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Former Adena Health employee sues hospital, alleges he was fired for reporting another employee

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 21:21

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) – A former Chillicothe hospital employee is suing the hospital, Adena Health Systems, for wrongful termination.

He said it came after reporting another employee’s behavior. The nurse he reported is now in legal trouble in a different county. 

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Registered nurse, Kimberly Clark is facing felony charges in Hamilton County for allegedly taking fentanyl from her recent employer in Cincinnati. The address on the affidavit where the alleged theft took place is 7500 State Rd, Cincinnati Ohio which belongs to Mercy Hospital - Anderson. 

A former Adena employee said he reported her for the same thing while they both worked at Adena Health. He said he lost his job for speaking up. 

"I had gone into a patient's room and found one of the other nurses with a controlled substance, fentanyl in her hands, that belonged to my patient," former Adena Health employee Dustin Eing said.  

The lawsuit said Eing reported what he saw to Adena Health verbally and in writing. 

"The following day, I talked to coworkers about what happened, and following that there were just some retaliatory things that happened to me and ultimately lost my job because of it," Eing said. "It blindsided me. I had no idea." 

An old Facebook post from Clark said she resigned from where she worked. 

"She actually was allowed to just quit and walk away," Eing said.  

He said all he wanted was to protect his patient. 

"I knew that something was you know, was not right that was going on," Eing said. "I felt if I didn't stop it now it was going to happen sooner or later again and potentially kill somebody."

Several former Adena health employees told NBC4 that Clark left Adena and went to work for Mercy Hospital in Cincinnati where she is facing theft of drug felony charges. Hamilton County court documents allege Clark did knowingly take fentanyl from Mercy Hospital without consent. 

"It puts employees in a position where they're afraid to come forward because they see something like this happen. And it often does harm to the public, not only to the public, if it's a business sometimes customers are hurt," Eing's attorney Rayl Stepter said. 

Former Adena employees said Clark was not reported to law enforcement in Ross County, where Adena is.

NBC4 reached out to the Ross County Sheriff's Office. They said they have “no records of a Kimberly Clark associated with theft of drugs.”

NBC4 wanted to ask Adena if they reported Eing’s claims to police and why Eing lost his job. They would not sit down for an interview or answer questions via email.

Instead, Adena sent a statement saying:

“We cannot comment on events taking place outside our organization. However, Adena Health has strict policies and protocols in place that are followed when any employee issue arises, inclusive of non-retaliation for any concerns reported in good faith, including in the instance you have referenced. All protocols are in accordance with all legal and regulatory guidelines, including both Ohio’s pharmacy and nursing boards. Any claims to the contrary are false."

The Ohio Nursing Board is investigating the claims about Clark.

"The biggest resolution that I want from this is just to make it so that hospitals are a safe place to report these kinds of actions because inevitably it's going to happen any place, no place is safe from this kind of behavior. I just want to make it so that it's a safer place for this for people that witnessed these types of things for them to come forward," Eing said. 

NBC4 reached out to Clark’s lawyer and Mercy Hospital for a comment but has not heard back. Clark has a court date in Cincinnati on March 6.

Categories: Ohio News

Harlem Township residents voice concern over potential merge with Westerville

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 21:18

HARLEM TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCMH) - Many Harlem Township residents were shocked to hear of a potential merger with the City of Westerville Wednesday. A community meeting Thursday night gave them the opportunity to ask questions of the Strategic Planning Committee.

The merger details have not been negotiated, but Township Trustee Carl Richison confirmed there is mutual interest from the township and Westerville.

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Harlem Township is a 26.5 square mile piece of land that lies between New Albany, Westerville and Sunbury. The 2020 Census shows just over 4,500 residents. Richison said that number is now right at 4,800.

The merger idea came from a two-year strategic planning committee that was put together by Township Trustees after the announcement of Intel bringing massive development to nearby Licking County. Most of Harlem Township land is a short drive from the Intel site.

"We're right in the heart of it. So we know Harlem township has a bullseye on it," said Richison.

He knew they needed to be proactive after looking at the impact a similar Intel development had in Arizona. 

"I decided to Google Earth Chandler, Arizona Intel. And when I saw what I saw, it scared me. It was house, house, house, house, house, as far as the expanse could see," Richison said.

The township believes finding a partner like the City of Westerville will give them the ability to negotiate zoning structure, whereas a potential annexation would give the township no say.

Richison said the way of life for families and residents in Harlem Township has largely remained the same over the years. It's a mostly rural area with lots of farmers and older residents who grew up in the area.

"To have a coyote running in my backyard is no big deal. Deer in my backyard is no big deal. Farmers, we have tractors going down the road. My grandkids watch the airplanes crop dusting the fields in the summer. We're just a small community and that's what we always were and that's what we wanted to stay. I want to be able to go out in my backyard and shoot my gun. I want to be able to go out in my backyard and hunt deer. I want to be able to ride my ATV to my neighbor's house. Those simple things," he said.

Those values drove him to seek a partnership with a city that would allow them to keep that feel for their community. But when it comes down to brass tax, he wants the township to be proactive before they don't have a choice.

"Up until the time that we sign the agreement, and it goes to the voters, this can be stopped. Whereas if it was an annexation, we have no control," Richison said.

For lifelong resident Allen Fling, the news of a merger came as a bit of a shock. 

"It really kind of snuck up on us," he said.

With Intel and other developments, the writing was on the wall for some type of change. 

"You could see it coming. We've seen it coming here for years. The main thing with the merger is I think we have got to just live with what we get. Either you say yes and let it come in, or say no and just let everybody else come in," said Fling.

A community informational forum was held Thursday night at Harlem Road Church. The church sanctuary was packed with people, many of them with questions about the merger and how it would impact their lives. 

Many speakers shared a similar opinion, that they live in Harlem Township by choice. Low taxes, little government interference, and the right to do as they please were all mentioned throughout the meeting.

For Fling, he knows too well that change is coming for his family.

"I live, as the crow flies about a mile and a half or two miles from the Intel plant, where I live personally. And I bet there isn't a week goes by that I don't get a flyer in the mail from some realtor wanting to buy my land. It's family land. My dad bought that little farm out there in the 1930's," he explained.

A merger could impact the taxes on Harlem Township, having to incorporate Westerville and their existing tax code.

"With the rise in taxes they're talking about, I don't know how long I can hold on to my farm at all. We're just trying to keep family homes out here, they're taxing us to death," said Fling.

There will be another informational meeting for residents at Harlem Road Church on Wednesday March, 6 at 6:30 p.m. Westerville City Council will address the merger for the first time during their regularly scheduled meeting on March 5.

If the merger is passed by the Westerville City Council and Harlem Township the item will go to a vote. Voters in both jurisdictions will have to pass the merger by a simple majority in order for the merger to be completed.

Richison said, if there's one thing he asks of Harlem Township residents, it's that they find out the facts before rushing to a decision about the merger. At earliest, the merger could be up for a vote on the November ballot.

Categories: Ohio News

Former Big Walnut superintendent to serve as Westerville City Schools' interim superintendent

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 20:36

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – Westerville City Schools’ board of education identified the district’s interim superintendent during a special meeting held on Thursday evening following Dr. Joseph Clark’s resignation.

Angela Hamberg, who is currently serving as a High Quality Instructional Materials Specialist and Certified Executive Leadership Coach for the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, will be stepping into the role of Westerville City Schools' interim superintendent. 

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Hamburg has more than 20 years of administrative leadership, according to Westerville City Schools. She most recently served as superintendent of Big Walnut Local Schools (BWLS) from June 2015 through July 2022 and she also served as BWLS assistant superintendent from August 2013 through May 2015.

According to Board of Education President Kristy Meyer, Hamberg will assume the interim superintendent role to “ensure an efficient transition of administrative duties over the coming months.” Westerville City Schools has not yet determined Hamberg’s start date and salary. Clark will assist Hamberg in the transition through July 31, his effective date of resignation.

Clark was hired in August and has been the district’s superintendent since October. He resigned on Monday due to “personal reasons.” His contract was slated to run through July 31, 2026, with a salary of $230,000 per year and a 3% pay hike every year of the contract.

The search conducted by the district through the firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates to find Clark cost the district $39,598, a district spokesperson said.

Categories: Ohio News

How to avoid scams after severe weather

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 18:49

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Cleanup and recovery is underway across central Ohio after strong winds, heavy rains, and even tornadoes hit the region early Wednesday.

"I've got an electric pole down out back, got a couple trees down," said Blacklick resident Rodney Snyder. I think the tree took the pole down. A couple shingles are missing, my chimney cap is lying over there in the yard.”

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Thursday, homeowners continue to clean up and assess what repairs need to be made. 

Unfortunately, conniving contractors or outright scammers know that and go door-to-door offering quick and cheap fixes for hard-hit communities, but don't deliver.

Consumer protection agencies like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of central Ohio said after a storm is when "storm chasers" or shady contractors strike preying on the vulnerability of impacted homeowners to collect their cash.

The scam occurs when someone, claiming to be a contractor, arrives on a person’s doorstep explaining they just finished a job fixing storm damage on a nearby property, and since they're already here, can handle their repairs too, often at a discounted price. Then, they more than likely will ask for payment upfront.

"What we find is a lot of times, you never see them again, you pay your money, pay a deposit, never see them again... or they start the job, but walk away before it's done,” said president of the BBB of central Ohio, Judy Dollison. 

Dollison said these crews may lack the proper licensing, or offer quick fixes and big promises that fall through.

So, as convenient or compelling as it may seem at the moment, the BBB said homeowners should avoid agreeing to any repair work at their doorstep. Instead, they should research companies on their own, ask for references, get written estimates and compare bids, and pay no more than a third of the total cost prior to the work beginning.

"Don't pay up front, don't pay in full up front... pay along the way, and make sure you have a contract, make sure you understand the terms of the contract,” Dollison said.

For those who don’t know where to start with cleanup -- check with an insurance company. If an individual is covered, they can provide suggestions for contractors, and help when it comes to moving forward with a signed contract.

Additionally, state law gives county auditors the authority to reduce real estate values for properties that have been damaged or destroyed by storms, which could result in lower real estate taxes for the property, until it's been restored to its prior condition or value.

Categories: Ohio News

Ohio native Cheryl White paved way as first Black female jockey

News Channel 4 - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 18:00

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – It was on a 400-acre farm in Ashtabula County that a legend sharpened her skills.

“We were always around horses, I mean, that was our life,” Raymond White Jr. said. “Our father was a prominent trainer, he trained racehorses for over 60 years.”

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The White family was a true horse family. Raymond worked for decades as a jockey agent, but it was his sister Cheryl who grew to become a household name before she even graduated high school.

“Well, it started before she actually rode her first race. There was all this prepress ‘black girl wants to become first black jockey,’ ‘high school girl wants to become the first black female jockey,’” Raymond said.

Raymond said the race came and she lived up to the hype. He remembers being a little boy in the grandstands as his big sister, the first ever African American female jockey at just 17 years old, walked into the winner’s circle.  

“She was viral before we knew what viral was,” he said.

Pictures of Cheryl with her big smile and warm eyes were splashed across national publications. Cheryl had entered and dominated the old boys club of horse racing and had captured the attention of those both in and outside the sport.

“You know, she was on What's My Line and she was on the cover of Jet magazine,” Raymond said.

For the next 20 years Cheryl continued to dominate the sport, but in 1992 completed her final race as a jockey. She then stepped away from the limelight. And just like that Cheryl faded the headlines.

“She eventually got tired of the press, she got tired,” Raymond said. “She had a magazine call her one day and she's like, ‘No, I don't, I don't want to do it.’”

Cheryl continued working in the only industry she ever knew in various capacities on the west coast  until her passing in 2019.

Her younger brother and biggest supporter has spent countless hours since her death making sure her name and legacy is never forgotten.

A chance connection with a writer with the New York Times formed a fast friendship and out of it a children’s book, a doll and even a nonprofit called the Cheryl White Project.

“She left this earth but she’s still here with us and we want her to be able to make a difference,” Raymond said.

Categories: Ohio News

Stack Overflow opens API to Google’s Gemini

Info World - Thu, 02/29/2024 - 16:00

Stack Overflow, the popular question-and-answer portal for developers, has partnered with Google’s cloud computing arm to develop an API that will give Google’s Gemini AI model access to Stack Overflow’s knowledge base.

Dubbed the Overflow API, the new offering will inform Gemini’s coding assistance capabilities for Google Cloud, delivered to developers via the Google Cloud Console. The suggestions made by Gemini will cite Stack Overflow sources, the companies said in a statement.

To read this article in full, please click here

Categories: Technology

ANS-035 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for February 4, 2024

AMSAT news - Sat, 02/03/2024 - 17:00

AMSAT News Service ANS-035
February 4, 2024

In this edition:

  • AO-92 Reenters Earth’s Atmosphere
  • The First Amateur Radio Station on the Moon
  • Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV-1) Amateur Telemetry Received
  • AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta Release – v1.3
  • VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standing as of February 1, 2024
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 2, 2024
  • Request to Reconsider Decommissioning of IO-117 Under Evaluation by Italian Space Agency
  • ARISS News
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including 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.

The news feed on https://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

AO-92 Reenters Earth’s Atmosphere

After just over six years in orbit, Fox-1D, designated as AMSAT-OSCAR 92 (AO–92), likely re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on February 3, 2024 (Space-Track had not issued the final decay message as of the time of this writing.)

AO-92 was a 1U CubeSat developed and built by AMSAT. It carried a single-channel transponder for mode U/v in FM and also had an L-band converter (the AMSAT L-band downshifter experiment), which allowed the FM transponder to be switched to an uplink in the 23 cm band.

In addition to the transponders, the satellite carried the following scientific and technical payloads:

  • High Energy Radiation CubeSat (HERCI) built by the University of Iowa
  • Camera Experiment built by Virginia Tech
  • MEMS GYRO Experiment built by Penn State-Erie

The satellite had a single whip antenna for the 70 cm and 23 cm bands (uplink), as well as an antenna for the 2m band (downlink).

AO-92 was launched on January 12, 2018 at 03:59 UTC on an Indian PSLV XL rocket, along with the main payloads Cartosat-2F, NovaSAR-S, and 31 other small satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, India. At 05:17 UTC, the antennas were deployed over the North Pole and the satellite began to operate. At 05:28 UTC the first telemetry was received.

On the 03:25 UTC pass on January 26, 2018, AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, announced that AO–92 had been commissioned and formally turned the satellite over to AMSAT Operations. AMSAT Vice President – Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, then declared that AO–92 was open for amateur use.

Rick Behma, VE4AMU, working AO-92 in Mode L/v with a Kenwood TM-941 mobile transceiver and Comet CYA-1216E yagi crossed with 2 meter Arrow II elements.

In addition to a very popular U/v transponder, the satellite provided a couple of unique capabilities. First was the L-band downshifter experiment, which was generally activated for 24 hours each Sunday while the satellite was able to support it. Pre-launch estimates suggested that approximately 100 watts ERP would be required to access the satellite, but much lower power outputs proved to be usable. Many stations operated through the satellite with radios such as the Alinco DJ-G7T at 1 watt of output into handheld antennas of between between 10 and 16 elements. At least one station reported accessing the satellite with just a simple whip antenna on 23 cm.

The camera, developed by students at Virginia Tech, also proved to be popular and delivered many good pictures, with the last photos received on September 19, 2020. An archive of all of the photos captured by ground stations can be found at https://www.amsat.org/tlm/showImages.php?id=4.

The distance record on AO-92’s U/v mode was 5,011 km – a transatlantic QSO between F4DXV and VE1VOX that took place on August 10, 2020. The record via the L/v mode was 4,202 km between OA4/XQ3SA and XE1MEX on June 3, 2020.

By early 2021, the aging NiCd cells – having been purchased in the early 2010s along with the rest of the Fox-1 battery cells – had degraded to the point where the satellite was entering safe mode on every eclipse. It was rarely operational in recent months. The transponder was occasionally turned on, but usually defaulted into “Safe Mode” at the next eclipse. The last telemetry frame was received from the satellite on October 27, 2023 at 01:36 UTC.

By every measure, AO–92 was a tremendously successful amateur radio satellite, providing educational and research benefits to AMSAT’s university partners, as well as providing several years of reliable FM communication for amateurs. Its useful life far exceeded the average operational lifespan for commercial or educational CubeSats.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information]

The First Amateur Radio Station on the Moon

A rendering of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on the lunar surface. [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, image]The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed their Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on January 19, 2024. Just before touchdown, SLIM released two small lunar surface probes, LEV-1 and LEV-2.

LEV-2 collects data while moving on the lunar surface, and LEV-1 receives the data.

The JAXA Ham Radio Club (JHRC), JQ1ZVI, secured amateur radio license JS1YMG for LEV-1, which has been transmitting Morse code on 437.41 MHz since January 19. The probe uses a 1 W UHF antenna with circular polarization and is transmitting “matters related to amateur business.”

Radio amateurs have been busy analyzing JS1YMG’s signal, with Daniel Estévez’s, EA4GPZ, blog introducing the method and extraction results for demodulating Morse code from the signal, as well as extracting the code string.

It’s unclear how long signals will be heard. JAXA has said that SLIM was not designed to survive a lunar night, which lasts about 14 days, and is due to return in a few days.

SLIM was launched on September 6, 2023, and landed on January 19, 2024, with the mission of analyzing the composition of rocks to aid research about the origin of the moon. SLIM’s landing made Japan the fifth country to achieve a soft touchdown on the moon. The landing was achieved with exceptional precision — within 180 feet of its targeted touchdown location.

[ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information]

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Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV–1) Amateur Telemetry Received

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed on January 20, 2024, that the Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV–1), a small robot deployed from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), successfully conducted activities on the lunar surface. The telemetry data were sent directly from the small robot.

According to telemetry data, after deployment from SLIM, LEV–1 executed planned leaping movements and direct communication with ground stations, including inter-robot test radio wave data transmission from the Transformable Lunar Robot (LEV-2, nicknamed “SORA-Q”). On the other hand, image acquisition on the lunar surface has not been confirmed as of now.

Currently, LEV–1 has completed its planned operational period on the lunar surface, depleted its designated power, and is in a standby state on the lunar surface. While the capability to resume activity exists contingent on solar power generation from changes in the direction of the sun, efforts will be maintained to continue receiving signals from LEV–1.

Both LEV–1 and LEV-2 have become Japan’s first lunar exploration robots. Additionally, the small LEV–1 with a mass of 2.1 kg (including a 90g communication device), achieved successful direct communication with Earth from the moon. This is considered as the world’s smallest and lightest case of direct data transmission from approximately 380,000 kilometers away.

Furthermore, the accomplishment of LEV–1‘s leaping movements on the lunar surface, inter-robot communication between LEV–1 and LEV-2, and fully autonomous operations represent groundbreaking achievement. It would be regarded as a valuable technology demonstration for future lunar explorations, and the acquired knowledge and experience will be applied in upcoming missions.

Moreover, the transmission of UHF band radio waves from LEV–1 as part of outreach efforts has encouraged participation from amateur radio operators globally, and we have been receiving reports of successful signal receptions. This initiative provided an opportunity for the public to be directly engaged in lunar exploration missions. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the LEV–1 mission.

LEV–1 has an International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) coordinated downlink frequency of 437.410 MHz. A detailed report on receiving and decoding LEV–1 telemetry has been prepared by Daniel Estevez, EA4GPZ/M0HXM. It can be found at https://destevez.net/2024/01/trying-to-decode-lev–1/  An earlier summary of LEV–1 design and specifications is at https://robotics.isas.jaxa.jp/lev/LEV_HAM_Club.html.

[ANS thanks the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Daniel Estevez, EA4GPZ/M0HXM, for the above information]

AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta Release – v1.3

You might have heard about it or seen it at Hamvention or Symposium, but the official release of the new Beta CubeSatSim hardware and software is finally here!!

The new beta PCB board set v1.3 is shown in Figure 1, the new board stack is shown in Figure 2, and the new frame and solar panels is in Figure 3.

 

Figure 1. AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta PCB Board Set.  From left to right, battery board, STEM Payload board, and Solar board (the replacement for the Main board)

Figure 2. AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta Board Stack

 

Figure 3. AMSAT CubSatSim Beta Frame and Solar Panels

Here are some links to information about the Beta release:

The software for the beta release is here:  https://CubeSatSim.org/beta

The beta wiki instructions are here: https://CubeSatSim.org/wiki-beta

The beta Bill of Materials (BOM) is here: https://CubeSatSim.org/bom-beta

The beta hardware files are here: https://CubeSatSim.org/hardware-beta

The beta frame STL files for 3D printing are here: https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/tree/beta/hardware/frame/v1.3.2

Information about the latest beta software release is here: https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/releases/tag/v1.3.2

The AMSAT CubeSatSim is a low-cost, fully functional open source model of a CubeSat nano-satellite.  It has the following features:

  • Working solar panels and rechargeable batteries
  • Multi-channel voltage, current, and temperature telemetry transmitted in the Amateur Radio UHF band generated by a Raspberry Pi Zero single board computer
  • Telemetry decoding using AMSAT’s FoxTelem software or APRS software
  • STEM Payload board with Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller with sensors
  • Tape measure dipole or SMA antenna with integrated Low Pass Filter
  • 3D printed frame

Here is a summary of the changes with the new beta hardware and software:

  • New FM transceiver module for better frequency stability and simple command and control receiver to change telemetry modes using RF
  • More modern and cheaper Raspberry Pi Pico micro controller on STEM Payload board
  • Easily connect additional sensors for the Pico or Pi using the Qwiic connector system (https://www.sparkfun.com/qwiic )
  • SSTV camera images now display callsign and battery status overlay
  • Can be modified to fly as a balloon payload with 500mW FM output for SSTV, APRS, or CW transmissions with software support on Pico for a serial GPS module
  • Lower parts cost and easier to source. All parts can now be sourced from electronics distributors and Amazon including easy to find solar panels.  New BOM uses Octopart electronic part inventory site with one click distributor ordering (https://CubeSatSim.org/bom-beta)
  • Redesigned for blue INA219 voltage and current sensors instead of more expensive purple ones
  • Battery board now has integrated voltage and current sensor
  • Simpler electrical power system with no boost converter or charge control modules
  • Kits can be built with through hole parts except for a few surface mount parts.  Fully assembled boards will hopefully be available in the future using SMT parts
  • Transmit and receive frequencies easily configurable from default 434.9 MHz and 435 MHz

During this beta period, we ask for your help in testing the new hardware and software and making sure that all the instructions and documentation are accurate.  To help with this, I am pleased to announce that past purchasers of the CubeSatSim v1 PCB board sets are eligible for a free beta v1.3.2 set of PCB boards.  Just email me ku2y at arrl.net! I will verify the order and ship you a new set of 3 blank boards.  The boards will have the surface mount components already mounted.  The first one hundred who contact me in the next three months will be eligible to receive them.  For other orders, you will be able to choose between the v1 boards or the new beta v1.3.2 boards.

73,

Alan Johnston, PhD
KU2Y
AMSAT Vice President for Educational Relations

P.S. AMSAT has CubeSatSim Loaners available to ship to your event or presentation or STEM outreach activity – just contact me if you have an upcoming event email at ku2y at arrl.net or on social media at @ku2y@mastodon.radio

[ANS thanks Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT Vice President  – Educational Relations for the above information]

VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standing as of February 1, 2024 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary
January 01, 2024 to February 01, 2024 Call 1-Jan 1-Feb WC7V 1451 1457 N8RO 1401 1423 W5CBF 1224 1326 DL5GAC New 1300 DF2ET 1102 1200 KF7R 1075 1100 N0JE 1075 1100 N3GS 986 1038 OZ9AAR 900 1000 N8JCM New 917 EA2AA 875 883 KQ4DO 827 853 W8LR 825 841 W2GDJ 705 822 FG8OJ 737 801 VU2LBW 603 751 WD9EWK (DM43) 734 736 JL1SAM 601 700 N8MR 658 675 AF5CC 646 651 JG6CDH 553 605 N6UTC 551 600 WB7VUF 555 572 N5EKO 500 550 N3CAL 480 525 F6GLJ 400 501 N7ZO 350 501 DL6KBG 331 500 SA0UNX 362 463 LA6OP New 458 AD2DD 356 403 KF2T 111 399 N6PAZ 350 369 JH8RZJ New 328 AG4W 161 314 JI5USJ 236 301 AA0MZ 276 277 NJ2DX 100 260 IK8YTA 162 243 N7GR 205 226 KR7LD New 211 PY2YJ 150 210 WD9EWK (DM22) 198 200 WD9EWK (DM31) 187 195 IK0WRB 123 174 W0SX New 134 WK7G New 118 K7AXA New 104 SP7JS New 104 W6CZ New 103 YO6OEV New 103 BA7LVG New 100

Congratulations to the new VUCC holders!

W6CZ is first VUCC Satellite holder from DM07
W0SX is first VUCC Satellite holder from DM37
LA6OP is First VUCC Satellite holder from JP67
YO6OEV is First VUCC Satellite holder from KN26
SP7JS is First VUCC Satellite holder from KO00
BA7LVG is First VUCC Satellite holder from OL63

DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary
January 01, 2024 to February 01, 2024 Call 1-Jan 1-Feb HB9BZA         158    188 PS8ET         160    178 F4BKV         150    171 G4GIR         163    167 PA3FWP         127    157 EA2AA         154    156 I3BUI         142    155 AC4G         151    152 OZ9AAR         125    151 EA6VQ         127    145 HB9RYZ         141    145 IK4CIE         133    143 HB9GWJ         129    134 RA3DNC         107    131 W5CBF         100    130 DL2QB         100    120 LA0FA         102    109 N3GS         100    108 IK8YTA         New    100

Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders!

IK8YTA is first DXCC Satellite holder from JN70

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for February 2, 2024

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution.

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the
AMSAT Store! When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.

Request to Reconsider Decommissioning of IO-117 Under Evaluation by Italian Space Agency

On Thursday, January 25, 2024 S5Lab posted on X that the GreenCube (IO-117) Digipeater would be permanently deactivated on February 5th.

Designed and developed by students of Sapienza University of Rome, IO-117 is the first satellite to carry an amateur radio payload into a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) of approximately 6,000 km.

The message from S5Lab read:

Dear Friends,

After one year and a half of operations, it is time to conclude the GreenCube operations with the planned de-commissioning activities. After the conclusion of the nominal experiment and with the digipeater payload active for more than one year, we will perform the passivation operations for the satellite.

The planned passivation operations will be executed on Monday, 5 February 2024, at 00:00 UTC. From that day, GreenCube will be completely passivated and the digipeater will be switched off for good.

We want to thank everyone that endorsed, supported or participated in the mission and the radio amateur community that enthusiastically became a true part of our project. We hope that GreenCube will somehow be part of your memories of radio amateurs, space engineering enthusiasts, and we hope to involve you soon in many more adventures.

Thanks once again for the unbelievable memories shared together… See you soon!

The GreenCube Team at S5Lab

That afternoon, AMSAT sent a letter to S5Lab expressing the organization’s desire to leverage our decades of experience and work with S5Lab, AMSAT Italia, other AMSAT organizations, and the amateur satellite community at large to overcome any obstacles, regulatory or otherwise, to keeping IO-117 in service for as long as possible. AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-F, and other amateur satellite organizations also expressed similar sentiments. Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL, began a petition on change.org that garnered over 1,500 signatures from amateur radio operators around the world in one week.

On the afternoon of Friday, February 2, 2024, AMSAT Italia made the following announcement:

AMSAT Italia would like to inform the amateur community that its request to the Italian Space Agency, the owner of the GREENCUBE satellite, to reconsider its decision of decommissioning the satellite is under evaluation.

Waiting for its decision, IO-117 is still operational.

The GreenCube satellite was born as a scientific experiment placed in MEO orbit which successfully concluded its mission.

IO-117 is the HAM Radio part of the satellite consisting of a digipeter which was promoted by AMSAT Italia and coordinated by IARU-R1.

At the moment AMSAT Italia is committed to promoting the continuation of the mission for the HAM Radio part of Greencube.

AMSAT Italia BoD

During its lifetime, IO-117 has proved to be a popular resource, allowing amateurs all over the world to obtain ARRL’s Worked All States (WAS) and DX Century Club (DXCC) awards via satellite and to boost their VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) grid totals. A strong presence by Japanese amateurs has allowed many to work all the Japanese prefectures. A few DXpeditions, such as TX5S to Clipperton Island, have also brought gear for IO-117 along and provided rare DX entities via satellite. Multiple future DXpeditions also plan IO-117 activities. AMSAT is hopeful that the satellite’s lifetime can be extended.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-IT, AMSAT, Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL, and S5Lab for the above information]

ARISS News

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Lilburn Elementary School, Lilburn, GA, direct via K4RGK

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli KI5WSL
The ARISS mentor is K4RGK

Contact is go for: Wed 2024-02-07 14:24:10 UTC 57 deg

School of Telecommunications Engineering, ETSIT Valencia (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia), Valencia, Spain, direct via EA5RKP

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Loral O’Hara KI5TOM
The ARISS mentor is IKØUSO

Contact is go for: Fri 2024-02-09 08:12:46 UTC 31 deg

School TBD, Russia, direct via TBD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Nikolay Chub
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR

Contact is go for 2024-02-15 08:20 UTC

The Service Module radio is temporarily stowed.

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down),  If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]

Upcoming Satellite Operations IO-117!!

JR5JAQ/6 will be QRV from PM53 and PM62 in Oita prefecture for a few days. He will also be active from PM62 in Miyazaki prefecture later in the week. Check  hams.at for individual pass times.

JS3KKT/3 will be QRV from PM74 (prefecture unknown) just one day before the planned passivation of Greencube. Refer to hams.at for additional info.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information]

 Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,

“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

Scheduled Events

Orlando HamCation 2024
Friday February 9th through Sunday February 11th, 2024
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park
4603 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32808
https://www.hamcation.com

40th Anniversary Celebration of the Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Thursday February 22nd through Saturday February 24th, 2024
Center for Space Education: Astronauts Memorial Foundation
Kennedy Space Center, M6-306 405 State Road, FL 32899
https://www.ariss.org/overview.html

2024 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 23-25, 2024
San Luis Obispo, CA
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

Dayton Hamvention 2024
Friday May 17th through Sunday May 19th, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

[ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, and AMSAT for the above information]

Satellite Shorts from All Over

+ NASA announced the crew assignments on January 31 for the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. They will join Expedition 71 and 72 crew members no earlier than August, and will arrive at the space station for a short duration handover with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8. Launching aboard the Dragon spacecraft will be NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Nick Hague, KG5TMV, and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, KD5DZE, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov. The four crew members are preparing to conduct a wide-ranging set of operational and research activities, including ARISS contacts. (ANS thanks NASA for the above information)

+ After more than 3 years in orbit, AO-109 remains operational and usable for QSOs using modes such as FT4 despite extremely low power output. SSB QSOs are also possible with high gain receive antennas. Due to a failed final power amplifier transistor, the total output power of AO-109 is approximately 8 mW.

+ YouTube channel Ham Radio Crash Course has featured IO-117 in two recent videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjW3XOKCmBo and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_qPVoue3A

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

  • Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
  • Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
  • Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
  • Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002

Categories: Amateur Radio News

Request to Reconsider Decommissioning of IO-117 Under Evaluation by Italian Space Agency

AMSAT news - Fri, 02/02/2024 - 13:04

AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin ANS-033
February 2, 2024

In this edition:

  • Request to Reconsider Decommissioning of IO-117 Under Evaluation by Italian Space Agency

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including 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.

The news feed on https://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

Request to Reconsider Decommissioning of IO-117 Under Evaluation by Italian Space Agency

Moments ago, the AMSAT News Service received the following announcement from AMSAT Italia regarding IO-117 (GreenCube):

AMSAT Italia would like to inform the amateur community that its request to the Italian Space Agency, the owner of the GREENCUBE satellite, to reconsider its decision of decommissioning the satellite is under evaluation.

Waiting for its decision, IO-117 is still operational.

The GreenCube satellite was born as a scientific experiment placed in MEO orbit which successfully concluded its mission.

IO-117 is the HAM Radio part of the satellite consisting of a digipeter which was promoted by AMSAT Italia and coordinated by IARU-R1.

At the moment AMSAT Italia is committed to promoting the continuation of the mission for the HAM Radio part of Greencube.

AMSAT Italia BoD

[ANS thanks AMSAT Italia for the above information]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

  • Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
  • Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
  • Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
  • Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Contributing Editor,

Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org

ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002

Categories: Amateur Radio News

AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta Release – v1.3

AMSAT news - Thu, 02/01/2024 - 17:55

You might have heard about it or seen it at Hamvention or Symposium, but the official release of the new Beta CubeSatSim hardware and software is finally here!!

The new beta PCB board set v1.3 is shown in Figure 1, the new board stack is shown in Figure 2, and the new frame and solar panels is in Figure 3.

 

Figure 1. AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta PCB Board Set.  From left to right, battery board, STEM Payload board, and Solar board (the replacement for the Main board)

Figure 2. AMSAT CubeSatSim Beta Board Stack

 

Figure 3. AMSAT CubSatSim Beta Frame and Solar Panels

Here are some links to information about the Beta release:

The software for the beta release is here:  https://CubeSatSim.org/beta

The beta wiki instructions are here: https://CubeSatSim.org/wiki-beta

The beta Bill of Materials (BOM) is here: https://CubeSatSim.org/bom-beta

The beta hardware files are here: https://CubeSatSim.org/hardware-beta

The beta frame STL files for 3D printing are here: https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/tree/beta/hardware/frame/v1.3.2

Information about the latest beta software release is here: https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/releases/tag/v1.3.2

The AMSAT CubeSatSim is a low-cost, fully functional open source model of a CubeSat nano-satellite.  It has the following features:

  • Working solar panels and rechargeable batteries
  • Multi-channel voltage, current, and temperature telemetry transmitted in the Amateur Radio UHF band generated by a Raspberry Pi Zero single board computer
  • Telemetry decoding using AMSAT’s FoxTelem software or APRS software
  • STEM Payload board with Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller with sensors
  • Tape measure dipole or SMA antenna with integrated Low Pass Filter
  • 3D printed frame

Here is a summary of the changes with the new beta hardware and software:

  • New FM transceiver module for better frequency stability and simple command and control receiver to change telemetry modes using RF
  • More modern and cheaper Raspberry Pi Pico micro controller on STEM Payload board
  • Easily connect additional sensors for the Pico or Pi using the Qwiic connector system (https://www.sparkfun.com/qwiic )
  • SSTV camera images now display callsign and battery status overlay
  • Can be modified to fly as a balloon payload with 500mW FM output for SSTV, APRS, or CW transmissions with software support on Pico for a serial GPS module
  • Lower parts cost and easier to source. All parts can now be sourced from electronics distributors and Amazon including easy to find solar panels.  New BOM uses Octopart electronic part inventory site with one click distributor ordering (https://CubeSatSim.org/bom-beta)
  • Redesigned for blue INA219 voltage and current sensors instead of more expensive purple ones
  • Battery board now has integrated voltage and current sensor
  • Simpler electrical power system with no boost converter or charge control modules
  • Kits can be built with through hole parts except for a few surface mount parts.  Fully assembled boards will hopefully be available in the future using SMT parts
  • Transmit and receive frequencies easily configurable from default 434.9 MHz and 435 MHz

During this beta period, we ask for your help in testing the new hardware and software and making sure that all the instructions and documentation are accurate.  To help with this, I am pleased to announce that past purchasers of the CubeSatSim v1 PCB board sets are eligible for a free beta v1.3.2 set of PCB boards.  Just email me ku2y at arrl.net! I will verify the order and ship you a new set of 3 blank boards.  The boards will have the surface mount components already mounted.  The first one hundred who contact me in the next three months will be eligible to receive them.  For other orders, you will be able to choose between the v1 boards or the new beta v1.3.2 boards.

73,

Alan Johnston, PhD
KU2Y
AMSAT Vice President for Educational Relations

P.S. AMSAT has CubeSatSim Loaners available to ship to your event or presentation or STEM outreach activity – just contact me if you have an upcoming event email at ku2y at arrl.net or on social media at @ku2y@mastodon.radio

Categories: Amateur Radio News

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