The GEO project at Virginia Tech being done jointly with AMSAT and using RINCON Research’s AstroSDR has completed our preliminary design review (PDR). Please visit out web site at
We are able to provide much more information to donors if you need it including a sanitized version of our PDR slides giving much greater detail on the internal to the spacecraft project. Your donations are needed to make this project fly.
The bottom line is we have a design, an air interface document, a ground terminal project plan. We have permission from the US government to put our payload on board their spacecraft. We have been told by FEMA that they will use our capability in times of Emergency if we get it into orbit. Flex Radio has agreed to design a high end ground terminal which will be capable of supporting more missions that just this one.
We need your donations! Following the giving link on the web site. This is a tax deductible donation to our Virginia Tech if you are in the United States. We are a 501c3 entity.
Cheers! (73 de N4HY)
(L-R) Sonya Rowe, KK4NLO; Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Bob McGwier, N4HY; Franklin Antonio, N6NKF; Tom Clark, K3IO; Michelle Thompson, W5NYV; and Phil Karn, KA9Q standing next to the Aquila M8 Bus flight article.
Today we’re happy to announce the K6R Satellite Expedition to Santa Rosa
Island and CM93 is a go for September 16th-18th, 2016. We have secured
permissions and arranged to get to the island, spend 2 nights camping, and
operate on a number of Satellite passes – as well as some terrestrial and
HF too.
We’ll be posting updates on the K6R QRZ.com page at https://www.qrz.com/lookup/K6R and over the coming months with FAQs,
pictures, and more information.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to hit us up.
73!
Wyatt, AC0RA & Dave, KG5CCI
Location of CM93Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, and Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA
Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, announced at the Dayton Hamvention AMSAT Forum on Saturday that the launch for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D is now NET (No Earlier Than) July 28, 2016.
Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will be integrated onto the Spaceflight Sherpa platform for its maiden flight aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
AMSAT will again have a demo station at the Dayton Hamvention this year. The station will be located outside the main entrance to Ball Arena, near the AMSAT booth.
This year, the focus of many of the demonstrations will be on the use of inexpensive software defined radio (SDR) equipment as a downlink receiver. Using an SDR like a FUNcube Dongle Pro+, SDRPlay, or AirSpy allows owners of common all-mode transceivers with VHF/UHF functionality (such as the Yaesu FT-817, Yaesu FT-857, Icom
IC-706MKIIG, or Icom IC-7100) to add full duplex satellite capability for use with linear transponder satellites at minimal cost. The receiver used will consist of a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ with a low cost 10.1″ Windows 10 tablet.
We may also use other radio combinations during the weekend.
Demos will take place during satellite passes from 8:00am (12:00 UTC) until 5:00pm (21:00 UTC) on Friday and Saturday and from 8:00am until 12:00pm (16:00 UTC) on Sunday. Please keep in mind that the RF environment at the Hamvention is challenging and the arena blocks low elevations to the north and northwest. Due to these factors, we will only be attempting passes with a peak elevation greater than 10 degrees. Please stop by for any satellite pass or at any other time if you have questions about satellite operating.
A special demonstration on SO-50 will take place during the 12:19pm (16:19 UTC) pass on Saturday May 21st. Nine year old Hope Lea, KM4IPF, will operate that pass after completing her talk at the ARRL Youth Forum.
If you are not attending the Hamvention, please call us if you hear the AMSAT demo station on the air!
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and Keith Pugh, W5IU, at the AMSAT Dayton Demo Station in 2014
AMSAT DAYTON HAMVENTION DEMOS – 2016
TZ = UTC
N 39.820328 W 84.255224 ELEV. 296 M
MIN PEAK ELEV. = 10 DEG
GRID = EM79ut
* = Listen Only Pass – Telemetry, Doppler, Ant. Perf, etc.
