ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for November 29th

by

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-334

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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

  • Happy 7th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 73 (FUNcube-1)
  • Neutron-1 Signals Received
  • GridMaster Awards #20-#25 Issued
  • Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 26th
  • ARISS News
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-334.01
ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 334.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE November 29, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-334.01

Happy 7th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 73 (FUNcube-1)

AO-73 celebrated its 7th birthday in orbit last weekend.

Launched on November 21, 2013 at 07:10 UTC on a Dnepr rocket, FUNcube-1 was launched along with 31 other satellites, 19 of which carried amateur radio payloads.

With just a few resets over 7 years, the satellite continues in operation today.

Paul Stoetzer N8HM is sponsoring an award for contacts made via the satellite. The award aims to promote activity on AO-73.

73 on 73 Award

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

Neutron-1 Signals Received

Following deployment from the ISS on November 5th, no signals were initially received from Neutron-1. Thanks to SatNOGS and the efforts of the amateur radio community, several beacons were eventually received and decoded. The HSFL team has concluded that the satellite is in a normally charging deep sleep mode.

The Neutron-1 sends a huge thank you to JA0CAW, VK2DWT, and all the other ham radio operators listening for the beacon! The team is working to decode the .wav files sent over.

Thanks to the beacon receptions, Neutron-1 has been identified as NORAD object 46923 and is now included in AMSAT’s TLE distribution.

More information about the Neutron-1 mission can be found at https://www.hsfl.hawaii.edu/

[ANS thanks the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory for the above information]

Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

GridMaster Awards #20-#25 Issued

Recent roves have generated a number of applications for AMSAT’s GridMaster Award, including four applications on November 23rd.

20 Martin A. Schuette N9EAT November 1, 2020
21 Kevin Zari KK4YEL November 19, 2020
22 Robert Sours K9UO November 23, 2020
23 Chris Tabor K7TAB November 23, 2020
24 Paul Overn KE0PBR November 23, 2020
25 Casey Tucker KI7UNJ November 23, 2020

The GridMaster Award is AMSAT’s most prestigious operating award. This award was first introduced by Star Comm Group in 2014. AMSAT thanks Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, for not only sponsoring this award since its inception, but, also, entrusting AMSAT with the honor of carrying on this important award for the benefit of the entire AMSAT community.

The GridMaster award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit proof with written confirmation of contacts with each of the 488 maidenhead grids located within the contiguous United States of America.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information]

Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 26th

The following satellites have been and added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

BY70-3 – NORAD Cat ID 46839 – BY70-3 is not transmitting on its coordinated frequency of 437.443 MHz. BY70-3 is transmitting on an uncoordinated frequency of 437.600 MHZ. Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for verifying the NORAD Cat ID’s and transmitting frequencies for the above satellite.

Neutron-1 – NORAD Cat ID 46923.

The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

UiTMSat 1 – NORAD Cat ID 43589 (Decayed on November 20, 2020 per Space-Track).
Maya 1 – NORAD Cat ID 43590 (Decayed on November 19, 2020 per Space-Track).

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5GQD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]

AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it
all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable
solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

ARISS News

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 astronaut is Sergey Ryzhikov
Contact is go for Thu 2020-12-03 08:45 UTC

Scuola Secondaria di I grado “Anna Frank”, Pistoia, Italy, telebridge via IK1SLD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Victor Glover KI5BKC
Contact is go for: Fri 2020-12-04 12:25:22 UTC 50 deg

Tecumseh High School Electronics and Amateur Radio, Tecumseh, OK, direct via K5THS

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB
Contact is go for: Fri 2020-12-04 18:33:30 UTC 78 deg

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is looking for Luther Burbank School alumni who participated in the ham radio contact on Dec. 21 2000, in relation to our 20th year Anniversary celebration. Please contact Charlie Sufana AJ9N at aj9n at aol.com for more info.

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, ARISS Operations, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space?

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

No upcoming presentations listed

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No upcoming roves listed

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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/

Satellite Shorts From All Over

  • Sean Kutzko, KX9X, has released his latest video on amateur satellite operation for DX Engineering. Follow along as he walks you through an entire linear satellite pass, complete with notes and annotations: https://youtu.be/cwtmP1sDL9g
  • A photo of AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E while it awaits integration is prominently featured in Virgin Orbit’s new blog post regarding the upcoming launch of LauncherOne: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-334-VO
  • The Wireless Institute of Australia is working on a plan to coordinate building Australian amateur radio satellites and has a a draft policy out for member review and comment: https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2020/20201121-1/index.php
  • Take a Trip to the Moon — and an Artemis Launch — with the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest! Take remote learning a little further — as in 250,000 miles further. NASA collaborated with Future Engineers to create the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest. The contest, open to U.S. students in grades K-12, launches on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Dec. 17, 2020, challenging participants to imagine leading a one-week expedition to the Moon’s South Pole. Just imagine: You and a crew of astronauts will explore the lunar surface, making discoveries to assist future explorers. Describe your team — the number of astronauts in your crew, the skills they possess, their personality traits, and the attributes you would want in crewmates. Next, what machine, piece of technology, or robot would you leave behind on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore the Moon? To enter the contest, students must submit their essays by Dec 17. The essays will be divided into three groups, for judging by grade level – K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Make sure to check out the full list of contest details, including that your essay should be no more than 100 words (grades K-4), 200 words (grades 5-8), or 300 words (grades 9-12). Students can sign up individually at the contest site or teachers can register their entire class. Every student who submits an essay will receive an official certificate and be invited to a NASA virtual event featuring an  astronaut! Semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts. Nine finalists will have the opportunity to travel with a parent toNASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar exploration. The national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis flight test, watching the most-powerful rocket in the world launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/stem/artemis-essay-contest/ (NASA press release).
  • Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
  • AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/
  • All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT’s new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT’s Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you’re a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/
  • The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted. The print edition is $30 plus shipping and is available at https://tinyurl.com/GS2020Print

/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 additional benefits. President’s Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.

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.

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org