AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-040

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation 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://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

In this edition:

• Ham radio CubeSat deployment postponed
• Ham TV Commissioning Postponed until March 8
• Satellites News from the Magazines
• Can Radio Hams receive NASA's ISSE-3/ICE ?
• Send Your Name to the Asteroid Bennu!
• Outernet - Shortwave radio from space
• FCC Seeks Comments on WR-2015 Draft Rcommendations
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-040 01 ANS-040 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 040 01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD DATE MMMM DDDD, YYYY To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-040 01

Ham radio CubeSat deployment postponed

The deployment of amateur radio CubeSats from the International Space Station (ISS) planned for Thursday, February 6 has been postponed

NASA say:

Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA spent his morning working in the Japanese Kibo module to install a deployer mechanism that will be used in concert with the Kibo robotic arm to "launch" the first set of NanoRacks CubeSats Wakata, who ran into some difficulty last week installing an electronics box that would help control the deployment of the mini-satellites, successfully installed that box after troubleshooting an alignment issue The deployment of the first batch of CubeSats, which had originally been scheduled for this week before being postponed following last week's installation issue, has been postponed further to make sure that the CubeSats do not fall into the intended orbit of the Global Precipitation Measurement satellite launching later this month The exact date of the CubeSat deployment is still being evaluated

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

---

Ham Video Commissioning postponed

ESA postponed the Ham Video Commissioning to March 8

Possible dates for the four Commissioning steps are March 8 (step 1), March 9 (step 2), and March 16 (step 3) Step 3 could be turned into step 4 These dates are all on the weekend

With this agenda, we have just 1 week of blank transmissions

The agenda is still to be finalized

[ANS thanks Gaston ON4WF, via HamTV Bulletin #6 for the above information]

---

Satellites News from the Magazines

Steve Ford, WB8IMY, mentions Mineo Wakita's, JE9PEL, list of amateur satellite frequencies in February's QST Check it out on page 52 Included are the links to the list on the web and to his Excel list Web Satlist: http://www ne jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/satslist htm Excel Satlist: http://www ne jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/satslist xls

February issue of CQ is their QRP Edition On pp 54-59 see Mike Herr's article "Satellites and the QRPer or Don't Worry About Sunspots"

The Department article "vhf plus", page 88, features a Teen led ISS contact, Victor CO6CBF/KF5YXV acquiring his US Technician license, FUncube, and Saying Hi to Juno

There are many other articles, that even though aren't specific to Amateur Satellites, should be of interest for portable operators

Note that CQ's three sister magazines "Popular Communications", "CQ VHF", and "World Radio Online" have all merged into a digital supplement to the digital CQ to be called "CQ Plus" If you subscribe to one of these magazines your subscriptions will be transfered to CQ

[ANS thanks QST and CQ for the above information]

---

Can Radio Hams receive NASA's ISSE-3/ICE ?

A post on the Planetary Society website wonders if radio amateurs will be able to pick up the signal from the ISSE-3/ICE spacecraft as it passes Earth

Emily Lakdawalla says: The International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE- 3), a spacecraft that was launched in 1978 to study Earth's magnetosphere and repurposed in 1983 to study two comets Renamed the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), it has been in a heliocentric orbit since then, traveling just slightly faster than Earth It's finally catching up to us from behind, and will return to Earth in August, 2014

It's still functioning, broadcasting a carrier signal that the Deep Space Network successfully detected in 2008 Twelve of its 13 instruments were working when we last checked on its condition, sometime prior to 1999

The 36 year-old satellite is still apparently operational but it appears that NASA can no longer send commands to it because the transmitters to do so were removed in 1999

Emily sums up: So ISEE-3 will pass by us, ready to talk with us, but in the 30 years since it departed Earth we've lost the ability to speak its language I wonder if ham radio operators will be able to pick up its carrier signal - it's meaningless, I guess, but it feels like an honorable thing to do, a kind of salute to the venerable ship as it passes by

The satellite carries Redundant S-band transponders, each with 5 Watt RF output

Transponder A: 2090 66 MHz RHCP uplink, command or ranging 2270 40 MHz RHCP downlink, telemetry or ranging

Transponder B: 2041 95 MHz LHCP uplink, command 2217 50 MHz LHCP downlink, telemetry

Transmit antenna: medium gain with dual inputs for simultaneous right and left hand circular polarization downlink, 8 rows of 4 elements, 7 dBi, ±6° beamwidth, multibeam, electronically steerable, four lobe, omni directional coverage in azimuth

Receive antenna: 2042 MHz, intermediate gain, 1 row of 4 elements, 0 dBi, ±45° beamwidth

Read the Planetary Society post at http://tinyurl com/ANS040-emily-lakdawalla

ISSE-3/ICE Telecommunications Summary http://mdkenny customer netspace net au/ISEE-3 pdf

[ANS thanks The Planetary Society via Southgate ARN for the above information]

---

Send Your Name to the Asteroid Bennu!

NASA is inviting people around the world to submit their names to be etched on a microchip aboard a spacecraft headed to the asteroid Bennu in 2016

The "Messages to Bennu!" microchip will travel to the asteroid aboard the Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, spacecraft The robotic mission will spend more than two years at the asteroid, which has a width of approximately 1,760 feet (500 meters) The spacecraft will collect a sample of Bennu's surface and return it to Earth in a sample return capsule

The deadline to submit names online is Sept 30, 2014 Participants who submit their names to the "Messages to Bennu!" campaign will be able to print a certificate of appreciation to document their involvement

For more information and to submit your name, visit http://planetary org/bennu

Participants who "follow" or "like" the mission on Facebook (https://www facebook com/OSIRISREx) will receive updates on the location of their names in space from launch time until the asteroid samples return to Earth in 2023 Facebook fans also will receive mission progress and late-breaking news through regular status updates

For more information about the OSIRIS-REx mission, visit http://www nasa gov/osiris-rex and http://osiris-rex lpl arizona edu

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to tps@planetary org

[ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Feb 6, 2014 for the above information]

---

Outernet - Shortwave radio from space

Outernet is described as the modern version of shortwave radio broadcast from space

It is planned that the Outernet will consist of a constellation of hundreds of low-cost, CubeSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Each satellite receives data streams from a network of ground stations and transmits that data in a continuous loop until new content is received

In order to serve the widest possible global audience, the entire constellation utilizes UDP-based multicasting over WiFi Although still not common, WiFi multicasting is a proven technology, especially when the data requires only one hop to reach the recipient

Outernet claims to be able to bypass censorship, ensure privacy, and offer a universally-accessible information service at no cost to global citizens They say lack of an Internet connection should not prevent anyone from learning about current events, trending topics, and innovative ideas

Although Outernet's near-term goal is to provide the entire world with broadcast data, the long-term vision includes the addition of two-way Internet access for everyone - for free

The team hope to have the first test CubeSats launched in 2015

http://tinyurl com/ANS040-SpaceShortwave

Outernet https://www outernet is/

[ANS thanks Southgate ARC for the above information]

---

FCC Seeks Comments on WR-2015 Draft Rcommendations

The FCC has invited comments by February 18 on the latest batch of draft recommendations of its Advisory Committee for World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-2015)

At its January 27 meeting, the Advisory Committee (WAC) approved draft recommendations on a number of issues that will be considered by WRC-2015 Some items, including one which could possibly lead to changes to 60 meters in the long term, could affect the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services

Of interest to the Amateur Radio Satellite community, WRC-2015 will consider a number of issues that could impact amateur allocations above 420 MHz, including a possible extension of the current worldwide allocation to the Earth Exploration-Satellite service in the band 9300 to 9900 MHz by up to 600 MHz "within the frequency bands 8700 to 9300 MHz and/or 9900 to 10,500 MHz"

Incumbent services in the 9900 to 10,500 MHz range include the Radiolocation, Fixed, Mobile, Amateur, and Amateur-Satellite services

The Amateur Service is secondary at 10,000 to 10,500 MHz worldwide, and the Amateur-Satellite Service is secondary at 10,450 to 10,500 MHz worldwide

The FCC said comments provided by interested parties will assist it in its consultations with the US Department of State and NTIA in the development of US positions for WRC-2015 "The recommendations may evolve in the course of interagency discussions as we approach WRC-15 and, therefore, do not constitute a final US Government position on any issue," the FCC Public Notice stressed

Comments should reference IB Docket 04-286 and specific recommendations by WAC document number Interested parties may file comments via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at http://apps fcc gov/ecfs/ The ARRL plans to file comments in this proceeding

[ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information]

---

ARISS News

Successful ARISS Contacts

• A Successful contact was made between Takatsuki Dai 1 Junior High School, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan, and Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA using callsign NA1SS The contact began 2014-02-08 09:11:01 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes Contact was direct via 8N3T ARISS Mentor was 7M3TJZ

The Dai 1 Junior High School Area Education Council is the organization where many organizations, such as a school, a local resident, etc of the Dai 1 Junior High School Division, have participated The Dai 1 Junior High Schoolarea education council is in the center of Takatsuki city A secretariat is located in the Dai 1 Junior High School The 10th anniversary of foundation will be celebrated this year Their reason for a ARISS contact was to give their children a dream as a commemorative event

The Dai 1 Junior High School opened April 22, 1947 It is the oldest Junior High School in the Takatsuki city and has a long history Its centrally located and is next to the old castle foundation There are now 404 students in attendance They all study hard abd pursue sports actively

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

Chuuou Elementary School, Toyoake, Japan, direct via 8N2TCES Contact is a go for: Sun 2014-02-09 08:22:48 UTC

Escola Estadual "Gonçalves Dias" , Boa Vista, Brazil, direct via PV8DX Contact is a go for: Thu 2014-02-13 17:19:54 UTC

ITIS Giovanni Caramuel, Vigevano, Italy, telebridge via AH6NM Contact is a go for: Sat 2014-02-15 10:11:54 UTC

[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information]

---

Satellite Shorts From All Over

• Nh6Y Operating as W1AW/KH6 for one week starting on February 5

DX Newsletter DXNL 1870 - February 5, 2014

KH6, Hawaii: Tom, NH6Y, is going to cover the satellite operations of W1AW/KH6 for one week starting on February 5

[ANS thanks DX Newsletter for the above information]

• DC Area Technician Class

The Montgomery Amateur Radio Club has scheduled a free amateur radio Technician class for six Saturday mornings starting March 1st These will be held at Montgomery College, in Rockville, MD The schedule and location can be found via

   http://www
marcclub
org/mweb/exam_classes
html

We have a classroom, a schedule and instructors, but we need more students at this time Please spread the word to help us to get students for this free class

In addition, they have posted their scheduled public exam sessions The details are at

   http://www
marcclub
org/mweb/exam_details
html

[ANS thanks David, W2LNX and AMSAT-DC for the above information]

• Heavens-Above adds AO-73

Chris Peat, who runs Heavens-Above states that FUNcube-1 has been added to the list of Amateur Satellites

http://www heavens-above com/AmateurSats aspx

[ANS thanks David G4DPZ for the above information]

• Video: Deploying CubeSats from the Space Station

http://tinyurl com/ANS040-DeployCubes

[ANS Thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

• FUNcube Fitter Messages

A text file which contains ALL the Fitter Messages that have been captured by groundstations can be downloaded using the link on the Fitter Messages page on the FUNcube Warehouse at:

http://warehouse funcube org uk/fitter html

The process to generate this file is executed once per day at midnight UTC

The live page will show that Fitter Messages captured during the past 7 days

• AMSAT at ARRL Centennial July 17

AMSAT will offer a day long session on the basics of Amateur Satellites The following is from the ARRL Centennial site https://www regonline com/builder/site/tab2 aspx?EventID=1248082

Amateur Satellites: The Basics - Barry Baines, WD4ASW Since Amateurs heard the first transmissions of Sputnik and OSCAR-1, they have asked, "How can I do that?" This daylong session will provide best practices and helpful hints that will allow even the modest station to be used to communicate with the amateur "birds in space "

[ANS Thanks ARRL 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 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, This week's ANS Editor, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

---

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