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ANS-307 AMSAT News Service Weekly News Bulletin November 3, 2019
by Frank Karnauskas 03 Nov '19

03 Nov '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-307 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://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. In this edition: * HuskySat Successfully Lifted into Space * ARISS Contact Opportunities - Call for Proposals * FoxTelem Version 1.08r Released * Fox-in-a-Box Upgrades for FoxTelem V 1.08 * AMSAT Seeks Digital Communications Team Members * The 39th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference Announced September 11-13, 2020, Charlotte, NC * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for October 2019 * Upcoming Satellite Operations * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-307.01 ANS-307 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 307.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. November 3, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-307.01 HuskySat-1 Successfully Lifted into Space A Cygnus cargo spacecraft carrying the University of Washington's HuskySat-1 was successfully launched atop a Northrup Grumman Antares rocket Saturday morning, November 2, 1459 UTC. The Cygnus spacecraft will dock with the ISS on November 4. Cygnus is then scheduled to depart the ISS on January 13, 2020 and raise its orbit to approximately 500 km where HuskySat-1 and SwampSat will be deployed. After deployment, HuskySat-1's 1200 bps BPSK beacon on 435.800 MHz should be active.(This beacon is decodable with the latest release of FoxTelem.) HuskySat-1 is expected to run its primary mission (testing a pulsed plasma thruster and experimental 24 GHz data transmitter) for thirty days. The satellite will then be turned over to AMSAT for Amateur Radio operation, featuring a 30 kHz wide 145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW communications. For those interested in reading about HuskySat-1's development and its science, read the UW News article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-307-HuskySat-1 [ANS thanks SpaceNews.com, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and UW News for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Contact Opportunities - Call for Proposals - Current Proposal Window is October 1, 2019 to November 30, 2019 - Upcoming Proposal Window is February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact for proposals submitted in the proposal window now open would be held between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. ARISS is happy to announce a second proposal window will open February 1, 2020 for contacts that would be held between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit proposals for contacts between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 is November 30, 2019. The proposal window for contacts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will open on February 1, 2020 and close on March 31, 2020. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.ariss.org. Two ARISS Introductory Webinar sessions will be held on November 7, 2019. The first is at 6:00 PM ET and the second is at 9:00 PM ET. The same material will be covered during both sessions, so choose the session that best fits your schedule. The Eventbrite link to sign up is https://ariss-introductory-webinar-fall-2019.eventbrite.com The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact. Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. More Information For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Webinars, go to www.ariss.org. Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education(a)gmail.com. [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR for the above information.] +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Video recordings of the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium have been posted: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AMSATNA/videos/ (This page should be accessible to all) The Foundations of AMSAT - 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium Banquet Panel is posted at: https://youtu.be/bRmn4gjvuTI +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ FoxTelem Version 1.08r Released Chris Thompson, G0KLA has released Version 1.08r of FoxTelem. This release provides several enhancements and needed changes for FOX-1E and HuskySat, a partnership with the University of Washington. Users will need to download this version to successfully decode data from the two new spacecraft which will transmit BPSK telemetry on 70cm. (Chris suggests now is a good time to put up a 70cm antenna if you do not have one!) After version 1.08p was released earlier this week, IC-9700 users immediately noticed difficulties. Version 1.08r was immediately released. Chris notes: " There were two issues that prevented good decodes from the IC-9700: 1 - The IF output of the IC-9700 is not a true IQ signal and you have both a lower and upper sideband image. One has the bits flipped upside down. Historically FoxTelem has coped with the bits with either sense, even though only one is "correct", so 1.07 decoded fine from the wrong image. I had introduced a bug that meant the "bit flip" check was not run. That code is back in. 2 - There was also an issue where the algorithm that finds the signal was not being run if SatPC32 position was being read. That was a common configuration for IC-9700 owners, so it compounded the problem. The code is now fixed." Key changes include the following: - PSK decoders are easier to select. - Automatically change the band from 2m to 70cm and the mode from FSK to PSK if needed (and enabled). - Allows default mode to be set for each spacecraft. - No longer overwrites the user settings (e.g. as max/min frequency) when spacecraft files are updated. - Saves the properties whenever they are changed (rather than just at exit). - Allows the user to change the display name for a spacecraft without changing the KEPS name. - Prevents FOXDB from being corrupted when power restarted. - Better memory management so that long running FoxTelem sessions do not end up out of memory. - Allows MAX and MIN records to be displayed in table on the telemetry tab. - Shows the Capture Date for the record being displayed (e.g. RT, MAX, MIN). - Deletes existing files when server data is downloaded. - Ties the STP date more accurately to the position of the SYNC word in the bit buffer to avoid stamping frames with the same date. - Many small bugs and crashes fixed. A full list of changes can be found at https://github.com/ac2cz/FoxTelem/milestone/15?closed=1 You can download the new release at http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/ http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/ http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/ Feel free to email Chris with any questions, suggestions or bug reports to chrisethompson at gmail dot com. [ANS thanks Chris E. Thompson, G0KLA for the above information.] +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ The 2019 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings USB flash drives, featuring 1.98 GB of information, including the 2019 Proceedings and all previously published Proceedings dating back to 1986 are now available on the AMSAT store https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Symposium-Flash-Drive (allow 10 business days for the next batch to be loaded with the files) +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Fox-in-a-Box Upgrades for FoxTelem V 1.08r In addition to Chris Thompson's announcement. Burns Fisher, WB1FJ reports that version of FoxTelem has been tested on Fox-in-a-Box installations (FoxTelem running on a Raspberry Pi). Starting immediately with serial number 110, FoxTelem Version 1.08r will be included on the SD cards that are ordered from the AMSAT store. (It is not yet on the download file.) If you have a Fox-in-a-Box with an older version and you wish to upgrade it (highly recommended) follow these steps: - Download http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/FoxTelem_1.08p_linux.tar.gz to the Desktop using the browser on your FIAB. - Double-click the file to extract it to a directory(folder) named "FoxTelem_1.08r_linux". - Next, stop the running FoxTelem and edit the file on your desktop named "StartFoxTelem". (Right-click and choose Text Editor.) - About the third line from the bottom, change "foxtelem_1.07_linux" to "FoxTelem_1.08r_linux". (Be sure the capital letters are right.) - Exit from the editor and double-click on "StartFoxTelem" and chose "Execute". - The new FoxTelem will start running and, as described in the manual you will start getting questions about whether you want to upgrade. Say yes to each question. After FoxTelem has started successfully, you should be all set, and FoxTelem should start automatically every time your reboot. If you have any issues, please Burns know at wb1fj at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Burns Fisher, WB1FJ 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 Seeks Digital Communications Team Members AMSAT is in the process of redesigning its website and is looking to immediately fill key volunteer member additions to its digital communications team. Available positions include a Webmaster, Content Managers, and an Online Store Co-Manager. Candidates must have experience with Word press and be a current AMSAT member. Webmaster: The Webmaster works as an integral member of the AMSAT Digital Communications Team in planning, organizing, implementing, and supporting strategic web technologies. Under minimal supervision, the Webmaster collaborates with the Digital Communications team and AMSAT Development to facilitate ongoing content creation, development of standards, and overall management of AMSAT's website and member portal. The primary objectives of the Webmaster are to ensure that AMSAT's digital presence accurately portrays the character, quality and heritage of AMSAT, provide an efficient user experience, and serve to increase recruitment and financial contributions. Web Content Managers: Web Content Managers ensure AMSAT's website and webpages follow best content practices and meet the diverse needs of internal and external customers. As part of the AMSAT Digital Communications Team, Website Content Managers must understand the organizational needs, map them to the end-user needs and work with applicable AMSAT departments to create content strategy and plan for individual webpages. Online Store Co-Manager: The Online Store Co-Manager updates and refreshes the AMSAT Store when new merchandise becomes available, deletes merchandise when no longer available, and updates pricing and shipping information when necessary. Experience in WooCommerce is required. If you want to be a part of the solution in delivering the quality web services AMSAT members deserve, we could sure use your help. Please contact the AMSAT VP of User Services at ke4al (at) yahoo (dot) com. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL 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/ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ The 39th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference Announced September 11-13, 2020, Charlotte, NC Mark your calendar and start making plans to attend the premier technical conference of the year, the 39th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September 11-13, 2020 in Charlotte, NC. The conference location is the Renaissance Charlotte Suites. The ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international forum for radio amateurs to meet, publish their work, and present new ideas and techniques. Presenters and attendees will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about recent hardware and software advances, theories, experimental results, and practical applications. Topics include, but are not limited to: Software Defined Radio (SDR), digital voice , digital satellite communications, Global Position System (GPS), precision timing, Automatic Packet Reporting System(tm)(APRS), short messaging (a mode of APRS), Digital Signal Processing (DSP), HF digital modes, Internet interoperability with Amateur Radio networks, spread spectrum, IEEE 802.11 and other Part 15 license-exempt systems adaptable for Amateur Radio, using TCP/IP networking over Amateur Radio, mesh and peer to peer wireless networking, emergency and Homeland Defense backup digital communications, using Linux in Amateur Radio, updates on AX.25 and other wireless networking protocols. Complete conference details including registration information, call for papers and preliminary agenda can be seen at https://www.tapr.org/dcc [ANS thanks TAPR for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- VUCC Awards-Endorsements for October 2019 Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period October 1, 2019 through November 1, 2019. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! Call Sep Oct W5RKN 675 694 N0JE 569 637 K9UO 475 500 W5TD 384 392 AC9E 352 353 HP2VX 300 351 AD0HJ 325 350 K5IX 325 350 W7JSD 309 336 G0IIQ 112 251 ND0C 200 250 WB8TGY New 210 N4DCW New 201 KC9VGG 127 200 NX2X 119 178 KC9UQR 132 172 W0NBC 137 152 VE1VOX New 126 N4QX 120 125 AA0MZ 102 112 WA9JBQ New 104 N9FN New 103 PU8MGB New 102 KI4US New 101 AB4GE New 100 N0RC New 100 S57NML New 100 W2ASC New 100 If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work! [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations South TX (EL0x and EL1x) November 2-9, 2019 Ron, AD0DX, will be vacationing in McAllen TX area the week of Nov 2 - 9. Ron is flying in and out of San Antonio (EL09) and staying in EL06. He hopes to activate most of the surrounding grids (EL06, EL07, EL08, EL09, EL15, EL16, EL17, EL18, and EL19) over the week. Ron will tweet details during the trip at https://twitter.com/ad0dx EM68/69 November 3-5, 2019 Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Illinois, November 3 - 5. Key word is vacation, but he will jump over to activate the EM68/EM69 gridline on FM satellites. Watch Tanner's Twitter feed for further announcements at https://twitter.com/twjones85 Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 - December 6, 2019 The Eureka Amateur Radio Club, VY0ERC, will be on station, the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, November 6 through December 11. They have some house keeping duties to perform on arrival and just before they leave, not to mention that it's wicked cold up there (-25 to -35C not counting windchill), so keep an eye on the VY0ERC twitter feed for announcements on when they plan to step outside at https://twitter.com/vy0erc EA9 Melilla (IM85) November 18-21, 2019 Philippe, EA4NF, will be operating from Melilla as EA9/EA4NF from November 18 to 21, 2019. This very small Spanish territory located in Northern Africa, which is a very rare GRID and is listed as one of the Most Wanted SAT DXCC. Updates and passes on Philippe's Twitter at https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019 Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3 - 6. Key word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to activate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner's Twitter feed for further announcements at https://twitter.com/twjones85 Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away - BK28. Keep an eye on Alex's Twitter feed for further announcements at https://twitter.com/N7AGF [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information.] +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ARISS News * Completed Contacts Farmwell Station Middle School Space Dreamers, Ashburn, VA, direct via K4LRG The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut was Drew Morgan KI5AAA. The contact was successful on October 29, 2019 at 15:01:27 UTC. * Upcoming Contacts Private UKEB School, Izmir, Turkey, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP. Contact is go for Tuesday, November 5, 2029 at 12:34 UTC. Istituto Comprensivo "G.B. Perasso", Milano, Italy and Istituto Comprensivo Montignoso - Scuola secondaria I grado "G.B.Giorgini", Montignoso, Italy Telebridge via VK5ZAI. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP. Contact is go for: Wednesday, November 6 2019 at 09:27:34 UTC. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shorts from All Over * AmazonSmile Purchases Add Up! AmazonSmile recently reported that the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation received a quarterly donation of $280.92 thanks to customers shopping at smile.amazon.com. To date, AmazonSmile has donated a total of $4,194.21 to AMSAT. [ANS thanks Dr. Thomas A Clark, K3IO for the above information.] * GNU Radio Conference Recordings Available The GNU Radio Conference was held September 16-20, 2019 at the Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. A total of 41 talks across a variety of topics are now available on YouTube. The GNU Radio Conference staff thanks all the speakers for their participation. View the playlist of presentations at https://t.co/zjRYq7yjr1 [ANS thanks GNU Radio for the above information.] * Building a Raspberry Pi-Based SatNOGS Ground Station Corey Shields uses a Stegoboard 122 kit with the new Raspberry Pi4 to rebuild his ground station. What resulted is a pretty cool wall-mounted ground station. Read the full article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-307-Ground-Station [ANS thanks Corey Shields for the above information.] * News from the First Week of WRC Week 1 of the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, November 1, 2019 saw agreement reached on several issues on which discussions prior to the conference had revealed consensus. Those were the easy ones; the rest will be more difficult. Read the full report at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-307-WRC [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.] * The Dzhanibekov Effect (Or, Tennis Racket Theorem) and AO-73 Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, posted an analysis of the AO-73 rotation and flip. Dave says, "We have speculated why the satellite spins up and down and occasionally flips the direction of spin. Recently Jason Flynn, G7OCD found a YouTube video that might explain the flip which introduces The Dzhanibekov Effect or Tennis Racket Theorem in regards to stability of rotating bodies (such as spacecraft)." Read the article and watch the video at: https://groups.io/g/FUNcube/topic/40405577 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VPfZ_XzisU [ANS thanks Dave Johnson, G4DPZ for the above information.] * Amateur Radio and Linux - A Beginners Guide Linux and Amateur Radio is a PDF presentation about Amateur Radio and Linux presented by : Dave Mamanakis, KD7GR. This presentation cover basic concepts of the open source operative system. View the presentation at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-307-Linux [ANS thanks the DX Zone for the above information.] * Amateur Radio CubeSat Demonstration at Goddard, November 3, 2019 The Goddard Amateur Radio Club members invite the public to see a demonstration of an Amateur Radio CubeSat simulator. The simulator consists of a solar/battery powered CubeSat that beacons telemetry data and a Raspberry Pi-based ground station that will receive and display the data in real time. The club will also set up radio equipment and attempt to communicate with other hams across the country using amateur satellites as they pass overhead. Club members will be on hand to explain the use of Amateur Radio satellites and equipment. The event is open to the public from 12:00 to 4:00 PM. The Center is located at 9432 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771. [ANS thanks Patch.com for the above information.] * ESA Announces New ISS Opportunity for University Students ESA Education is inviting university student teams to submit proposals related to designing, building and operating an experiment that will be launched to the International Space Station and hosted inside the ICE Cubes facility for up to 4 months. The deadline for letters of intent is December 1, 2019. Full details can be seen at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-307-ESA-Opportunity [ANS thanks ESA for the above information.] * CQ-DATV November Issue Available The November issue of CQ-DATV has arrived and is ready for downloading. This month's issue includes plans for a 70 cm, DVB-T, television repeater with a duplexer. Download the free, complete issue at https://cq-datv.mobi/77.php [ANS thanks CQ-DATV for the above information.] * Satellite: The "Go To" Solution for Resilient Emergency Response Communications Independent from terrestrial and wireless infrastructure, satellite communications provide a secure and reliable solution that can be deployed quickly for disaster response or national emergencies. A thorough analysis of why satellites can be useful in widespread emergency situations by a commercial provider. Read the full story at http://www.satmagazine.com/story.php?number=1950983317 [ANS thanks SatMagazine for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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ANS-300 AMSAT News Service Bulletins for October 27
by JoAnne K9JKM 27 Oct '19

27 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-300 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT Goal: "Amateur Radio in Every CubeSat" * AMSAT VP User Services Describes Planning for Improvements * AMSAT-DL Symposium and JHV 2019 November 9 - November 10 * Reminder - ARISS Proposal Window is Open Until November 30, 2019 * ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Software Update for UZ7HO's Software Packet-Radio TNC * Upcoming Satellite Operations * The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-300.01 ANS-300 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 27, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-300.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Video recordings of the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium have been posted: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AMSATNA/videos/ (This page should be accessible to all) The Foundations of AMSAT - 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium Banquet Panel is posted at: https://youtu.be/bRmn4gjvuTI +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Goal: "Amateur Radio in Every CubeSat" The ARRL Letter for October 17, 2019 AMSAT wants to see Amateur Radio in every CubeSat, and it's part- nering with non-Amateur Radio partners to make that happen. In the "Apogee View" editorial for the September/October issue of The AMSAT Journal, Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, wrote, "[W]e continue to support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E is ready for launch no earlier than December 1, 2019, on the ELaNa XX mission. The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus." Stoetzer said CubeSat programs interested in launching an Amateur Radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry a Fox-1E module on their spacecraft. "By providing Amateur Radio capability, the Cube- Sat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and experiment data while the Amateur Radio commun- ity gets a transponder to use in orbit," he pointed out. Stoetzer said the first such partnership will be with the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Its 3U CubeSat -- HuskySat-1 -- is set to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops Island, Virginia, no sooner than November 2. A Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 to the International Space Station, and after completing its mission there, Cygnus will con- tinue to an orbit of approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) to deploy HuskySat-1. "After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads -- a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K-band (24 GHz) communications system -- the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear transponder will be made available to the Amateur Radio community," Stoetzer said. Ed. Note - HuskySat-1 will carry a 30 kHz wide 145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for amateur radio SSB/CW communications along with 1k2 BPSK telemetry. The IARU has coordinated a downlink on 436.810-435.840 MHz and uplink on 145.910-145.940 MHz. NASA TV (http://www.nasa.gov/ntv) will provide coverage of the launch. Pre-launch details are posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Cygnus-Launch-Nov2 [ANS thanks AMSAT and the ARRL for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2019 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings USB flash drives, featuring 1.98 GB of information, including the 2019 Proceedings and all previously published Proceedings dating back to 1986 are now available on the AMSAT store https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Symposium-Flash-Drive (allow 10 business days for the next batch to be loaded with the files) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT VP User Services Describes Planning for Improvements At the conclusion of the 2019 AMSAT Symposium and Annual General meeting, Robert Bankston, KE4AL, VP User Services provided a state- ment outlining his plans. Robert's statement follows: I am so honored to be elected by the AMSAT Board of Directors to be the AMSAT Treasurer and reelected to be the AMSAT Vice-President of User Services, as well as reappointed as the Director of AMSAT Ambas- sadors by the AMSAT President. Thank you for your confidence in me. I am humbled. This is a lot of hats to wear, along with my full-time job, but I look forward to the challenge. I believe in AMSAT's mis- sion and have a wonderful team of volunteers to assist me. I am excited to announce that there are major improvements coming for our AMSAT members in the near future. The AMSAT Board of Direc- tors approved my recommendations for an internet-based, member manage- ment system, the transition to a digitally delivered, full-color AMSAT Journal, and a complete overhaul of our AMSAT website. I have been putting together these proposals for several months and thank the Board of Directors for the permission to move these projects forward. These improvements will modernize how AMSAT serves you. I hope that you will be as impressed with them as I am. The member management system puts you in control of your membership account, allowing you to update your contact information, pay your dues, and register for events in real time. In addition, the program will automatically push out reminders, newsletters, and a digital copy of the AMSAT Journal. Transitioning to a digitally-delivered, AMSAT Journal will allow us to provide a full-color magazine, without raising the cost of member- ship. In addition, we will have to opportunity to provide member-only content on our website, to include back issues of our AMSAT Journal. Lastly, we will be working on a complete overhaul of our AMSAT web- site. Over the years, our website has received several facelifts, and, in the process, it has become somewhat disjointed. Our goal is to make the navigation more intuitive and offer the content you deserve. The front of the website will focus on external visitors, explaining who we are, what we do, and what we have to offer. We will also have portals for our members and friends in the AMSAT community, how to guides on getting started in amateur radio satellites, and all the important information about current satellites you will need to work them. AMSAT's User Services is committed to serving AMSAT members and the AMSAT community and to deliver the quality services you deserve as we move forward into the next 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio is Space! If you would like to join us on this incredible journey, we could sure use you help. 73, Robert Bankston, KE4AL Vice-President, User Services Director, AMSAT Ambassadors Treasurer Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) [Ed. note - The AMSAT News Service is a proud member of the AMSAT User Services Team] [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT's Man of Many Hats 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-DL Symposium and JHV 2019 November 9 - November 10 AMSAT-DL extends an invitation to the Satellite Symposium and General Assembly of AMSAT Deutschland e.V. in Bochum, Germany. Lectures on current amateur radio satellites and space projects will be presented. The lecture program and symposium schedule have been posted. Landing coordinates have been posted as 07° 11' 39" E 51° 25' 40" N. See https://amsat-dl.org/en/event/amsat-dl-symposium-und-jhv-2019/ for the latest information and travel directions. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Reminder - ARISS Proposal Window is Open Until November 30, 2019 The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organiza- tions, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and inte- grate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 30, 2019. Proposal information and documents can be found at https://www.ariss.org/ [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Liceo Scientifico Teresa Gullace, Rome, Italy,direct via IZØDIB and I.S.I.S. “ Zaccagna - Galilei” sede “G. Galilei”, Carrara. Italy, direct via IQ5VR Thu 2019-10-24 11:13 UTC Contact was successful. + I.I.S. “Ciampini-Boccardo”, Novi Ligure, Italy, direct via I1LJV and I.T.I.S. "Magistri Cumacini", Como, Italy, direct via IZ2MCC Fri 2019-10-25 10:24 UTC Contact was successful. + Golden Oak Montessori, Castro Valley, CA, telebridge via K6DUE. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Mon 2019-10-28 15:50 UTC + Young Scientists Program at USC and Vermont Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA, direct via KN6CHS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP Contact is go for: Mon 2019-10-28 18:57 UTC + Farmwell Station Middle School Space Dreamers, Ashburn, VA, direct via K4LRG. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Tue 2019-10-29 15:01 UTC The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. The main page for Applying to Host a Scheduled Contact may be found at: https://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. These up- grades are necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astro- nauts in space via Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $33,830 raised or about 23% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your outstanding generosity!! For more informa- tion and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9 [ANS thanks ARISS 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Software Update for UZ7HO's Software Packet-Radio TNC Andrei, UZ7HO, the developer of the UZ7HO Soundmodem software, has released an updated version: soundmodem105. The UZ7HO soundmodem is a dual-port Packet-Radio TNC that uses a soundcard as a modem and supports the AX.25 protocol on computers running the Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 operating systems. The newest version of Soundmodem supports these packet protocols: + AFSK 300, 600, 1200, 2400 bps (conventional packet) + BPSK 300, 600, 1200, 2400 bps + QPSK 2400, 3600, 4800 bps + 8PSK 4800 bps The updated software and documentation can be accessed at: http://uz7.ho.ua/packetradio.htm - and look for - + soundmodem105.zip 13-Oct-19 03:57 + CHANGELOG.txt 13-Oct-19 04:36 High-speed packet software supporting the telemetry from amateur and scientific satellites, called hs_soundmodem21.zip can also be downloaded from this site. High-Speed Soundmodem: + G3RUH 4800, 9600, 19200 bps + Manchester 1200, 2400, 3600, 7200 bps + HAPN 4800 bps + GOMX-1/3, Mobitex-NX (BeeSAT-2/4), AAUSAT-4, LilacSat-2 decoders [ANS thanks Andrei, UZ7HO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Operating Shorts: + Oct 24-28, KQ2RP/1: FN54 (and possibly the FN44/54 line); FM only + St. Lucia, October 19-28, 2019 Jay, AA4FL, will be in St. Lucia for the J68MD CQWW SSB Contest Team. He will be doing OSCAR satellite operation as J6/AA4FL, by schedule as he is visiting vacation style in varying locations. His schedule will depend on shifts as a team member of the CQWW J68MD team. E-mail per QRZ to coordinate both FM simple SATs and SSB linear transponder bird QSO schedules. Radios will be a FT-817ND and FT-818ND for full duplex operation using an Arrow II antenna. + Minnesota’s North Shore (EN36/EN46, EN47/EN48, EN57/EN58) October 30 to November 1, 2019. Mitch, ADØHJ, will be taking a tour of Minnesota’s North Shore before the BIG SNOW comes down. It all kicks off with the Oct 30 06:35z CAS-4B pass from EN57/58 grid line and ends on the Nov 1 11:27z SO-50 pass from EN36/46 line. In between, Mitch will hit the EN47/48 grid line. 24 FM and Linear passes in all. Definitely something for everyone. Keep and eye on Mitch’s Twitter feed for further updates: https://twitter.com/AD0HJ + South TX (EL0x and EL1x) November 2-9, 2019 Ron, AD0DX, will be vacationing in McAllen TX area the week of Nov 2 to 9. He will be roving to south Texas on the above dates. His cur- rent plan is as follows:Sat Nov 2nd: EL08/EL09 probably one pass per grid starting in the late afternoon local Sun Nov 3: EL17/EL18 holiday style, one or two passes per grid Mon Nov 4 through Fri Nov 8: EL06 / EL15 / EL16. He is staying in EL06 and will activate 15 and 16 a few times throughout the week. Will probably activate EL06 4 or 5 times. Sat Nov 9: EL07 / EL08 Probably one pass from each grid. He will be active on FM and linear satellites and will tweet passes from https://twitter.com/ad0dx + EM68/69 November 3-5, 2019 Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Illinois, November 3–5. Key word is vacation, but he will jump over to activate the EM68/EM69 gridline on FM satellites. Watch Tanner’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85 + Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 – December 6, 2019 Look for VY0ERC to once again be active from the Eureka Weather station (NA-008, Zone 2) between Nov. 11 to Dec. 6. This sta- tion is operated by the Eureka Amateur Radio Club [probably the most northerly located amateur radio club in the world] from Eureka, Nunavut. The suggested bands are 40 and 20 meters (possibly 80m), as well as FM satellites (from ER60, EQ79) using SSB, the Digital modes and very slow CW. Activity will be limited to their spare time. QSL via M0OXO, OQRS or direct. For updates, see: https://twitter.com/vy0erc + EA9 Melilla (IM85) November 18-21, 2019 Philippe, EA4NF, will be operating from Melilla as EA9/EA4NF from November 18 to 21, 2019. This very small Spanish territory located in Northern Africa, which is a very rare GRID and is listed as one of the Most Wanted SAT DXCC. Updates and passes on Philippe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT + Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019 Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3-6. Key word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to activate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85 + Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org Just because the year is winding down and Winter in knocking on the door doesn't mean the satellite operations are slowing down. Check out AMSAT's Upcoming Satellite Operations pages for all the latest happenings: https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ Announcements are posted as soon as they are received, so make sure you bookmark the page and check it often. If you have an activation in the works, please send me an email to make sure the word gets out. [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates Information about AMSAT activities at important events around the country is posted on the AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions web page: https://www.amsat.org/other-events/ Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT repre- sentatives give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence such as a table or booth with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with pre- sentations, forums, and/or demonstrations. A copy of the AMSAT hamfest brochure is available for download from the page (above) - get the "AMSAT Intro Brochure", a color brochure that is designed to be printed double-sided and folded into a tri-fold handout. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office if you need pre-printed copies. To include your upcoming AMSAT presentation and/or demonstration, please send an email to ambassadors (at) amsat (dot) org. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Ambassadors for the above information +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASA is inviting 50 social media users to witness the next SpaceX cargo launch to the Space_Station. All details, requirements, and restrictions are posted at: https://go.nasa.gov/2MGt27y Applications close Oct. 31. + To apply for a NASA Internship head over to http://intern.nasa.gov to see what's new! You can learn about about NASA Internships, Path- ways, Fellowships, and International Internship opportunities! The application deadline for spring 2020 is November 5, 2019. + The presentation by Alan B. Johnston, PhD, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations, and Pat Kilroy, N8PK, at the 37th Space Symposium "A Year with the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: 12 Months in the Classroom and Lab" is available for download as a PDF file at https://t.co/8ytonDXW5v View Alan's announcement on Twitter https://t.co/0fiFiU56LM A PDF copy of Alan and Pat's PowerPoint slides for their present- ation, "Updates to the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: Fox Emulation Mode and Raspberry Pi Ground Station" can be downloaded from: https://t.co/N4bjCVVBym?amp=1 + AMSAT Colloquium Talk on QO-100 is posted at: https://amsat-uk.org/2019/10/21/video-eshail-2-qo-100-talk/ https://youtu.be/hxxlCx3W5Bg Videos of the presentations given at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, which was held as part of the RSGB Convention in Milton Keynes, October 12-13, 2019, are being made available on YouTube. A recent release is the talk on the geostationary satellite Es’hail-2 / QO-100 activities of AMSAT-DL given by Achim Vollhardt, DH2VA, this is followed by the awarding of the RSGB Louis Varney Cup to Peter Gülzow DB2OS. + The Microwave Update (MUD) 2019 Conference in the Dallas, TX area has wrapped up. Both the MUD proceedings and GNU Radio Workshop proceedings are available from Lulu. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-MUD-GNU-Proceedings + AO-7 has been operating during a period of full illumination that will last until approximately Decenber 2nd. During this time, the satellite's onboard timer should switch it between Mode A (145 MHz uplink / 29 MHz downlink) and Mode B (432 MHz uplink / 145 MHz down- link) every 24 hours. To check or report the satellite's current mode, please see the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page at: https://www.amsat.org/status/ A description of AO-7 operation is posted at: https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ao-7/ + NASA article highlights the role of amateur radio in letting young people speak directly with astronauts and cosmonauts on the Inter- national Space Station is posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-NASA-Youth + NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform the First Space-Earth Duet. NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, circling Earth aboard the International Space Station, and musician Ian Anderson, founder of the rock band Jethro Tull, joined together for the first space-Earth duet. See: https://youtu.be/XeC4nqBB5BM + Enjoy NASA's specical video just in time for Halloween! Raining glass! Wicked wind! Radiation blasts from an undead star are all at play in our GALAXY OF HORRORS! A preview of the video is avail- able in tweet from NASA: https://twitter.com/NASAExoplanets/status/1187768977079992320 And it will be available for download Tuesday, Oct. 29, at: http://exoplanets.nasa.gov + West Point cadets using the USMA amateur radio club callsign W2KGY had a contact with Col. Drew Morgan, U.S. Military Academy Class of 1998, aboard the ISS. An article with links to a video of the contact is posted at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-ISS-WestPoint + A new groups.io announcement from the ARRL describes new on-line forums: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-ARRL-Forums You can join the Groups at: https://groups.arrl.org/g/ARRL-Groups/subgroups + The NFL inspires a satellite docking tool which teaches satellites to interact and dock in space, an Aerospace team found a possible solution on Sunday Night Football™: https://aerospace.org/article/nfl-inspires-satellite-docking-tool + The ESA web pages presented with a new look this week: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-ESA-New-Look and, now you can tune in to ESA’s latest digital channel: ESA Web TV! This is ESA’s one-stop- shop for all live events from launches to lectures: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Presenting_ESA_Web_TV + Will We Survive Mars? A video series from Vox gives us something to think about: https://youtu.be/x8fpeVICeGg + This video describes how to set up ham radio software on the Raspberry Pi: https://youtu.be/cGlfv-aPkU8 + Follow a project to use a RaspberryPi to sync your windshield wipers to music; this is apparently a work in progress: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-Wipers-With-A-Beat + AMSAT-SA Space Symposium 2020 in South Africa is planned for July 18, 2020. The theme will be: Amateur Radio in Space – explor- ing VHF, UHF and Microwaves. The latest information will be post- ed at: http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ Kletskous related PowerPoint pre- sentations can be accessed at the same web page include: - Kletskous - Kletskous Transponder - Kletskous Magnetic Stabilisation + Scientists and engineers from nearly a dozen Polish universities have teamed up with Poland-based satellite company SatRevolution and Sir Richard Branson’s small satellite launch company Virgin Orbit to establish a new consortium to design and carry out the world’s first dedicated commercial small satellite mission to Mars. See: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-300-SatRevolution + The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is headed toward our Milky Way galaxy at 110 km per second (68 miles/sec). It'll look bigger & bigger in our skies before colliding with us in a few billion years, and when that happens, the two galaxies will be ripped across space by tidal forces. Have a nice day ... https://twitter.com/physicsJ/status/1182628766289297408?s=20 [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and remember to behave and to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-293 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark D. Johns 19 Oct '19

19 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-293 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * 2019 AMSAT Symposium Underway! Livestream Available * AMSAT Board of Directors Announces 2019 Officers * AMSAT-UK Colloquium Videos Available * Cubesat Simulators Launched * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-293.01 ANS-293 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 293.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2019-Oct-19 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-293.01 2019 AMSAT Symposium Underway! Livestream Available The 37th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting has begun, and will continue through Sunday, October 20, 2019, at The Hilton Ar- lingtonin in Arlington, Virginia. Sessions are being live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/AMSATNA/ The AMSAT Board of Directors met just before the Symposium, Oct. 16-17, at the same hotel. The Symposium, which celebrates 50 years of AMSAT, features OSCAR Park –- a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur rad- io in space. Paper presentations and the AMSAT Annual General Meeting will also be featured. The schedule of presentation is available at https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/ [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Board of Directors Announces 2019 Officers These are the results of the 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors meeting vote for Officers: * Joe Spier, K6WAO, of Reno, Nev., as President * Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President * Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, Texas, as Vice-President Engineer- ing * Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of New Port Richey, Fla., as Vice-President Operations * Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, of Silver Spring, Md., as Vice-President Human Spaceflight * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, Ala. as Vice-President User Ser- vices * Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, Minn. as Vice-President Devel- opment * Alan Johnston, KU2Y, of Philadelphia, PA as Vice-President Educa- tional Relations * Brennan Price, N4QX, of Vienna, Va., as Secretary * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, Ala., as Treasurer * Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, Md., as Manager The Board of Directors appointed officers for the new year at its meeting in Arlington, Va. on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Officers are selected by the Board from among the AMSAT membership, based on expertise and experience. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Executive Vice President for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK Colloquium Videos Available Videos of the presentations given at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, which was held as part of the RSGB Convention in Milton Keynes, October 12-13, 2019, are being made available on YouTube. The first of the videos is the fascinating presentation on the WUSAT-3 CubeSat project given by Professor Julia Hunter-Anderson of the Uni- versity of Warwick which highlights the potential use of CubeSats for wildlife tracking. Other presentations are expected to be uploaded in the coming weeks. The AMSAT-UK videos are located on their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/videos AMSAT-UK wishes to thank the British Amateur Television Club and Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, for their work in recording, editing and uploading these videos. [ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA, and AMSAT-UK for the above informa- tion] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Cubesat Simulators Launched Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, Vice President - Educational Affairs has announced the general availability of the AMSAT Cubesat Simulators. Speaking at the 37th Annual Space Symposium, Alan reports that since the prototype Cubesat Simulators were introduced at Hamvention in May, 2019, the simulators have undergone testing and final release. Among the schools testing the simulators was Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. Science and Engineering teacher Melissa Pore presented to the symposium audience her experience with using a simulator in one of her engineering clubs and how her student benefitted from their use. A Cubesat Simulator is a self-contained satellite model that reports solar cell performance via standard AFSK 1200 BPS AX.25 telemetry. The telemetry can be decoded with a simple SDR ground station. A Cubesat Simulator package consists of the 1U simulator, a halogen work light to simulate sunshine, and a motorized rotating turntable that mimics the satellite tumbling through space. The four loaner packages are packed and shipped in a hard case. The simulator is shipped prepaid while the user pays return shipping. Persons interested in borrowing a CubeSat Simulator for a local presentation is encouraged to contact Alan at KU2Y at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President - Educational Affairs.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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 The following Amateur Radio satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's TLE distribution: TNS 0-2 - NORAD CAT ID 42914 - Decayed 10/15/2019 (per Space-Track). Last week a number of "N"s were present in a few TLEs which caused some programs to reject those TLEs. Note: Some (but not all) of the raw TLEs from SpaceTrack have plus signs (+) which are not necessary. All plus signs (+) in the TLEs are routinely changed to a blank space. Last week all plus signs were incorrectly changed to the letter "N". This was due to a change in the formatting program and a typing error that substituted a "N" instead of a single blank space everytime a plus sign was present. That problem has been corrected and should not be an issue in the future. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule An International Space Station school contact was completed with par- ticipants at Science & Technologie e.V. event: Science Days, Teningen, Germany on Thursday, Oct. 17. The event lasted approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds, direct between OR4ISS and DN1EME. The contact was audible over Germany and adjacent areas on the 145.80 MHz downlink. ARISS has received word that the EVA that took place on Friday, Oct. 18 has caused changes to the schedule. Thus, some contacts now have new times. Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Diego Valeri”, Campolongo Maggiore, Italy, direct via IQ3RW and Istituto Comprensivo Ladispoli1, Ladispoli, Italy, direct via IKØWGF, the ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS and the scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP. The contact is go for: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 10:27:13 UTC (26 degrees) Watch for live stream from IQ3RW side of the contact at: https://tinyurl.com/y5pcyr9m Watch for live stream from IKØWGF side of the contact directly on the AMSAT Italia youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkJ8IFmfTO-pUkVFNrUXIcg Liceo Scientifico Teresa Gullace, Rome, Italy,direct via IZØDIB and I.S.I.S. “ Zaccagna - Galilei” sede “G. Galilei”, Carrara. Italy, di- rect via IQ5VR, the ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS and the scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP. Contact is go for: Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11:13:40 UTC (79 degrees) I.I.S. “Ciampini-Boccardo”, Novi Ligure, Italy, direct via I1LJV and I.T.I.S. "Magistri Cumacini", Como, Italy, direct via IZ2MCC, the ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS. The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP. Contact is go for: Friday, Oct. 25 at 10:24:39 UTC (83 degrees) The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/ [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, of the ARISS operation team 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 St. Lucia, October 19-28, 2019 Jay, AA4FL, will be in St. Lucia for the J68MD CQWW SSB Contest Team. Jay will be doing OSCAR satellite operation as J6/AA4FL, by schedule as he is visiting vacation style in varying locations. His schedule will depend on shifts as a team member of the CQWW J68MD team. E-mail per QRZ to coordinate both FM simple SATs and SSB linear transponder bird QSO schedules. Radios will be a FT-817ND and FT-818ND for full duplex operation using an Arrow II antenna. Oregon, DN04, October 21, 2019 KI7UNJ will be QRV on Oct. 21, from 1653z to 1910z, FM only. Colombia, through October, 2019 The special event stations J500LDV, 5J500D, 5J500L, and 5J500V will commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death on the air until the end of October. QRV on 80 to 10m on CW, SSB, digital modes, and via satellite. An award program will be available as well. QSL via HK3VHZ, LoTW, eQSL. Texas, EL06, EL16 and adjacent grids, November 2-9, 2019 Ron Bondy, AD0DX, reports on Twitter that he will be flying to San Antonio and hopes to activate as many as 10 south Texas grids. Watch Twitter @ad0dx for details. Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special empahasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announce- ments: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT Vice-President of User Ser- vices for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, October 21 as the AMSAT Symposium wraps up. (ANS thanks Martha Saragovitz, AMSAT Manager, for the above informa- tion -- you deserve a day off, Martha!) + Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir carried out history’s first all-female spacewalk Friday, floating outside the Internation- al Space Station and successfully installing a 230-pound replacement battery charger in the lab’s solar power system. The historic excur- sion was carried out in a blaze of public interest that rose all the way to the White House. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information) + NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has named Douglas Loverro as the agency’s new associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. Loverro succeeds former astronaut Kenneth Bowersox, who has been acting associate administrator since July. Previously, Loverro spent three decades in the Department of Defense and the National Reconnaissance Office developing, managing, and establishing national policy for the full range of national security space activities. (ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information) + SpaceX is seeking approval to add up to 30,000 more satellites to its Starlink broadband network, on top of 12,000 spacecraft already authorized by U.S. government regulators, according to filings sub- mitted to the International Telecommunication Union. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information) + Possibly related to the previous news item, LeoLabs announced that they plan to build four additional radar installations for tracking space debris. Their current installations can track objects down to about a 10 cm diameter, but with their new installations they’ll theoretically be able to track objects as small as 2 cm. In general, current radar systems tend to be limited on the lower end to objects in the 5-10 cm range. Systems like LeoLabs’ and the U.S. Air Force’s upcoming Marshall Islands-based Space Fence will improve coverage, but still won’t see the 128 million objects from 1 mm to 1 cm, which have the potential to disable or completely destroy a satellite. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information) + Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who became the first person in his- tory to spacewalk in 1965, has died aged 85. He went on to become the commander of Soyuz-Apollo, the first ever joint US-Soviet mis- sion in 1975. Leonov died at Moscow's Burdenko hospital on Friday, Oct. 11 after a long illness. (ANS thanks BBC.com for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, K0JM at amsat dot org

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ANS-289 AMSAT Special Bulletin - AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019 Officers
by JoAnne K9JKM 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-289.01 In this edition: * AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019 Officers SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289.01 ANS-289 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 16, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289.01 AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019 Officers These are the results of the 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors meeting vote for Officers: * Joe Spier, K6WAO, of Reno, NV, as President * Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President * Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President Engineering * Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of New Port Richey, FL, as Vice-President Operations * Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, of Silver Spring, MD, as Vice-President Human Spaceflight * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL as Vice-President User Services * Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, MN as Vice-President Development * Brennan Price, N4QX, of Vienna, VA, as Secretary * Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, as Treasurer * Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager The Board of Directors is meeting in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday - Thursday, October 16 - 17. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Executive Vice President for the above information] /EX

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ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-286 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule * September/October 2019 Apogee View * W3ZM - 50 States in Our 50th Year * ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19 * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-286.01 ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE October 13, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-286.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Please join us for the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Symposium, to be held in the Washington, DC Metro Area on October 18, 19, and 20, 2019. While the deadline for banquet and tour tickets has passed, walk-in registrations for the Symposium and Annual General Meeting are welcome. The Symposium venue will be the Hilton Arlington, located in the heart of the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The Hilton Arlington is located at 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA TEL: +1-703-528-6000 and the reservation code is AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation). Connected to the Ballston Metro Station, the hotel offers easy and effortless access to Washington DC's top tourist destinations like the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments. The hotel is six miles from Reagan National Airport and the National Mall. There are plenty of restaurants nearby. The Symposium will feature OSCAR Park - a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur radio in space - paper presentations, and a banquet with speakers celebrating AMSAT's long history, and other events. The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held on October 16th and 17th at the same hotel. Two guided tours are available. On Sunday, October 20th a bus tour to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum is available for $30 (max 35 people) and on Monday, October 21st, AMSAT President Joe Spier will lead a day tour to the National Mall via the Metro. So please plan on attending the 50th Anniversary Symposium - you will be glad you did and keep checking the AMSAT website for further updates and information. The 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting features: + Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations + Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World + Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members (October 16-17) + Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers + AMSAT Annual General Membership Meeting + Annual Banquet, Speakers and Door Prizes !! The latest news and information is always posted at: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule A preliminary schedule for the 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting has been posted to the AMSAT website. Check back for updates, including the speaker schedule. https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- September/October 2019 Apogee View I am pleased to be writing this edition of “Apogee View” in Joe’s place as a special guest columnist. For those of you who don’t know me, I am somewhat new to amateur radio satellites and AMSAT. My first experience with amateur satellites was listening to the ARISSat-1 voice beacon and decoding its SSTV images in August 2011. In September 2012, I made my first satellite QSOs (on AO-27) and joined AMSAT. In 2015, I was elected Secretary by the AMSAT Board of Directors; and, in 2017, I was elected Executive Vice President. I also have served as both an alternate and a regular member of the board. As I write this in late September, getting ready for the upcoming Symposium, summer refuses to yield to the cooler air of fall here in Washington, D.C. I hope the weather will be more comfortable for the Symposium in nearby Arlington, VA, in a few weeks. In mid-September, we received the fantastic news that Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the InterOperable Radio System (IORS) and related infrastructure. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio and digital communications in general. While ARISS still needs additional donations to fund the IORS fully, this grant significantly helps the endeavor. ARISS plans to have the IORS ready for launch by the end of the year. AMSAT thanks ARDC for their substantial contribution to this effort. ARISS is a key component of AMSAT’s vision. As printed inside the front cover of each issue of The AMSAT Journal, “Our Vision is to deploy satellite systems with the goal of providing wide-area and continuous coverage,” as we “continue active participation in human space missions and support a stream of LEO satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other amateur satellite groups.” AMSAT teams are hard at work on each clause of that vision statement. The GOLF program is making good progress with development of the GOLF-TEE satellite. GOLF-TEE is a crucial element of our path back to high orbits and fulfilling the first clause of AMSAT’s vision to provide wide-area and continuous coverage satellite systems. Systems aboard GOLF-TEE include active attitude determination and control (ADAC), a radiation-tolerant internal housekeeping unit (RT-IHU), and a Fox-1E type VHF/UHF linear transponder. GOLF-TEE also will include a software defined radio (SDR) with a high-speed X band (10 GHz) data downlink which may also provide a simultaneous X band downlink of the V/u transponder passband, effectively providing V/x capability for use and evaluation. All of these technologies are crucial for missions to HEO and GEO, and additional information will appear in future issues of The AMSAT Journal. Our participation in human space missions also is expanding. As announced at the AMSAT Forum at the Dayton Hamvention, international AMSAT and ARISS organizations have formed a group known as AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration). Work currently is underway on the design of a ham radio system for NASA’s Lunar Gateway. The Gateway will be a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon that will provide access to more of the lunar surface than ever before, with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, ports for visiting spacecraft, and more. The first sections of the Gateway are scheduled for launch in 2022. The plans call for various uses of L (1.2 GHz), S (2.4 GHz), C (5 GHz), and X (10 GHz) bands for repeater-type communications, both analog and digital, through Gateway, image transmissions from both inside and outside the Gateway, possible access to experiments aboard Gateway, and two-way communications with astronauts while Gateway is crewed. The challenges for amateurs involve the substantial increase in free space path loss compared to satellites in low earth orbit. We are very excited about AMSAT’s participation in this project. More details will be presented at the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and articles will certainly follow in future editions of The AMSAT Journal. Finally, we continue to support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E is ready for launch no earlier than December 1, 2019 on the ELaNa XX mission. That mission will launch on the first commercial flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne air launch to orbit system. Stay tuned to ANS for further updates on the launch date. The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus. Noting the prevalence of CubeSats built and launched by universities and other organizations, AMSAT adopted a goal of “amateur radio in every CubeSat.” Interested CubeSat programs wanting to fly an amateur radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry one of these modules on their spacecraft. By providing amateur radio capability, the CubeSat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and experiment data while the amateur radio community gets a transponder to use in orbit. The first of these partnerships is with the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Their 3U CubeSat, HuskySat-1, is scheduled to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops Island, VA, no earlier than November 2. Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 on a mission to the International Space Station. After completing its mission at the ISS, Cygnus will continue to a higher orbit of approximately 500 km to deploy HuskySat-1. After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads, a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K band (24 GHz) communications system, the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear transponder will be made available to the amateur radio community. In addition, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and Vice President of Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, have been hard at work identifying and working with several CubeSat groups interested in carrying this system. We hope to be able to make additional announcements soon. The 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors election recently concluded. I congratulate the winners and look forward to working with the newly- elected board to further our vital mission to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. By the time this Journal arrives, the 2019 Board of Directors meeting and 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium will have concluded. It promises to be an exciting weekend exploring both AMSAT’s five-decade history and the work we are doing for the future. While there will no doubt be many challenges in the future, I am confident in the organization’s ability to overcome them. We will Keep Amateur Radio in Space. I look forward to attending the AMSAT Centennial Symposium in the fall of 2069 at the age of 84. Hopefully, by then we will be discussing our plans for amateur radio on the first crewed interstellar mission. [ANS thanks Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W3ZM - 50 States in Our 50th Year In 1969, a group of amateur radio operators, with dreams of space, formed the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). To commemorate this golden milestone, AMSAT decided what better way to celebrate 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space, then to get AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign to operate from all 50 states and the District of Columbia as a leadup to the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Space Symposium and General Meeting, to be held in Arlington, VA, October 18 – 20, 2019. AMSAT put out a call to its members to get on the air and activate their states, using AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign, as well as to cover those states without an active AMSAT operator. Activations of United States Territories (i.e. Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) were also encouraged. Puerto Rico kicked it off on June 20th and was first on the air, and then, one by one, the U.S.A. map started filling in. Members, some without their family’s knowledge, brought satellite gear with them on vacation to help fill in the harder ones. By the start of October, three weeks before Symposium, 47 states and Puerto Rico were in the log. West Virginia came in October 2nd, Maryland and Delaware on October 6th, and finally Washington, D.C., the birthplace of AMSAT, on October 10th. Coincidently, Washington D. C. was activated outside of the apartment building where one of the first meetings to form the organization was held. To say the response was overwhelming would be an understatement and proved why AMSAT’s greatest strength comes from its members. To all of the W3ZM/p activators and participants, AMSAT THANKS YOU. You made this a fun and exciting celebration of AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space! [ANS thanks Vice President for User Services Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19 David Sumner, K1ZZ, Secretary, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) authored an article in the special WRC-19 issue of #ITU News magazine,"Views of the International Amateur Radio Union on WRC-19 agenda items". Among many overall IARU objectives for WRC-19 one directly affects amateur satellite operation: Agenda item 1.7 - spectrum for non-GSO satellites The IARU supports satisfying the spectrum requirements for non.GSO satellites with short duration missions within the existing allocations for the space operation service or the frequency ranges identified in invites ITU.R 3 of Resolution 659 (WRC.15), unless the satellites are amateur satellites as defined in Radio Regulations (RR) Nos. 1.56 and 1.57. The band 144-146 MHz is especially important to amateurs as it is currently the only worldwide primary amateur and amateur-satel- lite allocation between 29.7 MHz and 24 GHz. It is heavily used in all three Regions for all forms of amateur communications including disaster response. Sumner's article begins on page 72 of the magazine which can be accessed as a 20 MB PDF file at: https://t.co/acLwy4W5Jo?amp=1 [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Satellite Shorts: +EM25,EM35 - WI4T - Oct 15 & 16, holiday style +DN04 - KI7UNJ - Oct 21, 1653z to 1910z, FM only * Central California (CM95, CM96, DM05, DM06) – October 19, 2019 David AD7DB will re-visit the four grids near Kettleman City CA. AO-91, AO-92, SO-50 will be used, with eastern passes a priority. Maybe PO-101 if it’s on, and AO-85 if it’s not too finicky. Contacts will be put on LOTW following the trip. Updates on Twitter https://twitter.com/ad7db * Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Mike Diehl, W8LID, recently developed a web-based tool for easy generation of new lines for SatPC32's Doppler.sqf file. AMSAT is pleased to host this new tool on our website at https://www.amsat.org/doppler-sqf-line-generator/ + NASA has announced that the Orbital CRS-12 mission is now scheduled for launch from Wallops Island, VA no earlier than November 2nd. HuskySat-1, carrying an AMSAT V/u linear transponder, will launch on this mission. + Happy 4th Birthday, AO-85! At 12:49:30 UTC on October 8, 2015, the first Fox-1 satellite, Fox-1A was launched on an Atlas V rocket with the NROL-55 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Designated AO-85 on-orbit, the satellite remains operational while in sunlight despite battery degradation due to the high temperatures experienced in its orbit. + A new distance record has been claimed on the IO-86 FM transponder: 5,324 km between PU4JOE in GH91ad and 9G5AR in IJ95vn. + SDRPlay has announced an easy setup for using an SDRPlay with GNU Radio on Windows. https://t.co/RxDDzcBu8f + Space Daily has an article about Virgin Orbit. Virgin Orbit will carry RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E on its LauncherOne vehicle. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-286-SD + Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA, announced a minor update to his KLA Track satellite tracking program. The update improves rendering of the display. KLA Track can be downloaded at https://www.g0kla.com/klatrack/index.php + The Dutch Amateur Radio Union awarded their first Worked Dutch Kingdom Certificate for satellite QSOs on October 10th to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. This certificate is available for making QSOs with each of the six DXCC entities within the Dutch Kingdom. For more information, see https://www.daru.nu/index.php/nl/awards +At least two new operators achieved Satellite WAS this past week. K5IX and KB6LTY each worked W3ZM/3 in Delaware on Oct 6 for state #50. [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - AO-92 Remaining in U/v For Potential Emergency Traffic
by JoAnne K9JKM 30 Sep '19

30 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-272.02 In this edition: * AO-92 Remaining in U/v For Potential Emergency Traffic SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-272.02 ANS-272 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.02 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 29, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-272.02 Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations has received a request from amateurs involved with emergency communications in the Azores, requesting we forego L/v operation on AO-92 this week. Hurricane Lorenzo is expected to pass through the Azores as a Cate- gory 4 storm Tuesday and Wednesday, and they are requesting AO-92 remain in U/v for potential emergency traffic. Please be aware of and yield to any emergency traffic, on any satellite, coming from the area during this time. Passes covering the Azores and Portugal are the most critical. We realize that there have been a few moves and cancellations for this mode recently, and I ask for understanding and cooperation. Emergency use is always first priority, and AMSAT is happy to assist in any way we can. [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations for the above information] /EX

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ANS-272 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by JoAnne K9JKM 29 Sep '19

29 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-272 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Experimenter Wednesday Announced for AO-92 * The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates * 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting * 2019 AMSAT Symposium On-line Registration Open Until October 11 * Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Moves Another Step Closer to Flight * ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Upcoming Satellite Operations * NASA's International Space Apps Challenge Coming October 18-20 * FO-29 Returns! * AMSAT-DL Memorandum Regarding QO-100 Operation * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-272.01 ANS-272 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 272.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 29, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-272.01 Experimenter Wednesday Announced for AO-92 The AO-92 Command Team announces that Experimenter Wednesday will run on UTC Wednesday (begins Tuesday evening in North America) when AO-92 will be commanded to operate in mode L/v for 24 hours. This new schedule will be followed for an as of yet undetermined test period. The frequencies for AO-92 L/V are: Uplink: 1267.359 MHz FM with 67 Hz CTCSS tone for access Downlink: 145.880 MHz FM (including DUV telemetry) The mode change is announced by the command team via Twitter (follow @AMSAT). You can view AMSAT tweets without needing an account with Twitter - go to https://twitter.com/AMSAT The tweets flow through to the AMSAT facebook page and and are plan- ned to include amsat-bb. Also current status can be found on the AO-92 health and telemetry page at: http://www.amsat.org/tlm/health.php?id=4&port= [ANS thanks the AO-92 Command Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- The AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions Web Page Updates Information about AMSAT activities at important events around the country is posted on the AMSAT Hamfests & Conventions web page: https://www.amsat.org/other-events/ Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT repre- sentatives give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence such as a table or booth with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with pre- sentations, forums, and/or demonstrations. A copy of the AMSAT hamfest brochure is available for download from the page (above) - get the "AMSAT Intro Brochure", a color brochure that is designed to be printed double-sided and folded into a tri-fold handout. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office if you need pre-printed copies. To include your upcoming AMSAT presentation and/or demonstration, please send an email to ambassadors (at) amsat (dot) org. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Ambassadors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Don’t miss the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium October 18-20 in Arlington, VA. https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Please join us for the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Symposium, to be held in the Washington, DC Metro Area on October 18, 19, and 20, 2019. The Symposium venue will be the Hilton Arlington, located in the heart of the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The Hilton Arlington is located at 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA TEL: +1-703-528-6000 and the reservation code is AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation). Connected to the Ballston Metro Station, the hotel offers easy and effortless access to Washington DC's top tourist destinations like the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments. The hotel is six miles from Reagan National Airport and the National Mall. There are plenty of restaurants nearby. The Symposium will feature OSCAR Park - a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur radio in space - paper presentations, and a banquet with speakers celebrating AMSAT's long history, and other events. The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held on October 16th and 17th at the same hotel. Two guided tours are available. On Sunday, October 20th a bus tour to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum is available for $30 (max 35 people) and on Monday, October 21st, AMSAT President Joe Spier will lead a day tour to the National Mall via the Metro. So please plan on attending the 50th Anniversary Symposium - you will be glad you did and keep checking the AMSAT website for further updates and information. The 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting features: + Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations + Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World + Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members (October 16-17) + Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers + AMSAT Annual General Membership Meeting + Annual Banquet, Speakers and Door Prizes !! The latest news and information is always posted at: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/ [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 AMSAT Symposium On-line Registration Open Until October 11 An on-line registration rate for the 37th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, Friday through Sunday, October 18-20, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia, is available through October 11, 2019 per the following schedule: Registration September 16, 2019 – October 11, 2019 .... $65 (on-line) Registration at the Door .............................. $70 You can complete your registration on-line via the AMSAT Store: https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-symposium/ This year, all registrants will receive a digital copy of the Proceed- ings on a thumb drive. Attendees may purchase a hard copy for $25.00. Non-attendees may put their name on a waiting list for a hard copy, if there are any left over. The digital version of the Proceedings will be made available on the online store shortly after the Symposium concludes. Student Registration is 50% off and does not include the Proceedings. [ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne Moves Another Step Closer to Flight Virgin Orbit LauncherOne's progress report this week says that the rocket has been "been fully integrated, tested, checked, re-checked, analyzed, and triple-checked". LauncherOne now is destined for a rig- orous crucible of engineering demonstrations and tests at a test site up in Mojave to begin Virgin Orbit's first proper launch campaign. The orbital test flight rocket is currently being installed into a newly built test stand in Mojave, where in the coming weeks it will run through a number of critical exercises, including loading and fueling with our mobile ground support equipment. The Virgin Orbit team is prepping and practicing, making sure we know how to do every- thing they could conceivably ever need to do. Then, it’s off to the skies — first for a captive carry flight, and then for the launch itself. The second flight of LauncherOne will carry RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E to orbit. Read the Virgin Orbit press release (with photos) posted at: https://virginorbit.com/launcherone-shaping-up-and-shipping-out/ View a video of captive flight testing of LauncherOne https://www.instagram.com/p/BybTdllh_z9/ [ANS thanks Virgin Orbit for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS Activities & Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + About Gagarin From Space, Meeting of 30 universities, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, direct via LZ1KDP. The contact was successful. + ARISS Contact Colorado University/Northridge Elementary School Suc- cessful. ARISS Mentor Bob, WB4SON reported that the September 24 contact between Astronaut Nick Hague and Northridge Elementary School (Colorado University in Boulder) was a complete success. All 16 student questions were asked and answered. One of the teacher questions was asked and answered before Claudio, IK6SLD, who's team did a fantastic job at the ground station, completed the contact. Thanks also to Charlie, AJ9N. who moderated the contact. Colorado University Aerospace, The Boulder Amateur Radio Club (BARC), and the University of Colorado Amateur Radio Club hosted the event and did a wonderful job. (via WB4SON) + Sonoma County Main Library, Santa Rosa, CA, telebridge via K6DUE* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV Contact is go for: Tue 2019-10-01 19:53:13 UTC * Ed. note - K6DUE is located in Maryland, USA so the contact will be audible over eastern portions of North America. + UAE school #3 with Space Flight participant, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Hazza Al Mansour Contact is go for Wed 2019-10-02 09:45 UTC + AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Sat 2019-10-12 to Sun 2019-10-13 + Watch for MAI-75 SSTV sessions: Wed 2019-10-09 09:50 to 16:00 UTC Thu 2019-10-10 08:45 to 16:25 UTC AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. These up- grades are necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astro- nauts in space via Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $33,830 raised or about 23% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your outstanding generosity!! For more informa- tion and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9 [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations [Ed. note - Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.] Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations + EM87 Sept 27-30 N4DCW | Twitter: https://twitter.com/MWimages + EL07 Sept 29 K5IX | Twitter: https://twitter.com/K5IXdave + Brennan, N4QX, England (IO-91), October 1-3 Next week, October 1-3, work and facilities permitting: QRV on the FM satellites as M/N4QX from grid square IO91. QSL *exclus- ively* via Logbook of the World. Yeah, I know London isn't rare, but it's where I will be. + #AMSATandAngling (DM15, DM06) October 11-13, 2019 Ed, KN6DBC, is going fishing (literally), but he is bring gear to work FM Satellites. October 11 he’ll be in DM15, and October 12-13 in DM06. Visit Ken’s Twitter feed for specific pass schedule and further updates: https://twitter.com/KN6DBC + Central California (CM95, CM96, DM05, DM06) – October 19, 2019 David AD7DB will re-visit the four grids near Kettleman City CA. AO-91, AO-92, SO-50 will be used, with eastern passes a priority. Maybe PO-101 if it’s on, and AO-85 if it’s not too finicky. Con- tacts will be put on LOTW following the trip. Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ad7db + FP, ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON (GN17) September 24 to October 8, 2019 Eric, KV1J, will once again be operating from the Island of Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J between September 24 and October 8. This is his 13th trip to the island. Activity will be on 160-6 meters (no 60M – not authorized) using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 (but primarily SSB, RTTY and FT8) and the satellites. He will generally be on the highest frequency band that is open (favoring 12/10m). He will be active in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 28-29). ADDED NOTE: Eric will usually try to be on as many Satellite passes as he can when the WX is good, generally favoring the FO-29, XW-2x, AO-7, and possibly the FM birds. Eric states, “Equipment is two FT-817s and an Arrow dual band yagi. I’ll favor the SSB birds usually higher in the passband, but will also try FM if they do not get too busy. Satellite logging is by paper so may not get loaded to LoTW until the week after I return to the USA.” Weekends may be limited since he will be concentrat- ing on the low(er) bands and contests. QSL via KV1J, direct or by the Bureau. Also eQSL, ClubLog and LoTW. For more details and up- dates, check out his Web page at: http://www.kv1j.com/fp/Sep19.html + D4, CAPE VERDE (Update/Satellite Op). Harald, DF2WO, will once again be active as D44TWO from Praia, Santiago Island (AF-005), between September 29th and October 13th. Activity will be holiday style on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and mostly the Digital modes. (FT8, PSK31, JT65 and RTTY) and slow CW. Harald has been working hard in the last few months getting his satellite station for QO-100 working and is now confident he will use it from Cabo Verde. He will be using an Icom 7300, 2 Transvert- ers with 3 watts output on EsHail using the QO-100 Geostationary Satellite. He will also have a FT-450D into a homemade HEX BEAM and a dipole for 40 meters. Please DO NOT send your card via the Bureau it WILL NOT be received - To receive a bureau card you MUST request via M0OXO OQRS ONLY! (Via Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1428) + WW0, UNITED STATES (Special Event). Members of the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club (NCARC), WWV ARC, RMHam, and FCCW along with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will activate special event station WW0WWV between September 28 and October 2 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of WWV, the world's oldest contin- uously operating radio station. The WW0WWV station(s) will be set up adjacent to the WWV transmitter site in Fort Collins, Colorado. Operations will be on various HF bands following typical propagation, and will include 160 meters as well as satellites (SO-50, AO-91, and AO-92) and 6-meter meteor scatter. Modes will be CW, SSB and digital. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS, LoTW, or direct to the WWV Amateur Radio Club, 1713 Ridgewood Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA. For more details, visit the following URLs: http://wwv100.com https://tinyurl.com/ANS-244-NIST-WWV (Via Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1428) Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org [ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The digital download version of the 2019 edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ NASA's International Space Apps Challenge Coming October 18-20 NASA's International Space Apps Challenge has become the world's largest global hackathon, engaging thousands of citizens across the globe to use NASA's open data to build innovative solutions to challenges we face on Earth and in space. Space Apps inspires local communities to come together, think intensely, and create solutions to important problems. Each year, Space Apps engages thousands of individuals in cities around the world to work with NASA's open source data in a 48-hour sprint. Teams of technologists, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and others collaborate to answer some of the most pressing challenges on Earth and in space. Space Apps 2019 will take place on October 18-20, 2019 See: https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/ On one weekend each year, with the help of NASA's Global Organizing Team (fondly known as the GO Team), hundreds of local leads around the world host events in a 48-hour sprint in which their participants hack solutions to challenges that NASA proposes, creating games, smartphone and computer apps, videos, teaching tools, and much more. The challenges change each year within the theme of Earth and space. https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/ There are two ways to find a location to participate near you: https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/ https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/map Registration information is posted on the Space Apps web page. [ANS thanks NASA's International Space Apps Challenge for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Get yours today on the AMSAT Store! https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FO-29 Returns! FO-29 is reported to be back in operation after being off the air since last July: Modes: Analog - CW, SSB voice Telemetry: JA - CW, 100 mW Uplink: 146.000 MHz - 145.900 MHz LSB/CW Downlink: 435.800 MHz - 435.900 MHz USB/CW Telemetry: 435.795 MHz, CW - 100 mW; frame rate of one frame per minute. Each frame begins and ends with the historic 'HI'. The characters are sent at a rate of about 100 characters per minute. Sponsor: JAMSAT, JARL Mineo Wakita JE9PEL offers a nice FO-29 Satellite CW Telemetry Analysis Program for free on his web site. The program is called "fo29cwts". Mineo's web site is: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/fo29cwts.htm [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-DL Memorandum Regarding QO-100 Operation AMSAT-DL and QARS asks the users of the new geostationary QO-100 satellite for radio discipline. During the last weeks some stations have been transmitting with much too much power and sometimes out- side of the official band limits. Also permanent carriers are sent without indication of callsign. This was also critically observed in the control center of Es'hailSat in Qatar. Please do not send louder than the CW beacon. Stick to the band plan: No operation is allowed below the CW beacon and above the PSK beacon. The satellite is not a measuring device: To test your power ampli- fier in continuous operation, please use a dummy load and a suitable measuring device. Check regularly the bandwidth of your transmissions, maximum band- width 2.7 kHz, no FM. Qatar has made a great gift to the amateur radio community with the Qatar OSCAR 100 satellite. We should act accordingly. Please, kindly point this out to other stations on the transponder. If there are still violations, in the worst case a temporary shutdown could be expected. A video describing the LEILA-2 power detection system aboard QO-100 can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AabJGt0vzXU&feature=youtu.be [ANS thanks Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, and AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT-DL reports the sad news of the passing of Hanspeter Kuhlen, DK1YQ, who died suddenly last weekend. Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, wrote on behalf of the Rudak and AMSAT-DL team, "We're going to miss him. Our hearts are with his family." Hanspeter was the Project Manager for RUDAK on OSCAR-13 and on OSCAR-21/RS-14. He was also part of the command station team for OSCAR-10 and OSCAR-13. + AO-73's BPSK telemetry downlink on 145.935 MHz includes text mes- sages, called FITTER messages, for announcements, greetings, and commemorations. Satellite users can have their message uplinked by the FUNcube team so that it can be read globally in the downlink message stream. Simply email: operations(a)funcube.org.uk to request FITTER messages to be uploaded. Please keep them short and give them a couple of weeks notice if you can. As well as being available for download on 2 metres they can be also be seen via the internet at: http://data.amsat-uk.org/ui/fc1-fm/fitter + Fred Kemerer, AB1OC, has documented a satellite station set-up based on the Flex 6000 series radios on his blog at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-272-AB1OC-Flex + APRS on IO-86 uses aliases of ARISS and YBSAT - APRS operation is active on a schedule alternating with the FM repeater and the other primary payload of LAPAN A2/ORARI. Typically one in the morning and another one in the evening. Please check twitter @lapansat for the weekly schedule. (Yono, YD0NXX, AMSAT-ID Technical Team) + This article covers available SDR hardware, software and configura- tions, but it also teaches a little radio theory and a taste of the mathematics to understand what's going on: https://arachnoid.com/software_defined_radios/ (via nooelec.com on Twitter) + 2019 marks AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. To help celebrate, AMSAT is sponsoring the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program. Full details are available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/ Bruce Paige, KK5DO, Director of Contests and Awards, reported this week that the awards are being printed and will be sent shortly to all those who have applied. + The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2019 for K-12 students in U.S. public, private and home schools can enter the Mars 2020 Name the Rover essay contest. One grand prize winner will name the rover and be invited to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Name the Rover contest is part of NASA's efforts to engage students in the STEM enterprise behind Mars exploration and inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NASA posted all the info at: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/name-the-rover/ + NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has produced a safety guide for approaching a black hole. Watch this video before you blast off to learn more about black holes and (more importantly) how to stay safe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMTwtb3TVIk&feature=youtu.be Brochures, science video clips are available for downloading from: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13322 NASA has produced a visualization model of the appearance of a black hole depending on the observer's angle of approach https://youtu.be/o-Psuz7u5OI (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center) + AMSAT-SA Space Symposium 2020 in South Africa is planned for July 18, 2020. The theme will be: Amateur Radio in Space – explor- ing VHF, UHF and Microwaves. The latest information will be post- ed at: http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ + AMSAT SA has announced that parallel to its analogue Kletskous CubeSat, the group is working on a digital project featuring a Software defined transponder. Called AfriCUBE, the CubeSat will use the same space frame as KLETSKOUS. Anton Janovsky is current- ly building a prototype transponder. AMSATSA is inviting persons interested in becoming part of the development team to send their details to admin(a)amsatsa.org.za. + Dance like nobody's watching! A Boston Dynamics robot performs its gymnastics floor routine: https://youtu.be/_sBBaNYex3E [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and remember to behave and to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-263 Special Bulletin - 2019 Election Results
by JoAnne K9JKM 20 Sep '19

20 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-263.01 In this Special Bulletin: * 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-263.01 ANS-263 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 263.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE September 20, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-263.01 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results As a result of the 2019 Board of Directors Election, Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK; and Michelle Thompson, W5NYV; will serve on the board for two years. The First Alternate is Brennan Price, N4QX. The Second Alternate is Howard (Howie) Defelice, AB2S. Both will serve for a term of one year. The results of the voting with 1,052 ballots cast (892 electronic + 160 paper) are as follows: 675 votes ... Michelle Thompson, W5NYV 585 votes ... Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK 526 votes ... Jerry Buxton, N0JY 515 votes ... Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA 480 votes ... Brennan Price, N4QX 435 votes ... Howard (Howie) Defelice, AB2S 399 votes ... Paul Stoetzer, N8HM 366 votes ... Jeff Johns, WE4B These results submitted September 20, 2019 by Clayton Coleman, W5PFG AMSAT Secretary /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers life memberships, and sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep Amateur Radio in space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM k9jkm at amsat dot org

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ANS-258 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark D. Johns 14 Sep '19

14 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-258 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * Request For Cooperation in Receiving FO-29 (Fuji 3) * NO-104 Camera Will be 'Live' This Week * Chinese Taurus-1 Amateur Satellite Launched * Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Grant to ARISS * IARU Region 3 Approves New 15m Satellite Allocation * Improvements to the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page * Volunteer Opportunity - AMSAT Looking for Graphics Designer * Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process * AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, October 12-13 * Final Steps Taken Toward ELaNa 25 Amateur Satellite Launch * AMSAT Academy at the Albuquerque Duke City Hamfest * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * DM02 Satellite Expedition Sunday, September 22 - N6O/MM * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-258.01 ANS-258 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 258.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE 2019-Sept-15 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-258.01 Request for cooperation in receiving Fuji 3 (FO-29) The amateur satellite “Fuji 3” has been unable to confirm the opera- tion of CW telemetry and heterodyne repeaters after 21:45 (UTC) on July 9, 2019, but is more unstable than yesterday. However, while con- firming the operation of CW telemetry and heterodyne repeaters, we con- tinue to test for stable operation. Therefore, those who can receive CW telemetry of Fuji No. 3 (FO-29) will try to start with a command during the next pass through Japan, so please report the reception report to the following address. (Time of pass through Japan) 2019/09/14 06:40 16:45 (UTC) 2019/09/15 05:40 17:35 (UTC) [Send email address of received report] oper(a)jarl.org We ask for your cooperation in collecting information on Fuji 3 of many users. JARL Secretariat Member Section “Fuji 3” Telemetry --------------------------------------------------------------------- NO-104 Camera Will be 'Live' This Week Controllers for NO-104 (PSAT-2) announced on September 13 that they have commanded the camera to take a picture and store it into memory every 10 minutes. This mode should last for 7 days or at least to next commanding session on Monday. The transmitting counter, which selects a picture for downlink, is not sychronized with the camera, so there is an uncertain delay between ac- quiring a picture and its transmission, up to a maximum of 64 minutes. Every picture will be downlinked just once so every reception counts. The downlink is not operating during eclipse. Further info on https://github.com/alpov/PSAT-2/blob/master/README.md [ANS thanks Ales Povalac, OK2ALP, and Tomas Urbanec, OK2PNQ, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chinese Taurus-1 Amateur Satellite Launched BG2BHC reported on Twitter that Taurus-1 launched on Thursday, Sept. 12 on the CZ-4B launch from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Taurus-1 carries an FM to Codec2 repeater that operates using the same protocol as LO-90 (LilacSat-1) and can use the same software (after frequencies are changed). FM uplink is on 145.820 MHz, downlink on 436.760 MHz, and the telemetry downlink is on 435.840 MHz. CelesTrak currently has three objects from the launch cataloged out of an expected four. The currently cataloged objects are 2019-059A, 2019-059B, and 2019-059D. TLEs can be found at https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, reports that Doppler measurements suggest that Taurus 1 is object 44530 (2019-059C), and the actual measured telemetry downlink frequency: 435.8387 MHz. TLEs can be found at https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tle-new.txt For more information about this unique analog uplink, digital downlink system, see the AMSAT Journal article / Symposium paper about LO-90 at https://tinyurl.com/y6jzoful [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, adn Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Grant to ARISS Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the Next Generation radio system. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June of 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio, and digital communications in general. The ARISS Next Generation radio system (or Inter Operable Radio System - IORS) will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including: +New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities. +Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS. +New multi-voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted. In July, the Inter Operable Radio System successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station. Final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch is now underway and ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year. For more information on the award please see: https://www.ampr.org/g2019-09-01a/ To contribute to ARISS and the IORS please see: https://www.ariss.org/donate.html ARISS and AMSAT thank ARDC for their generosity in supporting this important project. [ANS thanks ARISS, the AMSAT office, and ARDC for the above informa- tion.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Symposium Papers Due September 23rd! Final copies of papers must be submitted by September 23rd for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(at)amsat.org +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Region 3 Approves New 15m Satellite Allocation The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) - Region 3 (Asia-Pacific Region) Directors meeting was held in Tokyo September 2-3. A modified interim Region 3 bandplan was approved which included an Amateur-Sat- ellite Service allocation in the 15m band. The modified interim Region 3 bandplan proposed by the Region 3 Bandplan Committee was approved. A notable change was addition of a satellite portion in 15m Band as agreed at the last Region 3 Conference. The interim IARU Region 3 band- plan is available at: https://tinyurl.com/y637aw47 A complete report of the Region 3 Directors meeting may be found at: https://amsat-uk.org/2019/09/12/iaru-r3-bandplan/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. The upgrades are necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astronauts in space via Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $33,580 raised or about 22% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your outstanding generosity!! For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Improvements to the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page Thanks to the efforts of new member Ed Little, KN6DBC, improvements have been made to www.amsat.org/status<http://www.amsat.org/status>, specifically, some filtering of the "Your Callsign" field has been added in an effort to reject the occasional nonsense report. The entry must look like a callsign, for example it must have at least one digit, it must not end with a digit etc. As a bonus, the "Your Grid Square" field has been added. Separate en- tries are now preferred instead of workarounds like KM1P-FN42. AMSAT maintains this page to give a single global reference point for all users in the Amateur Satellite Service to show the most up-to-date status of all satellites as actually reported in real time by users around the world. Please help others and keep it current every time you access a bird. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Volunteer Opportunity - AMSAT Looking for Graphics Designer AMSAT has a need for a volunteer graphics designer to occasionally assist with page layout of our in-house advertising panels for the AMSAT Journal. The Journal uses Adobe InDesign software to publish but our software can import and place PDF and JPG formatted pages that you create with the graphics tools of your choice. If you can fill this need contact Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP-User Services at ke4al (at) amsat.org. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has ann- ounced the schools/host organizations selected for amateur radio con- tacts with the ISS during the first half of 2020. A total of 9 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accept- ed to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engin- eering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and re- lated areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide sched- uling opportunities for the 9 US host organizations during the January to June 2020 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS Technical Mentors, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling oppor- tunities offered by NASA. The schools and host organizations are: Celia Hays Elementary School, Rockwall, Texas Golden Gate Middle School, Naples, Fla. J.P. McConnell Middle School, Loganville, Ga. Kittredge Magnet School, Atlanta, Ga. Maple Dale Elementary School, Cincinnati, Ohio Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tenn. Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, Calif. Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, Calif. River Ridge High School, New Port Richey, Fla. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooper- ative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engin- eering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium, October 12-13 The AMSAT-UK Colloquium, incorporated into the RSGB Convention, will take place October 12-13 at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Timbold Drive, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ. A webstream of the Colloquium talks will be available at https://batc.org.uk/live/ Booking for the RSGB Convention which includes the AMSAT-UK Colloquium is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/ The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating Amateur Radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby. Included will be a roundup of a number of new live and potential space- craft projects that are under investigation and/or development, plus all the usual networking opportunities, the gala dinner, auction and raffle. Travel Information http://kentshillpark.com/how-to-find-us The full schedule for both the AMSAT-UK Colloquium and RSGB Convention talks is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Steps Taken Toward ELaNa 25 Amateur Satellite Launch The upcoming NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission 25 is scheduled to boost several new satellites carrying amateur radio into space this fall. The launch will carry more than a dozen cubesats to the ISS for deploy- ment, including two satellites of particular interest to amateurs: TJREVERB - Thomas Jefferson High School, Alexandria, Va. will carry a 145.825 MHz APRS digipeater. Information on TJREVERB may be found at https://activities.tjhsst.edu/cubesat/index.php HuskySat – University of Washington, Seattle will be boosted into a higher, 500km orbit via the Cygnus external deployment device, and will carry a V/U linear transponder provided in cooperation with AMSAT. The HuskySat web page is https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/huskysatellitelab/huskysat-1 Although launch schedules and manifests are always subject to change, other satellites announced for the ELaNa 25 launch that have secured IARU coordination for amateur frequencies are: Argus – St. Louis University, Mo. (437 MHz telemetry) AzTechSat-1 – NASA Ames Research Center, Calif. (437 MHz telemetry) CySat – Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (436 MHz telemetry) Phoenix – Arizona State University, Tempe (437 & 2400 MHz telemetry) RadSat-U – Montana State University, Bozeman (437 MHz telemetry) SPOC - University of Georgia, Athens (437 & 2400 MHz telemetry) SwampSat II - University of Florida, Gainesville (437 & 2400 MHz telemetry) [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2019 marks AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. To help celebrate, we are sponsoring the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program. Full details are available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Academy at the Albuquerque Duke City Hamfest AMSAT® Academy 2.0, which builds on last year's day-long course to in- clude: guidance on how to set up a portable satellite ground station; guidance on how to join a growing network of stations that capture, record, and submit amateur-radio satellite telemetry to a central re- pository; and practical tips for breaking the ice with local schools in order to fold amateur-radio satellite and Amateur Radio in the In- ternational Space Station (ARISS) activities into STEM education ef- forts. This year's AMSAT® Academy instructors include Robert Bankston, KE4AL, vice-president, User Services, Amateur Radio Amateur Satellite Corpor- ation (AMSAT), Ron Bondy, AD0DX, an AMSAT® Ambassador, and long-time satellite enthusiasts Dan Eggert, AC9E, and Bill Ripley, KY5Q, an em- bedded-systems architect. The course fee is $30, and includes break- fast and a copy of the organization's "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites." Info about the hamfest is http://www.dukecityhamfest.org. Specific info on the AMSAT Academy is at: http://www.dukecityhamfest.org/amsat-academy . [ANS thanks Bill Ripley, KY5Q, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Templestowe College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK6MJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The sched- uled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV. Contact is go for: Wednesday, 18 September, 2019 at 08:06:32 UTC 42 deg Boys and Girls Club, Ft. Meade, MD., telebridge via VK4KHZ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague KG5TMV. Contact is go for: Friday, 20 September, 2019 at 19:58:23 UTC 54 deg School in Bulgaria, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled astronaut is TBD. Contact is go for Tuesday, 24 September at 16:10 UTC. [ANS thanks ARISS team member Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- DM02 Satellite Expedition Sunday, September 22 - N6O/MM Alex, N7AGF, and Ron, AD0DX, are planning to activate DM02 on Sunday, September 22, 2019 on FM and Linear satellites. It's a 5 or 6 hour boat trip to anchor off San Clemente Island. We will be on the water for 22 hours and operating around 10 hours beginning around 3:00 AM PDT (1000Z) on Sunday, September 22 The cost of the boat is $2500 and we would appreciate contributions to help offset this cost. In the 24 hours after posting to Twitter we have received around $1300 which Alex and I are very thankful for. The island has Verizon and AT&T and Alex has a Garmin InReach so we should be able to tweet passes. The plan is to make as many passes as possible once we start operating around 3:00 AM PDT. We may skip some of the low western passes. We will be using N6O/mm and we have a qrz.com page with all the details: https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O If you need the grid please give us a call! Of course this is dependent on the weather, but the captain says it has been a good September so far. If you are able to contribute financially we really appreciate the help to offset some of our costs. Details to contribute are on the N6O QRZ.com webpage. [ANS thanks Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations EN54/EN64 September 13-15 Brad Smith, KC9UQR, will be active on AO-91 and AO-92 while traveling this weekend in Wisconsin. DN11/DN12 + DN03 September 17, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ is heading to the DN11/DN12 line, September 17th. Look for him on SO-50, AO-92, and AO-91, between 1657z and 1812z. On the way back, Casey will make a quick stop in DN03 to catch te 2043z PO-101 pass. Watch Casey’s Twitter feed for further updates https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ DM02/mm (need we say more) September 22, 2019 Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, are chartering a boat to the ultra-rare DM02 grid square. They will use the special event call sign November 6 Ocean/Maritime Mobile. Expected window of operation is from 1000z to 1900z, Sunday, September 22nd. More information is available on QRZ https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O to include how you can help support this monumental operation. Ron and Alex are expected to have cellular service out there, so keep an eye on their Twitter feeds https://twitter.com/ad0dx and https://twitter.com/N7AGF FP, ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON (GN17) September 24 to October 8, 2019 Eric, KV1J, will once again be oper ating from the Island of Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J between Septem- ber 24th and October 8th. This is his 13th trip to the island. Activi- ty will be on 160-6 meters (no 60M – not author ized) using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 (but primarily SSB, RTTY and FT8) and the satellites. He will generally be on the highest frequency band that is open (favoring 12/10m). He will be active in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 28- 29th). ADDED NOTE: Eric will usually try to be on as many Satellite passes as he can when the WX is good, generally favoring the FO-29, XW-2x, AO-7, and possibly the FM birds. Eric states, “Equipment is two FT-817s and an Arrow dual band yagi. I’ll favor the SSB birds usually higher in the passband, but will also try FM if they do not get too busy. Satellite logging is by paper so may not get loaded to LoTW until the week after I return to the USA.” Weekends may be limited since he will be concentrating on the low(er) bands and contests. QSL via KV1J, direct or by the Bureau. Also eQSL, ClubLog and LoTW. For more details and updates, check out his Web page at: http://www.kv1j.com/fp/Sep19.html Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations! https://www.amsat.org/events/was-w3zm/ [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The AMSAT-LU WSPR Picoballoon on 14.0956 USB released August 31 is about to complete its first circumnavigation of the globe after tra- veling 33,000 km in 12 days. AMSAT-LU appreciate any WSPR stations that help to receive it, AMSAT-LU will recognize with a certificate to stations that capture its 25 mW beacon. Also the APRS PicoBalloon (145.825 via Sat 1W) will be returning to South America. Full story with links at https://tinyurl.com/y5xkbrbr (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information) + For Flashback Friday, AMSAT released disk images of Bob McGwier, N4HY's QUIKTRAK for both the Commodore 64 and Apple II to provide a fun look back at the state-of-the art in satellite tracking in the mid-1980s. Check them out at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-258-FBF + The Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Hawaii has applied to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) for frequency coordination for the amateur radio payloads aboard its Neutron-1 spacecraft. The amateur payload will provide a V/U FM voice repeater for amateur and educational purposes. Proposed are 1k2-9k6 AX telem- etry and FM voice UHF downlink and a VHF FM uplink. The Neutron-1 website is: https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/web/neutron1/ (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information) + Japan called off a planned cargo ship launch to the International Space Station on September 10 after a fire erupted on the launch platform for the mission's rocket. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information) + The Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) has signed a 5-year agreement to keep Dayton Hamvention® at the Greene County Expo Cen- ter. The agreement was announced on September 9. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information) + After years of construction, China’s new radio telescope is in ac- tion. The telescope, called FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spher- ical Radio Telescope) has double the collecting power of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which has a 305 meter dish. Until now, Arecibo was the world’s largest radio dish of its type. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information) * The College of Engineering at Villanova University has published a very nice feature story about the University's involvement with ham satellites. The article, titled, "They May be Building Nanosatel- lites, but there’s Nothing Small about Villanova’s CubeSat Club," may be found at: https://tinyurl.com/yytj6vsj + An article by Karl-Heinz Krawczyk, DL1GKK, describes how to install amateur radio software on the Raspberry Pi to provide the popular data modes, SSTV, satellite tracking, SDR, rig control and logbook. The English language article is available on the site of Indonesia's national amateur radio society ORARI: https://tinyurl.com/y4gb82hb (ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information) + An interesting article on Satellite collisions has been published this week in SatNews Daily: https://tinyurl.com/yyk3f2q2 (ANS thanks Christy Hunter, KB6LTY, for the above information) + Help AMSAT return to Greater Orbits with Larger Footprints with ex- citing technologies like attitude determination and control, and software-defined transponders utilizing microwave bands. Consider a one-time or recurring donation today: https://tinyurl.com/y5kupb55 --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, K0JM at amsat dot org

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ANS-256 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS
by Paul Stoetzer 13 Sep '19

13 Sep '19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-256 In this Special Bulletin: * Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-256.01 ANS-256 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 256.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD DATE September 13, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-256.01 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the Next Generation radio system. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June of 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio, and digital communications in general. The ARISS Next Generation radio system (or Inter Operable Radio System - IORS) will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including: +New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities. +Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS. +New multi-voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted. In July, the Inter Operable Radio System successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station. Final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch is now underway and ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year. For more information on the award please see: https://www.ampr.org/g2019-09-01a/ To contribute to ARISS and the IORS please see: https://www.ariss.org/donate.html ARISS and AMSAT thank ARDC for their generosity in supporting this important project. [ANS thanks ARISS, the AMSAT office, and ARDC for the above information.] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers life memberships, and sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73 and Remember to help keep Amateur Radio in space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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