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 http://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.
In this edition:
- Soyuz-2.1a Launch – Amateur Radio Satellites Deployed
- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 25, 2021
- FUNcube-1 Transponder Status
- Amateur Radio Gets a Partial Reprieve on 3.5 GHz
- FO-29 Operation Schedule for April 2021
- DIY-1 Argentine Pocketqube Deployed
- Last Man Standing Special Event Station W6S in Space
- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- ARISS News
- Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-087.01
ANS-087 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 087.01
From AMSAT HQ, 712 H Street NE, Ste 1653, Washington DC 20002
March 28, 2021
To All RADIO AMATEURS
Soyuz-2.1a Launch – Amateur Radio Satellites Deployed
The Soyuz-2.1a LV was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on March 22, 2021. The following satellites, operating in frequency bands allocated to the amateur satellite service have been coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel:
• Beesat-5
• Beesat-6
• Beesat-7
• Beesat-8
• FEES
• SMOG
• GRBAlpha
• KSU_Cubesat
• DIY-1
• STECCO
• CubeSX-HSE
• CubeSX-Sirius-HSE
• Orbicraft-Zorkiy
• NanoSatC-BR2
Operating in frequency bands allocated to the Amateur Satellite Service without IARU frequency coordination is KMSL. Additional satellites may follow. Operating in frequency bands allocated to the amateur satellite service while the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel has declined coordination are UNISAT-7 and WildTrackCube-Simba.
Further information including the IARU coordinated frequencies at http://amsat.org.uk/iaru/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
Join the 2021 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin with Polished Gold Finish,
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered “Remove Before Flight” Key Tag
By donating today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 25, 2021
The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:
RSP-01 – NORAD Cat ID 47925 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO).
TAUSAT-1 – NORAD Cat ID 47926 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO).
Tsuru – NORAD Cat ID 47927 (Thanks to Celestrak).
STARS-EC – NORAD Cat ID 47928 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO).
The latest and complete set of AMSAT orbital elements for Amateur satellites in NASA format are always available at:
https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information.]
FUNcube-1 Transponder Status
Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, reports that the FUNcube team put FUNcube-1 (AO-73) into full time high power telemetry mode on March 9 2021. The move was made to test the response of the battery and power amplifier temperatures as the satellite starts to enter an eclipse period. This has thrown up some interesting thermal responses within the satellite, but nothing threatening. The battery temperatures have gone down in response to the power amplifier consuming and dissipating more energy.
The team will be reviewing the move back to transponder mode in the next few days and will publish the timeline here and on other social media channels. Dave adds, “As always we should like to express our thanks to all those who capture data packets and upload them to the data warehouse.” The data warehouse can be accessed at http://data.funcube.org.uk/ui/fc1-fm
[ANS thanks Dave Johnson, G4DPZ 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/
Amateur Radio Gets a Partial Reprieve on 3.5 GHz
Pending future FCC action, amateur radio secondary use of the 3.3 – 3.45 GHz band segment may continue indefinitely. The FCC, as part of a lengthy Second Report and Order (R&O) for commercial licensing of 3.45 – 3.55 GHz adopted on March 17, agreed with ARRL that continued access by amateur radio to 3.3 – 3.45 GHz should be allowed until consideration of the 3.1-3.45 GHz spectrum in a later proceeding. The FCC action in WT Docket 19-348 represents a partial — and temporary — reprieve from the FCC’s December 2019 proposal to remove amateur radio from the entire band, and it makes available an additional 50 megahertz than an FCC proposal last fall to allow amateur temporary use of 3.3 – 3.4 GHz.
This allows “amateur operations to continue in the lower portion of the band while the [FCC and federal government users] continue to analyze whether that spectrum can be reallocated for flexible use,” the FCC said. The FCC had proposed splitting the band at 3.4 GHz, permitting amateur use in 100 megahertz of spectrum “while also providing a buffer to protect flexible-use operations at the lower edge of the 3.45 GHz band.”
Amateur secondary operation in the 3.45 – 3.50 GHz band must cease 90 days after public notice that the spectrum auction has closed and licensing has begun. That is expected to happen early in 2022. The FCC announced the opening of 3.45 – 3.55 GHz for auction to commercial 5G interests on March 17.
“There is no expectation that such operations will be accommodated in future planning for commercial wireless operations in this spectrum, or that amateur operators will receive more than a short period of notice before their operations must cease,” the FCC said.
Read the entire story at https://www.tinyurl.com/ANS-087-Reprieve
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]
FO-29 Operation Schedule for April 2021
The times shown in the table below are the start times. Due to its low battery, the transponder is activated by schedule in Japan. It remains active until the voltage drops to a safe level.
April 2021 (UTC)
3rd 01:20- 03:05-
4th 00:25- 02:10-
10th 00:10- 01:55-
11th 01:00- 02:45-
17th 00:45- 02:30-
18th 01:35- 03:20-
24th 01:20- 03:05-
25th 00:25- 02:10-
[ANS thanks Hideo-JH3XCU for the above information.]
DIY-1 Argentine Pocketqube Deployed
Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ reports that the DIY-1 pocketqube satellite was deployed from the UNISAT-7 platform on the morning of March 24, 2021.
The UNISAT-7 platform was launched with a Soyuz-2 rocket on March 22,2021 from Baikonur in a rideshare mission.
Currently, DIY-1 is transmitting in 437.125 MHz in RTTY 100 baud at 7N2 with a shift of 450 Hz in USB.
TLE 2021-22F or 2021-22J can be used for track.
Once we see its status the robot mode will be activated shortly.
Telemetry reports are appreciated.
[ANS thanks Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ 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!
Last Man Standing Special Event Station W6S in Space
Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV, will be operating W6S from FN30 as one of many special event stations for the finale of the TV show Last Man Standing. This show’s main character portrayed an Amateur Radio operator and had an actual working station on the set. Amateur Radio was woven into several episodes in a positive light. The show’s Executive Producer is also a ham.
The event is across all bands and modes and ends on March 30, 2021 at 23:59 GMT. Certificates can be downloaded after he event concludes.
Frank will be operating on linear and FM satellites. On FM sats Frank reports that he will not transmit if there is a rover active on the pass and will not make more than 5 contacts a pass as to not monopolize an FM satellite.
For more info please see http://www.gsbarc.org/lms/
[ANS thanks Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV 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.
AMSAT Ambassador and ARRL registered instructor Clint Bradford, K6LCS has the following presentation scheduled:
04/01 – Orem, Utah
For more information contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS
http://www.work-sat.com
909-999-SATS (7287)
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
Upcoming Satellite Operations
EL58 – April 1, 2021
W7LT: EL58 on April 1 then more to come. Thinking Maine for the first weekend in April. Taking requests.
EM96 – March 29, 2021
K4DCA:If anyone needs EM96, he’ll be there the week of March 29 operating vacation style. Linear and FM with Twitter updates.
EN01 – April 3, 2021
KE0WPA and ND0C: There is a rumor going around that they (@kylee_ke0wpa and I) may do a quick rove down to EN01 on Saturday, April 3. Linears and FM. I know some of our friends need that one and it is sitting at 46%.
DN58 – March 25 – April 4, 2021
#NO7G will be on SSB sats over the next week
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR for the above information.]
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
ARISS News
+ Upcoming Contacts
Republic of Tatarstan, 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 Kud-Sverchkov.
Contact is go for Sunday, March 28 at 15:30 UTC.
Ufa, 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 Monday, March 29, 2021 at 14:40 UTC.
Lipetsk, 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 Kud-Sverchkov.
Contact is go for Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 15:25 UTC.
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 Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 08:25 UTC.
High School in Kaluga, Kaluga, 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 Kud-Sverchkov.
Watch for Monday, April 5, 2021 at 12:20 UTC.
Kaluga Regional schools, Kaluga, 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 Kud-Sverchkov.
Watch for Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 13:10 UTC.
St. Petersburg, 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.
Watch for Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 12:20 UTC.
+ Previously Scheduled Contacts
Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, CA, Multi-point Telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign was scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The downlink frequency was scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut was Shannon Walker KD5DXB.
Contact was successful on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 18:27:49 UTC.
The School of Information Technology & Mathematical Sciences, Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program 2021, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia, telebridge via NA7V.
The ISS callsign scheduled was NA1SS.
The downlink frequency was scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut was Mike Hopkins KF5LJG.
Contact was unsuccessful on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 07:51:16 UTC.
This was due to unavailability of Mike at the last minute as he had to attend to operational matters.
The contact will be rescheduled.
A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at:
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.]
Satellite Shorts from All Over
+ AMSAT-EA English Language Newsletter Available
Spain’s amateur satellite organization AMSAT-EA has released the English language PDF version of their newsletter for March 2021 for free download. It features:
- UVSQ-SAT
- EASAT-2 and HADES satellites
- 3D modeling of a satellite tracking system
- First EA-SM contact on FT4 via RS-44 satellite
You can download the PDF from:
https://amsat-ea.org/app/download/12682823/AMSAT-EA-Newsletter_03-2021.pdf
[ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information.]
+ Ham Radio Live! Show 163 on Amateur Radio Satellite Service
Larry Deyoe, K7HN hosts a podcast on YouTube targeted at potential hams and new hams and his latest episode is focused on Amateur Radio satellites.
He includes a video of Larry Shaunce, WD0AKX working astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor on the ISS as well as a video of a hamfest demo in which John Brier, KG4AKV made 18 QSOs over AO-91. Watch the complete video at:
https://youtu.be/QF_HaMBEOLM?t=1318
[ANS thanks John Brier, KG4AKV for the above information.]
+ RSGB Radio Surfer Award Includes Space Challenges
The RSGB has announced its new Radio Surfer Award aimed at young people but open to everyone regardless of age, there’s no need to even be an RSGB member. The idea is to pick challenges from a list and gain sufficient points to match your age. Among the space related challenges are:
– Get a message from space (satellite, EME, ISS)
– Pull images off a satellite / ISS
Find out more about the Radio Surfer Award at:
https://rsgb.org/main/operating/amateur-radio-awards/youth-award/radio-surfer-award/
[ANS thanks JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM and the RSGB for the above information.]
+ K0FFY Interactive QSL for FalconSAT-3
Adam Whitney, K0FFY, has posted an “Interactive QSL” to the FalconSAT-3 BBS in the form of a Commodore 64 binary suitable for running on emulators or real vintage hardware. For a screen shot of the program running see the following tweet from Scott Chapman, K4KDR:
(https://twitter.com/K0FFY_Radio/status/1375169922469396480)
Download your copy from the FalconSAT-3 BBS today!
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information.]
+ Astroscale Sends its First Space-Sweeper to Orbit
Astroscale, the Japanese startup that wants to remove dangerous clutter from an already congested space environment, reached a critical milestone with the successful launch of its ELSA-D debris removal spacecraft early Monday morning. Once in orbit and activated, the ELSA-D will conduct a six-month “End-of-Life” on-orbit servicing demonstration. Astroscale said the mission, which is licensed by the UK Space Agency, is the world’s first commercial mission to demonstrate the core technologies necessary for space debris docking and removal. Read the full story at:
https://www.tinyurl.com/ANS-087-Sweeper.
[ANS thanks SatteliteToday.com for the above information.]
Not an AMSAT member? Join now at https://launch.amsat.org/
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 six post-secondary years in this status. Contact info at amsat dot org for additional student membership information.
73,
This week’s ANS Editor,
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org