AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-265
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:
- 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results
- 2019 AMSAT Symposium Registration Savings Through October 11
- IEEE GRSS Student Grand Challenge
- IARU Coordination for Two Satellites
- QO-100 Satellite, GNU Radio and SDR Talks Released
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- ARISS News
- Satellite Shorts from All Over
2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results
As a result of the 2019 Board of Directors Election, Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK; and Michelle
Thompson, W5NYV; will serve on the board for two years.
The First Alternate is Brennan Price, N4QX. The Second Alternate is Howard (Howie) Defelice, AB2S. Both will serve for a term of one year.
The results of the voting with 1,052 ballots cast (892 electronic + 160 paper) are as follows:
| Name | Call | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Thompson | W5NYV | 675 |
| Patrick Stoddard | WD9EWK | 585 |
| Jerry Buxton | N0JY | 526 |
| Drew Glasbrenner | KO4MA | 515 |
| Brennan Price | N4QX | 480 |
| Howard (Howie) Defelice | AB2S | 435 |
| Paul Stoetzer | N8HM | 399 |
| Jeff Johns | WE4B | 366 |
These results submitted September 20, 2019 by
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG
AMSAT Secretary
[ANS thanks Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, Secretary for the above information]
2019 AMSAT Symposium Registration Savings Through October 11
You can still save money when registering for the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting, Friday through Sunday, October 18-20, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia. Registrations received September 16 – October 11 can be ordered for $65. Registrations at the door will cost $70.
You can complete your registration on-line via the AMSAT Store: https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-symposium/.
This year, all registrants will receive a digital copy of the Proceedings on a thumb drive. Attendees may purchase a hard copy for $25.00. Non-attendees may put their name on a waiting list for a hard copy, if there are any left over. The digital version of the Proceedings will be made available on the online store shortly after the Symposium concludes. Student Registrations are 50% off and does not include the Proceedings.
A preliminary schedule of events for the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium has been posted to the AMSAT website. It can be accessed at https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/.
[ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information.]
IEEE GRSS Student Grand Challenge Deadline Extended
The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) has announced the Second GRSS Student Grand Challenge which allows student teams to develop Earth Observation payloads for a small satellite.
The competition starts with the submission of a proposal to design payload/experiment(s) that can solve real-life space exploration problems such as collecting data on the global climate, environmental change and natural hazards.
Winning teams will receive grant funding during two years that will be used to develop the proposed payload idea. Teams willing to participate must send a brief description of their mission concept, indicating:
- Team: composition, background and expertise, motivation, and signed commitment letter during the duration of the project,
- Scientific rationale and feasibility of the proposed observations: innovative techniques (ways to conduct the measurement) and technologies are welcome,
- Development plan including characterization and testing,
- Budget proposal,
- If the proposing team is not yet part of an already established GRSS Student Chapter, it is important that commitment to form a new Chapter by the end of 2019 be included in the proposal. Teams including multiple Sections are welcome and encouraged.
The winning payloads will be considered for integration into a CubeSat that will be developed at the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in collaboration with the YahSat Space Lab at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The deadline has been extended till September 30, 2019. Complete application details are available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-265-GRSS-Challenge and https://conferences.uaeu.ac.ae/2ndgrss/en/competition.shtml.
[ANS thanks Prashanth Marpu, Associate Professor, Khalifa University for the above information.]
Symposium Papers Due September 23rd!
Final copies of papers must be submitted by September 23rd
for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers
should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(at)amsat.org
IARU Coordination for Two Satellites
The IARU has provided frequency coordination for a 1U CubeSat, Surya Satellite-1. Sponsored by the Department Physics and Energy Engineering at Surya University, its mission is to develop Indonesian young generation interest in space technology. The satellite will provide short text message communication using Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) protocol with a VHF downlink on 145.825 MHz and a telemetry with a UHF downlink on 435.825. Deployment is planned from the ISS in March 2020.
Additionally, the IARU has received an application for a 2U CubeSat sponsored by the National Institute of Technology, Kochi College. The satellite will conduct the following experiments:
- An onboard SDR will receive CW signals on 21 MHz and decoded call signs will be sent on 430 MHz downlink.
- A newly developed attitude control system using dual reaction wheel mechanism.
- An on-board computer system consisting of Linux base microcomputer.
- An in-orbit expansion test of the 21 MHz half-wave dipole antenna for Morse CW signals reception and Jupiter’s millisecond radio bursts observation.
- Observation of Jupiter millisecond radio bursts with the expanded HF dipole antenna and on-board SDR.
- 360-degree tests of the camera unit to take all-sky images with two fish-eye cameras.
A UHF downlink will use 9k6 FSK packet, 1k2 AFSK packet and CW. The launch from Japan by a JAXA Epsilon is planned during fiscal year 2020 into a 500km SSO.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]
QO-100 Satellite, GNU Radio and SDR Talks Released
Mark, M5BOP reports the complete set of amateur radio technical talks from this year’s Martlesham Microwave Round Table is now available to watch on YouTube.
Videos of these MMRT 2019 talks are available:
- Practical GNUradio – Heather Lomond M0HMO
- From Death Rays to Dinner – William Eustace M0WJE
- Equipment for Es’hail-2 / QO-100 Narrowband – David Bowman G0MRF
- DATV on Es’hail-2 / QO100 – Noel Matthews G8GTZ
- Low-pass Harmonic Filter for 23cm – John Quarmby G3XDY
- UKuG SDR Voice Transceiver Project Discussion
Watch the videos on the Martlesham Microwave YouTube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV7cC7ZMehKjAM81QxUS9w/videos
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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/
Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Take W3ZM On-the-Road
W3ZM/5 on Sep 20-21, 2019 in NM, Grid DM64 by KE4AL with FM & Linears
W3ZM/4 on Sep 30, 2019 in FL, Grid EM60 by N4KGL
Remember to check out W3ZM On the Road for additional upcoming activations! https://www.amsat.org/events/was-w3zm/
Rovers and Special Events
- Formentera Island (EA6 Balearic Is. DXCC – JM08) Sept. 19 to 23, 2019
EA4NF, Philippe will be operating from Formentera Island (DXCC: EA6 Balearic Islands – IOTA EU-004 – GRID JM08) on satellite as EA6/EA4NF from September 19 to 23, 2019. This is a great opportunity to get the rare grid (JM08) of this small island only accessible by boat, IOTA (EU-004) and EA6 (Balearic Is. DXCC) in one single contact and confirmed on LoTW. QRV Satellite in FM & SSB. QSL : LoTW. Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates and sat passes or contact him directly for a sked at https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT. - Big SkyRove (DN35, DN55, DN56, DN65, DN66) – Sept. 19-23, 2019
Dennis, N7EGY, is taking his radios on a family trip to Big Sky Country. Trip purpose is family first before satellite fun, so some plans could be cancelled at the last minute. Plan is to work from DN55/56/65/66, with DN35 on whatever bird up as we pass through. See projected schedule at https://twitter.com/n7egy1/status/1172000359989960704?s=20. Keep an eye on Dennis’ Twitter feed for further announcements at https://twitter.com/n7egy1 - DM02/mm (need we say more) September 22, 2019
Ron, AD0DX, and Alex, N7AGF, are chartering a boat to the ultra-rare DM02 grid square. They will use the special event call sign November 6. Ocean/Maritime Mobile. Expected window of operation is from 1000z to 1900z, Sunday, September 22nd. More information is available on QRZ https://www.qrz.com/db/N6O to include how you can help support this monumental operation. Ron and Alex are expected to have cellular service out there, so keep an eye on their Twitter feeds https://twitter.com/ad0dx and https://twitter.com/N7AGF - FP, ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON (GN17) September 24 to October 8, 2019
Eric, KV1J, will once again be operating from the Island of Miquelon (NA-032, DIFO FP-002 WLOTA 1417, Grid GN17) as FP/KV1J between September 24th and October 8th. This is his 13th trip to the island. Activity will be on 160-6 meters (no 60M – not authorized) using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 (but primarily SSB, RTTY and FT8) and the satellites. He will generally be on the highest frequency band that is open (favoring 12/10m). He will be active in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 28-29th). ADDED NOTE: Eric will usually try to be on as many Satellite passes as he can when the WX is good, generally favoring the FO-29, XW-2x, AO-7, and possibly the FM birds. Eric states, “Equipment is two FT-817s and an Arrow dual band yagi. I’ll favor the SSB birds usually higher in the passband, but will also try FM if they do not get too busy. Satellite logging is by paper so may not get loaded to LoTW until the week after I return to the USA.” Weekends may be limited since he will be concentrating on the low(er) bands and contests. QSL via KV1J, direct or by the Bureau. Also eQSL, ClubLog and LoTW. For more details and updates, check out his Web page at: http://www.kv1j.com/fp/Sep19.html
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information.]
ARISS News
Successful Contacts
- Templestowe College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK6MJ
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The astronaut was Nick Hague, KG5TMV Contact was on Wed 2019-09-18 08:06:32 UTC.
Watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QalYOnHURYk
Upcoming Contacts
- Boys and Girls Club, Ft. Meade, MD., telebridge via VK4KHZ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague, KG5TMV
Contact is go for: Fri 2019-09-20 19:58:23 UTC 54 deg - The Children’s Inn at NIH (National Institutes of Health), Bethesda, MD (CASIS#3), telebridge via ON4ISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Nick Hague, KG5TMV
Contact is go for: Mon 2019-09-23 20:08:27 UTC 89 deg - School in Bulgaria, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is go for Tue 2019-09-24 16:10 UTC - UAE school #1 with Space Flight participant, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is go for Fri 2019-09-27 12:10 UTC - UAE school #2 with Space Flight participant, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is go for Sat 2019-09-28 11:20 UTC - UAE school #3 with Space Flight participant, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut is TBD Contact is go for Wed 2019-10-02 09:45 UTC
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N 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
Satellite Shorts from All Over
- Hams in Space: Gearing Up for the Lunar Gateway
Hackaday has published an interesting story about some of the political, scientific and engineering facets of the proposed Lunar Gateway and about the challenges of working Amateur Radio on board that mission. Read the full article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-265-Lunar-Gateway. [ANS thanks Hackaday for the above information.] - IPS – High Level Programming of Small Systems
for the AMSAT Space Projects AMSAT-DL offers an interesting historical perspective of IPS, the Interpreter for Process Structures developed by Professor Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC. The article recalls how IPS was instrumental in the operation of AMSAT Phase 3 satellites. Read the entire article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-265-IPS. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.] - AMSAT Member Gabriel Zeifman, AL6D, Receives NATCA Archie League Medal of Safety Award
On the night of April 9, 2019, controller Gabriel Zeifman was alone in the tower cab at Juneau International Airport. The pilot of a 1979 Mooney became confused while on one of the last legs of a cross-country trip. Gabe recognized the confusion and was able to clarify things, saving the pilot’s life. After hearing about this incident, Miami Center Vice President and Disaster Response Committee Chair Tom Flanary nominated Zeifman for the Alaskan Region Archie League Award. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-265-Zeifman-Award [ANS thanks the National Air Traffic Controllers Association for the above information.] - USAF to Let Hackers Try to Hijack an Orbiting Satellite
The Air Force will bring a satellite to the Defcon hacking conference next year. Soon, the Air Force will put out a call for submissions. Think you know how to hack a satellite or its ground station? Let them know. A select number of researchers whose pitches seem viable will be invited to try out their ideas during a “flat-sat” phase— essentially a test build comprising all the eventual components—six months before Defcon. That group will once again be culled; the Air Force will fly the winners out to Defcon for a live hacking competition. Read the complete article at https://www.wired.com/story/air-force-defcon-satellite-hacking/. [ANS thanks WIRED for the above information.] - SatNOGS Celebrates 1,000,000 Observations
On September 12, 2019 observation #1,000,000 got uploaded on the SatNOGS Network by station #2 in Bloomington, Indiana operated by Corey Shields, KB9JHU receiving data from UNISAT-6 satellite. SatNOGS Network is a global management interface to facilitate multiple ground station operations remotely. An observer is able to take advantage of the full network of SatNOGS ground stations around the world. It’s part of the SatNOGS project. The network is open to anyone. Any observer is able to utilize all available ground stations and communicate with satellites. All observations results are public and all data are distributed freely under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license. [ANS thanks SatNOGS for the above information.] - Doing Space Differently…How Three Decades of Innovation Led To a Smallsat Revolution
SatMagazine recounts how the hallmark of the modern smallsat is the adoption of up-to-date consumer technologies combined with rapid development cycles. These are executed by small agile teams operating closer to IT industry management models rather than those traditionally found in military/aerospace organizations. One of the first modern smallsats, and arguably the first reprogrammable one, was UoSAT-1, launched in 1981. Built by a group of radio amateurs and researchers at the University of Surrey, this smallsat successfully demonstrated that it was possible to compile software on the ground and upload it to a satellite that was designed and built using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. These researchers epitomized what is now commonly considered as the characteristics of a smallsat team: highly innovative technical staff operating as part of a small motivated unit, working in close proximity and with effective communications. Read the entire article at: http://www.satmagazine.com/story.php?number=1497605345. [ANS thanks SatMagazine for the above information.] - SpaceX plans 24 Starlink launches next year
SpaceX hopes to launch 24 Starlink missions in 2020 as the company builds out a broadband megaconstellation that could ultimately number close to 12,000 satellites, a company executive said September 10. SpaceX’s Starlink launch cadence will likely average “two a month,” in addition to customer launches, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, said at the World Satellite Business Week conference. “Next year, I hope we launch 24 Starlinks,” Shotwell said. Read the complete story at: https://spacenews.com/spacex-plans-24-starlink-launches-next-year/. [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information.] - NASA Joins All Five Sections for Space Launch System Rocket Stage
NASA finished assembling and joining the main structural components for the largest rocket stage the agency has built since the Saturn V that sent Apollo astronauts to the Moon. NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and the Human Landing System are the backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. Read the entire story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-265-SLS. [ANS thanks SpaceRef 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,
This week’s ANS Editor,
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org