Category Archives: Space Radio

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space Radio

AMSAT, student sats, and space radio news – May.25.14

Here are the latest AMSAT News headlines about developments in amateur and student satellites and about amateur radio on the ISS.

ANS 121 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – May 25, 2014:
* SPROUT microsatellite launched with SSTV and digitalker
* 2014 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Deadline Approaching
* New launch date for UKube-1
* Dayton Satellite Demonstrations Videos
* 2015 NASA Aeronautics Scholarships
* NASA History Program Office Fall 2014 Internships

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A sampling of other smallsat and space radio links:

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space participation, Space Radio

AMSAT, student satellites, and space radio news – May.18.14

AMSAT News posts the latest on  developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS.

ANS 138 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – May 17, 2014:
* ARISS to the MAX
* The LituanicaSAT-1 team operational during the weekend of May 17-18
* Island of Miquelon Activation on Satellites: July 5-15 FP/KV1J
* From Holiday Inn to Outer Space
* FUNcube-1 AO-73 satellite SSB signal test
* BBC: ‘Pocket spacecrafts’ to become a reality
* 2015 NASA Aeronautics Scholarships
* NASA History Program Office Fall 2014 Internships
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

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More links:

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Unfortunately, the KickSat nanosat reentered the atmosphere before it was able to release its 104 tiny Sprites chipsats.  The clock reset event reported earlier could not be undone. Project leader Zach Manchester says KickSat-2 will incorporate the lessons learned: KickSat — Your personal spacecraft in space! by Zachary Manchester » Updates — Kickstarter –

KickSat reentered the atmosphere and burned up last night some time around 9:30 PM EDT (01:30 UTC). Unfortunately, we were not able to command the Sprite deployment in time. While we are certainly disappointed that things did not go as planned, I think we still have a lot to be proud of.

Over 300 people from all over the world came together to make KickSat happen. We built a spacecraft, tested it, and launched it. Hundreds of people had their names flown in space, more than a dozen radio amateurs were able to receive signals from KickSat’s beacon radio, and volunteers collected and processed telemetry data and predicted KickSat’s orbit and reentry. This kind of participation is exactly what KickSat is all about and I’m glad we all got to share in this experience.

We’ve learned a lot from KickSat, and I plan to take those lessons and build an even better KickSat-2. This is only the beginning! Thank you all for your amazing support over the past two years. I hope you’ll stick with us as we continue to try to make space something everyone can take part in.

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Here is the audio of a BBC program about nano and pico satellites (recorded before the KickSat had its clock problem): ▶ BBC Radio 4 – Today, 15/05/2014, ‘Pocket spacecrafts’ to become a reality

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space Radio

AMSAT, student satellites and space radio news – May.11.14

Here are the latest headlines from AMSAT News about developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS.

ANS 131 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – May 10, 2014:
* Fox-1 Launch Update
* New Speaker Announced for the AMSAT Dayton Forum
* KC8YLD to Address Instructors, Youth at Dayton Hamvention
* ARRL’s ETP Feature Space Topics at Hamvention
* Delfi-n3Xt: 2405 MHz Downlink Test
* FUNcube-1 AO-73 satellite SSB signal test
* Future FUNcube missions – 2014 launch dates
* Two QB50 satellites with ham radio payloads delivered
* KickSat Sprite deployment may not happen
* Delfi-C3 celebrates 6 years in space
* Upcoming AMSAT Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts from All Over

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Other student/amateur satellite news:

In Space Infrastructure, Space Radio, Space Systems

“Ham TV” becomes operational on the ISS

The ESA reports on TV transmission using the amateur radio station on the ISS:

Ham video premiers on Space Station

5 May 2014: Astronauts on the International Space Station can now talk with people on Earth with video using simple transmitters. ‘Ham TV’ has been set up in ESA’s Columbus laboratory and already used for talking with ground control.


Commissioning of the  ISS Ham TV

Amateur radio enthusiasts have been able to poll astronauts circling our planet using standard radio equipment since the Station was inaugurated in 2000. Radio signals easily reach the orbital outpost flying 350 km above us on sets readily available to radio enthusiasts.

The new Ham TV adds a visual dimension, allowing an audience on the ground to see and hear the astronauts.

Ham TV equipment

The hardware, developed by Kayser Italia, was sent to the Station on Japan’s space freighter in August last year and connected to an existing S-band antenna on Columbus.

Ham video in action

NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins had the honour of being the first to commission the unit and broadcast over Ham TV. He had a video chat with three ground stations in Italy: Livorno, Casale Monferrato and Matera. The crew finished commissioning the set-up on 12 April for general use.

Just like standard television, the video signal is one way. The astronauts cannot see their audience but they will still be able to hear them over the traditional amateur radio on the Station.

Ham TV ground station

Contacts are brief – the connection requires direct line of sight and the Station’s 28 800 km/h means it quickly passes through the field of view of amateur stations.

ESA has provided five ground antennas and equipment to the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station organisation to receive video from the Station. These stations can be transported easily and positioned to follow the laboratory as it flies overhead. Linked together in this way, the stations can supply up to 20 minutes of contact at a time.

Ham TV will add to ham radio for space educational purposes, offering schoolchildren the chance to talk and see astronauts in space with simple equipment.

Anybody can still hail the Station via radio and, if an astronaut floats by the always-on receiver, they might just pick up and answer the call.

For more information on how to get involved and organise an educational event, contact the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station organisation.

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space Radio

AMSAT, student sat and space radio news – May.4.14

Go to AMSAT News for the latest about developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS. Here are today’s headlines:

ANS 124 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – May 4, 2014:
* LituanicaSAT-1 FM Transponder Operation Feedback
* BOOK NOW FOR THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM ON 24 MAY
* Eighth Annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Reservations Close May 13th
* UK CubeSat Workshop: Student Research Pitches
* Ham Radio Earth-Moon-Earth Art Event on Google+ Hangout
* HAMSAT – VO-52 Completes 9 Years in Space
* Commercial HDTV Streaming Live from ISS
* AMSAT Office Relocated; Reopens
* AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention — Last call for volunteers
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

Other smallsat, space radio news:

  • KickSat’s Current Status — Kickstarter – 104 Sprite chipsats may fail to be released before the cubesat deorbits:

    “One consequence of the watchdog reset on KickSat is that the spacecraft’s master clock was reset, thus also setting the deployment countdown for KickSat back to 16 days. That would put the deployment some time in the morning of May 16th. Unfortunately, it looks like KickSat will most likely reenter and burn up before the 16th. We’ve spent the last couple of days here at Cornell trying to think of every possible contingency, but it seems there aren’t very many options right now. KickSat’s uplink radio, which we could use to command the deployment, can’t turn on unless the batteries reach 8 volts, and it doesn’t look like they’ll reach that level in time.

    While the situation looks a little bleak, there is still some hope that the batteries may recharge sufficiently to command the satellite. There is also a small chance that KickSat could remain in orbit until the 16th, at which point the timer would set off the deployment as originally planned. We’ll continue tracking KickSat over the next few days with the help of the ham community, so that we can keep track of its battery voltage and the Sprite deployment status.”

  • The K7RA Solar Update – ARRL