AMSAT in special 300th edition of ICQ Podcast

AMSAT in special 300th edition of ICQ Podcast

The popular ICQ Amateur Radio Podcast has been running for over 11 years and on August 4, 2019, the ICQ Podcast team released their 300th edition which features an interview with Treasurer and Past President of AMSAT Keith Baker KB1SF.

The first edition of ICQ Podcast was released by Father and Son team Martin Butler M1MRB and Colin Butler M6BOY on July 6, 2008 and since those early days the show has gone from strength to strength.

Released fortnightly on a Sunday at 0900 GMT the ICQ Podcast is available either as an MP3 download or as a YouTube version with optional auto-generated subtitles.

In the 300th edition, Martin Butler M1MRB is joined by Chris Howard M0TCH, Dan Romanchik KB6NU and Frank Howell K4FMH to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news and this episode’s special feature is the interview with AMSAT’s Keith Baker KB1SF which begins at 1:10:30 into the show.

ICQ Podcast Episode 300 with AMSAT Treasurer and Past President Keith Baker KB1SF

ICQ Podcast https://www.icqpodcast.com/

Keith Baker KB1SF https://twitter.com/kb1sf
Martin Butler M1MRB https://twitter.com/M1MRB
Colin Butler M6BOY https://twitter.com/colinbutler
Chris Howard M0TCH https://twitter.com/m0tch_chris
Dan Romanchik KB6NU https://twitter.com/kb6nu
Frank Howell K4FMH https://twitter.com/frankmhowell

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m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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SSA defense of 23cm band against Galileo threat

SSA defense of 23cm band against Galileo threat

Galileo LogoSweden’s national amateur radio society, the SSA, has sent a supplementary letter to the communications regulator PTS ahead of the next meeting of the CEPT ECC Conference Preparatory Group CPG-19.

The SSA report:

At a previous CEPT meeting (PTA), France has proposed an agenda item to WRC-23 that the coexistence between satellite navigation (eg Galileo) and amateur radio in the band 1240-1300 MHz should be investigated. The proposal was voted down at the preparatory PTA meeting, but France has now sent letters to the various telecommunications authorities with a request that they now support this proposal at the forthcoming CPG19-9. SSA opposes this.

SSA has therefore sent a supplementary letter to PTS about our 23 cm amateur band. Our section leader for IARU and VUSHF Mats SM6EAN explains the background and our opinion on our section pages. Here you can also read the new letter to PTS.

Hans-Christian SM6ZEM

Link to letter in Google English is available via https://tinyurl.com/SwedenSSA

The next meeting of the CEPT ECC Conference Preparatory Group CPG-19 takes place in Ankara, Turkey on August 26-30, 2019. The meeting documents should be available in advance at
https://cept.org/ecc/groups/ecc/cpg/client/meeting-documents/?flid=8819

1240-1300 MHz band discussed by CEPT WGFM and CPG/PTA
https://amsat-uk.org/2019/05/31/1240-1300-mhz-band-discussed-by-cept-wgfm-and-cpg-pta/

1240-1300 MHz IARU Region 1 paper PTA(19)069 – RNSS Proposal WRC-19 AI 10
http://rsgb.org/main/files/2019/06/PTA19069_IARU_AI-10_Amateur-GNSS_Final.pdf

January 2006 – Potential Interference To Galileo From 23cm Band Operations by Peter Blair G3LTF
http://www.southgatearc.org/articles/galileo.htm

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m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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ARISS Next Generation Radio System Completes Critical Flight Certification Tests

ARISS Next Generation Radio System Completes Critical Flight Certification Tests

ARISS 25 watt JVC Kenwood D710GA at Hamvention 2017 - Credit John Brier KG4AKVARISS 25 watt JVC Kenwood D710GA at Hamvention 2017 – Credit John Brier KG4AKV

The Interoperable Radio System (IORS), ARISS’ next generation radio system successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) logoDuring the week of July 8, the IORS, consisting of the JVC Kenwood D-710GA Radio and the AMSAT developed Multi-Voltage Power Supply, successfully completed a series of Electro-magnetic Interference (EMI)/Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) tests to ensure that the ARISS hardware will not interfere with the ISS systems or other payloads. Testing continued into the following week, where the IORS successfully passed power quality and acoustics testing. These tests verified that the ARISS IORS will not introduce harmful signals back into the ISS power system and is quiet enough to meet ISS acoustic requirements. ARISS Hardware Team members Lou McFadin, W5DID and Kerry Banke, N6IZW were at the NASA Johnson Space Center supporting this two week battery of tests in concert with the NASA test and certification team.

Kerry Banke states, “Since the IORS is being qualified to operate on 120VDC, 28VDC and Russian 28VDC as well as transmitting on VHF or UHF, a lot of test combinations were required to cover all cases. Each input voltage type was also tested at low, medium and high line voltage. Moreover, additional permutations were required to test the IORS under no load, medium load and full load at each voltage level. So it should not be surprising why the tests took two weeks to complete.”

Successful completion of these tests represents a key milestone in preparing the IORS for launch. ARISS can now begin final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch. ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year.

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m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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Two ISS SSTV events during July 29 – August 4

Two ISS SSTV events during July 29 – August 4

ISS SSTV image 5 received by Dave Boult G7HCE in Exeter on April 14, 2019ISS SSTV image received by Dave Boult G7HCE in Exeter on April 14, 2019

ARISS Russia is planning Slow Scan Television (SSTV) image transmissions on 145.800 MHz FM from the International Space Station.

Below is the scheduled for the planned activation of SSTV from the ISS. The first session is the routine MAI-75 activity that is only active for a few orbits. It appears that the most of the world (except N. America) will get a shot during the two day run. Some lucky operators along the east coast of North America should get a pass on July 29.

Inter-MAI-75 activity
(July 29) GMT 210/13:15 – SSTV activate
(July 29) GMT 210/21:25 – SSTV power down

(July 30) GMT 211/13:50 – SSTV power up
(July 30) GMT 211/19:30 – SSTV shutdown

The second event will be a world wide event running from August 1 through August 4 and the schedule is:

ARISS SSTV activity
(Aug 01) GMT 213/09:40 – SSTV activate
(Aug 02) GMT 214/14:00 – SSTV check
(Aug 04) GMT 216/18:15 – SSTV shutdown

This event uses a computer in the ISS Russian Segment, which stores images that are then transmitted to Earth using the ARISS amateur radio station located in the Service Module which employs the Kenwood TM D710E transceiver.

It is anticipated that the SSTV mode used will be PD-120.

Please note that SSTV events are dependent on other activities, schedules and crew responsibilities on the ISS and subject to change at any time. You can check for updates regarding planned operation at:
ISS Ham https://twitter.com/RF2Space
ARISS Status https://twitter.com/ARISS_status
ARISS SSTV Blog https://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/
AMSAT Bulletin Board http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

Read the MagPi article Pictures from space via ham radio
https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/pictures-from-space-via-ham-radio/

ISS SSTV info and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/

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m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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AMSAT-CE working on CESAR-1 FM transponder satellite

AMSAT-CE working on CESAR-1 FM transponder satellite

AMSAT-CE Logo

The Radio Club de Chile has announced the reactivation of the AMSAT-CE Foundation.

The Government of Chile has announced a plan to renew the Chilean Air Force Fasat Charlie satellite, along with promoting the construction of several micro and nano satellites.

This motivated the AMSAT-CE Foundation to propose that the CESAR-1 project of Chilean radio amateurs can be reactivated, modernized and completed, as part of the government plan.

Radio Club de Chile has supported AMSAT-CE since its begining and the Vice-President of Radio Club of Chile, José Tijoux CE3BCO, has just joined the Board of Directors of AMSAT-CE continuing and strengthening the space activity of Chilean radio amateurs .

The AMSAT-CE Foundation was created in 1993 and its first project is CESAR-1 which stands for CE (Chile) Satellite of Radiocommunication.

AMSAT-CE is designing and building five satellites, to be used by radio amateurs around the world, which will allow a series of scientific experiments in the field of digital communications, as well as gravimetric and orbitgraphic studies.

Of these five satellites, one will be the engineering prototype, three will be flight units, and the remaining one will be used to check or replicate on the ground the operation of the units that are in space.

The CESAR-1 satellite will be a  23 cm cube with a mass of about 12 kg and is planned to have five main experiments:

• A real-time digital transponder (Digipeater) using AX.25 at 9,600 kbps

• An electronic message box (Store and Forward) using AX.25 at 9.6 kbps)

• A 145 MHZ to 436 MHz band FM transponder

• A link to two terrestrial repeaters that will enable low power stations operating on 147 MHz FM to access the satellite

• An on-board GPS receiver, which will collect information for gravimetric and orbitgraphic research.

The orbit of CESAR-1 will be low, polar and heliosynchronous (about 800 km high).

AMSAT-CE
https://www.amsat-ce.org/
https://twitter.com/AmsatChile

Radio Club de Chile
http://www.ce3aa.cl/amsat-ce/
https://twitter.com/RCDECHILE

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m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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