AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-271

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: [email protected]

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:

• 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
• Reminder: Current AMSAT Journal is available on Member Portal
• AMSAT-DL Online Symposium
• AMSAT-UK Convention
• ARRL LOTW New User Guide
• AMSAT Field Day Results for 2020 Have Been Posted
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-271.01
ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 271.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE September 27, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-271.01

2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium Announcement

The 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 17th from 9:00am CDT – 5:00pm CDT (UTC -5). Symposium presentations will be a combination of pre-recorded video segments along with a question and answer sessions held via a Zoom meeting.

The Symposium will be made available for free live on AMSAT’s YouTube channel.

Registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT Symposium Proceedings and will be entitled to join the Zoom meeting. Only registered attendees will be able to participate in the question and answer sessions. Registered attendees will also be entered into prize drawings. Registration is free and available only for AMSAT members. Registration will close on Friday, October 16th at 5:00pm CDT.

Proposals for papers and Symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your presentation as soon as possible.

Final papers for the Symposium Proceedings must be submitted by October 5, 2020 to Dan Schultz, N8FGV, [email protected].

Symposium presentations should be limited to 15 minutes of pre-recorded video. Video presentations must be submitted by October 10, 2020 to Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, [email protected]. We ask that presenters be available to take questions via Zoom immediately following the airing of their pre-recorded video.

Tentative Schedule

9:00am CDT Opening Remarks
9:15am CDT – 12:45pm CDT General Presentations
1:00pm CDT – 2:00pm CDT AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator
2:00pm CDT – 3:00pm CDT ARISS / AREx update
3:00pm CDT – 4:00pm CDT AMSAT Engineering
4:00pm CDT – 5:00pm CDT 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting

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

Reminder: July/August AMSAT Journal Is Available on Member Portal

Due to COVID-19, the July/August 2020 issue of The AMSAT Journal will only be available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal. Please visit launch.amsat.org to view/download your copy today.

The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world.

Inside the Current Issue:

• Engineering Update, Jerry Buxton N0JY
• User Services Update, Robert Bankston KE4AL
• Treasurer’s Report, Robert Bankston KE4AL
• Educational Relations Update, Alan Johnston KU2Y
• AMSAT Field Day 2020, Bruce Paige KK5DO
• For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer VI, Keith Baker KB1SF/VA3KSF
• Satellite Cyber Threats, Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas XE1AO; Miguel A. García-Ruiz VE3BKM; Margarita G. MayoralBaldivia XE1BMG; Raúl T. Aquino-Santos (SWL)
  Integration of a Distributed Ground Station Network, M.A.Mendoza-Bárcenas (SWL); Rafael Prieto-Meléndez (SWL); Alejandro Padrón-Godínez (SWL); Gerardo Calva-Olmos (SWL), Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas, XE1AO; Margarita G. Mayoral-Baldivia XE1BMG; Alfonso Tamez Rodríguez XE2O
• Satellite Antenna Tracking Using Goto Telescope Mounts, Dwayne Sinclair NA6US

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

AMSAT-UK Convention Announcement

The Online AMSAT-UK Convention takes place on Sunday, October 11, from 11am BST (10:00 GMT) to approximately 5pm, with a break for lunch, and several short breaks during the day. You don’t have to be a member of AMSAT-UK to participate, and the event is free of charge but please register ASAP.

A number of interesting talks and demonstrations are planned including a talk on the Lunar Amateur Radio Transponder project (LUNART).

A draft schedule of the day’s events may be downloaded from: https://bit.ly/35ZsOCg

Please register online at http://tinyurl.com/amsatukreg2020

[ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA & AMSAT-UK for the above information]

AMSAT-DL Symposium Announcement

AMSAT-DL have announced this year’s Symposium on Saturday, September 26, will be streamed live on YouTube and most of the lectures will be in English to cater for an international audience.
Mattias, DD1US reports: “Instead, we will broadcast the symposium as an “online” meeting in DATV via the broadband transponder of QO-100 and on the Internet on the YouTube channel of AMSAT-DL at: https://www.youtube.com/user/amsatdl

Announced sessions will include presentations on Lunar Amateur Radio Transponder project (LUNART) and several sessions focused on QO-100 usage and modes of operation.

The current schedule can be found on the AMSAT-DL homepage at: https://amsat-dl.org/en/

[ANS thanks Matthias Bopp, DD1US & AMSAT-DL for the above information]

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/

New User guide for ARRL LOTW

A guide for beginner LOTW users has been released by Gary, ZL2IFB. Gary pulled together a team of contributors who assisted him on the project. The 33 page guide was written with the new user in mind, but contains many tips and explanations that veteran users will find useful as well. The guide may be downloaded from: https://www.g4ifb.com/LoTW_New_User_Guide.pdf

[ANS thanks Gary, ZL4IFB for the above information]

AMSAT Field Day Results for 2020 have been posted

Bruce Paige, KK5DO has posted the AMSAT Field Day 2020 results on the AMSAT web site. A direct link to the results page is: https://www.amsat.org/field-day-2020-results/

Alternatively, it is possible to navigate to the page by clicking on Events, Field Day and Field Day 2020 Results.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests & Awards and AMSAT Board Member for the above information]

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

ARISS News

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2020-09-21 19:30 UTC

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:

Turkish State Meteorological Service

Mehmet Zakir Ekni High School, Yenimahalle, Turkey
Kuyubaşi Şehit Oğuzhan Duyar Secondary School, Keçiören, Turkey
Ted Ankara College Foundation High School, Gölbaşı, Turkey
Maya Anatolian High School, Gölbaşı, Turkey
Direct via TC2TSC

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR
Contact is go for: Tue 2020-09-29 12:35:08 UTC 78 deg (***)

There is a new radio on board the ISS. The Kenwood D710GA is now in use. The crossband repeater is now available when the radio is not being used for ARISS school contacts.

The frequencies are 145.99 MHz up (67 tone) and 437.800 MHz down. Watch the Doppler on the downlink.

*************************************************

ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancellations or postponements of school contacts. As always, I will try to provide everyone with near-real-time updates.

Postponed:
No new schools have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19:

The ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/
Watch for future COVID-19 related announcements here also.

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

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/

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

DM35, DM36 and DM45: @K7TAB 9/23 – 10/1 ish: I will be camping in DM35 and will operate from there occasionally over the next 8-10 days. I will also activate DM36 at some point, probably early to middle of next week. I will also be very near DM45, so Sats & SOTA may happen again!

EN10, @K0JM, 9/25: K0JM possibly EN10 for one or two FM passes on Friday morning, strictly holiday style, as circumstances permit.

CN76/77 10/3 and 10/4 @AD0DX Just booked tickets for beautiful Ocean Shores, WA… CN76/CN77 grid line Sat Oct 3 approx 0000z to Sun Oct 4th approx 1700z, pass details closer to the trip

EL Grids, @N1PEB 10/10 -10-14: 10/10 EL95 Key Largo, 10/11 EL94 Key West, 10/12 EL84 Dry Tortuga, 10/13 EL94 Key West, 10/14 TBD

Major Roves:
Beginning this Saturday, 19 Sept thru Friday, 25 Sept, @kylee_ke0wpa and @ND0C will be doing some holiday roving in several Iowa grids: EN11, EN12, EN20, EN21, EN22 and EN30 – some lines. None of them are particularly rare, but we’ll be there nevertheless. Operation will be limited by work commitments and family activities, but we will focus on AO-91 and SO-50 and maybe some linears. Hope to turn a few grids green for some folks. Please play nice, i.e. no blind calls, no stomping and allow the QSOs to be completed!

**** Postponed ******* DL88: Ron (@AD0DX) and Doug (@N6UA) are making another run at the elusive DL88 in Big Bend National Park, TX. As we know they tried this grid back in March, and due to the mud couldn’t get to the grid, so never ones to quit, off they go again. Today the tentative date is Monday July 6th, 2020. They will be using the K5Z call sign. More information is available at the K5Z QRZ Page.

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

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Clint Bradford, K6LCS will give his “Work the FM Voice Satellites With Minimal Equipment” Zoom presentation on the following dates for:

10/27/2020 – Cherryland ARC / Traverse Bay ARC
Additional presentations are in the planning stage:

TBD – Antelope Valley (CA) ARC and a private presentation for a Boy Scout troop in Danville, Pennsylvania

Club Groups are asked to update their copies of the Zoom application prior to the scheduled session by directly downloading it from https://zoom.us/

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6CLS for the above information]

RSGB 2020 Convention – antenna modelling and ionoscatter

During the online RSGB 2020 Convention, you will be able to enjoy some excellent lectures. On Saturday, 10 October 2020, the RSGB will be presenting two online streams for everyone to enjoy.

Highlights will be “Antenna Modelling With MMANA-GAL with Steve Nichols, G0KYA and Palle, OZ1RH will look at Ionoscatter on 50 and 144MHz.

Information is available at https://rsgb.org.uk/convention.

[ANS thanks the RSGB GB2RS News for the above information]

AMSAT-DL has been live streaming this year’s AMSAT-DL Symposium. Details on the Internet on the YouTube channel of AMSAT-DL at: https://www.youtube.com/user/amsatdl

Editor’s Note: we are not aware if the YouTube presentations will be available after the Symposium.

[ANS thanks Matthias Bopp, DD1US & AMSAT-DL for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA officials released a nearly five-year, $28 billion plan Monday to return astronauts to the surface of the moon before the end of 2024, but the agency’s administrator said the “aggressive” timeline set by the Trump administration last year hinges on Congress approving $3.2 billion in the next few months to kick-start development of new human-rated lunar landers. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Astronauts on the International Space Station carried out an “avoidance maneuver” on September 22 to ensure they would not be hit by a piece of debris, said NASA, urging better management of objects in Earth’s orbit. Russian and US flight controllers worked together during a two-and-a-half-minute operation to adjust the station’s orbit and move further away, avoiding collision. [Such maneuvers usually mean that Keps for ISS must be updated — Ed.] (ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information)

+ A solid-fueled Long March 11 launcher delivered nine small Chinese Earth observation satellites to orbit on September 15 after firing off a ship positioned in the Yellow Sea. Unfortunately, the payload did NOT include the CAS-7 satellites amateurs have been anticipating. That launch is still pending. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Sept. 22 Spaceflight Now published an updated general launch schedule: Updating time for Delta 4-Heavy/NROL-44; Adding date and time for Falcon 9/Starlink 12; Electron/STP-27RM delayed; Falcon 9/GPS 3 SV04 moved forward; Adding date for Falcon 9/SpaceX CRS 21; Adding date for Falcon 9/Turksat 5A; Adding date for Falcon 9/Transporter 1; Atlas 5/CST-100 Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2 delayed. Details at: https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

+ Sept. 24 Blue Origin scrubbed a test of NASA landing system hardware on the latest New Shepard flight Additional Additional information may be found at: https://bit.ly/3hYWSQX (ANS thanks NASAspaceflight.com 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 additional 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.

73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ

kd4iz at amsat dot org

 

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-229

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information 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://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 dot org.

In this edition:

• Two-Minute Engineering Video Update Available
• CubeSat.org Announced CubeSat Design Specification Rev.14
• US Department of Defense to Share 3450 – 3550 MHz with 5G Commercial Operations
• QSO Today Virtual Expo Satellite Presentations Still Available
• Chinese Mars probe Tianwen-1 successfully received by AMSAT-DL
• SmallSat 2020 Virtual Conference Proceedings Available Online
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• ARISS News
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.01
ANS-229 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
August 16, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-229.01

Two-Minute Engineering Video Update Available

Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Vice President-Engineering has published a two-minute video update on the progress of AMSAT projects. Among the highlights are:

• The RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E satellite is ready for delivery and integration and is expected to launch by the end of the year.
• The University of Maine will use an AMSAT LTM-1 module for command and control of their upcoming CubeSat mission, MESAT-1. The LTM-1 also provides a linear transponder for amateur radio use. AMSAT is in discussions with additional partners about flying LTM-1 modules.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, vendors have been delayed in supplying printed circuit boards for the GOLF-TEE project. The impact of the pandemic has also affected the amount of time AMSAT’s volunteer engineers have for their hobby work. Completion of GOLF-TEE is expected by the end of June 2021.
• Dependent on fulfilling its primary mission, the GOLF-TEE satellite may include a X-band downlink parrot of the V-band uplink and L/S band uplinks which are planned for GOLF-1.
• Research is underway to place GOLF-1 into a higher orbit while meeting regulatory requirements.
• GOLF-TEE is a candidate for a launch on an upcoming DoD mission.

You can view Jerry’s update at: https://youtu.be/9H4iM1hoVG4.

[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Vice President-Engineering for the above information]

CubeSat.org Announced CubeSat Design Specification Rev.14

The Cal Poly CubeSat Lab has announced that a draft version of the newest CubeSat Design Specification (CDS) is available. Feedback before the official release of the 14th revision is welcome.

There are a number of changes, which are detailed in the Appendix of the document. But overall, the document has been updated to act as more of a guide for CubeSat designers, rather than a how-to” manual.

The original CDS introduced the CubeSat Standard to the world almost two decades ago. It defined the physical and electrical characteristics for a 1U and 3U size CubeSat and included requirements for interfacing with the only CubeSat dispenser available at the time, the Poly-Pico Orbital Deployer (P-POD). Since then the industry has expanded to include more standard sizes and additional dispensers with more available options.

To accommodate these new advancements, the CDS has been retooled to be more flexible and inclusive of developments within the industry. Requirements that were originally written specifically for the P-POD will encompass requirements for all dispensers currently available. It is also the intention for the new revision of the CDS to identify the available options on dispensers that are widely available for use. Currently that list is limited to dispensers that publish their specifications online, but can be updated as dispenser companies make that information available to us. The CDS will also define all U configurations in one document with one set of requirements for ease of reference.

The new CDS should be the first stop for any developer beginning their CubeSat design.

A complete copy of the revised specification can be seen at: https://www.cubesat.org/cds-announcement

[ANS thanks Cal Poly CubeSat Lab for the above information.]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

US Department of Defense to Share 3450 – 3550 MHz with 5G Commercial Operations

The FCC will auction sharing rights to the upper 50 MHz of the 3300 – 3500 MHz secondary amateur radio allocation to commercial 5G interests in the wake of the Department of Defense (DoD) agreement to share spectrum at 3450 – 3550 MHz. The entire band currently supports a variety of military operations, and amateur radio has a long history of peaceful coexistence with the Department of Defense as a secondary user of this spectrum.

Late last year, the FCC proposed to delete the amateur secondary 3300 – 3500 MHz secondary allocation as well as the amateur-satellite allocation at 3400 – 3410 MHz. The FCC could auction the 100 MHz of spectrum in early 2022. This latest move makes a contiguous band of spectrum from 3450 – 3980 MHz available for commercial 5G networks.

“For a number of years, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and FCC have focused on the 3450 – 3550 MHz band as the spectrum most conducive to sharing with commercial users,” said ARRL Washington Counsel David Siddall, K3ZJ. “Monday’s statements announced that a framework for sharing has been worked out.”

In December 2019, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348 proposing to delete the 3300 – 3500 MHz secondary amateur band. ARRL strongly opposed the move in its comments on the NPRM, which put forward the FCC’s plans to remove “existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations” in the 3300 – 3500 MHz band and to consider options for relocating incumbent non-federal operations.

Siddall said the spectrum below 3450 MHz presents a more difficult government/commercial sharing scenario, and that future sharing there remains uncertain. “We continue to argue that the amateur secondary allocation should not be deleted in this band,” he said. “We recognize that our access is secondary, and ask only to be given a chance to use our considerable technical skills to work around whatever future uses may be implemented in this spectrum.”

The complete article can be seen at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-229-5G.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

QSO Today Virtual Expo Satellite Presentations Still Available

Congratulations to Tom Schuessler, N5HYP of Irving, Texas for his outstanding presentation, “Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites.”  Tom’s thirty-three minute presentation provided an excellent review of the basics needed to enjoy this aspect of the hobby, on-the-air-demonstrations, and prominent promotion of AMSAT as the center of Amateur Radio Satellite activity.

Also presented at the Virtual Expo was 4Z1ZV, Zvi Segal’s overview of the Qatar-OSCAR 100 Satellite running seventeen minutes.

Watch the presentations at https://qsotoday.vfairs.com/. Even if you didn’t register for the original event, you can still register to watch the presentations which will be available until September 9, 2020.

With over 14,000 participants each day of the August event, organizers are already the next QSO Today Virtual Expo for March 13-14, 2021.

[ANS thanks QSO Today for the above information.]

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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

Chinese Mars probe Tianwen-1 successfully received by AMSAT-DL

Soon after its launch on July 23rd, the Chinese Mars mission Tianwen-1 has been received by AMSAT-DL with its 20m ground station in Bochum, Germany. Amateur radio observers Paul Marsh M0EYT and his #hearsat group have been tracking Tianwen-1 since its launch from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. As no trajectory data was published Daniel Estevez, EA4GPZ used the coordinated observations to generate an estimated trajectory which allows narrowing down the search area.

After some reformatting of the data by James Miller G3RUH, AMSAT-DL gave it a first try during on July 24th and 25th with successful detection of the Tianwen-1 telemetry on 8430.911 MHz. An initial guess suggests a BPSK modulation with residual carrier and data modulated on a subcarrier. More than 2 GB of baseband data have been recorded and are being analyzed by the #hearsat group.

This report not only demonstrates the capabilities of Amateur Radio operators when it comes to deep space missions but also the flexibility and performance of the AMSAT-DL 20m ground station in Bochum which (except for scheduled maintenance on site) can be operated fully remotely.

The complete story can be seen at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-229-Tianwen-1

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.]

SmallSat 2020 Virtual Conference Proceedings Available Online

The 34th Annual Small Satellite Conference was a virtual event hosted by SmallSat.org and Utah State University, Logan, Utah.  The event attracted 8,100 participants over three days August 1-3, 2020. With the conference theme, “Space Mission Architectures – Infinite Possibilities”, the conference explored the realm of possible space mission architectures and how they can be practically achieved to support the diverse needs of the global space community.

Organized along twelve technical tracks, all 162 presentations are available to the public.  Additionally, literally hundreds of posters can be downloaded for viewing. Especially useful is a search function on the site that can search keywords to help find presentation and posters that deal with specific topics.

For those interested in the future of small satellites, including those in the Amateur Satellite Service, there is one especially pertinent presentation entitled ” Small Satellite Regulation in 2020″
with attorneys Lynne Montgomery and Christopher Bair of Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP. In this twelve minute presentation, Ms. Montgomery thoroughly covers the range of regulations affecting small satellite operations, the agencies involved, licensing procedures and what future legal burdens are looming for small satellite operators.

The complete collection of presentations and posters can be seen at: https://smallsat.org/.

[ANS thanks SmallSat.org for the above information.]

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/

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Quick Hits:

DM97/98 & EM08/09, 8/29 & 8/30: Super Rover @ADoDX is heading out for the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come.

IL38 EA8/EA4NF 8/10-8/17 IL38/39

Major Roves:

@AD0HJ, is heading out again for the South Dakota Super Rove Part II Rove: Grids DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93, EN02, EN03, EN12, EN24, and EN25. August 17th through August 21st.

@WA9JBQ is heading out to Idaho DN24,DN25,DN26 DN34, DN16, DN15, and DN14 starting August 15th. Then moving into Montana for DN35,DN36, DN37, DN38 DN49 DN47. He will be out a total of 5-6 weeks. Mostly FM some linear. Will post to twitter details.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information.]

ARISS News

Upcoming Contacts:

Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, Vestal, NY, direct via K2ZRO.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR.
Contact is go for Friday, August 21, 2020 at 18:23:40 UTC. 29 deg.
Watch for live stream starting about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of AOS at: https://youtu.be/1Pwcc2rilz0

NOTE: AS of August 14, 2021, this contact has been rescheduled again due to ISS hatch closures for leak detection activity.

Completed Contacts:

GAGARIN FROM SPACE. Performing a radio amateur session with school children of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RZ4PXO.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The scheduled astronaut was Ivan Vagner.
Contact was successful on  August 7, 2020 at 11:18 UTC.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N  for the above information.]

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/

Shorts from All Over

NASA At Home Offerings Updated Regularly

As was reported before, NASA continually offers a variety of videos, podcasts, virtual tours, e-books and activities.  This service has offerings that are of interest to adults as well as students with an
interest in space exploration.  The lineup changes weekly so, if you haven’t been back in a while, take a moment to see the current assortment at:
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/nasaathome/index.html

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information.]

Build a Simple ISS Tracker with Raspberry Pi

Fancy tracking the ISS’s trajectory? Looking for a project beyond using your smart phone app? All you need is a Raspberry Pi, an e-paper display, an enclosure, and a little Python code. Check out
The MagPi Magazine issue #96.  The download is free and can be found at: https://magpi.raspberrypi.org/issues/96.

[ANS thanks RaspberryPi.org for the above information.]

Another Distance Record Claimed

Another distance record claimed by Jerome LeCuyer, F4DXV this time on AO-92 (U/v). Jerome worked Dana Rushton, VE1VOX in Nova Scotia at 12:54 UTC on August 10, 2020, a distance of 5,011 km.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President for the above information.]

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 additional 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 student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this status.

Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student membership information.

73,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-222

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: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

• German Satellite Demonstrates Orbit Control on 1U CubeSat
• AMSAT CubeSat Simulator Now Transmits SSTV
• AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party Ongoing
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Satellite Shorts from All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-222.01
ANS-222 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 208.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE August 9, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-222.01

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

German Satellite Demonstrates Orbit Control on 1U CubeSat

The University of Wuerzburg Experimental Satellite 4 (UWE-4) successfully used its propulsion system in order to conduct orbit control. The 1-unit (1U) CubeSat is equipped with an electric propulsion system called NanoFEEP, developed by the Technical University in Dresden. This marks the first time in CubeSat history that a 1U CubeSat has changed its orbit using an onboard propulsion system. Several maneuvers were performed within 11 days, between June 23 and July 3, lowering the CubeSat’s altitude by more than 100 meters (328 feet), compared to an average of 21 meters (69 feet) with natural orbital decay.

Coincidentally, on July 2, the UWE-4 team received a “conjunction data message” from the US Air Force, indicating a potential safety threat from a non-operational Iridium satellite, although UWE-4 was already below the Iridium satellite at the projected time of conjunction.

Lowering the altitude of a spacecraft in low-Earth orbit (LEO) has the negative effect of reducing its lifetime, because low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites usually burn up during re-entry. “Thus, this experiment is a concept demonstration of a deorbiting maneuver shown at the smallest class of spacecraft in LEO,” the university said.

While satellites are not yet required to carry propulsion systems to facilitate a planned deorbiting, such an obligation is under serious discussion, due to the vastly increasing number of satellites in mega constellations. “The experiment of UWE-4 presents a deorbiting solution for the fraction of space debris of operational, but unused, satellites of today and for the mega constellations of tomorrow,” the university said. AMSAT notes that US regulations make the ability to deorbit a requirement for high-Earth-orbit amateur satellites in the future.

The first activation of the NanoFEEP thruster on UWE-4 took place in early 2019. UWE-4 transmits telemetry on 435.600 MHz.

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]

Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

AMSAT CubeSat Simulator Now Transmits SSTV

Did you have fun receiving SSTV images from the ISS this past week? A new development branch of the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator now transmits SSTV images! See https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/tree/dev for details.

A video of FlatSat testing can be found at: https://twitter.com/CubeSatSim/status/1291493708488232964

More information about the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator project can be found at http://cubesatsim.com/

[ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President – Educational Relatioons, for the above information]

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. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party Ongoing

The objective of the AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is to encourage all radio amateurs around the world to get on the air and make contacts via satellites during northern hemisphere summer. We would like to attract both seasoned die-hard operators as well as all newcomers who are just getting involved.

While points are given per QSO this isn’t a contest, but we hope it will encourage people to get on the air and enjoy the excitement of making contacts through satellites.

The AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party will be supported by an online leaderboard which will be available from the start of the event which runs from 00:00 GMT on 1st August until 23:59 GMT on 22nd September.

Prizes will be awarded to those from first to thirteenth place and are open to both AMSAT-UK and non-members around the world.

● First Place £250 Amazon Voucher
● Second Place £150 Amazon Voucher
● Third Place £50 Amazon Voucher
● Fourth to Thirteenth Place One Year AMSAT-UK Membership

Download the rules for the AMSAT-UK OSCAR QSO Party at https://tinyurl.com/OSCAR-QSO-Party

Leaderboard https://leaderboard.amsat-uk.org/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space?

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

Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have been canceled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the information contained below is correct, there may be some that we missed.

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo – August 9, 2020
Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, will present “Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites” at 22:45 UTC. Details on accessing this presentation at https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT Vice President – User Services, for the above information]

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/

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Misc Items:
Do you need Hawaii? NH7WN on AO-7 Most days. Reach out for a schedule

Quick Hits:
EM50, EM51 8/8 – 8/9 @KB5FHK is heading home to MS!
DM59, 8/8 – 8/10, @Ledger (Sorry AK7DD): FM and Linear. Maybe even the 58/59 gridline.
EM22, EM23, 8/10/20 @W4IPA, heading out for a mint rove!
DM97/98 & EM08/09, 8/29 & 8/30: Super Rover @AD0DX is heading out for
the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come.

Major Roves:
@AD0HJ, is heading out again for the South Dakota Super Rove Part II: Grids DN73, DN82, DN83, DN92, DN93, EN02, EN03, EN12, EN24, and EN25. August 17th through August 21st.

EA8, CANARY ISLANDS (Reminder/Satellite Op/Rare Grid). Philippe, EA4NF, will be operating on the satellites from Lanzarote Island, Canary Islands (AF-004, WW Loc. IL38 & IL39), as EA8/EA4NF between August 10-17th. A special focus will be from the very rare IL39 Grid. Portable activation will be with a FT818 and a FT817ND operating in full Duplex with an Alaskan Arrow Antenna. Activity will be on the FM and Linear Satellites. QSL via LoTW as EA8/EA4NF. Keep an eye on Philippe’s Twitter feed for further updates and passes at: https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT

(Via the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin #1475)

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr at gmail.com

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information]

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/

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, was the keynote speaker at the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society’s International Microwave Symposium’s Amateur Radio Social on August 4. If video from the event is made public, it will be shared via AMSAT social media and ANS.

+ Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, AMSAT Engineering, will deliver two presentations at the AMSAT South Africa Symposium on August 22, 2020. The virtual event will take place between 08:00 – 13:00 UTC. Attendees may register at http://www.amsatsa.org.za/.

+ Several new products are available on the AMSAT Zazzle store, including a set of coasters, a watch, a t-shirt featuring the AMSAT round logo, and more. Check out the new items! 25% of the purchase price goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.

+ AMSAT Remove Before Flight keychains are again available on the AMSAT store. Purchases help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain/

+ Ballots for the 2020 AMSAT Board of Directors election were mailed on July 14th via presorted standard mail to US addresses and via first class mail to overseas addresses to all members in good standing as of July 1st. Members desiring a replacement ballot package should contact AMSAT Secretary Brennan Price, N4QX, at brennanprice at verizon.net no earlier than August 12th. AMSAT members may log on to the membership portal at launch.amsat.org to verify that their address was correct as of July 1st. (via N4QX)

+ All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT’s new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT’s Symposium Proceedings are also available for members. If you’re a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/

+ The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted

/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 additional benefits. President’s Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub.

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.

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

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm at amsat dot org