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ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 25 Feb '23

25 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-057 In this edition: * Space Station Contact With Students In Malta * AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers * Australian Hams Plan Commemorative Event * Crew-6 Launch Slips * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS Proposal Window Now Open * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 26 Space Station Contact With Students In Malta An ARISS contact between students at Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, callsign 9H1MRL and the International Space Station (ISS) took place successfully at 12:34 GMT on Wednesday, February 15. It was the first ever ARISS contact from the European island nation of Malta. The ISS crew member, astronaut Josh Cassada, KI5CRH, used the ISS callsign OR4ISS on the downlink frequency of 145.800 MHz. The ARISS team Malta made use of the callsign 9H1MRL, the club call of the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL). The signal was receivable in the British Isles and across Europe. The contact was conducted by five local radio amateurs; Dominic Azzopardi, 9H1M, Manuel Grech, 9H1GW, Andrew Vella, 9H2AV, Trevor Sammut, 9H5TS and Anthony Scicluna, 9H2AS. The station was set up in the school’s auditorium with a 10 element crossed Yagi and rotator on the roof. Stella Maris College is part of a network (La Salle Malta) of Lasallian Colleges that include De La Salle College and the Mellieha Retreat Centre. The schools take their inspiration from their founder, John Baptist de la Salle. In the Christian faith, John De La Salle is venerated as the Patron Saint of Teachers. La Salle Malta was founded as a single school in 1903 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and is now the La Salle Malta’s Lasallian Colleges, run by the Malta Trust of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Stella Maris College hosted this ARISS contact for participating students in grades 5 through 10 (ages 9-15 years). Stella Maris College has partnered with members of the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL) (9H1MRL) who provided support during the ARISS contact. Members of MARL have also made presentations to students about amateur radio, and demonstrated satellite tracking and talking to other hams through amateur radio satellites. As a member of MARL, Stella Maris College has previously operated their own amateur radio station. Members of other organizations that are also part of educational activities surrounding this ARISS contact include; the University of Malta, the Malta College for Science and Technology, Malta Council for Science and Technology and Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology. Basically, a Lasallian School has the following characteristics: A) respect for each student as a unique person. B) A strong spirit of Community. C) A school of Quality. D) A school that embraces everyone. E) Shows special preference for persons who are considered poor financially, morally, physically, psychologically. Mission statement: Our school is a place where everyone strives to create and nurture a holistic, inclusive and well-ordered learning climate thereby ensuring a high-quality, values-based academic preparation. The school has an astronomical observatory and electronics forms part of the school curriculum. The whole event was streamed live, and archived on YouTube at the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk-Onkbr6PY&t=15s [ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers + RF Engineer AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience to join its FOX-PLUS team. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to ten electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to design and build the RF communications subsystems for a series of low earth orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. You should have a working knowledge of analog and digital communications protocols (e.g., FM, PSK, FSK) to provide digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. Development opportunities can begin with modification of previous FOX designs and/or by starting with a blank sheet for an original design. + Mechanical Engineers AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX and GOLF CubeSat teams. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to use your structural design and analysis skills in the development of a series of low earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. Your contribution may include a) the development of the spaceframe and deployable solar panel subsystem, b) the analysis of the thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and the design of the thermal management system, c) preparation and oversight of the environmental testing procedure, and/or d) management of documentation of the CubeSats adherence to the launch provider's and space vehicle owner's specifications. Our volunteers typically spend five hours per week on their project and attend a weekly online update meeting. An Amateur Radio license and CubeSat experience is helpful but not necessary. U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency is required. Interested persons should send an email with their resume/curriculum vitae to: volunteer(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP, Engineering for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Australian Hams Plan Commemorative Event A group of amateurs, including Dan Sutton, VK6NAD, Michael Tutt, VK6TU, and others, will activate the special event call sign of VI6CRO (to be confirmed) in recognition of the NASA Carnarvon and Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) Carnarvon historic location. The activation will occur from April 17 ending April 23 to coincide with the massive surge of visitors as a result of the April 20 Eclipse event in the area. The Station will be set up in the middle of the historic OTC buildings between the Casgrain Horn used during Apollo 11 and the large 30m Dish. The station will have FM satellite capability and intends to organize contacts with Australian and Indonesian amateurs, hopefully via the ISS repeater and AO91 if they are operating at that time. Also near the station site is the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum. Buzz Aldrin opened the museum in June, 2012, so the NASA connection will resonate through the event at which many hundreds of visitors are expected to attend daily. [ANS thanks Dan Sutton, VK6NAD, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crew-6 Launch Slips NASA has delayed the launch of a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station by a day to give SpaceX additional time to complete work on the vehicle. The crew will include three licensed amateur radio operators for a six-month stay on the ISS. At a briefing after a flight readiness review for the Crew-6 mission Feb. 21, NASA announced it has rescheduled the launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to Feb. 27 at 1:45 a.m. Eastern. The Falcon 9 launch of the spacecraft had been planned for Feb. 26. The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission. If the launch slips again, there is another launch opportunity Feb. 28 at 1:22 a.m. Eastern, followed by three opportunities March 2 through 4. [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 23 February Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellite has decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Oculus-ASR NORAD Cat ID 44348 (decayed from orbit on 02/21/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Proposal Window Now Open A scheduled ARISS contact is a voice-only communication via Amateur Radio between the International Space Station (ISS) crew and classrooms and communities. These scheduled contact opportunities are offered to formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together. Proposals from schools and organizations in the U.S. are accepted during two proposal windows each year – one in the fall and one in the spring. Proposals are not accepted outside of the scheduled proposal windows. The Spring 2023 proposal window opens February 20, 2023 for contacts to be scheduled from January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024. This proposal is due to ARISS by March 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. A Proposal Guide is offered to help you plan and identify the resources you will need to host an ARISS scheduled contact. After reading the Guide and developing your plan, you can complete the ARISS Proposal Form and submit it during the proposal window. Download the current version of the Proposal Guide (Spring 2023) at https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-09-18-ARISS-Proposal-… U.S. schools and educational organizations may download the ARISS Proposal Form to submit a proposal to host an ARISS contact at https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ARISS-Proposal-2023-01-04.… A Proposal Webinar is being offered to answer questions about the program and proposal on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 8:00 pm ET. Visit https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2023.eventbrite.com to register. A recording of the Proposal Webinar can be located on our ARISS YouTube channel at any time: https://youtu.be/xOYrpeqLzfY Those with questions regarding the proposal process, please send an email to: ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. COMPLETED: Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Koichi Wakata KI5TMN. Contact was successful: Thursday, 2023-02-23 09:32:56 UTC with 60 degrees maximum elevation. Congratulations to the Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo” students and Koichi! UPCOMING: Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd, Moka, Mauritius, direct via 3B8ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. Contact has been postponed per school request. It is unknown at this time when it will be rescheduled. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Congratulations to Ian Parsons, K5ZM, who has recently been appointed manager of the "Upcoming Satellite Operations" page of the AMSAT website https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ Thanks, Ian, for volunteering your time to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! We also thank Paul Overn, KE0PBR, who has recently given up this task after several years of doing a great job tracking grid rovers rovers, both on the AMSAT page and on Twitter. + No roves are currently scheduled. Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023. Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/ [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Ready for Round Two of QRPp #EME fun? Bernd Wilde, DL7APV, will look for small 70cm stations starting 23 Feb. Weeks ago. Max Romensky, M0SKN, US6IKN, SA5IKN, and EI6KCI, demonstrated that even 3 element Yagi and 40W can work the EME big guns of various calibre, not just Bernd. More information at https://hb9q.ch/2018/?page_id=37 (ANS thanks Max Romensky, M0SKN,for the above information) + Last week, the EU Parliament funded the development of a new communications constellation, the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection & Security by Satellites (IRIS2 or sometimes IRISS), which will operate alongside its existing Galileo (GNSS), EGNOS (GNSS overlay), and Copernicus (EO) constellations. The new constellation will consist of up to 170 satellites deployed to LEO, MEO, and GEO and will integrate with existing communications assets. This will be in addition to commercial ventures by Starlink (12,000+ sats), OneWeb (648 sats), and Rivada (300 sats), as well as the Chinese state-owned mega-constellation plan for just under 13,000 satellites in LEO. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and SpaceNews for the above information) + Recent updates have been made to the Greencube Terminal program by OZ9AAR. The program interfaces with the UZ7HO Soundmodem, and optionally with N3FJP's ACLog software. Information and free download available at: https://www.moonbounce.dk/hamradio/greencube-terminal-program.html (ANS thanks Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR, for the above information) + New features have also been added to the satellite rover tracking site at https://hams.at/ (ANS thanks Rockwell Schrock, WW1X, for the above information) + Hackaday has published an entertaining YouTube video, "Searching for Space Pirates on Old Military Satellites." The video explains how U.S. Fleet SATCOM UHF transponders, still in space from the 1970s, are being used illegally, often for criminal purposes. It also describes using a simple RTL receiver to listen in on these pirate transmissions. The video is available at https://hackaday.com/2023/02/24/hunting-for-space-pirates/ (ANS thanks Hackaday for the above information) + NASA is seeking ham volunteers to gather data during upcoming solar eclipses on October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024. For details, see https://go.nasa.gov/3IQrFiz (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 18 Feb '23

18 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-050 In this edition: * IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting * AMSAT IT Tackles TLE Problem * VK5QI Wins FS3 Award * SpaceX Dragon Will Carry More Hams to ISS * Balloon Experimenters Worry About Reactions * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 19 IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting The 56th meeting of the Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was held via Zoom on January 16, with President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, presiding. The council received reports from the officers of each of the three regions. The meeting's focus was on the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) later this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The IARU effort for WRC-23 is being led by IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR. Here is a summary of the meeting submitted by IARU Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN: "Of particular interest to the amateur radio and amateur satellite services for WRC-23 is agenda item 9.1b concerning the amateur allocation in the 23 - centimeter band at 1240-1300 MHz. The Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS) is seeking protection from secondary users in addition to an expanded allocation. Preparatory work for this item is being conducted within the ITU's Working Party 5A. IARU's global WRC-23 9.1b team, led by Barry Lewis, G4SJH, has been consulting with the amateur community, resulting in a contribution to the draft guidance recommendation in support of coexistence with RNSS. Details on this work can be found at www.iaru.org. The council reviewed a comprehensive written report from IARU [Electromagnetic Compatibility] Coordinator Dr. Martin Sach, G8KDF, on his work with the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR). CISPR was formed in 1934 to set standards for controlling electromagnetic interference in electrical and electronic devices. CISPR's specific areas include radio interference measurements and statical methods, and limits for the protection of radio frequencies. An ongoing strategic planning review of the current IARU structure is being conducted within several Working Groups (WGs). The Administrative Council received reports from the Futures WG Steering Committee, Relationship WG, Governance WG, and the Legal WG. This work is scheduled for completion no later than July to allow discussion at the Region 1 [General] Conference in Serbia in October, with additional opportunities provided to the other two regions. Region 1 has received several inquiries regarding the status of [John Devoldere's,] ON4UN, and [Mark Demeuleneere's,] ON4WW, book, Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur and is considering how this document [can] be updated. The Summary Record from this meeting, in addition to previous meetings, is available at www.iaru.org/reference/ac-summary-records/." The next virtual meeting of the Administrative Council is scheduled for March 20, and an in-person meeting is scheduled for June 25 at the conclusion of Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The members of the IARU Administrative Council are the President, Vice President, Secretary, and two members from each of the regional organizations. Members participating in this meeting were IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA; Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR; Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN; IARUI Region 1; George Gorsline, VE3YV, President, and Rod Stafford, W6ROD,Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, President, and Mats Espling, SM6EAN, Secretary, IARU Region 2; George Gorsline, VE3YV, President, and Rod Stafford, W6ROD, Secretary, and Region 3; Chairman Ken Yamamoto, JA1CJP, and Director Yudi Hasbi, YD1PRY. Assistant Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, also participated. Founded in 1925, IARU is the worldwide voice of radio amateurs who secure and safeguard the amateur radio spectrum. ARRL serves as the International Secretariat of IARU. [ANS thanks The ARRL Letter for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT IT Tackles TLE Problem AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files. The team determined that AMSAT's processing is not robust in the face of minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF's 18th Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not always include the leading zero in AO-7's object number "07530". The official report from the team's leader: "My grandma would say that AMSAT's software is just a little too persnickety." A member of the tiger team agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1. Meanwhile, manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT Team, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VK5QI Wins FS3 Award The Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS) announced, on January 19, a special Award for the last formal (AMSAT Leaderboard/Satnogs) reported signals from FalconSat3. An MO-112 postal first day cover was to be sent to the winner with the certificate. On Janary 28, Mark Jessop, VK5QI, was declared to be the winner for the MARS FS3 Award. The certificate and MO-112 first day cover were sent last week in an envelope with MO-112 stamps. Congratulations! FS3 was a great adventure for many of us, thanks again to Mark (N8MH) for his dedication to keep the bird alive for so many years. [ANS thanks Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, MARS President, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX Dragon Will Carry More Hams to ISS NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 07:07 UTC, Sunday, Feb. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 07:54 UTC Monday, Feb. 27. The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission. This is the sixth crew rotation mission with astronauts using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. This Dragon is named Endeavour. NASA TV launch coverage begins on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 03:30 UTC (10:30 p.m. EST) [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Balloon Experimenters Worry About Reactions Balloon hobbyists are also worried that the small balloons they launch into the sky could be shot down or that the focus on balloons could lead to tight restrictions on their little-known hobby. Speculation has grown about whether one of the unidentified objects taken down by a U.S. F-22 on Feb. 11 over Canada’s Yukon Territory was a small party-style balloon launched by a hobby group whose name is a whimsical reference to the children’s film “Up.” The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade recently said one of its balloons went “missing in action” on Feb. 11, near an island off the coast of Alaska. People launch balloons for radio experiments, or as part of projects to learn more about technology, balloons, and the sky — as well as for fun, according to Dave Akerman, a member of the U.K. High Altitude Society who has launched nearly 100 larger latex balloons. Now enthusiasts are concerned “there will be a knee-jerk reaction to what’s happened,” he said in an interview. He said he hoped that authorities and hobbyists could coordinate on reasonable guidelines or rules if needed. “It’s also in the interests of authorities not to be shooting down party balloons with missiles.” [ANS thanks The Washington Post for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 19 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: CP-7 DAVE NORAD Cat ID 43615 (decayed from orbit on 02/12/23 per Space-Track). NO-104 (PSAT-2) NORAD Cat ID 44354 (decayed from orbit on 02/15/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Completed: Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, direct via 9H1MRL. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful: Wed 2023-02-15 12:48:01 UTC 60 degrees elevation. Congratulations to the Stella Maris College students and Josh for the first Malta contact! Upcoming: Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Thu 2023-02-23 09:32:56 UTC 60 degrees. Watch for Livestream at https://bit.ly/3I2xaKg The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations From Richard, VA3VGR: Tentative plan, will depend on the roads and weather of course. All times UTC. 19 Feb – FN58 FO-29 18:41 145.950 Tx FO-118 19:03 145.810 Tx PO-101 19:17 CAS-3H 20:02 FO-29 20:23 145.950 Tx 19 Feb – FN57 RS-44 21:04 145.950 Tx CAS-3H 21:34 FO-29 22:09 145.950 Tx 19 Feb – FN47 RS-44 22:53 145.950 Tx JO-97 23:43 145.860 Rx CAS-4B 00:05 145.925 Rx CAS-4A 00:35 145.870 Rx RS-44 00:47 145.950 Tx 20 Feb – FN38 RS-44 08:41 145.950 Tx (maybe – is there interest?) FO-29 09:11 145.950 Tx 20 Feb – FN48 XW-2C 10:25 145.800 Rx RS-44 10:34 145.950 Tx FO-29 10:56 145.950 Tx AO-91 12:06 AO-91 13:39 SO-50 14:01 JO-97 14:25 145.860 Rx Also possible only if there is interest out west: RS-44 12:28 145.950 Tx FO-29 12:42 145.950 Tx [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The Pehuensat-1 or PO-63, the hamradio payload made by Universidad del Comahue, Argentina that was attached to the structure of an Indian PSLV rocket, re-entered Earth atmosphere on January 16, 2023 according to Space_Track. (ANS thanks Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ, for the above information) + As reported above, NO-104 (PSAT-2) decayed from orbit on 02/15/23. The Technical University of Brno in Brno, Czech Republic wishes to thank again Bob Bruninga WB4APR(SK) who allowed us to build the PSK transponder and to add the SSTV camera to the project undertaken by the U.S. Naval Academy. "We had lot of fun during experiments! Both transponder and camera operated flawlessly till the battery deterioration. Hopefully some future satelite builder will be interested in those space tested blocks." (ANS thanks Tomáš Urbanec, OK2PNQ, of Technical University of Brno, for the above information. + A new Indian rocket successfully delivered three satellites to orbit on Thursday, Feb. 9, including Janus-1, which was built by the Indian-American company Antaris, is a technology-demonstrating "smart satellite," according to the ISRO mission description. Like its predecessor, AzaadiSAT-2 was built by hundreds of female students from across India. AzaadiSAT-2 "aims to demonstrate LoRa and amateur radio communication capabilities, measure radiation levels in space and demonstrate expandable satellite structure, etc," ISRO officials wrote. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + Even as Russia’s Progress MS-22 arrived at the ISS, the uncrewed Progress MS-21 cargo craft lost pressure—this vehicle isn’t used for crew return and will be disposed of in a fiery reentry anyway, but it doesn’t increase confidence in aging ISS and Russian hardware—meanwhile, Russia is planning to launch a replacement for their other failing ISS vehicle, Soyuz MS-22, on Sunday, Feb. 19. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + As SpaceX tests a vehicle that will be capable of 100 tons to LEO (and, eventually, as much as 150 t), and continues a record-setting Falcon launch (and pad turnaround) cadence, the industry is talking about “bloodletting” and how other launch companies can’t compete with the $275,000 that SpaceX charges to take a 50 kg smallsat to Sun-Synchronoous Orbit (SSO) on a Transporter mission. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-043 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for February 12, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 11 Feb '23

11 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-043 In this edition: * AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers * NASA Announces Winners of 2022 Annual Space Apps Challenge * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 9, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-043 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 12 AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers + RF Engineer AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience to join its FOX-PLUS team. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to ten electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to design and build the RF communications subsystems for a series of low earth orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. You should have a working knowledge of analog and digital communications protocols (e.g., FM, PSK, FSK) to provide digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. Development opportunities can begin with modification of previous FOX designs and/or by starting with a blank sheet for an original design. + Mechanical Engineers AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX and GOLF CubeSat teams. You'll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to use your structural design and analysis skills in the development of a series of low earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT's educational and engineering objectives. Your contribution may include a) the development of the spaceframe and deployable solar panel subsystem, b) the analysis of the thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and the design of the thermal management system, c) preparation and oversight of the environmental testing procedure, and/or d) management of documentation of the CubeSats adherence to the launch provider's and space vehicle owner's specifications. Our volunteers typically spend five hours per week on their project and attend a weekly online update meeting. An Amateur Radio license and CubeSat experience is helpful but not necessary. U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency is required. Interested persons should send an email with their resume/curriculum vitae to: volunteer(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP, Engineering for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NASA Announces Winners of 2022 Annual Space Apps Challenge The 2022 Annual Space Apps Challenge which was held October 1 and 2, 2022, brought together a host of participants from different locations, cultures, backgrounds, interests, and skill levels. The theme for the 2022 challenge – Make Space – perfectly describes the primary goals of the event: creating innovative solutions to space-related problems, while also making space for people around the world to participate and engage in a collaborative scientific effort. “NASA’s Space Apps Challenge really puts students around the world to the test, helping to solve some of our time’s toughest problems,” said Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator. “I’m proud of all those who participated and challenged themselves to think creatively. Their remarkable ingenuity is proof that the Artemis Generation will help lead us into the future.” The challenge underscores the importance and value of NASA’s Open-Source Science Initiative that creates more advanced and inclusive research faster, builds a more just and equitable world, and provides access so that great minds from all walks of life can participate in science. The 10 global winning teams proposed solutions using tools, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, 3D globes and maps, web applications, interactive games, and the infusion of art and music into their projects. The winning teams were: - Best Use of Science: What’s New? (Taipei, Taiwan) - Best Use of Data: Starflock (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) - Best Use of Technology: Taming particles (Vilnius, Lithuania) - Galactic Impact: Selene (Jamshedpur, India) - Best Mission Concept: Mars 3D Home (Mendoza, Argentina) - Most Inspirational: Team Diamonds (Cumilla, Bangladesh) - Best Storytelling: MIMBI (Asuncion, Paraguay) - Global Connection: Standard NCTU CS Student (Taoyuan, Taiwan) - Art & Technology: Earth, Wind & Flare (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) - Local Impact: Brute Force (Nisocia, Cyprus) Read the full story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-043-Apps. [ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 9, 2023 The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: SurfSat NORAD Cat ID 43614 (decayed from orbit on 01/27/23 per Space-Track) IRVINE 01 NORAD Cat ID 43693 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS4S NORAD Cat ID 53306 (decayed from orbit on 01/27/23 per Space-Track) RS3S NORAD Cat ID 53308 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS1S NORAD Cat ID 53309 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS5S NORAD Cat ID 53310 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS6S NORAD Cat ID 53311 (decayed from orbit on 01/27/23 per Space-Track) RS9S NORAD Cat ID 53312 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) RS12S NORAD Cat ID 53313 (decayed from orbit on 01/31/23 per Space-Track) The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution because their TLE's appear not to be updating: AstroBioCubeSat NORAD Cat ID 53107 CELESTA NORAD Cat ID 53111 The following satellite has failed it's NiCad batteries and has gone silent. In hope of a miraculous return, it will be continued in the AMSAT TLE Distribution for the time being: AO-95 NORAD Cat ID 43770 [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts School No. 547, St. Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for February 13, 2023 at 09:35 UTC. Gymnasium Christian-Ernestinum, Bayreuth, Germany, direct via DK0BT. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Predicted times drifting earlier by about 4 minutes at this time. This contact will be using the Kenwood radio located in the Service Module. Contact is go for: February 14, 2023 at 10:20:12 UTC. Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, direct via 9H1MRL. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Predicted times drifting earlier by about 4 minutes at this time. Contact is go: February 15,2023 at 12:48:01 UTC. + Completed Contacts About Gagarin From Space Secondary secondary school No. 2, direct via RY6AAC. The ISS callsign was RS0ISS. The crewmember was Anna Kikina Contact was successful on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Cache County School District, Millville, UT, direct via W7IVM. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on February 7, 2023. Colegio Diocesano Santa María Nuestra Senora, Ecija, Spain, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on February 8, 2023. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations FN10; Sunday, February 12, 2023 K4DCA - Will be there with his FM gear. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + Orlando Hamcation February 10-12, 2023 Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/ + 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Newly found is the SARCTRAC Mk3b, a $290 satellite antenna rotator from Australia. USARCTRAC comes with all its components enclosed in a waterproof IP65 rated enclosure. It makes use of a 3D position sensor with magnetometer, allowing the unit to know its orientation at all times, meaning that it should be able to automatically position itself from startup. The design also makes use of DC motors with a built in worm gear drive, so the motors back driving is not possible. The system is controlled via a built in Raspberry Pi 3B+ and can communicate with the controlling PC via WiFi. More information available at https://www.sarcnet.org/sarctrac.html. [ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information.] + The 2022 edition of State-of-the-Art of Small Spacecraft Technology At NASA is now available for download. As with all previous editions of this report, the 2022 edition captures and distills a wealth of new information available on small spacecraft systems from NASA and other publicly available sources. This report should not be considered as a comprehensive overview of all the technologies but a great reference for the current state-of-the-art SmallSat technologies. Read the complete description of the report and download it at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-043-Report. [ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-036 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 04 Feb '23

04 Feb '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-036 In this edition: * AO-95 QRT * VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023 * New Satellite Distance Records * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-036 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Feb 05 AO-95 QRT After a lingering illness of the battery, AO-95 passed away peacefully on December 23rd. While a miraculous return is always possible, it is not expected. AO-95, known prior to launch as Fox-1Cliff to commemorate amateur satellite pioneer Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, who became a silent key in 2007, launched on December 3, 2018 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenburg Air Force Base. Shortly after deployment, the AMSAT Engineering team received nominal telemetry data from the satellite, but upon the first attempts at commanding, it was discovered that the receiver had failed for unknown reasons. Still, the satellite provided an easy to receive beacon and telemetry data for over four years before the NiCd batteries failed. [ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, AMSAT Fox Operations Team, and AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2023 to February 01, 2023. K8DP 1350 1425 WC7V 1256 1303 MI6GTY 579 970 KF7R 925 N3GS 796 873 NS3L 725 785 K9UO 750 777 KE8RJU 650 725 WD9EWK (DM43) 715 720 KN2K 654 701 F4BKV 600 700 VE6WK 564 700 W8LR 667 687 EA2AA 643 653 XE1L 639 KC1MMC 532 629 DL2GRC New 628 FG8OJ 513 531 VU2LBW 400 513 KB1HY 427 457 KC3KOP New 439 AC9DX 332 427 N8MR 377 425 WB7QXU 325 400 DL6KBG 250 331 XE1UYS 126 327 JH0BBE 226 314 LU3FCA 101 310 AA0MZ 263 276 LU4FTA 223 268 IK7FMQ 190 254 W7YED 163 254 PA7RA 224 242 JG6CDH New 235 DL8GAM 186 220 JH8FIH New 214 JA1GZK 150 205 AG7NR 101 200 IK3ITB 100 200 JL1SAM New 200 IK8YTA 106 162 JG2TSL New 157 JS2GGD 101 157 SP5ULN New 156 JE1TNL New 150 PY2YJ New 150 JO4JKL New 135 KE8RPJ 100 125 IK0WRB New 123 XE1EVP New 123 N6PAZ 100 110 JA1QJI New 109 KB9DAK New 108 N1QDQ New 107 JI5USJ New 104 JE3HCZ New 103 NY1V New 102 4Z1JJ New 100 DH1OK New 100 N9BX New 100 VA7TF New 100 Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. 4Z1JJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from Israel and KM71 JG6CDH is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM43 JI5USJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM64 JO4JKL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM65 JG2TSL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM94 JH8FIH is first VUCC Satellite holder from QN14 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ New Satellite Distance Records A number of new distance records via satellite have been claimed over the past couple of months. First is the massively popular new MEO satellite IO-117. Burt DeMarcq, FG8OJ, worked Shigenori Nasu, JH8FIH, on November 25, 2022 at 08:22 UTC. The distance between FG8OJ in FK96hg63 in Guadeloupe and JH8FIH in QN14qi16 in Japan is 12,823 km. Note that for future claims of IO-117, only live QSOs may be counted and not those completed over multiple orbits using the satellite's delayed messaging capabilities. A new distance record was also claimed via the QO-100 geostationary satellite. PT9AL in GG27os in Brazil worked XW4KV in Laos OK27jj on December 10, 2022 at 14:41 UTC. The distance between the two stations is 17,834 km, eclipsing the previous record held by PR8KW and YC5YC of 17,378 km. Finally, FO-118, launched in December is a LEO satellite carrying three transponders. Familiar faces for the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records have claimed the initial record on all three transponders - the V/u FM transponder, the V/u linear transponder, and the H/u linear transponder (15 meter uplink). F4DXV and VE1CWJ completed transatlantic QSOs on all three transponders. On January 6, 2023 at 04:15 UTC, they completed a QSO via the V/u FM transponder and then switched over to the V/u linear transponder to complete a QSO there one minute later. VE1CWJ was in FN85do83sg and F4DXV was in JN04js20pr. They completed the sweep of all three transponders on January 30, 2023, when they completed a QSO via the H/u linear transponder at 17:16 UTC. VE1CWJ was in the same location while F4DXV was in JN04it22nt for this QSO, for a distance of 4,908 km. Anyone who wants to claim a distance record via an amateur satellite should check the current list at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ and email n8hm at arrl.net if they complete a new record distance. Audio and/or video of the QSO is encouraged but not required. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 2, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files. The team determined that AMSAT's processing is not robust in the face of minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF's 18th Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not always include the leading zero in AO-7's object number "07530". The official report from the team's leader : "My grandma would say that AMSAT's software is just a little too persnickety". A member of the tiger team agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1st, meanwhile manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files. There were no changes to the February 2, 2023 distribution. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, and Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina Contact is go for Sun 2023-02-05 14:25 UTC (***) Cache County School District, Millville, UT, direct via W7IVM The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH Contact is go for: Tue 2023-02-07 18:45:54 UTC 32 deg Colegio Diocesano Santa María Nuestra Señora, Écija, Spain, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH Contact is go for: Wed 2023-02-08 10:13:59 UTC 74 deg Starting about 15 minutes before AOS, watch for Livestream at http://www.ariotti.com/ Special thanks to our ARISS telebridge ground stations. Approximately 38% of the ARISS school contacts are handled by the ARISS telebridge stations. Thanks to following stations: AB1OC, IK1SLD, K6DUE, NA7V, ON4ISS, VK4ISS, VK4KHZ, VK5ZAI, VK6MJ, and ZS6JON. The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). *Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30 UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC. *Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about 18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00. *Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about 18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC. *Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD . ON Feb 13 about TBD. *Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) *Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30 UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC. *Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about 18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00. *Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about 18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC. *Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD . ON Feb 13 about TBD. *Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations JD1YCC ( G-G HAM Club ) is planning to activate EME operation on 2m/70cm/23cm band at Ogasawara chichi island(JD1/O) from Feb.07 to Feb.13 2023. They plan to QRV on GREENCUBE/IO-117 also (EME) at Moon time. Op will be JJ3JHP/JD1BQD Hiro. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled, most notable is Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Clint can be reached at: (909) 999-7287 or an email link at https://www.work-sat.com/contact.html. 2023 HamCation(r)Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, will present "Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow" at 2:00PM - 3:00PM EST Saturday, February 11 in the OS Pavillion. HamCation will be held at Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park, Orlando, FL, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 10-12, 2023 [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The FO-99 operation schedule for February is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2079 (Thanks to JAMSAT for this information) + A volunteer is being sought to take over the Gridmaster Heat Map on Twitter. Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to “retire” from the project that he has moderated there for the past three years. Paul has assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps forward, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for this information) + A while ago, perhaps almost two years ago, I modified the LVBTracker firmware in my Fox Delta ST2-USB so that it would allow for more calibration points than just the min and max for azimuth. I had added a remote-control option to an old Yaesu G-450XL, but the output voltage was very non-linear, which led to terrible aiming of the antennas. With the mods I made to the firmware it now allows me to calibrate the controller at 0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees and aiming is now rather accurate. I wrote about it here: https://thehamlab.com/2023/02/02/fox-delta-st2-lvbtracker-calibration-mods/ If you feel this could be useful for you, the source code for the project can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/TheHamLab/LVBTracker.KR1ST (Thanks KR1ST for this information) + SuitSat-1 (AMSAT-OSCAR 54) deployed from the ISS 17 years ago February 3rd. It played voice messages in languages recorded by the ARISS partners and students from around the globe. It also sent telemetry data. It was lost 15 days later. SuitSat came back to life in a 2021 short horror film! If you'd like to watch the Sci-Fi Horror short film "Decommissioned" based on the ARISS SuitSat, it can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNtpdvfbTjA (Thanks ARISS for this information) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-029 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by flyingfrawg＠gmail.com 28 Jan '23

28 Jan '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-029 In this edition: * FalconSAT-3 has re-entered * LUSAT LO-19 33Y Aniversary * Rocket Lab launches first Electron mission from US * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 26, 2022 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-029 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 29 FalconSAT-3 has re-entered. The 18th Space Defense Squadron has confirmed the orbital decay of FalconSAT-3. Thanks to the @AF_Academy for allowing amateur satellite operators its use as an amateur radio digipeater/PACSAT BBS for the past 5+ years following the conclusion of the satellite's primary mission. [ANS thanks 18th Space Defense Squadron for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ LUSAT LO-19 33Y Aniversary Today, Jan-22, 33 years ago was launched LO-19, LUSAT, 1st Argentine Satellite, till now emitting on 437.125 KHz. A special Certificate to celebrate is being granted by radio from Jan-21 to Jan-29, thru many collaborating stations. Details: http://amsat.org.ar?f=33 http://qrz.com/db/LU7AA https://www.qrzcq.com/call/LU7AA (last in english) LUSAT could be tracked/seen thru http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=lusat Deep appreciation to AMSAT-NA that in the eighties developed the AO-16 & LO-19 novel pacsat protocol and lead on design and launch. Thanks! 73, LU7AA, AMSAT Argentina http://amsat.org.ar [ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina LU7AA Team for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Rocket Lab launches first Electron mission from US Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has launched its 33rd Electron rocket and first mission from Virginia. The "Virginia is for Launch Lovers" mission lifted off 18:00 EST on January 24th from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The mission deployed three satellites to a 550km orbit for leading radio frequency geospatial analytics provider HawkEye 360. Rocket Lab has now successfully deployed a total of 155 satellites to orbit from the Company's three launch pads across the U.S. and New Zealand. The successful launch from LC-2 marks the beginning of a new era of responsive launch capability for small satellites from U.S. soil. Built with support from Virginia Space, the Commonwealth of Virginia and NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 is designed to serve the responsive space needs of commercial, civil, defense, and national security customers, supporting up to 12 missions per year. More information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3kyNU3M. [ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 26, 2022 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Falconsat-3 NORAD Cat ID 30776 (decayed from orbit on 01/21/23 per Space-Track). JAGSAT NORAD Cat ID 53771 (decayed from orbit on 01/23/23 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT, direct via W1HLO. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Mon 2023-01-30 18:55:20 UTC 43 deg Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thu 2023-02-02 15:10 UTC Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBDThe ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Sat 2023-02-04 10:25 UTC The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html ARISS from Twitter: We've updated our username here on Twitter to @ARISS_Intl to make us easier to find. If you are all ready following, thanks! There's nothing for you to do. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Chris VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA: The weekend of January 27-29 @Dave_VE3KG and VE3FU will plan on operating the linear and FM satellites from grid GO11 as VO2AC and VO2AAA from January 24-27. (Ed. Note: Not yet specified which passes they might work) JD1YCC ( G-G HAM Club ) is planning to activate EME operation on 2m/70cm/23cm band at Ogasawara chichi island(JD1/O) from Feb.07 to Feb.13 2023. They plan to QRV on GREENCUBE/IO-117 also (EME) at Moon time. Op will be JJ3JHP/JD1BQD Hiro. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, and Masaji "Masa" Ishihara JH3BUM/JD1BPX for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled, most notable is Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Clint can be reached at: (909) 999-7287 or an email link at https://www.work-sat.com/contact.html. 2023 HamCation(r)Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. Robert Bankston, KE4AL AMSAT President AMSAT - will present "Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow" at 2:00PM - 3:00PM EST Saturday, February 11 in the OS Pavillion. HamCation will be held at Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park, Orlando, FLFriday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 10-12, 2023 [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + A volunteer is being sought to take over the Gridmaster Heat Map on Twitter. Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to retire from the project that he has moderated there for the past three years. Paul has assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps forward, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information) + SpaceX successfully performed the first WDR of Starship Booster 7 and Ship 24 on Monday. This is a major milestone in any rockets march towards a first launch, especially for a super heavy lift monster like Starship, which will have more than twice the thrust of the Saturn V (heres a scale comparison to the minuscule Falcon 9). SpaceX loaded 4.5 million kg of cryogenic propellant into the fully reusable, two-stage rocket (causing it to shrink noticeably) and performed a countdown as it would on launch day (including some massive venting). A 33-engine static fire is now the next dramatic step toward an orbital launch, although how soon that might happen is unknown. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Next-gen propulsion incoming? Yesterday, NASA announced a new collaboration with long-time partner DARPA to develop a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) system and spacecraft. NTP promises 3x or more improvements in Isp over traditional chemical rockets by heating a low molecular mass propellant (like hydrogen) to high temps using a reactor and then expelling the expanded propellant out a rocket nozzle (this achieves high exhaust velocities while needing no oxidizer, saving mass). DARPA will continue to develop DRACO, an orbital and cislunar NTP-powered experimental spacecraft (cf. Issue No. 170) as part of this collaboration, and the agencies are targeting an in-space demonstration of the propulsion system as soon as 2027. The demonstration spacecraft could be used as low as 700 km or as high as 2,000 km, but the long-term vision is cislunar space and Mars. This collaboration is separate from other recent NTP projects like the DOEs initiative. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + A truck-sized asteroid that suddenly loomed out of the darkness a few days ago with the Earth in its sights then sailed harmlessly past us on Thursday, space scientists said. Asteroid 2023 BU whizzed past without incident and back out into the blackness of space. The rock, which was spotted for the first time on Saturday by an amateur stargazer in Crimea, came closest to the southern tip of South America at around 0029 GMT Friday, according to scientists who were tracking it. More at: https://bit.ly/3HiVtTQ (ANS thanks Spacedaily.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz [at] frawg.org

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ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 21 Jan '23

21 Jan '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-022 In this edition: * AMSAT Exhibiting at 2023 Hamcation * IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites * AMSAT Thanks 2022 President's Club Members * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot]org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 22 AMSAT Exhibiting at 2023 Hamcation AMSAT will be at Hamcation 2023 on Friday through Sunday, February 10-12, 2023. The AMSAT booth will be located at the west end of Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Center's East West Hall (main building as you enter from the parking lot). right next to our friends and partners ARISS-USA. AMSAT staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions and provide amateur satellite, SatPC32, and CubeSatSim demonstrations. In addition, AMSAT will host a forum on Sunday, February 12, from 11:00AM - 12:00PM. AMSAT President, Robert Bankston, KE4AL, will kick off Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow, an open discussion on developing the next generation of amateur radio satellites. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites The IARU has coordinated frequencies for the following two upcoming satellites: + ROSEYCUBESAT-1 Orbital Solutions Monaco is the sponsor for ROSEYCUBESAT-1, a 1U CubeSat platform from ISISPACE with a very simple mission for students: taking simple pictures, providing telemetry and teaching radio amateur activities. Students can learn how to use an Amateur Radio antenna provided by the Vaudois Amateur Radio Club to download telemetry data, photos from the satellite and send commands to the satellite. Amateur Radio operators can participate in the mission because the satellite carries a built-in TRXVU transponder mode. A UHF downlink using 1k2/9k6 BPSK with AX 25 on 436.825 MHz together with a transponder uplink on 145.850 MHz have been coordinated. Planning a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg into a 550km SSO in February 2023. + KASHIWA China University of Technology is the sponsor for a 1U CubeSat spacecraft with the following features. * APRS - When KASHIWA receives an APRS query from a ground station, it returns an ACK signal. The satellite logs the call sign and reception time of the received query. The log data is transmitted from the satellite to the ground station by a UHF downlink. The log is then published on the website. The APRS operation period will be from one week after orbit insertion until deorbit, almost one and half years. * "MoG' (Music of Geomagnetic) KASHIWA transmits VHF analog FM signal containing the analog audio sound generated from geomagnetic data. The geomagnetic field observation data will also be transmitted in the data by UHF. * KASHIWA has two cameras onboard. They will take ISS (International Station), Ocean, and Land day and night. The field-of-view of two cameras is 194 degrees. Image data from the two cameras will be stored in flash memory then divided and downloaded by the UHF downlink and then restored by the ground station. Telemetry using 4k8 GMSK with downlinks on 145.825 MHz, 437.375 MHz and 437.380 MHz have been coordinated. Planning a deployment from the ISS in October 2023. More info at https://sites.google.com/view/gardens-02/english_ver/home?pli=1. [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Thanks 2022 President's Club Members In 2022, a total of 78 members and friends of AMSAT contributed a total of $63,717 and were recognized with membership in the AMSAT 2022 President's Club. We thank them for their generous support and helping to Keep Amateur Radio in Space! Membership levels begin at $120 and can be paid in one lump-sum or in monthly installments. For complete details on AMSAT President Club membership, https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/. Titanium ($4,800+) Barry A. Baines, WD4ASW Alan P. Biddle, WA4SCA John D. Botti, KC8OKB William G. Brown, K9LF Platinum ($2,400+) Steve Belter, N9IP Ronald G. Parsons, W5RKN Cheryl Printon Gold ($1,200+) Anonymous Dwight Aussieker, K9QJ Douglas Besemer, K0VPL Burns Fisher, WB1FJ James Hain, W2IMY Joseph Lynch, N6CL John R. Kludt, K7SYS Glenn Miller, AA5PK Mary Lou Monteiro John Pinkham, K3PER Thomas Schaefer, NY4I Michael Stipick, KC4RI Douglas B. Tabor, N6UA Silver ($600+) John Boehme, K4PRK Warren Fugate, W3WE Mark Johns, K0JM Jean-Louis Maridet, F5DYD Patrick Maroney, KD0YMO Bruce Paige, KK5DO David A. Vine, WA1EAW Chuck Weaver, W3VAR Bronze ($300+) Anonymous Scott Danzer, N1XCY Robert Grattan III, N4MRV Allen Kenney, KK4AK Donald J. Lum, WA6ICW Bruce Perens, K6BP Donald Pettigrew, K9ECT Scott Shaheen, WB8OOJ Thomas Talley, K0CFI Dave Taylor, W8AAS Rickey N. Walker, K4TD Core ($120+) Oscar Alonso, N6PAZ Dwight Aussieker, W9QJ Steve Bachhuber, K9SJB Robert Brennan, KC3CKV Burlington Amateur Radio Club George Carr, WA5KBH Michael Caughey, N2BT Jim Clary, ND9M Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT Todd Dugdale, KD0TLS John Flowers, K4ZMR James Gallagher III, KB3SQS George Gallis, AL7BX David Grebe, WA4LM David Hartrum, WA3YDZ Stephen Howard, AB0XE Nels E. Knutzen, W0PEC Edward Krome, K9EK Gailen Marshall, N5GDM Brendan McNeil, ZL3BAM Juan Munoz, TG9AJR Andrew Northam, KE8FZT Art Payne, VE3GNF Maxwell Rathbone, W3POI Larry Schroeder, KD4HSL Jay Schwartz, WB8SBI Jason Schwarz, N4JJS Alton Simpson, WA5TJB Carl Starnes, W4EAT Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Dennis Turner, K0DIS Arun Vijayshankar, K6ARV Christopher Wach,s WA2KDL Stefan Wagener, VE4SW Wayne Wagner, AG1A Jim Wellinghoff, W0NBC Jeremy Wyatt, KA2PFD [ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, VP, Development for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 16:00 UTC. Brentwood Elementary School of Engineering, Raleigh, NC, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 17:31:24 UTC. Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 15:10 UTC. Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 10:25 UTC. + Completed Contacts Escola Secundária de Lagoa, Lagoa, Azores, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 18:20:34 UTC. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations GO11; January 24-27, 2023 Chris, VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA and @Dave, VE3KG will be operating the linear and FM satellites. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Orlando Hamcation February 10-12, 2023 Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32808 https://www.hamcation.com/ 2023 CubeSat Developer's Workshop April 24-27, 2023 California Polytechnic State University 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + In 2013, Amazon launched AmazonSmile to make it easier for customers to support their favorite charities. After almost a decade of running AmazonSmile, Amazon decided that with so many eligible organizations - more than 1 million globally - their ability to have an impact was often spread too thin. Thus, Amazon will be winding down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. Until this date, customer purchases made via AmazonSmile will continue to accrue funds for their charity as normal. After that, Amazon will provide each charity with a one-time payment equivalent to three months of payments based on what it accrued in 2022. [AMSAT thanks AmazonSmile for the above information.] + It has been quite a week for the UK space industry. What was meant to mark a new era of space launch has sadly been put on hold after Virgin Orbit’s launch failure just over a week ago. The mission, “Start Me Up,” suffered a failure on Monday Jan. 9, and an investigation is underway to find the result of anomaly. Virgin Orbit has said it hopes to return to the newly inaugurated Spaceport Cornwall in the future. More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-022-Virgin-Orbit [ANS thanks SatelliteToday.com for the above information.] + The global space economy grew to $424 billion in 2022. The space industry is in a major period of growth defined by attracting new customers, breaking into new industries and courting new investment, but it's not yet clear how much the industry will grow in the coming years. The space economy grew 8% since 2021, despite facing major economic head winds caused by supply chain issues lingering after pandemic lock downs, high inflation, global tensions and other factors. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.] + Crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) this week moved astronaut Frank Rubio's seat liner - a molding designed to fit his body and make spaceflight more comfortable - from the leaking Soyuz capsule to the Crew Dragon attached to the space station. That change will allow the Crew Dragon to act as a "lifeboat" if Rubio needs to come back to Earth in a hurry. Moving Rubio to the Crew Dragon would help reduce the heat within the Soyuz if it needs to be used by Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin for an emergency Earth return. Once the new, replacement Soyuz arrives at the station next month, Rubio's lining will be moved to that ship instead. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas N1UW [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-015 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 14 Jan '23

14 Jan '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-015 In this edition: * FalconSat-3 Nears Re-entry * More Amateur Radio Astronauts Head for the ISS * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * Why We Don't Call CQ on FM Birds * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-015 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 15 FalconSat-3 Nears Re-entry A number of amateurs and satellite watchers have put forward predictions concerning the date and time of re-entry for FalconSat-3. While all re-entry predictions are something of a guessing game, due to the large number of variables affecting the upper atmosphere, one thing that can be said for certain is that the end for FS-3 will be coming very soon, quite possibly within the next week. AMSAT Board Member and FS-3 control operator, Mark Hammond, N8MH, has stated that he will try to have the bird operational for its final hours. The satellite has only been available for approximately 24 hours each weekend due to weak batteries. FalconSAT-3 was built in 2005 and 2006 by cadets and faculty in the Space Systems Research Center at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. It is the fourth in a series of small satellites designed, built and operated there as part of a capstone course and which brings together about 30 cadets each year from several different academic departments. Since its launch on an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral in March, 2007, it has been through three mission phases. The first mission phase was operation of the science payloads. In the second it was used as a tool for training cadets in the space operations squadron and students in both undergraduate space training in California and graduate students at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Finally, it’s third mission phase was as an on-orbit resource in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS). Operation as an ARS satellite was being managed by AMSAT-NA. In amateur service the downlink is at 435.103 MHz transmitting 1W into a ¼ whip. The uplink is at 145.840 MHz and the receive antenna is a ¼ whip on the opposite side of the satellite. All UHF and S-band equipment on NTIA licensed frequencies has been disabled. The ARS VHF receiver is very sensitive. Modulation is 9600 bps GMSK for the uplink and downlink. The broadcast callsign is PFS3-11, and the BBS callsign is PFS3-12, Unproto APRS via PFS3-1. The core avionics were designed and built by Mark Kanawati, N4TPY, and Dino Lorenzini, KC4YMG at SpaceQuest Ltd. and have performed remarkably well for nearly 16 years on orbit. Jim White, WD0E, was the lead engineer for FalconSAT-3 at the Air Force Academy (USAFA) and managed the design, construction, testing and early operations of the satellite. Nearly 700 cadets at USAFA obtained their amateur radio licenses as part of training to operate FalconSAT-3 and other USAFA satellites. They have taken that knowledge and understanding of the value of the ARS into their Air Force service and many on into industry. Since FalconSAT-3 the USAFA Astronautics Department has built and operated one additional satellite and has two more queued for launch. The space operations curriculum and the ground station are being rebuilt and configured for these new space assets. The success of FalconSAT-3 is an excellent example of how amateur radio can be integrated into the curriculum of an education institution for the benefit of the students and the amateur radio service. [ANS thanks Sasha Timokhov, VE3SVF, Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, and Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Operations, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ More Amateur Radio Astronauts Head for the ISS Three of the four new astronauts on February's planned launch of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) are amateur radio operators. Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ; Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, will join Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev on board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour. The spacecraft will be atop a Falcon 9 rocket and, while a launch date has not been selected, the earliest date would be mid-February 2023. All crew members have learned about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), received guidance on studying and testing, and learned how to operate the ARISS radios and the basics of on-the-air protocol from ARISS team members at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The crew will be able to participate in ARISS, using the ham radio station on the ISS to contact schools and other educational institutions. ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include NASA, the ISS National Lab, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio, and AMSAT. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ No changes this week. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Why We Don't Call CQ on FM Birds Please do not CQ on FM birds. It is not necessary and takes up valuable air time. If there are no QSOs ongoing, AND there is no station you heard that you want to call, you can key up and give your call and grid ONLY and unkey. But, please, do this sparingly! Instead of doing it over and over, listen and wait for another station you might want to work. In other words, you have to give others a chance to get in there. I have heard many passes where it was constantly one station after another CQing or announcing their call and I couldn't get it to call anyone! And if there is a rover on the pass giving out a rare grid, it is customary to let them have the air and work as many stations as they can until they have worked them all who are seeking them. (Which will changes as the sat passes over new territory and new callers wanting to work the rover come into range.) It may mean you get only one QSO that pass (or none of you don't need the grid he is in) but it's about sharing a resource wisely and giving everyone the most benefit. A pass full of CQs or a pass of contacts where everybody makes one QSO with a rare grid. If you add up all the seconds spent by people CQing, or continually announcing themselves you'll see what a significant percentage of a pass is wasted. They say, 'Well no one else was on.' Right... because they couldn't get through due to all the CQing! Satellites is like HF DXing... listen, listen and when in doubt, listen. Then there is the simple fact that CQing has NEVER been a thing on the FM mode... not on repeaters, not on simplex. The longstanding custom on FM, because of the nature of the way the audio works, is to simply announce your call. Such as, 'N4UFO listening 52" on 146.520 simplex, or 'N4UFO monitoring' over a 2m FM repeater... the 'CQ' part is implied. That said, why is CQing on SSB not only okay, but necessary? FM birds are one channel and you can hear everyone plain as day right there. With linear birds, there is a passband and stations are spread out... CQing is for catching everyone else's attention as they tune around. They will hear either your high pitched squeaky voice or low rumbling voice speaking in the familiar rhythm of 'CQ, CQ, CQ' as they tune around. In short, they use your 'CQ' as a way to tune around and FIND you, then TUNE you in. This is not necessary on FM. And also not necessary to CQ on SSB once the station starts making contacts. There is also a tendency on linear birds when a rare grid station is expected to be on a pass to start blind calling. Please do not do that either! I have a short writeup on my rover page to explain it... it's on the bottom of the page here: https://www.qrz.com/db/N4UFO/P (also pics & stories of my roving adventures & my gear) And THANK YOU for ASKING!!! [ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, N4UFO, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Escola Secundária de Lagoa, Lagoa, Azores, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS, and the scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Thu 2023-01-19 18:20:34 UTC 55 degrees maximum elevation. Watch for Livestream starting about 15 minutes before AOS at http://www.ariotti.com/ Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS, and the scheduled crewmember is TBD. Contact is go for 2023-01-24 TBD. Krasnodar, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS, and the scheduled crewmember is TBD. Contact is go for 2023-02-TBD TBD. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations W8LR: is heading to EN90 and EM99 1/15/23 FM and Linear. Chris VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA: The weekend of January 27-29 @Dave_VE3KG and I will be competing in the CQ160 CW Contest as VO2AC from the Point Amour Lighthouse in Labrador (Zone 2). We’ll also be on the other HF bands starting January 24 as VO2AC and VO2AAA. Please work us in the contest! We also plan on operating the linear and FM satellites from grid GO11 as VO2AC and VO2AAA from January 24-27. Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled … -Ontario, Canada (1/16/23) -Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to "retire" from the Gridmaster Heat Map project that he has moderated on Twitter for the past three years. Paul has assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps forward to pick it up, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information) + Two astronauts on the International Space Station will conduct a spacewalk Friday, Jan. 20, to install hardware for future power system upgrades. NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, will exit the station’s Quest airlock to complete the installation of two mounting platforms as part of planned solar array augmentation on the starboard side of the International Space Station’s truss. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 7 a.m. EST. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m., and last about six and a half hours. [NOTE: All ARISS operations are shut down during spacewalks.] (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + There was an error in the January VUCC standings reported in last week's ANS bulletins. The entry for K7ZOO, at the top of the table, is not valid and should not have been included. ANS apologizes for the error. + The National Science Foundation (NSF) has reached an agreement with SpaceX to mitigate the effects of the company’s second-generation Starlink satellites on astronomy, even as another organization goes to court to block the constellation’s deployment. NSF, which funds operations of several major observatories, announced Jan. 10 that is had completed an astronomy coordination agreement with SpaceX regarding its Gen2 Starlink constellation. The Federal Communications Commission granted a license Dec. 2 to allow SpaceX to deploy a quarter of that 30,000-satellite system while deferring consideration of the rest of the constellation. That coordination agreement was a condition of the Gen2 FCC license. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + A vintage NASA satellite launched in the 1980s and long-since turned to space junk met a fiery fate late Sunday as it fell back to Earth. The huge Earth observation satellite, called the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), plunged back to Earth Sunday night (Jan. 8) at 11:04 p.m. EST (0304 GMT on Monday). The 5,400-pound (2,450 kilograms) satellite reentered over the Bering Sea, with some components potentially surviving the super-hot temperatures of reentry. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-008 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 07 Jan '23

07 Jan '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-008 In this edition: * Story of SuryaSat-1 (SS-1) Nano Satellite * VUCC Satellite Standings as of January 1, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-002 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 08 Story of SuryaSat-1 (SS-1) Nano Satellite This afternoon 6 January 2023, at 07:50 UTC, there will be the culmination of the long journey of Surya Satellite (SS-1) Nano Satellite project that started in 2016 after a presentation of amateur radio activities by ORARI (the Indonesian Radio Amateurs Organization) to students of University of Surya. In early 2015 ORARI made a presentation to University of Surya Robotic Club, and one of the amateur radio activities that got their interest was high-altitude ballooning due to the telemetry aspect, such as sending temperature, altitude, voltage, as it relates to their robotic interest. I showed them a couple pictures of my past activity in ARHAB as the faculty advisor of amateur radio society at Texas Tech University in early 2000. This started the high-altitude balloon planning, including designing the balloon payload (APRS utilizing OpenTracker mini board). Late 2015, with the successful launch and activation of LAPAN-A2/ORARI (which becomes IO-86) satellite, the students grew interest of building a satellite as it is only a couple of kilometers higher they said. So in 2016 the ORARI team visit them and shared the experience in designing a satellite, as I myself was part of the ORARI team that involved in the design of the amateur payload in the LAPAN-A2/ORARI. As this would be their first effort in building a satellite from scratch, they said we will start with APRS then next satellite would be a voice repeater satellite. They submitted the design in a competition by UNOOSA and won. The student got more excited after seeing the POC (proof of concept) worked and they continue with building the prototype, conducted various tests with LAPAN (the aeronautical and space organization) and complying with the necessary paperwork/approvals. But the road wasn’t easy as they got funding problem (at one time they were selling T-Shirt to raise funding), change in faculty advisor and university leadership and their own graduation and transition into the professional world (some of them got employed in commercial satellite companies). Finally they got back in the last 2 years to finalize the payload, had the payload verification with ORARI team and shipped the payload to Japan (JAXA), integrated with other payload and shipped to the US, then lifted up on Space-X CRS-26 rocket to ISS last November and now today is the deployment date from the Kibo Module of ISS. Apologize for the long posting but I got really excited today as the deployment of SS-1 Nano Satellite is coming up shortly. Update: SS-1 has been deployed at 08:03 UTC on 6 January 2023 please monitor APRS beacon at 145.825 MHz [ANS thanks Yono Adisoemarta, YD0NXX / N5SNN, ORARI HQ, Head of Satellite Division, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standings as of January 1, 2023 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for December 01, 2022 to January 01, 2023. K7ZOO 813 827 K9UO 718 750 W8LR 643 667 KN2K 600 654 AF5CC 628 644 EA2AA 626 643 AJ4A 230 614 FG8OJ 373 513 VE4MM 476 508 W2GDJ New 465 HB9GWJ 206 363 N5EKO 344 349 JK2XXK 233 310 K8BL 292 297 WB9YIG 175 251 DL6KBG 175 250 IK6GZM New 234 LU4FTA 137 223 OZ9AAR 100 207 JA1GZK New 150 7L1ETP New 133 W6AER 100 126 DU9JJY New 116 VE1CWJ/VP9 New 110 WD9EWK (DM13) New 109 WY7FD New 102 JS2GGD New 101 W3TI New 101 Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. WY7FD is first VUCC Satellite holder from DN74 VE1CWJ/VP9 is first VUCC Satellite holder from Bermuda and FM72 DU9JJY is first VUCC Satellite holder from Philippines and PJ27 IK6GZM is first VUCC Satellite holder from JN62 7L1ETP is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM95 HAPPY NEW YEAR May you all be blessed with new grid squares in 2023. [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 5, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ At the request of CAMSAT and the XW-4 (CAS-10) team, AMSAT has designated the satellite as Hope-OSCAR 119 (HO-119) as of January 1, 2023. For details, see Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA and OSCAR Number Administrator's announcement entitled "OSCAR number assigned for CAS-10" in AMSAT News Service Bulletin ANS-001 (dated January 1, 2023). Therefore, the following satellite has been renamed in this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution as follows: HO-119 NORAD Cat ID 54816. (Formally CAS-10). The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution as follows: TW-1A NORAD Cat ID 40928. (decayed from orbit on 12/29/22 per Space-Track). Finally, AMSAT is pleased to announce the new daily two line element bulletin available at https://www.amsat.org/tle/current/daily-bulletin.txt. Members of the Sci-Tech Radio Society (STARS) have worked with AMSAT Information Technology to automate this process. Seventeen year old STARS member Ryan "RJ" Fitzgerald, N1BGA, enjoyed exercising skills he learned in his high school computer science class. "It was cool to do something for the real world beyond just homework assignments, plus it forced me to learn stuff not covered in class" said Fitzgerald. STARS is part of New England Sci-Tech - a non-profit STEM education center and makerspace dedicated to project-based, hands-on learning for youth and families across the New England community with a strong Amateur Radio focus. Visit www.nescitech.org for details. Thanks to Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, for this update on this new innovative approach to AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. No upcoming contacts currently scheduled Special thanks to our ARISS telebridge ground stations. Approximately 38% of the ARISS school contacts are handled by the ARISS telebridge stations. Thanks to following stations: AB1OC, IK1SLD, K6DUE, NA7V, ON4ISS, VK4ISS, VK4KHZ, VK5ZAI, VK6MJ, and ZS6JON. The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for US EVA on January 20. OFF Jan 19 about 17:00 UTC. ON Jan 21 about 12:30 UTC. *Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) *Powering off for US EVA on January 20. OFF Jan 19 about 17:00 UTC. ON Jan 21 about 12:30 UTC. *Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Chris VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA: The weekend of January 27-29 @Dave_VE3KG and I will be competing in the CQ160 CW Contest as VO2AC from the Point Amour Lighthouse in Labrador (Zone 2). We'll also be on the other HF bands starting January 24 as VO2AC and VO2AAA. Please work us in the contest! We also plan on operating the linear and FM satellites from grid GO11 as VO2AC and VO2AAA from January 24-27. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled: -Greenville, North Carolina (1/10/23) -Ontario, Canada (1/16/23) -Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) AMSAT will also have a presence at HamCation 2023 in Orlando on February 10-12, 2023. Details on HamCation can be found at https://www.hamcation.com/ [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + SpaceFlight Now is reporting the successful launch on Jan. 3 of the SpaceX Transporter 6 at https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/01/03/falcon-9-transporter-6-live-coverage/. This launch carried 114 satellites to orbit. The article says "The Transporter 6 launch also placed into orbit... an amateur radio CubeSat from the Czech Republic." I assume that is a reference to BDSAT-2, which is supposed to carry a AX.25 GFSK G3RUH 9600 baud digipeater with downlink at 436.025, according to http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=866 This is confirmed by https://www.bdsat.cz/ That website shows "VHF Downlink frequency: 145.850 MHz," but the IARU says the VHF frequency is an uplink. (Thanks to Mark Johns, K0JM, SpaceFlight Now, and the IARU) + The TJREVERB are seeking a couple of stations skilled in communicating with satellites using APRS. The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology's TJREVERB satellite was deployed from the ISS on Dec 29th, and the team is still trying to successfully make contact with it. Please contact Curt Laumann, K7ZOO, if you're interested in assisting. His email address can be found on QRZ.com + Congratulations to Hector Martinez, W5CBF, who finished his Satellite Worked All Zones (WAZ) award through QSOs using IO-117's MEO digipeater. Only about 16 CQ zones are workable on LEO satellites from his QTH in Louisiana, so the MEO digipeater was able to fill in the rest. His award is the 42nd Satellite WAZ issued. Satellite WAZ requires confirmed QSOs with 25 of 40 CQ zones and is sponsored by CQ Magazine. Confirmations through LoTW are accepted. + Want to try something different? FO-118 carries a linear transponder with a 70cm downlink and a 15 meter uplink. The 15 meter uplink is very sensitive. This week's editor made a couple of QSOs using 5 watts from his FT-817ND to an AlexLoop Walkham Portable Magnetic Loop and was able to access the transponder with strong signals through the pass. + UVSQ-SAT will mark 2 years in space on January 24, 2023. In celebration of this milestone, the FM transponder will be activated. The uplink is 145.905 MHz and the downlink is 437.020 MHz. No PL tone is required. (Thanks to the UVSQ-SAT team) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-001 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 31 Dec '22

31 Dec '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-001 In this edition: * W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st * HAARP was used to ping Asteroid 2010 XC15 * Space junk bill passes Senate unanimously * TJREVERB was deployed from the ISS on December 29, 2022 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Jan 1, 2023 * OSCAR number assigned for CAS-10 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-001 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Jan 01 - Wishing All a Happy and Prosperous New Year W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st In March 2022, the AMSAT community lost one of our pioneers when Ray Soifer, W2RS, became a silent key. In addition to his numerous contributions to AMSAT and the worldwide amateur satellite community, Ray was also the long time organizer of AMSAT's CW Activity Day - previously AMSAT Straight Key Night - held in conjunction with the ARRL's event on New Year's Day. In recognition of Ray's long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT is pleased to announce that AMSAT's CW Activity Day will now be known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day in Ray's honor. The rules are simple - operate CW through any amateur satellite between 0000 UTC and 2359 UTC on January 1, 2023. Straight keys and bugs are encouraged, but not required. Logs are not required, but operators are encouraged to submit a report of their activity to the AMSAT-BB. Photos and video clips of activity are also encouraged - post them on Twitter and tag @AMSAT. Remember to use the minimum power required for communication as constant carrier modes, including CW, can disrupt transponder operation for other users. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Last Day for 2022 AMSAT President's Club Membership When Theyre GoneTheyre Gone! Join the 2022 AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ (2022 membership closes 1/3/2022) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ HAARP was used to ping Asteroid 2010 XC15 Researchers at the HAARP array in Alaska attempted the lowest-frequency asteroid radar experiment ever. On Tuesday, Dec. 27th, they pinged a passing space rock with shortwave radio waves at 9.6 MHz. This could allow them to see *inside* the asteroid. A number of amateur radio operators around the world were able to copy the signal. The signal appeared in a sequence of frequency sweep pings centered aroun the the 9.6MHz frequency in a "Ping" Wait 2 seconds. "Ping" Wait 2 seconds "Ping" pattern. That's what most ham radio operators heard last Tuesday when they received HAARP's radar transmission to asteroid 2010 XC15. Scott Tilley of Roberts Creek, British Columbia, provided a recording of what he saw. It may be viewed at: https://bit.ly/3C2YshF along with a vidoe that includes sound. The pulse was lopsided with a fast rise and a slow decay," notes Tilley. "I believe this is due to multipath propagation from HAARP in Alaska to my receiver in British Columbia." Everyone who picked up the pulse did so because Earth's ionosphere reflected some of HAARP's radio energy back to Earth. Only a fraction escaped into space and reached the asteroid. Tilley's high-time-resolution recording of the pulse shows that multiple reflections (probably with a dash of ducting and refraction) were involved. The complexity of the ionosphere, and how it modifies shortwave signals, is a key challenge for researchers who will be processing radar returns from asteroid 2010 XC15. Good luck to the radar team as we await their results! [ANS thanks spaceweather.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Space junk bill passes Senate unanimously U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper applauded Senate passage of his Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act, a bipartisan bill to establish a first-of-its-kind demonstration program to reduce the amount of space junk in orbit. The bill passed the Senate unanimously. "From satellite communications to rockets carrying humans into deep space, space debris is a massive threat to space operations," said Hickenlooper, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science. "I'm over the moon that our ORBITS Act passed and we can start cleaning up this space junk." Space junk, or orbital debris, currently threatens human space exploration, scientific research missions, and emerging commercial space services. There are approximately 8,000 metric tons of debris currently in orbit, including at least 900,000 individual pieces of debris that are potentially lethal to satellites. Because of the magnitude of the current debris, simply preventing more debris in the future is not enough. The ORBITS Act will jumpstart a program focused on research, development, and the demonstration of technologies capable of safely carrying out successful Active Debris Remediation (ADR) missions to create a new market for these services. Additional information may be found at https://bit.ly/3WwsCCa [ANS thanks spacedaily.com for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ TJREVERB was deployed from the ISS on December 29, 2022 TJREVERB, an APRS digipeater 2U cubesat on 145.825 MHz, built by students at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology was deployed on December 29, 2022 by NanoRacks from the International Space Station. TJREVERB was launched on November 22 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida as part of the SpaceX-26 Commercial Resupply Service Mission en route to the International Space Station. The launch is the culmination of seven years of hard work for TJ Space. Led by Robotics lab director Kristen Kucko, many students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology have had a hand in this historic launch. A statement and description of the mission by Michael Roth and Kristen Kucko of Thomas Jefferson High School states: TJ REVERB is significant because the CubeSat was designed, built, coded and integrated entirely by high school students, said Kucko. The students did not use a satellite kit, nor did they have an industry or university partnership to assist them. Building satellites is not an easy task. According to Col. Nick Hague, Astronaut, (some)countries have not been able to build CubeSats. The students in TJ Space should be proud of their accomplishments. Additional information about the project may be found at: https://tjhsst.fcps.edu/features/launch-tjreverb-culmination-seven-year-proj ect-tj-space Kirsten Kucko, the teacher sponsoring the TJ Space team wrote, "TJ Space received crowdsourced reports that there is an APRS unit digipeating within the vicinity of the ISS. The spacecraft has the orbital characteristics of one of the satellites launched during the NRCSD 24 mission. " Since TJREVEB is the only CubeSat using APRS in that vicinity, TJREVERB could very well be that spacecraft. It is TJ Spaces assertion that something went critically wrong with TJREVERBs implementation of the Iridium radio and Iridium did not receive power to turn on. The APRS radio powered on as the backup radio and started digipeating. TJ Space continues to search for confirmation that this spacecraft is indeed TJREVERB. Any help from the community would be greatly appreciated. [ANS thanks Michael Roth and Kristen Kucko or Thomas Jefferson High School and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Jan 1, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellite has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: MYSat 1 NORAD Cat ID 44045 (Decayed from orbit 12/16/2022 per SpaceTrack). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- OSCAR number assigned for CAS-10 On November 12, 2022, the XW-4 (CAS-10) satellite was launched to the Chinese Space Station aboard the Tianzhou-5 spacecraft, by the Long March-7 Y6 launch vehicle from the Wenchang Launch Center in Hainan, China. On December 18, the XW-4 (CAS-10) satellite was separated from the station. The Chinese Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT) built and operates the satellite, in cooperation with a Chinese government space contractor and Macau University of Science and Technology, to serve radio amateurs around the world and educate students in space and radio communication science and technology. This satellite is also known as Macao Student Science Popularization Satellite No. 1, and is the first satellite from the Macao Special Administrative Region. The satellite carries a V/u linear transponder, and CW and GMSK telemetry beacons for amateur radio use. At the request of CAMSAT and the XW-4 (CAS-10) team, AMSAT hereby designates the satellite as Hope-OSCAR 119 (HO-119). We congratulate all the involved teams, thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them continued success on this and future projects. [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations / OSCAR Number Administrator for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. No School Contacts are currently scheduled. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Chris VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA: The weekend of January 27-29 @Dave_VE3KG and Chris, VE3FU will be competing in the CQ160 CW Contest as VO2AC from the Point Amour Lighthouse in Labrador (Zone 2). They will also be on the other HF bands starting January 24 as VO2AC and VO2AAA. They also plan on operating the linear and FM satellites from grid GO11 as VO2AC and VO2AAA from January 24-27. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. MSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6ALCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled: -Greenville, North Carolina (1/10/23) -Ontario, Canada (1/16/23) -Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Ham Radio University will be held 1/7/2023. Registration is now open for this virtual event at https://hamradiouniversity.org/. Peter Portanova, W2JV will be hosting a Satellite Forum on the History of Amateur Satellites. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Peter Portanova, W2JV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + SpaceX launches first mission for Starlink Gen2 constellation using a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Wednesday with 54 more Starlink internet satellites, a mission to begin populating a new orbital shell authorized by federal regulators earlier this month for the companys Starlink Gen2 network. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on SpaceXs Starlink 5-1 mission occurred at 4:34 a.m. EST (0934 GMT) Wednesday, about six minutes earlier than previously announced. The mission was SpaceXs 60th launch of the year, with one more Falcon 9 flight set to blast off later this week from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, with an Israeli Earth-imaging satellite. he 54 satellites launching Wednesday were the first spacecraft deployed into a new segment of the Starlink constellation. The Falcon 9 rocket released the 54 satellites at an orbital altitude and inclination set aside for use by SpaceXs second-generation Starlink network, which the company eventually intends to launch on the new Starship mega-rocket. More at https://bit.ly/3IcrO0P. [ANS thanks spaceflightnow.com for the above information] + An Israeli reconnaissance satellite was carried into orbit during the final SpaceX launch of the year. The EROS-3 Earth-imaging satellite was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:38 p.m. Thursday. The first stage detached successfully and landed on a SpaceX pad eight minutes after launch. The rocket was launched in retrograde, against the direction of the Earth's rotation, and carried the EROS-3 into low Earth orbit. More information is available at: https://bit.ly/3G8FXJI [ANS thanks Patrick Hilsman, UPI and Spacedaily.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel kd4iz at frawg dot org

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ANS-361 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st
by Paul Stoetzer 27 Dec '22

27 Dec '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-361 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-361.01 ANS-361 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 348.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE December 27, 2022 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-361.01 W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st In March 2022, the AMSAT community lost one of our pioneers when Ray Soifer, W2RS, became a silent key. In addition to his numerous contributions to AMSAT and the worldwide amateur satellite community, Ray was also the long time organizer of AMSAT's CW Activity Day - previously AMSAT Straight Key Night - held in conjunction with the ARRL's event on New Year's Day. In recognition of Ray's long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT is pleased to announce that AMSAT's CW Activity Day will now be known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day in Ray's honor. The rules are simple - operate CW through any amateur satellite between 0000 UTC and 2359 UTC on January 1, 2023. Straight keys and bugs are encouraged, but not required. Logs are not required, but operators are encouraged to submit a report of their activity to the AMSAT-BB. Photos and video clips of activity are also encouraged - post them on Twitter and tag @AMSAT. Remember to use the minimum power required for communication as constant carrier modes, including CW, can disrupt transponder operation for other users. [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 additional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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