AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-090

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:

• SSTV Transmissions from ISS Set for April 1-2, 2019
• AO73/FUNcube-1 Mode Changes
• AMSAT Academy to be Held Prior to Hamvention Thursday, May 16, 2019
• ARISS Out-of-this-Word Auction Starts April 8, 2018
• International Space Station Astronauts are Calling CQ Students
• India Space Research Organization to Launch EMISAT With 28 Satellites on April 1, 2019
• AMSAT India Requests APRS Reports
• GRCon19 to be Held September 16-20, 2019
• This Month in AMSAT History
• AmazonSmile for AMSAT!
• Microwave Update Conference October 3-5, 2019 in Lewisville, TX
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-090 01 ANS-090 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 090 01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD March 31, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-090 01

SSTV Transmissions from ISS Set for April 1-2, 2019

Cosmonauts on the International Space Station will transmit slow-scan television (SSTV) images on April 1 – 2 as part of its International MAI-75 experiment, aimed at combining the efforts of universities and radio amateurs in Russia and the US to develop technology and technical tools that enable students to communicate and collaborate with cosmonauts and astronauts

SSTV images will be transmitted on 145 800 MHz using a Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver It’s expected that images will be transmitted using the PD-120 SSTV format Transmissions are scheduled on both days from about 1400 to about 1900 UTC Listen to the ISS when it is over Russia using the R4UAB WebSDR

[ANS thanks R4UAB for the above information ]

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AO73/FUNcube-1 Mode Changes

As reported by a number of users, the transponder on AO73/FUNcube-1 appears to be being affected by its many months in continuous sunlight The transponder is presently not working as intended and will therefore not be activated again for the time being

We believe that the problem has occurred due to the higher than anticipated on-board temperatures We anticipate that the situation may be resolved when the spacecraft starts to experience eclipses again at the end of April

The spacecraft will therefore remain in education mode until that time with the usual high-power telemetry downlink active

In addition to the telemetry, Fitter messages also remain available Any schools or colleges that would like to have their message transmitted from space should contact operations@funcube org uk with their request, giving at least two weeks' notice

[ANS thanks Graham, G3VZV for the above information ]

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AMSAT Academy to be Held Prior to Hamvention Thursday, May 16, 2019

Come joins us the day before Hamvention for AMSAT Academy – a unique opportunity to learn all about amateur radio in space and working the FM, linear transponder, and digital satellites currently in orbit

AMSAT Academy will be held Thursday, May 16, 2019, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) Clubhouse, located at 6619 Bellefontaine Rd, Dayton, Ohio

Registration Fee includes:

• Full day of instruction, designed for both beginners and advanced amateur radio satellite operators, and taught by some of the most accomplished AMSAT operators
• Digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites, 2019
• Edition ($15 value)
• One-Year, AMSAT Basic Membership ($44 value)
• Pizza Buffet Lunch
• Invitation to the Thursday night AMSAT get together at Ticket Pub and Eatery in Fairborn

AMSAT Academy 2019 Registration Fee: $85 00 Registration closes May 10, 2019 No sign ups at the door No refunds or cancellations

Registration may be purchased on the AMSAT Store

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information ]

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ARISS Out-of-this-Word Auction Starts April 8, 2018

The ARISS-US team (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) will auction two very unusual items in its first-ever auction

Picture yourself as the winning bidder and proud owner of a unique JVC Kenwood TS-890S signed by astronauts! Or, you could be top bidder on a special astronaut-signed 6-volume boxed set 2019 ARRL Handbook!

You could be the crucial person who helps ARISS launch its new custom-built higher-power radio system in 2019 with its voice repeater, improved packet APRS and SSTV capability that thousands of hams will enjoy The new system will replace the aging, problematic units currently on the ISS You may be the winning bidder who helps ARISS continue introducing ham radio to thousands of students, teachers, parents, and whole communities—and inspiring students about science, technology, engineering, math, and radio!

For complete information see: https://www amsat org/out-of-this-world-auction-sponsored-by-ariss/

Don't forget; set yourself a reminder: bidding starts April 8th at 12:00 UTC and ends April 14th at 22:00 UTC

[ANS thanks ARISS-US for the above information ]

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International Space Station Astronauts are Calling CQ Students

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is seeking proposals from April 1, through May 15, 2019, from US schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host radio contacts with an orbiting crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS) between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020

Each year, ARISS provides tens of thousands of students with learning opportunities about space technologies, communications, and much more through the exploration of Amateur Radio and space The ARISS program connects students to astronauts on the ISS through a partnership between NASA, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, the American Radio Relay League, other Amateur Radio global organizations and the worldwide space agencies The program's goal is to inspire students to pursue interests and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in Amateur Radio

Educators report regularly that student participation in the ARISS program stimulates interest in STEM subjects and STEM careers One educator wrote, "Many of the middle school students who took part in and attended the ARISS contact have selected science courses in high school as a result of that contact " Educators are setting up ham radio clubs in schools and learning centers because of students' interest

ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed, exciting education plan Students can learn about satellite communications, wireless technology, science research conducted on the ISS, radio science, and other STEM subjects Students learn to use Amateur Radio to talk directly to an astronaut and ask their STEM- related questions ARISS will help educational organizations locate Amateur Radio groups who can assist with equipment for a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity for students

The proposal window opens April 1, 2019 and the proposal deadline is May 15, 2019 For proposal guidelines and forms and more details, go to: http://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2019 eventbrite com

Proposal webinars for guidance and getting questions answered will be offered April 11, 2019 at 7 pm Eastern Time and April 16, 2019 at 9 pm Eastern Time Advance registration is necessary To sign up, go to https://ariss-proposal-webinar-spring-2019 eventbrite com

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

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India Space Research Organization to Launch AMSAT India APRS Satellite with Twenty-Eight Other Satellites on April 1, 2019

India will launch an electronic intelligence satellite, for the Defence Development and Research Organisation along with twenty-eight private satellites at 9 30 AM on April 1

According to ISRO, The PS4 will host three payloads in this mission The three payloads include:

• Automatic Identification System (AIS) from ISRO
• Automatic Packet Repeating System (APRS) from AMSAT India
• India and Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for Ionospheric Studies(ARIS) from Indian Institute of Space Science and technology (IIST)

The ISRO will launch the satellites from the spaceport of Sriharikota, over 100 km north of Chennai The satellites would be launched from onboard the space agency's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-45,

Reports inform that the whole flight sequence will take about 180 minutes from the rocket's lift-off slated at 03:57Z on April 1, 2019

[ANS thanks Latestly com for the above information ]

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AMSAT India Requests APRS Reports

An APRS payload from AMSAT India will be flown on PSLV C45 as reported above The launch is scheduled on April 1, 2019 at 03:57 UTC The prelaunch TLE are also available for download on http://www amsatindia org

The payload will be powered on approximately over Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland and Moscow They request stations at these locations to report the first signals on 145 825 MHz from the payload They also request the Amateur Radio fraternity worldwide to use the payload and Satgates to feed the traffic

More details about this unique project is available at http://www amsatindia org

[ANS thanks Nitin, VU3TYG Secretary, AMSAT India for the above information ]

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GRCon19 to be Held September 16-20, 2019

GNU Radio Conference Call for Submissions

GNU Radio Conference celebrates and showcases the substantial and remarkable progress of the world's best open source digital signal processing framework for software-defined radios In addition to presenting GNU Radio's vibrant theoretical and practical presence in academia, industry, the military, and among amateurs and hobbyists, GNU Radio Conference 2019 will have a very special focus

Summer 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first humans on the Moon GNU Radio Conference selected Huntsville, AL, USA as the site for GNU Radio Conference 2019 in order to highlight and celebrate space exploration, astronomical research, and communication

Space communications are challenging and mission critical Research and development from space exploration has had and continues to have far-reaching effect on our communications gear and protocols

We invite developers and users from the GNU Radio Community to present your projects, presentations, papers, posters, and problems at GNU Radio Conference 2019 Submit your talks, demos, and code! Please share this Call for All with anyone you think needs to read it

Submitting

You may make one or more submissions under the following categories for presentation at GRCon In addition to submitting a presentation, you may submit a paper to the Technical Proceedings of GRCon19 You do not need to submit a paper to the Proceedings in order to present at GRCon

Talks are 20-30 minutes long, including 5 minutes reserved for questions Each presentation should be a slide-deck that can be shared publicly (PDF) after the conference For presentations that are technical in nature, talks that present real-world development / testing will be favored over simulation-only work

Tutorials are 40 minutes long, and should have an educational or "How-To" approach If slides are used, they should be publicly shareable (PDF) after the conference Demonstrations or "real- time examples" are welcome!

Posters can display any type of material that you believe is interesting to the community, and while most posters are technical, they don't have to be There is no poster template, so you can create whatever layout you would like Poster easels will be provided

To submit your content for the conference, visit our dedicated conference submission site at: https://openconf org/GRCon19/openconf php

Dates

First round closes 1 July 2019 If accepted, your content will be immediately scheduled Final round closes 1 September 2019 Space permitting

If you have questions or need assistance with OpenConf, or have content that doesn't quite fit and you want to talk it over, please write grcon@gnuradio org

If your submission is accepted, you must register for the conference or your talk will be dropped from the schedule

Please note that submitting a paper to the Technical Proceedings is not required to submit a Talk, Tutorial, or Poster, but is strongly encouraged You also do not need to attend the conference to publish in the Technical Proceedings

[ANS thanks GNURadio org for the above information ]

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This Month in AMSAT History

While celebrating our Golden Jubilee, it's fun to take a look back at the past fifty years Here's a peek at some news items from the archives of "The "AMSAT Journal", aka "Amateur Satellite Report" aka "AMSAT Newsletter" and "Orbit" as it has been named over the years

March/April 2009

• Bill Tynan, W3XO recalls events of AMSAT's first decade
• Owen Garrett, W5LFL writes about two generations of hams in space as a father-son pair to travel in space
• Barry Baines, WD4ASW reports that a team of AMSAT volunteers removed equipment from what was the AMSAT Integration Lab
• Gould Smith, WA4SXM describes the software and electronics developed for first CW and FM signals for SuitSat-2

March/April 1999

• Keith Baker, KB1SF things about how AMSAT's early experimenters did not realize how their MICROSAT and UoSat designs would spawn a new billion-dollar industry
• SUNSAT-OSCAR 35 is successfully launched After many months of delays, a Delta II rocket carried the South African satellite into orbit
• Bob Bruninga, WB4APR describes how students worked six weeks through Christmas vacations for prepare NATsweb Sat for orbit Last minute Technology Export License requirements posed by the State Department cost the project its free ride

March/April 1984

• Shigetake Morimoto, JA1NET et al describe JAS-1, Japan's first amateur radio satellite
• Harold Winard reports how AX 25 specification opened a new world of digital communications to ground-based and space-faring experimenters Development of Layer 3, the networking layer, lies ahead
• Harold Price, NK6K extensively describes the sleepless nights and sweat that went into the construction on UoSat-B to meet a fresh launch opportunity

March, 1980

• Joe Kasser, G3ZCZ looks forward to the new era in amateur satellite communications with the upcoming launch of AMSAT Phase III satellites when QSO's between stations in Europe, the USA and Japan will become commonplace
• Gregory Roberts, ZS1BI tells us to point our antennas skyward and comb the satellite frequencies for a new style of rare DX
• Dick Jansson, WD4FAB introduces us to some interesting ideas for 70cm antenna techniques

1979

• President Perry Klein, W3PK celebrates AMSAT's accomplishment in its first ten years Membership has grown from 250 to 4,300 members in 75 countries
• Britain's first amateur spacecraft will be built at Surrey University with features that will depart from those of the OSCAR series Construction will take two years and $300,000
• Pat Gowen, G3IOR instructs us how to build a real-time tracker for RS satellites with two pieces of still cardboard

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information ]

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AmazonSmile for AMSAT!

You're participation does make a difference:

Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, recently received a quarterly donation of $428 76 thanks to customers shopping at smile amazon com

To date, AmazonSmile has donated a total of: $3,615 82 to Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation $124,651,081 04 to all charities Thank you for supporting Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation by shopping at smile amazon com You can track your impact throughout the year at your My Impact page

[ANS thanks Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO for the above information ]

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Microwave Update Conference October 3-5, 2019 in Lewisville, TX

The North Texas Microwave Society would like to invite you to the annual Microwave Update Conference to be held October 3rd through the 5th 2019 at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Lewisville (Dallas) Texas

Microwave Update is the premier microwave conference of the year and was initially started by Don Hilliard W0PW (SK) back in 1985 This is the ideal conference to meet fellow microwave enthusiasts and share ideas and techniques that will help you conquer your next microwave band

A full slate of speakers already includes Rex VK7MO, Tony Emanuele K8ZR, Rick Fogle WA5TNY, Paul Wade W1GHZ, Joe Jurecka N5PYK, Doug Miller K6JEY, Greg McIntire AA5C, Steve Kostro N2CEI, Kent Britain WA5VJB, Bob Stricklin N5BRG, Barry Malowanchuk VE4MA, Tom Williams WA1MBA, Tom Apel K5TRA, Tom McDermott N5EG and Al Ward W5LUA If you are interested in speaking, please let them know

Topics will include small dish EME, microwave propagation, parabolic dish feed horn design and construction, SSPAs, circuit design, latest microwave devices, software defined radios and digital modes just to name a few

Friday morning will be dedicated to antenna gain measuring led by WA5VJB, noise figure testing led by W5LUA and phase noise analysis led by AF8Z and KC4YOE

We still have several surplus electronics and mechanical places in the DFW area that may still be worth a visit on Thursday Those would include Tanner Electronics in Carrollton, Altex Electronics in Carrollton, and CDC Surplus in Richardson Other places that would also handle walk-in business and be worth a visit include Texas Towers, Ham Radio Outlet and Fry's Electronics A complete list is available at www ntms org

On Thursday afternoon, we plan to have a workshop lead by Tom McDermott N5EG on GNU Radio GNU Radio is a development and simulation environment used to create and test software design radio applications This is a powerful learning tool and GNU Radio can be used to implement working radio applications

Topics to be covered during the workshop will include:

• Installation of the GNU Radio package in Windows
• Review of GNU Radio capabilities and core concepts
• Review of important GNU Radio modules, building a project, implementing and running projects involving hardware
• Use of Gnuradio Companion (GRC) graphical environment
• Demonstration of Gnuradio Companion (GRC) application with Ettus radio

The attendee is encouraged to bring their 64-bit laptop with Windows 10 The focus will be on Windows but GNU radio works well in Linux also Tom, N5EG has a good deal of experience working with GNU radio and communication systems He has made presentations on the topic at the ARRL TAPR Digital Communication Conference Tom will also have other speakers assisting him with the workshop

The workshop has been tentatively scheduled on Thursday afternoon from 3 PM until 6 PM

The plan is to have an informal program for the spouses which will include local shopping and sightseeing in the Lewisville, Grapevine and greater DFW area on both Friday and Saturday

The Saturday night banquet speaker will feature Rex VK7MO who has activated over 100 grid squares on 10 GHz EME in both Australia and New Zealand Rex will show us some of the beautiful places he has visited and talk about his adventures to some of the more remote places down under This should be a real treat for hams and spouses

Kent Britain WA5VJB will coordinate the publishing of the proceedings by the ARRL We are always looking for additional papers for the proceedings You don't have to be a presenter to have your paper published in the proceedings If you have an article on your latest microwave related project that you would like published, please send your article to Kent WA5VJB at wa5vjb@flash net

Hotel registration has been setup The hotel link is: https://tinyurl com/ans-090-hilton

The conference rate for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night is $104 per night for a King which includes breakfast The rate on the same days for a Double Queen is $114 per night including breakfast The rate for Wednesday night is $129 per night for a King including breakfast and $132 for a Double Queen The hotel charges a higher rate on Wednesday as they have a lot of business travelers We encourage everyone to register for the hotel as early as possible If your plans change and you can't attend, you have until September 30th to cancel without any cancellation fee Special room rate will be available until September 13 If you book without using the link above please mention North Texas Microwave Society so we can get credit for the room nights as this is required for us to keep conference registration rates as low as possible The Group Code is "MICRO" If you have any problems with booking the hotel rate please contact w5lua@sbcglobal net

The Microwave Update web page will be updated shortly and it will include conference registration as well as other helpful information

[ANS thanks Al Ward, W5LUA and Bob Stricklin, N5BRG Conference Co-Chairmen for the above information ]

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

• N Michigan & S Ontario (EN76/77/78/85/86) – March 30-April 1, 2019 Chris, AA8CH, is hitting the road and heading North, starting March 30th FM and Linears Rove Day 2 March 31: FM/Linears Passes throughout the day from EN77/EN78 Start time TBD Evening passes from EN76

Rove Day 3 April 1st: FM/Linears Passes from EN76, EN85, EN86, mid- morning local to midafternoon local Possibly other grids on the way home Keep an eye on Chris’ Twitter feed for possible updates:
https://twitter com/charliehotel10

• EM47 – April 1, 2019 Greg, WI4T, states he has a 90% chance of activating EM47 soon Greg will be on a get-a-way with his lovely XYL around April 1st, but plans to sneak off for a few satellite passes Stay tuned to his Twitter feed for future announcements: https://twitter com/WI4T_

• Defrosting Trip (EM90, EL99) – April 7-9, 2019 Paul, KE0PBR, has plans to escape the Land of the 10,000 Frozen Lakes and head down to Florida, to enjoy a little Global Warming Will most likely be FM only, and holiday style Paul will post announcements on his Twitter account: https://twitter com/KE0PBR

• Liechtenstein (JN47) – April 17-19, 2019 Phillippe, EA4NF, is off on another DXpedition This time, he is heading to HB0/Lichtenstein Phillippe will operate under the call sign HB0/EA4NF from Leichtenstein and HB9/EA4NF from Switzerland (JN47s, on both FM and SSB satellites QSL via LoTW Updated info & pass announcements (time/frequencies) available on Twitter: https://twitter com/EA4NF_SAT

• Northern Border Security Check (Minnesota to Washington) – April 29 to May 4 or 5th, 2019 Alex, N7AGF, is all set for his semiannual rover trip to activate rare and somewhat rare grids, from April 29th to May 4th or 5th (or longer depending on how things go) Alex will fly into Minneapolis and drive back to my home grid CN88, activating as many ENx8,ENx7, DNx8,and DNx7 grids as possible along the route The hope is to hit many corners and lines

Alex will be on both linear and FM birds As always, activations and route details will be posted to his Twitter @N7AGF at https://twitter com/N7AGF Alex will also be on APRS at https://aprs fi/N7AGF-10 In areas of limited cell service, he’ll be using inReach Email or hit Alex on twitter with grid requests, route suggestions, or hot tourist attractions in Minot

• Pacific Northwest (CN85, CN83/CN84, CN76/CN86) May 31 - June 2, 2019 Casey, KI7UNJ, will be on in CN83/84 Friday, May 31st, CN85 Saturday, June 1st, and CN76/86 Sunday, June 2nd Pass list to come in next few weeks

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

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ARISS News

• Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2019-03-28 03:00 UTC

58th Hamilton Scout Group, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, direct via VE3DC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is David St-Jacques KG5FYI Contact is go for: Sat 2019-04-06 18:31:06 UTC 38 deg

• Completed ARISS Contacts

Ulluriaq School, Kangiqsualujjuaq, QC, Canada, via LU8YY The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was David St-Jacques, KG5FYI Contact made: Thu 2019-03-28 16:14:54 UTC

• ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools:

  • Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 135

  • Francesco IKØWGF with 132

  • Gaston ON4WF with 123

  • Sergey RV3DR with 113

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

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Satellite Shorts from All Over

• AMSAT Argentina Announces new ISS SSTV Diploma

To obtain this diploma, radio amateurs (Argentine or worldwide) must receive, record and upload at least 15 SSTV images obtained as transmitted from ISS Received images must originate from at least two different radio operations, spanning a month or more between them Images received before March 1st, 2019 do not apply For complete information see: http://amsat org ar?f=9

[ANS thanks AMSAT Argentina for the above information ]

• AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” Thursday, April 1, 2019

The annual AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp ) “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held Thursday at 1800 EDT at Tickets Pub & Eatery at 7 W Main St, Fairborn, OH

No program or speaker just good conversation and great company! A fine selection of Greek and American food can be ordered from the menu Drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar Leave room for dessert there’s an in-house ice cream shop!

Come as you are Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention

• Mars Calling It could be You!

An exciting new competition is giving citizens of planet Earth the opportunity to get their voices to Mars in the next phase of the ExoMars programme People are encouraged to submit a 30-sescond sound recording which will be posted on the web site The public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite recording
Eleven 30-second recording will be stored on a memory chip on the landing platform, but only one of the recordings will be transmitted back to earth The transmission will be used as a test of the landing platform's ability to successfully transmit telemetry Full information is can be seen at: https://tinyurl com/ans-090-mars-calling

[ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information ]

• Rocket Lab DARPA R3D2 Launches March 28, 2019

A video of the successful launch can be viewed at: https://www rocketlabusa com/live-stream/

[ANS thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC 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

Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat org AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA

Not an AMSAT member: Join now to support the amateur satellite program!

Subscription settings: http://www amsat org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA https://www amsat org/mailman/listinfo/ans