AMSAT News Service

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ANS-321 AMSAT News Service Bulletins for November 17

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AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-321

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 https://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 dot 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

  • Happy 45th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 7!
  • 19th Anniversary of ARISS Operations
  • PO-101 (Diwata-2) QSLs Available
  • IARU Update Regarding Amateur Satellite Allocations
  • AMSAT Member Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Youth Excellence Award
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 14, 2019
  • Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

Happy 45th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 7!

At 17:11 UTC on November 15, 1974 a Delta-2310 rocket lifted off from SLC-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, sending AO-7 into orbit along with NOAA-4 and Intasat. Details about the launch and initial telemetry reception can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO7Launch

After nearly 7 years of service, AO-7 was thought to have reached the end of its life in June 1981 due to battery failure. A retrospective detailing its exemplary record was published in the AMSAT Satellite Report, available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO7Record

Though it was thought to be lost in 1981, there are reports that the Polish Solidarity movement used AO-7 to pass messages in 1982 while Poland was under martial law. An article, in Polish, with the details is available at https://tinyurl.com/AO-7-Poland

Twenty years later, on June 21, 2002, G3IOR reported that he heard an old-style CW beacon from an unknown OSCAR satellite near 145.970 MHz. This was soon identified as AMSAT-OSCAR 7. The original AMSAT-BB post with news of the discovery is archived at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO7BB

Despite some pre-launch predictions that the CMOS logic circuits on-board “wouldn’t last 3 weeks,” AO-7 remains operational and well-used while in sunlight. It is the oldest operational satellite, in any service, in orbit. https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ao-7/

To celebrate AO-7’s 45th birthday, AMSAT will auction off a set of gold-plated AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th Anniversary AMSAT lab coat (size 42R) next week. Check AMSAT-BB or AMSAT’s social media pages for details on Monday morning.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

19th Anniversary of ARISS Operations

On November 13, 2000, the ARISS amateur radio payload was turned on and the first operations occurred over Russia and the United States.

Our ARISS team is working feverishly on the final certification of our next generation radio system: the Interoperable Radio System. We thank all those that have supported this development effort through team support as well as donations!!  We continue to move closer to a planned March 2020 launch of the hardware on SpaceX CRS-20.

[ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT Vice President for Human Spaceflight and ARISS International Chair for the above information]

PO-101 (Diwata-2) QSLs Available

The PHL Microsatellite Program, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, University of the Philippines operates PO-101. The FM transponder is available on a schedule published by the team on the PO-101 Users Group on Twitter (@Diwata2PH) and the PO-101 Users Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/880769575655081

PO-101 Operations (FM)
Uplink:   437.500 MHz – 141.3 Hz PL Tone
Downlink: 145.900 MHz

QSL Cards will be provided through email every month to users who submit their QSO information via PO-101 using the Google form posted at: https://forms.gle/XZnjRGNSC2jSF51j6

Users may also upload your contact recordings or videos with PO-101 here: https://forms.gle/pV5DgBQeWf1fjqmu9

[ANS thanks the PO-101 Diwata2-PH team for the above information]

The digital download version of the 2019 edition of
Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a
DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store. Get yours today!
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started

IARU Update Regarding Amateur Satellite Allocations

The second week of the World Radiocommunication Conference reports on the status of two issues affecting the amateur satellite service. In a report written by Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, first is an agenda item currently under review during this WRC-19 session; second is planning for future pressure on frequencies for the amateur satellite service.

Current WRC-19
While it does not directly affect us – work at WRC-15 saw to that – we are following an agenda item that seeks spectrum for telemetry, tracking and command in the space operation service for non-GSO satellites with short duration missions (Cubesats, among others). We would like a solution to be found to cut down on the misuse of the very limited amateur-satellite spectrum for commercial applications. Discussions are focusing on spectrum near 137 MHz (down)/149MHz (up) but reaching agreement is proving to be very difficult.

Future – WRC-23 
With the spectrum from 8.3 kHz to 275 GHz fully allocated and some bands above 275 GHz already identified for particular uses, any proposal for new allocations involves sharing with one or more incumbent services. The pressures for spectrum access to accommodate new uses for commercial purposes are intense; for an established service such as ours, any WRC that does not reduce our own useful spectrum access is a success.

The idea of including the amateur two meter band in a study of non-safety aeronautical mobile service applications has not resurfaced. However, the IARU is concerned with a proposed item for WRC-23 entitled: “Review of the amateur service and the amateur-satellite service allocations to ensure the protection of the radionavigation-satellite service (space-to-Earth) in the frequency band 1240-1300 MHz.”

Our regulatory status is already clear. The amateur service is secondary in this band and the amateur-satellite service is permitted to operate in the Earth-to-space direction on a non-interference basis in the band 1260-1270 MHz. In the international Radio Regulations this is all the protection a primary service such as radionavigation-satellite requires; implementation is up to individual administrations.

The one well-documented case of interference to a Galileo receiver that prompted this proposed agenda item occurred more than five years ago and was quickly resolved by the administration concerned. There have been no known interference cases to user terminals.

An amateur service allocation of 1215-1300 MHz was made on a primary, exclusive basis in 1947, later downgraded to secondary to accommodate radiolocation (radar) and narrowed to 1240-1300 MHz. The radionavigation-satellite service was added in 2000. As a secondary service amateur radio has operated successfully in the band for many years. Given the relatively modest density and numbers of amateur transmissions in the band, we view the Galileo-oriented proposal for an agenda item as disproportionate.

The IARU recognizes the concern and does not want the amateur service to affect the operation of the Galileo system in any way. It has already updated its operational recommendations for amateur stations in Region 1. If necessary, further recommendations may be developed and rolled out globally.

In CEPT, two preliminary measurement studies of Galileo receiver performance/vulnerability (from 2015 and 2019) are currently being evaluated. Discussions can be more timely and focused within CEPT. The IARU believes that this process already offers the potential for a satisfactory solution and thus the issue does not warrant WRC action and the commitment of ITU resources.

Posted on: http://www.iaru.org/news–events

[ANS thanks Dave Sumner, K1ZZ and the IARU for the above information]

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/

AMSAT Member Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Youth Excellence Award

Congratulations to AMSAT member Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Newsline Young Ham of the Year on his award as the first ever Youth Excellence Award in collaboration with McLean County (Bloomington-Normal, IL) Indian Association (MCIA) for the year 2019.

The MCIA invited nominations for individuals from Asian Indian youth in Bloomington-Normal who have gone above and beyond in community service and individual attainment. Dhruv’s award was based on attaining the goals of the Youth Excellence Award:

  1. To celebrate exemplary behavior among young people in Blo-No’s Asian Indian Community
  1. To encourage and motivate young people in the pursuit of Excellence & Creativity in the Performing Arts, Community Leadership, Sports, Academics, Innovation etc. to name a few
  1. To push one’s own self-imposed boundaries and become better versions of oneself
  1. To encourage young people to be positive role models/ambassadors and mentors in their communities
  1. To foster a spirit of volunteerism and public service among youth

Dhruv received his award during the MCIA Diwali Dinner 2019 in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

[ANS thanks and congratulates Dhruv and his father, Hari Rebba. and the McLean County Indian Association for the above information]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 14, 2019

The following Amateur Radio satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s TLE distribution:

NO-83(BRICSAT-P) – NORAD CAT ID 40655 – Decayed 11/07/2019 at approx. 19:49 UTC

Thanks to Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for decay date estimate.

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

G4BAO 23cm-45 W-PA Available as Public Domain

This repository contains details of the G4BAO 45 Watt 23cm Power Amplifier published in RSGB RadCom Magazine in June 2009 and later in the book ” Microwave Know How for the Radio Amateur” by Andy Barter, G8ATD.

This PA was sold for many years as a kit by the designer. The decision has been made to not sell any further kits so the designs are now made available here under the terms of an MIT license. It includes a copy of the original article, Eagle board and schematic files, plus Gerber files for the PCB, which must be made from Taconic 0.7mm RF35 substrate.

The design can be accessed at: https://github.com/g4bao/23cm-45W-PA

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA

Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA’s Required Minimum Distribution for 2019? Consider making a donation to AMSAT!

Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or accountant to make certain you are eligible.

AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT’s federal tax ID is 52-0888529.

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events as of 2019-11-15 02:00 UTC

  • Lakeside Elementary School, West Point, UT, telebridge via IK1SLD
    The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
    The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA
    Contact is go for: Mon 2019-11-18 19:01:06 UTC
    Watch for live streaming at www.ariotti.com starting about 15 minutes before AOS
  • Istituto San Paolo delle Suore Angeliche, Milano, Italy and Istituto Comprensivo Di Merone – Mons. A. Pirovano, Merone, Italy, telebridge via W6SRJ
    The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
    The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP
    Contact is go for: Thu 2019-11-21 09:12:07 UTC
  • MAOU Lyceum No. 39, Nizhny Tagil, Russia, direct via TBD
    The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
    The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Skvortsov
    Contact is go for 2011-11-30 14:15 UTC

A reminder that the deadline to submit proposals for ARISS contacts to be scheduled between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 is coming up on November 30, 2019. For more information visit https://www.ariss.org/

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, and David Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS operation team members, for the above information]

Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
 https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

Upcoming Satellite Operations

  • Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 – December 6, 2019
    Look for VY0ERC to once again be active from the Eureka Weather station (NA-008, Zone 2) between Nov. 11 to Dec. 6. This station is operated by the Eureka Amateur Radio Club [probably the most northerly located amateur radio club in the world] from Eureka, Nunavut. The suggested bands are 40 and 20 meters (possibly 80m), as well as FM satellites (from ER60, EQ79) using SSB, the Digital modes and very slow CW. Activity will be limited to their spare time. QSL via M0OXO, OQRS or direct. For updates, see: https://twitter.com/vy0erc
  • EA9 Melilla (IM85) November 18-21, 2019
    Philippe, EA4NF, will be operating from Melilla as EA9/EA4NF from November 18 to 21, 2019. This very small Spanish territory located in Northern Africa, which is a very rare GRID and is listed as one of the Most Wanted SAT DXCC. Updates and passes on Philippe’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT 
  • New River Gorge National River, WV (EM98) November 21-24, 2019
    Michael, N4DCW, is visiting New River Gorge National River (with sat gear) and a swing through EM97 on his way home.  Watch for further announcements on Michael’s Twitter feed:  https://twitter.com/MWimages
  • Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019
    Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3-6. Key word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to activate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85
  • Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019
    Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org

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

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/ 

Satellite Shorts From All Over

  • Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations will be giving a presentation at the 110th Radio Club of America Awards Banquet and Technical Symposium, held this year at the Westin Times Square, New York City on November 23. The topic is “Designing the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: A Functional Satellite Model for the Classroom”. For more information see: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-RCA
  • The Seattle Times featured an article about the University of Washington’s HuskySat-1 satellite. HuskySat-1 carries an AMSAT-provided linear transponder. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-UW
  • Proceedings of the Microwave Update 2019, held in Dallas, Texas October 3-5, have been published as a PDF which includes a couple of satellite related presentations. It is now available for free download at http://ntms.org/files/MUD2019/MUD_Proceedings_2019.pdf   (via North Texas Microwave Society)
  • All the photos in the MUD Proceedings are in black and white. The MUD GNR file is in color at http://www.ntms.org/  (via Zack W9SZ on the Microwave list)
  • All videos from the AMSAT-DL symposium Bochum are online. Recorded from the wideband transponder by DB8TF. A playlist includes all videos from Saturday and Sunday:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Gtsa1KaEAgRc-dvWo44QQ  If you can, please translate Screen texts to other languages and add to the video. (Via AMSAT-DL)
  • On October 7, 8 and 9, 2019, the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and CubeSat NB hosted the first of three Preliminary Design Review (PDR) meetings for the Canadian CubeSat Project initiated by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Radio Amateurs of Canada was present for the meeting. More details at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-RAC  (Via RAC)
  • This page gives a statistical plot showing groups of satellites as a plot of the semi-major axis of the orbit against orbital inclination resulting in “families” and “clusters” in orbit.  https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-Orbits

 

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President’s Club. Members of the President’s Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT office.

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 six post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student 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

AMSAT Board of Directors Announce 2019-20 Officers

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These are the results of the 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors meeting vote for Officers:

  • Joe Spier, K6WAO, of Reno, NV, as President
  • Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President
  • Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President Engineering
  • Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of Brooksville, FL, as Vice-President Operations
  • Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, of Towson, MD, as Vice-President Human Spaceflight
  • Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, as Vice-President User Services
  • Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, of Burnsville, MN, as Vice-President Development
  • Alan Johnston, KU2Y, of Philadelphia, PA, as Vice-President Educational Relations
  • Brennan Price, N4QX, of Vienna, VA, as Secretary
  • Robert Bankston, KE4AL, of Dothan, AL, as Treasurer
  • Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager

The Board of Directors is meeting in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday – Thursday, October 16 – 17.

[Thanks to the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information]

ANS-286 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for October 13

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AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-286

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT North America, 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 https://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 dot 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

  • 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
  • 2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule
  • September/October 2019 Apogee View
  • W3ZM – 50 States in Our 50th Year
  • ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting

Please join us for the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Symposium, to be held in the Washington, DC Metro Area on October 18, 19, and 20, While the deadline for banquet and tour tickets has passed, walk-in registrations for the Symposium and Annual General Meeting are welcome.

The Symposium venue will be the Hilton Arlington, located in the heart of the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The Hilton Arlington is located at 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA TEL: +1-703-528-6000 and the reservation code is AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation).

Connected to the Ballston Metro Station, the hotel offers easy and effortless access to Washington DC’s top tourist destinations like the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments. The hotel is six miles from Reagan National Airport and the National Mall. There are plenty of restaurants nearby.

The Symposium will feature OSCAR Park – a display of satellites from throughout the history of amateur radio in space – paper presentations, and a banquet with speakers celebrating AMSAT’s long history, and other events. The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held on October 16th and 17th at the same hotel. Two guided tours are available. On Sunday, October 20th a bus tour to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum is available for $30 (max 35 people) and on Monday, October 21st, AMSAT President Joe Spier will lead a day tour to the National Mall via the Metro.

So please plan on attending the 50th Anniversary Symposium – you will be glad you did and keep checking the AMSAT website for further updates and information.

The 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting features:

  • Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations
  • Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World
  • Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members (October 16-17)
  • Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers
  • AMSAT Annual General Membership Meeting
  • Annual Banquet, Speakers and Door Prizes !!

The latest news and information is always posted at: https://www.amsat.org/amsat-symposium/

[ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information]

2019 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Schedule

A preliminary schedule for the 37th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting has been posted to the AMSAT website. Check back for updates, including the speaker schedule at. https://www.amsat.org/symposium-schedule/

[ANS thanks the 2019 AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information]

September/October 2019 Apogee View

I am pleased to be writing this edition of “Apogee View” in Joe’s place as a special guest columnist. For those of you who don’t know me, I am somewhat new to amateur radio satellites and AMSAT. My first experience with amateur satellites was listening to the ARISSat-1 voice beacon and decoding its SSTV images in August 2011. In September 2012, I made my first satellite QSOs (on AO-27) and joined AMSAT. In 2015, I was elected Secretary by the AMSAT Board of Directors; and, in 2017, I was elected Executive Vice President. I also have served as both an alternate and a regular member of the board.

As I write this in late September, getting ready for the upcoming Symposium, summer refuses to yield to the cooler air of fall here in Washington, D.C. I hope the weather will be more comfortable for the Symposium in nearby Arlington, VA, in a few weeks.

In mid-September, we received the fantastic news that Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the InterOperable Radio System (IORS) and related infrastructure. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio and digital communications in general. While ARISS still needs additional donations to fund the IORS fully, this grant significantly helps the endeavor. ARISS plans to have the IORS ready for launch by the end of the year. AMSAT thanks ARDC for their substantial contribution to this effort.

ARISS is a key component of AMSAT’s vision. As printed inside the front cover of each issue of The AMSAT Journal, “Our Vision is to deploy satellite systems with the goal of providing wide-area and continuous coverage,” as we “continue active participation in human space missions and support a stream of LEO satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other amateur satellite groups.” AMSAT teams are hard at work on each clause of that vision statement.

The GOLF program is making good progress with development of the GOLF-TEE satellite. GOLF-TEE is a crucial element of our path back to high orbits and fulfilling the first clause of AMSAT’s vision to provide wide-area and continuous coverage satellite systems. Systems aboard GOLF-TEE include active attitude determination and control (ADAC), a radiation-tolerant internal housekeeping unit (RT-IHU), and a Fox-1E type VHF/UHF linear transponder. GOLF-TEE also will include a software defined radio (SDR) with a high-speed X band (10 GHz) data downlink which may also provide a simultaneous X band downlink of the V/u transponder passband, effectively providing V/x capability for use and evaluation. All of these technologies are crucial for missions to HEO and GEO, and additional information will appear in future issues of The AMSAT Journal.

Our participation in human space missions also is expanding. As announced at the AMSAT Forum at the Dayton Hamvention, international AMSAT and ARISS organizations have formed a group known as AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration). Work currently is underway on the design of a ham radio system for NASA’s Lunar Gateway. The Gateway will be a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon that will provide access to more of the lunar surface than ever before, with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, ports for visiting spacecraft, and more. The first sections of the Gateway are scheduled for launch in 2022. The plans call for various uses of L (1.2 GHz), S (2.4 GHz), C (5 GHz), and X (10 GHz) bands for repeater-type communications, both analog and digital, through Gateway, image transmissions from both inside and outside the Gateway, possible access to experiments aboard Gateway, and two-way communications with astronauts while Gateway is crewed. The challenges for amateurs involve the substantial increase in free space path loss compared to satellites in low earth orbit. We are very excited about AMSAT’s participation in this project. More details will be presented at the 2019 AMSAT Space Symposium and articles will certainly follow in future editions of The AMSAT Journal.

Finally, we continue to support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E is ready for launch no earlier than December 1, 2019 on the ELaNa XX mission. That mission will launch on the first commercial flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne air launch to orbit system. Stay tuned to ANS for further updates on the launch date.

The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus. Noting the prevalence of CubeSats built and launched by universities and other organizations, AMSAT adopted a goal of “amateur radio in every CubeSat.” Interested CubeSat programs wanting to fly an amateur radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry one of these modules on their spacecraft. By providing amateur radio capability, the CubeSat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and experiment data while the amateur radio community gets a transponder to use in orbit.

The first of these partnerships is with the Husky Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Their 3U CubeSat, HuskySat-1, is scheduled to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops Island, VA, no earlier than November 2. Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 on a mission to the International Space Station. After completing its mission at the ISS, Cygnus will continue to a higher orbit of approximately 500 km to deploy HuskySat-1. After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads, a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K band (24 GHz) communications system, the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear transponder will be made available to the amateur radio community. In addition, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, and Vice President of Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, have been hard at work identifying and working with several CubeSat groups interested in carrying this system. We hope to be able to make additional announcements soon.

The 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors election recently concluded. I congratulate the winners and look forward to working with the newly-elected board to further our vital mission to Keep Amateur Radio in Space. By the time this Journal arrives, the 2019 Board of Directors meeting and 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium will have concluded. It promises to be an exciting weekend exploring both AMSAT’s five-decade history and the work we are doing for the future.

While there will no doubt be many challenges in the future, I am confident in the organization’s ability to overcome them. We will Keep Amateur Radio in Space. I look forward to attending the AMSAT Centennial Symposium in the fall of 2069 at the age of 84. Hopefully, by then we will be discussing our plans for amateur radio on the first crewed interstellar mission.

[ANS thanks Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information]

W3ZM – 50 States in Our 50th Year

In 1969, a group of amateur radio operators, with dreams of space, formed the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). To commemorate this golden milestone, AMSAT decided what better way to celebrate 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space, then to get AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign to operate from all 50 states and the District of Columbia as a leadup to the 2019 AMSAT 50th Anniversary Space Symposium and General Meeting, to be held in Arlington, VA, October 18 – 20, 2019.

AMSAT put out a call to its members to get on the air and activate their states, using AMSAT’s W3ZM call sign, as well as to cover those states without an active AMSAT operator. Activations of United States Territories (i.e. Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) were also encouraged.

Puerto Rico kicked it off on June 20th and was first on the air, and then, one by one, the U.S.A. map started filling in. Members, some without their family’s knowledge, brought satellite gear with them on vacation to help fill in the harder ones.

By the start of October, three weeks before Symposium, 47 states and Puerto Rico were in the log. West Virginia came in October 2nd, Maryland and Delaware on October 6th, and finally Washington, D.C., the birthplace of AMSAT, on October 10th. Coincidently, Washington C. was activated outside of the apartment building where one of the first meetings to form the organization was held.

To say the response was overwhelming would be an understatement and proved why AMSAT’s greatest strength comes from its members. To all of the W3ZM/p activators and participants, AMSAT THANKS YOU. You made this a fun and exciting celebration of AMSAT’s 50th Anniversary of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space!

[ANS thanks Vice President for User Services Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information]

The digital download version of the 2019 edition of
Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as
a DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store.  Get yours today!
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started

ITU Magazine Reports on IARU Agenda Items for WRC-19

David Sumner, K1ZZ, Secretary, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) authored an article in the special WRC-19 issue of #ITU News magazine,”Views of the International Amateur Radio Union on WRC-19 agenda items“.

Among many overall IARU objectives for WRC-19 one directly affects amateur satellite operation:

Agenda item 1.7 – spectrum for non-GSO satellites

  • The IARU supports satisfying the spectrum requirements for non.GSO satellites with short duration missions within the existing allocations for the space operation service or the frequency ranges identified in invites ITU.R 3 of Resolution 659 (WRC.15), unless the satellites are amateur satellites as defined in Radio Regulations (RR) Nos. 1.56 and 1.57. The band 144-146 MHz is especially important to amateurs as it is currently the only worldwide primary amateur and amateur-satellite allocation between 29.7 MHz and 24 GHz. It is heavily used in all three Regions for all forms of amateur communications including disaster response.

Sumner’s article begins on page 72 of the magazine which can be accessed as a 20 MB PDF file at: https://t.co/acLwy4W5Jo?amp=1

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information]

Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

Upcoming Satellite Operations

[Ed. note – Twitter URLs can be accessed with your web browser even if you do not have a personal Twitter account.]

Satellite Shorts:

  • EM25,EM35 – WI4T – Oct 15 & 16, holiday style
  • DN04 – KI7UNJ – Oct 21, 1653z to 1910z, FM only
  • Central California (CM95, CM96, DM05, DM06) – October 19, 2019
    David AD7DB will re-visit the four grids near Kettleman City CA. AO-91, AO-92, SO-50 will be used, with eastern passes a priority. Maybe PO-101 if it’s on, and AO-85 if it’s not too finicky. Contacts will be put on LOTW following the trip. Updates on Twitter https://twitter.com/ad7db
  • Hawaii (BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019
    Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a holiday-style activation, with special emphasis on the grid that got away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org

[ANS Thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, for the above information]

The Fox-In-A-Box Raspberry Pi SD card for setting up a Raspberry Pi-based
telemetry station for the Fox-1 satellites now supports the Raspberry Pi4.
Get yours today on the AMSAT Store!
https://amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/

Satellite Shorts From All Over

  • Mike Diehl, W8LID, recently developed a web-based tool for easy generation of new lines for SatPC32’s Doppler.sqf file.
    AMSAT is pleased to host this new tool on our website at https://www.amsat.org/doppler-sqf-line-generator/
  • NASA has announced that the Orbital CRS-12 mission is now scheduled for launch from Wallops Island, VA no earlier than November 2nd. HuskySat-1, carrying an AMSAT V/u linear transponder, will launch on this mission.
  • Happy 4th Birthday AO-85!
    At 12:49:30 UTC on October 8, 2015, the first Fox-1 satellite, Fox-1A was launched on an Atlas V rocket with the NROL-55 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Designated AO-85 on-orbit, the satellite remains operational while in sunlight despite battery degradation due to the temperatures experienced in its orbit.
  • A new distance record has been claimed on the IO-86 FM transponder: 5,324 km between PU4JOE in GH91ad and 9G5AR in IJ95vn.
  • SDRPlay has announced an easy setup for using an SDRPlay with GNU Radio on Windows. https://t.co/RxDDzcBu8f
  • Space Daily has an article about Virgin Orbit.
    Virgin Orbit will carry RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E on its LauncherOne vehicle. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-286-SD 
  • Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA, announced a minor update to his KLATrack satellite tracking program. The update improves rendering of the display. KLA Track can be downloaded at https://www.g0kla.com/klatrack/index.php
  • The Dutch Amateur Radio Union awarded their first Worked Dutch Kingdom Certificate for satellite QSOs on October 10th to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. This certificate is available for making QSOs with each of the six DXCC entities within the Dutch Kingdom. For more information, see https://www.daru.nu/index.php/nl/awards
  • At least two new operators achieved Satellite WAS this past week. K5IX and KB6LTY each worked W3ZM/3 in Delaware on Oct 6 for state #50.[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

 

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President’s Club. Members of the President’s Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT office.

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 six post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information.

73,
This week’s ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

 

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Awards Generous Grant to ARISS

by

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the Next Generation radio system. ARDC is  the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June of 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio, and digital communications in general.

The ARISS Next Generation radio system (or Inter Operable Radio System – IORS) will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including:

  • New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities.
  • Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS.
  • New multi-voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted.

In July, the Inter Operable Radio System successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station. Final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch is now underway and ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year.

For more information on the award please see: https://www.ampr.org/g2019-09-01a/

To contribute to ARISS and the IORS please see: https://www.ariss.org/donate.html

ARISS and AMSAT thank ARDC for their generosity in supporting this important project.

[ANS thanks ARISS, the AMSAT office, and ARDC for the above information.]

IORS testing
IORS testing at Johnson Space Center (L to R) Lou McFadin and Kerry Banke