AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-160
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org http://amsat.org.
In this edition:
* Fox-1 Receives IARU Frequency Coordination Letter * _Reminder_: Deadline for AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Approaching * AMSAT Field Day 2013 * AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions Webpage Restored
* 2013 Dayton Hamvention AMSAT Forum Presentations Now on YouTube.com * New Video on Ham Radio Satellite SO-50 on FM handheld * South Africa Radio Amateur of the Year Awards 2013 Nominations Closes June 10
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-160.01 ANS-160 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 160.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 9, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-160.01
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Fox-1 Receives IARU Frequency Coordination Letter
On June 4 the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Board accepted the following frequencies for our AMSAT Fox-1 cubesat:
+ 435.180 MHz Uplink + 145.980 MHz Downlink
Fox-1 will serve as a communications relay for amateurs worldwide via the onboard FM repeater system. Fox-1 is currently scheduled to launch into a 470 x 780 km at 64 degrees inclination orbit from Vandenburg during 2014 on the NASA ElanaXII mission with ARC1, BisonSat, Lightsail & R2S(NEO).
The Fox-1 Engineering Team will deliver the satellite for integration with the launch vehicle during May, 2014 with the launch scheduled for November, 2014. The Fox cubesats are designed to host advanced science payloads to support future science missions that help us to continue qualify for NASA ELaNa (free) launches. President Barry Baines says, "AMSAT's focus on STEM education and development of a cubesat platform capable of flying a science mission with a reliable communications link resulted in the selection of Fox-1 in the third round and RadFxSat (Fox-1B) in the fourth round of NASA's Cubesat Launch Initiative."
The Fox-1 satellite will include a space radiation experiment from Vanderbilt University and a JPEG Digital Camera from Virginia Tech. The Vanderbilt Low Energy Proton experiment will detect single-event upsets in memory devices and will operate all the time. The experiment data will be downlinked with the satellite telemetry. The camera will operate when the satellite is in the high-speed digital data mode and will take one photo each minute. Watch the AMSAT Journal, the AMSAT web site (http://www.amsat.org) and the AMSAT News Service for more details to follow.
[ANS thanks the Fox-1 Team for the above information]
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_Reminder_ Deadline for AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Approaching
It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming open seats on the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. A nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member for the position. Four director's terms expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Drew Glasbrenner, K04MA, and Tony Monteiro, AA2TX.
In addition to traditional submission of written nominations, which remains unchanged and is the preferred method, nominations may be made by electronic means. These include e-mail, FAX, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to MARTHA at AMSAT.ORG http://AMSAT.ORG or faxed to 301-608-3410.
Written nominations, consisting of names, calls and individual sig- natures should be mailed to:
AMSAT-NA 850 Sligo Ave #600 Silver Spring, MD, 20910
No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days following the close of nominations on June 15th.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information]
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AMSAT Field Day 2013
Every year AMSAT promotes a satellite version of Field Day during the ARRL annual operating event which is held on the 4^th weekend in June. This year Field Day will take place from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 22, 2013 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 23, 2013.
SaudiSat-Oscar-50 will be the only operational FM transponder satellite this year. If you are considering only FM voice operating for your AMSAT Field Day focus the single uplink/downlink channel will be extremely challenging. As in prior years, this intense congestion on FM LEO satellites drives the limitation in the rules allowing their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. You will also be allowed one digital QSO with the ISS or any other digital, non-store-and-forward, packet satellite (if operational).
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 the linear transponder satellites including VO-52, FO-29, and AO-7. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous SSB or CW contacts.
The AMSAT Field Day 2013 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.
For the complete listing of the AMSAT Field Day Rules please refer to the documents posted on-line at:
·http://www.amsatnet.com/2013fd.docx
·http://www.amsatnet.com/2013fd.pdf
[ANS thanks AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information]
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AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions Webpage Restored
A favorite feature of the AMSAT website has been restored. The AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions Webpage back on AMSAT's webpage.
Please visit:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/index.php
After a team effort by Emily, N1DID,Bryce, KB1LQC, Brent, KB1LQD, and Rick, W2GPS, the pass predictions are working again.
They can also be found at the PASS PREDICTION link on www.amsat.org http://www.amsat.org
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P for the above information]
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2013 Dayton Hamvention AMSAT Forum Presentations now on youtube.com
Two presentations from the AMSAT Forum at the 2013 Dayton Hamvention have
been posted on the AMSATNA channel on YouTube.
Title:AMSAT Status Report, by Barry WD4ASW - 2013 Dayton Hamvention
In the first of six videos from the AMSAT Forum at the 2013 Dayton
Hamvention, AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, presents an update on
AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.Barry's talk covers a
review of AMSAT's mission and vision, recent history, Journal, regulatory
environment, 2013 Symposium plans, and where AMSAT is headed.
Title:Fox-1 Status Update, by Tony AA2TX - 2013 Dayton Hamvention
AMSAT VP for Engineering Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, provided an
up-to-the-minute review of AMSAT-NA's next satellite, Fox-1, at the AMSAT
Forum at the 2013 Dayton Hamvention.The first of a number of satellites
planned for Project Fox, Tony reviews the motivation for building a
CubeSat, the components that comprise Fox-1, and the capabilities and
experiments included.He describes the launch assigned by NASA for Fox-1
and gives a brief look at future Project Fox satellites.
You can find these videos and many others on the AMSATNA channel at:
http://www.youtube.com/AMSATNA
Additional presentations from the AMSAT Forum should become available next
week.
[ANS thanks Steve Belter, N9IP for the above information]
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New Video on Ham Radio Satellite SO-50 on FM handheld
David Mercado KK4MND has produced a video showing how easy it is to receive the amateur radio satellite SO-50.
This video demonstrates how to communicate via Amateur Ham Radio Satellite using an inexpensive $50 Baofeng UV5R Dual Band Radio and MFJ dual band antenna from Amazon. Among the stations heard are Hector Martinez CO6CBF, Dave Beumer W0DHB and James Bayne KI4SIY.
Watch Ham Radio Satellite w/Baofeng UV5R MFJ on Saudisat SO-50 http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2013/ham_radio_satellite_so50_on_fm_han...
SO50 frequencies Uplink - 145.850 MHz with 67 HZ CTCSS (initial 74.4 Hz CTCSS tone required if satellite has not already been activated) Downlink - 436.800 MHz
SO-50 article by Howard Long G6LVB http://www.g6lvb.com/Articles/operatingSO50.htm
SO-50 http://amsat-uk.org/2012/01/30/working-the-fm-sat-so-50/
[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News' Website for this June 3, 2013 announcement for the above information]
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South Africa Radio Amateur of the Year Awards 2013 Nominations Closes June 10
Nominations are now invited for the 2013 MTN Radio Amateur of The Year Awards :
GARTH MILNE TECHNICAL INNOVATION AWARD
The award is made for the support, development and application of Technological Innovation in Amateur in South Africa. The recipient will be a person who has promoted the use of technology in amateur radio at club level, nationally, at schools or tertiary education institution
MTN RADIO AMATEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD
The award is made for the support and development of the Amateur Radio Service in South Africa, not for individual achievements such as DXCC and other operational awards or contests. The recipient will be a person who has given of his or her expertise and time to the promotion of Amateur Radio in South Africa.
MTN AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Annually the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust is recognizing a radio amateur or a group of radio amateurs for service to the community. Community service can be assistance to a handicapped radio amateur, communications support during a sporting event or a disaster situation like a road accident or a natural disaster like a flood, veld fires, or an earthquake. Nominations are invited for an individual or a group of people like a radio club, or an association. NOMINATIONS Nominations must reach the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust by not later than 10 June 2013
P O Box 90438, Garsfontein 0042. Fax: 012 991-5651 Email to: [email protected] mailto:[email protected]
[We thank AMSAT SA's Website for the above information]
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/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
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