[ans] ANS-316 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: JoAnne K9JKM <k9jkm@comcast.net>
Date: 2017-11-12 8:36 GMT+08:00
Subject: [ans] ANS-316 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: ans@amsat.org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-316

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:

* AMSAT RadFxSat/Fox-1B Launch Delay – New Plan NET November 14
* FoxTelem V.1.05 Available for Download – Including Update Patch
* RadFxSat Telemetry Reception Challenge
* Special Membership Offer for RadFxSat Launch
* Fox-1D Integrated, Ready for Launch
* NASA ELaNa XX Mission Launching RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Set for NET
End of Q1 2018
* Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA
* November 15 Deadline for U.S. Proposals for ARISS Contacts
* D-Star ONE Launch on November 28
* November Satellite Activity Planned for HC8 Galapagos DXpedition
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-316.01
ANS-316 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 316.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE November 12, 2017
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-316.01

AMSAT RadFxSat/Fox-1B Launch Delay – New Plan NET November 14

United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced on November 6 that the launch
of the Delta II rocket carrying RadFxSat has been delayed due to a
faulty battery on the booster. The launch is now scheduled for Tuesday,
November 14th at 09:47 UTC. NASA TV coverage begins at 09:15 UTC.

Web streaming will be available on www.nasa.gov/ntv – launches are
also often streamed at http://www.ulalaunch.com and spaceflightnow.com

Continue reading for what you can expect after the launch and how you
can help …

INTRODUCTION

RadFxSat is a partnership with Vanderbilt University ISDE and hosts
four payloads for the study of radiation effects on commercial off the
shelf components. RadFxSat features the Fox-1 style FM U/v repeater
with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on
145.960 MHz. Satellite and experiment telemetry will be downlinked via
the “DUV” subaudible telemetry stream and can be decoded with the
FoxTelem software:
https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/ .

LAUNCH AND EARLY ORBIT PHASE (LEOP)

At this time, pre-launch Keplerian elements are not expected to be
available. However, based on the Local Time of the Ascending Node
(LTAN) of the primary payload, 13:30, stations should expect to have
their initial ascending passes starting around noon local time.

The estimated time of “First Veronica,” the initial beacon after
deployment, is 12:07 UTC. Due to the tight constraints on the primary
payload deployment, the secondary payloads may be delayed slightly, so
this should be considered the soonest the transmitter will be enabled.

Orbital elements will be published as soon as they are available on
the AMSAT website. Stations in Europe, South America, and North America
should point your beams south and have FoxTelem running while awaiting
the initial post-launch Keplerian elements.

Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many
parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks
for successful startup and indications of the general health and
function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space.

If you are capturing telemetry with FoxTelem please be sure that
“Upload to Server” is checked in your settings, and that your “Ground
Station Params” are filled in as well. You can help AMSAT and everyone
waiting to get on the air with RadFxSat tremendously by capturing
RadFxSat telemetry.

About 60 minutes after deployment, or 140 minutes after launch, the
satellite will start up in Beacon Mode. In this initial mode, the
transmitter is limited to 10 seconds on time and then will be off for
two minutes. For those of you capturing telemetry, that means that you
will only see Current frames and no High or Low frames. The High and
Low frames are truncated as it takes just over the 10 second limit to
send two frames. Veronica may also be cut off before she gets to say
her whole ID string as the full ID, “RadFxSat Fox-1B Safe Mode,” is a
bit longer than the approximately 3.5 seconds she has in Beacon Mode.
If the voice ID is cut off, the satellite is still in Beacon Mode.

If AMSAT Engineering is seeing nominal values from the telemetry you
gather, the satellite will be commanded from Beacon Mode to Safe Mode
on the first good pass over the United States. In Safe Mode, the
satellite transmits a full two frames of telemetry (one Current frame
followed by, and alternating each ID cycle, a High or a Low frame).
Veronica now has time to make the whole ID announcement in Safe Mode.

The on-orbit checkout procedure for RadFxSat is similar to
Fox-1A/AO-85 and could be completed in as little as a few days if
users cooperate. It is very important, and good amateur operating
practice, to refrain from using the transponder uplink so the on-orbit
tests can be performed, including when the satellite is switched into
Transponder Mode for testing.

AMSAT will make it broadly known when the tests are complete and the
transponder is available for all to use. If you hear someone on the
transponder, please do not assume that it is open for general use –
check AMSAT’s website, Facebook, and Twitter before transmitting to be
sure you do not interfere with testing.

AMSAT asks all satellite operators to contribute just a little bit of
your time by gathering telemetry, not using the transponder uplink, to
help complete the last few days of getting RadFxSat operating for the
amateur radio community.

Lots of hams put thousands of volunteer hours of their time into
making RadFxSat happen. Just like any ham radio project you might
undertake, AMSAT builds satellites. AMSAT volunteers do it because
they like to, and when they are done, AMSAT freely shares their
project with hams everywhere as is the spirit of amateur radio.

Thank you very much and see you on the bird!

RADIO PROGRAMMING CHART

RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Doppler Shift Correction

Memory 1 (AOS)     – TX 435.240 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.960 MHz
Memory 2 (Rise)    – TX 435.245 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.960 MHz
Memory 3 (TCA)     – TX 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.960 MHz
Memory 4 (Descend) – TX 435.255 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.960 MHz
Memory 5 (LOS)     – TX 435.260 MHz (67.0 Hz Tone), RX 145.960 MHz

Frequencies are subject to change post-launch.

[ANS thanks AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, NØJY, for the
above information]

———————————————————————

FoxTelem V.1.05 Available for Download – Including Update Patch

Given the United Launch Alliance Delta II launch delay to November 14
you have time to download and install AMSAT’s FoxTelem Version 1.05
telemetry capture, decoding, and data warehousing software so your
ground station can participate and assist during the commissioning of
RadFxSat/Fox-1B.

If you have already installed FoxTelem Version 1.05w in preparation
for RadFxSat it is recommended that you install an update patch. This
will upgrade you to 1.05x.

This patch fixes the following bugs with v1.05w or earlier 1.05
releases:

* When two spacecraft are tracked and “When Above Horizon” is set to start
and stop the decoder, the decoder NEVER starts.
* If the matched filter is selected for DUV then FoxTelem crashes
* When a spacecraft is being decoded, the position is not updated on the
screen
* When the decoders is automatically stopped/started, then the FunCube
Dongle becomes disconnected

To apply this patch simply copy the jar file into your Version 1.05
installation directory and overwrite the existing file.

If you are running FoxTelem Version 1.04f or earlier, you should install
the full release for Version 1.05x

The files for the full release and the update patch are here:
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/

The download package includes the latest version of the FoxTelem User
Guide.

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

———————————————————————

RadFxSat Telemetry Reception Challenge

Get FoxTelem set up and ready to go on Tuesday! The first amateur
radio operator that successfully receives RadFxSat (Fox-1B) telemetry
and uploads it to the AMSAT server will receive a commemorative 3D
printed QSL card.

RadFxSat is scheduled for launch at 1:47am PST (09:47 UTC) on Tuesday,
November 14th from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The first
transmission from RadFxSat is expected to occur around 12:07 UTC. Due
to a lack of prelaunch Keplerian elements, it is not known exactly
where the satellite will be when it makes it’s first transmission.

For further details regarding the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP)
of RadFxSat operations, please see:
https://www.amsat.org/getting-ready-for-radfxsat-fox-1b/

[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]

———————————————————————

Special Membership Offer for RadFxSat Launch

As part of the preparations for the launch of RadFxSat on November
10th, AMSAT is making our “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites”
book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new
or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is
only available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited
time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year
with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier
primer of satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF
format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first
contacts on a ham radio satellite.

Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store
at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option.
While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack
antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag.

Thank you, and see you soon on RadFxSat!

[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]

———————————————————————

Fox-1D Integrated, Ready for Launch

While RadFxSat (Fox-1B) is just days from launch, preparations for the
launch of the next Fox-1 satellite are already underway. On Monday,
November 6th, AMSAT Vice-President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, delivered
Fox-1D to Spaceflight, Inc. in Seattle, WA where it was integrated into its
Innovative Solutions in Space QuadPack for delivery to India. Fox-1D will
launch on the next ISRO Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) flight, sched-
uled to take place by the end of December.

In addition to the Fox-1 U/v FM transponder, Fox-1D carries several univer-
sity experiments, including a MEMS gyro from Pennsylvania State University–
Erie, a camera from Virginia Tech, and the University of Iowa’s HERCI (High
Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) radiation mapping experiment. Fox-1D
also carries the AMSAT “L-Band Downshifter” giving the option of utilizing
a 1.2 GHz uplink for the FM transponder.

Fox-1D
——
Uplink:   435.350 MHz FM / 1267.350 FM MHz * (67 Hz CTCSS)
Downlink: 145.880 MHz FM
* Switchable by command station. Not operational simultaneously.

Read the full article, including photos, on the AMSAT web:
https://www.amsat.org/fox-1d-integrated-ready-for-launch/

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

———————————————————————

NASA ELaNa XX Mission Launching RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Set for NET
End of Q1 2018

AMSAT has been informed that the launch for the NASA Educational
Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) XX mission carrying RadFxSat-2
(Fox-1E) is now scheduled “No Earlier Than” (NET) the end of Q1,
2018.

In addition to RadFxSat-2, the ELaNa XX mission will carry 12
CubeSats constructed both by NASA and several universities around
the United States. The mission will be launched by Virgin Galactic
on their LauncherOne air launch to orbit system from Mojave, CA

RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat (Fox-1B), is a partnership opportunity
between the Vanderbilt University Institute for Space and Defense
Electronics and AMSAT and will carry a similar radiation effects
experiment, studying new FinFET technology.

RadFxSat-2 will be the fifth Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. Fox-1A,
now AMSAT-OSCAR 85 (AO-85), was launched on October 8, 2015 and is
fully operational, providing science data from it’s onboard experi-
ments and FM transponder service for the amateur radio community.
Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D are scheduled for launch soon. RadFxSat/Fox-1B
is scheduled to launch November 10, 2017.

The RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus will be built on the Fox-1 series but
will feature a linear transponder “upgrade” to replace the standard
FM transponder in Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and down-
link bands will be reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a
Mode V/u (J) configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink.
The downlink will feature a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry
the Vanderbilt science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder
for amateur radio use.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering and Operation Teams for the above
information]

———————————————————————

Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA

Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA’s Required
Minimum Distribution for 2017? Consider making a donation to AMSAT!

Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals
over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000
per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without
increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or
accountant to make certain you are eligible.

AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific
organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and operate
satellites in space and to provide the support needed to encourage
amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT’s federal tax ID is
52-0888529.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information]

———————————————————————

November 15 Deadline for U.S. Proposals for ARISS Contacts

Reminder – November 15 deadline! The Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) program is seeking proposals from U.S. schools,
museums, science centers and community youth organizations to host radio
contacts with an orbiting crew member aboard the International Space
Station (ISS) between July 1 and December 31, 2018. See ARISS website
for additional details on expectations, proposal guidelines, and the
proposal form: http://www.ariss.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-us.html

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]

———————————————————————

D-Star ONE Launch on November 28

D-Star ONE is the first private German CubeSat and the first D-Star
communication spacecraft wordwide.

D-Star ONE will be launched on November 28, 2017 from Vostochny launch
site jointly with the Meteor-M ?2-1 mission of the Russian State Space
Corporation ROSCOSMOS. Final launch preparations are currently being
performed.

D-Star repeater & beacon frequencies:
Uplink:   437.325MHz
Downlink: 435.525MHz
RF-Power: 800mW

Additional information will be posted at: http://www.d-star.one/

Spaceflightinsider.com published an article about successful final
testing on D-Star ONE: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-316-Spaceflightinsider
www.spaceflightinsider.com)

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the D-Star ONE team for the above information]

———————————————————————

November Satellite Activity Planned for HC8 Galapagos DXpedition

HC8, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. An Argentinian group will be active as
HC8LU from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands between
November 29 to December 8, 2017.

Operators include Alejandro/LU8YD, Alejandro/LU9VEA, Mario/LU7VB,
and Patricio/LU3YK. Pilot stations are Sergio/LU7YS and Javier/
LU5FF.

Activity will be on 160-10 meters using mainly SSB and Digital modes
(WSPR, JT65, FT8, PSK31). Also operations on the satellites (LEO, FM
and SSB). QSL via IK2DUW.

Visit their Blog page for updates, at: https://hc8lu.blogspot.com.ar

[ANS thanks the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1331 for the above information]

———————————————————————

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Ever since the launch of OSCAR I in 1961, it has been traditional
for amateur radio satellites to carry the name OSCAR, for “Orbiting
Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio.” At the request of the original
Project OSCAR organization, AMSAT-NA now administers the numbering
of OSCAR satellites. In anticipation of adding a new OSCAR on Tuesday,
a listing of all 90 satellites that have received OSCAR designations
has been posted to the AMSAT website at:
https://www.amsat.org/orbiting-satellites-carrying-amateur-radio/

+ During launch and early operations phases of a cubesat deployment
many satellite operators participate in an unofficial Internet Relay
Chat (IRC) #cubesat channel on the Freenode network. IRC clients in-
clude Nettalk, mIRC, the ChatZilla plugin for Firefox browser. A web
based connection is available at: https://webchat.freenode.net
(Nickname = Callsign; Channels = #cubesat) More information about the
Freenode network is posted at: https://freenode.net

+ Damon, WA4HFN says congratulations are due to Al, XE2AT for his
triple award winner for earning the following Squirt the Birds awards:
o Grid Master #6
o 5 in EM55 #61
o Got Grids? #18
These awards are free and we at Squirt the Birds support AMSAT NA
Go to www.squirtthebirds.com for more info.

+ An article, “CubeSats are challenging” by Charles Phillips on ‘The
Space Review’ at http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3364/1 offers
university cubesat teams advice we already know … “One good resource
could be the busy amateur community that likes to listen for the down-
link of satellites: a developer probably should have some amateurs
lined up to listen just in case they are needed.”

+ The Sun-Sentinel newspaper printed an article about the November 6
ARISS contact with the South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach
with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli:
http://tinyurl.com/ANS-316-SunSentinelARISS (www.sun-sentinel.com)

+ The Chertsey Radio Club got some good publicity for both amateur radio
and the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) satellite in the Heathrow Villager newspaper
published on November 4, 2017. During the JOTA event the FUNcube-1 sat-
ellite transmitted a special Fitter Message from Space that the Scouts
successfully decoded: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-316-AMSATUK-Scouts
(www.amsat-uk.org)

+ The November edition of the AMSAT-EA newsletter (in Spanish) is now
available for download https://www.amsat-ea.org/contenidos/ -and, a
PDF file in English: http://tinyurl.com/ANS-316-AMSATEA-English
(amsat-ea.org)

+ Masa, JN1GKZ, informs us from Tokyo that JAXA is preparing for the
deployment of NRCSD#13 from the ISS in the November 16-17 timeframe.
NRCSD#13 includes the ELaNa XXII CubeSats: ASTERIA, Dellingr/RBLE,
and OSIRIS-3U. OSIRIS-3U will transmit on 437.505 MHz with GMSK data
rates up to 38k4. The cubesats were delivered by Dragon CRS-12 in
August, 2017.

+ On November 13, Venus and Jupiter will rise together in the morning
sky shortly before sunrise. Venus and Jupiter will come within a mere
17 arcminutes of each other, and remain close for a day before and
after the conjunction itself. (Reminder: Your fist held at arm’s length
measures about 10 degrees across. There are 60 arcminutes in 1 degree.)
The two planets will be visible in the constellation Virgo, west of the
waning crescent moon, which will be higher in the sky. Observers should
look just south of east; the planets will be rising almost exactly ahead
of the sun. https://www.space.com/33792-venus-jupiter-conjunction.html

———————————————————————

/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. And, with that consider the tale of the superconductor
who walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Get out! We don’t serve
your kind here.” The superconductor left without resistance.

73,
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

[ans] ANS-302 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

[ans] ANS-302 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: E.Mike McCardel <mccardelm@gmail.com>
Date: 2017-10-29 20:45 GMT+08:00
Subject: [ans] ANS-302 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: ans@amsat.org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-302The 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:

* AMSAT-NA Announces GOLF CubeSat Program
* AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President
* Jordan’s first satellite – JY1-SAT
* APRS Satellites QIKCOM-1 Deployed
* FalconSat-3 Video w/ WiSP File Upload/Download
* Special Membership Offer for RadFxSat Launch
* Pope Asks Spacemen Life’s Big Questions In ISS Live Chat
* AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-302.01
ANS-302 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 302.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
October 28, 2017
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-302.01

AMSAT-NA Announces GOLF CubeSat Program

At the AMSAT-NA Annual General Meeting in Reno, NV, AMSAT-NA President
Joe Spier, K6WAO, announced the next phase of AMSAT’s CubeSat program:
GOLF. GOLF, an acronym for “Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint,” is a
crucial step towards fulfilling AMSAT’s strategic goals involving high
altitude, wide access satellite missions.

As an initial step in the GOLF program, the AMSAT-NA Board of
Directors approved the submission of a NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative
proposal for the GOLF-T satellite project. The GOLF-T project will
serve as a rapidly deployable Low Earth Orbit (LEO) testbed for
technologies necessary for a successful CubeSat mission to a wide
variety of orbits, including LEO, Medium Earth Orbit (MEO),
Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO), Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), or beyond.

AMSAT-NA Vice-President Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, said “The
GOLF-T project tees off the next phase of our CubeSat program. GOLF-T
provides AMSAT hardware and knowledge for Attitude Determination and
Control (ADAC) capability and the opportunity to develop a 3U
spaceframe with deployable solar panels that can be used in LEO or HEO
missions, two of the major systems required in future GOLF and HEO
missions.”

In addition, GOLF-T provides the opportunity for rapid deployment and
on orbit testing of the AMSAT’s Advanced Satellite Communications and
Exploration of New Technology (ASCENT )program’s technology, including
radiation tolerant transponder and Integrated Housekeeping Unit (IHU)
technologies that will lead the way for low cost commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) systems that can function in the MEO and HEO
radiation environments. GOLF-T will also provide for the development
of “Five and Dime” Field-Programmable Gate Array Software Defined
Radio (FPGA SDR) transponders for use on a variety of missions and
orbits.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors and our Engineering Team
for the above information]

———————————————————————

AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President

At it’s annual meeting, held at the Silver Legacy Resort Hotel in
Reno, NV, the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors elected Joe Spier, K6WAO, of
Reno, NV, President, succeeding Barry Baines, WD4ASW, who has retired
after nine years of service as AMSAT’s President. Joe is a Life Member
of AMSAT-NA and has previously served as Executive Vice President and
Vice-President Educational Relations. He also has Life Memberships in
the ARRL, SARA (Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers) and the AFA (Air
Force Association). He holds an Extra Class license as well as
commercial licenses.

Immediate Past President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said “It has been an
honor to serve as President for the past nine years and as a board
member since 1999. I’m confident that the successes of the past nine
years while serving as President will lead to new opportunities in
AMSAT’s future as Joe assumes the helm working with the new Senior
Leadership Team. I’m also thrilled that Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, are new voting members on the Board, including
the assumption of my former slot. I’m excited that the new Board
combined with the new Senior Leadership Team will bring insight,
enthusiasm, energy and commitment to move AMSAT forward.”

Other officers elected by the Board were:

* Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President
* Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President Engineering
* Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of New Port Richey, FL, as
Vice-President Operations
* Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, of Granbury, TX, as Secretary
* Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF, of Corunna, ON, as Treasurer
* Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager

[ANS thanks the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for the above information]

———————————————————————

Jordan’s first satellite – JY1-SAT

During the final satellite integration training for Jordan’s first
satellite, JY1-SAT, the team was supported for the final stages of
integration by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin
Abdullah II.

The spacecraft has been given to students of the Masar Initiative at
the Jordan University of Science and Technology as part of the JY1-
SAT mission support and training program under the Crown Prince
Foundation given by ISIS – Innovative Solutions In Space and AMSAT-UK
and AMSAT Netherlands.

The JY1-SAT mission was proposed by Jordanian students who
participated in the first batch of the cooperation program with NASA,
after which the interns had suggested the design and launch of the
first Jordanian satellite CubeSat.

To build up the capability to design and develop such a first
mission, the Crown Prince Foundation signed a support agreement with
ISIS – Innovative Solutions In Space and the AMSAT Radio Amateur
Societies of the UK and the Netherlands, for hardware and training
support, building on ISIS’ and AMSAT’s experience with FUNcube radio
amateur transponder missions.

As a special development for the JY1-SAT mission, AMSAT has expanded
the capabilities of the FUNcube transponder to be able to transmit
stored images reflecting the Jordanian culture and its historical
heritage, along with a voice message recorded by the Crown Prince to
be transmitted in space to receivers around the world.

The launch of the JY1-SAT, scheduled during the first half of next
year, is in memory of His Majesty the late King Hussein, the first
founder of the HAM Radio in Jordan and holder of call sign JY1.

JY1-SAT will have a linear, inverting, transponder downlinking
between 145.855 & 145.875 MHz with the uplink between 435.100 &
435.120 MHz. The telemetry downlink will be on 145.840 MHz and be
FUNcube compatible. A new Dashboard will be made available before the
launch of JY1-SAT.

The Jordan Times – Crown Prince puts final touch on mini satellite
project http://tinyurl.com/ANS302-JY1-Sat

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

———————————————————————

APRS Satellites QIKCOM-1 Deployed

QIKCOM-1 was deployed from the ISS Friday at 0915 UTC attached to
the SIMPL spacecraft.  It is an APRS digipeater just like the ISS.
Whereas it also supports the same ARISS alias as the ISS digipeater,
please use the ALIAS of APRSAT on your uplinks instead of ARISS so
that you only hit QIKCOM-1 for these first few passes with your test
uplinks (once a minute)..  Or you can be specific via QIKCOM-1
callsign.  At 4 Watts, it will be 10 dB stronger than PSAT(84) and
about the same power level as ISS and should be easy to receive on
the 145.825 downlink.

We ask all potential IGates to check your ground stations and make
sure they are ready to IGate packets during those initial orbits from
all over the globe.  If you do not have an IGate, just capture
packets and email them to  qikcom1 at gmail.com until we see that
everything is making it to the APRS-IS.

The downlink should be available on the original
http://pcsat.findu.com and also on
http://59.167.159.165/satreporter/index2.html

Being released from ISS, QIKCOM-1 will of course have the same
Elements and tracking info as ISS until they begin to separate.  This
means passes over the USA every 90 minutes beginning at 0630 EDT in
the Southeast and ending after 1440 PDT in Southern California.

Web page:  http://aprs.org/qikcom-1.html

As usual, QIKCOM-1 is not intended for UNATTENDED BEACONS.  It is
designed for Live Operations and experiments only.

For the initial passes, do not attempt 2-way contacts.  Just set
your STATUS text to indicate your TX power and antenna type and
transmit at 1m intervals ATTENDED  as described on the web page
during these first few orbits. So we can get sttistices on uplink
quality.

[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR for the above information]

———————————————————————

FalconSat-3 Video w/ WiSP File Upload/Download

If anyone would like to see how the WiSP software handles uploading &
downloading files to FalconSat-3, I made a video of the highest
elevation
pass tonight:

https://youtu.be/9spO1e8NVj0

… I don’t understand it all yet, but am seeing some uploads &
downloads.
I keep UISS open and ready in case anyone is active w/ APRS packets,
but on this pass I didn’t transmit from UISS to give the MSPE program
from WiSP maximum time to work.

There’s a little explanation in the notes below the video on YouTube
if you click “SHOW MORE” on that page.

Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, has scanned and posted the chapter on WISP
from Gould Smith’s 2005 Digital Satellite & Telemetry Guide to the
FalconSAT-3 page on amsat.org. He hopes it is helpful to everyone
diving back into this excellent program from the past.

It can be found near the bottom of the page at
https://www.amsat.org/falconsat-3/

[ANS thanks Scott, K4KDR and Drew KO4MA for the above information]

———————————————————————

Special Membership Offer for RadFxSat Launch

As part of the preparations for the launch of RadFxSat on November
10th, AMSAT is making our “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites”
book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or
renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only
available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited
time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with
the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of
satellite operation. The 182 page book is presented in PDF format, in
full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a
ham radio satellite.

Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store
at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option.
While there, check out our other items, including the M2 LEOpack
antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag.

Thank you, and see you soon on RadFxSat!

[ANS thanks Paul N8HM for the above information]

———————————————————————

Pope Asks Spacemen Life’s Big Questions In ISS Live Chat

Pope Francis chatted with six astronauts at the International Space
Station (ISS) on Thursday, kicking off the rare interview with a
philosophical question on “man’s place in the universe”.

Italian Paolo Nespoli, 60, admitted that despite the bird’s eye view
of Earth he too remained “perplexed”, while American Mark Vande Hei
said seeing the planet from space made them “realise how fragile we
are”.

The Argentine pontiff sat at a Vatican desk, facing a wide-screen
television on which the astronauts from America, Russia and Italy
could be seen floating together in their blue suits.

“Good afternoon… or good evening. I imagine time passes
differently at the space station, right?” the pope quipped.

“Astronomy makes us think about the universe’s boundless horizons,
and prompts questions such as ‘where do we come from, where are we
going?'” he mused.

A 30-second delay in the satellite feed gave Nespoli, Vande Hei,
Americans Randolph (Randy) Bresnik and Joseph Acaba, and Russians
Sergej Nikolaevic Rjazanskij and Alexandr Misirkin time to weigh up
life’s biggest questions.

“Our aim here is to spread knowledge, (but) the more we learn, the
more we realise we do not know,” admitted Nespoli, who is on his
third trip into space.

“I would like people like you, theologians, philosophers, poets,
writers, to come to space to explore what it means to be a human in
space,” he said, as Francis nodded and smiled.

US mission commander Bresnik told the Argentine that from the
visible thinness of the planet’s atmosphere shows how fragile life is
on earth.

– ‘Future of humanity’ –

But the pope had not finished: what, he wanted to know, was their
opinion of love as a force that moves the universe? What was their
source of joy up in the space station, and how did a life without
gravity change their view of the world?

The crew took it in turns to get their philosophical caps on, and
not even a technical hitch which temporarily interrupted the
interview, or the lack of a Russian translator, could throw the space
travellers off course.

“I get the most joy by looking outside every day and seeing God’s
creation, maybe a little bit from his perspective,” Bresnick said.

Far from wars, famines, pollution or human folly, he said “the
future of humanity looks better from up here”.

Bresnik, 50, a former Marine Corps aviator who goes by the nickname
“Komrade”, made his fifth career excursion outside the space station
this month to carry out crucial repairs to the ISS’s robotic arm with
NASA colleague Acaba.

Acaba, 50, the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to become an
astronaut, cheerfully said hello to the pope in Spanish before
tackling the question on how the men deal with ‘up’ and ‘down’ losing
their meaning in space.

Francis is not the only Roman Catholic leader to have put in a call
to the star-covered heavens.

The first pope to get on the line to space was Benedict XVI in 2011,
who rang the ISS — which has been continuously occupied since 2000 —
when Nespoli was once again among the crew.

[ANS thanks Ella IDE via Space Daily for the above information]

———————————————————————

ARISS News

+ A Successful contact was made between Istituto Scolastico
Comprensivo “Nardi”, Porto San Giorgio, Italyand Astronaut Paolo
Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-21
09:31 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was
Direct/Telebridge via I6KZR and IQ5VR.HamTV was active.
ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF.

+ A Successful contact was made between I.C. Michelangelo
Buonarroti, Marina di Carrara, Italyand Astronaut Paolo Nespoli
IZØJPA using Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-21 09:31 UTC
and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was
Direct/Telebridge via I6KZR and IQ5VR. HamTV was active.
ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF.

+ A Successful contact was made between Istituto Comprensivo “Tauro
Viterbo”, Castellana Grotte (Ba), Italy and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli
IZØJPA using Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-21 14:23 UTC
and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via
IZ7RTN. HamTVC was active.
ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF.
Event location: Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza, Bari, Italy

+ A Successful contact was made between “A.Gramsci-N.Pende”,
Noicattaro, Italy and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using Callsign
IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-21 14:23 UTC and lasted about nine
and a half minutes. Contact was Direct via IZ7RTN.
ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF. HamTVC was active.
Event location: Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza, Bari, Italy

+ A Successful contact was made between Chiddix Junior High School,
Normal, IL, USA and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign NA1SS.
The contact began 2017-10-23 15:31 UTC and lasted about nine and a
half minutes. Contact was Direct via W9AML
ARISS Mentor was Joe K6WAO.

+ A Successful contact was made between Beaconsfield State School,
Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA
using Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-26 08:23 UTC and
lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via
IK1SLD
ARISS Mentor was Shane VK4KHZ.

+ A Successful contact was made between Colegiul National Calistrat
Hogas Piatra Neamt, Piatra Neamt, Romania and Astronaut Joe Acaba
KE5DAR using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2017-10-26 09:55 UTC
and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via
EI1ISS.
ARISS Mentor was Armand SP3QFE.

+ A Successful contact was made between Glanmire Community College,
Cork, Ireland and Astronaut Joe Acaba KE5DAR using Callsign OR4ISS.
The contact began 2017-10-26 09:55 UTC and lasted about nine and a
half minutes. Contact was Direct via EI1ISS.
ARISS Mentor was Seamus EI8BP.

+ A Successful contact was made between Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico
“Enzo Ferrari”, Borgo A Mozzano, Italy and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli
IZØJPA using Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-28 08:13:31
UTC. Contact was Direct via IQ5LU and IQ1SM.
ARISS Mentor was Francesco IKØWGF.

+ A Successful contact was made between Liceo Statale “G. D.
Cassini”, Sanremo, Italy and Astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA using
Callsign IRØISS. The contact began 2017-10-28 08:13:31 UTC. Contact
was Direct via IQ5LU and IQ1SM.
ARISS Mentor was Gianpietro IZ2GOJ.

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

+ Primaria e  Secondaria di primo grado Istituto comprensivo Via XVI
settembre, Civitavecchia,  Italy direct via IKØWGF
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS
The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA
Contact is a go for: Mon  2017-10-30 11:20:34 UTC
Watch for HamTV to be operative.

+ Asociación Civil  Instituto Maria Montessori, San Cristóbel,
Venezuela, direct via YY2CMR
The  ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is  Joe Acaba KE5DAR
Contact is a go for: Tue 2017-10-31 18:23:28 UTC

+ Liceo Scientifico ‘Francesco Cecioni”, Livorno, Italy and Liceo
Artistico Melotti, Lomazzo, Italy, direct via IQ5LI.
The ISS callsign is  presently scheduled to be IRØISS
The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA
Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-11-03 09:27:26 UTC
Watch for HamTV to be operative.

+ Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Leonardo Da Vinci”,  Lanusei,
Italy, direct via ISØBWM
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to  be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA
Contact is a go  for: Sat 2017-11-04 10:12:16 UTC
Watch for HamTV to be operative.

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

———————————————————————

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Daylight saving time 2017 in the United Kingdom ends at 02:00 on
Sunday, 29 October

[ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information.]

+ Curious about when Daylight Savings time begins and ends around
the world?  Thank goodness for UTC.
Visit https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2017.html

[ANS thanks EMike AA8EM for the above information]

+ RUSSIAN WAR GAMES SPARK ‘BLUE AURORAS’
Around the Arctic Circle, people see green auroras almost every
night. It’s nothing to write home about. Blue auroras, on the other
hand, are very unusual.

Photos and more information are highlighted on
Spaceweather.com.

[ANS thanks Spaceweather.com via Southgate ARN 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, AA8EM
aa8em at amsat dot org
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
預覽 YouTube 影片「FalconSat-3 on 27-Oct-2017 :: Upload/Download w/ WiSP (No Audio)」

[ans] ANS-299 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin – AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: JoAnne K9JKM
Date: 2017-10-27 7:31 GMT+08:00
Subject: [ans] ANS-299 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin – AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President
To: ans@amsat.org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN
ANS-299

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:

* AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-299.01
ANS-299 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin

AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin 299.01
From AMSAT SYMPOSIUM, RENO, NV
DATE October 26, 2017
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-299.01

AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Elects Joe Spier, K6WAO, President

At it’s annual meeting, held at the Silver Legacy Resort Hotel in
Reno, NV, the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors elected Joe Spier, K6WAO, of
Reno, NV, President, succeeding Barry Baines, WD4ASW, who has retired
after nine years of service as AMSAT’s President. Joe is a Life Member
of AMSAT-NA and has previously served as Executive Vice President and
Vice-President Educational Relations. He also has Life Memberships in
the ARRL, SARA (Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers) and the AFA (Air
Force Association). He holds an Extra Class license as well as
commercial licenses.

Immediate Past President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said “It has been an
honor to serve as President for the past nine years and as a board
member since 1999. I’m confident that the successes of the past nine
years while serving as President will lead to new opportunities in
AMSAT’s future as Joe assumes the helm working with the new Senior
Leadership Team. I’m also thrilled that Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, are new voting members on the Board, including
the assumption of my former slot. I’m excited that the new Board
combined with the new Senior Leadership Team will bring insight,
enthusiasm, energy and commitment to move AMSAT forward.”

Other officers elected by the Board were:

* Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, of Washington, DC, as Executive Vice President
* Jerry Buxton, N0JY, of Granbury, TX, as Vice-President Engineering
* Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, of New Port Richey, FL, as
Vice-President Operations
* Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, of Granbury, TX, as Secretary
* Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF, of Corunna, ON, as Treasurer
* Martha Saragovitz of Silver Spring, MD, as Manager

[ANS the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for the above information]

/EX

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