December 2021 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-360 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Dec 26
by Mark Johns, K0JM 25 Dec '21

25 Dec '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-360 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) To Be Launched Today * ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for Dec 26 * Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Engineer, SK * AO-73 Mode Change Made * Change Of Operation Schedule of FO-99 / NEXUS * New release of AMSAT Status for Android * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-360 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2021 Dec 26 CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) To Be Launched Today The CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) amateur radio satellite is scheduled to be launched today, 2021-12-26, at 03:11:31 UTC, and will be deployed at 98.858°E and 28.413°S at UTC 03:35:58, a location close to Western Australia. Radio amateurs will receive CW beacon and GMSK telemetry signals approximately 38 seconds after the satellite is separated from the launch vehicle, and then the linear transponder will be put into use after approximately 49 seconds. CAMSAT is looking for the CW beacon and telemetry monitoring from Western Australia, South America and North America during the first orbit of the satellite. A preliminary Two-Line Orbital Element set has been released. However, any launch delay will affect this prediction radically, and radar-confirmed TLEs will probably not be available for several days: XW-3(CAS-9) 1 99999U 21360.14997609 .00000032 00000-0 10363-4 0 00007 2 99999 098.5836 072.3686 0004232 307.2415 261.3002 14.38559758000156 CW telemetry beacon: *Frequency: 435.575MHz *RF power: 20dBm *CW rate: 22wpm GMSK telemetry: *Frequency: 435.725MHz *RF power: 23dBm *Data rate: 4800bps V/U mode linear transponder: *Uplink frequency: 145.870MHz *Downlink frequency: 435.180MHz *RF power: 20dBm *Bandwidth: 30kHz *Spectrum inverted Preliminary Doppler.SQF file entry: XW-3(CAS-9),435180,145870,USB,LSB,REV,0,0,V/U_Transponder A detailed CAS-9 user's manual is available at https://bit.ly/3EokTw5 [ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ LAST CALL for the 2021 President's Club! There are only a handful of 2021 coins left and when they are gone, they are gone. Don't miss this chance to own this one-of-a-kind coin because after January 1 they will no longer be available. Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin. This gold finished coin comes with Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for Dec 26 An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS). The event is slated to begin on December 26 at 18:25 UTC for setup and operation and continue until December 31 ending at 17:05 UTC. Dates and times subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments. Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. The main theme will be for this event will be lunar exploration. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/ . After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image. [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, and Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS Operations Team, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Engineer, SK Robert “Bob” Davis, 49, passed away on December 10, 2021 at his home in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Bob became part of the AMSAT Engineering team in 1996 after graduating from the University of Central Florida with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was instrumental in the revision to the satellite structure of the Phase 3D spacecraft, adding his expertise to the mounting system and solar panel deployment system. Bob was involved with every AMSAT & ARISS project since 1996, including Eagle, Suitsat, ARISSAT and the FOX series of satellites. He helped design, build, test and certify the FOX and next generation and was working on the GOLF satellites. More on Bob’s personal life and family can be found at https://www.serenitymeadows.com/obits. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to AMSAT at https://www.amsat.org/donations/kf4kss-memorial/. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-73 Mode Change Made FUNcube-1 (AO-73) mode has been changed. It will be in telemetry mode in sunlight and silent during eclipse. This will allow the team to gather valuable telemetry, including energy consumption and battery health in current illumination conditions. This is not an error! We are grateful for the continued uploading of telemetry data to the Amsat-UK data warehouse, and the continued support of everyone in gathering it! [ANS thanks Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, FUNcube Operations Team, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on NASA's ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Change Of Operation Schedule of FO-99 / NEXUS The NEXUS operation team has announced that the operation schedule for FO-99 / NEXUS has been changed. Recently, based on the situation where the operation of other general-purpose transponder satellites has become unstable one after another, we will temporarily operate the FO-99 / NEXUS transponder. The following 3 passes (1st pass on Sunday evening) are usually his schedule for digital talker operation, but we will change the schedule and temporarily operate transponders, so we will inform you. [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ New release of AMSAT Status for Android Loren Lang, K7IW, has developed an Android app for publishing status updates to the AMSAT website satellite status page ( https://www.amsat.org/status/) and pulling down previous reports through the site's published API. Since last year, Loren has fixed a few bugs on different Android platforms and also added a Google Maps view which shows the location of satellite reports on a map. It will also save preferred satellites and has a "find me" button for filling in the grid square automatically. The app is on the Android Play Store in a closed beta. To join in on the testing, open this link: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/org.northwinds.amsatstatus And the app can be opened on your phone with this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.northwinds.amsatstatus Or search for AMSAT Status. Please provide any feedback or feature requests you want on the app. [ANS thanks Loren Lang, K7IW, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Recent contacts: Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign was OR4ISS, and the crewmember was Matthias Maurer KI5KFH. The contact was successful: Tue 2021-12-21 08:24:05 UTC 81 deg Congratulation to the Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nürnberg students and Matthias! The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors 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 W8LR: Will be in EM78/EM88 beginning 12/23. Times to be posted on Twitter in the morning. N4DCW: Will be in EM84 from 12/23 – 12/26 EA5GX: Will be in the RS44 in the cross of 4 grids IM99, JN00, JM09, IN90 in afternoon of Dec. 26 at 17:42 and 19:41UTC around 345.655 +- W8MTB: Will be in EN71 on Wednesday December 29. If you need EN71 please email me and let me know so I can listen for you. No passes are a 100% guarantee but, most likely I’ll be on AO-91 and maybe SO-50. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. - Upcoming Zoom presentations to radio clubs in 2022: two in Canada, one in Central California To set up such a presentation for your club, contact: Clint Bradford, K6LCS AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL instructor http://www.work-sat.com 909-999-SATS (7287) [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + W2JV will be conducting "The Art of Working thru the Amateur Satellites" as part of the online "Ham Radio University" event on January 8th, 2022. Registration is now open at https://hamradiouniversity.org/ (ANS thanks Peter Portanova, W2JV, for the above information) + A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian cosmonaut and two Japanese private astronauts returned to Earth late Dec. 19. After 11 days on the station, the Soyuz returned to Earth Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin along with Japanese private astronauts Yusaku “MZ” Maezawa and Yozo Hirano. The flight brokered by American space tourism company Space Adventures. (ANS thanks Space News for the above information) + The liftoff of a SpaceX cargo ship on the way to the International Space Station early Tuesday was the 31st and final orbital launch from Florida’s Space Coast in 2021, setting a new record for the most space missions to depart from the spaceport in a calendar year. It was also the 31st Falcon 9 launch of the year overall for SpaceX, including 28 from Florida and three launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, setting a company record. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information) + Two new Astro Pi units launched were launched into space on December 21, 2021. The new Astro Pi units each consist of a Raspberry Pi computer with a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera and a host of sensors, all housed inside a special space-ready case that makes the hardware suitable for the International Space Station (ISS). The launch was the culmination of three years of work Raspberry Pi has done for the European Space Agency to get the new Astro Pi units ready to become part of the European Astro Pi Challenge. The complete story can be found at: https://bit.ly/3eoUBzi (ANS thanks the Raspberry Pi Foundation for the above information.) + Derek, OK9SGC, has recently uploaded a very comprehensive beginners guide to receiving HRPT weather satellite images. The guide covers almost everything from purchasing and building the hardware, to finding and tracking the satellites, to setting up the software and decoding images. HRPT reception can be a little daunting as it requires a good L-Band dish setup which involves choosing and building a feed, and importantly, a way to track the satellite with the dish as it moves across the sky. Find this story and a link to the guide at: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/ (ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information) + The WSJT-X development group has announced the release of WSJT-X 2.5.3. Those using FT-4 or other digital modes on linear satellites are reminded that most such operations occur at the low end of downlink passbands, and that transmitter power should be kept to a bare minimum to avoid damage to the satellites. (ANS thanks ARRL and AMSAT for the above information). + The James Webb Space Telescope, the “most powerful and complex space telescope ever built,” was successfully launched on Christmas Day after having been delayed a first time due to a communication issue between the observatory and the launch vehicle and then again for bad weather. JWST’s deployment process involves 50 deployment actions and 344 single-points of failure. As one NASA official said, “Those who are not worried or even terrified about this are not understanding what we are trying to do.” (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + A Merry Christmas to all our readers from the AMSAT News Service staff! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

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ANS-353 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 18 Dec '21

18 Dec '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-353 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) Satellite to Launch December 25th * 60th Anniversary of OSCAR 1 * Slides and Recordings of Open Source CubeSat Workshop Available * ISS SSTV Event Planned for December 26 - 31 * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 16, 2021 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-353 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2021 Dec 19 CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) Satellite to Launch December 25th CAMSAT's XW-3 (CAS-9) satellite has been installed on the CZ-4C Y39 launch vehicle at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China, and related work is in progress as planned. If all goes well, the satellite will be launched on December 25, 2021, it is piggybacked on the rocket with governmental primary payload ZY-1(02E) earth resources satellite. The orbit will be a circular sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 770.1 kilometers and an inclination of 98.58 degrees, the orbital period is 100.14 minutes. The user's manual of the XW-3 (CAS-9) satellite for radio amateurs is available at https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/XW-3_Amateur_Rad…, precise TLE will be available later. [ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, CAMSAT, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join the 2021 President's Club! Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin. This gold finished coin comes with Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 60th Anniversary of OSCAR 1 December 12th was the 60th anniversary of the launch of OSCAR 1, the world's first private spacecraft. An article entitled "How Amateur Radio Fanatics Launched The World's First Private Communications Satellite" appeared in Inverse. This article is largely based on an interview with Lance Ginner, K6GSJ, one of the designers of OSCAR 1 and can be found at https://www.inverse.com/science/60-oscar-1-presaged-the-cubesat-era A video of Lance Ginner's 2011 AMSAT Symposium Keynote describing the early days of Project OSCAR is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSCCZY1FgQ Ginner also took part in the Foundations of AMSAT panel at the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium in 2019. Video of this panel is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRmn4gjvuTI [ANS thanks Inverse, AMSAT, and Dave Hartzell, AA7EW, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Slides and Recordings of Open Source CubeSat Workshop Available The slides and recordings of last week's Open Source CubeSat Workshop can be found here: https://events.libre.space/event/5/contributions/ Thanks to all attendees, speakers & community for making this event all about interesting projects, inspiring ideas and collaborations revolving around open source, CubeSats and space technology. [ANS thanks Artur Scholz, Open Source CubeSat Workshop Committee, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS SSTV Event Planned for December 26 - 31 An ARISS SSTV Event is planned for December 26 through December 31. The general theme will be lunar exploration. The event will take place at the usual frequency of 145.800 MHz and the planned mode is PD 120. The event is scheduled to start at 18:25 UTC on December 26th and conclude at 17:05 UTC on December 31st. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 16, 2021 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has removed from this week's AMSAT TLE Distribution: AztechSat-1 - NORAD Cat ID 45261 (Decay date per Space-Track was 12-10-2021) [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany, telebridge via ON4ISS (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz (***) The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer KI5KFH Contact is go for: Tue 2021-12-21 08:24:05 UTC 81 deg (***) The next mode change to voice cross band repeater is expected to occur in early January, 2022. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors, 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 W8MTB: On Wednesday December 29, I will be in EN71. If you need EN71 please email me and let me know so I can listen for you. No passes are a 100% guarantee but, most likely I’ll be on AO-91 and maybe SO-50. Events: Radio Operadores del Este Club (KP3RE) and its FB Ham Satelites Puerto Rico page will be giving away until December 31, 2021 all the stations that have contacted Puerto Rico’s 4 grids FK67, FK68, FK77 and FK78 on Sat Mode. Need LOTW evidence (Photos) request via kp4rv(a)yahoo.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Clint Bradford, K6LCS, now have has presentations lined up to start the new year, including three clubs in Canada, and clubs in Florida, California, New York and Nevada! Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are solicited and welcome. Send an email or call! Clint Bradford K6LCS AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL instructor http://www.work-sat.com 909-999-SATS (7287) [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + The Lea Family is well-known in the Amateur Radio community. Recently, James underwent heart surgery and the procedure didn't go as planned. Jason Johnson has started a GoFundMe to help the Lea Family at this difficult time https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-lea-family (Thanks to Jason Johnson) + AMSAT wishes Scott Higginbotham a happy retirement! As mission manager of three NASA ELaNa missions, you helped AMSAT in sharing amateur radio satellite communication and student STEM experiment data worldwide for all to see. Thank you, and a hearty ham radio Morse Code "73"! (Thanks to Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President - Engineering) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-346 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Dec. 12
by Mark Johns, K0JM 11 Dec '21

11 Dec '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-346 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, Appointed Assistant VP, Engineering * AMSAT-HB Has Been Established * World's Smallest Lander from Japan will Put Ham Radio on the Moon * Analyzing Starlink Satellite Downlink Communications With SDR * ARISS Named Amateur Radio Newsline Newsmaker of the Year * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 9, 2021 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-346 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2021 Dec 12 Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, Appointed Assistant VP, Engineering At a meeting with the Board of Directors on Tuesday, December 7 VP Engineering appointed Jonathan Brandenburg as Assistant Vice President, Engineering to oversee a new program tentatively named "Fox Plus". "Jonathan brought a new idea to me, for continuous LEO presence through a refresh of AMSAT's Fox-1 FM Satellite. In using the basic Fox-1 bus design, the ability to fly not only student STEM experiments but our own radio experiments as well, provides an opportunity to refresh the presence of LEO "Easy-Sat" type communications and bring in new volunteer engineers to develop the new transceiver and power supply needed to resurrect Fox-1 type CubeSats" said Jerry Buxton, VP Engineering. "In addition, Jonathan has further intentions targeting frequent deliveries of Fox Plus CubeSats into orbit, wide use of open-source in the program, and utilizing the ASCENT platform for development of future iterations of Fox Plus." "The Fox Plus working title indicates both the continued Fox-1 type presence in LEO as well as the added growth in technology and human resources that will come with the program. I think it is a well thought, and very suitable name for the new program." The 2022 Engineering budget which was also part of the meeting and passed by the Board includes funds for the startup of the new program. "Jonathan has a good vision and plan for this new program that will generate new engineering opportunities, especially focused on new volunteers working in groups on parts of the whole. Fox Plus will also provide the open source startup that we were seeking, and work on Fox Plus and through ASCENT should provide new technology for use beyond LEO as well, as we continue our course in returning to HEO" Buxton said. Jonathan has already begun work, and will be reaching out with updates and information on how to volunteer as the program gets into gear in early 2022. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, AMSAT VP Engineering, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-HB Has Been Established A new amateur radio satellite organisation AMSAT-HB was formed in Switzerland on November 26, 2021. With QO-100, interest in amateur radio services via satellites has also risen sharply in Switzerland. But not only the geostationary satellite fascinates the radio amateurs: The ARISS project (space station ISS), low-flying satellites, tracking of scientific deep space missions, etc., are attracting more and more attention. More and more experiments are being carried out with SDR technology in these areas. But the colleges and universities are also increasingly concerned with the topic and are looking for help from various radio amateurs in Switzerland. These and other radio amateurs were of the opinion that it was time to join forces in Switzerland. For this reason, the AMSAT-HB was founded on Friday, November 26th, 2021 in Nottwil, Lucerne. The association has set itself the goal of promoting the amateur radio service via satellites in Switzerland, but also internationally. The President of AMSAT-DL, Peter Gülzow - DB2OS, was involved in this project in advance. He suggested the establishment of an AMSAT-HB early on and also used his knowledge to help design it. When it was founded, Peter Gülzow took on the role of godparent and led the founding meeting live from Hanover via Web. The following radio amateurs were involved as founding members (alphabetically according to callsign - the board positions in brackets) • DB2OS, Peter Gülzow (founding god and now honorary member of AMSAT-HB) • HB9ARK, Martin Klaper (Technical Responsible) • HB9CQK, Frédéric Furrer • HB9DUN / DH2VA, Achim Vollhardt • HB9MFL, Armin Rösch • HB9SKA, Thomas Frey (Actuary and Treasurer ad interim) • HB9RYZ, Wolfgang Sidler (Vice President) • HB9WDF, Michael Lipp (President) One of the first decisions of the association was to apply to the USKA for collective membership. AMSAT-HB https://www.amsat-hb.org/ https://twitter.com/Amsat_hb USKA https://www.uska.ch/ [ANS thanks Thomas Frey, HB9SKA, Actuary AMSAT-HB for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join the 2021 President's Club! Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin. This gold finished coin comes with Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ World's Smallest Lander from Japan will Put Ham Radio on the Moon Japan's OMOTENASHI, the world's smallest moon lander, will have an X-band and UHF communication system, although it will not carry an amateur band transponder. OMOTENASHI is a 6U CubeSat set for launch via a NASA SLS rocket as early as February 2022. It will have a mission period of from 4 to 5 days. The name is an acronym for Outstanding Moon Exploration Technologies demonstrated by Nano Semi-Hard Impactor. Wataru Torii of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Ham Radio Club, JQ1ZVI, said radio amateurs can play a role in gathering data from the spacecraft. The spacecraft is made up of two separable components, both having independent communication systems -- an orbiting module and a surface probe. The orbiting module will take the surface probe to the moon. It will transmit beacon or digital telemetry data on UHF (437.31 MHz). The surface probe -- the moon lander -- will transmit digital telemetry or three-axis acceleration analog-wave with FM modulation on UHF (437.41 MHz). Transmitter power will be 1 W in both cases. "If we succeed in receiving the UHF signal from the surface probe, we could know the acceleration data on the impact on the moon and the success of the landing sequence," Torii explained. "We already have a station for uplink and downlink at Wakayama in Japan -- used as an EME [moonbounce] station. However, if the satellite is invisible from Japan, we cannot receive the downlink signal. So, we need a lot of help from ham radio stations worldwide." The orbiting module beacon will transmit on 437.31 MHz using PSK31. The surface probe beacon will transmit on 437.41 MHz using FM, PSK31, and PCM-PSK/PM. Contact Torii, JQ1ZVI, at torii.wataru [at] jaxa.jp for more information. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Analyzing Starlink Satellite Downlink Communications With SDR Often, mere curiosity is sufficient to do something. This is also the case with people trying to analyze the communication setup and protocol which SpaceX is using with their Ku-band based Starlink satellites. One of these fine folk is Christian Hahn, who has recently posted some early findings to r/StarlinkEngineering over at Reddit. Some of the captured data seems to include the satellite ID system that ground-based user stations would presumably use to keep track of overhead Starlink satellites. For the capturing itself, Christian is using a second-hand dish for capture and a DIY SDR using KC705 FPGA-based hardware – which may have begun its life as crypto mining hardware – along with the usual assortment of filters and other common components with this kind of capture. Even at this early time, some features of the Starlink protocol seem quite obvious, such as the division into channels and the use of guard periods. Nothing too earth-shattering, but as a fun SDR hobby it definitely checks all the boxes. Christian has also announced that at some point he’ll set up a website and publish the findings and code that should make Starlink signal analysis easy for anyone with a readily available SDR receiver. https://hackaday.com/2021/11/26/analyzing-starlink-satellite-downlink-commu… [ANS thanks Stephen Walters, G7VFY, and Southgate ARC for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on NASA's ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS Named Amateur Radio Newsline Newsmaker of the Year Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has been named Amateur Radio Newsline Newsmaker of the Year. “This group, based across 15 countries around the world, has been supporting amateur radio from the space station and performing school links around the world to astronauts for over 20 years,” the announcement pointed out. “As well as enthusing youngsters in the magic of space and radio, they have also generated publicity for amateur radio in the mainstream media channels of radio, TV, and newspapers.” [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 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 December 9, 2021 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has removed from this week's AMSAT TLE Distribution: EcAMSat - NORAD Cat ID 43019 (Decay date per Space-Track was 12-08-2021) The following satellite is now End of Mission and has been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE Distribution: HO-107 (HuskySat-1) - NORAD Cat ID 45119 (per www.amsat.org) [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide unless noted otherwise below. RECENT CONTACTS: Notre Dame Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School, Kyoto, Japan, direct via 8N3ND. Contact with crewmember is Raja Chari KI5LIU was scheduled for Thursday 2021-12-09 08:33:35 UTC 83 deg. DLR_School_Lab Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, multi-point telebridge via DN2DLR. Contact with crewmember Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH, was scheduled for Friday 2021-12-10 13:50:53 UTC 61 deg. Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, GA, direct via K4RGK. Contact with crewmember Thomas Marshburn, KE5HOC, was scheduled for Friday 2021-12-10 15:09:58 UTC 54 deg SCHEDULED CONTACTS: Wolfgang-Kubelka-Realschule (WKR), Schondorf am Ammersee, Germany, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. Contact with crewmember Matthias Maurer, KI5KF, is go for Monday 2021-12-13 09:51:56 UTC 46 deg. Starting about 5 minutes before AOS, watch for Livestream at: www.ariotti.com Technisches Bildungszentrum Mitte (TBZ Mitte), Bremen, Germany, direct via DN3HB AND Carl Prueter Oberschule, Sulingen, Germany, direct via DN6OE. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be DPØISS. Contact WITH crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH, is go for Thursday 2021-12-16 10:45:25 UTC 74 deg The next mode change to packet is expected to occur in early December. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors 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 K4DCA: Still in planning stages, but has mentioned EM97,EM96, FM07, FM08 Radio Operadores del Este Club (KP3RE) and its FB Ham Satelites Puerto Rico page will be giving away a certificate until December 31, 2021 to all the stations that have contacted Puerto Rico’s 4 grids FK67, FK68, FK77 and FK78 on Sat Mode. Need LOTW evidence (Photos) request via kp4rv(a)yahoo.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. None currently scheduled. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The U.S. Senate has confirmed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for a new term on the Commission with a vote of 68 - 31. President Joe Biden appointed Rosenworcel as Chair of the FCC in late October. For now, the FCC will continue with two Democrats and two Republicans led by Chairwoman Rosenworcel. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + Scientists have developed a hi-tech sleeping bag that could prevent the vision problems that some astronauts experience while living in space. Its development was led by Dr Benjamin Levine, professor of internal medicine at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who is working on having the device deployed on the International Space Station (ISS). In zero-gravity, fluids float into the head and squash the eyeball over time. It's regarded as one of the riskiest medical problems affecting astronauts. The sleeping bag, developed with outdoor equipment manufacturer REI, fits around the person's waist, enclosing their lower body within a solid frame. A suction device, that works on the same principle as a vacuum cleaner, creates a pressure difference that draws fluid down towards the feet. This prevents it from building up in the brain and applying damaging pressure to the eyeball. (ANS thanks BBC.com for the above information) + The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is once again fully operational after experiencing technical issues. With this latest restoration of operations, Hubble is well on its way to completing 32 years of service. [Not quite matching AO-7, which is approaching the age of 48! - Editor] (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) + NASA announced Dec. 3 its intent to purchase three more commercial crew missions from SpaceX as a hedge against further delays in the certification of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner. These missions will be in addition to the six missions that SpaceX won as part of its Commercial Crew Transportation contract in 2014. SpaceX launched the third of those six original missions, Crew-3, to the International Space Station on Nov. 10. It is scheduled to launch the Crew-4 mission in the spring of 2022, likely to be followed by Crew-5 in the fall of 2022. (ANS thanks Space News for the above information) + Operators are reminded that the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page is available at https://www.amsat.org/status/ Satellite operators are invited to consult the page for up to date information about which satellites are available and functioning. Operators ar also requested to contribute reports to the Status Page concerning their operations and observations. (ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information) + A key member of the WSJT-X development group — where FT8 and other cutting-edge digital amateur radio technology has originated — has died. Bill Somerville, G4WJS, was reported to have passed away earlier this week. He was in his mid-60s, and his death was unexpected. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + Not quite a Christmas miracle, nor the star of Bethlehem: Comet Leonard is a rather typical comet going about its typical path around the Sun. However, it might become visible to the naked eye around its close approach. On 12 December at 13:52 UTC, it will make its closest approach to Earth during this rotation, still an enormous 35 million kilometres away. Look low in the southwestern sky about 45 minutes after sunset. (ANS thanks ESA for the above information) + Please continue to use AO-91 and AO-92 only when the satellites are illuminated by the sun. AO-92 telemetry and repeater are intermittent. AO-91 telemetry is turned off but the FM repeater works when the satellite is in the sun. Reminder: Satellite in sun is approximately equal to user in daytime. For exact information on eclipse vs. illumination, check software such as SatPC32. (ANS thanks Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, AMSAT operations, for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

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ANS-339 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 04 Dec '21

04 Dec '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-339 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * New Senior Leadership Team at ARISS * FO-29 & FO-99 Operation Schedules For December 2021 * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for December 1,2021 * Discussion of PCSAT (NO-84) lifetime: Debris and Orbital Decay * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-339 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2021 Dec 05 New Senior Leadership Team at ARISS In May 2020, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Inc. (ARISS-USA) created a new 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization to enhance and expand ARISS initiatives in the USA. To support the variety of new functions and roles of this organization, ARISS-USA has augmented its Senior Leadership team by selecting five new members. Martin Schulman, Associate Director: In this role, Mr. Schulman will work with the Executive Director, delegating routine tasks, enhancing perspective, and serving as a backup to the executive director when necessary. He will also serve as a member of the ARISS-USA board. Mr. Schulman has over 30 years of experience in telecommunications, programming, and computer security, and is also an active volunteer with the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club in Sterling, Virginia. Tom Henderson, Secretary: In this role, Mr. Henderson will have the primary duty of ensuring that the internal matters of the organization run smoothly and efficiently. He will record and keep the minutes of all meetings of the Board. Mr. Henderson also serves as the custodian of the ARISS-USA Minute Book and additional books and records as the Board may direct. Mr. Henderson’s profession is IT infrastructure and systems security research. He is also current president of the Bloomington, Indiana Amateur Radio Club. Jena Dunham, Director of Volunteer Resources: Ms. Dunham will be responsible for the recruitment, basic training, and retention of volunteers needed to complete ARISS-USA’s mission. She will also maintain the volunteer database, manage subscriptions to the mailing lists, and generate policies regarding volunteer conduct. Ms. Dunham is an experienced nurse practitioner in the state of Kansas and has served as a volunteer for 4-H and the Stormont Vail hospital system. Rita DeHart, Director of Public Engagement: Ms. DeHart will be responsible for raising public awareness of the ARISS program. This includes the management of all communication methods with the public (including, but not limited to, website, press releases, articles, and all forms of social media). She will also be responsible for the management of conference participation. Ms. DeHart has 46 years in the electric power industry and is an active member of the Tampa Amateur Radio Club. Randy Berger, Director of Engineering: Mr. Berger is responsible for planning and executing the development of hardware and software systems that will enhance the primary goals of ARISS-USA, specifically STEM education and backup communications for crew members on human spaceflight vehicles. Mr. Berger’s scope of engineering involvement will support the efforts of ARISS and includes everything within the engineering purview of ARISS, such as ISS, Lunar Gateway, satellite developments, and future government and commercial space ventures. International collaboration and coordination on systems and engineering strategies will be paramount in this role along with the understanding of national and international collaboration laws and constraints (such as ITAR) that is critically important in this role. Mr. Berger is an experienced technology officer and has been involved with amateur radio since the 1970s. The new team members will join veteran leaders Frank Bauer (Executive Director), Carol Jackson (Treasurer), and Kathy Lamont (Director of Education). The Senior Leadership Team will work closely with long-time ARISS US Delegates Rosalie White (ARRL) and Dave Taylor (AMSAT). The Director of Business Development and Director of Operations positions currently remain vacant. [ANS thanks Rita DeHart, KC4RMS, ARISS-USA Director of Public Engagement for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join the 2021 President's Club! Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin. This gold finished coin comes with Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FO-29 & FO-99 Operation Schedules For December 2021 The FO-29 transponder will be switched on as the satellite passes over Japan on the following dates and times. It will remain on until the onboard low voltage safety circuit triggers shutdown. Thus, the satellite may or may not be active when passing over areas in eclipse. All dates and times are UTC: 2021 Dec. UTC 3 22:53 4 00:40 10 23:28 12 00:18 18 00:03 23:08 24 22:52 25 00:37 28 22:42 29 00:27 23:32 30 01:18 22:37 31 00:22 23:27 2022 Jan. UTC 1 22:32 2 00:17 23:22 3 01:08 22:27 FO-29 will be fully sunshine from January 29, next year. It is hoped that the transponder can operate normally during the period of full illumination. The December operating schedule for NEXUS(FO-99) may be found at: https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=1678 (ANS thanks Akira Kaneko, JA1OGZ, and JAMSAT for the above information) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Awards-Endorsements for December 1,2021 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period November 1, 2021 through December 1, 2021. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! CALL Nov. December VE7CEW 555 600 VE1CWJ 335 585 MI6GTY 462 579 N9FN 561 567 W8LR 500 526 KS1G 484 525 PV8DX 412 423 VE4MM 401 421 KE8RJU 256 417 KQ4DO 353 406 N6UTC 348 400 EA2AA 382 396 VE3KY 227 251 K6SFO 129 229 KC1MEB 207 225 HB9GWJ 102 206 NK1K 179 194 N8SGZ 100 150 KB3IAI 103 125 JH0BBE 100 112 WD9EWK (DM62) New 108 NK0S 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 a lot of the work! Ron W5RKN [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, for the above information]] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Discussion of PCSAT (NO-84) lifetime: Debris and Orbital Decay: Bob Bruninga, WB4APR reports: "For what it's worth, since the Russian space littering event, I am getting almost daily Close approach alerts on PCSAT (is a high orbit, originally 800 km high). Alert miss-distances seem to be on the order of 200 to 500 meters. Example Alert below at end. Another day in space (after 20 years for PCSAT): Semi-operational: http://aprs.org/pcsat.html Live downlink (W3ADO-1): http://www1.findu.com/cgi-bin/pcsat.cgi One minute serial nos (T#xxx), suggest a wake from 1 to 8 minutes per orbit. PCSAT is unique in that is has no CPU or Operating system. It is just two off-the-shelf KPC9612 TNC's (chips in sockets, etc) and uses their built-in sysop features for telemetry, command and control. Follow on APRS satellites page: http://aprs.org/sats.html"From: ...space-track.org> Date: Tue, Nov 30, 2021 at 2:40 PM Subject: PCSAT Close Approach Notification The United States 18th Space Control Squadron has identified a close approach between PCSAT (SCC #26931) and SCC #30230 Time of Closest Approach: 2021-335T02:20:51(UTC) Probability of Collision (Pc): 0.0003769653 Overall miss distance: 338.0m <end snip> Bob follows up in a second post: "Joe, KM1P reminded us of the decay of NO-84 soon. It would be nice to get an assessment of the remaining lifetimes of the remaining APRS satellites listed on http://aprs.org/sats.html. Since I retired (with health issues), I wont be building any replacements and have not been paying attention." Mike Rupprecht, DK3WN, has provided a decay prediction that has NO-84 decaying from orbit on December 26, 2021 See:https://bit.ly/3xGWFLP We still have some live left for NO-84 (PSAT), Cat ID 40654. Ray Hoad also provided a good illustration: "Based on past experience, when an amateur satellite’s drag rises above the 0.01 magnitude, the satellite is usually getting close to reentry. Some have climbed back up for a while. But, as a rule of thumb, 0.01 drag is the point I start watching a satellite’s drag. Almost all amateur satellites have a mean motion of at least 16 when they decay. The current TLE shows NO-84 (PSAT), Cat ID 40654, with a drag of 0.00320060 and a mean motion of 15.99945301. Getting close. For example, here are the drag values for a few satellites the day they deorbited: SAT Cat ID drag Mean Motion ================================================== NEPALISAT1 44331 0.04661449 16.30483242 RAVAANA 44329 0.04382427 16.28919678 UGUISU 44330 0.06186538 16.33294840 CP9 44360 0.01594744 16.12399308 TW-1C 40926 0.05243455 16.31196197 MO-105 44832 0.11453400 16.41416157 MO-106 44830 0.14504533 16.46538413 ENDURO SAT ONE 43551 0.12819970 16.45548142 EQUISAT 43552 0.10316869 16.43170683 SWAMPSAT 45115 0.19123998 16.36852634 PWSAT 2 43814 0.25888781 16.21683976 Per above, several have hung on for another order of magnitude of drag. It would be very difficult to estimate a deorbit time based solely on drag. But, all have had a mean motion in excess of 16 when they decayed." [ANS thanks Bob Brununga, WB4APR Mike Rupprecht, DK3WN, and Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT-NA Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on NASA's ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-12-02 15:30 UTC South-Western State University, Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD (Anton Shkaplerov) Tues 2021-12-07 13:05 UTC Notre Dame Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School, Kyoto, Japan, direct via 8N3ND (Raja Chari KI5LIU) Thu 2021-12-09 08:33:35 UTC 83 deg DLR_School_Lab Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, multi-point telebridge via DN2DLR (Matthias Maurer KI5KFH) Fri 2021-12-10 13:50:53 UTC 61 deg Savannah River Academy, Grovetown, Georgia, direct via K4RGK (Thomas Marshburn KE5HOC) Fri 2021-12-10 15:09:58 UTC 54 deg Columbus Module radios: - IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Supporting cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down) . Next planned mode change is to packet operation (145.825 MHz up & down) targeting early December. Power down for postponed US EVA on Dec. 2. OFF Nov. 29 at 18:05 UTC. ON Dec. 3 at 09:25 UTC. Power down for upcoming Soyuz docking on Dec. 08. Supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: Kenwood D710E – STATUS - Radio usually off. Power down for postponed US EVA on Dec. 2. OFF Nov. 29 at 18:05 UTC. MAI SSTV activation Dec 1 and TBD. See http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/ for details. Power down for upcoming Soyuz docking on Dec. 08. Supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts and SSTV. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors 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 Major Roves: none scheduled Quick Hits: - K4DCA: Still in planning stages, but has mentions EM97,EM96, FM07, FM08 - AD7DB: Mini rove Dec 3,4,5 2021. DM23 planned on 12/3 & 5, possible operation in PHX area 12/4 including Superstition Superfest in Mesa. FM sats. Follow @ad7db for updates. - FG8OJ: Heading to FK88. 12/3 – 12/5; Schedule is here: Link Events: Radio Operadores del Este Club (KP3RE) and its FB Ham Satelites Puerto Rico page will be giving away until December 31, 2021 all the stations that have contacted Puerto Rico’s 4 grids FK67, FK68, FK77 and FK78 on Sat Mode. Need LOTW evidence (Photos) request via kp4rv(a)yahoo.com FO-29 operation schedule has been updated: Dec. 2021 (UTC) 3 22:53- 4 00:40- 10 23:28- 12 00:18- 18 00:03- 23:08- 24 22:52- 25 00:37- 28 22:42- 29 00:27- 23:32- 30 01:18- 22:37- 31 00:22- 23:27- Jan. 2022 1 22:32- 2 00:17- 23:22- 3 01:08- 22:27- Source: https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-202112.htm 73, Hideo - JH3XCU. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager and Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Winterfest, the ARRL Midwest Division Convention Collinsville, IL Jan 22 2022 ARRL National Convention and Orlando Hamcation Feb 10-13 2022 Registration details at http://www.arrl.org/arrl-expo Updates may be found at: https://www.amsat.org/other-events/ AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, makes online presentations to Amateur Radio clubs and other interested organizations. Contact Clint at http://www.work-sat.com or by phone at 909-999-SATS (7287) to arrange a presentation. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Please continue to use AO-91 and AO-92 only when the satellites are illuminated by the sun. AO-92 telemetry and repeater are intermittent. AO-91 telemetry is turned off but the FM repeater works when the satellite is in the sun. Reminder: Satellite in sun is approximately equal to user in daytime. For exact information on eclipse vs. illumination, check software such as SatPC32. (ANS thanks Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, AMSAT operations, for the above information) + The TOLIMAN Telescope. A semi-privately funded space telescope is being planned to search the Alpha Centauri system for Earth-like planets. A transliteration of the ancient Arabic name for our Sun’s nearest stellar neighbor (and the official IAU name for Alpha Centauri B), Toliman could launch as soon as 2023 to observe Alpha Centauri A and B for the tell-tale wobbles that would confirm a suspected habitable-zone exoplanet orbiting Alpha Centauri A (paper) and search for more. https://bit.ly/3xOeWXr (ANS thanks the Orbital Index for the above information) + Japan to recruit first new astronauts in 13 years to support Artemis program. Japan’s space agency is set to recruit astronaut candidates for the first time in 13 years as part of efforts to support the NASA-led Artemis lunar exploration program. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the recruitment plan Nov. 19, saying successful candidates would be assigned to work long-term at the International Space Station (ISS), the Japanese experiment module “Kibo” attached to ISS, or NASA’s lunar orbit outpost Gateway. JAXA, under an agreement with NASA, is set to provide several capabilities for the Gateway’s International Habitation module (I-Hab), which will provide the heart of Gateway life support capabilities and additional space where crew will live, work, and conduct research during Artemis missions. https://bit.ly/3EmNKl2 (ANS thanks Park Si-soo of Space News for the above information.) + Northrop Grumman Corporation has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA under the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development program for $125.6 million to design a safe, reliable and cost-effective commercial free-flying space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). Northrop Grumman's commercial space station design will use current flight systems and advanced crew-focused technology under development that allows for rapid deployment with modular expansion to meet the growing needs of the space economy. "Under this agreement, the Northrop Grumman team will deliver a free flying space station design that is focused on commercial operations to meet the demands of an expanding LEO market," said Steve Krein, vice president, civil and commercial space, Northrop Grumman. "Our station will enable a smooth transition from International Space Station-based LEO missions to sustainable commercial-based missions where NASA does not bear all the costs, but serves as one of many customers." https://bit.ly/3DkhOg7 (ANS thanks SpaceRef for the above information.) + The December PDF of the GEO Newsletter weather satellite publication produced by the Group for Earth Observation is now available for free download. The Group for Earth Observation's aim is to enable amateur reception of weather and earth imaging satellites that are in orbit or planned for launch in the near future. Membership of GEO is free. This edition includes: • The ISS Sally Ride EarthKAM • Sea Ice forming in Kuskokwim Bay • La Palma Volcano: How Satellites help us Monitor Eruptions • Currently Active Weather Satellites and Frequencies Download the GEO Newsletter from http://leshamilton.co.uk/GEO/newsletter.htm (ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at frawg dot org

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