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ANS-148 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 28 May '23

28 May '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-148 In this edition: * 2023 Hamvention Wrap-Up * AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager Retires * New SO-50 Distance Record * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 25, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-148 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 May 28 2023 Hamvention Wrap-Up The 2023 Dayton Hamvention is in the books! It was a great weekend in Xenia, OH and at the various other events in the surrounding area. The AMSAT booth and satellite demo area saw continuous traffic and attendees had an excellent time at the informal AMSAT Dinner at Tickets on Thursday evening and the TAPR/AMSAT Banquet on Friday evening. The AMSAT forum from Saturday afternoon can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTYTVTzJlXk&t=14680s (the ARISS forum precedes the AMSAT forum, so you can back up the live stream to view that) The video presented at the AMSAT forum featuring AMSAT engineers can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6zTtJZPfL8 Grace Papay, KE8RJU, gave a talk at the Youth Forum on "Amateur Radio Satellites Both Near and Far" and her presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U-jsYYHY8w&t We hope everyone enjoyed Hamvention this year and hope to see everyone in Xenia next May! [ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention Team for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager Retires It is time for me to retire from the position of AMSAT-NA Orbital Elements Manager. I have held this position since October 8, 1993, when I inherited it from Dick Campbell, WR5RW (formally N3FKV). I also inherited a BASIC sorting program from Dick which has faithfully produced the AMSAT TLE format each week for almost 30 years. Today I have to use an emulator, but it consistently produces the format we (and our computer tracking programs) expect to see. But, have no fear, Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P has been developing a software-based system that pulls the TLE data directly from the internet (Space-Track, 18SPCS), formats it, and sends it out to the amateur radio community. Joe has been testing it for over a month now and it is ready to go! It has been a privilege to serve AMSAT as Orbital Elements Manager and I will miss the Thursday night routine of sending out the AMSAT TLE. But to those who have helped me along the way … thanks. Special thanks to Keith Pugh (W5IU Silent key), Dick Campbell (WR5RW), Nico Janssen (PA0DLO), and also to Joe Fitzgerald (KM1P) for stepping up to the job. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ New SO-50 Distance Record A new distance record has been claimed on SO-50. During a SOTA activation of Pine Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on May 24, 2023 at 13:16 UTC, Joe Werth, KE9AJ, worked George Mamjis, MI0ILE, in Northern Ireland. KE9AJ's location was EN55wu90gp and MI0ILE's location was IO64wn80. The distance between the two locations is 5,584 km. The previous record on this satellite was 5,523 km - set by F4DXV and N1AIA on October 24, 2018. [ANS thanks Joe Werth, KE9AJ, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 25, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT-NA TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Muslyumovo, Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Sun 2023-05-28 14:25 UTC Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV The ARISS mentor is ON6TI Contact is go for: Wed 2023-05-31 08:42:20 UTC 66 deg Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV The ARISS mentor is ON6TI Contact is go for: Thu 2023-06-01 07:53:35 UTC 51 deg Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Thu 2023-06-01 08:10 UTC Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Sat 2023-06-10 10:15 UTC The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for U.S. EVA targeting June 09. OFF June 08 about TBD. ON June 10 about TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting June 28. OFF June 27 about TBD. ON June 29 about TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for U.S. EVA targeting June 09. OFF June 08 about TBD. ON June 10 about TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting June 28. OFF June 27 about TBD. ON June 29 about TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations From Mike, N8MR: I will be in EN84, EN85 and EN76 from Friday, May 26 thru Monday, May 29. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR. Major Roves: I post ’em as soon as I know about ’em. Just be aware that I still work roughly 60 hours a week. Tnx! Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up." [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + John Shoffner, KO4MJC, pilot of the Axios Space AX-2 mission, was reported to have made casual QSOs from the ISS via the ISS repeater on May 25, 2023. (Thanks to ARISS for this information) + The Tevel-3 and Tevel-6 satellites will be active through May 29, 2023 at 18:35 UTC. Downlink frequency = 436.400 MHz, Uplink frequency = 145.970MHz NO PL tone. (Thanks David Greenberg, 4X1DG, for this information) + Four CubeSats developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) were launched on a Korean NURI rocket this past week. These CubeSats were not IARU coordinated and the downlink of one of the satellites is on 437.800 MHz. This has the potential to cause QRM to the ISS FM repeater. (Thanks PE0SAT for the above information) + URESAT Antonio de Nebrija is expected to launch on the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission on June 8th. Details available at https://www-ure-es.translate.goog/uresat-antonio-de-nebrija-sera-lanzado-el… (Thanks to URE for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-141 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 21 May '23

21 May '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-141 In this edition: * Eleven U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process * Tevel Satellites Added to ARRL Logbook of the World * SpaceX Ax-2 Mission Is 'Go' For May 21 Launch * 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election - Call for Nominations * 2023 AMSAT Field Day - Rules * 2023 AMSAT Field Day - More Thoughts * How Moon-based Telescopes Could Revolutionize Astronomy * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-141 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 May 21 Eleven U.S. Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the January-June 2024 window. A total 11 of the submitted ARISS Education Proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities. The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for these US host organizations. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS operations team, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA in January through June 2024. The schools and host organizations are: Belmont Elementary School Woodbridge, Virginia Mountain View Elementary Marietta, Georgia Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, Florida Lilburn Elementary School Lilburn, Georgia Tooele County School District Tooele, Utah Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Huntsville, Alabama Thrive Home School Academy Colorado Springs, Colorado Pleasant Knoll Middle School Ft. Mill, South Carolina Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School Center for Innovation Raleigh, North Carolina Washington State Science and Engineering Fair Bremerton, Washington Girl Scout Troop 1089 Sacramento, California [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tevel Satellites Added to ARRL Logbook of the World The American Radio Relay League (ARRL), "The National Association for Amateur Radio," has recently added the Tevel satellites, numbers one through eight, to the list of acceptable satellites in its widely used Logbook of the World (LoTW) online system. Those who have made contacts using these satellites may now upload those QSOs to LoTW for possible confirmation, if the other station has done likewise. It will be necessary to first update the TQSL configuration file, following the prompt when that program is opened. The current list of accepted satellites for LoTW may always be found in the LoTW help pages at: https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/frequently-asked-questions/#sats Most published identification for the Tevel satellites, including many distributions of Keplerian elements, show these satellites as Tevel-1, Tevel-2, etc. Unfortunately, LoTW will only accept the names of the satellites in all upper case and without the hyphen: TEVEL1, TEVEL2, etc. If using a log program that copies the satellite name directly from a tracking program, such as SatPC32, the logged satellite name may not match what LoTW is expecting, resulting in an error or rejected upload. SatPC32 has a provision for correcting this issue. SatPC32 users may edit the AmsatNames.txt file in order to translate the satellite name from that in the Keplerian elements file to a name compatible with LoTW. By clicking on the ? on the top line of the SatPC32 window, and selecting "Auxiliary Files" from the pull down menu, the user may select AmsatNames.txt and the file will open for editing. Being careful to follow the directions at the top of the text file, the following lines can be added to AmsatName.txt in order to effect the translation: 51013 22002AF TEVEL1 51069 22002CP TEVEL2 50988 22002E TEVEL3 51063 22002CH TEVEL4 50998 22002Q TEVEL5 50999 22002R TEVEL6 51062 22002CG TEVEL7 50989 22002F TEVEL8 Once added, the file must be saved (Ctrl-S) before being closed. Using the same ? and Auxiliary Files pull down, the satellite names in the Doppler.SQF file should also be changed to upper case without hyphens, and the file saved. When the SatPC32 program is restarted, the satellites previously named Tevel-1, Tevel-2, and following, will appear as TEVEL1, TEVEL2, and following, in the satellite list. It will then be necessary to open the SatPC32 Satellite menu and delete the lower case names from the list of selected active satellites, and to then re-select the new, upper case names from the left column of available satellites. While an inconvenient chore in the short term, once these changes have been made to SatPC32, any log program that copies the satellite name directly from the tracking program will automatically record the correct name for upload to LoTW. This will make use of Logbook of the World very efficient for all future contacts with the Tevel satellites. The same feature can be utilized for other satellites that may have different designations, such as some of the CAS satellites that go by several names. [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX Ax-2 Mission Is 'Go' For May 21 Launch The second-ever private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) remains on track to lift off this weekend. The crew includes three licensed amateurs: John Shoffner, KO4MJC; Ali Alqarni, 7Z1AJ; and Rayyanah Barnawi, 7Z1RB. If all goes according to plan, Ax-2 will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 21:37 UTC on Sunday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The Ax-2 astronauts will ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule to the orbiting lab, getting there around 13:30 UTC on Monday, May 21. The mission will spend eight days docked to the ISS. That's a slight change from the previous plan, which had called for a 10-day ISS stay. During their stay, the amateurs on the AX-2 crew will attempt several ARISS contacts, and may possibly offer opportunities for general amateur QSOs with the ISS. As its name suggests, Ax-2 will be the second crewed flight to the ISS operated by Axiom Space using SpaceX hardware. The first, Ax-1, sent four people to the orbiting lab for more than two weeks in April 2022. That crew was quite active on amateur radio during their stay on the ISS. Ax-2 is also groundbreaking. Two of the mission's crewmembers, Barnawi and AlQarni, will become the first Saudi Arabians to visit to the ISS. Barnawi will be the first Saudi woman ever to reach space. The other crewmember is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who now works for Axiom and will command the mission. Whitson has racked up a total of 665 days off Earth — more than any other American and any other woman. NASA currently requires that all private astronaut flights to the ISS be led by a former agency astronaut. [ANS thanks Space.com and ARISS for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election - Call for Nominations AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of the following four incumbent Directors expire in 2023 and will be filled by this year's election: - Jerry Buxton, N0JY - Joesph Armbruster, KJ4JIO - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be elected for one-year terms. A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee's name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators' names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the AMSAT Secretary: Jeff Davis, KE9V PO Box 11 Yorktown, IN 47396 AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the form specified by the Secretary who has elected to accept written nomination materials via mail or in electronic form, including email or electronic image of a paper document. Fax transmissions cannot be accepted. Email nominations may be sent to jdavis(a)amsat.org. No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Secretary no later than June 15th. The Secretary will verify the qualifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as petitions are received, and will notify candidates whether their nominations are in order by the end of June. [ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2023 AMSAT Field Day Rules The AMSAT Field Day 2023 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below. 1. Analog Transponders ARRL rules apply, except: - Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band. - CW and digital (RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each. - Stations may only count one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the PBBS is on - see Pacsats below, ISS (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. PCSat (I, II, etc.) (1 digital), - The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited. 2. Digital Transponders We have only APRS digipeaters and 10m to 70cm PSK transponders (see Bob Bruninga's article in the March/April, 2016 issue of the AMSAT Journal). Satellite digipeat QSO's and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. The one contact per FM satellite is not applied to digital transponders. The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed. For the Pacsats (FalconSat-3) or 'Store and Forward' hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post "CQ" messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL. The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts. (a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite). (b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later "proof of contact." You may make contacts with GreenCube, IO-117 and each one will count as 3 points as do other digital contacts. Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules. Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File: Greetings from W5MSQ Field Day Satellite station near Katy, Texas, EL-29, with 20 participants, operating class 2A, in the AMSAT-Houston group with the Houston Amateur Television Society and the Houston QRP club. All the best and 73! Note that the message stated the call, name of the group, operating class, where they were located (the grid square would be helpful) and how many operators were in attendance. 3. Operating Class Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.). And Finally... The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. This year, we are using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. I have not had a mail-in entry in over 6 years, probably even longer than that. Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal. You will receive an e-mail back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other e-mail address. Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2023. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads. You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don't even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event! [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023 Field Day - More Thoughts It's that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a "picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!" The event takes place during a 23-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2023 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 24, 2023 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 25, 2023. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 24 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. This year should be as easy as last year since we have more than 10 transponders and repeaters available. Users should check the AMSAT status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ and the pages at https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ for what is available in the weeks leading up to Field Day. To reduce the amount of time to research each satellite, see the current FM satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ and the current linear satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/ If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites, there are ISS, SO-50, AO-91, PO-101 and possibly LilacSat. It might be easier this year to make that one FM contact for the ARRL bonus points with so many FM birds. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO's. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO's to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO. The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day, e.g.: W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG W6NWG de KK5DO QSL If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low-earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, EO-88 or the XW satellites. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can't use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- How Moon-based Telescopes Could Revolutionize Astronomy The exploration of the Moon is experiencing a renaissance with numerous missions planned to visit the lunar surface in the coming years. While there are various motivations for these missions, such as geopolitical interests and the search for lunar resources, the field of astronomy is expected to greatly benefit from this renewed focus on the Moon. One significant advantage is the lunar far side, which provides a radio-quiet environment, shielded from human-generated radio signals and solar interference. This makes it an ideal location for radio astronomy, especially for studying the cosmic "dark ages" and the structure of the early universe. The Moon's stability and the presence of shadowed craters at its poles offer opportunities for optical, infrared, and gravitational wave astronomy, as well as the potential detection of radio waves from exoplanet magnetospheres. However, there is a need to balance lunar exploration activities with protecting the unique scientific value of certain lunar locations. The far side of the Moon, shielded from Earth's radio signals and the Sun during the lunar night, provides an unparalleled radio-quiet environment. This makes it an ideal platform for conducting low-frequency radio astronomy, enabling the study of the cosmic "dark ages" and the early universe's hydrogen clouds. The 21cm wavelength emissions from neutral hydrogen in the early universe, shifted to longer wavelengths due to the universe's expansion, can be studied from the lunar far side, offering insights into the universe's early stages. The far side of the Moon also holds potential for detecting radio waves from exoplanet magnetospheres and signals from intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations. The long wavelengths of these radio waves require a radio-quiet environment, making the far side an ideal location for such observations. Furthermore, exploring unexplored regions of the radio spectrum may lead to unexpected discoveries of new phenomena. However, it is crucial to ensure that human activities on the far side do not create unwanted radio interference that could hinder these observations and scientific endeavors. Apart from radio astronomy, the Moon's unique characteristics and stable environment also offer advantages for other types of astronomy. Infrared telescopes, which are sensitive to heat, can benefit from the cold, shadowed craters at the lunar poles that provide natural shielding. The low gravity on the Moon allows for the construction of larger telescopes than what is feasible in free space. This could make the Moon the future hub for infrared astronomy. Additionally, the lunar surface, bombarded by solar wind and cosmic rays for billions of years, holds a wealth of information about the Sun and the Milky Way's evolution. While the current era of lunar exploration promises significant advancements in astronomy, there is a need to protect lunar locations that are uniquely valuable for scientific research. Human activities and plans for resource extraction, such as water-ice from shadowed craters, must be carefully managed to minimize interference with astronomical observations. Preserving the pristine environment of the lunar far side and other scientifically important regions will be crucial to ensure the long-term benefits of lunar exploration for astronomy. [ANS thanks Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology, Birkbeck, University of London for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts Saudi Space Commission (SSC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, direct via HZ1SAR The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be HZØISS The scheduled crewmember is John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni 7Z1AJ, or Rayyanah Barnawi 7Z1RB The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ Contact is go only if AX2 launches 2023-05-21 for: Wed 2023-05-24 11:08:38 UTC 23 deg Middlesboro School System, Middlesboro, KY, telebridge via IK1SLD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is John Shoffner KO4MJC The ARISS mentor is AA6TB Contact is go only if AX2 launches 2023-05-21 for: Thu 2023-05-25 15:07:12 UTC 33 deg St. Francis Xavier High School, Gloucester, ON, Canada, telebridge via VK4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD Contact is go for: Fri 2023-05-26 16:32:49 UTC 25 deg The Children’s Inn at NIH (National Institutes of Health), Bethesda, Maryland, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is John Shoffner KO4MJC The ARISS mentor is W8AAS Contact is go only if AX2 launches 2023-05-21 for: Fri 2023-05-26 17:31:38 UTC 90 deg Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Sat 2023-05-27 16:50 UTC Muslyumovo, Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Sun 2023-05-28 14:25 UTC Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Thu 2023-06-01 08:10 UTC The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations K5ZM: From 14th through part of 21st May, I’ll be in RDU where I’ll be based in FM05. Then on the 21st, I fly into PWM and after a short road trip, I’ll be in FN54 through the 26th. In each location, the usual scenario will apply: emphasis will be on grid lines whenever possible. I would love to do the 56/66/57/67 confluence but I’m not sure how much time I’m willing to invest in locating the owner of that field! Pass list(s) are under development. Watch Twitter and hams.at for the minutia. Ray, KN2K, will be active in FM08, May 21 and 22. Details at hams.at and on Twitter. From Mike, N8MR: I will be in EN84, EN85 and EN76 from Friday, May 26 thru Monday, May 29. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, Wonderful clubs in Florida and Southern CA heard our “Work the Easy Satellites” presentation this week. I swapped date for the England club with another speaker/topic - we are re-scheduling to the Summer. Upcoming dates for Escondido CA, Daytona FL, Sevierville TN, and Baraboo WI are being confirmed. Clint Bradford K6LCS work-sat.com 951-533-4984 “Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!” [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT News Service welcomes its newest weekly editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ. Mitch is a Life Member of AMSAT who has confirmed over five thousand contacts via satellite, activated eighty seven Maidenhead grid squares, and completed his AMSAT GridMaster Award in 2022. News tips can be forwarded to Mitch, and to all ANS editors, at ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. (ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, Senior Editor, for the above information) +The Providence Radio Association, W1OP will attempt SSB and FM satellites QSO's from the Alan S. Feinstein Middle School, in Coventry, RI on Tuesday May 23rd. This will be part of a presentation on ham radio to about 350 students in their 8th grade STEM program. N1DM will be the operator and will attempt to work any available satellites during the demo portion of the program which will occur somewhere in the period of 1300 to 1500 UTC. W1OP/N1DM requests if you make a QSO in addition to call and grid square you give your STATE or PROVINCE. (ANS thanks Dom Mallozzi, N1DM for the above information.) + China’s secretive spaceplane may have performed multiple recaptures of an object it released into orbit during its recently completed second flight as part of on-orbit testing. Private firm Leolabs, which provides space situational awareness data through its global network of radars for tracking objects in low Earth orbit, said its analysis found evidence of what appeared to be at least two and possibly three capture/docking operations with a co-orbiting object. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + Around 7,000 satellites circle the Earth, generating a massive volume of data on a daily basis. This wealth of information, operated by various governments and commercial entities, can prove challenging for researchers looking to fully harness the potential of these orbital sensors. Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have introduced a digital platform named the New Observing Strategies Testbed (NOS-T), a tool that facilitates the exchange of limited, approved data messages, ensuring data sharing without revealing sensitive information, control algorithms, or proprietary technologies. Leveraging multiple satellites enables continuous monitoring of specific locations, which can be applied to tasks such as wildfire detection and landslide prediction.(ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information) + SpaceX’s launch of 51 more Starlink internet satellites Wednesday, May 10 from California marked the 200th consecutive successful mission for the company’s Falcon rocket family, a record unmatched by any other space launch vehicle. (ANS thanks SpaceFlight Now for the above information) + China’s Tianzhou 6 cargo ship lifted off on a resupply mission to the country’s Tiangong space station on May 10 – the first since the station was completed in November. The uncrewed ship – carrying 7.4 tons of fuel, food and other supplies – was launched on top of a Long March 7 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China’s Hainan island, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The upgraded Tianzhou cargo spacecraft has expanded capacity, which means China will need to launch a Tianzhou mission once every eight months, instead of every six months, as previously. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ ad0hj [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-134 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for May 14, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 14 May '23

14 May '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-134 In this edition: * Call for Nominations - 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election * Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet * AMSAT and ARISS Events at Hamvention * 2023 AMSAT Field Day Rules * 2023 Field Day - More Thoughts * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-134 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 May 14 Call for Nominations - 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of the following four incumbent Directors expire in 2023 and will be filled by this year's election: - Jerry Buxton, N0JY - Joesph Armbruster, KJ4JIO - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be elected for one-year terms. A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee's name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators' names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the AMSAT Secretary: Jeff Davis, KE9V PO Box 11 Yorktown, IN 47396 AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the form specified by the Secretary who has elected to accept written nomination materials via mail or in electronic form, including email or electronic image of a paper document. Fax transmissions cannot be accepted. Email nominations may be sent to jdavis(a)amsat.org. No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Secretary no later than June 15th. The Secretary will verify the qualifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as petitions are received, and will notify candidates whether their nominations are in order by the end of June. [ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, will be the guest speaker at the 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet. He will talk about the upcoming solar eclipses and the exciting ways hams are contributing to the scientific research around these events. Dr. Frissell is a Space Physicist and Electrical Engineer at the University of Scranton's Physics and Engineering Department. Dr. Frissell has a passion for radio science and remote sensing of the ionosphere. He was introduced to space physics and space weather in middle and high school through the hobby of amateur (ham) radio, where he was fascinated by long-distance radio propagation and the variability imposed on it by the geospace system. In addition to leading him to pursue a Ph.D. in this field, it enabled him to found and lead the Ham radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI, hamsci.org), a citizen science collective that aims to bring together the professional research and the amateur radio communities. This has led to the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, a nationwide ham radio experiment to study the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (hamsci.org/seqp), and an ongoing collaboration with the amateur radio electrical engineering organization TAPR (tapr.org) to develop a Personal Space Weather Station (hamsci.org/swstation). For his efforts, the amateur radio community has awarded him the prestigious 2017 Yasme Foundation Excellence award and the 2019 Dayton Amateur Radio Association Amateur of the Year Award. In 2019, Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to fund a 3-year initiative to measure modulations produced in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The grant supports a collaborative team to develop the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station, a modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation platform used to study variability in the coupled geospace system and to better understand HF radio propagation. In 2021, he was awarded a $481,260 grant through the NASA Space Weather Applications Operations Phase II Research Program. Frissell served as principal investigator for a research project entitled, "Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets." He collaborated with Philip Erickson, W1PJE, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory and Bill Engelke, AB4EJ, at the University of Alabama. "This grant includes significant funding for participation of Scranton undergraduate students in this research, as well as support for new computation resources," Frissell said. He explained that the grant will fund "the development of an empirical model for the prediction of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) in high-frequency radio communications while investigating the geophysical drivers of these disturbances." The grant covers two years of work. Frissell said that the predictive, empirical TID models being developed uses data collected by the Reverse Beacon Network, WSPR, and PSKreporter - automated, global-scale radio communication observation networks operated by the amateur radio community. Undergraduate students help the faculty researchers to create algorithms used for the model development. This NASA award complements a 5-year National Science Foundation grant of more than $616,000 that Frissell received in 2020. That investigation aims to understand the source of TIDs observed in amateur radio and other scientific datasets. In addition, Dr. Frissell has a long-time passion for teaching and education. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Music Education from Montclair State University (2007). He voluntarily coordinated and taught amateur radio license classes and radio and astronomy merit badge classes. An Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor Member, Dr. Frissell taught science and technology for six summers at Forestburg Scout Reservation in New York, and taught amateur radio with the K2BSA group at multiple Boy Scout National Scout Jamborees. [ANS thanks AMSAT, TAPR and the ARRL for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT and ARISS Events at Hamvention + Thursday, May 18th – Dinner at Tickets The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held at Tickets Pub & Eatery on Thursday, May 18 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT. There is no program or speaker – just good conversation. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth. Tickets has a great selection of Greek and American food and great company! Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are; no reservations required. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention. Tickets Pub & Eatery is located at 7 W. Main St, Fairborn, OH 45324. (Telephone (937) 878-9022) + Saturday, May 20th – AMSAT Hamvention Forum The AMSAT forum will be held from 1:10 PM – 2:10 PM in Forum Room 2. The forum will include updates on AMSAT’s operations, engineering, and Youth Initiative, and development programs. Arrive early, grab a seat, take in some air conditioning and catch up on the latest AMSAT happenings! + Saturday, May 20 - Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum – Saturday, May 20 at 9:15 AM AMSAT member Grace Papay (KE8RJU) will present on the topic of “Amateur Radio Satellites Near and Far.” The time is 9:15 AM in Forum Room 2. Come support one of AMSAT’s youth ambassadors! + Saturday at 12:10 PM - ARISS 2.0: The future vision for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will lead the main forum Forum Room 2. In December 1983, Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, electrified the world via his ham communications from the Space Shuttle Columbia. Starting at Hamvention 2023, ARISS will spend a year celebrating 40 years of amateur radio on human spaceflight vehicles! Our new vision, ARISS 2.0, will expand ARISS youth education outcomes, ham-in space operations, flight hardware systems, and even our space platform (in addition to ISS, think commercial space stations and lunar operations). Learn what ARISS is doing to support ham radio operations on human spaceflight vehicles – now and over the next 40 years. Expect some surprise guests and new announcements. + The ARISS booth will be in building 4, the “Volta” building. Four mini-forums will be hosted in the booth area. Those include: - Friday – 10:00 AM: ARISS Educational Opportunities: SPARKing Interest in Amateur Radio in Teachers and Students Presented by: Dan White (AD0CQ) ARISS-US Education Committee and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Valparaiso University. Learn how ARISS engages educators and students, including a demonstration of the SPARKI kit and STAR robot. - Friday – 2:00 PM: ARISS Engineering Presented by: Randy Berger (WA0D), ARISS-USA Director of Engineering. Find out more about how ARISS integrates with the space program partners and new design concepts. - Saturday – 10:00 AM: ARISS How To – Intro to working the repeaters on the ISS Presented by: Randy Berger (WA0D), ARISS-USA Director of Engineering. Want to know how to get started making contact with and through the ISS or interested in becoming an ARISS technical mentor, find out more in this session. - Saturday – 2:00 PM – ARISS Post-Forum Q&A / Meet and Greet Hosted by: Frank Bauer (KA3HDO) – ARISS International Chair and the ARISS team. Meet some of the team that makes things happen behind the scenes and get all your ARISS questions answered. [ANS thanks AMSAT and ARISS for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023 AMSAT Field Day Rules The AMSAT Field Day 2023 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below. 1. Analog Transponders ARRL rules apply, except: - Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band. - CW and digital (RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each. - Stations may only count one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the PBBS is on - see Pacsats below, ISS (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. PCSat (I, II, etc.) (1 digital), - The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited. 2. Digital Transponders We have only APRS digipeaters and 10m to 70cm PSK transponders (see Bob Bruninga's article in the March/April, 2016 issue of the AMSAT Journal). Satellite digipeat QSO's and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. The one contact per FM satellite is not applied to digital transponders. The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed. For the Pacsats (FalconSat-3) or 'Store and Forward' hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post "CQ" messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL. The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts. (a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite). (b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later "proof of contact." You may make contacts with GreenCube, IO-117 and each one will count as 3 points as do other digital contacts. Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules. Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File: Greetings from W5MSQ Field Day Satellite station near Katy, Texas, EL-29, with 20 participants, operating class 2A, in the AMSAT-Houston group with the Houston Amateur Television Society and the Houston QRP club. All the best and 73! Note that the message stated the call, name of the group, operating class, where they were located (the grid square would be helpful) and how many operators were in attendance. 3. Operating Class Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.). And Finally... The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. This year, we are using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. I have not had a mail-in entry in over 6 years, probably even longer than that. Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal. You will receive an e-mail back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other e-mail address. Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2023. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads. You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don't even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event! [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 2023 Field Day - More Thoughts It's that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a "picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!" The event takes place during a 23-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2023 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 24, 2023 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 25, 2023. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 24 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event. This year should be as easy as last year since we have more than 10 transponders and repeaters available. Users should check the AMSAT status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ and the pages at https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ for what is available in the weeks leading up to Field Day. To reduce the amount of time to research each satellite, see the current FM satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ and the current linear satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/ If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites, there are ISS, SO-50, AO-91, PO-101 and possibly LilacSat. It might be easier this year to make that one FM contact for the ARRL bonus points with so many FM birds. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO's. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO's to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO. The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day, e.g.: W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG W6NWG de KK5DO QSL If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low-earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, EO-88 or the XW satellites. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can't use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director, for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts Webb Bridge Middle School, Alpharetta, GA, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. The ARISS mentor is W4NTR. Contact is go for Friday, May 19, 2023 at 18:20:31 UTC. Watch for Livestream at www.ariotti.com starting 15min before AOS. Fairview Elementary, Olathe, KS, telebridge via VK4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. The ARISS mentor is AJ9N. Contact is go for Friday, May 19, 2023 at 18:58:08 UTC. Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 19:15 UTC. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations + IO74TJ; May 15-17 David, G0MRF has booked a short trip over to the Isle of Man, travelling out very early on Monday, May 15 and leaving the Island Wednesday, May 17 in the afternoon. The callsign will be GD0MRF/P. He will be taking an IC-9700 and some LEO equipment as well as a dish/converters for QO-100. Plans are as follows: - Monday, May 15 from 08:00 UTC. QO-100. Will start with FT modes and move to SSB later in the day. If no takers later, he will move onto LEO/MEO. - Tuesday, May 16 will focus on LEO/MEO. Mainly JO-97, RS-44 and IO-117; Especially any passes that cover NA. - Wednesday, May 17th he will have a short time to drive around the Isle of Man TT course, but will come back on QO-100 for about one hour mid-morning for anyone who missed him on Monday. QSL via LoTW. Updates while he's on Twitter @g0mrf. + EN84, EN85 and EN76; May 26-May 29. Mike, N8MR will be using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + Dayton Hamvention May 19-21 See "AMSAT and ARISS Events at Hamvention" above for scheduled events. Greene County Fair and Expo Center, 210 Fairground Road, Xenia 45385 https://hamvention.org/ + AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, “Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!” [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The 27-year-old FO-29 is still operational, but is in a period of periodic eclipses. JAMSAT control ops turn it on during some weekend passes over Japan, and it remains on while in the sun. But because the batteries failed long ago, it turns itself off again during eclipse. When the satellite returns to full sun, it will become reliable once again. Also, the FO-99 operating schedule for May is at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2128. [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information.] + When the crewed Artemis II mission makes its lunar flyby in late 2024, we’ll be able to see video of the moon like never before — and it’s all thanks to lasers. Along for the historic journey to the moon will be the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, or O2O — making Artemis II the first crewed lunar flight to demonstrate laser communications technology. The O2O system will be capable of returning high-resolution images and video of the lunar surface back to Earth with a downlink rate of up to 260 megabits per second. The laser system will also be able to send and receive procedures, flight plans, voice messages and other communications between the Orion spacecraft and mission control on Earth. Read the complete story at https://www.cnn.com/search?q=laser&from=0&size=10&page=1&sort=newest&types=…. [ANS thanks cnn.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-130 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin for May 10, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 10 May '23

10 May '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-130 In this edition: * TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet Ticket Deadline is Friday, May, 12, 2023. * Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAS, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-130 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 MAY 10 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet Ticket Deadline is Friday, May, 12, 2023. The deadline for ordering tickets for the 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet is only two days away - the deadline for purchasing banquet ticket is Friday, May 12th! Remember, there will be no banquet ticket sales at the AMSAT booth or at the banquet door. The 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year’s banquet speaker is Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, who will talk about the upcoming solar eclipses and the exciting ways hams are contributing to the scientific research around these events. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds. Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store. The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12th. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. Order your tickets online at: https://www.amsat.org/product/2023-tapr-amsat-joint-hamvention-banquet-regi… [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAS, is Guest Speaker at 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Banquet Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, will be the guest speaker at the 2023 TAPR/AMSAT Hamvention Banquet. He will talk about the upcoming solar eclipses and the exciting ways hams are contributing to the scientific research around these events. Dr. Frissell is a Space Physicist and Electrical Engineer at the University of Scranton’s Physics and Engineering Department. Dr. Frissell has a passion for radio science and remote sensing of the ionosphere. He was introduced to space physics and space weather in middle and high school through the hobby of amateur (ham) radio, where he was fascinated by long-distance radio propagation and the variability imposed on it by the geospace system. In addition to leading him to pursue a Ph.D. in this field, it enabled him to found and lead the Ham radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI, hamsci.org), a citizen science collective that aims to bring together the professional research and the amateur radio communities. This has led to the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, a nationwide ham radio experiment to study the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (hamsci.org/seqp), and an ongoing collaboration with the amateur radio electrical engineering organization TAPR (tapr.org) to develop a Personal Space Weather Station (hamsci.org/swstation). For his efforts, the amateur radio community has awarded him the prestigious 2017 Yasme Foundation Excellence award and the 2019 Dayton Amateur Radio Association Amateur of the Year Award. In 2019, Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to fund a 3-year initiative to measure modulations produced in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The grant supports a collaborative team to develop the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station, a modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation platform used to study variability in the coupled geospace system and to better understand HF radio propagation. In 2021, he was awarded a $481,260 grant through the NASA Space Weather Applications Operations Phase II Research Program. Frissell served as principal investigator for a research project entitled, “Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets.” He collaborated with Philip Erickson, W1PJE, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory and Bill Engelke, AB4EJ, at the University of Alabama. “This grant includes significant funding for participation of Scranton undergraduate students in this research, as well as support for new computation resources,” Frissell said. He explained that the grant will fund “the development of an empirical model for the prediction of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) in high-frequency radio communications while investigating the geophysical drivers of these disturbances.” The grant covers two years of work. Frissell said that the predictive, empirical TID models being developed uses data collected by the Reverse Beacon Network, WSPR, and PSKreporter — automated, global-scale radio communication observation networks operated by the amateur radio community. Undergraduate students help the faculty researchers to create algorithms used for the model development. This NASA award complements a 5-year National Science Foundation grant of more than $616,000 that Frissell received in 2020. That investigation aims to understand the source of TIDs observed in amateur radio and other scientific datasets. In addition, Dr. Frissell has a long-time passion for teaching and education. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Music Education from Montclair State University (2007). He voluntarily coordinated and taught amateur radio license classes and radio and astronomy merit badge classes. An Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor Member, Dr. Frissell taught science and technology for six summers at Forestburg Scout Reservation in New York, and taught amateur radio with the K2BSA group at multiple Boy Scout National Scout Jamborees. [ANS thanks AMSAT, TAPR and the ARRL for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW. n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-127 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 07 May '23

07 May '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-127 In this edition: * AMSAT at Hamvention 2023 * VUCC Satellite Standings May 2023 * SSTV Transmissions from ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY May 7-13, 2023 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 5, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-127 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 May 7 AMSAT at Hamvention 2023 The Dayton Hamvention is coming May 19th-21st! AMSAT’s presence includes several events throughout the weekend and in with eight adjoining booths in Building 1. Highlighting the exhibit will be: - SatPC32 software demonstrations - The AMSAT CubeSat Simulator - The AMSAT Youth Initiative / KidzSat - AMSAT Engineering staff question and answer table - OSCAR ground station for live satellite operations - Annual Membership sign-up and renewals - AMSAT President's Club recognition - AMSAT Board of Directors and Senior Officers Meet and Greet - AMSAT Store offering AMSAT trinkets, books and Arrow Antennas - And much more! The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun. Meet or renew acquaintances, exchange operating tips, and find out what antennas, software and equipment other AMSAT members use. We currently expect many of AMSAT's senior officers and board members to be there too. Thursday, May 18th - Dinner at Tickets The annual AMSAT "Dinner at Tickets" party will be held at Tickets Pub & Eatery on Thursday, May 18 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT. There is no program or speaker - just good conversation. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth. Tickets has a great selection of Greek and American food and great company! Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are; no reservations required. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention. Tickets Pub & Eatery is located at 7 W. Main St, Fairborn, OH 45324. (Telephone (937) 878-9022) Friday, May 19th - TAPR/AMSAT Banquet The 14th Annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year’s menu includes: Cash Bar Regular and Decaf Coffee, Hot & Iced Tea, Water Appetizer – Crudite Platter (with dip on the side) Buffet – Roast Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus (Carved on site. Served with horseradish and au jus on the side) – Santa Fe Chicken (with Pepper Cheese Jalapeno Hollandaise) – Deep Fried Tempura Shrimp (with Tomato Lemon Aioli) – Risotto Cake – Fresh Asparagus – Smashed Cauliflower Served to the Table – Strawberry Fields – Assorted Dinner Rolls (Served with butter) Dessert – Assorted Layer Cake – Cheesecake Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/product/2023-tapr-amsat-joint-hamvention-banquet-regi…. The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12th. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds. Saturday, May 20th - AMSAT Hamvention Forum The AMSAT forum will be held from 1:10 PM - 2:10 PM in Forum Room 2. The forum will include updates on AMSAT's operations, engineering, and Youth Initivative, and development programs. Arrive early, grab a seat, take in some air conditioning and catch up on the latest AMSAT happenings! Other Hamvention Events for Satellite Enthusiasts Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum - Saturday, May 20 at 9:15 AM in Forum Room 2 AMSAT member Grace Papay (KE8RJU) will present on the topic of “Amateur Radio Satellites Near and Far” Come support one of AMSAT’s youth ambassadors! ARISS Events at Hamvention ARISS will be joining in the Dayton Hamvention experience this year with a booth, a forum and four mini-forums. Dayton Hamvention is May 19-21 in Xenia, Ohio this year. ARISS’ International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will lead the main forum, “ARISS 2.0: The future vision for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station” on Saturday at 12:10 PM in Forum Room 2. In December 1983, Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, electrified the world via his ham communications from the Space Shuttle Columbia. Starting at Hamvention 2023, ARISS will spend a year celebrating 40 years of amateur radio on human spaceflight vehicles! Our new vision, ARISS 2.0, will expand ARISS youth education outcomes, ham-in space operations, flight hardware systems, and even our space platform (in addition to ISS, think commercial space stations and lunar operations). Learn what ARISS is doing to support ham radio operations on human spaceflight vehicles – now and over the next 40 years. Expect some surprise guests and new announcements. The ARISS booth will be in building 4, the “Volta” building. Four mini-forums will be hosted in the booth area. Those include: Friday - 10:00 AM: ARISS Educational Opportunities: SPARKing Interest in Amateur Radio in Teachers and Students Presented by: Dan White (AD0CQ) ARISS-US Education Committee and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Valparaiso University Learn how ARISS engages educators and students, including a demonstration of the SPARKI kit and STAR robot. Friday - 2:00 PM: ARISS Engineering Presented by: Randy Berger (WA0D), ARISS-USA Director of Engineering Find out more about how ARISS integrates with the space program partners and new design concepts. Saturday – 10:00 AM: ARISS How To - Intro to working the repeaters on the ISS – Presented by: Randy Berger (WA0D), ARISS-USA Director of Engineering Want to know how to get started making contact with and through the ISS or interested in becoming an ARISS technical mentor, find out more in this session. Saturday – 2:00 PM – ARISS Post-Forum Q&A / Meet and Greet Hosted by: Frank Bauer (KA3HDO) – ARISS International Chair and the ARISS team Meet some of the team that makes things happen behind the scenes and get all your ARISS questions answered. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standings May 2023 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for April 01, 2023 to May 01, 2023. ------------------------------------------------------------ WC7V 1303 1351 N8RO 1230 1258 KF7R 950 975 N0JE 883 914 K9UO 813 828 NS3L 800 826 WA5KBH 775 807 DL2GRC 750 800 F4BKV 700 800 KN2K 701 750 W8LR 725 735 WD9EWK (DM43) 720 727 WB7VUF 510 555 JK2XXK 429 503 OZ9AAR 400 500 N8MR 452 499 HP2VX 476 481 KO9A 222 321 IK3ITB 200 300 DL8GAM 250 275 K3HPA 258 275 JA1GZK 205 256 JE1TNL 201 225 N6PAZ 177 201 N9ZTS 100 201 WD9EWK (DM42) 175 183 JA6SZV New 152 JI5USJ 104 152 LB2TG New 114 BI1NJI New 109 JR0GAS New 108 JR8QFG New 105 JI5RPT/1 New 101 ------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. LB2TG is first VUCC Satellite holder from JP33 BI1NJI is first VUCC Satellite holder from OM89 JR8QFG is first VUCC Satellite holder from QN03 JR0GAS no info de QRZ [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ SSTV Transmissions from ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY May 7-13, 2023 Dear radio amateurs! We invite you to participate in the SSTV award program with the ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY satellite! Schedule: Start of SSTV transmission: 07 May 2023 00:00 UTC; End of SSTV transmission: May 13, 2023 00:00 UTC; Frequency of MCA "ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY" 437.850 MHz GMSK 2k4 USP FEC, GMSK 4k8 USP FEC, GMSK 9k6 USP FEC, SSTV; Telemetry of the MSC "ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY" - https://r4uab.ru/satdb/orbicraft-zorkiy/ Conditions: within 6 days, the satellite will broadcast 6 (six) different images in Robot 72 mode. To receive a diploma, at least 3 (three) of any images must be received and decoded. Each image must be received at least 70% and have an acceptable quality, the logo and call sign of the satellite must be distinguishable. For image decoding, it is recommended to use RX-SSTV or Robot36 software. Received images must be in their original state and resolution. Registration of an application for a diploma An application for a diploma is sent to e-mail. mail radioamateur(a)sputnix.ru and should contain: FULL NAME; Call sign (if available, if not, indicate “no call sign”); Date and time of receipt (UTC) of each image; City and country of reception; Return address for sending a paper version of the diploma (or a note that the diploma can be sent electronically) Type of hardware and software used; Accepted images; Applications will be accepted during the duration of the program (May 07-12, 2023), as well as a day after the end of the broadcast - until May 14, 2023 00:00 UTC. Please note that submitting an application means your consent to the processing of personal data specified in it. Diplomas will be sent within 30 days after the deadline for applications, delivery to recipients will depend on the speed of postal services :). PS There will be special prizes for those who accept all 6 images in good quality ;). We wish you all good luck! 73! Team Sputniks! ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY is NORAD CAT ID 47960, International Designation 2021-022AE https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=47960 [ANS thanks R4UAB for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 5, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The NanoRacks CubeSats Deployer-25 on board the International Space Station deployed six satellites on 24 April 2023 The following satellites have been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: ARKSAT 1 NORAD Cat ID 56311 (IARU coordinated frequency 435.450 MHz). AuroraSat NORAD Cat ID 56312 (IARU coordinated frequencies 437.875 MHz and 2428.000 MHz). Ex-Alta 2 NORAD Cat ID 56313 (IARU coordinated frequency 436.705MHz). LightCube NORAD Cat ID 56314 (IARU coordinated frequency 437.175 MHz). NEUDOSE NORAD Cat ID 56315 (IARU coordinated frequency 436.050 MHz). YukonSat NORAD Cat ID 56316 (IARU coordinated frequencies 437.875 MHz and 2428.000 MHz). [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Assistant Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: No contacts currently scheduled The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 12. OFF May 12 about 10:30 UTC. ON May 13 about 13:15 UTC. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 12. OFF May 12 about 10:30 UTC. ON May 13 about 13:15 UTC. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations From Mike, N8MR: I will be in EN84, EN85 and EN76 from Friday, May 26 thru Monday, May 29. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR. Major Roves: I post ’em as soon as I know about ’em. Just be aware that I still work roughly 60 hours a week. Tnx! Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + Dayton Hamvention May 19-21 Greene County Fair and Expo Center, 210 Fairground Road, Xenia 45385 https://hamvention.org/ + TAPR/AMSAT Banquet May 19, 2023 Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio Reservations are required and available at the AMSAT Store https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-at-hamvention/. + AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up." [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Four of the eight Tevel satellites were activated this weekend. The FM transponders on Tevel-3, Tevel-4, Tevel-6, and Tevel-7 were active for 24 hours. Stay tuned for future activations (Thanks to 4Z1DG) + Six days of SSTV from MKA ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY satellite. The satellite will transmit 6 different images in Robot 72 mode SSTV starting May 7 0000 GMT and ending May 13 0000 GMT. Frequency is 437.850 MHz. Tracking at https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=47960. More details at https://r4uab.ru/2023/04/28/07-13-maya-2023-goda-planiruetsya-peredacha-sst… (Thanks to AMSAT-UK & R4UAB) + Space.com recently published an article exploring the possiblity that the astronauts on Artemis 2 mission to orbit the moon, currently scheduled for late 2024, could utilize amateur radio. The article can be read at https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-ham-radio + AO-73 is currently transmitting a Fitter message from the Radio Society of Great Britain celebrating the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla on May 6th. The message reads "Have a wonderful day celebrating the coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen - from RSGB via FUNcube1" (Thanks to AMSAT-UK) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-120 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 30 Apr '23

30 Apr '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-120 In this edition: * XW-2A Satellite Decays * 14th Annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet * SSTV Transmissions from ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY May 7-13, 2023 * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 27, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-120 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Apr 30 XW-2A Satellite Decays The popular linear transponder satellite XW-2A has decayed from orbit. Launched on September 19, 2015 on the maiden flight of the CZ-6 rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center along with several other amateur radio satellites, including XW-2B, XW-2C, XW-2D, and LilacSat-2, XW-2A was a 25 kg microsat. Two other amateur radio satellites, XW-2E and XW-2F, rode piggyback on XW-2A. After launch, XW-2E and XW-2F deployed and XW-2A performed an orbit lowering manuever. The record distance achieved on XW-2A was a transatlantic QSO between EA4NF in Spain and VE1CWJ in Nova Scotia in August 2022 - a distance of 4,751 km. [ANS thanks CAMSAT, AMSAT, and Gunter's Space Page for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 14th Annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet The 14th Annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year's menu includes: Cash Bar Regular and Decaf Coffee, Hot & Iced Tea, Water Appetizer - Crudite Platter (with dip on the side) Buffet - Roast Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus (Carved on site. Served with horseradish and au jus on the side) - Santa Fe Chicken (with Pepper Cheese Jalapeno Hollandaise) - Deep Fried Tempura Shrimp (with Tomato Lemon Aioli) - Risotto Cake - Fresh Asparagus - Smashed Cauliflower Served to the Table - Strawberry Fields - Assorted Dinner Rolls (Served with butter) Dessert - Assorted Layer Cake - Cheesecake Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/product/2023-tapr-amsat-joint-hamvention-banquet-regi…. The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12th. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention Team for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ SSTV Transmissions from ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY May 7-13, 2023 Dear radio amateurs! We invite you to participate in the SSTV award program with the ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY satellite! Schedule: Start of SSTV transmission: 07 May 2023 00:00 UTC; End of SSTV transmission: May 13, 2023 00:00 UTC; Frequency of MCA "ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY" 437.850 MHz GMSK 2k4 USP FEC, GMSK 4k8 USP FEC, GMSK 9k6 USP FEC, SSTV; Telemetry of the MSC "ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY" - https://r4uab.ru/satdb/orbicraft-zorkiy/ Conditions: within 6 days, the satellite will broadcast 6 (six) different images in Robot 72 mode. To receive a diploma, at least 3 (three) of any images must be received and decoded. Each image must be received at least 70% and have an acceptable quality, the logo and call sign of the satellite must be distinguishable. For image decoding, it is recommended to use RX-SSTV or Robot36 software. Received images must be in their original state and resolution. Registration of an application for a diploma An application for a diploma is sent to e-mail. mail radioamateur(a)sputnix.ru and should contain: FULL NAME; Call sign (if available, if not, indicate “no call sign”); Date and time of receipt (UTC) of each image; City and country of reception; Return address for sending a paper version of the diploma (or a note that the diploma can be sent electronically) Type of hardware and software used; Accepted images; Applications will be accepted during the duration of the program (May 07-12, 2023), as well as a day after the end of the broadcast - until May 14, 2023 00:00 UTC. Please note that submitting an application means your consent to the processing of personal data specified in it. Diplomas will be sent within 30 days after the deadline for applications, delivery to recipients will depend on the speed of postal services :). PS There will be special prizes for those who accept all 6 images in good quality ;). We wish you all good luck! 73! Team Sputniks! ORBICRAFT-ZORKIY is NORAD CAT ID 47960, International Designation 2021-022AE https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=47960 [ANS thanks R4UAB for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 31, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ SSS-2B NORAD Cat ID 56184 (uncoordinated frequency: 435.8000 MHz). Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for the identification of the above satellite. The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: XW-2A NORAD Cat ID 40903 (Decayed 04/25/2023 per Space-Track.org). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Council Rock High School South, Holland, PA, direct via KC3JND (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB (***) The ARISS mentor is AB1OC Contact is go for: Mon 2023-05-01 12:43:15 UTC 79 deg (***) Watch for Livestream at www.crsarc.org/live The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 03. OFF May 03 about 14:00 UTC. ON May 05 about 07:40 UTC. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 12. OFF May 12 about 10:30 UTC. ON May 13 about 13:15 UTC. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 03. OFF May 03 about 14:00 UTC. ON May 05 about 07:40 UTC. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 12. OFF May 12 about 10:30 UTC. ON May 13 about 13:15 UTC. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: VE3GOP has been in EO74. I’m checking to see where/when the next stop is. Major Roves: I post ’em as soon as I know about ’em. Just be aware that I still work roughly 60 hours a week. Tnx! Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + Dayton Hamvention May 19-21 Greene County Fair and Expo Center, 210 Fairground Road, Xenia 45385 https://hamvention.org/ + TAPR/AMSAT Banquet May 19, 2023 Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio Reservations are required and available at the AMSAT Store https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-at-hamvention/. + AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up." [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Max, SA5IKN, has released LEO Satellite Observer. Coded by ChatGPT, it can plot FM and Linear stations with different markers, plot your maximum range & CQ zones, predict passes in one click with SatMatch, and display upcoming roves via Hams.at. https://dxer.site/leo-satellite-observer.html + CQ's WAZ Satellite Awards list has been updated. Thanks to IO-117, the number of WAZ Satellite award holders has nearly doubled this year. https://cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_waz_awards/April23-Satellite-List… -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-113 AMSAT News Service Weekly Reports for April 23, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 23 Apr '23

23 Apr '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-113 In this edition: * Fox-Plus Progress Report * AMSAT Net Tops 1500 Sessions * Fuji 3 (FO-29) Operation Schedule as of April 21, 2023 * Youth On the Air Camp for the Americas Announced * 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet Menu Announced * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 20, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-113 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Apr 23 Fox-Plus Progress Report Recognizing the immense popularity of the original Fox series of satellites and their ability to introduce countless hams to amateur satellites, the AMSAT Board of Directors in 2021 approved the Fox-Plus program to carry Amateur Radio payloads into low-earth-orbit (LEO) and, specifically, to provide continued availability of entry level FM repeater satellites. With Fox-Plus having a year-and-a-half of operation under its belt, AMSAT News Service thought it was a good time to check in with AMSAT Assistant VP – Engineering, Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY for a report on its progress. Jonathan reports, “The progress of the Fox -Plus team has been steady and is now accelerating thanks to a fresh influx of engineers who are now contributing to the team. We currently have ten engineers actively working on various aspects of this new generation of satellites. We have software engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, even system engineers working on testing and documentation. This is a solid team of engineers, some with a lifetime of experience and some still in college, but we can always use more. “Our strategy is to build 20 or so satellites to have on-the-shelf and ready to fly. There are two important facets to this approach. The first is the economy of scale and the second, perhaps more importantly, is the ability to take advantage of launch availabilities in a timely manner. “As we close in on completed and tested designs, it is likely that we can launch our first bird, Fox-Plus Alpha, in early 2024. That date, of course, is dependent on the ability of our volunteer engineering staff to work on AMSAT projects while working their full-time jobs, fulfilling their responsibilities with their families, and taking the occasional moment to sit back and relax.” “Fox-Plus Alpha will be a feature-packed bird combining commercially available and AMSAT developed hardware. In the interest of speeding up delivery time for our first satellite, certain components such as the space frame, electrical power module, solar panels and antennas will be commercially sourced. We are reusing the Improved Command Receiver and the Internal Housekeeping Unit for this flight. Over time, we will continue to improve our own ideas for electrical power systems and antennas. One example of this is the maximum power point tracker (MPPT), a device that extracts the maximum amount of power from the solar cells by adjusting the voltage to maximize the power curve. “Although the basic mission of the Fox-Plus program is to fly FM repeater payloads, the Fox-Plus Alpha payload will utilize the previously flown linear transponder module (LTM) as used on Fox-1 Echo. The decision to fly a linear transponder payload was made for expedience reasons- to provide AMSAT members with a working Amateur Radio payload in the shortest time possible. A bird carrying an FM repeater will follow, but we are in need of an engineer to develop that board. “Fox-Plus Alpha’s linear transponder will utilize a V/U configuration (VHF uplink – UHF downlink). There will also be a separate telemetry beacon that will leverage the ever-popular FoxTelem software. The battery chemistry will be lithium-based. “Although we learned many things from the original Fox series satellites, one thing that sticks in my mind is the need to harden the transmitter circuity. Variations in the SWR caused by the state of the antenna deployment and other factors created difficulties in transmitter operation such as significantly reduced power output and even failure altogether. This is a priority for all Fox-Plus missions. “After we have achieved our initial mission objectives, there are several improvements to the Fox-Plus series that we have planned, including: - Radiation tolerant internal housekeeping unit (RT-IHU) - Multi-channel FM repeater - SSTV uplink and downlink - Internally developed attitude determination and control capabilities, and a - Packet system with store-and -forward capabilities already being developed by engineers participating in the Advanced Satellite Communications and Exploration of New Technology (ASCENT) initiative. “After Fox-Plus Alpha, the future is not all that far away. Planned improvements to the Fox-Plus series of satellites include increased payload capabilities. We are exploring the opportunities to fly high-school and university level experiments as additional payloads. These possibilities may exist within a 1U spaceframe. But, adding robust science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) modules comes the need for increased volume and greater power generation and storage. Thus, the transition from 1U to 3U spaceframes seems inevitable, and even desirable. “Looking at the big picture, the AMSAT Youth Initiative and Educational Relation programs have a front seat at the table for defining STEM missions. Our payload capabilities must meet their requirements for missions that generate wide participation and the serious benefit to youth education.” [ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP-Engineering for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Net Tops 1500 Sessions For those unaware, the Houston AMSAT Net has been around since prior to AMSAT Board of Directors member Bruce Paige, KK5DO starting with it in 1993. April 11, 2023 was its 1506th net. Check-ins discuss satellite and balloon stuff. Andy MacAllister, W5ACM (SK), was the host with Bruce and Marty Smith, WV5Y, participating. Through the years, they morphed from geostationary satellites and streaming to its current format using podcasting and Echolink. Marty is now the host as Bruce moved to far to reach the local Houston repeater. An antenna at 30 feet may help with that issue. Vern Jackson, WA0RCR, has put the program on the top band for all these years. You can listen to the last net on 1860 kHz AM. Back in the day, Bruce had to mail Vern a cassette tape of the net. The internet has made delivery of that cassette almost immediate. The net is heard on the W5BSA local Houston repeater on 145.190 MHz. Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM Central Time. At amsatnet.com, you can find links to the live stream during the net, a link to the recorded nets for the past 4 weeks and some way-back streams from long ago. There also is a link to the URL’s that are referenced during the net, so you do not have to write them down. A subscription is available to receive the links via email when they are posted prior to the net. The AMSAT net can be found during the net with a stream on Echolink connecting to *AMSAT*. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fuji 3 (FO-29) Operation Schedule as of April 21, 2023 The period of continuous operation in full sunshine has ended. From late April to early May, the analog repeater will be activated on the following dates and approximate UTC times until it is stopped by the lower limit voltage control. April 2023 22 - 07:05~ 23 - 06:10-20:55- 29 - 05:55-20:35- 30 - 06:45~ May 2023 3 - 07:30~ 4 - 06:35~ 5 - 07:25~ 6 - 08:15~ 7 - 07:20~ These estimated times indicate the time to start transmitting. Please be aware that it may take some time for the transponder to turn on due to the attitude of the satellite and the direction the antenna is pointing, disturbances in the ionosphere, interference, power supply conditions of the satellite, etc. Fuji 3 was launched more than a quarter of a century ago and its operation is now unstable. Please use Fuji No. 3 carefully. [ANS thanks the Japanese Amateur Radio League for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Youth On the Air Camp for the Americas Announced The 2023 Youth on the Air Camp for the Americas will be held in Ottawa, Canada on July 16-21. Each year campers have the opportunity to try different aspects of the Amateur Radio hobby including satellite operation and high-altitude balloon launches. Youth on the Air Camp is for already licensed amateur radio operators between the ages of 15 to 25. For those who have a license, but don't know what to do next, the camp teaches cutting edge technology that can be used with Amateur Radio. For youth operators who are already experienced, this is an opportunity for young operators to take their knowledge to the next level and share their previous knowledge with other young amateurs from throughout North, Central, and South America. The camp will focus on building strong relationships with peers and mentors, and developing new radio skills. The camp is being modeled closely after the popular Youngsters on the Air camps in IARU Region 1 (Europe/Africa/Middle East). Campers will operate a special event station, featuring cutting-edge HF and VHF/UHF radios and a wide array of antennas that many only dream of having a chance to use. Applicants must be licensed amateur radio operators residing in North, Central, or South America between the ages of 15 and 25. We welcome ALL licensed operators in our region who meet these requirements. Applicants outside of the USA and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. More information and application forms are available at https://youthontheair.org/ottawa2023/. [ANS thanks Youth on the Air for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet Menu Announced The 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year's menu includes: Cash Bar Regular and Decaf Coffee, Hot & Iced Tea, Water Appetizer - Crudite Platter (with dip on the side) Buffet - Roast Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus (Carved on site. Served with horseradish and au jus on the side) - Santa Fe Chicken (with Pepper Cheese Jalapeno Hollandaise) - Deep Fried Tempura Shrimp (with Tomato Lemon Aioli) - Risotto Cake - Fresh Asparagus - Smashed Cauliflower Served to the Table - Strawberry Fields - Assorted Dinner Rolls (Served with butter) Dessert - Assorted Layer Cake - Cheesecake Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store. The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12th. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention Team for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 20, 2023 A SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-7 mission placed the following satellites carrying Amateur Radio into orbit on an April 15, 2023, at 02:48 a.m. Eastern time. The following satellites have been added to this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: KILICSAT - NORAD Cat ID 56181 (uncoordinated frequency: 436.9000 MHz). CIRBE - NORAD Cat ID 56188 (IARU coordinated frequency: 437.2500 MHz). INSPIRE-SAT 7 - NORAD Cat ID 56211 (IARU coordinated frequencies: 435.2002 MHz and 437.4100 MHz). ROSEYCUBESAT 1 - NORAD Cat ID 56212 (IARU coordinated frequency: 436.8252 MHz). Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for the NORAD Cat ID identification of the above satellites. Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts None listed. + Successful Contacts West Michigan Aviation Academy, High School, Grand Rapids, MI, direct via W8ISS. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor was KD8COJ. Contact was successful on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor was ON6TI. Contact was successful on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations None listed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events + CubeSat Developers Workshop April 25-27, 2023 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + Dayton Hamvention May 19-21 Greene County Fair and Expo Center, 210 Fairground Road, Xenia 45385 https://hamvention.org/ + TAPR/AMSAT Banquet May 19, 2023 Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio Reservations are required and available at the AMSAT Store https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-at-hamvention/. + AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas + AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up." [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and the AMSAT Events page for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The Providence Radio Association, W1OP will attempt SSB and FM satellites QSO's from the Alan S. Feinstein Middle School, in Coventry, RI on April 27, 2023. This will be part of a presentation on ham radio to about 350 students in their 8th grade STEM program. N1DM will be the operator and will attempt to work any available satellites during the demo portion of the program which will occur somewhere in the period of 1245 to 1425 UTC. W1OP/N1DM requests if you make a QSO in addition to call and grid square you give your state.[ANS thanks Dom Mallozzi, N1DM for the above information.] + $50Sat, also known as EAGLE-2, is an open-source, PocketQube satellite project that was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of building and launching a functional satellite for just $50. The project was launched in 2013 with the goal of providing a simple and low- cost platform for educational and amateur space missions. $50Sat is equipped with a basic communications system, including a UHF/VHF transceiver, a microcontroller and a simple power system. The satellite is based on a modular design, which makes it easy to modify and customize for different missions. One of the key innovations of $50Sat is the use of Commercial-Off-The Shelf (COTS) components, such as a cellphone battery and a Bluetooth module, all of which helps to lower costs. The satellite also leverages a number of open-source hardware and software tools, making it easier for others to build their own satellites based on the $50Sat design. For more ideas on PocketQubes, see http://satmagazine.com/story.php?number=1780991041. [ANS thanks satmagazine.com for the above information.] + 'Look what I found!' Hours after the first test flight of SpaceX's Starship ended with the spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster tumbling until it was commanded to explode, possible debris from the colossal rocket began to wash up on the shores surrounding the company's Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Photos shared on social media showed that more than one person had come across small fragments of the black and white ceramic tiles from the Starship. Though the Starship test flight was a privately funded activity, it was conducted under a Federal Aviation Administration launch license asserting it was being undertaken with the oversight of the United States. As a party to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, protections are extended that any spacecraft components found anywhere on Earth (or in space) remain the property of the launch operator until such time that the entity explicitly relinquishes them. As such, all of the Starship debris remains SpaceX's property, even if it is found on private property or in the Gulf of Mexico. [ANS thanks space.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-106 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for April 16, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 16 Apr '23

16 Apr '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-106 In this edition: * SpaceX Falcon 9 Carries INSPIRE-Sat7 Into Orbit * TAPR/AMSAT Banquet to Be Held May 19 * Updating the Satellite Status Page * SpaceX will try First Starship launch on April 17, 2023 * IARU Simulations Predict Little 23cm RNSS Receiver Interference * GNU Radio Beginner Tutorials Updated * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 14 April 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-106 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Apr 16 SpaceX Falcon 9 Carries INSPIRE-Sat7 Into Orbit The SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the Transporter-7 mission on April 15, 2023 at 2:48 a.m. Eastern, after several days of weather-related delays. The upper stage reached orbit a little more than eight minutes later, shortly after the first stage landed back at the launch site. It was the seventh dedicated rideshare mission. The first telemetry from the satellite has been decoded and it has accepted its first telecommand sent by the ground control station. The INSPIRE-Sat 7 satellite is a university project carried out by the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines (France) on behalf of LATMOS (UVSQ, Sorbonne University, Université Paris Saclay, CNRS). This satellite is a demonstrator for experimenting new technologies with a strong involvement of students. This satellite allows the experimentation of miniaturized remote sensing sensors that could be used for multi-point observation of essential climate variables (ECV) and the ionosphere. INSPIRE-Sat 7 carries : - A 435.200 MHz telemetry channel with BPSK mode - GR3UH 9k6. - An FM transponder with an uplink of 145.830 MHz and a downlink of 435.200 MHz. The FM transponder is expected to be active at least twice a month, depending on the satellite power budget. - A SPINO card that will be activated for experimentation. To receive the telemetry, a software has been developed: KissTool. It is available for Windows & Linux: Linux: https://site.amsat-f.org/download/118791/?tmstv=1680945385 Windows: https://site.amsat-f.org/download/118784/?tmstv=1680945385 The user manual is available in French at: https://site.amsat-f.org/josast-kisstool/ and English at: https://code.electrolab.fr/xtof/josast/-/blob/27-new-application-for-spino/… [ANS thanks AMSAT-Francophone and Spacenews.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- TAPR/AMSAT Banquet to Be Held May 19 14th Annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet to Be Held May 19 The 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year's banquet speaker will be announced in the coming weeks. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio - about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds. Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store https://tinyurl.com/ANS-106-Banquet. The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12, 2023. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the tickets sold by the deadline. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Updating the Satellite Status Page The AMSAT-BB has shown considerable interest and discussion on possible updates to the Satellite Status page on AMSAT.org. Matt Alberti, KM4EXS, AMSAT IT Team Manager provided the following feedback. "The AMSAT IT Team does have it on our list of projects, to update the Satellite Status page. We do want to include the feature that will allow for comments. There are other ideas like enabling the AMSAT Discord bot to check the "last heard" info for any given satellite. The initial plan was to try to open source the code, so that more people could contribute to make it better. "That is still the plan. However, we identified some code that is pretty dated; and has some security issues. We have to resolve some of that before we can open source it. "That all being said, if people are interested in contributing their time to this or other AMSAT IT projects, please e-mail us at IT(a)amsat.org. We would love to have a couple more people on the team that have development experience. We are a small team; and we all have family and full time job commitments. Our AMSAT volunteer time is largely limited to keeping the lights on, so to speak. We try to develop new capabilities or improve existing ones as best we can. But if any of you out there are passionate about this and have some coding experience, please reach out to us. Thanks!" [ANS thanks Matt Alberti, KM4EXS, AMSAT IT Team Manager for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX will try First Starship launch on April 17, 2023 It's official: SpaceX will try to launch the first orbital test mission of its huge Starship vehicle on Monday (April 17). SpaceX has been targeting Monday for the Starship flight for the past week or so. That plan was tentative, however, as the company still needed to secure a launch license from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It's tentative no longer. At 5:50 p.m. EDT (2150 GMT) on Friday (April 14), the FAA announced the granting of the license, ending a review that lasted more than 500 days. Mere minutes later, SpaceX firmed up its launch plans. "Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas," the company tweeted (opens in new tab) at 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT) on Friday. The 150-minute launch window opens Monday at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT; 7 a.m. local Texas time). You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com when the time comes, courtesy of SpaceX. Starship consists of a giant first-stage booster called Super Heavy and a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship. Both of these vehicles are designed to be fully reusable, and both are powered by SpaceX's next-generation Raptor engine — 33 for Super Heavy and six for Starship. As the above tweet notes, the upcoming test flight will lift off from Starbase, SpaceX's facility in South Texas. It will involve a Super Heavy prototype called Booster 7 and the Ship 24 upper-stage variant. If all goes according to plan, Booster 7 will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the Texas coast around eight minutes after liftoff. Ship 24, meanwhile, will keep flying, conducting a partial lap of Earth before coming down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. When Booster 7 and Ship 24 lift off, Starship will become the most powerful rocket ever to fly. The vehicle will generate about 16.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, according to SpaceX — nearly twice as much as the current record holder, NASA's Space Launch System megarocket. SpaceX has big plans for Starship. The company believes the giant vehicle, which stands 394 feet (120 meters) tall fully stacked, will make settlement of the moon and Mars economically feasible. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- IARU Simulations Predict Little 23cm RNSS Receiver Interference The IARU maintains the view that the likelihood of widespread and persistent interference from amateur radio activities to RNSS (e.g. Galileo) receivers in the 23cm band is minimal. The WRC-23 preparatory studies carried out in the ITU-R study groups have only considered static one-to-one estimations using a minimum coupling loss approach. These studies do not consider the effect of an amateur transmitter on a population of RNSS receivers deployed around an amateur transmitting station. Therefore IARU volunteers have carried out a “Monte Carlo” style study simulating scenarios assuming a fixed and mobile population of RNSS receivers deployed around an amateur station. A 100W amateur ‘home station’ and a 25W eirp ‘repeater station’ have been assumed. The simulation results suggest that at most only around 1% of a population of fixed and mobile RNSS receivers randomly situated around a transmitting amateur station location would have a small chance of receiving a signal level above the RNSS protection threshold identified in the relevant ITU-R Recommendations. In most scenarios, the percentage of RNSS receivers impacted by interference above the threshold within the “simulation area” is far less than 1%. Even in the densest areas of amateur station activity and with the lowest clutter model the percentages remain less than 5%. The study assumed that an amateur station is transmitting throughout the whole “Monte Carlo” trial period. However event data collected by the IARU shows that even in the busiest amateur communities the amount of time during which these sporadic transmissions are most likely to occur amounts to less than 2% of time over a one year period. Therefore the IARU maintains its position that the potential for widespread and persistent interference between amateur radio transmissions and RNSS receivers is minimal. You can read the complete report at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-106-23CM. [ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ GNU Radio Beginner Tutorials Updated Have you had an inkling to learn some of the basics of software-design-radio design and implementation? If so, you might find the GNU Radio library of Beginners Tutorials most useful. GNU Radio is a free & open-source software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software radios. It can be used with readily-available low-cost external RF hardware to create software-defined radios, or without hardware in a simulation-like environment. It is widely used in research, industry, academia, government, and hobbyist environments to support both wireless communications research and real-world radio systems. There are 19 beginners tutorials that have been recently updated. There are also another 20 intermediate/advanced tutorials as well as yet another 14 sections of developers resources. The tutorials are free and available on a newly designed landing page at https://wiki.gnuradio.org/index.php/Tutorials. [ANS thanks GNURadio.org for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 14 April 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: BY70-3 NORAD Cat ID 46839 (decayed form orbit on 8 April 2023 per Space-Track). Additionally, Space-Track reports that the AMSAT-NA built HO-107 (HuskySat-1) NORAD Cat ID 45119 decayed from orbit on 12 April 2023. This satellite was removed from AMSAT-NA TLE distributions in December 2021 when End of Mission was declared. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT-NA Assistant Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Operations Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor is ON6TI. Contact is go for Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 10:43:28 UTC West Michigan Aviation Academy, High School, Grand Rapids, MI, direct via W8ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The ARISS mentor is KD8COJ. Contact is go for Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 18:20:54 UTC. Rostov-on-Don, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Friday, April 21, 2023 at 08:10 UTC. Montross Middle School, Montross, VA, Multi-point telebridge via K6DUE. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen, KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is AA4KN. Contact is go for Friday, April 21, 2023 at 17:34:31 UTC. Agrupamento de Escolas João de Barros, Corroios, Portugal and Escola Secundária da Baixa da Banheira, Moita, Portugal, direct via CS5SS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The ARISS mentor is IKØUSO. Contact is go for Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 12:06:44 UTC. + Completed Contacts About Gagarin From Space, Ural State University of Railway Engineering, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via RK9C. The ISS callsign was RS0ISS. The crewmember was Sergey Prokopyev. The ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 09:02 UTC. About Gagarin From Space, Admiral D.N. Senyavin Marine Technical Academy, St. Petersburg, Russia, direct via RY1AAG. The ISS callsign was RSØISS. The crewmember was Andrey Fediaev. The ARISS mentor was RV3DR. Contact was successful on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 10:34 UTC. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations None reported. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events + CubeSat Developers Workshop April 25–27, 2023 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 https://www.cubesatdw.org/ + Dayton Hamvention May 19-21 Greene County Fair and Expo Center, 210 Fairground Road, Xenia 45385 https://hamvention.org/ + TAPR/AMSAT Banquet May 19, 2023 Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio Reservations are required and available at the AMSAT Store https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-at-hamvention/. + AMSAT Symposium and Annual Meeting October 20-21, 2013 Dallas, Texas + AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint's presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I've tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up." [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The 2023 CubeSat Developers Workshop has published its schedule for the April 25-27, 2023 event. It has also announced its Tuesday Keynote speaker as Maj. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess is the Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command, U.S. Space Command; and Vice Commander, Space Operations Command, U.S. Space Force, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The complete schedule is available at https://www.cubesatdw.org/2023-schedule. [ANS thanks CubeSat.org for the above information] + NASA announced today that it is once again delaying the launch of the Boeing Starliner CFT flight until 21 July 2023 – at the earliest. Starliner has been plagued by delays due to prolonged development, then a deeply flawed first (un-crewed) test flight, followed by repairs and redesigns, then a second un-crewed flight, followed by more issues that needed attending to before NASA would give a green light to fly a crew. According to NASA’s Steve Stich the main delay in launching Starliner has to do with certification work. There is also a lot of arrival and departure activity at the ISS which also helped push the launch to the right. [ANS thanks spaceref.com for the above information] + One of the challenges of seeking to establish a permanent outpost on the Moon is how to provide communications to support those on the lunar surface. Space stations in LEO rely on Earth-based communications and navigations capabilities, but outposts and other assets on the Moon cannot rely on the same capabilities because of the vast distances and line-of-sight challenges to places like the far side of the Moon. The Parsec service responds to this challenge. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-106-Parsec. [ANS thanks Lockheed Martin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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ANS-099 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for April 9
by Mark Johns, K0JM 09 Apr '23

09 Apr '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-099 In this edition: * NASA Selects Three Hams for Artemis Mission * TAPR/AMSAT Banquet to Be Held May 19 * AMSAT Discord Server Available * Wordsmiths Wanted by AMSAT * VUCC Satellite Standing April 2023 * INSPIRE.Sat 7 Launch Imminent * No Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-099 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 April 09 NASA Selects Three Hams for Artemis Mission NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The agencies revealed the crew members on Monday, April 3, during an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew assignments are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT, Pilot Victor Glover, KI5BKC, Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, KF5LKU. They will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the flight test. Presently scheduled for November of 2024, the approximately 10-day Artemis II flight test will launch on the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space. The flight, set to build upon the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission completed in December, 2022 will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color on the Moon through the Artemis program, paving the way for future for long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars. This is the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. This will be Wiseman’s second trip into space, serving previously as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 41 from May through November 2014. Wiseman has logged more than 165 days in space, including almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker during two trips outside the orbital complex. He participated in ARISS contacts during the mission. The mission will also be Glover’s second spaceflight, serving previously as pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1, which landed May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space. As a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 64, he contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks. He also made numerous ARISS school contacts from the ISS. Koch also will be making her second flight into space on the Artemis II mission. She served as flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 59, 60, and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalks. Representing Canada, Hansen is making his first flight to space. A colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and former fighter pilot, Hansen holds a Bachelor of Science in space science from Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and a Master of Science in physics from the same institution in 2000, with a research focus on Wide Field of View Satellite Tracking. He was one of two recruits selected by CSA in May 2009 through the third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign and has served as Capcom in NASA's Mission Control Center at Johnson and, in 2017, became the first Canadian to be entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class, leading the training of astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada. Although a Canadian citizen, he holds a U.S. Amateur license and callsign. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 14th Annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet to Be Held May 19 The 14th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 19th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year's banquet speaker will be announced in the coming weeks. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio - about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds. Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store ( https://www.amsat.org/product/2023-tapr-amsat-joint-hamvention-banquet-regi…). The banquet ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 12th. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Discord Server Available The AMSAT IT Team has issued a reminder that one of several communication services that AMSAT-NA maintains for the greater amateur radio community is the AMSAT Discord server. General information about the Discord server may be found at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-discord-server/ For those already familiar with Discord, the direct link to join the server is https://discord.com/invite/xbTXcPJHyt Although often hidden in the background (QRN perhaps?), the AMSAT-NA IT Volunteer Team works very hard to maintain, and improve, services such as the Mailman lists (reflectors), the callsign e-mail forwarding service, the AMSAT-NA website, the TLE (Keps) server, the GitLab instance, and the Discord server. Together with other volunteers, the team does its best to deliver services that work for YOU. Those who have an interest in volunteering for AMSAT-NA, and have Linux server administration, programming/DevOps experience, or other experience in IT, please contact the team at IT(a)amsat.org. We would love to talk more about how you might contribute to our community. [ANS thanks Matthew Alberti, KM4EXS, AMSAT IT Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wordsmiths Wanted by AMSAT Some hams have the skills to build satellites, others can code software apps. But even for those who aren't the technical type, there are still ways to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! AMSAT News Service (ANS) is always eager to have volunteers as editors of the weekly bulletins. Editors gather news items related to amateur satellite operations and package them for distribution worldwide. The process requires attention to detail on matters of grammar, spelling, and style -- but soldering or programming skills are not required, and the time commitment is flexible. For more information, contact k0jm at amsat.org [ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standing April 2023 The following is the VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for March 01, 2023 to April 01, 2023. -------------------------------------------- CALLSIGN March April KO4MA 1786 1933 AA5PK 1162 1282 N8RO 1173 1230 VE1CWJ 609 1000 KF7R 925 950 N0JE 879 883 K9UO 777 813 NS3L 785 800 DL2GRC 725 750 N4UFO (EM95) New 730 W8LR 703 725 EA2AA 665 675 KQ4DO 600 633 KG0D 415 600 KB1HY 457 521 WB7QXU 400 451 VA7LM 104 400 WA2FHJ New 321 JG6CDH 235 305 VA3VGR 209 302 EA3TA 200 301 AG7NR 200 250 HB9RYZ New 248 HC2FG 154 239 XE2YWH 114 235 JE1TNL 150 201 JA1QJI 109 200 WD9EWK (DM22) 195 198 WD9EWK (DM23) 192 195 N6PAZ 121 177 WD9EWK (DM42) 171 175 KB9DAK 108 164 NK0S 150 159 JS1LQI 101 155 F6EQD New 130 DL5KUA New 128 PV8DX/P New 110 BH8DKD New 102 DL3RTL New 102 E29AHU New 101 KN4NN New 100 N9ZTS New 100 --------------------------------------------- Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. BH8DKD is first VUCC Satellite holder from China and OM10 E29AHU is first VUCC Satellite holder from Thailand and NK93 N4UFO is first VUCC Satellite holder from EM34 PV8DX is first VUCC Satellite holder from FJ92 F6EQD is first VUCC Satellite holder from JN05 DL5KUA is first VUCC Satellite holder from JO53 [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- INSPIRE.Sat 7 Launch Imminent The INSPIRE-Sat 7 satellite is scheduled to be launched on the SpaceX Transporter 7 mission on 11 April 2023 at 06:48 UTC. The INSPIRE-Sat 7 satellite is a university project carried out by the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines (France) on behalf of LATMOS (UVSQ, Sorbonne University, Université Paris Saclay, CNRS). This satellite is a demonstrator for experimenting new technologies with a strong involvement of students. This satellite allows the experimentation of miniaturized remote sensing sensors that could be used for multi-point observation of essential climate variables (ECV) and the ionosphere. INSPIRE-Sat 7 carries : * A 435.200 MHz telemetry channel with BPSK mode - GR3UH 9k6 * An FM transponder with an uplink of 145.830 MHz and a downlink of 435.200 MHz. The FM transponder is expected to be active at least twice a month, depending on the satellite power budget. * The SPINO card that will be activated for experimentation To receive the telemetry, a software has been developed: KissTool. It is available for Windows & Linux: Linux: https://site.amsat-f.org/download/118791/?tmstv=1680945385 Windows : https://site.amsat-f.org/download/118784/?tmstv=1680945385 The user manual is available in French ( https://site.amsat-f.org/josast-kisstool/ ) and English ( https://code.electrolab.fr/xtof/josast/-/blob/27-new-application-for-spino/… ) [ANS thanks Christophe Merceur, AMSAT-Francophone president, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 6 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ As of April 6, there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT-NA TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Completed: Collège Saint-Anatoile, Salins-Les-Bains, France, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen, KI5BKB. The ARISS mentor is F6ICS. Contact was successful: Friday 2023-04-07 14:27:26 UTC 86 degrees elevation. Congratulations to the Collège Saint-Anatoile students, Steve, and mentor F6ICS! Specific link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=UCy6st8UemV-88B0PbRlT5sw Otherwise: School Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@technofg/streams Vologda, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Sat 2023-04-08 10:35 UTC Upcoming Kaliningrad, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Sunday 2023-04-09 11:20 UTC Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Wednesday 2023-04-12 09:05 UTC Shchelkovo, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Wednesday 2023-04-12 10:35 UTC Vyborg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev. The ARISS mentor is RV3DR. Contact is go for Sat 2023-04-15 09:50 UTC Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations On April 9 Doug, VA7LM, will be making a quick trip and travelling through CO55 and CO64, possibly others. Look for him after 1600z mostly linear sats. He will update via Twitter if he has coverage. Ray, KN2K, hopes to be QRV from the FM28/FM29 gridline in Delaware on 11 April. Watch his Twitter and/or https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ for updates. Jerry, W8LR, will rove in West Virginia, EM88, on 15 & 16 April: 2334z 15th IO-117 Asia, NA, SA, EU, AF, Eur-Asia 0335z 16th IO-117 SA, NA, AF, EU, Eur-Asia 1643z 16th RS-44 SA, NA, EU (ed: I do not have QRG info) 1729z 16th IO-117 SA, NA, EU, Eur-Asia 2150z 16th IO-117 AS, NA, SA, EU, AF, Eur-Asia Log as W8LR/R Nick, M1DDD will operate as MM1DDD/P on 18-22 April IO74/IO75 18th IO66/IO76 19th & 20th IO67/IO77 21st IO86 22nd Watch Nick’s Twitter and/or https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/ for updates. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a few satellite presentations scheduled... Omaha, Nebraska - 04/14 Tennessee - 04/20 Pennsylvania - 05/02 Ohio, tailored to young students and the ISS - 05/08 Great Britain - 05/11 Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let Clint know! He has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation: "I really enjoyed Clint’s presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I’ve tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up.” [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and the AMSAT Events page for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Lockheed Martin announced a subsidiary called Crescent Space which will develop a lunar communications network called Parsec, starting with two 250kg spacecraft in lunar orbit. Details may be found at https://lmt.co/43hWWE6 (ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information) + The combination of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center hosted 57 launches in 2022, more than any other launch range in the world and more launches than any other country except China. For now, the level of launch activity at the Cape remains manageable. But warning signs are emerging. One is that the Cape is effectively full. The infrastructure to support those launch sites, such as power, commodities and roads, is aging. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) + Two Roscosmos cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut took a short ride around the space station inside the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship relocating it from the Poisk module to the Prichal docking module early Thursday, April 6. Commander Sergey Prokopyev guided the MS-23 to its new docking port flanked by flight engineers Dmitri Petelin and Frank Rubio. The relocation opens up Poisk’s airlock for future Roscosmos spacewalks in Orlan spacesuits and frees its docking port for the upcoming ISS Progress 84 resupply mission. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Launch company Virgin Orbit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 4, having failed to achieve financial orbit after burning through more than $1 billion. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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ANS-092 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 02 Apr '23

02 Apr '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-092 In this edition: * INSPIRE-Sat 7 Scheduled for Launch * CY0S Activates Sable Island on Satellite * New Satellite Distance Record * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 31, 2023 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ ANS-092 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 Apr 02 INSPIRE-Sat 7 Scheduled for Launch INSPIRE-Sat 7 is scheduled to launch on the SpaceX Transporter 7 mission on April 9, 2023. The INSPIRE-Sat 7 satellite is a University project made by Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines (France) on behalf of LATMOS (UVSQ, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Saclay, CNRS). This satellite is a demonstrator to experiment new technology with a strong involvement of students. This satellite helps to experiment miniaturized remote sensing sensors that could be used in the multi-point observation of Essential Climate Variables (ECV) and ionosphere. INSPIRE-Sat 7 carries an FM transponder with an uplink of 145.830 MHz and a downlink of 435.200 MHz. Plans call for the FM transponder to be active at least twice a month, pending the power budget of the satellite. The telemetry downlink is 437.410 MHz. [ANS thanks UVSQ and the IARU for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ CY0S Activates Sable Island on Satellite The recently concluded CY0S DXpedition to Sable Island included amateur satellite activity. Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km (190 mi) southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about 175 km (109 mi) southeast of the closest point of mainland Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island is staffed year round by three federal government staff, rising during summer months when research projects and tourism increase. Notable for its role in early Canadian history and the Sable Island horse, the island is protected and managed by Parks Canada, which must grant permission prior to any visit. Due to its unique status under the Canadian constitution, Sable Island is a separate DXCC entity. As of early 2023, Sable Island was the 49th most wanted DXCC entity according to Clublog data. The CY0S DXpedition had extremely limited weight restrictions due to the transportation from Halifax by helicopter and small plane, leading to compromises in the equipment carried, including an initial decision to cancel satellite operations, but DXpedition operator Lee Imber, WW2DX, who led the 6m and 2m/70cm EME operations was able to include limited satellite activity. Although the VHF/UHF equipment was primarily dedicated to EME operations, WW2DX was able to work several satellite passes, both before moonrise and when EME contacts had slowed down. A total of 153 satellite QSOs were made from this rare DXCC entity with stations across Europe and North America, primarily via FO-29 and RS-44 with a few QSOs on JO-97 and EO-88. This DXpedition represented the first satellite activity from CY0 in many years. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ New Satellite Distance Record John Langille, VE1CWJ, and Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, once again teamed up to set a new satellite distance record. This time, they exceeded their previous FO-118 record of 4,916.6 km with a 5,104 km QSO on FO-118's V/u linear transponder. John was operating in grid FN76nd34tm and Jérôme was operating in JN14ch76ra for the QSO, which took place on March 22, 2023 at 17:22 UTC. Anyone who wants to claim a distance record via an amateur satellite should check the current list at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ and email n8hm at arrl.net if they complete a new record distance. Audio and/or video of the QSO is encouraged but not required. [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 31, 2023 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Collège Saint-Anatoile, Salins-Les-Bains, France, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB The ARISS mentor is F6ICS Contact is go for: Fri 2023-04-07 14:27:26 UTC 86 deg Shchelkovo, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is pending for Wed 2023-04-12 09:00 UTC (***) Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is pending for Wed 2023-04-12 10:45 UTC (***) Shchelkovo, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is pending for Sat 2023-04-15 09:50 UTC (***) Shchelkovo, Russia, direct via TBD (***) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Andrey Fediaev The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is pending for Sun 2023-04-16 09:00 UTC (***) The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Comments on making general contacts I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities. Typical daily schedule Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours Workday start to Workday end=12 hours Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours The crew's usual waking period is 0730 - 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They're usually free most of the weekend, as well. SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements. And don’t forget that the packet system is active. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 19. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 26. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 04. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 19. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting April 26. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Russian EVA targeting May 04. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Powering off for Progress 84 docking on May 24. OFF TBD . ON TBD. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations From Wayne, W4WGC: SE Arizona Rove: Grid DM41 on 03/31/2023 ISS @ 19:45z; PO-101 @ 22:12z Grid DM51 on 04/01/2023 SO-50 @ 14:54a; AO-91 @ 16:10z; Grid DM52 in the afternoon, but I may not be able to get any FM birds Grid DM42 possibly on SO-50 @ 16:13Z, AO-91 @ 17:30z **** From Cam, K4DCA: I’m going to be passing through the elusive FN01 tomorrow (1st April) afternoon and will do some FM passes. Then i’ll be in FN02, 03 and possibly some in and out of some other grids for the week. **** Joe, KE9AJ will be in New Mexico Mar 26-30. Then onto DN70 in Colorado Apr 1-10. He will have his IO-117 gear with him. This will be a family trip so sat operations will be as time permits. Watch his Twitter (and here!) for more info as it becomes available. **** Ray, KN2K hopes to be QRV from the FM28/FM29 gridline on 11 April. Watch his Twitter (and here!) for updates. **** SAT DXPEDITION MENORCA ISLAND 2023 (DXCC : EA6 Balearic is. / GRIDS : JN10+JN20+JM19+JM29 / IOTA : EU-004) Philippe, EA4NF will be operating on satellite from MENORCA Island as EA6/EA4NF from April 5 to 8, 2023. Portable activation with a FT818ND and a FT817ND operating in full Duplex with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna and also handheld+whip antenna April 5-8, 2023 FM SAT & LINEARS QSL via LoTW as EA6/EA4NF Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates : @EA4NF_SAT **** From Jerry, W8LR: West Virginia EM88 15th & 16th April W8LR/R 2334z 15th IO-117 Asia, NA, SA, EU, AF, Eur-Asia 0335z 16th IO-117 SA, NA, AF, EU, Eur-Asia 1643z 16th RS-44 SA, NA, EU (ed: I do not have QRG info) 1729z 16th IO-117 SA, NA, EU, Eur-Asia 2150z 16th IO-117 AS, NA, SA, EU, AF, Eur-Asia Log as W8LR/R **** From Nick, M1DDD: MM1DDD/P 18th-22nd April IO74/IO75 18th IO66/IO76 19th & 20th IO67/IO77 21st IO86 22nd (ed.-this is all I have as of this writing. Watch Nick’s Twitter -and here- for satellite & QRG info as they become available) Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Hamvention 2023 May 19-21, 2023 Stay tuned for announcements about AMSAT Hamvention activites, including the TAPR/AMSAT Dinner. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Save the Date: The TAPR/AMSAT Banquet during Hamvention weekend will take place on Friday, May 19, 2023. Stay tuned for a formal announcement and the opening of ticket sales. + AMSAT News Service (ANS) is always eager to have volunteers as editors of the weekly bulletins. Editors gather news items related to amateur satellite operations and package them for distribution worldwide. The time commitment is flexible. For more information, contact k0jm at amsat.org (ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, ANS Senior Editor, for the above information) + The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, is targeted for early May from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the 10 day mission the four-person multinational crew will complete more than 20 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with organizations across the globe. Amateur radio was a big part of the Ax-1 mission in April of 2022, but none of the four Ax-2 crewmembers appear to be licensed amateurs. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) + Congratulations to Larry, KF6JOQ, who is the 55th recipient of the AMSAT GridMaster Award for working and confirming all 488 grids located in the continental United States + Congratulations to David, VK5DG, the 74th recipient of the AMSAT Rover Award (Thanks to AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards Bruce Paige, KK5DO) + The January/February 2023 Edition of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. * Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm [at] amsat.org

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