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- ----- 2024 -----
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- ----- 2023 -----
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- 2 participants
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AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-003
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:
* 2021 Promises To Be A "Big" Year in Space
* Changes to AMSAT News Service Bulletins Distribution
* New AMSAT Contact Information
* FO-29 operation schedule for Jan. - Feb. 2021
* AMSAT Awards Update
* VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 1, 2021
* New Mail System Archives Changes
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 31, 2020
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-003.01
ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 003.01
From AMSAT HQ, WASHINGTON, DC
DATE 2021 January 3
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-003.01
2021 Promises To Be A "Big" Year in Space
2021 is looking to be at least as big a space year as 2020. To name just a
few highlights:
* Three missions (and a helicopter!) arrive at Mars (Tianwen-1, Hope Probe,
Perseverance),
* The James Webb Space Telescope launches in October (it just completed
final sunshield testing),
* NASA’s DART, Lucy, and CLPS landers start launching, the Vera Rubin
Observatory should see first light, Starliner OPT-2 will hopefully go
smoothly, and China’s space station starts assembly.
* We also expect to see a number of firsts throughout the industry:
+ first orbital flights for Astra, Virgin Orbit (carrying 11 CubeSats
scheduled to be deployed on this launch, including RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E),
Firefly, and maaaaybe Starship, New Glenn, and Artemis I;
+ first orbital booster reuse from a non-SpaceX commercial space company
(Rocket Lab);
+ the first fully private crewed mission to the ISS, launched by SpaceX
and Axiom;
* And, the first two movies filmed in space, both to begin shooting on the
ISS in the fall.
[ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information]
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
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Changes to AMSAT News Service Bulletins Distribution
Due in part to the e-mail system upgrades and ongoing changes in technology
more generally, distribution of the AMSAT New Service (ANS) bulletins (the
bulletins you are reading right now) have changed slightly in the new year.
Beginning with this release, ANS bulletins will no longer be sent with hard
returns (CR/LF) inserted at 72 characters or fewer. Line length has
traditionally been delineated for transmission on packet networks. However,
few such networks remain operational, and most users receive the bulletins
via a computer or mobile device.
For the time being, ANS bulletins will continue to be sent in plain text,
and most users will notice no change. A few may have to turn on or adjust
the "word wrap" feature in their email client, but for the vast majority,
bulletins will display on their devices as they always have. The only
difference most might notice is fewer hyphens breaking words in the various
news stories.
This is a first step toward moving to an HTML format that will eventually
allow bulletins to be sent with color and photo illustrations, much as
bulletins from ARRL and other sources have been for some time. AMSAT News
Service is moving slowly toward this change, so users may expect the plain
text distribution to continue for some months yet.
[ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
New AMSAT Contact Information
AMSAT's long-serving office manager, Martha Saragovitz, has retired!
Martha’s last official day was December 31st. Because Martha is literally
irreplaceable, AMSAT will be transitioning to a virtual office.
The best way to communicate AMSAT will be via email. If you have a question
about AMSAT membership, please use the Contact Form on our Member Portal,
launch.amsat.org, or email us directly at members(a)amsat.org. If you have a
general question for AMSAT, please use the contact form on our main
website, amsat.org, or email us directly at info(a)amsat.org. It is important
that you include your name and call sign. You would be surprised how many
inquiries we receive with just an email addressed that cannot be easily
traced back to a member.
If you need to mail something to AMSAT during the month of January, please
send it to AMSAT, PO Box 27, Washington DC 20044-0027. This is our
permanent mailing address, and it requires a volunteer to travel. As such,
we will only retrieve this mail once a week.
We will open a virtual office at some point in January. Our virtual office
will include a telephone answering service and the ability to receive and
electronically process mail. We will post our new, virtual telephone number
and mailing address on the Member Portal and main website contact pages, as
soon as this service is available.
We are excited about the opportunities these new communication challenges
bring and understand there will be some hiccups along the way, but,
ultimately, we are committed to providing you with an open and effective
communications system. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, for the above
information]
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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/
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FO-29 operation schedule for Jan. - Feb. 2021
Time in UTC
Jan. 2021
1st 01:40- 03:25-
3rd 01:35- 03:20-
9th 01:20- 03:05-
10th 02:10- 03:55-
11th 01:15- 03:00-
30th 01:20- 03:05-
31st 02:10- 03:55-
Feb. 2021
7th 02:45-
11th 02:35-
21st 02:10-
23rd 02:05-
27th 01:55- 03:40-
28th 02:45-
For more information, see
https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-201907.htm
[ANS thanks Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT Awards Update
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)has just finished processing the
last awards for 2020. Here are those that have earned awards recently.
AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO
Stephen Small, KC1NBI
Michael Pelaez, K4KMP
Kevin Addison, KM4RYN
Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA
Timothy Stinson, AI5BE
Lowell Davis, WA2ZQX
------
AMSAT Communications Achievement Award
Michael Pelaez, K4KMP, #630
Robert Sours, K9UO, #631
Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA, #632
------
AMSAT Sexagesimal Satellite Communications Achievement Award
Robert Sours, K9UO, #189
------
AMSAT Century Award
Adrian Liggins, VA3NNA, #56
------
AMSAT South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award
Michael Pelaez, K4KMP, #US233
Robert Sours, K9UO, #US234
Edward Campagnuolo, KN4ZAA, #US235
------
AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award (1,000-4,000)
Greg Phillips, WI4T, #115
Bernd Scholer, DL6IAN, #116
Michael Mark, VE4MM, #117
Gerry Krebs, N0JE upgraded to 4000
------
AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award
Ronald Parsons, W5RKN, #36
Christy Hunter, KB6LTY, #37
Robert Sours, K9UO, #38
------
AMSAT Rover Award
Rover Call
===== ========
None this time
------
GridMaster Award
GridMaster Call
========== ========
#14 N0JE
#15 N8HM
#16 AA8CH
#17 KE4AL
#18 N3GS
#19 WC7V
#20 N9EAT
#21 KK4YEL
#22 K9UO
#23 K7TAB
#24 KE0PBR
#25 KI7UNJ
#26 WI4T
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]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 1, 2021
Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL
for the period December 1, 2020 through January 1, 2021. Congratulations to
all those who made the list this month!
There is a huge list this month. Perhaps due to the end of a Covid year.
CALL Dec Jan
WA4NVM 1544 1557
WC7V 1229 1232
N8RO 1075 1080
N9EAT 706 784
WA5KBH 766 775
AA8CH 718 750
W5RKN 732 739
K9UO 600 631
WD9EWK (DM43)625 630
KI7UNJ 576 602
KK4YEL 504 589
AA4QE 408 508
N7EGY 457 502
KE8FZT 475 500
N5BO 401 500
KJ4EU *404 471
WA6DNR New 457
AC9E 401 451
N4DCW 425 450
HP2VX 377 406
VE6WK 355 404
WB7VUF 370 404
WA9JBQ 375 400
AK7DD 326 376
KS1G 325 360
KB9STR 229 353
KF6JOQ 303 353
N3CRT 303 351
K5TA 202 302
KX9X 219 302
W8LR 225 300
EA3CAZ New 293
AB1OC 261 264
KX9X (EN50) 175 250
VU2LBW 200 246
VE4MM New 227
N8URE (FM19) New 186
WD9EWK (DM22)150 177
NA1ME 150 175
VE1VOX 157 170
WD9EWK (DM31)127 156
EA2AA 148 153
N4QX 149 152
WD9EWK (DM54)101 125
N2ZN 103 120
AA0MZ 112 116
N8URE (EL95) New 113
DL6KBG 101 111
K7RQN New 109
DL7NX New 103
K4KMP New 102
W4ALF New 102
KP4MV New 100
For some reason KJ4EU *404 was not on the 01 Dec ARRL list
If you find errors or omissions. please contact W5RKN off-list at
<mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list was
developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a
visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not
mentioned.
Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds.
They are doing most of the work!
[ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
New Mail System Archives Changes
AMSAT's new mail system was introduced several weeks ago, but a number of
users remain confused about its operation. If you are not receiving email
from AMSAT-BB or other lists from which you have received posts in the
past, you probably need to register your email address at
https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ Please contact postmaster [at]
amsat.org with any questions or concerns regarding this upgrade.
Likewise, if you are searching for archives of recent posts to AMSAT-BB,
ANS (AMSAT News Service), the Keplerian Elements Mailing List (KEPS), you
will now find those archives at https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/
Archives of message posts that date from prior to the first week of
December 2020 are still maintained at https://www.amsat.org/pipermail/ for
your continued reference. However, no new mail posts are archived at that
location.
Any messages from December 7, 2020 and onward are on the new "HyperKitty"
archive. Messages prior to that date remain in the old "PiperMail" archive.
[ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 31, 2020
The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from
this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:
EQUISat - NORAD Cat ID 43552 (Decayed on December 26, 2020 per Space-Track).
[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.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received
schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is
the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between
students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the
International Space Station (ISS).
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take
turns asking their questions of Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign
KI5BKC. John Sygo in Paardekraal, South Africa will use call sign ZS6JON to
serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. English is the
language that will be used for this contact. The Radio Club Argentino will
assist the students with the contact. The downlink frequency for this
contact is 145.800 MHZ.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for January 6, 2021 at 11:19 a.m. GALT
(Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island), which is 17:19 UTC. The contact will be
live streamed and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/3XmNxHTtR6Q.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]
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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/
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I
can’t keep this page updated with all of them.****
@WL7T: Is headed to Colorado for 3 weeks in January. Will be in DM69 most
of the time but might be able to be persuaded to go as far south as DM66.
[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.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, no events are currently scheduled.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ A great article about ARISS and ISS was recently published on the
website, PHYS.ORG
https://phys.org/news/2020-12-earthlings-astronauts-chat-ham-radio.html
(ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, for the above information)
+ ON THIS DATE in 2004, the Mars rover Spirit made its landing on the Red
Planet. In 1962, NASA publicly announced the Gemini program. And in 1920,
biochemist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov was born.
(ANS thanks The Year in Space for the above information)
+ Of all the estimated 2700 CubeSats and other “nanosatellites” that have
been created to date, less than 10% have had their own means of propulsion.
This leaves them at the mercy of gravity and atmospheric drag, which can
cause them to deorbit while they are still functional. In addition, they
are unable to maneuver and adjust their orbit and get out of the way of
other satellites and space debris. Thanks to Howe Industries and a
breakthrough engine design (known as the ThermaSat) that utilizes steam to
generate propulsion, all of that could change very soon. ThermaSat differs
from conventional steam engines by relying on plain water and
solar-electric power, and avoiding toxic, highly pressurized or even
explosive liquids, such as hydrazine.
(ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information)
+ The UK and EU announced a broad agreement Dec. 24 governing the UK’s
relationship with the EU once the country formally withdraws from the
European Union, a process known as Brexit. The agreement will allow the UK
to remain in the Copernicus Earth observation program after it formally
exits the EU. The situation is different with Galileo, the EU satellite
navigation program, which is not covered by the Brexit deal. Those programs
are “100% financed” by the EU. A third EU space program, is the EU Space
Surveillance and Tracking program for space situational awareness. The UK
government and private satellite operators based there will continue to
have access to those services under the deal.
(ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)
+ The uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to depart the International
Space Station on Wednesday, Jan. 6, more than three months after delivering
nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial
products, hardware, and other cargo to the orbiting outpost. Live coverage
of the cargo spacecraft’s departure will begin at 1445z on NASA Television
and the agency’s website, with release of Cygnus scheduled for 1510z.
(ANS thanks NASA and Southgate ARC for the above information)
+ Effective on June 29, 2021, amateur radio licensees and candidates must
provide the FCC with an email address on all applications. If no email
address is included, the FCC may dismiss the application as “defective.”
The FCC has already begun strongly encouraging applicants to provide an
email address. Once an email address is provided, the FCC will email a link
to an official electronic copy of the license grant. Licensees can log into
the ULS License Manager System with their FRN and password at any time and
update anything in their FCC license record, including adding an email
address. Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator
license may result when correspondence from the FCC is returned as
undeliverable because the grantee failed to provide the correct email
address.
(ANS thanks ARRL for the above information)
+ Today’s moment of Zen: your motions on this planet during your lifetime
have shifted the center of masses of both our planet and our solar system
by minuscule amounts, and this, in turn, has gravitationally altered the
motions of every star within the distance that light traveled during your
life. While undetectable, your life and choices shape the motion of the
stars.
(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to
AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.
Application forms are available from 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.
73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-362
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
In this edition:
* ARISS SSTV Event Commemorating 20 Years of Operations Continues
Through 12-31
* AMSAT CW Activity Day - January 1st
* FoxTelem v 1.09n5 Released
* Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Launch Window Now Likely Mid-January
* AO-7's Full Sun Season Ends
* ARISS News
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-362.01
ANS-362 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 362.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE December 27, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-362.01
ARISS SSTV Event Commemorating 20 Years of Operations Continues
Through 12-31
An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International
Space Station (ISS). This will be a special SSTV event to celebrate
the 20th anniversary of ARISS on board the International Space
Station. The event is scheduled to begin on December 24 at 16:40 UTC
and continue through December 31 ending at 18:15 UTC. Dates are
subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments.
Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and
the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. Radio enthusiasts
participating in the event can post images they receive at the ARISS
SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/.
After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special
award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ and following
directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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AMSAT CW Activity Day 2021
You are cordially invited to participate in CW Activity Day 2021,
sponsored by AMSAT for amateurs around the world. Operate CW through
any amateur satellite on 1 January 2021 UTC. Straight keys and bugs
are encouraged but not required. You need not send in a log, but are
encouraged to post a brief report of your activity on the amsat-bb
Protect your satellites! Please remember to use the minimum power
needed to complete your QSOs. CU on the birds!
[ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for the above information]
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Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
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FoxTelem v 1.09n5 Released
I have a slightly updated version of FoxTelem. This is not a
mandatory upgrade and you won't get a reminder message.
This includes just a couple of fixes:
* Allow both Mode and Freq to be switched automatically in Find Signal
mode, assuming Auto Start is on. This might be important to you if
you use Find SIgnal and you want to track Fox-1E and the existing Fox
spacecraft
* Support a 12kHz IF for BPSK as requested by SatNogs. This will
allow the IF from the SatNogs receiver to be decoded, including any
recordings that are made by SatNogs ground stations.
* Display correct error messages on WOD tab when T0 or keps not
available
If those are important to you then feel free to upgrade.
The release is available here:
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/FoxTelem_1.09n5_windows.zip
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/FoxTelem_1.09n5_linux.tar.gz
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.09n5_mac.tar.gz
If you are upgrading from 1.09n3 then you only need to replace the jar
file. If you know how to do that, then the jar file is here:
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/test/FoxTelem.jar
If you have questions then feel free to send me an email.
[ANS thanks Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA, AMSAT FoxTelem Developer, for
the above information]
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Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Launch Window Now Likely Mid-January
Via @Virgin_Orbit on Twitter:
Update from Mojave: as our teammates cleared their preventative
quarantines, we got back into our pre-launch operations. Sunday and
Monday, we completed our final wet dress rehearsal — the last big test
we had planned prior to our launch.
Our policies around social distancing were strict before, but we’ve
since implemented even more extreme measures to ensure the health and
safety of our team. A full 2/3rds of the small crew who were on-site
for our previous WDR supported this latest rehearsal remotely.
Our hardware is basically ready to go, as is our team. We are working
with our partners in government and with our customers to identify
our new candidate launch windows. We’ll publish new dates as soon as
they are final, but currently, the window is likely to be mid-January.
Finally: to all of our friends, neighbors, and families, we wish you a
joyous, safe, socially distanced, disinfected holiday season. As 2020
winds down and we all prepare to enter a new chapter, please take care
of yourselves and your loved ones — and wear a mask!
[ANS thanks Virgin Orbit for the above information]
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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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF
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AO-7's Full-Sun Season Ends
On December 26th, AO-7 began entering eclipse each orbit after two
months of continuous sunlight. This means that the 24 hour timer
will no longer switch the satellite between Mode A and Mode B each
day as the satellite normally powers up in Mode B after exiting
eclipse.
Joe Werth, KE9AJ, was a strong advocate for Mode A operation this
season, making 18 QSOs, including 4 transatlantic QSOs, using a 10m
moxon for the downlink. On October 19th, operating portable in EN50,
he worked Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, in JN15, a distance of 7,088 km.
Although longer distance QSOs have certainly been made on AO-7 Mode A,
this represents the longest distance QSO claimed for AMSAT records.
The next full sun period is estimated to begin on September 10, 2021
and last until April 7, 2022.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for
the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
Twenty years of ARISS!
On December 21, 2000 at 20:29 UTC, Luther Burbank School in
Burbank, IL had ARISS contact number 1. I was privileged to be the
control operator and ARISS mentor for that first contact. We failed
two days earlier, but we figured out what had gone wrong and on the
second day, we had a highly successful contact with Bill Shepherd
KD5GSL who operated NA1SS. Since that first contact, ARISS has had
1411 total events; all of them an unforgettable experience for
everyone involved. I am sure the crewmembers have enjoyed the
contacts just as much as the schools.
I thank my ham crew who worked in putting together contact number 1
(try putting antennas up with minus 30 degrees windchill factors), the
students who went into the great unknown (someone has to be first),
the school staff who knew they had the right students to make it
happen, and the parents who pushed their student to participate.
Now ARISS embarks on the next 20 years of space exploration. In the
not-too-distant future, a school may be talking to a crewmember who is
orbiting the moon. So, stay tuned where ARISS goes next.
Please check for additional 20th year anniversary messages at
https://www.ariss.org/.
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, ARISS Operations, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in
space?
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club
meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
No upcoming presentations listed
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]
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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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Upcoming Satellite Operations
****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and
I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.****
N4DCW: EM66 12/27
W9TWJ: Either next Tuesday 12/29 or Wednesday 12/30, AB5SS and I will
be loading up and activating EL28 (maybe a few other surrounding) – FM
and linear.
Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]
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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur
radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ AO-92 was returned to service on Christmas Day. Due to the condition
of the satellite's batteries, please do not use the satellite when
it is in eclipse (when the satellite is not in sun). It is unknown
how long it will continue to operate. AO-91 is also experiencing
battery issues. Please do not use AO-91 in eclipse.
+ Want to try ham radio satellite operating but don’t think you have
the gear you need? Check out Sean Kutzko. KX9X's latest video for
DX Engineering & see how you can work satellites using gear you may
already have in your shack! https://youtu.be/tKZ_qCfGn5A
+ The Los Angeles Times published an article about ham radio aboard
the ISS entitled "Living in space can get lonely. What helps?
Talking to random people over ham radio" on December 23rd.
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-362-LATimes
+ Phys.org also published an article on ARISS:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-362-Phys
+ AMSAT Secretary Jeff Davis, KE9V, reports on his blog that the
Twin Cities DX Association included a member profile of Senior
AMSAT News Service Editor Mark Johns, K0JM, in the December 2020
edition of the Gray Line Report.
https://ke9v.net/2020/12/24/amsat-volunteers.html
+ Astronomers have encountered a mystery surprisingly close to Earth.
Using the Parkes telescope in Australia, scientists discovered a
strange radio signal coming from Proxima Centauri, the star system
closest to the Sun. The signal occupies an oddly narrow 982MHz band
that’s unused by human-made spacecraft, yet not possible through
known natural processes. The frequency shifts up, too, rather than
down like you’d expect for a planet. Even though the cause is likely
something other than extraterrestrial life, the eventual answer
could be very useful. (ANS thanks Engadget.com for the above
information)
+ Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store,
including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT
round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase
price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+ All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now
available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The
1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of
AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If
you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not
yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/
+ The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites
is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting
Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite
information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The
book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers
all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite.
The digital download is available for $15 at
https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30
plus shipping and is available at
https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,
This week's ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-348
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* AMSAT-BB has migrated email server
* Launch Window for AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th
* Robots Dominate Space News This Week
* SpaceX's Starship SN8 soars on test launch with explosive landing
* The Great Conjunction is Coming on December 21, 2020
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December ##, 2020
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* Tips for the New Operator - Mobile Apps 2
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-348.01
ANS-320 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 348.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 December 13
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-348.01
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AMSAT-BB has migrated email server software
AMSAT’s IT team has been working to upgrade the Mailman software that
supports mailing lists (aka reflectors, listserv, BB, etc). This upgrade
became necessary for several reasons, one of which was the release of a
new major revision of the Mailman software itself. The new version of
Mailman has many improvements, including: an updated web UI, management
of all list memberships with a single account, and a web UI for
searching and browsing archives.
The upgrade requires existing mail list users to sign up for a “new”
account, which will be used to manage their existing list subscriptions
and preferences. This will also require everyone to validate their
preferences, aliases (if any), etc. Most existing preferences from the
previous version of Mailman did not migrate. Please see the procedures
below. Please contact postmaster(a)amsat.org with any questions or
concerns regarding this upgrade.
Procedures to to sign up for the new Mailman service were sent to all
AMSAT-BB subscribers. Please read the PDF attached to the email.
Matt, KM4EXS adds this reminder in a follow up email: Please use the
"Sign Up" option, using the email address that you use for your
subscriptions. That process will link the "new" account to all your
existing subscriptions. You can then set your digest preferences as
you like.
[ANS thanks Matt Alberti / KM4EXS / AMSAT-IT Volunteer for the above
information]
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Launch Window for AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th
December 2, 2020
Virgin Orbit has announced that the launch window for their LauncherOne
Launch Demo 2 mission opens on December 19th. This launch will carry
AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E to orbit.
RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat / Fox-1B, now AMSAT-OSCAR 91, is a partnership
opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT and will carry a
similar radiation effects experiment, studying new FinFET technology.
RadFxSat-2 is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. The
RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series but features a
linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard FM transponder in
Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands are re-
versed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J) configuration
using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink features a
1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science data in
addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Telemetry
and experiment data can be decoded using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later.
FoxTelem is available at:
https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/.
Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many
parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks
for successful startup and indications of the general health and
function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space. AMSAT
will send a commemorative 3D printed QSL card to the first station
capturing telemetry from RadFxSat-2.
Uplink LSB 145.860 MHz through 145.890 MHz
Downlink USB 435.760 MHz through 435.790 MHz
1.2kbps BPSK telemetry 435.750 MHz
Launches on ELaNa XX – Virgin Orbit LauncherOne Launch Demo 2.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, Contributing Editor ANS News Service for the
above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Robots Dominate Space News This Week
+Two groundbreaking robotic sample return missions dominated much of the
space news this week. A capsule holding grains of rock and dust sampled
from asteroid Ryugu hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 11.6 km/s and safely
parachuted into the Australian outback. Hayabusa2 launched on Dec. 3,
2014, took four years to reach Ryugu, then did a bunch of science (in-
cluding shooting it with a tantalum bullet and dropping numerous de-
ployables on the body—here’s a detailed PDF about the mission), before
returning with ~100 mg of samples, having covered a total of 5.24 bil-
lion kilometers. The mission isn’t over for Hayabusa2 though—it’s now
headed toward asteroid 1998KY26 for humanity’s first rendezvous with a
fast rotating asteroid in 2031 and a flyby of 2001CC21 along the way.
+After 19 hours of drilling and scooping samples, Chang’e 5’s ascent
vehicle spring-launched and then blasted off, returning to lunar orbit
carrying ~2 kg of regolith. It successfully rendezvoused with the re-
turn vehicle, transferred the sample, and the return vehicle has em-
barked on its multi-day return trip. These will be the first lunar
samples returned since the 70s and the first sample return mission for
China. The rendezvous of the ascent vehicle and the return segment used
microwave radar that was accurate down to 0.1° and able to lock on to a
circle with a 3.33 cm radius.
+The cost to train deep neural networks is decreasing at 50x Moore’s Law,
leading many to believe that machine learning, while very much in its
infancy, will see many more space applications in the near future. Cut-
ting edge applications, such as making autonomous decisions because
throughput or speed-of-light delay prevent humans from doing so, have
already been demonstrated, and more are on the horizon.
[ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information]
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SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype soars on epic test launch, with
explosive landing
SpaceX's Starship spaceflight system just took a big step on its path
to Mars. The latest Starship prototype, a shiny silver vehicle known as
SN8, launched on an epic high-altitude test flight today (Dec. 9),
taking off at 5:45 p.m. EST (2245 GMT) from SpaceX's facility near the
South Texas village of Boca Chica.
The goal was to soar about 7.8 miles (12.5 kilometers) into the sky,
perform some complex aerial maneuvers — including a "belly flop" like
the one the final Starship will perform when coming back to Earth on
operational flights — and then land safely near the launch stand.
The 165-foot-tall (50 meters) SN8 appeared to notch all of these big
milestones, except for the final one: The vehicle hit its landing mark
but came in too fast, exploding in a dramatic fireball 6 minutes and
42 seconds after liftoff. Additional information and video available
at: https://bit.ly/3n7KLV1
[ANS thanks Mike Wall of Space.com for the above information]
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The Great Conjunction is Coming on December 21, 2020
In their closest encounter since 1623, Jupiter and Saturn appear as a
single star in the evening sky next month.
All through the summer and into the fall, the two gas giants of the
solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, have been calling attention to
themselves in the southern evening sky.
Jupiter of course, always appears brilliant and is usually one of the
brightest nighttime objects, but in recent months it has stood out even
more than usual because of the presence of bright Saturn trailing just
off to its left (east).
Appearing about one-twelfth as bright, Saturn has, in a way, served as
Jupiter's "lieutenant" in this year of 2020. This will be the first time
since 1623 that this event will be seen. Additional information is at:
https://bit.ly/3m4ot5j
[ANS thanks Joe Rao of Space.com for the above information]
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 11, 2020
None. Please refer to the TLE/Keplerian Element Resources at:
https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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 for the week of 9 December, 2020
ARISS has posted a special anniversary message and a video celebrating
our 20th Anniversary on the ARISS Web Page:
<http://www.ariss.org>.
An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International
Space Station (ISS) for late December. This will be a special SSTV event
to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ARISS. The event is scheduled to
begin on December 24 and continue through December 31. Dates are subject
to change due to ISS operational adjustments.
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
Upcoming Contacts:
Oregon Charter Academy, Mill City, OR, telebridge via VK4KHZ (Shannon
Walker KD5DXB) Tue 2020-12-15 19:00:49 UTC 32 deg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The following schools have now been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19:
Postponed: No new schools
Cancelled: RO-SAT One, Piatra-Neamț, Romania, direct via YRØISS
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.
All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date
and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-12-08 16:00 UTC.
Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and
questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and
instructions for any contact that may be streamed live.
https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf
https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N and David Jordan AA4KN, of the ARISS
operation team mentor group for the above information]
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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
Upcoming Roves:
Note from KE0PBR ****Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves hap-
pening lately, and I can’t keep this page updated with all of them.****
@N4DCW will be working passes from EM87 Dec 10-13. Click link to check
for details: https://bit.ly/36V2SYM
@KL7TN: DM67/68: If my plans still hold up, Dec 12-13 for DM67/68 is on
my radar.
@AD7DB: DM22 : Dec 17-20 Maybe DM13,23,32 Holiday Style on FM sats.
No Major Roves are listed.
Please submit any additions or corrections to KE0PBR (at) gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the
above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
<No update listed this week>
[ANS thanks AMSAT.org for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Happy birthday to OSCAR 1 -- Age 59!
+ The first amateur satellite, simply named OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite
Carrying Amateur Radio), was launched on December 12, 1961, barely
four years after the launch of the world's first satellite of any
kind, Sputnik I. The satellite had to be built in a very specific
shape and weight, so it could be used in place of one of the weights
necessary for balancing the payload in the rocket stage. OSCAR 1 was
the first satellite to be ejected as a secondary payload (the primary
payload was Discoverer 36) and to subsequently enter a separate orbit.
Its orbit decayed quickly, yet despite orbiting for only 22 days,
OSCAR 1 was an immediate success. More than 570 amateur radio opera-
tors in 28 countries forwarded observations to Project OSCAR (prede-
cessor organization to AMSAT).
(ANS thanks The Year in Space for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ SpaceX won $885.5 million in broadband subsidies the FCC awarded pro-
viders Dec. 7 under its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase 1
auction. SpaceX’s share of the funding is one of the largest among
the 180 winning bidders. The FCC will distribute the $9.2 billion in
RDOF funding over the next 10 years to help the winning providers
bring broadband service to some 5.2 million unserved homes and busi-
nesses in rural parts of the United States.
(ANS thanks SpaceNews.com for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ SpaceX launched its upgraded Cargo Dragon spacecraft on Dec. 6. Based
on Crew Dragon (basically stripped of seats, life support equipment,
abort motors, and navigation interfaces), this was their 21st commer-
cial ISS resupply mission. This version of Cargo Dragon is certified
for five flights compared to its predecessor’s three, and it conducts
automated docking instead of Canadarm-captured berthing.
(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ There may still be time to participate in the last part of the 2020
Open Source CubeSat Workshop. The workshop provides a forum for Cube-
Sat developers and CubeSat mission operators to meet and join forces
on open source projects. The focus of this year’s workshop is on
sharing of ideas and open collaboration, even when confined at home.
The target audience is academia, research institutes, companies, and
individuals. The event takes place 12 and 13 December, 13:00 - 17:00
UTC each day: https://events.libre.space/event/4/
(ANS thanks Libre Space Community for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ Surprisingly clear videos of the Arecibo Observatory collapse are now
available, one from a drone that was actively inspecting a cable dur-
ing the event and the other from a camera in the control room. A de-
tailed frame-by-frame analysis is available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59WQIRvezzI
(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ GEOMAGNETIC STORM December 10, 2020
A coronal mass ejection (CME) occurred heading for Earth early in
the week., and geomagnetic storms were forecast to occur when it
arrived on December 9th and 10th. NOAA forecasters downgraded their
possible G3 warning. Unfortunately for Skywatchers, auroras that were
could originally thought possible as far south as Illinois and
Oregon were not seen farther south than the northern tier. On the
other hand satellite surface charging issues and HF propagation have
remained unaffected without the blackouts typical of these dis-
turbances. An interesting discussion of the reasons for this "non-
event" is on Dr. Tamitha Skov's YouTube/Patreon channel at:
https://bit.ly/38113ce
(ANS thanks Spaceweather.com and Dr. Skov for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ Next Rocket Lab launch delayed due to weather
Due to weather over the range this week at LC-1 RocketLab are now tar-
geting no earlier than Monday, 14 December UTC for #TheOwlsNightBegins
mission. Terry ads in a follow up note: "There is a solar eclipse on
Monday that may affect the mission so the launch is delayed until
Tuesday."
See: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1337329320876904450
Target lift-off: UTC | 09:00 - 10:59
(ANS thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+ Samples of asteroid Ryugu arrive in Japan after successful Hayabusa2
capsule landing on Dec. 5
Japanese scientists are thrilled to finally have asteroid samples
arrive Monday (Dec. 7) after a long flight from Australia — and a
much longer journey through the solar system.
An aerial shot of the Hayabusa2 return capsule and parachute after
its landing on a bush in the Woomera Prohibited Area, Australia.
Those rocks originate on a near-Earth asteroid called Ryugu; the
Hayabusa2 spacecraft snagged them in 2019 before a yearlong journey
to deliver them to Earth in a small sample-return capsule. The
capsule landed on Dec. 5 in the Woomera Prohibited Area in South
Australia, creating a stunning fireball in the pre-dawn skies.
Japanese scientists on site successfully tracked down the capsule
and collected the precious cosmic delivery to begin the final leg of
its journey. See additional information and photos at:
https://bit.ly/379wPnV
(ANS thanks Meghan Bartels and Space.com for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.
73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at amsat dot org
1
0
ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th
by Paul Stoetzer 02 Dec '20
by Paul Stoetzer 02 Dec '20
02 Dec '20
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN
ANS-337
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite
Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space
including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur
Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building,
launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio
satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-337
ANS-337 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 337.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE December 2, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-337.01
Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Opens December 19th
Virgin Orbit has announced that the launch window for their
LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 mission opens on December 19th. This launch
will carry AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E to orbit.
RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat / Fox-1B, now AMSAT-OSCAR 91, is a
partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT and
will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new FinFET
technology.
RadFxSat-2 is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. The
RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series but features a
linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard FM transponder in
Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands are
reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J)
configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink
features a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt
science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur
radio use. Telemetry and experiment data can be decoded using FoxTelem
version 1.09 or later. FoxTelem is available at
https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/.
Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many
parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks
for successful startup and indications of the general health and
function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space. AMSAT
will send a commemorative 3D printed QSL card to the first station
capturing telemetry from RadFxSat-2.
RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Frequencies:
Telemetry Downlink - 435.750 MHz
Inverting Linear Transponder Uplink - 145.860 MHz - 145.890 MHz
Inverting Linear Transponder Downlink - 435.760 MHz - 435.790 MHz
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,
This week's ANS Contributing Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-334
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* Happy 7th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 73 (FUNcube-1)
* Neutron-1 Signals Received
* GridMaster Awards #20-#25 Issued
* Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 26th
* ARISS News
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-334.01
ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 334.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE November 29, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-334.01
Happy 7th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 73 (FUNcube-1)
AO-73 celebrated its 7th birthday in orbit last weekend.
Launched on November 21, 2013 at 07:10 UTC on a Dnepr rocket,
FUNcube-1 was launched along with 31 other satellites, 19 of which
carried amateur radio payloads.
With just a few resets over 7 years, the satellite continues in
operation today.
Paul Stoetzer N8HM is sponsoring an award for contacts made via the
satellite. The award aims to promote activity on AO-73.
https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Neutron-1 Signals Received
Following deployment from the ISS on November 5th, no signals were
intially received from Neutron-1. Thanks to SatNOGS and the efforts
of the amateur radio community, several beacons were eventually
received and decoded. The HSFL team has concluded that the satellite
is in a normally charging deep sleep mode.
The Neutron-1 sends a huge thank you to JA0CAW, VK2DWT, and all the
other ham radio operators listening for the beacon! The team is
working to decode the .wav files sent over.
Thanks to the beacon receptions, Neutron-1 has been identified as
NORAD object 46923 and is now included in AMSAT's TLE distribution.
More information about the Neutron-1 mission can be found at
https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/
[ANS thanks the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory for the above
information]
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Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
GridMaster Awards #20-#25 Issued
Recent roves have generated a number of applications for AMSAT's
GridMaster Award, including four applications on November 23rd.
20 Martin A. Schuette N9EAT November 1, 2020
21 Kevin Zari KK4YEL November 19, 2020
22 Robert Sours K9UO November 23, 2020
23 Chris Tabor K7TAB November 23, 2020
24 Paul Overn KE0PBR November 23, 2020
25 Casey Tucker KI7UNJ November 23, 2020
The GridMaster Award is AMSAT's most prestigious operating award. This
award was first introduced by Star Comm Group in 2014. AMSAT thanks
Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, for not only
sponsoring this award since its inception, but, also, entrusting AMSAT
with the honor of carrying on this important award for the benefit of
the entire AMSAT community.
The GridMaster award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit
proof with written confirmation of contacts with each of the 488
maidenhead grids located within the contiguous United States of
America.
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards
for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 26th
The following satellites have been and added to this week's AMSAT-NA
TLE Distribution:
BY70-3 - NORAD Cat ID 46839 - BY70-3 is not transmitting on its
coordinated frequency of 437.443 MHz. BY70-3 is transmitting on an
uncoordinated frequency of 437.600 MHZ. Thanks to Nico Janssen,
PA0DLO, for verifying the NORAD Cat ID's and transmitting frequencies
for the above satellite.
Neutron-1 - NORAD Cat ID 46923.
The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been
removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:
UiTMSat 1 - NORAD Cat ID 43589 (Decayed on November 20, 2020 per
Space-Track).
Maya 1 - NORAD Cat ID 43590 (Decayed on November 19, 2020 per
Space-Track).
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5GQD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the
above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it
all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable
solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
ARISS News
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Ryzhikov
Contact is go for Thu 2020-12-03 08:45 UTC
Scuola Secondaria di I grado “Anna Frank”, Pistoia, Italy,
telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC
Contact is go for: Fri 2020-12-04 12:25:22 UTC 50 deg
Tecumseh High School Electronics and Amateur Radio, Tecumseh, OK,
direct via K5THS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB
Contact is go for: Fri 2020-12-04 18:33:30 UTC 78 deg
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is looking
for Luther Burbank School alumni who participated in the ham radio
contact on Dec. 21 2000, in relation to our 20th year Anniversary
celebration. Please contact Charlie Sufana AJ9N at aj9n at aol.com
for more info.
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, ARISS Operations, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in
space?
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club
meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
No upcoming presentations listed
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Upcoming Satellite Operations
No upcoming roves listed
Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur
radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Sean Kutzko, KX9X, has released his latest video on amateur
satellite operation for DX Engineering. Follow along as he walks you
through an entire linear satellite pass, complete with notes and
annotations: https://youtu.be/cwtmP1sDL9g
+ A photo of AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E while it awaits integration
is prominently featured in Virgin Orbit's new blog post regarding
the upcoming launch of LauncherOne: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-334-VO
+ The Wireless Institute of Australia is working on a plan to
coordinate building Australian amateur radio satellites and has a
draft policy out for member review and comment:
https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2020/20201121-1/index.php
+ Take a Trip to the Moon — and an Artemis Launch — with the Artemis
Moon Pod Essay Contest!
Take remote learning a little further — as in 250,000 miles further.
NASA collaborated with Future Engineers to create the Artemis Moon Pod
Essay Contest. The contest, open to U.S. students in grades K-12,
launches on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Dec. 17, 2020,
challenging participants to imagine leading a one-week expedition to
the Moon’s South Pole.
Just imagine: You and a crew of astronauts will explore the lunar
surface, making discoveries to assist future explorers. Describe your
team — the number of astronauts in your crew, the skills they possess,
their personality traits, and the attributes you would want in
crewmates. Next, what machine, piece of technology, or robot would you
leave behind on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore
the Moon?
To enter the contest, students must submit their essays by Dec 17. The
essays will be divided into three groups, for judging by grade level –
K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Make sure to check out the full list of contest
details, including that your essay should be no more than 100 words
(grades K-4), 200 words (grades 5-8), or 300 words (grades 9-12).
Students can sign up individually at the contest site or teachers can
register their entire class.
Every student who submits an essay will receive an official
certificate and be invited to a NASA virtual event featuring an
astronaut! Semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or
territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts.
Nine finalists will have the opportunity to travel with a parent to
NASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar
exploration. The national winner in each grade division will win a
family trip to see the first Artemis flight test, watching the most-
powerful rocket in the world launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
in Florida.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/stem/artemis-essay-contest/
(NASA press release)
+ Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store,
including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT
round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase
price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+ AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the
AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/
+ All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now
available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The
1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of
AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If
you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet
a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/
+ The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites
is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting
Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite
information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The
book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers
all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite.
The digital download is available for $15 at
https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30
plus shipping and is available at
https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,
This week's ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-327
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* SpaceX Dragon Capsule Ferries Four Radio Amateurs to the ISS
* September/October Issue Of The AMSAT Journal Is Now Available
* New Launch Date for EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites
* Arecibo Observatory Faces Demolition After Cable Failures
* DX Portable Operation Planned From Thailand Grid NK99
* Human Error Blamed For Vega Launch Failure
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 19
* Moscow Aviation Institute Plans SSTV Event from ISS
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-327.01
ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 327.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 November 22
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-327.01
SpaceX Dragon Capsule Ferries Four Radio Amateurs to the ISS
A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying four radio amateurs autonomously
docked on November 17 at 0401 UTC with the International Space Station
(ISS). A SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher carrying the precious payload went
into space on Sunday, November 15, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
They comprise the ISS Expedition 64/65 crew.
"Well, the ISS is loaded with hams now," Amateur Radio on the Inter-
national Space Station (ARISS) US Delegate for ARRL Rosalie White,
K1STO, said on Tuesday. "These four arrived very early this morning
Eastern Time: NASA astronauts Victor Glover, KI5BKC; Mike Hopkins,
KF5LJG, and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, as well as Japan Aerospace Explora-
tion Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP." This marks
Glover's first time in space. The others all are ISS veterans.
Earlier this year, NASA ISS Ham Project Coordinator Kenneth Ransom,
N5VHO, held amateur radio licensing study sessions for Glover, who
passed the Technician-class exam on August 20.
The four will remain on station until next spring. They joined Expedi-
tion 64 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Sergey Kud-
Sverchkov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, on the ISS.
White said all but Noguchi likely will take part in ARISS contacts with
schools. White said the first school contact is tentatively scheduled
for December 4 with Tecumseh High School in Oklahoma, home of the
Tecumseh High School Amateur Radio Club, K5THS. She said the students
have earned their ham licenses, and the club has built an antenna and
is learning about satellites and circuits. Members of the South Cana-
dian Amateur Radio Society of Norman, Oklahoma, are providing support
and mentoring assistance.
The Sunday launch from Kennedy Space Center marked only the second
crewed-flight for the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which became the first commer-
cial vehicle to put humans into orbit when astronauts Doug Hurley and
Bob Behnken, KE5GGX, launched in May, and NASA gave SpaceX the go for
future such launches.
"The return of human spaceflight to the United States with one of the
safest, most advanced systems ever built is a turning point for Amer-
ica's future space exploration," SpaceX claimed, "and it lays the
groundwork for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond."
(ANS thanks ARRL for the above information)
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
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September/October Issue Of The AMSAT Journal Is Now Available
The September/October 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available
to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal (https://launch.amsat.org/)
The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space
enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects,
technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news
from around the world.
Inside the Current Issue:
- Apogee View - Robert Bankston, KE4AL
- Engineering Update – Jerry Buxton, N0JY
- Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y
- A Guide to the AMSAT CubeSatSim - Alan Johnston, KU2Y; Pat Kilroy,
N8PK; Jim McLaughlin, KI6ZUM; David White, WD6DRI
- User Services Update – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
- For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VII – Keith Baker,
KB1SF/VA3KSF
- A 3D-Printed Parasitic Lindenblad Antenna for 70 cm - Times Two! -
Curt Laumann, K7ZOO; Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
- In Search of the Ultimate DX - Scott Tilley, VE7TIL
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive VP, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
New Launch Date for EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites
AMSAT-EA President Felix Paez, EA4GQS, has announced the scheduled
launch date for AMSAT-EA satellites EASAT-2 and HADES. Flying with
SpaceX, the two nanosats are scheduled for launch on January 14, 2021.
They have been already delivered and integrated on the Alba Orbital
deployer.
The satellites have been configured to act as FM voice and FSK data
repeaters and not as linear transponders as was the initial plan. In
any case, they are believed to be the smallest satellites ever given
such a function, as their size is only 7.5 x 5 x 5 cm.
Hades also flies a SSTV camera that will take and send pictures each 15
minutes. The camera module design is based on the one used in the PSAT2
satellite, adapted for AMSAT-EA by the Brno University of Technology.
Hades – FM voice repeater, callsign AM6SAT
uplink 145.925 MHz (no tone), downlink 436.888 MHz
EASAT-2 – FM voice repeater, callsign AM5SAT
uplink 145.875 MHz (no tone), downlink 436.666 MHz
Both satellites have also digitized FM voice beacons and FSK data re-
peaters.
These are the first satellites built by AMSAT-EA, with the project
leaders being all Spanish radio amateurs and almost all the engineering
made by radio amateurs with help of students of two universities. While
AMSAT-EA doesn't have the flight heritage of other AMSAT organizations,
this is an important step for the organization as it moves to improve
skills in order to build better satellites for the radio amateur satel-
lite service in the future.
More information and photos of these and other upcoming AMSAT-EA pro-
jects is available at https://bit.ly/3lNjTJq
[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Arecibo Observatory Faces Demolition After Cable Failures
After withstanding hurricanes and earthquakes, playing central roles
in movies like “GoldenEye” and “Contact,” Puerto Rico’s famed Arecibo
Observatory, once the largest radio telescope in the world, will be
demolished because of cable failures that left its huge detector plat-
form too unstable to attempt repairs.
“After reviewing the engineering assessment, we have found no path for-
ward that would allow us to do so safely,” said Sean Jones, assistant
director for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate at the
National Science Foundation.
“We know that a delay in decision making leaves the entire facility at
risk of an uncontrolled collapse, unnecessarily jeopardizing people and
also the additional facilities.”
Operated by the NSF through the University of Central Florida, the
iconic observatory is made up of a fixed 1,000-foot-wide dish antenna
built into a bowl-like depression that reflects radio waves or radar
beams to a 900-ton instrument platform suspended 450 feet above by
cables stretching from three support towers.
For 57 years, the observatory has played a leading role observing deep
space targets, bodies in the solar system and, using powerful lasers,
the composition and behavior of Earth’s upper atmosphere.
But the beginning of the end came on Aug. 10 when an auxiliary cable
installed in the 1990s pulled free of its socket on one support tower
and crashed onto the dish below, ripping a 100-foot-long gash.
Engineers were developing repair plans when one of the main 3-inch-wide
cables attached to the same tower unexpectedly snapped on Nov. 6,
causing the instrument platform to tilt and putting additional stress
on the remaining cables.
An analysis showed the cable failed in calm weather at about 60 percent
of of its minimum breaking strength. Inspections of other cables showed
fresh wire breaks and slippage in several auxiliary cable sockets that
were added to the structure in the 1990s.
An engineering firm hired by the University of Central Florida to
assess the structure concluded it would be unsafe to proceed with
repairs. Even stress tests to determine the strength of the remaining
cables could trigger a catastrophic collapse.
Instead, engineers recommended a controlled demolition, bringing down
the suspended instrument platform in a way that will prevent damage to
other structures at the periphery of the dish by making sure the towers
themselves don’t collapse and by ensuring no cables whip into those
structures.
“The telescope is at serious risk of an unexpected, uncontrolled col-
lapse,” said Ralph Gaume, director of NSF’s Division of Astronomical
Sciences. “According to engineering assessment, even attempted stabil-
ization, or testing the table could result in accelerating the catas-
trophic failure.
“Engineers cannot tell us the safety margin of the structure, but they
have advised NSF that the structure will collapse in the near future
on its own.”
Plans for bringing down the instrument platform have not yet been fin-
alized and it’s not yet known whether explosives will be used in a
controlled demolition or whether it might be possible to somehow lower
the platform to the dish below.
However it plays out, the 1,000-foot-wide telescope will essentially
be destroyed. While the laser facility and visitor’s center will hope-
fully be preserved, the radio telescope itself will be no more.
[ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information]
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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/
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DX Portable Operation Planned From Thailand Grid NK99
The Thailand’s Amateur Radio Satellite group (AMSAT-HS) has requested
permission to establish a temporary station (DX portable) with the
northern office of the NBTC, Thailand’s regulator, in Chiang Mai and
Mae Hong Son (grid NK99) provinces in the north of Thailand during the
period from November 26-28, 2020 to communicate via All LEO and MEO
amateur radio satellites (including QO-100 NB) that pass over Thailand
using the callsign HS0AJ/P of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand
under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King.
Hence we would like to notify all radio amateurs who would interested
in contacting stations in Thailand on its northern border of this ac-
tivity. Even if the angle is as low as 0 degrees please try to contact
us. We hope to meet you on all satellites frequency then.
Operator by: E21EJC KoB and HS1JAN NaN
[ANS thanks Tanan Rangseeprom, HS1JAN, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Error Blamed For Vega Launch Failure
Arianespace executives said Nov. 17 that the failure of a Vega launch
the previous day was caused when the rocket’s upper stage tumbled out
of control due to incorrectly installed cables in a control system.
In a call with reporters, Roland Lagier, chief technical officer of
Arianespace, said the first three stages of the Vega rocket performed
normally after liftoff from Kourou, French Guiana, at 8:52 p.m. Eastern
Nov. 16. The Avum upper stage then separated and ignited its engine.
However, “straightaway after ignition” of the upper stage, he said, the
vehicle started to tumble out of control. “This loss of control was
permanent, inducing significant tumbling behavior, and then the trajec-
tory started to deviate rapidly from the nominal one, leading to the
loss of the mission.”
Analysis of the telemetry from the mission, along with data from the
production of the vehicle, led them to conclude that cables to two
thrust vector control actuators were inverted. Commands intended to go
to one actuator went instead to the other, triggering the loss of con-
trol.
“This was clearly a production and quality issue, a series of human
errors, and not a design one,” Lagier said.
The failure caused the loss of two spacecraft, the SEOSAT-Ingenio Earth
observation satellite for Spain and the TARANIS satellite for France to
study electromagnetic phenomena in the upper atmosphere. [No amateur
satellites were involved -- Ed.]
[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information]
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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 19
The following satellites have been and added to this week's AMSAT-NA
TLE Distribution:
SALSAT - NORAD Cat ID 46495.
Bobcat-1 - NORAD Cat ID 46921.
SPOC - NORAD Cat ID 46922.
Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for verfying the NORAD Cat ID's for
the above satellites.
The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed
from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:
BHUTAN 1 - NORAD Cat ID 43591 (Decayed on November 18, 2020 per Space-
Track)
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Moscow Aviation Institute Plans SSTV Event from ISS
Rodolfo Parisio, IW2BSF, reports that a Slow-Scan Television (SSTV)
transmission event from the International Space Station is currently
scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Dec. 1 starting at 12:30 UTC, ending at
18:25 UTC, and again on Wednesday, Dec. 2 starting at 11:50 UTC and
ending at 18:25 UTC.
Listen for SSTV signals to be downlinked at 145.800 MHz +/- Doppler
shift. The mode of transmission is expected to be PD 120. These times
will allow for one pass over the Eastern USA near the end of the sched-
uled times. Received images of reasonable quality can be posted at the
ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/
Future updates on this event will be posted @ARISS_status on Twitter.
[ANS thanks Rodolfo Parisio, IW2BSF, 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.
A school contact has been scheduled with Amur State University, Blago-
veshchensk, Russia, direct via a ground station to be determined. This
contact will be heard over Russian and other parts of Europe on 145.800
MHz on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 08:45 UTC The ISS callsign is presently
scheduled to be RSØISS and the scheduled cosmonaut is Sergey Ryzhikov.
Welcome aboard to SpaceX-Crew 1 now on orbit! Victor Glover, KI5BKC,
Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, and Shannon Walker,
KD5DXB, have joined Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, and the two cosmonauts,
Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men-
tors for the above information]
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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/
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
Upcoming Roves:
Quick Hits:
Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and I
can’t keep this page updated with all of them.
FM26/27/28, @N5BO With 6 days off coming up I’m trying to finalize some
plans, but as of now I’m looking to head out late next week for the
FM26/27/28 area, with a couple grid stops on the way up. I’m also
looking at a possible detour on the way back home through the EM97
area. More to come…
KH67, 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21.
Major Roves:
AD0HJ’s #CoronaReliefThanksgivingMegaRoveBlowout: Not seeing any major
roves scheduled for the dates 11/21 – 11/27 so he will be heading south
to green up some Kansas style grids starting Saturday evening. More
details to come over the next few days: EN00,10: EM18/19 : EM08/DM99 :
DM97/EM07 : DM96/EM06 : EM17/EM18 : EM29/EM39. A list of passes here:
https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1328883186139590656
Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With
Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs.
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn.
These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their
copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us.
Clint is conducting “working the easy satellites” sessions via Zoom on
November 19, 2020 at 7pm Pacific. If you are interested in attending,
please send him a private email for exact times and Zoom meeting
number!
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Happy 7th birthday to AO-73, FUNcube-1, which was launched on Novem-
ber 21,2013. Congratulations to AMSAT-UK on the ongoing success of
this project. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information)
+ South Dublin Radio Club has uploaded its latest video to the club's
YouTube channel. The video was created for Science Week in collabor-
ation with Dublin Maker & Science Foundation Ireland and is called
"Signals from Outerspace! Make your own antenna to get images from
Weather Satellites." It is designed as a beginner's radio project and
instructs viewers on how to construct a very simple V-dipole for 137
MHz, demonstrating how it can be utilised along with a basic SDR and
computer in order to decode images from NOAA Weather satellites. It's
available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8doUGhNKzdY
(ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information)
+ Sean Kutzko, KX9X, is creating a series of YouTube videos for the DX
Engineering channel beginning with "How and Why to Get Started in Op-
erating Amateur Radio Satellites." Later episodes build on the con-
cepts in the first. See the first episode at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp7h4ikthDQ
(ANS thanks Sean Kutzko, KX9X, for the above information)
+ APSS-1, a 1U CubeSat mission with deployable solar panels, built by
The University of Auckland (New Zealand), Faculty of Engineering, was
launched on November 20. The satellite is intended for monitoring of
ionosphere activity and transmission of processed data to ground
stations using a 9k6 GMSK AX 25 downlink on 435.100 MHz. APSS-1 will
start transmitting 45 minutes after deployment, and will only beacon
every 5 minutes initially.
(ANS thanks Mark Jessop, VK5QI, for the above information)
+ The Rocket Lab flight that took APSS-1 to orbit (see immediately
above) was notable because Rocket Lab says the first stage of its
Electron launcher splashed down under parachute in the Pacific Ocean
off New Zealand after firing into space with 30 small satellites, be-
coming only the second private company to return an orbital-class
booster to Earth intact. The privately-developed Electron rocket has
flown 16 times, including Thursday’s mission, but this was the first
time an Electron rocket flew with parachutes to attempt a full series
of descent maneuvers.
(ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information)
+ NASA "Scan" on Facebook has published a note about ARISS and its 20
years. Look for their post dated on November 16 at:
https://www.facebook.com/NASASCaN and add a comment to let them know
that we amateur radio ops are here and that it was great they had
dedicated a post to ARISS and to all hams!
(ANS thanks Fernando Casanova, EC1AME, for the above information)
+ Talks from the DEF CON event are available on YouTube, they include
a number of amateur radio talks from the conference's Ham Radio Vil*
lage. Among the amateur radio talks is "Talking to Satellites" by
Eric Escobar, KJ6OHH. See the playlist at: https://bit.ly/3fpuwzO
(ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information)
+ Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) has updated TLEs for Neutron-1.
HSFL appreciates the amateur community who have been listening for
Neutron-1’s beacon, and wish to be notified of amateurs still listen-
ing for the beacon at n1-info(a)hsfl.hawaii.edu. The new TLEs and other
bulletins may be found at https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/
(ANS thanks HSFL and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above information)
+ Open Research Institute has announced AmbaSat Inspired Sensors as a
formal ORI project. To read the proposal document, visit:
https://bit.ly/2KrpcQZ The first work session expected December 2020
to May 2021 centered at Villanova University. The Principal Investi-
gator is Dr. Alan Johnston.
(ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, AMSAT Board Member, for the
above information)
+ Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, gave an online satellite talk to the Mid Ulster
Amateur Radio Club on Nov. 10. The video is now available for every-
one to watch on YouTube. The talk covered the many amateur satellites
in Low Earth Orbit that operate in the 145 MHz and 435 MHz satellite
bands as well as the QO-100 geostationary satellite which uses the
2.4 GHz and 10 GHz bands. Also covered were the new Inter-Operable
Radio System which has recently been installed in the ISS Columbus
module and Gateway Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx). Watch it at:
https://bit.ly/3pNKSXJ
(ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.
73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-320
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* Australian Space Communications Station To Feature Optical Data
Transfer
* WB4APR Seeking high power VHF stations for Leonids Meteor Shower
* AMSAT Italia and Italian Space Agency ISS STEAM agreement
* ORI sponsors the M17 VOCODER and hardware development
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November ##, 2020
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* Tips for the New Operator - Mobile Apps
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.01
ANS-320 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 320.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 November 15
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-320.01
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Australian Space Communications Station Will Feature Optical Data
Transfer
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is set to install an optical
communications station capable of receiving high-speed data transmis-
sions from space. The communications station will be able to receive
data from spacecraft from anywhere between low-Earth orbit (between
100 miles and 620 miles above Earth's surface) to as far away as the
surface of the moon -- some 240,000 miles away. Astrophotonics Group
Leader Dr. Sascha Schediwy at UWA and the International Centre for Radio
Astronomy (ICRAR) said optical communications are an emerging alterna-
tive to radio waves and are expected to drastically improve data trans-
fer capabilities from space.
"Most current space communications rely on radio waves -- it's the same
technology that brought us the voice of Neil Armstrong when the Apollo
11 mission landed on the moon in 1969," Schediwy said. "Free-space op-
tical laser communications has several advantages over radio, including
significantly faster data rates and hack-proof data transfer. It's the
next generation of space communications, and it's likely to be how
we'll see high-definition footage of the first woman to walk on the
moon."
The $535,000 ground station will use a 0.7-meter observatory-grade op-
tical telescope donated to ICRAR, which will be fitted with atmospheric
noise suppression technology developed at the university. The Western
Australian ground station will be a joint venture between the UWA
Astrophotonics Group, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quan-
tum Systems (EQUS), and UK industry partner Goonhilly Earth Station,
which handles data traffic and supports secure communications links for
major satellite operators including Intelsat, Eutelsat, and SES Satel-
lites.
Data from the station will be fed to Goonhilly's supercomputer data
center in Cornwall, England by high-speed fiber. It will form part of
a larger Australasian network of optical stations, led by the Austral-
ian National University and supported by partners in South Australia
and New Zealand.
EQUS Director Andrew White said the Western Australian ground station
could be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere and have ad-
ditional applications in research in different fields.
Goonhilly Chief Executive Ian Jones said the initiative is driving sat-
ellite communications into the next generations of systems and techno-
logies needed to support the "enormous" data volumes produced by space
missions. "This data arises from science and other missions and, in the
future, will come from lunar and Mars missions that involve remote op-
erations, robotics, and AI," Jones said. The ground station is expected
to be operational from early 2021 and open for business later that year.
[ANS thanks Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, Editor of The ARRL Letter for the
above information]
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WB4APR Seeking high power VHF stations for Leonids Meteor Shower
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR is seeking a several AMSAT operators with beams
and high power transmitters to join in a Meteor Shower experiment.
Bob writes:
With the Leonids Meteor shower coming up after Midnight next Monday
(Tues AM), maybe its time to have some fun with APRS again!
Last time we did this was 1998 and over 48 MS packets were seen over
500 to 600 miles on the APRS channel.. Here is the report:
http://aprs.org/APRS-docs/LEONIDS.TXT
This year I propose not a free-for-all but just a few HIGH power sta-
tions transmitting and everyone else in the country checks the next
morning to see what they copied. Best TX stations are those with sev-
eral hundred watts and a beam. Even one such station would be a great
test, because on 144.39 we would have maybe 10,000 full time normal
APRS stations as receivers. In retirement, I don't have the power nor
the beam.
Up to 15 TX stations with power capability > 100W and beams would par-
ticipate. Beams would be pointed toward distant population centers. The
15 transmitting stations will be distributed in various parts of the
country would TX a continuous keydown string of short packets for 15
seconds every minute. Special software and APRS ID's will be used.
Xmission will be on the 144.39 national APRS channel to maximize the
number of people that might copy one.
Transmissions begin at midnight local time and runs to 6 AM only to
minimize any interference to other operators. This will result in local
reception within about 20 miles of the TX station, but since the pac-
kets have no path, they can only be heard in simplex range of a trans-
mitter or via meteor scatter. If a meteor happens, someone within about
400 to 600 miles is likely capture it. Because the APRS channel load
in most areas is only a packet every 3 or 4 seconds and that gives
everyone a receive window of 75% of the total slots available. Even if
the TX stations are not synchronized, it doesnt matter because a given
meteor path only exists for a fraction of a second between two fixed
100 mile or so areas for that instant.
The 15 high power TX stations will send is about 30 copies of the APRS
grid format in a single burst every minute. This burst would look like:
>GG##gg<CR>
>GG##gg<CR>
>GG##gg<CR>
>GG##gg<CR>
...
>GG##gg<CR>
>GG##gg<CR>
The TNC will concatenate probably seven to ten of these at a timel into
dense packets with only a single TX delay, not 30 delays.
The TNC has UNPROTO set to simply "APRS" no path! And set to CONVErSE..
Adjust the number (30?) till the TX burst lasts 15 seconds each minute.
The result is a complete grid in only 200 milliseconds each. Hopefully
short enough so that occasionally one will get bounced somewhere by the
extremely short meteor path bursts at VHF.
Point beam toward an area with a dense ham population that is at least
600 miles away. Vertical or Horizontal polarization will work.
The PARS IS will be from the range METEOR-1 through METEOR-15
RX stations will not need to do anything special. Any APRS software
should capture and decode and plot a grid report if received overnight.
For those who are interested, here is the 1998 experiment page:
http://aprs.org/meteors.html Look about 75% down the page for the map
of the 1998 2m experiment.
[ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR for the above information]
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AMSAT Italia and Italian Space Agency ISS STEAM agreement
AMSAT Italia and ASI, the Italian Space Agency, have subscribed a
three-year framework program for joint initiatives in the area of the
scientific culture development with particular interest in the aero-
space field. The agreement also aims to develop interest of new genera-
tions in the STEAM disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts,
and Mathematics. In this framework AMSAT Italia will propose the Agency
project with particular technical relevance and high dissemination
value for a joint technical feasibility and, as national reference for
the ARISS project, the association will involve ASI in the school con-
tacts with the astronauts on board the ISS. On the other hand ASI will
make available the resources at its operation centers for verification
activities or test of devices developed for educational purposes. The
2020-2023 framework program subscription confirms the collaboration
between the Agency and our Association already started in 2011. More
on the event on the AMSAT Italia web site <http://www.amsat.it>
(in Italian).
[ANS thanks Fabrizio Carrai, IU5GEZ of AMSAT Italia for the
above information]
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ORI sponsors the M17 VOCODER and hardware development.
Open Research Institute is proud to formally sponsor M17, an open
source digital radio protocol, code, voice codec, and hardware project.
The designs and technology are highly useful for digital radio uplinks
or a wide variety of amateur satellite projects. The project is dyna-
mic, international, accessible, modern, and welcoming. Open Research
Institute is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to open source research and develop-
ment for the amateur radio satellite service and beyond. Find out more
at https://openresearch.institute
Learn about M17 and get involved at https://m17project.org/
[ANS thanks <Michelle Thompson W5NYV, Member AMSAT Board of Directors,
CEO Open Research Institute> for the above information]
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 12, 2020
The Neutron-1 cubesat was deployed from the ISS on 11-5-2020 at 10:40
UTC, but its NORAD Catalog number has not yet been identified. Neu-
tron-1 is a 3U cubeSat built by the Hawaii Space Flight Lab at the Uni-
versity of Hawaii.
The Hawaii Space Flight Lab has asked the world wide amateur to help
collect beacon data as a part of this project. The IARU coordinated
beacon frequency is 435.300 MHZ,1200bps BPSK every 60 seconds.
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 306.01 has further information on this pro-
ject at the following url.
https://www.amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2020/001212.html
Editor's Note: Also see comment in the Satellite Shorts section.
A post launch TLE set (updated 11-9-2020) is available at the following URL.
https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/
Sources: AMSAT News Service and Hawaii Space Flight Lab
A Chinese student/radio amateur satellite BY70-3 was launched 11-6-2020
with a CZ 6 rocket. The IARU coordinated downlink frequency is 437.443
MHz, 8000 bps BPSK. So far no signals have been recieved.
Source: Nico Janssen, PA0DLO.
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the
above information]
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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/
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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 for the week of 8 November, 2020
ARISS has posted a special anniversary message and a video celebrating
our 20th Anniversary on the ARISS Web Page: <http://www.ariss.org>.
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
A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on
the telebridge from their own home.
ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools
and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancella-
tions or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to
provide everyone with near-real-time updates. Watch for future COVID-19
related announcements at https://www.ariss.org/
The following schools have now been postponed or cancelled due to
COVID-19:
Postponed: No new schools
Cancelled: No new schools
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your
own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the
listed time.
All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date
and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2020-11-10 16:00 UTC.
(***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts,
and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites,
and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live.
https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf
https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt
The successful school list has been updated as of 2020-10-14 18:00 UTC.
https://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf
The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/. Note that there are
links to other ARISS websites from this site.
The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at
https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html
ARISS Contact Applications (United States)
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program
is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations,
individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with
a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact
would be held between July 1, 2021 and December 30,
2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact
dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking
for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and in-
tegrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is November 24th, 2020. Proposal in-
formation and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines
and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Intro-
ductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8PM ET. The
Eventbrite link to sign up is:
https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.eventbrite.com
The Opportunity
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in
scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approxi-
mately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the
astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur
Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and
classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences
the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to
live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on
the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satel-
lite communication, wireless technology, and radio science.
Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of sched-
uling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexi-
bility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA
and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educa-
tional organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations
volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to en-
able communication between crew on the ISS and students around the
world using Amateur Radio.
Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com.
For future proposal information and more details such as expectations,
proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Informa-
tion Webinars, go to www.ariss.org.
ARISS Contact Applications (Europe, Africa and the Middle East)
Schools and Youth organizations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East
interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on
board the International Space Station are invited to submit an applica-
tion from September to October and from February to April.
Please refer to details and the application form at
www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts. Applications should be addressed by
email to: school.selection.manager(a)ariss-eu.org
ARISS Contact Applications (Canada, Central and South America, Asia
and Australia and Russia)
Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact
by filling out an application. Please direct questions to the appro-
priate regional representative listed below. If your country is not
specifically listed, send your questions to the nearest ARISS Region
listed. If you are unsure which address to use, please send your ques-
tion to the ARISS-Canada representative; they will forward your ques-
tion to the appropriate coordinator.
For the application, go to:
https://www.ariss.org/ariss-application.html.
ARISS-Canada and the Americas, except USA: Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD
email to: ve3tbd(a)gmail.com
ARISS-Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia: Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ email
to: ariss(a)iaru-r3.org, Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL)
https://www.jarl.org/
ARISS-Russia: Soyuz Radioljubitelei Rossii (SRR) https://srr.ru/
ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts.
ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to
send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com.
Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz unless otherwise noted.
ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over
100 schools:
Francesco IKØWGF with 140
Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 138
Sergey RV3DR with 137
Gaston ON4WF with 123
The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date
webpages were removed, and new ones have been added. If there are ad-
ditional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know.
Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1403.
Each school counts as 1 event.
Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1336.
Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot.
Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 48.
The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact:
South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands,
and the Virgin Islands.
QSL information may be found at:
https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html
ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS
Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing
Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC
https://bit.ly/3kVbNNL
Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts
https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415
Exp. 63 now on orbit
Kate Rubins KG5FYJ
Sergey Ryzhikov
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a coopera-
tive venture of international amateur radio societies and the space
agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the
United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab
and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary
goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engin-
eering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts
via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in
classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts,
students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space
technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see
www.ariss.org.
73,
Charlie Sufana AJ9N
One of the ARISS operation team mentors
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men-
tors for the above information]
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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
Quick Hits:
Note: Watch Twitter, there are lots pop-up roves happening lately, and
I can't keep this page updated with all of them.
DM89, 11/14 @N6UA Saturday might just be a good day to rove. Thinking
of DM89 east of Denver – either around Last Chance or Agate, CO.
KH67, 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21.
BRAZIL BAHIA. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo PY1CMT are QRV
on the QO-100 satellite (some opportunities AO-07, FO-29 or RS-44)
using CW and SSB as ZX6BA from Prado (HH02) 13 to 15 November 2020.
The activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8, por-
table Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW.
BRAZIL, ESPIRITO SANTO. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo
PY1CMT are QRV on Satellite QO-100 (maybe AO-07, FO-29, RS-44) using
CW and SSB as PR1S from Nova Almeida (GG99) from 16 to 18 November 2020.
A activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8, portable
Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW.
Major Roves:
Maine!!!!!!
@KL7TN will be in FN53/54/55/56/57/64/65/66/67 Nov 13-18. Details to
follow.
Editor's Note: Don't forget to check out Paul Overn's GridMasterHeatMap
on Twitter: https://bit.ly/35kUqB3 and Blog at: https://bit.ly/3eOpYT4
Please submit any additions or corrections to KE0PBR (at) gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the
above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his "Work the FM Voice Satellites
With Minimal Equipment" presentation for the clubs.
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn-
sylvania
These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their
copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us.
Clint will be conducting “working the easy satellites†sessions
via Zoom on November 19, 2020 at 7pm Pacific. If you are interested in
attending, please send him a private email for exact times and Zoom
meeting number!
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Tausat, a 3U CubeSat created by university students at Herzliya Sci
ence Center in Israel, received frequency coordination approval from
the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on November 12. It will
carry a U/V FM amateur radio transponder, as well as a 9k6 BPSK AX25
telemetry downlink. The builders are planning a JAXA deployment from
the ISS in February, 2021.
(ANS thanks IARU for the above information)
+ NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and
events ahead of the launch the agency's SpaceX Crew-1 mission with
astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the first crew
rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9
rocket following certification by NASA for regular flights to the
space station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. The
launch is targeted for 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch
Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dra-
gon is scheduled to dock to the space station at 4:20 a.m. Sunday,
Nov. 15. Launch, prelaunch activities, and docking will air live on
NASA Television and the agency’s website.
https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive Additional Information is available at:
https://go.nasa.gov/38Aii5J
(ANS thanks NASA for the above information)
+ Rocket Lab launch delayed to November 19 UTC.
See: https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1327691418970644481
Previous announcement: The next Rocket Lab launch window is scheduled
for November 15 UTC at 01:44 to 04:34. It's is called "Return to
Sender". They are going to try to recover the first stage by captur-
ing it by helicopter as it is descending.
See: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/
The payload is 30 cubesats, one of which (APSS-1) is a 1U student
satellite from Auckland University. This one has a 9600 GMSK downlink
in the 70CM band. The format and details are due to be published here
in the next few days. https://apss.space.auckland.ac.nz/.
To balance the payloads, a 3D printer version of "Gnome Chompski" has
been attached to the kick stage. See:
https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1323335303008903170
Gabe Newell who made the Gnome is going to donate $1 to Starship
Children's Hospital for every person watching the launch live. For
information about Starship Children's Hospital, see:
https://www.starship.org.nz
Editors Note: at time of 11/11/2020 draft, a group message from Mark
Jessop, VK5QI indicated that APSS-1's IARU frequency coordination re-
quest has not been completed:
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=669
(ANS thanks Terry Osborne ZL2BAC for passing along the above informa-
tion)
+ NROL-101 Mission Targeting Nov. 13 due to Hurricane Eta
(Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Nov. 11, 2020) -- Due to
impending weather and escalation of Hurricane Eta, ULA is now target-
ing Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:13 p.m. EST (2213 UTC) for the launch of
the NROL-101 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. See
https://bit.ly/35kiIeA for additional information.
(ANS thanks the ULA editors for the above information)
+ NASA has extended the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System
mission (CYGNSS) through 2023 with plans to revisit and possibly
extend the mission through 2026. The constellation of microsatel-
lites designed, built and operated by Southwest Research Institute
with the University of Michigan, has made history over the last three-
plus years, penetrating thick clouds and heavy rains to accurately
assess wind speeds and better understand hurricane intensification.
The NASA senior review panel rated the mission extension proposal as
excellent, based on the current health of the constellation of instru-
ments, particularly considering the low-cost nature of the sensors.
(ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information)
+ SpaceX fired up the three rocket engines of its Starship SN8 proto-
type for the second time last night at its testing facilities in Boca
Chica, Texas. The event was a powerful blast of orange smoke — and
flying sparks, as captured by onlookers on video. The video and addi-
tional information is available at https://bit.ly/3lmcSPD
(ANS thanks futurism.com for the above information)
+ Two Russian cosmonauts are scheduled to go outside the International
Space Station on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to conduct a spacewalk that will
initiate preparations for the arrival of a new Russian research
module. Expedition 64 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, both of the Russian space agency Roscosmos,
will relocate an antenna from the Pirs docking compartment, to the
Poisk module, the first in a series of tasks over the course of sev-
eral spacewalks that will prepare Pirs for decommissioning, undocking,
and disposal. The Earth-facing Pirs will be replaced by the new Rus-
sian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, named "Nauka," Russian for "sci-
ence," which is being prepared for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
in Kazakhstan. The spacewalk is expected to last up to six hours.
Live coverage of the Russian spacewalk will begin at 13:30z on NASA
Television and the agency's website. The spacewalk is expected to be-
gin about 14:30Z.
(ANS thanks NASA for the above information)
+ A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off Saturday, Nov. 7 with
India's EOS 1 radar imaging satellite and nine rideshare payloads for
customers based in the United States, Luxembourg, and Lithuania. The
successful mission was India’s first launch in nearly a year due to
delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Also on Saturday, a new
four-stage rocket operated by the Chinese launch company Galactic
Energy succeeded on its inaugural flight, delivering a data relay
microsatellite to an orbit 300 miles above Earth.
(ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information)
+ After its release from the ISS, many satellite enthusiasts have lis-
tened for a signal from the Hawaii Spaceflight Lab's Neutron-1 cube-
sat. Reports have not come flooding in. Shane Pule, KC3PPM shared an
email with the UH-SFL with me that outlines a possible explanation:
Aloha Shane, Thank you for this information, we appreciate you lis-
tening for Neutron-1. We haven't been successful at contacting Neu-
tron-1 yet. We have noticed a signal at 435.275MHz while tracking
Neutron-1, and we are investigating this in the event that our signal
is shifted by 25kHz. We are not sure what could have caused this, but
there may be an issue with the SDR tuning onboard the spacecraft. 73,
Amber Imai-Hong
(ANS thanks < Shane Pule, KC3PPM > for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips for the New Satellite Operator - Mobile Apps
This is the second of a what I hope to be a monthly New Satellite Opera-
tors Corner. I will offer AMSAT New Operator tips and links to AMSAT
resources for new operators and posts from various interest groups where
useful info is published. This weeks tip comes from Rick, WA6NDR via
TH-D74A(a)groups.io. I hope you find this as useful as I have.
Jack, KD4IZ, Editor, AMSAT News Service.
There are many websites, cell phone, and desktop apps available for
tracking satellites and learning about launches. For the beginner, the
choices are bewildering and everyone seems to have a favorite. There
are many choices available for all operating systems to choose from.
Scott Harvey, KA7FVV, has a very comprehensive website with links to a
tremendous amount of great information. He does an excellent job of
distilling the basics and presenting them along with some great "how
to" information. See: https://bit.ly/3nwx6H9
Scott suggested a number of the rocket launch apps to me recently and
I have been exploring them. He also suggested several tracking apps. I
don't have an opinion or a recommendation for any of them yet, but I
would encourage you to join me in looking these over.
Of the launch apps I am looking over, the primary are Launchcraft,
Spacelaunch, and Supercluster. All appear to be available for both iOS
and Android devices and can be found on the respective "store" sites
for each OS. They are news aggregation apps that focus on upcoming
space launches as well as offering timetable and post-launch reports.
By the my next monthly report, I should be able to address them, but
for those who are interested, have at it and tell me what you think.
Please let me know if you find an app that is particularly useful.
(ANS thanks AMSAT Member Scott Harvey, KA7FVV for sharing this informa-
tion and his website)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.
73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-306
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* Neutron-1 Scheduled for Deployment on November 5th
* Upcoming Amateur Satellite Launches
* EO-88 Distance Record Set
* ARISS News
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-306.01
ANS-306 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 306.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE November 1, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-306.01
Neutron-1 Scheduled for Deployment on November 5th
The Neutron-1 3U CubeSat is currently scheduled to be deployed from
the ISS on November 5, 2020 at 10:40 UTC. For the first month and
during the spacecraft commissioning phase, the beacon will transmit
1200bps BPSK every 60 seconds on the IARU coordinated frequency of
435.300MHz. We welcome the worldwide Amateur community to collect the
beacons and forward them to n1-info at hsfl.hawaii.edu. The beacon
format is now public and published at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-306-Neutron.
After the initial commissioning phase, Amateurs will be able to use
the V/U FM repeater during available times and according to the
available power budget. Stay tuned for more mission updates on our
Twitter account @HSFLNeutron1 and our website
https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/missions/neutron-1/.
[ANS thanks the Hawaii Space Flight Lab at the University of Hawaii
for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Amateur Satellite Launches
A number of amateur satellites are expected to launch in the next few
months. AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E is expected to launch by the end
of this year on the ELaNa XX mission on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne
vehicle. RadFxSat-2 carries a 30 kHz wide V/u linear transponder.
The Tevel Mission is a series of 8 Israeli 1U CubeSats carrying FM
transponders expected to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in December.
Also from Herzliya Science Center is a 3U CubeSat called Tausat. This
is scheduled to launch on a JAXA resupply mission to the ISS for
deployment in February. Tausat carries an FM transponder.
Finally, AMSAT-EA reports that their PocketQubes EASAT-2 and HADES
have been integrated for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in December,
while GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N have been integrated into their
dispenser for launch on Firefly's Alpha rocket. More information can be
found
at https://www.amsat-ea.org/
[ANS thanks AMSAT, AMSAT-EA, AMSAT-UK, and the IARU for the above
information]
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Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
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EO-88 Distance Record Set
Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, set yet another record this past week, this
time via EO-88. On October 28, 2020 at 19:27 UTC, Jérôme worked R9LR
at a distance of 4,560 km.
F4DXV is now one of the QSO partners for distance records on 10 LEO
satellites. RS-44, AO-7(B), FO-29, AO-91, AO-27, SO-50, AO-92 (U/v),
LilacSat-2 (FM), EO-88, TO-108.
R9LR is one of the QSO partners for records on 4 LEO satellites:
PO-101, LilacSat-2 (FM), EO-88, and TO-108.
For a list of currently claimed distance records via amateur
satellites, past and present, visit
https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for
the above information]
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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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF
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ARISS News
No ARISS contacts or events are currently scheduled.
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
The deadline for United States organizations to submit an ARISS
contact proposal is November 24, 2020. For more information, visit
http://www.ariss.org/.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Operations, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in
space?
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club
meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
Rick Tejera K7TEJ from the Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club (TBARC)
will be giving a presentation and demonstration of Satellite
operations to the Northwest Christian School in Glendale, AZ on Nov.
11th 2020. The demo will be on SO-50 at 2323UT. I will be using our
Club call WB7TBC and the church is in Grid DM33wp. I may try to get a
student on the air. Please keep an ear out for us and respond to our
call, the kids will appreciate it. I’ll send outa reminder as the date
gets closer.
Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With
Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs.
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville,
Pennsylvania
These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their
copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Upcoming Roves:
Quick Hits:
KH67, 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21.
BRAZIL BAHIA. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo PY1CMT are QRV
on the QO-100 satellite (some opportunities AO-07, FO-29 or RS-44)
using CW and SSB as ZX6BA from Prado (HH02) 13 to 15 November 2020.
The activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8,
portable Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW.
BRAZIL, ESPIRITO SANTO. Sandro Ribeiro PY1SAN and Claudio MARCelo
PY1CMT are QRV on Satellite QO-100 (maybe AO-07, FO-29, RS-44) using
CW and SSB as PR1S from Nova Almeida (GG99) from 16 to 18 November
2020. A activity will be in several HF bands too, using CW and FT8,
portable Alex Loop Antenna with 5 watts. QSL via LoTW.
Major Roves:
Maine!!!!!!
@KL7TN will be in FN53/54/55/56/57/64/65/66/67 Nov 13-18. Details to
follow.
Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur
radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Hackaday featured an article on tracking amateur satellites using a
Commodore PET at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-305-Hackaday
+ If the Hackaday article inspired you to try some retro computer
satellite tracking, AMSAT has disk images of QUIKTRAK for both the
Commodore 64 and Apple II available at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-306-QUIKTRAK
+ Virgin Orbit has published an October update regarding Launch Demo 2
at https://virginorbit.com/the-latest/launch-demo-2-october-update/
+ Minutes of the AMSAT Board of Directors Meetings of March 17th and
March 31st are now available at
https://www.amsat.org/minutes-of-the-board-of-directors/
+ Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store,
including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT
round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase
price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+ AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the
AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/
+ All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now
available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The
1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of
AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If
you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet
a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/
+ The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites
is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting
Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite
information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The
book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers
all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite.
The digital download is available for $15 at
https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30
plus shipping and is available at
https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,
This week's ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-299
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on
the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who
share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun-
icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
* AMSAT Virtual Symposium Replay Available on YouTube
* AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Robert Bankston, KE4AL, President
* Satellite Acronyms Wiki Established
* New Satellite Distance Records Claimed
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 22
* FO-29 operation schedule for Nov. 2020
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-299.01
ANS-299 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 299.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 October 25
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-299.01
AMSAT Virtual Symposium Replay Available on YouTube
The 2020 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting was held via
a Zoom Webinar on October 17, 2020 with over 200 AMSAT members in
attendance. If you were not able to attend, a complete replay is
available on the AMSAT YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/EHDgrI_w8hY
The YouTube video is divided into chapters to make it easy to find the
specific presentation you are looking for:
0:00:00 Welcome
0:02:07 AMSAT GOLF-TEE System Overview and Development Status
0:43:02 GOLF IHU Coordination
1:19:10 GOLF Downlink Coordination
1:50:15 FUNcube Next
2:13:50 LunART - Luna Amateur Radio Transponder
2:45:35 CatSat HF Experiment Overview
3:13:30 Neutron-1 CubeSat
3:39:58 Progress and Development of Open Source Electric Propulsion
for Nanosats and Picosats
4:15:00 AMSAT Education
5:14:00 ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) /
AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration)
6:14:00 AMSAT Engineering
7:21:16 AMSAT Annual General Meeting
AMSAT members may download the 2020 Symposium Proceedings at
https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings.
The 2021 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting is expected
to be held in the Minneapolis area in October 2021.
[ANS thanks the 2020 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Robert Bankston, KE4AL, President
At its annual meeting, the AMSAT Board of Directors elected Robert
Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, President, succeeding Clayton Coleman,
W5PFG. Bankston is a Life Member of AMSAT and has previously served
as Treasurer and Vice-President User Services, as well as volunteering
in several other capacities for AMSAT, including the development and
launch of AMSAT’s online member portal and chairing the 2018 AMSAT
Space Symposium held at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, in
Huntsville, Alabama. He also is an ARRL Life Member and holds an
Extra Class license.
Immediate Past President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, said “It has been
both a joy and privilege to serve as President of AMSAT in 2020. In
what has been a rather difficult year for many individuals in amateur
radio, AMSAT, through its many supportive members, volunteers, and
donors, has continued course on our vision of Keeping Amateur Radio in
Space. With our initiatives such as modernizing the AMSAT office with
a self-service member portal and the Linear Transponder Module, the
organization has moved forward. With the talented and capable
individuals sitting on AMSAT’s new Board and its Officers, I am
confident in a bright future ahead for AMSAT and the amateur radio
satellite service.“
Other officers elected by the Board were:
• Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President
• Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President - Engineering
• Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of Brooksville, FL, as Vice President -
Operations
• Jeff Davis, KE9V, of Muncie, IN, as Secretary
• Steve Belter, N9IP, of West Lafayette, IN, as Treasurer
• Martha Saragovitz, of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager
• Alan Johnston, KU2Y, of Philadelphia, PA, as Vice President -
Educational Relations
• Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, MN, as Vice President -
Development
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Satellite Acronyms Wiki Established
As with any specialized or technical endeavor, the language of amateur
satellites is filled with terms, abbreviations, shorthands, and acro-
nyms that become second nature to those who use them daily, but can be
obscure to newcomers -- or even to old hands who begin to explore new
aspects of satellite construction or operation. This became abundantly
clear during the recent AMSAT Symposium, in which some of our hobby's
top experts presented projects to the general memebership.
In response to inquiries from Symposium participants, John Brier,
KG4AKV, and Brad Brooks, WF7T, have initiated a wiki page for listing,
and briefly explaining, the technical jargon of our field. When con-
fused by an unfamilar batch of "alphabet soup," consult the wiki at:
http://sats.wikidot.com/acronyms
[ANS thanks John Brier, KG4AKV, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
New Satellite Distance Records Claimed
Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ, and Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, have set a new record
via RS-44. They completed an 8,402 km QSO between DN32 in Idaho and
JN15 in France on October 19th at 07:15 UTC. This exceeds the prior
record of 8,357 km set by W5CBF and DL4EA in late May.
F4DXV also set another record during his trip to JN15. Shortly after
setting the record on RS-44, Jérôme worked Michael Styne, K2MTS, in
FN22 via AO-27. This QSO covered a distance of 5,904 km, eclipsing
the prior record of 5,682 km set by E21EJC and R9LR on June 9th.
In addition to these two new records, McKinley Henson, KE4AZZ, claimed
the record for the NO-84 digipeater for a 3,439 km QSO with Christy
Hunter, KB6LTY, on April 22, 2019.
For more distance records, see the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records
page at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT 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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 22
The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed
from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:
EnduroSat One - Cat ID 43551 - decay epoch is 2020-10-15 per Space-
Track.
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
FO-29 operation schedule for Nov. 2020
Time in UTC
Nov. 1 03:15-
Nov. 3 01:30- 03:10-
Nov. 7 01:15- 03:00-
Nov. 8 03:50-
Nov.14 01:50- 03:35-
Nov.15 02:40- 04:28-
Nov.21 02:25- 04:10-
Nov.22 03:15- 05:05-
Nov.23 02:20- 04:05-
Nov.28 01:15- 03:00-
Nov.29 02:05- 03:50-
https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-201907.htm
[ANS thanks Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS NEWS
ARISS is seeking alumni from Luther Burbank School, Burbank, IL. Stu-
dents, families or staff who participated in the hamradio contact with
Bill Shepherd on Dec. 21 2000, are asked to contact Charlie Sufana,
AJ9N (aj9n at aol.com). This was ARISS school contact #1, and this is
the 20th year since that event. ARISS would like to celebrate!
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.
No school contacts are scheduled in the coming week.
ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools
and the public in general. As such, there may be last minute cancella-
tions or postponements of school contacts. As always, ariss.org will
try to provide near-real-time updates.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men-
tors 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
Upcoming Roves:
DL88: The K5Z DL88 expeditions is heading out!!!! @Ad0dx and @N6ua are
heading out on 10/25. Weather looks great, and there is even a chance
at some passes on the 26th. This is a daytime activation only because
the Talley campground is closed currently. Head on over to QRZ.com and
check out the K5Z page for all the details. Or, visit:
https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/
Quick Hits:
KH67,: 7Q7RU, AO-7, RS-44, QO-100, 11/11 thru 11/21.
FN01: @K8BL will run over to PA tomorrow and I’ll have a chance to ac-
tivate the EN91/FN01 Line. Not sure of the timing, but I’ll pop up on
a few FM & Linear SATs. All Qs will be on LoTW a day or so afterward.
KP44: OH8FKS is in KP44 until Sunday 10/25.
Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meet-
ings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
Rick Tejera K7TEJ from the Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club (TBARC) will
be giving a presentation and demonstration of Satellite operations to
the Northwest Christian School in Glendale, AZ on Nov. 11th 2020. The
demo will be on SO-50 at 2323UT. I will be using our Club call WB7TBC
and the church is in Grid DM33wp. I may try to get a student on the
air. Please keep an ear out for us and respond to our call, the kids
will appreciate it. I’ll send outa reminder as the date gets closer.
Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With
Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs:
10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn.
These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their
copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ After 196 days living and working in Earth's orbit aboard the Inter-
national Space Station, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, re-
turned from his third space mission Wednesday, Oct. 21, with cosmo-
nauts Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin of the Russian space agency
Roscosmos. Cassidy formally turned the station over to cosmonaut Ser-
gey Ryzhikov on Tuesday, handing him a ceremonial “key” to the lab
complex. Ryzhikov, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, ar-
rived at the station last Wednesday aboard their own Soyuz ship.
(ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)
+ NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification,
Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft unfurled its ro-
botic arm Tuesday, Oct. 20, and in a first for the agency, briefly
touched an asteroid to collect dust and pebbles from the surface for
delivery to Earth in 2023. This well-preserved, ancient asteroid,
known as Bennu, is currently more than 200 million miles from Earth.
Bennu offers scientists a window into the early solar system as it
was first taking shape billions of years ago and flinging ingredients
that could have helped seed life on Earth. If Tuesday’s sample col-
lection event, known as “Touch-And-Go” (TAG), provided enough of a
sample, mission teams will command the spacecraft to begin stowing
the precious primordial cargo to begin its journey back to Earth in
March 2021. Otherwise, they will prepare for another attempt in Jan-
uary. (ANS thanks www.asteroidmission.org for the above information)
+ China is building a new rocket to fly its astronauts to the moon. An-
nounced at the 2020 China Space Conference last month, the vehicle
could deliver 25 metric tons into a trans-lunar injection. The rocket
consists of three, 5-meter (16.4') boosters and is 87 meters (285')
tall. Liftoff mass will be ~2,200 metric tons, which is about three
times that of the Long March 5 (the current heavy lifter in China’s
rocket lineup). (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above informa-
tion)
+ Most of the aerospace world watched the skies over Antarctica and New
Zealand for portions of Thursday night/Friday morning. Earlier this
week, LeoLabs Inc, a company that tracks objects in Low Earth Orbit,
issued a statement regarding two large objects which posed a “high
risk” of collision at 00:56:40 UTC on 16 October 2020. Roughly one
hour after the time of possible collision, LeoLabs confirmed “No in-
dication of collision” via a statement on Twitter. The two objects
held a greater than 10% chance of colliding 991 km above Antarctica.
(ANS thanks nasaspaceflight.com for the above information)
+ The website, Hackaday recently featured an article about David Prut-
chi, Ph.D., N2QG, and his home station that is capable of copying
telemetry from deep-space satellites. Read the article at:
https://bit.ly/2HqZMSb or read David's paper directly at:
https://bit.ly/2FRSXs9 (ANS thanks hackaday.com for the above infor-
mation)
+ The University of Western Australia (UWA) is set to install an opti-
cal communications station capable of receiving high-speed data
transmissions from space. The communications station will be able to
receive data from spacecraft from anywhere between low-Earth orbit to
as far away as the surface of the moon - about 384,000km away. Dr.
Sascha Schediwy, Astrophotonics Group leader at UWA and the Interna-
tional Centre for Radio Astronomy (ICRAR), said optical communica-
tions are an emerging alternative to radio waves and are expected to
drastically improve data transfer capabilities from space. (ANS
thanks AMSAT-UK and IT News of Australia for the above information)
+ Nokia says it has been tapped by NASA to build the first cellular
communications network on the moon. The Finnish telecommunications
equipment maker said Monday, Oct. 19, that its Nokia Bell Labs divi-
sion will build a 4G communications system to be deployed on a lunar
lander to the moon’s surface in late 2022. Nokia’s network will pro-
vide critical communications capabilities for tasks astronauts will
need to carry out, like remote control of lunar rovers, real-time
navigation and high-definition video streaming, the company said.
(ANS thanks apnews.com for the above information)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.
73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org
1
0
ANS-292.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Robert Bankston, KE4AL, President
by Paul Stoetzer 18 Oct '20
by Paul Stoetzer 18 Oct '20
18 Oct '20
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN
ANS-292.02
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite
Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space
including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur
Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building,
launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio
satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
In this edition:
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-292.02
ANS-292.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 292.02
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE October 18, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-292.02
* AMSAT Board of Directors Elects Robert Bankston, KE4AL, President
At its annual meeting, the AMSAT Board of Directors elected Robert
Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, President, succeeding Clayton Coleman,
W5PFG. Bankston is a Life Member of AMSAT and has previously served
as Treasurer and Vice-President User Services, as well as volunteering
in several other capacities for AMSAT, including the development and
launch of AMSAT’s online member portal and chairing the 2018 AMSAT
Space Symposium held at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, in
Huntsville, Alabama. He also is an ARRL Life Member and holds an
Extra Class license.
Immediate Past President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, said “It has been
both a joy and privilege to serve as President of AMSAT in 2020. In
what has been a rather difficult year for many individuals in amateur
radio, AMSAT, through its many supportive members, volunteers, and
donors, has continued course on our vision of Keeping Amateur Radio in
Space. With our initiatives such as modernizing the AMSAT office with
a self-service member portal and the Linear Transponder Module, the
organization has moved forward. With the talented and capable
individuals sitting on AMSAT’s new Board and its Officers, I am
confident in a bright future ahead for AMSAT and the amateur radio
satellite service.“
Other officers elected by the Board were:
• Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President
• Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President - Engineering
• Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of Brooksville, FL, as Vice President -
Operations
• Jeff Davis, KE9V, of Muncie, IN, as Secretary
• Steve Belter, N9IP, of West Lafayette, IN, as Treasurer
• Martha Saragovitz, of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager
• Alan Johnston, KU2Y, of Philadelphia, PA, as Vice President -
Educational Relations
• Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, MN, as Vice President -
Development
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information]
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,
This week's ANS Contributing Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org
1
0