Mark Johns

ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by

In this edition:

* Space Station Contact With Students In Malta
* AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers
* Australian Hams Plan Commemorative Event
* Crew-6 Launch Slips
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* ARISS Proposal Window Now Open
* 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.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-057 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 Feb 26

Space Station Contact With Students In Malta

An ARISS contact between students at Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, callsign 9H1MRL and the International Space Station (ISS) took place successfully at 12:34 GMT on Wednesday, February 15. It was the first ever ARISS contact from the European island nation of Malta.

The ISS crew member, astronaut Josh Cassada, KI5CRH, used the ISS callsign OR4ISS on the downlink frequency of 145.800 MHz. The ARISS team Malta made use of the callsign 9H1MRL, the club call of the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL).

The signal was receivable in the British Isles and across Europe. The contact was conducted by five local radio amateurs; Dominic Azzopardi, 9H1M, Manuel Grech, 9H1GW, Andrew Vella, 9H2AV, Trevor Sammut, 9H5TS and Anthony Scicluna, 9H2AS. The station was set up in the school’s auditorium with a 10 element crossed Yagi and rotator on the roof.

Stella Maris College is part of a network (La Salle Malta) of Lasallian Colleges that include De La Salle College and the Mellieha Retreat Centre. The schools take their inspiration from their founder, John Baptist de la Salle. In the Christian faith, John De La Salle is venerated as the Patron Saint of Teachers. La Salle Malta was founded as a single school in 1903 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and is now the La Salle Malta’s Lasallian Colleges, run by the Malta Trust of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Stella Maris College hosted this ARISS contact for participating students in grades 5 through 10 (ages 9-15 years). Stella Maris College has partnered with members of the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL) (9H1MRL) who provided support during the ARISS contact. Members of MARL have also made presentations to students about amateur radio, and demonstrated satellite tracking and talking to other hams through amateur radio satellites.

As a member of MARL, Stella Maris College has previously operated their own amateur radio station. Members of other organizations that are also part of educational activities surrounding this ARISS contact include; the University of Malta, the Malta College for Science and Technology, Malta Council for Science and Technology and Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology.

Basically, a Lasallian School has the following characteristics:
A) respect for each student as a unique person.
B) A strong spirit of Community.
C) A school of Quality.
D) A school that embraces everyone.
E) Shows special preference for persons who are considered poor financially, morally, physically, psychologically.

Mission statement:
Our school is a place where everyone strives to create and nurture a holistic, inclusive and well-ordered learning climate thereby ensuring a high-quality, values-based academic preparation.

The school has an astronomical observatory and electronics forms part of the school curriculum.

The whole event was streamed live, and archived on YouTube at the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk-Onkbr6PY&t=15s

[ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK 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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AMSAT Engineering Recruiting Volunteers

+ RF Engineer
AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience to join its FOX-PLUS team. You’ll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to ten electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to design and build the RF communications subsystems for a series of low earth orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT’s educational and engineering objectives.

You should have a working knowledge of analog and digital communications protocols (e.g., FM, PSK, FSK) to provide digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. Development opportunities can begin with modification of previous FOX designs and/or by starting with a blank sheet for an original design.

+ Mechanical Engineers
AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX and GOLF CubeSat teams. You’ll collaborate with an all-volunteer team of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. You will have the opportunity to use your structural design and analysis skills in the development of a series of low earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT’s educational and engineering objectives.

Your contribution may include a) the development of the spaceframe and deployable solar panel subsystem, b) the analysis of the thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and the design of the thermal management system, c) preparation and oversight of the environmental testing procedure, and/or d) management of documentation of the CubeSats adherence to the launch provider’s and space vehicle owner’s specifications.

Our volunteers typically spend five hours per week on their project and attend a weekly online update meeting. An Amateur Radio license and CubeSat experience is helpful but not necessary. U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency is required.

Interested persons should send an email with their resume/curriculum vitae to: [email protected].

[ANS thanks Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP, Engineering for the above information.]

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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/

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Australian Hams Plan Commemorative Event

A group of amateurs, including Dan Sutton, VK6NAD, Michael Tutt, VK6TU, and others, will activate the special event call sign of VI6CRO (to be confirmed) in recognition of the NASA Carnarvon and Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) Carnarvon historic location.

The activation will occur from April 17 ending April 23 to coincide with the massive surge of visitors as a result of the April 20 Eclipse event in the area. The Station will be set up in the middle of the historic OTC buildings between the Casgrain Horn used during Apollo 11 and the large 30m Dish.

The station will have FM satellite capability and intends to organize contacts with Australian and Indonesian amateurs, hopefully via the ISS repeater and AO91 if they are operating at that time.

Also near the station site is the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum. Buzz Aldrin opened the museum in June, 2012, so the NASA connection will resonate through the event at which many hundreds of visitors are expected to attend daily.

[ANS thanks Dan Sutton, VK6NAD, for the above information]

Crew-6 Launch Slips

NASA has delayed the launch of a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station by a day to give SpaceX additional time to complete work on the vehicle. The crew will include three licensed amateur radio operators for a six-month stay on the ISS.

At a briefing after a flight readiness review for the Crew-6 mission Feb. 21, NASA announced it has rescheduled the launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to Feb. 27 at 1:45 a.m. Eastern. The Falcon 9 launch of the spacecraft had been planned for Feb. 26.

The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, KB3HTZ, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission.

If the launch slips again, there is another launch opportunity Feb. 28 at 1:22 a.m. Eastern, followed by three opportunities March 2 through 4.

[ANS thanks SpaceNews 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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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for 23 February

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 decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

Oculus-ASR NORAD Cat ID 44348 (decayed from orbit on 02/21/23 per Space-Track).

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]

ARISS Proposal Window Now Open

A scheduled ARISS contact is a voice-only communication via Amateur Radio between the International Space Station (ISS) crew and classrooms and communities. These scheduled contact opportunities are offered to formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together.

Proposals from schools and organizations in the U.S. are accepted during two proposal windows each year – one in the fall and one in the spring. Proposals are not accepted outside of the scheduled proposal windows. The Spring 2023 proposal window opens February 20, 2023 for contacts to be scheduled from January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024. This proposal is due to ARISS by March 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

A Proposal Guide is offered to help you plan and identify the resources you will need to host an ARISS scheduled contact. After reading the Guide and developing your plan, you can complete the ARISS Proposal Form and submit it during the proposal window. Download the current version of the Proposal Guide (Spring 2023) at https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-09-18-ARISS-Proposal-Guide.pdf

U.S. schools and educational organizations may download the ARISS Proposal Form to submit a proposal to host an ARISS contact at https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ARISS-Proposal-2023-01-04.docx

A Proposal Webinar is being offered to answer questions about the program and proposal on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 8:00 pm ET. Visit https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2023.eventbrite.com to register. A recording of the Proposal Webinar can be located on our ARISS YouTube channel at any time: https://youtu.be/xOYrpeqLzfY

Those with questions regarding the proposal process, please send an email to: [email protected]

[ANS thanks ARISS 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.

COMPLETED:
Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Koichi Wakata KI5TMN. Contact was successful: Thursday, 2023-02-23 09:32:56 UTC with 60 degrees maximum elevation. Congratulations to the Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo” students and Koichi!

UPCOMING:
Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd, Moka, Mauritius, direct via 3B8ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ. Contact has been postponed per school request. It is unknown at this time when it will be rescheduled.

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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Congratulations to Ian Parsons, K5ZM, who has recently been appointed manager of the “Upcoming Satellite Operations” page of the AMSAT website https://www.amsat.org/satellite-info/upcoming-satellite-operations/  Thanks, Ian, for volunteering your time to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

We also thank Paul Overn, KE0PBR, who has recently given up this task after several years of doing a great job tracking grid rovers rovers, both on the AMSAT page and on Twitter.

+ No roves are currently scheduled.

Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net

[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.

+ 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 24-27, 2023
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

+ AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023.

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Contact Clint Bradford, K6LCS, at https://www.work-sat.com/

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Ready for Round Two of QRPp #EME fun? Bernd Wilde, DL7APV, will look for small 70cm stations starting 23 Feb. Weeks ago. Max Romensky, M0SKN, US6IKN, SA5IKN, and EI6KCI, demonstrated that even 3 element Yagi and 40W can work the EME big guns of various calibre, not just Bernd. More information at https://hb9q.ch/2018/?page_id=37 (ANS thanks Max Romensky, M0SKN,for the above information)

+ Last week, the EU Parliament funded the development of a new communications constellation, the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection & Security by Satellites (IRIS2 or sometimes IRISS), which will operate alongside its existing Galileo (GNSS), EGNOS (GNSS overlay), and Copernicus (EO) constellations. The new constellation will consist of up to 170 satellites deployed to LEO, MEO, and GEO and will integrate with existing communications assets. This will be in addition to commercial ventures by Starlink (12,000+ sats), OneWeb (648 sats), and Rivada (300 sats), as well as the Chinese state-owned mega-constellation plan for just under 13,000 satellites in LEO. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and SpaceNews for the above information)

+ Recent updates have been made to the Greencube Terminal program by OZ9AAR. The program interfaces with the UZ7HO Soundmodem, and optionally with N3FJP’s ACLog software. Information and free download available at: https://www.moonbounce.dk/hamradio/greencube-terminal-program.html (ANS thanks Carsten Groen, OZ9AAR, for the above information)

+ New features have also been added to the satellite rover tracking site at https://hams.at/ (ANS thanks Rockwell Schrock, WW1X, for the above information)

+ Hackaday has published an entertaining YouTube video, “Searching for Space Pirates on Old Military Satellites.” The video explains how U.S. Fleet SATCOM UHF transponders, still in space from the 1970s, are being used illegally, often for criminal purposes. It also describes using a simple RTL receiver to listen in on these pirate transmissions. The video is available at https://hackaday.com/2023/02/24/hunting-for-space-pirates/ (ANS thanks Hackaday for the above information)

+ NASA is seeking ham volunteers to gather data during upcoming solar eclipses on October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024. For details, see https://go.nasa.gov/3IQrFiz (ANS thanks NASA 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, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org

ANS-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by

In this edition:

* IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting
* AMSAT IT Tackles TLE Problem
* VK5QI Wins FS3 Award
* SpaceX Dragon Will Carry More Hams to ISS
* Balloon Experimenters Worry About Reactions
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* 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.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-050 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 Feb 19

IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting

The 56th meeting of the Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was held via Zoom on January 16, with President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, presiding.

The council received reports from the officers of each of the three regions. The meeting’s focus was on the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) later this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The IARU effort for WRC-23 is being led by IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR.

Here is a summary of the meeting submitted by IARU Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN:

“Of particular interest to the amateur radio and amateur satellite services for WRC-23 is agenda item 9.1b concerning the amateur allocation in the 23 – centimeter band at 1240-1300 MHz. The Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS) is seeking protection from secondary users in addition to an expanded allocation. Preparatory work for this item is being conducted within the ITU’s Working Party 5A. IARU’s global WRC-23 9.1b team, led by Barry Lewis, G4SJH, has been consulting with the amateur community, resulting in a contribution to the draft guidance recommendation in support of coexistence with RNSS. Details on this work can be found at www.iaru.org.

The council reviewed a comprehensive written report from IARU [Electromagnetic Compatibility] Coordinator Dr. Martin Sach, G8KDF, on his work with the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR). CISPR was formed in 1934 to set standards for controlling electromagnetic interference in electrical and electronic devices. CISPR’s specific areas include radio interference measurements and statical methods, and limits for the protection of radio frequencies.

An ongoing strategic planning review of the current IARU structure is being conducted within several Working Groups (WGs). The Administrative Council received reports from the Futures WG Steering Committee, Relationship WG, Governance WG, and the Legal WG. This work is scheduled for completion no later than July to allow discussion at the Region 1 [General] Conference in Serbia in October, with additional opportunities provided to the other two regions.

Region 1 has received several inquiries regarding the status of [John Devoldere’s,] ON4UN, and [Mark Demeuleneere’s,] ON4WW, book, Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur and is considering how this document [can] be updated.

The Summary Record from this meeting, in addition to previous meetings, is available at www.iaru.org/reference/ac-summary-records/.”

The next virtual meeting of the Administrative Council is scheduled for March 20, and an in-person meeting is scheduled for June 25 at the conclusion of Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

The members of the IARU Administrative Council are the President, Vice President, Secretary, and two members from each of the regional organizations. Members participating in this meeting were IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA; Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR; Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN; IARUI Region 1; George Gorsline, VE3YV, President, and Rod Stafford, W6ROD,Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, President, and Mats Espling, SM6EAN, Secretary, IARU Region 2; George Gorsline, VE3YV, President, and Rod Stafford, W6ROD, Secretary, and Region 3; Chairman Ken Yamamoto, JA1CJP, and Director Yudi Hasbi, YD1PRY. Assistant Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, also participated.

Founded in 1925, IARU is the worldwide voice of radio amateurs who secure and safeguard the amateur radio spectrum. ARRL serves as the International Secretariat of IARU.

[ANS thanks The ARRL Letter 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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AMSAT IT Tackles TLE Problem

AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files.

The team determined that AMSAT’s processing is not robust in the face of minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF’s 18th Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not always include the leading zero in AO-7’s object number “07530”. The official report from the team’s leader: “My grandma would say that AMSAT’s software is just a little too persnickety.”

A member of the tiger team agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1. Meanwhile, manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT Team, for the above information]

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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/

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VK5QI Wins FS3 Award

The Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS) announced, on January 19, a special Award for the last formal (AMSAT Leaderboard/Satnogs) reported signals from FalconSat3. An MO-112 postal first day cover was to be sent to the winner with the certificate.

On Janary 28, Mark Jessop, VK5QI, was declared to be the winner for the MARS FS3 Award. The certificate and MO-112 first day cover were sent last week in an envelope with MO-112 stamps.

Congratulations!

FS3 was a great adventure for many of us, thanks again to Mark (N8MH) for his dedication to keep the bird alive for so many years.

[ANS thanks Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, MARS President, for the above information]

SpaceX Dragon Will Carry More Hams to ISS

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

Launch is targeted for 07:07 UTC, Sunday, Feb. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 07:54 UTC, Monday, Feb. 27.

The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, KB3HTZ, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission.

This is the sixth crew rotation mission with astronauts using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. This Dragon is named Endeavour.

NASA TV launch coverage begins on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 03:30 UTC (10:30 p.m. EST).

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

Balloon Experimenters Worry About Reactions

Balloon hobbyists are also worried that the small balloons they launch into the sky could be shot down or that the focus on balloons could lead to tight restrictions on their little-known hobby.

Speculation has grown about whether one of the unidentified objects taken down by a U.S. F-22 on Feb. 11 over Canada’s Yukon Territory was a small party-style balloon launched by a hobby group whose name is a whimsical reference to the children’s film “Up.” The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade recently said one of its balloons went “missing in action” on Feb. 11, near an island off the coast of Alaska.

People launch balloons for radio experiments, or as part of projects to learn more about technology, balloons, and the sky — as well as for fun, according to Dave Akerman, a member of the U.K. High Altitude Society who has launched nearly 100 larger latex balloons. Now enthusiasts are concerned “there will be a knee-jerk reaction to what’s happened,” he said in an interview.

He said he hoped that authorities and hobbyists could coordinate on reasonable guidelines or rules if needed. “It’s also in the interests of authorities not to be shooting down party balloons with missiles.”

[ANS thanks The Washington Post 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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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 19

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 satellites have decayed from orbit and have been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

CP-7 DAVE NORAD Cat ID 43615 (decayed from orbit on 02/12/23 per Space-Track).
NO-104 (PSAT-2) NORAD Cat ID 44354 (decayed from orbit on 02/15/23 per Space-Track).

[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.

Completed:
Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta, direct via 9H1MRL. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful: Wed 2023-02-15 12:48:01 UTC 60 degrees elevation. Congratulations to the Stella Maris College students and Josh for the first Malta contact!

Upcoming:
Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Thu 2023-02-23 09:32:56 UTC 60 degrees. Watch for Livestream at https://bit.ly/3I2xaKg

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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

From Richard, VA3VGR: Tentative plan, will depend on the roads and weather of course. All times UTC.

19 Feb – FN58
FO-29 18:41 145.950 Tx

FO-118 19:03 145.810 Tx
PO-101 19:17
CAS-3H 20:02
FO-29 20:23 145.950 Tx

19 Feb – FN57
RS-44 21:04 145.950 Tx

CAS-3H 21:34
FO-29 22:09 145.950 Tx

19 Feb – FN47
RS-44 22:53 145.950 Tx
JO-97 23:43 145.860 Rx
CAS-4B 00:05 145.925 Rx
CAS-4A 00:35 145.870 Rx
RS-44 00:47 145.950 Tx

20 Feb – FN38
RS-44 08:41 145.950 Tx (maybe – is there interest?)

FO-29 09:11 145.950 Tx
20 Feb – FN48
XW-2C 10:25 145.800 Rx
RS-44 10:34 145.950 Tx
FO-29 10:56 145.950 Tx
AO-91 12:06

AO-91 13:39
SO-50 14:01
JO-97 14:25 145.860 Rx

Also possible only if there is interest out west:
RS-44 12:28 145.950 Tx
FO-29 12:42 145.950 Tx

[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.

+ 2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 24-27, 2023
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

+ AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, has a Zoom presentation scheduled with Thames Valley ARC, England on May 11, 2023.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The Pehuensat-1 or PO-63, the hamradio payload made by Universidad del Comahue, Argentina that was attached to the structure of an Indian PSLV rocket, re-entered Earth atmosphere on January 16, 2023 according to Space_Track. (ANS thanks Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ, for the above information)

+ As reported above, NO-104 (PSAT-2) decayed from orbit on 02/15/23. The Technical University of Brno in Brno, Czech Republic wishes to thank again Bob Bruninga WB4APR(SK) who allowed us to build the PSK transponder and to add the SSTV camera to the project undertaken by the U.S. Naval Academy. “We had lot of fun during experiments! Both transponder and camera operated flawlessly till the battery deterioration. Hopefully some future satelite builder will be interested in those space tested blocks.” (ANS thanks Tomáš Urbanec, OK2PNQ, of Technical University of Brno, for the above information.

+ A new Indian rocket successfully delivered three satellites to orbit on Thursday, Feb. 9, including Janus-1, which was built by the Indian-American company Antaris, is a technology-demonstrating “smart satellite,” according to the ISRO mission description. Like its predecessor, AzaadiSAT-2 was built by hundreds of female students from across India. AzaadiSAT-2 “aims to demonstrate LoRa and amateur radio communication capabilities, measure radiation levels in space and demonstrate expandable satellite structure, etc,” ISRO officials wrote. (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information)

+ Even as Russia’s Progress MS-22 arrived at the ISS, the uncrewed ​​Progress MS-21 cargo craft lost pressure—this vehicle isn’t used for crew return and will be disposed of in a fiery reentry anyway, but it doesn’t increase confidence in aging ISS and Russian hardware—meanwhile, Russia is planning to launch a replacement for their other failing ISS vehicle, Soyuz MS-22, on Sunday, Feb. 19. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ As SpaceX tests a vehicle that will be capable of 100 tons to LEO (and, eventually, as much as 150 t), and continues a record-setting Falcon launch (and pad turnaround) cadence, the industry is talking about “bloodletting” and how other launch companies can’t compete with the $275,000 that SpaceX charges to take a 50 kg smallsat to Sun-Synchronoous Orbit (SSO) on a Transporter mission. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index 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, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org

ANS-022 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by

In this edition:

* AMSAT Exhibiting at 2023 Hamcation
* IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites
* AMSAT Thanks 2022 President’s Club Members
* 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-022 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 Jan 22

AMSAT Exhibiting at 2023 Hamcation

AMSAT will be at Hamcation 2023 on Friday through Sunday, February 10-12, 2023. The AMSAT booth will be located at the west end of Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Center’s East West Hall (main building as you enter from the parking lot). right next to our friends and partners ARISS-USA. AMSAT staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions and provide amateur satellite, SatPC32, and CubeSatSim demonstrations.

In addition, AMSAT will host a forum on Sunday, February 12, from 11:00AM – 12:00PM. AMSAT President, Robert Bankston, KE4AL, will kick off Shaping the Amateur Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow, an open discussion on developing the next generation of amateur radio satellites.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President 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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IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites

The IARU has coordinated frequencies for the following two upcoming satellites:

+ ROSEYCUBESAT-1

Orbital Solutions Monaco is the sponsor for ROSEYCUBESAT-1, a 1U CubeSat platform from ISISPACE with a very simple mission for students: taking simple pictures, providing telemetry and teaching radio amateur activities. Students can learn how to use an Amateur Radio antenna provided by the Vaudois Amateur Radio Club to download telemetry data, photos from the satellite and send commands to the satellite. Amateur Radio operators can participate in the mission because the satellite carries a built-in TRXVU transponder mode. A UHF downlink using 1k2/9k6 BPSK with AX 25 on 436.825 MHz together with a transponder uplink on 145.850 MHz have been coordinated. Planning a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg into a 550km SSO in February 2023.

+ KASHIWA
China University of Technology is the sponsor for a 1U CubeSat spacecraft with the following features.

 * APRS – When KASHIWA receives an APRS query from a ground station, it returns an ACK signal. The satellite logs the call sign and reception time of the received query. The log data is transmitted from the satellite to the ground station by a UHF downlink. The log is then published on the website. The APRS operation period will be from one week after orbit insertion until deorbit, almost one and half years.

 * “MoG’ (Music of Geomagnetic) KASHIWA transmits VHF analog FM signal containing the analog audio sound generated from geomagnetic data. The geomagnetic field observation data will also be transmitted in the data by UHF.

 * KASHIWA has two cameras onboard. They will take ISS (International Station), Ocean, and Land day and night. The field-of-view of two cameras is 194 degrees. Image data from the two cameras will be stored in flash memory then divided and downloaded by the UHF downlink and then restored by the ground station.

Telemetry using 4k8 GMSK with downlinks on 145.825 MHz, 437.375 MHz and 437.380 MHz have been coordinated. Planning a deployment from the ISS in October 2023. More info at https://sites.google.com/view/gardens-02/english_ver/home?pli=1.

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]

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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/

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AMSAT Thanks 2022 President’s Club Members

In 2022, a total of 78 members and friends of AMSAT contributed a total of $63,717 and were recognized with membership in the AMSAT 2022 President’s Club. We thank them for their generous support and helping to Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

Membership levels begin at $120 and can be paid in one lump-sum or in monthly installments. For complete details on AMSAT President Club membership, https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/.

Titanium ($4,800+)
Barry A. Baines, WD4ASW
Alan P. Biddle, WA4SCA
John D. Botti, KC8OKB
William G. Brown, K9LF

Platinum ($2,400+)
Steve Belter, N9IP
Ronald G. Parsons, W5RKN
Cheryl Printon

Gold ($1,200+)
Anonymous
Dwight Aussieker, K9QJ
Douglas Besemer, K0VPL
Burns Fisher, WB1FJ
James Hain, W2IMY
Joseph Lynch, N6CL
John R. Kludt, K7SYS
Glenn Miller, AA5PK
Mary Lou Monteiro
John Pinkham, K3PER
Thomas Schaefer, NY4I
Michael Stipick, KC4RI
Douglas B. Tabor, N6UA

Silver ($600+)
John Boehme, K4PRK
Warren Fugate, W3WE
Mark Johns, K0JM
Jean-Louis Maridet, F5DYD
Patrick Maroney, KD0YMO
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
David A. Vine, WA1EAW
Chuck Weaver, W3VAR

Bronze ($300+)
Anonymous
Scott Danzer, N1XCY
Robert Grattan III, N4MRV
Allen Kenney, KK4AK
Donald J. Lum, WA6ICW
Bruce Perens, K6BP
Donald Pettigrew, K9ECT
Scott Shaheen, WB8OOJ
Thomas Talley, K0CFI
Dave Taylor, W8AAS
Rickey N. Walker, K4TD

Core ($120+)
Oscar Alonso, N6PAZ
Dwight Aussieker, W9QJ
Steve Bachhuber, K9SJB
Robert Brennan, KC3CKV
Burlington Amateur Radio Club
George Carr, WA5KBH
Michael Caughey, N2BT
Jim Clary, ND9M
Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT
Todd Dugdale, KD0TLS
John Flowers, K4ZMR
James Gallagher III, KB3SQS
George Gallis, AL7BX
David Grebe, WA4LM
David Hartrum, WA3YDZ
Stephen Howard, AB0XE
Nels E. Knutzen, W0PEC
Edward Krome, K9EK
Gailen Marshall, N5GDM
Brendan McNeil, ZL3BAM
Juan Munoz, TG9AJR
Andrew Northam, KE8FZT
Art Payne, VE3GNF
Maxwell Rathbone, W3POI
Larry Schroeder, KD4HSL
Jay Schwartz, WB8SBI
Jason Schwarz, N4JJS
Alton Simpson, WA5TJB
Carl Starnes, W4EAT
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Dennis Turner, K0DIS
Arun Vijayshankar, K6ARV
Christopher Wach,s WA2KDL
Stefan Wagener, VE4SW
Wayne Wagner, AG1A
Jim Wellinghoff, W0NBC
Jeremy Wyatt, KA2PFD

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, VP, Development 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.

+ Upcoming Contacts

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin.
Contact is go for Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 16:00 UTC.

Brentwood Elementary School of Engineering, Raleigh, NC, telebridge via ON4ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN.
Contact is go for: Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 17:31:24 UTC.

Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina.
Contact is go for Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 15:10 UTC.

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin.
Contact is go for Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 10:25 UTC.

+ Completed Contacts

Escola Secundária de Lagoa, Lagoa, Azores, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH.
Contact was successful on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 18:20:34 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.]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

GO11; January 24-27, 2023
Chris, VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA and @Dave, VE3KG will be operating the linear and FM satellites.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information.]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Orlando Hamcation
February 10-12, 2023
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32808
https://www.hamcation.com/

2023 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 24-27, 2023
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California 93407
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information.]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ In 2013, Amazon launched AmazonSmile to make it easier for customers to support their favorite charities. After almost a decade of running AmazonSmile, Amazon decided that with so many eligible organizations – more than 1 million globally – their ability to have an impact was often spread too thin. Thus, Amazon will be winding down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. Until this date, customer purchases made via AmazonSmile will continue to accrue funds for their charity as normal. After that, Amazon will provide each charity with a one-time payment equivalent to three months of payments based on what it accrued in 2022. [AMSAT thanks AmazonSmile for the above information.]

+ It has been quite a week for the UK space industry. What was meant to mark a new era of space launch has sadly been put on hold after Virgin Orbit’s launch failure just over a week ago. The mission, “Start Me Up,” suffered a failure on Monday Jan. 9, and an investigation is underway to find the result of anomaly. Virgin Orbit has said it hopes to return to the newly inaugurated Spaceport Cornwall in the future. More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-022-Virgin-Orbit [ANS thanks SatelliteToday.com for the above information.]

+ The global space economy grew to $424 billion in 2022. The space industry is in a major period of growth defined by attracting new customers, breaking into new industries and courting new investment, but it’s not yet clear how much the industry will grow in the coming years. The space economy grew 8% since 2021, despite facing major economic head winds caused by supply chain issues lingering after pandemic lock downs, high inflation, global tensions and other factors. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.]

+ Crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) this week moved astronaut Frank Rubio’s seat liner – a molding designed to fit his body and make spaceflight more comfortable – from the leaking Soyuz capsule to the Crew Dragon attached to the space station. That change will allow the Crew Dragon to act as a “lifeboat” if Rubio needs to come back to Earth in a hurry. Moving Rubio to the Crew Dragon would help reduce the heat within the Soyuz if it needs to be used by Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin for an emergency Earth return. Once the new, replacement Soyuz arrives at the station next month, Rubio’s lining will be moved to that ship instead. [ANS thanks Axios Space 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 [at] amsat [dot] org

 

ANS-015 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by

In this edition:

* FalconSat-3 Nears Re-entry
* More Amateur Radio Astronauts Head for the ISS
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Why We Don’t Call CQ on FM Birds
* 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.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-015 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 Jan 15

FalconSat-3 Nears Re-entry

A number of amateurs and satellite watchers have put forward predictions concerning the date and time of re-entry for FalconSat-3. While all re-entry predictions are something of a guessing game, due to the large number of variables affecting the upper atmosphere, one thing that can be said for certain is that the end for FS-3 will be coming very soon, quite possibly within the next week.

AMSAT Board Member and FS-3 control operator, Mark Hammond, N8MH, has stated that he will try to have the bird operational for its final hours. The satellite has only been available for approximately 24 hours each weekend due to weak batteries.

FalconSAT-3 was built in 2005 and 2006 by cadets and faculty in the Space Systems Research Center at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. It is the fourth in a series of small satellites designed, built and operated there as part of a capstone course and which brings together about 30 cadets each year from several different academic departments.

Since its launch on an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral in March, 2007, it has been through three mission phases. The first mission phase was operation of the science payloads. In the second it was used as a tool for training cadets in the space operations squadron and students in both undergraduate space training in California and graduate students at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Finally, it’s third mission phase was as an on-orbit resource in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS). Operation as an ARS satellite was being managed by AMSAT-NA.

In amateur service the downlink is at 435.103 MHz transmitting 1W into a ¼ whip. The uplink is at 145.840 MHz and the receive antenna is a ¼ whip on the opposite side of the satellite. All UHF and S-band equipment on NTIA licensed frequencies has been disabled. The ARS VHF receiver is very sensitive. Modulation is 9600 bps GMSK for the uplink and downlink. The broadcast callsign is PFS3-11, and the BBS callsign is PFS3-12, Unproto APRS via PFS3-1.

The core avionics were designed and built by Mark Kanawati, N4TPY, and Dino Lorenzini, KC4YMG at SpaceQuest Ltd. and have performed remarkably well for nearly 16 years on orbit. Jim White, WD0E, was the lead engineer for FalconSAT-3 at the Air Force Academy (USAFA) and managed the design, construction, testing and early operations of the satellite.

Nearly 700 cadets at USAFA obtained their amateur radio licenses as part of training to operate FalconSAT-3 and other USAFA satellites. They have taken that knowledge and understanding of the value of the ARS into their Air Force service and many on into industry. Since FalconSAT-3 the USAFA Astronautics Department has built and operated one additional satellite and has two more queued for launch. The space operations curriculum and the ground station are being rebuilt and configured for these new space assets.

The success of FalconSAT-3 is an excellent example of how amateur radio can be integrated into the curriculum of an education institution for the benefit of the students and the amateur radio service.

[ANS thanks Sasha Timokhov, VE3SVF, Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, and Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Operations, 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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More Amateur Radio Astronauts Head for the ISS

Three of the four new astronauts on February’s planned launch of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) are amateur radio operators.

Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, KB3HTZ; Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, will join Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev on board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour.

The spacecraft will be atop a Falcon 9 rocket and, while a launch date has not been selected, the earliest date would be mid-February 2023.

All crew members have learned about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), received guidance on studying and testing, and learned how to operate the ARISS radios and the basics of on-the-air protocol from ARISS team members at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

The crew will be able to participate in ARISS, using the ham radio station on the ISS to contact schools and other educational institutions.

ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include NASA, the ISS National Lab, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio, and AMSAT.

[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]

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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/

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution

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/

No changes this week.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, 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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Why We Don’t Call CQ on FM Birds

Please do not CQ on FM birds. It is not necessary and takes up valuable air time. If there are no QSOs ongoing, AND there is no station you heard that you want to call, you can key up and give your call and grid ONLY and unkey. But, please, do this sparingly! Instead of doing it over and over, listen and wait for another station you might want to work. In other words, you have to give others a chance to get in there. I have heard many passes where it was constantly one station after another CQing or announcing their call and I couldn’t get it to call anyone! And if there is a rover on the pass giving out a rare grid, it is customary to let them have the air and work as many stations as they can until they have worked them all who are seeking them. (Which will changes as the sat passes over new territory and new callers wanting to work the rover come into range.) It may mean you get only one QSO that pass (or none of you don’t need the grid he is in) but it’s about sharing a resource wisely and giving everyone the most benefit. A pass full of CQs or a pass of contacts where everybody makes one QSO with a rare grid.

If you add up all the seconds spent by people CQing, or continually announcing themselves you’ll see what a significant percentage of a pass is wasted. They say, ‘Well no one else was on.’ Right… because they couldn’t get through due to all the CQing! Satellites is like HF DXing… listen, listen and when in doubt, listen.

Then there is the simple fact that CQing has NEVER been a thing on the FM mode… not on repeaters, not on simplex. The longstanding custom on FM, because of the nature of the way the audio works, is to simply announce your call. Such as, ‘N4UFO listening 52″ on 146.520 simplex, or ‘N4UFO monitoring’ over a 2m FM repeater… the ‘CQ’ part is implied. That said, why is CQing on SSB not only okay, but necessary? FM birds are one channel and you can hear everyone plain as day right there. With linear birds, there is a passband and stations are spread out… CQing is for catching everyone else’s attention as they tune around. They will hear either your high pitched squeaky voice or low rumbling voice speaking in the familiar rhythm of ‘CQ, CQ, CQ’ as they tune around. In short, they use your ‘CQ’ as a way to tune around and FIND you, then TUNE you in. This is not necessary on FM. And also not necessary to CQ on SSB once the station starts making contacts.

There is also a tendency on linear birds when a rare grid station is expected to be on a pass to start blind calling. Please do not do that either! I have a short writeup on my rover page to explain it… it’s on the bottom of the page here: https://www.qrz.com/db/N4UFO/P (also pics & stories of my roving adventures & my gear)

And THANK YOU for ASKING!!!

[ANS thanks Kevin Manzer, N4UFO, 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.

Escola Secundária de Lagoa, Lagoa, Azores, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS, and the scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Thu 2023-01-19 18:20:34 UTC 55 degrees maximum elevation. Watch for Livestream starting about 15 minutes before AOS at http://www.ariotti.com/

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS, and the scheduled crewmember is TBD. Contact is go for 2023-01-24 TBD.

Krasnodar, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS, and the scheduled crewmember is TBD. Contact is go for 2023-02-TBD TBD.

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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

W8LR: is heading to EN90 and EM99 1/15/23 FM and Linear.

Chris VE3FU / VO2AC / VO1FUA / VE2FUA: The weekend of January 27-29 @Dave_VE3KG and I will be competing in the CQ160 CW Contest as VO2AC from the Point Amour Lighthouse in Labrador (Zone 2). We’ll also be on the other HF bands starting January 24 as VO2AC and VO2AAA. Please work us in the contest! We also plan on operating the linear and FM satellites from grid GO11 as VO2AC and VO2AAA from January 24-27.

Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com

[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.

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations scheduled …
-Ontario, Canada (1/16/23)
-Thames Valley, England (5/11/23)

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to “retire” from the Gridmaster Heat Map project that he has moderated on Twitter for the past three years. Paul has assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps forward to pick it up, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information)

+ Two astronauts on the International Space Station will conduct a spacewalk Friday, Jan. 20, to install hardware for future power system upgrades. NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, will exit the station’s Quest airlock to complete the installation of two mounting platforms as part of planned solar array augmentation on the starboard side of the International Space Station’s truss. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 7 a.m. EST. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m., and last about six and a half hours. [NOTE: All ARISS operations are shut down during spacewalks.] (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ There was an error in the January VUCC standings reported in last week’s ANS bulletins. The entry for K7ZOO, at the top of the table, is not valid and should not have been included. ANS apologizes for the error.

+ The National Science Foundation (NSF) has reached an agreement with SpaceX to mitigate the effects of the company’s second-generation Starlink satellites on astronomy, even as another organization goes to court to block the constellation’s deployment. NSF, which funds operations of several major observatories, announced Jan. 10 that is had completed an astronomy coordination agreement with SpaceX regarding its Gen2 Starlink constellation. The Federal Communications Commission granted a license Dec. 2 to allow SpaceX to deploy a quarter of that 30,000-satellite system while deferring consideration of the rest of the constellation. That coordination agreement was a condition of the Gen2 FCC license. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ A vintage NASA satellite launched in the 1980s and long-since turned to space junk met a fiery fate late Sunday as it fell back to Earth. The huge Earth observation satellite, called the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), plunged back to Earth Sunday night (Jan. 8) at 11:04 p.m. EST (0304 GMT on Monday). The 5,400-pound (2,450 kilograms) satellite reentered over the Bering Sea, with some components potentially surviving the super-hot temperatures of reentry. (ANS thanks Space.com 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, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org