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

Another Winner!
by Martha 24 Dec '10

24 Dec '10

We now have another winner in the latest group of donations totaling $250. Stephen Silverman of Washington, DC. I would like to extend a special BIG thanks to Clint Bradford, K6LCS for his matching campaign. -- 73- Martha

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AO-51 2M PBBS uplink active
by Mark L. Hammond 23 Dec '10

23 Dec '10

Hello All, Just now I switched the uplink on the AO-51 PBBS to 145.860 (the schedule called for L-band uplink). We hope to leave it there until the next scheduled mode change. Hopefully we'll see some more activity on the bird :) Merry Christmas and 73! Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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QST Editor on HO-68
by John Papay 23 Dec '10

23 Dec '10

HO-68 was on this morning with a North America/Europe footprint, but the only station heard was 2E0BFT. After the window with Europe closed I found another station, WB8IMY, calling CQ with a nice signal. I knew the callsign was familiar but it wasn't from hearing it on the satellites. It was from reading QST Magazine! Steve, WB8IMY, is the Editor of QST Magazine and was operating from home with his TS2000 and Eggbeater antennas. We had a nice chat and the reception was excellent. You never know what you just might happen to snag on the birds! The recording is on my website, http://www.papays.com/sat Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 73, John K8YSE

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Re: NASA Video
by Clint Bradford 23 Dec '10

23 Dec '10

>> ... WOW is not enough to describe it ... My wife walked over to my workstation to make sure I was OK - all she saw was me, motionless, with my jaw dropping to the floor ... (grin) Clint

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AO-51 Mode change complete
by Mark L. Hammond 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

Hi All, We are back in "normal" mode as of about 20:30utc 22 Dec 2010--but the L-band uplink to the PBBS is OFF for a bit so that we can try to catch up on the download of whole orbit data that has been accumulating during the S-band period. It might remain off for a day or so, we'll see. We are very soon entering eclipse periods. As always, watch for announcements about any schedule changes, etc. Next scheduled mode change is for Straight Key Night--which is just about when eclipses start! December 22 (late UTC) FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM (no PL tone) Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 Baud PBBS Operations, L/U Uplink: 1268.705 MHz FM at 9600 baud Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM at 9600 baud December 30 (late UTC) CW/FM Repeater, V/U For Straight Key Night Uplink: 145.880 MHz CW Downlink: 435.300 MHz CW over FM 9k6 Baud Telemetry Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM at 9600 baud 73, Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]

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NASA Video
by Clint Bradford 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

Grab your favorite holiday-season drink, load up the HD version of this NASA video, and be awe-struck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48hjjKUS7G8 "Best of the Best" Launches "Powered" by Music Imagery rarely seen by the public that highlights three space shuttle launches is set to music in this special video produced by NASA engineers at the Glenn Research Center. Clint

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ONLINE REGISTRATION - 1st IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference in Roma
by Group of Astrodynamics 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

Dear all, we would like to announce you that the Online Registration service is now available to register to the 1st IAA Conference on University Satellites Missions and Cubesat Conference in Roma. Please follow the instructions on this link: Registration<http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&I…> <http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&I…>We would like to announce also that the Conference will take place at the Centro Logistico della Guardia di Finanza 'Villa Spada', which is located in Via Castiglion Fiorentino, 00138 Roma. As this place is difficult to reach with public transports, we will organize a service of bus transports from the hotels indicated in the accommodation page (hotels<http://www.gaussteam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&I…>) to the Conference site. If you want to book an hotel in another area, consider how to reach the Conference site. Best regards, -- Gruppo di Astrodinamica Università degli Studi Sapienza Via Salaria, 851 00138 Roma website: www.gaussteam.com tel. 0039 06 88346436

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Office Closed
by Martha 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

The AMSAT Office will be closed from December 24th to January 2nd. We will reopen on Monday, January 3rd 2011. Happy Holidays to all! -- 73- Martha

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AO7 modeA???
by Edward R. Cole 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

Nothing heard during the 0145z pass (#65.199). Did it not switch? 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 144-1.4kw*, 432-100w*, 1296-testing*, 3400-winter? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep dubususa(a)hotmail.com ====================================== *temp not in service

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Fwd: AMSAT-BB and SAREX
by Martha 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

All, My heartiest of congratulations to all the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) volunteers and their international sponsoring organizations on this, the 10th anniversary of the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact. It is breathtaking to see all that you have done this past decade. Ham radio operations on ISS started with the first Moscow/USA checkout contact on November 13, 2000—just 11 days after Expedition 1 took up residence on ISS. That paved the way for the historic first school contact between the students at the Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois and Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL on December 21, 2000. Long-time ARISS volunteer Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, mentored that first contact…preparing the Burbank students, teachers and community for an activity that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Since then, the ARISS team’s volunteer spirit and can-do attitude have kept the ARISS stations on ISS operational the entire decade--through all 26 crew expeditions. Over 560 schools or organizations have performed ARISS contacts -- inspiring tens of thousands of students and enabling millions and millions, worldwide, to experience the human spaceflight journey and to share in the excitement and camaraderie of the ham radio hobby. The international team has installed antennas and equipment in several ISS modules, deployed SuitSat, delivered ARISSat, and a school contact was a prominent “star” in the IMAX ISS 3D movie. Most importantly, you have inspired a legion of students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. On my desk is a copy of NASA’s “Reference Guide to the ISS.” I recently noticed that on the back cover is a beautiful photograph of ISS with the Sun shining prominently on one of the ARISS antennas mounted on the Russian Service Module. That photograph reminds me of a story from the U.S. Constitutional Convention when statesmen Benjamin Franklin, looking towards the president's chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few members near him, that painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising sun from a setting sun. Franklin said "I have often…looked at that behind the president without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun." Indeed….the sun that shines over ARISS is a rising sun. Congratulations to the ARISS international team and their sponsoring organizations!! 73, Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO December 21, 2010 -- 73- Martha

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