Mark Johns – Page 16

ANS-191 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for July 10

July 10, 2022 by Mark Johns

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/

In this edition:

Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Named Director, AMSAT Ambassador Program
Last Call: AMSAT Field Day Logs Due July 15, 2022
ARISS Looking for Hams in Hawaii
Call for Papers: 2022 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
NASA Podcast – Amateur Space Radio
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 7, 2022
CelesTrak Changing Domain Used
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-191 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2022 Jul 10

Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Named Director, AMSAT Ambassador Program

AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Bo Lowrey, W4FCL as Director, AMSAT Ambassador Program. Bankston adds, “Bo is eminently qualified to re-energize this important aspect of AMSAT’s presence in the Amateur Radio community. His seemingly endless credits include being a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, NASA OSIRIS-Rex Ambassador and NASA International Space Station Ambassador. We welcome Bo’s addition to the AMSAT leadership team and we encourage all previous AMSAT Ambassadors as well as those members interested in becoming ambassadors to reach out to Bo and offer their support.”

Before Lowrey’s retirement he most recently served as Director – Space Science and IT at the National Air and Space Education Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. He has 55 years experience in the electronics and IT fields and has advanced degrees from the University of Louisville in Occupational Training and Development, and Curriculum and Instruction.

Persons interested in learning more about the AMSAT Ambassador program or becoming a AMSAT Ambassador should email volunteer at amsat dot org.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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Last Call: AMSAT Field Day Logs Due July 15, 2022

Time is running out! Please be sure to obtain your entry form from https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ and submit your log along with any photos of your operation.

A satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Friday, July 15, 2022. This is earlier than the due date for the ARRL submissions. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do at amsat dot org or kk5do at arrl dot net.

You will receive an e-mail back within one or two days from Bruce when he receives your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then he has not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to his other e-mail address.

Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2022. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, for the above information]

ARISS Looking for Hams in Hawaii

Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS school mentors has put out a call for assistance:

“One of the ARISS schools I am mentoring is out on the island of Lana’i in Hawaii. The Lana’i High and Elementary School in Lana’i City is scheduled for a contact sometime in the first half of 2023. If there are any satellite operators in Hawaii that can provide some assistance, please get in touch with me. The school is currently debating between doing a direct contact at the school or maybe a local telebridge via a ground station on Oahu. The use of the regular ARISS telebridge system is also as possibility. They are looking for an additional radio, perhaps some antennas, and basic satellite expertise assistance. They might also need some help with a PA system. 73 and Aloha and thanks for your help!”

Please email Charlie directly via aj9n at amsat dot org if you can provide some assistance. Charlie can provide you with more details.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Mentor, for the above information.]

Call for Papers: 2022 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference

The 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) will be held September 16 – 18, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last year’s conference was held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns, but this year’s 3-day event will be held at the Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel.

Technical papers are solicited for the conference. Papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings. Authors do not need to present at the conference to have their papers included in the Proceedings. Submit papers via e-mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB ([email protected]) by September 1, 2022. Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights.

Conference papers will be distributed as pdf’s to DCC attendees. Printed copies of the papers will be available for sale at Lulu (www.lulu.com).

Paper and presentation topic areas include, but are not limited to software defined radio (SDR), digital voice, digital satellite communication, digital signal processing (DSP), HF digital modes, adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for Amateur Radio, Global Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS), Linux in Amateur Radio, AX.25 updates, Internet operability with Amateur Radio networks, TCP/IP networking over Amateur Radio, mesh and peer-to-peer wireless networking, emergency and homeland defense backup digital communications in Amateur Radio.

Hilton Charlotte Airport is hosting the 2022 ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) and is now offering special room rates for the DCC at $99 per night. The special room rate is good until August 15, so make your reservations ASAP online or calling 1-800-445-8667 and ask for the “Digital Communications 2022” rates.

More information about TAPR – Tomorrow’s Ham Radio Technology Today can be found that their website https://tapr.org/call-for-papers-2022-digital-communications-conference/.

[ANS thanks TAPR.org for the above information.]

NASA Podcast – Amateur Space Radio

On Episode 251 of NASA’s “Houston We Have a Podcast”, Courtney Black describes the Amateur Radio program that connects astronauts in space to people and students around the globe. This episode was recorded on May 27, 2022.

Along with jam-packed days of science and maintenance, astronauts aboard the International Space Station dedicate some time to connect with people on Earth. It can be by an IP (internet protocol) phone to call a family member, a televised event to connect with media, or even amateur radio to connect with students.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, helps create education opportunities that inspire students to pursue careers in STEM-related fields – that’s engineering, math, science, or technology — by having the opportunity to talk to crew members on orbit. This podcast is the story of a former teacher who has seen first-hand how ARISS communication impacts students’ lives here on Earth, and how important this program is for future generations of space explorers.

Courtney Black is an education project manager with the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. Before joining the National Lab, Black served as a formal educator for 14 years, educating elementary to high school students. Her passion for incorporating space education in lessons earned her recognition among her peers and allowed for students to participate in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as ARISS contacts and a downlink with the International Space Station. Black is a Space Station Ambassador, a Solar System Ambassador, teacher liaison to the Space Foundation, Space Center Houston SEEC (Space Educator Expedition Crew) crew member, and an member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Civil Air Patrol.

Black has presented at multiple conferences and is excited to continue presenting on topics to help bring awareness and encourage utilization of a myriad of resources available which aim to improve life on Earth through the investigation and exploration of space. Listen to the podcast at https://nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/amateur-space-radio.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 7, 2022

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 been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
– SNUGLITE 2 NORAD Cat ID 52899 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).

The following satellites have decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
– Tsuru NORAD Cat ID 47927 (decayed form orbit on 7/5/2022 per Space-Track).
– GuaraniSat-1 NORAD Cat ID 47931 (decayed form orbit on 7/5/2022 per Space-Track).

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

CelesTrak Changing Domain Used

If you use Celestrak for TLEs you might have noticed that your tracking application has stopped updating. This is due to Celestrak moving from .com to .org so you should change links in applications soon as possible. For further information see:
https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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.

* Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. 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.

* Il Cielo Itinerante c/o ASI Center for Space in Matera, Italy, telebridge via K6DUE.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Samantha Cristoforetti IZ0UDF
Contact is go for Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 09:11:01 UTC.

* 2nd Sayama Group Saitama Council Scouts Association of Japan, Saitama, Japan, direct via 8J1SBS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS.
Contact is go for: Wednesday July 13, 2022 at 11:57:20 UTC.

* About Gagarin From Space. Performance of a session of radio amateur communication with the participants of the celebration of the frigate “Nadezhda”, Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Artemyev.
Contact is go for Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 11:10 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.]

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Save the Date!
40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21 – 22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
More information to follow.

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

* 6Y/WB9VPG will be on a few FM sat passes July 10-15 from grid FK18. Check twitter for details.

* W3IPA: DM42 vacation planned for July 30 – August 6 will be on FM passes vacation style. He will be close to DM41 so he might be able to work a gridline. More updates to be posted closer to that week.

* N8MR: EN 57,67,56 August 6-13. More to come as the date gets closer.

* KX9X & N9NCY Wild West Rove: Sean and Nancy’s Wild West Rove has been scaled back, but is still going forward. They will now be on the road from July 13-25 while hiking in National Parks. They will travel through seven states and 38 grids, planning activation on FM and linear satellites. Extensive operation in Montana and North Dakota in the Canadian border grids beginning July 20. There will also be 6 meter and occasional HF POTA activity as well. Grids they will pass through in order are:

July 13: EN50 – 40 – 41 – 42 – 32 – 33 – 23 – 13 -03
July 14: DN93 – 83 – 84 – 74 – 64 – 65 – 55
July 15: DN 56 – 57 – 47 – 48 – 38
July 16-20: DN28 – 38

Remaining Grids from July 20-24:
DN48 – 58 – 68 – 78 – 88 – 87 – 97 – 96 – 95
EN05 – 06 – 16 – 15 – 25 – 26 – 25 – 35
EN34 – 33 – 32 – 42 – 41 – 40 – 50

[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.

+ 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21 – 22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
More information to follow.

+ HamXposition
August 27-28, 2022
Marlborough, MA
https://hamxposition.org/

+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
Friday, October 7, 2022 to Sunday, October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site

+ 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
October 8 – 9th 2022
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

+ 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC)
September 16 – 18, 2022
Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel
Charlotte, North Carolina
https://tapr.org

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Your shopping dollar counts! The AmazonSmile Foundation issued AMSAT a $377.03 donation as a result of AmazonSmile program activity between January 1 and March 31, 2022. If you are not already signed up, do so today. Look for Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation as your charity of choice.

+ NASA is set to release its first images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope next week. Why it matters: This long-awaited milestone will set the stage for the rest of the $10 billion telescope’s mission to rework our understanding of how the universe evolved from the earliest galaxies to today. Driving the news: The first photos are set for release at about 10:30 AM EDT (14:30 UTC) next Tuesday. A press conference announcing the images can be viewed via NASA TV at that time (https://go.nasa.gov/3AvesJq). NASA has already released some early alignment images taken by JWST, but Tuesday’s photos will be the first full-color photos that will show what the telescope can really do.[ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.]

+ A six-month mission to the International Space Station could cost astronauts years of bone health, according to a new study. Understanding how a person’s health is affected by time in space is crucial for space agencies hoping to send astronauts to destinations like the Moon and Mars in the future. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports (https://bit.ly/3yFKH7g), found that weight-bearing bones – like those in the legs – didn’t recover fully from their time in space even after a year on Earth. The study’s sample size – at 17 astronauts – is pretty small, so more research is still needed. Studies looking at the health effects of spaceflight tend to be relatively small in general – after all, fewer than 650 people have been to space, and even fewer still have stayed there for months on end. [ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information.]

+ NASA has reestablished contact with one of its satellites that stopped communicating on its way to the moon. Engineers were able to contact the tiny CubeSat on Wednesday after it ceased communication with the Deep Space Network on Tuesday. The DSN is NASA’s radio antenna network that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions as well as some orbiting Earth. The CubeSat is the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, also known as CAPSTONE. The satellite left Earth’s orbit Monday, marking an important milestone on its planned four-month journey to the moon. [ANS thanks CNN 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

ANS-184 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for July 3

July 3, 2022 by Mark Johns

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/

In this edition:

Thirteen Colonies Special Event Returns to Satellites
JAMSAT Symposium Video Available for Viewing
FO-29 and FO-99 Operating Schedules for July 2022
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for July 1, 2022
AMSAT Discord Server Open to All
AMSAT Field Day Logs Due July 15th
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 30, 2022
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-184 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2022 July 03

Thirteen Colonies Special Event Returns to Satellites

The 13 Colonies special event returns to the satellites this year. All 13 colonies have at least 1 operator, so there is an opportunity for a clean sweep.

More information can be found here
http://www.13colonies.us/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/13colonies

The event starts July 1 and runs through July 7th. The object is to work and log all 13 K2X special event calls. K2A through K2M. There will also be a WM3PEN bonus station. If you send in your event sheet you will get a certificate.

Stations will be mostly working linear satellites throughout the week on SSB. A few stations will also be working CW and FT4. FM sat passes will be very limited as to not add to the congestion.

If you are an FM only satop, we will post the special event call to satop mapping for possible skeds closer to the event. The operators that do have twitter may also post FM passes, so be sure to follow them.

[ANS thanks Ant Lefebvre, NU1U, for the above information]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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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JAMSAT Symposium Video Available for Viewing

Technical presentations given at the JAMSAT Symposium are now available for viewing on YouTube. JAMSAT, the Japanese amateur satellite organization, held their Symposium online via Zoom on June 24, 2022.

AMSAT Vice President – Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, presented a technical update of the AMSAT GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) development. This was followed immediately by a presentation on the FoxPlus satellite development by AMSAT Assistant Vice President – Engineering, Jon Brandenburg, KF5IDY.

Both presentations are included in a single video, in English, at https://youtu.be/qmGSpVjr4YkOr

[ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information]

FO-29 and FO-99 Operating Schedules for July 2022

The NEXUS (FO-99) operation schedule for July 2022 can be found at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=1909

The operation of DigiTalker will be closed. Please enjoy NEXUS / FO-99 !
NEXUS operations team. JH4DHX/3 Y. Ohtani

FO-29 is expected to emerge from eclipse sometime in late July. Availability will be dependent on battery condition.

[ANS thanks JAMSAT 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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VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for July 1, 2022

The following have been updated since June 1, 2022:

Call	June 1	July 1
N8RO	1128	1131
G0ABI	478	1000
NS3L	714	725
WA4HFN	505	611
W8LR	576	594
EA2AA	500	525
KC1MMC	454	470
AK8CW	456	459
XE1GK	300	413
W7JSD	375	410
N8URE(FM19)	355	364
DL4ZAB	201	300
N8MR	260	288
KC9ELU	249	251
A65BR	204	226
VE7PTN	104	202
KB3IAI	125	151
LU4FTA	New	137
NK0S	100	130
YS2CBV	New	130
XE2AHN	New	115
XE1YHP	New	102
N9GO	New	100
WK4LR	New	100

————————————————————

Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
LU4FTA
YS2CBV
XE2AHN
XE1YHP
N9GO
WK4LR
YS2CBV is first Satellite VUCC holder from EK53

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]

AMSAT Discord Server Open to All

A reminder that the AMSAT Discord server is available for the amateur satellite community. Discord is a text, voice, and video client that has become very popular in recent years. Discord will provide the amateur satellite community with an additional option to communicate amongst each other, in real-time.

Discord provides several neat features, including the following:

* Ability to create channels, to organize different conversation topics
* Hosting of events, that can include voice and or video chat
* For satellite launch parties!
* Use of bots to automate useful actions
-Try typing /tle AO-92
-More commands are in development!
* Notification of Twitter posts of interest
-Currently only following @AMSAT Twitter account

A special section of the server is reserved for AMSAT members. If you are a current member, please send a message in the #request-roles channel once you join the server, indicating whether you are a member or life member. Once the member role is granted, you will be able to post in the “Members Only” category. If you are not yet an AMSAT member, join today at https://launch.amsat.org/.

The link below can be used to join the server. See you in Discord!
https://discord.gg/xbTXcPJHyt

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

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SAVE THE DATE

The 40th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
is scheduled to be held in Bloomington, Minn. on Oct 21 – 23, 2022.

More information will follow in future editions of ANS.

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AMSAT Field Day Logs Due July 15th

Hopefully everyone made a lot of QSOs during this weekend’s AMSAT Field Day. Please be sure to obtain your entry form from https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ and submit your log along with any photos of your operation.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, for the above information]

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 30, 2022

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

SPOC NORAD Cat ID 46921 (decayed form orbit on 6/25/2022 per Space-Track).
Neutron-1 NORAD Cat ID 46923 (decayed form orbit on 6/25/2022 per Space-Track).

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

ARISS NEWS

Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Artemyev. Contact is go for Sat 2022-07-09 21:20 UTC.

About Gagarin From Space. Performance of a session of radio amateur communication with the participants of the celebration of the frigate “Nadezhda”, Vladivostok, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Artemyev. Contact is go for Sat 2022-07-16 11:10 UTC.

Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS, continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. 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 latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

Current status of ISS ham radio stations as of June 30, 2022
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured:

Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
Powered OFF to support COL experiment on July 8. OFF about 08:15 UTC and ON about 10:25 UTC.
Powered OFF for Russian EVA on July 21.

Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Not Active.

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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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

WL7T: I locked EL58 in for June 29, 30, and July 1. I plan to work 6 meters for the majority of the time with sat passes as requested. I am going to operate from a boat from around ~9 AM – 5 PM each day.

KB2YSI: July 7th and 8th I will be camping in FN14/K-2157. I will be operating holiday style. Updates if possible on twitter.

6Y/WB9VPG will be on a few FM sat passes July 10-15 from grid FK18. Check twitter for details.

KC7JPC: Looks like he will be in dn08 over the 4th weekend. Fm only, no cell service so will just do a pass here and there.

W3IPA: DM42 vacation planned for Jul 30- Aug 6th will be on FM passes vacation style. I will be close to DM41 so might be able to work a gridline. Will post more updates closer to that week!

N8MR: EN 57,67,56 8/6 through 8/13. More to come as date gets closer.

MI0ILE activation of Ilse of Man DXCC14, IOTA EU-116,. IO74
AO-07 and RS-44 passes for SA and NA ONLY:
06Jul — AO-07 19:24z; RS-44 23:31z**
07Jul — AO-07 09:12 18:29z; RS-44 11:06z 23:56z**
08Jul — AO-07 08:14z 19:16z RS-44 09:49z
09Jul — AO-07 09:04z 18:21z RS-44 09:59z 22:48z**
10Jul — AO-07 08:08z 19:08z RS-44 10:23z 23:13z**
**- With special request
Frequencies: AO-07 145.938 RX fixed; RS-44 435.665 RX fixed +- 3kHz for QRM
For the smooth operation please do not repeat QSO and make it as short as you can.
Bold passes marked is very good opportunity for far DX stations to work.
For EU– please call me on different passes if possible. I will be on XWs and FMs.
Follow https://twitter.com/mi6gty for changes or updates.
DM also welcomes for the SKEDS.
QO-100 activity holiday style. Frequencies .690
If busy, then 5-10kHz up BY NUMBERS. Be patient I will try to work every possible station.
FT4,FT8, and CW will be available.
Good Luck! 73 De MI0ILE (Email from MI6GTY)

KX9X & N9NCY Wild West Rove: Sean and Nancy’s Wild West Rove has been scaled back, but is still going forward. They will now be on the road from July 13-25 while hiking in National Parks. They will travel through seven states and 38 grids, planning activation on FM and linear satellites. Extensive operation in Montana and North Dakota in the Canadian border grids beginning July 20. There will also be 6 meter and occasional HF POTA activity as well.
Grids they will pass through, in order:
EN50 – 40 – 41 – 42 – 32 – 33 – 23 – 13 -03: July 13th
DN93 – 83 – 84 – 74 – 64 – 65 – 55: July 14th
DN 56 – 57 – 47 – 48 – 38: Part 1 July 15th
DN28 – 38: July 16th to the 20th.
Remaining Grids from July 20 to 24.
DN48 – 58 – 68 – 78 – 88 – 87 – 97 – 96 – 95
EN05 – 06 – 16 – 15 – 25 – 26 – 25 – 35
EN34 – 33 – 32 – 42 – 41 – 40 – 50
Complete info on their trip can be found on their website https://www.wildwestrove.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.

Upcoming “How to Work the “Easy” Satellites” talks are scheduled …

Orange County ARA CA – May 20
Cal Poly Pomona – TBD
WARA – Orange County CA – June 11

And it “feels” like lives are improving here in So California, as that meeting for WARA in June will be (hopefully) an IN-PERSON show! (Have to tune up the projector and dust off the DaLite projection screen!)

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 solicited and welcome.
Send an email or call!
Clint Bradford K6LCS

+ + + + + + + + +

Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ, AMSAT Ambassador will make a presentation on SDR Applications to the Frederick Amateur Radio Club – Frederick, MD. See Dr. Alan Johnston’s comments and slides from a previous session at https://bit.ly/3OZcjcC

Jack will be featuring the Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi image, the AMSAT Cubesat Simulator, and a live satellite contact demonstration if the opportunity presents itself.

Please contact Jack if you are interested in having him give this presentation to your group in person or via Zoom: kd4iz [at] frawg [dot] org.

+ + + + + + + + +

HamXposition
August 27-28, 2022
Marlborough, MA
https://hamxposition.org/

2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
Friday, October 7th, 2022 to Sunday, October 9th, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ CONGRATULATIONS to the latest recipients of the AMSAT GridMaster Award, earned by confirming contacts in each of the 488 grid squares in the 48 states of the Continental U.S. (see https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/). Michael Whitman, N4DCW, has earned GridMaster certificate #45, GridMaster #46 goes to Jerry Rogers, W8LR, and #47 goes to Humberto Gonzalez, XE1HG. ALSO, John, AF5CC, has earned certificate #65 of the AMSAT Rover Award (see https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/). GridMasters would not be possible without our wonderful rovers! (ANS thanks AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, for the above information)

+ A Cygnus cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station June 28, three days after it demonstrated its ability to raise the station’s orbit. The station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm unberthed the NG-17 Cygnus spacecraft and released it at 7:07 a.m. EDT (11:07 UTC), after which it maneuvered away from the station. The spacecraft, loaded with garbage for disposal, reentered after a June 29 deorbit burn by the spacecraft. The Cygnus left the station three days after the spacecraft used its main thruster to raise the station’s orbit. The spacecraft fired its engine for 301 seconds, raising the station’s perigee by about 0.8 kilometers and its apogee by nearly 0.2 kilometers. The test demonstrated the ability of Cygnus to raise the station’s orbit, a task usually handled by thrusters on the Russian segment of the station or Progress spacecraft docked to it. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ CAPSTONE, NASA’s CubeSat designed to test a unique lunar orbit, is safely in space and on the first leg of its journey to the Moon. The spacecraft is heading toward an orbit intended in the future for Gateway, a lunar space station built by the agency and its commercial and international partners that will support NASA’s Artemis program, including astronaut missions. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, mission launched at 5:55 a.m. EDT (09:55 UTC) on June 28 aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ ESA’s Gaia mission recently released its third data dump containing details on almost two billion Milky Way stars: chemical composition, mass, temperature, and radial velocity. Additionally, Gaia DR3 included the orbital determination of 154,741 solar system asteroids and the most extensive catalog of binary stars to date, as well as measurements of millions of galaxies and quasars beyond the Milky Way. See https://bit.ly/3AizfzE for details. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and ESA for the above information)

+ Asteroid Day is the United Nations-sanctioned day of public awareness of the risks of asteroid impacts, held annually on 30 June. Just in time for this year’s worldwide Asteroid Day, a threatening space rock that lingered at the top of risk lists around the globe for months — with a real chance of impacting Earth in 2052 — has been deemed not to be a threat. ESA’s asteroid team, working with experts at the European Southern Observatory, have officially removed ‘2021 QM1’ from their asteroid risk list. After skilled observations and analysis of the faintest asteroid ever observed, the asteroid, which was discovered in August of 2021, was calculated to be a near miss. (ANS thanks Spaice Daily for the above information)

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org

ANS-170 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for June 19

June 19, 2022 by Mark Johns

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/

In this edition:

* AMSAT Announces Candidates for 2022 Board of Directors Election
* 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting Announced for October 21 – 22, 2022
* AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium October 8-9
* AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites 2022
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 12, 2022
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-170 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

DATE 2022 June 19

AMSAT Announces Candidates for 2022 Board of Directors Election

The nomination period for the 2022 Board of Directors Election ended on June 15th. The following candidates have been nominated:

Mark Hammond, N8MH
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM

As three seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, all three candidates will be seated on the Board when the voting period concludes on September 15th. To comply with AMSAT’s bylaws an election will be held via AMSAT’s Wild Apricot membership system. Instructions for voting will be emailed to all members in good standing as of July 1st by July 15th. Biographies of the candidates will be published in the next issue of The AMSAT Journal.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President and Acting Secretary, for the above information]

40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting Announced for October 21 – 22, 2022

AMSAT announces the 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 21 – 22, 2022 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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 Annual General Membership Meeting
* Auction, Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !!

The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN, is centrally located between the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Mall of America, Minneapolis Zoo, and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park. Crown Plaza Suites provides a complimentary scheduled shuttle to and from the airport.

Additional information about the 2022 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org as it becomes available.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
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-UK Space Colloquium October 8-9, Kents Hill Park Conference Centre Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ

AMSAT-UK is very happy to announce the 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on October 8-9 at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Timbold Drive, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ.

The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating amateur radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby.

Booking for the RSGB Convention is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

Booking for the AMSAT-UK dinner on the Saturday evening at the nearby Hilton Hotel is here

Details of the event can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/

[ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA of AMSAT-UK for the above information]

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AMSAT Field Day 2022 on the Satellites

It’s that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a “picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!” The event takes place during a 23-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2022 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 25, 2022 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 26, 2022. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 25 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event.

This year should be as easy as last year since we have more than 10 transponders and repeaters available. Users should check the AMSAT status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ and the pages at https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ for what is available in the weeks leading up to field day. To reduce the amount of time to research each satellite, see the current FM satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ and the current linear satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/

If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites, there are ISS, SO-50, AO-91, PO-101 and possibly LilacSat. It might be easier this year to make that one FM contact for the ARRL bonus points with so many FM birds. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice.

It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO’s. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO’s to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO.

The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day,

e.g.:

W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX

KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG

W6NWG de KK5DO QSL

If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low-earth-orbit satellites like FO-29, AO-7, EO-88 or the XW satellites. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can’t use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW.
More information may be found at https://bit.ly/39nefgb. Rules in downloadable format: https://bit.ly/3QpJc44. The fillable scoresheet is included in the Rules download.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests & Awards for the above information]

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ARISS NEWS

Eaton Public Library, Eaton, CO., telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The scheduled crewmember is Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS
Contact is go for: Wed 2022-06-22 16:27:15 UTC 61 deg

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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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

+ WL7T: EL84, June 24-27.

K4DCA: plans to be in CN74 on June 24-29 too Hopefully we can raise the number on the heat map

K4DCA: will be in FM08 and 09 from around 1400-1900z on Friday June 17 on linear and FM. Focusing on western passes. He will tweet updates.

+ W3IPA: DM42 vacation planned for Jul 30- Aug 6th will be on FM passes vacation style. I will be close to DM41 so might be able to work a gridline. Will post more updates closer to that week!

+ ND9M/MM: I’m on my merchant marine ship anchored just off Saipan and expect to be here a few weeks. I’m on from the ship as ND9M/MM in QK25, but I’ll try to be QRV as ND9M/KHØ from the island itself over the next few weekends, probably Fridays in the afternoon and evening, possibly Saturday evenings as well. I’ll post my island activities on Twitter (@ND9M) as they firm up

+ N8MR: EN 57,67,56 8/6 through 8/13. More to come as date gets closer.

Major Roves:

EN50 – 40 – 41 – 42 – 32 – 33 – 23 – 13 -03

DN93 – 83 – 84 – 74 – 64 – 65 – 55 – 56 – 57 – 47 – 48 – 38

DN28 – 38 – 48 – 58 – 68 – 78 – 88 – 87 – 97 – 96 – 95

EN05 – 06 – 16 – 15 – 25 – 26 – 25 – 35

EN34 – 33 – 32 – 42 – 41 – 40 – 50

Complete info on their trip can be found on their website https://www.wildwestrove.com/

ISS Status as of June 14, 2022
Columbus Module radios:

IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:

IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Not Active. Default mode is for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.

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

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Jun 16, 2022

The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution:

Planetum 1 NORAD Cat ID 52738 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

RSP-01 NORAD Cat ID 47925 (decayed form orbit on 6/10/2022 per Space-Track).

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements 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 Schedules:

Clint Bradford, K6CLS: “How to Work the “Easy” Satellites” talks:

That felt GOOD!

My first in-person satellite presentation since March 13, 2020 … the day California shut down.

The K6PIN club in Southern California maintains a great Yaesu System Fusion C4FM linked repeater system. Their meetings have been at the Sizzler restaurant in Fullerton, CA. As presenters usually do, I was the first to arrive, and got my system set up before the doors opened. Screen, projector, posters, banners, speakers …

Well-attended and it felt marvelous. We had a great time. I knew many members from my days with Motorola commercial and Ham Radio Outlet-Anaheim.

Think a lively, informative session on “working the easy satellites with equipment most hams already own” would be appropriate for your event or meeting? Call or email!

Clint Bradford K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador
909-999-SATS
http://www.work-sat.com

Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ: SDR applications – “Using the RF “Swiss Army Knife”: An intro to the AMSAT Fox-In-A-Box Image” – Live presentation scheduled July 18, 2022 the Frederick Amateur Radio Club, Frederick, MD
For information on this presentation and availability, contact Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ, AMSAT Ambassador, (kd4iz at arrl dot org)

Scheduled Events with AMSAT involvement:

Hamfests and Conventions

+ JAMSAT Symposium
June 25 from 9:50~17:15 JST (UTC +9 hours).
Anyone can participate. If you would like to participate, please email ja3nas at gmail.com to be informed of the opening URL. Please include your name, call sign and email address in your email.

+ QO-100 User Meeting HAM RADIO 2022 in Friedrichshafen, Germany
Saturday, June 25, 2022 starting at 7pm CEST
QO-100 users plan to meet at a restaurant near HAM RADIO on Saturday. Link to registration/reservation: https://nuudel.digitalcourage.de/gRajeEEUKrJLvXK9.

+ 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
October 7, 2022 – October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events Page Manager, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ An Astra rocket carrying two small hurricane-tracking satellites for NASA failed to reach orbit Sunday (June 12) after a major malfunction shortly after liftoff. Two NASA cubesats, the first of a six-satellite fleet to track hurricanes as part of a $30 million mission, were lost. (ANS thanks space.com for the above information)

+ SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 Starlink internet satellites since 2019, and the company plans to orbit thousands more in the near future. Astronomers are concerned that these megaconstellations of bright spacecraft will seriously interfere with celestial observations for professionals and amateurs alike. In order to address the problem, SpaceX voluntarily began installing sunshades on their Starlink satellites two years ago. But now, new technological requirements have resulted in visors being omitted from a new generation of Starlink satellites launched since late last year. The newest satellites use laser communication instead of radio links; while the sunshades were transparent to radio frequencies, they block laser light. (ANS thanks Sky and Telescope for the above information)

+ The first full-color images from the James Webb Space Telescope will be released during a televised broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 12, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Live coverage of the image release broadcast will air on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The public also can watch live on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, and Daily Motion. Webb, an international collaboration led by NASA with its partners the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, is the biggest telescope ever launched into space. It will probe the origins of our universe and our place in it. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ Sierra Space announced Tuesday the company will open an astronaut training center at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center to build and operate a new commercial space station. The Sierra Space Human Spaceflight Center and Astronaut Training Academy will train astronauts to work on Orbital Reef, a private business park space station.(ANS thanks Sheri Walsh of spacedaily.com for the above information)

+ Astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS, has been active from the ISS this week. It is great to see the ISS radio active for individual contacts. W8LR, KG4AKV, W3ATN and others have tweeted or emailed their success in making the QSO. ARISS made note of the contacts on twitter.(ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)

+ The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that SpaceX’s plans for the company’s massive Starbase launch site in South Texas will have some environmental impact on the surrounding land and area — but not enough to require a full environmental impact statement. Now, SpaceX will need to make more than 75 changes to its proposal for the Starbase facility if the company wants to avoid additional review and eventually receive a license from the FAA to launch its new Starship rocket to orbit from the site. More information at: https://bit.ly/3NXCEI1 (ANS thanks Loren Grush of theverge.com for the above information)

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at arrl dot org

ANS-163 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for June 12

June 12, 2022 by Mark Johns

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/

In this edition:

Call for Nominations – 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting Announced for October 21 – 22, 2022
AO-27 Telemetry and Reception Reports Requested
AMSAT Announces Youth Initiative at Hamvention
QCWA Presents AMSAT with $4,000 Contribution
IARU Coordinates Three New Amateur Radio Satellite Projects
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-163 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2022 Jun 12

Call for Nominations – 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election

AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of the following three incumbent Directors expire in 2022 and will be filled by this year’s election:

Mark Hammond, N8MH
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM

Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be elected for one-year terms.

A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee’s name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators’ names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the Acting AMSAT Secretary:

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
201 I St SW Apt V336
Washington, DC 20024 USA

E-mail nominations may be sent to pstoetzer at amsat.org.

The AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the form specified by the Secretary. The Acting Secretary has elected to accept written nomination materials via mail or in electronic form, including e-mail or electronic image of a paper document. Fax transmissions cannot be accepted.

No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Acting Secretary no later than June 15, 2022. The Acting Secretary will verify the qualifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as petitions are received, and will notify candidates whether their nominations are in order by the end of June.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President and Acting Secretary for the above information]

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40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting Announced for October 21 – 22, 2022

AMSAT announces the 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 21 – 22, 2022 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Additional information about the 2022 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org as it becomes available.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.]

AO-27 Telemetry and Reception Reports Requested

Stephan Greene, KS1G reports, “AO-27’s on/off times run open-loop and have drifted a bit so that the information on ao27.net is out of date. We’re trying to collect current telemetry before attempting to upload new settings.

“AO-27 sends 20 seconds of AFSK telemetry followed by 240 seconds of FM repeater operation during descending nodes (North to South passes). As best we can determine from Satnogs observations, the satellite currently turns on when near the equator and shuts off at about 12-14 deg South latitude. Stations with UHF receive capability should be able to receive the telemetry and detect/use the FM repeater operation.

“We think the ascending node on time begins when AO-27 is at about 75 deg N latitude and ends around 85 deg N as the satellite begins the descending part of the orbit. Stations probably have to be fairly far north with good northern horizons to hear anything. No telemetry is sent on ascending node passes.

“The AO-27 command team would greatly appreciate reception reports, especially with the time(s) telemetry or repeater operation started/ended. Please provide station location, 6 character grid square is sufficient. If you have AFSK reception/decode capability, any telemetry successfully decoded. Reports from northern stations able to copy the start or end of the ascending node on time are also sought.

“Please send reports to ks1g at amsat dot org.”

[ANS thanks Stephan Greene, KS1G for the above information.]

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Need new M2 LEO Pack for your base station?
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 Announces Youth Initiative at Hamvention

During its Hamvention forum on Saturday, May 21, AMSAT formally introduced plans for its Youth Initiative. In the planning stage for two years, the program will now proceed in a series of phased releases.

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP, Development provided highlights of the program saying, “The Youth Initiative takes a radically different approach to introducing youth to Amateur Radio and Satellites. It approaches youth in terms that are already central to their everyday lives. Whether it be climate change, pollution control, preservation of natural resources, meteorology, or a career in broadcasting or transportation industries or in the military, the use of satellites is pervasive in virtually everything we do. Our message to youth is ‘Satellites in Space Help Us Live Better Lives Here on Earth’. Once we have gained the youth’s interests, we can engage them in experiences and exercises that then use amateur satellites and amateur radio as their ‘laboratory’ or ‘classroom’.

“Also unique is the fact that this is a community-based program that makes the experiences available directly to youth, their parents and all youth organizations. While our program will be promoted though our trademarks, KidzSat for grades 5-7 and BuzzSat for grades 8-12, all content is openly and freely available.”

Karnauskas then went on to summarize key components of the Youth Initiative that serve as the engagement points with youth, including:

+ KidzSat.com and BuzzSat.com websites that provide age-appropriate activities and exercises that cultivate the general interests listed above into understanding of how satellites play a role in our daily lives. Activities range from simpler “merit badge” level to a complete course on satellite meteorology. Participating youth can earn certificates of completion that would be useful in college admission or job applications.

+ A network of online SDR’s that serve as ground stations for youth to experience, first-hand, receiving images and telemetry from actual satellites as they pass overhead. Accompanying activities guide youth through decoding and analyzing the images and data. A fleet of 200+ ground stations is planned so that virtually every youth has access to real-time satellite experiences. It is hoped that from this starting point, a fair share of kids will become interested in the communications process and go on to set up their own dongle-based ground station and even on to an Amateur Radio license.

+ A fleet of CubeSat simulators referred to as “Non-Orbiting Earth Science Experiments” (NOESE). The NOESE “birds” transmit online telemetry for five separate values associated with climate change. Participants will learn how to download telemetry, convert it into useful data and have opportunities to study the information for short or long term study. The NOESE simulators will be deployed with the SDR ground stations so that a nationwide network of data collection points is available for local access and for comparison.

+ LEO satellites with advanced educational payloads. The websites, SDR ground stations and NOESE simulators are all designed to cultivate interest in youth to getting on the air and interacting with AMSAT satellites. Nicknamed “LOWER” (Lower Orbit Within Everyone’s Reach” this family of satellites will feature higher power output to make reception by beginners an easy task. Educational payloads will be mainly based on store-and-forward imaging and digital messaging, an experience that youth are already comfortable with. And, of course, these satellites will host a combination of FM repeater and CW/SSB transponders for general Amateur Radio use.

Karnauskas concluded the presentation by saying, “The Youth Initiative is not only the right thing to do, it is the essential thing. By focusing on what our Articles of Incorporation direct us to do, advancing scientific and educational skills and knowledge, we appeal to a broader segment of society that can provide the financial support and critical resources that AMSAT needs to flourish.”

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

QCWA Presents AMSAT with $4,000 Contribution to Support Youth Initiative

AMSAT is pleased to announce that it received a generous $4,000 contribution from the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA). Discussions for the contribution began in early May when Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP, Development spoke with Ken Oelke, VE6AFO, QCWA President. The discussion centered on how plans for the AMSAT Youth Initiative were consistent with the QCWA’s vision statement stating that it “develops resources to assist young Amateur Radio operators in furthering their education through the QCWA Scholarship Program.”

Thanks to Mr. Oelke’s help, the QCWA Board of Directors approved the AMSAT contribution. During a brief conversation at Dayton Hamvention, Karnauskas outlined how the QCWA contribution would be used to support the AMSAT Youth Initiative’s online lessons programs and accompanying SDR ground stations.

In recognition of its generous contribution, the QCWA was inducted into the AMSAT 2022 President’s Club at the Platinum level.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

IARU Coordinates Three New Amateur Radio Satellite Projects

The International Amateur Radio Union has added three projects to its list of coordinated satellite projects:

+ CAS-10
CAS-10 is an 8U CubeSat sponsored by the Chinese Amateur Satellite Group, CAMSAT. It will carry a V/U Mode Linear Transponder, a UHF – CW Telemetry Beacon, a UHF – AX.25 4.8k/9.6kbps GMSK Telemetry downlink and a space camera. The VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder will have a bandwidth of 30kHz. The camera will store its pictures in the flash memory on the satellite. A simple DTMF-based remote control system will allow Amateur Radio operators to download the camera photos. The CW beacon will use Morse code to send satellite telemetry data. Launch is planned for November 2022 from Hainan Launch Center using a CZ-7 launch vehicle into a 400km circular 42.9 degree inclination orbit. The uplink is 145.870 MHz and the downlink is 435.180 MHz for VHF/UHF linear transponder. The UHF CW telemetry beacon is 435.575 MHz and the AX.25 telemetry is 435.725 MHz.

+ Binar 2,3,4,5,6 and 7
The Binar series of 1U CubeSats are sponsored by the Space Science and Technology Centre, Curtin University. They will include a UHF link for student activities and experiments. Operation of student payloads will take place from high schools with ground stations built by students. Packet store and forward will be available for general amateur engagement. The beacon will include basic satellite health data that amateurs can decode and report online. Experimental format transmissions in pursuit of efficient data packing is also planned. Beacon and telemetry will include OQPSK for 100 and 38.4kbps GFSK for 19.2, 9.6 and 1.2 kbps, plus intermittent CW. Deployments from the ISS are planned in the Q1 2023 for Binar 2,3 and 4. Deployment is planned in Q3 2023 for Binar 5,6 and 7. Downlinks are 437.700 MHz for BINAR 2, 437.850 MHz for BINAR 3, 437.925 MHz for BINAR 4, 437.750 MHz for BINAR 5, 437.850 MHz for BINAR 6 and 437.725 MHz for BINAR 7.

+ MRC-100
MRC-100 is a 3p PocketQube mission sponsored by the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. MRC-100 is the continuation of SMOG-P, SMOG-1 and ATL-1 spectrum monitoring PocketQube class satellites with wider monitored spectrum range 30MHz- 2600 MHz, focused on HAM, ISM and broadcasting bands. With MRC-100 the mission is able to measure the electromagnetic pollution not only on the broadcast bands, but on Ham, ISM and Wi-Fi bands. With the help of worldwide Amateur Radio stations receiving its spectrum monitoring data, the mission hopes to create a global electromagnetic pollution map. The UHF downlink on 436.720 MHz will use selectable data rates 1250, 2500, 5000, and 12500 bit/s with GMSK modulation. A RocketLab launch from New Zealand is planned for Q4 2022 into a 600km polar SSO.

More information on all three satellite programs can be found at http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/.

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]

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ARISS NEWS

* Upcoming Contacts

+ Istituto Tecnico Industrile “Alessandro Rossi”, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, direct via I3IRV
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF
Contact is go for Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 10:08:55 UTC.
Watch for a livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DeYw0Fi0xA

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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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

KQ2RP: Will be heading back up to Maine on 6/9 – 6/15. Operating FM birds holiday style from FN44, 45, 54. 6/11 & 6/12 will be best chance for FN45 (probably FN44/45 line). Rest of dates will be mostly from FN54 with outside chance of FN43,44,53. Logging as KQ2RP/1.

WL7T: EL84, June 23-27. Sats on Thursday and Friday.

K4DCA: plans to be in CN74 on June 24-29 too Hopefully they can raise the number on the heat map

WL7T: EL58 locked in for June 29, 30, and July 1. He plans to work 6 meters for the majority of the time with sat passes as requested. He is going to operate from a boat from around 9 AM to 5 PM each day.

W3IPA: DM42 vacation planned for July 30 to August 6. He will be on FM passes vacation style. He will be close to DM41 so he might be able to work a gridline. He will post more updates closer to that week!

KX9X & N9NCY Wild West Rove: Sean and Nancy will be on the road from July 1-25 while hiking in National Parks. They will travel through twelve states and over 50 grids, planning activation on FM and linear satellites. Extensive operation in Montana and North Dakota along the northern border (all the “8” grids). There will also be 6 meter and occasional HF POTA activity as well. Complete info on their trip can be found on their website https://www.wildwestrove.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.

* 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
Friday, October 7, 2022 to Sunday, October 9, 2022
Event Center at Archer
3921 Archer Pkwy
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
https://wyhamcon.org/site

* JAMSAT Symposium
June 25 from 9:50~17:15 JST (UTC +9 hours).
Anyone can participate. If you would like to participate, please email ja3nas at gmail.com to be informed of the opening URL. Please include your name, call sign and email address in your email.

* QO-100 User Meeting HAM RADIO 2022 in Friedrichshafen, Germany
Saturday, June 25, 2022 starting at 7pm CEST
QO-100 users plan to meet at a restaurant near HAM RADIO on Saturday. Link to registration/reservation: https://nuudel.digitalcourage.de/gRajeEEUKrJLvXK9.

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Hubble broke its own record, detecting an individual star 12.9 billion light-years away (paper). The (very Lord of the Rings-sounding) star “Earendel” existed when the Universe was just 900 million years old. (Around the same time that the Milky Way started to form.) It is only visible due to gravitational lensing. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ China’s Shenzhou-14 crewed spacecraft docked with the Tianhe space station module early Sunday, June 5, marking the start of a crucial six-month-long mission. Also docked with the 16.6-meter-long, 4.2-meter-diameter Tianhe is the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft, launched in May, containing supplies for the crew, along with propellant, science experiments and a number of CubeSats. The Shenzhou-14 mission will, crucially, manage the arrival of two new 20-metric-ton-plus modules to the space station, namely Wentian and Mengtian, in July and October respectively. There is speculation that the previously announced amateur radio equipment will be installed during this period. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

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