ANS-051 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Feb. 20

February 20, 2022 by Mark Johns

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

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

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

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

In this edition:

ARISS Europe to Perform Special Digital SSTV Experiment
Nayif-1 (EO-88) Celebrates a Fifth Birthday in Orbit!
URESAT-1 — A Chess-Playing Ham Radio Satellite
A DX-pedition to the World’s Northernmost Habitable Place!
Amateur Radio Payloads on Cubesats from Western Australia
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 17, 2022
Message to US Educators: ARISS Contact Opportunity
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-051 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Feb 20

ARISS Europe to Perform Special Digital SSTV Experiment

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is planning for a special SSTV experiment. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS) and develops and operates the amateur radio equipment on ISS.

As part of its ARISS 2.0 initiative, the ARISS International team is expanding its educational and life-long learning opportunities for youth and ham radio operators around the world. ARISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV), which is the transmission of images from ISS using amateur radio, is a very popular ARISS mode of operation. To expand ARISS SSTV capabilities, the ARISS Europe and ARISS USA teams plan to perform special SSTV Experiments using a new SSTV digital coding scheme. For the signal reception, the software “KG-STV” is required, as available on internet.

We kindly request that the amateur radio community refrain from the use of the voice repeater thin this SSTV experiment on 20th of February 2022 over Europe.

This is a unique and official ARISS experiment. We kindly request keeping the voice repeater uplink free from other voice transmissions during the experiment time period. Also note that ARISS is temporarily employing the voice repeater to expedite these experiments and make a more permanent, more expansive SSTV capability fully operational on other downlink frequencies.

The first experiment in the series will utilize ARISS approved ground stations in Europe that will transmit these digital SSTV signals. These will be available for all in the ISS footprint when SSTV transmissions occur. The first SSTV experiment is planned for 20 February 2022 between 05:10 UTC and 12:00 UTC for five ISS passes over Europe. Please be aware that this event depends on ARISS IORS radio availabilities and ISS crew support, so last-minute changes may occur.

To promote quick experimental SSTV investigations–to learn and improve–the ARISS team will employ the ISS Kenwood radio in its cross-band repeater mode. The crossband repeater operates on a downlink of 437.800 MHz. Each transmission sequence will consist of 1:40 minute transmission, followed by 1:20 minute pause and will be repeated several times within an ISS pass over Europe.

The used modulation is MSK w/o error correction. For the decoding of the 320 x 240 px image, the software KG-STV is required. The KG-STV software can be downloaded from the following link: “http://amsat-nl.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/kgstv_ISS.zip”

The ZIP file contains the KG-STV program, an installation and setup manual, some images and MP3 audio samples for your first tests as well as links for additional technical information about the KG-STV use.

The members of the ham radio community youth and the public are invited to receive and decode these special SSTV signals.

Experiment reports are welcome and should be uploaded to “[email protected]” More information will be available on the AMSAT-NL.org web page: “https://amsat-nl.org/?page_id=568”

[ANS thanks ARISS Team Member Oliver Amend, DG6BCE for the above information]

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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Nayif-1 (EO-88) Celebrates a Fifth Birthday in Orbit!

Nayif-1 (EO-88) was launched at 03:58 UTC on February 15, 2017, on a PSLV launcher from India. It was part of a world record launch as the C37 flight carried 104 spacecraft into orbit.

The transmitter was autonomously activated around 04:47 UTC and the first signals were received and decoded a few minutes later by KB6LTY and within a few hours more than 250 stations around the world had submitted telemetry reports to the Data Warehouse.

After more than 27500 orbits of the earth, the spacecraft continues to function nominally. It switches between high power telemetry when in daylight to low power telemetry and transponder when in eclipse.

The mission was developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and American University of Sharjah (AUS). The UAE’s first Nanosatellite was developed by Emirati engineering students from AUS under the supervision of a team of engineers and specialists from MBRSC within the framework of a partnership between the two entities, aiming to provide hands-on experience to engineering students on satellite manufacturing.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

URESAT-1 — A Chess-Playing Ham Radio Satellite

The Unión de Radioaficionados Españoles reports intensive work is underway to make URESAT-1 available before the end of the year. If all goes according to plan, URESAT-1 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in October 2022.

A translation of the post by Spain’s national amateur radio society URE says: URESAT-1 is based on the architecture used in the GENESIS, EASAT-2 and HADES missions but will include significant improvements, such as a 32-bit computer compared to the 8-bit computers of the previous satellites and improvements in the mechanisms of deployment of antennas and batteries.

As for its functionalities, it will have a VHF / UHF FM repeater and FSK frames, like its predecessors. This will allow voice QSOs and digipeating of AX.25 and APRS frames.

The payload is not yet defined, but it could be the same SSTV camera that flies in HADES, a thruster or some kind of experiment. Talks with universities and companies and is expected to be closed in the coming weeks.

One of the projects that is confirmed is a chess game that will allow radio amateurs to play having as an opponent the on-board computer sending FSK frames with the movements, to which the on-board computer will answer in its telemetry. Several radio amateurs are working on the project and if it is completed by the time the satellite is due to be delivered, it will be included.

The expected orbital altitude is around 525 km and the inclination will be polar, probably around 97 degrees, which would place it in the same orbital plane as its companions EASAT-2 and Hades.

URE has created a blog in WordPress where the status of the project will be reported, including details of the functionalities and technicians.

The blog can be found here https://uresat.ure.es/

[ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information]

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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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A DX-pedition to the World’s Northernmost Habitable Place!

DX-Adventure is a joint venture of Max-ON5UR and Erik-ON4ANN, and consists of 15 very enthusiastic people with all experience in participating or organizing a DX-pedition.

The first DX-Adventure project is therefore immediately ambitious: The Arctic Archipelago – Svalbard – IOTA EU026 from April 19-26, 2022, operating as JW0X and on satellite as JW100QO.

The setup is to be active with 5 stations on all HF bands in different modes (CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8-FT4). In addition, we have the ambition to be the first to activate EU026 on QO-100. Three team members take on the challenge of driving a snowmobile all the way to Kapp Linné, about 100km east of Longyearbyen.

This is the only location that allows a “line of sight” on the QO-100 satellite. In addition, Kapp Linné is also on the edge of the satellite footprint – speaking of a challenge…

Every contribution is welcome and appreciated.

Read all about the DXpedition at https://www.dx-adventure.com/en/svalbard-dx-pedition/

[ANS thanks DX-adventure.com for the above information]

Amateur Radio Payloads on Cubesats from Western Australia

Curtin University’s Space Science and Technology Centre in Perth Australia says they are planning on launching six more cubesats containing science, materials engineering, and amateur radio payloads. Their Binar-1 cubesat, which was deployed from the ISS in 2021, carried a packet radio test to
verify onboard store and forward functionality for amateur packet radio to engage local schools.

Binar-1 frequency coordination page (for reference of their previous amateur radio payload):
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=730

The entire article citing plans for six additional Binar cubesats can be accessed on-line at:
https://particle.scitech.org.au/space/was-homegrown-spacecraft-is-putting-perth-on-space-race-map/

[Thanks to scitech.org.au for the above information]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 17, 2022

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

The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution:

Hxxxx – NORAD Cat ID 51080 (Thanks to Space-Track and CelesTrak for ID.)
EASAT-2 – NORAD Cat ID 51081 (Thanks to Space-Track and CelesTrak for ID.)

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

Message to US Educators: ARISS Contact Opportunity

Call for Proposals: New Proposal Window is February 21, 2022 to March 31, 2022

February 16, 2022 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is March 31, 2022

Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at https://ariss-usa.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-usa/

An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on March 3, 2022, at 8 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2022.eventbrite.com

The Opportunity

Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.

An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.

Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.

Please direct any questions to [email protected]

(ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR Team, 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.

Recently completed:
FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences, Aachen, Germany, direct via DLØFHA with crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH, using ISS callsign NA1SS. Contact was successful: Mon 2022-02-14 11:40:36 UTC 85 deg. Congratulations to the FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences students and Matthias!

Upcoming contacts:
Erasmus-Gymnasium Denzlingen, Denzlingen, Germany AND Goethe-Gymnasium, Freiburg, Germany, Direct via DN1EME
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be DPØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH
Contact is go for: Tue 2022-02-22 10:05:11 UTC 53 deg

Sussex County Charter School for Technology, Sparta, NJ, direct via KD2YAQ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP
Contact is go for: Wed 2022-02-23 15:31:11 UTC 74 deg
Watch for Livestream at: https://youtu.be/U-gPHjI-2JY

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

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

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

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

EA4NF: March 4-6 IL07, IL17 El Hierro, Canary Islands. If you want to try the QSO, check for mutual footprints and contact Philippe in advance to be put in the NA shortlist.

AD7DB & N7JY: DM22, 2/18-2/20 at the Yuma Hamfest!

Events:

Received via Email from JoAnne, K9JKM: 4A90, MEXICO (Special Event). Members of the Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE)[Mexican Society]are celebrating their 90th anniversary during January, February and March 2022 promoting each of the 31 States and Mexico City with the following 32 different special event callsigns and 4A90FMRE:

February 15th-March 1st: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM and 4A90ZAC
March 2-16th: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see: http://fmre90.puebladx.org

Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

+ CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26-28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA

+ Hamvention 2022
May 20, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
https://www.hamvention.org

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

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AMSAT regrets to report the passing of Roy Welch, W0SL. Roy was very active on the satellites and wrote the ORBITS III tracking program. He was instrumental in placing a station in the St. Louis Science Center during the Soviet Space exhibit from mid 1992 to January of 1993. One memorable event during the exhibit was a contact between General Tom Stafford, Commander of the Apollo-Soyuz mission and the cosmonauts on board MIR. Roy is pictured at the station on the cover of the February 1993 issue of QST. (ANS thanks Mike Koenig, N0PFF, for the above information)

+ Two days after launching from Kazakhstan, a Russian Progress cargo freighter docked with the International Space Station on autopilot Thursday, Feb. 16, with a fresh delivery of food, crew supplies, experiments, and CubeSats that will be released outside the complex on a future spacewalk. Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, said the Progress MS-19 spacecraft delivered around 5,562 pounds (2,523 kilograms) of supplies to the station. The arrival of Progress MS-19 at the station marked the first docking at the orbiting outpost this year. Teams at Wallops Island, Virginia are preparing for launch of a Cygnus cargo ship Saturday, Feb. 19 on a commercial Antares rocket. If that launch occurs on time, the Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the station Monday, Feb. 21. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ SpaceX is prepared to shift testing of its Starship next-generation launch vehicle from Texas to Florida if there are extended delays in an ongoing environmental review, company founder and chief executive Elon Musk said Feb. 10. In a long-awaited, and long-delayed, update about development of Starship at the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, test site, Musk said he thought the Federal Aviation Administration would complete an environmental review and award SpaceX a launch license for Starship launches as soon as March. One potential outcome of that review, though, is to perform a more rigorous environmental impact statement (EIS) that could take months. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Astronomers have identified a Chinese rocket booster as an object on a trajectory to strike the Moon on March 4. The Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 mission launched in October 2014 on a Long March 3C rocket. This lunar mission sent a small spacecraft to the Moon as a precursor test for an eventual lunar sample return mission. The launch time and lunar trajectory are almost an exact match for the orbit of the object that will hit the Moon in March. “In a sense, this remains ‘circumstantial’ evidence,” Bill Gray, who writes the widely used Project Pluto software to track near-Earth objects, wrote. “But I would regard it as fairly convincing evidence. So I am persuaded that the object about to hit the moon on 2022 Mar 4 at 12:25 UTC is actually the Chang’e 5-T1 rocket stage.” (ANS thanks ARS Technica for the above information)

+ A company called Halibut Electronics has announced plans to produce and market a Satellite Optimized Amateur Radio (SOAR) rig. Video announcement at https://electronics.halibut.com/ (ANS thanks Halibut Electronics for the above information)

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org

ANS-044 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Feb. 13

February 13, 2022 by Mark Johns

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

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: [email protected]

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

In this edition:

AMSAT Volunteer RF and Mechanical Engineers Needed
APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (SK)
IARU Region 1 Working to Resolve Potential Amateur Interference to Satellite Navigation System
Geomagnetic Storm Dooms 40 Starlink Satellites
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-044 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Feb 13

AMSAT Volunteer RF and Mechanical Engineers Needed

AMSAT Engineering is currently recruiting RF and mechanical engineers for its FOX-Plus and GOLF satellite programs.

AMSAT is looking for an EE with RF experience for its FOX-Plus program. You will have the opportunity to design and build the RF communications subsystems for a series of low earth orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT’s educational and engineering objectives. You should have a working knowledge of analog and digital communications protocols (e.g., FM, PSK, FSK) to provide digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. Development opportunities can begin with modification of previous FOX designs and/or by starting with a blank sheet for an original design.

AMSAT is looking for Mechanical Engineers to join its FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat teams. You will have the opportunity to use your structural design and analysis skills in the development of a series of low earth orbit and highly elliptical orbit, 1U-3U CubeSats to support AMSAT’s educational and engineering objectives. Your contribution may include a) the development of the spaceframe and deployable solar panel subsystem, b) the analysis of the thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and the design of the thermal management system, c) preparation and oversight of the environmental testing procedure, and/or d) management of documentation of the CubeSats adherence to the launch provider’s and space vehicle owner’s specifications.

You will collaborate with AMSAT’s all-volunteer teams of up to 12 electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineers. Our volunteers typically spend five hours per week on their project and attend a weekly online update meeting. An Amateur Radio license and CubeSat experience is helpful but not necessary. U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency is required.

Interested persons should send an email with their resume/curriculum vitae to:

volunteer (at) amsat (dot) org.

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, VP Engineering and Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, Assistant VP Engineering for the above information.]

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Join the 2022 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered Iron-on AMSAT Logo Patch
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
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APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR (SK)

The creator of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, died on February 7. An ARRL Life Member, Bruninga was 73. According to his daughter, Bruninga succumbed to cancer and the effects of COVID-19. Bruninga had announced his cancer diagnosis in 2020. Over the years, he readily shared his broad knowledge of and experience with APRS, among other topics in the amateur radio and electronics fields.

While best known for APRS, Bruninga was also a retired US Naval Academy (USNA) senior research engineer who had an abiding interest in alternative power sources, such as solar power. In 2018, he authored Energy Choices for the Radio Amateur, published by ARRL, which explores developing changes in the area of power and energy, and examines the choices radio amateurs and others can make regarding home solar power, heat pumps, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Bruninga drove an all-electric car and had experimented with a variety of electric-powered vehicles over the years.

APRS originated in 1982, when Bruninga wrote his first data map program that plotted the positions of US Navy ships for the Apple II platform. A couple of years later, he developed what he called the Connectionless Emergency Traffic System (CETS) on the VIC-20 and C64 platforms for digital packet communications to support an endurance race. The program was ported to the IBM PC platform in 1988, and was renamed APRS in 1992. The recognized North American APRS frequency is 144.39 MHz, and APRS is globally linked via the internet. Bruninga founded the Appalachian Trail Golden Packet (ATPG) event, which fields APRS nodes from Stone Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine each July.

ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, remembered Bruninga this way: “Bob kept pushing APRS beyond its origins as a position reporting system. He developed and helped implement numerous other uses of APRS in support of what has become the ‘Ham Radio of Things,’ with great potential for future amateur radio applications. Bob’s far-reaching vision and imagination were as good as it gets.”

Bruninga mentored USNA midshipmen in building and launching amateur radio satellites and CubeSats, beginning with PCsat in 2001. PCsat was the first satellite to directly report its precise position to users via its onboard GPS module. Subsequent USNA spacecraft included PSK31 capability (HF to UHF) and other innovations.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) ARRL liaison Rosalie White, K1STO, recalled that Bruninga attended many ARISS-International meetings and contributed “enormously” to ARISS APRS activities, leading a team in developing protocols and software for rapid message exchange via a packet “robot.”

White said APRS remains a key staple in the new ARISS InterOperable Radio System (IORS) that’s now on board the ISS. She added that Bruninga offered input for future NASA Lunar and Gateway opportunities in which ARISS hopes to take part.

Last year, ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, on behalf of ARRL, honored Bruninga with a brick in the ARRL Diamond Club Terrace at ARRL Headquarters. ARRL sent him a letter of appreciation along with a replica of the brick.

Bruninga held a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Bruninga was a 20-year US Navy veteran. Dayton Hamvention® honored him in 1998 with its Technical Excellence Award.

Bruninga authored and co-authored numerous academic papers over the years, and was frequently in demand as a speaker and presenter at amateur radio gatherings.

Survivors include his wife, Elise Albert; daughter, Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, WE4APR, and son A.J. Bruninga, WA4APR. Arrangements are pending, although his daughter said that a celebratory memorial service will be held this summer in Annapolis, Maryland.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]

IARU Region 1 Working to Resolve Potential Amateur Interference to Satellite Navigation System

IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia) continues wrangling with the issue of interference potential to GALILEO global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sites in Europe from amateur radio operation in the 1240 – 1300 MHz (23-centimeter) band. Considerable work has gone into documenting an interference case on a single GALILEO channel between a “very local” Italian 23-centimeter repeater and receivers at the nearby European Commission Joint Research Centre in Ispra, where GALILEO applications are developed and tested.

“This one case is often cited as the ‘proof’ that interference can occur,” said Barry Lewis, G4SJH, the chair of IARU Region 1 Spectrum Affairs. As a consequence of this single instance of interference, the IARU has been engaged for several years in defending amateur interests on 23 centimeters. Considerable computer modeling has gone into the effort, in advance of World Radiocommunication Conference 23 (WRC-23).

In 2018, the FCC granted, in part, the European Commission’s request for a rules waiver so that non-federal devices in the US may access specific GALILEO signals to augment the US Global Positioning System. The two systems are interoperable and RF compatible. That Order permits access to two GALILEO satellite signals — the E1 signal in the 1559 – 1591 MHz portion of the 1559 – 1610 MHz Radionavigation-Satellite Service (RNSS) band, and the E5 signal in the 1164 – 1219 MHz portion of the 1164 – 1215 MHz and 1215 – 1240 MHz RNSS bands. The Order does not grant access to the Galileo E6 signal on 1278.750 MHz in the 1260 – 1300 MHz band, which is not allocated for such services in the US. Omitting that channel eliminates any need for US radio amateurs to protect GALILEO receivers from interference.

“The impact of traffic through this very local repeater (12.5 kilometers distant) on three different GALILEO receivers has been documented,” Lewis said. “This work suggests that while RNSS receiver bandwidth can have a part to play in enabling coexistence, beyond that nothing has been reported that could help develop any coexistence criteria.” IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ, stated last year that IARU does not want the Amateur Service to affect GALILEO system operation in any way.

Lewis said the IARU has provided extensive information regarding amateur applications in the 1240 – 1300 MHz band as well as operational characteristics and data indicating the density of active transmitting stations and the busiest periods when these are most likely to be operational.

“Amateur transmissions virtually anywhere in the band will be co-frequency with the RNSS receivers from one system or another,” Lewis said. “It is therefore obvious that any RNSS receiver will be open to any co-frequency amateur transmission, and amateur operators have no way of knowing where or when a RNSS service user is active.” Lewis suggests that “some compromises will need be necessary” to develop a co-existence model.

[ANS thanks The ARRL Letter for the above information.]

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Geomagnetic Storm Dooms 40 Starlink Satellites

SpaceX is in the process of losing up to 40 brand-new Starlink internet satellites due to a geomagnetic storm that struck just a day after the fleet’s launch last week. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 49 Starlink satellites on Thursday (Feb. 3) from NASA’s historic Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A day later, a geomagnetic storm above Earth increased the density of the atmosphere slightly, increasing drag on the satellites and dooming most of them.

“Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe mode to begin orbit-raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere,” SpaceX wrote in an update Tuesday (Feb. 8).

The 49 satellites SpaceX launched last week were deployed in an initial orbit that skimmed as low as 130 miles (210 kilometers) above Earth at its lowest point. SpaceX has said it intentionally releases Starlink batches in a low orbit so that they can be disposed of swiftly in case of a failure just after launch. That orbit design, it turned out, left the fleet vulnerable to Friday’s geomagnetic storm.

“In fact, onboard GPS suggests the escalation speed and severity of the storm caused atmospheric drag to increase up to 50 percent higher than during previous launches,” SpaceX wrote in its update. The satellites were then placed in a protective “safe mode” and commanded to fly edge-on “like a sheet of paper” to minimize drag effects as the company worked with the U.S. Space Force and the company LeoLabs to track them with ground-based radar, it added. But for most of the new Starlink satellites, the drag was too much. Locked in their safe mode, up to 40 of them were expected to fall out of orbit like space debris just days after their launch.

“The deorbiting satellites pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry — meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground,” SpaceX wrote of the satellites’ reentry. “This unique situation demonstrates the great lengths the Starlink team has gone to ensure the system is on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation.”

[ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

+ Upcoming Contacts

FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences, Aachen, Germany, direct via DLÃ˜FHA.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer, KI5KFH.
Contact is go for Monday, February 14, 2022 at 11:40:36 UTC.

+ Completed Contacts

Gewerbliche Schulen Donaueschingen, Donaueschingen, Germany, direct via DN2FIS.
The ISS callsign was DPØISS.
The downlink frequency was 145.800 MHz.
The crewmember is Matthias Maurer KI5KFH.
Contact was successful on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 10:00 UTC.

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

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

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

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

4A90, MEXICO (Special Event). Members of the Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE)[Mexican Society]are celebrating their 90th anniversary during January, February and March 2022 promoting each of the 31 States and Mexico City with the following 32 different special event callsigns and 4A90FMRE:

February 15-March 1: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM
March 2-16: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see: http://fmre90.puebladx.org

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

+ CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26-28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA

+ Hamvention 2022
May 20, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
https://www.hamvention.org

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

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Astra failed to deliver four satellites to orbit as planned today (Feb. 10) in the company’s first-ever orbital launch from the contiguous United States. The California startup’s 43-foot-tall (13 meters) Launch Vehicle 0008 (LV0008) launched the ELaNa 41 mission from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today, rising off the pad at 2000 GMT. The two-stage LV0008 performed well initially, soaring high into the Florida skies. But something appeared to go wrong about 3 minutes into flight, just after the rocket’s first and second stages separated. Footage from a camera onboard the second stage showed the rocket body spinning rather than cruising smoothly toward its intended destination, an orbit with an altitude of 310 miles. Read the full story at https://www.space.com/astra-first-florida-launch-failure-february-2022. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.

+ The International Astronomical Union is establishing a new centre to focus the astronomy’s response to huge networks of spacecraft being launched into LEO to deliver broadband internet connections from space. Its work will be led by the U.S. National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) in Tucson, Arizona; and by the Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO) in Manchester, UK. It will engage with, and encourage, satellite companies to make every effort to minimise the light pollution they are creating. But it will also pursue policy makers around the world to tighten the regulations on what is acceptable behavior in orbit. [ANS thanks BBC.com for the above information.]

+ A video of the Voyager 1 presentation given by radio amateur Daniel Estevez M0HXM/EA4GPZ at the Fosdem 2022 event is now available. Voyager 1 is the furthest spacecraft and the first ever to exit the solar system. Fueled by its radioisotope generators, after more than 40 years of flight it is still sending data about the interstellar medium using its 3.7 metre dish antenna and 8.4 GHz transmitter. In this talk, Daniel reports two adventures regarding the reception of the Voyager 1 signal. Watch the video at
https://fosdem.org/2022/schedule/event/radio_voyager1/. [ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information.]

+ NASA raised concerns about SpaceX’s new Starlink satellites, including an increase of the risk of collision in orbit, in a letter to the FCC. The five-page letter was submitted to the FCC Tuesday, February 8, 2022. SpaceX submitted a proposal to the FCC to put 30,000 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit as part of a “Gen 2” Starlink system. There are currently about 1,800 operational Starlink satellites in orbit and there have already been several near-misses in orbit; one study has suggested Starlinks are responsible for half of all close encounters in low-Earth orbit. NASA has “concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions, Read the full story at https://www.space.com/nasa-collision-risk-starlink. {ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org

ANS-037 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Feb. 6

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022 by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-037

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

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

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

In this edition:

Apogee View – November/December 2021
VUCC Satellite Awards/Endorsements For February 2022
FO-29 Enters Full Sun Period, Analog Transponder Active
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for February 3, 2022
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-037 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Feb 6

Apogee View – November/December 2021

As 2021 comes to a close, AMSAT’s schedule for 2022 is quickly filling up. Our Engineers will be busy with GOLF, launching a new program, called Fox +, and beginning to formulate our return to high earth orbits. Additionally, in-person events are kicking off again, starting with

+ Feb 11-13, Hamcation, Orlando, FL
+ Apr 26-28, CubeSat Developers Workshop, San Luis Obispo, CA
+ May 20-22, Hamvention, Xenia, OH
+ Aug 6-11, Small Satellite Conference, Logon, UT
+ Oct 21-22, 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, Bloomington, MN

If your schedule allows it, I hope you will join us on this exciting ride.

Fox +

At the December 7, 2021 Board of Directors Meeting, Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, presented a plan for a sustained presence of “Easy Sats” in low earth orbit. As I mentioned back in the July/August 2021 Apogee View, Easy Sats play a critical role in introducing amateur radio in space, so I was both excited and impressed with Jonathan’s proposal. Fox + (Plus), as the new program will be called, is based on the Fox-1 bus design and will develop a new transceiver and power system in an open-hardware and open-source environment. In addition, Fox + CubeSats will be able to host both student science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiments and AMSAT radio experiments. Of course, the Board enthusiastically and unanimously approved Jonathan’s Fox + proposal.

I want to personally thank Jonathan for developing this forward-thinking program and congratulate him on being appointed Assistant Vice-President, Engineering. Well done and well deserved.

A Sad Farewell

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of Robert “Bob” Davis, KF4KSS, on Friday, December 10, 2021. Bob has been involved with every AMSAT & ARISS project since 1996, including Phase 3D (AO-40), Eagle, Suitsat, ARISSAT, the FOX series of satellites, and, most recently, the GOLF program. His expertise in mechanical engineering and willingness to share will be sorely missed. Lou McFadin, W5DID, has written a nice tribute to Bob for this issue of The AMSAT Journal, and many have shared pictures of their time with Bob. Please take a few moments to read and reflect. God speed, Bob, and thank you for sharing your life with us.

A Welcome Surprise

Earlier this year, I was notified that AMSAT had been named as one of the beneficiaries of the Robert Donnell, Sr. (KD7NM) and Joan Donnell Trusts. AMSAT received an initial distribution of $250,000 in December. AMSAT was not aware of the Donnell’s bequest until the attorney handling the Trust distribution notified us.

I am ashamed to admit that I did not have the chance to meet or even know of Robert and Joan Donnell. Scouring the internet and our records, I did find Robert’s callsign, KD7NM, see where he posted to the AMSAT-Bulletin Board, and was active in ARES and packet radio in the State of Washington. Robert Donnell, Sr. KD7NM passed away on August 24, 2011, and was followed by his wife, Joan, February 4, 2013. Robert and Joan’s daughter, passed away in September 2019, which may offer some explanation as to the later distribution of the Donnell estate. If you have any further information on Robert Donnell, please let me know. I think it is important to know as much as we can about the person who thought so much of AMSAT.

While we are greatly appreciative of this tremendous gift, please do not make the assumption that AMSAT does not need more help. We have an ambitious, forward-thinking plan for the future (https://www.amsat.org/strategicplan/) that takes us to new heights and encourages the next generation to reach for the stars, but space is not cheap. We need your help your help to get us there.

Knowing that all of our planned initiatives cannot be funded strictly from membership dues and donations, AMSAT submitted three separate grant requests to Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) in November. One is to fund a commercially-purchased and launched 1U FM CubeSat to help relieve some of the strain on the remaining EasySats until AMSAT can develop the Fox + program. Our second request is to fund the open-hardware design and construction of GOLF program’s 3U frame and deployable solar panels. And finally, our third request is for the initial kickoff of the AMSAT Youth Initiative Program, the purpose of which is to promote interest among youth in STEM topics and opportunities, particularly those related to satellite technologies, communications and electronics, and how those technologies improve life here on Earth. I will keep you apprised, as soon as I hear something.

Help Wanted

Big plans and finding the money to fund them is a great start, but we cannot make it happen without volunteers. As an all-volunteer, member organization, AMSAT depends on the generosity of people, donating their time and expertise, to develop the next generation of amateur radio satellites, but, also, share that knowledge with the rest of the world. If your expertise is in engineering, education, journalism, project management, or even office administration, we could use your help. Come join us on our journey Onward & Upward.

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

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VUCC Satellite Awards/Endorsements For February 2022

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2022 to February 01, 2022:

Callsign	Jan 1, 2022	Feb 1, 2022
WD9EWK (DM43)	671	675
VE6WQ	232	541
G0IIQ	251	519
VE4MM	421	432
KQ4DO	406	426
EA2AA	400	425
F4BKV	200	400
N7UJJ	201	250
KC9ELU	233	249
N8MR	175	206
YS1MS	New	169
4J6D	New	150
AA0MZ	116	138
JH0BBE	112	129
S21RC	New	107
IK7FMQ	New	103
K2MJP	New	101
KC8T	New	100

The above automated from a script from Doug-K8DP, thanks Doug!

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]

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FO-29 Enters Full Sun Period, Analog Transponder Active

FO-29 has entered a period of full sun and the analog V/u linear transponder has been active continuously since 10:00 UTC on January 31st. The current full sun period will last until the end of April. Between April and July, the satellite will resume entering eclipses, but will return to full sun at the end of July.

While the satellite is in full sun, continuous operation of the transponder should be possible. If the battery voltage does drop below the configured threshold voltage, causing the transponder to shut down, the transponder will be reactivated after approximately two days.

FO-29 was launched in August 1996 and has been one of the most popular amateur radio satellites during its long lifetime due to its very sensitive 100 kHz wide transponder, stable downlink with 1 watt output, and orbit of 1320 km x 801 km supporting intercontinental QSOs, even with low power and minimal equipment. Due to increasing eclipse periods and aging batteries, operation of the satellite’s linear transponder has been limited since July 2019.

The uplink of the inverting linear transponder is 145.900 MHz – 146.000 MHz and the downlink is 435.800 MHz – 435.900 MHz.

[ANS thanks JARL and JA1OGZ for the above information]

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for February 3, 2022

The following satellites have been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution.

IRIS-A – NORAD Cat ID 51044 (Thanks to Nico Janssen for the identification.)
GASPACS – NORAD Cat ID 51439 (Thanks to Nico Janssen for the identification.)

Still waiting for the SpaceTrack Catalog ID for Tevel-1 thru Tevel-8, SO-114 (EASAT-2), and SO-115 (HADES) to be identified. Sorry, we still need a little more separation to identify these satellites.

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

ARISS News

Gewerbliche Schulen Donaueschingen, Donaueschingen, Germany, direct via DN2FIS

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be DPØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The scheduled crew member is Matthias Maurer KI5KFH
Contact is go for: Thu 2022-02-10 10:00:59 UTC 71 deg
Watch for Livestream at: https://www.kmz-sbk.de/livestream/

The USOS ARISS station is currently operating in voice cross-band repeater mode

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

SSTV Activation:

The Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) will be conducting their routine SSTV experiment during orbits that pass within range of Moscow, Russia on February 7 and 8. They typically operate PD180 on a downlink frequency of 145.800 MHz using the Kenwood D710E located in the Service Module. The images are sent with about 3 minute gaps between transmissions.

Feb. 7 – Start about 08:35 UTC, stopping about 15:05 UTC.
Feb. 8 – Start about 10:40 UTC, stopping about 14:30 UTC.

Received images can be uploaded at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php

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

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Events:

31 States and Mexico City with the following 32 different special event callsigns and 4A90FMRE:

January 31st-February 14th: 4A90AGS, 4A90BAC, 4A90BCS, 4A90COA, 4A90CHH and 4A90DGO
February 15th-March 1st: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM
March 2nd-16th: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see: http://fmre90.puebladx.org

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

———————————————————————

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

Clint Bradford, K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador gave his “Getting Started“ presentation last June to a great club on the east coast – now they want MORE! The club has asked for a speaker to cover working the linear satellites. EME is of interest to them too!

Clint would appreciate help finding a Zoom-capable speaker. For further details, please contact Clint Bradford, K6CLS at:
Email: clintbradford [at] mac DOT com or 951-533-4984 – cell

+ ARRL National Convention
February 10-13, 2022
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld
10100 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32821

+ Orlando HamCation
February 11-13, 2022
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32808

+ CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26–28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA

+ Hamvention 2022
May 20, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
https://www.hamvention.org

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

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The February 2022 operating schedule for FO-99 is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=1748

+ 2 CubeSats were deployed from the Japanese Kibo module of the International Space Station on February 3rd, Light-1 from the UAE and GT-1 from Georgia Tech.

+ NASA released an updated transition plan for the ISS on Janaury 31st. The updated plan provides for continued operation through 2030 and de-orbiting in 2031. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-provides-updated-international-space-station-transition-plan

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

ANS-030 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Jan. 30

January 30, 2022 by Paul Stoetzer

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-030

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

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

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

In this edition:

AMSAT’s GOLF-TEE CubeSat De-Manifested From Launch on ELaNa-46
Weak Signals Heard from Spanish Satellites EASAT-2 and HADES
Svalbard QO-100 Satellite DX-pedition Announced
Orbital Mechanics for New and Experienced Satellite Operators
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for January 27, 2022
ARISS News
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-030 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2022 Jan 30

AMSAT’s GOLF-TEE CubeSat De-Manifested From Launch on ELaNa-46

NASA has de-manifested GOLF-TEE from the ELaNa-46 mission at the request of AMSAT. ELaNa-46 was expected to launch no earlier than 2022. COVID-related restrictions and supply chain disruptions, affecting both AMSAT’s vendors and team, have put AMSAT’s ability to meet the mission integration timeline at high risk.

AMSAT Vice-President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, described some of the reasons for this decision:

• AMSAT finds itself in a similar situation to what other payloads and space-industry providers are experiencing. The worldwide pandemic and supply chain shortages are threatening everyone’s ability to properly and successfully deliver for launches.
• Out of respect for NASA, the launch provider, and other payloads, it is important to withdraw now, rather than later or, even worst, missing a launch integration deadline, which has possible financial penalty implications.
• GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1 have both been selected to participate in NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative program, and NASA will continue to look for another launch for GOLF-TEE.

AMSAT’s GOLF program plays an important role in AMSAT’s return to highly elliptical orbits. In addition to proving the maneuverability capabilities required by current and proposed orbital debris regulations, the GOLF program will work through a series of increasingly capable spacecraft to develop skills and learn systems for which we do not yet have the necessary low-risk experience. Among these are active attitude control, deployable/steerable solar panels, radiation tolerance for Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) components in higher orbits, and propulsion.

The TEE designation in GOLF-TEE stands for “Technology Exploration Environment” and reflects GOLF-TEE’s mission goal to test two critical systems needed for higher orbits. The first is an Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) that will allow active pointing of high gain satellite antennas, provide accurate attitude adjustments in future missions with maneuverability systems, and allow pointing the fixed solar panel array for best solar power in any given orbit type. The second is the Radiation-Tolerant Integrated Housekeeping Unit (RTIHU), which will allow AMSAT to gain initial orbit and space radiation exposure for radiation event-induced fault tolerant systems designed using COTS components. GOLF-TEE’s RTIHU includes a command transceiver, and its design is based on the Hercules line of ARM architecture-based microcontrollers.
GOLF-TEE will also evaluate a low-cost, deployable, fixed attitude, solar panel array design as part of AMSAT Engineering’s exploration of fixed panel arrays that allow for outfitting a variable number of “wings” in order to best match the power requirements of various CubeSat missions.

Additionally, GOLF-TEE will carry a modified Ettus E310 commercial software-defined radio (SDR), as an experimental package, to test the high speed data downlink in the 10 GHz band and a parrot V/x mode linear transponder to provide users with an opportunity to experiment with the 10 GHz microwave downlink. GOLF-TEE will also carry a legacy V/u linear transponder.
GOLF-1 will build on technology and lessons learned from the GOLF-TEE mission; however, it will be a return to STEM-based educational missions, including hosted student radiation and imaging experiments in collaboration with AMSAT’s educational partners. GOLF-1 will require a more comprehensive de-orbiting plan and hardware that are in compliance with NASA’s NPR 8715.6 NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris in order to be manifested on an ELaNa launch to the high altitude AMSAT is seeking.

A significant amount of funding is necessary to complete the development and construction of the GOLF series of CubeSats. Please consider a donation today. Donations designated for the AMSAT GOLF program may be made at https://www.amsat.org/donations/amsat-golf-program-donations/

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

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The 2022 AMSAT President’s Club coins have arrived!
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on
October 15, 1972, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
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Weak Signals Heard from Spanish Satellites EASAT-2 and HADES

AMSAT-EA (Spain) has said it appears that EASAT-2 and HADES are transmitting, and that weak signals have been heard, but the satellites’ antennas may not have deployed.

“We confirm the reception of both EASAT-2 and HADES, as well as the decoding of telemetry and the FM recorded voice beacon with the call sign AM5SAT of the first one. EASAT-2 appears to be working well, except for the deployment of the antennas — something that apparently has not yet occurred and causes weak signals,” said AMSAT-EA Mission Manager Felix Paez, EA4GQS. “However, the AMSAT-EA team confirms that, based on the reception of FSK, CW, the FM voice beacon, and the telemetry data that has been decoded, it can be said that the satellite is working perfectly. In the event of low battery or system malfunction, the onboard computer would not transmit CW messages or the voice beacon call sign, as it would be in [safe mode] with only fast and slow telemetry transmissions.”

At the request of AMSAT-EA, EASAT-2 has been designated as Spain-OSCAR 114 (SO-114) and HADES as Spain-OSCAR 115 (SO-115).

“These signals that confirm the operation of both satellites were received by Daniel Estévez, EA4GPZ, at 1807 UTC on Saturday, January 15, using two antennas from the Allen Telescope Array.” Doppler observations from the co-launched Delfi-PQ satellite and the amateur radio community have been used to identify the satellites’ orbits or TLEs.

AMSAT-EA reports that Estévez performed a preliminary analysis using just one polarization of one of the Allen Telescope Array satellite dishes. EASAT-2 was detected with a relatively strong signal, close to the Delfi-PQ signal, obtaining voice FM beacon transmissions and FSK, FSK-CW at 50 baud, AMSAT-EA said.

“The CW beacon clearly shows the message VVV AM5SAT SOL Y PLAYA, which is one of several that both satellites emit, although the call sign AM5SAT confirms that it is EASAT-2,” AMSAT-EA said. “In the recording made by EA4GPZ, there is also a faint trace confirmed to be from HADES and stronger packets probably from the IRIS-A satellite.”

AMSAT-EA reports that signals from HADES are weaker than those of EASAT-2, “most likely because the onboard computer has not yet managed to deploy the antennas either, although it will continue trying regularly,” AMSAT-EA said. “The reason the signals are suspected to be weaker at HADES is that the antennas are more tightly folded than those of EASAT-2. In any case, this is great news, since the transmission pattern confirms the proper functioning of the satellite. In the observations, you can see the FSK tones with a deviation of about 5 kHz interspersed with the FM carrier corresponding to the voice beacon of the satellite, which has call sign AM6SAT. The AMSAT-EA team is working to try to decode the telemetry signals and obtain more detailed information on the state of the satellite.”

AMSAT is asking amateurs with “very high-gain antennas” to try to receive them — especially HADES. “If we could decode telemetry, it would be very helpful for us.” AMSAT-EA said. “Until antennas are deployed, it will be very difficult to use their repeaters or to receive any SSTV camera images from HADES, but we hope that this will happen sooner or later, at least because, even if the computer doesn’t succeed applying heat to the resistor where the thread [retaining the antennas] is attached, with time, the thread should break due to the space environment conditions.”

Details of the decoded telemetry and voice, as well as more details in:
https://www.amsat-ea.org/ (Texts are In Spanish)

And in the following Twitter threads:

EASAT-2 transmissions:
https://twitter.com/ea4gpz/status/1482457631566487553

EASAT-2 decodings by Gabriel Otero:
https://twitter.com/gaoterop/status/1482758196037050382

HADES transmissions:
https://twitter.com/ea4gpz/status/1482696274797338625.

[ANS thanks Felix Paez, EA4GQS, AMSAT-EA Mission Manager and AMSAT News Service for the above information]

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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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Svalbard QO-100 Satellite DX-Pedition Announced

The very first Svalbard QO-100 Satellite DX-Pedition will take place April 22-24, 2022 from Kapp Linné – Isfjord Radio at 78° North. ON4CKM Cedric, ON5UR Max and ON4DCU Patrick will take up the challenge and travel to Kapp Linné and stay there for 3 days, trying to be active 24 hours a day via the Qatar-OSCAR 100 satellite. They will operate two QO-100 satellite stations under the callsigns JW0W and JW100QO, while JW0X will be used by another team for contacts on shortwave. With QO-100 only 3° above the horizon, Kap Linné was the only suitable place in the area with Svalbard at the edge of the satellite footprint. Looking for a suitable location to stay and getting there, is one of the biggest challenges and cost drivers for the team. This is indeed a very unique opportunity to work this rare location and DXCC via satellite. And if they are lucky, they might also be able to contact DP0GVN at the German Antarctic research Neumayer-Station III for the North/South distance record via QO-100. The team is seeking donations. Additional information and graphics may be found at: https://bit.ly/3KLZsJI.

[ANS thanks Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, President AMSAT-DL for the above information]

Orbital Mechanics for New and Experienced Satellite Operators

Bob Meyers, WA8FXQ posted a useful link he discovered in the most recent Orbital Index. It is particularly good for those who want a better understanding of fundamental behind GPS. The link’s author, Bartosz Ciechanowski, is a blogger who focuses on explorations of physics, math, and engineering. His animations couple with his straight forward explanations to create a clear view of each topic he tackles. His current blog post is focused on the principles behind GPS systems, however in the process of explaining how GPS systems work, he tackles orbital mechnics and the relationship of orbital altitude to radio footprint of satellites. His excellent animations make it possible for him to present the rather complicated mathematics visually and without requiring the viewer to have a strong mathematical background. His blog on the GPS system may be seen at: https://ciechanow.ski/gps/. He is also a Patreon creator and fields questions and discussions on that platform.

[ANS thanks Bob Meyers, WA8FXQ and The Orbital Index for the above information]

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for January 27, 2022

The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution.

Grizu-263a – NORAD Cat ID 51025 (Thanks to Space-Track/CelesTrak for the
identification.)

Still waiting for the SpaceTrack Catalog ID for Tevel-1 thru Tevel-8, EASAT-2, and Hades to be identified. For info on these satellites, see AMSAT News Service Bulletin ANS-023 (January 23.2022) on www.amsat.org

Finally, per AMSAT News Service Bulletin ANS-023, AMSAT-EA Receives Two OSCAR Designations: SO-114 & SO-115. Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations/OSCAR Number Administrator wrote: “At the request of AMSAT-EA, AMSAT hereby designates EASAT-2 as Spain-OSCAR 114 (SO-114) and HADES as Spain-OSCAR 115 (SO-115). We congratulate AMSAT-EA, thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them continued success on this and future projects.”

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

ARISS News

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2022-01-27 01:30 UTC

Lewis Center for Educational Research, Apple Valley, CA, telebridge via K6DUE. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Thomas Marshburn KE5HOC. Contact is go for: Mon 2022-01-31 17:47:42 UTC 35 deg

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Pyotr Dubrov. Contact is go for Wed 2022-02-02 08:45 UTC

Johannes-Kepler-Gymnasium, Lebach, Germany, direct via DLØJKG (***). The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be DPØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer KI5KFH. Contact is go for: Fri 2022-02-04 11:37:09 UTC 25 deg

The next mode change to voice cross band repeater is expected to occur in late January/early February 2022.

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

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

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

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

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

ISS Is in packet mode as of Jan 11th. 145.825 up and down. Going back to cross band repeater on 1/31.

January 1-15th: 4A90COL, 4A90CMX, 4A90EMX, 4A90GTO, 4A90HGO, 4A90JAL and 4A90MIC
January 16-30th: 4A90MOR, 4A90NAY, 4A90PUE, 4A90QRO, 4A90TLX and 4A90VER
January 31st-February 14th: 4A90AGS, 4A90BAC, 4A90BCS, 4A90COA, 4A90CHH and 4A90DGO
February 15th-March 1st: 4A90NLE, 4A90SLP, 4A90SIN, 4A90SON, 4A90TAM and 4A90ZAC
March 2-16th: 4A90CAM, 4A90CHI, 4A90GRO, 4A90OAX, 4A90QUI, 4A90TAB and 4A90YUC

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8/FT4 and the satellites. Awards are available (see QRZ.com for details). For more details on the event, see:http://fmre90.puebladx.org

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

Clint would appreciate help finding a Zoom-capable speaker. For further details,
please contact Clint Bradford, K6CLS at:
Email: clintbradford [at] mac DOT com or 951-533-4984 – cell

+ ARRL National Convention
February 10-13, 2022
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld
10100 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32821

+ Orlando HamCation
February 11-13, 2022
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32808

+ CubeSat Developers Workshop
April 26–28, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA

+ Hamvention 2022
May 20, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
https://www.hamvention.org

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

Clint Bradford K6CLS, AMSAT Ambassador writes: “I have a really great club needing a speaker specializing in SSB, and touching on EME. They were given my “Getting Started” presentation last year, and want MORE!
An East Coast club … meets on Wednesdays …
Please send me a private email message if you’re ready to Zoom!”
Write to: Clint Bradford K6LCS Email: clintbradford AT mac DOT com
951-533-4984 – cell

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events Page Manager, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ A Martian carbon biosignature? Not content to be overshadowed by the newer, shinier Perseverance, Curiosity has roved and drilled on (for nearly 10 years now). A paper and NASA summary both report (appropriately conservatively) on tantalizing new evidence from the rover of potential biosignatures in Gale crater. Curiosity’s SAM lab heated 24 different powdered rock samples to 850° C, releasing their solid carbon as methane gas. The onboard Tunable Laser Spectrometer then measured the carbon isotopes in that gas and found more 12C than would be expected based on the 12C-to-13C ratio in the modern Martian atmosphere. On Earth, life preferentially uses 12C over the heavier 13C, bioaccumulating it, so that we observe significantly more 12C than 13C in ancient rocks where life grew. Did ancient Martian microbial methanogenesis concentrate this isotope at Gale crater as it built up complex organic molecules? Maybe. Two other hypotheses offer abiotic explanations: one suggests that UV light could have caused CO2 in the Martian atmosphere to form isotopically enriched carbon monoxide molecules that settled to the surface, the other wonders if the isotopes arrived from space when our solar system drifted through a 13C-depleted giant molecular cloud hundreds of millions of years ago. It’s also possible that the Martian atmospheric concentration changed over time for some unknown reason. “On Earth, processes that would produce the carbon signal we’re detecting on Mars are biological,” but we don’t understand the Martian carbon cycle well enough yet to have any real confidence. As with other tantalizing results about microbial extraterrestrial life, this will probably just turn out to be a physicochemical process we don’t yet understand. Or maybe not. See https://go.nasa.gov/35vE0IQ and http://bit.ly/3IIKpyF for details. [ANS thanks NASA and The Orbital Index for the above information]

+ Reaching the tipping point for 3D printing satellites: The number of 3D-printed parts on board satellites is growing amid advances in additive manufacturing. Satellite shops are embracing the technology to cut costs and accelerate production for increasingly capable spacecraft. Advances are paving the way to a future where satellites can print parts in orbit. But how close is the industry to 3D printing entire satellites? It’s a tricky question, not least because the number of parts on a satellite differs greatly depending on its size and complexity, and range from simple foundational structures to intricate semiconductors. “Cubesat parts can number in the hundreds of components while larger satellites can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands” for flagship missions such as the just-launched $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope, said Emile de Rijk, CEO of additive manufacturing specialist Swissto12. But just five years ago, the “use of 3D printed structures was largely experimental with very few parts being flown in missions and payloads that had a healthy risk appetite,” according to de Rijk. Now, nearly all satellites built today have at least some 3D printed parts, he says, although most are still relatively simple mechanical bracketing systems for keeping a spacecraft’s structure together. More information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3g3sWod. [ANS thanks Jason Rainbow at SpaceNews.com for the above information]

+ SpaceX rocket on collision course with moon: A rocket launched by Elon Musk’s space exploration company is on course to crash into the Moon and explode. The Falcon 9 booster was launched in 2015 but after completing its mission, it did not have enough fuel to return towards Earth and instead remained in space. Astronomer Jonathan McDowell told BBC News it will be the first known uncontrolled rocket collision with the Moon, but the effects will be minor. The rocket was abandoned in high orbit seven years ago after it completed a mission to send a space weather satellite on a million-mile journey. It was part of Elon Musk’s space exploration programme SpaceX, a commercial company that ultimately aims to get humans living on other planets. See https://bbc.in/3o4bpRa for the full story. [ANS thanks Georgina Rannard of BBC News for the above information]

+ NASA to name astronauts this year for first Artemis moon mission: NASA will announce later this year the four astronauts who will slingshot around the far side of the moon on the Artemis lunar program’s first crew mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2024, the head of the agency’s human space exploration division recently said. The crew is expected to include three U.S. fliers and one Canadian astronaut. The Artemis 2 mission will follow two years after NASA’s Artemis 1 test flight, an unpiloted pathfinder mission scheduled to launch no earlier than March from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis 1 will be the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket designed for lunar missions that’s been in development for more than a decade. It will also be first trip by NASA’s Orion crew capsule to the moon, following a demonstration flight that orbited Earth in 2014. The goal of NASA’s Artemis program is to land astronauts on the moon’s surface for the first time since the final Apollo lunar mission in December 1972. The Artemis program’s first attempt to land a crew on the moon is penciled in for the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for 2025, with a derivative of the Starship vehicle SpaceX’s is developing in South Texas. More info is available at: https://bit.ly/3L0nGQG. [ANS thanks Stephen Clark of Spaceflight Now for the above information]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor,

Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ
kd4iz [at] frawg dot org