ANS-226 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 14

August 14, 2022 by Mark Johns

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

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

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

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

In this edition:

40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, Oct. 21-22
India’s New Rocket Fails To Put Satellites In Right Orbit In Debut Launch
Russia Successfully Launches KAI 1 Repeater Along With Iranian Satellite
Wireless Institute of Australia Supporting Binar Satellites
Simultaneous Operations of APRS and Voice Repeater Now a Reality on ISS
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 11
Press Coverage of Eight-Year-Old’s ISS Ham Radio Contact
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-226 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 Aug 14

40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, Oct. 21-22

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will take place in Bloomington, Minn. on Oct. 21-22, 2022. Highlights of all scheduled events include:

– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
– 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
– AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, under the Events tab.

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Nearby attractions include Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe Theme park, Target Field, and the Minnesota Zoo.

You can make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000. The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group). Hotel reservations can also be made online at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms.

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal. Log into https://launch.amsat.org/ and clock on the Events tab.

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.

[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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India’s New Rocket Fails To Put Satellites In Right Orbit In Debut Launch

India’s new rocket launched for the first time on Saturday night (Aug. 6) but failed to deliver its satellite payloads into their intended orbit due to a sensor issue.

The 112-foot-tall (34 meters) Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast on Saturday at 11:48 p.m. EDT (0348 GMT and 9:18 a.m. India Standard Time on Sunday, Aug. 7) with two satellites onboard.

The main payload on Saturday’s test mission was EOS-02, a 300-pound (135 kilograms) experimental Earth-observation satellite.

The second satellite was an 18-pound (8 kg) cubesat called AzaadiSAT. This little spacecraft was loaded with 75 different payloads, which were built by female students across India to perform a variety of “femto-experiments.”

“The payloads include a UHF-VHF transponder working in ham radio frequency to enable voice and data transmission for amateur radio operators, a solid state PIN diode-based radiation counter to measure the ionizing radiation in its orbit, a long-range transponder and a selfie camera,” ISRO officials wrote in the mission description.

Instead of placing the satellites in a circular orbit 221 miles (356 kilometers) above Earth, the rocket left them in an orbit that ranged from 221 miles to as close as 47 miles (76 km). That orbit was not stable, and the satellites have “already come down, and they are not usable,” ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said in a video statement after the launch.

[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information]

Russia Successfully Launches KAI 1 Repeater Along With Iranian Satellite

A Russian rocket on Tuesday successfully launched an Iranian satellite into orbit, along with a Russian amateur cubesat.

The Soyuz rocket lifted off as scheduled at 05:52 GMT Tuesday, Aug. 9 from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. About nine minutes after the launch, it placed the Iranian satellite called Khayyam into orbit. It’s named after Omar Khayyam, a Persian scientist who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Also aboard were 16 Russian cubesats, including the 3U cubesat KAI 1, aka KNITU-KAI, NILAKT DOSAAF LLC, ANO DPO “KIRO.” Its callsign will be RS26S. It carries a 145/435 MHz repeater, panoramic cameras and
a temperature meter based on a fiber Bragg grating. Currently no further details are available.

Among the other cubesats scheduled for this launch were ten Russian satellites in the SXC3 series, transmitting telemetry on amateur frequencies. A list of these satellites and their frequencies may be found at https://sputnix.ru/en/satellites-sputnix/for-radioamateurs

[ANS thanks N2YO.com, Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, and Nader Omer, HZ1NH, 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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Wireless Institute of Australia Supporting Binar Satellites

The Board of the Wireless Institute of Australia has supported the Binar-1 small satellite/CubeSat mission which was launched from the ISS by Curtin University.

Binar-1 is a 1U CubeSat currently in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and was a technical demonstrator of in-house developed hardware that aimed to become a repeatable platform for research and educational purposes.

This year the Board of the WIA agreed to support the upcoming mission 2 that will see satellites: Binar-2, Binar-3 and Binar-4 be deployed from the ISS in the same way as Binar-1 into LEO. A subsequent mission 3 will follow about a year later with three more CubeSats (Binar-5,6 and 7) to also be delivered into Low Earth Orbit.

Part of the Binar mission is to try to make it easier for young, enthusiastic students to learn more about and how to use amateur radio in a way which directly relates to STEM. We believe that this specific use of amateur radio is a fantastic crossover opportunity for education and encouragement of STEM. Previously young students were constrained by resources, and current progtam wants to provide a platform where students – both high-school and university – can learn about amateur radio, spacecraft, their operations, and science experiments flying onboard the spacecraft.

The satellites in Launch 2 will be Binar-2, 3, 4 will have a multiband radio, capable of operating in the amateur band. The radio frequencies are allocated in the 70cm Amateur Satellite Radio band and, as required by local and international regulatory bodies (ACMA, ITU, IARU), will be coordinated through the IARU (International Amateur Radio Union) with the support of the Wireless Institute of Australia as the national association for Amateur Radio in Australia .

The main purpose of the usage of the amateur-satellite band allocation onboard the Satellites in Launches 2 and 3 is to provide a platform to educate high school and university students on satellite technology.

[ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information]

Simultaneous Operations of APRS and Voice Repeater Now a Reality on ISS

ARISS is pleased to announce that starting yesterday, August 11, simultaneous operations of the ARISS Voice Repeater and digital APRS communications on the International Space Station (ISS) is now a reality. Current ARISS operations include voice repeater transmissions with the JVC Kenwood D710GA in the Columbus module and APRS packet operation from an identical radio in the Service Module (Zvezda). Packet operations are on 145.825 MHz.

The ARISS Russia and USA teams have been working for several weeks to prepare the Service Module radio for APRS operations. ARISS Russia team member Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, led the effort, working with Russian mission controllers and the on-board ISS cosmonauts to configure the Service Module radio for APRS ops. On August 11, final checkouts were completed and the APRS packet mode was switched on for amateur radio use.

ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO states, “Simultaneous operation of APRS and the voice repeater on ISS is transformative for ARISS and represents a key element of our ARISS 2.0 initiative, providing interactive capabilities 24/7 that inspire, engage and educate youth and lifelong learners—especially life-long learning in ham radio operations.” Bauer continues, “Our heartfelt thanks to Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, for making this crucial ARISS 2.0 initiative become a reality.”

The Columbus Module radio uses the callsign NA1SS and the new Service Module radio uses RS0ISS. Aside from the callsigns, the radios are identical and packet operations are the same as before. You can use RS0ISS, ARISS, or APRSAT as the packet path. Also, both radios are expected to be on full time, except during educational contacts, EVAs, and dockings or undockings.

You can find operational status and expected downtimes of the ISS radios at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.

[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR, 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 August 11

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

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

Maya-3 NORAD Cat ID 49273 (decayed form orbit on 8/3/2022 per Space-Track).
Maya-4 NORAD Cat ID 49274 (decayed form orbit on 8/8/2022 per Space-Track).

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

Press Coverage of Eight-Year-Old’s ISS Ham Radio Contact

Kent’s Isle of Thanet News reports on the amateur radio contact between 8-year-old Isabella Payne and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS on the International Space Station.

In the Isle of Thanet News, Kathy Bailes, writes:

A Broadstairs eight-year-old has chatted with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station and a recording of the conversation will feature on the NASA website.

Isabella Payne spoke to Astronaut Kjell Lindgren as the ISS flew overhead last week.

The youngster was with dad Matthew Payne, M0LMK, who is a license holding amateur radio enthusiast and tutor. He and Isabella are both members of Hilderstone Radio Society.

Matthew said: “Isabella has been a member of the radio club ever since she was born and has been playing with the radio since she was six. Because I have the full licence she can sit on my knee and use the radio to speak to people as long as I am controlling it. Everyone at the club can do that. She has been involved in a few radio events, Children On The Air events, and will hopefully go for her own licence soon.

Read full story by Kathy Bailes and listen to the recording on the Isle of Thanet News site at
https://bit.ly/3vVAFNG or at https://twitter.com/IsleThanetNews/status/1557404614076530688

Matthew Payne, M0LMK, tweeted:
“Isabella has been having an email exchange with the @NASA #ISS team, you know, as you do! She sent a photo for their publicity team and asked for it to be sent onto @astro_kjell. Here’s what she got in return…” https://twitter.com/m0lmk/status/1556976125359919105

ISS astronaut’s favourite ham radio contact
https://amsat-uk.org/2022/08/03/iss-astronauts-favorite-ham-radio-contact/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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.

Cambridge Public Library and Idea Exchange, Cambridge, ON, Canada, direct via VE3SWA. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS. Contact is go for: Thursday, 2022-08-18 at 17:45:15 UTC 66 degrees elevation.

Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

Both the crossband FM voice repeater and the APRS digipeater are now in simultaneous operation. See article above.

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

N8MR will be in EN57 with frequent roves to EN56 and EN67 Aug 6-13. Listening for EU, Car, SA CA. Prefer linear sats, FM sats poss. Sked depends on wx, etc.

WY7AA is headed to DN53 and will be camping there from 8/10 – 8/15’ish. He will be in the bottom of a canyon, so Sats will be tough, but he will try when he can. Primarily K-4536 #POTA No cell service, send a Winlink note if you want. DN52 will be the week after.

AA6MU: CN81 August 9-31, Linears and FM.

W7BMD: will be vacationing in FN41/FN51 land, so intermittently available for FM birds QSOs August 8-12.

AD7DB: Activating DM24, DM25 and DM35, Aug 20,21,22, FM passes. Kingman and Mohave Valley AZ area. Holiday style but I’ll try to post ahead of them.

EA4NF, Phillippe. August 1-3th and 13-16th, EL94 & EL95, FM and Liners, will confirm in LOTW as KE4NF. Hit him up on Twitter @EA4NF_Sat for details.

KI7QEK: Will I’m taking a family vacation in British Columbia and Alberta from August 27-September 3, and planning to bring FM and linear gear. “Holiday style” so no promises on passes, but I will be passing through these grids: DN09, DO00, DO01, DO11, DO20 & DO21

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

2022 HamXposition, and ARRL New England and Hudson Division Convention (hamxposition.org)
Saturday and Sunday August 27 and 28, Marlborough, MA (Flea Market and some classes and workshops on Friday)
AMSAT will have a booth with info, demos, and items for sale.
Burns Fisher, WB1FJ will be presenting “What’s New At AMSAT”

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

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

40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
October 21–22, 2022
The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN
https://launch.amsat.org/event-4922878

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Filipino-made cube satellites Maya-3 and Maya-4 returned to Earth and ended their missions, the Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program announced on Tuesday. Maya-3 and Maya-4 reentered the Earth’s atmosphere on Aug. 4 and Aug. 8, respectively. While in the orbit for 10 months, the two cube satellites carried a commercial off-the-shelf APRS-Digipeater Payload Demonstration, which employed packet radio technology to transmit information over amateur radio. (ANS thanks CNN Philippines for the above information)

+ For the first time, Veraval Light House, situated at the south coast of Gujarat State from India, will be activated with the Special Amateur Radio Callsign AT3VLH. The Lighthouse is activated by active Ham Radio Operator Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, from Rajkot (Gujarat) India. It is SOLO operator activation to experiment learn & spread awareness with amateur radio spirit. The activation will take place 19 to 22 August, 2022 utilizing 40m, 20m, 15m & 10m and FM Satellites. (ANS thanks Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, for the above information)

+ A NASA cubesat was removed from a recent rideshare launch opportunity on a U.S. Space Force mission because the spacecraft could not meet guidelines for deorbiting at the end of its life. The GTOSat mission, developed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, was manifested to fly as a secondary payload on the Atlas 5 launch of the SBIRS GEO-6 missile-warning satellite. The SBIRS satellite was successfully launched Aug. 4. However, GTOSat and a second, unidentified rideshare payload were not included on the launch. Space Force officials said in a prelaunch briefing that the satellites were not compliant with orbital debris mitigation guidelines but did not elaborate. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ Three 1 kg cubesats, TUMNanosat, FUTABA and HSU-SAT 1 were deployed from the J-SSOD No. 22 deployer on the ISS Japanese robot arm at 0945 UTC Aug 12. TUMNanosat has 9k6 GMSK AX25 downlink of beacons and telemetry on 436.680 MHz. FUTABA downlinks with 20 wpm CW beacon and 1k2 AFSK for FM telemetry and mission data on 437.375 MHz. More info from https://www.futaba.space/blank-3 HSU-SAT-1 has a downlink using CW, FM SSTV and 9k6 GMSK at 437.280 MHz. More information at https://bit.ly/3C3LFwa (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the IARU 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-219 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug 7

August 7, 2022 by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-219

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:

40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – Bloomington, MN – Oct. 21-22, 2022
Apogee View
VUCC Satellite Standings August 2022
PREDICT Version 2.3.0 Released
AMSAT DSTAR Now Linked to DMR and YSF-Fusion
AzaadiSAT to be Launched on August 7, 2022
Astro Pi Mission Space Lab 2021/22: The Results
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 4, 2022
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-219 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 Aug 07

40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – Bloomington, MN – Oct. 21-22, 2022

Highlights of all scheduled events include:

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, launch.amsat.org, under the Events tab.

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal. Log into https://launch.amsat.org/ and clock on the Events tab.

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

Apogee View

This year’s Hamvention theme was Reunion, which was certainly evident among this year’s attendees. After a two-year absence due to COVID restrictions, it was great to see everyone face-to-face and talk about the exciting opportunities of amateur radio in space. Like many of our visitors, I was excited and impressed with the progress and accomplishments in our Engineering, CubeSat Simulator, and Youth Initiative programs.

The AMSAT TAPR Banquet on Friday night was an excellent opportunity to come together with our friends at Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) and pay tribute to Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (SK), who we lost earlier this year. I want to thank everyone who shared their stories of Bob, who has contributed so much to amateur radio and amateur radio in space.

Attendance at the AMSAT Forum was fantastic. Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, provided an excellent Engineering update on GOLF, our in-house developed reaction wheels, and the new Fox Plus program. Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, brought us up to speed on the AMSAT Youth Initiative program, which takes an innovative and inspiring approach to introduce youth to amateur radio in space. Last but not least, Alan Johnston, KU2Y, and his students demonstrated the CubeSat Simulator and CubeSatSim Lite, which have made a terrific impact on the STEM education community.

I thank the volunteers who donated their time over the long weekend to serve as AMSAT Ambassadors at our booths. Our volunteers, led by Phil Smith, W1EME, did a phenomenal job in answering questions, helping our members, and making AMSAT’s presence at Hamvention 2022 a huge success. THANK YOU!

40th Anniversary of the Space Camp

For those not aware, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Space Camp on June 18, 2022. AMSAT Ambassador Tim Cunningham, N8DEU, hosted special event station K4S, demonstrating his field day amateur radio satellite station and answering questions about amateur radio in space. While Tim worked the International Space Station (ISS) several times, along with multiple contacts through other LEO satellites, the highlight of his efforts was facilitating a contact between a graduating Space Camp young lady and an astronaut aboard the ISS. Congratulations, Tim, on a job well done!

An Innovation Road Map

Innovation and experimentation are the cornerstones of what sets AMSAT apart in the amateur satellite community and what we need to continue to focus on in AMSAT’s future.

In June 2021, AMSAT implemented a strategic plan defining who we are and where we want to go. In this plan, we affirmed our commitment to return to higher orbits and the vital role GOLF plays in helping us to develop the necessary systems and skills to take us there. In addition, we expressed our continued support in providing easily accessible amateur radio satellites in low earth orbit, encouraging the next generation of engineers, software developers, scientists, and mathematicians through STEM educational initiatives, and partnering with ARISS on human spaceflight programs. It is now time that we put that plan into action.

Compliance and Open Projects – Establish export control policy and open project framework to allow AMSAT’s return to international collaboration. AMSAT is committed to complying with U.S. export controls laws and regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations. ITAR and EAR regulations govern the shipment, transfer, and access of export-controlled data, items, equipment, materials, and software to non-U.S. persons or entities (domestically and abroad). OFAC regulations impose sanctions and embargoes on transactions or exchanges with designated countries, entities, and individuals.

To ensure compliance with all Export laws, AMSAT must establish an Export Control policy, including procedures for complying with Export Control laws and educating all individuals working at, with, or on behalf of AMSAT, who work with, or have access to export-controlled technical data software, materials, and equipment, on such laws, policies, and procedures. This policy should require actively managing and monitoring compliance with Export Control laws and authorizing the creation of procedures to administer major organizational functions related to export compliance.

AMSAT also recognizes that a critical component of its mission is supporting fundamental research, developing relationships and participating in the worldwide scientific, amateur radio, and amateur satellite communities to further the pursuit of knowledge.

Export control laws restrict foreign national access to items or information that might be contrary to U.S. interests; however, these laws include exemptions for information published or disseminated in the Public Domain. AMSAT must take advantage of these carve- outs, when available, to further its international collaboration and outreach efforts.

As such, we are working on implementing the necessary online project management and collaboration tools to support our open projects and the required publication processes to share what we have learned with the world.

Experimentation and Education – Develop open and sustainable CubeSat programs to provide technological experimentation and educational support in Low Earth Orbits (LEO).

Low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites play a critical role in AMSAT’s future. LEO FM CubeSats provide a cheap entry point to amateur radio in space. The lower costs associated with building and launching them make them an excellent platform to support our technological experimentation and STEM education initiatives. AMSAT’s Fox Plus program will be the foundation for our future efforts in LEO.

In addition, proposed orbital debris mitigation standards will require all flight systems intended to be flown above low earth orbits to be “proven” in low earth orbit first. AMSAT’s GOLF-TEE (Greater Orbit Larger Footprint – Technology Exploration Experiment) was developed to demonstrate the necessary technologies for higher orbits.

Scientific Research – Develop an open CubeSat program to enable scientific research related to amateur radio above low earth orbits. As space becomes increasingly crowded, obtaining a license to launch a satellite above low earth orbit will require a reason more important than amateur radio. Moving forward, we need to incorporate missions that include benefits for the greater good of society, of which scientific research and education appear to be our easiest path.

AMSAT is not a scientific research institution, but we can certainly benefit by partnering with educational institutions to study the long-term effects of radiation exposure on communication and command and control systems. For example, our partnership with Vanderbilt University during the Fox Program provides a template as we chart our return to HEO.

GEO Rideshare – Develop a program to secure an amateur radio payload in geostationary orbit above North America. I am often asked, “When will AMSAT put a satellite in geostationary orbit?” The short answer is NEVER,… if we have to do it ourselves. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is not going to allow a bunch of weekend warriors to play in geostationary orbit; not to mention, the price of admission, continued operation, and indemnification is beyond our reach. So, our best opportunity is to partner with someone already going there as a secondary payload.

No one has knocked on our door offering a free ride, nor have we succeeded in our numerous cold call attempts. We need someone on the inside or even a friend of a friend, who can get us in the room. If you know someone and an opportunity, I could use your help. Until next time, thank you for supporting AMSAT. Onward & Upward!

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

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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VUCC Satellite Standings August 2022

Callsign	1-Aug	1-Jul
K8YSE	2035	2100
K8DP	1300	1316
N0JE	761	775
WD9EWK (DM43)	686	696
AF5CC	621	628
W7QL	563	600
KS1G	551	579
K5TA	563	575
KE8RJU	512	568
EA2AA	525	546
W8MTB	New	515
N6UTC	475	503
F4BKV	400	500
HP2VX	453	464
XE1MYO	349	451
FG8OJ	300	373
KB1HY	337	353
N7ZO	300	302
KE7RTB	250	300
N3CAL	235	247
K3HPA	205	225
N3UPS	100	218
XE1ZD	109	213
VE7PTN	202	203
JH0BBE	150	200
WD9EWK (DM22)	181	189
WD9EWK (DM23)	182	185
VA3VGR	103	164
WD9EWK (DM42)	157	164
WD9EWK (DM45)	155	160
WD9EWK (DM54)	153	159
IK7FMQ	103	156
HC2FG	146	150
K2KA	102	128
KC4CJ	New	126
DF2PI	116	124
HP2BPK	New	107
N2WLS	New	104
K5JBT	New	100

Congratulations to the new Satellite VUCC holders:

KC4CJ
HP2BPK
N2WLS
K5JBT

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ for the above informatiion.]

PREDICT Version 2.3.0 Released

John Magliacane, KD2BD announced the release of PREDICT Version 2.3.0. PREDICT is a widely-used open source satellite tracking / orbital prediction application for Linux and Unix computing environments including PCs, laptops, Raspberry PIs, and Android devices running under a Termux environment. A new limited capability version that operates under a 32-bit DOS environment has been released as well.

PREDICT version 2.3.0 introduces an easy-to-use satellite transponder database editor and support for a mouse (or touch screen under a Termux/Android environment). New features make it possible to run PREDICT in Multi-Satellite Tracking Mode, left click on any satellite displayed on the screen, and be brought directly into Single Satellite Tracking Mode for more detailed tracking information on the chosen satellite. In addition, previously separate “Vocalizer” code has been integrated into PREDICT’s mainline source. Text-to-speech operations are now executed in separate threads rather than forked background processes as was the practice in the past.

PREDICT was originally released under an Open Source Software General Public License in late 1999, and is cataloged under the Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System hosted by Harvard University. PREDICT has been successfully employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration where it provides orbital prediction and tracking data for VLBI radio telescope steering. PREDICT is employed by the European Space Agency’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory where it provides tracking and velocity profile data used to steer the 25 meter dish antenna at the Chilbolton Observatory (https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2006/03/Chilbolton_Observatory). PREDICT also powers AMSAT North America’s on-line satellite prediction service (https://www.amsat.org/track/), and has served as the basis for a host of other derivative open-source software applications. Additional information, including screenshots and download links, are available via the PREDICT website at https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html

[ANS thanks John Magliacane, KD2BD, for the above information.]

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AMSAT DSTAR Now Linked to DMR and YSF-Fusion

There have been a couple of updates to the AMSAT digital radio links. In case you were not aware of it, the AMSAT DMR 98006 talkgroup and the US AMSAT YSF 11689 reflector have been linked together for years, making it quite simple to use either mode to cross-communicate with the other. However, the AMSAT DSTAR reflector has not been bridged into the system, so it has been isolated. But, there is great news on that front.

With the great help of Craig Jump, 2M0JUM, that problem seems to be solved. Craig has been linked his XLX606 DSTAR reflector to the AMSAT reflector, and has also bridged the DSTAR reflector to the AMSAT DMR 98006 talkgroup. This means that users can now use DMR, YSF-Fusion or DSTAR and seamlessly communicate with anyone on any of these technologies. As with all things digital, users may want to give the system one or two extra seconds when they key up so all the links are fully engaged before talking – just to ensure they don’t cut off the first syllable of their transmission. However, this been the case with DMR and YSF only links for years.

Testing is still underway so it is possible that the system could be temporarily disabled at times. But, the hope is this will be as solid as the previous bridge. Users experiencing problems or need help getting connected can contact Walter Holmes, K5WH.

[ANS thanks Walter Holmes, K5WH, for the above information.]

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AzaadiSAT to be Launched on August 7, 2022

On August 7, 2022 at 0348 UTC the Indian satellite AzaadiSAT of Space Kidz India is to be launched as the secondary payload on the first flight of the new SSLV rocket from Sriharikota, India. The planned orbit is circular at 356 km with inclination 37.21 degrees. AzaadiSAT carries a digital packet store and forward system, a camera and a radiation sensor. The downlink is on the IARU coordinated frequency 437.400 MHz with 1200 bps FSK telemetry and camera pictures with AFSK SSTV and LoRa.

Developed and built by 750 girl students from across India, the satellite is the result of ISRO pushing for girls to take up Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The eight-kilogram CubeSat carries 75 different payloads, each weighing around 50 grams, that will conduct femto-experiments and has a mission life of six months. It is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.

Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-AzaadiSAT.

[ANS thanks Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, and IndiaToday.in for the above information.]

Astro Pi Mission Space Lab 2021/22: The Results

RaspberryPi.org reports, “It’s been an incredible year for the European Astro Pi Challenge. We’ve sent new hardware into space, seen record numbers of young people participate in the Challenge, and received lots of fantastic programs. Before we say goodbye to the 2021/22 European Astro Pi Challenge, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the European Space Agency are thrilled to announce this year’s winning and highly commended Mission Space Lab teams.

“In Mission Space Lab, teams of young people aged up to 19 work together to create scientific experiments to be carried out on the International Space Station. Their mission is to design and create a program to run on the two Astro Pi computers — space-adapted Raspberry Pi’s with cameras and a range of sensors.

“This year, 799 teams of young people designed experiments and entered Mission Space Lab and 502 of these teams were invited to Phase 2, which is 25% more than last year! The teams each received an Astro Pi kit to write and test their programs on and 299 teams submitted programs that passed rigorous testing at Astro Pi Mission Control and achieved ‘flight status’.

“After their program collected data during the experiment’s three-hour runtime on the ISS, each team analyzed the results and wrote a short report to describe their experiment.

“We were especially excited to see what experiments young people would investigate this year, as their programs would be the first to run on the brand-new Astro Pi units, which were named after Nikola Tesla and Marie Curie by participants in this year’s Mission Zero.”

For a look at the teams’ investigations for Mission Space Lab 2021/22 go to https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Astro-Pi.

[ANS thanks the Raspberry Pi Foundation for the above information.]

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 4, 2022

The following satellites have been added this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

RS4S NORAD Cat ID 53306
RS3S NORAD Cat ID 53308
RS1S NORAD Cat ID 53309
RS5S NORAD Cat ID 53310
RS6S NORAD Cat ID 53311
RS9S NORAD Cat ID 53312
RS12S NORAD Cat ID 53313

Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for the identification of these satellites.

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

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ARISS News

Upcoming Contacts

Ufa State Aviation Technical University, Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Artemiev.
Contact is go for 2022-08-10 10:05 UTC.

Kopernik Observatory & Science Center (KOSC), Vestal, N.Y., direct via K2ZRO.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Bob Hines KI5RQT.
Contact is go for: Wed 2022-08-10 16:11:14 UTC.

Summer Space School at IKI RAN (Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Moscow, Russia, direct via TBD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Korsakov.
Contact is go for: Mon 2022-08-08 11:40 UTC.

Successful Contacts

About Gagarin From Space Conducting a session of amateur radio communication with students in Almetyevsk, Almetyevsk, Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RC4P.
The ISS callsign was RS0ISS.
The crewmember was Sergei Korsakov.
Contact was successful: 2022-07-30 14:08 UTC.

Swiss Guide and Scout Movement, Bern, Switzerland, direct via HB9JAM.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The crewmember was Samantha Cristoforetti, IZ0UDF.
Contact was successful: Wed 2022-08-03 12:23:28 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

N8MR: Will be in EN57 with frequent roves to EN56 and EN67 Aug 6-13. Listening for EU, Car, SA CA. Prefer linear sats, FM sats poss. Sked depends on wx, etc.

EA4NF, Philippe will be operating as 8P9NF on LEO Satellites from Barbados, in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. This will be happening 8/8 – 8/12 Philippe will operate using his portable LEO sat station (Yaesu FT818ND+Yaesu FT817ND) and Arrow antenna added to a Walkie Kenwood TH-D7 and a whip antenna to cover short, mid and long distances on both modes (FM & SSB)

EA4NF, Phillippe. August 13-16, EL94 & EL95, FM and Liners, will confirm in LOTW as KE4NF. Hit him up on Twitter @EA4NF_Sat for details.

KI7QEK: Taking a family vacation in British Columbia and Alberta from August 27-September 3. Planning to bring FM and linear gear. “Holiday style” so no promises on passes, but he will be passing through these grids: DN09, DO00, DO01, DO11, DO20 & DO21

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS, who is on the International Space Station, describes his amateur radio contact with 8-year-old Isabella from Kent, UK, as his favorite so far. He tweeted: “I’ve had a lot of fun using the #ARISS amateur radio station #NA1SS on the @Space_Station to talk with ham radio operators all over the world. I’ve even (unofficially) worked stations on all continents! But this may be my favorite contact so far.” A recording of the contact is at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-219-Favorite.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]

+ On August 9, 2022 the Iranian remote sensing satellite Khayyam is to be launched from Baykonur on a Soyuz 2.1B & Fregat, along with 16 Russian cubesats. One of those will be the 3U cubesat KAI 1, aka KNITU-KAI, NILAKT DOSAAF LLC, ANO DPO “KIRO”. Its callsign will be RS26S. It carries a 145/435 MHz repeater, panoramic cameras and a temperature meter based on a fiber Bragg grating. Currently no further details are available. Also it is not clear if any of the other cubesats will appear on any amateur radio frequencies.
[ANS thanks Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for the above information.]

+ The White House released a new National Orbital Debris Implementation Plan on July 29. The plan focuses on 44 specific actions which need to be taken, or researched, or collaborated on, around debris mitigation, tracking, and remediation, and delegates various government agencies to undertake them. To read the entire document, see https://bit.ly/3JtYpxR [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:

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-212 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for July 31

July 31, 2022 by Mark Johns

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

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

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

In this edition:

New AMSAT Digital Radio Link* 2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
URESAT Project Receives Award From the Salvatore Association 009
Operating Tips for FM Satellites
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 28
NASA’s Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD, Retiring After 18 Years As An Astronaut
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-212 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 July 31

New AMSAT Digital Radio Links

There have been a couple very new updates to the AMSAT digital radio links.

First, while the AMSAT DMR talkgroup 98006 and the U.S. AMSAT Yaesu System Fusion (YSF) 11689 reflector have been linked together for years, making it quite simple to use either method to cross communicate with others, the AMSAT DSTAR reflectors have not been bridged into the system. So, it’s been isolated.

Walter Holmes, K5WH, with the help of Craig Jump, 2M0JUM, have been working to solve that problem. Craig has been able to link his XLX606 DSTAR reflector to the AMSAT reflector, and now also bridged the DSTAR reflector to the AMSAT DMR 98006 talkgroup.

What this means, is that you can now use either DMR, YSF-Fusion, or DSTAR, and communicate with anyone on either of these technologies, seamlessly.

As with ALL of this digital stuff, it’s probably worth mentioning that it’s necessary to give the system about 1 or 2 extra seconds when you key up, for all the linking to fully engage before you talk, just to ensure you don’t cut off the first of what you want to say. But that’s been the same even with the way we have had DMR and YSF linked for years now.

This system is still being tested, so it’s possible it could be temporarily disabled at times, but hopefully this will be as solid as the previous bridge, and you will be able to take advantage of it.

As always, let K5WH know if you experience anything that needs attention.

The second new development is for those that have a Windows or Android environment, there is now yet another way to get to the AMSAT DSTAR reflector, with NO RADIO necessary. (Of course you have to register for an ID, to prove that you’re a licensed ham, before you can use the system.)

You might be familiar with an application called BlueDV, that many of us have used for years, and requires you to have an ambe server to connect to, and use your PC or cell phone to access DMR, YSF-Fusion, or DSTAR. David Grootendorst, PA7LIM, created this years ago, and has been plenty helpful. Visit https://www.pa7lim.nl/bluedv/ for the Windows software, or the Google Play Store for Android.

David also created an application called Peanut, that does the same for a small but directed set of systems on DMR, YSF, and DSTAR, where you don’t need a radio or an AMBEserver to access these networks. Unfortunately, there is not an iOS solution for this at this time, but it works very well for the Windows and Android environments.

Now, since 2M0JUM has created a link from his XLX606 DSTAR reflector to the AMSAT DSTAR reflector, you can use the PEANUT app, and connect to XLX606, and you will be liked into the AMSAT network. Early testing looks like DMR and YSF are going to DSTAR fine, but DSTAR back is showing the callsign data, but the audio is not coming through. From the Peanut app, it’s working BOTH ways just fine.

I hope this adds some new functionality that others can use to help us all stay better in touch while chasing these great satellites across the skies.

[ANS thanks Walter Holmes, K5WH, for the above information]

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2022 AMSAT Board of Directors Election

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

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

In accordance with our Bylaws, we must hold an election, even though we have three nominations for three open Director positions. As such, we will host electronic voting on our Member Portal this year, at no cost to the organization. Voting is now open and will close on September 15, 2022.

When you click on the poll link, you will see your ballot (poll question). After choosing from the possible options, click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike many online polls, the results of all votes cast, up to the point of your vote, will not be displayed. AMSAT members can only vote once. If you click the poll link again after already voting, a vote submitted message will be displayed. As three seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, all three candidates will be seated on the Board when the voting period concludes on September 15, 2022.

If you need assistance logging into your membership account to vote, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3ATZFrV

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

Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting

This is a repeat of the first call for papers for the 40th annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 21-22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Suites hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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 14 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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URESAT Project Receives Award From the Salvatore Association 009

URESAT, the URE satellite project managed by AMSAT EA in collaboration with university students, Vocational Training students and with financial and technological support from companies in the space sector, has been chosen by the Salvatore Association 009 to receive the award that said organization gives annually to projects and initiatives related, generally, to art and art in sport.

Although this space project is far from these activities, it has been the aspect of its social function, as it is an open public satellite for voice and data communications, and educational, of this activity, which has tipped the balance in its favour. URESAT and other previous AMSAT EA satellite projects, involve a large number of students, both from professional training centers and universities, from different branches: aerospace, computer science, electronics, mechanical engineering, etc.

The prize consists of an economic amount donated by the friends of the Association and that will be used to cover part of the costs of developing and launching the satellite, expected for January 2023.

The Association promotes under the name of Salvatore 009 a group of friends who with love and similar affinities help with their work, with their ideas and with their money to pay for art and sports in general; especially those that this family member and friend Salvador practiced for years.

Salvador has always participated with a great spirit of improvement and non-profit in many disciplines that essentially represent the values of sport in any part of the world. Another virtue that characterized him was his love for art and his ability to identify interesting projects in life, as well as his innate talent to create and his imagination to develop them with optimism, confidence and joy. Sport and art share those values that characterized him: they favor personal development and self-esteem. They also help to become more independent in life, create self-discipline, foster fighting spirit and teamwork.

AMSAT-EA and URE thank the Salvatore 009 Association for this award, of which we feel very proud.

The URESAT-1 satellite itself is based on the previous experience of the GENESIS, EASAT-2 and HADES missions, in which numerous students from Spanish universities participated, and will incorporate many improvements that have been identified thanks to the results of these projects. The design is estimated to be 90% new. Among the novelties, a new 32-bit on-board computer stands out, which allows the available functionalities to be increased, including the SDR processing carried out and which results in higher speeds of transmission and re-transmission of data, as well as an increase in the surface of solar panels, which translates into more energy and higher transmission power. The antenna deployment mechanism has also been improved, increasing its reliability.

URESAT-1 will incorporate a repeater for FM voice and FSK data, as well as CW beacons, pre-recorded voice, FSK telemetry and an SSTV camera that will transmit live images and pre-loaded photos in analog SSTV format.

The launch of URESAT-1 is scheduled for January 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9, from Cape Canaveral in the United States.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA for the above information, and apologizes for any errors in translation]

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SAVE THE DATE

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

More information will follow in future editions of ANS.

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Operating Tips for FM Satellites

Recent abuses on AO-91, and continued bedlam on FM satellites generally, have raised a growing number of complaints among operators and control stations. Here are some tips to help everyone enjoy these satellites and avoid being labeled as a bad actor:

LISTEN! These satellites are almost always busy when over populated areas. If you aren’t hearing activity on the downlink, it is unwise to make a “blind” call on the uplink frequency. Getting into the satellite is often easier than hearing it. Make certain you copy the downlink before transmitting.
NO CQs. FM satellites have a single channel and many stations are attempting to use the channel in a limited time. There is no time for calling CQ, or for repeatedly announcing your own call. Instead, listen for stations already active on the pass, and when you have an opportunity, make a call to a specific station you wish to work.
BE COURTEOUS. If Station A calls Station B, give Station B at least a millisecond or two to answer, and let them complete their brief QSO. Avoid interrupting or jumping on top of a contact in progress. Give priority to rovers or other special stations that many are anxious to contact.
BE WELCOMING. Make an effort to make calls to unfamiliar callsigns you’ve not yet worked before. Let newcomers have a chance, rather than shutting them out to say hello to stations you greet everyday.
DON’T BE A LID! Do “testing,” whistling, or “hello” someplace else. Modes other than FM voice have no place on these satellites. If you wish to experiment with FT modes, please feel free to do so on AO-109, but definitely NOT on an FM satellite.

(ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AO-91 Control Operator, and Mark Johns, K0JM, for the above information)

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 28

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

QIKCOM-1 NORAD Cat ID 42983 (decayed form orbit on 7/26/2022 per Space-Track).

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

NASA’s Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD, Retiring After 18 Years As An Astronaut

NASA has announced the retirement, on July 31, of Astronaut Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD. The retired U.S. Army colonel spent a total of 388 days in space, landing him fifth on the list of record holders for cumulative time in space for all NASA astronauts. He was the fourth person to fly on three different spacecraft – the space shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon – and he performed nine spacewalks during his three spaceflights.

Kimbrough was recently the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station, the second long-duration mission for the Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the longest spaceflight for a U.S. human spacecraft. Throughout the mission, Kimbrough and the Expedition 65 crew performed more than 250 scientific investigations designed to benefit all of humanity and help future exploration.

Shane’s expertise and leadership has been a huge asset to me personally and the astronaut office for many years. He has been a mentor to many astronauts, and it has been an absolute pleasure and honor to serve with him,” said Chief Astronaut Reid Wiseman at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a NASA astronaut for the past 18 years,” Kimbrough said. “I am honored to have been able to fly on three different spacecraft and to spend time at the International Space Station. I’ve worked with the best of the best in orbit and on the ground and am grateful for those that have supported me and my family. I’ve wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little kid watching NASA astronauts go to the Moon. To accomplish three spaceflights and nearly 400 days in space in my career is truly a dream come true.”

Kimbrough was born in Killeen, Texas, and graduated from The Lovett School in Atlanta in 1985. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1989, and a Master of Science degree in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in 1998. Kimbrough was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 2004.

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

ARISS NEWS

Upcoming contacts:

Swiss Guide and Scout Movement, Bern, Switzerland, direct via HB9JAM. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF. Contact is go for: Wed 2022-08-03 12:23:28 UTC 43 deg. Watch for Livestream at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq64C8qJD-okYt-b_nwKUjA Also available on their web radio at https://www.mova.ch/it/radio

Ufa State Aviation Technical University, Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Oleg Artemiev. Contact is go for Sat 2022-07-30 14:05 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

Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS, continues to be making general contacts on the cross-band repeater. He is using NA1SS. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

[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

VE3FU / VO2AC: July 25 to August 8 will be on vacation in VO1. I’m hoping to activate the following grids: GN07, GN08, GN09, GN18, GN19, GN29, GO10, GO11, & GO21. I’ll be VO1FUA. Holiday style. Linears and FM. I’ll do my best to post on Twitter before each pass.

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

N8MR: Will be in EN57 with frequent roves to EN56 and EN67 Aug 6-13. Listening for EU, Car, SA CA. Prefer linear sats, FM sats possible. Sked depends on wx, etc.

EA7TN: Will be operating FM sats from FK58sr as HI7/EA7TN from July 21st to 29th. Holiday style, just an FT-4X and an Arrow from the beach.

EA4NF, Philippe will be operating as 8P9NF on LEO Satellites from BARBADOS, in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. Philippe will operate using his portable LEO sat station (Yaesu FT818ND+Yaesu FT817ND) and Arrow antenna added to a Walkie Kenwood TH-d7 and a whip antenna to cover short, mid and long distances on both modes (FM & SSB)

AD0HJ is heading out again!: Will be attending a work training event during the week of August 1st in Hesston, KS. Look for me to activate several grid squares via satellite on my trip down there and back. Pass schedules posted on Twitter and on the http://hams.at website. Grids: EN11/21, EN10/20, EM18/19, EM16/17.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention
Friday, October 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

+ Mainstream news media have widely reported the recent statement by Yury Borisov, the new head of Roscosmos Space Corporation, that Russia plans to withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024. However, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher tweeted, “Not surprised to hear Borisov stating Russia would pull out of ISS *after* 2024 (nothing new) and that Russia will continue to meet current obligations (good news). I count on good common sense. The ISS is the only realistic (well-equipped) space laboratory – for years to come.” (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ Congress has passed the first NASA authorization bill in more than five years, formally extending operations of the International Space Station and backing NASA’s Artemis exploration effort. The House passed on a 243–187 vote July 28 the “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act,” a day after the Senate passed the bill on a 64–33 vote. President Biden has stated he supports the bill and will sign it into law. The bill was primarily a vehicle for supporting domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, but one portion of the bill included NASA authorization legislation. That portion, released last week, extends NASA’s authorization to operate the ISS from 2024 to 2030. It also formally authorizes a “Moon to Mars Program” that includes the Artemis campaign. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information)

+ SpaceX and NASA have delayed the launch of the next U.S. crew flight to the International Space Station from early September to no earlier than Sept. 29, allowing time for ground teams to replace an interstage on the mission’s new Falcon 9 booster after it was damaged during transport. The Falcon 9 booster stage, riding horizontally on a truck and trailer, struck a bridge during the trip from SpaceX’s factory in Hawthorne, California, to the company’s test facility in McGregor, Texas. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF, checked off a number of “firsts” when she completed her first ever spacewalk on Thursday, July 21, conducted alongside cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev. Not only was it a first for her, but this spacewalk was also the first conducted by a European woman, and the first conducted by a European in a Russian Orlan spacesuit from the International Space Station. The pair of spacewalkers worked on a number of tasks over the course of their seven-hour EVA, including deploying ten amateur radio nanosatellites by hand, and installing the European Robotic Arm (ERA) on the newest Space Station’s laboratory module, Nauka. (ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information)

+ Just two weeks after the first release of imagery, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is reshaping astronomy, according to an article at https://bit.ly/3Sd5XZF. Meanwhile, the larger micrometeoroid that hit the JWST in May caused damage to one of the mirror sections and a very slight decrease in image quality. Alone, this isn’t an issue, but it was more damage than was expected by micrometeoroid models, and so is worrying if it means that either the telescope is more susceptible to damage than anticipated, or the debris environment is unexpectedly harsh. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ China launched their Wentian research lab module on Sunday, July 24, the second of three modules that will form the completed Tiangong space station. The first stage of the Long March 5B rocket which launched Wentian could reenter the atmosphere around July 31. Experts at the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS) have been closely tracking the 53.6-meter-tall stage, which is thought to have a mass of around 23 metric tons. The most likely scenario is that the stage reenters over the oceans. There is however a “non-zero probability of the surviving debris landing in a populated area — over 88 percent of the world’s population lives under the reentry’s potential debris footprint,” CORDS reported. “A reentry of this size will not burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, and the general rule of thumb is that 20–40 percent of the mass of a large object will reach the ground, though it depends on the design of the object.” (ANS thanks Space News for the above information)

+ Think inflation is hard on *your* wallet? NASA just bought a Falcon Heavy launch for the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope in 2026 for $255 million. By comparison, the Europa Clipper Falcon Heavy launch only cost NASA $178 million almost exactly one year ago! (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:

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-205 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for July 24th

July 24, 2022 by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-205

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

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

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

In this edition:

Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
May/June 2022 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
New Satellites Now In Orbit
Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for July 21, 2022
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-205 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Jul 24

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SAVE THE DATE

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

More information will follow in future editions of ANS.

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Call for Papers – 2022 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting

This is the first call for papers for the 40th annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 21-22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Suites hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]

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May/June 2022 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available

The May/June 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
+ Using Recovered National Weather Service RS-41 Radiosondes for Amateur Radio High Altitude Balloons – David White, WD6DRI, Randy Standke, KO6RS, Kerry Banke, N6IZW, Jim McLaughlin, KI6ZUM, Phil Karn, KA9Q, Gene Swiech, WB9COY, Alan Johnston, Ph.D, KU2Y
Spotlight on the APRS Satellites – Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
+ AMSAT 2022 Board of Directors Election – Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
+ Hamvention 2022 Photos

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

New Satellites Now In Orbit

On July 13th, several satellites with amateur radio payloads were launched on the inaugural launch of ArianeSpace’s Vega-C rocket. The satellites were placed into a circular MEO orbit of approximately 5,900 km with a 70 degree inclination.

The AstroBio and Greencube satellites carry amateur digipeater packages that may be useful for long-distance QSOs.

On July 21st, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti conducted an EVA during which they released ten Radioskaf CubeSats into orbit. SSTV and audio signals have been received from many of these satellites so far.

RS10S (aka SWSU-55 No. 1 & R-390 (SWGU No. 5))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.050 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS11S (aka SWSU-55 No. 2 (SWGU No. 6))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.062 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS1S (aka SWSU-55 No. 3 (SWGU No. 7))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.075 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS2S (aka SWSU-55 No. 4 (SWGU No. 8))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.082 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS3S (aka SWSU-55 No. 5 (SWGU No. 9))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.100 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS4S (aka SWSU-55 No. 6 (SWGU No. 10))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.087 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS5S (aka SWSU-55 No. 7 & R-390 (SWGU No. 11))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps .AX25 AFSK
Payload: 437.1125 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps .AX25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS6S (aka SWSU-55 No. 8 (SWGU No. 12))
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.000 MHz 1200/2400/4800 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS9S (aka Tsiolkovsky-Ryazan 1)
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.025 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

RS12S (aka Tsiolkovsky-Ryazan 2)
Telemetry: 437.050 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK
Payload: 437.0125 MHz 1200 bps AX.25 AFSK, SSTV, AUDIO, TEXT

More information about these satellites can be found at https://r4uab.ru/2022/07/21/kosmonavt-oleg-artemev-s-borta-mks-zapustil-rossijskie-sputniki-po-programme-ke-radioskaf/

[ANS thanks PE0SAT, ST2NH, and R4UAB for the above information]

Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for July 21, 2022

The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution:

MTCube 2 NORAD Cat ID 53106 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).
AstroBioCubeSat NORAD Cat ID 53107 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).
GREENCUBE NORAD Cat ID 53109 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).
CELESTA NORAD Cat ID 53111 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).
CTIM NORAD Cat ID 52950 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for identification).

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

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ARISS News

Scheduled ARISS Contacts

Buehler Challenger & Science Center, Paramus, N.J., multi-point telebridge via VK4KHZ

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Bob Hines KI5RQT
Contact is go for: Thu 2022-07-28 16:14:08 UTC 25 deg

ARISS Radio Status

Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode set for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).

* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Not Active. Default mode set for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)

* 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]

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

W8LR: EM98 EM99 possible 7.27 – if you need either or both of these grids contact me via DM or [email protected] . I will not have a schedule and all passes, if any, will have to be pop-up and last minute unless on a sked. Sorry.

N5LEX: FM03 for those that need it Friday (7/22) Afternoon and evening passes 2022-07-22 FM and Linear, avoiding AO-91 at 1600. Can arrange AO-07 at 18:20 for Germany/Netherlands etc.. More details to come

VE3FU / VO2AC: July 25 to August 8 I’ll be on vacation in VO1. I’m hoping to activate the following grids: GN07, GN08, GN09, GN18, GN19, GN29, GO10, GO11, & GO21. I’ll be VO1FUA. Holiday style. Linears and FM. I’ll do my best to post on Twitter before each pass.

VE3FU / VO2AC: Saturday July 23 I’ll be on from FN67 early in the morning and making stops in FN66 and FN65. I’ll be VE3FU/9 in all 3 grids. I’ll do my best to post here before each pass.

VE3FU: Friday July 22 I’ll be passing through FN46 and FN57 on my way to FN67 for the night. I should be in FN46 ~14Z-16Z and FN57 ~18Z-20Z. FN67 will be later in the evening. I’ll be VE2FUA in FN46, VE2FUA or VE3FU/9 in FN57, and VE3FU/9 in FN67.

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

AD0HJ: will at EN22/23 and will be available on the late afternoon / early evening of Tuesday July 26th? Not sure who else needs either of those grids.

N8MR: Will be in EN57 with frequent roves to EN56 and EN67 Aug 6-13. Listening for EU, Car, SA CA. Prefer linear sats, FM sats poss. Sked depends on wx, etc.

EA7TN: Will be operating FM sats from FK58sr as HI7/EA7TN from July 21st to 29th. Holiday style, just an FT-4X and an Arrow from the beach.

Major Roves:

Grids: EN11/21, EN10/20, EM18/19, EM16/17.

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

Grids they will pass through, in order:
DN28 – 38: July 16th to the 20th.

Remaining Grids from July 20 to 24.

DN48 – 58 – 68 – 78 – 88 – 87 – 97 – 96 – 95

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

EN34 – 33 – 32 – 42 – 41 – 40 – 50

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

SAT DXPEDITION BARBADOS ISLAND 2022

EA4NF, Philippe will be operating as 8P9NF on LEO Satellites from BARBADOS, in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands.

Philippe will operate using his portable LEO sat station (Yaesu FT818ND+Yaesu FT817ND) and Arrow antenna added to a Walkie Kenwood TH-d7 and a whip antenna to cover short, mid and long distances on both modes (FM & SSB)

Great opportunity to contact this very rare DXCC on satellites.

§ August 8-12, 2022

§ DXCC : BARBADOS

§ Grids : GK03

§ IOTA : NA-021

§ FM & Linear SATS

§ QSL as 8P9NF on LoTW

INFO on Twitter: @EA4NF_SAT

[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.

+ Satellite Educators Association 35th Annual Convention
Friday, July 29, 2022 to Saturday, July 30, 2022
California State University, Los Angeles and on-line
www.sated.org

Fredric Raab, KK6NOW, will be presenting “Classroom Activities with the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator” showcasing the work by the CubeSatSim Educational Materials Team: Paul Graveline, K1YUB, Alan Johnston, KU2Y, Fredric Raab, KK6NOW, Mark Samis, KD2XS and David White, WD6DRI.

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

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ FO-29 has returned to full sunlight and the analog transponder has been enabled. FO-29 will remain in full sunlight until approximately April 14, 2023. The analog transponder should remain active for the duration of the full sunlight period. (ANS thanks JARL and John Papay, K8YSE, for the illumination prediction)

+ A new distance record has been claimed on HO-113. VE1CWJ worked 9A1CAL on 11-Jul-2022 at 12:59 UTC – a distance of 5,962 km. Who will be the first to break 6,000 km on this satellite? https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/ (ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President)

+ The 48th AMSAT GridMaster Award has been issued to Keith Austermiller, KB9STR, for working all 488 grid squares within the continental United States. https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/ (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards)

+ AMSAT Rover Award #67 has been issued to Jim, WU0I, and #68 has been issued to Carlos, LU7MC. Congratulations to all our new award recipients! https://www.amsat.org/amsat-rover-award/ (ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards)

+ Private investment in the space sector dropped in the second quarter of 2022. The drop indicates that the space industry isn’t immune to the economic issues plaguing other industries as a possible recession looms. A new report from Space Capital shows that this year is expected to come in far below 2021’s record-breaking year for investment in the space industry. But the report notes that, “We do not believe that the space economy is at existential risk.” It might be harder for parts of the industry, such as launch providers, to get funding in a difficult market like this one. But other space tools — like GPS — are already built into the fabric of how governments and average people live their lives, potentially insulating it from market downturns. (ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information)

+ A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule loaded with more than 5,800 pounds of supplies and experiments docked with the International Space Station at 11:21 a.m. EDT (1521 GMT) on Saturday, July 16, delivering a NASA instrument to study the mineral content of dust storms and several small CubeSats slated for deployment from the complex. The unpiloted supply ship launched Thursday evening, July 14, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on top of a Falcon 9 rocket. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ In an unanticipated move, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin was dismissed on July 15th. No reasons were given for the dismissal. The ever-outspoken leader of the agency since 2018 became particularly bombastic in his nationalistic threats and grandstanding after the invasion of Ukraine . This strained relations with ESA and NASA above and beyond the diplomatic tensions already caused by the unprovoked invasion. On the same day as his dismissal, Roscosmos and NASA signed a long-anticipated seat exchange agreement to fly ‘integrated crews’ to the ISS aboard Crew Dragon and Soyuz. First flights including members of the opposite agency will be this fall with Crew-5 and Soyuz MS-22. Rogozin’s replacement is Yuri Borisov, a long-time figure in Russian defense and politics. (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:

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 dot org