New AMSAT Website, Online Store Available

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AMSAT is pleased to announce that an updated website and online store are now available at www.amsat.org. In addition to cosmetic updates, this represents a significant upgrade of AMSAT’s online capabilities. The website and store are now fully integrated with the AMSAT membership database, allowing the eventual implementation of features such as members-only content and digital distribution of The AMSAT Journal. In addition, members may now change their mailing address for delivery of The AMSAT Journal and determine when their membership expires via their online accounts.

All current AMSAT members and former members whose membership expired within the past five years have accounts on the online website. These accounts are not linked to previous AMSAT store accounts, but are based on information in the AMSAT membership database. If you are a current member, or former member whose membership has expired within the past five years, please do not create a new account on the AMSAT website. Follow these steps to create a password:

1. Click the “My Account” button located on the upper right hand corner of any page on the website.
2. Click “Lost your password?” beneath the login button.
3. Enter your callsign and click reset password.
4. If your email address is correct in our database, you will receive an email with instructions to reset your password.

 
If your email address is not correct in our database, please email [email protected] with your callsign and preferred email address. An administrator will update your email address in the database and you will then be able to use the above procedure to reset your password.

Please note that we are still in the early stages of transitioning to this new system and there is still work to be done to reconcile the new and old membership databases. We appreciate your patience as we work through any “kinks” that may pop up. For example, many of you received emails on Thursday afternoon indicating that your passwords had been reset. Please ignore this message. No further action is necessary. Report any future problems to an administrator at [email protected].

Thanks to AMSAT’s IT Team Leader Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, and Milltown Web Design of Boston, MA for their efforts in developing the new AMSAT web presence and thanks to Bruce Paige, KK5DO, for working to update items in the online store. AMSAT is always looking for volunteers to develop and update content on the website and maintain the online store. Members interested in helping, especially those with WordPress and Woocommerce experience, are encouraged to email [email protected].

ARISS SSTV Commemorative Activity Coming Soon

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In commemoration of our 20th anniversary, the ARISS team is planning to transmit a set of 12 SSTV images that capture the accomplishments of ARISS over that time. While still to be scheduled, we anticipate the SSTV operation to occur around the weekend of July 15. We are planning for at least a 2 day operation, but are working for a potential longer operation. Note that all of this tentative and may change based on crew scheduling and
ISS operations.

Starting with our first meeting in November 1996, our joint operations on Mir, becoming the first operational payload on ISS in November 2000 to our 1103rd school contact (so far), ARISS’ accomplishments have been tremendous. We have touched the lives of many and inspired and educated countless students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Please stay tuned as more details on our SSTV event will be communicated in the coming weeks. Please spread the word. And think about how you can get students in your area involved in capturing these images. We would love to hear your stories on how that goes.

73,  Frank KA3HDO

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Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO
ISS Ham Radio Program Manager & PI
ARISS International Chair
AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues.  With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums.  Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio.  For more information, see www.ariss.org,  www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org.

CAMSAT CAS-4A & 4B Linear Transponder Payloads Launched

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CAMSAT has announced the launch of its CAS-4A and CAS-4B linear transponder payloads. These payloads piggyback on the OVS-1A and OVS-1B optical remote sensing satellites, which were launched along with the hard X-ray modulation telescope (HXMT) satellite aboard a CZ-4B rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 03:00 UTC on June 15, 2017. Both satellites are in a 43 degree inclination orbit with an apogee of 524 km. The satellites should be among the following four objects from the launch, from Celestrak’s tle-new.txt:

2017-034A 
1 42758U 17034A 17166.44020951 .00000000 00000-0 00000+0 0 9996
2 42758 43.0132 296.0634 0006996 337.6257 22.4799 15.08374244 50
2017-034B 
1 42759U 17034B 17166.44014948 -.00077158 00000-0 00000+0 0 9995
2 42759 43.0111 296.0584 0007012 333.6014 26.4991 15.08628895 40
2017-034C 
1 42760U 17034C 17166.44015010 .00000000 00000-0 00000+0 0 9999
2 42760 43.0156 296.0555 0006945 344.9860 15.1295 15.08497794 52
2017-034D 
1 42761U 17034D 17166.44008307 .00000000 00000-0 00000+0 0 9991
2 42761 43.0142 296.0593 0008314 328.2359 31.8502 15.08952386 37
The OVS-1A & 1B satellites carrying the CAS-4A & 4B payloads.

Both satellites carry 20 kHz U/v linear transponders as well as CW beacons and a digital telemetry downlink. Frequency information is as follows:

CAS-4A – U/v Inverting Analog SSB/CW
Uplink LSB 435.210 MHz through 435.230 MHz
Downlink USB 145.880 MHz through 145.860 MHz
CW Beacon 145.855 MHz. Digital Telemetry 145.835 MHz 4.8kbps GMSK
CAS-4B – U/v Inverting Analog SSB/CW
Uplink LSB 435.270 MHz through 435.290 MHz
Downlink USB 145.935 MHz through 145.915 MHz
CW Beacon 145.910 MHz. Digital Telemetry 145.890 MHz 4.8 kbps GMSK

For more information about these satellites, see the CAMSAT CAS-4A and CAS-4B News Release

AMSAT Strategic Planning Member Poll

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A key part of the strategic planning process, as President Barry Baines explains in his article (https://www.amsat.org/amsat-strategic-planning-update/), is “member engagement.” The reason is that, in a non-profit membership organization like AMSAT, the members quite simply are the lifeblood, the key stakeholders, or what a commercial enterprise would call “customers.”

Member engagement can take many forms. In the strategic planning process, however, member engagement means helping AMSAT figure out how and where to find new and realistic opportunities to move the organization forward. To that end, AMSAT is asking for your help by “engaging” the AMSAT leadership with YOUR desires, needs and vision about the future direction of AMSAT by providing your best answers to the five questions below:

  1. What are 3-5 new products, services or activities that AMSAT should START offering or doing (in order of priority, 1 being highest)?
  2. What 3-5 current offerings or activities should AMSAT STOP offering or doing (in order of priority, 1 being highest)?
  3. What are the top 3 ways that you would prefer AMSAT to communicate with you as a member (in order of priority) [e.g., email, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, other), website, text, HF radio nets, etc.]?
  4. If you were going to recruit another amateur radio operator as an AMSAT member, what pitch do you think would be most successful in making that ham want to join?
  5. From your perspective, what would AMSAT ideally look like in 3 years? What would it be doing? What products and services would it offer?

We will share your answers with the AMSAT Board of Directors and members of the strategic planning team.

PLEASE EMAIL RESPONSES TO: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Reader Poll