December 2023 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: Wow ... Eighteen Years ...
by JoAnne Maenpaa 31 Dec '23

31 Dec '23

Hey Clint, > ... been up and running for eighteen years. Congratulations on work-sat and Happy New Year! Thanks for those presentations ... -- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM joanne.k9jkm(a)gmail.com BM DMR TG 98006

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Wow ... Eighteen Years ...
by Clint Bradford 31 Dec '23

31 Dec '23

Just updated my “Work the Easy Sats” tutorial for the umpteenth time, and realized that Work-Sat.com <http://work-sat.com/> has been up and running for eighteen years. 677K hits on it the past few years … another 237K on the meager k6lcs.com <http://k6lcs.com/> site. Clubs are still interested in the “basics.” AMSAT Ambassadors are available planet- wide to work with them no matter their location. Thank you all for your support. Long live AMSAT, and here’s to an eventful 2024! Clint Bradford K6LCS 909-999-SATS (7287)

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TEVEL-6
by david.greenberg 31 Dec '23

31 Dec '23

Hello All, TEVEL-6 FM transponder has been activated, starting from today, 31.12.23 08:21U for 72 hours.73,David 4X1DGנשלח מה-Galaxy שלי

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Re: Need advice on circular polarized antennas
by on4cjq＠telenet.be 31 Dec '23

31 Dec '23

Hello Joe, I made this switch myself yeras ago, see QRZ.COM page. Switches and antennas. Made it with small SMA relays, they can handle enough pwr on V/UHF for satwork. You just need to put the antennes in X form and important is to see which side is the 'HOT' end off both the dipoles. If the antennas are put up the wrong way, your polarisation will not be correct. All coax in the boxes are measured with analyser for exact lenghts to 1/4L and 1/2L. It works FB!!. If you only want RHCP/LHCP, its easy to manage when they have folded dipoles for example. Put a TOHTSU CX-120P relais in only 1 dipole box per crossyagi, you can connect directly thze center dipole-end to the relais which switches the polarisation. I've done this on a portable antenne, all elements placed 1/4L between the 2 planes. This method is more expensive...relays costs. Best 73's Jerry ----- Oorspronkelijk bericht ----- Van: "Joseph Amato via AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Aan: "amsat-bb" <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> Verzonden: Zondag 24 december 2023 18:08:50 Onderwerp: [AMSAT-BB] Need advice on circular polarized antennas I’m looking for some advice on antennas for 2 m/70 cm satellite operation. Presently, I have home-brew yagis for each band, horizontally polarized. To eliminate fading due to satellite rotation, I want to replace these antennas with circularly polarized ones. But the new antennas need to be relatively lightweight, because I have to lug them up on a ladder to mount them, and, well, I’m not as young as I used to be. I have been considering the WiMo circular polarized antennas (#18010 and 18011), but would first like to hear from people who have experience with them. I like to build things myself, but the WiMo design looks cleverer than anything I’ve been able to come up with so far. Any advice? Thanks! Joe K1MNY ----------------------------------------------------------- Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Acceptable Use and Privacy Policies available at https://www.amsat.org/about-amsat/ View archives of this mailing list at https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/amsat-bb@amsat.org To unsubscribe send an email to amsat-bb-leave(a)amsat.org Manage all of your AMSAT-NA mailing list preferences at https://mailman.amsat.org

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Re: Need advice on circular polarized antennas
by Wendy and Terry Osborne 30 Dec '23

30 Dec '23

Hi Joe, I've found another article on a Polarization Switcher. It's referenced in the I8CVS papers. I've added it to the dropbox for I8CVS. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ne4o6ham0xfwovfdz004a/h?rlkey=sl2jswt7mlf1fn… 73 and Happy New year. Terry Osborne ZL2BAC On 27/12/2023 8:29 am, Joseph Amato wrote: > Thanks for sending the articles, Terry. It’s a clever design, and the relays don’t look too expensive. Maybe there’s even less expensive ones that would be suitable for the low power (< 10 W) used for satellite communications. It’s great to see what other hams have come up with. > > Joe K1MNY > > >> On Dec 25, 2023, at 10:13 PM, Wendy and Terry Osborne <wandtosborne(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Hi Joe, >> >> The late Domenico I8CVS, designed a switcher that used horizontal and vertically polarised yagis to obtain circular polarization, both RHCP and LHCP as well as horizontal and vertical. It was described in the AMSAT Journal March/April 2007 and May/June 2007. >> I've put the articles in dropbox here: >> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ne4o6ham0xfwovfdz004a/h?rlkey=sl2jswt7mlf1fn… >> >> Many years ago I made up a couple of these for the FM Broadcast band and can confirm that the switching system works fine. >> >> Merry Christmas and 73, >> >> Terry Osborne ZL2BAC >> >> >> On 25/12/2023 6:08 am, Joseph Amato via AMSAT-BB wrote: >>> I’m looking for some advice on antennas for 2 m/70 cm satellite operation. Presently, I have home-brew yagis for each band, horizontally polarized. To eliminate fading due to satellite rotation, I want to replace these antennas with circularly polarized ones. But the new antennas need to be relatively lightweight, because I have to lug them up on a ladder to mount them, and, well, I’m not as young as I used to be. I have been considering the WiMo circular polarized antennas (#18010 and 18011), but would first like to hear from people who have experience with them. I like to build things myself, but the WiMo design looks cleverer than anything I’ve been able to come up with so far. Any advice? Thanks! >>> >>> Joe K1MNY >>> >>> ----------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available >>> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed >>> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. >>> Acceptable Use and Privacy Policies available at https://www.amsat.org/about-amsat/ >>> >>> View archives of this mailing list at >>> https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/amsat-bb@amsat.org >>> To unsubscribe send an email to amsat-bb-leave(a)amsat.org >>> Manage all of your AMSAT-NA mailing list preferences at https://mailman.amsat.org

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ANS-365 - AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for December 31, 2023
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 30 Dec '23

30 Dec '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-365 In this edition: * W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st * Amateur Satellites to be Featured at Ham Radio University * Six US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process * Only Two Days Left to Get 2023 AMSAT President's Club Coins * Student-Led ARISS Contact a Success * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 29, 2023 * 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 http://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 [dot] 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/ ANS-365 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2023 DEC 31 W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st In March 2022, the AMSAT community lost one of our pioneers when Ray Soifer, W2RS, became a silent key. In addition to his numerous contributions to AMSAT and the worldwide amateur satellite community, Ray was also the long time organizer of AMSAT's CW Activity Day - previously AMSAT Straight Key Night - held in conjunction with the ARRL's event on New Year's Day. In recognition of Ray's long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT's CW Activity Day is now known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day. The rules are simple - operate CW through any amateur satellite between 0000 UTC and 2359 UTC on January 1, 2024. Straight keys and bugs are encouraged, but not required. Logs are not required, but operators are encouraged to submit a report of their activity to the AMSAT-BB. Photos and video clips of activity are also encouraged - post them on X or other social media networks and tag @AMSAT or #amsat. Remember to use the minimum power required for communication as constant carrier modes, including CW, can disrupt transponder operation for other users. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Satellites to be Featured at Ham Radio University AMSAT Member Peter Portanova, W2JV, will present an Amateur Radio Satellite forum- "Orbiting the Earth" - A beginners guide to operating the FM Satellites at the upcoming Ham Radio University. The Ham Radio University (HRU) educational conference will be a live event only with over 20 forums, held on Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 9:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST at the Hillwood Commons Student Center on the campus of LIU Post college, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, NY 11548. Now in its 25th consecutive year, Ham Radio University is free to attend and no preregistration is necessary. Complete information on HRU can be found at https://hamradiouniversity.org/. [ANS thanks Peter Portanova, W2JV, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Six US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announced the schools/host organizations selected for the July-December 2024 window. A total of 6 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities. The schools and host organizations are: - Coastal Community School Satellite Beach, FL - Computer Museum of America Roswell, GA - Kopernik Observatory Vestal, NY - Immaculate Heart of Mary School Wayne, NJ - Magnet Innovation Center Inlet Beach, FL - Midlands STEM Charter School Winnsboro, SC The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 6 US host organizations during the July-December 2024 time period. They are now at work completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA. [ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Only Two Days Left to Get 2023 AMSAT President's Club Coins Thanks to the generosity of AMSAT members, the 2023 President's Club has raised over $49,000 to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! And there are still two days to go! Membership levels begin at $120. All 2023 contributors receive a full-color certificate, AMSAT logo cork beverage coasters and, of course, the stunning membership coin. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10. Complete information on the AMSAT President's Club can be found at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/. But, hurry - there is only a handful of 2023 coins left and they will no longer be available once the new year begins. Become at member today at the AMSAT Store https://www.amsat.org/shop/. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ * Student-Led ARISS Contact a Success A student-led contact with astronauts through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program was a great success that earned significant media attention. On Monday, December 11, students at Harbor Creek High School in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, used amateur radio to talk with Astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ. The students are part of the Advanced Technologies Group, KC3SGV, an after-school club at Harbor Creek. Fifteen of the students are licensed radio amateurs. As ARRL News reported last week, their faculty advisor, Assistant Principal Drew Mortensen, AC3DS, is a graduate of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. He utilized what he learned in the program and brought it back to the school. The ARISS contact is just one of the many successes the program has had. ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, was on hand for the contact, and he was impressed by the skills demonstrated by the students. Goodgame recalled, "From antenna assembly and installation to the actual control operator function of the radio during the contact itself, students were at the helm. Every student who asked a question of Commander Mogensen was a licensed amateur radio operator. When I asked what they had planned next, the response was, 'Well, the logical step would be to build and get a CubeSat launched.' This is exactly the type of program we hope to help create as an outcome of the Teachers Institute," said Goodgame. Local, regional, and national media took note of the students' success. Local television newscasts (see Amateur Radio in the News below) featured the event, and NBC Journalist Harry Smith and a crew from NBC's TODAY were at the event to tell the story about the young hams. This type of exposure for amateur radio is key to growing the hobby, according to ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX. "The passion of these teenage operators led to this success story. Who doesn't love the story of young minds doing extraordinary things in STEM through amateur radio?" she exclaimed. ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL, mentioned that the media coverage demonstrates the impact that the donors who have funded the Teachers Institute have on the future of amateur radio. Beal said, "The reach goes far beyond the one-week training institute and ripples out farther than we can see." The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is funded by the ARRL Education and Technology Fund. If you are interested in supporting STEM education through the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, visit www.arrl.org/GiveToSTEM. [ANS thanks ARRL News for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for December 29, 2023 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. Elements in the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to add or remove satellites as necessary 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/ HADES-D has been renamed Spain-OSCAR 121 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- + ARISS NEWS Upcoming Contacts No contacts have been scheduled from December 21, 2023 to January 14, 2024. [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Satellite Operations No scheduled operations are listed at this time. 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.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Ham Radio University January 6, 2024 LIU-POST Hillwood Commons Student Center 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, NY 11548 https://hamradiouniversity.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Send email an to Clint at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com. Already booking dates for 2024! From a club recently: "Thank you for the well-done presentation this evening. After the Zoom session had ended, my members would not go home: They just wanted to keep talking about your presentation. Again, well done and thank you." - Phil N2EDX, VP Daytona Beach ARA [ANS thanks Clint Bradford, K6LCS, AMSAT Ambassador for the above information.] + The presentations from the 50th Anniversary AMSAT-DL. Anniversary Satellite Meeting on September 16, 2023 in Bochum are available on the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/3RYfqWP. Subtitles are available and can be enabled in YouTube, with automatic translation into other languages. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.] + The 2024 CubeSat Developers Workshop, an annual conference hosted by the Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory, will be held April 23–25, 2024. The event will be held at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center in-person as it has in years past. The conference draws more than 500 industry professionals, small satellite developers and students who will take part in three days of live presentations, Q&A panels, exhibit booths, and more. This conference is particularly useful to new members of the CubeSat community with invaluable opportunities to meet and talk to industry veterans. If you are interested in hearing more about this year’s conference, click the link below! For more information go to https://www.cubesat.org/. [ANS thanks cubesat.org for the above information.] +A piece of America's space history is now on the ocean's floor. During its return voyage to Port Canaveral in Central Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster toppled over and broke in half. This particular booster, tail number B1058, was coming back from its record-breaking 19th mission when it had its fatal fall. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Dec. 23 carrying 23 Starlink satellites. The booster made a successful landing eight and a half minutes after launch on the drone ship 'Just Read the Instructions' which was stationed east of the Bahamas. SpaceX said in a statement on social media that it succumbed to "high winds and waves." [ANS thanks SpaceNews 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 Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

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EM03 ROVE
by JOHN GEIGER 30 Dec '23

30 Dec '23

Making a quick trip tonight and tomorrow to EM03. Will do some FM birds and RS44 TXing on 145.940 73 John AF5CC Sent using Zoho Mail

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ANS-363 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st
by Paul Stoetzer 29 Dec '23

29 Dec '23

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-363 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 http://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/ In this edition: * W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-363.01 ANS-363 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 363.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE December 30, 2023 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-363.01 W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day to be Held January 1st In March 2022, the AMSAT community lost one of our pioneers when Ray Soifer, W2RS, became a silent key. In addition to his numerous contributions to AMSAT and the worldwide amateur satellite community, Ray was also the long time organizer of AMSAT’s CW Activity Day – previously AMSAT Straight Key Night – held in conjunction with the ARRL’s event on New Year’s Day. In recognition of Ray’s long time service to AMSAT and his keen interest in CW operating via satellite, AMSAT’s CW Activity Day is now known as the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day. The rules are simple – operate CW through any amateur satellite between 0000 UTC and 2359 UTC on January 1, 2024. Straight keys and bugs are encouraged, but not required. Logs are not required, but operators are encouraged to submit a report of their activity to the AMSAT-BB. Photos and video clips of activity are also encouraged – post them on X or other social media networks and tag @AMSAT or #amsat. Remember to use the minimum power required for communication as constant carrier modes, including CW, can disrupt transponder operation for other users. [ANS thanks AMSAT 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. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. 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. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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AMSAT-INDIA activities promoted in MAPCON 2023 at Ahmedabad Gujarat India
by Rajesh Vagadia - VU2EXP 29 Dec '23

29 Dec '23

Dear Hams, Amateur Radio & Satellite Communication was promoted in the prestigious MAPCON 2023 Conference at Ahmedabad - Gujarat INDIA from 12 to 14 December 2023. It was an international platform for sharing of research, technologies in the field of microwaves and antennas, wherein many national/international eminent personalities shared their vision, expertise and knowledge. MAPCON-2023 carried various technical sessions, invited talks, workshops, tutorials, special sessions, student design competitions, industry sessions and state of the art Exhibition. Participants include researchers and leaders of IEEE Antenna & Microwave community, defence & Space industry partners & Startups, Academia and eminent speakers from Government organisations like ISRO, SAC, IN-SPACe etc. Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP (Regional Coordinator of AMSAT-INDIA) was invited by Shri Rajeev Jyoti Sir (Director IN-SPACe) & MAPCON 2023 Committee for MAPCON Exhibition and promote Amateur Radio & Satellite Communication for educational purpose. Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP & team member Shyama Vagadia VU3WHG (B.Tech. - ICT 4th sem student of Marwadi University, Rajkot) successfully participated in the MAPCON Exhibition for 3 days from 12 to 14 Dec 2023. We were allocated a decent sized stall of 3x3m with standard facilities. It was a huge event - renowned exhibitors/leaders from different industries took part in this exhibition. We were the invited exhibitor for educational awareness on Amateur radio & satellites. We properly planned & carried a range of Amateur Radio equipment to display from CW keys to portable satellite communication ground station! We were aware that visitors would be from different segments such as; professionals, researchers, Scientists, Industrialist, IIT Students etc. Every person could have interest in different Amateur radio stuff or application so we exhibited whole spectrum of stuff incl HF, VHF, UHF Radios, HTs, SDR Radio, RTL-SDR, Base Station, Antenna, PSU, Coax, Connectors, Test Instruments, SWR Meters/RF Power Meter, NanoVNA, Antenna Tuner, Diplexer, Logbook, Call Books, QSL Cards, Awards, Cube Satellite model etc stuff to give close idea of the Ham Radio equipments we use in our radio shack and field! Informative posters, banners & all our radio stuff along with live presentation on Big TV screen was kept at our stall to give a glimpse of our amateur radio activity. The educational approach from our team helped most visitors to satisfy their queries and gain knowledge on various topics of our fascinating hobby. IIT Students and faculties from different institutions showed keen interest in Amateur radio club activity and Student Satellite programme. Many Scientists, professionals & communication expert appreciated our presence to spread awareness for our scientific hobby keeping us engaged to learn experiment & enjoy the core theme of MAPCON i.e. Microwave (RF here), Antenna & Propagation! Chief Guest of an event and former ISRO Chairman A. S. Kiran Kumar Sir did visit the exhibition/our stall and spent some time understanding our Amateur radio & AMSAT-INDIA activities. We put it into their kind notice of two Amateur Radio payloads collaborated by AMSAT-INDIA (1) HAMSAT - VO52 launched in 2005 carrying linear transponder (2) AISAT Digipeater integrated in 4th stage of PSLV Rocket body, launched in 2019 (experimental initiative from ISRO). We also highlighted the role of The Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI) and its activity. Shri Kiran Kumar Sir took note of our educational activities . Me & Shyama VU3WHG were delighted to welcome A. S. Kirankumar Sir, we presented a book 'The Gateway To Ham Radio' to him as a token of compliments (book credit to VU2JIM). Also Shri Rajeev Jyoti Sir (Director IN-SPACe) was warmly welcomed to our stall, I thanked him for supporting & offering our stall to create awareness on our radio & satellite activity. He spared a good time at our stall, they appreciated our efforts and the range of working radio stuff we highlighted for all visitors. Sir also took good note for our small portable Satellite ground station consisting of a tripod, dual band Arrow II antenna, 2 HTs for RX - TX in full duplex configuration, Headphone/mic, audio recorder, tracking device, with manually aiming arrangement for Azimuth, elevation & polarisation! This was the least expensive yet working ground station for Amateur radio (FM/LEO) satellites throughout the MAPCON 2023 Exhibition! hi..hi.. We presented a book 'Gateway To Ham Radio' to shri Rajeev Jyoti Sir as a token of compliments (Book credit to VU2JIM). We had great interaction with many exhibitors, researchers, professors from various institutions and exchanged views that a lot more radio & satellite activities / projects could be worked out for the benefit of the society. We simply conveyed how common man from any walk of life can become Ham radio operator and gradually improve their skill to have digital communication, contesting, activating - special callsign and how they enjoy IOTA, Lighthouse, Hilltop, ARISS SSTV event, tracking & working OSCAR Satellites! And all this activity is enjoyed by global Amateur radio operators. This simple yet effective message appeals to most visitors. We also had gracious presence of Shri Hanumanth Rayappa Sir (Director, Satcom PO, ISRO HQ), Shri Vaibhav Sir (ISRO), Shri Milind Mahajan Sir (SAC/ISRO), Sanjeev Kulshrestha (SAC/ISRO), Shri Nikhil Arora Sir (IN-SPACe), Shri Pratik Mevada Sir (SAC/ISRO), Prof. Gangaprasad Pandey (PDEU, Gandhinagar) etc. We had good talks on various Amateur satellites & projects. For specific queries, from ISRO Scientists, on our previous AMSAT-INDIA missions, I connected to Maniji VU2WMY & Nitin VU3TYG for precise explanation, I thank both of my AMSAT fellow friends. During exhibition we had very good eyeball with hams including Prof. S.P Bhatnagar Sir VU2SPF, Jinofar Bhujwala VU2JJJ, Manojbhai Suthar VU2EHY, VU3RGP Rakesh & Jayshankar VU2JAA. I am thankful to VU2SPF & VU2JJJ for all the support they extended. It was a great time for us to be in this top conference for professionals yet representing as Amateurs! Big thanks to the MAPCON 2023 Committee for providing us with such a platform. I specially thank my niece & team member Shyama Vagadia VU3WHG (B.Tech ICT 4th semester, Marwadi University, Rajkot) for all support & assistance from the beginning . Shyama also remains a member of the Student Satellite project team from Marwadi University and a student member of IEEE Gujarat Chapter. For her it was also a memorable experience to meet all living legends of the Indian space & research organisation of India (ISRO). I thank Shri B. A. Subramani Sir VU2WMY, Nitin Muttin VU3TYG & all members of AMSAT-INDIA for detailed follow up, guidance and support to make our participation notable. I equally thank Ramesh Kumar VU2LU & Krishna Kumar VU2YUU from ARSI for their respective guidance & support. We tried our best to cultivate the seeds (of amateur radio), hoping to get some fruitful results! Thank you all. 73 Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP Rajkot (Gujarat) India Regional Coordinator West India Zone AMSAT-INDIA E: vu2exp @ gmail . com www.qrz.com/db/vu2exp ------------

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AMSAT Ambassadors
by Clint Bradford 28 Dec '23

28 Dec '23

Already booking dates for 2024! Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Send email to Clint at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com From a club recently: "Thank you for the well-done presentation this evening. After the Zoom session had ended, my members would not go home: They just wanted to keep talking about your presentation. Again, well done and thank you. - Phil N2EDX, VP Daytona Beach ARA /end/

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