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ANS-235 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 22 Aug '15

22 Aug '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-235 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: * Launch Date for AMSAT Fox-1A * Satellite Antennas and the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 * CubeSat Developers' Workshop Presentations Online * JAXA H-II Transport Vehicle to Deliver Two ESA Cubesats * IARU Coordination of Satellite Frequencies * IARU Region 3 Act on Band Plan Satellite Allocations * AMSAT Satellite Communications Awards * Send Your Name to Mars on NASA's Next Red Planet Mission SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-235.01 ANS-235 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 235.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. August 23, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-214.01 Launch Date for AMSAT Fox-1A Jeru Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering advises that AMSAT has been informed that the launch of Fox-1A is now scheduled for October 8. No other details are available at this time. [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Antennas and the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 AMSAT members are encouraged to contact their congressional representatives and senators, asking them to sign on to The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 as a co-sponsor. Passage of the Act (currently consisting of bills in both the House and Senate) will directly benefit AMSAT members and likely help us grow our membership numbers. Putting satellites in orbit is only half the challenge of "working the birds." Reaching them with an appropriate ground station is the other half. Many of us living in housing developments, condos or apartments would love to have a fixed station antenna system but are severely limited by restrictive CC&Rs that forbid outside antennas. We are relegated to working ISS, SO-50 and future LEO satellites with Arrows, Elks and HTs. The Radio Amateur Parity Act of 2015 would not give Amateurs "carte blanche" to do whatever they wished in terms of erecting radio antennas where they now are prohibited. But it would eliminate blanket prohibitions, requiring HOAs and other private land use regulators to extend reasonable accommodation to Amateurs who want to erect antennas. The ARRL is leading on this issue for the larger Amateur Radio community. Sample letters for the U.S. House and Senate, along with instructions for their use. can be found at this link: http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act [ANS thanks Joe Neil Kornowski, KB6IGK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CubeSat Developers' Workshop Presentations Online The 12th Annual Summer CubeSat Developers’ Workshop was a great success!! The Workshop feedback has been amazing, and truly underscores the efforts of all who participated, from the engaging, entertaining, and provocative technical presentations to the incredible networking opportunities. Thank you to all Presenters, Attendees, Sponsors, Live Stream Viewers, and Organizers! Your contribution was invaluable to the success of the Workshop and greatly appreciated! For those of you who could not make it, or for those of you who want to review what you saw, all presentations can be found online on cubesat.org with a link to the video of the presentation. Please join us at the 13th Annual Spring Developers’ Workshop at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA from April 20-22, 2016. [ANS thanks The CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- JAXA H-II Transport Vehicle to Deliver Two ESA Cubesats Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) launch of its H-II Transport Vehicle (HTV)-5 to the International Space Station on Wednesday, Aug. 19 included two cubesats. These satellites will then be deployed together into space in the first half of September, with the involvement of Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen. Both CubeSats originated from Denmark. GOMX-3 is a 3U Cubesat. The mission and its payloads will be used for story telling and teaching. It will include an ADS-B receiver, magnetometer data, solar cells and green energy and radio operation. An experimental X Band transmitter plus an SDR receiver will also be carried. GOMX-3 downlink: 437.250 MHz with 1k2-9k6 GMSK data from a NanoCom AX100 using CSP protocol. AAUSAT-5 is a 1 unit cubesat. The primary mission is to receive AIS beacons from ships with a new design based on AAUSAT-3. In addition to that a educational payload for high school outreach was designed by engineering students. The AIS receiver payload is based on SDR principles. Once deployed from the ISS it is expected to remain in orbit for approx 6 months. AAUSAT-5 downlink: 437.425 MHz, GMSK telemetry. Danish Ministry of Science and Education, House of Natural Sciences http://nvhus.dk/house-of-natural-sceinces.aspx ESA Cubesat launch announcement: http://tinyurl.com/ESA-Gomx SpaceRef.com article about AAUSAT-5: http://tinyurl.com/AAUSAT-Article [ANS thanks ESA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Coordination of Satellite Frequencies The IARU have announced they are committed to only coordinate satellite frequencies within the internationally aligned IARU band plans. The two metre amateur band is one of the most popular and populated bands in all the spectrum allocated to the amateur and amateur satellite services. This recently led to a request by satellite builders for coordination outside the spectrum reserved for satellites in the IARU band plans (145.800 – 146.000 MHz) as not enough channels are available to satisfy their requirements. The IARU Satellite Adviser, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV and his advisory panel are mandated to coordinate frequencies within the IARU band plans for amateur satellites. Coordinated frequencies must comply with band plans that are common to all three IARU Regions Satellites coordinated outside these plans could cause interference to terrestrial amateur operations in other regions. In theory satellites could be programmed so that they only operate over their country of origin. Because satellite orbits make it difficult to pinpoint operations, spill over to other Regions may occur during parts of the orbit. Accordingly, IARU will not coordinate frequencies for satellites which are planned to operate outside the internationally aligned IARU band plans for amateur satellites. The IARU offers frequency coordination in an effort to maximise spectrum utilisation and avoid possible interference to other satellites and ground stations. The IARU requests that satellite groups work on a sharing plan or use other parts of the amateur service spectrum designated for satellite operation. When a large group of satellite sharing the same band are launched, they will soon drift apart which enhances the opportunity to share the same frequencies. For example, during the initial phase, just after launch, a time sharing system could be used to monitor the payloads before initialising transponders and other systems. For instance, the 10 metre band, once popular with satellite builders, is today not significantly used. The band segment 29.300-29.510 MHz has been used for amateur-satellite downlinks for more than 40 years, beginning with Australis- OSCAR 5 in 1970 and AMSAT-OSCAR 6, AMSAT’s first communications satellite, in 1972. The band segment was very popular for downlinks in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, only one amateur satellite actively uses a 29 MHz downlink: AMSAT-OSCAR 7, launched in 1974 [and RS-15 on 29.3525 MHz – Editor]. While a 29 MHz downlink would not be practical for today’s very small satellites, owing to the size of the antenna required, the band could be used very practically for uplinks even with small receiving antennas, because transmitting power at the earth station is easy to obtain. The IARU Satellite Adviser and his panel believe that the 10 metre band offers a good alternative to 2 metre uplinks Currently the IARU team also coordinates frequencies for satellites built by universities and educational groups in an effort to maximise spectrum utilisation and mitigate any possible interference to Amateur Radio operations. The IARU is committed to work with these groups and with the ITU to find other spectrum for these satellites. Rod Stafford W6ROD Secretary International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) [ANS thanks Rod, W6ROD, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Region 3 Act on Band Plan Satellite Allocations The IARU Region 3 (Asia/Pacific) Directors have submitted a band plan paper concerning amateur satellite allocations for consideration at the IARU Region 3 Conference which takes place October 12-16 in Bali, Indonesia. This is the 16th Conference and it will be hosted by the Amateur Radio Organisation of Indonesia (ORARI). 60 Premier and 12 Suite hotel rooms have been booked at the Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel which is described as being situated in Sanur, the secretly sophisticated side of Bali. ORARI plans to run a special event station YB16IARU from October 11-16 from the conference and the delegates will be taken on a tour of Bali. The President of ORARI, Sutiyoso YB0ST, says: “It’s an exciting time for us as we continue to grow and thrive, remaining always adaptable, motivated and responsive. The world of amateur radio is an exciting area in which to work and play, and we’ll continue to meet and bring inspired people together in forums like this, to ensure IARU Region 3 remains at the cutting edge.” The changes proposed by IARU Region 3 Directors would appear to prohibit the use of the Amateur Satellite Service channel 144.490 MHz as an uplink for crewed space missions. Use of this channel was agreed by IARU Region 3 some 20 years ago but the new paper says: “Note 2: The other portion of the band 144.035-145.8 MHz is exclusively identified for the amateur service.” At the same time IARU Region 3 had agreed the crewed space mission downlink channel would be 145.800 MHz using 5 kHz deviation FM with a Doppler shift of +/- 3.75 kHz. The paper does not record this. Read the IARU R3 Directors amateur satellite band plan paper at http://www.iaru- r3.org/16r3c/docs/022%20Modification%20to%20R3%20Band%20Plan.docx The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) have presented a satellite band plan paper, see http://www.iaru-r3.org/16r3c/docs/023%20Changes%20to%20R3%20Bandplan.docx Other papers submitted for the conference may be seen at http://iaru-r3.org/16th-triennial-conference-of-the-iaru-r3-documents/ 16th IARU R3 Conference http://www.iarur3conf2015.org/ IARU Coordination of Satellite Frequencies http://amsat-uk.org/2015/08/20/iaru-coordination-of-satellite-frequencies/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Satellite Communications Awards Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards provided the following corrected list of AMSAT Satellite Communications Award recipients as an update to the list previously published in ANS-228. Steve Kristoff, AI9IN #564 Frank Westphal, K6FW #565 Fraser Bonnett, W3UTD #566 Carlton Noll, KA4H #567 (also a new member to AMSAT) [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Send Your Name to Mars on NASA's Next Red Planet Mission Mars enthusiasts around the world can participate in NASA’s journey to Mars by adding their names to a silicon microchip headed to the Red Planet aboard NASA's InSight Mars lander, scheduled to launch next year. "Our next step in the journey to Mars is another fantastic mission to the surface," said Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "By participating in this opportunity to send your name aboard InSight to the Red Planet, you're showing that you're part of that journey and the future of space exploration." Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 8. To send your name to Mars aboard InSight, go to: http://go.usa.gov/3Aj3G The fly-your-name opportunity comes with “frequent flier” points to reflect an individual's personal participation in NASA’s journey to Mars, which will span multiple missions and multiple decades. The InSight mission offers the second such opportunity for space exploration fans to collect points by flying their names aboard a NASA mission, with more opportunities to follow. Last December, the names of 1.38 million people flew on a chip aboard the first flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft, which will carry astronauts to deep space destinations including Mars and an asteroid. After InSight, the next opportunity to earn frequent flier points will be NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the first planned test flight bringing together the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule in preparation for human missions to Mars and beyond. InSight will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California in March 2016 and land on Mars Sept. 28, 2016. The mission is the first dedicated to the investigation of the deep interior of the planet. It will place the first seismometer directly on the surface of Mars to measure Martian quakes and use seismic waves to learn about the planet's interior. It also will deploy a self- hammering heat probe that will burrow deeper into the ground than any previous device on the Red Planet. These and other InSight investigations will improve our understanding about the formation and evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth. For additional information about the InSight mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/insight/main/index.html You can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at: https://www.facebook.com/NASAInSight and https://twitter.com/nasainsight [ANS thanks NASA 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-228 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 15 Aug '15

15 Aug '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-228 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * ARISS-I Delegates Meet This Week in Tokyo * Activation of Transponder on EO-79 August * Plans for New Amateur Radio Station for ISS Columbus Module * South Texas Balloon Launch to Fly Amateur Radio Payload * AMSAT Awards Update * Jeff Lamb NX9B Earns 73 0n 73 Award * Small Satellites: Possible Future WRC Agenda Item * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-228.01 ANS-228 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 228.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 16, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-228.01 ARISS-I Delegates Meet This Week in Tokyo ARISS International Delegates, its Board of Officers, and international team members will meet at Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan on August 20-23, 2015 for a critical meeting to discuss ARISS strategy, teamwork, hardware and operations. Delegates are voting members of ARISS-I representating the 5 ISS member regions: United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe. The meeting will open with remarks from meeting host Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB from ARISS Japan and JARL. Other agenda items will include: * Welcome by the Japanese Space Agency JAXA & an Overview of the JAXA Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program * ARISS working group business discussions and reports, including: regional reports, ARISS Terms of Reference update, space agency coordination status, sustainability & fundraising and ARISS future endeavors * Technical discussions on current and future hardware developments, including: Next Generation ARISS Radio Systems, the Astro-Pi Project, and an update on the Ham-TV system * Operations discussions, including presentations on: Educational Activities, International Expansion & Planning of SSTV. School Selection and Regional Scheduling Procedures and plans for the upcoming Tim Peake Mission Along with their ambitious schedule the delegates will begin each day with an opportunity for informal discussions and will have the opportunity to visit the Tsukuba Space Center. [ANS thanks ARISS-I for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Activation of Transponder on EO-79 August The AMSAT-NL transponder on EO-79 will be activated to support the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW). We apologize for the short notice, this opportunity came along very last minute, and again we took it. QB50p1 (EO-79) carries the FUNcube-3 400 mW inverting linear 435/145 MHz transponder provided by AMSAT-NL with support from AMSAT-UK. - *Uplink:* 435.035-435.065 MHz LSB - *Downlink:* 145.935-145.965 MHz USB TLEs are NORAD # 40025, COSPAR designator 2014-033-R Remember that the FUNcube family of transponders do not need much power to work them. I will be operating at Scheveningen Lighthouse PA25SCH, NL0025 Thanks to the Von Karman Institute and Innovative Solution In Space for the opportunity to use the transponder. Have FUN over the weekend! In related news Peter Portanova, W2JV, announced that he will be active from the Fire Island Lighthouse- FN30KP from 1400 U to 2100 U Saturday and Sunday celebrating Lighthouse/ Lightship weekend. The call will be W2GSB/LH and will be on all Amateur Satellites including EO-79. If you would like a commemorative QSL card please SASE to my QRZ QTH, and more information is available on my QRZ page, thank you. [ANS Thanks Wouter PA3WEG and Peter W2JV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Plans for New Amateur Radio Station for ISS Columbus Module Plans are under way to develop a new, higher-power Amateur Radio station for the ISS Columbus module. The current radio is a lower- power unit that sometimes results in weak signals during ISS-to-Earth educational contacts. A new radio system will improve communication capability for students scheduled to participate in ARISS educational contacts and related activities. The new system also would allow greater interoperability between the Columbus module and the Russian Service Module. ARISS said that integration of the equipment into the ISS infrastructure and the necessary testing and certification require hours of engineering resources that it cannot afford. "Each ARISS contact offers the opportunity to inspire young people through ARISS's unique window into space exploration activities, opening the horizon of possibilities of a career in a STEM field," said ARRL Education Services Manager, Debra Johnson, K1DMJ. "Each contact also introduces students and their communities to Amateur Radio. The program needs your help to secure these opportunities for the future." Individuals may donate to ARISS online via the AMSAT website (select the "ARISS Donate" button). AMSAT is contributing the necessary personnel resources to handle gifts to ARISS. Individuals contributing $100 or more will receive the new ARISS Challenge Coin. Corporate donors should contact Frank Bauer. [ANS thanks AMSAT News Service, ARISS, and Debra Johnson, K1DMJ for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- South Texas Balloon Launch to Fly Amateur Radio Payload South Texas Balloon Launch Team announced their next flight via their BLT-42 balloon and payload is scheduled for August 22, 2015 at 10:00 Central Daylight Time (UTC-5). The launch site will be from the Wharton Intergalactic Spaceport, Wharton, TX (Coords: 29.2543, -96.1544 Grid: EL19WG). The flight payload includes: + Live DTV-B Color ATV = 434 Digital TV 0.3W + Crossband FM Repeater Up 147.435 Down 446.000 + Digital Camera with a picture every 15 seconds + Balloon Burst Cam Recorder + APRS Coconut v1.2 - AB5SS-11 - 144.390 MHz + APRS GPS Downlink = 144.390 W5ACM-9 250 mW + TWO GoPro Cameras for HD Recording with Micro Cam Recorder pointing down + New Surface Mount Fireball - 28.322 MHz 50.000 MHz - 50 mW + Austin Experiments - Raspberry Pi w/TP-Link WiFi Omni Antenna + Dallas Experiments KE5GDB - SSTV System - 144.5 MHz FM - 0.5 W Website:http://www.w5acm.net/ APRS.FI: AB5SS-11, W5ACM-9 Telemetry: APRS: 144.390Mhz, Contact: John Maca ab5ss(a)swbell.net QRZ: AB5SS Check http://www.w5acm.net/b42.html or contact Andy MacAllister, w5acm(a)amsat.org for the latest flight/payload information. [ANS thanks the BALLOON_SKED(a)yahoogroups.com e-mail list for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update Here are our newest award recipients and quite a good batch we have this time. AMSAT Communication Achievement Award Steve Kristoff, AI9IN #565 Fraser Bonnett, W3UTD #566 Carlton Noll, KA4H #567 (also a new member to AMSAT) ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Frank Westphal, K6FW #169 Hector Luis Martinez Sis, CO6CBF #170 Carlton Noll, KA4H #171 ------ AMSAT Century Award Hector Luis Martinez Sis, CO6CBF #45 ------ AMSAT South Africa Communication Achievement Award Frank Westphal, K6FW #US193 Fraser Bonnett, W3UTD #US194 Carlton Noll, KA4H #US195 [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Lamb NX9B Earns 73 0n 73 Award Congratulations to Jeff Lamb, NX9B, for working 73 different stations on AO-73 since September 1, 2014 and becoming the 27th recipient of the 73 on 73 Award. [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Small Satellites: Possible Future WRC Agenda Item The CEPT CPG-PTA-8 meeting in Catania, Sicily, July 21-24, discussed a number of issues related to WRC-15 among them a paper submitted by The Netherlands – Small satellites: further aspects for the development of a future agenda item. The paper’s summary says: Following proposals from 12 CEPT members, WRC12 decided to place the subject of nanosatellites and picosatellites on the WRC19 agenda for adoption at WRC15. Since then a growing number of small satellites, launched year on year has been recorded, and a growing number of diverse applications has been implemented ranging from technology demonstration and research to Earth observation. The applications of these small satellites vary widely, but all of these satellites have one common need which is Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C). Providing for proper TT&C will allow positive satellite control at all times, and, when combined with ranging capability, may provide for orbit determination as well which in turn can aid in the tracking of space objects. At this moment, the study work under the related agenda item 9, issue 9.1.8 which deals with regulatory aspects for nanosatellites and picosatellites is finished. The studies have indicated a number of difficulties in the application of the Radio Regulations. These difficulties, however, do not justify a change of Articles 9 and 11. Considering that most bands currently used for satellite telemetry and command such as the 2200-2290MHz SRS/SOS/EESS allocation are heavily crowded, the growth in numbers of small satellites launched offers new challenges which were not faced before. Therefore, the proposal for AI 10 is to invite ITU-R in the forthcoming study period to identify additional allocations to the space operation service (SOS) within the 137MHz-960MHz range. This frequency range is particularly suitable for small satellites since it offers favourable propagation characteristics while allowing moderately complex antenna systems and antenna pointing requirements on board the satellite. CPG-PTA-8 meeting in Catania, Sicily, July 21-24, 2015 http://tinyurl.com/ANS228-WRC To download the meeting documents: • Go to http://tinyurl.com/ANS228-Documents • Click on 2015 • Click on 8th CPG PTA Meeting – 21-24 July – Sicily • Click Input Contributions and Goto table • Tick documents • Click on Minutes and Annexes and Goto table • Tick documents • Do same for Annex IV – Draft Briefs, Annex V – Draft ECPs, Annex VI – misc • Click the Download selected button [ANS thanks Trevor M5AKA and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Space Jam 9, Rantoul, Illinois, USA and Astronaut Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2015-08-08 16:58 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was AJ9N. + A Successful contact was made between Fleurance Astronomy Festival, France and Astronaut Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF using Callsign RSØISS. The contact began 2015-08-14 19:42:00 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridge via IK1SLD. ARISS Mentor was F6ICS. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-08-13 16:00 UTC Higashioka Elementary School, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan, direct via 8N3HO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Contact is a go for: Tue 2015-08-18 11:42:14 UTC 82 deg Pima County 4H/Vail Vaqueros 4H Club, Tucson, AZ, direct via W7LB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Sat 2015-08-22 18:37:55 UTC 87 deg Sochi, Russia, direct via TBD) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Mikhail Kornienko RN3BF) Contact is a go for 2015-08-29 11:15 UTC * Watch for the official announcements for when US schools will be able to send in proposals for an ARISS contact. The window will be open from 2015-09-01 to 2015-11-01. These proposals will be for school contacts during the second half of 2016. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT Award Comments Paul Stoetzer N8HM congratulates all those who earned the AMSAT Awards, mentioned in the rticle above. Paul says, "I'd like to point out a couple of them. First, congrats to Hector on the Century Award. The Century Award is tough enough to complete from the East Coast of the United States, but Hector managed to complete it from Cuba. He made many of these QSOs with homebrew equipment and had the additional handicap of not being able to use AO- 7's Mode B transponder due to Cuban regulations, so he had to wait until FO-29 was near apogee on the right passes to make his longest distance QSOs. Second, congratulations to Carl on the Sexagesimal Award. Like me, he has operated solely with portable equipment and low power and he appears to be on the way to beating my pace to the Century Award (it took me 23 months from when I started getting on the air daily, Carl has been on for only about a year)." Hector, W5CBF/CO6CBF, responded, "Actually, the AMSAT Century Award has been the hardest award in my amateur radio career. The lack of AO- 7 mode B made it even harder. Thanks very much to all the operators who made it possible and special thanks to the DX stations that accepted the challenge of an extreme QSO." [ANS thanks Paul N8HM and Hector W5CBF/CO6CBF for the above information] + UK Ham's ISS Contact Gathers No Moss There’s been a lot of coverage in mainstream media of the ham in England who made contact with astronauts aboard the ISS last month. This bit in Time is the latest, and possibly most mainstream. http://time.com/3995908/international-space-station-radio/ [ANS thanks Sean KX9X for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-221 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 08 Aug '15

08 Aug '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-221 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 Board of Directors Ballots Due by 15 September * July/August 2015 AMSAT Journal Sent to the Print Shop * SPROUT Deployable Membrane – Request for Telemetry * Frequencies Announced for Nayif-1 CubeSat * UK radio ham’s ISS contact in the press * Work continues on ESEO FUNcube-4 * Scout ISS ham radio contact video * Last Call for Papers: ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference * Satellite Frequency Co-ordination Announcement from IARU Region 1 * Chinese Amateur Radio Satellites Set to Launch in Early September * Do not Digipeat via PCSAT in IARU Region 1 * Planned DX Activity Via Satellite * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-221.01 ANS-221 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 221.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE August 9, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-221.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots Due by 15 September Ballots were mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing by 15 JULY 2015, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by 15 SEP 2015 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. Your completed ballot should be returned as promptly as possible, and those from outside North America preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are eight candidates: Barry Baines, WD4ASW Jerry Buxton, N0JY Steve Coy, K8UD Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Mark Hammond, N8MH EMike McCardel, KC8YLD Bob McGwier, N4HY Bruce Paige, KK5DO The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than four candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- July/August 2015 AMSAT Journal Sent to the Print Shop The July/August 2015 AMSAT Journal is complete and has been sent to the print shop. The Journal is sent six times a year to all members as one of AMSAT's membership benefits. In this issue you will find: + AMSAT Announcements + Apogee View by Barry Baines, WD4ASW + AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech Announce Potential Phase-3E Opportunity + AMSAT 2015 Field Day Results by Bruce Paige, KK5DO + A Field Day 2015 Experience by George Carr, WA5KBH and Hector Martinez, CO6CBF/W5CBF + AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots in the Mail by Alan Biddle, WA4SCA + Engineering Update July/August 2015 by Jerry Buxton, N0JY + AMSAT at Dayton 2015 by Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF + Orbital Debrief - July/August 2015 by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM + ARISS Announces New Challenge Coin + Israel's Duchifat-1 Cubesat Open for Users by Shamai Opfer, 4Z1WS and David Greenberg, 4X1DG + Investigation of the International Arms Export Control Act of 1976 by Elizabeth Garbee, KC0OTR + A Quick Satellite Rover Trip by Kevin Manzer, N4UFO + 2015 AMSAT Symposium at Dayton Announcement + AMSAT Help Wanted Ads The Journal is always looking for your articles about your station, antenna topics, operating events and photos, technical articles suitable for amateur radio in space, software applications, software defined radio. To help you get started we have a web page "How to Write for the AMSAT Journal" posted at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1709. The editors are available to help get you from idea into print. A big round of thanks goes to our contributors for this issue. The editors do a lot of work behind the scenes to get each issue ready. Thanks to Bernhard, VA6MBJ; Douglas, KA2UPW/5; James, K3JPH; Joe, KB6IGK; Red, KC4LE. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SPROUT Deployable Membrane – Request for Telemetry Students at Nihon University in Japan are requesting the assistance of radio amateurs in collecting telemetry from the SPROUT satellite which has deployed an inflatable membrane structure. The SPROUT JQ1YGZ Team say: We’d like to show to everyone about SPROUT, and we’d like to ask receiving cooperation to everyone. SPROUT was launched at May 24, 2014 from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. There are 3 main missions in SPROUT. ·Deployment demonstration of inflatable membrane structure. ·Demonstration of attitude determination and control technology for several kilogram class nano-satellite. ·Upbringing of human resources of a space sector For more information http://sat.aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp/sprout-e/ Please see this website. This time, we made a deployment demonstration of inflatable membrane structure. But it’s necessary to get a deal of data to get information on a satellite, and it takes time to get one of data only my satellite communication ground station. So when everybody of amsat would do reception cooperation, information on a satellite can be got quickly. We’d like to request reception cooperation of everybody of “AMSAT” for study promotion. If you wouldn’t mind, please reception cooperation. Please inform the following mail address of your question and a reception report – sprout_contact(a)forth.aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp Best regards SPROUT JQ1YGZ Team on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008270115808 SPROUT transmits on 437.525 MHz FM 1k2 AFSK AX.25 http://www.dk3wn.info/sat/afu/sat_sprout.shtml SPROUT SSTV activation http://amsat-uk.org/2014/05/31/sprout-sstv-digitalker-active/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Frequencies Announced for Nayif-1 CubeSat Nayif-1 is an educational single CubeSat project with the goal of providing an actual space project for Emirati University students. Additionally it is intended to enthuse and educate young people about radio, space physics and electronics. The 1U CubeSat is a collaboration between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center and the American University of Sharjah both in the United Arab Emirates. The spacecraft will only require simple ground station antennas and an SDR dongle receiver. This will make it uncomplicated for schools and colleges to use with their students. It is anticipated Nayif-1 will be launched into an elliptical, sun synchronous, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) about 400 by 750 km. In such an orbit the satellite passes over the Emirates at least twice a day. This would allow the morning passes to be used for educational purposes and the evening passes for Amateur Radio communications. The student team will develop and operate a special ground station for this spacecraft. They will also be developing a unique “Dashboard” to display the received telemetry data and greetings messages in Arabic. Nayif-1 will incorporate a novel autonomous attitude determination and control system. This will be the first flight of this system. Additionally it will carry a UHF to VHF linear transponder (FUNcube-5) that will have up to 0.5 watt output and which can be used by Radio Amateurs worldwide for SSB and CW communications. A launch is planned for late 2015 on a SpaceX Falcoln 9. IARU coordinated frequencies for NAYIF-1: • 145.940 MHz 1200 bps BPSK FUNcube beacon • 500 mW inverting SSB/CW linear transponder – 435.045-435.015 MHz Uplink – 145.960-145.990 MHz Downlink Follow Nayif-1 on Twitter https://twitter.com/Nayifone Nayif-1 http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/communications/nayif-1/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UK radio ham’s ISS contact in the press Adrian Lane 2E0SDR got some great newspaper publicity for the hobby when he made an amateur radio contact with an astronaut on the International Space Station. The story was published in the Thursday, August 6, 2015 edition of many UK national daily newspapers including The Sun, The Times, Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Express and Mirror. The Thursday edition of the BBC Radio 4 Today show also featured the story at 8:09:46am. To hear it fast forward to 2:09:46 in this recording: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0643x5z#play During Thursday evening the story featured on the TV news station CNN. On Friday, August 7, Adrian was interviewed about the contact on the BBC TV Victoria Derbyshire programme. Watch the interview at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33816779 The astronaut Adrian talked to was Kjell Lindgren who holds the amateur radio callsign KO5MOS. Kjell was operating the ISS amateur radio station in the ESA Columbus module using the callsign NA1SS. There is another ISS amateur radio station in the Russian Service module which uses the callsign RS0ISS. The online version of the Daily Mail story features a video interview with Adrian 2E0SDR http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186534/Radio-ham-contacts- International-Space-Station-GARDEN-SHED.html CNN Story – Ham radio and the ISS broadcast 1930 GMT Aug 6, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=35&v=XNs_b73Oiac Read the Telegraph story at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11786461/Radio-ham- talks-to-space-station-from-garden-shed.html Read the Mirror newspaper story at http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/amateur-radio-enthusiast-dials- international-6199955 The Sun newspaper story is behind a paywall at http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6575742/One-small-step-for-a-ham.… The Register story: HAM IN SPAAAAAACE http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/06/radio_ham_talks_to_iss_astronaut_fr… arden_shed_in_gloucestershire/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Work continues on ESEO FUNcube-4 AMSAT-UK members have been busy this week working on the FUNcube-4 amateur radio payload for the new European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO) satellite. On Friday, August 7, 2015 they tested the transponder and it seems to work fine. More testing and characterisation will follow over the next few days. This is the third mission within the European Space Agency’s Education Satellite Programme. The satellite, which has a mass of 40 kg and measures 33x33x63 cm, is planned to launch into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The spacecraft will carry a 1260/145 MHz FM transponder and 145 MHz 1200 bps BPSK telemetry beacon to provide a telemetry downlink that can be easily received by schools and colleges for educational outreach purposes. The data will be displayed in an attractive format and provide stimulation and encouragement for students to become interested in all STEM subjects in a unique way. The target audience is primarily students at both primary and secondary levels and the project includes the development of a simple and cheap “ground station” operating on VHF frequencies in the Amateur Satellite Service. This station is an omni-directional antenna feeding a FUNcube DonglePRO+ SDR receiver which will receive the signals direct from the satellite and transfer the data to specially developed graphical software running on any Windows laptop. 2015 International Space Colloquium Presentations Playlist https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/playlists [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Scout ISS ham radio contact video Scouts at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree at Bunkyo-ku in Japan had an amateur radio contact with the International Space Station. The contact on July 31, 2015 was between 8N23WSJ and NA1SS operated by astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS from the ISS Columbus module. Watch Radio scouting with the ISS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGhQ8OamfTY ARISS 23rd World Scout Jamboree contact http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/august/ariss_event_0308.htm 23rd World Scout Jamboree http://www.23wsj.jp/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Call for Papers: ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference ARRL/TAPR are soliciting technical papers for presentation at the 34th Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference, to be held October 9-11 in Chicago, Illinois. Papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings. You do not have to attend the conference to have your paper included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is August 17, 2015. E-mail your submission to Maty Weinberg at ARRL Headquarters at maty(a)arrl.org<mailto:[email protected]> Please to do not send zip files as these will be rejected by our e-mail server. [ANS thanks Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Frequency Co-ordination Announcement from IARU Region 1 The following announcement has been released by the IARU International Secretariat: For some years, IARU has sought, through its group of volunteer satellite coordinators, to assign appropriate frequencies to be used by space satellites operating in the amateur bands. These efforts have generally been successful, allowing satellites to operate without undue interference to each other and to other services using the bands in question. The IARU role in coordination of frequencies is supported by ITU. IARU is aware of a few satellites already operating in amateur bands which are causing difficulties in parts of the world as the frequencies they use do not appear to accord to existing band plans. IARU has now become aware of plans to launch a series of satellites where the frequencies proposed appear to conflict with existing IARU band plans in some parts of the world. IARU is investigating how this has arisen, and is discussing the issues with the parties involved. We will make a further statement as soon as possible. http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/88-news/1461-satellite-frequency-co-ordina… [ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chinese Amateur Radio Satellites Set to Launch in Early September China’s Amateur Satellite Group CAMSAT said this week that nine satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads have been delivered to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Central China. CAMSAT CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, said they’re expected to launch between September 7 and 9. All are part of the CAS-3 series of satellites. Four of the microsatellites and two of the CubeSats included in the launch have been designated as the XW-2 (Hope-2) amateur satellite system (XW-2A through XW-2F), although Kung also refers to them using their initial CAS-3A through CAS-3F nomenclature. The other three satellites — a CubeSat, a nanosatellite, and a picosatellite, carry the designations CAS-3G through CAS- 3I, respectively. CAMSAT announced earlier this year that the launch date would be postponed from mid-July until early September. “Each satellite of the CAS-3 series will work independently, and they are made by different organizations,” Kung told ARRL. The XW-2 series satellites are equipped with substantially identical Amateur Radio payloads — a U/V mode linear transponder, a CW telemetry beacon and an AX.25 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK telemetry downlink, CAMSAT said in May. Each Amateur Radio complement has the same technical characteristics, but will operate on different 70 centimeter uplink and 2 meter downlink frequencies. XW-2A through XW-2F have identical quarter-wavelength deployable monopole whip antennas made of steel tape. CAMSAT worked with three entities to complete the other three satellites: CAS- 3G (DCBB), a 2U CubeSat being built by Shenzhen HIT Satellite Ltd of China for educational purposes; CAS-3H (LilacSat-2), a Harbin Institute of Technology of China microsatellite for science experiments and Amateur Radio, and CAS-3I (NDT- Phone Sat), a National University of Defense Technology of China picosatellite for carrying out technical experiments. CAS-3G and CAS-3I will downlink digital telemetry on amateur frequencies, while CAS-3H will carry a U/V FM transponder and APRS. Details on all satellites are attached (see "Downloads," below). Kung said a Long March-6 rocket will carry the XW-2 and CAS-3 satellites into orbit along with 11 other satellites. http://www.arrl.org/news/chinese-amateur-radio-satellites-set-to-launch-in- early-september [ANS thanks the ARRL, CAMSAT CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, and IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Do not Digipeat via PCSAT in IARU Region 1 As has been reported in the RSGB News, the PCSAT spacecraft was launched some fourteen years ago and has, due to an on-board power system issue, started to transmit APRS on 144.390 MHz Although this is the correct frequency for APRS operation in IARU Region 2, it is not compatible with our Region 1 bandplan which has this part of the band designated for weak signal and particularly Meteor Scatter operation. The orbit of this spacecraft means that sometimes it is in full sunlight and, at other times, it is eclipsed for a major percentage of the orbit. As the on- board batteries have lost their ability to hold a charge, the problem can only occur when it is in sunlight. Various methods of mitigate this problem are presently under active consideration but in the meantime it is important that no amateur in Region 1 should attempt to digipeat through this spacecraft. Additionally those amateurs on the east coast of the American continent are also requested not to attempt to activate the spacecraft when it can be “seen” from Europe. At IARU level, further work is being undertaken to reduce the risk from future spacecraft potentially causing similar problems. Such problems could result from developers not following the globally agreed bandplans for amateur satellite operations. In particular the IARU Satellite Coordinator has been requested to make urgent contact with the team responsible for XW-2(CAS-3) mission of nine satellites from China. Some of the proposed frequencies do not respect the internationally agreed Region 1 Bandplan for 2 metres. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Planned DX Activity Via Satellite HH, HAITI. Doug, KD8CAO, son of K8YSE (OPDX Webmaster), will be active as HH8/KD8CAO from Jacmel (FK38rf) between August 15-22nd. He is there on a "Medical Mission Trip" with his XYL. Activity will be mainly on the satellites (SSB/FM), with a possibility of some HF activity (QRP). His activity on the satellite will be on FO29, AO7, AO73 and SO50. As this was being written, Doug was thinking of using/taking his FT-817 (this could change). QSL via KD8CAO and LoTW. T47, CUBA (LH Op). Members of the Camaguey Contest Crew got special permission to operate as T47LH during the ILLW from the Colon Light- house at Sabinal Key, Cuba. A crew of 5 hams (CO7RR, CO7SF, CO7FR, CO7DS and CO7WT) will be active from mid-day August 14th to mid-day August 16th. Operations are planned on all HF bands (60m is pending approval) and Satellite via SO-50 passes during the ILLW. For more info and details, see the QRZ.com page for T47LH. QSL route is TBD. V7, MARSHALL ISLANDS. A group of JA operators will be active from Majuro Island (OC-029) between September 24-28th. Operators are YL Mami/JP3AYQ (V73YL) and her husband Sanny/JJ3CIG (V73H), Team Leader Takio/JH3QFL (V73A), Co-Leader Keizo "Kay"/JH3AZC (V7EME) and Hiro/JR3GWZ (V73GW). Activity will be on the HF bands, 6 meters, satellite, EME, CW, SSB and RTTY. Radios are a FT857 and FT847. Their antennas will be a homebrew 3 element full size beam (3 bands) and a SpiderBeam antenna (5 band). They will also have a Elecraft 500w amp to use. QSL all operators via their home callsigns. ADDED NOTES: * YL Mami, JP3AYQ, states (on QRZ.com), that her activity will be holiday style (she like to scuba dive) on the HF bands using CW (be patient), SSB and the Digital mode (RTTY). Suggested frequencies are the IOTA frequencies, such as 14260, 14040, 21260 and 21040 kHz. QSL via JP3AYQ, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW. Log will be uploaded to LoTW and ClubLog. She does have a Blog page at: http://jp3ayq.269g.net * Sanny, JJ3CIG/KH0YA, states (on QRZ.com), that he plans to operate on the JT65 mode. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by eQSL. [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1225 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, 15 August 2015 – Arctic Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Fairbanks AK *Sunday, 16 August 2015 – demonstration at Chena Hot Springs AK *Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 August 2015 – Boxboro Hamfest and ARRL New England Convention in Boxborough MA *Saturday and Sunday, 5-6 September - ARRL Roanoke Division Convention Shelby, NC Hamfest, AMSAT Forum scheduled for Saturday *Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 16-18 2015, AMSAT Symposium in Dayton OH (Dayton Crown Plaza) *Saturday, 7 November 2015 – Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Marana AZ *Saturday, 5 December 2015 – Superstition Superfest 2015 in Mesa AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts Maroochydore State School, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via LU1CGB The ISS callsign scheduled was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact was successful: Thu 2015-08-06 10:10:26 UTC 59 deg The Maroochydore ISS contact was a success with all 10 questions answered in detail by Kjell. There were good signals right through the entire contact. The principal Stuard Maish just had enough time to thank Kjell before LOS. Space Jam 9, Rantoul, IL, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign was scheduled to be OR4ISS The astronaut was Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact was successful: Sat 2015-08-08 16:58:02 UTC 33 deg Space Jam 9 just had a successful contact. All 24 questions got asked and we did get 24 answers. The last 3 or 4 were pretty noisy but he was there. There was no notice any signal dropouts and the signal seemed pretty steady throughout. Space Jam 9 has about 1000 scouts there for the weekend. The contact was held outside so all could see. Space Jam 9 did their annual balloon launch, they told me it went to 101000 feet and traveled about 40 miles. They had a beacon going and a cross band repeater. The electronics were recovered just fine. Greetings to all stations from the participants and volunteers of Space Jam 9 in Rantoul, Illinois. Though primarily a weekend Scouting and STEM education event, we are open to all interested youth. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from 24 states have come together in an educational and fun format to learn more about the life skills that will prepare them for the increasingly complex technological future. Training is our theme this year. While it is well known that Scouting teaches pioneering skills like camping and wilderness survival, the new pioneers and wilderness are in outer space and we are working hard at 44 technology oriented Merit Badges and activities, plus some fun things like the Duct Tape Merit Badge. Talking to the astronauts on the ISS is an unforgettable part of the experience at Space Jam and that's next on our list. We will not know for many years whether one of these youths becomes an astronaut themselves but it is certain that they are all part of tomorrow's leaders. ESA Space Camp, Külsheim, Gemany A telebridge contact with students at ESA Space Camp, Külsheim, Gemany, was successful Mon 2015-08-03 10:43:44 UTC 75 deg. The interview was conducted via W6SRJ with astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS, who answered 21 questions for students. The European Space Agency (ESA )Space Camp 2015 was held in the Germany at a sport and activity centre Aktiv-Welt in Külsheim, which is situated on the beautiful landscape of Baden-Württemberg. The camp will run from Sunday 26 July to Saturday 8 August 2015. 165 children aged 8 to 17 years old will be participating in this annual space camp from every ESA establishment in Europe where their parents are working. The children will learn in the spirit of international cooperation and team work where the camp theme of “ My planet, beyond Earth”, will be take these young explorers on a continuing journey around our planet and beyond. The children will be participating in a range of physical and cultural activities as well as a full space education program. Apart from the science element, the children will learn how to work as part of a team, to be respectful of different cultures and embrace and appreciate the various talents each child brings to a group. Good training for any ‘first contacts’ that the future may bring! Learning through active participation will be paramount as with every camp - as well as having FUN! Beyond Earth – as last year, the children will continue to ‘reach for the stars’ with new and innovative activities involving rocket design and launches as well as making observations of the night sky using telescopes. With such an environment as in Külsheim, we hope to explore more of the sky in relatively low light pollution. The children will be expected to communicate activities in a range of ways from designing and drawing to building models. It is hoped that the spirit of fun and collaboration with such an international group of young children will enable them to learn new things as well as share information which will help each other be better acquainted with the space environment their families work in. The audio file can be downloaded from the internet at https://www.dropbox.com/s/eb1y6ke2lgg0h35/ISS-final.mp3?dl=0 Upcoming ARISS Contacts Fleurance Astronomy Festival, France, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is a go for: Fri 2015-08-14 19:42:01 UTC 46 deg Fleurance is a small town located in the South-West of France near Toulouse, in the Gers department, with about 7,000 inhabitants. One of the main specialties of this city is the French gastronomy, and especially everything made from duck (e.g. french foie gras, duck magret) and melon. In terms of beverages, Gers is the home region of Armagnac (french alcohol made from white wine), Floc de Gascogne (made from Armagnac and grape must) and Pousse-Rapiére (made from Armagnac and a kind of Champagne). Since 1991, the French Astronomy Festival takes place in August in Fleurance where more than 10,000 people attend this summer event, the largest European festival on astronomy and space topics. More than 50 international researchers as well as astronauts are welcomed and give lectures to everyone coming to the festival over the week. Since 2006, Astro-jeunes, a kids festival, is organized during the same week, and welcomes more than 200 children per day to unveil them the mysteries of our universe and space conquest history. A dozen of children from this festival and the Fleurance high-school "Hubert Reeves" (sponsor of the Festival) have prepared this contact both with their physics and English teachers. 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 * Live Broadcast of Space Launch System RS-25 Engine Test Firing The Space Launch System, or SLS, Liquid Engines Office is conducting a series of tests for its RS-25 engine. The seven-test series began in January 2015 and will conclude in September 2015. On Aug. 13, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. EDT, a 550-second test will be conducted at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The seven-test series will provide critical data on the new engine controller unit and will show how the RS-25 will perform. New ablative insulation and heaters also will be tested during the series. NASA's SLS will help send humans to deep space destinations like an asteroid and Mars. SLS is an advanced, heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new capability for science and human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. The SLS will give the nation a means to reach beyond our current limits and open new doors of discovery from the unique vantage point of space. The test will be carried live on NASA TV beginning at 4 p.m. EDT and will be streamed at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html. Please make plans to watch and hear the rumble as NASA continues on its Journey to Mars. To learn more about the Space Launch System, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/ [ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Aug. 6, 2015 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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AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - ANS-216 RadFXSat/Fox-1B Launch Opportunity
by JoAnne Maenpaa 03 Aug '15

03 Aug '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-216 In this edition: * RadFXSat/Fox-1B Launch Opportunity Announcement November 2016 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-216.01 ANS-216 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 216.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. August 4, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-216.01 RadFXSat/Fox-1B Launch Opportunity Announcement November 2016 AMSAT has been notified by Scott Higginbotham, Mission Manager for ELaNa-12 (Fox-1A launch) and ELaNa-14 (RadFxSat/Fox-1B launch) in NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center, "The ELaNa-14 CubeSat complement is scheduled to fly along with NOAA's JPSS-1 spacecraft on a Delta II that will be launching from VAFB on November 15, 2016. Due to a number of CubeSats recently dropping off of the manifest for this flight, a door has been opened, and it is my pleasure to inform you that your respective CubeSats (RadFXSat, GoldenEagle-1, EagleSat, and MiRaTA) have all been officially added to the manifest." AMSAT will begin working with Tyvak, the CubeSat Dispenser and Dispenser Integration Contractor for this flight. Additional news regarding the schedule milestones toward meeting launch requirements will be released as more information becomes available. In a message sent to AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Higginbotham concluded, "Congratulations and welcome aboard!" Planned Frequencies for the Fox-1 FM Series Cubesats -------------------------------------------------------------- Uplink FM (67 Hz tone) Downlink FM ---------------------------- ----------- Fox-1A 435.180 MHz 145.980 MHz RadFxSat/Fox-1B * 435.250 MHz 145.960 MHz Fox-1C* 435.300 MHz/1267.300 MHz ** 145.920 MHz Fox-1D* 435.350 MHz/1267.350 MHz ** 145.880 MHz * Pending IARU Coordination, Changes will be announced ** Switchable by command station, not operational simultaneously Download the Fox-1A Operating Guide from the AMSAT Station and Operating Hints page: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2144 [ANS thanks NASA and Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President Engineering for the above information] /EX

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ANS-214 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 01 Aug '15

01 Aug '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-214 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-1A Mated to the Centaur for Launch * AMSAT 2015 Symposium Papers * PCSAT Default Beacon Transmissions on 144.390 MHz * 2015 AMSAT-UK Colloquim Videos Aavilable Online * FUNcube Certificate of Achievement and QSL Card * Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-214.01 ANS-214 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 214.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. August 2, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-214.01 Fox-1A Mated to the Centaur for Launch AMSAT-NA's Fox-1A satellite which will launch on a NASA ELaNa flight from Vandenburg AFB has been mated to the Centaur upper stage which will carry it to orbit. A photo of the NPSCuL mated to the Centaur with the P-POD containing Fox-1A, BisonSat, ARC1 and 7 other P-PODs can be seen on the AMSAT website. http://www.amsat.org/?cat=21 [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT 2015 Symposium Papers The 2015 AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 16-18, 2015. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible. The final copy must be submitted by September 15 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv at amsat.org The 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting will be held October 16, 17, 18, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 33 East 5th Street, in Downtown, Dayton, Ohio. [ANS thanks the 2015 Symposium Committee for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- PCSAT Default Beacon Transmissions on 144.390 MHz An FM APRS signal has been received in England causing interference to the MGM frequency and weak-signal Meteor Scatter (MS) operation which is just below 144.390 MHz. A MS DXpedition was disrupted by such activity earlier in the month and interference has been occurring at various times since. Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, explains that the beacon was planned over 15 years ago for operation only when PCSAT is over North America based on published band plans at that time. Now, after 14 years on orbit, the ability to turn that backup beacon off has been lost. PCSAT (now 14 years old) had a backup fail-safe beacon on 144.39 that would activate after any unknown spacecraft reset to give a backup comm link in case the primary 145.825 channel died. Being on the North American APRS frequency with hundreds of IGates there would always be at least one that would hear this "emergency call home" from PCSAT even though the channel is generally saturated. It worked. The problem is, that now PCSAT resets on every orbit due to negative power budget and so, on every orbit that beacon comes back on. Even if we did get a command up to reset it, that setting would last only 15 minutes to the next eclipse. We learned our lesson! That was our FIRST amateur satellite and we sure learned NOT to use a "connected-packet-command link" that needs ACKS and Retries and logon passwords just to LOGON before you can even send a SHUTUP command. All our satellites since, operate without the multiple Send, connect, ACK, retry, ACK, command, ACK overhead.... just to get one command understood. Now, only the receiver on the spacecraft has to be functional to command it to silence in a single packet. But too late for PCSAT. We are sorry that we have no good answers. But we hope we can mitigate this instance of "friendly fire" collateral damage so that we don't cause an overall black-eye to amateur radio overall friendly operations? What you may hear will be 2 one-second packets per minute, one at 1200 baud and one at 9600 baud, trying to "call home". [ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 AMSAT-UK Colloquim Videos Aavilable Online Thanks to the cooperation between the BATC and AMSAT-UK, this years colloquium footage is becoming available online already. The BATC and AMSAT-UK teams are working to upload all video material on to the AMSAT-UK YouTube account. (http://youtube.com/user/AMSATUK) Video's will become available as soon as uploading is complete. Since the high-definition files are rather large, please allow for some time for editing and uploading. For convenience, if you wish to watch the entire colloquium, go to the playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTDI7lbh1cWq2av8hb6EzddopHERvDH0i [ANS thanks Wouter, PA3WEG, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNcube Certificate of Achievement and QSL Card As announced at the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium 2015, a ‘Certificate of Achievement’ and/or an amateur radio style ‘QSL’ card are now available online. Only those who have successfully received telemetry from FUNcube-1 and uploaded it to the Data Warehouse are able to download these documents. AO-73 (FUNcube-1) The Certificate of Achievement is aimed at educational establishments such as schools, and the QSL card at radio amateurs who would like confirmation of their report. However, station operators are welcome to download both if they wish. Each is personalised with the callsign/name which has been previously registered with the Warehouse, and the date and time of the first packet to be uploaded by the requesting station is also added. Download your Certificate or QSL card from http://amsatuk.me.uk/on/funcube_qsl.php FUNcube-1 (AO-73) Telemetry: • Dashboard App http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/ • Data Warehouse Archive http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/ • Whole orbit data http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/wod.html?satelliteId=2 BBC News video about FUNcube-1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25084547 FUNcube website http://www.FUNcube.org.uk/ FUNcube Yahoo Group http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2015-07-31 23:30 UTC ESA Space Camp, Külsheim, Gemany, via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Mon 2015-08-03 10:47:58 UTC 67 deg Maroochydore State School, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Thu 2015-08-06 10:10:15 UTC 59 deg via LU1CGB Space Jam 9, Rantoul, IL, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Sat 2015-08-08 16:57:49 UTC 33 deg ************************************************************************* >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. /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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AMSAT News Service Bulletin 207
by E.Mike McCardel 26 Jul '15

26 Jul '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-207 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, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech Announce Potential Phase-3E Opportunity * AMSAT Awards Update * Request for help with SPROUT Telemetry Collection * QIKCOM-2 Satellite messages * NEON - Upcoming NASA Education Events For Your Attention * 73 on 73 Awards #21-#26 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-207 ANS-207 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 207 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. July 26, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-207 AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech Announce Potential Phase-3E Opportunity Virginia Tech has approached the US Government to fly the Phase 3-E space frame into High Earth Orbit (HEO) in order to support scientific payloads as well as serve as an amateur radio satellite. During the AMSAT-DL Annual Meeting on 4 JUL 15, the AMSAT-DL membership approved the concept, agreeing to allow the Phase 3-E space frame that is currently stored in Germany to be shipped to Virginia Tech in the USA for further construction, testing and preparation for eventual launch to HEO should the US Government formally agree to fund such a mission. Should the project move forward, AMSAT-NA will apply for frequency coordination from the IARU Satellite Advisor and satellite licensing from the FCC as the satellite's initial operator. Stay tuned to the AMSAT-DL Journal, the AMSAT-NA Journal, and the AMSAT-NA News Service for further developments and details as they become known. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Awards Update Here are our newest award recipients and quite a good batch we have this time. The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO. Andrew Chaloupka, KB9WHV Lesley Swann, KM4BKO Joseph Kornowski, KB6IGK Bill Dillon, KG5FQX ------ AMSAT Communication Achievement Award Toralf Renkwitz, DJ8MS #563 Steve Kristoff, AI9IN #564 ------ AMSAT Sexagesimal Award Toralf Renkwitz, DJ8MS #167 David Webb, KB1VPH #168 ------ AMSAT Century Award David Webb, KB1PVH #43 Paul Stoetzer, N8HM #44 ------ AMSAT South Africa Communication Achievement Award Toralf Renkwitz, DJ8MS #US191 Steve Kristoff, AI9IN #US192 ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Satellite Operator Achievement Award for 1000 contacts Michael McCoy, KC9ELU #83 with 2000, 3000, 4000 endorsements ------ AMSAT Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Satellite Operator Achievement Award for 5000 contacts Michael McCoy, KC9ELU #32 Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html [ANS thanks Bruce KK5DO for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Request for help with SPROUT Telemetry Collection Students from Japan's Nihon University are requesting help gathering telemetry from the SPROUT satellite SPROUT was launched at May 24, 2014 from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. There are 3 main missions in SPROUT. ·Deployment demonstration of inflatable membrane structure. ·Demonstration of attitude determination and control technology for several kilogram class nano-satellite. ·Upbringing of human resources of a space sector For more information http://sat.aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp/sprout-e/ An English document describing SPROUT's FM Telemetry Data Format can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ANS207-SPROUT The students at Nihon University have deployed the demonstration of inflatable membrane structure. They find it necessary to collect as much data as possible to get information on the satellite. They are requesting reception cooperation from anyone who has the means of colecting the data, specifically mebers of AMSAT and amateur radio satellite enthusiasts. If you would like to assist contact, cssu12036 (at) g.nihon-u.ac.jp for more information. [ANS thanks Nihon University Students for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- QIKCOM-2 Satellite messages In a message to the AMSAT-BB on July 22 Bob Bruninga WB4APR, invites proposed standard messages for the next APRS Satellite: Bob writes, "Our next QIKCOM-2 APRS satellite will accept 2 digit uplink DTMF messages to be spoken on the downlink. We have already programmed all of the ARRL standard radio grams and emergency messages. But there is room for more. So think.... What kind of message would you want to send (that is not included in the existing ones) from your HT out in the wilderness. At a hamfest? or any other HAM Radio event or opportunity. Keep them simple and of the same order of length as the existing ones. The existing ones are listed here: http://nts.ema.arrl.org/node/30 But the implementation cannot include blanks for fill-in like the regular ones. But any sentence that stands alone can work. Just thought I'd open it up. Plenty of RAM and only 1 week before delivery... Serious considerations only." To clarify some thought processess Bob added in a subsequent follow- up, "Well, took a few moments and here are some of my ideas. I just realized I can allow a single digit modifier, so the digit can go from 0 to 8. Demonstrating APRStt at Hamfest Demonstrating APRStt to friends I am on schedule. I may be delayed N hours I may be delayed N days I may be early N hours I May be early N days I may quit early N stops I may go farther N stops We are camping and enjoying it greatly. We are hiking and enjoying it greatly. We are sailing and enjoying it greatly Call me on my cell Call my cell on the hour. Or there can maybe be 1-to-8 different whole word modifiers too. Like: Please Send ___ (Money, food, water, supplies, shoes, sleeping bag, blanket,fuel) We are operating on ___ power (Solar, wind, battery, generator, emergency) We are staying with ____ (Mom, dad, sister, brother, uncle, aunt,friends) Please pass to ____ (Mom, dad, sister, brother, uncle, aunt,friends) Just thinkin..." [ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEON - Upcoming NASA Education Events For Your Attention NEON - NASA Educators Online Network Free NASA STEM Education Webinars -- NASA Educator Professional Development Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators + July 27, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. EDT: Exploring Strange New Worlds Series: Exoplanets and Kepler Mission (Grades 4-8) - Celebrate The centuries-old quest for other worlds like our Earth has been rejuvenated by the intense excitement and popular interest surrounding the discovery of hundreds of planets orbiting other stars. There is now clear evidence for substantial numbers of the three types of exoplanets; gas giants, hot super-Earths in short period orbits, and ice giants. During this webinar, teachers will learn to use tools scientists use to determine planet characteristics, learn about the mission and explore and interpret data from the mission. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/133574 + July 28, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. EDT: ISS Across the Curriculum: Social Studies and Geography in Space (Grades 4-8) - The International Space Station (ISS) is not just a science and math mission. It is a unique, orbiting laboratory that travels around the world and across your curriculum. This webinar will explore how the ISS can also be integrated into your social studies and geography curriculum with NASA inquiry lessons, online resources and teaching strategies. Let the ISS bring space and the world around us together in your classroom. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/129777 + July 29, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. EDT: Art and the Cosmic Connection (Grades K-16) - Celebrate New Horizons arrival at Geology meets art! Let you inner geologist use art to recreate craters, mountains, rivers, wind driven landscapes and more. Learn to read planetary images as well as Earth images. Meets NGSS for Earth Place in the Universe, Earth Systems, and with Social Studies integrations. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/134190 + July 30, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. EDT: Rockets 2 Racecars: Session 4 - Educators Go Green (Grades 3-9) - Get your students revved up about science, technology, engineering and mathematics with NASA's Rockets 2 Racecars (R2R) STEM Education webinar series! In this webinar you will have access to various solar and engineering activities for the classroom and will discover various solar energy uses in space as well as on planet Earth. Join NASA Specialists to discuss how NASA utilizes the power of the Sun in our missions, such as the International Space Station and Mars Exploration Rovers, as well as how Pocono Raceway uses solar energy at the Pocono Raceway track! This webinar is guaranteed to brighten your day! Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/133233 For the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development webinar schedule, go to: http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/ [ANS thanks NEON - NASA Educators Online Network for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 73 on 73 Awards #21-#26 Several 73 on 73 Awards have been recently issued. Congratulations to all! #21 - Kiyosi Hasegawa, JA3FWT #22 - Mariusz Kocot, SQ9MES #23 - Hector Luis Martinez, W5CBF #24 - George Carr, WA5KBH #25 - Michel Ribot, F6GLJ #26 - Paul Stoetzer, N8HM (application reviewed and award issued by W5PFG) For more information on the award see http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ [ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between [Entity, City, State, Country] and Astronaut [NAME, CALLSIGN] using Callsign [CALLSIGNE. 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. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule United Space School, Seabrook, TX 12:52 UTC July 28 An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at United Space School, Seabrook, TX on 28 July. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:52 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The scheduled astronaut is Kimiya Yui KG5BPH The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. The United Space School is the premier educational program hosted by the Foundation for International Space Education (FISE). For two weeks each summer, FISE invites approximately 50 students from 23 different countries to the Clear Lake, Texas area to introduce them to aspects of working in the space sciences. During their stay, the students work together in teams to assemble a manned mission to Mars, utilizing knowledge gained from guest lecturers and interactive field trips. The Foundation for International Space Education Board of Directors has two head teachers and five team mentors to assist the students in their day-to-day activities. United Space School culminates in a project presentation, in which the students present their final project to a panel of industry experts and the public. Upon successful completion of their final project presentation, the students are awarded a graduation certificate. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. How has your understanding of the universe changed now that you are seeing it from space? 2. What do you think about the plans of some multi-billion dollar investors to mine raw materials on asteroids and satellites? 3. If you were in an emergency situation inside the ISS where an ammonia leak is quite high and the hatches don't work, what would you propose as escape route to save you and your team, and why? 4. What is the most interesting experiment to perform, and why? 5. Do you see the speed of space travel progressing much further than the point it's at now (within our own solar system)? 6. When you return to Earth what do you think you will miss most about the Space Station? 7. What are your expectations of the manned trip to Mars? 8. Isn't the NanoRacks deployer a cool temperature when it's actually working? 9. How do you maintain a natural sleep pattern aboard the ISS? 10. What were the steps you took to become an astronaut? Do you have any advice for those of us who wish to go into space? 11. What do you think the biggest challenge to the space industry today, besides budget? 12. In terms of hardware, if you could have one thing installed on the ISS, what would it be? 13. What went through your mind while listening to the final countdown before lift-off? 14. How does the ISS keep away from space junk? 15. What are the first effects that you feel in zero gravity? 16. What was a favorite experience of yours while in space school? 17. How many meals do you eat in a day, and has your appetite changed at all? 18. Is moving around in microgravity conditions always fun, or does it get uncomfortable and annoying? 19. What do you think the most important decision you made that put you on the path to becoming an astronaut? 20. Have you ever seen anything weird in space you couldn't explain? 21. What planet would you like to investigate more, aside from Mars? Next planned event: 23rd World Scout Jamboree Nippon Boy Scout Amateur Radio Club, Bunkyo-ku, Japan, direct via 8N23WSJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS Contact is a go for: Fri 2015-07-31 11:26 UTC PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES: Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status Exp. 44 is now on orbit. Welcome aboard! Oleg Kononenko RN3DX Kimiya Yui KG5BPH Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS >From 2015-12-20 to 2016-01-04, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team. 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. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + On July 22, 1962 the first live public trans-Atlantic TV broadcast was relayed by Telstar 1, a communications satellite that had been launched two weeks earlier. The broadcast featured CBS's Walter Cronkite and NBC's Chet Huntley in New York and the BBC's Richard Dimbleby in Brussels. Later that same day the satellite relayed the first telephone call to be transmitted through space. Although it is no longer fully functional, Telstar 1 is still in orbit around Earth. https://youtu.be/xdaHYAReYkg + What does it take to test, build and launch a compact (yet highly sophisticated) satellite into orbit? U-M students explain in this behind-the-scenes look at U-M's latest CubSat: http://tinyurl.com/UMich-Cubesat --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX AMSAT User Services and the Editors of the AMSAT New Service pass on our condolences to ANS Weekly Co-Editor Joe Spier K6WAO and his family on the death of Joe's mother this week. In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-206 Special Bulletin - AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech Announce Potential Phase-3E Opportunity
by JoAnne Maenpaa 25 Jul '15

25 Jul '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-206 In this edition: * AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech Announce Potential Phase-3E Opportunity SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-206.01 ANS-206 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 206.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. July 25, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-206.01 AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and Virginia Tech Announce Potential Phase-3E Opportunity Virginia Tech has approached the US Government to fly the Phase 3-E space frame into High Earth Orbit (HEO) in order to support scientific payloads as well as serve as an amateur radio satellite. During the AMSAT-DL Annual Meeting on 4 JUL 15, the AMSAT-DL membership approved the concept, agreeing to allow the Phase 3-E space frame that is currently stored in Germany to be shipped to Virginia Tech in the USA for further construction, testing and preparation for eventual launch to HEO should the US Government formally agree to fund such a mission. Should the project move forward, AMSAT-NA will apply for frequency coordination from the IARU Satellite Advisor and satellite licensing from the FCC as the satellite's initial operator. Stay tuned to the AMSAT-DL Journal, the AMSAT-NA Journal, and the AMSAT-NA News Service for further developments and details as they become known. /EX

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ANS-200 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 18 Jul '15

18 Jul '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-200 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 Board of Directors Ballots in the Mail * W5KUB.com webcast with AMSAT; New Perk for Fox-1C donations * School Shortlist for Tim Peake Space Station Contact * SA AMSAT Kletskous Solar Cell Purchase * Pico and Nano Satellite Workshop in Würzburg * International Space Colloquium Guildford – Speakers for Saturday, July 25 * Duchifat1 Updates * Amateur Radio Geostationary Transponder and the Adventures of a Hacker Turned Ham * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-200.01 ANS-200 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 200.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE July 19, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-200.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots in the Mail Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by 15 SEP 2015 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means. This year there are eight candidates: Barry Baines, WD4ASW Jerry Buxton, N0JY Steve Coy, K8UD Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Mark Hammond, N8MH EMike McCardel, KC8YLD Bob McGwier, N4HY Bruce Paige, KK5DO The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than four candidates. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W5KUB.com webcast with AMSAT; New Perk for Fox-1C donations Check out the AMSAT VPs of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA on the W5KUB.com webcast from July 14th, talking all about Fox and AMSAT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGvaQCF-Rro Also, we have a new perk available for donations of $1,000 or more. Eighteen donors will receive engraved, mounted solar panel protective covers actually used on Fox-1C. Don’t miss this limited availability perk for supporting your amateur satellite program! Donations may be made via the AMSAT website, via the FundRazr crowdsourcing app at http://fnd.us/c/6pz92/sh/561Zd or via the AMSAT office at (888) 322-6728. [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- School Shortlist for Tim Peake Space Station Contact On Tuesday, July 14 at the UK Space Conference in Liverpool the names were announced of the UK schools which have won the opportunity to contact UK astronaut Tim Peake via amateur radio during his mission to the International Space Station. Tim holds the call sign KG5BVI and is expected to use the special call GB1SS from the amateur radio station in the Columbus module of the ISS. Tim will launch to the ISS in December of this year and will spend 6 months working and living in space. The Amateur Radio competition is a collaboration between the UK Space Agency, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Selected schools will host a direct link-up with the ISS during a two-day, space related STEM workshop which will be the culmination of a large range of learning activities using space as a context for teaching throughout the curriculum. ARISS UK (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) will provide and set up all necessary radio equipment such as low earth orbit satellite tracking antennas and radios, to establishing a fully functional, direct radio link with the ISS from the schools’ very own 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. Owing to the nature of scheduling the links, which is dependent on geography, the exact orbit of the ISS and the crew schedules, the exact dates and times for possible links will not be known until 2 weeks before the link up is scheduled. The shortlisted schools will all be prepared for such scheduling challenges and, by having a number of schools, we can ensure that all links are used. Jeremy Curtis, Head of Education at the UK Space Agency, said: We’re delighted with the amount of interest in this exciting project and look forward to working with the selected schools as they make a call into space. Both Tim’s space mission and amateur radio have the power to inspire young people and encourage them into STEM subjects. By bringing them together we can boost their reach and give young people around the UK the chance to be involved in a space mission and a hands-on project that will teach them new skills. The following schools have been shortlisted for a possible ARISS call with Tim whilst he is in orbit on the ISS: Ashfield Primary School, Otley, West Yorkshire The Derby High School, Derby The Kings School, Ottery St Mary Norwich School, Norwich Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol Powys Secondary Schools Joint, Powys Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth Sandringham School, St Albans St Richard’s Catholic College, Bexhill-on-Sea Wellesley House School, Broadstairs John Gould, G3WKL, President of the RSGB, said: The Radio Society of Great Britain will be delighted to support shortlisted schools by teaching their pupils about amateur radio and helping them through their licence exams where appropriate. Members of our Youth Committee are based across the UK and will be keen to visit the chosen schools in their area and chat to the pupils. The ARISS UK Operations team will now work with the shortlisted schools to prepare them for this exceptional opportunity during the mission of the first British ESA Astronaut. ARISS Europe http://www.ariss-eu.org/ [ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SA AMSAT Kletskous Solar Cell Purchase SA AMSAT made a significant investment in the KLETSKOUS project by placing an order for solar cells with an overseas supplier. The solar cells will be used to build the first prototype solar panels for testing with the power unit. The electrical power system (EPS) is the sub-system that provides various other systems and the payload with power, and controls the charging and conditioning of the batteries. The first prototype was tested with panels borrowed from the Denel Dynamic CubeSat project. "We are looking forward to building our own panels to meet the physical dimension requirements of the space frame," Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, said. Fritz Sutherland, ZS6FSJ, who built the prototype, which he showed at the recently held SA AMSAT Space Symposium, designed the EPS. Both Hannes Coetzee and Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ, who recently joined the project team, will build the solar panels. The Kletskous project is funded by donations from radio amateurs. To learn more about the project and how to make your financial contribution visit www.amsatsa.org.za [ANS thanks SA AMSAT and the SARL weekly news in English 2015-7-11 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pico and Nano Satellite Workshop in Würzburg The Pico and Nano Satellite Workshop in Würzburg will be held on September 15-16, 2015. We are happy to announce that several national and international institutions acknowledged the value of our workshop by providing co-sponsoring for this event. Thus, we would like to point out the great opportunity to further disseminate your scientific results as selected best contributions will be invited for paper publication in a conference proceedings in the IAA book series on Small Satellites. If you want to take the opportunity to present your current progress in the field of pico- and nano-satellites please do not forget to submit your presentation abstract by sending an email to pina2015(a)informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de until July 20, 2015. For more information and latest updates about the workshop please visit our website: http://www7.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/conferences/pina2015/ [ANS thanks the PiNa Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Colloquium Guildford – Speakers for Saturday, July 25 There is a great line up of speakers for the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium at the Holiday Inn, Guildford as well as visits to the satellite construction facilities at the SSTL Kepler Building. The event is open to all. Admittance is £10 for the day and car parking is free. Speakers for Saturday, July 25 • Introduction by Prof. Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO OBE, FRS, FREng, FIET • SSTL Update by Tony Holt, Director, SSTL • The Satellite Applications Catapult PocketQube Kit by Chris Brunskill • AMSAT-DL Presention by Peter Guelzow DB2OS • What else does Space do for You! by Prof. Richard Holdaway, former Director RAL Space • The Nayif-1 opportunity by Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG • AMSAT-NA / Fox-1 Presentation by Drew Glassbrenner KO4MA • Dutch Satellite Days by Ivo Klinkert PA1IVO Further details at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Duchifat1 Updates Duchifat1, launched 1 year ago, was supposed to have onboard a "standard" space APRS transceiver operating on 145.825MHz. That would have made the satellite compatible with ISS, other APRS satellites and APRS-IS. Unfortunately, a short time before launch, we realized that technically we couldn't keep the intended 145.825MHz transceiver in the final satellite configuration but we still wanted to make some contribution to amateur radio in space. After a quick research we discovered that the 2nd transceiver onboard Duchifat1, the ISIS (Netherlands) TRXUV planned for Duchifat1's command and telemetry can be programmed to also accept APRS packets!, however, limited to 14 characters long. Also, the downlink digital modulation was not the common space APRS of 1200bd AFSK but 1200bd BPSK, and the uplink frequency is in the UHF band. We therefore came with the idea of supporting COMPRESSED APRS, and instead of the standard digipeater, we implement kind of "store&forward" function in which the satellite collects packets during its flight in orbit and the students of Herzliya Science Center will download those packets and display them on a world map in a web site programmed by them. We published here a few weeks ago the opening of this service and put in our web site detailed instructions on how to use the Byonics TinyTrak4 (TT4) tracker, with or without GPS to generate packets in the required format that Duchifat1 will accept. So far, TWO pioneers used this service. THANKS PETER & MIKE! While the TT4 solution is still the best we know for sending your actual live position to Duchifat1, we are happy to announce the 'APRS Encoder', a new tool in our web site that can generate for you the COMPRESSED APRS packet for Duchifat1. The input for the new APRS Encoder is the station's (or nearby) coordinates set that can be obtained from Google Maps, so this solution is naturally adequate for stationary base stations, while mobile stations should still use the Byonics TT4. The output of the APRS Encoder is a 14 character long Compressed APRS packet that can be converted to 1200bd AFSK with a hardware TNC or software like MIXW – just copy the 14 chars string and paste it into the MIXW window. The MIXW should be set to mode Packet, using the most common "VHF 1200 baud (Standard 1200/2200Hz)" setting. Prior registration is required. All the details on the satellite, the registration and the APRS Encoder are at this link: www.h-space-lab.org Please read all the documentation in the site. We wish you all good luck and enjoy! 73 from 4X4HSC team: instructors 4Z1WS and 4X1DG, and the students! [ANS thanks AMSAT-BB and AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio Geostationary Transponder and the Adventures of a Hacker Turned Ham HamRadioNow episode 211 features two presentations given at the TAPR/AMSAT banquet on Friday, May 15 at the 2015 Dayton Hamvention. The first is about the Amateur Radio transponder on the geostationary satellite Es’hail 2 by Thani Ali al-Malki followed by Adventures of a Hacker Turned Ham by Michael Ossmann AD0NR. The night begins with a short presentation on what will be the first Amateur Radio transponder on a geostationary satellite, a project of the Qatar Amateur Radio Society, with help from AMSAT DL (Germany). The satellite, Es’HailSAT-2, is owned by the Qatar Satellite Company, and senior engineer Thani Ali al-Malki will give the details. Western Hemisphere hams will be disappointed that the satellite footprint won’t cover anything in North America or Australia, and just a bit of South America. The satellite is primarily a communications system for Qatar and the Middle East, but the ham transponder will also cover Europe, Africa and western Asia (but also missing the China coast and Japan). Michael Ossmann, AD0NR, founder of Great Scott Gadgets grew up as a computer nerd embracing the hacker ethos. Eventually Michael became very interested in the security of wireless systems such as remote keyless entry, garage door openers, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. He designed Ubertooth One, a Bluetooth sniffer that was successfully funded on Kickstarter. Not one to rest, Michael later designed and successfully funded HackRF One, an open source SDR platform that attracted the attention of the amateur radio community. Michael talks about his unique perspective on the community as an outsider looking in, why he resisted getting an amateur radio license for years, and why he finally decided to join. Michael shares his thoughts on what it means to be a hacker, what it means to be a ham, and what amateur radio may look like in the decades to come. TAPR President Steve Bible N7HPR‘s introduction establishes the youth theme with an interesting survey of the crowd. http://arvideonews.com/hrn/HRN_Episode_0211.html Previous editions of HamRadioNow http://www.youtube.com/user/HamRadioNow/videos Es’hail 2 geostationary satellite http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geosynchronous/eshail-2/ [ANS thanks 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, 7-8 August 2015 – Austin Summerfest in Austin TX* *Saturday, 15 August 2015 – Arctic Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Fairbanks AK *Sunday, 16 August 2015 – demonstration at Chena Hot Springs AK *Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 August 2015 – Boxboro Hamfest and ARRL New England Convention in Boxborough MA *Saturday and Sunday, 5-6 September - ARRL Roanoke Division Convention Shelby, NC Hamfest, AMSAT Forum scheduled for Saturday *Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 16-18 2015, AMSAT Symposium in Dayton OH (Dayton Crown Plaza) [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Contacts Pima County 4H/Vail Vaqueros 4H Club, Tucson, AZ, direct via W7LB The ISS callsign was scheduled to be RSØISS/OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut was Mikhail Korniyenko RN3BF Contact was not successful: Wed 2015-07-15 18:01:42 UTC 67 deg ARISS is attempting to determine what happened. Moon Day/ Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas, TX, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign was scheduled to be RSØISS/OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut was Mikhail Korniyenko RN3BF Contact was successful: Sat 2015-07-18 16:58 UTC 84 deg The Moon Day contact was successful with 11 questions asked and 10 fully answered. The answer to the 11th question was lost in the noise at LOS. Participants asked the following questions: 1. How do you get internet? 2. How is your perspective of Earth different from ours who have not been to space? 3. What has been your most exciting and memorable experience during your time on the International space station? 4. As you don't have gravity in the Space Station, and nothing drops or drips down, what happens to a scoop of ice cream in space when it melts? Once it has melted, can you suck it up with a straw? Have you ever tried that? 5. What happens to fire in space? 6. What do you eat when in space? 7. What happens if an astronaut gets sick in space? Do they have a doctor on board? If not, do they have to go back to Earth early for treatment? 8. Has your time on the space station helped in the research of finding a way to send someone to Mars for a longer period of time? 9. If a meteorite, space junk, or another spacecraft collides with the ISS, or there was a fire on board, what kind of emergency procedures would be performed to ensure station integrity and crew safety? 10. What has been your biggest unexpected obstacle, and how did you solve it and still reach your goal? 11. How do you put on your spacesuit to go out in space? Upcoming ARISS Contacts Albert Park College, Albert Park, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS/OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Mikhail Korniyenko RN3BF Contact is a go for: Mon 2015-07-20 08:40:28 UTC 30 deg Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over * Illinois High Altitude Balloon to Carry Repeater and SSTV The Balloon Assisted Stratospheric Experiments team at DePauw University plans to launch a high altitude balloon, BASE-85, on August 8, 2015 at 07:45 CDT (UTC - 5). The launch will be from the Chanute Air Museum in Rantoul, Illinois which is approximately 100 miles south of Chicago. The amateur radio payload on this balloon will include: + Telemetry: APRS: 144.390Mhz, APRS.FI: WB9SA-11; QRZ: WB9SA + Cross-Band FM Repeater: Uplink 144.34 MHz; Downlink 446.025 MHz. + SSTV unit will operate on 147.48 MHz using Scottie2 - 72 seconds on 30 seconds off. + 900 MHz tracking system. + DF beacon at 443 MHz Website: http://www.depauw.edu/academics/departments-programs/physics-astronomy/depa… ment-research/base/ [ANS thanks the BALLOON_SKED(a)yahoogroups.com e-mail list for the above information] ARISS SSTV Images Commmemorate 40th Anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Mission 40 years ago this week, the historic joint Apollo-Soyuz mission was conducted. Apollo-Soyuz (or Soyuz-Apollo in Russia) represented the first joint USA-Soviet mission and set the stage for follow-on Russia-USA space collaboration on the Space Shuttle, Mir Space Station and the International Space Station. The Soyuz and Apollo vehicles were docked from July 17-19, 1975, during which time joint experiments and activities were accomplished with the 3 USA astronauts and 2 Soviet Cosmonauts on-board. Apollo-Soyuz was the final mission of the Apollo program and the last USA human spaceflight mission until the first space shuttle mission in 1981. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this historic international event, the ARISS team has developed a series of 12 Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images that will be sent down for reception by schools, educational organizations and ham radio operators, worldwide. The SSTV images are planned to start sometime Saturday morning, July 18 and run through Sunday July 19. These dates are tentative and are subject to change. The SSTV images can be received on 145.80 MHz and displayed using several different SSTV computer programs that are available on the internet. We encourage you to submit your best received SSTV images to: http://spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/submit.php The ARISS SSTV image gallery will post the best SSTV images received from this event at: http://spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php Also, as a special treat, on Saturday July 18 the ISS Cosmonauts will take time out to conduct an ARISS contact with students attending the Moon Day/Frontiers of Flight Museum event in Dallas Texas. This Russian Cosmonaut-USA Student contact is planned to start around 16:55 UTC through the W6SRJ ground station located in Santa Rosa, California. ARISS will use the 145.80 MHz voice frequency downlink (same as the SSTV downlink) for the Moon Day contact. For more information on ARISS, please go to our web site: www.ariss.org The ARISS international team would like to thank our ARISS-Russia colleague, Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, for his leadership on this historic commemoration. [ANS thanks ARISS, and Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair 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-195 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN - ARISS SSTV Images to Commmemorate 40th Anniversary of the Apollo- Soyuz Mission
by E.Mike McCardel 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-195 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. In this edition: * ARISS SSTV Images to Commmemorate 40th Anniversary of the Apollo- Soyuz Mission SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-195.01 ANS-195 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 195.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. July 14, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-195.01 ARISS SSTV Images to Commmemorate 40th Anniversary of the Apollo- Soyuz Mission 40 years ago this week, the historic joint Apollo-Soyuz mission was conducted. Apollo-Soyuz (or Soyuz-Apollo in Russia) represented the first joint USA-Soviet mission and set the stage for follow-on Russia- USA space collaboration on the Space Shuttle, Mir Space Station and the International Space Station. The Soyuz and Apollo vehicles were docked from July 17-19, 1975, during which time joint experiments and activities were accomplished with the 3 USA astronauts and 2 Soviet Cosmonauts on-board. Apollo-Soyuz was the final mission of the Apollo program and the last USA human spaceflight mission until the first space shuttle mission in 1981. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this historic international event, the ARISS team has developed a series of 12 Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images that will be sent down for reception by schools, educational organizations and ham radio operators, worldwide. The SSTV images are planned to start sometime Saturday morning, July 18 and run through Sunday July 19. These dates are tentative and are subject to change. The SSTV images can be received on 145.80 MHz and displayed using several different SSTV computer programs that are available on the internet. We encourage you to submit your best received SSTV images to: http://spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/submit.php The ARISS SSTV image gallery will post the best SSTV images received from this event at: http://spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php Also, as a special treat, on Saturday July 18 the ISS Cosmonauts will take time out to conduct an ARISS contact with students attending the Moon Day/Frontiers of Flight Museum event in Dallas Texas. This Russian Cosmonaut-USA Student contact is planned to start around 16:55 UTC through the W6SRJ ground station located in Santa Rosa, California. ARISS will use the 145.80 MHz voice frequency downlink (same as the SSTV downlink) for the Moon Day contact. For more information on ARISS, please go to our web site: www.ariss.org The ARISS international team would like to thank our ARISS-Russia colleague, Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, for his leadership on this historic commemoration. [ANS thanks Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair for the above information] /EX AMSAT User Services and the Editors of the AMSAT New Service pass on our condolences to ANS Weekly Co-Editor Joe Spier K6WAO and his family on the death of Joe's mother this week. In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information. 73, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-193 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 11 Jul '15

11 Jul '15

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-193 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: * DeorbitSail Launch Information * AMSAT Field Day Submission Deadline 13 July 2015 * AMSAT Featured on Live W5KUB.com Tuesday, July 14 Webcast * International Space Colloquium at Guildford * ARISS Challenge Coin * Delfi-C3 RASCAL Update Necessary for New Server IP Address * CAMSAT Launch Postponement SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-193.01 ANS-193 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 193.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. July 12, 2015 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-193.01 DeorbitSail Launch Information The CubeSat DeorbitSail built by researchers and radio amateurs at the Surrey Space Centre in Guildford carries a 1200 bps BPSK beacon on 145.975 MHz. The satellite was successfully launched at 1628 UT on Friday, July 10. DeorbitSail is a 3U CubeSat sized satellite with a deployable sail that will demonstrate rapid deorbiting. Chris Bridges 2E0OBC writes: Dear AMSAT’ers, CubeSat’ers, Friends, Please find attached exclusive details of a UK CubeSat called DeorbitSail flying out tomorrow evening on PSLV. Please feel free to distribute to other hams that can help out. This contains all the info you should need including: • Initial TLE • DeorbitSail Flyer > Launch details, etc. • Predicted first packet transmission on 145.975 MHz, 1k2 BPSK -> we predict to be over Russia in the evening. First packets sent in will get a Signed Certificate of thanks from the team! If you have any telemetry or TLE/frequency information, please send it to me and/or to deorbitsail.messages(a)gmail.com so we can quickly learn our satellite state. Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! 73 Chris 2E0OBC DEORBITSAIL 1 55554U 58056A 15191.72643157 .00000000 00000-0 +13828-4 0 335 2 55554 97.9842 81.0881 0007584 273.9578 86.0949 14.75593446209360 Follow @SpaceAtSurrey on Twitter Deorbitsail website http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ssc/research/space_vehicle_control/deorbitsail/ ISRO PSLV-C28 / DMC3 Mission http://www.isro.gov.in/launcher/pslv-c28-dmc3-mission [ANS thanks Chris 2E0OBC, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Field Day Submission Deadline 13 July 2015 For those of you that only worked one or two stations on the satellite or if you worked 10, 20, 50 or more stations, please still submit your scores for Field Day. Although the form online at http://www.amsat.org (click on the Events tab and then the Field Day link) is in PDF format, you can copy and paste the submission portion into Word (amazing how they migrate back and forth). Or you can download the DOCX file from http://www.amsatnet.com/fd2015.docx Please remember that ARRL submissions are due much later than our submission date. Your submission must be received by 11:59 PM Central Time on July 13, 2015 (Monday). That will leave less than a week to tabulate and write the article for the Journal. Please include any pictures that will show off your field day site. We have had flamingos, long horn steers, clocks running on lemons, campers, ladder towers and all kinds of neat stuff in the past. You will receive confirmation that your submission was received, usually sometime that day. If you do not receive confirmation, please send to the other email address, or send to both at the same time. kk5do(a)arrl.net kk5do(a)amsat.org [ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Featured on Live W5KUB.com Tuesday, July 14 Webcast Join hosts Ted Randall, WB8PUM, and Tom Medlin, W5KUB, on the live ham show Tuesday, July 14, at 8:00 PM CT on W5KUB.com. In addition to watching on w5kub.com, this show is simulcast on powerful shortwave station WTWW on 5085 KHz. Call-in phone lines are open during the show. Guests this week include AMSAT Vice President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY and Vice President Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA. Jerry and Drew will talk about the latest AMSAT information: + Fox-1A launch coming this fall + Operational satellites + AMSAT's future opportunities The webcast window and an accompanying chat room for the show are on Tom's web page: http://w5kub.com/ If you wish to get on the chat room you'll need to pre-register with Tom's site. When you get to W5KUB.com the chat room should open automatically. Or, you can click on the icon at the bottom right of Tom's page. Select "new user". Many use their call sign for their username. The webcast is recorded and is available a day or so later if you miss the live show. [ANS thanks Tom Medlin, W5KUB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Colloquium at Guildford The AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held on July 24- 26 at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, UK. Among the speakers will be: • Peter Guelzow DB2OS with an update on AMSAT-DL projects, including the Phase 4 satellite • Chris Brunskill, formerly of Surrey Space Centre (SSC), now working at the Space Catapult at the Harwell Campus. He will be presenting an extremely novel project aimed at schools and education • It is hoped the BATC will be able to demonstrate live Digital TV reception from the International Space Station, using the Ham TV system • Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA, from AMSAT North America will be attending, and presenting the latest news of the FOX satellite(s) due for launch later this year, and also on their Phase 4 project The Colloquium is open to all further information is at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Challenge Coin The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is announcing a brand new ARISS Challenge Coin that will be a thank you memento to donors who give to ARISS. The beautiful coin will be a keepsake to treasure. The ARISS program relies on resource support from NASA, ARRL, AMSAT, and individual donors to ensure continuing the day-to-day operations and communications, and to pay for space-flight certification of equipment. Current finances to sustain operations in future years are insufficient. The ARISS program is initiating a fundraising campaign with the goal of securing greater financial stability for the program. According to ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, “To assure the future of the program we are looking to individuals and corporate sponsors to provide the resources we will need to sustain operations and to acquire needed equipment upgrades.” Plans are underway to develop a new higher power Amateur Radio station for the ISS Columbus module. The current radio is a lower power unit that sometimes results in weak signals. A new radio system will improve the communications for education groups whose students are scheduled for ARISS contacts and related educational activities. The new system will also allow greater interoperability between the Columbus Module and the Russian Service Module. Integration of the equipment into the ISS infrastructure and required testing and certification require hours of engineering resources that ARISS must pay for and cannot afford. Each ARISS contact offers the opportunity to inspire young people through ARISS’ unique window into space exploration activities, opening the horizon of possibilities of a career in a STEM field. Each contact also introduces students and their communities to Amateur Radio—all positives for Amateur Radio and our country and world. ARISS needs your help to secure these opportunities for the future. Individuals may make donations to ARISS online at www.amsat.org by selecting the “Donate ARISS” button. (AMSAT-NA will provide people resources to handle your gifts to ARISS.) Individuals contributing $100 US or more will receive the brand new ARISS Challenge Coin. Corporate donors may contact Frank Bauer at KA3HDO(a)verizon.net or ARISS(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Delfi-C3 RASCAL Update Necessary for New Server IP Address Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, reported this week that due to security and maintenance reasons the Delfi-C3 team had to migrate the Delfi-C3 telemetry server to a new environment. This change also required that the IP address for uploading data needed to change. This means your server settings in RASCAL need to be updated to: New IP: 131.180.122.144 Port: 1099 On July 9 Wouter reported, "The migration has been completed almost without a problem. We still have some minor issues to sort out. Telemetry submission is operating normally but the database performance seems slow. This makes processing more difficult on our end. New user accounts cannot be created but new users can successfully submit received data via the 'guest' account." The team reports that Delfi-C3 is doing great. They have long exceeded the design lifetime of the satellite and she continues to work well. They appreciate your help in acquiring data of Delfi-C3 and hope that you continue to track their "old" bird in the future as well! [ANS thanks Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG and the Delfi-C3 team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAMSAT Launch Postponement A launch postponement has been announced for Beijing’s new CZ-6 rocket which is planned to carry a constellation of amateur radio satellites. Soon to be launched six CAMSAT satellites CAS-3A to F have now been named as XW-2 (Hope-2) amateur satellite system, and correspond to the XW-2A to F. All the satellites have completed environmental testing, currently being burn-in tests, everything is underway. The satellites will be moved to the launch center in mid-August and launch date has been postponed to early September. [ANS thanks Alan, BA1DU, 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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