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:
- Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – October 30, 2021
- AMSAT Board of Directors 2021 Election Results
- HS18IARU and HS4ØØOZ active on Es’hail 2 / QO-100 satellite
- FUNcube-1 (AO73) returns to full sunlight, continuous telemetry mode
- ARISS News
- Upcoming Satellite Operations
- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
- Satellite Shorts From All Over
ANS-262 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2021 Sep 19
Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – October 30, 2021
Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, AMSAT has changed plans for its 39th Annual Symposium and General Meeting from an in-person event to a virtual event.
This is a chance for “Amateur Radio in Space” enthusiasts from all corners of the globe to learn more about AMSAT’s Strategic Plan, GOLF program, CubeSat Simulator and other exciting developments taking place in the amateur satellite world.
AMSAT will host its 2021 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on Zoom for its members on Saturday, October 30th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC-5). The event will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with live question and answer sessions.
Registration for members is required and is available on AMSAT’s Member Portal, launch.amsat.org. Registration is free and registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings, entered into the Symposium prize drawings, and be able to participate in discussions during each question and answer session.
The 2021 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be available to the general public on AMSAT’s YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/RTvcceM7Tz0 at no cost.
Final papers for the Symposium Proceedings must be submitted by October 18, 2021 to Dan Schultz, N8FGV, n8fgv at usa dot net. Symposium presentations should be limited to 15 minutes of pre- recorded video. Video presentations must be submitted by October 18, 2021 to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, n8hm at arrl dot net. We ask that presenters be available to take questions via Zoom following the airing of their pre-recorded video.
Tentative Schedule
9:00am CDT – Opening Remarks
9:15am CDT – 2:00 pm CDT – General Presentations
2:00pm CDT – 3:00 pm CDT – AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator
3:00pm CDT – 4:00 pm CDT – AMSAT Engineering
4:00pm CDT – 5:00 pm CDT – 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting
Questions regarding the Symposium can be directed to info at amsat dot org.
[ANS thanks the Symposium organizers for the above information]
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Join the 2021 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered “Remove Before Flight” Key Tag
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
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AMSAT Board of Directors 2021 Election Results
With the election period now ended for the 2021 AMSAT Board of Directors I am pleased to announce that the following members have been duly elected to serve a two-year term on the Board:
• Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO
• Robert Bankston, KE4AL
• Jerry Buxton, N0JY
• Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
These join the existing Board members who have a year left in their current terms.
• Mark Hammond, N8MH
• Bruce Paige, KK5DO
• Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Congratulations to the new Board of Directors and sincere thanks to each for stepping up to lead the organization into the future of amateur radio in space!
[ANS thanks Jeff Davis KE9V, Secretary, AMSAT for the above information]
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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
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HS18IARU and HS4ØØOZ active on Es’hail 2 / QO-100 satellite.
Two special callsigns, HS18IARU and HS400OZ, have been issued by Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
HS18IARU is promoting the upcoming 18th IARU Region 3 Conference that will be hosted online by RAST in September, is now active on all amateur radio bands.The callsign will remain active until September 30, 2021.
HHS4ØØOZ is the special event callsigns to celebrate the 400th anniversary of trade relationship between DENMARK OZ4ØØHS & THAILAND HS4ØØOZ hosted by Experimenterende Danske Radioamatører (EDR) and Radio Amateur Society of Thailand under the Patronage of His Majesty the King (RAST), together with The Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce (DTCC) and Embassy of Denmark. The RAST team will operate HS400OZ and will be active on the Es’hail 2 / QO-100 satellite between October 1-31, 2021 on CW and SSB.
They will use SSB on the narrow band transponder, split operation, listening 5 to 10 kHz up on the receive downlink:
Uplink 2400.150 MHz, Downlink 10489.655 MHz = 5 to 10 KHz
[ANS thanks Tanan Rangseeprom HS1JAN of RAST for the above information]
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AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all
begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar
panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on
NASA’s ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be
worth it!
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FUNcube-1 (AO73) returns to full sunlight and continuous telemetry mode
After a few months of normal eclipse periods, FUNcube-1 (AO73) will, next week, re-enter full sunlight from next week for a period of approximately two months.
As we have been in continuous transponder mode for some time now, we have decided that, during this sunlight period, FUNcube-1 should operate in continuous high power telemetry mode. The change will be made within the next few days.
FUNcube-1 has now been in orbit for almost eight years and the telemetry indicates that all systems, including the battery and solar panels appear to operating as well now as they did immediately after launch!
[ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
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ARISS NEWS
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2021-09-15 15:30 UTC
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at: https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The scheduled astronaut is Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI. Contact is go for: Tue 2021-09-21 18:05:35 UTC 67 deg
SPDW Voortrekker Movement, Oranjeville, South Africa, direct via ZS9SPD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at: https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The scheduled astronaut is Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI. Contact is go for: Fri 2021-09-24 10:43:19 UTC 44 deg
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD (***). The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS (***). The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at: https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The scheduled astronaut is Pyotr Dubrov (***). Contact is go for 2021-09-27 08:55 UTC (***).
Next mode change is expected to take place in late September 2021.
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:
Bob Liddy, K8BL will be going back to FN01, 02 & EN92 soon. Also is looking to do FN14 this Fall. Gridders, stay tuned!
Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL writes in:
– Wednesday 22nd of September, will be operating as 2M0SQL from IO97 on the North East Coast of Scotland, expect to be on Linear & FM LEO sats, keep an eye on @2m0sql for pass information.
– Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th of September will be operating as GB2KDR at the Keith and Dufftown Heritage Railway at Dufftown Railway Station (IO87) as part of Railways on the Air (https://rota.barac.org.uk/) expect to be on LEO Linear and FM sats throughout the weekend will try annouce pass info on Twitter @2m0sql
Major Roves:
WL7T is on the road again!!! Watch Twitter for updates. https://twitter.com/WL7T_ Remaining on the schedule:
Sept 19 DN00 & DN01
Sept 20 DN10 & DN11
Sept 21 DN20 & DN21
Sept 22 DN02 & DN03
Sept 23 DN12 & DN13
[ANS thanks Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL and Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]
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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT will host its 2021 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on Zoom for its members on Saturday, October 30th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC-5). The event will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with live question and answer sessions. Registration for members is required and is available on AMSAT’s Member Portal for the 39th AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting. Go to: https://launch.amsat.org/Events. You will need to log in to access the registration page.
RRRA Hamfest & ARRL Dakota Division Convention
Saturday, September 25, 2021, RRV Fairgrounds Hartl AG Building, 1805 Main Ave West, West Fargo, ND 58078
https://rrra.org/cal/2021/09/25/rrra-hamfest-arrl-dakota-division-convention
AMSAT Exhibit at 2021 Radio Expo Sunday, September 26, 2021
Boone County Fairgrounds Belvidere, Illinois http://www.chicagofmclub.org/
2021 Wyoming ARRL Section Convention, Saturday, October 9, 2021, Event Center at Archer, 3921 Archer Pkwy, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
Updates may be found at: https://www.amsat.org/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 Clint Bradford, K6LCS writes: THANK YOU, Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club, for filling the Zoom Room tonight for my “Working the Amateur Radio FM Voice Satellites” presentation! The region has been hit by COVID, but they currently have EIGHTEEN soon-to-be hams mid-way through one of their licensing classes!
They have been supporting the ARRL for more than 50 years as a Special Service Club. AMSAT member Brad, W6VO, reminded me that when I last spoke to them about 9 years ago, I stopped in mid-sentence during the show, looked at my watch, and announced: “Let’s go outside and work a satellite!” And we did – SO-50 went right over the Sheriff’s Station! Thanks for the invitation … maybe in nine years we’ll meet again and work a geosynchronous bird over the Americas! http://www.cvarc.org/
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, makes online presentations to Amateur Radio clubs and other interested organizations. Contact Clint at http://www.work-sat.com or by phone at 909-999-SATS (7287) to arrange a presentation.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ Two International Space Station crew members have had their stay onboard the orbiting lab extended to nearly a year. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov will remain aboard the station until March 2022. Upon return to Earth, Vande Hei will hold the record for longest single spaceflight for an American. (ANS thanks Mark Johns, KØJM AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor for the above information.)
+ Next SpaceX Commercial Crew to ISS Comprised of Radio Amateurs. Four radio amateurs will head to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a commercial flight, thanks to Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). They are Raja Chari, KI5LIU; Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC; Kayla Barron, KI5LAL, and Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH. As the most experienced space traveler, Maurer, who is a European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut, could end up with a very heavy work schedule. The targeted launch date is no sooner than October 31, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.(ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.)
+ With the successful launch of Inspiration4, four private citizens blasted off Wednesday night from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a first-of-its-kind fully commercial three-day spaceflight aboard a SpaceX crew capsule, riding to an altitude higher than any person has flown in two decades. A Falcon 9 rocket lit up Florida’s Space Coast with a roaring liftoff from pad 39A at Kennedy at 8:02:56 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0002:56 GMT Thursday). The launch kicked off SpaceX’s fourth-ever crew mission to low Earth orbit, but the first without any NASA astronauts on-board. Two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s reusable first stage booster shut down and dropped away to descend to landing on a SpaceX recovery ship positioned downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. Moments later, the second stage’s single engine ignited to send the Crew Dragon capsule into orbit. The complete story may be found at: https://bit.ly/3lMVRj5 (ANS thanks Stephen Clark of Spaceflight Now for the above information.)
+ AMSAT-BB poster Roland Zurmely, PY4ZBZ noted on 9/16 that PSAT-2/NO-104 has not been transmitting for the preceding 7 days. Bob Bruninga, WB4APR investigated and replied that: “Problem was the bad Battery voltage telemetry went from nominal 6v readings down to 1.4v or so (140 count). Finally looked at telemetry closer as shown here: http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/tele2.cgi?call=psat2-1&last=20
And it is clear that the voltage channel (red) tracks the current (green) perfectly which is the opposite of what one would expect. So clearly the voltage bit has become detached and the voltage reading (red) is just the phantom reading of an unconnected telemetry bit following its adjacent A/D channel. So we have sent the command to turn off the PSK31 to see if battery recovers.”
It was not stated when the satellite would resume normal operations.
(ANS thanks Roland Zurmely, PY4ZBZ and Bob Bruninga, WB4APR for the above information.)
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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, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz at frawg dot org