[amsat-bb] ANS-124 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
Mac A. Cody
maccody at att.net
Sun May 3 22:36:53 UTC 2020
The announcement was sent out at noon yesterday (5/2/2020),
that 2020 Ham-Com has been canceled. All payments that have
been made (general admission, flea market tables, and vendor
booths) will be rolled over to the 2021 Ham-Com event.
73,
Mac Cody / AE5PH
On 5/2/20 7:00 PM, Paul Stoetzer via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
> ANS-124
>
> 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:
>
> * New AMSAT Membership Portal Launched, March/April 2020 Edition of The
> AMSAT Journal Now Available
> * AMSAT President Hails Launch of Wild Apricot Membership Portal
> * Call for Nominations - 2020 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
> * RS-44 Transponder Now Active
> * Virginia Tech Camera on AO-92 Takes Stunning Photos, Additional
> Passes Planned Tuesday, May 5th
> * Redesigned AMSAT CubeSat Simulator Launched
> * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for April 30, 2020
> * FCC Adopts Updated Orbital Debris Mitigation Rules
> * VUCC Awards-Endorsements for April 2020
> * Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge Virtual Hackathon, May 30-31
> * On-Line Student STEM: TI Codes Contest 2020
> * First Guatemalan Satellite Deployed from the ISS
> * Former AMSAT Area Coordinator, Prominent DXer Herb Schoenbohm,
> KV4FZ, SK
> * During the COVID-19 Pandemic, ARISS to Begin Experimental Demonstra-
> tions of School Contacts using a Multipoint Telebridge Amateur Radio
> Approach
> * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
> * Upcoming Satellite Operations
> * Satellite Shorts from All Over
>
>
> SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-124.01
> ANS-124 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
>
> AMSAT News Service Bulletin 124.01
> From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
> DATE May 3, 2020
> To All RADIO AMATEURS
> BID: $ANS-124.01
>
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>
> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
> is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
> https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/
>
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>
> New AMSAT Membership Portal Launched, March/April 2020 Edition of The
> AMSAT Journal Now Available
>
> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the AMSAT office, the
> March/April 2020 edition of The AMSAT Journal will not be printed and
> mailed to members. Instead, a full-color PDF is being made available
> on the AMSAT website. The issue can be downloaded below:
>
> https://tinyurl.com/ANS-MarAprJournal
>
> This issue includes detailed information about AMSAT's new online
> membership portal, now active at https://launch.amsat.org. AMSAT
> members are encouraged to review this article, which includes detailed
> instructions on accessing your membership account. Stay tuned for
> more features, including members-only content coming soon.
>
> Articles in the March/April 2020 edition of The AMSAT Journal:
>
> * Apogee View - Clayton Coleman, W5PFG
> * Engineering Update - Jerry Buxton, N0JY
> * Treasurer's Report - Robert Bankston, KE4AL
> * AMSAT's New Member and Event Portal - Robert Bankston, KE4AL
> * amsatLink — Proposed Wireless Communications Network - Robert
> Bankston, KE4AL
> * Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y
> * A New Design for the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator - Alan Johnston, KU2Y;
> Jim McLaughlin, KI6ZUM; David White, WD6DRI; Pat Kilroy, N8PK
> * For Beginners — Amateur Radio Satellite Primer IV - Keith Baker,
> KB1SF/VA3KSF
> * PSAT 1U — A Low-Cost, EasyBuild 1U CubeSat - George Downey, Robert
> Bruninga, WB4APR
> * Gridmaster Heat Map - Paul Overn, KE0PBR
>
> [ANS thanks the AMSAT office for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> AMSAT President Hails Launch of Wild Apricot Membership Portal
>
> Friday, May 1, 2020 brings a significant change to AMSAT's member
> experience. The launch of our Wild Apricot-based member portal on this
> date retires the dBase database system launched in the early 1980s by
> then-President Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO (then W3IWI) and is the result of a
> process authorized by the Board of Directors in 2016. Members now have
> control over the own profiles. Member communications will be handled
> via email, resulting in significant cost reduction.
>
> Wild Apricot will not only serve AMSAT as our member management plat-
> form. Other capabilities will be released in the future such as event
> management, communications, and access to member-only content. Stay
> tuned for new capabilities being launched over the coming months.
>
> As this is a totally new system for AMSAT, we may face challenges
> ahead. I ask for your patience as the User Services team works through
> these challenges to provide our members the best user experience poss-
> ible. Ultimately, Wild Apricot is the right solution moving AMSAT for-
> ward both technologically and operationally.
>
> This effort would not have been possible without the hard work and
> leadership of Robert Bankston, KE4AL, in his position as Vice Pres-
> ident of User Services at AMSAT. Significant hours were put into this
> project. I applaud and congratulate Robert for a successful launch.
>
> 73,
>
> Clayton
> W5PFG
> AMSAT President
>
> [ANS thanks Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, AMSAT President, for the above
> information]
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Call for Nominations - 2020 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
>
> AMSAT solicits nominations for the 2020 AMSAT Board of Directors
> election, to be held in the third quarter of the year. The seats of
> the following three incumbent Directors expire in 2020 and will be
> filled by this year's election: Tom Clark, K3IO; Mark Hammond, N8MH;
> and Bruce Paige, KK5DO. Further, up to two Alternate Directors may be
> elected for one-year terms.
>
> A valid nomination for Director must be written and requires either
> one Member Society or five current individual members in good standing
> to nominate an AMSAT member. Written nominations, with the nominee’s
> name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the nominators'
> names, call signs, and contact information, should be sent to the
> AMSAT Secretary:
>
> Brennan Price, N4QX
> 300 Locust St SE, Unit E
> Vienna VA 22180-4869
> brennanprice at verizon.net
>
> A copy should be sent to AMSAT Manager, Martha Saragovitz, at
> martha at amsat.org.
>
> The AMSAT bylaws require that the nomination be written and in the
> form specified by the Secretary. In light of the ongoing pandemic and
> the resulting closure of the physical office, the Secretary has
> elected to accept written nomination materials in electronic form,
> including e-mail or electronic image of a paper document. Fax trans-
> missions cannot be accepted due to the closure of the office.
>
> No matter what means are used, petitions MUST be received by the
> Secretary no later than June 15th. The Secretary will verify the qual-
> ifications of candidates and nominating members or Member Societies as
> petitions are received, and will notify candidates whether their nom-
> inations are in order by the end of June.
>
> [ANS thanks Brennan Price, N4QX, AMSAT Secretary, for the above
> information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> RS-44 Transponder Now Active
>
> The amateur satellite world was surprised to wake up to the news on
> April 30th that a new transponder was activated for testing and open
> for use by amateurs worldwide
>
> Constructed by specialists at Information Satellite Systems and
> Students at Siberian State Aerospace University, DOSAAF-85 was
> launched on a Rockot/Breeze-KM launch vehicle from Plesetsk Cosmo-
> drome on December 26, 2019. The satellite apparently failed to
> separate from the upper stage of the launch vehicle and remains
> attached. The satellite’s name commemorates the 85th anniversary of
> the Voluntary Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and
> Navy (DOSAAF), the organization responsible for the military training
> of Soviet youth.
>
> Designated RS-44, or Radio Sputnik 44, the satellite carries a 60 kHz
> wide V/u linear transponder and a CW beacon. With an orbit of 1511 km
> x 1175 km and an inclination of 82.5 degrees, this is the highest
> orbiting functioning amateur satellite available worldwide. Due to the
> 1511 km apogee, regular DX contacts should be easy to make. The first
> claimed DX record came from Joe Werth, KE9AJ, and Jérôme LeCuyer,
> F4DXV, who reported a 6,993 km trans-Atlantic QSO between EN50gn09 in
> Illinois and JN04iu40 in France. This was quickly eclipsed less than
> 24 hours later when Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ, and Tetsurou Satou, JA0CAW,
> reported the first trans-Pacific QSO between CN93jw (Oregon, USA) and
> PM97nw (Niigata, Japan), a distance of 7,859 km. The theoretical max-
> imum range for QSOs via RS-44 is 7,942 km.
>
> The NORAD ID is 44909, object 2019-096E.
>
> Initial reports from the first days of operation suggest that the
> transponder is very sensitive and easily workable with low power and
> handheld antennas, however significant periodic fading is reported,
> likely due to the fact that the satellite remains attached to the
> upper stage of the launch vehicle and is unable to deploy its gravity
> gradient boom to stablize itself.
>
> The satellite is planned to remain continuously available for testing
> purposes until May 11th at which time a decision on further operations
> will be made.
>
> The Keplerian elements for RS-44 have been added to the AMSAT and
> CelesTrak distributions, as well as several popular tracking apps.
> The ARRL has released version 11.10 of the TQSL configuration file to
> add support for RS-44 to LoTW.
>
> RS-44 – V/u Inverting Analog SSB/CW
> Uplink (LSB) 145.935 MHz through 145.995 MHz
> Downlink (USB) 435.610 MHz through 435.670 MHz
> CW Beacon 435.605 MHz
>
> [ANS thanks Dmitry Pashkov, R4UAB, Igor Blinov, RW3XL, Nico Janssen,
> PA0DLO, the ARRL, and others for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Virginia Tech Camera on AO-92 Takes Stunning Photos, Additional Passes
> Planned Tuesday, May 5th
>
> The Virginia Tech camera on board AO-92 was activated on two passes
> over North America on Tuesday, April 28th. Several great photos were
> taken, captured by amateur stations running FoxTelem, and uploaded to
> the AMSAT Central Scrutinizer. All of the photos taken by AO-92 can be
> viewed on the AMSAT website at the link below.
>
> The Virginia Tech camera will be activated again on Tuesday, May 5th
> during morning passes over the United States. The camera remains
> active for 45 minutes after being enabled by a ground station.
>
> Stations in the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and
> South America are encouraged to set their stations up to receive and
> upload high speed telemetry in FoxTelem. FoxTelem downloads and
> instructions can be found at https://www.g0kla.com/foxtelem/index.php
>
> AO-92 Camera Image Archive:
>
> https://www.amsat.org/tlm/showImages.php?id=4
>
> [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT Vice President - Operations
> for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Redesigned AMSAT CubeSat Simulator Launched
>
> A new design for the CubeSatSim, the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator is now
> available on GitHub (http://cubesatsim.org/code). The CubeSatSim is a
> Raspberry Pi Zero W-based functional model of a “1U” CubeSat nano-
> satellite for demonstrations and educational outreach. It has a 3D-
> printed frame structure and is designed to act, as reasonably as poss-
> ible, as one flying in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The simulator runs on
> rechargeable battery power and solar panels and transmits its authentic
> voltage, current, and temperature telemetry on the UHF Amateur Radio
> band. The CubeSatSim has been presented at the AMSAT Space Symposium
> the past two years and at Hamvention last year.
>
> The new design was developed to reduce the cost to build and to im-
> prove functionality. Jim McLaughlin, KI6ZUM, and David White, WD6DRI,
> are prominent STEM advocates and school mentors in the San Diego area.
> They offered to help redesign the hardware and collaborated with Alan
> Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP Educational Relations, and Pat Kilroy, N8PK,
> over the past nine months. The resulting design has reduced the cost
> to build in half (from around $400 to around $200) and added a new
> Fox-1 emulation mode. In addition to the AFSK (Audio Frequency Shift
> Keying) and 1200 bps APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) telemetry
> in AO-7 format of the original design, the new version supports DUV
> (Data Under Voice) FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) 200 bps telemetry com-
> patible with Fox-1A through Fox-1D and BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying)
> 1200 bps telemetry compatible with HuskySat-1 and the upcoming Fox-1E.
> Chris Thompson, G0KLA/AC2CZ, the author of AMSAT’s FoxTelem satellite
> telemetry software, has put out a testing version 1.09 of the software
> that supports the CubeSatSim. Instructions on how to download and con-
> figure this test version are on the GitHub Wiki.
>
> http://cubesatsim.org/wiki
>
> Also new to the CubeSatSim is a STEM Payload board with a STM32F103C8T6
> “Blue Pill” Arduino compatible microcontroller. The board also has a
> built-in BME-280 Temperature Humidity Barometric Pressure Sensor and
> an MPU-6050 (GY-521) 3-Axis Accelerometer and Gyro. Also new is a tape
> measure dipole or monopole or SMA antenna, an integrated Band Pass
> filter, and a sturdy new 3D printed frame and more powerful solar
> panels.
>
> A new Twitter account @CubeSatSim has also been launched. Follow to get
> the latest updates on the CubeSatSim including videos and photos. Links
> to all CubeSatSim resources are at CubeSatSim.org.
>
> More details on the redesigned CubeSatSim can be found in the March/
> April 2020 edition of The AMSAT Journal, available at
> https://tinyurl.com/ANS-MarAprJournal
>
> The CubeSatSim team wishes to thank the AMSAT board, President, and all
> AMSAT members for their ongoing support of this educational project.
>
> [ANS thanks Dr. Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President - Educational
> Relations for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for April 30, 2020
>
> The following satellites have decayed from orbit and have been
> removed from this week's AMSAT TLE Distribution:
>
> ALMASAT-1 - NORAD Cat ID 38078 (Decayed from orbit April 25, 2020).
> nSIGHT1 - NORAD Cat ID 42726 (Decayed from orbit April 25, 2020).
>
> The following satellite has been activated and added to this week's
> AMSAT TLE Distribution:
>
> RS-44 - NORAD Cat ID 44909.
>
> Per Nico Janssen, PA0DLO concerning RS-44:
>
> "The new amateur payload DOSAAF 85 (RS-44) appears to work very well.
> Doppler measurements confirm that it is indeed object 44909,
> 2019-096E. The satellite identifies itself as "RS44" (i.e. Radio
> Sputnik 44) on its CW beacon on 435.6043 kHz. The passband is
> about 63 kHz wide. It may also have a downlink between 2400 and
> 2485 MHz. The frequencies of RS44/DOSAAF 85 have not been IARU
> coordinated. The satellite is in an elliptical orbit with a perigee of
> 1175 km, an apogee of 1511 km and an inclination of 82.5 degrees.
>
> The payload is apparently attached to the Breeze-KM upper stage of
> a Rokot launch vehicle that launched three Gonets satellites on
> December 26, 2019. It was originally expected to launch in 2015.
> It is based on the Yubileiniy platform."
>
> [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, 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
>
> +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
>
> FCC Adopts Updated Orbital Debris Mitigation Rules
>
> On April 23rd, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a
> Report and Order (R&O) and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
> (FNPRM) updating rules on orbital debris mitigation for the first time
> since 2004. The newly adopted regulations increase the disclosure re-
> quirements for pre-space notifications submitted for amateur space
> stations.
>
> In the draft version of the R&O, released in early April, the FCC had
> included the adoption of additional requirements regarding indemni-
> fication and maneuverability. AMSAT, ARRL, university researchers, and
> satellite industry groups opposed certain aspects of these rules. In
> response, the Commission moved those provisions to a FNPRM for further
> comment.
>
> In addition to maneuverability and indemnification requirements for
> amateur space stations, the Commission also seeks comment on a disposal
> bond requirement for certain spacecraft. AMSAT is evaluating the FNPRM
> and will file comments expressing our views of the proposed regula-
> tions.
>
> The adopted R&O / FNPRM can be found at
> https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-54A1.pdf
>
> [ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for
> the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> VUCC Awards-Endorsements for April 2020
>
> Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the
> ARRL for the period April 1, 2020 through May 1, 2020.
>
> Congratulations to all those who made the list this month!
>
> CALL Apr May
>
> KO4MA 1750 1753
> K7TAB 531 600
> AE5B 442 450
> ND0C 301 346
> N4DCW 201 300
> KC9UQR 252 275
> WA9JBQ 225 250
> W4DTA 217 240
> WI6K New 200
> S57NML 126 179
> DL4ZAB 150 172
> KS1G 134 170
> YO2CMI 100 168
> KE0WPA 108 152
> ZS5LEE New 105
> VE3CGA 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 was
> developed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's
> a visual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call
> was not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that
> are rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work!
>
> [ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge Virtual Hackathon, May 30-31
>
> NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Explora-
> tion Agency) are inviting coders, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers,
> storytellers, makers, builders, artists, and technologists to partici-
> pate in a virtual hackathon May 30-31 dedicated to putting open data
> to work in developing solutions to issues related to the COVID-19 pan-
> demic.
>
> During the global Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge, participants from a-
> round the world will create virtual teams that - during a 48-hour per-
> iod - will use Earth observation data to propose solutions to COVID-
> 19-related challenges ranging from studying the coronavirus that
> causes COVID-19 and its spread to the impact the disease is having on
> the Earth system. Registration for this challenge opens in mid-May.
>
> "There's a tremendous need for our collective ingenuity right now,"
> said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mis-
> sion Directorate. "I can?t imagine a more worthy focus than COVID-19
> on which to direct the energy and enthusiasm from around the world with
> the Space Apps Challenge that always generates such amazing solutions."
>
> The unique capabilities of NASA and its partner space agencies in the
> areas of science and technology enable them to lend a hand during this
> global crisis. Since the start of the global outbreak, Earth science
> specialists from each agency have been exploring ways to use unique
> Earth observation data to aid understanding of the interplay of the
> Earth system -- on global to local scales -- with aspects of the COVID-
> 19 outbreak, including, potentially, our ability to combat it. The
> hackathon will also examine the human and economic response to the vi-
> rus.
>
> ESA will contribute data from the Sentinel missions (Sentinel-1, Sent-
> inel-2 and Sentinel-5P) in the context of the European Copernicus pro-
> gram, led by the European Commission, along with data from Third Party
> contributing Missions, with a focus on assessing the impact on climate
> change and greenhouse gases, as well as impacts on the economic sector.
> ESA also is contributing Earth observation experts for the selection
> of the competition winners and the artificial-intelligence-powered
> EuroDataCube.
>
> "EuroDatacube will enable the best ideas to be scaled up to a global
> level," said Josef Aschbacher, director of Earth Observation Programm-
> es at ESA. "The pandemic crisis has a worldwide impact, therefore in-
> ternational cooperation and sharing of data and expertise with partners
> like NASA and JAXA seems the most suitable approach."
>
> JAXA is making Earth observing data available from its satellite mis-
> sions, including ALOS-2, GOSAT, GOSAT-2, GCOM-C, GCOM-W, and GPM/DPR.
>
> "JAXA welcomes the opportunity to be part of the hackathon," said JAXA
> Vice President Terada Koji. "I believe the trilateral cooperation among
> ESA, NASA and JAXA is important to demonstrate how Earth observation
> can support global efforts in combating this unprecedented challenge."
>
> Space Apps is an international hackathon that takes place in cities
> around the world. Since 2012, teams have engaged with NASA's free and
> open data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space. The
> COVID-19 Challenge will be the program's first global virtual hacka-
> thon. Space Apps 2019 included more than 29,000 participants at 225
> events in 71 countries, developing more than 2,000 hackathon solutions
> over the course of one weekend.
>
> Space Apps is a NASA-led initiative organized in collaboration with
> Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, and SecondMuse. The next annual Space
> Apps Challenge is scheduled for October 2-4.
>
> For more information about NASA Space Apps Challenges, visit:
> https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/
>
> [ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On-Line Student STEM: TI Codes Contest 2020
>
> Texas Instruments and NASA have announced the "TI Codes Contest 2020".
> This STEM activity invites student teams to connect and learn together
> remotely to let their imaginations reach new heights by solving this
> unique challenge during the 20th anniversary of humans on the Inter-
> national Space Station (ISS):
>
> Propose a way to automate or optimize a process or product for
> living and working on the ISS. Then use coding and Texas Instru-
> ments (TI) technology to design and build a model of the solution.
>
> Stage 1: Pitch your idea - is running now. Teams connect virtually
> with up to five students, ages 13–19, plus an adult sponsor. (A spon-
> sor can be a teacher, parent or other adult who can mentor students
> remotely.) Then, determine which process or product your team wants
> to automate or optimize that would help the International Space Station.
> The deadline for submissions: May 21, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. Central time.
>
> Access full contest rules, prize lists, NASA STEM resources, and enter
> your team at: https://education.ti.com/en/promotion/codescontest
>
> [ANS thanks Texas Instruments and NASA for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> First Guatemalan Satellite Deployed from the ISS
>
> Guatemala’s first satellite, a small CubeSat called QUETZAL-1, was de-
> ployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, April 28,
> 2020.
>
> Its primary mission is to test a sensor for remote data acquisition for
> natural resource management, which could be used to monitor water qual-
> ity in inland water bodies.
>
> QUETZAL-1 LogoThe satellite is part of the Japanese Kibo cubesat pro-
> gram, a product of the cooperation between, among others, the United
> Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Universidad del Valle
> de Guatemala (UVG), and more institutions. The operational frequencies
> were chosen through cooperation from Guatemalan radio amateurs and the
> International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).
>
> Downlink 4800 bps GMSK on 437.200 MHz.
>
> The Quetzal-1 project team director is Guatemalan engineer José Bagur,
> TG8JAV, a graduate from mechatronics engineering at Universidad Del
> Valle.
>
> Source: IARU Region 2 https://iaru-r2.org/
>
> IARU Quetzal-1
> http://amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=653
>
> Quetzal-1 Telemetry info https://uvg.edu.gt/cubesat-en/
>
> Quetzal-1 Telemetry decoder http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?page_id=75524
>
> Follow Quetzal-1 on Twitter https://twitter.com/quetzal1_uvg
>
> [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Former AMSAT Area Coordinator, Prominent DXer Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ,
> SK
>
> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ, became a silent key on Wednesday, April 29th
> at his home in the U. S. Virgin Islands. A prominent contester and
> DXer, Herb served as an AMSAT Area Coordinator in the Caribbean in the
> 1970s and 1980s. Activating Anguilla as VP2EFZ, he gave Pat Gowen,
> G3IOR, the last country he needed on OSCAR 7 to complete the first
> DXCC via satellite.
>
> [ANS thanks The Daily DX, QRZ.com, and former AMSAT Vice President -
> Operations Rich Zwirko, K1HTV, for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> During the COVID-19 Pandemic, ARISS to Begin Experimental Demonstra-
> tions of School Contacts using a Multipoint Telebridge Amateur Radio
> Approach
>
> Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased
> to announce the first use of a concept called Multipoint Telebridge
> Contact via Amateur Radio, allowing school contacts for Stay-At-Home
> students and simultaneous reception by families, school faculty and
> the public.
>
> During the last several weeks, efforts to contain the spread of the
> COVID-19 virus have resulted in massive school closures worldwide. In
> addition, the Stay-At-Home policies invoked by authorities, initially
> shut down opportunities for ARISS school contacts for the near future.
>
> To circumvent these challenges and keep students and the public safe,
> ARISS is introducing the Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur
> Radio concept. First operation of this experimental system occurred
> during a contact with a group of Northern Virginia Students located
> in Woodbridge, VA on Thursday, April 30 at 13:35 UTC (9:35EDT). During
> this event, an ARISS telebridge radio ground station linked to the
> astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS)ham radio station
> and each Stay-At-Home student and their teacher was individually
> linked to the telebridge station. Under the teacher’s direction, each
> student, from their home, takes a turna sking their question of the
> astronaut.
>
> Quoting ARISS Chair Frank Bauer, “This approach is a huge pivot for
> ARISS, but we feel it is a great strategic move for ARISS. In these
> times of isolation due to the virus, these ARISS connections provide a
> fantastic psychological boost to students, families, educators and the
> public. And they continue our long-standing efforts to inspire, engage
> and educate students in STEAM subjects and encourage them to pursue
> STEAM careers.”
>
> An archive of the April 30th contact can be viewed at
> https://youtu.be/Cu8I9ose4Vo.
>
> About ARISS:
>
> Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a
> cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the
> space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In
> the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corp-
> oration (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS
> National Lab, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration
> (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science,
> technology,engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) topics by organizing
> scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the
> ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during
> these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities
> learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more
> information, see www.ariss.org
>
> [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR, 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/
>
> +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
>
> Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
>
> AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
> through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club
> meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
>
> Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have
> been canceled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the
> information contained below is correct, there may be some that we
> missed.
>
> We wish all of you safekeeping and hope to be at a hamfest near you
> soon.
>
> Current schedule:
>
> June 12-13, 2020, Ham-Com, Plano, TX
>
> The following events scheduled to have an AMSAT presence have been
> CANCELED:
>
> May 8-9, 2020, Prescott Hamfest, Prescott, AZ
> May 15-17, Hamvention, Xenia, OH
>
> [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT Vice President - 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/
>
> +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
>
> Upcoming Satellite Operations
>
> AD0DX has announced a tentative activation of DL88 in Big Bend Nat-
> ional Park for Sunday, May 31st. At this time, the park remains closed
> but the team hopes it will reopen soon. Doug Tabor, N6UA, will join
> him for this activation. Details about the plans can be found on the
> K5Z QRZ.com page: https://www.qrz.com/db/K5Z
>
> [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT Vice President - User
> Services, for the above information]
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Satellite Shorts From All Over
>
> + The May 2020 issue of Aerospace America, the monthly magazine of the
> American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) features
> an article entitled "Cosmic GPS" describing the emerging use of GPS
> on spacecraft flying beyond the GPS constellation altitude and,
> eventually, to the moon. Above-constellation use of GPS was first
> demonstrated on AMSAT-OSCAR 40. AMSAT Vice President - Human Space-
> flight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, is extensively quoted in this article.
> Read it at https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/cosmic-gps/
>
> + AMSAT's Zazzle store has added a few new products, including a water
> bottle, car flag, and fanny pack. A wide variety of other products
> are also available, including the popular new OSCAR t-shirt. Check
> out the store at https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear. 25% of the
> purchase price of each product goes to AMSAT to help Keep Amateur
> Radio in Space.
>
> + Scientists from NASA, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and
> the Lunar Planetary Institute have created a detailed new map of the
> lunar surface in stunning color. Called the Unified Geological Map of
> the Moon, it marries decades of surveys of the moon’s surface going
> as far back as Armstrong and Aldrin’s Apollo mission, with more re-
> cent data from NASA and JAXA. It doesn’t just look pretty — the map
> will greatly help NASA and other organizations plan future landing
> sites optimized for scientific missions. NASA's Artemis project could
> take humans to the moon as early as 2024. AMSAT, along with ARISS,
> partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way
> communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar or-
> bit as part of an Artemis precursor initiative. The digital map is
> available for the public at: https://on.doi.gov/2YnZGAO
>
> + Scott Chapman, K4KDR, is featured in Scott Manley's new video about
> the Iranian Noor satellite. https://youtu.be/SPTz7Ig9RQE
>
> + As another part of the RSGB "Get on the air to care" campaign, the
> May edition of RadCom is being made available to radio amateurs
> around the world to read online as a sample edition. A number of
> IARU national societies have taken a similar step and the RSGB is
> happy to join those societies in supporting the worldwide amateur
> radio community during these difficult times:
> https://www.rsgb.org/sampleradcom
>
> + In a Public Notice released on April 30th, the FCC confirmed that
> amateur license examinations may be conducted remotely. The full
> Public Notice can be found at the link below:
> https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-467A1.pdf
>
> + The AMSAT Folding at home team continues to climb the rankings. Now in
> the top 2,500 of all teams at the time of this writing, the team has
> grown to 37 members with 70 active CPUs within the past 50 days and
> includes five members in the top 100,000 of all users. Alex Free,
> N7AGF, is our top contributor with over 21,000,000 points credited
> to AMSAT's team. For more information about the Folding at home project
> and how you can contribute to scientific research, including the
> fight against COVID-19, see https://foldingathome.org/. AMSAT's team
> number is 69710: https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/69710
>
> + In advance of their move to a new headquarters location, the FCC has
> updated their offical seal. The new seal includes a satellite and
> ground station, reflecting the increasing importance of space
> communications. https://twitter.com/FCC/status/1255882365936775171
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> /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
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed
> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
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