AMSAT NEWS SERVICEANS-276
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and informationservice of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishesnews related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activitiesof a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an activeinterest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analogand digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio inSpace 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 ServiceBulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
In this edition:
* Past AMSAT President and Director, and Amateur Satellite Pioneer TomClark, K3IO, SK* 2021 AMSAT Space Symposium to Honor the Late Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO* VUCC Awards-Endorsem*nts for October 1, 2021* Call for Papers for the AMSAT Space Symposium* October 1st JAXA Epsilon Launch Carrying Amateur Radio Payloads Scrubbed,Launch Now October 3rd* Apogee View - From the July/August 2021 AMSAT Journal* Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 30, 2021* ARISS News* Upcoming Satellite Operations* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events* Satellite Shorts From All Over
ANS-276 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
To: All RADIO AMATEURSFrom: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation712 H Street NE, Suite 1653Washington, DC 20002
DATE 2021 Oct 3
Past AMSAT President and Director, and Amateur Satellite Pioneer Tom Clark,K3IO, SK
AMSAT-NA Past President and ham radio satellite and digital pioneer TomClark, K3IO (ex-W3IWI), of Columbia, Maryland, died on September 28 after ashort illness and hospital stay. An ARRL Life Member, he was 82. Clark’saccomplishments are legendary, and he left a lasting footprint in theworlds of amateur radio satellites and digital techniques.
“His long-time technical achievements, mentoring to others, and technicalleadership will be missed by his many peers and friends the world over,”said Bob McGwier, N4HY.
To honor Clark, AMSAT has rebranded its upcoming annual gathering as the2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Memorial Space Symposium and Annual GeneralMeeting. It will take place on October 30 via Zoom. (AMSAT members mayregister to attend via AMSAT’s Membership and Event portal.) The event willbe livestreamed on AMSAT’s YouTube channel.
A founding member of Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR), Clark was aco-founder of the TAPR/AMSAT DSP Project, which led to software-definedradio (SDR). He was a leader in the development of the AX.25 packet radioprotocol. Clark served as AMSAT’s second President, from 1980 until 1987.He also served on the AMSAT and TAPR Boards.
In concert with McGwier, Clark developed the first amateur Digital SignalProcessing (DSP) hardware, including a number of modems. He developed theuplink receivers and the spacecraft LAN (local area network) architectureused on all the Microsats (AMSAT-OSCAR 16, Dove-OSCAR 17, WEBERSAT-OSCAR18, LUSAT-OSCAR 19, Italy-OSCAR 26, AMRAD-OSCAR 27, and TMSAT-OSCAR 31).McGwier said it was Clark who convinced him in 1985 that the future lay inDSP.
“We started the TAPR/AMSAT DSP [digital signal processing] project, and itwas announced in 1987,” McGwier recounted. “We showed in our efforts thatsmall stations with small antennas could bounce signals off the moon, and,using the power of DSP, we could see the signals in our computer displays.”This led to the software-defined transponder (SDX) for satellite work,including ARISSat and AMSAT’s Phase 3E.
Clark received a doctorate in astrogeophysics from the University ofColorado. He went on to serve as Chief of the Astronomy Branch at NASAMarshall Space Flight Center and was a Senior Scientist at NASA GoddardSpace Flight Center, where he was principal investigator for the Space VeryLong Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) activity there.
In 2005, Clark became the first non-Russian to be awarded a Gold Medal ofthe Russian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the internationalVLBI network. He is a member of the 2001 class of CQ magazine’s AmateurRadio Hall of Fame.
In 2016, ARRL awarded Clark with its President’s Award, to recognize his 60years of advancing amateur radio technology. On that occasion, McGwiersaid, “There would be no AMSAT to inspire all of this work without TomClark. Tom…saved the organization and inspired all of us to look to thefuture and aim for the stars.”
Clark was a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the InternationalAssociation of Geodesy.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Join the 2021 President's Club! Score your 2" 4-Color Accent Commemorative Coin. This gold finished coin comes withFull Color Certificate and Embroidered "Remove Before Flight" Key Tag Donate today at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ You won't want to miss it!+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
2021 AMSAT Space Symposium to Honor the Late Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO
The 2021 AMSAT 39th Annual Space Symposium and General Meeting has beenrenamed in honor of Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO (SK), Director Emeritus andPresident Emeritus of AMSAT and Amateur Radio satellite pioneer. Clark diedon September 28th. He was 82.
The 2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Memorial Space Symposium and AnnualGeneral Meeting will be held virtually on Zoom on October 30th. AMSATmembers may register to attend via AMSAT's Member Portal,https://launch.amsat.org.
The 2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Memorial Space Symposium will also beavailable to the general public as a livestream event on AMSAT's YouTubechannel, https://youtu.be/RTvcceM7Tz0.
Please join us to celebrate the many contributions of Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO,and the exciting opportunities of Amateur Radio in space.
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, for the aboveinformation]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
VUCC Awards-Endorsem*nts for October 1,2021
Here are the endorsem*nts and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the ARRLfor the period September 1, 2021 through October 1, 2021. Congratulationsto all those who made the list this month!
Congratulations to Douglas Tabor N6UA on achieving the AMSAT GridMaster
CALL Sept. October
K8DP 1262 1275 ex-KD8CAON8RO 1105 1111N0JE 675 681ND0C 531 555KF6JOQ 503 553N4DCW 476 525VE1VOX 507 510WA4HFN 454 505K5TA 479 500W8LR 479 500KX9X 302 420DF2ET 300 400VE4MM 361 376EA2AA 346 375KX9X (EN50) 250 363KQ4DO 306 353KA9P 259 301AD5JK 102 263KD0ZW New 216XE2YWH 187 205VE3KY 182 201XE1MYO 100 200N8MR 154 175DG7RO New 172KN4ZUJ 100 170KC1MEB 102 168N8URE (EL95) 134 163N0RC 104 151N1DM New 151WD9EWK (DM25) New 120XE2YWH (DL82) New 110OE7BJT New 107XE2YWH (DL82) New 1059M2CQC New 104JH0BBE New 100W3VHF New 100XE2HWB New 100
If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at<mycall>@<mycall>.com and I'll revise the announcement.This list wasdeveloped by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's avisual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was notmentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are rarely onthe birds. They are doing a lot of the work!
[ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Call for Papers for the AMSAT Space Symposium Proceedings
This is a call for papers for the 2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, MemorialSpace Symposium and Annual General Meeting to be held virtually on theweekend of October 29-31, 2021.
Proposals for symposium presentations are invited on any topic of interestto the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of yourpresentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 18for inclusion in the symposium proceedings. Abstracts and papers should besent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV at n8fgv at amsat.org.
[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it allbegins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solarpanels, propulsion, and attitude control, now manifested for launch onNASA's ELaNa 46 mission. Come along for the ride. The journey will beworth it!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
October 1st JAXA Epsilon Launch Carrying Amateur Radio Payloads Scrubbed,Launch Now October 3rd
The fifth launch of JAXA's Epsilon rocket was scheduled to take place onOctober 1st at 00:51 UTC. Due to ground equipment problems, the launch wasscrubbed. The launch is now scheduled to occur at the time of release ofthis bulletin (00:00 UTC on October 3rd)
This launch carries four amateur radio satellites: TeikyoSat-4(TS-4),Z-Sat, KOSEN-1, and NanoDragon.
Information about these satellites can be found at the links that follow:
TeikyoSat-4(TS-4)Freq: 437.450 CWhttps://spacesystemsociety.jimdofree.com/projects/teikyosat-project/teikyosa...
Z-SatFreq: 145.875MHz CWhttps://twitter.com/KOMAKI_AMSATCOM/status/1443125922010308608
Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club has an amateur radio station in Komaki City,Japan.
The 50 kg class infrared observation microsatellite "Z-Sat" developed byMitsubishi Heavy Industries will be launched by the Epsilon rocket onOctober 1st.
After satellite separation, Z-Sat will start transmitting CW beacon of VHFband. The beacon signal is in Morse code and contains information such assatellite battery voltage. This information is very important as survivalinformation immediately after the satellite is put into orbit.
Therefore, if you can receive the beacon signal from the satelliteimmediately after the satellite launch, we would appreciate it if you couldreport it.
Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club's twitter is open at the following address.
Information on Z-Sat transmission frequency, data format, orbit TLE, etc.will be released in the future.
https://twitter.com/KOMAKI_AMSATCOM
KOSEN-1Freq: 435.525MHz CWhttp://space.kochi-ct.jp/kosen-1
NanoDragonFreq: 437.365MHz 1.2k BPSKhttps://vnsc.org.vn/en/news-events/nanodragon-public-announcement/
[ANS thanks Akira Kaneko, JA1OGZ, and Yasutaka Narusawa, JR2XEA, for theabove information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Apogee View - From the July/August 2021 AMSAT Journal
A Sustained FM Presence in LEO
While our volunteer engineers focus their efforts on GOLF, developing thesystems and technologies necessary for our path upward to HEO, we must notforget our responsibility to promote amateur radio satellites and encouragethe next generation of operators and builders.
Advancing the art and science is not enough. We also need to provide aneasy entry point to amateur radio satellite communications to support ofour space education and outreach activities.
The Importance of EasySats
AMSAT’s Echo (AO-51) and Fox-1 (AO-85, AO-91, and AO-92) satellites, aswell as SaudiSat-1C (SO-50) have been the most widely used amateursatellites. What makes them so popular is their ability to provide basicradio communications, with very simple ground station equipment, and theirease of use. An FM repeater, even in a low Earth orbit (LEO), allowsamateur radio operators to communicate over substantial distances usingjust a handheld transceiver (an HT) and a small handheld directionalantenna. Cross-continental and, if you are lucky enough to live near thecoast, transcontinental communications are possible.
These so called “EasySats” have provided countless hours of enjoyment tothousands and thousands of amateur radio satellite operators around theworld, making QSOs, chasing grids, and even just a chance to send out acasual hello to an old friend. More importantly, FM satellites areextremely valuable in providing an introduction to satellite communicationsand often used for demonstrations given at schools and public events.
With AO-85’s battery failure and AO-91 and AO-92 on borrowed time, AMSATwill soon find itself without an FM satellite in space. The time to act isnow.
The Proposal
AMSAT’s Strategic Plan, Objective 4.1, FM Operations gives us fairlyspecific guidance: Develop, deploy, and support a series of 1u spacecraftto support continued FM amateur satellite operations in low Earth orbit.As such, any proposal must include a sustained FM presence in LEO.
The Fox-1 CubeSat series taught us some valuable lessons. First, batteriesin in a 1U CubeSat are more likely to have a three-year life span, ratherthan the expected five years. Keeping battery levels above the minimalvoltage rating is critical. The popularity of AMSAT’s FOX-1 series,especially at night, when the satellite was in eclipse, was the primarycause of their shortened battery life. Any proposal must include bothbattery management and battery failsafe. The design must includeprovisions that automatically switch the satellite to Low Power Mode(beacon and telemetry only), when the battery voltage drops to a cautionarylevel, and then automatically return to normal operations, when sufficientbattery power is restored. In addition, the satellite must be designed sothat when the battery fails, the transponder can continue to operate whenthe satellite is in sunlight. Similarly, the design should include anautonomous capability so that the FM repeater can operate without relyingon ground control or a functioning processor in the command, control, andtelemetry module. These safeguards and failsafes should extend the usablelife of our satellites.
Second, it is impossible to keep a strict schedule, when relying on a “freeride” under NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ElaNa)initiative. Once accepted into the program and manifested on a launch, youare at the mercy of the launch provider, and things don’t always go asscheduled. Case in point, Fox-1D (AO-92) launched before Fox-1C (AO-95).To ensure the launch of one satellite every three years, we will need topurchase launches. In addition, we need to have a “flight spare” onstandby in case there is an integration inspection issue with the primarysatellite or a subsequent launch failure.
The Challenges
Every satellite project requires both people and funding. As mentionedalready, all of our engineers are consumed by our GOLF program. Thisleaves us with either open-sourcing the project or purchasing a commercial,off-the-shelf satellite. Open-sourcing would work for the initial designprocess; however, there is no current precedent to allow the open-sourcebuilding of a satellite under U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
While there are many commercial companies that offer complete off-the-shelf1U CubeSat platforms, only one includes an FM repeater that meets ourmission requirements. Purchasing a ready-to-fly CubeSat seems to be ourbest course of action, given AMSAT engineers’ focus on GOLF, but it comesat a cost.
Two 1U FM CubeSats (flight model and flight spare), a 1U FM CubeSatengineering model (without solar panels) and a 500 KM, Sun-synchronousorbit launch will cost just over $283,000. Each additional launch, oneevery three years, will cost approximately $138,000, as we would only needto purchase one CubeSat and the launch.
So that leaves us with the big question – How are we going to pay for it?An FM satellite provides a world-wide benefit. Therefore, we need toconduct an international fundraising campaign, partner with other AMSATorganizations, and request funding from other organizations.
The benefits of providing a sustained FM presence in LEO to promote andsupport amateur radio in space far outweighs the costs, especially when weimplement a plan that allows our AMSAT engineers to continue their effortson our path Onward & Upward.
If approved by our Board of Directors, I hope you will support us.
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President, for the aboveinformation]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 30, 2021
The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT TLEDistribution:
CUTE - NORAD Cat ID 49263 (Thanks to Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for theidentification. Downlink frequencies of 437.24997 MHz and 2402.000 MHz havebeen IARU coordinated.)
[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Keplerian Elements Manager, for theabove information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS News
Lycée Pierre Paul Riquet, St Orens De Gameville, France and CSUT UniversitySpace Center of Toulouse, Toulouse, France, Multi-point telebridge viaIK1SLD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISSThe downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHzThe scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG
Contact is go for: Sat 2021-10-02 12:40:14 UTC 34 deg
Watch for Livestream at www.ariotti.com andhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgl8lELDcgA
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts betweenamateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact withastronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. Thedownlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
Columbus Module radios:IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Supporting cross band repeater(145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). Next mode change is to packetoperation (145.825 MHz up & down) after the school contact on October 2.Power down for upcoming Soyuz docking on Oct. 05. Turning OFF Oct. 05 about07:45 UTC. Back ON Oct. 05 about 18:50 UTCPower down for upcoming Soyuz undocking on Oct. 17.Power down for upcoming Progress relocate on Oct. 22-23.Supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.
Service Module radios:Kenwood D710E – STATUS - Radio usually off.Power down for upcoming Soyuz docking on Oct. 05. Turning OFF Oct. 05about 07:45 UTC.Power down for upcoming Soyuz undocking on Oct. 17.Power down for upcoming Progress relocate on Oct. 22-23.Supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts and SSTV.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found athttps://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found athttps://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors,for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.
Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Upcoming Satellite Operations
K8BL: I’ll be going back to FN01, 02 & EN92 soon. Looking to do FN14 thisFall.
N4DCW: Looking like I’ll be in EM90 all next week 10/3-10
N4DCW: Sunday, Oct 3, 2021 – EM85 Sat passes 1230Z-1400Z W4C/CM-036, MaxPatch Mountain (8 pts) *Little/No cell coverage*
VY0ERC in Nunavut (ER60) will be returning to the air between October 12,2021 and November 22, 2021, weather permitting.
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the aboveinformation]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating throughamateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,conventions, maker faires, and other events.
2021 Wyoming ARRL Section Convention - Saturday, October 9, 2021
Event Center at Archer3921 Archer PkwyCheyenne, Wyoming 82007
[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the aboveinformation]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ JARL has released the FO-29 operation schedule for September. It can befound at https://www.jarl.org/Japanese/3_Fuji/fuji3-202108.htm
+ JAMSAT has released the FO-99 operation schedule for October. It can befound at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=1627
+ Congratulations to Doug Tabor, N6UA, on receiving the 34th AMSATGridMaster Award. The GridMaster Award is issued to amateurs who work andconfirm QSOs via satellite with all 488 grid squares in the continentalUnited States. More information at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/(Thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards)
+ An acrylic GridMaster desk plaque is now available on the AMSAT store forGridMaster Award recipients.https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-gridmaster-acrylic-desk-plaque/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership atone-half the standard yearly rate.* Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time statusshall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondaryyears in this status.* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week's ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HMn8hm at amsat dot org
