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ANS-325 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 20 Nov '16

20 Nov '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-325 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * ARISS-I Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Plans for the Future of Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight * AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea a Success! * NEON - NASA Educators Online Network Free STEM Education Webinars * Lunar Amateur Radio Satellites DSLWP-A1/A2 * XW-1/HO-68 Restoration Work - Listening Reports Requested * Jim Wilson, K5ND Earns Satellite VUCC * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.01 ANS-325 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 325.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. November 20, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-325.01 ARISS-I Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Plans for the Future of Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight The ARISS-I delegates met this week in Houston, Texas at the ISS Conference Facility to celebrate 20 years of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). Prior to and during the conference, over 50 delegates and guests from Russia, Japan, Italy, German, the UK, and North America had the option for a behind the scenes tour of Johnson Space Center. The conference also had special guest visits from Astronauts Mike Fincke, Ken Cameron, and Cosmonaut Aleksandr Poleshchuk. The delegates and guests also were able to tour the W5RRR Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club and utilize the club's amateur radio repeater. The three main tracks of the conference were covered in two tracks per day to maximize the short time span of the 4 day meeting with the international delegates. Delegates who could not attend in person utilized video conferencing. ARISS Benefactors such as SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation office at NASA-JSC) and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space) also attended in-person and online. The three main tracks were Sustainability & Funding, Hardware Development, and Educational Impact. Plenary Sessions were held in the mornings on selected topics of great interest to all attendees. Members also met informally at Ken Ransom's house (N5VHO) for a BBQ - "Texas Style." The 20th Anniversary Dinner was held overlooking Galveston Bay. Much work, many thanks, and a wonderful spirit of international camaraderie was evident by the end of the week at this International Face-to-Face meeting. The future of Amateur Radio in Human Space was discussed heavily and many tasks were undertaken by the delegations to report back or develop a response. Summarizing one comment at the end of the meeting, "This week, just as with any ARISS contact, as we approach LOS (loss of signal), I know it's coming soon, but I don't want it to end." The international attendees expressed great appreciation for the 20th Anniversary ARISS Face-to-Face Meeting organizing committee lead by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair and AMSAT-NA Vice President, Human Spaceflight, Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS Delegate, Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, ARRL, Mark Steiner, K3MS, ARISS, and Ms. Janet Bauer. Next year's ARISS International Face-to-Face Meeting is schedule for September 2017 in Rome, Italy. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea a Success! The 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting held aboard the Carnival Liberty in the Gulf of Mexico is now history! Approximately 70 AMSAT members as well as family and friends from the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, and the Azores enjoyed the presentations, activities, and camaraderie during the four day cruise, which departed from Galveston, Texas and included a port call at Progreso, Mexico. Look for more details about the Symposium presentations and activities in the next issue of The AMSAT Journal. Due to a lack of internet bandwidth, live audio of the 2016 AMSAT General Meeting was not available via Echolink. Please see the following slides presented during the General Meeting by AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, for an update on the status of AMSAT: http://tinyurl.com/ANS325-AnnualMeeting For selected photos see this post on the AMSAT website: http://www.amsat.org/?p=5664 [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEON - NASA Educators Online Network Free STEM Education Webinars ANNOUNCEMENTS Free STEM Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) at Texas State University is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom. Registration is required to participate. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description. November 21, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. ET: NASA Technology in Your Classroom: Images and Data (Grades 4-10) - Explore NASA resources for using images and data in the classroom. These resources can be used to engage students, illustrate concepts, and develop educational exhibits, programs or products. Learn about the latest science discoveries and more at http://nasawavelength.org/data-and-images. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/203264 ++++++++++++ November 21, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. ET: Astrobiology and the Origin of Life (Grades 6-12) - Learn how NASA has turned the search for alien life from science fiction to a quickly growing research field. Topics in earth and space science linked to biology will help us understand the most current theories for how life came to be here on Earth and where we could find it next. Classroom activities fit for numerous grade levels will put this exploration into the hands of our next generation of scientists! Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/198801 ++++++++++++ November 22, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. ET: NASA Technology in Your Classroom: NASA Apps for All Ages (Grades K-12) - NASA has over 50 FREE apps for educational use. Learn how to use and integrate some of the applications in the classroom setting. Virtual reality, 3-D exploration and NASA missions come alive with the use of these apps. Engage students on topics such as earth science, the solar system, robotics and space station research through the usage of technology apps. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/202778 ++++++++++++ For the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development webinar schedule, go to: http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/ ************ SPACE EXPLORATION EDUCATORS CONFERENCE (SEEC) February 9-11, 2017 at Space Center Houston 1601 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 Experience three days of complete immersion into the out-of-this world adventure of space exploration! This conference is for grades kindergarten to 12th – and not just for science teachers! Space Center Houston strives to use space to teach across the curriculum. The activities presented can be used for science, language arts, mathematics, history, and more. Attend sessions hosted by the actual scientists and engineers working on exciting endeavors like the International Space Station and explorations of Mars and the planets beyond. Hear from the astronauts leading the charge in exploration! Come learn about the bold vision to send humans back to the Moon and off to Mars! Attend sessions presented by educators and receive ready to implement classroom ideas and experience minds-on, hands-on fun. Network with fellow educators, take back a multitude of cross-curriculum ideas and activities and earn 24 hours of continuing professional education credit. For more information or to register, visit : http://spacecenterSEEC.org email seec(a)spacecenter.org or call (281) 244-2149. [ANS thanks NEON for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Lunar Amateur Radio Satellites DSLWP-A1/A2 Mingchuan Wei BG2BHC reports DSLWP is a lunar formation flying mission for low frequency radio astronomy, amateur radio and education, consists of 2 microsatellites. Developed by students at the Harbin Institute of Technology the amateur radio payload onboard DSLWP-A1 will provide telecommand uplink and telemetry / digital image downlink. An open telecommand is also designed to allow amateurs to send commands to take and download an image. The satellites are 50x50x40 cm with a mass of about 45 kg and are 3- axis stabilized. Two linear polarization antennas are mounted along and normal to the flight direction. The team proposes downlinks for A1 on 435.425 MHz and 436.425 MHz while downlinks for A2 would be 435.400 MHz and 436.400 MHz using 10K0F1DCN or 10K0F1DEN 250 bps GMSK with concatenated codes or JT65B. Planning a launch into a 200 x 9000km lunar orbit in June 2018. Further info at http://lilacsat.hit.edu.cn/ IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- XW-1/HO-68 Restoration Work - Listening Reports Requested China's professional space TT&C network has been monitoring XW-1 telemetry Since November 12 in an effort to restore its work. If anyone has heard the CW beacon signal at 435.790 MHz, Please contact Alan Kung, BA1DU, camsat (at) vip.163.com [ANS thanks Alan BA1DU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Wilson, K5ND Earns Satellite VUCC Congratulations to Jim Wilson, K5ND on earning his Satellite VUCC award for working 100 grids. At the same time, because so many grid expeditions were confirmed on LoTW, he also qualified for the VUCC endorsement sticker for 125 grids. Jim wrote, "Thanks everyone for taking the time to enter your QSOs on Logbook of the World or to send me QSL cards in response to my own card. As I’ve mentioned before, it has been such a blast to work all these grids and to figure out how to work both the FM and linear satellites." [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Col·legi Asuncion de Ntra. Sra., Barcelona, Spain and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-11-17 08:25 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was Marcelo IKØUSO. In 2016, Col·legi Asuncion de Ntra. Sra. is celebrating the 140th anniversary of the 1876 founding of the school. The school has approximately 600 students of Kindergarden (from 3 to 6 years of age), Primary (6-12 years old) and Secondary (from 12 to 16 years old) and is located in Barcelona, in the Poblenou neighbourhood, belonging to Sant Martí district. It was a very rewarding finish the anniversary by contacting with the International Space Station as the main activity of a set of Interdisciplinary Didactic Projects and multiple age level participation activities. Col·legi Asuncion de Ntra. Sra's aim is to engage every student in these activities, which are not only STEM/STEAM related, but also cover geography, languages, history and others. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Private Salesian High School named of St. Dominic Savio, Wroclaw, Poland, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-11-25 11:12:47 UTC ************ 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 at amsat.org or aj9n at aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ************ All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ************ Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. ************ Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net ************ ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 118 ************ The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. 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 2016-11-18 08:00 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. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1093. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1058. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact Charlie, aj9n at amsat.org or aj9n at aol.com, if more detailed statistics are needed. ************ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ************ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS ************ The successful school list has been updated as of 2016-11-18 08:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_cor rection.rtf [Editor's Note: Please note truncation of above address. Please use care when copy/pasting the above URL] Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 ************ Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + W1NU, Satellite DXCC No. 3, SK The December 2016 issue of QST reports the passing of Vic Politi, W1NU, among its Silent Keys department article. Vic was 93. Before going into assisted living several years ago, he was on top of the DXCC Honor Roll. Vic held Satellite DXCC No. 3, earned entirely via LEO satellites. In 1992, he was AMSAT SKN's first Best Fist winner. RIP, Vic. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] + PSAT digipeater is back on. As well as its 28.121 ten meter PSK31 uplink and 435.350 MHz downlink. [ANS thanks Bob WB4APR for the above information] + The 2016 edition of the book "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites" is once again available from the AMSAT-UK shop. http://shop.amsat-uk.org/ [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, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-381 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 13 Nov '16

13 Nov '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-318 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * CAMSAT launched CAS-2T Technical Verification Satellite * Listening to the 2016 AMSAT Annual Meeting * Special Awards for the 2016 AMSAT Symposium at Sea * EO79/FUNcube-3 Enters Service for the Amateur Radio Community * Ham Radio Now Webcast Sunday Seminar From the ARRL/TAPR DCC * JAXA to Launch Satellites with Ham Radio Payloads to ISS SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-318.01 ANS-318 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 318.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE November 13, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-318.01 CAMSAT launched CAS-2T Technical Verification Satellite CAS-2T a technical verification satellite for CAMSAT CAS-2 series amateur radio satellite launched at 23:42, 9 November 2016, It is an 2U Cubsat and will not be separated from the final stage of rocket, so the orbital life may be 10 to 30 days since the final stage of rocket will be re-entry atmosphere. Amateur radio payloads: CW Telemetry Beacon:435.710MHz FM Transponder Uplink:145.925MHz FM Transponder Downlink:435.615MHz Launch vehicle: CZ-11(Y2) solid rocket Launch time: 23:42, 9-Nov-2016 Epoch time: +620.615 seconds Inclination degree: 97.400985 degrees RA of node degree: Eccentricity: 1.77E-4 Perigee degree: 328.206969 degrees Mean anomaly degree: 198.226766 degrees Period: 5685.564 seconds Speed: 7607.496391 m/s Longitude: 93.693693E Latitude: 13.531945N [ANS thanks Alan, BA1DU, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listening to the 2016 AMSAT Annual Meeting As part of the “AMSAT Symposium @ Sea”, the AMSAT Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, 13 NOV 16 at 1300 CST on board Carnival Liberty as the ship transits back to Galveston, TX from Progreso, Mexico. The Annual Meeting includes an overview of the “State of AMSAT” by the AMSAT President followed by a Q&A whereby meeting attendees are encouraged to ask questions addressed to the Senior Leadership Team as well as to the Board of Directors. The meeting concludes with our recognition of AMSAT volunteers who have made a significant impact on behalf of AMSAT in 2016 through their efforts in support of AMSAT Engineering, Field Operations, AMSAT Journal, Human Spaceflight, Educational Relations, Dayton Hamvention, and Operations as well as Presidential Recognition. The original intent was to make the Annual Meeting available via Echolink so that AMSAT members not attending the AMSAT Symposium @ Sea could participate. At prior Annual Meetings, Echolink was used to provide access to the Annual Meeting for AMSAT members not attending Symposium with a reasonably good level of interest by those that have used this connection to hear the President’s presentation and participate in the Q&A. Given that internet access on board Carnival Liberty will not provide reliable EchoLink connections, A live EchoLink connection for this year’s Annual Meeting will not be available. However, the meeting will be recorded and the expectation is to have the recording available through the AMSAT website after the conclusion of the cruise and an announcement will be made when it is available. [ANS thanks AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Awards for the 2016 AMSAT Symposium at Sea Two unique awards are being offered during AMSAT’s 2016 Space Symposium being held November 10-14, 2016 aboard the Carnival Liberty cruise ship. The Landlubbers Award is available to amateur radio operators who complete a two-way satellite QSO with any Symposium attendee aboard the Carnival Liberty. The Sea Legs Award is available to amateur radio operators who complete a two-way satellite QSO while sailing aboard the Carnival Liberty during the Symposium. The awards will be made available in PDF format for self-printing. Submit logs to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, via email to n8hm at amsat.org to apply for the awards. [ANS thanks Clayton, W5PFG, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- EO79/FUNcube-3 Enters Service for the Amateur Radio Community AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL working with ISIS BV are delighted to announce that the FUNcube U/V transponder, on the 2U CubeSat QB50p1, has now been activated with a regular schedule. Due to power budget constraints the transponder cannot be operational 24/7 and an orbit specific schedule has been developed. The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes. This schedule may be modified over the forthcoming weeks as a result of experience.imagesCAAFR7EH The transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.047-435.077 MHz LSB Downlink: 145.935-145.965 MHz USB Output power is approximately 400mW. Qb50p1 was launched in June 2014, as a collaborative effort led by the von Karman Institute and ISIS-BV, into a sun synchronous 620×600 km polar orbit as a precursor spacecraft for the QB50 mission. The primary function of the satellite was to test a number of the systems and science payloads. This phase has now been completed and we are grateful to VKI and ISIS BV for carrying this transponder into space and, again, to ISIS, for developing and uploading the new, required, flight code. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ham Radio Now Webcast Sunday Seminar From the ARRL/TAPR DCC Team Leader for the design and execution of the AMSAT Ground Terminal Michelle Thompson W5NYV (@abraxas3d) and AMSAT Board Member Bob McGwier, N4HY, attended the 2016 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference. Both presented the Sunday Seminar. In these videos Michelle and Bob speak about the spectrum and cognitive radio. Michelle expects technology to really disrupt the radio art in the near future. The Sunday Seminar spanned 3 hours. Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, presents the entire seminar video via his Ham Radio Now webcast. The 3 parts can viewed at these links: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOV7jab67B4 Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V_u2vEY2CY Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciX5Jjn_Ipc [ANS thanks Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, Ham Radio Now and TAPR for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JAXA to Launch Satellites with Ham Radio Payloads to ISS Mineo Wakita JE9PEL reports on the AMSAT Bulletin Board that six satellites with amateur radio payloads are to be launched to the International Space Station in December. JAXA announced to the public November 7 that seven nano satellites are to be installed in H-IIB Transfer Vehicle “KOUNOTORI” (HTV) to be launched in December. Satellites are only about 1U~3U in size and will conduct experiments aimed at realizing the space elevator which is expected to facilitate the movement of Earth and Universe in the future. It’s the first time to launch in JAXA with seven satellites at a time. HTV6 Launch: 1326 UT, Dec. 9, 2016 at the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. Downlink Beacon Mode AOBA-VeloxIII 437.375 437.375 1k2 AFSK,CW ITF-2 437.525 437.525 1k2 FM,CW STARS-C (Mother) 437.405 437.245 1k2 FM,CW STARS-C (Daughter) 437.425 437.255 1k2 FM,CW WASEDA-Sat3 437.290 437.290 1k2 PCM-FSK,CW TuPod 437.425 437.425 1k2 GMSK,CW H-II Transfer Vehicle “KOUNOTORI” (HTV), JAXA http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/htv/index.html AOBA-VeloxIII Kyusyu Institute of Technology http://aoba2016.blog.fc2.com/ EGG University of Tokyo / Nihon University http://repository.exst.jaxa.jp/dspace/bitstream/a-is/2961/1/SA6000021010.pdf FREEDOM Tohoku University / Nakashimada Engineering Works, Ltd http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/newimg/pressimg/tohokuuniv- press_20140926_01web.pdf ITF-2 University of Tsukuba http://yui.kz.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/ TuPOD Gauss Srl http://www.gaussteam.com/tupod-almost-ready-for-launch/ STARS-C Shizuoka University http://stars.eng.shizuoka.ac.jp/english.html WASEDA-SAT3 Waseda University http://www.miyashita.mmech.waseda.ac.jp/Waseda-Sat3/ [ANS thanks Mineo, JE9PEL, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-311 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-311 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT Symposium Cruise Port Call Changed * ARISS Packet Active on 437.550 MHz * Upcoming ARISS contact with Boca Raton Christian School, Boca Raton FL * US Naval Academy Students Plan HF Transponder Satellite * UBAKUSAT 3U Linear Transponder CubeSat * NASA CubeSat Launch Opportunity * Free Program -- Cubes in SpaceTM SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-311.01 ANS-311 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 311.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE November 6, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-311.01 AMSAT Symposium Cruise Port Call Changed The 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held aboard a commercial cruise ship departing from the port of Galveston, Texas. Sail dates are November 10-14 aboard the Carnival Liberty. Galveston is conveniently located near Houston, Texas with access from both the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and the Houston Hobby Airport (HOU.) AMSAT has been notified that due to a technical issue with Carnival Liberty which only affects the ship;s maximum cruise speed, the arrival and departure times as well as scheduled itinerary have been modified. This cruise will embark on Thursday evening, 19:00-22:00 CST and return on the following Monday morning at 10:00 CST. The trip includes two full days at sea and one day in port at Progreso, Mexico. Symposium presentations and meetings will be conducted during the days at sea to allow free time during the stop while in port. The AMSAT Board of Directors meeting will occur on shore at the DoubleTree by Hilton Galveston Beach, Galveston, Texas, November 9-10. [ANS thanks Carnival Cruise Lines for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Packet Active on 437.550 MHz N5VHO reported via Twitter (#ARISS, #hamradio) that the ISS packet system now operational on UHF (437.550 MHz). See also: http://www.issfanclub.com/node/41955 [ANS thanks Kenneth, N5VHO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS contact with Boca Raton Christian School, Boca Raton FL An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Boca Raton Christian School, Boca Raton FL on 07 Nov. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:15 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and N4BRF. The contact should be audible over the state of Florida and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Boca Raton Christian School is a faith-based school distinguished by its academic excellence, spiritual formation, and caring environment. BRCS serves approximately 570 students in grades PreK-12. The campus is situated on approximately 22 acres in downtown Boca Raton, FL. Founded in 1973 as a ministry of Boca Raton Community Church, the school is accredited by several educational institutions and has been recognized twice as a National Blue Ribbon School. The college preparatory high school features a one-to-one laptop program as well as superior fine arts and athletic programs. All BRCS students participate in community service: grades K through 8 are involved in local projects, and high school students spend a week serving under-served communities in Tennessee, Arizona, and Costa Rica. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. [ANS thanks David, AA4KN, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- US Naval Academy Students Plan HF Transponder Satellite AMSAT-UK reported the US Naval Academy HFSAT received IARU frequency coordination on October 27, 2016. This is a 1.5U CubeSat with a 15 meter to 10 meter linear transponder. The #HFsat 21.4 to 29.42 MHz inverting transponder will have a bandwidth of 30 kHz. The satellite will also carry an APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz. crossed 1/4 wave whips on VHF and also a 10 meter dipole. No launch has yet been identified. IARU Coordination: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/formal_detail.php?serialnum=528 US Naval Academy page: http://aprs.org/hfsat.html [Thanks to IARU and US Naval Academy] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UBAKUSAT 3U Linear Transponder CubeSat Turkey’s 3U CubeSat UBAKUSAT carrying an amateur radio 145/435 MHz SSB/CW transponder is planned to be deployed from the ISS in 2017. The linear transponder is almost the same as that on the TURKSAT-3USAT which was launched on April 26, 2013. The satellite is being developed by Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Space Systems Design and Test Lab (SSDTL) along with TAMSAT, GUMUSH and ERTEK Ltd, with some support of the RF lab of ITU (RFL) and Ministry of Transportation, Communication and Maritime in collaboration with the Japanese Government. The primary mission of UBAKUSAT is to provide voice communications for amateur radio stations around the globe. Additionally the satellite will carry the TAMSAT Simplesat card which will send telemetry data, including the relative radiation data absorbed by the card, to ground stations. There is also a CW beacon. The estimated duration of the satellite mission is about 6 to 12 months before re-entry. The launch from Japan to the International Space Station is planned for late 2016 or early 2017 and deployment from the ISS will occur sometime later. IARU coordinated frequencies: • 437.225 MHz CW Beacon • 437.325 MHz Telemetry • SSB/CW transponder: – 145.940-145.990MHz – 435.200-435.250 MHz IARU satellite frequency coordination pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ Turkish Amateur Satellite Technologies Organization (TAMSAT) http://tinyurl.com/TurkeyTAMSAT [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA CubeSat Launch Opportunity NASA has opened the next round of its CubeSat Launch Initiative in an effort to engage the growing community of space enthusiasts who can contribute to NASA's space exploration goals. The CubeSat Launch Initiative gives students, teachers and faculty a chance to get hands-on flight hardware development experience in the process of designing, building and operating small research satellites. It also provides a low-cost pathway to space for research in the areas of science, exploration, technology development, education or operations consistent with NASA's Strategic Plan. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 22, 2016. NASA will choose the payloads by Feb. 17, 2017, but initial selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. Certain selected experiments are slated to be flown as auxiliary payloads on agency rocket launches or to be deployed from the International Space Station beginning in 2017 and running through 2020. NASA does not fund the development of the small satellites, and this opportunity is open only to U.S. nonprofit organizations and U.S. accredited educational organizations. One goal of the CubeSat Launch Initiative is to extend the successes of space exploration to all 50 states by launching a small satellite from at least one participant in each state in the next five years. During this round, NASA is particularly focused on gaining participation in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 18 states not previously selected for the CubeSat Launch Initiative. These states are Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. CubeSats are in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The base CubeSat dimensions are about 4 inches by 4 inches by 4 inches (10 centimeters by 10 centimeters by 11 centimeters), which equals one "cube," or 1U. CubeSats supported by this launch effort include volumes of 1U, 2U, 3U and 6U. CubeSats of 1U, 2U and 3U size typically have a mass of about three pounds (1.33 kilograms) per 1U Cube. A 6U CubeSat typically has a mass of about 26.5 pounds (12 kilograms). The CubeSat's final mass depends on which deployment method is selected. To date, NASA has selected 119 CubeSat missions from 66 unique organizations. Of those missions, 46 have been launched into space with 29 more CubeSats scheduled to go in the next 12 months. For additional information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative program, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Jason Crusan at Jason.Crusan(a)nasa.gov. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Nov. 3, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Free Program -- Cubes in SpaceTM Cubes in SpaceT provides students ages 11-18 an opportunity to design and compete to launch an experiment into space at no cost! Cubes in SpaceT is offered by idoodledu, inc., in partnership with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and NASA's Langley Research Center. This global education program based on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) enables students to learn about space exploration using innovative problem-solving and inquiry-based learning methods. Participants have access to resources that help prepare them to design and develop an experiment to be integrated into a small cube. This year, experiments will be launched into space via sounding rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, in late June 2017 or from a high-altitude balloon launched from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in August 2017. The deadline for program registration is Jan. 6, 2017. For more information, visit http://www.cubesinspace.com. Questions about this program may be directed to info(a)cubesinspace.com. About idoodedu inc. idoodledu inc., a charitable nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is a wholly owned subsidiary of idoodlelearning inc., and was created in 2015 as a legal vehicle to bring public/private partnerships and publicly funded programs to all learners and educators. idoodlelearning inc. is an education company based in Ottawa, Canada; London, England; and Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Nov. 3, 2016 for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-304 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 29 Oct '16

29 Oct '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-304 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * SO-50 Experiences Terrestrial Interference in 2M Satellite Sub-Band * ARISS-International Face to Face Meeting Agenda * ARISS Twist Presented in National Geographic's Mars Prequel, "Before Mars" * SDR Workshop in South Africa * Announcing the 14th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop * 2017 Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference, Call for Papers * Call for Papers, 1st IAA Latin American Symposium on Small Satellites * Satellite Activation Dry Tortugas National Park * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea RegisterBy Nov. 4 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-304.01 ANS-304 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 304.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. October 30, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-304.01 SO-50 Experiences Terrestrial Interference in 2M Satellite Sub-Band Recently communications through the SO-50 satellite, over North America, have been compromised due to a terrestrial station using 145.850 MHz, the uplink frequency for SO-50. The station appears to be located in the southeastern United States. Amateur operators are reminded that the 145.800 MHz - 146.000 MHz segment of the two meter band is reserved for amateur satellite communications. Amateur stations should not be using this segment for simplex communications, repeater links, or Echolink/IRLP nodes due to the high likelihood of interference with amateur satellite operations. [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS-International Face to Face Meeting Agenda AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs and ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer KA3HDO, recently announced via the AMSAT-BB stating that those who have expressed interest in the ARISS meeting previously have received the latest ARISS meeting information. He has also included a "near final" draft for the ARISS meeting in Houston. It can be downloaded at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS304-ARISS-I-Agenda Frank goes on to say, "As you review this, I think you can see that we have some really exciting topics that we will be discussing and working through, as a team. Most importantly, we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary as a team. For those not aware, 20 years ago, in November 1996, an international group interested in installing and operating a ham radio station on the ISS met at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and, per NASA's direction, formed an international working group called ARISS. And the rest is history!! "Because we have so many things to address at our ARISS-I meeting, we have divided our discussions into 3 primary categories: 1) Hardware Development, 2) Education and 3) Sustainability and Funding. As you can see in the agenda, we will be conducting two sessions simultaneously like is done in a conference. We will also have plenary sessions, where the entire team will attend, to discuss topics that impact the entire, world-wide team. "If you are still interested in attending the meeting, you are welcome to come. Please let me know (directly, KA3HDO (at) amsat.org) of your interest. "I thank you all for your interest in and support to our magnificent program. It is amazing what we have accomplished in 20 years! It will be exciting to see what we will do in the next 20!!" [ANS thanks Frank KA3HDO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Twist Presented in National Geographic's Mars Prequel, "Before Mars" National Geographic released the first trailer for the fall release of its ambitious new event series today, MARS. The hybrid, scripted docuseries will be a six-part story about colonizing the red planet. The trailer begins with an appropriately moody narration by a woman over the image of an Earth, and as the camera pulls back, we see it’s a depiction of Earth on a spaceship named Daedalus, after the mythological Greek craftsman who created wings for his son, Icarus. As the CGI ship veers into the crimson orbit of Mars, their mission is revealed: to make the planet a new home. MARS, which will premiere in November, is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and RadicalMedia, and it will be the centerpiece of Nat Geo’s big media push. MARS will combine documentary sequences about real-life efforts to travel and colonize Mars, with a dramatized story in which two Asian-American astronauts venture to Mars in 2033. A digital-only prequel series, Before Mars, will focus on the two astronauts before they ship off planet. Joon and Hana Seung are twin sisters who find themselves in a rural American town after relocating with their mother. One of the sisters finds a ham radio which allows her to befriend a female astronaut on the International Space Station. Before Mars will be directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, while MARS will be directed by Everado Gout. There is currently no release date for the Before Mars prequel series. The video can be viewed via YouTube at: https://youtu.be/mPuTlZYDbh4 National Geographic has also published an article "A GUIDE TO HAM RADIO, Can Ham Radios Really Talk to Space? And Other Answers" by Patrick J. Kiger which can be veiwed at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS304-NationalGeographic [ANS thanks www.inverse.com and the National Geographic for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SDR Workshop in South Africa Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, says that the Software Defined Radio workshop on Saturday 26 November will get you going with SDR projects. The workshop hosted by AMSAT-SA in co-operation with the SARL features presentations on the SDR basics, and how to get started. Anton Janovsky ZR6AIC will demonstrate a SDR repeater he has developed using a dongle and a Raspberry Pi. Cor Rademeyer ZS6CR will talk about a SDR transponder for incorporation in a CubeSat. There will also be an update on the Kletskous project. The cost is R20 for refreshments plus a donation to the Kletskous Development Fund. For the full programme and details of how to book visit www.amsatsa.org.za. Payment can be made in advance or in cash at the door. Please use the booking form to assist the organisers with venue and catering arrangements. The workshop starts with registration at 9 am, the programme starts at 09:30 and ends at 13:00. [ANS thanks the SARL weekly news in English 2016-10-29 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcing the 14th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop The CubeSat Workshop Team is excited to announce that the 14th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop dates are set for April 26-28, 2017. The workshop will be held in a larger, improved location on Cal Poly’s campus in San Luis Obispo, CA. Abstract Submission for presentations is now OPEN! The link to submit on our website is http://www.cubesat.org/workshop-abstract. Abstracts should be under 500 words and should cover the ideas addressed and the objective of the presentation. Most importantly, any topic is welcome! The deadline for abstract submittal is DECEMBER 16, 2016. Registration for the Workshop will be open shortly. Registration costs are as follows: Early Bird Professional (3 day pass/Banquet): $375 Professional (3 day pass/Banquet): $475 Student (3 day pass/Banquet): $150 Early Bird Professional (1 day pass): $160 Professional (1 day pass): $200 Please Note: The Early Bird Prices will end March 17, 2017. Sponsorship: Available Soon! If you are interested in demonstrating your support to the CubeSat Community? Gain exposure at the workshop, and help the Cal Poly CubeSat Program create an engaging workshop for representatives from industry and universities from around the world. Sponsorship opportunities will be available soon, and the CubeSat Workshop Team will send out an announcement as soon as they are ready. Please contact cubesat.workshop (at) gmail.com with any questions. [ANS thanks The CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference, Call for Papers First call for papers and presentations 2017 Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference April 21-23, 2017 Baymont Inn, Manchester, CT Papers sought on all VHF and up activities: Operating, Contests, Propagation, Antennas, Amplifiers, Low-noise Preamps, Homebrewing, Microwaves, EME, Arduinos, whatever you've been doing. Plenty of time to write up your winter projects - just take some pictures as you go. Inquiries to w1ghz (at) arrl.net [ANS thanks Paul Wade, W1GHZ via the Microwave List for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Call for Papers, 1st IAA Latin American Symposium on Small Satellites We would like to invite you to contribute a paper for presentation at the 1st IAA Latin American Symposium on Small Satellites: Advanced Technologies and Distributed Systems, March 7 - 10, 2017, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Please send your abstract to mlapiana(a)unsam.edu.ar By the January 20, 2017 deadline. The International Academy of Astronautics’ symposium is hosted by Colomb Institute (Universidad Nacional de San Martín and Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales) OBJECTIVE To provide a forum for scientists, engineers, managers and students, to exchange information about small satellites. Topics will cover the technological state of the art and the planned and on-going programs and missions. It will have a worldwide vision, but focused on the needs and developments of Latin America, and it is open to a general view but with emphasis on advanced technologies and distributed platforms and payloads. SESSIONS Small Satellites worldwide: achievements and trends. Small Satellites in Latin America: achievements and trends. Ongoing and projected Small Satellite projects with Latin American participation. Segmented architecture and Distributed Instruments. Small Satellite technologies. ABSTRACT SUBMISSION You are invited to contribute a paper for presentation at the Symposium. A one-page, single-spaced abstract of no less than 500 words is needed. Student papers are encouraged. For more detailed information, please visit the IAA website at: http://iaaweb.org/content/view/670/882/ Or the Symposium website at: http://www.unsam.edu.ar/institutos/colomb/IAA.asp [ANS thanks the International Academy of Astronautics’ Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Activation Dry Tortugas National Park IOTA NEWS ... NA-079 Operators Rob/K2RWF and Craig/KD2INN will be active as W2LI from Dry Tortugas (NPOTA NP17, WW Grid EL84, WWF KFF-0023) between November 13- 14th (1600z to 1700z). They will be operating from the Dry Tortugas National Park. Activity will be on 80-6 meters using SSB and the Digital modes (PSK and JT65/9). They will also attempt to work applicable satellite passes of SO50, AO85, FO29, AO73, and XW satellites. The group plans to work off of simple wire antennas, barefoot at 100 watts. All logs will be uploaded to LoTW. QSL direct (please consider sending SASE that will fit a 4x6 card) for a special event QSL card via AJ2I. QSL via the Bureau for DX via AJ2I. For busted calls please contact AJ2I direct. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1288 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Register By Nov. 4 If you are an Individual attending Symposium on board the CARNIVAL LIBERTY departing Galveston, TX on November 10, you must register to attend the AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual Meeting through AMSAT. Cruise arrangements made through Carnival Cruise Lines does not include the registration fee for the Symposium itself. There are three options to register for Symposium: -Complete and mail to the AMSAT Office the 2016 Symposium Registration Form that was sent to all AMSAT members back in July along with the BoD ballot along with payment; -Call the AMSAT Office (301-822-4376) and speak with AMSAT Office Manager Martha Saragovitz; or -Use the AMSAT Store (store.amsat.org) by selecting the “2016 AMSAT- NA Symposium Registration” link found under “Bestsellers” on the right hand side of the store’s main page. Registration for the Symposium is $40.00 and includes a copy of the “Proceedings” that contains papers written for the Symposium as well as technical documentation that AMSAT is placing in the public domain. The “Proceedings” will be available to attendees onboard ship. In addition, the registration provides a means to confirm the number of individuals in your party planning to attend the AMSAT Banquet as well as an opportunity to reserve seats for the Field Ops Breakfast. Both meals are open to anyone wishing to attend (AMSAT Registration is not necessary) and there is no charge for either event as food is included in your cruise package. However, byindicating how many individuals will be attending, it helps to ensure that sufficient seating is made available for each activity. As the AMSAT Office will not be open after Monday, 7 NOV 16 through that week, we ask that your Symposium Registration be received at the AMSAT office by Friday, 4 NOV 16. [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News There were no scheduled contacts this past week. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-10-25 03:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Istituto Comprensivo “Marco da Melo”, Mel, Italy, direct via I3XFY The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-11-04 08:47:20 UTC Students in Ingushetia, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Andrei Borisenko Contact is a go for 2016-11-03 08:06 UTC Exp. 49 on orbit. Welcome aboard! Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Fall Edition of Radio Waves Now Available for Download The Fall 2016 edition of Radio Waves now is available. The ARRL publication focuses on news and articles of interest to educators and instructors. The fall issue announces the launch of the new Instructor Recognition Program. The article includes a link to a tutorial for instructors, explaining how the reporting and recognition system will work. A separate tutorial that explains the new management information features of the system is available on YouTube. Section Managers are encouraged to check this out. Other highlights of the fall issue are “Building Blocks Illustrate Basic Electronics,” “Ham Radio Flies High as Summer Camp at Kopernik Observatory,” an update on recent ARISS activities, Instructor Corner — News, Ideas, Support, ARRL Education & Technology Program news, and a report on the 2016 summer Teachers Institutes. To receive Radio Waves, register as an ARRL Instructor; http://www.arrl.org/license-instructor-registration, or Teacher; http://www.arrl.org/teacher-registration, or edit your personal profile, on the ARRL site, and select Radio Waves as one of your e- mail subscriptions. Download Radio Waves Fall 2016 http://tinyurl.com/ANS304-RadiWaves-Fall2016 Previous issues are at http://www.arrl.org/radio-waves [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] + White House initiative pushes for more tiny satellites NASA and other agencies are giving microsatellites the resources they need to thrive. Miniature satellites are increasingly a big deal, and for good reasons: they're not only less expensive and easier to deploy than the giant satellites of old, but can cover wider areas. And the White House wants to give them a helping hand. It's launching an initiative that will foster small satellites with the resources they need to flourish. To start, NASA is not only proposing as much as $30 million toward purchasing data from these tiny vessels, but creating a Small Spacecraft Virtual Institute that will offer know-how to organizations. A more direct effort has the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarding Planet a $20 million contract for a fleet of small satellites that can capture images of "at least" 85 percent of the planet every 15 days. Read the full story at http://tinyurl.com/ANS304-WhiteHouse [ANS thanks Stephen, G7VFY via Southgate ARN for the above information] + Achieving Science with CubeSats Available for Free Download "Achieving Science with CubeSats; Thinking Inside the Box" by Committee on Achieving Science Goals with CubeSats; Space Studies Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, ios available for download as a PDF. Space-based observations have transformed our understanding of Earth, its environment, the solar system and the universe at large. During past decades, driven by increasingly advanced science questions, space observatories have become more sophisticated and more complex, with costs often growing to billions of dollars. Although these kinds of ever-more-sophisticated missions will continue into the future, small satellites, ranging in mass between 500 kg to 0.1 kg, are gaining momentum as an additional means to address targeted science questions in a rapid, and possibly more affordable, manner. Within the category of small satellites, CubeSats have emerged as a space-platform defined in terms of (10cm x 10cm x 10cm)- sized cubic units of approximately 1.3 kg each called “U’s.” Historically, CubeSats were developed as training projects to expose students to the challenges of real-world engineering practices and system design. Yet, their use has rapidly spread within academia, industry, and government agencies both nationally and internationally. One needs to register with NAS but register once and all the NAS publications are available for PDF download -- they send out a monthly list of new publications. Register and Download Achieving Science with CubeSats: http://tinyurl.com/ANS304-ScienceWithCubesats [ANS thanks Tom K3IO for the above information] + YouTube Video, Gaston Bertels ON4WF, Talks about ARISS Milestones Gaston Bertels ON4WF, Talked about ARISS Milestones during the 6th Polish-wide Conference of Contributors and Sympathizes of ARISS. A YouTube video of the address can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufuyki21G6M [ANS thanks Armand SP3QFE for the above information] + Before MARS, a Prequel to National Geogrphic's Series MARS National Geographic released the first trailer for the fall release of its ambitious new event series today, MARS. The hybrid, scripted docuseries will be a six-part story about colonizing the red planet. The trailer begins with an appropriately moody narration by a woman over the image of an Earth, and as the camera pulls back, we see it’s a depiction of Earth on a spaceship named Daedalus, after the mythological Greek craftsman who created wings for his son, Icarus. As the CGI ship veers into the crimson orbit of Mars, their mission is revealed: to make the planet a new home. MARS, which will premiere in November, is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and RadicalMedia, and it will be the centerpiece of Nat Geo’s big media push. MARS will combine documentary sequences about real-life efforts to travel and colonize Mars, with a dramatized story in which two Asian-American astronauts venture to Mars in 2033. A digital-only prequel series, Before Mars, will focus on the two astronauts before they ship off planet. Joon and Hana Seung are twin sisters who find themselves in a rural American town after relocating with their mother. One of the sisters finds a ham radio which allows her to befriend a female astronaut on the International Space Station. Before Mars will be directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, while MARS will be directed by Everado Gout. There is currently no release date for the Before Mars prequel series. The video can be viewed via YouTube at: https://youtu.be/mPuTlZYDbh4 --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM) aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-297 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 23 Oct '16

23 Oct '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-297 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * VHF Handheld Radio Failed, ARISS Contacts Moved to Kenwood Radio on Board the International Space Station (ISS) * New ARISS Equipment Completes Major Milestone, Donations Still Needed * ESEO Satellite Project * iCubeSat 2017 Workshop * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Registration Still Open * ARISS Proposal Window Closes November 1, 2016 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-297.01 ANS-297 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 297.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 23, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-297.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- VHF Handheld Radio Failed, ARISS Contacts Moved to Kenwood Radio on Board the International Space Station (ISS) The VHF handheld radio model that has been used by the ARISS program to connect students worldwide with astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) for over 16 years has given an error message and is unusable at this time. While the ARISS technical team evaluates the best path to restore operation from the Columbus module, ARISS contacts will be supported using the Kenwood radio in the Russian Service Module. During this period, the packet digipeater will be unavailable. Switching to the 70 cm radio capability on board the Columbus module for some operations is being coordinated. Expect further updates as we work to resolve this problem. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org www.amsat.org www.arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Dave Jordan, AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New ARISS Equipment Completes Major Milestone, Donations Still Needed Yesterday, October 21, 2016, the ARISS hardware team accomplished a very major milestone — the successful completion of the Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM)for the Interoperable Hardware System, which includes the JVC Kenwood D710 Radio and the Multi Voltage Power Supply. The TIM was conducted as an ARISS hardware milestone from the Technical Evaluation and Support (TES) Committee and our international members from TES were present. The TIM also had subject matter experts from NASA attending and providing advice as well as a former (retired) chief engineer from the NASA Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) organization. All in all, ARISS received great advice and suggestions on how to move forward with the hardware development. I am most proud that we have completed this first major milestone in the development of the next ARISS hardware upgrade to fly on ISS. On behalf of the ARISS International team, I would like to thank TES co-leads Mark Steiner and Lou McFadin for their leadership in getting the important milestone accomplished. I would also like to thank Kerry Banke, the Multi Voltage Power Supply developer, Bob Davis who is developing the mechanical enclosure for the system, and Bob Bruninga and Dave Taylor for their help on the D710 programming modes. And, of course, special thanks goes to JVC Kenwood and Aota Shin and Phil Parton for their support, equipment and engineering that will serve ARISS and the ham community for years to come. With this milestone completed, we will move forward with the design process and finalize the design with a TIM in the next few months. Our next hurdle will be the Phase 0 safety review which we hope to complete before the end of this year. While aggressive, we are still working with NASA towards an October 2017 launch of the hardware system. The costs and effort to develop and certify equipment for human spaceflight missions is very high. The bulk of this cost is for safety certification testing and hazard reporting expertise. We have estimated that from beginning to end (a 3 year development cycle), the costs for the new hardware system are in the $200k range. Note that we are aggressively pursuing real dollar and in-kind donations to address this. But, as you know, every bit of funding helps. That is why we started the ARISS Challenge Coin Donation Campaign this year at the Dayton Hamvention. As you communicate this important milestone to your friends, please remind them that we cannot complete this effort without funding. Human spaceflight hardware developments are always expensive. They are most welcome to donate towards the hardware development by pushing the “ARISS Donate” button at www.amsat.org. Those that donate $100 or more will receive a special ARISS Commemorative Coin. I thank all of you for all your sustained support and efforts to our ARISS cause over the years. It is hard to believe that we are nearing 20 years of ARISS being a team. [ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS Chairman for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ESEO Satellite Project Here is a brief update on the ESEO Satellite project which may be of interest. "A team of 3 from AMSAT-UK and Surrey Space Center visited Forli in Italy this week where the engineering model of the ESEO satellite is being assembled. During the visit, the team began work integrating the AMSAT payload into ESEO, confirming successful 2 way communication communication via the satellites CAN bus. They also checked the transmission of educational telemetry at 1200 and 4800 bits per second and tested the L band to VHF FM transponder. ESEO, The European Student Earth Orbiter, is a 50kg satellite from ESA Education incorporating payloads from AMSAT-UK and Universities around Europe." [ANS thanks David, G0MRF, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- iCubeSat 2017 Workshop iCubeSat 2017 - the 6th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop will be held 30-31 May 2017 in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The full call for papers and presentations can be found at www.iCubeSat.org iCubeSat 2017, the 6th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop, will address the technical challenges, opportunities, and practicalities of interplanetary space exploration with CubeSats. The workshop provides a unique environment for open wide ranging practical collaboration between academic researchers, industry professionals, policy makers and students developing this new and rapidly growing field. The papers and presentations from previous workshops at Caltech, Cornell, Imperial, MIT and Oxford may be found at: https://icubesat.org/ You can see the presentations from this years workshop at Oxford at the following link: https://icubesat.org/archive/2016-2/icubesat-program-2016 [ANS thanks Micheal, iCubeSat 2017 Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Registration Still Open If you are an Individual attending Symposium on board the CARNIVAL LIBERTY departing Galveston, TX on November 10, you must register to attend the AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual Meeting through AMSAT. Cruise arrangements made through Carnival Cruise Lines does not include the registration fee for the Symposium itself. There are three options to register for Symposium: -Complete and mail to the AMSAT Office the 2016 Symposium Registration Form that was sent to all AMSAT members back in July along with the BoD ballot along with payment; -Call the AMSAT Office (301-822-4376) and speak with AMSAT Office Manager Martha Saragovitz ; or -Use the AMSAT Store (store.amsat.org) by selecting the “2016 AMSAT-NA Symposium Registration” link found under “Bestsellers” on the right hand side of the store’s main page. Registration for the Symposium is $40.00 and includes a copy of the “Proceedings” that contains papers written for the Symposium as well as technical documentation that AMSAT is placing in the public domain. The “Proceedings” will be available to attendees onboard ship. In addition, the registration provides a means to confirm the number of individuals in your party planning to attend the AMSAT Banquet as well as an opportunity to reserve seats for the Field Ops Breakfast. Both meals are open to anyone wishing to attend (AMSAT Registration is not necessary) and there is no charge for either event as food is included in your cruise package. However, by indicating how many individuals will be attending, it helps to ensure that sufficient seating is made available for each activity. As the AMSAT Office will not be open after Monday, 7 NOV 16 through that week, we ask that your Symposium Registration be received at the AMSAT office by Friday, 4 NOV 16. [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Proposal Window Closes November 1, 2016 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, 2017 and December 31, 2017. 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 integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Thursday-Monday, 10-14 November 2016 – 2106 AMSAT Space Symposium, Symposium at Sea, on Carnival Liberty, Galveston TX to Cozumel and return *Saturday, 12 November 2016 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 3 December 2016 – Superstition Superfest in Mesa AZ *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Howell L. Watkins Middle School, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida direct via N4J. The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was successful: Mon 2016-10-17 16:08:00 UTC Right from AOS full quieting! All 20 questions asked and a farewell by all the students transmitted. Contact duration 9 mins 30 seconds. At 16:15 UTC not sure if it was low audio or a signal issue but question 20 had to be repeated. Live streamed over the school network to about 900 students. Media coverage was 2 newspapers and TV station. There were about 90 students present. * University of Nebraska's Peter Kiewit Institute, Omaha NE, telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut was Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact was successful: Sat 2016-10-15 14:00:08 UTC 29 deg This was a JOTA event. An estimate of audience was 5,750. We had 19 of 20 scouts interview Dr. Rubins. The last question was at LOS, but Astronaut Mike Fossum (who was at the event) answered for Dr. Rubins. There was low audio from the event, but Shane, VK4KHZ relayed the questions to the ISS. * Stephen F. Austin Elementary School, Brazosport ISD, Jones Creek, Texas, telebridge via VK5ZAI The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut was Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was successful: Mon 2016-10-10 16:46:00 UTC Takuya Onishi answered 24 questions. About 400 students, teachers and parents were in the audience. Reporters from two small local newspapers were also in attendance. Upcoming Contacts * Istituto Comprensivo “Marco da Melo”, Mel, Italy, direct via IQ3FL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD. Contact is presently scheduled for: Sat 2016-11-05 09:32:10 UTC 76 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave, AA4KN, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT's Around the World A new link has been created under the AMSAT pull-down tab at http://www.amsat.org or directly http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=5618 which list the links to all the other AMSAT's around the world. A webpage like this was on the old AMSAT site and never got migrated over. A new webpage has been created. Check it out! [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT BOD Member for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-290 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 16 Oct '16

16 Oct '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-290 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT RadFXSat Vibration Testing * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Registration Still Open * AMSAT SA Sponsors SDR Workshop * Phase 4 Satellite Presentation at TAPR Digital Communication Conference SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-290.01 ANS-290 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 290.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 16, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-290.01 AMSAT RadFXSat Vibration Testing RadFxSat underwent vibration testing for two of the three axes on Monday, October 10 at NTS in Boxborough, MA. The X and Z axis were tested with Y axis testing following on Tuesday and final testing completed on Friday, October 14. Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering reported, "All environmental and post- environmental tests passed. In the bag, another Fox in a Box ready for delivery and integration!" A YouTube video of the X-Axis test is available https://youtu.be/hPWxXPUmYQ4 Remaining activities include the Mission Readiness Review in December leading to delivery and integration currently scheduled for early January 2017. (ANS Jerry, N0JY, for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Registration Still Open If you are an Individual attending Symposium on board the CARNIVAL LIBERTY departing Galveston, TX on November 10, you must register to attend the AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual Meeting through AMSAT. Cruise arrangements made through Carnival Cruise Lines does not include the registration fee for the Symposium itself. There are three options to register for Symposium: -Complete and mail to the AMSAT Office the 2016 Symposium Registration Form that was sent to all AMSAT members back in July along with the BoD ballot along with payment; -Call the AMSAT Office (301-822-4376) and speak with AMSAT Office Manager Martha Saragovitz ; or -Use the AMSAT Store (store.amsat.org) by selecting the “2016 AMSAT-NA Symposium Registration” link found under “Bestsellers” on the right hand side of the store’s main page. Registration for the Symposium is $40.00 and includes a copy of the “Proceedings” that contains papers written for the Symposium as well as technical documentation that AMSAT is placing in the public domain. The “Proceedings” will be available to attendees onboard ship. In addition, the registration provides a means to confirm the number of individuals in your party planning to attend the AMSAT Banquet as well as an opportunity to reserve seats for the Field Ops Breakfast. Both meals are open to anyone wishing to attend (AMSAT Registration is not necessary) and there is no charge for either event as food is included in your cruise package. However, by indicating how many individuals will be attending, it helps to ensure that sufficient seating is made available for each activity. As the AMSAT Office will not be open after Monday, 7 NOV 16 through that week, we ask that your Symposium Registration be received at the AMSAT office by Friday, 4 NOV 16. [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SA Sponsors SDR Workshop AMSAT SA is holding a half-day SDR workshop in cooperation with the South African Radio League at the National Amateur Radio Centre on 26 November 2016. The workshop will include videos and presentations on Software Defined Radio and a practical demonstration. AMSAT SA started a conversation with radio amateurs interested in SDR and soon realised that there is a wider interest in this developing technology in Amateur Radio. The cost of attending is a contribution to the Kletskous development fund with a minimum of R20 to cover refreshment. For more details and to book your place, visit www.amsatsa.org.za or follow the link from the League's home page. [ANS thanks SARL weekly news in English 2016-10-15 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Phase 4 Satellite Presentation at TAPR Digital Communication Conference Gary Pearce KN4AQ has released a video of the Digital Communications Conference presentation by Bob McGwier N4HY about the AMSAT payload for a geosynchronous satellite. AMSAT-NA is developing a “hosted payload” for a spacecraft that Millennium Space Systems (MSS) of El Segundo, California, is under contract to design, launch, and operate for the US government. The satellite’s potential footprint could extend over the US from the Mid-Pacific to Africa. The amateur radio payload will comprise a Software Defined Transponder capable of supporting many different modes, including analog SSB. Gary Pearce KN4AQ writes: We’ve been hearing about a Geosynchronous satellite for the Western Hemisphere for a while now, but not many details. In this episode from the DCC, project leader Bob McGwier N4HY fills in a lot of blanks. There’s no launch date yet, and maybe not quite enough info to start building your ground station (a ‘Five & Dime’ setup – 5 GHz up, 10 GHz down), but you can start thinking about it. Bob's Phase 4 presentation at DCC can be viewed at the following link: https://youtu.be/BE6ZZ3MQsNY [ANS thanks HamRadioNow and 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, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-283 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 09 Oct '16

09 Oct '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-283 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT-NA 2016 Space Symposium Keynote Speaker Announced * RadFxSat Passes Post-Shock Tests * AMSAT Office Closed October 10th * 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Registration Still Open * IK1SLD Team Establishes 50 ARISS Telebridge Contacts * ARISS Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2016 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-283.01 ANS-283 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 283.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 9, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-283.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA 2016 Space Symposium Keynote Speaker Announced Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, President of AMSAT-DL, will be the Keynote Speaker at AMSAT-NA’s 2016 Space Symposium. This year’s “Symposium at Sea” takes place on board the CARNIVAL LIBERTY that departs Galveston, TX on Thursday,10 NOV 16. Peter’s presentation is entitled, “Amateur Radio beyond Earth Orbit”. AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW extended the invitation for Peter to speak, noting, "When I approached the AMSAT Board of Directors to seek their input concerning potential banquet speakers, there was unanimous agreement that having Peter as our speaker was a wonderful idea. As President of AMSAT-DL, Peter is in a unique position to provide details about the P4-A project (Es’hail 2) and how it will impact amateur communications from space under its footprint. The evolution of AMSAT-DL and how Peter sees AMSAT-DL’s moving forward in the coming years would be of significant interest to our attendees. Peter has also observed the development of other AMSAT organizations in Europe, the Middle East as well as in the Pacific Rim. In his acceptance of the invitation to speak, Peter said, “It's indeed quite a while ago since my last visit to the AMSAT-NA Symposium and thus I’m looking very much forward to seeing all good friends again.” Peter became President of AMSAT-DL in 2001 after the launch of AMSAT OSCAR-40 (P3-D) when he had the role as AMSAT Mission Director Launch Campaign in Kourou, French Guyana. An amateur radio operator since 1979, Peter has served in a variety of roles with AMSAT-DL since 1983. His professional career as an engineer responsible for production testing of Car Multimedia and Navigation devices for a huge German automotive supplier has included extensive travel around the world, allowing him to interact with amateur radio organizations worldwide, building relationships and support for amateur radio in space. The relationship between AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL is a long one, going back to the 1970s, first with the development of AO-7 and later with the Phase-3 programs through Phase 3-D (AO-40). The decision by Congress to apply ITAR (International Traffic and Arms Regulations, managed by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, Dept. of State) to communications satellites forced AMSAT-NA to withhold technical collaboration on amateur satellites with other international AMSAT organizations. Changes in US law in 2014 now makes it easier for potential international collaboration involving AMSAT-NA on future amateur satellite projects should an opportunity arise that is of mutual interest where a launch opportunity is identified. [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFxSat Passes Post-Shock Tests In a late night session Tuesday, the Short Functional Test was performed on RadFxSat and showed that the CubeSat is functioning well after the shock testing. The test was streamed live on YouTube and the archive is available for viewing, at http://www.YouTube.com/c/n0jy/live RadFxSat is the first of the four Fox-1 CubeSats built to date to be subjected to shock testing, which was necessary for qualification to fly on the Delta II ELaNa XIV Mission scheduled to launch March 16, 2017. Being the first shock test experience we were cautious about what the result may be. While Fox-1s have previously been subjected to and passed other tests such as vibration testing, each type of environmental test is significantly different. The Short Functional Test, along with the previously reported Aliveness Test, is conducted before each environmental test is performed (shock, vibe, bakeout) and after the final environmental test is finished in order to determine that the Fox-1 CubeSat is functioning nominally prior to testing and is still functioning nominally after each test. Short Functional Test (SFT) verifies the operation of the IHU, battery, transmitter, receiver, experiment, telemetry, and command systems through 51 steps of actions, measurements and observations. With the successful completion of the SFT the Fox Team performed the Preflight Procedure. This procedure places the IHU in the launch state so that it is configured as it will be during launch, for the next environmental test. It looks like Hurricane Matthew will cooperate with our plans to travel to Boston on Sunday, October 9, so the next stop is NTS in Boxborough, MA for the final environmental testing which includes vibration and bakeout. Live streaming of the environmental tests will not be possible due to ITAR and camera restrictions at the test facility, but streaming of the Short Functional and Aliveness tests and the preparation of RadFxSat for some of the testing may be available from the hotel room if the timing is such that they are performed outside the test facility. http://www.amsat.org/?p=5597 [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice Presdient, Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Office Closed October 10th The will be closed on Monday, October 10th in observance of Columbus Day. [ANS thanks Martha, AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea Registration Still Open If you are an Individual attending Symposium on board the CARNIVAL LIBERTY departing Galveston, TX on November 10, you must register to attend the AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual Meeting through AMSAT. Cruise arrangements made through Carnival Cruise Lines does not include the registration fee for the Symposium itself. There are three options to register for Symposium: -Complete and mail to the AMSAT Office the 2016 Symposium Registration Form that was sent to all AMSAT members back in July along with the BoD ballot along with payment; -Call the AMSAT Office (301-822-4376) and speak with AMSAT Office Manager Martha Saragovitz ; or -Use the AMSAT Store (store.amsat.org) by selecting the “2016 AMSAT-NA Symposium Registration” link found under “Bestsellers” on the right hand side of the store’s main page. Registration for the Symposium is $40.00 and includes a copy of the “Proceedings” that contains papers written for the Symposium as well as technical documentation that AMSAT is placing in the public domain. The “Proceedings” will be available to attendees onboard ship. In addition, the registration provides a means to confirm the number of individuals in your party planning to attend the AMSAT Banquet as well as an opportunity to reserve seats for the Field Ops Breakfast. Both meals are open to anyone wishing to attend (AMSAT Registration is not necessary) and there is no charge for either event as food is included in your cruise package. However, by indicating how many individuals will be attending, it helps to ensure that sufficient seating is made available for each activity. As the AMSAT Office will not be open after Monday, 7 NOV 16 through that week, we ask that your Symposium Registration be received at the AMSAT office by Friday, 4 NOV 16. [ANS thanks 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IK1SLD Team Establishes 50 ARISS Telebridge Contacts Saturday saw the IK1SLD Team establishing the 50th ARISS Telebridge contact in 6 years of operation. IK1SLD has now established 45 successful Telebridge contacts and 5 successful Direct/Telebridge contacts. In addition, IK1SLD has also established 5 successful Direct contacts and supported 35 Direct contacts as remote back-up ground station. Congratulation IK1SLD! [ANS thanks Francesco, IKØWGF for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Proposal Window September 1 – November 1, 2016 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, 2017 and December 31, 2017. 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 integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday and Saturday, 21-22 October 2016 – CopaFest 2016, south of Maricopa AZ *Saturday, 12 November 2016 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 3 December 2016 – Superstition Superfest in Mesa AZ *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Pasar 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, direct via 9M2RPN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was successful: Thu 2016-10-06 18:24:00 UTC 46 deg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE8a9ik9cI8 * iSPACE, Cincinnati OH, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact was successful: Sat 2016-10-08 16:15:10 UTC 57 deg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV3754OMnjQ In 2001, iSPACE, a 501(c)(3) organization, incorporated as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) educational resource for schools throughout the Greater Cincinnati region. The iSPACE mission is to make STEM learning exciting and to promote STEM career awareness, through interactive programs for students, educators and families in the region. iSPACE provides innovative and effective programs, events and learning experiences for students (grades pre-K12), their educators and their families including field trips, outreach, professional development and other programs that stimulate interest and appreciation for STEM. In 2015, iSPACE programs served a diverse population of 24,731 youth and 5,791 adults in more than 500 schools. iSPACE works diligently to collaborate within the regional and their programs are recognized for their effectiveness throughout the STEM community. Through rigorous alignment to national and state standards and the utilization of best practices, iSPACE continues to develop curriculum for educators and inquiry-based educational opportunities for students. iSPACE has made a mark in Greater Cincinnati for our high quality programs that measurably and effectively inspire students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, increase their content knowledge and introduce them to STEM careers. Upcoming Contacts * Stephen F. Austin Elementary School, Brazosport ISD, Jones Creek, Texas, telebridge via VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-10-10 16:46:00 UTC 50 deg * University of Nebraska's Peter Kiewit Institute, Omaha NE, telebridge via VK4KHZ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-10-15 14:00:08 UTC 29 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave, AA4KN, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-276 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 02 Oct '16

02 Oct '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-276 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * NuSat-1 Issued Oscar Number LO-87 * Pratham Satellite Launched, Heard, and Identified * AO-7 Mode A * BATC Convention Includes Satellite Topics * ARRL to Host CHIRP Radio Programming Webinar * NASA Next Magazine for Teens and Educators * Sign Up for NASA Education 'Science WOW!' Weekly Email Newsletter * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-276.01 ANS-276 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 276.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 2, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-276.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- NuSat-1 Issued Oscar Number LO-87 The Argentine ÑuSAT-1 carrying the LUSEX (LU Satellite Experiment) Amateur Radio U/V linear transponder and 436 MHz beacon launched May 30 at 0317 UTC from China. The transponder, with a 30 kHz bandwidth and transmitting with 250 mW, will has an uplink passband (SSB, CW) at 435.935~435.965 MHz, and a downlink passband at 145.965~145.935 MHZ. Basic CW telemetry is transmitted on 145.900 MHz. The NuSAT-1 GFSK telemetry beacon is at 436.445 MHz, and the NuSAT-2 GFSK telemetry beacon is at 437.445 MHz. Over the past month AMSAT-Argentina has requested the issuance of an OSCAR designation. After review, the following determination has been announced: "I join the entire world in wishing this spacecraft a successful life and, under the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA President, do hereby issue LUSEX the designation LUSEX OSCAR 87 or LO-87." 73, William A. (Bill) Tynan, W3XO OSCAR Number Administrator See http://lusex.org.ar/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AlSat-1N and Pratham Satellites Launched, Heard, and Identified The AlSat-1N and Pratham satellites, both with amateur radio payloads, launched on the Indian ISRO PSLV-C35 mission at 0342 GMT on Monday, September 26, 2016, reports are requested. Update Sept 27: The AlSat-1N signal has been received but nothing heard from Pratham. A Dorset radio amateur reports receiving a signal from PISAT (2240 MHz) which was also on the PSLV-C35 launch https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom/status/780808329392168960 Update Sept 29: Reports on AMSAT-BB indicate the Pratham CW beacon on 145.980 MHz is active. http://www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2016-September/060551.html http://www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2016-September/060552.html The 3U CubeSat AlSat-1N was built in collaboration between the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), UK Space Agency (UKSA), Surrey Space Centre (SSC) staff and Algerian students as a technology transfer and demonstrator for Algeria. AlSat-1N is also hosting three UK payloads from various institutions and aims to take images of the Earth and send back data from the UK payloads. The IARU coordinated downlink is 437.650 MHz 9k6 FSK. Any downlinked data will be gratefully received at alsatnano(a)gmail.com Both decoded hex files and recordings would be greatly appreciated. Richard Duke M0GSN is transmission authority in the UK under the SSC Club callsign M0GKK. Further information on AlSat-1N can be downloaded from: https://ukamsat.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/alsat-1n_description_v1.pdf https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/24/alsat-1n-pratham-launch/ Information on the Pratham student satellite is at https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/07/pratham-student-satellite/ Detailed doppler measurements show that Pratham is object 41791, 2016-059J. This is based on the most recent TLE sets, that were published by the JSpOC. Unfortunately the collection of TLE sets for the PSLV-C35 launch is not stable yet. The JSpOC continues to cross-tag TLE sets and to make major changes to some of the TLE sets. So some further changes may be expected in the coming days. The JSpOC has not yet identified any of the objects from the PSLV-C35 launch. It seems quite obvious however that ScatSat is object 41790, 2016-059H. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-BB, and Nico, PA0DLO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-7 Mode A Noted on the AMSAT-BB: It appears that AO-7 switched to Mode A between 0400 and 0600 UTC today 9/30/2016. That suggests that the satellite is now in constant sunlight and receiving enough power from the solar cells for the 24 hour timer to stay on throughout it's entire orbit. Expect daily mode switches between Mode A and Mode B to occur for the next three months or so. As AO-7's orbit precesses and the periods of constant sunlight become fewer and fewer, there will be less of an opportunity to use Mode A on a yearly basis, so enjoy it while it lasts! If you don't have a 10 meter antenna up to receive the downlink, try whatever you can. I have used my AlexLoop Walkham Portable Magnetic Loop with adequate results. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM AMSAT-NA Secretary for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- BATC Convention Includes Satellite Topics The British Amateur Television Club hosted a number of presentations covering the latest equipment, modes and operating techniques (including satellite topics) at the Convention for Amateur Television 2016 (CAT 16) at Cosford on 24/25 September. The satellite presentation slides and videos included: Receiving and Presenting HamTV from the ISS Noel Matthews, G8GTZ Es'hail-2: Geostationary transponder for DATV Graham Shirville, G3VZV and Dave Crump, G8GKQ Links to the slides and video recordings are available on-line at: https://wiki.batc.tv/Presentations_from_CAT_16 [ANS thanks the BATC for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL to Host CHIRP Radio Programming Webinar ARRL will host a CHIRP Radio Programming webinar on Wednesday, October 19, at 8 PM ET (0000 UTC on Thursday, October 20, in US time zones). This presentation will offer a brief overview of the free, open-source CHIRP software, which can be used to program most radios. The site at http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home explains what the CHIRP software does. Attendees will learn: What CHIRP is, which radios are supported, how to get CHIRP, and how to troubleshoot CHIRP. Presenter James Lee, N1DDK, became active in CHIRP development for the initial TYT9800 driver. He is a hardware development engineer for Qualcomm. Register now at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/693479953177190401 After registering, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Next Magazine for Teens and Educators NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recently released the second issue of its new online news magazine for teens and educators called "NASA Next." "NASA Next" breaks down complex science and brings its audience the latest news on Goddard science, including studies of Earth, the sun, our solar system and the universe. "NASA Next" is interactive with clickable links to other NASA web pages, so readers can learn more about the missions and technologies they come across. The magazine includes articles, fun facts, activities and a For Educators page filled with lesson plans to help incorporate "NASA Next" into the classroom. Educators and scientists review all lesson plans to ensure that the content is accurate and useful in an educational setting and that it meets national and state standards of learning. For more information and to download the latest issue, visit http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-announces-new-issue-of-nasa- next-online-news-for-teens-educators. If you have questions about "NASA Next," please email your inquiries to Sarah Schlieder at sarah.schlieder(a)nasa.gov. [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Sept. 29, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign Up for NASA Education 'Science WOW!' Weekly Email Newsletter Are you a science educator or interested in science education? Sign up for the NASA Education "Science WOW!" mailing list. Receive an email with NASA's latest science education offerings delivered "Weekly on Wednesdays." Science starts with a question, and so does "Science WOW!" Each week's message kicks off with a science question and a link to where you can find the answer. "Science WOW!" also highlights an awesome science education tool each week. These featured resources will include NASA apps, interactive games, 3-D printing templates and more! Plus, "Science WOW!" delivers -- right to your inbox -- the latest science education opportunities offered by NASA. It's a simple way to keep up with the latest professional development webinars, student contests, workshops, lectures and other activities. To register your email address and be added to the list, visit https://www.nasa.gov/education/sciencewow/ [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Sept. 29, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday and Saturday, 21-22 October 2016 – CopaFest 2016, south of Maricopa AZ *Saturday, 12 November 2016 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 3 December 2016 – Superstition Superfest in Mesa AZ *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain, direct via EA7URJ or TBD The ISS callsign was OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut was Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact was successful: Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC * Yamanashi Gakuin J. H. School, Kofu, JapanA direct via 8J1YGJH The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact was successful: Sat 2016-10-01 08:11:36 UTC 31 deg. Yamanashi Gakuin Junior High School is located in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture. Yamanashi Gakuin was founded in 1946. the current junior high school opened in 1996 on its 50th anniversary. The school has three grades and and enrollment of 244 students. Yamanashi Gakuin was successful. They asked 16 questions and got 16 answers from Takuya. Signal condition not so good. Audience: 60 Newspapers: 3 Upcoming Contacts * Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Pasar 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, direct via 9M2RPN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-10-06 18:24:00 UTC 46 deg. The school is invited by National Space Agency Satellite Ground Station with a call sign of 9M2RPN in conjunction with "National Space Challenge Prime Minister's Trophy 2016" as in past years. Total of students: 746 students Total of teachers: 43 teachers * iSPACE, Cincinnati OH, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FYJ Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-10-08 16:15:10 UTC 57 deg. In 2001, iSPACE, a 501(c)(3) organization, incorporated as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) educational resource for schools throughout the Greater Cincinnati region. The iSPACE mission is to make STEM learning exciting and to promote STEM career awareness, through interactive programs for students, educators and families in the region. iSPACE provides innovative and effective programs, events and learning experiences for students (grades pre-K12), their educators and their families including field trips, outreach, professional development and other programs that stimulate interest and appreciation for STEM. In 2015, iSPACE programs served a diverse population of 24,731 youth and 5,791 adults in more than 500 schools. iSPACE works diligently to collaborate within the regional and their programs are recognized for their effectiveness throughout the STEM community. Through rigorous alignment to national and state standards and the utilization of best practices, iSPACE continues to develop curriculum for educators and inquiry-based educational opportunities for students. iSPACE has made a mark in Greater Cincinnati for our high quality programs that measurably and effectively inspire students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, increase their content knowledge and introduce them to STEM careers. Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, Dave, AA4KN, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over VP5/AA4FL Practice Run Gearing up for a VP5 visit and operation Oct. 16 - Nov. 2. Will be part of VP5DX CQWW SSB team but still have time for portable SAT operations. I worked 9 stations in a practice run from the University of Florida campus a few weeks ago. I should be able to operate SATs from Oct. 19-28. Equipment will be a FT-817 and arrow II. Will also have a TH-D7A as a backup for the FM birds. Practice runs were on AO-73 and FO-29 using the FT-817. I will have another practice day on Sunday Oct. 9th. Please mark your calendar and work me that day from EL-89tp. My signal will be readable but not strong, which I am sure you will not mind when I am the DX station you are chasing. I will use that day as a teaching experience for the Gator Amateur Radio Club student members. You can see photos from our last event on their Facebook page. Feel free to friend me as well. I have been told it has been ten years since there has been a SAT operation from VP5. My operation will not be from Provo (FL31) but from Middle Caicos (FL41cu). Check out the QTH on the VP5DX QRZ page. Do any AMSAT members have FL41 in their log? Looking forward to working you from FL41cu. [ANS thanks Jay, AA4FL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-269 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 25 Sep '16

25 Sep '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-269 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Planning Satellite Operations During the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium * Plan Ahead for New Years AMSAT CW Activity Day on the Satellites * Chinese Space Station Visible * Measuring Sky Angles With Your Hand * Falcon 9 Static Fire Anomaly Update * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-269.01 ANS-269 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 269.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 25, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-269.01 Planning Satellite Operations During the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium If you are attending the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea, Carnival Cruise Line policy allows amateur radio operation as specified in its corporate policy. Please review the FAQs Restricted Items List. For details see: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2261 So if you are planning to attend the Symposium and wish to bring radios to operate, please remember that the Carnival Liberty is registered in Panama. US licensed amateur operators wishing to operate at sea must obtain an International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP) from the ARRL. A good rule to apply is a minimum of 30-45 days in advance. Details are available at the following site: http://www.arrl.org/iarp To file the permit you will need to provide the following: 1. Completed and Signed IARP Application Form for US Amateur Radio Operators 2. Photocopy of the applicant's US FCC Amateur license 3. Photocopy of the applicant's legal photo-ID 4. A 1.5x1.5 inch color or black/white Passport size photo of the Applicant 5. Application Fee payable to "ARRL VEC" by check, money order, or credit card Submit applications and supporting documents to: ARRL - VEC Department 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 USA Questions can be directed to: (860)594-0300 (weekdays 8AM to 5PM ET) or to vec(a)arrl.org Of all the application items, #4 seems to be the most difficult to obtain. AMSAT Vice President, Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY provided the suggestion. Did you know that you can use the U.S Department of State website to crop your own photo to use with the application? https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/photos/photos.html Look on the right side of the page under "Already Have a Photo?" It lets you pick a photo you have on your PC, and save it back to your PC. You can then print it to send with the application. (Of course, you'll have to figure out how to get it 1.5 x 1.5 inches, I used Word.) A reminder that you would need a Reciprocal Permit issued by The Republic of Mexico to operate in Mexico and operating from Mexican Islands is strictly controlled. http://www.arrl.org/reciprocal-permit Obtaining can be a time consuming and expensive procedure for the one day in port, see http://www.qsl.net/oh2mcn/xe.htm http://xe-permit.wd9ewk.net/ See you on-board or on the air! (ANS thanks Joe Spier, K6WAO, AMSAT Vice President, Educational Relations for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Plan Ahead for New Years AMSAT CW Activity Day on the Satellites Thanks to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night 2016, held in memory of Ben Stevenson, W2BXA. For 25 years, AMSAT has sponsored SKN on OSCAR, and it's been my pleasure to conduct this event. While Morse as a license qualification has gone the way of the spark gap, I am pleased to see that amateur CW activity is as popular as ever. Straight keys and "bugs", however, have found a niche primarily with the boat anchor crowd, and AMSAT's insistence on their use in OSCAR SKN has held down participation. Similar considerations have led ARRL to broaden its annual HF event to include all forms of CW, even computer-generated. The idea is to encourage everyone to enjoy CW operation, no matter how they choose to do it. We agree 100%. So, in with the new: AMSAT CW Activity Day. As with the old SKN, it will be a fun event, not a contest, and will run for 24 hours on January 1, 2017 (UTC). All forms of CW are welcome. Since it is not a contest, there is no required exchange. A QSO is a QSO. Working the same station on more than one satellite is permitted. Instead of submitting Best Fist nominations, all participants are asked to post their results, including "Soapbox" comments, to AMSAT-BB. Please include the satellites you used, and the number of CW QSOs you had on each. While it is not necessary to post your full log, you may do so if you wish. CU on CW! [ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chinese Space Station Visible Two weeks ago, on Sept. 15th, China launched a new space station to Earth orbit: Tiangong-2. The 10-meter long spacecraft is only a fraction the size of the ISS, but there is room inside for two tiakonauts (Chinese astronauts) and plenty of science experiments. And in dark skies, it can be seen with the naked eye. On Sept. 20th, Kevin Fetter of Brockville, Ontario, Canada, video-recorded the Tiangong-2 passing by the bright star Zeta Ophiuchi: "At the time the space station was passing the star, its magnitude was near +5," estimates Fetter."It got into the 4th magnitude range just before it disappeared into Earth's shadow. So it is a naked-eye object, albeit barely." Tiangong-2 is the second of three prototype space stations China plans to launch as the country builds toward a Mir-class outpost in the next decade. Tiangong-2's predecessor, Tiangong-1, is still in orbit and expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere sometime in 2017. Next month, China will launch a crew of two to inhabit the new space station for approximately 30 days. While on board, they will test Tiangong-2's life support system, and possibly conduct experiments in brain-machine interfacing, atomic clock navigation, and quantum communications. Ready to see for yourself? Tiangong-2 flyby predictions are available from Heavens Above. "Use the Satellite Database and search for object '41765' labeled 'OBJECT A,'" advises Fetter. "That's how to find it." [ANS thanks Spaceweather.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Measuring Sky Angles With Your Hand Have you ever worked portable and wondered just how close you were holding your antenna in reference to the necessary altitude and azimuth to be on target with your satellite? You can use your hands to measure degrees of the sky. There is a method common in astronomy for measuring sky angles. Here’s how they describe it on One Minute Astronomer: "Your hands and fingers are a remarkably accurate (and convenient) measuring tool. When you hold your hand at arm’s length, you can estimate angles like this: Stretch your thumb and little finger as far from each other as you can. The span from tip to tip is about 25 degrees Do the same with your index finger and little finger. The span is 15 degrees Clench your fist at arms length, and hold it with the back of your hand facing you. The width is 10 degrees Hold your three middle fingers together; they span about 5 degrees The width of your little finger at arm’s length is 1 degree." http://oneminuteastronomer.com/860/measuring-sky/ See also http://makezine.com/2016/09/16/measuring-tip-ruler/ [ANS thanks oneminuteastronomer.com and make zone.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Falcon 9 Static Fire Anomaly Update Three weeks ago, SpaceX experienced an anomaly at our Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This resulted in the loss of one of our Falcon 9 rockets and its payload. The Accident Investigation Team (AIT), composed of SpaceX, the FAA, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and industry experts, are currently scouring through approximately 3,000 channels of engineering data along with video, audio and imagery. The timeline of the event is extremely short – from first signs of an anomaly to loss of data is about 93 milliseconds or less than 1/10th of a second. The majority of debris from the incident has been recovered, photographed, labeled and catalogued, and is now in a hangar for inspection and use during the investigation. At this stage of the investigation, preliminary review of the data and debris suggests that a large breach in the cryogenic helium system of the second stage liquid oxygen tank took place. All plausible causes are being tracked in an extensive fault tree and carefully investigated. Through the fault tree and data review process, we have exonerated any connection with last year’s CRS-7 mishap. The teams have continued inspections of LC-40 and the surrounding facilities. While substantial areas of the pad systems were affected, the Falcon Support Building adjacent to the pad was unaffected, and per standard procedure was unoccupied at the time of the anomaly. The new liquid oxygen farm – e.g. the tanks and plumbing that hold our super-chilled liquid oxygen – was unaffected and remains in good working order. The RP-1 (kerosene) fuel farm was also largely unaffected. The pad’s control systems are also in relatively good condition. SpaceX’s other facilities, from the Payload Processing Facility at the Cape, to the pad and hangar at LC-39A, are located several miles from LC-40 and were unaffected as well. Work continues at Pad 39A in preparation for bringing it online in November. The teams have been in contact with Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center partners and neighbors and have found no evidence of debris leaving the immediate area of LC-40. At SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, manufacturing and production is continuing in a methodical manner, with teams continuing to build engines, tanks, and other systems as they are exonerated from the investigation. SpaceX will work to resume our manifest as quickly as responsible once the cause of the anomaly has been identified by the Accident Investigation Team. Pending the results of the investigation, return to flight is anticipated as early as the November timeframe. [ANS thanks SpaceX for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reported that Randy, WI7P (ex N7SFI) has been uploading many of his old logs to LoTW. As a result, if you are a LoTW user you might find credit for many of his grid operations. Randy was one of the first ones to work satellites from a grid other than his home grid with more than 100 grids. One time he was maritime mobile, kayaking on a river. He also operated from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City Utah. + Damon, WA4FHN, and the Starcommgroup satellite operators club congratulate Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer, NP4JV for earning the Got Grids Award #17. Please go to http://www.starcommgroup.org for more about the Starcommgroup's free awards to satellite operators + The KO4BB manual repository includes a fairly large list of downloadable test equipment and ham radio manuals. See: http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals + Ckayton Coleman, W5PFG, will operate from the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (NPOTA HP49) on Monday, September 26 in grid FN42. All times given are in UTC SO-50 20:36 - 20:48 XW-2F 21:46 - 21:53 XW-2C 21:53 - 21:59 SO-50 22:19 - 22:28 (possibly) /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-262 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 18 Sep '16

18 Sep '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-262 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Prepped/Packed for Shock Test * IMPORTANT notice for AMSAT Symposium Cruise Attendees * KX9X Plans for NPOTA Satellite Operation * University Students Shown Amateur Radio * Plan Ahead for New Years AMSAT CW Activity Day on the Satellites * 2016 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results * US ARISS Contacts -Call for Proposals Remains Open through Nov 1 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-262.01 ANS-262 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 262.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. September 18, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-262.01 RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Prepped/Packed for Shock Test AMSAT VP of Engineering, Jerry Buxton N0JY, has posted a video of the final day of RadFxSat live testing, where the satellite gets one more time in the sun and on the air for data on power and temperatures. In the video Jerry secures the solar panel covers, does a preflight initialization, and packes it up to send off to Tyvak in California for shock testing, which occurs September 22-30. after the shock test the satellite will come back to Fox Labs for post-shock testing to make sure nothing broke. Next she will be taken to Orlando for vibe and bakeout October 10-14. That will be the finish, and RadFxSat will then wait in Fox Labs for delivery/integration in January 2017 with a March 16, 2017 launch date. Watch the 38 minute video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=vm-i_TvdOyU [ANS thanks Jerry N0JY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT notice for AMSAT Symposium Cruise Attendees PAYMENT DUE If you are attending the 2016 AMSAT Symposium Carnival cruise, your final payment is likely due. The majority of our accounts were due September 12. If your scheduled payment method fails, Carnival will attempt to contact you by phone or email. Please take a moment to ensure your final payment has been made. CARNIVAL ACCOUNT If you have not registered on the Carnival website to supply your guest information, you should consider doing so by going to the link below and choosing "Create Account." https://www.carnival.com/BookedGuest/guestmanagement/mycarnival/logon Signing up on their website allows you to pre-enter required boarding information, schedule shore excursions for Cozumel, and set payment method for onboard purchases. Non-USA passengers, this is the best method to enter all your passport details. Please reply directly to me off-BB if you have any questions. I am inundated with email at the moment so it may be 24-48 hours before I reply. [ANS thanks Clayton W5PFG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- KX9X Plans for NPOTA Satellite Operation Sean Kutzko, KX9X, says he will be hitting the road 9/24-9/28 to put several NPOTA units in New York's Hudson Valley on the air. Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY and Sean will activate Martin van Buren (NS50), Thomas Cole (AA23), the FDR home (NS36), Eleanor Roosevelt (NS14) and Vanderbilt Mansion (NS74) on HF SSB/CW plus the following satellites: SO-50, FO-29, XW-2A/2C/2F, and will even try AO-7 and AO-73. They won't know specific operating schedules until the night before; follow KX9X on Twitter for real-time info during these NPOTA activations. They will sign and log as KX9X/2 and W1BXY. Satellite gear will be two 817s, preamps, and an Arrow. Activations will be daytime-only. Sean likes hanging out below the center of the passband on the analog sats. [ANS thanks Sean Kutzdo, KX9X, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- University Students Shown Amateur Radio AMSAT-India Regional Coordinator Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP reports on the ‘Ham Radio – Practical Insight’ session given to 150 students at Parul University. Wonderful hands on session on ‘Ham Radio – Practical Insight’ was conducted at prestigious Parul University – Baroda (Gujarat, India) on September 8, 2016. Around 150 Engineering (EC) student & faculties participated in the program & gain knowledge on the subject. In-depth Presentation on Ham Radio, Interesting Ham Radio Events, Video Documentary & SSTV Live demo was carried out by Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP. Students were excited to see line by line SSTV transmission on the projected screen. To learn with fun, students were allowed to make collective noise during transmission to observe their effect in the SSTV reception!!! Number of technical & general queries satisfied in Q&A session. Sunny VU2PMU Shared his Ham Experience & Sardool VU2OPX Selected few student with small Quiz. VHF Demo (Modulation test) was nicely carried out by GIAR team member Ankit VU3NMQ, Sardool VU2OPX, Sunny VU2PMU & myself. Student & faculties learnt the potential of Ham Radio hobby & enjoyed the event at the fullest. I thank my fellow hams for their kind support and also thankful to Prof. Jay Patel & Prof. Niraj Tever from Parul University to nicely coordinate the event. Wish this Ham event act as small SPARK (ignition) & in future some of the student may fly high in World of Amateur Radio! AMSAT-India http://amsatindia.org/ [ANS thanks Rajesh P. Vagadia VUEXP via AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Plan Ahead for New Years AMSAT CW Activity Day on the Satellites Thanks to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night 2016, held in memory of Ben Stevenson, W2BXA. For 25 years, AMSAT has sponsored SKN on OSCAR, and it's been my pleasure to conduct this event. While Morse as a license qualification has gone the way of the spark gap, I am pleased to see that amateur CW activity is as popular as ever. Straight keys and "bugs", however, have found a niche primarily with the boat anchor crowd, and AMSAT's insistence on their use in OSCAR SKN has held down participation. Similar considerations have led ARRL to broaden its annual HF event to include all forms of CW, even computer-generated. The idea is to encourage everyone to enjoy CW operation, no matter how they choose to do it. We agree 100%. So, in with the new: AMSAT CW Activity Day. As with the old SKN, it will be a fun event, not a contest, and will run for 24 hours on January 1, 2017 (UTC). All forms of CW are welcome. Since it is not a contest, there is no required exchange. A QSO is a QSO. Working the same station on more than one satellite is permitted. Instead of submitting Best Fist nominations, all participants are asked to post their results, including "Soapbox" comments, to AMSAT- BB. Please include the satellites you used, and the number of CW QSOs you had on each. While it is not necessary to post your full log, you may do so if you wish. CU on CW! [ANS thanks Ray Soifer, W2RS, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results As a result of the 2016 Board of Directors Election, Tom Clark, K3IO; Mark Hammond, N8MH; and Bruce Paige, KK5DO; will serve on the board for two years. The First Alternate is Paul Stoetzer, N8HM and the Second Alternate is Clayton Coleman, W5PFG. Both will serve for a term of one year. The results of the voting with 697 ballots cast are as follows: Tom Clark, K3IO..................547 Mark Hammond, N8MH...............504 Bruce Paige, KK5DO...............396 Paul Stoetzer, N8HM..............362 Clayton Coleman, W5PFG...........200 Submitted by: Martha Saragovitz, Manager Paul Stoetzer, Secretary [ANS thanks Martha Saragovitz, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- US ARISS Contacts -Call for Proposals Remains Open through Nov 1 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window September 1 - November 1, 2016 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, 2017 and December 31, 2017. 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 integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1, 2016. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 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 satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss at arrl dot org. About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative 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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. Also, join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) / Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between C.E.PR. Almadén, Jaén, Spain and Astronaut Kate Rubins KG5FYJ using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Thu 2016-09-15 08:14:19 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via EA7URJ. ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF. School Information: Primary Education State School. This school year (2013/2014) there are 420 students from 6 to 12 years old. C.E.PR. Almadén is a Multilingual School with Français as L2 and English as L3. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NPOTA Activation Video Posted John Brier KG4AKV announced that he has posted a video of his SO-50 satellite activation from August 29th 2016 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The NPS unit is NM29 and the grid square is FM26. The video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/C0qLC03jDTA [ANS thanks John KG4AKV for the above information] + September issues of SatMagazine and MilSatMagazine are available for download. http://www.satmagazine.com/ http://www.milsatmagazine.com/ [ANS thanks Satnews for the above information] + Measuring Sky Angles With Your Hand Have you ever worked portable and wondered just how close you were holding your antenna in reference to the necessary altitude and azimuth to be on target with your satellite? You can use your hands to measure degrees of the sky. There is a method common in astronomy for measuring sky angles. Here’s how they describe it on One Minute Astronomer: "Your hands and fingers are a remarkably accurate (and convenient) measuring tool. When you hold your hand at arm’s length, you can estimate angles like this: Stretch your thumb and little finger as far from each other as you can. The span from tip to tip is about 25 degrees. Do the same with your index finger and little finger. The span is 15 degrees. Clench your fist at arms length, and hold it with the back of your hand facing you. The width is 10 degrees. Hold your three middle fingers together; they span about 5 degrees The width of your little finger at arm’s length is 1 degree." http://oneminuteastronomer.com/860/measuring-sky/ See also http://makezine.com/2016/09/16/measuring-tip-ruler/ [ANS thanks oneminuteastronomer.com and make zone.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, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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