AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-078
In this edition:
* AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention - Call for Volunteers * Alan Johnston To Present at QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo * IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites * AMSAT 2021 Annual Report Available * AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 16, 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.
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ANS-078 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 Mar 19
AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention - Call for Volunteers
It's less than eight weeks away when Amateur Radio's biggest event of the year happens at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. That's right, May 19-20 is Hamvention time when over 30,000 of our closest friends get together to get a first hand look at the latest products and to catch up with friends from around the world.
With over 1,200 square feet of exhibit space, AMSAT is a major Hamvention exhibitor with displays from Engineering, Operations, Educational Relations, the AMSAT Store and much more. Last year in 2022, about 35 people assisted with the AMSAT booth. It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2022 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun.
Would you consider helping AMSAT at the Hamvention this year? Whether you're available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated.
If you will be attending Hamvention and can help, please send an e-mail to Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator via w1eme [at] amsat [dot]org.
[ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Coordinator 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/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Alan Johnston To Present at QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on March 26, 2023 at 17:00Z. The title of the presentation is "Exploring Satellite Telemetry with the CubeSat Simulator."
Alan writes, "There are thousands of satellites in low earth orbit above us transmitting radio signals. Many of those signals contain telemetry, that is information about the spacecraft and its environment and built in sensors.
"A great way to learn about satellite telemetry is to use the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator, a functional model of a 1U CubeSat designed for the classroom and public demonstrations. In this presentation, I'll show how to receive and interpret telemetry from it using the same tools and apps used for in orbit satellites launched by AMSAT and other amateur radio organizations.
"I will also show you how you can build your own CubeSatSim with some intermediate soldering and 3D printing skills as the project is fully open sourced and available on GitHub."
This one hour presentation is geared for those beginning to explore the world of satellite telemetry. The cost of the two day virtual event is $15. More information is available at https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/.
[ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations for the above information.]
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IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites
The IARU has coordinated frequencies for the following two upcoming satellites:
+ PW-SAT3 PW-SAT3 is a 1U CubeSat mission to be flown by the Warsaw University of Technology. Students from the PW-Sat3 team are 1) designing a butane warm gas propulsion device that will be used to perform station-keeping maneuvers deorbiting maneuver; 2) AOCS system that will be used during propulsion maneuvers to align the satellite in the optimal orientation; 3) Earth Horizon Sensors made from industrial IR matrixes; 4) A camera module to capture views from space. The team also wants to implement a simple open transponder for radio amateurs to operate packet radio. They are also investigating the possibility to allow radio amateurs to download on-demand low-resolution images from the camera module.
Proposing a UHF downlink using 2GFSK at 9k6 or 19k2. A downlink on 437.170 MHz has been coordinated. No launch date has been defined but deployment into a SSO 550km orbit is planned. More info from https://pw-sat.pl.
+ SAKURA Sakura is a 1U CubeSat mission sponsored by the Chiba Institute of Technology. APRS Mission Will provide APRS services including Digipeater functionality. SAKURA will carry two cameras, one to photograph sunspots and the other to photograph typhoons ,volcanoes and flooding areas. Amateur Radio stations should be able to receive a photograph in one pass.
Proposing VHF and UHF downlinks using APRS and 4k8 AX25 GMSK respectively. Planning a launch to the ISS in January 2024 for deployment. Downlinks on 145.825 MHz and 437.375 MHz have been coordinated.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]
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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/
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AMSAT 2021 Annual Report Available
The AMSAT 2021 Annual report is now available for download. Annual reports are typical made available to the public up to a year or so after the financial records have been reviewed and approved by an external accounting firm. Although AMSAT has always published its financial statements and IRS filings every year, it now finds it useful to publish a corporate-like annual report to inform our stakeholders and prospective donors of our activities.
Because the annual report is written for sometimes non-technical persons outside the traditional Amateur Radio world, experienced technical readers might find some passages over simplified descriptions of the engineering contributions and activities that AMSAT conducts. Nonetheless, AMSAT hopes that everyone can find the annual report a fairly descriptive picture of the work is does in helping to Keep Amateur Radio in Space.
The 2021 Annual Report can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-2021-Report.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
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AMSAT Recognized for Educational Support
[Editor's Note: This is an updated version of the story that appeared in ANS-071.]
Instituto Universitario "Ignacio Da Riva" IDR and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeronáutica y del Espacio of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain has recognized and thanked the members of AMSAT who have supported their educational endeavors by collecting telemetry data downloaded from the UPMSat-2 satellite around the globe. Mr. Rafael García Romero, EA4BPN, along with project director Dr. Elena Roibas, and IDR Director Dr. Angel Sanz Andres , on behalf of the UPMSat-2 team, penned the letter of recognition dated February 17, 2023 and recently received by AMSAT. The letter reads:
"On the celebration of UPMSat-2 launch date anniversary of the second year in orbit, UPMSat-2 team would like to thank AMSAT for its support to the satellite downlink data gathering. The effort of AMSAT members is seen at IDR as a valuable 'citizen science' contribution to our project and is gratefully acknowledged. We expect that the UPMSat-2 will continue to work for another two years, therefore, it would bring an opportunity to continue with this fruitful collaboration.
"With our best regards, we wish all the best for AMSAT members."
UPMSat-2 sends 2-FSK data at 2400bps, with transmitted power of approximately 2.5 watts, on 437.405 MHz. Originally scheduled to launch in 1999, it was finally launched on September 3, 2020 from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Launched on the flight VV16 of the Vega rocket, it entered a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of approximately 518 km."
[ANS thanks Rafael García, EA4BPN, and Dr. Angel Sanz Andres, IDR Director, for the above information.]
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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
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 16, 2023
The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
FMN 1 NORAD Cat ID 43192 (decayed from orbit on 03/16/23 per Space-Track). HO-119 NORAD Cat ID 54816 (decayed from orbit on 03/15/23 per Space-Track).
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
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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
Lana'i High and Elementary School, Lana'i City, HI, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. The ARISS mentors are AJ9N and W4NTR. Contact is go for: Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 18:22:52 UTC. Watch for Livestream at the ARISS YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxm5Ca2y0HD_NxXlZWXv11A.
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.]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
NA-008; March 16 April 13, 2023 Pierre, VE3KTB, maybe active on FM satellites during his spare time from the Eureka station as VY0ERC. QSL via M0OXO OQRS.
DM22qq; March 19, 2023 AD7DB working: AO-91 at 16:01Z (possibly) AO-91 at 17:35Z SO-50 19 18:06Z
DM23ag AD7DB working: PO101 at 22:56Z Follow him on Twitter for updates
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
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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 …
- Nashville, Tennessee - April 20 - England, May 11 - Ohio - Students - ISS-specific, May 8
Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The national ham organization EARS of the United Arab Emirates runs the special event station A60AP with additional designators /0 to /15 to mark their country's astronaut program. They remain active until the end of August. More information at https://www.mbrsc.ae/service/astronaut_prog. [ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM for the above information.]
+ NASA is awarding more than $3.8 million to 21 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions for projects designed to bring the excitement of space science to communities across the nation and broaden student participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Projects were selected for NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program and TEAM II Community Anchor Awards. The selected projects will engage their communities in a wide variety of STEM topics, from aeronautics and Earth science to human space exploration. More information including a complete list of the organizations receiving funds is available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-NASA-STEM. [ANS thanks SpaceRef.com for the above information.]
+ What time is it on the moon? A new era of lunar exploration is on the rise, with dozens of Moon missions planned for the coming decade. Europe is in the forefront here, contributing to building the Gateway lunar station and the Orion spacecraft – set to return humans to our natural satellite – as well as developing its large logistic lunar lander, known as Argonaut. As dozens of missions will be operating on and around the Moon and needing to communicate together and fix their positions independently from Earth, this new era will require its own time. Timing is a crucial element, adds ESA navigation system engineer Pietro Giordano: "During this meeting at ESTEC, we agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to. A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this.” More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-078-Lunar-Time. [ANS thanks the ESA for the above information.]
+ Looking for a fun project for that 3D printer sitting in your workshop? Look no further than Relativity Space in California for inspiration. Their Terran 1 will try to become the first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit. “There are a number of firsts here potentially on this rocket,” said Josh Brost, vice president of revenue operations at Relativity Space. “It has the chance of being the first liquid natural gas / liquid oxygen rocket to make it to orbit. It has, by far, the highest 3D-printed content of any rocket in history. We’re sitting at about 85% by mass, where I don’t think any other rocket has gone past maybe 4%.” Compared to a traditional rocket that has more than 100,000 parts, this 3D-printed rocket has less than 1,000 parts. After two aborted launches this month, Relativity Space is poised for another try on March 22. More information at https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/03/11/relativity-space-terran-1-glhf/. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]
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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