Month: September 2018

Fox-1Cliff Ready for Launch

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On Monday, September 24th, Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, delivered and performed the integration of AMSAT’s Fox-1Cliff CubeSat in preparation for launch.

Fox-1Cliff in the clean room, ready for prep

Unlike AO-85 and AO-91, AMSAT purchased a commercial launch for Fox-1Cliff. Please consider a donation to help replenish the coffers for GOLF and other future AMSAT projects!
https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-general-donations/
https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/
https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-presidents-club-donations/

Uplink:      435.300 MHz FM voice (67.0 Hz CTCSS tone) / 1267.300 MHz FM voice (67.0 Hz CTCSS tone)
Downlink:  145.920 MHz FM voice; AFSK digital data up to 9600 bps
Transmit power: 600 mW nominal

Fox-1Cliff after insertion in the PSL-P deployer

Because only one uplink frequency can be active at a time, the use of the Mode-L uplink will be limited to experimental periods announced in advance.

Fox-1Cliff carries the flight spare of the AO-85 Vanderbilt University Low Energy Proton (LEP) radiation experiment, and the standard Fox-1 Penn State University–Erie gyroscope experiment. Virginia Tech provided a VGA camera which is the same as AO-92 but will provide images at a higher 640 x 480 resolution. These non-SSTV images will be decoded in the FoxTelem software.

Spaceflight Mission Managers and the two CubeSat teams performing integration

Fox-1Cliff, unlike the other three Fox-1 FM spacecraft, does not have an active AFC on the uplinks.

Fox-1Cliff’s Subaudible Telemetry (low-speed telemetry) will be the same as for AO-85, AO-91, and AO-92. It will be supported by the same FoxTelem software already released.

As with AO-92, a high-speed mode will be used to support the Virginia Tech VGA camera experiment.

The Fox-1Cliff Remove Before Flight Pin after its final removal for the mission.

This mode will be active for 40 minutes by ground command before reverting to standard U/v transponder voice operation.

Fox-1Cliff is named in honor of long-time AMSAT member, contributor, and benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR (SK), who passed away in 2016. Cliff’s contributions to AMSAT and other amateur satellite programs, including serving as an adviser during the initial development of the CubeSat specification at California Polytechnic State University, earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award from Project OSCAR in 2006.

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

 

Spaceflight team along with some team members of the other CubeSats that were integrated Monday

 

 

AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO, to appear on Ham Nation September 26th

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AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO, will appear on Ham Nation’s September 26, 2018 episode (#369) with Gordon West, WB6NOA. Joe is scheduled to discuss the latest news from AMSAT and ARISS.

Ham Nation records live every Wednesday at 9:00pm Eastern / 6:00pm Pacific / 01:00 (Thu) UTC and can be viewed at  https://twit.tv/shows/ham-nation

AMSAT President Joe Spier, K6WAO

 

Help ARISS Raise Funds for Critical ISS Radio Infrastructure Upgrade

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AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrade on ISS to enable students to talk to astronauts in space via amateur radio.

Please help by donating today: https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9

ARISS is in critical need of the infrastructure upgrade to ensure that programs like talking in space using amateur radio can continue. Through your donations ARISS seeks the following upgrades:

+ Next Generation radio system will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including:
* New amateur radio communication and experimental capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities
* Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both US and Russian segments of ISS

+ New multi voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted

+ ARISS needs to build ten Next Generation radio systems to support our development on orbit operations, training and long term maintenance. This includes on-orbit (two units, one unit each in US and Russian segment), flight spares (two units), training (three units), testing (one unit), and ground-based maintenance and troubleshooting (two units)

Donations are fully tax deductible within the USA as AMSAT is A 501(c)(3) organization.

2018 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Results

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As a result of the 2018 Board of Directors Election, Tom Clark,  K3IO; Mark Hammond, N8MH; and Bruce Paige, KK5DO; will serve on  the board for two years.

The First Alternate is Peter Portanova, W2JV. The Second Alternate  is Scott Harvey, KA7FVV. Both will serve for a term of one year.

The results of the voting with 698 ballots cast are as follows:

Tom Clark, K3IO…………574
Mark Hammond, N8MH………507
Scott Harvey, KA7FVV…….176
Bruce Paige, KK5DO………402
Peter Portanova, W2JV……359

Submitted by:
Martha Saragovitz, Manager
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, Secretary

[ANS thanks Martha Saragovitz, Manager and Clayton Coleman, W5PFG,
Secretary for the above information]