June 2019 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-175 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - CORRECTION BoD Candidates
by JoAnne K9JKM 24 Jun '19

24 Jun '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-175 * CORRECTION: 2019 Candidates for the AMSAT Board of Directors SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-175.01 ANS-175 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 175.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. June 24, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-175.01 CORRECTION: 2019 Candidates for the AMSAT Board of Directors ANS-174, as originally published, omitted one of the candidates for the upcoming AMSAT Board of Directors Election. We apologize for this omission. The corrected list of 2019 candidates, in alphabetical order by last name are: Jerry Buxton, N0JY Howard (Howie) Defelice, AB2S Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Jeff Johns, WE4B Brennan Price, N4QX Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Michelle Thompson, W5NYV This year AMSAT membership will select four candidates to the Board of Directors. The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting members of the Board of Directors. Two alternate directors will be selected based on the next highest number of votes received. Ballots will be mailed to the AMSAT membership by July 15, 2019. The election closes September 15, 2019. Sincerely, Clayton L. Coleman, W5PFG AMSAT Secretary /EX

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ANS-174 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 22 Jun '19

22 Jun '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-174 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: * Candidates for the AMSAT Board of Directors Announced * Help Celebrate AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary – Take W3ZM on the Road! * Lightsail-2 Scheduled for Launch June 24 - Beacon on 437.025 MHz * NASA Lightsail-2 PR and TV Coverage * Listening to Lightsail-2 Co-passengers * AMSAT President Joe Spier Speaks With SIP Interns * Upcoming Satellite Operations * ARISS News * How to Support AMSAT * Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-174.01 ANS-174 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 174.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. June 23, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-174.01 Candidates for the AMSAT Board of Directors Announced The 2019 candidates, in alphabetical order by last name are: Jerry Buxton, N0JY Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Jeff Johns, WE4B Brennan Price, N4QX Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Michelle Thompson, W5NYV This year AMSAT membership will select four candidates to the Board of Directors. The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting members of the Board of Directors. Two alternate directors will be selected based on the next highest number of votes received. Ballots will be mailed to the AMSAT membership by July 15, 2019. The election closes September 15, 2019. [ANS thanks Clayton L. Coleman, W5PFG, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Help Celebrate AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary – Take W3ZM on the Road! Leading up to the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Space Symposium and General Meeting, to be held in Arlington, VA, October 18 – 20, 2019, AMSAT’s call sign, W3ZM, will operate from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Not only is this your chance to get Worked All States-Satellites under the W3ZM call sign, but, also, your chance to be a part of this historic effort. Note: When operating outside of the “3” call area, operators will append the W3ZM call sign with “/(call area).” As an example, someone operating from Texas will use W3ZM/5; from Hawaii, W3ZM/KH6; from Alaska, W3ZM/KL7; and from Puerto Rico, W3ZM/WP4. To make this happen – We need your help! Please volunteer to get on the air and activate your State, using AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign, as well as to cover those States without an active AMSAT Member. Activations of other United States Territories (i.e. Guam, American Samoa, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) are also welcome. To volunteer and operate using AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign, you must: Be a current member of AMSAT Obtain permission by emailing AMSAT VP of User Services, specifying the requested date(s) and location(s) Submit an ADIF log of contacts made for upload to LoTW by AMSAT, as instructed in your notice of approval to use the W3ZM call sign [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP of User Services for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2019 marks AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. To help celebrate, we are sponsoring the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program. Full details are available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightsail-2 Scheduled for Launch June 24 - Beacon on 437.025 MHz LightSail is a citizen-funded project from The Planetary Society. This cubesat will be propelled solely by sunlight, to Earth orbit. LightSail 2 is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on June 24, 2019, and we will attempt the first, controlled solar sail flight in Earth orbit. LightSail 2 will ride to space aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission which will send 24 spacecraft to 3 different orbits. LightSail 2 itself will be enclosed within Prox-1, a Georgia Tech-designed spacecraft originally built to demon- strate close-encounter operations with other spacecraft. Prox-1 will deploy LightSail 2 seven days after launch. After a few days of health and status checks, LightSail 2's four dual-sided solar panels will swing open. Roughly a day later, four metallic booms will unfurl four triangular Mylar sails from storage. The sails, which have a combined area of 32 square meters [344 square feet], will turn towards the sun for half of each orbit, giving the spacecraft a tiny push no stronger than the weight of a paperclip. For about a month after sail deployment, this continual thrust should raise LightSail 2's orbit by a measurable amount. LightSail 2 will fly in a 24-degree inclination, 720 km, circular orbit. At latitudes of 42 degrees north it will reach a maximum elevation of 10 degrees above the horizon. Lightsail-2 has been issued an experimental radio license WM9XPA and transmit on 437.025 MHz. A morse beacon will transmit the callsign every 45 seconds. A packet beacon will transmit AX.25, FSK 9K6 bps data. Beacon information is available at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Lightsail-Morse-Beacon Documentation of the downlink telemetry data structure is posted at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Lightsail-Telemetry [ANS thanks the Planetary Society for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Lightsail-2 PR and TV Coverage NASA Television coverage is scheduled for an upcoming prelaunch activity and first nighttime launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, which will be carrying four agency technology missions to help improve future spacecraft design and performance. The launch window for the Falcon Heavy opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT Monday, June 24, from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch, as well as a live technology show, will air NASA Television and the agency's website. SpaceX and the U.S. Department of Defense will launch two dozen sat- ellites to space, including four NASA payloads that are part of the Space Test Program-2, managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. The four payloads include two NASA technology demon- strations to improve how spacecraft propel and navigate, as well as two NASA science missions to help us better understand the nature of space and how it impacts technology on spacecraft and the ground. Full NASA TV coverage is as follows: (all times EDT) Sunday, June 23 . Noon - NASA prelaunch technology TV show from Kennedy. Subject matter experts will explain each NASA mission and answer questions. Monday, June 24 . 9:30 p.m. - Live NASA TV coverage begins of the return to Earth of NASA astronaut Anne McClain and two other International Space Station residents, with landing scheduled at 10:48 p.m. (Public Channel) . 11 p.m. - NASA TV launch commentary begins ahead of the targeted 11:30 p.m. launch. NASA TV will simulcast the SpaceX STP-2 webcast starting about 15 minutes before liftoff. (Media Channel) Prelaunch and launch day coverage will include blog updates as milestones occur: http://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex Learn more about the NASA technologies aboard this launch: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listening to Lightsail-2 Beacon Co-passengers Here are some of the "amateur radio in name only" beacont co- passengers on the LightSail launch Monday night. Unless otherwise noted, most are downlink-only satellites. TBEX-A 437.485 MHz 9K6 AX.25 GMSK TBEX-B 437.535 MHz 9K6 AX.25 GMSK Oculus-A SR 437.200 MHz 9K6 AX.25 GMSK CP9 437.505 MHz 9K6/19K2/38K4 AX.25 FSK BRICSat-2 145.825 MHz 1K2/9K6 APRS digipeater 437.975 MHz Telemetry PSAT-2 145.825 MHz 1K2 APRS digipeater 28.120 up/435.350 PSK-31 Armadillo 435.525 MHz 38K4 GMSK + CW telem Prox-1 437.345 MHz up/2.3 GHz non-amateur downlink Be aware that the two new APRS digipeaters, BRICSat-2 and PSAT-2 are being launched into a 28 degree inclination orbit which might limit their accessibility over many populated areas. That said Bob Bruninga WB4APR supplies the following information: PSAT2 on 145.825 MHz with: * APRS-to-Voice, * DTMF-to-Voice/APRS, * PSK31 HF up - UHF 435.350 down * SSTV camera down on same UHF audio And, her sister USNAP1 (APRS digi) on 145.825 Initially, only telemetry once a minute, and PSK31 every 20 secs. Launch window begins at 1130 PM EDT (4 hour window). http://aprs.org/psat2.html [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM and Bob WB4APR 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 President Joe Spier Speaks With SIP Interns AMSAT president Joe Spier recently addressed the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Internship Project (SIP) at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. During the June 17 event students in the program were provided with two opportunities to learn about space communications from widely different perspectives. The first session was led by Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) president Joe Spier – the second by Dave Israel, the Exploration and Space Communications (ESC) projects division’s lead architect. With Spier, SCaN interns got the chance to learn about AMSAT, a volunteer organization that designs, builds, launches and commands amateur radio payloads on satellites. SCaN intern and “ham” Caitlyn Singam was required to pass a rigorous FCC exam to be given her unique callsign, AC3AG, at the highest level of certification, ‘Amateur Extra-class’. Given her history with amateur radio the talk was particularly inspiring. “I actually ended up talking to Mr. Spier afterwards about getting involved in AMSAT,” Singam said. “It was really exciting.” Singham enjoyed learning about Spier’s unconventional route to AMSAT, which she related to in her own academic career. “I’ve had an interesting route myself, with biological sciences and a master’s in systems [engineering] in the fall,” she said. Spier’s route took him from a background in geology to becoming a leader in the small satellite community. He had early dreams of becoming the first to climb Olympus Mons, the highest peak on Mars. Today, he refers to the interns as the ‘Mars generation,’ hoping that an intern today might summit that peak in the near future. He shared his personal strategy on making big NASA dreams come true: “I always clarified it by saying, ‘If I can’t be that person, I want to help someone else be that person.’” In the afternoon, SCaN interns met with ESC’s lead communications architect for an overview of division projects. Israel’s work at NASA spans 30 years. Interns heard about topics ranging from the development of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) in the late 1980s to the Space Mobile Network, a concept for an interplanetary internet that Israel envisions coming to fruition in the near future. Israel, like Spier, offered the SCaN interns in attendance some advice: “Never keep any good ideas to yourself, and don’t worry about asking questions from a different perspective,” Israel said. “A question from a different perspective gets people to think about it in a different sort of way.” "Never keep any good ideas to yourself, and don't worry about asking questions from a different perspective." Dave Israel, ESC Communications Architect To Grace McFassel, a SCaN intern who attended the talk, Israel’s story was not only interesting, but inspiring. “He [has] this specific skillset that he dearly loves, and he’s used that to carry himself through by finding niches where he can be useful,” McFassel said. “It’s a good lesson to carry forward.” To learn more about SIP or SCaN, visit NASA.gov/SCaN. To apply for internships, visit intern.nasa.gov. The full article can be viewed at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS174-SIP [ANS thanks Emily Cavanagh, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, via their Explorations & Space Communication Website 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 as of June 21, 2019 Post Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (New York to Wyoming) – June 15-27, 2019 Following the Hot Rod Power Tour, RJ, WY7AA, will be heading to FN02 for a few days and plans to work FN01/11 gridline around June 17-18. Details to follow. He will be heading as far east as FN32 and then eventually working his way back to DN71. Specifically looking for EN01/02 along the way. Details will be posted to Twitter and his QRZ page as the trip plans unfold. Follow RJ on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9, as he will not have Twtter access along the road. Lost in the Hertz (DN06/07/16/17) – June 23, 2019 Kell (KI7UXT) and John (KC7JPC) will rove to DN06/07/16/17 grid corner (plan A) or DN06/07 grid line (plan B) and work FM satellites and if time/pass permits work a few linear satellites. Expect a 18:00 UTC start time. Check out Kell’s Twitter feed for specific passes: https://twitter.com/KI7UXT #JosephOrBustRove (DN04, DN05, DN15) – June 28-30, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be wandering around Eastern Oregon and decided to do a little grid activating. Look for Casey on FM passes in DN04 mid-Friday, June 28th, in DN15 Friday night to Saturday evening, and DN05 Sunday morning. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ Hawaii (BK29, BL20) – June 27 to July 8, 2019 Mark, N8MH will be operating a bit as N8MH/KH6 June 27-July 3 from BK29 and July 5-8 from BL20, FM and linears. Possibility of other grids once there. Watch Mark’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N8MH mini-Route 66 Rove (DM94/95, EM05/15, EM14, EM23/24) June 28 – July 5, 2019 John, AB5SS, will be driving east from DM85 on a mini-Route 66 trip starting June 28, staying/passing through DM95/94, EM05/15, stopping in EM14 for July 2-4th, then head home thru EM24/23 on July 5th. Operating holiday-style, as family allows, posting activations to Twitter: https://twitter.com/TxRadioGeek South Dakota (EN04, EN05) – July 2-3, 2019 Lucky for us, Mitch, AD0HJ, will be stopping at the EN04/05 gridline from July 2nd 22:37z to July 3rd 13:27z, on his way to Iowa. Mitch will working the FM Satellites (SO-50, AO-91, AO-92). Check Mitch’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/AD0HJ Iceland (HP95 IP15 IP25 IP03 HP03) – July 13-19, 2019 Adam, K0FFY, is taking his family (and his radios) to Iceland. Tentative schedule is HP95 July 13, IP13 and IP15 July 14-15, IP25 July 16, IP03 or HP93 July 17-18, and HP94 July 19. There’s a lot to see, so passes will be best effort and announced on Twitter shortly prior. https://twitter.com/K0FFY_Radio Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS thanks Robert KE4AL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + 2019-06-13 11:10 UTC between Nick Hague KG5TMV using ISS callsign NA1SS and Peninsula Grammar, Melbourne, Australia Contact was telebridge via VK4KHZ. ARISS Mentor was Tony VK5ZAI. + 2019-06-15 10:39 UTC between Cosmonaut Oleg Konenenko using ISS callsign RSØISS and GBPOU RM "Saransk Polytechnic College", Saransk, Russia Contact was direct via R4UAB. ARISS Mentor was Sergey RV3DR. + 2019-06-15 18:11 UTC between Nick Hague KG5TMV using ISS callsign NA1SS and Smithsonian Air and Space – Udvar-Hazy, Chantilly, VA, USA Contact was telebridge via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was Dave W8AAS. + 2019-06-19 08:49 UTC between David St-Jacques KG5FYI using ISS callsign OR4ISS and King Island District High School, Currie, TAS, Australia Contact was telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was Shane VK4KHZ. + 2019-06-20 12:48 UTC between Nick Hague KG5TMV using ISS callsign NA1SS and Rowan Preparatory School, Claygate, United Kingdom Contact was direct via GB4RPS. ARISS Mentor was Ciaran MØXTD. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI, direct via W8TCM The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Fri 2019-06-28 14:02:16 UTC 25 deg Watch for live stream at: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCVyQOrBooJxzLFNGiyz9i2w [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. The upgrades are necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astronauts in space via Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $26,200 raised or about 17% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your outstanding generosity!! For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Support AMSAT AMSAT relies on the support of our members and the amateur radio community to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. How can you help? * Join AMSAT Both you and AMSAT will benefit when you join. You get the AMSAT Journal bimonthly and support from AMSAT Ambassadors. Member dues and donations provide AMSAT’s primary support. Join today at https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/ * Become a Life Member Becoming a Life Member has never been easier. Now you can become a Life Member with 12 monthly payments of $74 through our online store. See https://www.amsat.org/product/lifetime-membership/ for details. * Donate to AMSAT Make a one time or recurring donation to AMSAT today. Even as little as one dollar a month can make a difference! Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ * Purchase AMSAT gear on our Zazzle storefront. AMSAT receives 25% of the price of each sale on AMSAT logo merchandise from our Zazzle storefront located at https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear * Support AMSAT when you make purchases from Amazon! So far, AMSAT has received $3,913.29 from AmazonSmile. Search for "Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation" https://smile.amazon.com/ref=smi_ext_twt_dshb_smi * Volunteer for AMSAT AMSAT relies on volunteers for nearly all of our activities. If you have an idea for how to help, please let us know, Details on volunteering can be found at https://www.amsat.org/volunteer-for-amsat/ [ANS thanks the AMSAT office for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Shorts From All Over + Richmond, BC Radio Club Field Day Article Here is a nice article announcing Richmond (British Columbia) ARC satellite presence for Field Day: https://tinyurl.com/ANS174-RARC [ANS thanks Alan Campbell / Richmond News for the above information] + JAISAT-1 to Launch July 5 JAISAT-1, built by the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand and carrying a VHF/UHF linear transponder, is scheduled to launch on July 5, 2019 from Vostochny Cosmodrome on a Soyuz/Fregat launch vehicle. [ANS thanks JM3LGF via Twitter for the above information] + New Distance Record via AO-91 News received via the South Africa Radio League's SARL Weekly News in English 2019-6-22 report that a news distance record was set via the AO-91 satellite. On Friday 21 June at 12:07 UTC Andre, ZS2BK in grid KF26SB made a FM QSO with Richard, 9G5AR in grid IJ95VN and the distance is 5243.9 km. Well done to Andre and Richard! [ANS thanks SARL News for the above information.] + Congratulations AE4FH, WX4TVJ, KM4LAO & AI6V on receiving scholarships awarded by ARRL Foundation! https://tinyurl.com/ANS174-Awards [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.] + The AMSAT Journal Editor-in-Chief Joe Kornowski KB6IGK would like to share your Filed Day Satellite setup pictures. Please send your pictures in TIF, GIF or JPG format accompanied with a text description. Please do not embed graphics or photos in your manuscript. Please snd submissions to journal at amsat.org. Selected photos will apear in a futire edition of The AMSAT Journal. The AMSAT Journal reserves the right to selct materials based on suitability of content and space considerations. [ANS thanks Joe KB6IGK for the above information.] + The May/June edition of The AMSAT Journal has been mailed and members should be receiving them. In this issue: Apogee View by Joe Spier K6WAO AMSAT CubeSat Simulator Part 3: Failure Simulations and Troubleshooting by Alan B. Johnston KU2Y and Pat Kilroy N8PK Tom Clark, K3IO, and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), By Bob McGwier RF Generator Techniques for Space Applications by Jurgen Vanhamel ON5ADL DM31 Activation, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument by Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK/VA7EWK Hamvention 2019 in pictures To receive a copy of The AMSAT Journal join AMSAT today: https://www.amsat.org/join-amsat/ [AMSAT thanks The AMSAT Journal editorial staff 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-167 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 15 Jun '19

15 Jun '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-167 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://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 dot org. In this edition: * AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites * Dollar-for-Dollar Match on your ARISS Donation Ends Monday! * AMSAT Operations Updates AO-85 Status / AO-92 Field Day Plans * AMSAT Engineering Slides From Ham-Com * BIRDS-3 Satellites Deploy From ISS on June 17th * IARU Region 1 Notes WRC-23 Proposals That Impact 144-146 MHz and 1260-1270 MHz Amateur Satellite Service Bands * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 13, 2019 * How to Support AMSAT * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-167.01 ANS-167 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 167.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. June 16, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-167.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites The weekend of June 22-23, 2019 is Field Day! Each year the Ameri- can Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes our own version of Field Day focused on operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. The AMSAT Field Day 2019 event is open to all Amateur Radio opera- tors. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM sat- ellite. Operators are encouraged NOT to make any extra contacts via the FM satellites. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Information for the operational satellites can be found in the tables posted on-line on the AMSAT web: + FM Satellite Frequencies https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ + Linear satellite Frequencies https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/ Up-to-date satellite status reports are posted by users at: https://www.amsat.org/status/ AO-92 is expected to be in L/v mode for the first part of Field Day. Details are in the Operations Update article later in this An article by Sean Kutzko, KX9X, “Get on the Satellites for ARRL Field Day”, published in the June 2018 issue of QST is reprinted with the ARRL’s permission can be accessed at: https://www.amsat.org/get-on-the-satellites-for-field-day The full set of rules (including downloadable documents) are posted at: https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ CALL FOR AMSAT FIELD DAY PHOTOS AMSAT Journal Editor Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK, asks that Field Day participants share photos of their Field Day satellite stations for publication in an upcoming edition of The AMSAT Journal. Please email photos to journal at amsat dot org +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ [ANS thanks AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dollar-for-Dollar Match on your ARISS Donation Ends Monday! During the ARISS Forum at the Hamvention, it was announced, that between now and June 17, that an anonymous donor will equally match one dollar for each dollar donated up to $10,000. Here is an excellent opportunity to get the most from your donations to the ARISS FundRazr. The FundRazr Project was initiated to raise $150,000 towards the ARISS Radio Upgrade on ISS. To date 100 contributors have donated $26,200 to the campaign, about 17% of the goal. Please donate today at https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_6ruVeeeNzOa6ruVeeeNzOa [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Operations Updates AO-85 Status / AO-92 Field Day Plans AO-85's FM repeater is still active during the current period of full illumination. Both downlink and uplink frequencies are off freq- uency low and DUV telemetry is not active. Continued operations are not guaranteed after the full illumination period ends on June 19. Work it while you can! AO-92 will be available in both U/v and L/v for Field Day this year. The current plan is to command AO-92 to L/v on the 0416Z pass on June 22, the evening before Field Day. The 24 hour timer will then run to expiration, and the satellite will revert to Mode U/v for the remainder of Field Day weekend. The planned timing should provide for at least one accessible pass for the continental US in L/v before returning to U/v. If commanding to L/v on the 0416Z pass is not successful, we will reattempt Field Day morning. Please keep the uplink clear during commanding. Additionally, requests were made to the LilacSat-2, IO-86 and PO-101 command stations for special scheduling of these FM repeaters for Field Day. Please watch for these teams’ schedule announcements on Twitter and amsat-bb prior to Field Day weekend. Note that IO-86 is only accessible to those stations below about 30 degrees of latitude, but is a very strong repeater and easily worked to the local horizon. The FM repeaters on AO-91 and SO-50 are also expected to be available as normal during Field Day. [ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President-Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Engineering Slides From Ham-Com AMSAT Vice President-Engineering presented an update on AMSAT's projects at Ham-Com 2019. Slides from the presentation are available at available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-167-N0JY [ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- BIRDS-3 Satellites Deploy From ISS on June 17th JAXA has announced that the BIRDS-3 satellites, NepaliSat-1 (Nepal), Raavana-1 (Sri Lanka) and Uguisu (Japan), will deploy from ISS on June 17th. A live stream of the deployment will begin at 0835z on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrw3cMw10nQ&feature=youtu.be The three satellites operate on same frequency, 437.375MHz, with a CW beacon and 4800 bps GMSK. More info is available on the BIRDS-3 Project website. https://birds3.birds-project.com [ANS thanks Masa, JN1GKZ, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2019 marks AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. To help celebrate, we are sponsoring the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program. Full details are available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Region 1 Notes WRC-23 Proposals That Impact 144-146 MHz and 1260-1270 MHz Amateur Satellite Service Bands IARU Region 1 notes that there are two proposals under discussion in Europe as possible future Agenda Items at WRC 2023, which potentially could impact important amateur radio frequencies. The following sets out the current IARU position on these proposals. A proposal from France to consider the band 144-146 MHz as a primary allocation to the Aeronautical Mobile service, as part of a broader consideration of the spectrum allocated to that service. The band 144-146 MHz is allocated globally to the amateur and amateur satellite services on a primary basis. This is one of the few primary allocations to the amateur service above 29.7 MHz and as such is an important and widely used part of the amateur spectrum with a vast installed base of users and operational satellite stations. IARU views with grave concern any proposal to include this band in the proposed study. It will be representing this view energetically in Regional Telecommunications Organisations and in ITU to seek to obtain assurances that the spectrum will remain a primary allocation for the amateur services. A proposal to study the amateur allocation in the 1240-1300 MHz ("23cm") band following reported cases of interference to the Galileo navigation system. IARU is aware of a handful of cases where interference to the Galileo E6 signal has been reported. In all cases these have been resolved by local action with the full cooperation of the amateur stations concerned. IARU does not want the amateur service to affect the operation of the Galileo system in any way. Joint studies have been carried out to assess the true vulnerability of the system and, based on these, IARU regards the proposal to initiate an Agenda item for WRC-23 as pre- mature. The IARU position is that proper technical assessment of the issues involved should be made in the relevant CEPT study group. Proper account needs to be taken of the operational characteristics of the amateur service in order to develop sensible and proportionate measures that will facilitate the continued utility of the band for amateur experimentation whilst respecting the primary status of the GNSS service. IARU is ready to cooperate fully in any studies and shares the objective of reaching a secure and permanent solution to the issues of sharing in this band. IARU asks its Member Societies to draw this information to the attention of their members, and to refrain at this time from making speculative public comments about the situation until further progress has been made in regulatory discussions. IARU is also ready to discuss this issue with other societies not in IARU membership. [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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 13, 2019 The following amateur satellite has decayed and has been removed from the AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: ZA-AeroSat - CAT ID 42713 (reentered 06-02-2019). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. The upgrades are necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astronauts in space via Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $26,200 raised or about 17% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your outstanding generosity!! For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Support AMSAT AMSAT relies on the support of our members and the amateur radio community to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. How can you help? * Join AMSAT Both you and AMSAT will benefit when you join. You get the AMSAT Journal bimonthly and support from AMSAT Ambassadors. Member dues and donations provide AMSAT’s primary support. Join today at https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/ * Become a Life Member Becoming a Life Member has never been easier. Now you can become a Life Member with 12 monthly payments of $74 through our online store. See https://www.amsat.org/product/lifetime-membership/ for details. * Donate to AMSAT Make a one time or recurring donation to AMSAT today. Even as little as one dollar a month can make a difference! Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ * Purchase AMSAT gear on our Zazzle storefront. AMSAT receives 25% of the price of each sale on AMSAT logo merchandise from our Zazzle storefront located at https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear * Support AMSAT when you make purchases from Amazon! So far, AMSAT has received $3,913.29 from AmazonSmile. Search for "Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation" https://smile.amazon.com/ref=smi_ext_twt_dshb_smi * Volunteer for AMSAT AMSAT relies on volunteers for nearly all of our activities. If you have an idea for how to help, please let us know, Details on volunteering can be found at https://www.amsat.org/volunteer-for-amsat/ [ANS thanks the AMSAT office for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations + #HomewardBoundRove (DN13, DN14, DN21, DN22, DN23) – June 14-18, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be hitting a few grids on his way home. Look for DN13/DN14 line on June 14th, DN21/DN22 line June 15th, DN22 June 17th, and DN23 June 18th. FM only. Pass times expected between 1700- 2000UTC. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ + Drummond Island (EN85, EN86) – June 15-18, 2019 Chris, AA8CH, will be up on Drummond Island again June 15-18, staying in EN86 and also activating EN85 as well. Open to any sked requests if someone needs either grid. May activate EN74, 75, 76 on the way there or back depending. Will try to post passes to @charliehotel10 twitter if possible. + Post Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (New York to Wyoming) – June 15-27, 2019 Following the Hot Rod Power Tour, I will be heading to FN02 for a few days and plan to work FN01/11 gridline around June 17-18. Details to follow. I will be heading as far east as FN32 and then eventually working my way back to DN71. Specifically looking for EN01/02 along the way. Details will be posted to Twitter and my QRZ page as the trip plans unfold. Follow me on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9, as he will not have Twitter access along the road. + #JosephOrBustRove (DN04, DN05, DN15) – June 28-30, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be wandering around Eastern Oregon and decided to do a little grid activating. Look for Casey on FM passes in DN04 mid- Friday, June 28th, in DN15 Friday night to Saturday evening, and DN05 Sunday morning. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ + Iceland (HP95 IP15 IP25 IP03 HP03) – July 13-19, 2019 Adam, K0FFY, is taking his family (and his radios) to Iceland. Tentative schedule is HP95 July 13, IP13 and IP15 July 14-15, IP25 July 16, IP03 or HP93 July 17-18, and HP94 July 19. There’s a lot to see, so passes will be best effort and announced on Twitter shortly prior. https://twitter.com/K0FFY_Radio Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over + From June 22-23, the FO-99 linear transponder will be activated over Friedrichshafen, Germany and Bangkok, Thailand. See https://twitter.com/GsNihonuniv for details. [ANS thanks the Nihon University Ground Station for the above information.] + Jim Heck, G3WGM, has announced that the AO-73 transponder will be reactivated the weekend of June 14th and will be left on continuously for the next week. [ANS thanks Jim Heck, G3WGM, for the above information.] + The FM transponder on PO-101 is activated by schedule. Updates are generally available weekly on their Twitter account. See https://twitter.com/Diwata2PH [ANS thanks the PO-101 / Diwata-2 team for the above information.] + Phase 3 launch anniversaries - Saturday was the 31st anniversary of the launch of AO-13 (Phase 3C), launched on June 15, 1988. Today (Sunday) is the 36th anniversary of the launch of AO-10, launched on June 16, 1983. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] + Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee is offering a CubeSat Research Fellowship in the Department of Physics. The successful fellow will develop and carry out a CubeSat mission with the help of undergraduate students and technical staff. Funding for the project already exists, and the department has excellent machine shop and other resources. This is a two-year position with possibility for extension. Applicants should hold a M.S. or Ph.D. in engineering, space science, or a related discipline. Please see the full posting at jobs.rhodes.edu/postings/3034. [ANS thanks Rhodes College for the above information.] + Daniel Estévez, EA4GPZ, has shared several blog posts/articles of note: A LimeSDR Mini based QO-100 Ground Station https://tinyurl.com/ANS-167-QO100 Identifying the stars shown in an image taken by the LO-94 lunar orbiting amateur satellite. https://destevez.net/2019/06/astrometry-with-dslwp-b-camera/ Report on LO-94's June imaging https://destevez.net/2019/06/report-for-dslwp-b-june-imaging/ [ANS thanks Dani Estevez, EA4GPZ, for the above information.] + A tool for interplanetary missions that calculates ballistic transfers between planets and moons: https://transfercalculator.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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 additional 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 student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-157 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AMSAT President Awarded Russian E.T. Krenkel Medal
by JoAnne K9JKM 06 Jun '19

06 Jun '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-157 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: * AMSAT President Awarded Russian E.T. Krenkel Medal SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-157.01 ANS-157 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 157.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE June 6, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-157.01 AMSAT President Awarded Russian E.T. Krenkel Medal AMSAT President and ARRL Life Member Joe Spier, K6WAO, has been awarded the Russian E.T. Krenkel Medal, a prestigious award granted to individuals and organizations for outstanding global contributions to Amateur Radio. Joe Spier, K6WAO is a long time supporter of Amateur Radio in Space and international cooperation. K6WAO is the President of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). He has also served AMSAT as Executive Vice President, and Vice President, Educational Relations. He is a long term supporter of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) and scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics education. Spier is an AMSAT Life Member. He also is a Life Member of American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA). The award's namesake, Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel, was a radio amateur who, over the years, used the call signs RAEM, U3AA, and UA3AA. Born in Poland, Krenkel was an Arctic explorer who took part in the first Soviet "drifting station," North Pole-1. He was made a "Hero of the Soviet Union" in 1938 for his exploits. Krenkel's son, T.E. Krenkel, is among the four signatories to the award certificate. The younger Krenkel, a professor at the Moscow Technical College of Telecommunication and Informatics, said his father was an avid radio amateur who served as the first chairman of the Central Radio Club in the USSR. Krenkel's image appears on postage stamps from the USSR and Russia, and he authored a biography entitled My Callsign is RAEM. In the era when all radio amateurs received QSL cards via Box 88, Moscow, Krenkel was allowed to have his own postal address on his QSLs and was issued the non-standard RAEM call sign. Information about the Krenkel Medal can be found at: http://krenkelmedal.org/index.php?id=49 [ANS thanks the Russian National Academy of Researches and Discoveries 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.

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ANS-153 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne K9JKM 01 Jun '19

01 Jun '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-153 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: * Dollar-for-Dollar Match on your ARISS Donation Thru June 17, 2019 * Call for Nominations - AMSAT Board of Directors * AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites * Lightsail-2 Scheduled for Launch June 22 - Beacon on 437.025 MHz * AMSAT-EA FossaSat-1 Receives IARU Coordination * QO-100 meets HAM RADIO 2019 in Friedrichshafen * ARISS SSTV Planned Over Russia for Moscow Aviation Institute * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Send Your Name (and callsign) to Mars * RS-10 Downlink Provides Unique Troubleshooting Solution * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-153.01 ANS-153 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 153.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE June 2, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-153.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Support AMSAT when you make purchases from Amazon! So far, AMSAT has received $3,913.29 from AmazonSmile. Search for "Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation" https://smile.amazon.com/ref=smi_ext_twt_dshb_smi +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Dollar-for-Dollar Match on your ARISS Donation Thru June 17, 2019 During the ARISS Forum at the Hamvention, it was announced, that between now and June 17, that an anonymous donor will equally match one dollar for each dollar donated up to $10,000. Here is an excellent opportunity to get the most from your donations to the ARISS FundRazr. The FundRazr Project was initiated to raise $150,000 towards the ARISS Radio Upgrade on ISS. To date 90 contributors have donated $24,840 to the campaign, about 17% of the goal. $10,000 of your dollars, donated now, will raise that total to $44,840, including the matching funds. It would be great if we could actually achieve one-third of our goal ($50,000) by mid-June. Please donate today at https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_6ruVeeeNzOa6ruVeeeNzOa [ANS thanks AMSAT 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Call for Nominations - AMSAT Board of Directors It's time to submit nominations for the upcoming AMSAT Board of Directors election. Four directors' terms expire this year: those of Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Clayton Coleman, W5PFG; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. In addition, up to two Alternates may be elected for one-year terms. A valid nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member for Director. Written nominations, consisting of the nominee's name and call, and the nominating individuals' names, calls and individual signatures should be mailed to: AMSAT 10605 CONCORD ST STE 304 KENSINGTON MD 20895-2526 In addition to traditional submissions of written nominations, which is the preferred method, the intent to nominate someone may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, fax, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to martha at amsat.org or faxed to +1-301-822-4371. No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive at the AMSAT office no later than June 15th. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If electronic means are used, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT office within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT BYLAWS. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites The weekend of June 22-23, 2019 is Field Day! Each year the Ameri- can Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes our own version of Field Day focused on operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. The AMSAT Field Day 2019 event is open to all Amateur Radio opera- tors. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM sat- ellite. Operators are encouraged NOT to make any extra contacts via the FM satellites. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Information for the operational satellites can be found in the tables posted on-line on the AMSAT web: + FM Satellite Frequencies https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ + Linear satellite Frequencies https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/ Up-to-date satellite status reports are posted by users at: https://www.amsat.org/status/ AO-92 may be in L/v for the first part of the event, depending on command station availability. Keep an eye on @AMSAT on Twitter for expected L/v mode change times. An article by Sean Kutzko, KX9X, “Get on the Satellites for ARRL Field Day”, published in the June 2018 issue of QST is reprinted with the ARRL’s permission can be accessed at: https://www.amsat.org/get-on-the-satellites-for-field-day The full set of rules (including downloadable documents) are posted at: https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ [ANS thanks AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightsail-2 Scheduled for Launch June 22 - Beacon on 437.025 MHz LightSail is a citizen-funded project from The Planetary Society. This cubesat will be propelled solely by sunlight, to Earth orbit. LightSail 2 is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on June 22, 2019, and we will attempt the first, controlled solar sail flight in Earth orbit. LightSail 2 will ride to space aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission which will send 24 spacecraft to 3 different orbits. LightSail 2 itself will be enclosed within Prox-1, a Georgia Tech-designed spacecraft originally built to demon- strate close-encounter operations with other spacecraft. Prox-1 will deploy LightSail 2 seven days after launch. After a few days of health and status checks, LightSail 2's four dual-sided solar panels will swing open. Roughly a day later, four metallic booms will unfurl four triangular Mylar sails from storage. The sails, which have a combined area of 32 square meters [344 square feet], will turn towards the sun for half of each orbit, giving the spacecraft a tiny push no stronger than the weight of a paperclip. For about a month after sail deployment, this continual thrust should raise LightSail 2's orbit by a measurable amount. LightSail 2 will fly in a 24-degree inclination, 720 km, circular orbit. At latitudes of 42 degrees north it will reach a maximum elevation of 10 degrees above the horizon. Lightsail-2 has been issued an experimental radio license WM9XPA and transmit on 437.025 MHz. A morse beacon will transmit the callsign every 45 seconds. A packet beacon will transmit AX.25, FSK 9K6 bps data. Beacon information is available at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Lightsail-Morse-Beacon Documentation of the downlink telemetry data structure is posted at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Lightsail-Telemetry [ANS thanks the Planetary Society for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-EA FossaSat-1 Receives IARU Coordination The IARU reported that AMSAT-EA FossaSat-1 satellite has received a downlink coordination to operate on 436.700 MHz with LoRa 125kHz, Chirp Spread Spectrum Modulation, 180 bps, 100mW; and, FSK RTTY 45 baud ITA2, 100mW 183hz Shift. The planned mission objectives for the 5x5x5cm 250gram satellite are: + General development of miniaturized and inexpensive satellite systems for space applications using off the shelf components. + Testing a new solar panel mechanism, making this satellite the smallest to have deployable solar arrays. These solar arrays will additionally increase the radar reflectivity significantly to that of a standard cubesat. + The promotion & involvement of students in aerospace development on an international level, giving them the opportunity to test their hardware and software experiments on the satellite. AMSAT-EA will be hosting STEM workshops & competitions for secondary stu- dents to participate in, a full section of the satellite is dedi- cated to these experiments for educational research. + The main mission of the satellite is the testing of a new experi- mental RF chirp modulation called LoRa, this new modulation hugely increases the link budget, reduces the power consumed and reduces the cost of receivers. Students & Amateurs will be able to receive telemetry from the satel- lite with inexpensive hardware, expanding & promoting the amateur satellite community among youth. Uplink challenges will also be carried out with rewards for amateurs. AMSAT-EA will provide decoding software for SDR use in order to allow anyone to decode LoRa using common existing hardware & host software for users to submit telemetry data, making all data public and reward- ing users with certificates & awards. The IARU coordination announcement can be accessed at: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=652 [ANS thanks AMSAT-EA and the IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- QO-100 meets HAM RADIO 2019 in Friedrichshafen Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, President of AMSAT-DL invites everyone to meet members of the QARS, AMSAT-DL and also QO-100 users, face-to-face at the HAM RADIO 2019 exhibition from June 21-23 June in Friedrichshafen. A special event station DL50AMSAT will be operating live from the AMSAT-DL booth, DATV (DVB-S2) transmissions are also planned. There will be several lectures around Qatar-OSCAR 10 and you can meet the P4-A team at the QARS and AMSAT-DL stands, which are located next to each other. We also welcome members of the BATC team at our booth. For more information visit: https://amsat-dl.org/en/ham-radio-2019-qo-100-meeting/ [ANS thanks Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, President of AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS SSTV Planned Over Russia for Moscow Aviation Institute A Russian MAI-SSTV event is planned for Wednesday, June 5 from 12:00-16:00 UTC and June 6 from 11:30-15:30 UTC. Transmissions are expected to be at 145.800 MHz in SSTV mode PD120. Based on the times received, SSTV signals are not expected over N. America. This event uses a computer in the ISS Russian Segment, which stores images that are then transmitted to Earth using the ARISS Amateur Radio station located in the Service Module which employs the Kenwood TM-D710E transceiver. Amateur radio operators and other radio enthusiasts are invited to post the images they receive at http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php Please note that the event is dependent on other activities, schedules and crew responsibilities on the ISS and is subject to change at any time. Online WebSDR receivers can be used to receive signals from the International Space Station at SUWS WebSDR located Farnham near London http://farnham-sdr.com/ and R4UAB WebSDR located European Russia http://websdr.r4uab.ru/. For updates check Twitter at https://twitter.com/ARISS_status/status/1131945966297182210?s=03 [ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations See https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ for latest information. Pre-Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (Wyoming to Tennessee) – June 2-7, 2019 On June 2nd, RJ, WY7AA and the Elco will head South to start roving on the DM77/78 gridline, heading east working gridlines and corners along the way all the way to EM87/88 hopefully. RJ will try to be on as many FM passes as possible, with a few linears as time allows. Follow RJ on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9, as he will not have Twtter access along the road. Checkout WY7AA’s QRZ page for specific plans he will post before he leaves, and @dtabor (N6UA) will help by posting on Twitter if he has any updates from the road. EM57/EM67 Line – June 4, 2019 Michael, N4DCW, will be at the EM57/67 line on June 4, 2019. He’ll post satellite passes a week before on twitter and the -bb, but will plan for the AO-9x and SO-50 midday passes. FM only. The day of, Michael will post updates via his twitter feed: https://twitter.com/MWimages Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (North Carolina to Ohio) – June 8-14, 2019 From June 8th to 14th, WY7AA will be traveling with several thous- and other Hot Rods along a winding route from NC to OH. RJ will mostly be activating in the evenings on FM passes including grids EM95, FM06, EM86, EM78, EM69, EN71, and EN81. Checkout the event route: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-HotRods And if anyone is anywhere close to the route, come out and see the spectacle and let RJ know on Twitter if you are coming out. Follow RJ on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9. #HomewardBoundRove (DN13, DN14, DN21, DN22, DN23) – June 14-18,2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be hitting a few grids on his way home. Look for DN13/DN14 line on June 14th, DN21/DN22 line June 15th, DN22 June 17, and DN23 June 18th. FM only. Pass times expected between 1700-200 0UTC. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ Post Hot Rod Power Tour Rove (New York to Wyoming) – June 15-27, 2019 Following the Hot Rod Power Tour, I will be heading to FN02 for a few days and plan to work FN01/11 gridline around June 17-18. Details to follow. I will be heading as far east as FN32 and then eventually working my way back to DN71. Specifically looking for EN01/02 along the way. Details will be posted to Twitter and my QRZ page as the trip plans unfold. Follow him on APRS.fi as WY7AA-9, as he will not have Twitter access along the road. #JosephOrBustRove (DN04, DN05, DN15) – June 28-30, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be wandering around Eastern Oregon and decided to do a little grid activating. Look for Casey on FM passes in DN04 mid-Friday, June 28th, in DN15 Friday night to Saturday evening, and DN05 Sunday morning. Specific passes to be posted on Casey’s Twitter feed https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ Iceland (HP95 IP15 IP25 IP03 HP03) – July 13-19, 2019 Adam, K0FFY, is taking his family (and his radios) to Iceland. Tenta- tive schedule is HP95 July 13, IP13 and IP15 July 14-15, IP25 July 16, IP03 or HP93 July 17-18, and HP94 July 19. There’s a lot to see, so passes will be best effort and announced on Twitter shortly prior. https://twitter.com/K0FFY_Radio Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Send Your Name (and callsign) to Mars NASA Press Release May 21, 2019 NASA is giving the public an opportunity to send their names — etched on microchips — to the Red Planet with NASA's Mars 2020 rover, which represents the initial leg of humanity’s first round trip to another planet. The rover is scheduled to launch as early as July 2020, with the spacecraft expected to touch down on Mars in February 2021. The opportunity to send your name to Mars comes with a souvenir board- ing pass and "frequent flyer" points. From now until Sept. 30, you can add your name to the list and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars here: https://go.nasa.gov/Mars2020Pass The Microdevices Laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, will use an electron beam to etch the submit- ted names onto a silicon chip with lines of text smaller than one- thousandth the width of a human hair (75 nanometers). At that size, more than a million names can be inscribed on a single dime-size microchip. The chip (or chips) will ride on the rover under a glass cover. For more information on Mars 2020, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mars2020 For more about NASA's Moon to Mars plans, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RS-10 Downlink Provides Unique Troubleshooting Solution Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC, recalls a troubleshooting solution utilizing the downlink from the RS-10 satellite as he was resolving an HF noise problem in the radio system of New Zealand's Maritime Radio Network. (http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-NZ-Maritime-Radio) The New Zealand network consists of a chain of VHF base stations, an HF Transmitter site and an HF Receiving site. These are all linked back to an Operations Centre in Lower Hutt (near Wellington). During commissioning, Terry was visiting the Operations Centre where the operators mentioned that the HF receivers were very noisy. This didn't sound right since the receiving site had been chosen because it was in a remote area well away from any man made noise. Terry said, "To check how well the receivers were working I gave the operators the frequency and a week of pass times for RS-10. This was on a Friday. On Saturday I turned on my receiver at home on RS-10. My receiver was a TenTec Argonaut 505 with DGFet preamp and a half wave dipole at about 10 feet. RS-10's downlink boomed in at about 5x7. The Maritime operators heard nothing on their receivers. I fed the audio down the phone line to convince them it was working." The four HF receivers are fed from a Multicoupler that has a "Low Noise" amplifier feeding a splitter. On the following Monday, the technicians from the maintenance base visited the site and at AOS of RS-10, turned off the power supply to the multicoupler. The Oper- ations Centre reported down went the HF noise and up came the signal from RS-10. Terry reported on the solution, "There were many options for the 'Low Noise' amplifier in the multicoupler ranging from a 2dB noise figure 10 dB gain version up to a 30dB gain 15dB noise figure version. Upon removing the lid from the multicoupler it revealed that the 30dB gain 15dB noise figure version had been supplied rather than the 2dB noise figure 10dB gainversion specified. It turned out that the manufacturers of the Multicoupler hadn't actually made one with a 2dB NF/10dB Gain amp before and had just supplied their standard version. Putting in the right amplifier solved the problem." In closing, Terry wrote, "Satellite operators who have worked with preamps will recognise this problem." [ANS sends an 'Ahoy' with a tip of the sailing hat and thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Virgin Orbit has posted updated information about the LauncherOne initial flight which is AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) ride to orbit: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-Fox1E-VirginOrbital This cubesat will feature a V/u inverting analog SSB/CW transponder and a digital beacon: Uplink: 145.890 - 145.860 MHz LSB Downlink: 435.760 - 435.790 MHz USB Beacon: 435.750 MHz 1200 baud BPSK + AMSAT is pleased to offer a set of Titleist Pro V1x golf balls. One bears the GOLF-TEE logo, one the GOLF-1 logo and one the AMSAT 50th Anniversary logo. There are also a set of the same 3 golf balls with the logos that have also been signed by 3 of the AMSAT presi- dents. Keith Baker, KB1SF, has signed the GOLF-TEE ball, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, has signed the GOLF-1 ball and Joe Spier, K6WAO, has signed the AMSAT 50th Anniversary ball. The set of 3 balls is $50 plus shipping. The set of 3 balls with the 3 AMSAT President signatures is $100 plus shipping. Take care of your Father's Day shopping on-line at: https://www.amsat.org/product/2019-fundraising-golf-balls-set-of-3 + The ARISS team has posted an album of photos in memory of Keith Pugh, W5IU - SK at http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-ARISS-W5IU-Album (facebook). Keith was an active AMSAT and ARISS volunteer. He pas- sed away on May 24. A memorial service for Keith Pugh, W5IU, will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church with a reception following. 1000 Penn St, Fort Worth, TX 76102. https://fpcfw.org/su-event/431761720/memorial-service-keith-pugh/ Obituary for Keith: https://www.swaimfuneralhome.com/obituary/keith-pugh + The Tico Times in Costa Rica featured an article about the ARISS contact with the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC), Los Suenos, Costa Rica on May 27. http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-ARISS-CostaRica + AMSAT-DL AMSAT Deutschland released a video of theQatar-OSCAR 100 (P4-A/ Es'hail-2) launch with a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida: https://youtu.be/8uQqZBIUfHY + NASA TV will provide live coverage as a SpaceX Dragon cargo space- craft is set to return to Earth from the International Space Station Monday, June 3. NASA Television and the agency’s website will pro- vide live coverage of the craft’s release beginning at 11:45 a.m. EDT. (UTC - 4) Around noon, flight controllers at mission control in Houston will deliver remote commands to the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detached Dragon from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public + The Science Museum's YouTube channel has a video of the first astronaut from the UK, Helen Sharman GB1MIR, who used amateur radio to talk to students in schools across the UK. In May 1991, Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space. The Soyuz TM-12 mission, which included Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Artsebarsky, U7MIR and Sergei Krikalev U5MIR, launched on May 18, 1991 and lasted eight days, most of that time spent at the Mir space sta- tion. Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/x0-nMl0jf5E + The European Space Agency's Astro Pi Challenge which allows students to design an experiment, write the code, and then have it run by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, enjoyed a student's success recently when one of the Astro Pi units running a Raspberry Pi 1 B+ and a Raspberry Pi Camera Module captured the approach of a Soyuz spacecraft arriving at the ISS. Check out the photos and learn more at: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-captures-soyuz-in-space/ + Sean Kutzko, KX9X, has written a contribution to DX Engineering’s blog “On All Bands.” In this article, he writes about the basics of VHF propagation, to help you stay active during the solar mini- mum: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-KX9X-VHF -and- a newly released blog entry covers the basics of satellite operation: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-153-KX9X-Satellite + Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Radio Club of America Young Achiever Award, Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure participant, recipient of an AMSAT Presidential Award is interviewed in a webcast ‘Sankalp’ from NewView Studios: https://youtu.be/TUce-WyZPdc The Sankalp program showcases and inspires youth in the community. + The Cal Poly CubeSat Team is requesting input to fill out their survey where they are gathering information about the connectors, electrical interfaces, and communication protocols currently in use by CubeSat and payload developers. The feedback will be used to help design the XCube platform, which will create opportunities for CubeSats to fly on NASA’s high altitude aircraft for testing and calibration purposes. Access the survey at: https://forms.gle/TKxTgcZKVmfNv8F17 + Edmund Spicer, M0MNG, made a video about his visit to Hamvention 2019. The AMSAT satellite demonstration station operated by Paul, N8HM and Matt, NJ4Y is shown: https://youtu.be/nnbQbJnkxs0?t=861 + The May 2019 issue of SatMagazine is available at: http://www.satmagazine.com/ + The June 2019 issue of CQ-DATV magazine is available at: https://cq-datv.mobi/72.php [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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