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: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
In this edition:
- Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Named Director, AMSAT Ambassador Program
- Last Call: AMSAT Field Day Logs Due July 15, 2022
- ARISS Looking for Hams in Hawaii
- Call for Papers: 2022 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
- NASA Podcast – Amateur Space Radio
- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 7, 2022
- CelesTrak Changing Domain Used
- ARISS News
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
- Satellite Shorts From All Over
ANS-191 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2022 Jul 10
Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Named Director, AMSAT Ambassador Program
AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Bo Lowrey, W4FCL as Director, AMSAT Ambassador Program. Bankston adds, “Bo is eminently qualified to re-energize this important aspect of AMSAT’s presence in the Amateur Radio community. His seemingly endless credits include being a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, NASA OSIRIS-Rex Ambassador and NASA International Space Station Ambassador. We welcome Bo’s addition to the AMSAT leadership team and we encourage all previous AMSAT Ambassadors as well as those members interested in becoming ambassadors to reach out to Bo and offer their support.”
Before Lowrey’s retirement he most recently served as Director – Space Science and IT at the National Air and Space Education Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. He has 55 years experience in the electronics and IT fields and has advanced degrees from the University of Louisville in Occupational Training and Development, and Curriculum and Instruction.
Persons interested in learning more about the AMSAT Ambassador program or becoming a AMSAT Ambassador should email volunteer at amsat dot org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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Last Call: AMSAT Field Day Logs Due July 15, 2022
Time is running out! Please be sure to obtain your entry form from https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ and submit your log along with any photos of your operation.
A satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Friday, July 15, 2022. This is earlier than the due date for the ARRL submissions. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do at amsat dot org or kk5do at arrl dot net.
You will receive an e-mail back within one or two days from Bruce when he receives your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then he has not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to his other e-mail address.
Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2022. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads.
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, for the above information]
ARISS Looking for Hams in Hawaii
Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS school mentors has put out a call for assistance:
“One of the ARISS schools I am mentoring is out on the island of Lana’i in Hawaii. The Lana’i High and Elementary School in Lana’i City is scheduled for a contact sometime in the first half of 2023. If there are any satellite operators in Hawaii that can provide some assistance, please get in touch with me. The school is currently debating between doing a direct contact at the school or maybe a local telebridge via a ground station on Oahu. The use of the regular ARISS telebridge system is also as possibility. They are looking for an additional radio, perhaps some antennas, and basic satellite expertise assistance. They might also need some help with a PA system. 73 and Aloha and thanks for your help!”
Please email Charlie directly via aj9n at amsat dot org if you can provide some assistance. Charlie can provide you with more details.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Mentor, for the above information.]
Call for Papers: 2022 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
The 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) will be held September 16 – 18, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last year’s conference was held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns, but this year’s 3-day event will be held at the Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel.
Technical papers are solicited for the conference. Papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings. Authors do not need to present at the conference to have their papers included in the Proceedings. Submit papers via e-mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB ([email protected]) by September 1, 2022. Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights.
Conference papers will be distributed as pdf’s to DCC attendees. Printed copies of the papers will be available for sale at Lulu (www.lulu.com).
Paper and presentation topic areas include, but are not limited to software defined radio (SDR), digital voice, digital satellite communication, digital signal processing (DSP), HF digital modes, adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for Amateur Radio, Global Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS), Linux in Amateur Radio, AX.25 updates, Internet operability with Amateur Radio networks, TCP/IP networking over Amateur Radio, mesh and peer-to-peer wireless networking, emergency and homeland defense backup digital communications in Amateur Radio.
Hilton Charlotte Airport is hosting the 2022 ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) and is now offering special room rates for the DCC at $99 per night. The special room rate is good until August 15, so make your reservations ASAP online or calling 1-800-445-8667 and ask for the “Digital Communications 2022” rates.
More information about TAPR – Tomorrow’s Ham Radio Technology Today can be found that their website https://tapr.org/call-for-papers-2022-digital-communications-conference/.
[ANS thanks TAPR.org for the above information.]
NASA Podcast – Amateur Space Radio
On Episode 251 of NASA’s “Houston We Have a Podcast”, Courtney Black describes the Amateur Radio program that connects astronauts in space to people and students around the globe. This episode was recorded on May 27, 2022.
Along with jam-packed days of science and maintenance, astronauts aboard the International Space Station dedicate some time to connect with people on Earth. It can be by an IP (internet protocol) phone to call a family member, a televised event to connect with media, or even amateur radio to connect with students.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, helps create education opportunities that inspire students to pursue careers in STEM-related fields – that’s engineering, math, science, or technology — by having the opportunity to talk to crew members on orbit. This podcast is the story of a former teacher who has seen first-hand how ARISS communication impacts students’ lives here on Earth, and how important this program is for future generations of space explorers.
Courtney Black is an education project manager with the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. Before joining the National Lab, Black served as a formal educator for 14 years, educating elementary to high school students. Her passion for incorporating space education in lessons earned her recognition among her peers and allowed for students to participate in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as ARISS contacts and a downlink with the International Space Station. Black is a Space Station Ambassador, a Solar System Ambassador, teacher liaison to the Space Foundation, Space Center Houston SEEC (Space Educator Expedition Crew) crew member, and an member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Civil Air Patrol.
Black has presented at multiple conferences and is excited to continue presenting on topics to help bring awareness and encourage utilization of a myriad of resources available which aim to improve life on Earth through the investigation and exploration of space. Listen to the podcast at https://nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/amateur-space-radio.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 7, 2022
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
– SNUGLITE 2 NORAD Cat ID 52899 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).
The following satellites have decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
– Tsuru NORAD Cat ID 47927 (decayed form orbit on 7/5/2022 per Space-Track).
– GuaraniSat-1 NORAD Cat ID 47931 (decayed form orbit on 7/5/2022 per Space-Track).
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]
CelesTrak Changing Domain Used
If you use Celestrak for TLEs you might have noticed that your tracking application has stopped updating. This is due to Celestrak moving from .com to .org so you should change links in applications soon as possible. For further information see:
https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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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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.
* Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
* Il Cielo Itinerante c/o ASI Center for Space in Matera, Italy, telebridge via K6DUE.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Samantha Cristoforetti IZ0UDF
Contact is go for Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 09:11:01 UTC.
* 2nd Sayama Group Saitama Council Scouts Association of Japan, Saitama, Japan, direct via 8J1SBS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS.
Contact is go for: Wednesday July 13, 2022 at 11:57:20 UTC.
* About Gagarin From Space. Performance of a session of radio amateur communication with the participants of the celebration of the frigate “Nadezhda”, Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Artemyev.
Contact is go for Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 11:10 UTC.
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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Save the Date!
40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21 – 22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
More information to follow.
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
* 6Y/WB9VPG will be on a few FM sat passes July 10-15 from grid FK18. Check twitter for details.
* W3IPA: DM42 vacation planned for July 30 – August 6 will be on FM passes vacation style. He will be close to DM41 so he might be able to work a gridline. More updates to be posted closer to that week.
* N8MR: EN 57,67,56 August 6-13. More to come as the date gets closer.
* KX9X & N9NCY Wild West Rove: Sean and Nancy’s Wild West Rove has been scaled back, but is still going forward. They will now be on the road from July 13-25 while hiking in National Parks. They will travel through seven states and 38 grids, planning activation on FM and linear satellites. Extensive operation in Montana and North Dakota in the Canadian border grids beginning July 20. There will also be 6 meter and occasional HF POTA activity as well. Grids they will pass through in order are:
July 13: EN50 – 40 – 41 – 42 – 32 – 33 – 23 – 13 -03
July 14: DN93 – 83 – 84 – 74 – 64 – 65 – 55
July 15: DN 56 – 57 – 47 – 48 – 38
July 16-20: DN28 – 38
Remaining Grids from July 20-24:
DN48 – 58 – 68 – 78 – 88 – 87 – 97 – 96 – 95
EN05 – 06 – 16 – 15 – 25 – 26 – 25 – 35
EN34 – 33 – 32 – 42 – 41 – 40 – 50
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.]
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.
+ 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21 – 22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
More information to follow.
+ HamXposition
August 27-28, 2022
Marlborough, MA
https://hamxposition.org/
+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
Friday, October 7, 2022 to Sunday, October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site
+ 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
October 8 – 9th 2022
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/
+ 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC)
September 16 – 18, 2022
Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel
Charlotte, North Carolina
https://tapr.org
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.]
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Your shopping dollar counts! The AmazonSmile Foundation issued AMSAT a $377.03 donation as a result of AmazonSmile program activity between January 1 and March 31, 2022. If you are not already signed up, do so today. Look for Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation as your charity of choice.
+ NASA is set to release its first images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope next week. Why it matters: This long-awaited milestone will set the stage for the rest of the $10 billion telescope’s mission to rework our understanding of how the universe evolved from the earliest galaxies to today. Driving the news: The first photos are set for release at about 10:30 AM EDT (14:30 UTC) next Tuesday. A press conference announcing the images can be viewed via NASA TV at that time (https://go.nasa.gov/3AvesJq). NASA has already released some early alignment images taken by JWST, but Tuesday’s photos will be the first full-color photos that will show what the telescope can really do.[ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.]
+ A six-month mission to the International Space Station could cost astronauts years of bone health, according to a new study. Understanding how a person’s health is affected by time in space is crucial for space agencies hoping to send astronauts to destinations like the Moon and Mars in the future. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports (https://bit.ly/3yFKH7g), found that weight-bearing bones – like those in the legs – didn’t recover fully from their time in space even after a year on Earth. The study’s sample size – at 17 astronauts – is pretty small, so more research is still needed. Studies looking at the health effects of spaceflight tend to be relatively small in general – after all, fewer than 650 people have been to space, and even fewer still have stayed there for months on end. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.]
+ NASA has reestablished contact with one of its satellites that stopped communicating on its way to the moon. Engineers were able to contact the tiny CubeSat on Wednesday after it ceased communication with the Deep Space Network on Tuesday. The DSN is NASA’s radio antenna network that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions as well as some orbiting Earth. The CubeSat is the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, also known as CAPSTONE. The satellite left Earth’s orbit Monday, marking an important milestone on its planned four-month journey to the moon. [ANS thanks CNN for the above information.]
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