Jul 10

Multipoint ARISS internet bridge with students of Don Bosco, Haacht, Belgium via AB1OC.

A Multipoint ARISS Internet Bridge via Amateur Radio, was performed using videoconference over internet with students on Friday 10 juli 2020 at 10:52 UTC with NA1SS and ARISS telebridge ground station AB1OC (Hollis, NH) was successful. ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call sign KF5KDR, answered 12 questions from students of Don Bosco secondary school in Haacht Belgium.

Fred AB1OC calling NA1SS

As you are well aware, the school was closed and gatherings with audience in the classic way could not take place. Fred Kemmerer AB1OC was part of the videoconference and provided amateur radio contact between the ISS and every student at home.

The students, teachers and astronauts during the ARISS contact.

This was the first ARISS contact using Internet videoconference. The conference was also broadcasted over YouTube and it had 1800 viewers during the live event. The moderator was Stefan Dombrowski ON6TI. The school originally hoped to establish direct radio contact with their club station ON1DB.

Media source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj6gkCtKAwg
https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20200710_95863411
https://www.uba.be/nl/actueel/flash/ARISS-EU505-DonBosco-Haacht

Jun 16

Villanueva de la Serena, Spain, Multipoint telebridge via ON4ISS

A Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio, developed for distance learning while worldwide education institutions are closed due to COVID-19 that took place on Tuesday 16 juni 2020 at 12:25 UTC with OR4ISS and ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful.. ISS Commander Chris Cassidy, amateur radio call sign KF5KDR, answered 11 questions from students of I.E.S. Pedro de Valdivia in Villanueva de la Serena, Spain.

Chris used the onboard ham radio to talk with the students on their phones at home. It was a very pleasant contact and Chris Cassidy took his time to answer the questions in great detail. Prior to COVID-19, the students had studied and observed ISS passes, participated in NASA’s EarthKam program, and built communication equipment to listen to ARISS contacts and make ARISS APRS contacts, and downloaded ARISS SSTV images from the ISS. Sr. Pepe Pineda, the teacher said, “Our school emphasizes languages and cultures and gives special importance to science and technology.”

Media source:
ARISS youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpvSU3-t2CQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au8yZEI4K3s
ARISS News Release No. 20-06

Jun 12

General Assembly 2020

annual general meeting 2020 – video conference – Monday, June 29, 2020 at 20:00 CEST

A photo of the AMSAT-ON annual meeting in 2012 – location UBA section LVN – Radio Club Leuven

The members of AMSAT Belgium, non-profit association, are invited to attend the annual general meeting. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, this meeting cannot take place in the usual cozy atmosphere. The meeting is organized with a video conference.

The general assembly will take place on Monday, June 29, 2020 at 20:00 CEST.
The video conference is accessible with a password that is sent to all members in an invitation. Everyone can still settle with their membership until the day before.

Agenda:
1. New members and outgoing members.
2. Financial report 2019 and discharge to the board of directors.
3. Approval of the 2020 budget.

Persons who are in order with their membership contribution are entitled to vote. After the closing of the general meeting there is an opportunity to exchange ideas informally.

Correspondence about this general meeting can be sent by email to jan.poppeliers at online.be

Support:
The GoToMeeting normally install an app. If you don’t want to install an app, you can follow the meeting with Google Chrome. Do you need support:
https://support.goto.com/meeting/help/how-to-join-a-meeting-g2m030001

Jan 05

QARMAN ready to deployed from ISS.

QARMAN is a satellite from the Von Karman institute in Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium. It is a 3U cubesat with dimensions 10x10x30 cm and the last satellite of the QB50 experiment.

It will orbit Earth for around 4 months before reentering the atmosphere. It will survive reentry but not its fall to Earth. Instead its data will be transmitted to Iridium telecom satellites.

Reentry test of QARMAN CubeSat
Reentry test of QARMAN CubeSat

The satellite was lifted-off from Cape Canaveral has been on board the ISS since 5 December 2019 with the SpaceX 19 resupply cargo. In-Orbit deployment from the ISS is preliminary scheduled on 12 Februari 2020.

QARMAN with callsign ONØ5BE has a telemetry beacon at 437.350 MHz – GMSK 9600Bd – AX.25 frames. In normal mode telemetry is transmitted every 2 minutes, in save mode / low power mode every 10 minutes. The definition of the different telemetry data is described in this document and you can easily decode the telemetry with this Excel file.

You can report receiving reports from the satellite to operations@qarman.eu

Media source:
VKI News: Successful Launch of QARMAN to the ISS
Description of the QB50 project
QARMAN spacecraft successfully survived to SCIROCCO test
QARMAN Homepage

Sep 23

The Children’s Inn at NIH speaks with astronaut Nick Hague via ON4ISS

The ARISS contact on Monday 23 September 2019 at 20:09 UTC (22:09 CEST) 89 deg with OR4ISS and the Children’s Inn at NIH, Bethesda, Maryland via ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful. Astronaut Nick Hague, KG5TMV answered 11 questions from children at the Children’s Inn at NIH (National Institutes of Health’s ). The Children’s Inn is an independent nonprofit that provides “a place like home” to families of children with rare or critical illnesses whose best hope is a clinical research trial at the NIH Clinical Center, the world’s largest hospital dedicated to biomedical research.

All the children got to speak, including one from a child who was too sick to be in the room, which was videotaped.

The ARISS contact was fabulous from AOS to LOS. Nick provided some very detailed, outstanding answers to the children’s questions.  And there was sufficient time for a back and forth thank you with Nick at the end. Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, was moderator for this event, a partnership with NIH’s NCATS, The Children’s Inn at NIH, ISS U.S. National Laboratory, and ARISS.

Media source:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChildrensInn/videos/2531091400548997/
The Children’s Inn: https://childrensinn.org/you-give-children-experiences-that-are-out-of-this-world/
National Institutes of Health: https://ncats.nih.gov/alliances/nasa/ask-an-astronaut

Jul 27

24th World Scout Jamboree speaks with astronaut Drew Morgan via ON4ISS

The ARISS contact on Saturday 27 july 2019 at 18:27 UTC (20:27 CEST) 68 deg with OR4ISS and the 24th World Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, USA via ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful. Astronaut Drew Morgan, KI5AAA (also assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 452 in Friendswood, Texas) answered 12 questions from participating scouts at the World Scouts Jamboree 2019.

Scouts from the 24th World Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia

The World Scout Jamboree is above all an educational event that brings together the world’s young people to promote peace and mutual understanding and to develop leadership and life skills.

The Summit Bechtel Reserve (‘the Summit’) is larger than some entire countries and is a training, Scouting, and adventure center for the millions of youth and adults involved in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and anyone who loves the outdoors. Amateur radio has been a part of the World Scout Jamboree experience since 1947 in France and in 1957in the United Kingdom.

The 2019 World Scout Jamboree operation at the Summit Bechtel Scout Reserve in West Virginia will use the existing infrastructure including the three VHF/UHF repeaters installed by Icom America, as well as the telephone poles for installing antennas, plus the K2BSA gear stored in West Virginia, including antennas, rotators, cables, and more.

The ARISS contact was realized with the cooperation of Jim Wilson, K5ND as a mentor and the assistance of Druvh Rebba, KC9ZJX and Hariprased Rebba, KD9LLR, John Kludt, K4SQC was moderator in the telebridge link. The club station AMSAT Belgium ON4ISS was operated by Jan Poppeliers, ON7UX with assistance from Stefan Dombrowski ON6TI.

Media source:
All About the 24th World Scout Jamboree
NA1WJ World Jamboree Operations Plan
Scouting Magazine
K2BSA – World Scout Jamboree – Ask an ISS Astronaut a Question

May 27

ARISS contact Yellowknife, Canada via ON4ISS

The ARISS contact on Monday 27 mai 2019 at 19:44 UTC (21:44 CEST) 81 deg with OR4ISS and Mildred Hall School , Yellowknife, Canada , via ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful. Astronaut David St-Jacques KG5FYI answered all 16 questions from students.

Mildred Hall, a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 School, is located in the heart of downtown Yellowknife with Frame Lake and its beautiful trail almost sitting in its backyard.  It houses 271 students from the ages of 4 to 14 with very diverse backgrounds and cultures. Almost 80% of the students are Indigenous, so it boasts programming that is relevant to hands-on learning, science inquiry, outdoor experiential opportunities and the instruction of English, French and Dogrib. The school’s mentor was Steve VE3TBD.

Media source:

May 16

General Assembly 2019

annual general meeting 2019

The members of AMSAT Belgium, non-profit association, are invited to attend the annual general meeting.

The general assembly will take place on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 20:00 in the clubhouse of the Radio Club Leuven – Diestsevest 39 at Leuven. (The meeting room is located in the basement)

Agenda:

1. New members and outgoing members.

2. Financial report 2018 and discharge to the treasurer.

3. Approval of the 2019 budget.

Persons who are in order with their membership contribution are entitled to vote. After the closing of the general meeting there is an opportunity to exchange ideas informally.

Apr 11

ARISS contact Ecole des Charmilles, Thyez, France

The ARISS contact on Thursday 11 april 2019 at 12:55 UTC (14:55 CEST) 64 deg with OR4ISS and Ecole des Charmilles, Thyez , via ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful. Astronaut David St-Jacques KG5FYI answered 17 questions from students.


Jeanne Mazille, teacher at the school of Thyez in Haute-Savoie and Patrick Pignot, the Mont Blanc climbing companion
of David Saint Jacques, KG5FYI, help students asking their question.

200 people attended the ARISS contact with enthusiasm, among them 150 children between 6 and 10 years old. Among the guests were City Hall officials and the regional Deputy.

Media source:
ledauphine.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG2pKOKAbRM&feature=share

Feb 12

MarconISSta experiment identified ON4ISS signals

The project leader and initiator of MarconISSta, Martin Buscher DJ1MBB, has requested some support to help categorise the antennas on the ISS.  The ARISS telebridge groundstation ON4ISS reacted immediately and transmitted at different ISS passes the desired signal to the ISS.


MarconISSta colormap from which this detail was taken :

SUMMARY OF TEST TRANSMISSION – ON4ISS
TX on 435.550 MHz during the entire pass, LHCP

Tuesday 5 FEB 2019
orbit 115480 max el 80° – AOS 14:29 utc (269° Az) – LOS 14:40 utc (88° Az)
orbit 115483 max el 20° – AOS 19:19 utc (270° Az) – LOS 19:29 utc (143° Az)

Wednesday 6 FEB 2019
orbit 115494 max el 09° – AOS 12:03 utc (182° Az) – LOS 12:12 utc (83° Az)
orbit 115495 max el 38° – AOS 13:38 utc (231° Az) – LOS 13:49 utc (75° Az)
orbit 115496 max el 85° – AOS 15:14 utc (266° Az) – LOS 15:25 utc (83° Az)
orbit 115497 max el 85° – AOS 16:51 utc (280° Az) – LOS 17:02 utc (104° Az)
orbit 115498 max el 38° – AOS 18:28 utc (281° Az) – LOS 18:38 utc (133° Az)
orbit 115499 max el 06° – AOS 20:05 utc (281° Az) – LOS 20:12 utc (133° Az)

Thursday 7 FEB 2019
orbit 115509 max el 05° – AOS 11:13 utc (169° Az) – LOS 11:20 utc (88° Az)
orbit 115510 max el 26° – AOS 12:47 utc (216° Az) – LOS 12:58 utc (74° Az)
orbit 115511 max el 81° – AOS 14:24 utc (252° Az) – LOS 14:34 utc (80° Az)
orbit 115512 max el 83° – AOS 16:00 utc (276° Az) – LOS 16:11 utc (96° Az)

This experiment ended Feb 7th 2019 at midnight (UTC) and only receive signal strength value for 435-438 MHz without decoding data. MarconISSta was deinstalled on Saturday, February 9th 2019, by NASA astronaut Anne McClain.

The project is conducted by a team of researchers and students from Technische Universität Berlin with support of DLR, ESA, ARISS and other partners.

MarconISSta is an ISS experiment of the Chair of Space Technology to measure spectrum use, interference potential and to support sharing studies in the crowded frequency spectrum allocated to satellite communication.