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[jamsat-news:2895] ANS-332 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-332

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a
worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in
designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital
Amateur Radio satellites.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org

In this edition:
* FASTRAC Tracking Assistance Requested
* Antarctic Satellite Operation Planned From M/V Kapitan Khlebnikov
* AMSAT at the Tampa, FL Hamfest
* AMSAT at the 2010 Superstition Hamfest, Mesa, AZ
* Bill Ress, N6GHZ, appointed AMSAT Director of Launch Opportunities
* ESA to Sponsor Student Participation in IAA Conference in Rome
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status - 22 November 2010


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.01
FASTRAC Tracking Assistance Requested

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.01
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.01

Sebastian Munoz, KE5FKV, FASTRAC Student Program Manager, reports that last
Friday 19 November 2010 the FASTRAC satellites (Emma and Sara Lily) were
launched from Kodiak, AK.  At this point the FASTRAC Team has been able to
determine that both of them are beaconing and that they are talking to each
other from their own station and with the help of HAMs all over the world.
They have been able to decode both Sara Lily and Emma's beacons and some of
their crosslink data exchanges.  From these they have been able to determine
that their primary sensor, a GPS receiver is working properly.  At this
point Emma's beacon has reverted to its default configuration where the
satellite beacons at 9k6 every two minutes while Sara Lily is continuing to
beacon at 1k2 baud every three minutes.  Also at this point Sara Lily's
signal appears to be weaker than Emma so they are asking the HAM community
to help track both of them.

To do so it is recommended that you first try to hear FASTRAC-2's (Emma's)
beacon which is on 145.825 MHz and then switch to see if you can listen for
FASTRAC-1's (Sara Lily's) beacon which is on 437.345.  You might also be
able to hear the girls talking to each other at 9600 baud.  The type of
beacons that you should get if you are able to decode them, should look
something like this:

FAST1>BEACON/1: <UI>:
F11001611484723.998635824658.10 +3888795.01  -567497.09 -1500.24821
+1194.21584 -7135.59277+0330282372 056 033 032 032 048

FAST2>BEACON/2: <UI>:
FAST2 Safe Mode

Stations not set up to receive packets, can send an audio file for attempted
decoding.

Current TLE's as of 25 November:

FASTRAC
1 90025U 0        10327.90121560 -.00000191 +00000-0 -19331-4 0 00099
2 90025 071.9702 131.7903 0018126 299.0783 060.8722 14.76368636000560

A single TLE can be used to track both satellites as Emma and Sara Lily are
currently stacked together.

The FASTRAC website will be updated with the most current TLEs
http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/for_radio_operators/users/phpBB3/predictedorbit.php

If you track the satellites, please let the FASTRAC team know through their
website
http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/for_radio_operators/users/phpBB3/index.php
or at fastracsats@gmail.com.

If your station has powerful transmitting capabilities on both 145.825 MHz and
437.345 MHz and you are able to track the satellites, please let the team know
as you might be able to help them establish a command link which they are still
in the process of doing.

[ANS thanks Sebastian, KE5FKV, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.02
Antarctic Satellite Operation Planned From M/V Kapitan Khlebnikov

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.02
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.02

Herb, AA2PI plans amateur satellite operation during his voyage
aboard the polar-class Russian ice breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov as
it sails a route circumnavigating Antarctica from the Falkland
Islands to Hobart, TZ.

The itinerary is:
Depart Falkland Islands on December 4, 2010
Arrive Hobart, TZ on Jan 3, 2011

[ANS thanks Herb, AA2PI and Bill K7MT for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.03
AMSAT at the Tampa, FL Hamfest

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.03
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.03

AMSAT will have a booth at the Tampabay Hamfest coming up on 4 December in
Palmetto, Florida. AMSAT will also be doing 90 minutes of presentations on
satellites and ARISS during a forum on Saturday. Please come by to pick up the
latest AMSAT gear, learn about ARISSat-1, FOX, and other projects, make a
donation, or join or renew your AMSAT membership.

Andrew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT's VP of 
Operations reports that he will also be
trying something new. For each donation of $25 or more, or each membership or
renewal, Drew will personally provide the parts and help assembling an antenna
for operating the satellites. We will be building a version of the CJU antenna
in the booth, which is a small but very effective antenna to use with an HT to
copy the Mode J satellites.
Using the CJU and an HT, and the 2m radio in your 
car, the Mode J satellites are
easy to use. Drew requests that people interested in building the antenna
contact him ahead of time for details or to RSVP for this offer.

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.04
AMSAT at the 2010 Superstition Hamfest, Mesa, AZ

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.04
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.04

The Superstition Amateur Radio Club will host its annual hamfest on the morning
of Saturday, 4 December 2010.  The hamfest is located in the southwest parking
lot of Mesa Community College, along the east side of Dobson Road between
Southern Avenue and the US-60 freeway in Mesa, Arizona.  Additional information
about the hamfest, including talk-in frequencies, is available at:
http://wb7tjd.org/hamfest

AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, will be
on the air for demonstrations using various satellites.  The hamfest is in grid
DM43bj.


[ANS thanks Patrick, WD9EWK, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.05
Bill Ress, N6GHZ, appointed AMSAT Director of Launch Opportunities

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.05
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.05

AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has appointed Bill Ress, N6GHZ of Camino,
CA as AMSAT's Director of Launch Opportunities, a 
new position.  The appointment
was announced at the AMSAT BOD meeting and AMSAT Annual Meeting that was held
last month in Elk Grove Village, IL.   In his capacity as Director of Launch
Opportunities, Bill will serve as the central point for managing:

-Fox Launch Opportunities
-Ride Share Opportunities
-AMSAT Presence at small satellite conferences

Supporting Bill's efforts will be a volunteer task force to help coordinate and
compile launch information.  Working with the VP-Engineering and AMSAT
President, the Director will make recommendations to the AMSAT BOD to develop
launch objectives and serve as the central point for securing feasible launches
for AMSAT spacecraft.

AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW noted Bill's qualifications for this
position.  "As a former BOD member who chaired the Engineering Task Force that
developed the recommendation to the AMSAT Board of Directors to build a cubesat
('Project Fox'), Bill understands AMSAT's strategic vision, our current
capabilities and the current state of flight options. His professional contacts
and location on the West Coast places him in an excellent position to identify
and nurture potential launches, a significant 
task that requires an appreciation
of both AMSAT and the state of the launch industry."

Bill and his team will be working to establish dialog with both satellite
customers who may have ride share potential a well as satellite builders to
evaluate potential ride share potential.  The team will also evaluate and
determine how best for AMSAT to respond to NASA 
Launch Initiatives, other launch
provider announcements, and potential university relationships for securing
launches as these opportunities arise.

Individuals who become aware of potential launch 
opportunities which might be of
interest to AMSAT are encouraged to contact Bill (n6ghz at amsat.org).

[ANS thanks Barry, WD4ASW, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.06
ESA to Sponsor Student Participation in IAA Conference in Rome

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.06
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.06

The 1st International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Conference on
University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference which will
be held in Rome, Italy on January 24-29, 2011. Submissions are due
by December 18, 2010. Early registration begins on January 10, 2011.

The Gruppo di Astrodinamica Università degli Studi Sapienza is
pleased to announce that ESA has kindly offered ten scholarships for
students who will present a paper at the 1st IAA Conference on Uni-
versity Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference next January. You
can find the information at the following link:
http://tinyurl.com/25wouy5

Arrangements have been made for student housing at the Conference:
http://tinyurl.com/26jybsx

The Gruppo di Astrodinamica and the IAA hopes that this will encourage
students to participate in the Conference.

[ANS thanks the Gruppo di Astrodinamica Università degli Studi Sapienza
  the IAA for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.07
Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.07
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.07

+ Art, W4ART has published a link to the photos he took at the
   2010 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting:
   http://www.afeller.us/Studio_dArt/Personal_Galleries/Pages/AMSAT_2010.html
   Additional photos and captions will be published in the AMSAT
   Journal.

+ Project Engineer for ARISS, Kenneth, N5VHO wrote, "For all you
   that wonder what it is like for the astronauts to work ground
   stations during a general pass. Col. Wheelock gives you a personal
   video tour of the ISS ham radio station while he answers calls
   from operators on the ground." Watch at:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h73EYcyszf8

+ Membership of the FUNcube satellite and Software Defined Radio
   (SDR) Dongle Yahoo Group has now reached the 100 mark. You can
   join the FUNcube Yahoo Group at:
   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FUNcube/

+ A photo gallery of the Minotaur launch from Alaska that launched
   a payload of seven satellites can be viewed at:
   http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/101120gallery/

+ Captain Yuri Bodrov, Master of the M/V "MOTTLER", says he will be
   operating as UT1FG/MM on AO-7, AO-27, AO-51, HO-68, SO-50, SO-67,
   amd VO-52 from the wet squares in the ocean on his next voyage
   around South America from Brasil/Paranagua to Argentina/San-Lorenzo,
   through the Strait of Magellan, Chile/San-Antonio/Punta Potache, and
   the Panama Cannal.

+ Martin, KC9JGE, has made a YouTube video of one of his contacts with
   Astronaut Doug Wheelock KF5BOC on the International Space Station.
   You can watch the video via the SouthGate ARC site at:
   http://tinyurl.com/25qtdrt

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.08
ARISS Status - 22 November 2010

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.08
  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 28, 2010
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-332.08

1. Euro Space Center Contact Successful

Twenty-four students from the International School Zurich North, Switzerland,
attending the Euro Space Center in Transinne, Belgium, spoke with ISS astronaut
Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) contact on Tuesday, November 16. Telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia
handled the radio link. Wheelock fielded 15 
questions about life in space during
the session. The contact was an activity 
incorporated into the Euro Space Center
Space Camp which hosts students from all over Europe and abroad.


2. Grand Junction Students Speak with ISS Astronaut

On Friday, November 19, students attending Holy Family Catholic School in Grand
Junction, Colorado participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC. The
school involved the entire student body of 400 
students in this project. Several
of the older students earned their amateur radio licenses prior to the contact
and younger students participated in essay contests and art activities devoted
to the contact with the ISS.


3. ARISS International Team Meeting Held

The monthly ARISS International Team teleconference was held on Tuesday,
November 16. Topics discussed included updates on ARISSat-1and the Columbus
module radio equipment.  Minutes have been posted.  See:
https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2010-11-16.htm


4. ARISSat-1 Approved for Shipping

ARISSat-1 has been approved by Energia for shipment to Russia. The satellite is
currently scheduled to arrive in Russia the first week of December. After the
battery and the Kursk University experiment are 
installed, the satellite will be
tested for flight and a final safety review will be scheduled.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]

/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 additional benefits. Application forms are
available from the AMSAT Office.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org


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http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans