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[ANS] ANS-036 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
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Paul Stoetzer via ANS
Feb 4, 2023, 7:10:58 PM2/4/23
to
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-036
In this edition:
* AO-95 QRT
* VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023
* New Satellite Distance Records
* 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-036 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 Feb 05
AO-95 QRT
After a lingering illness of the battery, AO-95 passed away peacefully on
December 23rd. While a miraculous return is always possible, it is not
expected.
AO-95, known prior to launch as Fox-1Cliff to commemorate amateur satellite
pioneer Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, who became a silent key in 2007, launched
on December 3, 2018 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenburg Air Force Base.
Shortly after deployment, the AMSAT Engineering team received nominal
telemetry data from the satellite, but upon the first attempts at
commanding, it was discovered that the receiver had failed for unknown
reasons. Still, the satellite provided an easy to receive beacon and
telemetry data for over four years before the NiCd batteries failed.
[ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, AMSAT Fox Operations Team, and 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!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
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VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2023 to
February 01, 2023.
K8DP 1350 1425
WC7V 1256 1303
MI6GTY 579 970
KF7R 925
N3GS 796 873
NS3L 725 785
K9UO 750 777
KE8RJU 650 725
WD9EWK (DM43) 715 720
KN2K 654 701
F4BKV 600 700
VE6WK 564 700
W8LR 667 687
EA2AA 643 653
XE1L 639
KC1MMC 532 629
DL2GRC New 628
FG8OJ 513 531
VU2LBW 400 513
KB1HY 427 457
KC3KOP New 439
AC9DX 332 427
N8MR 377 425
WB7QXU 325 400
DL6KBG 250 331
XE1UYS 126 327
JH0BBE 226 314
LU3FCA 101 310
AA0MZ 263 276
LU4FTA 223 268
IK7FMQ 190 254
W7YED 163 254
PA7RA 224 242
JG6CDH New 235
DL8GAM 186 220
JH8FIH New 214
JA1GZK 150 205
AG7NR 101 200
IK3ITB 100 200
JL1SAM New 200
IK8YTA 106 162
JG2TSL New 157
JS2GGD 101 157
SP5ULN New 156
JE1TNL New 150
PY2YJ New 150
JO4JKL New 135
KE8RPJ 100 125
IK0WRB New 123
XE1EVP New 123
N6PAZ 100 110
JA1QJI New 109
KB9DAK New 108
N1QDQ New 107
JI5USJ New 104
JE3HCZ New 103
NY1V New 102
4Z1JJ New 100
DH1OK New 100
N9BX New 100
VA7TF New 100
Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
4Z1JJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from Israel and KM71
JG6CDH is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM43
JI5USJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM64
JO4JKL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM65
JG2TSL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM94
JH8FIH is first VUCC Satellite holder from QN14
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, 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/
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙
New Satellite Distance Records
A number of new distance records via satellite have been claimed over the
past couple of months. First is the massively popular new MEO satellite
IO-117. Burt DeMarcq, FG8OJ, worked Shigenori Nasu, JH8FIH, on November 25,
2022 at 08:22 UTC. The distance between FG8OJ in FK96hg63 in Guadeloupe and
JH8FIH in QN14qi16 in Japan is 12,823 km.
Note that for future claims of IO-117, only live QSOs may be counted and
not those completed over multiple orbits using the satellite's delayed
messaging capabilities.
A new distance record was also claimed via the QO-100 geostationary
satellite. PT9AL in GG27os in Brazil worked XW4KV in Laos OK27jj on
December 10, 2022 at 14:41 UTC. The distance between the two stations is
17,834 km, eclipsing the previous record held by PR8KW and YC5YC of 17,378
km.
Finally, FO-118, launched in December is a LEO satellite carrying three
transponders. Familiar faces for the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records have
claimed the initial record on all three transponders - the V/u FM
transponder, the V/u linear transponder, and the H/u linear transponder (15
meter uplink). F4DXV and VE1CWJ completed transatlantic QSOs on all three
transponders. On January 6, 2023 at 04:15 UTC, they completed a QSO via the
V/u FM transponder and then switched over to the V/u linear transponder to
complete a QSO there one minute later. VE1CWJ was in FN85do83sg and F4DXV
was in JN04js20pr. They completed the sweep of all three transponders on
January 30, 2023, when they completed a QSO via the H/u linear transponder
at 17:16 UTC. VE1CWJ was in the same location while F4DXV was in JN04it22nt
for this QSO, for a distance of 4,908 km.
Anyone who wants to claim a distance record via an amateur satellite should
check the current list at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/
and email n8hm at arrl.net if they complete a new record distance. Audio
and/or video of the QSO is encouraged but not required.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, 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
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
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Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 2, 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/
AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education
Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of
Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to
investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from
www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files.
The team determined that AMSAT's processing is not robust in the face of
minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF's 18th
Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not
always include the leading zero in AO-7's object number "07530". The
official report from the team's leader : "My grandma would say that AMSAT's
software is just a little too persnickety". A member of the tiger team
agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th
SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1st, meanwhile
manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files.
There were no changes to the February 2, 2023 distribution.
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, and Joe
Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT, 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:
Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSĆ ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina
Contact is go for Sun 2023-02-05 14:25 UTC (***)
Cache County School District, Millville, UT, direct via W7IVM
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH
Contact is go for: Tue 2023-02-07 18:45:54 UTC 32 deg
Colegio Diocesano Santa MarĆa Nuestra SeƱora, Ɖcija, Spain,
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 Josh Cassada KI5CRH
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-02-08 10:13:59 UTC 74 deg
Starting about 15 minutes before AOS, watch for Livestream at
http://www.ariotti.com/
Special thanks to our ARISS telebridge ground stations. Approximately 38%
of the ARISS school contacts are handled by the ARISS telebridge stations.
Thanks to following stations: AB1OC, IK1SLD, K6DUE, NA7V, ON4ISS, VK4ISS,
VK4KHZ, VK5ZAI, VK6MJ, and ZS6JON.
The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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.
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 startń.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end hours
Workday end to Sleepņ hours
Sleep to wakeupų.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 donā€™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) ā€“ STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cr
oss band
repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
*Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30
UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC.
*Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about
18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00.
*Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about
18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC.
*Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD .
ON Feb 13 about TBD.
*Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice
repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) ā€“ STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo pac
ket
operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
*Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30
UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC.
*Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about
18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00.
*Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about
18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC.
*Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD .
ON Feb 13 about 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
JD1YCC ( G-G HAM Club ) is planning to activate EME operation on
2m/70cm/23cm band at Ogasawara chichi island(JD1/O) from Feb.07 to Feb.13
2023. They plan to QRV on GREENCUBE/IO-117 also (EME) at Moon time. Op will
be JJ3JHP/JD1BQD Hiro.
[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.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations
scheduled, most notable is Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Clint can be
reached at: (909) 999-7287 or an email link at
https://www.work-sat.com/contact.html.
2023 HamCation(r)Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Convention.
Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, will present "Shaping the Amateur
Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow" at 2:00PM - 3:00PM EST Saturday,
February 11 in the OS Pavillion. HamCation will be held at Central Florida
Fairgrounds and Expo Park, Orlando, FL, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
February 10-12, 2023
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The FO-99 operation schedule for February is available at
https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p 79 (Thanks to JAMSAT for this information)
+ A volunteer is being sought to take over the Gridmaster Heat Map on
Twitter. Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to ā€ retireā
€¯ from the
project that he has moderated there for the past three years. Paul has
assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and
keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps
forward, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for
your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn,
KE0PBR, for this information)
+ A while ago, perhaps almost two years ago, I modified the LVBTracker
firmware in my Fox Delta ST2-USB so that it would allow for more
calibration points than just the min and max for azimuth. I had added a
remote-control option to an old Yaesu G-450XL, but the output voltage was
very non-linear, which led to terrible aiming of the antennas. With the
mods I made to the firmware it now allows me to calibrate the controller at
0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees and aiming is now rather accurate. I wrote
about it here:
https://thehamlab.com/2023/02/02/fox-delta-st2-lvbtracker-calibration-mods/
If you feel this could be useful for you, the source code for the project
can be found on GitHub:
https://github.com/TheHamLab/LVBTracker.KR1ST
(Thanks KR1ST for this information)
+ SuitSat-1 (AMSAT-OSCAR 54) deployed from the ISS 17 years ago February
3rd. It played voice messages in languages recorded by the ARISS partners
and students from around the globe. It also sent telemetry data. It was
lost 15 days later. SuitSat came back to life in a 2021 short horror film!
If you'd like to watch the Sci-Fi Horror short film "Decommissioned" based
on the ARISS SuitSat, it can be found on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v˙tpdvfbTjA (Thanks ARISS 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
-----------------------------------------------------------
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ANS-036
In this edition:
* AO-95 QRT
* VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023
* New Satellite Distance Records
* 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-036 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 Feb 05
AO-95 QRT
After a lingering illness of the battery, AO-95 passed away peacefully on
December 23rd. While a miraculous return is always possible, it is not
expected.
AO-95, known prior to launch as Fox-1Cliff to commemorate amateur satellite
pioneer Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR, who became a silent key in 2007, launched
on December 3, 2018 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenburg Air Force Base.
Shortly after deployment, the AMSAT Engineering team received nominal
telemetry data from the satellite, but upon the first attempts at
commanding, it was discovered that the receiver had failed for unknown
reasons. Still, the satellite provided an easy to receive beacon and
telemetry data for over four years before the NiCd batteries failed.
[ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, AMSAT Fox Operations Team, and 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!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
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VUCC Satellite Standings as of February 1, 2023
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for January 01, 2023 to
February 01, 2023.
K8DP 1350 1425
WC7V 1256 1303
MI6GTY 579 970
KF7R 925
N3GS 796 873
NS3L 725 785
K9UO 750 777
KE8RJU 650 725
WD9EWK (DM43) 715 720
KN2K 654 701
F4BKV 600 700
VE6WK 564 700
W8LR 667 687
EA2AA 643 653
XE1L 639
KC1MMC 532 629
DL2GRC New 628
FG8OJ 513 531
VU2LBW 400 513
KB1HY 427 457
KC3KOP New 439
AC9DX 332 427
N8MR 377 425
WB7QXU 325 400
DL6KBG 250 331
XE1UYS 126 327
JH0BBE 226 314
LU3FCA 101 310
AA0MZ 263 276
LU4FTA 223 268
IK7FMQ 190 254
W7YED 163 254
PA7RA 224 242
JG6CDH New 235
DL8GAM 186 220
JH8FIH New 214
JA1GZK 150 205
AG7NR 101 200
IK3ITB 100 200
JL1SAM New 200
IK8YTA 106 162
JG2TSL New 157
JS2GGD 101 157
SP5ULN New 156
JE1TNL New 150
PY2YJ New 150
JO4JKL New 135
KE8RPJ 100 125
IK0WRB New 123
XE1EVP New 123
N6PAZ 100 110
JA1QJI New 109
KB9DAK New 108
N1QDQ New 107
JI5USJ New 104
JE3HCZ New 103
NY1V New 102
4Z1JJ New 100
DH1OK New 100
N9BX New 100
VA7TF New 100
Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.
4Z1JJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from Israel and KM71
JG6CDH is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM43
JI5USJ is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM64
JO4JKL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM65
JG2TSL is first VUCC Satellite holder from PM94
JH8FIH is first VUCC Satellite holder from QN14
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙
Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙
New Satellite Distance Records
A number of new distance records via satellite have been claimed over the
past couple of months. First is the massively popular new MEO satellite
IO-117. Burt DeMarcq, FG8OJ, worked Shigenori Nasu, JH8FIH, on November 25,
2022 at 08:22 UTC. The distance between FG8OJ in FK96hg63 in Guadeloupe and
JH8FIH in QN14qi16 in Japan is 12,823 km.
Note that for future claims of IO-117, only live QSOs may be counted and
not those completed over multiple orbits using the satellite's delayed
messaging capabilities.
A new distance record was also claimed via the QO-100 geostationary
satellite. PT9AL in GG27os in Brazil worked XW4KV in Laos OK27jj on
December 10, 2022 at 14:41 UTC. The distance between the two stations is
17,834 km, eclipsing the previous record held by PR8KW and YC5YC of 17,378
km.
Finally, FO-118, launched in December is a LEO satellite carrying three
transponders. Familiar faces for the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records have
claimed the initial record on all three transponders - the V/u FM
transponder, the V/u linear transponder, and the H/u linear transponder (15
meter uplink). F4DXV and VE1CWJ completed transatlantic QSOs on all three
transponders. On January 6, 2023 at 04:15 UTC, they completed a QSO via the
V/u FM transponder and then switched over to the V/u linear transponder to
complete a QSO there one minute later. VE1CWJ was in FN85do83sg and F4DXV
was in JN04js20pr. They completed the sweep of all three transponders on
January 30, 2023, when they completed a QSO via the H/u linear transponder
at 17:16 UTC. VE1CWJ was in the same location while F4DXV was in JN04it22nt
for this QSO, for a distance of 4,908 km.
Anyone who wants to claim a distance record via an amateur satellite should
check the current list at https://www.amsat.org/satellite-distance-records/
and email n8hm at arrl.net if they complete a new record distance. Audio
and/or video of the QSO is encouraged but not required.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, 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
+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+
˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙+˙
Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 2, 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/
AMSAT IT, in conjunction with the New England Sci-Tech STEM Education
Center assembled a tiger team of software experts from the Olin College of
Engineering, Boston Latin School and the Wilson Middle School to
investigate the recent disappearance of AO-7 from
www.amsat.org/tle/current/dailytle.txt and the legacy naasbare.txt files.
The team determined that AMSAT's processing is not robust in the face of
minor format differences in the source data received from the USSF's 18th
Space Defense Squadron. Specifically, the TLE data provided does not
always include the leading zero in AO-7's object number "07530". The
official report from the team's leader : "My grandma would say that AMSAT's
software is just a little too persnickety". A member of the tiger team
agreed to adjust the update script to account for the vagaries of the 18th
SDS data. A production quality fix is expected by March 1st, meanwhile
manual monitoring and updates will keep AO-7 in the files.
There were no changes to the February 2, 2023 distribution.
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, and Joe
Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT IT, for the above information]
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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:
Dinskaya, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSĆ ISS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina
Contact is go for Sun 2023-02-05 14:25 UTC (***)
Cache County School District, Millville, UT, direct via W7IVM
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada KI5CRH
Contact is go for: Tue 2023-02-07 18:45:54 UTC 32 deg
Colegio Diocesano Santa MarĆa Nuestra SeƱora, Ɖcija, Spain,
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 Josh Cassada KI5CRH
Contact is go for: Wed 2023-02-08 10:13:59 UTC 74 deg
Starting about 15 minutes before AOS, watch for Livestream at
http://www.ariotti.com/
Special thanks to our ARISS telebridge ground stations. Approximately 38%
of the ARISS school contacts are handled by the ARISS telebridge stations.
Thanks to following stations: AB1OC, IK1SLD, K6DUE, NA7V, ON4ISS, VK4ISS,
VK4KHZ, VK5ZAI, VK6MJ, and ZS6JON.
The crossband repeater continues to be active. 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.
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 startń.5 hours
Workday start to Workday end hours
Workday end to Sleepņ hours
Sleep to wakeupų.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 donā€™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) ā€“ STATUS - Configured. Default mode is for cr
oss band
repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down).
*Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30
UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC.
*Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about
18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00.
*Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about
18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC.
*Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD .
ON Feb 13 about TBD.
*Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice
repeater ops.
Service Module radios:
IORS (Kenwood D710GA) ā€“ STATUS - Configured. Default mode is fo pac
ket
operations (145.825 MHz up & down)
*Powering off for Progress 81 undock on February 7. OFF Feb 6 about 14:30
UTC. ON Feb 7 about 08:35 UTC.
*Powering off for Progress 83 docking on February 11. OFF Feb 10 about
18:55 UTC. ON Feb 12 about 14:00.
*Powering off for Progress 82 undock on February 18. OFF Feb 17 about
18:25UTC. ON Feb 18 about 11:45 UTC.
*Powering off for Soyuz 69 docking on February 22. OFF Feb 21 about TBD .
ON Feb 13 about 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]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
JD1YCC ( G-G HAM Club ) is planning to activate EME operation on
2m/70cm/23cm band at Ogasawara chichi island(JD1/O) from Feb.07 to Feb.13
2023. They plan to QRV on GREENCUBE/IO-117 also (EME) at Moon time. Op will
be JJ3JHP/JD1BQD Hiro.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above
information]
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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 Clint Bradford K6LCS has a few satellite presentations
scheduled, most notable is Thames Valley, England (5/11/23) Clint can be
reached at: (909) 999-7287 or an email link at
https://www.work-sat.com/contact.html.
2023 HamCation(r)Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Convention.
Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, will present "Shaping the Amateur
Radio Satellite World of Tomorrow" at 2:00PM - 3:00PM EST Saturday,
February 11 in the OS Pavillion. HamCation will be held at Central Florida
Fairgrounds and Expo Park, Orlando, FL, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
February 10-12, 2023
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above
information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ The FO-99 operation schedule for February is available at
https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p 79 (Thanks to JAMSAT for this information)
+ A volunteer is being sought to take over the Gridmaster Heat Map on
Twitter. Paul Overn, KE0PBR, has announced his intent to ā€ retireā
€¯ from the
project that he has moderated there for the past three years. Paul has
assisted many grid chasers by relaying information about rovers, and
keeping tabs of which grids are in greatest need. Unless someone steps
forward, Gridmaster Heat Map will disappear next month. Thanks to Paul for
your valuable contribution to satellite operations! (ANS thanks Paul Overn,
KE0PBR, for this information)
+ A while ago, perhaps almost two years ago, I modified the LVBTracker
firmware in my Fox Delta ST2-USB so that it would allow for more
calibration points than just the min and max for azimuth. I had added a
remote-control option to an old Yaesu G-450XL, but the output voltage was
very non-linear, which led to terrible aiming of the antennas. With the
mods I made to the firmware it now allows me to calibrate the controller at
0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees and aiming is now rather accurate. I wrote
about it here:
https://thehamlab.com/2023/02/02/fox-delta-st2-lvbtracker-calibration-mods/
If you feel this could be useful for you, the source code for the project
can be found on GitHub:
https://github.com/TheHamLab/LVBTracker.KR1ST
(Thanks KR1ST for this information)
+ SuitSat-1 (AMSAT-OSCAR 54) deployed from the ISS 17 years ago February
3rd. It played voice messages in languages recorded by the ARISS partners
and students from around the globe. It also sent telemetry data. It was
lost 15 days later. SuitSat came back to life in a 2021 short horror film!
If you'd like to watch the Sci-Fi Horror short film "Decommissioned" based
on the ARISS SuitSat, it can be found on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v˙tpdvfbTjA (Thanks ARISS for this
information)
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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
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