I've heard that the launch date for Dove-1 and the three v1 PhoneSats on Antares has slipped from December into January.
Can anyone confirm the date of the launch ?
73 Trevor M5AKA
For Sale: Ten-Tec Model 1210 2 meter transverter. Excellent
condition with complete original instruction manual and spare new
MRF-2628 R.F. Power output transistor. $38 shipped flat rate Priority
U.S.
Thanks,
Pat K9HF
Hi!
I received a phone call from Hector CO6CBF this evening. One month
has passed since the AMSAT Symposium in Orlando, and Hector now
has all the radio gear he received at the Symposium. He is a very
happy ham tonight. :-)
When Hector returned to Cuba, Cuban Customs held the radio gear
until an inspector from the Ministry of Communications went to the
airport in Hector's home city of Cienfuegos and certified that the
gear was legal to enter Cuba. Hector has been calling the local office
of the Ministry of Communications daily, to get someone to inspect
the equipment. That finally happened a few days ago. After the
inspection, and then sending paperwork to Havana, Hector received
word today that he could retrieve his gear. He borrowed a car, and
went to the Cienfuegos airport to do that.
Hector took two HTs home with the other radio stuff, and he has
had them at home for the past month. He disassembled the HTs
before leaving Florida, and they were not classified as "radios"
when he went through Customs. The HTs were considered to be
"parts", so they were not held at the Cienfuegos airport. Hector also
carried a ThinkPad laptop and a new mobile phone home, which
were not held at Customs with the radio gear.
Some of the items Hector now has at home include: a Yaesu
FT-817ND, an Elk antenna, SignaLink USB interface, an az/el
rotator with LVB Tracker, a FUNcube Dongle Pro, and accessories
like coax cables, a 2m/70cm diplexer, and amplifiers. These items should help him improve his satellite station, and also let him work
on an EME station not far from his home. One of the HTs will go
to another ham, and that new mobile phone will help with satellite
operating. It's an Android-based phone, and Hector can run apps
on it to show pass predictions, show his location using the GPS
in the phone, record audio from the passes, and take photos and
make videos with the phone's camera. Hector couldn't take a GPS
receiver home with him, but can make use of the GPS in his mobile
phone to pinpoint his location - especially at grid boundaries.
Thanks to all the hams who gave Hector equipment to take home
from the Symposium. Hector wanted to post a thank-you message himself, but he isn't able to access his e-mail account from home
this evening.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/
