Amateur radio satellite talk now online

AREx - Gateway Amateur Radio Exploration

AREx – Gateway Amateur Radio Exploration

On Tuesday, November 10, Dave Johnson G4DPZ gave an online satellite talk to the Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club, the video is now available for everyone to watch on YouTube.

The talk covered the many amateur satellites in Low Earth Orbit that operate in the 145.8-146.0 MHz and 435-438 MHz satellite bands as well as the QO-100 geostationary satellite which uses the 2.4 GHz and 10 GHz bands.

Also covered were the new Inter-Operable Radio System which has recently been installed in the ISS Columbus module and Gateway Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx).

After the talk the Mid Ulster ARC @MN0VFW tweeted:
“What a talk from Dave G4DPZ from @AmsatUK this evening. Thank you to him and everyone who joined in.”
https://twitter.com/MN0VFW/status/1326284522388905985

Watch AMSAT-UK and Amateur radio satellites with Dave G4DPZ

Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club (MUARC) talks are held online at Zoom Meeting ID 832 6862 3068 at 7pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday’s of each month
https://twitter.com/MN0VFW/status/1326114389804584963

You can watch previous MUARC talks at https://www.youtube.com/MuarcMedia/videos

AMSAT-DL Online Symposium September 26

Peter Gülzow DB2OS AMSAT-DL

Peter Gülzow DB2OS AMSAT-DL

AMSAT-DL have announced this year’s Symposium on Saturday, September 26, will be streamed live on YouTube and most of the lectures will be in English to cater for an international audience.

Matthias DD1US writes on the AMSAT Bulletin Board:

Unfortunately, the AMSAT-DL Symposium planned for September 26th and 27th, 2020 cannot take place this year in the usual manner.

Since the health of everyone is very close to our hearts and the legal framework currently leaves no other option, we have decided not to hold a meeting on site in Bochum this year. We regret this very much, but the premises only allow an occupancy of less than 20 persons.

A “social” meeting with dinner is unfortunately not possible either, nor is a flea market and other activities, such as the QO-100 User Meeting, which happened for the first time during the HAM Radio Fair in Friedrichshafen in 2019.

Instead, we will broadcast the symposium as an “online” meeting in DATV via the broadband transponder of QO-100 and on the Internet on the YouTube channel of AMSAT-DL at https://www.youtube.com/user/amsatdl

Enclosed is the preliminary schedule for September 26th 2020 (all times in CEST=UTC+2):

09:00 (07:00 GMT, 08:00 BST) Welcome, Introduction, Agenda – Matthias DD1US
09:10 Interview with the AMSAT-DL Board of Directors: Peter DB2OS, Michael DD5ER, Thilo DJ5YM – Matthias DD1US
09:45 Introduction to Bochum Observatory and its Ham Radio activities – Thilo DJ5YM
10:10 The AMSAT-DL LunART project proposal to ESA – Peter DB2OS
10:35 The ADALM Pluto as part of the AMSAT-DL QO-100 control station in Bochum – Mario DL5MLO
11:10 Portable station for QO-100 based on the modules of AMSAT-DL – Matthias DD1US
12:00 Lunch break
12:45 QO-100 DX-pedition to Namibia/South Africa/Botswana – Charly DK3ZL
13:45 Digital Narrowband Operation via QO-100 – Florian DF2ET
14:20 School contacts via QO-100 with DP0GVN in Antarctica – Heiner DD0KP
14:55 Update of ARISS and AREx activities – Oliver DG6BCE
15:45 Coffee break
16:00 Reception of the recently launched probes to Mars – Daniel EA4GPZ, Paul M0EYT, Achim DH2VA
16:50 Final interview with the AMSAT-DL BOD and conclusions: Peter DB2OS, Michael DD5ER, Thilo DJ5YM – Matthias DD1US
17:10 Introduction to the virtual QO-100 user meeting – Matthias DD1US
17:20 Virtual QO-100 user meeting via the QO-100 NB transponder – Florian DF2ET
17:50 Closing of the symposium and virtual QO-100 user meeting – Matthias DD1US

Due to the international audience, most of the lectures will be held in English. The current schedule can be found on the AMSAT-DL homepage at https://amsat-dl.org/en/

We would like to invite you all, also on behalf of the AMSAT-DL board, to this year’s AMSAT-DL online conference and the virtual QO-100 user meeting.

Jens DH6BB, Lenz DL8RDL, Florian DF2ET and Matthias DD1US

Please send any queries to Matthias DD1US matthias.bopp <AT> dd1us.de

Vega launch of three satellites with ham radio payloads

Vega VV16 launch

Vega VV16 launch

Three satellites with amateur radio payloads were on the Vega VV16 launch that took place at 01:51:10 GMT on Thursday, September 3, 2020.

Earlier on the AMSAT Bulletin Board Christophe Mercier had posted:

The Vega rocket (VV16) is scheduled to leave Kourou on 02 September 2020 at 3h36 CEST [launch was postponed until 01:51 GMT on Sept 3] with 53 satellites on board.

One of the satellites that will be leaving is the Amicalsat satellite built by the CSUG (Centre Spatial Universitaire Grenoblois). The measurements made by the satellite will be available to all. They will allow radio amateurs to use them for propagation predictions.

The project’s website (in English) has just been put online http://amicalsat.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/

The Amsat-Francophone supported this project http://site.amsat-f.org/amicalsat/

A software (Linux & Windows) is provided for decoding the telemetry and sending it to the database (SatNogs). The user manual is available (in English) https://code.electrolab.fr/xtof/josast/-/blob/master/ApplicationAmicalsat/src/site/markdown/UserManual.md

UHF 436.1 MHz AFSK 1200 RS17S
S band 2,415.3 MHz GFSK 1000 kb/s
http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/0Amicalsat.html

Reports are welcome. Thank you for your help.

The first 5 people who receive a frame from AmicalSat will receive a gift.
To submit your frame uses the satnogs SIDS or email satellite@adri38.fr

Two other satellites :

UPMSat-2
UHF 437.405 MHz AFSK 1200 UPMST2
http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/0UPMSat-2%20.html

TTU100
Primary 435.450 MHz 1k2 and 9k6 and CW
Secondary 10465.000 MHz OPSK 62.5 kbs and 20 Mbs
http://amsat-f.org/AMSATLIST/SatellitePage/UK/0TT%C3%9C100%20(TT%C3%9CSat,%20MektorySAT%201,%20H%C3%A4marik)%20.html

73

Christophe Mercier
Amsat-F chairman

AMSAT Bulletin Board http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

Vega Flight VV16 https://www.arianespace.com/mission/vega-flight-vv16/

Watch the Vega VV16 launch live at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IveCBs-cCTw

RSGB Tonight @ 8 Video – Getting started on QO-100

Es'hail-2 Qatar-OSCAR-100On Monday, July 27 Dom Smith M0BLF gave an online talk – Getting started on QO-100as part of the RSGB Tonight @ 8 live webinar series.

Dom’s lockdown project was to complete a set up for the QO-100 amateur radio transponders that are hosted on the geostationary satellite Es’hail-2. This was the first amateur radio payload to be put into a geostationary orbit and provides constant and reliable coverage for amateur voice, data and television contacts over the whole of Africa, Europe and the Middle East and even as far as Brazil in the west, and Thailand in the east.

Getting started on QO-100 is a talk in two halves: first we’ll watch the video, showing the particular set-up chosen—and there are many!—and then there will be chance for a Q&A. The equipment list can be see at https://www.domsmith.co.uk/blog/2020/07/27/rsgb-webinar-on-qo-100/

Watch Getting Started on QO-100 by Dom Smith, M0BLF

Dom Smith, M0BLF has been a radio amateur for nearly 25 years since being licensed at the age of 14 in 1996. He is an active member of the Camb-Hams and Cambridge University Wireless Society (CUWS), and may often be heard contesting, climbing hills for Summits on the Air, and assisting Cambridgeshire RAYNET. He also enjoys travelling for DXPeditions, most recently as JW/M0BLF, VP2MUW and ZC4UW, and he manages QSL cards for most CUWS trips. On top of all that, he volunteers with Cambridge 105 Radio, the local community broadcast station, on the engineering team.

Professionally, Dom works as a Cloud Solutions Architect in the software team at the Royal Society of Chemistry and he holds a PhD in Hispanic Studies.

Watch other RSGB Tonight @ 8 videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRSGB/videos

QO-100 information https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geo/eshail-2/

QO-100 products in the AMSAT-UK shop https://amsat-uk.org/

Ofcom statement on 5725-5850 MHz

On Friday, July 24, Ofcom released their statement on 5725-5850 MHz and 5925-6425 MHz.

The main points are:
• Make 5925-6425 MHz available for Wi-Fi and other RLAN technologies
• The release of this spectrum will also enable very low power (VLP) outdoor use
• Remove the Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) requirements from channels used by Wi-Fi in the 5725-5850 MHz Amateur and Amateur Satellite Service allocation

The Amateur Satellite Service weak-signal downlink band, 5830-5850 MHz, is used by amateur payloads on Deep-Space and Interplanetary spacecraft as well as by satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Increased use of Wi-Fi across these frequencies could obliterate the weak amateur satellite signals.

Ofcom statement
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/improving-spectrum-access-for-wi-fi

In 2013 CEPT looked at increased use of 5725-5850 MHz
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/08/29/cept-considers-use-of-5830-5850-mhz-satellite-band/

Wi-Fi Channels in the 5 GHz Band

OSCAR Satellite QSO Party 1 Aug – 22 Sept

Fun in space with Amateur RadioThe objective of the AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is to encourage all radio amateurs around the world to get on the air and make contacts via satellites during northern hemisphere summer. We would like to attract both seasoned die-hard operators as well as all newcomers who are just getting involved.

While points are given per QSO this isn’t a contest, but we hope it will encourage people to get on the air and enjoy the excitement of making contacts through satellites.

The AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party will be supported by an online leaderboard which will be available from the start of the event which runs from 00:00 GMT on 1st August until 23:59 GMT on 22nd September.

Prizes will be awarded to those from first to thirteenth place and are open to both AMSAT-UK and non-members around the world.
● First Place £250 Amazon Voucher
● Second Place £150 Amazon Voucher
● Third Place £50 Amazon Voucher
● Fourth to Thirteenth Place One Year AMSAT-UK Membership

Download the rules for the AMSAT-UK OSCAR QSO Party

Leaderboard https://leaderboard.amsat-uk.org/