ANS August 2021

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ANS-241 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 28
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 28 Aug '21

28 Aug '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-241 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: * AMSAT-EA GENESIS satellites may launch September * Registration Now Open for AMSAT Space Symposium (Repost) * 2021 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Being Held (Repost) * Satellite Contact Acheivements and Records * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-241 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 Aug 29 AMSAT-EA GENESIS satellites may launch September Spain’s national amateur radio society, the URE, report two AMSAT-EA GENESIS satellites are expected to be launched on September 2, 2021. A translation of the URE post reads: The GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N satellites, designed and built by AMSAT-EA in collaboration with students from the European University and ICAI, will be launched, in a first attempt, on September 2, once the American company Firefly has carried out the static test of the Alpha launcher, this being the last step before its launch. The vehicle is ready for takeoff on its platform from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California and carries, for this inaugural flight, many other satellites from various organizations and universities. The GENESIS are digital repeating satellites of ASK and CW and also carry Applied Ion Systems’ AIS-gPPT3-1C experimental ion thrusters. The working frequencies of the satellites are as follows: GENESIS-L 145.875 MHz uplink, Modes: CW, ASK 50 bps 436.875 MHz downlink CW, ASK 50 bps, am2sat callsign GENESIS-N 145.888 MHz uplink, Modes: CW and ASK 50 bps 436.888 MHz downlink CW ASK 50 bps, am3sat callsign The description of the telemetry and the mode of operation of its repeaters can be found in the following links: Link to telemetry transmissions description (in English) https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/12293076/AMSAT+EA+-+GENESIS+transmiss… Source URE https://www.ure.es/satelites-genesis-de-amsat-ea-2/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information and the translation] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Registration Now Open for AMSAT Space Symposium (Repost) The 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held Friday through Sunday, October 29-31, 2021, at the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington, Minnesota. Registration is now open for the event at https://launch.amsat.org/Events Student registrations are available at $40, and General registration is at $75. Registration for the Saturday evening Symposium Banquet is an additional $55. Full details are available at the registration website. The Crowne Plaza AiRE is located at 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245, adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and only steps away from the METRO Blue Line’s American Blvd. stop. Nearby shopping and tourist attractions include Mall of America, SEA LIFE at Mall of America, Nickelodeon Universe, and the Minnesota Zoo. The Symposium includes presentations, exhibit space, and the AMSAT Annual General Meeting. The preliminary schedule is presented at https://launch.amsat.org/event-4414716 The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held before the Symposium, October 28-29, at the same hotel. Those attending may make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000 or (877) 424-4188 (toll free) or online by visiting crowneplazaaire.com. The group name is Amateur Satellite Group. Platinum and Titanium members of the AMSAT President's Club receive free admission to the Symposium and receive a complimentary lunch with the President on Saturday afternoon. Please email members(a)amsat.org to arrange registration. Presenters are invited to participate at the Symposium and/or submit a paper to the Symposium Proceedings. Read the Call for Papers at https://www.amsat.org/2021-amsat-symposium-proceedings-call-for-papers/ for more information. [ANS thanks AMSAT 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2021 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Being Held The nomination period for the 2021 Board of Directors Election ended on June 15, 2021. The following candidates have been duly nominated and their candidate statements can be found at link that follows: Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO Robert Bankston, KE4AL Jerry Buxton, N0JY Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO In accordance with our Bylaws, AMSAT must hold an election, even though we have four nominations for four open Director positions. As such, we will host electronic voting on our Member Portal this year, at no cost to the organization. Voting is now open and will close on September 15, 2021. When members click on the poll link, they will see their ballot (poll question). After choosing from the possible options, click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike many online polls, the results of all votes cast, up to the point of your vote, will not be displayed. AMSAT members can only vote once. If you click the poll link again after already voting, a vote submitted message will be displayed. As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, all four candidates will be seated on the Board when the voting period concludes on September 15, 2021. To read candidate biographies see: https://launch.amsat.org/2021-BoD-Election AMSAT members may access their ballots at: https://launch.amsat.org/Sys/Poll/25943 [ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Contact Acheivements Congratulations Toshio Arai, JM1LRA, and Junta Ohsone, 7L1ETP, on receiving the 55th and 56th 73 on 73 Awards by AMSAT-UK issued for working 73 unique stations on AO-73 (FUNcubeUK). Both operators completed the requirements for the award exclusively using CW. (posted via Twitter) A new distance record has also been claimed on AO-73 (FUNcubeUK). A65GC (@farangov) worked F4DXV at 02:37 UTC on 20-Aug-2021 - a distance of 5,313 km. https://amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ A new distance record has been claimed on AO-27. @N5LEX in FN11nq65 worked @F4DXV in JN04it22 on 18-Aug-2021 at 20:46 UTC. https://amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ Image [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM AMSAT Director & Executive Vice President 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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. As of 08/26/2021 the next scheduled contact is yet to be determined. Current Status of ISS Stations: Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Supporting cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). Next mode change is to packet operation (145.825 MHz up & down) in late September. Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 03. OFF Sep. 02 about 18:10 UTC. Back ON Sep. 04 about 13:45 UTC. Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 09. Power down for upcoming US EVA on Sep. 12. Supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: Kenwood D710E – STATUS - Radio usually off. Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 03. Off Sep 02 about 18:10 UTC. Power down for upcoming RS EVA on Sep. 09. Power down for upcoming US EVA on Sep. 12. 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 KX9X: Time to rove again! @Nancy_N9NCY & I are heading back up to Minneapolis for a few days. Will activate the EN36/46 grid line on Sunday 8/29 on linear & FM sats. Pop ups while driving up 8/28 & back 9/2 possible. More info soon! KB3IAI will be in FM26 on the coast from August 29th – Sept 5th. No set schedule, FM and SSB. VE7KPM: CN78, upcoming. 9/2 approx. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events The 2021 HamXposition is taking place September the 11th and 12th, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The convention has a new home at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center. If you would like to volunteer at the booth contact Phil Smith w1eme at amsat.org. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 29-31, 2021 Crowne Plaza AiRE 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245. Complete information and registration at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-SYMPOSIUM. RRRA Hamfest & ARRL Dakota Division Convention Saturday, September 25, 2021, RRV Fairgrounds Hartl AG Building, 1805 Main Ave West, West Fargo, ND 58078 https://rrra.org/cal/2021/09/25/rrra-hamfest-arrl-dakota-division-convention 2021 Wyoming ARRL Section Convention, Saturday, October 9, 2021, Event Center at Archer, 3921 Archer Pkwy, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007 https://wyhamcon.org/site 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. Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has online presentations scheduled for the following clubs: Sonoma (CA) ARC STARS - Easy Coast Fairlawn NJ Portland OR Longmont CO SW Florida 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 + At Space Symposium (https://www.spacesymposium.org/), Aerospace Corp proposed a new form factor alternative to CubeSats: DiskSats. These disks could be 1 m in diameter and 2.5 cm thick, allowing enough surface area for 200 watts of solar panels. On a CubeSat, this would require deployables. “The point of DiskSat is that it complements cubesats for missions that consist primarily of electronics that need higher power.” A stack of 20 plates is also easier to launch on a small launch vehicle than 20 CubeSats. It feels like this borrows a lot from Starlink’s form factor, and potentially, its deployment mechanism. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.) + At SmallSat (https://smallsat.org/), Florence Tan from NASA mentioned that NASA’s SMD has been shifting from very small CubeSats to 6U+ CubeSats, ESPA-class spacecraft, and constellations. Roger Walker from ESA mentioned a similar trend of moving from 3U to 6U and then 12U CubeSats for operational science missions, facilitated by accurate COTS pointing and propulsion.(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.) + BryceTech just released their very thorough Smallsats by the Numbers Report, which they define as satellites under 600kg. 1,282 spacecraft launched in 2020, of which 94% were smallsats, representing 43% of the total upmass—of these, 937 were Starlink or OneWeb. A whopping 40% of all smallsats launched in the last 10 years launched in 2020. See also this interesting Tableau report on the uses, locations, and life-spans of satellites. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.) + Space station spacewalk postponed by astronaut medical issue: A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station Tuesday was postponed after NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei was diagnosed with a pinched nerve, which NASA described as a “minor medical issue.” Vande Hei planned to head outside the space station Tuesday with Japanese crewmade Akihiko Hoshide for a nearly seven-hour spacewalk to install a support bracket and modification kit that will enable the attachment of upgraded solar arrays set to arrive on a future cargo mission. The astronauts also planned to replace a floating point measurement unit, a device that measures the electrical charging potential of the space station solar arrays. NASA announced the postponement of the spacewalk Monday, describing Vande Hei’s condition as a “minor medical issue” and not a medical emergency. Additional detail at: https://bit.ly/3mCJSXc (ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now for the above information.) + Launch of lunar CubeSat moved from Virginia to New Zealand: The launch of a miniature trailblazer probe for NASA’s planned Gateway lunar space station has been moved from Rocket Lab’s new launch pad in Virginia to the company’s spaceport in New Zealand, officials recently announced. NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, mission will test deep space navigation and communications technology in the vicinity of the moon. CAPSTONE will also demonstrate maneuvers to enter and operate in a near rectilinear halo orbit, an elliptical orbit around the moon that will be home to the Gateway, a critical piece of NASA’s architecture to return humans to the lunar surface. The Gateway is a mini-space station NASA intends to use as a staging point for crewed lunar landings later in the 2020s. Additional info at:https://bit.ly/3BjP8mP (ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now 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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ANS-234 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 22
by Mark Johns, K0JM 21 Aug '21

21 Aug '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-234 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: * Contacts Completed Successfully Through AO-109 * Registration Now Open for AMSAT Space Symposium * 2021 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Being Held * AMSAT Awards Update * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-234 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 Aug 22 Contacts Completed Successfully Through AO-109 Several amateurs have reported successful operation through the AO-109 satellite, even though the satellite's power output has been determined to be less than 10 milliwatts. Carlos Cardon, W7QL in DN40, completed a contact with Dave Beumer, W0DHB in DN70, on August 12 using FT4. They repeated with additional QSOs on August 15 and 18. Also on August 15, W7QL completed a contact with Alan Bowker, WA6DNR in CM87 using FT4. Further, W0DHB and Mark Johns, K0JM in EN35, completed an FT4 QSO through the satellite on August 18, and repeated with a second QSO on August 19. Carlos noted, "Based upon our testing the past couple of days, I think FT4 QSOs should be consistently achievable on this satellite." These contacts have been an extension of digital mode experiments via satellite involving a larger number of stations, as reported earlier and in greater detail in the May/June 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal. The stations involved have been fairly typical satellite setups without exotic additions. W7QL reports "using my IC-9700 (in Data mode, full power) and LEO-Pack antenna, with SatPC32 and WSJT-X." W0DHB, WA6DNR, and K0JM are using FlexRadio transcievers with transverters. All report using 75-100 watts of transmit power to get signals through AO-109, although care is taken to reduce power to 1 or 2 watts when using digital modes on other linear satellites, such as RS-44. While FT4 activity is generally at the low end of the downlink passband on other linear satellites (5 kHz above the bottom passband limit), activity on AO-109 has been on a downlink frequency of 435.770 (5 kHz below transponder center). Several other stations have reported experimenting with CW on AO-109. Take Tone, JK2XXK in PM85, completed a CW QSO with Tetsurou Satou, JA0CAW in PM97, on May 1, and other contacts among Japanese amateurs have followed. John Papay, K8YSE, Doug Tabor, N6UA, and Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, in addition to W7QL and W0DHB, have reported hearing or experimenting with CW on the bird in North America. K8YSE in EN91 and Stephan Greene, KS1G in FM18, reported a completed CW QSO on August 21. Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Director and Command Station, has also been paying close attention to AO-109 signals. He notes, "All you need is to use AF from the built in sound cards of the 9700, directly into WSJT-X, over USB cable. Then, have the radio use USB-D and LSB-D modes. It will probably give you a little better signal to noise I think? Seeing 3 kHz of the transponder downlink is plenty. Doppler correction is important, especially around TCA. Tell SatPC32 under the CAT tab to do Intervals of "0 Hz" for SSB/CW and use a Speed of x5." [ANS thanks Carlos Cardon, W7QL, 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Registration Now Open for AMSAT Space Symposium The 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held Friday through Sunday, October 29-31, 2021, at the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington, Minnesota. Registration is now open for the event at https://launch.amsat.org/Events Student registrations are available at $40, and General registration is at $75. Registration for the Saturday evening Symposium Banquet is an additional $55. Full details are available at the registration website. The Crowne Plaza AiRE is located at 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245, adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and only steps away from the METRO Blue Line’s American Blvd. stop. Nearby shopping and tourist attractions include Mall of America, SEA LIFE at Mall of America, Nickelodeon Universe, and the Minnesota Zoo. The Symposium includes presentations, exhibit space, and the AMSAT Annual General Meeting. The preliminary schedule is presented at https://launch.amsat.org/event-4414716 The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held before the Symposium, October 28-29, at the same hotel. Those attending may make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000 or (877) 424-4188 (toll free) or online by visiting crowneplazaaire.com. The group name is Amateur Satellite Group. Platinum and Titanium members of the AMSAT President's Club receive free admission to the Symposium and receive a complimentary lunch with the President on Saturday afternoon. Please email members(a)amsat.org to arrange registration. Presenters are invited to participate at the Symposium and/or submit a paper to the Symposium Proceedings. Read the Call for Papers at https://www.amsat.org/2021-amsat-symposium-proceedings-call-for-papers/ for more information. [ANS thanks AMSAT 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2021 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Being Held The nomination period for the 2021 Board of Directors Election ended on June 15, 2021. The following candidates have been duly nominated and their candidate statements can be found at link that follows: Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO Robert Bankston, KE4AL Jerry Buxton, N0JY Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO In accordance with our Bylaws, AMSAT must hold an election, even though we have four nominations for four open Director positions. As such, we will host electronic voting on our Member Portal this year, at no cost to the organization. Voting is now open and will close on September 15, 2021. When members click on the poll link, they will see their ballot (poll question). After choosing from the possible options, click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike many online polls, the results of all votes cast, up to the point of your vote, will not be displayed. AMSAT members can only vote once. If you click the poll link again after already voting, a vote submitted message will be displayed. As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, all four candidates will be seated on the Board when the voting period concludes on September 15, 2021. To read candidate biographies see: https://launch.amsat.org/2021-BoD-Election AMSAT members may access their ballots at: https://launch.amsat.org/Sys/Poll/25943 [ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Awards Update Here are the latest award updates for the first half of the year, plus a bit. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO John Wedge, VA6WEG Brandon Coon, KI5MJH Davy Jacobs, ON8ZJ Ryan Frederick, K7NZE Peter Spinelli, N4YOT John Hutchison, KI5NYZ Allen Beard, K4WSD David Johnston, WD6AOE ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Martin Schuette, N9EAT, #633 Stephen DeVience, N8URE, #634 Dave Lane, KB0RFY, #635 Allen Beard, K4WSD, #636 Wes Baden, NA1ME, #637 Thomas Talley, K0CFI, #638 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Satellite Communications Achievement Award Martin Schuette, N9EAT, #190 Stephen DeVience, N8URE, #191 Wes Baden, NA1ME, #192 ------ AMSAT Century Award Martin Schuette, N9EAT, #57 Wes Baden, NA1ME, #58 ------ AMSAT South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Martin Schuette, N9EAT, #US236 Stephen DeVience, N8URE, #US237 Dave Lane, KB0RFY, #US238 Allen Beard, K4WSD, #US239 Wes Baden, NA1ME, #US240 Thomas Talley, K0CFI, #US241 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award (1,000-4,000) Ken Bodholt, KI7UXT #US104 upgraded to 4,000 Bernd Scholer, DL6IAN #US116 upgraded to 3,000 Michael Mark, VE4MM, #117 upgraded to 2,000 Stephen DeVience, N8URE, #US118 Larry Callahan, KF6JOQ, #US119 ------ AMSAT Rover Award Rover Call ===== ======== #57 ND9M/MM #58 LA9XGA #59 WI7P #60 KF6JOQ ------ GridMaster Award GridMaster Call ========== ======== #27 W9TWJ #28 W5RKN #29 KI7UXT #30 K8YSE/7 #31 KB6LTY #32 KC9ELU To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org and click on Services then Awards. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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. The next scheduled contact is with Carl Fuhlrott-Gymnasium, Wuppertal, Germany, direct via DN1CFG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled astronaut is Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI. The contact is go for: Monday, 2021-08-23 07:54:53 UTC, 81 degrees maximum elevation over Germany. The ARISS station is currently supporting packet operation (145.825 MHz up & down). Next mode change is to cross band repeater after the school contact on Aug 23 (after 08:05 UTC). The station will power down for upcoming U.S. EVA [spacewalk] on August 24. Shutdown scheduled for about 19:00 UTC Aug 23. Power up scheduled for 07:45 UTC Aug 25. 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 WL7T will be putting a number of Alaska grids on the air, August 21-27: BP44, BP45, BP46, BP47, BP54, BP55, BP57, BP58, BP59, BP64, BP65, BP75, BP84, BP85 VE7KPM: CN78, upcoming. 9/2 approx. [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. Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has online presentations scheduled for the following clubs: Sonoma (CA) ARC STARS - Easy Coast Fairlawn NJ Portland OR Longmont CO SW Florida Contact Clint at http://www.work-sat.com or by phone at 909-999-SATS (7287) to arrange a presentation. The 2021 HamXposition is taking place September the 11th and 12th, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The convention has a new home at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center. If you would like to volunteer at the booth contact Phil Smith w1eme at amsat.org. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 29-31, 2021 Crowne Plaza AiRE 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245. Complete information and registration at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-SYMPOSIUM. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The previously announced schedule of FCC amateur radio application fees likely will not go into effect before 2022. FCC staff confirmed during a recent virtual meeting with Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) that the agency is still working on the necessary changes to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) software and other processes and procedures that must be in place before it starts collecting fees from amateur applicants. Once it's effective, a $35 application fee will apply to new, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change), renewal, and vanity call sign applications. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.) + AMSAT-DL reports the antenna used by DP0GVN in Antarctica for the QO-100 geostationary satellite amateur radio transponder is completely destroyed. According to the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI), a severe winter storm hit Atka Bay (Antarctica) at the end of last week. Unfortunately, the satellite antenna for the geostationary QO-100 amateur radio satellite was also completely destroyed during the storm, despite the weatherproof radome, so no school contacts with DP0GVN can take place until further notice. AMSAT-DL and AWI hope to erect a new antenna early next year, in particular to continue the very successful contacts with schools. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-DL for the above information.) + NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP, and astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will venture outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Aug. 24, for a spacewalk to install a support bracket in preparation for future installation of the orbiting laboratory’s third new solar array. NASA will discuss the upcoming spacewalk during a news conference at 1800z (2 p.m. EDT) Monday, Aug. 23. Live coverage of the news conference and spacewalk will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app. [Amateurs should be aware that all amateur radio transmissions are powered off during spacewalks.] (ANS thanks NASA for the above information.) + The Ingenuity helicopter on Mars has now completed its 12th flight, where it acted as a scout, looking ahead for dangerous terrain for it’s partner in crime, the Perseverance rover. The 4-pound autonomous rotocraft climbed over almost 10 meters (33 ft) high, and traveled a total of 450 meters (1,476 ft) in 169 seconds. It flew over the over an area dubbed the ‘South Seitah’ region of Mars, where Perseverance will explore. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information.) + Scientists have spotted a previously unrecognized feature of our Milky Way galaxy: A contingent of young stars and star-forming gas clouds is sticking out of one of the Milky Way's spiral arms like a splinter poking out from a plank of wood. Stretching some 3,000 light-years, this is the first major structure identified with an orientation so dramatically different than the arm's. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information.) + NASA is calling on all sixth through 12th-grade educators and students to submit experiments for possible suborbital flights as a way of gaining firsthand experience with the design and testing process used by NASA researchers. The NASA TechRise Student Challenge invites students to design, build, and launch experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloons. Each winning team will receive $1,500 to build their experiment and an assigned spot to test it on a NASA-sponsored suborbital flight. For details, see https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise (ANS thanks NASA 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-227 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for August 15, 2021
by n1uw＠gokarns.com 14 Aug '21

14 Aug '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-227 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(a)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: * Call For Papers For The 39Th AMSAT Space Symposium (Repost) * IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites * AMSAT at the Northeast HamXposition - Call for Volunteers * MIR-SAT 1 Reaches STEM Objective * FT4 via the AO-73 CubeSat Demonstration Video * Weekly Changes for Keplerian Elements/TLE's * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-227 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 Aug 15 Call For Papers For The 39Th AMSAT Space Symposium (Repost) This is a call for papers for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 29-31, 2021 at the Crowne Plaza AiRE hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Proposals for symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 18 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks Dan Schultz N8FGV, Symposium Program Chair, 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites Cape IV-GTO A 100x100x20mm Picosat sponsored by the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The first mission is to teach by doing to design, build, test, launch and operate satellite on orbit. The second mission is to reach out to high schools in the area to design and operate devices in orbit. This will train high school students in radio communications and encourage STEM activities. Proposing LoRa comms using 10.3 Fd1 18bps. Downlinks on 145.825 MHz, 145.990 MHz (spare) and 437.325 MHz have been coordinated. No launch info yet available but planning a 36000 x 200 km orbit. More info at https://ee.louisiana.edu/research/cape. QubeSat A 2U CubeSat sponsored by the University of California – Berkeley. The QubeSat mission is to research the effects of space environment on a quantum gyroscope based on NV–centers in diamond. These sensors could support better attitude determination systems for cubesats, including Amateur cubesats. The OpenLST uses the TI CC1101 packet structure, supported by the accompanying OpenLST software. This packet format can be decoded by anyone since it is well documented, so it could be useful to the amateur satellite community. Proposing a 2-FSK UHF downlink at 5k5 bps. A downlink on 437.740 MHz has been coordinated. Planning an Astra launch into a 500 km orbit in Dec 2021. More info from https://stac.berkeley.edu/project/qubesat. [ANS thanks IARU and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at the Northeast HamXposition-- Call for volunteers It is the efforts of volunteers that make Hamvention's a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders make the whole experience a lot of fun. The 2021 HamXposition is taking place September the 11-12, 2021 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The convention has a new home at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center. If you would like to volunteer at the booth contact Phil Smith w1eme(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ MIR-SAT 1 Reaches STEM Objective One of the main objective of the MIR-SAT 1 project is to promote STEM and HAM radio which is fully in line with the AMSAT Ambassador initiative. Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS) is quite proud to announce that three schools in 3B8 have successfully capture the TLM of MIR-SAT 1 so far and that many others Educational institution are already equipped to succeed same soon. The following certificate were issued today by the Mauritius Amateur Radio Society today, - 3B8BBD - AM_nml - E29AHU - JH4XSY - OM7AAK - FSGSSS (The first 3B8 school to obtain the Award, Forestside State Secondary School (Girls) - 3B8FV - LZ1NY - PMLMB (The second 3B8 School to obtain the Award, Polytecnics Mauritius Ltd. Montagne Blanche) Prof. Hassan Rafa State Secondary School of Terre Rouge were the second school to receive and decode the signals from MIR-SAT 1 but unfortunately without a permanent internet connection they did not upload the telemetry to SatNOGS thus not eligible for the Award, hopefully they will get it soon. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to them for providing TLM of MIR-SAT 1 to MARS through SatNOGS. Note that MIR-SAT 1 is still in safe mode and under testing. MARS will advise when it will be available to Amateur use ASAP. [ANS thanks Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FT4 via the AO-73 CubeSat Demonstration Video Sweden’s AMSAT-SM has released a short video showing communications via the amateur radio satellite AO-73 (FunCube-1) using the popular digital mode FT4. This is a short video of FT-4 communication via satellite AO-73 with SDR-Console V3.1 and Icom IC-705. It is a part of a guide that will be published later on AMSAT-SM web https://www.amsat.se/ In the first part you will see the first screen with SDR-Console with Airspy Mini as receiver, audio is piped to WSJT-X. You will also see SDR-Console handle the TX Doppler correction for the IC-705 via “External radio”. In the second part you will see the second screen with WSJT-X connected to IC-705. The output was only one (1) to two (2) watts! You can see that WSJT-X is reading the Doppler corrected frequency. You will also see SDR-Console satellite tracking and PstRotator controlling the SPID RAS rotor. For more information see https://amsat-uk.org/. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Weekly Changes for Keplerian Elements/TLE's The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT TLE Distribution: FEES - NORAD Cat ID 48082 (Thanks to Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P for the identification.) Complete information on TLE Keplerian Elements and resources can always be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ [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. Next mode change is expected to take place in late August 2021. 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 + Trans-Nevada: August 16-20, 2021 David AD7DB is planning a rove starting August 16 on FM satellites. - Mon 8/16 DM09 in Reno area. - Tue 8/17 DN00, DN10 & 11 later, near Lovelock and Winnemucca. - Wed 8/18 DN10, DN20 & 21 later, near Elko. - Thu 8/19 DN21, DN20 & 30 later, near Wells and Wendover. - Fri 8/20 DN20 and 30, near Wendover. The actual satellite passes and times are still being worked out but plans are for AO-91, AO-92, SO-50, AO-27 and PO-101. Go to twitter.com/ad7db for the latest updates during the rove. + BP44, BP45, BP46, BP47, BP54, BP55, BP57, BP58, BP59, BP64, BP65, BP75, BP84, BP85: August 21-27,2021 Look for Taylor, WL7T as he is on the move in Alaska. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 29-31, 2021 Crowne Plaza AiRE 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245. Complete information at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-SYMPOSIUM. 2021 HamXposition September the 11-12, 2021 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center Marlborough, Massachusetts [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT-DL will hold its Satellite Symposium and General Assembly 2021 on August 28 in Bochum. As it currently stands, this will be a face-to-face event. More information at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-AMSAT-DL. + A student of ARISS educator Joanne Michael won an AIAA Kahn $10,000 scholarship. Joanne taught him hands-on science in kindergarten through fifth grade at Meadows Elementary in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. The young man is now enrolled at Stanford University. He wrote, “I love finding out the mechanics of any device and gaining knowledge by hands-on experience. I cannot stand not knowing what lies beyond our reach in the universe. My goal is to take part in the Mars colonization plans as an engineer astronaut and help advance the astronautical-engineering world.” + Cubesat has announced next year's CubeSat Developers Workshop on April 26–28, 2022. Mark your calendar and get more information at www.cubesatdw.org/. + From 12 to 20 July 2021, ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Program teamed up with ESA experts in the field of Space Systems Engineering to run the second edition of the Space Systems Engineering Training Course . The goal was to offer university students an overview of the different aspects of Space Systems Engineering while also affording them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through group exercises. Held fully online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in (virtual) attendance were 30 university students from 11 different ESA Member States and Canada. More information at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-ESA. + The newly released SDR++ V1.0.0 software is featured on the YouTube SignalsEverywhere channel. SDR++ is an open source, cross platform, C++ based GUI general receiver program for various SDR's including the RTL-SDR. The video shows it's basic usage in action and highlights many of the features that SDR++ has. The producer notes that she is very impressed with SDR++, praising it as one of the best SDR applications released in a while. More information at tinyurl.com/ANS-227-SDR. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org

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ANS-220 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 07 Aug '21

07 Aug '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-220 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: * Debugging AO-109: An Update * AO-92 Returned to Service for Daylight Operations Only * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for August 1, 2021 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-220 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 Aug 08 Debugging AO-109: An Update Introduction At the end of our article in the May/June AMSAT Journal, we said “By the time you read this, AO109 may be opened for general amateur use.” The opening announcement, in fact, came on July 19, just shortly after the Journal was available. Very shortly after that, we started getting reports that some SatNOGS stations had seen telemetry signal from AO-109 as early as May 2021. Chris, G0KLA managed to partially decode one frame from SatNOGS. It was hard work and there were too many errors for our Forward Error Correction algorithm to fix, but by ignoring errors, we could see some data; however we had to guess which data was wrong. We asked for more people to try to get telemetry, and we were pleased to receive 29 frames over several days from W7KKE, W7FWF, and K8DP. Thanks so much to all of them! Thanks to them we can now say a few more things about the AO-109 situation. What we have seen and learned from telemetry First the telemetry we have received confirms what we inferred from our earlier experiments: • The antenna telemetry shows that they are open (more on that later) • AO-109 is in transponder mode • AO-109 does receive commands successfully, especially from a strong command station In addition, telemetry shows some other anomalies that let us make better hypotheses for other behavior that we have seen. • First the telemetry IS working, which tends to exonerate the telemetry modulator and software. • The transmitter is sending telemetry with power output between 6 and 8 mW. You can compare this to our pre-launch testing which showed power output of somewhat over 100mW, as designed. • The power amplifier current is higher than expected based on pre-launch testing. • The min/max telemetry shows that the maximum power output since launch was about 440mW implying that the transmitter was likely working immediately after launch. (During the attempted early commissioning period, we tried both transponding, and increasing the telemetry gain, which could explain the relatively high power output.) • It is even more clear seeing the telemetry downlink on a waterfall that the signal strength varies cyclically. The period seems to be around 25 seconds. After a discussion with Dan W9EQ, one of our transmitter engineers, we believe a reasonable hypothesis for the low power is that one of the dual power amplifier chips has failed shorted. This not only increases the current to the PA, but reduces the power available to the other PA chip. Dan also hypothesizes that running high power into a poorly deployed antenna might cause the blowout, although it is still hard to understand why we initially had no reception at all. Note that even if the 70cm antenna was not fully deployed, it does not cross over itself to make it electrically shorter even when stowed. Since getting this telemetry, we commanded higher output from the telemetry modulator into the mixer and power amplifier, but saw essentially no change in the output power telemetry. According to W9EQ, this is to be expected with a shorted PA. (It may imply that 8mW is the highest to expect from the transponder as well). As we hypothesized in the last paper, the cyclic strength of the telemetry beacon could be explained by the antenna being only partly released and blocked by the satellite part of the time as the satellite rotates. Similarly, if the receive antenna were only partly released, it would make commanding difficult for the same reason. One further hypothesis: Carl, N3MIM proposed that the Nitinol wire used for our antennas was too cold to fully restore to its original shape after it was released. This could explain why both receive and transmit have problems, but does not explain why this satellite in particular should have problems that the other Foxes did not. Vanderbilt University Experiment Data As we said in the previous article, one of our goals is to provide data for the Vanderbilt University COTS radiation experiment. This experiment not only funded the AO-109 flight but also will, in the long term, provide great information for satellite builders who can only afford common off-the-shelf parts in their birds. We are happy to say that we have been able to provide some data for Vanderbilt. Of course, more data over a longer period will be that much better, but at least Vanderbilt is getting something. Where is the data? The data from AO-109 is on AMSAT server at the same location as all Fox data. You can see the entire dataset by using FoxTelem and downloading Fox-1E (the latest versions of FoxTelem do not require you to download all the other satellites.) You will see that despite having only 29 frames, there are a lot more health records than that in the WOD tab. This is because of AO-109’s new capability: Whole Orbit Data, which captures a full set of health data every 60 seconds, stores it in memory, and transmits several of these WOD data payloads in each frame. Similarly, Vanderbilt data is stored as WOD, so more science information than you might expect is also available. In addition, you can see the AMSAT web page for AO-109 health at https://www.amsat.org/tlm/health.php?id=5&port= Telemetry Reception Unfortunately, it seems that it requires a fairly “hefty” station to receive AO-109 telemetry. A normal end-mounted M2 LEO Pack, for example, is not enough. Everyone we have seen who has been successful has had a longer yagi, a preamp, and short coax. One person felt that the ability to reverse circular polarity also helped. Several SatNOGS stations have received a signal, but so far we have not been able to cleanly decode any of them. Both for Vanderbilt University and for our own engineering testing, we would really appreciate even a few frames of telemetry that any stations can receive. One way to do this is to use FoxTelem directly via a Fun Cube Dongle Pro Plus (FCDPP) and an antenna as mentioned above. Another way that we know works is to record the IF or AF from an ICOM 9700 that is being doppler corrected during an AO-109 pass. The best chance for useful frames may be to record IQ using SDR# or HDSDR with something like an FCDPP or Airspy SDR Dongle, and then playing it back into FoxTLM. We continue to thank all of our supporters and data collectors around the world! Please keep trying! [ANS thanks Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, AMSAT Flight Software, and Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Director and Command Station Operator, 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AO-92 Returned to Service for Daylight Operations Only On August 1, 2021 at about 16:30 UTC, AO-92 was commanded into carrier operated repeater mode. In this mode, AO-92 operates as a simple FM repeater. The IHU and experiments are disabled and there is no telemetry transmitted. As the battery condition is poor, please only use the satellite when it is illuminated by the sun. The satellite may shut off even while illuminated if the bus voltage drops below a point at which the transmitter cannot operator. [ANS thanks Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Director and Command Station 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 August 1, 2021 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period July 1, 2021 through August 1, 2021. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! Congratulations to Michael McCoy KC9ELU on acheiving the AMSAT GridMaster. CALL July August KO4MA 1783 1786 N8RO 1096 1100 NS3L 697 702 K9UO 631 653 N9FN 550 561 AF5CC 525 547 MI6GTY 461 462 WA4HFN 413 454 S57NML 291 409 DL6IAN 154 335 EA2AA 280 314 KQ4DO New 306 AB1OC 285 291 KE8RJU 101 256 NA1ME 225 250 N3CAL 204 214 N5EKO 152 207 KC5TT 100 135 WD9EWK (DM45) 127 135 W3FGP 100 130 K6SFO New 129 KB3IAI New 103 DL6GBM New 100 KE4IP 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! [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN 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 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. Notre Dame Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School, Kyoto, Japan, direct via 8N3ND The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was unsuccessful: Tue 2021-08-03 11:10:15 UTC 77 deg (***) ARISS is working to understand the issue. (***) Watch for livestream at https://youtu.be/4uL-kHi1Bsw 1st Ono Group Hyogo Council Scout Association of Japan, Ono, Japan, direct via 8J3ONO (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is go for: Wed 2021-08-11 08:05:06 UTC 82 deg (***) Next mode change is expected to take place in late August 2021. 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 VE7KPM: CN78, upcoming. 9/2 approx. EA8/EA4NF: Phillippe will be on the Fuerteventura island and Gran Canary island SAT DXpedition. He will use Linear & FM satellites August 1-14, 2021. IL27, IL28, IL38 KE2QI: Will be roving FN44 Sunday. Both FM and linear. He will try to maximize the RS-44 apogee passes for Europe. EN56, 57, 67: N8MR will be in EN57, EN67 and EN56 from Aug 7 thru Aug 14. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SatPC32 to control uplink and downlink for Doppler. EN12, EN13: W0AAE will be roving in the EN12-13 grids this upcoming week from August 1-6. He will be doing both linear and FM satellites VE7KPM: CN78, upcoming. 9/2 approx. Trans-Nevada Rove. David AD7DB is planning a rove starting August 16 on FM satellites. Mon 8/16 DM09 in Reno area. Tue 8/17 DN00, DN10 & 11 later, near Lovelock and Winnemucca. Wed 8/18 DN10, DN20 & 21 later, near Elko. Thu 8/19 DN21, DN20 & 30 later, near Wells and Wendover. Fri 8/20 DN20 and 30, near Wendover. The actual satellite passes and times are still being worked out but plans are for AO-91, AO-92, SO-50, AO-27 and PO-101. You can go to twitter.com/ad7db for the latest updates during the rove. Wl7T - August 21-27: BP44, BP45, BP46, BP47, BP54, BP55, BP57, BP58, BP59, BP64, BP65, BP75, BP84, BP85 [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. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has online Zoom presentations scheduled in coming weeks with amateur groups in New Jersey Central New Hampshire North Carolina Conejo Valley CA Sonoma County CA Massachusetts Antelope Valley CA Contact Clint to arrange other events: Clint Bradford K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador; ARRL instructor http://www.work-sat.com Email: clintbradford AT mac DOT com (909) 999-SATS (7287) - voicemail/message [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, 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 newly revised, printable Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide is now available for AMSAT members at https://launch.amsat.org/Member_Resources + NU1U has posted a tutorial on YouTube for running WSJT-X and SatPC32 simultaneously with an Icom IC-9700 in order to make satellite QSOs using FT4. The video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhfUSRUP910 + The first SSB QSO has been reported via AO-109. Doug Papay, K8DP, and John Papay, K8YSE, completed two QSOs via CW and two QSOs via SSB between EN62 and EN91 between July 31st and August 3rd. + On July 30th at 19:40 UTC, F4DXV and A65GC completed a record 5,300 km QSO via JO-97. This is the longest claimed QSO completed on any of the FUNcube transponders. + A new distance record has been set on the QO-100 narrowband transponder. PR8KW in GI27pn49rs worked YC5YC in OJ00rl66we at 23:06 UTC on 10-Jul-2021, covering a distance of 17,378 km. More records can be found at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ + AMSAT Rover Award #60 was issued to Larry, KF6JOQ. For more information on the AMSAT Rover Award, visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/ (Thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards) + The ARRL has released TQSL config file version 11.15. This update allows QSOs on AO-109 and UVSQ-SAT (as UVSQ) to be uploaded. TQSL should prompt you to update your config file when launching the application. + Three videos from the AMSAT-SA Space Symposium, held July 10th, have been uploaded to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA7TGecJAILXTwm9HSQ4cw/videos. Other talks will be uploaded later (Thanks to AMSAT-SA and AMSAT-UK) + A video of John Brier, KG4AKV, operating portable via RS-44, filmed and edited by W4MPS, has been posted to YouTube at https://youtu.be/8xg5VLrcttU + The first call for papers has been issued for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 29-31, 2021 at the Crowne Plaza AiRE hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Proposals for symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 18 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org. + Registration is open for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, to be held Friday through Sunday, October 29-31, 2021, at the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington, Minnesota. Crowne Plaza AiRE is located at 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245. For more information, visit https://www.amsat.org/39th-annual-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-… --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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-213 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 1
by Mark Johns, K0JM 31 Jul '21

31 Jul '21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-213 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(a)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: * AMSAT Announces Strategic Satellite Objectives and Organization Goals * F4DXV and VE1CWJ Set Numerous Satellite Distance Records * Call For Papers For The 39Th AMSAT Space Symposium * AM1SAT International Award * Russian Lab Module Tilts Space Station With Errant Thruster Firings * The Young Ham of the Year for 2021 is a Satellite Operator * FO-29 & FO-99 Operation Schedules For August 2021 * More Slow-Scan TV Transmissions from RS0ISS Scheduled * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-213 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 Aug 01 AMSAT Announces Strategic Satellite Objectives and Organization Goals The AMSAT Board of Directors has adopted a set of strategic satellite objectives and organization goals. The document, adopted in early June and published in the the May/June 2021 edition of The AMSAT Journal. The plan establishes a long-term, multi-faceted vision that includes big dreams, a continued presence in space, and a development path for the scientists, engineers, and operators of tomorrow. AMSAT President, Robert Bankston, KE4AL, commented, "Anything this ambitious will undoubtedly challenge our limited human and fiscal resources. We must parallel our new plan with new ways to manage and fund projects. AMSAT has a pool of very talented volunteers, but there will be times when we require skills beyond our current capabilities. Recruitment, partnerships, collaborative efforts, and even outsourcing are options that will help us fill in the gaps." Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) 1. Upward to HEO. Develop and deploy a series of spacecraft capable of providing wide-area and continuous coverage from highly elliptical and geostationary transfer orbits. Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint 2. GOLF. Develop and deploy a series of increasingly capable spacecraft through a program to learn skills and systems for which we do not yet have the necessary low-risk experience, including active attitude control, deployable/steerable solar panels, radiation tolerance for commercial off the shelf (COTS) components in higher orbits and propulsion. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station 3. AREx-A. Partner with ARISS and ARISS-USA to advance Amateur Radio's presence aboard NASA's International Space Station, Deep Space Gateway and Artemis missions and provide opportunities to engage with astronauts in lunar and deep space operations. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) 4. LEO. Support a stream of LEO satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other Amateur Radio satellite groups. 4.1 FM Operations. Develop, deploy and support a series of 1U spacecraft to support continued FM amateur satellite operations in low Earth orbit. 4.2 Partnerships. Develop a plug-and-play communications solution for educational and other Amateur Radio CubeSat programs, providing a VHF/UHF telemetry beacon, command receiver, and linear transponder or FM repeater communications module. AMSAT STEM Initiatives 5. AMSAT Education. Support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and training programs for satellite and ground system designers and operators. 5.1 CubeSat Simulator. Continue development of AMSAT’s CubeSat Simulator Program. 5.2 High Altitude Ballooning. Develop program to support and sponsor the use of amateur radio in high-altitude balloon (HAB) launches. 5.3 Youth Initiative. Develop an educational out reach program that encourages youth to pursue STEM interests in space science and communication technology. More details of the strategic satellite objectives and organization goals may be found at https://www.amsat.org/apogeeview/ [ANS thanks The AMSAT Journal 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ F4DXV and VE1CWJ Set Numerous Satellite Distance Records Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, and John Langille, VE1CWJ, have spent the last couple of months using their favorable geographic locations to set a number of satellite distance records. On May 5, 2021 at 13:04 UTC, F4DXV and VE1CWJ set the initial record on JO-97 of 4,889 km. F4DXV was operating in JN04it22nt and VE1CWJ was operating in FN85ii89sk. On May 15, 2021 at 08:30 UTC, F4DXV and VE1CWJ broke the 5,000 km mark for the first time on a satellite from the September 2015 Long March 6 launch when they covered a distance of 5,005 km between FN85ii22lf and JN15jo26rq on XW-2F. F4DXV was operating from the summit of a mountain and the QSO was completed with an elevation of -1.5 degrees. On June 26, 2021 at 11:03 UTC, the pair set a record of 4,907 km on FO-99 while F4DXV was operating in JN04jr35pe and VE1CWJ was operating in FN85fo5ik. One month later, on July 26, 2021, F4DXV returned to the summit of the mountain in JN15jo26rq and the pair set a number of additional records within one half-hour, again breaking the 5,000 km threshold for the first time on several additional satellites from the September 2015 Long March 6 launch. They set the record at 5,008 km on LilacSat-2 at 08:08 UTC, XW-2D at 08:15 UTC, XW-2B at 08:21 UTC, and XW-2C at 08:33 UTC. A list of known satellite distance records is located at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/. Please email n8hm at amsat.org if you wish to claim a new record, longer distance QSO not yet documented, or records for any other satellite/transponder not yet listed. Please note that if a satellite carries multiple transponders or supports multiple frequency bands, records on each transponder/band may be claimed, such as Mode A and B on AO-7 or Mode U/S, L/S, U/K, etc, on AO-40. This includes the ISS and records may be claimed for the packet digipeater and crossband repeater, but does not include different operating modes on the same transponder (such as CW or SSB on AO-7 Mode B). [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Call For Papers For The 39Th AMSAT Space Symposium This is a call for papers for the 39th AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 29-31, 2021 at the Crowne Plaza AiRE hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Proposals for symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 18 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks Dan Schultz N8FGV, Symposium Program Chair, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AM1SAT International Award From September 13-19 AM1SAT will be active on the amateur radio satellites from a number of locations in Spain, diplomas will be available for contacting the stations A translation of the URE post reads: AMSAT-EA will celebrate in September, coinciding with the IberRadio Fair organized by URE in Ávila and which is the largest meeting point for radio amateurs in Spain and Portugal, the third edition of its International Competition and AM1SAT Award. To do this, AMSAT-EA operators will be in the air on all available satellites with the callsign AM1SAT between the 13th and 19th of that month, activating a minimum of 14 different locations. As part of this activity and to encourage participation, the SILVER and GOLD classifications will be available, as well as a trophy for the one who achieves the greatest number of grids and for the one who manages to work the greatest number of different satellites. In the last edition of the contest held in 2019, 727 QSOs were made, awarding 10 gold and 28 silver diplomas. The trophies for the best grid and satellite 'hunter' were awarded to F4DXV and EA3CAZ. The rules in English for this year's contest can be found at https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/12828633/AMSAT+EA+-+AM1SAT+2021+-+Eng… Orignal source, Union La Unión De Radioaficionados Españoles: https://tinyurl.com/IARU-Spain [ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Russian Lab Module Tilts Space Station With Errant Thruster Firings A heavyweight Russian laboratory module that experienced a variety of problems after launch last week docked at the International Space Station Thursday, but in a moment of unexpected drama, inadvertent thruster firings briefly knocked the sprawling complex out of its normal orientation. Space station program manager Joel Montalbano said the station was maintaining its orientation, or “attitude,” using massive NASA-supplied gyroscopes when the thruster firings suddenly began at 12:34 p.m. EDT, about three hours after the 44,000-pound Nauka multi-purpose laboratory glided in for docking. The gyros were unable to counteract the unwanted push from Nauka’s jets and the space station, stretching the length of a football field with a mass of more than 930,000 pounds, began tilting away from its normal orientation. Attitude control was quickly handed off to more effective rocket motors in the Russian Zvezda module, where Nauka was attached. A few minutes later, thrusters in a Progress cargo ship docked on the other side of Zvezda kicked in with additional muscle. The space station ended up tilted up about 45 degrees from its earlier orientation, moving at one point at roughly half a degree per second. But in a little more than an hour, the station was back in its normal orientation, apparently none the worse for wear. “We haven’t noticed any damage to the ISS,” Montalbano said in an afternoon teleconference. “One of the things we do after a dynamic event like this is go ahead and sit down with our structural loads team and review all the data, go pull all the telemetry and do an assessment. And so that’ll be the next step.” A “spacecraft emergency” was declared at the outset, but that was standard procedure in such cases, giving the lab complex priority over other spacecraft using NASA’s satellite communications network. Montalbano said the station’s seven crew members were never in any danger. “There was no immediate danger at any time to the crew,” he said. “Obviously, when you have a loss of attitude control, that’s something you want to address right away. But the crew was never in any, like, immediate emergency or anything like that.” It’s not yet known what might have caused the Nauka module’s thrusters to suddenly begin firing as cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov were in the process of “integrating” the new spacecraft with the station’s computer systems. Up to 11 spacewalks will be needed to outfit the laboratory and to make multiple power and data connections with the space station. The first two excursions are planned for September. Amateurs should note that the ISS amateur radio operations, ARISS, are shut down whenever there are docking operations or EVAs (spacewalks) taking place. [ANS thanks SpaceFlightNow 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Young Ham of the Year for 2021 is a Satellite Operator Faith Hannah Lea, KD3Z, of Palm Coast, Florida, has been selected as the 2021 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year. Faith Hannah is the daughter of James, WX4TV, and Michelle, N8ZQZ, Lea. Her brother and two sisters are also hams. She credited her parents with being the biggest influences in her entry into amateur radio. She said her journey began at the age of 10 in December 2014. “I started studying for my Technician license with my brother (Zechariah WX4TVJ),” she recalled. “And we both went in and got it. And two weeks later, I had earned my General ... Then, two months later, I earned my Extra. “So that allowed me to really get into the stuff that I liked, which was working HF.” Just 18 months after being licensed, Faith Hannah was invited to join the 2016 Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX team operating PJ6 from the Dutch island of Saba. “And that’s when I realized especially that DXing is amazing because I absolutely love those huge pileups and getting to talk to all of those different people,” she explained. Among her PJ6 achievements was a satellite contact that broke the SO-50 distance world record. She wrote an article about the event which was published in the March/April 2017 issue of The AMSAT Journal. In August 2018, Faith Hannah took part in the week-long “Youngsters on the Air” program in Johannesburg, South Africa where she participated in kit-building and antenna building projects, satellite operations and a high-altitude balloon launch. She wrote an article about her experiences in South Africa that was published in CQ magazine. On the way to South Africa, Faith Hannah and her father, James, WX4TV, had a 22-hour layover in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. They were invited by the Emirates Amateur Radio Society to visit and operate A62A and A60YOZ. In December 2018, Faith Hannah and her younger sister, Hope, ND2L, and her father organized a 36-hour mini-DXpedition to the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico, off the southwest coast of Florida, where they activated N4T. The girls logged 1,970 HF contacts and 100 satellite contacts. Faith Hannah’s account of the N4T operation was published by CQ magazine, and she and Hope shared the April 2019 cover. These and other ham radio experiences energized her desire to actively participate in contesting with her family and she has been a regular participant in ARRL Field Day, ARRL International DX contests, CQ WW SSB, and several state QSO parties. She has participated in several special event operations as well, including National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) activations, the first SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse in Florida, a 13 Colonies station (K2G) in Georgia, and Jamboree on the Air and Boy Scout Radio merit badge weekends. She has been active in several clubs in Virginia and Florida over her brief time as an amateur radio operator, finding mentors and friends in each of them. She has served as a net control operator for Volusia, Florida ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) during Hurricanes Matthew, Irma and Dorian. Faith Hannah completed high school through home schooling. But before doing so, she enrolled in Daytona State College where she earned an Associate of Arts degree at the age of 15. Presently, she is enrolled in Stetson University in Deland, Florida, where she is recognized as a member of the junior class. She maintains a 4.0 GPA as she works toward earning two different degrees – a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology and a Bachelor of Business Administration. Faith Hannah said she is exploring two career tracks – medicine or the law, or possibly both. In 2020, she earned a $25,000 scholarship from the Foundation for Amateur Radio. And in 2021, a $16,000 scholarship in the “Voice of Democracy” essay contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars – finishing first in Florida and second in the national competition. As for amateur radio now and in the future, Faith Hannah says there’s always time for that. “I know this sounds weird but it doesn’t really take all of my time to do my school, to have fun and to do ham radio,” she explained. “It all just fits in perfectly because a lot of times if I’m getting on the radio and it’s not a contest, I’ll just do it in the evening when gray line is there because that’s usually when I’m free and it’s a great time to make contacts. “If it’s a weekend, we might take a radio and go out to a park or something and get on the air. And once it starts dying down, we’ll just hang around the park for a couple of hours.” The YHOTY award is traditionally presented during the Huntsville Hamfest in August at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville Alabama. However, because of the spike in the Delta variant of Covid-19, Amateur Radio Newsline will not stage a public presentation at the hamfest this year. Faith Hannah will receive a certificate of recognition and other gifts during an online presentation. The Young Ham of the Year Award was inaugurated by William Pasternak, WA6ITF, in 1986. Upon his passing in 2015, Bill’s name was added to the award as a memorial to his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of young people to the Amateur Radio Service. Amateur Radio Newsline, CQ magazine, and Yaesu USA are primary sponsors of the award, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company. [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FO-29 & FO-99 Operation Schedules For August 2021 Fuji-OSCAR 29 is switched on for selected weekend orbits over Japan and remains available for use until the low voltage protection circuit turns the satellite off once again during eclipse. FO-29 transponder ON times for Aug. 2021 (UTC) 1st 11:48- 7th 01:14- 11:33- 13:16- 8th 00:19- 10:35- 12:22- 14th 00:04- 10:20- 12:07- 23:09- 15th 11:12- 12:56- 17th 00:48- 02:35- 11:06- 12:52- 21st 00:38- 02:25- 10:56- 23:45- 22nd 09:59- 11:45- 27th 23:30- 28th 09:45- 11:30- 22:35- 29th 00:18- 10:35- Source: https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-202107.htm The August schedule for FO-99 is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=1580 [ANS thanks JAMSAT and Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ More Slow-Scan TV Transmissions from RS0ISS Scheduled Russian cosmonauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) will transmit slow-scan television (SSTV) images from the station Friday and Saturday, August 6 - 7. They will use SSTV mode PD-120 on 145.800 MHz FM. The transmissions are part of the Moscow Aviation Institute SSTV experiment (MAI-75) and will be sent via RS0ISS, the ham station in the Russian Zvezda (Service) module using a Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver. The announced schedule is August 6, 1050 - 1910 UTC; August 7, 0950 - 1555 UTC. Dates and times are subject to change. For stations in the ISS footprint, the RS0ISS signal should be easy to copy on a handheld transceiver and a quarter-wave whip. Use 5 kHz channel spacing, if available, to correct for Doppler shift, beginning 5 - 10 kHz above the receive frequency and tuning downward as the ISS approaches and move away once again. Free ISS software is available to download. Pass predictions are available from AMSAT. Representative images from prior ISS SSTV events are available in the ARISS SSTV Gallery. [ANS thanks ARISS and ARRL 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. Notre Dame Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School, Kyoto, Japan, direct via 8N3ND The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is go for: Tue 2021-08-03 11:10:15 UTC 77 deg Next mode change is expected to take place in late August 2021. 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 EA4NF: Linear & FM satellites August 1-14, 2021. IL27, IL28, IL38 ND0C & @kylee_ke0wpa and I will be “up north” for the next few days and will operate from EN36, 46, and 47. This is a “holiday-style” rove with no specific scheduled passes at this point. Most likely pop-up with short notice. FM and linears. FN65/66: Indeed, VY2HF will be in FN65 from Thursday (7/22 – 7/29) evening this week until the following Thursday morning. As I’ll be in Fredericton proper, if there is interest I can position myself on the FN65/FN66 grid line with little trouble. Daytimes will be best, RS44 preferred, FM doable also. And on Thursday the 29th I will be driving into FN76/77 for several more days… EN56, 57, 67: N8MR will be in EN57, EN67 and EN56 from Aug 7 thru Aug 14. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SatPC32 to control uplink and downlink for Doppler. [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. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has online Zoom presentations scheduled in coming weeks with amateur groups in New Jersey Central New Hampshire North Carolina Conejo Valley CA Sonoma County CA Massachusetts Antelope Valley CA Contact Clint to arrange other events: Clint Bradford K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador; ARRL instructor http://www.work-sat.com Email: clintbradford AT mac DOT com (909) 999-SATS (7287) - voicemail/message [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Congratulations to two new satellite operators who have earned the AMSAT Rover Award. Tor-Atle Sandal, LA9XGA, received award #58 and Randy Kohlwey, WI7P, received award #59. More information on the AMSAT Rover Award can be found at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/ (Thanks to AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards Bruce Paige, KK5DO) + A solar wind stream hit Earth during the early hours of July 28th. First contact rattled Earth's magnetic field and sparked rare blue auroras over Canada. Blue is a sign of bright moonlight hitting the top of the auroras. The process is called "resonant scattering." Details and photo at https://bit.ly/3zUnCLX (ANS thanks Spaceweather and Southgate ARC for the above information) + Boeing and NASA are getting ready to make another attempt at launching its Starliner astronaut taxi to the International Space Station. The uncrewed CST-100 Starliner space capsule is now scheduled to launch to the space station on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 1720z, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. If that launch date holds, the capsule will arrive at the International Space Station on Wednesday, Aug. 4. Amateurs should note that the ISS amateur radio operations, ARISS, are shut down whenever there are docking operations or EVAs (spacewalks) taking place. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + Another step towards space exploration from UK soil has been unlocked, with the passing of the spaceflight regulations, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced 29 July 2021. The legislation provides the framework to regulate the UK space industry and enable launches to take place from British soil for the very first time. (ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information) + NASA has selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to launch its Europa Clipper mission to a potentially habitable moon of Jupiter, a choice that appeared inevitable once NASA was no longer required to use the Space Launch System. NASA announced July 23 that it awarded a launch services contract to SpaceX for the October 2024 launch of Europa Clipper on a Falcon Heavy rocket. The contract is valued at $178 million. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub or through the AMSAT Store. 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 info [at] amsat.org for additional student membership information. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 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 August 2021