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AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-341
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:
* Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Opens December 19, 2020
* FoxTelem 1.09 Released
* VUCC Awards-Endorsements for December 2020
* FO-29 operation schedule for December 2020 and January 2021
* IARU Coordinates Frequencies for Three Satellites in November
* Orbital Mechanics for Dummies
* Brandmeister DMR Network Announces Password Implementation
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-341.01
ANS-341 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 341.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
December 06, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-341.01
Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Opens December 19, 2020
Virgin Orbit has announced that the launch window for their
LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 mission opens on December 19. This launch
will carry AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E to orbit.
RadFxSat-2, like RadFxSat/Fox-1B, now AMSAT-OSCAR 91, is a
partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT and
will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new
FinFET technology.
RadFxSat-2 is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT. The
RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series but features a
linear transponder "upgrade" to replace the standard FM transponder
in Fox-1A through D. In addition, the uplink and downlink bands are
reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a Mode V/u (J)
configuration using a 2 meter uplink and 70 cm downlink. The downlink
features a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the Vanderbilt
science data in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for Amateur
Radio use. Telemetry and experiment data can be decoded using
FoxTelem version 1.09 or later. FoxTelem is available at
https://www.amsat.org/foxtelem-software-for-windows-mac-linux/.
Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many
parts of the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering
looks for successful startup and indications of the general health
and function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space.
AMSAT will send a commemorative 3D printed QSL card to the first
station capturing telemetry from RadFxSat-2.
RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E Frequencies:
Telemetry Downlink - 435.750 MHz
Inverting Linear Transponder Uplink - 145.860 MHz - 145.890 MHz
Inverting Linear Transponder Downlink - 435.760 MHz - 435.790 MHz
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
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FoxTelem 1.09 Released
Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ announced the availability of
FoxTelem 1.09. This release provides several enhancements and needed
changes for RadFxSat-2/FOX-1E. This new spacecraft sends 1200bps
BPSK telemetry in parallel with a linear transponder. Downloading
telemetry and sending it to the server will assist AMSAT and the
Radiation tolerance experiments from Vanderbilt University.
You can download FoxTelem 1.09 at:
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/FoxTelem_1.09n3_windows.zip
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/FoxTelem_1.09n3_linux.tar.gz
http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.09n3_mac.tar.gz
The changes from 1.08 to 1.09 are as follows:
* Performance improvements on the telemetry tabs. This uses less CPU
than 1.08.
* Clearer display of historical records on the telemetry tabs for RT,
MAX, MIN and WOD.
* Bug fixes for Fox-1E decode and display of diagnostic tables,
Whole Orbit Data, and formatting of telemetry.
* Ignore extra commas in conversion curve comments.
* Allow a single spacecraft to be downloaded from the Fox Server,
even if FoxTelem stores many spacecraft.
* Latest Golf-T layouts for development.
* BPSK CRC checksum calculation for GOLF-T.
* Another new way to decode and display the mode.
* More generic tab layouts to allow future expansion through soft
coding.
* Throttle the DDE requests when decoder stopped.
* Many other bug fixes
See the complete list on github at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-FoxTelem
On Saturday, December 5, 2020, Chris added the following information:
"If you are having difficulty upgrading to FoxTelem 1.09 because it
says that it can not write some files, then I have put together a
procedure to migrate your data. If in frustration you reset the
FoxTelem properties file and now you don't have your old telemetry
from 1.08, then this will still likely work and recover the data.
Details are at:
https://www.g0kla.com/foxtelem/tutorial_moving_foxtelem_logfiles.php
"Many thanks to Frank K6FW who helped work out this procedure. Feel
free to reach out to me for help."
Burns Fisher, WB1FJ adds, "For those of you with Fox-In-A-Box
telemetry stations (Fun Cube Dongle in a Raspberry Pi with FoxTelem
software), FoxTelem 1.09 has been successfully tested on an FIAB.
"It is easy to update your FIAB with the new FoxTelem version. Some
time ago, I provided the instructions for upgrading to a new FoxTelem
and they will not have changed significantly other than the version
numbers. You can view the instructions at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-FIAB-Upgrade.
"In any case, over the next few days, I will update and post the
instructions as well as making the new version available on the FIAB
SD cards sold in the AMSAT store and (a bit after that) on the free
download."
[ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ and Burns Fisher,WB1FJ for
the above information.]
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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
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VUCC Awards-Endorsements for December 2020
Ron Parsons, W5RKN reports the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite
Awards issued by the ARRL for the period November 1, 2020 through
December 1, 2020. Congratulations to all those who made the list
this month!
CALL Nov Dec
WC7V 1218 1229
W5CBF 657 723
AA8CH 702 718
NS3L 600 625
N9FN 486 499
K5IX 402 450
W0NBC 176 435
AB1OC 215 261
AA2HJ 100 253
W8LR 200 225
DL4ZAB 178 201
NA1ME 126 150
W9TTY 100 114
N8URE 101 104
AD5JK New 102
DL6KBG New 101
KC2BBU New 101
AI4IC New 100
Ron adds,"If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list
at <mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list
was developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months.
It's a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your
call was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids
that are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work!"
[ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN for the above information.]
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FO-29 operation schedule for December 2020 and January 2021
The Japan Amateur Radio League has released the FO-29 operation
schedule for December 2020 and January 2021. Times are in UTC. The
operation runs until the UVC (lower limit voltage control) activates.
December 2020
5 01:52, 03:35
6 02:45, 04:30
12 02:25, 04:15
13 03:20, 05:05
14 02:25, 04:10
19 01:20, 03:05
20 02:10, 03:55
26 01:55, 03:40
27 02:45
30 01:45
31 02:35
January 2021
1 01:40, 03:25
3 01:35, 03:20
9 01:20, 03:05
10 02:10, 03:55
11 01:15, 03:00
[ANS thanks Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU for the above information.]
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AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it
all begins with GOLF-TEE - a technology demonstrator for deployable
solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF
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IARU Coordinates Frequencies for Three Satellites in November
During the month of November the IARU coordinated frequencies for
three upcoming Amateur Radio satellites:
+ GASPACS
The primary mission is to deploy a one meter long inflatable UV
curable boom (AeroBoom) from a 1U CubeSat in low-Earth orbit and to
photograph the deployed AeroBoom and transmit a clear picture back
to earth. GASPACS will also operate an AX.25 automatic digipeater for
Amateur Radio testing and communication purposes.
All of the code that the satellite and ground station runs will be
open source and published to Github (except telecommand encryption)
allowing Amateurs to use the knowledge and code for their own
projects. The UHF downlink uses 9k6 2GSK with AX25. Planning a CSLI
deployment from the ISS in Q1 2022. A downlink on 437.365 MHz has
been coordinated More info at
http://gas.usu.edu and
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-GASPACS
The link to the Github documentation can be found at:
github.com/SmallSatGasTeam/CubeWorks.
+ SMOG-2
SMOG-2 is a 3p PocketQube continuation of SMOG-P and SMOG-1 spectrum
monitoring pocketqube class satellites with wider monitored spectrum
range focused on HAM, ISM and broadcasting bands. Worldwide Amateur
Radio stations can receive its spectrum monitoring data to help
create a global electromagnetic pollution map to be published at
http://gnd.bme.hu. The UHF downlink uses 5kb GMSK. Planning a
RocketLab launch from New Zealand into a 600 km SSO in 2021. A
downlink on 437.150 MHz has been coordinated.
+ D3
The mission is a 2U CubeSat intended to demonstrate the performance
of a novel drag-based targeted point re-entry algorithm using
repeatedly deployable/retractable drag surfaces to perform orbital
maneuvers that guarantee spacecraft re-entry at a pre-defined
location. If successful, the D3 module can be adapted to other
Amateur Radio satellites to ensure consistent re-entry and help
reduce the concentration of space debris. The mission is run solely
by Amateurs with the purpose of helping future Amateur missions. The
UHF downlink uses 9k6 GMSK downlink for AX25 telemetry and data and
1k2 AFSK for a beacon. Planning a launch to the ISS in
September 2021. Downlinks on 437.080 MHz and 2432.000 MHz have been
coordinated. More info from
http://adamus-d3-website.herokuapp.com/.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information.]
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Orbital Mechanics for Dummies
Orbital Mechanics has been around since well before artificial
satellites were even remotely possible. (Remember that
Johannes Kepler who gave us Keplerian elements we use in tracking
satellites today published his book, The Cosmographic Mystery, in
1596! And Walter Hohmann first described transfer orbits in 1929.
Rendezvousing with another object in the same orbit is perhaps the
most counterintuitive, as you must adjust your orbital period by
leaving the shared orbit and later re-entering it. To "slow down" you
accelerate to increase the height of your orbit, lengthening your
orbital period relative to the other craft, let time pass, and then
re-enter the original orbit once they've caught up. Conversely, to
catch up, you decrease velocity to achieve a smaller, more eccentric
orbit, which has a shorter orbital period.
There are tons of resources out there for diving into the math of
orbital mechanics. Surprisingly, one of the easiest to read comes
from the FAA's Office of Aerospace Medicine as part of their
"Advanced Aerospace Medicine On-line" course at:
https://bit.ly/3oaOSzM.
You can also play with orbits in a simulator at:
https://orbitalmechanics.info/.
Or, if you really want to develop a more intuitive sense of two-body
orbital mechanics while having a blast (pun very much intended), play
the Kerbal Space Program (not a free game) at:
https://www.kerbalspaceprogram.com/game/kerbal-space-program/.
[ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.]
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Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
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Brandmeister DMR Network Announces Password Implementation
The AMSAT DMR talkgroup is 98006 on the Brandmeister Network.
Walter Holmes, K5WH, has received notice of changes coming to
Brandmeister from the network administrators:
"Due to issues that have been happening recently, we are going to
need to start requiring users to set a hotspot security pass-word to
gain access to the US Masters. If you already have a hot spot
security password set on the BM portal, you can ignore this post.
We are going to start requiring this on master these US master
servers:
- 3101 changes on December 1
- 3102 changes on December 4
- 3103 changes on December 11
"This is already implemented on the RU masters, and other Master
Servers will follow. At this time this will just be for hotspots. The
API is being worked on to allow repeater owners to make this change
as well, but it is not quite ready to go."
Walter noted, "Since we all use the US DMR Master servers, 3101,
3102, or 3103, they will be changed starting as early as
December 1, 2020, requiring a HotSpot PASSWORD be set, or you will no
longer be able to use DMR. Whether you have a Hotspot, BlueDV,
DudeStar, DroidStar, or ANY of the other applications to access DMR,
these change is required."
Be sure to log into the Brandmeister site, and create an account
right away if you don't already have one, as it may take a few days
to get that authorized:
https://brandmeister.network/
For instructions on how to set your hotspot security on
the Brandmeister portal visit
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-DMR.
In conclusion Walter said, "If you're not comfortable with these
steps, help is available via a Zoom channel. Reach me at
k5wh@k5wh.net for the link."
[ANS thanks Walter Holmes, K5WH, and the Brandmeister Network for
the above information.]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
CN96/97, DN06/07 - December 6, 2020
@KI7UXT is planning to activate CN96/97 line (priority CN97) and
DN06/07 line (priority DN07) on Sunday, December 6, 2020. His son’s
football event is in Ellensburg, WA. All subject to change. All
normal disclaimers apply.
EM87 - December 10-13, 2020
@N4DCW will be working passes.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR for the above information.]
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ARISS News
+ Upcoming Contacts
Athlone Community College, Athlone, Ireland, direct via EI1ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB.
Watch for live stream at:
https://youtu.be/viVQBI4WzKs.
Contact is go for: Mon 2020-12-07 14:50:49 UTC.
Turkish State Meteorological Service;
Mehmet Zakir Ekni High School, Yenimahalle, Turkey;
Kuyubasi Sehit Oguzhan Duyar Secondary School, Keçiören, Turkey;
Ted Ankara College Foundation High School, Gölbasi, Turkey;
Maya Anatolian High School, Gölbasi, Turkey;
Direct via TC2TSC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Shannon Walker KD5DXB.
Contact is go for: Mon 2020-12-07 14:50:49 UTC.
Kursk, Russia, direct via Kursk, Russia, direct via RKØJ.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
Contact is go for 2020-12-09 11:45 UTC.
RO-SAT One, Piatra-Neamt, Romania, direct via YRØISS
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz.
The scheduled astronaut is Mike Hopkins KF5LJG.
Contact is go for: Sat 2020-12-12 12:35:56 UTC.
+ Completed Contacts
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RKØJ.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The astronaut was Sergey Ryzhikov.
Contact was successful on Thu 2020-12-03 08:45 UTC.
Scuola Secondaria di I grado "Anna Frank", Pistoia, Italy,
multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS.
The astronaut was Victor Glover KI5BKC.
Contact was successful on Fri 2020-12-04 12:25:22 UTC.
Tecumseh High School Electronics and Amateur Radio, Tecumseh, OK,
direct via K5THS.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The astronaut was Shannon Walker KD5DXB.
Contact was successful on Fri 2020-12-04 18:33:30 UTC.
Note: A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will
be on the telebridge from their own home.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at:
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.]
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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
+ January 9, 2021 - Ham Radio University 2021
With Covid-19 restrictions precluding in-person gatherings, the 22nd
annual Ham Radio University (HRU) educational conference will be held
as a virtual event on Saturday, January 9, 2021 from 8:00 AM to
4:00 PM as a GoToWebinar on-line video conference.
HRU 2021 will feature 14 informational presentations by local experts
in a broad range of Amateur Radio activities including: Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications; Basics of HF Operating; Communicating
Through Amateur Radio Earth Satellites; Remote Station Operating Over
the Internet; Software Defined Radios; HF and UHF Digital
Communications; and Using RaspberryPi Computers in Amateur Radio.
In addition to viewing the presentations, on-line attendees will have
the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters.
Presented in memory of Ham Radio University's founder, Phil Lewis,
N2MUN, who passed away in March, HRU 2021 also will be the on-line
convention of the ARRL's NYC-Long Island Section.
As in years past, participation in HRU 2021 will be free of charge,
with an optional suggested donation of $5.00, but advance
registration starting December 15, 2020, will be required for each
presentation.
Further information, including the schedule of forums and advance
registration starting December 15, 2020, is on line at:
http://www.HamRadioUniversity.org
[ANS thanks Peter Portanova, W2JV for the above information.]
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AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur
radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT's projects today at
https://www.amsat.org/donate/
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Satellite Shorts from All Over
+ FCC to Require Email Addresses on Applications
Amateur radio licensees and candidates will have to provide the FCC
with an email address on applications, effective sometime in
mid-2021. If no email address is included, the FCC may dismiss the
application as defective.
The FCC is fully transitioning to electronic correspondence and will
no longer print or provide wireless licensees with hard-copy
authorizations or registrations by mail. Read the complete story at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-FCC
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]
+ New IARU VHF Handbook (v9.00) Now available as Free PDF
A new edition (v9.00) of the free IARU VHF Handbook covering the
bands at VHF and Above is now available for download. It contains all
the decisions regarding the bands at VHF and Above that were made at
the 2020 IARU Region 1 virtual General Conference.
The band plan on page 46 (PDF 47) covers the 145 satellite allocation
and page 50 (PDF 51) shows the changes to 436-438 MHz. Download the
free PDF at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-Handbook.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
+ New SDRUno Plug-in Video Demo for SSTV
Earlier this year SDRplay updated their SDRuno software to have
plug-in functionality. This allows third party programmers to
implement their own decoders and software which interfaces with
SDRuno directly. One plug-in that may be of interest to ISS-SSTV
fans who own SDRPlay radios is a SSTV decoder. View the demo at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-Plug-in.
[ANS thanks rtl-sdr.com for the above information.]
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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
Sent via
AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum
available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring
membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author
and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.
Not an AMSAT member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
program!
Subscription settings:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
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