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: [email protected]
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In this edition:
- AMSAT Board of Directors Elections Results
- July/August AMSAT Journal Is Now Available
- RAC Canada 2020 Conference and AGM is this Sunday
- AO-7 Approaching Return To Full Illumination
- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
- Ham Radio Club Talk Collection On YouTube
- ARISS News
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
- Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-264.01
ANS-264 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 264.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 September 20
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-264.01
AMSAT Board of Directors Elections Results
Balloting for the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation’s 2020 Board of Directors election concluded September 15. Of the 1,233 envelopes returned, 1,231 could be associated with a unique member.
Ballots were separated from the envelopes to maintain secrecy and counted by the Secretary over three sessions conducted on September 16, 17, and 18. Candidates, Directors, Officers, and tellers chosen by the Secretary were invited to observe the opening of returned envelopes and handling of ballots during the count.
Five envelopes contained reports of deceased members, resulting in a total of 1,226 ballots scrutinized.
The number of votes cast for each candidate is as follows:
- Mark Hammond, N8MH 707
- Paul Stoetzer, N8HM 703
- Bruce Paige, KK5DO 667
- Howie DeFelice, AB2S 550
- Bob McGwier, N4HY 534
- Jeff Johns, WE4B 429
Four ballots were spoiled.
Accordingly, pursuant to Article III, Section 4 of the Bylaws:
Mark Hammond, N8MH, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and Bruce Paige, KK5DO, have been elected as Directors of the Corporation for terms ending in 2022.
Howie DeFelice, AB2S, has been elected as First Alternate Director of the Corporation for a term ending in 2021.
Bob McGwier, N4HY, has been elected as Second Alternate Director of the Corporation for a term ending in 2021.
The Secretary thanks the candidates for their cooperation during the election process, those who observed the counting for their time and scrutiny, and the members of the Corporation for their interest and participation.
(ANS thanks Brennan Price, N4QX, AMSAT Secretary for the above information)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is
closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
July/August AMSAT Journal Is Now Available
Due to COVID-19, the July/August 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal will only be available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. Please visit http://launch.amsat.org to view/download your copy today.
The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world.
Inside the Current Issue:
- Engineering Update, Jerry Buxton N0JY
- User Services Update, Robert Bankston KE4AL
- Treasurer’s Report, Robert Bankston KE4AL
- Educational Relations Update, Alan Johnston KU2Y
- AMSAT Field Day 2020, Bruce Paige KK5DO
- For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VI, Keith Baker KB1SF/VE2KSF
- Satellite Cyber Threats, Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Miguel A. García-Ruiz VE3BKM; Margarita G. Mayoral Baldivia XE1BMG; Raúl T. Aquino-Santos (SWL)
- Integration of a Distributed Ground Station Network, M.A.Mendoza- Bárcenas (SWL); Rafael Prieto-Meléndez (SWL); Alejandro Padrón-Godínez (SWL); Gerardo Calva-Olmos (SWL), Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Margarita G. Mayoral-Baldivia XE1BMG; Alfonso Tamez Rodríguez – XE2O
- Satellite Antenna Tracking Using Goto Telescope Mounts, Dwayne Sinclair – NA6US
[ANS thanks AMSAT 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/
RAC Canada 2020 Conference and AGM is this Sunday
Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to welcome all Amateurs to the RAC Canada 2020 Conference which will be held on Sunday, September 20 before the RAC Annual General Meeting.
Complete descriptions of all of the presentations can be found on the RAC website at:
https://www.rac.ca/rac-canada-2020-conference-and-agm-is-this-sunday/
There is no registration fee for this event and registration is now underway.
Canada 2020 Conference Overview:
The RAC Canada 2020 Conference is an interactive mini-conference that will feature interesting presentations on a wide range of topics as shown below. Whether you are a new Amateur or have been enjoying Amateur Radio for many years there will be something of interest for you to discover.
Given the great response we have received, we have now decided to extend the schedule to include a keynote presentation followed by three sessions.
Each session will have multiple presentations so that participants can choose those presentations that are of most interest to them. In addition, all sessions will be recorded for viewing later so you won’t miss out if two of your favourites take place at the same time.
- Keynote presentation: 12 noon to 12:50 pm ET
- First session (4 presentations): 1 pm to 1:50 ET
- Second session (4 presentations): 2 pm to 2:50 ET
- Third session (3 presentations): 3 pm to 3:50 ET
The Annual General Meeting will then begin after the Conference at 4 pm ET.
Conference Presentations and Schedule:
The following is a list of presentations and the schedule of events:
Keynote Presentation: 12 noon to 12:50 pm ET
“A Fireside Chat”: “Amateur Radio during the Global Pandemic and other topics”
An informal discussion featuring the following distinguished guests:
- Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA: President, Radio Amateurs of Canada
- Tim Ellam, VE6SH: President, International Amateur Radio Union
- Rick Roderick, K5UR: President, American Radio Relay League
- Steve Thomas, M1ACB: General Manager, Radio Soc’ty of Great Britain
In these unprecedented times, this is an excellent – and possibly historic opportunity – to engage in a discussion on the challenges we face today and the future of Amateur Radio.
First session: 1 pm to 1:50 pm ET
- Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites – Tom Schuessler, N5HYP
- Amateur Radio and Youth – Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ
- Amateur Radio Challenges in Canada’s North – Ron Thompson, VE8RT and Angela Gerbrandt, VY0YL
- CY9C St. Paul Island DXpedition – Phil McBride, VA3QR
Second session: 2 pm to 12:50 pm ET
- 6m FT8 DXing – Ron Schwartz, VE3VN
- Contesting: Remote Operating – Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA, Tom Haavisto, VE3CX & Gerry Hull, VE1RM
- VO2AC: Contest DXpedition to Labrador (CQ Zone 2) – Chris Allingham, VE3FU/VO2AC
- Amateur Radio Hotspots: A Quick Overview – Allan Boyd, VE3AJB
Third session: 3 pm to 3:50 pm ET
- La proposition d’une classe d’entrée pour les radioamateurs (en français) – Guy Richard, VE2QG/VE2XTD
- Amateur Radio: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Allen Wootton, VY1KX
- High Altitude Balloons: The Elevation Education – Kelly Shulman, VE3KLX
[ANS thanks Radio Amateurs of Canada and Southgate ARC for the above information]
AO-7 Approaching Return To Full Illumination
AO-7 is approaching a return to full illumination, sometime around September 25. This period will last until approximately December 26. During this time, it is likely AO-7 will switch between Modes A and B (2m/10m, and 70cm/2m) every 24 hours. Get those 10m antennas ready to enjoy mode A every other day.
On another note, here’s a reminder and request to remember to keep the power down. Recently, I’ve observed sometimes several different stations, usually in the middle of the passband, ditting away on CW in an attempt to find themselves. This often bounces the entire passband up and down, and sometimes causes the transponder to reset (“flip”) to Mode A. Try to find yourself with very low power, or on SSB, or best, with full Doppler control, and the other users will thank you. If you have to use high power to find yourself, your receive antenna and system probably needs improvement. SSB users should also watch their uplink power carefully.
[ANS thanks Andrew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations, 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
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
The following satellites have been and removed from this week’s AMSAT- NA TLE Distribution:
OBJECT D – Cat ID 46275.
OBJECT F – Cat ID 46277.
To understand why, first consider that at this time about 52 satellites have been placed in orbit, so far. Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, has determined that Object D and Object F cannot be either AmicalSat or TTU 110. This based on the fact that Object D and Object F are in the SAME group of satellites (and orbit) into which UPMSat 2 (Cat. ID 46276) was launched. AmicalSat and TTU 100 are in another (and later) group of satellites that were launched later into a higher orbit and are now about a half an orbit away from UPMSat 2 (and Object D and Object F). This is quite a bit of good detective work by Nico!
There’s more! Since TTU 100 is not transmitting, it is really not possible to identify TTU 100 by radio signal at this time. (The group that TTU 100 was launched still makes it sure that Objects D and F are not AmicalSat and TTU 100.) So TTU 100’s Catalog Number is still (at this time) unknown.
And so … the following satellite has been and added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
AmicalSat – Cat ID 46287.
Again, a big thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO.
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]
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.
Avellaneda Ikastetxea, Sodupe, Spain, telebridge via ZS6JON
The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled astronaut was Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR.
The contact was scheduled for Friday, 9-18-2020 at 12:56:34 UTC.
The contact was successful.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors 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/
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Quick Hits:
EM26/27 “Late this week or This weekend” @KL7TN
JM08, 9/17 -9/21 @EA6/EA4NF. Formentera Island. DXCC EA6 – Grid JM08 – IOTA EU-004, LEO SAT FM & LINEARS, QSL via LoTW as EA6/EA4NF. For this new sat portable activation, Philippe will bring with him his Yaesu FT818ND and a FT817ND operating in full Duplex on all LEO satellites with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna.
CN86, 9/19 & 9/20, @N7AME : I hope to access the FM satellites AO-91, and AO-92 on most passes during September 19 and 20 during the WWDXC Salmon Run. If they count, I will be at Lewis and Clark SP WA (K-3221) and in Lewis County which will be Grid CN96.
K5TA will be on the air as W6H occasionally until this Sunday, 20-Sep, as New Mexico’s satellite representative in the “Route 66 On The Air” special event. For general info visit http://w6jbt.org/?page_id=19. QSL via K8TE. Our coordinator is working on getting a certificate for LoTW, but it’s not up yet. Besides, the paper cards are nice-looking. Christy, KB6LTY, is also on sats as W6D from San Bernardino County — you remember the old song “…Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino!” -Scott K5TA DM65 Albuquerque.
CN76/77 10/3 and 10/4 @AD0DX Just booked tickets for beautiful Ocean Shores, WA… CN76/CN77 grid line Sat Oct 3 approx 0000z to Sun Oct 4th approx 1700z, pass details closer to the trip
Major Roves:
Beginning this Saturday, 19 Sept thru Friday, 25 Sept, @kylee_ke0wpa and @ND0C will be doing some holiday roving in several Iowa grids: EN11, EN12, EN20, EN21, EN22 and EN30 – some lines. None of them are particularly rare, but we’ll be there nevertheless. Operation will be limited by work commitments and family activities, but we will focus on AO-91 and SO-50 and maybe some linears. Hope to turn a few grids green for some folks. Please play nice, i.e. no blind calls, no stomping and allow the QSOs to be completed!
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs:
10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Penn.
These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us.
The 38th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting in- person event scheduled to be held in Bloomington, Minnesota has been canceled. The event will be shifted to a virtual, online platform. The in-person event was scheduled to occur Friday, October 16th – Sunday, October 18th. As the 2020 virtual event plans are developed, they will be announced via the usual AMSAT channels.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Last week Jupiter had 79 moons. This week it may have 600 more, including some that go backwards! A new study says that there may be as many as 600 small “irregular moons” orbiting Jupiter. An irregular moon is a minor object that used to orbit the Sun, but was captured by a giant planet early on in the Solar System’s history. Having swapped from being Sun-orbiting to planet-orbiting, they often have “eccentric” orbits; distant, inclined and retrograde—they orbit back wards. (ANS thanks Forbes.com for the above information)
+ Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, from Gujarat State in western India, and Lucky Bijanki, VU2LBW from Bangalore in southern India, successfully worked one another via six different FM Satellites in single day on September 9. It’s a record for such satellite activities in the region. Satellites worked were AO-91 (0650Z), PO-101 (0830Z), AO-27 (1305Z), SO-50 (1514Z), AO-92 (1712Z) & ARISS – ISS (1714Z). (ANS thanks Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, for the above information)
+ A small leak of ammonia has been detected at the U.S. segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Ammonia is used in transferring heat from the US segment on the ISS to space. Moderate levels of ammonia are not so dangerous, but exposure to high concentrations of it can be a health hazard. The leak is at a rate of about 700 grams [1.5 pounds] per year. There is no threat to the ISS crew. A similar situation occurred in 2017 and was resolved. (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information)
+ Earth observation satellites are playing a key role in analyzing and responding to the fires in the western U.S. NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System provides daily fire point-source detection, along with real time geofenced updates, world wide. NASA also provides a dashboard of world temperature. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
+ It was like the opening scene from a movie: cars pulled over on a busy freeway, with everyone gawking in disbelief at what they were seeing. Drivers in New Jersey on September 14 thought a flying saucer was hovering above them. But in reality, it was just another day in 2020 and the UFO was an aircraft from planet Earth: the Goodyear Blimp. With just the right lighting conditions, viewing angle and reflections, the blimp looked just like a classic flying saucer. (ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information)
+ Following requests from many amateurs outside South Africa, AMSAT-SA now offers its hand-held VHF/UHF yagi for export if ordered in a batch of 6, at R950 each (approx US $65), total for a batch of 6 R5700. (approx US $ 390). Available to countries in the European Union and the USA. For more information, see
http://www.amsatsa.org.za/DualbandYagi.htm
/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. 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 6 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, Mark D. Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org