ANS-202 AMSAT News Service Bulletins for July 21

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AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-202

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information 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 https://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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

  • AMSAT is proud to announce the relaunch of its AMSAT Ambassador Program
  • Watch for ISS, SSTV Activity
  • Nihon University Announces FO-99 US Operation Plan
  • FO-29 update from JARL
  • 2019 Mid-Year Fundraising Letter
  • 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • ARISS News
  • Shorts From All Over

AMSAT is proud to announce the relaunch of its AMSAT Ambassador Program

The AMSAT Ambassador Program is an opportunity for AMSAT members to share what they’ve learned about amateur radio in space with others, and, in the process, help inspire the next generation of AMSAT’ers.

AMSAT Ambassador Program Goals:

  •  Educate other amateur radio operators and the general public on  amateur radio in space related subjects.
  •  Represent AMSAT by sharing enthusiasm for Amateur Radio in Space with others, whether at in-person events, practical demonstrations,    online, or in written communications, and share AMSAT’s mission and vision.
  •  Connect volunteers with potential members both in-person and online in a manner encouraging their affiliation by membership with AMSAT.
  •  Offer personal mentoring and coaching to new enthusiasts either in-person or via online means such as email, chat, and social media.
  •  Connect members and potential enthusiasts with proper resources at AMSAT when they seek more knowledge, volunteer to serve, or have    concerns with the organization.

Become an AMSAT Ambassador and do your part towards making this happen by informing people about the value of amateur radio in space and encouraging their support and involvement. Please visit the AMSAT Ambassador Program webpage for more information: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/

73,

Robert Bankston, KE4AL Vice-President, User Services, Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT, Director, AMSAT Ambassadors

Watch for ISS, SSTV Activity

ARISS SSTV activity is planned for various times during the week of July 29 through Aug 4. As more specific dates and times are determined, they will be made available at the ARISS website (www.ariss.org) and at the official ARISS facebook page at Amateur Radio On The International Space Station (ARISS).

[ANS thanks Dave, AA4KN for the above information]

New 2019 AMSAT Apparel Now Available on the Web
Didn’t make it to Hamvention but you want the latest in AMSAT haberdashery?
The new 2019 tee-shirts, polo shirts and hats are now available in the AMSAT online store.
Browse the styles and sizes online and put your order in today at
https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-apparel/

 Nihon University Announces FO-99 US Operation Plan

PlaceOperationDateAOSLOSMax. Elevation
Washington, DCTransponderJuly 27 02:28:4302:39:5335.08
Topeka, KSTransponderAug 10 03:46:43 03:57:57 31.35
Denver, COSSTVAug 2403:30:20 03:41:50 50.01
All times UTC

Operation will be performed from 5 minutes before AOS to 5 minutes after LOS. Total operation time is about 20 min. The operation may be cancelled if uplink is not received.

[ANS thanks Nihon University for the above information.]

2019 marks AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
To help celebrate, we are sponsoring the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program.
Full details are available at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/

FO-29 update from JARL

“Analog transmitters of Fuji No. 3 (FO-29) have been suspended since July 9, 2019. Currently, we are doing situation grasp and information gathering, but we will inform you as soon as the situation is understood.

If you have telemetry data after July 8th (UTC), please send it to the following address. [Transmission destination of telemetry data] oper (at) jarl.org

Thank you for your cooperation in collecting information on “Fuji No. 3″ of many users.

JARL Secretariat Member Section Fuji 3 Telemetry Section”

Source: https://www.hamlife.jp/2019/07/17/fo29-jas2-silent/

[ANS thanks hamlife.jp for the above information]

2019 Mid-Year Fundraising Letter

The following funraising letter from AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO, was recently mailed to all AMSAT members. Please consider a one-time or recurring donation today.

Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)
10605 Concord St, #304
Kensington, MD 20895-2526 USA

July 10, 2019 AMSAT Member,

I am writing to provide an update to the membership on AMSAT’s activities and invite everyone to our 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, to be held October 18-20, 2019. For more details, go to https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/. I hope to see you there!

It takes considerable volunteer effort and real dollars to keep Amateur Radio in Space™.  AMSAT needs some important assistance in the areas of User Services and Engineering. If you would like to volunteer, please contact me at [email protected]. You may also assist AMSAT by making a tax-deductible contribution. AMSAT has several fundraising needs. The daily operation of AMSAT is accomplished by donations to the General Fund. This fund is also used to fill other department needs. The other main department needs are the fund for GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) 3U CubeSats design/construction and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station).

AMSAT has had success in the launch of AO-92 (Fox-1D) in January of 2018 and the launch of AO-95 (Fox-1Cliff) in December of 2018. AO-95 achieved orbit and the beacon functions properly, unfortunately the satellite’s receiver is not operational. AMSAT Engineering and Operations are trying to determine the cause of the issue. AMSAT partnered with Spaceflight Inc. by contracting and paying for these launches. Fundraising for Fox series satellites have not yet recouped this expenditure, so donations are still being accepted. AMSAT is expecting the launch of RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E), our partnership with Vanderbilt University, by no earlier than the end of summer. RadFxSat-2 will launch on the ELaNa XX mission, on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne, and carry an AMSAT V/u linear transponder and radiation experiments for Vanderbilt University. AMSAT is also partnering with several universities to fly this linear transponder on their CubeSats. The first of these will fly on HuskySat-1, from the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington, later this year.

AMSAT has been selected for two CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) opportunities for GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1. GOLF’s 3U spaceframe is being designed with versatility to add mission specific radios, power supplies, and experiments. A series of GOLF CubeSats will provide better coverage and a greater footprint will allow more coverage by fewer satellites. GOLF also allows AMSAT to continue and expand partnerships with universities, NASA and others. GOLF will also provide for additional experimental payloads such as GPS, satellite interlinking, and others.  Your donations help AMSAT keep GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1 on schedule.

The first GOLF CubeSat, GOLF-TEE, will jump start the GOLF program with a launch to LEO as early as 2020. GOLF-TEE will use Attitude Determination and Control (ADAC) and an experimental 5 GHz /10 GHz software defined radio transponder.

AMSAT will benefit by gaining knowledge as well as hardware for future missions. GOLF-TEE also provides an opportunity to fly projects that have been developed by AMSAT’s Advanced Satellite Communications and Exploration of New Technology (ASCENT) “skunk works” program. GOLF-TEE will carry a Fox-1E design V/u linear transponder and new RadFx (Radiation Effects) experiment like that in AO-85 for Vanderbilt University, but testing FinFET technology.

GOLF-1 will aim for higher LEO orbit as the first official “Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint” AMSAT CubeSat. Launch is targeted for 2020-2021.

You may make a one time or recurring donation to AMSAT at https://www.amsat.org/donate/.

As of this writing, the ARISS FundRazr has raised $33,250 of the $150,000 for critical amateur radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS to enable students to talk to astronauts in space via amateur radio. ARISS is in critical need of this infrastructure update. Through your donations ARISS seeks the following upgrades:

  • Next Generation radio system will support easier radio mode   transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students   and the general public including:
  • New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities,  including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet   radio (APRS) capabilities
  • Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS
  • New multi-voltage power supply (MVPS) will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted

ARISS is building 10 Next Generation Radio Systems to support our development, on-orbit operations, training and long-term maintenance. This includes units on-orbit (2 units–1 unit each in US and Russian segment), flight spares (2 units), training (3 units), testing (1 unit) and ground-based maintenance & troubleshooting (2 units). ARISS has kicked off a FundRazr campaign for this initiative. The project is scheduled for delivery by the end of this year.

AMSAT is also working with our ARISS partners to develop an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting project.

You may make a one time or recurring donation to ARISS by clicking the ARISS Donations button at https://www.amsat.org/donate or directly to the FundRazr at https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen.

Help Keep Amateur Radio in Space™
Thanks! Joe Spier, K6WAO
President, AMSAT

[ANS thanks Joe K6WAO for the above information]

2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting

Please join us for the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Symposium, to be held in the Washington, DC Metro Area on October 18, 19, and 20, 2019.

The Symposium venue will be the Hilton Arlington, located in the heart of the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The Hilton Arlington is located at 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA TEL: +1-703-528-6000 and the reservation code is AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation). Connected to the Ballston Metro Station, the hotel offers easy and effortless access to Washington DC’s top tourist destinations like the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments. The hotel is six miles from Reagan National Airport and the National Mall. There are plenty of restaurants nearby.

The Symposium will feature OSCAR Park – a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur radio in space – paper presentations, and a banquet with speakers celebrating AMSAT’s long history, and other events. The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held on October 16th and 17th at the same hotel. Two guided tours are available. On Sunday, October 20th a bus tour to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum is available for $30 (max 35 people) and on Monday, October 21st, AMSAT President Joe Spier will lead a day tour to the National Mall via the Metro.

So please plan on attending the 50th Anniversary Symposium – you will be glad you did and keep checking the AMSAT website for further updates and information. https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations – As of July 19, 2019

  • Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations! https://www.amsat.org/events/was-w3zm/
  • Wyoming and Montana (DN62, DN63, DN64, DN65, DN54)  July 20-27, 2019 
    RJ, WY7AA, will be roving in DN62 and DN63 for the 16:00-20:00 UTC. FM passes, Sat. July 20th. On Sun. July 21st, he will work one pass only from DN65, SO-50 at 16:58 UTC.  For the remainder of the week, RJ will be camping in DN64, working holiday style FM and linears, with one side trip during the week for a few FM passes from DN54.  RJ will try to get word to Twitter when he plans to do so, but expects to be without Twitter for the trip, and likely out of cell phone range, as well. #unplugged
  • St Lucia, (FK94) July 21 – August 3, 2019 
    Frank, K3TRM, will be operating as J6/K3TRM from Gros Islet, St. Lucia (FK94mb) between July 21 – August 3, 2019. Activity will be on 40-6M using SSB, CW, and Digital (RTTY & FT8) and satellite. More info available on Frank’s QRZ page: https://www.qrz.com/db/J6/K3TRM and Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/k3trm
  • CY9 St. Paul Island (FN97) – July 31 to August 8, 2019 
    CY9C will be on St. Paul Island July 31st through August 8th.  This is an all bands/mode dxpedition, with EME and Sats as well.  More info available at http://cy9c.com/index.html.
  • Florida Keys (EL95) August 4-11, 2019 
    Philippe, EA4NF will be operating from EL95 (Key Largo and Brickell Key) as KC3NSG, from August 4 to 11, 2019.  FM and Linears.  QSL via LoTW.  Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates: https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT
  • Washington Invasion (CN96/96 & DN06/07/17/17) – August 9-10, 2019 
    Casey, KI7UNJ, will be heading North to invade the State of Washington, August 9th and 10th. Keep an eye on Casey’s Twitter feed for specific pass announcements: https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ
  • St Pierre et Miquelon (GN16) – August 10-18, 2019
    A DXpedition is planned to St Pierre et Miquelon, August 10th through the 18th. The team will operate as T05M will from Ile aux Marins on 6-160m, but there is a possibility of some FM Satellites. Keep an eye on their website for updates: http://fp2019.net/
  • Santa Rosa Island, CA (CM93) – August 12-14, 2019 
    Ron, AD0DX, is heading back to Santa Rosa Island, August 12th -14th. When not distracted by the feathered-birds, Ron will be on FM and linear satellites as W6R.  Keep an eye on Ron’s Twitter feed for updates at the dates get closer.  https://twitter.com/ad0dx
  • 6Y Jamaica (FK18) AUGUST 12-19, 2019 
    Philippe, EA4NF will be operating from JAMAICA (IOTA NA-097 – Grid FK18) in Satellite with the special call 6Y4NF from August 12 to 19, QRV Satellite in FM and SSB. QSL via LoTW.  Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates: https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT.

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org

[ANS thanks Robert KE4AL for the above information]

AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise
$150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS. The upgrades are
necessary to enable students to continue to talk to astronauts in space via
Amateur Radio. We have reached a great milestone with $33,250 raised or about
17% towards our goal. This would not have been possible without your
outstanding generosity!!
For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit:
https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9

ARISS News

  • 2019-07-16 19:35 UTC between Cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin using ISS callsign RSØISS and About Gagarin From Space. Performing amateur radio communication session with the 8th International Aerospace School. U.N. Sultanova rep. Bashkortostan Aerospace School of. U.N. Sultanova summer camp, Kalinovka, Davlekanovsky, Russia Contact was direct via  RZ9WWB. ARISS Mentor was Sergey RV3DR
  • Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule 24th World Scout Jamboree, Summit Bechtel Scout Reserve, West Virginia, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA Contact is go for: Sat 2019-07-27 18:27:56 UTC

[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above  information]

AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package,
including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

Shorts From All Over

  • CAS-7B Launch July 25, 2019 Planned to launch CAS-7B at 05:00:00UTC on July 25, 2019, the launch vehicle Hyperbola-1 will run for 862.0206 seconds and then CAS-7B satellite will be deployed at 05:14:22.0206
    CAS-7B(BP-1B)
    1 99999U          19206.21831019 -.00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0 00001
    2 99999 042.7339 008.2068 0013606 285.8754 218.2911 15.94575754000011
    [ANS thanks Alan, BA1DU for the above information]
  • Tweet from AMSAT-UK AMSAT-UK (@AmsatUK) tweeted at 2:28 PM on Fri, Jul 19, 2019: #Peru: Holders of the 100 watt Novice (Class C) #AmateurRadio license have been granted access to 144-146 MHz (previously just 146-148) and the entire 70cm band. They are now permitted to use the Satellites. https://t.co/lHMwcq0two#hamradio #hamr (https://twitter.com/AmsatUK/status/1152314187344990210?s=03)
    [ANS thanks @Amsat-UK for the above information]

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 additional 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 student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information.

73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week’s ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, AA8EM
aa8em at amsat dot org