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Reno, Nevada to Host 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 27-29

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AMSAT NA announces that the 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held on Friday through Sunday, Oct 27, 28, 29, 2017 in Reno, Nevada. Location will be at the Silver Legacy Resort , 407 N Virginia Street, in Downtown, Reno.

The Silver Legacy is a 4 star Resort/Hotel/Casino which is an iconic 42-story hotel with its massive round dome and spires centered in downtown. The Silver Legacy is typically lit green at night and is referred to by many as the “Emerald City” of Reno. In support of the
University of Nevada Wolf Pack, the Silver Legacy will sometimes turn blue.

Some of the perks include
* Free parking for attendees.
* Free transportation to and from the airport (10 minutes shuttle
ride).
* Complimentary WiFi.
* The Silver Legacy has 8 restaurants and 8 different retail shops.
* Large selection of additional restaurants and casinos (El Dorado, Circus Circus, and the rest of downtown Reno) are in close  proximity and within walking distance.
* Multiple alternate activities and attractions are in the Reno area.
Nevada Museum Of Modern Art
National Automobile Museum
Fleischmann Planetarium (UNR Campus)
National Bowling Stadium
* If you are staying longer in the Reno area, there are several other points of interest close by, including Virginia City and Lake Tahoe.

2017 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting

The annual AMSAT Space Symposium features:
* Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations
* Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World
* Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members
* Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers
* AMSAT-NA Annual General Membership Meeting
* Auction, Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !!

Several members from The Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society (SNARS) as well as many other local radio amateurs will be participating in helping with this event.

Additional information about the 2017 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org as it becomes available.

The SIlver Legacy Hotel in Reno, NV, site of the 2017 AMSAT Space Symposium
The Reno, NV skyline

[ANS thanks Joe Spier, K6WAO, Frank Kostelac, N7ZEV, Linda Kostelac, KC7IIT, and the AMSAT-NA Office for the above information]

RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Launch Date Moved to August 29, 2017

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The launch date for RadFxSat (Fox-1B) has been moved to August 29, 2017. RadFxSat is one of four CubeSats making up the NASA ELaNa XIV mission, riding as secondary payloads aboard the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-1 mission. JPSS-1 will launch on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

RadFxSat is a partnership with Vanderbilt University ISDE and hosts four payloads for the study of radiation effects on commercial off the shelf components. RadFxSat features the Fox-1 style FM U/v repeater with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on 145.960 MHz. Satellite and experiment telemetry will be downlinked via the “DUV” subaudible telemetry stream and can be decoded with the FoxTelem software.

RadFxSat construction and testing was completed in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the CubeSat is currently in clean storage at Fox Labs, waiting for delivery and integration which is now scheduled for June, 2017.

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice President for Engineering
for the above information]

New Satellites on the Horizon

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Update: UBAKUSAT was not launched on the JAXA HTV-6 mission. Reports indicate that it is likely to launch on the next JAXA HTV mission.

Recent International Amateur Radio Union satellite coordination requests provide new details on several satellites expected to launch before the end of the first quarter of 2017.

The first satellite expected to launch is UBAKUSAT. UBAKUSAT, developed by Istanbul Technical University along with TAMSAT, GUMUSH, and ERTEK Ltd. is a 3U CubeSat with a Mode V/u inverting linear transponder, CW beacon, and a digital telemetry downlink. The transponder downlink frequencies will be 435.200 MHz – 435.250 MHz with an uplink of 145.940 MHz – 145.990 MHz. The CW beacon frequency will be 437.225 MHz and the digital telemetry downlink will be 437.325 MHz. UBAKUSAT will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard the JAXA HTV-6 resupply mission, scheduled for launch on December 9, 2016, for future deployment. The mission is expected to last 6-12 months.

On December 26, 2016, the China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology’s BY70-1 satellite is expected to launch from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center into a 530 km sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite, a 3-axis stabilized 2U CubeSat with deployable solar panels, will carry a Mode V/u FM transponder with an uplink frequency of 145.920 MHz and a downlink frequency of 436.200 MHz.

On March 31, 2017, two satellites from the Chinese Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT) are expected to launch from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center into a 524 km orbit with an inclination of 42 degrees. The two satellites, CAS-4A and CAS-4B, will be 50 kg mass with 3-axis stabilization carrying optical remote sensing missions. The amateur radio payloads will be similar to the XW-2 series of satellites with Mode U/v linear transponders with power output of 100 mW, 100 mW AX.25 4800 baud GMSK telemetry, and 50 mW CW beacons. Frequencies for these two satellites have not yet been coordinated.

In addition to these satellites, AMSAT’s Fox-1Cliff, Fox-1D, and RadFxSat (Fox-1B) satellites carrying Mode U/v FM transponders are all expected to launch in the first half of 2017. Nayif-1, from the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and American Univeristy of Sharjah (AUS) carrying a FUNcube Mode U/v linear transponder and telemetry downlink, as well as the U. S. Naval Academy Satellite Lab’s QIKcom-2, PSAT-2, and BRICSAT-2 satellites carrying two-way amateur radio payloads are all expected to launch in the first half of 2017. Es’Hail-2, a geostationary satellite carrying AMSAT-DL’s Phase 4A payload is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2017. AMSAT’s RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) satellite carrying a Mode V/u linear transponder may also launch in late 2017.

AO-7 eclipses return, satellite now primarily in Mode U/v

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From AMSAT-bb (http://www.amsat.org/wordpress/pipermail/amsat-bb/2016-November/061297.html):

The AMSAT satellite status page at http://www.amsat.org/wordpress/status/ indicates
that as of the morning of 11/25/2016, AO-7 is once again entering eclipse
each orbit. This means that the 24 Hour mode change timer is interrupted
each orbit, and the satellite will be found primarily in Mode U/v (aka Mode
B).

As the satellite is powered solely by the now 42 year-old solar panels, it
is very sensitive to strong uplink signals, particularly CW. Users should
closely monitor their downlink for excessive chirp, warbling or “FM’ing” and
reduce power as necessary. More information including frequencies can be
found at http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1031

73, Drew KO4MA

AMSAT VP Operations