• [ANS] ANS-360 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

    From Mark Johns, K0JM@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 26 10:46:16 2021
    XPost: rec.radio.info

    AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
    ANS-360

    The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes
    news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities
    of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active
    interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog
    and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

    The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in
    Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

    Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at]
    amsat.org

    You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
    Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

    In this edition:

    * CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) To Be Launched Today
    * ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for Dec 26
    * Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Engineer, SK
    * AO-73 Mode Change Made
    * Change Of Operation Schedule of FO-99 / NEXUS
    * New release of AMSAT Status for Android
    * ARISS News
    * Upcoming Satellite Operations
    * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
    * Satellite Shorts From All Over


    ANS-360 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

    DATE 2021 Dec 26


    CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) To Be Launched Today

    The CAMSAT XW-3 (CAS-9) amateur radio satellite is scheduled to be launched today, 2021-12-26, at 03:11:31 UTC, and will be deployed at 98.858°E a
    nd
    28.413°S at UTC 03:35:58, a location close to Western Australia.

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

    CAMSAT is looking for the CW beacon and telemetry monitoring from Western Australia, South America and North America during the first orbit of the satellite.

    A preliminary Two-Line Orbital Element set has been released. However, any launch delay will affect this prediction radically, and radar-confirmed
    TLEs will probably not be available for several days:

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

    CW telemetry beacon:
    *Frequency: 435.575MHz
    *RF power: 20dBm
    *CW rate: 22wpm

    GMSK telemetry:
    *Frequency: 435.725MHz
    *RF power: 23dBm
    *Data rate: 4800bps

    V/U mode linear transponder:
    *Uplink frequency: 145.870MHz
    *Downlink frequency: 435.180MHz
    *RF power: 20dBm
    *Bandwidth: 30kHz
    *Spectrum inverted

    Preliminary Doppler.SQF file entry: XW-3(CAS-9),435180,145870,USB,LSB,REV,0,0,V/U_Transponder

    A detailed CAS-9 user's manual is available at https://bit.ly/3EokTw5

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

    ++++++++++
    ++++++++
    LAST CALL for the 2021 President's Club!

    There are only a handful of 2021 coins left and when they are gone, they
    are gone.
    Don't miss this chance to own this one-of-a-kind coin because
    after January 1 they will no longer be available.

    Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin.
    This gold finished coin comes with
    Full Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag
    Donate today at
    https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
    You won't want to miss it!
    ++++++++++
    ++++++++

    ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for Dec 26

    An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International
    Space Station (ISS). The event is slated to begin on December 26 at 18:25
    UTC for setup and operation and continue until December 31 ending at 17:05
    UTC. Dates and times subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments.

    Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 KHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120.

    The main theme will be for this event will be lunar exploration. Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post and view images on the
    ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/ .

    After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award
    by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image.

    [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, and Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS Operations Team, 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/

    ++++++++++
    +++++++
    Bob Davis, KF4KSS, AMSAT Engineer, SK

    Robert “Bob” Davis, 49, passed away on December 10, 2021 at
    his home in
    Pocomoke City, Maryland. Bob became part of the AMSAT Engineering team in
    1996 after graduating from the University of Central Florida with a degree
    in mechanical engineering. He was instrumental in the revision to the
    satellite structure of the Phase 3D spacecraft, adding his expertise to the mounting system and solar panel deployment system.

    Bob was involved with every AMSAT & ARISS project since 1996, including
    Eagle, Suitsat, ARISSAT and the FOX series of satellites. He helped design, build, test and certify the FOX and next generation and was working on the
    GOLF satellites. More on Bob’s personal life and family can be fou
    nd at
    https://www.serenitymeadows.com/obits.

    The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to
    AMSAT at https://www.amsat.org/donations/kf4kss-memorial/.

    [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    AO-73 Mode Change Made

    FUNcube-1 (AO-73) mode has been changed. It will be in telemetry mode in sunlight and silent during eclipse. This will allow the team to gather
    valuable telemetry, including energy consumption and battery health in
    current illumination conditions. This is not an error!

    We are grateful for the continued uploading of telemetry data to the
    Amsat-UK data warehouse, and the continued support of everyone in gathering
    it!

    [ANS thanks Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG, FUNcube Operations Team, 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 sol
    ar
    panels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch on
    NASA's ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will be
    worth it!

    https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

    ++++++++++
    ++++++++

    Change Of Operation Schedule of FO-99 / NEXUS

    The NEXUS operation team has announced that the operation schedule for
    FO-99 / NEXUS has been changed. Recently, based on the situation where the operation of other general-purpose transponder satellites has become
    unstable one after another, we will temporarily operate the FO-99 / NEXUS transponder. The following 3 passes (1st pass on Sunday evening) are
    usually his schedule for digital talker operation, but we will change the schedule and temporarily operate transponders, so we will inform you.

    [ANS thanks JAMSAT 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

    ++++++++++
    +++++++
    New release of AMSAT Status for Android

    Loren Lang, K7IW, has developed an Android app for publishing status
    updates to the AMSAT website satellite status page ( https://www.amsat.org/status/) and pulling down previous reports through
    the site's published API. Since last year, Loren has fixed a few bugs on different Android platforms and also added a Google Maps view which shows
    the location of satellite reports on a map. It will also save preferred satellites and has a "find me" button for filling in the grid square automatically. The app is on the Android Play Store in a closed beta.

    To join in on the testing, open this link:

    https://play.google.com/apps/testing/org.northwinds.amsatstatus

    And the app can be opened on your phone with this:

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?idg.northwinds.amsatstatus

    Or search for AMSAT Status. Please provide any feedback or feature requests
    you want on the app.

    [ANS thanks Loren Lang, K7IW, 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.

    Recent contacts:
    Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany, telebridg
    e via
    ON4ISS
    The ISS callsign was OR4ISS, and the crewmember was Matthias Maurer KI5KFH.
    The contact was successful: Tue 2021-12-21 08:24:05 UTC 81 deg
    Congratulation to the Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nürnberg students
    and
    Matthias!

    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]

    ++++++++++
    +++++++
    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

    W8LR: Will be in EM78/EM88 beginning 12/23. Times to be posted on Twitter
    in the morning.

    N4DCW: Will be in EM84 from 12/23 – 12/26

    EA5GX: Will be in the RS44 in the cross of 4 grids IM99, JN00, JM09, IN90
    in afternoon of Dec. 26 at 17:42 and 19:41UTC around 345.655 +-

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

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

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

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

    - Upcoming Zoom presentations to radio clubs in 2022: two in Canada, one in Central California
    To set up such a presentation for your club, contact:
    Clint Bradford, K6LCS
    AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL instructor
    http://www.work-sat.com
    909-999-SATS (7287)

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

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Satellite Shorts From All Over

    + W2JV will be conducting "The Art of Working thru the Amateur Satellites"
    as part of the online "Ham Radio University" event on January 8th, 2022. Registration is now open at https://hamradiouniversity.org/ (ANS thanks Peter Portanova, W2JV, for the above information)

    + A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian cosmonaut and two Japanese private astronauts returned to Earth late Dec. 19. After 11 days on the station,
    the Soyuz returned to Earth Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin along
    with Japanese private astronauts Yusaku “MZ” Maezawa and Yo
    zo Hirano. The
    flight brokered by American space tourism company Space Adventures. (ANS
    thanks Space News for the above information)

    + The liftoff of a SpaceX cargo ship on the way to the International Space Station early Tuesday was the 31st and final orbital launch from Florida
    s
    Space Coast in 2021, setting a new record for the most space missions to
    depart from the spaceport in a calendar year. It was also the 31st Falcon 9 launch of the year overall for SpaceX, including 28 from Florida and three launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, setting a company record. (ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information)

    + Two new Astro Pi units launched were launched into space on December 21, 2021. The new Astro Pi units each consist of a Raspberry Pi computer with
    a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera and a host of sensors, all housed inside
    a special space-ready case that makes the hardware suitable for the International Space Station (ISS). The launch was the culmination of three years of work Raspberry Pi has done for the European Space Agency to get
    the new Astro Pi units ready to become part of the European Astro Pi
    Challenge. The complete story can be found at: https://bit.ly/3eoUBzi (ANS thanks the Raspberry Pi Foundation for the above information.)

    + Derek, OK9SGC, has recently uploaded a very comprehensive beginners guide
    to receiving HRPT weather satellite images. The guide covers almost
    everything from purchasing and building the hardware, to finding and
    tracking the satellites, to setting up the software and decoding images.
    HRPT reception can be a little daunting as it requires a good L-Band dish
    setup which involves choosing and building a feed, and importantly, a way
    to track the satellite with the dish as it moves across the sky. Find this story and a link to the guide at: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/ (ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information)

    + The WSJT-X development group has announced the release of WSJT-X 2.5.3.
    Those using FT-4 or other digital modes on linear satellites are reminded
    that most such operations occur at the low end of downlink passbands, and
    that transmitter power should be kept to a bare minimum to avoid damage to
    the satellites. (ANS thanks ARRL and AMSAT for the above information).

    + The James Webb Space Telescope, the “most powerful and complex sp
    ace
    telescope ever built,” was successfully launched on Christmas Day a
    fter
    having been delayed a first time due to a communication issue between the observatory and the launch vehicle and then again for bad weather. JWST
    s
    deployment process involves 50 deployment actions and 344 single-points of failure. As one NASA official said, “Those who are not worried or e
    ven
    terrified about this are not understanding what we are trying to do.
    (ANS
    thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

    + A Merry Christmas to all our readers from the AMSAT News Service staff!


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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

    In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

    * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
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    shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary
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    Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

    73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

    This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM
    k0jm at amsat dot org

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