ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 20

In this edition:
* Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
* 2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers
* Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 August 20

Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting

The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include:
– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20
– 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21
– AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22
Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year:
– Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75
– Saturday Evening Banquet $55
– Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15
EVENT REGISTRATION
You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188.
HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS
The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is:
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy.
Irving, TX 75063
972-929-8400
Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22.
– Standard room with single King bed is **SOLD OUT** ACT FAST! GET YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!
– Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00*
* Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15%
For Phone Hotel Reservations:
Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE.
Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com.
We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
         
 The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! 
    To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch 
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features 
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. 
  Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help 
Keep Amateur Radio in Space! 
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2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers

Papers are now being acceptedfor the 41st annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 12 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org
[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]
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        Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
        from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
           AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
                  Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
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Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft

The headlines are sensational, although a bit exaggerated: “Ham Radio ‘hacks’ NASA Satellite”. While the phrase is eye-catching for social media, the truth is just as exciting. Amateur radio astronomer Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, has made contact with NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft, which passed Earth for the first time in 17 years.
The STEREO-A (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft was launched on October 25, 2006, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with its twin sister ship, STEREO-B. Both spacecraft were on a mission to circle behind the and send images back to Earth so scientists could make 3D models of solar activity. In 2014, STEREO-B failed and was not heard from again.
“I’m having fun with STEREO-A,” Tilley reported to Spaceweather.com. “The spacecraft is close to Earth this summer, and I can now receive its signal using a small 26-inch dish in my backyard.”
Scott Tilley’s, VE7TIL, dish antenna for receiving NASA STEREO-A spacecraft.
Tilley began hearing rumors that other radio operators were picking up signals from STEREO-A on 8443.580 MHz. He decided to check it out. “The central carrier is very loud, almost 30 dB above the noise,” he said. “I also noticed data sidebands, which are unusual to see on such a distant object for my small antenna.”
Tilley was able to decode and demodulate STEREO-A’s signal using a special program written by Alan Antonie, F4LAU, known as SatDump, and now, he is monitoring almost all of STEREO-A’s science instruments, including its Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI), two coronagraphs (COR1 and COR2), the heliospheric imager (HI), and a solar radio burst receiver (S/WAVES).
STEREO-A’s closest approach to Earth was scheduled to occur on August 17, 2023.
Amateur radio operators who would like to monitor STEREO-A can check out Tilley’s technical blog for more information.
[Thanks to Spaceweather.com and NASA for updated information in this story]]
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
    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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023
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/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
STEMforGIRLS, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, 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 Steve Bowen KI5BKB
The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-08-23 15:24:59 UTC 47 deg (***)
Australian Air League – South Australia Group,  Salisbury, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2023-08-25 09:11:46 UTC 51 deg
Comments on making general contacts
I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts.  First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk.  Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule.  I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts.  Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.
Typical daily schedule
Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours
The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.
SSTV events are not that often.  So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.
And don’t forget that the packet system is active.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
ARISS Radio Status
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).
* SPECIAL SSTV experiment July 26, 2023. Transmissions are scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET). Requesting a clear uplink during this time frame.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

TF/DL2GRC: Got an email from Nina stating that she & the family will be heading to Iceland with operations scheduled to begin on Friday (18th).
From Nina:
We will do a trip around the Island and hope to be active on MEO, LEO and GEO: family, equipment, satellites and weather permitting. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th.  Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition.
Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC.
Stay tuned!
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ will be at the Northern Plains Regional Radio Council (NPRRC) Hamfest in Brewster, Minnesota on Saturday, August 26, 2023. You can expect to find him engaging in discussions about amateur radio satellite operations at the AMSAT table or presenting live satellite demonstrations just across the street at Brewster City Park. Targeted demonstration passes will be on linear satellite RS-44 at 1434Z (fixed uplink 145.945 MHz) and the TEVEL FM satellites between 1630Z and 1700Z. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/NPRRC for additional information about the NPRRC Hamfest.
+ Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ RS-44 has returned to service after a multi-day outage this past week. There is no definitive word on the cause of the outage.
+ Woody Hoburg, KB3HTZ, was active as NA1SS from the ISS, utilizing the FM repeater, on Monday, August 14th around 1900 UTC and Wednesday, August 16th around 2100 UTC (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)
+ NASA released its updated Software Catalog for 2023-2024, containing more than 1,000 programs for mission analysis, disaster response, spacecraft testing, data analytics, and more. Access restrictions apply to some software that may be limited to use by U.S. citizens or for U.S. government purposes only. Review the catalog online at: http://software.nasa.gov (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and NASA for the above information)
+ NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The unpiloted spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 01:08 UTC on Wednesday, Aug. 23 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress spacecraft will be placed into a two-day, 34-orbit journey to the station, leading to an automatic docking to the Zvezda module at 03:50 UTC Friday, Aug. 25. As always, amateur radio operation aboard the ISS is suspended during docking maneuvers. The spacecraft will remain at the orbiting laboratory for approximately six months, then undock for a destructive but safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)
+ India’s Chandrayan-3 moon lander completed another lunar-orbit reduction burn and entered a 100 km circular polar lunar orbit ahead of a landing attempt next week. It is projected that the Indian craft will land two days after Russia’s Luna-25 lander. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
———————————————————————-
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor, 
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org

ANS-204 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Jul. 23

In this edition:
* AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium & Annual Meeting Rooms Now Available
* EO-88 (Nayif-1) Reenters
* URESAT-1 Update
* May/June 2023 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
* Special ARISS SSTV Experiment Scheduled for ARRL Teacher’s Institute
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 20, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
ANS-204 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 July 23

AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium & Annual Meeting Rooms Now Available

Planning on attending the AMSAT 41st Annual Symposium and General Meeting in Dallas/Ft. Worth on October 20-21?  Of course you are! Rooms at the discounted group rate are now available.  We suggest you make your reservations right away because only a limited number of rooms are available. The hotel and room rate information is as follows:
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy.
Irving, TX 75063
972-929-8400
Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22.
Standard room with single King bed is $137.00*
Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00*
* Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15%
For Phone Reservations:
972-929-8400
Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE.
For Online Reservations:
(Make sure you enter the dates you want before clicking on the “Check Availability” button.
The hotel is conveniently located at the DFW International Airport for those flying to the event.  The hotel offers free parking for those driving.
If you have questions or comments, please send your email to info [at] amsat [dot] org.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
   
   The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! 
    To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch 
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features 
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. 
  Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help 
Keep Amateur Radio in Space! 
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EO-88 (Nayif-1) Reenters

EO-88, with its 70cm to 2m linear transponder, having spent a trouble free 6 years and 5 months in space, finally re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on Tuesday, 18th July. Having originally been launched into a 500km orbit, EO-88 has reduced in altitude rapidly over the past year due to the increased level of solar activity.
Remarkably, some of the last frames of telemetry were captured as the 1U CubeSat passed over the South Western United States. The final 90 seconds show a rapid rise in temperature across all the satellites sub systems. The last frame of data was captured by David WB0IZO in New Mexico at 18:18:54 UTC showing the antenna temperatures operating about 40 degrees above normal.
During the past 2 weeks, 86 stations have contributed EO-88 telemetry to the FUNcube Data Warehouse and this has given us the opportunity to study the behaviour of a functioning CubeSat as it makes its return from Space. Thank you all for your support.
Having provided the last frame of data, David WB0IZO, wins the telemetry section of the AMSAT-UK re-entry competition and will receive a framed certificate of achievement.
The prediction for the date and time of re-entry was very close with Paul N8HM predicting the 17th July and Larry N1MIW calculating the 21st. However, the winning entry was made by Thomas HB9SKA who correctly predicted the 18th July. Thomas also wins a framed certificate.
RIP EO-88. GOODBYE AND THANKS FOR THE FUN!
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

URESAT-1 Update

This is an update about our satellite URESAT-1, launched with SpaceX on June 12th (Transporter-8 mission from Vanderberg) and using Alba Orbital as our space broker. First of all, URESAT-1 is a small pocketQube 1.5P (8x5x5 cm), much smaller than a Cubesat.
The satellite was expelled from the D-Orbit Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) ION ten days after the launch, on June 22th at 12.10 UTC, along with MRC-100 and ROM-2 satellites. Soon after, using the OTV TLE available for pointing, signals from MRC-100 and ROM-2 were received but not ours… This made us think we again had a problem with the deployment of the antennas.
Fortunately Daniel EA4GPZ could receive the URESAT-1 on June 26th using the ATA radio telescope at 22.03 UTC. The pattern of the transmissions matched and, using the IQs from the two antennas used, with two polarities, we could decodify telemetry, showing that the satellite was performing well with no resets or events. The battery was almost fully charged but the antennas were not deployed, as it was shown in the status packet received. We worked hard to improve the deployment system from our previous satellites but something hasn’t gone well again. Satellite seems to be cold even in sunlight but we performed tests using temperatures as low as 20 C below zero so this should not be a problem…
Doing a lot of analysis (after the ATA observation we found that our satellite was 20-30 seconds ahead of MRC-100)  and with a lot of help from the Satnogs thread regarding that launch, we managed to conclude that our satellite should be NORAD object 56992.
The team at Dwingeloo radio telescope on Netherlands has confirmed this with several observations these days
Using the IQs of these recordings (available here https://data.camras.nl/satnogs/) we have been able to decode new telemetry, CW and even a SSTV image from the satellite image bank. After more than three weeks in orbit the satellite is performing well and we hope that the antennas will deploy at some moment.
The plan now is sending the satellite commands to try to deploy the antennas, although we are going to need a lot of power because the received signal without a proper antenna will be low. If you have a powerful station for transmitting on VHF and want to help us, please let me know.
We want to thank Daniel EA4GPZ, the ATA radio telescope, PE0SAT, the Dwingeloo staff, especially Tammo Jan, and Satnogs staff for their kind help in identifying the URESAT and the reception of their signals. It has provided very valuable data on the status of the satellite.
Decoded telemetry, CW and the SSTV image is available in our web (sorry, it is in spanish) and also in the Satnogs thread about the Transporter-8 mission:
[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President for the above information]
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        Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
        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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May/June 2023 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available

The May/June 2023 edition of The AMSAT Journal is now available to AMSAT members on the AMSAT Member Portal (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. Join AMSAT today at launch.amsat.org to get immediate access to the latest issue and archived issues of The AMSAT Journal.
Inside this issue:
* Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
* Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
* Engineering Update – Jerry Buxton, N0JY
* 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
* Interview with CubeSatSim Builder Bruce Semple, WA3SWJ – Paul Graveline, K1YUB
* A Satellite Etiquette Primer – Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
* IO-117 Antenna Testing – Dave Fisher, KG0D

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

Special ARISS SSTV Experiment Scheduled for ARRL Teacher’s Institute

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) in collaboration with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), plan to carry out a special Slow Scan TV (SSTV) experiment from the ISS on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. During the event, the Columbus Module Repeater, transmitting at 437.800 MHz, will carry a message to be received by teachers attending the ARRL Teacher’s Institute class. The pass will be over the Mid-Atlantic / New England area with transmissions scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET).
Radio enthusiasts are welcome to download the message and follow along with the event, but we ask that all hams please refrain from using the repeater for voice contacts during the event.
Please understand this is a special experiment conducted through ARISS and the ARRL. All regular operation of the repeater should continue to take place in voice mode only.
Check ARISS Social Media for any updates.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
    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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 20, 2023

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-NA TLE distribution:
CUbeBel 2 (EU11S) NORAD Cat ID 57175 IARU Coordinated Frequency: 436.99 MHz.
(Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification)
URESAT-1 NORAD Cat ID 56992 IARU Coodinated Frequency: 436.888 MHz
(Thanks to Felix Paez, EA4GQS AMSAT EA President for identification)
The follwing satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
EO-88 (Nayif 1)  NORAD Cat ID 42017 “[R]e entered over North America.    The last frame of data was provided by WB0IZO in NM” according to David Bowman G0MRF AMSAT-UK
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Thu 2023-07-27 09:57:42 UTC 88 deg
The crossband repeater continues to be active.  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.
Comments on making general contacts
I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts.  First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk.  Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule.  I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts.  Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.
Typical daily schedule
Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours
The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.
SSTV events are not that often.  So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.
And don’t forget that the packet system is active.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
ARISS Radio Status
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).
* SPECIAL SSTV experiment July 26, 2023. Transmissions are scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET). Requesting a clear uplink during this time frame.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at  https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

From David, N9KT:
I’ll be at the Philmont Scout Ranch activating DM76 on all the satellites from July 19-28 using voice and digital. I’ll be doing demonstrations and training for Radio Merit Badge and hope to be very active on the birds every day. (Ed: David doesn’t appear to be active on Twitter. I’ve suggested hams.at as an outlet for more detailed info as the date(s) draw closer.)
I’ll also be trying to activate some grids on the trip out (July 17-18) and back (July 29-30) between Indianapolis and the Philmont Scout Ranch.
BI1NJI will be QRV as BI1NJI/3 from ON83 24th through 27th July. FM and IO-117. This is all I know at the moment. He does do Twitter (@YankaiP) and has said that details will follow.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
+ Small Satellite Conference
August 5-10, 2023
Utah State University, Logan, UT
More information at: https://smallsat.org/
+Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ From Bruce Paige, KK5DO, (kk5do at arrl.net) “July 25 at 11:59pm is the deadline to get your summary sheets to be scored for this years AMSAT Field Day. I have received very few scores and even fewer pictures this year. Even if you have already submitted your entry, drop me a picture or two with a description.”
+ Philippine cubesats May-5 and Maya-6 have been deployed. The satellites were launched to the International Space Station on June 5 aboard the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-26, and were released from the ISS on July 19. The primary mission of Maya-5 and Maya-6 CubeSats is to provide digital message relay service to the amateur radio community by means of an APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) digipeater onboard. The APRS digipeater onboard the CubeSats will use 145.825 MHz for both receive and transmit. Another mission of the cubesats is to demonstrate a data/message store-and-forward (S&F) system in line with the Universal Amateur Radio Text and E-mail messaging. The CubeSats will also carry Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) cameras which will take images of the participating countries from space for promotional and educational awareness. A downlink on 437.375 MHz and APRS activities on 145.825 MHz have been coordinated. (ANS thanks The Philippine Daily Inquirer and IARU for the above information)
+ The Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps (CISOM) Amateur Radio Station – 1A0C will be activated from July 26th to August 2nd at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine (Rome). The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a separate DXCC entity. Satellite operations are expected on LEO satellites and QO-100. Details to follow (ANS thanks the 1A0C team for the above information)
+ The Sun’s activity is defying forecasts and highlighting how difficult it is to predict the machinations of Earth’s nearest star. Space weather can shorten the lifespans of satellites, cause radio blackouts and, in extreme solar storms, bring down power grids. Predictions from 2020 suggested the Sun would reach the peak of its 11-year solar cycle in 2025, and its intensity would be on par with the last cycle. But current observations show its activity could now peak as early as 2024. The current cycle is also on track to be more extreme, with more solar flares, sunspots and activity than the previous one, though not as big as others on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is planning to fly two new instruments to space that should help them keep an eye on the Sun in the coming years. A Sun-focused instrument is slated to launch on the GOES-U weather satellite next year, and another instrument will fly in 2025. (ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information)
+ Congratulations to Joel Weiner, VE6WQ, the 60th recipient of the AMSAT GridMaster Award.
The AMSAT GridMaster is awarded to those operators who confirm QSOs with all 488 maidenhead grid squares located within the continental United States. https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/ (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards 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, 
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org

ANS-176 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for June 25th

In this edition:

* Two Awards Available from AMSAT-UK Regarding EO-88’s Impending Re-Entry
* URESAT-1 Deployed
* Harbin Institute of Technology Developing New Lunar Amateur Radio Satellite
* How Many Satellites Can We Safely Fit In Earth Orbit?
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 22, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-176 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 June 25

Two Awards Available from AMSAT-UK Regarding EO-88’s Impending Re-Entry

As you may be aware, Solar Cycle 25 has already shown that we cannot yet predict what the sun will be doing with any great accuracy.

Sunspots, X-class solar flares and CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are increasing in frequency and intensity on a daily basis.

The peak of Solar Cycle 25 was not expected until late 2024 or early 2025 but it may be coming earlier and have a higher intensity than was predicted.

One result of this increased activity is that the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of the earth becomes warmer and expands upwards. This means that spacecraft in low earth orbit experience more drag or resistance as a result of the increase in the number atoms they are having to displace as they travel around the globe. As a consequence, the spacecraft loose more kinetic energy and start to descend lower in orbital height, which, of course, makes the problem worse and a fiery end to the spacecraft is hastened.

The actual effect is also dependant on the drag coefficient of the particular spacecraft…simply how much mass (the more the better) to how much surface area (the less the better). So in CubeSat terms, a 1U CubeSat, fairly full of stuff with a mass near the maximum of 1.3kg, will probably be better off than a half empty 3U CubeSat with deployable solar panels and other drag inducing protuberances.

All TLEs (Two Line Elements) include a parameter called drag, it is usually a very small number preceeded by four or more zeros! Although this parameter is calculated by the system, it is not usually precise or even stable, so cannot be used to accurately predict deorbit dates when looking forward many weeks/months. It can give us a guide though! Alarm bells should ring when we only see two leading zeros.

How does this effect our activities? Well for the FUNcube family, there are presently three active members!

FUNcube-1, AO-73 was launched almost ten years ago in November 2013 into an elliptical polar orbit of approx 682×595 km. Presently those numbers are around 640×570 km so probably not too much to worry about. The drag number from the TLEs is, at the time of writing, 0.000074, a good number.

The same applies to JY1SAT, JO-97. This was launched in December 2018 into a 573×590 km polar orbit. Presently those numbers are around 557×573 km and the current drag is listed as 0.000076.

Unfortunately, however, the same cannot by said for Nayif-1, EO-88. This spacecraft was launched in February 2017 into a 496×507 km polar orbit. Currently the orbit parameters show a height of around 320 km with the drag at 0.00319. It is now well below the ISS and much lower than at launch.

As mentioned, largely due to the random nature of the our star’s flux output on a day to day basis, it is not possible at this stage to accurately predict the likely deorbit date but it seems that it will certainly be before the end of this year. As the spacecraft continues to perform 100% nominally this is a great shame. Presently it is switching autonomously from high power telemetry when in daylight and with lower power telemetry and the transponder active when in darkness. The solar panels, battery and power system also continue to be reporting nominal numbers, essentially unchanged since the day of launch.

It will therefore be a really sad moment when re-entry occurs but in the meantime everyone is encouraged to use the spacecraft whilst it remains available.

To mark the event of EO-88/Nayif’s demise, AMSAT-UK is offering two awards. These will be individual framed certificates.

Firstly, to the station who submits the last telemetry to the FUNcube Data Warehouse and also to who “guesses” or calculates the re-entry time and date most accurately. Submissions for this award must be made to [email protected] before midnight (UTC) on July 4th 2023. So time is short to get your entries in. Good luck!

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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URESAT-1 Deployed

The URESAT-1 satellite, also known as HADES-B according to its ITU designation, successfully launched into space as part of the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission from Vandenberg AFB on Monday, June 12. The satellite is a joint effort between AMSAT-EA, URE (the Spanish equivalent of ARRL), private companies, and universities.

The URESAT-1 satellite, contained within the D-Orbit ION Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), was not deployed directly from the Falcon-9 rocket. Instead, approximately one hour and twenty minutes after launch, the Falcon-9 released the OTV. URESAT-1 was deployed from the OTV at approximately 12:10 UTC on June 22, 2023. As of this writing, signals have not yet been received from the satellite.

One of the primary objectives of URESAT-1 is to serve as an FM voice and FSK data repeater. Equipped with a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) camera, the satellite will transmit live images as well as stored images at regular intervals. It also features a chess game, enabling players on Earth to engage in a game against the satellite. Periodically, the satellite will transmit updates on the state of the game, including the chess board, the last movement made, and whether the next move belongs to the players or the satellite.

The specified frequencies for communication with URESAT-1 are as follows: for uplink transmissions, 145.975 MHz or 145.925 MHz (auxiliary frequency) using FM voice without subtone, FSK 50 bps, AFSK, AX.25, APRS 1200/2400 bps. For downlink transmissions, the frequency is set at 436.888 MHz, and modes include FM voice, CW, FSK 50 bps telemetry, SSTV Robot 36, and a voice beacon with the callsign AO4URE.

To provide further information regarding URESAT-1’s transmissions, the AMSAT-EA organization has made available a comprehensive document that can be accessed at the following link: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13366685/AMSAT+EA+-+URESAT-1+Transmissions+description.pdf

For those interested in decoding the telemetry, a Linux x86/ARM decoder is available for download at the following link: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13395017/URESAT-1_telemetry_decoder_Linux_X86_ARM_v1.0.zip

A sample file containing the audio of a telemetry file can be found here: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13398144/URESAT-1_sample_FSK_telemetry-chessboard_packet.wav

If URESAT-1 operates as intended, the project team plans to release a Linux program that will allow players to send their chess moves to the satellite, further enhancing the interactive experience.

[ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA President for the above information]

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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
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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Harbin Institute of Technology Developing New Lunar Amateur Radio Satellite

Lunar OSCAR II is a lunar amateur radio payload developing by a team consists of students in Harbin Institute of Technology and international amateur radio enthusiasts. Its baseline functions include telemetry, digital image downlink from an infrared camera, and digipeater with JT4G uplink/downlink. It will also provide chances for uploading and testing new waveforms and algorithms for radio communications and measurements in very long distance.

Amateur radio orbit determination experiments, for example Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), are also possible with these links.

Harbin Institute of Technology has previously successfully developed the first lunar amateur radio satellite, Longjiang-2 / DSLWP-B. (LO-94) As a subsequent mission, Lunar OSCAR II will continue offering various resources for communications relay and amateur radio research, and promoting the cooperation of amateur radio communities.

The Lunar OSCAR II payload will be on board a lunar microsatellite with a volume of about 300x200x100 mm3 and a mass of about 14 kg and will utilize downlinks on UHF for telemetry and images using 250/500 baud GMSK with turbo codes and Digipeater using 4.375 baud $FSK with convolutional coding (JT4G). More information is available at https://by2hit.github.io/.

The satellite is planned for a launch from Wenchang in 2024.

A downlink on 437.750 MHz has been coordinated.

[ANS thanks the IARU and Harbin Institute of Technology for the above information]

How Many Satellites Can We Safely Fit In Earth Orbit?

Just 10 years ago, a mere thousand or so operational satellites may have orbited our planet, but there will be tens or even hundreds of thousands a decade from now. Experts have been sounding alarm bells for years that Earth orbit is getting a bit too crowded. So how many satellites can we actually launch to space before it gets to be too much?

Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics warns the first signs that things are getting a little too tense are, in fact, already present. “It’s going to be like an interstate highway, at rush hour in a snowstorm with everyone driving much too fast,” he told Space.com when asked what the situation in orbit will be like if existing plans for satellite megaconstellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper come to fruition. “Except that there are multiple interstate highways crossing each other with no stoplights.”

McDowell’s British colleague Hugh Lewis is another frequently heard voice of caution. In a post published on Twitter on Jan. 13, Lewis stated that “the overall number of conjunctions predicted for 2022 was 134% higher than the number for 2020 and 58% higher than 2021, exceeding 4 million.” That doesn’t mean that on 4 million occasions objects in space came close to a collision — just that managing traffic in space is getting much more complicated than it has ever been in the past.

Take SpaceX’s Starlink as an example. According to information submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December last year, SpaceX’s autonomous collision-avoidance system performed 26,037 orbital avoidance maneuvers with its Starlink satellites in the two-year period between Dec. 1, 2020 and Nov. 30, 2022. That means each Starlink satellite of the nearly 4,000 that have been launched to date performed, on average, 12 avoidance maneuvers during that time.

But the size of SpaceX’s current constellation is less than 10% of what the company plans to deploy. Within the next 10 years, the number of Starlink satellites in orbit may rise to 42,000. Add to that the up to 4,000 satellites that OneWeb wants to launch, another 3,200 of Amazon’s Kuiper craft and 13,000 satellites of China’s envisioned Guowang system, and it becomes obvious that things are set to get much more heated.

According to the FCC document, SpaceX claims that each of its satellites has a sufficient amount of fuel on board to perform 350 collision-avoidance maneuvers over its expected five-year lifetime. But that number could be reached remarkably soon, according to Lewis’ calculations. In short, less than five years from now, Starlink satellites may be running out of fuel in a shorter period of time than their designed lifetime because of the sheer number of avoidance maneuvers they will have to perform.

[ANS thanks Tereza Pultarova, writing for Space.com, for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for June 22, 2023

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/

This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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.

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:

No contacts currently scheduled

The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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.

Comments on making general contacts

I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.

Typical daily schedule

Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours

The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.

SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.

And don’t forget that the packet system is active.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

ARISS Radio Status

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).
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Adrian (AA5UK) is heading back to the Cayman Islands. He will be operating as ZF2AE/ZF8 from Little Cayman June 25 to June 29th (EK99wp). He plans to rent a car June 28th/29th and will try to make it to FK09 grid at the other end to the island, time permitting. He will operate from Grand Cayman as ZF2AE June 30th to July 3rd (EK99ki) with focus on cross Atlantic contacts via AO7, RS44, FO-29 and IO-117. He will be relocating to Seven Mile Beach to operate from July 4th – July 7th in EK99hi and will try to mix it up on the passes with focus on Western passes.

The gear will be FT-1634 with Alaskan Arrow antenna. For IO-117, he will be using an IC-7000. Operation will be holiday style. Please follow him on Twitter @ZF2AE and @AA5UK and watch for the latest announcements. He also plans to periodically operate HF with focus on RTTY, FT8/FT4 and other digital modes. QSL information on QRZ.com. LOTW preferred.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

+ AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Dallas, Texas

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,

“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation:

“I really enjoyed Clint’s presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I’ve tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up.”

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ For rocket geeks, an interesting video shows the dynamics of SpaceX’s new stage separation technique, which will be tested on Starship, separating the booster and upper stage without pusher pistons (like Falcon) or explosives (like many traditional rockets). The video may be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yesni8HUEA4 (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ Although their identities have been widely circulated previously, the European Space Agency (ESA), on June 20, formally announced the personnel who will make up SpaceX Crew-7. They are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, commander; ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, from Denmark, who will serve as pilot; as well as JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, from Japan, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, from Russia, who will both serve as mission specialists. This crew will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida later this summer on a SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, and will remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for approximately six months. (ANS thanks ESA for the above information)

+ Spei Satelles is a 3U CubeSat created by the students and teachers of the Polytechnic of Turin. During its stay in orbit, Spei Satelles will transmit a radio signal that can be received by amateurs. The signal contains messages of hope from the magisterium of Pope Francis. Spei Satelles (the Latin words for Satellite of Hope) operates in a sun-synchronous low Earth orbit at about 525 km of altitude from the Earth’s surface. At a frequency of 437.5MHz (Editor’s note – this satellite is not coordinated by the IARU and AMSAT encourages radio amateurs to decline to offer telemetry collection or other technical support to groups that launch satellites that are not IARU coordinated and do not offer amateur communications opportunities) it transmits GMSK at 9600 bit/s AX.25. Spei Satelles also contains a nanobook, a 2x2x0.2 mm silicon slab on which the images, speeches, and readings by Pope Francis on March 27, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, were imprinted by nanotechnologies. The satellite hitched a ride aboard Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket launching from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 10, after being blessed by Pope Francis on March 29 at his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. (ANS thanks Religion News Service and Polytechnic of Turin for the above information)

+ Congratulations to Olivier Tymkiw, HB9GWJ, on receiving AMSAT Rover Award # 077! To earn the AMSAT Rover Award, participants must accumulate a combined total of 25 points through various achievements in portable satellite operations outside their home grid square. The AMSAT Rover Award was established to recognize and honor the accomplishments of satellite operators who engage in rover operations. Rover operations involve the activation of grid squares outside one’s home grid, utilizing various satellite transponders and modes to establish communication links. A breakdown of the points system along with a list of past AMSAT Rover Award recipients can be found at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/. Keep on roving, Olivier, and continue to inspire others in the AMSAT community!

+ Virgin Galactic will launch its first commercial spaceflight on June 27th. https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-first-commercial-spaceflight-june-2023 (ANS thanks space.com)

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,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org

ANS-148 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

In this edition:

* 2023 Hamvention Wrap-Up
* AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager Retires
* New SO-50 Distance Record
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 25, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-148 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 May 28

2023 Hamvention Wrap-Up

The 2023 Dayton Hamvention is in the books! It was a great weekend in Xenia, Ohio and at the various other events in the surrounding area. The AMSAT booth and satellite demo area saw continuous traffic and attendees had an excellent time at the informal AMSAT Dinner at Tickets on Thursday evening and the TAPR/AMSAT Banquet on Friday evening.

The AMSAT forum from Saturday afternoon can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTYTVTzJlXk&t=14680s (the ARISS forum precedes the AMSAT forum, so you can back up the live stream to view that)

The video presented at the AMSAT forum featuring AMSAT engineers can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6zTtJZPfL8

Grace Papay, KE8RJU, gave a talk at the Youth Forum on “Amateur Radio Satellites Both Near and Far” and her presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U-jsYYHY8w&t

We hope everyone enjoyed Hamvention this year and hope to see everyone in Xenia next May!

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention Team for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!


To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/

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AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager Retires

It is time for me to retire from the position of AMSAT-NA Orbital Elements Manager.

I have held this position since October 8, 1993, when I inherited it from Dick Campbell, WR5RW (formally N3FKV). I also inherited a BASIC sorting program from Dick which has faithfully produced the AMSAT TLE format each week for almost 30 years. Today I have to use an emulator, but it consistently produces the format we (and our computer tracking programs) expect to see.

But, have no fear, Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P has been developing a software-based system that pulls the TLE data directly from the internet (Space-Track, 18SPCS), formats it, and sends it out to the amateur radio community. Joe has been testing it for over a month now and it is ready to go!

It has been a privilege to serve AMSAT as Orbital Elements Manager and I will miss the Thursday night routine of sending out the AMSAT TLE. But to those who have helped me along the way … thanks. Special thanks to Keith Pugh (W5IU Silent key), Dick Campbell (WR5RW), Nico Janssen (PA0DLO), and also to Joe Fitzgerald (KM1P) for stepping up to the job.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, 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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New SO-50 Distance Record

A new distance record has been claimed on SO-50. During a SOTA activation of Pine Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on May 24, 2023 at 13:16 UTC, Joe Werth, KE9AJ, worked George Mamjis, MI0ILE, in Northern Ireland. KE9AJ’s location was EN55wu90gp and MI0ILE’s location was IO64wn80. The distance between the two locations is 5,584 km. The previous record on this satellite was 5,523 km – set by F4DXV and N1AIA on October 24, 2018.

[ANS thanks Joe Werth, KE9AJ, for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 25, 2023

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/

This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT-NA TLE distribution.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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.

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:

Muslyumovo, Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Sun 2023-05-28 14:25 UTC

Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-05-31 08:42:20 UTC 66 deg

Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, UAE, direct via A68MBR
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sultan Al Neyadi KI5VTV
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI
Contact is go for: Thu 2023-06-01 07:53:35 UTC 51 deg

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Dmitry Petelin
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2023-06-01 08:10 UTC

Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Sat 2023-06-10 10:15 UTC

The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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.

Comments on making general contacts

I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts. First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk. Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule. I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts. Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.

Typical daily schedule

Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours

The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.

SSTV events are not that often. So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.

And don’t forget that the packet system is active.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

ARISS Radio Status

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).
* Powering off for U.S. EVA targeting June 09. OFF June 08 about TBD. ON June 10 about TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting June 28. OFF June 27 about TBD. ON June 29 about TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for U.S. EVA targeting June 09. OFF June 08 about TBD. ON June 10 about TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting June 28. OFF June 27 about TBD. ON June 29 about TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA targeting July 26. OFF July 25 about TBD. ON July 27 about TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]


Upcoming Satellite Operations

From Mike, N8MR:
I will be in EN84, EN85 and EN76 from Friday, May 26 thru Monday, May 29. Using an Icom 9700, Arrow antenna and SAT controller. Listening for Europe for eastern passes. All QSOs going to LoTW as N8MR.

Major Roves:
I post ’em as soon as I know about ’em. Just be aware that I still work roughly 60 hours a week. Tnx!

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

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

+ AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2013
Dallas, Texas

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. An email message received after a recent presentation:

“I really enjoyed Clint’s presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I’ve tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up.”

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ John Shoffner, KO4MJC, pilot of the Axios Space AX-2 mission, was reported to have made casual QSOs from the ISS via the ISS repeater on May 25, 2023. (Thanks to ARISS for this information)

+ The Tevel-3 and Tevel-6 satellites will be active through May 29, 2023 at 18:35 UTC. Downlink frequency = 436.400 MHz, Uplink frequency = 145.970MHz NO PL tone. (Thanks David Greenberg, 4X1DG, for this information)

+ Four CubeSats developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) were launched on a Korean NURI rocket this past week. These CubeSats were not IARU coordinated and the downlink of one of the satellites is on 437.800 MHz. This has the potential to cause QRM to the ISS FM repeater. (Thanks PE0SAT for the above information)

+ URESAT Antonio de Nebrija is expected to launch on the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission on June 8th. Details available at https://www-ure-es.translate.goog/uresat-antonio-de-nebrija-sera-lanzado-el-8-de-junio/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB (Thanks to URE 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,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org