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:
* SMOG-P and ATL-1 Designated Magyar-OSCAR 105 (MO-105) and Magyar-OSCAR 106 (MO-106)
* CAMSAT CAS-6 Satellite Launched
* FCC
Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3-GHz Band, Invites Comments
* FCC Considers NPRM for 5.9 GHz Band Rules
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE
Distribution for December 19, 2019
* AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate
Intra-Satellite Communication
* AMSAT CW Day, January 1, 2020 is Just Ahead!
* ESA's OPS-SAT Flying Laboratory Launched
* AMSAT-LU - Dec-15 AMSAT-LU
NEMO-1 Buoy Report
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* ARISS News
*
Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-356.01
ANS-356
AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin
356.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
December 22, 2019
To All RADIO
AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-356.01
SMOG-P and ATL-1 Designated Magyar-OSCAR
105 (MO-105) and
Magyar-OSCAR 106 (MO-106)
On December 6, 2019, the
Technical University of Budapest SMOG-P and
ATL-1 PocketQubes were launched
on an Electron launch vehicle from
the Mahia Launch Complex in New Zealand.
SMOG-P and ATL-1 were
developed as part of the university curriculum and
operated in
cooperation with the HA5MRC Technical University amateur radio
club.
The satellites carry spectrum monitoring payloads and are currently
active.
At the request of the Technical University of Budapest, AMSAT
hereby
designates SMOG-P as Magyar-OSCAR 105 (MO-105), and ATL-1 as
Magyar-OSCAR 106 (MO-106). AMSAT congratulates the owners and
operators,
thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite
community, and
wish them a long mission and continued success on this
and future
projects.
[ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP Operations /
OSCAR
Number Administrator 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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CAMSAT
CAS-6 Satellite Launched
CAMSAT's amateur radio payload CAS-6 piggybacked
on a technology test
satellite TIANQIN-1 was successfully launched on
December 20, 2019
at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center of China using a
CZ-4B launch
vehicle. The primary payload of this launch is China-Brazil
Earth
Resources Satellite CBERS-4A. Specifications for the satellite are
as follows:
- Satellite Name: CAS-6/TIANQIN-1
- Orbit type: SSO
- Apogee: 629km
- Inclination: 97.89 degrees
- Period: 97 minutes
- Satellite Architecture: Micro-satellite
- Mass: 35kg
-
Stabilization: three-axis stabilization system
- Amateur Radio Call sign:
BJ1SO
- VHF Antenna: one 1/4 wavelength monopole antenna
- UHF Antenna:
one 1/4 wavelength monopole antenna
- CW Telemetry Beacon: 145.910MHz 17dBm
- AX.25 4.8k Baud GMSK Telemetry: 145.890MHz 20dBm
- U/V Linear
Transponder Downlink: 145.925MHz 20dBm
- U/V Linear Transponder Uplink:
435.280MHz
- U/V Linear Transponder Bandwith: 20kHz bandwidth, Inverted
The satellite is currently in orbit testing, the amateur radio
payload is expected to be operational in about three days.
[ANS
thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU for the above
information.]
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FCC
Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3-GHz Band,
Invites
Comments
At its December 12 meeting, the FCC formally adopted a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348 and invited comments
on
its plan to remove “existing non-federal secondary radiolocation
and amateur
allocations” in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band and relocate
incumbent non-federal
operations. The FCC said it’s seeking comment
on appropriate “transition
mechanisms” to make that happen. ARRL has
indicated that it will file
comments in opposition to the proposal.
The amateur 9-meter allocation is
3.3 – 3.5 GHz. The NPRM comes in
response to the MOBILE NOW [Making
Opportunities for Broadband
Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless
Obstacles to Wireless]
Act, approved by the 115th Congress to make available
new spectrum
for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use.
“By
proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary
allocations from the
3.3 – 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important
initial step towards
satisfying Congress’s directives and making as
much as 250 megahertz of
spectrum potentially available for advanced
wireless services, including
5G,” the FCC said in the Introduction to
its NPRM.
Currently, the
entire 3.1 – 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both
federal and non-federal
radiolocation services, with non-federal
users operating on a secondary
basis to federal radiolocation
services, which have a primary allocation,
the NPRM explains.
The FCC said it is seeking comment on relocating
non-federal
licensees to another band. With respect to amateur operations,
the
FCC invited comments on whether sufficient amateur spectrum exists in
other bands that can support the operations currently conducted at
3.3 –
3.5 GHz. The 3.40 – 3.41 GHz segment is earmarked for amateur
satellite
communication. “We seek comment on the extent to which the
band is used for
this purpose, whether existing satellites can operate
on other amateur
satellite bands, and on an appropriate timeframe
for terminating these
operations in this band,” the FCC said. If
non-federal licensees are
relocated to 3.1 – 3.3 GHz band, the FCC
proposes that they continue to
operate on a secondary basis to
federal operations, consistent with current
band allocations.
Some comments began to arrive before the FCC formally
adopted the
NPRM, as it points out in a footnote. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the
secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in
Colorado,
has argued that the club’s equipment cannot be re-channeled
below 3.4 GHz,
and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin
Ulibarri, W7ND, told the FCC
that amateur networks in the current
band cannot move easily into other
amateur allocations because there
is no readily available commercial
equipment to support the
bandwidth, the FCC recounted.
In the event
the proposed amendments are adopted, the FCC “seeks
comment on relocation
options and on transition and protection
mechanisms for incumbent
non-federal operations.”
[ANS thanks the ARRL 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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FCC
Considers NPRM for 5.9 GHz Band Rules
Also at its December 12 meeting,
the FCC considered another NPRM in
WT Docket 19-138 that would “take a fresh
and comprehensive look” at
the rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among
other things, to
make the lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed
operations
and to permit “cellular vehicle-to-everything” (C-V2X) operations
in
the upper 20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or
otherwise amend the amateur allocation, which would continue as a
secondary allocation.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network
(AREDN) has offered its
voice in challenging the FCC proposals on the two
bands, saying their
adoption would “eliminate our use of the most-effective
resource hams
have to build its networks.”
“The AREDN Project is able
to leverage low-cost commercial devices
solely because they are designed to
operate on adjacent allocations,”
AREDN said on its website. “Moving to
other allocations would be
difficult if not impossible without a complete
redesign, manufacture,
purchase, and installation of new custom amateur
hardware and
software…, raising the price out of reach for the typical
ham.”
Interested parties may file short comments on WT Docket 19-348 via
the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing Service (Express). Visit the FCC
“How to Comment on FCC Proceedings” page for information on filing
extended comments.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above
information.]
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Changes
to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 19, 2019
The following Amateur
Radio satellites have been added to this
week's TLE distribution:
ATL
1 - NORAD CAT ID 44830 (Rocket Lab launch, 12/06/2019).
TRSI-Sat - NORAD CAT
ID 44831 (Rocket Lab launch, 12/06/2019).
Duchifat 3 - NORAD CAT ID 44854
(ISRO launch, 12/11/2019).
OPS-SAT - NORAD CAT ID 44878 (ESA launch,
12/18/2019).
Thanks to Nico Janseen, PA0DLO, for satellite
identifications.
Note:
1. Duchifat 3 is being used as the TLE name.
Duchifat 3 is the name
used by the students who built it, per the university
website.
2. TRSI-Sat is not transmitting at the present time. TLEs will be
provided until it is determined that it has failed.
[ANS thanks Ray
Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for
the above
information.]
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AztechSat-1
CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication
The AztechSat-1
CubeSat, which traveled to the International Space
Station (ISS) last weekend
on the 19th Space-X Commercial Resupply
Services (CRS-19) mission for NASA,
will listen for emergency
messages in the 439 MHz range and retransmit them
for amateur radio
operators to copy on the 437.300 MHz downlink using the
Winlink
protocol, once the CubeSat has been placed into orbit. The satellite
is a project of Mexico's Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de
Puebla (UPAEP). Aztechsat-1 is set for deployment from the
International Space Station in late January.
"The primary objective
of the project is to establish communication
with the commercial GlobalStar
satellites in order to improve data
transmission to Earth," a UPAEP news
release said. AztechSat-1 will
create a saturation map of 435 - 438 MHz by
listening for the whole
orbit and returning captured data to the ground
station on the
437.300 MHz amateur radio downlink (9k6 GMSK or FSK) plus a
1600-MHz
Global-Star link. Emergency messages received via Globalstar to the
AztechSat-1 ground station will be shared on the project's website.
A certificate will be available for amateur stations receiving the
emergency message(s) and reporting these for confirmation by the
AztechSat-1 team.
Details are on the AztechSat-1 website and on the
IARU Amateur Radio
Satellite Communication page.
The project is part
of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, which
offers universities, high schools
and non-profit organizations the
opportunity to fly small satellites.
"Innovative technology
partnerships keep down the cost, providing students a
way to obtain
hands-on experience developing flight hardware," a NASA report
said.
NASA explained, "The investigation demonstrates communication
within
a satellite network in low-Earth orbit. Such intra-satellite
communication could reduce the need for ground stations, lowering
the
cost and increasing the number of data downloads possible for
satellite
applications."
[ANS thanks ARRL 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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AMSAT
CW Day, January 1, 2020 is Just Ahead!
You are cordially invited to take
part in AMSAT CW Activity Day 2020
sponsored by AMSAT for all radio amateurs
throughout the world. The
2020 event will be held in memory of Larry Brown,
W7LB, and
Keith Pugh, W5IU. Among their many contributions to AMSAT, they
were
the AMSAT 20-meter net for many years.
Participation is easy.
Just operate CW through any Amateur Radio
satellite on 1 January 2020. Use
of straight keys or bugs is
encouraged but not required. If you use AO-7,
please observe the QRP
rules currently in effect for that 45-year-old
satellite. May it be
with us for many years to come!
[ANS thanks
Raphael Soifer, W2RS, AMSAT Senior Advisor for the
above
information.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ESA's
OPS-SAT Flying Laboratory Launched
On December 18 2019 ESA launched a
first-of-its-kind space laboratory,
OPS-SAT. The satellite lifted off
from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou,
French Guiana aboard a Soyuz-Fregat
rocket. The small, low-cost,
test satellite has been specifically designed
for operational
experimentation in space, and includes the most powerful
flight
computer on-board any current ESA spacecraft.
Consumer
electronics have gone through a revolution over the last 30
years with
computers becoming ever faster, smaller and better. But
when it comes to
million- or even billion-euro satellites, their
on-board hardware and
software have not seen this revolution due to
the risk of testing new
technology in flight.
As spacecraft managers dare to fly only
tried-and-tested hard and
software in the harsh conditions of space,
innovation on the
operational side of satellites is a very slow-moving
process. This is
where OPS-SAT steps in, bringing down the barriers to
spacecraft
operations it provides a chance to safely test out new mission
control techniques.
Anyone can apply to become an 'experimenter' and
test their
innovative software and new mission operations techniques in
space.
OP-SAT provides technology for future missions and paves the way for
satellites to further evolve with minimum risk. Complete information
is
available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-356-OPS-SAT.
[ANS
thanks the European Space Agency for the above
information.]
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AMSAT-LU
- Dec-15 AMSAT-LU NEMO-1 Buoy Report
On Tuesday 10-Dec at 5AM in the Port
of Mar del Plata, Argentina, an
AMSAT-LU team started the Buoy NEMO-1
operation.
There were LU1ESY and LU3ATZ (land-sea communications), and
embarked
on the ship 'Porteño' LU1DCX, LU2AOP, LU6EI and LU4BMG. Photo:
http://amsat.org.ar/nemolanz.jpg
Communications
were made thru the 'Repelata' (RepeCan), an effective
FM VU repeater made by
LU9ATJ, that was raised at 450m height by a
captive balloon on the
coast.
El Porteño sailed 70 km offshore, finding severe sea conditions
and
impressive waves. However, NEMO-1 was active and between 0800 and
0900 hours there were WSPR reports from 14 stations around the
world.
LU3DEI W4DZC LU1KCQ OE5FGL DP0GVN PY1EME PY2GN ZL1RS ZL1ROT DK8FT
OE9GHV DK0ABT IW2NKE ZL2005.
Later, a ship maneuver, hit the buoy
damaging one of the solar
panels. The AMSAT team, helped by ship personnel,
recovered the buoy
and boarded it on board. After checking the damage, it
was decided
to abort the mission.
NEMO-1 returned home and is in
Buenos Aires for repairs, spare parts
and
reinforcements.
Conversations have already been established in Mar del
Plata to,
once the work is finished, repeat and conclude this
adventure.
AMSAT thanks the 'NEMO Group', the more than 119 people who
helped
realize this dream http://amsat.org.ar/certboyae.htm
and the
Menendez Beety family, who selflessly facilitated accommodation in
their house in Mar del Plata.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-LU for the above
information.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming
Satellite Operations
Shorts:
- Dec 27-30 EM90 N4DCW – vacation style
(Twitter: @MWimages)
- Dec 27-30 EL86 K4WPX FM
- Dec 30 EM94 (overnight)
– vacation style (Twitter: @MWimages)
- Dec 30-Jan 01 EL87/88 K4WPX
FM
- PNW (CN90, CM99, DM09, DN00, DN10, DN20, DN22, DN13, DN23)
December 20-23, 2019
Casey, KI7UNJ, is about to embark on 9-grid roving
trip through the
Pacific Northwest. FM & Linears. Pass schedules
posted at
https://twitter.com/KI7UNJ/status/1206626476377772032?s=20.
Be sure
to watch Casey’s Twitter feed for further updates.
- Hawaii
(BK19, BK28, BK29, BL20) December 21-28, 2019
Alex, N7AGF, is heading back to
Hawaii over Christmas. This will be a
holiday-style activation, with special
emphasis on the grid that got
away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter
feed for further
announcements: https://twitter.com/N7AGF
- NW Iowa
XMAS Rove (EN12, EN13, EN22, EN23) December 23-24, 2019
Mitch, AD0HJ, will be
visiting his parents in Iowa for Christmas.
While there, Mitch will take an
extra day to put some Northwest Iowa
grids on the air. For a full pass
schedule, check
https://twitter.com/AD0HJ/status/1207099665465978880.
As always,
keep an eye on Mitch’s Twitter feed for further announcements at
https://twitter.com/AD0HJ
-
Mississippi River Delta (EL58) January 4, 2019.
Ron AD0DX, Brian KG5GJT, and
Robert KE4AL will operate as W5M/mm from
the mouth of the Mississippi River
(EL58) on January 4th. This will
be a 6-hour activation from approximately
1430z to 2030z, on FM and
linear satellites. Further information will be
posted as it comes
available.
- Labrador (GO11 +) January 19-27,
2019
Chris VE3FU, Dave VE9CB, and Frank VO1HP will be active as VO2AC in
the 2020 CQ160 CW contest, January 24-26, from Point Armour
Lighthouse,
in Labrador. If time permits before the contest, they may
be active on FM
satellites from GO11 as VO2AC or VO2AAA. Depending
on weather and timing of
passes, you might catch them on FM
satellites as they make their way from
FO93 to GO-11, passing through
FO92, GO02, GO13, GO12, and GO22 along the
way, but no promises. They
will also make the reverse trek on January
27.
- Big Bend National Park (DL88) March 16-17, 2020
Ron AD0DX, Doug
N6UA, and Josh W3ARD will operate from Big Bend
National Park to put grid
DL88 on the air. Details will be added
here, as they come available, but
you are more than welcome to keep
an eye on their individual Twitter feeds:
https://twitter.com/ad0dx,
https://twitter.com/dtabor, and https://twitter.com/W3ARDstroke5
Please
submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org
[ANS thanks
Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above
information.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS
News
No school contacts will be scheduled until 2020.
[ANS thanks
Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above
information.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Shorts
from All Over
* Your AmazonSmile Purchases Matter!
AMSAT recently
received a quarterly donation of $369.69 thanks to
customers shopping at
smile.amazon.com. To date, AmazonSmile has
donated a total of $4,563.90 to
AMSAT.
The next time you buy that new radio, toaster, socks, or anything
for
that matter, make sure you've name AMSAT at the beneficiary for your
AmazonSmile purchases!
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, AMSAT Executive
Vice President for the
above information.]
* Ham Radio Day Aboard the
Queen Mary May 2019 Pictures Online
In case you didn't work W6RO aboard
the Queen Mary in Long Island,
California, you can still see pictures of the
day's festivities on
the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach Facebook
page. Enjoy the
fun at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-356-W6RO
[ANS thanks the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach 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
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