AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-039

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@amsat.org

In this edition:

* AMSAT India Sponsors VO-52 Operating Certificate * Volunteers Needed for AMSAT-DC Spring Conference * George Caswell, W1ME Silent Key * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARISS Status Report for the Week of February 2, 2009

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-039.01 AMSAT India Sponsors VO-52 Operating Certificate

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 039.01

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

February 8, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-039.01

Nitin, VU3TYG announced AMSAT India will issue a certificate for Amateur Radio operators who establish two way contact thru VO-52 between January 26, 2009 until May 5, 2009.

The first fifty certificates have been sponsored by a well-wisher which includes postage. After the 50 certificates have been issued a fee will apply. AMSAT India will announce these details when the information is available.

Please send your QSL card containing the details of the QSO on VO-52 AMSAT India at the following address:

AMSAT India (Regd.) No. 201, 2nd Main Road, Mahalakshmi Layout, Bangalore 560086 India.

Also include your mailing address where you would like to have the certificate sent to.

[ANS thanks Nitin, VU3TYG for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-039.02 Volunteers Needed for AMSAT-DC Spring Conference

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 039.02

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

February 8, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-039.02

Maryland-DC AMSAT Area Coordinator, Pat Kilroy, N8PK will kick off planning sessions for the next AMSAT-DC gathering. If you would like to help with this event please send Pat an RSVP e-mail soon to n8pk@amsat.org. Pat will send you the call-in telephone number for the planning conference calls.

Pat says, "Our first planning session conference call will take place during the week of February 8-14, most likely on Thursday evening at 7:00 PM EST. The first agenda item will be to discuss the location and date of the all-day event."

Pat is proposing individuals and groups of Amateur Radio operators form teams who compete at this AMSAT-DC workshop to create and operate a simulated satellite mission. The first groups will build a PICetSat II flight module from a kit of electronic parts on a small printed circuit board. The second groups will set up simple satellite ground stations. The third groups will be in charge of setting up and loading software in the computers at the ground stations to decode the telemetry and to analyze it according to a set of instructions.

This event will be perfect for beginners and advanced satellite users alike, all ultimately working together to "launch" the flight module, receive the downlink, and decode the telemetry. Instructions will be provided in advance of the event to enhance preparation.

More details will follow as planning commences!

[ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-039.03 George Caswell, W1ME Silent Key

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 039.03

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

February 8, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-039.03

AMSAT received the sad news that George Caswell, W1ME died peace- fully at the Maine Veterans Home on February 3rd after a lengthy illness.

George was a very active AMSAT Area Coordinator in Northern New England. For a number of years, George conducted a weekly AMSAT net on a number of linked repeaters stretching from Rhode Island to Maine (including one on top of Mt. Washington).

AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW reflected, "He brought enthusiasm, knowledge and a sense of humor to these nets which attracted check-ins. Needless to say, those 'wide area' nets attracted numerous newcomers to what we do, not to mention gen- erating countless new AMSAT memberships as a direct result. George enjoyed awarding 'Certificates of Recognition' to those that participated in these nets since he knew that 'wall paper' was one way to foster continued interest. I still have the 'Certificate of Recognition' signed by George in 1996 which he gave me when I visited him and participated in one of his nets."

George served as a recruiter for AMSAT's Field Operations Team, encouraging AMSAT members to become area coordinators and to establish an AMSAT presence in their local areas. A number of area coordinators in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine were recruited and encouraged by George. He also repre- sented AMSAT at various hamfests in Northern New England.

George and his wife Caroline, W1MRE brought AMSAT to Maine as they teamed up to organize the 18th AMSAT Space Symposium that was held in Portland, ME October, 2000. At this event people outside of New England and the Field Ops team got to know George.

George set up and operated the first ISS school contact to take place in Maine. In February, 2005, he set up his radio station at the Rockland, ME high school as part of a PenBay radio club activity and contacted the International Space Station, allowing high school students to communicate with the astronauts aboard. It was one of the highlights of his amateur radio involvement.

Barry sums it up, "For many of us, George Caswell, W1ME was the face of AMSAT in New England. His kindness, gracious outlook on life, infectious enthusiasm for satellite operations and amateur radio in general touched many people and made a difference in their lives."

Donations in George's Memory may be made to: Alzheimer's Association Maine Chapter 170 US Route 1, Suite 250 Falmouth, ME 04105.

[ANS thanks Barry Baines, WD4ASW for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-039.04 Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 039.04

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

February 8, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-039.04

+ YouTube video of the ARISS contact with Ellis Elementary School in Belleville, Illinois, is available on-line at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2TuJyNXx0c&eurl=http://livingstlouis. wordpress.com/2009/01/22/living-st-louis-video-ham-radio/&feature= player_embedded (watch line wrap on very long URL).

+ Audio and video from the Humber College, Toronto contact with the ISS is available at: http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20090202.shtml (audio) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090202. wvspacestation0202/VideoStory/Technology/home?pid=RTGAM.20090202. wcollegeradio0202 (watch the line wrap).

+ Paul Willmott, VP9MU released an updated Reference Manual for the General Astrodynamics Library (GAL) at: http://homepage.mac.com/pclwillmott/GAL/index.html

+ Listen for Andy, W5ACM/MM between February 8 and February 14 via AO-51. He hopes to put some new grids on the air while we are out on the water between Galveston, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Roi Tan. Radio will be a a DJ-580Ts with several LiPo battery packs.

+ A video tour of the Altair Lunar Lander is available at: http://tinyurl.com/d5btqx (via UniverseToday).

+ NASA and Google announced the release of a new Mars mode in Google Earth that brings to everyone's desktop a high-resolution, three- dimensional view of the Red Planet. Additional information is on- line at http://tinyurl.com/b567u9 (Via MarsDaily).

+ An interesting article about a planned 500 meter diameter radio telescope in China is available on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/b8sv2k In contrast the radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is 305 meters in diameter (via UniverseToday).

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-039.05 ARISS Status Report for the Week of February 2, 2009

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 039.05

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

February 8, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-039.05

1. School Contacts

Humber College Institute of Technology and Higher Learning in Toronto, Ontario, Canada completed an ARISS contact on Monday, February 2. It has assembled the primary ground station right on the main campus, and it is hoped that it will inspire future students in conducting similar studies.

Pilton Bluecoat Junior School in Barnstaple, Devon, England completed an ARISS contact on Friday, February 6. The school has planned an event with the theme "Our Home in Space - The Final Frontier," in which stu- dents learn about Earth as part of the wider universe.

Städtisches Gymnasium Herzogenrath in Herzogenrath, North Rhine-West- phalia, Germany completed an ARISS contact on Saturday, February 7. The school has an amateur radio club whose members initiated the ARISS contact.

College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University in Imphhal, Assam, India has been scheduled for an ARISS contact on Sunday, February 8 at 10:06 UTC via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia.

2. Russian Students Radio ISS

Students attending the Palace of Children's and Youth's Creativity in Tver, Russia experienced a successful ARISS contact on Tuesday, January 27. The children prepared 9 questions to ask cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, RA3DT. Approximately 300 people attended the event including cosmonaut S. Treshchev and ARISS delegate Sergey Samburov. The Governor of Tver Region, Dmitry Vadimovich Zelenin was also invited. The contact was made possible through the Amateur Radio Club, "Club-22," and its chairman, Sergey Kemov, RA3IS.

3. Successful Canadian Elementary School Contact

On Tuesday, January 27, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, participated in an ARISS contact with students attending Castor Valley Elementary School in Greely, Ontario, Canada. He answered all 16 questions posed to him by the youth as an audience of 750 students, parents and guests looked on. The students initiated the contact, thanked Mike for the contact midway through the session, and finished the rest of the questions. Media covered the event and the school was featured on the CTV 6 o'clock news.

4. French University Contact Successful

Students attending CERAM EAI in Sophia Antipolis, France participated in an ARISS contact on Thursday, January 29 via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. Students were able to ask 15 questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, before interference made the downlink unreadable. Approximately 50 students, faculty members and guests witnessed the event which was covered by the media. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT and JK1ZRW servers and received 11 connections from 9 different countries. A short write up and contact audio have been posted to the ARISS-Europe Web site. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2009_01_30.htm

5. French School Contact Successful

Youth attending Ecole & Collège Jean XXIII, a private primary & secondary school in Pamiers, France, experienced an ARISS contact on Friday, January 30. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 18 questions prepared for him by the students as 150 people gathered to watch. Media coverage included La Gazette Ariegeoise, Le Petit Journal, France 3 and Ariege News. The event is also expected to be reported by La Depeche du Midi, Radio Transparence, Radio Montaillou and Sud Radio. A summary with audio has been posted to the ARISS-Europe Web site. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2009_01_31.htm

6. General Radio Operations

Mike Fincke, KE5AIT and Yuri Lonchakov, RA3DT made general voice contacts over the last week. Among those contacted were stations in the U.S., Canada, Russia and Brazil. They also had the radio running in packet mode and crossband repeater mode and transmitted several Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images.

7. ARISS International Team Meeting Held

The ARISS team held its monthly teleconference on January 27. Among the agenda items discussed were the ARISS Face to Face Meeting to be held in the Netherlands in June, Richard Garriott's mission and SuitSat-2 status. Minutes have been posted. See: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2009-01-27.htm

8. K6DUE Replaces NN1SS

K6DUE, callsign of the late Roy Neal, will now be used for the Inter- national Space Station Amateur Radio Club, replacing the Greenbelt, Maryland telebridge ground station callsign, NN1SS. Neal was instrum- ental in persuading NASA to fly amateur radio on the space shuttle and helped establish the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) working group, which ultimately led to the internationally-based ARISS program. The story was reported on the Amateur Radio Newsline.

[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. With that keep in mind if you show me a piano falling down a mine shaft I'll show you A-flat miner.

73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org