December 2010 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

more about the TH-D72A for satellites
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Hi! I wavered on whether I was going to get this radio straight away, after the fiasco (related to FM satellite operation) the Alinco DJ-G7T was last year. I didn't want to get bitten by a radio that was supposed to be capable of full-duplex operation, but fall short like with the DJ-G7T. After some thought, and after yesterday's hamfest, I drove over to the local HRO store to see if they had any in stock. At mid-afternoon, HRO still had 3 on the shelf at this store. I decided that, if the TH-D72 is the true successor to the TH-D7 including the cross-band full-duplex capability for FM voice satellite operation, I'd take the plunge. I bought the radio and the only option they had for it in the store (cigarette-lighter cable, compatible with several other Kenwood HTs including the TH-F6A I purchased a few weeks ago). I charged the battery last night, and cleared some time this afternoon to go out to my favorite city park to try it out. Not having used a Kenwood HT on the satellites except for the TH-F6A as a receiver, I read through the manual to make sure I had it set up for FM satellite work. I looked at a few parameters I felt would be useful: 1. Transmit with VFO B, receive with VFO A. VFO A has better sensitivity than VFO B, so why not go with that? There is no restriction on which VFO can be the transmitter for this radio. 2. Audio balance. I set that all the way to VFO A, since I wasn't interested in hearing VFO B. I could see with the S-meter if anyone else was transmitting on the satellite uplink, and then rebalance the audio if necessary to hear it. 3. Squelch. Open all the way on VFO A, tight on VFO B. 4. "DUP". This was a new one for me, not being familiar with the TH-D7 in the past. Once I figured this out, turning it on for my transmit VFO (VFO B), I was able to hear audio from VFO A whether or not I was transmitting on VFO B. I had to get a plug adapter to use my normal audio cable/splitter setup for an earpiece and my audio recorder with a Kenwood HT and its smaller speaker jack. I already had one for my TH-F6A, and it worked fine with the TH-D72A. I made sure tuning steps on both bands for both VFOs were at the smallest step (5 kHz), and that I had VFO B set for high power (5W). I started with the AO-27 pass at 2102 UTC. A very high pass here, with maximum elevation of 80 degrees. I worked 7 stations in 7 minutes, and received good reports on my audio through the satellite with the new radio. The only issue I had in hearing the downlink wasn't due to the radio - I had to move the antenna around as it passed over my head, and there was a moment or two where the downlink audio was less than ideal. I had to switch VFOs when tuning the receive VFO, something I don't have to deal with on my IC-2820H mobile radio or when I use memory channels in a non-full-duplex radio, but that was not a problem. The second pass I attempted with the TH-D72A was on AO-51 around 2322 UTC. This was also a high pass, with maximum elevation of 63 degrees out here. I had a little bit of difficulty hearing the satellite in the first minute or so of the pass while transmitting, which could have been related to how I was holding the antenna (Elk log periodic). I found during this pass that I had to twist the antenna to clear up any receive issues while transmitting. I think I might have heard the slightest desensing during a couple of my transmissions, but that could have been related to how my antenna was oriented toward the satellite. I logged 10 QSOs on the AO-51 pass, which wasn't bad for all the activity on there. As I posted earlier and said on the air, the TH-D72A is the real deal as a dual-band HT for full-duplex FM satellite operation. It does what the DJ-G7T could not do, and I didn't even have to use the expanded manual on the CD that came with the radio to get it set up for satellite work. I also set it up to work on APRS, which took little time to do. I have not tried it with a computer, to see if it will work as N8MH asked earlier. Packet is actually something I was not very interested in for this radio - FM satellites first, APRS next. The radio's GPS took only a few minutes to pick up signals when I first activated it. I do not have test equipment to quantify how well the TH-D72A's receiver is and how it compares to other radios. From playing with it last night and today, I know the receiver is on par with the IC-2820H I usually run on FM birds. Excluding transmitter power, the only thing the 2820 has over the TH-D72A is its separate knobs for each VFO. It also compares favorably with the sensitivity of my IC-T7H HT - the radio I've used on satellites from outside Hara Arena in Dayton (my other radios' receivers get swamped with intermod there, but not the IC-T7H). I will have to test it in a high-RF area like that at Dayton, to see if intermod plays havoc with the weak satellite downlinks. I'll work with this radio more, to get more familiar with it and possibly work it into my demonstrations. I will eventually get around to hooking it up to a computer, and seeing what I can do with packet and APRS. If I'm not careful, I might even go as far as having an all-Kenwood HT station for the OSCAR Straight Key Night in a few weeks (TH-D72A as CW transmitter, TH-F6A as receiver). 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: more about the TH-D72A for satellites
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Hi Alan! > Great preliminary report. One question. I haven't been able to locate the > size of the stock battery. The accessory is an 1800 MaH battery. Is that > the typical larger battery, or just a spare the same size? A friend who is > more interested in the APRS side asked me. There is - so far - only one rechargeable battery pack for this radio: the PB-45L, 7.4V/1800 mAh. The accessory pack is the same model and capacity as what came with the radio. I give credit to Kenwood for not saddling the radio with a smaller battery pack like Yaesu has done with the VX-8 series, and then offering the higher-capacity battery as an accessory. It might be up to someone like Maha or Batteries America to come out with an after-market battery pack with still larger capacity. Or maybe Kenwood will do that in the future. Kenwood has done that with the TH-F6A; originally it came with a 7.4V/1550 mAh pack, but the new one I just picked up last month came with a Kenwood 7.4V/2000 mAh pack. > As for myself, I would like one, but I have a full up Flex-VU5K and a new > HDTV on order, so enough expensive toys, at least until Dayton. Do you have the VHF/UHF module for your Flex radio? ;-) 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Updates On Nanosail And Falcon 9
by B J 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Nanosail spacecraft ejected from FASTSAT: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/fastsat/10-162.html Falcon 9 launch delayed for at least 2 days: http://twitter.com/@spacexer http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/002/status.html 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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TH-D72A brochure
by vtnn43e＠comcast.net 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Strangly there is no brochure for the TH-D72A available on the Kenwood USA site. Was finally able to locate one for anyone interested. http://www.strictlyham.com.au/images/stories/kenwood/handheld/pdf/TH-D72A.p… Zack N8FNR

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2 WEEKS LEFT - 1st IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference in Roma abstract deadline submission
by Group of Astrodynamics 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Dear all, this is a reminder of the deadline of the abstract submission for the 1st IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference which will be held in Roma on January 24-29, 2011. Submissions are due by December 18th. We remember you that early registration closes on January, 10th. Those who register before this date will have a discount on the quote. The conference is organized by GAUSS (Gruppo di Astrodinamica dell'Università degli Studi Sapienza - Group of Astrodynamics of Sapienza University), a team of professors, students and researchers from the School of Aerospace Engineering of Sapienza University of Roma. The Conference is supported by several authorities (the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the European Space Agency (ESA)), companies (Kosmotras), research centres (the Von Karman Institute (VKI), the Centro Ricerche Progetto San Marco) and universities (Sapienza Università di Roma, Morehead State University). Two days of the Conference will be entirely dedicated to the Winter Session of the Cubesat Workshop, for the first time in Europe. ESA scholarships for students who will present a work are available. For those interested, please follow the instructions on the website: ESA scholarships<http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111&I…> We have reached an agreement with two hotels for the accommodation of the participants at very low prices. You can find all the information at the following link: Accommodation<http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&I…> Programme and further information can be found at www.gaussteam.com under the section 'events'. We hope to see you in Roma in January! -- Gruppo di Astrodinamica Università degli Studi Sapienza Via Salaria, 851 00138 Roma website: www.gaussteam.com tel. 0039 06 88346436

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The AO-7 log.
by John Hackett 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

To whom it may concern. The AO-7 Resource Page Log is no longer being administered.. 73 John. <la2qaa(a)amsat.org>

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Saturday @ Mesa AZ hamfest
by Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) 06 Dec '10

06 Dec '10

Hi! Thanks for all the QSOs during demonstrations I gave at the Superstition Amateur Radio Club's annual hamfest in Mesa, Arizona, yesterday. I worked 2 passes each on AO-7, VO-52, and HO-68, along with one SO-50 pass. I apologize if you were trying for me on the SO-50 pass around 1719 UTC, as I was chatting with Leo W7JPI and Larry WA6DIR, who both made the trip to Phoenix for the hamfest during that pass. During the VO-52 passes, instead of using my normal SSB satellite setup (two FT-817NDs), I used only one of the 817s with the all- mode receiver in the Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band HT. I bought this radio a few weeks ago, using the $100 Kenwood voucher I won at the AMSAT Symposium a couple of months ago (thanks to Kenwood and the Symposium organizers in the Chicago area for that, and all of the prizes they had on offer), mainly to make use of the all-mode receiver to shrink the size of my SSB satellite station this way. The 817's SSB receiver at 2m and 70cm is better than the all-mode receiver in the TH-F6A, but the little HT works OK. The HT makes a huge impression on the audience, seeing an FT-817 and an HT as the station I'm using for SSB satellite work. It will go in my carry-on bag with the other stuff I take on trips where I work satellites. The crowds - buyers and sellers - were larger yesterday than in the past several years. At 0615 local (1315 UTC, about an hour before sunrise), there was a line almost a half-mile (almost a km) long to get into the hamfest. Traffic was backed out onto a street and almost all the way to a freeway interchange, just to get into the hamfest in the dark! It's been a long time since I've seen that at a Phoenix-area hamfest. Along with W7JPI and WA6DIR, a couple of other satellite regulars stopped by my AMSAT table - John N7JK, and Rick K7TEJ. Thanks to the Superstation Amateur Radio Club for providing AMSAT a space at their hamfest! If anyone who worked WD9EWK during the hamfest wants a QSL card, please e-mail me with the QSO details. I'll get a card out to you, if you're in the log. Thanks again to all, and 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/

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Re: TH-D72 HT ...
by Clint Bradford 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

It looks promising for true, full-duplex V/U FM satellite ops. And, of course, an awful lot more (GPS, APRS, et al). But five hundred dollars? Heck, a person wanting to work full duplex with the FM birds could purchase, for example, a Yaesu FT-270 and FT-277R brand new for a total of $280 - and have enough money left over to purchase an Arrow Sat Antenna with diplexer, a spare battery pack, and a modest dinner for the family - in comparison to the $500 for the 'D72a. Tentatively, the secondary band RX "de-sense" is not as dramatic as it is with the Alinco. More test results by Tuesday. Blog on the new Kenwood at ... http://blog.worksatellites.com/ Clint, K6LCS 909-241-7666

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Re: TH-D72 HT ...
by Mark L. Hammond 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

Neat! Not sure if that was what you were on when I contacted you this afternoon--if so, sounded good. To anybody in the know---Here's a question I have about the TH-D72---once the TNC is put into KISS mode--can you use the micr0-USB port to a communicate with terminal program on your PC? Having read the manual, I see that full duplex 9600/dual band is possible, and I see that KISS is possible. It claimes the micro-USB can be used to connect to a PC. But I wonder about talking to the TNC while in KISS mode... If that works--(access to TNC in KISS mode, full duplex/9600)--it would make one nice little portable packet satellite radio package! 73, Mark N8MH At 02:28 PM 12/5/2010 -0700, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote: >Hi! > >The TH-D72A is the real deal as a cross-band full-duplex HT for >FM satellite work. And, unlike with the DJ-G7T and some >versions of the IC-W32A, no RX >desense while >transmitting. :-) > >I used VFO B for TX, VFO A for RX (it has better >sensitivity), balanced audio all the way to VFO A, >open squelch for >VFO A, 5W transmit, and juat worked >AO-27. Nice! > >I will try it on a later AO51 pass today, not the next >one around 2147 UTC, for another test. As for APRS, >it took little time to set it up and get it picked up >online. I have not hooked it up to a computer yet, but >that is not a high priority yet. > >73! > > > > > >Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK >http://www.wd9ewk.net/ >_______________________________________________ >Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. >Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! >Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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FW: ANS-339 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins
by Dee 05 Dec '10

05 Dec '10

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-339 ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor(a)amsat.org In this edition: * ARISSat Status * UO-11 Report * STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR 2011 * Satellite Shorts * ARISS Status - 29 November 2010 SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.01 ARISSat Status AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 3rd, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.01 ARISSat and the backup unit are in Germany, they are schedulted for delivery to Moscow on Saturday. We will know Tuesday if there were any problems getting them through customs. Lou McFadin, W5DID and Mark Steiner, K3MS will be heading to Moscow on the 10th of December to assist with integration and testing of the Kursk experiment and battery. The schedule still has ARISSat going to the ISS via a Progress vehicle in late January 2011 and release from the ISS in late February 2011. [ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.02 UO-11 Report AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-332.02 This report covers the period from 29 October to 30 November 2010. During this time the satellite has been heard from 30 October to 09 November and 19 to 29 November . At the time of writing it is is expected to switch-on 10 December. Excellent signals have been reported from stations located around the world, and good copy obtained from decoded telemetry frames. The satellite is now transmitting during eclipses, although signals are weaker at those times. This indicates that there is still some capacity remaining in the battery. The on-board clock is now very stable. It gained eight seconds during November. This is comparable with its accuracy when the satellite was fully operational, when it gained approximately one minute per year. However, there is still an accumulated loss of 309 days, which has occurred during eclipses of the last few years. Operation during eclipses and stability of the on-board clock suggest that some part of the system may have recently failed 'open circuit' thus reducing the overall power drain of the system, and allowing more power to be available during eclipses. When analogue telemetry was last transmitted, an unexplained current drain was observed. This fault may have cleared. The Beacon frequencies are - VHF 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry UHF 435.025 MHz. OFF S-band 2401.5 MHz. OFF Reception reports have been received from Gene WA4UKX, Horatio CX8AF, David G8OQW and Michael M0MPM/PA3BHE . Many thanks for those and to everyone who posted reports on the satellite status website. At the present time, while OSCAR-11 is operating in a predictable way, I no longer need direct reports by e-mail. However, could you continue to enter reports on the general satellite status website. This is a very convenient and easy to use facility, which shows the current status of all the amateur satellites, and is of use to everyone. Reports around the expected times of switch-on and switch-off are of special interest. The URL is http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php OSCAR-11 transmits on 145.826 MHz., set receiver to NBFM. The satellite has a characteristic sound, rather like raspy slow morse code, sending "di di dah dah dah dah dah dah dah" sent over a period of five seconds. If you are receiving a very weak signal, switch the receiver to CW or SSB. You should hear several sidebands around the carrier frequency and should be able to hear the characteristic 'morse code like' sound on at least one sideband. Please note that you need a clean noise-free signal to decode the signals, and your receiver must be set to NBFM mode, for a decoder to work. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 sounds like, there is an audio clip on my website www.g3cwv.co.uk/ which may be useful for identification and as a test signal for decoding. The current status of the satellite, is that all the analogue telemetry channels, 0 to 59 are zero, ie they have failed. The status channels 60 to 67 are still working. The real time clock is showing a large accumulated error, but is now incrementing accurately to within a few seconds per month. The day of the month has a bit stuck at 'one' so the day of the month may show an error of +40 days for some dates. The time display has switched into 12 hour mode. Unfortunately, there is no AM/PM indicator, since the time display format was designed for 24 hour mode. The spacecraft computer and active attitude control system have switched OFF, ie. the satellite' attitude is controlled only by the passive gravity boom gradient, and the satellite is free to spin at any speed. The watchdog timer operates on a 20 day cycle. The ON/OFF times have tended to be very consistent. The average of many observations have shown this to be 20.7 days, ie. 10.35 days ON followed by 10.35 days OFF. Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my website. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 should sound like, there is a short audio clip for you to hear. The last telemetry received from the satellite is available for download. The website contains an archive of news & telemetry data which is updated from time to time. It also contains details about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture. There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. The URL is www.g3cwv.co.uk . 73 Clive G3CWV [ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.03 STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR 2011 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.03 STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR 2011 You are cordially invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2011, conducted by AMSAT for radio amateurs throughout the world. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Dick Peacock, W2GFF, who died in 2010 aged 91. Dick was an active satellite operator in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly on CW and usually with a straight key. He was also active on 50 MHz and the HF bands, and could always be counted on for a kind word and a friendly QSO. There are no rules, no scoring and no logs required. Just operate CW on any OSCAR satellite, using a straight hand key, from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC on 1 January 2011, working as many SKN stations as you can.. In keeping with the friendly nature of this event, each participant is asked to nominate one of the operators worked for "Best Fist." It is not necessary that your nominee have the best fist of anyone you heard, just of those you worked. Please send your nomination to W2RS via email at w2rs(a)amsat.org, Those nominated will be recognized in an ANS bulletin to be published in early February, and in The AMSAT Journal. [ANS thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over + Look for Drew, KO4MA operating on the satellites from the area around NASA Stennis and Slidell, Louisiana. This is a work trip so operating time will be limited to free time in the evenings. Drew said he favors transponder satellite operating over FM so look for him on SSB 20 KHz or more above the center of the pass- band. He will return QSL 100% with SASE. He will be enroute to Stennis from Tampa on December 6. + The Zooniverse started the Zooniverse Advent Calendar, similar to the one-a-day-chocolate-treat calendars we all love, but this calendar includes a surprise each day such as special images, downloads and even a couple of very big pieces of space news: http://www.zooniverse.org/advent The Boston Globe's Big Picture has their third annual Advent Calendar of Hubble Pictures: http://tinyurl.com/232ssyj If you'd like to send an e-card specifically to the astronauts on board the International Space Station, NASA has a website just for you: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/postcard/ You can send Chandra X-Ray Observatory E-Cards with a holiday theme from: http://tinyurl.com/27lf8s2 The Space Science Institute invites you to investigate their selection of e-cards at: http://www.spaceweathercenter.org/ecard/01/gallery.php If you love Hubble, and want to send space-themed holiday cards the folks from the Hubble Space Telescope have a great collection of beautiful cards you can download, and send. The cards are des- igned to be printed out at photo stores or online photo labs, though you can also use a home printer. See: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/holiday/ + The next Hudson Valley Satcom Net is Thursday December 9 at 8PM EST (UTC - 5) on the 146.970 MHz Mt. Beacon ARC Repeater. The Echolink node N2EYH-L will also be carrying the net. More information is on-line at: http://www.hvsatcom.org or E-Mail wa2aqh(a)amsat.org The date for next year's Mt. Beacon ARC "Beaconfeste" is Sunday April 10, 2011 at Tymor Park in Central Dutchess County, NY. More information is available on-line at: http://www.wr2abb.org/home/ (Stu, WA2BSS) + NASA Television will provide live coverage of the prelaunch news conference for the COTS 1 Falcon 9 launch Monday, Decemeber 6, at 1:30 p.m. The first SpaceX Falcon 9 demonstration launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program is targeted for liftoff on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Liftoff will occur from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 9:03 a.m. to 12:22 p.m. EST. If necessary, launch opportunities also are available on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 with the same window. (SpaceDaily.com) + Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV reminds users that the SO67 sched- ule is posted at http://www.amsatsa.org.za . It changes weekly with the Americas the first week of the month, Europe the second week, Middle East/India the third week and Australia and Japan fourth week. Special requests with time in UTC should be sent to: saamsat(a)intekom.co.za [ANS thanks everyone for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-339.05 ARISS Status - 29 November 2010 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 339.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. December 5th, 2010 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-339.05 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 29, 2010 1. Italian Students Question Astronaut via ARISS On Wednesday, November 24, on-orbit astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with students attending the Istituto Leopardi - Liceo classico e scientifico in Lecco, Lecco, Italy. The activity was the high point of the school's curriculum which included astronautics, astronomy, radio and English. Approximately 200 students, teachers and guests were present for the event and listened as Wheelock answered 13 questions posed by the youth. Video streamed on the Web received over 100 connections. ESA covered the contact in an article posted to its Web site. See: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMSPVFMTGG_Italy_0.html 2. Video of Wheelock Working Ground Stations Doug Wheelock had a video made while on-orbit in which he gives a tour of the ISS as well as of the amateur radio station. He demonstrates what it is like for an astronaut to handle general contacts with multiple ground stations calling at the same time. AMSAT included this news in its November 28 ANS report: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2010/000464.html The video has been posted to YouTube. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h73EYcyszf8 [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office. 73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org

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