried out history’s first all-female spacewalk Friday, floating outside the Internation- al Space Station and successfully installing a 230-pound replacement battery charger in the lab’s solar power system. The historic excur- sion was carried out in a blaze of public interest that rose all the way to the White House. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information) + NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has named Douglas Loverro as the agency’s new associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. Loverro succeeds former astronaut Kenneth Bowersox, who has been acting associate administrator since July. Previously, Loverro spent three decades in the Department of Defense and the National Reconnaissance Office developing, managing, and establishing national policy for the full range of national security space activities. (ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information) + SpaceX is seeking approval to add up to 30,000 more satellites to its Starlink broadband network, on top of 12,000 spacecraft already authorized by U.S. government regulators, according to filings sub- mitted to the International Telecommunication Union. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information) + Possibly related to the previous news item, LeoLabs announced that they plan to build four additional radar installations for tracking space debris. Their current installations can track objects down to about a 10 cm diameter, but with their new installations they’ll theoretically be able to track objects as small as 2 cm. In general, current radar systems tend to be limited on the lower end to objects in the 5-10 cm range. Systems like LeoLabs’ and the U.S. Air Force’s upcoming Marshall Islands-based Space Fence will improve coverage, but still won’t see the 128 million objects from 1 mm to 1 cm, which have the potential to disable or completely destroy a satellite. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who became the first person in his- tory to spacewalk in 1965, has died aged 85. He went on to become the commander of Soyuz-Apollo, the first ever joint US-Soviet mis- sion in 1975. Leonov died at Moscow's Burdenko hospital on Friday, Oct. 11 after a long illness. (ANS thanks BBC.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 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, K0JM at amsat dot org

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ANS-289 AMSAT Special Bulletin - AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019 Officers
by JoAnne K9JKM 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-289.01 In this edition: * AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019 Officers SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289.01 ANS-289 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 16, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289.01 AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019 Officers These are the results of the 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors meeting vote for Officers: * Joe Spier, K6WAO, of Reno, NV, as President * Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President * Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President Engineering * Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of New Port Richey, FL, as Vice-President Operations * Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, of Silver Spring, MD, as Vice-President Human Spaceflight * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL as Vice-President User Services * Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, MN as Vice-President Development * Brennan Price, N4QX, of Vienna, VA, as Secretary * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, as Treasurer * Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager The Board of Directors is meeting in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday - Thursday, October 16 - 17. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Executive Vice President for the above information] /EX

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ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-286 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule * September/October 2019 Apogee View * W3ZM - 50 States in Our 50th Year * ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19 * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-286.01 ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 13, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-286.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Please join us for the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Symposium, to be held in the Washington, DC Metro Area on October 18, 19, and 20, 2019. While the deadline for banquet and tour tickets has passed, walk-in registrations for the Symposium and Annual General Meeting are welcome. The Symposium venue will be the Hilton Arlington, located in the heart of the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The Hilton Arlington is located at 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA TEL: +1-703-528-6000 and the reservation code is AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation). Connected to the Ballston Metro Station, the hotel offers easy and effortless access to Washington DC's top tourist destinations like the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments. The hotel is six miles from Reagan National Airport and the National Mall. There are plenty of restaurants nearby. The Symposium will feature OSCAR Park - a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur radio in space - paper presentations, and a banquet with speakers celebrating AMSAT's long history, and other events. The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held on October 16th and 17th at the same hotel. Two guided tours are available. On Sunday, October 20th a bus tour to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum is available for $30 (max 35 people) and on Monday, October 21st, AMSAT President Joe Spier will lead a day tour to the National Mall via the Metro. So please plan on attending the 50th Anniversary Symposium - you will be glad you did and keep checking the AMSAT website for further updates and information. The 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting features: + Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations + Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World + Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members (October 16-17) + Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers + AMSAT Annual General Membership Meeting + Annual Banquet, Speakers and Door Prizes !! The latest news and information is always posted at: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule A preliminary schedule for the 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting has been posted to the AMSAT website. Check back for updates, including the speaker schedule. https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- September/October 2019 Apogee View I am pleased to be writing this edition of “Apogee View” in Joe’s place as a special guest columnist. For those of you who don’t know me, I am somewhat new to amateur radio satellites and AMSAT. My first experience with amateur satellites was listening to the ARISSat-1 voice beacon and decoding its SSTV images in August 2011. In September 2012, I made my first satellite QSOs (on AO-27) and joined AMSAT. In 2015, I was elected Secretary by the AMSAT Board of Directors; and, in 2017, I was elected Executive Vice President. I also have served as both an alternate and a regular member of the board. As I write this in late September, getting ready for the upcoming Symposium, summer refuses to yield to the cooler air of fall here in Washington, D.C. I hope the weather will be more comfortable for the Symposium in nearby Arlington, VA, in a few weeks. In mid-September, we received the fantastic news that Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the InterOperable Radio System (IORS) and related infrastructure. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio and digital communications in general. While ARISS still needs additional donations to fund the IORS fully, this grant significantly helps the endeavor. ARISS plans to have the IORS ready for launch by the end of the year. AMSAT thanks ARDC for their substantial contribution to this effort. ARISS is a key component of AMSAT’s vision. As printed inside the front cover of each issue of The AMSAT Journal, “Our Vision is to deploy satellite systems with the goal of providing wide-area and continuous coverage,” as we “continue active participation in human space missions and support a stream of LEO satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other amateur satellite groups.” AMSAT teams are hard at work on each clause of that vision statement. The GOLF program is making good progress with development of the GOLF-TEE satellite. GOLF-TEE is a crucial element of our path back to high orbits and fulfilling the first clause of AMSAT’s vision to provide wide-area and continuous coverage satellite systems. Systems aboard GOLF-TEE include active attitude determination and control (ADAC), a radiation-tolerant internal housekeeping unit (RT-IHU), and a Fox-1E type VHF/UHF linear transponder. GOLF-TEE also will include a software defined radio (SDR) with a high-speed X band (10 GHz) data downlink which may also provide a simultaneous X band downlink of the V/u transponder passband, effectively providing V/x capability for use and evaluation. All of these technologies are crucial for missions to HEO and GEO, and additional information will appear in future issues of The AMSAT Journal. Our participation in human space missions also is expanding. As announced at the AMSAT Forum at the Dayton Hamvention, international AMSAT and ARISS organizations have formed a group known as AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration). Work currently is underway on the design of a ham radio system for NASA’s Lunar Gateway. The Gateway will be a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon that will provide access to more of the lunar surface than ever before, with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, ports for visiting spacecraft, and more. The first sections of the Gateway are scheduled for launch in 2022. The plans call for various uses of L (1.2 GHz), S (2.4 GHz), C (5 GHz), and X (10 GHz) bands for repeater-type communications, both analog and digital, through Gateway, image transmissions from both inside and outside the Gateway, possible access to experiments aboard Gateway, and two-way communications with astronauts while Gateway is crewed. The challenges for amateurs involve the substantial increase in free space path loss compared to satellites in low earth orbit. We are very excited about AMSAT’s participation in this project. More details will be presented at the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and articles will certainly follow in future editions of The AMSAT Journal. Finally, we continue to support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E is ready for launch no earlier than December 1, 2019 on the ELaNa XX mission. That mission will launch on the first commercial flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne air launch to orbit system. Stay tuned to ANS for further updates on the launch date. The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus. Noting the prevalence of CubeSats built and launched by universities and other organizations, AMSAT adopted a goal of “amateur radio in every CubeSat.” Interested CubeSat programs wanting to fly an amateur radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry one of these modules on their spacecraft. By providing amateur radio capability, the CubeSat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and experiment data while the amateur radio community gets a transponder to use in orbit. The first of these partnerships is with the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Their 3U CubeSat, HuskySat-1, is scheduled to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops Island, VA, no earlier than November 2. Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 on a mission to the International Space Station. After completing its mission at the ISS, Cygnus will continue to a higher orbit of approximately 500 km to deploy HuskySat-1. After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads, a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K band (24 GHz) communications system, the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear transponder will be made available to the amateur radio community. In addition, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and Vice President of Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, have been hard at work identifying and working with several CubeSat groups interested in carrying this system. We hope to be able to make additional announcements soon. The 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors election recently concluded. I congratulate the winners and look forward to working with the newly- elected board to further our vital mission to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. By the time this Journal arrives, the 2019 Board of Directors meeting and 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium will have concluded. It promises to be an exciting weekend exploring both AMSAT’s five-decade history and the work we are doing for the future. While there will no doubt be many challenges in the future, I am confident in the organization’s ability to overcome them. We will Keep Amateur Radio in Space. I look forward to attending the AMSAT Centennial Symposium in the fall of 2069 at the age of 84. Hopefully, by then we will be discussing our plans for amateur radio on the first crewed interstellar mission. [ANS thanks Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W3ZM - 50 States in Our 50th Year In 1969, a group of amateur radio operators, with dreams of space, formed the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). To commemorate this golden milestone, AMSAT decided what better way to celebrate 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space, then to get AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign to operate from all 50 states and the District of Columbia as a leadup to the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Space Symposium and General Meeting, to be held in Arlington, VA, October 18 – 20, 2019. AMSAT put out a call to its members to get on the air and activate their states, using AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign, as well as to cover those states without an active AMSAT operator. Activations of United States Territories (i.e. Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) were also encouraged. Puerto Rico kicked it off on June 20th and was first on the air, and then, one by one, the U.S.A. map started filling in. Members, some without their family’s knowledge, brought satellite gear with them on vacation to help fill in the harder ones. By the start of October, three weeks before Symposium, 47 states and Puerto Rico were in the log. West Virginia came in October 2nd, Maryland and Delaware on October 6th, and finally Washington, D.C., the birthplace of AMSAT, on October 10th. Coincidently, Washington D. C. was activated outside of the apartment building where one of the first meetings to form the organization was held. To say the response was overwhelming would be an understatement and proved why AMSAT’s greatest strength comes from its members. To all of the W3ZM/p activators and participants, AMSAT THANKS YOU. You made this a fun and exciting celebration of AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space! [ANS thanks Vice President for User Services Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19 David Sumner, K1ZZ, Secretary, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) authored an article in the special WRC-19 issue of #ITU News magazine,"Views of the International Amateur Radio Union on WRC-19 agenda items". Among many overall IARU objectives for WRC-19 one directly affects amateur satellite operation: Agenda item 1.7 - spectrum for non-GSO satellites The IARU supports satisfying the spectrum requirements for non.GSO satellites with short duration missions within the existing allocations for the space operation service or the frequency ranges identified in invites ITU.R 3 of Resolution 659 (WRC.15), unless the satellites are amateur satellites as defined in Radio Regulations (RR) Nos. 1.56 and 1.57. The band 144-146 MHz is especially important to amateurs as it is currently the only worldwide primary amateur and amateur-satel- lite allocation between 29.7 MHz and 24 GHz. It is heavily used in all three Regions for all forms of amateur communications including disaster response. Sumner's article begins on page 72 of the magazine which can be accessed as a 20 MB PDF file at: https://t.co/acLwy4W5Jo?amp=1 [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Satellite Shorts: +EM25,EM35 - WI4T - Oct 15 & 16, holiday style +DN04 - KI7UNJ - Oct 21, 1653z to 1910z, FM only * Central California (CM95, CM96, DM05, DM06) – October 19, 2019 David AD7DB will re-visit the four grids near Kettleman City CA. AO-91, AO-92, SO-50 will be used, with eastern passes a priority. Maybe PO-101 if it’s on, and AO-85 if it’s not too finicky. Contacts will be put on LOTW following the trip. Updates on Twitter https://twitter.com/ad7db * Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Mike Diehl, W8LID, recently developed a web-based tool for easy generation of new lines for SatPC32's Doppler.sqf file. AMSAT is pleased to host this new tool on our website at https://www.amsat.org/doppler-sqf-line-generator/ + NASA has announced that the Orbital CRS-12 mission is now scheduled for launch from Wallops Island, VA no earlier than November 2nd. HuskySat-1, carrying an AMSAT V/u linear transponder, will launch on this mission. + Happy 4th Birthday, AO-85! At 12:49:30 UTC on October 8, 2015, the first Fox-1 satellite, Fox-1A was launched on an Atlas V rocket with the NROL-55 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Designated AO-85 on-orbit, the satellite remains operational while in sunlight despite battery degradation due to the high temperatures experienced in its orbit. + A new distance record has been claimed on the IO-86 FM transponder: 5,324 km between PU4JOE in GH91ad and 9G5AR in IJ95vn. + SDRPlay has announced an easy setup for using an SDRPlay with GNU Radio on Windows. https://t.co/RxDDzcBu8f + Space Daily has an article about Virgin Orbit. Virgin Orbit will carry RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E on its LauncherOne vehicle. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-286-SD + Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA, announced a minor update to his KLA Track satellite tracking program. The update improves rendering of the display. KLA Track can be downloaded at https://www.g0kla.com/klatrack/index.php + The Dutch Amateur Radio Union awarded their first Worked Dutch Kingdom Certificate for satellite QSOs on October 10th to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. This certificate is available for making QSOs with each of the six DXCC entities within the Dutch Kingdom. For more information, see https://www.daru.nu/index.php/nl/awards +At least two new operators achieved Satellite WAS this past week. K5IX and KB6LTY each worked W3ZM/3 in Delaware on Oct 6 for state #50. [ANS thanks everyone 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 and remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS October 2019