CAMSAT’s XW-3 (CAS-9) to Launch at 03:11 UTC on December 26th

The CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) amateur radio satellite will be launched at UTC 03:11:31 on 2021-12-26, and will be deployed at 98.858° east longitude and 28.413° north latitude at UTC 03:35:58, location close to Western Australia.

XW-3 (CAS-9) satellite (image courtesy CAMSAT)

Radio amateurs will receive CW beacon and GMSK telemetry signals approximately 38 seconds after the satellite is separated from the launch vehicle, and then the linear transponder will be put into use after approximately 49 seconds.

Preliminary TLEs are:

XW-3(CAS-9)
1 99999U          21360.14997609  .00000032  00000-0  10363-4 0 00007
2 99999 098.5836 072.3686 0004232 307.2415 261.3002 14.38559758000156

The timeline of launch events and user’s manual follow:

XW-3_Amateur_Radio_Satellite_Launch_Time_Sequence

Click here to download

XW-3_Amateur_Radio_Satellite_Users_Manual_V1.0

Click here to download

[AMSAT thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, CAMSAT, for the above information]

ANS-353 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Dec. 19

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-353

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:

  • CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) Satellite to Launch December 25th
  • 60th Anniversary of OSCAR 1
  • Slides and Recordings of Open Source CubeSat Workshop Available
  • ISS SSTV Event Planned for December 26 – 31
  • Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 16, 2021
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-353 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2021 Dec 19

CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) Satellite to Launch December 25th

CAMSAT’s XW-3 (CAS-9) satellite has been installed on the CZ-4C Y39 launch vehicle at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China, and related work is in progress as planned.

If all goes well, the satellite will be launched on December 25, 2021, it is piggybacked on the rocket with governmental primary payload ZY-1(02E) earth resources satellite. The orbit will be a circular sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 770.1 kilometers and an inclination of 98.58 degrees, the orbital period is 100.14 minutes.

The user’s manual of the XW-3 (CAS-9) satellite for radio amateurs is available at https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/XW-3_Amateur_Radio_Satellite_Users_Manual_V1.0.pdf, precise TLE will be available later.

[ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, CAMSAT, for the above information]

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Join the 2021 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered “Remove Before Flight” Key Tag
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
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60th Anniversary of OSCAR 1

December 12th was the 60th anniversary of the launch of OSCAR 1, the world’s first private spacecraft.

An article entitled “How Amateur Radio Fanatics Launched The World’s First Private Communications Satellite” appeared in Inverse. This article is largely based on an interview with Lance Ginner, K6GSJ, one of the designers of OSCAR 1 and can be found at https://www.inverse.com/science/60-oscar-1-presaged-the-cubesat-era

A video of Lance Ginner’s 2011 AMSAT Symposium Keynote describing the early days of Project OSCAR is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSCCZY1FgQ

Ginner also took part in the Foundations of AMSAT panel at the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Space Symposium in 2019. Video of this panel is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRmn4gjvuTI

[ANS thanks Inverse, AMSAT, and Dave Hartzell, AA7EW, for the above information]

Slides and Recordings of Open Source CubeSat Workshop Available

The slides and recordings of last week’s Open Source CubeSat Workshop can be found here: https://events.libre.space/event/5/contributions/

Thanks to all attendees, speakers & community for making this event all about interesting projects, inspiring ideas and collaborations revolving around open source, CubeSats and space technology.

[ANS thanks Artur Scholz, Open Source CubeSat Workshop Committee, for the above information]

ISS SSTV Event Planned for December 26 – 31

An ARISS SSTV Event is planned for December 26 through December 31. The general theme will be lunar exploration.

The event will take place at the usual frequency of 145.800 MHz and the planned mode is PD 120. The event is scheduled to start at 18:25 UTC on December 26th and conclude at 17:05 UTC on December 31st.

[ANS thanks ARISS 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.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for December 16, 2021

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has removed from this week’s AMSAT TLE Distribution:

AztechSat-1 – NORAD Cat ID 45261 (Decay date per Space-Track was 12-10-2021)

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]

ARISS News

Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany, telebridge via ON4ISS (***)

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz (***)
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The scheduled crewmember is Matthias Maurer KI5KFH

Contact is go for: Tue 2021-12-21 08:24:05 UTC 81 deg (***)

The next mode change to voice cross band repeater is expected to occur in early January, 2022.

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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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

W8MTB: On Wednesday December 29, I will be in EN71. If you need EN71 please email me and let me know so I can listen for you. No passes are a 100% guarantee but, most likely I’ll be on AO-91 and maybe SO-50.

Events:
Radio Operadores del Este Club (KP3RE) and its FB Ham Satelites Puerto Rico page will be giving away until December 31, 2021 all the stations that have contacted Puerto Rico’s 4 grids FK67, FK68, FK77 and FK78 on Sat Mode. Need LOTW evidence (Photos) request via [email protected]

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

———————————————————————

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.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS, now has presentations lined up to start the new year, including three clubs in Canada, and clubs in Florida, California, New York and Nevada!

Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun “How to Work the Easy Satellites” Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are solicited and welcome.

Send an email or call!

Clint Bradford K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL instructor

http://www.work-sat.com
909-999-SATS (7287)

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, and Clint Bradford, K6LCS, for the above information]

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The Lea Family is well-known in the Amateur Radio community. Recently, James underwent heart surgery and the procedure didn’t go as planned. Jason Johnson has started a GoFundMe to help the Lea Family at this difficult time https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-lea-family (Thanks to Jason Johnson)

+ AMSAT wishes Scott Higginbotham a happy retirement! As mission manager of three NASA ELaNa missions, you helped AMSAT in sharing amateur radio satellite communication and student STEM experiment data worldwide for all to see. Thank you, and a hearty ham radio Morse Code “73”! (Thanks to Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President – Engineering)

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,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

ANS-325 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 21

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-325

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:

  • Russian Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile Generates Debris Cloud, Threatens ISS and Other Assets in LEO
  • Ten-Koh 2 Microsatellite With JAMSAT V/u Linear Transponder Coordinated by IARU
  • Open Source CubeSat Workshop 2021 – Call for Abstracts extended till 22. Nov
  • Prof. Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, Made Honorary Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) Member
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-325 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2021 Nov 21

Russian Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile Generates Debris Cloud, Threatens ISS and Other Assets in LEO

On Monday November 15th, the Russian Ministry of Defense launched a anti-satellite (ASAT) missile, destroying their Kosmos 1408 satellite. Kosmos 1408 was launched on September 16, 1982 and was in an orbit of 679 km x 645 km with an inclination of 82.5 degrees.

The destruction of the satellite caused the generation of at least 1500 pieces of debris, orbiting between 300 km and 1100 km. As the satellite was just above the ISS’s altitude, this debris cloud potentially threatened the astronauts and cosmonauts on board the ISS, who were forced to take shelter in their crew capsules during the second and third passes of the debris field.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released the following statement condemning the Russian test:

“Earlier today, due to the debris generated by the destructive Russian Anti-Satellite (ASAT) test, ISS astronauts and cosmonauts undertook emergency procedures for safety.

“Like Secretary Blinken, I’m outraged by this irresponsible and destabilizing action. With its long and storied history in human spaceflight, it is unthinkable that Russia would endanger not only the American and international partner astronauts on the ISS, but also their own cosmonauts. Their actions are reckless and dangerous, threatening as well the Chinese space station and the taikonauts on board.

“All nations have a responsibility to prevent the purposeful creation of space debris from ASATs and to foster a safe, sustainable space environment.

“NASA will continue monitoring the debris in the coming days and beyond to ensure the safety of our crew in orbit.”

In an interview with the ARRL, AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL, said that Russia’s action will pose a threat to all activities in low Earth orbit for years to come, placing satellites and human spaceflight missions at risk.

“Space is already crowded, but now there are at least 1,500 trackable fragments and, possibly, hundreds of thousands of smaller yet still-threatening pieces of debris in low Earth orbit,” Bankston said. “While space stations have the capability to move out of the way, with sufficient notice, most satellites in low Earth orbit, including those designed, built, launched, and operated by AMSAT, do not. As such, they face greater risk of catastrophic destruction or degraded mission functionality, if struck by fragments from Russia’s destruction of Kosmos-1408.”

[ANS thanks NASA, AMSAT, and the ARRL for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Join the 2021 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered “Remove Before Flight” Key Tag
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Ten-Koh 2 Microsatellite With JAMSAT V/u Linear Transponder Coordinated by IARU

The IARU has coordinated frequencies for Ten-Koh 2, a microsat under development by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University.

Ten-Koh 2 has dimensions of 366 x 226 x 100 mm and carries several payloads of interest to the amateur radio community, including a V/u linear transponder developed by JAMSAT. The transponder will run continuously for two days per week, with operations beginning two weeks after launch.

Additional payloads include a digi-talker, a camera module, and microwave communications system. The contents of the digi-talker, which is planned to operate one day per week, will be developed in cooperation with students from Nihon University’s Faculty of Arts. The camera module, developed by Cheng Kung University, will take pictures of the earth of approximately 3 MB in size per picture. Radio amateurs around the world will be able to copy parts of the picture data that will be combined to produce a complete image, which will be published on the website. The image transmission system is expected to operate for one day per week. The satellite will also carry an experimental 5.8 GHz microwave transmitter, which will operate a CW beacon for one day per week. Additionally, the satellite will experiment with high speed data transmission on the 435 MHz downlink, with data rates of up to 38.4 kbps in 4FSK. High speed data transmission is expected to operate for one day per week.

The linear transponder uplink will be 145.895 MHz – 145.935 MHz and the downlink will be 435.875 MHz – 435.915 MHz. The data, digitalker, and image downlink will be 435.895 MHz. The microwave CW beacon will be 5389.000 MHz.

A JAXA launch to a 500 km circular orbit with an inclination of 51.6 degrees is planned for 2023.

More information about the satellite is available at https://okuyamalab.wordpress.com/

[ANS thanks the IARU 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.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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Open Source CubeSat Workshop 2021 – Call for Abstracts extended till 22. Nov

The 5th edition of the Open Source CubeSat Workshop is around the corner! It will be run as a free virtual conference on 9 & 10 December.

You can still submit proposals for:

– Talks: Give a 12 min presentation followed by open discussions
– Lightning Talks: Give a 4 min presentation of a project
– Tutorial: Give a 45 min (or longer) tutorial around a project that the audience can code along
– Discussion: Drive a 45 min (or longer) discussion around an open source topic for space

You can submit your proposals here: https://events.libre.space/event/5/abstracts/

PS: You can modify your abstract submission until the deadline.
PPS: Spread the word to your interested space networks and open source people!

[ANS thanks Libre Space for the above information]

Prof. Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, Made Honorary Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) Member

Former AMSAT-DL President Prof. Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, who was first licensed in 1957 aged 17, has been named a new Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) honorary member. AMSAT congratulates Dr. Meinzer on this well-deserved honor. In addition to the accomplishments described by DARC in the announcement below, Dr. Meizner’s work was integral to the early history of AMSAT. His doctoral research on High Efficency Linear Amplification by Parametric Synthesis (HELAPS) was crucial for the linear transponders in operation on amateur satellites. Along with his doctoral research, Dr. Meinzer developed and built a linear transponder utilizing these HELAPS principles with a 432 MHz uplink and a 145 MHz downlink along with Werner Hass, DJ5KQ. This transponder was flown as the Mode B transponder on AMSAT-OSCAR 7 and is still functioning more than 47 years after its launch on November 15, 1974.

A translation of the DARC post reads:

This was announced by DARC chairman Christian Entsfellner, DL3MBG, at the virtual conference of the amateur council – in replacement of the canceled general meeting – on November 13th. Meinzer developed an enthusiasm for amateur radio at a young age. At the age of 17 he obtained his amateur radio license in 1957.

He passed the Abitur [educational qualification] along with a degree in physics and graduated with a doctorate. He spent his professional life at the University of Marburg, especially in the Central Development Laboratory (ZEL) until his retirement in 2005. The rooms of the ZEL were also the headquarters of the AMSAT-DL. Numerous OSCAR satellites were created in the laboratories in Marburg: AO-10, AO-13, AO-21, AO-40. Phase 3E is de facto finished, but is still waiting for a suitable launch. A special operating system works in all satellites built by AMSAT-DL, on which Meinzer played a key role.

Meinzer doesn’t skimp on sharing his expertise and so he is still in close contact with the board of AMSAT-DL today. It is not surprising that DJ4ZC was one of the first radio amateurs to work on QO-100.

In addition, Prof. Dr. Karl Meinzer carried out further technical radio tests. He was obsessed with testing whether radio signals could be reflected off the planet Venus. In fact, he succeeded in doing this with 5 kW at 2.4 GHz, including a water-cooled magnetron. He had a special permit from the Federal Network Agency [BNetzA] specifically for these experiments.

But even in earlier years he achieved amazing things: In 1964 he set a course record of 70 cm between his home town of Iserlohn and Switzerland. And even then he was QRV on 433 MHz EME and contacted Puerto Rico. “He is one of the few old-timers who keeps pace with modern technology,” explains Christian Entsfellner, DL3MBG.

“There are only three Keplerian laws, everything can be done in them,” said Meinzer once, according to DL3MBG. “Unfortunately, he is reluctant to present his skills, but the AMSAT board always likes to refer to his expertise,” said the DARC chairman, who later wishes him a happy 82nd birthday.

“The DARC has unanimously decided to award you honorary membership for your services. I am happy to welcome you as a new honorary member, ” concluded DL3MBG.

DJ4ZC expressed his thanks. “My life has always been shaped by amateur radio. Some of the services were only made possible by other people, ”explains Meinzer. “I hope to continue to contribute something for amateur radio and DARC in the future.

Unfortunately, communication behavior in society has changed. So it’s a challenge for the DARC. However, I have the hope that technology will gain more importance again. Ultimately, amateur radio has to prove that it is useful for society,” said Prof. Dr. Meinzer in conclusion.

[ANS thanks DARC for the information and AMSAT-UK for the translation]

ARISS News

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD (***)

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Anton Shkaplerov (***)

Contact is go for Mon 2021-11-29 08:20 UTC (***)

The next mode change is expected to occur in early December.

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

Activation of the MAI-75 SSTV experiment is proposed for December 1 and 2. Targeted start and stop times in UTC are:

December 1 – Start: 12:10 – Stop: 19:10
December 2 – Start: 11:40 – Stop: 17:20

Opportunities for North America on Dec 1 and only far eastern North America on Dec 2.

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

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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

No upcoming satellite operations are currently listed.

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

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.

No events are currently scheduled.

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

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Happy 47th Birthday to AMSAT-OSCAR 7, which launched on November 15, 1974 and is still operational in sunlight. November 15th is an important date in amateur satellite history. AMSAT-OSCAR 40 also launched on November 15, 2000 (North American time – November 16th UTC) and Qatar-OSCAR 100 is celebrating its 3rd birthday, having launched on November 15, 2018. November 15th is also the birthday of AMSAT’s Founding President Dr. Perry Klein, W3PK.

+ Happy 4th Birthday to AMSAT-OSCAR 91, which launched on the penultimate flight of the Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 18, 2017. AO-91 remains available for use in sunlight despite the deterioration of the satellite’s battery cells.

+ November birthdays for the international AMSAT family don’t end there! Happy 8th Birthday to AMSAT-OSCAR 73, which launched on November 21, 2013 and remains operational.

+ A new study is being conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of iodine electric propulsion for CubeSats. More information at https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/18/iodine_satelite/

+ The SatNOGS Network has reached a milestone of 5 million observations. https://satnogs.org/2021/11/19/5million-observation-for-satnogs/

 

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,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org

ANS-297 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Oct. 24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-297

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:

  • Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – October 30, 2021
  • AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium – October 24, 2021 – October 24, 2021
  • ASRTU-1 With V/u FM Transponder Submitted for IARU Coordination
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

ANS-297 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2021 Oct 24

Virtual AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Memorial Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting – October 30, 2021

Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, AMSAT has changed plans for its 39th Annual Symposium and General Meeting from an in-person event to a virtual event. Additionally, the event has been renamed in honor of Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO (SK), Director Emeritus and President Emeritus of AMSAT and Amateur Radio satellite pioneer. Clark died on September 28th. He was 82.

This is a chance for “Amateur Radio in Space” enthusiasts from all corners of the globe to learn more about AMSAT’s Strategic Plan, GOLF program, CubeSat Simulator and other exciting developments taking place in the amateur satellite world.

AMSAT will host its 2021 AMSAT Virtual Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting on Zoom for its members on Saturday, October 30th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC-5). The event will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with live question and answer sessions.

Registration for members is required and is available on AMSAT’s Member Portal, launch.amsat.org. Registration is free and registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings, entered into the Symposium prize drawings, and be able to participate in discussions during each question and answer session.

The 2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark K3IO Memorial Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be available to the general public on AMSAT’s YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/RTvcceM7Tz0 at no cost.

Tentative Schedule

9:00am CDT – Opening Remarks
9:15am CDT – 1:00 pm CDT – General Presentations
1:00pm CDT – 2:00 pm CDT – ARISS Update
2:00pm CDT – 3:00 pm CDT – AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator
3:00pm CDT – 4:00 pm CDT – AMSAT Engineering
4:00pm CDT – 5:00 pm CDT – 2021 AMSAT Annual General Meeting

Questions regarding the Symposium can be directed to info at amsat dot org.

[ANS thanks the Symposium organizers for the above information]

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Join the 2021 President’s Club!
Score your 2″ 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
This gold finished coin comes with
Full Color Certificate and Embroidered “Remove Before Flight” Key Tag
Donate today at
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
You won’t want to miss it!
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AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium – October 24, 2021

The AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as an online Zoom Webinar on Sunday the 24th October 2021. You don’t have to be a member of AMSAT-UK to attend, and the event is free.

The Colloquium will run from 10.45 BST to approximately 16.00 BST (0945-1500 GMT). A full programme of the event is available at programme-for-amsatuk-20211014

This year’s colloquium will be in the form of a Zoom Webinar. It’s easy to use, simply register at the address below, and follow the instructions which will arrive by email.

Please register before the 24th , or join live at
https://tinyurl.com/AMSATUK2021Colloquium

The 2021 colloquium will also be streamed via YouTube.
Our channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK

The event will be hosted by members of AMSAT-UK and formally opened by our Chairman, Martin Sweeting, G3YJO.

Each presentation will be followed by a 5 minute Q+A session, which will allow those viewing via Zoom, to pose questions to the speakers.

The 2021 colloquium will be followed by the AMSAT-UK AGM and after a short break there will be an informal evening discussion session on ‘All things satellite.’

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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ASRTU-1 With V/u FM Transponder Submitted for IARU Coordination

The Harbin Institute of Technology has applied for IARU Coordination of ASRTU-1. Among other capabilities, the satellite will provide a V/u FM Transponder.

ASRTU-1 is a 12U Cubesat mission designed by Russian and Chinese university students for education and amateur radio. The amateur radio station onboard ASRTU-1 will provide telecommand uplink and telemetry / digital image downlink. Harbin Institute of Technology has successfully developed several amateur radio satellites, including LilacSat-2 (CAS-3H), LilacSat-1 (LO-90), DSLWP-A (LO-93) and DSLWP-B (LO-94). A new SDR based transceiver was developed for ASRTU-1 to provide communication and experiment resources to radio amateurs, including a V/u FM transponder, a UHF telemetry downlink and a 10.5G image downlink. The satellite will also provide an open telecommand to allow radio amateurs to send commands to control the satellite to take and download images. Proposing 9k6 BPSK telemetry and NBFM repeater downlinks on UHF and 1 Mbps/10mbps QSPK downlink on X Band for image downloads. The repeater uplink will be on VHF using a 67Hz PL. Planning a Roscosmos launch from Vostochny in Q4 2022 into a 530km SSO.

[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information]

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AMSAT’s GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all
begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar
panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on
NASA’s ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be
worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

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ARISS News

Tarwater Elementary School, Chandler, AZ, multi-point telebridge via W7MRF

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD
Contact is go for: Thu 2021-10-28 17:44:11 UTC 76 deg

Watch for livestream at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPilOdNyB3F9NG8F8TTK_Bw (***)

The next mode change is expected to occur at the end of October.

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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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur
Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

Support AMSAT’s projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Galapagos Islands: HD8, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. Members of the Tifariti Gang/DX Friends will be active as HD8R from Galapagos Islands (SA-004) between October 26th and November 7th. Operators mentioned are Toni/EA5RM (Team Leader), Alberto/EA1SA, Gen/EA5EL, Raul/EA5KA, Javier/EA5KM, Manuel/EA7R, Jose Ramón/EA7X, Flo/F5CWU, Jean Jacques/F5NKX, Tony/F8ATS, Fausto/HC5VF, Faber/HK6F, Simone/IK5RUN and Fabrizio/IN3ZNR. The pilot station will be Tony, EC7ZK. Activity will be on 160-6 meters, including 60m, using CW, SSB, the Digital modes and low orbit satellites, with at least 4 stations that include Spiderbeams, verticals, Inverted “Ls” and beverages. Check with K9JKM for details.

NA-008. (Zone 2) After being silent for 18 months, operators Alex/VE1RUS and Pierre/VE3TKB will once again be active as VY0ERC from the Eureka Weather station this October. This station is operated by the Eureka Amateur Radio Club [probably the most northerly located amateur radio club in the world] from Eureka, Nunavut. The VY0ERC team (VE1RUS and VE3KTB) is now in preparation to be active from the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory between October 12th and November 22nd, (time and weather conditions permitting). They plan to participate in CQWW DX SSB and the ARRL Sweepstakes Contests. Outside of the contests, the suggested bands are 40 and 20 meters (possibly 80m), as well as FM satellites (from ER60, EQ79) using SSB, the Digital modes (FT8 and RTTY) and very slow CW. Activity will be limited to their spare time. QSL via M0OXO, OQRS or direct. For updates, see:https://twitter.com/vy0erc

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

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.

No events are currently scheduled.

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

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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ On October 10th, F4DXV and A65GC set a new distance record on PO-101 – completing a 5,256 km QSO between JN04or70cl in France and LL74el99hm in Abu Dhabi at 12:21 UTC. https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/

+ UVSQ-SAT’s FM transponder will be active from 1200 UTC to 2300 UTC on Sunday, October 24th. The uplink is 145.905 MHz and the downlink is 437.020 MHz. Log QSOs to LoTW using “UVSQ”
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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,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org