[ans] ANS-041 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

 
From: "[RADIOCOMM LIST]" <list.admin@aus-city.com>
Date: February 9th 2019

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-041

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

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:

  • AO-85 Turned Off Due to Return of Eclipses and Poor Battery Condition
  • Es'hail-2 / QO-100 Teleport Inauguration Day - February 14
  • New Telemetry Decoder for FalconSat-3
  • AMSAT VP Educational Relations Leads Villanova University CubeSat Club
  • US Schools/Groups Move Into Phase 2 of ARISS Selections
  • Application Window Opens for European ARISS School Contacts
  • REMINDER - ARISS/NOTA Slow Scan TV Event Runs Until February 10
  • ISS Packet Operations Resume on 145 825 MHz
  • Ham Talk Live Podcast ARISS Update With Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
  • KG4AKV's SpaceComms YouTube Channel - Building a Groundstation
  • FUNcube Dashboard Summary Update
  • VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 2019
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • AMSAT-Francophone Satellite Design and Operation Survey
  • Early Bird Registration Opens for Cal Poly Cubesat Training
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-041 01 ANS-041 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 041 01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD DATE February 10, 2019 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-041 01

AO-85 Turned Off Due to Return of Eclipses and Poor Battery Condition

At 1114 UTC February 6, 2019, AO-85 was commanded OFF until further notice, due to return of eclipses and poor battery condition as noted by Mark Hammond, N8MH, control operator

Beginning in December, 2018 AO-85 had issues with the batteries dropping precariously low during eclipse The Engineering and the Operations Teams think it's likely the batteries suffered degrada- tion due to heat during previous periods of no eclipses

This made it difficult to keep the satellite available for use with- out further endangering the batteries On December 19 the nominally 3 6v battery pack was down to 2 8v at the end of the eclipse which is dangerously low

In an effort to extend the usable life of the satellite, both the IHU and the transmitter were turned off at this time which ceased all transmissions, including the beacons every two minutes in both sunlit and eclipsed parts of the orbit

AO-85 was turned back on during the next period of no eclipse, full sun illumination which began on January 24, 2019 The repeater was enabled for regular use AO-85 occasionally reset due to low volt- age on it's batteries and operated in SAFE MODE

February 4 marked the end of the recent full illumination period with periodic eclipses The battery condition began to deteriorate again The satellite health will be tracked with periodic telemetry transmissions when commanded by a control operator

The next full illumination periods without eclipses for AO-85 will be June 7-19, 2019 and the next in early September, 2019

During this time it is important to leave AO-85 tracked in your FoxTelem setups, in order for us to gather telemetry and keep tabs on the situation If you do happen to hear a Veronica beacon, or either the normal repeater or the COR/no telemetry repeater, please let the amsat-bb list know, or send an email to ko4ma@amsat org

The Data-Under-Voice (DUV) telemetry is decoded and uploaded to the Fox Data Warehouse with the Fox Telem software available on the AMSAT web: http://www amsat org/tlm/leaderboard php?id=0&db=FOXDB

Stations not equipped to receive and decode the telemetry can monitor the latest reports at: http://www amsat org/tlm/health php?id=1&port=

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we try to make the most of the situation Please consider supporting the AMSAT GOLF project with your membership, and one-time or recurring donations at https://www amsat org/product-category/amsat-membership/ or https://www amsat org/donate/

[ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations, and Mark  Hammond, N8MH, AO-85 control operator for the above information]

Es'hail-2 / QO-100 Teleport Inauguration Day - February 14

Following the successful launch of Es'hail-2, the new Es'hailSat teleport will be inaugurated on February 14, 2019

This will also be the occasion to officially put the two amateur radio transponders of Qatar OSCAR-100, the first geostationary P4-A satellite from Qatar, into operation The opening ceremony will be held by His Excellency Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, former Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar A71AU is also the chairman of the Qatar Amateur Radio Society (QARS) and initiator of the first Qatari amateur radio satellite

A team of the P4-A team of AMSAT-DL, consisting of the chairman Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, Achim Vollhardt, DH2VA and Thomas Kleffel, DG5NGI, is on its way to Qatar to set up and commission the P4-A ground segment at the ground station of Es'hailSat In addition to LEILA and the DVB-S2 DATV system, this also includes a club station for SSB radio operation under the callsign A71A A backup station is installed at QARS in Doha The ground station of the AMSAT-DL at the observatory Bochum is also ready for reception and transmission Later, radio operation via Qatar-OSCAR 100 will also be carried out here under the callsign DL50AMSAT

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+      During commissioning, AMSAT-DL expressly requests that you      refrain from any transmission attempts! Only after the offi-      cial release ceremony on 14 February will the transponders      be released for general radio operation by radio amateurs      worldwide AMSAT-DL appeals to patience and to the Ham Spirit:      any disruptions during commissioning and on the opening day      could result in further postponements of the official release      of the transponders by QARS! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

The SCC in Qatar, as well as Bochum in Germany, are carrying out tests to measure both transponders and to calibrate the ground systems

Please also note the beacons sent in the NB transponder On opening day a video of Es'hail-2 will be broadcast in an endless loop in DVB-S2 format on the DATV beacon of the WB Transponder

Furthermore, as defined in the Operating Guidelines for the NB trans- ponder and WB transponder, please observe the band boundaries of the NB transponder as defined by the upper and lower beacon! A later adaptation and possible extension upward may be considered after commissioning is completed

Access the full article with photos on the AMSAT-DL website: https://amsat-dl org/en/eshail-2-qo-100-teleport-inauguration

Stations finding themselves out of the footprint of QO-100 or those who have not had the opportunity to acquire 10 GHz down- link receiving capability can join in the action using on-line WebSDR resources:

  • In co-operation with AMSAT Deutschland, the British Amateur   Television Club will be operating a WebSDR for the narrowband   segment, and a Spectrum Viewer for the wideband (DATV) segment   The Goonhilly Earth Station is supporting the project, providing   hosting for the Ground Station facility at their world-famous   site in Cornwall, UK:  https://eshail batc org uk/

  • The IS0GRB Es'Hail2 (QO-100) SAT 26E WebSDR receiver, located   in Dolianova, South Sardinia island, Italy, JM49OJ, operated   by Roberto, IS0GRB, using a 100cm parabolic dish can be   accessed at: http://websdr is0grb it:8901/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information]

New Telemetry Decoder for FalconSat-3

Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, who is the author of AMSAT's FoxTelem software, has written software for a new Ground station for FalconSat-3

Thompson wrote, "If you had an initial go with WISP without success or if you have never tried to decode FalconSat-3, now is a good time to try "

The new FalconSat-3 ground station software requires much less setup than WISP and does not require a hardware TNC since this will work with a soundcard TNC Or, if you didn't try to listen to FalconSat-3 because you don't have a station that can transmit commands to the spacecraft, then read on We still need your help to decode telemetry

Thompson continues, "In particular we would like to encourage people to download the Telemetry and forward it to an AMSAT telemetry server Currently more telemetry is generated than we can download with AMSAT Operations ground stations Receive only stations can contribute to that as well as stations equipped to transmit to FalconSat-3 and request files "

You can see telemetry uploaded so far here: http://tlm amsatfox org/tlm/FalconSat-3

There are details about the spacecraft, how to install the software and how it works in the manual available if you download the software and is also posted online at: http://www g0kla com/pacsat/pacsat_ground_manual pdf

You can download the software at www g0kla com/pacsat/index php Chris has written some blog posts and thoughts about the software for  anyone interested which are linked from the download page

In conclusion, Thompson noted, "I would call this a beta release If you have suggestions or bug fixes please log them online at: https://github com/ac2cz/Falcon/issues or send an e-mail to: chrisethompson@gmail com

The software is open source All the details are here: https://github com/ac2cz/Falcon/

The telemetry processing and display leverages common code from FoxTelem in a library here: https://github com/ac2cz/libTelem/

[ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ for the above information]

AMSAT VP Educational Relations Leads Villanova University CubeSat Club

Villanova University's College of Engineering has formed a new student organization has formed this year — the CubeSat Club Dr Alan Johnston, KU2Y, associate teaching professor of Elec- trical and Computer Engineering, is the faculty advisor working alongside the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), a not- for-profit group that has been building and launching ham radio satellites for fifty years Dr Johnston volunteers with AMSAT as the Vice President for Educational Relations The CubeSat Club is aimed at introducing students to CubeSats and satellite tech- nology

Some of the club’s projects include: + Building a hand-held satellite antenna out of common materials   (wood and a tape measure) and tracking and receiving real satel-   lite signals + Setting up a satellite ground station as part of an automated   open source world-wide network known as SatNOGs + Building a CubeSat Simulator, a low-cost satellite emulator   based around a Raspberry Pi computer, a 3D printed frame, that   runs on real solar panels and batteries The simulator is an   educational tool for learning about and demonstrating the basic   functions of a CubeSat

Short-term, the club is working to support CubeSat-related under- graduate projects at Villanova and build a working-knowledge of the field For example, the club is supporting the development of a CubeSat mini-project for the ECE-1205 ECE Freshman Projects course later this spring Club members are planning to do a Cube- Sat related Capstone Design Project as well

A long-term goal is to participate in an actual CubeSat mission to space, perhaps in partnership with another university or organ- ization

Access the full article on the villanova edu website at: http://tinyurl com/ANS-041-Villanova-CubeSat-Club

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+           For a limited time, new and renewing AMSAT members                  will receive a free digital copy of                "Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"              Join or renew your AMSAT membership today at         https://www amsat org/product-category/amsat-membership/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

US Schools/Groups Move Into Phase 2 of ARISS Selections

February 5, 2019 - The ARISS-US Team (Amateur Radio on the Inter- national Space Station) is pleased to announce schools or organi- zations submitting proposals have been selected to advance to the next stage of planning to host amateur radio contacts from July to December 2019 The contacts will be with International Space Station (ISS) crew members using the ARISS equipment on the ISS A review team of teachers from the ARISS-US Education Committee selected proposals after the recent proposal window closed The groups will go forward to Phase 2, developing an amateur radio equipment plan to host a scheduled ARISS contact

ARISS's primary goal is to engage people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities, and involve them in pur- suits related to space exploration, amateur radio, communications, and associated areas of study and career options After a recent ARISS contact, Joanne Michael, KM6BWB, at Meadows Elementary School in Manhattan Beach, CA, stated, "ARISS is such an incredible opportunity for students to gain a once-in-a-lifetime experience and real-world skills that they can use the rest of their lives What a wonderful program!"

ARISS anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for these US host organizations The candidates must now complete an equipment plan that demonstrates their abil- ity to execute the ham radio contact Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS technical team, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities

The schools and organizations are:

  • 24th World Scout Jamboree                   West Virginia
  • Council Rock High School                    South Holland, PA
  • Galileo STEM Academy                        Eagle, ID
  • Golden Oak Montessori                       Castro Valley, CA
  • Lakeside Elementary School                  West Point, UT
  • Loudoun County Space Dreamers               Ashburn, VA
  • Pearsall High School Air Force Jr ROTC     Pearsall, TX
  • Santa Barbara Public Library                Santa Barbara, CA
  • Sonoma County Library                       Rohnert Park, CA
  • Traverse Area District Library              Traverse City, MI
  • University of Colorado Amateur Radio Club   Boulder, CO
  • Woodridge Middle School                     High Ridge, MO
  • Young Scientists Program at USC             Los Angeles, CA

About ARISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a coop- erative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS) In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio

For more information, see: www ariss org Also join us on Facebook:  Amateur Radio on the International                            Space Station (ARISS) Follow us on Twitter:      ARISS_status

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]

Application Window Opens for European ARISS School Contacts http://www ariss-eu org/school-contacts

Europe, Africa and the Middle East

ARISS Contact Applications for Europe, Africa and the Middle East are being accepted between February 1 to March 29, 2019 Schools and Youth organizations, interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station, are invited to submit an Application and an educational project The school selection will take place in May 2019 The space con- versation will tentatively be scheduled in the period extending from January to June 2020 The Application is to be addressed by email to: school selection manager@ariss-eu org

ARISS Contact Applications (United States)

The ARISS-US program’s education proposal window open Oct 1 to Nov 30, 2018 has now closed   The next window should go open in the spring of 2019

Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Australia and Russia

Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by filling out an application and following the instruct- ions which can be accessed at: http://www ariss org/submit-a-contact-proposal html

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]

REMINDER - ARISS/NOTA Slow Scan TV Event Runs Until February 10

ARISS is running another of their popular Slow Scan Television (SSTV) experiment events Transmissions which began on Friday, February 8 initially experienced technical difficulties The ISS crew identified a problem and fixed it As of Saturday, February 9 stations around the world were reporting good signals from the ISS Transmission of eight NASA On The Air (NOTA) and four ARISS commemorative SSTV images are planned to run through Sunday, February 10 at 18:30 UTC

Once received, Images can be posted and viewed by the public at http://www spaceflightsoftware com/ARISS_SSTV/index php

You can receive a special SSTV ARISS Award for posting your image See details at https://ariss pzk org pl/sstv/

[ANS thanks ARISS and NASA on the Air for the above information]

ISS Packet Operations Resume on 145 825 MHz

ARISS reports that the replacement packet module was installed by the ISS crew during their off duty time last weekend APRS and UI message digipeating have been reported on the usual 145 825 MHz frequency The packet log and user activity map can be found at: http://www ariss net/

AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades on ISS The upgrades are necessary to enable students to con- tinue to talk to astronauts in space via Amateur Radio We have reached a great milestone with $16,795 raised or about 10% towards our goal This would not have been possible with- out your outstanding generosity!!

For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit: https://fundrazr com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9

[ANS thanks Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, and ARISS for the above information]

Ham Talk Live Podcast ARISS Update With Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

If you missed the January 31 Ham Talk Live show featuring Frank SBauer, KA3HDO, discussing the latest news of ARISS operations on the ISS you can play back a recording of this episode at: https://www spreaker com/show/ham-talk-live then select Episode 151 - ARISS Update With Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

Neil and Frank talked about the latest news on the equipment, SSTV, and plans for the future Plus, you can learn all about Space Bees!

Ham Talk Live is also available as a podcast on nearly all podcast sites: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, SoundCloud, and iHeart Podcasts; and it's also available on YouTube

[ANS thanks Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, and Ham Talk Live for the above information]

KG4AKV's SpaceComms YouTube Channel - Building a Groundstation

John Brier, KG4AKV, has updated his SpaceComms YouTube channel with three videos showing how he built his amateur satellite ground station at his QTH The videos, originally presented as a livestream, take viewers through his process to build a satellite ground station with a Yaesu G-5500 az/el rotor, M2 LEO pack antenna, and an Icom IC-910H transceiver

  • Video 1 - Satellite ground station build - background!   https://youtu be/9Hz4bWVByDw
  • Video 2 - Satellite ground station build - buying stuff and more!   https://youtu be/9zTnsQgFMIU
  • Video 3 - Satellite ground station build - surveying ro install   https://youtu be/4pp5WZRNb8Y

You can subscribe to the John's SpaceComms YouTube channel to receive notices when new videos are posted: https://www youtube com/SpaceComms1?sub_confirmation=1

[ANS thanks John Brier, KG4AKV, for the above information]

FUNcube Dashboard Summary Update

Each satellite carrying a FUNcube payload has a dedicated dashboard and the FUNcube team has updated the one page summary of those dash- boards, their current version number and a dedicated download link

See: http://tinyurl com/ANS-041-FUNcubeSummaryPDF

Also included are the recommended warehouse settings for each satel- lite as well as the “FUNcube Dongle Centre Frequency” Note that the frequency quoted is 20kHz offset from the published telemetry downlink to allow for the zero hertz spike and close in phase noise that is inherent on SDRs

Currently, to view the telemetry for a particular satellite, it is necessary to run the dashboard for that satellite Any telemetry for one of the other FUNcube satellites can be captured and forwarded to the central data warehouse For this reason, some users tend to run all dashboards simultaneously using the same FUNcube Dongle Users should remember the that dashboard that was started last, is the one that will control the frequency settings applied to the FUNcube Dongle

All the dashboards are under continual development and a further plan- ned development is to create a single dashboard that will service all FUNcube Telemetry payloads simultaneously Keep a look out for further news on this unified dashboard in 2019

Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, added, "If you have lost you authorisation code for the dashboards, we now have a page on which you can request the code to be sent to your registered email address: http://data badgersoft com/recover-authcode

[ANS thanks Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD, and Dave Johnson G4DPZ for the above  information]

VUCC Awards-Endorsements for January 2019

Ron, W5RKN has provided the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRL for the period January 1, 2019 through February 1, 2019 Congratulations to all those who made the list this month!

CALL    01 Jan   01 Feb ------  ------   ------ WC7V    1160     1199 N4UFO    725      729 AA8CH    406      451 W7QL     350      401 VE7CEW   356      386 N3GS     332      370 K5IX     227      250 K9UO     175      202 PU8RFL   146      151 PS8MT    145      150 PU8RJI   101      115 PT2AZ    New      103 W6AAE    New      102

If you find errors or omissions please contact Ron off-list at W5RKN>@W5RKN> com and he'll revise the announcement This list was developed by comparing the ARRL pdf listings for these 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]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+           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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Upcoming Satellite Operations

  • Super Road Trip (Wyoming to Tennessee to Florida to Wyoming)   January 9, 2019 until he gets back home - Starting Jan 9, RJ, WY7AA,   will be travelling from Wyoming to Tennessee to Florida, to New York   and back to Wyoming, staying approximately 10 days in each place and   activating grids whenever he can   - First stop Tennessee – EM86, and will try roving to EM85, EL87, EL96   - Next on to Florida – EL98, and will try roving to EL88, EL89, EL99   - Next on to New York – FN02, and try try roving to FN01, FN03, FN11,     FN12, FN13   Travelling between each place, RJ will try to stop and work as he can,   but putting down miles will take priority most often In addition, RJ   will be trying to operate mobile from time to time FM birds for sure,   but will be trying to learn linears while on the trip Specific pass   announcements will be posted to his Twitter feed:   (https://twitter com/WY7AA) and to the AMSAT-bb reflector

  • Eureka Nunavut (ER60, EQ79) – February 3, to March 29, 2019   Eureka ARC, VY0ERC, will be QRV from Eureka, NU (NA-008), February 3   until March 29, 2019 Time and weather permitting, they expect to be   initially on the FM satellites from ER60 and EQ79 AMSAT donated a   Yaesu FT-847 to the club station at VY0ERC We appreciate this dona-   tion very much! It will be used for satellite communications including   SSB and FM this spring   Announcements will be posted on Twitter at   https://twitter com/vy0erc

  • Nevada (DM15, DM16, DM17, DM18, DM25, DM26, DM27, DM28, DM37, DM36)   February 8-11, 2019 - Casey KI7UNJ and Jonathan KI5BEX are planning   a joint roving trip to Nevada Planned activations include the   DM15/16/25/26 grid corner Friday morning, the DM16/26 gridline Friday   afternoon, DM17/18 gridline Saturday morning, DM27/28 gridline Saturday   evening, DM27/37 gridline Sunday morning, and DM36/37 gridline Sunday   evening This will be FM only All contacts uploaded to LoTW upon   return Check out @KI7UNJ Twitter feed for specific passes   https://twitter com/KI7UNJ and follow them on aprs fi KI7UNJ-7

  • Southwest, TX (DM80, DM70, DM71, DL79, DL89) – February 10-14, 2019   Clayton, W5PFG will be operating satellites daily in vacation-mode   from grid DM80 As an added bonus, Clayton will operate a few passes   from grids DM71, DL79, and DL89 Those specific passes will be adver-   tised on Twitter @w5pfg Remember, you don’t need to be a Twitter   user to see his feed Just visit http://www twitter com/w5pfg to see   my Tweets

  • 3A, MONACO (JN33) – February 15-18, 2019   Philippe, EA4NF, will be active as 3A/EA4NF from Monaco, between   February 15-18th Priority will be given to FM and SSB Satellites to   get confirmed as much as possible this rare DXCC country to the ama-   teur radio satellite community HF activity will be on 20 meters SSB,   but on the QRP mode (5w) QSL via LoTW

  • Yuma Hamfest (DM22) – February 15-16, 2019   Patrick, WD9EWK, will have an AMSAT booth at the Yuma Hamfest in   southwestern Arizona on Friday and Saturday, 15-16 February 2019 This   year’s hamfest also serves as the 2019 ARRL Southwestern Division Con-   vention The hamfest will be at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, along 32nd   Street between Pacific Avenue and Avenue 3E, and south of I-8 exit 3,   in Yuma The fairgrounds is across the street from Yuma International   Airport and Marine Corps Air Station More information about the ham-   fest is available from: http://www yumahamfest org/

      During the hamfest, Patrick will have demonstrations of satellite oper-   ating from outside the main hall on the fairgrounds If you hear WD9EWK   on passes during those two days, please feel free to call and be a part   of the demonstrations Patrick may not be able to work every possible   pass from the hamfest, but hopes to work a variety of passes in FM, SSB,   and even packet The hamfest site is in grid DM22 Contacts made with   WD9EWK will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and QSL cards for con-   tacts made with WD9EWK will be available on request after the hamfest   (please e-mail me directly with the QSO details)

      During the hamfest, he will use his @WD9EWK Twitter account to post   updates from the hamfest If you do not use Twitter, you can still   see these updates in a web browser at: http://twitter com/WD9EWK

  • Imperial Valley (DM12, DM22) – February 17, 2019   After the end of the upcoming Yuma Hamfest, Patrick, WD9EWK, plans to   make a drive west to the DM12/DM22 grid boundary along I-8 near the   west end of California’s Imperial Valley on Sunday, 17 February 2019   He hopes to work passes for a few hours out there, with much cooler   weather than what he experienced last July when he was previously out   there The DM12/DM22 grid boundary, at the town of Ocotillo, is in   Imperial County

      Patrick will use his @WD9EWK Twitter account to send updates Even   without a Twitter account, these updates will be visible in a web   browser at: http://twitter com/WD9EWK  His travel out to the DM12/DM22   line should be visible on APRS as WD9EWK-9: http://aprs fi/WD9EWK-9

  • Isla del Culebra, Puerto Rico (FK78) – February 22-24, 2019   Radio Opordores del Este, KP3RE, is preparing for their Culebra IOTA   (NA-249) Expedition 2019   Satellite operations are planned for AO-91,   AO-92, SO-50, and IO-86

  • Turks and Caicos Islands (FL31) – February 28 – March 9, 2019   Adrian, AA5UK, will be heading to Providenciales in the Turks and   Caicos Islands from Feb 28th through March 9th, 2019 He will be   operating holiday style on HF and Satellites as VP5/AA5UK from grid   FL31UU14 Focus will be on the linear satellites, with some FM act-   ivity depending on pile-up civility Hope to work some European   stations as location favors the East Pass announcements will be   made via Twitter: https://twitter com/AA5UK and periodically via   amsat-bb

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat org

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

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+                  2019 is AMSAT's 50th Anniversary!     Watch this space for announcements of special events coming in 2019            Get ready to help celebrate with us at the Hamvention               Symposium 2019 promises to be a special event          Stand by for 50th anniversary operating events and awards +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

AMSAT-Francophone Satellite Design and Operation Survey

AMSAT-F has launched an on-line survey to ask how current satellite users operate and what would they expect from satellite designers

Christophe Mercier, AMSAT-F President, wrote, "Satellite/nanosatellite project managers often wish to use amateur radio frequencies for educa- tional and outreach purposes The amateur radio community thus offers them a tremendous potential for monitoring their fragile conception They often ask what kind of amateur radio experience would be interest- ing on board a cubesat or what services they could provide with their communications systems The answer can be simple: a transponder, but these designers would like to bring novelty and innovation "

Access the AMSAT-F survey at: https://framaforms org/amsat-francophone-survey-1548716436

The results will be presented at the second AMSAT-F meeting, Rencontre spatiale radioamateur on 9 and 10 March 2019 in Nanterre, France See: http://tinyurl com/ANS-041-AMSAT-F-Meeting

The AMSAT-F web site can be accessed at: http://site amsat-f org/ (Google translate may be helpful)

[ANS thanks Christophe Mercier, AMSAT-F President for the above information]

Early Bird Registration Opens for Cal Poly Cubesat Training

Early Bird Registration for the Cal Poly CubeSat Training Course is open now through February 28th If you are interested in learn- ing more about CubeSat development, mission success, and connect- ing with experienced individuals, this training is for you! For more information visit: http://www cubesat org/cal-poly-cubesat-training-course-2019

Early Bird Registration for the 2019 CubeSat Developers Workshop is also open You can save on registration now through March 29th For more information visit: http://www cubesat org/workshop-information/

If you are still interested in being an exhibitor or sponsor there is still time to register Exhibit space is filling up, so if you are looking to exhibit at this year's Workshop we recommend registering soon!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at cubesat-workshop@calpoly edu

Remember to join the CubeSat Workshop mailing list to stay up to date on important dates, deadlines, and announcements: http://www cubesat org/mailinglist/

[ANS thanks The CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

  • NS3L in FN20hq completed a FM satellite contact with F4DXV in JN05ha   via AO-91 on February 4 at 1428Z The distance was 5,982 672km NS3L   wrote, "OK, Not a record for the books, but one of the best for me   ever on a FM satellite 1 2 degree contact on AO-91" (NS3L via Twitter)

  • K7TAB in DM16 completed a contact with MI6GTY in IO64 via AO-7 on   February 8 The distance between the two stations was 7965 692 km   or 4949 65 miles (MI6GTY via Twitter)

  • On February 9 N1CMD reported transatlantic QSOs via AO-91 with   EA4CYQ, EB1AO, G0ABI, CU3EQ ‏

  • Congratulations to José de Jesus, PS8ET for earning his WAB Sat - Work-   ed All Brazil Satellite (26 states + Federal District confirmed via   satellite ) (PS8ET via Twitter)

  • ORARI - Organisasi Amatir Radio Indonesia (Indonesia Amateur Radio   Organization) is celebrating the 5th Anniversary of ORARI Lokal   Jakarta Selatan A video by Hasil Rekaman, "SSTV via Satellite IO-86   for Junior Amateur" oleh ORARI LOKAL JAKARTA SELATAN 2019 yang direkam   dari Ground Station (GS) OM Mubin-YB3MBN/1 AMSAT-ID is posted at:   http://tinyurl com/ANS-041-IO86-SSTV (Hint: hold your phone running   your favorite SSTV app to your computer speakers and copy the images   at home )

  • A useful feature on the IARU website is the Link Budget Calculator   page found at: http://www amsatuk me uk/iaru/spreadsheet htm

  • Read an article about the development and launch of Japan's NEXUS   satellite published in the The Asahi Shimbun newspaper:   http://www asahi com/ajw/articles/AJ201902070003 html

  • The 2019 ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) will   be held Friday through Sunday September 20 – 22, at the Marriott   Detroit Metro Airport Hotel in Romulus, Michigan Further details   are pending (vis ARRL) ‏

  • The SatMatch site at http://satmatch com performs calculations of   satellite passes between observers based on their grid square It   also displays the distance between observers in km on the overlap-   ping pass pages

  • An ISO image for 'My Linux Live' for RAs v0 0 0-20190207 is   available for downloading at: https://nofile io/f/mTwaUXD9YKO   It now includes support DSLWP-B, LO-90 & LilacSat-2 with off-   line RX and more! Note that LO-90 is expected to decay by April 6,   2019 per DK3WN (http://www dk3wn info/p/?page_id=43437), so don't   wait to try out this interesting satellite! (Via @m6sig on Twitter)

  • Bookings for the AMSAT SA Space Symposium are now open The Sympos-   ium will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at the Accolade Con-   ference Centre in Midrand, South Africa The rate will be R400 per   person for AMSAT SA and SARL members and R600 for non-members There   is an early bird rate of R350 for AMSATSA and SARL Members, if booked   and paid for by February 28, 2019 Accommodation is also available   at the hotel at R855 plus VAT More details on www amsatsa org za

  • CQ-DATV Magazine reports they now have a cumulative index of all   articles and authors that have been published in CQ-DATV since   issue 1 in all the usual formats The index will be updated as each   new issue is published The cumulative index can be accessed at:   https://cq-datv mobi/indexit php

  • Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to announce its support of the   Canadian National Parks on the Air (CNPOTA) event which will be   held from January 1 to December 31, 2019 All Radio Amateurs world-   wide will have an opportunity to operate portably from any of   Canada's 48 National Parks and 171 National Historic Sites (these   are ‘activators’) Amateurs around the world will be able to chase   these adventurous operators in an effort to confirm the most QSOs   (these are ‘chasers’) Activity for activators and chasers will be   tracked on a dedicated website and real-time leader board and other   statistics will be available throughout the year Activators and   chasers will be able to compete for and collect online awards and   certificates created specifically for the event Come join the   fun and plan to visit one of Canada’s beautiful Parks and Historic   sites next year! For more information about the event please visit   the Canadian National Parks on the Air website at: https://cnpota ca/

  • The French National Aerospace Research Centre (ONERA) is requesting   assistance from the amateur satellite community to capture the last   telemetry frames from X-Cubesat launched in May 2017 by the polytech-   nic school in Palaiseau, France is expected to decay around Monday,   04/02/2019 The frequency is 437 020 MHz, AFSK 1k2, AX25 The pub-   lished TLE have been noted to be rapidly changing due to the deter-   iorating orbit Please, send information directly to Jean Guérard,   at ONER) jean guerard@saf-astronomie fr   (Received via Jean-Pierre F5YG)

  • The Hubble Space Telescope has taken the sharpest image of the   Andromeda Galaxy to date Use your mouse wheel to zoom into the   galaxy on-line at:   https://www spacetelescope org/images/heic1502a/zoomable/

  • Mission complete - NASA says MarCO cubesats go silent Before the   pair of briefcase-sized spacecraft known collectively as MarCO   launched last year, their success was measured by survival: If   they were able to operate in deep space at all, they would be   pushing the limits of experimental technology Now well past Mars,   the daring twins seem to have reached their limit It's been over   a month since engineers have heard from MarCO, which followed NASA's   InSight to the Red Planet At this time, the mission team considers   it unlikely they'll be heard from again Read the full article at:   http://tinyurl com/ANS-041-MarsDaily-MarCO (via MarsDaily)

[ANS thanks everyone 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 and remember to behave and to help keep amateur radio in space, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM

k9jkm at amsat dot org

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

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