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ANS-066 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-066 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: * One Million Telemetry Packets Received by AO-85 Ground Network * ARISS Countdown to 1000th Contact * School SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS * First satellite QSO to Antartica * AMSAT's Fox-1E Likely to Get a Lift from NASA * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-066.01 ANS-066 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 066.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE March 06, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-066.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- One Million Telemetry Packets Received by AO-85 Ground Network At 10:31:06 UTC on March 3rd 2016, the millionth telemetry packet from AO-85 was submitted by PB0AHX to AMSAT's Fox Internet Telemetry System (FITS). Led by Chris Thompson, G0KLA, AMSAT has built a worldwide network of ground stations that can effectively monitor spacecraft health as well as collect experiment data for our university partners. The FITS development team is international in nature, with contributors from the US, Canada and the UK. There is plenty of work to go around, if you are interested in helping please contact volunteer(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks AMSAT/NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Countdown to 1000th Contact The ARISS contact between Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, with Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI was on Saturday represented the 997th successful ARISS contact in ARISS history. ARISS is posed to celebrate its 1000th contact as early as this week. Below is the list of currently scheduled events for ARISS. Each one will have to be successful for the numbering to be correct. As of right now, the March 10 contact with North Dakota (the first for that state) is in the prime slot to be the 1000th contact. School: Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic (Kopra) #998 Tue 2016-03-08 08:22:43 UTC 82 deg School: Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia (Peake) #999 Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC 53 deg via K6DUE School: North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota (Kopra) #1000 Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC 56 deg via W6SRJ As stated above, if all of the above contacts are successful it looks as if the contact between Tim Kopra KE5UDN and North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC) in Grand Forks, North Dakota Thursday 2016- 03-10 19:08:55 UTC will be contact 1000. The contact will be telebridged via W6SRJ. Kopra will use the callsign NA1SS. In celebration of the 1000th contact NASA is producing videos touting the importance of amateur radio on the ISS. The first of these to be released can be viewed at https://youtu.be/bTOiiBd2dCo [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- School SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) CubeSat developed by students at Saint Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) in Arlington, VA, is set to be deployed from the International Space Station on March 7 between 8-11am EST. STM is thought to be the first Elementary school to build their own satellite, even Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade students were involved in the project. The satellite, a 1U CubeSat called STMSat-1, will transmit a SSTV signal on 437.800 MHz. Middle School Students took the initiative to begin exploring how to receive data from the CubeSat and formed a Ham Radio Club. There, they learned the basics of operating a ham radio station and explored Slow Scan Television as an option for receiving images once the satellite is deployed. How Did 400 Grade School Students Built A Nano-Satellite? http://jewelbots.tumblr.com/post/134465599599/how-did-400-grade- school-students-built-a STMSat-1 https://twitter.com/STMSAT11 https://www.facebook.com/stmsat1/ http://www.stmsat-1.org/ Be advised that the deployment could be delayed or postponed depending on demands on the crew's time [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK* for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- First satellite QSO to Antartica On Feb-28 2016, first satellite QSO from Antartica to mainland Argentina thru SO-50. Photos & details (spanish) on https://www.lu4aa.org/wp/historico-primer-qso-desde-la-antartida/ [ANS thanks Pedro C0nverso for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT's Fox-1E Likely to Get a Lift from NASA NASA has accepted the Fox-1E cubesat - a joint effort between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University - to be part of its CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) program. The satellite, also known as RadFxSat-2, will carry a radiation effects experiment developed by Vanderbilt as well as a 30-kHz wide amateur radio linear transponder with an uplink on 2 meters and a downlink on 70 centimeters. This will be in place of the FM repeater carried by most amateur cubesats. The project received a #1 priority out of 20 accepted proposals and has been offered a launch date by NASA. This is the second collaboration between AMSAT and Vanderbilt. The first - RadFxSat/Fox-1B - is also part of NASA's CSLI program and is scheduled for launch next January. http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2016/02/amsats-fox-1e-likely-to-get- lift-from.html [ANS thanks the CQ Newsroom for theabove information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 - ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Friday/Saturday, 18-19 March 2016 - presentation for the BVARC Houston Hamfest Fort Bend County Fairground demo on Saturday *Saturday, 19 March 2016 - Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 - Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016, ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 - Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 14 May 2016 - Matanuska Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Wasilla AK *Saturday, 4 June 2016 - White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BV using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 03-01 16:45 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via VK5ZAI. ARISS Mentor was AA4KN. This was the 995th ARISS contact. + A Successful contact was made between National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York and Astronaut Tim Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began [YEAR, Month, Date Time] UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was[direct/telebridge] via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was KA3HDO. This was the 996th ARISS contact. + A Successful contact was made between Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign GB1SS. The contact began [YEAR, Month, Date Time] UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via GB4PCS. ARISS Mentor was KA3HDO. This was the 997th ARISS contact. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic, direct via OK2KYJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 08:22:43 UTC Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC Watch for live stream at http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ariss North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 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(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. All ARISS contacts are made via the Ericsson radio unless otherwise noted. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] 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 Russian Mayak Satellite Says Bright Enough to Rival Solar System Visible Objects Just something interesting that came across the wires this morning. Russian crowd funded project, apparently testing a solar sail/aerodynamic braking satellite: Once Mayak begins its sun-synchronous orbit above the Earth, the spacecraft will unfold a 16 square meter pyramid of reflectors that will reflect the Sun's rays, creating a man-made star visible from Earth and bright enough to rival any other solar system. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Crowdfunded_Satellite_Set_t o_Become_the_Night_Skys_Brightest_Star_999.html [ANS thanks JoAnne, K9JKM 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-059 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 28 Feb '16

28 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-059 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: * eBay Donations for AMSAT * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule * Satellite DXCC Nearly 20 Years in the Making * 2016 AMSAT Field Day * Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems to Support Atlas V CubeSat Rideshare Initiative * UK and Malta University Satellite Collaboration SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-059.01 ANS-059 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 059.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. February 28, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-059.01 eBay Donations for AMSAT Are you an eBay seller? One item, ten items, or a full-time business you can donate a percentage of your winning bid to AMSAT. To do so, do not list your item with the basic listing tool, select advanced tools. eBay will give you a warning message that it is for large volume sellers, however this is where the eBay for Charity tool is found. You can 'select another nonprofit you love' and search for either AMSAT or Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. Choose the percentage amount of the sale you would like to donate to AMSAT and boom. When your item sells and the winning bidder pays, eBay will deduct the percentage from your take and forward it to AMSAT. Sometimes we are getting rid of our old equipment, sometimes selling something new. In any case, won't you consider giving a piece of the pie to a new satellite and choose AMSAT for your eBay for Charity. [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Mon 2016-02-29 12:05:58 UTC 78 deg National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York, telebridge VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-01 16:45:18 UTC 53 deg Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, direct via GB4PCS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-03-05 10:55:19 UTC 59 deg ************************************************************************ The next window to submit a proposal for an upcoming contact is now open. The window is open from 2016-02-15 to 2016-04-15 and would be for contacts between 2017-01-01 and 2017-06-30. Check out the ARISS website http://www.ariss.org/ or the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact for full details. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite DXCC Nearly 20 Years in the Making It took nearly 20 years, but AMSAT Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, finally qualified for Satellite DXCC. Glasbrenner submitted the requisite number of QSLs for checking at the Orlando HamCation February 12-14, and ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, verified KO4MA’s achievement. “It's been a long process getting to satellite DXCC,” said Glasbrenner, who got into satellite operating around 1993, and was only on RS-12 (Mode K) for a long time. “This was the Russian satellite payload that used 15 meters up, and 10 meters down,” he explained. His activity stagnated for a long time during and after his college years, but in 1999 he got involved in working the LEO satellites, such as UO-14 and AO-27, “then FO-20 and FO-29 for a little more distance, and then on the perigee passes of AO-10, when it was still semi-usable,” he added. “When AO-40 was launched into a high-Earth orbit, I dove into Mode U/S with gusto,” Glasbrenner recounted. During the 3 years that AO-40 was active, he spent many late nights and early mornings looking for the next new one. “Eventually I was using a 3 foot solid dish with preamp and downconverter for the Mode S downlink, and this is when some of my most exciting contacts came.” Highlights included working VU2MKP at a few degrees of elevation to the east, right after the satellite came up, and working KH2GR in the other direction, “while the satellite was off-pointing and the spin fades were horrendous, and timing each call during peaks.” When AO-40 went silent, Glasbrenner said he was about a dozen short of DXCC, and he realized that he’d have to be proactive to finish up with just LEO satellites. Many of his new ones came from operators who went the extra mile to operate from places like the Caribbean and Greenland. “The absence of operational HEO satellites makes satellite DXCC nearly impossible for newer operators,” he said, “but I'm confident that continued membership and support of AMSAT by any operator interested in satellites will result in the successful return to high orbit by one of the several opportunities currently being pursued by the organization. Strike while the iron is hot!” Bernhard Dobler, DJ5MN, has been at the top of the DXCC-Satellite standings since 2000, and has 274 entities confirmed. {ANS thanks ARRL and Drew, KO4MA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 AMSAT Field Day It's that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a “picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!” The event takes place during a 24-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2016 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 25, 2016 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 26, 2016. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 25 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. With the loss of AO-51, VO-52 and SO-67 this year it is going to be as challenging as last year. A few new satellites are up there to take some of the load. If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites like SO-50 for your AMSAT Field Day focus. Don't, unless you are simply hoping to make one contact for the ARRL rules bonus points. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. You will also be allowed one digital QSO with the ISS or any other digital, non-store-and-forward, packet satellite (if operational). It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO’s. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO’s to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO. The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day, e.g.: W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG W6NWG de KK5DO QSL If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low- earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, or AO-73. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can't use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW. THE 2016 AMSAT FIELD DAY RULES The AMSAT Field Day 2016 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below. 1. Analog Transponders ARRL rules apply, except: - Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band. - CW and digital (RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each. - Stations are limited to one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the PBBS is on - see Pacsats below, ISS (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. PCSat (I, II, etc.) (1 digital), - The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited. 2. Digital Transponders For the Pacsats (GO-32, etc.) or ‘Store and Forward’ hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post "CQ" messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL. The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts. (a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite). (b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later "proof of contact." Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules. Satellite digipeat QSO's and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. Remember, only one digipeat contact is allowed for the ISS and other satellites in this mode. The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed. Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File: Greetings from W5MSQ Field Day Satellite station near Katy, Texas, EL-29, with 20 participants, operating class 2A, in the AMSAT-Houston group with the Houston Amateur Television Society and the Houston QRP club. All the best and 73! Note that the message stated the call, name of the group, operating class, where they were located (the grid square would be helpful) and how many operators were in attendance. 3. Operating Class Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.). AND FINALLY... The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (email or postal mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 11, 2016. The preferred method for submitting your log is via e- mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. You may also use the postal service but give plenty of time for your results to arrive by the submission date. Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal. You will receive an email back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your email submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other email address. If mailing your submission, the address is: Bruce Paige, KK5DO Director of Awards and Contests PO Box 310 Alief, TX 77411-0310. Certificates will be awarded to the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2016. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads. You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don't even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event! Complete copies of the rules and recommended submission form can be found on the AMSAT web site. 2016 PDF Field Day Rules http://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016fd.pdf 2016 MS-Word Field Day Rules http://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016fd.docx [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems to support Atlas V CubeSat Rideshare initiative Tyvak is responsible for identifying, obtaining, and integrating CubeSat customers on the ULA Atlas V launch vehicle system. Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to serve as the primary Auxiliary Payload Customer on CubeSat Rideshare Initiative efforts through Dec. 31, 2019. ULA's CubeSat Rideshare Initiative enables rideshare opportunities on its Atlas V launch vehicle and aims to tap into a growing market of small satellites with applications in education, scientific research, U.S. Government and commercial business. CubeSats are miniaturized satellites originally designed for use in conjunction with university educational projects and quickly becoming a dependable tool for advance missions. CubeSats are made of one or more units, called U's, measuring 10cm x 10cm x 10cm with a mass of 1.33 kilograms. Under this MOU, Tyvak will provide low-cost access to space for both commercial and U.S. Government CubeSat customers, as well as no-cost access to space for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) CubeSat customers for rideshares on ULA's Atlas V launch vehicles. Tyvak is responsible for identifying, obtaining, and integrating CubeSat customers on the ULA Atlas V launch vehicle system. In addition, as part of the agreement with ULA, Tyvak will provide for no cost up to three STEM CubeSat slots for each Atlas V 24U capacity launch opportunity for educational customers. "Tyvak is thrilled to have been selected for this opportunity with a world-class launch Provider like ULA," said Tyvak President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Previte. "This MOU brings key opportunities to Tyvak and to the entire nanosatellite community." "As America's ride to space, ULA is transforming rideshares so that customers will now have predictable manifest slots for their payloads," said Tory Bruno, ULA president and CEO. "We are driving innovations like this program which will make space more affordable and accessible for all manner and size of payload customers." [ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UK and Malta University Satellite Collaboration The UK’s University of Birmingham, the University of Malta, the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL) and the Italian Astrodynamics company, GAUSS Srl are collaborating on a project to send a PocketQube satellite with an amateur radio payload into space. The Times of Malta newspaper reports: The 5x5x5 cm device, referred to as a PocketQube pico-satellite, will be launched in 2018 into a sun-synchronous low earth orbit (LEO) and will be used to validate on-board equipment that will study the properties the Earth’s ionosphere. This project will pave the way for a swarm of eight such satellites that will spread over a large geographical area and hence gain better coverage of changeable ionospheric conditions which affect radio communications. The collaboration has brought together two Maltese post graduate engineering students – Darren Cachia in Malta and Jonathan Osairiis Camilleri (Ozzy), a Ph.D. student at the University of Birmingham – who have joined efforts and are developing the satellite platform and the scientific payload respectively. The mission is expected to last about 18 months and will relay information back to Earth that will be accessible to anyone owning a simple ham radio set. Information will be made available in due course to allow schools and interested individuals to participate using inexpensive equipment. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-052.02 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI
by JoAnne Maenpaa 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-052.02 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-052.02 ANS-052 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 052.02 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 21, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-052.02 RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) Selected for Participation in NASA's CSLI On February 18, 2016 NASA announced the selection of RadFxSat-2, the Space Radiation Effects CubeSat, for participation in NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) is another partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University ISDE and AMSAT, similar to RadFxSat (Fox-1B) which is scheduled to launch in January 2017. Vanderbilt University, with cooperation from AMSAT, submitted the RadFxSat-2 CSLI proposal in November 2015. Out of 21 proposals, NASA is recommending 20 for participation in the CSLI opportunity. RadFxSat-2 is prioritized #1 out of the 20 selected and has been offered an opportunity for a launch date. The opportunity is being evaluated by Vanderbilt University and AMSAT to determine if it meets our mission and orbital parameters. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) will carry a radiation effects experiment similar to RadFxSat (Fox-1B) but will study new FinFET technology. The Fox-1E spacecraft bus will be built on the Fox-1 series but will feature a linear V/U (Mode J) transponder "upgrade" to replace the standard FM repeater which Fox-1A through D have carried. The downlink will feature a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt science in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for amateur radio use. Further details of the mission and timeline will be published as they become available and are cleared for public release. [ANS thanks AMSAT's Fox Engineering Team for the above information] /EX

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ANS-045 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 14 Feb '16

14 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-045 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * AMSAT-NA Office Closed on Monday February 15th for President's Day Holiday * W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo * Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launch Postponed * Old Dominion University OPEN HOUSE for local Middle and High Schools * Orlando Hamcation Satellite Demos Scheduled * ARISS UK release full video of Tim Peake and RMS contact * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-045.01 ANS-045 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 045.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 14, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-045.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Office Closed on Monday February 15th for President's Day Holiday The AMSAT Office will be closed on Monday, February 15th in observance of Presidents' Day. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W1AW/4 Orlando Hamcation Demo Thanks to everyone who called in to work K8YSE portable at the Orlando Hamcation. We had a great time working everyone on SO-50 and FO-29. The crowds were big and the weather outside was sunny and warm Although there was a lot of interest in seeing our station, 9 year old Hope, KM4IPF operating W1AW/4 on SO-50 definitely stole the show. Before the pass I watched her pull the compass out of a bag and tell her father where to point the antenna at AOS and where it would finish up at LOS. She used two HT's for the operation. Dad held the antenna for her as she made contact after contact. She had a crowd around her and we had the IC910 set up about 40' away and our crowd was listening to her on our setup. Steve, N9IP, was the antenna man at our station. Near the end of the pass I called her on the 910H and got a confirmation from W1AW/4! We had a signal path hundreds of miles long but were only 40' apart! Rick WA4NVM provided a recording of the pass and it is up on my website: http://www.papays.com/sat/general.html Frank K9CIS also sent in some recordings of our FO-29 passes which I'll put on the website later. Anyone needing confirmation of a Hamcation contact with K8YSE on LOTW, just send me the QSO details and I'll upload it. I can also do a QSL card on request. There is nothing like a good demo to generate interest in satellites. Just set up a station and the crows starts gathering. Thanks to everyone who helped with the effort. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese Ham Radio Satellite Launch Postponed ChubuSat-2, ChubuSat-3 and Horyu-4 were expected to launch on Friday, February 12 into a 575 km, 31 degree inclination orbit. This launch has been postponed due to bad weather at the launch site. A rescheduled launch date and time has not yet been announced. http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/02/11/launch-of-japanese-x-ray-observatory- postponed/ https://twitter.com/JAXA_en?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA provides the following information on ChubuSat-2/3: Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us email: chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following web site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps and CW The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above web site. Horyu-4 downlink 437.375 MHz & 2400.300 MHz 1k2 AFSK,9k6 GMSK, S_BPSK, CW http://kitsat.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/horyu4WEB/horyu4.html http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=434 https://www.facebook.com/Horyu-4-Arc-Event-Generator-and-Investigation- Satellite-780188535364868/ [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa JR2XEA, and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Dominion University OPEN HOUSE for local Middle and High Schools The Open House is a recruiting event for the ODU School of Engineering. It is scheduled for February 19 & 20, 2016. Students from 40 Middle and High Schools (400 – 600 students) throughout the Hampton Roads VA region will be visiting the school to tour the labs and campus, meet the (current ODU) students and faculty, and learn more about education and career opportunities in engineering. K4AMG will be supporting the event by conducting a mini field day event will be on Friday, Feb 19 and by hosting lab stations on Saturday Feb 20th featuring a 15 minute presentation of ham radio topics. The lab topics include: An overview of amateur radio as a learning tool. A (light) technical discussion about the science and engineering that support radio communications. A youth forum presented by several young radio amateurs KJ4NFL – Emergency and Public Service Communications WX4TVJ and AE4FH – Antennas KJ4EYZ – Cultures and Environmental Considerations for DX-peditions Satellite communications featuring the CUBESAT simulator provided by AMSAT-NA –KW4CR. Society of Broadcast Engineers – Richard Dyer speaking on Careers in Broadcast Engineering and Electronics and Wireless Communications At the student luncheon 9 year old Hope Lea, KM4IPF, will be the key note speaker - subject OSCAR Satellite Communications [ANS thanks Rich, WA8BUE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando Hamcation Satellite Demos Scheduled A demo station at Orlando Hamcation has been scheduled on Friday, Saturday and possibly on Sunday, February 12, 13, and 14. Operations will likely be on SO-50 and FO-29 on the following passes: 2-12 1813-1832utc FO-29 2-12 1826-1838utc SO-50 2-13 1719-1737utc FO-29 2-13 1851-1904utc SO-50 2-13 1903-1922itc FO-29 2-14 1737-1749utc SO-50 2-14 1808-1827utc FO-29 Sunday is iffy. We may be on other satellites as well. Please give us a call if you hear us and respond with your grid square, city/state and name. This will help the onlookers to have a better idea of where you are. [ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS UK release full video of Tim Peake and RMS contact This is the 77 minute video of the ARISS contact between Tim Peake GB1SS and the Royal Masonic School for Girls Rickmansworth GB1RMS. The video starts with the students of Cadogan House, the prep school for girls aged 4 to 11 at the Royal Masonic School for Girls singing a number of songs that have been part of their study into space. The video continues with the senior school presenting an overview of the activities that they have been involved in as part of their study and understanding of space. This section concludes with a panel of experts from the UK space industry fielding questions from the assembled audience. At approximately 33 minutes, Ciaran Morgan M0XTD from ARISS, starts the ARISS program with an introduction of the team, their roles and all the equipment that has been brought to the school to help facilitate the contact. The actual ARISS contact starts at approximately 53 minutes into the video. After the contact has finished, the school’s Head Girl concludes the evening with a short thank you speech and introduces the trainers who prepared some of the girls for the Foundation Amateur Radio License. http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/ariss-uk-release-full-video-of-tim-peake-and- rms-contact/ More history made at second amateur radio call http://amsat-uk.org/2016/02/12/more-history-made-at-second-amateur-radio-ca… HamTV on the ISS http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/hamtv-on-the-iss/ What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio Find an UK amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/ A free booklet is available aimed at introducing newcomers to the hobby that can also be used as a handy reference while getting started, see http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-ra… -2/ [ANS thanks ARISS-UK and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday and Saturday, 19-20 February 2016 – Yuma Hamfest and 2016 ARRL Southwest Division Convention in Yuma AZ *Friday, 4 March 2016 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach meeting in Signal Hill CA *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016 - ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV *Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Proposal Window for Scheduled Contacts in the US Opens February 15 The US partners of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program are seeking formal and informal educational institutions and organizations in the US, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017. http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARISS/Proposal%20Window%20Announcement- 2_15_16.pdf Application Window Open for ARISS Europe Region Schools and Youth organizations in the ARISS-Europe Region (Europe, Africa and Middle East) interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station are invited to submit an application and an educational project. The application submission window will be open February 1 to April 30, 2016, for space conversations that will tentatively be scheduled in the period extending from February to June 2017. http://www.ariss-eu.org/school-contacts Successful Contacts Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth, UK, direct via GB1RMS The ISS callsign was scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Thu 2016-02-11 18:09:02 UTC 89 deg Congratulations to the HamTV crew that showed the contact! This was a successful use of HamTV with an ARISS contact. Videos at: https://youtu.be/x3KpilFGQX4 https://youtu.be/ChKNtzYE_HQ The Royal Masonic School for Girls is an independent girl’s day and boarding school in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, with an exceptional, unusual and distinguished history. Founded in 1788 with the purpose of educating the daughters of Freemasons who were unable to support their families, it is one of the oldest girls' schools in the country. We attract girls aged 4-18 from across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London and boarders from all over the world. We also have a Pre School for boys and girls aged 2 to 4. Our ethos is both aspirational and nurturing and our girls strive to be the very best they can be, academically, morally and creatively. Our public examination results are consistently impressive and each year around 90% of girls leave RMS to take up places at University. Life at RMS is centered on much more than "just" academic success and the School is well known for its exceptional pastoral care, and the wealth of extra-curricular opportunities it offers - including Astronomy as we are one of very few schools in the UK to have our own planetarium and observatory! Upcoming Contacts Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol, UK, direct via GB1OAB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 14:23:23 UTC 78 deg UAH Space Hardware Club, Huntsville, Alabama, direct via K4UAH The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-02-19 17:20:14 UTC 72 deg The Space Hardware Club at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an engineering club of students that builds balloon payloads, satellites and rockets outside of their regular classes. The club has been working on this contact for over a year. After deciding to focus on 8th grade students, we reached out to Discovery Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and the Tennessee Valley Homeschool 4-H group – all from the northern Alabama area. The students from Westlawn have been part of Project Lead The Way for 2 years now and have been exposed to robotics, modeling, and 3d printing. The students from the homeschool group all have a passion for STEM, a love of learning and being challenged, and are bubbling with excitement for this opportunity of a lifetime. There are two STEM II classes from Discovery Middle School that routinely rise to the expectations of their accelerated STEM focused curriculum. By the time of the contact, the students will have learned about the ISS, the astronauts and some of the experiments aboard, and amateur radio. All of the students and club members involved are passionate about this opportunity, and thank you for your time. 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 Austin, Texas Students to Speak to Space Station Astronaut Students from the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools in Austin, Texas will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working on the International Space Station at 11:55 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. The contact is schedule via Skype. [ANS thanks NASA News Service for the above information] Help XE1AO get his satellite WAS award via LOTW! Omar XE1AO, a long-time satellite operator in central Mexico, tweeted yesterday that he is interested in making contact with stations in 7 states to finally have all 50 states confirmed via Logbook of the World. The last 7 states he needs are: Kansas Maine New Jersey New York Rhode Island Washington West Virginia Omar is in grid DK89df, if that helps in making calculations on possible passes that he can work. His e-mail address on QRZ is good, so you can contact him directly if you are able to help him get his satellite WAS award. He is also on Twitter as @XE1AO, but his Twitter feed is not open to the public. He's received a few suggestions to get a couple of these states taken care of, so hopefully he can finally reach that goal. [ANS thanks Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, AMSAT Director for Field Operations for the above information] 6D0F Special Call David Maciel XE3DX will work the special prefix 6D0F, for the apostolic journey of his holiness pope Francis to Mexico. Times include: Thursday 11 February 2016 18:00 UTC Thursday, 18 February 2016 18:59 UTC David will work from grid EK36, Chiapas, on only FM satellites SO-50 and AO-85. The QSL Manager is XE1LM. Visit https://www.qrz.com/lookup/6d0f/ http://www.qsl.net/xe3dx/ [ANS thanks David Maciel, XE3DX 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-038 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 07 Feb '16

07 Feb '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-038 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: * ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 Launch Information * AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed * Dayton Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery * FoxTelem Version 1.03 Released * AMSAT Partners With Ragnorak Industries Cubesat Challenge Team * Announcement of the 8th European CubeSat Symposium, 7-9 Sept 2016 (London) * 2016 NASA Academy SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-038.01 ANS-038 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 038.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. February 7, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-038.01 ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 Launch Information Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan. After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us chubusat2(a)frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp In following WEB site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page. https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.ht… Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink. ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above WEB site. We hope you get interested in our satellites, receive beacon messages, and enjoy the message exchange service. Best regards, Yasutaka Narusawa (JR2XEA) [ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa, JR2XEA, and the KOMAKI Amateur SATCOM Club for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed Call for Volunteers for the AMSAT Booth at Dayton 2016 The 2016 Dayton Hamvention®, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association will be held this year on May 20-22. “Dayton” is the largest hamfest in the United States, and AMSAT will be there again this year. You can assist AMSAT by volunteering to help staff the booth. While there, you will meet other AMSAT members, interact with the satellite designers, builders, and operators, and enjoy all that Dayton has to offer. People are needed to assist with the setup of the booth on Thursday, May 19 (A few people to move the equipment from the storage area leaving the hotel at 9 am, most at the Arena from 11am to 4 pm), to staff the booth Friday (9 am to 6 pm), Saturday (9 am to 5 pm), and Sunday (9 am to 1 pm), and pack up on Sunday (1 pm to 3 pm). If you are leaving late Sunday, or Monday morning, please consider helping transport the display to the storage area on the south side of Dayton. This is normally completed by 5 pm. Most people volunteer for one or more 2 hour shifts in the booth. Please send an e-mail to Steve Belter, N9IP if you are willing to help AMSAT at the Hamvention. Please let Steve know as soon as possible if you¹re available to assist. If you missed the Hamvention the last few years, there were some changes in the Ball Arena, and the AMSAT exhibit was part of that change. We now have a 3 X 3 booth arrangement, with the engineering and software display on one side of the aisle, and the sale area on the opposite side. The booth numbers are now 444-446 and 433-435. We will be very near the old exhibit area, within sight of the ARRL exhibit. [ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dayton Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery Thursday night, 1800-2000. The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held Thursday, May 19, at 1800 EDT at the Tickets Pub & Eatery. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth. You’ll find a great selection of Greek and American food and excellent company! No program or speaker, just good conversation. Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention®. Tickets Pub and Eatery, 7 W. Main St. Fairborn, OH 45324 (937) 878-9022 [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FoxTelem Version 1.03 Released This version of FoxTelem uses a new datafile format. While we store our data on the server in an SQL database, we use a flat file database for FoxTelem. A flat file format is nearly optimal for a program that mostly adds new data to the end of a growing list. With that said, we need to be able to load sections of the data into memory for efficient analysis. The new data file format allows that. If you have been downloading data from the server for analysis, you will see that this format is much faster. One major change is the ability to automatically switch between low speed and high speed. This will help unattended stations gather as much telemetry as possible. The "auto" mode actually runs both decoders at the same time, so make sure your computer has enough CPU power to cope. Graphing has been updated to support better analysis of the spacecraft by the AMSAT Operations team and amateur scientists everywhere. This version also contains new features that will be required for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D. You can download it here: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/foxtelem_1.03_windows.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.03_mac.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/foxtelem_1.03_linux.tar.gz [ANS thanks Chris, G0KLA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Partners With Ragnorak Industries Cubesat Challenge Team AMSAT is participating in the Cube Quest Challenge as a partner with Ragnarok Industries. Members of the AMSAT - ASCENT team are designing the communications package which will be 5.6 GHz uplink and 10.5 GHz. downlink and will use digital modulation. At the end of the mission, the 6U cubesat will be put into a stable lunar orbit and AMSAT will be able to operate the satellite as a digital regenerative transponder. Many of the details are still in development and the ASCENT team is always looking for U.S. citizen volunteers to help with the design, prototype and testing. There is no guarantee Ragnarok's submission will be accepted by NASA but if it is, this could be an exciting mission for the amateur community that allows amateurs to have an active role in collecting telemetry and range rate data that is crucial to the mission and end up with a satellite that allows EME type communications between relatively small (1-2meter) earth stations. [ANS thanks Howie, AB2S, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement of the 8th European CubeSat Symposium, 7-9 Sept 2016 (London) Dear CubeSat Community, This year the 8th European CubeSat Symposium will take place in the vibrant city of London on September 7th-9th 2016. The Symposium, co-organized by the von Karman Institute (Belgium) and the Knowledge Transfer Network (UK), will be hosted in the premises of the historical buildings of the Imperial College London. In particular the South Kensington Campus is located in the very heart of London only few steps away from Kensington Palace and the Natural History Museum. We have tried to organize this Symposium giving importance to the most relevant topics in the CubeSat world. From Technology Demonstrators and Scientific Missions to the Future Technologies and the Space Exploration with CubeSats. In detail, the Symposium is covering the following topics: - Scientific Instruments/Sensors on CubeSats - Technology Demonstration on CubeSats (e.g. formation flying, IODs) - Micro-g Experiments on CubeSats - Micropropulsion Subsystems - Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem - CubeSat Flight Experience and Lessons Learned - CubeSat Networks and Constellations - Telecommunications, Ground Stations and Ground Station Networks - Orbital Dynamics (e.g. de-orbiting and debris mitigation) - Launchers and Deployers for CubeSats - Future Technologies on CubeSats - Space Exploration Missions with CubeSat (i.e. beyond Earth orbit) Renowned speakers from NASA, ESA and NanoRacks LLC will give an account of their view of the past and future development of CubeSats. If you are interested in contributing to this event, please submit your abstract before May 31st 2016. Registrations and abstract submission will be opened from March 1st 2016. For more information on the venue, registration, deadlines, abstract guidelines, sponsorship and exhibitors, please visit the symposium website www.cubesatsymposium.eu As in the previous years the Symposium is open to the all CubeSat community around the World, so please feel free to disseminate this information further. See you there! Best Regards Davide Masutti on behalf the Organising Committee [ANS thanks Davide Masutti for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 NASA Academy The 2016 NASA Academy is being offered at three locations: NASA's Ames Research Center in California, NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Applications are being solicited for this 10-week summer experience for college students with emphasis on immersive and integrated multidisciplinary exposure and training. Activities include laboratory research, a group project, lectures, meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and space-related industries, and technical presentations. Students learn how NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories, and participate in leadership development and team-building activities. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (including citizens of the U.S. territories Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas) majoring in a STEM discipline. The applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in accredited universities and colleges in the U.S. and its territories. Students may apply to any of the NASA Academy opportunities by following these steps: 1. Log into the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, site at https://intern.nasa.gov. 2. Register and set up an account. 3. Select the "Search Opportunities" tab at the top bar. 4. Select "NASA Center(s) of Interest" under "NASA Center/Facility." 5. Enter "Academy" in the "Keywords" block at the bottom of the screen. 6. Click the "Search" button at the very bottom of screen; a list of Academy Opportunities will then be displayed. 7. Click on the "View" icon in the first column under "Action" to read about the Opportunity of interest, followed by comments on additional instructions for completing the application, including two requested essays. The deadline for receipt of NASA Academy application(s) and associated documents is Feb. 16, 2016. Please direct questions about NASA Academy to NASA-Academy-Application(a)mail.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Feb. 4, 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-031 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 31 Jan '16

31 Jan '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-031 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: * Weekly engineering report for Phase 4 radio project from AMSAT * Write About Satellites, Space and Radio! * UFO Researcher To Launch CubeSat To Search For E.T. Close To Home * Pair of Satellites ejected from ISS for In-Space Navigation Exercise * LilacSat-2 FM Transponder * 6W8CK on Satellite * IARU Paper: APRS Harmonization and removal of OSCAR sub-band * ISS Orbit Boosted Ahead of March Crew Swap - Check Your Elements * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-031.01 ANS-031 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 031.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. [MONTH DAY, YEAR] To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-031.01 Weekly engineering report for Phase 4 radio project from AMSAT The Phase 4 Ground weekly report focuses on the current modulation schemes. We're looking at DVB-S2X to receive, and OQPSK to transmit. Repository for documents and software can be found: https://github.com/phase4ground We have nearly 50 volunteers on the mailing list and activity across the country. We're working hard to make a wonderful radio for AMSAT and terrestrial microwave, and we appreciate your support, feedback, comments, and critique. DVB-S2 stands for Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite - Second Generation. There is a recent extension to this standard, called DVB- S2X, that has very low SNR capabilities and a lot of other goodies. The geo project, ascent, and eventually the high earth orbit project, are expected to transmit using DVB-S2X. This is the foundation of our common air interface. DVB-S2X specifies the modulation and coding for our received signal. There are five major landmarks. One, an input stream adapter. Input streams can be packetized or continuous, from single or multiple sources. This is helpful! Two, forward error correction. Our type is low density parity check codes concatenated with BCH codes. What does this mean? A concatenated code is one that combines two different coding schemes. In coding theory, there's a fundamental problem in that finding a really great code that has very low probability of error usually means that the block length has to go up, and the decoding is more and more complex. When you use two codes together that each have particular strengths, they balance each other out. You can get exponentially decreasing error probabilities, but you only have to pay a polynomially increasing cost in terms of code block length. This may seem complicated, but just remember concatenation is codes doing teamwork, and the standard that we're using is bad ass. Our inner low density parity check code can achieve extremely low error rates near channel capacity. This means, it's about as good as you can get. The outer BCH codes are used to correct sporadic errors made by the LDPC decoder, and to trick it out so that we don't have enormous block lengths and stuff like that. Three, we have a wide range of code rates. The code rate is expressed as a fraction. The top number is how many uncoded bits go in. The bottom number is how many coded bits come out. We have four constellations. This is the the type of transformation from bits to symbols. We have great choices here, and DVB-S2X provides additional choices. Four, there is a variety of spectral shaping available to us in DVB- S2. This is a really neat thing. You can change the pulse shape of a transmitted waveform in order to make it better suited for the radio environment it's expecting to be traveling through. Usually this means making it fit into a bandwidth better. You don't get something for nothing, though, so being too aggressive with the pulse shaping shows up in other aspects. Our particular shaping is different levels of raised-cosign filtering. DVB-S2X provides additional levels of shaping. Five, this standard lets us learn and develop with something very much like cognitive radio. As you can see, there are a lot of choices for coding and modulation. We can specify a fixed coding and modulation. This is called CCM for constant coding and modulation. In the past, people like us looked at a link, designed for the worst case solution, and used coding and modulation that would cover almost all the bases. DVB-S2 has CCM, but it also specifies something called variable coding and modulation, or VCM. The coding and modulation can be changed on a frame-by-frame basis in response to different station types or changes in the channel. In addition to that, there is something called adaptive coding and modulation, or ACM, where modulation and coding automagically adapts. This can happen on a frame by frame basis. DVB-S2 has things called annexes. In annex M, there's a specification for something we've already talked about wanting to do. We want to map the transmitted services or station streams into time slices and then recover information without having to demodulate the entire signal. DVB-S2 follows the usual flow of having input data coded up to remove unnecessary redundancy, which is called source coding, and then it is put into one of two different stream types. Because DVB-S2 is designed for MPEG streams, it has a lot of mechanisms for MPEG data types, and I believe that this is the transport stream path in the drawing. We aren't going to use MPEG, so we fall into the generic stream category. The functional blocks of DVB-S2 include these things in trapezoids. Mode adaptation, which starts to build up the data frames by constructing the right header to go with the data. Stream adaptation, which adds in the right amount of padding and scrambling. Forward error correction, which produces coded frames that are of one of two sizes. Mapping to constellations, which is the modulation. Finally, there is physical layer framing. An open question is how minimal of a station can be supported? Driving it down as low as possible is going to be fun and challenging. What we are anticipating is that the space teams will obtain an implementation of a DVB-S2X transmitter. Talks are already underway for this. Phase 4 ground is going to engineer the various DVB-S2X receivers. Standards documents are already in the repository and work is beginning. Get off the bench and hit the books! So let's talk a bit about some changes in the uplink for phase 4 radios. We were MSK, or minimum shift keying, but we are now OQPSK, or offset quadrature phase shift keying. That is what the payload team is currently designing for. Like MSK, Offset QPSK has no more than a 90 degree phase shift at a time. This is good. In order to create this, you begin with a QPSK signal, where you take two data bits at a time. These two binary data bits make four distinct values. Each of these values are mapped onto four transmit phase shifts. For offset QPSK, the odd and even bits coming into the modulator have a timing offset, of one bit period. Hence the name. That means the in-phase and quadrature signals, the I and the Q, never change at the same time. The power spectral density of QPSK and Offset QPSK is the same. The shift in time doesn't effect that. Uplink experiments are beginning. We started putting together Team HackRF, which will investigate the use of HackRF SDRs as one of the phase 4 radio recipes. Lots of other experiments to work out other recipes for amateurs to experiment need to happen too. If you have a set of hardware and you want to work in parallel, then speak up. The USRPs will get into the act ASAP, some people have BladeRFs, and so on. Review the weekly report at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0CMv0pJHgY&feature=share [ANS thanks Michelle W5NYV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Write About Satellites, Space and Radio! The AMSAT Journal is seeking interesting articles about amateur radio satellites, space and radio – topics that feed the passion of AMSAT members. Whether the focus is working the birds, new products, building a new piece of equipment or an entire station, writing software, training or doing demos, or anything else related to amateur radio in space, please consider sharing your experience and expertise with other AMSAT members by writing for the Journal. Desired article length (rough guidelines): Short articles – 800-1400 words Longer articles – 2000-2500 words Find out more about writer’s guidelines here. Photos, diagrams or other images always help illustrate your points or projects. If you are interested in seeing your byline in The AMSAT Journal and sharing what you’ve learned with other members, email us at journal(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks Joseph KB6IGK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UFO Researcher To Launch CubeSat To Search For E.T. Close To Home An engineer turned UFO researcher is hoping to launch a low-earth orbit CubeSat to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Canadian Dave Cote has assembled a seven-person team to design, fund, build and launch the project that he hopes will provide some answers about the origins of recent unidentified object sightings across the globe. “We have had astronauts, military personnel, police officers and the former Defence Minister of Canada come forward stating that extraterrestrial UFOs are real, and that we are being visited,” says Cote. “How can this be ignored and brushed off as nonsense?” Concerned that the public isn’t getting straight answers, the group has turned to crowdsourcing the project on Kickstarter. Measuring roughly the size of a shoebox, CubeSats can pack a lot of science equipment into a small space. They have also made satellite deployment much more affordable, in some cases costing less than the price of a lower-end automobile. Sites like CubeSatShop.com have taken much of the complexity out of ordering needed components. Cote says they’re a “go for launch” already but are looking for more funding so they can pack it with as much science equipment as possible. They aim to include image, infrared, electromagnetic, and radiation sensors. This would give them the capability of not only verifying visual data, but also correlating it with other events such as electromagnetic and radioactive fluctuations. The team plans to measure ionized radiation with a scintillation counter and two cameras will capture a near 360-degree view around the CubeSat. They plan to remove the infrared filters on the cameras to cover more of the visual range. Cote hopes to use amateur radio frequencies to transmit the data back to earth and a worldwide network of ham volunteers to receive it. “We are planning to use the ham frequencies to send data down from the CubeSat to earth in hex or datafax protocol,” says Cote. “From what we understand, we should be able to send a 100kB packet every few minutes and this will enable us to send image thumbnails from space, along with some basic EM data.” While the details of the transmissions have yet to be determined, Cote hopes to assemble a worldwide team of hams willing to receive and log whatever data the satellite captures. “We need help from the ham community, in capturing the data and relaying it to our site,” he says. “There will be a 15-minute window for download from the CubeSat, and then another volunteer would be needed for the next 15-minute time window.” Cote is cautiously optimistic that the satellite will provide corroboration of UFO reports from eyewitnesses on Earth. But even if the satellite doesn’t capture evidence of faraway visitors, he’s hopeful that it will record interesting natural phenomenon like meteors and solar flares. “We can only hope that those who would like to know the truth will step forward and help,” he says. To learn more about the project or to volunteer, visit their KickStarter page. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1889966504/cubesat-for-disclosure [ANS thanks Matt W1MST and AmateurRadio.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pair of Satellites ejected from ISS for In-Space Navigation Exercise A package of two satellites was ejected from the International Space Station on Friday to begin a mission dedicated to a demonstration of autonomous navigation, rendezvous and docking technology. The second LONESTAR mission is comprised of two satellites built by two American Universities to undertake a demonstration of communication cross links, data exchange, GPS-based navigation, relative navigation, stationkeeping and data transmission to the ground. LONESTAR stands for "Low Earth Orbiting Navigation Experiment for Spacecraft Testing Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking" and includes four missions flown over a period of years in a cost-effective technology development program with the goal of mastering autonomous rendezvous and docking. The second LONESTAR mission consists of the AggieSat4 satellite built at Texas A&M and BEVO-2 built by students at the University of Texas. The smaller BEVO-2 satellite is facilitated within a deployer on the AggieSat4 spacecraft to be released once the two have flown well clear of the International Space Station. The two satellites, already packaged, were sent to the Space Station aboard the Cygnus OA-4 mission. Launching satellites to ISS for deployment has the advantage of allowing the satellites to be launched well-packaged to avoid damage and providing the opportunity of an inspection in space to check for any damage encountered during launch before committing them to flight. Given the size of the AggieSat4 satellite, the deployment conducted on Friday made use of the SSIKLOPS deployment mechanism, going by the full name "Space Station Integrated Kinetic Launcher for Orbital Payload Systems." SSIKLOPS can be used to deploy larger satellites of different shapes up to a mass of 110 Kilograms. It is a flat structure that includes grapple fixtures for the robotic arms of the Space Station and a single grapple fixture for the satellite that is to be deployed. The fixture includes clamps and springs for the deployment of the satellite. Overall, the structure is 127 by 61 by 7.6 centimeters in size. It also includes interfaces for the slide table of the JEM Airlock. SSIKLOPS first saw action in 2014 when deploying the SpinSat spacecraft and spent most of its time in storage aboard ISS, awaiting the deployment of future satellites. Final preparations for Friday's deployment were made on Wednesday when ISS Astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Peake installed the SSIKLOPS deployer on the Slide Table of the Kibo module's airlock followed by the installation of the Small Fine Arm (SFA) Plate on the deployer and the attachment of the LONESTAR satellite package. The slide table was then retracted and the airlock sealed off for depressurization on Thursday. The outer hatch of the airlock was opened and a careful ground- controlled operation started to retrieve the SSIKLOPS deployer and hand it from the Small Fine Arm to the Japanese Robotic Arm that was then positioned for the deployment to ensure the satellite departed to the correct direction, ruling out any possibility of re-contact with ISS on subsequent orbits. Release was triggered just before 16:00 UTC on Friday and the LONESTAR package slowly floated away from ISS, embarking on its mission that will last as long as the satellites can remain in orbit, typically between six and twelve months. Drifting away from the Space Station, LONESTAR showed slight body rates on all three axes as it slowly faded into the distance. The Mission Team confirmed they were happy with the observed body rates and declared the deployment a success. Congratulations were exchanged between the different teams involved in the deployment - NASA's Mission Control, the JAXA Control Center in Japan, Payload Controllers in Huntsville and the payload's operators in Texas. The spacecraft was programmed to power-up automatically ten minutes after release, perform a health check and start transmitting telemetry. Acquisition of signal was expected later on Friday to begin a multi-day checkout campaign ahead of the satellite conducting its de-tumble maneuver to enter a three-axis stabilized attitude setting up for the deployment of BEVO-2. The AggieSat4 satellite, developed and manufactured at Texas A&M University, has a mass of approximately 55 Kilograms and measures 75 x 75 x 35 centimeters in size. The satellite hosts body-mounted solar panels for power generation and is equipped with a three-axis attitude determination and control system with an actuation accuracy of two degrees, making use of reaction wheels and magnetic torquers. The Electrical Power System hosts two battery packs delivering an operational voltage of 34 V and a capacity of 95 Watt-hours. AggieSat4 hosts two low-data-rate (LDR) radios, a high-data-rate (HDR) radio, a crosslink radio for short-range communication with the Bevo-2 satellite, and a DRAGON GPS Payload. AggieSat4 will be tasked with completing a number of mission objectives: demonstrating three-axis stabilization, the collection of GPS data, recording video of the release of BEVO-2 with a 2MP camera, computing and crosslinking relative navigation data based on relative GPS measurements and tracking BEVO-2 based on these navigation solutions. The 4.2-Kilogram BEVO-2 satellite uses the 3U CubeSat Form Factor, 10 x 10 x 34 centimeters, employing an ISIPOD for deployment from AggieSat4. The satellite features 24 solar cells installed on its external panels to deliver power to 6 batteries operating at a voltage of 7.4 V. BEVO-2 has four deployable radio antennas and GPS patch antennas. Attitude determination is accomplished with gyroscopes, magnetometers, a star tracker and sun sensor while attitude actuation employs reaction wheels and magnetic torquers. To connect with AggieSat4 for the exchange of navigation data, the spacecraft hosts a crosslink radio unit while communications with the ground make use of a UHF/VHF terminal for data downlink and command uplink. The satellite is outfitted with a cold gas thruster module holding 90 grams of Dupont R-236fa refrigerant stored at pressure to be released for maneuvers of the satellite for stationkeeping and rendezvous exercises with AggieSat4. As the second of four LONESTAR missions, AggieSat4 and BEVO-2 build on the success of the previous mission in 2009 as part of a program outlined to make successive progress towards the ultimate goal of achieving an autonomous rendezvous and docking of two satellites. The autonomy aspect of LONESTAR is of particular importance for future missions to distant targets where communication delays require spacecraft to act autonomously. [ANS thanks spaceflight101.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- LilacSat-2 FM Transponder Paul Stoetzer reports: "I have noticed that LilacSat-2's FM transponder has been on nearly continuously for the past four days They may be keeping it active continuously during the holiday period in China. It's worth checking out if you haven't worked it yet. It's got a good signal and can be easier to track than SO-50 because the carrier stays active for a period when not receiving signals. The downlink antenna also uses circular polarization, so there is less fading when using linear antennas than on SO-50. Uplink: 144.350 MHz FM (No PL) Downlink: 437.200 MHz FM Keep in mind that this uplink frequency is not within the normal 145.800 - 146.000 MHz satellite subband on two meters, though this frequency is within the 144.300 - 144.500 MHz "New OSCAR subband" in the ARRL band plan and is allocated to the Amateur Satellite Service (as is the entirety of 144 - 146 MHz). On passes over the United States, quite a few packet signals can be heard through the transponder. If you use LoTW, the satellite name to use when uploading QSOs is 'CAS-3H.' [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6W8CK on Satellite Conrad, 6W8CK, will be active on satellites from IK14 near Mbour, Senegal until mid-February. He does not wish to publish his private email, but is interested in skeds with North American stations who are in range. If you are interested in setting up a sked, please look up your mutual windows and email me. I will contact Conrad with a list of operators and mutual windows. He will try to be active on CW near 145.930 on AO-7 and 435.830 on FO-29 during the afternoons, but may also be available on late night / early morning passes for skeds. Conrad is using a Yaesu FT-736R and an Elk antenna mounted up 5 meter above ground. He does occasionally lose power, so keep this in mind if you do not hear him on a particular pass. QSL only via the DARC bureau to his home call, DF7OL. He may also return to Senegal from November 2016 - February 2017. [ANS thanks Paul, N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Paper: APRS Harmonization and removal of OSCAR sub-band IARU Region 1 has released the papers for the Interim Meeting to be held in Vienna April 15-17, 2016. Among the papers for the C5 VHF/UHF/Microwave Committee is one on harmonizing APRS. VIE16_C5_41_1.pdf – 144 /435 MHz APRS Harmonisation The paper covers global band planning considerations and among the recommendations says: Emphasise that spaceborne APRS must be confined to globally coordinated amateur satellite sub bands. Therefore items that are ambiguous and generate confusion in national band plans such as ‘Space communications’ and ‘New Oscar Sub band’ should be removed as soon as possible in all Regions in accordance with IARU-AC and Satellite Coordination guidance It is believed that ‘New Oscar Sub band’ refers to the USA’s ARRL 144 MHz band plan and ‘Space communications’ to the Australian WIA 144 MHz band plan. These band plans, as well as those for some other countries, show 144.300 – 144.500 MHz as being for Amateur Satellite use. Direct link for C5 VHF/UHF/Microwave Papers http://tinyurl.com/ANS031-Microwave Links for all committee papers and email addresses of Committee Chairs are at http://tinyurl.com/ANS031-IARU ARRL 144 MHz Band Plan http://www.arrl.org/band-plan WIA 144 MHz Band Plan http://tinyurl.com/ANS031-APRS [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS Orbit Boosted Ahead of March Crew Swap - Check Your Elements The International Space Station raised its orbit Wednesday afternoon before a pair of crews swap places and a cargo ship arrives in March. One-year crew members Scott Kelly of NASA and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos are set to return home March 1 along with Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. Then, Expedition 47 will begin and three new crew members will arrive March 19. New supplies are scheduled to be delivered to the crew March 31 aboard a Progress 63 cargo craft. The orbiting Expedition 46 crew was back at work Tuesday on a series of life science and physics experiments to benefit life on Earth and crews living in space. Commander Scott Kelly explored maximizing the effects of exercise in space while British astronaut Tim Peake studied how living in space affects using touch-based technologies, repairing sensitive equipment and a variety of other tasks. NASA astronaut Tim Kopra researched how materials burn in space. Two cosmonauts resized their Russian Orlan spacesuits today, checked them for leaks and set up hardware before next week’s maintenance spacewalk. Flight Engineers Sergey Volkov and Yuri Malenchenko will work outside Feb. 3 in their Orlan suits to install hardware and science experiments on the orbital lab’s Russian segment. [ANS thanks blogs.nasa,gov for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Brihaspati Vidyasadan, Kathmandu, Nepal and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-01-20 08:37 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via VK5ZAI. ARISS Mentor was 7M3TJZ. This event represents the 984th ARISS contact. A YouTube video of the evnt can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25gCS1JTPxA Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2016-01-27 Christ The King School, Rutland, Vermont, telebridge via VK4KHZ) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-02-04 18:28:16 UTC "Gesmundo Moro Fiore" Secondary School, Terlizzi, Italy, telebridge via LU1CGB. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI. Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-02-06 09:09:01 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Congrats to Steve Kristoff, AI9IN, for having worked 5 hams in the EM55 grid. To earn 5 in EM55 award #59, please check out http://www.starcommgroup.org for the awards offered. [ANS thanks Damon Runion, WA4HFN, for the above information] + The Colorado Amateur Satellite Net is held 7PM mountain time on Thursdays 6PM Pacific. 7PM Mountain, 8PM Central, 9PM Eastern For more information visit http://www.amsatnet.info/ [ANS thanks Skyler KD0WHB for the above information] + The Jan/Feb issue of The AMSAT Journal is off to the printer. [ANS thanks Joseph KB6IGK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM (former KC8YLD) kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-024 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 24 Jan '16

24 Jan '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-024 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: * In Memory of Robert J. (Bob) Carpenter, W3OTC-SK by Bill Tynan, W3XO * AMSAT SKN Winners and Changes for Next Year * Student Internship CubeSat Opportunities in Greenbelt, MD USA * VHF Groups Join Forces to Sponsor "Super Conference" * 2016 NASA Student Airborne Research Program * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-024.01 ANS-024 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 024.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 24, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-024.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- In Memory of Robert J. (Bob) Carpenter, W3OTC-SK by Bill Tynan, W3XO Bob, a longtime friend, one-time business partner and devoted AMAST volunteer became a Silent Key Friday, January 8th. Bob was born July 31, 1930 in Washington, DC. I first met Bob in the late 1940s on six meters. At the time, we both lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. After a few QSOs we decided to meet and compare notes. I found that, in addition to the interest we shared in the VHF bands, he was very intrigued with FM broadcasting, as I had been for years. Following graduation from The University of Maryland, in 1951 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Bob served in the U.S. Air Force, at the US Air Force Research Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On completing his Air Force commitment, he joined the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in the DC area where I was employed. Leaving the Laboratory 1955, Bob joined, what was then called the National Bureau of Standards, first in Boulder, Colorado and later at their facility at Gaithersburg, Maryland. In his early work at the Bureau, he was instrumental in the development of technology for passing message traffic via the short bursts of VHF frequency propagation caused by the ionization produced by meteors entering the Earth's atmosphere. When Bob returned to Maryland, he was involved in development of computer networking, retiring from what is now called The National Institute for Standard and Technology in 1992. In 1988, he received the US Department of Commerce Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service. Following retirement from NIST, Bob became available to assist AMSAT, of which he was an early member, holding AMSAT Life Membership Number 21. His knowledge of computers, was invaluable to Martha in keeping the office computers up to date and the various data bases current. He regularly came into the AMSAT office up until the last few days of his life. Bob was active on six meters up until the time he sold his home in Rockville, Maryland and moved to a retirement facility in nearby Gaithersburg. In earlier years, Bob did extensive traveling in Europe and elsewhere, his favorite country to visit being France. He became quite fluent in the French language. He went on one DXpedition, journeying to the French Caribbean island of Guadalupe. I, and a number of other six meter operators, were able to work a new country through Bob's efforts. As mentioned earlier, Bob and I shared in interest in FM broadcasting. That interest blossomed during the late 1950s when Bob rented half of the house I then owned in Rockville, Maryland. After much discussion of the pros and cons, we decided to construct a station of our own. So, we applied for a Construction Permit (CP) from FCC to build a station in Bethesda, Maryland, a nearby suburb of Washington. Bob handled most of the technical work, while I concentrated on the business side. He always has been more adept at the technical side of radio and electronics than I. After receiving our CP, we went to work in earnest to build the station. Finally, in June, 1961, FCC came out with standards for broadcasting stereo. Bob and I reasoned that, for a new station, such as ours, to have any chance of success, it had to hit the air with stereo. Since there was no stereo broadcasting equipment available at the time, much of what we needed had to be constructed by us. This herculean task could not have been completed without Bob's expertise, but on November 12, 1961, only five months after FCC's establishment of standards for stereo broadcasting, WHFS, the DC area's first stereo FM station, hit the air on 102.3 MHz. Once on the air, Bob kept WHFS on the air while I struggled with the multitude of paperwork associated with running a small business, especially a radio station. Each of us was smart enough to keep our “day jobs,” making running a radio station especially difficult. We sold the station in 1963, affording Bob and me more time for ham radio. It has been a great pleasure to have known Bob all these years. I will miss him and I know that Martha and all of AMSAT will miss him as well. 73, Bob. With thanks to Perry Klein, W3PK, and Tom Pyke, K4DSD, who were responsible for providing valuable information for this tribute to Bob. Martha at the AMSAT Office reports: "The memorial service for Bob Carpenter, W3OTC has been postponed for 1 week due to weather. It is now scheduled to take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, January 30th at the chapel of Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg MD." [ANS thanks Bill Tynan, W3XO, AMSAT President Emeritus for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT SKN Winners and Changes for Next Year Thanks again to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night 2016, held in memory of Ben Stevenson, W2BXA. The following participants each received at least one Best Fist nomination: AA5PK,. WA5KBH, WA8SME, W3TMZ, W4CVV, W5PFG. Special kudos to Glenn Miller, AA5PK, who received three. Activity was down this year, for a variety of reasons, some having to do with availability of suitable satellites and some to do with changes in amateur radio in general. Since this was AMSAT's 25th annual SKN, it's a good time to consider changes. While Morse as a license qualification has gone the way of the spark gap, amateur CW activity is as popular as ever. Straight keys and "bugs", however, have found a niche primarily with the boat anchor crowd, and AMSAT's insistence on their use in OSCAR SKN is probably holding down participation. Similar considerations have led ARRL to broaden its annual HF event to include all forms of CW, even computer-generated. The idea is to encourage everyone to enjoy CW operation, no matter how they choose to do it. So, in with the new: AMSAT CW Activity Day on OSCAR. As with the old SKN, it will be a fun event, not a contest, and will run for 24 hours on January 1. All forms of CW will be welcome. Instead of best fist nominations, all participants will be encouraged to post "Soapbox" comments to AMSAT-BB. A further announcement will be posted in December 2016. [ANS thanks Ray, W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Student Internship CubeSat Opportunities in Greenbelt, MD USA APPLY NOW: Paid NASA Intern Opportunities Summer 2016 The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is offering student internship positions for the Summer 2016 semester. Applications are being taken on the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) recruiting web site. Go to: https://intern.nasa.gov --> Student Opportunities --> then click on the first dropdown link to start reading all about the internships and the process of applying. There is no need for students to upload a resume in OSSI when they apply. The resume is essentially built through the student's responses to the questions within the online application. Go to: https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/guest/searchOpps/ to search and filter through the many Opportunities at the different NASA locations across the country in addition to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Search on "cubesat" without the quotes to see examples from which the student may select to apply. One such Opportunity, "CubeSat Ground Station Development," Is being offered by NASA engineer and fellow AMSAT member Pat Kilroy, N8PK. He is looking for university level students with a course of study in engineering. Electrical or Electronics Engineering (EE) or Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) majors in their junior class or higher this fall are sought for the 10-week summer program. Pat says experience in hardware and certain skills are required, as described in the text of his Opportunity listing. Open to U.S. citizens. The student application instructions provide a deadline of March 1 to apply, but mentors have already started to evaluate applications and make their selections. The word to the wise is to get in one's application immediately. Don't wait. Applications must be made via the OSSI web. Please be sure to include your Amateur Radio callsign under the Special Skills section -- or that you are studying for it. [ANS thanks NASA and Pat, N8PK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VHF Groups Join Forces to Sponsor "Super Conference" The Southeastern VHF Society (SVHFS), North East Weak Signal Group (NEWS) and Mount Airy VHF Radio Club (Pack Rats) are cosponsoring a VHF Super Conference, hosted by the Grid Pirates Contest Group (K8GP) and Directive Systems and Engineering. The conference will take place April 15-17 in Sterling, Virginia. Early registration discounts are available. Conference Proceedings in printed and digital form will be available after the event. Sign up when registering. All registrations include lunch and all-day beverages. The event will feature an array of forums and workshops, a test lab, and a conference banquet. A microwave loop Yagi workshop will be offered during the weekend at an additional fee. The workshop will explain how loop Yagis work, how to adjust them, and how to build one. Free shuttle service will be available to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum. A second call for papers and presentations for the VHF Super Conference has been issued. The conference sponsors are seeking presentations or papers dealing with all aspects of VHF, UHF, microwave, and higher. Topics may include operating, contesting, homebrewing, software, EME, surplus, antennas, test equipment, amplifiers, and SDR. Photos are encouraged. Steve Kostro, N2CEI, and Paul Wade, W1GHZ, are coordinating Proceedings. Direct submissions and questions to them via e-mail. View the ARRL press release at: http://www.arrl.org/news/vhf-groups-join-forces-to-sponsor-super-conference [ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 NASA Student Airborne Research Program The NASA Airborne Science Program invites highly motivated undergraduate students currently in their junior year to apply for the NASA Student Airborne Research Program, also known as SARP 2016. The program provides students with hands-on research experience in all aspects of a major scientific campaign, from detailed planning on how to achieve mission objectives to formal presentation of results and conclusions to peers and others. Students will assist in the operation of airborne instruments aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft. They also will analyze remote-sensing data collected during the program from the NASA ER-2. The program takes place in summer 2016. Instrument and flight preparations, and the research flights themselves, will occur at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. Postflight data analysis and interpretation will take place at the University of California, Irvine. Successful applicants will be awarded a stipend plus a travel allowance for eight weeks of participation in the program. Housing and local transportation also will be provided. The deadline for applications is Feb. 2, 2016. For more information and to download the program application, visit http://www.nserc.und.edu/sarp/sarp-2016. Specific questions about the program should be directed to SARP2016(a)nserc.und.edu. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Jan. 21, 2016 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Friday and Saturday, 19-20 February 2016 – Yuma Hamfest and 2016 ARRL Southwest Division Convention in Yuma AZ *Friday, 4 March 2016 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach meeting in Signal Hill CA *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 7 May 2016 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *Saturday, 4 June 2016 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Sucessful Contacts Brihaspati Vidyasadan, Kathmandu, Nepal, telebridge via VK5ZAI The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact was successful: Wed 2016-01-20 08:37:04 UTC 26 deg A telebridge contact via VK5ZAI with students at Brihaspati Vidyasadan, Kathmandu, Nepal was successful 01/20/2016 at 08:37:04 UTC 26 deg. Astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI answered 17 questions for students. An audience of about 300 included students from 10 other schools, as well as the British Ambassador to Nepal, the Cultural Affairs Officer from the US Embassy, and a member of the National Human Rights Commission and former Ministry for Science and Technology. Brihaspati Vidyasadan is a 32 year old High school, located in Kathmandu, Nepal. Brihaspati runs classes from nursery to 100 at secondary level and the 10+2 program in Science and Management at the higher secondary Level. Besides these Brihaspati also runs Diploma in Hospitality Management and Tourism in affiliation with Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH), UK. Brihaspati is known for its academic excellence. To date Brihaspati has produced over 2000 SLC graduates and over 600 +2 graduates who have achieved excellent academic achievements. Brihaspati has also been awarded the "Best School in Nepal" in 2055BS. Brihaspati is also known for its co-curricular and extra-curricular activities including sports, debates and concerts. Over the years the school has achieved Inter-school successes in football (soccer), cricket and basketball at national levels. School has also successes in inter-school competitions like debate, elocution and concerts. For its academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular achievements Brihaspati has been placed among the Class A schools of Nepal by the Ministry of Education, Government of Nepal. Brihaspati staff and students have been known for their innovation in education. The school is reputed to be the first school in Nepal to introduce computer education. Brihaspati houses clubs like Lokopakar, which is a student club that looks into Humanitarian aid. Brihaspati students recently started gThink Inkh, an activity designed using the principles of Extreme Design from Stanford for instilling critical thinking and problem solving skills in students. This program has gained attention of a lot of people in the academia at a very rapid pace. Brihaspati is located in a 25 acre land space at the heart of Kathmandu within the Balmandir compound. It has academic facility that is of very high standards. It houses the Free and Open Source Research Lab and Ham (amateur radio) facility that students and staff have access to. Recently during the earthquake of Nepal, one of the buildings of Brihaspati was used by ham radio operators from Nepal and India to coordinate search and reconciliation of families where over 500 families were reunited with their loved ones. Some local news media video reports are available at http://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/british-astronaut-tells-nepali- students-to-follow-their-cherished-dreams/ http://e-visitnepal.blogspot.se/2016/01/talk-to-astronauts.html http://nagariknews.com/feature-article/story/52883.html Upcoming Contacts A direct contact with students at PSU. Wittayanusorn School, Kho Hong District, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand is scheduled for Sat 2016-01-30 11:06:23 UTC 63 deg. PSU. Wittayanusorn School, established in 2005, is a Prince of Songkla University affiliated private high school in Hatyai, Songkhla Province, Thailand. The school serves approximately 1,200 students in 7th to 12th grade. The school's identity colors are blue and grey. The blue represents sustainability and grey stands for wisdom. The school motto is "wisdom brings lasting success and happiness". The guiding principle is "our soul is for the benefit of mankind". The desired characteristics of our students are "SMART+" which are referred to scientific mind, good manner, aesthetic appreciation, responsibility and reliability, teamwork, and +global citizenship. Green education is our school's uniqueness which focuses on education for sustainable development. PSU. Wittayanusorn School is dedicated to create an exceptional teaching and learning environment in which morality is emphasized, science and mathematics concepts are embedded. The school curriculum is designed to maximize each student's potential for critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, community involvement, and responsible leadership. Additionally, the school has been selected by the Ministry of Science and Technology to be one of the first four regional schools of the country to host a special three-year science classroom program for high school level, grades 10 to 12, according to the proactive human resources development project to upgrade the science and technology capability of the country. The selection of students with high ability in mathematics and science for the science classroom program is carried out by the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology and closely collaborated with Prince of Songkla University. Each student who passes the selection will be entitled to a scholarship from grade 10 onwards, and subjected to certain additional criteria, he/she will be eligible for a scholarship until he/she can complete his/her education up to a doctoral degree level. PSU Wittayanusorn School was accredited with the score 97.02% by the Office of National Education Standards and Quality Assessment on May 26, 2015. 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 Yuri UT1FG is on the move For those who chase Yuri in new grids, I received an update that he has left port in Montreal and is headed to Algiers. [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, AMSAT Vice President for Operations 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-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 17 Jan '16

17 Jan '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-017 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: * ARRL President Bestows President’s Award on AMSAT’s Tom Clark, K3IO * Joseph Spier, K6WAO, Appointed VP-Educational Relations * 25 Year AMSAT Office Volunteer Bob Carpenter, W3OTC, SK * Nepal students to speak to Tim Peake * ESA Online Astronaut Selection Tes SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-017.01 ANS-017 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 017.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. January 17, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-017.01 ARRL President Bestows President’s Award on AMSAT’s Tom Clark, K3IO The ARRL has honored veteran AMSAT personality and Amateur Radio digital pioneer Tom Clark, K3IO (ex-W3IWI), with its President’s Award. ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, presented the award plaque to Clark at a January 10 meeting of the Potomac Valley Radio Club in Blacksburg, Virginia. The plaque, which bears a likeness of ARRL Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, recognizes Clark’s 60 years of advancing Amateur Radio technology. Former AMSAT President and current AMSAT Director Bob McGwier, N4HY, stated directly. “There would be no AMSAT to inspire all of this work without Tom Clark,” he said, noting that the organization was in serious trouble after the Phase 3A satellite launch failure. “Tom took over as president of AMSAT, and he saved the organization and inspired all of us to look to the future and aim for the stars,” McGwier said. “All that has followed, including PACSAT and microsats, CubeSats, AO-13, all the way through AO-85, are a direct result of Tom Clark saving AMSAT and providing it leadership as president from 1980 to 1987 and continuous leadership on the Board of Directors of AMSAT from 1976 until today.” McGwier said it was Clark who convinced him in 1985 that the future lay in digital signal processing — DSP. “We started the TAPR/AMSAT DSP project, and it was announced in 1987,” he said. “We showed in our efforts that small stations with small antennas could bounce signals off the moon, and, using the power of DSP, we could see the signals in our computer displays.” McGwier said this led to the SDX, the Software Defined Transponder, included in ARISSat and in AMSAT’s Phase 3E. McGwier said Clark was an early supporter of women in science, too. “Tom is now and always will be a leader, mentor — the chief scientist for all of Amateur Radio,” he said. Clark is an adviser to Virginia Tech as adjunct professor of aerospace and ocean engineering and of electrical and computer Engineering. McGwier said Clark will play a crucial role in the Phase 4B geosynchronous satellite opportunity on the USAF Wide Field of View spacecraft, in which Virginia Tech is a partner. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Joseph Spier, K6WAO, Appointed VP-Educational Relations AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has accepted the resignation of E. Michael "EMike" McCardel, AA8EM, as VP-Educational Relations and appointed Joseph Spier, K6WAO, as his replacement. E. Michael McCardel, AA8EM, of Howard, OH was first appointed as an Associate Director for Educational Outreach under former VP Educational Relations Mark Hammond, N8MH, in 2011 and succeeded Mark as VP Educational Relations in September 2013. Among EMike's biggest successes were establishing a solid relation with ARRL's Education Division and working closely with ARISS as a member of its Executive Team. He was instrumental with keeping ARISS going and restructuring the ARISS program after funding was cut for Teaching From Space (TFS). At the time TFS was the primary NASA partner and education liaison for ARISS. TFS lead the school proposal and selection process in the USA. That process is now lead by ARRL and AMSAT. AMSAT VP Human Spaceflight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, notes, "EMike has been invaluable to ARISS and I will miss his support. He and I worked behind the scenes to rescue ARISS through our discussions at the ISS Conference in 2014. And his rapport with ARRL is outstanding…something I will miss dearly. I thank EMike for making that all happen for ARISS." EMike also worked at establishing relations with various colleges and universities. He pushed to make aware the importance of AMSAT as an educational organization by emphasizing how education is part of AMSAT's earliest Mission Statements and Objectives and reminding us of all the educational programs and outreaches AMSAT has engaged in during its history. AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW notes, "EMike made a positive difference and helped set the course in a number of areas involving Educational Outreach, ARISS, and the overall direction of AMSAT. While I regret losing your considerable enthusiasm and talents, I understand the need to 'recalibrate' your priorities." EMike will complete his duties on January 31, citing time and commitments outside of AMSAT as his reason for stepping down. EMike will continue serving AMSAT as one of the rotating editors for the AMSAT News Service (ANS). With EMike's resignation, the appointment of Joseph Spier, K6WAO of Weimar, CA, as the new VP-Educational Relations is also announced. Joe came on board with the Educational Relation's team in 2011 serving as Associate Director then Director for Educational Outreach. EMike noted, "Joe and I started with Educational Relations at the same time and we have always had a great personal and working relationship. Joe is extremely enthusiastic and someone who thinks outside the box. Many have pointed out those similarities between us. However, Joe will bring a different dimension to the position because of his background in engineering. I support Joe as he takes over and am excited to see what new and exciting things are in store for AMSAT Education under his direction." “I’m very pleased that Joe has agreed to become our next VP-Educational Relations”, notes AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW. “Joe is passionate about integrating amateur radio into educational opportunities at all educational levels. His engineering background will help in interacting with university engineering departments encouraging a greater focus on educational impacts of amateur spacecraft, developing new ways of bringing science to the class room. He recognizes the importance of ARISS in reaching out to students based upon his personal involvement in managing an ARISS contact as part of the 2012 Pacificon Convention. His interaction with young people at the 2014 ARRL Centennial Convention where he encouraged their curiosity about AMSAT’s cubesat design by their holding the engineering mockup while visiting the AMSAT booth created many positive impressions for both the students and their parents. I look forward to working with Joe to further enhance our ability to touch students through amateur radio satellites and develop new ways to incorporate education into AMSAT’s mission.” E. Michael McCardel, AA8EM, former KC8YLD V.P. for Educational Relations, AMSAT-NA [ANS thanks EMike, AA8EM, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Year AMSAT Office Volunteer Bob Carpenter, W3OTC, SK Bob Carpenter, W3OTC died on January 8th. Since 1991 Bob had volunteered at the AMSAT Office on a weekly basis. He was our computer specialist and handled the donations for AMSAT. A memorial service will be held on January 23rd at 7:00PM a the Guild Memorial Chapel, Asbury Methodist Village, 211 Russell Ave, Gaithersburg MD. [ANS thanks Martha for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nepal students to speak to Tim Peake UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI will be using amateur radio to talk to students at Brihaspati Vidhyasadan School (BVS) in Nepal on Wednesday, January 20. The Himalayan Times reports this is the first link up between a school in Nepal and the International Space Station (ISS). It will be a Telebridge contact via Tony Hutchison VK5ZAI in Australia and is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20 at 08:37:04 UT. The ISS should be in range of the Telebridge station for about 8 minutes. BVS is organizing an Exhibition during the week of the contact from January 19-23. Experts as well as knowledgeable students will be at hand to respond to queries of visiting students who will be able to get acquainted with amateur radio during the exhibition. The Nepal Amateur Radio Operators’ Society is one of the organizations supporting the exhibition. Brihaspati Vidyasadan is a 32 year old High school, located in Kathmandu, Nepal. Brihaspati runs classes from nursery to 100 at secondary level and the 10+2 program in Science and Management at the higher secondary Level. Besides these Brihaspati also runs Diploma in Hospitality Managemant and Tourism in affiliation with Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH), UK. Brihaspati is known for its academic excellence. To date Brihaspati has produced over 2000 SLC graduates and over 600 +2 graduates who have achieved excellent academic achievements. Brihaspati has also been awarded the “Best School in Nepal” in 2055BS. Brihaspati is also known for its co-curricular and extra-curricular activities including sports, debates and concerts. Over the years the school has achieved Inter-school successes in football (soccer), cricket and basketball at national levels. School has also successes in inter-school competitions like debate, elocution and concerts. For its academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular achievements Brihaspati has been placed among the Class A schools of Nepal by the Ministry of Education, Government of Nepal. Brihaspati staff and students have been known for their innovation in education. The school is reputed to be the first school in Nepal to introduce computer education. Brihaspati houses clubs like Lokopakar, which is a student club that looks into Humanitarian aid. Brihaspati students recently started gThink Inkh, an activity designed using the principles of Extreme Design from Stanford for instilling critical thinking and problem solving skills in students. This program has gained attention of a lot of people in the academia at a very rapid pace. Brihaspati is located in a 25 acre land space at the heart of Kathmandu within the Balmandir compound. It has academic facility that is of very high standards. It houses the Free and Open Source Research Lab and Ham (amateur radio) facility that students and staff have access to. Recently during the earthquake of Nepal, one of the buildings of Brihaspati was used by ham radio operators from Nepal and India to coordinate search and reconciliation of families where over 500 families were reunited with their loved ones. Read The Himalayan Times story at https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/nepali-students-to-talk-to-astronaut-in- intl-space-station/ Brihaspati Vidhyasadan School http://www.bvs.edu.np/bvstalkstoiss/ https://www.facebook.com/bvsTalksToISS/ ARISS http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ESA Online Astronaut Selection Test The European Space Agency is offering a trial version of a test developed for future astronauts for you to try at home – and by taking part you will help us select a new generation of astronauts. Read the ESA press release at: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Test_your_as… ut_skills_and_help_ESA Access the astronaut selection test at: http://www.nlr.org/the-astronaut-selection-test/ [ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-010 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 10 Jan '16

10 Jan '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-010 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: * Cruising to the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium * ARISS-US Receives $5,000 Grant from Yasme Foundation * Best Fist Nominations Due * Your 2015 Space Symposium Photos Needed! * ARISS Commemorative SSTV Event Update * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-010.01 ANS-010 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 010.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. [MONTH DAY, YEAR] To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-010.01 Cruising to the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium 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.) This cruise will embark on Thursday afternoon at 16:00 CST and return on the following Monday morning at 08:00 CST. The trip includes two full days at sea and one day in port at Cozumel, Mexico. Symposium presentations and meetings will be conducted during the days at sea to allow free time during the stop in Cozumel. The AMSAT Board of Directors meeting will occur on shore at a Galveston hotel in the days prior to the Symposium. This year's cruise ship venue offers an environment for significant others, families, and friends to attend the AMSAT Symposium event with you. Many activities are available on a cruise ship including musical and theatrical performances, comedy, dancing, and casino gaming. During the stop in Cozumel there are many onshore activities and excursions available for your pleasure. There will be no post- Symposium tour offered since this venue incorporates the Cozumel visit. In preparation for this upcoming Symposium it is recommended you obtain a passport for travel as soon as possible. United States residents may find the most convenient place to obtain a passport is their nearest US Post Office. Not all USPS locations offer this service; check the US Postal Service website: https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm Details on travel documents required for US citizens to take a Carnival cruise originating at a US Port and returning to the same port may be found here: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1406 AMSAT is offering a group rate and booking code available starting January 5. Please book your cruise directly by calling 1-800-438- 6744 and dialing extension number 70005. Our group name is AMSAT and the group code is 8Z0FR5. It is recommended you make reservations very early since cabins are held for a short period of time. Reservations require a $150 USD per person deposit. The deposit is fully refundable up until September 11. Rates may vary depending upon cabin type selected and occupancy. Please utilize the group code as this directly benefits the Symposium and the amenities we are able to offer attendees. Further details will be released in the coming months via ANS, AMSAT- BB, and the AMSAT Journal. [ANS thanks Clayton W5PFG for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS-US Receives $5,000 Grant from Yasme Foundation The ARISS-US Team is thrilled to announce that it received a $5,000 grant from the Yasme Foundation, awarded to support the development of the power converters needed as a part of an extensive upgrade to the entire ARISS radio system onboard the International Space Station. Ward Silver, N0AX, President of the Yasme Foundation, www.yasme.org, said the Yasme Board decided to support ARISS, in part, as a catalyst for individuals and other groups to follow suit by donating to the radio system cause. Ward commented: “While you have a long way to go in funding the whole upgrade project, we hope our grant will encourage organizations and individuals to donate to ARISS. Yasme is happy to get that ball rolling.” ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, noted that receiving grants from more groups similar to Yasme can result in bigger sponsors being much more likely to donate funds and in-kind resources to the radio project. The 12 ARISS Delegates from around the world had voted in August 2015 to move forward with the planning that will ultimately develop all hardware needed for an upgraded ARISS radio system if funding could be raised. ARISS Chair Bauer, explaining that the power converters are critical to the overall ARISS equipment upgrade, remarked: “The Yasme grant will jump start the project by allowing the ARISS hardware team to build a prototype converter, purchase critical parts for the flight converters, and further develop the design. We will continue our pursuit of other funding so as to realize the completion of the entire upgrade project.” ARISS-US Delegate Rosalie White, K1STO, thanked Silver for his personal effort in delineating ARISS’s hardware needs and goals to the Yasme Board. She added: “Garnering the Yasme grant is a major step in helping ARISS progress with our fundraising for the upgraded system. We are elated to know that Yasme has faith in ARISS and its goals of piquing the interest of young people in science, technology, engineering, math, space, communications, and amateur radio.” Just three weeks ago in mid-December, a group of ARISS-US team members were at Johnson Space Center solidifying plans for the design of this next generation radio system. Other groups and individuals interested in supporting ARISS goals through a donation can contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo(a)verizon.net or can go to the AMSAT Website, www.amsat.org, and submit a donation directly using the ARISS Donate button. ARISS rewards a beautiful ARISS Challenge Coin to donors giving $100.00 or more. About ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org. [ANS thanks Yasme ans ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Best Fist Nominations Due Ray Soifer, W2RS, would like to thank to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2016. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to nominate someone you worked for Best Fist. Your nominee need not have had the best fist of those you heard, only of those you worked. Send your nomination to w2rs at amsat.org [ANS thanks Ray W2RS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Your 2015 Space Symposium Photos Needed! AMSAT Journal Editor, Joe Kornowski KB6IGK, reports that the AMSAT Journal needs your photos from the 33rd Space Symposium in October 2015. Please send your hi-res photos, with captions if possible, to journal at amsat.org by January 17. [ANS thanks Joe KB6IGK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Commemorative SSTV Event Update The SSTV commemoration of the first ARISS contact events is now tentatively planned for January 16. The transmission mode will be PD120. Because preparations are still in process, it is suggested that you stay tuned to AMSAT-BB and the AMSAT and ARISS web site for the latest information on this event. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Frederick W. Harnett Middle School, Blackstone, Massachusetts, USA and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2016-01-05 17:42 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was AJ9N. This represents ARISS' 981st contact. + A Successful contact was made between Sandringham School, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign GB1SS. The contact began 2016-01-08 08:47:47 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via GB1SAN. ARISS Mentor was MØXTD. This represents ARISS' 982nd contact. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Scuola Secondaria di Primo Grado “Benedetto Croce”, Civate, Italy, telebridge via VK5ZAI The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Wed 2016-01-13 11:35:44 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(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. ARISS Commemorative SSTV Event Update The SSTV commemoration of the first ARISS contact events is now tentatively planned for January 16. The transmission mode will be PD120. Because preparations are still in process, it is suggested that you stay tuned to AMSAT-BB and the AMSAT and ARISS web site for the latest information on this event and others that ARISS plans to conduct over the next few months. Remember that the official page for all things ARISS is www.ariss.org [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Satellite Operations from Cowtown Hamfest, January 15-16 Keith Pugh W5IU, reports that the Cowtown Hamfest in Forest Hill, Texas, a suburg of Fort Worth, will be held Friday and Saturday, 15- 16 January. Keith intends be on the air for as many passes as he can during the hamfest hours. [ANS thanks Keith W5IU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM (Former KC8YLD) kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 03 Jan '16

03 Jan '16

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-003 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 -1D matching contribution offer * iCubeSat 2016, 5th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop, Oxford, UK - Call for papers and registration * Spring 2016 CubeSat Workshop Abstracts Submission Due January 15 * 2016 NASA Academy * 2016 NOAA Undergraduate Scholarships * Tim Peake Sandringham School UK Contact * AMSAT Events * ARISS News SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-003.01 ANS-003 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 003.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE January 3, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-003.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox-1Cliff and -1D matching contribution offer I just want to thank everyone for the outstanding response to our year-end request for support for the Fox-1Cliff and -1D fundraiser. During the period of December 25th to December 31st, a total of $7052.41 was raised online through the FundRazr app. This includes a pledged $1000 matching donation from a generous donor/member. 73 weeks ago when we announced the launch opportunity for Fox-1Cliff (and later including -1D), we set $25,000 as a goal for online fundraising through social media and the FundRazr app. This amount covers a fractional but significant portion of the launch expense. (The total cost of construction and launch was estimated to be $125,000.) I'm very pleased that as of the 31th of December, we have raised $26,458 from over 250 contributors. Donations have varied from $3 and up, so everyone may contribute and be recognized. There is a continuing need to raise the additional funds necessary to launch Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D in 2016. Just visit https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/6pz92/ab/561Zd and pick your level of support. Donations of $1000 or more will receive a plaque with a solar panel protective cover after launch, and $100 qualifies for a Fox challenge coin to be delivered in 6-8 weeks when the next shipment arrives. Please see http://www.amsat.org/?p=4843 and http://www.amsat.org/?p=2957 for additional information. Thank you for the support, [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- iCubeSat 2016, 5th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop, Oxford, UK - Call for papers and registration iCubeSat 2016 - 5th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop 24-25 May 2016, Oxford, United Kingdom Call for papers and registration iCubeSat 2016, the 5th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop, will address the technical challenges, opportunities, and practicalities of interplanetary space exploration with CubeSats. The workshop provides a unique environment for open wide ranging practical collaboration between academic researchers, industry professionals, policy makers and students developing this new and rapidly growing field. Technical Program Talks and round tables will focus on three themes: technology, science, and open collaboration. The program will also include unconference sessions to provide additional opportunities to engage with the interplanetary CubeSat community and potential collaborators. Talks and supporting material will be streamed and archived on the conference website. A lively social program in and around summertime Oxford will be arranged for participants and their guests. Abstract Submission and Dates Talks on astrodynamics, attitude control and determination systems, citizen science, communications, landers, launch opportunities, open source approaches, outreach, payloads, policy, power systems, propulsion, reentry systems, ride-shares, science missions, software, standardization, structures, systems engineering and other related topics are all welcome. 1st June 2015 Registration opens at http://iCubeSat.org/registration 1st April 2016 Abstract upload deadline 15th April 2016 Notification of abstract acceptance 20th May 2016 Presentation (and optional paper) upload deadline Please confirm your interest in presenting or attending as soon as possible (to assist us size the venue) by completing the registration form at http://iCubeSat.org/registration Exhibition CubeSat specialists and other vendors are invited to contact exhibit(a)iCubeSat.org for details of exhibition opportunities. Location The 5th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop will be held on or near the University of Oxford campus, Oxford, United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 24th and Wednesday May 25th, 2016. Organizers The organizing committee can be contacted at committee(a)iCubeSat.org See you in Oxford! pp iCubeSat 2016 Organising Committee www.iCubeSat.org Download the conference poster: https://icubesat.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/20150606_icubesat2016poster.pdf [ANS thanks the 5th Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Spring 2016 CubeSat Workshop Abstracts Submission Due January 15 13th Annual CubeSat Developer's Workshop Abstract Submission Deadline is JANUARY 15, 2016! Workshop Dates: April 20-22, 2016 San Luis Obispo, CA, US Please keep abstracts under 500 words, the abstracts should indicate the ideas addressed within the presentation or poster, and the objectives of the presentation/poster. Readers should not have to read the full text to understand the abstract. More importantly, any topic is welcome! See http://cubesat.atl.calpoly.edu/index.php/workshops/upcoming-workshops/ 123--workshop-schedule or http://www.cubesat.org/ [ANS thanks www.cubesat.org/ for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 NASA Academy The 2016 NASA Academy is being offered at three locations: NASA's Ames Research Center in California, NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Applications are being solicited for this 10-week summer experience for college students with emphasis on immersive and integrated multidisciplinary exposure and training. Activities include laboratory research, a group project, lectures, meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and space-related industries, and technical presentations. Students learn how NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories, and participate in leadership development and team-building activities. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (including citizens of the U.S. territories Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas) majoring in a STEM discipline. The applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in accredited universities and colleges in the U.S. and its territories. Students may apply to any of the NASA Academy opportunities by following these steps: 1. Log into the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, site at https://intern.nasa.gov. 2. Register and set up an account. 3. Select the "Search Opportunities" tab at the top bar. 4. Select "NASA Center(s) of Interest" under "NASA Center/Facility." 5. Enter "Academy" in the "Keywords" block at the bottom of the screen. 6. Click the "Search" button at the very bottom of screen; a list of Academy Opportunities will then be displayed. 7. Click on the "View" icon in the first column under "Action" to read about the Opportunity of interest, followed by comments on additional instructions for completing the application, including two requested essays. The deadline for receipt of NASA Academy application(s) and associated documents is Feb. 16, 2016. Please direct questions about NASA Academy to NASA-Academy-Application(a)mail.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Dec. 30, 2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 NOAA Undergraduate Scholarships The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is accepting applications for its 2016 Educational Partnership Program Undergraduate Scholarship and 2016 Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Programs. The Educational Partnership Program Undergraduate Scholarship Program provides scholarships for two years of undergraduate study to students majoring in STEM fields that directly support NOAA's mission. Participants conduct research at a NOAA facility during two paid summer internships. A stipend and housing allowance is provided. Students attending an accredited Minority Serving Institution as defined by the U.S. Department of Education (Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaskan-Native Serving Institutions, and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions) are eligible to apply for the program. The institutions must be within the United States or U.S. Territories. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must earn and maintain a minimum 3.2 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. The Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program provides scholarships for two years of undergraduate study with a paid internship at a NOAA facility during the interim summer session. A stipend and housing allowance is provided. Applicants must be U.S. citizens enrolled full-time at an accredited college or university. Applicants also must have and maintain a declared major in a discipline including, but not limited to, oceanic, environmental, biological, and atmospheric sciences; mathematics; engineering; remote-sensing technology; physical and social sciences including geography, physics, hydrology, geomatics; or teacher education that supports NOAA's programs and mission. Participants must earn and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Applications for both scholarship programs are due Jan. 29, 2016. For more information, visit http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/scholarships/. Please direct questions about these scholarship opportunities to StudentScholarshipPrograms(a)noaa.gov. [ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Dec. 30, 2015 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim Peake Sandringham School UK Contact The first UK Amateur Radio school contact by UK astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS from the International Space Station (ISS) will take place on Friday, January 8, 2016 at 0847 GMT with students at Sandringham School, St. Albans in Hertfordshire. The school will use the call sign GB1SAN. The St. Albans based Verulam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) ran an Amateur Radio Foundation License course in December. Three of the candidates were pupils from Sandringham School who took the course in preparation for the contact with Tim Peake. ARISS UK will provide and set up all necessary radio equipment (for example, low earth orbit satellite tracking antennas and radios) to establishing a fully functional, direct radio link with the International Space Station from the school premises. In a ten-minute window when the ISS will be over the UK, an amateur radio contact will be established with Tim, and students will be able to ask him questions about his life and work on board the ISS. Tim will use a frequency of 145.800 MHz FM for the contact and his signal should be receivable across the British Isles and Europe. What equipment do you need to hear the ISS? Almost any 144 MHz FM transceiver will receive the ISS; you can even use a general coverage VHF scanner with an external antenna. As far as the antenna is concerned the simpler the better. A ¼ wave ground plane can give good results because it has a high angle of radiation. Large 2m colinears don’t work quite as well because the radiation pattern is concentrated at the horizon. You can receive the ISS using a 144 MHz hand-held outdoors with its helical antenna but a 1/4 wave whip will give far better results. In the UK we use narrow 2.5 kHz deviation FM but the ISS transmits on 145.800 MHz with the wider 5 kHz deviation used in much of the world. Most rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters so select the wider filter. Hand-held rigs all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard. The International Space Station is traveling around the Earth at over 28,000 km/h. This high speed makes radio signals appear to shift in frequency, a phenomenon called Doppler Shift. When the ISS is approaching your location the signal may be 3.5 kHz higher in frequency on 145.8035 MHz. During the 10 minute pass the frequency will gradually move lower reaching 145.7965 MHz as the ISS goes out of range. To get maximum signal you ideally need a radio that tunes in 1 kHz or smaller steps to follow the shift but in practice acceptable results are obtained with the radio left on 145.800 MHz. ISS Amateur Radio Stations There are two amateur radio stations available to astronauts on the ISS. The Russian Service Module has a dual-band Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver (this replaced the older TM-D700). Four antennas are available, three of which are identical and each can support both transmit and receive operations on 2m, 70cm, L band and S band. They also support reception for the Russian Glisser TV system, which is used during spacewalks. The fourth antenna is a 2.5 m long vertical whip that can be used to support High Frequency (HF) operations although at the present time there is no amateur HF equipment. The ESA Columbus Module has two Ericsson M-PA series FM 5 watt handheld radios, one for 145, and the other for 435 MHz, as well as the 2.4 GHz HamTV Digital Amateur Television Transmitter. Antennas are available for 145 and 435 MHz for the Ericsson handhelds; additionally, there are 1260 and 2400 MHz antennas for the HamTV system. Tim Peake will the using the equipment in the ESA Columbus Module. The ISS HamTV will not be available for the Sandringham School contact because the equipment will be turned off to permit other experiments. You’ll be able to listen online to Tim Peake GB1SS on the 145.800 MHz FM downlink by using the SUWS WebSDR radio at http://websdr.suws.org.uk/ Tim Peake ISS School Contacts Announced http://amsat-uk.org/2015/12/15/tim-peake-iss-school-contacts-announced/ Sandringham School http://www.sandringham.herts.sch.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandringhamSch1 Verulam Amateur Radio Club http://www.verulam-arc.org.uk/ What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio Find an amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/ ARISS http://www.ariss-eu.org/ [ANS thanks ARISS & AMSAT-UK 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, 9 January 2016 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2016 in Phoenix AZ *Friday and Saturday, 19-20 February 2016 – Yuma Hamfest and 2016 ARRL Southwest Division Convention in Yuma AZ *Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 – ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 19 March 2016 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ *Saturday, 26 March 2016 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Upcoming Contacts Frederick W. Harnett Middle School, Blackstone, Massachusetts, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-01-05 17:42:06 UTC 81 deg Sandringham School, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, direct via GB1SAN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be GB1SS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Fri 2016-01-08 08:47:47 UTC 83 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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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