AMSAT Academy to be Held Prior to Dayton Hamvention

Come join us the day before Hamvention, for AMSAT Academy – a unique opportunity to learn all about amateur radio in space and working the FM, linear transponder, and digital satellites currently in orbit.

AMSAT Academy will be held Thursday, May 16, 2019, from 9:00am to 5:00pm, at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) Clubhouse, located at 6619 Bellefontaine Rd, Dayton, Ohio.

Registration Fee includes:

Full day of instruction, designed for both beginners and advanced amateur radio satellite operators, and taught by some of the most accomplished AMSAT operators.
Digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites, 2019 Edition ($15 value)
One-Year, AMSAT Basic Membership ($44 value)
Pizza Buffet Lunch.
Invitation to the Thursday night AMSAT get together at Ticket Pub and Eatery in Fairborn.

AMSAT Academy 2019 Registration Fee: $85.00. Registration closes May 10, 2019. No sign ups at the door. No refunds, No cancellations.

Registration may be purchased on the AMSAT Store.

Details about AMSAT’s other activities at the 2019 Hamvention, including the TAPR/AMSAT Banquet may be found here.

FoxTelem Version 1.07 Released

I’m officially releasing version 1.07 of FoxTelem. A test version has been out for a while, but it had several issues, including a lower decode rate than 1.06. That prevented release for a while. Those issues (and something like 65 other defects) are now all fixed and this decoder performs better than 1.06. Feel free to test them side by side and report back if that is not the case for you. We are always interested in any comparative results.

In addition to defects in FoxTelem 1.06 and earlier versions of 1.07, this also introduces Doppler calculation with automatic adjustment of the decoder frequency. This is especially useful for decoding beacons and has been helpful in testing for Fox-1A / AO-85 and Fox-1Cliff / AO-95 which are both in SAFE mode. Decoding from Doppler takes a bit of configuration to get right. Have a read of the new sections in the manual or ask for help if you want to give it a try. There are pros and cons vs “Find Signal” for sure.

Version 1.07 changes the core SDR within FoxTelem to use a Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) rather than an FFT Filter for the conversion to base-band. This produces better decodes and will allow the support of wider bandwidth SDRs in the future. The old decoder is available still if needed from the settings screen. Read the manual for details.

Version 1.07 also introduces two new BPSK decoders in advance of the Fox-1E launch. (I have no inside information about when that will be, but I have the decoder ready 🙂 I also wrote some notes on the comparison between the two decoders, which you can read if you are interested in BPSK decoding performance, or just wonder what I do with my time in the evenings: http://www.g0kla.com/workbench/2019-03-09.php

The releases are here:
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/foxtelem_1.07y_windows.zip
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/foxtelem_1.07y_linux.tar.gz
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/foxtelem_1.07y_mac.tar.gz

KEY CHANGES in 1.07
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Ability to add a new spacecraft from the menu. You can also remove them.
* Doppler calculation and tracking as an option instead of “Find Signal”
* A better SDR based on a Numerically Controlled Oscillator, ready for wider SDRs
* Two new PSK decoders – Costas Loop and Dotproduct
* RTL dongle implemented for testing, though more work to do
* Stops downloading keps when position calc is off
* Allows toggling of high speed / DUV display when in auto mode
* Fixed plotting issues for Earth plots
* Fixes several crashes and bugs
* Fixes copy paste issues with tables
* Respects left/right audio preference when processing wav files
* Implements formats for later spacecraft – Fox-1E and HuskySat
* Linux and Mac launch script updated to locate the JVM (especially on Mac). Please report if when this works/does not work
* MEMS gyro calibration updated
* Fixed a bug where AO-85 data from the server could not be stepped through

And many other bug fixes. Full list of changes here: https://github.com/ac2cz/FoxTelem/milestone/12?closed=1

Let me know any feedback.

73
Chris
G0KLA / AC2CZ

Out of This World Auction Sponsored by ARISS

The ARISS-US team (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) will auction two very unusual items in its first-ever auction!  Picture yourself as the winning bidder and proud owner of a unique JVC Kenwood TS-890S signed by astronauts!  Or, you could be top bidder on a special astronaut-signed 6-volume boxed set 2019 ARRL Handbook!

Bidding starts April 8th at 12:00 UTC and ends April 14th at 22:00 UTC.

You could own this one-of-a-kind beautiful Kenwood TS-890S; your ham station would boast the only Kenwood in the world showcasing astronaut signatures.  Your top bid on the limited edition boxed-set 2019 ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications would mean your bookshelf includes astronaut signatures among your book collection.

JVC Kenwood, a proud supporter of ARISS, generously gave a brand new TS-890S for ARISS to auction.  They first offered the radio for sale in the US in the last half of 2018.  Kenwood has been a super supporter of ARISS for years, and it was the company’s idea for this radio, with astronaut signatures, to be an exclusive that just one ham operator could own! The company hopes you’ll be a bidder who wants to support ARISS.

The limited edition 2019 ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications sold out fast once ARRL posted their ad.  It was the first time that ARRL divided the Handbook into volumes, which nestle in a hard slipcase.  ARRL, an ARISS sponsor along with AMSAT and NASA, saved back one boxed set to give ARISS for the fund-raiser auction.

When you bid in this auction you could be the crucial person who helps ARISS launch its new custom-built higher-power radio system in 2019 with its voice repeater and improved packet APRS and SSTV capability that thousands of hams enjoy. The new system will replace the aging, problematic units currently on the ISS.  You may be the winning bidder who helps ARISS continue introducing ham radio to thousands of students, teachers, parents, and whole communities—and inspiring students about science, technology, engineering, math, and radio!

Don’t forget; set yourself a reminder: bidding starts April 8th at 12:00 UTC and ends April 14th at 22:00 UTC.

Be the winning bidder for one or both of these two exclusive offerings and you’ll own a rare article that makes your ham station a classic!  More auction details will soon be posted at www.ariss.orgincluding that winning bidders will be responsible for shipping costs and for handling any required customs paperwork.  ARISS thanked JVC Kenwood and ARRL for their generous support.

And if you don’t do auctions, please contribute a donation to help ARISS launch its new radio system into space—look for the Donate button near the top right corner of the www.ariss.org page. Thank you!                                                                                                                      

About ARISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative 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

Media Contact:

Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR

[email protected]