AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-247

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: https://mailman amsat org/postorius/lists/ans amsat org/

In this edition:

• 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
• AMSAT-EA Collaborates With the ROM-2 Mission
• VUCC Satellite Standings September 2022
• Tracking Tools for Artemis I
• New Guide for Tracking and Decoding NOAA Weather Satellites
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-247 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2022 Sep 04

40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22

The 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will take place in Bloomington, Minnesota on Oct 21-22, 2022 Highlights of all scheduled events include:

• AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 20-21
• 40th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 21-22
• Friday Night Social and Auction, October 21
• AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 22
• AMSAT Ambassador Breakfast, October 23

A preliminary schedule is available on the AMSAT Member Portal, launch amsat org, under the Events tab

Crowne Plaza is located adjacent to the Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport Nearby attractions include Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe Theme park, Target Field, and the Minnesota Zoo

You can make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000 The group code is ASG (Amateur Satellite Group) Hotel reservations can also be made online at the following link: https://tinyurl com/ANS-219-Symposium-Rooms

Symposium tickets and banquet reservations may be purchased on the AMSAT Member Portal Log into https://launch amsat org/ and clock on the Events tab

We at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host an in-person Symposium this year We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information ]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2022 AMSAT President's Club coins have arrived! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6 Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www amsat org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

AMSAT-EA Collaborates With the ROM-2 Mission

AMSAT-EA supports the ROM-2 mission of the Romanian association ROMSpace, which consists of a PocketQube 1P (a cube with a side of 5 cm) designed by students from the International Computing High School in Bucharest aged between 15 and 18 years, in what will be the first Romanian mission of this type This satellite, which has received engineering support from AMSAT Nepal and ORION Space, will be assembled at the AMSAT-EA facilities in Madrid, a city where it will also be qualified for space, with the assistance of engineers from AMSAT EA and AMSAT Nepal

The mission of the satellite is to take pictures with a 2 MP camera and send them to radio amateurs who wish to transmit them on their ground stations through the SSDV protocol, tuning to the 436 235 MHz frequency

Maintenance data is transmitted via CW and SSDV packets are transmitted using GFSK

Once in orbit, the satellite will become the responsibility of AMSAT-EA, the organization that has registered the satellite internationally and will monitor it during its life in space

[ANS thanks AMSAT-EA for the above information ]

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VUCC Satellite Standings September 2022

VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for August 01, 2022 to September 01, 2022

K8YSE 2100 2164 WA4NVM 1579 1609 K8DP 1316 1322 N8RO 1131 1139 AA8CH 819 835 WD9EWK (DM43) 696 706 W8LR 594 619 KF6JOQ 553 606 KN2K 558 600 KE8RJU 568 577 EA2AA 546 566 KQ4DO 508 533 KC1MMC 470 532 KI7QEK 500 N8MR 288 320 F6GLJ 220 312 VE7PTN 203 294 N5EKO 234 281 A65BR 226 260 JH0BBE 200 206 JK2XXK 156 200 DL8GAM 152 186 VE2NGO 150 175 PA7RA New 156 GI4SJQ New 110 N8URE (EN61) New 102 K8WU New 100 KO9A New 100 W6AER New 100

Congratulations to the new VUCC holders!

PA7RA is first Satellite VUCC holder from Netherlands and 1st from JO21

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, 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

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Tracking Tools for Artemis I

Looking for a way to track OMOTENASHI's 70CM beacons on its way to the moon? Two hams turn us on to a pair of tracking tools

Brian Wilkins, KO4AQF, brings our attention to AROW:

During Artemis I, Orion will travel to 40,000 miles beyond the Moon in the first integrated flight test with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket Using AROW, almost anyone with internet access can pinpoint where Orion is and track its distance from the Earth, distance from the Moon, mission duration, and more AROW is available on NASA’s website and on the @NASA_Orion Twitter account

AROW visualizes data collected by sensors on Orion and sent to the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston during its flight It will provide periodic real-time data beginning about one minute after liftoff through separation of the SLS rocket’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage approximately two hours into flight Once Orion is flying on its own, AROW will provide constant real-time information

On the web, users can follow AROW to see where Orion is in relation to the Earth and the Moon and follow Orion’s path during the mission Users can view key mission milestones, and characteristics on the Moon, including information about landing sites from the Apollo program Also available for download will be trajectory data from the flight, called an ephemeris

AROW also will provide a set of Orion’s state vectors — data that describes precisely where Orion is located in space and how it moves — for inclusion in these tweets once Orion is flying on its own These vectors can be used for data lovers, artists, and creatives to make their own tracking app, data visualization, or anything else they envision For more information read https://www nasa gov/feature/track-nasa-s-artemis-i-mission-in-real-time/

AMSAT member Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, adds a second online tool, Horizons:

The JPL Horizons on-line solar system data and ephemeris computation service provides access to key solar system data and flexible production of highly accurate ephemerides for solar system objects (1,227,063 asteroids, 3,819 comets, 211 planetary satellites {includes satellites of Earth and dwarf planet Pluto}, 8 planets, the Sun, L1, L2, select spacecraft, and system barycenters) Horizons is provided by the Solar System Dynamics Group of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Joe says to use "OMOTENASHI" as the Target Body You will find the online app at https://ssd jpl nasa gov/horizons

[ANS thanks Brian Wilkins, KO4AQF, Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, NASA and JPL for the above information ]

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New Guide for Tracking and Decoding NOAA Weather Satellites

Samual Yanz, N7FNV,has created a detailed 39 page guide about tracking and decoding NOAA low earth polar orbit weather satellites These satellites are a great way to interest young people in satellite communications They transmit a powerful signal so that they are easily received an inexpensive radio, a simple antenna and free software Currently there are three operational polar orbiting NOAA weather satellites that transmit image data in the APT format at 137 MHz When one of these satellites pass overhead, it is possible to use an RTL-SDR with appropriate antenna and software to automatically receive the satellite weather images they transmit

The purpose of this guide is to completely install software and configure them to automatically receive incoming NOAA signals and process them into images While there are many variations of hardware that can be used for this application, Yanz focuses on a simple setup to get anyone on the air Samual's guide focuses on the software and shows how to setup Virtual Audio Cable for piping audio between programs, SDR# for receiving the signal, Orbitron for tracking the satellite and WXtoIMG for decoding the image

Download the PDF guide at https://tinyurl com/ANS-247-NOAA-Satellites-Guide

[ANS thanks RTL-SDR com for the above information ]

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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

Colegio Tarbut, Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina, direct via LU4AA The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145 800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS Contact is go for: Monday September 5, 2022 at 14:47:39 UTC

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www ariss org/current-status-of-iss-stations html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www ariss org/contact-the-iss html

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

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

EM85; September 12-16, 2022 N8AJM will be working FM only with no set schedule He may also activate a few grids on the way down from EN72 He will try to post all passes on hams at

CN74; September 22-24, 2022 KJ7DZ has a roving trip booked More info will be posted as time gets closer

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

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

• 41st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) September 16–18, 2022 Hilton Charlotte Airport Hotel Charlotte, North Carolina https://tapr org

• Chicago FM Club Radio Expo September 25, 2022 Boone County Fairgrounds 8791 IL-76, Belvidere, IL 61008 Tom Zimmerman, W9TTY, will host an AMSAT exhibit

• 2022 Rocky Mountain ARRL Division Convention October 7-9, 2022 Event Center at Archer 3921 Archer Pkwy Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007 https://wyhamcon org/site

• 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium October 8–9, 2022 Kents Hill Park Conference Centre Milton Keynes https://rsgb org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

• 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting October 21–22, 2022 The Crowne Plaza Suites 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN More information to follow

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

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

• The NEXUS (FO-99) operation schedule for September, 2022 is available at https://www jamsat or jp/?p=1974 Y Ohtani, JH4DHX/3, of the NEXUS operations team reports that the operation of DigiTalker will be closed Please enjoy NEXUS / FO-99 ! FO-29 remains in full sunlight and should continue to be available for use this month [AMSAT thanks JAMSAT for the above information ]

• Space is hard, even for the pros: Intelsat said the Galaxy 15 broadcast satellite that stopped responding to commands earlier this month shut down its payload Aug 31, reducing the risk of interfering with signals from other spacecraft However, Galaxy 15 continues to drift out of its geostationary orbit slot at 133 degrees West, and "will soon begin transiting through orbital locations licensed for other satellites," an Intelsat spokesperson said "With the payload muted, the focus of this coordination ensures 'fly-by' procedures are coordinated so that the spacecraft avoid a physical collision This is a normal part of spacecraft operations that is regularly executed and poses minimal risk " Intelsat said it has successfully moved all customers from Galaxy 15 to its Galaxy 23 satellite SpaceX is slated to launch Galaxy 33, Galaxy 15's replacement, "on or about Oct 8, 2022," the spokesperson added [ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information ]

• But sometimes, things just work: Engineers with NASA have repaired an issue with the space agency's Voyager 1 spacecraft, but have yet to identify the cause of the problem, officials confirmed on August 27 The probe had been sending garbled data about its status, including information about its health and activities to mission controllers, despite otherwise operating normally Launched in 1977, NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes are both still active, exploring deep space Both are still communicating with NASA, despite being launched 45 years ago The spacecraft are two of only five space probes from Earth that have left the solar system Voyager 1 is currently 14 5 billion miles from Earth [ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information ]

• NASA and Axiom Space said Wednesday, August 28 that they plan to launch a second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in 2023 The spaceflight, coordinated by the U S space agency and the private Houston-based infrastructure developer, will be designated as Axiom Mission 2, or Ax-2 and will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the second quarter of 2023 Private Axiom astronauts will travel to the ISS and spend 10 days aboard the space station and participate in in-orbit activities in coordination with ISS crew and flight controllers on the ground The first Axiom mission, in April 2022, featured extensive amateur radio activity No word yet about hams aboard Ax-2 [ANS thanks SpaceDaily for the above information ]

• The AMSAT-DL (Germany) Symposium will be held prior to the General Membership Meeting on Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 10 am to 1 pm The general meeting will follow at 2 p m , after a short lunch break during which refreshments will be provided The events will take place at the Radome of the Bochum Observatory, Association headquarters of AMSAT Germany, Obernbaakstraße 6, 44797 Bochum, Germany [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information ]

• The AMSAT-SA (South Africa) Space Symposium 2022 will be held virtually on 10 September 2022 from 09:00 to 16:30 SAST (07:00 - 14:30 UTC) The theme will be, "Space, the next frontier for expansion of amateur radio " The event will be virtual on the BlueJeans platform The programme includes a session for beginners and the people returning to satellite operation Other papers include "OSCAR100 - the easy way", "A 70cm - 10GHz transponder", "Satellite Server: Browser Based Satellite Tracking Software", "The new AMSAT-NA Fox plus program", a review of AfriCUBE with a demonstration of the prototype flying on BACAR in early October plus many other interesting topics Full programme at https://bit ly/3efNdJJ The event is free but a donation of R40 (about $2 50 U S ) towards the AfriCUBE fund would be appreciated [ANS thanks AMSAT-SA for the above information ]

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

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

• Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization)
• 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
• Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms

Contact info [at] amsat org for additional membership information

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org

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