ANS-079 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Mar. 20

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:

  • AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention – Call for Volunteers
  • AMSAT Booth Scheduled for CubeSat Developers Workshop 2022
  • Amateur Radio Payload Proposed for the Tiangong Space Station
  • WRC23: 23cm Band Work Continues in CEPT
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-079 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 Mar 20

AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention – Call for Volunteers

Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Team Leader, reports, “In 2019, we had about 40 people assist with the AMSAT booth at the Hamvention. It was the efforts of those volunteers that made the 2019 Dayton Hamvention a success for AMSAT. The interaction with AMSAT members, satellite operators, designers, and builders makes the whole experience a lot of fun.

“The 2022 Hamvention is May 20-22 at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. Would you consider helping AMSAT at the Hamvention this year? Whether you’re available for only a couple of hours or if you can spend the entire weekend with us, your help would be greatly appreciated. Please send an e-mail to me at w1eme (at) amsat (dot) org if you can help.”

[ANS thanks Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Team Leader for the above information.]

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Join the 2022 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered Iron-on AMSAT Logo Patch
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
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AMSAT Booth Scheduled for 2022 CubeSat Developers Workshop

The 2022 Cubesat Developers Workshop will be held on April 26-28 at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. The workshop, themed “Building the Future of Space Together,” recently announced the schedule for the three day event and is available online at https://www.cubesatdw.org/.

AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and others will host a booth in the exhibitor’s area. All interested persons are invited to stop by and ask questions, make suggestions or simply say “hello”. Persons with Electrical Engineering degrees with RF experiences and Mechanical Engineers are especially invited to stop by and discuss volunteer opportunities available in the FOX-Plus and GOLF programs.

[ANS thanks AMSAT and the CubeSat.org for the above information.]


Amateur Radio Payload Proposed for the Tiangong Space Station

The IARU satellite frequency coordination panel reports an application has been submitted for an Amateur Radio payload to be hosted on the Tiangong space station. The coordination request says:

CSSARC is the Amateur Radio payload for Chinese Space Station, proposed by Chinese Radio Amateurs Club (CRAC), Aerospace System Engineering Research Institute of Shanghai (ASES) and Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT).

The first phase of the payload is capable of providing the following functions utilizing the VHF/UHF amateur radio band:
1. V/V or U/U crew voice;
2. V/U or U/V FM repeater;
3. V/V or U/U 1k2 AFSK digipeater;
4. V/V or U/U SSTV or digital image.

The payload will provide resources for radio amateurs worldwide to make contacts with onboard astronauts, or communicate with each other. It will also play a rule to inspire students to pursue interests and careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and to encourage more people to get interested in amateur radio.

Planning a launch from Wenchang in Q3 2022 to the Chinese Space Station.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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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WRC23: 23cm Band Work Continues in CEPT

The 4th meeting of the CEPT project team (CPG PTC) tasked with developing the CEPT Brief for WRC23 agenda item 9.1b on 23cm band amateur service and RNSS coexistence took place during March 2022. The IARU R1 was present and provided a contribution to the working document. A summary report describing the contributions and the meeting activity can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-079-CEPT.

The meeting did not tackle any technical studies directly but the developing brief reports and summarizes the activities taking place in other groups where they are being carried out. Updates were made to the background including a description of the work carried out by the amateur community in CEPT and ITU-R with respect to resolves 1 of the WRC-19 Resolution 774. Further updates were introduced to describe the study work taking place in ITU-R (WP’s 4C and 5A).

The draft CEPT Brief will undergo further development as technical studies evolve in the wider regulatory community including both CEPT and ITU-R. The next activity concerning this topic will take place in the CEPT arena (SE40) to progress the technical studies and the draft ECC Report. More information is available at https://iaru-r1.org/.

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

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AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all
begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar
panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on
NASA’s ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be
worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

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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
Toyonaka High School, Toyonaka, Japan, direct via 8J3THS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Kayla Barron, KI5LAL.
Contact is go for Monday, March 21, 2022 at 08:46:32 UTC.

+ Completed Contacts
Kids Star Club Sayama, Sayama, Japan, multi-point via 8J1KSC.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The crewmember was Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP.
Contact was successful on Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 10:21:47 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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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

None listed at this time.

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


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

+ April 16 – Raleigh NC Hamfest
N4HF will attend with information table and demonstrations.
Jim Graham Building – NC State Fairgrounds
4285 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607
https://www.rarsfest.org/

+ April 23 – Brainerd Area Hamfest
Brainerd National Guard Armory
https://brainerdham.org/

+ October 7-8 – 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
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

+ Two upgraded Astro Pi units have arrived on the International Space Station. Each unit contains the latest model of the Raspberry Pi computer, plus a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera and a host of sensors on a custom Sense HAT, all housed inside a special flight case designed to keep everything cool and protected. You can read the story of how the Astro Pi units were built at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-079-raspberry-pi. [ANS thanks Raspberry-Pi.org for the above information.]

+ NASA rollied the Space Launch System, a heavy-duty rocket designed to send astronauts to the moon, out of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday evening. A crawler-transporter originally built more than 50 years ago for the Apollo program hauled the towering rocket to its launch pad for a countdown dress rehearsal. The dress rehearsal in early April, when the launch team will load super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into the rocket’s Boeing-built core stage and upper stage, made by United Launch Alliance. Read more about the preparations for the Artemis-I mission at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-079-artemis. [ANS thanks Spaceflightnow.com for the above information.]

+ Oregon’s first satellite, also known as OreSat0, was launched into low Earth orbit on March 15 aboard Astra’s “LV0009” rocket from Kodiak, Alaska. OreSat0 was designed and built by the Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS), an interdisciplinary student group at Portland State University. It’s the first in a series of three satellites. It carries an Amateur Radio communications system. PSAS already has close to 200 data packets from the satellite as it circles the Earth and is working better than anticipated. Experiments will begin shortly allowing PSAS to test their sensors and systems over the next few years until OreSat0 makes its journey home. In the meantime, PSAS is already building its next satellite, OreSat0.5, which is equipped with a better camera to guide its journey later this summer. More information at https://www.pdx.edu/news/oregons-first-satellite-launched-orbit. [ANS thanks Portland State University 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-072 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for March 13

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:

  • January/February 2022 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
  • AMSAT Discord Server Open to All
  • Study: Rapid Development of Satellite Mega-Constellations Risks Tragedies of the Commons
  • Successful QO-100 Ham Radio Emergency Communications Exercise
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 10
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-072 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 Mar 13

January/February 2022 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available

The January/February 2022 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world.

Inside the Current Issue:

* Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
* Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
* Engineering Update – Jerry Buxton, N0JY
* Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, SK – Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK
* Space Weather for the Satellite Operator with Dr. Tamitha Skov – Paul Graveline, K1YUB
* An EZNEC Model for the Lindenblad Antenna – Grant Zehr, AA9LC

Not an AMSAT member? Join at https://launch.amsat.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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AMSAT Discord Server Open to All

AMSAT is pleased to announce the availability of a Discord server 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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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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Study: Rapid Development of Satellite Mega-Constellations Risks Tragedies of the Commons

A study reported in Nature, “Satellite mega-constellations create risks in Low Earth Orbit, the atmosphere and on Earth,” in Scientific Reports (May 2021) by Aaron C. Boley and Michael Byers, says the rapid development of mega-constellations risks multiple tragedies of the commons. That could include tragedies to ground-based astronomy, Earth orbit, and Earth’s upper atmosphere. The study asserts that international cooperation is urgently needed, along with a regulatory system that takes into account the effects of tens of thousands of satellites.

“[T]he connections between the Earth and space environments are inadequately taken into account by the adoption of a consumer electronic model applied to space assets,” the authors said. “For example, we point out that satellite re-entries from the Starlink mega-constellation alone could deposit more aluminum into Earth’s upper atmosphere than what is done through meteoroids; they could thus become the dominant source of high-altitude alumina.”

The authors say their study shows that untracked debris will lead to potentially dangerous on-orbit collisions on a regular basis due to the large number of satellites within mega-constellation orbital shells. The total cross-section of satellites in these constellations also greatly increases the risk of impacts due to meteoroids. De facto orbit occupation by single actors, inadequate regulatory frameworks, and the possibility of free-riding exacerbate these risks.

According to Boley and Byers, in 2 years, the number of active and defunct satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) has increased by over 50%. “SpaceX alone is on track to add 11,000 more as it builds its Starlink mega-constellation and has already filed for permission for another 30,000 satellites with the [FCC].”

More than 12,000 trackable debris pieces are already in low-Earth orbit, typically 10 centimeters in diameter or larger, the study asserts. Including sizes down to 1 centimeter would raise the debris count to about a million inferred debris pieces that could threaten satellites, spacecraft, and astronauts due to their orbits crisscrossing at high relative speeds.

Simulations of the long-term evolution of debris suggest that LEO is already in the protracted initial stages of a mushrooming collision scenario, but that this could be managed through active debris removal. The addition of satellite mega-constellations and the general proliferation of low-cost satellites in LEO stresses the environment further, the study posits.

[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]


Successful QO-100 Ham Radio Emergency Communications Exercise

On February 26, 22 stations representing 14 countries in IARU Region 1 took part in a short notice exercise using the geostationary satellite QO-100 amateur radio transponder

IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Co-Ordinator Greg Mossop G0DUB has posted:

This was the first of a number of smaller exercises, tests and meetings to be held by IARU Region 1 throughout the year, building on the earlier Global Simulated Emergency Tests to cover as many aspects of emergency communications as possible.

The intention is to bring emergency communicators together more frequently to demonstrate how the Amateur Radio Service can work together as a global community and develop a common understanding of each others’ capabilities.

The exercise on QO-100 was felt to be a success with a number of formal messages being passed between stations along with some learning from the inevitable challenges of equipment failures, language barriers and co-ordination of an exercise whose coverage area covered from South Africa to the United Kingdom. Once all the exercise feedback is received, the next test on that system is planned to take place in October this year.

QO-100 brings another asset to the emergency communications toolbox in Region 1 and its presence is much appreciated.

Source IARU Region 1: https://iaru-r1.org/

QO-100 information: https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geo/eshail-2/

[ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information]


Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for March 10

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 names have been corrected to their assigned AMSAT OSCAR designations.

EASAT-2 (Cat ID 51081) has been corrected to SO-114.
Hades (Cat ID 51080) has been corrected to SO-115.

Thanks to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for a heads up on this correction.

[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.

Kids Star Club Sayama, Sayama, Japan, direct via 8J1KSC. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP. Contact is go for: Thu 2022-03-17 10:21:47 UTC 51 deg.

Current mode set to cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down)
* Radio to be powered OFF to support US EVA on March 15.
* Radio to be powered OFF to support Soyuz docking on March 18.
* Radio to be powered OFF to support US EVA on March 23.

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

N4DCW: EM85/86 Saturday and Sunday (March 12&13). Watch Twitter for details.

WL7T: BP54/BP64: Sunday, March 13. Start at 15:30 and go to 02:00.

KB2YSI: FN22 Monday, March 14, will be done by 17:00.

M1DDD/P: Currently active from IO93 with possible gridline operation on March 17. Watch Twitter for details.

[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.

N4HF will be at the Raleigh NC Hamfest (info table and demos; possible forum, but not likely at this point)
April 16, 2022
Jim Graham Building – NC State Fairgrounds
4285 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607
https://www.rarsfest.org/

(Virtual event) CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26–28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

Hamvention
May 20-22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds & Expo Center
120 Fairgrounds Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://www.hamvention.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 Christy (KB6LTY) and Gustavo (PR8KW) successfully digipeat on MIR-SAT 1 during testing and debugging of the digipeater. The Digipeater has been enabled on the satellite and will be opened throughout this weekend, that is Saturday 12th March and Sunday 13th March 2022. It will close on Monday 14th March 2022. The digipeater Callsign is 3B8MIR-1. Operators would really appreciate it if you could please provide some feedback on the BB, on Twitter @3b8DU or to my personal address ([email protected]), it may be useful to identify any issues and take necessary actions. If all goes well MIR-SAT 1 the digipeater will be open every week-end (as a minimum) until reentry. (ANS thanks Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, for the above information)

+ Current operating schedules for IO-86 are being posted on Facebook. Follow the group “Creflo T S” for regular images of the schedule grid. (ANS thanks AMSAT-ID for the above information)

+ After at least seven years hurtling through space, a 3-ton (2.7 metric tons) discarded rocket stage probably smashed into the moon on March 4 at a blistering 5,771 mph (9,288 km/h). The discarded rocket stage was projected to land at Hertzsprung crater on the moon’s far side at 7:25 a.m. EST (1225 GMT). This is the first time that space junk has accidentally collided with the lunar surface. But because the collision occurred on the moon’s far side, it could take scientists months to find the crater and confirm the impact. Many experts believe that the junk is the spent upper stage of a rocket launched during one of China’s first forays to the moon, in 2014. But Chinese officials disagree. (ANS thanks LiveScience for the above information)

+ The BIRDS-5 satellite, operating APRS on 145.825 MHz, as well as CW and 4k8 GMSK AX25 telemetry on 435.375 MHz, is scheduled to be deployed from the International Space Station this week. There seems to be some confusion as to the exact date and time of deployment, so watch for further information. (ANS thanks Tetsu Satou, JA0CAW, for the above information)

+ Astronaut Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP, who holds the ongoing record for longest space flight, is set to end his 355 days in space in just three weeks. The plan is for him to land in Kazakhstan with two Russian cosmonauts on a Russian spacecraft. But on Feb. 26, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s Space Agency and a close ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, posted a video in Russian that threatened to leave Vande Hei behind in space and detach Russia’s segment of the space station altogether. NASA has remained silent on Rogozin’s threats. (ANS thanks abcnews.go.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, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org

ANS-051 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Feb. 20

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:

  • ARISS Europe to Perform Special Digital SSTV Experiment
  • Nayif-1 (EO-88) Celebrates a Fifth Birthday in Orbit!
  • URESAT-1 — A Chess-Playing Ham Radio Satellite
  • A DX-pedition to the World’s Northernmost Habitable Place!
  • Amateur Radio Payloads on Cubesats from Western Australia
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 17, 2022
  • Message to US Educators: ARISS Contact Opportunity
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-051 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 Feb 20

ARISS Europe to Perform Special Digital SSTV Experiment

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is planning for a special SSTV experiment. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS) and develops and operates the amateur radio equipment on ISS.

As part of its ARISS 2.0 initiative, the ARISS International team is expanding its educational and life-long learning opportunities for youth and ham radio operators around the world. ARISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV), which is the transmission of images from ISS using amateur radio, is a very popular ARISS mode of operation. To expand ARISS SSTV capabilities, the ARISS Europe and ARISS USA teams plan to perform special SSTV Experiments using a new SSTV digital coding scheme. For the signal reception, the software “KG-STV” is required, as available on internet.

We kindly request that the amateur radio community refrain from the use of the voice repeater thin this SSTV experiment on 20th of February 2022 over Europe.

This is a unique and official ARISS experiment. We kindly request keeping the voice repeater uplink free from other voice transmissions during the experiment time period. Also note that ARISS is temporarily employing the voice repeater to expedite these experiments and make a more permanent, more expansive SSTV capability fully operational on other downlink frequencies.

The first experiment in the series will utilize ARISS approved ground stations in Europe that will transmit these digital SSTV signals. These will be available for all in the ISS footprint when SSTV transmissions occur. The first SSTV experiment is planned for 20 February 2022 between 05:10 UTC and 12:00 UTC for five ISS passes over Europe. Please be aware that this event depends on ARISS IORS radio availabilities and ISS crew support, so last-minute changes may occur.

To promote quick experimental SSTV investigations–to learn and improve–the ARISS team will employ the ISS Kenwood radio in its cross-band repeater mode. The crossband repeater operates on a downlink of 437.800 MHz. Each transmission sequence will consist of 1:40 minute transmission, followed by 1:20 minute pause and will be repeated several times within an ISS pass over Europe.

The used modulation is MSK w/o error correction. For the decoding of the 320 x 240 px image, the software KG-STV is required. The KG-STV software can be downloaded from the following link: “http://amsat-nl.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/kgstv_ISS.zip

The ZIP file contains the KG-STV program, an installation and setup manual, some images and MP3 audio samples for your first tests as well as links for additional technical information about the KG-STV use.

The members of the ham radio community youth and the public are invited to receive and decode these special SSTV signals.

Experiment reports are welcome and should be uploaded to “[email protected]” More information will be available on the AMSAT-NL.org web page: “https://amsat-nl.org/?page_id=568

[ANS thanks ARISS Team Member Oliver Amend, DG6BCE 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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Nayif-1 (EO-88) Celebrates a Fifth Birthday in Orbit!

Nayif-1 (EO-88) was launched at 03:58 UTC on February 15, 2017, on a PSLV launcher from India. It was part of a world record launch as the C37 flight carried 104 spacecraft into orbit.

The transmitter was autonomously activated around 04:47 UTC and the first signals were received and decoded a few minutes later by KB6LTY and within a few hours more than 250 stations around the world had submitted telemetry reports to the Data Warehouse.

After more than 27500 orbits of the earth, the spacecraft continues to function nominally. It switches between high power telemetry when in daylight to low power telemetry and transponder when in eclipse.

The mission was developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and American University of Sharjah (AUS). The UAE’s first Nanosatellite was developed by Emirati engineering students from AUS under the supervision of a team of engineers and specialists from MBRSC within the framework of a partnership between the two entities, aiming to provide hands-on experience to engineering students on satellite manufacturing.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]


URESAT-1 — A Chess-Playing Ham Radio Satellite

The Unión de Radioaficionados Españoles reports intensive work is underway to make URESAT-1 available before the end of the year. If all goes according to plan, URESAT-1 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in October 2022.

A translation of the post by Spain’s national amateur radio society URE says: URESAT-1 is based on the architecture used in the GENESIS, EASAT-2 and HADES missions but will include significant improvements, such as a 32-bit computer compared to the 8-bit computers of the previous satellites and improvements in the mechanisms of deployment of antennas and batteries.

As for its functionalities, it will have a VHF / UHF FM repeater and FSK frames, like its predecessors. This will allow voice QSOs and digipeating of AX.25 and APRS frames.

The payload is not yet defined, but it could be the same SSTV camera that flies in HADES, a thruster or some kind of experiment. Talks with universities and companies and is expected to be closed in the coming weeks.

One of the projects that is confirmed is a chess game that will allow radio amateurs to play having as an opponent the on-board computer sending FSK frames with the movements, to which the on-board computer will answer in its telemetry. Several radio amateurs are working on the project and if it is completed by the time the satellite is due to be delivered, it will be included.

The expected orbital altitude is around 525 km and the inclination will be polar, probably around 97 degrees, which would place it in the same orbital plane as its companions EASAT-2 and Hades.

URE has created a blog in WordPress where the status of the project will be reported, including details of the functionalities and technicians.

The blog can be found here https://uresat.ure.es/

[ANS thanks Southgate ARC 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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A DX-pedition to the World’s Northernmost Habitable Place!

DX-Adventure is a joint venture of Max-ON5UR and Erik-ON4ANN, and consists of 15 very enthusiastic people with all experience in participating or organizing a DX-pedition.

The first DX-Adventure project is therefore immediately ambitious: The Arctic Archipelago – Svalbard – IOTA EU026 from April 19-26, 2022, operating as JW0X and on satellite as JW100QO.

The setup is to be active with 5 stations on all HF bands in different modes (CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8-FT4). In addition, we have the ambition to be the first to activate EU026 on QO-100. Three team members take on the challenge of driving a snowmobile all the way to Kapp Linné, about 100km east of Longyearbyen.

This is the only location that allows a “line of sight” on the QO-100 satellite. In addition, Kapp Linné is also on the edge of the satellite footprint – speaking of a challenge…

Every contribution is welcome and appreciated.

Read all about the DXpedition at https://www.dx-adventure.com/en/svalbard-dx-pedition/

[ANS thanks DX-adventure.com for the above information]


Amateur Radio Payloads on Cubesats from Western Australia

Curtin University’s Space Science and Technology Centre in Perth Australia says they are planning on launching six more cubesats containing science, materials engineering, and amateur radio payloads. Their Binar-1 cubesat, which was deployed from the ISS in 2021, carried a packet radio test to
verify onboard store and forward functionality for amateur packet radio to engage local schools.

Binar-1 frequency coordination page (for reference of their previous amateur radio payload):
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=730

The entire article citing plans for six additional Binar cubesats can be accessed on-line at:
https://particle.scitech.org.au/space/was-homegrown-spacecraft-is-putting-perth-on-space-race-map/

[Thanks to scitech.org.au for the above information]


Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 17, 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 satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution:

Hxxxx – NORAD Cat ID 51080 (Thanks to Space-Track and CelesTrak for ID.)
EASAT-2 – NORAD Cat ID 51081 (Thanks to Space-Track and CelesTrak for ID.)

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


Message to US Educators: ARISS Contact Opportunity

Call for Proposals: New Proposal Window is February 21, 2022 to March 31, 2022

February 16, 2022 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is March 31, 2022

Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at https://ariss-usa.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-usa/

An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on March 3, 2022, at 8 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2022.eventbrite.com

The Opportunity

Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.

An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.

Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.

Please direct any questions to [email protected]

(ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR Team, 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.

Recently completed:
FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences, Aachen, Germany, direct via DLØFHA with crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH, using ISS callsign NA1SS. Contact was successful: Mon 2022-02-14 11:40:36 UTC 85 deg. Congratulations to the FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences students and Matthias!

Upcoming contacts:
Erasmus-Gymnasium Denzlingen, Denzlingen, Germany AND Goethe-Gymnasium, Freiburg, Germany, Direct via DN1EME
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be DPØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH
Contact is go for: Tue 2022-02-22 10:05:11 UTC 53 deg

Sussex County Charter School for Technology, Sparta, NJ, direct via KD2YAQ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP
Contact is go for: Wed 2022-02-23 15:31:11 UTC 74 deg
Watch for Livestream at: https://youtu.be/U-gPHjI-2JY

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

EA4NF: March 4-6 IL07, IL17 El Hierro, Canary Islands. If you want to try the QSO, check for mutual footprints and contact Philippe in advance to be put in the NA shortlist.

AD7DB & N7JY: DM22, 2/18-2/20 at the Yuma Hamfest!

Events:

Received via Email from JoAnne, K9JKM: 4A90, MEXICO (Special Event). Members of the Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE)[Mexican Society]are celebrating their 90th anniversary during January, February and March 2022 promoting each of the 31 States and Mexico City with the following 32 different special event callsigns and 4A90FMRE:

February 15th-March 1st: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM and 4A90ZAC
March 2-16th: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see: http://fmre90.puebladx.org

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.

+ CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26-28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA

+ Hamvention 2022
May 20, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
https://www.hamvention.org

+ 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

+ AMSAT regrets to report the passing of Roy Welch, W0SL. Roy was very active on the satellites and wrote the ORBITS III tracking program. He was instrumental in placing a station in the St. Louis Science Center during the Soviet Space exhibit from mid 1992 to January of 1993. One memorable event during the exhibit was a contact between General Tom Stafford, Commander of the Apollo-Soyuz mission and the cosmonauts on board MIR. Roy is pictured at the station on the cover of the February 1993 issue of QST. (ANS thanks Mike Koenig, N0PFF, for the above information)

+ Two days after launching from Kazakhstan, a Russian Progress cargo freighter docked with the International Space Station on autopilot Thursday, Feb. 16, with a fresh delivery of food, crew supplies, experiments, and CubeSats that will be released outside the complex on a future spacewalk. Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, said the Progress MS-19 spacecraft delivered around 5,562 pounds (2,523 kilograms) of supplies to the station. The arrival of Progress MS-19 at the station marked the first docking at the orbiting outpost this year. Teams at Wallops Island, Virginia are preparing for launch of a Cygnus cargo ship Saturday, Feb. 19 on a commercial Antares rocket. If that launch occurs on time, the Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the station Monday, Feb. 21. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ SpaceX is prepared to shift testing of its Starship next-generation launch vehicle from Texas to Florida if there are extended delays in an ongoing environmental review, company founder and chief executive Elon Musk said Feb. 10. In a long-awaited, and long-delayed, update about development of Starship at the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, test site, Musk said he thought the Federal Aviation Administration would complete an environmental review and award SpaceX a launch license for Starship launches as soon as March. One potential outcome of that review, though, is to perform a more rigorous environmental impact statement (EIS) that could take months. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Astronomers have identified a Chinese rocket booster as an object on a trajectory to strike the Moon on March 4. The Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 mission launched in October 2014 on a Long March 3C rocket. This lunar mission sent a small spacecraft to the Moon as a precursor test for an eventual lunar sample return mission. The launch time and lunar trajectory are almost an exact match for the orbit of the object that will hit the Moon in March. “In a sense, this remains ‘circumstantial’ evidence,” Bill Gray, who writes the widely used Project Pluto software to track near-Earth objects, wrote. “But I would regard it as fairly convincing evidence. So I am persuaded that the object about to hit the moon on 2022 Mar 4 at 12:25 UTC is actually the Chang’e 5-T1 rocket stage.” (ANS thanks ARS Technica for the above information)

+ A company called Halibut Electronics has announced plans to produce and market a Satellite Optimized Amateur Radio (SOAR) rig. Video announcement at https://electronics.halibut.com/ (ANS thanks Halibut Electronics 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, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org

ANS-044 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Feb. 13

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: [email protected]

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 Volunteer RF and Mechanical Engineers Needed
  • APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (SK)
  • IARU Region 1 Working to Resolve Potential Amateur Interference to Satellite Navigation System
  • Geomagnetic Storm Dooms 40 Starlink Satellites
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-044 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 Feb 13

AMSAT Volunteer RF and Mechanical Engineers Needed

AMSAT Engineering is currently recruiting RF and mechanical engineers for its FOX-Plus and GOLF satellite programs.

AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience for its FOX-Plus program. 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.

AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat teams. 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.

You will collaborate with AMSAT’s all-volunteer teams of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. 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:

volunteer (at) amsat (dot) org.

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, VP Engineering and Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, Assistant VP Engineering for the above information.]

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Join the 2022 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered Iron-on AMSAT Logo Patch
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
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APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (SK)

The creator of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, died on February 7. An ARRL Life Member, Bruninga was 73. According to his daughter, Bruninga succumbed to cancer and the effects of COVID-19. Bruninga had announced his cancer diagnosis in 2020. Over the years, he readily shared his broad knowledge of and experience with APRS, among other topics in the amateur radio and electronics fields.

While best known for APRS, Bruninga was also a retired US Naval Academy (USNA) senior research engineer who had an abiding interest in alternative power sources, such as solar power. In 2018, he authored Energy Choices for the Radio Amateur, published by ARRL, which explores developing changes in the area of power and energy, and examines the choices radio amateurs and others can make regarding home solar power, heat pumps, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Bruninga drove an all-electric car and had experimented with a variety of electric-powered vehicles over the years.

APRS originated in 1982, when Bruninga wrote his first data map program that plotted the positions of US Navy ships for the Apple II platform. A couple of years later, he developed what he called the Connectionless Emergency Traffic System (CETS) on the VIC-20 and C64 platforms for digital packet communications to support an endurance race. The program was ported to the IBM PC platform in 1988, and was renamed APRS in 1992. The recognized North American APRS frequency is 144.39 MHz, and APRS is globally linked via the internet. Bruninga founded the Appalachian Trail Golden Packet (ATPG) event, which fields APRS nodes from Stone Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine each July.

ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, remembered Bruninga this way: “Bob kept pushing APRS beyond its origins as a position reporting system. He developed and helped implement numerous other uses of APRS in support of what has become the ‘Ham Radio of Things,’ with great potential for future amateur radio applications. Bob’s far-reaching vision and imagination were as good as it gets.”

Bruninga mentored USNA midshipmen in building and launching amateur radio satellites and CubeSats, beginning with PCsat in 2001. PCsat was the first satellite to directly report its precise position to users via its onboard GPS module. Subsequent USNA spacecraft included PSK31 capability (HF to UHF) and other innovations.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) ARRL liaison Rosalie White, K1STO, recalled that Bruninga attended many ARISS-International meetings and contributed “enormously” to ARISS APRS activities, leading a team in developing protocols and software for rapid message exchange via a packet “robot.”

White said APRS remains a key staple in the new ARISS InterOperable Radio System (IORS) that’s now on board the ISS. She added that Bruninga offered input for future NASA Lunar and Gateway opportunities in which ARISS hopes to take part.

Last year, ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, on behalf of ARRL, honored Bruninga with a brick in the ARRL Diamond Club Terrace at ARRL Headquarters. ARRL sent him a letter of appreciation along with a replica of the brick.

Bruninga held a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Bruninga was a 20-year US Navy veteran. Dayton Hamvention® honored him in 1998 with its Technical Excellence Award.

Bruninga authored and co-authored numerous academic papers over the years, and was frequently in demand as a speaker and presenter at amateur radio gatherings.

Survivors include his wife, Elise Albert; daughter, Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, WE4APR, and son A.J. Bruninga, WA4APR. Arrangements are pending, although his daughter said that a celebratory memorial service will be held this summer in Annapolis, Maryland.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]


IARU Region 1 Working to Resolve Potential Amateur Interference to Satellite Navigation System

IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia) continues wrangling with the issue of interference potential to GALILEO global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sites in Europe from amateur radio operation in the 1240 – 1300 MHz (23-centimeter) band. Considerable work has gone into documenting an interference case on a single GALILEO channel between a “very local” Italian 23-centimeter repeater and receivers at the nearby European Commission Joint Research Centre in Ispra, where GALILEO applications are developed and tested.

“This one case is often cited as the ‘proof’ that interference can occur,” said Barry Lewis, G4SJH, the chair of IARU Region 1 Spectrum Affairs. As a consequence of this single instance of interference, the IARU has been engaged for several years in defending amateur interests on 23 centimeters. Considerable computer modeling has gone into the effort, in advance of World Radiocommunication Conference 23 (WRC-23).

In 2018, the FCC granted, in part, the European Commission’s request for a rules waiver so that non-federal devices in the US may access specific GALILEO signals to augment the US Global Positioning System. The two systems are interoperable and RF compatible. That Order permits access to two GALILEO satellite signals — the E1 signal in the 1559 – 1591 MHz portion of the 1559 – 1610 MHz Radionavigation-Satellite Service (RNSS) band, and the E5 signal in the 1164 – 1219 MHz portion of the 1164 – 1215 MHz and 1215 – 1240 MHz RNSS bands. The Order does not grant access to the Galileo E6 signal on 1278.750 MHz in the 1260 – 1300 MHz band, which is not allocated for such services in the US. Omitting that channel eliminates any need for US radio amateurs to protect GALILEO receivers from interference.

“The impact of traffic through this very local repeater (12.5 kilometers distant) on three different GALILEO receivers has been documented,” Lewis said. “This work suggests that while RNSS receiver bandwidth can have a part to play in enabling coexistence, beyond that nothing has been reported that could help develop any coexistence criteria.” IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ, stated last year that IARU does not want the Amateur Service to affect GALILEO system operation in any way.

Lewis said the IARU has provided extensive information regarding amateur applications in the 1240 – 1300 MHz band as well as operational characteristics and data indicating the density of active transmitting stations and the busiest periods when these are most likely to be operational.

“Amateur transmissions virtually anywhere in the band will be co-frequency with the RNSS receivers from one system or another,” Lewis said. “It is therefore obvious that any RNSS receiver will be open to any co-frequency amateur transmission, and amateur operators have no way of knowing where or when a RNSS service user is active.” Lewis suggests that “some compromises will need be necessary” to develop a co-existence model.

[ANS thanks The ARRL Letter 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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Geomagnetic Storm Dooms 40 Starlink Satellites

SpaceX is in the process of losing up to 40 brand-new Starlink internet satellites due to a geomagnetic storm that struck just a day after the fleet’s launch last week. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 49 Starlink satellites on Thursday (Feb. 3) from NASA’s historic Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A day later, a geomagnetic storm above Earth increased the density of the atmosphere slightly, increasing drag on the satellites and dooming most of them.

“Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe mode to begin orbit-raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere,” SpaceX wrote in an update Tuesday (Feb. 8).

The 49 satellites SpaceX launched last week were deployed in an initial orbit that skimmed as low as 130 miles (210 kilometers) above Earth at its lowest point. SpaceX has said it intentionally releases Starlink batches in a low orbit so that they can be disposed of swiftly in case of a failure just after launch. That orbit design, it turned out, left the fleet vulnerable to Friday’s geomagnetic storm.

“In fact, onboard GPS suggests the escalation speed and severity of the storm caused atmospheric drag to increase up to 50 percent higher than during previous launches,” SpaceX wrote in its update. The satellites were then placed in a protective “safe mode” and commanded to fly edge-on “like a sheet of paper” to minimize drag effects as the company worked with the U.S. Space Force and the company LeoLabs to track them with ground-based radar, it added. But for most of the new Starlink satellites, the drag was too much. Locked in their safe mode, up to 40 of them were expected to fall out of orbit like space debris just days after their launch.

“The deorbiting satellites pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry — meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground,” SpaceX wrote of the satellites’ reentry. “This unique situation demonstrates the great lengths the Starlink team has gone to ensure the system is on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation.”

[ANS thanks Space.com 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.

+ Upcoming Contacts

FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences, Aachen, Germany, direct via DLØFHA.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH.
Contact is go for Monday, February 14, 2022 at 11:40:36 UTC.

+ Completed Contacts

Gewerbliche Schulen Donaueschingen, Donaueschingen, Germany, direct via DN2FIS.
The ISS callsign was DPØISS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The crewmember is Matthias Maurer KI5KFH.
Contact was successful on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 10:00 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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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

4A90, MEXICO (Special Event). Members of the Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE)[Mexican Society]are celebrating their 90th anniversary during January, February and March 2022 promoting each of the 31 States and Mexico City with the following 32 different special event callsigns and 4A90FMRE:

February 15-March 1: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM
March 2-16: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see: http://fmre90.puebladx.org

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


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

+ CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26-28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA

+ Hamvention 2022
May 20, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
https://www.hamvention.org

+ 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

+ Astra failed to deliver four satellites to orbit as planned today (Feb. 10) in the company’s first-ever orbital launch from the contiguous United States. The California startup’s 43-foot-tall (13 meters) Launch Vehicle 0008 (LV0008) launched the ELaNa 41 mission from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today, rising off the pad at 2000 GMT. The two-stage LV0008 performed well initially, soaring high into the Florida skies. But something appeared to go wrong about 3 minutes into flight, just after the rocket’s first and second stages separated. Footage from a camera onboard the second stage showed the rocket body spinning rather than cruising smoothly toward its intended destination, an orbit with an altitude of 310 miles. Read the full story at https://www.space.com/astra-first-florida-launch-failure-february-2022. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.

+ The International Astronomical Union is establishing a new centre to focus the astronomy’s response to huge networks of spacecraft being launched into LEO to deliver broadband internet connections from space. Its work will be led by the U.S. National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) in Tucson, Arizona; and by the Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO) in Manchester, UK. It will engage with, and encourage, satellite companies to make every effort to minimise the light pollution they are creating. But it will also pursue policy makers around the world to tighten the regulations on what is acceptable behavior in orbit. [ANS thanks BBC.com for the above information.]

+ A video of the Voyager 1 presentation given by radio amateur Daniel Estevez M0HXM/EA4GPZ at the Fosdem 2022 event is now available. Voyager 1 is the furthest spacecraft and the first ever to exit the solar system. Fueled by its radioisotope generators, after more than 40 years of flight it is still sending data about the interstellar medium using its 3.7 metre dish antenna and 8.4 GHz transmitter. In this talk, Daniel reports two adventures regarding the reception of the Voyager 1 signal. Watch the video at
https://fosdem.org/2022/schedule/event/radio_voyager1/. [ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information.]

+ NASA raised concerns about SpaceX’s new Starlink satellites, including an increase of the risk of collision in orbit, in a letter to the FCC. The five-page letter was submitted to the FCC Tuesday, February 8, 2022. SpaceX submitted a proposal to the FCC to put 30,000 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit as part of a “Gen 2” Starlink system. There are currently about 1,800 operational Starlink satellites in orbit and there have already been several near-misses in orbit; one study has suggested Starlinks are responsible for half of all close encounters in low-Earth orbit. NASA has “concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions, Read the full story at https://www.space.com/nasa-collision-risk-starlink. {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, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org