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:



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:

FAST1BEACON/1: UI:
F11001611484723.998635824658.10 +3888795.01 -567497.09 -1500.24821
+1194.21584 -7135.59277+0330282372 056 033 032 032 048

FAST2BEACON/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_rad...B3/predictedor
bit
..php

If you track the satellites, please let the FASTRAC team know through
their website:
http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/for_rad...pBB3/index.php
or at .

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 presenta-
tions 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 satel-
lites 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 ham-
fest 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 posi-
tion. 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 coor-
dinate 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 sec-
uring 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 sig-
nificant 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 relation-
ships 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 at his
e-mai (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/Pe...AMSAT_2010.htm
l
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÷3EYcyszf8

+ 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/s...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, Nov-
ember 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-1 and 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