AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-278

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:

• Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – October 17
• AMSAT-UK Colloquium Online – October 11
• ARISS Worldwide SSTV Event – October 4-8
• Happy 27th Birthday, AMRAD-OSCAR 27
• FCC Deletes 3.4 GHz Amateur Satellite Service Allocation
• Chinese Amateur Radio Satellite Launches Delayed
• VUCC Awards-Endorsements for October 2020
• Message to US Educators: ARISS Contact Opportunity – Call For Proposals
• Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 1, 2020
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• AMSAT Awards News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-278.01
ANS-278 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 278.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE October 4, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-278.01

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/

Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – October 17

Learn more about AMSAT’s GOLF program, ARISS, AREx, the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator and other exciting projects taking place in the amateur satellite world.

The 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 17th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC-5). Symposium presentations will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with question and answer sessions held via a Zoom meeting.

The Symposium will be made available for free live on AMSAT’s YouTube channel.

Registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings and will be entitled to join the Zoom meeting. Only registered attendees will be able to participate in the question and answer sessions. Registered attendees will also be entered into prize drawings. Registration is free and available only for AMSAT members at launch.amsat.org. Registration will close on Friday, October 16th at 5:00pm CDT.

Final papers for the Symposium Proceedings must be submitted by October 5, 2020 to Dan Schultz, N8FGV, n8fgv at usa.net.

Symposium presentations should be limited to 15 minutes of pre-recorded video. Video presentations must be submitted by October 10, 2020 to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, n8hm at arrl.net. We ask that presenters be available to take questions via Zoom following the airing of their pre-recorded video.

Tentative Schedule

9:00am CDT –  Opening Remarks
9:15am CDT – 12:45pm CDT  – General Presentations
1:00pm CDT – 2:00pm CDT – AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator
2:00pm CDT – 3:00pm CDT – ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) / AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration)

• ARISS: 2020 Update
• Next Generation Radio System – First Element Operations and Future System Plans
• AREx/Lunar Gateway and Other Lunar Opportunities

3:00pm CDT – 4:00pm CDT – AMSAT Engineering
4:00pm CDT – 5:00pm CDT – 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting

[ANS thanks the 2020 AMSAT Symposium Team 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

AMSAT-UK Colloquium Online – October 11

The Online AMSAT-UK Convention takes place on Sunday, October 11, from 11am BST (10:00 GMT) to approximately 5pm, with a break for lunch, and several short breaks during the day. You don’t have to be a member of AMSAT-UK to participate, and the event is free of charge but please register at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-278-AUK ASAP.

Those who are registered will be entered for a number of free raffles which will take place during the event.

Among the many talks and demonstrations during the day are:

1100 BST (1000 GMT) Official opening by Martin Sweeting G3YJO
1105-1125 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Update by Ciaran Morgan M0XTD
1135-1200 Decoding Mars spacecraft – Bits and pieces you can learn from spacecraft telemetry by Daniel Estévez EA4GPZ
1210-1230 Tevel FM transponder satellite constellation by David Greenberg 4X1DG
1240-1300 LUNART – A Lunar Amateur Radio Transponder Project by Peter Gülzow DB2OS
1400-1420 FUNcube next, to boldly go… creating an open platform in space by Phil Ashby M6IPX
1430-1450 QO-100 Demonstration by Mike Willis G0MJW
1500-1520 Getting Goonhilly’s 32m antenna ready to support ESA missions by Matt Cosby Director of Space Engineering at Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd
1530-1550 AMSAT North America Engineering Update by Jerry Buxton N0JY
1600-1620 LEO Sat demonstration by Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA

Please register online at http://tinyurl.com/amsatukreg2020

Schedule of the day’s events https://tinyurl.com/ANS-278-AUKProg

AMSAT-UK Colloquium Page https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/

[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

ARISS Worldwide SSTV Event – October 4-8

An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for early October. The event is scheduled to begin on October 4 at 14:00 UTC for setup and operation and continue until October 8 ending at 19:15 UTC. Dates and times subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments.

Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120. The main theme of this collection of images will be Satellites. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/

After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image.

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

Happy 27th Birthday, AMRAD-OSCAR 27

Happy 27th birthday to AMRAD-OSCAR 27, still alive and operating today!

For an amateur radio satellite operator in the early 1990s, working on a satellite project based on the AMSAT Microsat design was a dream job!

The hams on the team (including Dino Lorenzini, Mark Kanawati, Steve Greene and Mike Wyrick) couldn’t help but include an amateur radio payload, and were successful with the help of fellow amateurs and the local Vienna, Virginia Amateur Research and Development (AMRAD) group: Paul Renaldo, Andre Castillot, Dave Rogers, Glenn Baumgartner, Sandy Sanders, Matt Butcher, Randy Mays, and Terry Fox, and with help from AMSAT’s Lyle Johnson, Chuck Green, and Jim White, among many others.

EYESAT-1/AO-27 launched (with the amateur payload and an extra UHF antenna for the downlink) at 0145 UTC September 26, 1993. [Ariane-4 V59 also launched amateur satellites KO-25, IO-26, and PO-28, SSTL’s Healthsat-2, the Stella research satellite, and the Spot-3 earth observation satellite.] The satellite was commanded on during the next orbit and the first QSO on the amateur payload was made the following morning on September 27, 1993. (We think – does anyone have an archive of amsat-bb emails from 1993 who can check?)

AO-27 was the first FM “bent pipe” satellite and proved to be easy to work with a strong downlink and sensitive receiver. The amateur FM repeater has served many Hams worldwide and was one of the first “Easy Sats”. AO-27 was later used for the first successful D-Star mode satellite QSO. The 800km orbit provides continent-spanning coverage. At least one station is known to have worked 49 states solely via AO-27!

And here we are today, the 27th of September, 2020, celebrating the 27th birthday of AO-27!

Thanks to Mike Wyrick N3UC who babysat the spacecraft for the last 27 years.

And thanks to all those who helped. There are many untold stories and photos we hope to share in the near future.

Current information on AO-27’s operating schedule is at www.ao27.net

[ANS thanks Mark Kanawati, N4TPY, Mike Wyrick, N3UC, and Steve Greene, KS1G, for the above information]

FCC Deletes 3.4 GHz Amateur Satellite Service Allocation

At its open meeting on September 30, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order that sunsets amateur use of the 3.3-3.5 GHz band. This spectrum includes the 3.40-3.41 GHz amateur satellite service allocation.

AMSAT had previously filed comments opposing the FCC’s proposal to delete this spectrum.

The adopted Report and Order can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-278-FCC

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

Chinese Amateur Radio Satellite Launches Delayed

CAMSAT says the CAS-7A launch has been postponed until next May, and CAS-5A until next June.

“Because of COVID-19, many things have been delayed,” CAMSAT’s Alan Kung, BA1DU, told ARRL. He said an announcement would be made closer to the announced launches.

CAMSAT said last spring that CAS-7A would launch in mid-September; the launch has been postponed multiple times since first announced. CAS-5A was predicted to launch in October. Both satellites will carry two transponders that include HF, in a configuration similar to that of the Russian RS satellites decades ago.

CAS-7A will be placed into a sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98° at 500 kilometers above Earth. The transponders will have a bandwidth of 30 kHz. According to the IARU amateur satellite frequency coordination page, the HF/HF linear transponder will uplink on 15 meters — 21.245–21.275 MHz, and downlink on 10 meters — 29.435-21.465 MHz. A CW beacon will transmit on 29.425 MHz. The HF/UHF transponder will uplink at 21.3125–21.3275 MHz, and downlink at 435.3575–435.3725 MHz. A CW beacon for that transponder will transmit on 435.430 MHz.

The CAS-5A nanosatellite, with a 6U form factor, carries two HF transponders and two VHF/UHF transponders. While in orbit, it will deploy the tiny CAS-5B femtosatellite, which will weigh just 0.5 kilogram.

The array of CAS-5A linear transponders will include HF/HF, HF/UHF, and VHF/UHF with 30-kHz passbands (except 15 kHz for the HF/UHF transponder).

CAS-5A will include CW telemetry beacons on HF and UHF. The HF CW beacon will be at 29.465 MHz, and a UHF telemetry beacon will be at 435.57 MHz. Other beacons include the HF/HF transponder beacon at 29.490 MHz; the HF/UHF transponder beacon at 435.505 MHz, and the VHF/UHF transponder beacon at 435.540 MHz. Telemetry will be transmitted at 435.650 MHz. The V/U linear transponder will uplink at 145.820 MHz; the V/U FM transponder will uplink at 145.925 MHz. Terrestrial stations will access the transponders at 21.385 – 21.415 MHz.

[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]

VUCC Awards-Endorsements for October 2020

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

WOW! Long list again this month! Almost a record.

Call	Sept	October
K8YSE	1935	2007	Only 30,393 to go!
N8HM	1102	1127
N8RO	1070	1075
K8YSE/7	671	842
W5RKN	721	732
WD9EWK (DM43)	617	623
K9UO	575	600
AD0HJ	478	500
KE8FZT	450	475
MI6GTY	459	460
N7EGY	456	457
W4ZXT	327	431
KJ4EU	261	404
XE2RV	262	385
KC9UQR	351	377
KC9VGG	336	374
AC9O	204	359
K5CIS	250	300
WB7QXU	204	252
KF6JOQ	201	251
KB9STR	138	229
PU4JOE	150	210
AA8CH/N8R	113	206
K5TA	101	202
W8LR	149	175
KJ4M	170	171
N5EKO	108	152
N7AME	148	150
N1PEB (FN42)	New	138
W7YED	New	127
KO4AQF	104	126
WB9VPG	New	116
K1ECU	100	115
N5BLY	New	106
KC3KJQ	New	103
K2KA	New	102
N8SGZ	New	100

If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I’ll revise the announcement. 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]

Message to US Educators: ARISS Contact Opportunity – Call For Proposals

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 July 1, 2021 and December 30, 2021. 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 November 24th, 2020. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 8, 2020 at 8 PM ET. The Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2020.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 ariss.us.education at gmail.com.

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

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 1, 2020

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution:

MO-105 – Cat ID 44832 (decay epoch = 2020-09-28 0:00 UTC per Space-Track). The UTC time is an approximation.

Note: The decay epoch predicted by Space-Track for MO-106 – Cat ID 44830 is 2020-10-15.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements 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 canceled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the information contained below is correct, there may be some that we missed.

Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for various clubs.

10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Pennsylvania

These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application – by directly visiting Zoom.us.

[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/

AMSAT Awards News

Gerry Krebs, N0JE, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, are the latest recipients of AMSAT’s GridMaster Award. This award was first introduced by Star Comm Group in 2014. AMSAT thanks Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, for not only sponsoring this award since its inception, but, also, entrusting AMSAT with the honor of carrying on this important award for the benefit of the entire AMSAT community.

The GridMaster award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit proof with written confirmation of contacts with each of the 488 maidenhead grids located within the contiguous United States of America.

More information about this award can be found at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

JQ78, JW7xK, 10/7 – 10/12 JW7XK (or maybe LA7XK) will be active on RS-44 on as many passes as possible His focus is to work NA and maybe also JA, when/if it is possible. Our QTH will be in JQ78. He is using an Arrow Antenna 10el. on 70 and 4 el on 2 mounted on a tripod with a small homemade antenna rotor. I am using filters and preamps on both 2m and 70cm. link frequency 435660 +/- Doppler.

EM05/06 and EM04/14, @KL7TN, 10/4 and 10/5

DK78/ DK79, @XE1HG will be there on Oct 12th so going to activate DK78 and DK79, Holiday style on FM until now, If I have the chance to carry some brick will be on linears too. More to confirm as soon as the date get closer.

CN76/77 10/3 and 10/4 @AD0DX Just booked tickets for beautiful Ocean Shores, WA… CN76/CN77 grid line Sat Oct 3 approx 0000z to Sun Oct 4th approx 1700z, pass details closer to the trip.

EL Grids, @N1PEB 10/10 -10-14: 10/10 EL95 Key Largo, 10/11 EL94 Key West, 10/12 EL84 Dry Tortuga, 10/13 EL94 Key West, 10/14 TBD

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

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, 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

• AO-7 is now in constant sunlight and the 24 hour timer is switching the satellite between Mode A and Mode B. The exact time of the switch has not yet been determined, but it appears that it is currently in Mode A on odd-numbered days and Mode B on even-numbered days.
• The Moscow Aviation Institute’s MAI-75 ISS SSTV activity occurred on September 30 and October 1. Images received can be viewed at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/
• A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying 22 satellites, some transmitting on amateur bands, successfully launched on September 28. More information on this launch can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-278-Soyuz
• The independent accountant’s review of AMSAT’s 2019 financial statements is now available on the AMSAT website. https://amsat.org/audit-and-other-financial-reports/
• Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
• AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/
• 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

/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 additional 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 NEWS SERVICE
ANS-271

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:

• 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
• Reminder: Current AMSAT Journal is available on Member Portal
• AMSAT-DL Online Symposium
• AMSAT-UK Convention
• ARRL LOTW New User Guide
• AMSAT Field Day Results for 2020 Have Been Posted
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.01
ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 271.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE September 27, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-271.01

2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium Announcement

The 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 17th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC -5). Symposium presentations will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with a question and answer sessions held via a Zoom meeting.

The Symposium will be made available for free live on AMSAT’s YouTube channel.

Registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings and will be entitled to join the Zoom meeting. Only registered attendees will be able to participate in the question and answer sessions. Registered attendees will also be entered into prize drawings. Registration is free and available only for AMSAT members. Registration will close on Friday, October 16th at 5:00pm CDT.

Proposals for papers and Symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible.

Final papers for the Symposium Proceedings must be submitted by October 5, 2020 to Dan Schultz, N8FGV, [email protected].

Symposium presentations should be limited to 15 minutes of pre-recorded video. Video presentations must be submitted by October 10, 2020 to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, [email protected]. We ask that presenters be available to take questions via Zoom immediately following the airing of their pre-recorded video.

Tentative Schedule

9:00am CDT Opening Remarks
9:15am CDT – 12:45pm CDT General Presentations
1:00pm CDT – 2:00pm CDT AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator
2:00pm CDT – 3:00pm CDT ARISS / AREx update
3:00pm CDT – 4:00pm CDT AMSAT Engineering
4:00pm CDT – 5:00pm CDT 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting

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

Reminder: July/August AMSAT Journal Is Available on Member Portal

Due to COVID-19, the July/August 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal will only be available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. Please visit launch.amsat.org to view/download your copy today.

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world.

Inside the Current Issue:

• Engineering Update, Jerry Buxton N0JY
• User Services Update, Robert Bankston KE4AL
• Treasurer’s Report, Robert Bankston KE4AL
• Educational Relations Update, Alan Johnston KU2Y
• AMSAT Field Day 2020, Bruce Paige KK5DO
• For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VI, Keith Baker KB1SF/VA3KSF
• Satellite Cyber Threats, Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Miguel A. García-Ruiz VE3BKM; Margarita G. MayoralBaldivia XE1BMG; Raúl T. Aquino-Santos (SWL)
  Integration of a Distributed Ground Station Network, M.A.Mendoza-Bárcenas (SWL); Rafael Prieto-Meléndez (SWL); Alejandro Padrón-Godínez (SWL); Gerardo Calva-Olmos (SWL), Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas, XE1AO; Margarita G. Mayoral-Baldivia XE1BMG; Alfonso Tamez Rodríguez XE2O
• Satellite Antenna Tracking Using Goto Telescope Mounts, Dwayne Sinclair NA6US

[ANS thanks AMSAT 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-UK Convention Announcement

The Online AMSAT-UK Convention takes place on Sunday, October 11, from 11am BST (10:00 GMT) to approximately 5pm, with a break for lunch, and several short breaks during the day. You don’t have to be a member of AMSAT-UK to participate, and the event is free of charge but please register ASAP.

A number of interesting talks and demonstrations are planned including a talk on the Lunar Amateur Radio Transponder project (LUNART).

A draft schedule of the day’s events may be downloaded from: https://bit.ly/35ZsOCg

Please register online at http://tinyurl.com/amsatukreg2020

[ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA & AMSAT-UK for the above information]

AMSAT-DL Symposium Announcement

AMSAT-DL have announced this year’s Symposium on Saturday, September 26, will be streamed live on YouTube and most of the lectures will be in English to cater for an international audience.
Mattias, DD1US reports: “Instead, we will broadcast the symposium as an “online” meeting in DATV via the broadband transponder of QO-100 and on the Internet on the YouTube channel of AMSAT-DL at: https://www.youtube.com/user/amsatdl

Announced sessions will include presentations on Lunar Amateur Radio Transponder project (LUNART) and several sessions focused on QO-100 usage and modes of operation.

The current schedule can be found on the AMSAT-DL homepage at: https://amsat-dl.org/en/

[ANS thanks Matthias Bopp, DD1US & AMSAT-DL 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/

New User guide for ARRL LOTW

A guide for beginner LOTW users has been released by Gary, ZL2IFB. Gary pulled together a team of contributors who assisted him on the project. The 33 page guide was written with the new user in mind, but contains many tips and explanations that veteran users will find useful as well. The guide may be downloaded from: https://www.g4ifb.com/LoTW_New_User_Guide.pdf

[ANS thanks Gary, ZL4IFB for the above information]

AMSAT Field Day Results for 2020 have been posted

Bruce Paige, KK5DO has posted the AMSAT Field Day 2020 results on the AMSAT web site. A direct link to the results page is: https://www.amsat.org/field-day-2020-results/

Alternatively, it is possible to navigate to the page by clicking on Events, Field Day and Field Day 2020 Results.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests & Awards and AMSAT Board Member 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

ARISS News

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

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-09-21 19:30 UTC

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:

Turkish State Meteorological Service

Mehmet Zakir Ekni High School, Yenimahalle, Turkey
Kuyubaşi Şehit Oğuzhan Duyar Secondary School, Keçiören, Turkey
Ted Ankara College Foundation High School, Gölbaşı, Turkey
Maya Anatolian High School, Gölbaşı, Turkey
Direct via TC2TSC

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR
Contact is go for: Tue 2020-09-29 12:35:08 UTC 78 deg (***)

There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts.

The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink.

*************************************************

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 cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates.

Postponed:
No new schools have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19:

The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/
Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors 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:

DM35, DM36 and DM45: @K7TAB 9/23 – 10/1 ish: I will be camping in DM35 and will operate from there occasionally over the next 8-10 days. I will also activate DM36 at some point, probably early to middle of next week. I will also be very near DM45, so Sats & SOTA may happen again!

EN10, @K0JM, 9/25: K0JM possibly EN10 for one or two FM passes on Friday morning, strictly holiday style, as circumstances permit.

CN76/77 10/3 and 10/4 @AD0DX Just booked tickets for beautiful Ocean Shores, WA… CN76/CN77 grid line Sat Oct 3 approx 0000z to Sun Oct 4th approx 1700z, pass details closer to the trip

EL Grids, @N1PEB 10/10 -10-14: 10/10 EL95 Key Largo, 10/11 EL94 Key West, 10/12 EL84 Dry Tortuga, 10/13 EL94 Key West, 10/14 TBD

Major Roves:
Beginning this Saturday, 19 Sept thru Friday, 25 Sept, @kylee_ke0wpa and @ND0C will be doing some holiday roving in several Iowa grids: EN11, EN12, EN20, EN21, EN22 and EN30 – some lines. None of them are particularly rare, but we’ll be there nevertheless. Operation will be limited by work commitments and family activities, but we will focus on AO-91 and SO-50 and maybe some linears. Hope to turn a few grids green for some folks. Please play nice, i.e. no blind calls, no stomping and allow the QSOs to be completed!

**** Postponed ******* DL88: Ron (@AD0DX) and Doug (@N6UA) are making another run at the elusive DL88 in Big Bend National Park, TX. As we know they tried this grid back in March, and due to the mud couldn’t get to the grid, so never ones to quit, off they go again. Today the tentative date is Monday July 6th, 2020. They will be using the K5Z call sign. More information is available at the K5Z QRZ Page.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Clint Bradford, K6LCS will give his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” Zoom presentation on the following dates for:

10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC
Additional presentations are in the planning stage:

TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC and a private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Pennsylvania

Club Groups are asked to update their copies of the Zoom application prior to the scheduled session by directly downloading it from https://zoom.us/

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information]

RSGB 2020 Convention – antenna modelling and ionoscatter

During the online RSGB 2020 Convention, you will be able to enjoy some excellent lectures. On Saturday, 10 October 2020, the RSGB will be presenting two online streams for everyone to enjoy.

Highlights will be “Antenna Modelling With MMANA-GAL with Steve Nichols, G0KYA and Palle, OZ1RH will look at Ionoscatter on 50 and 144MHz.

Information is available at https://rsgb.org.uk/convention.

[ANS thanks the RSGB GB2RS News for the above information]

AMSAT-DL has been live streaming this year’s AMSAT-DL Symposium. Details on the Internet on the YouTube channel of AMSAT-DL at: https://www.youtube.com/user/amsatdl

Editor’s Note: we are not aware if the YouTube presentations will be available after the Symposium.

[ANS thanks Matthias Bopp, DD1US & AMSAT-DL for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA officials released a nearly five-year, $28 billion plan Monday to return astronauts to the surface of the moon before the end of 2024, but the agency’s administrator said the “aggressive” timeline set by the Trump administration last year hinges on Congress approving $3.2 billion in the next few months to kick-start development of new human-rated lunar landers. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Astronauts on the International Space Station carried out an “avoidance maneuver” on September 22 to ensure they would not be hit by a piece of debris, said NASA, urging better management of objects in Earth’s orbit. Russian and US flight controllers worked together during a two-and-a-half-minute operation to adjust the station’s orbit and move further away, avoiding collision. [Such maneuvers usually mean that Keps for ISS must be updated — Ed.] (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information)

+ A solid-fueled Long March 11 launcher delivered nine small Chinese Earth observation satellites to orbit on September 15 after firing off a ship positioned in the Yellow Sea. Unfortunately, the payload did NOT include the CAS-7 satellites amateurs have been anticipating. That launch is still pending. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Sept. 22 Spaceflight Now published an updated general launch schedule: Updating time for Delta 4-Heavy/NROL-44; Adding date and time for Falcon 9/Starlink 12; Electron/STP-27RM delayed; Falcon 9/GPS 3 SV04 moved forward; Adding date for Falcon 9/SpaceX CRS 21; Adding date for Falcon 9/Turksat 5A; Adding date for Falcon 9/Transporter 1; Atlas 5/CST-100 Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2 delayed. Details at: https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Sept. 24 Blue Origin scrubbed a test of NASA landing system hardware on the latest New Shepard flight Additional Additional information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3hYWSQX (ANS thanks NASAspaceflight.com for the above information)

/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 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 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,

Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ

kd4iz at amsat dot org

 

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: [email protected]

In this edition:

• Virtual 2020 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on October 17, 2020
• AMSAT Virtual Symposium Call for Papers
• Preparations Continue for World Radiocommunication Conference 2023
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 10, 2020
• AMSAT-DL Announces Virtual Satellite Symposium September 26, 2020
• AMSAT-UK Announces Colloquium 2020 October 11, 2020
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• ARISS News
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-257.01
ANS-257 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 257.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
September 13, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-257.01

 

Virtual 2020 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on October 17, 2020

The 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday, October 17, 2020 from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC -5). Symposium presentations will be a combination of pre-recorded and live video segments along with question and answer sessions held via a Zoom meeting. The tentative schedule is:

9:00am CDT Opening Remarks

9:15am CDT – 12:45pm CDT General Presentations

1:00pm CDT – 2:00pm CDT AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator

2:00pm CDT – 3:00pm CDT ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station)/ AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration)

3:00pm CDT – 4:00pm CDT AMSAT Engineering

4:00pm CDT – 5:00pm CDT 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting

The Symposium will be streamed free of charge on AMSAT’s YouTube account. Registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings and will be entitled to join the Zoom meeting and participate in the question and answer sessions. Registered attendees will also be entered into prize drawings. Registration is free and available only for AMSAT members at https://launch.amsat.org/Events.

Registration will close on Friday, October 16 at 5:00pm CDT.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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AMSAT Virtual Symposium Call for Papers

Proposals for papers and Symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible.

Final papers for the Symposium Proceedings must be submitted by October 5, 2020 to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at [email protected]. Symposium presentations should be limited to 15 minutes of pre-recorded video. Video presentations must be submitted by October 10, 2020 to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM at [email protected]. We ask that presenters be available to take questions via Zoom following the airing of their pre-recorded video.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

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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/

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Preparations Continue for World Radiocommunication Conference 2023

Preparations for World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) go forward, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) continues its efforts to protect amateur and amateur-satellite allocations. The international conference, which generally takes place every 4 years, is sponsored by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

IARU participated in the first online meeting of Project Team A (PTA) of the WRC-23 CEPT Conference Preparatory Group (CPG), reporting this week that “a good start was made on items of interest to the amateur and amateur-satellite services.”

Agenda Item 1.12 addresses studies stemming from WRC-19 that are now underway to consider a new secondary allocation to the Earth exploration-satellite (active) service (EESS active) for spaceborne radar sounders in the 40 – 50 MHz range, taking into account the protection of incumbent services (including in adjacent bands), which would include 6 meters. A handful of countries have also allocated secondary amateur bands in the vicinity of 40 MHz.

The WRC-19 Resolution (Res. 656), which ordered the studies, noted that spaceborne-active RF sensors can provide unique information on physical properties of the Earth, and that spaceborne-active remote sensing requires specific frequency ranges depending on the physical phenomena to be observed. Spaceborne radars are intended to operate only in uninhabited or sparsely populated areas with particular focus on deserts and polar ice fields, between the hours of 3 AM and 6 AM local time.

Agenda Item 1.14 addresses the Earth Exploration Satellite service (passive) (EESS passive) in the range 231.5 – 250 GHz. The Amateur and Amateur-satellite services have a primary allocation at 248?–?250 GHz, and a secondary allocation at 241?–?248 GHz.

Agenda Item 9.1 will consider and approve the Report of the Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau on the activities of the Radiocommunication Sector since WRC-19. This includes a review of the amateur service and the amateur-satellite service allocations in the frequency band 1.240 – 1.300 GHz to determine if additional measures are required to ensure protection of the radionavigation- satellite (space-to-Earth) service (RNSS) operating in the same band.

The 1.240 – 1.300 GHz band is allocated worldwide to the amateur service on a secondary basis, and the amateur-satellite service (Earth-to-space) may operate in the band 1.260 – 1.270 GHz. The primary concern is the potential for interference to the Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GPS) in ITU Region 1 (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). Instances of interference to one of the RNSS channels from amateur operations have been reported. IARU has said it’s prepared to fully cooperate in any studies.

The IARU participated in the initial meeting of Project Team C of the WRC-23 CEPT CPG, where the preliminary CEPT position on international studies on coexistence between the amateur service and RNSS was discussed.

Agenda Item 9.1A concerns spaceweather sensors, which must be protected by regulation without placing constraints on incumbent services. “The scope of this topic is wide and could cover HF to EHF spectrum,” IARU said. “Until studies are progressed, it is not certain how the amateur and amateur-satellite services might be impacted.”

Agenda Item 9.1C was proposed by a few countries interested in the possible use of mobile technologies in frequency bands allocated to the fixed service. “In practice, amateur service allocations in the range 430 MHz to 250 GHz could be affected where there is a primary allocation to the fixed service and a secondary allocation to the amateur service,” IARU said, citing 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz as examples.

Last summer, France raised a proposal to consider 144 – 146 MHz as a primary allocation to the Aeronautical mobile service, as part of a broader consideration of spectrum allocated to that service.

IARU pledged to continue “to represent the amateur and Amateur satellite services throughout the electromagnetic spectrum at meetings of regulatory bodies during the coming months.”

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 10, 2020

As noted last week, Arianespace launched of 53 new satellites on September 3, 2020. This also placed three new satellites carrying Amateur Radio transmitters into orbit. They are Amicalsat, TTU-100 and UPMSAT 2. So far, only UPMSAT 2 has been identified as Object 46276 (See below).

Based on observations this past week, Nico Janseen has refined his identification of UPMSat 2 to be Object 46276, not Object 46277 as it seemed last week. Also, OBJECT D (Cat ID 46275) and OBJECT F (Cat ID 46277) have been added this week in hope that they may be Amicalsat and TTU-100. Watch for further information.

Therefore, the following satellites have been and added to this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

OBJECT D – Cat ID 46275
UPMSat 2 – Cat ID 46276
OBJECT F – Cat ID 46277

Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, for verfying Cat ID 46276 is in fact UPMSat2.

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution:

Tanusha-3 – NORAD Cat ID 43597 (Decayed on August 5, 2020 per Space-Track).

[ANS thanks the Ray Hoad 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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AMSAT-DL Announces Virtual Satellite Symposium September 26, 2020

Unfortunately, the AMSAT-DL Symposium planned for September 26-27, 2020 cannot take place this year in the usual manner. Since the health of everyone is very close to our hearts and the legal framework currently leaves no other option, AMSAT-DL has decided not to hold a meeting on site in Bochum this year. A social meeting with dinner is not possible, nor is a flea market or other activities such as the QO-100 User Meeting which happened for the first time during the HAM Radio Fair in Friedrichshafen in 2019.

Instead, AMSAT-DL will broadcast the symposium as an online meeting in DATV via the broadband transponder of QO-100 and on the internet on the AMSAT-DL YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/amsatdl.

Due to the international audience, most of the lectures will be held in English. The current schedule can be found on the AMSAT-DL homepage at https://amsat-dl.org.

AMSAT-DL and its board invites everyone to this year’s AMSAT-DL online conference and the virtual QO-100 user meeting.

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

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AMSAT-UK Announces Colloquium 2020 October 11, 2020

There will not be an in-person AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium this year instead they will be holding an Online Event on Sunday, October 11, 2020. This is the day after the RSGB’s Radio Convention which is also an on-line event.

The AMSAT-UK Convention will run from 11:00am to approximately 5:00pm, with a break for lunch and several short breaks during the day. (Times are British Summer Time, or UTC/GMT + 1.) Membership in AMSAT-UK is not required to attend and the event is free of charge.

The event will be in the form of a Zoom Webinar. Register at http://tinyurl.com/amsatukreg2020 and follow the instructions which will arrive by email. No special software is installed since a browser plug in is used by Zoom.

Those who are registered before the start of the Colloquium will be entered for a number of free raffles which will take place during the event. The event will be hosted by Graham Shirville, G3VZV and Jim Heck, G3WGM and formally opened by our Chairman, Martin Sweeting, G3YJO. For those registered it will be possible to pose questions to the speakers during Q and A sessions. Informal on-line discussions after the official close of the Colloquium, are also planned.

The Colloquium will be live streamed to the AMSAT-UK YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK.

Complete information is available at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/.

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

CN86; 9/19 & 9/20 John Van Dalen, @N7AME hopes to access the FM satellites AO-91, and AO-92 on most passes on September 19 and 20 during the WWDXC Salmon Run. If they count, John will be at Lewis and Clark State Park (K-3221) in Washington and in Lewis County which will be Grid CN96. Check Twitter @N7AME for updates.

JM08; 9/17 – 9/21 Philippe Chateau, EA4NF will be @EA6/EA4NF on Formentera Island. This counts as DXCC EA6, Grid JM08, and IOTA EU-004. Philippe will be on LEO FM & Linear birds. QSL via LoTW as EA6/EA4NF. For this new satellite portable activation, Philippe will bring with him his Yaesu FT818ND and a FT817ND operating in full duplex with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna.

DM06, DM07, DM08, DM16, DM17 and DM18; 9/11 and 9/13 David Bartholomew, AD7DB is heading out to activate DM06, DM07, DM08, DM16, DM17 and DM18 on Friday, 9/11/20 and Sunday 9/13. Taking FM gear only. Click @AD7DB for details.

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

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ARISS News

+ Completed Contacts

College Raymond Sirot, Gueux, France, telebridge via VK5ZAI The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The astronaut was Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. The contact was successful on Thursday, 9-10-2020 at 08:17:01 UTC.

+ Upcoming Contacts

Avellaneda Ikastetxea, Sodupe, Spain, telebridge via ZS6JON The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. The contact is go for Friday, 9-18-2020 at 12:56:34 UTC.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N 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/

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

+ Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” presentation for the for the following clubs:

09/14/2020 – North Agusta Belevedere Radio Club
10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC
TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC
TBD – A private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, PA

These will be Zoom presentations. Everyone is asked to update their copies of the Zoom application by directly visiting Zoom.us.

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

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Shorts from All Over

+ UPMSAT-2 Recordings Wanted

The UPMSAT-2 team would appreciate receiving recordings of their satellite. They are especially interested in recordings made from outside Spain. UPMSAT-2 transmits on 437.405 MHz using USB, not FM.

Recordings can be send to [email protected]

[ANS thanks Felix Paez EA4GQS for the above information.]

+ Route 66 On-the-Air from W6D

Christy Hunter, KB6LTY is happy to report that the COVID-19 pandemic is not keeping the 2020 Route 66 On-the Air event off the air. This year the event starts September 12 and goes through September 20. Christy will be representing W6D on the FM and SSB birds from her home not far from Route 66 in DM14. Only paper QSL cards will be issued for W6D contacts(no LoTW). Look for W6D on QRZ.com for her mailing address. Complete information on the event can be found at http://w6jbt.org/.

[ANS thanks Christy Hunter, KB6LTY for the above information.]

+ Reminder: Annual GNU Radio Conference Begins September 14, 2020

GRCon20 will be held starting September 14, 2020 online as a virtual event. Keynote speakers include: Becky Schoenfeld W1BXY, Managing Editor of QST magazine, Oona Räisänen [windytan] hacker of signals and computer programmer, and Jim St. Leger, Director Open Source, Intel. Full registrations are sold out but free registration for all virtual GRCon20 technical talks, keynotes, and lightning talks is still available at https://tickets.gnuradio.org/grcon20/.

[ANS thanks GNU Radio for the above information.]

+ NASA, NOAA to Discuss Solar Cycle Prediction

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will discuss predictions for the upcoming solar cycle during a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 15. Tracking the solar cycle is a key part of better understanding the Sun and mitigating its impacts on human technology and infrastructure.

During the teleconference, experts on the Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel will discuss recent updates in solar cycle progress, and the forecast for the upcoming cycle, Solar Cycle 25. Complete information and registration information can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-257-NASA-Live.

[ANS thanks NASA Radio for the above information.]

+ AT&T Seeking Buyers For DirecTV

Well-heeled Amateurs wanting a geosynchronous ham radio satellite of their own now have their chance. AT&T purchased DirecTV in 2015 and paid some $67 billion overall. With declining viewership and increased competition, ATT&T wants to unload the company and decrease its debt load. Most observers suggest the price might be a flea-market bargain at about $20 billion. The catch? ATT&T would retain 50% ownership.

[ANS thanks Satnews for the above information.]

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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