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In this edition:

• 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
• Field Day Submissions Now Due
• Grace Papay, K8LG Named 2024 WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year
• AMSAT TLE Dissemination Updates
• Updating Keps in SatPC32 – An Update from DK1TB
• NASA Discovers Strange Spectral Formations Cover LEO Orbits
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 12, 2024
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• AMSAT Ambassador Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

ANS-196 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2024 JUL 14

2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election

The nomination period for the 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election ended on June 15th. The following candidates have been duly nominated:

• Mark Hammond, N8MH
• Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
• Bruce Paige, KK5DO
• Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
• Douglas Tabor, N6UA

As three seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, the three candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected to the seats. The two candidates receiving the next largest number of votes shall be declared First Alternate and Second Alternate, respectively.

The voting process will be conducted via AMSAT’s Wild Apricot membership system and will commence on July 15th. Instructions for voting will be emailed to all members in good standing as of July 1st by July 15th.

The voting period shall conclude on September 15th and results will be announced not later than September 30th.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information.]

Field Day Submissions Now Due

Field Day is behind us and it is time to tally your contacts and submit the for AMSAT Field Day.

The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by Bruce Paige, KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 23, 2024. This year, Bruce is using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected]. Bruce reports that he has not had a mail-in entry in a very long time.

If you need to download a summary sheet, it can be found at https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ or directly from his website https://www.amsatnet.com/2024fd.docx.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, for the above information]

The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

Grace Papay, K8LG Named 2024 WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year

Grace Papay, K8LG, of Holland, Michigan, has been selected as the 2024 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year. Grace, 18, is the daughter of Doug Papay, K8DP, and Carrie Papay K8CLP.

Grace earned her Technician license in March 2021 and within a year achieved her Extra Class license, passing the test in March 2022.

She is a recent honors graduate of Holland Christian High School in her hometown, where she earned a varsity letter in the Unified Sports program.

Grace credited her father and her grandfather, John Papay, K8YSE, a well-known operator in the ham radio satellite community, for drawing her into the hobby.

“I got involved in amateur radio satellites,” Grace recalls. “I got on the air. And now it has turned into something from honoring my grandfather to a hobby I’m on every day and I love.” With support from her grandfather and father, she earned the DX Century Club certificate for contacts exclusively using satellites.

Grace attended Youth on the Air camps in Cincinnati in 2022 and Ottawa in 2023, where she says she was exposed to a variety of other amateur radio activities including balloon launches, slow-scan television and radio contesting.

She was part of the K3LR IOTA Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure in 2023 and was a team member for the J62K St. Lucia DX contest operation in 2024. Grace is active on the HF bands and operates in the ARRL and CQ DX SSB and CW contests, ARRL Sweepstakes and CQ WPX, as well as Youth on the Air events.

For the past few years, Grace has been a regular presenter at the Youth Forum at Dayton Hamvention. She delivered a presentation on youth in contesting at the Contest University Forum at Dayton this year and assisted at the YOTA and AMSAT booths.

She is an active member of the Holland Amateur Radio Club, Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Association, West Chester Amateur Radio Association and the American Radio Relay League.
Grace received the Radio Club of America’s Young Achievers Award in 2023. She had an article on the “Next Generation of Contesters” published in the National Contest Journal (Nov/Dec 2023). A story she co-wrote on YOTA Camp 2022 appeared in the August 2022 edition of CQ magazine.

Grace will be attending Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio this fall, where she will study electrical engineering. She says amateur radio played a major role in her choice of a major.

The YHOTY award will be presented to Grace during a ceremony at the Huntsville Hamfest on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Amateur Radio Newsline and Yaesu USA are primary sponsors of the award, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company.

The Young Ham of the Year Award was inaugurated by William Pasternak, WA6ITF, in 1986. Upon his passing in 2015, Bill’s name was added to the award as a memorial to his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of young people to the Amateur Radio Service.

[ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information.]

AMSAT TLE Dissemination Updates

AMSAT with help from its partner New England Sci-Tech prepares a bulletin of orbital elements during the first hour of the UTC day, and posts it to https://www.amsat.org/tle/daily-bulletin.txt as well as “bare” elements without the bulletin header and footer at https://www.amsat.org/tle/dailytle.txt. Other files and URLs with “nasa” and “ftp” in the URL are still maintained to support older software, but suggest organizations protocols that are no longer involved in TLE dissemination. Use of older filenames and URLs is deprecated and AMSAT does not promise to maintain them in perpetuity.

End users and software developers are encouraged to use the URLs above going forward. The files are available via HTTPS (preferred) as well as unencrypted HTTP for legacy software.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager/IT Team for the above information.]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase 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/

Updating Keps in SatPC32 – An Update from DK1TB

Erich Eichmann, DK1TB, SatPC32 author offers this update:

“The SatPC32 Update Keps feature doesn’t work with https links for TLE files. That would require changes of the source code and maybe requires a new Delphi version for me. I will care about that but that will at least take time and at present I don’t have much time for the hobby.

“But all https websites can be accessed also with http. They are not “secure” sites but that is meaningless with websites that contain Keps. Therefore use http in the aux. file Celestrak.SQF for AMSAT and Celestrak TLE (Two Line Elements) files, as described by Charlie, AJ9N, see below. With that modification the Download Keps function works.

“Also, the https links can be accessed with your browser, of course. Enter the links into the address line of the browser. So, you can download the Keps and save them in the SatPC32 data folder ‘Kepler’ (see path to that folder in the footline of menu ‘Satellites’).

“By the way – Meanwhile my website supports also SSL. You can access it with https://www.dk1tb.de and https://www.dk1tb-2.de.

“Also, SatPC32 supports now, besides TLE files, the new formats for Keps files XML, KVN and CSV. Celestrak publishes the Keps files also in these formats. The SatPC32 UpdateKeps feature works with these files also when downloaded from https sites (I don’t know why that is different versus the TLE files). Therefore you can use https in Celestrack SQF with these files such as https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=amateur&FORMAT=xml.”

[ANS thanks Erich Eichmann for the above information.]

NASA Discovers Strange Spectral Formations Cover LEO Orbits

NASA scientists have spotted unusual shapes in the Earth’s ionosphere, hundreds of miles above the Earth’s surface.

The ionosphere stretches from 50 to 400 miles above the planet and marks the boundary between our planet’s atmosphere and outer space. While it houses most satellites orbiting the Earth, it’s vulnerable to changes in space weather — electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun — that can wreak havoc in the zone and mess with communications equipment.

Under some conditions, the layer can become electrically charged. As detected by the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) imaging instrument, plasma bands stretching across the ionosphere can result in formations of unusual X and C shapes.

It’s a baffling “alphabet soup,” as NASA termed the findings in a news release, that could shed light on how space weather can influence our planet’s upper atmosphere and “interfere with radio and GPS signals.”

Charged particles can create dense bands or “crests” around the Earth’s magnetic equator, while low density pockets caused by the setting Sun can result in “low-density pockets” called ‘bubbles,” according to NASA.

Scientists believe that larger disturbances such as solar storms or even massive volcanic eruptions can cause multiple crests to merge and form an “X” shape, as previous GOLD observations have shown.

But now, scientists have spotted these same shapes without any such occasion, during what scientists call “quiet time.”

“Earlier reports of merging were only during geomagnetically disturbed conditions — it is an unexpected feature during geomagnetic quiet conditions,” said University of Colorado research associate Fazlul Laskar, who lead-authored a paper on the discovery earlier this year, in a NASA statement.

Scientists are now wondering if something else could be causing these X shapes to appear.

“The X is odd because it implies that there are far more localized driving factors,” said NASA scientist and ionosphere expert Jeffrey Klenzing. “This is expected during the extreme events, but seeing it during ‘quiet time’ suggests that the lower atmosphere activity is significantly driving the ionospheric structure.”

Apart from X shapes, some bubbles in the ionosphere can also curve into C shapes, which new observations show can appear in close proximity to each other.
In short, there’s a lot still to learn about our planet’s magnetically charged, protective shell.

“The fact that we have very different shapes of bubbles this close together tells us that the dynamics of the atmosphere is more complex than we expected,” Klenzing added.

Read the complete article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-196-IONOSPHERE.

[ANS thanks nasa.gov for the above information.]

Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?

Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space

https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 12, 2024

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Upcoming Contacts
Hokusetsu District Osaka Council Scout Association of Japan, Toyonaka, Japan, direct via JJ3YDM.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barrat,t KD5MIJ.
The ARISS mentor is Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ.
Contact is go for July 18, 2024 at 08:23:52 UTC.

Completed Contacts
Houjoudu Elementary School, Imizu, Japan, direct via JA9YQJ.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The crewmember was Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ.
The ARISS mentor was Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ.
Contact was successful on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 10:48:03 UTC.

Youth On the Air 2024, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada, Telebridge via ZS6JON.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Jeanette Epps. KF5QNU.
The ARISS mentor was Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ.
Contact was successful on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 15:06:38 UTC.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

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

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operation listed at this time.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, for the above information.]

AMSAT Ambassador Events

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

July 13, 2024
Firecracker Hamfest
Salisbury, NC
N7GZT

July 20, 2024
“Moon Day” Frontiers of Flight Museum
Love Field in Dallas, Texas
AMSAT volunteers needed! Contact tschuessler(at) amsat.org for more information.

July 20, 2024
WCARS Hamfest 2024
Waynesville, NC
N4HF

August 3, 2024
2024 KARS / ARRL Idaho State Convention
Post Falls, ID
K7SYS

August 17-18, 2024
Huntsville Hamfest
Huntsville, AL
AMSAT Booth and Forum
N8DEU

August 23-25
2024 Northeast HamXposition and
ARRL New England Division Convention
Marlborough, MA
WD4ASW and W1EME

September 7, 2024
Greater Louisville Hamfest
Shepherdsville, KY
AMSAT Forum and Information Table
W4FCL

October 5, 2024
North Star Radio Convention
Hennepin Technical College (North Campus)
Brooklyn Park, MN.
AMSAT Forum and Information Table
KØJM and ADØHJ

October 25-27, 2004
AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
Double Tree Rocky Point Waterfront Hotel
Tampa Bay, FL

November 2-3, 2024
Stone Mountain Hamfest, ARRL State Convention
Stone Mountain, GA
K4RGK

[ANS thanks the Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

• Congratulations are in order for Frank Hoonhout, KJ7DZ, for his impressive accomplishment in earning GridMaster Award #66! This esteemed recognition, initiated by Star Comm Group in 2014 and backed by Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, has now been entrusted to AMSAT for the benefit of the entire amateur satellite community. The GridMaster Award celebrates radio amateurs worldwide who achieve two-way communication via amateur satellite with operators in all 488 Maidenhead grids across the contiguous United States of America. For more details on this distinguished award, visit the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/. Frank, your achievement is truly commendable — well done! [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information.]
  
• Tom Schuessler is still looking for a few volunteers from the DFW area to assist with the “Moon Day event at the Frontiers of Flight Museum on Saturday, July 20. This is a general public STEAM day with seminars, activities and exhibitors relating to space exploration and astronomy. He will have the CubeSat Simulator, Fox engineering model, explanation of satellite orbits and if available in the time frame, outdoor satellite passes worked. Volunteers get free admission and lunch and a break area. Tom needs to know by probably middle of next week. Drop Tom an email at tschuessler [at] amsat [dot]org. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
  
• Satellite enthusiast David Beumer, WØDHB, became a Silent Key on June 2 after a long battle with a form of Muscular Dystrophy. A ham since his days at Haverford Senior High School in Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1969, he was chief engineer of the high school radio station, WHHS. He furthered his education at Stevens Institute of Technology and graduated in 1973 with his degree in Electrical Engineering. Dave started his career in Boston and later moved to San Diego, Calif., where he met Patty. Married in 1980, they moved to the Bay Area in 1984. From there they moved on to Colorado in 1989 for Dave’s job. Dave was employed by Markrevel, Calma, Daisy, Dazix, and VeryBest during his career. He was active on the linear birds and authored the software, FlexSatPC, which is used by many Flex Radio operators for satellite work. [ANS thanks the Beumer family 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 [dot] org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

In this edition:

• AMSAT Mail Alias Service to End August 1, 2024
• 2024 AMSAT Field Day Announcement
• GOLF Program Updates from Hamvention Forum
• AMSAT Ambassador Program Growing
• Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for June 7, 2024
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

ANS-161 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2024 JUN 09

AMSAT Mail Alias Service to End August 1, 2024

A long standing member service, the AMSAT Mail Alias Service is scheduled to end on August 1, 2024. A mail alias on AMSAT.ORG permitted people to send an email to members without knowing their actual internet email address. They just needed to know their amateur radio callsign.

Unfortunately, the unchecked rise in domain name hacking and email account high-jacking has made it impossible to sustain this service at a cost-effective level. The number of [email protected] email accounts that had been hijacked and converted to zombie spam account over the years had led many internet service providers and gateway centers to ban all @amsat.org email addresses, including those business accounts of AMSAT officers and officials. The tireless efforts of AMSAT’s all volunteer IT staff has worked for years to repair much of the damage, but AMSAT still get complaints from members who are not getting their personal emails, ANS bulletins or AMSAT-BB posts because of persistent delivery problems.

It has come to the point where the AMSAT volunteer IT staff can no longer keep up with the maintenance requirements to keep the alias mail list clean and to work with email gateways to remove blocks. And, after considerable investigation into alternative paid email services, AMSAT leadership decided that the money required to keep an email alias system alive would be better spent on building and flying satellites for its members.

Persons using the Mail Alias Service should begin to migrate to different email accounts so they do not lose receipt of personal emails, AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins, AMSAT-BB posts, or official messages from AMSAT itself. Members are especially asked to make sure they are NOT using a [email protected] as their registered email address in the AMSAT membership portal. Members can easily change their registered member email address by logging into the portal and updating their profile.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

2024 AMSAT Field Day Announcement

It’s that time of year again; summer and Field Day! Each year the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors Field Day as a “picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!” The event takes place during a 23-hour period on the fourth weekend of June. For 2024 the event takes place during a 27-hour period from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 22, 2024 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 23, 2024. Those who set up prior to 1800 UTC on June 24 can operate only 24 hours. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites, held concurrently with the ARRL event.

This year should be as easy as last year since we have more than 10 transponders and repeaters available. Users should check the AMSAT status page at http://www.amsat.org/status/ and the pages at https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ for what is available in the weeks leading up to field day. To reduce the amount of time to research each satellite, see the current FM satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ and the current linear satellite table at https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/

If you are considering ONLY the FM voice satellites, there are ISS, SO-50, AO-91, PO-101 and possibly LilacSat. It might be easier this year to make that one FM contact for the ARRL bonus points with so many FM birds. The congestion on FM LEO satellites is always so intense that we must continue to limit their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice.

It was suggested during past field days that a control station be allowed to coordinate contacts on the FM satellites. There is nothing in the rules that would prohibit this. This is nothing more than a single station working multiple QSO’s. If a station were to act as a control station and give QSO’s to every other field day station, the control station would still only be allowed to turn in one QSO per FM satellite while the other station would be able to submit one QSO.

The format for the message exchange on the ISS or other digital packet satellite is an unproto packet to the other station (3-way exchange required) with all the same information as normally exchanged for ARRL Field Day, e.g.:
W6NWG de KK5DO 2A STX
KK5DO de W6NWG QSL 5A SDG
W6NWG de KK5DO QSL

If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on some of the less-populated, low-earth-orbit satellites like RS-44, AO-7, or the TEVEL family. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a contest weekend. The good news is that the transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous contacts. The bad news is that you can’t use FM, just low duty-cycle modes like SSB and CW.

THE 2024 AMSAT FIELD DAY RULES

The AMSAT Field Day 2024 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital. Note that no points will be credited for any contacts beyond the ONE allowed via each single-channel FM satellite. Operators are encouraged not to make any extra contacts via theses satellites (Ex: SO-50). CW contacts and digital contacts are worth three points as outlined below.

1. Analog Transponders

ARRL rules apply, except:

• Each phone, CW, and digital segment ON EACH SATELLITE TRANSPONDER is considered to be a separate band.
• CW and digital (FT-4, RTTY, PSK-31, etc.) contacts count THREE points each.
• Stations may only count one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite. If a satellite has multiple modes such as V/u and L/s modes both turned on, one contact each is allowed. If the both ISS stations are operational, one QSO on each mode (1 phone and 1 digital), Contacts with the ISS crew will count for one contact if they are active. Greencube (1 digital).
• The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single satellite transponder is prohibited.

1. Digital Transponders

Satellite digipeat QSO’s and APRS short-message contacts are worth three points each, but must be complete verified two-way exchanges. The one contact per FM satellite is not applied to digital transponders.

The use of terrestrial gateway stations or internet gateways (i.e. EchoLink, IRLP, etc.) to uplink/downlink is not allowed.

For ‘Store and Forward’ hamsats, each satellite is considered a separate band. Do not post “CQ” messages. Simply upload ONE greeting message to each satellite and download as many greeting messages as possible from each satellite. The subject of the uploaded file should be posted as Field Day Greetings, addressed to ALL. The purpose of this portion of the competition is to demonstrate digital satellite communications to other Field Day participants and observers. Do not reply to the Field Day Greetings addressed to ALL.

The following uploads and downloads count as three-point digital contacts.

(a) Upload of a satellite Field Day Greetings file (one per satellite).

(b) Download of Satellite Field Day Greetings files posted by other stations. Downloads of non-Field Day files or messages not addressed to ALL are not to be counted for the event. Save DIR listings and message files for later “proof of contact.”

You may make contacts with GreenCube, IO-117, and each one will count as 3 points as do other digital contacts.

Please note AMSAT uploaded messages do not count for QSO points under the ARRL rules.

Sample Satellite Field Day Greetings File:

KK5DO FD EL29 class 2A 20 participants

Note that the message stated the call, operating class, where they were located (the grid square) and how many operators were in attendance.

3. Operating Class

Stations operating portable and using emergency power (as per ARRL Field Day rules) are in a separate operating class from those at home connected to commercial power. On the report form simply check off Emergency or Commercial for the Power Source and be sure to specify your ARRL operating class (2A, 1C, etc.).

AND FINALLY…

The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 23, 2024. This year, we are using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected]. I have not had a mail-in entry in a very long time.

Add photographs or other interesting information that can be used in an article for the Journal.

You will receive an e-mail back (within one or two days) from me when I receive your e-mail submission. If you do not receive a confirmation message, then I have not received your submission. Try sending it again or send it to my other e-mail address.

Certificates will be awarded for the first-place emergency power/portable station at the AMSAT General Meeting and Space Symposium in the fall of 2024. Certificates will also be awarded to the second and third place portable/emergency operation in addition to the first-place home station running on emergency power. A station submitting high, award-winning scores will be requested to send in dupe sheets for analog contacts and message listings for digital downloads.

You may have multiple rig difficulties, antenna failures, computer glitches, generator disasters, tropical storms, and there may even be satellite problems, but the goal is to test your ability to operate in an emergency situation. Try different gear. Demonstrate satellite operations to hams that don’t even know the HAMSATS exist. Test your equipment. Avoid making more than ONE contact via the FM-only voice HAMSATS or the ISS, and enjoy the event!

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, AMSAT Board Member 2016-2024 for the above information.]

GOLF Program Updates from Hamvention Forum

For those who missed the AMSAT Forum at the 2024 Hamvention, here is an excerpt from the engineering update presented by Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering about the exciting GOLF program.

Some main events happening with the GOLF program. Golf is the acronym for Greater Orbit Larger Footprint. The program is a series of satellites for flight testing and qualifications. We will be looking at testing various devices and systems that we will need as we move to HEO. Each one carries an amateur radio payload that will continue once the main testing mission is complete.

We are looking to increase orbital heights but that is getting more difficult due to the orbital debris rules. Something that we have to harness before we get out of LEO is the ability to make accurate maneuvers and collision avoidance because there is a lot of traffic up there now and hopefully, we will be able to get beyond that and ultimately our perigee is still about 2,000 kilometers that exempt us from the orbital debris rules. But the fact that we can maneuver give us the opportunity not only for deorbiting when we need to but to raise or lower our orbit to a degree so we can have a longer mission.

Speaking of longer missions, survivability is a big thing especially as we get into the Van Allen radiation belt and such. As you get further away from LEO, there is a lot more radiation bombarding you so the idea of radiation tolerance for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts or in some cases when we do a HEO or a GTO we may want to use some radiation hardened parts so we get the best life out of it. So, what we’re looking at is the lowest cost versus performance. It’s a trade balance so we can keep as many satellites in space as we can successfully and return to HEO.

In order to do this, we’re going to master some satellite operations necessary for higher orbit. This doesn’t include engineering. It includes operations who will be controlling the satellites. They will need a good understanding of what the satellites will do and have good instructions to know how to control them.

Some of the main things we need for going higher are:

Power generation. We’re going to need more gain on your power amplifiers, for example to help overcome the link budget. SDR’s can get busy and require a bit of power. There are other systems that we will want to keep running as well as experiments. Power is a premium thing that we need, that is getting power generated by the sun.

Attitude detection and control systems. ADCS something that is vital to control the satellite to point for the best sun or to maneuver. We have to be pointed very precisely if we are going to fire any thrusters. And, we need to point our microwave antennas back toward earth.

Radiation tolerance is essential to survival. In the older satellites there weren’t so many chips, the IC’s if you will, so the analog parts, the carbon resistors and such were much hardier in the radiation belt.

Microwaves – We’re going to be moving into the microwaves. 10 GHz is the ultimate downlink band. There’s a lot of bandwidth up there with 10 GHz, X-Band for downlink and 5 GHz, the C-Band for uplink.

We are also adding 2.4 GHz, S-Band uplink because that is shared with Europe and QO-100.

Thrust and propulsion will be the icing on the cake.

We have to master all of this to be responsible spacefarers.

GOLF-TEE Mission
We have Golf-Tee which stands for Technology Exploration Environment. Key features of it are:

It has deployable solar panels that we are developing inhouse. These address the need for more power.

We have secured CubeSpace ADCS, that we will use for the Attitude Detection and Control System. We were working earlier with a startup that would have given us the opportunity to fly cheaper and be part of the development but that did not come to fruition. We looked at a long list of possible ADCS systems and decided that CubeSpace would be suitable for our GOLF-TEE, GOLF-ONE and possible beyond.

We have the RT-IHU, Radiation Tolerant Internal Housekeeping Unit, which was developed as an ASCENT project using COTS, commercial-off-the-shelf, parts intended to reduce the number of upsets that cause the IHU to “latch-up” and have to re-boot. We’re going to compare that to the IHU we had on the legacy LTM, linear transponder module, used in the FOX satellites to see if, with the South Atlantic anomaly problem, if we are doing any better with resets on each of those IHU systems.

For the 10 GHz X-Band we’re going to have an experimental microwave high speed data downlink which is tricky at LEO, but as we get higher at HEO there is a lot of data we will want to download, not to mention that from experiments. It also gives us an opportunity to possibly use it as a transponder where we would pick off the downlink from the V/U transponder and send it down on 10 GHz as an entryway for people to try working with the microwave bands.

For the GOLF-Tee mission, we are looking at a 500-550 km LEO orbit, accessible through a CSLI/ELaNa launch. Its purpose is to test and qualify new technologies. It will carry the Vanderbilt/ISDE Low Energy Proton Experiment that we have flown before. This will help provide a comparison of what the environment is like with the IHU, RT-IHU and L-IHU units.

We should have a good radio footprint at 550 km. It’s orbital debris regulation “friendly” because it will decay rather rapidly with the current sunspot cycle. We’ll see how that goes because when we go will make a difference.

GOLF-1 Mission
The goals for GOLF-1 are the same as GOLF-TEE that are, hopefully, developed quite well. In the meantime, though, if there are things with the construction or during the on-orbit phases, then hopefully we will have time to make adjustments to improve on things. That’s always the way you want to go with a series of similar satellites.

This will be a typical mission versus the technology mission that GOLF-TEE is. We will carry STEM, educational based experiments. We have a high school in the San Diego area that wants to fly a camera for earth weather views. We’ll fly the Vanderbilt/ISDE Student Radiation Experiment again because there are a lot of students who like to put those together and write papers.

We’ll expand the microwave/SDR experimentation. We’ll open up the Five and Dime – that’s the 5 GHz uplink to 10 GHz downlink. Of course, at LEO it is tricky at best. Nonetheless, it will be there for experimentation with GOLF-1.

The S-Band/X-Band transponder – 2.4 GHz uplink and 10 GHz downlink (a la QO-100) – will be available.

And, we have a L-Band 1.2 GHz uplink possibility. We aren’t certain what that will be used for, perhaps commands. It’s not a worldwide band so depending on resources, we’ll probably concentrate primarily on the other bands.

Again, we’ll have a standard V/U transponder operation. However, it will be the SDR, not the LTM so it gives us the opportunity to make the transponder a variety of things such as an FM repeater or a linear transponder.

Readiness Dates
The target Readiness Date for GOLF-TEE is December 1, 2025. The Readiness Date indicates to NASA that we are ready to hand it over for integration. Integration is the activity when the satellite is put into the dispenser that then goes to the rocket. NASA holds off basically until our CDR, or Comprehensive Design Review, which will be March 2025 and looking at that readiness date in order to judge when to find a good launch for us.

The integration is typically 45 days prior to launch therefore we would not see a launch until early 2026. But it could happen that fast as they have been pretty good at lining up some launches.

For GOLF-1 the Readiness Date would be a year later, December 27, 2026. Again, we want to look at everything we can learn from GOLF-Tee and put it into GOLF-1 and make it better.

GOLF-2 and Beyond
From GOLF-2 and beyond the push for opportunities, and I say it is a good push, opportunities for higher than LEO are going to require specialized systems. We know that and is why GOLF-2 will be testing more of these systems.

The deorbit devices are just coming to commercial availability in CubeSats which is very good. They were not available until just recently. We saw at the CDW, CubeSat Developers Workshop quite a few companies with some items coming out that are helpful to us. We have a team looking at thrusters and propulsion in the ASCENT group, ASCENT meaning Advanced Satellite Communications and Exploration of New Technology.

These things can be mastered, I like to use that word, developed and mastered in LEO. We’ll be careful about what we fly so it will be a successful mission as we go for those higher and more expensive orbits.

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering for the above information.]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase 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 Ambassador Program Growing

A long standing service of AMSAT has been its Ambassador program designed to bring the excitement and passion to amateur radio operators through local hamfest, conventions and club meetings. One time referred to as Field Reps and at other times Local Area Coordinators, the tradition lives on, now in its recently revitalized format. Current Ambassadors have the opportunity to show off new apparel options, name badges and booth signage and display materials.

Bo Lowry, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program has been tracking down previous members of the team while recruiting new members. As of this writing, the team has grown to 21 members since Hamvention 2024. Current team members include:

Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ, Jackson, MN
Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Keller, TX
Keith Baker, KB1SF, Port Huron, MI
Clint Bradford, K6LCS, Jurupa Valley, CA
Chris Brown, NY9X, Gurnee, IL
Alex Cotner, KJ6YPG, Sanger, CA
Tim Cunningham, N8DEU, Huntsville, AL
Bob Davidheiser, W5RBD, La Feria, TX
Jim DeLoach, WU0I, Sunnyvale, CA
Phillip Jenkins, N4HF, Fairaview, NC
Mark Johns, K0JM, Minneapolis, MN
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, Tucson, AZ
Pat Kilroy, N8PK, Sykesville, MD
Frank Kostelac, N7ZEV, Las Vegas, NV
Bo Lowry, W4FCL, Louisville, KY
Chad Phillips, KG0MW, Platte, SD
Bill Rafus, KD4FRB, Weston, FL
Don Rhodes, KB2YSI, Hamilton, NY
Jim Schings, AI4SR, Lexington, KY
Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, Irving, TX
Daryl Young, K4RGK, Roswell, GA

Also, check the Upcoming Events section later in this bulletin for upcoming events that will be attended by Ambassadors.

If you are a veteran member of the team and would like to get active again, or if you would like to inquire about joining the AMSAT Ambassadors for the first time, you are encouraged to contact Bo at blowrey [at] amsat [dot]org. Or, visit https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/ for more information.

[ANS thanks Bo Lowry, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.]

Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!

25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space

https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for June 7, 2024

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

BeeSat 9 NORAD Cat ID 44412 Decayed from orbit on or about 04 June 2024

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

• Completed Contacts
  Agrupamento de Escolas Dr. Serafim Leite, Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal, direct via CS2ASL
  The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
  The crewmember was Matthew Dominick, KC0TOR.
  The ARISS mentor was Marcelo Teruel, IK0USO
  Contact was successful on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

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

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operations listed.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, 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.

• July 20, 2024
  “Moon Day” Frontiers of Flight Museum
  Love Field in Dallas, Texas
  AMSAT volunteers needed! Contact tschuessler(at) amsat [dot] org for more information.
• August 17-18, 2024
  Huntsville Hamfest
  Huntsville, AL
  AMSAT Booth and Forum
  N8DEU and W4FCL
• September 7, 2024
  Greater Louisville Hamfest
  Shepherdsville, KY
  AMSAT Forum and Information Table
  W4FCL
• October 5, 2024
  Central Kentucky Hamfest
  Lexington, KY
  AMSAT and Educational Satellites Forum and Information Table
  AI4SR and W4FCL

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

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information.]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

• Warsaw University of Technology students plan to launch third satellite in 2025. The launch was originally scheduled for this year, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Students Space Association of the university’s Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering successfully put the first Polish satellite, PW-Sat, into orbit in 2012. This feat was followed in 2018 by the launch of PW-Sat2. More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-161-Warsaw. [ANS thanks tvpworld.com for the above information.]
  
• Working around multiple helium leaks and thruster problems, the crew of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft wrapped up a challenging rendezvous and a delayed-but-successful docking with the International Space Station Thursday in a major milestone for the new ship’s first piloted test flight. More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-161-Starliner. [ANS thanks spaceflightnow.com for the above information.]
  
• Virgin Galactic announced the completion of its second spaceflight of 2024 and 12th mission to date, carrying one researcher and three private astronauts. The ‘Galactic 07’ flight marks the Company’s seventh research mission with Virgin Galactic’s spaceship again serving as a suborbital lab for space-based scientific research. More information at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-161-Virgin. [ANS thanks Virgin Galactic 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 [dot] org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

In this edition:

• 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election – Call for Nominations
• Last Call for AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Tickets
• Hamvention 2024 – Here We Come!
• Wanted: Your AO-7 Experiences and Memories
• AMSAT Ambassador Program Re-Introduced at Hamvention
• AMSAT Francophone & Fédération des Clubs Radioamateurs du Québec (RAQI) Publish Preliminary Geostationary Payload Proposal
• A Few Minutes with AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 10, 2024
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

ANS-133 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2024 May 12

2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election – Call for Nominations

AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of the following three incumbent Directors expire in 2024 and will be filled by this year’s election:

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

Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be elected for one-year terms. A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee’s name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators’ names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the AMSAT Secretary:

Jeff Davis, KE9V
PO Box 11
Yorktown, IN 47396

AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the form specified by the Secretary who has elected to accept written nomination materials via postal mail or in electronic form, including email or electronic image of a paper document. Fax transmissions cannot be accepted.

Email nominations may be sent to jdavis [at] amsat [dot] org.

No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the Secretary no later than June 15th. The Secretary will verify the qualifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as petitions are received and will notify candidates whether their nominations are in order by the end of June.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information.]

Last Call for AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Tickets

The deadline for purchasing tickets for the 15th annual AMSAT/TAPR banquet is Monday, May 13th at 21:00 Z (5:00 PM EDT). Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Seating is limited to the number of meals sold by the deadline. Tickets purchased on-line will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet center.

The banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 17th at 18:30 EDT. This dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT activities during the Dayton Hamvention. This year’s banquet speaker will be Bill Reed, NX5R, AMSAT PACSAT Project Manager, who will highlight the forthcoming PACSAT digital communications payload.

The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds.

Purchase your tickets online at https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-at-hamvention/

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive VP for the above information.]

The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

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

Hamvention 2024 – Here We Come!

It’s that time of the year again with only five days to go before the festivities begin.

Starting off is the annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party that will be held at Tickets Pub & Eatery on Thursday, May 16th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT. There is no program or speaker – just good conversation. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth. Tickets has a great selection of Greek and American food and great company! Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are; no reservations required. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention. Tickets Pub & Eatery is located at 7 W. Main St, Fairborn, OH 45324.

The 15th annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 17th at 18:30 EDT. This year’s banquet speaker will be Bill Reed, NX5R, AMSAT PACSAT Project Manager, who will highlight the forthcoming PACSAT digital communications payload. Tickets must be purchased no later than Monday, May 13th 5:00 PM EDT. The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the Greene County Fairgrounds.

The AMSAT Forum will take place in Forum Room 2 on Saturday, May 18th at 1:20 PM – 2:50 PM. This will immediately follow the ARISS Forum in the same room at 12:10 PM, so get there early and see both presentations!

It’s not too late to volunteer for working the AMSAT booth. Whether you can lend a hand for a few hours or a full day, we can always use help. Contact Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Team Leader via email at w1eme [at] amsat [dot] org.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

Wanted: Your AO-7 Experiences and Memories

As we prepare to celebrate AO-7’s 50th anniversary since its launch on November 15, 1974, a small team of writers are collecting stories about the history of this record-breaking satellite, now the longest operating satellite of any type – government, military, commercial or private. Mr. Jan King, W3GEY/VK4GEY was a member of the original team of hams that were responsible for the design, build and launch of AO-7. Jan is interested in hearing how hams adapted to AO-7’s operating characteristics over the years. He is also especially interested in accounts of how AO-7 was used for operational or scientific experiments.

Jan continues to track and monitor the health of AO-7 after all these years. Jan predicts that within a few months AO-7 will enter a period of five years of continuous sunlit operation without eclipse interruptions. Already with 50 years behind it, AO-7 might continue to set new records and host more invaluable scientific studies and practical uses.

Working with Jan is Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP-Development. Amateurs with stories they wish to contribute to the project are encouraged to contact Frank via email f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org.

[ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY/VK4GEY and Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP-Development for the above information.]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase 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 Ambassador Program Re-Introduced at Hamvention

Sometimes in the past referred to as Field Operations, other times as Area Coordinators, maintaining a presence at local hamfests and at ARRL conventions has been a long standing AMSAT tradition. Now known as the AMSAT Ambassador Program, our volunteers continue this important activity, stimulating interest in amateur satellites, helping newcomers get on the air and building membership in AMSAT.

At this year’s Hamvention, AMSAT is pleased to introduce Mr. Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program. Bo has a solid background in aerospace education and public relations including serving as Director – Space Science and IT for the National Air and Space Education Institute in Louisville, KY and as a NASA / JPL Solar System Ambassador Applicant Review, Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.

Under Bo’s leadership, the Ambassador Program is being revitalized with new levels of support for volunteers. This included new display banners and presentation folders for local hamfests as well as a special callsign badge and a selection of Ambassador branded apparel. A fresh set of updated PowerPoint scripted presentations are also being made available for in-person and online club presentations.

Training will also be made available to help prepare volunteers for making the best possible presence to their audiences. Volunteers will also have access to online technology such as Microsoft Teams to collaborate with fellow Ambassador volunteers.

While in past years, AMSAT’s presence at local hamfests was largely up to volunteers in the area, Bo plans to be more pro-active in recruiting volunteers to be available for major events such as ARRL Section and Division conventions as well as at major events hosted by special interest groups such as VHF/UHF and microwave societies.

AMSAT members who are interested in more information on becoming an AMSAT Ambassador are encouraged to visit the AMSAT booth at Hamvention and meet with Bo. If you are not attending Hamvention, please contact Bo via email blowrey [at] amsat [dot] org.

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.]

AMSAT Francophone & Fédération des Clubs Radioamateurs du Québec (RAQI) Publish Preliminary Geostationary Payload Proposal

AMSAT Francophone (AMSAT-F) and Fédération des clubs radioamateurs du Québec (RAQI) are soliciting comments on their draft proposal to the European Space Agency (ESA) for an amateur geostationary payload. AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club (BATC), and AMSAT-NA, with input from the UK Microwave Group, previously submitted a proposal (https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ESA-GEO-proposal-AMSAT-UK.pdf) as has AMSAT-DL (https://amsat-dl.org/en/the-next-generation-of-a-geo-meo-amateur-radio-payload/).

These proposals have been submitted in response to an ESA call for proposals for a future amateur geostationary payload with the potential to cover Europe and at least a portion of North America.

The English version of the proposal can be found at https://site.amsat-f.org/download/119824/?tmstv=1715353379 and the French version can be found at https://site.amsat-f.org/download/119821/?tmstv=1715353379.

Comments may be submitted to groupe.travail.geo.esa [at] amsat-f [dot] org by May 24, 2024.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-F for the above information.]

Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?

Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space

https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

A Few Minutes with AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS

ANS writer Mark Blackwood, KI5AXK, was able to catch AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS in between one of his popular club presentations. As of this writing, Clint has presented his introduction to amateur satellites and the AMSAT story over 170 times.

ANS: How did you get started in amateur satellites?

CLINT: “Mark, it was about 18 years ago that I saw an AMSAT display table at a local ham convention. I initially just passed it by, mistakenly thinking a ham required 100 watts of transmit power, that expensive Yaesu rotator, and dual Yagi antennas on the roof. But, when I was told hams were “working some birds” with low power and handheld stations, well, that’s when I started to search the net for information.

“But, there’s a problem. If one Google searches “work amateur satellites”, either today or 18 years ago, up pops old information on some satellites that were easy to access, but whose service ended years before. I had a Boy Scout Scoutmaster call me about five years ago. He was disappointed and irritated. He had an assemblage of 300 Scouts, parents, and community members in an auditorium and was all set up to demonstrate satellite comms via AO-51. He searched for “work amateur satellites” and found info for it, but AO-51’s lifespan was from 2004 to 2011.

“So I preface my satellite presentations with a disclaimer: “Folks, what I am going to tell you today about, specific satellites, just might not be accurate next week. We may gain a bird, we may lose a bird. The ISS’ gear may be up and running tonight but it gets turned off when there is a spacewalk and/or when there is a mission heading towards or away from it. Stick with amsat.org, amsat-uk.org, ariss.org or work-sat.com for current information. And, get to know some of the satellites’ official social media accounts.”

ANS: Which do you enjoy more, introducing satellite ham radio to newcomers, or seasoned amateur radio folks?

CLINT: “Just recently had this discussion with ARRL Orange Section Manager Bob Turner, W6RHK. Youth is our future. And it is always exciting to speak and demo at elementary, middle, and high school campuses. But, ham clubs have varied audiences, too. And by using Zoom, I have been able to speak to clubs not only in Southern CA, but also across the US, to Canada, and to Europe. Zoom sessions enable anyone with a smartphone or home computer to attend a session – folks without transportation, those who don’t drive, those who may be ill at the time. At the end of each presentation, I ask for a show of hands, ‘Now that you’ve seen how easy this can be, is anyone thinking of going outside and maybe just listening for the FM voice repeater on the ISS for their first time?’ The satisfaction comes when a couple hands rise!”

ANS: What is the most difficult thing for people getting started?

CLINT: “Possibly the same problems I had, Mark, almost 20 years ago: mic fright and thinking I had insufficient equipment. As I walk my presentations’ attendees through the timer on the SO-50 satellite that might need to be activated, I see jaws drop. ‘Yes, you become the control operator of an orbiting satellite!’ I also tell them how tentative I was doing that my first time, “Gawd, if I mess up, SO-50’s going to crash into my Koi pond – the AMSAT handcuffs might be too tight!

I also include audio of my 2 meter contact with ISS Commander, Reid Wiseman. There I am – using a non-full-duplex HT that is turned down to 2 watts transmit power, speaking to an ISS astronaut who was about 450 miles downrange when we began. That really shows my show attendees that elaborate, expensive station setups are not mandatory! And, it demonstrates “line-of-sight!”

ANS: What do people enjoy the most about amateur satellite radio?

CLINT: “I have given my presentation 174 times. Never the same exact show to anyone as each is customized to their club or event. Using a non-cookie-cutter slide show gets folks more interested in what’s coming up. I couple step-by-step instructions with a single, large image per slide. And my mantra, ‘You do not need 100 watts – you do not need expensive equipment.’ Clubs continue to request my ‘Getting Started’ presentation and tell me afterwards that they enjoyed themselves.

“I’m still finding audiences, well, they find me, who haven’t been exposed to the easy-to-work FM voice satellites. So, getting them to know they don’t need a lot of stuff to successfully make contacts seems to turn a lot on to this aspect of our hobby.”

ANS: What types of groups or people do you usually talk to?

CLINT: “The vast majority have been individual amateur radio clubs. I spoke to an astronomy club last month – not a whole lot of hams, but we found plenty of cross interests to have a great time. I have also spoken at several ham conventions. And I was honored to orchestrate one of those contacts between a classroom of students and an astronaut aboard the ISS. These ARISS contacts are a year’s worth of preparation for a 15-minute conversation – but, oh, what a conversation!”

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador and Mark Blackwood, KI5AXK, ANS writer for the above information.]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for May 10, 2024

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

Changshagaoxin NORAD Cat ID 43669 Decayed from orbit on or about 09 May 2024

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

• Completed Contacts
  Wireless Institute of Australia/Bundaberg High School Amateur Radio Club, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, telebridge via VK6MJ
  The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
  The crewmember is Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ.
  The ARISS mentor was Shane Lynd, VK4KHZ
  Contact was successful on Saturday May 5, 2024.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

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

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operations listed.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, for the above information.]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

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

AMSAT Dinner at Tickets
Thursday, May 16, 2024
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
7 W. Main St, Fairborn, OH 45324

Dayton Hamvention 2024
Friday May 17 – Sunday May 19, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information.]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

Since April 28, 2019, the Swiss satellite net on QO-100 has been a consistent weekly event, marking its fifth anniversary on the same date in 2024. Hosted by HB9RYZ initially and later by HB9TSI from Italy, the round convenes every Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on 10489.740 MHz, typically with 5 to 10 participants, though 15 joined for the anniversary round. Led by Paul, HB9DFQ, the round maintains a familiar format: participants check in, share station updates and radio experiences, delve into topics, and bid farewell. Despite no specific celebration planned, the anniversary drew a hearty attendance. Notable moments include Roman, HB9HCF’s reports from Antarctica during the pandemic, while regular attendees like IS0/HB9SJP and supportive listeners add to the camaraderie. The inaugural round was preserved on Soundcloud by HB9WDF, encapsulating the enduring spirit of this community gathering. More information at https://www.amsat-hb.org/willkommen?b=1000278&c=ND1000105&s=03. [ANS thanks AMSAT-BB for the above information for the above information.]

In May, there are two planned attempts to establish contacts from Newfoundland using the QO-100 geostationary satellite amateur transponders, despite Newfoundland being just outside the satellite’s coverage area. With the elevation at Signal Hill in St. Johns being -0.9°, there’s optimism due to successful contacts made from Indonesia at an elevation as low as -1.3°. Gopan VO1/M0XUU (VU3HPF) will be in Newfoundland from May 8-15 for the initial attempt, while David VO1/G0MRF and Graham VO1/G3VZV will be there from May 15-19, planning to utilize various modes including SSB, CW, FT8, FT4, and DATV. Updates on their progress can be found on their respective online platforms, and additional information on making QO-100 contacts is available via a presentation by Graham G3VZV and on the AMSAT-DL forum. More information at https://amsat-uk.org/2024/05/05/newfoundland-on-qo-100/. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK, 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 [dot] 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

In this edition:

• Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
• AMSAT Thanks First Quarter 2024 President’s Club Members
• AMSAT Engineering Team Powering Up for Hamvention
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 19, 2024
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

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

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

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

ANS-112 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2024 Apr 21

Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announced on April 18, 2014 the US schools/host organizations newly selected for 2024 ARISS contacts. A total of 9 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 9 US host organizations during the July – December 2024 time period. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6-month education plan which was outlined in their proposal. These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

The schools and host organizations are:

• Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Bayou Academy, Cleveland, MS
• Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington, VA
• Greenville Junior High School, Greenville, IL
• Hillsboro Charter Academy, Purcellville, VA
• Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA
• Sally Ride Elementary School, Orlando, FL
• South Carolina Regional Workforce Advisors-Office of Statewide Workforce Development, Columbia, SC
• TEACH-NW Charter School, Springfield, OR

[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, for the above information.]

The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/

AMSAT Thanks First Quarter 2024 President’s Club Members

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP – Development happily reports, “Each year for the past four years of its re-incarnation, the AMSAT President’s Club has picked up speed and becomes a more important factor in AMSAT’s annual fund raising efforts. The first quarter of the 2024 the President’s Club is off to a great start. With our regular dedicated contributors plus many first-time members, contributions have already raised almost $16,000 in the first three months of 2024.

“So often, our members think about AMSAT’s having to raise funds for satellite hardware – the costs for electronic components, solar panels, batteries and so on. But, there are many background costs. A good example is software licenses needed for actual satellite development. The volunteer engineers can often swap licenses so they can limit the number of licenses needed. But, as they draw closer to finalizing drawings for circuit boards, spaceframes and deployable solar panels, the team can stretch software licenses only so far before work flow becomes handicapped. Some software licenses, even with the best educational or non-profit discounts, easily exceed the $1,000 mark. And, those licenses need to be renewed on an annual basis.

“The engineering team can always use more electrical and mechanical engineers to move the FOX-PLUS and GOLF programs along. But, being able to leverage the efforts of our current volunteers with enough software licenses would be a huge plus. Contributions from members of the President’s Club make a big difference in giving the engineering team the tools they need.”

To date, the generous donors members of the 2024 AMSAT President’s Club include:

• Titanium ($4,800+)
  Barry Baines, WD4ASW
  William Brown, K9LF
  
  
• Gold ($1,200+)
  Anonymous
  Burns Fisher, WB1FJ
  John Kludt, K7SYS
  Glenn Miller, AA5PK
  
  
• Silver ($600+)
  Donald Coker, KM6TRZ
  Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT
  Mark Johns, K0JM
  Joseph, Lynch,N6CL
  Bruce Paige, KK5DO
  Jason Schwarz, N4JJS
  
  
• Bronze ($300+)
  Donald Pettigrew, K9ECT
  Dave Taylor, W8AAS
  
  
• Core ($120+)
  David Batzle, N2VDY
  Robert Beatty, WB4SON
  Alan Boggs, K7IIV
  James Gallagher III, KB3SQS
  David Hartrum, WA3YDZ
  Steven Husey, KB1UOJ
  William Pesci, N4WLP
  Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
  Stefan Wagener, VE4SW
  Wayne Wagner, AG1A

Members can learn more about joining the President’s Club at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/.

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP – Development for the above information.]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase 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 Engineering Team Powering Up for Hamvention

Given hams’ inherent interest in all things technical, it’s no wonder that the Engineering table at AMSAT’s Hamvention booth is always popular. Not wanting to disappoint our members, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP- Engineering and his team are making plans for an informative and entertaining presence. No fewer than ten members of the engineering team will attending this year’s Hamvention.

Probably the most interesting exhibit will be a full-scale model of the GOLF-TEE (Technology Exploration Environment) satellite. The 3-D model printed by team member Tom Karnauskas, N0UW, gives an interesting look at the challenges that satellite designers face when trying to fit stacks of circuit boards, bundles of batteries, attitude sensing and control systems, and experimental payloads inside a 10cm x 10cm x 30cm spaceframe. The model also gives a look at the challenge of adding deployable solar panels to the exterior of the spacecraft. Given the fact that the GOLF program represents AMSAT’s return to Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), engineers will no-doubt be busy answering questions on all facets of the GOLF program.

Engineers will also be on hand to answer questions about the ongoing development of the Fox-Plus series of satellites. Recognizing the success of the original Fox series as an entry level introduction to amateur satellites, the engineers working the Fox-Plus birds are committed to improving on the original concept and setting the stage for future capabilities for these Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

For those interested in a look even further into the future, engineers working the ASCENT program will also be present. ASCENT, meaning, Advanced Satellite Communication and Exploration of New Technology, is a “sandbox” for future satellite communications and related systems to be explored and pursued for eventual flight use. A radiation-tolerant internal-housekeeping-unit (RT-IHU), software defined radio (SDR) methods, and a 10 GHz PA design ideas are some ASCENT projects that will fly on GOLF-TEE. Engineers at the table can also discuss other ASCENT projects in the works such as a slow-scan television (SSTV) payload, a packet repeater payload and propulsion systems suitable for CubeSat operation.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering Team for the above information.]

Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!

25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 19, 2024

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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

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

• Clark sat-1 NORAD Cat ID 58613 Decayed from orbit on or about 16 April 2024
• AISTechSat 3 NORAD Cat ID 44103 Decayed from orbit on or about 18 April 2024

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Successful Contacts
Mrs Ethelston’s CE Primary Academy at Axminster Community Academy Trust, Lyme Regis, United Kingdom, direct via GB4ACA.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR.
The ARISS mentor was Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD.
Contact was successful on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 10:44 UTC.

Mountain View Elementary, Marietta, GA, direct via KQ4JVI.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.
The ARISS mentor was Daryl Young, K4RGK.
Contact was successful on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 17:48 UTC.

Upcoming Contacts
American International University, Salmiya, Kuwait, direct via 9K9AIU.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barratt KD5MIJ.
The ARISS mentor is Stefan Dombrowski, ON6TI.
Contact is go for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 08:29:15 UTC.

Pleasant Knoll Middle School, Ft. Mill, SC, direct via K4YTZ.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR.
The ARISS mentor is Charles Sufanam AJ9N.
Contact is go for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 16:10:29 UTC.
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@YorkCountyAmateurRadioSociety and note that this might change.

Thrive Home School Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, direct via AFØS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.
The ARISS mentor is Gordon Scannell, KD8COJ.
Contact is go for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 17:42:36.
Watch for Livestream at http://www.hsd2.org/

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

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

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operations reported at this time.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

2024 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 23-25, 2024
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

Dayton Hamvention 2024
May 17-19, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

38th Annual Small Satellite Conference
August 3-8, 2024
Logan, UT, USA
https://smallsat.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

• The CubeSat Developers Workshop announced Dr. Puig-Suari will be the keynote speaker for the 2024 event. Dr. Puig-Suari received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. Degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University. Dr. Puig-Suari is a professor emeritus in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In 1999, Dr Puig-Suari and Prof. Bob Twiggs at Stanford developed the CubeSat standard. Dr. Puig-Suari’s team was responsible for the development of the standard CubeSat deployer (the P-POD) and has supported launches for over 130 CubeSats in the U.S. and abroad. More information on the workshop can be found at https://www.cubesatdw.org/. [ANS thanks cubesat.org for the above information.]
  
  
• AMSAT-DL has announced planning for the Bochum Space Conference 2024 to be held September 20-22, 2024. AMSAT-DL is organizing a symposium, flea market and general meeting in the radome of the Bochum Observatory. The radome will once again be dedicated to satellite and space research. AMSAT Deutschland e.V. and the Bochum Observatory are taking the positive experience of the anniversary conference in 2023 as an opportunity to inform AMSAT members and other space enthusiasts about current and future prospects for national and international space projects with a varied program. As the Radom is also the location of ESA’s education office in Germany (esero Germany), they want to make the symposium even more attractive in future and at the same time focus even more on current European space travel. More information at https://amsat-dl.org/en/bochum-space-conference-2024/. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.]
  
  
• Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner embarked on its last big road trip before its journey to the International Space Station next month. In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday morning, the capsule and its service module made the slow trek from Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rollout of the vehicle, named Calypso, is another key step towards the Crew Flight Test (CFT) of the Starliner spacecraft, the first time that it will carry astronauts to and from the ISS. The mission’s crew, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, KD5PLB, were on hand to witness the departure of their ticket to ride. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]
  
  
• A dead spacecraft the size of a truck ignites with plasma and pulverizes into dust and litter as it rips through the ionosphere and atmosphere. This is what happens to internet service satellites during re-entry. When the full mega-constellation of satellites is deployed in the 2030s, companies will do this every hour because satellite internet requires thousands of satellites to constantly be replaced. Recent research has led some physicists to believe that the space trash generated by dead and dying commercial satellites could compromise our ionosphere or magnetosphere. Unlike meteorites, which are small and only contain trace amounts of aluminum, these wrecked spacecraft are huge and consist entirely of aluminum and other exotic, highly conductive materials. And highly conductive materials can create charging effects and act as a magnetic shield. [ANS thanks Dr. Sierra Soter, writing in the Guardian, 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 [dot] 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