Paul Stoetzer

ANS-288 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by
In this edition:
* Estonia’s ESTCube-2 Digipeater in Orbit
* 2023 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Next Weekend
* AMSAT-UK Colloquium Ongoing
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 15, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
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/
ANS-260 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 October 15

Estonia’s ESTCube-2 Digipeater in Orbit

ESTCube-2 is a 3U Cubesat largely designed and built by undergraduate students at the University of Tartu, Estonia. It was launched into sun-synchronous orbit as an auxiliary payload on the European Space Agency (ESA) Vega flight VV23 from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou on October 8 at 01:36 UTC.
Among ESTCube-2’s several missions, it will conduct in-orbit signal strength mapping in the 2m and 70cm amateur bands, using periodical full band received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements in order to check how polluted these two radio amateur bands are in low Earth orbit.
In addition, a cross-band AX.25 digipeater mode will be used to allow amateur radio operators to use satellite for two-way digital communication. 9600 bps G3RUH AX.25 data uplink will be in 2m amateur band and transmission of digipeated packet in 70cm amateur radio band. Transmission speed and modulation will be the same as for uplink. [Similar to the now re-entered FalconSat-3.] There are plans to include periodic short audio announcements (similar to FOX-1) to indicate that the digipeater is active.
The high-speed communications system is a COTS transmitter system called HiSPiCO from IQ Technologies. It is used when downloading preselected Earth observation scientific camera full-resolution images using the 2.4 GHz amateur radio band. (See https://www.iq-spacecom.com/products/hispico for details.) Data will be downlinked using QPSK modulated up-to 1 Mbps data-rate signal. Software tools (e.g. GNU Radio, web browser- based) will be published before the satellite launch, in order to enable reception of high speed downlink by the amateur radio community.
The optional multi-station radio frequency ranging experiment will be used to determine satellite distance to Earth in order to improve accuracy of satellite orbit determination. For the experiment, the 70cm radio amateur band will be used in conjunction with four or more amateur ground stations using SDR-based equipment that can provide stable and accurate frequency and time measurements. The satellite downlink will be listened to from several ground stations at the same time.
To educate the next generation of radio amateurs, the satellite will transmit analog messages from space using an NBFM signal containing pre-recorded audio greetings. This activity will infrequently take place according to a schedule published publicly to schools and the AMSAT/HAM community. The transmitted signal will be received by participating Estonian secondary and high schools, using their own built radio antennas and SDR-based receiver systems. This activity is targeted primarily to promote amateur radio and satellite communication (and in general STEM fields) among the younger generation.
The Primary transceiver, shared with the amateur payloads, is using the 70 cm amateur radio band for uplink and downlink purposes. It will be used as the housekeeping beacon for a simple overview of the satellite status and as the main transceiver for receiving tele-commands and firmware upgrades. As well transmitting mission data, like telemetry from each subsystem (< 256 bytes per subsystem) and payload data, e.g. compressed, low resolution image thumbnails (~100 KiB), in AX.25 data packet format with 9600 baud data-rate with G3RUH modulated signal. The spacecraft will have experimental capability to change data-rate up-to 38600 baud using 2GFSK (or 4GFSK for testing) different modulation schemes. During the mission, it is planned to transmit a housekeeping telemetry beacon periodically (~1 KiB), typically once per minute, containing telemetry, health data packets from every subsystem.
The 70 cm amateur radio band downlink will be used to send Plasma brake tether experiment [link] and housekeeping data of the payload module such as temperature measurements, information about the attitude of satellite, energy production etc. (< 256 bytes).
After performing measurements of a material science experiment on corrosion resistant coating, the 70cm amateur radio band downlink will be used to transmit a very small amount of acquired sensor data (~ 200 B per day). The satellite will measure the electrical continuity of the coating material to determine its lifespan after exposure to atomic oxygen in LEO.
Proposing UHF 9k6 using GFSK/G3RUH modulation or 38k4 GFSK/4GFSK or, alternatively, FM voice downlinks, and on S Band downlink DQPSK modulation with 1 Mbps data-rate, downlinks on 435.800 MHz and 2425.000 MHz have been coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).
The Vega C VV23 launch plan was to put ESTCube-2 into a 555km Sun-Sychronous Orbit (SSO). Actual orbit parameters have yet to be confirmed. More info is at https://www.estcube.eu/projekt/ESTCube-2 and https://www.estcube.eu/blogi/Raadio
[ANS thanks IARU, ESA, and the University of Tartu for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Join us for the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and
Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX
More Information at:
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2023 AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting Next Weekend

Although the deadline for the banquet and Sunday morning Members’ Breakfast has passed, there’s still time to join us for the 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting next weekend.
A livestream of the Symposium Presentations and Annual General Meeting will be available on AMSAT’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/amsatna
For more information, visit https://www.amsat.org/41st-amsat-annual-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/
Schedule (Times CDT)
Thursday, October 19, 2023
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM AMSAT Board Meeting
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Pre-Registration Check-in
Friday, October 20, 2023
8:00 – 12:00 Noon AMSAT Board Meeting (Closed Session)
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Registration
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM AMSAT Symposium Kickoff, President’s Welcome
1:15 PM – 5:00 PM Paper Sessions
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Informal Dinner on your own
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM AMSAT Reception and Auction, Cash Bar Available
Saturday October 21, 2023
8:00 AM – 11:45 AM Registration
8:00 AM – 8:15 AM AMSAT Symposium Welcome
8:15AM – 12:00 Noon Paper Sessions
1:00 PM – 3:15 PM Paper Sessions
3:30 PM – 4:45 PM AMSAT Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Attitude Adjustment (Social), Cash Bar
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM AMSAT Banquet, Cash Bar
Sunday October 22, 2023
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM AMSAT Member Breakfast
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
         
 The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
    To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
  Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

AMSAT-UK Colloquium Ongoing

Although the first day of the AMSAT-UK Colloquium has concluded at the time of publication, a livestream of Sunday’s presentations is available.
Volunteers from the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) are providing a live stream of the presentations from the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium which takes place as part of the RSGB Convention on October 14-15.
BATC volunteers have been recording and streaming the Colloquium for over 11 years.
Watch the AMSAT-UK Colloquium presentations on Sunday from 09:30-15:15 BST (GMT +1) at
The AMSAT-UK talks are in Lecture Room 5 and PDF’s of the talk schedule can be downloaded from the RSGB site at https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-2023-convention/2023-convention-lectures/
Further information on the BATC is available at http://batc.org.uk/
Individual videos of Colloquium presentations will also be available on AMSAT-UK’s YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK) over the coming weeks.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
        Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
        from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
           AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
                  Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 13, 2023

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
The following satellites have been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:
AstroBioCubsat NORAD Cat ID 53107 Probably defunct, USSF no longer providing element sets.
Aurorasat NORAD Cat ID 56312 Decayed from orbit on or about 9 October 2023
Lightcube NORAD Cat ID 56314 Decayed from orbit on or about 12 October 2023
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, 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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

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.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ
The ARISS mentor is AB1OC
Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-17 12:25:03 UTC 38 deg
St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom, direct via GB4SPT
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM
The ARISS mentor is MØXTD
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg Contact is go for: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg
Comments on making general contacts
I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts.  First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk.  Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule.  I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts.  Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.
Typical daily schedule
Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours
The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.
SSTV events are not that often.  So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.
And don’t forget that the packet system is active.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
ARISS Radio Status
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
* Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 19. OFF  TBD. ON TBD.
* Powering off for ROS EVA on Oct 25. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 30. OFF TBD. ON TBD.
* Powering off for TBD on TBD. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for TBD on TBD. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.
SSTV (Kenwood D710) – STATUS – OFF. Default mode is for scheduled SSTV operations (145.800 MHz down)
* Next planned operation date(s) TBD.
* Specifically configured for SSTV ops.
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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Adrian, N8AJM, will be QRV from EM85 (TN) 16th – 20th October. This will be LEO/MEO. Details are available at hams.at
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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.
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The first PCBs for AMSAT-UK’s next FUNcube satellite arrived this past week. This satellite will provide a Mode U/v linear transponder, an FM transponder with an uplink at 1267 MHz and downlink on 2 meters (Mode L/v), and an experimental QPSK downlink at about 20 kbps. (Thanks to G0MRF for this information)
+ ITU‑R WP5A meeting #30 could not achieve consensus on the measures needed to protect the RNSS in the 23cm band. (Relating to WRC-23 AI 9.1b)  Link to the IARU report on WP5A meeting is at the end of https://www.iaru-r1.org/2023/itu-r-wp5a-meeting-30-could-not-achieve-consensus-on-the-measures-needed-to-protect-the-rnss-in-the-23cm-band-relating-to-wrc-23-ai-9-1b/ (Thanks to AMSAT-UK and the IARU for this information)
+ VU2JO has created a post detailing tips and tricks for working LEO satellites. The blog post is available at https://johnsonfrancis.org/techworld/tips-and-tricks-for-working-leo-satellites/ (Thanks to VU2JO for this information)
+ The Psyche mission to all-metal asteroid Psyche successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 13, 2023 on a Falcon Heavy. This was NASA’s first user of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. https://spacenews.com/nasa-launches-psyche-mission-to-metal-world/ (Thanks to SpaceNews.com for this information)
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.org

ANS-260 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by
In this edition:
* Results of the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
* July/August 2023 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
* 2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 15, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
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/
ANS-260 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 September 17

Results of the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election

The 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election period ended on September 15, 2023.
As a result of the election, Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, have been duly elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors. Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, will serve as an alternate director for a term of one year.
The results of the voting with 388 ballots cast are as follows:
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA – 348
Barry Baines, WD4ASW – 347
Jerry Buxton, N0JY – 331
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO – 295
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW – 131
The membership of the AMSAT Board of Directors for 2023-2024 is:
  • Barry Baines, WD4ASW
  • Jerry Buxton, N0JY
  • Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
  • Mark Hammond, N8MH
  • Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
  • Bruce Paige, KK5DO
  • Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
  • Frank Karnauskas, N1UW (Alternate)

Thank you all for participating in this year’s election process.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Join us for the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and
Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX
More Information at:
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

July/August 2023 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available

The July/August 2023 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal.
The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital 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:
  • Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
  • Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
  • AMSAT Field Day Results – Bruce Paige, KK5DO
  • A Summer Redesigning a CubeSat – Olivia Belian
  • IO-117 Antenna Testing Update – Dave Fisher, KG0D
  • Ground Stations for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites: Advancements in Low-Cost Electronics and Open-Source Software – Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas, XE1AO; Margarita G. Mayoral-Baldivia, XE1BMG; Gilles Arfeuille, VE7VOL
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
           
The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! 
    To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch 
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features 
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. 
  Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help 
Keep Amateur Radio in Space! 
  
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers

Papers are now being accepted for the 41st annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Proposals for Symposium papers and 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, with final copy submitted by October 12 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org
[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
        Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
        from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
           AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
                  Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 15, 2023

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, 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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

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.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Escuela Preparatoria La Salle, Torreon Coah, Mexico, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD
Contact is go for: Fri 2023-09-22 16:19:45 UTC 80 deg
Watch for Livestream starting about 15 minutes before AOS at www.ariotti.com  (***)
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 Oleg Kononenko
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Thu 2023-09-28 08:45 UTC
Comments on making general contacts
I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts.  First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk.  Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule.  I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts.  Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.
Typical daily schedule
Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours
The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.
SSTV events are not that often.  So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.
And don’t forget that the packet system is active.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
ARISS Radio Status
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
* Powering off for Soyuz undocking on Sep. 27. OFF Sep. 26 about 12:20 UTC. ON Sep. 28 about 07:45 UTC.
* Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 12. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Powering off for USOS EVA in Oct (TBD). OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Oct 25. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Soyuz undocking on Sep. 27. OFF Sep. 26 about 12:20 UTC. ON Sep. 28 about 07:45 UTC.
* Powering off for USOS EVA on Oct 12. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Powering off for USOS EVA in Oct (TBD). OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Oct 25. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.
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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

KI0KB/P will be active on IO-117 (‘GreenCube’) from DM86 in Oklahoma for two passes:
16th September at 0617z & 1034z
******
Doug, VA7LM will be active on IO-117 for the final time this year from CO44 on 24th September at 0102z
******
The K5Z crew (is it a crew, or just one op?) will be active on IO-117 from DL88 on 25th September at 1517z. I’m sure this is just one of several passes on his/her/their list, but it’s all I know about ATM.
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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.
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
+ ARRL Minnesota State Convention
Saturday, October 14
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ The space industry has a labor problem that could keep it from reaching its full potential. Space companies are hiring en force. Also, the existing workforce is aging. One study found that only 17% of NASA’s workers are under age 35. Competition is ramping up at a time when the number of people graduating with engineering degrees is dropping in the U.S. Welders, machinists and other technical jobs that don’t necessarily require advanced degrees are also in demand for companies building rockets and spacecraft. (ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information)
+ The FAA said on Friday, Sept. 8 that SpaceX needs to complete 63 corrective actions identified after the Starship launch mishap in April. Multiple Raptor engines on the rocket’s Super Heavy booster failed, and the vehicle lost its steering. An autonomous self-destruct system issued a command to blow up the rocket, but it took longer than expected for Starship to break apart. The rocket finally disintegrated in a ball of flame, but the launch impacted the surrounding area, scattering debris over a wide area. (ANS thanks ARS Technica for the above information)
+ Astronaut Frank Rubio, forced to spend an extra six months aboard the International Space Station because of trouble with his Russian ride home, set a new U.S. single-flight endurance record on Monday, Sept. 11. Launched last September 21, Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin originally planned to come home in March. But their Soyuz capsule suffered a massive coolant leak in December, presumably due to a micrometeoroid impact. The three now plan to return to Earth aboard a replacement Soyuz ferry ship on September 27 to close out a marathon 371-day stay in space — the first flight longer than a full year by an American astronaut. (ANS thanks CBS News for the above information)
+ The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, on NASA’s Perseverance rover has successfully completed a project to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. MOXIE produced 12 grams of oxygen an hour at 98% purity or better, which is twice as much as NASA’s goals for the instrument. On August 7, MOXIE operated for the 16th and final time, having completed all its requirements. The thin Martian atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide. MOXIE works by separating the oxygen molecules and emits carbon monoxide as a waste product. Bigger and better versions of something such as MOXIE in the future could supply life support systems with breathable air and convert and store oxygen needed for rocket fuel used to launch on a return trip to Earth. (ANS thanks CNN Science newsletter for the above information)
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.org

ANS-253 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

by

In this edition:

* 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Voting Ends Friday
* World Radio Conference 2023 Will Impact Amateur Satellite Service
* ARISS USA Team Names Director of Education
* Updated AMSAT Tri-Fold Brochure Now Available
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 8, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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[dot]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/

ANS-253 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

DATE 2023 SEP 10

2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Voting Ends Friday

There is less than a week remaining to participate in the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors Election. The voting process will conclude on September 15, 2023. To access candidate statements and the online Election Ballot, you can visit AMSAT’s membership portal at https://launch.amsat.org/2023-BoD-Election.

In this year’s election, four seats on the Board of Directors are open for consideration. Once the voting period concludes on September 15th, four of the candidates will take their places on the Board, along with an alternate member. The following individuals have been officially nominated:

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Jerry Buxton, N0JY
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW

Upon clicking the poll link, you will be directed to your ballot or poll question. After selecting your preferred choices, simply click the Submit button to cast your vote. Unlike typical online polls, the results of previous votes up until your vote will not be visible. Each AMSAT member is entitled to one vote only. If you attempt to access the poll link again after casting your vote, you will receive a message confirming your vote has been submitted.

The outcomes of the Board of Directors Election, including the total number of ballots cast, the vote count for each candidate, and the names of the newly elected Board of Directors members, will be publicly announced a few days following the conclusion of the election.

[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]

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Join us for the 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and
Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023 – Dallas, TX
More Information at:
https://tinyurl.com/41st-AMSAT-Symposium

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World Radio Conference 2023 Will Impact Amateur Satellite Service

The World Radio Conference in 2023, WRC-23, will take place on November 20 – December 15 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Some decisions made during the conference will affect Amateur Radio and the Amateur Satellites service.

Representing Amateur Radio at the conference is the IARU, the International Amateur Radio Union, The two most pressing issues affecting the Amateur Satellite Service are:

Additional measures to protect the radionavigation-satellite (space-to-Earth) in the 1240 – 1300 MHz band from amateur interference.  As in most microwave allocations, the Amateur Service is secondary and must avoid interfering with primary services operating in the band, even if they are introduced later.  An ITU Radiocommunication sector Recommendation that contains guidance for administrations is in the final stage of development. If an agreement is reached prior to WRC-232, it should complete work on the item.

Identification of the 10 – 10.5 GHz band for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in ITU Region 2, including a primary allocation to the mobile service.  The IARU opposes the introduction of IMT in the band and has some allies among administrators within and outside of Region 2.

[ANS thanks QST for the above information]

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The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/

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ARISS USA Team Names Director of Education

Tanya C. Anderson has been selected as Director of Education for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Inc. (ARISS-USA). Tanya has been a classroom educator for 18 years, the last 16 years teaching middle school science at St. Joan of Arc in Lisle, Illinois. Her science curricula cover earth and space science, life science, and physical science. Her career focus has been curriculum development in various fields of science.

In addition to her responsibilities as a middle school educator, Tanya has shown her passion as a results-oriented leader in a myriad of science, technology engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) initiatives such as NASA HEAT 2022 where she helped develop and test science curriculum for teaching heliophysics and system science. She also has served as a team leader in NASA’s Teaching from Space Microgravity Education Program, working with students to create an experiment that was tested on NASA’s microgravity aircraft.  Tanya is also a NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador and a Space Foundation International Teacher Liaison.  She received the 2015 Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Educator of the Year.

When informed of her selection, Tanya exclaimed, “I am excited to be a part of the ARISS organization and cannot wait to see what the future holds for amateur radio as commercial space stations are built and lunar exploration evolves. I look forward to sharing my passion for STEAM and space education with other educators while we work together to inspire, engage, and educate the next generation.”

Tanya currently holds a Technician Class amateur radio license, with the callsign KD9BQZ, and has attended the ARRL Teacher Institute on Wireless Technology Workshop. In 2014, Ms. Anderson organized and held a successful ARISS contact involving the entire student body at St. Joan of Arc School. For the ARISS contact, she developed an extensive curriculum preparing students for their ham radio connection with Astronaut Alexander Gerst. Her first-ever ham radio contact was with Astronaut Gerst on the ISS. Tanya’s passion for education and ham radio continued outside the classroom as a troop leader for 6 years with the Boy Scouts of America. Tanya used her educational and amateur radio abilities to immerse the scouts in STEAM as well as help facilitate scout participation in Jamboree on the Air and radio merit badge classes.

ARISS-USA Executive Director, Frank Bauer remarked on Tanya’s selection, “Competition for this position was extensive and selection was challenging, given the number of truly outstanding candidates. We are thrilled to welcome Tanya to our ARISS leadership team. Her leadership experience, passion and educational prowess will serve ARISS well, guiding our education volunteers and supporting the implementation of the ARISS 2.0 vision–to develop more comprehensive educational outcomes for youth and life-long learners.”

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]

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           Need new satellite antennas? Purchase 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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Updated AMSAT Tri-Fold Brochure Now Available

Originally created by JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, the AMSAT tri-fold brochure has always been a favorite handout for use at hamfests and club presentations. Over the past few years, many things have changed at AMSAT and with the satellites we operate. Unfortunately, we did not update the brochure to keep up with the times.

But, now with the pandemic largely behind us, in-person hamfests and club meetings are in full swing and the need for an update to the brochure was apparent. Happily, the brochure has been updated and available for viewing and downloading. You will find on the AMSAT website under “Get Involved/AMSAT Ambassador Program” from the top menu. You will find the link to the file in the “What resources are provided to AMSAT Ambassadors?” section of that page.

Looking for more information to share? The electronic brochure “This is AMSAT” is also available for download at https://tinyurl.com/This-is-AMSAT. “This is AMSAT is 18 pages jam-packed with information about our youth and education programs, engineering activities and member services. It’s only 1 Mb big so its easy to share with your friends by email, and its mostly jargon-free so everyone can understand what they’re reading!

[ANS thanks AMSAT 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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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for September 8, 2023

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

AAUSAT 4  NORAD Cat ID 41460  Decayed from orbit 06 September 2023

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information]

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.

+ ESPRIT: Private Higher School of Engineering and Technology, Little Ariana, Tunisia, telebridge via K6DUE.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ.
The ARISS mentor is ON6TI.
Contact is go for Tuesday, September 12, 2023-09-12 at 09:01 UTC.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater.  So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate.  It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operations reported.

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.

+ 2023 AMSAT SA Space Symposium (online only)
Saturday, 23 September 2023
Registration at https://bit.ly/45SynOJ

+ 2023 AMSAT-UK Colloquium & RSGB Convention
October 14-15, 2023
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre
Milton Keynes MK7 6BZ, United Kingdom

+ ARRL Minnesota State Convention
Saturday, October 14
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
http://mnconvention.org

+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
More information at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ S5Lab, the owner of the Greencube IO-117 satellite have posted a user survey. More information and link to the survey are on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/S5Lab/status/1699039391467901219

[ANS thanks the S5LAB Greencube Team for the above information.]

+ Ironic: Clearspace-1, an ESA mission developed by a Swiss startup firm, is planned to demonstrate a system for deorbiting space junk. Its target is VESPA, a payload adapter left over from a 2013 Vega launch. But before Clearspace-1 could launch and reach its target, VESPA was hit by… you guessed it — a piece of space junk. Clearspace-1 will still attempt to reach and deorbit the largest remaining chunk of VESPA. But perhaps a better plan than after-the-fact debris removal is to equip satellites and rocket stages with technology to deorbit themselves after mission completion? [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.]

+ A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A on Sept. 3, marking an historic 62nd orbital launch this calendar year. The mission broke the company’s own orbital launch record that it set in 2022 when it launched 61 orbital missions for the full year. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]

+ After two weather delays in previous weeks, Japan launched its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission and the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) satellite on September 6 at 7:42:11 PM EDT (23:42:11 UTC). SLIM will test precision landing on the Moon and deploy a lunar rover and lunar hopper. XRISM will look into deep space to study the formation of the universe and search for dark matter. [ANS thanks the Parabolic Arc for the above information.]

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,

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Aug. 20

by
In this edition:
* Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting
* 2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers
* Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
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/
ANS-232 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2023 August 20

Registration Open for 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting

The 41st Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel in Irving, Texas. Highlights of all scheduled events include:
– AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting, October 19-20
– 41st AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting, October 20-21
– Friday Night Social and Auction, October 20
– AMSAT Banquet and Reception, October 21
– AMSAT Member Breakfast, October 22
Prices for the Symposium, the Banquet and the Member Breakfast remain the same as last year:
– Friday and Saturday Symposium and General Meeting $75
– Saturday Evening Banquet $55
– Sunday Morning Member Breakfast $15
EVENT REGISTRATION
You can register online for individual events or all events at: https://launch.amsat.org/event-5363188.
HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS
The Sheraton DFW Airport is located adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and provides complimentary, scheduled shuttle to and from the airport. Complimentary parking is available for those who drive to the Symposium. The hotel address and phone number is:
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy.
Irving, TX 75063
972-929-8400
Rooms are available for check-in on Wednesday, October 18 and check out Sunday, October 22.
– Standard room with single King bed is **SOLD OUT** ACT FAST! GET YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!
– Standard room with two Queen beds is $137.00*
* Rate does not include state and local taxes of 15%
For Phone Hotel Reservations:
Call 972-929-8400. Ask for rate RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITE.
Please send your Symposium questions or comments to info [at] amsat [dot] com.
We, at AMSAT, are excited to be able to host our 41st annual Symposium this year. We hope that you can join us in celebrating Amateur Radio in Space.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
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 The 2023 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! 
    To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch 
on June 16, 1983, this year’s coin features 
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. 
  Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help 
Keep Amateur Radio in Space! 
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2023 AMSAT Symposium Call for Papers

Papers are now being acceptedfor the 41st annual AMSAT Space Symposium to be held on the weekend of October 20-21, 2023 at the Sheraton DFW Airport in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Proposals for Symposium papers and 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, with final copy submitted by October 12 for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org
[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]
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        Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack
        from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
           AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
                  Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
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Amateur Radio Operator Contacts Spacecraft

The headlines are sensational, although a bit exaggerated: “Ham Radio ‘hacks’ NASA Satellite”. While the phrase is eye-catching for social media, the truth is just as exciting. Amateur radio astronomer Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, has made contact with NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft, which passed Earth for the first time in 17 years.
The STEREO-A (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft was launched on October 25, 2006, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with its twin sister ship, STEREO-B. Both spacecraft were on a mission to circle behind the and send images back to Earth so scientists could make 3D models of solar activity. In 2014, STEREO-B failed and was not heard from again.
“I’m having fun with STEREO-A,” Tilley reported to Spaceweather.com. “The spacecraft is close to Earth this summer, and I can now receive its signal using a small 26-inch dish in my backyard.”
Scott Tilley’s, VE7TIL, dish antenna for receiving NASA STEREO-A spacecraft.
Tilley began hearing rumors that other radio operators were picking up signals from STEREO-A on 8443.580 MHz. He decided to check it out. “The central carrier is very loud, almost 30 dB above the noise,” he said. “I also noticed data sidebands, which are unusual to see on such a distant object for my small antenna.”
Tilley was able to decode and demodulate STEREO-A’s signal using a special program written by Alan Antonie, F4LAU, known as SatDump, and now, he is monitoring almost all of STEREO-A’s science instruments, including its Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI), two coronagraphs (COR1 and COR2), the heliospheric imager (HI), and a solar radio burst receiver (S/WAVES).
STEREO-A’s closest approach to Earth was scheduled to occur on August 17, 2023.
Amateur radio operators who would like to monitor STEREO-A can check out Tilley’s technical blog for more information.
[Thanks to Spaceweather.com and NASA for updated information in this story]]
[ANS thanks the ARRL 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
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for August 18, 2023
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the weekly AMSAT TLE distribution.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] 

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.
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
STEMforGIRLS, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, telebridge via K6DUE (***)
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Steve Bowen KI5BKB
The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-08-23 15:24:59 UTC 47 deg (***)
Australian Air League – South Australia Group,  Salisbury, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Warren Hoburg KB3HTZ
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2023-08-25 09:11:46 UTC 51 deg
Comments on making general contacts
I have been seeing a lot of traffic on Facebook and I suspect on other social media sites with people asking why they are not hearing the crew make general contacts.  First off the crew is very busy on the ISS and they simply may not have the time to just pick up the microphone and talk.  Also, one needs to be aware of their normal daily schedule.  I have listed below the constraints that we at ARISS have to follow in order to schedule the school contacts.  Hopefully this will help you better schedule your opportunities.
Typical daily schedule
Wakeup to Workday start= 1.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end=12 hours
Workday end to Sleep= 2 hours
Sleep to wakeup= 8.5 hours
The crew’s usual waking period is 0730 – 1930 UTC. The most common times to find a crew member making casual periods are about one hour after waking and before sleeping, when they have personal time. They’re usually free most of the weekend, as well.
SSTV events are not that often.  So please check out https://www.ariss.org/ for the latest information or watch for the ARISS announcements.
And don’t forget that the packet system is active.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
ARISS Radio Status
Columbus Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
* SPECIAL SSTV experiment July 26, 2023. Transmissions are scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and ending at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window will be 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET). Requesting a clear uplink during this time frame.
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09.
* Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Default mode is fo packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
* Powering off for Russian EVA on Aug. 09. OFF TBD . ON TBD.
* Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops.
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]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

TF/DL2GRC: Got an email from Nina stating that she & the family will be heading to Iceland with operations scheduled to begin on Friday (18th).
From Nina:
We will do a trip around the Island and hope to be active on MEO, LEO and GEO: family, equipment, satellites and weather permitting. Operations can be expected between August 18th to 30th.  Please keep in mind, it will be a family holiday and no DX-pedition.
Look out for TF/DL4BEN, TF/DL8SCU and TF/DL2GRC.
Stay tuned!
[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, 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.
AMSAT Ambassador Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ will be at the Northern Plains Regional Radio Council (NPRRC) Hamfest in Brewster, Minnesota on Saturday, August 26, 2023. You can expect to find him engaging in discussions about amateur radio satellite operations at the AMSAT table or presenting live satellite demonstrations just across the street at Brewster City Park. Targeted demonstration passes will be on linear satellite RS-44 at 1434Z (fixed uplink 145.945 MHz) and the TEVEL FM satellites between 1630Z and 1700Z. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/NPRRC for additional information about the NPRRC Hamfest.
+ Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention
August 25-27, 2023
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel
Marlboro, MA
+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ RS-44 has returned to service after a multi-day outage this past week. There is no definitive word on the cause of the outage.
+ Woody Hoburg, KB3HTZ, was active as NA1SS from the ISS, utilizing the FM repeater, on Monday, August 14th around 1900 UTC and Wednesday, August 16th around 2100 UTC (ANS thanks ARISS for the above information)
+ NASA released its updated Software Catalog for 2023-2024, containing more than 1,000 programs for mission analysis, disaster response, spacecraft testing, data analytics, and more. Access restrictions apply to some software that may be limited to use by U.S. citizens or for U.S. government purposes only. Review the catalog online at: http://software.nasa.gov (ANS thanks The Orbital Index and NASA for the above information)
+ NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The unpiloted spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 01:08 UTC on Wednesday, Aug. 23 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress spacecraft will be placed into a two-day, 34-orbit journey to the station, leading to an automatic docking to the Zvezda module at 03:50 UTC Friday, Aug. 25. As always, amateur radio operation aboard the ISS is suspended during docking maneuvers. The spacecraft will remain at the orbiting laboratory for approximately six months, then undock for a destructive but safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)
+ India’s Chandrayan-3 moon lander completed another lunar-orbit reduction burn and entered a 100 km circular polar lunar orbit ahead of a landing attempt next week. It is projected that the Indian craft will land two days after Russia’s Luna-25 lander. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)
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73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor, 
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org