AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-134
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org.
In this edition:
* Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton * Canadian Grid Expedition Announcement * Asia Islands on the Air Satellite Activation * South Korea Air Force Academy Proposes FM Repeater K2Sat to IARU * Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Internships * Vector Space Completes First Test Flight
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-134.01 ANS-134 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 134.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE May 14, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-134.01
Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton
10. Rub shoulders with 25,000 of your best friends at the largest hamfest in the United States, including most of the AMSAT Directors and senior officers. See the latest equipment from Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Flex, Alinco, M2, Arrow, and many other manufacturers of amateur radio equipment and accessories. Take advantage of discounted pricing you won't find anywhere else.
9. Find out how to organize a contact with the astronauts on the International Space Station for your local school or youth group from our Education and ARISS experts.
8. Pickup the latest AMSAT golf shirts, T-shirts, and hats. Get your copy of the updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide" (laminated frequency chart) and Gould Smith's just revised "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites" (book printed in color). We'll also have assembled wide-band preamps and antennas that are great for portable operation.
7. See demonstrations of SatPC32 and MacDoppler satellite tracking software, and get your operational questions answered. Meet Don Agro, author of MacDoppler (Friday & Saturday, 2-3 p.m.). See a demonstration of the LVB Tracker, a computer interface to the Yaesu azimuth-elevation rotors. Talk with Mike Young, who has built more LVB Trackers than anyone else. Assembled LVB Trackers will be available.
6. Hear Carl Laufer talk about “The World of Low Cost Software Defined Radio” at the AMSAT Banquet on Friday evening. Carl is the creator and author of the extremely popular RTL-SDR Blog, author of the book, “The Hobbyist Guide to RTL-SDR,” and supplier of the RTL-SDR dongle.
5. Hear the latest on the *five* Fox satellites, Phase 5, the International Space Station, other current and future satellites, education news, and an AMSAT update at the AMSAT Forum Saturday, from 10:45 to 12:15.
4. Get one-on-one guidance on setting up your satellite station and making contacts at our "Beginner's Corner". Witness live demonstrations of contacts through satellites AO-7, AO-73, AO-85, FO-29, SO-50, XW-2A, XW-2B, XW-2C, XW-2D and XW-2F using handheld antennas.
3. Meet and interact with some of the Engineering Team members working on the Fox-1 satellites and our new Five and Dime AMSAT ground terminal.
2. Get satellite station and operating tips from some of the best satellite operators in the country, including John Papay K8YSE (1,591 grids confirmed), Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA (1,510 grids), Doug Papay KD8CAO (1,200 grids), and Paul Stoetzer (904 grids).
1. Receive an updated "Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide" (laminated frequency chart) when you join or renew your AMSAT membership at Dayton, and take advantage of special pricing on the SatPC32 satellite tracking software.
[ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information]
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Canadian Grid Expedition Announcement
Ken, VE3HLS reports he plans for the activation of four never-activated on satellites grids (as far as he can tell) grids are coming together.
The expedition takes place next weekend, May 20th and 21st 2017; a long weekend up here in Canada. He will be driving up from his home QTH in FN03 and will arrive in Chibougamau QC on the afternoon of Saturday May 20th.
There are several favorable passes on Saturday evening and hw hopes to spend a few hours handing out FN29 to get warmed up. Sunday the 21st looks like a bonanza of great passes! The trouble will be deciding when to break so he can move to a different location. The plan at this time is to set up on the FN29/39 boundary in the morning and operate there for a few hours. Then he will move to FO20/30 and then FO20/FN29.
More information about operating schedules will be posted on amsat-bb as he gets closer to departure date. He will also post information on his QRZ page at https://qrz.com/db/VE3HLS
[ANS thanks Ken, VE3HLS for the above information]
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Asia Islands on the Air Satellite Activation
Operators Makoto/JI5RPT and Toru/JI5USJ will be active as homecall/1 from Shikine Island (North Izu Island) between 0000z, May 20th and 0000z, May 21st. Activity will be on 160/80/40/30/20/17/15/12/10/6 meters using CW, RTTY and PSK31. There will also be satellite operations. Please note: In case of heavy rain or other conditions, the operation schedule may vary. For QSL info, please check QRZ.com for details.
[ANS thanks the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1314 for the above information]
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South Korea Air Force Academy Proposes FM Repeater K2Sat to IARU
The Republic of Korea Air Force Academy has submitted a coordination request to the IARU for the K2Sat satellite, a 3U CubeSat Mission.
The K2Sat's primary mission is to demonstrate satellite imaging and transfer, to also test voice repeating capability.
The followings are the payloads: 1. On-board camera 2. On-board voice repeater proposing a V/U FM voice transceiver 3. 9k6 BSPK AX25 downlink for data and telemetry and planning a 2 Mbit QPSK downlink on S Band.
The launch is planned for a 500/600km SSO orbit in 2018.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information]
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Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Internships
The Space Studies Board is seeking applicants for the Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Internships for autumn 2017. The goal of the program is to provide promising undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to work in the area of civil space research policy in the nation's capital.
Established in 1958, the Space Studies Board is the principal advisory group providing independent scientific and programmatic advice to NASA and other government agencies on all aspects of civil space research and associated ground-based activities. Interns typically undertake one or more short-term research projects designed to assist with or to enhance ongoing study projects.
Applicants must be registered students (undergraduate or graduate) at a U.S. university or college who have completed their junior year. Applicants should have long-term career goals in space science research, applications or policy.
Applications are due June 2, 2017.
For more information and a full list of eligibility requirements, visit http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_052239.
Please direct questions about this internship to Dr. David H. Smith at [email protected].
[ANS thanks NASA Education Express for the above information]
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Vector Space Completes First Test Flight
Vector Space has conducted a crucial test of their Vector-R rocket that the company hopes will expand the small satellite launch market via small-scale launchers. As SpaceX has disrupted the large scale market, so does Vector Space hope their new rocket system can disrupt the small scale market by eliminating the need for ride-share requirements small satellites currently face while significantly lowering the cost to small satellite customers.
The first test flight, conducted on 3 May from the Mojave Desert in California, used a single-engine scaled-down model of the three-engine Vector-R rocket and allowed the company to test aspects of launch operations – including its infrastructure-lite launch architecture approach – for their rocket as well as portions of its 3D-printed components and pressure-fed engine design.
The suborbital test flight launched from the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site in California’s Mojave Desert at 12:00 PDT (19:00 GMT) on 3 May and reached a maximum altitude of 1,370 m (4,500 ft).
The second test flight, expected in July, will radically shift launch operations to a never-before-used location – the U.S. state of Georgia – and will highlight what Vector Space says is an innovative solution to various launch market needs with an ability to launch from locations outside the standard U.S. Ranges.
This Georgia test will occur from Camden County – the state’s southern-most county, which borders Florida’s north-eastern most boundary.
Following completion of the Vector-R test flight series, Vector Space plans to introduce the Vector-R rocket for commercial launch operations in 2018.
From there, the company currently has 12 commercial launches for the Vector-R planned in 2019, with an eventual eye toward ramping up operations to 100 launches of the Vector-R later in its operational life.
[ANS thanks NASASpaceFlight.com for the above information]
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org