September 2019 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AO-92 Remaining in U/v For Potential Emergency Traffic
by JoAnne K9JKM 30 Sep '19

30 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-272.02 In this edition: * AO-92 Remaining in U/v For Potential Emergency Traffic SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-272.02 ANS-272 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.02 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 29, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-272.02 Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations has received a request from amateurs involved with emergency communications in the Azores, requesting we forego L/v operation on AO-92 this week. Hurricane Lorenzo is expected to pass through the Azores as a Cate- gory 4 storm Tuesday and Wednesday, and they are requesting AO-92 remain in U/v for potential emergency traffic. Please be aware of and yield to any emergency traffic, on any satellite, coming from the area during this time. Passes covering the Azores and Portugal are the most critical. We realize that there have been a few moves and cancellations for this mode recently, and I ask for understanding and cooperation. Emergency use is always first priority, and AMSAT is happy to assist in any way we can. [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations for the above information] /EX

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ANS-272 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne K9JKM 28 Sep '19

28 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-272 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: * Experimenter Wednesday Announced for AO-92 * The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * 2019 AMSAT Symposium On-line Registration Open Until October 11 * Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Moves Another Step Closer to Flight * ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Upcoming Satellite Operations * NASA's International Space Apps Challenge Coming October 18-20 * FO-29 Returns! * AMSAT-DL Memorandum Regarding QO-100 Operation * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-272.01 ANS-272 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 29, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-272.01 Experimenter Wednesday Announced for AO-92 The AO-92 Command Team announces that Experimenter Wednesday will run on UTC Wednesday (begins Tuesday evening in North America) when AO-92 will be commanded to operate in mode L/v for 24 hours. This new schedule will be followed for an as of yet undetermined test period. The frequencies for AO-92 L/V are: Uplink: 1267.359 MHz FM with 67 Hz CTCSS tone for access Downlink: 145.880 MHz FM (including DUV telemetry) The mode change is announced by the command team via Twitter (follow @AMSAT). You can view AMSAT tweets without needing an account with Twitter - go to https://twitter.com/AMSAT The tweets flow through to the AMSAT facebook page and and are plan- ned to include amsat-bb. Also current status can be found on the AO-92 health and telemetry page at: http://www.amsat.org/tlm/health.php?id=4&port= [ANS thanks the AO-92 Command Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Don’t miss the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium October 18-20 in Arlington, VA. https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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. 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 AMSAT Symposium On-line Registration Open Until October 11 An on-line registration rate for the 37th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, Friday through Sunday, October 18-20, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia, is available through October 11, 2019 per the following schedule: Registration September 16, 2019 – October 11, 2019 .... $65 (on-line) Registration at the Door .............................. $70 You can complete your registration on-line via the AMSAT Store: https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-symposium/ This year, all registrants will receive a digital copy of the Proceed- ings on a thumb drive. Attendees may purchase a hard copy for $25.00. Non-attendees may put their name on a waiting list for a hard copy, if there are any left over. The digital version of the Proceedings will be made available on the online store shortly after the Symposium concludes. Student Registration is 50% off and does not include the Proceedings. [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Moves Another Step Closer to Flight Virgin Orbit LauncherOne's progress report this week says that the rocket has been "been fully integrated, tested, checked, re-checked, analyzed, and triple-checked". LauncherOne now is destined for a rig- orous crucible of engineering demonstrations and tests at a test site up in Mojave to begin Virgin Orbit's first proper launch campaign. The orbital test flight rocket is currently being installed into a newly built test stand in Mojave, where in the coming weeks it will run through a number of critical exercises, including loading and fueling with our mobile ground support equipment. The Virgin Orbit team is prepping and practicing, making sure we know how to do every- thing they could conceivably ever need to do. Then, it’s off to the skies — first for a captive carry flight, and then for the launch itself. The second flight of LauncherOne will carry RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E to orbit. Read the Virgin Orbit press release (with photos) posted at: https://virginorbit.com/launcherone-shaping-up-and-shipping-out/ View a video of captive flight testing of LauncherOne https://www.instagram.com/p/BybTdllh_z9/ [ANS thanks Virgin Orbit 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + About Gagarin From Space, Meeting of 30 universities, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, direct via LZ1KDP. The contact was successful. + ARISS Contact Colorado University/Northridge Elementary School Suc- cessful. ARISS Mentor Bob, WB4SON reported that the September 24 contact between Astronaut Nick Hague and Northridge Elementary School (Colorado University in Boulder) was a complete success. All 16 student questions were asked and answered. One of the teacher questions was asked and answered before Claudio, IK6SLD, who's team did a fantastic job at the ground station, completed the contact. Thanks also to Charlie, AJ9N. who moderated the contact. Colorado University Aerospace, The Boulder Amateur Radio Club (BARC), and the University of Colorado Amateur Radio Club hosted the event and did a wonderful job. (via WB4SON) + Sonoma County Main Library, Santa Rosa, CA, telebridge via K6DUE* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Tue 2019-10-01 19:53:13 UTC * Ed. note - K6DUE is located in Maryland, USA so the contact will be audible over eastern portions of North America. + UAE school #3 with Space Flight participant, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Hazza Al Mansour Contact is go for Wed 2019-10-02 09:45 UTC + AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Sat 2019-10-12 to Sun 2019-10-13 + Watch for MAI-75 SSTV sessions: Wed 2019-10-09 09:50 to 16:00 UTC Thu 2019-10-10 08:45 to 16:25 UTC 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations + EM87 Sept 27-30 N4DCW | Twitter: https://twitter.com/MWimages + EL07 Sept 29 K5IX | Twitter: https://twitter.com/K5IXdave + Brennan, N4QX, England (IO-91), October 1-3 Next week, October 1-3, work and facilities permitting: QRV on the FM satellites as M/N4QX from grid square IO91. QSL *exclus- ively* via Logbook of the World. Yeah, I know London isn't rare, but it's where I will be. + #AMSATandAngling (DM15, DM06) October 11-13, 2019 Ed, KN6DBC, is going fishing (literally), but he is bring gear to work FM Satellites. October 11 he’ll be in DM15, and October 12-13 in DM06. Visit Ken’s Twitter feed for specific pass schedule and further updates: https://twitter.com/KN6DBC + 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. Con- tacts will be put on LOTW following the trip. Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ad7db + FP, ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON (GN17) September 24 to October 8, 2019 Eric, KV1J, will once again be operating from the Island of Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J between September 24 and October 8. This is his 13th trip to the island. Activity will be on 160-6 meters (no 60M – not authorized) using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 (but primarily SSB, RTTY and FT8) and the satellites. He will generally be on the highest frequency band that is open (favoring 12/10m). He will be active in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 28-29). ADDED NOTE: Eric will usually try to be on as many Satellite passes as he can when the WX is good, generally favoring the FO-29, XW-2x, AO-7, and possibly the FM birds. Eric states, “Equipment is two FT-817s and an Arrow dual band yagi. I’ll favor the SSB birds usually higher in the passband, but will also try FM if they do not get too busy. Satellite logging is by paper so may not get loaded to LoTW until the week after I return to the USA.” Weekends may be limited since he will be concentrat- ing on the low(er) bands and contests. QSL via KV1J, direct or by the Bureau. Also eQSL, ClubLog and LoTW. For more details and up- dates, check out his Web page at: http://www.kv1j.com/fp/Sep19.html + D4, CAPE VERDE (Update/Satellite Op). Harald, DF2WO, will once again be active as D44TWO from Praia, Santiago Island (AF-005), between September 29th and October 13th. Activity will be holiday style on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and mostly the Digital modes. (FT8, PSK31, JT65 and RTTY) and slow CW. Harald has been working hard in the last few months getting his satellite station for QO-100 working and is now confident he will use it from Cabo Verde. He will be using an Icom 7300, 2 Transvert- ers with 3 watts output on EsHail using the QO-100 Geostationary Satellite. He will also have a FT-450D into a homemade HEX BEAM and a dipole for 40 meters. Please DO NOT send your card via the Bureau it WILL NOT be received - To receive a bureau card you MUST request via M0OXO OQRS ONLY! (Via Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1428) + WW0, UNITED STATES (Special Event). Members of the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club (NCARC), WWV ARC, RMHam, and FCCW along with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will activate special event station WW0WWV between September 28 and October 2 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of WWV, the world's oldest contin- uously operating radio station. The WW0WWV station(s) will be set up adjacent to the WWV transmitter site in Fort Collins, Colorado. Operations will be on various HF bands following typical propagation, and will include 160 meters as well as satellites (SO-50, AO-91, and AO-92) and 6-meter meteor scatter. Modes will be CW, SSB and digital. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS, LoTW, or direct to the WWV Amateur Radio Club, 1713 Ridgewood Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA. For more details, visit the following URLs: http://wwv100.com https://tinyurl.com/ANS-244-NIST-WWV (Via Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1428) Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NASA's International Space Apps Challenge Coming October 18-20 NASA's International Space Apps Challenge has become the world's largest global hackathon, engaging thousands of citizens across the globe to use NASA's open data to build innovative solutions to challenges we face on Earth and in space. Space Apps inspires local communities to come together, think intensely, and create solutions to important problems. Each year, Space Apps engages thousands of individuals in cities around the world to work with NASA's open source data in a 48-hour sprint. Teams of technologists, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and others collaborate to answer some of the most pressing challenges on Earth and in space. Space Apps 2019 will take place on October 18-20, 2019 See: https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/ On one weekend each year, with the help of NASA's Global Organizing Team (fondly known as the GO Team), hundreds of local leads around the world host events in a 48-hour sprint in which their participants hack solutions to challenges that NASA proposes, creating games, smartphone and computer apps, videos, teaching tools, and much more. The challenges change each year within the theme of Earth and space. https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/ There are two ways to find a location to participate near you: https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/ https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/map Registration information is posted on the Space Apps web page. [ANS thanks NASA's International Space Apps Challenge 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FO-29 Returns! FO-29 is reported to be back in operation after being off the air since last July: Modes: Analog - CW, SSB voice Telemetry: JA - CW, 100 mW Uplink: 146.000 MHz - 145.900 MHz LSB/CW Downlink: 435.800 MHz - 435.900 MHz USB/CW Telemetry: 435.795 MHz, CW - 100 mW; frame rate of one frame per minute. Each frame begins and ends with the historic 'HI'. The characters are sent at a rate of about 100 characters per minute. Sponsor: JAMSAT, JARL Mineo Wakita JE9PEL offers a nice FO-29 Satellite CW Telemetry Analysis Program for free on his web site. The program is called "fo29cwts". Mineo's web site is: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/fo29cwts.htm [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-DL Memorandum Regarding QO-100 Operation AMSAT-DL and QARS asks the users of the new geostationary QO-100 satellite for radio discipline. During the last weeks some stations have been transmitting with much too much power and sometimes out- side of the official band limits. Also permanent carriers are sent without indication of callsign. This was also critically observed in the control center of Es'hailSat in Qatar. Please do not send louder than the CW beacon. Stick to the band plan: No operation is allowed below the CW beacon and above the PSK beacon. The satellite is not a measuring device: To test your power ampli- fier in continuous operation, please use a dummy load and a suitable measuring device. Check regularly the bandwidth of your transmissions, maximum band- width 2.7 kHz, no FM. Qatar has made a great gift to the amateur radio community with the Qatar OSCAR 100 satellite. We should act accordingly. Please, kindly point this out to other stations on the transponder. If there are still violations, in the worst case a temporary shutdown could be expected. A video describing the LEILA-2 power detection system aboard QO-100 can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AabJGt0vzXU&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, and AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT-DL reports the sad news of the passing of Hanspeter Kuhlen, DK1YQ, who died suddenly last weekend. Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, wrote on behalf of the Rudak and AMSAT-DL team, "We're going to miss him. Our hearts are with his family." Hanspeter was the Project Manager for RUDAK on OSCAR-13 and on OSCAR-21/RS-14. He was also part of the command station team for OSCAR-10 and OSCAR-13. + AO-73's BPSK telemetry downlink on 145.935 MHz includes text mes- sages, called FITTER messages, for announcements, greetings, and commemorations. Satellite users can have their message uplinked by the FUNcube team so that it can be read globally in the downlink message stream. Simply email: operations(a)funcube.org.uk to request FITTER messages to be uploaded. Please keep them short and give them a couple of weeks notice if you can. As well as being available for download on 2 metres they can be also be seen via the internet at: http://data.amsat-uk.org/ui/fc1-fm/fitter + Fred Kemerer, AB1OC, has documented a satellite station set-up based on the Flex 6000 series radios on his blog at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-272-AB1OC-Flex + APRS on IO-86 uses aliases of ARISS and YBSAT - APRS operation is active on a schedule alternating with the FM repeater and the other primary payload of LAPAN A2/ORARI. Typically one in the morning and another one in the evening. Please check twitter @lapansat for the weekly schedule. (Yono, YD0NXX, AMSAT-ID Technical Team) + This article covers available SDR hardware, software and configura- tions, but it also teaches a little radio theory and a taste of the mathematics to understand what's going on: https://arachnoid.com/software_defined_radios/ (via nooelec.com on Twitter) + 2019 marks AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. To help celebrate, AMSAT is sponsoring the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program. Full details are available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/ Bruce Paige, KK5DO, Director of Contests and Awards, reported this week that the awards are being printed and will be sent shortly to all those who have applied. + The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2019 for K-12 students in U.S. public, private and home schools can enter the Mars 2020 Name the Rover essay contest. One grand prize winner will name the rover and be invited to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Name the Rover contest is part of NASA's efforts to engage students in the STEM enterprise behind Mars exploration and inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NASA posted all the info at: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/name-the-rover/ + NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has produced a safety guide for approaching a black hole. Watch this video before you blast off to learn more about black holes and (more importantly) how to stay safe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMTwtb3TVIk&feature=youtu.be Brochures, science video clips are available for downloading from: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13322 NASA has produced a visualization model of the appearance of a black hole depending on the observer's angle of approach https://youtu.be/o-Psuz7u5OI (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center) + 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/ + AMSAT SA has announced that parallel to its analogue Kletskous CubeSat, the group is working on a digital project featuring a Software defined transponder. Called AfriCUBE, the CubeSat will use the same space frame as KLETSKOUS. Anton Janovsky is current- ly building a prototype transponder. AMSATSA is inviting persons interested in becoming part of the development team to send their details to admin(a)amsatsa.org.za. + Dance like nobody's watching! A Boston Dynamics robot performs its gymnastics floor routine: https://youtu.be/_sBBaNYex3E [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-263 Special Bulletin - 2019 Election Results
by JoAnne K9JKM 20 Sep '19

20 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-263.01 In this Special Bulletin: * 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-263.01 ANS-263 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 263.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 20, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-263.01 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results As a result of the 2019 Board of Directors Election, Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK; and Michelle Thompson, W5NYV; will serve on the board for two years. The First Alternate is Brennan Price, N4QX. The Second Alternate is Howard (Howie) Defelice, AB2S. Both will serve for a term of one year. The results of the voting with 1,052 ballots cast (892 electronic + 160 paper) are as follows: 675 votes ... Michelle Thompson, W5NYV 585 votes ... Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK 526 votes ... Jerry Buxton, N0JY 515 votes ... Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA 480 votes ... Brennan Price, N4QX 435 votes ... Howard (Howie) Defelice, AB2S 399 votes ... Paul Stoetzer, N8HM 366 votes ... Jeff Johns, WE4B These results submitted September 20, 2019 by Clayton Coleman, W5PFG AMSAT Secretary /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers life memberships, and 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 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 Contributing Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-258 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark D. Johns 14 Sep '19

14 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-258 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: * Request For Cooperation in Receiving FO-29 (Fuji 3) * NO-104 Camera Will be 'Live' This Week * Chinese Taurus-1 Amateur Satellite Launched * Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Grant to ARISS * IARU Region 3 Approves New 15m Satellite Allocation * Improvements to the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page * Volunteer Opportunity - AMSAT Looking for Graphics Designer * Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process * AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, October 12-13 * Final Steps Taken Toward ELaNa 25 Amateur Satellite Launch * AMSAT Academy at the Albuquerque Duke City Hamfest * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * DM02 Satellite Expedition Sunday, September 22 - N6O/MM * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-258.01 ANS-258 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 258.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2019-Sept-15 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-258.01 Request for cooperation in receiving Fuji 3 (FO-29) The amateur satellite “Fuji 3” has been unable to confirm the opera- tion of CW telemetry and heterodyne repeaters after 21:45 (UTC) on July 9, 2019, but is more unstable than yesterday. However, while con- firming the operation of CW telemetry and heterodyne repeaters, we con- tinue to test for stable operation. Therefore, those who can receive CW telemetry of Fuji No. 3 (FO-29) will try to start with a command during the next pass through Japan, so please report the reception report to the following address. (Time of pass through Japan) 2019/09/14 06:40 16:45 (UTC) 2019/09/15 05:40 17:35 (UTC) [Send email address of received report] oper(a)jarl.org We ask for your cooperation in collecting information on Fuji 3 of many users. JARL Secretariat Member Section “Fuji 3” Telemetry --------------------------------------------------------------------- NO-104 Camera Will be 'Live' This Week Controllers for NO-104 (PSAT-2) announced on September 13 that they have commanded the camera to take a picture and store it into memory every 10 minutes. This mode should last for 7 days or at least to next commanding session on Monday. The transmitting counter, which selects a picture for downlink, is not sychronized with the camera, so there is an uncertain delay between ac- quiring a picture and its transmission, up to a maximum of 64 minutes. Every picture will be downlinked just once so every reception counts. The downlink is not operating during eclipse. Further info on https://github.com/alpov/PSAT-2/blob/master/README.md [ANS thanks Ales Povalac, OK2ALP, and Tomas Urbanec, OK2PNQ, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chinese Taurus-1 Amateur Satellite Launched BG2BHC reported on Twitter that Taurus-1 launched on Thursday, Sept. 12 on the CZ-4B launch from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Taurus-1 carries an FM to Codec2 repeater that operates using the same protocol as LO-90 (LilacSat-1) and can use the same software (after frequencies are changed). FM uplink is on 145.820 MHz, downlink on 436.760 MHz, and the telemetry downlink is on 435.840 MHz. CelesTrak currently has three objects from the launch cataloged out of an expected four. The currently cataloged objects are 2019-059A, 2019-059B, and 2019-059D. TLEs can be found at https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, reports that Doppler measurements suggest that Taurus 1 is object 44530 (2019-059C), and the actual measured telemetry downlink frequency: 435.8387 MHz. TLEs can be found at https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt For more information about this unique analog uplink, digital downlink system, see the AMSAT Journal article / Symposium paper about LO-90 at https://tinyurl.com/y6jzoful [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, adn Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Grant to ARISS Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the Next Generation radio system. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June of 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. The ARISS Next Generation radio system (or Inter Operable Radio System - IORS) will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including: +New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities. +Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS. +New multi-voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted. In July, the Inter Operable Radio System successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station. Final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch is now underway and ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year. For more information on the award please see: https://www.ampr.org/g2019-09-01a/ To contribute to ARISS and the IORS please see: https://www.ariss.org/donate.html ARISS and AMSAT thank ARDC for their generosity in supporting this important project. [ANS thanks ARISS, the AMSAT office, and ARDC for the above informa- tion.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Symposium Papers Due September 23rd! Final copies of papers must be submitted by September 23rd for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(at)amsat.org +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Region 3 Approves New 15m Satellite Allocation The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) - Region 3 (Asia-Pacific Region) Directors meeting was held in Tokyo September 2-3. A modified interim Region 3 bandplan was approved which included an Amateur-Sat- ellite Service allocation in the 15m band. The modified interim Region 3 bandplan proposed by the Region 3 Bandplan Committee was approved. A notable change was addition of a satellite portion in 15m Band as agreed at the last Region 3 Conference. The interim IARU Region 3 band- plan is available at: https://tinyurl.com/y637aw47 A complete report of the Region 3 Directors meeting may be found at: https://amsat-uk.org/2019/09/12/iaru-r3-bandplan/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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 $33,580 raised or about 22% 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Improvements to the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page Thanks to the efforts of new member Ed Little, KN6DBC, improvements have been made to www.amsat.org/status<http://www.amsat.org/status>, specifically, some filtering of the "Your Callsign" field has been added in an effort to reject the occasional nonsense report. The entry must look like a callsign, for example it must have at least one digit, it must not end with a digit etc. As a bonus, the "Your Grid Square" field has been added. Separate en- tries are now preferred instead of workarounds like KM1P-FN42. AMSAT maintains this page to give a single global reference point for all users in the Amateur Satellite Service to show the most up-to-date status of all satellites as actually reported in real time by users around the world. Please help others and keep it current every time you access a bird. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Volunteer Opportunity - AMSAT Looking for Graphics Designer AMSAT has a need for a volunteer graphics designer to occasionally assist with page layout of our in-house advertising panels for the AMSAT Journal. The Journal uses Adobe InDesign software to publish but our software can import and place PDF and JPG formatted pages that you create with the graphics tools of your choice. If you can fill this need contact Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP-User Services at ke4al (at) amsat.org. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has ann- ounced the schools/host organizations selected for amateur radio con- tacts with the ISS during the first half of 2020. A total of 9 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accept- ed to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engin- eering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and re- lated areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide sched- uling opportunities for the 9 US host organizations during the January to June 2020 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling oppor- tunities offered by NASA. The schools and host organizations are: Celia Hays Elementary School, Rockwall, Texas Golden Gate Middle School, Naples, Fla. J.P. McConnell Middle School, Loganville, Ga. Kittredge Magnet School, Atlanta, Ga. Maple Dale Elementary School, Cincinnati, Ohio Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tenn. Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, Calif. Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, Calif. River Ridge High School, New Port Richey, Fla. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooper- ative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engin- eering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, October 12-13 The AMSAT-UK Colloquium, incorporated into the RSGB Convention, will take place October 12-13 at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Timbold Drive, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ. A webstream of the Colloquium talks will be available at https://batc.org.uk/live/ Booking for the RSGB Convention which includes the AMSAT-UK Colloquium is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/ The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating Amateur Radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby. Included will be a roundup of a number of new live and potential space- craft projects that are under investigation and/or development, plus all the usual networking opportunities, the gala dinner, auction and raffle. Travel Information http://kentshillpark.com/how-to-find-us The full schedule for both the AMSAT-UK Colloquium and RSGB Convention talks is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Steps Taken Toward ELaNa 25 Amateur Satellite Launch The upcoming NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission 25 is scheduled to boost several new satellites carrying amateur radio into space this fall. The launch will carry more than a dozen cubesats to the ISS for deploy- ment, including two satellites of particular interest to amateurs: TJREVERB - Thomas Jefferson High School, Alexandria, Va. will carry a 145.825 MHz APRS digipeater. Information on TJREVERB may be found at https://activities.tjhsst.edu/cubesat/index.php HuskySat – University of Washington, Seattle will be boosted into a higher, 500km orbit via the Cygnus external deployment device, and will carry a V/U linear transponder provided in cooperation with AMSAT. The HuskySat web page is https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/huskysatellitelab/huskysat-1 Although launch schedules and manifests are always subject to change, other satellites announced for the ELaNa 25 launch that have secured IARU coordination for amateur frequencies are: Argus – St. Louis University, Mo. (437 MHz telemetry) AzTechSat-1 – NASA Ames Research Center, Calif. (437 MHz telemetry) CySat – Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (436 MHz telemetry) Phoenix – Arizona State University, Tempe (437 & 2400 MHz telemetry) RadSat-U – Montana State University, Bozeman (437 MHz telemetry) SPOC - University of Georgia, Athens (437 & 2400 MHz telemetry) SwampSat II - University of Florida, Gainesville (437 & 2400 MHz telemetry) [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Academy at the Albuquerque Duke City Hamfest AMSAT® Academy 2.0, which builds on last year's day-long course to in- clude: guidance on how to set up a portable satellite ground station; guidance on how to join a growing network of stations that capture, record, and submit amateur-radio satellite telemetry to a central re- pository; and practical tips for breaking the ice with local schools in order to fold amateur-radio satellite and Amateur Radio in the In- ternational Space Station (ARISS) activities into STEM education ef- forts. This year's AMSAT® Academy instructors include Robert Bankston, KE4AL, vice-president, User Services, Amateur Radio Amateur Satellite Corpor- ation (AMSAT), Ron Bondy, AD0DX, an AMSAT® Ambassador, and long-time satellite enthusiasts Dan Eggert, AC9E, and Bill Ripley, KY5Q, an em- bedded-systems architect. The course fee is $30, and includes break- fast and a copy of the organization's "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites." Info about the hamfest is http://www.dukecityhamfest.org. Specific info on the AMSAT Academy is at: http://www.dukecityhamfest.org/amsat-academy . [ANS thanks Bill Ripley, KY5Q, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Templestowe College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK6MJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The sched- uled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV. Contact is go for: Wednesday, 18 September, 2019 at 08:06:32 UTC 42 deg Boys and Girls Club, Ft. Meade, MD., telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV. Contact is go for: Friday, 20 September, 2019 at 19:58:23 UTC 54 deg School in Bulgaria, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled astronaut is TBD. Contact is go for Tuesday, 24 September at 16:10 UTC. [ANS thanks ARISS team member Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- DM02 Satellite Expedition Sunday, September 22 - N6O/MM Alex, N7AGF, and Ron, AD0DX, are planning to activate DM02 on Sunday, September 22, 2019 on FM and Linear satellites. It's a 5 or 6 hour boat trip to anchor off San Clemente Island. We will be on the water for 22 hours and operating around 10 hours beginning around 3:00 AM PDT (1000Z) on Sunday, September 22 The cost of the boat is $2500 and we would appreciate contributions to help offset this cost. In the 24 hours after posting to Twitter we have received around $1300 which Alex and I are very thankful for. The island has Verizon and AT&T and Alex has a Garmin InReach so we should be able to tweet passes. The plan is to make as many passes as possible once we start operating around 3:00 AM PDT. We may skip some of the low western passes. We will be using N6O/mm and we have a qrz.com page with all the details: https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O If you need the grid please give us a call! Of course this is dependent on the weather, but the captain says it has been a good September so far. If you are able to contribute financially we really appreciate the help to offset some of our costs. Details to contribute are on the N6O QRZ.com webpage. [ANS thanks Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations EN54/EN64 September 13-15 Brad Smith, KC9UQR, will be active on AO-91 and AO-92 while traveling this weekend in Wisconsin. DN11/DN12 + DN03 September 17, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ is heading to the DN11/DN12 line, September 17th. Look for him on SO-50, AO-92, and AO-91, between 1657z and 1812z. On the way back, Casey will make a quick stop in DN03 to catch te 2043z PO-101 pass. Watch Casey’s Twitter feed for further updates https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ DM02/mm (need we say more) September 22, 2019 Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, are chartering a boat to the ultra-rare DM02 grid square. They will use the special event call sign November 6 Ocean/Maritime Mobile. Expected window of operation is from 1000z to 1900z, Sunday, September 22nd. More information is available on QRZ https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O to include how you can help support this monumental operation. Ron and Alex are expected to have cellular service out there, so keep an eye on their Twitter feeds https://twitter.com/ad0dx and https://twitter.com/N7AGF FP, ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON (GN17) September 24 to October 8, 2019 Eric, KV1J, will once again be oper ating from the Island of Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J between Septem- ber 24th and October 8th. This is his 13th trip to the island. Activi- ty will be on 160-6 meters (no 60M – not author ized) using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 (but primarily SSB, RTTY and FT8) and the satellites. He will generally be on the highest frequency band that is open (favoring 12/10m). He will be active in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 28- 29th). ADDED NOTE: Eric will usually try to be on as many Satellite passes as he can when the WX is good, generally favoring the FO-29, XW-2x, AO-7, and possibly the FM birds. Eric states, “Equipment is two FT-817s and an Arrow dual band yagi. I’ll favor the SSB birds usually higher in the passband, but will also try FM if they do not get too busy. Satellite logging is by paper so may not get loaded to LoTW until the week after I return to the USA.” Weekends may be limited since he will be concentrating on the low(er) bands and contests. QSL via KV1J, direct or by the Bureau. Also eQSL, ClubLog and LoTW. For more details and updates, check out his Web page at: http://www.kv1j.com/fp/Sep19.html Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations! https://www.amsat.org/events/was-w3zm/ [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The AMSAT-LU WSPR Picoballoon on 14.0956 USB released August 31 is about to complete its first circumnavigation of the globe after tra- veling 33,000 km in 12 days. AMSAT-LU appreciate any WSPR stations that help to receive it, AMSAT-LU will recognize with a certificate to stations that capture its 25 mW beacon. Also the APRS PicoBalloon (145.825 via Sat 1W) will be returning to South America. Full story with links at https://tinyurl.com/y5xkbrbr (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information) + For Flashback Friday, AMSAT released disk images of Bob McGwier, N4HY's QUIKTRAK for both the Commodore 64 and Apple II to provide a fun look back at the state-of-the art in satellite tracking in the mid-1980s. Check them out at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-258-FBF + The Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Hawaii has applied to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) for frequency coordination for the amateur radio payloads aboard its Neutron-1 spacecraft. The amateur payload will provide a V/U FM voice repeater for amateur and educational purposes. Proposed are 1k2-9k6 AX telem- etry and FM voice UHF downlink and a VHF FM uplink. The Neutron-1 website is: https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/web/neutron1/ (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information) + Japan called off a planned cargo ship launch to the International Space Station on September 10 after a fire erupted on the launch platform for the mission's rocket. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + The Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) has signed a 5-year agreement to keep Dayton Hamvention® at the Greene County Expo Cen- ter. The agreement was announced on September 9. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + After years of construction, China’s new radio telescope is in ac- tion. The telescope, called FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spher- ical Radio Telescope) has double the collecting power of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which has a 305 meter dish. Until now, Arecibo was the world’s largest radio dish of its type. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) * The College of Engineering at Villanova University has published a very nice feature story about the University's involvement with ham satellites. The article, titled, "They May be Building Nanosatel- lites, but there’s Nothing Small about Villanova’s CubeSat Club," may be found at: https://tinyurl.com/yytj6vsj + An article by Karl-Heinz Krawczyk, DL1GKK, describes how to install amateur radio software on the Raspberry Pi to provide the popular data modes, SSTV, satellite tracking, SDR, rig control and logbook. The English language article is available on the site of Indonesia's national amateur radio society ORARI: https://tinyurl.com/y4gb82hb (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information) + An interesting article on Satellite collisions has been published this week in SatNews Daily: https://tinyurl.com/yyk3f2q2 (ANS thanks Christy Hunter, KB6LTY, for the above information) + Help AMSAT return to Greater Orbits with Larger Footprints with ex- citing technologies like attitude determination and control, and software-defined transponders utilizing microwave bands. Consider a one-time or recurring donation today: https://tinyurl.com/y5kupb55 --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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-256 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS
by Paul Stoetzer 12 Sep '19

12 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-256 In this Special Bulletin: * Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-256.01 ANS-256 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 256.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD DATE September 13, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-256.01 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the Next Generation radio system. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June of 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. The ARISS Next Generation radio system (or Inter Operable Radio System - IORS) will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including: +New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities. +Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS. +New multi-voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted. In July, the Inter Operable Radio System successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station. Final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch is now underway and ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year. For more information on the award please see: https://www.ampr.org/g2019-09-01a/ To contribute to ARISS and the IORS please see: https://www.ariss.org/donate.html ARISS and AMSAT thank ARDC for their generosity in supporting this important project. [ANS thanks ARISS, the AMSAT office, and ARDC for the above information.] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers life memberships, and 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 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 Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-251 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 07 Sep '19

07 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-251 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 Board of Directors Election Ballots Due September 15 * 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium Preliminary Schedule Now Available * 2019 AMSAT Symposium Early-Bird Registration Ends September 15 * DM02 Satellite Expedition Sunday, September 22 - N6O/MM * VUCC Awards & Endorsements for August 2019 * How to Support AMSAT * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-251.01 ANS-251 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 251.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. September 8, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-251.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Don't miss the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium October 18-20 in Arlington, VA. https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Board of Directors Election Ballots Due September 15 Votes must be received no later than Sunday, September 15, 2019 in order to be counted in the 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election. AMSAT members should have received ballots by mail. Members who have not yet received their ballot must contact ElectionBuddy via email to amsat(a)electionbuddy.com [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium Preliminary Schedule Now Available A preliminary schedule of events for the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium has been posted to the AMSAT website. It can be accessed at https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 AMSAT Symposium Early-Bird Registration Ends September 15 An early-bird registration rate for the 37th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, Friday through Sunday, October 18-20, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia, is available through September 15, 2019 per the following schedule: Early Registration Through September 15, 2019 ......... $60 Registration September 16, 2019 – October 11, 2019 .... $65 Registration at the Door .............................. $70 You can complete your registration on-line via the AMSAT Store: https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-symposium/ This year, all registrants will receive a digital copy of the Proceed- ings on a thumb drive. Attendees may purchase a hard copy for $25.00. Non-attendees may put their name on a waiting list for a hard copy, if there are any left over. The digital version of the Proceedings will be made available on the online store shortly after the Symposium concludes. Student Registration is 50% off and does not include the Proceedings. [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Symposium Papers Due September 23rd! Final copies of papers must be submitted by September 23rd for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(at)amsat.org +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- DM02 Satellite Expedition Sunday, September 22 - N6O/MM Alex, N7AGF, and Ron, AD0DX, are planning to activate DM02 on Sunday, September 22, 2019 on FM and Linear satellites. It's a 5 or 6 hour boat trip to anchor off San Clemente Island. We will be on the water for 22 hours and operating around 10 hours beginning around 3:00 AM PDT (1000Z) on Sunday, September 22 The cost of the boat is $2500 and we would appreciate contributions to help offset this cost. In the 24 hours after posting to Twitter we have received around $1300 which Alex and I are very thankful for. The island has Verizon and AT&T and Alex has a Garmin InReach so we should be able to tweet passes. The plan is to make as many passes as possible once we start operating around 3:00 AM PDT. We may skip some of the low western passes. We will be using N6O/mm and we have a qrz.com page with all the details: https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O If you need the grid please give us a call! Of course this is dependent on the weather, but the captain says it has been a good September so far. If you are able to contribute financially we really appreciate the help to offset some of our costs. Details to contribute are on the N6O QRZ.com webpage. [ANS thanks Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC Awards & Endorsements for August 2019 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period August 1, 2019 through September 1, 2019. Congrat- ulations to all those who made the list this month! CALL 01Aug 01Sep K8YSE 1884 1926 KO4MA 1673 1694 WA4NVM 1536 1544 N8RO 1068 1070 K8TL 982 1012 N6UK 626 675 N9IP 625 635 KE4AL 556 602 NS3L 505 526 W7QL 401 451 K9UO 425 450 PV8DX 360 373 AC9E 300 352 AD0HJ 282 300 PS8ET 275 274 N7EGY 200 250 W0NBC 106 137 KC9UQR 113 132 AI9IN 100 125 N7AME 100 125 N4QX 100 106 AA0MZ New 102 KI0G New 102 DL4ZAB New 101 KD8RTT New 101 WD9EWK (DM54) New 101 W7BMD New 100 If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work! [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 $4,194.21 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.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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 $33,580 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations +Canyon Tour (DM35, DM36, DM37, DM45, DM46) September 7-16, 2019 RJ, WY7AA, will be traveling from WY to Vegas and then off to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon and back to Vegas. He will certainly be activating DM35,36,37,45, and 46, and who knows what else he will throw in on his way there and back. Watch RJ’s Twitter feed for details. https://twitter.com/WY7AA +AM1SAT (All Grids in Spain) September 9-15, 2019 AMSAT-EA will be transmitting its special call AM1SAT via all active satellites from September 9th to September 15th as part of the V RadioHam Fair IberRadio 2019 activities. IberRadio is the biggest event for the ham community in Southwest Europe and will open doors September 14th and 15th . Learn more about IberRadio at http://www.iberradio.es. AM1SAT call sign will be active from a minimum of 14 different grids during that time to help satellite operators to collect as much EA locators as possible. As part of this activity and in order to promote the participation, AMSAT-EA is sponsoring the AM1SAT Special Award in two categories: SILVER and GOLD More info available at https://www.amsat-ea.org/ +DN11/DN12 + DN03 - September 17, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, is heading to the DN11/DN12 line, September 17th. Look for him on SO-50, AO-92, and AO-91, between 1657z and 1812z. On the way back, Casey will make a quick stop in DN03 to catch the 2043z PO-101 pass. Watch Casey’s Twitter feed for further updates https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ +DM02 - September 22, 2019 Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, are chartering a boat to the ultra-rare DM02 grid square. They will use the special event call sign November 6 Ocean/Maritime Mobile. Expected window of operation is from 1000z to 1900z, Sunday, September 22nd. More information is available on QRZ https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O to include how you can help support this monumental operation. Ron and Alex are expected to have cellular service out there, so keep an eye on their Twitter feeds https://twitter.com/ad0dx and https://twitter.com/N7AGF Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations! https://www.amsat.org/events/was-w3zm/ [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts from All Over +AMSAT Argentina reports that the digipeater on BugSat-1 / Tita is active at 9K6 AFSK, call=LU7AA, also a ?DX? command should give stations heard. Passes & Frequencies at http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=tita Pwr is 2W. (Via LU7AA, AMSAT Argentina) +A Japanese cargo spacecraft loaded with more than four tons of supplies,spare parts and experiment hardware is scheduled to launch from theTanegashima Space Center in southern Japan to the Inter- national Space Station at 5:33 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 10 (6:33 a.m. Sept. 11 in Japan). Live coverage of the launch and capture will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website. (Via NASA, https://tinyurl.com/ANS-251-NASA) +Having trouble uploading satellite QSOs to ARRL's Logboook of the World? See AMSAT's guide at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-251-LoTW +Looking for information about satellite frequencies or operating status? The AMSAT website has you covered! https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ +It's going to be an exciting fall for Amateur Radio in Space! The 50th Anniversary Space Symposium will take place in October and the launches of both RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E and HuskySat-1 carrying an AMSAT V/u transponder are expected to occur. --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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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