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AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-136
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:
* STMSat-1 SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS May 16
* 2016 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice
* AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at the Dayton Hamvention
^TUESDAY MAY 17th SIGN UP DEADLINE^
* Dayton AMSAT Demonstration Plans
* ÑuSat-1 to Carry AMSAT Argentina Linear Transponder
* ARISS at Dayton Hamvention
* CY9C DXpedition to St. Paul Island Announces Satellite Operation
* Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton HAMVENTION
* Saturday AMSAT Dayton Forum
* AMSAT Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery
* ARISS News
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-136.01
ANS-136 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 136.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
[MONTH DAY, YEAR]
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-136.01
STMSat-1 SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS May 16
A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) CubeSat developed by students at Saint Thomas
More Cathedral School (STM) in Arlington, VA, is set to be deployed
from the International Space Station between 1400 and 1500 UT on May
16. For latest date/time check
https://twitter.com/STMSAT11.
STM is thought to be the first Elementary school to build their own
satellite, even Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade
students were involved in the project.
The satellite, a 1U CubeSat called STMSat-1, will transmit a SSTV
Robot36 mode signal on 437.800 MHz.
Middle School Students took the initiative to begin exploring how to
receive data from the CubeSat and formed a Ham Radio Club. There,
they learned the basics of operating a ham radio station and explored
Slow Scan Television as an option for receiving images once the
satellite is deployed.
How Did 400 Grade School Students Built A Nano-Satellite?
http://tinyurl.com/ANS136-NanoSat
Watch the CBS This Morning show report on the satellite
http://tinyurl.com/ANS136-CBS-MorningShow
STMSat-1
https://twitter.com/STMSAT11
https://www.facebook.com/stmsat1/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/491135804399695/
http://www.stmsat-1.org/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice
It's time to submit nominations for the upcoming AMSAT-NA Board of
Directors election. Three director's terms expire this year: Tom
Clark, K3IO, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, and Lou McFadin, W5DID. In
addition, up to two Alternates may be elected for one year terms.
A valid nomination requires either one Member Society or five current
individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT-NA member for
Director. Written nominations, consisting of the nominee's name and
call, and the nominating individual's names, calls and individual
signatures should be mailed to: AMSAT-NA, 10605 Concord St, #304
Kensington, MD 20895-2526.
In addition to traditional submissions of written nominations, which
is the preferred method, the intent to nominate someone may be made by
electronic means. These include e-mail, Fax, or electronic image of a
petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA at AMSAT.ORG
or Faxed to (301)822-4371.
No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June
15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional
written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than
this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST
be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days
following the close of nominations on June 15th.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE
NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS.
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
AMSAT-NA Secretary
[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at the Dayton Hamvention
The tenth annual joint AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held on Friday
evening, May 20th. This dinner is one of the main AMSAT activities
during the Hamvention. Tickets ($35 each) may be purchased from the
AMSAT store at www.amsat.org.
THE BANQUET TICKET PURCHASE DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, MAY 17th.
The Banquet will take place at the Kohler Presidential Banquet
Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH 45429 (just south of
Dayton). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a cash bar with the buffet
dinner served at 7:00 p.m.
AMSAT and TAPR alternate the task of providing a speaker for the
banquet. It is AMSAT¹s responsibility this year.
Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, will present "It¹s just software, right?"
She will survey the AMSAT Ground Terminal: Who, what, when, where,
why, and how we¹re designing open source radio solutions for the next
generation of AMSAT payloads.
Michelle is AMSAT¹s Team Leader for the design and execution of the
AMSAT Ground Terminal. The goal is to create a ³5 and Dime² (5 and
10 GHz) digital SDR transceiver that will support both voice and data
modes, for both general QSOs and emergency communication, for the
Phase 4B satellite and for future AMSAT projects. This is an effort
to design an inexpensive ground terminal for amateurs that would cost
tens of thousands of dollars commercially, for as much under $1,000
as we can get it.
A true renaissance woman, in addition to being an engineer and a
licensed amateur radio operator, Michelle has worked for Qualcomm,
attends Burning Man, and is a longtime DEFCON participant. She is
also the lead for Organ Donor (an AI pipe organ). Her Phase 4B Weekly
Ground Engineering Reports are fascinating reading.
Seating is limited to the number of meals we reserve with the Kohler
caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. Tickets
purchased online may be collected at the Books, Shirts & Memberships
corner of the AMSAT booth (445-446).
[ANS thanks Steve N9IP and the AMSAT Office for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dayton AMSAT Demonstration Plans
AMSAT will again have a demo station at the Dayton Hamvention this
year. The station will be located outside the main entrance to Ball
Arena, near the AMSAT booth.
This year, the focus of many of the demonstrations will be on the use
of inexpensive software defined radio (SDR) equipment as a downlink
receiver. Using an SDR like a FUNcube Dongle Pro+, SDRPlay, or AirSpy
allows owners of common all-mode transceivers with VHF/UHF
functionality (such as the Yaesu FT-817, Yaesu FT-857, Icom
IC-706MKIIG, or Icom IC-7100) to add full duplex satellite capability
for use with linear transponder satellites at minimal cost. The
receiver used will consist of a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ with a low cost
10.1" Windows 10 tablet.
We may also use other radio combinations during the weekend.
Demos will take place during satellite passes from 8:00am (12:00 UTC)
until 5:00pm (21:00 UTC) on Friday and Saturday and from 8:00am until
12:00pm (16:00 UTC) on Sunday. Please keep in mind that the RF
environment at the Hamvention is challenging and the arena blocks low
elevations to the north and northwest. Due to these factors, we will
only be attempting passes with a peak elevation greater than 10
degrees. Please stop by for any satellite pass or at any other time if
you have questions about satellite operating.
A special demonstration on SO-50 will take place during the 12:19pm
(16:19 UTC) pass on Saturday May 21st. Nine year old Hope Lea, KM4IPF,
will operate that pass after completing her talk at the ARRL Youth
Forum.
If you are not attending the Hamvention, please call us if you hear
the AMSAT demo station on the air!
AMSAT DAYTON HAMVENTION DEMOS - 2016
TZ = UTC
N 39.820328 W 84.255224 ELEV. 296 M
MIN PEAK ELEV. = 10 DEG
GRID = EM79ut
* = Listen Only Pass - Telemetry, Doppler, Ant. Perf, etc.
WinAos QTH: -84.3/39.8 T#: 14019 Sat.: 12 [Standard]
----------------------------------------------------------
Day Objects AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl AZ
----------------------------------------------------------
20.05.2016 XW-2A 12:17 12:26 09 62 016 - 187
20.05.2016 ISS * 12:28 12:37 09 40 300 - 143
20.05.2016 NO-84 * 12:28 12:38 10 21 294 - 168
20.05.2016 AO-85 12:45 12:59 14 62 200 - 036
20.05.2016 XW-2F 12:52 13:01 09 19 351 - 224
20.05.2016 AO-85 14:26 14:40 14 23 249 - 025
20.05.2016 AO-73 14:51 15:02 11 56 018 - 185
20.05.2016 EO-79 * 15:04 15:14 10 14 119 - 004
20.05.2016 SO-50 15:53 16:06 13 50 332 - 137
20.05.2016 FO-29 16:01 16:17 16 18 111 - 358
20.05.2016 AO-73 16:28 16:36 08 11 343 - 242
20.05.2016 EO-79 * 16:39 16:50 11 49 180 - 343
20.05.2016 SPROUT * 16:50 16:59 09 14 039 - 152
20.05.2016 UKUBE-1 * 16:57 17:08 11 30 025 - 171
20.05.2016 SO-50 17:34 17:45 11 17 309 - 187
20.05.2016 FO-29 17:43 18:02 19 88 163 - 348
20.05.2016 AO-07 18:12 18:28 16 15 099 - 356
20.05.2016 SPROUT * 18:25 18:36 11 44 004 - 209
20.05.2016 UKUBE-1 * 18:33 18:44 11 22 357 - 225
20.05.2016 FO-29 19:31 19:46 15 16 219 - 331
20.05.2016 AO-07 20:01 20:22 21 67 150 - 346
WinAos QTH: -84.3/39.8 T#: 14020 Sat.: 12 [Standard]
----------------------------------------------------------
Day Objects AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl AZ
----------------------------------------------------------
21.05.2016 NO-84 * 12:04 12:14 10 22 295 - 167
21.05.2016 XW-2F 12:39 12:49 10 26 358 - 217
21.05.2016 AO-85 13:11 13:25 14 59 222 - 030
21.05.2016 XW-2C 13:12 13:20 08 11 345 - 238
21.05.2016 XW-2A 13:17 13:26 09 19 353 - 223
21.05.2016 SO-50 14:38 14:50 12 17 340 - 108
21.05.2016 AO-85 14:54 15:05 11 12 274 - 021
21.05.2016 AO-73 15:10 15:21 11 80 011 - 196
21.05.2016 EO-79 * 15:16 15:26 10 18 127 - 004
21.05.2016 SO-50 16:19 16:31 12 61 324 - 157
21.05.2016 FO-29 16:49 17:08 19 39 137 - 353
21.05.2016 EO-79 * 16:51 17:02 11 36 187 - 339
21.05.2016 SPROUT * 17:04 17:15 11 21 029 - 163
21.05.2016 UKUBE-1 * 17:14 17:26 12 45 020 - 182
21.05.2016 FO-29 18:34 18:53 19 42 189 - 342
21.05.2016 SPROUT * 18:40 18:51 11 30 360 - 217
21.05.2016 UKUBE-1 * 18:51 19:00 09 15 349 - 237
21.05.2016 AO-07 19:03 19:22 19 31 122 - 351
21.05.2016 AO-85 20:04 20:14 10 15 345 - 100
21.05.2016 AO-07 20:54 21:15 21 61 173 - 341
WinAos QTH: -84.3/39.8 T#: 14021 Sat.: 12 [Standard]
----------------------------------------------------------
Day Objects AOS (U) LOS Period maxEl AZ
----------------------------------------------------------
22.05.2016 ISS * 12:19 12:27 08 17 288 - 162
22.05.2016 XW-2F 12:27 12:37 10 36 001 - 210
22.05.2016 XW-2A 12:44 12:54 10 47 006 - 203
22.05.2016 XW-2C 13:00 13:09 09 16 350 - 229
22.05.2016 AO-85 13:37 13:51 14 29 242 - 026
22.05.2016 AO-73 13:53 14:02 09 12 037 - 147
22.05.2016 SO-50 15:04 15:16 12 35 337 - 128
22.05.2016 EO-79 * 15:28 15:39 11 24 135 - 359
22.05.2016 AO-73 15:29 15:40 11 48 005 - 206
22.05.2016 FO-29 15:56 16:12 16 17 110 - 359
[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ÑuSat-1 to Carry AMSAT Argentina Linear Transponder
Launch Scheduled for May 30, 2016.
The Argentinian earth observation satellite ÑuSat-1 will carry a
linear transponder built by AMSAT Argentina. The satellite is
scheduled to launch on a CZ-4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch
Center in China on May 30, 2016 into a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit
with an inclination of 97.5 degrees and a Local Time of the Ascending
Node (LTAN) of 10:30.
The AMSAT Argentina U/v inverting transponder, named LUSEX, wiil
have an uplink of 435.935 MHz to 435.965 MHz and a downlink of
145.935 MHz to 145.965 MHz. Total power output is 250 mW. There will
also be a CW beacon at 145.900 MHz with a power output of 70 mW.
For more information, see the AMSAT Argentina Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/Amsat.LU/
[ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS at Dayton Hamvention
If you will be attending Hamvention next week, be sure to stop by
the AMSAT area in the Ball Arena. We will have members of the ARISS
team on-hand at all times and some of our ISS hardware (radios and an
antenna) on display.
During the AMSAT Forum (Saturday, 11:15-1:30), Frank Bauer will be
presenting ARISS status and future plans.
Also on Saturday, from 2:30-3:00, we will have a face-to-face
meeting for anyone interested in ARISS. We’d like to see members of
the ARISS team there. We will meet outside near AMSAT’s Satellite
Demo area (outside the Ball Arena entrance) or, if it’s raining,
inside at the ARISS display.
[ANS thanks Dave W8ASS for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CY9C DXpedition to St. Paul Island Announces Satellite Operation
The CY9C DXpedition to St. Paul Island, scheduled for August 19, 2016
– August 29, 2016, has announced that Lee Imber, WW2DX, has joined the
DXpedition team and will add satellite operations, as well as 2 meter
EME and 6 meter operations, to the DXpedition plans.
St. Paul Island is located in gridsquare FN97 in the Cabot Strait
between Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia and Cape Ray, Newfoundland and
is a separate entity on the ARRL DXCC list. It also counts as a
country for the AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement
Award, AMSAT OSCAR Sexagesimal Award, and AMSAT OSCAR Century Award.
Most of Europe and North America should be easily workable from this
location. St. Paul Island has not been activated on satellite since
July 1998.
For further information about the DXpedition, please see the CY9C
DXpedition website (http://www.cy9dxpedition.com/)
This operation and other planned amateur satellite grid/DX operations
are posted on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page
(http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3921)
[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton HAMVENTION
10. Rub shoulders with 25,000 of your best friends at the largest
hamfest in the United States, including all of the AMSAT Directors
and senior officers. See the latest equipment from Icom, Yaesu,
Kenwood, Flex, Alinco, M2, Arrow, and many other manufacturers of
amateur radio equipment and accessories. Take advantage of
discounted pricing you won't find anywhere else.
9. Find out how to organize a contact with the astronauts on the
International Space Station for your local school or youth group from
our Education and ARISS experts.
8. Pickup the latest AMSAT golf shirts, T-shirts, and hats. Get
your copy of the updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide"
(laminated frequency chart) and Gould Smith's just revised "Getting
Started with Amateur Satellites" (book). We'll also have assembled
wide-band preamps and antennas that are great for portable
operation.
7. See demonstrations of SatPC32 and MacDoppler satellite tracking
software, and get your operational questions answered. Meet Don
Agro, author of MacDoppler (Friday & Saturday, 2-3 p.m.). See a
demonstration of the LVB Tracker, a computer interface to the Yaesu
azimuth-elevation rotors. Talk with Mike Young, who has built more
LVB Trackers than anyone else. Assembled LVB Trackers will be
available.
6. Hear a team presentation at the joint AMSAT/TAPR dinner on the
new AMSAT Ground Terminal (AGT). AGT is using Five and Dime (5 GHz
uplink, 10 GHz downlink) technology that is being developed for the
Phase 3E (P3E) HEO satellite, the Phase 4B (P4B) geosynchronous
satellite, and the Cube Quest Challenge (CQC) lunar mission. While
much of the P3E and P4B *satellite* development is classified, the
AGT is all open source and public information.
5. Hear the latest on the *five* Fox satellites, P3E, P4B, CQC, the
International Space Station, other current and future satellites,
education news, and an AMSAT update at the AMSAT Forum Saturday, from
11:15 to 1:30.
4. Get one-on-one guidance on setting up your satellite station and
making contacts at our "Beginner's Corner". Witness live
demonstrations of contacts through satellites AO-7, AO-73, AO-85, FO-
29, SO-50, XW-2A, XW-2C, and XW-2F using handheld antennas.
3. Meet and interact with some of the Engineering Team members
working on the Fox-1 satellites and our new Five and Dime AMSAT
ground terminal. Learn all of the public information and get
breaking news on the Virginia Tech plans for the Phase 3E and Phase
4B satellites.
2. Get satellite station and operating tips from some of the best
satellite operators in the country, including John Papay K8YSE (1,575
grids confirmed), Doug Papay KD8CAO (1,159 grids), Drew Glasbrenner
KO4MA (1,343 grids), Paul Stoetzer (450 grids), and Wyatt Dirks AC0RA
(938 grids).
1. Receive special premiums when you join or renew your AMSAT
membership at Dayton, including an updated "Amateur Satellite
Frequency Guide" (laminated frequency chart), and special pricing on
the SatPC32 satellite tracking software.
[ANS thanks Steve N9IP for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday AMSAT Dayton Forum
The AMSAT forum will be Saturday morning from 11:15 a.m. through
1:30 p.m. in Forum Room 5. See the commercial vendor layout map in
the Hamvention program or the Hamvention website for the location of
Forum Room 5 (same as the last few years).
The following speakers will be presenting at the AMSAT Forum,
moderated by Mark Hammond, N8MH:
“AMSAT Status Report” Barry Baines, WD4ASW, AMSAT-NA President, will
highlight recent activities within AMSAT and discuss some of our
challenges, accomplishments, projects, and any late breaking news.
“AMSAT-NA Satellite Program” Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT-NA
Engineering Vice President, will review the upcoming launches of four
Fox spacecraft and exciting new engineering developments.
“AMSAT’s HEO and GSO Plans” Bob McGwier, N4HY, AMSAT-NA Director,
will discuss AMSAT-NA opportunities for High Earth Orbit and Geo-
Synchronous Orbit satellites.
“AMSAT Satellite Operations” Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA
Operations Vice President, will survey the current operational
amateur satellites, as well as those planned for launch in the next
year.
“ARISS Report 2016” Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President for
Human Spaceflight, will discuss ARISS developments & operation on the
International Space Station.
“Teaching STEM Using the Fox Satellites” Joe Spier, K6WAO, AMSAT-NA
Educational Relations Vice President, will explain how the Fox MEMS
gyroscopes, radiation experiments, and cameras will be used to teach
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
[ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery
Dinner and beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery
Thursday night, 1800-2000. The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets”
party will be held Thursday, May 19, at 1800 EDT at the Tickets Pub &
Eatery. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped
with setup or plan to work in the booth.
You’ll find a great selection of Greek and American food and
excellent company! No program or speaker, just good conversation.
Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced
tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are. Bring some friends
and have a great time the night before Hamvention®.
Tickets Pub and Eatery,
7 W. Main St.
Fairborn, OH 45324
(937) 878-9022
http://www.ticketspub.com/
[ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between The Kings School, Ottery St
Mary, Devon, UK and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign
GB1SS. The contact began 2016-05-09 09:26 UTC and lasted about nine
and a half minutes. Contact was direct via GB1OSM.
ARISS Mentor was Ciaran MØXTD.
+ A Successful contact was made between H.A.L. School, Lucknow,
India and Astronaut Tim Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign NA1SS. The
contact began 2016-05-12 08:11 UTC and lasted about nine and a half
minutes. Contact was telebridge via K6DUE.
ARISS Mentor was Satoshi 7M3TJZ.
+ A Successful contact was made between AstroNuts Kids Space Club
Academy, David Dunlap Observatory, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada,
and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign NA1SS. The contact
began 2016-05-14 17:37:12 UTC and lasted about nine and a half
minutes. Contact was telebridge via W6SRJ.
ARISS Mentor was Steve VE3TBD.
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-05-13 06:30 UTC
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Essex Heights Primary School, Mount Waverley, Victoria, Australia,
telebridge via VK5ZAI
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-05-20 08:35:16 UTC
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN 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, former KC8YLD
kc8yld at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-129
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) Launch Date
* Tomsk-TPU-120 Active On-board ISS May 10-11
* AMSAT at ARRL Nevada State Convention Last Weekend - report
* Contact Lost with SamSat-218D Nanosatellite
* Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton
* AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention -- Last Call for Volunteers
* AIST-2D and SamSat-218D Satellites Launched
* No Need for Panic Regarding Synthetic Aperture Radars on
70 Centimeters, ARRL CTO Says
* AMSAT Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-129.01
ANS-129 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 129.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE May 8, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-129.01
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RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Launch Date
This week AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, said that
January 20, 2017 is the planned launch date for the RadFxSat (Fox-1B)
cubesat. This cubesat will fly with the Vanderbilt University radiation
experiments.
RadFxSat (Fox-1B) pre-launch frequencies include:
Uplink: 435.250 MHz FM 67.0 Hz CTCSS tone
Downlink: 145.960 MHz FM
(Frequencies may vary slightly after launch; changes will be announced)
The latest versions of the Fox-1 Operating Guide can be found on AMSAT's
Station and Operating Hints page at:
http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2144
AMSAT pioneered the concept of small satellites in low orbits. AMSAT's
Project Fox consists of a series of cubesats that will provide FM
transponders with a 70 cm uplink with a 2 meter downlink that will match the
ground performance of previous FM satellites.
AMSAT is dedicated to keeping amateur radio in space. Its membership
includes a worldwide group of radio hams who monitor amateur radio satellite
signals and use satellites for QSOs. They also design and build the
satellites, and control them once in orbit.
Not a member of AMSAT yet?
You're invited to join on-line at:
http://store.amsat.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=32
Please consider making a donation to support the Fox-1 series of cubesats
using the links on the front page
http://www.amsat.org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, for the
above information]
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Tomsk-TPU-120 Active On-board ISS May 10-11
As part of Tomsk Polytechnic University 120th anniversary celebrations on
May 10-11, Tomsk-TPU-120 will be activated in the ISS and will transmit a
greeting to Earth inhabitants, recorded by students of the University in
10 languages: Russian, English, German, French, Chinese, Arabic, Tatar,
Indian, Kazakh, and Portuguese.
The 3U CubeSat was launched from Baikonur to the ISS on March 31, 2016 in
a Progress-MS-2 cargo vessel. It will be deployed by hand during a future
Russian spacewalk (EVA), so it has a handle. The satellite was
developed by students at the Tomsk Polytechnic University to test new space
materials technology and will be the world’s first space vehicle with a
3D-printed structure.
The Tomsk-TPU-120 satellite on-board the ISS will be activated May 10 from
07:55 UTC and switched off on May 11 at 10:10 UTC.
The satellite has been connected to an external ISS antenna and will
transmit
messages of 20-30 seconds in 11 languages, then pause 1 minute on the
satellite's transmission frequency of 437.025 MHz. The ISS will
simulcast the
signal utilizing ARISS equipment on a frequency of 145.800 MHz.
Reception reports from both the ISS and from the Tomsk-TPU-120 satellite
are
requested from the international amateur radio community and should be sent
to Sergi at rv3dr(a)mail.ru
Amateurs are requested to refrain from transmitting on either frequency as
any transmissions would interfere with reception of the test transmissions.
[ANS thanks Sergi, RV3DR and ARISS for the above information]
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AMSAT at ARRL Nevada State Convention Last Weekend - report
AMSAT's long-time Area Coordinator in southern Nevada, Frank Kostelac
N7ZEV, along with his wife Linda KC7IIT, usually have a booth at these
events in Las Vegas and other locations in Nevada. With Linda working in a
variety of roles at the convention, Frank and I took care of the AMSAT
booth. Frank also had other convention-related tasks, and he was definitely
busy throughout the weekend. When I arrived at the convention Friday
afternoon, Frank had the booth ready to go. I set out some flyers, some
equipment, and spent most of the weekend around the booth.
The day before I arrived in Las Vegas, the region had a big rainstorm.
Another storm blew through southern Nevada on Saturday morning, which made
travel around Las Vegas a mess, and washed out my plans for demonstrations
at the convention. Instead of being outside in the rain, I had set up a
couple of tablets to run videos of past demonstrations, show off SatPC32,
and show what software-defined receivers can do. Frank and I talked almost
non-stop for the weekend. I posted photos from the convention throughout
the weekend on my @WD9EWK Twitter feed. If you want to see those photos,
but don't do Twitter, you can get to the photos with a web browser at:
http://twitter.com/WD9EWK/media
Just because there was rain that washed out the demonstrations I planned to
do at the convention, that didn't ruin plans for me to work satellites from
Nevada. I'll post a separate message describing my operating from around
Las Vegas and while driving to and from Las Vegas.
I have to thank Frank and Linda for letting me help with the AMSAT booth
over the weekend. I had asked Frank about this convention a while back, and
I am glad I made the trip. The NVCON organizers were all friendly, and the
crowds were good, despite the Saturday rain. There were a bunch of people
who came over from California, and a few from Arizona that I also saw. I
will seriously consider heading back to Las Vegas the next time this event
takes place up there.
[ANS thanks Patrick, WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information]
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Contact Lost with SamSat-218D Nanosatellite
The tiny nanosatellite SamSat-218, which was launched from the Vostochny
Cosmodrome on April 28, has failed to establish radio contact with mission
control, several Russian media outlets are reporting. According to Interfax
news agency, although the spacecraft was placed into orbit as planned, it is
sending only fragmentary signals to Earth.
“Currently, fragmentary Morse code signals are being heard coming from the
nanosatellite, against the background of the noise during the
satellite’s pass
over the receiving station,” Interfax said in a press release.
SamSat-218, built by the Samara State Aerospace University (SSAU), is a two-
unit CubeSat with a mass of only 8.8 pounds (4 kilograms) and an additional
empty one-unit compartment for aerodynamic stabilization. The tiny
spacecraft
was designed to demonstrate attitude stabilization by using aerodynamic
forces.
It was expected to develop algorithms necessary for nanosatellite
orientation
control.
The nanosatellite was launched along with the Mikhailo Lomonosov
(MVL-300) and
Aist-2D spacecraft atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Vostochny on the
Cosmodrome’s
opening mission. The flight, lasting several hours, ended in the
separation of
the satellites from the launch vehicle. However, after SamSat-218 was placed
into orbit, it started to spin around rapidly and probably failed to
switch on.
“There are currently no sufficient grounds to believe the nanosatellite
established contact. There were fragmentary weak signals at the frequency of
145.870 MHz against a background of noises when the nanosatellite was in the
area of [radio visibility] of the ground control center, which can’t be with
confidence interpreted as signals from the satellite,” Igor Belokonov,
the head
of the SamSat-218 project told TASS.
The designers of the satellite are currently analyzing the data received in
order to understand the nature of the problem and look for possible
solutions.
According to Belokonov, the student mission control center of SSAU is
continuing with attempts to receive signals from the satellite during passes
above Samara.
The satellite is equipped with a radio beacon, which transmits the word
“SamSat-218”. Russia’s radio enthusiasts are also engaged in the
activities to
help establish contact with the satellite when it is in the area of the
antenna
systems’ coverage.
Read more at
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/roscosmos/russia-loses-
contact-with-its-nanosatellite-launched-from-vostochny/
[ANS thanks Bernhard, VA6BMJ and Spaceflightinsider.com for the above
information]
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Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton
10. Rub shoulders with 25,000 of your best friends at the largest hamfest in
the United States, including all of the AMSAT Directors and senior
officers.
See the latest equipment from Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Flex, Alinco, M2, Arrow,
and many other manufacturers of amateur radio equipment and
accessories. Take
advantage of discounted pricing you won't find anywhere else.
9. Find out how to organize a contact with the astronauts on the
International
Space Station for your local school or youth group from our Education
and ARISS
experts.
8. Pickup the latest AMSAT golf shirts, T-shirts, and hats. Get your
copy of
the updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide" (laminated frequency
chart) and
Gould Smith's just revised "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"
(book).
We'll also have assembled wide-band preamps and antennas that are great for
portable operation.
7. See demonstrations of SatPC32 and MacDoppler satellite tracking software,
and get your operational questions answered. Meet Don Agro, author of
MacDoppler (Friday & Saturday, 2-3 p.m.). See a demonstration of the LVB
Tracker, a computer interface to the Yaesu azimuth-elevation rotors.
Talk with
Mike Young, who has built more LVB Trackers than anyone else. Assembled LVB
Trackers will be available.
6. Hear a team presentation at the joint AMSAT/TAPR dinner on the new AMSAT
Ground Terminal (AGT). AGT is using Five and Dime (5 GHz uplink, 10 GHz
downlink) technology that is being developed for the Phase 3E (P3E) HEO
satellite, the Phase 4B (P4B) geosynchronous satellite, and the Cube Quest
Challenge (CQC) lunar mission. While much of the P3E and P4B *satellite*
development is classified, the AGT is all open source and public
information.
5. Hear the latest on the *five* Fox satellites, P3E, P4B, CQC, the
International Space Station, other current and future satellites, education
news, and an AMSAT update at the AMSAT Forum Saturday, from 11:15 to 1:30.
4. Get one-on-one guidance on setting up your satellite station and making
contacts at our "Beginner's Corner". Witness live demonstrations of
contacts
through satellites AO-7, AO-73, AO-85, FO-29, SO-50, XW-2A, XW-2C, and XW-2F
using handheld antennas.
3. Meet and interact with some of the Engineering Team members working
on the
Fox-1 satellites and our new Five and Dime AMSAT ground terminal. Learn
all of
the public information and get breaking news on the Virginia Tech plans
for the
Phase 3E and Phase 4B satellites.
2. Get satellite station and operating tips from some of the best satellite
operators in the country, including John Papay K8YSE (1,575 grids
confirmed),
Doug Papay KD8CAO (1,159 grids), Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA (1,343 grids), Paul
Stoetzer (450 grids), and Wyatt Dirks AC0RA (938 grids).
1. Receive special premiums when you join or renew your AMSAT membership at
Dayton, including an updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide" (laminated
frequency chart), and special pricing on the SatPC32 satellite tracking
software.
[ANS thanks Steve Belter, N9IP, Dayton Team Leader for the above
information]
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AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention -- Last Call for Volunteers
The Dayton Hamvention is less than two weeks away, May 20-22!
If you’ve been waiting to volunteer until you’d firmed up your plans, we
need to hear from you ASAP!
If you're an experienced satellite operator, we can use you and your
experience. If you've never operated a satellite before, we can use your
help too. Whether you're available for only a couple of hours or if you
can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly
appreciated.
Please send an e-mail to Steve, n9ip(a)amsat.org if you can help. Thank you!
[ANS thanks Steve Belter, N9IP, Dayton Team Leader for the above
information]
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AIST-2D and SamSat-218D Satellites Launched
Two Russian satellites AIST-2D and SamSat-218D operating in the Amateur
bands were launched on April 28, 2016 at 02:01 UT on a Soyuz 2-1A launch
vehicle from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome located in the Amur Oblast. The
satellites were placed into a 471 km × 485 km orbit with a 97.3°
inclination.
AIST-2D weighs 500 kg and is a technology demonstration and scientific
research satellite developed at Samara Aerospace University.
The 3U CubeSat SamSat-218 was developed by students at the Samara State
University and weighs just 4 kg.
Frequency information from Dmitry R4UAB
http://r4uab.ru/?p=11842
AIST-2D / RS-48 Downlinks
• 435.3065 – 435.3235 MHz Telemetry Data
• 435.3565 – 435.3735 MHz Telemetry Data
• 433 – 438 MHz 200 watt Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
• 8025 – 8393 MHz Remote Sensing Data
http://spaceflight101.com/soyuz-lomonosov/aist-2d/
SamSat-218D
• 145.870 MHz Morse CW beacon transmits “SamSat-218D” every 150 seconds
(or 30 seconds)
• 145.850 – 145.890 MHz TRXSSAU downlink
• 435.590 – 435.610 MHz TRXSSAU uplink
http://spaceflight101.com/soyuz-lomonosov/samsat-218d/
Russian post on SamSat-218D
http://zelenyikot.livejournal.com/94190.html
Google English translation
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2
Fzelenyikot.livejournal.com%2F94190.html&sandbox=1
432-438 MHz was allocated to the Earth Exploration Satellite Service
(Active) at WRC-03
https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/sa/R-REC-SA.1260-1-200305-S!!PDF-E…
September 2003 issue of QST magazine has an article on page 44 by VE3PU on
satellite-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in 432-438 MHz (ARRL members
only)
http://p1k.arrl.org/pubs_archive/104721
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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No Need for Panic Regarding Synthetic Aperture Radars on
70 Centimeters, ARRL CTO Says
A recent BBC news article regarding a synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
contract
award for operation within the 70 centimeter band has raised some concern
within the Amateur Radio community. The contract to Airbus Space would
involve
determining the density of Earth’s forests using a P-band (432-438 MHz) SAR.
That band segment was allocated for use by the Earth Exploration Satellite
(Active) Service at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03). ARRL
Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, said SAR activity has not been
found to be a significant problem to Amateur Radio activity on the 70
centimeter band. Both EESS (Active) and Amateur Radio are secondary on
the band
in International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regions 2 and 3 (Amateur
Radio
is co-primary with the Radiolocation Service in ITU Region 1), and Price
said
SAR operation is subject to significant constraints.
“The interference potential from one orbiting SAR to one fixed Amateur Radio
station is on the order of less than 1 minute over an orbital period of more
than 10 days,” Price said. “Practically speaking, nearby electrical
lines and
Part 15 devices are more likely to be bothersome.”
Price said news items in articles aimed at the general public are “often
notoriously short” on technical details. ITU-R Recommendation RS.1260-11 —
incorporated by reference in the ITU Radio Regulations and binding on EESS
(Active) stations — spells out the WRC-03 consensus on SARs operating at 70
centimeters. Among other things, RS.1260-1 states that EESS (Active)
instruments operation profile “shall be campaign-oriented, targeted to
specific
geographical areas and shall limit the instrument active time to the minimum
required to achieve the campaign objectives. Thus, the measurements
carried out
by the instrument do not require continuous operation of the instrument, and
intervals of months between successive measurements on the same area can be
expected.” The Recommendation further states that the operational duty
cycle of
an SAR in campaign mode will be 15 percent (typically 10 percent).
A Russian satellite, AIST-2D, launched on April 28, will conduct SAR
work as a
technology demonstration and scientific research satellite developed at
Samara
Aerospace University. Its 200 W SAR will operate in the 433-438 MHz band. It
will also transmit telemetry in the 70 centimeter band.
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/no-need-for-panic-regarding-synthetic-
aperture-radars-on-70-centimeters-arrl-cto-says
[ANS thanks the ARRL and Trevor, M5AKA for the above information]
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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).
*Saturday, 14 May 2016 – Matanuska Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in
Wasilla AK
*Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, 20-22 May - HamVention at Harra Arena Dayton,
Ohio
*Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
*Saturday, 13 August 2016 – KL7KC Hamfest in Fairbanks AK
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Successful Contacts
* A direct contact via GB1APS with students at Ashfield Primary School,
Otley, West Yorkshire, UK, was successful Thu 2016-05-05 08:08:09 UTC
46 deg. Astronaut Timothy Peake, KG5BVI answered 16 questions for an
audience of 200 students.
Ashfield Primary School is in Otley, West Yorkshire, a historic market town
to the north west of Leeds. The school has a fantastic semi-rural location
with extensive grounds encompassing a playground, school field, wildlife
area, magic garden and a specific outdoor area for Early Years. The school
is a community primary school with one form entry. We have 240 children
aged 3 to 11.
Ashfield is also the site for the North West Leeds Area Inclusions
Partnership’s Learning Support Center. The Orchard Center educates pupils
from the area who are experiencing difficulties which affect their
learning.
Our vision is that children, parents and carers, staff and governors work
actively together to ensure children receive a rich inspiring and engaging
education enabling each child to become lifelong learners, aspiring to high
standards of achievement in all areas of their life. As part of this rich
inspiring and engaging education, pupils run a stall at the annual Otley
Science Festival and recently hosted a space themed Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths festival within the school. All Ashfield classes ran
stalls to inform, challenge and entertain each other. We had visitors from
all seven local schools, who designed informative exhibitions to share.
Exhibitors also came from Otley Amateur Radio Society, Leeds University,
The Radio Society of Great Britain, Bradford Astronomy Society and Eureka
Museum and worked with the children on STEM related topics. Dr Marty
Jopson
also created and presented a space related science show in the evening.”
* All Saints STEAM Academy (AS2A), Middletown, Rhode Island, direct via
N1ASA
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The astronaut was Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact was successful: Fri 2016-05-06 16:43:47 UTC
The contact went well, all 24 questions were answered and there was still
time for a “73 Round.”
An exceptional video is at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTkq5btNW_U
Upcoming Contacts
* A direct contact via GB1OSM with students at The Kings School, Ottery St
Mary, Devon, UK, is scheduled for Mon 2016-05-09 09:26:30 UTC 62 deg The
scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI. Watch for HamTV during this
contact.
The King’s School is an 11-18 comprehensive school with approximately 1150
students of which 230 are in the Sixth Form. It has a long and proud history
that can be traced back to a fourteenth century choir school which was
replaced
in 1545 by Henry VIII in 1545 with “The King’s School”.
Although The King’s School became an academy in 2011 we continue to work in
close partnership with Devon County Council and our fellow secondary
schools to
ensure that we offer the best educational opportunities possible. Our
inclusive
philosophy of “Achievement for All” encapsulates our belief that every
person
who enters The King’s School has unique skills and potential which we
believe
we have the creativity and ability to unlock.
We were graded Outstanding by OfSTED in 2011, and in the latest 2014 OfSTED
inspection we were again graded Outstanding but this time in every category.
The report endorsed the school’s belief that its ethos has a hugely positive
impact on student achievement.
We are extremely proud of our students and of the brilliant examination
results they achieve year on year. However, we are also incredibly proud of
the myriad of extra-curricular activities in which they are involved. This
richness of opportunity is central to what we believe develops our students
into well rounded young people. We are very much a community school, working
very closely with our hugely supportive parents, Governors, excellent
partner
primary schools, local business representatives and a wide range of other
agencies to provide opportunities for all.
* A telebridge contact via K6DUE with students at H.A.L. School, Lucknow,
India is scheduled for Thu 2016-05-12 08:11:20 UTC 79 deg. The scheduled
astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN.
Nestled in cozy, lush green and safe sphere is the prestigious education hub
HAL School has inscribed a saga of success! Installed in 1974, the
school has
come a long way. The visionary founders dreamed of an ideal and prosperous
institution whose torch bearers and pupils would write a history of academic
excellence besides versatility in additional activities. Teachers burnt
midnight oil and left no stone unturned and the students responded with
equal
dedication and brought laurels. Being a member of HAL factory, school
frequently bore the responsibility of hosting memorable guests from
Russia and
celebrities like first Indian astronaut Wg.cdr Rakesh Sharma (Retd),
President
(Late) APJ Abdul Kalam etc.
The school not only organized but also participated in major events
organized
by HAL Factory year by year. The recent activity which has caught
momentum is
ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) which is active all
the world over and now has come as a great opportunity for HAL School to
be the
first in state (Uttar Pradesh) to contact with International Space
Station and
eminent astronauts, participate in seminars, presentations and workshops and
associate themselves with radio academically. The School has been
involved in
many Amateur Radio activities like Amateur radio demonstration for students,
JOTA for Scouts & Guides etc. There were 6 students who took the Amateur
Radio
licenses during their studies in school.
Workshops by eminent counselors/experts/guest faculty/agencies from various
fields benefited the students in personality development and career
counseling/awareness/advice. Year by year the number of such sessions has
multiplied and continues till date. The concrete and farsighted plans and
strategies are being worked upon. Innovation, modification, changes and
publicity efforts are on to make better the things. The improved education,
basic facilities, performance of both teacher and taught, inclusion of
teachers
training/orientation programs are in pipe line for makeover of the school.
* A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at AstroNuts Kids Space Club
Academy, Duncan Observatory, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, is
scheduled for
Sat 2016-05-14 17:37:12 UTC 33 deg. The scheduled astronaut is Timothy
Peake
KG5BVI.
The “Whats up in Space” Camp & STEM Contest was created by a 13 year-old,
Brett Bielecki and father Ray, 5 years ago in order to ignite the
curiosities
of hundreds of elementary school children to learn about “all things space”.
Our volunteer-based space camp is held at the world famous David Dunlap
Observatory in Richmond Hill Ontario where the children are engaged and
inspired by 20 volunteer space educators, multiple Skype guests and
educational
activities in a fun and educational setting. The children’s STEM contest
brings
together dozens of innovative future astronauts, scientists educators and
engineers in the spirit of competition. Our space camp was launched
because of
the high interest for space education by elementary school students, their
parents and teachers when they recognized the value of the “AstroNuts kids
space club."
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]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
Biomass 432-438 MHz Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite
BBC News report: UK wins satellite contract to 'weigh' Earth's forests with
P-Band 432-438 MHz Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36195562
BBC news story says P-Band 432-438 MHz Synthetic Aperture Radar has never
before been flown in space - this is not strictly true as AIST-2D launched
a few days ago carries one.
[ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA for the above information]
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/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
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-122
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:
* Three New CubeSats Now in Orbit
* Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat Celebrates University Anniversary
* Audio Recordings of FO-12 and AO-15 Requested
* ZACUBE-1 Beacon Preparations to be Presented at AMSAT SA Space Symposium
* Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
* Possible Satellite Activation CY9C St. Paul Island August 2016
* IARU Region 2 Call for EmComm Workshop Papers, Presentations
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-122.01
ANS-122 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 122.01
From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD.
May 1, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-122.01
Three New CubeSats Now in Orbit
Signals have been received from the three CubeSats launched April 25 on
Soyuz
flight VS14 from the Kourou spaceport in South America.
The three CubeSats were developed by student teams under the European Space
Agency (ESA) Education Office “Fly Your Satellite!” program, which is
aimed at
training the next generation of aerospace professionals. The satellites are
OUFTI-1, Université of Liège, Belgium; e-st@r-II, Polytechnic of Turin,
Italy;
AAUSAT-4, University of Aalborg, Denmark.
The signal from the e-st@r satellite 1200 bps beacon is very weak which may
indicate an antenna deployment issue or unexpectedly low transmit power. ESA
report the e-st@r team is working to consolidate the radio communication
link
with their satellite.
OUFTI-1 carries the first dedicated amateur D-Star satellite transponder,
further information and frequencies of all three CubeSats are at
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/04/05/d-star-satellite-to-launch-from-kourou/
Daniel Estévez EA4GPZ used a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ and a handheld Arrow
Satellite
antenna to receive a signal from AAUSAT-4, call sign OZ4CUB.
http://destevez.net/2016/04/first-signals-from-aausat-4/
OUFTI-1 reports http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?cat=321
e-st@r reports http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?cat=84
AAUSAT-4 reports http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?cat=8
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat Celebrates University Anniversary
The Russian Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat is different from other CubeSats – it
has a
handle!
The 3U CubeSat was launched from Baikonur to the ISS on March 31, 2016 in a
Progress-MS-2 cargo vessel. It will be deployed by hand during a future
Russian
spacewalk (EVA), which is why it has a handle.
The satellite was developed by students at the Tomsk Polytechnic
University to
test new space materials technology and will be the world’s first space
vehicle
with a 3D-printed structure.
In May 2016 Tomsk Polytechnic University celebrates its 120th
anniversary. As
part of the celebrations on May 10-11 Tomsk-TPU-120 will be activated in
the ISS
and will transmit a greeting to Earth inhabitants, recorded by students
of the
university in 10 languages: Russian, English, German, French, Chinese,
Arabic,
Tatar, Indian, Kazakh and Portuguese.
The greeting signal will be transmitted once a minute on 437.025 MHz FM.
One of
the Kenwood transceivers on the ISS will provide a simulcast of the
signal on 145.800 MHz FM.
Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB reports that on May 5 the Russian ISS crew will
charge the
satellite battery, connect the antenna and configure the Kenwood
transceiver for
simulcast operation, they will then make a test transmission.
Dmitry operates a WebSDR which you can use to receive the transmissions
when the
ISS is over Russia http://websdr.r4uab.ru/
The next Russian spacewalk appears to be EVA-43 which expected to take
place in
early 2017 http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-calendar/
Use Google translator to read original article by Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB
http://r4uab.ru/?p=11845
World’s First 3D-printed Satellite http://tpu.ru/en/news-events/760/
[ANS thanks Gunter's Space Page, R4UAB, and AMSAT-UK for the above
information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Audio Recordings of FO-12 and AO-15 Requested
Mathias, DD1US, maintains a homepage at www.dd1us.de Included is a section
called "Sounds from Space".
More than 1000 recordings of various satellite and space objects have been
collected and are available for listening.
Mathias is still searching for various recordings of Amateur Radio
Satellites,
especially for Fuji-OSCAR-12 and UoSAT-OSCAR-15. If you have old tapes or
cassettes with recordings of Ham Radio Satellites he will be happy to
digitize
them and add them to the archive.
[ANS thanks Mathias, DD1US, for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ZACUBE-1 Beacon Preparations to be Presented at AMSAT SA Space Symposium
Students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology will present a
paper
at the AMSAT SA Space Symposium on the high frequency beacon transmitter
developed to test a three element direction finding array constructed at
SANSA
Space Science in Hermanus to receive the 14 099 kHz HF beacon signal from
ZACUBE-1 and future ZACUBE-i space weather missions. A ground-based
transmitter
was developed for verification and calibration of this array. The signal
will be
used to verify the operation of the hardware and software used to
determine the
direction of arrival of the incoming signal. More about the symposium on
28 May
2016, details on the many papers to be presented and how to register for the
event can be found on www.amsatsa.org.za
[ANS thanks the SARL weekly news in English 2016-4-30 for the above
information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Ashfield Primary School, Otley, West Yorkshire, UK, direct via GB1APS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-05-05 08:08:09 UTC 46 deg (***)
All Saints STEAM Academy (AS2A), Middletown, Rhode Island, direct via
N1ASA
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD
The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN or Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-05-06 16:43:47 UTC 56 deg (***)
[ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible Satellite Activation CY9C St. Paul Island August 2016
CY9C, ST. PAUL ISLAND DXPEDITION (August 19-29th). Randy, N0TG, reports
the following on April 16th: As was reported previously, we will have
two separate sites...separated approximately 1.5 miles.
Site 1 will be the Atlantic Cove site with 6 operators. We will try
to keep 4-5 radios running and more if 12/10m opens. Our plan is to
have a RTTY station active at all times. From this site 160 will be
given lots of attention with the Battle Creek Special antenna.
Site 2 - the Northeast Point separate island will be enhanced to include
4 -5 operators active at all times, thus the dxpedition in total can
potentially have 8-10 radios working most of the time. We are seriously
considering 6m EME and Satellite, however, we need to work out the
planning details. And, as always, budget matters are a significant
consideration as we expand operations. We appreciate the support by
many to date. The desire is to make this a very complete operation
that will offer fun and meeting needs for all interests.
The CY9C Web page is: http://www.CY9Dxpedition.com
[ANS thanks the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1263 for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
IARU Region 2 Call for EmComm Workshop Papers, Presentations
International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) will hold an Emergency
Communications Workshop in Chile this fall, in conjunction with the 19th
IARU
Region 2 General Assembly. The conference committee is inviting papers and
presentations the event. The workshop on October 11 in Viña del Mar,
Chile, will
offer an opportunity for Region 2 emergency coordinators and other national-
level Amateur Radio emergency communication experts to network and to share
information on Amateur Radio emergency response as well as to augment the
capabilities of the region’s amateurs to react to large-scale, multinational
communication emergencies.
The event is open to radio amateurs in IARU Region 2 with high-level
expertise
in providing disaster and emergency communication. Attendees will be
responsible
for their travel and lodging costs. A block of rooms will be available
at the
O’Higgins Hotel in downtown Viña del Mar.
Link to Register online:
http://www.arrl.org/news/iaru-region-2-calls-for-emergency-communications-
workshop-papers-presentations
Call for Papers
Delegates representing IARU Region 2 member societies, national or
international
Amateur Radio emergency communication organizations, or
national/international-
level subject matter experts in Amateur Radio emergency communication are
invited to submit proposals and informational papers. Topics must be
related to
Amateur Radio emergency communication, disaster response, technology, or
operating standards.
Documents must be in electronic form (MS Word or Power Point). When
laying out
the document format, use A4 paper with at least 3-centimeter margins on all
sides. The title page should have a top margin of at least 6
centimeters. Do not
insert page headers or footers.
The deadline to submit is July 1. The IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications
Workshop Committee will select the most appropriate papers for
presentation. All
other submitted materials will be compiled for distribution to all
delegates and
will be posted on the Region 2 website for downloading.
Direct submissions in English to ecw(a)iaru-r2.org; direct submissions in
Spanish
to tce(a)iaru-r2.org.
The Emergency Communications Workshop will be held on Tuesday, October
11, at
the Hotel O’Higgins in Viña del Mar from 9 AM until 6 PM.
[ANS thanks the ARRL and IARU 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
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-115
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:
* IARU-R1: Global APRS Harmonisation and Satellite Coordination
* United Launch Alliance Opens Competition for Free Cubesat Launches
* TAPR Dayton Hamvention Digital Forum Announces Presenters
* OUFTI-1 Telemetry Decoder App
* Commemorative ARISS Slow-Scan TV Transmissions a Success
* Be The First to Catch a Signal From Fly Your Satellite! From Space!
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-115.01
ANS-115 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 115.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE April 24, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-115.01
IARU-R1: Global APRS Harmonisation and Satellite Coordination
The IARU Region 1 Interim Meeting was held April 15-17, 2016 in
Vienna. Minutes for the C5 VHF/UHF/Microwave committee are now
available.
Some 70 delegates from over 20 Member Societies discussed a wide
range of issues in the VHF/UHF/Microwave, HF and EMC Committees.
Recommendations from the meeting will be considered by the Region 1
Executive Committee at its meeting in early May 2016. If approved by
the EC, these recommendations will become interim Region 1 policy
until the next General Conference in 2017, at which time all
Societies present will have the opportunity to ratify the proposals.
Among the key items in the minutes are:
4.1. Report of satellite coordinator C5_04
Graham Shirville G3VZV presented the report of satellite
coordinator. G3VZV emphasized that the frequency coordination between
the three Regions has to be improved for avoiding interference
incidents like PC-Sat and some of the XW2 satellites.
Due to current reports from MS about some observations of harmful
interference, RSGB is asked to prepare a statement for publishing to
inform MS and members how to take care.
C5 chairman is asked to bring up the issue on EC meeting, because
further AC action is required.
5.2. Band Planning 5 GHz: C5_10
VIE16_C5_Rec_06: To correct the satellite segment the table in
chapter 4.9 by deleting “5790”, inserting “5830” and adding the
footnote: “Any wideband system shall protect narrowband applications”.
6.1. General matters: C5_26
VIE16_C5_Rec_11A: To discuss an even more extended [Grid Square]
locator system that is used for ATV (including IARU ATV contest) and
for other purposes by using the Wiki and prepares a document for GC
2017 if necessary. (Note this will clarify the definition of 10 digit
[character] locators used for microwaves etc see example at
http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html )
7.2. APRS Harmonisation: C5_41
VIE16_C5_Rec_23: The C5 chairman to answer Regions 2 and 3 that:
• 144.390 MHz is not suitable for Region 1 and that Region-3 should
consider 144.800
• To consider an additional 144 MHz frequency (that might be
compatible) with Region 2 and 3
• To also consider 435 MHz usage and newer APRS technologies (for
the 2017 GC)
Download the C5 VHF/UHF/Microwave Vienna 2016 Minutes
http://tinyurl.com/IARU-R1-Vienna-2016-C5-Minutes
The input papers are available as a matter of record:
HF Papers http://tinyurl.com/ANS115-HFpapers
VHF/UHF/Microwave papers http://tinyurl.com/ANS115-MicrowavePapers
EMC Papers http://tinyurl.com/ANS115-EMCpapers
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
United Launch Alliance Opens Competition for Free Cubesat Launches
United Launch Alliance has begun accepting applications from
colleges and universities across the U.S. to compete for free cubesat
launch slots aboard upcoming Atlas 5 rockets.
The educational opportunity will use excess performance aboard
rockets launching to space to carry the tiny student-made craft made
of science and technology experiments.
“Universities pioneered cubesat development, and there is a growing
need for launch access and availability,” said Tory Bruno, ULA
president and CEO.
“Our goal is to eventually add university cubesat slots to nearly
every Atlas and Vulcan Centaur launch – with potential for 100 rides
per year.”
Cubesats are baselined at 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (4 inches x 4 inches
x 4 inches) and approximately 1.3 kg (3 lbs). The craft are housed in
a box-like Aft Bulkhead Carrier on the Centaur upper stage, next to
the RL10C-1 engine, and ejected from the dispenser into orbit.
ULA has successfully launched 55 cubesats through the company’s 106
flights to date. Those opportunities were via National Reconnaissance
Office, Air Force and NASA initiatives.
Now, ULA is giving the miniature hitchhiker payloads free rides on
Atlas 5 boosters and the future Vulcan rocket now in development to
debut in 2019. The company is the first launch provider to make free
cubesat flight opportunities available on its own.
“ULA’s cubesat program revolutionizes access to space for these
payloads while ensuring that the next generation of rocket scientists
and space entrepreneurs has the opportunity to continue driving on-
orbit innovation,” Bruno said.
The competitive program is available to all U.S. accredited colleges
and universities. They are encouraged to partner with K-12 schools to
further expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
education.
The deadline to apply is June 1. The winning cubesats will be
announced later this summer.
The selection committee will look at a proposal’s mission objectives
in science and STEM, outreach plans for their local community,
technical requirements and the likelihood of meeting the development
schedule. Safety to the flight’s primary payload and ensuring the
cubesat will not threaten or do any harm to the mission will be
judged, too.
Each application will face the following criteria:
* Technical Requirements — 25%
* Mission Objective — 25%
* Outreach Component — 25%
* Proposal Credibility — 15%
* Quality of Proposal — 10%
Six cubesat launch slots are available in this first round of the
program, each payload sized at “1U” in cubesat-speak, for two Atlas 5
missions. The first launch will likely be a geosychronous transfer
orbit mission targeted for mid-2017. The second flight, also to GTO,
is planned for mid-2018.
To apply, visit: http://www.ulalaunch.com/cubesats.aspx
[ANS thanks SpaceFlightNow.com for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
TAPR Dayton Hamvention Digital Forum Announces Presenters
TAPR has announced the presentations for its Dayton Hamvention®
Digital Forum, moderated by Scotty Cowling, WA2DFI, on Friday, May
20, at 9:15 AM.
Among the presentions will be “SatNOGS — A network of open source
satellite ground stations,” by Corey Shields, KB9JHU. CubeSat
operators tend to have few ground stations of their own and rely on
radio amateurs to help collect telemetry. The SatNOGS Project is a
Network of Open Source Satellite Ground Stations, focusing on Low
Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Shields will introduce SatNOGS as a way
to increase the amount of data collected and reported from these
CubeSats.
Bryan Fields, W9CR, will present “HamWAN High-Speed IP Radio
Network,” an Amateur Radio high-speed IP backbone concept that uses
the same techniques enabling the Internet.
The topic of a presentation by Chris Testa, KD2BMH, will be “SDR
Disrupt.” It will review the landscape and advancements in SDR
technologies over the past year, as numerous technologies are driving
the power-price-performance curve to a new level of efficiency.
Latest developments in digital voice will also be discussed.
“Spectrum Monitoring with Software Defined Radio,” by Mike Ossmann,
AD0NR, will follow.
More information about TAPR activities at Dayton is on the TAPR
website.
http://www.tapr.org/dayton.html
[ANS thanks TAPR and the ARRL for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
OUFTI-1 Telemetry Decoder App
The OUFTI-1 D-STAR CubeSat team have released the format of the CW
telemetry beacon and a Decoder App. The launch, on a Russian Soyuz-
STA Fregat-M from Kourou in South America, is expected to take place
at 21:02:13 UT on Friday, April 22, 2016.
OUFTI-1 is a nano-satellite entirely developed by the students of
the University of Liege (ULg), Belgium, along with two other
engineering schools. It is the first satellite to carry a dedicated
amateur radio D-STAR transponder.
OUFTI-1 amateur radio information including Keps
http://events.ulg.ac.be/oufti-1/radioamateurs/
The PDF of the article ‘D-STAR digital amateur communications in
space with OUFTI-1 CubeSat’ by Jonathan Pisane ON7JPD, Amandine Denis
ON4EYA and Jacques Verly ON9CWD can be downloaded from
http://tinyurl.com/ANS115-OUTFIT-1
IARU coordinated frequencies for all CubeSats on the Russian Soyuz
launch http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/
OUFTI-1 – 145.950 MHz FSK AX25 and D-STAR (uplink 435.045 MHz) – CW
beacon 145.980 MHz
e-st@r-II – 437.485 MHz CW and 1k2 AFSK
AAUSAT-4 – 437.425 MHz
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Commemorative ARISS Slow-Scan TV Transmissions a Success
The recent commemorative Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) slow-scan television (SSTV) transmissions from April
11 to April 14 were successful, with images received by many stations
around the world. The SSTV transmissions marked the 15th anniversary
(in 2015) of continuous Amateur Radio operations on the International
Space Station.
The first ISS crew conducted its inaugural ham radio contact from
NA1SS in November 2000, and the first ARISS school/group contact took
place the following month. Since then more than 1000 ARISS
school/group contacts have been completed.
Images received from the ISS have been posted on the gallery
website. Anyone who received SSTV images from the ISS also may post
them there. The SSTV transmissions were in PD180 format. Additional
“MAI-75 Experiment” SSTV transmissions took place on April 14 and
April 15, and these have been posted as well. The commemorative SSTV
images showed a few of the radio amateurs who have served aboard the
ISS.
The gallery of images can be viewed at
http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/
[ANS thanks ARISS and the ARRL for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Be The First to Catch a Signal From Fly Your Satellite! From Space!
It is time to start listening to space. To celebrate the upcoming
launch of the three Fly Your Satellite! student-built CubeSats into
low Earth orbit, ESA’s Education office challenges the amateur radio
community to listen out for the tiny satellites.
The first three radio amateurs to send a recorded signal from either
AAUSAT4, E-st@r-II or OUFTI-1 will receive a prize from ESA's
Education Office.
The satellites will be launched on 22 April onboard the Soyuz VS-14
flight from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Together
with CNES’ Microscope scientific satellite, they will be auxiliary
payloads in the launch of ESA’s Earth observation satellite Sentinel-
1B, the main passenger on this flight.
Soon after being deployed into their final orbit, the CubeSats will
begin transmitting signals to Earth that can be picked up by anyone
with common amateur radio equipment. ESA challenges anyone to record
the signal and send it to cubesats(a)esa.int, and to the CubeSat team.
For each CubeSat, the first email received for which the signal is
confirmed to belong to the CubeSat will be awarded with the following
prizes:
ESA Fly Your Satellite! poster
ESA Education goodie bag
Scale 1:1 3D printed model of a CubeSat
Radio Contact Information:
Please consult the following links to obtain specific information
for radio contact for each of the three CubeSats.
AAUSAT4 Downlink frequency 437.425 MHz
For more HAM radio information see
http://tinyurl.com/ANS115-AAUSAT4
Contact: aausat4 (at) space.aau.dk
E-st@r-II Downlink frequency 437.485 MHz
For more HAM radio information see
http://www.cubesatteam-polito.com/operations/radio-amateurs
Contact: cubesat.team (at) polito.it
OUFTI-1 Downlink frequency 145.980 MHz
For more HAM radio information see
http://events.ulg.ac.be/oufti-1/radioamateurs/
Contact: oufti-1 (at) ulg.ac.be
What your email should contain:
Sound recording of the CW beacon
Your Name
Callsign
Snailmail address for QSL
Reception time of CW beacon
CW beacon decoded
Location
A few lines about your equipment
More information about Fly Your Satellite! can be found at
http://www.esa.int/Education/CubeSats_-_Fly_Your_Satellite
[ANS thanks ESA for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between STEM Trajectory Initiative
with Albuquerque Public Schools, Albuquerque, New Mexico and
Astronaut Jeff Williams KD5TVQ using Callsign NA1SS. The contact
began 2016-04-22 17:32:37 UTC and lasted about nine and a half
minutes. Contact was direct via NM5HD.
ARISS Mentor was Tim W6MU.
+ A Successful contact was made between TBD Saratov, Russia
and Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP using Callsign RS0ISS. The
contact began 2016-04-23 09:06 UTC and lasted about nine and a half
minutes. Contact was direct.
Mentor was Sergey RV3DR.
+ A Successful contact was made between Wellesley House School,
Broadstairs, Kent, UK and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using
Callsign GB1SS. The contact began 2016-04-23 12:10:50 UTC and lasted
about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via GB1WHS.
ARISS Mentor was Ciaran MØXTD. HamTV coverage???
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Republic of Chuvashia, direct via TBD (***)
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***)
The scheduled astronaut is Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP (***)
Contact is a go for Sun 2016-04-24 09:50 UTC
The Derby High School, Bury, UK, direct via GB1DHS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-04-25 12:02:27 UTC
Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Diego Valeri”, Campolongo Maggiore,
Italy, direct via IZ3YRA
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN
Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-04-29 08:34:08 UTC 64 deg
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above
information]
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The article, "Amateur Radio in the STEM Classroom One Tecinical
Tool-Countless Lesson Applications" appears in the latest Tech
Directions magazine.
The article can be read at
http://tinyurl.com/ANS115-techdirections
The free magazine is at:
https://www.techdirections.com/
[ANS thanks ARRL's Illinois Section newsletter for the above
information]
+ Lomonosov, AIST-2D and SamSat-218 Launch
First launch from Vostochny - carries a three-satellite payload. The
purpose of the mission is to test the infrastructure associated with
the new launch site.
There is a pair of satellites for sun-synchronous orbit:
Lomonosov - Science satellite for studies of ultra-high energy
cosmic rays, X-rays and gamma rays in the upper layers of the Earth’s
atmosphere and in near-Earth space.
Lomonosov mission website: http://lomonosov.sinp.msu.ru/en/
AIST-2D - Joint project between Samara State Aerospace University
and SRC Progress to develop a small light-weight surveillance
spacecraft principally for use by the Russian government.
The launch will also carry SamSat-218 - 3U Cubesat created by
students and scientists from Samara State Aerospace University in
Russia as a technology demonstrator and educational satellite. Its
main task is to test algorithms for controlling the orientation of
nano-satellites.
The Volga stage of the launch vehicle will be caused to re-enter
over the south Pacific Ocean about six hours after lift-off.
Possible webcast (very much "to be confirmed"):
http://www.russian.space/306/
[ANS thanks www.zarya.info for the above information]
+ New Distance Record for AO-85
A new distance record of 5751 kilometers (3565.6 miles) has been
claimed for an AO-85 (Fox-1A) satellite contact.
Betrand Demarcq, FG8OJ, in Saint-Francois, Guadeloupe (FK96ig),
worked Jose Elias Diaz Rodriguez, EB1FVQ, in Vigo, Spain (IN52pe),
at 19:15 UTC on April 14, 2016.
A recording of the contact is available.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s0o1b1as1xlcrjs/eb1fvq.mp3
AMSAT posts records on its AMSAT Satellite Distance Records page.
Send new claims to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. The AO-85 CubeSat was
launched last October. It carries a U/V FM transponder. —
[ANS thanks Thanks Paul, N8HM and the ARRL for the above
information]
+ Satellite Distance Records can be viewed at
http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4751
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. 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 (former KC8YLD)
kc8yld at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-108
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:
* New AO-85 Distance Record Claimed
* First-Ever D-STAR Satellite to Launch
* TAPR Digital Forum Schedule at Dayton Hamvention, Friday, 5/20
* Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, Named as IARU Satellite Adviser
* Contest - Catch the signal of e-st@r-II CubeSat
* Satellite DX Operation
* ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
* ULA University CubeSat Competition
* AMSAT Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-108.01
ANS-108 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 108.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE April 17, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-108.01
---------------------------------------------------------------------
New AO-85 Distance Record Claimed
5,751 km is the new claimed distance record for a QSO on AO-85.
Betrand Demarcq, FG8OJ, in Saint-Francois, Guadeloupe (FK96ig) worked
Jose Elias Diaz Rodriguez, EB1FVQ, in Vigo, Spain (IN52pe) at 19:15
UTC on April 14, 2016. A recording of the QSO is available here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s0o1b1as1xlcrjs/eb1fvq.mp3
The AMSAT Satellite Distance Records page is located at
http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=4751
New record claims may be sent to
n8hm(a)amsat.org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and Paul, N8HM for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
First-Ever D-STAR Satellite to Launch
The first-ever satellite to carry a D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for
Amateur Radio) Amateur Radio payload into space is expected to launch on
April 22 from Guiana. The OUFTI-1 (Orbital Utility For Telecommunication
Innovations) CubeSat is one of three CubeSats developed by student teams
under
the European Space Agency (ESA) Education Office "Fly Your Satellite!"
program, which is aimed at training the next generation of aerospace
professionals. The satellites arrived in South America on March 25,
followed
by the student teams a few days later.
On March 30 the students pulled the "Remove Before Flight" pins and
successfully verified that their CubeSats were ready for launch before
replacing the access ports on the P-POD, which will secure the CubeSats
prior
to and during launch and then will release them into orbit. The next
time the
students will have contact with their respective CubeSats will be through
their spacecraft's communication link, after the CubeSats have been
deployed
into orbit. Once thermal-optical tape has been applied to the P-POD to
shield
the CubeSats from extreme thermal radiation during the launch phase, the
P-POD
will be integrated with the Soyuz launch vehicle.
Constructed by students at the University of Liege in Belgium (ULg),
OUFTI-1
will be the first satellite to carry an Amateur Radio D-STAR transponder.
Developed by the Japan Amateur Radio League, D-STAR enables the
simultaneous
transmission of voice and digital data as well as call sign-based
roaming via
the Internet.
"The OUFTI-1 D-STAR repeater will be available either as a direct
communication repeater between two users, and as an extension of the ULg
D-STAR repeater," explains the article "D-STAR digital amateur
communications
in space with OUFTI-1 CubeSat" by Jonathan Pisane, ON7JPD; Amandine Denis,
ON4EYA, and Jacques Verly, ON9CWD, all of ULg. The CubeSat's frequencies
are
145.950 MHz (FSK AX.25), and D-STAR down, with an uplink at 435.045 MHz.
OUFTI-1 will carry a CW beacon transmitting on 145.980 MHz.
The other two CubeSats are from Italy and Denmark. The CubeSat e-st@r-II
from
the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, will demonstrate an attitude
control system using measurements of Earth's magnetic field. It will
transmit
CW and 1.2 k AFSK on 437.485 MHz. AAUSAT4 from the University of Aalborg,
Denmark, will operate an automated ocean vessel identification system.
It will
transmit on 437.425 MHz.
See
https://ukamsat.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/202_jun_2013.pdf
[ANS thanks the ARRL Letter for the above information]
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TAPR Digital Forum Schedule at Dayton Hamvention, Friday, 5/20
TAPR Digital Forum Schedule
Moderator: Scotty Cowling, WA2DFI
9:15 to 9:25 am Introduction by Steve Bible, N7HPR, TAPR President
9:25 to 9:35 am "Write for QST/QEX" by Kai Siwiak KE4PT, QEX Editor
9:35 to 10:00 am "SatNOGS - A network of open source satellite ground
stations". by Corey Shields KB9JHU
Abstract: CubeSat operators tend to have few ground stations of their
own and
rely on amateur operators to help collect telemetry. With CubeSat
deployments
on the rise, more and more data is lost as there are not enough ground
stations
listening. The SatNOGS Project is a Network of Open Source Satellite Ground
Stations, focusing on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. In this
presentation,
we introduce SatNOGS as a way to increase the amount of data collected from
these satellites and returned to their operators. Learn what the SatNOGS
project is, how it works, and what we have planned for the future of amateur
radio satellite reception.
10:00 to 10:25 am "HamWAN High Speed IP Radio Network" by Bryan Fields, W9CR
Abstract: Presented will be an amateur radio high-speed IP backbone concept
(HamWAN) with an emphases on building regional highly available networks.
Utilizing the same techniques which enable the Internet, Amateur Radio
networks
may be built connecting projects to the Internet or other sites.
Included will
be an update on the regional HamWAN network deployments.
10:25 to 10:50 am "SDR Disrupt" by Chris Testa, KD2BMH
Abstract: Tools and techniques for software defined radio continue to evolve
at a rapid pace, and we'll go over the landscape and advancements in SDR
technologies this past year. Numerous technologies are driving the
power-price-
performance curve to a new level of efficiency. We'll take a look at John
Stephensen, KD6OZH's mesh project (part of TAPR), which helps pave the
way for
next-generation wireless links. Latest developments in digital voice
will also
be discussed.
10:50 to 11:15 am "Spectrum Monitoring with Software Defined Radio" by Mike
Ossmann, AD0NR
Abstract: Having developed HackRF One, the world's lowest cost wideband
Software Defined Radio transceiver, the HackRF project continues to produce
open source hardware designs for SDR. Find out about our designs in
development
now and our ideas for future boards that will enable the next generation
of SDR
enthusiasts.
More information about TAPR activities at the Dayton Hamvention at:
http://www.tapr.org/dayton.html
[ANS thanks TAPR for the above information]
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Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, Named as IARU Satellite Advisor
The International Amateur Radio Union is pleased to announce that Hans
Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, is appointed to serve as IARU Satellite Advisor.
The appointment is effective immediately. Blondeel Timmerman was first
licensed in 1980 and has served as VERON HF Manager from 2000-2001 and as
VERON Vice President from 2001-2008. He was a member of the IARU Region 1
Executive Committee from 2002-2008 and served as IARU Region 1 President
from
2008-2014. Blondeel Timmerman has served as EUDXF President since 2004 and
currently serves as a YASME Foundation Director. He is retired from the
Netherlands Army Signal Corps after a 38 year career working on satellite
projects and spectrum management. He lives in the Netherlands with his
wife
Margareet, K2XYL and has 2 adult sons.
The IARU Satellite Advisor represents the IARU to the satellite
community and
the various amateur satellite organizations and performs satellite
frequency
coordination according to the guidelines established by the IARU. In
addition, the position calls for maintaining a database of coordination
requests and letters, report to the IARU Administrative Council on issues
related to satellites and satellite frequency coordination and, if
requested,
to provide technical and operation advice to assist the representation
of the
amateur satellite service to the International Telecommunication Union.
The
Satellite Advisor is assisted by a panel of volunteer satellite advisory
members.
Blondeel Timmerman replaces Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, who has
served as
IARU Satellite Adviser since 1994. Van de Groenendaal has established many
of the procedures used for amateur satellite frequency coordination and has
been a critical contributor to the process of satellite frequency
coordination
for IARU. The IARU is grateful for Hans van de Groenendaal’s excellent
work
and thanks him for his years of service in this important position. He will
remain as special adviser to the satellite committee.
Any additional information can be obtained from the International Amateur
Radio Union, PO Box 310905, Newington, CT 06131-0905 USA
Phone +1 860 594 0200
Fax +1 860 594 0259.
IARU Satellite Page
http://www.iaru.org/satellite.html
http://www.arrl.org/news/hans-blondeel-timmerman-pb2t-named-as-iaru-satelli…
advisor
[ANS thanks the IARU and the ARRL for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contest - Catch the signal of e-st@r-II CubeSat
We are the CubeSat Team of Politecnico di Torino, and we are writing to
inform
you about the contest we have announced today.
The CubeSat Team is a student team of Politecnico di Torino involved in the
design and development of small platforms for scientific missions and for
testing new technologies. We are guys enthralled by space activities.
Undergraduate and graduate students work together with researchers and
professors to create a real hands-on experience.
“SPACE IN A CUBE: MISSIONS OF THE FUTURE” is our motto! We believe that
small
satellites can contribute to a broad set of science goals and space based
services. Our CubeSat missions aim at conceiving new scenarios and
technologies to serve the scientific community while educating students
in the
challenging field of aerospace engineering.
Our first CubeSat, e-st@r-I, was launched into orbit on February 2012,
and the
second satellite, e-st@r-II, will be launched next week: the Soyuz
launch ST-A
VS14 is scheduled on April 22, 2016, at exactly 09:02:13 p.m UTC, from the
European spaceport in French Guiana
http://www.arianespace.com/mission/ariane-flight-vs14/
It is just one week to launch… it’s time for us to prepare for operations.
To celebrate this date, we invite the radio-ham community to support the
e-st@r-II mission by participating in the contest to listen for our CubeSat
from orbit!
We have prizes for the first to receive the e-st@r-II signal and for the
one
who provides us with the higher number of packets received in the first
month
in orbit!
All details of the competition can be found at our official webpage:
http://www.cubesatteam-polito.com/operations/radio-amateurs/
Follow the daily updates on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/CubeSatTeam .
Thank you in advance for your help in collecting TLM packets….. and
break a leg!
CubeSat Team
Website: http://areeweb.polito.it/cubesat-team/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubeSatTeam
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CubeSatTeam
[ANS thanks JoAnne, K9JKM and the CubeSat Team of Politecnico di Torino for
the above information]
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Satellite DX Operation
Bahamas (FL15) - Bryan Green, KL7CN, plans to be active during daytime
passes of FO-29 and SO-50 from Nassau, Bahamas as C6ACN on Tuesday,
April 19, 2016 and from Coco Cay, Bahamas midday on Wednesday, April
20, 2016 (times TBD). The plan is subject to change. See @kl7cn on
Twitter for updates.
Posted on the AMSAT Upcoming Satellite Operations page
http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3921
[ANS thanks Paul, N8HM for the above information]
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ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual
ARRL/TAPR
Digital Communications Conference, to be held September 16-18 in
St. Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be published in the Conference
Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their
papers
included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is July 31, 2016.
The ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international
forum for
technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new ideas and
techniques. Paper/presentation topic areas include -- but are not
limited to --
software defined radio (SDR),
digital voice,
digital satellite communication,
digital signal processing (DSP),
HF digital modes,
adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for Amateur Radio,
Global Positioning System (GPS),
Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS),
Linux in Amateur Radio,
AX.25 updates and Internet interoperability with Amateur Radio networks.
Submit papers to via e-mail to
maty(a)arrl.org<mailto:[email protected]>
or via postal mail to:
Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL,
225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111.
Papers will be published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain all
rights. Please do not email zip files as these will be rejected by our
servers.
[ANS thanks Steve Ford, WB8IMY ARRL QST Editor for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ULA University CubeSat Competition
To U.S. colleges and universities:
United Launch Alliance has posted the application for its University CubeSat
Competition and entries are due June 1, 2016!
The application and more information is located at
http://www.ulalaunch.com/cubesats.aspx.
[ANS thanks ULA and CubeSat.org mailing list for theabove 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).
*Monday, 25 April 2016, AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW will give “An
Overview of AMSAT” presentation to the Greensboro (NC) Amateur Radio
Assocaition. The meeting will be held at Captain Bill’s Seafood restaurant
located at 6108 W Market St, Greensboro, NC. Attendees meet for dinner
around
1815 with the club meeting starting at 1915. The club’s website is
w4gso.org.
*Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016, ARRL Nevada State Convention
in Las Vegas NV
*Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra
Vista AZ
*Saturday, 14 May 2016 – Matanuska Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in
Wasilla AK
*Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
*Saturday, 13 August 2016 – KL7KC Hamfest in Fairbanks AK
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
Sucessful Contacts
Colegio Santa Rosa, Yerba Buena, Argentina, direct via LU1KCQ
The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut was Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact was successful!
Congrats to Argentina on this ARISS event and contact with Jeff Williams!
All 16 questions answered by Jeff Williams
170 students present with Teachers and others.
3 TV and 3 Radio Stations on site !
Gagarin from Space. This session was amateur radio communications, Orla,
Russia, direct via RK3EWW
The ISS callsign was scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut was Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP
Contact was successful for 2016-04-16 15:14 UTC
From Claudio, IK1SLD in Italy:
Today the contact with RK3EWW Gagarin from Space was succesful.
Communications opened at 15:14:45 UTC and from my home I was able to
copy near
3 minutes.
This is the link to the file (of course I copied only the cosmonaut answer):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byp8JadKjPOmekRIQlpzdWJfZ0U/view?usp=shari…
USA Science and Engineering Festival, Washington, D.C., telebridge via
IK1SLD
The ISS callsign was scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact was successful: Sat 2016-04-16 18:19:28 UTC 78 deg
Upcoming Contacts
St Richards Catholic College, Bexhill on Sea, UK, direct via GB4SRC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-04-18 14:56:06 UTC 85 deg
An International Space Station school contact has been planned with
participants at St Richards Catholic College, Bexhill on Sea, UK on 18 Apr.
The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:56 UTC. The duration of
the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be
direct between GB1SS and GB4SRC. The contact should be audible over the
UK 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.
St Richard's Catholic College is a Science Specialist school tucked between
the South Downs and the English Channel. We have 1000 pupils on roll
between
Years 7-11. We provide an inclusive education for Catholic and Christian
pupils covering an extended catchment area covering approximately a 30 mile
radius. St Richard's was awarded Teaching School status late in 2014 and we
are the lead school in the Thrive Alliance, an association of primary
schools,
secondary schools and a sixth form college as well as lead in the Sussex
Science Subject Hub. We are also a strategic partner in the Sussex Maths
Hub.
St Richards' Science department enjoys a very strong relationship with the
University of Sussex (particularly Astronomy & Physics); University of
Greenwich (Outreach)and we sit on the STEM Focus Group hosted by the
University of Brighton's STEMSussex.
We are a keen supporter of STEM events in our region, with particular
success
at the Annual STEMFest event where we have won prizes at the National
Science
and Engineering Competition for the last four years, twice through to
national
competition. STEMSussex have used St Richard's STEM Clubs' provision as an
exemplar due to its success in engaging pupils of all abilities across all
year groups. The department has also enjoyed high quality Continuous
Professional Development engagement in the STEM agenda with involvement in
'Space as a context for teaching science' courses and a future STEM project
with the University of Reykjavik in Iceland.
We enjoy Space Camp UK, a residential trip with all things "spacy" at the
National Space Centre and Duxford. The coordinating teacher, Dr Joolz
Durkin,
is the curriculum enhancement for science and is also an enthusiastic
"Space
Ambasador" and has worked with the Tim Peake Primary Project at Parklands
Infants Eastbourne, Dallington School in Dallington, Pebsham Primary in
Bexhill on Sea and Vinehall School in Heathfield as part of this link up.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. You have mentioned in an earlier call that you have been sleeping very
well on the Space Station. Is that still the case or have you found
any
cumulative effects after four months in space ?
2. As the ISS hosts astronauts from many different nationalities, what
public holidays do the crew observe, if any, and how are they chosen?
3. St Richards and two of our Primary Project Partner school,
Dallington and
Vinehall are taking part in the RHS 'Rocket Science' Experiment
from the
Principia Mission. How will the results from this experiment
influence future planning for growing similar samples in another
planet's
gravity?
4. We have seen the preparation with Heston Blumental of an exciting
astronaut menu for the mission - does the food taste the same in
space as
it did on Earth?
5. In a sealed spacecraft like the International Space Station, how is the
air quality monitored and controlled?
6. We see the wonderful time lapse images of the ISS orbiting the
Earth, but
what I like looking at are the stars and making out the
constellations.
Do you do any astronomical research on the ISS?
7. During the mission you yourself are part of experiments using the
British
designed MMS Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure Analyser to collect
data for the NASA Fluid Shifts investigation. Which aspect of the
self-experimentation has been the most interesting or challenging?
8. Are there any experiments that rely on naked flames on the ISS? If so,
how are they carried out and what low gravity precautions are employed?
9. If I oversleep my parents will wake me up - have you overslept on
the ISS
and had to be woken up by someone?"
10. The distance between Bexhill and Brighton is 31 miles with a journey
time by car of nearly 50 minutes. How much time would it take for the
ISS to do this trip?
11. What are the greatest challenges of living in space and in retaining a
permanent crew on board the ISS?
12. You have tweeted some amazing and beautiful images of the aurora. Have
you been able to monitor solar flare or CME activity and correlate to
the brightness of the aurora?
13. How does it feel to be able to see all humanity?
14. Is the ISS affected by the Earth's magnetic field?
15. On Sunday you will be joining thousands of others in taking part in
the
London Marathon. What special routines have you trained for this in
space?
16. In the London marathon, runners will have natural cooling as the run -
how do you regulate your body temperature in a sealed environment
such
as the ISS?.
17. We understand you are taking part in the Skin B research on the ISS?
Can you share any interesting findings?
18. You have tweeted that having a bacon sandwich and cup of tea on
arrival
at the ISS was the best welcome possible. What food are you looking
forward to on landing?
19. What is special about space suits that help you breathe in space
when on
an EVA?
20. How smooth was the launch in December?
STEM Trajectory Initiative with Albuquerque Public Schools, Albuquerque
New Mexico, direct via NM5HD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-04-22 17:32:37 UTC 83 deg
Wellesley House School, Broadstairs, Kent, UK, direct via GB1WHS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-04-23 12:10:50 UTC 62 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
FemtoSat Under Development
Now we're getting even smaller than a 1U ... try 3cm x 3cm x 3cm. Meet
femtosat ...
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_next_big_thing_in_space_is_really_rea…
_small_999.html
[ANS thanks JoAnne, K9JKM for the above information]
Satellite Show in Moreno Valley, CA 05/05/16
Clint Bradford, K6LCS, will be presenting his "How to Work the FM
Amateur Satellites With Your HT" session at the Moreno Valley
Amateur Radio Association on Thursday, May 5, 2016. ALL are
welcome to attend.
“The MVARC has been a LONG-time supporter of the ARRL, quite
active in their communities, and I am honored that they are asking
me back for another presentation,” Clint writes.
Attendees will be shown everything needed to work the FM voice ham
satellites - with a re-occurring theme of, "Most hams already have
most of the necessary equipment ... " Attendees can download a
four-page tutorial beforehand at ...
http://www.work-sat.com
... and Clint welcomes pre-presentation questions. Call him at
909-999-SATS (909-999-7287), or send email to clint(a)clintbradford.com .
May 5, 2016
Lake Perris State Recreation Area
17801 Lake Perris Drive
Perris, CA 9257
Meeting Room at Parking Lot Number 9
Call-in frequency 146.500 simplex once you are in the park.
(Just tell the Ranger at the gate you are going to the MVARA
ham radio meeting - you won’t need to pay admission at the gate.)
[ANS thanks Clint, K6LCS for the above information]
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/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
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-101
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 commemorative event (April 11-14)
* AMSAT KEPs Redistribution Approved for 2016-2017
* IN81 and IN82 Grid Activation via FM Sats 22 and 24 April
* Upcoming Satellite DX
* ARISS Contacts and Events
* Geostationary / Geosynchronous Amateur Satellite Transponders
* AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-101.01
ANS-101 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 080.01
From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD.
April 10, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-101.01
ARISS commemorative event (April 11-14)
Looks like all the pieces are starting to fall into place for the long
awaited SSTV event. The schedule is shaping up to look like this:
* Setup and activation on April 11 about 18:25 UTC.
* Paused April 12 from 12:15 until 14:15 UTC to allow for a school
contact with Romania.
* Paused April 13 from 12:45 until 14:30 UTC to allow for a school
contact with Argentina.
* Deactivation on April 14 at 11:35 UTC.
This opportunity should cover most of the world during the operational
period.The image transmissions should be on 145.800 MHz and the mode
is planned to be PD180.
In addition, MAI-75 will be conducting two sessions afterwards. The
first one is April 14 from 14:45 until 18:00 UTC. The second session
is on April 15 from 14:10 until 19:00 UTC. These times do not cross N.
America but will provide opportunities for Europe, Southeast Asia,
Australia and S. America.
As always, all operations aboard the ISS are subject to change and
everyone interested in this activity should be vigilant and patient."
John KG4AKV has an "ISS SSTV Reception Hints" webpage which may help:
https://spacecomms.wordpress.com/iss-sstv-reception-hints/
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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AMSAT KEPs Redistribution Approved for 2016-2017
AMSAT's request to re-distribute US Air Force Space Command Keplerian
elements
from SpaceTrack has been approved for the period April 1, 2016 to April
1, 2017.
Our USSTRATCOM ODR (Orbital Data Request) to distribute the KEPs was
approved on
March 17, 2016.
Thanks to AFSPC, Perry Klein, W3PK and Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P for their help
in this process.
We are "good to go" for another year.
[ANSS thanks Ray, WA5QGD, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IN81 and IN82 Grid Activation via FM Sats 22 and 24 April
Felix, EA4GQS reports that he plans to activate grids IN81 and IN82 as
EA4GQS/P via the FM satellites. He will be be traveling to these grids
during April 22-24. He said he will post his available passes on the
Satellite and Space Communications forum at QRZ.com. He will confirm via
LoTW.
[ANS thanks Felix, EA4GQS for the above information]
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Upcoming Satellite DX
4A. MEXICO (Bird Op, Special Event). Operators Ismael/XE1AY and David/XE3DX
will be active using the special event callsign 4A1DX between now and June
14th. Activity is to celebrate 11th anniversary of the Grupo DXXE, Mexico's
top contest and DX radio club. Operations will be on the satellite, FM only
(**SO-50, AO-85 y Lilacsat-2). The QSL Manager is Dick, N7RO, direct or by
the Bureau (Make sure your Bureau QSL card is clearly marked via N7RO).
Don't send your QSL cards to the Mexican Bureau; they will not be answered
because they have no QSLs. They will be uploading the log to LoTW and
ClubLog at the end of their operation (June 2016). QSOs with this station
are also good for the DXXE Award. ADDED NOTE: The special event callsign
4A1DX is also active on all HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31, JT65 and
EME. QSL Manager is also N7RO. See QRZ.com under 4A1DX for more details
VP5, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. John, NW4JG, informs OPDX that he is a
resident of the Turks and Caicos Island of Providenciales (NA-002) and
has just received the callsign VP5VJG (about a week ago). He mentions,
"It is very difficult to get a VP5 callsign. About 5 years working with
a tourist temporary permit on island." His also states [edited], "I
operate with an Icom 7200 with PW-1 amp. Antennas are Force 12 (40-10m),
M2 (6 meters), and a Alpha Delta dipole (160-10 meters). We live on a
hill and the antennas are about 150' above the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
I also work all Digital modes. Have finally received on the island all
the gear for satellite and EME with Yaesu FT736R, 5500 antenna control...
etc." IMPORTANT QSL INFO: John, informs OPDX to QSL via John, Graves,
3075 Ohio Street, Miami, FL 33133, when on island. There is no mail from
the island. Also, during the summer he will be in a condo in Montreal:
QSL via John Graves, 1605 Rue Docteur-Penfield #601, Montreal,QC, Canada
H3H 1B2.
[ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1258 for the above information]
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ARISS Contacts and Events
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Kiilinik High School, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, telebridge via VK4KHZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact was successful: Wed 2016-04-06 18:02:20 UTC 55 deg
H.A.L. School, Lucknow, India, telebridge via W6SRJ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
TBD UTC (***)
Valahia University of Targoviste, Targoviste, Romania, direct via
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-04-12 13:48:06 UTC 79 deg
Colegio Santa Rosa, Yerba Buena, Argentina, direct via LU1KCQ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact is a go for: Wed 2016-04-13 14:02:54 UTC 34 deg
USA Science and Engineering Festival, Washington, D.C., telebridge via
IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-04-16 18:19:28 UTC 78 deg
*******************************************************
The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open.
The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts
between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30.
Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website
http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details.
[ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information]
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Geostationary / Geosynchronous Amateur Satellite Transponders
EngineerIT magazine reports on the quest by radio amateurs to get
transponders
on geostationary satellites.
The article quotes President of AMSAT DL, Peter Gülzow DB2OS, and
describes the
transponders planned for the geostationary Es’Hail-2 satellite, expected
to be
operational in 2017 at 26 degrees East.
Also mentioned is a project to build a transponder for a US satellite which
could be in a geosynchronous orbit around 74 degrees West.
Read the EngineerIT article at
http://www.ee.co.za/article/radio-amateurs-quest-geostationary-satellites.h…
Es’Hail-2 http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/eshail-2/
AMSAT Phase 4 Update for Palomar Amateur Radio Club November 4, 2015
http://www.ntms.org/files/Feb2016/PARC_4on4.pdf
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites
The AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites has become internationally
recognized as the premier conference on small satellites. The annual
gathering provides a forum for the best minds in the small satellite
community to review recent successes, explore new directions, and introduce
emerging technologies in small spacecraft development. In addition to
creating an excellent environment for networking and talking with experts in
military, science, and academic fields, the Conference offers a program of
international relevance, focusing on the key challenges and opportunities
facing the small satellite community today.
Proceedings from 1987 to 2015 are available online and can be accessed at:
http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/
[ANS thanks AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites amd Utah State
University 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,
In memory of my Mom. Her tireless efforts to help my independent study
of math and electronics in high school set me on the path to broadcast
engineering, Amateur Satellites, and eventually working as the Eastern
Range's
Superintendent of Range Operations. Thank's Mom.
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-094
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:
* Replay Available Ham Talk Live! ARISS with Rosalie White, K1STO
* AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed
* AMSAT SA SPACE SYMPOSIUM 2016
* The 13th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop
* 2016 VHF SUPER CONFERENCE
* STMSat-1 and MinXSS CubeSats Featured on Public Radio
* Irvine Students Are On a Mission to Launch a Satellite
* Free Tours of Facilities at NASA's Glenn Research Center
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-094.01
ANS-094 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 094.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
April 3, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-094.01
Replay Available Ham Talk Live! ARISS with Rosalie White, K1STO
If you missed this past Thursday evening's Ham Talk Live! show
featuring, Rosalie White, K1STO talking about the Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station (ARISS) program sponsored by ARRL,
AMSAT, and NASA, a replay of the recorded show is available on
http://www.hamtalklive.com.
The discussion took a look back at the start of the ARISS program,
the 1000th QSO that was just completed, and the future of the
program. Also featured were some messages from the ISS. Rosalie also
told of a way you can help.
Ham Talk Live! airs on the web on Thursday nights at 9PM eastern
time. In addition to their hamtalklive.com web site the show can be
found on-line via Spreaker, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, YouTube,
SoundCloud, or TuneIn.
[ANS thanks Ham Talk Live! For the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed
Call for Volunteers for the AMSAT Booth at Dayton 2016
The 2016 Dayton Hamvention®, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association will be held this year on May 20-22. “Dayton” is the
largest hamfest in the United States, and AMSAT will be there again
this year.
You can assist AMSAT by volunteering to help staff the booth. While
there, you will meet other AMSAT members, interact with the satellite
designers, builders, and operators, and enjoy all that Dayton has to
offer.
People are needed to assist with the setup of the booth on Thursday,
May 19 (A few people to move the equipment from the storage area
leaving the hotel at 9 am, most at the Arena from 11am to 4 pm), to
staff the booth Friday (9 am to 6 pm), Saturday (9 am to 5 pm), and
Sunday (9 am to 1 pm), and pack up on Sunday (1 pm to 3 pm). If you
are leaving late Sunday, or Monday morning, please consider helping
transport the display to the storage area on the south side of
Dayton. This is normally completed by 5 pm. Most people volunteer
for one or more 2 hour shifts in the booth.
Please send an e-mail to Steve Belter, N9IP, n9ip (at) amsat.org, if
you are willing to help AMSAT at the Hamvention. Please let Steve
know as soon as possible if you're available to assist.
If you missed the Hamvention the last few years, there were some
changes in the Ball Arena, and the AMSAT exhibit was part of that
change. We now have a 3 X 3 booth arrangement, with the
engineering,education, ARISS, and software display on one side of the
aisle, and the membership and Beginner¹s Corner on the opposite side.
The booth numbers are now 444-446 and 433-435. We will be very near
the old exhibit area, within sight of the ARRL exhibit.
[ANS thanks AMSAT.org for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT SA SPACE SYMPOSIUM 2016
The annual AMSAT SA Space Symposium will be held at the Innovation
Hub in Pretoria on 28 May 2016.
The theme is “Make Space Sciences part of your development and free
time activity”
The conference programme will include a real time review on the SA
AMSAT Kletskous CubeSat and papers on other projects, technology and
space science subjects.
This is a call for papers to be included in the proceedings and for
presentation at the conference. The closing date for synopsis has
been extended to 6 April. The final paper will be required in word
format by 30 April 2016. Synopsis must be in word format and
should be sent to saamsat(a)intekom.co.za .
[ANS thanks AMSAT SA for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The 13th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop
The 13th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop (April 20-22, 2016) at
California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA is
just three short weeks away !!
Don’t delay: register now before our Early Bird prices expire! You
can register by following the link, here, or following the link on
our website, cubesat.org. Please note: The prices for professional
attendees will INCREASE in just 6 days, on April 5, 2016!!
[ANS thanks The CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 VHF SUPER CONFERENCE
The upcoming Amateur Radio Technical Conference sponsored by the
Southeastern VHF Society, Northeast Weak Signal Group, and Mt. Airy
Radio Club will be held at the Holiday Inn Washington Dulles Airport
on April 15 to 17. - This year, one large conference is being held in
Lieu of three Eastern conferences.
The aim of the educational conference is to share with our fellow
VHF, UHF, and Microwave enthusiasts, technical achievements and
developments. The technical conference is followed by a dinner,
recognition of door prize contributors, and a drawing for door prizes.
Conference Web-site: http://vhfsuperconference.com
The Conference is affiliated with the ARRL.
Contacts
Mickie Clement, W1MKY
Telephone: 603-428-3840 Email: dpclement at tds.net
Gary Hitchner, WA2OMY Email: gary.hitchner at momentumdynamics.com
[ANS thanks Gary WA2OMY and Mickie W1MKY for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
STMSat-1 and MinXSS CubeSats Featured on Public Radio
Elementary school, St. Thomas More's, satellite STMSat-1 and
University of Colorado's Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer
(MinXSS)CubeSat were featured in an interview on Colorado Public
Radio.
The interview of Doug Duncan, director of the Fiske Planetarium in
Boulder by Colorado Matters' host Ryan Warner.
The interview can be heard at
http://tinyurl.com/ANS094-CPR
The interview is a good overview of cubsats and their capability.
Both satellites are expected to be launched from the ISS in early
April
[ANS thanks Colorado Public Radio for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Irvine Students Are On a Mission to Launch a Satellite
The los Angeles Times reports that over a hundred students from five
Irvine high schools and another dozen from a local middle school have
begun a year long collaboration to engineer, launch and place an
operational nanosatellite in orbit.
Teachers from Beckman, Irvine, Northwood and Woodbridge high schools
developed curriculum for teams of 20 to 25 students from each school
to handle the CubeSat mission.
Students from Irvine's new Portola High School will be brought into
the program when the campus opens in the fall. Students from Rancho
San Joaquin Middle School are involved in the project as a STEM
feeder program. Organizers of the Irving project are in discussions
with a Russian company and have targeted a March 2017 launch date.
Irving Public Schools Foundation have granted $150,000 in seed money
to launch the project.
The schools are planning for three years of missions with a goal of
rolling over in perpetuity depending on funding and future support.
The project is the brain child of Brent Freeze and Kain Sosa,
neighbors in Irvine's Quail Hill subdivision, who have children in
the school district. Their goal is to support education that requires
specialized science backgrounds and recognize that developing talent
could start with STEM programs in local high schools.
Read the full article at
http://preview.tinyurl.com/ANS094-Irvine
[ANS thanks the LA Times for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Free Tours of Facilities at NASA's Glenn Research Center
NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is offering tours
that take visitors behind the scenes and inside certain research
facilities. Glenn scientists and engineers serve as guides. Tours and
open house events will be held each month through October 2016. Tours
are free for groups and individuals, but to guarantee admission,
reservations are required. Visitor parking is also free.
On the days of the tours, a bus departs from Glenn's main gate every
hour, beginning at 10 a.m. The last tour departs at 1 p.m. Each tour
lasts about 45 minutes and is followed by a stop at Glenn's Gift Shop.
Glenn's 2016 Tour Schedule
April 2, 2016 -- Piloted Control Evaluation Facility and Distributed
Engine Control Laboratory: Visit two laboratories that showcase how
researchers evaluate propulsion control and aircraft engine control.
Tour the Piloted Control Evaluation (Flight Simulator) Facility to
see where researchers evaluate the effect of propulsion control on
aircraft performance. Visit the Distributed Engine Control Laboratory
to learn how NASA evaluates new hardware architectures for aircraft
engine control.
May 21-22, 2016 -- Open House at NASA's Glenn Research Center: NASA
Glenn is opening its doors to the public for a weekend open house.
Visitors will be able to tour many of the center's world-class
facilities and see how the center improves aviation and fosters
exploration to benefit everyone on Earth. Visitors also will be able
to meet an astronaut and talk with engineers, scientists and
technicians who work on space programs. Registration for this event
is not required.
June 11-12, 2016 -- Open House at NASA's Plum Brook Station: NASA
Glenn is opening the doors of Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio,
to the public for a weekend open house. Visitors will be able to tour
the station's world-class facilities and step inside the world's
largest vacuum chamber, which has tested parts of rockets, Mars
landers and Orion hardware. Visitors also will be able to meet an
astronaut and talk with engineers, scientists and technicians.
Registration for this event is not required.
July 9, 2016: Radioisotope Power System, Systems Integration
Laboratory: See how NASA emulates the electrical characteristics of a
spacecraft system in the Radioisotope Power System, Systems
Integration Laboratory. RPS is a source of electricity for NASA space
missions from the surface of Mars to the realm of the outer planets.
Aug. 6, 2016 -- See Things a Different Way: Check out Glenn's
Graphics and Visualization, or GVIS, and the Reconfigurable User-
interface and Virtual Reality Exploration, or GRUVE, Laboratories.
The GVIS lab uses advanced computer input and output devices paired
with a variety of natural user interface devices and 3-D displays.
The GRUVE lab is used to analyze data obtained either by computer
simulation or from research test facilities.
Sept. 10, 2016 -- Vibration Testing: Join us on a tour of Glenn's
Structural Dynamics Laboratory, where things get shaken to verify
their survivability. Several experiments that currently are operating
on the International Space Station were tested in this lab.
Oct. 1, 2016 -- Prepare for Impact: Come explore Glenn's Ballistic
Impact Facility. See the laboratory that helped to identify the cause
of the space shuttle Columbia accident and return NASA's shuttle
fleet to flight.
Tours are open to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. To
guarantee admission, reservations are required. For more information
on tours and how to make reservations, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/tours.html.
Please direct questions about the tours to
Sheila Reese at sheila.d.reese(a)nasa.gov.
[ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- March 31, 2016 for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between Hirano Junior High School,
Kobe, Japan and Astronaut Tim Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign NA1SS. The
contact began 2016-03-28 11:07 UTC and lasted about nine and a half
minutes. Contact was direct via 8N370H.
ARISS Mentor was Satoshi 7M3TJZ.
+ A Successful contact was made between National Soaring Museum,
Elmira, New York, USA and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using
Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Fri 2016-04-01 18:34:03 UTC and
lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via
IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was Dave AA4KN.
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Kiilinik High School, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, telebridge via
VK4KHZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ
Contact is go for: Wed 2016-04-06 18:02:20 UTC
H.A.L. School, Lucknow, India, telebridge via W6SRJ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN
Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-04-08 08:17:46 UTC
The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact in the
United States is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to
2016-04-15 and would be for contacts
between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30.
Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website
http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details.
ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above
contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance.
Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com.
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
Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1038.
Each school counts as 1 event.
Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1003.
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
The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact:
Arkansas, Delaware, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wyoming, American
Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands.
Schools in these entities are encouraged to apply for a contact.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ JSatTrak Satellite App Released
Developed by Shawn Gano KB3OJE, JSatTrack is written in Java and
allows you to predict the position of any satellite in real time or
in the past or future. It uses advanced SGP4/SDP4 algorithms
developed by NASA/NORAD or customizable high precision solvers to
propagate satellite orbits. The program also allows for easy
updating of current satellite tracking data via CelesTrak.com.
Because this application was written in Java, it should run on
almost any operating system or directly off the web using java web
start!
Questions and comments are welcome at the JSatTrack Forum
http://www.gano.name/shawn/JSatTrak/forum
The JSatTrack App can be downloaded from
http://www.gano.name/shawn/JSatTrak/
[ANS thanks Shawn KB3OJE for the abiove information]
+ Proposal windows for ARISS school contacts are still open in the
United States and Europe.
For more information about scheduled US contacts visit
http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact
For more information about scheduled European Region contact visit
http://www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
+ Current profiles of the crew currently aboard the ISS, Expedition
47, can be found at:
http://www.ariss.org/current-iss-crew.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
/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 (former KC8YLD)
kc8yld at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-087
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:
* EO-79 transponder ACTIVE
* Digital Communications Conference Call for Papers
* Call for Papers - CSVHFS 50th Anniversary Conference
* AMSAT at Scottsdale AZ and Radio Society of Tucson Hamfests
* Upcoming AMSAT Events
* Proposal Window for Scheduled US Contacts is Still Open
* SA AMSAT Gets New Name
* 40 Students Learn About Amateur Radio and Satellites
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-087.01
ANS-087 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 087.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
March 27, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-087.01
EO-79 transponder ACTIVE
On the 25th of March 2016, the EO-79 transponder was activated for a
prolonged period.
The FUNcube transponder subsystem on QB50p1 (EO-79) had been
provided by AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL and is a similar subsystem as on
FUNcube-1, but without the telemetry downlink circuitry.
The current software running on EO-79 does experience occasional
reboots. When these reboots happen, the transponder is automatically
turned off and will have to be turned back on by a command station.
The FUNcube team has selected a few command stations to do so, but be
advised the transponder may be off.
TLEs:
AMSAT keps name: EO-79
Celestrak keps Name: QB50P1
Celestrak file: cubesat.txt
NORAD # 40025
COSPAR designator 2014-033-R
Frequencies:
Uplink: 435.035-435.065 MHz LSB
Downlink: 145.935-145.965 MHz USB
EO-79 has been set to only beacon the normal AX.25 beacon every 30
seconds instead of 10 seconds. The beacon frequency is 145.815MHz and
consists of AX.25 frames on BPSK. more details about the downlink can
be found on the ISIS HAM page at http://isispace.nl/HAM/qb50p.html
Just like FUNcube-1, the crystal oscillator circuits exhibit drift
with temperature. This means manual tuning will probably work best.
Lastly, the commanding team availability will be limited over
Easter, so please report the transponder being on or off on the
status page of AMSAT: http://www.amsat.org/status/
It does not appear in the table, but it does in the reporting drop-
down.
[ANS thanks Wouter PA3WEG AMSAT-NL and AMSAT-UK for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Digital Communications Conference Call for Papers
Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual
ARRL/TAPR<http://www.tapr.org/> Digital Communications Conference
(DCC) http://www.tapr.org/dcc.html, to be held September 16-18 in St
Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be published in the Conference
Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have
their papers included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is
July 31, 2016.
The ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international
forum for technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new
ideas and techniques. Paper/presentation topic areas include -- but
are not limited to -- software defined radio (SDR), digital voice,
digital satellite communication, digital signal processing (DSP), HF
digital modes, adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for Amateur Radio, Global
Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS),
Linux in Amateur Radio, AX.25 updates and Internet operability with
Amateur Radio networks.
Submit papers to via e-mail<mailto:[email protected]> or via post to
Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers
will be published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain all
rights.
[ANS thanks Steve WBIMY for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Call for Papers - CSVHFS 50th Anniversary Conference
The Central States VHF Society is soliciting papers, presentations,
and Poster displays for the 50th Annual CSVHFS Conference to be held
in Rochester, Minnesota on 28 - 31 July, 2016. Papers,
presentations, and Posters on all aspects of weak-signal VHF and
above amateur radio are requested. You do not need to attend the
conference, nor present your paper, to have it published in the
Proceedings. Posters will be displayed during the two days of the
Conference.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
* Antennas, including Modeling/Design, Arrays, and Control
* Construction of equipment, such as Transmitters, Receivers, and
Transverters
* RF amplifiers (power amps), including Single-band and Multiband
Vacuum Tube and solidstate
* Pre-amplifiers (low noise)
* Propagation, including Ducting, Sporadic E, and Meteor Scatter, etc.
* Test Equipment, including Homebrew, Using, and making measurements
* Regulatory topics
* Operating, including Contesting, Roving, and DXpeditions
* EME
* Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
* Software-defined Radio (SDR)
* Digitial Modes, such as WSJT, JT65, etc.
Generally, topics not related to weak signal VHF, such as FM
Repeaters and packet radio, are not accepted for presentation or
publication. However, there are always exceptions.
Please contact either the Technical Program Chairman, or the
Proceedings Chairman, at the the e-mail addresses below.
DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONS:
For the Proceedings: SUNDAY, 22 MAY 2016
For Presentations to be delivered at the conference: TUESDAY, 5 JULY
2016 For Posters to be displayed at the conference: THURSDAY, 29
JULY 2016.
Further information is available at the CSVHFS web site
(www.csvhfs.org),
"The 2016 Conference,"
"Guidance for Proceedings Authors,"
"Guidance for Presenters,"
"Guidance for Table-top/Poster Displays."
CONTACTS:
(Note: (replace '(at)' with the @-sign to use the e-mail addresses)
Technical Program Chairman: Barry Malowanchuk, ve4ma (at) shaw.ca
Proceedings Chairman: Glen Overby, kc0iyt (at) arrl.net
[ANS thanks Donn Baker, WA2VOI for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT at Scottsdale AZ and Radio Society of Tucson Hamfests
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) staffed a table at the Scottsdale
Amateur Radio Club's "Springfest" hamfest, held in a church parking
lot Saturday, 19 March). This hamfest is one of the 3 major hamfests
for the Phoenix area in the non-summer season, and the good weather
helped to bring the crowds out. Lots of buyers and sellers, and lots
of interest in AMSAT and amateur satellites.
With the launches of AO-85 and the 9 Chinese amateur satellites in
the past 6 months, many hams are taking a closer look at this part of
the hobby. For some, the recent launches and projects currently in
the pipeline are bringing some back to the satellites. Along with
talking about satellites, many copies of AMSAT's "Getting Started
with Amateur Satellites" flew off my AMSAT table. Demonstrations 6am
(1300 UTC) and 11am (1800 UTC), had nice crowds.
Patrick reports "It was nice to have AO-85 available during the
morning, as SO-50 was not passing by during the morning. I also had 4
other satellites that were used for demonstrations - AO-73, XW-2A, XW-
2C, and XW-2F. The three XW-2 satellites were passing by in the first
couple of hours, and AO-73 and AO-85 came by later in the morning.
For all of these passes, I used my SDRplay SDR receiver for the
downlinks, connected to an 8-inch Windows10 tablet and HDSDR software
running on the tablet.
As I have seen at other recent events, using an SDR receiver makes
for more conversations - and not just in the context of working
satellites. With all of these satellites employing a 70cm uplink and
2m downlink, I didn't have to worry so much about the sunlight making
the tablet's LCD panel unreadable. Once I set my downlink frequency
on the tablet, and for AO-85 activate AFC in HDSDR to track the
downlink, I only had to worry about using the wheel on a Bluetooth
mouse for fine-tuning. Despite some QRM in the area of the hamfest
site, northeast of a nearby airport, the SDRplay did a decent job
hearing all of these downlinks. For AO-73 and AO-85, I was able to
play back the RF recordings I made with HDSDR later at home, so I
could upload telemetry to each satellite's telemetry server from
those passes. By the way, HDSDR's recordings do a much better job
picking up AO-73 telemetry than I ever saw when I used the FUNcube
Dashboard to directly receive the telemetry and then upload the data
to the FUNcube data warehouse server. Same thing for copying AO-85
telemetry - HDSDR's RF recordings do better for capturing the data
than I saw when using the FoxTelem software to directly control my
FUNcube Dongle Pro+."
For those who worked WD9EWK during those demonstrations, Patrick
thanks you! The demonstrations make a positive impression on this
part of the hobby for the crowds. His mockup of the AO-85 satellite -
a 4-inch cube of wood, with two whips representing the antennas
coming out of two sides, also helped to reinforce that small
satellites can do more than "beep" in orbit. AO-73 and AO-85, in
particular, are great examples of what we can do with small
satellites. Patrick's contacts from these demonstartions were
uploaded to his log to Logbook of the World. He will be happy to send
QSL cards to anyone who would like one for QSOs during the hamfest
(just e-mail Patrick with the QSO details - no need to send him a
card or self-addressed stamped envelope).
Patrick will have an AMSAT table at the Radio Society of Tucson's
annual hamfest on Saturday morning, 26 March 2016. The hamfest will
be at the Target store on Old Spanish Trail, near the intersection of
22nd Street and Harrison, in Tucson AZ. The hamfest is scheduled to
run from 6am to 11am (1300 to 1800 UTC). More information about the
hamfest is available at the club's web site at:
http://www.k7rst.org/
Afterwards he plans on making a long drive east to a point along I-
10 on the DM52xf/DM62af grid boundary, west of Deming in New Mexico.
He hopes to work a few passes from there in the mid- to late-
afternoon, and possibly into the evening. If he is not at the grid
boundary in time for FO-29 and/or AO-7 passes, he may stop to work
those passes wherever he might be - likely somewhere in grid DM52, in
either Arizona or New Mexico. He definitely plans on being at this
grid boundary in time for SO-50 passes starting just after 2200 UTC
Saturday afternoon. Weather and law enforcement permitting (this area
is near the USA/Mexico border), He may try to stick around into the
early evening before making the 300-mile/500km drive home from that
area.
While on the road, his location should be visible via APRS. There is
good APRS coverage in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New
Mexico. He will use WD9EWK-9 as his call sign for APRS, which should
show up online at (among other sites):
http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-9
He will use my @WD9EWK Twitter feed to post updates during the
afternoon and early. For those who don't use Twitter he can be
followed using a web browser:
http://twitter.com/WD9EWK
Contacts will be uploaded to his log to Logbook of the World, and
will ensure QSOs from the grid boundary carry both grids. If you
would like a QSL card for a QSO with WD9EWK, please e-mail Patrick
directly with the QSO details. If you're in the log, he will be happy
to mail you a card without you having to send him a QSL card or SASE.
[ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming AMSAT Events
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).
+ Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ
+ Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016, ARRL Nevada State
Convention in Las Vegas NV
+ Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in
Sierra Vista AZ
+ Saturday, 14 May 2016 – Matanuska Amateur Radio Association Hamfest
in Wasilla AK
+ Friday through Sunday, 20, 21, 22 May 2016 - AMSAT at Dayton
Hamvention. There will be the usual activities including a booth in
the Ball Arena, demonstrations from an area outside the Ball Arena,
and a forum on Saturday (21 May). We will also have a number of
both formal and informal social activities including the popular
get-together at Tickets Thursday evening, and the TAPR/AMSAT banquet
Friday night at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center.
+ Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal Window for Scheduled US Contacts is Still Open
Message to US Educators
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
Contact Opportunity
Call for Proposals
Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 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 January 1, 2017 and June 30,
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 April 15, 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 and educators
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 contact dates and times.
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.
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(a)arrl.org.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SA AMSAT Gets New Name
SA AMSAT has changed the SA in its name around and will now be
known as AMSAT SA. The amateur radio satellite group made the
decision to line up its name with the organisation's web address. It
was confusing having the name and web address different. It now also
follows the international trend of other AMSAT organisations. AMSAT
SA has also been registered as a non-profit company and is in the
process of applying for tax exemption status with SARS.
Membership conditions of the organisation remain the same. To get
more information visit the www.amsatsa.org.za or down load a free
copy of the March 2016 Ezine available from Monday 28 March 2016
[ANS thanks the South African Radio League (SARL) News for Sunday 27
March 2016 for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Students Learn About Amateur Radio and Satellites
On Wednesday last week 40 leaners from schools around Pretoria
attended a morning workshop about amateur radio and satellites. The
workshop was part of the Innovation Hub holiday programme during
which grade 10 and 11 leaners are exposed to various work and science
situations. AMSAT SA was invited to talk about space related
activities. The workshop was presented by Nico van Rensburg ZS6QL and
Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV. The workshop started with a talk
about amateur radio illustrated by short video clips. During
practical demonstrations the learners were shown how a transponder
works, how satellites orbit around the world and how antennas are
used to track satellites including using smartphone applications.
[ANS thanks the South African Radio League (SARL) News for Sunday 27
March 2016 for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between Booker T. Washington Senior
High, Miami, Florida, USA and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using
Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-03-14 15:48 UTC and lasted
about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via W4SVI.
ARISS Mentors were Steve W1HQL and Ryan W4NTR.
+ A Successful contact was made between Walter Jackson Elementary,
Decatur, Alabama, USA and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using
Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-03-18 13:53 UTC and lasted
about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via N8DEU.
ARISS Mentor was John K4SQC
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Hirano Junior High School, Kobe, Japan, direct via 8N370H
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN
Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-03-28 11:07:49 UTC 56 deg
National Soaring Museum, Elmira, New York, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-04-01 18:34:03 UTC
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above
information]
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
International Space Station Panoramic Tour
This 360° panorama allows you to explore the International Space
Station’s third module, Zvezda. Launched on 12 July 2000, the Russian
module supplies life support for the Station and crewquarters. All
five of Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicles docked with the module.
The images to create this view were taken by ESA astronaut Samantha
Cristoforetti during her Futura mission in 2015; the cosmonaut in the
picture is Gennady Padalka.
http://tinyurl.com/ANS087-Zvezda
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency 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, KC8YLD
kc8yld at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-080
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 Forum Speakers at Dayton
* Just-Launched ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio
Amateurs
* UK Student Balloon Crosses Pacific
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-080.01
ANS-080 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 080.01
From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD.
March 20, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-080.01
AMSAT Forum Speakers at Dayton
The AMSAT forum will be Saturday morning from 11:15 a.m. through 1:30 p.m.
in Forum Room 5. See the commercial vendor layout map in the Hamvention
program or the Hamvention website for the location of Forum Room 5 (same
as the last few years).
The following speakers will be presenting at the AMSAT Forum:
Moderator: Mark Hammond, N8MH
"AMSAT Status Report" Barry Baines, WD4ASW, AMSAT-NA President, will
highlight recent activities within AMSAT and discuss some of our
challenges, accomplishments, projects, and any late breaking news.
"AMSAT-NA Satellite Program" Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT-NA Engineering Vice
President, will review the upcoming launches of four Fox spacecraft and
exciting new engineering developments.
"AMSAT's HEO and GSO Plans" Bob McGwier, N4HY, AMSAT-NA Director, will
discuss AMSAT-NA opportunities for High Earth Orbit and Geo-Synchronous
Orbit satellites.
"AMSAT Satellite Operations" Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA Operations
Vice President, will survey the current operational amateur satellites, as
well as those planned for launch in the next year.
"ARISS Report 2016" Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President for Human
Spaceflight, will discuss ARISS developments & operation on the
International Space Station.
"Teaching STEM Using the Fox Satellites” Joe Spier, K6WAO, AMSAT-NA
Educational Relations Vice President, will explain how the Fox MEMS
gyroscopes, radiation experiments, and cameras will be used to teach
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
[ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Just-Launched ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio
Amateurs
The Expedition 47/48 crew increment of Astronaut Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, and
Cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, and Alexey Ovchinin, is on its way to the
International Space Station (ISS). Their Soyuz TMA-20M launched from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 18 at 2126 UTC. The trio now is
safely in orbit.
“During their 6-month mission, the expedition crew members will facilitate
approximately 250 research investigations and technology demonstrations not
possible on Earth,” NASA said. “Science conducted also will enable
future long-
duration human and robotic exploration into deep space and on the agency’s
journey to Mars.”
Williams, Skripochka, and Ovchinin will join Expedition 47 Commander Tim
Kopra,
KE5UDN, European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and
cosmonaut
Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP. Williams will take command of the station on
June 4
for Expedition 48. The three will return to Earth in early September.
This mission marks Williams’ fourth spaceflight and will be his third long-
duration stay on the orbiting laboratory — a first for an American. It’s
also
his first time back to the ISS since its completion in 2011. By the time his
duty tour ends in September, Williams will become the new American
record holder
for cumulative days in space — 534 — surpassing Expedition 46 Commander
Scott
Kelly, who wrapped up his 1-year mission on March 1.
[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
UK Student Balloon Crosses Pacific
On Thursday, March 17 the UBSEDS14 balloon, launched by University of
Bristol
students, had successfully crossed the Pacific and was above Arizona, having
traveled over 24,500 km since launch. By March 19 the balloon had
crossed the
United States and was headed out across the Atlantic Ocean.
The University of Bristol Students for the Exploration and Development
of Space
(UBSEDS) launched their balloon on Monday, March 8. Powered by a single AA
Lithium Energiser Battery (LR91) the balloon has been transmitting about
5dBm of
Contestia 16/1000 on 434.600 MHz USB at 4 minute intervals as well as APRS
during its flight at an altitude of about 11,000m.
The balloon uses the error-correcting Contestia 16/1000 mode on 434.6MHz
USB.
The transmission power on this band was measured to be +5dBm on a
similar board,
which is well below the +10dBm limit for ISM band operation. Each packet was
preceded by 10 seconds of 1Hz pips for manual alignment and a RSID tone for
automatic alignment with suitable software (dl-fldigi for example). For many
countries the balloon transmits APRS packets on local frequencies. In
particular
this is 144.8MHz in Europe, 144.66MHz in Japan and 144.39MHz in North
America.
The balloon has a diameter of 1.5m and the payload weighs just 21.3 grams.
Despite the weight constraints the team have managed to employ sophisticated
Geofencing technology to prevent the balloon transmitting when over certain
countries and also to select different APRS frequencies depending on the
territory being overflown.
UBSEDS14 information is available at
http://www.bristol-seds.co.uk/hab/flight/2016/03/07/ubseds14.html
UBSEDS14 balloon launch
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/march/ubseds14_balloon_launches_today…
One of the students involved in the project is Richard Meadows M0SBU. He
took
the amateur radio courses run by the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society
(CARS) at
Danbury in Essex. Further information on the courses is available from
the CARS
Training Manager
Email: training2016 at g0mwt.org.uk
Web: http://g0mwt.org.uk/training
[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,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org
1
0
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-073
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 Celebrates School Contact #1000!
* AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at the Dayton Hamvention
* Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D Waiting for delivery to Spaceflight Industries
* The CBS "This Morning" show reportsa on STMSat-1
* Supporting Disaster Communications from Space
* Proposal Window for Scheduled US Contacts is Open
* Application Window Open for ARISS Europe Region
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-073.01
ANS-073 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 073.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
March 13, 2016
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-073.01
ARISS Celebrates School Contact #1000!
March 10, 2016: Today the Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station team (ARISS team) proudly celebrated its 1000th school radio
contact!
The very first ARISS contact took place in 2000, and Astronaut Tim
Kopra, amateur call sign KE5UDN, on the International Space Station
(ISS) did the honors for today’s 1000th link-up to the University of
North Dakota. Kopra spoke in real time to excited scholars in Grand
Forks at the event organized by the North Dakota Space Grant
Consortium (NDSGC). An additional program milestone—this was the
first amateur radio contact with the ISS that has been hosted in
North Dakota.
During the 10-minute ARISS contact Astronaut Kopra answered
questions formulated by 20 different pupils in kindergarten all the
way up to graduate school. A member of the winning 10th grade team
from the Space Grant’s high altitude balloon competition last fall
was awarded one of the slots to interview Kopra.
An ARISS event is more than the amateur radio contact, and in this
case the NDSGC team that included college student volunteers made
multiple visits to pupils in the second through fifth grades at
Emerado Elementary (Emerado, ND); Highland Elementary (Crookston,
MN); Century Elementary (Grafton, ND); Century Elementary (Grand
Forks, ND); and Discover Elementary (Grand Forks, ND). The university
teams led the young students in hands-on activities and learning
about aerospace, priming the youth for the interview with Kopra. The
students, many from smaller rural communities, built and launched
rockets, crafted and tested parachutes similar to those on NASA’s
Orion capsule, and designed and tested neutral buoyant objects.
Students in today’s audience for the 1000th contact numbered 500. TV
and newspaper reporters captured the action; the university media
team filmed it, and live-streaming was handled by John Spasojevich,
amateur radio call sign AG9D.
One student asked Tim, “What advice would you give to students, such
as myself, who wish to work for NASA one day?” Tim advised: “Study
very hard and work hard in school because if you do well in school
you'll learn a lot and it's like money in the bank for you and your
future career.” A UND staff member said, “Experiential learning has
proven to be the most effective method of knowledge retention, so
this [ARISS] experience would grant them [students] the skills
necessary to be successful individuals in their future careers. The
problem-solving, creativity, and perseverance required by radio
communications are cross-disciplinary skills that students can
utilize as they enter STEM fields and careers, enhancing the NASA-
relevant workforce of North Dakota.”
Frank Bauer, International Chairman for ARISS congratulated the
ARISS team on this noteworthy accomplishment:
“With the outstanding support of NASA and the International Space
Agencies participating in ISS, the ISS on-orbit crew members
encompassing all 48 expeditions and the hundreds of ARISS volunteers
world-wide, the ARISS team has reached a tremendous milestone: 1000
ARISS contacts between schools on the ground and the ISS crews on-
orbit. Since our first contact in December 2000 to today’s contact in
North Dakota, hundreds of thousands of students have participated in
hands-on STEM learning that ARISS affords and many millions from the
general public have witnessed Human Spaceflight in action through an
ARISS contact. My congratulations to the ARISS international team and
our ARISS stakeholders and sponsors on this phenomenal
accomplishment!”
The NASA ISS Program Office produced several videos to celebrate the
achievement of ARISS contact #1000, and the first three are online at:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTOiiBd2dCo&feature=em-uploademail
ARISS: 1,000 Calls and Counting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwtLkTpgNMM&feature=em-uploademail
ARISS: Talking to Astronauts
https://youtu.be/Z-yHD9lVbH8
ARISS telebridge station W6SRJ operators Tim Bosma, W6MU, and Don
Dalby, KE6UAY, in Santa Rosa, California, skillfully supported the
North Dakota ham radio linkup as the ISS passed overhead, relaying
astronaut Tim Kopra’s radio signal to the students. Charlie Sufana,
AJ9N, the ARISS Mentor from the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT) and the lead operator for ARISS Contact #1, guided the UND
Dakota Student Amateur Radio Association and the FORX Amateur Radio
Club in all aspects of the ARISS contact.
Congratulations go to the entire ARISS team on its #1000 successful
amateur radio contact with ISS astronauts and cosmonauts!
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 the
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.
Join us on Facebook: Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS)
Follow us on Twitter: ARISS_status
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at the Dayton Hamvention
The tenth annual joint AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held on Friday
evening, May 20th. This dinner is one of the main AMSAT activities
during the Hamvention. Tickets ($35 each) may be purchased from the
AMSAT store at www.amsat.org. The banquet ticket purchase deadline
is Tuesday, May 17th.
The Banquet will take place at the Kohler Presidential Banquet
Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH 45429 (just south of
Dayton). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a cash bar with the buffet
dinner served at 7:00 p.m.
AMSAT and TAPR alternate the task of providing a speaker for the
banquet. It is AMSAT¹s responsibility this year.
Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, will present "It¹s just software, right?"
She will survey the AMSAT Ground Terminal: Who, what, when, where,
why, and how we¹re designing open source radio solutions for the next
generation of AMSAT payloads.
Michelle is AMSAT¹s Team Leader for the design and execution of the
AMSAT Ground Terminal. The goal is to create a ³5 and Dime² (5 and
10 GHz) digital SDR transceiver that will support both voice and data
modes, for both general QSOs and emergency communication, for the
Phase 4B satellite and for future AMSAT projects. This is an effort
to design an inexpensive ground terminal for amateurs that would cost
tens of thousands of dollars commercially, for as much under $1,000
as we can get it.
A true renaissance woman, in addition to being an engineer and a
licensed amateur radio operator, Michelle has worked for Qualcomm,
attends Burning Man, and is a longtime DEFCON participant. She is
also the lead for Organ Donor (an AI pipe organ). Her Phase 4B Weekly
Ground Engineering Reports are fascinating reading.
Seating is limited to the number of meals we reserve with the Kohler
caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. Tickets
purchased online may be collected at the Books, Shirts & Memberships
corner of the AMSAT booth (445-446).
[ANS thanks Steve N9IP and the AMSAT Office for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D Waiting for delivery to Spaceflight Industries
Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D successfully finished environmental testing on
February 8 and are now ready and waiting for delivery to Spaceflight
Industries for integration into their Sherpa payload dispenser which
will be making its maiden flight. Launch is on target to occur in
in the first half of 2016 on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
The CubeSats will be kept in a clean condition sealed in anti-static
bags, opened occasionally to charge the batteries so that they are
fully topped off for delivery.
Launched into a sun synchronous orbit, Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will
both carry an FM repeater as Fox-1A (AO-85) has, as well as a camera
experiment built by students at Virginia Tech which will take images
of Earth for downlink in the high speed Data Mode. Fox-1Cliff will
also contain a radiation experiment from Vanderbilt University ISDE
like that in AO-85, and Fox-1D will host the University of Iowa HERCI
(High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) experiment to map the Van
Allen radiation belts.
With Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D completed, the Fox Engineering Team is
focusing on RadFxSat/Fox-1B which is currently set to launch in
January, 2017.
[ANS thanks Jerry N0JY for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The CBS "This Morning" show reports on STMSat-1
The CBS This Morning show reports on an amateur radio SSTV satellite
built by elementary students which is to be deployed in space in the
coming days
Astronauts on the International Space Station have conducted
hundreds of experiments and launched many satellites, but now they
are set to deploy a satellite that elementary age students at a
school in Virginia built. Their satellite hitched a ride on a NASA
rocket late last year, and it will be released into space in the next
few days. Mark Albert reports.
Watch the CBS report at
http://tinyurl.com/ANS073-STMSat-on-CBS
For the latest deployment date check the STMSat-1 Twitter account
https://twitter.com/STMSAT11
Deployment Update
In a tweet from STMSAT-1 on Saturday:
"Looks like I will be a houseguest just a bit longer. With 4
launches in the next 20 days. astronauts are quite busy! Try again. 3
weeks."
[ANS thanks CBS and Southgate ARN for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Supporting Disaster Communications from Space
Conventional lines of communication can be impacted after a
disaster. This we know. Phone lines can go down, cell service can be
overrun with calls, texts, and emails and it can be difficult for
survivors as well as first responders to get in touch. This isn’t a
far-fetched scenario or intellectual exercise. It’s a reality we’ve
seen happen over and over during disasters small and large.
Enter Amateur Radio—or what those involved in the hobby refer to as
"ham radio."
Amateur radio enthusiasts—or “hams” as they’re often called—often
step in during emergencies to help bridge communication gaps between
first responders to keep people safe when smartphones, cell towers,
and internet technologies we rely on every day go down. Volunteer
hams also serve as a valuable source of information during the
initial states of an emergency. Often, hams provide this public
service in association with volunteer groups like Community Emergency
Response Teams, who are always ready to spring into action quickly
and effectively.1
We owe it to these volunteers to do everything we can to support
their work to help communities bounce back when disaster strikes.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the American Radio Relay League and
researchers from Virginia Tech’s Ted and Karyn Hume Center for
National Security and Technology in Blacksburg, Virginia—one of the
leaders in amateur radio technology—to develop a new communications
satellite that will help amateur radio operators transmit radio
signals across the United States 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
After all, disasters can happen any place and any time.
With this new satellite, scheduled to launch in 2017, Hams involved
in supporting disaster communications will have a more reliable
connection and a new level of capability in their communications.2
Right now, radio signals used by amateurs must often be bounced off
the ionosphere to accommodate communication over long distances.
Unfortunately, this type of radio propagation isn’t reliable because
signal reach and quality can be impacted or even halted by space
weather events like solar flares and geomagnetic storms.2 This
satellite is unique because it will provide another layer of support
for emergency services by providing a dedicated communications hub
for hams orbiting above the U.S. in geosynchronous orbit every day.
It will help emergency managers deployed to disasters support long-
term communications for first responders on the ground—and become
another invaluable tool at their disposal.2
Amateur radio operators have come to the rescue on more than one
occasion—like during Hurricane Sandy—when landlines and cell phones
were left out of commission throughout New York and New Jersey.
Hams also made a difference in 2013, when Colorado was hit with
historic flooding. As floodwaters ravaged areas across the state,
they threatened a wastewater plant that served over 80,000 people.
Volunteers from the Amateur Radio Emergency Service—the American
Radio Relay League’s disaster communications arm—leapt into action,
creating a network to monitor the situation and collect data. As a
result, they were able to take remote control of the facility and
helped prevent any wastewater from spilling out with the floods.3
This new partnership with hams will help make our communities more
resilient, and we look forward to a successful launch.
FEMA Editor’s Note: Jessica Stapf contributed research to this post.
Sources:
Amateur Radio Relay League Page: Amateur Radio Emergency Communication
http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-emergency-communication
Virginia Tech Press Release: "First amateur radio in geosynchronous
orbit will aid disaster communications."
http://tinyurl.com/ANS073-VTGeo
Case Study: Amateur Radio Volunteers Protect Community Water Supply
http://tinyurl.com/ANS073-CaseStudy
[ANS thanks Rafael Lemaitre and FEMA for the above information]
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Proposal Window for Scheduled US Contacts is Open
Message to US Educators
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
Contact Opportunity
Call for Proposals
Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 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 January 1, 2017 and June 30,
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 April 15, 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 and educators
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 contact dates and times.
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.
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(a)arrl.org.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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Application Window Open for ARISS Europe Region
Schools and Youth organizations in the ARISS-Europe Region (Europe,
Africa and Middle East) interested in setting up an ARISS radio
contact with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station are
invited to submit an application and an educational project. The
application submission window will be open February 1 to April 30,
2016, for space conversations that will tentatively be scheduled in
the period extending from February to June 2017.
Please see http://www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts for details and
an application.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc,
Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI
using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2016-03-08 08:22 UTC and
lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via OK2KYJ.
ARISS Mentor was Armand SP3QFE. This was the 998th ARISS contact.
+ A Successful contact was made between Atlanta Science Festival,
Atlanta, Georgia and Astronaut Tim Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign
NA1SS. The contact began 2016-03-08 16:11 UTC and lasted about nine
and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge] via K6DUE.
ARISS Mentor was John K4SQC. This was the 999th ARISS contact.
+ A Successful contact was made between North Dakota Space Grant
Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA and Astronaut Tim
Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-03-10
19:07:08 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was
telebridge via W6SRJ.
ARISS Mentor was Charlie AJ9N. This was the 1000th ARISS contact.
Editor's Note:
Last week the Mentors for the successful ARISS contacts were
misreported. AA8EM assumes full responsibility for the error. Below
are the correct mentors for contacts #995, #996 and #997.
The mentor for contact #995 on 2/29/2016 between Tim Kopra KE5UDN
and Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, was
Peter IN3GHZ.
The Mentor for contact #996 on 3/1/2016 between Tim Kopra KE5UDN and
National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New
York, was Dave AA4KN.
The mentor for contact #997 on 3/5/2016 between Timothy Peake KG5BVI
and Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK was Ciaran MØXTD.
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Booker T. Washington Senior High, Miami, Florida, direct via W4SVI
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-03-14 15:48:48 UTC
Walter Jackson Elementary, Decatur, Alabama, direct via N8DEU
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN
Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-17 14:46:07 UTC
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above
information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Patrick Stoodard WD9EWK will be part of the booth for the
University of Arizona's radio club (K7UAZ) for this weekend's
ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in
Tucson AZ. This is a two-day event, on Saturday and Sunday (12 and
13 March 2016). The event will be open from 9.30am to 5.30pm (1630
to 0030 UTC) each day. More information about the ScienceCity event
is available at:
http://sciencecity.arizona.edu/
[ANS thanks Patrick WD6EWK for the above information]
+ Space Station 360: Zarya
Explore the Space Station’s first module with your mobile phone or
virtual-reality headset.
http://tinyurl.com/ANS073-SpaceStationTour
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency 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 (Former KC8YLD)
kc8yld at amsat dot org
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