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ANS-008 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 07 Jan '17

07 Jan '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-008 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * The Hidden World of Space Junk * AMSAT at the Cowtown Hamfest * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-Jan-05 * Tips for Posting to AMSAT-BB SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.01 ANS-008 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 008.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 8, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-008.01 The Hidden World of Space Junk Adrift is a short documentary that explores the hidden world of space junk. The film reveals an issue that is troubling and beautiful, dangerous and fascinating. It begins with the tale of astronaut Piers Sellers, who dropped his spatula in space in 2006, which became the most deadly kitchen instrument soon after, traveling at 27,000 km/h. The film then journeys across the remote deserts of Chile with astronomers of Collowara Observatory, into the skies, where threats to the International Space Station take place, and through to Thailand, where a man watches space debris burn. The film includes a narration by Vanguard, the oldest piece of space junk, voiced by Sally Potter (Dir Orlando). As featured on BBC Arts Online bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3sjd1wnYD47WLzhT9dV02YH/lost-in-space-turning- cosmic-junk-into-art [ANS thanks Stephen, G7VFY, and Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT at the Cowtown Hamfest Keith Pugh, W5IU, reports that there will be an AMSAT Forum, a Booth, and Demonstrations at the Cowtown Hamfest, 20-21 January 2017. The Hamfest takes place in Forrest Hills, TX. A suburb of Fort Worth, TX. [ANS thanks Keith, W5IU, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2017-Jan-05 Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: World Genesis Foundation (WGF), Goodyear AZ, direct via W6FOG The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-01-11 16:10:15 UTC 46 deg Collège Saint-Guibert, Gembloux, Belgium and Euro Space Center, Transinne, Belgium; Combined telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for Thu 2017-01-12 13:46:51 UTC 36 deg [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips for Posting to AMSAT-BB People sometimes post time-sensitive messages to AMSAT-BB. Examples are last minute grid activities, unexpected satellite mode changes, requests for critically important telemetry, etc. These normally go through promptly, but occasionally get held for two primary reasons: While AMSAT-BB is an open list, that means it is open for membership, not posting. In order to post to the list, it normally must be from the same account you originally registered. For instance, if you registered from your home account, and post from your office account, it will normally be held for release by a moderator. Likewise, some people have all their email forwarded to a single account from which they reply. We can create a filter to pass the second address, but that is not automatically done on the first instance, and does require moderator action. AMSAT-BB receives many pieces of spam for each legitimate message. As part of the filtering process, emails larger than 50 kB are blocked. This usually happens to legitimate email when someone attempts to attach a large file. Also, there is a limit to the number of addresses before an email is held as potential spam. I have seen legitimate email sent to 30+ addresses. We have a team of volunteer moderators, but they are not available 24/7. The result is that a message sent in the evening or on a holiday, US time, may well be held for several hours before being released. So, if it absolutely, positively needs to be distributed promptly: 1. Post from the same account you registered, or one which from past experience you know has been flagged as acceptable. 2. Do not use attachments. (Pictures and other files should be included by a link.) They will be blocked to the list, and if the total size of the message plus attachments exceeds 50 kB, the mail will be held. 3. Send it to AMSAT-BB and a few other addresses at most. If you must send to a large distribution list, send to them, and another copy to AMSAT-BB. (A trick which seems to work well is to place most of the addresses in the BCC rather than CC line.) 4. Consider also posting to the AMSAT Twitter and Facebook accounts. There is overlap in membership, though at present it is far from 100%. 5. Do not send large commercial press releases, or things which look like them. They will be caught by heuristic spam filters. A simple posting of an event or activity will normally go through. Note that there are existing exemptions for official channels such as ANS, ARISS, other AMSAT organizations, etc. 6. New accounts are automatically flagged for moderation. This flag will normally be cleared on the first or second posting, but do allow for and expect an initial delay if you establish a dedicated account for your satellite organization. [ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-001 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 31 Dec '16

31 Dec '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-001 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat to deploy during EVA * New Amateur Radio FM Transponder CubeSat Now in Space * Background info on launch problems for BY70-1 * Possible Satellite Activity Galapagos Islands * CONTACT! via UHF ISS digipeater using Kenwood TH-D72 * AMSAT CW Activity Day * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-001.01 ANS-001 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 001.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. January 01, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-001.01 Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat to deploy during EVA The amateur radio CubeSat Tomsk-TPU-120 may be deployed during a Russian spacewalk (EVA) in July 2017. The satellite was developed by students at the Tomsk Polytechnic University to test new space materials technology and is the world’s first space vehicle with a 3D-printed structure. It was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan to the ISS on March 31, 2016 in a Progress-MS- 2 cargo vessel. It will be deployed by hand during a Russian spacewalk, which is why unlike other CubeSats this one has a handle. The call sign of the satellite is RS4S. According to Alexey Yakovlev, head of the Tomsk Polytechnic University’s Institute of High Technologies, the 3D printed satellite is something of a landmark for additive manufacturing, being the first example of a fully 3D printed satellite: “The Tomsk-TPU-120 is the first such project in the world, in which the entire casing of a satellite is fully 3D printed using dynamic modeling,” Yakovlev recently told Sputnik. “The combination of these technologies can significantly reduce the development time and the number of full- scale tests, find new engineering solutions, and reduce the project’s cost.” In May 2016 the Tomsk Polytechnic University celebrated its 120th anniversary. As part of the celebrations on May 10/11 the Tomsk-TPU- 120 was activated in the ISS and transmitted a greeting to Earth inhabitants, recorded by students of the university in 10 languages: Russian, English, German, French, Chinese, Arabic, Tatar, Indian, Kazakh and Portuguese. The greeting message was transmitted once a minute on 437.025 MHz FM. A Kenwood transceiver on the ISS provided a cross-band relay, re- transmitting the signal on 145.800 MHz FM. Read the 3ders article at http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-3darticle Sputnik News – Unique 3D-Printed Siberian Satellite to Orbit Earth http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-3D/ ISS Calendar http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-calendar/ Tomsk-TPU-120 CubeSat Video http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-Tomsk-TPU-120 [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Amateur Radio FM Transponder CubeSat Now in Space The BY70-1 CubeSat launched on December 28 from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in China, but in a lower orbit than intended. The satellite carries an Amateur Radio FM transponder. BY70-1 was intended to go into a 530-kilometer (approximately 329- mile) circular Sun-synchronous orbit, but it appears the orbit is 524 x 212 kilometers, which will give the spacecraft an orbital lifetime of just a month or two. Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, reported working Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, through the FM transponder during the 1709 UTC pass on December 28. "Uplink requires precise frequency adjustment, and there's a delay on the downlink, but the signal is strong," Stoetzer said. BY70-1 is a 2U CubeSat project for education and Amateur Radio. It features 3-axis stabilization and deployable solar panels. In addition to the FM transponder, BY70-1 has a camera, and plans call for downloading images and telemetry via a 9600 bps BPSK downlink. The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages list an uplink of 145.920 MHz, and a downlink of 436.200 MHz. AMSAT-UK has more information online at, http://tinyurl.com/ANS001-AMSAT-UK-BY70 [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Background info on launch problems for BY70-1 On Dec 28 China launched a CZ-2D from Taiyuan - the first time the 2D model has flown from their southern launch site. However, the rocket appears to have run into problems and achieved orbit with an underspeed of 100 m/s, making a 212 x 520 km orbit instead of a circular 500 km one. The main payloads are Gaojing 1 and 2, two commercial high resolution (0.5m) imaging satellites also called SuperView 1 and 2. The satellites are owned by Beijing Aerospace World View Information Technology Co., Ltd (also called Beijing Space View Tech Co.Ltd.); the US company DigitalGlobe is a major investor. Also aboard was BY70-1, or Bayi kepu weixing 01 xing, a 2U cubesat with an amateur radio payload developed by high school students at the PLA-related Beijing Bayi School. [ANS thanks Jonathan's Space Report, No. 733 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Possible Satellite Activity Galapagos Islands HC8, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. Geoff, G8OFQ, will once again be active as HC8/G8OFQ from Isabela Island (SA-004) between August 1st and October 31st, 2017. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using SSB only. There is a possibility of some satellite activity on 2m and 70cm SSB. Geoff is there working as a volunteer for the Galapagos National Park at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center (see pictures on QRZ.com) on Isabela Island. QSL via G8OFQ: Geoff Dobson, 9 Fitzpain Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 8RZ, United Kingdom. Also LoTW on request. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1297 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTACT! via UHF ISS digipeater using Kenwood TH-D72 I made CONTACT! Through the UHF ISS digipeater using my Kenwood TH-D72 View the video at: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceComms/videos/1342108185861041/ This was my second contact through the ISS digipeater. I actually contacted the same station I contacted in this video, W8LR, three days before, but I wasn't recording any video. For this video I recorded the audio from my Kenwood TH-D72a and later played it back to Soundmodem+UISS. Soundmodem decodes many more packets than my radio does. I made a screen capture of UISS and its map so you can see the complete details of every received packet. Another thing this video shows is how hard it can be to track a near overhead pass (close to 90 degrees elevation). When I was beginning in satellites I only tried to work overhead passes because I knew the signal would be strongest when the satellite was closest to me. While that is true, the closer the satellite is to you the faster its relative speed is. When it passes overhead it switches from coming towards you to going away from you very fast, and drops 10s of degrees in seconds. That makes the satellite very easy to lose track of. In this video I got distracted while changing settings on my radio and lost the ISS after it went overhead. It didn't help that I was using a tripod for the first time. I prefer to hold the antenna in my hand precisecly because I find it's easier to track, as I can make quick adjustments and listen for the signal going up and down. To control the radio for packet, it helps to have two hands. See my previous UHF ISS digi video to see how hard it is to change settings with one hand. Here is the very appropriate QSL card I got from W8LR for my first ISS digi contact: http://imgur.com/vUfwkiE http://imgur.com/DIq7fD4 Here are all the stations I heard on the pass from this video (time stamps GMT -5) -------------- N4ZQ 12/18/2016 11:08:08 System time KG4AKV-5 12/18/2016 11:08:13 W8LR 12/18/2016 11:09:02 KC4LE 12/18/2016 11:09:17 W0NBC 12/18/2016 11:11:07 RS0ISS 12/18/2016 11:11:38 W4TBD-6 12/18/2016 11:12:14 KA8YES-6 12/18/2016 11:12:52 Total Stations = 8 The music at the end is "Jubilee - Opa--locka" You can subscribe to John's SpaceComms YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/SpaceComms1?sub_confirmation=1 [ANS Thanks John KG4AKV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT CW Activity Day January 1, 2017 (UTC) will be AMSAT's first annual CW Activity Day! As with the old Straight Key Night, this is a fun event, not a contest. It will run for 24 hours on January 1, 2017 (UTC). All forms of CW are welcome, -- straight keys, bugs, keyers, even keyboards and decoders. Since it is not a contest, there is no required exchange. A QSO is a QSO. Working the same station on more than one satellite is permitted. Instead of submitting Best Fist nominations, all participants are asked to post their results, including "Soapbox" comments, to AMSAT- BB. Please include the satellites you used, and the number of CW QSOs you had on each. While it is not necessary to post your full log, you may do so if you wish. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Primary School Georges Wallers, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (59), France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign FXØISS. The contact began Sat 2016-12- 31 11:31:12 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via F4KJV. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Collège Mathilde Marthe Faucher, Allassac, France, direct via F1IMF. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS. The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-01-04 11:16:26 UTC Rainbow Middle School, Rainbow City, AL, direct via K4JMC. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-01-04 17:29:40 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Amateur Radio Kids Day January 7 Organized by the ARRL Kids day, scheduled this year for January 7 is meant to develop interest in Amateur Radio. Please consider this while operating the satlleite January 7. Listen for kids on-the-air or plan to assist kids with operating the satellites. For more information visit http://www.arrl.org/kids-day. [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] + ANS Seeks Rotating Editors The AMSAT News Service (ANS) seeks additional volunteers to serve as rotating editors. 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. If you are interested in serving AMSAT-NA in this important and rewarding role, please contact Lee McLamb, KU4OS: ku4os at amsat dot org. [ANS thanks the ANS editorial staff for the above information] + The AMSAT News Service editors wish you and yours a prosperous and safe 2017. [ANS thanks Lee KU4OS, Joe K6WAO and EMike AA8EM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-360 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-360 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D launch now likely 2Q 2017 * AMSAT CW Activity Day * STARS-C reports requested * Extra - Extra - Read all about it - LVB Tracker * BY70-1 2U CubeSat Scheduled for Launch 01/08/201 * Pratham student satellite returns to life * FUNcube Transponders Info * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-360.01 ANS-360 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 360.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 25, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-360.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D launch now likely 2Q 2017 AMSAT Vice President Engineering Jerry Buxton said that because of the delays SpaceX has experienced following their September 1 anomaly, it is likely that the launch of the Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D CubeSats will be no earlier than the second quarter of 2017. The two Fox-1 CubeSats will be carried to orbit in the Spaceflight Sherpa platform on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg AFB. The last period set for our launch would have closed November 30 of this year but was delayed due to the anomaly. The new launch period is not yet set but SpaceX expects to return to flight with their Iridium-1 launch in early January, 2017. Based on that expectation, we are looking forward to a 2Q 2017 launch of Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D. [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice President for Engineering for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT CW Activity Day January 1, 2017 (UTC) will be AMSAT's first annual CW Activity Day! As with the old Straight Key Night, this is a fun event, not a contest. It will run for 24 hours on January 1, 2017 (UTC). All forms of CW are welcome, -- straight keys, bugs, keyers, even keyboards and decoders. Since it is not a contest, there is no required exchange. A QSO is a QSO. Working the same station on more than one satellite is permitted. Instead of submitting Best Fist nominations, all participants are asked to post their results, including "Soapbox" comments, to AMSAT- BB. Please include the satellites you used, and the number of CW QSOs you had on each. While it is not necessary to post your full log, you may do so if you wish. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- STARS-C reports requested A group here in Huntsville is attempting to help the STARS-C team collect signal reports and data from the STARS-C satellite recently launch from the ISS. The team will filter the data and forward it to the STARS-C team at Shizuoka University in Japan. A NASA colleague received an email from Professor Yoshiki Yamagiwa, an engineering professor at Shizuoka University in Japan, requesting help listening for signals from a pair of CubeSats recently released from ISS. University orbiter set to lift space elevator technology The Asahi Shimbun http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201607060005.html provides overview information about the STARS-C (Space Tethered Autonomous Robotic Satellite-Cube). The basic configuration is two 1U satellites, a mother and a daughter, connected by a tether. Our understanding is that the STARS-C team is trying to receive the CW beacons as part of the first step of their operations, but their signals they're getting are too weak for data analysis, especially from the daughter satellite. They're reaching out to ham operators and ground stations at universities, and would appreciate reports on CW data received. Orbit and frequency info for the satellites: 19 Dec 2016 18:19:55 J-SSOD#5 Satellite Name: STARS-C Time: (UTCG) 19 Dec 2016 08:50:19.273 Semi-major Axis (km) 6785.004 Eccentricity 0.0009020 Inclination (deg) 51.6492 RAAN (deg) 214.6791 Arg of Perigee (deg) 33.9061 Mean Anomaly (deg) 293.7118 (*1) True of Date Coordinate System, Osculating Orbit # Mother satellite: CW 437.245MHz, FM downlinks 437.405MHz # Daughter satellite: CW 437.255MHz, FM downlinks 437.425MHz Details of the telemetry format are at http://www.ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp/~vk127139/download/Telemetry%20Format.pdf http://www.ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp/%7Evk127139/download/Telemetry%20Format.pdf The STARS-C team will appreciate any info that reaches your ears, automated receivers, or whatever! For additional information here is a link from the AMSAT UK group: https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/08/jaxa-iss-ham-radio-cubesats/ Please email all reports with date and time directly to scotty.collect(a)gmail.com You can see the deployment on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOseY2mE5LY I hope you will like it though it is in Japanese. JAXA announced another 6 CubeSats transported to ISS by HTV-6 will deploy in January 2017. [ANS thanks Tim, N8DEU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Extra - Extra - Read all about it The AMSAT On-Line Store has been stocked with LVB Tracker Complete. A limited number are available. Shipments will not go out until after Christmas due to long lines at the post office and the labor contract of the elves at the AMSAT Office. There is no choice in the color of the LED, some are Blue and some are Amber. You get what is in the box when shipped. Do not forget, these make great after Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year, birthday, or just because, presents for that special ham (or yourself - we know that's what you really wanted). [ANS thanks Bruce KK5DO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- BY70-1 2U CubeSat Scheduled for Launch 12/26/2016 BY70-1 is a 2U CubeSat project led by China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology International Communications for school education and amateur radio. The amateur radio station onboard will provide telecommand, telemetry and FM repeater functions. The spacecraft will be 3 axis stabilized and have deployable solar panels. Proposing a V/U transponder and requesting a 436.2MHz downlink and a 145.920 MHz uplink, this satellite has been IARU coordinated. It was planned to launch from Jiuquan on Dec 26th 2016 into a 530km circular SSO. The launch has now been rumored to be delayed due to weather. More info at http://english.spacechina.com/n16421/index.html [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pratham student satellite returns to life The Mumbai Mirror reports on the return to life of the Pratham satellite launched on September 26, 2016. Pratham carries an amateur radio payload and was built by students at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B). The newspaper says: After one month of radio silence, the ground station at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, received a signal from Pratham satellite on the morning of December 17, suggesting that it was still alive and kicking. Pratham is the first satellite to be sent into space by an IIT. The satellite had received signals in the first few weeks after its launch on September 26, this year, but had gone quiet in November, due to technical difficulties, causing team members to worry if it was still operational. “The fact that we received a signal on Saturday suggests that the satellite has now stabilized and is back to collecting data,” said Ratnesh Mishra, project manager of Pratham. While Mishra says that the incoming signal means that the satellite is functional, data transfer is yet to take place. Read the full article at http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/IIT-Bs-satellite-gets-a-sig… -from-space/articleshow/56075162.cms Pratham info https://amsat-uk.org/2016/09/07/pratham-student-satellite/ https://amsat-uk.org/2016/12/20/pratham-returns-to-life/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNcube Transponders Info AO-73 has just changed into continuous transponder mode. Plan is to switch back to auto mode on Sunday 8 Jan 2017 pm UTC. This will give a long opportunity for transponder operations over the Holidays. Pls see below for FUNcube transponder info Have FUN with the transponder. All the best for the holiday season, and for 2017 AO-73 FUNcube-1 The transponder is normally operational only when the satellite is in eclipse, ie the solar panels are NOT being illuminated. During weekends (from pm Fridays UTC to PM Sundays UTC) the transponder is operational 24/7. When the transponder is switched off, the telemetry beacon is on full power, when the transponder is on the beacon it is on low power. During holidays, eg Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc, the transponder maybe activated for extended periods. Watch AMSAT-BB for announcements which are usually made on Friday evenings (UTC) The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.150 - 435.130 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.950 - 145.970 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.935 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 15kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) FUNcube-2 aka FUNcube on UKube The FUNcube-2 sub-system continues to operate autonomously and, almost continuously, in amateur mode. The transponder is operational and the telemetry downlink is functioning with about 70mW output. The FUNcube-1 Dashboard does not correctly display the telemetry but it does correctly decode the data and uploads it to the FUNcube Data Warehouse from where it can be examined. Most of the real time data channels are operational and these include battery voltages, temperatures and ADCS data coming via the main On Board Computer (OBC). The transponder is interrupted for a few seconds every 2 minutes when the other transmitter sends its CW beacon and, occasionally, for a few seconds when the main OBC reboots (approx seven times each orbit). The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.080 - 435.060 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.930 - 145.950 MHz USB Telemetry Tx: 145.915 MHz BPSK (The passband may be up to 10kHz higher depending on on-board temps. Low temperatures give higher freqs!) EO79 FUNcube-3 Due to power budget constraints the transponder cannot be operational 24/7 and an orbit specific schedule has been developed. The transponder will commence operation 27 minutes after the spacecraft enters sunlight and will stay on for a period of 25 minutes. This schedule may be modified in future months as a result of experience. The nominal transponder frequencies are: Uplink: 435.077-435.047 MHz LSB (Inverting) Downlink: 145.935-145.965 MHz USB All FUNcube transponders are sponsored by AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL. We are very grateful for the assistance given by Innovative Solution In Space Bv, The Netherlands. [ANS thanks Jim, G3WGM and the FUNcube team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Sunday, 8 January 2017 – Ham Radio University in Bethpage, NY *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Thursday, 26 January 2017 – presentation for Arizona Repeater Association in Tempe AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ *Friday-Sunday, March 31, April 1 & 2, 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas, NV [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Maristes High School, Toulouse, France, direct via F8IDR The ISS callsign was scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut was Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Mon 2016-12-12 13:29:47 UTC * A direct contact with students at The Communication College Of Vologda and Information Technologies, in Vologda, Russia, was successful Tue 2016-12-13. * Scuola Secondaria di Primo Grado “Niccolò Pisano”, Marina di Pisa, Italy, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign was scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut was Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact was successful: Sat 2016-12-17 12:23:31 UTC * Ecole Communale de Saint Sylvestre, Saint Sylvestre, France, direct via IK1SLD The ISS callsign was scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut was Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Wed 2016-12-21 13:46:38 UTC 29 deg Very good contact between the school Nelson Mandela / St Sylvestre and Thomas Pesquet this afternoon. All 20 questions answered plus 2 spare minutes for congratulations and applause. Very clear audio all the way long Thanks to Claudio / IK1SLD who made a great job. Reported more than 300 people present in the gymnasium, with: 1 regional TV (France 3) 1 regional radio (France Bleu) 3 local Radios (Alouette FM, Beaub FM, Flash FM) 2 newspapers (Le Populaire du Centre, l'Echo du Centre) Live audio streaming on Beaub FM web site Upcoming Contacts * Primary School Georges Wallers, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (59), France, Direct via F4KJV The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-12-31 11:31:12 UTC 44 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over Best Wishes for the Holidays and the New Year All the editors at the AMSAT News Service wish to extend to you and yours the best wishes this holiday season and great success in the New Year. May your launches be high, your birds sing true, and have life beyond their years. [ANS thanks Joe, Lee, and EMike for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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ANS-353 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 17 Dec '16

17 Dec '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-353 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Gould Smith, WA4SXM appointed Director-Field Operations * AO-73/FUNcube Holiday Transponder Operation * HM85 Christmas Weekend Operation * 18 Years of SSTV and Human Spaceflight * WB8ELK Balloon Completes Second Lap Around the World * 18th Annual Long Island Section Convention SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-353.01 ANS-353 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 353.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 18, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-353.01 Gould Smith, WA4SXM appointed Director-Field Operations AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has appointed G. Gould Smith, WA4SXM as Director-Field Operations. The public announcement was made during the Field Operations Forum held in conjunction with the 34th AMSAT Space Symposium held on board Carnival Liberty on 12 Nov 2016. Field Operations consists of AMSAT volunteers who serve as Area Coordinators in their local areas. As “Ambassadors of AMSAT”, they give AMSAT presentations at local club meetings or at hamfests, manage an AMSAT table/booth at a hamfest, or support local satellite operations as ‘elmers’ to new satellite operators. Gould previously served as Director-Field Operations from 2004-2008 prior to becoming VP-User Services from 2008-2013. Gould is also the author of several books published by AMSAT starting in 1990 with “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites” the current AMSAT publication that carries his name. Due to medical issues, Gould was forced to resign from the Board of Directors and as VP-User Services in 2014 to focus on his medical concerns. Two years later, Gould’s medical recovery is now such that he’s once again in position to support AMSAT. In conjunction with this transition, Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK now serves as “Lead Area Coordinator”, essentially functioning as Gould’s Executive Officer. Together, Gould and Patrick will work to enhance the Field Organization. “Having Gould back in an AMSAT leadership role is welcome news” notes AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW. “Gould is passionate about amateur radio in space and wants to encourage amateurs to become involved with satellite operations. The Field Organization will benefit from Gould’s focus on providing support to our Area Coordinators and developing materials that will assist our volunteers to speak on AMSAT’s behalf at club presentations and hamfests.” Initially, Gould has been spending some time getting back up to speed on the current status of the Field Organization and establishing a line of communication with the Field Ops Team. Gould notes, “As a long time AMSAT volunteer I am excited to be re-engaging with the organization since my health has improved significantly. The Field Operations position is one that I have experience with and am looking forward to leading with the help of Patrick, WD9EWK. I have looked at the current Area Coordinator list and their activities and know most of the members. One of the first things I will be doing is getting to know the newer coordinators and determining how best we can serve AMSAT, it's members and prospective members. Please let me know of any ideas or suggestions to improve he Field Operations team.” [ANS thanks AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-73/FUNcube Holiday Transponder Operation The AO-73/FUNcube plan for the Holidays is to switch to continuous transponder mode on Wed 22 Dec pm UTC, and revert back to auto transponder switching on Sunday 8 Jan 2017 ppm UTC. Have FUN with the transponder. [ANS thanks Jim, G3WGM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- HM85 Christmas Weekend Operation Pedro, CU2ZG, reports that Christmas HM58 operation will take place from December 23rd to December 25th. Pedro will be SSB equipped and plans to operate on the following satellites: AO-7, FO-29, SO-50, AO-73, EO-79, XW-2A/B/C/D/F, and AO-85. Logs will be uploaded as CU2ZG. [ANS thanks Pedro, CU2ZG, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Years of SSTV and Human Spaceflight December 12, 2016, marked the 18th anniversary of the activation of the MIR SSTV Amateur Radio developed System which was transported and put aboard the MIR Space Station. The MIR SSTV System sent pictures over a period of about 2 years and 4 months to the delight of Amateur Radio Operators and others worldwide. (Mir was deorbited in March, 2001) For those interested in this historical event and background, the publication Amateur Television Quarterly (ATVQ), Spring 2015 issue has an article, “How Did the MIR SSTV System come into Existence”? Back issue copies of ATVQ containing this article are available via WA6SVT(a)aol.com. See also web address: www.ATVQuarterly.com. A small sampling of perhaps thousands of received pictures may be found in web sites: http://www.marexmg.org/marexmirweb/fileshtml/galleryimagepage1.htm http://www.qsl.net/dg7ro/afu/mirsstv.htm Background information and initial efforts on developing the MIR System and early efforts to provide SSTV for the ISS may be reviewed at: http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/sponsorspeople.htm The ISS is now transmitting a similar series of SSTV Transmissions to that of MIR: https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv [ANS thanks Farrell, W8ZCF, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- WB8ELK Balloon Completes Second Lap Around the World After flying for over 41,000 miles, the WB8ELK HF WSPR Skytracker balloon has completed its second lap after crossing over into Indiana on 12 Dec 2016. For those of you capable of listening to 20m WSPR mode, it transmits at the 4-minute and 6-minute marks every 10 minutes on 14.09560 MHz USB during daylight hours. [ANS thanks Bill WB8ELK and the BALLOON_SKED group on yahoogroups for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Annual Long Island Section Convention Ham Radio University (HRU) is scheduled for January 8th, 2017, there will be 30 forums with Tom Gallagher, CEO, of ARRL as the keynote speaker. Peter, W2JV, will be doing a forum at 10 AM on ‘Getting Started with the Amateur Satellites”, AMSAT will have a table in the club room to answer your questions. There will be demonstrations on the air as time and weather permits, on both the FM and linear transponder satellites. Look for W2JV, or others on the air. [ANS thanks Peter, W2JV, for the above information /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-346 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 10 Dec '16

10 Dec '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-346 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * New Satellites on the Horizon * Possible Satellite Activity From Virgin Islands * Obituary for Frank (Robin) Haighton, VE3FRH, (1937-2016) * Phase 4 Ground Weekly Report * AMSAT CW Activity Day * AMSAT Awards * AMSAT Events * NEON - NASA Educators Online Network ANNOUNCEMENTS * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-346.01 ANS-346 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 346.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. December 11, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-346.01 New Satellites on the Horizon Recent International Amateur Radio Union satellite coordination requests provide new details on several satellites expected to launch before the end of the first quarter of 2017. The first satellite expected to launch is UBAKUSAT. UBAKUSAT, developed by Istanbul Technical University along with TAMSAT, GUMUSH, and ERTEK Ltd. is a 3U CubeSat with a Mode V/u inverting linear transponder, CW beacon, and a digital telemetry downlink. The transponder downlink frequencies will be 435.200 MHz – 435.250 MHz with an uplink of 145.940 MHz – 145.990 MHz. The CW beacon frequency will be 437.225 MHz and the digital telemetry downlink will be 437.325 MHz. UBAKUSAT will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard the JAXA HTV-6 resupply mission, scheduled for launch on December 9, 2016, for future deployment. The mission is expected to last 6-12 months. On December 26, 2016, the China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology’s BY70-1 satellite is expected to launch from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center into a 530 km sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite, a 3-axis stabilized 2U CubeSat with deployable solar panels, will carry a Mode V/u FM transponder with an uplink frequency of 145.920 MHz and a downlink frequency of 436.200 MHz. On March 31, 2017, two satellites from the Chinese Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT) are expected to launch from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center into a 524 km orbit with an inclination of 42 degrees. The two satellites, CAS-4A and CAS-4B, will be 50 kg mass with 3-axis stabilization carrying optical remote sensing missions. The amateur radio payloads will be similar to the XW-2 series of satellites with Mode U/v linear transponders with power output of 100 mW, 100 mW AX.25 4800 baud GMSK telemetry, and 50 mW CW beacons. Frequencies for these two satellites have not yet been coordinated. In addition to these satellites, AMSAT’s Fox-1Cliff, Fox-1D, and RadFxSat (Fox-1B) satellites carrying Mode U/v FM transponders are all expected to launch in the first half of 2017. Nayif-1, from the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and American Univeristy of Sharjah (AUS) carrying a FUNcube Mode U/v linear transponder and telemetry downlink, as well as the U. S. Naval Academy Satellite Lab’s QIKcom-2, PSAT-2, and BRICSAT-2 satellites carrying two-way amateur radio payloads are all expected to launch in the first half of 2017. Es’Hail-2, a geostationary satellite carrying AMSAT-DL’s Phase 4A payload is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2017. AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) satellite carrying a Mode V/u linear transponder may also launch in late 2017. [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Possible Satellite Activity From Virgin Islands KP4/WP4, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. The "Buddies of the Caribbean", operators Tom/K4ZGB, Bryan/N8WD, Rick/AA4W and Robert/KE4AL, will be active as WP2/K4ZGB, KP2/N8WD, KP2/AA4W and KP2/KE4AL, respectively, from Saint Croix Island (NA-106) between December 6-14th. The location of their DXpedition is from "My Mountain Breeze" which is the location of the station NP2N <http://www.mymountainbreeze.com/page7/page7.html>. They will also be operating from his station and will have a station in the ARRL 10 meter Contest, NPOTA (Salt River Bay, Christiansted, and Buck Island), QRP, and beach operations will also take place. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. In addition, they will attempt to make some satellite contacts through SO-50 and AO-85. QSL via LOTW, eQSL or direct to their home callsigns. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1294 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Obituary for Frank (Robin) Haighton, VE3FRH, (1937-2016) Robin was a Past Executive Vice President, a past President and a long-time member of the Board of Directors for AMSAT-North America (AMSAT-NA). HAIGHTON, F.R.E. "Rob" (1937-2016) P. ENG. Passed away at Joseph Brant Hospital, on Friday, December 2, 2016, at the age of 79. Beloved husband of Diana (nee Anderson) for 54 years. Cherished father to Andrew (Lois) and Peter (Nichole). Dear grandfather of Amethyst, Emerald, Topaz, Jasper, Rachel, David, Mary and Joanna. Brother of Jill Hill. Born in England, he immigrated to Canada with Diana and Andrew in 1965. Rob was a past Master of Burlington Lodge No.165, A.F. & A.M., a charter member and past Master of Wellington Square Lodge No. 725, A.F. & A.M., member of the Scottish Rite-32nd Degree, the York Rite, White Oak Chapter No.104 of the Royal Arch and very excellent companion of Royal Arch Masonry. Rob, an Active Ham Radio Operator known as VE3FRH, was also a long time member of the Burlington Amateur Radio Club. He was a past president of AMSAT North America and instrumental Founding Member of ARISS space satellite systems. Visitation at SMITH'S FUNERAL HOME, 1167 Guelph Line (one stop light north of QEW), BURLINGTON (905-632- 3333), on Sunday, December 18, 2016 from 3-5 pm and 7-9 pm with Masonic Service to begin at 8:30 pm. For those who wish, donations in memory of Rob to the Joseph Brant Memorial Foundation, to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to a charity of choice would be sincerely appreciated by the family. Visitations: Sunday, December 18th, 2016, 3:00pm - 5:00pm Sunday, December 18th, 2016, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Smith's Funeral Home - Guelph Line Address 1167 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7P 2S7 [ANS thanks Smith's Funeral Home for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Phase 4 Ground Weekly Report Greetings all! This is the Phase 4 Ground weekly report for the weekend of December 9th 2016. Paul KB5MU sitting in for Michelle. (Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Jjn2_NLkMzY) Generic stream encapsulation for DVB, or GSE for short, is now working in GNU Radio with ping packets! Low latency, high efficiency, and it's available as an out of tree module right now at the following link. https://github.com/drmpeg/gr-dvbgse Thank you Dr. MPEG (Ron w6rz) Why is GSE important? It's the data link layer protocol we've chosen, and therefore binds the universe together. It's efficient and low latency. It allows us to carry packet protocols like IP, ethernet, or whatever through our system. There are several addressing modes and it enables adapative coding and modulation. You can do hardware filtering with it and you can add other link protocols by extension. There are no built-in integrity checks in GSE. That's left up to the physical layer to do. We are confident that the physical layer is up to the job. GSE is also used in the terrestrial version of the protocol, DVB-T2. You've heard less about this but it's what we're going to use for terrestrial radio modes. Sharing GSE function between all modes makes for a more consistent design and a bit less work. The testing continues with GSE using the Ayecka SR1 and SR1 Pro. These are DVB-S2 receivers that claim to do GSE. Three of us purchased the SR1 in anticipation that it would do GSE out of the box and be either a good test equipment choice or possibly one of the many recipes for a Phase 4 Ground radio or both. However, GSE is, if you hunt hard enough, listed as an option that requires another $220 to unlock. And, Ayecka wants to upgrade your receiver remotely, which could be a problem in some IT situations. Dr. MPEG's early results seem to indicate that there are some bugs in Ayecka's SR1 GSE implementation. That's just further evidence of our early adopter status. Yay us! We were of course disappointed to find out that GSE was an extra cost option, and nobody like to run into bugs, but kudos to the Ayecka folks for being very responsive with fixes for the GSE issues we've reported. "Just say no to HLS" We are soliciting opinions about HLS from Xilinx. This is High-Level Synthesis and is part of the Vivado design environment. It allows C, C++ and System C specifications to be directly targeted into Xilinx All Programmable devices without the need to manually create RTL. Sounds like magic, doesn't it? Is it something that you have experience with? Is it something you have an opinion about? Xilinx wants to know. Get in touch with me with your feedback. [ANS thanks Paul KB5MU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT CW Activity Day January 1, 2017 (UTC) will be AMSAT's first annual CW Activity Day! As with the old Straight Key Night, this is a fun event, not a contest. It will run for 24 hours on January 1, 2017 (UTC). All forms of CW are welcome, -- straight keys, bugs, keyers, even keyboards and decoders. Since it is not a contest, there is no required exchange. A QSO is a QSO. Working the same station on more than one satellite is permitted. Instead of submitting Best Fist nominations, all participants are asked to post their results, including "Soapbox" comments, to AMSAT- BB. Please include the satellites you used, and the number of CW QSOs you had on each. While it is not necessary to post your full log, you may do so if you wish. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Congrats to all who have earned an AMSAT Award since the last posting. AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award for making their first satellite QSO Augustinus Robert Tuanubun, YC8VRA Kenneth Hitchcock, KB0OQJ Jacek Zebrowski, W9OOO Terry Holman, AJ4A ------ AMSAT Communications Achievement Award Robert Beatty, WB4SON #569 Dan Koawl, AL7RS, #570 Robert Hinshaw, N6UK, #571 Mac Cody, AE5PH, #572 John Papay, K8YSE/7, #573 Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, #574 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Fernando Ramirez-Ferrer, NP4JV #173 Robert Hinshaw, N6UK, #174 Dan Koawl, AL7RS, #175 John Papay, K8YSE/7, #176 Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, #177 ------ AMSAT Century Club Award Dave Swanson, KG5CCI #48 ------ South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award Robert Hinshaw, N6UK, #US197 Dan Koawl, AL7RS, #US198 Mac Cody, AE5PH, #US199 John Papay, K8YSE/7, #200 Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, #201 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Award Cleber Rodrigues, PY3TX, #88 Paul Stoezter, N8HM, Upgrade to 4000 Frank Westphal, K6FW, Upgrade to 2000 John Papay, K8YSE/7, Upgrade to 3000 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI 5000 Award Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, #33 [ANS thanks Bruce KK5DO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Sunday, 8 January, 2017 - Long Island Section Convention at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, NY *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ *Friday-Sunday, March 31, April 1 & 2, 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas, NV [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEON - NASA Educators Online Network ANNOUNCEMENTS Free STEM Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) at Texas State University is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom. Registration is required to participate. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description. December 6, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. ET: Picking Up STEAM: Using Models and Data to Understand Clouds (Grades 4-10) - Practice STEAM through the use of inquiry-based science activities from NASA curriculum guides. The activities and NASA educational websites introduced will provide participants with new curriculum ideas to assist in reaching the Next Generation Science Standards and CORE learning outcomes standards. This STEAM workshop will guide participants through inquiry-based learning activities related to clouds, phase change, light, water cycle, weather and climate. Participants will use authentic data sets to model STEAM lessons. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/205303 ********** December 6, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. ET: Don't Count NASA Out of Your Math Classes: SpaceMath - Linking Math and Science (Grades 5-8) - Space Mathematics is a two-part series designed to help educators make the critical linkage between mathematics and science in the classroom. In Part 1 -- Linking Math and Science, participants will survey some of the available NASA resources and discuss the use of science as a vehicle for mathematics instruction. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/199140 ********** December 7, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. ET: Don't Count NASA Out of Your Math Classes: SpaceMath - Active Math (Grades 5-8) - Space Mathematics is a two-part series designed to help educators make the critical linkage between mathematics and science in the classroom. In Part 2 -- Active Math, participants will explore the use of inquiry to reinforce mathematics skills while engaging students with hands-on activities. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/199142 ********** December 8, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. ET: Don't Count NASA Out of Your Math Classes: Mass vs Weight (Grades K-12) - Participants will learn about hands-on standards-aligned activities comparing mass and weight. They also will learn about the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. This webinar addresses the Next Generation Science Standards ESS1 and ESS2 and Common Core Math Standards. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/207364 ********** December 12, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. ET: Don't Count NASA Out of Your Math Classes: Scale of Discovery (Grades K-12) - Participants will engage in hands-on standards-aligned activities using scale to create a scroll of the universe exploring the inner planets, outer planets and the asteroid belt. They also will use mathematical conversions and scale to compare planets and asteroids using various-sized fruit while learning about the Dawn and New Horizons. This webinar addresses the Next Generation Science Standards ESS1 and ESS2 and Common Core Math Standards. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/207360 ********** December 13, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. ET: Teachers Connect: LaRC Centennial Badge (Grades 6-8) - This webinar will focus for the first half-hour on clouds and their role in Earth’s “energy budget” and on implementation ideas using GLOBE for different classroom settings as part of the “Earth Right Now: LaRC 100th” digital badge. We also will talk about student badge implementations, extension ideas and extra resources. The second half-hour will be very similar but centered on the engineering design process using the Drag Race to Mars Engineering Design Challenge as part of the “Journey to Mars: LaRC 100th” digital badge. This portion of the webinar will focus on forces and motion and math calculations using paper airplanes and testing different materials as part of the “Aeronautics: LaRC 100th” digital badge. This webinar meets requirements of teacher discussions within the NASA Langley 100th Educator Professional Development Collaborative digital badges. To learn more about the Langley 100th digital badges, log in to https://nasatxstate-epdc.net/ and search for LaRC 100th. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/207899 ********** December 14, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. ET: Don't Count NASA Out of Your Math Classes: So You Want to be a Rocket Scientist? (Grades 4-8) - So you want to be a rocket scientist? Explore the math and science of rockets with NASA missions and STEM curriculum resources. Launch your students' interest in forces and motion with inquiry rocket activities and design challenges that include designing, building and launching simple rockets while recording and analyzing data. Join us in a learning journey "blast-off." Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/209754 ********** December 15, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. ET: Teachers Connect: LaRC Centennial Badge (Grades 6-8) - This webinar will focus for the first half-hour on clouds and their role in Earth’s “energy budget” and on implementation ideas using GLOBE for different classroom settings as part of the “Earth Right Now: LaRC 100th” digital badge. We also will talk about student badge implementations, extension ideas and extra resources. The second half-hour will be very similar but centered on the engineering design process using the Drag Race to Mars Engineering Design Challenge as part of the “Journey to Mars: LaRC 100th” digital badge. This portion of the webinar will focus on forces and motion and math calculations using paper airplanes and testing different materials as part of the “Aeronautics: LaRC 100th” digital badge. This webinar meets requirements of teacher discussions within the NASA Langley 100th Educator Professional Development Collaborative digital badges. To learn more about the Langley 100th digital badges, log in to https://nasatxstate-epdc.net/ and search for LaRC 100th. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/207902 ********** For the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development webinar schedule, go to: http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/ [ANS thanks NASA Educators Online Network for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Collège Jean Charcot, Saint Malo, France] and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Thu 2016-12-08 15:19:45 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was Joseph F6ICS. + A Successful contact was made between The Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci), Schenectady NY, USA and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Sat 2016-12- 10 19:49:54 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via W2IR. ARISS Mentor was John K4SQC Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule + Maristes High School, Toulouse, France, direct via F8IDR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-12-12 13:29:47 UTC + Scuola Secondaria di Primo Grado “Niccolò Pisano”, Marina di Pisa, Italy, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-12-15 12:31:13 UTC (if the HTV launches on time) Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-12-17 12:23:31 UTC (if there is a HTV launch delay) [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Tigrisat , the Irak's first cubesat, is transmitting in 435 MhZ at 9K6 FSK G3RUH. It's modulation is very clear and easy to decode to anybody that wants to start to decode this type of satellite. Here you can find a live capture: https://youtu.be/_eo6rqb5EVY [ANS thanks Gustavo, LW2DTZ for the above information] + Tiny 'Black Magic' Satellite Packs Origami-Like Radar Dish NASA challenged engineers to pack an entire satellite dish into a cereal box with Radar in a CubeSat (RainCube), a technology- demonstration mission scheduled for launch in 2017 that will measure rain and snowfall on Earth from space. Read more at: http://www.space.com/34807-cubesats-pack-origami-radar-dish.html [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information] + 18th annual LI Section Convention "Getting Started..." Forum. The Long Island Section Convention takes place at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, NY January 8th, 2017, there will be 30 forums. Peter Portanova, W2JV, will be doing a forum at 10 AM on ‘Getting Started with the Amateur Satellites”, AMSAT will have a table in the club room to answer your questions. We will be doing demonstrations on the air as time and weather permits, on both the FM and linear transponder satellites. Look for W2JV, or others on the air. Tom Gallagher, CEO, of ARRL will be the convention keynote speaker. [ANS thanks Peter W2JV for the above information] + Call for pictures In an effort to improve the AMSAT web site, Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, requests pictures that are relevant to AMSAT, satellite operations and engineering. Pictures should include a short narrative identifying people and the subject of the picture. Including links to your photo sharing site would be greatly appreciated. Send photos and information to to Webmaster(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Joe KM1P for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-339 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 03 Dec '16

03 Dec '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-339 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * Past AMSAT-NA President Frank (Robin) Haighton, VE3FRH SK * Middle School Students’ Tancredo-1 TubeSat Scheduled for Launch * Radio Ham Awarded Space Achievement Honor * Receive Pictures from Space – ISS SSTV Dec 8-9 * Aussie HAM to make an impact on Mars * AO-7 Eclipses Return * W5RKN receives Satellite WAS, Satellite VUCC and WAC * ISS Packet Digipeater on 437.550 MHz * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.01 ANS-339 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE December 4, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Past AMSAT-NA President Frank (Robin) Haighton, VE3FRH SK On behalf of AMSAT-North America, it is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Frank (Robin) Haighton, VE3FRH. Robin suffered a debilitating stroke earlier in this last week, was admitted to the hospital and became a silent key on the morning of December 2nd. Robin was a Past Executive Vice President, a past President and a long-time member of the Board of Directors for AMSAT-North America (AMSAT-NA). Over the years, Frank remained a strong Canadian voice for the organization. For example, as a founding member of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project, Robin served as one of two international delegates from Canada. Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS's International Chairperson said that he and Robin..."had a unique perspective and relationship that was very much appreciated". Frank went on to note: "Robin contributed significantly to ARISS through his ideas, guidance and wise counsel. He challenged members of our team to look at things in a different perspective. As a result of his sage advice, we were able work through these issues and arrive at a common approach, both in developing and delivering ARISS hardware as well as supporting the technical mentoring of schools and local hams." I first became fully aware of Robin's many leadership talents in the mid-1990s when I was then AMSAT's Executive Vice President. In 1997, Robin hosted our AMSAT Board of Directors meeting and Space Symposium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, one of the first (if not THE first) time that meeting was held outside of the USA. At about that same time, Robin stepped up to the plate to also become AMSAT's Canadian Liaison, working a number of AMSAT issues north of the US/Canadian border. Most notably, Robin was instrumental in coordinating AMSAT's consultant role with the Canadian MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) satellite project. Through his tireless, "hands on" efforts with the satellite's Canadian builders, AMSAT was able to bring critical analysis and mentoring skills to bear the project which also garnered a large monetary donation to AMSAT as a result. MOST was successfully launched in 2003 and satellite remains on orbit (and largely operational) to this day. Throughout my time as President, and then later when we switched roles and I once again became Executive Vice President when he went on to become AMSAT's President in 2000, I always sought out and very much appreciated his wise counsel. During his time as our AMSAT President and BOD member, Frank helped to successfully guide the organization through the launch and subsequent anomalies with the Phase 3-D satellite (which later became AMSAT-OSCAR 40 (AO- 40)) on orbit. He was also instrumental in the birth, development and launch of AMSAT-NA's AO-51 satellite. During its long lifetime, AO-51 became one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) of the so-called "easy-sats", providing countless newcomers (and others) with an introduction to our wonderful world of amateur radio satellites. Needless to say, his legacy will live on, both within the hearts and minds of children and family members that experience ARISS, as well as those of us who served with him during his many years as a senior officer of AMSAT. At press time, funeral arrangements for Robin were pending, but that information will be passed along just as soon as it becomes known. In them meantime, and during this festive holiday season, please take a few moments to keep Robin and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Robin… you will be sorely missed. May your spirit soar among the stars! [ANS thanks Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF, AMSAT-NA Treasurer and Past President, and Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Vice President, Human Spaceflight for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Middle School Students’ Tancredo-1 TubeSat Scheduled for Launch The Tancredo-1 satellite, a small TubeSat built by middle school students in Brazil, is scheduled to be sent to the International Space Station on December 9, 2016. The satellite will be sent to the ISS inside the TuPOD TubeSat deployer onboard JAXA’s KOUNOTORI6 cargo ship (HTV-6 mission). The TuPOD is expected to be ejected into space by the J-SSOD satellite deployer on December 19th and on December 21st, Tancredo-1 is expected to be finally ejected from the TuPOD into space. Once in space, Tancredo-1 will start transmitting telemetry data. Tancredo-1 is the first satellite of the Ubatubasat project, a STEM project idealized by Prof. Cândido Oswaldo de Moura at Escola Municipal Tancredo Neves public school in Ubatuba, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The project is supported by the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). Tancredo-1 will initially have the same orbit as the ISS, but it will slowly drift with time and will eventually reenter in the atmosphere and burn. The Ubatubasat project team and AMSAT-BR would like to kindly request radio amateurs around the planet to monitor and report any signals heard from Tancredo-1. Please send any reports (audio, AX.25 KISS files, etc) to py2sdr(a)gmail.com Tancredo-1 will transmit on 437.200 MHz using 1200 bps AFSK AX.25. Telemetry format and equations: https://goo.gl/qOK6qM For more information see: http://www.ubatubasat.com/en/ http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=419 http://amsat-br.org/ [ANS thanks Edson, PY2SDR, AMSAT-BR, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Radio Ham Awarded Space Achievement Honor Cornwall Live reports that radio amateur David Honess M6DNT has been awarded a prestigious space achievement honor for his Astro Pi work with the Tim Peake GB1SS Principia mission. David Honess M6DNT was presented with a Sir Arthur Clarke Award, on behalf of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation and the British Interplanetary Society, for Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual. This came after Mr Honess and his Astro Pi project which installed two Raspberry Pi’s (Izzy and Ed) on to the International Space Station as the platform for students to run their own code in space and speak with Major Tim Peake GB1SS. Mr Honess has been “the driving force” behind getting two UK designed and manufactured Astro Pi computers onto the International Space Station to provide a unique facility to inspire children and adults to learn to code. Read the full story at http://www.cornwalllive.com/west-cornwall-man-wins-award-for-space-achievem… after-project-with-tim-peake/story-29893608-detail/story.html Sir Arthur Clarke Awards Winners http://www.bis-space.com/2013/04/05/9719/sir-arthur-clarke-awards-winners You can follow the two ISS Astro Pi’s Izzy and Ed at https://twitter.com/astro_pi_ir https://twitter.com/astro_pi_vis [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Receive Pictures from Space – ISS SSTV Dec 8-9 Slow-scan television (SSTV) transmissions are planned from the International Space Station (ISS) on December 8-9, 2016. The SSTV images will be transmitted as part of the MAI-75 Experiment on 145.800 MHz FM using the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver located in the Russian ISS Service module. The MAI-75 activities have been scheduled for the Russian crew on Dec 8 from 12:35 to 18:00 GMT and Dec 9 from 12:40 to 17:40 GMT. Note the ISS transmissions on 145.800 MHz FM use the 5 kHz deviation standard rather than the narrow 2.5 kHz used in Europe. If your transceiver has selectable FM filters try the wider filter. The ISS Fan Club website will show you when the space station is in range http://www.issfanclub.com/ ISS SSTV information and links at https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/ ARISS-SSTV Images http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.co.uk/ Listen to the ISS when it is over Russia with the R4UAB WebSDR http://websdr.r4uab.ru/ Listen to the ISS when in range of London with the SUWS WebSDR http://websdr.suws.org.uk/ If you receive a full or partial picture from the Space Station your Local Newspaper may like to know http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/july/now-is-a-great-time-to-get-ham- radio-publicity.htm Scheduled ARISS Contacts and APRS Operations will utilize the Ericson UHF transceiver in the Columbia Module to allow multiple use of ARISS equipment onboard the ISS. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Aussie HAM to make an impact on Mars On a salt lake in Central Australia early next year a radio amateur will conduct tests of a wide area radio network destined for the planet Mars. Robert Brand VK2URB, of Thunderstruck Aerospace, reports that it is an essential part of a project to develop the Mars Nano-Lander and Methane detection system called MEDIAN, set to land in 2025. Approval will be sought from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority for use of the air space for the test. The project calls for 10 separate penetrators to be ejected from the jettisoned heat shield at about 6km from the surface of Mars. They are to spear into the surface of Mars and form a ring about 8km wide. The radio systems will begin measuring distance between the other landers and map the network. Robert VK2URB says they will then switch to a random packet mode and begin sending messages to an orbiting craft. Even the orientation of each probe covering an area around the size of a small city, will be detected and used to calculate the direction that wind, and hopefully any methane, on the thin Martian atmosphere. Robert VK2URB says that the audacious mission is a joint project with the UK Methane detection group at the University of Central Lancashire, and the Australian Thunderstruck Aerospace team. Robert is the design architect of the landing system, the mapping, orientation, communications, data relay, and the on-going non-methane science package. He says that never before has a network of probes been landed anywhere outside of earth and have impactors with the intention of surviving the process. The possibility of microbial life on Mars has been discussed by scientists since the presence of methane gas on the red planet was found several years ago. MEDIAN will map possible methane vent locations for a rover to investigate. If the rover fails to land, the project will still relay local weather and subsoil information back to earth. It's expected that the tests in Central Australia will demonstrate the essential role that radio will play in mapping, locating, orienting the network and then relaying data around the network. The tests will involve dropping a simulated heat shield from 3km altitude and having the impactors fire at 2.5km feet to simulate the impact that each would have on Mars. Even the orientation of each probe will be detected and used to calculate the direction that wind is coming from in the thin Martian atmosphere. The penetrators will stay vertical and elevate the science and radio package about a meter off the surface allowing for better radio connectivity and clear wind profile. A meter diameter solar panel will provide adequate power and the network is expected to survive for at least six months on Mars relaying weather and sub-surface information. An expected seven of the 10 spikes will survive the impact. Ham radio will provide essential communications for the tests and for the event. It is hoped a special event around the testing will attract the interests of ham operators worldwide, and focus attention of the role that Australia is playing in Space Missions. [ANS thanks Jim Linton VK3PC and the VK1WIA wireless news for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-7 Eclipses Return The AMSAT satellite status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ indicates that as of the morning of 11/25/2016, AO-7 is once again entering eclipse each orbit. This means that the 24 Hour mode change timer is interrupted each orbit, and the satellite will be found primarily in Mode U/v (aka Mode B). As the satellite is powered solely by the now 42 year-old solar panels, it is very sensitive to strong uplink signals, particularly CW. Users should closely monitor their downlink for excessive chirp, warbling or "FM'ing" and reduce power as necessary. More information including frequencies can be found at http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1031 [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, AMSAT Vice President, Operations for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W5RKN receives Satellite WAS, Satellite VUCC and WAC In October 2016, Ron Parsens, W5RKN received the ARRL award for Satellite WAS #345 and Satellite VUCC #286 with 100 grids with 100 more grids ready to submit. Ron commented, "I would urge everyone to use LoTW for these awards as that makes applying for the awards so much simpler. I also received the IARU WAC award using a satellite contact for Asia with JF2WXS on March 13, 1994 on AO-13. I had a paper QSL card but since he was still listed on QRZ.com, I emailed Ban and he uploaded the contact to LoTW. Much thanks to all that provided the contacts, QSL cards and LoTW entries. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun." [ANS thanks Ron, W5RKN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Packet Digipeater on 437.550 MHz The Ericsson UHF HT is using the ARISS 70cm frequency of 437.550 MHz. With the move to 70cm, this means users of the packet digipeater will have to make adjustments for Doppler on both the uplink and downlink. Even with the change in frequency, the digipeater operates exactly as it did on 145.825 MHz. For HTs or FM mobile transceivers, and possibly other radios capable of operating on 70cm FM, programming a group of 5 memory channels which compensate for Doppler will allow for 70cm packet operation. Use the following group of memory channels for the ISS packet digipeater on 437.550 MHz: Channel Receive (MHz) Transmit (MHz) Offset 1 437.560 437.540 -0.02 MHz 2 437.555 437.545 -0.01 MHz 3 437.550 437.550 (no offset, simplex) 4 437.545 437.555 +0.01 MHz 5 437.540 437.560 +0.02 MHz Memory channels in some radios will accept separate receive and transmit frequencies, while others will accept the receive frequency and the offset size/direction. Be ready to flip-flop between the first two memories after a minute or so into the pass, and near the end flip-flop between 4 and 5. There could be moments near AOS and LOS - and maybe other points in the middle - where the signal is just in between the two RX frequencies, and your TNC or software won't decode it. More useful advice for working the ISS packet digipeater is available from K9JKM’s document “Add ISS Packet Operation to Your Satellite Operation”, available from the AMSAT Station and Operating Hints page at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2144 [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and Patrick, WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday, 14 January 2017 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2017 in Phoenix AZ *Saturday, 4 February 2017 – Palm Springs Hamfest in Palm Springs CA *Friday-Sunday, 10-12 February 2017 Orlando HamCation in Orlando, FL *Friday and Saturday, 17-18 February 2017 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ *Friday-Sunday, March 31, April 1 & 2, 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas, NV [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * A telebridge contact via LU1CGB with students at Michel LOTTE Junior High School in Belle Isle, France was successful Mon 2016-11-28. * A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at Salesian High School in Wroclaw, Poland was successful Fri 2016-11-25. Upcoming Contacts * Collège Jean Charcot, Saint Malo, France, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-12-08 15:19:45 UTC 74 deg This contact might be on the downlink of 437.525 MHz * The Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci), Schenectady NY, direct via W2IR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-12-10 19:49:54 UTC 85 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over South African SDR Workshop Completed Phase 1, Now Planning Phase 2 Last Saturday it was hi-tech amateur radio at the National Amateur Radio Center when Cor Rademeyer, ZS6CR and Anton Janovsky, ZR6AIC presented the Software Defined Radio Workshop. Known by its initials SDR, it is a software way of creating a receiver and transmitter. During the workshop which included two videos introducing the SDR concept, the two speakers created a two metre to 70cm FM repeater using a dongle and a Raspberry Pi. The workshop, presented by AMSAT SA in cooperation with the SARL was attended by 37 radio amateurs and electronic hobbyists. A follow up workshop is planned for 18 February when Cor and Anton will take delegates through the steps of creating a satellite receiver using the RTL dongle and software. The workshop registration fee will include a dongle and memory stick with the required software. Full details will become available on amsatsa.org.za in the next few weeks. The various presentations and videos presented last Saturday, including how to build a repeater with a Raspberry Pi will be posted on www.amsatsa.org.za this weekend. You will also be able to follow the links from www.sarl.org.za. [ANS thanks SARL weekly news in English 2016-12-3 for the above information] FUNcube-1/AO73 Celebrates 3 Years in Space Monday, November 21, 2016, marked the third birthday in space for the 985 gram spacecraft FUNcube-1 / AO73. FUNcube-1 was launched at 07:10 UT on November 21, 2013 and its first signals were received immediately after deployment over the Indian Ocean by amateurs in South Africa. Since then it has been operating continuously in either its education mode or, with the transponder active, in amateur mode when in eclipse and at weekends. The FUNcube team are very grateful to everyone who has been contributing their telemetry records to the Data Warehouse and also to those who are using FUNcube- 1 for educational outreach to schools and colleges around the world. This important part of our mission is intended to encourage young people to develop an interest and passion in all STEM subjects for their future. The spacecraft is operating nominally – the telemetry indicates that all the sub-systems are fine. The battery voltages, solar panel charge currents and on board temperatures are virtually unchanged since launch. In addition to FUNcube-1, there are now similar FUNcube transponders operating in low earth orbit on the UKube-1 and EO79/QB50p1 CubeSats. The team has recently contributed to the development of Nayif-1, which is presently awaiting launch, and is currently working on a number of further CubeSat and microsat projects. Happy Birthday AO73! Get your 73 on 73 Award, details at https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ AO-73 (FUNcube-1) website https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/funcube-website/ FUNcube Yahoo Group https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/ https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/21/funcube-1-ao73-celebrates-3-years-in-space/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org

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

20 Nov '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-325 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * ARISS-I Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Plans for the Future of Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight * AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea a Success! * NEON - NASA Educators Online Network Free STEM Education Webinars * Lunar Amateur Radio Satellites DSLWP-A1/A2 * XW-1/HO-68 Restoration Work - Listening Reports Requested * Jim Wilson, K5ND Earns Satellite VUCC * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-325.01 ANS-325 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 325.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. November 20, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-325.01 ARISS-I Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Plans for the Future of Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight The ARISS-I delegates met this week in Houston, Texas at the ISS Conference Facility to celebrate 20 years of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). Prior to and during the conference, over 50 delegates and guests from Russia, Japan, Italy, German, the UK, and North America had the option for a behind the scenes tour of Johnson Space Center. The conference also had special guest visits from Astronauts Mike Fincke, Ken Cameron, and Cosmonaut Aleksandr Poleshchuk. The delegates and guests also were able to tour the W5RRR Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club and utilize the club's amateur radio repeater. The three main tracks of the conference were covered in two tracks per day to maximize the short time span of the 4 day meeting with the international delegates. Delegates who could not attend in person utilized video conferencing. ARISS Benefactors such as SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation office at NASA-JSC) and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space) also attended in-person and online. The three main tracks were Sustainability & Funding, Hardware Development, and Educational Impact. Plenary Sessions were held in the mornings on selected topics of great interest to all attendees. Members also met informally at Ken Ransom's house (N5VHO) for a BBQ - "Texas Style." The 20th Anniversary Dinner was held overlooking Galveston Bay. Much work, many thanks, and a wonderful spirit of international camaraderie was evident by the end of the week at this International Face-to-Face meeting. The future of Amateur Radio in Human Space was discussed heavily and many tasks were undertaken by the delegations to report back or develop a response. Summarizing one comment at the end of the meeting, "This week, just as with any ARISS contact, as we approach LOS (loss of signal), I know it's coming soon, but I don't want it to end." The international attendees expressed great appreciation for the 20th Anniversary ARISS Face-to-Face Meeting organizing committee lead by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair and AMSAT-NA Vice President, Human Spaceflight, Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS Delegate, Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, ARRL, Mark Steiner, K3MS, ARISS, and Ms. Janet Bauer. Next year's ARISS International Face-to-Face Meeting is schedule for September 2017 in Rome, Italy. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Space Symposium at Sea a Success! The 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting held aboard the Carnival Liberty in the Gulf of Mexico is now history! Approximately 70 AMSAT members as well as family and friends from the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, and the Azores enjoyed the presentations, activities, and camaraderie during the four day cruise, which departed from Galveston, Texas and included a port call at Progreso, Mexico. Look for more details about the Symposium presentations and activities in the next issue of The AMSAT Journal. Due to a lack of internet bandwidth, live audio of the 2016 AMSAT General Meeting was not available via Echolink. Please see the following slides presented during the General Meeting by AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, for an update on the status of AMSAT: http://tinyurl.com/ANS325-AnnualMeeting For selected photos see this post on the AMSAT website: http://www.amsat.org/?p=5664 [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEON - NASA Educators Online Network Free STEM Education Webinars ANNOUNCEMENTS Free STEM Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) at Texas State University is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom. Registration is required to participate. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description. November 21, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. ET: NASA Technology in Your Classroom: Images and Data (Grades 4-10) - Explore NASA resources for using images and data in the classroom. These resources can be used to engage students, illustrate concepts, and develop educational exhibits, programs or products. Learn about the latest science discoveries and more at http://nasawavelength.org/data-and-images. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/203264 ++++++++++++ November 21, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. ET: Astrobiology and the Origin of Life (Grades 6-12) - Learn how NASA has turned the search for alien life from science fiction to a quickly growing research field. Topics in earth and space science linked to biology will help us understand the most current theories for how life came to be here on Earth and where we could find it next. Classroom activities fit for numerous grade levels will put this exploration into the hands of our next generation of scientists! Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/198801 ++++++++++++ November 22, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. ET: NASA Technology in Your Classroom: NASA Apps for All Ages (Grades K-12) - NASA has over 50 FREE apps for educational use. Learn how to use and integrate some of the applications in the classroom setting. Virtual reality, 3-D exploration and NASA missions come alive with the use of these apps. Engage students on topics such as earth science, the solar system, robotics and space station research through the usage of technology apps. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/202778 ++++++++++++ For the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development webinar schedule, go to: http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/ ************ SPACE EXPLORATION EDUCATORS CONFERENCE (SEEC) February 9-11, 2017 at Space Center Houston 1601 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 Experience three days of complete immersion into the out-of-this world adventure of space exploration! This conference is for grades kindergarten to 12th – and not just for science teachers! Space Center Houston strives to use space to teach across the curriculum. The activities presented can be used for science, language arts, mathematics, history, and more. Attend sessions hosted by the actual scientists and engineers working on exciting endeavors like the International Space Station and explorations of Mars and the planets beyond. Hear from the astronauts leading the charge in exploration! Come learn about the bold vision to send humans back to the Moon and off to Mars! Attend sessions presented by educators and receive ready to implement classroom ideas and experience minds-on, hands-on fun. Network with fellow educators, take back a multitude of cross-curriculum ideas and activities and earn 24 hours of continuing professional education credit. For more information or to register, visit : http://spacecenterSEEC.org email seec(a)spacecenter.org or call (281) 244-2149. [ANS thanks NEON for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Lunar Amateur Radio Satellites DSLWP-A1/A2 Mingchuan Wei BG2BHC reports DSLWP is a lunar formation flying mission for low frequency radio astronomy, amateur radio and education, consists of 2 microsatellites. Developed by students at the Harbin Institute of Technology the amateur radio payload onboard DSLWP-A1 will provide telecommand uplink and telemetry / digital image downlink. An open telecommand is also designed to allow amateurs to send commands to take and download an image. The satellites are 50x50x40 cm with a mass of about 45 kg and are 3- axis stabilized. Two linear polarization antennas are mounted along and normal to the flight direction. The team proposes downlinks for A1 on 435.425 MHz and 436.425 MHz while downlinks for A2 would be 435.400 MHz and 436.400 MHz using 10K0F1DCN or 10K0F1DEN 250 bps GMSK with concatenated codes or JT65B. Planning a launch into a 200 x 9000km lunar orbit in June 2018. Further info at http://lilacsat.hit.edu.cn/ IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/ [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- XW-1/HO-68 Restoration Work - Listening Reports Requested China's professional space TT&C network has been monitoring XW-1 telemetry Since November 12 in an effort to restore its work. If anyone has heard the CW beacon signal at 435.790 MHz, Please contact Alan Kung, BA1DU, camsat (at) vip.163.com [ANS thanks Alan BA1DU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Wilson, K5ND Earns Satellite VUCC Congratulations to Jim Wilson, K5ND on earning his Satellite VUCC award for working 100 grids. At the same time, because so many grid expeditions were confirmed on LoTW, he also qualified for the VUCC endorsement sticker for 125 grids. Jim wrote, "Thanks everyone for taking the time to enter your QSOs on Logbook of the World or to send me QSL cards in response to my own card. As I’ve mentioned before, it has been such a blast to work all these grids and to figure out how to work both the FM and linear satellites." [ANS thanks JoAnne K9JKM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Col·legi Asuncion de Ntra. Sra., Barcelona, Spain and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-11-17 08:25 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via W6SRJ. ARISS Mentor was Marcelo IKØUSO. In 2016, Col·legi Asuncion de Ntra. Sra. is celebrating the 140th anniversary of the 1876 founding of the school. The school has approximately 600 students of Kindergarden (from 3 to 6 years of age), Primary (6-12 years old) and Secondary (from 12 to 16 years old) and is located in Barcelona, in the Poblenou neighbourhood, belonging to Sant Martí district. It was a very rewarding finish the anniversary by contacting with the International Space Station as the main activity of a set of Interdisciplinary Didactic Projects and multiple age level participation activities. Col·legi Asuncion de Ntra. Sra's aim is to engage every student in these activities, which are not only STEM/STEAM related, but also cover geography, languages, history and others. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Private Salesian High School named of St. Dominic Savio, Wroclaw, Poland, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-11-25 11:12:47 UTC ************ ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n at amsat.org or aj9n at aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. ************ All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. ************ Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. ************ Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net ************ ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 121 Francesco IKØWGF with 118 ************ The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2016-11-18 08:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1093. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1058. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact Charlie, aj9n at amsat.org or aj9n at aol.com, if more detailed statistics are needed. ************ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ************ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS ************ The successful school list has been updated as of 2016-11-18 08:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_cor rection.rtf [Editor's Note: Please note truncation of above address. Please use care when copy/pasting the above URL] Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 ************ Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + W1NU, Satellite DXCC No. 3, SK The December 2016 issue of QST reports the passing of Vic Politi, W1NU, among its Silent Keys department article. Vic was 93. Before going into assisted living several years ago, he was on top of the DXCC Honor Roll. Vic held Satellite DXCC No. 3, earned entirely via LEO satellites. In 1992, he was AMSAT SKN's first Best Fist winner. RIP, Vic. [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] + PSAT digipeater is back on. As well as its 28.121 ten meter PSK31 uplink and 435.350 MHz downlink. [ANS thanks Bob WB4APR for the above information] + The 2016 edition of the book "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites" is once again available from the AMSAT-UK shop. http://shop.amsat-uk.org/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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ANS-381 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 12 Nov '16

12 Nov '16

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

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ANS-311 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 05 Nov '16

05 Nov '16

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

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

29 Oct '16

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

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