In this edition:
* Apogee View
* Twigggs/Pugh Planning 30 ThinSat Launch for Schools
* Window for Educational/ARISS Contact Proposals Now Open
* SSTV Event Scheduled for ARISS on October 3, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
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 [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://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-274 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 OCT 01
Apogee View
The end of my summer is marked by a trek up north to “the Friendliest Hamfest in the World” – the Huntsville Hamfest, and this year was no exception. I had the pleasure of spending Saturday at the AMSAT booth, assisting the volunteers to answer questions and share the excitement of amateur radio in space.
Tim Cunningham, N8DEU, an AMSAT Ambassador, has represented AMSAT at the Huntsville Hamfest for as long as I can remember and has been doing a fabulous job. In addition, it was great working and getting the chance to catch up with Peter Spinnelli, N4YOT, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Jim McCullers, WA4CWI, and Dr. Alan Biddle, WA4SCA.
The following Monday, we got a shout-out on the nationally syndicated radio show, The Rick and Bubba Show. This should not be a surprise as Bill “Bubba” Bussey not only holds the amateur radio call sign, KJ4JJ, but he is also an AMSAT member.
With less than two months to go, our team, led by Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, and Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, are at a full sprint in planning for the 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, to be held Friday, October 20th through Saturday, October 21st. This year, we will be in Dallas, Texas, at the Sheraton DFW Airport adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The Space Symposium will kick off at 1:00 PM on Friday and break at 5:00 PM for dinner on your own, followed by a Friday Night Social and Auction, starting at 7:00 PM. The symposium presentations will begin Saturday at 8:00 AM and end at 3:15 PM, with an hour break in between for lunch. I look forward to presentations as they give us a glimpse into what everyone is working on within the AMSAT community.
Saturday afternoon, we will hold our annual general meeting with our members to report on our progress for the year. Then, we will cap off the symposium Saturday night with our banquet. For those still around Sunday morning, we will have an AMSAT member breakfast to share one last meal before returning home.
Our board of directors holds an in-person meeting before each AMSAT Symposium, and this year is no exception. While the agenda has not been finalized yet, our directors will meet all day Thursday and the first half of Friday to elect officers for the coming year, receive reports from AMSAT Officers, be brought up-to-date on the various programs and projects our volunteers are working on, and discuss new proposals as we continue to create new pathways for amateur radio in space. The Board of Directors Meeting is open to all AMSAT members, so if you arrive early, you are welcome to join us.
I am excited about this year’s AMSAT Space Symposium and look forward to meeting with all of our members. Please attend if you have the opportunity. Until next time, keep reaching for the stars as we continue our path Onward and Upward!
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.]
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Hungary Lil’ Buckaroo?
Make Your Reservation for the Symposium Banquet Today!
It’s a Belt Bustin’ Texas Style Barbecue with
Smoked BBQ Sliced Brisket and Roasted BBQ Chicken
BBQ Baked Beans, Southern Style Potato Salad, Roasted Corn
Salad Greens, Corn Bread, Pecan Pie and all the fixin’s!
More Info At: https://tinyurl.com/AMSAT2023
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Twigggs/Pugh Planning 30 ThinSat Launch for Schools
Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, and Nick Pugh, K5QXJ will be partnering with the University of Louisiana and other organizations to apply for a NASA grant to fly a 3U satellite with approximately 30 small thinsats. This program is designed so high schools and universities with minimal satellite experience can have an opportunity to place satellites in low-earth orbit (LEO). This program anticipates schools with budgets of less than $500 to get to space. Bob and Nick will be presenting this initiative at the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting to be held at the Sheraton DFW Hotel on October 20-21, 2023. See https://amsat.org for more information on the Symposium.
If anyone knows of a school who would like to be part of this program, please contact Nick directly at rjtwiggs [at] gmail [dot]com. They are asking for anyone of this list who has experience in obtaining a FCC license for sub 1U satellites.
[ANS thanks Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, for the above information.]
Window for Educational/ARISS Contact Proposals Now Open
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is November 10, 2023. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 5 2023 at 7 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2023.eventbrite.com
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.
Please direct any questions to [email protected].
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information.]
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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase 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/
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SSTV Event Scheduled for ARISS on October 3, 2023
R4UAB reports that from October 3, 2023 to October 5, 2023 images will be transmitted from the International Space Station via the SSTV protocol as part of the “About Gagarin from Space” experiment. The topic of the program is the first artificial Earth satellite, amateur radio satellites, school satellites.
SSTV images will be transmitted on 145.800 MHz using a Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver. They are expected to use the PD-120 SSTV format.
The scheduled start of transmission is October 03, 2023 at approximately 14:40 UTC. The end of transmission is scheduled at October 05, 2023 at approximately 18:15 UTC. The date and time may change.
The “Russia ISS SSTV” diploma is awarded to radio amateurs (observers) for receiving SSTV (slow-scan television) broadcasts from aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the space experiment (SE) “About Gagarin from Space.” To receive the “Russia ISS SSTV” Diploma, one must receive and decode three images transmitted over a radio channel from on board the ISS using the SSTV protocol only on the days of the SE. Each image must be at least 90% complete and of acceptable quality. Information on earning the certificate is available at https://r4uab.ru/diplom-iss-sstv/.
AMSAT Argentina is also offering a diploma for reception of ISS SSTV images. Learn more at http://amsat.org.ar/?f=9.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina and R4UAB 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.
Completed Contacts
+ Southwest State University (SWSU), Kursk, Russia, direct via UB3WCL.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The crewmember was Sergey Prokopyev.
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR.
Contact was successful on September 21, 2023.
+ Escuela Preparatoria La Salle, Torreon Coah, Mexico, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember was Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL.
The ARISS mentor was VE3TBD.
Contact was successful on September 22, 2023.
(This was the first ARISS contact with Mexico.)
+ Colegio Educación del Talento, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember was Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, or Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL.
The ARISS mentor was VE6JBJ.
Contact was successful on September 25, 2023.
+ MAEI “School No. 16 of Blagoveshchensk, Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The crewmember was Oleg Kononenko.
The ARISS mentor was RV3DR.
Contact was successful on September 28, 2023.
Upcoming Contacts
+ 149 Secondary School, Baku, Azerbaijan, direct via 4K6EH.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ.
The ARISS mentor is SP3QFE.
Contact is go for Friday, October 6, 2023- at 08:31:05 UTC.
+ Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, direct via EI1ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL.
The ARISS mentor is EI8BP.
Contact is go for Friday, October 6, 2023 at 13:13:17 UTC.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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.
The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.
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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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
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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Upcoming Satellite Operations
A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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.
+ ARRL Minnesota State Convention
October 14, 2023
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
More information at http://mnconvention.org.
+ 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention
October 14-15, 2023
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom
More information at https://amsat-uk.org/.
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
More information at https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Fredric Raab, KK6NOW, will present the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator in his presentation entitled: “Adopt a Satellite: Using SatNOGS in the Classroom” at the SmallSat Education Conference, Kennedy Space Center, 28-39 October 2023. More information at www.smallsateducation.org. [ANS thanks Fredric Raab, KK6NOW, for the above information.]
+ WSJT-X has released a beta version with full duplex, ideal for use on RS-44, AO-109, and other linear satellites. It also includes many other useful satellite operating features. Download at https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improv [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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