ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for August 2nd

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: [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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

  • ISS MAI-75 SSTV Activity Planned For Aug 4-5
  • AMSAT Awards Update
  • How Many Satellite Awards Have Been Issued?
  • VUCC Awards-Endorsements for August 2020
  • First Demonstration Of Orbit Control On A 1U CubeSat
  • Burns Fisher, WB1JF, Featured Speaker at AMSAT SA Symposium
  • NASA to Provide Coverage of Astronauts’ Return from ISS on SpaceX
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-215.01
ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 215.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 August 02
To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-215.01

 

ISS MAI-75 SSTV Activity Planned For Aug 4-5

Russian cosmonauts will transmit amateur radio Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images from the International Space Station (ISS) during August 4-5 on 145.800 MHz FM (likely using PD-120).

On July 9, ESA Education had Tweeted: “We are expecting the ISS to transmit pictures in the next weeks for the 45th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz test project. This is a perfect opportunity to try this activity for yourself!” https://twitter.com/ESA__Education/status/1281140713237946370

Apollo–Soyuz was the first international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in mid-July 1975.

An announcement made July 27 on the ARISS SSTV Blog says: The final crew schedule for the week of Aug 3-9 was released recently and it showed a MAI-75 activity scheduled for Aug 4 and 5. This is soon after the Space X Demo-2 undock so changes to that event could impact the schedule.

The current dates and times of the planned activity are as follows: Aug 4 (12:25-18:10 UTC) is setup and day 1 operations. Aug 5 (11:15-18:45 UTC) is day 2 operations and close out.

This is the Moscow Aviation Institute SSTV experiment that is active for orbital passes over Moscow, Russia. It has traditional been PD-180 or PD-120 and transmitting on 145.800 MHz.

Source ARISS STV Blog http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/

The ISS puts out a strong signal on 145.800 MHz FM and a 2m handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it. Many FM mobile and base station rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM (25 kHz channel spacing). Handhelds all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.

The space agency ESA has released a video ‘How to get pictures from the International Space Station via Amateur Radio’ along with a collection of Tutorial videos explaining how to receive ISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) pictures for different computers and mobile devices https://amsat-uk.org/2020/07/08/esa-promote-amateur-radio-iss-sstv/

Read the Raspberry Pi article Pictures from space via ham radio
https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/pictures-from-space-via-ham-radio/

ISS SSTV info and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]


Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/


AMSAT Awards Update

Here are the awards issued in the last two months.

The AMSAT Satellite Communicators Award is given to any operator for having made their first contact:

Anthony Rizi, NR1Z
Edward Hartzel, W3HMK
James Brooks, KB3EFH
Vilanova University ARC, W3YP
Robin Shelley, G8VVY

——

The Oscar Satellite Communications Achievement Award is for working 20 contacts on any satellite:

Anthony Rizi, NR1Z, #628
Angus Alexander, KJ7KOJ, #629

——

The AMSAT Sexagesimal Satellite Communications Achievement Award is given for 60 satellite contacts:

Stephan Greene, KS1G, #187
Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ, #188

——

The AMSAT South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award is for 25 different stations on Phase 2 (LEO) satellites:

Anthony Rizi, NR1Z, #US230
Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ, #US231
Angus Alexander, KJ7KOJ, #US232

——

The Robert W. Barbee Jr., W4AMI Satellite Operator Achievement Award is awarded for the submission of 1,000 satellite contacts on OSCAR-6 or later satellites:

W4AMI Award (1,000-4,000)

Mitchell Whitman, N4DCW, #110
Mark Johns, K0JM, #111
David Hoffman, KL1XI, #112
Phillip Sauvey, AK7DD, #113
Dennis Love, N7EGY, #114
Kell Bodholt, KI7UXT, upgrade to 2000

——

AMSAT Rover Award is based on a point system and is awarded to those who put grids on the air away from their home QTH:

Rover Call
===== ========
#054 N0TEL
#055 AK7DD
#056 KE0WPA

——

GridMaster Award is presented to those who confirm QSOs with all 488 grids in the Continental U.S.:

GridMaster Call
========== ========
#11 KO4MA
#12 N4UFO
#13 W5CBF

To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org and click on Services then Awards.

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


How Many Satellite Awards Have Been Issued?

When Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, was asked by a ham last week how many awards he has issued, his response was, “You know, I really had no idea.” Paige took over doing the AMSAT awards in May, 2001. Most of the awards have computer records. However, the Satellite Communicator Club award, he did not start keeping track of until 2003.

So, you ask, how many awards has he issued? Paige says,
“Satellite Communicator 407+ but my records only go back to 2003
South Africa Satellite Communication Achievement 167
AMSAT Satellite Communication Achievement 273
Sexagesimal (60 QSOs) 64
Century (100 QSOs) 24
W4AMI (1,000 QSOs) 81
W4AMI endorsements (each additional 1,000 QSOs) 66
W4AMI 5000 (5,000 QSOs) 25
Rover 55
GridMaster 13

and if I added correctly, it comes out to 1,165 plus whatever Satellite Communicator awards were issued in 2001 and 2002. That’s a lot of certificate paper, a lot of ink and a bunch of envelopes and stiffeners to get them safely to their owners.”

Do you have one on your wall? If not, maybe you should submit for one or more so that one day I will hit 2,000 or 3,000 who knows. Visit the awards page at https://www.amsat.org/awards-2/

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


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


VUCC Awards-Endorsements for August 2020

Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period July 1, 2020 through August 1, 2020. Congratulations to all those who made the list this month! WOW! Long list this month!

CALL July August

W7QL 478 510
WI4T 301 461
N7EGY 405 456
PS8ET 350 434
AF5CC New 425
N9FN 303 403
HP2VX 351 377
WB7VUF 319 370
KC9UQR 301 332
W4ZXT 252 327
WA9JBQ 326 326
W4DTA 263 275
AK7DD New 255
N1PEB * 138 255
K4RGK 175 214
VE6WK New 207
S57NML 179 205
AC9O 108 204
YV1DIG 146 200
AA4FL 181 187
N3CAL 160 171
WD9EWK (DM23) 137 152
N7AME 128 148
WB7QXU New 140
K3HPA 102 128
VE2NGO 100 128
HB9WDF New 114
N5EKO 102 108
KP4RV 100 105
XE1R New 105
KB9STR New 104
N2ZN New 103
IK1IYU New 101
KF6JOQ New 101
N5MIG New 101
LU3FCA New 100
M0KDS New 100
N6RVI New 100

* For some reason, this call dropped off the list from February to now.

If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at W5RKN at W5RKN dot com. This list was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It’s a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was not mentioned.

Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work!

[ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, for the above information]


First Demonstration Of Orbit Control On A 1U CubeSat

The University Wuerzburg Experimental Satellite 4 (UWE-4) successfully used its propulsion system in order to conduct orbit control. The 1U CubeSat, developed and built at the Chair for Robotics and Telematics, is equipped with the electric propulsion system NanoFEEP which has been developed by TU Dresden.

Several manoeuvres have been performed within 11 days between June 23 and July 3, 2020 such that the altitude of the CubeSat was reduced by more than 100 meters, compared to an average of 21 meters with natural decay. This marks the first time in CubeSat history that a 1U CubeSat changed its orbit using an on-board propulsion system.

As chance would have it, the team of UWE-4 received a conjunction data message (CDM) in the morning of July 2, 2020 from the United States Air Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron. A conjunction of UWE-4 with a non- operational Iridium satellite (ID: 34147) in the morning of July 5, 2020 with a minimum range of about 800 meters was a threat to the safety of UWE-4. An analysis has shown that the altitude of UWE-4 would already be below the Iridium satellite at the time of conjunction. Thus the on-going altitude lowering manoeuvre could only improve the situation and can be considered as a collision avoidance manoeuvre. No further CDMs have been issued regarding this possible conjunction. An analysis of the orbit of the two spacecraft after July 5, 2020 results in a closest approach of more than 6000 meters.

Lowering the altitude of a spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO) is equivalent to a reduction of its lifetime, since satellites in LEO usually burn up during re-entry due to the friction with the Earth’s atmosphere. Thus, this experiment is a concept demonstration of a de- orbiting manoeuvre shown at the smallest class of spacecraft in LEO. Today, there is no commitment to carry a propulsion system for space- craft. However, due to the vastly increasing number of satellites in mega constellations such obligations are being discussed in the space agencies of several space faring countries. The experiment of UWE-4 presents a de-orbiting solution for the fraction of space debris of operational but unused satellites of today and for the mega constellations of tomorrow.

[U.S. regulations make the ability to de-orbit a requirement for HEO amateur satellites in the future — Ed.]

Stay tuned for more updates on UWE-4 and the upcoming launch of NetSat, a formation flying nano-satellite mission from the Center for Telematics which is expected to be launched September 2020!

Kind regards, The UWE-4 Team

UWE-4: First NanoFEEP thruster ignition https://amsat-uk.org/2019/03/04/uwe-4-first-nanofeep-thruster-ignition/

UWE-4 435.600 MHz https://bit.ly/39FdrPt

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]


Burns Fisher, WB1JF, Featured Speaker at AMSAT SA Symposium

AMSAT of South Africa (AMSAT SA) has converted its annual Space Symposium into a live online event to take place from 08:00z to 17:00z on Saturday 22 August with a lunch break to have your sandwiches at home.

Burns Fisher, WB1JF, IHU Software Engineer and key volunteer in the construction of the Fox1 series of satellites, will join the symposium from the USA with two presentations. In one of his papers Burns will present a small, easy-to-deploy telemetry station called Fox-in-a-Box, a good way for amateurs to get started in satellite telemetry collection with a modest investment.

There will be features about AMSAT OSCAR 7, the longest operating amateur satellite, as well as about SATNOGs and how to track and decode thousands of small satellites in orbit with simple hardware/software requiring minimal outlay. Dr. Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, and his team will present the latest developments in the AfriCUBE project.

To book, visit http://www.amsatsa.org.za. Members of the SARL or AMSATSA and may register before 15 August for a cost of only R30. Non-members may register prior to this date for a cost of R100 (approximately $6 U.S.) but the AMSAT SA website only offers instructions for registration via postal mail. Contact AMSAT SA to explore other possible options.

[ANS thanks SARL News and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, 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


NASA to Provide Coverage of Astronauts’ Return from ISS on SpaceX

NASA will provide live coverage of activities leading up to, during, and following the return of the agency’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with the agency’s astronauts Robert Behnken, KE5GGX, and Douglas Hurley from the International Space Station.

The duo arrived at the orbiting laboratory on May 31, following a successful launch on May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 7:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 1, for undocking of the Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft from the space station and 2:42 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, for splashdown, which will be the first return of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft carrying astronauts from the space station.

Coverage on NASA TV and the agency’s website will begin at 20.30z on Aug. 1, with a short farewell ceremony on station and resume at 21.00z with departure preparations through splashdown and recovery at one of seven targeted water landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.

Watch at https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public

[ANS thanks NASA 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.

ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancella- tions or postponements of school contacts.

The most recent contact was with the American School of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS on Thursday, 2020-07-30 at 16:41:42 UTC. The scheduled astronaut was Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. The contact was successful, and the recording may be found at https://youtu.be/MSyfzEHYwrE

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


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

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


Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

Do you need Hawaii? NH7WN on AO-7 Most days. Reach out for a schedule.

EN57, EN56, EN67, 8/2 – 8/8: N8MR, will be in EN57 from August 2nd through August 8th. He may also activate EN56 and 67. Roving will be holiday style.

DM97/98 & EM08/09, 8/29 & 8/30: Super Rover @AD0DX is heading out for the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come.

Major Roves:

AD0HJ, is heading out again for the South Dakota Super Rove Part I Rove Map: Grids DN74, DN75, DN84, DN85, DN94, DN95, EN04, EN05, EN14, EN15, EN16, and EN17. July 31st through August 7th. See the Twitter post at https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1284669314637930499 to get passes and times.
Then as if that isn’t enough, there is more: South Dakota Super Rove Part II Rove Map: Grids DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93, EN02, EN03, EN12, EN24, and EN25. August 17th through August 21st.

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

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


Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have been cancelled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the information contained below is correct, there may be some that we missed. We wish all of you safekeeping and hope to be at a hamfest near you soon.

A copy of the AMSAT hamfest brochure is available for download from: https://bit.ly/2ygVFmV This color brochure is designed to be printed double-sided and folded into a tri-fold handout.

To include your upcoming AMSAT presentation and/or demonstration, please send an email to ambassadors (at) amsat (dot) org.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP-User Services for the above information]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), September 11 – 13. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s conference will be held online. Papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings; authors do not need to participate. Submit papers by August 15 via email to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB. (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information)

+ AMSAT-UK has announced the OSCAR Satellite QSO Party, aimed at encouraging radio amateurs around the world to get on the air and make contacts via satellite during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. While points are given per contact, AMSAT-UK says the OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is not a contest. The event starts at 0000 UTC on August 1 and continues until 2359 UTC on September 22. (ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information)

+ W5KUB’s high-altitude balloon went down around July 21 between Green- land and Norway after 72 days aloft and more than three trips around Earth. “It got stuck in the Arctic for several weeks, making loops,” Tom Medlin, W5KUB, said. “We are getting ready to launch W5KUB-21, an SBS-13 balloon with lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Testing on ground is showing that we are getting 24-hour tracking. We hope to launch that in the next week or two.” (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information)

+ NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance, launched to Mars on July 30 carry- chips with 10.9 million names submitted by people all over the world. Anyone can sign up to send their name on a future Mars mission at https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/mars2020/ (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ Kerry Banke, N6IZW, was featured in an article published in the La Mesa Courier newspaper of La Mesa, Calif. on July 24. The article highlighted Kerry’s association with ARISS, particularly his work on the new special power supply that converts the space station power to the levels that are required by ham radio equipment aboard the ISS. See the full story at https://lamesacourier.com/space-radio/ (ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information)

+ NASA and its international partners have assigned crew members for Crew-2, which will be the second operational SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the International Space Station as part of NASA?s Commercial Crew Program. Crew-2 is targeted to launch in spring 2021. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG, will join as mission specialists. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ The 34th Annual Small Satellite Conference, SmallSat 2020, is going virtual, August 1-6, 2020. Admission is free of charge at: https://smallsat.org/conference/registration (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ The public disclosure copy of AMSAT’s 2019 IRS filing (Form 990) has been posted to the AMSAT website at: https://www.amsat.org/audit-and-other-financial-reports/

———————————————————————

/EX

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

Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.

73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space, This week’s ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM

k0jm at amsat dot org

ANS-208 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for July 26th

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-208

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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

  • AMSAT Partners with UMaine’s WiSe-Net Lab to Develop Maine’s First Small Satellite
  • AMSAT-UK Announces OSCAR Satellite QSO Party
  • JARL Announces FO-29 Operation Schedule for August
  • Christopher Brault, KD8YVJ, Named 2020 Newsline Young Ham of the Year
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Upcoming ARISS Contacts
  • Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-208.01
ANS-208 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 208.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE July 26, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-208.01

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

AMSAT Partners with UMaine’s WiSe-Net Lab to Develop Maine’s First Small Satellite

The University of Maine Wireless Sensing Laboratory (WiSe-Net Lab) and AMSAT have signed an agreement to collaborate on building and operating MESAT1, Maine’s first small satellite, to be launched in space in the next three years.

MESAT1 is Maine’s first CubeSat — one of 18 small research satellites selected by NASA to carry auxiliary payloads into space between 2021–23. It is part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative that provides opportunities for nanosatellite science and technology payloads built by universities, schools and nonprofit organizations to ride share on space launches.

UMaine’s WiSe-Net Lab, established in 2005, is involved in aerospace and space research. The lab was founded by Ali Abedi, KB1VJV, assistant vice president for research and director of the Center for Undergraduate Research. Lab researchers have developed the first wireless sensor network for NASA’s lunar habitation project and launched wireless leak-detection to the International Space station.

The MESAT1 initiative will enable K–12 students and teachers in Maine to access space data for educational and research purposes, and encourage students to pursue STEM careers.

AMSAT will provide a Linear Transponder Module (LTM) along with integration and operational support for MESAT1. AMSAT’s LTM incorporates a VHF/UHF telemetry beacon, command receiver, and linear transponder. It will be available for radio amateurs worldwide to use when the satellite is commissioned.

AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, celebrated the announcement. “This is a great day for AMSAT and UMaine’s Wise-Net Lab. This partnership is a true win-win for both education and the amateur radio community. The collaborative effort under AMSAT’s engineering and operations teams has once again succeeded to bring another opportunity to AMSAT.”

[ANS thanks AMSAT and UMaine’s WiSe-Net Lab for the above information]

AMSAT-UK Announces OSCAR Satellite QSO Party

The objective of the AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is to encourage all radio amateurs around the world to get on the air and make contacts via satellites during northern hemisphere summer. We would like to attract both seasoned die-hard operators as well as all newcomers who are just getting involved.

While points are given per QSO this isn’t a contest, but we hope it will encourage people to get on the air and enjoy the excitement of making contacts through satellites.

The AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party will be supported by an online leaderboard which will be available from the start of the event which runs from 00:00 GMT on 1st August until 23:59 GMT on 22nd September.

Prizes will be awarded to those from first to thirteenth place and are open to both AMSAT-UK and non-members around the world.

● First Place £250 Amazon Voucher
● Second Place £150 Amazon Voucher
● Third Place £50 Amazon Voucher
● Fourth to Thirteenth Place One Year AMSAT-UK Membership

Download the rules for the AMSAT-UK OSCAR QSO Party at https://tinyurl.com/OSCAR-QSO-Party

Leaderboard – https://leaderboard.amsat-uk.org/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it
all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable
solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

JARL Announces FO-29 Operation Schedule for August

FO-29 will be activated by ground command at the following times in August 2020. The satellite will remain active after each command until the undervoltage controller shuts the satellite off to prevent overdischarge of the now-24 year old NiCd batteries.

1 03:40 05:25 13:55
2 02:45 04:30
8 02:30 04:15 14:30
9 03:25 05:05 13:35
10 02:25 04:10
15 03:05 04:50
16 02:10 03:55 14:10
22 01:55 03:40 13:55
23 02:45 04:30 13:00
29 02:30 04:15 14:30
30 03:20 05:05

[ANS thanks JARL and JA1OGZ for the above information]

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

Christopher Brault, KD8YVJ, Named 2020 Newsline Young Ham of the Year

Christopher Brault, KD8YVJ, of suburban Cincinnati, has been selected as the 2020 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year.

Chris, 18, is the son of Jocelyn Brault, KD8VRX, and Kimberly Brault, of Liberty Township, Ohio. Chris earned his Technician class license in 2014 and passed his General ticket about a year later. He said his father was his guide into amateur radio. Chris recalled car trips, watching and listening to his father operating mobile. “We would be on a road trip somewhere,” Chris said. “We’d be talking to people along the way, it seemed like fun.” Chris is a member of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, the West Chester Amateur Radio Association, and the Ohio Valley Experimenters Club.

An honor student entering his senior year at St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati, Chris helped restart the school’s amateur radio club (W8GYH). He has earned recognition for his many achievements in promoting amateur radio including the Hiram Percy Maxim Award (2015); the Ohio Section Special Recognition Award (2016); and the Great Lakes Division Young Amateur of the Year (2017). In 2017, Chris was invited to join the Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure to Costa Rica where he worked the stations with Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, the 2018 YHOTY award winner, and Austin Harris, WA8CCS, in making more than 3,100 contacts.

Chris also helped in the planning of an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact in 2016 and spoke with Astronaut Kate Rubins KG5FYJ while she flew overhead. Chris is social media director for the Youth on the Air organization and is a contesting mentor for youth who are involved in its programs. He is also a tour guide for the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester, Ohio, and actively assists in mentoring young operators at its amateur radio station, WC8VOA. Chris also works annually with his father on putting youth on the air in the annual Jamboree on the Air in October. He has also been a presenter at the Dayton Youth Forum (2017) and Orlando Hamcation (2017). Chris recently started working a part-time job at the Butler County Regional Airport near his home and was invited to take flying lessons. He is pursuing his private pilot’s license and is exploring a career in aviation as a commercial pilot.

The YHOTY award is traditionally presented during the Huntsville Hamfest in August in the Von Braun Center, Huntsville AL. However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hamfest was cancelled. Chris recently received a certificate of recognition presented in West Chester, Ohio by Amateur Radio Newsline’s Don Wilbanks, AE5DW. 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.

Amateur Radio Newsline, CQ Magazine, and Yaesu USA are primary sponsors of the award, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company.

[ANS thanks the CQ Newsroom and Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space?

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

Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have been canceled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the information contained below is correct, there may be some that we missed.

No events are currently scheduled. We wish all of you safekeeping and hope to be at a hamfest near you soon.

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Note: all @ signs refer to Twitter usernames.

Quick Hits:

Do you need Hawaii? NH7WN on AO-7 Most days. Reach out for a schedule

How about IL38 + IL39 Lanzarote, Canary Islands? Check out @EA4NF for details.

FN44/54, 7/22 – 7/31, KQ2RP: Just like last time, FM only.

EN20/30 Line, July 28-31, @KX9X : Sean is moving quickly towards his VUCC/R award by heading out again for two more grids. Watch his Twitter for details.

DM97/98 & EM08/09: Super Rover @AD0DX is heading out for the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come.

Schedule to come: FN11+21 then 12+22 grid lines, @NS3L Steve is heading out to these lines. Schedule to come.

@WY7AA is heading out again!!!

Mon 7/20 SSB and FM passes from DN67/68
Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00

Tues 7/21 SSB and FM passes from DN57/58.
Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00

Wed. 7/22 Travel day no sats

Thurs 7/23 SSB and FM passes from DN55/56.
Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00

Fri 7/24 SSB and FM passes from DN65/66.
Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00

Watch his QRZ page for details and updates.

@Kx9x is heading out on an EN rove to end all EN roves!!!!! The KX9X #MidwestMegaRove is ON!

Itinerary for the #KX9X #MidwestMegaRove:

7/28 EN40, 41 (Casual)
7/29 EN32/42 grid line (IA)
7/30 EN20/21/30/31 intersection. If turned away, 20/30 & 21/31 lines
7/31 EM38/39 (MO)
8/1 EM48/49 (IL, QRT 1700z) QRT by 2200z daily.

@AD0HJ, is heading out again for the South Dakota Super Rove Part I Rove Map: Grids DN74, DN75, DN84, DN85, DN94, DN95, EN04, EN05, EN14, EN15, EN16, and EN17. July 31st through August 7th. Pass times at https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1284669314637930499

Then as if that isn’t enough, there is more: South Dakota Super Rove Part II Rove Map: Grids DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93, EN02, EN03, EN12, EN24, and EN25. August 17th through August 21st.

Then Mitch is going for Part 2 of the South Dakota Super Rove: EN24/EN25,DN73/DN83, DN82/DN92, DN93/EN03, EN02/EN12. Part 2 details at https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1285747202367852544

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]

Upcoming ARISS Contacts

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:

  • American School of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Multi-point telebridge via ON4ISS
    The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact is go for: Thu 2020-07-30 16:41:42 UTC 78 deg
    Watch for live simulcast starting about 10 minutes before AOS at: https://youtu.be/MSyfzEHYwrE

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Operations, for the above information]

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

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Congratulations to Hector Martinez, W5CBF, on earning AMSAT GridMaster Award #13. The AMSAT GridMaster Award is available for amateur radio operators who confirm two-way QSOs with all 488 grids in the continental United States. Hector’s last needed grid was DL98. AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, made the 12 hour round-trip drive to activate the grid for Hector. (via KK5DO and W5CBF)

+ Ballots for the 2020 AMSAT Board of Directors election were mailed on July 14th via presorted standard mail to US addresses and via first class mail to overseas addresses to all members in good standing as of July 1st. Members desiring a replacement ballot package should contact AMSAT Secretary Brennan Price, N4QX, at [email protected] no earlier than August 12th. AMSAT members may log on to the membership portal at launch.amsat.org to verify that their address was correct as of July 1st. (via N4QX)

+ The La Mesa Courier has published an article about Kerry Banke, N6IZW, and his involvement in developing the ARISS Multi-Voltage Power Supply. https://lamesacourier.com/space-radio/

+ The IARU has coordinated a frequency for AMSAT Nepal’s SanoSat-1 PocketQube. The satellite is planned for launch Q4 2020. http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=732

+ The IARU has also completed coordination for the Tevel Mission. This series of 8 identical CubeSats will be able to be commanded to operate as V/u FM transponders with a downlink of 436.400 MHz and an uplink of 145.970 MHz. http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=744

+ Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL, has released Pass Recorder 2.0. This software is designed to automate the recording of satellite passes and interfaces with SatPC32. Changes in version 2.0 include support for SatPC32ISS, improved memory usage, and slight UI improvements. Download the software at https://www.2m0sql.com/pass-recorder/

+ JARL reluctantly announced the cancellation of Tokyo Ham Fair 2020 scheduled on October 31st and November 1st, as JARL cannot guarantee the safety and perfect prevention from COVID-19 infection, even if we take all possible preventive measures. The schedule of Tokyo Ham Fair 2021 is yet to be fixed, but we will announce it when we fix the venue and dates. (via JARL and JAMSAT)

+ After HO-107’s return last week, the satellite has again gone silent with the last telemetry received on July 20th at 00:00:22 UTC. Please continue to track the satellite in FoxTelem so additional telemetry can be gathered if the satellite begins transmitting again.

+ All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT’s new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT’s Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you’re a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/

+ The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted

+ The AMSAT Folding at home team continues to climb the rankings. Now in the top 800 of all teams at the time of this writing, the team has grown to 48 members with 67 active CPUs within the past 50 days and includes 14 members in the top 100,000 of all users. Alex Free, N7AGF, is our top contributor with nearly 170,000,000 points credited to AMSAT’s team. For more information about the Folding at home project and how you can contribute to scientific research, including the fight against COVID-19, see https://foldingathome.org/. AMSAT’s team number is 69710: https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/69710

/EX

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President’s Club. Members of the President’s Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. President’s Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.

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.

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

AMSAT Partners with UMaine’s WiSe-Net Lab to Develop Maine’s First Small Satellite

The University of Maine Wireless Sensing Laboratory (WiSe-Net Lab) and AMSAT have signed an agreement to collaborate on building and operating MESAT1, Maine’s first small satellite, to be launched in space in the next three years.

MESAT1 is Maine’s first CubeSat — one of 18 small research satellites selected by NASA to carry auxiliary payloads into space between 2021–23. It is part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative that provides opportunities for nanosatellite science and technology payloads built by universities, schools and nonprofit organizations to ride share on space launches.

UMaine’s WiSe-Net Lab, established in 2005, is involved in aerospace and space research. The lab was founded by Ali Abedi, KB1VJV, assistant vice president for research and director of the Center for Undergraduate Research. Lab researchers have developed the first wireless sensor network for NASA’s lunar habitation project and launched wireless leak-detection to the International Space station.

The MESAT1 initiative will enable K–12 students and teachers in Maine to access space data for educational and research purposes, and encourage students to pursue STEM careers.

AMSAT will provide a Linear Transponder Module (LTM) along with integration and operational support for MESAT1. AMSAT’s LTM incorporates a VHF/UHF telemetry beacon, command receiver, and linear transponder. It will be available for radio amateurs worldwide to use when the satellite is commissioned.

AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, celebrated the announcement. “This is a great day for AMSAT and UMaine’s Wise-Net Lab. This partnership is a true win-win for both education and the amateur radio community. The collaborative effort under AMSAT’s engineering and operations teams has once again succeeded to bring another opportunity to AMSAT.”

 

ANS-201 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for July 19th

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-201

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

The news feed on http://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.

In this edition:

  • AMSAT Board of Directors Election Packages Mailed July 14
  • HO-107 is Back!
  • First Call for Papers – Virtual 2020 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium
  • New D-STAR Reflector for AMSAT Use
  • SpaceX to Launch AMSAT-EA EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites
  • DARC Finds Unauthorized Transmissions in 144 MHz Satellite Band
  • 1240-1300 MHz Discussed at CEPT SE-40 Meeting
  • IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • ARISS News
  • Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-201.01
ANS-201 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 201.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
July 19, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-202.01

AMSAT Board of Directors Election Packages Mailed July 14

Brennan Price, N4QX, AMSAT Secretary reports that the ballots, candidate statements, and return envelopes for the 2020 AMSAT Board of Directors Election were prepared by Paladin Commercial Printing of Newington, Connecticut. Paladin mailed the packages from Hartford, Connecticut, on Tuesday, July 14, to members of record on July 1.

Non-US addresses were sent first class (the only option for overseas). US addresses were sent pre-sorted standard, which is routine for mail that requires a two-way response time measured in weeks, as this does.

Allowing for postal delivery standards and guard time, the Secretary will not consider a ballot as lost in post any earlier than August 12 (four weeks after the mailing). This timing permits a replacement ballot to be mailed first class in both directions, even internationally, with time to spare under prevailing postal delivery standards.

Paladin has shipped materials for 100 blank election packages to Price.

Price will use these materials to assemble and mail replacement or substitute packages as necessary. These requests and packages will be tracked and accounted against the voter list and returned ballots to guard against duplicates, and will be identifiable against the package mailed by Paladin for further verification and accounting by the tellers. Members desiring a replacement ballot package should contact Price no earlier than August 12.

The package is clearly labeled as election-related and contains:

1) An instruction and ballot sheet, with the ballot perforated,
2) A sheet of candidate statements, and
3) A No 9 return envelope, which bears the address to which ballots should be returned and the member’s name and address for verification against the voter list and any replacement ballot requests.

Secrecy at the time of counting will be maintained by separating the ballot from the envelope without inspection, placing the ballot in a receptacle, and scrutinizing the ballots after all have been separated from the envelopes.

Ballots should be returned in the return envelopes provided to arrive at the designated Post Office Box in Vienna, Virginia, by 5 p.m. Thursday, September 15, 2020. Separation of the ballots from the envelopes and counting will occur as soon thereafter as practicable, and no later than September 30.

Brennan can be reached at [email protected] for a query about membership status at any time or a replacement ballot after August 12.

[ANS thanks Brennan Price, N4QX, AMSAT Secretary for the above information]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

HO-107 is Back!

On the evening of July 17, 2020, Vlad Chorney, EU1SAT, tweeted “Husky-1 ACTIVE!” with a screenshot from FoxTelem showing that he had received telemetry from HO-107 (HuskySat-1) which had been silent for nearly two months. About an hour after EU1SAT’s tweet, the satellite passed over the eastern United States and AMSAT command stations KO4MA and N8MH copied telemetry. On subsequent passes, the satellite was successfully commanded.

Please continue to copy telemetry in FoxTelem. If you have removed HO-107 from your tracked satellites during its period of inactivity, please add it back. The transponder remains disabled while AMSAT Operations evaluates the telemetry from the satellite.

[ANS thanks AMSAT Operations for the above information]

First Call for Papers – Virtual 2020 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium

This is the first call for papers for the Virtual 2020 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium to be held on October 17, 2020. Proposals for papers and symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. Further details regarding the virtual event will be announced shortly. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible, with the final copy to be submitted by October 5, 2020 for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz at n8fgv(at)amsat.org.

[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, for the above information]

AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it
all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable
solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

New D-STAR Reflector for AMSAT Use

It has been nearly two years since Walter Holmes, K5WH and friends created the AMSAT DMR Talkgroup 98006 and has been working with great success. About one year ago they created a YSF US AMSAT Reflector 11689 to pull in others using Yaesu System Fusion digital radios. As these were working so well, they decided to bridge the two systems together so it would longer matter which of these digital technologies users had. Users could cross communicate between all users of both systems.

After success with the DMR talkgroup and the YSF reflector for more than a year, there was plenty of interest in adding D-STAR capability to the same system.

Walter is happy to announce the creation of a new D-STAR reflector for that purpose.  It supports four different reflector names such as XLXSAT, XRFSAT, DCSSAT, and REFSAT that are all linked together so that all of these work the same. As most people that are familiar with D-STAR reflectors know, they usually have numbers for the reflectors, but it seemed more appropriate to switch from the number system to the Alpha name like SAT to make it easier to find in the list.

For those using hotspots, they will need to refresh or update their Pistar or BlueDV host files to see these entries before they will see this one in the pull-down list.

Walter adds, “We recommend that users use module C for the AMSAT conversations but several other modules are available if we find a need to stretch out a bit. But, the C module is the one also linked to a few other repeaters.

“The D-STAR SAT reflector is not currently bridged into the system as are the DMR and YSF reflectors, but we hope to have that linked invery soon after a little more testing.

“If you have D-STAR capability, we invite you to give it a try and see how  it works for you.”

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

SpaceX to Launch AMSAT-EA EASAT-2 and Hades Satellites

Spain’s national amateur radio society URE says SpaceX expect to launch the EASAT-2 and Hades satellites in December 2020.

AMSAT-EA, the URE satellite group, is building the satellites together with the European University of Madrid. The launch has been managed through the space broker Alba Orbital based in Glasgow.

EASAT-2 and Hades will be launched into a sun-synchronous orbit between 500 km and 600 km and their main function is to act as analog and digital repeaters for radio amateurs. There is also a camera for SSTV transmissions provided by the Czech Republic that has already flown on the United States Naval Academy PSAT-2 satellite, and has now been adapted to fit into the PocketQube satellites.

Both satellites are based on the PocketQube 1.5P (7.5 x 5 x 5 cm) architecture and represent an evolution of the previous GENESIS platform, whose GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N satellites are expected to fly before the end of the year with Firefly, in a joint collaboration with Fossa Systems and LibreSpace, which also launch their own satellites, all of them within the Picobus dispenser, developed bythe latter.

IARU has coordinated these frequencies:
– Hades – uplink 145.925 MHz, downlink 436.888 MHz
– EASAT-2 – uplink 145.875 MHz, downlink 436.666 MHz

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

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

DARC Finds Unauthorized Transmissions in 144 MHz Satellite Band

The DARC reports unauthorized transmissions are taking place in the 144 MHz satellite segment of the 2M amateur radio primary allocation.

A translation of the DARC post reads:

“In the 144.010 MHz to 144.020 MHz range, illegally operated transmitters are increasingly being operated as “water vitalizers” or “water energizers”. The manufacturer specifies 144.015 MHz as the transmission frequency in its product description.

“The DARC EMC department asks for further information with location information about conspicuous signals in this frequency range, in preparation for collective complaints.

“The devices apparently generate fields with considerable field strength and a long range. The signals appear increasingly in the morning or in the evening. The illegal transmitters are typically in operation for 5 to 60 minutes (integer multiples of 5 minutes). The signal is generally very stable in frequency, but occasionally shows short-term fluctuations of up to a few 100 Hz. Otherwise the carrier is not further modulated.

The frequency range 144.000 MHz to 146.000 MHz is assigned to the Amateur Radio service in Germany as the primary exclusive user.”

A video of the interference caused by these devices and a map showing some of the cases so far detected in Germany can be seen at https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/emv/

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

1240-1300 MHz Discussed at CEPT SE-40 Meeting

The 69th meeting of CEPT ECC Working Group SE-40, held June 23-25, discussed the Amateur Radio 1240-1300 MHz band, the meeting documents are now available.

Several contributions were received for the ECC Report dealing with the coexistence between the radionavigation-satellite service and the amateur service in the frequency band 1240 – 1300 MHz. The contributions were incorporated in the draft ECC Report. The CPG arrangements for the preparation of WRC-23 for AI 9.1 topic b) was noted.

The Russian Federation noted:
– 1240-1260 MHz is by the GLONASS system
– 1260-1300 MHz are used by EU’s Galileo, Beijing’s Beidou, Japan’s
QZSS and is planned to be used by Korea’s KPS.

Among the documents available in Input, Info and Minutes are:
– SE40(20)052 Amateur Repeaters – IARU-R1
– SE40(20)051 Section 2 update WI_39 – IARU-R1
– SE40(20)050 Annex Draft report RNSS Amateur – Russian Federation
– SE40(20)049 Suggestions for RNSS and Amateur Service Compatibility, Russian Federation
– Info 1 Amateur repeaters 23 cm – IARU-R1
– Info 3 Letter to SE40 chairman on updated of ITU-R M.1092 – European Commission
– Minutes
– SE40(20)56A3 (1) Draft Report Amateur vs RNSS

Download the meeting documents from https://tinyurl.com/ANS-201-CEPT.

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

IARU Coordinates Two New Satellites

– HIAPO
HIAPO is a 1U CubeSat mission that is a unique platform being used to provide engaging meaningful hands-on STEM curriculum for Hawaii students K-12. Part of this curriculum involves obtaining data about solar flares solar particle events and the disturbances of the Earth’s magnetic field. The students can also collect data on solar events with relation to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back towards the Earth from the ionosphere. During the lifespan of this mission that data will be available for amateur operators to download directly from the satellite.

The Hawaii Science & Technology Museum was awarded a no-cost flight of the launch and a limited resources will not allow the development of an Amateur Radio digipeater. However if the launch date slips they plan to work with resources at AMSAT to develop a digipeater. Proposing a UHF downlink using 9k6 FSK with AX25. Planning a Firefly launch from Vandenberg in July 2020 into a 300 km orbit with 137 degree inclination together with Serenity and Spinnaker 3. A downlink on 437.225 MHz has been coordinated.

– VZLUSAT-2
VZLUSAT-2 is 3U CubeSat project of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and Czech Aerospace Research Centre. Students from four Czech technical universities are involved along with members of an Amateur Radio community from The Czech Republic.

The primary payload is the experimental Earth observation camera with an expected resolution around 30 to 50 m GSD. Secondary payloads of the mission are Radiation Orbital Monitor, Gama Ray Burst detector, X-ray detector and other sensors. This mission is fully open to Radio Amateurs who were also involved in the development of the satellite.

The space segment uses two Amateur bands for communication: An S-band for payload data downlink (DVBS2 ETSI EN 302 307 standard, 2 MBd, QPSK), and UHF downlink beacon (GMSK 1200 Bd), telecommand uplink (GMSK, 1200 Bd – 9600 Bd) and telemetry downlink (GMSK 4800, 9600 Bd). All the information is in an open format and everything needed for decoding is or will be published at: https://www.pilsencube.zcu.cz/vzlusat2/transmission.pdf.

Planning a launch from Cape Canaveral in the time window from December 2020 to March 2021 into SSO 500-600 km. A downlink on 437.325 MHz has been coordinated.

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]

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

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

– Need Hawaii? On AO-7 Most days. NH7WN for a schedule.

– EN85, 86 and maybe 75 and 76, July 11-25. @AA8CH for a schedule.

– FN44/54, 7/22 – 7/31, KQ2RP: Just like last time, FM only.

– FN11+21 then 12+22 grid lines, 7/25, @NS3L Steve is heading out to these lines. Schedule to come.

– EN20/30 Line, July 28-31, @KX9X Sean is moving quickly towards his VUCC/R award by heading out again for two more grids. Watch his Twitter for details.

– DM97/98 & EM08/09: Super Rover @AD0DX is heading out for the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come.

Major Roves:

– @WY7AA is heading out again!
Mon 7/20 DN67/68. All SSB and FM passes from about 1600-0400.
Tue 7/21 DN57/58. All SSB and FM passes from about 1600-0400.
Wed 7/22 Travel day no sats.
Thu 7/23 DN55/56. All SSB and FM passes from about 1600-0400.
Fri 7/24 DN65/66. All SSB and FM passes from about 1600-0400.
Watch his QRZ page for details and updates.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

No events posted.

ARISS News

No pending school operations.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N  for the above information.]

Shorts from All Over

– Sean Kutzko, KX9X To Present “Working Satellites” at DXE Virtual Hamfest and DX Academy July 25, 2020

Join Sean on Saturday, July 25, 2020 at 10:15 EDT for his thirty-minute presentation on Amateur Radio satellites.  Sean’s presentation is part of the DX Engineering Virtual Hamfest and DX Academy. The event is free and open to all. Register at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-201-Sean

– Behind Scenes SpaceX Crew Dragon Mission You Haven’t Seen

NASA has just released a new video. It starts with “You saw history made with the first crewed launch and docking of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, but you didn’t see the flurry of activity on board the International Space Station…until now.

“Join Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy and his crew mates as they prepare their cameras to document the DM-2 launch, and look over their shoulders to witness the new American spacecraft dock to the station and deliver their new crew mates.”

Watch the twelve minute video at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-201-Dragon.

[ANS thanks http://spaceref.com for the above information.]

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

Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status.

Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information.

73,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org