Saturday, November 30, 2019

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-335

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation 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 commun-
icating 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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

* AMSAT Fox Leaderboard Will Show Monthly Leaders
* AMSAT Will Be at Superstition Superfest Hamfest
* Electron Booster on the Pad for Rocket Lab’s 10th Mission
* FCC Seeks to Clear Radio Amateurs Out of 3.4 GHz
* WRC-19 Final Report: Small Satellites and the 1240-1300 MHz Band
* AMSAT Auction Celebrating 45th Birthday of AO-7 Raises $480
* Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Satellite Shorts From All Over


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-335.01
ANS-335 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 335.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2019 Dec 01
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-335.01

AMSAT Fox Leaderboard Will Show Monthly Leaders

Starting from Nov. 26, the AMSAT Fox Telemetry leaderboard will now
show MONTHLY totals. The top stations will be those that have submit-
ted the most telemetry in the last 30 days. The old style leaderboard
can be accessed by clicking "All-time Leaderboard" to see totals since
the launch of Fox-1A. To see more than the top 10 stations, click on
"Show all ground stations" to see everyone.

The leaderboard has also been updated to show PSK frames decoded along-
side FSK frames. DUV and Highspeed are both counted but are not shown
separately on the totals page.

HuskySat-1 is now at the ISS on the Cygnus. We expect it to be boosted
to its target orbit in the new year. It will transmit BPSK telemetry
continuously on 70cm, so dig out that 435Mhz antenna and make sure it
works! Fox-1E will follow in the (hopefully near) future and will also
transmit PSK on 70cm.

As with previous spacecraft, the telemetry collected is sent to our
University Partners who fly experiments and help make these missions
possible. Please collect and forward telemetry if you can.

The link to the leaderboard is: https://www.amsat.org/tlm/

If there are questions, contact Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ via email:
g0kla arrl.net

(ANS thanks Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ for the above information)

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          The digital download version of the 2019 edition of
     Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a
        DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store.  Get yours today!
           https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started

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AMSAT Will Be at Superstition Superfest Hamfest

AMSAT will be at the Superstition Amateur Radio Club's "Superstition
Superfest" hamfest on the morning of Saturday, December 7, 2019. The
hamfest will be in the southwest parking lot of Mesa Community College,
located on the east side of Dobson Road between Southern Avenue and
US-60 exit 177 in Mesa, Arizona. More information about the hamfest is
available at: http://superstitionsuperfest.org/

WD9EWK will be on the satellites during the hamfest, demonstrating
satellite operating. If you hear WD9EWK on a pass that morning, please
call and be a part of a demonstration. The hamfest site is in grid
DM43, in Arizona's Maricopa County. QSOs made during the hamfest will
be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and QSL cards are available on
request (please e-mail WD9EWK directly at patrick wd9ewk.net with
the QSO details).

[ANS thanks Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, for the above information]

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Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA

Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA's Required
Minimum Distribution for 2019? Consider making a donation to AMSAT!

Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals
over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000
per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without
increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or
accountant to make certain you are eligible.

AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific
organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and
operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to
encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT's federal tax ID
is 52-0888529.

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Electron Booster on the Pad for Rocket Lab’s 10th Mission

Rocket Lab has announced that its next mission will launch multiple
microsatellites in a rideshare mission representing five different
countries. The launch window for Rocket Lab’s tenth flight, will open
November 25, New Zealand time, and take place from Rocket Lab Launch
Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.

Onboard this rideshare mission are six spacecraft comprised of 5cm
PocketQube microsatellites from satellite manufacturer and mission
management provider Alba Orbital. Two of these satellites include
downlinks in the UHF amateur radio band.

TRSI is a PocketQube for technology demostration. Its main objective
is to show which functionality can be achieved with dimensions of
5cm x 5cm x 5cm. It carries two experiments that are connected to
the amateur-satellite service.

+ First is a waterfall experiment which will show an image in the
  waterfall diagram by hopping the frequency within its transmission
  band (image-type beacon).

+ The second experiment is to analyze RF reception capabilities from
  LEO with a novel detector receiver and a small patch antenna. It
  was designed to test if small satellite receivers which don´t need
  deployable antennas are feasible. The received signal´s envelope
  will be sampled and forwarded using UHF in MFSK for signal ana-
  lysis. During the experiment phase the satellite will also perform
  as an amateur CW repeater, providing additional RX strength indi-
  cation; eg. CW morse signals will be re-sent in MFSK, showing the
  RX amplitude in dBm. A downlink on 437.075 MHz has been coordinated.

IARU Frequency Coordination information has been posted at:
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=649

FossaSat-1 PocketQube by AMSAT-EA which has a 5x5x5cm structure and
a total mass of 250 grams. Radio link testing features a new experi-
mental RF chirp modulation called LoRa which greatly improves the link
budget reducing the power consumed and reduces the cost of receivers.

The output power from the transmitter required for the correct recep-
tion during a pass is also very low at well under 100mW, being spread
spectrum at such low power it poses no interference risk. It operates
at a considerable level below the noise level of other systems and
would cause no interference to weak narrowband signals.

Students & amateurs will be able to receive telemetry from the satel-
lite with inexpensive hardware, expanding & promoting the amateur sat-
ellite community with youth. Uplink challenges will also be carried
out with rewards for amateurs.

The mission is completely open source with all information regarding
the design of the satellite & how to decode its information clearly
laid out & hosted by AMSAT-EA. The site will provide decoding soft-
ware for SDR use in order to allow anyone to decode LoRa using common
existing hardware & host software for users to submit telemetry data,
making all data public and rewarding users with certificates & awards.
The UHF downlink plans on using FSK RTTY 45 BAUD ITA2, 100mW 183hz
Shift and LoRa 125kHz, Chirp Spread Spectrum Modulation, 180 bps,
100mW. A downlink on 436.700 MHz has been coordinated.

IARU Frequency Coordination information has been posted at:
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=652

A commercial payload on board is ALE-2 from a Tokyo-based company
creating microsatellites that simulate meteor particles. See
http://star-ale.com/en/news/317/2019/01/04/ for more information.

Rocket Labs mission web page can be found at:
https://tinyurl.com/y672rjj5

[ANS thanks Rocket Labs, IARU, AMSAT-EA, TRSI, and Alba Orbital
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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FCC Seeks to Clear Radio Amateurs Out of 3.4 GHz

At its December 12 open meeting, the FCC will consider adopting a No-
tice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes to remove the amateur
radio 9-centimeter allocation at 3.3 – 3.5 GHz. ARRL plans to comment
in opposition to the proposed action. According to an FCC “Fact Sheet,”
the proceeding WT Docket 19-348, “Facilitating Shared Use in the 3.1 –
3.55 GHz Band,” is a follow-on from the MOBILE NOW Act, approved by the
115th Congress, which requires the FCC and the US Department of Comm-
erce to make available new spectrum for mobile and fixed wireless broad-
band use. It also requires the FCC to work with the National Telecom-
munications and Information Administration (NTIA) to evaluate whether
commercial wireless services and federal incumbents could share spec-
trum between 3.1 and 3.55 GHz. NTIA manages spectrum allocated to fed-
eral government users.

“This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would propose to remove the exist-
ing non-federal allocations in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band as a step to-
wards potential future shared use between federal incumbents and com-
mercial users,” the FCC Fact Sheet explains. “By taking the initial
step needed to clear the band of allocations for non-federal incum-
bents, the Commission furthers its continued efforts to make more mid-
band spectrum potentially available to support next generation wireless
networks — consistent with the mandate of the MOBILE NOW [Making Oppor-
tunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless
Obstacles to Wireless] Act.”

The NPRM proposes to clear the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band of existing non-fed-
eral users by removing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur
allocations [emphasis added] in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band and to relocate
incumbent non-federal users out of the band. The FCC would seek comment
on relocation options and “transition mechanisms” for incumbent non-
federal users, either to the 3.1 – 3.3 GHz band or to other frequencies,
and on how to ensure that non-federal secondary operations in the 3.1–
3.3 GHz band will continue to protect federal radar systems.

Regarding the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Service allocations, the
FCC NPRM asks whether existing amateur spectrum in other bands might
support operations currently conducted in the 3.3 – 3.5 GHz band. The
3.40 – 3.41 GHz segment is designated for amateur satellite communica-
tion. “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 NPRM says.

Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC will consider 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 other-
wise amend the amateur allocation, and it would continue as a secon-
dary allocation, but the primary allocation for 5.850 – 5.925 GHz
would change.

The amateur radio 5-centimeter allocation is 5650.0 – 5925.0 MHz, and
the NPRM, if approved, would address the top 75 MHz of that amateur
secondary band. While no changes are proposed to the amateur alloca-
tion, anticipated more intensive use by primary users could restrict
secondary amateur use.

The band 5.850–5.925 GHz has been reserved for use by dedicated short-
range communications (DSRC), a service in the intelligent transporta-
tion system (ITS) designed to enable vehicle-related communications,
the FCC said in a Fact Sheet in WT Docket 19-138. “The Commission ini-
tiates this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to take a fresh and compre-
hensive look at the 5.9 GHz band rules and propose appropriate changes
to ensure the spectrum supports its highest and best use.” ARRL also
will file comments opposing any changes affecting the 5-centimeter
amateur allocation.

Both draft FCC proposals are subject to change prior to a vote at the
December 12 FCC meeting, and there will be opportunity to file com-
ments and reply comments on the final proposals after they are re-
leased.

[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]

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WRC-19 Final Report: Small Satellites and the 1240-1300 MHz Band

In the final week, the meetings at WRC-19 have been running until 3 in
the morning in an attempt to get the work completed.

The RSGB have released their WRC-19 report covering small satellites
and also the Amateur 1240-1300 MHz band.

The report notes “A lesson from the process indicates how difficult it
may be in future to achieve any upgrade to other amateur allocations.”

Read the RSGB Small Satellites and 23cm report at
https://tinyurl.com/vjfho66

Friday, November 22 saw WRC-19 conclude its month long biggest ever
conference. Many of the 3,300 delegates had started to travel home
even before the release of the ‘Provisional Final Acts’ and closing
ceremony.

The ITU website has released the provisional acts as a huge 567-page
PDF document—a tribute to the the hardworking editorial and transla-
tion teams at the conference. These provisional acts are due to come
into force on January 1, 2021, so no early changes are currently ex-
pected in practice.

Read the RSGB WRC-19 Final report at https://tinyurl.com/qjw9kvd

WRC-19 Provisional Final Acts – a 567 page document - is available at
https://tinyurl.com/tyzfvl3

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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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AMSAT Auction Celebrating 45th Birthday of AO-7 Raises $480

The auctions for a set of gold-plated AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th
Anniversary AMSAT lab coat recently concluded and raised $480 to help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space. Thank you to all of the bidders for
participating in the auctions!

If you missed out on the auctions, but still want to help out, please
consider donating or purchasing items from the AMSAT store at
www.amsat.org today!

[ANS thanks Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above
information]


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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

MAOU Lyceum No. 39, Nizhny Tagil, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Skvortsov
Contact is go for: 2011-11-30 14:15 UTC

Council Rock High School South, Holland, Pa., direct via KC3NGG
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA
Contact is go for: Thu 2019-12-05 17:56:31 UTC 71 deg

B. Pascal Institute - Public School, Rome, Italy, direct via IKØMGA
and Istituto Comprensivo Lipari “S. Lucia”, Lipari, Italy, direct via
ID9GKS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be IRØISS
The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP
Contact is go for: Sat 2019-12-07 11:44:00 UTC 45 deg

For more information, the ARISS webpage is at https://www.ariss.org/

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS operation team, 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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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 - December 6, 2019
The Eureka Amateur Radio Club, VY0ERC, will be on station, the Polar
Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, November 6th through Dec-
ember 11th.  They have some house keeping duties to perform on arrival
and just before they leave, not to mention that it's wicked cold up
there (-25 to -35C not counting windchill), so keep an eye on the
VY0ERC twitter feed for announcements on when they plan to step out-
side: https://twitter.com/vy0erc

Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019
Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3rd - 6th. Key
word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to act-
ivate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner's
Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85

Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019
Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3rd – 6th. Key
word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to ac-
tivate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner’s
Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85

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 empahasis on the grid that got
away - BK28. Keep an eye on Alex's Twitter feed for further announce-
ments: https://twitter.com/N7AGF

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP - User Services, for the
above information]

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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ NASA's "Ride to Station" App and Educator Guide equips educators with
  simple tools and knowledge to take a fun, interactive app and turn it
  into a powerful, educational tool for students of all ages! The in-
  teractive app gives an overview of the complexities involved in get-
  ting to and conducting research aboard the International Space Sta-
  tion. The app is also challenging and fun! The Commercial Crew Pro-
  gram focuses on working with NASA’s two partners Boeing and SpaceX
  to create American commercial capabilities to safely send humans to
  and from the International Space Station. For more information see:
  https://tinyurl.com/vj9gyfr
  (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ Rovers and some multiop VHF/UHF contest stations will be interested
  in the future Down East Microwave DEM V/U Xverter. This device covers
  ALL 5 OF THE AMATEUR BANDS between 144 MHz and 1.2 GHz. According to
  the preliminary information from the manufacturer: "All frequencies
  convert to/from 28 MHz. The transmit output level is approximately 1
  watt and will exhibit a 2 dB noise figure with greater than 15 dB
  gain on all bands. The Transverter will also contain an AUX RF port
  that will be configured as an additional 2M port for connection to a
  higher frequency transverter such as our future DEM MICRO-VERTER con-
  taining 4 additional higher bands of operation."
  (ANS thanks Pete Heins, N6ZE, the Pacific NorthWest VHF Society, and
  www.downeastmicrowave.com for the above information)

+ Rocket Lab has partnered with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) to
  be the sole provider of ground station services for the Electron
  launch vehicle and Photon satellite bus customers. KSAT’s KSATlite
  ground network is designed and optimized for small satellite systems,
  providing  Photon customers with downlink and uplink capabilities in
  UHF, S-band, X-band, and Ka-band across a global ground station net-
  work of over 200 antennas that supports 50,000 contacts per month.
  (ANS thanks SatMagazine.com for the above information)

+ NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) will be testing an improved waveform
  on the 48-MHz Tropospheric Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (TDRWP) from
  Monday, November 25 through Sunday, December 2. The purpose of the
  test is to improve the instrument’s resolution and still operate with-
  in the assigned bandwidth. NASA is requesting the amateur radio com-
  munity to report via email to ksc-tdrwptest@mail.nasa.gov any detect-
  ed emissions in the 50 – 54 MHz band dur  ing that period. Include
  the date, time, location, frequency, and any other pertinent informa-
  tion (such as IQ files of the signal for evaluation) that might as-
  sist NASA in assessing potential impacts to the amateur radio comm-
  unity.
  (ANS thanks ARRL for the above information)

+ NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 12:51 p.m. EST
  Wednesday, Dec. 4, for the launch of its 19th resupply mission to
  the International Space Station under contract with the agency. Live
  coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website Tues-
  day, Dec. 3, with prelaunch events. The Dragon spacecraft, which will
  launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Sta-
  tion in Florida, will be filled with supplies and payloads, includ-
  ing critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than
  250 science investigations and technology demonstrations that will
  occur during Expeditions 61 and 62.
  (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ Jerri Ellsworth, AI6TK, who was the AMSAT/TAPR guest speaker at Day-
  ton in 2018, was featured as a "technology visionary" by the New York
  Times in an article first published in October, but highlighted once
  again in a series wrap-up on Nov. 26. Those who have a N.Y. Times
  online account can access the story at https://tinyurl.com/tmkhqaq

+ ANS wishes a happy Thanksgiving holiday weekend (or what remains of
  it) to all U.S. satellite operators!


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/EX

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 addi-
tional 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 stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.

73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor,

K0JM at amsat dot org
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

Saturday, November 23, 2019

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-328

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation 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 commun-
icating 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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

* AMSAT Auction Celebrating the 45th Birthday of AO-7 Now Live
* November 18 Marked 2nd Anniversary On Orbit for AMSAT-OSCAR 91
* November 21 Marked 6th Anniverary of AMSAT-UK's AO-73 FUNcube-1
* Proposed FCC Auction of C-Band Increases Competition for Allocations
* Satellite Operations From the Queen Mary on December 14
* Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA
* Open Source 'APRS to Discord' Bridge Project Begins Testing
* ARISS Activities
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* The Voyage Home: Japan's Hayabusa-2 Probe Heads Back to Earth
* Satellite Shorts From All Over


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.01
ANS-328 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.01
 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2019-Nov-24
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.01


AMSAT Auction Celebrating the 45th Birthday of AO-7 Now Live

As announced in ANS-321, AMSAT is auctioning off a set of gold-plated
AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th Anniversary AMSAT lab coat (size 42R). The
auctions are now live on eBay and will conclude shortly after 02:00
UTC on November 26, 2019.

Please bid today at https://www.ebay.com/usr/amsat-na

100% of the proceeds of this auction will go towards Keeping Amateur
Radio in Space.

Looking ahead to the future AMSAT tweeted a quick summary of projects
at: https://twitter.com/AMSAT/status/1197528119806169091

1. The University of Washington's HuskySat-1 carrying an AMSAT VHF/
    UHF linear transponder was launched to the ISS on Cygnus on Nov 2.
    After leaving the ISS, Cygnus is expected to deploy HuskySat-1 on
    or about Jan 13.

2. After completing its science mission, HuskySat-1 will be turned
    over to AMSAT and the transponder will be made available for ama-
    teur use. AMSAT is also working with other CubeSat builders on
    similar arrangements.

3. RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E), carrying a VHF/UHF linear transponder and
    radiation experiments for Vanderbilt University, is complete and
    awaiting launch on the first commercial flight of Virgin Orbit's
    LauncherOne no earlier than 1Q 2020.

4. The GOLF program is progressing nicely. The target delivery/inte-
    gration date of GOLF-TEE is 3Q 2020. More details about the GOLF
    program are available in the AMSAT Engineering Report from the 2019
    Space Symposium. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WWwvhuIaiBA

5. The ARISS next generation InterOperable Radio System is planned
    for launch to the ISS on the SpaceX CRS-20 mission, scheduled for
    March 2020.

6. The AMSAT CubeSat Simulator project led by Alan Johnston, KU2Y and
    Pat Kilroy, N8PK, is generating much interest. Simulators are avail-
    able for loan for classrooms or events and work is underway to dev-
    elop CubeSat Simulator kits. http://cubesatsim.com

7. How can you help these projects succeed? Please consider volunteer-
    ing, joining, donating, and/or purchasing items from the AMSAT
    store today.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information]

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November 18 Marked 2nd Anniversary On Orbit for AMSAT-OSCAR 91

Happy 2nd Anniversary, AMSAT-OSCAR 91! At 09:47:36 UTC on Novem-
ber 18, 2017, RadFxSat (Fox-1B) launched on a Delta II rocket
from SLC-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base and became AMSAT-OSCAR 91.

RadFxSat (Fox-1B), a 1U CubeSat, is a joint mission of AMSAT and
the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics at Vanderbilt Uni-
versity. The Vanderbilt package is intended to measure the effects
of radiation on electronic components, including demonstration of
an on-orbit platform for space qualification of components as well
as to validate and improve computer models for predicting radiation
tolerance of semiconductors.

AMSAT constructed the remainder of the satellite including the space
frame, on-board computer and power system. The amateur radio package
is similar to that currently on orbit on AO-85.

RadFxSat (Fox-1B) was sent aloft as a secondary payload on the Unit-
ed Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket with the Joint Polar Satel-
lite System (JPSS)-1 satellite. RadFxSat (Fox-1B) is one of five
CubeSats making up this NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites
(ELaNa) XIV mission, riding as secondary payloads aboard the JPSS-1
mission.

Uplink:   435.250 MHz FM (67.0 Hz CTCSS)
Downlink: 145.960 MHz FM

Satellite health and experiment telemetry are downlinked via the
Data-Under-Voice (DUV) subaudible telemetry stream, which can be de-
coded using the FoxTelem software.

Visit the AMSAT-OSCAR 91 web page at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-328-AO-91
Make sure you have the latest AMSAT frequencies using the page at:
https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

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

November 21 Marked 6th Anniverary of AMSAT-UK's AO-73 FUNcube-1

This week AMSAT-UK and the FUNcube team recalled the events on launch
day. A very short time after the launch from Yasny in Russia and with-
in a few minutes from deployment, the very first frame of data from
the low power transmitter on board, was detected and decoded by ZS1LS
in South Africa. He was able to relay the data over the internet from
his Dashboard to the Data Warehouse and the numbers, appeared, as if
by magic, at the launch party being held at the RSGB National Radio
Centre at Bletchley Park.

After a very brief check out, the FUNcube team were able to switch
the transmitter to full power, again at the very first attempt, and
were quite amazed at the strength of the signal from the 300mW trans-
mitter on 145.935 MHz. The transponder was then switched on and suc-
cessfully tested.

The team finished the day with a request to AMSAT-NA for an Oscar
number and were delighted to receive the AO73 Oscar 73 designation!

Since then, FUNcube-1, with a launch mass of less than 1kg, has oper-
ated continuously with only a very few interruptions. In excess of
32000 orbits, 750 million miles travelled, and with more than 7 mil-
lion data packets downloaded and stored in the Data Warehouse.

The spacecraft is presently in continuous sunlight and to convert as
much of the sun’s thermal energy into RF (to help keep it cool), it
remains in continuous high power telemetry mode. We anticipate this
situation will continue until early May next after which the team
expect to have 3 months with some eclipse periods.

Of course, EO88 – Nayif 1 continues to operate autonomously with the
transponder active when in eclipse and JO99 – JY1Sat, which includes
image downloads, and which was launched just under a year ago, also
remain active on a 24/7 basis.

The FUNcube team still receive many requests for Fitter message up-
loads for school events…please contact us by email to
operations@funcube.org.uk giving us at least two weeks notice.

The FUNcube team continue to be very grateful to all the many stations
around the world that continue to upload the telemetry that they re-
ceive to our Data Warehouse. They really need this data to provide
a continuous resource for educational outreach.

Dave Johnson, G4DPZ, network administrator for the FUNcube Data Ware-
house provided this update for users of the FUNcube Dashboard Soft-
ware, "The server addresses warehouse.funcube.org.uk and
data.funcube.org.uk are no longer operational. If you have FUNcube
Dashboard(s) using the URL data.funcube.org.uk, please change it to
data.amsat-uk.org as forwarding will no longer take place."

+ FUNcube email group https://groups.io/g/FUNcube
+ FUNcube Forum http://forum.funcube.org.uk/
+ FUNcube Website http://www.funcube.org.uk/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

           The digital download version of the 2019 edition of
      Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a
         DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store.  Get yours today!
            https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started

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Proposed FCC Auction of C-Band Increases Competition for Allocations

In an IARU News Release by Dave Sumner, K1ZZ and posted by Rick Lind-
quist, WW1ME on November 18 via the ARRL-IARU@groups.arrl.org list he
reports that the Plenary session to approve texts to be included in
the Final Acts was scheduled to end at noon Thursday, November 21 and
delegates at WRC-19 faced a daunting workload as the conferees try to
reach consensus on several remaining issues including the agenda for
the next WRC.

Small Satellites which are increasingly commercial have been granted
access to the space operations bands at 137/149MHz away from amateur
allocations.

The amateur secondary allocation at 5725-5850 MHz, which includes an
amateur-satellite C-band downlink at 5830-5850 MHz, is the subject of
an unresolved conflict over parameters for wireless access systems
including radio local area networks. 5 GHz Wi-Fi will see most expan-
sion below amateur radio in the 5150-5250 band reducing it impact on
our 5725-5850 range.

An article published by CNBC, also on November 18, a news item by
Michael Sheetz, "Satellite stock Intelsat drops 40% after FCC 5G dec-
ision", discusses increasing pressure in the United States due to a
proposed public auction of 280 megahertz of the C-band spectrum. This
article can be accessed in entirety at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-328-CNBC-5G-Article

Sheetz reports that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a tweet that his
agency “must free up significant spectrum” for 5G telecommunications.
The FCC said it expects to begin a public auction of C-band to happen
before the end of 2020, a blow to satellite operators using the valu-
able spectrum.

The FCC Chairman's tweet on the subject can be accessed at:
https://twitter.com/AjitPaiFCC/status/1196468857025835009

Four commercial satellite operators, including Intelsat, provide
C-band services in the U.S. to about 120 million households. The FCC
wants to repurpose the C-band spectrum for 5G and an auction is ex-
pected to raise tens of billions of dollars. But a public auction
would see the proceeds go to the government. The commercial C-band
satellite operators have organized as the 'C-Band Alliance' to oppose
a public auction of these frequencies. The C-Band Alliance has been
pushing for a private auction. The group has given a proposal to the
FCC where the satellite operators would keep some of the proceeds
while paying taxes on the sale, as well as contributing at least
$8 billion to the U.S. Treasury and possible helping fund a rural
5G network.

[ANS thanks Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, the IARU and
  CNBC for the above information]

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

Satellite Operations From the Queen Mary on December 14

AMSAT will be supporting the "Ham Radio Day Aboard the Queen Mary",
an on-air event which will include satellite operations from the RMS
Queen Mary, on Saturday, 14 December 2019. The Queen Mary is at the
Port of Long Beach in California, grid DM03vs. The satellite opera-
tions will take place from the Queen Mary's Sports Deck, next to the
W6RO Wireless Room.

Visitors are welcome, and hams with a copy of their valid amateur
license can board the ship for free on 14 December - a $40 value!

QSL cards will be available from the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long
Beach (ARALB), using the process detailed at:

http://www.qrz.com/db/W6RO

Satellite contacts do not require the QSO number mentioned on this
page. W6RO does not use Logbook of the World.

Additional information about the event posted by The Associated Radio
Amateurs of Long Beach and the Queen Mary:

The Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach and the Queen Mary invite
you aboard the legendary ocean liner for Ham Radio Day Aboard the Queen
Mary on Saturday December 14th. Our world-famous station W6RO will be
fully staffed all day. Come visit the station, take a turn as a guest
operator, or work us on the air and earn our special 40th Anniversary
QSL card. In addition, we will have the following special activities:

+ Static displays of the Queen Mary's vintage maritime radio equipment.
+ On-air demonstrations of ham radio 'go-kits' at locations around the
   ship.
+ Demonstrations of 'eclectic communications gear', including an Aldis
   lamp and semaphore flags.
+ Demonstrations of satellite ham radio, with actual contacts being
   made through satellites in orbit.

Basic admission to board the ship is FREE for licensed radio amateurs
this day.  Simply show your current amateur radio license at the Hotel
entrance and come aboard! The free boarding offer is subject to the
following restrictions:

+ A valid FCC license document must be presented. (QM personnel will
   not look you up in the FCC database, QRZ, etc.)
+ Non-licensed friends and family members are not included.
+ Free boarding of the ship does not include admission to the Queen
   Mary Christmas event.
+ Free boarding does not include parking.  Normal parking rates apply.
   For an alternative, ride the free Long Beach Transit Passport bus,or
   try LBT's AquaBus or AquaLink boat shuttles to get to the Queen Mary.

We're looking forward to seeing YOU on board!  73

[ANS thanks Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, and the Associated Radio
  Amateurs of Long Beach and the Queen Mary]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

     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/

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA

Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA's Required
Minimum Distribution for 2019? Consider making a donation to AMSAT!

Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals
over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000
per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without
increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or
accountant to make certain you are eligible.

AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific
organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and
operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to
encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT's federal tax ID
is 52-0888529.

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Open Source 'APRS to Discord' Bridge Project Begins Testing

Harold Giddings, KR0SIV, reports on an on-going open source project
called the 'APRS to Discord bridge'. The Discord network supports
text and voice chat, project documentation and source code for dev-
elopers, gamers, and makers in an open source environment. For more
information about the Discord network see https://discordapp.com/

The APRS to Discord bridge, by Alexandre Rouma (@WhatsTheGeekYT on
twitter), is designed to connect APRS traffic from terrestrial and
spacecraft sources with user's servers on the Discord network. The
software, still under development, is pretty simple at the moment
but will be open source (Node.js). The design will allow amateur radio
groups to set up their own node for bridging an APRS callsign/message
to their discord server. It is written in a way that requires the bot
operator to validate amateur operators with a special role in Discord
preventing illicit use by non-licensed operators.

Source code can be found here:
https://github.com/AlexandreRouma/aprs_bridge
https://github.com/AlexandreRouma/npm-aprs-parser

Harold also hosts the SDR-centric 'Signals Everywhere' channel on
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/signalseverywhere

[ANS thanks Harold Giddings, KR0SIV, for the above information]

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

ARISS Activities

+ Lakeside Elementary School, West Point, UT, telebridge via IK1SLD
   Contact was successful: Mon 2019-11-18

+ Istituto San Paolo delle Suore Angeliche, Milano, Italy and
   Istituto Comprensivo Di Merone – Mons. A. Pirovano, Merone, Italy,
   telebridge via W6SRJ
   Contact was successful: Thu 2019-11-21

+ MAOU Lyceum No. 39, Nizhny Tagil, Russia, direct via TBD
   The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
   The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Skvortsov
   Contact is go for 2011-11-30 14:15 UTC

A reminder that the deadline to submit proposals for ARISS contacts to
be scheduled between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 is coming up on
November 30, 2019. For more information visit https://www.ariss.org/

Possible RSØISS - Inter MAI-75 SSTV activity is tentatively planned
for Dec 14 – 15, 2019. Details will follow later, the organization
of this SSTV event depends on the necessary EVA activities. No SSTV
can take place during EVA activities.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, and David Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS opera-
tion team members, 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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Upcoming Satellite Operations

Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 - December 6, 2019
The Eureka Amateur Radio Club, VY0ERC, will be on station, the Polar
Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, November 6th through Dec-
ember 11th.  They have some house keeping duties to perform on arrival
and just before they leave, not to mention that it's wicked cold up
there (-25 to -35C not counting windchill), so keep an eye on the
VY0ERC twitter feed for announcements on when they plan to step out-
side: https://twitter.com/vy0erc

Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019
Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3rd - 6th. Key
word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to act-
ivate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner's
Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85

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 empahasis on the grid that got
away - BK28. Keep an eye on Alex's Twitter feed for further announce-
ments: https://twitter.com/N7AGF

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP - User Services, 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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The Voyage Home: Japan's Hayabusa-2 Probe Heads Back to Earth
By Kyoko Hasegawa - Tokyo

Japan's Hayabusa-2 mission to the asteroid Ryugu received its orders
to head for home on Wednesday, November 13. Next, on November 18 it
broke free of the asteroid's gravity. It will fire its main engines
early next month en route to Earth, JAXA said.

Hayabusa-2 is carrying samples that could shed light on the origins
of the Solar System. It took the probe three-and-a-half years to get
to the asteroid but the return journey should be significantly short-
er because Earth and Ryugu will be much closer due to their current
positions.

Ryugu's orbit ranges from .96 AU to 1.41 AU with a period of 474 days,
coming within just 95,400 km of Earth at its closest (just 1/4 LD),
but is currently 1.7 AU away. Hayabusa will spend the next year clos-
ing that distance to Earth and will eject its sample capsule into the
atmosphere in December 2020. After the departure burn Hayabusa-2 had
changed it's orbit to a 0.96 x 1.41 AU x 5.9 deg heliocentric orbit.

Hayabusa-2 is expected to drop the samples off in the South Austral-
ian desert. Under the current plan, Hayabusa-2 will boldly continue
its journey in space after dropping off its capsule to Earth, and
might "carry out another asteroid exploration," according to JAXA.

Access the full article (and photo) at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-328-Hyabusa-Coming-Home

[ANS thanks SpaceDaily.com for the above information]

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ AMSAT has received the sad news on the passing of Brian Kantor,
   WB6CYT (SK). Brian was one of the co-founders (with Phil Karn,
   KA9Q) of AMPRnet, the TCP/IP over amateur radio network. Brian
   continued to manage it until his passing. Brian recently creat-
   ed and served as chair and CEO of Amateur Radio Digital Commun-
   ications (ARDC), a charitable foundation funded by the sale of
   unused AMPRnet IPv4 addresses.  ARDC promotes STEM education and
   amateur radio digital development through scholarships and by
   funding the development of open source hardware and software.
   Brian will be sorely missed and impossible to replace. Memorial
   arrangements will be announced when known. via Phil Karn, KA9Q)

+ UniverseToday.com notes the contribution of Daniel Estévez, EA4GPZ,
   with the location of the impact site of China's Longjiang-2 satel-
   lite on the moon: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-328-EA4GPZ-LunarImpact
   The article notes, "Among amateur astronomists and citizen scient-
   ists, Daniel Estévez is a well-known figure. In addition to being
   an amateur radio operator with a PhD in Mathematics and a BSc in
   Computer Science, Estévez is also an amateur spacecraft tracker."
   (via UniverseToday.com)

+ Roland Hesmondhalg spoke on public radio station WFIT with FL Tech
   Professor Ken Ernandes, N2WWD, and two senior students Luiz Fernando
   Leal and Antonio Masturzo about the amateur radio project on the ISS.
   Did you know you can use amateur radio to talk to astronauts in space?
   Ken Ernandes is part of the team building the next upgraded communi-
   cation station to be flown on the ISS this coming year. The program
   is primarily intended by NASA to promote STEAM in schools. There is
   an application process to get a scheduled school contact and he
   would be happy to work with any body on the application process.
   Listen on the link at: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-328-WFIT-Interview

+ NASA released their latest software catalog offering FREE NASA
   Technology software packages that are applicable to academic
   research, engineering development, business applications & more!
   NASA Press Release: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-328-NASA-Software-Press
   Access the software at: http://software.nasa.gov

+ Explore student STEM opportunities, downloads, mission information
   and Artemis Student Challenges on NASA's STEM Engagement pages at:
   https://www.nasa.gov/stem/artemis.html - then - try your hand at
   driving a Mars rover: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/explore-mars/en/

+ John Brier, KG4AKV, wrote, "A woman in Israel recently contacted
   me about including some of my videos in a video she was going to
   make about how to view the ISS. Well, she just uploaded that video
   and I have to say, it is pretty good:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laQ9VEJJmpU
   (To turn on English subtitles while viewing YouTube on the web/
   desktop, click the CC button in the bottom right corner of the
   video. On mobile, tap the three dots in the top right and then
   tap captions) - via John Brier, KG4AKV

+ Paul Wade, W1GHZ, author of the W1GHZ Microwave Antenna Book says
   he has added an update of Chapter 7, Slot Antennas, and included
   an improved 32-bit version of the HDL_ANT program for Windows 7
   and 10. Access the book at: http://w1ghz.org/antbook/preface.htm
   Click on the 'Table of Contents' link to continue.
   (Paul Wade, W1GHZ via the microwave list)

+ Scott Manley posted a video showing the effect if all satellites
   in orbit were visible. There are over ten thousand satellites in
   orbit, but only the largest ones in low earth orbit are visible
   in the hours just after sunset and before sunrise. What would the
   sky look like if you could see everything in space? He took satel-
   lite data and rendered a view of the night sky for an 'average'
   viewer in North America. View the satellites at:
   https://youtu.be/dJNGi-bt9NM  (via Scott Manley's YouTube channel
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxzC4EngIsMrPmbm6Nxvb-A )

+ Voyager's transmitters use just 23 watts, roughly the same as an
   incandescent refrigerator bulb, yet we are able to interpret the
   0.1 billion-billionth of a Watt that makes it to earth from 11
   billion kilometers away. An article at wired.com explains:
   https://www.wired.com/2013/09/vintage-voyager-probes/

+ AMSAT-LU (Argentina) plans to operate their WSPR buoy when it is
   deployed between November 25 through December 12, weather condi-
   tion permitting. The WSPR beacon will transmit on 14.095,6 MHz
   with 900 mW, callsign LU7AA. The beacon will be active for 2 min-
   utes ON followed with 8 minutes of standby. They appreciate WSPR
   reception reports to wsprnet.org which will qualify you for an
   award certificate: http://lu7aa.org.ar/wspr.asp   AMSAT-LU Buoy
   Project page can be found at: http://amsat.org.ar/?f=boya
   APRS tracking can be found at:  http://aprs.fi?call=lu7aa-8

+ Versions 1.46 and 1.47 (to address a bug fix) of the Magic-Eye
   Plugin for SDRSharp has been released:
https://github.com/BlackApple62/SDRSharp-Magic-Eye-Plugin/releases
   This plug-in adds an old-style "Magic Eye", or "Cat's Eye" to SDR#
   software (available via www.airspy.com) This release adds an analog-
   style SNR Meter. This Plugin, is compiled for 32bit platform, with
   .NET Framework version 4.6. It may not run on SDR# versions older
   than r1362 (14 Sept 2015) - via airspy.com and GitHub

+ If you've been kept up at night trying to find a solution to the
   chaotic three-body problem access a paper, "Newton vs the machine:
   solving the chaotic three-body problem using deep neural networks"
   from: https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.07291 - and if you're not sure
   what is the significance of this check out an explanation posted
   at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-body_problem

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

/EX

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 addi-
tional 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 stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.

73 and remember to behave and to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor,
JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM
k9jkm at amsat dot org


_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-324

In this edition:

* AMSAT Auction Celebrating the 45th Birthday of AO-7 Now Live

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-324
ANS-324 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 324
 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE November 20, 2019
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-324.01

AMSAT Auction Celebrating the 45th Birthday of AO-7 Now Live

As announced in ANS-321, AMSAT is auctioning off a set of gold-plated
AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th Anniversary AMSAT lab coat (size 42R). The
auctions are now live on eBay and will conclude shortly after 02:00
UTC on November 26, 2019.

Please bid today at https://www.ebay.com/usr/amsat-na

100% of the proceeds of this auction will go towards Keeping Amateur
Radio in Space.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, for the above information]

/EX
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Jonathan's Space Report, No. 771

Jonathan's Space Report
No. 771                                                         2019 Nov 17   Somerville, MA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

International Space Station
---------------------------

The Canadarm-2 unberthed Japan's HTV 8 cargo ship at about 1230 UTC Nov 1 and released
it into orbit at 1721 UTC. Burns at 1941 UTC Nov 2, 2112 UTC Nov 2 and 0141 UTC Nov 3
lowered the perigee to 250, 145 and about 12 km respectively.
HTV 8 reentered over the south Pacific at about 0209 UTC Nov 3.

The first launch in the CRS2 commercial cargo supply contract was carried out on Nov 2.
Cygnus flight NG-12 was launched aboard the first Antares 230+. The new rocket has
minor changes from the Antares 230, including a redesigned stage 1/2 interstage section.
The Castor 30XL second stage motor and the Cygnus were inserted in a 187 x 257 km x 51.6 deg
orbit. Cygnus NG-12 has been named the S.S. Alan Bean.

Cygnus had a launch mass of 8011 kg and carried 3586 kg of pressurized cargo and 119 kg
of external cargo. The latter consisted of the NanoRacks NRCSD-E external deployer with seven
cubesats aboard. Inside Cygnus is the US Air Force STPSAT-4 satellite (for SSIKLOPS deploy,
probably around 50 kg), five cubesats with the NanoRacks NRCSD-17 package to be deployed from
the Kibo module, and two more unidentified cubesats.

On Nov 4, NG-12 completed its rendezvous with the ISS. The Canadarm-2 grappled it at 0910 UTC
and berthed it at Unity nadir at 1121 UTC.

On Nov 7 at 2240 UTC, Progress MS-12 (docked at the Pirs module) fired its engines for 6min 46s
to adjust the station's orbit, using about 67 kg of propellant.

On Nov 15 astronauts Parmitano and Morgan carried out spacewalk US
EVA-59 in suits 3004 and 3008, to begin repairs to the AMS-2 cooling
system. AMS-2, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, is a particle physics
experiment which was launched to ISS in 2011 and attached to the S3
truss segment. The astronauts removed a 9 kg debris shield, jettisoned
at 1417 UTC, and a small Vertical Support Beam Cover (probably about 1
kg?), jettisoned at 1616 UTC. They also installed handrails and removed
smaller internal components to gain access to cooling system.
 Quest was depressurized at 1133 UTC and the hatch was opened at 1136 UTC; the hatch was
closed at 1814 UTC and the airlock was repressurized at 1818 UTC.


X-37B
-----

The OTV-5 mission of the X-37B spaceplane ended at 0751 UTC Oct 27 with landing at the SLF
runway at Kennedy Space Center.

The USAF announced that the mission was successful while "providing a ride for small satellites".
No such satellites have been cataloged in the US satellite catalog, nor have they been identified
in registration notification documents sent to the United Nations, in violation of UN Resolution
3235 (XXIX), Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space.

Starlink
--------

The second batch of 60 SpaceX Starlink satellites were launched on Nov 11.
The Falcon 9 launch vehicle used first stage B1048 on its fourth flight; the
stage landed on the OCISLY drone ship and the second stage was deorbited
south of Australia, leaving the 60 payloads and four deployment rods
in orbit.  The new satellites have both Ka and Ku band antennae.
This time the payloads were deployed in a 298 x 303 km x 53.0 deg orbit;
the deployment rods seem to have been ejected in a retrograde direction
and are in a 275 x 288 km orbit; I expect them to reenter in a few weeks.

The serial numbers of the new payloads are Starlink 1007-1017, 1019-1065, 1067-1068.

Hayabusa-2
-----------

The MINERVA-II container was released from Hayabusa-2 about 1 km above
Ryugu at 1557 UTC on Oct 2. Rover 2 separated from the container and
both objects (container and Rover) are believed to have drifted onto the
surface by Oct 8. Measurements of the radio beacon on Rover 2 confirmed
it to be on the surface. However I gather from the JAXA team at IAC2019
that, as expected, the earlier failure of the Rover 2 computer prevented
any science data from being obtained.

On Oct 14 Hayabusa-2 returned to its home point 20 km from Ryugu. On Nov 13
at 0105 UTC, it made a 0.1m/s departure burn to begin the trip back to Earth
On Nov 18 Hayabusa-2 left Ryugu's gravitational sphere of influence and
reentered a 0.96 x 1.41 AU x 5.9 deg heliocentric orbit.


GaoFen 7
--------

The GaoFen 7 civilian high resolution imaging satellite was launched to sun-synchronous orbit
on Nov 3. The launch also carried three small satellites:

  Huangpu-1  (50-100 kg class) developed by Lizheng (Shanghai) for the Dawan District Research Inst, Guangdong.
  Sudan Kexue Shiyan Weixing (Sudan science experiment satellite, 50-100 kg class?)
     developed by Shenzhen DFH HIT for Sudan.
  Dianfeng (Xiaoxiang-1 08), a 6U cubesat from Tianyi Research for remote sensing and tests of laser
    communications and a French solid iodine thruster.

Beidou Daohang Weixing 49
-------------------------

China's BDW 49 navigation satellite was launched to geotransfer orbit on Nov 3.
The satellite is the third inclined geosynchronous mission in the Beidou-3 system.
It appears to have made its circularization burn on Nov 5 but no TLEs have
been released for it in the new orbit as of Nov 16.


Jilin-1 Gaofen 2A
-----------------

On Nov 13 China's EXPACE launched KZ-1A no. Y11 with the Jilin-1 Gaofen
02A high resolution (0.8m) imaging payload aboard. The satellite entered
a sun-synchronous orbit with 1000 local time descending node.

Ningxia-1
---------

On Nov 13, China's CALT launched the third Chang Zheng 6. placing five
Ningxia-1 satellites in orbit. The satellites are thought to be
measuring terrestrial radio emissions, either for military signals
intelligence or for a civilian equivalent (like the Hawkeye 360
satellites).

KL-Alpha
--------

On Nov 17, EXPACE launched Kuaizhou-1A no. Y7 with two `global
multimedia' Ka-band communications satellites, KL-Alpha-A and
KL-Alpha-B, built by Shanghai's IMICAS for an unnamed German company.


Table of Recent Orbital Launches
 ----------------------------------
Date UT       Name            Launch Vehicle        Site            Mission       INTL.   Catalog  Perigee Apogee  Incl   Notes

Oct  4 1851   GaoFen 10                   Chang Zheng 4C     Taiyuan        Imaging    66A S44622    612 x   622 x 97.8 0200LT SSO
Oct  9 1017   MEV-1        )              Proton-M/Briz-M    Baykonur       Servicing  67  S44624? 11989 x 65080 x 13.4
              Eutelsat 5WB )                                                Comms      67  S44625? 11982 x 64871 x 13.4
Oct 11 0200   ICON                        Pegasus XL       L1011, Canaveral Science    68A S44628    569 x   569 x 27.0
Oct 17 0122   Palisade                    Electron           Mahia LC1      Tech       69A S44634   1208 x  1225 x 87.9
Oct 17 1521   TJS 4                       Chang Zheng 3B     Xichang LC3    Sigint?    70A S44637    195 x 34974 x 27.0
Nov  2 1359   S.S. Alan Bean              Antares 230+       MARS LA0       Cargo      71A S44701    186 x   257 x 51.6
Nov  3 0322   Gao Fen 7          )        Chang Zheng 4B     Taiyuan LC9    Imaging    72A S44703    489 x   518 x 97.5 1030LT SSO
              Huangpu-1          )                                          Imaging?   72C S44706    485 x   505 x 97.5
              Dianfeng           )                                          Imaging    72D S44705    485 x   505 x 97.5
              Sudan Kexue Shiyan )                                          Tech       72B S44704    487 x   504 x 97.5
Nov  4 1743   Beidou DW49                 Chang Zheng 3B     Xichang        Navigation 73A S44709    184 x 35822 x 28.5
Nov 11 1456   Starlink 1007    )                                          
                 to            )                                                      74A  S44713    298 x   303 x 53.0
              Starlink 1017    )          Falcon 9           Canaveral SLC40 Comms     to
              Starlink 1019    )                                                      74BM S44772    298 x   303 x 53.0
                 to            )
              Starlink 1065    )
              Starlink 1067    )
              Starlink 1068    )
Nov 13 0340   Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A          Kuaizhou-1A        Jiuquan        Imaging    75A S44777    532 x   546 x 97.5 1000LT SSO
Nov 13 0635   Ningxia-1 01   )            Chang Zheng 6      Taiyuan        Sigint     76A S44779    886 x   898 x 45.0
              Ningxia-1 02   )                                              Sigint     76B S44780    886 x   898 x 45.0
              Ningxia-1 03   )                                              Sigint     76C S44781    886 x   898 x 45.0
              Ningxia-1 04   )                                              Sigint     76D S44782    886 x   898 x 45.0
              Ningxia-1 05   )                                              Sigint     76E S44783    886 x   898 x 45.0
Nov 17 1000   KL-Alpha-A )                Kuaizhou-1A        Jiuquan        Comms      77A S44785   1044 x  1058 x 88.9
              KL-Alpha-B )                                                  Comms      77B S44876   1045 x  1432 x 88.8

Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
-----------------------------------


Date UT       Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle      Site                  Mission    Apogee/km    Target

Oct  1 2211   RV                Bukgeukseong-3       Wonsan?             Test          950       Sea of Japan
Oct  2 0813   GT232GM           Minuteman 3          Vandenberg LF10     Op.Test      1300?      Kwajalein
Oct  7 1500   DUST              Black Brant 9        White Sands         Physics       338       White Sands
Oct 17?       RV                Yars                 Plesetsk            Op.Test      1000?      Kura
Oct 17?       RV x 4?           Sineva            K-18, Barents Sea      Op.Test      1000?      Kura
Oct 17?       RV x 3?           Volna             K-44, Sea of Okhotsk   Op.Test      1000?      Chiza
Oct 25 0000   SubTec-8          Terrier Imp.Mal.     Wallops I.          Tech          209       Atlantic
Oct 27 0430   FORTIS 4          Black Brant 9        White Sands         UV Astron     261       White Sands
Oct 30 1457   RV x 6?           Bulava            K-549, White Sea       Test         1000?      Kura
Oct 31 0735   RV                DPRK MLRS            Puckhong?           Test           90       Sea of Japan
Oct 31 0738   RV                DPRK MLRS            Puckhong?           Test           90       Sea of Japan
Nov 15 0935   TEXUS 56          VSB-30               Kiruna              Micrograv     256       ESRANGE
Nov 16 1402   RV                Agni 2               Kalam Island        Test          600?      Indian O.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|  Jonathan McDowell                 |                                    |
|  Somerville MA 02143               |  inter : planet4589 at gmail       |
|  USA                               |  twitter: @planet4589              |
|                                                                         |
| JSR: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html                                 |
| Back issues:  http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back                  |
| Subscribe/unsub: http://www.planet4589.org/mailman/listinfo/jsr         |
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------'  



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Saturday, November 16, 2019

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-321

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation 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 commun-
icating 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:
http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans

In this edition:

* Happy 45th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 7!
* 19th Anniversary of ARISS Operations
* PO-101 (Diwata-2) QSLs Available
* IARU Update Regarding Amateur Satellite Allocations
* AMSAT Member Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Youth Excellence Award
* G4BAO 23cm-45 W-PA Available as Public Domain
* Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 14, 2019
* Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Satellite Shorts From All Over


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-321.01
ANS-321 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 321.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2019-Nov-17
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-321.01

Happy 45th Birthday AMSAT-OSCAR 7!

At 17:11 UTC on November 15, 1974 a Delta-2310 rocket lifted off from
SLC-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, sending AO-7 into orbit along
with NOAA-4 and Intasat. Details about the launch and initial tele-
metry reception can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO7Launch

After nearly 7 years of service, AO-7 was thought to have reached the
end of its life in June 1981 due to battery failure. A retrospective
detailing its exemplary record was published in the AMSAT Satellite
Report, available at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO7Record

Though it was thought to be lost in 1981, there are reports that the
Polish Solidarity movement used AO-7 to pass messages in 1982 while
Poland was under martial law. An article, in Polish, with the details
is available at https://tinyurl.com/AO-7-Poland

Twenty years later, on June 21, 2002, G3IOR reported that he heard an
old-style CW beacon from an unknown OSCAR satellite near 145.970 MHz.
This was soon identified as AMSAT-OSCAR 7. The original AMSAT-BB post
with news of the discovery is archived at
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO7BB

Despite some pre-launch predictions that the CMOS logic circuits on-
board "wouldn't last 3 weeks," AO-7 remains operational and well-used
while in sunlight. It is the oldest operational satellite, in any
service, in orbit. https://www.amsat.org/two-way-satellites/ao-7/

To celebrate AO-7's 45th birthday, AMSAT will auction off a set of
gold-plated AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th Anniversary AMSAT lab coat (size
42R) next week. Check AMSAT-BB or AMSAT's social media pages for
details on Monday morning.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

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

19th Anniversary of ARISS Operations

On November 13, 2000, the ARISS amateur radio payload was turned on
and the first operations occurred over Russia and the United States.

Our ARISS team is working feverishly on the final certification of our
next generation radio system: the Interoperable Radio System. We thank
all those that have supported this development effort through team
support as well as donations!!  We continue to move closer to a planned
March 2020 launch of the hardware on SpaceX CRS-20.

[ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT Vice President for Human Space-
flight and ARISS International Chair for the above information]

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

PO-101 (Diwata-2 QSLs) Available

The PHL Microsatellite Program, Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Institute, University of the Philippines operates PO-101.

The FM transponder is available on a schedule published by the team on
the PO-101 Users Group on Twitter (@Diwata2PH) and the PO-101 Users
Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/880769575655081

PO-101 Operations (FM)
Uplink:   437.500 MHz - 141.3 Hz PL Tone
Downlink: 145.900 MHz

QSL Cards will be provided through email every month to users who sub-
mit their QSO information via PO-101 using the Google form posted at:
https://forms.gle/XZnjRGNSC2jSF51j6

Users may also upload your contact recordings or videos with PO-101
here: https://forms.gle/pV5DgBQeWf1fjqmu9

[ANS thanks the PO-101 Diwata2-PH team for the above information]

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

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

          The digital download version of the 2019 edition of
     Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available as a
        DRM-free PDF from the AMSAT Store.  Get yours today!
           https://tinyurl.com/ANS-237-Getting-Started

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

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

IARU Update Regarding Amateur Satellite Allocations

The second week of the World Radiocommunication Conference reports
on the status of two issues affecting the amateur satellite service.
In a report written by Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, first is an agenda item
currently under review during this WRC-19 session; second is planning
for future pressure on frequencies for the amateur satellite service.

Current WRC-19
--------------
While it does not directly affect us - work at WRC-15 saw to that -
we are following an agenda item that seeks spectrum for telemetry,
tracking and command in the space operation service for non-GSO
satellites with short duration missions (Cubesats, among others).
We would like a solution to be found to cut down on the misuse of
the very limited amateur-satellite spectrum for commercial applica-
tions. Discussions are focusing on spectrum near 137 MHz (down)/149MHz
(up) but reaching agreement is proving to be very difficult.

Future - WRC-23
---------------
With the spectrum from 8.3 kHz to 275 GHz fully allocated and some
bands above 275 GHz already identified for particular uses, any pro-
posal for new allocations involves sharing with one or more incumbent
services. The pressures for spectrum access to accommodate new uses
for commercial purposes are intense; for an established service such
as ours, any WRC that does not reduce our own useful spectrum access
is a success.

The idea of including the amateur two meter band in a study of non-
safety aeronautical mobile service applications has not resurfaced.
However, the IARU is concerned with a proposed item for WRC-23 entit-
led: "Review of the amateur service and the amateur-satellite service
allocations to ensure the protection of the radionavigation-satellite
service (space-to-Earth) in the frequency band 1240-1300 MHz."

Our regulatory status is already clear. The amateur service is secon-
dary in this band and the amateur-satellite service is permitted to
operate in the Earth-to-space direction on a non-interference basis in
the band 1260-1270 MHz. In the international Radio Regulations this is
all the protection a primary service such as radionavigation-satellite
requires; implementation is up to individual administrations.

The one well-documented case of interference to a Galileo receiver
that prompted this proposed agenda item occurred more than five years
ago and was quickly resolved by the administration concerned. There
have been no known interference cases to user terminals.

An amateur service allocation of 1215-1300 MHz was made on a primary,
exclusive basis in 1947, later downgraded to secondary to accommodate
radiolocation (radar) and narrowed to 1240-1300 MHz. The radionaviga-
tion-satellite service was added in 2000. As a secondary service ama-
teur radio has operated successfully in the band for many years.
Given the relatively modest density and numbers of amateur transmis-
sions in the band, we view the Galileo-oriented proposal for an agen-
da item as disproportionate.

The IARU recognizes the concern and does not want the amateur service
to affect the operation of the Galileo system in any way. It has al-
ready updated its operational recommendations for amateur stations in
Region 1. If necessary, further recommendations may be developed and
rolled out globally.

In CEPT, two preliminary measurement studies of Galileo receiver
performance/vulnerability (from 2015 and 2019) are currently being
evaluated. Discussions can be more timely and focused within CEPT.
The IARU believes that this process already offers the potential
for a satisfactory solution and thus the issue does not warrant WRC
action and the commitment of ITU resources.

Posted on: http://www.iaru.org/news--events

[ANS thanks Dave Sumner, K1ZZ and the IARU 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/

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

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

AMSAT Member Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Youth Excellence Award

Congratulations to AMSAT member Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX, Newsline Young
Ham of the Year on his award as the first ever Youth Excellence Award
in collaboration with McLean County (Bloomington-Normal, IL) Indian
Association (MCIA) for the year 2019.

The MCIA invited nominations for individuals from Asian Indian youth
in Bloomington-Normal who have gone above and beyond in community ser-
vice and individual attainment. Dhruv's award was based on attaining
the goals of the Youth Excellence Award:

1. To celebrate exemplary behavior among young people in Blo-No's
   Asian Indian Community
2. To encourage and motivate young people in the pursuit of Excellence
   & Creativity in the Performing Arts, Community Leadership, Sports,
   Academics, Innovation etc. to name a few
3. To push one's own self-imposed boundaries and become better ver-
   sions of oneself
4. To encourage young people to be positive role models/ambassadors
   and mentors in their communities
5. To foster a spirit of volunteerism and public service among youth

Dhruv received his award during the MCIA Diwali Dinner 2019 in
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

[ANS thanks and congratulates Dhruv's and his father, Hari Rebba
 and the McLean County Indian Association for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 14, 2019

The following Amateur Radio satellite has decayed from orbit and has
been removed from this week's TLE distribution:

NO-83(BRICSAT-P) - NORAD CAT ID 40655 - Decayed 11/07/2019 at approx.
19:49 UTC

Thanks to Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for decay date estimate.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------

G4BAO 23cm-45 W-PA Available as Public Domain

This repository contains details of the G4BAO 45 Watt 23cm Power
Amplifier published in RSGB RadCom Magazine in June 2009 and later in
the book " Microwave Know How for the Radio Amateur" by Andy Barter,
G8ATD.

This PA was sold for many years as a kit by the designer. The decision
has been made to not sell any further kits so the designs are now made
available here under the terms of an MIT license. It includes a copy
of the original article, Eagle board and schematic files, plus Gerber
files for the PCB, which must be made from Taconic 0.7mm RF35 sub-
strate.

The design can be accessed at: https://github.com/g4bao/23cm-45W-PA

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Donate to AMSAT Tax-Free From Your IRA

Are you over 70-1/2 years of age and need to meet your IRA’s Required
Minimum Distribution for 2019? Consider making a donation to AMSAT!

Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, individuals
over 70-1/2 years of age may make direct transfers of up to $100,000
per year from a traditional IRA to an eligible charity without
increasing their taxable income. Consult your tax advisor or
accountant to make certain you are eligible.

AMSAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific
organization whose purpose is to design, construct, launch, and
operate satellites in space and to provide the support needed to
encourage amateurs to utilize these resources. AMSAT’s federal tax ID
is 52-0888529.

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

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

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

Quick list of scheduled contacts and events as of 2019-11-15 02:00 UTC

+ Lakeside Elementary School, West Point, UT, telebridge via IK1SLD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled astronaut is Drew Morgan KI5AAA
Contact is go for: Mon 2019-11-18 19:01:06 UTC 30 deg
Watch for live streaming at www.ariotti.com starting about 15 minutes
before AOS

+ Istituto San Paolo delle Suore Angeliche, Milano, Italy and Istituto
Comprensivo Di Merone – Mons. A. Pirovano, Merone, Italy, telebridge
via W6SRJ

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Luca Parmitano KF5KDP
Contact is go for: Thu 2019-11-21 09:12:07 UTC 50 deg

+ MAOU Lyceum No. 39, Nizhny Tagil, Russia, direct via TBD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Skvortsov
Contact is go for 2011-11-30 14:15 UTC

A reminder that the deadline to submit proposals for ARISS contacts to
be scheduled between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 is coming up on
November 30, 2019. For more information visit https://www.ariss.org/

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, and David Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS opera-
tion team members, for the above information]

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

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

          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

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

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

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Nunavut, Canada (ER60) November 11 – December 6, 2019
The Eureka Amateur Radio Club, VY0ERC, will be on station, the Polar
Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, November 6th through Dec-
ember 11th.  They have some house keeping duties to perform on arrival
and just before they leave, not to mention that it’s wicked cold up
there (-25 to -35C not counting windchill), so keep an eye on the
VY0ERC twitter feed for announcements on when they plan to step out-
side: https://twitter.com/vy0erc

EA9 Melilla (IM85) November 18-21, 2019
Philippe, EA4NF, will be operating from MELILLA as EA9/EA4NF from Nov-
ember 18 to 21, 2019. This very small Spanish territory located in
Northern Africa, which is a very rare GRID and is listed as one of the
Most Wanted SAT DXCC.  Updates and passes on Philippe’s Twitter:
https://twitter.com/EA4NF_SAT

New River Gorge National River, WV (EM98) November 21-24, 2019
Michael, N4DCW, is visiting New River Gorge National River (with sat
gear) and a swing through EM97 on his way home.  Watch for further an-
nouncements on Michael’s Twitter feed:  https://twitter.com/MWimages

Key West (EL94) December 3-6, 2019
Tanner, W9TWJ, will be vacationing in Key West December 3rd – 6th. Key
word is vacation, but he will jump on some FM satellite passes to act-
ivate EL94 for those that need it or just want to chat. Watch Tanner’s
Twitter feed for further announcements: https://twitter.com/twjones85

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 empahasis on the grid that got
away – BK28. Keep an eye on Alex’s Twitter feed for further announce-
ments: https://twitter.com/N7AGF

Please submit any additions or corrections to ke4al (at) amsat.org

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP - User Services, 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/

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

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

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations will be
giving a presentation at the 110th Radio Club of America Awards
Banquet and Technical Symposium, held this year at the Westin Times
Square, New York City on November 23. The topic is “Designing the
AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: A Functional Satellite Model for the Class-
room”. For more information see: https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-RCA

+ The Seattle Times featured an article about the University of
Washington's HuskySat-1 satellite. HuskySat-1 carries an AMSAT-
provided linear transponder. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-UW

+ At 01:07 UTC on November 16, 2000, Phase 3D launched on an Ariane V
rocket from Kourou, French Guiana and became AMSAT-OSCAR 40. Likely
the most ambitious project ever completed by radio amateurs, the sat-
ellite unfortunately suffered an explosion in its propulsion system
during a burn of its primary motor on December 13, 2000. Though
damaged by the explosion, the satellite went on to provide worldwide
amateur radio communications until the main battery suddenly failed on
January 25, 2004. Though its life was unfortunately shortened, the
satellite did conduct a successful experiment that helped to validate
above-the-constellation use of GPS and influenced the design of the
current Block III GPS series of satellites. See
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-AO-40 for details on the experiment.

+ Proceedings of the Microwave Update 2019, held in Dallas, Texas
October 3-5, have been published as a PDF which includes a couple of
satellite related presentations. It is now available for free download
at http://ntms.org/files/MUD2019/MUD_Proceedings_2019.pdf
(via North Texas Microwave Society)

+ All the photos in the MUD Proceedings are in black and white. The MUD
GNR file is in color at http://www.ntms.org/
(via Zack W9SZ on the Microwave list)

+ All videos from the AMSAT-DL symposium Bochum are online.
Recorded from the wideband transponder by DB8TF
A playlist includes all videos from Saturday and Sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Gtsa1KaEAgRc-dvWo44QQ
If you can, please translate Screen texts to other languages
and add to the video.
(Via AMSAT-DL)

+ On October 7, 8 and 9, 2019, the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB)
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and CubeSat NB
hosted the first of three Preliminary Design Review (PDR) meetings for
the Canadian CubeSat Project initiated by the Canadian Space Agency
(CSA). Radio Amateurs of Canada was present for the meeting. More
details at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-RAC
(Via RAC)

+ This page gives a statistical plot showing groups of satellites as
a plot of the semi-major axis of the orbit against orbital inclination
resulting in "families" and "clusters" in orbit.
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-321-Orbits

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

/EX

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 addi-
tional 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 stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space,

This week's ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
N8HM at amsat dot org
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans